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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.

BooksJournals

  • Interaction of Food Macromolecules

    The Matrix of Future Foods
    • 1st Edition
    • Ibrahim Khalifa + 2 more
    • English
    Interaction of Food Macromolecules: The Matrix of Future Foods provides a detailed understanding on why biological macromolecules, i.e., proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates with ligands interactions are essential to understanding biology at the molecular level. The book aims to create a multidisciplinary forum of discussion on the interaction between macromolecules and ligands, providing an understanding on how biological macromolecules with ligands interactions are central to facilitating the discovery, design, and development of future, functional foods. In addition, it outlines information available on the macromolecules-ligan... interaction that happens inside the food matrixes and inside our bodies.Knowing about the mechanisms responsible for the macromolecules-ligan... recognition and binding facilitates the discovery, design, and development of future and functional foods.

  • Nanomaterials in the Soil-Plant Continuum

    • 1st Edition
    • Manoj Shrivastava + 1 more
    • English
    Nanomaterials in the Plant-Soil Continuum explores the various nanomaterials that are impacting agriculture whether through intentional or unintentional pathways. Providing a concise outlook of NMs in soil chemistry, physics, and biology, it highlights nanomaterial transformation in soil and subsequent plant uptake. Plants may be exposed to naturally generated or artificially produced nanomaterials (ENMs). They can absorb NMs from the soil through roots or leaves but return them to the soil through litter, creating an intricate network of NMs cycling in a soil-plant continuum. Understanding this NM transformation in soil and subsequent plant uptake is integral to understanding, and protecting, an ecosystem. Nanomaterials in the Plant-Soil Continuum also discusses the translocation and biotransformation of NMs in plants and their effects on plant metabolism. Considering NMs as new and emerging agrochemicals, a detailed understanding of their role in the soil-plant continuum, ecosystem functioning, and services will also be discussed. This volume in the "Nanomaterial Plant Interactions" series highlights the recent insights into the impact, fate, and transport of NMs in the soil-plant continuum and their potential impacts on soil and plant health.

  • Soil Microorganisms for Plant Growth Promotion and Soil Health

    • 1st Edition
    • Gustavo Santoyo
    • English
    Soil Microorganisms for Plant Growth Promotion and Soil Health provides readers with an overview of plant growth-promoting microorganisms and their molecular mechanisms to improve plant growth and soil health. Students and researchers in soil science will gain a comprehensive understanding of soil microbiota diversity and functions, along with insights into the mechanisms by which plant growth, including molecular processes involved in nutrient acquisitions and defense mechanisms work. In addition, the book provides a noteworthy emphasis on fungi.A soil beneficial microbe cannot only be the living cells, but also their components, such as molecules or enzymes produced by this beneficial microbiota. Molecules like microbial phytohormones can be excellent promoters or regulators of plant growth, as well as proteins and other compounds like volatiles, which might elicit a systemic resistance response against pathogenic threats. Therefore, plant growth promoters living in soil, associated with plant roots, could act through direct beneficial interactions with the plant, by stimulating or regulating growth responses to environmental conditions, or indirectly by inhibiting the growth of potential microbial pathogens and herbivore pests.

  • Polyamines-Phytohormones-Nutrients Network

    Nexus in Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses
    • 1st Edition
    • Asim Masood + 3 more
    • English
    Polyamine-Phytohormo... Network: Nexus in Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses presents the latest global research on key tools for improving physiological and biochemical mechanisms that enhance plant health and productivity.Exposur... of plants to abiotic stresses is inevitable, often leading to impaired growth, metabolism, and productivity. However, plants are naturally equipped with endogenous chemicals including intracellular messengers and signalling molecules that counteract potential stress impacts, protect cellular functions, and promote healthy growth and production. Polyamines (PAs) are low-molecular-weight... nitrogen-containing compounds with aliphatic polycationic properties. Beyond their role in growth and development, PAs enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Given their connection with phytohormones and mineral nutrients, understanding their interactions—whether synergistic or antagonistic—could shed light on their potential to mitigate these stresses.Written by a team of expert contributors, this volume in the Plant Biology, Sustainability, and Climate Change series focuses on the interactions among PAs, phytohormones, and mineral nutrients that are crucial for regulating nutrient assimilation, carbon fixation, and secondary metabolic pathways.

  • Sustainable Advances in Biopolymer-Based Packaging for Food Shelf-life Extension

    • 1st Edition
    • Mihir Kumar Purkait + 2 more
    • English
    Sustainable Advances in Biopolymer-Based Packaging for Food Shelf-life Extension offers readers sustainable solutions for enhancing food shelf-life. It covers topics such as bio-based packaging materials, modification techniques, edible coatings, biodegradable packaging, nanotechnology, hydrogels, and intelligent packaging. Readers will be able to make informed decisions and implement sustainable solutions for enhancing food shelf-life while reducing reliance on traditional non-biodegradable packaging materials. The book begins by exploring the basics of bio-based food packaging materials, covering origins, characteristics, and varieties such as plant, animal, microbial, and waste materials.Subsequent chapters explain emerging bio-based materials, including intelligent packaging and edible coatings. Extraction technologies, modification techniques, and applications for sustainable and eco-friendly food packaging are also discussed. The potential of biopolymers, including those from plant extracts, to improve the nutritional content of packaged foods is highlighted. Through country-specific case studies from the EU, Asia, and North America, the book discusses the global regulatory landscape for bio-based food packaging and offers insights into challenges and future trends.

