Achieving sustainable cultivation of soybeans volume 1

Soybeans are widely grown for use in food, animal feed and other products such as biodiesel. The first of this two-volume collections reviews advances in understanding of soybean physiology and genetics as well as breeding and more efficient methods of cultivation.

Modelling the impact of climate change on agriculture in east asia

This chapter briefly summarizes the estimated impact of historical and future climate changes on major food crop production (e.g., rice, wheat, maize) across the primary production regions of East Asia.

Identifying and managing plant health risks for key african crops: cassava

The long history of cassava as a hardy crop, relatively free from diseases and pests’ attacks, ended in the 1970s when the cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti and the cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa invaded Africa and devastated the crop to the point of wiping it out as was the case w...

Advances in understanding apple tree growth: rootstocks and planting systems

Recent research and development has investigated the factors influencing apple tree growth, with the ultimate aim of helping apple growers provide the market with fruit which is consistent in quality and which exhibits the features that consumers value, such as firmness, juiciness, colour and app...

Enhancing texture and tenderness in poultry meat

The texture and tenderness of poultry meat are key factors in ensuring consumer satisfaction, and these qualities are significantly affected by how birds are treated before, during and after slaughter. This chapter begins by explaining how, after slaughter, the decline of muscle pH and the develo...

Modeling crop rotations: capturing short- and long-term feedbacks for sustainability and soil health

Crop rotation is a critical management strategy available to farmers to sustain soil fertility, combat pests, and improve crop yields. Because of the complex feedbacks occurring in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, legacy effects and their interactions with climate are generally not well under...

Exploiting the mango genome: molecular markers

As in other crops, the development of molecular tools is allowing significant progress in understanding different aspects of mango biology. This chapter reviews advances made in the use of different molecular tools in mango in the last decades, including biochemical markers and DNA research. The ...

Advances in mandarin breeding

Citrus is a leading fruit crop worldwide, with more than 130 million tons and mandarins representing 25% of total production. Mandarins are destined mainly to the fresh market, with China and the Mediterranean region being the main areas of production. Mandarins are a diverse group showing high g...

Developments in soilless/hydroponic cultivation of vegetables

In hydroponics, the plants are grown outside the natural soil, either on porous growing media (substrates) or in pure nutrient solution (water culture). The most commonly used growing media, which are characterized by a balanced availability of water and oxygen, are rockwool, perlite, pumice, and...

The contribution of integrated crop–livestock systems in combatting climate change and improving resilience in agricultural production to achieve food security

This chapter illustrates through a contrasting set of examples how current crop–livestock systems contribute to the food security and diverse diets of smallholder livelihoods. It also highlights how farmers use these systems to cope with a variable climate. The chapter provides a short overview o...

Agroforestry practices: forest farming

Forest farming is a relatively low-tech agroforestry practice for the cultivation of shade-tolerant non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as medicinal plants, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, tree syrups and/or nursery stock. It is an ecologically sustainable way for forest owners to generate income, w...

Instant insights: fusarium in cereals

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current topics and key research in fusarium in cereals.

Advances in artificial intelligence (ai) for more effective decision making in agriculture

This chapter reviews developments in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to improve the functionality of decision support systems (DSS) in agriculture. It reviews the use of techniques such as data mining, artificial neural networks (ANN), Bayesian networks (BN), support vector mac...

The role of hedgerows in supporting biodiversity and other ecosystem services in intensively managed agricultural landscapes

Over the past half century, agricultural intensification has substantially changed agricultural landscapes and farming systems. These changes have been beneficial to provisioning services, i.e. agricultural yields, but detrimental for biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. As a contribut...

Hot weather management of poultry

Maintaining an environment that minimizes stress on poultry is a significant part of obtaining a healthy bird that reaches its full genetic potential. One challenge that producers face is preventing heat stress and maintaining performance in hot weather conditions. By keeping bird body temperatur...

Improving organic agriculture in the developing world: africa

The continent of Africa accounts for 25% of the world’s arable land and yet produces just 10% of the global agricultural output. Against the backdrop of the challenges to agriculture in Africa, the African heads of states took a decision in 2011 to integrate organic agriculture into the mainstrea...

Developing forestry recreation services

A high percentage of individuals participate in outdoor recreation, and as regions around the world continue to experience population growth there correspondingly will be increased demand for recreation services. Quality in such recreation can be defined as the degree to which recreation opportun...

Mango cultivation practices in the tropics: good agricultural practices to maximize sustainable yields

Mango is grown in more than 100 countries and is a commercially important fruit for many countries in the tropics. However, mango cultivation faces various problems which require urgent attention if sustainable production is to be achieved. This chapter reviews the factors which affect mango prod...

Advances in understanding bacterial diseases in poultry: challenges and perspectives

Bacterial diseases in poultry are well known for their negative consequences on animal health, welfare and public health. Recent advancement in scientific research has substantially improved our understanding of pathogen attributes and disease mechanism, thus progress has been made in identificat...

Developments in automated systems for monitoring livestock health: mastitis

Dairy farmers need on-site, real-time information regarding mastitis occurrence in order to implement appropriate management actions. Technological progress has enabled the use of sensor systems as the basis for mastitis management. In this chapter, we describe the current state of automated mast...

Poultry meat quality: an overview

Meat quality is a complex issue, with different requirements from consumers and processors. Consumption quality is based on an assessment of subjective sensory qualities, nutritive value and assurance that animal welfare issues have been respected. In contrast, processing quality is mainly based ...

Advances and challenges in sustainable apple cultivation

Developing sustainable apple cultivation is based on both a better knowledge of tree architecture and physiology in relation to fruiting, and on how the tree interacts with its abiotic and biotic environments. Improving knowledge in these domains is crucial to take into account the societal deman...

Conservation agriculture in southeast asia

Agriculture in the Southeast Asia region has been changing from traditional subsistence farming to modern commercial farming practices at various rates and this has led to specialized commercialized farming with mechanization, intensive tillage, and increased agrochemical use. The use of high inp...

Welfare issues affecting broiler breeders

The demand for broiler meat has been growing for decades, and broiler meat represents the major animal protein source in many countries around the world. To meet the demand for cheap and increasing amounts of broiler meat, a consistent selection for fast growth is employed in the broiler industry...

Advances in liquid- and solid-medium soilless culture systems

There are two types of soilless cultivation. Liquid systems are the growing of plants in the nutrient solution or under the mist of nutrient solution without a solid substrate. Solid-medium systems use inorganic, or organic materials for the plant roots. The chapter reviews a number of liquid sys...

Managing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes

This collection reviews the wealth of research on ways to promote biodiversity within agricultural landscapes, focussing on the range of conservation, restoration and rewilding practices farmers and landowners can adopt.

Maintaining and utilizing the genetic diversity of soybeans

The aim of plant breeding is to create genetically diverse gene pools and then devise strategies to consolidate the favourable alleles and eliminate those that are adverse to the grower’s objectives. Genetic diversity is the fuel that powers plant breeding but it is also the largest impediment to...

Advances in wheat breeding techniques

Wheat production must be increased to meet growing demand, making it critical to increase the rate of genetic gain in wheat breeding. This chapter reviews the suit of core breeding methodologies currently applied, including methods proposed and employed for their advancement. It also discusses te...

The role of herbicide-resistant crops in integrated weed management

Herbicide-resistant (HR) crops have been a boon for farmers who have adopted them as they provided simple, flexible and economical tool to manage a broad spectrum of weeds and weeds resistant to other herbicides. This chapter reviews the major types of HR crop (commercialized or under development...

Efficient and sustainable production of faba bean

Faba bean is mainly grown under rain-fed conditions, although irrigated production is important in Egypt, parts of China and central Asia. China is the leading producer with a wide range of intensive rotation and inter-crop holistic cropping systems. The main focus of this chapter is faba bean cu...

