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Flowers and other ornamental plants are used for all occasions to meet consumers demands preferably novel flowers traits, e.g., fragrance, flower color and shape, early flowering, less water consumption, long shelf-life. The worldwide floricultural industry is worth over 50 billion Euros and can serve as a ‘food security', socio-economic impact, and generate employment. Ornamental industry is regarded as one of the fastest growing farm industries. This industry is sustained through novelty, thus there is increasing demand on plant breeders in both public and private sectors to fulfil consumer's needs. Biotechnological approaches such as genetic transformation, genomics, nanotechnology, and gene editing are well suited for designing custom-made novel traits of flowers benefiting both ornamental and cosmetic industry. Moreover, micropropagation is well exploited commercially for large-scale plant production along with vertical and digital farming, and artificial intelligence especially by the floriculture industry. This book focuses on advances in breeding strategies of diverse range of ornamental plants. It consists of 2 parts, Part I Flowering annuals and Part II Cut flowers. Each chapter, contributed by eminent authors, is devoted to an individual ornamental species or a group of related species. It provides an in depth understanding of modern breeding strategies including traditional methods and biotechnological approaches. Topics covered in each chapter, in relation to the subject species, include current cultivation practices and challenges, germplasm biodiversity and conservation, traditional breeding, molecular breeding, tissue culture applications, genetic engineering and gene editing, mutation breeding, hybridization, and future research directions. Major concepts are illustrated with color photos.

Plant Stress Tolerance: Molecular Mechanisms and Breeding Strategies, Volume One provides effective ways for organizing precision and sustainable agriculture. The methods include the use of advanced molecular techniques covering multiple omics, high-throughput technology, computational biology, epigenetic manipulation, and CRISPR genome editing. These methods can advance the development of high-yield, high-quality, and stress-resilient crops that meet the requirements for supporting global food and nutrition security.The book proposes strategies for omics-assisted and speed breeding techniques, exploring molecular mechanisms of plant abiotic stress caused by temperature, drought, salinity, and various pollutants. These are uncovered by quantitative trait loci analysis and mapping, genomic selection, functional genomics, multiple omics, high-throughput sequencing, and high-throughput phenotyping, and are integrated into the various systems of crop improvement.Plant Stress Tolerance: Molecular Mechanisms and Breeding Strategies, Volume One presents emerging and comprehensive knowledge and is an ideal reference for students, researchers, teachers, and professors. It inspires ideas for investigations in the fields of plant stress physiology, plant functional genomics, plant multiple omics, plant genetic engineering, systems biology, and crop breeding.

This book explores the different conventional and biotechnological techniques for enhancing the productivity of industrial crops. The growth of the industrial crop sector has become a widespread global phenomenon that helps rural livelihoods and propels economic development. Contrary to staple crops, industrial crops are cultivated with the intention of being sold for a high profit. Industrial crops are a crucial component of plans to increase food security because they offer the required stability during periods of economic or climatic crises. In order to maintain their livelihood and food security, many farm households balance the advantages and disadvantages of producing food crops and industrial crops. Avoiding land-use rivalry with crops grown for food and feed production is crucial when considering growing industrial crops on agricultural soils. The past several years have seen a rise in the awareness of scholars and decision-makers regarding the immediate and long-term effects of climatic variables on economic, food security, social, and political results. In order to sustain food production with more climate-resilient crops for future generations, genetic variety, both natural and artificial, is crucial. Therefore, addressing the problem of finding a compromise between increasing crop production under a specific set of conditions and reducing the chance of crop failure when conditions change is important and difficult. An assortment of meteorological conditions is used to grow industrial crops. Many are subsistence farmers who run extremely tiny farms with very little agricultural input to produce products that can be sold. It is a significant problem to preserve the variety of these crops and handle all crop culture-related difficulties. By offering the knowledge required to minimize the dangers of industrial crop breeding through managing genetic diversity, the author believe that this book will primarily address a need that has not yet been met in this and other grower groups.

Medicinal Biotechnology: Methods and Applications covers a wide range of topics from traditional herbal medicine to recent plant and animal biotechnology approaches used for the production of vaccines, hormones, enzymes, edible medicinal products, herbal therapeutics, and other secondary metabolites. The book opens with a historical perspective of medicinal biotechnology which includes a discussion of successive development in the field of medicine, starting from early civilization up to current and advanced approaches and strategies. The book also provides a wide range of topics that include: a discussion engineering approaches in medicinal biotechnology, metabolomics, extraction of metabolites, personalization approaches, and strategies for the effective use of medicinal product and drugs; explanation of engineering approaches in medicinal biotechnology, metabolomics, extraction of metabolites, personalization approaches, and strategies for the effective use of medicinal product and drug; and coverage of specific knowledge on the production and use in vaccines, antibodies, and hormones. - Provides a discussion of the traditional medicine system and the role of herbs - Discusses plant and animal tissues culture/engineering approaches used to produce medicinal products such as vaccines, antibiotics, and hormones - Highlights the discussion of topics related to DNA profiling, genome editing, synthetic biology, bioprospecting, metabolomics, personalized medicine, and intellectual property rights in relation to the medicinal product - Emphasizes the therapeutic potential of edible plant products and herbal therapeutics for chronic disease management

This book explains the advancements of plant biotechnology and advanced molecular biology and explores the details of influential tools that complement conventional breeding and accelerate the development of plants resilient to adverse agroclimatic conditions and biofortified plants. Plant biotechnology from the basic sciences to current applications, such as pathway engineering, precursor feeding, transformation, elicitation with biotic and abiotic elicitors, and scaling up in bioreactors, have been included in these chapters to improve the production of secondary metabolites from different medicinal plants. It also highlights important factors often overlooked by methodologies used to develop plants'tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses and in developing special foods, bio-chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. This book is valuable for researchers or students working on biosciences. It is also an updated and advanced reference material for the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries.

