Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop 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 book focuses on the accelerated breeding technologies that have been adopted for major oil crops. It 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. This edited volume is therefore an excellent reference on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

Palynology finds applications in various fields. Some of them are taxonomy, plant evolution, plant breeding programmes, biotechnology, microbiology of water, soil and air, the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, energy food industry, forensic science, aerobiology, allergy, epidemiology, meteorology, fossil fuel exploration and biodiversity. On account of these applications, palynology has gained a lot of importance and is attracting different scientific disciplines. Published literature on the above aspects is widely scattered.

This book reviews the latest advances in multiple fields of plant biotechnology and the opportunities that plant genetics, genomics and molecular biology have offered for agriculture improvement. Advanced technologies can dramatically enhance our capacity in understanding the molecular basis of traits and utilizing the available resources for accelerated development of high yielding, nutritious, input-use efficient and climate-smart crop varieties. In this book, readers will discover the significant advances in plant genetics, structural and functional genomics, trait and gene discovery, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, nanotechnology and analytical & decision support tools in breeding. This book appeals to researchers, academics and other stakeholders of global agriculture.

The perception that civilization is crossing a period of Global Climatic Changes that can seriously threaten our lifestyle, along with energy security and the search for prosperity, are the main drivers that are pushing men to use more biomass as a source of energy. It will be crucial that such intent will include a large parcel of sustainability so that more renewable energy becomes available for populations. Because large amounts of energy are "hidden" in carbon polymers made by plants, notably carbohydrates, it is obvious that if technologies are developed to produce liquid fuels such as ethanol from carbohydrate polymers such as cellulose, men could significantly increase energy sustainability . This book reviews general aspects of biomass utilization for bioenergy production as well as strategies using biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry and physics to disassemble plant cell walls. Recent discoveries of basic science under development in several laboratories in the world are reviewed by experts that have been intensively working with many aspects that will impact the development of the technology of production of cellulosic ethanol.

First published in 1985: This book presents a comprehensive survey of progress and current knowledge of those biochemical processes with greater potential for the development of superior cultivars: Photosynthesis, photorespiration, nitrate assimilation, biological nitrogen fixation, and starch and protein synthesis.

Marker-assisted plant breeding involves the application of molecular marker techniques and statistical and bioinformatics tools to achieve plant breeding objectives in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. This book is intended for beginners in the field who have little or no prior exposure to molecular markers and their applications, but who do have a basic knowledge of genetics and plant breeding, and some exposure to molecular biology. An attempt has been made to provide sufficient basic information in an easy-to-follow format, and also to discuss current issues and developments so as to offer comprehensive coverage of the subject matter. The book will also be useful for breeders and research workers, as it offers a broad range of up-to-the-year information, including aspects like the development of different molecular markers and their various applications. In the first chapter, the field of marker-assisted plant breeding is introduced and placed in the proper perspective in relation to plant breeding. The next three chapters describe the various molecular marker systems, while mapping populations and mapping procedures including high-throughput genotyping are discussed in the subsequent five chapters. Four chapters are devoted to various applications of markers, e.g. marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, diversity analysis, finger printing and positional cloning. In closing, the last two chapters provide information on relevant bioinformatics tools and the rapidly evolving field of phenomics.

This book provides a comprehensive description of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and highlights methods for the use of microphos in different crop production systems. The focus is on understanding both the basic and applied aspects of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and how phosphorus-deficient soils can be transformed into phosphorus-rich ones by applying phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. The interaction of rhizosphere phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and environmental variables, as well as their importance in the production of crops such as legumes, cereals, vegetables etc. are discussed and considered. The use of cold-tolerant phosphate solubilizing microorganisms to enhance crop productivity in mountainous regions is examined, as are the ecological diversity and biotechnological implications of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms. Lastly, the role of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms in aerobic rice cultivation is highlighted. This volume offers a broad overview of plant disease management using phosphate solubilizing microbes and presents strategies for the management of cultivated crops. It will therefore be of special interest to both academics and professionals working in the fields of microbiology, soil microbiology, biotechnology and agronomy, as well as the plant protection sciences. This timely reference book provides an essential and comprehensive source of material, as it includes recent findings on phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and their role in crop production.

The last few years have seen an explosion of new information and resources in the areas of plant molecular genetics and genomics. As a result of developments such as high throughput sequencing, we now have huge amounts of information available on plant genes. But how does this help people charged with the task of improving crop species to create products with altered functions or improved characteristics? This volume considers ways in which the new information, resources and technology can be exploited by the plant breeder. Examples in current use will be quoted wherever possible.

