Skip to main content

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.

    • Plant Physiology 7A

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • F.C. Steward
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 2 9 1 6
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 6 0 7 4
      Plant Physiology: A Treatise, Volume VIA: Physiology of Development: Plants and Their Reproduction explores the various problems of development and reproduction that arise as plants, responsive to environmental stimuli, develop a vegetative plant body and produce seeds and fruits or organs of perennation. This book considers the morphological aspects of plant growth and development as well as the growth and reproduction of fungi, physiological aspects of vegetative reproduction and flowering, and perennation and dormancy. This volume is organized into four chapters and begins with an overview of growth and development, with reference to organization and patterns of development in vascular plants and the initiation and development of plants. The discussion then shifts to vegetative, sexual, and asexual reproduction in fungi, along with heterokaryosis and morphogenesis. The next chapter explores reproduction in plant biology, focusing on vegetative and sexual reproduction, sex determination, and photoperiodism. This book concludes by considering the physiological mechanisms underlying the production of organs of perennation and the establishment of dormancy. This text will be of value both to graduate students and to established investigators with specific interest in plant physiology.
    • Introduction to Food Engineering

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Paul Singh
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 3 9 5 9 0 7 2
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 3 8 1 2 3
      Introduction to Food Engineering deals with the engineering concepts in food processing employing a unit operations approach. The book focuses on mass and energy balances, fluid flow, energy utilization, refrigeration, heat transfer, food freezing, evaporation, dehydration, and psychometrics. It is in line with primary topics recommended by the Institute of Food Technologists of the U.S.A. The text reviews some concepts related to food science such as the equation of state and perfect gas law, laws of thermodynamics, and conservation of mass. The book also discusses the transport of liquid foods and the three types of utilities used in food processing: 1) steam generation and utilization; 2) natural gas utilization; and 3) electric power utilization. The text explains how to determine the properties of food and the different approaches that can be used to obtain the food's thermal properties prior to using the proper heat-exchange equipment. Food preservation also involves freezing (direct or indirect contact systems), evaporation, dehydration, and psychometrics (involving thermodynamic properties of gas-vapor mixtures). The book is suitable for nutritionists, food technologists, advanced under-graduate and beginning graduate students in food science and technology, and professionals whose works are in the food processing, research, and preservation industry.
    • A Territorial Antelope: The Uganda Waterbuck

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • C Spinage
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 3 1 6 7 1 3
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 5 4 7 5 8
      A Territorial Antelope: The Uganda Waterbuck discusses anatomical, physiological, and behavioral organization from birth to death of waterbuck. Comprised of 12 chapters, the book focuses on the function and cause of the waterbuck’s territorial behavior. After an introduction to the classification, distribution, and origins of waterbuck, the book discusses the topography, geology, vegetation, fauna, and methods of evaluation of this species. The following chapters focus on the biological aspects of waterbuck, including its growth and senescence; reproduction and reproductive behavior; and parturition and maternal behavior. The book also deals with the role of food supply and habitat preference in population density and survival of waterbuck. Discussions on the activity rhythm, movement, reaction to predators, and relationships with other species of waterbuck are also included. The concluding chapters describe the diverse and complex social organization of this animal. These chapters also cover the territorial concepts and function, territorial boundaries, and repression of aggression behavior of waterbuck. This book is an invaluable source for biologists, researchers, teachers, and students who wish to gain insights on the mechanisms of territorial behavior.
    • Handbook of Energy for World Agriculture

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • B.A. Stout
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 6 9 0 8 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 9 8 5 4 7
      Adequate food supplies and a reasonable quality of life require energy - both in commercial and non-commercial forms. This handbook is intended as a reference for individuals who want a comprehensive overview of energy for agriculture, many of whom are located in remote areas with limited library resources. The purpose is to put energy for agriculture in perspective by presenting numerous national and regional examples of energy usage.Since the early 1970s, world petroleum prices have fluctuated from US$3/barrel to more than US$40/barrel in 1981, and then back to one-third of the peak price today. Consequently, the rural sector depends heavily on non-commercial energy sources. Availability of such energy is highly site-specific. This handbook deals extensively with non-commercial energy - its sources, the technologies for converting energy to more useful gaseous and liquid forms, and its ultimate end-uses.Photographs... tables, line drawings and graphs are used extensively. Over 600 references are listed along with agency names and addresses for obtaining further information.
    • Pesticide Management and Insecticide Resistance

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • David Watson
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 4 6 5 3
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 3 8 0 6
      Pesticide Management and Insecticide Resistance explores the problem of insect resistance to pesticides and reviews various approaches to pesticide management and safety. It looks at the environmental hazards of pesticide residues and their regulation, along with application techniques aimed at maximum efficiency against the pest and minimum waste to pollution, safety considerations in the development of pest control programs, and pesticide monitoring. Divided into eight parts encompassing 49 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the global pesticide industry and the costs of commercializing pesticides relative to their profit potential. It then introduces the reader to the release of fluorohydrocarbon propellants in pesticidal aerosols and their hazards to the ozone layer, management of pests in urban environments, international plant protection, the current status of DDT, the importance of training pest-control personnel, and procedures of forest spraying. Other chapters focus on pesticide management safety from a medical perspective; pesticide safety as it relates to the manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution of pesticides; importance of pesticide application equipment and related field practices in developing countries; and the importance of pesticides in successful pest management programs. This book is a valuable resource for scientists, students, researchers, and policymakers who want to ensure the safety of consumers, applicators, and harvesters when using pesticides.
    • Pathology of Domestic Animals