This edited book gives an in-depth coverage of various aspects of biotechnological procedures followed by international scientists and researchers to sustain growth and improvement of forests in context of current climatic change. Forests especially trees play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance as well as in the functioning of natural ecosystem. More importantly, they contribute to the economic growth of a country through its products such as timber, fuel, pharmaceuticals, fibre for textile industry and edible fruits. The denudation of trees due to urbanisation of towns/cities/villages by various construction activities and industrialisation directly impact the climate change resulting in global warming, short rainfall or erroneous weather currently experienced. This book is an effort to address these problems and attempts to find out solutions using biotechnological approaches. Most of the proposed chapters cover latest information. The proposed book deals with biotechnological aspects of forest trees such as micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis, somaclonal variation, synthetic seeds, cryopreservation, disease amangement and genetic engineering. Further, applications and limitations of these approaches to improve the forest trees are discussed. The book is of relevance to teachers, students and researchers working in area of forest and plant biotechnology globally.

Industrial crops offer farmers new market opportunities to increase their revenue by producing high-value products, focusing on fiber, forest, and energy crops, industrial oilseeds, rubber and resins, pharmaceuticals, and more. Technological innovations in agriculture have facilitated higher yields, but conserving crop genetic resources and diversity remains crucial for sustainable agricultural production. This poses a challenge that can be addressed through modern tools of biotechnology and genomics, utilizing the wealth of sequenced plant genomes. This book addresses the need for knowledge in managing the risks and conservation of genetic diversity associated with advanced technology. It provides comprehensive coverage of plant genomics and biotechnology, catering to post-graduate students, researchers, employees of seed and biotechnology companies, as well as instructors in plant genetics, breeding, and biotechnology fields.

This book entitled, The Pearl Millet Genome, is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on history, domestication, genetic and genomic resources, traditional breeding, genetic diversity, molecular maps and mapping of important biotic stress as well as nutritional quality traits, whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics, functional genomics, genetic transformation. The economic, nutritional, and health importance of the pearl millet is also discussed. It also presents the input use efficiency and wide adaptation of the crop. Altogether, the book will contain about 200 pages over 10 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book will be useful to the students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in genetics, pathology, molecular genetics and breeding, genetic engineering, structural and functional genomics, and nutritional quality aspects of the crop. This book will also be also useful to seed and pharmaceutical industries.

Over the years, the interventions of genomics tools have paved the way for molecular breeding to meet the challenges of food security and climate resilience. Advances in plant molecular breeding encompassing approaches of genomics, molecular markers, genetic transformation and genome editing have revolutionized crop improvement. Successful application of these tools has led to improvement of a wide range of traits of agronomic relevance. This book provides a comprehensive coverage of successful applications of molecular approaches that can be integrated within plant breeding programs aimed at improvement of crop plants. The book covers all relevant areas of molecular breeding applications in plants, with many examples drawn from the advanced genomics and molecular breeding research. Chapters present a critical appraisal of the current literature in the respective fields of molecular breeding written by expert authors. Each chapter provides in-depth discussion of the subject supported with high-quality color illustrations relevant data and future research perspective and, a comprehensive list of pertinent references.

This book offers a comprehensive review of the latest developments in medicinal mushroom biochemical engineering and biotechnology, and it also analyses the circular economy of mushroom bioproduction. Divided into 13 chapters, the book begins with a historical perspective of medicinal mushrooms, followed by authoritative chapters that explore the farming of medicinal mushrooms and bioeconomy, as well as the limitations of using medicinal mushrooms to produce metabolites. Subsequent chapters cover topics such as solid-state and submerged cultivation of medicinal mushroom mycelia in bioreactors, pilot and industrial bioreactor cultivation experiences, downstream processing of medicinal mushroom products, and biochemistry of medicinal mushroom bioactive compounds. Particular attention is given to the recent genetic engineering techniques applied in mushroom cultivation. The book closes with a chapter devoted to the health and clinical benefits of medicinal fungi, where readerswill find expert insights into the therapeutic implications of medicinal fungi. In this book, readers will find an authoritative perspective on the past, present and future of medicinal mushrooms, and will also learn about some recent clinical studies with isolates from these natural products. Given its breadth, this book will appeal to biotechnologists working in mushroom cultivation, as well as to professionals interested in traditional pharmacy and medicine.

This edited book is an in-depth compilation of recent tools and techniques, concepts and strategies used globally in plant molecular farming (PMF) for the cost-effective bulk production of recombinant proteins, secondary metabolites, and other biomolecules. The book presents an overview of success stories of PMF applications from developing countries to address poverty, achieve zero hunger, good health and well-being, thus achieving the UN SDGs 1, 2, and 3.The book deep dives into recent extraction and downstream processing methodologies, its co-existence with conventional agriculture, global governance and finally opportunities, challenges, and future perspectives in plant molecular farming. It focuses on plastid/chloroplast transformation (transplastomics) and its application in plant molecular farming. The books highlight recent advances in genome editing, synthetic biology, glycosylation and glyco-engineering for improved plant molecular farming by marker-free andtissue-specific systems via cisgenic and transgenic crops. In depth discussions on biosafety issues and bio-containment strategies have also been included.The book has 15 chapters authored by globally leading experts on the subject, presenting opportunities & challenges for bio-industrial researchers and entrepreneurs. It is useful to researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, policy planners, academician, and students across the disciplines.

Under ongoing climate change, natural and cultivated habitats of major food crops are being continuously disturbed. Such condition accelerates to impose stress effects like abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation etc. are important abiotic stresses; and diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens viz. fungal agents, bacteria and viruses are major biotic stresses. As a result, these harsh environments affect crop productivity and its biology in multiple complex paradigms. As stresses become the limiting factors for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops, scientists and researchers are challenged to maintain global food security for a rising world population.This two-volume work highlights the fast-moving agricultural research on crop improvement through the stress mitigation strategies, with specific focuses on crop biology and their response to climatic instabilities. Together with'Climate Resilient Agriculture, Vol 1: Crop Responses and Agroecological Perspectives', it covers a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches, uniquely suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.

