Lost Crops of Africa

Lost Crops of Africa PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309176891
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
Scenes of starvation have drawn the world's attention to Africa's agricultural and environmental crisis. Some observers question whether this continent can ever hope to feed its growing population. Yet there is an overlooked food resource in sub-Saharan Africa that has vast potential: native food plants. When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruitsâ€""lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation. This volume focuses on native cereals, including: African rice, reserved until recently as a luxury food for religious rituals. Finger millet, neglected internationally although it is a staple for millions. Fonio (acha), probably the oldest African cereal and sometimes called "hungry rice." Pearl millet, a widely used grain that still holds great untapped potential. Sorghum, with prospects for making the twenty-first century the "century of sorghum." Tef, in many ways ideal but only now enjoying budding commercial production. Other cultivated and wild grains. This readable and engaging book dispels myths, often based on Western bias, about the nutritional value, flavor, and yield of these African grains. Designed as a tool for economic development, the volume is organized with increasing levels of detail to meet the needs of both lay and professional readers. The authors present the available information on where and how each grain is grown, harvested, and processed, and they list its benefits and limitations as a food source. The authors describe "next steps" for increasing the use of each grain, outline research needs, and address issues in building commercial production. Sidebars cover such interesting points as the potential use of gene mapping and other "high-tech" agricultural techniques on these grains. This fact-filled volume will be of great interest to agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and individuals concerned about restoring food production, environmental health, and economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa. Selection, Newbridge Garden Book Club

Lost Crops of Africa

Lost Crops of Africa PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309176891
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 405

Get Book Here

Book Description
Scenes of starvation have drawn the world's attention to Africa's agricultural and environmental crisis. Some observers question whether this continent can ever hope to feed its growing population. Yet there is an overlooked food resource in sub-Saharan Africa that has vast potential: native food plants. When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruitsâ€""lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation. This volume focuses on native cereals, including: African rice, reserved until recently as a luxury food for religious rituals. Finger millet, neglected internationally although it is a staple for millions. Fonio (acha), probably the oldest African cereal and sometimes called "hungry rice." Pearl millet, a widely used grain that still holds great untapped potential. Sorghum, with prospects for making the twenty-first century the "century of sorghum." Tef, in many ways ideal but only now enjoying budding commercial production. Other cultivated and wild grains. This readable and engaging book dispels myths, often based on Western bias, about the nutritional value, flavor, and yield of these African grains. Designed as a tool for economic development, the volume is organized with increasing levels of detail to meet the needs of both lay and professional readers. The authors present the available information on where and how each grain is grown, harvested, and processed, and they list its benefits and limitations as a food source. The authors describe "next steps" for increasing the use of each grain, outline research needs, and address issues in building commercial production. Sidebars cover such interesting points as the potential use of gene mapping and other "high-tech" agricultural techniques on these grains. This fact-filled volume will be of great interest to agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and individuals concerned about restoring food production, environmental health, and economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa. Selection, Newbridge Garden Book Club

Plant Breeding Reviews

Plant Breeding Reviews PDF Author: J. Janick
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468488961
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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Book Description
Plant breeding, the domestication and systematic improvement of crop species, is the basis of past and present agriculture. Our so called primitive progenitors selected practically all our present-day crop plants, and the improvement wrought through millenia of selection has so changed some of them that in many cases their links to the past have been obliterated. There is no doubt that this ranks among the greatest of human achievements. Although plant breeding has been a continuous empirical activity for as long as humans have forsaken the vagaries and thrill of hunting for the security and toil of agriculture, genetic crop improvement is now very much of a twentieth-century discipline. Its scientific underpinnings date to the beginning of this century with the discovery of Gregor Mendel's classic 1865 paper on the inheritance of seven characters in the garden pea. If any science can be traced to single event, the best example is surely found in the conception of modern genetics that appears in this single creative work. The relationship of plant breeding progress to advances in genetics has become closely entwined. Mendel himself was concerned with crop improvement and worked on schemes for apple and pear breeding. Plant breeding also has claims on other scientific and agricultural disci plines-botany, plant pathology, biochemistry, statistics, taxonomy, entomology, and cytology, to name a few-and has also impinged on our social, ethical, economic, and political consciousness.

Breeding Procedures in Pearl-millet (Pennisetum Typhoides S. & H.)

Breeding Procedures in Pearl-millet (Pennisetum Typhoides S. & H.) PDF Author: B. R. Murty
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pearl millet
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description


Pearl Millet Breeding

Pearl Millet Breeding PDF Author: I. S. Khairwal
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781578080892
Category : Pearl millet
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Many advances have been made in the genetic improvement of pearl millet and this text is intended to fill the need for a comprehensive document which brings together principles and research results related to breeding and development activities.

Millets and Sorghum

Millets and Sorghum PDF Author: Jagannath V. Patil
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119123054
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
Millets and sorghum are extremely important crops in many developing nations and because of the ability of many of them to thrive in low-moisture situations they represent some exciting opportunities for further development to address the continuing and increasing impact of global temperature increase on the sustainability of the world’s food crops. The main focus of this thorough new book is the potential for crop improvement through new and traditional methods, with the book’s main chapters covering the following crops: sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail milet, proso millet, little millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, tef and fonio. Further chapters cover pests and diseases, nutritional and industrial importance, novel tools for improvement, and seed systems in millets. Millets and Sorghum provides full and comprehensive coverage of these crucially important crops, their biology, world status and potential for improvement, and is an essential purchase for crop and plant scientists, and food scientists and technologists throughout the developed and developing world. All libraries in universities and research establishment where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this important book on their shelves.

Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Cereal Crops

Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Cereal Crops PDF Author: Chittaranjan Kole
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3319933817
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
This book highlights modern methods and strategies to improve cereal crops in the era of climate change, presenting the latest advances in plant molecular mapping and genome sequencing. Spectacular achievements in the fields of molecular breeding, transgenics and genomics in the last three decades have facilitated revolutionary changes in cereal- crop-improvement strategies and techniques. Since the genome sequencing of rice in 2002, the genomes of over eight cereal crops have been sequenced and more are to follow. This has made it possible to decipher the exact nucleotide sequence and chromosomal positions of agroeconomic genes. Most importantly, comparative genomics and genotyping-by-sequencing have opened up new vistas for exploring available biodiversity, particularly of wild crop relatives, for identifying useful donor genes.

Breeding, Biotechnology and Seed Production of Field Crops

Breeding, Biotechnology and Seed Production of Field Crops PDF Author: Bidhan Roy
Publisher: New India Publishing Agency
ISBN: 9789381450680
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 642

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Book Description
In modern days, crop improvement is a multidisciplinary division of agriculture. In this book, entitled, Breeding, Biotechnology and Seed Production of Field Crops, emphasis has been given on principles, methods and practices in plant breeding, biotechnology in crop improvement and seed production of field crops. The book has been written for all sections of learners, educators and staff-members of seed industries. Particular importance has been underlined for postgraduate students who specialize in plant breeding and seed science. Each chapter of the book has been designed as per the recommended of syllabus of Indian Council of Agricultural Research for the postgraduate students of various Agricultural Universities in our country. This book has been divided into two major parts- i) Principles of crop breeding and ii) Methods and practices of crop improvement and seed production of individual field crop. The book contains total of 18 chapteFirst three chapters are related to shed light on the basic-principles and remaining chapters deal with methods and practices of individual crop for improvement and seed production. We hope that the book will be ready to lend a hand to the advanced undergraduate students doing plant breeding in elective, postgraduate students who opted plant breeding, teachers, researchers and staff-members of private seed companies of this field of specialization.

Breeding Field Crops

Breeding Field Crops PDF Author: John M. Poehlman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401572712
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 739

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Book Description
While preparing the first edition of this textbook I attended an extension short course on writing agricultural publications. The message I remember was "select your audience and write to it. " There has never been any doubt about the audience for which this textbook was written, the introductory course in crop breeding. In addition, it has become a widely used reference for the graduate plant-breeding student and the practicing plant breeder. In its prepa ration, particular attention has been given to advances in plant-breeding theo ry and their utility in plant-breeding practice. The blend of the theoretical with the practical has set this book apart from other plant-breeding textbooks. The basic structure and the objectives of the earlier editions remain un changed. These objectives are (1) to review essential features of plant re production, Mendelian genetic principles, and related genetic developments applicable in plant-breeding practice; (2) to describe and evaluate established and new plant-breeding procedures and techniques, and (3) to discuss plant breeding objectives with emphasis on the importance of proper choice of objec tive for achieving success in variety development. Because plant-breeding activities are normally organized around specific crops, there are chapters describing breeding procedures and objectives for the major crop plants; the crops were chosen for their economic importance or diversity in breeding sys tems. These chapters provide a broad overview of the kinds of problems with which the breeder must cope.

Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding

Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding PDF Author: George Acquaah
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444309013
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
Until recently, plant breeders have depended primarily on classicaltools to develop new and improved products for producers andconsumers. However, with the advent of biotechnology, breeders areincreasingly incorporating molecular tools in their breeding work.In recognition of the current state of methods and theirapplication, this text introduces both classical and moleculartools for plant breeding. Topics such as biotechnology in plant breeding, intellectualproperty, risks, emerging concepts (decentralized breeding, organicbreeding), and more are addressed in this state of the art text.The final 8 chapters provide a useful reference on breeding thelargest and most common crops. In addition, over 25 plant breedersshare their professional experiences while illustrating concepts inthe text. Features include: Comprehensive presentation of both classical and molecularplant breeding tools Industry highlight essays from over 25 professional plantbreeders Chapter introductions, summaries and discussion questions Easy reference glossary Reference chapters on breeding 8 of the largest and most commoncrops Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at ahref="http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/acquaah"www.blackwellpublishing.com/acquaah/a.An Instructor manual CD-ROM for this title is available. Pleasecontact our Higher Education team at ahref="mailto:[email protected]"[email protected]/afor more information.

Ergot Disease of Pearl Millet

Ergot Disease of Pearl Millet PDF Author: R. P. Thakur
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
Geographical distribution. Disease symptoms. Ergot-induced toxicity. Causal organism. Disease cycle. Disease management. Cultural control. Removal of sclerotia from seed. Eradication of collateral hosts. Chemical control. Biological control. Control through pollen management. Control through resistance. Background. Resistance screening technique. Development of resistant sources. Use of resistant sources in breeding.