Climate change is expected to have a drastic impact on agronomic conditions including temperature, precipitation, soil nutrients, and the incidence of disease pests, to name a few. To face this looming threat, significant progress in developing new breeding strategies has been made over the last few decades. The first volume of Genomics and Breeding for Climate-Resilient Crops presents the basic concepts and strategies for developing climate-resilient crop varieties. Topics covered include: conservation, evaluation and utilization of biodiversity; identification of traits, genes and crops of the future; genomic and molecular tools; genetic engineering; participatory and evolutionary breeding; bioinformatics tools to support breeding; funding and networking support; and intellectual property, regulatory issues, social and political dimensions.

Microalgae are one of the most studied potential sources of biofuels and bioenergy. This book covers the key steps in the production of renewable biofuels from microalgae - strain selection, culture systems, inorganic carbon utilisation, lipid metabolism and quality, hydrogen production, genetic engineering, biomass harvesting, extraction. Greenhouse gas and techno-economic modelling are reviewed as is the 100 year history of microalgae as sources of biofuels and of commercial-scale microalgae culture. A summary of relevant basic standard methods used in the study of microalgae culture is provided. The book is intended for the expert and those starting work in the field.

Over the past 50 years, biotechnology has been the major driving force for increasing crop productivity. Particularly, advances in plant genetic engineering technologies have opened up vast new opportunities for plant researchers and breeders to create new crop varieties with desirable traits. Recent development of precise genome modification methods, such as targeted gene knock-out/knock-in and precise gene replacement, moves genetic engineering to another level and offers even more potentials for improving crop production. The work provides an overview of the latest advances on precise genomic engineering technologies in plants. Topics include recombinase and engineered nucleases-mediated targeted modification, negative/positive selection-based homologous recombination and oligo nucleotide-mediated recombination. Finally, challenges and impacts of the new technologies on present regulations for genetic modification organisms (GMOs) will be discussed.

This comprehensive book details the most recent advances in the microalgae biological sciences and engineering technologies for biomass and biofuel production in order to meet the ongoing need for new and affordable sources of food, chemicals and energy for future generations. The chapters explore new microalgae cultivation techniques, including solid (biofilm) systems, and heterotrophic production methods, while also critically investigating topics such as combining wastewater as a source of nutrients, the effect of CO2 on growth, and converting biomass to methane through anaerobic digestion. The book highlights innovative bioproduct optimization and molecular genetic techniques, applications of genomics and metabolomics, and the genetic engineering of microalgae strains targeting biocrude production. The latest developments in microalgae harvesting and dewatering technologies, which combine biomass production with electricity generation, are presented, along with detailed techno-economic modeling. This extensive volume was written by respected experts in their fields and is intended for a wide audience of researchers and engineers.

The study of origin and domestication of legumes described in this book emerged when it became apparent that while this kind of information is adequate for cereals, the pulses lagged behind. At the end of the 1960s the senior author initiated a study on the chickpea's wild relatives followed by similar attempts for broad bean, fenugreek, common vetch, bitter vetch, and lentil. The junior author joined the project in the late 1980s with a study of the genetics of interspecific hybrid embryo abortion in lentil and later has extensively investigated chickpea domestication and wild peas. While this book mainly describes our research findings, pertinent results obtained by others are also discussed and evaluated. Studying the wild relatives of legumes included evaluation of their taxonomic status, their morphological variation, ecological requirements, exploration of their distribution, and seed collection in their natural habitats. Seeds were examined for their protein profile as preliminary hints of their affinity to the cultigens and plants grown from these seeds were used for establishing their karyotype, producing intra- and interspecific hybrids and analyses of their chromosome pairing at meiosis and fertility. The aim of these investigations was the identification of the potential wild gene pool of the domesticated forms. Assessment of genetic variation among accessions, particularly in the genus Lens, was made by isozymes and chloroplast DNA studies. The main findings include the discovery of the chickpea wild progenitor; studies of lentil in three crossability groups; wild peas proceeded in two lines of study; faba bean and fenugreek and their wild progenitors have not yet been identified; common vetch and its related form were treated here as an aggregate (A. sativa); we found gene flow between members of different karyotypes is possible; bitter vetch and its relation to the domesticated form were established by breeding experiments.

