This book presents advanced ecological techniques for crop cultivation and the chapters are arranged into four sections, namely general aspects, weeds, fungi, worms and microbes. Biocontrol is an ecological method of controlling pests such as insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases using other organisms. This practice has been used for centuries. Biocontrol relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. Natural enemies of insect pests, also known as biological control agents, include predators, parasitoids, pathogens, and competitors.

Wonderfully illustrated book, originally from 1749.

The root is the organ that functions as the interface between the plant and the earth environment. Many human management practices involving crops, forests and natural vegetation also affect plant growth through the soil and roots. Understanding the morphology and function of roots from the cellular level to the level of the whole root system is required for both plant production and environmental protection. This book is at the forefront of plant root science (rhizology), catering to professional plant scientists and graduate students. It covers root development, stress physiology, ecology, and associations with microorganisms. The chapters are selected papers originally presented at the 6th Symposium of the International Society of Root Research, where plant biologists, ecologists, soil microbiologists, crop scientists, forestry scientists, and environmental scientists, among others, gathered to discuss current research results and to establish rhizology as a newly integrated research area.

This book - the first published on this topic in plants - presents the reader with an overview of recent research on nitric oxide (NO) in plants, which, in view of its empirical interest and its growth regulatory potential, is in the forefront of scientific endeavor in plant science. Subject matter is divided into two parts: Part 1 deals with NO and peroxynitrite biochemistry and regulative mechanisms as presently known in the Plant Kingdom and outlines some of the problems still awaiting clarification. Emphasis is placed on ethylene emission regulation, postharvest control, plant phytopathology and environmental stress tolerance. A further topic is plant NO, like Viagra, related to cyclic nucleotide turnover. Part 2 deals with environmental aspects of NO as an atmospheric pollutant and discusses endogenous means which plants at times employ to cope with this particular type of stress, and how their coping mechanisms may be harnessed for purposes of depollution and augmentation of nitrogen fertilization. The text, accompanied by a wealth of illustrations and annotated references, is intended for lecturers, advanced students and research scientists at universities and research institutes dealing with plant sciences and agriculture, as well as for environmental researchers.

Most organisms and populations have to cope with hostile environments, threatening their existence. Their ability to respond phenotypically and genetically to these challenges and to evolve adaptive mechanisms is, therefore, crucial. The contributions to this book aim at understanding, from a evolutionary perspective, the impact of stress on biological systems. Scientists, applying different approaches spanning from the molecular and the protein level to individuals, populations and ecosystems, explore how organisms adapt to extreme environments, how stress changes genetic structure and affects life histories, how organisms cope with thermal stress through acclimation, and how environmental and genetic stress induce fluctuating asymmetry, shape selection pressure and cause extinction of populations. Finally, it discusses the role of stress in evolutionary change, from stress induced mutations and selection to speciation and evolution at the geological time scale. The book contains reviews and novel scientific results on the subject. It will be of interest to both researchers and graduate students and may serve as a text for graduate courses.

This book provides an overview of the Ocimum genus from its genetic diversity to genome sequences, metabolites and their therapeutic utilities. Tulasi, Ocimum tenuiflorum, as a member of the family Lamiaceae, is a sacred plant in India. The plants of this genus Ocimum are collectively referred to as Basil and holy basil is worshipped in the Hindu religion. Basils are reservoirs of diverse terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, in addition to commercially important aromatic essential oils. In 2016, two working groups in India published the genome sequence in two different genotypes of Ocimum tenuiflorum. To help the readers understand the complexities of the genus and different chemotypes, this book accumulates all the available information on this medicinal plant including the genome. The complete knowledge may enable researchers to generate specific chemotypes in basil either through conventional breeding or development of transgenic lines. It also makes it possible to investigate the medicinal nature of holy basil compared to different species of the same genus.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the multiple strategies that plants have developed to cope with drought, one of the most severe environmental stresses. Experts in the field present 17 chapters, each of which focuses on a basic concept as well as the latest findings.

The following major aspects are covered in the book:

. Morphological and anatomical adaptations

. Physiological responses

. Biochemical and molecular responses

. Ecophysiological responses

. Responses to drought under field conditions

The contributions will serve as an invaluable source of information for researchers and advanced students in the fields of plant sciences, agriculture, ecophysiology, biochemistry and molecular biology.

