This book provides insights into the current state of sorghum genomics. It particularly focuses on the tools and strategies employed in genome sequencing and analysis, public and private genomic resources and how all this information is leading to direct outcomes for plant breeders. The advent of affordable whole genome sequencing in combination with existing cereal functional genomics data has enabled the leveraging of the significant novel diversity available in sorghum, the genome of which was fully sequenced in 2009, providing an unmatched resource for the genetic improvement of sorghum and other grass species. Cultivated grain sorghum is a food and feed cereal crop adapted to hot and dry climates, and is a staple for 500 million of the world's poorest people. Globally, sorghum is also an important source of animal feed and forage, an emerging biofuel crop and model for C4 grasses, particularly genetically complex sugarcane.

This book presents a game changing technology of lower energy-intensive urea production of urea which is used as fertilizer. The technology, from a resource to a knowledge-intensive based industry, investigates a new synthesis approach employing electromagnetic induction and nano-catalyst at lower energy consumption. This clean and green method for a sustainable future might change the landscape of future chemical processes. It is made possible due to the enhancement in nanotechnology where quantum mechanical understanding is called into play. New reactor designs are elaborated on and discussed explicitly. Hematite and nickel oxide nanocatalysts are proposed for the green urea synthesis process, in the presence of static and oscillating magnetic fields. Strategies to increase single to triplet conversion rate are given for better understanding of the improved urea rate. The focus is deliberately on scrutinizing the greenhouse gas effect on the urea yield, in this case CO2 flow rate. Coating techniques for slow release strategies are provided to reduce the volatilization of ammonia and leaching effect, hence offering a complete solution of Green Technology. Agriculture 4.0 that creates the new patterns and precision monitoring of crop rotation and livestock utilization will be able to pave the way for better crop yield. Development of advanced technology in agriculture is important for the implementation of Agriculture 4.0 and currently an inevitable trend of the socioeconomic development in the context of broader international integration for the sustainable future. The author would like to acknowledge Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for the grant worth RM 12 million to accomplish Green and Economical Urea project and to have full understanding on Green Technology in Urea. This book is a collaborative effort by her colleagues, Ku Zilati, Khanif, Shahrina, Zainovia, Azizah, Zakaria, and who have carried out the research over the past five years which started in 2011. Their unconditional commitment had brought us together and we completed the project with success. I wish to also thank Dr Menaka Ganeson and all my PhD students, Dr. Saima, Dr. Bilal, Mr. Zia and Mr. Irfan for their commitment to assist me to complete the book. Last but not least, thank you very much to Professor Mike Payne (Cambridge University) and Professor Koziol (Cranfield University) for the comments.

This book explains in depth the issues and challenges faced by rice farmers in India in relation to production and productivity, and the possible adaptation strategies to climate change. Based on five years of groundbreaking research on emerging trends in cultivation in major rice growing regions in India, it begins by describing production and yield trends across different rice growing regions. It then offers a comprehensive review of relevant literature and the quantification methodologies and approaches used to analyze the impact of climate change. The book also analyzes climate change impacts on rice productivity and production, applying field-tested quantification methods, such as the Just-Pope production function where time series and cross-section data are simultaneously used for all regions. The results are presented for five geographical regions of India - northern, eastern, western, central and southern - for better comparison and readability. The analyses cover scenarios for both mid-century (2021-2050) and end-century (2071-2100), and in the context of climate change, they also incorporate both medium and high carbon emission scenarios. Thus the future rice production and productivity trends are clearly projected for making necessary interventions. Lastly, the book outlines the essentials of an enabling environment policy and discusses the institutional and policy options necessary to ensure sustainable rice production in India. It also makes the case for introducing appropriate and affordable adaptation strategies to support farmers in different rice-growing regions. The cost-benefit analysis of strategies presented in this book provides an invaluable tool for officials at agriculture departments planning up-scaling of agricultural productivity. The projections are also useful for policy makers and planners developing future investment plans to support rice production in their country. Overall, this book is of interest to a wide audience, including professionals and business enterprises dealing with rice, as well as to academic researchers and students.

This book provides an indispensable reference guide to the sustainable control and treatment of biomass residues from a wide variety of agroindustrial sources, e.g. sugarcane, livestock, pulp & paper, food wastes, among others. Pursuing a structured and clear approach, the book opens with a general introduction to biomass, sustainability and environmental chemistry aspects, and on how the use of biomass as a renewable material ties into the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The book subsequently presents analytical methods applied to different biomass types and their residues and reviews monitoring and treatment strategies in order to avoid pollution of the same. The book closes by describing the value chains, bioeconomy and circular economy for globally relevant agroindustrial biomass. The book is intended for researchers in academia and industry alike and shows how, in addition to sustainability criteria and life cycle assessments, integrating environmental chemistry aspects can contribute to a holistic approach, and unlock the economic potential of biomass in the age of circular economy and sustainable development.

