Originally published in 1957, as number 14 in the Agricultural Research Council Report Series, this book was created in response to serious losses in brassica crop production caused by viral diseases. The text was the product of experiments and observations carried out under a wide range of conditions in various parts of Britain. Information is provided on the causes of disease and the reaction of plants to infection, together with practical methods for controlling the spread of viruses. Illustrative figures are also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the development of farming and the history of agriculture.

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.

There is more sugar in the world's diet than ever before, but life is far from sweet for the exploited producers making nature's 'white gold' and the unhealthy consumers eating it. Why has the billion-dollar sugar trade created such inequities? In this insightful analysis, Ben Richardson argues that the most compelling answers to this question can be found in the dynamics of global capitalism. Led by multinational companies, the mass consumption of sweetened snacks has taken hold in the Global South and underpinned a new wave of foreign investment in sugar production. The expansion of large-scale and highly-industrialised farms across Latin America, Asia and Africa has kept the price of sugar down whilst pushing workers out of jobs and rural dwellers off the land. However, challenges to these practices are gathering momentum. Health advocates warning against costly diseases like diabetes, trade unions fighting for better pay, and local residents campaigning for a cleaner environment are all re-shaping the way sugar is consumed and produced. But to truly transform sugar, Richardson contends, these political activities must also address the profit-driven nature of food and farming itself.

Oil palm is widely cultivated in tropical countries for use in food processing, personal care products and other applications such as biodiesel. Cultivation faces a range of challenges such as its environmental impact (e.g. in deforestation and biodiversity loss) as well threats from pests and diseases. There is an urgent need to make oil palm cultivation more efficient and environmentally sustainable. This collection reviews the key research addressing this challenge. Volume 1 begins by reviewing trends in production and key challenges facing the sector. Part 2 focusses on developments in understanding oil palm physiology, genetics and genetic diversity and their application to improved breeding techniques. The final part of the book discusses developments in cultivation practices. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this collection will be a standard reference for researchers, oil palm growers, palm oil processors as well as government and non-governmental agencies responsible for more sustainable oil palm cultivation. Volume 1 is accompanied by Volume 2 which covers pests and diseases, quality and sustainability issues

Oil palm is widely cultivated in tropical countries for use in food processing, personal care products and other applications such as biodiesel. Cultivation faces a range of challenges such as its environmental impact (e.g. in deforestation and biodiversity loss) as well threats from pests and diseases. There is an urgent need to make oil palm cultivation more efficient and environmentally sustainable. This collection reviews the key research addressing this challenge. Volume 2 reviews advances in understanding and managing fungal and other diseases affecting oil palm such as basal stem rot, vascular wilt and bud rot as well as insect pests. It also discusses the latest research on palm oil and health as well as the key issue of sustainability, including monitoring the environmental impact of cultivation, sustainability certification, conservation and supporting smallholders. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this collection will be a standard reference for researchers, oil palm growers, palm oil processors as well as government and non-governmental agencies responsible for more sustainable oil palm cultivation. Volume 2 is accompanied by Volume 1 which covers breeding and cultivation techniques.

This book highlights the estimation of crop yield in Central Gujarat, especially with regard to the development of Multiple Regression Models and Principal Component Regression (PCR) models using climatological parameters as independent variables and crop yield as a dependent variable. It subsequently compares the multiple linear regression (MLR) and PCR results, and discusses the significance of PCR for crop yield estimation. In this context, the book also covers Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a statistical procedure used to reduce a number of correlated variables into a smaller number of uncorrelated variables called principal components (PC). This book will be helpful to the students and researchers, starting their works on climate and agriculture, mainly focussing on estimation models. The flow of chapters takes the readers in a smooth path, in understanding climate and weather and impact of climate change, and gradually proceeds towards downscaling techniques and then finally towards development of principal component regression models and applying the same for the crop yield estimation.

Coffee is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world. Coffee cultivation faces a number of challenges including over reliance on a relatively small number of varieties vulnerable to a range of abiotic and biotic stresses as well as increasing expectations of quality amongst consumers. These challenges are addressed by this volume. Part 1 looks at advances in understanding plant physiology and ensuring genetic diversity. These provide the basis for summarising developments in breeding improved varieties of Arabica and Robusta coffee. The second part of the book reviews our understanding of the chemical composition, sensory properties and potential nutraceutical benefits of coffee. With its distinguished editor and international range of expert authors, this volume will be a standard reference for coffee scientists, growers and processors.

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.

World population is forecast to grow from 7 to 9 billion by 2050, 1 in 6 is already hungry and food production must increase by 70-100% if it is to feed this growing population. No single solution will solve this problem but recent developments in the genetic technologies of plant breeding can help to increase agricultural efficiencies and save people from hunger in a sustainable manner, particularly in African nations where the need is greatest. These advances can rapidly incorporate new traits and tailor existing crops to meet new requirements and also greatly reduce the time and costs taken to improve local crop varieties. This book provides a collected, reliable, succinct review which deals expressly with the successful implementation of the new plant genetic sciences in emerging economies in the context of the interrelated key regulatory, social, ethical, political and trade matters.

