Tales of Tropical Plant Diseases in an Age of Climate Change: A View of Sustainability Based on Complexity...

— —

Khoon Chin

Tales of Tropical Plant Diseases in an Age of Climate Change

A View of Sustainability Based on Complexity Science

Khoon Chin

$118.95 $100.88

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Springer International Publishing AG
25 May 2025

Botany & plant sciences; Global warming; Agricultural science

This book offers a global perspective on major tropical crops, exploring their role in food production and the threats plant diseases pose to their productivity. Drawing from the author’s diverse experiences as a plant pathologist across Asia, Europe, the US, and Latin America, as well as his work as an independent research consultant on complexity science, the book offers both professional insights and personal reflections.

Narratives have long been a powerful tool for human communication, often more knowledge-dense than any other form of exchange. The use of stories in this book serves three main purposes. First, complexity theory suggests that reflecting on others' stories can inspire scientists to form fresh perspectives and unique insights based on their own knowledge and experiences. This process may even help people ""know what they didn’t know they knew,"" a concept popular in knowledge management circles. Complexity practice takes this further by helping scientists uncover what they ""didn’t know they didn’t know""—a crucial element for advancing research rather than simply investigation.

Second, today’s students often report learning more from the personal experiences of their teachers than from mere facts. Traditional, encyclopedic texts leave little room for the self-learning practices that are central to modern education. Stories, by contrast, are an effective way of conveying experiential or tacit knowledge, which is often more valuable in real-world contexts.

Additionally, the use of narratives and visuals makes phytopathology more accessible for broader audience interested in sustainability, biodiversity, food security, biosecurity, regenerative agriculture, resilience, climate change, new technologies, and public policy.

The final chapter ties the book together by focusing on sustainability and ecosystem services for the future. It also provides an extensively researched library of references on the management of tropical crop diseases, offering quick access to essential facts in the appendices.

By: Khoon Chin
Imprint: Springer International Publishing AG
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm,
ISBN: 9783031907890
ISBN 10: 3031907892
Pages: 123
Publication Date: 25 May 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Time to check our bearings before we start on our journey.- Chapter 3. Cereals.- Chapter 4. Field crops.- Chapter 5. Plantation crops.- Chapter 6. Vegetables.- Chapter 7. Fruit Crops.- Chapter 8. The future: sustainability, food security and resilience in an age of climate change.- Chapter 9. Epilogue: weaving the narratives together.

Dr Khoon Chin holds a BSc Hons degree in Agricultural Botany (Reading University, UK) and a PhD in Plant Pathology and Population Genetics (Cambridge, UK), as well as an MSc of USM, Malaysia. He has had a lifelong global career as a research and teaching phytopathologist, working for national and international institutions and for industry, in both the tropics and temperate regions. He was formerly a Bye-Fellow of Downing College UK, Visiting Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute ROP, lecturer at the Bern Fachhochschule for Agriculture (HAFL, CH), and an editor of Plant Pathology (Blackwells) Journal of the British Society of Plant Pathology. He has written well over a hundred publications in refereed journals and lectured widely as an invited/keynote speaker in international and national symposia in EU, USA, Asia and Latin America. He is also accredited to the Cynefin Center for research on complexity science and was for 8 years a consultant for complexity areas of business management for industry.