The book is about the seed development in the model and crop plants. Seed development is a key step of the plant life cycle that determines the nutrient value of seeds - the life for human civilization, growth, and development. The nutrient value of seeds is mainly due to storage reserve products such as carbohydrates, lipids (triacylglycerols), and proteins. The book primarily focuses on application of the 21st century high-throughput technologies transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and systems biology in near complete understanding of the various processes involved in seed development in different crop plants. The book reveals how such technologies have revolutionized our understanding of the multilayer processes and regulations involved therein by generating large-scale datasets. Accumulated datasets provide basic knowledge to develop integrated strategies to eventually improve the nutritional value of plant seed and crop yield, a critical goal in food security issues around the globe.

This book will shed light on the effect of salt stress on plants development, proteomics, genomics, genetic engineering, and plant adaptations, among other topics. Understanding the molecular basis will be helpful in developing selection strategies for improving salinity tolerance. The book will cover around 25 chapters with contributors from all over the world.

Sebacinales have emerged as a fascinating order with mutualistic plant-fungal symbionts that consists of exclusively beneficial fungi. This volume of Soil Biology presents an overview of the current results in Sebacinales research with a focus on the potential of these fungi in crop improvement and stress tolerance. The authors demonstrate that Sebacinales are not only extremely versatile in their associations with roots, but are also almost universally present as symptomless endophytes. With this extraordinary diversity, Sebacinales with the key fungus Piriformospora indica might possess remarkable significance in natural ecosystems. Their biotechnological applications are expected to improve the quality of crops while maintaining ecologically and economically sustainable production systems.

This book describes the various applications of microorganisms in improving plant growth, health and the efficiency of phytochemical production. The chapters trace topics such as the role of PGPRs in improving salt stress and heavy metal tolerance in plants; the prevention and control of plant diseases; boosting soil fertility and agriculture productivity; the induction of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in medicinal and aromatic plants; the enhancement of phytochemical levels, and the action mechanisms, diversity and characterization of PGPRs. The reviews will be of interest for scientists in the fields of agriculture, microbiology, soil biology, plant breeding and herbal medicinal products.

In this book, authors who are experts in their fields describe current advances on commercial crops and key enabling technologies that will underpin future advances in biotechnology. They discuss state of the art discoveries as well as future challenges. Tremendous progress has been made in introducing novel genes and traits into plant genomes since the first creation of transgenic plants thirty years ago, and the first commercialization of genetically modified maize in 1996. Consequently, cultivation of biotech crops with useful traits has increased more than 100-fold from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to over 175 million hectares globally in 2013. This achievement has been made possible by continued advances in understanding the basic molecular biology of regulatory sequences to modulate gene expression, enhancement of protein synthesis and new technologies for transformation of crop plants. This book has three sections that encompass knowledge on genetically modified (GM) food crops that are currently used by consumers, those that are anticipated to reach the market place in the near future and enabling technologies that will facilitate the development of next generation GM crops. Section I focuses only on genetically modified maize and soybean (3 chapters each), while Section II discusses the GM food crops rice, wheat, sorghum, vegetables and sugar cane. Section III covers exciting recent developments in several novel enabling technologies, including gene targeting, minichromosomes, and in planta transient expression systems.

Somatic genome manipulation is required when a sexual crossing approach cannot be used in breeding or genetic treatment of an individual organism. Examples can include gene- or cell-therapy of a person to correct disease, genetic improvement of vegetatively propagated plants, and genetic replacement of cytoplasm without significantly modifying the nuclear genome. The advantage of somatic genome manipulation is maintenance of the general genotype while correcting one or more traits. Somatic genome manipulation is also an option for genetic improvement of sexually propagated plants in polyploidy breeding or in overcoming issues of sexual incompatibility. Recent novel technologies in somatic genome manipulation are developing quickly but much of this literature is fragmented and difficult or inconvenient to access. This book represents the first attempt to assemble updated reviews, detailed protocols, and their applications in all fields in which somatic genome manipulation has thrived. This is a truely one-of-a-kind work that brings together the most important and relevant advances in somatic genome manipulation in plants, algae, microorganisms, humans and animals, and demonstrates where the science interacts and where it diverges. The chapters are written by experts on the topic with ready-to-use protocols that were originally developed or adapted from the literature in their laboratories. We expect that this book will be useful for students, researchers, and teachers in both plant and animal research as a resource for the latest information on somatic genome manipulation and for its useful laboratory methods.

