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Plant-Based Nanoparticle Synthesis for Sustainable Agriculture
by Naga Raju Maddela Kondakindi Venkateswar Reddy Ranjit Pabbati Kalyani ChepuriThe use of nanotechnology in agriculture has created many concerns related to toxicity and environmental implications. Green synthesis techniques for producing nanomaterials utilizing plants, microorganisms, and other natural resources have been developed in response to the demand for green chemistry and nanotechnology. This book provides in-depth information on the plant-based synthesis of nanoparticles and how it promotes sustainable agriculture. It critically reviews nanomaterials synthesized from plants and their potential applications, including nanoscale insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, and sensors, which can help to study and manage plant health and soil fertility.The features of this volume include: A comprehensive resource on plant-based nanoparticle synthesis and its usage in gene transformation; Strategies and limitations of plants that are genetically engineered using nanotechnology; Explanation of the design and use of nanofertilizers and nonopesticides for environmental sustainability; Discussions around the toxicity levels of nanoparticles in plants; Aids for professionals and scholars to learn advanced techniques to monitor soil and plant systems using nanotechnology. This is an excellent reference for researchers, academics, students, and professionals in nanotechnology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, biotechnology, environmental engineering, agricultural sciences, and plant sciences.
Plant-Based Proteins: Production, Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties (Methods and Protocols in Food Science)
by Yonghui LiThis volumes provides a comprehensive guide to the research and development of plant-based proteins. Chapters coversprotocols and guidelines needed for plant-based protein research and development, from sourcing and processing to the analysis of the physical, chemical, functional, and sensory properties of these proteins. Written in the format of the Methods and Protocols in Food Science series, the chapters include an introduction to the respective topic, list necessary materials and reagents, detail well established and validated methods for readily reproducible laboratory protocols and contain notes on how to avoid or solve typical problems. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Plant-based Proteins: Production, Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties aims to be a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students, product developers, and food industry professionals working in the field.
Plant-Based Remediation Processes
by Dharmendra Kumar GuptaPhytoremediation is an emerging technology that employs higher plants for the clean-up of contaminated environments. Basic and applied research have unequivocally demonstrated that selected plant species possess the genetic potential to accumulate, degrade, metabolize and immobilize a wide range of contaminants. The main focus of this volume is on the recent advances of technologies using green plants for remediation of various metals and metalloids. Topics include biomonitoring of heavy metal pollution, amendments of higher uptake of toxic metals, transport of heavy metals in plants, and toxicity mechanisms. Further chapters discuss agro-technological methods for minimizing pollution while improving soil quality, transgenic approaches to heavy metal remediation and present protocols for metal remediation via in vitro root cultures.
Plant-Based Therapeutics, Volume 1: Cannabis sativa
by Ivan A. RossBy examining historical applications of the compounds found in plants, this five-volume series serves as a reference for quality assurance, research, product development, and regulatory guidance of the compounds found in plant-based medicines. This work supports the growing consumers' interest in herbal medicine for wellness and health. Plant-Based Therapeutics, Volume 1: Cannabis sativa, the first in the series, covers a unique plant species and provides the framework to integrate its evidence-based scientific discoveries with healthcare therapies. Cannabis has been used in religious ceremonies and medical purposes for thousands of years. Cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychoactive component of Cannabis, was isolated in the 1940s, and its structure was established in the 1960s. In 1964 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component, was isolated. Cannabis has more than 500 components, of which 104 cannabinoids have been identified. Two of them, THC and CBD, have been the primary components of scientific investigations. They were approved by the FDA for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in 1985; for appetite stimulation in wasting conditions, such as AIDS, in 1992, and in 2018 for treating two forms of pediatric epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Beyond the indications for which cannabinoids are FDA-approved, the evidence reveals that cannabinoid receptors are present throughout the body, embedded in cell membranes, and are believed to be more numerous than any other receptor system. When cannabinoid receptors are stimulated, a variety of physiologic processes ensue. Thus, other constituents of Cannabis are extremely promising either as individual compounds or their potential synergistic or entourage effects in the treatment of numerous medical conditions.
