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Elsevier

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.

  • Genetic Control of Insect Pests

    • 1st Edition
    • G Davidson
    • English
    Genetic Control of Insect Pests focuses on laboratory and field trials of genetic control methods of insects, which entails the use of insects to control themselves. It particularly describes species-specific and non-polluting genetic methods that have the advantage over most other methods of being efficient when the target insect is in low density, as the released insects have the capacity to search out the wild populations. Composed of nine chapters, the core parts of the book cover the mass-rearing, sterilization, and release of populations in the hope that these will mate with wild populations, leading to fertility reduction and population elimination. The book also examines techniques that use naturally existing population incompatibilities and techniques, which can result in population replacement rather than eradication with the intention to render such replacement populations harmless beforehand by genetic manipulation. This book is a valuable source of information for those who are searching for biological alternatives of insect pests control.

  • Shedding of Plants Parts

    • 1st Edition
    • T.T. Kozlowski
    • English
    Shedding of Plant Parts focuses on the anatomical, physiological, and ecological features of shedding of vegetative and reproductive parts of plants. This book encompasses both natural and induced shedding. Organized into 12 chapters, this book first outlines the extent of shedding of plant cells, tissues, and organs and summarizes the biological and economic implications of such shedding. Separate chapters follow that discuss anatomical and histochemical changes in leaf abscission; the physiological ecology and internal regulation of abscission; and the shedding of shoots, branches, bark, roots, pollen, seeds, and reproductive structures of forest trees. This book also explains the anatomical changes in abscission of reproductive structures, chemical thinning of flowers and fruits, and chemical control of fruit abscission. This book will be valuable to plant anatomists, pathologists, and physiologists, and to agronomists, arborists, biochemists, ecologists, entomologists, foresters, horticulturists, landscape architects, meteorologists, and soil scientists.

  • Pigment of the Imagination

    A History of Phytochrome Research
    • 1st Edition
    • Linda C. Sage
    • English
    Pigment of the Imagination chronicles the story of phytochrome, the bright-blue photoreversible pigment through which plants constantly monitor the quality and presence of light. The book begins with work that led to the discovery of phytochrome and ends with the latest findings in gene regulation and expression. The phytochrome story provides a paradigm for the process of scientific discovery. This book should thus be of interest to scientists who work on phytochrome and related subjects in plant science, as well as to all scientists and science historians interested in how a scientific research field begins, develops, and matures.

  • Variable plants and herbivores in natural and managed systems

    • 1st Edition
    • Robert Denno
    • English
    Variable Plants and Herbivores in Natural and Managed Systems examines individual, population, species, and community responses of herbivores to plant variation, with emphasis on insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is divided into five parts encompassing 18 chapters that discuss variability as a mechanism of defense used by plants against their parasites and the effects of variability on herbivores at several different levels of complexity. After a brief discussion on plant-herbivore interactions, the first part of this book considers sources of within-plant variation and effects on the distribution and abundance of herbivores. Part II examines interplant variation, the co-evolutionary problems it poses for herbivores, and the ecological and evolutionary responses of these animals. It discusses the effects of host-plant variability on the fitness of sedentary herbivorous insects. Part III discusses the role of host variability in the evolution of feeding specialization, genetic differentiation, and race formation. The importance of host variation to the organization of herbivore communities and the manipulation of host-plant variability for the management of herbivore pest populations are presented in the remaining parts. This book will be helpful to agriculturists, silviculturists, biologists, and researchers who wish to expand their knowledge in dynamics of plant-herbivore relationships.

  • From Gene to Protein: Translation into Biotechnology

    • 1st Edition
    • Fazal Ahmad
    • English
    From Gene to Protein: Translation into Biotechnology is the 15th volume in the continuing series under the title ""Miami Winter Symposia"". The theme of the symposium is the translation of the basic research findings into the practical application of biotechnology. This book summarizes methodology and its applications that lie behind the practical innovations. The book starts with reviews of techniques of eukaryotic cell culture, hybridoma technology and uses, and the in vitro synthesis of DNA and its use in the generation of protein analogs. Considerable space is devoted to development of monoclonal antibodies that promises to be the dominating tool of medical technology, both for diagnosis and therapy. Cloning into eukaryotic cells and methods of increasing the levels of gene expression are included. These topics reflect areas of intensive research that have important commercial and clinical value. Core chapters describe biological activities of cloned gene products, including reports on trials with human subjects of interferon, human insulin, and growth hormone. A panel session on horizons in biotechnology is also provided, looking forward to the directions of future research and its applications. Biotechnologists, cell biologists, scientists, researchers, teachers, and students will greatly benefit from this book.

  • Chemicals Controlling Insect Behavior

    • 1st Edition
    • Morton Beroza
    • English
    Chemicals Controlling Insect Behavior consists of papers originally presented at the Symposium on Chemicals Controlling Insect Behavior at the 157th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 16, 1969. Organized into seven chapters, this book presents information on insect pheromones, insect defense mechanisms, and other insect attractants and repellent. It specifically describes the sex pheromones of the Lepidoptera, the attractant pheromones of Coleoptera, and the boll weevil sex attractant. The chemical basis of insect sociality and arthropod defensive secretions are also explained. Lastly, the practice in programs within the USDA relating toinsect attractants and repellents is discussed. This book will serve as groundwork for even greater and more rapid progress in this field of interest. It will be useful to chemists, biochemists, biologists, entomologists, and others working to control insect pests.

