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This edited book deals with the distribution, classification and diversity of halophytic ecosystems, ecology of mangroves, coastal agroforestry, adaptations and mechanisms of salt tolerance in glycophytes verses halophytes, scope of biosaline agriculture, and potential utilization of halophytes in abiotic stressed environments in arid and semiarid regions and coastal areas. In this era of global population increase and global environmental change, there is need to provide food to the ever-growing population, combating climate change and conserving biodiversity. Keeping in view the rich biodiversity of halophytes, there is wide scope in food industry, phytoremediation, as well as a source of bioactive compounds including modern drugs. The new technologies for the cultivation of halophytes help to utilize saline and arid wastelands and also waterlogged areas sustainably for humans and the livestock. This book creates interest in educationists, researchers, industrialists, investors, soil and climate change scientists, development/extension workers, environmentalists, policy/decision makers, and government and non-government organizations. Also, the book serves as reference material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international soil and agricultural scientists, ecologists, policy makers will also find this book immensely useful.

This updated and expanded second edition summarizes advances in agroforestry research and practice and proposes alternatives to increase the effectiveness of agroforestry systems. It offers an important contribution to help solve the most pressing development and environmental challenges in this sector today. The contributing authors present views from the academic, the practitioner and the development areas. Chapters offer alternatives and suggestions for facing challenges in agroforestry adoption, profitability, and in the implementation of integrated landscape management approaches.With new chapters and substantial revisions made in many others, the scope was broadened both geographically and thematically. Students, Scientists and practitioners will therefore gain more insights from Africa and Asia, as well as the Americas.

This edited book addresses various aspects of sustainable land management, including existing policy norms and indigenous knowledge. It focuses on how sustainable land management can combat desertification, increase livelihood opportunities, mitigate poverty and hunger, and conserve biodiversity. The book explores different sustainable land management practices and policy frameworks in India aimed at achieving land degradation neutrality. Sustainable land management (SLM) encompasses Nature-based Solutions for restoring degraded landscapes, mitigating and adapting to climate change, ensuring water and food security, alleviating poverty, promoting economic growth, and conserving biodiversity. This book is suitable for academicians, researchers, and policymakers involved in developing roadmaps and policies to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This book discusses the applications of nanotechnology in clinical microbiology, food microbiology, and green solutions of nanoparticles using microorganisms for a range of benefits. It describes nanotechnology's rapid progress in the development of materials used in industry, medicine, drug delivery, and dentistry. The authors further explore how microbiology and nanotechnology separately have proven to be effective for human health solutions keeping an ecological and environmental balance. Domains covered include environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, food microbiology (to control food spoilage), biosynthesis of nanomaterials using microorganisms, water microbiology, nanofluidic devices for isolation and analysis of individual biomolecules such as DNA that can lead to a new detection scheme for cancer, and various fields such as pharmacy, clinical research, agriculture etc. This book will be essential reading to a wide range of scholars and researchers interestedin microbiology along with nanotechnology applications for efficient solutions to cancer detection, biosensors, vaccines research, agriculture, wastewater management etc.

This book documents the global pearl millet research for achieving the sustainable development goals in the eve of International Year of Millets in 2023 by FAO. This book offers perspectives on the recent advances in the field of genomics, next-generation breeding approaches, hybrid development, crop production and protection technologies of pearl millets. Pearl millet is the world's most important millet grown in the hot, semi-arid ecologies of Asia and Africa with versatile end uses. Of all the world's cereals, pearl millet ranks the sixth most important crop after rice, wheat, maize, barley and sorghum. In the changing climatic condition, it can be pitched as strategic crop for food and nutritional security owing to its ability to survive in harsh ecologies and the higher micro-nutrients grain content. This books focuses on nutritional importance, climate resilience, seed systems, value-addition and market policies to enhance the genetic gain of pearl millets under marginal and favorable ecologies, and way forward for a food and nutrition secure world. It is a useful reading material for researchers and professionals working on small grains, millets and their cultivation and nutrition related aspects.

Africa is largely dependent on natural resources in its quest to achieve sustainable development goals, with its woodlands and forests known to be among the most exploited ecosystems. Anthropogenic pressure has led to the progressive conversion of these woodlands and forests into patches of regrowth stands, savanna and cropland systems. Expansion with intensification of agricultural land and the unsustainable use of fuelwood biomass are among the major drivers of such landscape transformations and the associated decline of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This phenomenon is growing in magnitude and significance with emerging environmental issues including climate change, biological invasion, and pollution arising from various land use practices, thereby jeopardizing Africa's development pathway. Agroforestry holds promises to reverse this trend, as it provides the potential for designing multifunctional agricultural landscapes that guarantee trade-offs of food security, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem services. Africa is characterized by highly variable ecological conditions and remarkable cultural diversity that influence the conception of landscape multifunctionality. Drawing upon the vast experience of researchers and many other professionals in Africa, this book contextualizes the roles of trees in African multifunctional landscapes, capturing the biophysical and societal diversity in the region, while scrutinizing the ongoing trend of landscape multifunctionality in Africa with reference to the global scenario. It is designed to provide a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the various roles of trees in African landscapes and shed light on the underlying functional attributes of trees, which will help readers to generate a better insight and problem-solving approach for landscape multifunctionality in the context of Africa. This book defines the multifunctional landscapes with reference to an African context. The book has fourteen chapters, covering five broad thematic areas (i) the multiple services, functions and role of trees in multifunctional landscapes; (ii) tree-based production systems, products and their contributions to rural livelihoods; (iii) drivers of land cover changes and their impacts; (iv) approaches for managing resources to integrate trees in multifunctional landscapes; and (v) external factors affecting landscape resources management in Africa.

