From the pre-historic era to modern times, cereal grains have been the most important source of human nutrition, and have helped sustain the increasing population and the development of human civilization. In order to meet the food needs of the 21st century, food production must be doubled by the year 2025, and nearly tripled by 2050. Such enormous increases in food productivity cannot be brought about by relying entirely on conventional breeding methods, especially on less land per capita, with poor quality and quantity of water, and under rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions. Complementing and supplementing the breeding of major food crops, such as the cereals, which together account for 66% of the world food supply, with molecular breeding and genetic manipulation may well provide a grace period of about 50 years in which to control population growth and achieve sustainable development. In this volume, leading world experts on cereal biotechnology describe the production and commercialization of the first generation of transgenic cereals designed to substantially reduce or prevent the enormous losses to cereal productivity caused by competition with weeds, and by various pests and pathogens, which is an important first step in that direction.

Plant breeders have used mutagenic agents to create variability for their use in crop improvement. However, application of mutagenic agents has its own drawbacks, such as non-specificity and random nature, simultaneous effect on large numbers of genes, and induction of chromosomal aberrations. To overcome these limitations, several genome editing systems have been developed with the aid of cutting-edge technology rooted in the expertise of several research fields. Molecular Plant Breeding and Genome Editing Tools for Crop Improvement is a pivotal reference source that provides an interdisciplinary approach to crop breeding through genetics. Featuring coverage of a broad range of topics including software, molecular markers, and plant variety identification, this book is ideally designed for agriculturalists, biologists, engineers, advocates, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students.

The field of plant breeding has grown rapidly in the last decade with breakthrough research in genetics and genomics, inbred development, population improvement, hybrids, clones, self-pollinated crops, polyploidy, transgenic breeding and more. This book discusses the latest developments in all these areas but explores the next generation of needs and discoveries including omics beyond genomics, cultivar seeds and intellectual and property rights. This book is a leading-edge publication of the latest results and forecasts important areas of future needs and applications.

The plant species that humans rely upon have an extended family of wild counterparts that are an important source of genetic diversity used to breed productive crops. These wild and weedy cousins are valuable as a resource for adapting our food, forage, industrial and other crops to climate change. Many wild plant species are also directly used, especially for revegetation, and as medicinal and ornamental plants. North America is rich in these wild plant genetic resources. This book is a valuable reference that describes the important crop wild relatives and wild utilized species found in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The book highlights efforts taken by these countries to conserve and use wild resources and provides essential information on best practices for collecting and conserving them. Numerous maps using up-to-date information and methods illustrate the distribution of important species, and supplement detailed description on the potential value these resources have to agriculture, as well as their conservation statuses and needs. There is broad recognition of the urgent need to conserve plant diversity; however, a small fraction of wild species is distinguished by their potential to support agricultural production. Many of these species are common, even weedy, and are easily overshadowed by rare or endangered plants. Nevertheless, because of their genetic proximity to agriculturally important crops or direct use, they deserve to be recognized, celebrated, conserved, and made available to support food and agricultural security. This comprehensive two-volume reference will be valuable for students and scientists interested in economic botany, and for practitioners at all levels tasked with conserving plant biodiversity.

Genetic erosions in plant cell cultures, especially in chromosome number and ploidy level, have now been known for over 25 years. Until the mid -1970ssuch changes were consideredundesirable and thereforediscarded because the main emphasis wason clonal propagation and genetic stability of cultures. However, since the publication on somaclonal variation by Larkin and Scowcroft (1981) there has been a renewed interest to utilize these in vitro obtained variations for crop improvement. Studies conduc- ted during the last decade have shown that callus cultures, especially on peridical subculturing over an extended period of time, undergo morpho- logical and genetic changes, i. e. polyploidy, aneuploidy, chromosome breakage, deletions, translocations, gene amplification, inversions, muta- tions, etc. In addition, there are changes at the molecular and biochemical levelsincluding changes in the DNA, enzymes,proteins, etc. Suchchanges are now intentionally induced, and useful variants are selected. For instance in agricultural crops such as potato, tomato, tobacco, maize, rice and sugarcane, plants showing tolerance to a number of diseases, viruses, herbicides and salinity, have been isolated in cell cultures. Likewise induction of male sterility in rice, and wheat showing various levels of fer- tility and gliadin, have been developed in vitro. These academic excercises open new avenues for plant breeders and pathologists. Another area of tremendous commercial importance in the pharmaceuti- cal industry is the selection of cell lines showing high levels of medicinal and industrial compounds. Already high shikonin containing somaclones in Lithospermum are being used commercially.

