Wherever there is greenery, photosynthesis is working to make oxygen, release energy, and create living matter from the raw material of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Without photosynthesis, there would be an empty world, an empty sky, and a sun that does nothing more than warm the rocks and reflect off the sea.

Eating the Sun is the story of a world in crisis; an appreciation of the importance of plants; a history of the earth and the feuds and fantasies of warring scientists; a celebration of how the smallest things, enzymes and pigments, influence the largest things, the oceans, the rainforests, and the fossil fuel economy. Oliver Morton offers a fascinating, lively, profound look at nature's greatest miracle and sounds a much-needed call to arms--illuminating a potential crisis of climatic chaos and explaining how we can change our situation, for better or for worse.

Refinement in sequencing technologies and potential of genomic research resulted in meteoric growth of biological information such as sequences of DNA, RNA and protein requiring databases for efficient storage, management and retrieval of the biological information. Also, computational algorithms for analysis of these colossal data became a vital aspect of biological sciences. The work aims to show the process of turning bioscience innovation into companies and products, covering the basic science, the translation of science into technology. Due to rapid developments, there seems to be no basic difference between the pharmaceutical industry and the biotechnological industry. However, approved products in the pipeline and renewed public confidence make it one of the most promising areas of economic growth in the near future. India offers a huge market for the products as well as cheap manufacturing base for export. The book is a sincere work of compilation of new and recent advances in the topic of concern through various innovative researches and scientific opinion therefrom. The book is dedicated to the readers who will definitely find it interesting and knowledgeable in carrying out their respective researches in different aspects of applied microbiology and biotechnology.

Pocket Guide Fynbos features over 300 of the most spectacular and commonly seen species
from South Africa’s renowned floral kingdom – all in one handy, easy-to-use guide.

The species are presented in detail, with each entry featuring:

• succinct descriptions of the plant and its habitat, comparisons with similar species
• and fl owering times
• full-colour photographs and distribution maps
• floral key, using symbols to denote main identifying features
• interesting facts about species.

A transgenic organism is a plant, animal, bacterium, or other living organism that has had a foreign gene added to it by means of genetic engineering. Transgenic plants can arise by natural movement of genes between species, by cross-pollination based hybridization between different plant species (which is a common event in flowering plant evolution), or by laboratory manipulations by artificial insertion of genes from another species. Methods used in traditional breeding that generate transgenic plants by non-recombinant methods are widely familiar to professional plant scientists, and serve important roles in securing a sustainable future for agriculture by protecting crops from pest and helping land and water to be used more efficiently.
There is worldwide interest in the biosafety issues related to transgenic crops because of issues such as increased pesticide use, increased crop and weed resistance to pesticides, gene flow to related plant species, negative effects on nontarget organisms, and reduced crop and ecosystem diversity. This book is intended to provide the basic information for a wide range of people involved in the release of transgenic crops. These will include scientists and researchers in the initial stage of developing transgenic products, industrialists, and decision makers. It will be of particular interest to plant scientists taking up biotechnological approaches to agricultural improvement for developing nations.
* Discusses traditional and future technology for genetic modification
* Compares conventional non-GM approaches and genetic modification
* Presents a risk assessment methodology for GM techniques
* Details mitigation techniques for human and environmental effects

This book illustrates the currently available strategies for managing phytonematodes. It discusses the latest findings on plant-pathogen-microbiome interactions and their impacts on ecosystems, and provides extensive information on the application of microorganisms in the sustainable management of phytonematodes. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of the application of potential strains of biocontrol fungi, endophytes and actinomycetes to enhance plants' ability to fend off phytonematode attacks, leading to improved plant health. In conclusion, the book addresses new aspects like the biofabrication of nanoparticles and their application in plant disease management, and presents an extensive list for further reading.

Guide to cultivating peyote and other psychoactive cacti and extracting active properties, including obtaining seeds, growing a variety of cacti, cloning, and grafting, and extracting the maximum output of mescaline and other alkaloids, descriptions of procedures used for extracting mescaline from peyote and San Pedro, and legal aspects prepared by Attorney Richard Glen Boire.

