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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.

  • Babesia, Theileria, Myxosporida, Microsporida, Bartonellaceae, Anaplasmataceae, Ehrlichia, and Pneumocystis

    • 1st Edition
    • Julius Kreir
    • English
    Parasitic Protozoa, Volume IV: Babesia, Theileria, Myxosporida, Microsporida, Bartonellaceae, Anaplasmataceae, Ehrlichia, and Pneumocystis covers a wide range of parasites that produce disease in man and animals. This volume contains 10 chapters; each chapter tackles specific parasitic protozoa species. The first two chapters deal with the classification, morphology, life cycle, host-parasite relationship, and diagnosis of Babesia parasite, with a special emphasis on their occurrence in human and in wild and laboratory animals. The remaining chapters discuss the biological, biochemical, genetic, metabolic, and epidemiological aspects of other parasite species, including Theileria, Myxosporida, Microsporida, Bartonella, Grahamella, Aegyptianella, Eperythrozoon, Haemobartonella, Ehrlichiae, and Pneumocystis. This book is of great value to protozoologists, microbiologists, physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists who are interested in diseases produced by the parasites in man and livestock.
  • Environmental Control of Plant Growth

    • 1st Edition
    • L.T. Evans
    • English
    Environmental Control of Plant Growth consists of the proceedings of a symposium held at Canberra, Australia, in August 1962. The symposium aims to consider the natural microenvironments of plants and the associations between natural and controlled environments. It also considers the physiological and genetic bases of responses by plants to environmental conditions. The book contains 24 chapters and discusses the physics of plant environment, as well as the physical quantities within plant-air layers. It also elucidates the energy and water balance, light relations, gas exchange, and energy relations in plant communities. The book also looks into the respiration of various organs and of whole plants. Lastly, the effects of the environment, including “climatic factors,” on the metabolism of plant cells are addressed.
  • Chromosome Microdissection and Cloning

    A Practical Guide
    • 1st Edition
    • Nabil Hagag
    • English
    Chromosome Microdissection and Cloning: A Practical Guide is a straightforward guide to chromosome microdissection and cloning. It presents an overview of the procedures and briefly reviews a few areas of research in which these techniques are applied. Topics range from preparation of chromosomes for microdissection to molecular cloning of microdissected chromosomal DNA. Methods of chromosome microdissection, including video microscope method and oil chamber method, are described. Comprised of five chapters, this book begins with an overview of the structure and organization of chromosomes, followed by a description of methods for preparing and preserving chromosomal DNA in a manner that is useful for cloning and direct analysis. Microdissection of metaphase chromosomes and isolation of fragments can be accomplished in one of the three ways described in the next chapter: by microdissection using an upright microscope and glass capillaries in an oil chamber; by laser microbeam; and with the use of an inverted microscope equipped with a video camera and high magnification-high resolution lenses. A step-by-step guide to these techniques and solutions for common problems are given following each method. Protocols for cloning and identifying genetic sequences from defined chromosome regions, particularly using the polymerase chain reaction, are also discussed. The final chapter focuses on applications of chromosome microdissection, such as cloning of disease-specific genes and generating "sequence tagged sites" to be used in large DNA sequencing projects. This monograph will be particularly helpful to investigators setting up microdissection systems de novo.
  • Towards a Second Green Revolution

    From Chemical to New Biological Technologies in Agriculture in the Tropics
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 19
    • G.B. Marini-Bettòlo
    • English
    Genetic research in some fundamental crops, together with the use of chemicals as pesticides and fertilizers, opened the way in the 1950s and 1960s to great changes in methodology in agriculture - with astonishing results in the tropics. This change became known as the Green Revolution - a truly great revolution in methods and materials which, when applied with intelligence, made possible in a few years the achievement of complete sufficiency in cereals production in South and South East Asia, Mexico and South America. After 20 years of continuous success, aspects of the Green Revolution need to be rediscussed in the light of new findings and possibilities offered by scientific and technological progress - and negative side effects on environment and health. These papers examine the present state of agriculture, and indicate the way forward for its development, especially in the tropics and, in particular, Africa and South America. The need for more research is stressed; priorities in the application of this research are discussed, such as the economic aspects of any new system to be adopted, and the need to respect the ecological equilibria of different environments and the balance of energy input/output in a given agrosystem.
  • An Introduction to Farm Organisation & Management

    • 2nd Edition
    • M. Buckett
    • English
    The interval between the first and second editions of this book have witnessed significant changes for the food producers of the EEC. They have moved from a period of increasing production to an era of food surpluses and statutory reductions in production. This overall change in the fortunes of agriculture have greatly increased the need for sound business management. This book has been substantially updated to include all the current factors that have to be taken into consideration by farmers, as well as still providing a basic introduction to the study of farm management for students. It should prove invaluable reading to those running farms, whether experienced or inexperienced.
  • Plant Pathology V1

