Other than the occasional houseplant, or backyard garden, few people give a lot of thought to the plants around them, yet plants form an integral part of our world. We depend on them for food. We use them to build. We harvest them for fuel, and even for fashion.

Plants, People, and the Planet explores the critical role plants play in our lives, and in our societies. It explains plants, from their molecular structure to their place on the dinner table. The book addresses contemporary issues in horticulture, and how these issues impact the planet.

Topics covered in the book include: plant products and their uses, plant biology and morphology, plant genealogy and geography, the meaning of "organic," field-covering crops, food plants, and sustainability.

Written in an accessible and readable style, Plants, People, and the Planet is ideal for introductory courses in horticulture, plant sciences, and sustainability.

Dr. Nathaniel Mitkowski is a professor of plant pathology in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. He teaches introductory horticulture and numerous upper level classes in turf and ornamental pathology, turfgrass management and plant improvement. His research is split between diseases of turfgrasses and plant-parasitic nematodes. He has authored dozens of papers on turfgrass and nematode diseases and is nationally recognized for his work in these fields. He received a Ph.D in plant pathology from Cornell University in 2001.

Dr. Bridget Ruemmele is a professor of plant breeding in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. She teaches introductory horticulture, turfgrass management, fruit culture, weed science and plant breeding and genetics. Her specialization is in turfgrass improvement and she has worked on the development of many different improved turfgrass varieties. She received her Ph.D in horticulture from the University of Minnesota in 1989.