Legumes are very important plants playing a central role in biological research. They are a key component of sustainable agricultural systems because of symbiotic nitrogen fixation and other beneficial symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi. Studies on most of the major leguminous crops are hampered by large genome sizes and other disadvantages which have hindered the isolation and characterisation of genes with important roles in legume biology and agriculture. For this reason Lotus japonicus was chosen as a model species for legume research some ten years ago. Since then, many groups around the world have adopted Lotus as a model and have developed numerous resources and protocols to facilitate basic and applied research on this species. This handbook represents the first effort to compile basic descriptions and methods for research in Lotus, including symbiotic processes, cell and molecular biology protocols, functional genomics, mutants, gene tagging and genetic analysis, transformation and reverse genetic analysis, primary and secondary metabolism, and an exhaustive update of the scientific literature available on this plant.

Legumes are very important plants playing a central role in biological research. They are a key component of sustainable agricultural systems because of symbiotic nitrogen fixation and other beneficial symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi. Studies on most of the major leguminous crops are hampered by large genome sizes and other disadvantages which have hindered the isolation and characterisation of genes with important roles in legume biology and agriculture. For this reason Lotus japonicus was chosen as a model species for legume research some ten years ago. Since then, many groups around the world have adopted Lotus as a model and have developed numerous resources and protocols to facilitate basic and applied research on this species. This handbook represents the first effort to compile basic descriptions and methods for research in Lotus, including symbiotic processes, cell and molecular biology protocols, functional genomics, mutants, gene tagging and genetic analysis, transformation and reverse genetic analysis, primary and secondary metabolism, and an exhaustive update of the scientific literature available on this plant.

The burgeoning demand on the world food supply, coupled with concern over the use of chemical fertilizers, has led to an accelerated interest in the practice of precision agriculture. This practice involves the careful control and monitoring of plant nutrition to maximize the rate of growth and yield of crops, as well as their nutritional value.

This is the newest title in the successful Molecular Plant Biology Handbook Series. Just like the other titles in the series this new book presents an excellent overview of different approaches and techniques in Metabolomics. Contributors are either from ivy-league research institutions or from companies developing new technologies in this dynamic and fast-growing field. With its approach to introduce current techniques in plant metabolomics to a wider audience and with many labs and companies considering to introduce metabolomics for their research, the title meets a growing market. The Kahl books are in addition a trusted brand for the plant science community and have always sold above expectations.

This book provides insights into some of the key achievements made in the study of Lotus japonicus (birdsfoot trefoil), as well as a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. Key topics covered include endosymbiosis, development, hormone regulation, carbon/nitrogen and secondary metabolism, as well as advances made in high-throughput genomic and genetic approaches. Research focusing on model plants has underpinned the recent growth in plant genomics and genetics and provided a basis for investigations of major crop species. In the legume family Fabaceae, groundbreaking genetic and genomic research has established a significant body of knowledge on Lotus japonicus, which was adopted as a model species more than 20 years ago. The diverse nature of legumes means that such research has a wide potential and agricultural impact, for example, on the world’s protein production.

Maize is one of the world’s highest value crops, with a multibillion dollar annual contribution to agriculture. The great adaptability and high yields available for maize as a food, feed and forage crop have led to its current production on over 140 million hectares worldwide, with acreage continuing to grow at the expense of other crops. In terms of tons of cereal grain produced worldwide, maize has been number one for many years. Moreover, maize is expanding its contribution to non-food uses, including as a major source of ethanol as a fuel additive or fuel alternative in the US. In addition, maize has been at the center of the transgenic plant controversy, serving as the first food crop with released transgenic varieties. By 2008, maize will have its genome sequence released, providing the sequence of the first average-size plant genome (the four plant genomes that are now sequenced come from unusually tiny genomes) and of the most complex genome sequenced from any organism. Among plant science researchers, maize has the second largest and most productive research community, trailing only the Arabidopsis community in scale and significance. At the applied research and commercial improvement levels, maize has no peers in agriculture, and consists of thousands of contributors worthwhile. A comprehensive book on the biology of maize has not been published. The "Handbook of Maize: the Genetics and Genomics" center on the past, present and future of maize as a model for plant science research and crop improvement. The books include brief, focused chapters from the foremost maize experts and feature a succinct collection of informative images representing the maize germplasm collection.