Drought remains the biggest single threat from climate change to the production of key cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Cereals also respond in complex ways to drought stress, making improved drought tolerance a challenging trait to achieve. With many cereals recognised as staple food crops due to their nutritional value, more research is required into improving drought tolerance as a means of ensuring the future food security of millions.Developing drou...

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the different applications of phenotyping techniques across agriculture.The first chapter outlines how plant phenotyping has developed over recent decades, driven by factors such as advances in optical sensors, image analysis and automation as well as multidisciplinary cooperation in establishing facilities for high-throughput plant phenotyping.The second chapter reviews the importance of phenotyping in plant breeding program...

This open-access textbook provides a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for students and practitioners wishing to access in a single volume the key disciplines and principles of wheat breeding. Wheat is a cornerstone of food security: it is the most widely grown of any crop and provides 20% of all human calories and protein. The authorship of this book includes world class researchers and breeders whose expertise spans cutting-edge academic science all the way to impacts in farmers’ fields. T...

Comprehensive review of the development of plant phenotyping as a research field in a wide range of scientific communitiesExplores key advances in the use of plant phenotyping techniques to improve yield, growth and resource-use efficiency, such as robotics, aerial systems, sensors and controlled environmentsOffers a detailed analysis of the benefits of plant phenotyping through selected case studies that demonstrate the use of phenotyping techniques in analysing ...

Comprehensive overview of key advances in measuring soil biological, physical and chemical propertiesParticularly strong coverage of developments in measuring soil biological activity, including molecular techniques such as next-generation sequencing as well as improvements in measuring fauna such as earthworms, microbial and fungal communitiesFocus on ways of using analytical techniques in practice through the use of soil health indicators and decision support sy...

Considers best practices for ensuring seed quality and health, such as phenotyping and non-invasive techniques, including hyper=spectral imaging and x-raysProvides a comprehensive review of our understanding of seed biology and the impact of genetic and environmental factors in determining seed longevity, dormancy and rate of seedling emergenceAssesses key challenges facing seed science, including the need to mitigate the effects of climate change on seed quality ...

Assesses key developments in sensor technology to improve monitoring and management of complex agricultural systemsConsiders the growing influence of proximal crop sensors in assessing, monitoring and measuring the health of agricultural soilsExplores the potential of remote and aerial sensing towards achieving sustainable crop production through more targeted irrigation management, site-specific nutrient management and weed management

Urban Climate Change and Heat Islands: Characterization, Impacts, and Mitigation serves as a go to reference for a foundational understanding of urban-climate drivers and impacts. Through the book's comprehensive chapters, the authors help readers identify problems associated with urban climate change, along with potential solutions. Global case studies are included and presented in a way in which they become globally relevant to any urban or intra-urban environment. The authors call on th...

This introductory volume to a new series on Soil Forensics gives a kaleidoscopic view of a developing forensic expertise. Forensic practitioners and academic researchers demonstrate, by their joint contributions, the extent and complexity of soil forensics. their reports exemplify the broad range of sciences and techniques applied in all stages of forensic soil examinations, from investigations at crime scenes to providing evidence that can be used in court proceedings. Moreover the necess...

Modeling Processes and Their Interactions in Cropping SystemsA complete discussion of soil-plant-climate-management processesIn Modeling Processes and Their Interactions in Cropping Systems: Challenges for the 21st Century, a team of distinguished researchers delivers a comprehensive and up-to-date scientific textbook devoted to teaching the modeling of soil-plant-climate-management processes at the upper undergraduate and graduate...

Millions of trees live and grow all around us, and we all recognize the vital role they play in the world’s ecosystems. Publicity campaigns exhort us to plant yet more. Yet until recently comparatively little was known about the root causes of the physical changes that attend their growth. Since trees typically increase in size by three to four orders of magnitude in their journey to maturity, this gap in our knowledge has been a crucial issue to address. Here at last is a synthesis of the...

Butterfly Wing Patterns and Mimicry, Volume 54, provides an essential reference for those interested in molecular Entomology and the study of natural selection. The volume spans work on the genetics of polymorphism in Heliconius butterflies through to a detailed analysis of the role of CRISPR-CAS in dissecting wing patterning. The volume covers both the evolution and fine scale development of both pattern and pigmentation. The role of wing shape is also considered for the first time in a f...