This edited book brings together comprehensive information on various aspects of the biofortification of staple crops. It addresses the present status of food and nutritional security and highlights the importance of micronutrients in human health, a historical account of biofortification, current approaches and challenges, crop-specific biofortification efforts and various breeding approaches, including conventional, and genomics enabled improvement. It also explains the efficacy of biofortification, bioavailability, and future thrust. It is an inclusive source of information on different aspects of micronutrients in crops of global importance. Malnutrition is a serious global issue, with millions of people being undernourished, several suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, and the adult population struggling with obesity. Despite significant economic progress, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are still home to an undernourished population. Nutrition-related health problems are related to hidden hunger and are widespread in the developing world. Women and preschool children are more vulnerable. Even though global food production has increased manifolds, estimates indicate that over 60% of the world’s population is deficient in essential micronutrients such as iron, zinc, iodine, and selenium, often causing health problems and developmental delays. Linking agricultural production with human nutrition and health is crucial for ensuring nutrition security. Much research has been carried out to assess genetic diversity related to micro-nutrients in staple crops, their bioavailability, and the efficacy of biofortified germplasm. Biofortified varieties developed in different crops through conventional breeding are being up-scaled for reducing the micronutrient deficiencies in other countries. This book is a ready reference for researchers, academicians, extension personnel, policymakers, students, and value chain stakeholders engaged in agriculture, nutrition, and health sectors promoting nutrition-sensitive diets.

Barley is one of the world's most important crops with uses ranging from food and feed production, malting and brewing to its use as a model organism in molecular research. The demand and uses of barley continue to grow and there is a need for an up-to-date comprehensive reference that looks at all aspects of the barley crop from taxonomy and morphology through to end use. Barley will fill this increasing void. Barley will stand as a must have reference for anyone researching, growing, or utilizing this important crop.

Exploration, Identification and Utilization of Barley Germplasm explores the timely global challenges related to barley production posed by the narrowing of biodiversity and problem soils, identifying elite genotypes which will enhance barley breeding and be essential to genetic and evolution studies. The book covers the utilization of barley germplasm for improving the quality of both food and feed barley as well as exploring and utilizing varieties of germplasm that are tolerant to drought, waterlogged, salt, and acid soil. Chapters are devoted to prime strategies for future research, including identifying barley germplasm by applying Omics, exploring barley germplasm by means of the Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS), and creating barley germplasm through mutation. Users will find this book to be a key research reference for both professionals and academics, providing a comprehensive update for established barley researchers that equips them with an understanding of the new methodologies needed for innovation and discovery, while also providing a helpful entry to the subject for young researchers and students. - Provides a one-stop shop to acquire a speedy overview of the main and recently applied issues of barley breeding - Provides newly-developed methodologies in barley germplasm research - Describes special genotypes from wild barley, including Tibetan wild barley, which show a high tolerance to abiotic stresses and carry different alleles from cultivated barley

Genetic diversity is one of the main resources sustaining human life. Food security largely depends on the availability and utilization of this diversity, which is of strategic importance for countries and companies. Conservation and utilization of biodiversity is thus currently an urgent area of global debate and concern. Barley is a major crop in the world used for food, feed and malt, and with a wide religious and ethnic importance. The crop was domesticated in Neolithic time in SW Asia and spread rapidly under cultivation to new areas. Nowadays it is one of the most widespread and widely adapted crops grown under contrasting edaphic conditions. Adaptations to new environments, different agricultural practices and selection for different uses have further added to the complex diversity pattern. Is it at all possible to give a complete picture of the diversity in a crop or wild species? Are we, by adding new technologies, only revealing parts of the diversity? Do different sets of data show similar or conflicting pictures of genetic diversity? Will the large genome size reduce the role of barley as a model organism in these current sequencing days? Or, are there still major reasons to continue to work with this beautiful crop? The aim of this book is to cover the complex issue of diversification in time and space in a single crop: barley. Leading scientists from various fields describe the entire variation pattern in different sets of characters and an attempt is made for a synthesis to a holistic picture. The book proposes ways to use the achievements of diversity studies in future research and breeding programmes.

The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 brought together a wide range of experts and important stakeholders and reviewed the present status and trends in aquaculture development, evaluated the progress made in the implementation of the 2000 Bangkok Declaration and Strategy, addressed emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development, assessed opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development and built consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector. This volume, yet another joint effort of FAO and NACA, brings the outcome of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, the much-needed clear and comprehensive technical information on how aquaculture could be mobilized to alleviate global poverty and improve food and nutrition security in the coming decades.

Barley is one of the world's most important crops with uses ranging from food and feed production, malting and brewing to its use as a model organism in molecular research. The demand and uses of barley continue to grow and there is a need for an up-to-date comprehensive reference that looks at all aspects of the barley crop from taxonomy and morphology through to end use. Barley will fill this increasing void. Barley will stand as a must have reference for anyone researching, growing, or utilizing this important crop.

This book offers a broad and global level description of the current status of wastewater use in agriculture and then brings the readers to various places in the MENA Region and Europe to explain how some countries and regions have addressed the challenges during implementation. On a global scale, over 20 million hectares of agricultural land are irrigated using wastewater. This is one good, and perhaps the most prominent, example of the safe use potential of wastewater. Water scarcity and the cost of energy and fertilisers are among the main factors driving millions of farmers and other entrepreneurs to make use of wastewater. In order to address the technical, institutional, and policy challenges of safe water reuse, developing countries and countries in transition need clear institutional arrangements and more skilled human resources, with a sound understanding of the opportunities and potential risks of wastewater use. Stakeholders in wastewater irrigation who need to implement from scratch or improve current conditions, find it difficult to gather the necessary information on practical implementation aspects. The main objective of this book is to bridge that gap.