The potential in the area to respond to consumer demands and address public health issues through diet, has brought about the impetus to do further research by government, industry and research institutes to substantiate the science behind the health benefits from plant constituents. Marker Assisted Selection hold great potential for plant breeding as it promises to expedite the time taken to produce crop varieties with desirable characters. Progress has been made in mapping and tagging many horticultural important genes with morphological, biochemical and molecular markers which form the foundation for marker assisted selection in crops plants. They offer great scope for improving the efficiency of conventional plant breeding by carrying out selection not directly on the trait of interest but on molecular markers linked on those traits. Plant cell and callus culture systems have been emerged most potential area of bio processing and production of useful metabolites of nutraceutical importance. These methods have been advanced through bioreactor technology. Research and development is critical to the rapidly developing field of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Producers want new opportunities that increase farm income; processors want value-added food products, health ingredients and new uses for agricultural production, by-products and new products for new and existing markets. Consumers (worldwide) want increased assurance of the safety and quality of the food system and enhanced environmental performance of the agriculture and agri-food sector. Provinces and communities are seeking economic development opportunities for horticulture. This book will be helpful in better understanding, utilization of crop diversity, underutilized crops, and their residues and improvement in PHT and development of new functional food with greater use of bioactive compounds and other quality traits.

Climate change, resulted from the rise in global temperature, drives many stressors which make it difficult to predict the outcome in a general way. However, impact of climate change is so far more visible in agriculture than other sectors. Rise in temperature causes oxidation of soil organic carbon and affect biogeochemical processes and mechanisms, which make soil health and productive potential of soils weaker. It also affects weather at local regional and global scale, and hydrological cycle as well, which result in drought, flood, cyclones etc. Simultaneously it impinges directly upon reproductive biology of crops by reducing pollen viability and making spikelets sterile, which result in crop yield reduction. In India, impact of climate change on agriculture is predicted to occur more in northern parts, where wheat production may suffer losses of 4-5 million tons for each degree rise in temperature. Rice, pearl millet, soybean are other crops in that line. Globally, it has been predicted to have a huge burden in future as the world needs to feed nine billion population by the turn of the 21st century. Several techniques like conservation agriculture, integrated farming, crop diversification and carbon sequestration through agroforestry advocated helping climate change mitigation and adaptation have been discussed in detail in this book. Therefore, this book serves as a repository of information on climate change, mitigation and adaptation in relation to agroforestry, which can be useful to planner, researchers and undergraduate and post graduate students pursuing studies in the field of agricultural and allied sciences.

The various aspects of fruit cultivation mainly covered are nutritive and cultural significance; origin, history, and distribution; taxonomical and botanical description; climatic and soil adaptability; propagation technology and rootstocks; plant and fruit physiology; recommended and popular cultivars; planning and planting: soil cultural practices technology - water need, nutritional need, weed control, inter culture; plant cultural practices technology- training and pruning, fruit thinning, fruit quality improvement, use of plant growth regulators; special problems; harvesting and production of fruits; post-harvest fruit technology; insect-pests and diseases management; marketing and export potential. Section-1 covers 2 leading sub- tropical fruits of the country. Similarly, section- 2 covers 4 and section-3 covers 6 sub- tropical fruits in order of their importance. Scientists working in different Universities/ Institutions and Research Stations have contributed chapter on fruit crops in their respective areas of specialization. The book will be highly beneficial to the graduate and post-graduate students in Fruit Science, fruit growers, scientists and extension workers.

The various aspects of fruit cultivation mainly covered are nutritive and cultural significance; origin, history, and distribution; taxonomical and botanical description; climatic and soil adaptability; propagation technology and rootstocks; plant and fruit physiology; recommended and popular cultivars; soil cultural practices technology - water need, nutritional need, weed control, inter culture; plant cultural practices technology- training and pruning, fruit thinning, fruit quality improvement, use of plant growth regulators; special problems; harvesting and production of fruits; post-harvest fruit technology; insect-pests and diseases management; marketing and export potential. Section-1 covers 2 leading sub- tropical fruits of the country. Similarly, section- 2 covers 4 and section-3 covers 6 sub- tropical fruits in order of their importance. Scientists working in different Universities/ Institutions and Research Stations have contributed chapter on fruit crops in their respective areas of specialization. The book will be highly beneficial to the graduate and post-graduate students in Fruit Science, fruit growers, scientists and extension workers.

Among the leading vegetable producing countries in the world, India ranks second only after China. Vegetables play pivotal role in mitigating nutritional requirement of the soceity as well as providing employment oppurtunity specially in the agriculture dominated rural agrarian economy of the developing countries like India. Among different kinds of vegetables, cucurbits are a diverse group of vegetables (include pumpkin, bitter gourd, water melon, cucumber, pointed gourd, ridge gourd, bottle gourd etc) cultivated widely all over the South Asian countries including Indian sub-continent. These are basically worm season crops and fetch several biotic and abiotic stresses during their life stages. These stressess considerably affect yield potentiality of several cucurbitaceous vegetables quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Climatic changes and increment in cropping intensity reflected in a remarkable and rapid shift of vegetable ecosystem that ultimately increasing these stresses day by day. Biotic stresses like insect, mite and nematode pests etc. are the most significant biotic stresses which are responsonible limiting yeild reduction as well as quality deterioration of produces. Application of hazardous toxic chemicals to combat the pest problems of cucurbits not only results in residual toxicity in vegetables but also destabilising agro-ecosystem. Again, due to change in climatic condition and introduction of modern agro-technology these problems are becoming very very complex. In this perspectives, updated and alternative information with regard to crop management of cucurbits is a dire need of the hour for successful and remunerative cucurbit production. The book covers all the issues related with these aspects like insect pests, diseases, mites, nematode parasites weeds, environmental stresses, nutrients elaborately with latest information, findings ect. It will be helpfull for agricultural students (both UG as well as PG level including Ph. D.) in India and abroad, horticultural experts, extension workers, policy makers etc. Latest available literatures, ideas, thoughts on these aspects has been incorporated. Related colour photographs has also been incorporated. It will be a treasure of knowledge with regard to management of cucurbitaceous vegetables for better productivity and remunerative cultivation.

The book provides information in its various chapters on some of the latest aspects of micropropagation, microbiology, biofertilizer, nanotechnology, RNA interference, metabolomics, biosurfactants, secondary metabolites, cancer therapy, biofuel and biostatistics etc. All the chapters have been well compiled with great dedication and sincerity and authors own the authenticity of information available in the book. We hope the book will be useful to large sections of people of diverse occupations including students, researchers, teachers, scientists, planners and policymakers, general readers and intellectuals etc.