Human activities have dramatically changed the composition and organisation of soils. Industrial and urban wastes, agricultural application and also mining activities resulted in an increased concentration of heavy metals in soils. How plants and soil microorganisms cope with this situation and the sophisticated techniques developed for survival in contaminated soils is discussed in this volume.

The topics presented include: the general role of heavy metals in biological soil systems; the relation of inorganic and organic pollutions; heavy metal, salt tolerance and combined effects with salinity; effects on abuscular mycorrhizal and on saprophytic soil fungi; heavy metal resistance by streptomycetes; trace element determination of environmental samples; the use of microbiological communities as indicators; phytostabilization of lead polluted sites by native plants; effects of soil earthworms on removal of heavy metals and the remediation of heavy metal contaminated tropical land.

This book discusses the increased scope, complexity and globalization of markets, the changes in technology behind this, and the need for policy and program adjustments. Also discusses the development of supply chains both domestically and globally.

A comprehensive book on basic processes of soil C dynamics and the underlying factors and causes which determine the technical and economic potential of soil C sequestration. The book provides information on the dynamics of both inorganic (lithogenic and pedogenic carbonates) and organic C (labile, intermediate and passive). It describes different types of agroecosystems, and lists questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate thinking and promote academic dialogue. Each chapter has a bibliography containing up-to-date references on the current research, and provides the state-of-the-knowledge while also identifying the knowledge gaps for future research. The critical need for restoring C stocks in world soils is discussed in terms of provisioning of essential ecosystem services (food security, carbon sequestration, water quality and renewability, and biodiversity). It is of interest to students, scientists, and policy makers.

Over the last thirty years, China has developed one of the worlda (TM)s largest public research programs in agricultural biotechnology. Building on a long tradition of agricultural advances, Chinese scientists have applied biotechnology techniques to develop hundreds of novel crop varieties suited to local farming conditions and challenges.

Agricultural Biotechnology in China: Origins and Prospects is a comprehensive examination of how the origins of biotechnology research agendas, along with the effectiveness of the seed delivery system and biosafety oversight, help to explain current patterns of crop development and adoption in China. Based on firsthand insights from Chinaa (TM)s laboratories and farms, Valerie Karplus and Dr. Xing Wang Deng explore the implications of Chinaa (TM)s investment for the nationa (TM)s rural development, environmental footprint, as well as its global scientific and economic competitiveness.

This book presents, in 26 chapters, the status quo in epigenomic profiling. It discusses how functional information can be indirectly inferred and describes the new approaches that promise functional answers, collectively referred to as epigenome editing. It highlights the latest important advances in our understanding of the functions of plant epigenomics and new technologies for the study of epigenomic marks and mechanisms in plants. Topics include the deposition or removal of chromatin modifications and histone variants, the role of epigenetics in development and response to environmental signals, natural variation and ecology, as well as applications for epigenetics in crop improvement. Discussing areas ranging from the complex regulation of stress and heterosis to the precise mechanisms of DNA and histone modifications, it presents breakthroughs in our understanding of complex phenotypic phenomena.

Interest and initiatives in agroforestry education and training, as in other aspects of agroforestry development, have increased tremendously during the past decade. Coordination of such educational activities was initiated by the first international workshop on education in agroforestry organized by the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Decem ber 1982, at Nairobi, Kenya. Since then, agroforestry has been incorporated into the curricula of many educational and training institutions around the world. Moreover, several institutions have developed entire academic programs specifically in agroforestry. However, most of these activities are still isolated initiatives, without common strategies or philosophies. This second international agroforestry workshop was therefore planned to pro vide a forum for reviewing progress, sharing programs and experiences, and planning and coordinating future directions in agroforestry education and training. The main objectives were to review the on-going programs, to assess the scope of professional education and training in relation to the perceived needs of trained personnel, to recommend guidelines for further program development, and to establish networking among institutions and agencies involved in agroforestry education and training. These proceedings contain the keynote papers, regional/country presenta tions and conclusions and recommendations of the International Workshop on Education and Training in Agroforestry held at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA in December, 1988. The strategy of the workshop was to facilitate focused discussion on identified issues by an invited group of world leaders in agroforestry education and training."

Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, a large volume of monitoring data has been collected about the soil, air, dust, and seawater, along with data about an immense number of foods supplied to the market. Little is known, however, about the effect of radioactive fallout on agriculture, information about which is vital. Although more than 80% of the damaged area is related to agriculture, in situ information specifically for agriculture is scarce. This book provides data about the actual movement and accumulation of radioactivity in the ecological system-for example, whether debris deposited on mountains can be a cause of secondary contamination, under what conditions plants accumulate radioactive cesium in their edible parts, and how radioactivity is transferred from hay to milk. Because agriculture is so closely related to nature, many specialists with different areas of expertise must be involved in answering these questions. In the case of rice, researchers in rice cultivation as well as in soil, hydrology, and radioactivity measurement are working together to reveal the paths or accumulation of radioactivity in the field. For this purpose, the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of The University of Tokyo has diverse facilities available throughout Japan, including farmlands, forests, and meadowlands. Many academic staff members have formed groups to conduct on-site research, with more than 40 volunteers participating. This book presents the data collected from the only project being systematically carried out across Japan after the Fukushima accident.

Doing English Language provides a concise, lively and accessible introduction to the field of English Language studies for readers who are interested in taking courses at university level. This book addresses the fundamental questions about studying English Language, including: How is English Language studied and researched? Which subject areas does English Language draw on? How are different topics approached? How is the study of English Language relevant to real world contexts? What careers can English Language lead to? Written by an experienced teacher, researcher, and examiner, Doing English Language is both an essential guide for students at pre-university stage and a course companion for undergraduates choosing options within a degree programme.

The aim of this book is to bring together a series of contributions from experts in the field to cover the major aspects of the application of geostatistics in precision agriculture. The focus will not be on theory, although there is a need for some theory to set the methods in their appropriate context. The subject areas identified and the authors selected have applied the methods in a precision agriculture framework. The papers will reflect the wide range of methods available and how they can be applied practically in the context of precision agriculture. This book is likely to have more impact as it becomes increasingly possible to obtain data cheaply and more farmers use onboard digital maps of soil and crops to manage their land. It might also stimulate more software development for geostatistics in PA.

This title discusses various effects of heavy metal exposure to legumes as well as the bioremediation potential of rhizosphere microbes. Availability of heavy metals, their uptake and the effects of metals on various signaling pathways within legumes are presented. Furthermore, the effects of heavy metals to nitrogen fixing microorganisms and how microsymbionts can overcome metal stress is presented in detail. The role of nitrogen fixers in decontamination of heavy metal toxicity, mycoremediation of metal contaminated soils, microbially mediated transformation of heavy metals and action of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and nitrogen fixers together in detoxifying heavy metals are broadly explained. This volume is a useful tool for scientists, policy makers and progressive legume growers intending to develop safe and healthy legumes for future generations.

This book draws on an eight-year study carried out in the DOCG Prosecco area of Italy, a wine region known worldwide. It is unique in the sense that it is based on one of the most comprehensive investigations into terroir zoning ever performed in Italy. By drawing attention to the complex interrelations between environmental and human factors that influence the growth and production of the Glera grape, the study illustrates the distinct correlation between a wine and its 'terroir'. It shows that the morphology of the sites, the meso and microclimate, the soil, the grapevine planting density, the trellising system, the yield of the vineyard, and the vine water status in the summer lead to unique combinations of grape maturity, acidity, and aroma that ultimately influence the sensory properties of the wines produced. Furthermore, the book details numerous technical and agronomic considerations, specific to the "Glera" grape variety, for different production strategies, including a section on the impact of climate change on cv "Glera" phenology. "The Power of the Terroir: the Case Study of Prosecco Wine" represents a valuable resource for anyone involved in studies or research activities in the fields of viticulture, climatology, agronomic sciences or soil sciences, but is also of interest to vine growers, professionals in the wine industry, and wine enthusiasts in general.