Maize is one of the most generally grown cereal crops at global level, followed by wheat and rice. Maize is the major crop in China both in terms of yield and acreage. In 2012, worldwide maize production was about 840 million tons. Maize has long been a staple food of most of the global population (particularly in South America and Africa) and a key nutrient resource for animal feed and for food industrial materials. Maize belts vary from the latitude 58° north to the latitude 40° south, and maize ripens every month of the year. Abiotic and biotic stresses are common in maize belts worldwide. Abiotic stresses (chiefly drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures), together with biotic stresses (primarily fungi, viruses, and pests), negatively affect maize growth, development, production and productivity. In the recent past, intense droughts, waterlogging, and extreme temperatures have relentlessly affected maize growth and yield. In China, 60% of the maize planting area is prone to drought, and the resultant yield loss is 20%–30% per year; in India, 25%–30% of the maize yield is lost as a result of waterlogging each year. The biotic stresses on maize are chiefly pathogens (fungal, bacterial, and viral), and the consequential syndromes, like ear/stalk rot, rough dwarf disease, and northern leaf blight, are widespread and result in grave damage. Roughly 10% of the global maize yield is lost each year as a result of biotic stresses. For example, the European corn borer [ECB, Ostrinianubilalis (Hübner)] causes yield losses of up to 2000 million dollars annually in the USA alone in the northern regions of China, the maize yield loss reaches 50% during years when maize badly affected by northern leaf blight. In addition, abiotic and biotic stresses time and again are present at the same time and rigorously influence maize production. To fulfill requirements of each maize-growing situation and to tackle the above mentions stresses in an effective way sensibly designed multidisciplinary strategy for developing suitable varieties for each of these stresses has been attempted during the last decade. Genomics is a field of supreme significance for elucidating the genetic architecture of complex quantitative traits and characterizing germplasm collections to achieve precise and specific manipulation of desirable alleles/genes. Advances in genotyping technologies and high throughput phenomics approaches have resulted in accelerated crop improvement like genomic selection, speed breeding, particularly in maize. Molecular breeding tools like collaborating all omics, has led to the development of maize genotypes having higher yields, improved quality and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Through this book, we bring into one volume the various important aspects of maize improvement and the recent technological advances in development of maize genotypes with high yield, high quality and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses

This book is exploring molecular insight of plant disease resistance, enhancing plant immunity as well as the latest omics or approaches in plant disease management. In the recent past, microbial strains or products frequently utilized to inhibit the growth of phytopathogen and disease management. However, it is well known that plants respond to numerous biotic and abiotic stresses by morphological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. But still there is much more to study about their molecular aspect of interaction between host- pathogens- biocontrol agents that will be helpful in formulation and applications of microbial antagonistic for effective management of phytopathogens. This book attempt to fill this gap in the literature. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, agronomist, horticulturalist scientists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, microbiology, environment science.

This book presents deliberations on molecular and genomic mechanisms underlying the interactions of crop plants to the abiotic stresses caused by heat, cold, drought, flooding, submergence, salinity, acidity, etc., important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomic-assisted breeding, and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in technical crops is imperative for addressing FHNEE (food, health, nutrition, energy, and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing in many of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing has provided precise information regarding the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining, and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for'designing'crop genomes with resistance to abiotic stresses. The ten chapters each dedicated to a technical crop and one chapter devoted to a crop group in this volume elucidate different types of abiotic stresses and their effects on and interaction with the crops; enumerate the available genetic diversity with regard to abiotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; present brief on classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; depict the success stories of genetic engineering for developing abiotic stress-resistant crop varieties; discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; enunciate different genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery, and gene pyramiding for developing adaptive crop varieties with higher quantity and quality of yields, and also elaborate some case studies on genome editing focusing on specific genesfor generating abiotic stress-resistant crops.

This book discusses genetic engineering of both plants and microbes for making agricultural practices more productive and sustainable. It chapters explore the understanding of the interaction between plants and microbes, and genomic information to modify the metabolism of plants or microbes to further enhance the beneficial interaction. The book covers the development of commercial inoculants including selection of appropriate plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria/ phosphate solubilize bacteria based on target host plant, soil type, indigenous microbial communities, environmental conditions, inoculant density, suitability of carriers and compatibility with integrated crop management. This is a relevant content for scientists and researchers working on soil biology, sustainable agricultural and plant physiology. Also, this book is a useful read for graduate and post graduate students of agriculture, botany and microbiology.

Advances in Plant Tissue Culture: Current Developments and Future Trends provides a complete and up-to-date text on all basic and applied aspects of plant tissue cultures and their latest application implications. It will be beneficial for students and early-career researchers of plant sciences and plant/agricultural biotechnology. Plant tissue culture has emerged as a sustainable way to meet the requirements of fresh produces, horticultural crops, medicinal or ornamental plants. Nowadays, plant tissue culture is an emerging filed applied in various aspects, including sustainable agriculture, plant breeding, horticulture and forestry. This book covers the latest technology, broadly applied for crop improvement, clonal propagation, Somatic hybridization Embryo rescue, Germplasm conservation, genetic conservation, or for the preservation of endangered species. However, these technologies also play a vital role in breaking seed dormancy over conventional methods of conservation. - Focuses on plant tissue culture as an emerging field applied in various aspects, including sustainable agriculture, plant breeding, horticulture and forestry - Includes current studies and innovations in biotechnology - Covers commercialization and current perspectives in the field of plant tissue culture techniques

This volume explains the recent findings on the mutualistic plant–microbe interactions and how they can be utilized for sustainable agriculture practices including land reclamation. The book covers mainly plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) including both the symbiotic bacteria and fungi and their role in mobilization of nutrients, providing protection to the crops from phytopathogens and abiotic stresses. PGPMs play important roles in survival and health of the plant. These useful microorganisms provide plants with nutrients, protect them from pathogens and help them combat abiotic stresses. It is important that these mutualistic interactions between plant and soil microbes are well understood so as to develop reliable products in the form of biostimulants and biopesticides, as well as managing biotic and abiotic stresses in crops. Apart from enhancing crop productivity plant–microbe interactions can also perform activities such as reclamation of degraded lands, degradation of pollutants and remediation of saline or marginal lands. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, plant scientists and microbiologists. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, soil science and environmental sciences.

