chapter 1 Physiology of yield and adaptation in wheat and barley breeding / chapter 2 Genetic yield improvement and stress tolerance in maize / chapter 3 Physiological Basis of Yield and Environmental Adaptation in Rice / chapter 4 Sorghum physiology / chapter 5 Pearl millet / chapter 6 Comparative Ecophysiology of Cowpea, Common Bean, and Peanut / chapter 7 The Physiological Basis of Soybean Yield Potential and Environmental Adaptation / chapter 8 : Physiological basis of yield and environmental adaptation in cotton -- chapter 9 Genome mapping and genomic strategies for crop improvement / chapter 10 Marker-Assisted Utilization of Exotic Germ Plasm / chapter 11 Heterosis of Yield: Molecular and Biochemical Perspectives / chapter 12 Genetic Engineering for Enhancing Plant Productivity and Stress Tolerance / chapter 13 Genome Mapping and Marker-Assisted Selection for Improving Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Productivity and Quality in Arid Regions / chapter 14 Molecular dissection of abiotic stress tolerance in sorghum and rice / chapter 15 Genetic dissection of drought tolerance in maize -- chapter 16 physiology and biotechnology integration for plant breeding: epilogue