Munir Ozturk

Khalid Hakeem

Muhammad Sabir

Ahmet Ruhi Mermut

The soil is being contaminated continuously by a large number of pollutants. Among them, heavy metals are an exclusive group of toxicants because they are stable and difficult to disseminate into non-toxic forms. The ever-increasing concentrations of such pollutants in the soil are considered serious threats toward everyone’s health and the environment. Many techniques are used to clean, eliminate, obliterate or sequester these hazardous pollutants from the soil. However, these techniques can be costly, labor intensive, and often disquieting. Phytoremediation is a simple, cost effective, environmental friendly and fast-emerging new technology for eliminating toxic heavy metals and other related soil pollutants. Soil Remediation and Plants provides a common platform for biologists, agricultural engineers, environmental scientists, and chemists, working with a common aim of finding sustainable solutions to various environmental issues. The book provides an overview of ecosystem approaches and phytotechnologies and their cumulative significance in relation to solving various environmental problems. Identifies the molecular mechanisms through which plants are able to remediate pollutants from the soil Examines the challenges and possibilities towards the various phytoremediation candidates Includes the latest research and ongoing progress in phytoremediation

Prospects and Challenges

Soil Remediation and Plants

Khalid Rehman Hakeem

Muhammad Ashraf

Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad

Crop Production Technologies for Sustainable Use and Conservation:Physiological and Molecular Advances presents an abundance of research on important and new production technologies for the successful sustainable production of major crops. The volume covers most of the major crops used the production of food, sugar, and commercial fiber. With the focus on sustainability and conservation issues in crop production, the chapters present molecular and physiological research and innovations for increasing yield, quality, and safety while also taking into considering increasing demand, diminishing water and land resources, and the agricultural consequences of climate change on crop production. The major crops discussed include wheat, mungbean, cotton, jute, sugarcane, eggplant, Solanum (such as potatoes and tomatoes), peppers, okra, fruits such as apples and pears, and more. The chapters report on new developments and research on production techniques related to various fertilizers, biosystematics and molecular biology of various crops, and building resistance to climatic change, including drought tolerance, salinity stresses, and more.

Physiological and Molecular Advances

Crop Production Technologies for Sustainable Use and Conservation

Adeel Malik

Fazilet Vardar-Sukan

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.

Decoding the Phyta

Plant Bioinformatics

Alvina Gul

Climate Change and Food Security with Emphasis on Wheat is the first book to present the full scope of research in wheat improvement, revealing the correlations to global issues including climate change and global warming which contribute to food security issues. Wheat plays a key role in the health of the global economy. As the world population continuously increases, economies modernize, and incomes rise, wheat production will have to increase dramatically to secure it as a reliable and sustainable food source. Since covering more land area with wheat crops is not a sustainable option, future wheat crops must have consistently higher yields and be able to resist and/or tolerate biotic and abiotic stresses that result from climate change. Addressing the biophysical and socioeconomic constraints of producing high-yielding, disease-resistant, and good quality wheat, this book will aid in research efforts to increase and stabilize wheat production worldwide. Written by an international team of experts, Climate Change and Food Security with Emphasis on Wheat is an excellent resource for academics, researchers, and students interested in wheat and grain research, especially as it is relevant to food security. Covers a wide range of disciplines, including plant breeding, genetics, agronomy, physiology, pathology, quantitative genetics and genomics, biotechnology and gene editing Explores the effect of climate change on biotic stresses (stripe rust, stem rust, leaf rust, Karnal bunt, spot blotch) on wheat production and utilization of biotechnology Focuses on whole genome sequencing and next-generation sequencing technologies to improve wheat quality and address the issue of malnutrition in developing world

Climate Change and Food Security with Emphasis on Wheat

Muhammad Ajmal Khan

Bilquees Gul

Muhammad Zaheer Ahmed

Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands addresses the concerns surrounding global food scarcity, especially focusing on those living in arid and dry lands The book touches on food crises in dry regions of the world and proposes halophytes as an alternate source of consumption for such areas. Halophytes, those plants that thrive in saline soil and provide either food source options themselves, or positively enhance an eco-system’s ability to produce food, and are thus an important and increasingly recognized option for addressing the needs of the nearly 1/6 of the world’s population that lives in these arid and semi-arid climates. Including presentations from the 2014 International Conference on Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands, this book features insights from the leading researchers in the subject. It is a valuable resource that includes information on the nutritional value of halophytes, their genetic basis and potential enhancement, adaption of halophytes, and lessons learned thus far. Provides comprehensive coverage of the importance and utilization of halophytes to compensate the demand of food in whole world especially in the dry regions Contains insights from ecological to molecular fields Includes edible halophytes as well as those that enhance food-producing eco-systems Presents information for improving abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands

Dilfuza Egamberdieva

Milica Pešić

Biodiversity and Biomedicine: Our Future provides a new outlook on Earth’s animal, plant, and fungi species as vital sources for human health treatments. While there are over 10 million various species on the planet, only 2 million have been discovered and named. This book identifies modern ways to incorporate Earth’s species into biomedical practices and emphasizes the need for biodiversity conservation. Written by leading biodiversity and biomedical experts, the book begins with new insights on the benefits of biologically active compounds found in fungi and plants, including a chapter on the use of wild fruits as a treatment option. The book goes on to discuss the roles of animals, such as amphibians and reptiles, and how the threatened presence of these species must be reversed to conserve biodiversity. It also discusses marine organisms, including plants, animals, and microbes, as essential in contributing to human health. Biodiversity and Biomedicine: Our Future is a vital source for researchers and practitioners specializing in biodiversity and conservation studies. Students in natural medicine and biological conservation will also find this useful to learn of the world’s most bio-rich communities and the molecular diversity of various species. Presents new developments in documenting and identifying species for biodiversity conservation and ethical considerations for biodiversity research Examines biodiversity as an irreplaceable resource for biomedical breakthroughs using available species for medical research Discusses challenges and opportunities for biodiversity protection and research in biosphere reserves

Our Future

Biodiversity and Biomedicine

Recep Efe

Ibrahim Atalay

The Mediterranean Basin is the largest of the five Mediterranean-climate regions, and one of the largest archipelagos in the world. The basin is located at the intersection of two major landmasses, Eurasia and Africa; and has around five thousand islands, which contribute much to its high diversity and spectacular scenery. It possesses higher salinity than the Atlantic. The shores are chiefly mountainous. Earthquakes and volcanic disturbances are frequent. Some of the most ancient civilizations flourished around the region. Carthagians, Greeks, Sicilians, and Romans were rivals for dominance of its shores and trade. The basin virtually became a Roman lake under the Roman Empire. Later, the region was dominated by the Byzantines and the Arabs. The development of the northern regions of Africa and of oil fields in the Middle East has increased its trade. The flora is dramatic with over 20 thousand endemic vascular plant taxa, and many endemic species of animals. Fish (about 400 species), sponges, and corals are plentiful. The touristic activities are threatening populations of many species. The fragmentation and isolation is increasing due to resort development and infrastructure. The overuse of the sea's natural and marine resources continues to be a problem.The Mediterranean monk-seal, the barbary macaque and the Iberian lynx, which is Critically Endangered, are among the region’s imperiled species.

Natural Environment and Culture in the Mediterranean Region II

I. Faridah-Hanum

A. Latiff

The book provides an up-to-date account of mangrove forests from Asia, together with restoration techniques, and the management requirements of these ecosystems to ensure their sustainability and conservation. All aspects of mangroves and their conservation are critically re-examined. The book is divided into three sections presenting the distribution and status of mangrove ecosystems in Asia, the challenges they are facing, their issues and opportunities, and the management strategies for their conservation.

Status, Challenges and Management Strategies

Mangrove Ecosystems of Asia

Increase in world population, extreme weather conditions, decrease in fresh water supplies, and changes of dietary habits are major issues that affect global food security. We are expected to face the challenges of land use by 2050 because population will reach 9 billion while agricultural productivity losses are expected due to overuse of lands. How can we feed the next generations in a manner that respects our finite natural resources? Managing our resources in a sustainable way have only begun for selected crops. Much remains to be done to increase food yield. Cropping practices capable of sustainable production need to be elaborated, especially in fragile ecosystems. Typical applications will include the improvement and use of genetic resources; crop management and diversification; diffusion of improved varieties; development of cropping systems; sustainable cropping systems for areas prone to environmental degradation; use of agro-ecological data for crop production forecasting; and networks for regional coordination, and data exchange. The impetus behind this book is to bring attention to a cropping system that bears direct relevance to sustainable agriculture and food security. “Underutilized” crops are found in numerous agricultural ecosystems and often survive mainly in marginal areas. It is timely to review their status because, in recent decades, scientific and economic interests have emerged which focus on lesser-known cultivated species. Underutilized crops have a great potential to alleviate hunger directly, through increasing food production in challenging environments where major crops are severely limited. “Global Perspectives on Underutilized Crops” is therefore topical and highlights the unmet agricultural challenges that we face today. This book is an important resource for students and researchers of crop science and agricultural policy makers.

Global Perspectives on Underutilized Crops

Parvaiz Ahmad

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.

New Approaches and Modern Techniques

Crop Improvement

Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the “scientific methods”. Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, it will focus on the secondary metabolic compounds which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 focuses on the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

Pharmacology and Therapeutic Uses

Plant and Human Health, Volume 3

Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the “scientific methods”. Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds, which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, it focuess on the secondary metabolic compounds, which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 discusses the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

Munir Ozturk

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