CURRENT ADVANCES IN Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) is a gram-positive soil bacterium used as one of the entomopathogen to manage lepidopteran pests in field as well as in horticultural crop pests. The various formulation of B.t. were successfully used to protect the environment and foods from the contamination of chemical pesticide residues in pest management. The discovery of B.t. toxins with novel insecticidal activity against pests and the development of genetically modified plants opened a new era of pest management. Transgenic B.t. crops, including maize, cotton and soya bean, have now been produced and commercialized to protect crops against about 30 major coleopteran and lepidopteran pests, greatly benefiting the environment and the economy. However, with the long-term cultivation of B.t. crops, some target pests have gradually developed resistance. Numerous studies have indicated that mutations in genes for toxins activation, toxin-binding and insect immunization are important sources in B.t. resistance. An in-depth exploration of the corresponding B.t. resistance mechanisms will aid in the design of new strategies to prevent and management of pests.
Fungus to Fortune
Are you ready to turn your passion for mushrooms into a thriving, income-generating business? How to Start a Profitable Mushroom Farming Business is your complete, step-by-step guide to growing, marketing, and selling gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Whether you're a backyard hobbyist, a small-scale farmer, or an aspiring entrepreneur, this book provides the practical knowledge and inspiration you need to launch and scale a successful mushroom operation. Inside, you'll learn: Why mushroom farming is one of the most sustainable and profitable agricultural businesses today How to choose the right mushroom varieties for your goals and climate What tools, substrates, and systems you need to set up your grow space Techniques for inoculation, incubation, fruiting, harvesting, and pest control Strategies for selling locally, building a brand, and setting up online and subscription sales Real-world case studies and lessons from growers who turned small-scale grows into full-time income Tips on recordkeeping, licensing, budgeting, and writing your own business plan With actionable advice, real-life stories, and expert insights, this book takes the guesswork out of mushroom farming and replaces it with clarity, confidence, and proven strategies for success. Whether you're growing oyster mushrooms in your garage or dreaming of running a commercial farm, this book is your trusted companion on the path to a profitable mushroom business.
Weathering the Storm
Weathering the Storm: Farmer Resilience and Strategies for Crop Losses provides a vital exploration of these issues, offering insights into the struggles and resilience of farmers in the wake of devastating crop losses.
Hydroponic Farming - A Modern Agriculture Technique
In a world where traditional farming faces increasing challenges such as water scarcity, land degradation, and climate change, hydroponic farming offers a sustainable and innovative solution. Hydroponic Farming - A Modern Agriculture Technique explores the cutting-edge practices that are revolutionizing agriculture, enabling farmers to grow fresh produce with less water, land, and pesticides. This book provides a comprehensive guide to hydroponic farming, offering practical insights into various systems, nutrient management, environmental control, and crop selection. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced grower, it provides valuable tips for maximizing yields while minimizing environmental impact.
In Botanical Time
How do some plants live for thousands of years? Which adaptations and evolutionary strategies allow them to thrive in some of the harshest places on the planet for so long--and so well? Renowned plantsman, author, and longtime botanical garden designer Christopher Woods takes readers on a popular science exploration of twenty-three of the world's most amazing species, seeking answers to these questions by explaining their incredible survival mechanisms. Woods emphasizes how human cultures have interacted with plants over time and what we may, critically, be able to learn from them about sustainability in extreme climates. Some species will be familiar to readers, while some are outright surprising--such as the aptly named Welwitschia mirabilis, which lives happily in the Namib Desert for up to two thousand years, although many of those years receive zero precipitation. With over two hundred color images and lively, accessible text, In Botanical Time highlights fascinating facts about each charismatic plant, encouraging conservation for these species and leading us toward larger lessons about the rapidity with which humans have caused--and are causing--species to adapt. "Woods' compassion for these trees, shrubs, and herbaceous wonders shines on every page."--AHS American Gardener Magazine
Gardener's Companion to Pests and Diseases
Discover simple and effective solutions for over 80 common garden pests and diseases from the global experts at the UK's leading botanic garden, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. From aphids to ants, the ever-persistent snails, leaf spot, fruit rot, and much more, dealing with garden pests and diseases is a problem that all gardeners struggle with. As we have become aware of the harm that traditional pesticides can cause to the wider environment, as well as the importance of biodiversity, it has become more complex than ever. How do we protect and care for our plants while also gardening in an environmentally-friendly way? In this fully-illustrated guide, the experts from Kew share their simple tips and techniques for prevention as well as clear advice for treating established problems. Written with the benefit of your whole garden in mind, this book focuses on practical ways to work with nature so that you can create and maintain a thriving backyard. Covering some 88 problems, the experts at Kew introduce each pest and disease, explain the conditions in which they occur, how to catch them at early stages, and how to react when it takes hold. Start your journey to better plant health and a thriving yard today with this comprehensive reference - essential reading for every gardener.
