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.

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 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 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.

The fight against global hunger demands a fresh perspective. Lesser-known legumes, often called 'potential pulses', can play a pivotal role. These underutilized powerhouses, including adzuki bean, bambara groundnut, faba bean, cowpea, grass pea and horse gram, among others, are currently untapped resources. Their potential goes beyond their ability to thrive in harsh environments (caused by high temperature, drought, etc.) and fix nitrogen. With increased understanding of these legumes and their genetic and genomic potential, we can unlock a new world of sustainable and nutritious food sources. Focusing on the untapped genetic and genomic potential of these legumes, this book empowers researchers, breeders, and policymakers to unlock a new era of food and nutritional security. By leveraging the power of their genes, we can transform underutilized pulses into the nutritional heroes of tomorrow.

Legumes include many very important crop plants that contribute critical protein to the diets of many around the world. Many important forages and green manure crops are legumes. Legumes are also large contributors to the vegetable oil and animal feed protein sectors. One characteristic of legumes that could become even more important as world energy sources decline and nitrogen fertilizer prices increase is nitrogen fixation, something few other plants can do. Thus legumes have a unique and important niche in agriculture. While some of the small seeded forage legumes have been relatively easy to work with in tissue culture as far as culture initiation, plant regeneration and transformation are concerned, most large seeded legumes, like soybean, have been recalcitrant. Today, however, many laboratories are inserting genes into soybean and producing unique plants for both commercial and scientific uses. These advancements have taken a large amount of research effort and still require time and labour.

The crop plants cater not only to our basic F5 (food, feed, fiber, fuel, and furniture) needs but also provide a number of nutraceuticals with potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic properties. Many crop plants provide an array of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant-rich bioactive phytochemicals. Increasing incidences of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and HIV, and malnutrition necessitate global attention to health and nutrition security with equal emphasis to food security. This compendium compiles results of researches on biochemical, physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying biosynthesis of the health and nutrition related nutraceuticals. It also explores the precise breeding strategies for augmentation of their content and amelioration of their quality in crop plants under all commodity categories including cereals and millets, oilseeds, pulses, fruits and nuts, and vegetables. The compendium comprise 5 sections dedicated to these 5 commodity groups and presents enumeration on the concepts, strategies, tools and techniques of nutraceutomics. These sections include 50 chapters devoted to even number of major crop plants. These chapters present deliberations on the biochemistry and medicinal properties of the nutracuticals contained; genetic variation in their contents; classical genetics and breeding for their quantitative and qualitative improvement; tissue culture and genetic engineering for augmentation of productivity and quality; and sources of genes underlying their biosynthesis. They also include comprehensive enumeration on genetic mapping of the genes and QTLs controlling the contents and profile of the nutraceuticals and molecular breeding for their further improvement through marker assisted selection and backcross breeding tools. Prospects of post-genomic precise breeding strategies including genome-wide association mapping, genomic selection, allele mining, and genome editing are also discussed. This compendium fills the gap in academia, and research and development wings of the private sector industries interested in an array of subjects including genetics, genomics, tissue culture, genetic engineering, molecular breeding, genomics-assisted breeding, bioinformatics, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, entomology, pharmacognosy, IPR, etc., and will also facilitate understanding of the policy making agencies and people in the socio-economic domain and research sponsoring agencies.

Advances in Legume-based Agroecoystem for Sustainable Intensification explores current research and future strategies for ensuring capacity growth and socioeconomic improvement through the utilization of legume crop cultivation and production in the achievement of sustainability development goals (SDGs). Sections cover the role of legumes in addressing issues of food security, improving nitrogen in the environment, environmental sustainability, economic-environmentally optimized systems, the importance and impact of nitrogen, organic production, and biomass potential, legume production, biology, breeding improvement, cropping systems, and the use of legumes for eco-friendly weed management. This book is an important resource for scientists, researchers and advanced students interested in championing the effective utilization of legumes for agronomic and ecological benefit. - Focuses on opportunities for agricultural impact and sustainability - Presents insights into both agricultural sustainability and eco-intensification - Includes the impact of legume production on societal impacts such as health and wealth management

Plant-based edible oils rank second only to carbohydrates as an important source of calories in the human diet and are primarily derived from edible oilseeds. These oilseeds are rich in essential fatty acids, high-quality protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain important phytochemicals including sterols, polyphenols, tocopherols, and carotenoids, making the oils they produce critical for metabolic functions, human health benefits, and addressing malnutrition and undernutrition. The global cultivation of edible oilseed crops has seen a significant rise. However, various biotic and abiotic stresses, poor agronomic practices, and extreme climate conditions, either in isolation or combination, negatively affect plant health, thus limiting both the quantity and quality of oilseed productivity. Edible Oilseeds Research - Updates and Prospects provides a comprehensive exploration of the origins, botanical characteristics, challenges, and recent advancements associated with major herbaceous edible oilseed-bearing plants. It offers historical insights into edible oilseeds, highlights recent advancements and future directions, and provides an overview of the important bioactive dietary compounds (including tocopherols and tocotrienols) present in common oilseeds. This volume also discusses key approaches to improving the health and productivity of oil palm and presents critical insights into the applications and achievements of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in oilseed research. This book serves as a valuable resource for plant biologists engaged in teaching and research, offering detailed knowledge on various aspects of important edible oilseeds.