The coconut palm occupies a significant place in the world economy as an important subsistence crop in all the areas in which it is grown. Relatively few countries are able to export any quantity of coconut products because of increasing home demands coupled with low productivity. Yields are generally well below potential despite recent developments with improved planting stock and agronomic practices. In the last 50 years, both these aspects have received considerable attention, but the focus is shifting to investigate how the use of recently developed biotechnological techniques- can benefit the coconut industry. This volume, the result of the International Symposium on Coconut Biotechnology (held in December 1997 in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico), describes recent research in three important areas. Standard plant breeding techniques used with coconut have produced improved planting material, but progress is inevitably very slow. Can more rapid genetic improvement be obtained using molecular techniques? The papers presented in this section suggest that such techniques will open up exciting new prospects, but only after basic information has been gathered on the genetic status of existing coconut stocks. Research using microsatellite techniques seems to provide a useful tool to help to classifying these stocks. However, only a combination of classical breeding methods with modem techniques will lead to the rapid improvement which is required to supply material for urgent replanting programs.

Management of Problem Soils in Arid Ecosystems examines the challenges of managing soils in arid and semiarid regions. These soils contain low organic matter, are not leached, and accumulate lime, gypsum, and/or soluble salts, requiring special management and practices. This book discusses how to identify problems, reclaim the soils, and then use them efficiently and economically. Water management and desertification in these areas are also discussed. It contains extensive references as well as 40 tables and illustrations.

This superb volume provides a critical assessment of genomics tools and approaches for crop breeding. Volume 1 presents the status and availability of genomic resources and platforms, and also devises strategies and approaches for effectively exploiting genomics research. Volume 2 goes into detail on a number of case studies of several important crop and plant species that summarize both the achievements and limitations of genomics research for crop improvement.

This work offers comprehensive, current coverage of preharvest and postharvest handling and production of fruits grown in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world. It discusses over 60 major and minor crops, and details developments in fruit handling and disease control, storage practices, packaging for fruit protection, sizing equipment, conveyors, package fillers, refrigeration methods and more.

Bramble Production provides growers with a basic understanding of how raspberry and blackberry plants grow and respond to changes in their environment. Author Perry Crandall includes management practices used by successful growers, making this book a helpful production guide that you can use for making rational decisions. This knowledge of successful production can be used to recommend or adopt management programs specially designed to produce optimum yields with maximum profits.Students and professionals will find Bramble Production to be a scientifically based, easy-to-understand, comprehensive discussion of all facets of berry production. The principle emphasis is on American production, but grower practices in other parts of the world are included, which makes this a valuable guide book for growers all around the world.To provide you with a thorough understanding of how to produce maximum yields, Crandall covers raspberries and blackberries individually. Each fruit has chapters on its: genetic derivation botany physiology site selection and preparation most popular varieties soil management and cultural practices insect and disease identification and control nutrient deficiency symptoms irrigation harvesting, handling, and marketing worldwide distribution Bramble Production is a valuable supplemental reference text for university, junior college, and high school instructors. Cooperative extension specialists, farm advisors, industry representatives, and research personnel can use it as a basis for diagnoses and recommendations, as can commercial growers, master gardeners, and more sophisticated or curious home gardeners.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on decision support systems (DSS) in agriculture. The first chapter provides a review of DSS in agriculture, whilst addressing the key questions surrounding their use for farm soil and crop management. The different aspects of agricultural DSS design, implementation and operation are also discussed. The second chapter assesses the role of DSS for pest monitoring and management through information technology such as, remote sensing, GIS, spectral indices, image-based diagnostics, and phenology-based degree day models. The third chapter discusses the potential of implementing DSS within the growing mechanisation in greenhouses. It examines differences in development and application of deterministic explanatory and data-based models for real-time control and DSS. The fourth chapter explores the key issues associated with deploying DSS in precision agriculture, whilst also considering their human and social aspects. The chapter also considers how future research on DSS can be moulded to improve productivity in a precision agriculture setting. The final chapter outlines the importance of a participatory approach in DSS development, whilst also offering examples of climate-based DSS for crop and land management, pest and disease management, and livestock (dairy) management.

