Scaling Soil Nutrient Balances

Scaling Soil Nutrient Balances
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2004
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251052372

Using data on three countries in sub-Saharan Africa, this report compares macro- and microlevel approaches to determine soil nutrient balances with an innovative mesolevel approach. It highlights the added value that a mesolevel approach can provide in terms of its usefulness to mesolevel stakeholders in articulating and targeting scale-specific soil fertility enhancing measures, and its validity as an entry point for policy-makers and private-sector intervention. Contains numerous color figures and tables.

Soil Characterization and Modeling of Spatial Distribution of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity at Two Sites in the Volta Basin of Ghana

Soil Characterization and Modeling of Spatial Distribution of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity at Two Sites in the Volta Basin of Ghana
Author: Wilson Agyei Agyare
Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2004
Genre: Hydraulics
ISBN: 3865371000

One of the key parameters in hydrological and climate change modeling is a good estimation of the soil hydrauic properties in the region of interest. This study investigates the spatial distribution and variability of soil physical properties, with emphasis on saturated hydraulic conductivity at two pilot sites in the Volta Basin of Ghana. It focuses on the potential of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) and artificial neural network (ANN) approach for estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was observed to be highly spatially variable; however, it can be estimated using selected PTFs and ANN for soils in the Volta Basin based on soil parameters that can readily be obtained from detailed soil maps--From cover.

Crop Production Technologies

Crop Production Technologies
Author: Peeyush Sharma
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2012-01-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9533077875

Crop production depends on the successful implementation of the soil, water, and nutrient management technologies. Food production by the year 2020 needs to be increased by 50 percent more than the present levels to satisfy the needs of around 8 billion people. Much of the increase would have to come from intensification of agricultural production. Importance of wise usage of water, nutrient management, and tillage in the agricultural sector for sustaining agricultural growth and slowing down environmental degradation calls for urgent attention of researchers, planners, and policy makers. Crop models enable researchers to promptly speculate on the long-term consequences of changes in agricultural practices. In addition, cropping systems, under different conditions, are making it possible to identify the adaptations required to respond to changes. This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and contributes to this new vision. Leading authors analyze topics related to crop production technologies. The efforts have been made to keep the language as simple as possible, keeping in mind the readers of different language origins. The emphasis has been on general descriptions and principles of each topic, technical details, original research work, and modeling aspects. However, the comprehensive journal references in each area should enable the reader to pursue further studies of special interest. The subject has been presented through fifteen chapters to clearly specify different topics for convenience of the readers.

Rapid Assessment of Water Availability and Appropriate Technologies

Rapid Assessment of Water Availability and Appropriate Technologies
Author: Andrew Keller
Publisher: IWMI
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2014-12-17
Genre:
ISBN: 9290907894

Limited access to water is a key reason why millions of poor farmers struggle to grow enough food and marketable crops to improve their lives. Public sector agencies, civil society organizations and donors seeking to improve small-scale farmers’ access to water resources face limited data on the location and accessibility of water resources. This paper addresses this gap by providing a tested method to assess water resources that small-scale farmers can access affordably and sustainably. This paper also supports the selection of appropriate water access and application technologies for available water resources. The method described is rapid and relatively inexpensive; it uses a phased approach to assess a broad-scale area (e.g., a country or region); and then gathers more information in locations that have higher potential for affordable water access by small-scale farmers.

Managing Organic Matter in Tropical Soils: Scope and Limitations

Managing Organic Matter in Tropical Soils: Scope and Limitations
Author: Christopher Martius
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2002-01-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781402004551

Soil organic matter is a reservoir for plant nutrients, provides water-holding capacity, stabilizes soil structure against compaction and erosion, and thus determines soil productivity. All agriculture to some degree depends on soil organic matter. It has long been known that soil organic matter declines when land is taken into cultivation, and that the productivity of new agricultural land is governed by fertility contributions from decomposing natural organic matter. The expansion of agriculture to ever new and more fragile lands, particularly in tropical and developing regions, causes environmental degradation with local effects on soil quality, regional effects on landscape integrity and water quality, and global effects on carbon cycles and the atmosphere. This book summarizes current knowledge of the properties and dynamics of soil organic matter in the tropics, its role in determining soil quality, its stability and turnover, and the options for management in the context of tropical landuse systems, for a readership of resource scientists, economists and advanced students. Maintenance of organic matter is critical for preventing land degradation. Case studies and practical applications are therefore an important part of the book, as are the exploration of future directions in research and management.