Applied Mathematics and Omics to Assess Crop Genetic Resources for Climate Change Adaptive Traits focuses on practical means and approaches to further the use of genetic resources for mitigating the effects of climate change and improving crop production. Genetic diversity in crop plants is being further explored to increase yield, disease resistance, and nutritional value by employing recent advances in mathematics and omics technologies to promote the adaptation of crops to changing climatic conditions. This book presents a broad view of biodiversity and genetic resources in agriculture and provides answers to some current problems. It also highlights ways to provide much-needed information to practitioners and innovators engaged in addressing the effects of global climate change on agriculture. The book is divided into sections that cover: The implications of climate change for drylands and farming communities The potential of genetic resources and biodiversity to adapt to and mitigate climate change effects Applications of mathematics and omics technologies Genomics and gene identification We are in the midst of significant changes in global climates, and its effects are already being felt throughout the world. The increasing frequency of droughts and heat waves has had negative impacts on agricultural production, especially in the drylands of the world. This book shares the collective knowledge of leading scientists and practitioners, giving readers a broader appreciation and heightened awareness of the stakes involved in improving and sustaining agricultural production systems in the face of climate change.

The Handbook of Cucurbits: Growth, Cultural Practices, and Physiology contains information on cultural practices, nutrition, and physiological processes of cucurbits under both normal and stressful conditions. It presents the history and importance of cucurbit crop production as well as exhaustive information on growth responses of cucurbits to various environmental conditions and nutrients. Unlike numerous other books and articles on cucurbits that exist in relative isolation of each other, this handbook provides a complete collection of factors on cucurbits. It addresses issues and concerns related to cucurbits growth, physiology, cultural practices, diseases, and production. It has been prepared by many competent and knowledgeable scientists, specialists, and researchers in agriculture and horticulture from several countries. It serves as a resource for both lectures and independent purposes, covering issues related to cucurbits from planting to production. The book is divided into 11 sections: Introductory Chapters; Cucurbits Physiological Stages of Growth and Development I; Cultural Practices of Cucurbits; Cucurbits Physiological Stages of Growth and Development II; Genetics, Genomics, and Breeding of Cucurbits; Cucurbits Grafting; Cucurbits Pathology and Diseases; Weed Control, Pest Control, and Insects of Cucurbits; Therapeutic and Medicinal Values of Cucurbits; Growth Responses of Cucurbits under Stressful Conditions (Abiotic and Biotic Stresses); and Examples of Cucurbits Crop Plants Growth and Development and Cultural Practices. Each of these sections consists of one or more chapters to discuss, independently, as many aspects of cucurbits as possible for that specific topic. Numerous figures and tables are included to facilitate the comprehension of the presented material. Hundreds of index words are also included to further increase accessibility to desired information.

Diseases of Edible Oilseed Crops presents an unprecedentedly thorough collection of information on the diseases of cultivated annual oilseed crops, including peanut, rapeseed-mustard, sesame, soybean, sunflower, and safflower. Written by internationally recognized researchers, this book covers and integrates worldwide literature in the field up to 2014, setting it apart from other books that are only of regional importance. The book focuses on major diseases of economic importance to each crop. Each chapter is devoted to a type of crop and a profile of affecting diseases according to geographical occurrence, epidemiology, symptoms, causal pathogens, host-pathogen interactions, biotechnological aspects, and the latest approaches to understanding host-pathogen interactions. It also includes discussions on developments on controversial subjects in research in order to stimulate thinking and further conversation with an eye toward improvements and resolutions. Research on oilseed crop diseases has expanded tremendously in the past 30 years, primarily as an effort to reduce losses to various stresses, including crop diseases. In the war against hunger and malnutrition, it is necessary to enhance and update knowledge about crop diseases and managing them. By compiling decades of information from previously scattered research into a single globally minded volume, Diseases of Edible Oilseed Crops provides these much-needed updates and enhancements.

