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This two-volume catalog is the first in-depth investigation of comets that were reported since the 17th century but not confirmed and subsequently lost. Volume 2 covers objects observed between 1900 and the present, a period that was dominated by photographic observations and the detection of much fainter objects. This book provides a distinctive blend of the historical and cultural aspects of comet hunting and discovery, along with the utilization of contemporary tools in orbital mechanics and data analysis. This comprehensive compilation offers a thorough catalog of unconfirmed comets. Each case encompasses a detailed presentation of observations, a discussion on the observer (when feasible), an examination of the historical context, and a conclusive analysis of the object's nature. The book predominantly showcases original material and photographs sourced from observatories, libraries, and historical societies worldwide; exposing a significant number ofillustrations that have never been previously published. While some of these unconfirmed comets were determined to be misidentifications of minor planets, artifacts caused by emulsion or optical effects, or inaccurate observations of comets that were already under observation, the Authors did manage to identify numerous objects that were likely genuine comets. These observations hold potential value for the future, as they could be observations of periodic comets yet to be formally identified. In a handful of instances, the Authors were also able to find new observations, which led to the calculation of orbits for the first time, enabling a formal announcement, or identifying suspected comets that were already known to be periodic comets.

This edited volume covers all major topics related to agri-food transformation towards sustainability in this era of climate change. The topics cover field crops, horticultural crops, livestock sector, nutritional aspects, application of latest field-based technologies, and agriculture related policies and institutions.Some of the key topics are: Innovations for Reconfiguring Food Systems; Transforming High-value Food Commodities; Demand-Supply of Agri-food Commodities; Balancing Human Demand and Ecological Sustainability; International Partnership for Transformation of Agri-Food Systems; Transforming Animal Health and Aquatic Food Systems for Food Security; Climate Resilient Agriculture; Addressing Nutritional Security through Natural Resource Management; Water Harvesting and Improving Water Productivity; Combating Micronutrient Deficiencies; Plant Genetic Resources for Food Security and Nutrition; Genome Editing for Crop Improvement; and Biosafety and Socioeconomic Considerations.Written by experts, this book serves in exchanging and sharing the latest research findings, ideas and experiences on all aspects of agri-food systems to enable the formulation of the ways forward to transform our agri-food system to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations by 2030. The target audience include academicians, researchers, students, farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and others.

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.

This book presents recently-developed crop, soil, and management practices that can be used to improve phosphorous use efficiency in agriculture. Food security highly depends on the availability of plant nutrients such as phosphorus, yet rock phosphate reserves are expected to be exhausted in the next 50–100 years. Moreover, about 80% of the phosphorous fertilizers applied to soils become unavailable to plants due to phosphorous fixation in iron and aluminum oxides in acidic soils and with carbonates in alkaline soils. As a consequence, only 10-15% of applied phosphorous is up taken by crops. Therefore, there is a need for advanced practices for improving phosphorus use efficiency.

This book presents select proceedings of the International Conference on Micro and Nanoelectronics Devices, Circuits and Systems (MNDCS-2022). The book includes cutting-edge research papers in the emerging fields of micro and nanoelectronics devices, circuits, and systems from experts working in these fields over the last decade. The book is a unique collection of chapters from different areas with a common theme and is immensely useful to academic researchers and practitioners in the industry who work in this field.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop 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 book focuses on the accelerated breeding technologies that have been adopted for major oil crops. It 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. This edited volume is therefore an excellent reference on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

This book compiles the relevant information related to genome editing tools and their roles in crop improvement. The book contains a brief introduction about various genome editing tools and their application in major crops. It discusses the genome editing approaches and the strategies used for genome editing in different crops. Some of the chapters cover the detailed methodology of sgRNA design, vector construction and transformation in different crops followed by data analysis. A few chapters focus on the applications of genome editing tools towards crop improvement. This book will be of particular interest to plant biologists working in the field of genome editing and crop breeders. It will provide valuable information and useful material for our readers'experimental work.

The protein molecule is the basic building block of every living entity. Its deficiency leads to restricted growth and development of individuals. Globally, such malnutrition is on the rise due to various reasons such as rapid population growth, stagnation of productivity, and ever-rising costs. Millions of people, especially in developing and under-developed countries, suffer from protein malnutrition and the only possible solution is to encourage farmers to grow high-protein food legume crops in their fields for domestic consumption. This, however, could be possible if farmers are provided with new cultivars with high yield, and resistance to major insects, diseases, and key abiotic stresses. The major food legume crops are chickpea, cowpea, common bean, groundnut, lentil, pigeonpea, and soybean. Predominantly, the legume crops are grown under a subsistence level and, therefore, in comparison to cereals and horticultural crops their productivity is low and highly variable. The crop breeders around the globe are engaged in breeding suitable cultivars for harsh and changing environments but success has been limited and not up to needs.With the recent development of new technologies in plant sciences, efforts are being made to help under-privileged farmers through breeding new cultivars which will produce more protein per unit of land area. In this book, the contributors analyze the constraints, review new technologies, and propose a future course of crop breeding programs in seven cold and warm season legume crops.