This book reports on the current global status of mungbean and its economic importance. Mungbean (Vigna radiata)-also called green gram-is an important food and cash crop in the rice-based farming systems of South and Southeast Asia, but is also grown in other parts of the world. Its short duration, low input requirement and high global demand make mungbean an ideal rotation crop for smallholder farmers. The book describes mungbean collections maintained by various organizations and their utilization, especially with regard to adapting mungbean to new environments. It provides an overview of the progress made in breeding for tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; nutritional quality enhancement including genomics approaches; and outlines future challenges for mungbean cultivation. In addition, genomic approaches to evaluating the evolutionary relationship between Vigna species and addressing questions concerning domestication, adaptation and genotype-phenotype relationships are also discussed

The author offers an overview of pollen biology and biotechnology for students and researchers in areas such as reproductive biology, biotechnology, aeropalynology, plant breeding, horticulture, and forestry. Citing more than 1,500 references to pollen research, the text covers topics including advances in understanding pollen tube growth, the use of pollen for gene transfer, and advantages and disadvantages of various pollination systems for production of species limits.

Microbial biosurfactant compounds are a group of structurally diverse molecules produced by microorganisms, and are mainly categorized according to their chemical structure. The diversity of microbial biosurfactants makes them versatile and means that they offer a range of capabilities, while at the same time being economically sustainable. As such, they have potential applications in environmental processes, as well as in food, biomedicine and other industries. This book discusses innovative approaches and cutting-edge research that utilize the various properties of biosurfactants. Drawing on research from around the globe, it provides an up-to-date review of biosurfactant applications and their importance in fields such as medicine, gene therapy, immunotherapy, antimicrobial bioremediation and agriculture. It also discusses their anti-adhesive properties. The book will appeal to academics and researchers in the field of microbiology, as well as policymakers. It also serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

In the second volume of this three-volume series, leading researchers in genomics and agriculure present a general discussion on the fundamentals of molecular breeding and applications of molecular markers for germplasm characterization, They investigate basic concepts and the application of molecular mapping and breeding to create improved yield and quality, as well as desired related component traits; limiting biotic and abiotic stresses; and improving physiological traits of economic importance.

This book provides a broad-based foundation of knowledge about brown rice, including the latest information on health benefits and disease prevention resulting from consumption of brown rice, and information on consumer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards brown rice. It is the first book of its kind to provide a comprehensive review of current brown rice science and technology, regulatory/policy issues, dietary intake, consumer interest and health promotion. The edited volume focuses on the latest developments in breeding varieties for high quality brown rice, varietal variations, defects, milling, cooking quality, eating quality, post-harvest management and methods to improve shelf life. Contributing authors address the physical, chemical, engineering, nutritional and glycemic qualities of brown rice in different chapters. Authors also discuss the physiological functions of brown rice in vivo and radical scavenging activity, emphasizing their importance to growers, technologists and consumers, and providing insight into future advances. This comprehensive collection benefits scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, diabetic educators, and professionals in the food industry. The information covered is valuable for food scientists and technologists working to develop new brown rice products and enhancing the taste, quality, and health profile of brown rice.

The Genetics and Genomics of the Brassicaceae provides a review of this important family (commonly termed the mustard family, or Cruciferae). The family contains several cultivated species, including radish, rocket, watercress, wasabi and horseradish, in addition to the vegetable and oil crops of the Brassica genus. There are numerous further species with great potential for exploitation in 21st century agriculture, particularly as sources of bioactive chemicals. These opportunities are reviewed, in the context of the Brassicaceae in agriculture. More detailed descriptions are provided of the genetics of the cultivated Brassica crops, including both the species producing most of the brassica vegetable crops (B. rapa and B. oleracea) and the principal species producing oilseed crops (B. napus and B. juncea). The Brassicaceae also include important "model" plant species. Most prominent is Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant species to have its genome sequenced. Natural genetic variation is reviewed for A. thaliana, as are the genetics of the closely related A. lyrata and of the genus Capsella. Self incompatibility is widespread in the Brassicaceae, and this subject is reviewed. Interest arising from both the commercial value of crop species of the Brassicaceae and the importance of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species, has led to the development of numerous resources to support research. These are reviewed, including germplasm and genomic library resources, and resources for reverse genetics, metabolomics, bioinformatics and transformation. Molecular studies of the genomes of species of the Brassicaceae revealed extensive genome duplication, indicative of multiple polyploidy events during evolution. In some species, such as Brassica napus, there is evidence of multiple rounds of polyploidy during its relatively recent evolution, thus the Brassicaceae represent an excellent model system for the study of the impacts of polyploidy and the subsequent process of diploidisation, whereby the genome stabilises. Sequence-level characterization of the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa are presented, along with summaries of comparative studies conducted at both linkage map and sequence level, and analysis of the structural and functional evolution of resynthesised polyploids, along with a description of the phylogeny and karyotype evolution of the Brassicaceae. Finally, some perspectives of the editors are presented. These focus upon the Brassicaceae species as models for studying genome evolution following polyploidy, the impact of advances in genome sequencing technology, prospects for future transcriptome analysis and upcoming model systems.