Agriculture is often considered as one of the main threats to ecosystems. Unsustainable farming practices often result in habitat loss, inefficient use of water, soil degradation, pollution, genetic erosion, among other negative impacts on human life, including hunger, low food quality, reduced access to food resources, as well as the abandonment of rural areas. Nevertheless, when agriculture is practiced in a sustainable way, it can contribute to the preservation of many habitats, to the protection of watersheds, to the preservation and improvement of soil health.The use of sustainable and ecological practices is the key feature distinguishing traditional agriculture from intensive one. It may not provide very high yields, but ensures sustainable harvests over time, thanks to time-tested technologies and traditional know-hows and also represent examples of adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. Based on this approach, in 2002, FAO launched the concept of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, to identify and safeguard agricultural systems that are ensuring food and livelihood security, while maintaining magnificent landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge, cultural and social values.This book presents 18 examples of these traditional agriculture systems around the world, with a special focus on Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America, as a result of the “GIAHS Building Capacity” project co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) of the University of Florence (Italy).

This edited volume covers all aspects of microbes in consortia; their roles in the ecological balance of soil by mineralize soil nutrients, plant growth promotion, protecting plants from disease by acting as biocontrol agents etc. Step-by-step descriptions are provided to the development and designing strategies of microbial consortia of rhizobacteria, phytohormone producing with biocontrol; ACC-deaminase producing with siderophore producing; vice-versa, and many combinations of multifaceted bacteria. The development of microbial consortia into successful bioinoculant and biofertilizers is also included in various chapters. In addition, molecular mechanisms to study the synergistic behaviors of rhizobacteria, accompanied by numerous helpful schematic drawings. Using phylogeny to justify the molecular similarity among two different bacteria identifies the possibility of microbial synergism, fruitful to development of microbial consortium and establish them in the rhizosphere with consorted mechanisms. In addition, clear drawings are included in support of understanding the natural phenomenon of synergism in below-ground ecosystem. Essential information is provided on ecological management by consorted mechanisms of rhizobacteria that directly affect ‘agriculture sustainability'and an individual chapter is devoted to the understanding of future research, and addressing bottlenecks and successful steps. This book assists the academicians, researchers and NGOs in negotiating the steep learning curve involved in gaining the skills needed to perform design and development of microbial consortiums, preparation of PGPR-based fertilizers, which offers significant advantages in terms of pertaining novel knowledge on the groundbreaking research, still ongoing.

This book creates a multidisciplinary forum of discussion on Ficus carica with particular emphasis on its horticulture, post-harvest, marketability, phytochemistry, extraction protocols, biochemistry, nutritional value, functionality, health-promoting properties, ethnomedicinal applications, technology and processing. The impact of traditional and innovative processing on the recovery of high-added value compounds from Ficus carica byproducts is extensively reported. Also, the text discusses the potential applications of Ficus carica in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. Fig (Ficus carica): Production, Processing, and Properties illustrates a diversity of developments in food science and horticultural research including:Production, processing, chemistry, and functional properties of Ficus carica.Ficus carica phytochemicals and its health-promoting effects.Food, non-food and technological applications of Ficus carica.Recent research focuses on studying the bioactive compounds and therapeutic traits and investigating the mode of action and toxicological impacts of medical plant extracts and bioactive phytochemicals. Ficus carica is of significant importance due to its widespread food, industrial and medicinal applications. Although Ficus carica products are already commercially available in the international market, it is hard to find a reference work covering the production, processing, chemistry and properties of Ficus carica. This book will be the first publication focusing specifically on this important topic.

Since ancient times, plants serve as a valuable source of traditional herbal medicines. Unlike modern medicines, herbal medicines have consistently demonstrated health advantages, including a lack of serious adverse side effects, long-lasting curative impacts and overall cost-effectiveness. Even today, with various modern pharmaceutical medicines commonly available, plant-based medicines and aromatics are increasingly in demand throughout the health sector globally, where they are used not only for the treatment of disease, but also, preventatively for maintaining good health. People are seeking alternatives to modern medical treatments turning to phytomedicine for primary health care. However, an inadvertent consequence of this increased demand for herbal medicines has resulted in medicinal plants being threatened due to their initial small population sizes, narrow distribution areas, habitat specificity, and increasingly destructive non-sustainable harvesting. This book critically examines and reviews the status of medicinal plants and includes several important case studies of representative plant species. It contains information on aspects concerning phytochemistry, natural products, cultivation, conservation techniques, environmental interactions, and therapeutic features of medicinal aromatic plants.Features Evaluates plants as medicine and aromatics covering pharmacognosy and ecology of plants having therapeutic values. Discusses how plants can play a role in treatment of diseases and as potential therapeutics standards for maintaining good health. Presents conventional and contemporary approaches to conservation of such plants with commercial feasibility.

