"The greatest challenge of our time is to produce sufficient food ot keep pace with the rapidly growing population. In the opinion of experts, during the next 25 years there will be a need for as much food as was produced in the entire history of mankind to date. Of the various measures available, improvement in agricultural productivity is judged as the ultimate means of augmenting food production and supplies. In this Handbook, an international team of experts consider the most important factors affecting production of both crops and livestock. This Handbook is intended as a scientific guide to practitioners and students, as well as to researchers, who should find here stimulating ideas for further exploration."--Provided by publisher.