Due to their diversity, vegetable Brassicas are of great economic import and offer unique opportunities to enrich our knowledge about plant growth, development, and rapid phenotypic evolution. By applying emerging genomic technologies, we may greatly increase our understanding of the Brassica biology and breeding efficiency. This volume contains 11

The book describes the history of Brassica oilseed crops, introduces the Brassica genome, its evolution, diversity, classical genetic studies, and breeding. It also delves into molecular genetic linkage and physical maps, progress with genome sequencing initiatives, mutagenesis approaches for trait improvement, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinfo

This book presents comprehensive information on genetics, genomics and breeding in Brassica oleracea, an agriculturally important species that includes popular vegetable crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, savoy, kohlrabi, and gai lan. The content spans whole genome sequencing, assembly and gene annotation for this global vegetable species, along with molecular mapping and cloning of genes, physical genome mapping and analyses of the structure and composition of centromeres in the B. oleracea genome. The book also elaborates on asymmetrical genome evolution and transposable elements in the B. oleracea describes gene family differentiation in comparison to other Brassica species and structural and functional genomic resources and data bases developed for B. oleracea. Useful discussions on the impact of genome sequencing on genetic improvement in the species are also included.

The Genetics and Genomics of the Brassicaceae provides a review of this important family (commonly termed the mustard family, or Cruciferae). The family contains several cultivated species, including radish, rocket, watercress, wasabi and horseradish, in addition to the vegetable and oil crops of the Brassica genus. There are numerous further species with great potential for exploitation in 21st century agriculture, particularly as sources of bioactive chemicals. These opportunities are reviewed, in the context of the Brassicaceae in agriculture. More detailed descriptions are provided of the genetics of the cultivated Brassica crops, including both the species producing most of the brassica vegetable crops (B. rapa and B. oleracea) and the principal species producing oilseed crops (B. napus and B. juncea). The Brassicaceae also include important “model” plant species. Most prominent is Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant species to have its genome sequenced. Natural genetic variation is reviewed for A. thaliana, as are the genetics of the closely related A. lyrata and of the genus Capsella. Self incompatibility is widespread in the Brassicaceae, and this subject is reviewed. Interest arising from both the commercial value of crop species of the Brassicaceae and the importance of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species, has led to the development of numerous resources to support research. These are reviewed, including germplasm and genomic library resources, and resources for reverse genetics, metabolomics, bioinformatics and transformation. Molecular studies of the genomes of species of the Brassicaceae revealed extensive genome duplication, indicative of multiple polyploidy events during evolution. In some species, such as Brassica napus, there is evidence of multiple rounds of polyploidy during its relatively recent evolution, thus the Brassicaceae represent an excellent model system for the study of the impacts of polyploidy and the subsequent process of diploidisation, whereby the genome stabilises. Sequence-level characterization of the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa are presented, along with summaries of comparative studies conducted at both linkage map and sequence level, and analysis of the structural and functional evolution of resynthesised polyploids, along with a description of the phylogeny and karyotype evolution of the Brassicaceae. Finally, some perspectives of the editors are presented. These focus upon the Brassicaceae species as models for studying genome evolution following polyploidy, the impact of advances in genome sequencing technology, prospects for future transcriptome analysis and upcoming model systems.

Genetic improvement has played a vital role in enhancing the yield potential of vegetable crops. There are numerous vegetable crops grown worldwide and variable degrees of research on genetics, breeding and biotechnology have been conducted on these crops. This book brings together the results of such research on crops grouped as alliums, crucifers, cucurbits, leaf crops, tropical underground and miscellaneous. Written by eminent specialists, each chapter concentrates on one crop and covers cytology, genetics, breeding objectives, germplasm resources, reproductive biology, selection breeding methods, heterosis and hybrid seed production, quality and processing attributes and technology. This unique collection will be of great value to students, scientists and vegetable breeders as it provides a reference guide on genetics, breeding and biotechnology of a wide range of vegetable crops.

This book dispenses a comprehensive coverage of up-to-date account of genomics and genome editing enriched smart plant breeding approaches for enhancing genetic gains in vegetable crops in the post-genomics era. The main focus of the present volume is to illuminate the applications of new techniques evolved in the post-genomics era. The techniques covered are high-throughput sequencing of DNA and RNA, genome editing, epigenetics and epigenomics, genotype by sequencing (GBS), QTL-seq and RNA-seq for transcriptome analysis. Vegetables are the important component of healthy diet, source of energy and hold a promising position in building up a strong immunity. Zero hunger and attaining the food and nutritional security is the top priority of United Nations development goals. Smart breeding of food and vegetable crops to fight the challenges ahead in sustainable manner by keeping the harmony with nature is an important approach to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). This edited book highlights the modern results in smart vegetable breeding in the post genomics era and forecasts crucial areas of future needs. It is an important reference for the, readers, students, researchers, scientists in academia and research industries to provide them comprehensive information of innovative approaches for crop improvement in the post-genomics era and in the era of and climate change. Even the readers, academia, social activists, and others fond of reading will get a fair idea of journey travelled so far and future roadmap for fighting the challenges ahead to meet the sustainable development goals.

Cool season grain legumes including pea, faba bean, lentil, chickpea, and grass pea are extensively grown in many parts of the world. They are a primary source of proteins in human diet. This volume deals with the most recent advances in genetics, genomics, and breeding of these crops. The "state of the art" for the individual crops differs; howeve