Plant Breeding and Whole-System Crop Physiology: Improving Adaptation, Maturity and Yield

by CABI

Overview

Improvements in adaptation and maturity leading to greater yield are the most important criteria for the acceptance of a new crop cultivar, since it is the yield which dictates the economic value of the crop. Therefore, yield improvement is one goal of virtually every crop breeding program. Many such programs have tended to concentrate on identifying the genetic traits responsible for higher yield and selecting each of them in the later stages of the breeding cycle. However, selection for yield per se is still the most effective method, since it is a combination of traits, operating within the limits of the system, which finally determines yield.

This book presents a whole-system, or holistic viewpoint for the improvement of adaptation, maturity and yield. Central to its thesis is recognition that system-established changes in levels of the components of the plant system, within a constant capacity, i.e. within the limitations of the system, determines yield and other cultivar characteristics. It goes on to describe how this can improve our understanding of plant systems and enable breeders to maximize performance under prevailing field conditions. Based principally on 25 years of research by the authors, the ideas presented in this book are essential reading for crop physiologists and plant breeders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780851992655
Publisher:	CABI
Publication date:	06/01/1998
Series:	Cabi Series
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Charles Martin is a New York Times bestselling author of nine previous novels, including his most recent book Unwritten. His work has been translated into seventeen languages. When not writing, his hobbies include bow hunting, working out (a blend of old school stuff and martial arts, called Fight Fit), and Tae Kwon Do, in which he currently has a black belt, though he notes he is "the least flexible person you've ever met." He lives with his wife, Christy, and their three sons in Jacksonville, Florida.

Table of Contents

Preface

Editorial Reviews

"Presenting a whole-system viewpoint for the improvement of adaptation, maturity, and yield in crops, this volume's thesis is that yield and other quantitative traits are determined by system-established changes among levels of all the components of the plant system, which itself functions at a near constant capacity dictated by the limits of the environment. Based on research conducted by the Wallace (plant breeding and biometry, emeritus, Cornell U.) and Yan (crop science, U. of Guelph, Canada), the text provides guidance to help plant breeders to maximize yield under prevailing field conditions by reaching a compromise between the levels of the system components. Suitable for professionals and advanced students in crop physiology and plant breeding."—SciTech Book News

Many scientists in today's agricultural research sector are aware of a trend toward funding reductive research projects at the expense of whole-systems research. This book carries the laudable premise that whole-system research should complement reductive research efforts toward the goal of improving agriculture. The book is divided into nine sections, including the relationship between photosynthate, partitioning and photoperiodic gene activity, the vernalization response and temperature, genotype x environment interactions, and breeding for adaption and yield. The greatest strength of this book is its suggestion that there is value to a systems perspective in crop biology. Through theoretical models and substantial field data, the authors do an excellent job persuading crop biologists to consider more realistic and holistic models in estimating important yield-related parameters in crop production." - I.L. Goldman, HortScience, Vol. 34(6), October 1999

"[A] personal assessment of the relationship between crop physiology and plant breeding and a commentary on the way in which growth and yield has been researched. Workers involved in some aspects of crop research may find [this volume] a useful source of background information and references. The main readership will probably be protagonists in the debate about the contribution of physiology to plant breeding who will be interested in the thoughts of someone ... whose career spanned this era."—The Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher

"I found Unwritten one of those strangely beautiful, exotically original novels whose substance dawns slowly to the reader's consciousness like a glorious sunrise. Do not start this book unless you have time to savor, reflect, and renew. Do, if you have space to fit a memorable reading experience into your life."

Leila Meacham

"A spellbinding novel...Charles Martin took the threads of his storyline and wrapped them around my heart. His unforgettable characters captivate as they confront their hidden pasts and build upon their futures with faith, friendship, and grace."

Elin Hilderbrand

"Charles Martin's latest novel brings to mind the storytelling traditions of Nicholas Sparks and John Grisham. UNWRITTEN is a novel for the heart but it's also one of adventure....UNWRITTEN is a page turner and has all the ingredients to become a box office smash."

Michael Morris