Bramble Production provides growers with a basic understanding of how raspberry and blackberry plants grow and respond to changes in their environment. Author Perry Crandall includes management practices used by successful growers, making this book a helpful production guide that you can use for making rational decisions. This knowledge of successful production can be used to recommend or adopt management programs specially designed to produce optimum yields with maximum profits. Students and professionals will find Bramble Production to be a scientifically based, easy-to-understand, comprehensive discussion of all facets of berry production. The principle emphasis is on American production, but grower practices in other parts of the world are included, which makes this a valuable guide book for growers all around the world. To provide you with a thorough understanding of how to produce maximum yields, Crandall covers raspberries and blackberries individually.Each fruit has chapters on its: genetic derivation botany physiology site selection and preparation most popular varieties soil management and cultural practices insect and disease identification and control nutrient deficiency symptoms irrigation harvesting, handling, and marketing worldwide distributionBramble Production is a valuable supplemental reference text for university, junior college, and high school instructors. Cooperative extension specialists, farm advisors, industry representatives, and research personnel can use it as a basis for diagnoses and recommendations, as can commercial growers, master gardeners, and more sophisticated or curious home gardeners.

The third most important cereal crop after wheat and corn, rice is a staple food for more than half of the world's population. This includes regions of high population density and rapid growth, indicating that rice will continue to be a major food crop in the next century. Mineral Nutrition of Rice brings together a wealth of information on the ecophysiology and nutrient requirements of rice. Compiling the latest scientific research, the book explains how to manage essential nutrients to maximize rice yield. The book examines 15 essential or beneficial nutrients used in irrigated, upland, and floating rice across a range of geographic regions. For each mineral, the text details the cycle in the soil-plant system as well as the mineral's functions, deficiency symptoms, uptake in plants, harvest index, and use efficiency. It then outlines management practices, covering application methods and timing, adequate rates, the use of efficient genotypes, and more. The author, an internationally recognized expert in mineral nutrition for crop plants, also proposes recommendations for the judicious use of fertilizers to reduce the cost of crop production and the risk of environmental pollution. Color photographs help readers identify nutrient deficiency symptoms and take the necessary corrective measures. Packed with useful tables and illustrations, this comprehensive reference guides readers who want to know how to increase rice yield, reduce production costs, and avoid environmental pollution from fertilizers. It offers practical information for those working in agricultural research fields, in laboratories, and in classrooms around the world.

Provides the latest information on nearly all of the phytoalexins of crop plants studied worldwide over the past 50 years-describing experimental approaches to the research of specific plants and offering detailed explanations on methods of isolation and characterization. Supplies in-depth coverage of cotton, soybean, groundnut, citrus, mustard, grapevine, potato, pepper, sweet potato, yam, sesame, tea, tobacco, pea, pigeon pea, and many more.

These exciting new companion handbooks are the only ones of their kind devoted solely to the effects of environmental variables on the physiology of the world's major fruit and nut crops. Their cosmopolitan scope includes chapters on tropical and temperate zone species written by scientists from several continents. The influence of environmental factors, such as irradiance, temperature, water and salinity on plant physiology and on vegetative and reproductive growth, is comprehensively discussed for each crop. In addition to being a thorough and up-to-date set of textbooks, the organzation of the two volumes makes them an excellent reference tool. Each chapter focuses on a single crop, or a group of genetically or horticulturally related crop, and is appropriately divided into subsections that address individual environmental factors. Some chapters emphasize whole-plant physiology and plant growth and development, while other chapters feature theoretical aspects of plant physiology. Several chapters provide botanical background discussions to enhance understanding of the crop's response to its environment.

Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased dramatically in the last several decades. This increased consumption has put a greater burden on the fresh produce industry to provide fresher product quality, combined with a high level of food safety. Therefore, postharvest handling, storage and shipment of horticultural crops, including fruit and vegetable products has increased in importance. Novel Postharvest Treatments of Fresh Produce focuses mainly on the application of novel treatments for fruits and vegetables shipping and handling life. A greater emphasis is placed on effects of postharvest treatments on senescence and ripening, bioactive molecule contents and food safety. The work presented within this book explores a wide range of topics pertaining to novel postharvest treatments for fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables including applications of various active agents, green postharvest treatments, physical treatments and combinations of the aforementioned.

