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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

    • Methods in Plant Biochemistry Volume 1

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • P. M. Dey
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 1 0 8 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 0 8 0 9 8 4 1 8 6
      Methods in Plant Biochemistry, Volume 1: Plant Phenolics reviews current knowledge about techniques used in the analysis of the biochemistry of plant polyphenols and their importance in the agricultural and food industries. It looks at the application of these techniques in the fractionation of cellular constituents, isolation of enzymes, electrophoretic separation of nucleic acids and proteins, and chromatographic identification of the intermediates and products of cellular metabolism. Organized into 15 chapters, this book opens with an overview of the general procedures and measurement of total phenolics, from detecting phenolic substances in crude plant extracts to determining which classes they belong to and the quantitative estimation of total phenol. The reader is introduced to the chemistry, structural variation, function, and distribution of each class of plant phenolics and, in a few cases where this is practicable, detailed listings of known derivatives are given. Most chapters focus on chromatographic separations and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), along with thin layer and paper Rf values with HPLC retention times and NMR spectroscopy. The book also outlines the procedures for the extraction, isolation, separation, and characterization of different classes of phenolic compounds, ranging from phenols and phenolic acids to phenylpropanoids, lignins, stilbenes and phenanthrenes, flavones and flavonols, chalcones and aurones, flavanoids, anthocyanins, biflavanoids, tannins, isoflavanoids, quinones, xanthones, and lichen substances. The book is a valuable resource for students, biochemists, and researchers in the plant sciences.

    • Crops as Enhancers of Nutrient Use

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • R Duncan
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 2 0 0 8
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 5 1 6 9
      Crops as Enhancers of Nutrient Use examines the various plant and soil factors that contribute to nutrient use efficiency of plants. It attempts to address policies regarding Low Input Sustainable Agriculture (LISA), conservation-oriente... cropping systems, and reductions in environmental contaminants. It also presents longer-term remedies to some of the inherent problems of high volume applications of expensive fertilizer nutrients. This book emphasizes plant-soil interaction, particularly, nutritional interactions involving rhizosphere, microbes, and stress on the root system. Stress factors include moisture and low and high pH. The book also covers the genetic and physiological response of plant to nutrients at the cellular level, on a whole-plant basis, and when subjected to stress. This book will contribute to the development of a more cost-effective and judicious nutrient usage of major crops.

    • Fungal Wilt Diseases of Plants

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Marshal Mace
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 4 7 6 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 3 9 1 2
      Fungal Wilt Diseases of Plants focuses on wilt diseases caused by the fungal genera Verticillium, Fusarium, and Ceratocystis. Special attention is given to the interactions of physiological, biochemical, and anatomical factors, as these relate to pathogenesis and mechanisms of disease resistance. Organized into 16 chapters, this book begins with a description, in a historical perspective, of the major research themes in fungal wilt diseases. It then looks into the worldwide status of this plant disease. The three subsequent chapters describe the epidemiology and life cycle of the major fungal wilt pathogens in Fusarium, Verticillium, and Ceratocystis. This book also provides an in-depth view of the genetics and biochemistry of these pathogens; the nature of pathogenesis and the effects of wilt pathogens on host-water relations; and the sources and genetics of host resistance in field and fruit crops, vegetable crops, and shade trees. Other chapters are dedicated to the biochemistry, physiology, and the anatomical aspects of resistance and to the progress in the biological and chemical control of these pathogens. This text will be of great value to graduate students and senior research scientists in plant pathology, physiology, and biochemistry, who are specifically involved in studying wilt diseases and host-parasite interactions. It will provide them the detailed background information needed to supplement their specialized research interests.

    • Perspectives on Plant Competition

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • James Grace
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 4 9 1 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 8 1 0 8
      Perspectives on Plant Competition is mainly about addressing the many different perspectives in plant competition and finding a common ground among them. Its aim is that through this common ground, new theories can be created. Encompassing 20 chapters, this book is divided into three parts. Part I, Perspectives on the Determinants of Competitive Success, consists of eight chapters. This section deals mainly on the question of determination of competitive success. Different writers put forward various definitions of competition and competitive success to shed light on the question at hand. In the second part of this book, an opposing set of views regarding the consequences of competitive interactions for the plant community structure is provided. This section emphasizes the idea that competition is not the sole force in natural communities. Each chapter in this part focuses on a certain aspect of competition as seen in different communities – across and within habitats – and systems. Part III, which comprises of four chapters, focuses on the competition within the context of interaction of plants with organisms on the other trophic levels. The chapters set forth the idea that competition depends on the impacts of herbivores, parasites, and symbionts. The concluding part of the book greatly emphasizes the need to integrate the mechanisms of competition into the framework of the entire food web.

    • Coelenterate Biology

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Leonard Muscatine
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 4 3 6 1
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 7 5 4 5
      Coelenterate Biology: Reviews and New Perspectives highlights research areas in which coelenterates are exceptionally useful and interesting experimental animals. It outlines the state of knowledge in coelenterate research and draws attention to some of the challenging problems that are amenable for study. Coelenterates offer valuable material for many levels of inquiry—from the population and organismic to the cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels. They are especially attractive animals for studies in developmental biology and behavior. The book begins by discussing cnidarians histology, focusing on the light and electron microscopy of cnidarian tissues. There are separate chapters on the skeletal system of cnidarians; the morphology, functions, and chemistry of nematocytes; and a few aspects of the enormous subject of cnidarian development. The subsequent chapters deal with cnidarian neurobiology, behavior, locomotion, flotation, and dispersal; experimental studies on algae-cnidarian symbioses; and coelenterate bioluminescence. The book concludes with a discussion of the systems of coordination and nervous system of ctenophores.