This book covers the important diseases and pests of potato which are of global significance. The pests and diseases in potato lead to huge economic losses by reducing the yield and quality of the produce. This book describes major pests and diseases in detail with particular emphasis on the latest developments with respect to their biology, ecology, and management. It highlights the importance of virus infection for seed potato production and diagnostic symptoms, along with management guidelines. The book brings forth tips for judicious use of pesticides for sustainable potato production and management of pesticide resistance. Use of novel approaches such as RNA interference, genome editing, and other genomic resources for drug designing in diseases and pest management is also emphasized in the book. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, extension workers, potato growers, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture and plant pathology. National and international agricultural scientists and policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

This volume ‘Agrochemicals in Soil and Environment: Impacts and Remediation'is a comprehensive collection of important literature on agrochemical contamination. The main focus of this book is to point out undesirable changes in biological, physical and chemical characteristics of agricultural soils and its impacts on global agricultural crop productivity. Soil is one of the important resources of basic needs for our sustenance but due to various anthropogenic activities like urbanization and industrialization, the soil is losing its basic quality characteristics. Soil microorganisms, water holding capacity, minerals, salts and nutrients are under the direct threat due to agrochemicals therefore, agricultural sector is facing a serious challenge. Lack of proper knowledge and luxurious applications of agrochemicals resulting into degradation and deterioration of soil quality, loss of soil and crop productivity and threatening the food security. Therefore, it is imperative to developindices, indicators and soil parameters for the monitoring and impact assessment of agricultural contaminants. Further, biotic and abiotic stresses and their tolerance mechanisms in plants in relation to the soil contaminants such as toxic pollutants, heavy metals, inorganic and organic matters, variety of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, agricultural runoffs and solid wastes, and chemical fertilizers are also highlighted in this volume. This book also discusses causes of reduced agriculture productivity and suggests sustainable measures such as plant-based technologies, bioremediation and nanotechnology, that can be used to overcome the crop losses. The book is interest to research students, teachers, agricultural scientists, agronomists, environmentalists as well as policy makers.

This book is a compilation of advancements and achievements in the field of sugar beet cultivation. It covers recent research and up-to-date information on this crop. It discusses essential aspects for high production and good yield, development and crop management, such as origin, breeding, seed production, physiology, pathology, entomology, biotechnology, and post-harvest technology. Sugar beet is known as an alternative crop for sugar production. A versatile crop having numerous uses, besides being raw material for sugar production, its molasses contain high amount of betaine which is used as a feed supplement. Due to its value profile it has attracted the millers and farmers alike. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, agriculture scientists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology and soil science. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

This book is an advanced textbook and a reference book for the post-graduate plant-breeding students and the plant breeders. It consolidates fundamental concepts and also the latest advances in plant-breeding practices including development in crop genomics. It contains crop wise explanation on origin, reproduction, genetics of yield contributing traits, biotic and abiotic stresses, nutritional improvement and crop specific plant-breeding procedures and techniques. The chapters are planned to describe crop-focused breeding procedure for the major crop plants as per their economic importance. The recent developments in breeding of field crops have been reported. The recent progress made in mapping traits of economic importance has been critically reviewed for each crop. The progress made in markers assisted selected in few crops has been summarized. This book bridges the knowledge gap and bring to the researchers and students information on modern breeding tools for developing biotic and abiotic stress tolerant, climate resilient and micronutrient rich varieties of field crops. The chapters in book are contributed by experienced Plant Breeders.

Biotic stresses cause yield loss of 31-42% in crops in addition to 6-20% during post-harvest stage. Understanding interaction of crop plants to the biotic stresses caused by insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and oomycetes, etc. is important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomic-assisted breeding and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in technical crops is imperative for addressing FHEE (food, health, energy and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing have facilitated precise information about the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for'designing'crop genomes with resistance to biotic stresses. The 15 chapters dedicated to 13 technical crops and 2 technical crop groups in this volume will deliberate on different types of biotic stress agents and their effects on and interaction with crop plants; will enumerate on the available genetic diversity with regard to biotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate on the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; will brief on the classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; will enunciate the success stories of genetic engineering for developing biotic stress resistant varieties; will discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying biotic stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; will enunciate on different emerging genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery and gene pyramiding for developing resistant crop varieties with higher quantity and quality; and will also elaborate some case studies on genomeediting focusing on specific genes for generating disease and insect resistant crops.

Fungi are an important link in the food webs of all ecosystems. They have immense potential and comprise a myriad of useful bioactive compounds. Fungi feature in a wide range of diverse processes and applications in modern agriculture, the food science industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. In the food and drink arena, the role of fungi is historically important in the form of mushrooms and in fermented foods as yeasts for baking and brewing. These roles are supplemented by the use of fungal food processing enzymes and additives, and more recently in the development of protein-based foodstuffs from fungi. Additionally, they are used in the formulation of biofertilizers and biopesticides used as biostimulants and bioprotectants of crops. The practical use of newer techniques such as genetic recombination and robotics have revolutionized the modem agricultural biotechnology industry, and have created an enormous range of possible further applications of fungal products.Myco-materials created from mycelia (the root-like parts of fungi) are gaining attention as a sustainable alternative for a wide range of materials. They are being used as insulation, sustainable packaging, foam inserts, and even'eco-leather.” In fact, mycelium bricks are pound-for-pound stronger than concrete. In addition, medicinal uses of fungal species have been historically recorded as important agents in the pharmaceutical sciences. The potential for myco-materials seems limitless. The field of mycology and its application has become an increasingly important component in the education of industrial biotechnology. This book on applied mycology provides information helpful for developing entrepreneurial opportunities with fungi. This volume explains both the basic science and the applications of mycology and bio-resource technology with special emphasis on entrepreneurial applications. It offers a complete, one-stop resource for those interested in microbiology, food and agricultural science, medical mycology, and for those in industrial biotechnology.

