Instant insights: sustainable forest management

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on sustainable forest management.

Good agronomic practices in cocoa cultivation: rehabilitating cocoa farms

Cocoa cultivation covers a total area of about 5.9 million ha worldwide with around 73% of this area found in the four large cocoa-producing countries in West Africa namely Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. Adoption of good agronomic practices is crucial for the sustainability of cocoa ...

The rumen as a modulator of immune function in cattle

The rumen and its microbiome play essential roles in supplying key nutrients, such as energy, protein, minerals and vitamins, to the host and also shapes the cow’s immune system. Rumen health disorders, such as subacute ruminal acidosis, cause ruminal dysbiosis provoking epithelial barrier dysfun...

Strengthening public-sector extension systems for smallholder farmers in kenya

This chapter discusses key issues and challenges in public extension services for smallholders and how challenges have been addressed. The discussion is made with particular reference to experiences in disseminating Conservation Agriculture-based technologies and practices generated from the Sust...

Advances in understanding pre-harvest apple fruit development

Fruit growth is a complex mechanism linking biochemical and biophysical processes promoting water and dry matter uptake in fruit tissues. This chapter describes growth mechanisms in apple fruit at different phenological stages and relates phases to key physiological parameters for fruit growth, i...

Contaminants in agricultural soils

This book reviews current research on the key types of contaminants in agricultural soils, including heavy metals, antibiotic and pesticide residues, as well as recent advances in bioremediation and phytoremediation techniques to manage these contaminants.

The response of forest trees to abiotic stress

Trees, as long-living organisms, have to face varying growing conditions during their lifetime. This chapter introduces abiotic stress in trees, considering its interaction with biotic stress and examining the links between environmental dynamics and changes in stress. This chapter addresses the ...

Assessing the environmental impact of greenhouse cultivation

This chapter aims to address the environmental aspects of greenhouse cultivation, it covers the methodology used to perform an environmental assessment and provides information regarding damaging and beneficial environmental aspects, as well as suggestions to improve environmental quantification ...

Variable-rate seeding systems for precision agriculture

Variable-rate seeding (VRS) is the practice of adjusting the seeding rate or amount across a field in order to maximize yield and profit. This method of precision agriculture relies on site-specific data such as soil type, landscape position and yield maps. In the last decade, adoption of this me...

Genetic improvement of sugarcane by transgenic, intragenic and genome editing technologies

The grand social, economic and environmental challenges of the twenty-first century are demanding the acceleration of the genetic improvement of sugarcane to sustainably produce sugar and biofuel and to support the emerging bio-based economy. This chapter focuses on the contributions and future p...

The use of exogenous enzymes as dietary supplements in dairy cow nutrition

This chapter summarises the effects of supplementing exogenous enzymes on improving efficiency of nutrient utilization in dairy cows by reviewing the research on enzyme selection, animal responses to feed enzymes, and the mechanisms of improving nutrient utilization. Exogenous fibrolytic enzymes,...

Improving production and utilization of sorghum in asia

Sorghum was once a major crop in dry regions. However, its production area has decreased drastically, especially in Asia. In order to revitalize sorghum production, we must reorient sorghum research in the contexts of present and future demands, and resolve specific production constraints, thereb...

Practice and benefits of conservation agriculture systems

This chapter discusses Conservation Agriculture as a basis for sustainable soil, land and natural resource management and production intensification. It reviews the process of transforming conventional systems into Conservation Agriculture systems and provides an overview of the main practices an...

Advances in assessing nutrient availability in soils

Plants depend on sufficient and timely soil availability of 14 essential nutrients. In order to achieve sustainable and resource-efficient plant production with high yields and minimal environmental impact, soil analyses aimed at assessing nutrient availability should be considered an important a...

Multi-feedstock biorefineries for converting agricultural wastes and microalgae into co-products

This chapter reviews developments in the types, processing and use of biomass to develop a range of co-products. It begins by assessing availability of biomass feedstock from agricultural sources. It then reviews the range of biological and thermochemical biomass conversion processes together wit...

Optimizing the use of treated wastes in crop nutrition

Environmental concerns and depleting phosphorus reserves have led to intensified research efforts to close nutrient cycles by recycling of nutrient-rich human wastes in the last decade. Treated wastes for crop nutrition need to contain plant-available nutrients and be free of, or at least low in,...