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This book introduces readers to both seed treatment and seedling pretreatments, taking into account various factors such as plant age, growing conditions and climate. Reflecting recent advances in seed priming and pretreatment techniques, it demonstrates how these approaches can be used to improve stress tolerance and enhance crop productivity. Covering the basic phenomena involved, mechanisms and recent innovations, the book offers a comprehensive guide for students, researchers and scientists alike, particularly Plant Physiologists, Agronomists, Environmental Scientists, Biotechnologists, and Botanists, who will find essential information on physiology and stress tolerance. The book also provides a valuable source of information for professionals at seed companies, seed technologists, food scientists, policymakers, and agricultural development officers around the world.

Piperonyl Butoxide contains 20 chapters contributed by world experts in the field on the properties, uses, plant metabolism, and mammalian and environmental toxicology of piperonyl butoxide. The mode of action of piperonyl butoxide is discussed as well as many other specialist topics, including the measurement of synergism in the laboratory, and the potential use of this chemical alone for the control of whiteflies, as well as with insect growth regulators.
This book will prove to be a valuable reference for all concerned with the designing of safe and cost-effective insecticide formulations, particularly those used in the home, industry, or on or near animals and food.

Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection presents the intricate ways in which sperm compete to fertilize eggs and how this has prompted reinterpretations of breeding behavior. This book provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition, which is a central part of sexual selection. It also discusses the roles of females and the relationships between paternal care in sperm competition. The chapters focusing on taxonomic development are diverse and cover all the major animal groups, both vertebrate and invertebrate, and plants. The final chapter provides an overview discussing the relationship between sperm competition and sexual selection in terms of both function and mechanism and how these translate into species fitness. This book will be of prime interest to behaviorists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists, suggesting new avenues of research and new ways of approaching old problems.
Key Features
* The only up-to-date summary of a central and popular subject
* Well known editors and authors
* Provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition
* Covers all major animal groups
* Includes a chapter on plants

This book contains the proceedings of the 18th International Seaweed Symposium, which provides an invaluable reference to a wide range of fields in applied phycology. The papers featured in this volume cover topics as diverse as systematics, ecology, commercial applications, carbohydrate chemistry and applications, harvesting biology, cultivation and more. It offers a benchmark of progress in all fields of applied seaweed science and management.

The book adopts an application-oriented approach for ecorestoration of coalmine degraded. The theoretical aspects of ecorestoration, and steps involved in ecorestoration process and experimental aspects of thorough analytical procedures have been discussed in detail. It emphasizes on the types of mining, land degradation, and biodiversity conservation while giving details of technical and biological steps, topsoil management, selection of plant species, seeding, nursery practices; adoption of innovative approaches like mulching, biofertlizer application, hydroseeding, superabsorbent; use of grass-legume mix; monitoring and aftercare of reclaimed sites; the indicators of sustainable ecorestoration; and Rules and Acts implemented and followed across the world. Best ecorestoration practices, mine closure issues, collection, laboratory analysis and interpretation of minesoil and topsoil samples, monitoring biological parameters, litterfall and tree growth analysis, erosion management, design of drainage and sedimentation retention basin, and brief description of tree species with identifying character for field people are all part of the book. [Message by Prominent Academician] It is now urgent that methods of coal mining be integrated with engineering for ecorestoration because the larger society will not accept devastated waste land. A book, coming out from the hands of one of the persistent researchers of the field, cannot be more timely. Jayanta Bhattacharya, PhD FNAE Professor, Department of Mining Engineering Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721302, India.

With an increasing human population and a decreasing amount of arable land, creative improvements in agriculture will be a necessity in the coming decades to maintain or improve the standard of living. In Plant Chromosome Engineering: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers present techniques for the modification of crops and other plant species in order to achieve the goal of developing the much needed novel approaches to the production of food, feed, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals. This volume examines vital topics such as transformation procedures, chromosome painting, production of engineered minichromosomes, gene targeting and mutagenesis, site specific integration, gene silencing, protein expression, chromosome sorting and analysis, protocols for generating chromosomal rearrangements, enhancer trapping, and means of studying chromosomes in vivo. As a part of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology(TM) series, the methodological chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and professional tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Plant Chromosome Engineering: Methods and Protocols highlights the spectrum of tools currently available for modifying plant genomes and chromosomes and provides the foundation for crucial future developments.