This edited book opens up new vistas for sustainable intensification in agriculture to provide food to ever growing population as well as adapting to the risks of global environmental change. Diverting from conventional agriculture, the book explores new dimensions and concepts that have been identified for future research and development in sustaining agriculture in Asia and Africa regions. The chapters are written by leading researchers and practitioners in the field of agroforestry. The book demonstrates how agroforestry could be instrumental in bringing stability and sustainability in agricultural production. It offers sustainable solutions for the impending problems of climate change, ecosystem degradation, declining agricultural productivity, and uncertain food security. It is an essential resource for students in agroforestry courses, as well as a valuable introduction to the field for professionals in related areas.

This volume is intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of recent innovations related to the study of agricultural and environmental management for sustainable development. The book clearly identifies why the fight to achieve sustainable development in agricultural production must be fought along a broad multidisciplinary front to overcome issues such as soil erosion, poor water quality, pesticide contamination, and food insecurity. Readers are given a broad exposition of the trends and current practices of basic principles on sustainable agriculture, along with a detailed understanding of the use of sustainable agriculture to develop environmentally sustainable food production systems. The chapters describe the ecological sustainability of agricultural systems, current innovations to improve efficiency in the use of resources for sustainable agriculture, and the proposal for technological options and new areas of research in this very significant field of​​agriculture. The authors aim to provide readers with a good subject understanding which will assist in the identification of agricultural development, environmental risk, sustainable resource management and design of appropriate responses. This book will be very helpful for students, researchers and practitioners interested in the fields of agriculture, environment and sustainable development.

This book focuses on regions for which until now the geomorphology was very poorly studied and relatively unknown. Nevertheless, the landforms and landscapes of the Horn of Africa are highly attractive, diverse and in a few cases unique, since they span very different environments, from highland plateaus and mountains to lowlands (even below sea level) and coastlines with a high degree of diversity and from monsoon to arid climate conditions. The main topics addressed in the book include the links between the geological evolution and the current large scale geomorphology of the Horn of Africa; the large differences between the highlands and lowlands climate, river hydrology and their variation through time within a climate change perspective. This part of the world was home of the very first hominids. The landscape in which they lived and evolved throughout the Pleistocene is described in comparison with the arid and inhospitable, though immensely scenic, environment of today. Perennial and ephemeral rivers with very different morphology, processes, and hydrology drain the area, and, in combination with the past and recent uplift, substantially contributed to provide the region with peculiar landscapes and landforms. Long lasting weathering and erosion processes result in a typical inselberg landscape such as the Bur region, or the currently exposed flatland of old peneplain surfaces. Their changes through time, induced by both natural and anthropogenic factors, are addressed by a couple of case studies. Though the region has few inhabitants, they had to struggle to find their livelihood in a land that offers poor resources. This resulted in landscape change and land degradation. Examples of human impact on the landscape are presented at different scales. This book provides readers interested in geography and geomorphology with essential scientific and educational information on the Landscapes and Landforms of Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia through simple, though scientifically, rigorous texts illustrated with several color maps and photos. One main prerogative of this book is therefore to give an insight into a region of the world where, for geographical and historical constraints, geomorphological investigation was very limited, thus enriching its intrinsic informative value.

Applications of microbial nanotechnology are currently emerging with new areas being explored. Biosynthesis of nanomaterials by microorganisms is a recently attracting interest as a new, exciting approach towards the development of ‘greener'nanomanufacturing compared to traditional chemical and physical approaches. This book will cover recent advances of microbial nanotechnology in agriculture, industry, and health sectors.

This book focuses on drylands such as arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas where they form the main part of ecosystems, e.g., in Iran, but also around the world. Mismanagement and improper exploitation of these areas lead to more degradation day by day. Besides an introduction to the role and importance of vegetation cover in conserving soil against wind and water erosion, this book gives a scope of appropriate techniques and methods for vegetation establishment and maintenance, indicators for suitable plants selection for soil conservation, and soil erosion prevention and combat. It provides methods of soil erosion prevention and combating through the application of plants, using bioengineering systems for soil erosion control and the role of agroforestry in soil erosion prevention. This book can be helpful to those with an interest in countries with similar climates to Iran. In particular, this includes Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The book discusses up-to-date and detailed information about the nutritional quality of forage in the biodiversity-rich Himalayan region and their potential in livestock feeding.• Provides a comprehensive discussion on the prospects of Himalayan forages.• Collates findings and data based on more than two decades of research on nutritional quality of different temperate grasses, fodder trees, legumes and non-conventional forage resources.• Includes information on different forage resources, nutritional quality of forages, niche based nutritive forage species, varietal improvement of different species for nutritionally rich forages, non-conventional forages and modern biotechnological intervention for quality improvement of forages.• Offers a valuable resource of information on forages for researchers and policymakers• Include information oriented toward livestock feeding, influencing their health, production and productivity affecting economic status of farmers.• Presents exhaustive information on forage species along with pictorial presentations. The target audience will be researchers and scientists in public and private institutions (e.g. government, academia, dairy industry), policy planners, animal nutritionists and students. The monograph is relevant for the readers interested in understanding forage quality for livestock feeding and suggest models for quality improvement of forages worldwide, in similar topographies. It is also relevant to the researchers studying forage improvement and biofortification for nutritional enhancement for improving livestock health and productivity

