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Agriculture, Plant Sciences, and Botany
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Below are a few major, frequently used sources for the study of Agriculture, Plant Sciences, and Botany. See also the research guide(s): Biology & Zoology; Environmental Science, Ecology and Biodiversity; General Science; and Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics. For additional information resources please consult a librarian. Internet resources require a Tufts I.D. number for off-campus access (authorized users statement). |
Facts and Background Information [back to top]
Reference Resources
Dictionaries
CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names,
Common Names, Science Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, & Etymology
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK13 .Q38 2000]
California
Plant Names, Word Meanings & Name Derivations
Word meanings and name derivations of Southern California plants
taken from a variety of sources.
Dictionary of Agriculture from Abaca to Zoonosis
[PRINT. Tisch Reference S411 .L55 1995]
A dictionary of agricultural terms, commonly used acronyms, major
U.S. agricultural trade legislation, top producing states for
crops, and weights and measures information.
Glossary
of Roots & Botanical Names
Over 1000 root words of botanical names from a- to zyg-.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK711.2 .E5]
Handbooks & Manuals
Common Poisonous Plants & Mushrooms
of North America
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK100 .A1 T87 1991]
Gray's Manual of Botany: A Handbook of the Flowering Plants
and Ferns of the Central and Northeastern United States and Canada
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK115 .G75 1950]
Methods
in Enzymology
A standard source for methods and protocols in molecular biology. Some topics
coverd are: guide to yeast genetics and molecular biology, branch chain amino
acids, recombinant DNA, molecular evolution .
Wild Flowers of the United States
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK115 .R5]
World Economic Plants
[PRINT. Tisch Reference SB107 .W485 1999]
Nomenclature & Taxonomy
A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States,
Canada, and Greenland
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QK100 .A1 T87 1994]
Reviews
Annual Review of Plant Biology v.47- (1996-)
Annual Review of Plant Biology v.53- (2002-)
[PRINT. Tisch Book Stacks QK1 .A48]
Annual Review of Plant Physiology & Plant
Molecular Biology v.39-52 (1988-2001)
[PRINT. Tisch Book Stacks QK1 .A48]
Style Manuals
RefWorks
A web-based reference/citation and bibliography
manager. Allows users to keep track of and download citations
from our
internet databases/indexes and then use these references
in writing papers and automatically formatting papers and bibliographies.
This software works with EndNote too!
A library's catalog covers most aspects of a subject over centuries of publications in many languages. Catalogs can be searched by author, title, subject, and keyword. Tisch Library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification scheme. LC classification brings similar books together on the shelves, which facilitates browsing. Books on Botany/Plant Sciences are classified in QK; books on Agriculture are classified in S.
The Catalogs
Boston Library Consortium Catalogs
Harvard University Library System Catalog (HOLLIS)
National Research
Council of Canada
Includes Canada Institute for Scientific & Technical Information
(CISTI).
WorldCat. FirstSearch.
Click on WorldCat or select WorldCat database from the search
box.
A catalog of materials held by libraries worldwide, including
books, periodicals, sound recordings, video, manuscripts, maps,
and other formats.
Other Sources for Books
Books
in Print
Lists books currently in print and available on the market for
purchasing.
Document Delivery
Borrow from other libraries, both books and journal articles.
The
Online Books Page: QK Botany
List of online books that are freely available from the University
of Pennsylvania's Digital Library.
The
Online Books Page: S Agriculture
List of online books that are freely available from the University
of Pennsylvania's Digital Library.
To locate articles or research papers within periodicals and journals, it is necessary to use specialized databases known as indexes. Database searching tips (also available in PDF) provides valuable information on how to construct a search for best results.
Indexes
AGRICOLA.
COS, 1979-
Comprehensive database of bibliographic records of journal articles,
theses, patents, software, and technical reports related to agriculture
from 1979 to the present.
Biological
and Agricultural Index. OCLC First Search, 1983-
Search for articles on biology, ecology, forestry, and agriculture.
Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts - Agricultural and Environmental Biotechnology
Abstracts. CSA/IDS, 1993-
Search for information on agricultural products involving plants
and animals, new applications across the food industry, and wide-ranging
environmental developments. Also includes information on plant
genome studies.
Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts - Industrial and Applied Microbiology Abstracts.
CSA/IDS, 1982-
Search for journal articles on research and practical applications
in agricultural, food and beverage, chemical, and pharmaceutical
industries.
Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts - Plant Science. CSA/IDS, 1994-
Focus is on pathology, symbiosis, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology,
and environmental biology as it pertains to plants.
