This book highlights the latest findings on fundamental aspects of composting, the interaction of various microorganisms, and the underlying mechanisms. In addition to addressing modern tools and techniques used for composting research, it provides an overview of potential composting applications in both agriculture and environmental reclamation. Composting is the process of organic waste decomposition, mediated by microorganisms. The end-product is called 'compost' and can be used as a supplement to improve soil fertility. As the municipal waste generated in most developing countries contains a substantial amount of organic matter suitable for composting, this technology offers a win-win opportunity for stakeholders in terms of disposing of organic waste and providing organic fertilizers for agriculture. In addition, using compost reduces the dependency on harmful chemical fertilizers, and represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.

Written by leading global experts, including pioneers in the field, the four-volume set on Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Second Edition, reviews existing state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of hyperspectral data in the study and management of agricultural crops and natural vegetation. Volume I, Fundamentals, Sensor Systems, Spectral Libraries, and Data Mining for Vegetation introduces the fundamentals of hyperspectral or imaging spectroscopy data, including hyperspectral data processes, sensor systems, spectral libraries, and data mining and analysis, covering both the strengths and limitations of these topics. Volume II, Hyperspectral Indices and Image Classifications for Agriculture and Vegetation evaluates the performance of hyperspectral narrowband or imaging spectroscopy data with specific emphasis on the uses and applications of hyperspectral narrowband vegetation indices in characterizing, modeling, mapping, and monitoring agricultural crops and vegetation. Volume III, Biophysical and Biochemical Characterization and Plant Species Studies demonstrates the methods that are developed and used to study terrestrial vegetation using hyperspectral data. This volume includes extensive discussions on hyperspectral data processing and how to implement data processing mechanisms for specific biophysical and biochemical applications such as crop yield modeling, crop biophysical and biochemical property characterization, and crop moisture assessments. Volume IV, Advanced Applications in Remote Sensing of Agricultural Crops and Natural Vegetation discusses the use of hyperspectral or imaging spectroscopy data in numerous specific and advanced applications, such as forest management, precision farming, managing invasive species, and local to global land cover change detection.

Population genomics has revolutionized various disciplines of biology including population, evolutionary, ecological and conservation genetics, plant and animal breeding, human health, medicine and pharmacology by allowing to address novel and long-standing questions with unprecedented power and accuracy. It employs large-scale or genome-wide genetic information and bioinformatics to address various fundamental and applied aspects in biology and related disciplines, and provides a comprehensive genome-wide perspective and new insights that were not possible before. These advances have become possible due to the development of new and low-cost sequencing and genotyping technologies and novel statistical approaches and software, bioinformatics tools, and models. Population genomics is tremendously advancing our understanding the roles of evolutionary processes, such as mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, and natural selection, in shaping up genetic variation at individual loci and across the genome and populations; improving the assessment of population genetic parameters or processes such as adaptive evolution, effective population size, gene flow, admixture, inbreeding and outbreeding depression, demography, and biogeography; resolving evolutionary histories and phylogenetic relationships of extant, ancient and extinct species; understanding the genomic basis of fitness, adaptation, speciation, complex ecological and economically important traits, and disease and insect resistance; facilitating forensics, genetic medicine and pharmacology; delineating conservation genetic units; and understanding the genetic effects of resource management practices, and assisting conservation and sustainable management of genetic resources. This Population Genomics book discusses the concepts, approaches, applications and promises of population genomics in addressing most of the above fundamental and applied crucial aspects in a variety of organisms from microorganisms to humans. The book provides insights into a range of emerging population genomics topics including population epigenomics, landscape genomics, seascape genomics, paleogenomics, ecological and evolutionary genomics, biogeography, demography, speciation, admixture, colonization and invasion, genomic selection, and plant and animal domestication. This book fills a vacuum in the field and is expected to become a primary reference in Population Genomics world-wide.

Currently, there is a need for new management practices for fruit orchards in order to sustain the growth and productivity of various fruit crops. In addition, due to the continuous growth in the world's population, there is a demand for adequate food which is produced from the same sources of water and soils. The main factors limiting agricultural production are droughts and the population growth; this makes it important to prevent fruit production from being subject to climatic hazards. This book enhances the growth and productivity of fruit trees through different techniques, such as artificial intelligence optimization for soil conditioner, site-specific nutrient management in orchards in fertilizing as an application of smart agriculture, irrigation, modeling of parameters of water requirements in fruit orchards, and up-to-date trends in vineyard practices. The book also explores pest control on orchards to increase the efficiency of pesticides and protect the environment and discusses the shading of citrus orchards to avoid negative impacts such as rising temperatures and heatwaves on citrus productivity. Finally, the book discusses the carbon and water footprint for various fruit orchards. This book is ideal for researchers and academics of horticultural science, agricultural organizations, fruit growers, and economics and data analyzers.