The content of this book provides information on advanced knowledge in the sphere of importance and scope of horticulture in India, horticulture based integrated farming systems, integration of livestock in horticulture based farming systems, emerging issues, natural resource management, disease and pest management, organic farming and certification, post-harvest measures and value addition in arid fruits and vegetables, marketing aspects, status and export promotion measures and procedures. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.

Agroforestry – the practice of growing trees and crops in interacting combinations – is recognized the world over as an integrated approach to sustainable land-use. Agroforestry systems, being multifunctional, facilitate not only the production of food and wood products but also provide a variety of ecosystem services such as climate-change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and soil quality improvement. Agroforestry research has made rapid strides since organized efforts started in the late 1970s. Today, a vast body of scientific knowledge and an impressive array of publications on agroforestry are available. Four World Congresses on Agroforestry conducted once every five years since 2004 have brought together the global community of agroforestry professionals and practitioners to share and discuss the emerging trends and paradigm shifts in this field. The fifth Congress is scheduled to be held in Québec, Canada. However, a comprehensive college-level textbook incorporating these research findings did not exist until this book was first published. The first edition of this book in 1993 (Nair, P. K. R., 1993) is out of print and somewhat dated. This revised edition, with emphasis on the scientific developments during the past more than four decades, addresses this long-felt need.

Plant tissue culture (PTC) technology has gained unassailable success for its various commercial and research applications in plant sciences. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are an essential part of any plant tissue culture intervention for propagation or modification of plants. A wide range of PGRs are available, including aromatic compounds that show cytokinin activities, promote cell division and micro-propagation, viz. kinetin, N6-benzyladenine and topolins. Topolins are naturally occurring aromatic compounds that have gained popularity as an effective alternative for other frequently used cytokinins in in vitro culture of plants. Among them, meta-topolin [6-(3-hydroxybenzlyamino) purine] is the most popular and its use in plant tissue culture has amplified swiftly. During the last few decades, there have been numerous reports highlighting the effectiveness of meta-topolin in micropropagation and alleviation of various physiological disorders, rooting and acclimatization of tissue culture raised plants.

Cash crops are grown and sold for monetary gain and not necessarily for sustenance. They include coffee, tea, coconut, cotton, jute, groundnut, castor, linseed, cocoa, rubber, cassava, soybean, sweet potato, potato, wheat, corn and teff. While some of these crops have been improved for realizing yield potential, breeding of many of them is still in infancy. Crops that underwent rigorous breeding have eventually lost much of the diversity due to extensive cultivation with a few improved varieties and the diversity in less bred species is to be conserved. Over the past years, scholars and policy makers have become increasingly aware of the short and long-run impact of climatic factors on economic, food security, social and political outcomes. Genetic diversity, natural and induced, is much needed for the future generations to sustain food production with more climate resilient crops. In contrast, crop uniformity produced across the farm fields in the form ofimproved varieties is genetically vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, it is essential and challenging to address the issue of compromising between maximizing crop yield under a given set of conditions and minimizing the risk of crop failure when conditions change. Cash crops are grown in an array of climatic conditions. Many of the world's poor still live in rural areas. Many are subsistence farmers, operating very small farms using very little agricultural inputs for achieving marketable outputs. Conserving the diversity of these crops and addressing all issues of crop culture through modern tools of biotechnology and genomics is a real challenge. We believe the focus of this book is to fill an unmet need of this and other grower communities by providing the necessary knowledge, albeit indirectly via the academics, to manage the risks of cash crops breeding through managing genetic diversity.

This multidimensional context analysis looks at topics such as conflict and gender dynamics, community livelihoods, and the status of natural resources. The study suggests establishing community-based mechanisms and multidisciplinary local governance to facilitate peace-building in the Sudan.

This report finds that the total forest growing stock in the region has increased over the last 30 years, while forest area and other woodland areas continue to decline due to land-use changes in the Sahelian countries.