BIOSIS
Previews. ISI, 1980-
A comprehensive life sciences database, incorporating Biological
Abstracts.
Current
Contents Connect. ISI.
An ISI current awareness database with an interdisciplinary focus;
covers science, social science and humanities; includes the latest
issue and table of contents from over 8,000 of the world's
research journals and some evaluated scholarly websites. Can
create auto alerts for e-mail updates. Has search and journal
browse functions. Updated daily. Holdings are for one year.
Science
Citation Index Expanded. ISI, 1945-
Part of the ISI Web of Science, this index provides author, subject
and citation access to journal articles and book reviews in the
sciences, as well as citation values for particular papers, citation
tracking and related records. Updated weekly.
Scopus. Elsevier, 1966-
An index to the world's scientific, technical and medical literature (14,000 scholarly titles),
including 2,700 titles in Social Science, Psychology and Economics. Updated daily. Non-English
titles are covered as long as English abstracts are available. Full-text linking is available
wherever the technology and the access arrangements permit and continues to expand as such
arrangements allow. Integrated web searching and patent searching by Scirus.
Electronic Journals
Periodicals are listed in the library catalog. Holdings in all formats are unified in one record, and most entries for journals held in electronic format contain a hyperlink to the source: searches in the web-based catalog enable one to follow these links directly. A complete list of electronic journals is on the Tisch homepage under Electronic Journals.
Key Weekly Science Journals
Nature. Nature Publishing Group.
Current:
v387-, 1997-
Back volumes v. 54-84 (1896-1910) and v.132- (1937-): [PRINT.
Tisch Bound Periodicals Q1 .N2]
Back volumes v.112-131 (1923-1933): [MICROFORMS. R93]
Science. AAAS.
Current:
v270-, (1995-)
Back
volumes v.1-270, (1800-1995)
Collections of Electronic Journals
BioOne
A collection of research journals in the biological, ecological,
and environmental sciences published by small societies and non-commercial
publishers.
Directory of Open Access Journals
List of free full-text, open access and vetted scientific and
scholarly journals on a variety of subjects. Hosted by Lund University.
JSTOR
For access to older issues of several botany journals, use Browse
by Discipline - Botany.
ScienceDirect.
Elsevier.
A database of over 1,700 journal titles covering the life, physical,
technical and social sciences. Titles start with the initial volume
of publication; all titles have tables of contents and abstracts
and most have full-text articles. Tufts has access to approximately
800 titles from 1995 to date. The titles formerly published by
Academic Press commence with 1993. Green boxes indicate subscribed
titles; white boxes are for non-subscribed titles. Please note:
ScienceDirect no longer provides access to non-subscribed titles.
Articles from non-subscribed titles must be obtained from Tisch
Document Delivery - Borrow from Other Libraries (needs new
link) or purchased directly from ScienceDirect. Users can browse
the SD Agricultural and Biological Sciences journals.
SpringerLink
Provides access to 460+ electronic journals with full-text and
some book series. The focus is on science and technology. Browse
the Online Subject Libraries.
Wiley
InterScience
Provided is full-text access to 300+ journals published by John
Wiley & Sons. Select Journal Finder and browse the subject
categories.
Other Sources for Research Papers
Conference proceedings, dissertations, technical reports, and patents are other sources for original research.
ISI
Proceedings
An index to the published literature of significant conferences,
symposia, and seminars.
Conference
Papers Index. CSA/IDS, 1982-
Citations to papers presented at major science meetings worldwide;
focus is on life and environmental sciences.
Dissertation
Abstracts. First Search, 1861-
Indexes dissertations accepted at accredited institutions; covers
all disciplines. Updated monthly.
Tufts University
Dissertations. ProQuest, 1996-
Tufts dissertations and theses published in Dissertation Abstracts
from 1996 to date. Provides full-text access.
GrayLit Network. U.S.
Government.
A science portal to technical reports from the Department of Energy,
Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA.
Find Web Resources on the Internet
In the 1980s the World Wide Web emerged and spawned publications of its own, independent of the print traditions. Information retrieved from the open web must be reviewed for authority, accuracy and authenticity. Keeping these limitations in mind, there are some excellent information resources available from the open web, especially those associated with government agencies and universities. See how to evaluate web resources.
General Web Search Engines
Google
A top ranked web search engine, with good relevancy. Uses tabs
at the top of the search box. The tab titled Groups (a Usenet
news database) will retrieve the category sci with agriculture
and biology as subcategories. (Botany
is a subtopic of Biology.) The tab Directory is a Page Rank version
of the Open Directory and includes a category for Science with
Agriculture
and Biology as subcategories (Botany
is subtopic of Biology.) There is also a tab for Images and News.