Development of dairy breeding programmes

Genomic selection has revolutionized dairy cattle breeding programs. Young bulls can be selected at a young age without progeny testing at a much lower cost than previously. This reduction in generation interval makes it possible to double genetic trend. This chapter explains the context of dairy...

Understanding resistance to succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides

The Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor (SDHI, Carboxamide, Group 7) compounds represent the fastest growing fungicide class. The spectrum of activity of SDHIs encompasses Ascomycete, Basidiomycete, and Deuteromycete pathogens on a wide variety of hosts. SDHIs are a structurally diverse class, curr...

Producing biogas from livestock manure and agricultural biomass

Climate change has driven the European Commission to set a strategy towards a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. There is a need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the case of the agricultural sector, biogas production can replace fossil-based energy sources and reduce methane emissions re...

Maintaining the safety and quality of beef carcass meat

Contamination of animal carcasses during slaughtering procedures is undesirable, but unavoidable in the conversion of live animals to meat for consumption. Internal muscle tissues are essentially sterile, and most initial contamination of red meat carcasses is contributed by the hide during remov...

Smart farms

This collection reviews recent advances in processing and analysing data to provide actionable outcomes for farmers to be able to achieve a more sustainable agriculture and reduce the sector’s contribution to climate change.

Breeding strategies to improve rice yields: an overview

This chapter examines three different major strategies designed to break the ‘yield barrier’ so that rice production keeps up with population growth: new ideotype breeding, heterosis and green super rice. The chapter shows that exploring the genetic diversity of wild Oryza species may lead to ide...

Advances in understanding the role of forests in the carbon cycle

The recognition that increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are warming the global climate has led to forests being viewed as potential natural ways to reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Forests’ complex interactions with local and global climates, however, make predi...

Understanding consumer attitudes to organic food: using profile deviation analysis for consumer benchmarking

The purpose of this chapter is to examine to what extent misalignment with an organic food consumer benchmark profile affects two key consumer performance indicators: consumer satisfaction and loyalty. The chapter performs a profile deviation analysis on a cross-sectional sample of 1011 Australia...

Pastoralism and organic animal farming: are they complementary?

A general absence of reliance on purchased inputs as well as a focus on natural pastures and free-ranging animals prompts comparison between pastoralism and organic farming. Pastoralism frequently occurs in the marginal lands that can be found where humans and herds of domesticated animals living...

Disease management in poultry flocks

Diseases in intensive poultry flocks may occur due to viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoal, metazoan or arthropod infections or infestations. This chapter describes disease preventative measures, health monitoring and disease investigation techniques, and the management of sick meat chicken flocks...

Advances in cold-tolerant maize varieties

Maize, a thermophilic plant species, originates from subtropical highlands. Maize cultivation, however, has spread to temperate regions of the world that experience low temperatures during the early development of the plants. Maize genotypes that are cultivated in cooler climates need to have a s...

Genetic selection for dairy cow welfare and resilience to climate change

Narrow breeding goals focused on milk production traits have been detrimental to the reproductive performance and health of dairy cattle. There is, therefore, a need to develop breeding strategies that balances both production and non-production traits. In this chapter, we discuss the principles ...

Advances in understanding fruit tree growth

Owing to the importance of photosynthesis to the efficient functioning of plants as solar energy collectors, scientists have been intensively studying the process of photosynthesis for more than 100 years, with the hope of increasing its efficiency. There is substantial evidence that fruit trees ...

Sweetpotato genetic resources: today and tomorrow

The sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is the sixth most important food crop on a global scale. While China accounts for about 80% of global production, Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia and Tanzania are also large producers of sweetpotato. The chapter examines the origin and dispersal of sweetpota...

Advances in controlled environment agriculture

This book reviews current research on optimising different types of controlled environment agriculture system for more productive and resilient crop production.

A conceptual approach to the mathematical modelling of microbial functionality in the rumen

This chapter discusses the concepts and the approaches taken with the quantification or mathematical modelling of rumen microbiota. The consequences from the perspective of mathematical modelling of microbial functionality at the whole rumen level are discussed as it is thought that models need t...

