Perhaps the least appreciated dramatis personae in human history are plants. Humans, like all other animals, cannot produce their own food as plants do through photosynthesis, and must therefore acquire organic material for survival and growth by eating plants or by eating other animals that eat plants. Humans depend on plants not only as a food source, but also as building and clothing materials and as sources of medicines, psychoactive substances, spices, pigments, and more. With plants being such valuable resources, it is therefore not surprising that plants have been involved in practically all violent conflicts among different human societies. Ironically, plants have also been the source of materials to construct weapons or weapon parts. Wars have always constituted a large part of human history, and the overall theme of this book is that to understand the history of violent human conflict, we need to understand what specific materials plants make that people find so useful and worth fighting over, and what roles such plant products have played in specific conflicts. To do so, Plants and Human Conflict begins with a chapter explaining the basic biological facts of the interdependence between plants and humans, and the subsequent seven chapters describe the physical and chemical properties of specific plant products demonstrating how the human need for these products has led to wars as well as contributed to the prosecution of wars. These chapters recount some well-known (and some lesser known) historical events in which plants have played a central role. This book uniquely combines the modern scientific knowledge of plants with the human history of war, introducing readers to a new paradigm that will make them reconsider their understanding of human history, as well as to bring about a greater appreciation of plant biology.

Selenium plays a significant role in preventing certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The level of Selenium in the human body depends on its concentration in food. In turn, the content in vegetable crops is a function of the soil-plant system. There are many countries in the world with low Selenium content in the soil. The average daily human intake is thus limited through food chain. Analysis of Selenium status suggests that fortification of the soil substrate with Sodium Selenate, and foliar application to agricultural crops are both effective means of Selenium enrichment. Our intention for this publication is to present the possibilities of augmenting Selenium content by biofortification of soils and plants through differentiated nutrition. In the first part of the monograph, the results of Selenium supplementation in model vegetation experiments are presented. The next part of the monograph presents the results of foliar supplementation of Selenium in field conditions. This book is an outstanding reference source for plant breeders and researchers engaged in biofortification of horticulture crops. It is also beneficial to agricultural companies and other stakeholders.

In the wake of urbanization and technological advances, public green spaces within cities are disappearing and people are spending more time with electronic devices than with nature. Urban Horticulture explores the importance of horticulture to the lives, health, and well-being of urban populations. It includes contributions from experts in research and practice from across the United States, discussing the history, importance, and benefits of selected topics in urban horticulture. This book examines types of public and private communities as well as state and federal programs to promote urban horticulture, including their history, management and administration, programming, evaluation, funding, and the benefits they provide to individuals and communities. It also reviews past and current research on school, community, public, and prison gardens. While not a straightforward textbook, it is adaptable to classroom learning, as each chapter features: Objectives Key terms A summary Review questions Enrichment activities Suggestions for further reading The book also includes case studies and online access to examples of PowerPoint presentations that can be used in the classroom or web-based courses. Useful for researchers, practitioners, teachers, and students, Urban Horticulture is a flexible resource that details how passive and active interaction with plants enriches people's lives. It presents several cases that illustrate how such interactions improve physical and mental health, quality of life, social well-being, and community growth.

Biology of Apples and Pears is a comprehensive reference book on all aspects of pomology at the organ, tree and orchard level. It provides detailed information on propagation, root and shoot growth, root stock effects, canopy development in relation to orchard design, flowering, pollination, fruit set, fruit growth, fruit quality factors and quality retention in store. It also deals with mineral nutrition, water-relations and irrigation, diseases and pests and biotechnology. The book emphasises the scientific basis of modern tree and orchard management and fruit storage. It describes key cultivar differences and their physiology and genetics and environmental effects and cultivar x environment interactions in tropical and sub-tropical as well as temperate zone conditions. It is written for fruit growers, extension workers, plant breeders, biotechnologists and storage and crop protection specialists as well as for researchers and students of pomology and horticulture.

