In this chapter methods in feeding and how to evaluate broilers more efficiently with minor references to other poultry are highlighted. Topics discussed include predicting feed intake, nutrient response, feed evaluation, and digestive tract optimization.

Ranked on the basis of harvested mass, the top five cereals in the world are maize (corn), rice, wheat, barley and sorghum. However, the commercial application of biotechnology over these five species is heavily skewed. Only in maize are there genetically engineered varieties currently marketed to...

In the early 1980s, the ability to transform and regenerate plants opened the way for developing biotechnological strategies to control virus infections. This chapter focuses on how knowledge of RNA silencing has been applied successfully to confer virus resistance in principal crops, i.e....

Heat stress (HS)-induced reduction in crop productivity is likely to enhance because of the impending climate change. HS affects both vegetative and reproductive phase in plants leading to loss in yield. HS at the vegetative stage results in less biomass accumulation and at reproductive stage...

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian economy was on the way to becoming more market based. The broadening of the market forces in Russian agriculture supports the hypothesis that the land allocation decision for grains and oilseeds is in large part determined by output...

This chapter focuses on the historical context and exploratory analysis of the genetic improvement of the crops (maize, wheat and rice, among others) in the 1998 initiative by the Diffusion and Impact of Improved Varieties in Africa (DIIVA) project. The importance of the establishment of a reliable ...

This chapter focuses on the assessment of the performance of maize and wheat crop improvement in East and Southern Africa. Information on cultivar output and adoption in countries in East and Southern Africa is also presented.

This chapter focuses on the impacts of climate change on intensive maize and wheat production systems. Some technologies to close the yield gap to achieve sustainable intensification are also discussed.

Water scarcity is one of the key problems in northern China. Efficient use and management of agricultural water resources is an important challenge in China's agricultural food production under a background of climate change. This chapter addresses issues of impacts of climate change and adaptation ...

This chapter takes a macro perspective of the state of the use of crop wild relatives (CWR) in crop improvement programmes under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, with some supplementary perspectives from outside of the CG family where required. It asks, ...