Molecular Impacts of Nanoparticles on Plants and Algae covers molecular mechanisms of plants/algae related to cellular uptake and translocation of nanoparticles, and genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome responses against it. The book introduces readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends of nanoparticles and plants/algae including interaction of nanoparticles with biological compounds in vitro. Nanoscience and nanotechnology have rapidly been developed in the last few decades, and they have a wide range of applications in industry, medicine, food, and agriculture. In agriculture, nanoparticles (NPs) have successfully been used for growth regulation, crop protection and improvement. They are also employed to cope with plant nutrient deficiencies. A predicted significant increase in the output of NPs will cause the discharge of a remarkable number of NPs to ecosystems, creating a need to understand how to optimize or mitigate their impact depending on their potential impact. These include serious health concerns for living organisms in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments as well as human health through their potential existence in plant-based foods. The impact of NPs on living organisms including plants and algae, and uptake, translocation and molecular response mechanisms should be carefully considered before producing and using nanoparticles in large amounts as NPs, when entered to the body, induce changes in gene expressions related to the photosystem, water transport, cell wall formation, and cell division. Further recent studies have showed that NPs are potential agents or stressors to alter proteome, transcriptome, genome and metabolome responses. Impacts of nanoparticles on molecular mechanisms of plants and algae presents the most recent findings on nanoparticle and plant/algae interaction by focusing to molecular response mechanisms at genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome levels. In addition, uptake and translocation mechanism of nanoparticles will be assessed both in plant and algae Throughout this book, the latest developments and discoveries will be highlighted as well as open problems and future challenges in molecular mechanisms of plants/algae as a response of nanoparticles.

This comprehensive three-volume set book, Biotechnologies and Genetics in Plant Mutation Breeding, aims to help combat the challenge of providing enough food for the world by use of advanced process of genetics to improve crop production, in both quantity and quality. Volume 1: Mutagenesis and Crop Improvement first deals with mutagenesis, cytotoxicity, and crop improvement. It discusses the processes, mutagenic effectiveness, and efficiency and mechanisms of mutagenesis and covers the principles, applications, and scope of mutagenesis as well. Several chapters focus on mutation-induced cytological aberrations and cytotoxicity. There is also emphasis on improvement of agronomic characteristics by manipulating the genotype of plant species, resulting in increase in productivity. Volume 2: Revolutionizing Plant Biology presents the use of mutagenesis and biotechnology to explore the variability of mutant genes for crop improvement. In this volume, the chapters deal with in-vitro mutagenesis to exploit the somaclonal variations induced in cell culture. The chapters highlight the importance of in-vitro mutagenesis in inducing salt resistance, heat resistance, and draught resistance. Volume 3: Mechanisms for Genetic Manipulation of Plants covers the different genetic engineering techniques that are used to mutant genes and to incorporate them in different plant species of cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits. Chapters also address in-vitro mutagenesis, which allows specific mutations to be tailored for type and position within the gene. Also discussed are the principles of genetic engineering in which mechanism and action of transfer of desired genes from plants to animals to microorganism and vice versa. Key features: Discusses the applications and principles of mutation breeding Focuses on the applications of mutation breeding in genetic engineering Explains the identification and transfer of desired genes of mutants into desired plants The chapters are supported by authentic data of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other international agencies, highlighting the important role of mutagenesis in crop improvement. With its focus on promising techniques to help to combat food scarcity in the world both in quality and yield, these three volumes will be a valuable asset for advanced students, faculty, scientists, and researchers in biotechnology and genetic engineering as well as those in botany, agriculture, and horticulture.

