Plants, genes & agriculture: sustainability through biotechnology

The human population and its food supply in the 21st century -- A changing global food system -- Plants in human nutrition, diet, and health -- Genes, genomics, and molecular biology -- Growth and development -- Converting solar energy into crop production -- The domestication of our food crops -- From classical plant breeding to molecular crop improvement -- Plant propagation by seeds and vegetative processes -- Innovations in agriculture -- Soil ecosystems, plant nutrition, and nutrient cycling -- Biotic challenges: weeds -- Plant diseases and strategies for their control -- Biotic challenges: pests -- Abiotic stresses and how they affect crop yield -- Introduced traits that benefit farmers and industry -- Introduced traits that benefit the consumer -- Food safety -- Challenges and solutions for subsistence farmers -- Plants as chemical factories -- Plants as factories for the production of protein biologics -- Sustainable food production in the 21st century.