Economic Botany: Principles and Practices / Edition 1

by G.E. Wickens

Overview

The strength of this book is that it is written by someone who has spent a lifetime devoted to the science of economic botany. The author has brought together his vast experience in the field in Africa with his studies of arid land plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The result is an informative and reliable text that covers a vast range of topics. It is also firmly based upon the author's research and interest in plant taxonomy and therefore fully acknowledges the importance of correct naming and classification in the field of science of economic botany. The coverage is of economic botany in its broadest sense. I was delighted to find such topics as ecophysiology, plant breeding, the environment and conservation are included in the text. This gives the book a much more comprehensive coverage than most other texts on the subject. I was also glad to see that the book covers the use of various organisms that are no longer considered part of the plant kingdom such as various species of fungi and algae. It is indeed a broad ranging book that will be of use to many people interested in the uses of plants and fungi. Economic botany is once again being given more prominence as a discipline because of its enormous relevance to both conservation and sustainable development. Those people involved in those topics shOUld find this a most useful resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402022289
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	03/31/2004
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2001
Pages:	535
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.04(d)

Table of Contents

1 Economic Botany.- 2 Plant Collecting, Taxonomy and Nomenclature.- 3 Environmental Considerations.- 4 Plant Conservation.- 5 Ecophysiology and Allied Disciplines.- 6 Plant Breeding and Propagation.- 7 Marketing of Crops and Crop Products.- 8 Human and Animal Nutrition.- 9 Human Food and Food Additives.- 10 Feed for Livesk.- II Food for Bees and other Desirable Invertebrates.- 12 Timber and Wood Products.- 13 Fuel.- 14 Vegetable Fibres.- Chapler 15 Phyhemicals.- 16 Human and Veterinary Medicinal Plants.- 17 Plant Toxins and their Applications.- 18 Useful Ferns, Bryophytes, Fungi, Bacteria and Viruses.- 19 Useful Algae.- 20 Environmental Uses.- 21 Social Uses.- 22 At the Start of the 21st Century.- Taxonomic Index.- Chemical Index.- Chemical Index.

Editorial Reviews

"A wealth of current information is presented in this scholarly work, and there are 28 appropriate data tables. Very extensive bibliography; taxonomic, chemical and subject indexes. Highly recommended for libraries with readers interested in plants and their impact on civilization."

(Choice, 39:07)

From the Publisher