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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.

  • Smart Technologies for Sustainable Smallholder Agriculture

    Upscaling in Developing Countries
    • 1st Edition
    • David Chikoye + 2 more
    • English
    Smart Technologies for Sustainable Smallholder Agriculture: Upscaling in Developing Countries defines integrated climate smart agricultural technologies (ICSAT) as a suite of interconnected techniques and practices that enhance quantity and quality of agricultural products with minimum impact on the environment. These ICSAT are centered on three main pillars, increased production and income, adaptation and resilience to climate change, and minimizing GHG emissions. This book brings together technologies contributing to the three pillars, explains the context in which they can be scaled up, and identifies research and development gaps as areas requiring further investigation. It stresses the urgency in critically analyzing and recommending ICSAT and scaling out the efforts of both developing and disseminating these in an integrated manner. The book discusses, synthesizes, and offers alternative solutions to agriculture production systems and socio-economic development. It brings together biophysical and socioeconomic disciplines in evaluating suitable ICSAT in an effort to help reduce poverty and food insecurity.
  • Planning and Evaluation of Irrigation Projects

    Methods and Implementation
    • 1st Edition
    • Raveendra Kumar Rai + 2 more
    • English
    Planning and Evaluation of Irrigation Projects: Methods and Implementation presents the considerations, options and factors necessary for effective implementation of irrigation strategies, going further to provide methods for evaluating the efficiency of systems-in-place for remedial correction as needed. As the first book to take this lifecycle approach to agricultural irrigation, it includes real-world examples not only on natural resource availability concerns, but also on financial impacts and measurements. With 21 chapters divided into two sections, this book is a valuable resource for agricultural and hydrology engineers, conservation scientists and anyone seeking to implement and maintain irrigation systems.
  • Advances in the Study of Behavior

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 49
    • Marc Naguib
    • English
    Advances in the Study of Behavior, Volume 49 provides users with the latest insights in this ever-evolving field. Users will find new information on a variety of species, including social behaviors in reptiles, the behavioral evidence of felt emotions, a section on developmental plasticity, a chapter on covetable corpses and plastic beetles and the socioecological behavior of burying beetles, and a section on the mechanisms of communication and cognition in chickadees. This volume makes another important contribution to the development of the field by presenting theoretical ideas and research findings to professionals studying animal behavior and related fields. Researchers in a variety of behavioral fields will find this longstanding series, initiated over 40 years ago, to be a go-to resource for the study of animal behavior.
  • Proteomics in Food Science

    From Farm to Fork
    • 1st Edition
    • Michelle Lisa Colgrave
    • English
    Proteomics in Food Science: From Farm to Fork is a solid reference providing concepts and practical applications of proteomics for those in various disciplines of food science. The book covers a range of methods for elucidating the identity or composition of specific proteins in foods or cells related to food science, from spoilage organisms, to edible components. A variety of analytical platforms are described, ranging from the usage of simple electrophoresis, to more sophisticated mass spectrometry and bio-informatic platforms. The book is designed for food scientists, technologists, food industry workers, microbiologists, and public health workers, and can also be a valuable reference book for students.
  • Nanoencapsulation Technologies for the Food and Nutraceutical Industries

    • 1st Edition
    • Seid Mahdi Jafari
    • English
    Nanoencapsulation Technologies for the Food and Nutraceutical Industries is a compendium which collects, in an easy and compact way, state-of-the-art details on techniques for nanoencapsulation of bioactive compounds in food and nutraceutical industries. The book addresses important modern technologies, including biopolymer based nano-particle formation techniques, formulation based processes, such as nano-liposomes and nano-emulsions, process based nano-encapsulation, such as electro-spinning and nano-spray drying, natural nano-carrier based processes, like casein and starch nano-particles, and other recent advances. This definitive reference manual is ideal for researchers and industry personnel who want to learn more about basic concepts and recent developments in nanotechnology research.
  • Handbook of Grape Processing By-Products

