Medicinal plants are globally valuable sources of herbal products. Plant-based remedies have been used for centuries and have had no alternative in the western medicine repertoire, while others and their bioactive derivatives are in high demand and have been the central focus of biomedical research. As Medicinal plants move from fringe to mainstream with a greater number of individuals seeking treatments free of side effects, considerable attention has been paid to utilize plant-based products for the prevention and cure of human diseases. An unintended consequence of this increased demand, however, is that the existence of many medicinal plants is now threatened, due to their small population size, narrow distribution area, habitat specificity, and destructive mode of harvesting. In addition, climate change, habitat loss and genetic drift have further endangered these unique species. Although extensive research has been carried out on medicinal and aromatic plants, there is relatively little information available on their global distribution patterns, conservation and the associated laws prevailing. This book reviews the current status of threatened medicinal plants in light of increased surge in the demand for herbal medicine. It brings together chapters on both wild (non-cultivated) and domestic (cultivated) species having therapeutic values. Thematically, conventional and contemporary approaches to conservation of such threatened medicinal plants with commercial feasibility are presented. The topics of interest include, but not limited to, biotechnology, sustainable development, in situ and ex situ conservation, and even the relevance of IPR on threatened medicinal plants. We believe this book is useful to horticulturists, botanists, policy makers, conservationists, NGOs and researchers in the academia and the industry sectors.

This book provides all aspects of the physiology, stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses of the Brassicaceae plants. Different plant families have been providing food, fodder, fuel, medicine and other basic needs for the human and animal since the ancient time. Among the plant families, Brassicaceae has special importance for their agri-horticultural importance and multifarious uses apart from the basic needs. Interest understanding the response of Brassicaceae plants toward abiotic stresses is growing considering the economic importance and the special adaptive mechanisms. The knowledge needs to be translated into improved elite lines that can contribute to achieve food security. The physiological and molecular mechanisms acting on Brassicaceae introduced in this book are useful to students and researchers working on biology, physiology, environmental interactions and biotechnology of Brassicaceae plants.

This book focuses on the conventional breeding approach, and on the latest high-throughput genomics tools and genetic engineering / biotechnological interventions used to improve rice quality. It is the first book to exclusively focus on rice as a major food crop and the application of genomics and genetic engineering approaches to achieve enhanced rice quality in terms of tolerance to various abiotic stresses, resistance to biotic stresses, herbicide resistance, nutritional value, photosynthetic performance, nitrogen use efficiency, and grain yield. The range of topics is quite broad and exhaustive, making the book an essential reference guide for researchers and scientists around the globe who are working in the field of rice genomics and biotechnology. In addition, it provides a road map for rice quality improvement that plant breeders and agriculturists can actively consult to achieve better crop production.

This book addresses the impact of important climatic changes on plant pests (including weeds, diseases and insect pests), and their interactions with crop plants. Anthropogenic activities have seriously impacted the global climate. As a result, carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature levels of the earth are on a continuous rise. The global temperature is expected to increase by a 3 DegreesC or more by the end of this century. The CO2 concentration was below 300 parts per million (ppm) before the start of the industrial era; however, recently it has exceeded 400 ppm. This is highest ever in human history. Other than global warming and elevated CO2 concentrations, anthropogenic activities have also disturbed the global water cycle, ultimately, impacting the quantity and distribution of rainfall. This has resulted in drought conditions in many parts of the world. Global warming, elevated CO2 concentration and drought are considered the most important recent climatic changes that are impacting global ecosystems and human societies. Among other impacts, the effects of climatic changes on pests, pest-crop interactions and pest control are important with relevance to global food security, and hence require immediate attention by plant scientists. This book discusses innovative and the most effective pest control methods under an environment of changing climate and elaborates on the impact of drought on plant pests and their control.