    The Diseased Plant
    • 1st Edition
    • James G. Horsfall
    • English
    Plant Pathology: An Advanced Treatise, Volume I: The Diseased Plant presents an integrated synthesis of the scope, importance, and history of plant pathology, emphasizing the concept of disease, not of diseases. The book focuses on pathological processes, defense devices, predisposition, and therapy of the diseased plant. It explores the normal pathways that are obstructed in sick plants; how the pathogen causes dysfunction; and how the host plant reacts to the pathogen. This book also considers the logistics and the strategy of disease and how to combat it. This volume is organized into 15 chapters and begins with an overview of plant pathology, its history, and its relation to other sciences, along with plant predisposition to disease, and the resistance-susceptib... problem. The next chapters examine how sickness in plants is recognized and diagnosed, the tissue breakdown in diseases, and the effects of parasites on the processes in plants. The impact of disease on water balance and respiration in plants and the histology of disease resistance in plants are also explained. This volume also covers the physiological and chemical basis of defense by higher plants against potential or invading pathogens and the hypersensitivity concept in plant pathology. The final chapter discusses the physical and chemical therapy of the diseased plant. This book will appeal to all who are interested in a theoretical treatment of plant pathology and in the broad ecological relationships among organisms, as well as to research workers and advanced students of applied biology.
  • Plant Pathology V3

    The Diseased Population Epidemics and Control
    • 1st Edition
    • James G. Horsfall
    • English
    Plant Pathology: An Advanced Treatise, Volume III: The Diseased Population Epidemics and Control deals with the epidemics of the diseased population of plants and their forecasting and control. The book highlights the public health implications of plant pathology, giving major consideration to inoculum production, dispersal, and control. This volume is organized into 14 chapters and begins with an overview of populations of inoculum and the consequences of cultivation, emphasizing the inoculum potential. The next chapters focus on the autonomous dispersal of plant pathogens through the soil, seeds, or plant parts; the inoculum dispersal by animals, humans, air, and water; and the factors and processes that trigger an epidemic. The book also introduces the reader to the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the performance of fungicides on plants and in soil, and then concludes by discussing the genetics of disease resistance and problems associated with plant breeding. This book is a valuable resource for those who are interested in a theoretical treatment of plant pathology and in the broad ecological relationships among organisms, as well as for research workers and advanced students of applied biology.
  • Physiological Mammalogy V1

    • 1st Edition
    • William Mayer
    • English
    Physiological Mammalogy, Volume I: Mammalian Populations reviews the physiology of mammals, the social use of space of these species, and the reciprocal role of endocrines and populations. The book presents many interesting ideas on the behavior of animals in populations and the effects of grouping of individuals upon the physiology of the organism. It also looks at population growth from an ecological viewpoint, with emphasis on limiting factors of natural populations and population interrelationships. This volume is organized into two chapters and begins with a discussion of formulations developed for the social use of space to determine whether there might be certain optimum group sizes, focusing on relationships that determine the “physiology” of the community. The book also considers the essential nature of particles that make up a social system and how it affects the course of social evolution. The next chapter explores the endocrine adaptive responses of mammals, especially concerning population density, and presents evidence implicating these responses in the regulation of mammalian population growth. This book is a valuable resource for experimentalists working with mammals in the areas of physiology, mammalogy, and ecology, as well as for students and research workers.
  • Amphibian Cytogenetics and Evolution

    • 1st Edition
    • David M. Green + 1 more
    • English
    This book appears at a time when molecular cytogenetics is positioned to make a significant impact upon evolutionary studies, enabling problems of chromosomal structure and change to be critically assessed. It is an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of the cytogenetics of a major class of animals, including all three amphibian orders, with chapters authored by international leaders in the field.Amphibian Cytogenetics and Evolution will be of interest to classical and molecular cytogeneticists, systematicists, evolutionary biologists, herpetologists, and anyone using amphibians in genetic research.
  • Biochemistry

    The Chemical Reactions Of Living Cells
    • 1st Edition
    • David Metzler
    • English
    Biochemistry: The Chemical Reactions of Living Cells is a 16-chapter reference source on chemical structures and reactions of living cells. The first three chapters of this book contain introductory material on cell structure, molecular architecture, and energetic. The subsequent chapters examine the allosteric effect of the binding structures of oligomeric enzymes, microtubules, viruses, and muscle. These chapters also describe the structures and chemical properties of membranes and of the surrounding cell coats. The discussions then shift to the general properties of enzymes, the kinetics of chemical reactions, and the various mechanisms employed in enzymatic catalysis. Considerable chapters are devoted to the reaction sequences found in metabolism. These chapters particularly examine the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism; photosynthesis; and biosynthesis and catabolism of an enormous number of nitrogenous compounds. The final chapters highlight the genetic and hormonal control of metabolism, development, and brain function. Biochemistry teachers and students will find this book of great value.