Academic Press Prosopis Juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization

Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora) is a xerophyte which, in its native habitats has been a desert plant. As long as it was confined to that habitat, P. juliflora was a great resource, improving the region’s micrometeorology, binding its sandy soil, and providing shelter, fuel, feed, food, medicines, and cosmetics to the people of such regions. In particular, for the economically weaker inhabitants, P.juliflora was a lifeline. But when P. juliflora was indiscriminately introduced in other regions of the world in a hope to derive similar benefits from it, things began to go awry. Indeed, among the invasive species of plants which are spreading at an alarming rate in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, P.juliflora is arguably the most hardy and resilient. It is growing so explosively that it even enters roads and homes, driving humans out of their dwellings. The resulting damage to biodiversity is enormous. This book highlights the dual role played so far by P. juliflora and itemizes the facets that make it a blessing in some contexts and a bane in other contexts. Authored by leading experts in the field, Prosopis juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization is the first title of its kind to comprehensively discuss this hardy plant species. It will be an essential read for students, researchers and governmental agencies interested in plant biology, forestry, plant ecology, invasive plant species and environmental science. Review A complete resource on how to best utilize Prosopis juliflora From the Back Cover Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora) is a xerophyte which, in its native habitats has been a desert plant. As long as it was confined to that habitat, P. juliflora was a great resource, improving the region’s micrometeorology, binding its sandy soil, and providing shelter, fuel, feed, food, medicines, and cosmetics to the people of such regions. In particular, for the economically weaker inhabitants, P.juliflora was a lifeline.<br><br>But when P. juliflora was indiscriminately introduced in other regions of the world in a hope to derive similar benefits from it, things began to go awry. Indeed, among the invasive species of plants which are spreading at an alarming rate in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, P.juliflora is arguably the most hardy and resilient. It is growing so explosively that it even enters roads and homes, driving humans out of their dwellings. The resulting damage to biodiversity is enormous. This book highlights the dual role played so far by P. juliflora and itemizes the facets that make it a blessing in some contexts and a bane in other contexts.<br><br>Authored by leading experts in the field, <i>Prosopis juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization</i> is the first title of its kind to comprehensively discuss this hardy plant species. It will be an essential read for students, researchers and governmental agencies interested in plant biology, forestry, plant ecology, invasive plant species and environmental science. About the Author Pratiksha Patnaik received a 1st class Masters degree in Ecology and Environmental Science in 2006 from Pondicherry University, India. She later received her PhD there in 2018 in Environmental Technology. Dr. Patnaik is currently working as a Research Associate at the Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering in Pondicherry University. Tabassum Abbasi is Assistant Professor at Pondicherry University, India. She received her Masters from the University of Surrey and her PhD in 2010 from the Anna University of Technology, India, both in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. She also held a concurrent position of Visiting Associate Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA during 2012-2017. Dr. Abbasi was awarded India’s Best Young Engineer Award in 2014, has published over 100 papers with 3500+ citations and authored 10 books. S. A. Abbasi has been a full university