Advances in breeding of cucumber and watermelon

The breeding of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) has changed over the last few hundred years, from open-pollinated populations, to inbred lines, to gynoecious hybrids. Speed breeding, marker-assisted selection and more efficient field testing have also led to advances with this crop. Production of inbr...

Developments in breeding vegetables

Breeding for quality and yield in vegetable crops is constrained by consumer preferences and expectations. Vegetable crops are grown primarily for human consumption and are therefore held to higher standards of quality than crops grown for animal feed or fuel. Measures of quality are complex and ...

Advances in the potential use of non-thermal plasma in postharvest treatment of fresh horticultural produce

Fresh horticultural produce related foodborne illnesses outbreaks have increased around the world, and despite the adoption of good on-farm and postharvest practices, microbial contamination of fresh produce can still occur. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has recently emerged as an option for killing/i...

Advances in postharvest sanitizing regimes for horticultural produce

Fresh and fresh cut fruits and vegetables are occasionally contaminated with foodborne pathogens, which has led to numerous recalls and outbreaks of foodborne illness, affecting consumer confidence. Leafy greens are more difficult to decontaminate from foodborne pathogens than other types of fres...

Optimizing yields in tomato cultivation: maximizing tomato plant use of resources

The operation of leaf stomata affects a plant’s photosynthesis, transpiration and respiration, and allows vegetable dry matter to be produced, which is required for production of the tomato fruit. The opening and closing of the stomata can be affected by various factors, and this in turn can have...

Sustainable carrot production

This chapter reviews developments in carrot cultivation including optimizing root shape, using strip-till systems, improving fertilizer use (including the use of mycorrhizal fungi), and irrigation and harvesting techniques. The chapter also discusses advances in crop protection, including managem...

Advances in the use of ozone in the disinfection of horticultural produce

Fruit and vegetables are recognised for their health-promoting properties, while at the same time being associated with numerous bacterial illnesses caused by foodborne pathogens. A sanitation step is crucial to ensure that the produce is safe for consumption. Ozone has been identified as a feasi...

Advances in understanding and mitigating vegetable responses to abiotic stress

Plants can suffer from either biotic or abiotic stress arising from a deficit in the physical or chemical environment of the plant. The damage imposed by abiotic stress may limit crop production by more than 70% and depends on the stressor. This chapter outlines the different types of abiotic str...

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...

Smart distribution to maintain shelf life of horticultural produce

Most fresh horticultural crops in developed countries that are harvested but not consumed (40 to 50%) are wasted because the quality is inadequate for marketing or does not meet consumer quality requirements. Reducing quality deterioration can both extend shelf life and reduce waste of fresh hort...

Advances in using heat for disinfection/disinfestation of horticultural produce

Research into the development of pre-storage heat treatments is continuing for both disinfection (postharvest decay) and disinfestation (insect control) outcomes. This is driven by loss in availability or efficacy of postharvest fungicides, or treatments for insects such as methyl bromide. This c...

Sustainable production of cabbage on plasticulture

Plasticulture with microirrigation enhances vegetable crop competitiveness in two ways: through sustainable production practices for water and nutrient management and increased production system resiliency to climate variability. This chapter introduces sustainable cultivation of cabbage on plast...

Monitoring postharvest attributes: instrumental techniques for measuring harvest maturity/fruit quality

Measurement precedes management. In this chapter, measurement technologies relevant to postharvest management are reviewed, both in context of technologies in current industry use and those with apparent promise for future use. A brief description of these techniques is made in relation to their ...

Advances in lettuce breeding and genetics

Lettuce is a vegetable planted in temperate areas worldwide. As a crop, lettuce faces many challenges from biotic stressors, which constitute a top priority for the breeding industry. Diseases and insects can diminish yield due to cosmetic damage to the foliage, which is the consumable part of th...

Advances in the use of barrier coatings and additives in the preservation of fresh horticultural produce

This chapter reviews developments in edible coatings and surface treatments to preserve whole and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. The chapter reviews the different purposes and properties of coatings and their applications in such areas as maintaining appearance, preventing water loss and decay ...

Achieving sustainable cultivation of vegetables

This volume summarises the wealth of research on improving sustainability in vegetable cultivation. Part 1 reviews advances in physiology and breeding. Parts 2-3 summarise advances in cultivation and pest management. The final part includes case studies on the breeding and cultivation of key vege...