This book describes the strategy used for sequencing, assembling and annotating the tomato genome and presents the main characteristics of this sequence with a special focus on repeated sequences and the ancestral polyploidy events. It also includes the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a major crop plant as well as a model for fruit development, and the availability of the genome sequence has completely changed the paradigm of the species' genetics and genomics. The book describes the numerous genetic and genomic resources available, the identified genes and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identified, as well as the strong synteny across Solanaceae species. Lastly, it discusses the consequences of the availability of a high-quality genome sequence of the cultivated species for the research community. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the genetics and genomics of tomato and Solanaceae.

The food industry is now entering a transition age, as scientific advancements and technological innovations restructure what people eat and how people think about food. Food Tech Transitions provides a critical analysis of food technology and its impact, including the disruption potential of production and consumption logic, nutrition patterns, agronomic practices, and the human, environmental and animal ethics that are associated with technological change. This book is designed to integrate knowledge about food technology within the social sciences and a wider social perspective. Starting with an overview of the technological and ecological changes currently shaping the food industry and society at large, authors tackle recent advancements in food processing, preserving, distributing and meal creation through the lens of wider social issues. Section 1 provides an overview of the changes in the industry and its (often uneven) advancements, as well as related social, ecological and political issues. Section 2 addresses the more subtle sociological questions around production and consumption through case-studies. Section 3 embraces a more agronomic and wider agricultural perspective, questioning the suitability and adaptation of existing plants and resources for novel food technologies. Section 4 investigates nutrition-related issues stemming from altered dietary patterns. Finally, Section 5 addresses ethical questions related to food technology and the sustainability imperative in its tripartite form (social, environmental and economic). The editors have designed the book as an interdisciplinary tool for academics and policymakers working in the food sciences and agronomy, as well as other related disciplines.

The book covers the latest development in the biosciences field covering key topics in crop improvement including 'omic approaches to improving sustainable crop production, advancement in marker technology, strategies in genetic manipulation, crop quality and sustainability and plant microbe interaction detailing on proven technologies to address critical issue for agricultural sustainability which are beneficial for researchers and students. The book also includes aspects of preserving crops after harvest as this is a key factor in promoting sustainable crop quality in terms of addressing waste, choosing the appropriate packaging and moving crops through the food and industrial supply chain. An important strategy to overcome the challenges in providing food for the world population in a sustainable manner is through concerted efforts by crop scientists to embrace new technologies in increasing yield, quality and improving food safety while minimizing adverse environmental impact of the agricultural activities. Most of the proven molecular and genetic technologies in crop science have been tested and verified in model plants such as Arabidopsis and tomato. The technologies, when deployed on various plant species of importance for human nutrition and industrial applications, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs, fibre and oil crops, face many challenges, not only due to their longer life cycle but many other physiological and environmental factors affecting yield and quality of plant products. Furthermore, major impacts on crop production due to catastrophic diseases and global climate change needs urgent and innovative solutions. Therefore a systematic approach, employing various leading-edge technologies that enable the functional elucidation of key pathway genes via 'omics tools, genome wide association with desired phenotypes and development of cost effective and practicable molecular tools for selection, is vital. The International Conference on Crop Improvement was held to address these and other pressing issues. This volume summarizes the keynote presentations from the meeting and highlights addition discussions that are critical to crop improvement in a challenging time.

Rice is a vitally important staple food for almost half of the world's population. As the global population increases, the demands for rice are expected to remain high. Since the rice industry will remain sustainable for a long time, the production of rice by-products will remain high. Substantial evidence suggests that rice by-products such as rice husk, rice straw, broken rice, rice germ, rice bran, and brewers' rice may possess beneficial effects against oxidative stress and metabolic disorders. These beneficial effects have been linked to the phytochemicals present in rice by-products such as vitamin E, dietary fiber, -oryzanol, -aminobutyric acid (GABA), and phytosterols. Despite this evidence, the literature pertaining to rice by-products and its derived components has not well been compiled. To this end, Rice By-products: Phytochemicals and Food Products Application provides full coverage of issues pertaining to rice by-products, namely rice demands and rice by-products production, phytonutrients and antioxidant properties of rice by-products, potential health benefits, application in food products, and future prospects. By summarizing all the information in a lucid and comprehensive manner, authors provide a cohesive representation of the literature on the molecular mechanisms involved in the pharmacological effects of the bioactive components that present in rice by-products, as well as plausible means for the prevention of metabolic disorders for readers and allied stakeholders.

