Crop Improvement through Microbial Biotechnology explains how certain techniques can be used to manipulate plant growth and development, focusing on the cross-kingdom transfer of genes to incorporate novel phenotypes in plants, including the utilization of microbes at every step, from cloning and characterization, to the production of a genetically engineered plant. This book covers microbial biotechnology in sustainable agriculture, aiming to improve crop productivity under stress conditions. It includes sections on genes encoding avirulence factors of bacteria and fungi, viral coat proteins of plant viruses, chitinase from fungi, virulence factors from nematodes and mycoplasma, insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis, and herbicide tolerance enzymes from bacteria.

Edward H. Faulkner startled the agricultural world - all of it, on six continents - when he published Plowman's Folly in 1943. As almost everyone knows, he launched a vigorous attack on the plow and dseveloped in a masterful way the advantages of surface incorporation of organic material. The Readers Digest summed up American interest at the time in the statement, ""Probably no book on an agricultural subject has ever prompted so much discussion in this country."" A Second Look is a sequel to Plowman's Folly. In it Mr. Faulkner answers his critics and re-examines the theories expressed earlier, in the light of extensive investigations he subsequently made in visiting experiment stations, soil scientists, and farmers in many parts of the country. Finally, in simple, straightforward language, he gives the lie to ""soil impoverishment."" Highly condensed, here is his thought: The soil which the gardener or farmer works is made up of tiny crystalline fragments. The action of soil acids, principally those released through the decay of organic matter, unlocks the minerals required for healthy plant growth. If this is true, then the indiscriminate and continuous use of commercial fertilizer is a mistake. In fact, says Mr. Faulkner, the ""bank account"" theory of soil is bankrupt. It holds that whatever we take from the soil in the growing of crops must be put back - usually in the form of prepared fertilizers. What the soil needs, on the contrary, is the gentle chemistry described above. If a man cannot learn this, he will pay and pay, ultimately to his ruin. If Plowman's Folly dealt a body blow to deep plowing, then A Second Look sets in revolutionary perspective the whole problem of soil impoverishment. Whether you cultivate a backyard garden or a thousand acres of wheat, this is a book you can hardly afford to miss.

"I like to say that when you buy an acre of land you get 43,500 square feet of solar panel. When you start thinking about your farm in these terms, the importance of having every acre covered with green, growing grass becomes apparent," Jim Gerrish writes. Gerrish coined the phrase Management-intensive Grazing (MiG), putting the emphasis on management of the growth of the grass. The animals are merely harvesters, like lawnmowers. In Management-intensive Grazing, The Grassroots of Grass Farming, he uses vivid images and detailed explanations to take graziers step-by-step through the MiG system. Written for those new to MiG grazing, Gerrish's insights and personal experience can help experienced graziers fine tune their grazing operations for added income. He begins from the ground up with the soil and advances through the management of pastures and animals, and covers how to manage the water cycle; how to work with legumes; how to stockpile forages for low cost wintering; how to plan and utilize permanent and perimeter fencing; and how to use pasture weaning for health and weight gain. Gerrish's lively chapters explain how to make pasture fertility pay; the power of stock density; how to match forage supply with animal demand; how to judge maximum intake of forage; and how using pasture records offers information, not just data.

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.

Plant development and productivity are negatively regulated by various environmental stresses. Abiotic stress factors such as heat, cold, drought, and salinity represent key elements limiting agricultural productivity worldwide. Thus, developing crop plants with the ability to tolerate abiotic stresses is a critical need which demands modern novel strategies for the thorough understanding of plant response to abiotic stresses. Crop Improvement under Adverse Conditions will serve as a cutting-edge resource for researchers and students alike who are studying plant abiotic stress tolerance and crop improvement. The book presents the latest trends and developments in the field, including the impact of extreme events on salt tolerant forest species of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the overlapping horizons of salicylic acid in different stresses, and fast and reliable approaches to crop improvement through In Vitro haploid production. Written by renowned experts and featuring useful illustrations and photographs, Crop Improvement under Adverse Conditions is a concise and practical update on plant abiotic stress tolerance and crop improvement.

The edible alliums are some of the most ancient cultivated crops and include onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and chives. They are grown in most regions of the world, from the subarctic to the humid tropics, although bulb onions are best adapted to production in subtropical and temperate areas. This book introduces the scientific principles that underlie production practices. It begins by discussing the classification, origins, distribution and economic importance of the major food alliums, before considering their structure, genetics and breeding. Chapters then follow on the physiology of crop growth, development and yield, on crop production and on flowering and seed production. Some alliums are harvested as bulbs and others as green shoots, and a chapter is devoted to the storage and dormancy of both types. Pests, diseases and weeds are then discussed, before a final chapter on the biochemistry and food science of alliums. The book is written at a level suitable for students of horticulture, crop science and food science, as well as for growers and crop consultants interested in the scientific principles that form the basis of their practice. It also provides a valuable example of how the different disciplines within plant sciences interrelate when applied to particular crops.