Recent studies have revealed remarkable complexity and diversity in orchid-pollinator relationships. These studies comprise a vast literature currently scattered in numerous, often obscure, journals and books. The Pollination Biology of North American Orchids brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive treatment of this information for all native and introduced North American orchids found north of Mexico and Florida. It provides detailed information on genetic compatibility, breeding systems, pollinators, pollination mechanisms, fruiting success, and limiting factors for each species. Distribution, habitat, and floral morphology are also summarized. In addition, detailed line drawings emphasize orchid reproductive organs and their adaptation to known pollinators. This, the second of two volumes, treats the subfamily Orchidoideae with the tribe Cranichideae. This is followed by examination of the seven North American tribes of subfamily Epidendroideae and the single North American tribe of subfamily Vanilloideae. The Pollination Biology of North American Orchids will be of interest to both regional and international audiences including: Researchers and students in this field of study who are currently required to search through the scattered literature to obtain the information gathered here. Researchers and students in related fields with an interest in the co-evolution of plants and insects. Conservation specialists who need to understand both the details of orchid reproduction and the identity of primary pollinators in order to properly manage the land for both. Orchid breeders who require accurate and current information on orchid breeding systems. General readers with an interest in orchid biology. Charles Argue, Ph.D., is a plant biologist at the University of Minnesota specializing in the study of pollen grains. His articles have appeared in numerous journals including the American Journal of Botany, International Journal of Plant Sciences (formerly Botanical Gazette), Botany (formerly Canadian Journal of Botany), Grana, Pollen et Spores, North American Native Orchid Journal, The Native Orchid Conference Journal, Fremontia, and as chapters in a number of books. .