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 covers important topics on various neglected and underutilised crops (vegetables, cereals, fruit crops). It gives an overview of the potential, availability of genetic and genomic resources, and the future prospects of these food crops. The book presents different chapters on the importance of underutilised crops with respect to sustainable agriculture and describes the approaches that must be followed for improving the yield and production of these crops. It covers a wide range of food crops such as millet, buckwheat, underutilised spices, underutilised vegetables and underutilised fruit crops. It also provides insights on what smart foods are? And, whether these neglected crops qualify as smart foods?This up-to-date and informative book is meant for food scientists, geneticists, breeders and biotechnologists. It is of interest to students, researchers and course instructors in these fields.

This book focuses on food security and safety issues in Africa, a continent presently challenged with malnutrition and food insecurity. The continuous increase in the human population of Africa will lead to higher food demands, and climate change has already affected food production in most parts of Africa, resulting in drought, reduced crop yields, and loss of livestock and income. For Africa to be food-secure, safe and nutritious food has to be available, well-distributed, and sufficient to meet people's food requirements. Contributors to Food Security and Safety: African Perspectives offer solutions to the lack of adequate safe and nutritious food in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as highlight the positive efforts being made to address this lack through a holistic approach. The book discusses the various methods used to enhance food security, such as food fortification, fermentation, genetic modification, and plant breeding for improved yield and resistance to diseases. Authors emphasize the importance of hygiene and food safety in food preparation and preservation, and address how the constraints of climate change could be overcome using smart crops. As a comprehensive reference text, Food Security and Safety: African Perspectives seeks to address challenges specific to the African continent while enhancing the global knowledge base around food security, food safety, and food production in an era of rapid climate change.

Biopesticides have readily available sources, they are effective and easily biodegradable, exhibit various modes of action, cheaper, inherently less toxic to humans and the environment. They do not leave harmful residues, and are usually more specific to target pests. The use of biopesticides is markedly safer for the environment and users, and more sustainable than the application of chemicals, and are therefore used as potential alternatives to synthetic pesticides, especially as components in Integrated Pest Management strategies. The book Biopesticides: Botanicals and Microorganisms for Improving Agriculture and Human Health is a collection of articles, up to date reviews and research contributions from both developed and developing countries. It emphasises the current issues of importance and the progress made in the fields of agricultural, environmental and soil microbiology, plant pathology and ethnobotany, and aims to bring together all available and relevant information on biopesticides. It comprises 12 Chapters on emerging issues on biopesticides from important and useful botanicals to beneficial microorganisms that show great potential in both agriculture and human health. The book will be of immense help to both the undergraduate and postgraduate students, biologists and agriculturists, who would like to broaden their knowledge and gain substantial experience about biopesticides in agriculture and health, this will enable them to contribute significantly in making the world a safer and healthier place.

Global concern for energy security and environmental protection has put great emphasis on the search for alternative energy sources, particularly for the transport sector. Biofuels have emerged as a highly promising source of alternative energy, and have drawn global research and development for their production using biomass. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy, along with the depletion of conventional fossil fuel reserves, there has been growing global interest in developing alternative sources of energy. There has also been concern in growing economies regarding energy security. Biofuels offer much promise on these frontiers. In addition to these factors, they also have a reduced environmental impact in comparison to fossil fuels. Biofuels from Microbes and Plants provides state-of-the-art information on the status of biofuel production and related aspects.Academics, researchers, engineers, and technologists will develop a greater understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions to the global issues related to achieving alternative energy applications for future energy security, as well as environmental sustainability in medium- and large-scale industries.Key Features Detailed overview of the alternative energy field and the role of biofuels as new energy sources Detailed accounts of the production of biodiesel from non-conventional bio-feedstocks such as algae, microbes, and vegetable oils Recent updates about biotechnological improvements of plant and microbial sources for biofuel production

Polyphagous pests are primarily agricultural pests that feed on economically important agricultural and horticultural crops of wide taxonomic diversity across the globe. They cause immense damage across different crop varieties owing to their generalist and voracious food habits. The advent of mono-crop culture in a huge area and the massive use of pesticides post green revolution have massively increased pest outbreaks all over the world. The Middle Eastern countries, African continent and even the Indian subcontinent is increasingly facing resurgences of polyphagus pests. This book compiles an inclusive account of polyphagous pests. It covers locusts, termites, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, scale insects, gram pod borer, fall armyworm, thrips, mites and rodents. The book discusses mode of spread, enormity of losses caused, mechanism of action, and also means to reduce the crop losses. It brings together a unique perspective for researchers to learn effective pest management practices across all crops. This book is a reference guide to researchers and also useful for academicians and students of entomology.

There is a need to develop next-generation bioenergy systems that exhibit net carbon capture. This collection reviews advances in producing next-generation biofuels from plant materials. These address climate change by fixing carbon in co-products. Part 1 discusses key technologies to achieve this goal such as biomass gasification, fast pyrolysis and torrefaction. Chapters review advances in technology, applications and commercial development. Part 2 assesses advances in production of biofuels from crops such as jatropha, oilseeds (such as canola and rapeseed), Miscanthus, switchgrass and willow, as well as the sustainable use of seaweed for biofuel.

