Name: Nature of Crops, The By Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)
SKU: 9781780645094
Price: 31.99 EUR
Availability: InStock

Nature of Crops, The Summary

Nature of Crops, The: How we came to eat the plants we do by Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Have you ever wondered why we eat wheat, rice, potatoes and cassava? Why we routinely domesticate foodstuffs with the power to kill us, or why we chose almonds over acorns? Answering all these questions and more in a readable and friendly style, this book takes you on a journey through our history with crop plants. Arranged into recurrent themes in plant domestication, this book documents the history and biology of over 50 crops, including cereals, spices, legumes, fruits and cash crops such as chocolate, tobacco and rubber. In The Nature of Crops John Warren reveals: -Why the Egyptians worshipped onions; -Why red-flowering runner beans provide fewer beans than white-flowering; -The inherent dangers of being a pineapple worker; and -Why a bird will always beat you in a chilli pepper eating competition!

Nature of Crops, The Reviews

Written by a natural story-teller, this book is a 'must' - a very readable book, packed with interesting and useful information, exploring and clearly explaining the cool science behind the development of the plants that sustain us. Dr Tim Pettitt, Eden Project This book is a journey of discovery - Astute, funny and eye-opening, it is essential reading for serious plant geeks and curious foodies alike. James Wong, Ethno-botanist and Broadcaster John Warren tells astonishing stories in this book - often funny, sometimes alarming, and always riveting. Dr Peter Wakelin, Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales This well-researched and engagingly written book takes us on a fascinating journey... It provides new insights into the process of crop domestication and reveals much about why we eat the plants that we do. Dr Colin Clubbe, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew This book is a fun and informative romp through the history of our favourite crops but it has an important message - is our diet sustainable? It's high time to look at the history of our current crops and to consider our food supply for the future. Dr Natasha de Vere, National Botanic Garden of Wales

About Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

John Warren is Director of Education at Aberystwyth University. He has an academic interest in the sex-life of plants and a recreational interest in all things edible. Formally a cocoa breeder, he worked on the world chocolate gene bank at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. Whilst there he published scientific papers on the unusual sexual practices of Caribbean cocoa and also pried into the private lives of several less familiar tropical crops including the star-fruit and tree cucumber. Prior to working in the Caribbean he spent two years literally sowing wild oats at the University of Liverpool. He has made regular appearances on BBC Scotland's Beechgrove Potting Shed. The research for this work has relied heavily upon consultations with strawberry pathologists, rhubarb tasters, chocolate scientists and coffee geneticists, better known to the author as friends.

1: Introduction: The Nature of Natural - What does domestication involve? 2: Wild Things - Recently domesticated crops and crops that have returned to the wild 3: Learning to Live with Exotic Sexual Practices - How plant breeding systems limit domestication 4: Storing up Trouble - Plants with storage organs 5: The Weird and Wonderful - Herbs, spices and crops with exotic phytochemicals 6: Accidents of History - The role of chance events in domestication 7: Classic Combinations and Reoccurring Themes - Plant families that have been repeatedly domesticated 8: Ownership and Theft - How the economic value of crops has influenced their domestication 9: Fifty Shades of Green - Nutrient rich crops and the next generation

Additional information

Sku

GOR007306666

ISBN 13

9781780645094

ISBN 10

1780645090

Title

Nature of Crops, The: How we came to eat the plants we do by Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Author

Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Condition

Used - Very Good

Binding type

Paperback

Publisher

CABI Publishing

Year published

2015-04-24

Number of pages

192

Prizes

N/A

Cover note

Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.

Note

This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Nature of Crops, The Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Nature of Crops, The by Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Summary

Nature of Crops, The Summary

Nature of Crops, The: How we came to eat the plants we do by Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Nature of Crops, The Reviews

About Professor John Warren (Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK)

Table of Contents

Additional information

Customer Reviews - Nature of Crops, The