Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, Tomorrow's Table argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, welcome us into their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders and see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. We learn how the couple, who share the goal of a sustainable agriculture, work together to tackle such issues as that of farmers trying to produce higher yields without resorting to environmentally hazardous chemicals--a problem that will loom larger as the world's population increases. A colorfully written, insightful look at genetic engineering and organic farming, this book will interest consumers, farmers, and policy makers.

By the year 2050, Earth's population will double. If we continue with current farming practices, vast amounts of wilderness will be lost, millions of birds and billions of insects will die, and the public will lose billions of dollars as a consequence of environmental degradation. Clearly, there must be a better way to meet the need for increased food production. Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, Tomorrow's Table argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, take the reader inside their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders so that we can see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. The reader sees the problems that farmers face, trying to provide larger yields without resorting to expensive or environmentally hazardous chemicals, a problem that will loom larger and larger as the century progresses. They learn how organic farmers and geneticists address these problems. This book is for consumers, farmers, and policy decision makers who want to make food choices and policy that will support ecologically responsible farming practices. It is also for anyone who wants accurate information about organic farming, genetic engineering, and their potential impacts on human health and the environment.

Plant-Pathogen Interactions: Methods and Protocols provides key methods, approaches, and strategies to dissect the plant defense response. Addressing methods to identify and characterize plant resistance genes as well as pathogen-associated molecules that trigger the plant defense response, this volume creates a better understanding of the interactions between pathogens and their hosts, which will help to develop better methods for disease control in plants and animals. Plant-Pathogen Interactions: Methods and Protocols reviews methods for engineering resistance to plant viruses, the utility of viral induced gene silencing and RNAi silencing, as well as advances in genomics and proteomics that have lead to new methods to identify genes and proteins. The protocols presented follow the successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, each one offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and the avoidance of known pitfalls.

Simplified Chinese edition of Tomorrow' s Table: Organic Fanning, Genetics. and the Future of Food by Pamela Ronald, Professor of Plant Pathology and Chair of the Plant Genomics Program at the University of California, Davis. Ronald studies the role that genes play in a plant's response to its environment. In Simplified Chinese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Installée en Californie, la famille Ronald-Adamchak est atypique. Alors que l'agriculture biologique et le génie génétique ne font habituellement pas bon ménage, les auteurs de ce livre, qui sont des protagonistes de ces deux spécialités, se rencontrent, s'écoutent, se respectent et parviennent à s'accorder. Tout simplement parce qu'ils sont animés d'une même vision : rendre l'agriculture et l'alimentation plus saines et plus durables, notamment sur le volet environnemental. Ce qui réunit les convives à La table de demain, c'est un mode de vie sain et tourné vers la nature, avec surtout le plaisir du bien-manger ensemble. Ce livre si particulier est donc non seulement un recueil de pratiques agroécologiques et de faits scientifiques extrêmement bien documentés sur l'amélioration des plantes et les biotechnologies, mais également une mine de recettes savoureuses et variées partagées en famille et entre amis. Au final, c'est une invitation à partager le quotidien d'une famille américaine attachante et d'une grande ouverture d'esprit.