This book focuses on the application of nanotechnology in medicine and drug delivery, including diagnosis and therapy. Nanomedicine can contribute to the development of a personalized medicine both for diagnosis and therapy. By interacting with biological molecules at nanoscale level, nanotechnology opens up an immense field of research and applications. Interactions between artificial molecular assemblies or nanodevices and biomolecules can be understood both in the extracellular medium and inside human cells. Operating at nanoscale allows exploitation of physical properties different from those observed at microscale, such as the volume to surface area ratio. A number of clinical applications of nanobiotechnology, such as disease diagnosis, target-specific drug delivery, and molecular imaging are being investigated. Some promising new products are also undergoing clinical trials. Such advanced applications of this approach to biological systems will undoubtedly transform the foundations of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in the future. Nanomedicine sales reached $16 billion in 2015, with a minimum of $3.8 billion in nanotechnology R&D being invested each year. Global funding for emerging nanotechnology increased by 45% per year in recent years, with product sales exceeding $1 trillion in 2013. As the nanomedicine industry continues to grow, it is expected to have a significant impact on the global economy. This book provides clear, colorful and simple illustrations, tables, and case studies to clearly convey the content to a general audience and reader. This book also discusses the development of nanobiomaterials from biogenic (biological sources) systems for healthcare and disease therapies. This book, therefore, is useful for researchers and academicians in the fields of nanotechnology, medicine, nano-biotechnology and pharmacology.

Globalization and industrialization involve a number of reactions, products, extractions, and separations that require the use of organic solvents. These solvents are responsible for a number of ecological concerns, including atmospheric and land toxicity. Conventional organic solvents are regarded as volatile organic compounds; some are even limited due to their potential for ozone layer depletion. While supercritical liquids exhibit physical properties that could make them ideal substitutes for these volatile compounds, there is particular interest in the use of carbon dioxide as a solvent of crude material. In particular, carbon dioxide has apparent 'green' properties, like its noncombustible nature, the fact that it is generally nonpoisonous, and its relative inertness. Thus, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide can provide practical improvements to the sustainability of industrial products and processes. This book provides in-depth literature in the area of industrial green processes, focusing on the separation, purification, and extraction of compounds utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide as a green solvent.

Traditional methods in synthetic chemistry produce chemical waste and byproducts, yield smaller desired products, and generate toxic chemical substances, but the past two centuries have seen consistent, greener improvements in organic synthesis and transformations. These improvements have contributed to substance handling efficiency by using green-engineered forerunners like sustainable techniques, green processes, eco-friendly catalysis, and have minimized energy consumption, reduced potential waste, improved desired product yields, and avoided toxic organic precursors or solvents in organic synthesis. Green synthesis has the potential to have a major ecological and monetary impact on modern pharmaceutical R&D and organic chemistry fields. This book presents a broad scope of green techniques for medicinal, analytical, environmental, and organic chemistry applications. It presents an accessible overview of new innovations in the field, dissecting the highlights and green chemistry attributes of approaches to green synthesis, and provides cases to exhibit applications to pharmaceutical and organic chemistry. Although daily chemical processes are a major part of the sustainable development of pharmaceuticals and industrial products, the resulting environmental pollution of these processes is of worldwide concern. This edition discusses green chemistry techniques and sustainable processes involved in synthetic organic chemistry, natural products, drug syntheses, as well various useful industrial applications.

This book compiles the fundamental advances resulting from of oil-palm genome and transcriptome sequencing, and describes the challenges faced and strategies applied in sequencing, assembling and annotating oil palm genome sequences. The availability of genome and transcriptome data has made the mining of a high number of new molecular markers useful for genetic diversity as well as marker-trait association studies and the book presents high-throughput genotyping platforms, which allow the detection of QTL regions associated with interesting oil palm traits such as oil unsaturation and yield components using classical genetic and association mapping approaches. Lastly, it also presents the discovery of major genes governing economically important traits of the oil palm. Covering the history of oil palm expansion, classical and molecular cytogenetics, improvements based on wild and advanced genetic materials, and the science of oil palm breeding, the book is a valuable resource for scientists involved in plant genetic research.

Plants require essential nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients) for normal functioning. Sufficiency range is the levels of nutrients necessary to meet the plant's needs for optimal growth. This range depends on individual plant species and the particular nutrient. Nutrient levels outside of a plant's sufficiency range cause overall crop growth and health to decline, due either to deficiency or toxicity from over-accumulation. Apart from micronutrients (B, Cl, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mo), Aluminum (Al), cerium (Ce), cobalt (Co), iodine (I), lanthanum (La), sodium (Na), selenium (Se), silicon (Si), titanium (Ti), and vanadium (V) are emerging as novel biostimulants that may enhance crop productivity and nutritional quality. These beneficial elements are not "essential" but when supplied at low dosages, they augment plant growth, development, and yield by stimulating specific molecular, biochemical, and physiological pathways in responses to challenging environments. The book is the first reference volume that approaches plant micronutrient management with the latest biotechnological and omics tools. Expertly curated chapters highlight working solutions as well as open problems and future challenges in plant micronutrient deficiency or toxicity. We believe this book will introduce readers to state-of-the-art developments and research trends in this field.