Manyexcitingdiscoveriesinrecentdecadeshavecontributednewknowledgeto ourunderstandingofthemechanismsthatregulatevariousstagesofplantgrowth anddevelopment. Suchinformation,coupledwithadvancesincellandmolecular biology,isfundamentaltocropimprovementusingbiotechnologicalapproaches. Twovolumesconstitutethepresentwork. The?rst,comprising22chapters, commenceswithintroductionsrelatingtogeneregulatorymodelsforplantdev- opmentandcropimprovement,particularlytheuseofArabidopsisasamodelplant. Thesechaptersarefollowedbyspeci?ctopicsthatfocusondifferentdevelopmental aspectsassociatedwithvegetativeandreproductivephasesofthelifecycleofa plant. Six chapters discuss vegetative growth and development. Their contents considertopicssuchasshootbranching,buddormancyandgrowth,thedevel- ment of roots, nodules and tubers, and senescence. The reproductive phase of plantdevelopmentisin14chaptersthatpresenttopicssuchas?oralorganinit- tionandtheregulationof?owering,thedevelopmentofmaleandfemalegametes, pollengerminationandtubegrowth,fertilization,fruitdevelopmentandripening, seed development, dormancy, germination, and apomixis. Male sterility and self-incompatibilityarealsodiscussed. Volume2has20chapters,threeofwhichreviewrecentadvancesinsomatic embryogenesis,microsporeembryogenesisandsomaclonalvariation. Sevenofthe chapterstargetplantprocessesandtheirregulation,includingphotosynthatepartiti- ing,seedmaturationandseedstorageproteinbiosynthesis,theproductionandregu- tionoffattyacids,vitamins,alkaloidsand?owerpigments,and?owerscent. This secondbookalsocontainsfourchaptersonhormonalandenvironmentalsignaling (aminocompounds-containinglipids,auxin,cytokinin,andlight)intheregulationof plantdevelopment;othertopicsencompassthemoleculargeneticsofdevelopmental regulation,includingRNAsilencing,DNAmethylation,epigenetics,activationt- ging,homologousrecombination,andtheengineeringofsyntheticpromoters. Thesebookswillserveaskeyreferencesforadvancedstudentsandresearchers involved in a range of plant-orientated disciplines, including genetics, cell and molecularbiology,functionalgenomics,andbiotechnology. August2009 E-C. PuaandM. R. Davey v Contents PartI CellDifferentiationandDevelopmentInVitro 1 DevelopmentalBiologyofSomaticEmbryogenesis ...3 R. J. Rose,F. R. Mantiri,S. Kurdyukov,S-K. Chen,X-D. Wang, K. E. Nolan,andM. B. Sheahan 1. 1 Introduction ...3 1. 2 BasicRequirementsforInVitroSE ...4 1. 3 ExplantandStemCellBiology ...5 1. 3. 1 Genotype ...5 1. 3. 2 ExplantCells ...6 1. 4 EarliestEventinEmbryogenesis-AsymmetricCellDivision ...8 1. 4. 1 CellWallinEstablishmentofPolarity,DivisionAsymmetry andCellFate ...8 1. 4. 2 DivisionAsymmetryintheInitiationofSE ...10 1. 4. 3 AsymmetricDivisionandtheSuspensorinSE ...10 1. 5 StressComponentintheInitiationofSE ...11 1. 5. 1 ReactiveOxygenSpecies ...11 1. 5. 2 Stress-RelatedHormoneSignalling ...12 1. 6 HormonesandtheInitiationofSE ...13 1. 7 InductionofSEbyOver-ExpressionofLeafyCotyledon TranscriptionFactorsandTheirRelationshiptoSEInductionand Repression-theGAConnection ...14 1. 8 ABA,StressandGA ...16 1. 9 SolubleSignalsandCell-CellInteractionsthatPromoteSEin SuspensionCultures ...16 1. 9. 1 SecretedProteinsthatIn?uenceSE ...16 1. 9. 2 AGPSignallinginSE:MechanismsandInteractionsBetween SignallingPathways ...17 1. 9. 3 Cell-AsymmetricCellDivision ...8 1. 4. 1 CellWallinEstablishmentofPolarity,DivisionAsymmetry andCellFate ...8 1. 4. 2 DivisionAsymmetryintheInitiationofSE ...10 1. 4. 3 AsymmetricDivisionandtheSuspensorinSE ...10 1. 5 StressComponentintheInitiationofSE ...11 1. 5. 1 ReactiveOxygenSpecies ...11 1. 5. 2 Stress-RelatedHormoneSignalling ...12 1. 6 HormonesandtheInitiationofSE ...13 1. 7 InductionofSEbyOver-ExpressionofLeafyCotyledon TranscriptionFactorsandTheirRelationshiptoSEInductionand Repression-theGAConnection ...14 1. 8 ABA,StressandGA ...16 1. 9 SolubleSignalsandCell-CellInteractionsthatPromoteSEin SuspensionCultures ...16 1. 9. 1 SecretedProteinsthatIn?uenceSE ...16 1. 9. 2 AGPSignallinginSE:MechanismsandInteractionsBetween SignallingPathways ...17 1. 9. 3 Cell-Manyexcitingdiscoveriesinrecentdecadeshavecontributednewknowledgeto ourunderstandingofthemechanismsthatregulatevariousstagesofplantgrowth anddevelopment. Suchinformation,coupledwithadvancesincellandmolecular biology,isfundamentaltocropimprovementusingbiotechnologicalapproaches. Twovolumesconstitutethepresentwork. The?rst,comprising22chapters, commenceswithintroductionsrelatingtogeneregulatorymodelsforplantdev- opmentandcropimprovement,particularlytheuseofArabidopsisasamodelplant. Thesechaptersarefollowedbyspeci?ctopicsthatfocusondifferentdevelopmental aspectsassociatedwithvegetativeandreproductivephasesofthelifecycleofa plant. Six chapters discuss vegetative growth and development. Their contents considertopicssuchasshootbranching,buddormancyandgrowth,thedevel- ment of roots, nodules and tubers, and senescence. The reproductive phase of plantdevelopmentisin14chaptersthatpresenttopicssuchas?oralorganinit- tionandtheregulationof?owering,thedevelopmentofmaleandfemalegametes, pollengerminationandtubegrowth,fertilization,fruitdevelopmentandripening, seed development, dormancy, germination, and apomixis. Male sterility and self-incompatibilityarealsodiscussed. Volume2has20chapters,threeofwhichreviewrecentadvancesinsomatic embryogenesis,microsporeembryogenesisandsomaclonalvariation. Sevenofthe chapterstargetplantprocessesandtheirregulation,includingphotosynthatepartiti- ing,seedmaturationandseedstorageproteinbiosynthesis,theproductionandregu- tionoffattyacids,vitamins,alkaloidsand?owerpigments,and?owerscent. This secondbookalsocontainsfourchaptersonhormonalandenvironmentalsignaling (aminocompounds-containinglipids,auxin,cytokinin,andlight)intheregulationof plantdevelopment;othertopicsencompassthemoleculargeneticsofdevelopmental regulation,includingRNAsilencing,DNAmethylation,epigenetics,activationt- ging,homologousrecombination,andtheengineeringofsyntheticpromoters. Thesebookswillserveaskeyreferencesforadvancedstudentsandresearchers involved in a range of plant-orientated disciplines, including genetics, cell and molecularbiology,functionalgenomics,andbiotechnology. August2009 E-C. PuaandM. R. Davey v Contents PartI CellDifferentiationandDevelopmentInVitro 1 DevelopmentalBiologyofSomaticEmbryogenesis ...3 R. J. Rose,F. R. Mantiri,S. Kurdyukov,S-K. Chen,X-D. Wang, K. E. Nolan,andM. B. Sheahan 1. 1 Introduction ...3 1. 2 BasicRequirementsforInVitroSE ...4 1. 3 ExplantandStemCellBiology ...5 1. 3. 1 Genotype ...5 1. 3. 2 ExplantCells ...6 1. 4 EarliestEventinEmbryogenesis-AsymmetricCellDivision ...8 1. 4. 1 CellWallinEstablishmentofPolarity,DivisionAsymmetry andCellFate ...8 1. 4. 2 DivisionAsymmetryintheInitiationofSE ...10 1. 4. 3 AsymmetricDivisionandtheSuspensorinSE ...10 1. 5 StressComponentintheInitiationofSE ...11 1. 5. 1 ReactiveOxygenSpecies ...11 1. 5. 2 Stress-RelatedHormoneSignalling ...12 1. 6 HormonesandtheInitiationofSE ...13 1. 7 InductionofSEbyOver-ExpressionofLeafyCotyledon TranscriptionFactorsandTheirRelationshiptoSEInductionand Repression-theGAConnection ...14 1. 8 ABA,StressandGA ...16 1. 9 SolubleSignalsandCell-CellInteractionsthatPromoteSEin SuspensionCultures ...16 1. 9. 1 SecretedProteinsthatIn?uenceSE ...16 1. 9. 2 AGPSignallinginSE:MechanismsandInteractionsBetween SignallingPathways ...17 1. 9. 3 Cell-CellInteractionandRelevancetoSEinSuspension Cultures ...18 vii viii Contents 1. 10 DevelopmentProgramAfterSEInduction ...19 1. 11 ConcludingRemarksandaModelBasedonStudiesin Medicagotruncatula ...19 1. 12 SEandBiotechnology ...20 References ...21 2 MicrosporeEmbryogenesis ...27 A. Olmedilla 2. 1 Introduction ...27 2. 2 DiscoveryoftheProductionofHaploidsbyAntherCulture ...29 2. 3 StrategiesfortheInductionofMicrosporeEmbryogenesis ...29 2. 4 In?uenceofDifferentFactorsinMicrosporeEmbryogenesis ...30 2. 4. 1 Genotype ...30 2. 4. 2 DonorPlantPhysiology ...31 2. 4. 3 StageofPollenDevelopment ...