Advances in agri-food robotics

This collection explores and reviews the wealth of recent research undertaken in the field of agricultural robotics, both in terms of core technologies and range of applications.

Structure and chemistry of sorghum grain

Sorghum is grown around the world under diverse environmental conditions. Combined with the high degree of genetic diversity present in sorghum, this can result in substantial variability in grain composition and grain quality. While similar to other cereal grains such as maize and millets in som...

Composition and properties of eggshell

The eggshell provides convenient packaging for the transportation of the egg contents. Since the shell is fragile, it must be handled and transported with care. Cracked and damaged eggs lead to financial losses and pose a food safety risk. A greater understanding of the eggshell and its formation...

Strawberries: a case study of how evolving market expectations impact sustainability

The strawberry industry is facing the reality that it has been built on an unsustainable foundation. with dependencies on fumigation, plastic, pesticides, fertilizers, diminishing groundwater, undocumented labour and fuel for transportation. This chapter offers a case study of the impact of that...

Understanding nutritional and bioactive properties of whey

Whey is a co-product of cheese and casein manufacturing processes. Historically, whey was a waste product with associated challenges on disposal due to its high organic matter content and biological oxygen demand. However, with the emergence of fractionation technology, whey has gained recognitio...

Weed management in sorghum cultivation

Sorghum is, and will remain, an important crop in the USA, especially in marginal environments due to its low input requirements and high resilience. Weed management is a key production challenge for sorghum, and the herbicide tools available are very limited, particularly for post-emergence (POS...

The use of exogenous enzymes to improve feed efficiency in pigs

Exogenous feed enzymes have been in commercial use in swine diets for almost 30 years. This chapter focuses on the use of three classes of enzymes: NSP’ases, phytases and proteases. We review the evidence that their use is beneficial, and suggest likely mechanisms of action based on the evidence ...

The role of field margins in biodiversity conservation in agroecosystems

This chapter reviews research on ways of modifying the agricultural landscape to reverse the decline in a range of fauna and flora. The chapter starts by looking at the span of options for promoting biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. It then focuses on field margins, their characteristics a...

Monitoring and control of livestock housing conditions using precision livestock farming techniques

This chapter discusses the use of precision livestock farming (PLF) techniques to monitor the housing environment in intensive livestock production systems. It discusses the effects of variables such as temperature and humidity on animal productivity, health and welfare. It also shows how environ...

Advances in dairy protein science: whey proteins

Whey proteins are highly nutritious and commercially important proteins from the serum phase of milk. Amino acid profile, digestion and absorption behavior in the gut in addition to various physical functionalities make them a highly sought after protein group in broad range of commercial applica...

Welfare of laying hens: an overview

Although the majority of the world’s laying hens are still housed in conventional (‘battery’) cages, public concern for the welfare of laying hens is rapidly changing the methods by which eggs are being produced and marketed in many regions of the world. However, alternative housing systems have ...

Sorghum diseases and their management in cultivation: stalk, root and other diseases

Of all the diseases affecting sorghum, root and stalk diseases are among the most damaging and difficult to control. This is due to their hidden nature and the fact that their symptoms often resemble abiotic stressors such as drought or freeze damage. This chapter presents an overview of some of ...

Grasshoppers and other orthopteran pests

Grasshoppers, including locusts, and katydids are some of the most destructive pests in the world. Because they typically feed on a wide range of plants and migrate into cereal crops, consistent monitoring over vast areas is required to provide sufficient warning of population outbreaks. The long...

Improving the nutritional value of soybean

Soybean is grown for its high oil and protein concentration and profile in the seed. Numerous studies have been carried out to determine the underlying genetics of soybean seed composition traits and develop molecular markers that can aid in the breeding of soybean cultivars with enhanced nutriti...

The use of mild viruses for control of plant pathogenic viruses

Plant virus management strategies have largely been limited to the application of hygiene protocols, the control of viral vectors such as insects and nematodes and the use of resistant varieties. However, these approaches are often insufficient to prevent infections. The rapid control of newly em...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of apples

This book reviews our understanding of tree and fruit physiology and how it can be used in breeding better varieties. It also discusses pests and diseases and ways they can be prevented or controlled to make cultivation more productive.