The volume on oilseed crops is developed as a part of a series on “Handbook of Agrobiodiversity: Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources”. The handbook would function as a ready reference book for availability of PGR globally, along with specific source, wherefrom they can be procured, and used breeding programs, particularly to overcome various crop production constraints and to improve productivity and quality. The volume on floriculture and ornamental plants will be the source of basic information on origin and evolution and global dispersal of cultivated species of ornamentals. Presently, floriculture has established its credibility in improving income through increased productivity, generating employment and in enhancing exports. All research and developmental activities on ornamental crops are essentially multi-disciplinary in nature recognizing local issues as well as country issue. Floriculture is developing as an area of high technology based frontier interdisciplinary area on scientific excellence. Floriculture has progressed both scientifically and commercially due to concentrated efforts made on multidisciplinary research. It is developing as an area of high technology based frontier interdisciplinary area on scientific excellence. The volume will contain all information about different ornamentals. This shall be put together to develop a complete documentation of the results of the research and demonstrations conducted by different scientists. The volume will provide an illustrated horto-taxonomical account of important ornamental species and cultivars, germplasm status and their usages, propagation, nursery management, techno-economics, conventional breeding, induced mutagenesis, new varieties, cytogenetics, tissue culture, characterization of varieties, dehydration of flowers etc. This volume will give a coherent and concise account on recent developments. It will deal with all the important and relevant aspects of floriculture. The publication of this volume is planned to reveal multifarious activities done on different aspects of floriculture so that innovations made so far can be used judiciously for this sector. This book shall provide authoritative review account of many aspects of current interest and progress in the field of floriculture. The topics included in the book are interdisciplinary and cater not only classical floriculture but also relevant modern aspects. The book will provide valuable data on different aspects and will be widely accepted by by professional scientists, researchers, teachers, students, floriculturists, technocrats and planners. The volume will be an invaluable asset to floriculture scientists.

Through this book, the readers will learn about the different aspects of Actinobacteria- beginning with its ecology and occurrence, to the ways of its adaptation to harsh climates, and finally to its practical applications. The book also presents methods of identifying and characterizing this diverse group of bacteria through advanced techniques like MALDI-TOF, 16S rRNA analysis, etc. Different chapters describe the various biotechnological applications of Actinobacteria, including bioremediation, secondary metabolite production, and in producing antibiotics, anti-cancer therapeutics. It also provides insights into the applications in agriculture and forestry by inhibiting plant pathogenic bacteria's growth.

This edited book presents the latest research on cucumber, its genetic resources and diversity, tissue culture and genetic transformation, mapping of economic genes and QTLs, whole genome sequencing, comparative genomics, and breeding strategies. The mechanism of sex expression, interspecific hybridization, and cell biology are also described. The book discusses the genome draft of cucumber and the application of genome editing. This book is useful to the students, teachers and scientists in academia and relevant private companies interested in horticulture, genetics, breeding, and related areas.

This book caters to the need of researchers working in the ever-evolving field of agricultural biotechnology. It discusses and provides in-depth information about latest advancements happening in this field. The book discusses evolution of plant tissue culture techniques, development of doubled haploids technology, role of recombinant-DNA technology in crop improvement. It also provides an insight into the global status of genetically modified crops, use of RNAi technology and mi-RNAs in plant improvement. Chapters are also dedicated for different branches of ‘omics'science including genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenomics along with the use of molecular markers in tagging and mapping of various genes/QTLs of agronomic importance. This book also covers the role of enzymes and microbes in agriculture in productivity enhancement. It is of interest to teachers, researchers of biotechnology and agriculture scientists. Also the book serves as additional readingmaterial for undergraduate and postgraduate students of biotechnology, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international biotechnologists and agricultural scientists will also find this to be a useful read.

This book becomes an invaluable reference on the genetic resources, genome, genes, chemical compounds, and their therapeutic effects for the Lingzhi mushrooms. It is the first comprehensive compilation of genetic resources, nuclear genome, mitochondrial genome, genes, noncoding RNAs, such as long intergenic noncoding RNAs, microRNAs, circular RNAs, genes in the biosynthetic pathway, chemical compounds and their therapeutic effects, transformation system for the expression of key genes, a bibliometric analysis to identify the past research work and the future research direction, and a survey of products derived from the Lingzhi mushrooms. Each chapter of this book is written by authors of globally reputed experts on the relevant field who had published high-quality articles in the corresponding subject. The book has 12 chapters and each chapter has a length of approximately ten thousand words, including ten items (tables or figures), about 30–50 references. This book isuseful to the students, teachers, and scientists in academia and relevant private companies interested in horticulture, genetics, physiology, molecular genetics, and breeding, in vitro culture and genetic engineering, and structural and functional genomics. This book is also useful to seed and pharmaceutical industries.

Blast is an important foliar disease that infects the majority of cereal crops like rice, finger millet, pearl millet, foxtail millet and wheat, and thus resulting in a huge economic impact. The pathogen is responsible for causing epidemics in many crops and commonly shifts to new hosts. Magnaporthe spp. is the most prominent cause of blast disease on a broad host range of grasses including rice as well as other species of poaceae family. To date, 137 members of Poaceae hosting this fungus have been described in Fungal Databases. This book provides information on all blast diseases of different cereal crops. The pathogen evolves quickly due to its high variability, and thus can quickly adapt to new cultivars and cause an epidemic in a given crop. Some of the topics covered here include historical perspectives, pathogen evolution, host range shift, cross-infectivity, and pathogen isolation, use of chemicals fungicides, genetics and genomics, and management of blast disease in different cereal crops with adoption of suitable methodologies.In the past two decades there have been significant developments in genomics and proteomics approaches and there has been substantial and rapid progress in the cloning and mapping of R genes for blast resistance, as well as in comparative genomics analysis for resolving delineation of Magnaporthe species that infect both cereals and grass species. Blast disease resistance follows a typical gene-for-gene hypothesis. Identification of new Avr genes and effector molecules from Magnaporthe spp. can be useful to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the fast evolution of different strains of this fungal genus. Advances in these areas may help to reduce the occurrence of blast disease by the identification of potential R genes for effective deployment. Additionally, this book highlights the importance of blast disease that infects different cereal hosts in the context of climate change, and genomics approaches that may potentially help in understanding and applying new concepts and technologies that can make real impact in sustainable management of blast disease in different cereal crops.

