Advances in information technology and next generation sequencing have propelled the use of bioinformatics in agriculture, especially in the area of crop improvement. An extremely large amount of genomics data is available from plants and animals due to tremendous improvements in the field. This book acquaints readers with state-of-the-art sequencing technologies, recent developments in computing algorithms, and certain biological perspectives that influence development of bioinformatics tools by giving specific examples from model plant species. The challenge is now to make sense and use of this wealth of data.

A common approach to understanding the functional repertoire of a genome is through functional genomics. With systems biology burgeoning, bioinformatics has grown to a larger extent for plant genomes where several applications in the form of protein-protein interactions (PPI) are used to predict the function of proteins. With plant genes evolutionarily conserved, the science of bioinformatics in agriculture has caught interest with myriad of applications taken from bench side to in silico studies. A multitude of technologies in the form of gene analysis, biochemical pathways and molecular techniques have been exploited to an extent that they consume less time and have been cost-effective to use. As genomes are being sequenced, there is an increased amount of expression data being generated from time to time matching the need to link the expression profiles and phenotypic variation to the underlying genomic variation. This would allow us to identify candidate genes and understand the molecular basis/phenotypic variation of traits. While many bioinformatics methods like expression and whole genome sequence data of organisms in biological databases have been used in plants, we felt a common reference showcasing the reviews for such analysis is wanting. We envisage that this dearth would be facilitated in the form of this Springer book on Agricultural Bioinformatics. We thank all the authors and the publishers Springer, Germany for providing us an opportunity to review the bioinformatics works that the authors have carried in the recent past and hope the readers would find this book attention grabbing.

Bioinformatics in Agriculture: Next Generation Sequencing Era is a comprehensive volume presenting an integrated research and development approach to the practical application of genomics to improve agricultural crops. Exploring both the theoretical and applied aspects of computational biology, and focusing on the innovation processes, the book highlights the increased productivity of a translational approach. Presented in four sections and including insights from experts from around the world, the book includes: Section I: Bioinformatics and Next Generation Sequencing Technologies; Section II: Omics Application; Section III: Data mining and Markers Discovery; Section IV: Artificial Intelligence and Agribots. Bioinformatics in Agriculture: Next Generation Sequencing Era explores deep sequencing, NGS, genomic, transcriptome analysis and multiplexing, highlighting practices forreducing time, cost, and effort for the analysis of gene as they are pooled, and sequenced. Readers will gain real-world information on computational biology, genomics, applied data mining, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. This book serves as a complete package for advanced undergraduate students, researchers, and scientists with an interest in bioinformatics. - Discusses integral aspects of molecular biology and pivotal tool sfor molecular breeding - Enables breeders to design cost-effective and efficient breeding strategies - Provides examples ofinnovative genome-wide marker (SSR, SNP) discovery - Explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of computational biology with focus on innovation processes - Covers recent trends of bioinformatics and different tools and techniques

This book illustrates the importance and significance of bioinformatics in the field of agriculture. It first introduces the basic concepts of bioinformatics, such as homologous sequence and gene function analyses, determination of protein structures, and discusses machine learning applications for an in-depth understanding of the desired genes and proteins based on commonly used bioinformatics software and tools, e.g. BLAST, molecular modelling, molecular-docking and simulations, protein-protein and domain-domain interactions. The book also describes recent advances in the high-throughput analysis of whole genome and transcriptome using next-generation sequencing platforms, and functional proteome studies. It also examines the role of computational biology in understanding and improving the nutrient quality and yield of crops. Lastly, the book explores a comprehensive list of applications of bioinformatics to improve plant yield, biomass, and health, and the challenges involved.

This book provides an up-to-date review of classic and advanced bioinformatics approaches and their utility in rice research. It summarizes databases and tools for analyzing DNA, proteins and gene expression profiles, mapping genetic variations, annotation of protein and RNA molecules, phylogenetic analysis, and pathway enrichment. In addition, it presents high-throughput technologies that are widely used to provide deep insights into the genetic architecture of important traits in the rice genome. The book subsequently discusses techniques for identifying RNA-protein, DNA-protein interactions, and molecular markers, including SNP and microsatellites, in the contexts of rice breeding and genetics. Lastly, it explores various tools that are used to identify and characterize non-coding RNA in rice and their potential role in rice research.

