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This book focuses exclusively on the welfare of goats, which have peculiar behavioral characteristics and needs, and distinct individual personalities. Despite the many differences between goats and sheep, welfare and health issues of small ruminants have often been addressed together. Goats are extremely adaptable, now widespread and farmed all over the world. Usually bred for economic purposes (milk, meat and/or fibre), goats are also occasionally kept as pet animals, in educational farms, in zoos or for animal-assisted therapy. This wide range of conditions may elicit different challenges for their welfare. Readers of this volume are introduced to the goat species, starting from its origin and domestication process, and presentation of its natural behaviour and characteristics, including recent data on goats'ability to communicate, cognition capabilities and personality. Knowledge of these features is indispensable to allow a welfare-friendly approach to goat management. The authors then address all relevant aspects of goat welfare, covering issues related to housing, feeding, painful procedures and end-of-life management, with special emphasis on welfare challenges in adverse environments. An additional chapter is dedicated to the main health problems that can jeopardize goats'welfare. Finally, this volume highlights the latest research to on-farm welfare assessment with indicators and protocols for evaluation. This work will appeal to scholars of animal welfare science and biology, stakeholders in the livestock industry, as well as experts in goat-assisted interventions and pet owners. Video and audio files enrich the reading experience and can also be played from the print book using the free Springer Nature More Media app.

LiDAR Principles, Processing and Applications in Forest Ecology introduces the principles of LiDAR technology and explains how to collect and process LiDAR data from different platforms based on real-world experience. The book provides state-of the-art algorithms on how to extract forest parameters from LiDAR and explains how to use them in forest ecology. It gives an interdisciplinary view, from the perspective of remote sensing and forest ecology. Because LiDAR is still rapidly developing, researchers must use programming languages to understand and process LiDAR data instead of established software. In response, this book provides Python code examples and sample data. Sections give a brief history and introduce the principles of LiDAR, as well as three commonly seen LiDAR platforms. The book lays out step-by-step coverage of LiDAR data processing and forest structure parameter extraction, complete with Python examples. Given the increasing usefulness of LiDAR in forest ecology, this volume represents an important resource for researchers, students and forest managers to better understand LiDAR technology and its use in forest ecology across the world. The title contains over 15 years of research, as well as contributions from scientists across the world. - Presents LiDAR applications for forest ecology based in real-world experience - Lays out the principles of LiDAR technology in forest ecology in a systematic and clear way - Provides readers with state-of the-art algorithms on how to extract forest parameters from LiDAR - Offers Python code examples and sample data to assist researchers in understanding and processing LiDAR data - Contains over 15 years of research on LiDAR in forest ecology and contributions from scientists working in this field across the world

Digital agriculture is an emerging concept of modern farming that refers to managing farms using modern Engineering, Information and Communication Technologies (EICT) aiming at increasing the overall efficiency of agricultural production, improving the quantity and quality of products, and optimizing the human labor required and natural resource consumption in operations. This encyclopedia is designed to collect the summaries of knowledge on as many as subjects or aspects relevant to ECIT for digital agriculture, present such knowledge in entries, and arrange them alphabetically by articles titles.Springer Major Reference Works platform offers Live Update capability. Our reference work takes full advantage of this feature, which allows for continuous improvement or revision of published content electronically.The Editorial BoardDr. Irwin R. Donis-Gonzalez, University of California Davis, Dept. Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Davis, USA (Section:Postharvest Technologies)Prof. Paul Heinemann, Pennsylvania State University, Department Head of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, PA, USA (Section: Technologies for Crop Production)Prof. Manoj Karkee, Washington State University, Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, Washington, USA (Section: Robotics and Automation Technologies)Prof. Minzan Li, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China (Section: Precision Agricultural Technologies)Prof. Dikai Liu, University of Technology Sydney (UTS),Faculty of Engineering & Information Technologies, Broadway NSW, Australia (Section: AI, Information and Communication Technologies)Prof. Tomas Norton, University of Leuven, Dept. of Biosystems, Heverlee Leuven, Belgium (Section: Technologies for Animal and Aquatic Production)Dr. Manuela Zude-Sasse, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB),Precision Horticulture, Potsdam, Germany (Section: Engineering and Mechanization Technologies)

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.