Industrial Biotechnology offers a comprehensive overview of biochemical processes, technologies, and practical applications of industrial biotechnology. The work comprises of chapters that discuss medium preparation, inoculum preparation using industrial strain and upstream processing, various fermentation processes, and physico-chemical separation processes for the purification of products and packaging. Analyzes problems within biochemical processes Discusses stoichiometry of bioprocesses Covers upstream and downstream processing Offers a wealth of case studies of different biochemical production processes, including those in development of food products, vaccines and medicines, single cell proteins, amino acids, cheese, biodiesel, biopesticides, and more This book is aimed at advanced students, industrial practitioners, and researchers in biotechnology, food engineering, chemical engineering, and environmental engineering.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on whole genome sequencing of sesame including genome assembly, annotation, structure and synteny analysis, and sequencing of its chloroplast genome and also its wild species. It presents narratives on classical genetics and breeding, tissue culture and genetic transformation, molecular mapping and breeding. Other chapters describe the beneficial components in sesame protein and oil, botanical depictions and cytological features. Prospects of designed breeding in the post-genomics era including gene discovery have also been enumerated.Altogether, the book contains 19 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book is useful to the students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in classical and molecular genetics, biotechnology, breeding, biochemistry, traditional and molecular breeding, and structural and evolutionary genomics. The work is also useful to seed and oil industries.

Genetic transformation is a key technology, in which genes are transferred from one organism to another in order to improve agronomic traits and ultimately help humans. However, there is apprehension in some quarters that genetically modified crops may disturb the ecosystem. A number of non-governmental organizations continue to protest against GM crops and foods, despite the fact that many organisms are genetically modified naturally in the course of evolution. In this context, there is a need to educate the public about the importance of GM crops in terms of food and nutritional security. This book provides an overview of various crop plants where genetic transformation has been successfully implemented to improve their agronomically useful traits. It includes information on the gene(s) transferred, the method of gene transfer and the beneficial effects of these gene transfers and agronomic improvements compared to the wild plants. Further, it discusses the commercial prospects of these GM crops as well as the associated challenges. Given its scope, this book is a valuable resource for agricultural and horticultural scientists/experts wanting to explain to the public, politicians and non-governmental organizations the details of GM crops and how they can improve crops and the lives of farmers.

This book is a unique overview of insights on the genetic basis of anti-diabetic activity, chemistry, physiology, biotechnology, mode-of-action, as well as cellular mechanisms of anti-diabetic secondary metabolites from medicinal plants. The World Health Organization estimated that 80% of the populations of developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs. There is an increasing demand for medicinal plants having anti-diabetic potential in both developing and developed countries. The expanding trade in medicinal plants has serious implications on the survival of several plant species, with many under threat to become extinct. This book describes various approaches to conserve these genetic resources. It discusses the whole spectrum of biotechnological tools from micro-propagation for large-scale multiplication, cell-culture techniques to the biosynthesis and enhancement of pharmaceutical compounds in the plants. It alsodiscusses the genetic transformation as well as short- to long-term conservation of plant genetic resources via synthetic seed production and cryopreservation, respectively. The book is enriched with expert contributions from across the globe. This reference book is useful for researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, medicinal chemists, biochemists, botanists, molecular biologists, academicians, students as well as diabetic patients, traditional medicine practitioners, scientists in medicinal and aromatic plants, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and other traditional medical practitioners.

Policy Issues in Genetically Modified Crops: A Global Perspective contains both theoretical and empirical evidence of a broad range of aspects of GM crop policies throughout the world. Emphasizing world agriculture production and ethics of GM crops, the book balances insights into the various discussions around the use of GM crops including soil health, effects on animals, environmental sustainability impact, and ethical issues. The book presents aspects of GM crop policies and prevailing controversies throughout the world, in 5 sections containing 23 chapters. Beginning with the discussion of the policies related to GM crops, the book dives deep into issues related to food insecurity, agricultural sustainability, food safety, and environmental risks. Section 5 also captures the recent advances in agricultural biotechnology encompassing research trends, the nano-biotech approach to plant genetic engineering, and other transformation techniques in crop development. The contributors of the book represent different backgrounds, providing a holistic overview of diverse approaches and perspectives. Policy Issues in Genetically Modified Crops: A Global Perspective is a valuable resource for researchers in agricultural policy and economics, agricultural biotechnology, soil science, genetic engineering, ethics, environmental management, sustainable development, and NGOs. - Discusses ethics, varieties, research trends, success, and challenges of genetic modification - Addresses both crop production and potential health impacts - Includes extensive theoretical research and studies

This textbook is clearly structured with fourteen richly illustrated chapters and practical examples for easy understanding and direct implementation. The methods and findings developed in the authors'group are presented in detailed, revised chapters. Readers will find valuable updates on the molecular basis of biotechnological processes, secondary metabolite production and genetic engineering. In addition, the basic principles of important biotechnologies, as well as examples of specially designed crops that deliver improved productivity under stress conditions, are presented. This second edition sets the direction for future research on the basic aspects of plant tissue culture and its applications in the fields of secondary metabolite production and genetic engineering. It provides both general and specific information for students, teachers, academic researchers and industrial teams who are interested in new developments in plant tissue culture and its applications.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline polymers con­structed by metal sites and organic building blocks. Since the discovery of MOFs in the 1990s, they have received tremendous research attention for various applications due to their high surface area, controllable morphology, tunable chemical properties, and multifunctionalities, including MOFs as precursors and self-sacrificing templates for synthesizing metal oxides, heteroatom-doped carbons, metal-atoms encapsulated carbons, and others. Thus, awareness and knowledge about MOFs and their derived nanomaterials with conceptual understanding are essential for the advanced material community. This breakthrough new volume aims to explore down-to-earth applications in fields such as biomedical, environmental, energy, and electronics. This book provides an overview of the structural and fundamental properties, synthesis strategies, and versatile applications of MOFs and their derived nanomaterials. It gives an updated and comprehensive account of the research in the field of MOFs and their derived nanomaterials. Whether as a reference for industry professionals and nanotechnologists or for use in the classroom for graduate and postgraduate students, faculty members, and research and development specialists working in the area of inorganic chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering, this is a must-have for any library.