This book introduces the phenomenology of gravitational lensing in an accessible manner and provides a thorough discussion of the related astrophysical applications. It is intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students who want to start working in this rapidly evolving field. This includes also senior researchers who are interested in ongoing or future surveys and missions such as DES, Euclid, WFIRST, LSST. The reader is guided through many fascinating topics related to gravitational lensing like the structure of our galaxy, the searching for exoplanets, the investigation of dark matter in galaxies and galaxy clusters, and several aspects of cosmology, including dark energy and the cosmic microwave background. The author, who has gained valuable experience as academic teacher, guides the readers towards the comprehension of the theory of gravitational lensing and related observational techniques by using simple codes written in python. This approach, beyond facilitating the understanding of gravitational lensing, is preparatory for learning the python programming language which is gaining large popularity both in academia and in the private sector.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on whole genome sequencing of the diploid and tetraploid alfalfa genomes including sequence assembly, gene annotation, and comparative genomics with the model legume genome, functional genomics, and genomics of important agronomic characters. Other chapters describe the genetic diversity and germplasm collections of alfalfa, as well as development of genetic markers and genome-wide association and genomic selection for economical important traits, genome editing, genomics, and breeding targets to address current and future needs. Altogether, the book contains about 300 pages over 16 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 genetics, breeding, pathology, physiology, molecular genetics and breeding, biotechnology, and structural and functional genomics. The work is also useful to seed and forage industries.

This edited volume charts the history of celestial navigation over the course of five centuries. Written by a group of historians and scientists, it analyzes how competing navigation systems, technologies, and institutions emerged and developed, with a focus on the major players in the US and the UK.The history covers the founding of the Royal Observatory; the first printing of a Nautical Almanac; the founding of the US and UK Nautical Almanac Offices; the creation of international standards for reference systems and astronomical constants; and the impact of 20th century technology on the field, among other topics. Additionally, the volume analyzes the present role and status of celestial navigation, particularly with respect to modern radio and satellite navigation systems.With its diverse authorship and nontechnical language, this book will appeal to any reader interested in the history of science, technology, astronomy, and navigation over the ages.

This book on lupin genomics primarily focuses on the narrow-leafed lupin (NLL), and details the genomic resources that have been developed and how they are currently being used to help advance both fundamental and applied research on NLL in areas ranging from its domestication to plant–microbe interactions and syntenic relationships between NLL and other legume crops. It also reports on genomic efforts being pursued with regard to other lupin crops.Lupins are important ecological ‘engineers': they can colonise and thrive in low-nutrient soils due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with bacteria and efficiently take up phosphorous. Recently, lupins have attracted considerable interest, not only because of their value for sustainable farming as a break crop, but also as a potential ‘super food'for fighting major health issues in connection with diabetes and obesity.Narrow-leafed lupin is the main grain legume crop, grown primarily in Australia, and was therefore selected for the development of a reference lupin genome and associated genomic resources. Its genome has recently been sequenced with a focus on the gene-rich space, which has advanced the development of new breeding tools for the improvement of NLL and related lupin crops.

Several textbooks and edited volumes are currently available on general soil fertility but‚ to date‚ none have been dedicated to the study of “Sustainable Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Soil.” Yet this aspect is extremely important, considering the fact that the soil, as the ‘epidermis of the Earth'(geodermis)‚ is a major component of the terrestrial biosphere. This book addresses virtually every aspect of C and N cycling, including: general concepts on the diversity of microorganisms and management practices for soil, the function of soil's structure-function-ecosystem, the evolving role of C and N, cutting-edge methods used in soil microbial ecological studies, rhizosphere microflora, the role of organic matter (OM) in agricultural productivity, C and N transformation in soil, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and its genetics, plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), PGPRs and their role in sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, etc. The book's main objectivesare: (1) to explain in detail the role of C and N cycling in sustaining agricultural productivity and its importance to sustainable soil management; (2) to show readers how to restore soil health with C and N; and (3) to help them understand the matching of C and N cycling rules from a climatic perspective.Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and the environmental sciences. Gathering cutting-edge contributions from internationally respected researchers, it offers authoritative content on a broad range of topics, which is supplemented by a wealth of data, tables, figures, and photographs. Moreover, it provides a roadmap for sustainable approaches to food and nutritional security, and to soil sustainability in agricultural systems, based on C and N cycling in soil systems.

Under ongoing climate changes, natural and cultivated habitats of major crops are being continuously disturbed. Such conditions impose and exacerbate abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation, etc. are important abiotic stressors, while diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens, such as fungal agents, bacteria and viruses, are major biotic stresses. In many instances, stresses have become the major limiting factor for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops. To help feed an ever increasing world population and to ensure global food security, concerted efforts from scientists and researchers have identified strategies to manage and mitigate the impacts of climate-induced stresses. This book, summarizing their findings, is aimed at crop improvement beyond such kind of barriers, by agronomic practices (genetics, breeding, phenotyping, etc.) and biotechnological applications, including molecular markers, QTL mapping, genetic engineering, transgenesis, tissue culture, various'omics'technologies and gene editing. It will cover a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches. Additionally, fundamental mechanisms and applied information on stress responses and tolerance will be discussed. This book highlights problems and offers proper solutions for crop stress management with recent information and up-to-date citations. We believe this book is suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.

