The Encyclopedia of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Food provides users with unprecedented access to nearly 200 entries that cover the entire food system, describing the concepts and processes that are used in the production of raw agricultural materials and food product manufacturing. So that users can locate the information they need quickly without having to flip through pages and pages of content, the encyclopedia avoids unnecessary complication by presenting information in short, accessible overviews.

Addresses Environmental Issues & Sustainability in the Context of 21st Century Challenges

Edited by a respected team of biotechnology experts, this unrivaled resource includes descriptions and interpretations of molecular biology research, including topics on the science associated with the cloning of animals, the genetic modification of plants, and the enhanced quality of foods. It discusses current and future applications of molecular biology, with contributions on disease resistance in animals, drought-resistant plants, and improved health of consumers via nutritionally enhanced foods.

Uses Illustrations to Communicate Essential Concepts & Visually Enhance the Text

This one-of-a-kind periodical examines regulation associated with biotechnology applications?with specific attention to genetically modified organisms?regulation differences in various countries, and biotechnology's impact on the evolution of new applications. The encyclopedia also looks at how biotechnology is covered in the media, as well as the biotechnology/environment interface and consumer acceptance of the products of biotechnology. Rounding out its solid coverage, the encyclopedia discusses the benefits and concerns about biotechnology in the context of risk assessment, food security, and genetic diversity.

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This book presents the latest information on the genetics and genomics of the globe artichoke. It focuses on the latest findings, tools and strategies employed in genome sequencing, physical map development and QTL analyses, as well as genomic resources. The re-sequencing of four globe artichoke genotypes, representative of the core varietal types in cultivation, as well as the genotype of cultivated cardoon, has recently been completed. Here, the five genomes are reconstructed at the chromosome scale and annotated. Moreover, functional SNP analyses highlight numerous genetic variants, which represent key tools for dissecting the path from sequence variation to phenotype, as well as for designing effective diagnostic markers. The wealth of information provided here offers a valuable asset for scientists, plant breeders and students alike.

'frees contribute a major part of fuel, fodder and fruit, and are an im of bioenergy. They are now needed in large numbers more portant source than ever before for afforestation and social forestry, so that fast-grow ing and multipurpose trees assume great importance. After extensive in discriminate deforestation and rapid depletion of genetic stocks, efforts are now being made to evolve methods for clonal mass propagation of improved and elite trees. Production of short-duration trees with a rapid turnover of biomass, and induction of genetic variability through in vitro manipulation for the production of novel fruit and forest trees, which are high-yielding and resistant to pests and diseases, and trees which display increased photosynthetic efficiency are in demand. These objectives are well within the realm of horticultural and forest biotech nology. Some of the recent advances, such as the regeneration of com plete trees from isolated protoplasts, somatic hybridization, and the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in various tree species have opened new vistas for the genetic engineering of fruit and forest trees. This book is a continuation of the earlier volume Trees I, and presents 31 chapters on fruit, forest, nut and ornamental trees, such as avocado, pineapple, crabapple, quince, pistachio, walnut, hazelnut, date palm, oil palm, cacao, rubber, maple, sweet-gum, poplars, birches, Chinese tallow, willows, oaks, paper mulberry, rhododendrons, Scots pine, Calabrian pine, Douglas-fir, redwood, ginkgo, cycads and some flowering trees."

Maize is a globally important crop mainly utilized as feed, food and raw material for diverse industrial applications. Among cereals, it occupies third place after rice and wheat and is a staple food for a large segment of population worldwide particularly in the Asian as well as African countries. This monogram discusses various aspects of nutritional quality of maize such as quality protein maize which has been considered as most significant discovery in enhancing nutritional quality of cereals in terms of increasing the concentration of essential amino acids. The biochemistry of starch which is an important industrial product of maize has been discussed in detail. Further, the role of maize oil which is highly regarded for human consumption as it reduces the blood cholesterol concentration has also been elaborated. Naturally, maize is a rich source of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, cryptoxanthin which have highly diverse health benefits ranging from maintaining normal vision to lowering of oxidative stress. The need for biofortification of maize for provitamin A carotenoids and their role in alleviating vision impairments have also been discussed. The effect of various biotic and abiotic stresses particularly carbon dioxide and temperature on quality has been discussed thoroughly. Many value-added products as well as fermented foods that have been produced from maize which is consumed in different forms worldwide are also discussed. The aspects related to the maize application as fodder and as a source of malting have also been covered concisely. Overall, the book provides complete information about various quality aspects of maize. The various stakeholders such as maize researchers, extension specialists, students, teachers as well as farmers will be immensely benefitted from this monogram.