Debate about how best to ensure the preservation of agricultural biodiversity is caught in a counter-productive polemic between proponents and critics of market-based instruments and agricultural modernisation. This book argues that neither position does justice to the range of strategies that farmers use to manage agrobiodiversity and other livelihood assets as they adapt to changing social, economic, and environmental circumstances. Chapters explore relationships between the exploitation and conservation of agricultural biodiversity and the livelihoods of agricultural communities, and evaluate the capacity of national and multilateral institutions and policy settings to support the protection and capture by communities of agrobiodiversity values. The place of ecosystem services in valuing biodiversity in the marketplace is emphasized. A number of authors assess the potential for market-based instruments and initiatives to encourage the protection of biodiversity, while others compare agrobiodiversity/community relationships, and the effectiveness of instruments designed to enhance these, across international boundaries. The book takes a comparative approach, drawing on empirical case studies from across the developed and developing worlds. In doing so, the book does not simply point to similarities and differences in the experience of rural communities. It also shows how global trade and multilateral institutions bring these otherwise disparate communities together in networks that exploit and/or preserve agrobiodiversity and other resources.

This book is the first to combine the much talked about topics of leadership and sustainability, and provides readers with a comprehensive overview and pragmatic approach to leading sustainable organizations.

Chapters include discussions, case examples, steps, and useful tools centred on the components of the Leading the Sustainable Organization model. This model provides managers with a pragmatic, end-to-end framework for creating (in the case of new entities) or shifting (in the case of existing firms) their organizations workforces to a sustainability focus.

Leading the Sustainable Organization is the perfect tool for executives and managers in small, medium, and large companies, and in all industries, to assist with the difficult and confusing topic of leading sustainability efforts. This book will be of great interest to students and academics who want to learn more about corporate sustainability.

This book continues as volume 6 of a multi-compendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers edible fruits/seeds used fresh, cooked or processed into other by-products, or as vegetables, cereals, spices, stimulant, edible oils and beverages. It covers selected species from the following families: Sapindaceae, Sapotaceae, Schisandraceae, Solanaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Urticaceae, Vitaceae and Winteraceae. This work will be of significant interest to scientists, researchers, medical practitioners, pharmacologists, ethnobotanists, horticulturists, food nutritionists, agriculturists, botanists, conservationists, lecturers, students and the general public. Topics covered include: taxonomy; common/English and vernacular names; origin and distribution; agroecology; edible plant parts and uses; botany; nutritive and pharmacological properties, medicinal uses and research findings; nonedible uses; and selected references.

Plant innate immunity is a potential surveillance system of plants and is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The immune system is a sleeping system in unstressed healthy plants and is activated on perception of the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP; the pathogen s signature) of invading pathogens. The PAMP alarm/danger signals are perceived by plant pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). The plant immune system uses several second messengers to encode information generated by the PAMPs and deliver the information downstream of PRRs to proteins which decode/interpret signals and initiate defense gene expression. This book describes the most fascinating PAMP-PRR signaling complex and signal transduction systems. It also discusses the highly complex networks of signaling pathways involved in transmission of the signals to induce distinctly different defense-related genes to mount offence against pathogens."

