Cutting Edge Technologies for Developing Future Crop Plants

This edited volume compiles recent advancements in techniques and technologies for sustainable crop production, focusing on innovative approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of environmental stress on crop productivity. The book offers a comprehensive overview of advanced physiological, molecular, agronomic, microbial, and breeding strategies designed to improve crop performance under stress conditions. It emphasizes high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping technologies, facilitating precise breeding for the development of climate-resilient crop varieties. The increasing impacts of climate change and global warming are now widely recognized as major threats to global food security, exacerbated by the depletion of natural resources essential for agricultural activities. With the world population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, the scientific community is tasked with finding critical solutions to meet the growing demand for food. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary approaches that integrate plant and soil systems, focusing on the development of sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices. This volume explores technological interventions for managing degraded soils and water resources, optimizing nutrient management, leveraging microbial diversity, and employing nanobiotechnology for crop improvement. It also addresses the economics of agricultural investment, providing insights into the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of adopting climate-smart practices. The book offers a detailed analysis of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to environmental stress, helping readers understand how plants adapt to adverse conditions. It also presents practical strategies for developing multi-stress-tolerant, climate-resilient crops, making it an invaluable resource for researchers, students, and professionals in agriculture, plant physiology, biochemistry, forestry, agronomy, soil science, and environmental sciences.