The accumulation of large amounts of contaminants occurs in the environment due to industrialization and various other anthropogenic activities. Contaminants ultimately affect human health worldwide. Organic, inorganic, and radioactive substances are the prevalent forms of environmental contaminants and their complete remediation in soils and sediments is rather a difficult task. Concerns of their toxicities led to the emphasis on development of effective techniques to assess the presence and mobility of contaminants in air, water, and soil. Furthermore, the ever-increasing concentration of toxic pollutants in the environment is considered a serious threat to plant, animal, human, and environmental health. Many technologies are in use to clean and eliminate hazardous contaminants from the environment; however, these technologies can be costly, labor intensive, and often distressing to the general public. Phytoremediation is a simple, cost effective, environmentally friendly and fast-emerging new technology for eliminating toxic contaminants from different environments. Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants and their associated microbiome (including hyper-accumulators or bio-accumulators) to remove, degrade, or render contaminants harmless. Through this technique, certain species of plants flourish by accumulating contaminants present in the environment. The unique and selective uptake capabilities of plant root and shoot systems, effective translocation, bioaccumulation, and contaminant degradation capabilities of the accumulator plants are utilized in phytoremediation techniques. Phytotechnologies involving the use of plants for contaminant removal gained importance during the last two decades and phytoremediation technology became an effective tool for environmental detoxification because of plants ability to accumulate the contaminants at very high concentrations. Phytoremediation strategies can remove, degrade, or stabilize inorganic and organic contaminants entering a multitude of ecosystems using green plants and their associated microbial communities. The development and use of phytotechnologies continues to move forward at a steady pace. Researchers recognize the potential of phytoremediation to offer a green, cost effective, eco-friendly and feasible application to address some of the world's many environmental challenges. This book provides significant information to add to the previous volumes published on the topic and can serve as the foundation for the development of new applications that feature the integration of modern research discoveries into new methods to remediate contaminated ecosystems. Moreover, this volume brings recent and established knowledge on different aspects of phytoremediation and nano-phytoremediation, providing this information in a single source that offers a cutting-edge synthesis of scientific and experiential knowledge on polluted environments that is useful for policy makers, practitioners and scientists, and engineers. Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants, Volume 7 highlights the various prospects that are involved in current global phytoremediation research. This book delivers a content-rich source to the reader and can act as a platform for further research studies. It should meet the needs of all researchers working in, or have an interest in this particular field.

1 The first book on data-driven national assessment of social, ecological, and economic rangeland sustainability 2 Written by leading experts who include real community case studies to personalize the assessment and impacts 3 Highlights data needs for future assessments to spur innovation in development of new techniques and technologies 4 Explains web-based mapping tools to help users create maps of sustainability metrics at their preferred scale of interest 5 Introduces a novel 3-dimensional triangle to depict sustainability ratings at variable scales

This book analyses the performance and potential of India's oilseed sector, identifies the major constraints facing the industry and suggests options for increasing the country's oilseed production and productivity, taking into account the changing policy environment, increasing demand, slow growth in domestic production and rising imports. India as the world's largest producer of oilseeds, accounts for about 7-8 per cent of global vegetable oil production. However, the growth in domestic production has not kept pace with the growth in demand. Low yields and high production and market risks due to lack of irrigation facilities and effective risk management have been responsible for widening the demand-supply gap over the years, and the country now imports more than half of its oilseed for domestic consumption. The Technology Mission on Oilseeds (TMO), launched in the mid-1980s, helped achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil production through the spread of technology and the provision of market support. However, increasing demand for edible oils necessitated imports in large quantities, leading to a substantial drain on foreign exchange. Given the competing demands on agricultural land from various crops and enterprises, the production of oilseeds can be increased only if productivity is improved significantly and farmers receive remunerative prices and have assured market access. However, farmers face various constraints in oilseed production; several biotic, abiotic, technological, institutional and socio-economic constraints inhibit exploitation of the full yield potential of crops, which need to be addressed. The book explores these issues using data collected from about 2,000 oilseed growers: 490 soybean farmers, 316 rapeseed-mustard growers, 470 groundnut farmers, 250 sesamum farmers and 470 sunflower growers from selected Indian states. It would be of immense use for scholars and policy makers alike who are working in this field.

