Nutrient Dynamics for Sustainable Crop Production

Nutrient Dynamics for Sustainable Crop Production
Author: Ram Swaroop Meena
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2019-09-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811386609

The cropping system is one of the important components of sustainable agriculture, since it provides more efficient nutrient cycling. As such, balanced fertilization must be based on the concept of sustainable crop production. Feeding the rapidly growing world population using environmentally sustainable production systems is a major challenge, especially in developing countries. A number of studies have highlighted the fact that degradation of the world's cultivated soils is largely responsible for low and plateauing yields. Soil is lost rapidly but only formed over millennia, and this represents the greatest global threat to nutrient dynamics in agriculture. This means that nutrient management is essential to provide food and nutritional security for current and future generations. Nutrient dynamics and soil sustainability imply the maintenance of the desired ecological balance, the enhancement and preservation of soil functions, and the protection of biodiversity above and below ground. Understanding the role of nutrient management as a tool for soil sustainability and nutritional security requires a holistic approach to a wide range of soil parameters (biological, physical, and chemical) to assess the soil functions and nutrient dynamics of a crop management system within the desired timescale. Further, best nutrient management approaches are important to advance soil sustainability and food and nutritional security without compromising the soil quality and productive potential. Sustainable management practices must allow environmentally and economically sustainable yields and restore soil health and sustainability. This book presents soil management approaches that can provide a wide range of benefits, including improved fertility, with a focus on the importance of nutrient dynamics. Discussing the broad impacts of nutrients cycling on the sustainability of soil and the cropping systems that it supports, it also addresses nutrient application to allow environmentally and economically sustainable agroecosystems that restore soil health. Arguing that balanced fertilization must be based on the concept of INM for a cropping system rather than a crop, it provides a roadmap to nutrient management for sustainability. This richly illustrated book features tables, figures and photographs and includes extensive up-to-date references, making it a valuable resource for policymakers and researchers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of Soil Science, Agronomy, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

Sustainable Intensification

Sustainable Intensification
Author: Jules N. Pretty
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2012-06-25
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1136529276

Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.

Biochar from Biomass and Waste

Biochar from Biomass and Waste
Author: Yong Sik Ok
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 463
Release: 2018-11-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128117303

Biochar from Biomass and Waste: Fundamentals and Applications provides the fundamentals of biochar, such as its basic concepts, production technology and characterization methods, also including comprehensive examples for readers. This book includes information on state-of-art biochar application technologies in the fields of agriculture, energy and environmental sciences with step-by-step case studies. Biochar has received worldwide interests in the past decade because it encompasses high priority research areas, including bioenergy production, global warming mitigation and sustainable agriculture. - Offers comprehensive coverage of biochar production, characterization and modification methods - Provides global case studies covering a wide range of application fields, including environmental, agricultural, syngas and bio-oil - Covers the sustainability and future of biochar

Advances In Nutrient Dynamics In Soil - Plant System For Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency

Advances In Nutrient Dynamics In Soil - Plant System For Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency
Author: R. Elanchezhian
Publisher: New India Publishing Agency
Total Pages: 4
Release: 2017-05-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9385516965

This book comprises 31 chapters on advances in soil-plant systems for improving nutrient use efficiency with four major themes viz. 1. Introduction and Fundamentals of Soil Plant Atmosphere Continuum and nutrient use efficiency 2. Soil physical, chemical, biological and agronomic management for improving NUE 3. Plant physiological, genetic & molecular biological basis for improving nutrient uptake & use efficiency 4. Climate change aspects related to soil and plant systems for improving NUE. Besides the book also include few chapters on analytical techniques and instrumentation for the study of nutrient use efficiency with respect to physico-chemical and biological parameters.

Soil Enzymes

Soil Enzymes
Author: Roger George Burns
Publisher:
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1978
Genre: Science
ISBN:

History of abiontic soil ensyme research; Origin and range of enzymes in soil; kinetics and consecutive reactions of soil enzymes; Soil polysaccharidases: activity and agricultural importance; Urease activity in soils; Soil phosphatase and sulphatase; Interactions between agrochemicals and soil enzymes; Enzyme activity in soil: some theoretical and practical considerations; Methodology of soil enzyme measurement and extraction.

Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity

Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity
Author: Dhananjaya Pratap Singh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2016-02-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 813222647X

How to achieve sustainable agricultural production without compromising environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function and biodiversity is a serious consideration in current agricultural practices. Farming systems’ growing dependency on chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients etc.) poses serious threats with regard to crop productivity, soil fertility, the nutritional value of farm produce, management of pests and diseases, agro-ecosystem well-being, and health issues for humans and animals. At the same time, microbial inoculants in the form of biofertilizers, plant growth promoters, biopesticides, soil health managers, etc. have gained considerable attention among researchers, agriculturists, farmers and policy makers. The first volume of the book Microbial Inoculants in Sustainable Agricultural Productivity - Research Perspectives highlights the efforts of global experts with regard to various aspects of microbial inoculants. Emphasis is placed on recent advances in microbiological techniques for the isolation, characterization, identification and evaluation of functional properties using biochemical and molecular tools. The taxonomic characterization of agriculturally important microorganisms is documented, along with their applications in field conditions. The book exploresthe identification, characterization and diversity analysis of endophytic microorganisms in various crops including legumes/ non-legumes, as well as the assessment of their beneficial impacts in the context of promotingplant growth. Moreover, it provides essential updates onthe diversity and role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Further chaptersexamine in detailbiopesticides, thehigh-density cultivation of bioinoculants in submerged culture, seed biopriming strategies for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, andPGPR as abio-control agent. Given its content,the book offers a valuable resource for researchers involved in research and development concerningPGPR, biopesticides and microbial inoculants.

Soil Respiration and the Environment

Soil Respiration and the Environment
Author: Luo Yiqi
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2010-07-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0080463975

The global environment is constantly changing and our planet is getting warmer at an unprecedented rate. The study of the carbon cycle, and soil respiration, is a very active area of research internationally because of its relationship to climate change. It is crucial for our understanding of ecosystem functions from plot levels to global scales. Although a great deal of literature on soil respiration has been accumulated in the past several years, the material has not yet been synthesized into one place until now. This book synthesizes the already published research findings and presents the fundamentals of this subject. Including information on global carbon cycling, climate changes, ecosystem productivity, crop production, and soil fertility, this book will be of interest to scientists, researchers, and students across many disciplines. - A key reference for the scientific community on global climate change, ecosystem studies, and soil ecology - Describes the myriad ways that soils respire and how this activity influences the environment - Covers a breadth of topics ranging from methodology to comparative analyses of different ecosystem types - The first existing "treatise" on the subject

Soil Management for Sustainable Agriculture

Soil Management for Sustainable Agriculture
Author: Nintu Mandal
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2022-06-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 100040515X

Taking a sustainable approach, this volume explores the various soil management techniques. It begins with an overview of the elementary concepts of soil management and then delves into new research and novel soil management tools and techniques. Topics include: • Clays as a critical component in sustainable agriculture with respect to carbon sequestration in conjunction with its interaction with soil enzymes • The potential utilization of microbes to mitigate crop stress • Resource conservation technologies and prospective carbon management strategies • The use of smart tools for monitoring soils • Effective nutrient management approaches • Nanotechnological interventions for soil management • Techniques for the remediation of soils contaminated by metals and pesticides

Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production

Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production
Author: P. Parvatha Reddy
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2016-11-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811027021

This book outlines a new paradigm, Sustainable Intensification of Crop Production (SICP), which aims to produce more from the same area of land by increasing efficiency, reducing waste, conserving resources, reducing negative impacts on the environment and enhancing the provision of ecosystem services. The use of ecologically based management strategies can increase the sustainability of agricultural production while reducing off-site consequences. The book also highlights the underlying principles and outlines some of the key management practices and technologies – such as minimum soil disturbance; permanent organic soil covers; species diversification; selection of suitable cultivars, planting time, age and spacing; balanced plant nutrition; agro-ecological pest management; efficient water management; careful management of farm machinery; and integrated crop-livestock production – required to implement SICP. The green revolution (by using high-yielding crop varieties, mono-cropping, fertilization, irrigation, and pesticides) has led to enormous gains in food production and improved world food security. In many countries, however, intensive crop production has had negative impacts on production, ecosystems and the larger environment, putting future productivity at risk. In order to meet the projected demands of a growing population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, farmers in the developing world must double food production, a challenge complicated by the effects of climate change and growing competition for land, water and energy. This book will be of immense value to all members of the scientific community involved in teaching, research and extension activities concerning sustainable intensification. The material can be used for teaching post-graduate courses, or as a useful reference guide for policy makers.