Breeding Plantation Tree Crops: Tropical Species. 2009. illus. 650 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

This 2-volume book series deals with both tropical and temperate tree crop species, and represents an effort toward compilation of all available worldwide research on these subjects.Tree species, spread across a wide range of genera, are indispensible to human life. Their breeding, poised to satisfy human needs, presents significant challenges. Tree crops face a variety of agronomic and horticultural problems in propagation, yield, appearance, quality, of growing demand have resulted in growth of tree crops under marginal conditions that call for concerted efforts for their genetic improvement. Increased attention to the environment, sustainability and diet in recent years in turn magnifies the importance of study of these crops. With the use of modern molecular and biotechnological tools, the task of improving yield in tree crops is foremost in the acumen of future global agricultural research for sustainable production.This volume covers fruits and nuts (banana, mango, guava, papaya, grape, date palm, litchi, avocado, and cashew), oil crops (coconut, oil palm and olive), industrial crops (rubber) and beverages (coffee, tea and cocoa).