The basic concept of this book is to examine the use of innovative methods augmenting traditional plant breeding towards the development of new crop varieties under different environmental conditions to achieve sustainable food production. This book consists of two volumes: Volume 1 subtitled Breeding, Biotechnology and Molecular Tools and Volume 2 subtitled Agronomic, Abiotic and Biotic Stress Traits. This is volume 2 which contains 18 chapters highlighting breeding strategies for specific plant traits including improved nutritional and pharmaceutical properties as well as enhanced tolerance to insects, diseases, drought, salinity and temperature extremes expected under predicted global climate change.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This Volume 5, subtitled Cereals, focuses on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual crops. It addresses important staple food crops including barley, fonio, finger millet, foxtail millet, pearl millet, proso millet, quinoa, rice, rye, tef, triticale and spelt wheat. The volume is contributed by 53 internationally reputable scientists from 14 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This is Vol 6, subtitled Industrial and Food Crops, which consists of two parts. Included in Part I are 11 industrial plant species utilized as sources of raw materials for the production of industrial products including pulp and wood crops (acacia), fiber (cotton, jute and ramie), rubber (guayule and rubber tree), oil (jojoba and flax), biofuels and pharmaceutical (agave) and sugar source (sugarcane). Part II covers 7 food plants selected for their utilization in food industries for the production of chocolate (cacao), cooking oil (oil palm, safflower, sesame and sunflower) and natural flavors and aroma (saffron and vanilla). This volume is contributed by 60 internationally reputable scientists from 14 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding for the production of new crop varieties, under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors, to achieve sustainable agricultural production and enhanced food security. Two volumes of Advances in Plant Breeding Strategies were published in 2015 and 2016, respectively; Volume 1: Breeding, Biotechnology and Molecular Tools and Volume 2: Agronomic, Abiotic and Biotic Stress Traits. This is Volume 3: Fruits, which is focused on advances in breeding strategies for the improvement of individual fruit crops. It consists of 23 chapters grouped into three parts, according to distribution classification of fruit trees: Part I, Temperate Fruits, Part II, Subtropical Fruits, and Part III, Tropical Fruits. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors' own experience.

Mitigating the Risks of a 21st Century Climate Switch (to global cooling) and Running Out of Oil and Gas: There is an urgent need to prepare the world for a 21st century climate switch to a cooling phase, and this current grand solar minimum is a prime time for that switch. The world will face natural climate change-related risks during the current grand solar minimum—risks dismissed or ignored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) because of its constraining Articles 1 and 2. Solar scientists expert in climate change are warning us of a 21st century global cooling, but the IPCC process has dismissed their science and that of other climate sub-disciplines. Climate-forcing volcanism, Arctic glacier expansion, rapid climate change, and the climate- and volcanic-related catastrophes that occurred during the Little Ice Age are risks that were also dismissed by the IPCC process. Earth actually entered a new Ice Age 8 and 10.5 millennia ago, in the Arctic and the Antarctic respectively. Since the Holocene Climate Optimum 8,000 years ago, Greenland’s temperature declined by 4.90C to its lowest trough in 1700. The subsequent 1700-2016 trough-to-peak temperature rise is the largest temperature increase in 8,000 years. Glacier ice accumulation also started 5,000 years ago, reaching its peak during the Little Ice Age. However, since the mid-19th century much of this glacier ice melted as the sun entered an extreme grand solar maximum phase, which human activity has exacerbated. Section 3 of this book provides best-practice strategies for implementing decentralized sustainable development and switching the world’s energy system to renewable energy. These strategies will be required to mitigate the yet unseen climate and resource supply-related risks that loom on the horizon. This book is pitched at the levels of central governments, local governments, and for you at home, and is a must if you want to know the data-driven facts about natural climate change.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This is Vol 7, subtitled Legumes, focuses on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual legume crops. Included in this volume are Adzuki bean, Black gram, Chickpea Cluster bean, Common bean, Cowpea, Faba bean, Hyacinth bean, Lentil, Mung bean, Pigeonpea and Soybean. This volume is contributed by 57 internationally reputable scientists from 9 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This Volume 8, subtitled Vegetable Crops: Bulbs, Roots and Tubers, consists of 12 chapters focusing on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual vegetable crops. Chapters are arranged in 3 parts according to the edible vegetable parts. Part I: Bulbs - Garlic (Allium sativum L.), Leek (Allium ampeloprasum L.) and Shallot (Allium cepa L. Aggregatum group); Part II: Roots - Beetroot (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris var. conditiva Alefeld), Carrot (Daucus carota L.), Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.), Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris L.) and Turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa L.), Part III: Tubers - Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and Sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.). The chapters were contributed by 38 internationally reputable scientists from 13 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This Volume 4, subtitled Nut and Beverage Crops, focuses on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual plantation crops. Included in Part I, eleven important nut species recognized for their economical and nutritional importance including Almond, Argan, Brazil nut, Cashew nut, Chestnut, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Peanut, Pine nut, Pistachio and Walnut. Part II covers two popular beverage species, coffee and tea. This volume is contributed by 53 internationally reputable scientists from 13 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

The research field of “plant speed breeding" is promising to meet the future demand for crop improvement in an efficient and effective manner. The process accelerates breeding and research programs through the shortening of the generation time of crops. Plant Speed Breeding and High-Throughput Technologies explores and analyzes a range of innovations from CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing to state-of-the-art controlled-environment growth chambers. The book integrates achievements of plant speed breeding technologies with an emphasis on the fundamental and advanced systems for genome editing, functional genomics, controlled-environment growth chambers, genomic and phenotypic selection methods, and high-throughput technologies. It examines the applications of technologies across major model plants and key crops such as cereals, vegetables, and fruit trees. The book explores high-throughput genotyping using next-generation sequencing systems, enabling precise single nucleotide polymorphism markers, quantitative trait loci mapping, and genome-wide association studies . These tools are used in identifying candidate genes that will revolutionize crop breeding, as they are capable of tolerating complex abiotic and biotic stresses induced by global climate change. Serving as an ideal reference on plant speed breeding technologies, this book is for graduate students, teachers, researchers, and experts in the fields of plant sciences and plant breeding as well as agronomy and agriculture.

The book inculcates a holistic approach to improve crop productivity and quality for ensuring food security and nutrition to all. This warrants to identify various stress conditions prevalent globally and tailor crop adaptability and productivity to the maximum accordingly, employing physio-molecular modern tools and techniques with judicious amalgamation with conventional crop husbandry. As a result, the book chapters encompass diverse environmental factors, internal physio-molecular processes and their modulations with a final goal of expanding area under cultivation by utilization of constraint terrains of poor site quality and augmenting sustainable crop productivity and quality on the face of rapidly changing climate. The book includes role of plant hormones, nano-sensors, nanomaterials etc. in stress tolerance responses, capturing recent advancement in the field of stress tolerance, enlarging scope of coverage by gleaning modern literature and providing glimpses of futuristic scenario of agriculture practices that can render ‘balance staple food rich in nutrition, vitamins and minerals’ to teeming billions of global human populations. Thus, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the role of stress environment and understanding stress physiology for developing stress tolerant crops. The book covers current knowledge and future prospects to achieve enhanced food security under stress environment of crops. The renowned contributors elegantly crafted each chapter, suited alike to both classroom texts for graduate students and reference material for researchers. The language and style are simple and lucid with liberal use of illustrations. This book should be on the shelf of university/ personal libraries for inquisitive students and enlightened researchers.