Selenium plays a significant role in preventing certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The level of Selenium in the human body depends on its concentration in food. In turn, the content in vegetable crops is a function of the soil-plant system. There are many countries in the world with low Selenium content in the soil. The average daily human intake is thus limited through food chain. Analysis of Selenium status suggests that fortification of the soil substrate with Sodium Selenate, and foliar application to agricultural crops are both effective means of Selenium enrichment. Our intention for this publication is to present the possibilities of augmenting Selenium content by biofortification of soils and plants through differentiated nutrition. In the first part of the monograph, the results of Selenium supplementation in model vegetation experiments are presented. The next part of the monograph presents the results of foliar supplementation of Selenium in field conditions. This book is an outstanding reference source for plant breeders and researchers engaged in biofortification of horticulture crops. It is also beneficial to agricultural companies and other stakeholders.

The Bambara groundnut (BGN) or Vigna subterranea is an extremely hardy grain legume. As it produces reasonable yields even under conditions of drought and low soil fertility, it is also a climate-smart crop. Previously underutilized, BGN is the subject of growing interest among researchers and consumers for its balanced nutritional profile. Indigenous consumers of BGN report medicinal benefits from the plant; however, such knowledge is at risk of being lost with the urbanization and changing lifestyles of younger generations. To date, there is no comprehensive resource on the Bambara groundnut, despite market demand for plant proteins around the globe. Authored by scientists who have researched and developed patents using BGN, Bambara Groundnut: Utilization and Future Prospects aims to fill this gap. The text provides in-depth coverage on breeding, food and feed utilization, medicinal benefits and future research prospects. Drawing on both indigenous knowledge and cutting-edge research, Bambara Groundnut is the first book to fully explore the potential of this remarkable crop.

This book shares the latest findings on this topic, systematically introduces readers to advances made in robotic harvesting around the globe, and explores the relations between the development of robotic harvesting and the respective social/economic conditions and agricultural business patterns in various countries/regions. Due to the unstructured setting it is used in, and to the significant differences between individual fruit and vegetable targets, robotic harvesting is currently considered to be one of the most challenging robotics technologies. Accordingly, research into this area involves the integration of various aspects, including biomechanics, optimization design, advanced perception and intelligent control. In addition to rapid and damage-free robotic harvesting, which reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, further aspects addressed include gripping collisions with viscoelastic objects, using lasers to cut plant material, plant-fruit response to vacuum sucking and pulling, and performance probability distribution. Highlighting outstanding innovations and reflecting the latest advances in intelligent agricultural equipment in China, the book offers a unique and valuable resource.

Known as the "King" of spices, black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and the "Queen" of spices, cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum M.), both perennial crops of the tropics, are the most important and most widely sought after spice crops of the world. They both have many uses, for example, both are used as flavourings and as a medicine. This book provides a comprehensive review of these two very important spice crops, covering origin, history, geographical distribution, production, economy and their uses.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is the most important pest affecting berry crop production worldwide. The global fresh fruit trade, coupled with the ability of the larvae to hide inside the fruit undetected until after transportation, facilitate their distribution. SWD is native to Asia, but is increasingly found in other regions: occurrences have been recorded in the Americas and Europe, and Africa, and the insects have the potential to adapt and become established in Oceania. Gathering the experiences of leading scientists in the management of D. suzukii around the globe, the book addresses D. suzukii monitoring; biological, chemical and cultural control; sterile insect technique (SIT); integrated pest management (IPM), and other control methods. It also discusses the use of drones, GPS, biotechnology, telemetry and other technological tools to make the management of this pest more efficient and accurate. As such, it is a valuable resource for scientists, professionals and students.

The book ?Development Misplaced? is an important record of behind the scene pressures on India's farmers brought on by a small group of multinational companies MNCs]. Their manipulations are unknown to farmers and consumers. These companies control global markets in seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, food grains, and common foods. Their sole aim is to take complete control over global agriculture, food production and distribution. To add to India's woes, our political leaders, planners and scientists have become a pawn in the hands of these MNCs. The book exposes Indian establishment's compulsive and habitual lying. The foreword written by Dr. GVG Krishnamurty, former Election Commissioner of India, precisely summarizes different sections in the book. Readers should note that a person can live without food for about seven days before the body's vital organs and systems start collapsing but it takes a full season-from seventy to 120 days- to grow food crops. An important contribution of the author is that he has devoted an entire section on Genetically Engineered seeds. GE seeds are almost entirely controlled by about seven multinational corporations. The food crops that are produced from these seeds have proven to be poisonous in every independent study carried out in Russia, UK, France, and the USA. Every study has shown that these foods cause cancers, vital organ failures and sterility. Cattle grazing on Genetically Engineered cotton fields have died within days and the deaths occurred from stable toxins in the blood. This Government in league with MNCs, led by world's largest seed company Monsanto, wants to feed this nation poison. It is a huge issue, an issue of our survival as a healthy nation. Along with destruction of human health, these MNCs are destroying soil health, environmental health and animal health. The author has done well to expose the behind the scene pressures of these MNCs to change the regulatory framework, create monopolistic control over seed supply, force farmers to leave farming and dismantle India's thousands of years of food and nutrition security. India's food and nutritional security, built over thousands of years of painstaking effort by farmers, is being completely undermined by a group that is determined to starve India, force a proud nation on its knees, and once again enslave this nation. In essence, the book is about that process of enslavement.

