Handbook of Biological Control: Principles and Applications of Biological Control

Book Description

For many years the use of chemical agents such as pesticides and herbicides has been effective in controlling the many varieties of pests that infest both agricultural crops and backyard gardens. However, these pests are gradually becoming resistant to these agents, because the agents themselves are acting as selective factors making the pests better and better able to resist and persist. As a result, the use of biological controlling agents is increasing.
This book is a comprehensive and authoritative handbook of biological control.

Key Features
* Introduction (preface plus 2 chapters)
* Principles and processes (12 chapters)
* Agents, biology, and methods (6 chapters)
* Applications (10 chapters)
* Research (2 chapters)

Tobacco: Production, Chemistry, and Technology

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Tobacco: Production, Chemistry, and Technology

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0632047917

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Including all the processes from seed to smoke, this book explains the science of tobacco - the cultivation of the plant, the leaves, curing, processing, manufacture and the physical and chemical properties of the final product. Breeding and genetics of the tobacco plant are discussed in relation to the new advances in biotechnology. General management practices are outlined for each major tobacco type. The chapter dealing with tobacco diseases also explains management control strategies, the economic losses that can ensue and the effects of diseases on the chemical composition of tobacco. Tobacco insect management from field production to stored product is discussed. Chemical and physical properties and cigarette manufacturing are the focus of three chapters. Tobacco's marketing systems, threshing and processing, ageing, fermentation and storage procedures are included. The book offers a broad view of current tobacco knowledge and practices and discusses the future development of tobacco.

Seeds for the Future: The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment

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Seeds for the Future: The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment
Jennifer A. Thomson
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801473683

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Plants have long been genetically modified through crossbreeding and other basic agricultural techniques to make crops more resilient, nutritious, and profitable. In recent decades, however, advances in genetic engineering--including the ability to blend genetic material from animals with that of plants--have allowed farmers to grow crops that resist insect pests, weeds, viruses, and drought; provide increased iron or beta carotene; deliver vaccines and antibodies; reduce common allergens and pollutants; and augment marketable qualities such as delayed ripening. The complicated scientific, environmental, legal, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding these crops are being hotly debated all over the world. In Seeds for the Future, an internationally respected molecular geneticist and food researcher, Jennifer A. Thomson, describes how these crops are developed, distributed, and regulated.

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Makes a Few Bold Admissions

Plants, Genes, and Agriculture
Maarten J. Chrispeels , and David E. Sadava
Manufacturer: Jones & Bartlett Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0867208716

Book Description

This textbook is intended for introductory courses in agriculture, plant biology, and economic botany. It is about plants, genes, food and people, and about the changing relationship between them. The purpose is to show how agriculture is changing throughout the world, and to discuss the role that genes and genetic engineering are playing in this change.

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Makes a Few Bold Admissions.......2005-03-21

This book contains twenty chapters plus a comprehensive index. Each chapter is written by a distinguished individual in his or her field. Each chapter consists of general opening remarks, detailed information about the subject of each chapter, a chapter summary at the end of each chapter, discussion questions and a list of references for further reading. The lead authors have created a text that would serve double duty as either an adequate text for an introductory lower division course on agronomy/plant sciences, or as a supplemental text for an upper division plant biology course which looks at the social and ethical dimensions of biotechnology and genetically modified organisms.

All the contributors share the belief that agricultural biotechnology in its current manifestation is merely an extension of biology in the natural world, and is but one consequence of Watson & Crick's monumental discovery. Chrispeels and Sadava, the two contributors responsible for compiling the text, boldly state that the biggest beneficiaries of the new GM technology will be those living in the developing countries, and as such reflects the standard party line of the pro-ag-biotech groups and organizations.

All inherent biases aside, the book is highly notable because of several bold admissions made throughout the text. First, the authors readily admit that agricultural biotechnology has no defensible place or justification in a world currently awash in plentiful food, but at the same time, they do believe that biotechnology will play an important role in tomorrow's world agriculture. Second, the also readily concede that distribution of food, and not its production, is the main culprit for hunger, but other issues do play an important role. Related to this is their admission that the ability to pay for food matters more than the supply of food itself; if people can pay for it, they will get it (here their words on the subject echo many of the thoughts put forth by Amartya Sen, and before him, Susan George). Third, they admit that most scientists working in the field of population and demography in the late 1960s and early 1970s made flat out wrong predictions about the infamous 'population bomb', and that predictions made today many not come to pass tomorrow- they are just guesses about the future. Here they appear to be backing away from the incendiary rhetoric of environmental luminaries such as Paul Ehrlich and Lester Brown. Fourth, and quite possibly the boldest admission of the text, was their concession that agricultural biotechnology has been oversold. Apparently, they saw fit to stop short of saying that ag-biotech has been and continues to be hyped into the stratosphere, but their very admission alone is satisfactory, as they later lay most of the blame for today's hysteria and urban myths surrounding ag-biotech and GM technologies upon the overselling of the technologies, where it justifiably belongs.