This book comprehensively introduces all aspects of the physiology, stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stresses of the Fabaceae plants. Different plant families have been providing food, fodder, fuel, medicine and other basic needs for the human and animal since the ancient time. Among the plant families Fabaceae have special importance for their agri-horticultural importance and multifarious uses apart from the basic needs. Interest in the response of Fabaceae plants toward abiotic stresses is growing considering the economic importance and the special adaptive mechanisms. Recent advances and developments in molecular and biotechnological tools has contributed to ease and wider this mission. This book provides up-to-date findings that will be of greater use for the students and researchers, particularly Plant Physiologists, Environmental Scientists, Biotechnologists, Botanists, Food Scientists and Agronomists, to get the information on the recent advances on this plant family in regard to physiology and stress tolerance.

Plants provide a source of survival for all life on this planet. They are able to capture solar energy and convert it into food, feed, wood and medicines. Though sessile in nature, over many millions of years, plants have diversified and evolved from lower to higher life forms, spreading from sea level to mountains, and adapting to different ecozones. They have learnt to cope with challenging environmental conditions and various abiotic and biotic factors. Plants have also developed systems for monitoring the changing environment and efficiently utilizing resources for growth, flowering and reproduction, as well as mechanisms to counter the impact of pests and diseases and to communicate with other biological systems, like microbes and insects. This book discusses the “awareness” of plants and their ability to gather information through the perception of environmental cues, such as light, gravity, water, nutrients, touch and sound, and stresses. It also explores plants'biochemical and molecular “computing” of the information to adjust their physiology and development to the advantage of the species. Further, it examines how plants communicate between their different organs and with other organisms, as well as the concepts of plant cognition, experience and memory, from both scientific and philosophical perspectives. Lastly, it addresses the phenomenon of death in plants.The epilogue presents an artist's view of the beauty of the natural world, especially plant “architecture”. The book provides historical perspectives, comparisons with animal systems where needed, and general biochemical and molecular concepts and themes. Each chapter is selfcontained, but also includes cross talk with other chapters to offer an integrated view of plant life and allow readers to appreciate and admire the functioning of plant life from within and without. The book is a tribute by the Editor to his students, colleagues and co-workers and to thosein whose labs he has worked.

This book shares the latest insights into the genetic basis of molecular communication between plants and their microbial consortia. Further, the book highlights the capabilities of the rhizosphere and endosphere, which help manage ecosystem responses to climate change, nutrient cycling and sequestration of carbon; and discusses their application to the development and management of renewable energy sources.In their natural environments, plants are surrounded by a tremendous number of microorganisms. Some microbes directly interact with plants in a mutually beneficial fashion, while others colonize plants solely for their own advantage. In addition, microbes can indirectly affect plants by drastically altering their environments. Understanding the complex nature of the plant-microbe interface (PMI) can pave the way for novel strategies to improve plant productivity in an eco-friendly manner.The PMI approach focuses on understanding the physical, molecular, and chemical interactions between organisms in order to determine their functional roles in biological, physical, chemical and environmental systems. Although several metabolites from plants and microbes have now been fully characterized, their roles in chemical interactions between these associates remain poorly understood, and require further investigation.

The book is a comprehensive compilation of the most recent advances in the practical approach of the use of microbial probiotics for agriculture. Unlike the rest of the publications about biofertilizers, this book bridges the gap between the lab studies (molecular, physiological, omics, etc.) and the agronomic application.

The Handbook of Exoplanets contains 15 sections dealing with all aspects of exoplanets and exobiology research, including historic aspects, the Solar System as a template, objects at the planet-to-star transition, exoplanet detection and characterization with related instrumentation, technology and software tools, planet and planet-system statistics with recent and planned surveys, their atmosphere and formation and evolution processes, habitability and exobiology implications, and outlooks for future exploration and science development. Each section has 10-20 contributions written by the top experts in their subject, including senior researchers as well as young researchers who represent the future of the discipline. Overall, this handbook comprehensively tackles one of the most challenging and dynamic fields of modern astronomy and astrophysics.

The book ‘Root Biology'written by experts in the field, covers latest research on cellular, genetic, physiological and ecological developmental facets of root growth as well as the interaction of root with an array of microbes whether for the establishment of symbiosis, increasing plant growth or protecting plant from pathogens/attackers. Plant roots provide an excellent model to study physiological, developmental and metabolic processes at a system level. Root system architecture - an excellent creation of nature, is closely interconnected with the availability of soil nutrients. Several strategies including biotechnological interventions are gaining interest and importance for sustainable food production and enhanced resource acquisition. Such strategies have largely focused on root traits for efficient utilization of soil resources. The biotechnological application of root biology is expected to promote the production of food while maintaining ecologicallyand economically sustainable production systems.With a fortune of information on technical and experimental aspects useful in the laboratory, this extensive book is a valuable resource for researchers, academician and students in the broad field of microbiology, plant and fungal biology.

