The Journal of Crop Improvement provides an international forum to evaluate and review latest advancements in basic and applied aspects of crop production on a global basis. The journal directly addresses emerging issues, new strategies for new needs, and future challenges of crop production, epscially those leading to a secure world food supply and resource conservation using environmentally-benign technologies. The Journal of Crop Improvement intends to create a unique niche in the crop production literaure-by developing a series of thematic issues on cutting-edge topics or research fronts in the field-following charter issue. The journal promises to be a welcome and respected source of unparalleled, preeminent knowledge from articles that reveal novel concepts; achieve a new symthesis based on multifaceted, multilevel, and multidisciplinary approaches; identify key gaps in the knowledge that m ight be addressed by further research; and offer technical solutions to critical global problems in crop production. Articles are presented in an understandable format which can be directly utilized by students, teachers, researchers, practitioners, and advisors in the fields of agronomy, soil science, genetics and plant preeding, molecular biology and biotechnology, crop physiology and biochemistry, ecology, agroclimatology, plant pathology, integrated pest management, seed science and technology, agrobiodiversity and other cognate sciences that are of prime interest to crop production.