"Advances in Agronomy" continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial.
Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in agriculture Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field

Known as the "King" of spices, black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and the "Queen" of spices, cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum M.), both perennial crops of the tropics, are the most important and most widely sought after spice crops of the world. They both have many uses, for example, both are used as flavourings and as a medicine. This book provides a comprehensive review of these two very important spice crops, covering origin, history, geographical distribution, production, economy and their uses.

Field Crop Arthropod Pests of Economic Importance presents detailed descriptions of the biology and ecology of important arthropod pest of selected global field crops. Standard management options for insect pest control on crops include biological, non-chemical, and chemical approaches. However, because agricultural crops face a wide range of insect pests throughout the year, it can prove difficult to find a simple solution to insect pest control in many, if not most, cropping systems. A whole-farm or integrated pest management approach combines cultural, natural, and chemical controls to maintain insect pest populations below levels that cause economic damage to the crop. This practice requires accurate species identification and thorough knowledge of the biology and ecology of the target organism. Integration and effective use of various control components is often enhanced when the target organism is correctly identified, and its biology and ecology are known. This book provides a key resource toward that identification and understanding. Students and professionals in agronomy, insect detection and survey, and economic entomology will find the book a valuable learning aid and resource tool.

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on pesticide residues in agriculture. The first chapter outlines the ways in which pesticide use can lead to increased pest problems, such as pest resurgence and replacement, and the development of pesticide resistance. The chapter examines current strategies for mitigating the impacts of pesticides and refers to a detailed case study on the diamondback moth (DBM) to demonstrate the practical application of these strategies. The second chapter explores the threat of pesticide poisoning to human health, either via deliberate self-poisoning or via occupational exposure. It discusses how best to monitor exposure to pesticides, as well as how to minimize the human health risks that may arise as a result of their use/exposure. The authors refer to a case study on smallholder cotton farmers in the Republic of Benin to emphasise the global pesticide poisoning crisis. The final chapter reviews the environmental impacts of pesticide use in agriculture, focussing on their contribution to global human and ecological health issues. It provides an overview of how pesticides are currently addressed in emission inventory and impact assessment, and discusses the relevance of spatiotemporal variability in modelling emissions and the toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts of pesticides.

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

"Advances in Agronomy" continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial.
* Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in agriculture
* Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues
* Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field

This specially formulated collection features 3 reviews of current topics and key research in sweetpotato. The first chapter examines the origin and dispersal of sweetpotato, considers in vitro germplasm storage in sweetpotato genebanks, and looks at the importance of managing sweetpotato crop wild relatives (CWR). The chapter also considers the specific issues associated with sweetpotato germplasm, as well as the application of next-generation sequencing to sweetpotato and its CWR. The second chapter reviews the development and application of genetic transformation and trait improvement to sweetpotato, including the development of sweetpotato plants which are resistant to disease and abiotic stress, and sweetpotatoes with improved starch quality and higher anthocyanin content. The final chapter examines the nutritional contribution made by OFSP (orange-fleshed sweetpotato) in poor rural communities in Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso; sustainable breeding and seed systems; and effective commercialisation and marketing to benefit the communities concerned. This chapter includes detailed case studies from Ghana and Malawi.

Transcription Factors for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants highlights advances in the understanding of the regulatory network that impacts plant health and production, providing important insights for improving plant resistance. Plant production worldwide is suffering serious losses due to widespread abiotic stresses increasing as a result of global climate change. Frequently more than one abiotic stress can occur at once, for example extreme temperature and osmotic stress, which increases the complexity of these environmental stresses. Modern genetic engineering technologies are one of the promising tools for development of plants with efficient yields and resilience to abiotic stresses. Hence deciphering the molecular mechanisms and identifying the abiotic stress associated genes that control plant response to abiotic stresses is a vital requirement in developing plants with increased abiotic stress resilience. Addressing the various complexities of transcriptional regulation, this book includes chapters on cross talk and central regulation, regulatory networks, the role of DOF, WRKY and NAC transcription factors, zinc finger proteins, CRISPR/CAS9-based genome editing, C-Repeat (CRT) binding factors (CBFs)/Dehydration responsive element binding factors (DREBs) and factors impacting salt, cold and phosphorous stress levels, as well as transcriptional modulation of genes involved in nanomaterial-plant interactions. Transcription Factors for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants provides a useful reference by unravelling the transcriptional regulatory networks in plants. Researchers and advanced students will find this book a valuable reference for understanding this vital area.

This volume continues the retrospective analyses of Volumes I and II, but goes beyond that in an attempt to understand how phenolic acids are partitioned in seedling-solution and seedling-microbe-soil-sand culture systems and how phenolic acid effects on seedlings may be related to the actual and/or conditional physicochemical properties (e.g., solubility, hydrophobicity, pKa, molecular structure and soil sorption/desorption) of simple phenolic acids. Specifically, it explores the quantitative partitioning (i.e., source-sink relationships) of benzoic and cinnamic acids in cucumber seedling-solution and cucumber seedling-microbe-soil-sand systems and how that partitioning may influence phenolic acid effects on cucumber seedlings. Regressions, correlations and conceptual and hypothetical models are used to achieve these objectives. Cucumber seedlings are used as a surrogate for phenolic acid sensitive herbaceous dicotyledonous weed seedlings. This volume was written specifically for researchers and their students interested in understanding how a range of simple phenolic acids and potentially other putative allelopathic compounds released from living plants and their litter and residues may modify soil chemistry, soil and rhizosphere microbial biology, seedling physiology and seedling growth. In addition, this volume describes the potential relationships, where they may exist, for direct transfer of organic compounds between plants, plant communication and plant-plant allelopathic interactions and addresses the following questions: Can physicochemical properties of phenolic acids be used as tools to help understand the complex behavior of phenolic acids and the ultimate effects of phenolic acids on sensitive seedlings? What insights do laboratory bioassays and the conceptual and hypothetical models of laboratory systems provide us concerning the potential behavior and effects of phenolic acids in field systems? What potential role may phenolic acids play in broadleaf-weed seedling emergence in wheat debris cover crop no-till systems?

Advances in Phytonanotechnology: From Synthesis to Application guides readers through various applications of nanomaterials on plants by presenting the latest research related to nanotechnology and nanomaterials on plant systems. The book focuses on the effects of these applications on plant morphology, physiology, biochemistry, ecology and genetics. Sections cover the impact on plant yield, techniques, a review of positive and negative impacts, and an overview of current policies regarding the use of nanotechnology on plants. Additionally, the book offers insights into the appropriate application of nanoscience to plants and crops for improved outcome and an exploration of their bioavailability and toxicity in the environment.