Agronomi og planteproduktion

Bioremediation of Emerging Contaminants from Soils: Soil Health Conservation for Improved Ecology and Food Security deals with current challenges of sustainable soil health using eco-friendly approaches. This book provides ways of reducing the chemical burden on the soil by maintaining balance in terms of society, environment, and economy, which are considered basic pillars of sustainability. Designed to highlight soil health best practices for both environmental and agricultural sustainability, these approaches are also considered important for improving global food security by ensuring safe growing conditions for crops for food and feed.?Presented in two parts, this book first highlights emerging contaminants and their sources.?The second part explores a variety of steps and tools for addressing contaminated soils, including bio- and phytoremediation options.?Case studies in each part provide real-world insights for practical application.

Wheat (Triticum L.), an annual herbaceous plant in Poacae (Gramineae) family, settles in the Triticeae (Hordeae) subfamily. The grasses (Poaceae Barnhart) are the fifth largest (monocotyledonous flowering) plant family and of great importance for human civilization and life. Cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, barley, and millet are the domesticated ones in the family. It is still the most vital economical plant family in modern times, providing food, forage, building materials (bamboo, thatch), and fuel (ethanol). Wheat has many accessions in national and international gene banks. The estimated number of wheats by FAO in 2010 is 856,000, and, followed by rice (774,000), and barley (467,000). However, the recent consumer's (misdirected) focus on gluten content and nutritional value urges scientists to reexamine their knowledge about wheat (i.e., origin, evolution, and general and special quality characteristics), as well as their wild relatives and landraces for newer possible genetic resources. Cultured or non-cultured ancestral wheats: einkorn, emmer, wild emmer, spelt, macha, and vavilovii are still limitedly grown on the higher areas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Israel, and Balkan countries. They are exploited mostly for their desired agronomic, and specific quality. In some cultures, wheat species are believed to be therapeutic, with bioactive compounds that reduce and inhibit stubborn illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer, and cardiovascular diseases. In this book, we summarize the importance of ancestral wheat species, and provide a prospect for their future with special considerations in terms of species conservation and improvement.