This book reviews modern strategies in the breeding of vegetables in the era of global warming. Agriculture is facing numerous challenges in the 21st century, as it has to address food, nutritional, energy and environmental security. Future vegetable varieties must be adaptive to the varying scenarios of climate change, produce higher yields of high- quality food and feed and have multiple uses. To achieve these goals, it is imperative to employ modern tools of molecular breeding, genetic engineering and genomics for ‘precise'plant breeding to produce ‘designed'vegetable varieties adaptive to climate change.This book is of interest to scientists working in the fields of plant genetics, genomics, breeding, biotechnology, and in the disciplines of agronomy and horticulture.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 2, namely'End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture'and contains the description of a range of related terms, to allow for a better understanding and foster knowledge. Our planet produces enough food to feed everyone. Malnutrition and hunger are the result of inappropriate food production processes, bad governance and injustice. SDG 2 seeks to guarantee quality and nutritious food to ensure healthy life by adopting a holistic approach that involves various actions targeting different actors, technologies, policies and programs. These initiatives have to face challenges coming from extensive environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and the interrelated effects of climate change.Concretely, the defined targets are:End hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year roundEnd all forms of malnutrition, including achieving the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older personsDouble the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employmentEnsure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil qualityMaintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmedand domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreedIncrease investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countriesCorrect and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development RoundAdopt measu

Climate resilience, or the capacity of socio-ecological systems to adapt and upkeep their functions when facing physical-chemical stress, is a key feature of ecosystems and communities. As the risks and impacts of climate change become more intense and more visible, there is a need to foster a broader understanding of both the impacts of these disruptions to food, water, and energy supplies and to increase resilience at the national and local level. The Handbook of Climate Change Resilience comprises a diverse body of knowledge, united in the objective of building climate resilience in both the industralised and the developing world. This unique publication will assist scientists, decision-makers and community members to take action to make countries, regions and cities more resilient.

This book presents research on precipitation partitioning processes in vegetated ecosystems, putting them into a global context. It describes the processes by which meteoric water comes into contact with the vegetation's canopy, typically the first surface contact of precipitation on land. It also discusses how precipitation partitioning by vegetation impacts the amount, patterning, and chemistry of water reaching the surface, as well as the amount and timing of evaporative return to the atmosphere. Although this process has been extensively studied, this is the first review of the global literature on the partitioning of precipitation by forests, shrubs, crops, grasslands and other less-studies plant types. The authors offer global contextualization combined with a detailed discussion of the impacts for the climate and terrestrial ecohydrological systems. As such, this comprehensive overview is a valuable reference tool for a wide range of specialists and students in the fields of geoscience and the environment.

This book presents a broad perspective on saponins as important natural products with a key role in plant defense. The presence of saponins has been reported in several plant species, and many types of saponins have been found to exhibit significant antifungal activities. In addition to their role in plant defense, saponins are of increasing interest for drug research, as they are active ingredients in several traditional medicines and hold potentially valuable pharmacological properties. In this book, the authors briefly introduce readers to saponin accumulation in various plant organs, with a specific focus on their structure classification and diversity. Readers will find detailed information on the saponin structure-activity relationship and saponins'vital role in sustainable agriculture as a chemical barrier to pathogen attack. The latest techniques for isolating, identifying, and quantifying saponins are also discussed. In the closing chapter, the authors outline the recent metabolic engineering strategies applied to improve saponin glycosides production and their potential applications in plant disease resistance.This book and the companion volume Bioactive Molecules in Plant Defense: Signaling in Growth and Stress offer vital resources for all researchers and students interested in plant pathology, mycology and sustainable agriculture.

Agricultural Research Updates. Volume 29 opens with information on wild edible plants commonly consumed by Jordanians and people of other neighboring countries. The presented plant spp. are among hundreds of wild edible species recorded in Jordan, are regarded as partially or totally consumable, and are usually used in food and medicine. The authors discuss various aspects of species complications among Phytophthora, and discuss the way these complications could be addressed through a better understanding of the biology, diversity, ecology, and taxonomic relationships between species. In one study, thirty African yam bean genotypes were evaluated for grain yield in a randomized complete block design of three replications in four agroecologies of Nigeria. Across the four locations, a mean yield of 1019Kg/ha was obtained. A mixed model was employed to access variability among the 30 genotypes and four locations. Lastly, this collection reviews the applications of size-exclusion chromatography in the fractionation of fructans and in the determination of their molecular weight, size, intrinsic viscosity and degree of branching.

Knowledge of Africa's complex farming systems, set in their socio-economic and environmental context, is an essential ingredient to developing effective strategies for improving food and nutrition security.This book systematically and comprehensively describes the characteristics, trends, drivers of change and strategic priorities for each of Africa's fifteen farming systems and their main subsystems. It shows how a farming systems perspective can be used to identify pathways to household food security and poverty reduction, and how strategic interventions may need to differ from one farming system to another. In the analysis, emphasis is placed on understanding farming systems drivers of change, trends and strategic priorities for science and policy.Illustrated with full-colour maps and photographs throughout, the volume provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of Africa's farming systems and pathways for the future to improve food and nutrition security. The book is an essential follow-up to the seminal work Farming Systems and Poverty by Dixon and colleagues for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Bank, published in 2001.