The vast and exciting Brazilian flora biodiversity is still underexplored. Several research groups are devoted to the study of the chemical structure richness found in the different Biomes. This volume presents a comprehensive account of the research collated on natural products produced from Brazilian medicinal plants and focuses on various aspects of the field. The authors describe the key natural products and their extracts with emphasis upon sources, an appreciation of these complex molecules and applications in science. Many of the extracts are today associated with important drugs, nutrition products, beverages, perfumes, cosmetics and pigments, and these are highlighted. Key Features: Presents Brazilian biodiversity: its flora, its people, and its research Describes the emergence of natural products research in Brazil Emphasizes the increasing global interests in botanical drugs Aids the international natural product communities to better understand the herbal resources in Brazil Discusses Brazilian legislation to work with native plants

Although many texts describe plants from China, the focus of this book is to draw on the rich culture and environment of medicinal plants and fungi/mushrooms of Yunnan Province. In fact, Yunnan Province covers two global hotspots of biodiversity, with the richest biological and cultural diversity in China. In particular, the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (founded in 1938 and located in the capital city of Yunnan Province) has made great contributions in the fields of botany and phytochemistry, earning an international reputation. This book covers those medicinal plants and fungi/mushrooms specific to Yunnan Province, and is written mainly by KIB experts in this research field. Key Features: Distinct sections cover the breadth of the topic including resource availability (wildly grown or cultivated), sustainability, and distribution Discusses plant parts used for medicinal uses (the folklore, the ancient and modern uses) Describes the important natural products and the known pharmacologically active components Presents biological activities related to medicinal uses or clinical evidence Cover image: Shilin, the stone forest (eroded vertical pinnacles of limestone), landmark of Kunming, Yunnan.

- Natural scientists, social scientists and humanists to assess if (or how) we may begin to coexist harmoniously with the mosquito. - Chapters assess polarizing arguments for conserving and preserving mosquitoes, as well as for controlling and killing them, elaborating on possible consequences of both strategies. - This book provides informed answers to the dual question: could we eliminate mosquitoes, and should we? Offering insights spanning the technical to the philosophical, this is the 'go to' book for exploring humanity's many relationships with the mosquito-which becomes a journey to finding better ways to inhabit the natural world.

This book is a compilation of 17 information-packed chapters authored by working scientists in their respective discipline. In addition to the theoretical information, practical and applied aspects to boost the productivity and quality of crops are also given. 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.

First published in 1988: This easy-to-read handbook provides a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on lichens. The structure of lichens and their dual nature is explained, as well as the physiology of interaction of the symbionts. The way lichens reproduce and their ecology is included, with methods for cultivating them and their isolated symbionts. Extremely useful as a text of lichenology, this handbook will benefit students of lichenology and allied fields, those interested in symbiotic associations and ecology, and teachers of biology, botany, and ecology courses.

First published in 1988: This easy-to-read handbook provides a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on lichens. The structure of lichens and their dual nature is explained, as well as the physiology of interaction of the symbionts. The way lichens reproduce and their ecology is included, with methods for cultivating them and their isolated symbionts. Extremely useful as a text of lichenology, this handbook will benefit students of lichenology and allied fields, those interested in symbiotic associations and ecology, and teachers of biology, botany, and ecology courses.

Addresses the limits of the anthropogenic global warming theory advocated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Presents the main characters (drought tolerance, heat tolerance, water use efficiency, disease resistance, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen fixation, and carbon sequestration) necessary for climate resilient agriculture. Delivers both theoretical and practical aspects, and serves as base line information for future research. Provides valuable resource for those students engaged in the field of environmental sciences, soil sciences, agricultural microbiology, plant pathology, and agronomy. Highlights factors that are threatening future food production.

Handbook of Plant Disease Identification and Management presents the fundamentals of plant diseases identification based on symptomology and management focusing mainly on integrated pest management approach. It discusses a variety of techniques for the diagnosis of crop disease, losses due to crop diseases, and theories behind disease management. It describes how society is constraining the possibilities for management of crop diseases by changing the environment; biologically controlling crop diseases; and the epidemiologic and genetic concepts of managing host genes. This book discusses managing diseases through diverse chemical, biological, and physical methods. It highlights climatic factors affecting crops by creating favorable condition for most of the diseases. This book serves as a complete guide for growers, researchers, and graduate students to understand basics of plant disease identification. It explains the disease cycle for respective crops with favorable conditions promoting disease development. It intends to aid growers in managing diseases and help scientists with future research.

