Many of our current agricultural crops are natural or agricultural hybrids (between two or more species), or polyploids (containing more than one genome or set of chromosomes). These include potato, oats, cotton, oilseed rape, wheat, strawberries, kiwifruit, banana, seedless watermelon, triticale and many others. Polyploidy and hybridization can also be used for crop improvement: for example, to introgress disease resistance from wild species into crops, to produce seedless fruits for human consumption, or even to create entirely new crop types. Some crop genera have hundreds of years of interspecific hybridization and ploidy manipulation behind them, while in other genera use of these evolutionary processes for crop improvement is still at the theoretical stage. This book brings together stories and examples by expert researchers and breeders working in diverse crop genera, and details how polyploidy and hybridization processes have shaped our current crops, how these processes have been utilized for crop improvement in the past, and how polyploidy and interspecific hybridization can be used for crop improvement in the future.

From The New York Times best-selling author of The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert, everything you need to know about America's favorite recreational plant Who better to guide you through the distinctive scents of cannabis than Richard Betts, author of best-selling books, The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert and The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All ? In his newest novelty book, Betts demystifies the differences between cannabis and hemp, indica and sativa, and describes how each strain will make you feel and more, aided by scents to truly allow readers to understand the distinction between Train Wreck and Sour Diesel. With a short history lesson on where Mary Jane came from and how it became humanity's beloved pastime, plus a guide to the most popular strains, this handbook is a fact-filled and fun guide to all things cannabis. And if you don't live in a state that has legalized marijuana, this book is the closest thing you'll have to toking up!

Gene Banks and the World's Food contributes to the crucial debate on how best to preserve some of society's most valuable raw material. The authors also provide an up-to-date report on the status and locations of gene banks, which includes the latest available information on germplasm holdings by crop. They (hen discuss how these holdings are being used to develop better crop varieties for the benefit of people around the world.

Originally published in 1987.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

One-Straw Revolutionary represents the first commentary on the work of the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka (1913 - 2008), widely considered to be natural farming's most influential practitioner. Mr. Fukuoka is perhaps most known for his bestselling book The One-Straw Revolution (1978), a manifesto on the importance of no-till agriculture, which was at the time of publication a radical challenge to the global systems that supply the world's food, and still inspires readers today. Larry Korn, who apprenticed with Mr. Fukuoka in Japan at the time, translated the manuscript and brought it to the United States, knowing it would change the conversation about food forever. The One-Straw Revolution, edited by Korn and Wendell Berry, was an immediate international success, and established Mr. Fukuoka as a leading voice in the fight against conventional industrial agriculture. In this new book, through his own personal narrative, Larry Korn distills his experience of more than thirty-five years of study with Mr. Fukuoka, living and working on his farm on Shikoku Island, and traveling with Mr. Fukuoka to the United States on two six-week visits. One-Straw Revolutionary is the first book to look deeply at natural farming and intimately discuss the philosophy and work of Mr. Fukuoka. In addition to giving his personal thoughts about natural farming, Korn broadens the discussion by pointing out natural farming's kinship with the ways of indigenous cultures and traditional Japanese farming. At the same time, he clearly distinguishes natural farming from other forms of agriculture, including scientific and organic agriculture and permaculture. Korn also clarifies commonly held misconceptions about natural farming in ways Western readers can readily understand. And he explains how natural farming can be used practically in areas other than agriculture, including personal growth and development. The book follows the author on his travels from one back-to-the-land commune to another in the countryside of 1970s Japan, a journey that eventually led him to Mr. Fukuoka's natural farm. Korn's description of his time there, as well as traveling with Mr. Fukuoka during his visits to the United States, offers a rare, inside look at Mr. Fukuoka's life. Readers will delight in this personal insight into one of the world's leading agricultural thinkers.

Tired of cash flows that leave little money in your pocket? If you're feeding livestock in confinement rather than on pasture, you're working too hard and spending too much money. Your permanent pasture is a valuable resource that up till now has been wasted. Forget about how pastures are. Think of how they could be if they were managed with the same amount of attention that you give to your other crops. Voisin management intensive grazing takes into account the needs of both animals and plants, rather than animals alone. Its use can at least double or triple your pasture's productivity. This book explains why and how to use management intensive grazing, and what to expect from its use. It shows a way to simplify your farm operation, reduce its labor needs, increase its productivity, and improve your quality of life.