The book includes total 26 chapters; the first 10 describe traditional agroforestry systems found in different parts of our country. Homegardens, having a multi-tire in structure, are another example of traditional agroforestry system found generally in northeast and southern part of our country. 11 to 14 deal with some modern agroforestry models, and mechanism of competitive interaction in found in agroforestry systems. 15 to 19 describes nutrient cycling and natural growth resources conservation by agroforestry systems. Tree has both protective as well as productive role. Tree canopies protect soils from rain beating and wind blowing whereas fine roots bind soil particles together and thereby protect soils from erosion. Trees recycle leaf and root litter and nutrients and make system at least semi-sustainable. Different models of agroforestry like shelterbelt and wind breaks are known to help protect environment from dust and sand dunes drifting; some models like medicinal plant based system that provide medicinal and other high value crops. These service oriented functions of agroforestry are described in 20 to 23. Tree improvement is an important aspect of agroforestry study. It helps develop plus trees for different agroforestry models. Multiplication of propgules and planting materials are equally important for development of agroforestry. These information are provided in s 24 and 25. But, agroforestry systems require much more parameters owing to their perennial nature. The last describes economic parameters like NPV, IRR, annuity, sensitivity etc. in detail.

This book presents valuable research and advances in technologies related to ricebean cultivation production and utilization. Focusing on ricebean as a possible solution to the problems of nutritional insecurity and growing populations in developing countries, it provides comprehensive insights into its nutritional significance as an alternative food legume and discusses its utilization to prevent potential food calamities. This book is a valuable resource for food scientists and technologists, agricultural scientists, nutritionists and researchers.

This book introduces the first part of a collection of exquisite coloured photographs which illustrate diverse wild medicinal and aromatic plant species in Jordan. It discusses 281 species from 58 families recorded from 400m below sea level (in the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley) to 2000m above sea level (in the North), and from the deserts of al-Azraq and Wadi Rum in the East and the South to the lush, black soils in the North, and along the Jordan River and water channels in the West. Information on species taxonomy and botanical affiliation, chemical constituents, plant parts used in medication, medicinal and pharmacological importance, healing properties and uses in folk medicine is also presented. As such, the book is a valuable resource on diverse wild plant species of different growth habits and habitats used for culinary, health and other purposes.

Bioethanol Production from Food Crops: Sustainable Sources, Interventions and Challenges comprehensively covers the global scenario of ethanol production from both food and non-food crops and other sources. The book guides readers through the balancing of the debate on food vs. fuel, giving important insights into resource management and the environmental and economic impact of this balance between demands. Sections cover Global Bioethanol from Food Crops and Forest Resource, Bioethanol from Bagasse and Lignocellulosic wastes, Bioethanol from algae, and Economics and Challenges, presenting a multidisciplinary approach to this complex topic. As biofuels continue to grow as a vital alternative energy source, it is imperative that the proper balance is reached between resource protection and human survival. This book provides important insights into achieving that balance. - Presents technological interventions in ethanol production, from plant biomass, to food crops - Addresses food security issues arising from bioethanol production - Identifies development bottlenecks and areas where collaborative efforts can help develop more cost-effective technology

Les grains et particulièrement les céréales et les légumineuses restent la base de l'alimentation, voire l'essentiel de la ration, dans la plupart des pays du Sud. Si l'accroissement de la production répond, en partie, à la hausse de la demande, il reste indispensable d'améliorer la conservation et la transformation des produits pour réduire les pertes post-récolte. Aujourd'hui, l'urbanisation induit d'autres habitudes alimentaires, les ménages urbains n'ayant plus assez de temps pour préparer les mets traditionnels. Le marché de l'alimentation évolue et les consommateurs ne sont plus seulement acheteurs de denrées de base, mais recherchent des produits déjà transformés, prêts à cuire ou prêts à consommer, et fabriqués selon des procédés satisfaisant leur perception de la qualité organoleptique, respectant les règles d'hygiène et respectueux de l'environnement. Cet ouvrage aborde plusieurs aspects de la transformation des grains et complète le livre sur la conservation des grains dans la même collection. Il présente différents procédés de transformation en ciblant principalement les petites et moyennes entreprises comme principaux acteurs des systèmes de transformation des produits alimentaires dans les pays du Sud. Cet ouvrage constitue une référence pratique pour tous les professionnels de la transformation des grains et pour tous les acteurs du développement dans les pays du Sud.182 pages N&B + 16 pages couleur

This book provides insights into various aspects of medicinal plant-associated microbes, known to be a unique source of biological active compounds, including their biotechnological uses and their potential in pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. Featuring review papers and original research by leading experts in the field, it discusses medicinal plants and their interactions with the environment; medicinal plants as a source of biologically active compounds; medicinal plant-associated microbes (diversity and metabolites); their pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications as well as their potential applications as plant growth stimulators and biocontrol agents. As such the book offers a valuable, up-to-date overview of the current research on medicinal plants, their ecology, biochemistry and associated biomes.