Plant-Based Therapeutics, Volume 2: The Brassicaceae Family
by Ivan A. RossFor centuries, research has been conducted on the therapeutics of Brassicaceae plants and their health-promoting effects. Cato the Elder (234-149 BCE) documented their properties in his work De agri cultura and recommended using cabbage to compress wounds, swelling, burns, and bone dislocations. For arthritis, he recommended chopped raw cabbage mixed with coriander and cured cabbage mixed with vinegar and honey. In a groundbreaking discovery in the 1990s, scientists at Johns Hopkins University isolated sulforaphane from broccoli, revealing its potent anticancer properties. This naturally occurring compound has proven highly effective, safe, and tolerable and holds immense promise as a chemoprevention agent. It has the potential to combat various cancers, including breast, prostate, gastrointestinal, melanoma, lung, brain, and bladder. But its potential does not stop there. It also shows promise in treating cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes, offering hope for those affected. The cancer-protecting properties of Brassica plants are mediated through compounds that induce a variety of physiological processes, including antioxidant action, detoxifying enzymes, inducing apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation. Glucosinolate breakdown products can affect several stages of cancer development, including the inhibition of activation enzymes (phase I) and the induction of detoxification enzymes (phase II). Isothiocyanates and indole products formed from glucosinolates regulate cancer cell development by regulating target enzymes, controlling apoptosis, inhibiting angiogenesis, metastasis, and the migration of cancer cells, and blocking the cell cycle. Sulforaphane, found in abundance in broccoli sprouts, plays a crucial role in upregulating the transcriptional activity of specific genes and restoring epigenetic alterations. This is particularly significant as it modifies epigenetic pathways by targeting histone deacetylases and DNA methyltransferases. These modifications, in turn, alter gene transcription and expression, particularly in the case of cancers. This intricate process of gene regulation is a fascinating study area, making broccoli sprouts a compelling component of the 'epigenetic diet.' Sulforaphane induces the cytoprotective enzyme NQO1. The inducible expression of NQO1 is regulated principally through the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway. The activation of the Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway heralds the beneficial actions of drugs known to affect Nrf2 signaling, such as dimethyl fumarate, an FDA-approved treatment for multiple sclerosis, and bardoxolone methyl for chronic kidney disease. There is optimism that the overall strategies are moving forward. Sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extracts provide one avenue toward this end.
Plant-Environment Interactions
by Bingru HuangWith contributions from experts in various specialties, Plant-Environment Interactions discusses recent advances in cellular and molecular regulation of stress tolerance. This third edition reviews new research in stress signal perception, cellular mechanisms, and genetic manipulation of stress tolerance for each individual stress. It addresses how to evaluate the level of plant tolerance to stress as well as how to link mechanisms identified through analysis of plant-environment interaction to producing stress-tolerant germplasm through biotechnology and traditional breeding. It also examines environmental stresses limiting plant productivity in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry.
Plant-Fire Interactions: Applying Ecophysiology to Wildfire Management (Managing Forest Ecosystems #36)
by Víctor Resco de DiosThis book provides a unique exploration of the inter-relationships between the science of plant environmental responses and the understanding and management of forest fires. It bridges the gap between plant ecologists, interested in the functional and evolutionary consequences of fire in ecosystems, with foresters and fire managers, interested in effectively reducing fire hazard and damage.This innovation in this study lies in its focus on the physiological responses of plants that are of relevance for predicting forest fire risk, behaviour and management. It covers the evolutionary trade-offs in the resistance of plants to fire and drought, and its implications for predicting fuel moisture and fire risk; the importance of floristics and plant traits, in interaction with landform and atmospheric conditions, to successfully predict fire behaviour, and provides recommendations for pre- and post- fire management, in relation with the functional composition of the community. The book will be particularly focused on examples from Mediterranean environments, but the underlying principles will be of broader utility.