  • The Mycoplasmas V5

    Spiroplasmas, Acholeplasmas, and Mycoplasmas of plants and Arthropods
    • 1st Edition
    • R Whitcomb
    • English
    The Mycoplasmas,Volume V: Spiroplasmas, Acholeplasmas,and Mycoplasmas of Plants and Arthropods focuses on existing knowledge and recent development in research on spiroplasmas, acholeplasmas, and other mollicutes of plants and arthropods. Organized into 11 chapters, this volume discusses the nutrition, cultivation, ecology, and molecular and cellular biology of spiroplasmas. Because the occurrence of other mollicutes (mycoplasma and acholeplasma) in plant and arthropod environments is not extensively discussed in other volumes, this volume shows the rapid progress in describing the new mollicutes from arthropods and plant surface that they contaminate. Molecular studies of mollicute phylogeny and plant infections incited by the so-called mycoplasma-like organisms are also presented. This book will provide a comprehensive reference source for all mycoplasmologists and a relevant and exhaustive summary of recent advances in the study of spiroplasmas, acholeplasmas, and mycoplasmas in plant and arthropod hosts for microbiologists, cellular and molecular biologists, plant pathologists, and entomologists.

  • Social Insects V2

    • 1st Edition
    • Henry Hermani
    • English
    Social Insects, Volume II is essentially a continuation and review of topics covered in Volume I. The main focus of this volume is on the systematic of eusocial hymenoptera and the closely associated realms of presocial insects and social non-insectan arthropods. Consisting of five major chapters, this volume starts with the chapter on the enemies and defense mechanisms of termites. Several mechanisms are discussed in this chapter, such as defense by the nest, workers, and soldiers. Chapter 3 focuses on presocial insects and a comparison of parental care without nests and based on nests. Chapter 4 discusses the sociality of Arachnida and emphasizes the patterns and evolution of sociality in Arachnida, particularly spiders. Two chapters discuss the social hymenoptera, including its defensive mechanisms and its systematics. This volume will be of great help to students and professionals in the field of entomology, biology, and zoology.

  • Toxic Constituents of Plant Foodstuffs

    • 1st Edition
    • Irvin Liener
    • English
    Toxic Constituents of Plant Foodstuffs focuses on toxic substances in foods of plant origin, including protease inhibitors, hemagglutinins, goitrogens, cyanogens, saponins, gossypol, lathyrogens, and allergens. The book also considers adventitious toxic factors in processed foods and miscellaneous toxic factors such as stimulants and depressants, hypoglycemic agents, toxic amino acids, metal-binding constituents, and hepatotoxins. This volume is organized into 13 chapters and begins with an overview of protease inhibitors, including their distribution in the plant kingdom, physical and chemical properties, and mechanism of interaction with proteases. The next chapters focus on the adventitious introduction of toxic factors into processed plant foods; the inactivation of the trypsin inhibitor and hemagglutinin found in legumes by cooking; and the extraction of a nontoxic, edible starch from cycads. The reader is also introduced to lathyrism, the toxicity of agglutinins, occurrence of goitrogens in thioglucoside-contai... plants, and dietary sources of cyanogen. This book will be of interest and value to food scientists who are concerned with the safety of food supply and public health officials tasked with enforcing regulations necessary to ensure the safety of a particular food.

  • Nutrition of Grazing Ruminants in Warm Climates

    • 1st Edition
    • English
    @from:From the PrefaceThe objective of this book is to review the basic knowledge and methodology of feeding grazing ruminants in tropical and semitropical countries. It is hoped this information will be of use to farmers, research specialists, teachers, students, extension specialists, feed manufacturers, and others throughout the world concerned with the nutrition of grazing ruminants. A unique feature is the identification of nutritional limitations of grazing ruminants in the tropics, which will be beneficial for increasing animal production efficiency through the application of improved nutrition. A large number of photographs illustrate nutritional deficiencies and conditions in tropical countries.This book contains 18 chapters concerned with the nutrition of grazing ruminants. The first chapter deals with the contributions, locations, and various types of ruminants and their importance to human welfare in the tropics and subtropics. Chapters 2 - 4 progress through nutrient requirements of grazing ruminants in warm climates, the effects of tropical heat on these requirements, and water requirements for ruminant species. Chapters 5 - 7 discuss grass and legume forage species suitable for tropical regions, pasture management procedures, and energy-protein supplementation programs needed during the extensive dry periods. The importance of tropical forages and soils toward meeting mineral requirements is discussed in Chapter 8. Chapters 9 -14 contain concise, up-to-date summaries of minerals emphasizing mineral status, incidence of mineral deficiencies and excesses in tropical regions, and benefits and methods of mineral supplementation for grazing ruminants are discussed in Chapters 15 - 17. Chapter 18 reviews vitamin nutrition considerations for ruminants consuming tropical forages.

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