Genetic Enhancement of Rabi Sorghum


Book Description

Genetic Enhancement of Rabi Sorghum – Adapting the Indian Durras presents both the historical background and the recent research done in breeding this important world crop for more global production. Its chapters cover topics in origin and taxonomy, morphology and breeding behavior, genetics, and cytogenetics, also looking at production, nutrition, and alternate uses. The durra race is Ethiopian in origin and its introgression with wild forms permitted adaptation to drier conditions. These have migrated and adapted to the currently known crop that is cultivated in the winter season and commonly called rabi sorghums. Grown under receding soil moisture conditions, rabi sorghums have tolerance to abiotic stresses apart from biotic stresses, unlike the rainy sorghums that are grown widely in the world. However, they must be more resilient to rapid changes in climate, for example. The variability from winter sorghums is being introgressed into rainy sorghums. With the yield plateaus reached and sorghum gaining importance as a food crop, this book will be of importance to those studying durras and their breeding. - Presents both the historical background and most recent research done in breeding rabi sorghum for more global production - Provides information on the adaptation of the crop and the ways it has migrated to the currently known crop, which is cultivated in winter season and commonly called as rabi sorghum - Explores strategies for resilience as the crop must be prepared to withstand rapid and varying changes in climate







Millets and Sorghum


Book Description

Millets and sorghum are extremely important crops in many developing nations and because of the ability of many of them to thrive in low-moisture situations they represent some exciting opportunities for further development to address the continuing and increasing impact of global temperature increase on the sustainability of the world’s food crops. The main focus of this thorough new book is the potential for crop improvement through new and traditional methods, with the book’s main chapters covering the following crops: sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail milet, proso millet, little millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, tef and fonio. Further chapters cover pests and diseases, nutritional and industrial importance, novel tools for improvement, and seed systems in millets. Millets and Sorghum provides full and comprehensive coverage of these crucially important crops, their biology, world status and potential for improvement, and is an essential purchase for crop and plant scientists, and food scientists and technologists throughout the developed and developing world. All libraries in universities and research establishment where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this important book on their shelves.




Millets and Pseudo Cereals


Book Description

Millets and Pseudo Cereals is the first comprehensive resource to focus on the potential crop improvements through genetic enhancements. The choice of food crop for a region is primarily determined by the conditions of climate and soil. Once labelled as orphan crops, millets and pseudo-cereals are now known as miracle grains due to their adaptation to harsh conditions and high nutritional quality. Small millets and pseudo-cereals are now seen to occupy special niches through their ability to adapt to challenging conditions. These crops have a comparative advantage in marginal lands where they withstand stress conditions and contribute to sustainable production. They also contribute to the diversity-richness and production stability of agro-ecosystems. Millets include sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, little millet and kodo millet while the other group which are not cereals but consumed as cereals and generally referred as pseudo-cereals comprises of grain amaranths, buckwheat and chenopods. Millets and Pseudo Cereals presents current information on the genetic architecture of important economic traits and the genomic resources for gene enabled breeding. This compilation contains information on the global status, available germplasm resources, nutritional value, breeding advancements, genomics applications and sustainability of agriculture through millets and pseudo-cereals cultivation. This book is a valuable resource for those conducting research and exploring new areas for advancing crop genetic understanding. - Explores the current challenges of pseudo-cereal production and how that can be overcome by developing genetic and breeding resources using appropriate germplasm - Provides holistic information on millets and pseudo-cereals - Features global perspectives from an international contributing team of authors




Sorghum Molecular Breeding


Book Description

This book provides an up-to-date overview of international research work on sorghum. Its comprehensive coverage of our current understanding of transgenic development in sorghum and the strategies that are being applied in molecular breeding make this book unique. Important areas such as genetic diversity, QTL mapping, heterosis prediction, genomic and bioinformatics resources, post-genome sequencing developments, molecular markers development using bioinformatics tools, genetic transformation and transgenic research are also addressed. The availability of the genome sequence along with other recent developments in sequencing and genotyping technologies has resulted in considerable advances in the area of sorghum genomics. These in turn have led to the generation of a large number of DNA-based markers and resulted in the identification and fine mapping of QTL associated with grain yield, its component traits, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance as well as grain quality traits in sorghum. Though a large volume of information has accumulated over the years, especially following the sequencing of the sorghum genome, until now it was not available in a single reference resource. This book fills that gap by documenting advances in the genomics and transgenic research in sorghum and presenting critical reviews and future prospects. “Sorghum Molecular Breeding” is an essential guide for students, researchers and managers who are involved in the area of molecular breeding and transgenic research in sorghum and plant biologists in general.