Indeed, the authors' concern for the overselling of the promise and potential of biotechnology is readily apparent in the final chapter of the book, where they address the myths and realities of agricultural biotechnology. However, even the authors can not resist the temptation to sell the reader on the potential benefits of an agricultural biotechnology, and the book includes chapters on integrated pest management incorporating the scientific advances of ag-biotech (Chapter 16), weed control strategies using biotechnology (Chapter 17), GM technology as a tool for promoting green agriculture (Chapter 18), and the use of plants as biological factories (Chapter 19).

Generally speaking, Chapters 1 through 5 lay down the rationale for incorporation of ag-biotech in food production, and chapters 6 through 15 explain the how to, the ins and outs of the technology and how genetic modification of crops is achieved. Also, chapters 6 through 15 cover all the standard topics one would find in a regular course on agronomy, crop science and plant biology, from plant cell and molecular biology, plant growth and development, seeds and seed technology, the ins and outs of photosynthesis and the physical, biological and environmental factors associated with it, soils and root zone systems, nitrogen cycling, to the historical basis for crop breeding (with some paleo-anthropological perspectives) and the gradual leap from breeding via classical techniques to modern, biotech based methods. Chapter 15 also looks at crop disease and its management from a molecular genetic standpoint, and strikes me as a means to include students in plant pathology.

Additionally, the authors paid considerable attention to the problems and challenges of agriculture in Third World countries, in an attempt to demonstrate the veracity of their belief that GM technology can do much to assist the inhabitants there. However, in the process, they belatedly demonstrate that these technologies have been developed to address symptoms of more complex and fundamental problems having an economic, environmental and/or socio-historical basis. Yet, the authors must be credited for admitting that the real need in developing countries is for more research support to address their specific physical and environmental conditions, and for demonstrating that in every single instance where consumer incomes rise and the socio-economic status of women advances, there is an inevitable decrease in birth rates, hunger and malnutrition.

Thus, the contributors freely admit that their research and scientific activities chase phantom problems and non-problems. They also admit, albeit obliquely, that ag-biotech in its current manifestation does not address the needs or the fundamental problems faced in the developing or the developed world. In fact, on the one hand, researchers have occupied themselves with testing the limits of GM technology, seeing what they can do, and exploring different directions, while on the other hand, government institutions and corporations have directed their efforts at technological developments for which they have proprietary control, and increasingly, total control over distribution and other supporting activities. Alas, the authors have chosen, perhaps unwisely, to offer any comments on this state of affairs, and what it may mean for everyone.

In sum, this book makes quite a few bold admissions, some directly, but most indirectly, and as such, is a necessary read for those interested in the topics of ag-biotech, genetic modification technologies, food production and safety, and crop science in general. It is definitely a good and comprehensive book, containing a level of honesty highly uncommon among textbooks on the subject(albeit couched among questionable pitches about potential benefits of ag-biotech), and its sources for further reading are indispensable. I highly recommend the text to anyone looking to place this contentious scientific topic within a social and ethical context.

Seeds Handbook: Biology, Production,Processing, and Storage, Second Edition, (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)

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Seeds Handbook: Biology, Production,Processing, and Storage, Second Edition, (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)
Babasaheb B. Desai
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 082474800X

Book Description

Revised and expanded throughout, this latest edition of the bestselling Seeds Handbook: Biology, Production, Processing, and Storage includes valuable information on all areas of seed biology, production, and processing. The author, one of the most respected and prolific scientists in the field, identifies current developments in seed testing and certification, storage, transportation, and distribution. Tracking the evolution and advancement of seed industries and technologies, he fully covers the development and supply of high-quality seeds for every key agronomic and horticulture crop. Contains methods to enhance the genetic and physiological characteristics of more than 80 major and minor crops With an abundance of current research and additional figures and illustrations, this edition of the Seeds Handbook offers chapters on modern biotechnological issues such as the production of synthetic seeds, loss-reduction biotechnologies, and new strategies in the seed production industry. It provides in-depth information on burgeoning areas of seed science including tissue culture and cellular totipotency, induction and regeneration protocols, development and maturation, hormone requirements, drying and storage of somatic embryos, protective encapsulation, and crop applications. With an eye to the future, it looks at challenges in the provision and enhancement of seeds for crop plants, practical methods of seed production and micropropagation, genetically modified seeds, and world food security.

