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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.

  • Differential Growth in Plants

    • 1st Edition
    • Peter W. Barlow
    • English
    Differential Growth in Plants contains the papers presented at Symposia 2.04 ""Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Development"" and 2.14 ""Movements Based on Differential Flank Growth"" at the XIV Botanical Congress held in Berlin during July 1987. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins by explaining the differential growth in plants. Some chapters follow on the biophysics of differential growth; the phototropic behavior of hypocotyls and coleoptiles in connection with the distribution of indole-3-acetic acid and of growth-inhibiting substances within them; and the differential growth and hormone redistribution in gravireacting maize roots. Other topics explained include plant movements caused by differential growth; genetic analysis of tropic responses; growth and bending of a cylindrical structure in terms of the distribution of relative growth rates; and differential growth resulting in the specification of different types of cellular architecture in root meristems. This book also elucidates the curving and twinning of stems, as well as the spatio-temporal analysis of flower ontogenesis.
  • Kinetics of Soil Chemical Processes

    • 1st Edition
    • Donald L. Sparks
    • English
    The kinetics of reactions in soil and aquatic environments is a topic of extreme importance and interest. To properly understand the fate of applied fertilizers, pesticides, and organic pollutants with time, and to thus improve nutrient availability and the quality of our groundwater, one must study kinetics. This is the first compre
  • Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Eldor Paul
    • English
    Soil Microbiology and Biochemsitry enconmpasses the broad spectrum of soil organisms and the dynamic processes carried on by them, including ecological relationships in the biota, the dynamics of the carbon and nitrogen cycles, and microbe-driven reactions involving sulfu, phosphorous, and metals. This reference source will prove invaluable to anyone involved in the study of agricultural and nonagricultural soils.
  • Marine Mammals and the Exxon Valdez

    • 1st Edition
    • Thomas R. Loughlin
    • English
    The oil spill disaster that occurred when the Exxon Valdez ran aground has become part of the iconography of ecological disaster. This book synthesizes previously confidential data only recently released by the U.S. government. The data concerns the effects of this nightmarish spill on marine mammals, such as sea otters, harbor seals, killer whales, and humpback whales. Because many of the book's contributors were on site within 24 hours of this 11 million gallon catastrophe, the book is a unique longitudinal study of the demise of an ecosystem due to a single acute environmental perturbation.These certain-to-be-influe... results reported here should assist marine biologists, pathologists, toxicologists, environmentalists, engineers, and coastal planners in assessing the nature of this now legendary disaster.
  • Cultivating Edible Fungi

    International Symposium on Scientific and Technical Aspects of Cultivating Edible Fungi (IMS 86), July 15 - 17, 1986 Proceedings
    • 1st Edition
    • P.J. Wuest + 2 more
    • English
    Developments in Crop Science, 10: Cultivating Edible Fungi covers the proceedings of the International Symposium on Scientific and Technical Aspects of Cultivating Edible Fungi (IMS 86), held on July 15-17, 1986. The book focuses on the methodologies, processes, and technologies involved in the cultivation of edible fungi. The selection first offers information on antitumor activities of edible mushrooms by oral administration; variability of fluorescent Pseudomonas populations in composts and casing soils used for mushroom cultures; and influence of microorganisms and fungistasis on sporophore initiation in Agaricus brunnescens. The text then elaborates on the kratovirulence determinant of wood-decay fungi in transfer of mycelia to, and basidiocarp formation on, wooden raw substrates; spent compost as a carrier for bacterial inoculant production; and effects of growth regulator compounds on yield and size of Agaricus bisporus. The manuscript examines the effect of benomyl application and spawnmate supplementation on yield and size of selected genotypes of Pleurotus spp; changes in free amino acid content of the compost during growth and development of Agaricus bisporus; and basidiospore number variation in Agaricus. The book then takes a look at the integrated control of pests and diseases in mushroom cultivation; status of pests in the cultivated mushroom in India; and laboratory and cropping tests with cyromazine for mushroom sciarid control in mushroom compost. The selection is a dependable source of data for researchers interested in the cultivation of edible fungi.
  • Time in Animal Behaviour

    • 1st Edition
    • M. Richelle + 5 more
    • English
    A systematic presentation of the methods, facts and theoretical hypothesis concerning temporal regulation of behaviour and time estimation in animals is given.
  • Floral Biology

    • 1st Edition
    • M. Percival
    • English
    Floral Biology attempts to show how floral biologists conduct their experiments and what techniques they employ in floral biology. The techniques employed include those of physics, chemistry, physiology, psychology, genetics, and ecology, and so constitute a broad training in biology that may be useful and acceptable in other fields. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with a discussion on sex in flowers; the biology of the floral parts; agencies of pollination; and the pollen, nectar, and nectaries. Some chapters follow on pollination by birds, bats, and insects. The features of entomophilous flowers and isolating mechanisms in flowers are also described. Some hints for students, such as the tools required, how to make them, and a schedule of procedure for examining the floral biology of a species, are given in the last chapter. This book will attract workers, who, armed with the techniques and stimulated by the findings of the investigators, can introduce the floral biology to other fields.
  • Unit Operations in Food Processing

    • 2nd Edition
    • R. L. Earle
    • English
    This long awaited second edition of a popular textbook has a simple and direct approach to the diversity and complexity of food processing. It explains the principles of operations and illustrates them by individual processes. The new edition has been enlarged to include sections on freezing, drying, psychrometry, and a completely new section on mechanical refrigeration. All the units have been converted to SI measure. Each chapter contains unworked examples to help the student gain a grasp of the subject, and although primarily intended for the student food technologist or process engineer, this book will also be useful to technical workers in the food industry
  • Biotechnological Innovations in Animal Productivity

    • 1st Edition
    • BIOTOL + 2 more
    • English
    Biotechnological Innovations in Animal Productivity examines the application of biotechnology to animal production. The book focuses on the use of contemporary biotechnology procedures on the different facets of animal production such as the reproductive capabilities of animals, their growth rates, and the ability of the farmer and veterinary services to prevent and cure infection. The text contains chapters that discuss topics on the manipulation of reproductive processes, endocrine regulation of the oestrous cycle, in vitro embryo production and manipulation, vaccines, and the production of transgenic (livestock) animals. Biotechnologists, biologists, and livestock producers will find the book very insightful.
  • Animal Biotechnology

    Comprehensive Biotechnology, First Supplement
    • 1st Edition
    • L.A. Babiuk + 2 more
    • English
    The advent of biotechnology has the potential to develop a variety of novel or better quality products for the treatment of a large number of diseases in livestock. In addition, as we understand more about the reproductive physiology of animals, the potential exists to dramatically increase the productivity of animals through better therapeutics and diagnostics for the control of many infectious diseases. Productivity can also be increased through animal breeding strategies including gene transfer, micromanipulation of embryos and gamete sex selection. As well as being a valuable reference to current knowledge in these areas, this first supplement to Comprehensive Biotechnology also looks at societal concerns over the use of antibiotics and chemical residues in meat and milk products, which are forcing biotechnologists to investigate more natural means of controlling infection by stimulating the animal's own immune system to combat infection. The identification of a variety of cytokines which are involved in regulating immune responses provides opportunities to use the animal's natural defence mechanisms to combat many infections or increase the animal's resistance to such infections. These approaches should provide tools for eventual elimination of specific diseases from counties, regions or whole continents.