Global climate change requires the development of programs that consider the active restoration of degraded forests and the use of native trees in afforestation to preserve the natural environment. International commitments like the UN REDD program, the Montreal Process and the Convention on Biological Diversity call for the breeding of species rarely contemplated by large industrial companies. Low-intensity breeding is the most rational strategy for those species: simple but robust, and not dependent on continuously increasing funding, and therefore effective even with a relatively small budget. It commonly focuses on high genetic diversity rather than improving economic traits and adaptability rather than productivity. Controlled crosses with full pedigrees typical of high-intensity breeding are replaced by open pollination. This book presents state-of-the-art breeding strategies from the last two decades for several forest tree species of prime importance in the natural forests of Argentina. They are distributed in the three main forestry ecoregions of the country: the subtropical dry forest (Chaco), the subtropical rain forests (Yungas and Alto Parana rainforests) and the temperate forests of Patagonia. The book also discusses the genetic patterns of the selected species defined using genetic markers together with the analysis of the variation in quantitative traits. Further, it examines the crucial features of their reproductive biology, such as the mating system and gene flow and describes the current breeding programs. Lastly, it presents the latest developments in genetic resources and their emerging applications, concluding with some reflections and perspectives related to the conditioning imposed by climate change.

This fourth edition provides new and updated protocols on plant cell, tissue, and organ cultures. Chapters are divided into five parts that cover topics from general methodologies, statistical analysis and contamination control, highly specialized techniques, and laborious process of measuring the epigenetics changes in tissue cultures. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Plant Cell Culture Protocols, Fourth Edition aims to serve both professionals and novices with its guide to the most common and applicable techniques and methods for plant tissue and cell culture.

This fourth volume of the Flora of Florida collection continues the definitive and comprehensive identification manual to the Sunshine State's 4,000 kinds of native and non-native ferns and fern allies, nonflowering seed plants, and flowering seed plants. Volume IV contains the taxonomic treatments of 31 families of Florida's dicotyledons. With keys to family, genus, and species, and with families arranged alphabetically for easy reference, the Flora of Florida volumes are the standard reference for botanists, researchers, consultants, and students alike.

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.

Celebrating Fifty Years of Picador Books In this acclaimed travel memoir Jamaica Kincaid chronicles a spectacular and exotic three-week trek through the Himalayan land of Nepal, where she and her companions are gathering seeds for planting at home. The natural world and, in particular, plants and gardening are central to Kincaid's work. Among Flowers intertwines meditations on nature and stunning descriptions of the Himalayan landscape with observations on the ironies, difficulties and dangers of this magnificent journey. For Kincaid and three botanist friends, Nepal is a paradise, a place where a single day's hike can traverse climate zones, from subtropical to alpine, encompassing flora suitable for growing at their homes, from Wales to Vermont. Yet as she makes clear, there is far more to this foreign world than rhododendrons that grow thirty feet high. Danger, too, is a constant companion - and the leeches are the least of their worries. Unpredictable Maoist guerrillas live in these perilous mountains, and when they do appear - as they do more than once - their enigmatic presence lingers long after they have melted back into the landscape. And Kincaid, who writes of the looming, lasting effects of colonialism in her works, necessarily explores the irony of her status as memsahib with Sherpas and bearers. A wonderful blend of introspective insight and beautifully rendered description, Among Flowers is a vivid, engrossing, and characteristically frank memoir from one of the most striking voices in contemporary literature. Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best in modern literature.

This is a comprehensive handbook focused on geospatial applications used to study, assess, and monitor the Himalayan mountains. As a region of high relevance and very vulnerable regarding geohazards, it is crucial to detect landscape changes and understand the drivers behind the changes. With advanced remote sensing and GIS tools, in-depth analyses, and interdisciplinary approaches, the Handbook of Himalayan Ecosystems and Sustainability, Two Volume Set studies forest and agriculture ecosystems, urban sprawl and air pollution, geo and other hazards, and provides a breadth of data to support decision making and to aids in the preservation of the landscapes in a sustainable way. Features: Uses geospatial technology for studying fragile Himalayan ecosystems and their sustainability Includes 21 case studies from Indian Himalayan, Nepal, and Afghanistan regions Provides satellite data and geospatial modelling tools for assessing and monitoring all Himalayan landscapes Addresses cryospheric studies and related ongoing geohazards and potential climate change impacts Discusses ecology of the Himalayan rivers, biodiversity, and floristic shifting of endemic species, and landscape restoration

This book gives a comprehensive overview on the various aspects of Trichoderma, a filamentous fungus ubiquitously present in soil. Topics addressed are the biology, diversity, taxonomy, ecology, biotechnology and cultivation of Trichoderma, to just name a few. Basic as well as applied aspects are covered and a special focus is given on use of Trichoderma in agriculture and beyond. Trichoderma species are widely distributed throughout the world in soil, rotting plant material, and wood. Although they are often considered as a contaminants, Trichoderma species are also known for their ability to act as biocontrol agents against various plant pathogens and plant diseases, and also as biostimulants promoting plant growth. The contents of this book will be of particular interest to, agricultural scientists, biotechnologists, plant pathologists, mycologists, and microbiologists, students, extension workers, policy makers and other stakeholders.