This book is a useful resource for government policy analysts, academics, students of higher education and business practitioners interested in African economies and the key economic issues these economies are facing in 2020. In the face of weak governance and growth globally, there is still a window of opportunity for countries in Africa to build on not only their traditional industrial capabilities, but also pave the way for positive developments in international trade and in the way governments tackle poverty and inequality. By focusing on four areas: (1) agriculture and livestock, (2) consumption, poverty and inequality, (3) financial services, employment and corporate governance, and (4) economic integration, international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), this book presents a series of empirical studies that examine important contemporary economic issues facing Africa. The book incorporates a range of methodological approaches, with some chapters providing case study analyses while others embrace more traditional forms of econometric testing.

Tomatoes could not be grown commercially without the help of their wild relatives. A single wild species of rice has helped double rice production in Asia. Wild silk-worms are enabling India to expand its silk industry. A wild carp with resistance to cold has been used to extend Soviet carp production further into the north. Wild genetic resources - the heritable characteristics of wild plants and animals - are used increasingly to improve domesticated crops and livestock and as new sources of food and of raw materials. But habitat destruction, over-exploitation and competition from introduced species is destroying many gene pools even before they have been identified. Genes from the Wild describes the growing contribution of wild genetic resources to the production of food and raw materials, describes their characteristics, explains the benefits and problems of using them and outlines the ways in which they are threatened and the measures being taken to conserve them. Originally published in 1988

The need to produce food without the destructive chemical horrors of much modern farming, for an intelligent use of dwindling natural resources and for humane forms of production is universal, the practice is limited. This book is an account of one, large, instance of success in practice. Twenty-five years ago, Winin Pereira, a nuclear physicist abandoned academia to start a co-operative farm at Alonde in a tribal area north of Bombay. The group experienced, and finally discarded, all the false hopes and promises of Western originated forms of development: ploughs that ploughed too deep, irrigation systems that lowered water tables, fertilizers and pesticides which managed the earth and became so expensive that poorer farmers were dispossessed. Instead they learnt from the adivasai, or tribal people, who have nurtured or been nurtured by foresets for millennia, ways of applying popular knowledge to contemporary problems. This book is a combination of Pereira's record of achievement of sustainable livelihoods and an account of the farm and its effect on the India around it by a leading British journalist. Originally published in 1991

The destruction of the tropical forest is one of the major problems of our time. Vast areas are rapidly becoming wastelands which support only a few tough weeds, perhaps some cattle, and the farms allowed to the poor. This book provides a vision of hope: in Latin America. Africa. And South East Asia, growing numbers of people are developing techniques specifically designed to promote the wise use and preservation of remaining forest lands. However, these grassroots strategies are often ignored in favour of grandiose schemes which inevitably fail. This pattern must be broken now or the tropical forests will be lost forever. Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Preface by Michael Robinson, Director, National Zoological Park. Smithsonian Institution Originally published in 1988

The changing climate, the warming of the world and acid rain are among the greatest problems facing us at the end of the twentieth century. This book describes, for the first time, the effects of these phenomena on the high mountains and the forests of Europe. Mountains and the frozen regions (the cryosphere) not only play a major part in our climatic system, but are also central to our water supplies. Yet our glaciers are shrinking, our lakes and soils are becoming acidified, our forests are damaged and the whole fragile ecosystem of ranges like the Alps and the Caucasus is threatened. Nilsson and Pitt present the evidence and assess the probable effects of these changes on mountain society, tourism, water, flora and fauna. They also examine the uncertainties. Above all they look, too, at the best possible strategies in response to What is happening and at what the next steps should be. Originally published in 1991