Plant-Metal Interactions
by Penna Suprasanna Sudhakar Srivastava Ashish K. SrivastavaMetal toxicity and deficiency are both common abiotic problems faced by plants. While metal contamination around the world is a critical issue, the bioavailability of some essential metals like zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) can be seriously low in other locations. The list of metals spread in high concentrations in soil, water and air includes several toxic as well as essential elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), and selenium (Se). The problems for some metals are geographically confined, while for others, they are widespread. For instance, arsenic is an important toxic metalloid whose contamination in Southeast Asia and other parts of world is well documented. Its threats to human health via food consumption have generated immense interest in understanding plants’ responses to arsenic stress. Metals constitute crucial components of key enzymes and proteins in plants. They are important for the proper growth and development of plants. In turn, plants serve as sources of essential elements for humans and animals. Studies of their physiological effects on plants metabolism have led to the identification of crucial genes and proteins controlling metal uptake and transport, as well as the sensing and signaling of metal stresses. Plant-Metal Interactions sheds light on the latest development and research in analytical biology with respect to plant physiology. More importantly, it showcases the positive and negative impacts of metals on crop plants growth and productivity.
Plant-Microbe Dynamics: Recent Advances for Sustainable Agriculture
by Tanveer Bilal PirzadahPlants and microbes have co-evolved and interacted with each other in nature. Understanding the complex nature of the plant-microbe interface can pave the way for novel strategies to improve plant productivity in an eco-friendly manner. The microbes associated with plants, often called plant microbiota, are an integral part of plant life. The significance of the plant microbiome is a reliable approach toward sustainability to meet future food crises and rejuvenate soil health. Profiling plant-associate microbiomes (genome assemblies of all microbes) is an emerging concept in understanding plant-microbe interactions. Microbiota extends the plant capacity to acclimatize fluctuating environmental conditions through several mechanisms. Thus, unraveling the mystery of plant-microbe dynamics through latest technologies to better understand the role of metabolites and signal pathway mechanisms is very important. This book shares the latest insight on omics technologies to unravel plant-microbe dynamic interactions and other novel phytotechnologies for cleaning contaminated soils. Besides, it also provides brief insight on the recently discovered clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats CRISPR-Cas9, which is a genome editing tool to explore plant-microbe interactions and how this genome editing tool helps to improve the ability of microbes/plants to combat abiotic/biotic stresses.
Plant-Microbe Interaction: An Approach to Sustainable Agriculture
by Narendra Tuteja Ajit Varma Devendra K. ChoudharyThe book addresses current public concern about the adverse effect of agrochemicals and their effect on the agro-ecosystem. This book also aims to satisfy and contribute to the increasing interest in understanding the co-operative activities among microbial populations and their interaction with plants. It contains chapters on a variety of interrelated aspects of plant-microbe interactions with a single theme of stress management and sustainable agriculture. The book will be very useful for students, academicians, researcher working on plant-microbe interaction and also for policy makers involved in food security and sustainable agriculture.
Plant-Microbe Interactions for Environmental and Agricultural Sustainability
by Ajar Nath Yadav Ashutosh Pandey Kamlesh Choure Mostafa El-SheekhThis book provides an understanding of the intricate structure of the plant-microbe interface for increasing plant performance in an environmentally sustainable way. Plant microbiomes, often known as the bacteria associated with plants such as rhizospheric, phyllosphere, and entophytic, are essential components of plant life. Importance of plant microbiomes is a trustworthy strategy for sustainability to handle upcoming food shortages and restore soil health. Understanding the relationships between plants and microorganisms is advancing with the concept of profiling plant-associated microbiomes (genome assemblies of all bacteria). Through a number of ways, the microbiota increases the plant's ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to solving the riddle of plant-microbe dynamics using cutting-edge technologies to comprehend the function of metabolites and signal route mechanisms. Recent developments in omics technologies for unravelling plant-microbe dynamic interactions and other novel phytotechnologies for soil health improvement are discussed at length in this volume, as well as novel methods for improved agricultural and environmental sustainability. Teachers, academics, plant biologists, and researchers will all find this book interesting. Students studying agriculture, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels can also use the book as supplemental reading material.