This important book on the culture of the potato presents scientific information for potato growers in an easily accessible format and clear language. Managing the Potato Production System contains all the information needed to harvest a bountiful crop. The book is written specifically for field production-oriented technicians and growers and makes the knowledge of production systems easy for readers to apply by providing essential background information, suggestions for incorporating the information into a total production system, and sample forms for collecting data to assist proper and timely decision making. Special sections on harvesting and storage emphasize techniques for protecting the quality of the crop while other chapters provide helpful information on reporting trends in marketing to aid future planning efforts. This easy-to-use guide directs producers to the most critical areas of production, storage, and marketing, helping them to control or influence factors that will result in a healthy, plentiful crop. This is a valuable reference to be consulted for solutions to specific problems or ways to take advantage of opportunities as they occur.Managing the Potato Production System is more than abstract theory; the systems described here have been proven in one or more actual cases of potato production. The strategies devised in this volume help potato producers grow an economically viable crop in a manner that can be sustained over generations with positive impact on the environment. The book concentrates on the interpretation of scientific findings about potatoes and production beginning with a discussion of the origin of the crop, its distribution, and history of its production in the United States. Other chapters feature explanations of the factors which affect potato production including the genetics of Solanum tuberosum in regard to variety (cultivar) improvement and the effect of potato breeding on production.Specific topics covered in the book include: potato production historypotato marketingseed growing, certification, and purchasingsoil preparation and fertilitygrowth stages of the crop and how they are influenced by production practicespest identification and managementreduction of damage during harveststorage techniquesBecause this book covers basic and specialized topics, it is a valuable introduction for beginning level college students and an excellent problem-solving guide for growers, consultants, field workers, and extension specialists.

The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering presents an in-depth examination of the principles and practice of modern day composting. This comprehensive book covers compost science, engineering design, operation, principles, and practice, stressing a fundamental approach to analysis throughout. Biological, physical, chemical, thermodynamic, and kinetic principles are covered to develop a unified analytical approach to analysis and an understanding of the process. A brief history of the development of composting systems, which leads to descriptions of modern processes, is presented.

The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering also discusses the elements of successful odor management at composting facilities, including state-of-the-art odor treatment and enhanced atmospheric dispersion. The book is excellent for all engineers, practitioners, plant operators, scientists, researchers, and students in the field.

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.

This book, Biotic Stress Management in Rice: Molecular Approaches, addresses biotic stress of rice and its management through molecular approaches. It focuses on the biotechnological aspects of rice with the aim of reducing the fungicide and insecticides and ultimately ensuring safety of rice as a food as well as the environment. Rice is an important crop in much of the Asia-Pacific region, and there are a number of threats to rice production, including fungal, viral, and bacterial diseases and insect pests, both in temperate and tropical countries, which can cause the significant economic loss. Remarkable efforts are being made by scientists and breeders to raise rice productivity and safety by modifying and manipulating rice plants to survive under different types of stresses. The book provides an understanding of the genetic basis of resistance and susceptibility and goes on to present studies directed to understand the host-plant interaction in rice that have given rise to specialized breeding programs for resistance to diseases and insect-pests. In addition to these advancements in molecular breeding, marker-assisted selection and transgenic approaches open new ways to increase resistance in rice for better production under several biotic stresses. This book covers the most recent advancements and research strategies of molecular breeding, transgenic approaches, and other tools for effective biotic stress management in rice. This book should find a prominent place on the shelves of new plant breeders, biotechnologists, plant pathologists and entomologists working in academic and commercial rice research programs, and in the libraries of research establishments.

This book is an outgrowth of a UNESCO regional workshop entitled Culture Collection and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms. The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with information on the principles and techniques involved in the genetics and breeding of edible mushrooms.