Alltheweb.com
Good web search engine. Indexes full webpage, PDF files, Microsoft
Word files, and text within Flash files. Also includes tabs for
databases of news, pictures, videos, audio and FTP files.
Science Web Search Engines
BioBot.
NBII.
Biological search engine for the internet.
Biology Browser. BIOSIS.
Scirus
A comprehensive science-specific search engine. Locates peer-reviewed
articles.
Arabidopsis
Arabinet - Arabidopsis Information on the World Wide Web
Links to informatics and stock centers, maps, genetics, and physical
map graphics. From the Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts
General Hospital.
The Arabidopsis Information
Resource
A comprehensive resource for the scientific community working
with Arabidopsis thaliana, a widely used model plant.
Books & Textbooks
Botany
online - The Internet Hypertextbook
Although still undergoing translation from German, the sections
covering all plant anatomy, classic genetics, organic chemistry
and plant biochemistry, intercellular communication, interactions
between plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, evolution, and a
part of ecology are available in English.
Fuchs
Botanical - 1545
Digital copy of Fuchs' historic early illustrated botanical
book, Primi de stirpium historia commentariorum tomi uiuae imagines… Includes
an alphabetical index listing of plant names and 516 woodcuts
of plants. From Yale University Medical Library.
The Plant
Pathology Internet Guide Book
A resource guide for plant pathology, applied entomology, and
all related fields.
The tree and shrub genera Of Borneo
Botanical Gardens, Museums, Arboreta, and Herbariums
The Arnold Arboretum
of Harvard University
The mission of the arboretum is to increase knowledge of woody
plants through research and to disseminate this knowledge through
education. Includes a paper on the 1980
Sino-American Expedition (SABE) and the SABE
Living Collection database, with instructions on how
to use the database.
Bishop
Museum's Botany Home Page
Access to information and databases on plants from Hawaii and
the Pacific.
Harvard University Herbaria
Site includes the Index
of Botanical Specimens of the Harvard University Herbaria.
Missouri Botanical Garden
MBG's mission is to discover and share knowledge about plants
and their environment and to support an active
research program. MBG has also developed a number of databases
and hosts the site for the Center
for Plant Preservation.
The New York Botanical Garden
NYBG is a public garden and research center dedicated to the documentation
and preservation of the earth's plant biodiversity. NYBG
supports the International
Plant Science Center. Searchable databases
are: The Virtual Herbarium, Index Herbariorum, Index to American
Botanical Literature, CATALPA (the Library Catalog) and the NYBG
Living Collections.
The
Field Museum Research & Collections - Botany
The Botany Division of the Field Museum's major research
interest is learning why there are so many different plants and
fungi in the world. Some of its projects have been: The
Andean Botanical Information System, Mushroom
Genus Laccaria in North America, Macrofungi
of China & Eastern North America, and, in collaboration
with other institutions, The
Phylogeny, Character, Evolution & Diversification of Extant
Ferns.
Royal Botanic Gardens,
Kew
The mission of the Royal Botanic Gardens is to enable the better
management of the earth environment. The
Electronic Plant Information Center (ePIC) is the search engine
that brings together all the plant information at the Royal Botanic
Gardens.
Smithsonian
Institution - Botany
Information on the collections, research projects, publications,
and reference resources of the Department of Systematic Biology.
United States Botanic Garden
Established in 1820 to collect, grow and distribute plants that
might contribute to the welfare of the American people. The Garden's
noteworthy collections include economic plants, medicinal plants,
orchids, cacti and succulents, bromeliads, cycads, and ferns.
University of Michigan
Herbarium
One of the top herbarium in the country, the site offers information
on its collections, databases, and links to other botany sites
of interest.
Databases - Plants
AGRIS. International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences & Technology. FAO.
Calflora
An independent organization dedicated to providing scientific
information about California plants for research, conservation,
and education. Site contains summaries of geographic distribution,
habitat, and life form data for the approximately 7,600 vascular
plants known to be native or naturalized in California.
The International Plant
Names Index
A database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details
of all seed plants.
Multisite
Searches - Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Search for specific plant information from 19 botanic garden collections
simultaneously.
Native American Ethnobotany
Database of plant-derived foods, drugs, dyes and fibers of Native
Americans.
PLANTS Database. NRCS/USDA.
The PLANTS database provides standardized information about the
vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of
the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols,
checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics,
images, plant links, references, crop information, and automated
tools.