Bioinformatics is an integrative field of computer science, genetics, genomics, proteomics, and statistics, which has undoubtedly revolutionized the study of biology and medicine in past decades. It mainly assists in modeling, predicting and interpreting large multidimensional biological data by utilizing advanced computational methods. Despite its enormous potential, bioinformatics is not widely integrated into the academic curriculum as most life science students and researchers are still not equipped with the necessary knowledge to take advantage of this powerful tool. Hence, the primary purpose of our book is to supplement this unmet need by providing an easily accessible platform for students and researchers starting their career in life sciences. This book aims to avoid sophisticated computational algorithms and programming. Instead, it focuses on simple DIY analysis and interpretation of biological data with personal computers. Our belief is that once the beginners acquire these basic skillsets, they will be able to handle most of the bioinformatics tools for their research work and to better understand their experimental outcomes. Our second title of this volume set In Silico Life Sciences: Medicine provides hands-on experience in analyzing high throughput molecular data for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of monogenic or polygenic human diseases. The key concepts in this volume include risk factor assessment, genetic tests and result interpretation, personalized medicine, and drug discovery. This volume is expected to train readers in both single and multi-dimensional biological analysis using open data sets, and provides a unique learning experience through clinical scenarios and case studies.

Increase in world population, extreme weather conditions, decrease in fresh water supplies, and changes of dietary habits are major issues that affect global food security. We are expected to face the challenges of land use by 2050 because population will reach 9 billion while agricultural productivity losses are expected due to overuse of lands. How can we feed the next generations in a manner that respects our finite natural resources? Managing our resources in a sustainable way have only begun for selected crops. Much remains to be done to increase food yield. Cropping practices capable of sustainable production need to be elaborated, especially in fragile ecosystems. Typical applications will include the improvement and use of genetic resources; crop management and diversification; diffusion of improved varieties; development of cropping systems; sustainable cropping systems for areas prone to environmental degradation; use of agro-ecological data for crop production forecasting; and networks for regional coordination, and data exchange. The impetus behind this book is to bring attention to a cropping system that bears direct relevance to sustainable agriculture and food security. "Underutilized" crops are found in numerous agricultural ecosystems and often survive mainly in marginal areas. It is timely to review their status because, in recent decades, scientific and economic interests have emerged which focus on lesser-known cultivated species. Underutilized crops have a great potential to alleviate hunger directly, through increasing food production in challenging environments where major crops are severely limited. "Global Perspectives on Underutilized Crops" is therefore topical and highlights the unmet agricultural challenges that we face today. This book is an important resource for students and researchers of crop science and agricultural policy makers.

The book provides an up-to-date account of mangrove forests from Asia, together with restoration techniques, and the management requirements of these ecosystems to ensure their sustainability and conservation. All aspects of mangroves and their conservation are critically re-examined. The book is divided into three sections presenting the distribution and status of mangrove ecosystems in Asia, the challenges they are facing, their issues and opportunities, and the management strategies for their conservation.

Biomass obtained from agricultural residues or forest can be used to produce different materials and bioenergy required in a modern society. As compared to other resources available, biomass is one of the most common and widespread resources in the world. Thus, biomass has the potential to provide a renewable energy source, both locally and across large areas of the world. It is estimated that the total investment in the biomass sector between 2008 and 2021 will reach the large sum of $104 billion. Presently bioenergy is the most important renewable energy option and will remain so the near and medium-term future. Previously several countries try to explore the utilization of biomass in bioenergy and composite sector. Biomass has the potential to become the world s largest and most sustainable energy source and will be very much in demand. Bioenergy is based on resources that can be utilized on a sustainable basis all around the world and can thus serve as an effective option for the provision of energy services. In addition, the benefits accrued go beyond energy provision, creating unique opportunities for regional development. The present book will provide an up-to-date account of non-wood, forest residues, agricultural biomass (natural fibers), and energy crops together with processing, properties, and its applications to ensure biomass utilization and reuse. All aspects of biomass and bioenergy and their properties and applications will be critically re-examined. The book consists of three sections, presenting Non wood and forest products from forestry, arboriculture activities or from wood processing, agricultural biomass (natural fibers) from agricultural harvesting or processing and finally energy crops: high yield crops and grasses grown especially for energy production. "