Advances in plant factories

This collection reviews the wealth of research on vertical farms or plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs). It summarises key research both on improving process efficiency and produce quality of horticultural crops such as fruit and vegetables, ornamentals and herbs.

Growth and quality of lettuce in vertical farms as affected by red:blue and red:far-red ratios

Light-emitting diodes (LED) are advancing the development of indoor vertical farming due to their varied light spectrum and photon flux density. The substantial energy cost of lighting systems requires improvement. This chapter reviews three major spectra applied to lettuce cultivation in indoor ...

Research and technology in plant factories with artificial lighting: past, present and future

The past decade has seen rapid improvements in the technology used for plant factories with artificial light (PFALs), and these improvements are expected to continue for the coming years. These technological advancements are both a continuation and a synthesis of technologies that have been under...

Energy consumption in plant factories with artificial lighting: concepts and pathways toward a sustainable future

This chapter will review published literature related to plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) energy consumption, provide detail on concepts around energy consuming systems, and give example case-studies with scenario analysis to illustrate the impacts of making energy efficient decis...

Plant factories with artificial lighting (pfals): concluding remarks

As described throughout this book, plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) can contribute to solving global and local issues in: 1) food safety and security, 2) environmental recovery, improvement, and creation, 3) increasing demands for a higher quality of fresh, functional, pesticide-f...

Application of machine vision in plant factories

Plant factories have great potential for mitigating the contradiction between the growing global population and food scarcity. Machine vision plays an important role during automated food production, covering each production stage from raising seedlings, transplanting, management, harvesting and ...

Advances in understanding the nutraceutical properties of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are considered an excellent source of antioxidants as they contain a considerable amount of biologically active compounds that transmit health benefits that surpass basic nutrition. Common dietary antioxidants which are found in fruits and vegetables include polyphenols, glu...

Requirements and features of cultivation system modules in advanced plant factories with artificial lighting

This chapter discusses the design and management principles of the cultivation room environment of a plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL), mainly based on its material and energy balance. Resource supply rates, product and waste outputs, and environmental factors can be accurately measur...

Lessons learned from operational and shuttered vertical plant farms

Vertical plant farming (VPF), defined as crop production utilising vertical space through stacking horizontally or in towers, is a promising and relatively novel type of controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The nascent sector has been riddled with complexities in economic viability, labour, ...

Design and management of globally-networked plant factories: commercial application and future opportunities

Plant production in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFAL) can be done continuously for similar crops regardless of location and climate, allowing interconnectivity of production worldwide. A combination of a PFAL modular system with data acquisition and analysis tools has the potential ...

Advances in screening/analysis of phytochemical compounds in fruits and vegetables

Phytochemical compounds have been associated with possible beneficial health effects. Therefore, many studies have been conducted in order to identify and quantify these compounds of interest. Given the characteristics of different methods, it is critical to choose the suitable one to attain high...

Growth and nutritional contents of medicinal plants and herbs as affected by light and root zone environments in plant factories with artificial lighting

This chapter examines how light and root zone environments in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) can affect the growth and nutritional components of medicinal plants and herbs. It first draws attention to perilla, a popular medicinal plant, and describes the effects of photosyntheti...

Data-driven operations for a productive and sustainable plant factory

Our “808 FACTORY” business has been profitable for eight years since establishment of our first plant factory. Here, we present the business model of the brand that we have been operating. We discuss factory layout and operation management. We review measures of productivity per unit cultivation ...

Closed plant production systems in vertical farms for a circular economy

The reuse, recycling and control of emissions from large-scale food waste in urban areas have gained increased attention in recent years. Developing efficient food production systems with a low environmental impact is an important issue in facility-based plant production systems, such as plant fa...

Effect of far-red light on improving yields of tomatoes produced in vertical farms

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the major crops cultivated globally and one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. While open field production is the primary method for producing freshly consumed tomatoes, protected environment production has seen rapid expansion in recent...

Spectral manipulations to control growth and quality of lettuce and other leafy greens in vertical farms

Selecting the optimal light environment for plant growth and development, and reducing the amount of electric energy consumed by lighting are both essential to improve the economic operations of vertical farming. Compared with photosynthetic photon flux density and light period, the effects of li...

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...

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...

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 ...

Developments in tomato breeding: conventional and biotechnology tools

Plant breeding is defined as identifying and selecting desirable traits in plants and combining these into one individual plant. Since 1900, Mendel’s laws of genetics provided the scientific basis for plant breeding. This chapter presents ‘conventional’ breeding technologies that have been applie...

