Advances in Agriculture Environment and Health

Indian agriculture has been in crisis for many years and the country is now facing high inflation and rising food prices. Food and health security is a crosscutting issue targeting the most food insecure areas. This book has compiled chapters that are imperative to meet the current and futuristic needs for sustainable agriculture, animal and health security. A multi-disciplinary group of eminent scientists from India and abroad have contributed chapters to bring out this vital book. Chapters deal with the various subject's viz. exploitation of heterosis breeding to increase productivity, horticulture development in high altitudes, production of quality fruits by using phyto-hormones, sustainable fruits and vegetables production and it's postharvest management. Some chapters also describe the researches on seabuckthorn and its sustainable resource management. Importance of medicinal plant biodiversity of trans Himalaya, soil - water salinity and management options, carbon sequestration of orchards, stress induced changes in burley tobacco seed development, agriculture extension through local institutions and storage studies of biodiesel in cold desert has also been discussed. The importance of biotechnological approaches for enhancing crop productivity and sustainable agriculture has been emphasized. The unraveling of rice-wheat synteny using single copy genes, molecular biology of rutin biosynthesis in buck wheat, development of short duration quality protein maize hybrids, and molecular characterization of indigenous crops of Ladakh has been elaborated. The sustainable fodder production for livestock, strategies for poultry production, broiler rabbit as a source of meat & fur, and fisheries potential in high altitudes has been presented in detail. The book also deals with biomedical aspects viz. bio-medical systems and products for high altitude applications, endothelin-1 and high altitude pulmonary hypertension, hypoxic trainings and essential hypertension, genetics of high altitude pulmonary hypertension and adaptation and mal-adaptation to ambient hypoxia.