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for crop improvement. Crop biotechnology before 2001 was reviewed in Transgenic Crops I-III, but recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have prompted the need for new volumes.

Transgenic Crops IV deals with cereals, vegetables, root crops, herbs and spices. Section I is an introductory chapter on the impact of plant biotechnology in agriculture. Section II focuses on cereals (rice, wheat, maize, rye, pearl millet, barley, oats), while Section III is directed to vegetable crops (tomato, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, chickpea, common beans and cowpeas, carrot, radish). Root crops (potato, cassava, sweet potato, sugar beet) are included in Section IV, with herbs and spices (sweet and hot peppers, onion, garlic and related species, mint) in Section V.

This volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, genetics and both plant cell and molecular biology.

OY (])PONEOYLI TOIA YTA IIOAAOI OKOEOJII Many fail to grasp what they have seen, and cannot judge what they have learned, ErKYPEOYLI OYL1E MA (R)ONTEE ITINOEKOYIT although they tell themselves they know. EQYTOJII L1E L10KEOYLI Heraclitus of Ephesus, 500 BC " ... everyone that is not speckled and C~T~v: N,;~, 'T,ji~ ,~~~N ,tuN '= spotted among the goats and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted ~~N N,n =,~, c~w=== c,m stolen with me." Genesis Chapter 30 From Heraclitus of Ephesus and later philosophers, we can deduce that observation of natural phenomena, even when keen and accurate, will not result in meaningful knowledge unless combined with analysis of the mind; just as analysis of the mind without acquaintance with natural phenomena will not suffice to grasp the perceivable world. Only familiarity with phenomena combined with mental analysis will lead to additional knowledge. The citation from Genesis, Chapter 30, is part of an unusual story. It tells how Jacob received, as payment for his service to Laban, the bulk of Laban's herds. By agreement, Jacob was to receive "only" the newborn speckled and spotted goats and the newborn brown sheep that differed completely from their parents. Did Jacob know that there was instability (transposable elements?) in the pigmentation of Laban's herd? It is reasonable to assume that Jacob combined his keen observation with analysis of his mind in order to predict the outcome: most of the newborns were indeed speckled, spotted or brown.

Food legumes (pulses) playa role in human nutrition and more recently as animal feed, in the developing world. They contain minerals and vitamins essential for a balanced diet in humans. In many developing countries food legumes provide the necessary protein and amino acids (in predominantly vegetarian India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka) and supplement the protein diet of people in other countries. Since 1980-82 per capita consumption has declined by 6 % in developing countries where relative pulse prices have gone up and consumption of animal protein (eg milk) has increased. The importance of legumes as animal feed is increasing. The compound growth rate for feed use during 1980-95 was 7. 97% compared to 1. 5% growth for food use during the same period (Kelly et aI. , 1997). As an integral part of farming systems, food legumes, in rotation with cereals and tuber crops, assist in maintaining soil fertility and the sustainability of production systems (Rego et aI. , 1996). Owing to higher prices in comparison with cereals, food legumes are increasingly being grown to supplement farmers' incomes. The major food legumes grown in developing countries are: dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), faba bean (Vicia faba), dry pea (Pisum sativum), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), lentil (Lens culinaris), mung bean (Vigna radiata), black gram (Vigna mungo) pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) and Lathyrns ( Lathyrus sativus). Oil crops such as groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and soybean (Glycine max) are food legumes but are not discussed in this paper.