The growing scale of plant-based chemicals for industrial use has generated considerable interest in developing methods to meet their desired production levels. Among various available strategies for their production, the development of Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated hairy root cultures (HRCs) is generally considered the most feasible approach. Additionally, several proof-of-principle experiments have demonstrated the practical feasibility of HRCs in the plant-based remediation of environment pollutants, biotransformation of important compounds, and production of therapeutic proteins. Given that hairy root biotechnology has now been recognized as a promising and highly dynamic research area, this book offers a timely update on recent advances, and approaches hairy roots as a multifaceted biological tool for various applications. Further, it seeks to investigate the loopholes in existing methodologies, identify remaining challenges and find potential solutions by presenting well thought-out scientific discussions from various eminent research groups working on hairy root biotechnology. This book provides detailed conceptual and practical information on HRC-based research, along with relevant case studies. The content is divided into three broad sections, namely (i) Hairy Roots and Secondary Metabolism, (ii) Progressive Applications, and (iii) Novel Approaches and Future Prospects. By informing the research and teaching community about the major strides made in HRC-based interventions in plant biology and their applications, the book is sure to spark further research in this fascinating field.

This book reviews the potential mechanisms in arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs), in the hope that this can help arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to be more used efficiently as a biostimulant to enhance stress tolerance in the host plants. AMF, as well as plants, are often exposed to all or many of the abiotic and biotic stresses, including extreme temperatures, pH, drought, water-logging, toxic metals and soil pathogens. Studies have indicated a quick response to these stresses involving several mechanisms, such as root morphological modification, reactive oxygen species change, osmotic adjustment, direct absorption of water by extraradical hyphae, up-regulated expression of relevant stressed genes, glomalin-related soil protein release, etc. The underlying complex, multi-dimensional strategy is involved in morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes. The AMF responses are often associated with homeostatic regulation of the internal and externalenvironment, and are therefore critical for plant health, survival and restoration in native ecosystems and good soil structure.

This two-volume set takes an in-depth look at stress signaling in plants from a uniquely genomic and proteomic perspective and offers a comprehensive treatise that covers all of the signaling pathways and mechanisms that have been researched so far. Currently, plant diseases, extreme weather caused by climate change, drought and an increase in metals in soil are amongst the major limiting factors of crop production worldwide. They devastate not only the food supply but also the economy of a nation. With global food scarcity in mind, there is an urgent need to develop crop plants with increased stress tolerance so as to meet the global food demands and to preserve the quality of our planet. In order to do this, it is necessary to understand how plants react and adapt to stress from the genomic and proteomic perspective. Plants adapt to stress conditions by activating cascades of molecular mechanisms, which result in alterations in gene expression and synthesis of protective proteins. From the perception of the stimulus to the transduction of the signal, followed by an appropriate cellular response, the plants employ a complex network of primary and secondary messenger molecules. Cells exercise a large number of noticeably distinct signaling pathways to regulate their activity. In order to contend with different environmental adversities, plants have developed a series of mechanisms at the physiological, cellular and molecular levels that respond to stress. Each chapter in this volume provides an in-depth explanation of what we currently know of a particular aspect of stress signaling and where we are heading. Together with the highly successful first volume, Stress Signaling in Plants: Genomics and Proteomics Perspective, Volume 2 covers an important aspect of plant biology for both students and seasoned researchers.

This book provides the latest information about hairy root culture and its several applications, with special emphasis on potential of hairy roots for the production of bioactive compounds. Due to high growth rate as well as biochemical and genetic stability, it is possible to study the metabolic pathways related to production of bioactive compounds using hairy root culture. Chapters discuss the feasibility of hairy roots for plant derived natural compounds. Advantages and difficulties of hairy roots for up-scaling studies in bioreactors are included as well as successful examples of hairy root culture of plant species producing bioactive compounds used in food, flavors and pharmaceutical industry. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and students working on the area of plant natural products, phytochemistry, plant tissue culture, medicines, and drug discovery.

This book examines the application of soybean genome sequences to comparative, structural, and functional genomics. Since the availability of the soybean genome sequence has revolutionized molecular research on this important crop species, the book also describes how the genome sequence has shaped research on transposon biology and applications for gene identification, tilling and positional gene cloning. Further, the book shows how the genome sequence influences research in the areas of genetic mapping, marker development, and genome-wide association mapping for identifying important trait genes and soybean breeding. In closing, the economic and botanical aspects of the soybean are also addressed.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. The present volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, ecology, and ecosystems.