    • Microbial Ecology of Foods V2

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 4 2 7 1
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 3 4 2 4
      Microbial Ecology of Foods, Volume II: Food Commodities is a comprehensive treatise on the microbiology of specific commodity groups. The commodity groups discussed include meat, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, and their products. Other groups included are feeds of animal origin and pet foods; agricultural crops and their products; fats and oils; beverages; confectioneries; miscellaneous foods; and natural mineral waters. Composed of 15 chapters, this book has chapters that cover the important properties of the food commodity that affects the microbial content. The initial microbial flora on flesh foods at slaughter or on vegetable foods at harvest and the effects of harvest, transport, processing, and storage on the microbial content are discussed as well. Furthermore, this text explains the means of controlling the process and the microbial content. Each chapter is a review of applied microbiology, compiled by leading authorities selected solely for their expert knowledge. The final chapter emphasizes factors that contribute to outbreaks of foodborne disease. This volume will greatly appeal to those interested primarily in applied aspects of food microbiology, such as food processors, microbiologists, and technologists; veterinarians; public health workers; and regulatory officials.

    • Stress Responses of Photosynthetic Organisms

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Kimiyuki Satoh + 1 more
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 6 4 9 5 5
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 4 4 4 5 9 7 7 2 4
      Sixteen topics from the results of the research project "Molecular Mechanisms for Responses of the Photosynthetic Apparatus to the Environment," are documented in this excellent and timely work.Photosynthesis research has a long history in Japan, and many Japanese laboratories working in this field have been very active and productive. Based on the foundation established by these laboratories, the research reflected in this book focuses on elucidating the interactions between photosynthesis and the environment, with special emphasis on the molecular aspects of these interactions. The major purpose of the research was to identify specific genes required for (a) repair of the organisms from stress-induced damage to the photosynthetic machinery and (b) acclimation of photosynthetic processes to specific changes in environmental conditions. Once specific genes were identified, the effects of expression (and overexpression) of these genes in transgenic plants on acclimation processes were analyzed.Through the analysis of transgenic plants and cyanobacteria, the volume clarifies a number of molecular mechanisms by which plants acclimate to environmental variations, and the factors that govern recovery from stress-induced damage, especially with respect to the photosynthetic apparatus.A treatize on stress physiology and photosynthesis, the book also indicates the agricultural usefulness of transgenic plants and microalgae which are produced to study the molecular mechanisms of the tolerance of plants to changes in their environment.

    • Insect Sex Pheromones

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Martin Jacobson
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 3 1 4 3 9 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 5 2 4 1 9
      Insect Sex Pheromones is a revised and expanded edition of the book ""Insect Sex Attractants"" and covers greater discoveries in the field of sex pheromones. It is discovered that many sex pheromones are sexually excitatory rather than attractive. This discovery prompted the substitution of the more accurate and encompassing term ""pheromones"" for the term ""attractants"" in the title of this edition. Composed of 13 chapters, this book has chapters that cover the occurrence in female and production in male of sex pheromones in various insect species. The insect orders considered include Acarina, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Diptera, Isoptera, Neuroptera, Siphonaptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Trichoptera, and Mecoptera. The following chapter discusses pheromones produced by one sex that lure to assemble for mating. This book goes on discussing the anatomy and physiology of scent glands of male and female insects; the attractant perception mechanism; and the behavioral and electrophysiological responses of insects to sex pheromones. Other chapters are devoted to the influence of several factors on the presence of chemical sex attraction or excitation in any insect. The concluding chapters deal with the collection, isolation, identification, synthesis, and analysis of sex pheromones. This book will greatly appeal to research and economic entomologists, insect physiologists, chemists, and ecologists.

    • Insect Biology in The Future

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Michael Locke
      • English
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 1 8 5 7
      Insect Biology in the Future: ""VBW 80"" contains essays presented to Sir Vincent Wigglesworth during his 80th year. Wigglesworth is fairly designated as the founding father and remarkable leader of insect physiology. His papers and other works significantly contribute to this field of study. This book, dedicated to him, underlines the value of insect material in approaching a wide spectrum of biological issues. The essays in this book tackle the insects' physiology, including their evolution and dominance. The papers also discuss the various avenues of water loss and gain as interrelated components of overall water balance in land arthropods. This reference suggests possible areas for further research mainly at the whole animal level. It also describes the fat body, hemolymph, endocrine control of vitellogenin synthesis, reproduction, growth, hormones, chemistry, defense, and survival of insects. Other topics of importance include cell communication and pattern formation in insects; plant-insect interaction; and insecticides.

    • Fundamentals of Bacterial Plant Pathology

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Masao Goto
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 0 7 5 4
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 0 4 4 7
      Intended as a text for plant bacteriology courses and as a reference for plant pathologists in agricultural extension services and experimental stations, Fundamentals of Bacterial Plant Pathology presents current information on bacterial morphology, taxonomy, genetics, and ecology. Diagnosis, disease management, and the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions are examined. The book is well illustrated, includes both subject and taxonomic indexes, and provides suggestions for the further reading.

Related subjects

Agricultural science

Animal science

Aquatic science

Entomology

Food science and technology

Forest science

Mathematical biosciences

Plant science

Soil science

Veterinary science