Plant-Microbe Interactions in Agro-Ecological Perspectives
by Harikesh Bahadur Singh Dhananjaya Pratap Singh Ratna PrabhaThis books presents an updated compilation on fundamental interaction mechanisms of microbial communities with the plant roots and rhizosphere (belowground) and leaves and aerial parts (aboveground). Plant rhizopshere recruits its own microbial composition that survive there and help plants grow and develop better under biotic and abiotic conditions. Similar is the case with the beneficial microorganisms which are applied as inoculants with characteristic functions. The mechanism of plant-microbe interactions is interesting phenomenon in biological perspectives with numerous implications in the fields. The First volume focuses on the basic and fundamental mechanisms that have been worked out by the scientific communities taking into account different plant-microbe systems. This includes methods that decipher mechanisms at cellular, physiological, biochemical and molecular levels and the functions that are the final outcome of any beneficial or non-beneficial interactions in crop plants and microbes. Recent advances in this research area is covered in different book chapters that reflect the impact of microbial interactions on soil and plant health, dynamics of rhizosphere microbial communities, interaction mechanisms of microbes with multiple functional attributes, microbiome of contrasting crop production systems (organic vs conventional), mechanisms behind symbiotic and pathogenic interactions, endophytic (bacterial and fungal) interaction and benefits, rhizoplane and endosphere associations, signalling cascades and determinants in rhizosphere, quorum sensing in bacteria and impact on interaction, mycorrhizal interaction mechanisms, induced disease resistance and plant immunization, interaction mechanisms that suppress disease and belowground microbial crosstalk with plant rhizosphere. Methods based on multiphasic and multi-omics approaches were discussed in detail by the authors. Content-wise, the book offers an advanced account on various aspects of plant-microbe interactions and valuable implications in agro-ecological perspectives.
Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles: Understanding the Interaction of Plant, Microbes and Engineered Nano-particles (ENPS) (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Ajay Kumar Pardeep Singh Rishikesh Singh Pramit Verma Rahul Bhadouria Mahima KaushikThis book presents a collection of cross-disciplinary research, with contributions addressing all key features of the plant/microbe/ENP nexus in agro-ecosystems. The uptake, transport and transformation of nanoparticles in plants have attracted more and more attention in the past several years. Especially, the impact of Engineered Nanoparticles (ENPs) on bioprocesses; low-, medium- and high-level dose responses in the microbial community of soil; and long-, medium- and short-term exposure responses, particularly microbial nitrogen transformations, are just a few of the aspects involved. Since ENPs are used in many industries, including cosmetics, agriculture, medicine, food technology and waste management, their transport through biogeochemical cycles is an important focus of many studies today.Specifically, ENP–microbe interaction has been analysed with regard to disease treatment for plants; it plays a vital role in disease inhibition by releasing metal ions that act through many pathways – e.g. reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, DNA transformation and disruption of the cell cycle – to stop cell growth in the pathogen. Due to these properties, ENPs are also used as slow release or delayed release pesticides and fungicides, and as carrier systems for growth-promoting hormones. Despite their multiple uses in various industries, the negative effects of ENPs are still a major concern for the scientific community and consumers alike. For example, their transport to various food chains has been reported to have adverse effects. This raises a degree of doubt concerning a rapidly growing scientific field with major applications in many industries.From a sustainable development perspective and particularly to ensure food security in light of the uncertainty accompanying climate change, it is imperative to address this divergence by focusing on the plant/microbe/ENP nexus.
Plant-Microbial Interactions and Smart Agricultural Biotechnology (Microbial Biotechnology for Food, Health, and the Environment)
by Swati Tyagi, Robin Kumar, Baljeet Singh Saharan, and Ashok Kumar NaddaConsidering the ever-increasing global population and finite arable land, technology and sustainable agricultural practices are required to improve crop yield. This book examines the interaction between plants and microbes and considers the use of advanced techniques such as genetic engineering, revolutionary gene editing technologies, and their applications to understand how plants and microbes help or harm each other at the molecular level. Understanding plant-microbe interactions and related gene editing technologies will provide new possibilities for sustainable agriculture. The book will be extremely useful for researchers working in the fields of plant science, molecular plant biology, plant-microbe interactions, plant engineering technology, agricultural microbiology, and related fields. It will be useful for upper-level students and instructors specifically in the field of biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, and agricultural science. Features: Examines the most advanced approaches for genetic engineering of agriculture (CRISPR, TALAN, ZFN, etc.). Discusses the microbiological control of various plant diseases. Explores future perspectives for research in microbiological plant science. Plant-Microbial Interactions and Smart Agricultural Biotechnology will serve as a useful source of cutting-edge information for researchers and innovative professionals, as well as upper-level undergraduate and graduate students taking related agriculture and environmental science courses.
