Dates are an important fruit, especially in many African, Middle-Eastern and Asian countries. In recent years this fruit has gained significant importance in terms of global commerce. During the period 1990 2009, global production of dates saw an increase of 219% and this trend is expected to continue as per FAO projections. Some of the major challenges confronting date fruit production and commerce are issues related to postharvest handling technologies, use of appropriate processing and packaging technologies, food safety aspects and quality assurance. Dates: Postharvest Science, Processing Technology and Health Benefits provides contemporary information that brings together current knowledge and practices in the value chain of dates, from production through to consumption. The important book published by Wiley Blackwell features coverage from leading experts on innovative processing technologies, packaging, quality management and pest control for dates. It is the only book to address the science and technology of the postharvest production of dates, a commercially important and growing sector of the food industry.

Turmeric has been used as a medicine, a condiment, and a dye since at least 600 B.C., while ginger has been used extensively throughout history for its medicinal purposes. "The Agronomy and Economy of Turmeric and Ginger" brings these two important plants together in one reference book, explaining their history, production techniques, and nutritional and medicinal properties in detail.

This book is intuitively organized by plant and use, allowing quick access to information. It puts the uniquely Indian use and history of turmeric and ginger plants into a global context of production and economic aspects. It explores the plants from a botanical perspective, and goes into details of their chemical composition as well. Rounding out the book are chapters on disease and pest control issues.

The book is a valuable resource for those involved in the production and marketing of these plants, as well as those looking for more information on the medicinal and nutritional properties of turmeric and ginger.
The first book to bring together extensive information about turmeric and gingerIncorporates medicinal, nutritional and agricultural aspects of the two plantsOffers a global perspective

Collaboratively written by top international experts and established scientists in various fields of agricultural research, this book focuses on the state of food production and sustainability; the problems with degradation of valuable sources of land, water, and air and their effects on food crops;the increasing demand of food resources; and the challenges of food security worldwide. The book provides cutting edge scientific tools and methods of research as well as solid background information that is accessible for those who have a strong interest in agricultural research and development and want to learn more on the challenges facing the global agricultural production systems.
Provides cutting edge scientific tools and available technologies for researchAddresses the effects of climate change and the population explosion on food supply and offers solutions to combat themWritten by a range of experts covering a broad range of agriculture-related disciplines"

Shifting cultivation or rotational bush fallowing is the predominant system of arable farming in the humid and sub-humid tropics where several hundred million people depend on this system of agriculture for their livelihood. Shifting Cultivation and Secondary Succession in the Tropics documents and systematizes findings in shifting cultivation over the last six decades and also characterizes secondary succession and related changes that fallow vegetation undergoes to the process of soil fertility restoration under bush fallow. It includes unique features such as graphical illustration of the organic matter equilibrium concept; correlation and multiple regression analysis; core-periphery analogy, encapsulated in the spatio-temporal model and the graphical unified model of succession and soil fertility restoration, therefore providing essential reading for researchers and students within tropical agriculture and related fields such as forestry, geography, environmental science and tropical development.

This study adopts a two-step approach to map policies on agricultural water management in Zambia, which consists of a mapping exercise and a gap analysis matrix. It finds that there is a need to develop and implement an irrigation master plan in the country.

The new report warns that an estimated 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity and their situation is expected to worsen if adequate lifesaving assistance and livelihood support is not provided.

Food legumes are important constituents of human and animal nutrition, supplying high quality proteins crucial for a balanced diet. These crops also play an important role in low-input agricultural production systems by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Despite systematic and continuous breeding efforts by legume researchers all over the world, substantial genetic gains have not been achieved. These issues require immediate attention, and overall, a paradigm shift is needed in breeding strategies to strengthen our traditional crop improvement programs. To this end, "Biology and Breeding of Food Legumes" provides extensive information on their history, origin, evolution and botany, as well as breeding objectives and procedures, nutritional improvement, industrial uses, post-harvest technology and recent developments made through biotechnological intervention.

Spices provide our food with nutraceutical value rather than actual nutrition. But apart from the popular and major spices, there are several other spices, which, in spite of their enormous contribution to human health, remain underexploited or underutilized. This new volume, Underexploited Spice Crops: Present Status, Agrotechnology, and Future Research Directions, is a valuable compilation of agrotechniques coupled with background information, research works, and scientific discussions on these spices. It will include in-depth narration on underexploited spice crops as products in influencing present-day the global export market and the renewed interest in these crops throughout the world. The volume deals with the scientific approach of growing underexploited spices with the intention of popularizing them. Separate chapters on the importance of each spice, methods of growing and harvesting, and recent research from around the world along with future strategies are covered.