Before the concept of history began, humans undoubtedly acquired life benefits by discovering medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) that were food and medicine. Today, a variety of available herbs and spices are used and enjoyed throughout the world and continue to promote good health. The international market is also quite welcoming for MAPs and essential oils. The increasing environment and nature conscious buyers encourage producers to produce high quality essential oils. These consumer choices lead to growing preference for organic and herbal based products in the world market. As the benefits of medicinal and aromatic plants are recognized, these plants will have a special role for humans in the future. Until last century, the production of botanicals relies to a large degree on wild-collection. However, the increasing commercial collection, largely unmonitored trade, and habitat loss lead to an incomparably growing pressure on plant populations in the wild. Therefore, medicinal and aromatic plants are of high priority for conservation. Given the above, we bring forth a comprehensive volume, "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Healthcare and Industrial Applications", highlighting the various healthcare, industrial and pharmaceutical applications that are being used on these immensely important MAPs and its future prospects. This collection of chapters from the different areas dealing with MAPs caters to the need of all those who are working or have interest in the above topic.

Most projects in Landscape Ecology, at some point, define a species-habitat association. These models are inherently spatial, dealing with landscapes and their configurations. Whether coding behavioral rules for dispersal of simulated organisms through simulated landscapes, or designing the sampling extent of field surveys and experiments in real landscapes, landscape ecologists must make assumptions about how organisms experience and utilize the landscape. These convenient working postulates allow modelers to project the model in time and space, yet rarely are they explicitly considered. The early years of landscape ecology necessarily focused on the evolution of effective data sources, metrics, and statistical approaches that could truly capture the spatial and temporal patterns and processes of interest. Now that these tools are well established, we reflect on the ecological theories that underpin the assumptions commonly made during species distribution modeling and mapping. This is crucial for applying models to questions of global sustainability.

Due to the inherent use of GIS for much of this kind of research, and as several authors research involves the production of multicolored map figures, there would be an 8-page color insert. Additional color figures could be made available through a digital archive, or by cost contributions of the chapter authors. Where applicable, would be relevant chapters GIS data and model code available through a digital archive. The practice of data and code sharing is becoming standard in GIS studies, is an inherent method of this book, and will serve to add additional research value to the book for both academic and practitioner audiences."

Algae are simple, primitive, heterogeneous, autotrophic, eukaryotic or prokaryotic organisms that lead a symbiotic, parasitic or free-living mode of life. Microalgae and macroalgae possess great potential in various fields of application. Microalgae are ubiquitous and extremely diverse microorganisms that can accumulate toxic contaminants and heavy metals from wastewater, making them a superior candidate to become a powerful nanofactory. Algae were discovered to reduce the presence of metal ions, and afterwards aid in the biosynthesis of nanoparticles. Since algae-mediated biogenic nanoparticles are eco-friendly, cost-effective, high-yielding, speedy and energy-efficient, a large number of studies have been published on them in the last few years. This book focuses on recent progress on the utilization of algae for the synthesis of nanoparticles, their characterization and the possible mechanisms involved. Bioprospecting Algae for Nanosized Materials describes the synthesis of algal nanomaterials and its application in various fields for sustainable development. This book outlines the procedures to prepare phyconanomaterials, techniques to utilize the nanomaterials, and applications in agriculture, environment and medicine.