This book provides an introduction to the genetics, genomics, and breeding of the olive tree, a multi-functional long-lived crop plant that is relevant not only for culinary olive and oil production, but also for shaping the landscape and history of many rural areas for centuries. Today, the recognized health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil provide new impulses for introducing innovation in olive crop management and olive breeding for a deeper understanding of the biological processes underlying fruit quality, adaptation to crop environment and response to threatening epidemics due to biological agents such as Xylella fastidiosa. The individual chapters discuss genetic resources; classic and modern breeding methods for providing new olive cultivars; the genotype x environment interactions determining the response to biotic and abiotic stresses; fruit metabolism related to oil production and the synthesis of health beneficial molecules; the mapping of genes and quantitative trait locus; and genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic strategies pertinent to the development of a molecular platform and template amenable to precise and rapid genetic modifications using recently developed genome editing tools.

This book comprehensively introduces all aspects of the physiology, stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses of the Fabaceae plants. Different plant families have been providing food, fodder, fuel, medicine and other basic needs for the human and animal since the ancient time. Among the plant families Fabaceae have special importance for their agri-horticultural importance and multifarious uses apart from the basic needs. Interest in the response of Fabaceae plants toward abiotic stresses is growing considering the economic importance and the special adaptive mechanisms. Recent advances and developments in molecular and biotechnological tools has contributed to ease and wider this mission. This book provides up-to-date findings that will be of greater use for the students and researchers, particularly Plant Physiologists, Environmental Scientists, Biotechnologists, Botanists, Food Scientists and Agronomists, to get the information on the recent advances on this plant family in regard to physiology and stress tolerance.

With the recent shift of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to organic agriculture, the employment of microbes that perform significant beneficial functions for plants has been highlighted. This book presents timely discussion and coverage on the use of microbial formulations, which range from powdered or charcoal-based to solution and secondary metabolite-based bioformulations. Bioformulation development of biofertilizers and biopesticides coupled with the advantages of nanobiotechnology propose significant applications in the agricultural section including nanobiosensors, nanoherbicides, and smart transport systems for the regulated release of agrochemical. Moreover, the formulation of secondary metabolites against individual phytopathogens could be used irrespective of geographical positions with higher disease incidences. The prospective advantages and uses of nanobiotechnology generate tremendous interest, as it could augment production of agricultural produce while being cost-effective both energetically and economically. This bioformulation approach is incomparable to existing technology, as the bioformulation would explicitly target the particular pathogen without harming the natural microbiome of the ecosystem. Nanobiotechnology in Bioformulations covers the constraints associated with large-scale development and commercialization of bioinoculant formations. Furthermore, exclusive emphasis is be placed on next-generation efficient bioinoculants having secondary metabolite formulations with longer shelf life and advanced competence against several phytopathogens. Valuable chapters deal with bioformulation strategies that use divergent groups of the microbiome and include detailed diagrammatic and pictorial representation. This book will be highly beneficial for both experts and novices in the fields of microbial bioformulation, nanotechnology, and nano-microbiotechnology. It discusses the prevailing status and applications available for microbial researchers and scientists, agronomists, students, environmentalists, agriculturists, and agribusiness professionals, as well as to anyone devoted to sustaining the ecosystem.

To satisfy the food demands of the global population, advanced technology based research is needed, that can extract the information from the plant metabolism and microbial gene pool and use it for improving plant health and productivity. Modern biotechnological tools have the ability to unlock the limitations of agricultural practices. However, the application of these tools is not well equipped. Moreover, eco-friendly agriculture by microbial inoculants is known to have positive influences on soil/plant health. Therefore it is relevant to explore the plant associated microbial niches, especially endophytes, epiphytes, and soil microbes and understand how they are benefitting each other. It can open new insights to develop sustainable agriculture practices by using consortia of microbes as plant helpers that recover the imbalanced agriculture systems and manage pathogenic diseases. This book presents the updates about the plant associated microbiomes and their contemporary uses. It covers the knowledge gap between soil and plant helper microbiomes and their application in the agriculture and allied sectors. Modern insights of phytobiomes are explored in various chapters on a variety of interrelated aspects of the fascinating areas like plant microbial interaction, integrated pest management, soil fertility intensification, sustainable crop production, and disease management. Sections in the book describe how to plant beneficial microbiomes have been utilized for sustainable green farming, with the aim to resolve the global food problem without harming the soil and environment health. This book is intended for everyone who is involved in agriculture, microbial biotechnology, bioinformatics, and all disciplines related to microbial biotechnology. These include academic students, scientists, and researchers at universities, institutes, industries, and government organizations who want to understand microbial linkages in a shorter time. It contains basic information that will be help to the non-specialist readers to understand progressive research.

