Jean-Michel Merillon – författare

Bulbous plants are those with organs for nutrient storage and these include tubers, corms, and bulbs. They can be ornamental or edible, herbaceous or perennial. Important examples of such plants are potato, sweet potato, yam, arrowroot, and dahlias. This book focuses mainly on economically important food crops, their propagation strategies, plant growth and development, tuber quality, and crop protection.

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, L) is an anadromous species contributing to major fishery catches and comprising a significant part of the aquaculturally produced fish for human consumption. The aim of this book is to incite the interest in the field of knowledge gathered from a broad scope of disciplines that have investigated this fish species. Undeniably, increasing fishery pressure on wild fish stocks throughout the world oceans has prompted the need for sustainable aquacultural production for increasing human demands.

Reproductive biology is the basis of species improvement and a thorough understanding of this is needed for plant improvement, whether by conventional or biotechnological methods. This book presents an up to date and comprehensive description of reproduction in lower plants, gymnosperms and higher plants. It covers general plant biology, pollination, pollen-pistil interaction, post-fertilization changes and seed dormancy.

Naturally occurring antifungal natural products, Part III. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identified from higher plants and micro-organisms.

This reference work provides an authoritative and comprehensive review of the latest developments in orchids’ biology, biotechnology and phytochemistry, and it also explores the applications of orchids in medicinal chemistry, nutrition and cosmetics industry.

This book provides a comprehensive account of interaction of host and pests, and development of biological control agents for practical applications in crops management utilizing inherent defence mechanism, induced stimulation and biological control agents.

This book provides a comprehensive account of interaction of host and pests, and development of biological control agents for practical applications in crops management utilizing inherent defence mechanism, induced stimulation and biological control agents.

The content is divided into five main sections containing chapters written by valuable experts in their field : (1) beverages plants with caffeine and other methylxanthines, (2) beverage plants without caffeine, (3) fruits juices, (4) alcoholic beverage plants: non-distilled beverages and (5) alcoholic beverage plants: distilled beverages.

This book offers a comprehensive and authoritative review of the biological and ecological roles played by specialized metabolites (secondary metabolites) in the life cycle of plants, and it also covers the latest biotechnological advances in metabolite production and various industrial applications.Divided into three parts, the book starts with an outline of the diverse biological effects of specialized metabolites on plant-microbe and plant-insect interactions, soil health, reproduction, and human welfare. In this first part, readers will find topics such as the Importance of Plant Secondary Metabolites in modern therapy, melatonin and inflammatory and immune-modulated diseases, antimicrobial and antiprotozoal potential of specialized metabolites, the use of plant specialized metabolites in aromatherapy, the role of tannins in cardiovascular diseases, a pharmacological perspective on isoflavones and noncommunicable diseases, algal secondary metabolites, and plant specialized metabolites used as aphrodisiacs. In Part II, chapters present an overview of the ecological roles played by plant specialized metabolites in pollination, plant defence, agriculture and weed management, among others.  In the third and final part of this book, readers will discover the latest biotechnological approaches for bioactive compound production and identification, including the discovery of bioactive specialized metabolites based on metabolomic approaches, and a perspective on the industrial applications of plant specialized metabolites.  Given its breadth, this book is of interest to botanists, biotechnologists, phytochemists, industrialists, environmentalists, biologists and all those involved in the production and use of secondary/specialized metabolites.

This authoritative reference work presents comprehensive information about one of the most important and most wide-spread classes of (bio)organic compounds: the polysaccharides. The comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date handbook presents the sources, identification, analysis, biosynthesis, biotechnology and applications of important polysaccharides likes starches, cellulose, chitin, gum and microbial polysaccharides. Polysaccharides can exhibit complex structure and various functional activities. These bio macromolecules can therefore serve as raw materials for various different materials, e.g. rayon, cellulose acetate, celluloid and nitrocellulose; and they find multiple applications, for instance as surgical threads (chitin), as sources of energy, dietary fibers, as blood flow adjuvants, in cosmetics, emulsion stabilizers, film formers, binders, viscosity increasing agents or skin conditioning agenta, as food additives in gums, chewing gum bases and as vaccines. Polysaccharides form the basis for useful products, like xanthan gum, dextran, welan gum, gellan gum, diutan gum and pullulan. Some of the polysaccharide-derived products have interesting and useful properties and show biological activities, such as immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-mutagenic, radioprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-ulcer, antidepressant, anti-septicaemic or anti-inflammatory activities. All these applications and properties of polysaccharides are for the first time compiled in a thorough and comprehensive overview in the present work. This reference work is organized thematically in four parts: Part I. Polysaccharides: Occurrence, Structure, Distribution and Biotechnology. Part II. Methods. Part  III. Bioactive Polysaccharides. Part IV. Polysaccharides as Food. This reference work is edited by experienced experts, all chapters are written by well recognized international specialists. It is useful to all those working in the field of botany, phytochemistry, pharmacy, drug delivery, molecular biology, metabolomics, forestry, environment, conservation, biotechnology and NGOs working for forest protection.

This handbook compiles authoritative information about fungal metabolites and their chemistry and biotechnology.

This handbook is written by leading experts and structured in different sections addressing the natural occurrence of glucosinolates, their (bio-)synthesis, bioactivity, food processing of glucosinolate-containing vegetables, health and disease-related aspects, biotechnology, and methods applied in glucosinolate-research.