There are few more emotive, or important, crops in the world than rice the staple food for a huge proportion of the world 's population. This volume presents the latest results of research in crop improvement as well as in molecular and cellular activities in rice. It consists of 26 chapters and is divided into the following four sections: Genome-wide and genome-based research; Signal transduction and development; Evolution and ecology; Improvement of rice.

This book elucidates the importance of long-term experiments in revealing evidence of soil fertility decline in Africa. An evaluation of experiences from on-going long-term experiments is given in broad detail. The first chapter explains the paradigm shift in soil fertility management then provides justification for long-term experiments before illuminating experiences from long-term experiments in East, West and Southern Africa. The second, sixth, eighth and ninth chapters give an in-depth account of crop management practices and soil fertility interventions in long-term trials within specific agro-ecological zones in West Africa. The rest of the chapters (chapter three, four, five and seven) address crop management, tillage practices and, organic and inorganic fertilizer applications in the context of long-term experiments in specific agro-ecological zones in East Africa.

In a field of mature bananas, plants can be seen at all stages of vegetative growth and fruit maturity, providing a fascination for anyone who has an interest in growing crops. Banana farmers in the tropics can harvest fruit every day of the year. The absence of seasonality in production is an advantage, in that it provides a continuity of carbohydrate to meet dietary needs as well as a regular source of income, a feature that perhaps has been under-estimated by rural planners and agricultural strategists. The burgeoning interest in bananas in the last 20 years results from the belated realization that Musa is an under-exploited genus, notwithstanding the fact that one genetically narrow group, the Cavendish cultivars, supply a major export commodity second only to citrus in terms of the world fruit trade. International research interest in the diversity of fruit types has been slow to develop, presumably because bananas and plantains have hitherto been regarded as a reliable backyard source of dessert fruit or starch supplying the needs of the household, and in this situation relatively untroubled by pests, diseases or agronomic problems.

The mission of the International Fertilizer Development Center is to increase food production through the improvement of fertilizers and fertilizer practices for the developing countries with special emphasis on tropical and subtropical agriculture. The principal aim is to ensure that fertilizer technology is not a limiting factor to food production in those regions. Although the full extent to which deficiency of micronutrients hampers food production is yet un known, there is ample evidence that problem areas exist and more will be identified as crop production is intensified and marginal lands are exploited. Therefore, it seems fully appropriate at this time that IFDC, as an international organization, take a leadership role in developing micronutrient fertilizer technology appropriate for the tropics and subtropics. The gravity of micronutrient deficiency as a limiting factor to crop pro duction varies from crop to crop and from soil to soil. The effects may range from slight yield reductions to complete crop failure. While the economic impact of omitting micronutrients in seriously affected areas (e.g., Zn in Brazilian Cerrado) is convincing, it is difficult to estimate the yearly loss in crop production due to unsuspected micronutrient deficiency. Active soil and crop testing programs in regions with advanced agricultural systems are aimed at recognizing micronutrients as a limiting plant nutrient in time to allow corrective measures and prevent yield loss. Successful micronutrient monitoring systems are generally limited to developed economies or to developing economies producing export cash crops."

The Dictionary contains the names of nearly 2500 plant species, in some cases including subspecies and varieties. Tropical crops from all parts of the world receive the same attention as those from the temperate zone. Common names are given not only in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish but also in many other languages, where such names are used in the technical literature. `Agronomic plants' comprise not only the agricultural and horticultural crops but also pasture plants, green manure, soil covers, trees used in agroforestry, and major weeds. Also included are plants which are presently being discussed as new crops, with considerable economic value. The Dictionary will meet the needs not only of scientists in agriculture, botany and geography but also those of agricultural extensionists, merchants in agricultural products and professional translators.