Directories
Index Herbariorum
An index of Herbariorum and people.
Forests & Trees
British-Trees.com
Site offers UK conservation and forestry information including
native tree guide, organizations list, bibliographies, images,
and resource links.
Forest Conservation Portal
List of internet web resources with forest conservation information
including links to current news reports.
Global
Forest Watch
An international data and mapping network that combines on-the-ground
knowledge with digital technology to provide accurate development
activity information about the world's forests.
Gateways & Links
Botany. National
Biological Information Infrastructure.
Botanical resources available on the web.
Botany (Biosciences).
WWW Virtual Library.
Extensive list of links to websites on Botany, Agriculture, and
Biosciences.
Internet Directory for Botany
An index to botanical information available on the internet. Choose
from subject list including: Conservation and Threatened Plants,
Economic Botany, Images, Resource Guides, and Taxonomical Databases.
Invasives on the Web
Resources and web links with information on the threat to biodiversity
posed by invasive non-native plants and animals.
Scott's
Botanical Links
Useful botany education resources for the advanced high school
(AP-biology) and college level. Sites rated on a 4-star scale.
Compiled by Scott Russell at the University of Oklahoma.
The Virtual Library:
Agriculture
A list of web resources on subjects such as agricultural economics,
forestry, gardening, and irrigation among others.
Genetically Modified Organisms
Ag BioTech InfoNet
Covers all aspects of the application of biotechnology and genetic
engineering in agricultural production and food processing and
marketing.
Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetically Engineered Foods. Food Safety Network.
Provides links to online studies and research papers on a variety
of issues such as public perception, herbicide resistance, labeling,
gene flow, and safety.
Genetically
Engineered Organisms: Public Issues Education Project. Cornell
University.
Provides information about genetic engineering for the public.
Discusses relevant scientific research, the areas of uncertainty,
and the associated interpretations of the research.
Genetically
Modified Food. SCOPE Forum.
Site has links to online articles, other websites, and news.
Accessing some of the material requires becoming a member of SCOPE.
Transgenic
Crops: An Introduction and Resource Guide. Colorado State
University.
Site contains information on the history of plant breeding, the
transgenic process, public concerns over health and environmental
effects, and links to current news.
Genome
Dendrome: A Forest Tree
Genome Database
A collection of forest tree genome databases and forest genetic
information resources.
MaizeDB
MaizeDB is a comprehensive source of information on the genetics
and Molecular biology of maize, and supports the Maize
Mapping Project.
National Plant Germplasm
System. USDA.
Program mission is to collect, document, preserve, evaluate, enhance
and distribute plant genetic resources for improving the quality
and production of economic crops important to U.S. and world agriculture.
Plant Genome Data and
Information Center
Resource for plant genome mapping.
Government Resources
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Government department tasked with enhancing the quality of life
for the American people by supporting production of agriculture.
Site links to agencies responsible for agricultural statistics,
food and nutrition, forest administration, conservation, research,
and animal and plant health.
Agricultural
Biotechnology. USDA.
Information on the agency's biotechnology oversight responsibility.
National Plant Data Center.
NRCS/USDA.
Government agency responsible for developing and disseminating
plant information.
USDA
Forest Service - Research and Development Information/Publications
Center
Search for information and research from Forest Service scientists.
USDA
- Research, Education & Economics
Source for agricultural statistics, basic and applied science,
and economics.
U. S. Department of the Interior
Botany. National
Biological Information Infrastructure.
Botanical resources available on the web.
Ecology.
USFWS.
Focus is on wetlands, includes National
List of Plant Species: 1988 List, 1993 Supplement and 1996
draft revision.
Images/Pictures
Botanical Society of America
Online Image Collection
Collection of approximately 800 images available for instructional
use.
CalPhotos:
Fungi. Digital Library Project, UC Berkeley.
Collection of over 1,600 images of fungi; most available for personal,
academic, and non-profit use.
CalPhotos:
Plants. Digital Library Project - UC Berkeley.
Over 35,000 images of plants; most available for personal, academic,
and non-profit use.
Image
Gallery. USDA.
Plants, insects, crops, fruits and vegetables.
Instruction Technology
- Botany. University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Online collection of images including trees, plants, and fungi.
Plants Image Gallery.
NRCS/USDA.
Selected images of U.S. plants.
The
Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois
Photos of prairie plants searchable by scientific and common names.
Vascular
Plant Image Library. Digital Flora of Texas.
Links to plant images from a variety of sources.