This unique book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date collection of information on the genetic factors, agronomic production methods, and environmental factors that impact the content of vitamins in plants. The effect of various biotic and abiotic stress factors is discussed, and the possible role of some vitamins in plant tolerance to stress factors is also investigated. The book features eye-opening data on vast vitamin variations among farmer-cultivated plants, as well as an extensive comparison between foods grown organically and those grown by conventional methods.With increasing evidence supporting the role of some vitamins in reducing risks of various forms of human cancer, this book provides timely information for researchers, teachers, and students in agronomy, horticulture, plant physiology, food sciences, and human nutrition.

Different phases of fruit development and utilization have been treated in many textbooks, reviews, and a host of scientific and professional papers. This seems, however, to be the first attempt to bring together case histories of so many different fruits and to present a balanced account of the whole period from set to harvest. Postharvest physiology, which has been in the centre of the picture in many former books, is at the bored line of the subject matter of this book, and has not been fully covered, except in a few cases. For this reason, two separate chapters deal with physiological and pathological aspects of fruit life after harvest.

Postharvest Ripening Physiology of Crops is a comprehensive interdisciplinary reference source for the various aspects of fruit ripening and postharvest behavior. It focuses on the postharvest physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of ripening and provides an overview of fruits and vegetables, including chapters on the postharvest quality

The purpose of this publication is to elucidate the biological aspect of the abiotic stress response from the field to the molecular level in horticultural plants. This book is unique in that it concerns the basic aspect of abiotic stress biology and research progress at the molecular level in model plants or major field crops, as it focuses mainly on the abiotic stress response in existing horticultural plants. Many readers interested in plant abiotic stress biology are aware of the application of the latest findings to agricultural production, and this book will have a special appeal for those readers. The book will be of interest to scientists and graduate students who are involved in the research, development, production, processing, and marketing of horticultural products, including those in developing countries who are interested in high tech and advanced science in this field. The application of the latest findings to agricultural production is particularly useful.Stress tolerance mechanisms in horticultural crops are gaining importance, because most agricultural regions are predicted to experience considerably more extreme environmental fluctuations due to global climate change. Further, because of recent progress in next-generation sequencing technologies, the postgenomic era is impending not only in model plants and major cereal crops but also in horticultural crops, which comprise a great diversity of species. This book provides information on the physiological aspects of the abiotic stress response in horticultural plants, which is considered essential for postgenomic research.

Climate change, a global phenomenon, has attracted scientists to contribute in anticipatory research to mitigate adverse impacts, which are more important for horticulture, considering that the scenario is in the midst of revolution, reaching the production level of 250 million tonnes in India. Impacts of climate variability have, invariably, profound influence on production and quality. An understanding of the impacts and relevant adaptation strategies are of foremost importance to sustain the productivity and profitability of horticulture crops in the climate change scenario, which necessitates synthesis of current knowledge to develop strategies for adaptation and mitigation to achieve climate-resilient horticulture. The book Climate-resilient horticulture: adaptation and mitigation strategies addresses the effects of climate change on different horticultural crops and focuses on the adaptation strategies based on the scientific knowledge generated by the experts in different agro-climatic regions in India. Issues have been covered in various chapters to make this book a treasure of knowledge in horticulture vis-a-vis climate change. Some of the crops included in the book are apple, grapes, cashew, banana, litchi, mango, coconut, oil palm, potato, tomato, cucurbits and flowers. In addition to strategies to be adapted in these crops, various other important aspects like carbon sequestration, pests and diseases, and urban landscaping are also covered in the book. Information on climatic risks and adaptation options for resilience in horticultural crops and future strategies and information on pest and disease dynamics on horticultural crops in relation to climate change and available mitigation strategies have also been documented. The book is edited by Dr H P Singh, a visionary leader, and his colleagues, which will be highly valuable to research workers, students, policy planners and farmers to understand and checkmate the adverse effect of climate change, so asto convert weakness into opportunity.

The esculent Lycopersicon esculentum, long thought to be poisonous, has become a major U. S. food crop and source of vitamins and minerals, thanks largely to genetic modification and new production technology Rick (1978) Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most important solana­ ceous vegetable crops grown worldwide under outdoor and indoor conditions. It has become an important commercial crop so far as the area, production, industrial values and its contribution to human nutrition is concerned. During the past few decades tremendous developments have contributed to the knowledge and understanding of various areas of genetics, breeding and biotechnology and voluminous literature has been generated. The purpose of preparing this monograph is to give a comprehensive up-to-date treatment to the various aspects of genetic improvement of tomato. The emphasis has been placed on cytology, classical and molecular genetics, reproductive biology, germplasm resources, hybrid seed production, use of wild taxa, selection/ breeding methods, breeding for abiotic and biotic stresses, processing and quality breeding, improvement for mechanical harvesting, and biotechnology: tissue culture, protoplast fusion, and genetic transformation. These topics are presented in 22 different chapters. However, a few aspects have been discussed in more than one chapter. For example, seed production is treated in chapters 1, 4 and 8; molecular biology/genetic engineering in chapters 3 and 22 and heterosis in chapters 8 and 16.

