The pomegranate, Punica granatum L., is one of the oldest known edible fruits and is associated with the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. This is the first comprehensive book covering the botany, production, processing, health and industrial uses of the pomegranate. The cultivation of this fruit for fresh consumption, juice production and medicinal purposes has expanded more than tenfold over the past 20 years. Presenting a review of pomegranate growing, from a scientific and horticultural perspective, this book provides information on how to increase yields and improve short- and medium-term grower profitability and sustainability.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Plant Genetics and Biotechnology in Biodiversity" that was published in Diversity

Maintaining food security in the face of human population increase and climate change is one of the critical challenges facing us in the 21st Century. Utilisation of the full range of agrobiodiversity will be a necessary tool in addressing this challenge. In this book a team of international contributors review all aspects of utilization and conservation of crop wild relative (CWR) and landrace (LR) diversity as a basis for crop improvement and future food security. This book will appeal to a wide array of specialists and postgraduate students, such as those working in the fields of agrobiodiversity conservation and use, conservation, ecology, botany, genetics, plant breeding and agriculture.

This publication contains a number of reports prepared for a high-level conference on issues relating to biological and landscape diversity in European agricultural policies, held in Paris in June 2002. The conference made recommendations to states and relevant organisations and provided input to policy work and programmes within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministerial Conference on Environment for Europe , the Convention to Combat Desertification and the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and national policy developments.