This is an up-to-date guide on the science and practice of disease control based on fungicides in horticulture and broad acre agriculture. It describes how conventional, organic and biological fungicides are discovered, how they work and how resistance evolves. Chapters on formulation, mode of action, mobility and application inform decisions about which fungicides to use, when to use them, and how to rotate (or tank-mix) them, to manage both plant disease and fungicide resistance. A chapter on experimental design of fungicide trials aids practitioners in designing their own trials to evaluate how effective products are for their plant disease problem. Based on the successful 2014 book of Fungicides in Crop Protection this edition has four entirely new chapters, and extensive updates to the other nine chapters. The contents include: * Fungicide markets, discovery and performance. * Modes of action and spectrum. * Biological crop protection, and organic cultivation. * Fungicide formulation, mobility and application. * Experimental design of fungicide trials and their analysis. * Fungicide resistance. * Legislation and regulation. Written for crop protection professionals and scientists, growers, agronomists and consultants, the book is also suitable for students of agriculture and agronomy.

This book presents a simple, straightforward discussion of the principles and processes involved in the production of grain yield by agronomic crops, and how these processes underlie and influence management decisions. The focus is on grain crops, principally maize and soybean, although the general principles apply equally well to cereals, grain legumes and oil crops. Management decisions define all cropping systems - what (crop species, variety), where (climate), when (planting date), and how (row spacing and population density) are the fundamental choices. Knowledge of the fundamental processes responsible for plant growth and the accumulation of yield simplifies the decision-making process and leads to improved management decisions, higher grain yields, and cropping systems that are efficient, resilient and sustainable. The contents include: * Basic plant growth processes e.g. photosynthesis, respiration, evapotranspiration * Growth and production of yield * Crop management - seed quality, variety selection, plant date, row spacing * Crop production in the future - climate change, GMOs, precision data and new crops Intended for researchers in crop science, agronomy and plant science, and crop production practitioners, this book will enable readers to make better, more informed management decisions; decisions that will help maintain a well-fed world in the future.

"My earliest recollection of Colkirk was, I think, the Diamond Jubilee of good Queen Victoria in 1897 ... " Alfred Absolon's memoir is a unique window into life in rural Norfolk before the Great War and a story full of his family's farming heritage. He grows up on his aunt's farm in the village of Colkirk. This is a place where folklore is as real as the seasons and the harvest is gathered by men and horses. The threshing machine is powered by a steam engine, and the village is home to traditional craftsmen who practice a fading way of life. This is an authentic and unforgettable first-person account of life in a Norfolk village at the turn of the century (1897-1929)

Root and tuber crops are important to agriculture, food security and income for 2.2 billion people in developing countries. These species produce large quantities of dietary energy and have stable yields under difficult environmental conditions. This second edition of Tropical Root and Tuber Crops is an authoritative treatment of four important root and tuber crops: cassava. sweet potato, yams, and aroids. The same format is followed for each crop: Origin and History, Taxonomy and Botany, Breeding and Genetics, Developmental Physiology, Agronomy, Pests and Diseases, Post-Harvest Quality and Marketing. This new edition reviews the scientific literature produced during the last decade and presents major technical advancements. Modern molecular tools have been used to clarify the phylogeny, taxonomy and origin of these species. Similar advances have been made in physiology, agronomy, pathology and product chemistry. It is essential reading for students, researchers and horticulturists.

Spices, scents and silks were at the centre of world trade for millennia. Exotic luxuries such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, saffron, clove, frankincense and myrrh. Through their international trade, humans were pushed to explore and then travel to the far corners of the earth. Almost from their inception, the earliest great civilizations - Egypt, Sumer and Harappa - became addicted to the luxury products of far-off lands and established long-reaching trade networks. Over time, great powers fought mightily for the kingdoms where silk, spices and scents were produced. The New World was accidentally discovered by Columbus in his quest for spices. What made trade in these products so remarkable was that the plants producing them grew in very restricted areas of the world, distant from the wealthy civilizations of northern Africa, Greece and Europe. These luxuries could be carried from mysterious locations on the backs of camels or in the holds of ships for months on end, and arrived at their final destination in nearly perfect condition. Once the western world discovered the intoxicating properties of these products, their procurement became a dominant force in the world economy. Nothing else compared with their possible profit returns. In this book, eminent horticulturist and author James Hancock examines the origins and early domestication and culture of spices, scents and silks and the central role they played in the lives of the ancients. The book also traces the development of the great international trade networks and explores how struggles for trade dominance and demand for such luxuries shaped the world. Recommended for academics, students and general readers with an interest in crop and agricultural development, world trade, economic botany, history of food, and global economics and public policy, Spices, Scents and Silk offers a fascinating and insightful history.

