If you look around right now, chances are you'll see a plant. It could be a succulent in a pot on your desk, grasses or shrubs just outside your door, or trees in a park across the way. Proximity to plants tends to make us happy, even if we don't notice, offering unique pleasures and satisfactions. Open your eyes to the phenomenal and exciting world of botany!

“This should be the cornerstone of every gardener’s library.” —Jeff Gillman, Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens What happens inside a seed after it is planted? How are plants structured? How do plants reproduce? The answers to these and other questions about complex plant processes can be found in the bestselling Botany for Gardeners. First published in 1990 with more than 260,000 copies sold, it has become the go-to introduction to botany for students and gardeners. Now in its fourth edition, Botany for Gardeners has been expanded and updated. It features a revised interior, with new photos and illustrations that clarify the concepts clearer than ever before. Additional updates address scientific advances, changes in nomenclature and taxonomy, and more. As before, Botany for Gardeners shares accessible information about how plants are organized, how they have adapted to nearly all environments on earth, their essential functions, and how they reproduce.

The last few years have seen an explosion of new information andresources in the areas of plant molecular genetics and genomics. Asa result of developments such as high throughput sequencing, we nowhave huge amounts of information available on plant genes. But howdoes this help people charged with the task of improving cropspecies to create products with altered functions or improvedcharacteristics? This volume considers ways in which the new information,resources and technology can be exploited by the plant breeder.Examples in current use will be quoted wherever possible.

The scientific knowledge, learning, practice and understanding related to the management, cultivation and production of crops is known as crop science. There are various types of crops which are dealt with in this field such as food crops, cash crops and horticulture crops. Crop science makes use of principles from a diverse range of disciplines such as breeding, genetics, management and production. The application of scientific and organized knowledge for solving practical problems is known as crop technology. Some of the technological interventions which fall within this discipline are seed technologies, agronomic technologies and hybrid technologies. This book unfolds the innovative aspects of crop science which will be crucial for the progress of this field in the future. The topics included herein on this field are of utmost significance and bound to provide incredible insights to readers. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge.