Strategies to Improve the Security and Nutritional Quality of Crop Species
- ISBN 978-3-7258-5831-6 (Hardback)
- ISBN 978-3-7258-5832-3 (PDF)
Print copies available soon
This is a Reprint of the Special Issue Strategies to Improve the Security and Nutritional Quality of Crop Species that was published in
Nutritious and safe food is one of the main contributors to the health of society. The first step to keep food nutritious and safe is the quality of the raw material. The quality of the raw material supplied to the industry affects the final quality of the product obtained. Therefore, the cultivation technology of individual plant species is of colossal importance. On the one hand, through proper crop management, we can increase the amount of nutrients and obtain raw materials suitable for use in various industries. On the other hand, inappropriate crop management can increase amounts of chemical pollution (residues of plant protection products) and physical pollution (heavy metals, nitrates, nitrites). Additionally, fungal diseases can lead to reduced quality and the production of toxic metabolites known as mycotoxins. Due to climate change, urbanisation and other human activities, there is a growing concern about the levels of these contaminants in food. In recent years, the use of biotechnology and genome editing of plants in order to enhance their nutritional value or increase their resistance to pests or unfavourable environmental conditions, such as drought, has also gained more focus. The publications covered high-quality research results from different research fields, including genetics, new genomic techniques and breeding, agriculture, food technology, and ecology, etc.