This book deals with a rapidly growing field aiming at producing food and energy in a sustainable way for humans and their children. It is a discipline that addresses current issues: climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control and biodiversity depletion. This series gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then proposes alternative solutions.

This book helps to establish a simple framework to identify and use bird species as a bioindicator for high nature value (HNV) farmlands. This book focuses on suitable methods for monitoring the HNV areas, and presents the results of several case studies. The chapters put forward ways to integrate ecosystems assessment, geographical information systems (GIS) and strategies for conservation of local biodiversity. An innovative framework focuses on the use of species distribution models (SDMs) in order to explore the importance of each characteristic of HNV farmlands. Furthermore, the book examines the relationships among bird species richness, land use diversity and landscape metrics at a local scale in the farmlands.

Major world oil crops and their products are among the most valuable commodity in today's world trade. Over the past couple of decades, oilseed production has increased to become the most important world sources of vegetable oils, in response to the rising world population and living standard. Recent technological advances made in breeding major world oil crops have led to higher production and improved product quality.This comprehensive volume encompasses recent innovations and practice in the production and use of different oil crops, including Brassica, Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed, Castor, Olive, Coconut, Oilpalm, Sesame, Groundnut, and Soybean. The contributors are leading specialists from different countries of the world. Much of the literature available on these crops is not up-to-date; hence this volume is a ready reference for researchers, breeders, biotechnologists, industrialists, and nutritionists. Dr. Surinder Kumpar Gupta, born in 1959, is currently working as Professor/Chief Scientist (Oilseeds) Plant Breeding & Genetics and Nodal officer in the School of Biotechnology, S K University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology. He holds a brilliant academic and service record and has been devoted to research on Oilseed Brassicas for nearly two decades. He obtained his post-graduate degree and PhD from Punjab Agricultural University. He is a recipient of a post-doctoral Fellowship in Plant Biotechnology and has published more than 100 research papers in esteemed national and international journals, mostly on Brassicas. He has already developed five varieties of rapeseed-mustard, and has written two books and edited three volumes on rapeseed & mustard breeding. For his excellent scientific endeavors, he has been conferred the 'Young Scientists Award: 1993-1994' by the State Department of Science & Technology.

The research and its outcomes presented here focuses on tropospheric or ground level ozone, in particular due to its surfacing as a major threat to crop productivity around the world. This book presents the ozone concentration data for a variety of geographical regions, examines the factors responsible for its increasing concentrations and its potential effects on physiological and biochemical responses culminating in crop productivity losses which, in turn may pose a serious threat to global food security. Beside this, certain ameliorative measures that could be adopted to assess ozone injury in plants are also discussed. Global climate change scenarios predict a significant increase in future tropospheric ozone concentration. Particular attention is therefore given to evaluate the effect of global climate change on ozone concentrations. Readers will also discover how yield losses due to ozone are related to changes in the socio-economic conditions of the society, especially in South Asian regions. Students and researchers studying crop and soil science, environmental scientists, risk assessment professionals and policy makers will find this book of interest.

This book serves as a foundational reference of U.S. land settlement and early agricultural policy, a comprehensive journey through the evolution of 20th century agricultural policy, and a detailed guide to the key agricultural policy issues of the early 21st century. This book integrates the legal, economic and political concepts and ideas that guided U.S. agricultural policy from colonial settlement to the 21st century, and it applies those concepts to the policy issues agriculture will face over the next generation. The book is organized into three sections. Section one introduces the main themes of the book, explores the pre-Columbian period and early European settlement, and traces the first 150 years of U.S. agricultural policy starting with the post revolution period and ending with the "golden age" of agriculture in the early 20th century. Section two outlines that grand bargain of the 1930s that initiated the modern era of government intervention into agricultural markets and traces this policy evolution to the early days of the 21st century. The third section provides an in-depth examination of six policy issues that dominate current policy discussions and will impact policy decisions for the next generation: trade, environment/conservation, commodity checkoff programs, crop insurance, biofuels, and domestic nutrition programs.

