The common fig Ficus carica L. is an ancient fruit native to the Mediterranean. Dried figs have been successfully produced and processed in arid regions with little sophisticated infrastructure for centuries. Figs are rich in fibre, trace minerals, polyphenols and vitamins, with higher nutrient levels than most fruits. Advances in agricultural production and postharvest technologies have not only improved the efficiency of dried fig production but have facilitated the development of high value fresh fig industries both for export and domestic markets. The result is high quality fresh figs that are marketed internationally throughout the year. This book provides a comprehensive summary of fig growing, processing and marketing from a scientific and horticultural perspective. It is comprised of 19 chapters that include in-depth discussions of: History of fig cultivation; Physiology; Breeding and cultivars; Propagation; Site selection and orchard establishment; Nutrition and irrigation management; Pollination management; Integrated pest management; Greenhouse production; Harvesting, dried and fresh fig processing; The medicinal uses of figs; and World fig markets. The Fig: Botany, Production and Uses is a comprehensive applied resource for academic researchers, as well as producers, processors, and marketers of dried and fresh figs.

Contributions by: Mohammad Abdolahipour, Fateh Aljane, Azam Amiri, Maria L Amodio, Francisco C Balas, Patrick Brown, Zeinab Bolboli, Anshul Chawla, Pasqualina Colasuonno, Giancarlo Colelli, Neda Dalir, Naser Davatgar, Birgül Ertan, Engin Ertan, Louise Ferguson, Giuseppe Ferrara, Badii Gaaliche, Ana I Galván, A.J Galán, Carlos A. Alonso Garza, Jan H. Giliomee, Phoebe Gordon, Matthew J. Grieshop, G Dalkiliç Günver, Jose Ignacio Hormaza, Akihiro Hosomi, Hidetoshi Ikegami, Ali Akbar Kamgar-Haghighi, Finn Kjellberg, Moslem Jafari, Zhihong Li, Margarita López Corrales, Mahshad Maghoumi, Giuseppe Massimino Cocuzza, Chabane Mazri, Andrea Mazzeo, Themis J. Michailides, Reza Mostowfizadeh-Ghalamfarsa, Diganta Narzary, Mohamed H Neily, Hitoshi Nogata, A Aytekin Polat, Asghar Ramezanian, Jean-Yves Rasplus, Maria G.F. Rodrigues, Sead Sabanadzovic, Rajwinder K. Sandhu, Manuel Joaquín Serradilla Sánchez, Zeinab Shokoohi, Federica Spagnoli, Vassilio Stournaras, Mohammad H. Tarazkar, Ioannis Tzanetakis, Simon van Noort, Alimohammad Yavari, Hiroshi Yakushiji, Yue Zhang, Megan Crivelli, Tatjana K Kokaj, Souhila Mahmoudi, Ilaria Marcotuli