Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2007.
Holdings
Details
Description
xxiv, 401 p. : ill.; 26 cm.
Summary
"This book provides a comprehensive overview of the complex story of human-plant interactions, from the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic Era, through to the 21st century and the molecular genetic manipulation of crops. It links the latest advances in molecular genetics with the science and history of plan domestication, the evolution of plant breeding, and the implications of this new knowledge for both the agriculture of today and the future." "The book is primarily aimed at geneticists, molecular biologists, bio-technologists, and plant breeders who require a detailed and up-to-date account of modern crop genetics and genomic research and its significance for agriculture. However, the accessible style will appeal to a wider readership of agronomists, archaeologists, and even historians, who wish to explore the many interactions that have shaped the often crucial relationships between plants and human societies."--Jacket.
Includes bibliographical notes and bibliography (p. 288-390) and index.
Processing Action (note)
committed to retain
Contents
Early human societies and their plants -- Plant management and agriculture -- How some people became farmers -- Plant genomes -- Fluid genomes, uncertain species, and the genetics of crop domestication -- The domestication of cereal crops -- The domestication of non-cereal crops -- People and the emergence of crops -- Agriculture : a mixed blessing -- Evolution of agrourban cultures : I The Near East -- Evolution of agrourban cultures : II south and east Asia -- Evolution of agrourban cultures : III Africa, Europe, and the Americas -- Crop management in the classical and medieval periods -- Agricultural improvement and the rise of crop breeding -- Imperial botany and the early scientific breeders -- Agricultural improvement in modern times -- The future of agriculture and humanity.