Vetiver Grass


Book Description

For developing nations, soil erosion is among the most chronic environmental and economic burdens. Vast amounts of topsoil are washed or blown away from arable land only to accumulate in rivers, reservoirs, harbors, and estuaries, thereby creating a double disaster: a vital resource disappears from where it is desperately needed and is deposited where it is equally unwanted. Despite much rhetoric and effort, little has been done to overcome this problem. Vetiver, a little-known tropical grass, offers one practical and inexpensive way to control erosion on a huge scale in both humid and semi-arid regions. Hedges of this deeply rooted species catch and hold back sediments while the stiff foliage acts as a filter that also slows runoff and keeps moisture on site. This book assesses vetiver's promise and limitations and identifies places where this grass can be deployed without undue environmental risk.




Vetiver Grass


Book Description

This handbook has been prepared to support fieldworkers and farmers in developing vegetative systems of soil and mositure conservation that will meet the requirements of small farmers in developing countries, most of whom reside in the tropics and semitropics. Experience has shown that conventional systems of earth bunds or terraces on small farms are expensive and in many cases, especially in modern times, ineffective. When applied correctly, vegetative systems of soil and mositure conservation - particulary the system of hedges of vetiver grass described in this handbook - have proved cheaper and more effective.




Grasses


Book Description

This book has been prepared to embody the major and efficient applications of the different duties and roles of grasses in our life, as well as offered a solid concept for this kind of science. The book aims to illustrate various ideas, methods and how it is treated in the agronomic process for different forms of grasses in human life.




Vetiveria


Book Description

Vetiveria is one of the most versatile genera in plant kingdom. For example, the species Vetiveria zizanoides produces oderous roots from which a precious essential oil is distilled and used in a variety of applications from perfumery to ethnopharmacology. The same roots give the plant particular characteristics that make it a valuable natural barr







Vegetation and Slopes


Book Description

Contains the papers from an international conference on vegetation and slopes and clarifies the concepts and benefits of the use of vegetation on slopes. This book highlights practices which are of relevance to slope design and management.




A Place Called Home


Book Description

"Quality of life, a healthy environment and sound development are closely linked. This book provides ideas and guidance on the upgrading of informal settlements and planning of low cost housing projects so that they are environmentally sustainable. By considering environmental factors at all stages of the planning, design and development process, living conditions in such settlements and housing projects can be significantly improved." Includes a list of useful addresses.




Phytoremediation Potential of Perennial Grasses


Book Description

Phytoremediation Potential of Perennial Grasses provides readers with the knowledge to select specific perennial grass species according to site-specific needs. In addition, it demonstrates the potential opportunities for grass-based phytoremediation to yield phytoproducts, especially biomass-based bioenergy and aromatic essential oils as a green economy while in the process of remediating contaminated sites. The book brings together recent and established knowledge on different aspects of grass-based phytoremediation, providing this information in a single source that offers a cutting-edge synthesis of scientific and experiential knowledge on polluted site restoration that is useful for both practitioners and scientists in environmental science and ecology. - Provides a holistic approach to grass-based phytoremediation, covering the ecological, economic and social issues related to its management - Addresses the key role that grass-based phytoremediation plays in maintaining ecosystem services in polluted sites - Includes strategies to mitigate costs related to the phytoremediation of polluted sites




Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice


Book Description

The definitive guide to unsaturated soil— from the world's experts on the subject This book builds upon and substantially updates Fredlund and Rahardjo's publication, Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils, the current standard in the field of unsaturated soils. It provides readers with more thorough coverage of the state of the art of unsaturated soil behavior and better reflects the manner in which practical unsaturated soil engineering problems are solved. Retaining the fundamental physics of unsaturated soil behavior presented in the earlier book, this new publication places greater emphasis on the importance of the "soil-water characteristic curve" in solving practical engineering problems, as well as the quantification of thermal and moisture boundary conditions based on the use of weather data. Topics covered include: Theory to Practice of Unsaturated Soil Mechanics Nature and Phase Properties of Unsaturated Soil State Variables for Unsaturated Soils Measurement and Estimation of State Variables Soil-Water Characteristic Curves for Unsaturated Soils Ground Surface Moisture Flux Boundary Conditions Theory of Water Flow through Unsaturated Soils Solving Saturated/Unsaturated Water Flow Problems Air Flow through Unsaturated Soils Heat Flow Analysis for Unsaturated Soils Shear Strength of Unsaturated Soils Shear Strength Applications in Plastic and Limit Equilibrium Stress-Deformation Analysis for Unsaturated Soils Solving Stress-Deformation Problems with Unsaturated Soils Compressibility and Pore Pressure Parameters Consolidation and Swelling Processes in Unsaturated Soils Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice is essential reading for geotechnical engineers, civil engineers, and undergraduate- and graduate-level civil engineering students with a focus on soil mechanics.




Salinity and Water Stress


Book Description

Salinity and water stress limit crop productivity worldwide and generate substantial economic losses each year, yet innovative research on crop and natural resource management can reveal cost-effective ways in which farmers can increase both their productivity and their income. Presenting recent research findings on salt stress, water stress and stress-adapted plants, this book offers insights into new strategies for increasing the efficiency of crops under stressful environments. The strategies are based on conventional breeding and advanced molecular techniques used by plant physiologists, and are discussed using specific case studies to illustrate their potential. The book emphasizes the effects of environmental factors on specific stages of plant development, and discusses the role of plant growth regulators, nutrients, osmoprotectants and antioxidants in counteracting their adverse affects. Synthesising updated information on mechansisms of stress tolerance at cell, tissue and whole-plant level, this book provides a useful reference text for post graduate students and researchers involved in the fields of stress physiology and plant physiology in general, with additional readership amongst researchers in horticulture, agronomy, crop science, conservation, environmental management and ecological restoration.