The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the world's most important palms, and contributes significantly to the income and livelihood of many people in tropical countries. Widely referred to as the 'tree of life', coconut has been used as a source of food, drink, oil, medicine, shelter and wood for around 500 years. Every part of the coconut palm can be utilized. The demand for coconut fruit and its products has increased recently as people have become aware of its nutritional and he...

The development of a plant is a multifaceted, dynamic phenomenon. Due to their immobility, plants respond not only to internal developmental cues, but also to changes in the prevailing environmental conditions. Climate change has increased vulnerability in plants due to increasing concentrations of CO2 and other pollutants, and fluctuations in the growing environment. These changes affect crop growth and productivity thereby posing a major risk to global food security.Physiolog...

A "delectably erudite" study of how natural selection has shaped the foods we eat: "This intricate scientific banquet is a marvelous read: bon appétit." — NatureWhat do eggs, flour, and milk have in common? They form the basis of waffles, of course, but these breakfast staples also share an evolutionary function: eggs, seeds (from which we derive flour by grinding), and milk have each evolved to nourish offspring. Indeed, ponder the genesis of your breakfas...

Biotechnology and Biology of Trichoderma serves as a comprehensive reference on the chemistry and biochemistry of one of the most important microbial agents, Trichoderma, and its use in an increased number of industrial bioprocesses for the synthesis of many biochemicals such as pharmaceuticals and biofuels. This book provides individuals working in the field of Trichoderma, especially biochemical engineers, biochemists and biotechnologists, important information on how these valuable fung...

International trade in high value perishables has grown enormously in the past few decades. In the developed world consumers now expect to be able to eat perishable produce from all parts of the world, and in most cases throughout the year. Perishable plant products are, however, susceptible to physical damage and often have a potential storage life of only a few days.Given their key importance in the world economy, Crop Post-Harvest Science and Technology: Perishables dev...

This book provides current information on synthesis of plant hormones, how their concentrations are regulated, and how they modulate various plant processes. It details how plants sense and tolerate such factors as drought, salinity, and cold temperature, factors that limit plant productivity on earth. It also explains how plants sense two other environmental signals, light and gravity, and modify their developmental patterns in response to those signals. This book takes the reader from ba...

The publication of the extensive seven-volume work Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science provided a complete reference encompassing important developments and achievements in modern insect science. One of the most swiftly moving areas in entomological and comparative research is molecular biology, and this volume, Insect Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, is designed for those who desire a comprehensive yet concise work on important aspects of this topic. This volume contains ten fully r...

Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients: Production, Processing and Food Applications describes how insects can be mass produced and incorporated into our food supply at an industrial and cost-effective scale, providing valuable guidance on how to build the insect-based agriculture and the food and biomaterial industry. Editor Aaron Dossey, a pioneer in the processing of insects for human consumption, brings together a team of international experts who effectively summarize the current sta...

In the most recent years, each of the RNA silencing pathways of plants have appeared to generate ncRNAs with dedicated functions, specialized biological activities and specific functional scopes. RNA silencing plays a crucial role in coordinating the expression, stability, protection and inheritance of eukaryotic genomes. It compromises several mechanisms, that invariably depend on core small non coding RNAs and that achieve dedicated sequence-specific functions. RNA silencing has been rec...

An updated guide to the production, science, and uses of vanillaVanilla is a flavor and fragrance in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and a wealth of other products. Now in its second edition, the Handbook of Vanilla Science and Technology provides a comprehensive and updated review of the science and technology used in these items’ production and supply.Featuring contributions from an international range of experts, this revised edition covers a...

Plant hormone signaling plays an important role in many physiological and developmental processes including stress response. With the advent of new post-genomic molecular techniques, the potential for increasing our understanding of the impact of hormone signaling on gene expression and adaptive processes has never been higher. Unlocking the molecular underpinnings of these processes shows great promise for the development of new plant biotechnologies and improved crop varieties.Th...

The past decade has seen major advances in the cloning of genes encoding enzymes of plant secondary metabolism. This has been further enhanced by the recent project on the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome. These developments provide the molecular genetic basis to address the question of the Evolution of Metabolic Pathways. This volume provides in-depth reviews of our current knowledge on the evolutionary origin of plant secondary metabolites and the enzymes involved in their biosynthes...