The world continues to depend heavily upon a relatively small range of crops for food, fuel, fibre and industrial use, while many potentially good, economically acceptable alternatives exist. This book, which is the second in a series looking at underutilized crops, provides thorough details of those underutilized cereals and pseudocereals which are currently benefiting from research and others which have been neglected and deserve more research attention. Cereals and Pseudocereals considers in detail the potential for the following crops: quinoa, buckwheat, grain amaranth, triticale, fonio, intermediate wheatgrass and wild rice. Under the guidance of the International Centre for Underutilized Crops, the contents of this book have been drawn together by Professor Williams, who has wide research experience in the exploitation of new crops. The contents of this book will be of great interest and use to a wide range of people involved in work on the greater exploitation of currently underutilized crops, including upper level students in agricultural, plant and food sciences, researchers in development agencies and scientists working directly on improvement and exploitation of this group of crops.

Plants have to manage a series of environmental stresses throughout their entire lifespan. Among these, abiotic stress is the most detrimental; one that is responsible for nearly 50% of crop yield reduction and appears to be a potential threat to global food security in coming decades. Plant growth and development reduces drastically due to adverse effects of abiotic stresses. It has been estimated that crop can exhibit only 30% of their genetic potentiality under abiotic stress condition. So, this is a fundamental need to understand the stress responses to facilitate breeders to develop stress resistant and stress tolerant cultivars along with good management practices to withstand abiotic stresses. Also, a holistic approach to understanding the molecular and biochemical interactions of plants is important to implement the knowledge of resistance mechanisms under abiotic stresses. Agronomic practices like selecting cultivars that is tolerant to wide range of climatic condition, planting date, irrigation scheduling, fertilizer management could be some of the effective short-term adaptive tools to fight against abiotic stresses. In addition, "system biology" and "omics approaches" in recent studies offer a long-term opportunity at the molecular level in dealing with abiotic stresses. The genetic approach, for example, selection and identification of major conditioning genes by linkage mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL), production of mutant genes and transgenic introduction of novel genes, has imparted some tolerant characteristics in crop varieties from their wild ancestors. Recently research has revealed the interactions between micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and plant stress responses exposed to salinity, freezing stress and dehydration. Accordingly transgenic approaches to generate stress-tolerant plant are one of the most interesting researches to date. This book presents the recent development of agronomic and molecular approaches in conferring plant abiotic stress tolerance in an organized way. The present volume will be of great interest among research students and teaching community, and can also be used as reference material by professional researchers.

Advances in Rice Blast Research provides a complete overview of the research undertaken on the rice-blast pathosystem. This book gathers in one volume the most recent works on rice blast fungus genetics and molecular biology of pathogenicity, rice blast fungus population studies, and genetics and molecular biology of rice resistance to blast, including resistance gene cloning. It also presents the latest results on resistance breeding and resistance management strategies, epidemiology and disease management. This book is a must for plant pathologists and breeders working on rice blast and also to plant pathologists and breeders dealing with fungal diseases in general, because the rice-blast pathosystem is a model in plant pathology. Advances in Rice Blast Research provides a complete overview of the research undertaken on the rice-blast pathosystem. This book gathers in one volume the most recent works on rice blast fungus genetics and molecular biology of pathogenicity, rice blast fungus population studies, and genetics and molecular biology of rice resistance to blast, including resistance gene cloning. It also presents the latest results on resistance breeding and resistance management strategies, epidemiology and disease management. This book is a must for plant pathologists and breeders working on rice blast and also to plant pathologists and breeders dealing with fungal diseases in general, because the rice-blast pathosystem is a model in plant pathology.