Advances in conservation agriculture volume 1

By focussing on soil health, Conservation Agriculture (CA) is seen as more sustainable than conventional production. This volume summarises research on key components for successful CA including no-till techniques, soil cover and cropping systems as well as the role of livestock and agroforestry.

Tools and technologies to reduce fossil energy use on dairy farms

With a growing demand for milk and dairy products coupled with concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the sustainable use of on-farm energy resources is essential. Milk production requires electrical energy for powering plant equipment, liquid fuels for powering machinery, indirect energy f...

Diseases affecting wheat: septoria tritici blotch

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) is one of the most common and economically important diseases of wheat worldwide. This chapter evaluates various methods of disease management, considering the key developments of recent decades, the major challenges encountered and the future trajectory of this work...

Management of soil carbon sequestration in urban areas

As urbanisation continues to increase globally, there is increasing focus on urban soils, their potential for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration as well as the broad range of other ecosystem services they can deliver. Urban soils are heterogeneous ranging from relic soils of ecosystems befor...

Advances in carrot breeding

The carrot (Daucus carota L.) is an important temperate root crop that has undergone many years of breeding. This chapter first provides a background to the origin of this species, going on to describe the main types of cultivars. The large number of wild relatives of carrot are also discussed. S...

The use of genome editing in poultry breeding

Genome editing technology permits the creation of precise changes to the genome of animal species. These changes can be as small as a single base pair change in a gene or can span several megabases of DNA. Genome editing has a potential role in animal breeding as it permits the rapid and selectiv...

Assessing the economics of integrated pest management for horticultural crops

Integrated pest management (IPM) is the combination of cropping systems, practices, and pest control tactics to manage pest populations so that they do not cause economic harm to growers nor negative impacts on the environment. The strategies implemented by growers to achieve their goals (for exa...

Instant insights: managing arthropod pests in cereals

This collection provides a detailed overview of the management strategies available for controlling arthropod pests in cereals, focussing primarily on pests affecting wheat and corn/maize production. Chapters explore the use of insect monitoring technologies as a means of managing future infestat...

Advances in sheep production

While sheep production has an important place in many farming systems across the world, sheep products face an increasingly competitive market. In addition to traditional concerns about product quality, consumers are also increasingly motivated by issues such as livestock welfare, greenhouse gas ...

Advanced testing, multiplication and release of new sorghum varieties

The release of a new sorghum variety or hybrid is the culmination of many years of breeding and evaluation. This chapter describes the hybrid advancement process, including ways of increasing the parent lines for hybrid production and the guidelines that must be followed to ensure high-quality se...

Understanding soil organic carbon dynamics at larger scales

This chapter focuses on the effects of biotic and abiotic factors controlling soil organic carbon dynamics at continental to global scales. On the side of natural effects, it highlights processes that can control carbon inputs, turnover and stabilization in soils. On the side of anthropogenic eff...

The origin, domestication and dispersal of bananas

The search for the origins of the edible bananas probably started soon after European explorers brought home stories about the wonderful fruit they had come across in Africa. Currently about 40 seeded species in the genus Musa have been recognised. This chapter describes the morphological and mol...

Chemical contaminants in foods

Diet has consistently been shown to be the dominant source of exposure to the majority of contaminants that pose a threat to human health. However, there is concern that current methods for detection, analysis and risk assessment of chemical residues in food may not accurately reflect the complex...

Soil and soil health: an overview

Soil health is an urgent concern because of the need to manage soil resources better to meet food and other security imperatives. The different meanings of soil ‘quality’ and ‘health’ are explained. Soil health is defined as an integrative property of the biotic and abiotic components of the soil...

Plant-animal interactions in grazing systems

This chapter reviews the interactions between plants and animals that govern the production efficiency of temperate pasture-based livestock production systems. These interactions operate at different temporal and spatial scales, and are highly variable. We take as our case study the dry matter in...

Advances in maintenance practices of turfgrass

Turfgrass management has greatly changed over time. Advancements in technology have resulted in changes to management practices including autonomous mowers, lightweight rolling on putting greens and fairways, vertical mowing, air injections, and fraise mowing for renovation to name a few. These p...

Plant phenotyping of individual plants towards optimal environmental control in plant factories

Plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs), with an almost airtight and well-insulated structure, enable simple and accurate data acquisition and environmental control, time series analysis, and prediction related to plant phenotypes. With plant phenotyping based on cohort research in PFALs...