Plant-Plant Allelopathic Interactions III: Partitioning and Seedling Effects of Phenolic Acids as Related to their Physicochemical and Conditional Properties
by Udo BlumThis volume continues the retrospective analyses of Volumes I and II, but goes beyond that in an attempt to understand how phenolic acids are partitioned in seedling-solution and seedling-microbe-soil-sand culture systems and how phenolic acid effects on seedlings may be related to the actual and/or conditional physicochemical properties (e.g., solubility, hydrophobicity, pKa, molecular structure and soil sorption/desorption) of simple phenolic acids. Specifically, it explores the quantitative partitioning (i.e., source-sink relationships) of benzoic and cinnamic acids in cucumber seedling-solution and cucumber seedling-microbe-soil-sand systems and how that partitioning may influence phenolic acid effects on cucumber seedlings. Regressions, correlations and conceptual and hypothetical models are used to achieve these objectives. Cucumber seedlings are used as a surrogate for phenolic acid sensitive herbaceous dicotyledonous weed seedlings. This volume was written specifically for researchers and their students interested in understanding how a range of simple phenolic acids and potentially other putative allelopathic compounds released from living plants and their litter and residues may modify soil chemistry, soil and rhizosphere microbial biology, seedling physiology and seedling growth. In addition, this volume describes the potential relationships, where they may exist, for direct transfer of organic compounds between plants, plant communication and plant-plant allelopathic interactions and addresses the following questions: Can physicochemical properties of phenolic acids be used as tools to help understand the complex behavior of phenolic acids and the ultimate effects of phenolic acids on sensitive seedlings? What insights do laboratory bioassays and the conceptual and hypothetical models of laboratory systems provide us concerning the potential behavior and effects of phenolic acids in field systems? What potential role may phenolic acids play in broadleaf-weed seedling emergence in wheat debris cover crop no-till systems?
Plant-Plant Allelopathic Interactions: Phenolic Acids, Cover Crops and Weed Emergence
by Udo BlumIn an effort to implement conservation measures farmers have used a variety of production methods, including the use of reduced or zero tillage and cover crops. One benefit of these production methods has been early season weed control. The literature suggests that a variety of mechanisms may be involved, among them the allelopathic effects of phenolic acids. This retrospective analysis addresses the following: How likely are phenolic acid concentrations and environmental conditions in wheat no-till cropping systems for the inhibition of annual broadleaf weed emergence? and Do phenolic acids have a dominant role or are they just one component of a larger promoter/modifier/inhibitor complex? The book covers allelopathic plant-plant interactions, laboratory and field experiments, and future research. It uses a journal format, provides justifications for procedures used, if-then hypotheses, and cons and pros so that readers can reach their own conclusions.
Plant-Soil Slope Interaction
by Charles Wang Ng Anthony Leung Junjun NiThis inter-disciplinary book provides the latest advanced knowledge of plant effects on vegetated soil properties such as water retention capability, water permeability function, shear strength, slope hydrology, movements and failure mechanisms, and applies this knowledge to the solution of slope stability problems. It is the first book to cover in detail not only the mechanical effects of root reinforcement but more importantly the hydrological effects of plant transpiration on soil suction, soil shear strength, and water permeability. The book also offers a fundamental understanding of soil-plant-water interaction. Analytical equations are provided for predicting the combined hydrological and mechanical effects of plant roots on slope stability. A novel method is also given for simulating transpiration-induced suction in a geotechnical centrifuge. Application of this method to the study of the failure mechanisms of vegetated slopes reinforced by roots with different architectures is discussed. This book is essential reading for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers in civil engineering, geo-environmental engineering, plant ecology, agricultural science, hydrology and water resources. It also provides advanced knowledge for civil engineers seeking "green" engineering solutions to combat the negative impact of climate change on the long-term engineering sustainability of infrastructure slopes. Professionals other than civil engineers, such as ecologists, agriculturists, botanists, environmentalists, and hydrologists, would also find the book relevant and useful.
Plant-microbiome Interactions for Climate-resilient Agriculture
by Umesh Pankaj Ashok Kumar Singh Piyoosh BabeleThis book provides research-based advancements into the effects of changing environmental conditions on the diverse plant-symbiont community. It summarizes the mechanisms employed by the microorganisms to improve plant tolerance towards the extreme climatic conditions. These mechanisms include metabolite exchange and metabolic cross-talk in the microbiome-root-shoot-environment nexus. This book also describes the recently discovered phenomenon, systematically-induced root exudation of metabolites, which explains how the rhizosphere microbiome governs the plant metabolism by inducing a systemic shift in root exudate metabolites. This book is then concluded by highlighting the role of advanced meta-omics tools and systemic metabolic engineering approaches in generating climate-resilient crops and microbes to tackle the cumulative degradation of soil health in agro-ecosystems. This book is a reference for students, researchers and policymakers working in the field of microbiology, soil science, plant science, climate change and sustainable agriculture.
Plantation Crops, Plunder and Power: Evolution and exploitation (Earthscan Food and Agriculture)
by James F. HancockOver the last five centuries, plantation crops have represented the best and worst of industrialized agriculture – "best" through their agronomic productivity and global commercial success, and "worst" as examples of exploitative colonialism, conflict and ill-treatment of workers. This book traces the social, political and evolutionary history of seven major plantation crops – sugarcane, banana, cotton, tea, tobacco, coffee and rubber. It describes how all of these were domesticated in antiquity and grown by small landowners for thousands of years before European traders and colonists sought to make a profit out of them. The author relates how their development and spread were closely associated with government expansionist policies. They stimulated the exploration of far off lands, were the focus of major conflicts and led to the enslavement of both native and displaced peoples. From the southern United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, to Asia and Africa, plantation crops turned social structures upside down leading to revolution and government change. The economies of whole countries became tied to the profits of these plantations, leading to internal power struggles to control the burgeoning wealth. Open warfare routinely broke out between the more powerful countries and factions for trade dominance. This book shows that from the early 1500s to today, at least one of the plantation crops was always at the center of world politics, and that this still continues today, for example with the development of oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia. Written in an accessible style, it is fascinating supplementary reading for students of agricultural, environmental and colonial history.
Plantations Privatization Poverty and Power: Changing Ownership and Management of State Forests (The Earthscan Forest Library)
by James Mayers Michael GarforthPrivate sector delivery of state services is increasingly common worldwide, and state forest plantation management is no exception. Increasingly governments are transferring rights and responsibilities to the private sector for state-owned plantations. Some claim that this is the road to achieving sustainable forest management, greater contributions to local livelihoods and poverty reduction, others disagree. This book examines the evidence and explores the many issues raised by these changing relationships between the state, the private sector and local livelihoods. Experiences from around the world are described through seven case studies from Australia, China, Chile, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and key lessons and clear guidance are provided on how governments can best achieve a balance between private and public involvement while continuing to deliver the key social goods and services expected by all citizens.
Plantations and Protected Areas: A Global History of Forest Management (History for a Sustainable Future)
by Brett M. BennettHow global forest management shifted from an integrated conservation model to a bifurcated system of timber plantations and protected areas.Today, the world's forests are threatened by global warming, growing demand for wood products, and increasing pressure to clear tropical forests for agricultural use. Economic globalization has enabled Western corporations to export timber processing jobs and import cheap wood products from developing countries. Timber plantations of exotic, fast-growing species supply an ever-larger amount of the world's wood. In response, many countries have established forest areas protected from development. In this book, Brett Bennett views today's forestry issues from a historical perspective. The separation of wood production from the protection of forests, he shows, stems from entangled environmental, social, political, and economic factors. This divergence—driven by the concomitant intensification of production and creation of vast protected areas—is reshaping forest management systems both public and private. Bennett shows that plantations and protected areas evolved from, and then undermined, an earlier integrated forest management system that sought both to produce timber and to conserve the environment. He describes the development of the science and profession of forestry in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe; discusses the twentieth-century creation of timber plantations in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia; and examines the controversies over deforestation that led to the establishment of protected areas. Bennett argues that the problems associated with the bifurcation of forest management—including the loss of forestry knowledge necessary to manage large ecosystems for diverse purposes—suggest that a more integrated model would be preferable.