The book introduces various substance classes of sweeteners, which are mainly plant-derived, including glycosidic and terpenoid sweeteners, peptidic sweeteners, sweet-tasting proteins and protein-derived sweeteners (e.g.

Documenting the latest research in the field of different pathogenic organisms, this book presents the current scenario about promising antimicrobials in the following areas: Part I. Plants as source of antibacterials, Part II. Naturally occurring antifungal natural products, Part III. Antiparasitic natural products, Part IV. Antiviral natural products. Renowned scientists from the globe have been selected as authors to contribute chapters. Use of plants for various ailments is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or to product their bioactive secondary metabolites in high amounts through various technologies. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identified from higher plants and micro-organisms. Some plants based drugs are used since centuries and there is no alternative medicine for many such drugs as cardiac glycosides. Drug discovery from medicinal plants or marine micro-organisms continues to provide an important source of new drug leads. Research on new antibacterials represents a real and timely challenge of this century, particularly for the treatment of infections caused by clinical isolates that show multidrug resistance. The main microorganisms involved in the resistance process have been identified and given the acronym ESKAPE for Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae. Multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis including highly drug-resistant strains (XDR-TB) has also emerged as one of the most important clinical challenges of this century. Plants of diverse taxa and marine micro-organisms are rich source of these antimicrobials. An attempt has been made to compile the recent information about natural sources of antibacterials and their sustainable utilization. Increased panic of these pathogens warrants a growing demand for research to undertake the threat of multidrug resistance. The search for new antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral natural products is far from devoid of interest. According to the WHO report in 2013, malaria still represents some 207 million cases worldwide and more than 3 billion of people are still exposed to this risk. Similarly, about 350 million people are considered at risk of contracting leishmaniasis. The fight against some viruses also requires that the research on natural products continue. For example, even if an antiretroviral with direct action was recently approved in Europe in 2013, its high cost does not allow to offer it to an exposed population in countries where the cost of drugs remains a problem for a large part of the population. These books are useful to researchers and students in microbiology, biotechnology, pharmacology, chemistry and biology as well as medical professionals.

This reference work provides comprehensive information about the bioactive molecules presented in our daily food and their effect on the physical and mental state of our body.

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants’ defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores.Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants’ adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution ofsecondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates.This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.

Use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or produce their products in high amounts through various technologies. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identifed from higher plants and microorganisms. Some plant-based drugs have been used for centuries and there is no alternative medicine for many drugs, such as cardiac glycosides. However, natural products research was sidelined to pave the way for com- natorial chemistry, which was expected to produce large numbers of synthetic compounds for high-throughput screening (HTS). This line of work has failed to deliver desirable results. Moreover, it is not possible for all pharmaceutical companies and institutions to adopt costly HTS technology. Therefore, medi- nal plants and their bioactive molecules are always in demand and are a central point of research. While planning this book, we endeavored to incorporate - ticles that cover the entire gamut of current medicinal plants research. The aim of this book was to review the current status of bioactive molecules and medicinal plants research in light of the surge in the demand for herbal medicine. The chapters focus on bioactive molecules (e.g., stilbenes and p- toestrogens) and on medicinal plants as a whole (e.g., Bacopa monnierie). We hope that this book will be useful for researchers in academia, industry, and agriculture planning.

Use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or produce their products in high amounts through various technologies.

This reference work provides a wealth of information regarding medicinal plants and phytochemicals. It is addressed both to researchers and teachers. The handbook describes phytochemicals, which, by the strictest definition, are chemicals that are produced by plants. During the last decades, more and more groups became actively involved in exploring plants for useful metabolites that lead to the identification of several useful curative agents and many promising molecules to fight and/or prevent diseases, including carcinogenesis and stroke. But when we talk about phytochemicals, there are also medicinal plants where not a single molecule is responsible for the observed properties. This reference work therefore reviews and compiles the information on both these aspects. The volumes contain contributions on phytochemicals and herbal extracts. A large number of natural products obtained from plants and microorganisms is used in cosmetic, drug, flavor and fragrance industries. For this compilation, a range of the most important medicinal herbs and phytochemicals were selected and are described by the recognized authors in the field. The present reference work encompasses the information about well established phytochemicals, biology and biotechnology of medicinal plants or their products, their biosynthesis, novel production strategies, demand and uses, metabolism and bioavailability. There is a surge of information published in recent years on herbal medicine and their pharmacologic effects with single books available on varied subjects. However, all this information is widespread and difficult to overview. Researchers who wish to keep a pace with the rapidly developing field of natural products can now consult this newly compiled handbook to find all information about bioactive molecules and medicinal plants thoroughly compiled in one place!

To meet the challenge of feeding ever increasing human population, efficient, economical and environment friendly disease control methods are required. Pests are responsible for heavy crop losses and reduced food supplies, poorer quality of agricultural products, economic hardship for growers and processor. Generally, chemical control methods are neither always economical nor are they effective and may have associated unwanted health, safety and environmental risks. Biological control involves use of beneficial microorganism to control plant pathogens and diseases they cause and offers an environmental friendly approach to the effective management of plant diseases. This book provides a comprehensive account of interaction of host and its pathogens, induced host resistance, development of biological control agents for practical applications, the underlying mechanism and signal transduction. The book is useful to all those working in academia or industry related to crop protection.

This contributed volume deals with problems associated with huge biomass generated by crop plants and the processing of fruits and food materials.