This book comprehensively introduces all aspects of the physiology, stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses of the Fabaceae plants. Different plant families have been providing food, fodder, fuel, medicine and other basic needs for the human and animal since the ancient time. Among the plant families Fabaceae have special importance for their agri-horticultural importance and multifarious uses apart from the basic needs. Interest in the response of Fabaceae plants toward abiotic stresses is growing considering the economic importance and the special adaptive mechanisms. Recent advances and developments in molecular and biotechnological tools has contributed to ease and wider this mission. This book provides up-to-date findings that will be of greater use for the students and researchers, particularly Plant Physiologists, Environmental Scientists, Biotechnologists, Botanists, Food Scientists and Agronomists, to get the information on the recent advances on this plant family in regard to physiology and stress tolerance.

Urbanization, industrialization, and unethical agricultural practices have considerably negative effects on the environment, flora, fauna, and the health and safety of humanity. Over the last decade, green chemistry research has focused on discovering and utilizing safer, more environmentally friendly processes to synthesize products like organic compounds, inorganic compounds, medicines, proteins, enzymes, and food supplements. These green processes exist in other interdisciplinary fields of science and technology, like chemistry, physics, biology, and biotechnology, Still the majority of processes in these fields use and generate toxic raw materials, resulting in techniques and byproducts which damage the environment. Green chemistry principles, alternatively, consider preventing waste generation altogether, the atom economy, using less toxic raw materials and solvents, and opting for reducing environmentally damaging byproducts through energy efficiency. Green chemistry is, therefore, the most important field relating to the sustainable development of resources without harmfully impacting the environment. This book provides in-depth research on the use of green chemistry principles for a number of applications.

Agriculture is considered as a backbone of developing nations as it caters the needs of the people, directly or indirectly. The global agriculture currently faces enormous challenges like land degradation and reduced soil fertility, shrinking of land, low production yield, water accessibility and a dearth of labor due to evacuation of individuals from farming. Besides, the global population increases at an exponential rate and it is predicted that the global population will be 9 billion by 2050 that in turn leads to food crisis in near future. Although, green revolution revolutionizes the agriculture sector by enhancing the yield but it was not considered as a sustainable approach. Exorbitant use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost the crop yield is definitely not a convenient approach for agriculture sustainability in the light of the fact that these chemical fertilizers are considered as double-edged sword, which on one hand enhance the crop yield but at the same time possess deleterious effect on the soil microflora and thus declines its fertility. Besides, it cause irreversible damage to the soil texture and disrupts the equilibrium in the food chain across ecosystem, which might in turn lead to genetic mutations in future generations of consumers. Thus, the increased dependence on fabricated agricultural additives during and post green revolution has generated serious issues pertaining to sustainability, environmental impact and health hazards. Therefore, nano-biotechnology has emerged as a promising tool to tackle the above problems especially in the agriculture sector. Nano-agribusiness is an emerged field to enhance crop yield, rejuvenate soil health, provide precision farming and stimulate plant growth. Nano-biotechnology is an essential tool in modern agriculture and is considered as a primary economic driver in near future. It is evaluated that joining of cutting edge nanotechnology in agribusiness would push the worldwide monetary development to approximately US$ 3.4 trillion by 2020 which clearly indicates that how agri-nanobiotechnology plays a pivotal role in the agricultural sector, without any negative impact on the environment and other regulatory issues of biosafety. Agri-nanobiotechnology is an innovative green technology, which provides the solution to global food security, sustainability and climate change. The current book is presenting the role of nano-biotechnology in modern agriculture and how it plays a pivotal role to boost the agri-business.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commerical export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop, such as wheat, usually take 10-12 years to develop and release of the new variety. During the past 10 years, significant advances have been made and accelerated methods have been developed for precision breeding and early release of crop varieties. This work summarizes concepts dealing with germplasm enhancement and development of improved varieties based on innovative methodologies that include doubled haploidy, marker assisted selection, marker assisted background selection, genetic mapping, genomic selection, high-throughput genotyping, high-throughput phenotyping, mutation breeding, reverse breeding, transgenic breeding, shuttle breeding, speed breeding, low cost high-throughput field phenotyping, etc. It is an important reference with special focus on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that include both unicellular and multicellular species. They have a worldwide distribution and a wide range of applications in diverse sectors, from environmental, food and medicine to biotechnological innovations. Fungal biochemical genetics involves the study of the relationships between genome, proteome and metabolome, and the underlying molecular processes in both native and bioengineered fungi. This book provides a valuable resource on the challenges and potential of fungal biotechnology and related bioengineering and functional diversity for various industrial applications in the food, environmental, bioenergy and biorefining, and the biopharma sectors. In comparison to previous and related publications in the area of applied myco-biotech-engineering, this book bridges a knowledge gap in the areas related to prospects and investment as well as intellectual and technical issues. This book also provides information on recent commercial and economic interests in the area by juxtaposing the developments achieved in recent worldwide research and its many challenges.

