Introduction
This book critically examines the
environmental hazards posed by global warming with regard to future food
security, which will depend on a combination of stresses, both biotic and
abiotic, imposed by climate change; variability of weather within a growing
season; and the development of cultivars that are more sensitive to different
ambient conditions. Furthermore, the ability to develop effective adaptive
strategies which allow these cultivars to express their genetic potential under
changing climate conditions will be essential.
In turn, the book investigates
those plant species which are very closely related to field crops and have the
potential to contribute beneficial traits for crop improvement, e.g. resistance
to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses, enriching the gene pool, and
ultimately leading to enhanced plant yield, known as “Crop Wild Relatives”
(CWRs). CWRs hold tremendous potential to sustain and enhance global food
security, contributing to human well-being. Accordingly, their development,
characterization and conservation in crop breeding programs have assumed great
practical importance.
Professor Kodoth Prabhakaran Nair
is an internationally acclaimed agricultural scientist, with over three decades
of experience in Europe, Africa and Asia, holding some of the most prestigious
academic positions, including the National Chair of the Science Foundation, The
Royal Society, Belgium. A Senior Fellow of the world renowned Alexander von
Humboldt Research Foundation of The Federal Republic of Germany, he is best
known, globally, for having developed a revolutionary soil management
technique, known as "The Nutrient Buffer Power Concept", which, while
questioning the scientific fallacies of the highly soil extractive farming,
euphemistically known as the "green revolution", has opened up an alternative path for sensible and
scientific soil management.