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the major applications and potential of fungal biotechnology. The respective chapters report on the latest advances and opportunities in each topic area, proposing new and sustainable solutions to some of the major challenges faced by modern society. Aimed at researchers and biotechnologists in academia and industry, it represents essential reading for anyone interested in fungal biotechnology, as well as those working within the broader area of microbial biotechnology. Written in an accessible language, the book also offers a valuable reference resource for decision-makers in government and at non-governmental organizations who are involved in the development of cleaner technologies and the global bioeconomy. The 21st century is characterized by a number of critical challenges in terms of human health, developing a sustainable bioeconomy, facilitating agricultural production, and establishing practices that support a cleanerenvironment. While there are chemical solutions to some of these challenges, developing bio-based approaches is becoming increasingly important. Filamentous fungi, ‘the forgotten kingdom,'are a group of unique organisms whose full potential has yet to be revealed. Some key properties, such as their exceptional capacity to secrete proteins into the external environment, have already been successfully harnessed for the production of industrial enzymes and cellulosic biofuels. Many further aspects discussed here –such as feeding the hungry with fungal protein, and the potential applications of the various small molecules produced by fungi –warrant further exploration. In turn, the book covers the use of fungal cell factories to produce foreign molecules, e.g. for therapeutics. Strategies including molecular approaches to strain improvement, and recent advances in high-throughput technologies, which are key to finding better products and producers, are also addressed. Lastly, the book discusses the advent of synthetic biology, which is destined to greatly expand the scope of fungal biotechnology. The chapter “Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License at link.springer.com.

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

This book encompasses the current knowledge of plant microbiomes and their potential biotechnological application for plant growth, crop yield and soil health for sustainable agriculture. The plant microbiomes (rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic) play an important role in plant growth, development, and soil health. Plant and rhizospheric soil are a valuable natural resource harbouring hotspots of microbes, and it plays critical roles in the maintenance of global nutrient balance and ecosystem function. The diverse group of microbes is key components of soil–plant systems, where they are engaged in an intense network of interactions in the rhizosphere/endophytic/phyllospheric. The rhizospheric microbial diversity present in rhizospheric zones has a sufficient amount of nutrients release by plant root systems in form of root exudates for growth, development and activities of microbes. The endophytic microbes are referred to those microorganisms, which colonize in the interior ofthe plant parts, viz root, stem or seeds without causing any harmful effect on host plant. Endophytic microbes enter in host plants mainly through wounds, naturally occurring as a result of plant growth, or through root hairs and at epidermal conjunctions. Endophytes may be transmitted either vertically (directly from parent to offspring) or horizontally (among individuals). The phyllosphere is a common niche for synergism between microbes and plant. The leaf surface has been termed as phyllosphere and zone of leaves inhabited by microorganisms as phyllosphere. The plant part, especially leaves, is exposed to dust and air currents resulting in the establishments of typical flora on their surface aided by the cuticles, waxes and appendages, which help in the anchorage of microorganisms. The phyllospheric microbes may survive or proliferate on leaves depending on extent of influences of material in leaf diffuseness or exudates. The leaf diffuseness contains the principal nutrients factors (amino acids, glucose, fructose and sucrose), and such specialized habitats may provide niche for nitrogen fixation and secretions of substances capable of promoting the growth of plants. The microbes associated with plant as rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic with plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes have emerged as an important and promising tool for sustainable agriculture. PGP microbes promote plant growth directly or indirectly, either by releasing plant growth regulators; solubilization of phosphorus, potassium and zinc; biological nitrogen fixation or by producing siderophore, ammonia, HCN and other secondary metabolites which are antagonistic against pathogenic microbes. The PGP microbes belong to different phylum of archaea (Euryarchaeota); bacteria (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) and fungi (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), which include different genera namely Achromobacter,Arthrobacter, Aspergillus, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Bacillus, Beijerinckia, Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Flavobacterium, Gluconoacetobacter, Haloarcula, Herbaspirillum, Methylobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pantoea, Penicillium, Piriformospora, Planomonospora, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Serratia and Streptomyces. These PGP microbes could be used as biofertilizers/bioinoculants at place of chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. The aim of “Plant Microbiomes for Sustainable Agriculture” is to provide the current developments in the understanding of microbial diversity associated with plant systems in the form of rhizospheric, endophytic and epiphytic. The book is useful to scientist, research and students related to microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

In Research Advances in Plant Biotechnology the potential of high technological approaches in plant genetic engineering as well as their practical applications are considered. The efficiency of plant genetic transformation remains a challenge due to limitations of intracellular transportation of genes and other biomolecules through the cell wall, damaging of cells/tissues, gene disruption, and high cost of application of the transformation methods. From stable interest to the development of new techniques for gene delivery into plant cells, key achievements of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and fullerene derivatives to serve as vehicles for the delivery of genetic material into plant cells and plastids are discussed. Besides CNTs and fullerenes, the mineral nanoparticles (mesoporous silica NPs, metal oxide, calcium phosphate), and cationic polymers have been proposed also for plant transformation. In the monograph, the results of practical development of efficient gene transfer techniques based on using these nanomaterials and applicable for plants are presented, too. Then the multiple strategies of site-specific recombinases application in plant genetic engineering with outlining of prospective directions of growth for this molecular tool are detailed. Currently, the CRISPR/Cas system is a powerful method for editing the genome of various organisms. The achievements and prospects of CRISPR/Cas usage for genome editing of fungi are considered in a separate chapter. Because salinity is one of major problems for modern agriculture around the world and creation of salt tolerant cultivars via conventional breeding cannot keep the pace with continuously rising food demand, one contribution to the book critically evaluates the possible roles or capacities of genes from different functional groups to improve plant salt tolerance via genetic engineering. Another chapter presents the results of systematic studies of the effects of new ecologically friendly polycomponent biostimulants of microbiological origin (developed in Ukraine on the basis of either 2,6-dimethylpyridine-N-oxide, or metabolic products of root endophyte fungus from the roots of ginseng, or metabolites of several strains of soil Streptomyces) on improving commercially useful traits in important agricultural crops, including improved growth, productivity and increased resistance to pathogenic fungi, parasitic nematodes and insects. Special attention is paid to the analysis of molecular-genetic mechanisms of the effect of microbial biostimulants at organismal, cellular, and molecular levels. The results of these studies proved that the mechanism of bioprotective effect of microbial biostimulants involves the delivery of RNA interference (RNAi) into plant cells, i.e., induction of synthesis of endogenous small regulatory si/miRNAs with immuno-protective, antipathogenic and antiparasitic properties. In the final chapter, the legal approaches to the regulation of plants produced through new breeding techniques such as gene editing are considered.