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.

In spite of the extensive attention given by research workers to aphids no comprehensive review has been published covering all aspects of aphid biology. A few small books exist on certain aspects of nomenclature, ecology, physiology and natural enemies. Aphid biology is studied by many specialists, all representing their own area of interest, therefore the only way to present this comprehensive review is by the multi-author approach. This three-volume work is compiled in a similar way to the first books in the series World Crop Pests: Spider Mites. The volumes contain contributions by more than 40 authors. In this first volume an account is given on morphology and systematics, anatomy, genetics, life cycles, ways of life, reproduction and polymorphism and interaction with the environment. These topics are followed by an in-depth study of evolution of aphids, especially in connection with the evolution of plants. In addition processes governing the development of population structure and speciation are elicited.

Providing comprehensive coverage on biofuel crop production and the technological, environmental and resource issues associated with a sustainable biofuel industry, this book is ideal for researchers and industry personnel. Beginning with an introduction to biofuels and the challenges they face, the book then includes detailed coverage on crops of current importance or with high future prospects, including sections on algae, sugar crops and grass, oil and forestry species. The chapters focus on the genetics, breeding, cultivation, harvesting and handling of each crop.

Following on from the CGIAR study by Evenson and Gollin (published by CABI in 2003), this volume provides up-to-date estimates of adoption outcomes and productivity impacts of crop variety improvement research in sub-Saharan Africa. The book reports on the results of the DIIVA Project that focussed on the varietal generation, adoption and impact for 20 food crops in 30 countries. It also compares adoption outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa to those in South Asia, and guides future efforts for global agricultural research

Peanut Agriculture and Production Technology: Integrated Nutrient Management focuses on agricultural techniques and integrated nutrient management of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). Peanuts are the second most important oil crop of India, occupying 5.7 million hectares, with an average production of 0.8 ton/ha, which is 23.5% of the India's total oil seed production. Worldwide annual production of shelled peanuts was 42 million metric tons in 2014. It is the world's 4th most important source of edible oil and the 3rd most important source of vegetable protein. The volume includes basic and advanced information on production, agrotechniques, and integrated nutrient management of Arachis hypogaea L. crop plant. It studies the physiology of the peanut, looking at the proper environmental conditions for optimal growth as well as under various subnormal conditions. It explores the methods of nitrogen application as well as the influence of different sowing dates and population densities to harvest its full yield potential. The book covers methods to achieve balanced nutrition, including using organic manures in groundnut farming to enhance yielding ability. The book will be a rich resource for those in agriculture, horticulture, and allied sciences, particularly for agricultural scientists in plant and crop physiology, agronomy, and soil science. Farm owners and managers of peanut crops and production will also benefit from the information provided in this volume.

This two-part volume with contributions from more than 50 international specialists, provides an up-to-date text and brings together facts and views of acarologists specialized in various aspects of the biology of spider mites. The need for such a treatment of scientific progress and recommended topics for future research exists among students, commencing in the study of acarology and plant protection, as well as among those engaged in acarological research and teaching. Both books will serve to provide a synthesis of much of the knowledge on basic and applied aspects of the biology of spider mites and their natural enemies; stimulate students to analyse critically the views propounded by the authors of the book, and instigate research into environmentally safe and cost effective means of pest control.

Turfgrass is required to meet a challenging range of aesthetic, functional and environmental requirements, whilst also adapting to the threat of abiotic and biotic stresses which are being accentuated by climate change. The turfgrass industry is also facing increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact and advance more sustainable maintenance practices that utilise and/or optimise fewer agronomic-related resources. Achieving sustainable turfgrass management summarises the wealth of recent research that addresses these challenges, whilst also identifying potential mitigation strategies to reduce the sector's contribution to climate change, such as reduced fertilizer use and water conservation. This collection also highlights developments in breeding for improved cultivars of turfgrass with enhanced abiotic and biotic stress responses, as well as climate resilience. In its extensive exploration of turfgrass physiology, breeding and cultivation, the book showcases how the turfgrass industry can adopt more sustainable management practices and reduce its environmental impact.

