Meet the editors

Dr. Hugues Kossi Baimey, Associate Professor, graduated with his MSc in nematology from Ghent University, Belgium (2000) and obtained a PhD at Pretoria University, South Africa (2006) on yam nematodes. He is currently a lecturer (2009-present) in the Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Benin where he gives eight courses including plant-parasitic and entomopathogenic nematology. His research interests are primarily centered on the man-

agement of agricultural insect pest populations using entomopathogenic nematodes and the control of plant-parasitic nematodes associated with vegetable, root, tuber, and cereal crops. He is a past Director of the Higher National School of Agricultural Sciences and Techniques, University of Parakou, Benin (2012-2016) and Director of international projects funded by Nuffic (2012-2016) and DANIDA (2015-2016). He has been Principal Investigator of international projects funded by the VLIR-UOS (2010-2014), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2015-2019), and the National Academy of Science/USAID (currently). Hehas also received funds from Pro-Sol/GIZ (2019), the GRiSP (2012-2014), BEST (2010-2014), Agropolis-Foundation-Capes (2011-2013), and TWAS (2008-2009) for nematology research. Dr. Kossi Baimey has worked for IITA, Cotonou Station (1995-2009 and 2016-2018), University of Alicante, Spain (2001); AfricaRice Cotonou Station (2009-2011) and has had collaborations with IRD Montpellier, France (2010-2016); Ghent University, Belgium (2010-present); Oxfam Quebec NGO, Benin (2010); GERES NGO, Benin (2012-2014); eNema, Germany (2015-2019); CSIR-CRI and CSIR-SARI, Ghana (2015-2019). He has published 62 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 47 conference abstracts. He is a co-author of two books: "Searching for better methodologies for successful control of termites using entomopathogenic nematodes" (In: \Nematology - Concepts, Diagnosis and Control\, IntechOpen, 2017) and "Integrated pest management in vegetable production: A guide for extension workers in West Africa" (IITA, 2010). He has supervised two PhD students and around 40 Master and 35 BSc students.

Prof. Noureddine Hamamouch obtained his PhD degree in Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Virginia USA, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and at North Carolina State University. Prof. Hamamouch uses molecular tools to examine plant-pathogen interactions and genetically engineer plant resistance to pathogens. He has been

selected by the United States Department of Agriculture as a Biotechnology Expert to the Biotechnology Center in Morocco. Prof. Hamamouch was a Lecturer at Longwood University and at Central Virginia Community College, both in Virginia, USA. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Mohamed V, in Rabat, Morocco. Prof. Hamamouch has given lectures at different universities in USA and Europe (Belgium, Portugal, and Spain), published 15 scientific articles in high impact peer-reviewed international journals including Nature Biotechnology, Journal of Experimental Botany and Phytopathology, and has received numerous grants and scholarships including the Erasmus Mundus Grant.

Dr. Yao Adjiguita Kolombia obtained his PhD in Biology from Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Dr. Kolombia is an agricultural engineer with research experience in the biological control of weeds, nematode taxonomy, and management. Dr. Kolombia is currently the banana pathologist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Dr. Kolombia received several grants among which, the Erasmus Mundus Grant, the Special Research

Contents

**Section 1**

**Section 2**

Crops

**Section 3**

Mountains of Central China *by Junyang Song and Ning Zhang*

Development Strategy *by Mesfin Kebede Gessese*

*and Vladimir Likhovskoy*

**Preface III**

Plant Physiology **1**

**Chapter 1 3** Seed Characteristics and Germination Behaviour of *Bauhinia malabarica* Roxb. *by Pazhayaveetil Kuttanpillai Chandrasekhara Pillai, Sanal Chalil Viswanath,* 

**Chapter 2 13**

Genetics and Crop Improvement **25**

**Chapter 3 27**

**Chapter 4 49** Grafting in Horticultural Crop Species: Effective Pest and Disease Management

**Chapter 5 71**

Epidemiology and Management of Pests and Diseases **99**

Aspects of the Particular Genetics of Grapes Prolonged for All Horticulture

*by Vladimir Volynkin, Alla Polulyakh, Svetlana Levchenko, Irina Vasylyk* 

Summary of a Decade of South Ethiopian Coffee Improvement Activities at Awada Coffee Research Center: Fruit of the Landrace Arabica Coffee Variety

The Photosynthetic Characteristics of Wild *Cymbidium faberi* in the Qinling

*Thoduvayil Karunakaran Hrideek and Aviyan Hari Jiji*

Technique with Potential in Michoacan, Mexico

*by Juan Carlos Álvarez-Hernández*

Fund (BOF), and the Yam improvement for income and food security in West Africa (YIIFSWA). He has published several papers in impact factor journals.
