This book describes how the latest genomic resources techniques can be efficiently used in plant breeding programmes to achieve food security in the future. It also shares insights on how to utilize the untapped and unexplored genetic diversity of wild species, wild relatives and landraces for crop improvement. Moreover, the book offers an impressive array of balanced analyses, fresh ideas and perspectives, and thoughtful and realistic proposals regarding the sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources with modern biotechnological techniques. The first book to address the importance of plant genetics and genomic resources for food security, it brings together a group of plant breeders and biotechnologists to investigate the use of genomic resources techniques in plant breeding programmes. Providing essential information on the efficient utilization of genomic resources in precision breeding, it offers a valuable asset for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers and professionals engaged in related fields.

Cereals like wheat, rice, maize, and barley have long been the dominant crops in agriculture, providing a significant portion of our food supply. Plant breeders and geneticists have always been interested in improving the yield and quality of cereals. The primary challenges in cereal breeding lie in adapting to climate change and enhancing yield and stress tolerance. In recent years, omics approaches such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have emerged as valuable tools to understand the genetic and molecular basis of cereal development under optimum and stress conditions. However, studying individual datasets for different cereals has limited our comprehensive understanding of complex traits and biological networks. To overcome this limitation, a systems biology approach is necessary. Systems biology integrates multiple omics data, modeling, and cell activity prediction to gain a holistic understanding of biological processes. By considering the whole system and its interactions, rather than isolated components, researchers can develop predictive models and even re-engineer cells. In the context of cereal improvement, systems biology can play a crucial role in identifying and introducing desirable traits such as yield, quality, and stress tolerance. It may help researchers uncover the molecular underpinnings of complex traits and offer insights for enhancing cereals on a national and international scale. The book explores available omics resources, the integration of multi-omics data, and systems biology methods, focusing on their applications in cereals breeding and research. It highlights current and innovative strategies to understand complex traits, improve yield, and enhance resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with modeling multi-omics data and analyzing systems-level information. By leveraging systems biology and integrated omics research, this book aims to redefine the future research agenda for cereal improvement.

Plant Breeding Reviews presents state-of-the-art reviews on plant genetics and the breeding of all types of crops by both traditional means and molecular methods. Many of the crops widely grown today stem from a very narrow genetic base; understanding and preserving crop genetic resources is vital to the security of food systems worldwide. The emphasis of the series is on methodology, a fundamental understanding of crop genetics, and applications to major crops.

Approx.730 pages - Introduces different sources of GHGs' emission - Describes different methods for controlling GHGs' emission - Includes geoengineering methods for decreasing GHGs' emission

Cash crops are grown and sold for monetary gain and not necessarily for sustenance. They include coffee, tea, coconut, cotton, jute, groundnut, castor, linseed, cocoa, rubber, cassava, soybean, sweet potato, potato, wheat, corn and teff. While some of these crops have been improved for realizing yield potential, breeding of many of them is still in infancy. Crops that underwent rigorous breeding have eventually lost much of the diversity due to extensive cultivation with a few improved varieties and the diversity in less bred species is to be conserved. Over the past years, scholars and policy makers have become increasingly aware of the short and long-run impact of climatic factors on economic, food security, social and political outcomes . Genetic diversity, natural and induced, is much needed for the future generations to sustain food production with more climate resilient crops. In contrast, crop uniformity produced across the farm fields in the form of improved varieties is genetically vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, it is essential and challenging to address the issue of compromising between maximizing crop yield under a given set of conditions and minimizing the risk of crop failure when conditions change. Cash crops are grown in an array of climatic conditions. Many of the world’s poor still live in rural areas. Many are subsistence farmers, operating very small farms using very little agricultural inputs for achieving marketable outputs. Conserving the diversity of these crops and addressing all issues of crop culture through modern tools of biotechnology and genomics is a real challenge. We believe the focus of this book is to fill an unmet need of this and other grower communities by providing the necessary knowledge, albeit indirectly via the academics, to manage the risks of cash crops breeding through managing genetic diversity.

Environmental Pollution and Medicinal Plants presents information on the impact of environmental pollution on the performance of medicinal plants at various levels including damage detection, adaptation, tolerance, and physiological and molecular responses. This title draws attention not only to seeking new bioactive compounds for herbal drug preparation, but also on ensuring high standards of quality through evaluation of the chemical purity of medicinal plants growing under polluted conditions. It discusses the latest trends and responses of medicinal plants, indicating their tolerance and adaptation to environmental pollution. This book also focuses on secondary metabolites, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds associated with medicinal plants growing in contaminated conditions. This book will be indispensable for students and professionals working in the field of environmental pollution, medicinal plants, and herbal medicine, as well as for plant biologists, economic botanists, molecular biologists, and biotechnologists. . KEY FEATURES Explains the global trend of environmental pollution and its impact on medicinal herbs with the help of clear text and attractive illustrations. Provides a comprehensive overview of medicinal plants and their interaction with environmental pollution in terms of damage detection, repair, acclimation, tolerance, adaptation, and physiological responses. Discusses the production of secondary metabolites, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds (used for herbal drug preparation) in medicinal plants growing in the vicinity of contamination and pollution load. Highlights opportunities and future challenges in "omics" studies on medicinal plants.

This book serves as a gateway to the fascinating intersection of genetics, plant breeding and innovation, which is shaping the future of agriculture. It explores the dynamic world of molecular plant breeding, from decoding genetic markers to cutting-edge omics techniques. Each chapter is enriched with tables and diagrams for an engaging learning experience, simplifying complex concepts. The book begins with the basics, immersing you in molecular plant breeding, and then delves into genetic markers, diverse populations, linkage mapping, and association mapping. The book also covers such topics as marker-assisted selection, functional genomics, gene fingerprinting, gene transfer technologies, bioinformatics tools, and phenomics, and navigates the intricacies of intellectual property rights in molecular breeding.

The papers included in this Special Issue address a variety of important aspects of plant biodiversity and genetic resources, including definitions, descriptions, and illustrations of different components and their value for food and nutrition security, breeding, and environmental services. Furthermore, comprehensive information is provided regarding conservation approaches and techniques for plant genetic resources, policy aspects, and results of biological, genetic, morphological, economic, social, and breeding-related research activities. The complexity and vulnerability of (plant) biodiversity and its inherent genetic resources, as an integral part of the contextual ecosystem and the human web of life, are clearly demonstrated in this Special Issue, and for several encountered problems and constraints, possible approaches or solutions are presented to overcome these.

Wild Germplasm for Genetic Improvement in Crop Plants addresses the need for an integrated reference on a wide variety of crop plants, facilitating comparison and contrast, as well as providing relevant relationships for future research and development. The book presents the genetic and natural history value of wild relatives, covers what wild relatives exist, explores the existing knowledge regarding specific relatives and the research surrounding them and identifies knowledge gaps. As understanding the role of crop wild relatives in plant breeding expands the genetic pool for abiotic and biotic stress resistance, this is an ideal reference on this important topic. - Provides a single-volume resource to important crops for accessible comparison and research - Explores both conventional and molecular approaches to breeding for targeted traits and allows for expanded genetic variability - Guides the development of hybrids for germplasm with increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses