Advances in Cowpea Research


Book Description

Cowpea: taxonomy, genetics, and breeding, physiology and agronomy, diseases and parasitic weeds, insect pests, postharvest technology and utilization. Biotechnological applications.




Cowpea Research, Production, and Utilization


Book Description

Cowpea (also called Southernpea and Blackeyed Pea) is a highly nutritious crop particularly suited to the stressful growing conditions of tropical Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Intensive research programmes in centres around the world have, in recent years, greatly improved the crops' yield, our efficiency in growing it and methods of processing the end product.




Food and Feed from Legumes and Oilseeds


Book Description

Oilseeds and legumes provide a significant proportion of the protein and energy requirements of the world population. This important new book provides comprehensive details of the main oil seed and legume crops focusing particularly on the nutritional aspects of these crops which are, or have the potential to be, more widely exploited in developing countries where are or have the potential to be, more widely exploited in developing countries where protein and energy malnutrition continue to escalate. The predicted rapid rise of populations in many world regions which are increasingly vulnerable to food shortages means that a full knowledge of the nutritional significance of available crops is vital in helping to prevent potential calamities. Food and Feed from Legumes and Oil Seeds has been written by a team of international contributors, each with direct experience of these important crops and their nutritional merits, and the editors are both international experts in the crops covered. This book will become of great value to nutritionists, food and feed scientists and technologists, agricultural scientists and all those involved with overseas developments and food aid organizations.




Cowpea


Book Description

The story of cowpea (black-eyed peas) is a fascinating example of how science can solve the world's biggest problems—even more fascinating is the story of the scientist behind the research. B.B. Singh wrote this book to serve as an accessible summary of cowpea breeding, management,and use. He has devoted his life's work to solving the ""protein gap"" of the Green Revolution in which the emphasis on corn and wheat neglected the protein-rich legumes vital to plant-based nutrition. Today,under his careful tending, cowpea truly has become the food legume of the century. From genetics to recipes, he gives a full account of how cowpea belongs in our global agriculture and in every diet. Along the way, he shares his inspiring story.




Dry Beans and Pulses


Book Description

The common beans and pulses are diverse food resources of high nutritional value (protein, energy, fiber and vitamins and minerals) with broad social acceptance. These legume crops demonstrate global adaptability, genotypic and phenotypic diversity, and multiple means of preparation and dietary use. Beans and pulses are produced in regions as diverse as Latin America, Africa, Asia, and North America, and on a scale similar to some other crops, such as wheat, corn, rice and soybeans. Numerous factors influence utilization, including bean type and cultivar selection, cropping environment and systems, storage conditions and handling infrastructure, processing and final product preparation. Nutrient content and bio-availability are dramatically influenced by these conditions. In recent years, beans and pulses have been cited for imparting specific positive health potentiating responses, such as hypocholesteremic response, mitigation of diabetes and colonic cancer, and weight control. Enhanced dry bean utilization focused on improved dietary health is an opportunity within both subsistent and developed populations. This book provides a contemporary source of information that brings together current knowledge and practices in the value chain of beans/pulses production, processing, and nutrition. It provides in-depth coverage of a wide variety of pertinent topics including: breeding, postharvest technologies, composition, processing technologies, food safety, quality, nutrition, and significance in human health. An experienced team of over 25 contributors from North America, Asia, and Africa has written 15 chapters, divided into three sections: Overview, production and postharvest technologies of beans and pulses Composition, value-added processing and quality Culinology, nutrition, and significance in human health Contributors come from a field of diverse disciplines, including crop sciences, food science and technology, food biochemistry, food engineering, nutritional sciences, and culinology. Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing and Nutrition is an essential resource for scientists, processors and nutritionists, whatever the work setting.







Genomics of Tropical Crop Plants


Book Description

For a long time there has been a critical need for a book to assess the genomics of tropical plant species. At last, here it is. This brilliant book covers recent progress on genome research in tropical crop plants, including the development of molecular markers, and many more subjects. The first section provides information on crops relevant to tropical agriculture. The book then moves on to lay out summaries of genomic research for the most important tropical crop plant species.




Crop Residues in Sustainable Mixed Crop/livestock Farming Systems


Book Description

Technological constraints and opportunities in relation to class of livestock and production objectives; Trhe influence of socioeconomic factors on the availability and utilization of crop residues as animal feeds; Crop residues in Tropical Africa: trends in supply, demand and use; Cowpea and its improvement: key to sustainable mixed crop/livestock farming systems in West Africa; Dynamics of feed resources in mixed farming systems in Southeast, South Asia; West/Central Asia-North Africaand Latin America; Crop residues as a strategic resource in mixed farming systems; Alternatives to crop residues as feed resource in mixed farming systems; Alternatives to crop residues for soil amendment; Crop residues for feeding animals in Asia: technology development and adoption in crop/livestock systems; The national perspective: a synthesis of country reports presented at the Workshop.







Food Security and Safety


Book Description

This book focuses on food security and safety issues in Africa, a continent presently challenged with malnutrition and food insecurity. The continuous increase in the human population of Africa will lead to higher food demands, and climate change has already affected food production in most parts of Africa, resulting in drought, reduced crop yields, and loss of livestock and income. For Africa to be food-secure, safe and nutritious food has to be available, well-distributed, and sufficient to meet people’s food requirements. Contributors to Food Security and Safety: African Perspectives offer solutions to the lack of adequate safe and nutritious food in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as highlight the positive efforts being made to address this lack through a holistic approach. The book discusses the various methods used to enhance food security, such as food fortification, fermentation, genetic modification, and plant breeding for improved yield and resistance to diseases. Authors emphasize the importance of hygiene and food safety in food preparation and preservation, and address how the constraints of climate change could be overcome using smart crops. As a comprehensive reference text, Food Security and Safety: African Perspectives seeks to address challenges specific to the African continent while enhancing the global knowledge base around food security, food safety, and food production in an era of rapid climate change.