Factors Affecting Calf Crop: Biotechnology of Reproduction

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Factors Affecting Calf Crop: Biotechnology of Reproduction

Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849311179

Book Description

In today's world, we are witnessing simultaneous breakthroughs in reproductive technologies, genomics, and molecular biology. Advances in molecular genetic technology and understanding of the bovine genome have led to the development of tools that can be used to enhance profitability on cow-calf enterprises. Factors Affecting Calf Crop: Biotechnology of Reproduction provides a detailed compilation of current and forthcoming technology for managing reproduction in cattle. The book discusses topics such as: approved techniques for controlling the estrous cycle in cattle; managing follicular growth with progesterone, estrogens, and prostaglandins; freezing, thawing, and transfer of cattle embryos; application of embryo transfer to the beef cattle industry; embryo transfer in topically adapted cattle; new factors affecting bull fertility; embryo collection and utilization technology, in vitro fertilization, somatic cell cloning, and genetic technologies; uses of real-time ultrasound; and sexed semen. Over 25 leading animal scientists have combined their expertise to produce the first single-source reference that covers successful reproductive techniques that will, most likely, be the wave of the future. Expansive in scope, the book addresses current biotechnologies as they impact the production of beef cattle. Written at a level to appeal to the researcher, commercial producer, or student, Factors Affecting Calf Crop: Biotechnology of Reproduction presents you with a wealth of technologies applicable to animal agriculture.

Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops (Biotechnology in Agriculture Series)

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Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops (Biotechnology in Agriculture Series)
Richard E. Litz
Manufacturer: CABI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0851996620

Book Description

This book is a comprehensive reference work on our current knowledge of the biotechnology of all the major temperate, sub-tropical and tropical fruit and nut crops of the world. It is in part a new edition of Biotechnology of Perennial Fruit Crops (eds Hammerschlag and Litz, CABI, 1992), but differs from the previous book by covering more fruit crops as well as nuts, and also omitting general methods chapters. Contributors are leading researchers from the Americas, Europe, Australasia and Africa.

Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature

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these reviewers blindly regirgitate antiscience gibberish
Explore genetically modified food and its dangers...
Essential Reading
A must read for anyone who eats (and thats everyone!)
Please read this for yourself and your loved ones!

Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature
Martin Teitel , and Martin Teitel Ph.D.
Manufacturer: Park Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0892819480
Release Date: 2001-04-01

Book Description

• The book that takes a comprehensive look at the threat to our food supply from genetic engineering.

• 15,000 copies sold in the first six months.

• Includes new studies about the dangers of genetically engineered food.

• Refutes the "feed the poor" propaganda spread by agribusinesses.

• Is both an expose and educational primer on this controversial technology that is already a part of every American's diet.

• Explains the dangers of these foods to ourselves and our environment in easily understood terms.

Picture a world?
• Where the french fries you eat are registered as a pesticide, not a food.
• Where vegetarians unwittingly consume fish genes in their tomatoes.
• Where corn plants kill monarch butterflies.
• Where soy plants thrive on doses of herbicide that kill every other plant in sight.
• Where multinational corporations own the life forms that farmers grow and legally control the farmers' actions.

That world exists
These things are all happening, and they are happening to you.
Genetically engineered foods--plants whose genetic structures are altered by scientists in ways that could never occur in nature--are already present in many of the products you buy in supermarkets, unlabeled, unwanted, and largely untested. The threat of these organisms to human and environmental health has caused them to be virtually banned in Europe, yet the U.S. government, working hand-in-hand with a few biotech corporations, has actively encouraged their use while discouraging labeling that might alert consumers to what they are eating. The authors show what the future holds and give you the information you need to preserve the independence and integrity of our food supply.

What can you do?
First, inform yourself.
Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature is the first book to take a comprehensive look at the many ramifications of this disturbing trend.

Authors Martin Teitel and Kimberly Wilson explain what genetic engineering is and how it works, then explore the health risks involved with eating organisms never before seen in nature. They address the ecological catastrophe that could result from these modified plants crossing with wild species and escaping human control altogether, as well as the economic devastation that may befall small farmers who find themselves at the mercy of mega-corporations for their livelihood. Taking the discussion a step further, they consider the ethical and spiritual implications of this radical change in our relationship to the natural world, showing what the future holds and giving you the information you need to act on your own or to join others in preserving the independence and integrity of our food supply.