  • Entomopathogenic Fungi in Insects

    From Physiological Effects to Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Arash Zibaee + 2 more
    • English
    Entomopathogenic Fungi in Insects: From Physiological Effects to Applications explores the complex relationships between entomopathogenic fungi and insects. This interdisciplinary book delves into the physiological, immunological, and behavioral responses elicited by fungi in insects, offering insights for sustainable development. It assesses the potential applications of these fungi as biopesticides against harmful insects while considering their impact on non-target populations. This comprehensive work is invaluable for researchers and professionals in agroecosystems, insect pathology, biocontrol, plant protection, and crop health, as well as graduate students focused on sustainability.In addition, the book examines the mutualistic roles fungi can play in insect physiology, such as aiding in digestion. These fungi, prevalent in insect habitats, can serve as microbial pest control agents by infecting and weakening insect hosts. The book emphasizes the importance of mitigating potential harm to non-target insect populations, ensuring a balanced approach to biocontrol in agricultural practices.

  • AI Technologies for Crop Breeding

    • 1st Edition
    • Jen-Tsung Chen
    • English
    AI Technologies for Crop Breeding offers the latest insights into the use of artificial intelligence models to improve plant health and production. Presenting applications of AI technologies in plant biology, biotechnology, and crop breeding, it explores practices for the mitigation of biotic and abiotic stressors as well as other plant growth challenges.AI-based technologies are expected to advance approaches to plant functional genomics and multiple omics, resulting in smarter and more efficient crop breeding for next-generation agriculture helping to address the challenges of the increasing human population and the globally changing climate. AI tools such as machine learning, particularly deep learning, have been applied to predict chief players in complicated biological networks, increasing the understanding of in-depth mechanisms of plant-pathogen and plant-environment interactions. Additionally, responses of plants facing stress can be modeled using AI technologies, and the resulting data are valuable not only to plant stress physiology but also for stress-resilient and disease-resistant crop breeding.This book introduces AI technologies for studying plant biology, focusing on machine learning and deep learning models for integrating multiple omics approaches and revealing the knowledge of plant functional genomes. Technological advancements and emerging applications of machine learning and deep learning in genomic selection, genome-wide association study (GWAS), phenotyping and constructing phenomics, and transcriptomics are also featured in this book.AI Technologies for Crop Breeding is an ideal reference for researchers, academics, and advanced-level students and professors in the fields of plant sciences, plant stress physiology, bioinformatics, systems biology, and crop breeding.

  • Temperate Tree Fruits and Nuts

    • 1st Edition
    • George Manganaris
    • English
    Temperate Tree Fruits and Nuts serves as a comprehensive resource, providing up-to-date knowledge about economically significant temperate fruit crops. This textbook covers the history, genetic improvements, and growth physiology of these crops. It details orchard establishment, management practices, and harvest considerations, making it a standalone guide to sustainable fruit crop production in temperate climates. Targeted toward undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as professionals in pomology, horticulture, and related fields, the book is essential for researchers, farmers, consultants, and agribusiness professionals.Each chapter, authored by an expert, provides an introduction, botany, orchard management, propagation, rootstocks, cultivars, and disease and pest management. It also covers ripening, harvest criteria, postharvest physiology, and technology, complemented by high-quality illustrations and a question bank for instructors.

  • Functional RNAs in Plants

    Developing Climate-Resilient and Stress-Resistant Crops
    • 1st Edition
    • Jen-Tsung Chen
    • English
    Functional RNAs in Plants explores the rapidly advancing field of plant RNA biology and its transformative role in modern agriculture. Covering microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, and CRISPR-associated RNAs, the book explains their identification, design, structural and functional analysis, and applications in crop improvement.Chapters address both abiotic and biotic stresses, highlighting how functional RNAs regulate tolerance to climate-driven challenges as well as plant–microbe interactions and disease resistance. Technical sections detail progress in bioinformatics, integrated multi-omics, spatial and single-cell approaches, and high-throughput transcriptomics, which together provide new insights into RNA networks underlying plant stress responses. The book also discusses artificial small RNAs, secondary metabolism, and competing endogenous RNA systems, connecting mechanistic understanding with applied breeding strategies.Practical guidance is offered on integrating RNA knowledge into smart breeding, sustainable agriculture, and CRISPR-based innovations, with emphasis on designing and delivering functional guide RNAs for crop improvement. By combining foundational concepts with emerging applications, this volume serves as a valuable reference for academics, researchers, and advanced-level students in plant molecular biology and agricultural biotechnology.

  • Edible Oil Blends

    Chemistry, Functionality, and Health Aspects
    • 1st Edition
    • Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan
    • English
    Edible Oil Blends: Chemistry, Functionality and Health Aspects, gives readers insight into the advantages of blending traditional and non-traditional oils for optimal nutrition and enhanced product development. The book sheds light on how the intricate concoctions of triacylglycerol, phospholipids, carotenoids, antioxidants and fatty acids can improve nutrition and contemporary food applications.Edible Oil Blends: Chemistry, Functionality and Health Aspects, demonstrates how blended oils stemming from olive, coconut, sunflower, soybean, sesame, grapeseed and more, can alter an oil's' chemical composition for increased cooking stability, enhanced sensory characteristics and more desirable ratios of saturated, mono-and poly-unsaturated and essential fatty acids. Each chapter highlights a specific oil and discusses the bioactive compounds, physiochemical properties, biological properties and the economic value of each.

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