Under ongoing climate changes, natural and cultivated habitats of major crops are being continuously disturbed. Such conditions impose and exacerbate abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation, etc. are important abiotic stressors, while diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens, such as fungal agents, bacteria and viruses, are major biotic stresses. In many instances, stresses have become the major limiting factor for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops. To help feed an ever increasing world population and to ensure global food security, concerted efforts from scientists and researchers have identified strategies to manage and mitigate the impacts of climate-induced stresses. This book, summarizing their findings, is aimed at crop improvement beyond such kind of barriers, by agronomic practices (genetics, breeding, phenotyping, etc.) and biotechnological applications, including molecular markers, QTL mapping, genetic engineering, transgenesis, tissue culture, various 'omics' technologies and gene editing. It will cover a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches. Additionally, fundamental mechanisms and applied information on stress responses and tolerance will be discussed. This book highlights problems and offers proper solutions for crop stress management with recent information and up-to-date citations. We believe this book is suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.

Conifers--pine, fir, and spruce trees--are dominant species in forests around the world. This book focuses on the physiology of conifers and how these physiological systems operate. Special consideration is devoted to the means by which ecophysiological processes influence organismal function and distribution. Chapters focus on the genetics of conifers, their geographic distribution and the factors that influence this distribution, the impact of insect herbivory on ecophysiological parameters, the effects of air pollution, and the potential impact that global climatic changes will have upon conifers. Because of the growing realization that forests have a crucial role to play in global environmental health, this book will appeal to a developing union of ecologists, physiologists and more theoretically minded foresters.

This book describes how the genome sequence contributes to our understanding of allopolyploidisation and the genome evolution, genetic diversity, complex trait regulation and knowledge-based breeding of this important crop. Numerous examples demonstrate how widespread homoeologous genome rearrangements and exchanges have moulded structural genome diversity following a severe polyploidy bottleneck. The allopolyploid crop species Brassica napus has the most highly duplicated plant genome to be assembled to date, with the largest number of annotated genes. Examples are provided for use of the genome sequence to identify and capture diversity for important agronomic traits, including seed quality and disease resistance. The increased potential for detailed gene discovery using high-density genetic mapping, quantitative genetics and transcriptomic analyses is described in the context of genome availability and illustrated with recent examples. Intimate knowledge of the highly-duplicated gene space, on the one hand, and the repeat landscape on the other, particularly in comparison to the two diploid progenitor genomes, provide a fundamental basis for new insights into the regulatory mechanisms that are coupled with selection for polyploid success and crop evolution.

Arsenic is likely the most talked-about metalloid in the modern world because of its toxic effects on both animal and plants. Further, arsenic pollution is now producing negative impacts on food security, especially in many south Asian countries. Since plants are a major food source, their adaptation to As-rich environments is essential, as is being informed about recent findings on multifarious aspects of the mechanisms of arsenic toxicity and tolerance in plants. Although numerous research works and review articles have been published in journals, annual reviews and as book chapters, to date there has been no comprehensive book on this topic. This book contains 19 informative chapters on arsenic chemistry, plant uptake, toxicity and tolerance mechanisms, as well as approaches to mitigation. Readers will be introduced to the latest findings on plant responses to arsenic toxicity, various tolerance mechanisms, and remediation techniques. As such, the book offers a timely and valuable resource for a broad audience, including plant scientists, soil scientists, environmental scientists, agronomists, botanists and molecular biologists.

The first edition of The Small-Scale Poultry Flock helped thousands of small-scale farmers and smallholders adopt a practical model for working with chickens and other domestic fowl based on natural systems. In this expanded and thoroughly revised edition, readers will find plenty of all-new material. Author Harvey Ussery introduces readers to his new favorite breed of chicken, Icelandics; describes how he manages his breeding flock using a clan mating system; presents detailed information on the use of trapnests and record-keeping spreadsheets for evaluating breeding hen performance; and provides step-by-step instructions for construction of an ingeniously designed mobile poultry shelter. Readers will also find fully updated information and tips on all aspects of flock management, including: growing (and sourcing) feed on a small scale cultivating earthworms and grubs as high-protein poultry feed brooding (and breeding) at home implementing manure management using electric net fencing for ranging flocks using poultry as insect and weed managers in the garden and orchard enlisting your chickens as garden tillers and compost-makers protecting the flock from predators keeping the flock healthy working with mother hens In The Small-Scale Poultry Flock, Revised Edition Ussery presents a sustainable and ecologically friendly model that can be adapted to a variety of scales. His advice and examples throughout the book will prove invaluable for beginner farmers, growers looking to incorporate poultry into their programme and experienced farmers looking to create a truly sustainable system.

Global climate change requires the development of programs that consider the active restoration of degraded forests and the use of native trees in afforestation to preserve the natural environment. International commitments like the UN REDD program, the Montreal Process and the Convention on Biological Diversity call for the breeding of species rarely contemplated by large industrial companies. Low-intensity breeding is the most rational strategy for those species: simple but robust, and not dependent on continuously increasing funding, and therefore effective even with a relatively small budget. It commonly focuses on high genetic diversity rather than improving economic traits and adaptability rather than productivity. Controlled crosses with full pedigrees typical of high-intensity breeding are replaced by open pollination. This book presents state-of-the-art breeding strategies from the last two decades for several forest tree species of prime importance in the natural forests of Argentina. They are distributed in the three main forestry ecoregions of the country: the subtropical dry forest (Chaco), the subtropical rain forests (Yungas and Alto Parana rainforests) and the temperate forests of Patagonia. The book also discusses the genetic patterns of the selected species defined using genetic markers together with the analysis of the variation in quantitative traits. Further, it examines the crucial features of their reproductive biology, such as the mating system and gene flow and describes the current breeding programs. Lastly, it presents the latest developments in genetic resources and their emerging applications, concluding with some reflections and perspectives related to the conditioning imposed by climate change.

In the current era, there are many environmental and energy challenges facing the agricultural sector, which negatively impact the climate, business, industry, and society. Through modern technologies and engineering, however, these challenges are now able to be met with solutions. There is a need for research in this area so that the industry can continue to be sustainable. Human Agro-Energy Optimization for Business and Industry presents research on humanized optimization approaches for smart energy and the agro-business industry. It is a critical scholarly resource that examines the efficient use of modern smart farming and renewable energy sources, which have a positive impact on sustainable development. Covering topics such as biomass characterization, energy efficiency, and sustainable development, this premier reference source is an essential resource for agricultural scientists, engineers, government officials, software developers, managers, business leaders, executive officers, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Currently, there is a need for new management practices for fruit orchards in order to sustain the growth and productivity of various fruit crops. In addition, due to the continuous growth in the world's population, there is a demand for adequate food which is produced from the same sources of water and soils. The main factors limiting agricultural production are droughts and the population growth; this makes it important to prevent fruit production from being subject to climatic hazards. This book enhances the growth and productivity of fruit trees through different techniques, such as artificial intelligence optimization for soil conditioner, site-specific nutrient management in orchards in fertilizing as an application of smart agriculture, irrigation, modeling of parameters of water requirements in fruit orchards, and up-to-date trends in vineyard practices. The book also explores pest control on orchards to increase the efficiency of pesticides and protect the environment and discusses the shading of citrus orchards to avoid negative impacts such as rising temperatures and heatwaves on citrus productivity. Finally, the book discusses the carbon and water footprint for various fruit orchards. This book is ideal for researchers and academics of horticultural science, agricultural organizations, fruit growers, and economics and data analyzers.