Böcker av M.V.R. Prasad

Pongamia pinnata, popularly known in India as Karanj has been found to be one of the most sustainable trees with regard to its soil enhancement and carbon sequestration properties apart from its stability in seed and oil yield. Pongamia pinnata is also credited with several preventive and curative properties as established by Ayurvedic medicine. It may be recalled that in the decades of nineteen seventies a few villages reaped sustainable incomes in the face of acute and chronic droughts that plagued the nation, solely due to the availability of some old Pongamia / karanj tree stands around those zones. Kranj oil has exhibited promise as a source of green energy. Nevertheless, the research on improvement of Karanj and its management as a productive plantation is nebulous. It is heartening that the Monograph on Karanj by Dr. M.V.R. Prasad fills this void. Dr. Prasad has been pursuing the work on oil bearing perennial trees of which Pongamaia pinnata has been studied in greater detail during the decades starting from nineteen eighties to date. The Monograph describes clearly as to how Pongamia pinnata could be harnessed to exploit the proven and potential benefits cited above, in addition to giving valuable information on its genetic improvement and plantation management.

Oilseed crops are a heterogeneous group of plants without common morphological and genetic features except production of seed oil. Nevertheless, the importance of the seed oil or vegetable fat, has resulted in increased scientific interest in improving the yield and quality of the produce. The Oilseeds sector has been one of the most dynamic components of world agriculture; in the past three decades growing at 4.1% per annum surpassing the growth of agriculture and livestock products. The individual crops forming the conglomerate of Oilseed crops have to be treated differently as well as together for their improvement and production, since they form unique group in terms of research and development, necessitating the development of strategies for their judicious exploitation for a sound farm economy. This book "Oilseed Crops" aims to provide detailed information on the oilseed crops and at the same time elucidating the intricacies faced in improvement and management. Spread over thirteen Chapters, the book covers the oilseed crops, namely, Groundnut, Rapeseed-mustard, Soybean, Sesame, Sunflower, Safflower, Niger, Linseed, Castor and Oil-bearing Trees. Each Chapter includes information on the 'Background of the Plant,' 'Ecology,' 'Cytogenetics,' 'Genetic Resources and Breeding,' 'Biotechnology,' 'Important Characteristics,' 'Diseases and Pests of the Crop,' 'Production' and 'Products' from the crop. 'Designer Oilseed Crops' is a new concept for the development of novel products of vegetable fats using biotechnology, gene editing and genetic transformation. The book will be useful to researchers, students, agricultural extensionists and all those taking up study of Oilseed Crops.