Linking traditional and local products to a specific area is increasingly felt as a necessity in a globalised market, and Geographical Indications (GIs) are emerging as a multifunctional tool capable of performing this and many other functions. This book analyses the evolving nature of EU sui generis GIs by focusing on their key element, the origin link, and concludes that the history of the product in the broad sense has become a major factor to prove the link between a good and a specific place. For the first time, this area of Intellectual Property Law is investigated from three different, although interrelated, perspectives: the history and comparative assessment of the systems of protection of Indications of Geographical Origin adopted in the European jurisdictions from the beginning of the 20th century; the empirical analysis of the trends emerging from the practice of EUGIs; and the policy debates surrounding them and their importance for the fulfilment of the general goals of the EU Common Agricultural Policy. The result is an innovative and rounded analysis of the very nature of the EU Law of GIs that, starting from its past, investigates the present and the likely future of this Intellectual Property Right. This book provides an interesting and innovative contribution to the field and will be of interest to GI scholars and Intellectual Property students, as well as anyone willing to gain a better understanding of this compelling area of law.

This book provides a comprehensive review of all aspects of the molecular and cell biology of abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism, transport and signal transduction, covering our current understanding of ABA as well as research trends. The agricultural significance of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction is also discussed. The phytohormone ABA regulates many aspects of plant development and plays a central role in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Over the past few decades, considerable advances have been made in the study of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction, greatly deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ABA function at the molecular, cell and whole-plant level and helping us improve crops' environmental tolerance. This book provides a valuable resource for researchers and advanced students interested in plant biology and agriculture.

This book provides a fine-grained ethnographic examination of the everyday negotiations and conflicts taking place in greenhouses and packinghouses in an agricultural district in south-eastern Italy (Sicily). In a highly competitive global scenario, driven by multinational corporations and large retailers, small and medium-sized farms largely rely on migrant labour to fill their demand for casualized, flexible and low-paid jobs. By taking the reader into the 'plastic factories' where the author was hired as a farmworker, this book sheds light on the struggles - around the employment contract, the wage and the body - which take place every day between employers and employees. The book contributes to broadening the understanding of the dynamics innervating food production worldwide by recognizing the pivotal role of migrant labour not only as a factor in the restructuring of global supply chains, but also as an actor shaping these processes through its own unpredictable strategies.

By 2008, total Fair Trade purchases in the developed world reached nearly $3 billion, a five-fold increase in four years. Consumers pay a "fair price" for Fair Trade items, which are meant to generate greater earnings for family farmers, cover the costs of production, and support socially just and environmentally sound practices. Yet constrained by existing markets and the entities that dominate them, Fair Trade often delivers material improvements for producers that are much more modest than the profound social transformations the movement claims to support. There has been scant real-world assessment of Fair Trade's effectiveness. Drawing upon fine-grained anthropological studies of a variety of regions and commodity systems including Darjeeling tea, coffee, crafts, and cut flowers, the chapters in Fair Trade and Social Justice represent the first works to use ethnographic case studies to assess whether the Fair Trade Movement is actually achieving its goals. Contributors: Julia Smith, Mark Moberg, Catherine Ziegler , Sarah Besky, Sarah M. Lyon, Catherine S. Dolan, Patrick C. Wilson, Faidra Papavasiliou, Molly Doane, Kathy M'Closkey, Jane Henrici

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in grain-based fuel ethanol production in North America and around the world. Whether such production will result in a net energy gain or whether this is sustainable in the long term is under debate, but undoubtedly millions of tons of non-fermented residues are now produced annually for global trade in the form of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Consequently, in a short period of time a tremendous amount of research has been conducted to determine the suitability of ethanol coproducts for various end uses. Distillers Grains: Production, Properties and Utilization is the first book of its kind to provide in-depth, and up-to-date coverage of Historical and current status of the fuel ethanol industry in the U.S. Processing methods, scientific principles, and innovations for making fuel ethanol using grains as feedstock Physical and chemical properties of DDGS, assay methodologies for compositional analyses, and mycotoxin occurrence in DDGS Changes during processing (from grains to DDGS) and analysis of factors causing variations in compositional, nutritional, and physical values Various traditional, new, and emerging uses for DDGS (including feed for cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and other animals, feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, and other bioenergy production, and substrates for food and industrial uses) Appealing to all who have an interest in fuel ethanol production, distillers grains, and their uses, this comprehensive reference sharpens the readers' understanding of distillers grains and will promote better utilization of ethanol coproducts. Animal and food scientists, feed and food technologists, ethanol plant managers and technicians, nutritionists, academic and governmental professionals, and college students will find the book most useful.