This book: (i) introduces fundamental and applied bioinformatics research in the field of plant life sciences; (ii) enlightens the potential users towards the recent advances in the development and application of novel computational methods available for the analysis and integration of plant -omics data; (iii) highlights relevant databases, softwares, tools and web resources developed till date to make ease of access for researchers working to decipher plant responses towards stresses; and (iv) presents a critical cross-talks on the available high-throughput data in plant research. Therefore, in addition to being a reference for the professional researchers, it is also of great interest to students and their professors. Considering immense significance of plants for all lives on Earth, the major focus of research in plant biology has been to: (a) select plants that best fit the purposes of human, (b) develop crop plants superior in quality, quantity and farming practices when compared to natural (wild) plants, and (c) explore strategies to help plants to adapt biotic and abiotic/environmental stress factors. Accordingly the development of novel techniques and their applications have increased significantly in recent years. In particular, large amount of biological data have emerged from multi-omics approaches aimed at addressing numerous aspects of the plant systems under biotic or abiotic stresses. However, even though the field is evolving at a rapid pace, information on the cross-talks and/or critical digestion of research outcomes in the context of plant bioinformatics is scarce. “Plant Bioinformatics: Decoding the Phyta” is aimed to bridge this gap.

Advancement in Crop Improvement Techniques presents updates on biotechnology and molecular biological approaches which have contributed significantly to crop improvement. The book discusses the emerging importance of bioinformatics in analyzing the vast resources of information regarding crop improvement and its practical application and utilization. Throughout this comprehensive resource, emphasis is placed on various techniques used to improve agricultural crops, providing a common platform for the utility of these techniques and their combinations. Written by an international team of contributors, this book provides an in-depth analysis of existing tools and a framework for new research. - Reviews techniques used for crop improvement, from selection and crossing over, to microorganismal approaches - Explores the role of conventional biotechnology in crop improvement - Summarizes the combined approaches of cytogenetics and biotechnology for crop improvement, including the importance of molecular techniques in this process - Focuses on the emerging role of bioinformatics for crop improvement

The improvement of crop species has been a basic pursuit since cultivation began thousands of years ago. To feed an ever increasing world population will require a great increase in food production. Wheat, corn, rice, potato and few others are expected to lead as the most important crops in the world. Enormous efforts are made all over the world to document as well as use these resources. Everybody knows that the introgression of genes in wheat provided the foundation for the “Green Revolution”. Later also demonstrated the great impact that genetic resources have on production. Several factors are contributing to high plant performance under different environmental conditions, therefore an effective and complementary use of all available technological tools and resources is needed to meet the challenge.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Climate change will severely impact the world’s food supply unless steps are taken to increase crop resilience. Otherwise, the negative effects on both the yield and the quality of crop plants are predicted to be immense. Plant genomics is a potentially powerful defense against this looming threat. This compendium volume offers a global perspective on the topic, with contributions from 42 eminent researchers from 12 nations around the world. The editor is a respected and published scientist in the bioinformatics field, who has chosen articles in the following topics: An overview of the genetic challenges presented by climate change A genomic toolkit for crop-related research Specific methods of improvement for specific crop by means of genomic applications The hand-picked up-to-date research makes this volume an excellent reference not only for university-level academics, but also for policymakers and stakeholders who must tackle the challenge of the world’s food security.

This book is a comprehensive volume dealing with climate change impacts on agriculture, and which can help guide the redesign of agricultural management and cropping systems. It includes mitigation techniques such as use of bioenergy crops, fertilizer and manure management, conservation tillage, crop rotations, cover crops and cropping intensity, irrigation, erosion control, management of drained wetlands, lime amendments, residue management, biochar and biotechnology. It also includes Management of GHG emissions Crop models as decision support tools QTL analysis Crop water productivity Impacts of drought on cereal crops Silvopastoral systems Changing climate impact on wheat-based cropping systems of South Asia Phosphorous dynamics under changing climate Role of bioinformatics The focus of the book is climate change mitigation to enhance sustainability in agriculture. We present various kinds of mitigation options, ways to minimize GHG emissions and better use of the latest techniques in conservation and environmental-sustainability.