Joseph Francis Rock (1884-1962). Travel Diaries of a Botanist and Ethnographer from Lanzhou to Koko Nor (Qinghai) 1925 and from Chone to Songpan 1927 (Eastern Tibet / West China)
Joseph Francis Rock (1884-1962), indefatigable traveler, explorer, botanist and ethnographer, was not only a very successful plant hunter but also a celebrated expert on the Naxi culture in Yunnan, Southwest China. He published the results of his studies in a number of articles, both for a larger audience, e.g. in the National Geographic Magazine with stunning color photographs, and in extensive monographs for the academic community. In addition, he documented his travels in field diaries, which were not meant for publication but to supplement his books and articles in the form of vivid travelogues. Hartmut Walravens has already published a number of Rock's materials, a phytogeography of SW China, correspondence with other scholars and several field diaries. These travel diaries contain descriptions of two trips Rock undertook as part of his expedition to Southwest China from 1924 to 1926 on behalf of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, which he organized from Chone in Gansu Province (famous for printing of the Chone Kanjur, a corpus of the Lamaist Canon in Tibetan). Both travelogues are of great interest - the first, which led from Gansu via Xining to Qinghai (Kuku Nor, "Blue Lake") largely through desert-like country, was successful not for the dendrologist but for the geographer and the ornithologist (Rock collected also for Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology). The second trip describes the hasty travel from Chone to Shanghai, when foreigners were advised to leave China for security reasons; the circumstances were adventurous and did not offer many opportunities for collecting. Nevertheless, the expedition was able to recover around 20,000 botanical specimens and 1,000 bird skins. With maps and index.
The Flowers of Good
A hypnotizing investigation with decolonial undertones that aims to destigmatize marijuana from a scientific and cultural perspective Cannabis's recent history has been marked by politically motivated prohibition, despite centuries of cultivation. How did we get here and what can we do about it? In The Flowers of Good, neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro offers a brief history of the ancient herb and describes how collective human achievements domesticated this incredibly versatile plant and how racism and conservatism conspired to demonize it. Presented as an urgent debate that seeks to break down prejudices and engender dialogue, The Flowers of Good draws on history, culture, personal testimonies, memoir, and scientific rigor to combat misinformation about cannabis and reveal its potential. In accessible, engaging prose, Ribeiro explains the science behind marijuana's remarkable ability to treat everybody from children with epilepsy to seniors with dementia. With the medicinal use of marijuana is no longer questioned by science, the rest of culture is finally starting to catch up. The Flowers of Good explores this new chapter in humanity's history with marijuana, going beyond the scientific aspects of the substance to examine its use in connection with sport, work, study, sex, sleep, and religion--all aimed at improving quality of life.