Australian Native Plants: Cultivation and Uses in the Health and Food Industries provides a comprehensive overview of native food crops commercially grown in Australia that possess nutritional and health properties largely unknown on a global basis. These native foods have been consumed traditionally, have a unique flavor diversity, offer significant health promoting effects, and contain useful functional properties. Australian native plant foods have also been identified for their promising antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that have considerable commercial potential. This book is divided into three parts: The first part reviews the cultivation and production of many Australian native plants (ANP), including Anise Myrtle, Bush Tomato, Desert Raisin, Davidson's Plum, Desert Limes, Australian Finger Lime, Kakadu Plum, Lemon Aspen, Lemon Myrtle, Muntries, Native Pepper, Quandong, Riberry, and Wattle Seed. It then examines the food and health applications of ANP and discusses alternative medicines based on aboriginal traditional knowledge and culture, nutritional characteristics, and bioactive compounds in ANP. In addition, it reviews the anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory properties of ANP and discusses food preservation, antimicrobial activity of ANP, and unique flavors from Australian native plants. The third section covers the commercial applications of ANP. It focuses on native Australian plant extracts and cosmetic applications, processing of native plant foods and ingredients, quality changes during packaging, and storage of Australian native herbs. The final few chapters look into the importance of value chains that connect producers and consumers of native plant foods, new market opportunities for Australian indigenous food plants, and the safety of using native foods as ingredients in the health and food sectors.

Winner of the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards in the authored book category Urban development is one of the leading worldwide threats to conserving biodiversity. In the near future, wildlife management in urban landscapes will be a prominent issue for wildlife professionals. This new edition of Urban Wildlife Management continues the work of its predecessors by providing a comprehensive examination of the issues that increase the need for urban wildlife management, exploring the changing dynamics of the field while giving historical perspectives and looking at current trends and future directions. The book examines a range of topics on human interactions with wildlife in urbanized environments. It focuses not only on ecological matters but also on political, economic, and societal issues that must be addressed for successful management planning. This edition features an entirely new section on urban wildlife species, including chapters on urban communities, herpetofauna, birds, ungulates, mammals, carnivores, and feral and introduced species. The third edition features Five new chapters 12 updated chapters Four new case studies Seven new appendices and species profiles 90 new figures A comprehensive analysis of terrestrial vertebrate locations by state and urban observations Each chapter opens with a set of key concepts which are then examined in the following discussions. Suggested learning experiences to enhance knowledge conclude each chapter. The species profiles cover not only data about the animal concerned but also detail significant current management issues related to the species. An updated and expanded teaching tool, Urban Wildlife Management, Third Edition identifies the challenges and opportunities facing wildlife in urban communities as well as factors that promote or threaten their presence. It gives both students and professionals a solid grounding in the required fundamental ecological principles for understanding the effects of human-made environments on wildlife.

Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham) is a perennial tree species native to the Asian subcontinent. It is an economically significant tree for its value in forestry, agroforestry, and horticulture. The high-quality timber imparts this tree species a significant commercial value. Besides valuable timber, it also exhibits medicinal, industrial, and agroforestry allied attributes. This tree has been introducing to the geographical regions where it does not exist naturally, which indicates its significant properties, getting diverse communities' attention. This book provides information about this tree species based on the latest research trends and development on the subject. It addresses researchers, forestry specialists, natural resource managers, or all those interested in the rehabilitation, maintenance, and management of Dalbergia sissoo tree resources. Key features Discusses botanical features, reproductive characters, taxonomy, geographical distribution, and ecological importance of Dalbergia sissoo. Highlights physiological and biochemical features of Dalbergia sissoo and vis-a-vis contribution to the sustainability of the ecosystem. Explains ethnobotany of Dalbergia sissoo, its ethnobotanical uses to cure various ailments, and contribution to the pharmaceutical industry. Provides a comprehensive account of insect pest threat and diseases as a leading cause of deteriorating growth, cultivation, productivity, and quality losses in Dalbergia sissoo. Describes conventional breeding methods and non-conventional strategies for genetic improvement, biodiversity, and conservation of D. sissoo Relays sustainability, socio-economic importance, agroforestry trends, current scenario, and future challenges of D. sisso

This book is about the invisible or subtle nature of food and farming, and also about the nature of existence. Everything that we know (and do not know) about the physical world has a subtle counterpart which has been scarcely considered in modernist farming practice and research. If you think this book isn't for you, if it appears more important to attend to the pressing physical challenges the world is facing before having the luxury of turning to such subtleties, then think again. For it could be precisely this worldview - the one prioritises the physical-material dimension of reality - that helped get us into this situation in the first place. Perhaps we need a different worldview to get us out? This book makes a foundational contribution to the discipline of Subtle Agroecologies, a nexus of indigenous epistemologies, multidisciplinary advances in wave-based and ethereal studies, and the science of sustainable agriculture. Not a farming system in itself, Subtle Agroecologies superimposes a non-material dimension upon existing, materially-based agroecological farming systems. Bringing together 43 authors from 12 countries and five continents, from the natural and social sciences as well as the arts and humanities, this multi-contributed book introduces the discipline, explaining its relevance and potential contribution to the field of Agroecology. Research into Subtle Agroecologies may be described as the systematic study of the nature of the invisible world as it relates to the practice of agriculture, and to do this through adapting and innovating with research methods, in particular with those of a more embodied nature, with the overall purpose of bringing and maintaining balance and harmony. Such research is an open-minded inquiry, its grounding being the lived experiences of humans working on, and with, the land over several thousand years to the present. By reclaiming and reinterpreting the perennial relationship between humans and nature, the implications would revolutionise agriculture, heralding a new wave of more sustainable farming techniques, changing our whole relationship with nature to one of real collaboration rather than control, and ultimately transforming ourselves.