    Sustainable Solutions
    • 1st Edition
    • Charis M. Galanakis
    • English
    Handbook of Grape Processing By-Products explores the alternatives of upgrading production by-products, also denoting their industrial potential, commercial applications and sustainable solutions in the field of grape valorization and sustainable management in the wine industry. Covering the 12 top trending topics of winery sustainable management, emphasis is given to the current advisable practices in the field, general valorization techniques of grape processing by-products (e.g. vermi-composting, pyrolysis, re-utilization for agricultural purposes etc.), the newly introduced biorefinery concept, different techniques for the separation, extraction, recovery and formulation of polyphenols, and finally, the healthy components of grape by-products that lead to target applications in the pharmaceutical, enological, food and cosmetic sectors.
  • New Aspects of Meat Quality

    From Genes to Ethics
    • 1st Edition
    • Peter P. Purslow
    • English
    New Aspects of Meat Quality: From Genes to Ethics provides a reference source that covers what constitutes meat quality in the minds of consumers, marketers, and producers in the 21st century, using the same scientific authority as texts on traditional meat quality values. Traditional measures in meat quality, such as texture, waterholding, color, flavor/aroma, safety/microbiology, and processing characteristics are still important, however, additional quality attributes now have huge importance in the purchasing intentions of consumers in many countries. These include, amongst others, animal welfare, the impacts of meat on human health, quality assurance schemes, organic/free range, ethical meat production, and the desirability of genetically modified organisms. The book is divided into three main sections, with the first section covering the developments in our understanding of how muscle structure affects the eating qualities of cooked meat. The second section highlights recently developed techniques for measuring, predicting, and producing meat quality, and how these new techniques help us minimize variability in eating quality and/or maximize value. The final section identifies the current qualities of consumer and public perceptions, and what is sustainable, ethical, desirable, and healthy in meat production and consumption.
  • How Plants Communicate with their Biotic Environment

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 82
    • Guillaume Becard
    • English
    How Plants Communicate with Their Biotic Environment addresses how plants perceive the presence of organisms (other plants, microbes, insects and nematodes) living in their proximity, how they manage to be attractive when these organisms are friendly, and how they defend themselves from foes. Specific chapters delve into ecology and defense mechanisms, allelopathy and the role of allelochemicals in plant defense, plant signaling, and plant communication with microbes and animals, including herbivores. In addition, the book presents discussions on communication and its role in plant pollination. This comprehensive resource presents tactics that can be taken from the lab, to the bench, to the forest.
  • Advances in Food and Nutrition Research

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 81
    • English
    Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, Volume 81 provides updated knowledge on nutrients in foods and how to avoid deficiencies, paying special attention to the essential nutrients that should be present in the diet to reduce disease risk and optimize health. This new release in the series focuses on a variety of topics, including sections on nanotechnologies that can be used to increase nutrient bioavailability, an analysis of the implications of nitrites and nitrates in foods, metabolic phenotyping of diet and dietary intake, and an interesting discussion of foodomics, amongst other topics. The series provides the latest advances on the identification and characterization of emerging bioactive compounds with putative health benefits, as well as up-to-date information on food science, including raw materials, production, processing, distribution and consumption.
  • Soil Health and Intensification of Agroecosystems

    • 1st Edition
    • Mahdi M. Al-Kaisi + 1 more
    • English
    Soil Health and Intensification of Agroecosystems examines the climate, environmental, and human effects on agroecosystems and how the existing paradigms must be revised in order to establish sustainable production. The increased demand for food and fuel exerts tremendous stress on all aspects of natural resources and the environment to satisfy an ever increasing world population, which includes the use of agriculture products for energy and other uses in addition to human and animal food. The book presents options for ecological systems that mimic the natural diversity of the ecosystem and can have significant effect as the world faces a rapidly changing and volatile climate. The book explores the introduction of sustainable agroecosystems that promote biodiversity, sustain soil health, and enhance food production as ways to help mitigate some of these adverse effects. New agroecosystems will help define a resilient system that can potentially absorb some of the extreme shifts in climate. Changing the existing cropping system paradigm to utilize natural system attributes by promoting biodiversity within production agricultural systems, such as the integration of polycultures, will also enhance ecological resiliency and will likely increase carbon sequestration.