This book sheds new light on the chickpea genome sequencing and resequencing of chickpea germplasm lines and provides insights into classical genetics, cytogenetics, and trait mapping. It also offers an overview of the latest advances in genome sequencing and analysis. The growing human population, rapid climate changes and limited amounts of arable land are creating substantial challenges in connection with the availability and affordability of nutritious food for smallholder farmers in developing countries. In this context, climate smart crops are essential to alleviating the hunger of the millions of poor and undernourished people living in developing countries. In addition to cereals, grain legumes are an integral part of the human diet and provide sustainable income for smallholder farmers in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Among grain legumes, the chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is the second most important in terms of production and productivity. Besidesbeing a rich source of proteins, it can fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiosis with rhizobia and increase the input of combined nitrogen. Several abiotic stresses like drought, heat, salinity, together with biotic stresses like Fusarium wilt, Ascochyta blight, and Botrytis grey mould have led to production losses, as the chickpeas is typically grown in the harsh climates of our planet's semi-arid regions.

Ascorbic acid (AsA), vitamin C, is one of the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in plants and animals. In plants AsA serves as a major redox buffer and regulates various physiological processes controlling growth, development, and stress tolerance. Recent studies on AsA homeostasis have broadened our understanding of these physiological events. At the mechanistic level, AsA has been shown to participate in numerous metabolic and cell signaling processes, and the dynamic relationship between AsA and reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been well documented. Being a major component of the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle, AsA helps to modulate oxidative stress in plants by controlling ROS detoxification alone and in co-operation with glutathione. In contrast to the single pathway responsible for AsA biosynthesis in animals, plants utilize multiple pathways to synthesize AsA, perhaps reflecting the importance of this molecule to plant health. Any fluctuations, increases or decreases, in cellular AsA levels can have profound effects on plant growth and development, as AsA is associated with the regulation of the cell cycle, redox signaling, enzyme function and defense gene expression. Although there has been significant progress made investigating the multiple roles AsA plays in stress tolerance, many aspects of AsA-mediated physiological responses require additional research if AsA metabolism is to be manipulated to enhance stress-tolerance. This book summarizes the roles of AsA that are directly or indirectly involved in the metabolic processes and physiological functions of plants. Key topics include AsA biosynthesis and metabolism, compartmentation and transport, AsA-mediated ROS detoxification, as well as AsA signaling functions in plant growth, development and responses to environmental stresses. The main objective of this volume is therefore to supply comprehensive and up-to-date information for students, scholars and scientists interested in or currentlyengaged in AsA research.

This book provides insights into the genetics and the latest advances in genomics research on the common bean, offering a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important grain legume crop for food consumption worldwide, as well as a model for legume research, and the availability of the genome sequence has completely changed the paradigm of the ongoing research on the species. Key topics covered include the numerous genetic and genomic resources, available tools, the identified genes and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identified, and there is a particular emphasis on domestication. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the genetics and genomics of the common bean and legumes in general.

This thoughtful and provocative book provides a concise, up-to-date presentation of how current and projected future phosphorus scarcity will affect legume growth and their symbiotic nitrogen-fixing capabilities. It is a timely examination of the physiological and molecular responses of nodules to phosphorous deficiency in attempt to identify common principles. Students and researchers in the many disciplines related to crop productivity will find this title an exciting contribution in the area of plant stress physiology. The knowledge in this volume can also aid plant breeders, particularly through new methods of genetic engineering, in developing unique and adaptive cultivars with higher symbiotic efficiency.The awareness of the rapidly rising world population must translate into a parallel increase in agricultural production in order to sustain the growing population both now and in the future. Hence, the demand for food crops to produce proteins and vegetable oil for human consumption is going to increase considerably during the coming years. The essential role of legumes in agriculture is well-recognized, given the abundant levels of proteins and oils found in plants along with their enormous contribution to the sustainability of agricultural systems and human health. The capacity of legumes to fix nitrogen (N2) in partnership with rhizobia provides an input-saving and resource-conserving alternative, thereby reducing the need for chemical fertilizers while enhancing overall crop productivity. The use of N2-fixing legumes to produce plant proteins results in a substantial decrease in the consumption of fossil fuels and therefore also in the agricultural effects to global warming. However, a major constraint to legume production is low soil phosphorus (P) availability, considering that an overwhelming majority of the world's soils are classified as P-deficient. Low-P availability is especially problematic for legumes, since legume nodules responsible for N2 fixation have a high P requirement. Therefore, this book explains how nodule N2 fixation responds to low P availability, which is crucial for improving legume production and maintaining agricultural sustainability in the context of the global P crisis.

The basic concept of this book is to examine the use of innovative methods augmenting traditional plant breeding towards the development of new crop varieties under different environmental conditions to achieve sustainable food production. This book consists of two volumes: Volume 1 subtitled Breeding, Biotechnology and Molecular Tools and Volume 2 subtitled Agronomic, Abiotic and Biotic Stress Traits. This is Volume 1 which consists of 21 chapters covering domestication and germplasm utilization, conventional breeding techniques and the role of biotechnology. In addition to various biotechnological applications in plant breeding, it includes functional genomics, mutations and methods of detection, and molecular markers. In vitro techniques and their applications in plant breeding are discussed with an emphasis on embryo rescue, somatic cell hybridization and somaclonal variation. Other chapters cover haploid breeding, transgenics, cryogenics and bioinformatics.

