Crop Improvement: Challenges in the Twenty-First Century

About this book

Covering a range of temperate and tropical food and fibre crops, this book addresses physiological and biochemical responses of plants to drought and heat stress, genotype-by-environment interactions, and use of best linear unbiased prediction.

Contents

Contents About the Editor Contributors Foreword Preface Part I: Introduction--Vision Chapter 1. Crop Breeding in the Twenty-First Century Introduction Present Status Summary and Predictions Part II: Crop Improvement Chapter 2. Rice Improvement: Past, Present, and Future Introduction Post-Green Revolution Varieties Impact of Modern Varieties Future Challenges Conclusions Chapter 3. Tropical Maize: Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Productivity and Production Increases Introduction Tropical Maize-Growing Environments Challenges of Maize Improvement for the Tropics New Approaches and Research That Combine Conventional Breeding and Molecular and Biotechnological Tools Moving the Benefits of Maize Genetic Improvement to Farmers Conclusions: Tropical Maize Improvement Needs Chapter 4. Maize Improvement for Resistance to Aflatoxins: Progress and Challenges Introduction Contamination Process Reducing Aflatoxin Contamination in Maize Interrupting/Reducing Toxin Production Ability of the Fungus Concluding Remarks Chapter 5. Sorghum Improvement: Past Achievements and Future Prospects Introduction Sorghum Production, Production Areas, and Importance in the Global Food Systems Evolutionary Genetics and Germplasm Diversity in Sorghum History of Sorghum Improvement Breeding Tools Breeding Objectives and Achievements Current Progress in Biotechnology for Sorghum Improvement Challenges and Future Prospects Chapter 6. The Common Bean and Its Genetic Improvement Origin, Domestication, and Diversity Growth Habits Usage Dry Bean Production Production Problems Traits Deficient in Common Bean History of Improvement Selection Methods Genetic Progress Achieved Difficulties and Challenges Integrated Genetic Improvement Conclusions and Prospects Chapter 7. Sugar Beet Breeding and Improvement Introduction Plant Characteristics and Inheritance Hybrid Production Selection Techniques Agronomic Traits Germplasm Resources Chapter 8. Bananas and Plantains: Future Challenges in Musa Breeding Introduction Overcoming Infertility Barriers New Methods for Manipulating a Multiploidy Crop New Breeding Approaches Summary and Conclusions Chapter 9. Molecular Markers, Genomics, and Cotton Improvement Introduction Use of Molecular Markers in Gossypium Linkage Maps and Their Applications QTLs and Functional Genomics Future Prospects Part III: Crop Issues Chapter 10. Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Plants to Drought and Heat Stress Introduction Water Relations Carbohydrate Metabolism Lipid Peroxidation Protein Synthesis Regulation of Drought and Heat Tolerance Evaluation of Drought and Heat Tolerance Summary Chapter 11. Stability Analysis in Crop Performance Evaluation Introduction The Data Model Selection Two-Way Analysis Three-Way Analysis Discussion Chapter 12. Best Linear Unbiased Prediction: A Mixed-Model Approach in Multienvironment Trials Introduction Mixed Models for Multienvironment Trials Predictive Accuracy of BLUPs Index Reference Notes Included

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