This book covers the biotechnology of all the major perennial fruit and nut species. Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 2005, there has been significant progress in cell culture, genomics and genetic transformation for many of these species. This book covers these biotechnologies and also traditional ones, such as regeneration pathways, protoplast culture, in vitro mutagenesis, and ploidy manipulation that have been applied to many of these species. Three species, Diospyros kaki (persimmon), Punica granatum (pomegranate) and Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) are included for the first time, and several Prunus species now receive separate coverage. The species are organized by plant family to facilitate comparisons among related ones. Each species is discussed in relation to its family and its related wild forms, and most are accompanied by full colour illustrations. This book is a vital resource for those working on the improvement of perennial fruit, nut and plantation crops. The book features: Detailed coverage of major perennial fruit and crop species. Coverage of traditional and new biotechnologies. Full colour illustrations to aid identification This book is an essential resource for scientists and postgraduate students who are engaged in the improvement of perennial fruit, nut and plantation crops and will also be an important accession for university and agricultural research libraries.

This fully revised third edition includes up-to-date topics and developments in the field, which has made tremendous strides since the publication of the second edition in 2004. Many novel techniques based on Next Generation Sequencing have sped up the analysis of fungi and major advances have been made in genome editing, leading to a deeper understanding of the genetics underlying cellular processes as well as their applicability. At the same time, the relevance of fungi is unbroken, both due to the serious threats to human health and welfare posed by fungal pests and pathogens, and to the many benefits that fungal biotechnology can offer for diverse emerging markets and processes that form the basis of the modern bioeconomy. With regard to these advances, the first section of this volume, Genetics, illustrates the basic genetic processes underlying inheritance, cell biology, metabolism and “lifestyles” of fungi. The second section, Biotechnology, addresses theapplied side of fungal genetics, ranging from new tools for synthetic biology to the biotechnological potential of fungi from diverse environments. Gathering chapters written by reputed scientists, the book represents an invaluable reference guide for fungal biologists, geneticists and biotechnologists alike.

This book highlights the latest findings on fundamental aspects of composting, the interaction of various microorganisms, and the underlying mechanisms. In addition to addressing modern tools and techniques used for composting research, it provides an overview of potential composting applications in both agriculture and environmental reclamation.Composting is the process of organic waste decomposition, mediated by microorganisms. The end-product is called ‘compost'and can be used as a supplement to improve soil fertility. As the municipal waste generated in most developing countries contains a substantial amount of organic matter suitable for composting, this technology offers a win-win opportunity for stakeholders in terms of disposing of organic waste and providing organic fertilizers for agriculture. In addition, using compost reduces the dependency on harmful chemical fertilizers, and represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.

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

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants'defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores. Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants'adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution ofsecondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates. This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.

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

Floriculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors of commercial agriculture world-wide with many highly profitable crops. Cultivation of flowers more pragmatic endeavor than other crops. Every day novel variety, new colour in any ornamental flower crop not only fascinates us but also gives a thrust to know more about their breeding technologies. Creation of diversity of new and domesticated flower crops by public and private sector flower breeders brings a fascination towards its breeding technology. The students while dealing with the breeding and biotechnology of flowers then they must required a base knowledge. Therefore emphasis has been given to present the book in its easiest form so that anyone can understand it without losing interest from it. It has been designed to cover all the aspects of breeding, the basic objectives, different breeding methods, methodology for improvement of specific crops, stress resistance, quality improvement, mutagenesis, genetic engineering and biotechnology.

Genome Engineering via CRISPR-Cas9 Systems presents a compilation of chapters from eminent scientists from across the globe who have established expertise in working with CRISPR-Cas9 systems. Currently, targeted genome engineering is a key technology for basic science, biomedical and industrial applications due to the relative simplicity to which they can be designed, used and applied. However, it is not easy to find relevant information gathered in a single source. The book contains a wide range of applications of CRISPR in research of bacteria, virus, algae, plant and mammalian and also discusses the modeling of drosophila, zebra fish and protozoan, among others. Other topics covered include diagnosis, sensor and therapeutic applications, as well as ethical and regulatory issues. This book is a valuable source not only for beginners in genome engineering, but also researchers, clinicians, stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the potential of CRISPR-Cas9 in several fields. - Provides basic understanding and a clear picture on how to design, use and implement the CRISPR-Cas9 system in different organisms - Explains how to create an animal model for disease research and screening purposes using CRISPR - Discusses the application of CRISPR-Cas9 systems in basic sciences, biomedicine, virology, bacteriology, molecular biology, neurology, cancer, industry, and many more

Sorghum is the most important cereal crop grown in the semi-arid tropics (SAT) of Africa, Asia, Australia and Americas for food, feed, fodder and fuel. It is the fifth most important cereal crop globally after rice, wheat, maize and barley, and plays a major role in global food security. Sorghum is consumed in different forms for various end-uses. Its grain is mostly used directly for food purposes. After the release of the proceedings of two international symposia in the form of books “Sorghum in Seventies” and “Sorghum in Eighties”, global sorghum research and development have not been documented at one place. Of course, few books on sorghum have been released that focus on specific issues/research areas, but comprehensive review of all aspects of recent development in different areas of sorghum science has not been compiled in the form a single book. This book is intended to fill in a void to bridge the gap by documenting all aspects of recent research and development in sorghum encompassing all the progress made, milestones achieved across globe in genetic diversity assessment, crop improvement and production, strategies for high yield, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, grain and stover quality aspects, storage, nutrition, health and industrial applications, biotechnological applications to increase production, including regional and global policy perspectives and developmental needs. This book will be an institutional effort to compile all the latest information generated in research and development in sorghum across the globe at one place.