Modern Methods of Plant Analysis When the handbook Modern Methods of Plant Analysis was first introduced in 1954 the considerations were: 1. the dependence of scientific progress in biology on the improvement of existing and the introduction of new methods; 2. the difficulty in finding many new analytical methods in specialized journals which are normally not accessible to experimental plant biologists; 3. the fact that in the methods sections of papers the description of methods is frequently so compact, or even sometimes so incomplete that it is difficult to reproduce experiments. These considerations still stand today. The series was highly successful, seven volumes appearing between 1956 and 1964. Since there is still today a demand for the old series, the publisher has decided to resume publication of Modern Methods of Plant Analysis. It is hoped that the New Series will be just as acceptable to those working in plant sciences and related fields as the early volumes undoubtedly were. It is difficult to single out the major reasons for success of any publication, but we believe that the methods published in the first series were up-to-date at the time and presented in a way that made description, as applied to plant material, complete in itself with little need to consult other publications. Contributing authors have attempted to follow these guidelines in this New Series of volumes.

Although a great deal of research on ornamental geophytes has been conducted since the beginning of the 1990s, current information has not been comprehensively presented to researchers and horticulturalists. Covering the latest advances in geophytes science, Ornamental Geophytes: From Basic Science to Sustainable Production provides up-to-date revi

While tomatoes continue to be one of the most widely grown plants, the production and distribution of tomato fruits have been changing worldwide. Smaller, flavorful tomatoes are becoming more popular than beefsteak tomatoes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes have entered the marketplace, and home gardeners are using the Internet to obtain information for growing tomatoes. Encompassing these changes, Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden, Second Edition clearly presents the characteristics, nutritional information, environmental requirements, and production aspects of tomato plants and fruits. Authored by one of the foremost experts in hydroponics, the book outlines the history of the tomato plant and fruit and delves into the author's personal experiences with tomato plant cultivation. It discusses the characteristics and composition of the plant as well as seedling and seed production. The author elucidates the physical features of the fruit and the mineral nutrition of the plant. He also examines the physical and chemical characteristics of soils most desirable for plant growth, makes fertilizer recommendations, and explores the factors involved in greenhouse tomato production. In addition, the book looks at ways to identify and control plant diseases and insect pests. With scientific data, trivia, and troubleshooting advice, this technical yet accessible book enables scientists, commercial growers, and home gardeners to cultivate a successful crop of tomatoes.

Genetic engineering is a powerful tool for crop improvement. Crop biotechnology before 2001 was reviewed in Transgenic Crops I-III, but recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have prompted the need for new volumes. Transgenic Crops IV deals with cereals, vegetables, root crops, herbs and spices. Section I is an introductory chapter on the impact of plant biotechnology in agriculture. Section II focuses on cereals (rice, wheat, maize, rye, pearl millet, barley, oats), while Section III is directed to vegetable crops (tomato, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, chickpea, common beans and cowpeas, carrot, radish). Root crops (potato, cassava, sweet potato, sugar beet) are included in Section IV, with herbs and spices (sweet and hot peppers, onion, garlic and related species, mint) in Section V. This volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, genetics and both plant cell and molecular biology.

Focusing exclusively on postharvest vegetable studies, this book covers advances in biochemistry, plant physiology, and molecular physiology to maximize vegetable quality. The book reviews the principles of harvest and storage; factors affecting postharvest physiology, calcium nutrition and irrigation control; product quality changes during handling and storage; technologies to improve quality; spoilage factors and biocontrol methods; and storage characteristics of produce by category. It covers changes in sensory quality such as color, texture, and flavor after harvest and how biotechnology is being used to improve postharvest quality.

The Handbook of Postharvest Technology presents methods in the manufacture and supply of grains, fruits, vegetables, and spices. It details the physiology, structure, composition, and characteristics of grains and crops. The text covers postharvest technology through processing, handling, drying and milling to storage, packaging, and distribution. Additionally, it examines cooling and preservation techniques used to maintain the quality and the decrease spoilage and withering of agricultural products.