| Edition |
First U.S. edition. |
| Description |
239 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [212]-229) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: What it takes to beat a plague -- The expedition to America -- The heirs of Borlaug -- The marriage of wheat and rye -- Where the wheat begins -- Save everything! -- The proactive gene bank -- The slippery seeds of Tibet -- An array of tools -- Hamlet and Mercutio -- Dracula -- The pea under the princess. |
| Summary |
Documents the efforts of Bent Skovmand and his fellow scientists to identify seed varieties that would prove resistant to a dangerous form of stem rust that threatened the world's wheat, an endeavor challenged by environmental hazards. For thirty years, as developer of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, the Danish scientist Bent Skovmand amassed, multiplied, and documented thousands of wheat varieties. In an era when multinational corporations and governments often jealously guard breeding patents and information, Skovmand fought to keep his seed bank a center for free, open scientific exchange as a service to breeders and farmers everywhere. |
| Subject |
Wheat -- Germplasm resources.
|
|
Germplasm resources, Plant.
|
|
Gene banks, Plant.
|
|
Skovmand, B. (Bent)
|
| Added Title |
Scientist's struggle to preserve the world's harvest |
| ISBN |
0802717403 hardback alkaline paper |
|
9780802717405 hardback alkaline paper |
|
