At a time when much of humanity is already but one failed harvest removed from starvation, we cannot afford to ignore any potential danger to food security, especially when that danger poses a threat to rice, the staff of life for so much of the world. Crop Ferality and Volunteerism brings together research pioneers from various disciplines

The genetic modification of crops continues to be the subject of intense debate, and opinions are often strongly polarised. Environmental Impact of Genetically Modified Crops addresses the major concerns of scientists, policy makers, environmental lobby groups and the general public regarding this controversial issue, from an editorially neutral standpoint. Included is a chapter by Bruce Tabashnik on the recent discovery of the first documented case of field-evolved resistance to a crop genetically modified to carry the gene for the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin. While the main focus is on environmental impact, food safety issues for both humans and animals are also considered. The book concludes with a discussion on the future of agricultural biotechnology in the context of sustainability, natural resource management and future global population and food supply.

As the world’s population rises to an expected ten billion in the next few generations, the challenges of feeding humanity and maintaining an ecological balance will dramatically increase. Today we rely on just four crops for 80 percent of all consumed calories: wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans. Indeed, reliance on these four crops may also mean we are one global plant disease outbreak away from major famine. In this revolutionary and controversial book, Jonathan Gressel argues that alternative plant crops lack the genetic diversity necessary for wider domestication and that even the Big Four have reached a “genetic glass ceiling”: no matter how much they are bred, there is simply not enough genetic diversity available to significantly improve their agricultural value. Gressel points the way through the glass ceiling by advocating transgenics—a technique where genes from one species are transferred to another. He maintains that with simple safeguards the technique is a safe solution to the genetic glass ceiling conundrum. Analyzing alternative crops—including palm oil, papaya, buckwheat, tef, and sorghum—Gressel demonstrates how gene manipulation could enhance their potential for widespread domestication and reduce our dependency on the Big Four. He also describes a number of ecological benefits that could be derived with the aid of transgenics. A compelling synthesis of ideas from agronomy, medicine, breeding, physiology, population genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, Genetic Glass Ceilings presents transgenics as an inevitable and desperately necessary approach to securing and diversifying the world's food supply.

When one is privileged to participate long enough in a professional capacity, certain trends may be observed in the dynamics of how challenges are met or how problems are solved. Agricultural research is no exception in view of how the plant sciences have moved forward in the past 30 years. For example, the once grand but now nearly forgotten art of whole plant physiology has given way almost completely to the more sophisticated realm of molecular biology. What once was the American Society of Plant Physiologists’ is now the American Society of Plant Molecular Biology; a democratic decision to indemnify efforts to go beyond the limits of the classical science and actually begin to understand the underlying biological basis for genetic regulation of metabolic mechanisms in plants. Yet, as new technologies open windows of light on the inner workings of biological processes, one might reminisce with faint nostalgia on days long past when the artisans of plant physiology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry and other scientific disciplines ebbed and waned in prominence. No intentional reference is made here regarding Darwinism; the plant sciences always have been extremely competitive. Technology is pivotal. Those who develop and/or implement innovative concepts typically are regarded as leaders in their respective fields. Each positive incremental step helps bring recognition and the impetus to push a scientific discipline forward with timely approaches to address relevant opportunities.

As the world debates the risks and benefits of plant biotechnology, the proportion of the global area of transgenic field crops has increased every year, and the safety and value continues to be demonstrated. Yet, despite the success of transgenic field crops, the commercialization of transgenic horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits, nuts, and or

Reviewing the relevant scientific and technical literature, this work summarizes the current state-of-the-art knowledge related to gene flow and introgression (the permanent incorporation of genetic information from one set of differentiated populations into another) between genetically modified crops and their wild relatives. They analyze the biological framework for protecting the genetic integrity of indigenous wild relatives of crops in centers of crop origin and diversity, focusing on the issues of emission, dispersal, and deposition of pollen and/or seed; the likelihood and extent of gene flow from crops to wild relatives; and stabilization and the spread of traits in wild species. The material is organized into crop chapters, each of which covers general biological information of the crop; the most important crop wild relatives together with information about their ploidy levels, diverse genomes, centers of origin, and geographic distribution; the crop's potential for hybridization with its wild relatives; pollen flow studies related to pollen dispersal distances and hybridization rates; the current state of the genetic modification technology regarding that crop; and research gaps. The crop chapters discuss banana and plantain; barley; canola and oilseed rape; cassava, manioc, and yucca; chickpea; common bean; cotton; cowpea; finger millet; maize and corn; oat; peanut and groundnut; pearl millet; pigeonpea; potato; rice; sorghum; soybean; sweet potato, batata, and camote; and wheat and bread wheat.

This book deliberates on the concept, strategies, tools, and techniques of allele mining in oilseed crops and its application potential in genome elucidation and improvement, including studying allele evolution, discovery of superior alleles, discerning new haplotypes, assessment of intra- and interspecific similarity, and studies of gene expression and gene prediction. Available gene pools in global germplasm collections, specifically consisting of wild allied species and local landraces for almost all major crops, have facilitated allele mining. The development of advanced genomic techniques, including PCR-based allele priming and Eco-TILLING-based allele mining, is now widely used for mining superior alleles. Allele's discovery has become more relevant now for employing molecular breeding to develop designed crop varieties matching consumer needs and with genome plasticity to adapt to climate change scenarios. All these concepts and strategies, along with precise success stories, are presented in the chapters dedicated to the major oilseed crops. 1. This is the first book on the novel strategy of allele mining in oilseed crops for precise breeding. 2. This book presents genomic strategies for mining superior alleles underlying agronomic traits from genomic resources. 3. This book depicts case studies of PCR-based allele priming and Eco-TILLING based allele mining. 4. This book elaborates on gene discovery and gene prediction in major oilseed crops. This book will be useful to students and faculties in various plant science disciplines, including genetics, genomics, molecular breeding, agronomy, and bioinformatics; scientists in seed industries; and policymakers and funding agencies interested in crop improvement.