Fast pyrolysis for biofuel production

Pyrolysis is a thermal depolymerization and fragmentation process carried out at moderate temperatures in the absence of oxygen and with a wide range of reaction residence times. It can convert a wide range of solid materials, ranging from woody biomass and algae to waste plastics, into complex m...

Instant insights: improving the welfare of growing and finishing pigs

This book offers a detailed overview of best practices to improve the welfare of growing and finishing pigs, focussing on elements of nutrition, behaviour, housing, transport and handling.

Advances in finding a vaccine for african swine fever

Reducing carbon emissions from plant factories with artificial lighting

Plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) must fulfill the following basic requirements to help solve global and local issues relating to food, resources, environment, and quality of life: minimal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from construction and operation, high resource and economic pr...

Innovations in forest harvesting technology

Forest harvesting is an essential component of sustainable forestry to ensure the maintenance of forest productivity. Increasing demand for forest product quantity and quality, shifting forest workforce composition and expectations, and rising environmental concerns are driving changes in current...

Insect pests affecting cacao

Pests have a major impact on cacao production: estimates of losses due to pest and disease range from 30% to 40%. The use of chemical inputs, for example, pesticides and fertilizers, for pest and disease control and production enhancement, respectively, can have numerous negative impacts on the ...

Responsible and sustainable use of medicines in dairy herd health

As well as having a moral obligation to safeguard animal health and welfare, veterinarians and dairy producers also have One Health responsibilities to protect human health and the environment from the risk of antimicrobial resistance and the food chain from medicine residues. This chapter descri...

The synergism of biocontrol and plant resistance: a path to advance ipm to higher levels of integration

This chapter reviews the future evolution of integrated pest management (IPM). It identifies the ways modern agriculture has disrupted plant defences and the control of pests by their natural enemies. The chapter discusses ways of restoring and enhancing these controls both through breeding and t...

How neonicotinoid insecticides affect bees and other pollinators

Neonicotinoids are particularly important in any discussion of pollinators in an agricultural context because of their use patterns, physical properties, environmental persistence, and their high toxicity to bees. This chapter discusses the wide range of research on how neonicotinoids affect both...

Opportunities and challenges in crossbreeding dairy cattle in temperate regions

Crossbreeding is an old technology; however, when used in today’s dairy systems, crossbreeding can produce profitable results for dairy producers. Interest in crossbreeding of dairy cattle has become a topic of great interest in the last ten years and has developed in response to concerns dairy p...

Beef carcass grading and classification

This chapter reviews the three main beef carcass grading or classification systems used across three continents. These are used for a large proportion of beef production and processing in the world. One is the ‘EUROP’ system for EU countries, another is the USDA Beef Carcass Grading system in the...

Advances in cold-resistant wheat varieties

Winter wheat is planted in the autumn and must survive the winter months before being harvested the following summer. Winterhardiness is therefore of paramount importance to the survival of the crop. This chapter reviews recent advances in our understanding of the transcriptomic and genetic basis...

Collection and evaluation of wild musa species

The genus Musa includes about 70 species distributed throughout the Asian tropics and subtropics from India, Southern China and Southern Japan in the north to Northern Australia in the south and the islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The haploid chromosome number in the subgenus Musa is 11 whi...

Recent invasions of insect pests of wheat and sorghum

This chapter provides general description of the invasion and management response of six insects that have affected wheat and other cereal grains: Agriphila aeneociliella Eversmann (Lepid: Crambidae), Metopolophium festucae cerealium Stroyan (Hem: Aphididae), Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymen: Cephida...

Advances in detecting tree nut allergens

Food allergy remains a major problem affecting consumers. Together with peanut, tree nuts belong to a small group of allergens responsible for the great majority of food allergies. This chapter begins by providing an overview of tree nut allergies and their prevalence. It then discusses allergeni...

Optimizing energy and other resource use in vertical farms

Plant factories utilizing artificial light (PFALs) perform particularly well in terms of resource efficiency, although energy use, mainly due to the use of artificial light for plant photosynthesis, remains high. This chapter presents the latest innovations in horticulture, photobiology, climate ...

Instant insights: metabolic disorders in dairy cattle

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on metabolic disorders in dairy cattle.

