This book presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary and international workshop supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (funding line 'Knowledge for Tomorrow') on the topic of 'Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa'. The conference was jointly organised by Goethe-University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Kara (Togo) held from March 6 to 8, 2019 in northern Togo. It aimed to strengthen capacities of junior scientists from the sub-region, exchange and mobilise theoretical and methodological background from various scientific fields (Botany, Construction, Geology, Geography, Infrastructure, Politics, Remote Sensing, Sociology and Urban Planning). One goal was to deliver reliable elements for ongoing and profound environmental analyses that lie outside the common questions of the academic and civil society stakeholders. Ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation in West Africa are mainly triggered by humans such as agriculture and small-scale forest disturbances for charcoal and firewood production. Increasing population pressure, declining of carrying capacity and demand for agricultural land caused the reduction of land conservation capacities, even in protected areas. The complexity of interactions between environmental and socio-ecological systems and subsequent effects (sensitivity) has raised ongoing international awareness in light of ongoing climate change. By the example of natural resources, land use and stakeholders' perceptions within the Volta-Oti Basin the book's proceedings present, discuss and distribute new findings that will sustainably stimulate the international debate. The workshop also intended to overcome national borders and language barriers between the Anglophone (Ghana) and the Francophone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo) research communities, and supported better West African cooperation and networking. The young as well as the established partners formed new collaborations, and the event at the University of Kara (Togo) was a truly unique opportunity for all involved, not only to discuss science, but also to assess applied and best future management practices for the Oti-Volta Basin in West Africa.

This important 2-volume reference book is the first comprehensive resource reflecting the current global status and prospects of date palm cultivation by country. This volume covers Africa and the Americas. Countries included are: Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Cameroon, Djibouti, Chad, Mali Somalia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Senegal, as well as the United States of America and the South American countries Chile and Peru. Topics discussed are: cultivation practices; genetic resources and breeding; conservation and germplasm banks; cultivar classification and identification based on morphological and molecular markers; micropropagation and progress toward scale-up production; and advances in dates processing and marketing. Chapters are supported by tables and color photographs. Appendixes summarize traits and distribution of major cultivars, commercial resources of offshoots and in vitro plants; and institutions and scientific societies concerned with date palm.

This book describes the various techniques for nondestructive quality assessment of fruits and vegetables. It covers the methods, measurements, operation principles, procedures, data analysis, and applications for implementing these techniques. The book presents the details of nondestructive approaches focusing on the present-day trends and existing future opportunities in the fresh food supply chain. First, it overviews different nondestructive techniques in food quality detection. Then it presents nondestructive methods: monochrome computer vision, imaging techniques, biospeckle laser technique, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, Raman spectroscopy, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, X-ray computed tomography, ultrasound, acoustic emission, chemometrics, electronic nose and tongue. Selected applications of each method are also introduced. As a result, readers gain a better understanding of how to use nondestructive methods and technologies to detect the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. With a wide range of interesting topics, the book will benefit readers including postharvest & food scientists/technologists, industry personnel and researchers involved in fresh produce quality detection. The book can also serve as a readily accessible reference material for postgraduate students.

Plants often encounter abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, flooding, high/low temperatures, and metal toxicity, among others. The majority of these stresses occur simultaneously and thus limit crop production. Therefore, the need of the hour is to improve the abiotic stresses tolerance of crop plants by integrating physiology, omics, and modern breeding approaches. This book covers various aspects including (1) abiotic stress responses in plants and progress made so far in the allied areas for trait improvements, (2) integrates knowledge gained from basic physiology to advanced omics tools to assist new breeding technologies, and (3) discusses key genes, proteins, and metabolites or pathways for developing new crop varieties with improved tolerance traits.

Plants often encounter abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, flooding, high/low temperatures, and metal toxicity, among others. The majority of these stresses occur simultaneously and thus limit crop production. Therefore, the need of the hour is to improve the abiotic stresses tolerance of crop plants by integrating physiology, omics, and modern breeding approaches. This book covers various aspects including (1) abiotic stress responses in plants and progress made so far in the allied areas for trait improvements, (2) integrates knowledge gained from basic physiology to advanced omics tools to assist new breeding technologies, and (3) discusses key genes, proteins, and metabolites or pathways for developing new crop varieties with improved tolerance traits.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on sensor technologies in livestock monitoring. The first chapter considers the development of on-animal sensors as a means of monitoring an array of livestock species, as well as the challenges which arise with their deployment in commercial livestock management operations. The second chapter reviews the utilisation of wearable technologies to monitor the welfare of poultry, including accelerometers. The chapter also considers the effects of these sensors on bird welfare and behaviour. The third chapter provides a detailed overview of recent advances in techniques for monitoring dairy cow health and welfare. The chapter reviews the development of diagnostic tools and sensor technologies which enable automated, continuous monitoring of livestock. The fourth chapter reviews the potential of precision livestock farming (PLF) technology to monitor dairy cattle welfare in line with the Five Domains framework. The chapter explores how PLF can positively impact each of the five domains: nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state. The final chapter reviews recent advances in technologies for monitoring key indicators of pig welfare by considering good feeding, good housing, good health and appropriate behaviour.

