Breeding Plantation Tree Crops: Tropical Species

Author: Shri Mohan Jain
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387712011
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 654

Book Description
Tree species are indispensable to support human life. Due to their long life cycle and environmental sensitivity, breeding trees to suit day-to-day human needs is a formidable challenge. Whether they are edible or industrial crops, improving yield under optimal, sub-optimal and marginal areas calls for uni?ed efforts from the s- entistsaroundtheworld. Whiletheuniquenessofcoconutaskalpavriksha(Sanskr- meaning tree-of-life) marks its presence in every continent from Far East to South America, tree crops like cocoa, oil palm, rubber, apple, peach, grapes and walnut prove their environmental sensitivity towards tropical, sub-tropical and temperate climates. Desert climate is quintessential for date palm. Thus, from soft drinks to breweries to beverages to oil to tyres, the value addition offers a spectrum of pr- ucts to human kind, enriched with nutritional, environmental, ?nancial, social and trade related attributes. Taxonomically, tree crops do not con?ne to a few families, but spread across a section of genera, an attribute so unique that contributes immensely to genetic biodiversity even while cultivated at the commercial scale. Many of these species in?uence other ?ora to nurture in their vicinity, thus ensuring their integrity in p- serving the genetic biodiversity. While wheat, rice, maize, barley, soybean, cassava andbananamakeup themajorfoodstaples,manyfruittreespeciescontributegreatly tonutritionalenrichment inhumandiet. Theediblepartofthesespeciesisthesource of several nutrients that makes additives for the daily diet of humans, for example, vitamins, sugars, aromas and ?avour compounds, and raw material for food proce- ing industries. Tree crops face an array of agronomic and horticultural problems in propagation, yield, appearance, quality, diseases and pest control, abiotic stresses and poor shelf-life.

The Agronomy and Economy of Important Tree Crops of the Developing World

Author: K.P. Prabhakaran Nair
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0123846781
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 366

Book Description
Major tree crops contribute substantially to the economy of many developing countries on the Asian, African and Latin American continents. For example, coffee is the main revenue earner for Kenya. This book provides a comprehensive review of the agronomy, botany, taxonomy, genetics, chemistry, economics, and future global prospects of a range of crops that have great food, industrial and economic value such as cocoa, coffee, cashew, oil palm and natural rubber. - Discusses the major tree crops of great economic value to the developing world - The author is an eminent scientist who has won numerous awards for his work in this area

Sexual Reproduction of Tree Crops

Author: M. Sedgley
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 1483289095
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 393

Book Description
Research into the reproductive biology of crop plants has expanded greatly in recent years and has lead to an increasing awareness of the importance of flowering, pollination, and fruit set in crop productivity. This book focuses specifically on tree cultivation. It deals with the basic biology of sexual reproduction and relates this to the practical aspects of tree crop breeding and orchard management for fruit and seed production, in both temperate and tropical species.It is aimed at both students and research scientists in horticulture, forestry, and pollination ecology as well as those working in tree breeding, tree cultivation, and orchard management. The conservation problems of rainforest regeneration in the tropics and subtropics and of changing land use priorities in Europe and North America also make this book of value to those concerned with tree species preservation and survival.

Diseases of Temperate Zone Tree Fruit and Nut Crops

Author: Joseph M. Ogawa
Publisher: UCANR Publications
ISBN: 9780931876974
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 484

Book Description
UC's classic encyclopedic work on the diseases and disorders affecting pome fruits, stone fruits, nuts, olives, figs and several minor fruits grown in temperate zone areas. This comprehensive volume gives the history, causes, symptoms, and control methods for nearly 200 diseases. Includes 56 pages of helpful color plates, an index and extensive references. This is a must have for production consultants, plant pathologists, agricultural libraries and agricultural educators.