In the last half century, because of the raising world population and because of the many environmental issues posed by the industrialization, the amount of arable land per person has declined from 0.32 ha in 1961-1963 to 0.21 ha in 1997-1999 and is expected to drop further to 0.16 ha by 2030 and therefore is a severe menace to food security (FAO 2006). At the same time, about 12 million ha of irrigated land in the developing world has lost its productivity due to waterlogging and salinity. Waterlogging is a major problem for plant cultivation in many regions of the world. The reasons are in part due to climatic change that leads to the increased number of precipitations of great intensity, in part to land degradation. Considering India alone, the total area suffering from waterlogging is estimated to be about 3.3 million ha (Bhattacharya 1992), the major causes of waterlogging include super- ous irrigation supplies, seepage losses from canal, impeded sub-surface drainage, and lack of proper land development. In addition, many irrigated areas are s- jected to yield decline because of waterlogging due to inadequate drainage systems. Worldwide, it has been estimated that at least one-tenth of the irrigated cropland suffers from waterlogging.

With an ever-increasing human population, the demand placed upon the agriculture sector to supply more food is one of the greatest challenges for the agrarian community. In order to meet this challenge, environmentally unfriendly agroch- icals have played a key role in the green revolution and are even today commonly recommended to circumvent nutrient de?ciencies of the soils. The use of ag- chemicals is, though, a major factor for improvement of plant production; it causes a profound deteriorating effect on soil health (soil fertility) and in turn negatively affects the productivity and sustainability of crops. Concern over disturbance to the microbial diversity and consequently soil fertility (as these microbes are involved in biogeochemical processes), as well as economic constraints, have prompted fun- mental and applied research to look for new agro-biotechnologies that can ensure competitive yields by providing suf?ciently not only essential nutrients to the plants but also help to protect the health of soils by mitigating the toxic effects of certain pollutants. In this regard, the role of naturally abundant yet functionally fully unexplored microorganisms such as biofertilizers assume a special signi?cance in the context of supplementing plant nutrients, cost and environmental impact under both conventional practices and derelict environments. Therefore, current devel- ments in sustainability involve a rational exploitation of soil microbial communities and the use of inexpensive, though less bio-available, sources of plant nutrients, which may be made available to plants by microbially-mediated processes.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance. Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems describes the beneficial role of plant growth promoting bacteria with special emphasis on oil yielding crops, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Chapters present studies on various aspects of bacteria-plant interactions, soil-borne and seed-borne diseases associated with food crops such as rice, sesame, peanuts, and horticultural crops. Further reviews describe technologies to produce inoculants, the biocontrol of post harvest pathogens as a suitable alternative to agrochemicals, and the restoration of degraded soils.

Natural plant fibers fibres are being increasingly used in manufacturing industrial products because of their renewable and biodegradable natures. Kenaf is an annual bast fibre crop that can provide fibres for several industrial applications (composites, insulation mats, absorbents, bedding material, etc.) as well as raw material for energy exploitation (solid biofuels). Kenaf: A Multi-Purpose Crop for Several Industrial Applications introduces the physiology and field management of kenaf, agronomy, productivity, harvesting as well as its the industrial and energy uses of this promising non-food crop. Including recent research collected by the BIOKENAF project, Kenaf: A Multi-Purpose Crop for Several Industrial Applications provides a global picture of state of the art research and developments with Kenaf from Asia, USA and Australia. This thorough introduction if followed up with an assessment of the crops economic viability as well as an the environmental impact assessment of kenaf. Although not a new crop, Kenaf: A Multi-Purpose Crop for Several Industrial Applications provides a comprehensive introduction to this crop and its developing applications for energy engineers, industry managers, politicians and managers working to develop sustainable energy sources and bio-economies.

The future of agriculture greatly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. The application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), represents an ecologically and economically sustainable strategy. The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining importance worldwide. Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Productivity focus on the role of beneficial bacteria in crop growth, increased nutrient uptake and mobilization, and defense against phytopathogens. Diverse group of agricultural crops and medicinal plants are described as well as PGPR-mediated bioremediation leading to food security.