Nanobiotechnology in agriculture is a new knowledge area that offers novel possibilities to achieve high productivity levels at manageable costs during the production and merchandising of crops. This book shows us how we can use the cutting-edge knowledge about agriculture, nanotechnology, and biotechnology to increase the agricultural productivity and shape a sustainable future in order to increase the social welfare in rural areas and preserve the environmental health. Specialists from several countries will provide their feedback on a range of relevant topics such as environment-friendly use of nanofertilisers, nanodevices, nano-food packaging, nanocoating and nanocarriers and their relationship with the modern agriculture.

Legumes play an important role in the cropping systems of sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Legumes are an important source of nutrition to both humans and livestock by providing the much needed protein, minerals, fibre and vitamins. The sale of legumes seed, leaves and fibre generates income for the marginalized communities especially women. Cultivation of legumes is essential for the regeneration of nutrient-deficient soils. By biologically fixing nitrogen (BNF) in the soil, legumes provide a relatively low-cost method of replacing otherwise expensive inorganic nitrogen in the soil. This enhances soil fertility and boosts subsequent cereal crop yields. Production of legumes in SSA is however; hampered by a number of constraints among them low and declining soil fertility, low soil pH, high salinity, drought and flooding, poor access to improved germplasm, diseases, pests and weeds. Farmers need to learn how to overcome these constraints if the full benefits of legumes are to be gained. This book presents a synthesis of research work on legumes and draws attention to the importance of legumes in integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) and poverty alleviation in SSA.

This book systematically presents 40 pests, 7 natural pest enemies, and 20 diseases and weeds commonly encountered in sugarcane production, combining clear colour photos with detailed scientific descriptions. It covers a range of related topics, including morphological identification, habits and frequency of occurrence, prevention and control measures, symptom identification, characteristics of infections and epidemics, parasitic (predator) characteristics, ways of utilising natural pest enemies, main species and distribution, fluctuation in the field, and chemical control of weeds. With novel content presented in simple, straightforward language, the book provides a valuable reference guide for scientific researchers, educators and industrial practitioners, as well as students and advisers at agricultural universities.

Wine growers are converting to biodynamic viniculture in record numbers. Some of the world’s best wines are now biodynamic. At its heart, biodynamic viniculture is about understanding the nature of vines and their relationship to the environment. This beautifully illustrated and informative book will be of interest to current biodynamic wine growers and those considering converting to biodynamic methods. It includes: -- an introduction to the theory of biodynamic viniculture and the Goethean method of observation in relation to vines; -- practical articles on all aspects of wine growing, including biodiversity, pruning, treating and preventing disease; -- case studies of biodynamic vineyards from around the world. Biodynamic wine expert Jean-Michel Florin has gathered contributions from biodynamic viniculturists to create a beautiful, full-colour book which is both a celebration of sustainable wine growing and an invaluable guide to the future of wine cultivation.

Abiotic stress cause changes in soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and is responsible for reduced yield in several major crops. Therefore, the subject of abiotic stress response in plants - metabolism, productivity and sustainability - is gaining considerable significance in the contemporary world. Abiotic stress is an integral part of "climate change," a complex phenomenon with a wide range of unpredictable impacts on the environment. Prolonged exposure to these abiotic stresses results in altered metabolism and damage to biomolecules. Plants evolve defense mechanisms to tolerate these stresses by upregulation of osmolytes, osmoprotectants, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, etc. This volume deals with abiotic stress-induced morphological and anatomical changes, abberations in metabolism, strategies and approaches to increase salt tolerance, managing the drought stress, sustainable fruit production and postharvest stress treatments, role of glutathione reductase, flavonoids as antioxidants in plants, the role of salicylic acid and trehalose in plants, stress-induced flowering. The role of soil organic matter in mineral nutrition and fatty acid profile in response to heavy metal stress are also dealt with. Proteomic markers for oxidative stress as a new tools for reactive oxygen species and photosynthesis research, abscisic acid signaling in plants are covered with chosen examples. Stress responsive genes and gene products including expressed proteins that are implicated in conferring tolerance to the plant are presented. Thus, this volume would provides the reader with a wide spectrum of information including key references and with a large number of illustrations and tables. Dr. Parvaiz is Assistant Professor in Botany at A.S. College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his post-graduation in Botany in 2000 from Jamia Hamdard New Delhi India. After his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India in 2007 he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. He has published more than 20 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 4 book chapters. He has also edited a volume which is in press with Studium Press Pvt. India Ltd., New Delhi, India. Dr. Parvaiz is actively engaged in studying the molecular and physio-biochemical responses of different plants (mulberry, pea, Indian mustard) under environmental stress. Prof. M.N.V. Prasad is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Hyderabad, India. He received B.Sc. (1973) and M.Sc. (1975) degrees from Andhra University, India, and the Ph.D. degree (1979) in botany from the University of Lucknow, India. Prasad has published 216 articles in peer reviewed journals and 82 book chapters and conference proceedings in the broad area of environmental botany and heavy metal stress in plants. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor for eight books. He is the recipient of Pitamber Pant National Environment Fellowship of 2007 awarded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