In the pursuit of technological advancement in the field of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to counteract health issues, bacterial infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The ability of bacterial pathogens to form biofilms further agglomerates the situation by showing resistance to conventional antibiotics. To overcome this serious issue, bioactive metabolites and other natural products were exploited to combat bacterial infections and biofilm-related health consequences. Natural products exhibited promising results in vitro, however; their efficacy in in vivo conditions remain obscured due to their low-solubility, bioavailability, and biocompatibility issues. In this scenario, nanotechnological interventions provide a multifaceted platform for targeted delivery of bioactive compounds by slow and sustained release of drug-like compounds. The unique physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility and eco-friendly nature of bioinspired nanostructures has revolutionized the field of biology to eradicate microbial infections and biofilm-related complications. The green-nanotechnology based metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles have been regularly employed for antimicrobial and antibiofilm applications without causing damage to host tissues. The implications of these nanoparticles toward achieving sustainability in agriculture by providing systemic resistance against a variety of phytopathogens therefore plays crucial role in growth and crop productivity. Also the advent of smart and hybrid nanomaterials such as metal-based polymer nanocomposites, lipid-based nanomaterials and liposomes have the inherent potential to eradicate bacterial biofilm-related infections in an efficient manner. The recent development of carbon-based nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silica based nanomaterials such as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) also exploit a target of dreadful healthcare conditions such as cancer, immunomodulatory diseases, and microbial infections, as well as biofilm-related issues owing to their stability profile, biocompatibility, and unique physio-chemical properties. Recently novel physical approaches such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) also revolutionized conventional strategies and are engaged in eradicating microbial biofilm-related infections and related health consequences. These promising advancements in the development of novel strategies to treat microbial infections and biofilm-related multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon may provide new avenues and aid to conventional antimicrobial therapeutics.

In this age of population explosion and depleting natural resources, this book offers new techniques to produce more from agricultural crops at a lower cost. The field of agronomy addresses this issue and interacts with the fields of agriculture, botany, and economics. Nanotechnology and nanoparticles play a role in agronomy. This book will join the techniques from both fields to construct one comprehensive book. Students of agriculture, physics, nanotechnology, and plant sciences will benefit equally from this work.

Translational medicine addresses the gap between research and the clinical application of new discoveries. To efficiently deliver new drugs to care centers, a preclinical evaluation, both in vitro and in vivo, is required to ensure that the most active and least toxic compounds are selected as well as to predict clinical outcome. Antimicrobial nanomedicines have been shown to have higher specificity in their therapeutic targets and the ability to serve as adjuvants, increasing the effectiveness of pre-existing immune compounds. The design and development of new standardized protocols for evaluating antimicrobial nanomedicines is needed for both the industry and clinical laboratory. These protocols must aim to evaluate laboratory activity and present models of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic and toxicokinetic behavior that predict absorption and distribution. Likewise, these protocols must follow a theranostics approach, be able to detect promising formulations, diagnose the infectious disease, and determine the correct treatment to implement a personalized therapeutic behavior. Given the possibilities that nanotechnology offers, not updating to new screening platforms is inadequate as it prevents the correct application of discoveries, increasing the effect of the valley of death between innovations and their use. This book is structured to discuss the fundamentals taken into account for the design of robust, reproducible and automatable evaluation platforms. These vital platforms should enable the discovery of new medicines with which to face antimicrobial resistance (RAM), one of the great problems of our time.