Features: Provide a state of the art description of the physiological, biochemical and molecular status of the understanding of abiotic stress in plants. Courses taught in universities from basics to advanced level in field of plant physiology, molecular genetics and bioinformatics this book will be used. Focuses on climatic extremes and their management for plant protection and production which is great threat to future generation and food security. Understanding of new techniques pointed out in this book will open the possibility of genetic engineering in crop plants with the concomitant improved stress tolerance. Addressing factors that are threatening future food production and providing potential solutions of these factors. Written by a diverse faction of internationally famed scholars, this book adds new horizons in the field of abiotic stress tolerance.

Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

This book presents a newly designed dynamic fluidic sprinkler (DFS) to improve hydraulic performance of the existing complete fluidic sprinkler (CFS) under low-pressure conditions. Sprinkler irrigation has high prospects for improving water management in crop production. In recent years, low-pressure water-saving has become an important research content in the field of sprinkler irrigation. It introduces the effect of riser height on rotation uniformity and application rate of the dynamic fluidic sprinkler. It also discusses the intelligent sprinkler irrigation technologies for autonomous and remote sensing system. This book will be a useful reference for researchers and professionals in the field of agriculture and irrigation.

This open access book discusses the current role of smallholders in connection with food security and poverty reduction in developing countries. It addresses the opportunities they enjoy, and the constraints they face, by analysing the availability, access to and utilization of production factors. Due to the relevance of smallholder farms, enhancing their production capacities and economic and social resilience could produce positive impacts on food security and nutrition at a number of levels. In addition to the role of small farmers as food suppliers, the book considers their role as consumers and their level of nutrition security. It investigates the link between agriculture and nutrition in order to better understand how agriculture affects human health and dietary patterns. Given the importance of smallholdings, strategies to increase their productivity are essential to improving food and nutrition security, as well as food diversity.

The history of Science is replete with untold stories and this book is one of these accounts. The author shares a narrative of heredity, an active topic of inquiry long before Gregor Mendel - the father of genetics - planted his peas. One such interlude unfolded in Mendel's home city and involved the sheep breeder, Imre Festetics. He sought to improve wool and proposed important rules of heredity. Unfortunately, aspects of wool quality, now known to be polygenic, complicate interpretations of the work of Festetics and explain why it is neglected. The forebearers of Mendel never get the credit they deserve. Heredity Before Mendel resurrects Festetics, the grandfather of heredity. Key Features 1) Documents a vibrant community of scholars interested in heredity before Mendel 2) Highlights the work of Imre Festetics, the forgotten grandfather of genetics 3) Desribes political repression which stifled the nascent foundation of heredity research 4) Emphasizes the role sheep and wool played as the first model system of genetics 5) Challenges19th century taboos in Moravia leading to malicious rumors about the inbred royal House of Austria (Habsburgs).

Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Treatment addresses in detail the required in-depth life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment. This is to meet the special demands placed upon wastewater treatment processes, due to both the limited quantity and often low quality of water supplies. Wastewater management clearly plays a central role in achieving future water security in a world where water stress is expected to increase. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be used as a tool to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with wastewater treatment and potential improvement options. This unique volume will focus on the analysis of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Key Features: Focuses on the analysis of wastewater treatment plants using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach Discusses unconventional water sources such as recycled wastewater, brackish groundwater and desalinated seawater Explains life cycle assessment in detail, which has become one of the reference methods used to assess the environmental performance of processes over their complete life cycle, from raw material extraction, infrastructure construction and operation to final dismantling Explores a technique (LCA) that is becoming increasingly popular amongst researchers in the water treatment field nowadays because of its holistic approach Based on the real life experiences, the subject of wastewater is presented in simple terms and made accessible to anyone willing to learn and experiment

This new volume looks at new research and advances in the use of nanotechnology applications in agricultural and bioprocess engineering. The first section deals with the impact of nanotechnology in agricultural engineering, looking at the role of nanomaterials in plant growth and nutrition. It goes on to discuss specific methods and processes in the development of food products, nutraceuticals, and therapeutics. This includes nanotechnological methods for iron fortification of dairy food, for processing and preservation of meat and meat products, for selective targeting of cancer, and more. The book then discusses the role of nanotechnology in bioprocessing, such as for biofuel production, for wastewater treatment, and as enzymatic nanoparticles for fabrication processes.

