https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-74998-8

Title: Conventional and Contemporary Practices of Plant Breeding

Topics: Plant Sciences, Agriculture, Genetics and Genomics

Authors: Prof. Patrick Olweny Ayiecho, MGH- University of Nairobi (B.Sc. Agric, M.Sc Plant Breeding and University of California (Ph.D Genetics). Currently a Professor of genetics and plant breeding at Maseno University.

Prof. Julius Omondi Nyabundi OGW, University of Nairobi (B.Sc. Agric. and M.Sc. Agronomy) and University of California (Ph.D. Ecology). Professor of horticulture at Maseno University also currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Maseno University.

Cost: e-book Price 94.15 Euros and hardcover 109.99 Euros

Publisher: Springer Cham

There is in-depth coverage of plant resistance mechanisms to various stress factors and the application of phenotyping, genotyping, bioinformatics, molecular markers, biotechnology, trans-genesis and gene editing in crop improvement.

Topics like germplasm conservation, plant sex expression and pollination control, recurrent selection methods, interspecific hybridization, pre-breeding, chromosome manipulation and breeding for resistance to diseases and insect pests are comprehensively covered.

The book is suitable for teaching plant breeding at the university level and is also beneficial to practicing plant breeders. It brings together some relevant work and literary information that is useful to university lecturers, students and practicing plant breeders.  targets university students in agricultural and plant sciences, particularly those taking plant breeding as a key unit/course.

About the authors

Professor Patrick Olweny Ayiecho, MGH, is a graduate of the University of Nairobi (B.Sc. Agric. and M.Sc. Plant Breeding) and the University of California (Ph.D. Genetics). He is currently a professor of genetics and plant breeding at Maseno University and also served in a similar capacity at the University of Nairobi for several years.

In addition to teaching genetics and plant breeding in the two universities, he has undertaken plant breeding research in several crops like barley, grain amaranths, field beans, sesame and sorghum, focusing on crop improvement for resistance to abiotic and biotic stress factors, especially drought resistance and sorghum resistance to Striga. He has successfully guided over 40 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students to accomplish their graduate studies at both universities.

Professor Julius Omondi Nyabundi, OGW; is a graduate of the University of Nairobi (B.Sc. Agric. and M.Sc. Agronomy) and the University of California (Ph.D. Ecology). He is currently a professor of horticulture at Maseno University and served as a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi for several years.

In addition to teaching agronomy, crop ecology and physiology in the two universities, he has undertaken agronomy, crop physiology and plant water relations research for a number of crops like sorghum, finger millet, tomatoes, field beans, sesame and sorghum performance under Striga infestation.

He has successfully guided over 30 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students to accomplish graduate studies in both universities. He is currently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Maseno University.