This second edition volume expands on the previous edition with updated chapters in model systems and new crops. The book contains protocols for plastid engineering in leaves, tissue culture cells, and the shoot apex of plants, as well as for marker excision from the plastid genome and engineering Rubisco, the key enzyme of photosynthesis. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and practical, Chloroplast Biotechnology: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is a valuable resource for researchers who wish to enter the field, and for practitioners looking for insights of applications in agriculture, industrial biotechnology and healthcare.

This comprehensive guide to potato production systems management contains 20 chapters and more than 350 color photographs. Beginning with the history of potato culture, it spans all aspects of potato production, pest and planting management, storage, and marketing. Written by a team of over 35 scientists from North America, this book offers updated research-based information and serves as a unique, valuable tool for researchers, extension specialists, students, and farm managers. More than a description of principles, it contains practical analytical tools, charts, and methods to create guidelines for best production practices and cost estimates. Some key areas include: Potato Growth and Development, Potato Variety Selection and Management, Seed and Planting Management, Seed Production and Certification, Field Selection, Crop Rotation, and Soil Management, Integrated Pest Management for Potatoes, Potato Nutrient Management, Irrigation Management, Tuber Quality, Economics and Marketing, Production Costs, among others. Potato Production Systems should be a valuable reference for successful culture of the "noble tuber."

This comprehensive volume covers recent studies into agricultural problems caused by soil and water contamination. Considering the importance of agricultural crops to human health, the editors have focused on chapters detailing the negative impact of heavy metals, excessive chemical fertilizer use, nutrients, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, agricultural wastes and toxic pollutants, among others, on agricultural soil and crops. In addition, the chapters offer solutions to these negative impacts through various scientific approaches, including using biotechnology, nanotechnology, nutrient management strategies, biofertilizers, as well as potent PGRs and elicitors. This book serves as a key source of information on scientific and engineered approaches and challenges for the bioremediation of agricultural contamination worldwide. This book should be helpful for research students, teachers, agriculturalists, agronomists, botanists, and plant growers, as well as in the fields of agriculture, agronomy, plant science, plant biology, and biotechnology, among others. It serves as an excellent reference on the current research and future directions of contaminants in agriculture from laboratory research to field application.

This volume provides methods and protocols on principle, production, molecular aspects, and sustainability of biofuel and biodiesel. Chapters are divided into four sections detailing biofuel production, biodiesel production, molecular genetics, biotechnology of biofuel and biodiesel production, economics, and sustainability of biofuel production. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Biofuels and Biodiesel aims to be useful for researchers, students, and enthusiasts in the field of biofuel and biodiesel.

Global population is mounting at an alarming stride to surpass 9.3 billion by 2050, whereas simultaneously the agricultural productivity is gravely affected by climate changes resulting in increased biotic and abiotic stresses. The genus Brassica belongs to the mustard family whose members are known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages or mustard plants. Rapeseed-mustard is world's third most important source of edible oil after soybean and oil palm. It has worldwide acceptance owing to its rare combination of health promoting factors. It has very low levels of saturated fatty acids which make it the healthiest edible oil that is commonly available. Apart from this, it is rich in antioxidants by virtue of tocopherols and phytosterols presence in the oil. The high omega 3 content reduces the risk of atherosclerosis/heart attack. Conventional breeding methods have met with limited success in Brassica because yield and stress resilience are polygenic traits and are greatly influenced by environment. Therefore, it is imperative to accelerate the efforts to unravel the biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying yield, quality and tolerance towards biotic and abiotic stresses in Brassica. To exploit its fullest potential, systematic efforts are needed to unlock the genetic information for new germplasms that tolerate initial and terminal state heat coupled with moisture stress. For instance, wild relatives may be exploited in developing introgressed and resynthesized lines with desirable attributes. Exploitation of heterosis is another important area which can be achieved by introducing transgenics to raise stable CMS lines. Doubled haploid breeding and marker assisted selection should be employed along with conventional breeding. Breeding programmes aim at enhancing resource use efficiency, especially nutrient and water as well as adoption to aberrant environmental changes should also be considered. Biotechnological interventions are essential for altering the biosynthetic pathways for developing high oleic and low linolenic lines. Accordingly, tools such as microspore and ovule culture, embryo rescue, isolation of trait specific genes especially for aphid, Sclerotinia and alternaria blight resistance, etc. along with identification of potential lines based on genetic diversity can assist ongoing breeding programmes. In this book, we highlight the recent molecular, genetic and genomic interventions made to achieve crop improvement in terms of yield increase, quality and stress tolerance in Brassica, with a special emphasis in Rapeseed-mustard.