Although biochar has promise as a soil toxicity remedy, limited research is available, as well as books that summarize the current understanding of this topic. Using herbicides is a fundamental part of the current agricultural model and without the use of these products, food security is threatened on a global scale. Biochar is getting much attention in Korea and Brazil. The book would be of interest in these countries. This subject area has been highlighted due to the increased public concerns around pesticides and their fate in the environment.

Seed conditioning removes undesirable material including debris and stray seeds from selected raw harvested seed, so as to create planting seed that delivers high yielding crops. This two-volume set provides a major up-date of previously published work. It describes the essential information needed to understand this process and the machinery involved. It describes the machines available to seed conditioners and explains how they can be installed, operated, adjusted, and maintained to give complete and precise separations for many years. All the machines are described in sufficient detail, sometimes with the help of models to enable the conditioner to get good results. The book also details the operating sequence used to properly prepare seed before going into each machine. Organized in a logical sequence, it catalogs all the entire field of seed conditioning, to help seed managers, specialists, and conditioning operators reduce loss of good seed while improving seed quality and honing the efficiency of their operations.

This volume focuses on the tree, as a cultural and biological form, and examines the concept of folk value and its implications for biocultural conservation. Folk value refers to the value of the more-than-human living world to cultural cohesion and survival, as opposed to individual well-being. This field of value, comprising cosmological, aesthetic, eco-erotic, sentimental, mnemonic value and much more, serves as powerful motivation for the local performance of environmental care. The motivation to maintain and conserve ecology for the purpose of cultural survival will be the central focus of this book, as the conditions of the Anthropocene urgently require the identification, understanding and support of enduring, self-perpetuating biocultural associations. The geographical scope is broad with chapters discussing different tree species from the Americas and the Caribbean, East Asia, Eurasia and Australia and Africa. By focusing on the tree, one of the most reliably cross-culturally-valued and cross-culturally-recognized biological forms, and one which invariably defines expansive landscapes, this work illuminates how folk value binds the survival of more-than-human life forms with the survival of specific peoples in the era of biocultural loss, the Anthropocene. As such, this collection of cross-cultural cases of tree folk value represents a low hanging fruit for the larger project of exploring the power of cultural value of the more-than-human living world. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of conservation, biodiversity, biocultural studies and environmental anthropology.

Taking a sustainable approach, this volume explores the various soil management techniques. It begins with an overview of the elementary concepts of soil management and then delves into new research and novel soil management tools and techniques. Topics include: * Clays as a critical component in sustainable agriculture with respect to carbon sequestration in conjunction with its interaction with soil enzymes * The potential utilization of microbes to mitigate crop stress * Resource conservation technologies and prospective carbon management strategies * The use of smart tools for monitoring soils * Effective nutrient management approaches * Nanotechnological interventions for soil management * Techniques for the remediation of soils contaminated by metals and pesticides

The existence and competition of trees and shrubs to sustain and put forth growth under varied environmental conditions is dependent on the interactions that occur between the plant metabolic processes and the prevailing environmental conditions. In order to understand the productivity of trees and shrubs, it is a prerequisite to know the experimental techniques of these vital processes. This volume provides a comprehensive presentation of this topic. The first part of this book deals with various aspects of experimental ecophysiology and recent research results of studies on plant pigments, epicuticular wax, leaf nutrients, carbon fixation, all supported by literature. The second part of the volume describes various laboratory techniques such as diffusion, imbibition, calorimetry, atomic absorption, mineral nutrition, nutrition analysis of forage, litterfall chemistry, nutrient cycle, etc. The third and fourth parts deal with advances in the techniques in the development of ecophysiology. The book will serve as an important handbook and resource for students, faculty and teachers, technicians, and researchers and scientists involved in forest science dealing with ecophysiology and biochemistry of woody and crop plants.

This new volume addresses the growing use of organic farming in recent past decades fueled by the concern with the many deleterious effects of conventional agricultural practices, which employ chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides for large scale production of food. It focuses on sustainable development in farming, primarily detailing the application of different natural resources as manure for organic farming. The authors discuss efficient and cost-effective uses of natural and available resources to produce healthy food while at the same time helping to conserve the environment. Section I of Organic Farming for Sustainable Development discusses in detail the application of microorganisms such as Trichoderma sp., Azospirillum sp., endophytic microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhiza, Chaetomium sp., and bioactive secondary metabolites in organic farming practices. Section II explores the potential applications of organic amendments and sustainable practices for plant growth and soil health using garlic products, organic substrates, biochar, organic mulching, and tillage and weed management. In addition, Section III summarizes the impacts and prospects of organic crop production technology on health, food safety, and quality. The authors bring together important information that will be helpful in designing organic farming methods for soil sustainability and crop productivity as well as for nutritious food produced efficiently and cost productively. The book provides valuable insight to efficiently and cost-effectively use natural and available resources to increase the nutrient content of our food as well as to manage the organic wastes coming from other sectors, such as from cattle farms without polluting the surroundings.