      • 4th Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 3 9 6 0 9 7 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 3 9 4 9 6
      The all-new Fourth Edition of Pathology of Domestic Animals comprehensively covers the biology and pathology of diseases of domestic animals on a systemic basic. Updated and expanded to reflect the current knowledge of the study of domestic animal diseases, this three-volume set appeals to veterinarians, veterinary students, trainee veterinary pathologists learning the scope of their field, and practicing pathologists confronted with diagnostic problems.
    • Plant Disease: An Advanced Treatise

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • James G. Horsfall
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 5 1 9 1
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 8 3 8 2
      Plant Disease, Volume I: How Disease is Managed is part of a five-volume treatise that discusses the sociology of plant pathology. This volume discusses the great variety of techniques for the diagnosis of plant disease; crop destruction; and theory behind the art of disease management. It also explores topics on how society is constraining the possibilities for management; management of diseases through changing the environment; biological control of plant diseases; weed management through pathogens; and the epidemiologic and genetic concepts of managing host genes. Subsequent chapter presents the management of plant disease with chemicals and some examples of diseases that benefit man and even a few that benefit plants. This book also describes the organization and operation of society-supported disease management activities, as well as important advisory services provided by the industry. This volume concludes with proposals for the education of the practitioners of plant pathology. This work is intended for the advanced researcher in plant pathology to broaden his views, stimulate his thinking, and help to synthesize ideas.
    • Biology of Rice

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 7
      • December 2, 2012
      • S. Tsunoda + 1 more
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 6 5 4 3 3
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 9 8 4 8 6
      This book presents a wealth of both general and specific information about rice. The first section outlines the distribution and mutual relationships of various types of rice with special attention to the adaptive strategy of wild and cultivated rice, and to the relationships between different ecotypes and their adaptation to low temperature, different photoperiods or different humidities. The section on rice morpho-physiology compares the characteristics of rice and dry land crops and different ecotypes with regard to seed dormancy and germination; describes the important steps in the photosynthetic structure process and its adjustment to the course of evolution of cultivated rice; studies the root and nutrient uptake and the responses to hormones in terrestrial and aquatic plants; considers the reproductive nature in relation to tolerance to environmental stress; and discusses the morphological characteristics of rice panicle in relation to grain filling, sink-source balance and variation in yield components of panicle structure. The last section reviews the genetics of rice and includes new findings on chromosomal analysis, cytoplasmic analysis and gene analysis and reviews recent achievements in tissue culture and genetic engineering techniques.The book is authoritative, well-documented and international in scope. It presents new and useful information of direct use to rice research workers and students, and of interest to crop physiologists, agronomists, plant physiologists and breeders throughout the world.
    • Molecular Mechanisms In Cellular Growth and Differentiation

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • A.R. Bellve
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 3 1 4 7 1 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 5 2 7 3 0
      Molecular Mechanisms in Cellular Growth and Differentiation describes the cellular differentiation and development. It emphasizes the pattern formation, specifically the genesis of spatial relationships, among the parts of a vertebrate or invertebrate organism, embryonic or adult. Organized into five parts, this book deals with the major steps leading from growth factor-receptor interactions, through transduction and modulation mechanisms, to proliferative response. It also discusses the relation of growth factors and their receptors to oncogenes and to protooncogenes. It also elucidates the roles of growth factors and receptors in cell differentiation and development, particularly, in pattern formation. The homeotic systems regulated intracellularly and the two differentiation systems thought to involve sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins in conjunction with small molecules are also explored.
    • Sexual Selection and Reproductive Competition in Insects

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Murray Blum
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 5 7 6 4
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 8 9 5 5
      Sexual Selection and Reproductive Competition in Insects explores the biological mechanisms underlying intrasexual reproductive competition as a driving force in sexual selection in insects. The book contains papers presented at a symposium on reproductive behavior in insects, held at the 15th International Congress of Entomology in Washington, D.C., in 1976. Organized into 13 chapters, this volume begins with a historical background on sexual selection theory and some of the principal conceptual advances that have been made since Charles Darwin (1871) posited that a sexual character was a characteristic possessed by only one sex and not the other. It then introduces the reader to differences in patterns of sexual selection and how they affect the reproductive success of individuals, male-female mating relationships, and mate choice by females. The book also discusses the evolution of mating strategies in insects, touching on concepts such as parental investment, female choice, and sexual conflict. Later chapters focus on winglessness, fighting, and dimorphism in male fig wasps and other insects, along with agonistic behavior among males of Achias australis, the function of horns in beetles, and the evolution of alternative male reproductive strategies in field crickets. The book also looks into the courtship and mating behavior of insects, and then concludes with an analysis of insect life histories in order to elucidate the biological aspects of the male-female phenomenon. This book is an essential reading for biologists and chemists.