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Books in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

  • Beyond Halal

    Exploring Dietary Preferences, Novel Ingredients and Techniques
    • 1st Edition
    • January 23, 2026
    • Amal A. Elgharbawy + 4 more
    • English
    In a world where dietary choices, sustainability, and supply chain transparency are becoming increasingly intertwined, Beyond Halal: Exploring Dietary Preferences, Novel Ingredients, and Techniques sheds light on the ethical and dietary considerations and challenges that arise in the context of Halal food practices. Written by leading experts of Halal food studies in their respective fields, Beyond Halal: Exploring Dietary Preferences, Novel Ingredients, and Techniques not only addresses the aspects of sourcing, production, distribution, and certification, but also examines the applications of nanomaterials in ethical and sustainable food production and explores the use of sustainable aquaculture practices to meet the dietary preferences of Halal consumers. This book takes a deep dive into the intersection of molecular gastronomy and health in the context of ethical food production, discusses plant-based innovation in Halal cuisine, and examines consumer behavior and preferences in relation to Halal practices. It also discusses the application of blockchain technology in enhancing transparency and integrity in the Halal supply chain, while focusing on the impact of consumer choices and ethical considerations.
  • Behavior of Insect Natural Enemies

    Ecology and Applications in Biological Control
    • 1st Edition
    • January 23, 2026
    • Omkar + 1 more
    • English
    Behavior of Insect Natural Enemies: Ecology and Applications in Biological Control provides a comprehensive guide to the mating, oviposition, predation, parasitism, competition, and foraging behavior of insect and mite natural enemies. With contributions from leading experts, the book is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in the fascinating world of insect behavior. Researchers in academia and industry can build upon the knowledge in this resource to investigate and develop novel biocontrol methods. Students, particularly graduate and postgraduate students, as well as lecturers in the fields of entomology, parasitology, zoology, and plant protection will also benefit from its fascinating information.Natural enemies of insects, consisting of predators, parasitoids, and pathogens, have attracted the attention of scientists and industry experts across the globe. Their unusual behaviors, from parasitism to cannibalism, exemplify a variety of biological behaviors and processes occurring within a balanced, yet complex ecosystem. They are ecofriendly and safe alternatives to pesticides yet still act as effective checks to pest populations.
  • Honey Bioavailability

    Understanding Nutritional Benefits and Therapeutic Potential
    • 1st Edition
    • January 23, 2026
    • Rajesh Kumar Jaryal + 2 more
    • English
    Honey Bioavailability: Understanding Nutritional Benefits and Therapeutic Potential begins with an overview of sustainable apiculture practices, methods of honey harvesting, and global quality testing. The book also explores how honey as a functional food can optimize health, enhance nutrition, and aid in healing certain diseases. With a special emphasis on medical-grade honey and it pharmacological importance, readers will gain insights into honey’s bioavailability and the benefits of its antimicrobial, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, and antiaging properties. The book also highlights honey’s effectiveness in fighting certain respiratory diseases, viral infections such as Covid-19, diabetes, allergies, skin, periodontal diseases, and more.
  • Aflatoxin Management in Crops

    Challenges and Opportunities
    • 1st Edition
    • January 20, 2026
    • Sajad Majeed Zargar + 3 more
    • English
    Aflatoxin Management in Crops: Challenges and Opportunities provides a comprehensive look at current insights into aflatoxin contamination in agricultural crops and its effect on human health on global level. With insights from around the globe, it presents the latest advances in the understanding of the contamination and management strategies for aflatoxins in cereals, millets, oilseed, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Aflatoxin contamination in crops is a global threat that compromises the safety of food, feed, and also influence the agricultural economy and crop-dependent small scale industries. Crops can be contaminated during the process of harvesting, storing, and transporting by the fungi and leads to the productions of several mycotoxins. Aflatoxin can be extremely harmful if consumed, being linked to cancer-, immune-, and nutritionally related diseases. Aflatoxin Management in Crops: Challenges and Opportunities includes the biology of fungi and the chemistry behind the toxicity level of different aflatoxin strains as well as advances in detection techniques and management strategies. It concludes by exploring the different effects of aflatoxin on human health and regulatory laws to control its contamination.
  • Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics, and Classification

    • 1st Edition
    • January 19, 2026
    • Victor Phani + 1 more
    • English
    Fundamentals of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Diagnostics, Systematics and Classification offers a comprehensive and authoritative resource for researchers, students, and professionals engaged in nematode biosystematics. The microscopic size, morphological plasticity, and broad ecological diversity have long complicated the efforts to accurately identify nematode species and reconstruct their evolutionary relationships. Unlike many other animal groups, the full extent of nematode species richness remains largely unknown, and aside from rare fossilized specimens preserved in amber, paleontological evidence is minimal.This book confronts these challenges by integrating recent advances in molecular systematics with traditional taxonomic frameworks to build a unified reference dataset. It critically surveys the historical classification models and establishes a solid foundation for advancing research on nematode evolution and phylogeny. Rather than concentrating on isolated taxa, it presents a broad conceptual toolkit—encompassing diagnostic techniques, hierarchical organizations, and evolutionary analyses—that directly supports the management of character data and robust taxonomic publications. With its interdisciplinary scope and emphasis on both theoretical and practical diagnostics, this book is poised to become an essential reference for those working in agriculture, plant protection, and nematology.
  • Berries and Nutrition