The economic value of forest. has long been recognized, but the ways in which that value is calculated and the management policies adopted in consequence have all too often resulted in overuse and irreversible destruction. This is spectacularly obvious around the Mediterranean basin, but it is also true in northern Europe. These five case studies, commissioned by the OECD, examine failures of forest management in Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and Sweden. They look at both market and intervention policies and show how each can further the destruction of the forests, and they set out ways in which future policies can evade the mistakes of the past. Originally published in 1992

This book deals with an array of topics in the broad area of biotic stress responses in plants, focusing on "problems and their management" by selecting some of the widely investigated themes. Such as: major insect-pest of cereal crops in India and their management, biotic stresses of major pulse crops and their management strategies, insect pests of oilseed crops and their management, biotic stresses of vegetable crops and their management, insect pests infesting major vegetable crops and their management strategies, fruit crops insect pests and their biointensive integrated pest management techniques, mass trapping of fruit flies using Methyl Eugenol based traps, organic means of combating biotic stresses in plants, nematode problem in pulses and their management, and approaches in pest management of stored grain pests. This book is useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students in Entomology, Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Horticulture, other cognate disciplines of agriculture and allied sciences and other research workers. Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.

Plant virus and sub-viral pathogens pose severe constraints to the production of wide range of economically important crops worldwide. The crops raised both through true seed and vegetative propagated materials are affected with number of virus and virus-like diseases. The virus may enter into plants through seed planting materials or by vectors. Once the virus is in the field, it multiplies and spreads following definite patterns depending upon the nature of the vector and agro-meteorological conditions. Disease free crops and plants are great economic and social importance in feeding the world's population. Detection of virus and sub-viral agents at initial stages of infection is critical to reduce economic losses. For nearly two decades, ELISA and its variants played a major role in large scale virus testing and also in the production of virus-free planting materials.

This book examines supply and value chains in African agriculture, providing both a thorough analysis of existing practices and practical business models for future development. It examines why Africa is a net importer of food, despite its vast agricultural potential, using the tomato value chain in Ghana as a case study. The book explores commodity value chain structures; commodity clusters, arenas, linkages and business models; systematic constraints within commodity value chains; and value chain profiling in practice among others. It would benefit policy makers, policy implementers, development practitioners, agri-entrepreneurs, researchers and all those who have interests in the transformation of African agriculture. It will also be an excellent reference material for students of agriculture management, agribusiness, agricultural economics, and rural development.

A Perspective on U.S. Farm Problems and Agricultural Policy provides a framework for evaluating national policy alternatives and attempts to improve our understanding of the nature of U.S. farm sector and its problems.

The book investigates the development of community gardens with self-built structures, which have existed as a shared public open space land use form in New York City's low-come neighborhoods like the South Bronx since the 1970s. These gardens have continued to be part of the urban landscape until today, despite conflicting land use interests, changing residents groups and contradictory city planning. Both community gardens and self-built structures are created in a participatory design and self-built effort by urban residents and are an expression of the individual gardeners' preferences, their cultural background and the decisions made by the managing residents' group in regards to the needs of their neighborhood. Ultimately community gardens with self-built structures are an expression of the people's will to commonly use this land for open and enclosed structures next to their homes in the city and need to be included in future urban planning.

This text provides a critique of the causes and consequences of the modern agricultural revolution, since the agricultural depression of the inter-war period. This includes evaluating the impact of the Second World War, the post-war scientific and technological revolutions and the metamorphosis in the role of the state. It also examines the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy and the more recent attempts to rationalize production. The book provides the background for an objective appreciation of modern agricultural development.

Urban Planning for Social Justice in Latin America explores how urban planning can be used as a tool for social equity. The book examines several Latin American cities, each with specific challenges, and explores how they have gradually overcome these difficulties through policies, planning, and design, and with private/public sector coordination. The cases include: The built environment and social mobility in Bogotá; Mexico City and its difficulties with water scarcity; Addressing air quality and environmental justice in Lima; Santiago de Chile’s energy consumption and carbon footprint; Buenos Aires and the issue of urban agriculture and food security; Connectivity as a social transformation device in Medellín. The book goes beyond simply identifying the challenges and explains some of the practical day-to-day planning efforts, including interviews with staff from those municipalities, illustrations, and strategies that have been successful. As a result, this book will be helpful to planners in the region, as well as outside Latin America, because it demonstrates how fruitful results can be achieved in areas typically perceived as underdeveloped. Although based on research and data, this book offers a positive perspective on the possibilities rather than the limitations, hoping to inspire new generations of planners to pursue careers in search of social change.

