Part anthropological history and part memoir, this book is a unique study of the polity of the colonial-princely state of Kanker in central India. The author, a scion of the erstwhile ruling family of Kanker, delves into the oral accounts given in the ancestral deity practices of the mixed tribe-caste communities of the region to highlight popular narratives of its historical polity. As he struggles with his own dilemmas as ethnographer-king, what comes into view is a polity where the prin...

Goats are the predominant domestic livestock, and certainly the predominant small ruminant, in most of Asia, Africa and the warmer parts of Europe. Important for meat, milk, fibre and leather production, their widescale production and husbandry allows many opportunities for the spread of disease between livestock and their keepers. Taking a One Health approach to the issue, this book provides clear, accurate and comprehensive coverage of the zoonotic diseases of goats. Including informatio...

This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of current achievements and future possibilities for the application of epigenetic and epigenomic techniques to the improvement of crops. Creating crops more resilient to the stresses caused by climate change will be an important part of a climate-smart and sustainable agriculture strategy for the future. All critical environmental stressors are explored: temperature, salt, drought, pollutants, pests, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The exciting...

Providing well over 1,500 questions to test your knowledge of clinical farm animal medicine, the book has been produced in a convenient format so that it can be used at any time in any place. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction to the topic before providing relevant multiple-choice questions. Covering clinical veterinary medicine for common livestock species, this book includes questions about: - clinical examination; - electrolyte balance and fluid therapy; - diseases by body sy...

This book is an effort to let ourselves be familiar with the “Present” the same “Present” which is magnificent and all thriving by itself. But somehow, we all remain chained to the trivial rhythm of the past and the future to such a great extent that when our “Precious Present” is transformed into a weak past, we don’t even realize it.Unknowingly, we just let go of our “Present” bit by bit, which is a real source of unlimited recourses, uncountable opportunities and unimaginable suc...

The effects of climate change on food production and security are many and varied and represent one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. As the human population increases there is increasing pressure on land availability and water resources. In many staple crops, warming temperatures have caused decreases in overall yields but at the same time the demand for cheaper and more sustainable food has increased. This edited volume examines the effects of climate change on all aspects...

The book addresses and documents farmers' risks in developing and emerging economies. It draws lessons from experimental economics on measuring risk preferences, attitudes, gender differences in managing risks, and risk management strategies in countries across Africa and Asia. It argues policy makers, especially in emerging economies, need a better understanding of farmers' attitudes toward risk and choices of risk management strategies when designing policies to support production agricu...

The fight against global hunger demands a fresh perspective. Lesser-known legumes, often called 'potential pulses', can play a pivotal role. These underutilized powerhouses, including adzuki bean, bambara groundnut, faba bean, cowpea, grass pea and horse gram, among others, are currently untapped resources. Their potential goes beyond their ability to thrive in harsh environments (caused by high temperature, drought, etc.) and fix nitrogen. With increased understanding of these legumes and...

Identification of desirable genotypes with traits of interest is discernible for making genetic improvement of crop plants. In this direction, screening of a large number of germplasm for desirable traits and transfer of identified traits into agronomic backgrounds through recombination breeding is the common breeding approach. Although visual screening is easier for qualitative traits, its use is not much effective for quantitative traits and also for those, which are difficult to score v...

The Beans and the Peas: From Orphan to Mainstream Crops presents a comprehensive literature resource on the most important food legume crops previously known as "orphans," but which are increasingly becoming mainstream as their production opportunities have been improved through genetic improvement and biotechnology, and their role as an important nutrient source gains urgency. This book focuses on 12 important food legumes and discusses all relevant aspects on their economic importance, c...

Grain legumes provide an excellent source of dietary protein, carbohydrates, iron and zinc. Their role in promoting human and soil health, and environmental sustainability, is appreciated by the global scientific communities. Impressive research progress has been made on the development of improved varieties, matching production and protection technologies, biofortification and post-harvest management of food legumes. The genetic improvement has been, due in large part, to the advent of mo...

Genetic engineering and biotechnology along with conventional breeding have played an important role in developing superior cultivars by transferring economically important traits from distant, wild and even unrelated species to the cultivated varieties which otherwise could not have been possible with conventional breeding. There is a vast amount of literature pertaining to the genetic improvement of crops over last few decades. However, the wonderful results achieved by crop scientists i...