This book: (i) introduces fundamental and applied bioinformatics research in the field of plant life sciences; (ii) enlightens the potential users towards the recent advances in the development and application of novel computational methods available for the analysis and integration of plant -omics data; (iii) highlights relevant databases, softwares, tools and web resources developed till date to make ease of access for researchers working to decipher plant responses towards stresses; and (iv) presents a critical cross-talks on the available high-throughput data in plant research. Therefore, in addition to being a reference for the professional researchers, it is also of great interest to students and their professors. Considering immense significance of plants for all lives on Earth, the major focus of research in plant biology has been to: (a) select plants that best fit the purposes of human, (b) develop crop plants superior in quality, quantity and farming practices when compared to natural (wild) plants, and (c) explore strategies to help plants to adapt biotic and abiotic/environmental stress factors. Accordingly the development of novel techniques and their applications have increased significantly in recent years. In particular, large amount of biological data have emerged from multi-omics approaches aimed at addressing numerous aspects of the plant systems under biotic or abiotic stresses. However, even though the field is evolving at a rapid pace, information on the cross-talks and/or critical digestion of research outcomes in the context of plant bioinformatics is scarce. "Plant Bioinformatics: Decoding the Phyta" is aimed to bridge this gap.

Meeting the world's food security challenge will require a multi-national, collaborative effort to integrate the best research from science, engineering and socioeconomics so that technological advances can bring benefits where they are most needed. The present book covers the effect of major environmental problems on crop production and how to cope with these issues for sustainable agriculture and improvements of crops. The world's population is predicted to hit 9.6 Billion by 2050, up from today's total of nearly 7.3 Billion, and with it food demand is predicted to increase substantially. The post-war 'second agricultural revolution' in developed countries, and the 'green revolution' in developing nations in the mid- 1960s converted agricultural practices and elevated crop yields spectacularly, but the outcome is levelling off and will not meet projected demand. Simultaneously, crop production is affected by many other factors, including industrial pollution, overuse of fertilizers and insecticides, heavy metal and radiation stresses etc. It has been noted that many pests are becoming resistant to insecticides. Estimates vary, but around 25% of crops can be lost to pests and diseases. Climate change associated with agriculture is also a global issue. Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases and is estimated to account for 10-12% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Many of the issues highlighted are global problems and are addressed thoroug hly in this work.

Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the "scientific methods". Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, It will focus on the secondary metabolic compounds which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 focuses on the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

This book covers studies on the systematics of plant taxa and will include general vegetational aspects and ecological characteristics of plant life at altitudes above 1000 m. from different parts of the world. This volume also addresses how upcoming climate change scenarios will impact high altitude plant life. It presents case studies from the most important mountainous areas like the Himalayas, Caucasus and South America covering the countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kirghizia, Georgia, Russia,Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Americas. The book will serve as an invaluable resource source undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers.

The interactions between the plant, soil and microbes are complex in nature. Events may be antagonistic, mutualistic or synergistic, depending upon the types of microorganisms and their association with the plant and soil in question. Multi-trophic tactics can therefore be employed to nourish plants in various habitats and growth conditions. Understanding the mechanisms of these interactions is thus highly desired in order to utilize the knowledge in an ecofriendly and sustainable way. This holistic approach to crop improvement may not only resolve the upcoming food security issues, but also make the environment greener by reducing the chemical inputs. Plant, soil and microbe, Volume 1: Implications in Crop Science, along with the forthcoming Volume 2: Mechanisms and Molecular Interactions, provide detailed accounts of the exquisite and delicate balance between the three critical components of agronomy. Specifically, these two titles focus on the basis of nutrient exchange between the microorganisms and the host plants, the mechanism of disease protection and the recent molecular details emerged from studying this multi-tropic interaction. Together they aim to provide a solid foundation for the students, teachers, and researchers interested in soil microbiology, plant pathology, ecology and agronomy.

Bioinformatics is an integrative field of computer science, genetics, genomics, proteomics, and statistics, which has undoubtedly revolutionized the study of biology and medicine in past decades. It mainly assists in modeling, predicting and interpreting large multidimensional biological data by utilizing advanced computational methods. Despite its enormous potential, bioinformatics is not widely integrated into the academic curriculum as most life science students and researchers are still not equipped with the necessary knowledge to take advantage of this powerful tool. Hence, the primary purpose of our book is to supplement this unmet need by providing an easily accessible platform for students and researchers starting their career in life sciences. This book aims to avoid sophisticated computational algorithms and programming. Instead, it mostly focuses on simple DIY analysis and interpretation of biological data with personal computers. Our belief is that once the beginners acquire these basic skillsets, they will be able to handle most of the bioinformatics tools for their research work and to better understand their experimental outcomes. Unlike other bioinformatics books which are mostly theoretical, this book provides practical examples for the readers on state-of-the-art open source tools to solve biological problems. Flow charts of experiments, graphical illustrations, and mock data are included for quick reference. Volume I is therefore an ideal companion for students and early stage professionals wishing to master this blooming field.