"Diagnostics in Plant Breeding" is systematically organizing cutting-edge research reviews on the development and application of molecular tools for the prediction of plant performance. Given its significance for mankind and the available research resources, medical sciences are leading the area of molecular diagnostics, where DNA-based risk assessments for various diseases and biomarkers to determine their onset become increasingly available. So far, most research in plant genomics has been directed towards understanding the molecular basis of biological processes or phenotypic traits. From a plant breeding perspective, however, the main interest is in predicting optimal genotypes based on molecular information for more time- and cost-efficient breeding schemes. It is anticipated that progress in plant genomics and in particular sequence technology made recently will shift the focus from "explanatory" to "predictive" in crop science. This book assembles chapters on all areas relevant to development and application of predictive molecular tools in plant breeding by leading authorties in the respective areas.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial 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.

Current trends in population growth hint that global food production is unlikely to gratify future demands under predicted climate change scenarios unless the rates of crop improvement are accelerated. Crop production faces numerous challenges, due to changing environmental conditions and evolving needs for new plant-derived materials. These challenges come at a time when the plant sciences are witnessing remarkable progress in understanding fundamental processes of plant growth and development. Drought, heat, cold and salinity are among the major abiotic stresses that often cause a series of morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular alterations which adversely affect plant growth, development andproductivity, consequently posing a serious challenge for sustainable food production in large parts of the world, particularly in emerging countries. This emphasizes the urgency of finding better ways to translate new advances in plant science into concrete successes in agricultural production. To overcome the pessimistic influence of abiotic stresses and to maintain the food security in the face of these challenges, new, improved and tolerant crop varieties, contemporary breeding techniques, and cavernous understanding of the mechanisms that counteract detrimental climate changes are indubitably needed to sustain the requisite food supply. In this context, "Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume 1 "provides a state-of-the-art guide to recent developments that aid in the understanding of plant responses to abiotic stresses and lead to new horizons vis-a-vis prime strategies for translating current researchinto applied solutions to create strong yields and overall crop improvement under such unfavourable environments.

Written by a diversegroup of internationally famed scholars, "Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume 1" is a brief yet all-inclusive resource that is immensely advantageous for researchers, students, environmentalists, soil scientists, professionals, and many others in the quest of advancement in this flourishing field of research."

First published in 1985: This book presents a comprehensive survey of progress and current knowledge of those biochemical processes with greater potential for the development of superior cultivars: Photosynthesis, photorespiration, nitrate assimilation, biological nitrogen fixation, and starch and protein synthesis.

Spirulena Platensis, a blue-green algae, has been recognized and used worldwide as a traditional source of protein in the food industry. The uses and mass cultivation of this algae have risen substantially due to an increased understanding of its biological systems. This text contains detailed descriptions of both the biology and the biotechnological uses of Spirulena Platensis. Part One focuses on the physiology, morphology, photosyntheses and genetics of laboratory cultures. Part Two discusses the practical uses in biotechnology industries, such as: the cultivation on flat-plate reactors; mass cultures outdoors; uses in wastewater treatment and the use of biomass. It offers critiques of the problems encountered and discussions of the future commercial prospects for large-scale production.