Over the last 50 years there has been a growing appreciation of the important role that farmers play in the development and conservation of crop genetic diversity, and the contribution of that diversity to agro-ecosystem resilience and food security. This book examines policies that aim to increase the share of benefits that farmers receive when others use the crop varieties that they have developed and managed, i.e., 'farmers varieties'. In so doing, the book addresses two fundamental questions. The first question is 'how do farmer management practices - along with other factors such as environment and the breeding systems of plants - affect the evolution and maintenance of discrete farmers' varieties?' The second question is 'how can policies that depend on being able to identify discrete plant varieties accommodate the agricultural realities associated with the generation, use and maintenance of farmers' varieties?' This focus on discreteness is topical because there are no fixed, internationally recognized taxonomic or legal definitions of farmers' varieties. And that presents a challenge when developing policies that involve making specific, discrete farmers' varieties the subject of legal rights or privileges. The book includes contributions from a wide range of experts including agronomists, anthropologists, geneticists, biologists, plant breeders, lawyers, development practitioners, activists and farmers. It includes case studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe where, in response to a diversity of contributing factors, there have been efforts to develop policies that provide incentives or rewards to farmers as stewards of farmers' varieties in ways that are sensitive to the cultural, taxonomic and legal complexities involved. The book situates these initiatives in the context of the evolving discourse and definition of 'farmers' rights', presenting insights for future policy initiatives.

Key Features: Provides detailed access to complete pre-harvesting and post harvesting practices of apple crop Provides insight on recent improvements made in high density cropping, rootstock breeding and varietal development The book will impart a holistic and integrated coverage on harvesting, handling & storage of apple. It contains a brief knowledge about the therapeutic potential of apple & apple products.

This 1959 book takes as its starting point Sir George Watt's Wild and Cultivated Cotton Plants of the World published in 1907, and discusses the findings of the subsequent fifty years, updating, in the light of extensive subsequent work, the account given by Hutchinson, Silow and Stephens in The Evolution of Gossypium (1947). Sir Joseph reviews the range of the genus Gosgpium and the place in it of the four species which constitute the cotton of commerce. He traces the historical development of these species from the coarse, short, perennials grown over 4000 years ago to their more modern annuals. He describes the development of disease-resistant strains, by hybridisation of races from different parts of the world. The book constitutes a valuable account of the results which can be achieved in a relatively short time by the application of genetic and physiological studies to the problems of a commercial crop.

In the recent years, the looming food scarcity problem has highlighted plant sciences as an emerging discipline committed to devise new strategies for enhanced crop productivity. The major factors causing food scarcity are biotic and abiotic stresses such as plant pathogens, salinity, drought, flooding, nutrient deficiency or toxicity which substantially limit crop productivity world-wide. In this scenario, strategies should be adopted to achieve maximum productivity and economic crop returns. In this book we have mainly focused on physiological, biochemical, molecular and genetic bases of crop development and related approaches that can be used for crop improvement under environmental adversaries. In addition, the adverse effects of different biotic (diseases, pathogens etc.) and abiotic (salinity, drought, high temperatures, metals etc) stresses on crop development and the potential strategies to enhance crop productivity under stressful environments are also discussed.

Audience is land managers, soil conservationists, researchers and others involved in soil and water conservation and management; agronomists, but this book has great potential to be used in advanced soil science courses. Case studies of modelling of soil water management. Fluctuating climates with frequent droughts, flooding episodes, heat waves and other weather extremes are causing major challenges for soil and water management in many parts of the world. Developing management practices that maintain or enhance soil resilience within such challenges is a high priority. This book provides a discussion of how different soil management practices impact soil hydrological characteristics can improve our understanding of soil and water management under changing conditions.

This is a solitary attempt to streamline all the possible information related to citrus nutrition, with emphasis on diagnosis and management of nutrient constraints, employing a variety of state-of-art techniques evolved globally over the years . While doing so care has been taken to include peripheral disciplines so that the discussion becomes more lively and authoritative. An entire array of exclusive subjects has been nicely portrayed with the help of latest data and photographs.

This volume, Temperate Fruits: Production, Processing, and Marketing, presents the latest pomological research on the production, postharvest handling, processing and storage, and information on marketing for a selection of temperate fruits. These include apple, pear, quince, peach, plum, sweet cherry, kiwifruit, strawberry, mulberry, and chestnut. With chapters from fruit experts from different countries of the world, the book provides the latest information on the effect of climate change on fruit production, organic fruit growing and advanced fruit breeding, the nutraceutical value and bioactive compounds in fruits and their role in human health, and new and advanced methods of fruit production. Topics include microirrigation, sustainable nutrient management, crop protection and plant health management, and farm mechanization.

This text and reference book was written because of the urgings of my colleagues here and abroad and also by my students to fill the need for a comprehensive book describing vegetables important as food crops of the world. in this book was first used as outlines for the course on The material world vegetables taught by the staff of the Department of Vegetable Crops at the University of California at Davis. Over the course of the decade the author taught the course, new topics were added with each succeeding year. In 1978 the handouts were revised and compiled into a syllabus. In addition to the students taking the course, the syllabus was purchased and used by others as a reference book. Word ofits existence travelled far; the syllabus is presently used by one other university in the United States and by another in a foreign country. This edition has been extensively revised; many new materials and references have been added. Included are many photographs taken by the author in his travels abroad. The book has three parts. The first is introductory and background meant for students who are not familiar with vegetables as food crops.