Carmine Crecchio is an Associate Professor in Agricultural Chemistry at the Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (DiSSPA), University of Bari, Italy. He received his M.Sc. (1985) in Biology and Doctorate (1991) in Molecular and Cellular Genetics at the same university. His research fields include the composition and functioning of soil microbial communities, soil biochemistry/microbiology/molecular biology in soil under different managements, the isolation and characterization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), the characterization of microbial communities of compost and biofertilizers, and the structure and functioning of microbial communities in food technology. His scientific interests include soil quality and fertility in sustainable and conventional agro-ecosystems, the response of plants to soil management, and the role of microbial communities in food technology.