You may have to register before you can download all our books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
This book is a sound science report about the consequences of pesticides to nature, health and environment. The book shares essential insights into the use of pesticides in agriculture, discusses the politics, rhetoric and profits involved, addresses the potential health and ecological risks of pesticides in our daily lives, and debates possible solutions. Does sustainable agriculture exist, and is agriculture without pesticides possible at all? Moreover, the author gives insight into his scientific work, the set-up of the experiments, and also writes about his very own experiences with the media and press after publication of his studies. For many years, Johann G. Zaller, an ecologist at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, and his team, have been researching applied chemicals and their effects on the environment. Their findings, together with relevant literature and media reports, are presented in this book, which offers a unique resource for anyone who wants to know the nature and background of pesticides and how we come into contact with them in our daily lives. Ever ate an apple? Read this book!
WINNER OF THE 2019 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD In the fascinating story of the sustainable food revolution, an environmental journalist and professor asks the question: Is the future of food looking bleak—or better than ever? “In The Fate of Food, Amanda Little takes us on a tour of the future. The journey is scary, exciting, and, ultimately, encouraging.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction Climate models show that global crop production will decline every decade for the rest of this century due to drought, heat, and flooding. Water supplies are in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the world’s population is expected to grow another 30 percent by midcentury. So ho...
Herbicides: Chemistry, Efficacy, Toxicology, and Environmental Impacts addresses contemporary debates on herbicide toxicology. The reader is offered a comprehensive overview of this complex topic, presented by internationally recognized experts. Information presented will inform discussions on the use of herbicides in modern agricultural and other systems, and their potential non-target effects on human populations and various ecosystems. The book covers these matters in concise language appropriate to engage both specialists in the research community and informed persons responsible for legislative, funding, and public health matters in the community at large. The use of herbicides is an es...
Researchers now recognize that above- and belowground communities are indirectly linked to one another, often by plant-mediated mechanisms. To date, however, there has been no single multi-authored edited volume on the subject. This book remedies that gap, and offers state-of-the art insights into basic and applied research on aboveground-belowground interactions and their functional consequences. Drawing on a diverse pool of global expertise, the authors present diverse approaches that span a range of scales and levels of complexity. The respective chapters provide in-depth information on the current state of research, and outline future prospects in the field of aboveground-belowground community ecology. In particular, the book’s goal is to expand readers’ knowledge of the evolutionary, community and ecosystem consequences of aboveground-belowground interactions, making it essential reading for all biologists, graduate students and advanced undergraduates working in this rapidly expanding field. It touches on multiple research fields including ecology, botany, zoology, entomology, microbiology and the related applied areas of biodiversity management and conservation.
"Addresses contemporary debates on herbicide toxicology. The reader is offered a comprehensive overview of this complex topic, presented by internationally recognized experts of different scientific disciplines."--
description not available right now.
There is a scarcity of detailed information regarding the ecophysiology of root systems and the way root system functioning is affected by both internal and external factors. Furthermore, global climate change is expected to increase the intensity of climate extremes, such as severe drought, heat waves and periods of heavy rainfall; in addition other stresses such as salinization of soils are increasing world-wide. Recently an increasing awareness has developed that understanding plant traits will play a major role in breeding of future crop plants. For example, there is increasing evidence that the traits of root systems are defined by the properties of individual roots. However, further kn...
Public policy is regularly shaken by health crises or unexpected discoveries; future directions in toxicology assessment are therefore urgently needed. Convergent evidences suggest endocrine or nervous disrupting effects of pesticides, as well as effects on wildlife and the environment. These effects are amplified by the use of surfactants and/or combinations of different active principles. The usual concepts of regulatory toxicology are challenged by endocrine, nervous or immune disruption, or epigenetic effects. Indeed, most pollutants alter cell-cell communication systems to promote chronic diseases. They may accumulate in the food chain. Mixtures effects with other pollutants may change their bioavailability and their toxicity. The lack of scientific knowledge in these matters has large costs for public health. This Research Topic focuses on the toxic effects of pesticides associated with large scale cultivation of genetically modified (GM) plants.
Oilseed rape is a major arable crop in both Europe and North America. It is attacked by unique complexes of insect pests still largely controlled through the application of chemical insecticides. Crop management systems for the future must combine sustainability with environmental acceptability to satisfy both social and economic demands. This book, in its 17 chapters each led by a world expert, reviews research progress towards developing integrated pest management systems for the crop that enhance conservation biocontrol. This approach is particularly timely because of the development in Europe of insecticide resistance in the pollen beetle, a major pest of the crop. The past decade has se...
description not available right now.