Advances in data security for more effective decision-making in agriculture

There are two types of precision agriculture systems – those that have been hacked, and those that will be. Connectivity and information flow are the two key enabling factors for successful operation of the digital farm. These elements also represent the most vulnerable aspects open to cyber-atta...

The role of agroforestry in sustainable forest management (sfm) of tropical forests

In this chapter we review to what extent agroforests that are classified as forests are in line with the objectives of sustainable forest management, focusing on biodiversity conservation, supply of forest products and carbon capture. We use shifting cultivation as a case study, given its pantrop...

Understanding the contribution of milk constituents to the texture of dairy products: cheese

Milk is an important part of the human diet. Milk constituents have excellent nutritional and technological properties and can be easily processed into a wide variety of products. Cheese is produced throughout the world and is available in a great diversity of flavours and textures. During cheese...

Consumer perception of apple quality

Apples are a global commodity worth $7.78 billion USD in international trade. Apple quality is a complex interdisciplinary topic. In studying consumer perception of apple quality, it is important to consider not only fruit characteristics, but other consumer-related and social environment-related...

Regional strategies in sustainable water management for irrigation: the eco-efficiency approach

This chapter addresses a variety of challenges associated with regional water management, including the resolution of conflicts between sectors in order to resolve ‘demand versus availability’ equation and the symbiosis needed between agronomy and engineering in order to optimize the performance ...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of coffee

Coffee is one of the most widely-traded commodities in the world. This volume summarises research addressing key challenges in coffee cultivation, including genetic diversity and breeding improved varieties. Other chapters discuss how to measure and improve quality traits.

Understanding and improving protein traits in maize

Improving the nutritional quality of maize is necessary to meet the growing demands of maize consumption. Maize could be the main source of protein. Several parameters, however, limit the supply and quality of corn protein. This chapter reviews the mechanisms that determine these limitations, inc...

Advances in understanding plant root uptake of phosphorus

At a global scale, phosphorus (P) deficiency comprises a large area of cropland, while P has also been used in excess of crop requirements in many other regions. Improved crop P-acquisition efficiency would allow lower target critical soil P values and provide savings in P-fertiliser use. At the ...

Ruminal fibre digestion

Since ruminants obtain most of their energy from their symbiotic microbiota, the efficiency of feed conversion and end-product meat and milk quality in bovines is tightly linked to the dynamics and function of the rumen microbiome. In this chapter, we give an overview of the role of the microbiot...

Understanding consumer attitudes to environmental sustainability issues in agricultural and food production

Optimizing product quality in soilless culture systems (scs)

In a soilless culture system (SCS), quality parameters of produce may be improved by better control of the environmental and technical factors involved. This chapter focuses on the main factors through which it is possible to influence and improve the quality profile of soilless horticultural pro...

Enhancing the flavour of poultry meat

Understanding the chemistry of poultry meat flavour and factors affecting poultry meat flavour is vital in order to produce the most flavourful and consistent product possible by preserving and/or enhancing the flavour of poultry meat. This chapter describes different mechanisms and chemical comp...

Advances in understanding plant root responses to root-feeding insects

This chapter presents an overview of the interactions between plant roots and root-feeding insect herbivores, focussing on changes in growth and physiology and crucially how roots are defended against insect attack. Several reviews have covered the ecology and management of insect root herbivores...

Developing animal feed products

This volume reviews key research and the challenges faced in developing new livestock feed products that promote growth whilst also enhancing both product quality and safety. This collection also summarises recent key developments in the sector, including a better understanding of gut function an...

The role of pasture in the diet of ruminant livestock

Grazed pasture is the single most important forage feed for ruminants due to its low unit cost and widespread global availability. However, there is a growing use of arable crops in ruminant rations, which may exceed that used by humans by 2050. This chapter describes the ways in which grazed pa...

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 ...

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. ...