* Covers core microeconomic and microeconomic principles relevant to farm management, in an accessible way * Covers a broad range of management issues applied to a farm context: accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, quality management, human resources and more * Incorporates current farming issues, including organic crops, migrant labor, farmers' markets and biofuels * Second edition has updated data (e.g. commodity prices) and academic literature * Second edition has more international examples, showing the diversity of types and sizes of farms across the US and globally - including Europe, Asia, Australia and Brazil * Second edition has more focus on sustainability and conservation * Instructor materials are available as digital supplements: PPT slides, test bank and instructor manual

The book provides in-depth knowledge on the physiology of soybean. It is written lucidly, systematically, and in depth. The book provides recent information and findings, explained with illustrations to express the ideas and concepts vividly to university students and researchers, and provides a better understanding of the improvement of the productivity of soybean to cope with the future demand. It describes the physiology of growth, development, flowering, pod development and seed yield as well as C, O, N and Oil metabolisms - their hormonal regulations under normal and stress environmental conditions. Molecular approaches are also described.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on soil erosion in agriculture. The first chapter identifies different types of soil degradation, focussing primarily on soil erosion by water. The chapter explores the impact of soil erosion processes on soil properties that relate directly to crop growth, including soil depth, water-holding capacity, carbon content and nutrient reserves. The second chapter reviews advances in techniques used to assess and measure soil erodibility by water, such as computer aided tomography. The chapter considers the role of static and dynamic soil properties in the erosion process, as well as the challenges that have developed as a result of climate change. The third chapter assesses the impact of heavy metal contamination on soil and its consequent role in the degradation of soil health. The chapter describes the sources, impacts, indicators and remediation of heavy metal contamination, as well as the development of improved soil management practices, including effective pollution control strategies. The final chapter discusses the implementation of integrated strategies under Conservation Agriculture (CA) farming systems to restore soil productivity in degraded agricultural lands in tropical and subtropical regions in Brazil. The chapter additionally considers the adoption of CA as a tool to prevent and reverse instances of soil degradation.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on bacterial diseases affecting pigs. The first chapter summarises recent research on the causes and epidemiology of major bacteria, viruses and parasites found in pig production, focussing on those with a particular impact on safety and global production, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella typhimurium and African swine fever virus. The second chapter discusses classical phenotypic characteristics and more advanced molecular techniques to identify and classify bacterial pathogens affecting swine health and performance. The chapter explores the different modes of transmission, as well as the commonly used measures for prevention and control, including vaccinations. The third chapter reviews the development of dysbiosis and post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets and the consequent economic losses these diseases cause for the global pig industry. The chapter considers the role of animal nutrition and dietary strategies to optimise gut function as a means of preventing dysbiosis and PWD. The final chapter assesses methods of improving gut function in pigs to optimise health and prevent pathogen colonization. The chapter discusses research on genes associated with pathogen resistance and porcine immune response and reviews the role of dietary and nutritional strategies in preventing intestinal pathogen colonisation.

This book examines the critical issue of environmental pollutants produced by the textiles industry. Comprised of contributions from environmental scientists and materials and textiles scientists, this edited volume addresses the environmental impact of microplastics, with a particular focus on microfibres released by textiles into marine and freshwater environments. The chapters in Part I offer environmental perspectives focusing on the measurement of microplastics in the environment, their ingestion by small plankton and larger filter feeders, the effects of consuming microplastics, and the role of microplastics as a vector for transferring toxic contaminants in food webs. Written by environmental and material scientists, the chapters in Part II present potential solutions to the problem of microplastics released from textiles, discussing parameters of influence, water treatment, degradation in aquatic environments, textile end-of-life management, textile manufacturing and laundry, and possible policy measures. This is a much needed volume which brings together in one place environmental research with technical solutions in order to provide a cohesive and practical approach to mitigating and preventing environmental pollution from the textiles industry going forward. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental conservation and management, environmental pollution and environmental chemistry and toxicology, sustainability, as well as students and scholars of material and textiles science, textile engineering and sustainable manufacturing.

Agricultural Policy in the United States: Evolution and Economics traces U.S. agricultural policy from its colonial roots to the present, using economic concepts to analyze and interpret political and economic consequences. It also examines the processes by which agricultural policies are developed, and the government structure which supports the implementation of legislation passed by Congress. The book includes arguments for and against common tools of U.S. agricultural policy, without influencing the reader in a particular direction. Each chapter contains questions and exercises to support students' learning, and technical economic material is contained in optional appendices. This second edition examines the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and sets the scene for future policy developments. Additionally, it looks at trade wars and the impact of Black Swan events like the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural resilience.