Swathes of the human world are covered in ornamental grass lawns; they are the single most commonly encountered horticultural feature on the planet. Unfortunately, they are now often viewed as resource-draining green deserts due to the lack of plant and animal diversity, the need for frequent mowing and watering, and addition of lawn greening products to keep them looking at their best. It is a venerable horticultural feature that is essentially frozen in time, and with few alternatives to whet the appetite, the lawn has languished in its current grass-only format for decades. Until now. Tapestry lawns are a new, practically researched and timely development of the ornamental lawn format that integrates both horticultural practice and ecological science and re-determines the potential of a lawn. Mown barely a handful of times a year and with no need for fertilisers or scarifying, tapestry lawns are substantially richer in their diversity of plant and animal life compared to traditional grass-only lawns and see the return of flowers and colour to a format from which they are usually purposefully excluded. Tapestry Lawns: Freed from Grass and Full of Flowers traces the changes in the lawn format from its origins to the modern day and offers information on how and why the tapestry lawn construct is now achievable. It provides guidance on how to create and maintain a tapestry lawn of your own and champions the potential benefits for wildlife that can follow. Features Accessible and informative to all types of readers from academic to amateur Includes a refined and tested set of useful tapestry lawn plants Contains step-by-step instructions for creation and management methods of grass-free lawns Illustrated in full colour If you have ever thought about mowing your lawn much less, making it much more colourful and wildlife friendly, then this book will inform and guide you to create a perfect, grass-free lawn.

In order to face new challenges and unique situations in turfgrass management, students need to understand why specific management practices work and how to adjust them based on plants' requirements. Explaining the physiological needs of turfgrass plants, this advanced textbook outlines the management techniques that help supply those needs. Chapters discuss a range of practices and methods to cope with stress under both normal and less than optimum conditions, providing the decision-making tools for improvement based on changing environmental conditions. This textbook presents a unique perspective of both science and practical management principles that will be applicable to all turfgrass sectors.

Completely updated, this broad-based introductory level textbook covers the key concepts and practical technologies to slow the deterioration of harvested produce, including handling, packaging, transport, temperature management and the control of pests and diseases. The book retains the high quality colour section and the content has been revised to reflect up-to-date information on the key issues of effective postharvest handling. New to the sixth edition: - Discussion of issues important to consumers and the impact of trends in convenience marketing on the quality of fresh-cut produce - Coverage of sustainability in terms of both energy used by technologies and non-synthetic disease and pest control systems - Greater consideration given to pre-harvest factors that influence quality - Additional information about the health benefits of plant antioxidant properties and a discussion of 'superfoods' This new edition is an invaluable resource for students of horticulture, plant physiology and food science, and industry personnel involved with the transportation, warehousing, marketing and retailing of fresh produce.

This comprehensive reference on all aspects of pomology at the organ, tree and orchard level describes the main varieties and rootstocks, and the factors controlling their growth, cropping, fruit quality, storage life, fertilizer and irrigation needs. It emphasizes the principles underlying modern high-density planting and the production of fruits in environments ranging from temperate to tropical. The book will be suitable for fruit farmers and technical advisors as well as scientific researchers and students of pomology and horticulture.

This beautifully illustrated glossary constitutes an extraordinary collection of the specialist terms used in many botanical works. The book is arranged in two sections: the glossary, which provides clear definitions for over 2400 of the most commonly used botanical and horticultural terms, and illustrations, which can be cross-referenced to the glossary. The illustrations section comprises over 120 large format pages packed with accurate, well labelled line drawings that complement the definitions. The illustrations are grouped according to specific features, allowing quick comparisons of different forms. This outstanding reference will be welcomed by all readers grappling with botanical terms, whether student, professional, or hobbyist.

A comprehensive guide to the use of math in the Green Industry

Designed for both students and practitioners in the Green Industry, this book offers full coverage of the calculations necessary to effectively, safely, and economically manage a Green Industry operation.

Following clear explanations of all relevant mathematical principles, the authors cover calculations inherent in all aspects of the Green Industry, from determining area and volume, to the application of fertilizers, pesticides, and growth regulators, to preparing design and installation cost estimates.

Coverage includes computations for:

Landscape installation and maintenance

Greenhouse, nursery, and interior landscape operation

Parks and recreation maintenance

Turf management, including lawn care, sports turf, and sod production

Proper application of fertilizers, pesticides, and plant-growth regulators

Proper calibration of application equipment

Additional features include multiple computations for readers to work through, appendices with units of measure and equivalents, and a table with conversion factors.