Agricultural biomass is abundant worldwide and it can be considered as alternative source of renewable and sustainable materials which can be used as potential materials for different applications. Despite this enormous production of agricultural biomass, only a small fraction of the total biomass is utilized for different applications. Industry must be prepared to take advantage of the situation and utilize the available biomass in the best possible manner. Agricultural biomass such as natural fibres has been successfully investigated as a great potential to be used as a renewable and sustainable materials for the production of composite materials. Natural fibres offer excellent specific properties and have potential as outstanding reinforcing fillers in the matrix and can be used as an alternative material for biocomposites, hybrid composites, pulp, and paper industries. Natural fibre based polymer composites made of jute, oil palm, flex, hemp, kenaf have a low market cost, attractive with respect to global sustainability and find increasing commercial use in different applications. Agricultural biomass based composites find applications in a number of fields viz., automotive industry and construction industry. Future research on agricultural biomass-natural fibre based composites should not only be limited to its automotive applications but can be explored for its application in aircraft components, construction industry, rural housing and biomedical applications. In this book we will cover the chemical, physical, thermal, electrical, and biodegradability properties of agricultural biomass based composite materials and its different potential applications. The main goal of this volume is to familiarize researchers, scientists and engineers with the unique research opportunities and potentials of agricultural biomass based materials. Up-to-date information on alternative biomass utilization Academic and industry leaders discuss unique properties of biomass based composite materials Direct application of agricultural biomass materials as sustainable and renewable alternatives

Biomass obtained from agricultural residues or forest can be used to produce different materials and bioenergy required in a modern society. As compared to other resources available, biomass is one of the most common and widespread resources in the world. Thus, biomass has the potential to provide a renewable energy source, both locally and across large areas of the world. It is estimated that the total investment in the biomass sector between 2008 and 2021 will reach the large sum of $104 billion. Presently bioenergy is the most important renewable energy option and will remain so the near and medium-term future. Previously several countries try to explore the utilization of biomass in bioenergy and composite sector. Biomass has the potential to become the world s largest and most sustainable energy source and will be very much in demand. Bioenergy is based on resources that can be utilized on a sustainable basis all around the world and can thus serve as an effective option for the provision of energy services. In addition, the benefits accrued go beyond energy provision, creating unique opportunities for regional development.The present book will provide an up-to-date account of non-wood, forest residues, agricultural biomass (natural fibers), and energy crops together with processing, properties and its applications to ensure biomass utilization and reuse. All aspects of biomass and bioenergy and their properties and applications will be critically re-examined. The book consists of three sections, presenting Non wood and forest products from forestry, arboriculture activities or from wood processing, agricultural biomass (natural fibers) from agricultural harvesting or processing and finally energy crops: high yield crops and grasses grown especially for energy production."

Plant signalling has emerged as an integrated field which has become indispensable in recent times to study any biological process. Over the last decade, an enormous amount of information has been generated in this field and the advances in information technology gave birth to bioinformatics which has helped greatly in managing the galaxy of information. It is now possible to view the different information s in a systems biology approach which has unravelled the association/ new processes and thus helped us enormously in understanding of the biological processes. The present book is an attempt at understanding the plant signalling processes with different perspectives. Even though the plants are sessile but there exists a tremendous interconnected network of perception at morphological, physiological and molecular levels. The impact of the surrounding environment in terms of abiotic and biotic stresses is significant in terms of its survival, adaptation and productivity for the human welfare. The plants possess a wide array of processes at the organ, tissue and cellular levels which are governed by a plethora of molecules. The molecules govern individual processes and these exists a cross talk between them to form a complex network of processes. The book tries to envision how different processes are operating at different points in the life cycle of the plant."