​​​This book is devoted to grain legumes and include eight chapters devoted to the breeding of specific grain legume crops and five general chapters dealing with important topics which are common to most of the species in focus. Soybean is not included in the book as it is commonly considered an oil crop more than a grain legume and is included in the Oil Crops Volume of the Handbook of Plant Breeding.​Legume species belong to the Fabaceae family and are characterized by their fruit, usually called pod. Several species of this family were domesticated by humans, such as soybean, common bean, faba bean, pea, chickpea, lentil, peanut, or cowpea. Some of these species are of great relevance as human and animal food. Food legumes are consumed either by their immature pod or their dry seeds, which have a high protein content. Globally, grain legumes are the most relevant source of plant protein, especially in many countries of Africa and Latin America, but there are some constraints in their production, such as a poor adaptation, pest and diseases and unstable yield. Current research trends in Legumes are focused on new methodologies involving genetic and omic studies, as well as new approaches to the genetic improvement of these species, including the relationships with their symbiotic rhizobia.

This book addresses in detail multifaceted approaches to boosting nutrient use efficiency (NUE) that are modified by plant interactions with environmental variables and combine physiological, microbial, biotechnological and agronomic aspects. Conveying an in-depth understanding of the topic will spark the development of new cultivars and strains to induce NUE, coupled with best management practices that will immensely benefit agricultural systems, safeguarding their soil, water, and air quality. Written by recognized experts in the field, the book is intended to provide students, scientists and policymakers with essential insights into holistic approaches to NUE, as well as an overview of some successful case studies. In the present understanding of agriculture, NUE represents a question of process optimization in response to the increasing fragility of our natural resources base and threats to food grain security across the globe. Further improving nutrient use efficiency is a prerequisite to reducing production costs, expanding crop acreage into non-competitive marginal lands with low nutrient resources, and preventing environmental contamination. The nutrients most commonly limiting plant growth are N, P, K, S and micronutrients like Fe, Zn, B and Mo. NUE depends on the ability to efficiently take up the nutrient from the soil, but also on transport, storage, mobilization, usage within the plant and the environment. A number of approaches can help us to understand NUE as a whole. One involves adopting best crop management practices that take into account root-induced rhizosphere processes, which play a pivotal role in controlling nutrient dynamics in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. New technologies, from basic tools like leaf color charts to sophisticated sensor-based systems and laser land leveling, can reduce the dependency on laboratory assistance and manual labor. Another approach concerns the development of crop plants through genetic manipulations thatallow them to take up and assimilate nutrients more efficiently, as well as identifying processes of plant responses to nutrient deficiency stress and exploring natural genetic variation. Though only recently introduced, the ability of microbial inoculants to induce NUE is gaining in importance, as the loss, immobilization, release and availability of nutrients are mediated by soil microbial processes.

This new, fourth, edition of Allen's classic Astrophysical Quantities belongs on every astronomer's bookshelf. It has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date by a team of more than ninety internationally renowned astronomers and astrophysicists. While it follows the basic format of the original, this indispensable reference has grown to more than twice the size of the earlier editions to accommodate the great strides made in astronomy and astrophysics. It includes detailed tables of the most recent data on: - General constants and units - Atoms, molecules, and spectra - Observational astronomy at all wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays, and neutrinos - Planetary astronomy: Earth, planets and satellites, and solar system small bodies - The Sun, normal stars, and stars with special characteristics - Stellar populations - Cataclysmic and symbiotic variables, supernovae - Theoretical stellar evolution - Circumstellar and interstellar material - Star clusters, galaxies, quasars, and active galactic nuclei - Clusters and groups of galaxies - Cosmology. As well as much explanatory material and extensive and up-to-date bibliographies.

This book describes the mechanisms of nutrient taken up by plants at the biochemical and molecular level. This is a new concept developed over the past 30 years, primarily due to use of modern technology developed in biotechnological research, instrumentation, modern computation facilities, bioinformatics, the large volumes of information generated by use of various ‘omics'and of course the dedicated hard work of a large number of researchers.Recent research indicates that nutrient uptake, its transport and redistribution in plants are under genetic control. There are groups of genes for each nutrient that encode transporter proteins whose functions are to acquire the specific nutrient from the soil and transport it across the plasma membrane of the root hair cells for use in plant metabolism. Deficiency or sufficiency of a plant nutrient induces different groups of genes to produce m-RNA transcripts for translation of transporter proteins. A large number of metabolic enzymes are up or down regulated in response to deficiency of plant nutrients. Morphological and metabolic adaptations in order to better acquire nutrients and use them frugally when nutrients are scarce in the growth medium can be observed in plants. Heavy metals, which are toxic to plants, induce different sets of defence mechanisms.In 20 chapters, the book describes plants'uptake mechanisms for all the major, secondary and micronutrients, beneficial elements and heavy metals. References to research work quoted in the text are updated up to 2014 and included at the end of each chapter. Biotechnological approaches to improving nutrient use efficiency are discussed wherever such information is available. The structure and functions of transporter proteins involved in the uptake of nutrients are discussed. Additional information on some of the specific topics is provided in text boxes or as separate sections within the chapters. Lastly, the terminology used has been explainedas far as possible in the text, mostly within parentheses.

