Search

For sustainable environmental management as a whole, the roles of phytoremediation and biofortification as two sides of the same coin must be highlighted. Phytoremediation is a process in which biological organisms are used to eliminate or nullify an environmental pollutant by a metabolic course of action. Biofortification, in contrast, is an agrarian process that enhances the micronutrient content of a food crop through plant breeding, genetic modification, use of enriched fertilizers, or management of agricultural practices. These two strategies, although targeting different objectives, both work on the same principle of the bio-extraction process that involves uptake, accretion, removal, and modification of micro- and macro-nutrient elements from the soil. This volume offers a comprehensive overview of phytoremediation and biofortification of Zn, Fe, Cu, and Cd, etc., and illustrates the emerging and innovative combination of these technologies.With chapters written by experts, the book highlights a wide range of topics and discusses the integration of advanced phytoremediation and biofortification approaches for sustainable ecological and health management. Topics include phytoremediation and biofortification strategies that use nanotechnology; algae, fungi, and other plants; CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering; and more for decontamination of water and soil and for fortifying plants against climate change, toxic chemicals, and other challenges.Key features: reviews and integrates the currently available information on phytoremediation and biofortification from molecular, biochemical, and physiological levels provides a direction towards implementation of programs and practices to enable the sustainable production of crops, resilient to climatic alterations This volume will be valuable for investigators who are working or have an interest in sustainable environmental management as well as for research students, teachers, scientists, and engineers, whether in academia, industry, or government, and those who have an interest in environmental remediation and micronutrient fields.

Sustainable food production is vital to ensure food and nutritional security to growing human population. Recently, there has been a shift in agricultural production system, crop production is not only considering yield as primary interest to produce higher number of calories for reducing hunger, but also more nutrient-rich food to reduce malnutrition or “hidden hunger”. Micronutrient malnutrition is a continuing and serious public health problem in many countries, various Interventions to alleviate this problem have been implemented. Biofortification, the process of breeding nutrients into food crops, provides a comparatively cost effective, sustainable, and long-term means of delivering more micronutrients. Legumes have higher protein content than most plant foods approximately twice than cereals and are rich in the key micronutrients folate, niacin, thiamine, calcium, iron and zinc. This book summarizes the biofortification of legumes. Detailed information through contributed chapters shed light on legumes research relevant to human health, with key topics that include genomic and genetic resources for food security, conventional and modern breeding approaches for improving nutrition, agronomic traits and biotechnological interventions.

The plant species that humans rely upon have an extended family of wild counterparts that are an important source of genetic diversity used to breed productive crops. These wild and weedy cousins are valuable as a resource for adapting our food, forage, industrial and other crops to climate change. Many wild plant species are also directly used, especially for revegetation, and as medicinal and ornamental plants. North America is rich in these wild plant genetic resources. This book is a valuable reference that describes the important crop wild relatives and wild utilized species found in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The book highlights efforts taken by these countries to conserve and use wild resources and provides essential information on best practices for collecting and conserving them. Numerous maps using up-to-date information and methods illustrate the distribution of important species, and supplement detailed description on the potential value these resources have to agriculture, as well as their conservation statuses and needs. There is broad recognition of the urgent need to conserve plant diversity; however, a small fraction of wild species is distinguished by their potential to support agricultural production. Many of these species are common, even weedy, and are easily overshadowed by rare or endangered plants. Nevertheless, because of their genetic proximity to agriculturally important crops or direct use, they deserve to be recognized, celebrated, conserved, and made available to support food and agricultural security. This comprehensive two-volume reference will be valuable for students and scientists interested in economic botany, and for practitioners at all levels tasked with conserving plant biodiversity.