This book summarizes the evidence from different African countries about the local impacts of climate change, and how farmers are coping with current climate risks. The different contributors show how agricultural systems in developing countries are affected by climate changes and how communities prepare and adapt to these changes.

This volume is a collection of twelve selected empirical studies on the economics of agriculture and natural resources. Twenty-two authors have contributed their research to this volume. Papers of this volume are grouped into three main domains covering: Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability; Agricultural Producers and Consumers; and Energy Use in Agriculture. Organized in an analytical framework and offering comprehensive empirical data, this book focuses on agricultural sustainability and resilience, environmental efficiency, agricultural extension, foreign trade, energy use, and agricultural growth aspects of the Iranian agriculture sector. They demonstrate technical and methodological tools used for the analysis and explain their application in the agricultural sector of Iran. This book will be a valuable read for those managing agricultural enterprises, policy makers, and researchers of agricultural producers and consumers.

This volume presents a comprehensive perspective of the biopesticides Bacillus thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus, from their basic biology to agriculture, forestry and public-health applications. It covers their ecology, virulence factors, and genetic characterization. The topics related to agriculture and forestry include mode of action, receptors of insect pests, and heterologous expression of toxins in insect cells and plants. Public-health researchers will find information on vector control programs with an emphasis on the Neotropical region. The book also discusses new products and the global market.

This comprehensive volume covers recent studies into agricultural problems caused by soil and water contamination. Considering the importance of agricultural crops to human health, the editors have focused on chapters detailing the negative impact of heavy metals, excessive chemical fertilizer use, nutrients, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, agricultural wastes and toxic pollutants, among others, on agricultural soil and crops. In addition, the chapters offer solutions to these negative impacts through various scientific approaches, including using biotechnology, nanotechnology, nutrient management strategies, biofertilizers, as well as potent PGRs and elicitors. This book serves as a key source of information on scientific and engineered approaches and challenges for the bioremediation of agricultural contamination worldwide. This book should be helpful for research students, teachers, agriculturalists, agronomists, botanists, and plant growers, as well as in the fields of agriculture, agronomy, plant science, plant biology, and biotechnology, among others. It serves as an excellent reference on the current research and future directions of contaminants in agriculture from laboratory research to field application.

This book highlights the production of green composites from various sustainable raw materials. We now live in an environmentally conscious era, in which sustainable raw materials (renewable, biodegradable, recycled), sustainable processing sequences, the production of recyclable and biodegradable products, and avoiding the depletion of renewable resources are key considerations with regarding to producing any product. The textile sector is no exception. Accordingly, this book addresses these aspects in connection with textiles, and discusses how they can be actively practiced.

This book presents readers with an integrated modeling approach for analyzing and understanding the interconnection of water, energy, and food resources and discusses the relationship between resilience and sustainability of the food- energy -water (FEW) system. Authors provide novel frameworks, models, and algorithms designed to balance the theoretical and applicative aspects of each chapter. The book covers an integrated modeling approach for FEW systems along with developed methods, codes, and planning tools for designing interdependent energy, water and food systems. In-depth chapters discuss the impact of renewable energy resources in FEW systems, sustainable design and operation, net zero energy buildings, and challenges and opportunities of the FEW nexus in the sustainable development of different countries. This book is useful for graduate students, researchers, and engineers seeking to understand how sustainable FEW systems contribute to the resilience of these systems and help policy and design makers allocate and prioritize resources in an integrated manner across the food, energy, and water sectors.

This book provides a detailed overview of the current understanding of the metabolic system of starch biosynthesis and degradation in plants. The focus is on new topics regarding the functional interaction between multiple enzymes and the initiation process of starch biosynthesis, which are essential for further understanding of related metabolic features. The book also explains and discusses the distinct structures of amylopectin and amylose and the crystalline structure of starch granules. At the same time, readers will be made aware of areas where further research remains to be done, such as the regulation of starch metabolism, the fine structure of starch molecules, and the manipulation of the structure and functional properties of starch by genetic and molecular technology. Also described are aspects of the biosynthetic machinery of starch, the structure and metabolism of which have developed and been refined during the process of plant evolution. In addition, recent approaches to producing novel starches with distinct physicochemical and functional properties in gene-modified mutants and transgenic plants for industrial applications are introduced. Finally, the book elaborates on the unresolved topics, necessary approaches and future prospects to achieve a complete understanding of the regulation of starch metabolism. This volume is of great value for general scientists, students and anyone wishing to understand the specific and complicated events of starch metabolism and biotechnology. It will be especially useful for food scientists and engineers in academia and industry.