    A Holistic Approach to Health
    • 1st Edition
    • January 16, 2026
    • Hafiz Suleria + 3 more
    • English
    Berries and Nutrition: A Holistic Approach to Health provides comprehensive coverage on the myriad benefits of berries as they relate to health and disease. From detecting bioavailability and exploring phytochemical properties, to a comparative analysis of nutritional profiles across different berry varieties, readers will come away with a better understanding of the nuanced metabolic profiles of certain berry fruits and their health benefits. While addressing current challenges related to sustainable utilization, mass production, and the transfer from field to industry sectors, Berries and Nutrition: A Holistic Approach to Health highlights the phytochemical structure and metabolic enhancing properties of berries to maintain bone health, fight inflammation, improve cognitive function and brain health, enhance exercise performance and recovery, fight cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more. Authors also examine the micronutrients in some berries for their Vitamin C and Folic Acid makeup and discuss the influence of a microclimate on the mineral and metabolic profile of certain berries for optimal nutrition.
  • Digital Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

    • 1st Edition
    • January 14, 2026
    • Tarek Ben Hassen + 1 more
    • English
    Digital Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems offers a comprehensive review of digital technology's role in supporting sustainable agriculture and food systems. The book explores how digital technologies like precision agriculture, robots, artificial intelligence, and blockchain may boost agricultural output and efficiency while lowering environmental impact. It also investigates how these technologies might assist farmers in connecting with markets, increasing supply chain traceability, and boosting food safety and quality. Serving as a comprehensive guide, this book educates and helps farmers, policymakers, researchers, industry professionals, and other value chain actors in leveraging digital innovations. It also address the pressing challenges faced by the agri-food sector, such as food insecurity, environmental degradation, natural resources depletion, and climate change.
  • Machines of the Farm

    Theory and Practice
    • 1st Edition
    • January 11, 2026
    • Divaker Durairaj Chelladurai
    • English
    Machines of the Farm: Theory and Practice is a comprehensive textbook designed to provide a thorough understanding of farm machinery, its mechanics, and management. It dives deeply into practical concepts related to agricultural equipment, including calibration and adjustments essential for agricultural engineers. By blending theoretical insights and practical applications, the book covers topics such as mechanics, materials, selection, and performance evaluation. Each chapter includes worked examples and exercises to ensure a broad and practical understanding of the subject.The book not only details specific machines and scientific principles but also includes chapters on primary and secondary tillage equipment, machinery for sowing, weed control, crop protection, manure application, and harvesting. It reviews the testing of farm machines, earth-moving equipment, and considers performance against cost. This textbook is a valuable resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in Agricultural Engineering, as well as professionals in the field, farm machinery designers, and agricultural consultants. Additionally, it offers a full solutions manual for instructors and worked examples for students to further their learning objectives.
  • Nanomaterials–Microbial Interactions for Soil Health, Plant Growth, and Performance

    • 1st Edition
    • January 9, 2026
    • Azamal Husen
    • English
    Nanomaterials–Microb... Interactions for Soil Health, Plant Growth, and Performance investigates how engineered nanomaterials interface with soil ecosystems to influence plant health and agricultural sustainability. By leveraging the distinctive surface chemistry, size, and reactivity of these materials, the book analyzes how they modulate soil chemistry, microbial activity, and plant physiology, with implications for growth, resilience, and productivity.Interdi... perspectives from soil science, microbiology, plant biology, and nanoengineering are integrated to evaluate mechanisms of action, exposure routes, and environmental fate. The volume weighs opportunities for enhanced yield and nutrient-use efficiency against risks to soil health, biodiversity, and food safety, while also discussing regulatory frameworks and scalable strategies for real-word farming systems and food value chains.Aimed at researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers across academia, government, and industry, Nanomaterials–Microb... Interactions for Soil Health, Plant Growth, and Performance serves as an authoritative platform for future-oriented thinking that bridges discovery and deployment aligned with global environmental stewardship goals across diverse agroecosystems.
  • Paraprobiotics, Postbiotics and Psychobiotics in Foods

    From Concept to Validated Application
    • 1st Edition
    • January 9, 2026
    • Annamalai Manickavasagan + 1 more
    • English
    Commonly used and associated with gut health and nutrition, the rapidly growing field of 'biotics' a collective term for probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, parapostbiotcs and more, is constantly being challenged for its validity of health applications and its adaptation into the food industry for therapeutic benefits in functional products. Paraprobiotics, Postbiotics and Psychobiotics in Foods: From Concept to Validated Application is a gateway for readers to focus on the broad insights of the biotic arena to establish foundational understanding. Divided into three sections, one for each of the major topics, Paraprobiotics, Postbiotics and Psychobiotics in Foods: From Concept to Validated Application treats each individually but consistently, and gives readers an introduction to emerging concepts and how ‘biotics’ are being used in the development of health promoting and therapeutic functional food products. Each section begins with an introductory chapter that defines mechanisms of action, sources and health benefits, and is followed by the associated potential application of these components in food products. Sections conclude with detailed information on the regulatory, technical and quality control aspects associated with such food products. This book gives readers a better understanding and acceptance of ‘biotics’ used for functional foods.