Planters, Merchants, and Slaves: Plantation Societies in British America, 1650-1820 (American Beginnings, 1500–1900)
by Trevor BurnardAs with any enterprise involving violence and lots of money, running a plantation in early British America was a serious and brutal enterprise. Beyond resources and weapons, a plantation required a significant force of cruel and rapacious men--men who, as Trevor Burnard sees it, lacked any better options for making money. In the contentious Planters, Merchants, and Slaves, Burnard argues that white men did not choose to develop and maintain the plantation system out of virulent racism or sadism, but rather out of economic logic because--to speak bluntly--it worked. These economically successful and ethically monstrous plantations required racial divisions to exist, but their successes were always measured in gold, rather than skin or blood. Burnard argues that the best example of plantations functioning as intended is not those found in the fractious and poor North American colonies, but those in their booming and integrated commercial hub, Jamaica. Sure to be controversial, this book is a major intervention in the scholarship on slavery, economic development, and political power in early British America, mounting a powerful and original argument that boldly challenges historical orthodoxy.
Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
by Thomas Rainer Claudia West“As practical as it is poetic. . . . an optimistic call to action.” —Chicago Tribune Over time, with industrialization and urban sprawl, we have driven nature out of our neighborhoods and cities. But we can invite it back by designing landscapes that look and function more like they do in the wild: robust, diverse, and visually harmonious. Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is an inspiring call to action dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can flourish in our cities and suburbs. This is both a post-wild manifesto and practical guide that describes how to incorporate and layer plants into plant communities to create an environment that is reflective of natural systems and thrives within our built world.
Plants And Society
by Estelle Levetin Karen McMahonThis introductory, one quarter/one-semester text takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between plants and people. The authors strive to stimulate interest in plant science and encourage students to further their studies in botany. Also, by exposing students to society's historical connection to plants, Levetin and McMahon hope to instill a greater appreciation for the botanical world. Plants and Society covers basic principles of botany with strong emphasis on the economic aspects and social implications of plants and fungi.
Plants and BioEnergy
by Maureen C. Mccann Marcos S. Buckeridge Nicholas C. CarpitaA country's vision for developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is typically propelled by three important drivers - security, cost, and environmental impact. The U. S. currently accounts for a quarter of the world's total oil consumption, with domestic demands necessitating - at an ever growing cost - a net import of more than 50% of the oil used in this country. At the same time, Brazil, because of its forward thinking on energy strategy, is today energy independent. As emerging economies around the world increase their petroleum use by large margins and as large fractions of that new consumption are necessarily supplied from unstable parts of the world, the inevitable repercussions on petroleum-driven economies will continue to escalate. In addition, there is an unequivocal imperative to take immediate and aggressive measures to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing fossil fuel consumption and increasing our use of carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuels as well as improving efficiency of fuel use. Economic growth and development worldwide depend increasingly on secure supplies of reliable, affordable, clean energy. Together with its counterpart societies, was convened the First Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy, which was held in June, 2008, in Mérida, Mexico. Sponsored by the American Society of Plant Biologists, this congress was designed to initiate Pan-American research collaborations in energy biosciences. At that congress, the organizational committee committed themselves to continue the meeting biennially, resulting in the 2nd Pan-American Congress on Plants and BioEnergy to be held with the endorsement of ASPB, July 6-10, 2010, in São Paulo, Brazil. Whereas the 1st congress covered a broad range of topics that bioenergy impacted, the second congress will focus more on the advances in plant biology: the genetic improvement of energy crop plants, their fit into regional environments, and the development of a sustainable energy agriculture.