Several nano-scale devices have emerged that are capable of analysing plant diseases, nutrient deficiencies and any other ailments that may affect food security in agro-ecosystems. It has been envisioned that smart delivery systems can be developed and utilised for better management of agricultural ecosystems. These systems could exhibit beneficial, multi-functional characteristics, which could be used to assess and also control habitat-imposed stresses to crops. Nanoparticle-mediated smart delivery systems can control the delivery of nutrients or bioactive and/or pesticide molecules in plants. It has been suggested that nano-particles in plants might help determine their nutrient status and could also be used as cures in agro-ecosystems. Further, to enhance soil and crop productivity, nanotechnology has been used to create and deliver nano fertilizers, which can be defined as nano-particles that directly help supply nutrients for plant growth and soil productivity. Nano-particles can be absorbed onto clay networks, leading to improved soil health and more efficient nutrient use by crops. Additionally, fertilizer particles can be coated with nano-particles that facilitate slow and steady release of nutrients, reducing loss of nutrients and enhancing their efficiency in agri-crops. Although the use of nanotechnology in agro-ecosystems is still in its early stages and needs to be developed further, nano-particle-mediated delivery systems are promising solutions for the successful management of agri-ecosystems. In this context, the book offers insights into nanotechnology in agro-ecosystems with reference to biogenic nanoparticles. It highlights the: * occurrence and diversity of Biogenic Nanoparticles * mechanistic approach involved in the synthesis of biogenic nanoparticles * synthesis of nanoparticles using photo-activation, and their fate in the soil ecosystem * potential applications of nanoparticles in agricultural systems * application and biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their characterization * impact of biogenic nanoparticles on biotic stress to plants * mechanistic approaches involved in the antimicrobial effects and cytotoxicity of biogenic nanoparticles * role of biogenic nanoparticles in plant diseases management * relevance of biological synthesized nanoparticles in the longevity of agricultural crops * design and synthesis of nano-biosensors for monitoring pollutants in water, soil and plant systems * applications of nanotechnology in agriculture with special refer to soil, water and plant sciences A useful resource for postgraduate and research students in the field of plant and agricultural sciences, it is also of interest to researchers working in nano and biotechnology.

This book presents recent research on natural fibers extracted from pineapple leaves. Covering several extraction processes, properties of pineapple leaf fibers and comparisons with other natural fibers, and their applications, it provides up-to-date information on the subject of natural fibers from prominent researchers in academia and industry as well as government/private research laboratories across the world. The book is a comprehensive reference resource for university and college faculties, professionals, postdoctoral research fellows, undergraduate/graduate students, researchers and scientists working in the areas of non-forest product utilization, natural fibers, and biomass materials.

This book, now in its second edition, provides researchers and operators a complete description of all aspects regarding the wild ancestor of sugar beet. The possibility of crossing modern crops with the ancestors from which they are derived in order to recover some traits lost through domestication is increasingly attracting interest. The selective process implemented by the first growers led to the elimination of features not considered useful at the time. Yet some of these lost traits have now become very important. In fact, in many areas sugar beet cultivation would now be impossible without the transfer of some genetic resistances from Beta maritima, the crop's ancestor. Moreover, the isolation of such traits is becoming increasingly critical with regard to current and future environmental and economic considerations on e.g. the use of pesticides. This second edition replaces certain photographs and has been updated to reflect the latest advances and findings. One chapter and several sections have been rewritten, and significant revisions have been made throughout the text. The new techniques provide breeders with massively improved analytical means for the safest and fastest selection procedures. Not only will these techniques allow Beta maritima to take on a far greater role as a source of favorable traits; the relative ease with which these characteristics can be transferred will also make it possible to use the germplasm of the whole genus Beta and Patellifolia, which to date has been highly complex, if not impossible, due to the difficulties of hybridization.