This book will awaken the interest of breeders, phytopathologists, environmentalists, extension services, plant virologists, entomologists and molecular biologists. It deals both with the epidemiological aspects of the disease and with integrated pest management in the field. It discusses the efforts aimed at breeding tomato plants resistant to the virus (using classical breeding, marker-assisted breeding and genetic engineering). It summarizes the techniques used for diagnosis, eradication and certification and emphasizes the problems inherent to the control of the virus insect vector, the use of pesticides and the resistance acquired by the insects, the appearance of new whitefly biotypes with previously unknown characteristics, and the complex relations between virus, vector and plant host.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has become important in rice farming systems because this process diminishes the need for expensive chemical fertilizers which have been associated with numerous health and environmental problems. The extensive exploitation of BNF would provide economic benefits to small farmers, avoiding all malign influences of chemical fertilizers. Meanwhile, advances in biotechnology have brought rice genetics to the threshold of new opportunities for increasing rice production. This volume focuses, in six different sessions, on the role of BNF in the improvement of rice production in the light of the current state of the art of BNF technology transfer and diffusion. New ideas on BNF technology in research, extension information and inoculant technology are also included, together with the socio-economic impacts of using BNF in rice farm systems.

Salinity and water stress limit crop productivity worldwide and generate substantial economic losses each year, yet innovative research on crop and natural resource management can reveal cost-effective ways in which farmers can increase both their productivity and their income.

Presenting recent research findings on salt stress, water stress and stress-adapted plants, this book offers insights into new strategies for increasing the efficiency of crops under stressful environments. The strategies are based on conventional breeding and advanced molecular techniques used by plant physiologists, and are discussed using specific case studies to illustrate their potential. The book emphasizes the effects of environmental factors on specific stages of plant development, and discusses the role of plant growth regulators, nutrients, osmoprotectants and antioxidants in counteracting their adverse affects.

Synthesising updated information on mechansisms of stress tolerance at cell, tissue and whole-plant level, this book provides a useful reference text for post graduate students and researchers involved in the fields of stress physiology and plant physiology in general, with additional readership amongst researchers in horticulture, agronomy, crop science, conservation, environmental management and ecological restoration.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennedius) has distinguished itself from the more than 1,000 whitefly species in the world by its adaptability, persistence and potential to damage a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops in all six of the world s inhabited continents. B. tabaci inflicts plant damage through direct feeding, inducement of plant disorders, vectoring of plant viruses and excretion of honeydew. This book collates multiple aspects of the pest ranging from basic to applied science and molecular to landscape levels of investigation. Experts in multiple disciplines provide broad, but detailed summaries and discussion of taxonomy, genetics, anatomy, morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, symbiotic relationships, virus vector associations and various tactics for integrated management of this pest insect. The book is focused primarily on progress during the last 10-15 years and is directed at workers in the field as well as the informed professional who may not necessarily specialize in whitefly research. The book is unique in providing broad coverage in relatively few chapters by recognized experts that highlight the state-of-the-art in our understanding of this fascinating but troublesome cosmopolitan pest."

The recent advent of molecular technologies has changed the way plant breeders identify and select their germplasm as genetic variation can now be assessed at the DNA level. Crop Breeding: Methods and Protocols presents detailed guidelines and tutorials that suit different needs and capacity from small laboratories analyzing molecular markers on a one-by-one basis to the increasingly popular high-throughput protocols for high capacity laboratories. Topics covered include breeding strategy for the selection of an ideal variety or genetic ideo type, protocols for breeders using molecular markers in selection programs and for laboratories providing molecular services to breeding programs, statistical programs and software to aid implementation of molecular data into breeding programs and methodologies that facilitate the generation of genetic diversity and its characterization. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Crop Breeding: Methods and Protocols will help in expanding the use of molecular technologies for the creation of tomorrow's crop varieties.

This book, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants IX, like the previous eight volumes published in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1995, is unique in its approach. It comprises twenty-four chapters dealing with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Agave, Anthemis, Aralia, Blackstonia, Catha, Catharanthus, Cephalocereus, Clerodendron, Coronilla, Gloeophyllum, Liquidambar, Marchantia, Mentha, Onosma, Paeonia, Parthenium, Petunia, Phyllanthus, Populus, Portulaca, Sandersonia, Serratula, Scoparia, and Thapsia. It is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biochemical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general.