Hybrid : the history and science of plant breeding
(Book)
Author
Published
Chicago [Ill.] ; London : The University of Chicago Press, c2009.
Physical Desc
xiv, 493 ; 24 cm.
Status
Moab Library - Adult Non-fiction Book
631.53 KIN
1 available
631.53 KIN
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Moab Library - Adult Non-fiction Book | 631.53 KIN | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
Chicago [Ill.] ; London : The University of Chicago Press, c2009.
Format
Book
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
Disheartened by the shrink-wrapped, Styrofoam-packed state of contemporary supermarket fruits and vegetables, many shoppers hark back to a more innocent time, to visions of succulent red tomatoes plucked straight from the vine, gleaming orange carrots pulled from loamy brown soil, swirling heads of green lettuce basking in the sun. With Hybrid, Noel Kingsbury reveals that even those imaginary perfect foods are themselves far from anything that could properly be called natural; rather, they represent the end of a millennia-long history of selective breeding and hybridization. Starting his story at the birth of agriculture, Kingsbury traces the history of human attempts to make plants more reliable, productive, and nutritious—a story that owes as much to accident and error as to innovation and experiment. Drawing on historical and scientific accounts, as well as a rich trove of anecdotes, Kingsbury shows how scientists, amateur breeders, and countless anonymous farmers and gardeners slowly caused the evolutionary pressures of nature to be supplanted by those of human needs—and thus led us from sparse wild grasses to succulent corn cobs, and from mealy, white wild carrots to the juicy vegetables we enjoy today. At the same time, Kingsbury reminds us that contemporary controversies over the Green Revolution and genetically modified crops are not new; plant breeding has always had a political dimension. A powerful reminder of the complicated and ever-evolving relationship between humans and the natural world, Hybrid will give readers a thoughtful new perspective on—and a renewed appreciation of—the cereal crops, vegetables, fruits, and flowers that are central to our way of life.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Kingsbury, N. (2009). Hybrid: the history and science of plant breeding . The University of Chicago Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Kingsbury, Noël. 2009. Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding. The University of Chicago Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Kingsbury, Noël. Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Kingsbury, Noël. Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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