This book highlights emerging perspectives in plant science research that promise innovative solutions for sustainable food production. It also identifies the vexing bottlenecks that hinder the translation of new knowledge into crop improvement by way of a unique thematic compilation. This book is organized into seven sections, comprising chapters that span diverse areas ranging from remodeling plant development, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, environmental stress perception, response and building tolerance, priming plant defense, plant-microbe interactions, engineering male sterility and apomixis for seed production, and the futuristic theme of astrobiology. Contributions from leading authorities in respective fields provide a holistic view of current advancements and opportunities, while also addressing the challenges that orient the readers to road ahead. The chapters emphasize biological and conceptual foundations, with technologies and strategies implicitly integrated. The book is intended for agricultural scientists, plant breeders, research scholars, academicians in universities and research institutes, and students of plant and agricultural sciences. It also aims to support policy makers and regulators in framing science-based policies relevant to crop improvement and sustainable agricultural practices. Chapter "Bioengineering photosynthesis to drive crop improvement: Engineering carbon-concentrating mechanisms, Kranz anatomy, chloroplast mimics, and new cellular compartments" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