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...

Tomato plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress

The major challenge faced by tomato production is the need to increase productivity by improving resistance and tolerance to crop stresses. Cultivar improvement depends on our ability to identify, study and leverage the genetic diversity present among tomato germplasm resources worldwide from whi...

Advances in understanding soil health for vegetable cultivation

Sustainability of our food systems depends on the maintenance of healthy soils. The links between soil quality, long-term soil productivity, and environmental quality are now widely acknowledged, as is the importance of conserving soil as a resource for future generations. Determining and predict...

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...

Indigenous knowledge systems, entrepreneurship and sustainable development in africa

The book engages the need to embrace Indigenous knowledge-based entrepreneurship as a path towards achieving sustainable development in Africa. It advances a decolonization of knowledge systems that have undergirded entrepreneurship in Africa to pave ways for Indigenous knowledge systems.

Indigenous knowledge systems, entrepreneurship and sustainable development in africa

The book engages the need to embrace Indigenous knowledge-based entrepreneurship as a path towards achieving sustainable development in Africa. It advances a decolonization of knowledge systems that have undergirded entrepreneurship in Africa to pave ways for Indigenous knowledge systems.

Repositioning victorian sciences

An intriguing look at the marginal sciences of the nineteenth century and their influence on the culture of the period.

Edwin smith surgical papyrus. volume 1

The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus is one of the most important documents in the history of science, and one of the oldest known scientific treatises surviving from ancient Egypt. Vol 1 contains a historical introduction to the document, followed by translation and commentary. Volume 2 contains col...

The scientific legacy of har gobind khorana

This book is the only scientific biography of the Nobel Prize–winning Indian American chemist, Har Gobind Khorana. It begins with the story of Khorana’s origins in poverty in rural India and how he manages to emerge from that to be trained in chemistry in Britain and Switzerland before immigratin...

Climate change and agriculture

Climate change is the biggest challenge agriculture faces. Part 1 of this collection reviews current research on the impacts of climate change on agriculture. Part 2 assesses what we know about the contribution of agriculture to climate change, whilst Part 3 surveys mitigation strategies to achie...

Democratic management of an ecosystem under threat

Using case studies from Florida and the Caribbean, this book summarizes the state of coral reef conservation today, exploring the most effective way to protect vulnerable coral reef ecosystems while ensuring people’s voices are heard. 

Modeling the effects of climate change on agriculture: a focus on cropping systems

Crop models are powerful tools to explore agricultural impacts and adaptation to climate change. They are extensively used to predict the effect of climate change on agriculture. In this chapter, the authors review how crop models take into consideration climate variables and how they are used fo...

The role of agricultural expansion, land cover and land-use change in contributing to climate change

The chapter discusses the role of agricultural expansion, land cover and use change in contributing to climate change. It begins by reviewing the impacts of land-use change on climate, specifically focusing on carbon emission, surface energy fluxes – such as reflection of solar radiation and evap...

Agroforestry as a solution for multiple climate change challenges in africa

With appropriate management, agroforestry helps maintain ecosystem services for food, fiber, wood and biodiversity along with the expansion of bioenergy. This chapter consolidates various data on the role of trees for mitigation and adaptation, including the development of novel bioenergy solutio...

Quantifying the role of livestock in climate change

The livestock sector has grown to a massive size, with rapid changes in areas such as animal traits and management. Despite gains in productivity, often accompanied by reduced emissions intensity and land use extent, the livestock sector: i) is the largest anthropogenic emitter of methane, ii) h...

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...

Measuring and quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities

The accurate assessment of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) for accounting and mitigation options is still a key concern. An extensive body of data is available, but limitations of the different measuring approaches have often been ignored. Despite some constraints, chamber-based appr...

The effects on crop cultivation of increased co₂, temperature and ozone levels due to climate change

Atmospheric changes, including high CO2 concentration, air temperature and tropospheric ozone concentration, are challenging our crop cultivation systems, with potential negative implications for global food production. Atmospheric changes directly affect different physiological processes, and fu...

Climate-smart crop production: understanding complexity for achieving triple-wins

Climate-smart cropping options aim to simultaneously improve crop productivity, adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This chapter provides a concise overview of a wide range of climate-smart cropping options and investigates in detail the potential of conservation agricult...