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...

Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint of banana cultivation

This chapter presents concepts and tools around the life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint (CFP) of the banana value chain. Bananas are the world’s most exported fresh fruit in volume and value and a key crop for millions of households in developing countries providing food, nutrition a...

Quality defects associated with poultry muscle development: pale, soft and exudative meat

Pale, soft and exudative (PSE) describes a meat quality defect resulting from an extremely rapid pH drop while the temperature of the carcass is still high. First identified in pigs, the condition has also been observed in turkeys and broilers. Despite the progress in the understanding of the und...

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 ...

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...

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...

Assessing alternative protein sources from by-products

This chapter examines the most commonly used protein-based by-product feeds in dairy cattle diets. The chapter focuses on 1) protein quality of by-products; 2) characteristics of grain-sourced by-products; 3) characteristics of oilseed by-products; 4) rendered by-products; 5) environmental impact...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Achieving carbon-negative bioenergy systems from plant materials

This collection reviews advances in producing next-generation biofuels from plant materials. Part 1 discusses technologies such as biomass gasification, fast pyrolysis and torrefaction. Part 2 assesses advances in production of biofuels from crops such as jatropha, oilseeds, Miscanthus, switchgra...

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...

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 understanding root development in forest trees

In forest ecosystems, root systems represent up to 40% of the biomass, and around 75% of the annual net primary production is allocated to the fine root component (roots with a diameter of less than 2 mm). Fine roots are involved in nutrition, whereas coarse roots (more than 2 mm in diameter) con...

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...

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 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 ...

Developing new cassava varieties: tools, techniques and strategies

The significance of cassava as a crop in tropical countries means that developing improved varieties is key to the sustainability of cassava production. This chapter examines how understanding the utilization of cassava can inform breeding objectives for developing improved varieties of cassava. ...

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.

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...

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...

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...

Genetics and genomics of feed utilization efficiency in poultry species

Feed utilization efficiency is a trait of high economic importance in livestock production. In poultry meat and egg production, feed accounts for over 70% of the total production costs. Consequently, improving feed utilization efficiency has been a major goal in the poultry industry. The efficie...

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...

Mango cultivation practices for the subtropics

Mango is well adapted to hot, tropical climates. However, it can also be grown in the mild subtropics, where cooler winter temperatures improve flower induction and cause early bearing and lower annual growth rates, which help to control size and favour high-density plantings. There are also disa...

Biological weed control in temperate grasslands

This chapter provides a critical review of international research on biological weed control as it applies to weeds of temperate grasslands. The chapter outlines the ways in which ‘classical’ biocontrol agents, due to their natural ability to spread and find their host plant, are appropriate for ...

Women and smallholder farming

There are an estimated 500 million smallholder farmers across the world, of which a considerable percentage of women. Despite their large numbers and important roles, women smallholders remain largely unsupported and their contribution to agriculture is often devalued because of their sex.Women a...

Certification schemes for conservation agriculture systems

For many centuries, soil health or soil quality has been defined as the capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem for sustaining plants, animals, and humans; being the base of life. Hence, the concept of a correct soil management as an essential tool to keep soils sustainable for f...

Wheat pests: insects, mites, and prospects for the future

Wheat pests are the subject of this chapter and the previous one. There are four major taxa of wheat pests. Rodents and nematodes were discussed in the previous chapter. Insects and mites are discussed in this chapter. Case studies are presented for eight species: Hessian fly, orange wheat blosso...

Advances in managing wireworms in cereal crops: challenges and future directions

Wireworms are the immature stage of click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) species. Several species of wireworms are considered serious pests of agricultural crops, including small grains. Limited information with respect to objective species- and crop-specific economic injury levels, effective in...

Bacterial soft rot of banana

Bacterial soft rots of banana and plantains involve two different diseases caused by related but distinct pathogens: rhizome soft rot or head rot by Pectobacterium carotovorum. subsp. carotovorum and pseudostem wet rot and rhizome rot - in some parts of the world called rhizome necrosis and corm ...