Investigation on biobased nanomaterials has provided new insights into the rapidly advancing fields of the biomedical and environmental sciences by showing how these nanomaterials are effective in biomedicine and environmental remediation. These particles hold tremendous prospective applications, and are likely to become the next generation of particles in these areas. As such, research is ongoing and the data generated should have the potential for a sustainable future in both the environmental and biomedical fields. This book presents important findings on the role of and identification of novel applications of biobased nanomaterials. Unlike other books in this field, this book focuses entirely on sustainable application and remediation in biomedicine and environmental science. The chapters are written in such a way as to make them accessible to the reader, and furthermore, the volume can be readily adopted as a reference, or used as a guide for further research. This project was based on recent research (the last 5 years) and developed through an extensive literature search. The editors have also compiled some advanced, outstanding texts that should be of benefit to graduate students in their research.

Blast is an important foliar disease that infects the majority of cereal crops like rice, finger millet, pearl millet, foxtail millet and wheat, and thus resulting in a huge economic impact. The pathogen is responsible for causing epidemics in many crops and commonly shifts to new hosts. Magnaporthe spp. is the most prominent cause of blast disease on a broad host range of grasses including rice as well as other species of poaceae family. To date, 137 members of Poaceae hosting this fungus have been described in Fungal Databases. This book provides information on all blast diseases of different cereal crops. The pathogen evolves quickly due to its high variability, and thus can quickly adapt to new cultivars and cause an epidemic in a given crop. Some of the topics covered here include historical perspectives, pathogen evolution, host range shift, cross-infectivity, and pathogen isolation, use of chemicals fungicides, genetics and genomics, and management of blast disease in different cereal crops with adoption of suitable methodologies.In the past two decades there have been significant developments in genomics and proteomics approaches and there has been substantial and rapid progress in the cloning and mapping of R genes for blast resistance, as well as in comparative genomics analysis for resolving delineation of Magnaporthe species that infect both cereals and grass species. Blast disease resistance follows a typical gene-for-gene hypothesis. Identification of new Avr genes and effector molecules from Magnaporthe spp. can be useful to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the fast evolution of different strains of this fungal genus. Advances in these areas may help to reduce the occurrence of blast disease by the identification of potential R genes for effective deployment. Additionally, this book highlights the importance of blast disease that infects different cereal hosts in the context of climate change, and genomics approaches that may potentially help in understanding and applying new concepts and technologies that can make real impact in sustainable management of blast disease in different cereal crops.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop, such as wheat, usually take 10-12 years to develop and release of the new variety. During the past 10 years, significant advances have been made and accelerated methods have been developed for precision breeding and early release of crop varieties. This edited volume summarizes concepts dealing with germplasm enhancement and development of improved varieties based on innovative methodologies that include doubled haploidy, marker assisted selection, marker assisted background selection, genetic mapping, genomic selection, high-throughput genotyping, high-throughput phenotyping, mutation breeding, reverse breeding, transgenic breeding, shuttle breeding, speed breeding, low cost high-throughput field phenotyping, etc. It is an important reference with special focus on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

Nature is all around us, in the beautiful but also in the unappealing and functional, and from the awe-inspiring to the mundane. It is vital that we learn to see the agency of the natural world in all things that make our lives possible, comfortable and profitable. The Ecology of Everyday Things pulls back the veil of our familiarity on a range of 'everyday things' that surround us, and which we perhaps take too much for granted. This key into the magic world of the everyday can enable us to take better account of our common natural inheritance. Professor James Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) For many people, ecosystems may be a remote concept, yet we eat, drink, breathe and interface with them in every moment of our lives. In this engaging textbook, ecosystems scientist Dr. Mark Everard considers a diversity of 'everyday things', including fascinating facts about their ecological origins: from the tea we drink, to the things we wear, read and enjoy, to the ecology of communities and space flight, and the important roles played by germs and 'unappealing creatures' such as slugs and wasps. In today's society, we are so umbilically connected to ecosystems that we fail to notice them, and this oversight blinds us to the unsustainability of everyday life and the industries and policy environment that supports it. The Ecology of Everyday Things takes the reader on an enlightening, fascinating voyage of discovery, all the while soundly rooted in robust science. It will stimulate awareness about how connected we all are to the natural world and its processes, and how important it is to learn to better treat our environment. Ideal for use in undergraduate- and school-level teaching, it will also interest, educate, engage and enthuse a wide range of less technical audiences.

Focusing on the demands of the new innovative, sustainable and inclusive rural development paradigm, the monograph raises the discussion regarding new approaches and success factors that are vital in current rural socio-economic development and policy transformations. The bottom-up policymaking, self-organization, creative use of knowledge in rural areas, and many other rural innovations are aligned in this book with new social movements' theories, which help disclose, explore and explain the rural development paradigm shift. Rural development forces of the 21st century center on the agents of change - rural population, and, surprisingly - urban population(!), and the political debate concerning EU Common Agricultural Policy and European Green Deal, illustrated with multiple case studies. This book will be of interest to a broad audience of readers, keen on scientific, political, and practical issues of innovations in rural areas and their future development pathways. The monograph is authored by a team of scholars from the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Department of Rural Development.