This book is a study of New Zealand shaking off its quasi-colonial dependence on Britain. Has New Zealand moved beyond its colonial heritage? Is it now time to remove the Union Jack from the national flag and change to a Republic? Hall analyses the three decades after World War II when changes in Britain, mainly as a consequence of that war, forced New Zealand to seek new markets for its exports, which were predominantly primary produce; notably meat, wool and dairy products. A key symbol of these changes was Britain becoming a member of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 - how did this engagement with Europe impact on trade with a Commonwealth country? Significantly, rather than politicians and diplomats, voices of New Zealand's primary producers (the 'backbone of the economy') are used to describe the country's decolonisation in trade. The volume traces how relationships between Britain and one of its main dominions evolved from their quasi-colonial relationship and how the dominion coped with breaking away from over-dependence on Britain not just in economic terms but also in sentimental terms. Hall provides an interesting overview of the final stages of decolonisation.

While working in the laboratory of Professor Dr. Jacob Reinert at the Freie Universitat Berlin (1974-1976), I had the opportunity to become deeply involved in studying the intricacies of the fascinating phenomenon of somatic embryogenesis in plant cells and protoplasts. In numerous stimu lating discussions with Professor Reinert on this subject, I was fully convinced that somatic embryogenesis would become one of the most important areas of study, not only regarding basic and fundamental aspects, but also for its application in crop improvement. During the last decade, we have witnessed tremendous interest and achievements in the use of somatic embryos for the production of synthetic seeds, for micro propagation, genetic transformation, cryopreservation, and conservation of germplasm. The en masse production of somatic embryos in the bioreactors has facilitated some of these studies. Somatic embryos have now been induced in more than 300 plant species belonging to a wide range offamilies. It was therefore felt that a compilation ofliterature/state of the art on this subject was necessary. Thus, two volumes on Somatic Embryo genesis and Synthetic Seed have been compiled, which contain 65 chapters contributed by International experts. Somatic Embryogenesis and Synthetic Seed I comprises 31 chapters, arranged in 3 sections: Section I Commitment of the cell to somatic embryogenesis; early events; anatomy; molecular basis; gene expression; role of polyamines; machine vision analysis of somatic embryos. Section II Applications of somatic embryos; technology of synthetic seed; fluid drilling; micropropagation; genetic transfor mation through somatic embryos; cryopreservation.

This book provides up-to-date knowledge of the promising field of Nanobiotechnology with emphasis on the mitigation approaches to combat plant abiotic stress factors, including drought, salinity, waterlog, temperature extremes, mineral nutrients, and heavy metals. These factors adversely affect the growth as well as yield of crop plants worldwide, especially under the global climate change. Nanobiotechnology is viewed to revolutionize crop productivity in future. The chapters discuss the status and prospects of this cutting-edge technology toward understanding tolerance mechanisms, including signaling molecules and enzymes regulation in addition to the applications of Nanobiotechnology to combat individual abiotic stress factors.

1.Provides detailed information about two healthy substitutes for cereal crops 2.Explains the importance of utilizing ancient crops as new era Superfoods 3.Promotes the concept of utilizing food crops as nutraceuticals by discussing physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of Chia and Quinoa 4.Describes the importance of using Chia and Quinoa to help as functional foods

Topics covered in this book include RNA silencing and its suppression in plant virus infection, virus replication mechanisms, the association of cellular membranes with virus replication and movement, plant genetic resistance to viruses, viral cell-to-cell spread, long distance movement in plants, virus induced ER stress, virus diversity and evolution, virus-vector interactions, cross protection, geminiviruses, negative strand RNA viruses, viroids, and the diagnosis of plant viral diseases using next generation sequencing. This book was anticipated to help plant pathologists, scholars, professors, teachers and advanced students in the field with a comprehensive state-of-the-art knowledge of the subject.