This collection features six peer-reviewed reviews on advances and in detecting and forecasting crop pests and diseases. The first chapter introduces the concept of machine learning to identify and diagnose crop diseases, focussing on the deep learning concept. The second chapter discusses recent advances in crop disease forecasting models, focussing on the application of precision agriculture technologies and Earth observation satellites to identify areas at risk of possible disease outbreaks. The third chapter explores the contribution of remote sensing in improving the ways in which plant health is monitored in response to exposure to biotic stresses, such as disease. The fourth chapter reviews how sensor technologies in combination with informatics and modern application technologies can contribute to more effective pest control. The fifth chapter assesses the role of decision support systems for pest monitoring and management through information technology, such as spectral indices and image-based diagnostics. The final chapter addresses key issues and challenges in pest monitoring and forecasting models, such as the limitation of some traps in attracting insects through the use of sex pheromones.

Illustrates current fluid fertilizer technology in the US and abroad, including manufacture, handling, storage, distribution, and use in the field demonstrating how fluid fertilizer facilitates more precise delivery of nutrition to crops. The volume provides the means to analyze fluid fertilizer sys

The economic importance of Tortricidae in agriculture and forestry is great: crops and forests in the temperate climatic zones suffer considerable loss due to this lepidopterous family. This volume covers the entire spectrum from taxonomy, morphology and physiology to chemical and biological control. It will provide an opening to the scientifc literature on Tortricidae for scientists in research institutions, universities and experimental stations. The indices include entries for synonyms referring to the species names used in this volume.

This book provides a comprehensive review at the biochemical and molecular level of the processes and techniques that contribute to crop improvement. General topics include a historical perspective of the advancements in crop improvement; cultivar systematics and biochemical and molecular markers in crop improvement programs; the genetics of physiological and biochemical processes affecting crop yield; the genetics of photosynthesis, chloroplast, relevant enzymes, and mutations; osmoregulation/adjustment and the production of protective compounds in relation to drought tolerance; and the biochemistry of disease resistance, including elicitors, defense response genes, their role in the production of phytoalexins and other strategies against pathogens. Other topics include quality breeding (e.g., molecular gene structure, changing individual amino acids, enhancing nutritive value of proteins) and biotechnology/genetic engineering. Geneticists, biochemists, botanists, agricultural specialists and others involvedin crop improvement and breeding should consider this volume essential reading.

This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on biostimulant applications in agriculture. The first chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the optimal design and formulation of microbial and non-microbial biostimulants. The chapter presents two case studies to demonstrate the successful commercialisation of microbial and non-microbial biostimulant products. The second chapter considers the utilisation of humic substances (HS) as plant biostimulants in agriculture and their impact on the physical and chemical properties of soil. The chapter also discusses the production of HS. The third chapter reviews the wealth of research on the mechanism of action, applications and efficacy of key biostimulants such as Bacillus species, Pseudomonas species, Trichoderma species and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The fourth chapter assesses recent advances in the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a means of enhancing crop root function and nutrient use. The chapter also considers the challenge of practical adoption and use of PGPR in commercial agricultural settings. The final chapter reviews the utilisation of biostimulants as an integrated pest management tool in horticulture. The chapter considers their role in promoting plant growth, building soil structure, as well as pest and disease suppression.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on improving crop nutrient use efficiency. The first chapter explores the relationship between rhizobacteria and plant roots, looking primarily at the recruitment of rhizobacteria by the plant to carry out particular functions, such as nutrient acquisition. The chapter highlights our current understanding of the molecular determinants of legume nodulation as well as challenges for improvements of biological nitrogen fixation in legumes and non-legumes. The second chapter considers the rising use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in agriculture and its role in the shrinking contribution of soil organic N. The chapter explores the impact of the inefficient management of N (low nitrogen-use efficiency) and the consequent developments of major environmental issues, such as pollution to groundwater, oceans and the atmosphere. The third chapter addresses key issues in using N fertilizers in wheat production, such as product cost and environmental impact. The chapter summarises the development of N-efficient cultivars and their economic benefits, as well as their role in reducing the environmental impact of excessive N fertilizer inputs, whilst maintaining respectable yields. The final chapter considers the use of breeding techniques, including genetic variability, to develop more efficient wheat varieties with improved traits related to nitrogen capture, nitrogen assimilation and nitrogen remobilization.