The Quinoa Genome

This book focuses on quinoa, providing background information on its history, summarizing recent genetic and genomic advances, and offering directions for future research. Meeting the caloric and nutritional demands of our growing population will not only require increases in overall food production, but also the development of new crops that can be grown sustainably in agricultural environments that are increasingly susceptible to degradation. Quinoa is an ancient crop native to the Andean region of South America that has recently gained international attention because its seeds are high in protein, particularly in essential amino acids. Quinoa is also highly tolerant of abiotic stresses, including drought, frost and salinity. For these reasons, quinoa has the potential to help address issues of food security – a potential that was recognized when the United Nations declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. However, more effort is needed to improve quinoa agronomically and to understand the mechanisms of its abiotic stress tolerance; the recent development of genetic and genomic tools, including a reference genome sequence, will now help accelerate research in these areas.

Quinoa is an invaluable crop, highlighted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as one of the world's main crops for future food security. The first comprehensive review of quinoa, this book includes four sections covering the history of the crop, phylogeny and systematics, botany and agrotechnology, and the qualitative aspects, economics and marketing of quinoa, making it a vital resource for students and researchers of crop science.

Pulses, Sugar and Tuber Crops comprises reviews contributed by 47 eminent scientists from 10 countries. The chapters on common bean, pea, cowpea, sugarcane and potato include comprehensive reviews of voluminous research findings. Fundamental aspects and molecular results are also presented for eight ‘orphan crops’ of high agroeconomic importance including mungbean, lentil, chickpea, lathyrus, pigeonpea, sweet potato, cassava and yam. works on quinoa and Bambara groundnut are reviewed for the first time.

Plant Breeding Reviews presents state-of-the-art reviews on plant genetics and the breeding of all types of crops by both traditional means and molecular methods. Many of the crops widely grown today stem from a very narrow genetic base; understanding and preserving crop genetic resources is vital to the security of food systems worldwide. The emphasis of the series is on methodology, a fundamental understanding of crop genetics, and applications to major crops.

Quinoa is an ancient grain that has grown in popularity in recent years. It has been known as a good source of both protein and fiber. As the demand for quinoa increases a comprehensive and up-to-date reference on the biology and production of the crop is essential. Quinoa: Improvement and Sustainable Production brings together authors from around the world to provide a complete assessment of the current state of global quinoa research and production. Topics covered include quinoa history and culture, genomics and breeding, agronomy, nutrition, marketing, and end-uses. The book focuses in particular on the emerging role of quinoa in providing increased food security to smallholder farmers and communities throughout the world. Quinoa will interest quinoa researchers, producers, crop scientists, agronomists, and plant geneticists, as well as advanced students working with this important grain.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This Volume 5, subtitled Cereals, focuses on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual crops. It addresses important staple food crops including barley, fonio, finger millet, foxtail millet, pearl millet, proso millet, quinoa, rice, rye, tef, triticale and spelt wheat. The volume is contributed by 53 internationally reputable scientists from 14 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.