Explores plant biodiversity, its preservation, and its use to develop crops resistant to pests, thereby reducing world-wide use of chemical pesticides.

This book explores plant biodiversity, its preservation, and its use to develop crops resistant to pests, thereby reducing world-wide use of chemical pesticides. From the foreward by -Masa Iwanaga, Deputy Director General (Programme), International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy: "... it is essential that the problem of food security be recognized as a challenge facing all of humanity, and that concerted global efforts in agricultural research be intensified. . . . exciting successful examples of effective use of genetic diversity for the development of insect-resistant crops abound. This book provides many such examples, from which we can learn valuable lessons for the effective use of conserved germplasm. The widely applicable lesson is that close, effective, and long-term collaboration is required among different players, including germplasm curators, plant breeders, molecular biologists, entomologists, ecologists, and social scientists." TOC:Cereal Crops.- Germplasm Evaluation and Utilization for Insect Resistance in Rice.- The Value of Conserved Wheat Germplasm Evaluated for Arthropod Resistance.- Insect Resistance in Barley Germplasm.- Genetic Diversity of Sorghum.- Legume Crops.- Bean Germplasm Resources for Insect Resistance.- Assessment of Soybean Germplasm for Multiple Insect Resistance.- Germplasm Resources, Insect Resistance, and Grain Legume Improvement.- Alfalfa Germplasm Resources and Insect Resistance.- Vegetable Crops.- Vegetable Crops: Search for Arthropod Resistance in Genetic Resources.- Root and Tuber Crops.- Utilization of Sweetpotato Genetic Resources to Develop Insect Resistance.- The Potato: Genetic Resources and Insect Resistance Basic Research and Biotechnology.- Plant Genetic Resources for the Study of Insect-Plant Interactions.- Biotechnological Applications of Plant Genes in the Production of Insect Resistant Crops

"This is a well presented reference book?The editors have done a marvelous job of selecting the right crops for the discussions in this book?The foreword by Masa Iwanaga is an excellent essay on the economics of stress damage."--Plant Science". . . it is essential that the problem of food security be recognized as a challenge facing all of humanity, and that concerted global efforts in agricultural research be intensified. . . . exciting successful examples of effective use of genetic diversity for the development of insect-resistant crops abound. This book provides many such examples, from which we can learn valuable lessons for the effective use of conserved germplasm. The widely applicable lesson is that close, effective, and long-term collaboration is required among different players, including germplasm curators, plant breeders, molecular biologists, entomologists, ecologists, and social scientists."-Masa Iwanaga, Deputy Director General (Programme), International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy, in the Foreword to this book