Climate change is expected to have a drastic impact on agronomic conditions including temperature, precipitation, soil nutrients, and the incidence of disease pests, to name a few. To face this looming threat, significant progress in developing new breeding strategies has been made over the last few decades. The second volume of Genomics and Breeding for Climate-Resilient Crops describes various genomic and breeding approaches for the genetic improvement of the major target traits. Topics covered include: flowering time; root traits; cold, heat and drought tolerance; water use efficiency; flooding and submergence tolerance; disease and insect resistance; nutrient use efficiency; nitrogen fixation; carbon sequestration; and greenhouse gas emissions.

Major world oil crops and their products are among the most valuable commodity in today's world trade. Over the past couple of decades, oilseed production has increased to become the most important world sources of vegetable oils, in response to the rising world population and living standard. Recent technological advances made in breeding major world oil crops have led to higher production and improved product quality.This comprehensive volume encompasses recent innovations and practice in the production and use of different oil crops, including Brassica, Sunflower, Safflower, Cottonseed, Castor, Olive, Coconut, Oilpalm, Sesame, Groundnut, and Soybean. The contributors are leading specialists from different countries of the world. Much of the literature available on these crops is not up-to-date; hence this volume is a ready reference for researchers, breeders, biotechnologists, industrialists, and nutritionists. Dr. Surinder Kumpar Gupta, born in 1959, is currently working as Professor/Chief Scientist (Oilseeds) Plant Breeding & Genetics and Nodal officer in the School of Biotechnology, S K University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology. He holds a brilliant academic and service record and has been devoted to research on Oilseed Brassicas for nearly two decades. He obtained his post-graduate degree and PhD from Punjab Agricultural University. He is a recipient of a post-doctoral Fellowship in Plant Biotechnology and has published more than 100 research papers in esteemed national and international journals, mostly on Brassicas. He has already developed five varieties of rapeseed-mustard, and has written two books and edited three volumes on rapeseed & mustard breeding. For his excellent scientific endeavors, he has been conferred the 'Young Scientists Award: 1993-1994' by the State Department of Science & Technology.

