Applied Process Design for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants: Volume 1

Herbivorous Insects: Host-Seeking Behavior and Mechanisms addresses mechanisms of searching behavior leading ultimately to host location of herbivorous insects. It is divided into four sections, wherein the first two sections deal with neurophysiology and the diversity of behavioral induction cues. The third section covers the searching mechanisms as affected by insects' breadth of diet. The last part examines the evolutionary analysis of the behavioral and physiological adaptations in insect/host plant relations. This book starts with an introduction to the chemical sensory system as it relates to host selection in general. This is followed by considerable discussions on host-seeking behavior and allied patterns in behavior. This text also includes the study of oviposition behavior in butterflies belonging to Papilionidae. The third section presents host selection and colonization by three insects within the saprophage-predator continuum, namely, Hylurgopinus rufipes, Scolytus multistriatus, and Pissodes strobi. The behaviors by which certain oligophagous insects locate and select food plants are also considered. The concluding part addresses the unifying theme and the diversity of responses of phytophagous insects to plants. The book provides direction toward developing a unifying theme and improving the ability to unravel the complexities of insect/plant interactions. Behaviorists, ecologists, entomologists, evolutionary biologists, and physiologists will find this book invaluable.

"Postharvest Handling: A Systems Approach introduces a new concept in the handling of fresh fruits and vegetable. Traditional treatments have been either physiologically based with an emphasis on biological tissue or technologically based with an emphasis on storage and handling. This book integrates all processes from production practices through consumer consumption with an emphasis on understanding market forces and providing fresh product that meets consumer expectations. Postharvest physiologists and technologists across the disciplines of agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, food science and horticulture along with handlers of minially-processed products within the fresh produce fruit and vegetable processing industries will find this to be an invaluable source of information. Key Features

"Major tree crops contribute substantially to the economy of many developing countries on the Asian, African and Latin American continents. For example, coffee is the main revenue earner for Kenya. This book provides a comprehensive review of the agronomy, botany, taxonomy, genetics, chemistry, economics, and future global prospects of a range of crops that have great food, industrial and economic value such as cocoa, coffee, cashew, oil palm and natural rubber. Key Features. Discusses the major tree crops of great economic value to the developing world. The author is an eminent scientist who has won numerous awards for his work in this area"

"Understanding the causes and contributing factors leading to outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with contamination of fresh produce is a worldwide challenge for everyone from the growers of fresh-cut produce through the entire production and delivery process. The premise of The Produce Contamination Problem is that when human pathogen contamination of fresh produce occurs, it is extremely difficult to reduce pathogen levels sufficiently to assure microbiological safety with the currently available technologies. A wiser strategy would be to avoid crop production conditions that result in microbial contamination to start. These critical, problem-oriented chapters have been written by researchers active in the areas of food safety and microbial contamination during production, harvesting, packing and fresh-cut processing of horticultural crops, and were designed to provide methods of contamination avoidance. Coverage includes policy and practices in the United States, Mexico and Central America, Europe, and Japan. Key Features. Addresses food-borne contaminations from a prevention view, providing proactive solutions to the problems. Covers core sources of contamination and methods for identifying those sources. Includes best practice and regulatory information"

Weather and Agriculture presents the major principles involved in the integrated study of weather and agriculture. The book is divided into three sections. Part I discusses the aspects of environmental factors and their validity and measurement. Part II presents a selection of the weather hazards and their relation to agricultural practice. The last section focuses on productivity, the efficient maximization of available resources towards economic ends. Meteorologists, agriculturists, and pedologists will find the book invaluable.