Tropical Crop-livestock Systems in Conservation Agriculture


Book Description

Conservation agriculture in the Brazilian tropics; Background; The Cerrado biome; The Amazon biome; History of zero tillage in the tropical zones of Brazil; Conservation agriculture; How does conservation agriculture work?; Integrated crop-livestock systems with zero tillage; Dissemination of ICLZT technology; Livestock and annual crop production in wet-dry and humid-tropical Brazil; Livestock type; Herd size and performance; Background for ICLZT; The process of pasture degradation; Principal integrated zero tillage crop-livestock systems; General considerations; Systems typology; Common rotations; Crop successions used as building blocks for rotations; Summaries of the ten main ICLZT technologies; Crop establishment in degraded pastures; Establishing pasture in annual crops; Sowing pasture after early harvest; Grass oversown in soybeans or maize; Grass regenerating during the first crop after ZT planting of a crop in old pasture; Planting forages on crop land for silage, green chop, dry season grazing or as a cover crop; Pasture renovation with forages sown jointly with grasses, for early grazing;Pigeon pea sown into existing pasture to improve winter grazing quality; Sowing perenniallegumes into maize; Sowing soybeans in a permanent grass sward; Opportunistic grazing of stubble in the dry season; Pigeon pea undersown in maize for stubble grazing; Grazing stubble in the dry season; Pasture grasses; Cover crops for grazing; Cut forage and silage CTOpS; Pasture and grazing management; Legumes in pastures; Mechanized operations in zero tillage and soil fertility management 49 Residue management; Spraying desiccants and other chemicals; Planting and drilling; Soil fertility considerations; Technical and financial analysis of integrated crop-livestock zero tillage rotations; Case Study 1 - A farm history of the adoption of CA with Z; Wihout project;With ICLZT; lrrigated crop management - with and without project; Analysis of the Model Results; Case studies of other ICLZT technologies; Sustainable agriculture and policy considerations; Farm-based economic benefits of CA, ZT and ICLZT; Farm-based environmental benefits of CA, ZT and ICLZT; Social benefits of ICLZT and increased land use intensity; Social support for conversion investments in ICLZT; Addressing the conversion needs of small farmers.




Tropical Crop-livestock Systems in Conservation Agriculture


Book Description

Conservation agriculture in the Brazilian tropics; Background; The Cerrado biome; The Amazon biome; History of zero tillage in the tropical zones of Brazil; Conservation agriculture; How does conservation agriculture work?; Integrated crop-livestock systems with zero tillage; Dissemination of ICLZT technology; Livestock and annual crop production in wet-dry and humid-tropical Brazil; Livestock type; Herd size and performance; Background for ICLZT; The process of pasture degradation; Principal integrated zero tillage crop-livestock systems; General considerations; Systems typology; Common rotations; Crop successions used as building blocks for rotations; Summaries of the ten main ICLZT technologies; Crop establishment in degraded pastures; Establishing pasture in annual crops; Sowing pasture after early harvest; Grass oversown in soybeans or maize; Grass regenerating during the first crop after ZT planting of a crop in old pasture; Planting forages on crop land for silage, green chop, dry season grazing or as a cover crop; Pasture renovation with forages sown jointly with grasses, for early grazing;Pigeon pea sown into existing pasture to improve winter grazing quality; Sowing perenniallegumes into maize; Sowing soybeans in a permanent grass sward; Opportunistic grazing of stubble in the dry season; Pigeon pea undersown in maize for stubble grazing; Grazing stubble in the dry season; Pasture grasses; Cover crops for grazing; Cut forage and silage CTOpS; Pasture and grazing management; Legumes in pastures; Mechanized operations in zero tillage and soil fertility management 49 Residue management; Spraying desiccants and other chemicals; Planting and drilling; Soil fertility considerations; Technical and financial analysis of integrated crop-livestock zero tillage rotations; Case Study 1 - A farm history of the adoption of CA with Z; Wihout project;With ICLZT; lrrigated crop management - with and without project; Analysis of the Model Results; Case studies of other ICLZT technologies; Sustainable agriculture and policy considerations; Farm-based economic benefits of CA, ZT and ICLZT; Farm-based environmental benefits of CA, ZT and ICLZT; Social benefits of ICLZT and increased land use intensity; Social support for conversion investments in ICLZT; Addressing the conversion needs of small farmers.