Tissue engineering using scaffolds in cultured meat product development

This chapter focuses on tissue engineering using scaffolds in cultured meat product development. The chapter first provides an overview of the key scaffold properties as 3D meat cultivation platforms, focusing on aspects such as tissue engineering-related criteria and additional scaffold constrai...

Advances in understanding parasite infections of poultry: protozoa and the red mite

This chapter reviews research on understanding and controlling three of the most widespread and economically-relevant parasites of poultry and the infections they cause: Eimeria species (coccidiosis), Histomonas meleagridis (histomonosis) and Dermanyssus gallinae (the poultry red mite (PRM)). In ...

Developments in inorganic materials, synthetic organic materials and peat in soilless culture systems

Soilless substrates utilised in traditional hydroponics are often inorganic or synthetic materials, as opposed to organic substrate components utilised in other forms of soilless culture. As growers seek more precision production applications, more operations are shifting to soilless culture prod...

Instant insights: restoring degraded forests

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on restoring degraded forests.

The use of probiotics as supplements for ruminants

There is an increasing need to promote digestive efficiency and productivity while maintaining animal health and welfare. Probiotics are live microorganisms which confer a benefit for the host when administered in appropriate quantities. This chapter begins by reviewing critical periods in the ru...

Advances in soil and nutrient management in apple cultivation

This chapter explores the emerging issues that are likely to influence future approaches to soil and nutrient management in apple orchards. These include climate change and variability, the degradation of soil and water resources, and the future availability and cost of fertilizers. We then consi...

Advances in understanding the ecology of invasive crop insect pests and their impact on ipm

Invasive species represent one of the greatest threats to agriculture and commercial forestry, worldwide. Examples of invasive pests continue to increase with increasing world trade and human transport, but all biological invasions progress through similar stages of arrival, establishment, spread...

Assessing soil health by measuring fauna

This chapter provides examples of the impact of soil fauna on soil health within different ecosystems and how the soil habitat changes in relation to this biodiversity. It focuses specifically on mesofauna in agriculture, grasslands, woodlands and as bioindicators, before concluding with an overv...

Advances in understanding grain legume physiology: understanding root architecture, nutrient uptake and response to abiotic stress

Root system architecture (RSA) influences root foraging and resource uptake from the soil and thus determines plant growth and productivity in grain legumes. Understanding RSA, nutrient uptake and its response to drought and other abiotic stresses is vital for breeding super genotypes for efficie...

Beef colour development and variation

Meat colour is a very important visual sensory attribute that influences purchasing decisions. Post-mortem muscle is biochemically active and any deviation from the ultimate post-mortem muscle pH can influence meat colour. More specifically, changes in pH can affect the key determinants of meat c...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of bananas volume 1

Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit and the fourth most important crop in the developing world after rice, wheat and maize. The volume reviews current production around the world and how developments in cultivation practice can be used to improve yields sustainably.

Welfare issues affecting free-range laying hens

Free-range laying hen production systems involve providing flocks of hens with the chance to use minimally controlled outdoor areas, rather than keeping them in intensive, environmentally controlled, indoor housing. Such systems are considered more natural and ethical. However, highly productive ...

Achieving sustainable production of poultry meat volume 2

There have been significant advances in poultry breeding and nutrition. This books discusses key developments such as marker-assisted breeding and improvements in poultry feed such as the use of enzymes to optimise nutritional efficiency.

Integrated weed management in tomato cultivation

Weeds pose a major threat to agriculture and cause crop yield losses in a big way. What needs to be done to counter the threat of weeds? This chapter discusses many measures to tackle the problem of weeds, especially in tomato cultivation. One of the most important is Integrated Weed Management (...

Pathogens affecting beef

Mankind has long recognized that animals harbour disease. Zoonotic pathogens are agents from animals that cause disease in humans. This chapter reviews the zoonotic diseases related to cattle. It describes zoonotic parasites and viruses and the pathogens related to cattle. Historically, good mana...

Advances in testing seed health

Many different plant pathogens can be seed transmitted. In a world of global trade seeds infected with different plant pests are a potential risk. Seed health testing is important to prevent the spread of diseases. For the detection of these seed transmitted pests many methods are available e.g. ...

