Shifting Frontiers of Theobroma Cacao

Shifting Frontiers of Theobroma Cacao
Author :
Publisher : BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages : 218
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781837683192
ISBN-13 : 1837683190
Rating : 4/5 (92 Downloads)

Synopsis Shifting Frontiers of Theobroma Cacao by : Samuel Ohikhena Agele

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a sacred tree and noble resource from South America. The Mayans and other early civilizations in Central America used cacao beans as tokens, which were subsequently transported to Europe to nurture monarchies and elites. Based on the discovery of cacao’s commercial potential and attributes, new cocoa plantations were established in other parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Thus, cocoa has become an important cash crop in Africa, Central and South America, and Asia, where it is a major foreign exchange earner, industrial raw material, support for livelihood, and ecosystem services provision. Based on its global importance, there has been an increased need for the expansion of cultivation to meet the rising demand for cacao beans. Global environmental change, including climate change, variability, and weather extremes, has established new environmental boundaries with implications for area suitability for cocoa production and sustainability. Efforts to unlock the potentials of the established environmental boundaries may be built on the development and adoption of agrotechnological practices and integration of climate resilience for harnessing opportunities and potentials of the new environment, and thus, extension of the frontiers of cacao cultivation to meet the increasing global demand for cocoa beans. This book, “Shifting Frontiers of Theobroma Cacao - Opportunities and Challenges for Production” presents a comprehensive perspective of the interactions of changing environmental conditions, cocoa production, and sustainability. The book illuminates the challenges climate change presents for cocoa production and sustainability. It provides insights into the need for cocoa actors within the cocoa sector to strengthen climate mitigation and resilience building and to come to grips with the realities, magnitude, and inevitable persistence of climate challenges to cocoa production and sustainability.

The Future of Shifting Cultivation in Africa and the Task of Universities

The Future of Shifting Cultivation in Africa and the Task of Universities
Author :
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages : 204
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9251020922
ISBN-13 : 9789251020920
Rating : 4/5 (22 Downloads)

Synopsis The Future of Shifting Cultivation in Africa and the Task of Universities by : Arthur Hugh Bunting

Sponsored by FAO and the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Frontiers of Sulfur Metabolism in Plant Growth, Development, and Stress Response

Frontiers of Sulfur Metabolism in Plant Growth, Development, and Stress Response
Author :
Publisher : Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages : 370
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9782889199037
ISBN-13 : 2889199037
Rating : 4/5 (37 Downloads)

Synopsis Frontiers of Sulfur Metabolism in Plant Growth, Development, and Stress Response by : Stanislav Kopriva

Growing plants have a constitutive demand for sulfur to synthesize proteins, sulfolipids and other essential sulfur containing molecules for growth and development. The uptake and subsequent distribution of sulfate is regulated in response to demand and environmental cues. The importance of sulfate for plant growth and vigor and hence crop yield and nutritional quality for human and animal diets has been clearly recognized. The acquisition of sulfur by plants, however, has become an increasingly important concern for the agriculture due to the decreasing S-emissions from industrial sources and the consequent limitation of inputs from atmospheric deposition. Molecular characterization involving transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics in Arabidopsis thaliana as well as in major crops revealed that sulfate uptake, distribution and assimilation are finely regulated depending on sulfur status and demand, and that these regulatory networks are integrated with cell cycle, photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, hormonal signaling, uptake and assimilation of other nutrients, etc., to enable plant growth, development, and reproduction even under different biotic and abiotic stresses. This knowledge can be used to underpin approaches to enhance plant growth and nutritional quality of major food crops around the world. Although considerable progress has been made regarding the central role of sulfur metabolism in plant growth, development and stress response, several frontiers need to be explored to reveal the mechanisms of the cross-talk between sulfur metabolism and these processes. In this research topic the knowledge on plant sulfur metabolism is reviewed and updated. Focus is put not only on molecular mechanisms of control of sulfur metabolism but also on its integration with other vital metabolic events. The topic covers 4 major areas of sulfur research: sulfate uptake, assimilation and metabolism, regulation, and role in stress response. We hope that the topic will promote interaction between researchers with different expertise and thus contribute to a more integrative approach to study sulfur metabolism in plants.

The New Frontier

The New Frontier
Author :
Publisher : Zed Books
Total Pages : 260
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1856492427
ISBN-13 : 9781856492423
Rating : 4/5 (27 Downloads)

Synopsis The New Frontier by : Kojo Amanor

The rehabilitation of those regions of the Tropics where monocropping has destroyed both local self-sufficiency and biologically rich and stable environments is fundamental to the success of any strategy for sustainable development. Dr Amanor draws on his study to suggest policies based on regeneration of the local economy, diversification of agricultural products and markets, community participation in drawing up environmental agendas and utilization of local farmers' knowledge.

