Water Use Efficiency in Plant Biology

Water Use Efficiency in Plant Biology
Author: Mark Bacon
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2009-02-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 140514999X

This is the first volume to provide comprehensive coverage of the biology of water use efficiency at molecular, cellular, whole plant and community levels. While several works have included the phenomenon of water use efficiency, and others have concentrated on an agronomic framework, this book represents the first detailed treatment with a biological focus. The volume sets out the definitions applicable to water use efficiency, the fundamental physiology and biochemistry governing the efficiency of carbon vs water loss, the environmental regulation of this process and the detailed physiological basis by which the plant exerts control over such efficiency. It is aimed at researchers and professionals in plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology and agriculture. It will also inform those involved in formulating research and development policy in this topic around the world.

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030

Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2019-04-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309473926

For nearly a century, scientific advances have fueled progress in U.S. agriculture to enable American producers to deliver safe and abundant food domestically and provide a trade surplus in bulk and high-value agricultural commodities and foods. Today, the U.S. food and agricultural enterprise faces formidable challenges that will test its long-term sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience. On its current path, future productivity in the U.S. agricultural system is likely to come with trade-offs. The success of agriculture is tied to natural systems, and these systems are showing signs of stress, even more so with the change in climate. More than a third of the food produced is unconsumed, an unacceptable loss of food and nutrients at a time of heightened global food demand. Increased food animal production to meet greater demand will generate more greenhouse gas emissions and excess animal waste. The U.S. food supply is generally secure, but is not immune to the costly and deadly shocks of continuing outbreaks of food-borne illness or to the constant threat of pests and pathogens to crops, livestock, and poultry. U.S. farmers and producers are at the front lines and will need more tools to manage the pressures they face. Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030 identifies innovative, emerging scientific advances for making the U.S. food and agricultural system more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. This report explores the availability of relatively new scientific developments across all disciplines that could accelerate progress toward these goals. It identifies the most promising scientific breakthroughs that could have the greatest positive impact on food and agriculture, and that are possible to achieve in the next decade (by 2030).

Water Productivity in Agriculture

Water Productivity in Agriculture
Author: J. W. Kijne
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2003
Genre: Crops and water
ISBN: 1845933397

First title in a major new seriesAddresses improving water productivity to relieve problems of scarcity and competition to provide for food and environmental securityDraws from scientists having a multitude of disciplines to approach this important problemIn a large number of developing countries, policy makers and researchers are increasingly aware of the conflicting demands on water, and look at agriculture to be more effective in its use of water. Focusing on both irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, this book gives a state of the art review of the limits and opportunities for improving water productivity in crop production. It demonstrates how efficiency of water use can be enhanced to maximize yields. The book represents the first in a new series of volumes resulting from the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, a research program conducted by the CGIAR's Future Harvest Centres, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners worldwide. It will be of significant interest to those working in areas of soil and crop science, water management, irrigation, and development studies.

Plant Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Plant Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance
Author: Roberto Fritsche-Neto
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2012-06-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642305539

The rapid population growth and the increase in the per capita income, especially in the group of emerging countries referred to as BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has created huge pressure for the expansion of the agricultural growing area and the crop yields to meet the rising demand. As a result, many areas that have been considered marginal for growing crops, due to their low fertility, drought, salinity, and many other abiotic stresses, have now been incorporated in the production system. Additionally, climate change has brought new challenges to agriculture to produce food, feed, fiber and biofuels. To cope with these new challenges, many plant breeding programs have reoriented their breeding scope to stress tolerance in the last years. The authors of this book have collected the most recent advances and discoveries applied to breeding for abiotic stresses in this book, starting with new physiological concepts and breeding methods, and moving on to discuss modern molecular biological approaches geared to the development of improved cultivars tolerant to most sorts of abiotic stress. Written in an easy to understand style, this book is an excellent reference work for students, scientists and farmers interested in learning how to breed for abiotic stresses scenarios, presenting the state-of-the-art in plant stresses and allowing the reader to develop a greater understanding of the basic mechanisms of tolerance to abiotic stresses and how to breed for them.

