Plants and people : origin and development of human-plant science relationships
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Plants and people : origin and development of human-plant science relationships
CRC Press, 2016
- : pbk
Available at 4 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-263) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
An exploration of the relationship between plants and people from early agriculture to modern-day applications of biotechnology in crop production, Plants and People: Origin and Development of Human-Plant Science Relationships covers the development of agricultural sciences from Roman times through the development of agricultural experiment stations in the United States to the rise of agri-business. It underscores the symbiotic relationship and mutuality that define the intertwined histories of plants and people. It does not merely present the latest science but puts the sciences themselves in the context of history.
The book provides the science, chronology, and history that undergird the relationships between humans and plants. It discusses plant anatomy, physiology, and reproduction; evolution of plants and people; early uses of plants; the rise of agriculture in both Old and New Worlds; creation of land grant universities and agricultural experiment stations; the Green Revolution; plant biotechnology; and the future of plant sciences in feeding the growing human population.
The agricultural sciences were not a product of the nineteenth century but of the careful observation and advice of Roman writers who lived some 2000 years ago. This book reveals the malleability of the sciences, the people who practice them, and the plants that are the focus of scientific research. The author is careful to distinguish between basic and applied science while recognizing that the agricultural sciences pursue both. He also challenges the traditional notion that basic research necessarily yields practical results. The book demonstrates how plants and the agricultural sciences have shaped the everyday world we inhabit.
Table of Contents
Preface. Introduction. The Biology of Plants. The Evolution of Plants and People. The Early Uses of Plants. The Neolithic Revolution. Plants and the Rise of Empiricism in Antiquity. Plants and the Columbian Exchange. The Rise of the Land Grant Complex. The Hybrid Corn Revolution. The Green Revolution. Plant Biotechnology. The Malthusian Crisis. References. Index.
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