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Darwinian agriculture : how understanding evolution can improve agriculture / R. Ford Denison.
Author
Denison, R. Ford, 1953-
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Εdition
Hardcover ed.
Published/Created
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 2012.
Description
258 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Availability
Available Online
De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook Package 2000-2013
University Press Scholarship Online Princeton Scholarship Online
De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
Copies in the Library
Location
Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
Lewis Library - Stacks
SB106.O74 D46 2012
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Details
Subject(s)
Crops
—
Evolution
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Evolution (Biology)
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Agricultural biotechnology
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Sustainable agriculture
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Summary note
As human populations grow and resources are depleted, agriculture will need to use land, water, and other resources more efficiently and without sacrificing long-term sustainability. Darwinian Agriculture presents an entirely new approach to these challenges, one that draws on the principles of evolution and natural selection. R. Ford Denison shows how both biotechnology and traditional plant breeding can use Darwinian insights to identify promising routes for crop genetic improvement and avoid costly dead ends. Denison explains why plant traits that have been genetically optimized by individual selection--such as photosynthesis and drought tolerance--are bad candidates for genetic improvement. Traits like plant height and leaf angle, which determine the collective performance of plant communities, offer more room for improvement. Agriculturalists can also benefit from more sophisticated comparisons among natural communities and from the study of wild species in the landscapes where they evolved. Darwinian Agriculture reveals why it is sometimes better to slow or even reverse evolutionary trends when they are inconsistent with our present goals, and how we can glean new ideas from natural selection's marvelous innovations in wild species.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (p. [227] - 247) and index.
Contents
Repaying Darwin's debt to agriculture
What do we need from agriculture?
Evolution 101: the power of natural selection
Darwinian agriculture's three core principles
What won't work: tradeoff-blind biotechnology
Selfish genes, sophisticated plants, and haphazard ecosystems
What won't work: misguided mimicry of natural ecosystems
What has worked: improving cooperation within species
What could work better: cooperation between two species
Stop evolution now!
Learning from plants, ants, and ecosystems
Diversity, bet-hedging, and selection among ideas.
Show 9 more Contents items
ISBN
9780691139500 ((hardcover ; : alk. paper))
0691139504 ((hardcover ; : alk. paper))
LCCN
2011042239
OCLC
757935758
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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Darwinian Agriculture : How Understanding Evolution Can Improve Agriculture / R. Ford Denison.
id
99125258312106421
Darwinian agriculture : how understanding evolution can improve agriculture / R. Ford Denison.
id
SCSB-9104084