Advances in Agronomy


Book Description

Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source of the latest research in agronomy. Major reviews deal with the current topics of interest to agronomists, as well as crop and soil scientists. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Editor Donald Sparks, former president of the Soil Science Society of America and current president of the International Union of Soil Science, is the S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Plant and Soil Sciences at The University of Delaware. Volume 82 contains eight state-of-the-art reviews on topics of interest in the plant and soil sciences. Three of the reviews present cutting-edge molecular scale techniques and approaches that directly impact food production, crop improvement, and environmental quality and sustainability.




Photosynthesis And Bioenergetics


Book Description

This book is a tribute to three outstanding scientists, Professors Jan Anderson FRS, Leslie Dutton FRS and John Walker FRS, Nobel Laureate. Covering some of the most recent advances in the fields of Bioenergetics and Photosynthesis, this book is a compilation of contributions from leading scientists actively involved in understanding the natural biological processes associated with the flow of energy in biological cells. The lectures found in this significant volume were presented at a meeting in March 2016 in Singapore to commemorate the outstanding research in this area.The contents begin with the ideas, specially the contribution from Nobel Laureate Rudolph Marcus, who is well-known for creating the theory of electron transport reactions. This is followed by contributions of many others on various aspects of respiratory and photosynthetic transport chains as well as the dynamic regulation of light harvesting and electron transport events in oxygenic photosynthesis. The book is highly recommended to postgraduate students and researchers who are interested in various aspects of bioenergetic cycles.




No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture


Book Description

This book is a comprehensive summary of current global research on no-till farming, and its benefits and challenges from various agronomic, environmental, social and economic perspectives. It details the characteristics and future requirements of no-till farming systems across different geographic and climatic regions, and outlines what is needed to increase the uptake of no-till farming globally. Over 35 chapters, this book covers in detail the agronomic and soil management issues that must be resolved to ensure the successful implementation of these systems. Important economic, environmental, social and policy considerations are discussed. It also features a series of case studies across a number of regions globally, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for no-till and how these may vary depending on climate and geopolitical location. This book is a remarkable compilation by experts in no-till farming systems. The promotion and expansion of no-till farming systems worldwide will be critical for food security, and resource and environmental sustainability. This is an invaluable reference for both researchers and practitioners grappling with the challenges of feeding the world’s rising population in an environment increasingly impacted by climate change. It is an essential reading for those seeking to understand the complexity of no-till farming systems and how best to optimise these systems in their region.




Agroecological Innovations


Book Description

The world's food supply needs to rise significantly, yet both arable and water supplies per capita are decreasing. Not only are modern agricultural methods beyond the reach of those suffering the greatest food insecurity but they are also ecologically damaging, relying upon fossil energy and chemical inputs. This volume offers a collection of innovative and diverse approaches to agricultural development. Documented in 12 case studies, these approaches are reliant upon greater knowledge, skill and labour input, rather than larger capital expenditure. They are shown to increase yield substantially, sometimes doubling or tripling output. This volume presents the concepts and operational means for reorienting agricultural efforts towards these more environmentally friendly and socially desirable approaches in the developed as well as developing world.




Conservation Agriculture


Book Description

Conservation agriculture—consisting of four components including permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, diversified crop rotations and integrated weed management—is considered the principal pathway to sustainable agriculture and the conservation of natural resources and the environment. Leading researchers in the field describe the basic principles of conservation agriculture, and synthesize recent advances and developments in conservation agriculture research. This book is a ready reference on conservation agriculture and reinforces the understanding for its utilization to develop environmentally sustainable and profitable food production systems. The book describes various elements of conservation agriculture; highlights the associated breeding and modeling efforts; analyses the experiences and challenges in conservation agriculture in different regions of the world; and proposes some pragmatic options and new areas of research in this very important area of agriculture.







Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH


Book Description

Soil acidity is a major limitation to crop production in many parts of the world. Plant growth inhibition results from a combination of factors, including aluminum, manganese, and hydrogen ion toxicities and deficiencies of essential elements, particularly calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and molybdenum. Agricultural management practices and acid precipitation have increased acid inputs into the ecosystem and heightened concern about soil acidity problems. While application of lime has proved to be effective in ameliorating surface soil acidity in many areas, significant soil acidity problems still exist. Scientists from Alberta, Canada, recognized the need to provide a forum for researchers from different disciplines to exchange information and ideas on solving problems of plant growth in acid soils. As a result of their efforts, the First International Symposium on Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH was held at Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, in July 1987. In many acid soil areas, liming materials are not readily available, the cost may be prohibitive, or subsoil acidity cannot be corrected by surface application of lime. New management approaches involving both the plant and the soil are needed in these situations. Progress has been made in the selection and breeding of acid-tolerant plants. However, continued progress will be limited by our lack of understanding of the physiological and biochemical basis of differential acidity tolerance among plants.