Tea is big business. After water, tea is believed to be the most widely consumed beverage in the world. And yet, as productivity increases, the real price of tea declines while labour costs continue to rise. Tea remains a labour intensive industry. With a distinguished career spanning over 50 years and rich experience in diverse crops, Mike Carr is eminently qualified to indulge in an intelligent discourse on tea agronomy. In addition to a comprehensive review of the principal tea growing regions worldwide in terms of structure, productivity and principal constraints, he has attempted to question and seeks to find the associated experimental evidence needed to support current and future crop management practices. The book will assist all those involved in the tea industry to become creative thinkers and to question accepted practices. International in content, it will appeal to practitioners and students from tea growing countries worldwide.

This richly illustrated volume is the first complete atlas of coffee production in Ethiopia, birth-place of coffee drinking and the main home of wild arabica coffee (Coffea arabica). Around 15 million Ethiopians are coffee farmers, and Ethiopia is Africa's largest coffee producer and one of the most important coffee-growing regions of the world, renowned for its diversity of flavour profiles, including those of the celebrated coffees of Harar, Limu, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe. The aim of the Coffee Atlas of Ethiopia is to inform the reader about the coffee landscape of Ethiopia. It shows where coffee is grown, where the natural coffee forests are located, and where coffee could be grown. The atlas maps are accompanied by information on coffee farming, environment and climate, and a description of the main coffee areas. Also included in the atlas are key coffee origins, coffee towns and coffee delivery centres, as well as other useful items. The atlas can be used to assess the potential and vulnerability for coffee farming in Ethiopia, as well as provide a logistics resource for the coffee sector and those otherwise working with, or interested in, coffee. It is also an essential reference for resource managers.

Soils are known to be an enormous reservoir of carbon and represent an important and dynamic part of the global carbon cycle. However, this reservoir is under constant threat due to a combination of issues, including mismanagement, climate change and intensive agricultural production which has led to depletion of soil organic carbon. Understanding and fostering soil carbon sequestration reviews the wealth of research on important aspects of soil carbon sequestration, including its potential in mitigating and adapting to climate change and improving global food security. The collection explores our understanding of carbon sequestration in soils, detailing the mechanisms and abiotic factors that can affect the process, as well as the socioeconomic, legal and policy issues that can arise as a result of this use. In its extensive exploration of soil carbon cycling and capture, the book highlights how an informed understanding of carbon sequestration in a variety of soil types can contribute to achieving a more sustainable agriculture, as well as the methods which can be implemented by farmers to optimise the process of fostering carbon in soils.

Divided into four sections covering anatomy in relation to crop management, anatomical descriptions of the major crop plants, anatomical changes in adaptation to environments and the link between anatomy and productivity, this book provides a comprehensive source of crop plant anatomy information. The crop areas covered include cereals, pulses and beans, oil crops and fiber crops. Suitable for students, researchers and professionals in the field, this book brings together economic plant anatomy and crop productivity for the first time.

The National Research Council's Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences held a 2-day workshop on January 15-16, 2015, in Washington, DC to explore the public interfaces between scientists and citizens in the context of genetically engineered (GE) organisms. The workshop presentations and discussions dealt with perspectives on scientific engagement in a world where science is interpreted through a variety of lenses, including cultural values and political dispositions, and with strategies based on evidence in social science to improve public conversation about controversial topics in science. The workshop focused on public perceptions and debates about genetically engineered plants and animals, commonly known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), because the development and application of GMOs are heavily debated among some stakeholders, including scientists. For some applications of GMOs, the societal debate is so contentious that it can be difficult for members of the public, including policy-makers, to make decisions. Thus, although the workshop focused on issues related to public interfaces with the life science that apply to many science policy debates, the discussions are particularly relevant for anyone involved with the GMO debate. Public Engagement on Genetically Modified Organisms: When Science and Citizens Connect summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction and Overview 2 How People Think (about Genetically Modified Organisms) 3 The Science-Information Climate 4 Cultural and Political Contexts 5 How Should Scientists Engage in Conversations about Genetically Modified Organisms? Appendix A-- Workshop Agenda Appendix B-- Workshop Attendees Appendix C-- Biographies of Workshop Speakers, Panelists, Moderators, Case Presenters, and Planning Committee Members Appendix D-- About the Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences