Books in the Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Crop Plants series

In this volume, world leaders in potato research review historical and contemporary discoveries resulting in a range of advances. Topics include nutritional quality, yield, disease and insect resistance, processing, plant growth and development, and other aspects. The book also examines research yielding significant molecular resources that facilitate breeding, linkage and gene mapping, cytology, functional and structural genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Future research developments that are likely to significantly advance efforts to understand and improve the potato are also explored.

The sunflower has fascinated mankind for centuries. The oilseed sunflower contributes approximately ten percent of the worldΓÇÖs plant-derived edible oil and the confection type sunflower holds a considerable share of the directly consumed snacks market. In addition, sunflower is also grown as an ornamental for cut flowers, as well as in home gardens. We are now embarking on the age of genomics which will expedite the process of genetic improvement of crops. There has been an explosion of information on genetic markers, DNA sequences, and genomic resources for most major food crops including sunflower. This volume is intended to bridge traditional research with modern molecular investigations on sunflower.

Sequencing of the maize genome has opened up new opportunities in maize breeding, genetics and genomics research. This book highlights modern trends in development of hybrids, analysis of genetic diversity, molecular breeding, comparative and functional genomics, epigenomicsand proteomics in maize. The use of maize in biofuels, phytoremediation and pharmaceuticals is also highlighted. Current research trends, future research directions and challenges are discussed by a panel of experts from all over the world.

Eucalypts are used for the production of paper products, firewood, charcoal, potential feedstocks for bioenergy and biomaterials, as ornamentals and landscape trees, and in land rehabilitation. .

The last two decades has been the most exciting period in cucurbit genetic, genomic and breeding research especially for cucumber, melon and watermelon and cucumber became the first cucurbit to be sequenced, after other field crops such as rice, sorghum, soybean and maize. This book provides an in-depth review of the state-of-the-art of genetic and genomic research conducted in cucurbits in 13 chapters by 34 internationally renowned scientists and will be useful to cucurbit researchers as well as scientists working in other crops.

Cool season grain legumes including pea, faba bean, lentil, chickpea and grass pea are extensively grown in many parts of the world. They are a primary source of proteins in human diet. This volume deals with the most recent advances on genetics, genomics and breeding of these crops. The "state of the art" for the individual crops differs; however, their phylogenetic proximity justifies the utility of the knowledge available in one crop for speeding up researches and improvement in other crops. The first five chapters are devoted individually to the five crops followed by four chapters presenting comprehensive reviews on recent advances in the fields of functional genomics, comparative genomics, proteomics and metabolomics and transgenesis and three general chapters on nitrogen fixation, broomrapes and future prospects. This book contains information useful not only to the scientists and scholars working on the cool season grain legumes but also to those working on other legume species.

Peanut, an amphidiploid, is an important food and oil crop and has an interesting evolutionary history. This book provides a glimpse of the advances in genetic resources and genomics research of peanut made during the last decade. It contains an overview of germplasm, advances in genetic and genomic resources, genetic and trait mapping, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, functional and comparative genomics studies, and molecular breeding applications. This book should prove useful to students, teachers, and young researchers as a ready reference to the latest information on peanut genetics and genomics.

This book presents the implications of the genomic revolution for conifers, which go all the way from a better understanding of the evolution of these organisms to new knowledge about the molecular basis of quantitative trait variation, both playing important roles in their domestication. Internationally reputed researchers in this field have contributed to this book, reviewing the genetics, genomics and breeding of conifers.

Grapevine is a highly valuable crop worldwide, both from a cultural as well as a commercial point of view. One of its major advantages is that it is well adapted to scarce water conditions. The main object of grapevine breeding is to develop varieties that are resistant to pathogens and at the same time well-adapted to a changing environment. Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a concerted effort by the international scientific community to develop genomic tools and resources for grapevine, culminating in its complete genome sequence. The book reviews these efforts and their usefulness for grapevine breeding and viticulture improvement.

Written by researchers representing six countries and 28 institutions, this book highlights the development of the genus Populus as a model organism for tree genomics. Reflecting an impressive depth of coverage, the contributors¿ thorough reviews and analyses of Populus genomics provide insight into future discoveries about the basic biology of this fascinating genus and paves the way for applied breeding and genetic improvement of poplars.

Due to their diversity, vegetable Brassicas are of great economic import and offer unique opportunities to enrich our knowledge about plant growth, development, and rapid phenotypic evolution. By applying emerging genomic technologies, we may greatly increase our understanding of the Brassica biology and breeding efficiency. This volume contains 11 chapters contributed by 34 specialists with extensive experience in genetics, molecular breeding, and genomics of vegetable Brassicas. Recent achievements and new technologies presented in this book will provide support to further research the genetics and genomics of vegetable Brassica crops and facilitate their genetic improvement.

In addition to human consumption, the soybean is a major protein source in animal feeds and is becoming a major crop for biodiesel production. Bridging traditional research with modern molecular investigations on soybean, this volume explores the advances in soybean genome mapping, molecular breeding, genomics, sequencing, and bioinformatics.

The sunflower has fascinated mankind for centuries. The oilseed sunflower contributes approximately ten per cent of the world's plant-derived edible oil. This title intends to bridge traditional research with modern molecular investigations on sunflower.