A Short History Of The Plant Sciences

Gardeners and herbalists of antiquity. The nascent period, from the sixth century B.C. to the end of the second century A.D. The retrogressive period, from the beginning of the third to the end of the twelfth century. The renascent period, from the beginnig of the thirteenth to the end of the sisteenth century. The seventeenth century. The eighteenth century. Gardens and other things. Plant geography in the nineteenth century. Morphology. Cytology. The water economy of plants. The fixation of carbon by plants. The assimilation of nitrogen. The fixation and metabolism of nitrogen. Plant nutrition. Mineral constituents in metabolism. Mycology. Plant pathology.

"Noel Kingsbury reveals that even those imaginary perfect foods are themselves far from anything that could properly be called natural, rather, they represent the end of a millennia-long history of selective breeding and hybridization. Starting his story at the birth of agriculture, Kingsbury traces the history of human attempts to make plants more reliable, productive, and nutritiousa story that owes as much to accident and error as to innovation and experiment. Drawing on historical and scientific accounts, as well as a rich trove of anecdotes, Kingsbury shows how scientists, amateur breeders, and countless anonymous farmers and gardeners slowly caused the evolutionary pressures of nature to be supplanted by those of human needs and thus led us from sparse wild grasses to succulent corn cobs, and from mealy, white wild carrots to the juicy vegetables we enjoy today. At the same time, Kingsbury reminds us that contemporary controversies over the Green Revolution and genetically modified crops are not new, plant breeding has always had a political dimension."--Publisher's description.

It is important that scientists think about and know their history - where they came from, what they have accomplished, and how these may affect the future. Weed scientists, similar to scientists in many technological disciplines, have not sought historical reflection. The technological world asks for results and for progress. Achievement is important not, in general, the road that leads to achievement. What was new yesterday is routine today, and what is described as revolutionary today may be considered antiquated tomorrow. Weed science has been strongly influenced by technology developed by supporting industries, subsequently employed in research and, ultimately, used by farmers and crop growers. The science has focused on results and progress. Scientists have been--and the majority remain--problem solvers whose solutions have evolved as rapidly as have the new weed problems needing solutions. In a more formal sense, weed scientists have been adherents of the instrumental ideology of modern science. That is an analysis of their work, and their orientation reveals the strong emphasis on practical, useful knowledge; on know how. The opposite, and frequently complementary orientation, that has been missing from weed science is an emphasis on contemplative knowledge; that is, knowing why. This book expands on and analyzes how these orientations have affected weed science’s development. The first analytical history of weed science to be written Compares the development of weed science, entomology and plant pathology Identifies the primary founders of weed science and describes their role

The book addresses the compelling demand for quantitative training in plant biology, including comparisons of the rate of processes, the size of structures and interactions among different processes, approached at different levels from molecules to the environment. Attention is paid to aspects of modern molecular biology and to modern biophysical treatments of classical transport and circulatory problems. This will allow the reader to become familiar with calculus as a tool to understand plant science. The book discusses specific problems covering six specific topics, and includes an additional section devoted to miscellaneous issues. It is also complemented by appendices describing units, conversion factors, formulae and data relevant to plant biology and to the relationship of plants with the environment.

In this book, a leading plant scientist offers a new understanding of the botanical world and a passionate argument for intelligent plant life. Are plants intelligent? Can they solve problems, communicate, and navigate their surroundings? For centuries, philosophers and scientists have argued that plants are unthinking and inert, yet discoveries over the past fifty years have challenged this idea, shedding new light on the complex interior lives of plants. In Brilliant Green, leading scientist Stefano Mancuso presents a new paradigm in our understanding of the vegetal world. He argues that plants process information, sleep, remember, and signal to one another-showing that, far from passive machines, plants are intelligent and aware. Part botany lesson, part manifesto, Brilliant Green is an engaging and passionate examination of the inner workings of the plant kingdom.--