Seeds are fundamental to agriculture. They are the starting point for the production of most crops and delivery system for advanced genetics. Seeds constitute 70% of our food and recent additional uses of seeds as stored energy has increased both seed and commodity prices worldwide. The past 50 years has seen many research-driven improvements in seed genetics and technology that have been responsible for dramatic increases in crop productivity worldwide. Increasing demand for seed as biofuel feedstock coupled with a need to feed a burgeoning global population makes seed science and technology an essential discipline for human survival and prosperity. Cereal production alone will have to increase by roughly a billion metric tons in the next 30 years to meet world needs. To meet future world needs for food, fiber and energy, additional research advancements in seed genetics and technology will be critical. Seed science and technology involves several disciplines such as plant production, agronomy, plant physiology, plant science, entomology and plant pathology. The seed is the most important and essential starting point for a healthy plant. If a seed is not viable a seedling will not emerge. If a seed has low vigor a weak seedling will emerge which in turn may either succumb to environmental conditions or attack by pathogens or insects. It is therefore of the outmost importance to look at the seed to make sure that it is viable and will give rise to vigorous seedlings able to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions and pests. Correct sampling of a seed lot is essential before any tests can be done on the seed lot. The purity, both physical and genetic, must be determined before testing. All seed should be tested for viability, that is, the germination percentage must be determined and recorded on the seed lot. Furthermore, the vigor of the seed can also be determined using a range of tests. Seed health testing is also of great importance to prevent new pathogens from entering and establishing in the country and to prevent diseases occurring in the field due to seed-borne inoculum. This book will discuss the different principles governing seed science and technology.

Hill farming is extensive farming in upland areas, primarily rearing sheep, although historically cattle were often reared extensively in upland areas. Hill farming is a type of agricultural practice in the UK in upland regions. In England, hill farms are located mainly in the North and South-Western regions, as well as a few areas bordering Wales. The Scottish highlands are another home for many hill farms. Sheep farms and mixed sheep and cattle farms constitute approximately 55% of the agricultural land in Scotland. These areas have a harsh climate, short growing seasons, relatively poor quality of soil and long winters. Therefore, these areas are considered to be disadvantaged and the animals raised there are generally less productive and farmers will often send them down to the lowlands to be fattened up. Upland areas are not traditionally favorable for agricultural practices. Sustainable farming systems in upland areas are one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture, since a balance is sought between economic development and environmental protection in those areas. Uplands are particularly sensitive to agricultural encroachments. Driven by growing food demand to feed increasing populations and low farm income in many uplands, however, there is a tendency to use more productive, intensive farming methods in place of traditional subsistence farming characterized by poor crop yields and low farm productivity. Intensive farming methods suitable for lowlands can be disastrous when used on uplands without proven technologies and experience, promoting deforestation and soil erosion and reducing land productivity. The problem of sustainable upland agriculture is not a technical one as such but it is more institutional, involving limited R&D investment in upland farming research, sociopolitical neglect of marginalized upland societies, low capacity of communities, and inappropriate development planning. In recent years, there have been some successful examples of sustainable upland farming. Farmers need cash crops as well as food crops, in systems which maintain soil productivity. Where transport networks are poor, low-volume high-value cash crops with a long storage life are important. Many farming households now earn a living from direct marketing of specialty crops and animals, accommodation, or recreation and leisure, as well as farming.

The practice of horticulture can be retraced. It dates back to the times of Cyrus, the Great of ancient Persia, and has been going on ever since, with present-day horticulturists such as Freeman S. Howlett and Luther Burbank. The practice of horticulture can be retraced for many thousands of years. Horticulture is the science and art of producing, improving, marketing, and using fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. It differs from botany and other plant sciences in that horticulture incorporates both science and aesthetics. Production and consumption of high quality fruits and vegetables allows us to maintain a healthy, balanced daily diet. Flowers and ornamental plants enrich our homes and communities, and contribute to our sense of well-being. Horticulture impacts our lives on a daily basis by providing nutritious fruits and vegetables, offering visual enjoyment, and promoting recreational activities. Horticulture forms an integral and important component in the economy of a nation. Horticultural crops constitute a significant segment of the total agricultural production of a country. The importance of horticulture can be substantiated by its benefits like high export value, high per unit area yield, high returns per unit area, best utilization of wasteland, provision of raw materials for industries, whole engagement by a grower/laborer, production of more food energy per unit area than that of field crops, better use of undulating lands, and stabilization of women's empowerment by providing employment opportunities through processing, floriculture, seed production, mushroom cultivation, nursery preparation, etc. In addition, fruits and vegetables constitute the important energy-giving material to the human body. It also improves the economic condition of many farmers, and it has become a means of improving livelihood for many unprivileged classes too. Flower harvesting, nursery maintenance, hybrid seed production and tissue culture, propagation of fruits and flowers, and food processing are highly remunerative employment options for women in rural areas. It has also been common throughout history for people to raise fruits and vegetables in small gardens to supplement their diets. A "green revolution" took place in the 1960s and 1970s, and the interest in horticulture grew. Today, horticulture is popular and important in all societies, both rich and poor. The popularity of horticulture is due to a number of factors. The horticulture industry provides economic value to local communities and to the country. A healthy industry creates job opportunities. Horticultural practices provide high-quality food for people. It also offers offers an increase in aesthetic pleasure that supports psychological well-being. This book offers the comprehensive accessible information available on indoor and outdoor gardening.

Vertical farming or high-rise farming is a proposed indoor, urban farming technology involving large-scale agricultural production in multi-story buildings. It is an intensive farming strategy which mainly employs advanced techniques such as hydroponics and aeroponics to produce crops like fruits, vegetables and edible mushrooms continuously. Unlike traditional farming in non-tropical areas, indoor farming can produce crops year-round. All-season farming multiplies the productivity of the farmed surface by a factor of 4 to 6 depending on the crop. With some crops, such as strawberries, the factor may be as high as 30. Furthermore, as the crops would be sold in the same infrastructures in which they are grown, they will not need to be transported between production and sale, resulting in less spoilage, infestation, and energy required than conventional farming encounters. Crops grown in traditional outdoor farming suffer from the often suboptimal, and sometimes extreme, nature of geological and meteorological events such as undesirable temperatures or rainfall amounts, monsoons, hailstorms, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, and severe droughts. The protection of crops from weather is increasingly important as global climate change occurs. Because vertical plant farming provides a controlled environment, the productivity of vertical farms would be mostly independent of weather and protected from extreme weather events. Although the controlled environment of vertical farming negates most of these factors, earthquakes and tornadoes still pose threats to the proposed infrastructure, although this again depends on the location of the vertical farms. With high-rise farming, a relatively large area of land will be converted into a facility on which a multi-story building will be constructed. It will be located in the urban center. Important food crops will be grown in this building on soil-less media, employing mainly the techniques in hydroponics. It is estimated that by the year 2050, close to 80% of the world's population will live in urban areas and the total population of the world will increase by 3 billion people. A very large amount of land may be required depending on the change in yield per hectare. Scientists are concerned that this large amount of required farmland will not be available and that severe damage to the earth will be caused by the added farmland.