Sometime around 1500 A.D., an African farmer planted a maize seed imported from the New World. That act set in motion the remarkable saga of one of the world's most influential crops--one that would transform the future of Africa and of the Atlantic world. Africa's experience with maize is distinctive but also instructive from a global perspective: experts predict that by 2020 maize will become the world's most cultivated crop.

James McCann moves easily from the village level to the continental scale, from the medieval to the modern, as he explains the science of maize production and explores how the crop has imprinted itself on Africa's agrarian and urban landscapes. Today, maize accounts for more than half the calories people consume in many African countries. During the twentieth century, a tidal wave of maize engulfed the continent, and supplanted Africa's own historical grain crops--sorghum, millet, and rice. In the metamorphosis of maize from an exotic visitor into a quintessentially African crop, in its transformation from vegetable to grain, and from curiosity to staple, lies a revealing story of cultural adaptation. As it unfolds, we see how this sixteenth-century stranger has become indispensable to Africa's fields, storehouses, and diets, and has embedded itself in Africa's political, economic, and social relations.

The recent spread of maize has been alarmingly fast, with implications largely overlooked by the media and policymakers. McCann's compelling history offers insight into the profound influence of a single crop on African culture, health, technological innovation, and the future of the world's food supply.

Agricultural biostimulants are a group of substances or microorganisms, based on natural resources, that are applied to plants or soils to improve nutrient uptake and plant growth, and provide better tolerance to various stresses. Their function is to stimulate the natural processes of plants, or to enrich the soil microbiome to improve plant growth, nutrition, abiotic and/or biotic stress tolerance, yield and quality of crop plants. Interest in plant biostimulants has been on the rise over the past 10 years, driven by the growing interest of researchers and farmers in environmentally-friendly tools for improved crop performance. Focusing on recent progress on biostimulants and their role in crop production and agricultural sustainability, this book includes: 31 chapters on a wide range of biostimulants and their role in plant growth stimulation and stress tolerance. Mechanism of actions of diverse groups of biostimulants, such as trace elements, plant and seaweed extracts, humic substances, polyamines, osmolytes, vitamins, nanoparticles and microorganisms. New promising biostimulants with novel modes of action. Improved crop production technologies are urgently needed to meet the growing demand for food for the ever-increasing global population by addressing the impacts of changing climate on agriculture. This book is of interest to researchers in agriculture, agronomy, crop and plant science, soil science and environmental science.

This second edition of Natural Enemies will give students, professionals, and anyone wishing to learn the basics of biological control a fully updated and thorough introduction. The book discusses the huge diversity of organisms used in the control of pests, weeds and plant pathogens, and compares the many different strategies referred to as 'biological control': the introduction of exotic natural enemies, application of predators, parasitoids, and microorganisms as biopesticides, and manipulation of the environment to enhance natural enemy populations. The authors present the ecological concepts which form the bases of biological control and discuss recent changes to make biological control safe for the environment. Case studies are included throughout, providing in-depth examples of the use of different organisms and strategies in a variety of ecosystems. A new chapter covers the current challenges; the impact of climate change, the problem of invasive species, and how biological control can aid sustainability.

Model studies focus experimental investigations to improve our understanding and performance of systems. Concentrating on crop modeling, this book provides an introduction to the concepts of crop development, growth, and yield, with step-by-step outlines to each topic, suggested exercises and simple equations. A valuable text for students and researchers of crop development alike, this book is written in five parts that allow the reader to develop a solid foundation and coverage of production models including water- and nitrogen-limited systems.

This volume discusses the nutraceutical importance, production technologies, management and cultivation practices of underutilized vegetables, which can be described as those vegetable crops which are neither grown commercially on a large scale nor traded widely. While much of the crops addressed in the book are cultivated, traded and consumed at the local level, there are over 60 species of minor vegetables with high growth and yield potentials that are not cultivated to a large extent for greater populations. This work highlights the production technologies needed to grow these vegetables on a larger scale and under various adverse soil and climatic conditions, and their nutritional and medical benefits to assist with food security, health and poverty alleviation in rural areas. Production of underutilized vegetables is low, due to the unavailability of planting material, lack of awareness about the nutritional and medicinal importance among the farmers and inadequate information on the production techniques of these crops. In this context, there is an urgent need to take up a program on genetic resources exploration, management, utilization, and improvement of underutilized vegetable crops to ensure food and nutritional security. Readers will learn about these technologies and practices, while also learning about the unique properties and benefits of these underutilized vegetables. The book will be useful for academicians and researchers focusing on vegetable production and breeding, as well as farmers and sustainability scientists looking for underexplored sources of nutrition to benefit large rural populations.