The Trillion Dollar Shift

The Trillion Dollar Shift
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 421
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781351107273
ISBN-13 : 1351107275
Rating : 4/5 (73 Downloads)

Synopsis The Trillion Dollar Shift by : Marga Hoek

Over the past 30 years, the world has seen great social improvements. Technology has been developing at an enormous pace and is helping to solve our most pressing social and environmental challenges. Yet, despite this success, our current model of development is still deeply problematic. Natural disasters triggered by climate change have doubled since the 1980s, violence and armed conflict now cost more than 13 percent of GDP, social inequality and youth unemployment is worsening around the world, and climate change threatens the global population with tremendous environmental as well as social problems. Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, this book sets out how business and capital now have a real opportunity to help resolve these problems. With clear and plentiful examples and cases of how businesses are making a difference, relevant facts and figures to support the cases, and inspiring and instructional information on how businesses can create sustainable value, this highly readable book is a must-read for businesses (large and small) that wish to genuinely support the delivery of the SDGs. The Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) drive change and offer a narrative and an opportunity to all to speak in one language on sustainability. They provide us with a clear set of targets for 2030. Through following the SDGs, opportunities abound for business and capital to unlock markets which offer endless potential for profit while at the same time working towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This book illustrates for business how to make the much-needed Trillion Dollar Shift.

Speed Breeding Systems For Food

Speed Breeding Systems For Food
Author :
Publisher : Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages : 158
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9782832555651
ISBN-13 : 2832555659
Rating : 4/5 (51 Downloads)

Synopsis Speed Breeding Systems For Food by : Kenny Paul

Speed breeding systems for sustainable food production offer a promising solution to address food security and environmental sustainability. Speed breeding technologies allow accelerating generation of new plant varieties with desired traits in a short period. These systems include genetic selection, vertical hydroponics and data-driven smart sensor applications. Quick generation of plant varieties is achieved by manipulating photoperiods of a native plant with extended light periods in a controlled environment to fasten the crop cycle. This allows for multiple plant generations to be grown and harvested in a single year rather than the typical one to two generations in traditional field-based breeding. The application of molecular markers in the analysis of crop genomes enables the identification and characterization of genetic variation within a crop species. This, in turn, helps breeders in identifying and selecting plants with desirable traits, such as resistance to pests or diseases, or improved yield. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) are two recent methods that revolutionized plant breeding to improve the efficiency and accuracy of selecting desirable traits. MAS allows breeders to identify desirable traits earlier in the breeding process, without having to wait for the traits to be phenotypically expressed. On the other hand, GS allows breeders to predict the performance of a plant before it is even grown and can help speed up the breeding process by allowing breeders to select plants with desirable traits much earlier in the breeding process.

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture
Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Total Pages : 494
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0231508832
ISBN-13 : 9780231508834
Rating : 4/5 (32 Downloads)

Synopsis Slash-and-Burn Agriculture by : Cheryl Palm

Caused in part by the slash-and-burn practices of both large- and small-scale farmers, the environmental implications of tropical deforestation remain a worldwide concern. Yet the small-scale farmers who use slash-and-burn agriculture depend on it to produce food and make a living for their families. With contributions from scientists, economists, ecologists, and anthropologists, this book provides an overall analysis of the environmental, economic, and social reasons for why slash and burn is so common and presents alternatives to this destructive practice.

Cacao Diseases

Cacao Diseases
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 630
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783319247892
ISBN-13 : 3319247891
Rating : 4/5 (92 Downloads)

Synopsis Cacao Diseases by : Bryan A. Bailey

This book reviews the current state of knowledge concerning cacao pathogens and methods for their management. Topics discussed include the history, biology and genetic diversity of Moniliophthora species (which cause witches’ broom and frosty pod rot) and Phytophthora species (which cause black pod rot) that cause diseases resulting in major losses to cacao production. Emerging pathogens such as Cacao swollen shoot virus and Ceratobasidium theobromae (which causes vascular streak dieback) are also discussed in detail, along with many pathogens of significant local concern. Most of these pathogens represent major risks to global cacao production should they expand into new areas, breaking out of their current limited distributions. By considering cacao diseases as a group, similarities in the available tools and techniques used in their management become apparent, as do their limitations. Gaps in our current knowledge of cacao pathogens and the management of the diseases they cause are detailed, and suggestions for future research directions are provided. This insight allows readers to consider cacao disease threats from a more comprehensive, global perspective and paves the way for an improved synergy of efforts between the various research programs, agencies, and industries, both private and public, with vested interests in cacao production, and cacao farmers.