Anthropogenic activity has clearly altered the N cycle contributing (among other factors) to climate change. This book aims to provide new biotechnological approach representing innovative strategies to solve specific problems related to the imbalance originating in the N cycle. Aspects such as new conceptions in agriculture, wastewater treatment, and greenhouse gas emissions are discussed in this book with a multidisciplinary vision. A team of international authors with wide experience have contributed up-to-date reviews, highlighting scientific principles and their environmental importance and integrating different biotechnological processes in environmental technology.

The book Extreme Environments: Unique Ecosystems - Amazing Microbes is an attempt to showcase the uniqueness of extremophiles, the largely unexplored group that has the abilities to function in hostile conditions and represent the very ancient life forms that thrived on earth billions of years ago. The book covers a wide range of research achievements in the field of microbiology of extreme environments right from the conventional approaches of cultivation to recently evolved high throughput sequencing technologies. The book provides a broad spectrum of information about the taxonomy, physiology, ecology and biotechnological applications of extremophiles from various extreme environments across the globe.

The Pictorial Atlas of Soilborne Fungal Plant Pathogens and Diseases describes the soilborne fungal diseases caused by Oomycetes, Zygomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Deuteromycetous (Anamorphic) fungi. Soilborne fungal diseases are significant as both environmental and agricultural problems, yet it is difficult to understand the ecology of pathogenic fungi and its effective control. This book provides very detailed information on many of the commonly and not so commonly encountered groups of soilborne fungi diseases. It will be a useful reference for those teaching and conducting research in mycology, plant pathology, soilborne plant diseases, and the ecology of fungal communities.

Food and agriculture is an important component in the development and survival of civilizations. Around half of the world's population and their economies are influenced by agricultural farm production. Plant diseases take as much as a 30 percent toll of the crop harvest if not managed properly and efficiently. Bacterial diseases of crop plants are important in plant disease scenarios worldwide and are observed on all kinds of cultivated and commercial value plants including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, cash crops, plantation crops, spices, ornamentals and flowering plant, forage crop, forest trees, and lawn grasses. Bacterial diseases are widespread and are difficult to identify and to control. Few pesticides are available for use in control, and many plant pathologists are not well trained in the management of bacterial diseases. Bacterial Diseases of Crop Plants offers concise information on bacterial diseases of crops, proving a valuable asset to students, scientists in industry and academia, farmers, extension workers, and those who deal with crops that are vulnerable to bacterial diseases. The book contains 13 chapters featuring bacterial diseases of individual crops and is illustrated with full color photographs throughout providing amazing characterization of the diseases. It also includes information on bacterial diseases that appear on different crops across the continents, thereby making the content of interest to plant pathologists around the world. Bacterial diseases are of great economic concern, and their importance in overall losses caused by various other pathogens, such as fungi and viruses, is often undermined in developing countries.

Woody plants have distinct growth and development habits. Being sessile and perennial species, woody plants are challenged by multiple stresses year-round or facing repeated stress attacks during their lives. A stress challenge in one season may impact the plant performance in other seasons or years; therefore, woody plants must develop specific mechanisms to minimize the damage caused by various stresses. Although all plant species share the basic physiological process, the unique characteristics of woody species in anatomy structure, body size, growth habit, and life expectancy contribute to significant differences in their responses to different environmental stresses compared to herbaceous plants. Written by a group of experts, Stress Physiology of Woody Plants, is comprised of 11 chapters profoundly describing the uniqueness of plant structure, growth and development, photosynthesis and respiration, and growth regulation in woody species. It summarizes findings in the responses of woody plants to major environmental stresses including drought, nutrient deficiency, salinity, low temperature, oxidative stress, heavy metal, and multiple stresses. Features: Provides a comprehensive review of physiological and molecular aspects of woody plants responding to some major environmental stresses. Bridges the gap between woody and herbaceous species in the field of general physiology and stress physiology. Describes the uniqueness of woody plants in plant structure, growth and development, photosynthesis and respiration, and growth regulation. Summarizes physiological and molecular responses to the environmental stresses in woody plants. This book serves as a textbook and major reference by students and researchers of plant physiology, horticulture, forestry, and plant molecular biology and teaches a better understanding of the mechanisms of plant response to individual or combined stresses in woody species.