This book addresses Synthetic Biology (SynBio), a new and promising biotechnology that has attracted much interest from both a scientific and a policy perspective. Yet, questions concerning the patentability of SynBio inventions have not been examined in detail so far; as a result, it remains unclear whether these inventions are patentable on the basis of current norms and case law. The book addresses this question, focusing especially on the subject matter's eligibility and moral criteria. It provides an overview of the legislation and decisions applicable to SynBio patents and examines this new technology in view of the ongoing debate over the patentability of biotechnologies in general. The legal analysis is complemented by the practical examination of several patent applications submitted to the European and US patent offices (EPO and USPTO), and by an assessment of the patent issues that are likely to be raised by future SynBio developments.

The coconut palm occupies a significant place in the world economy as an important subsistence crop in all the areas in which it is grown. Relatively few countries are able to export any quantity of coconut products because of increasing home demands coupled with low productivity. Yields are generally well below potential despite recent developments with improved planting stock and agronomic practices. In the last 50 years, both these aspects have received considerable attention, but the focus is shifting to investigate how the use of recently developed biotechnological techniques- can benefit the coconut industry. This volume, the result of the International Symposium on Coconut Biotechnology (held in December 1997 in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico), describes recent research in three important areas. Standard plant breeding techniques used with coconut have produced improved planting material, but progress is inevitably very slow. Can more rapid genetic improvement be obtained using molecular techniques? The papers presented in this section suggest that such techniques will open up exciting new prospects, but only after basic information has been gathered on the genetic status of existing coconut stocks. Research using microsatellite techniques seems to provide a useful tool to help to classifying these stocks. However, only a combination of classical breeding methods with modem techniques will lead to the rapid improvement which is required to supply material for urgent replanting programs.

This text is intended for plant physiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, biotechnologists, geneticists, horticulturalists, agromnomists and botanists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines. It integrates advances in the diverse and rapidly-expanding field of seed science, from ecological and demographic aspects of seed production, dispersal and germination, to the molecular biology of seed development. The book offers a broad, multidisciplinary approach that covers both theoretical and applied knowledge.

Outlining successful breeding techniques to augment the yields of the world's major crops, this reference analyzes the physiological and genetic basis for past and potential future increases in crop yields.;Covering crops with wide differences in morphology, photosynthetic rates, and nitrogen metabolisms, Genetic Improvement of Field Crops: investigates the changes produced by breeders in the physiological attributes affecting wheat grain yield and nitrogen content during the last century; discusses those crop characteristics of oats that have already been altered or might be manipulated through breeding to further increase yield potential; describes several genetic factors responsible for both yield potential and stress resistance in barley; offers insights into the relationship between increases in the yield potential and stress tolerance of corn; examines the evolution of sunflower crop yields and yield stability and estimates the contribution of improved cultivars; evaluates the effects of breeding on tuber characteristics related to the crop growth and yield of the potato; elucidates the possibilities for simultaneous improvement of yield and fiber strength in cotton; and identifies the features to be considered in the development of high yielding varieties of rice for different agricultural systems.;Providing nearly 1600 key literature citations allowing further in-depth study of particular topics, Genetic Improvement of Field Crops is for plant physiologists and breeders, crop and agricultural scientists, agronomists, biochemists, geneticists, biotechnologists, microbiologists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

Cotton, the most important natural fiber crop, has been improved by conventional breeding-largely through planned hybridization of different cotton genotypes, since the discovery of Mendelian genetics. All these efforts resulted in the development of resilient high yielding cotton varieties. However, the progress through conventional breeding procedures is slow because of long lag periods for developing a variety, little control over the new genetic combinations, unwanted traits and lack of foolproof performance testing system. Genomic assays discovered over the last two decades have made it possible to understand the "language" of the genome by associating the genes with specific traits. Together with the more recently established gene-editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9, the cotton genome can be tailored much more precisely than ever before. In this regard, genetic information has been harnessed, through (i) sequencing of the progenitor and cultivated cotton species, (ii) ongoing mega pan-genome sequencing projects, (iii) genetic and physical mapping, and (iv) introgression of genes from alien sources, that resulted in the development of resilient cotton cultivars. These technologies have been deployed or are attempting to overcome the challenges of water shortage, excessive heat in most cotton growing regions, infectious diseases and infestation of insect pests, as well as rising production cost, for sustainable cotton production beyond 2030. In this book, new knowledge generated by the cotton research community and its application for developing resilient cotton are comprehensively summarized. This book contributed by well-known cotton researchers is a timely collection of the challenges and successes of precision cotton breeding in a changing environment.

This book is an outgrowth of a UNESCO regional workshop entitled Culture Collection and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms. The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with information on the principles and techniques involved in the genetics and breeding of edible mushrooms.