The book contains 31 papers on different fields of application and the problems of modelling and organizing data in structures, the processing techniques of GIS data for queries to the system and the so-called Dynamic GIS have been reported in detail. A final paper on Computer Graphics principles is included. Its contents can be ideally collected in five chapters, in the first one some experiences on data acquisition with low cost DGPS for road survey and overview on Vehicle Navigation Systems (VNS) are shown. The second on'GIS data acquisition and evaluation” collects a sort of papers treating robust statistical techniques applied to pre-processing, analysis and testing for different kinds of GIS data. Within the topic on'image acquisition and preprocessing” in particular some experiences on test and calibration of different scanners for GIS data acquisition are reported as well as some original approaches to the automatic DTM generation for cartographic and close range applications. Finally, some applications to the environmental monitoring and to the use of different kinds of geodetic data in multipurpose regional GIS, together with some examples of the applicability of multimedia technology to architecture and civil engineering is shown.

In early April 1911 Albert Einstein arrived in Prague to become full professor of theoretical physics at the German part of Charles University. It was there, for the first time, that he concentrated primarily on the problem of gravitation. Before he left Prague in July 1912 he had submitted the paper “Relativität und Gravitation: Erwiderung auf eine Bemerkung von M. Abraham” in which he remarkably anticipated what a future theory of gravity should look like.At the occasion of the Einstein-in-Prague centenary an international meeting was organized under a title inspired by Einstein's last paper from the Prague period:'Relativity and Gravitation, 100 Years after Einstein in Prague'. The main topics of the conference included: classical relativity, numerical relativity, relativistic astrophysics and cosmology, quantum gravity, experimental aspects of gravitation and conceptual and historical issues.The conference attracted over 200 scientists from 31 countries, among them a number of leading experts in the field of general relativity and its applications. This volume includes abstracts of the plenary talks and full texts of contributed talks and articles based on the posters presented at the conference. These describe primarily original results of the authors. Full texts of the plenary talks are included in the volume'General Relativity, Cosmology and Astrophysics--Perspectives 100 Years after Einstein in Prague', eds. J. Bičák and T. Ledvinka, published also by Springer Verlag.

Legumes in the Omic Era provides a timely review of recent advances in legume genomics research and application. In this post-genomic era enormous amount of biological information is available which could be of huge potential use for crop improvement applications. This aspect of genomics assisted plant breeding is focused throughout the book for all the important grain legume crops. Role of functional genomics and importance of bioinformatics tools in present day genomics and molecular breeding research is also discussed in detail. Use of molecular tools for nutritional fortification of grain legume is briefly presented. A chapter also been contributed on fungal disease resistance to elucidate potential application of genomic tools in molecular breeding of grain legume species. The book contains fifteen chapters contributed by 50 scientists from different countries who are actively involved in analyzing and improving particular legume genome. This book will serve as referenceresource to legumes researchers for use of genome information in improvement of major legume crops. Dr Sanjeev Gupta is Principal Scientist/Project Coordinator-All India Coordinated Research Project on Vigna Crops at Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than two decades of research experience in grain legume breeding and developed a number of high yielding cultivars in grain legumes. He is authored numerous research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and edited several books in plant breeding aspects. He was the Organizing Secretary of the International Grain Legume Conference, 2009 held in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, India. He has travelled across the continents to present his research several times. He is recipient of several awards for his research and literary contributions Dr. Nagasamy Nadarajan is the Director of the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than three decades of teaching and research experience and developed more than fifteen legume and cereal cultivars. He has to his credits more than 200 peer-reviewed research publications. He has guided several graduate students for Masters and Doctoral degrees in food legume breeding and genetics research. He has authored a book in biometrics which is one of the most popular books among the agriculture graduate students in India. He is the recipient of three international and six national awards and honours for his outstanding contributions Mr. Debjyoti Sen Gupta is the ICAR International Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, USA. Recently, he visited Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, USA for high throughput genotyping work. Before joining at NDSU he was serving as the Scientist in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). He has authored several research articles, review articles and book chapters in the peer-reviewed journals and books from reputed publishers like Springer, CABI etc. He is recipient of several fellowships like CSIR-JRF, New Delhi; ICAR-JRF, New Delhi throughout his graduate study programs.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is the latest high throughput technology to revolutionize genomic research. NGS generates massive genomic datasets that play a key role in the big data phenomenon that surrounds us today. To extract signals from high-dimensional NGS data and make valid statistical inferences and predictions, novel data analytic and statistical techniques are needed. This book contains 20 chapters written by prominent statisticians working with NGS data. The topics range from basic preprocessing and analysis with NGS data to more complex genomic applications such as copy number variation and isoform expression detection. Research statisticians who want to learn about this growing and exciting area will find this book useful. In addition, many chapters from this book could be included in graduate-level classes in statistical bioinformatics for training future biostatisticians who will be expected to deal with genomic data in basic biomedical research, genomic clinical trials and personalized medicine.About the editors:Somnath Datta is Professor and Vice Chair of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics at the University of Louisville. He is Fellow of the American Statistical Association, Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. He has contributed to numerous research areas in Statistics, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics.Dan Nettleton is Professor and Laurence H. Baker Endowed Chair of Biological Statistics in the Department of Statistics at Iowa State University. He is Fellow of the American Statistical Association and has published research on a variety of topics in statistics, biology and bioinformatics.