Bioinformatics is an integrative field of computer science, genetics, genomics, proteomics, and statistics, which has undoubtedly revolutionized the study of biology and medicine in past decades. It mainly assists in modeling, predicting and interpreting large multidimensional biological data by utilizing advanced computational methods. Despite its enormous potential, bioinformatics is not widely integrated into the academic curriculum as most life science students and researchers are still not equipped with the necessary knowledge to take advantage of this powerful tool. Hence, the primary purpose of our book is to supplement this unmet need by providing an easily accessible platform for students and researchers starting their career in life sciences. This book aims to avoid sophisticated computational algorithms and programming. Instead, it will mostly focus on simple DIY analysis and interpretation of biological data with personal computers. Our belief is that once the beginners acquire these basic skillsets, they will be able to handle most of the bioinformatics tools for their research work and to better understand their experimental outcomes. The third volume is titled In Silico Life Sciences: Agriculture. It focuses on plant genetic, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomics data. Using examples of new crop diseases-emergence, crop productivity and biotic/abiotic stress tolerance, this book illustrates how bioinformatics can be an integral components of modern day plant science research.

Plants have to manage a series of environmental stresses throughout their entire lifespan. Among these, abiotic stress is the most detrimental; one that is responsible for nearly 50% of crop yield reduction and appears to be a potential threat to global food security in coming decades. Plant growth and development reduces drastically due to adverse effects of abiotic stresses. It has been estimated that crop can exhibit only 30% of their genetic potentiality under abiotic stress condition. So, this is a fundamental need to understand the stress responses to facilitate breeders to develop stress resistant and stress tolerant cultivars along with good management practices to withstand abiotic stresses. Also, a holistic approach to understanding the molecular and biochemical interactions of plants is important to implement the knowledge of resistance mechanisms under abiotic stresses. Agronomic practices like selecting cultivars that is tolerant to wide range of climatic condition, planting date, irrigation scheduling, fertilizer management could be some of the effective short-term adaptive tools to fight against abiotic stresses. In addition, "system biology" and "omics approaches" in recent studies offer a long-term opportunity at the molecular level in dealing with abiotic stresses. The genetic approach, for example, selection and identification of major conditioning genes by linkage mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL), production of mutant genes and transgenic introduction of novel genes, has imparted some tolerant characteristics in crop varieties from their wild ancestors. Recently research has revealed the interactions between micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and plant stress responses exposed to salinity, freezing stress and dehydration. Accordingly transgenic approaches to generate stress-tolerant plant are one of the most interesting researches to date. This book presents the recent development of agronomic and molecular approaches in conferring plant abiotic stress tolerance in an organized way. The present volume will be of great interest among research students and teaching community, and can also be used as reference material by professional researchers.

The improvement of crop species has been a basic pursuit since cultivation began thousands of years ago. To feed an ever increasing world population will require a great increase in food production. Wheat, corn, rice, potato and few others are expected to lead as the most important crops in the world. Enormous efforts are made all over the world to document as well as use these resources. Everybody knows that the introgression of genes in wheat provided the foundation for the "Green Revolution". Later also demonstrated the great impact that genetic resources have on production. Several factors are contributing to high plant performance under different environmental conditions, therefore an effective and complementary use of all available technological tools and resources is needed to meet the challenge.

Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the "scientific methods". Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, it will focus on the secondary metabolic compounds which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 focuses on the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

This edited book highlights the molecular basis of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies employed by plants to avoid the stressful conditions. Special focus is given to gene expression, omics and other latest technologies such as CRISPR-Cas mediated genome editing applications for defense related studies in plants. Environmental stresses such as drought, salinity or floods etc. induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes severe damage to cell membrane integrity by accelerating lipid peroxidation. To counteract the detrimental effect of ROS, plants are inherited with an intricate and vibrant antioxidant defense system, comprised of enzymatic (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, guaiacol peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase etc.), and non-enzymatic (glutathione, ascorbate, -tocopherol, carotenoids, flavonoids etc.) antioxidants, which scavenge and/or reduce excess ROS and improve plant tolerance to various stresses. Stress tolerance in most crop plants is positively correlated with an efficient antioxidant system. Therefore, studying the efficiency of antioxidant defense systems in plants is necessary for facilitating the plant's nature of adaptation against challenging environments. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers and academic experts. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology and molecular biology of plants.

