The smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller that will transform your understanding of our planet and life itself.

The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them. They can change our minds, heal our bodies and even help us avoid environmental disaster; they are metabolic masters, earth-makers and key players in most of nature's processes.

In Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake takes us on a mind-altering journey into their spectacular world, and reveals how these extraordinary organisms transform our understanding of our planet and life itself.

Plant Receptor-like Kinases: Role in Development and Stress presents the latest research in receptor-like kinases (RLKs), a class of development and defense-response proteins in plants. As one of the largest protein families, with roles ranging from growth and development to stress response, RLKs are involved in every aspect of the plant life cycle, including growth and development, reproduction, and immunity. Development of high throughput sequencing technology has improved the identification and characterization of numerous gene families in plants in the recent years, allowing researchers to identify and characterize numerous RLK sub-families in model plant species and agro-economically important crop plants like rice, wheat, sorghum, tomatoes, and more. This book provides foundational knowledge on the classification of RLKs, their mechanism of action and their roles in the plant life cycle, as well as the most up-to-date advances in the applications of RLKs. It is an essential read for researchers interested in plant signaling and plant genomics.

In modern days, crop improvement is a multidisciplinary division of agriculture. In this book, entitled, "Breeding, Biotechnology and Seed Production of Field Crops", emphasis has been given on principles, methods and practices in plant breeding, biotechnology in crop improvement and seed production of field crops. The book has been written for all sections of learners, educators and staff-members of seed industries. Particular importance has been underlined for postgraduate students who specialize in plant breeding and seed science. Each of the book has been designed as per the recommended of syllabus of Indian Council of Agricultural Research for the postgraduate students of various Agricultural Universities in our country. This book has been divided into two major parts- i) Principles of crop breeding and ii) Methods and practices of crop improvement and seed production of individual field crop. The book contains total of 18 chapteFirst three s are related to shed light on the basic-principles and remaining s deal with methods and practices of individual crop for improvement and seed production. We hope that the book will be ready to lend a hand to the advanced undergraduate students doing plant breeding in elective, postgraduate students who opted plant breeding, teachers, researchers and staff-members of private seed companies of this field of specialization.

Current Applications, Approaches and Potential Perspectives for Hemp: Crop Management, Industrial Usages, and Functional Purposes presents the latest in the rapidly growing interest for hemp cultivation and its sustainable applications for humans. This book gathers research and review chapters that analyze research trends and current agricultural issues. It then proposes alternative solutions and describes current and future applications for this raw material. This book will be extremely beneficial for researchers, academics, policymakers, technicians and other stakeholders interested in this crop development and its applications. Cannabis sativa is considered as a proper and alternative crop because of its wide range of applications and marketability, especially when developed for biomedical applications. Thus, many producers and technicians are trying to find relevant information about this crop development and usages in order to be considered viable in the future.

Role of Chitosan and Chitosan-Based Nanomaterials in Plant Sciences explores the physiological, morphological, biochemical and molecular regulation of chitosan and chitosan-based nanoparticles in plants in normal conditions, as well as during different stresses, and their probable mechanism of operation in the tolerance mechanism. The book stimulates further research in the field of chitosan and will foster further interests for researchers, academicians and scientists worldwide. Nanotechnology is being used widely in all disciplines of science and technology, including plant sciences. Chitosan has widely been reported as a beneficial organic compound for the growth and developments of plants and it plays a protective role for the plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. Yet there are very few books available that deal exclusively with Chitosan and Chitosan based nanoparticles impacts on plants respectively.

Metals and Metalloids in Soil-Plant-Water Systems: Phytophysiology and Remediation Techniques examines the impact of metal/metalloid contamination on the plant lifecycle, along with microbes present in soil. Highlighting uptake and translocation, the book also examines antioxidant, photosynthesis and growth characteristics of plants grown in metal contaminated soil. Beginning with an introduction to different sources of soil and water pollution, chapters assess the environmental cytotoxicity pollution impact on plants, as well as how the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in plant tissues is affected. The book also discusses various soil remediation methodologies, including the potential applications of metal oxidizing microbes and nanomaterials. This is an essential resource for researchers and students interested in plant physiology, soil science, environmental science and agriculture.

Mendel's groundbreaking paper, which laid the foundation for further research upon heritage and genetics, is published here complete with the original illustrations and charts. When Mendel released this paper in 1865, it was after years of rigorous study and comparison in plant specimens and their offspring. His conclusion that variant traits were hereditary and could be determined, with a good degree of accuracy, through probability analysis were revolutionary in natural science at the time. Mendel's assertions regarding acquired characteristics, demonstrated through the comparison of peas and their seeds, would spark great interest in the nature and mechanisms behind heredity between generations of organisms. Seeking to gain high quality results, Mendel prefaces his explanations by noting that he artificially fertilized the plants described in the work.