Biochemical and physiological determinants of feed efficiency in dairy cattle

The energetic, physiological or metabolic efficiency of an animal depends on various factors, including the ingredients and physical form of the animal’s diet; the bacterial population in their digestive tract; and the interactions between their hormones, receptors, organs and metabolism patterns...

Design and management of industrial-scale vertical farms: intelligent growth solutions (igs)

For growers to fully realise the benefits of a total controlled environment agriculture system, ensuring the correct design and management of industrial-scale vertical farms is critical. Systems should be modular, scalable, and flexible to de-risk the farmer's businesses and make the most of econ...

Producing biofuels with torrefaction

Biomass of various types is being used as coal substitute in power generation and industrial usage around the world. Significant investments have been made in Europe and elsewhere to accommodate the use of dried and pelleted biomass materials in various power plants. Substituting biomass for c...

Instant insights: land use change and management

This book provides a detailed overview of the contribution of land use change to climate change, as well as the strategies and methods implemented to mitigate this impact and reverse global biodiversity decline, such as the development of agri-environment schemes.

Methods for detecting pathogens in the beef food chain: detecting particular pathogens

The main food-borne pathogens of concern in the beef food chain are Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella; other pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. may also be present. These pathogens pose contamination concerns in both the cattle productio...

Biofertilizers: assessing the effects of plant growth-promoting bacteria (pgpb) or rhizobacteria (pgpr) on soil and plant health

Modern agriculture relies on the extensive use of chemicals to combat plant diseases and increase agricultural productivity which leads to health and environmental hazards. In the recent past, soil microorganisms, such as the plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) or rhizobacteria (PGPR), have em...

Assessing and minimizing the environmental effects of herbicides

Herbicides are widely used to control weeds; however, they can have other effects on the environment. Herbicides can move from the site of application through spray drift, volatilization from surfaces, surface run-off or leaching to groundwater. This chapter examines the sources and fate of herbi...

Instant insights: vertical farming in horticulture

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on vertical farming in horticulture.

The contribution of environmental enrichment to sustainable poultry production

Environmental enrichment comprises stimuli added to the poultry housing environment to enhance the biological adaptation of the birds and improve their welfare. By promoting species-typical behaviour, it has the potential to reduce the risk of harmful behaviours and health conditions, and to guid...

Advances in temperate agroforestry

This collection reviews key recent advances in temperate agroforestry. The book considers the role of temperate agroforestry in promoting biodiversity and key ecosystem services such as soil carbon sequestration, as well as recent developments in different types of silvopastoral and silvoarable s...

Advances in assembling grna/cas9 constructs in genome editing of plants

This chapter reviews the principles of CRISPR cloning in binary vectors and the different methods and elements employed, including the nucleases alternative to Cas9. It pays special attention to modular cloning strategies and multiplexing tools as well as the engineering of expanded Cas activitie...

Achieving sustainable production of milk volume 1

This book provides a detailed review of current research on key components and quality traits of milk as well as ways of measuring milk quality. It then discusses genetic factors affecting these traits and how they can be used to improve breeding of dairy cows.

Use and nutritional value of cassava roots and leaves as a traditional food

Cassava is an important staple crop for the food security of millions of people in developing countries. This chapter examines the strengths and weaknesses of cassava roots and leaves as a source of nutrients, and describes and analyses efforts to promote biofortified varieties of cassava with hi...

Breeding barley for durable resistance to net and spot forms of net blotch

This chapter focuses on breeding barley for durable resistance to net and spot forms of net blotch. It starts by reviewing how Pyrenophora teres f. teres can cause net form net blotch. The chapter then goes on to examine the molecular markers that can be identified to provide resistances to net f...

Biodiversity management practices and benefits in conservation agriculture systems

Biodiversity in agriculture is one of the most effective ways to achiebe sustainable crop production without damaging the environment. This chapter reviews biodiversity management practices and benefits in Conservation Agriculture systems. After looking at the importance of soil microorganisms, t...

Advances in understanding grain legume physiology: stomatal behaviour and response to abiotic stress

Grain legumes can fulfill several roles: they can be an immediate seed crop for consumption or marketing, a means to increase soil fertility as a result of their nutrient-rich residues and a key component of livestock feed. They are therefore likely to have an increasing role in agriculture in bot...