Crop production in greenhouses is a growing industry, especially in mild climates, and is very important for the population as a source of income and clean, fresh food. Greenhouses create optimal climate conditions for crop growth and protect crops from outside pests. At the same time greenhouse production increases water use efficiency and makes integrated production and protection (IPP) possible. This book provides technical instructions for practice (what to do and what not to do) and gives answers to the question: How to produce more clean crops and better quality with less water, less land and less pesticide. Suitable greenhouse constructions and their design, adapted to local climates in subtropical, tropical and arid regions and infrastructure conditions are presented. The necessary climate control measures - light transmittance, ventilation, cooling, heating, and CO2 enrichment - and physical measures for pest control, as well as methods for using solar energy to desalinate salty water are described. The results of theoretical research are transferred into methods for practical use, so that readers are equipped to solve their problems in practice as well as to get stimulation for further research and development.

Morphological, biological, biochemical and physiological characteristics have been used for the detection, identification and differentiation of fungal pathogens up to species level. Tests based on biological characteristics are less consistent. Immunoassays have been shown to be effective in detecting fungal pathogens present in plants and environmental samples. Development of monoclonal antibody technology has greatly enhanced the sensitivity and specificity of detection, identification and differentiation of fungal species and varieties/strains. Nucleic acid-based techniques involving hybridization with or amplification of unique DNA have provided results rapidly and reliably. Presentation of a large number of protocols is a unique feature of this volume.

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.

The entire range of the developmental processes in plants is regulated by a shift in the hormonal concentration, tissue sensitivity and their interaction with the factors operating around them. Out of the recognized hormones, attention has largely been focused on five - Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinin, Abscisic acid and Ethylene. However, the information about the most recent group of phytohormone (Brassinosteroids) has been incorporated in this book. This volume includes a selection of newly written, integrated, illustrated reviews describing our knowledge of Brassinosteroids and aims to describe them at the present time. Various chapters incorporate both theoretical and practical aspects and may serve as baseline information for future researches through which significant developments are possible. This book will be useful to the students, teachers and researchers, both in universities and research institutes, especially in relation to biological and agricultural sciences.

The volume on Industrial Crop Breeding will be part of the series, Handbook of Plant Breeding. This volume will focus on the emerging area of plant breeding for sustainable production of transportation fuels and bio based products using the current advances in the field. The book is scheduled to consist of a total number of 30 chapters divided into four sections. The sections will emphasize crops being considered for different challenge areas including oil crops for biodiesel; sugar, starch and cellulosic crops for biofuel; crops for bio products and issues and future prospects. A chapter introducing the first three sections will also be included. Outstanding scientists for each crop species are proposed as senior authors, who may invite co-authors to contribute part of a chapter to provide additional expertise or perspective. The proposed authors will represent various national and international institutions to get a more diverse view on the topic and somehow get a global view on the common issues that researchers on industrial crops are facing. The book will comprise primarily of specific issues, available germplasm, breeding techniques, and potential geographical areas of production pertaining to individual crops being considered for industrial uses. We hope to encourage the proposed authors of new crops to provide an estimate of the crop readiness for commercial development and discuss the limitations. This book will be will be of interest and envisioned to serve as an updated reference to researchers in both academic and industrial setting, to students and teachers of plant breeding and to policy makers who are looking for alternative solutions to dependency on imported petroleum products.