The Light Eaters
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The New Yorker's Best Books of 2024 - TIME's 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 - New York Magazine's 10 Best Books of the Year - Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction of 2024 - Smithsonian's 10 Best Science Books of the Year - A Best Book of the Year: Boston Globe, Scientific American, New York Public Library, Christian Science Monitor, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly - An Amazon Best Nonfiction Book of the YearLonglisted for the National Book Critics Circle Nonfiction Prize - Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize - Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize - Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History"A masterpiece of science writing." -Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass"Mesmerizing, world-expanding, and achingly beautiful." -Ed Yong, author of An Immense World"Rich, vital, and full of surprises. Read it!" -Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth Extinction Award-winning Atlantic staff writer Zo禱 Schlanger delivers a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom, "destabilizing not just how we see the green things of the world but also our place in the hierarchy of beings, and maybe the notion of that hierarchy itself." (The New Yorker)It takes tremendous biological creativity to be a plant. To survive and thrive while rooted in a single spot, plants have adapted ingenious methods of survival. In recent years, scientists have learned about their ability to communicate, recognize their kin and behave socially, hear sounds, morph their bodies to blend into their surroundings, store useful memories that inform their life cycle, and trick animals into behaving to their benefit, to name just a few remarkable talents.The Light Eaters is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence. In looking closely, we see that plants, rather than imitate human intelligence, have perhaps formed a parallel system. What is intelligent life if not a vine that grows leaves to blend into the shrub on which it climbs, a flower that shapes its bloom to fit exactly the beak of its pollinator, a pea seedling that can hear water flowing and make its way toward it? Zo禱 Schlanger takes us across the globe, digging into her own memories and into the soil with the scientists who have spent their waking days studying these amazing entities up close.What can we learn about life on Earth from the living things that thrive, adapt, consume, and accommodate simultaneously? More important, what do we owe these life forms once we come to understand their rich and varied abilities? Examining the latest epiphanies in botanical research, Schlanger spotlights the intellectual struggles among the researchers conceiving a wholly new view of their subject, offering a glimpse of a field in turmoil as plant scientists debate the tenets of ongoing discoveries and how they influence our understanding of what a plant is.We need plants to survive. But what do they need us for--if at all? An eye-opening and informative look at the ecosystem we live in, this book challenges us to rethink the role of plants--and our own place--in the natural world.
The Book of Garden Flowers
Christopher Stocks feeds our affection for flowers by revealing the fascinating stories behind some of the most familiar and unusual plants to be found in creative gardens today. Designed in a similar format to The Book of Wild Flowers, The Book of Garden Flowers focuses on nineteen of artist Angie Lewin's favorite garden flowers, and includes reproductions of her paintings and illustrations, many of them created especially for the book. Tips for care and cultivation are also included. The Book of Garden Flowers will appeal to anyone who loves flowers, as well as fans of Angie Lewin, who is widely admired for her alluring images of the natural world.
Instant Insights: Controlled Environment Agriculture
This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on controlled environment agriculture.The first chapter summarises rapid improvements in the technology used for plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs), including developments in automation, lighting, climate control, sensors and algorithms.The second chapter briefly discusses the sustainability of indoor vertical farms (IVF) and details best practices for conducting an environmental sustainability assessment of IVFs using the life cycle assessment methodology.The third chapter reviews the advent of soilless culture systems (SCSs) and their role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable agriculture. The chapter considers the range and variety of horticultural crops which can be grown in SCSs.The fourth chapter details recent advances in screenhouse design for protected cultivation and describes the common types of structures and materials used by growers. The chapter also addresses whether increasing water-use efficiency in screenhouses is possible.The final chapter provides an overview of the ornamentals industry and the technological advances improving its efficiency and sustainability, such as the implementation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems to manipulate plant growth and development.
Cereal Crops
This book compiles information on genetic resources and genomics to facilitate the identification of specific germplasms, trait mapping, cropping systems, and genome engineering needed for more effective development of biotic and abiotic stress resistant cereals. It presents practical approaches for enhancing crop production in a sustainable way.
