Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, is one of the most destructive rice diseases worldwide and destroys enough rice to feed more than 60 million people annually. Due to high variability of the fungal population in the field, frequent loss of resistance of newly-released rice cultivars is a major restraint in sustainable rice production. In the last few years, significant progress has been made in understanding the defense mechanism of rice and pathogenicity of the fungus. The rice blast system has become a model pathosystem for understanding the molecular basis of plant-fungal interactions due to the availability of both genomes of rice and M. grisea and a large collection of genetic resources. This book provides a complete review of the recent progress and achievements on genetic, genomic and disease control of the disease. Most of the chapters were presented at the 4th International Rice Blast Conference held on October 9-14, 2007 in Changsha, China. This book is a valuable reference not only for plant pathologists and breeders working on rice blast but also for those working on other pathysystems in crop plants.

Musa is one of three genera in the family of Musaceae. Over 50 species of Musa exist, including bananas and plantains. This book assembles the latest information on the genomic research of this genus. A group of leading experts in Musa genetics, genomics, and breeding provide basic as well as advanced information for those interested in learning mo

The fast-growing sugarcane plant is a major source of sugar (sucrose) in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The high productivity of the plant also makes it a key target for use as an energy crop. The fiber of the plant is used to generate electricity and produce ethanol as a fuel.Sugarcane is a hybrid of two species, each of which is genetically c

Sequencing of the maize genome has opened up new opportunities in maize breeding, genetics and genomics research. This book highlights modern trends in development of hybrids, analysis of genetic diversity, molecular breeding, comparative and functional genomics, epigenomicsand proteomics in maize. The use of maize in biofuels, phytoremediation and pharmaceuticals is also highlighted. Current research trends, future research directions and challenges are discussed by a panel of experts from all over the world.

This book presents state-of-the-art, authoritative chapters on contemporary issues in the broad areas of quantitative genetics, genomics and plant breeding. Section 1 (Chapters 2 to 12) emphasizes the application of genomics, and genome and epigenome editing techniques, in plant breeding; bioinformatics; quantitative trait loci mapping; and the latest approaches of examining and exploiting genotype-environment interactions. Section 2 (Chapters 13 to 20) represents the intersection of breeding, genetics and genomics. This section describes the use of cutting-edge molecular breeding and quantitative genetics techniques in wheat, rice, maize, root and tuber crops and pearl millet. Overall, the book focuses on using genomic information to help evaluate traits that can combat biotic/abiotic stresses, genome-wide association mapping, high-throughput genotyping/phenotyping, biofortification, use of big data, orphan crops, and gene editing techniques. The examples featured are taken from across crop science research and cover a wide geographical base.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage of the advances in genetics and genomics research on rice. The chapters feature the latest developments in rice research and cover such topics as the tools and resources for the functional analysis of rice genes, the identification of useful genes for rice improvement, the present understanding of rice development and biological processes, and the application of this present understanding towards rice improvement. The volume also features a perspective on synthesis and prospects, laying the groundwork for future advances in rice genetics and genomics. Written by authorities in the field, Genetics and Genomics of Rice will serve as an invaluable reference for rice researchers for years to come.

This Special Issue on molecular genetics, genomics, and biotechnology in crop plant breeding seeks to encourage the use of the tools currently available. It features nine research papers that address quality traits, grain yield, and mutations by exploring cytoplasmic male sterility, the delicate control of flowering in rice, the removal of anti-nutritional factors, the use and development of new technologies for non-model species marker technology, site-directed mutagenesis and GMO regulation, genomics selection and genome-wide association studies, how to cope with abiotic stress, and an exploration of fruit trees adapted to harsh environments for breeding purposes. A further four papers review the genetics of pre-harvest spouting, readiness for climate-smart crop development, genomic selection in the breeding of cereal crops, and the large numbers of mutants in straw lignin biosynthesis and deposition.

This volume covers the advances in the study of tomato diversity and taxonomy. It examines the mapping of simple and complex traits, classical genetics and breeding, association studies, molecular breeding, positional cloning, and structural and comparative genomics. The contributors also discuss transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioin

The stone fruits—including peaches, apricots, almonds, plums, and cherries—have been bred and grown for thousands of years and today are significant agricultural crops in many local economies worldwide. This volume presents a comprehensive commentary on classical genetics and breeding, molecular mapping and breeding of agronomic traits, and the cloning of genes of interest. It also explores recent advances on omics sciences including structural and functional genomics, proteomics, nd metabolomics. The book enumerates the whole genome sequencing of the model fruit plant peach and discusses bioinformatic strategies and tools for stone fruit research