This book presents state-of-the-art perspectives on the Blue Economy. It applies important geographical and sustainability transitions perspectives and underscores how Blue Economy dynamics are situated in regional contexts and shaped by the people who live there. The book highlights the Blue Economy concept as a potential driver of regionally sensitive, ecologically embedded, and community-focused sustainability. The scope for Blue Economy to form a core "cog" in our low-carbon future is obvious, from the potential for renewable energy production and coastal resilience building to possibilities for sustainable food production and the delivery of economic opportunities for peripheral communities. However, fundamental questions remain on how to meaningfully deliver these promises, such as how to avoid embedding a model of damaging extractivism, as per the terrestrial economy, and how to deliver on the key social sustainability principles of human well-being, equity, and justice when planning and developing blue economies. As the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development opens, this book provides a timely reminder of the richness, diversity, and potential of coastal and marine spaces. It advances geographical and transdisciplinary understandings of the Blue Economy and sets a baseline for continued scholarly engagement with the Blue Economy from a variety of perspectives. This timely contribution will be of interest to policy makers, academics, industry leaders, decision makers, and stakeholders working in or connected to the Blue Economy Sphere and working in the fields of Economic Geography, Regional Development, Public Policy and Planning, Environmental Studies, and Coastal Zone Management.

This contributed volume compiles the latest improvements in the field of biotechnology. It focuses on topics that comprises industrial, environment, agricultural and medical related issues to technology and biological studies and exhibits the correlation between the biological world and the dependence of humans on it. The book is organized into five parts covering the role of biotechnology in industrial products, environmental remediation, agriculture and pharmacological agents. Ranging from micro-scale studies to macro, it covers a huge domain of agricultural biotechnology and focuses on important commercial crops (e.g. cacao and coffee), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, flow and distribution of phosphorus in agricultural soils in the Latin American region. Overall, the book portrays the importance of modern biotechnology and its role in solving the problems in modern day life. The book is a ready reference for practicing students, researchers of environmental engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering, and other allied fields likewise.

Successive food, economic and environmental crises have prompted the world Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) bodies to spring into action. Faced with the clear failure of public development aid to reduce inequalities and hunger, especially in Africa, wide consensus has been achieved from the World Bank to the G8 via the UN, the European Union and the African Union these past five years on the need to improve agricultural production through sustainable rural development which shows respect for Man and Nature. The ARD has set itself the goal of supporting the implementation of technical, social and institutional responses to sustainable development through a partnership encouraging the pooling of knowledge, increased skills and the autonomy of key players.

- draws on the expertise of marine researchers from across the natural and social sciences - examines how the tools of transdisciplinarity can be used to return us to a sustainable co-existence with the ocean - draws on case studies from the nexus of the research and practices of engagement with a variety of stakeholder groups around the globe - will be of great interest to students and scholars studying marine science and ocean research across the natural and social sciences - will also be of interest to those looking to build a greater understanding of transdisciplinary research and knowledge co-production

The performance of irrigation schemes that carry sediment laden water is often poor. Modern irrigation schemes are increasingly demand based, which means that the water flow in the canals is determined by the crop water requirements. Accordingly the flow in the canal network is not constant as the crop water requirement changes with the climate and the growing stages. Also the inflow of the sediment is not constant throughout the irrigation season. Such schemes, particularly having unlined canals in alluvial soils, are difficult to design and to manage without compromising the flexibility or maintenance cost. This research has made an in-depth assessment on the role of sediment in the design and management of an irrigation scheme by using the data of Sunsari Morang Irrigation Scheme, Nepal. An analysis of the velocity and shear stress distribution across a non-wide trapezoidal canal has been made to derive the correction factor for the sediment transport predictors.