This book provides discussion on the importance of hydroponics with particular focus on the nutrient film technique for the production of premium, fresh vegetables in a highly economically feasible method. It highlights this culture of growing as one of the most efficient agricultural practices for a sustainable market and also addresses the numerous challenges faced in the production of crops grown in soil. Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponics describes detailed instructions on the set up of an efficient system, including applications for lower budgets, new business ventures, and gives a detailed outline for the construction of an ideal hydroponic system. It also reveals the secrets to turning a hydroponic system into a profitable business by providing the necessary templates for tracking a successful endeavor. This book also contains references for further reading and a comprehensive index.

Grasslands, in particular managed pastures and rangelands, are widespread, covering approximately 40% (52 million km2) of the Earth's land surface. They are dominated by members of the Poaceae - the fourth largest plant family with over 7,500 species, and also the most widespread. Grasslands constitute a major biome on all continents except Antarctica and also represent the most important food crop on Earth with corn, wheat, maize, rice and millet accounting for the majority of our agricultural output.
Grasses and Grassland Ecology provides an ecologically orientated introduction to this influential group of plants, summarizing the most recent scientific research in ecology and agriculture in the context of the older, classic literature. Ten chapters cover the morphology, anatomy, physiology and systematics of grasses, their population, community and ecosystem ecology, their global distribution, and the effects of disturbance and grassland management.
This comprehensive and accessible textbook is suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers in the fields of plant ecology, rangeland science, crop science, and agriculture.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the complex story of human-plant interactions, from the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic Era, through to the 21st century and the molecular genetic manipulation of crops. It links the latest advances in molecular genetics with the science and history of plant domestication, the evolution of plant breeding, and the implications of this new knowledge for both the agriculture of today and the future.
Modern societies still rely on plants for most of their food needs, not to mention clothing, shelter, medicines and tools. This special relationship has tied together people and their plants in mutual dependence for over 50,000 years. Yet despite these millennia of intimate contact, people have only gone on to domesticate and cultivate a few dozen of the tens of thousands of edible plants available. Thanks to the latest genomic studies, we can now begin to explain how, when, and where some of the most important crops came to be domesticated, and the crucial role of plant genetics and climatic change in these processes. Indeed, it was their unique genetic organisations that ultimately determined which plants eventually became crops, rather than any conscious decisions by their human cultivators.
The book is primarily aimed at geneticists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, and plant breeders who require a detailed and up-to-date account of modern crop genetics and genomic research and its wider significance for agriculture. However, the accessible style will appeal to a wider readership of agronomists, archaeologists, and even historians, who wish to explore the many interactions that have shaped the often crucial relationships between plants and human societies.

Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems. Hence, learning can best be achieved through an experiential approach to the topic. Designed to accompany Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, Third Edition, Field and Laboratory Investigations in Agroecology, Third Edition features 24 investigations divided into five sections that parallel the main text: Studies of Environmental Factors: These investigations deal with how an individual plant responds to the environment, how environmental factors in specific agroecosystems are measured and characterized, and how particular environmental factors affect individual plants. Studies of Population Dynamics in Crop Systems: This section studies how populations of organisms act in agroecosystems. It focuses on what populations are present, how they change over time and respond to the environment, and how individuals within a population may interact. Studies of Interspecific Interactions in Cropping Communities: This section emphasizes the between-species interactions of the organisms that make up crop communities. These interactions include herbivory, allelopathy, and mutualisms. Studies of Farm and Field Systems: These investigations cover system-level agroecology and whole farms or systems within farm boundaries. They touch on the complexity with which the farmer deals in managing agroecosystems. Food System Studies: These investigations reach out beyond the individual farm to examine components of the food system at a local level, which impact all of the levels of analysis in the first four parts. This manual facilitates hands-on learning that involves close observation, creative interpretation, and constant questioning of findings. The investigations emphasize the importance of careful data interpretation and presentation and the value of a clear, concise, and well-written research report. The book uses simple statistical analysis for data management and interpretation and students are guided through the steps of data analysis in the context of the particular investigations in which it is employed.

Gene Banks and the World's Food contributes to the crucial debate on how best to preserve some of society's most valuable raw material. The authors also provide an up-to-date report on the status and locations of gene banks, which includes the latest available information on germplasm holdings by crop. They (hen discuss how these holdings are being used to develop better crop varieties for the benefit of people around the world. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.