Global population is mounting at an alarming stride to surpass 9.3 billion by 2050, whereas simultaneously the agricultural productivity is gravely affected by climate changes resulting in increased biotic and abiotic stresses. The genus Brassica belongs to the mustard family whose members are known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages or mustard plants. Rapeseed-mustard is world's third most important source of edible oil after soybean and oil palm. It has worldwide acceptance owing to its rare combination of health promoting factors. It has very low levels of saturated fatty acids which make it the healthiest edible oil that is commonly available. Apart from this, it is rich in antioxidants by virtue of tocopherols and phytosterols presence in the oil. The high omega 3 content reduces the risk of atherosclerosis/heart attack. Conventional breeding methods have met with limited success in Brassica because yield and stress resilience are polygenic traits and are greatly influenced by environment. Therefore, it is imperative to accelerate the efforts to unravel the biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying yield, quality and tolerance towards biotic and abiotic stresses in Brassica. To exploit its fullest potential, systematic efforts are needed to unlock the genetic information for new germplasms that tolerate initial and terminal state heat coupled with moisture stress. For instance, wild relatives may be exploited in developing introgressed and resynthesized lines with desirable attributes. Exploitation of heterosis is another important area which can be achieved by introducing transgenics to raise stable CMS lines. Doubled haploid breeding and marker assisted selection should be employed along with conventional breeding. Breeding programmes aim at enhancing resource use efficiency, especially nutrient and water as well as adoption to aberrant environmental changes should also be considered. Biotechnological interventions are essential for altering the biosynthetic pathways for developing high oleic and low linolenic lines. Accordingly, tools such as microspore and ovule culture, embryo rescue, isolation of trait specific genes especially for aphid, Sclerotinia and alternaria blight resistance, etc. along with identification of potential lines based on genetic diversity can assist ongoing breeding programmes. In this book, we highlight the recent molecular, genetic and genomic interventions made to achieve crop improvement in terms of yield increase, quality and stress tolerance in Brassica, with a special emphasis in Rapeseed-mustard.

This book presents recent developments involving the role of nanoparticles on plant physiology and growth. Nanotechnology applications include improvement of agricultural production using bio-conjugated NPs (encapsulation), transfer of DNA in plants for development of insect pest-resistant varieties, nanoformulations of agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers for crop improvement, and nanosensors/nanobiosensors in crop protection for identification of diseases and residues of agrochemicals. Recent findings on the increased use of nanotechnology in agriculture by densely populated countries such as China and India indicate that this technology may impart a substantial impact on reducing hunger, malnutrition, and child mortality.

In the past few decades, it has been realized through research that fungal siderophores epitomize the uptake of iron as well as other essential elements like zinc, magnesium, copper, nickel and arsenic. Understanding the chemical structures of different fungal siderophores and the membrane receptors involved in uptake of mineral ions has opened new areas for research. In this edited volume, recent research is presented on fungal siderophores in one comprehensive volume to provide researchers a strong base for future research. Siderophores are the low molecular weight, high affinity iron-chelating compounds produced by bacteria and fungi. They are responsible for transporting iron across the cell membrane. Fungi produce a range of hydroxamate siderophores involved in the uptake of essential elements in almost all microorganisms and plants. In recent years, siderophores have been used in molecular imaging applications to visualize and understand cellular functions, which thus provide an opportunity to identify new drug targets. Therefore, knowledge of fungal siderophores has become vital in current research. Siderophores have received much attention in recent years because of their potential roles and applications in various research areas. Their significance in these applications is because siderophores have the ability to bind a variety of metals in addition to iron, and they have a wide range of chemical structures and specific properties. For instance, siderophores function as biocontrols, biosensors, and bioremediation and chelation agents, in addition to their important role in weathering soil minerals and enhancing plant growth. This book focuses on siderophores with the following significant points. It discusses leading, state-of-the-art research in all possible areas on fungal siderophores. The contributors are well-known and recognized authorities in the field of fungal siderophores. It discusses a projection of practical applications of fungal siderophores in various domains. This is the first book exclusively on fungal siderophores. In this comprehensive, edited volume, we show leading research on fungal siderophores and provide the most recent knowledge of researchers' work on siderophores. This book presents in-depth knowledge on siderophores to researchers working in areas of health sciences, microbiology, plant sciences, biotechnology, and bioinformatics.

Widely known as the 'tree of life', coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) provides a bountiful source for making a wide variety of healthy foods and industrial items. Its cultivation, however, has been encountering seriously destructive issues including lethal diseases and natural adversities which are currently distressing livelihoods of millions of small-holder farmers around the world. There is an urgent mandate to resolve these issues by meeting sustainable seedling production, facilitating genetic conservation, as well as developing disease identification and modern breeding. This book introduces improvements in coconut biotechnology by covering the advances in micropropagation, germplasm conservation, and molecular pathogenic diagnosis. This comprehensive volume will be a useful source of information and references to researchers, graduate students, agricultural developers, and scholars in the plant sciences. In order to benefit general readers, the book also covers fundamental aspects of biology, diversity, and evolution of this marvelous palm species.