This volume discusses how plant and algae organisms play a pivotal role in the transformation of solar energy to essential metabolites, and explores the numerous beneficial roles these metabolites have at an industrial level. It presents information on the utilization of plant and algae for biomass production, and shows how this is a practical option for large scale biofuel production. The book examines how these bio-metabolites can then be used to extract biofuel. Biomass produced from plants and algae can act as the source of feedstock for biofuel production and industrially important compounds. This book also explores that by curtailing culturing cost using wastewater, seawater, and industrial water as a nutrient and water source, biomass becomes an economical energy source. The introductory chapters of the book focus on the appreciative values of a pollution-free atmosphere, with special reference to enhanced greenhouse effect, and then are followed by chapters on the potential of plant and algae as a liquid energy resource. This book targets researchers, graduate students, and energy and fuel industry professionals interested in the plant sciences, biotechnology and renewable energy.

This edited book highlights the plant and cell/organ culture systems, and environmental and genetic transformation-based modulation of biochemical pathways. Special focus is given to microRNA-based technology, heterologous systems expression of enzymes and pathways leading to products of interest, as well as applications using both model and non-model plant species. Metabolic engineering is usually defined as the re-routing of one or more enzymatic reactions to generate new compounds, increase the production of existing compounds, or facilitate the degradation of compounds. Plants are the foundation of numerous compounds which are synthesized via assimilated complex biosynthetic routes. Plants have evolved an incredible arrangement of metabolic pathways leading to molecules/compounds capable of responding promptly and effectively to stress situations imposed by biotic and abiotic factors, some of which supply the ever-growing needs of humankind for natural chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, food and chemical additives, biofuels, and biomass. However, in foreseeable future we will be forced to think about the accessibility of resources for the generations to come. For these reasons, the book proposes alternative options of food/food supplement, medicines and other essential items, by using plant metabolic engineering approach. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers and academic experts. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology and molecular biology of plants.

Provides an overview of the chemical nature and mechanisms of endocrine disruptors Discusses the sources of endocrine toxicants Assesses the impact of endocrine toxicants on a sustainable environment Looks at endocrine toxicants and their effect on human health, such as on thyroid glands, on human reproduction, etc.

This new book provides valuable insight into the role of mushrooms in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Mushrooms are enriched with various bioactive constituents with antidiabetic efficacy such as polysaccharides, terpenes, sterols, etc. The extracts as well as bioactive constituents through different mechanisms exhibit antidiabetic action. Medicinal mushrooms such as Ganoderma lucidum, Innotus obliquus, Grifola frondosa, Phellinus species, etc. are considered in this volume for their beneficial qualities toward the mitigation of the disease. The volume considers mushroom powders, mushroom extracts, and their bioactive components for the management of diabetic syndrome. It presents various in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies on lowering hyperglycemia and other diabetes associated with secondary abnormalities as well as provides information regarding mushroom-based antidiabetic market products.

The rapid thriving of industries, conversion of agricultural land to residential areas, habitat destruction, deforestation and use of recalcitrant synthetic substances enhanced the rate of degradation of the environment. Although there are various conventional techniques for degradation and cleaning of noxious pollutants from disturbed environs, they are energy inefficient and costly to install. Bioremediation has emerged recently as an alternative and novel approach to manage and control environmental pollutants. This volume focuses explicitly on the remediation of noxious substances in stressed environs. It includes expert-contributed chapters on bio-monitoring by way of evaluating the relationship of biota with the polluted/stressed environs, sustainable plant-based degradation of noxious pollutants, and the application of biotechnologies to achieve tailored responses. Academicians, researchers, scientists and students will find this work essential for sustainable treatment of noxious pollutants. This book also serves as a core guide for training, teaching and research in conservation biology and environmental rehabilitation.