Wild emmer is the progenitor of most cultivated wheats and thus an important source of wheat improvement. This book draws the results from multidisciplinary studies on the ecological, genetic, genomic, agronomic, and evolutionary aspects of wild emmer, conducted at many labs around the world.It is divided into the following parts: Origin and Evolution of Wheat - Population Genetics of Wild Emmer Wheat at the Protein and DNA Levels - Genetic Resources of Wild Emmer for Wheat Improvement - Genome Organization and Genetic Mapping - Conclusions and Prospects.The authors describe the evolution of wild emmer as a model organism of a selfer in evolutionary biology, and its rich potential genetic resources for wheat improvement.

Identification of desirable genotypes with traits of interest is discernible for making genetic improvement of crop plants. In this direction, screening of a large number of germplasm for desirable traits and transfer of identified traits into agronomic backgrounds through recombination breeding is the common breeding approach. Although visual screening is easier for qualitative traits, its use is not much effective for quantitative traits and also for those, which are difficult to score visually. Therefore, it is imperative to phenotype the germplasm accessions and breeding materials precisely using high throughput phenomics tools for challenging and complex traits under natural, controlled and harsh environmental conditions. Realizing the importance of phenotyping data towards identification and utilization of a germplasm as donors, global scientific community has exerted increased focus on advancing phenomics in crop plants leading to development of a number of techniques and methodologies for screening of agronomic, physiological, and biochemical traits. These technologies have now become much advanced and entered the era of digital science. This book provides exhaustive information on various aspects related to phenotyping of crop plants and offers a most comprehensive reference on the developments made in traditional and high throughput phenotyping of agricultural crops.

In the 1980s and 1990s, green manure/cover crop (GMCC) systems became a popular agricultural technology in research and development efforts for smallholder tropical and subtropical farmers. However, few syntheses of these experiences have been conducted. This volume of case studies contributes to bridging this gap by reviewing field-level experiences with these systems. Twelve case studies are included. Eleven of them describe experiences from Latin America (4 cases), Africa (6 cases) and Asia (1 case) and the twelfth case reports on the development of a GMCC systems database. Two concluding chapters, `Learning from the Case Studies' and `Future Perspectives', build upon the cases. The systems described are diverse. Some systems have been spontaneously adopted by farmers, while others have been introduced to the farmers through diffusion efforts. Some of the cases reviewed describe small, localized efforts while others report on large-scale, well-known ones, such as the combination of GMCCs and conservation tillage in Santa Catarina, Brazil, the maize-Mucuna system in northern Honduras, and the improved fallow systems in Eastern Zambia. Most experiences include both development and research aspects and to the extent possible the cases integrate these two. Discussion of the strengths and shortcomings of the systems and efforts is frank, and the goal is to learn from these experiences to benefit future efforts. It is expected that both researchers and development practitioners and students of tropical farming systems and soil management will find this volume of case studies useful.