Use of Microbes for the Alleviation of Soil Stresses, Volume 2: Alleviation of Soil Stress by PGPR and Mycorrhizal Fungi describes the most important details and advances related to the alleviation of soil stresses by PGPR and mycorrhizal fungi. Comprised of eleven chapters, the book reviews the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in alleviation of salt stress, the role of AM fungi in alleviating drought stress in plants, the impact of biotic and abiotic stressors and the use of mycorrhizal fungi to alleviate compaction stress on plant growth.Written by experts in their respective fields, Use of Microbes for the Alleviation of Soil Stresses, Volume 2: Alleviation of Soil Stress by PGPR and Mycorrhizal Fungi is a comprehensive and valuable resource for researchers and students interested in the field of microbiology and soil stresses.

Agroforestry is recognized as a sustainable land-use management in the tropics, as it provides environmental-friendly ecosystems; it also provides people with their every day need for food and cash. Since the recognition of agroforestry as a science, curricula have been developed for agroforestry programs for undergraduate and graduate trainings in Universities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and make available educational material. This textbook strives to provide up-to-date information on tropical agroforestry to serve as educational material in the tropical context. The authoritative textbook of Nair (1993) on agroforestry was published 18 years ago, and before the advent of tree domestication, an important agroforestry practice today. In addition, many other research activities, such as carbon sequestration and integrated pest management, have been included in the agroforestry agenda. This textbook is intended for agroforestry students, teachers, and practitioners.

Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants: Concepts and Approaches is the ninth volume in the Plant Ecophysiology series. It presents a broad overview of topics related to improvement of nutrient use efficiency of crops. Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a measure of how well plants use the available mineral nutrients. It can be defined as yield (biomass) per unit input (fertilizer, nutrient content). NUE is a complex trait: it depends on the ability to take up the nutrients from the soil, but also on transport, storage, mobilization, usage within the plant, and even on the environment. NUE is of particular interest as a major target for crop improvement. Improvement of NUE is an essential pre-requisite for expansion of crop production into marginal lands with low nutrient availability but also a way to reduce use of inorganic fertilizer.

This book provides insights into some of the key achievements made in the study of Lotus japonicus (birdsfoot trefoil), as well as a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. Key topics covered include endosymbiosis, development, hormone regulation, carbon/nitrogen and secondary metabolism, as well as advances made in high-throughput genomic and genetic approaches.Research focusing on model plants has underpinned the recent growth in plant genomics and genetics and provided a basis for investigations of major crop species. In the legume family Fabaceae, groundbreaking genetic and genomic research has established a significant body of knowledge on Lotus japonicus, which was adopted as a model species more than 20 years ago. The diverse nature of legumes means that such research has a wide potential and agricultural impact, for example, on the world's protein production.

Current trends in population growth hint that global food production is unlikely to gratify future demands under predicted climate change scenarios unless the rates of crop improvement are accelerated. Crop production faces numerous challenges, due to changing environmental conditions and evolving needs for new plant-derived materials. These challenges come at a time when the plant sciences are witnessing remarkable progress in understanding fundamental processes of plant growth and development. Drought, heat, cold and salinity are among the major abiotic stresses that often cause a series of morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular alterations which adversely affect plant growth, development and productivity, consequently posing a serious challenge for sustainable food production in large parts of the world, particularly in emerging countries. This emphasizes the urgency of finding better ways to translate new advances in plant science into concrete successes in agricultural production. To overcome the pessimistic influence of abiotic stresses and to maintain the food security in the face of these challenges, new, improved and tolerant crop varieties, contemporary breeding techniques, and cavernous understanding of the mechanisms that counteract detrimental climate changes are indubitably needed to sustain the requisite food supply. In this context, Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume 1 provides a state-of-the-art guide to recent developments that aid in the understanding of plant responses to abiotic stresses and lead to new horizons vis-à-vis prime strategies for translating current research into applied solutions to create strong yields and overall crop improvement under such unfavourable environments.Written by a diverse group of internationally famed scholars, Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume 1 is a brief yet all-inclusive resource that is immenselyadvantageous for researchers, students, environmentalists, soil scientists, professionals, and many others in the quest of advancement in this flourishing field of research.