Genetically engineered plant products line the shelves of our grocery stores but we don't know which ones they are because no label identifies them. Should we be concerned? Biotech companies claim that engineered corn and canola are safe, but are they telling the truth? Should we, like the Europeans, be engaging in violent protests against biotechnology? In High Tech Harvest , Paul Lurquin answers these questions and more, believing that the public has a right to know and understand how its food is manipulated at the most basic level, that of the DNA itself. With the goal to inform, and a mission to reinforce the importance of the scientific method, Paul Lurquin writes a comprehensive and user-friendly description of the scientific origins, the development, and the applications of genetically modified plants throughout the world today.
The Digital Age was expected to usher in an era of clean production, an alternative to smokestack industries and their pollutants. But as environmental journalist Elizabeth Grossman reveals in this penetrating analysis of high tech manufacture and disposal, digital may be sleek, but it's anything but clean. Deep within every electronic device lie toxic materials that make up the bits and bytes, a complex thicket of lead, mercury, cadmium, plastics, and a host of other often harmful ingredients. High Tech Trash is a wake-up call to the importance of the e-waste issue and the health hazards involved. Americans alone own more than two billion pieces of high tech electronics and discard five to seven million tons each year. As a result, electronic waste already makes up more than two-thirds of the heavy metals and 40 percent of the lead found in our landfills. But the problem goes far beyond American shores, most tragically to the cities in China and India where shiploads of discarded electronics arrive daily. There, they are "recycled"-picked apart by hand, exposing thousands of workers and community residents to toxics. As Grossman notes, "This is a story in which we all play a part, whether we know it or not. If you sit at a desk in an office, talk to friends on your cell phone, watch television, listen to music on headphones, are a child in Guangdong, or a native of the Arctic, you are part of this story." The answers lie in changing how we design, manufacture, and dispose of high tech electronics. Europe has led the way in regulating materials used in electronic devices and in e-waste recycling. But in the United States many have yet to recognize the persistent human health and environmental effects of the toxics in high tech devices. If Silent Spring brought national attention to the dangers of DDT and other pesticides, High Tech Trash could do the same for a new generation of technology's products.
Horticulture plays an important part in today's agriculture and there are new avenues that are being achieved by horticulture. The subject has transformed from only being about vegetables, fruits, flowers and postharvest technology and has moved towards disease, breeding, pathology, physiology, greenhouse technologies and other areas which were never heard for. The book series: Hi-Tech Horticulture has been worked out keeping the above mentioned issues in mind with contribution by eminent professors and scientists.
This book highlights the underlying principles and outlines some of the key hi-tech practices and technology interventions required to achieve enhanced productivity. It discusses horticulture technology interventions like varietal improvement including genetically modified crops; good agricultural practices like optimum planting density, micro-irrigation, fertigation, integrated nutrient management, plant bioregulators, precision horticulture, protected cultivation, nanotechnology, and integrated farming systems; integrated management of insects, mites, disease pathogens, nematodes, and weeds; and post-harvest management practices like handling, storage and processing to reduce crop losses. The importance of attaining food and nutritional security through hi-tech horticulture and profitable marketing of horticultural produce is also discussed. This book will be of immense value to the scientific community involved in teaching, research and extension activities related to hi-tech horticulture strategies for enhancing productivity in enhancing farmers’ income, food, nutrition and livelihood security. The material can be used for teaching postgraduate courses. The book can also serve as a very useful reference to policymakers and practicing farmers.
This book demonstrates applications of the basic principles of horticulture and illustrates how they can be used systematically to define—and eventually control—existing phenomena. It comprises of various practices for evaluating the technologies used in horticulture. It will meet the growing need of students, teachers, and researchers alike in the field of horticulture and those working in agricultural universities and other related private firms. Print edition not for sale in India.
Horticulture plays an important part in today's agriculture and there are new avenues that are being achieved by horticulture. The subject has transformed from only being about vegetables, fruits, flowers and postharvest technology and has moved towards disease, breeding, pathology, physiology, greenhouse technologies and other areas which were never heard for. The book series: Hi-Tech Horticulture has been worked out keeping the above mentioned issues in mind with contribution by eminent professors and scientists.
The agriculture industry is facing significant challenges in meeting the increasing demand for food while also ensuring sustainable development. Traditional agricultural methods are not equipped to meet the demands of the modern world. To overcome these challenges, Advanced Technologies and AI-Equipped IoT Applications in High-Tech Agriculture provides an in-depth analysis of the opportunities and challenges for AI-powered management tools and IoT-equipped techniques for the high-tech agricultural ecosystem. The Handbook of Research on AI-Equipped IoT Applications in High-Tech Agriculture explores advanced methodologies, models, techniques, technologies, and applications along with the concepts of real-time supporting systems to help agricultural producers adjust plans or schedules for taking care of their farms. Additionally, it discusses the role of IoT technologies and AI applications in agricultural ecosystems and their potential to improve product quality and market competitiveness. The book includes discussions on the application of blockchain, biotechnology, drones, robotics, data analytics, and visualization in high-tech agriculture. It is an essential reference for anyone interested in the future of high-tech agriculture, including agricultural analysts, investment analysts, scholars, researchers, academics, professionals, engineers, and students.
The book describes various recent technological interventions in production, handling and processing of important horticultural crops and also discusses the various methods to extend the shelf life as well as development of different value added products including important spices and other uses. Importance of horticulture in Indian context, growth pattern, area and production, and its role in human nutrition are discussed in this book.
Drying Atlas: Drying Kinetics and Quality of Agricultural Products provides, in a condensed and systematic way, specific insights on the drying-relevant properties and coefficients of over 40 agricultural products. It also presents information about the production methods that influence the drying process, the quality of the dried product, the official quality standards of the products, and the design principles and operating characteristics of drying systems that are widely used in the postharvest processing and food industry. Available books on drying technology mainly focus on drying theory and simulation of drying processes. This book offers systematic information on the impact of other important parameters, such as relative humidity, air flow rate, mechanical, thermal and chemical pre-treatment, and drying mode for specific products. It is a unique and valuable reference for scientists and engineers who want to focus on industrial drying applications and dryers, as well as graduate and post-graduate students in postharvest technology and drying. - Explores the production methods that influence the drying process and quality of the dried product - Outlines the official quality standards of the products, the design principles, and the operating characteristics of drying systems that are used in postharvest processing - Features 41 chapters that are (each for an agricultural product) presented in a condensed and systematic way