Crop Physiology Case Histories for Major Crops

Crop Physiology Case Histories for Major Crops
Author: Victor Sadras
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 780
Release: 2020-12-05
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128191953

Crop Physiology: Case Histories of Major Crops updates the physiology of broad-acre crops with a focus on the genetic, environmental and management drivers of development, capture and efficiency in the use of radiation, water and nutrients, the formation of yield and aspects of quality. These physiological process are presented in a double context of challenges and solutions. The challenges to increase plant-based food, fodder, fiber and energy against the backdrop of population increase, climate change, dietary choices and declining public funding for research and development in agriculture are unprecedented and urgent. The proximal technological solutions to these challenges are genetic improvement and agronomy. Hence, the premise of the book is that crop physiology is most valuable when it engages meaningfully with breeding and agronomy. With contributions from 92 leading scientists from around the world, each chapter deals with a crop: maize, rice, wheat, barley, sorghum and oat; quinoa; soybean, field pea, chickpea, peanut, common bean, lentil, lupin and faba bean; sunflower and canola; potato, cassava, sugar beet and sugarcane; and cotton. - A crop-based approach to crop physiology in a G x E x M context - Captures the perspectives of global experts on 22 crops

The Solar Corridor Crop System

The Solar Corridor Crop System
Author: C. LeRoy Deichman
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2019-06-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128147938

The Solar Corridor Crop System: Implementation and Impacts presents a case-study format on the planning and implementation of alternative cropping systems designed to maximize incident sunlight and bio-support of all crops in a rotation system. The book describes the basic component of the system, an increased access point of incident sunlight between each row or pairs of rows that enables a more uniform vertical distribution of incident sunlight to chloroplasts within the entire corn leaf canopy. While the production environment and environment specific genetics determine the performance potential of this principle, by maximizing the principles that light is basic to crop yield, a solar corridor ultimately contributes to increased grain yield. Written by experts who were integral in the development of solar corridor systems, and providing real-world examples of the methods, challenges and future prospects, this book will be valuable for those seeking to increase yield-per-acre through both primary and cover-crops. - Introduces readers to the concept of alternative row-cropping and its implementation - Presents real-world experience, including challenges and solutions - Encourages research in maximizing photosynthesis impact on crop yield

Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research

Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research
Author: P.W. Rundel
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 536
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461234980

The analysis of stable isotope ratios represents one of the most exciting new technical advances in environmental sciences. In this book, leading experts offer the first survey of applications of stable isotope analysis to ecological research. Central topics are - plant physiology studies - food webs and animal metabolism - biogeochemical fluxes. Extensive coverage is given to natural isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and strontium in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Ecologists of diverse research interests, as well as agronomists, anthropologists, and geochemists will value this overview for its wealth of information on theoretical background, experimental approaches, and technical design of studies utilizing stable isotope ratios.

Biochemical Models of Leaf Photosynthesis

Biochemical Models of Leaf Photosynthesis
Author: Susanna Von Caemmerer
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2000
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780643063792

Increasing concerns of global climatic change have stimulated research in all aspects of carbon exchange. This has restored interest in leaf-photosynthetic models to predict and assess changes in photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in different environments. This is a comprehensive presentation of the most widely used models of steady-state photosynthesis by an author who is a world authority. Treatments of C3, C4 and intermediate pathways of photosynthesis in relation to environment have been updated to include work on antisense transgenic plants. It will be a standard reference for the formal analysis of photosynthetic metabolism in vivo by advanced students and researchers.

Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbon-Water Relations

Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbon-Water Relations
Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 581
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080918018

This 33-chapter volume presents a critical examination of the importance of stable isotopes in understanding key plant metabolic processes. - Carbon isotope analyses for estimates of plant water use and metabolism - Integrated estimates of stress impacts and life history in ecological systems - Hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses for evaluating water sources and transpiration - Use of stable isotopes in scaling from leaf to global levels - Sections include: History and Theoretical Considerations, Ecological Aspects of Carbon Isotope Variation, Agricultural Aspects of Carbon Isotope Variation, Genetics and Isotopic Variation, Water Relations and Isotopic Composition

Stomatal Function

Stomatal Function
Author: Eduardo Zeiger
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 528
Release: 1987
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780804713474

A Stanford University Press classic.