Customer Reviews:

these reviewers blindly regirgitate antiscience gibberish.......2004-05-14

This book is garbage. Tell me of one documented case of human ill-effects from GMO's and maybe I will sway. Recently the Zambian gov't turned down 18000 tons of emergency grain from the US because it was GM. People died of starvation as a result. At least take the time to get the other side of the story before taking this book as the gospel truth. I respect Nader for alot of the things he has done. This book is certainly not on that list.

Explore genetically modified food and its dangers..........2001-06-12

I first heard about the issue of genetically modified (GMO) food a few years ago when the protest movement against it began in Great Britain and then spread to the rest of Europe. However, I did not know the issues involved...

After reading this book, I think I have a better grasp on the problems with GMO foods as contrasted to traditional food. The most shocking assertion I found in the book is that GMO foods do not offer any benefits (whether it be higher yields, higher nutritional value etc...). I have not done enough research to verify this either way but if true that would be quite shocking.

Some of the interesting things I learned in the book:

- GMO science is quite imprecise. Researchers are often not sure if the insertion of foreign genes into a host (e.g. a plant) will have the predicted results or not.

- The immense size of some GMO companies, notably the American firm Monsanto. (To give some perspective: Microsoft is to the software industry as Monsanto is to the GMO industry)

One of the most pressing concerns for me was the commercialization of agriculture. For example, Monsanto spent $8 billion US in the first half of 1998 buying out seed companies (a few companies may end up owning patents to all the seeds in the world if this is left unchecked). The new trend of patenting seeds is also creating a dependency on the part of the farmers. Prior to GMO, farmers would save the seeds from their better crops and plant those next years. GMO companies, through contracts and other legal instruments, now insure that farmers buy from them EVERY year and they penalize the farmers if they attempt to save seeds. The whole concept of OWNING plants and organisms was very disturbing (it was interesting to note that a little known US Supreme Court decision Diamond v. Chakrabarty 1980 set a precedent in patenting life)

There was also some discussion of whether GMO foods should be labeled as such (the authors argue that GMO foods should be labeled). Of course, this is done in Western Europe, so there is no question of whether this is possible. GMO companies are vigorously fighting this, fearing that the public will immediately stop buying their products.

The main content of the book consisted of documenting various cases where GMO foods have caused problems of some sort or another. There was an interesting point made on how much of an influence GMO companies have on the Food and Drug Administration in the US. There was also an introductory section on genetic engineering, so the beginner will not get lost.

The authors offered a personal strategy whereby one can try to publicize the issue, find alternatives to buying and eating GMO foods and so on. The authors are clearly of the view that GMO foods are, at best, a strange unknown and, at worst, a foolish risk.

I took off a star off because the writing could have been better and the authors made their agenda a little too obvious. It would have improved the book if they had included and responded to some of the pro-GMO counter-arguments.

Essential Reading.......2001-03-13

The authors have succeeded in putting forward a well-researched and well-argued overview of genetically modified food which the layman can understand. It deals not just with the science, but with the moral, ethical and political debate. With one of the agri-giants reputed to be developing a courgette with a human conscience, this book examines the far reaching implications of genetic engineering.

A must read for anyone who eats (and thats everyone!).......2001-03-11

This is a well written book that provides the facts about modern genetically modified foods such as corn and soy and explores the different avenues by which these foods can be harmful to us as well as other animals.

The book does not tell you what you should do, but it really does not have too because the evidence the authors provide is so compelling, that anyone who reads this book will think twice about their next purchase at the store.

The book also explores the nature by which large corporations such as Novartis and Monsanto are able to saturate the market with their products before ample (or any kind of) testing is performed. Monsanto is also on the path to a closed loop business whereby they sell the farmers the GMO seeds which in turn require the pesticide (or other chemical) also manufactured by saiid company and the farmer must also pay a technology fee for using the seed!

A must read!

Please read this for yourself and your loved ones!.......2001-02-21

Did you know that there are tomatoes on the market right now that have been engineered to contain the genes of arctic fish? Know anyone with a fish allergy? Or that the proliferation or GM foods threatens the existence of "organic" foods and your right to choose? Cross-pollenation and genetic pollution of soil threaten the health of you, your family and our environment. This slim volume is a fascinating (if horrifying) read and contains a comprehensive and realistic list of things you can DO ABOUT IT, in your kitchen, in your neighborhood and in your country. I'm buying copies for several friends.

Book Description

This book brings together experts from a variety of perspectives on bioengineered food, which holds the promise of radically reducing hunger in the third world but which is mired in political controversy.

Genetic Resources of PHASEOLUS Beans: Their Maintenance, Domestication, Evolution and Utilization (Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture)

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Genetic Resources of PHASEOLUS Beans: Their Maintenance, Domestication, Evolution and Utilization (Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9024736854
Release Date: 2007-03-30

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