Sarah Easterby-Smith rewrites the histories of botany and horticulture from the perspectives of plant merchants who sold botanical specimens in the decades around 1800. These merchants were not professional botanists, nor were they the social equals of refined amateurs of botany. Nevertheless, they participated in Enlightenment scholarly networks, acting as intermediaries who communicated information and specimens. Thanks to their practical expertise, they also became sources of new knowledge in their own right. Cultivating Commerce argues that these merchants made essential contributions to botanical history, although their relatively humble status means that their contributions have received little sustained attention to date. Exploring how the expert nurseryman emerged as a new social figure in Britain and France, and examining what happened to the elitist, masculine culture of amateur botany when confronted by expanding public participation, Easterby-Smith sheds fresh light on the evolution of transnational Enlightenment networks during the Age of Revolutions.

Soil has a versatile role in supporting the development of a wide range of organisms, including plants and microorganisms. Soilborne pathogens and root diseases are the primary limiting factor in many crops and tend to be very difficult to control. This first volume of a two-volume set introduces disease-causing microorganisms including oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, and viruses found in soils. It focuses on the biology, detection, and identification of soilborne bacterial, fungal, and viral plant pathogens. Volume two provides information on ecology and epidemiology of soilborne microbial plant pathogens and strategies applicable to manage diseases. Chapters cover exclusion and prevention strategies; improvement of host plant resistance; biological management; application of chemicals; and integration of disease management strategies.

Die Autorin bietet einen Lehransatz fur Landschaftsarchitektur. Sie untersucht das zeitlose Muster grosser Meister der Gartenkunst und fuhrt das Prinzip der Gestaltung auf quantentheoretische Anordnungen zuruck. Diese fuhren zur Ersetzung der asthetischen Gestaltungsprinzipien durch das Evolutionsprinzip des Ausgleichs und der Kooperation. Durch Koharenzbetrachtungen insbesondere der Biologie der Erkenntnis, der bildenden Kunst, der Architektur und der Kreativitatsforschung wird jedes Detailwissen mit der Gesetzmassigkeit komplexer nichtlinearer Prozesse verbunden. Inmitten des Wandels wird so die Kontinuitat zuruckgewonnen - ein Denkansatz, der durch seine groessere Flexibilitat, bemerkenswerte Reichweite und Pragnanz der Gestaltung einen Durchbruch schafft.

This new and updated edition of a popular text provides a broad, balanced review of the scientific knowledge of strawberries and their cultivation. The worldwide strawberry industry has grown substantially since the original book was published, and methods of culture have undergone extensive modifications. This volume incorporates important changes to the taxonomy of strawberries and new understanding of how its ancestors evolved. It includes coverage of new disease and pest control methods and recent developments in genomic information. These advancements have greatly improved our understanding of how flowering and fruiting is regulated, and will revolutionize the breeding of strawberries. Drawing on extensive research and practical experience, the author presents an essential text that: Includes new content on genomic data, trait genetics, and marker-assisted strategies for varietal improvement. Provides a thorough review of the evolution of the strawberry and the history of strawberry cultivation. Contains an up-to-date comparison of the cultural systems employed across the world and the physiology behind these practices. Presented in full-colour throughout, this is a core guide for academic and professional researchers, breeders and growers, advisors, extension personnel and students of horticulture.

Fresh? Juice? Paste? Canned? Stewed? Diced? Pureed? Sun Dried? Salsa? Sauce? Ketchup? Rare is the cuisine that does not make use of the tomato in some way, shape, or form, and the resulting culinary popularity of the tomato has led to its proliferation in fields and farms around the world. While some may still argue whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, few would argue that tomato crops are highly lucrative, attractive to farmers in both developing and developed countries and on large and small farms alike. In fact, for those crops with significant global volume and market share, tomatoes are the highest valued among those crops that lack an affiliation to mind-altering drugs. But, the tomato can be a persnickety critter. The tomato doesn't like it too hot, too chilly, too wet, too dry, or too fertile. Many don't ripen at the same time. Most are easily bruised. And, the selective breeding that has yielded a larger, more attractive, and deep red tomato has also mercilessly drained much of the taste and flavor from a once sweet and delectable fruit. Enter the world of sensors and modern sensing technology. The Internet of Things (IOT), when using well chosen, well networked, and well aggregated sensors, has shown tremendous potential to support precision agriculture, providing a more detailed picture of crops than was previously possible using conventional crop monitoring techniques. But, the stringent resources and tight profit margins that are a fact of life among many tomato growing operations, large and small, mean that sensor technologies must be chosen and used carefully. There is no doubt that each sensor must earn its keep in producing the perfect tomato. With that in mind, this book explores key opportunities to marry the potential of sensors that are networked within the IOT to the needs of tomato production in ways that are economically fruitful, technologically robust, and sustainable overall.