Ecophysiology of Tropical Tree Crops

Author: Fábio DaMatta
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781608763924
Category : Plant ecophysiology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Plant physiological research has a fundamental role in advancing our understanding of plants and their interactions with surrounding environments. As occurs with most tropical plant species, the gaps in our knowledge of the ecophysiology of tropical tree crops are incommensurable, though significant advances have occurred in recent years. This book highlights these recent advances, which could provide valuable information to manage crop plants for maximum productivity. Major tropical tree crops, considered here in a broader sense as including species such as banana, cassava, citrus, cocoa, coconut, coffee, mango, oil palm, papaya, rubber, and tea, are examined. For most of these crops, photosynthesis is treated as a central process affecting crop growth and performance. Crop physiological responses to environmental factors such as light and water availability and temperature are highlighted. The flowering control and fruit growth of crops such as citrus, coffee and mango are explored. In addition, several gaps in our database concerning the ecophysiology of tropical tree crops and areas for further research are indicated.

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )

Author: Andy Clark
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437903797
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

Silvopasture

Author: Steve Gabriel
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603587314
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
In this how-to guide, ecologist and forest farmer Steve Gabriel explores the philosophy and techniques behind silvopasture - the integration of trees, animals, and forages in a whole-system approach that creates a number of benefits for livestock, farmers, and the environment. This system not only provides a sustainable farm income, but also holds the key to restoring land, building soil carbon, and creating climate resilience.--COVER.

Farming the Woods

Author: Ken Mudge
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 1603585079
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
Learn how to fill forests with food by viewing agriculture from a remarkably different perspective: that a healthy forest can be maintained while growing a wide range of food, medicinal, and other nontimber products. The practices of forestry and farming are often seen as mutually exclusive, because in the modern world, agriculture involves open fields, straight rows, and machinery to grow crops, while forests are reserved primarily for timber and firewood harvesting. In Farming the Woods, authors Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel demonstrate that it doesn’t have to be an either-or scenario, but a complementary one; forest farms can be most productive in places where the plow is not: on steep slopes and in shallow soils. Forest farming is an invaluable practice to integrate into any farm or homestead, especially as the need for unique value-added products and supplemental income becomes increasingly important for farmers. Many of the daily indulgences we take for granted, such as coffee, chocolate, and many tropical fruits, all originate in forest ecosystems. But few know that such abundance is also available in the cool temperate forests of North America. Farming the Woods covers in detail how to cultivate, harvest, and market high-value nontimber forest crops such as American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, ramps (wild leeks), maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamentals, and more. Along with profiles of forest farmers from around the country, readers are also provided comprehensive information on: • historical perspectives of forest farming; • mimicking the forest in a changing climate; • cultivation of medicinal crops; • cultivation of food crops; • creating a forest nursery; • harvesting and utilizing wood products; • the role of animals in the forest farm; and, • how to design your forest farm and manage it once it’s established. Farming the Woods is an essential book for farmers and gardeners who have access to an established woodland, are looking for productive ways to manage it, and are interested in incorporating aspects of agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening, and sustainable woodlot management into the concept of a whole-farm organism.

Trees, Crops, and Soil Fertility

Author: G. Schroth
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 9780851997926
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 456

Book Description
Annotation. Successful agroforestry requires an understanding of the complex relationship between trees, crops and soils. This book provides a review of both economic and biophysical aspects of soil use and research in agroforestry, with an emphasis on nutrient-poor forest and savanna soils. Key topics covered include the economics of soil fertility management, cycling of water, nutrients and organic matter, soil structure, and soil biological processes. The book combines synthetic overviews of research results and a review of methods used in research.From the foreword: 2The book is written within a particular context - soil fertility development under agroforestry. At first this may seem very specific and thus limited in appeal and application. But over the last decade or so agroforestry research has been one of the most influential in developing new insights into soil biology and fertility and thus provides a very suitable framework for review of progress. Furthermore the influence of trees on soil is profound and of significance beyond agroforestry systems, so the book is likely to be of interest in the wider spheres of agriculture, forestry and ecological sciences.3 Mike Swift, TSBF, Nairobi, Kenya.

Lost Crops of Africa

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309164435
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 380

Book Description
This book is the third in a series evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes 24 little-known indigenous African cultivated and wild fruits that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists, policymakers, and the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each fruit to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each fruit is also described in a separate chapter, based on information provided and assessed by experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume II African vegetables.