Wisconsin
Vascular Plants & Lichens
A fully searchable website of Wisconsin plants and lichens; includes
photos, habitat information and distribution maps.
Research Projects
Deep Green
Information and data from the Green Plant Phylogeny Research Coordination
Group, a project aimed at facilitating interactions between distinct
research groups studying green plant phylogeny and systematics.
Ecology & Management
of Invasive Plants Program. Cornell University.
The impact of invasive plants on native northeastern species and
their management.
Vascular
Plants Endemic to Texas. Flora of Texas Consortium.
Prototype informatics system designed to use dynamic, specimen-based
data for mapped visualization of species distributions and geographic
centers of diversity for vascular plants endemic to Texas.
SMASCH
Project - Specimen Management System for California Herbaria
A project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop
a database of text data and images of specimens that document
the distribution and classification of plants of California. Technical
documents concerning the SMASCH project are available for
the data entry software, database structures, and data entry procedures.
Research Tools
PHYLIP
(the PHYLogeny Inference Package)
Programs for inferring phylogenies (evolutionary trees).
Societies & Associations
American
Bryological & Lichenological Society
An organization devoted to the scientific study of all aspects
of the biology of bryophytes and lichen-forming fungi.
The American Phytopathological
Society
A non-profit, professional, scientific organization dedicated
to the study and control of plant diseases.
The American Society of Plant
Biologists
Promotes the growth and development of plant biology, encourages
and publishes research in plant biology, and supports the interests
and growth of plant scientists in general.
Botanical Society of America
Membership society that exists to promote botany, the field of
basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form,
function, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants
and their interactions within the biosphere.
Center for Invasive Plant
Management
Coalition of agencies, organizations, and individuals interested
in managing invasive plants and maintaining healthy ecosystems
in western North America. Resource links, early warning reports
of invasion, and management & restoration efforts.
Fauna & Flora
International
An organization that acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems
world-wide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, are based
on sound science and take account of human needs.
Hunt Institute for Botanical
Documentation. Carnegie Mellon University. /
Specializing in the history of botany and plant science. The Institute
acquires and maintains collections of books, plant images, manuscripts,
portraits and data files, and provides publications and other
modes of information service.
The International
Carnivorous Plant Society
An organization of horticulturists, conservationists, scientists,
and educators all interested in sharing knowledge and news of
carnivorous plants.
The International
Society for Plant Molecular Biology
Society dedicated to disseminating new techniques, protocols,
news, and research results of general interest to plant molecular
biologists.
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
Promotes research and teaching in the taxonomy, systematics, and
phylogeny of vascular and nonvascular plants.
Expert Center for Taxonomic
Identification
Non-profit foundation, dedicated to improve on a global scale
the quantity, quality and accessibility of taxonomic information,
based on an initiative of UNESCO.
International
Organization for Plant Information (IOPI)
Organization established to manage a series of cooperative international
projects that aim to create and link databases of plant taxonomic
information.
Integrated Taxonomic
Information System (ITIS)
Taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes
of North America and the world.
KEW
Record of Taxonomic Literature
A database of references relevant to the taxonomy of flowering
plants, gymnosperms and ferns.
Provisional
Global Plant Checklist. IOPI.
Project prototype that aims to merge data sources held by member
organizations (e.g. databases, floras, monographic treatments,
and herbarium data) into a computer-accessible format.
Tropics
ICTE (International
Center for Tropical Biology). University of Missouri, St.
Louis.
Promotes and supports research and training in tropical biology
and conservation, undergraduate education in conservation biology,
and public awareness relating to natural resource conservation
and sustainable development.
INBio (Instituto
Nacional de Biodiversidad)
A non-profit public interest organization that promotes the value
of biodiversity and conservation in Costa Rica.
Organization for Tropical
Studies
A non-profit consortium of universities and research institutions
that provides leadership in education, research and the responsible
use of natural resources in the tropics.
Plants of the Machiguenga:
An Ethnobotanical Study of Eastern Peru
Report on Dr. E. Russo fieldwork on looking for plants to treat
headaches and a virtual tour of the rain forest.
Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute
Center for basic research on the ecology, behavior and evolution
of tropical organisms.
Site has information on the institute's research projects,
programs, and educational links.
Tropical Forest Research
Centre. CSIRO.
One area of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems that undertakes research
focused upon challenges of social, economic and environmental
sustainability in Australian landscapes.
Program operates primarily in tropical to sub-tropical regions
of northeast Australia.
Contact a Librarian [back to top]
Miriam Allman.
Contact for questions about library collections.
Regina Raboin. Contact for reference questions and instruction requests.
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