Taxonomy, nomenclature and geographical distribution. Description of the cultivated species. Uses and properties. Origin and domestication. Genetic resources. Genetic improvement estrategies. Propagation. Agronomy of fruit and heart-of-palm production. Production areas and commercial potential.

Starch: Chemistry and Technology, Second Edition focuses on the chemistry, processes, methodologies, applications, and technologies involved in the processing of starch. The selection first elaborates on the history and future expectation of starch use, economics and future of the starch industry, and the genetics and physiology of starch development. Discussions focus on polysaccharide biosynthesis, nonmutant starch granule polysaccharide composition, cellular developmental gradients, projected future volumes of corn likely to be used by the wet-milling industry, and organization of the corn wet-milling industry. The manuscript also tackles enzymes in the hydrolysis and synthesis of starch, starch oligosaccharides, and molecular structure of starch. The publication examines the organization of starch granules, fractionation of starch, and gelatinization of starch and mechanical properties of starch pastes. Topics include methods for determining starch gelatinization, solution properties of amylopectin, conformation of amylose in dilute solution, and biological and biochemical facets of starch granule structure. The text also takes a look at photomicrographs of starches, industrial microscopy of starches, and starch and dextrins in prepared adhesives. The selection is a vital reference for researchers interested in the processing of starch.

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are species closely related to crop plants which can contribute beneficial traits such as pest or disease resistance and yield improvement. Through an examination of national, regional and global context of CWR, this text presents methodologies and case studies that provide recommendations for global conservation and use.

This book explores the degree to which landscapes have been enriched with palms by human activities and the importance of palms for the lives of people in the region today and historically. Palms are a prominent feature of many landscapes in Amazonia, and they are important culturally, economically, and for a variety of ecological roles they play. Humans have been reorganizing the biological furniture in the region since the first hunters and gatherers arrived over 20,000 years ago.

About neglected crops of the American continent. Published in collaboration with the Botanical Garden of Cord�ba (Spain) as part of the Etnobot�nica92 Programme (Andalusia, 1992)

This book lists all validly published names of palms, providing the source of their publication and indication of which names are currently accepted and which are synonyms. Geographical distribution is also included for all accepted species.

Over recent years, progress in micropropagation has not been as rapid as many expected and, even now, relatively few crops are produced commercially. One reason for this is that the biology of material growing in vitro has been insufficiently understood for modifications to standard methods to be made based on sound physiological principles. However, during the past decade, tissue culture companies and others have invested considerable effort to reduce the empirical nature of the production process. The idea of the conference `Physiology, Growth and Development of Plants and Cells in Culture' (Lancaster, 1992) was to introduce specialists in different areas of plant physiology to micropropagators, with the express aims of disseminating as wide a range of information to as large a number of participants as possible, and beginning new discussions on the constraints and potentials affecting the development of in vitro plant production methods. This book is based on presentations from the conference and has been divided into two main sections, dealing with either aspects of the in vitro environment -- light, nutrients, water, gas -- or with applied aspects of the culture process -- morphogenesis, acclimation, rejuvenation, contamination.

Introduction: setting the scene; Fruits; Leaves; Seeds, Roots and shoots; Bark and wood; Exudates; Lessons learned: cultural and commercial benefits of forest products.