Microbial plant pathogens causing qualitative and quantitative losses in all corps are present not only in the infected plants, but also in the environmental comprising of soil, water and air. The vectors present in the environment spread the microbial pathogens to short and/or long distances. Detection of microbial pathogens rapidly and reliably by employing suitable sensitive applicable for different ecosystems. The pathogens have to be identified precisely and differentiated and quantified to plan appropriate short- and long-term strategies to contain the incidence and spread of diseases induced by them. This book aims to present all relevant and latest information on the detection techniques based on the biological, biochemical, immunological and nucleic acid characteristics of microbial pathogens presents in the host plants, as well as in the natural substrates that support the survival and perpetuation of the pathogens.

Experience shows that biotic stresses occur with different levels of intensity in nearly all agricultural areas around the world. The occurrence of insects, weeds and diseases caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses may not be relevant in a specific year but they usually harm yield in most years. Global warming has shifted the paradigm of biotic stresses in most growing areas, especially in the tropical countries, sparking intense discussions in scientific forums. This book was written with the idea of collecting in a single publication the most recent advances and discoveries concerning breeding for biotic stresses, covering all major classes of biotic challenges to agriculture and food production. Accordingly, it presents the state-of-the-art in plant stresses caused by all microorganisms, weeds and insects and how to breed for them. Complementing Plant Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance, this book was written for scientists and students interested in learning how to breed for biotic stress scenarios, allowing them to develop a greater understanding of the basic mechanisms of resistance to biotic stresses and develop resistant cultivars.

This volume examines the interrelated fields of food security, energy security and sustainable agriculture as the key to a stable global agricultural platform and is arranged in six parts. The first part is focused on policy considerations relating to food and energy security and sustainable agriculture. The authors from this part include Former Under Secretary of Agriculture Gale Buchanan, Former Under Secretary of Energy Raymond Orbach (Chapter 1), Stephen Hughes, Bryan Moser and William Gibbons (Chapter 2) and Thomas Redick (Chapter 3). Part II addresses soil and water, which are two of the key components in secure and sustainable food production. Authors from this part are Jerry Hatfield (Chapter 4) and Mahbub Alam, Sharon Megdal et al. (Chapter 5). The third part covers sustainable and secure food production specifically addressing genetically modified traits in Chapter 6 (James McWilliams) and omega-3 fatty acids in Chapter 7 (Jay Whelan et al.). Agronomic implications relative to food security and sustainable agriculture are described in Part IV. Authors include Ravi Sripada, Pradip Das et al. (Chapter 8), Duska Stojsin, Kevin Matson and Richard Leitz (Chapter 9) and S.H. Lee, David Clay and Sharon Clay (Chapter 10). International sustainable agriculture and food security is addressed in Part V with authors Jeff Vitale and John Greenplate (Chapter 11), Julie Borlaug et al. (Chapter 12) and Sylvester Oikeh et al. (Chapter 13). The final part covers the use of chemicals in sustainable agriculture and food/energy security with Leonard Gianessi and Ashley Williams communicating the role of herbicides and Harold Reetz emphasizing the importance of fertilizers both in maximizing crop yields to maintain a sustainable secure source for food production."

Grassland produces feed for livestock, improves soil fertility and structure, protects water resources and may contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon storage and to biodiversity preservation. It simultaneously maintains sustainable economic outputs for farmers and provides ecosystem services. Turf similarly c- siderably contributes to our environment by adding beauty to our surroundings, providing a safe playing surface for sports and recreation. The species diversity present in most grasslands and turfs is a functional div- sity contributing to the previously mentioned agronomic and environmental bene?ts. The species belong to different functional groups and the adequate species com- sition may maximise the agronomic performance through a higher production and a better quality and the environmental bene?ts through symbiotic nitrogen ?xation or sources of pollen and nectar to pollinators. In a given grassland or turf, the genetic diversity available in each variety contributes to this economic and environmental performance, but also to the stability of these performances including the stability of the resistance against pathogens and pests. Natural grasslands share many species with the sown swards. They may be regarded as favourable sites for in situ preservation of genetic diversity as well as valuable sources of diversity for breeding.

The need for the development of techniques based on the characteristics of the viral proteins and genomic nucleic acids was realized in order to detect, identify, differentiate and quantify viruses in the infected plants/planting materials with or without symptoms of infection. Immunoassays have been successfully applied for the detection of viruses in crop and weed host plant species as well as in the vectors. Nucleic acid-based techniques have been demonstrated to be the most reliable and sensitive tests for detection, identification and differentiation of viruses and viroids present in plants and planting materials.. Inclusion of numerous protocols in appropriate chapters as appendix is a unique feature of this volume.