Soil and water salinity is a major challenge for the agricultural community and policy makers in terms of meeting the burgeoning population's demand for food and other agricultural commodities. In coastal regions, climate change and sea level rise will aggravate the problem with more and more areas becoming saline due to intrusion of sea water. As such there is a pressing need for modern tools and innovative techniques for the identification of salty soils and poor-quality waters, crop production, soil reclamation and lowering the water table in waterlogged areas. Tackling next-generation problems such as contamination of soil and underground water due to fluoride and arsenic, as well as developing multi-stress tolerant crops is also a high priority. Further, techniques for domesticating halophytes, mangrove-based aquacultures, using seaweed cultures as agricultural crops and integrated farming systems need to be perfected. This book addresses all these aspects in detail, highlighting the diverse solutions to tackle the complex problem of salinity and waterlogging and safer management of poor-quality waters. With chapters written by leading experts, it is a valuable resource for researchers planning future investigations, policy makers, farmers and other stakeholders, and for students wanting insights into vital issues of environment.

This book collects wide-ranging contributions such as case studies, reviews, reports on technological developments, outputs of research/studies, and examples of successful projects, presenting current knowledge and raising awareness to help the agriculture and forestry sectors find solutions for mitigating climate variability and adapting to change. It brings the topic of ecosystem services closer to education and learning, as targeted by the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. Climate change and its impacts on agriculture and agroforestry have been observed across the world during the last 50 years. Increasing temperatures, droughts, biotic stresses and the impacts of extreme events have continuously decreased agroforestry systems'resilience to the effects of climate change. As such, there is a need to adapt farming and agroforestry systems so as to make them better ableto handle ever-changing climate conditions, and to preserve habitats and ecosystems services.

This volume discusses emerging contexts of agricultural and ecosystem resilience in Sub Saharan Africa, as well as contemporary technological advances that have influenced African livelihoods. In six sections, the book addresses the sustainable development goals to mitigate the negative impacts on agricultural productivity brought about by climate change in Africa. Some of the challenges assessed include soil degradation, land use changes, natural resource mismanagement, declining crop productivity, and economic stagnation. This book will be of interest to researchers, NGOs, and development organizations.Section 1 focuses on climate risk management in tropical Africa. Section 2 addresses the water-ecosystem-agriculture nexus, and identifies the best strategies for sustainable water use. Section 3 introduces Information Communication Technology (ICT), and how it can be used for ecosystem and human resilience to improve quality of life in communities. Section 4 discusses the science and policies of transformative agriculture, including challenges facing crop production and management. Section 5 addresses landscape processes, human security, and governance of agro-ecosystems. Section 6 concludes the book with chapters uniquely covering the gender dynamics of agricultural, ecosystem, and livelihood resilience.

This new four-volume set, Global Biodiversity, provides a wealth of insightful information on the biodiversity of selected nations around the world. The volumes provide informative summaries of the available data on both wild and cultivated plants, wild and domesticated animals, and microbes of the different nations selected.

The current global environmental crisis is primarily the result of non-standardized parameters for environmental regulation, and is impacting e.g. clean air, safe drinking water and the quality of food, particularly in developing nations. Due to their poor/lax execution of EIA protocols, newly developing countries are preferred destinations for establishing pollution-emitting industries, which results in the degradation and depletion of their natural resources. Lack of environmental policy intervention is another major incentive to base “dirty” industries in these nations. In order to ensure sustainable development, the highest-priority issues include the monitoring and eradication of environmental problems stemming from economic development; virtually every form of economic development primarily results in the loss of forests and thus biodiversity, followed by declining air quality and the contamination of natural resources. Sustainable development ensures responsible interactions with the environment, so as to minimize the depletion or degradation of natural resources and preserve environmental quality. It involves integrated approaches to understanding the importance of environmental management systems and policy measures that lead to improved environmental performance. This book addresses the environmental concerns associated with economic development, and with approaches to attaining sustainable economic development, which include monitoring the quality of water resources, soil erosion and degradation of the natural environment.

This book introduces the reader to synthetic or artificial seeds, which refer to alginate encapsulated somatic embryos, vegetative buds or any other micropropagules that can be used as seeds and converted into plantlets after propagating under in vitro or in vivo conditions. Moreover, synthetic seeds retain their potential for regeneration even after low-temperature storage. The production of synthetic or artificial seeds using micropropagules opens up new vistas in agricultural biotechnology. Encapsulated propagules could be used for in vitro regeneration and mass multiplication at reasonable cost. In addition, these propagules may be used for germplasm preservation of elite plant species and the exchange of plant materials between national and international laboratories. This book offers state-of-the-art findings on methods, applications and prospects of synthetic or artificial seeds.