Millets and sorghum are extremely important crops in many developing nations and because of the ability of many of them to thrive in low-moisture situations they represent some exciting opportunities for further development to address the continuing and increasing impact of global temperature increase on the sustainability of the world's food crops.
The main focus of this thorough new book is the potential for crop improvement through new and traditional methods, with the book's main chapters covering the following crops: sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail milet, proso millet, little millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, tef and fonio. Further chapters cover pests and diseases, nutritional and industrial importance, novel tools for improvement, and seed systems in millets.
Millets and Sorghum provides full and comprehensive coverage of these crucially important crops, their biology, world status and potential for improvement, and is an essential purchase for crop and plant scientists, and food scientists and technologists throughout the developed and developing world. All libraries in universities and research establishment where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this important book on their shelves.
About the Author: Dr Jagannath V. Patil is Director of the Indian Institute of Millets Research and Head of the Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad, India
Dr Patil was formerly Professor of Botany in 2001 and Head, Department of Botany, MPKV, Rahuri. He has developed 19 varieties of safflower, chickpea, green gram, rajma bean, pigeon pea and sorghum, and has executed several research projects including international collaboration with DFID, ICRISAT-IFAD, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Hope Project and Mc Knight Foundation USA. Dr Patil has also developed and popularized several crop production technologies, including sowing methods, seed treatment, foliar nutrient application, IPM and in-situ moisture conservation, soil type-based cultivars, protective irrigation and nutrient supply.
Dr Patil is recipient of many awards and recognitions such as ICRISAT's Doreen Mashler Award, CGIAR's King Baudouin Chickpea team Award and a Fellowship of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Dr Patil has been engaged in post-graduate teaching in Genetics and Plant Breeding since 1994, and has published 107 peer-reviewed journal papers, 16 books and 53 other technical publications. Dr. Patil joined as Head, Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad in 2010.