Securing the Harvest


Book Description

Improved food security, led by increased productivity among Africa's many small-scale farmers, has been the aim of significant national and international effort in recent decades. It has proved to be one of the most critical challenges facing humankind. This book grew out of a two-year exploration conducted by the food security theme of The Rockefeller Foundation focusing on the potential for crop genetic improvement to contribute to food security among rural populations in Africa. It provides a critical assessment of the ways in which recent breakthroughs in biotechnology, participatory plant breeding, and seed systems can be broadly employed in developing and delivering more productive crop varieties in Africa's diverse agricultural environments. It also presents an analysis of current plant breeding and biotechnology strategies for the key crops in Africa including: maize, sorghum, cowpea, rice, and cassava. The book will appeal to plant breeders, biotechnologists, and seed distributors as well as policy-makers in the area of agricultural development.




Rainfed Agriculture


Book Description

This book, which contains 14 chapters, covers all aspects of rainfed agriculture, starting with its potential, current status, rainwater harvesting and supplementary irrigation, to policies, approaches, institutions for upscaling, and impacts of integrated water management programmes in rainfed areas.




Food Security in Nutrient-Stressed Environments: Exploiting Plants’ Genetic Capabilities


Book Description

Ultimate success in exploiting the genetic capabilities of plants to grow in nutrient-stressed environments of the semi-arid tropics (SAT) requires a holistic view of food systems to ensure that genetic selections for improved yields on nutrient-poor soils will actually be adopted by farmers. This book sets out to address the important issue of how physiological mechanisms of nutrient uptake can best be combined with genetic options to improve the adaptation of crops to low-nutrient availability, thereby enhancing productivity of nutrient poor soils in the semi-arid tropics. The book examines (i) the sustainability of breeding for low-nutrient environments from the viewpoint of three interrelated disciplines; physiology, breeding, and socio-economics, (ii) candidate mechanisms and physiological traits to enhance uptake and utilization efficiencies, (iii) genetic approaches for manipulation of crop plants to enhance root exudation and access nutrients in the rhizosphere, and (iv) field practices and farmers' preferences for crop varieties grown in low-nutrient environments. Finally, the role of modelling in improving nutrient efficiency in cropping systems, recommendations for future research needs and strategies were highlighted. Attended by 50 international participants, this book is the outcome of the workshop held at ICRISAT-India during 27-30 September 1999 to mark the culmination of the Government of Japan/ICRISAT Project.




Physiology and Biotechnology Integration for Plant Breeding


Book Description

Global demand for wheat, rice, corn, and other essential grains is expected to steadily rise over the next twenty years. Meeting this demand by increasing production through increased land use is not very likely; and while better crop management may make a marginal difference, most agriculture experts agree that this anticipated deficit must be made up through increased crop yields. The first resource of its kind, Physiology and Biotechnology Integration for Plant Breeding assembles current research in crop plant physiology, plant biotechnology, and plant breeding that is aimed toward improving crop plants genetically while supporting a productive agriculture ecosystem. Highly comprehensive, this reference provides access to the most innovative perspectives in crop physiology – with a special emphasis on molecular approaches – aimed at the formulation of those crop cultivars that offer the greatest potential to increase crop yields in stress environments. Surveys the current state of the field, as well as modern options and avenues for plant breeders and biotechnologists interested in augmenting crop yield and stability With the contributions of plant scientists from all corners of the globe who are actively involved in meeting this important challenge, Physiology and Biotechnology Integration for Plant Breeding provides readers with the background information needed to understand this cutting-edge work, as well as detailed information on present and potential applications. While the first half of the book establishes and fully explains the link between crop physiology and molecular biology, the second part explores the application of biotechnology in the effective delivery of the high yield and environmentally stable crop plants needed to avert the very real possibility of worldwide hunger.