Plant diseases are a serious threat to food production. This unique volume provides the fundamental knowledge and practical use of B.subtilis as a promising biocontrol agent. In order to replace chemical pesticides, one possibility is microbial pesticides using safe microbes. Bacillus subtilis is one of several candidates. Screening of the bacterium, the application of plant tests, clarification of its suppressive mechanism to plant pathogens and engineering aspects of suppressive peptides production are presented here. The author illustrates how B. subtilis is far more advantageous than, for example, Pseudomonas in biocontrol and can be considered as an useful candidate. Features: Bacterium B. subtilis suppresses many plant pathogens and is a biocontrol agent to replace chemical pesticides The book presents the bacterium's suppressive mechanism to plant pathogens, and engineering aspects of suppressive peptides production Biological control of plant disease plays an important role in sustainable agricultural production practices and is expected to replace agricultural chemicals

The main effects of Seaweed extracts (Ascophyllum, Fucus, Sargassum, Saccorhiza, Laminaria, Gelidium and others), when used as agricultural fertilizers, are better seed germination and higher quality fruit production, with longer shelf life; better use of soil nutrients; more productive crops and plants with greater resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions. Algae also have a long history of use as animal feed. They have a highly variable composition depending on the species, collection season and habitat, and on external conditions such as water temperature, light intensity and nutrient concentration in water. In relation to ruminal fermentation, a high variability of the digestibility values was found among seaweed species and cannot be attributed only to the composition of different nutrients of the algae. The role of marine algae for reduction of methane production is discussed with particular emphasis on novel algae-based feed strategies that target minimal methane emissions without affecting the functionality of the microbiota and overall animal productivity. Key Features: Sustainable Agriculture Natural Feeding Nutrients Liquid Seaweed Agricultural Biostimulants Natural Pesticides

Artemisia annua is a well-known medicinal plant that has been utilized for a number of purposes, including malaria, for centuries. This is the first comprehensive book to cover the importance of Artemisia annua in the global health crisis and in the treatment against diseases. A component and extract, artemisinin, is the source of other derivatives which are also suitable for pharmaceutical use. The present demand for artemisinin far outpaces its supply. Researchers are working globally towards improving artemisinin content in the plant by various means. Artemisia annua: Prospects, Applications and Therapeutic Uses highlights the different approaches, including 'omics', that are being used in current research on this immensely important medicinal plant. Providing comprehensive coverage of the agricultural and pharmaceutical uses of this plant, Artemisia annua will be essential reading for botanists, plant scientists, herbalists, pharmacognosists, pharmacologists and natural product chemists.

Spoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation presents both fundamental and practical aspects of remediation and revegetation of mine sites. Through three major themes, it examines characterization of mine site spoils; remediation of chemical, physical and biological constraints of mine site spoils, including post mine-site land-use practices; and revegetation of remediated mine site spoils. Each theme includes chapters featuring case studies involving mine sites around the world. The final section focuses specifically on case studies with successful mine site rehabilitation. The book provides a narrative of how inert spoil can be converted to live soil. Instructive illustrations show mine sites before and after rehabilitation. The purpose of this book is to provide students, scientists, and professional personnel in the mining industry sensible, science-based information needed to rehabilitate sustainably areas disturbed by mining activities. This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in environmental, earth, and soil sciences; environmental and soil scientists; and mine site environmental engineers and regulators.

The oil palm is a remarkable crop, producing around 40% of the world's vegetable oil from around 6% of the land devoted to oil crops. Conventional breeding has clearly been the major focus of genetic improvement in this crop. A mix of improved agronomy and management, coupled with breeding selection have quadrupled the oil yield of the crop since breeding began in earnest in the 1920s. However, as for all perennial crops with long breeding cycles, oil palm faces immense challenges in the coming years with increased pressure from population growth, climate change and the need to develop environmentally sustainable oil palm plantations. In Oil Palm: Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, world leading organizations and individuals who have been at the forefront of developments in this crop, provide their insights and experiences of oil palm research, while examining the different challenges that face the future of the oil palm. The editors have all been involved in research and breeding of oil palm for many years and use their knowledge of the crop and their disciplinary expertise to provide context and to introduce the different research topics covered.