Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a multipurpose crop (food, feed, fodder and fuel) that has the potential as an alternative biofuel feedstock without impacting food and fodder security. This chapter entitled ‘‘Sweet sorghum: From theory to practice’’ discusses on the historical developments in sweet sorghum and immense range of genetic variability that was available in major sorgh...

Crops with the C(4) photosynthetic pathway are vital to global food supply, particularly in the tropical regions where human well-being and agricultural productivity are most closely linked. While rising atmospheric [CO(2)] is the driving force behind the greater temperatures and water stress, which threaten to reduce future crop yields, it also has the potential to directly benefit crop physio...

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is probably the most drought tolerant legume crop and it is also resistant to moderate salinity. In drought prone areas the plant is considered an insurance crop for subsistence farmers. During drought-triggered famines, grass pea can be the only food available and a lifesaver. In addition, grass pea is valuable for its abundant nutrients, especially protein and ...

The place of information in addressing market access and participation limitation, which hinders farmer’s welfare and poverty reduction efforts in many developing countries, cannot be over-emphasized. This study therefore examined the use of mobile phone in the marketing of food crops among farming households in rural south east, Nigeria. A multi stage sampling procedures was used in the select...

There is a growing demand for healthy and safe food, strategy against an increasing risk of biotic factors such as disease, and threats to agricultural and food production from changing global climate condition. Nanotechnology is a new discipline and developed innovative tools to revolutionize the agricultural and food industry through diagnosis and treatment of diseases, enhancing the ability ...

Members of the genus Dioscorea, food yams, were introduced to Jamaica from Africa during the slave era and have remained a staple in local diets and national cuisine. Yam cultivation has also been an important economic activity providing employment for thousands of rural Jamaicans. Until the 1960s yams were grown for local use by subsistence growers for home consumption or by commercial growers...

In present world, inequality and uncertainty is high in section of agriculture production and food security of a great amount of people in developing countries is not supplied. Based on studies of international organizations, about a third of produced food for human consumption in worldwide is lost or wasted. While in developing countries, there is price enhancement, decrease in access to healt...

Soil contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural lands, in part, is responsible for limiting the crop productivity and the food chain contamination. The objective of this study were to asses the limiting of crop productivity by cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), the potential transfer and bioaccumulation of these PTEs in plants, and ultimately the food chain contamination to e...

This publication is written for those looking for a way out of the high risk, long hours, low pay, poor prices, and dim future associated with conventional cash crop production. There are viable alternatives to continuing in the cash crop business for those who can adjust their thinking. Finding alternatives to commodity crop production is the focus of this publication. Certain principles provi...

Reducing tillage intensity offers the possibility of moving towards sustainable intensification objectives. Reduced tillage (RT) practices, where the plough is not used, can provide a number of environmental and financial benefits, particularly for soil erosion control. Based on 2010 harvest year data from the nationally stratified Farm Business Survey and drawing on a sub-sample of 249 English...