The role of crop cultivation in contributing to climate change

While 20th century gains in agricultural productivity enabled rising levels of food security, these developments have also made the food system a major contributor to global climate change. Agricultural production accounts for over 80% of food system emissions, and nearly 60% of global non-CO2 gr...

Effects of climate change on agricultural soils

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased considerably. In 2017, the atmospheric concentrations of CO2, N2O and CH4 had risen to 406 ppm, 330 ppb and 1859 ppb, respectively. Such high increases in GHGs have led to destructive and irreversible impacts on soil processes. The impacts range from ...

Cities, climate change, and public health

This book examines how cities can use a public health frame of climate change to boost people’s understanding of and concern about climate change and increase policy support for climate adaptation efforts at the local level. It also presents new tools for cities to enhance awareness of and facili...

European cultures in sport

Sport occupies a key position in the cultural profile of a nation. This study forms a comparative guide to sport across Europe, in terms of its relative political and social status, its development, and the ways in which it has contributed to national achievement. Covering sport in ten major Euro...

The search for mind

The search for mind

The degree to which Cognitive Science can aspire to be the Science of the Mind is an ongoing debate. This highly influential book, published as a Second Edition, proposes a new approach to issues of the mind and of consciousness, drawing together themes from Philosophy right through to Artificial...

Spring and no flowers

Albertine Gaur shares with the reader her childhood memories of the period just before, and during, the Second World War in Austria, her homeland.

Spring and no flowers

Albertine Gaur shares with the reader her childhood memories of the period just before, and during, the Second World War in Austria, her homeland.

Media and identity in contemporary europe

Technological change in broadcasting has enabled us to open up media markets, making media and society more internationally-oriented. Chapters focus on technological change and its impact on cultural and political identities, the role of the cultural industries in the ‘New Economy’ and the impact...

Media and identity in contemporary europe

Technological change in broadcasting has enabled us to open up media markets, making media and society more internationally-oriented. Chapters focus on technological change and its impact on cultural and political identities, the role of the cultural industries in the ‘New Economy’ and the impact...

Contemporary irish drama and cultural identity

Top 10 vaccine objections

This work of narrative non-fiction deals with common questions and doubts people have about vaccines, using very accessible, conversational, non-technical language.

World atlas of atmospheric pollution

Provides a revealing global overview of air pollution and its startling impact through graphical and visual representation of data.

La arqueología de los animales de mesoamérica

En respuesta a un creciente interés en el campo de la zooarqueología, este libro presenta investigaciones que representan a las múltiples culturas y regiones de Mesoamérica, tratando específicamente los aspectos más recurrentes en la literatura zooarqueológica.

Natural disaster reduction

The purpose of this treatise is to bring the characteristics of the disastrous events of the region to the fore, seeking to present not only the continuing fatalities and fragilities of the area, but also the possibilities for coping with natural disasters.

Yellowstone’s survival

This book focuses on Yellowstone: the park, the larger ecosystem, and even more so, the “idea” of Yellowstone. In presenting a case for a new conservation paradigm for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), including Yellowstone National Park, the book, at its heart, is about people and nature ...

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...

Sustainable use of miscanthus for biofuel

Biomass removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during growth and, if converted to biofuel, has the potential to be carbon negative, especially if combined with carbon capture and storage. To achieve ambitious targets for global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, biomass crops should gene...

Biomass gasification for bioenergy

Thermal gasification is a very relevant technological platform to assess in relation to production of carbon negative bioenergy from plant materials as it offers high feed- and product flexibility combined with high energy efficiency. Many different biomass feedstock and organic secondary resourc...

Production of biodiesel from renewable sources

There is increasing interest in the production of biodiesel from non-edible oil sources such as waste or recycled oil and animal fats. Transesterification is the most commonly used method to convert triglycerides (TG) from different types of lipids. After reviewing the range of available feedstoc...

Production of biodiesel from oilseeds: canola/rapeseed

Since biodiesel has been commercialized and is widely adopted by the public, the demand for a sufficient and consistent supply of feedstock is the decisive factor for a sustainable biodiesel industry. Currently, rapeseed oil is the dominant feedstock for biodiesel production in Europe, while soyb...

Sustainable production of willow for biofuel use

Intensively managed plantations of willow (Salix spp.) are gaining interest worldwide, mainly due to their efficient and sustainable land use along with an increasing demand for biofuel resources. Willows have traditionally been used as biofuel in the form of wood chips for direct combustion in h...

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...