This book presents a simple, straightforward discussion of the principles and processes involved in the production of grain yield by agronomic crops, and how these processes underlie and influence management decisions. The focus is on grain crops, principally maize and soybean, although the general principles apply equally well to cereals, grain legumes and oil crops. Intended for researchers in crop science, agronomy and plant science, and crop production practitioners, this book will enable readers to make better, more informed management decisions; decisions that will help maintain a well-fed world in the future.
From climate change to farming systems to genetic modification of organisms, Crop Physiology, Second Edition provides a practical tool for understanding the relationships and challenges of successful cropping. With a focus on genetic improvement and agronomy, this book addresses the challenges of environmentally sound production of bulk and quality food, fodder, fiber, and energy which are of ongoing international concern. The second edition of Crop Physiology continues to provide a unique analysis of these topics while reflecting important changes and advances in the relevant science and implementation systems. Contemporary agriculture confronts the challenge of increasing demand in terms of quantitative and qualitative production targets. These targets have to be achieved against the background of soil and water scarcity, worldwide and regional shifts in the patterns of land use driven by both climate change and the need to develop crop-based sources of energy, and the environmental and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. - Provides a view of crop physiology as an active source of methods, theories, ideas, and tools for application in genetic improvement and agronomy - Written by leading scientists from around the world - Combines environment-specific cropping systems and general principles of crop science to appeal to advanced students, and scientists in agriculture-related disciplines, from molecular sciences to natural resources management
Crop Physiology: Case Histories of Major Crops updates the physiology of broad-acre crops with a focus on the genetic, environmental and management drivers of development, capture and efficiency in the use of radiation, water and nutrients, the formation of yield and aspects of quality. These physiological process are presented in a double context of challenges and solutions. The challenges to increase plant-based food, fodder, fiber and energy against the backdrop of population increase, climate change, dietary choices and declining public funding for research and development in agriculture are unprecedented and urgent. The proximal technological solutions to these challenges are genetic improvement and agronomy. Hence, the premise of the book is that crop physiology is most valuable when it engages meaningfully with breeding and agronomy. With contributions from 92 leading scientists from around the world, each chapter deals with a crop: maize, rice, wheat, barley, sorghum and oat; quinoa; soybean, field pea, chickpea, peanut, common bean, lentil, lupin and faba bean; sunflower and canola; potato, cassava, sugar beet and sugarcane; and cotton. - A crop-based approach to crop physiology in a G x E x M context - Captures the perspectives of global experts on 22 crops
D.A. Cooke and R.K. Scott Sugar beet is one of just two crops (the other being sugar cane) which constitute the only important sources of sucrose - a product with sweeten ing and preserving properties that make it a major component of, or additive to, a vast range of foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. Sugar, as sucrose is almost invariably called, has been a valued compo nent of the human diet for thousands of years. For the great majority of that time the only source of pure sucrose was the sugar-cane plant, varieties of which are all species or hybrids within the genus Saccharum. The sugar-cane crop was, and is, restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, and until the eighteenth century the sugar produced from it was available in Europe only to the privileged few. However, the expansion of cane production, particularly in the Caribbean area, in the late seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries, and the new sugar-beet crop in Europe in the nineteenth century, meant that sugar became available to an increasing proportion of the world's population.
Completely updated and revised, this bestselling book continues to explain the growth and developmental processes involved in the formation of vegetables. Since the publication of the successful first edition significant discoveries, particularly in the area of molecular biology, have deepened and broadened our knowledge and understanding of these processes. This new edition brings the topic up-to-date and is presented over two sections: the first provides general knowledge on germination, transplanting, flowering, the effects of stress and modelling, whilst the second section details the physiology of specific crops or crop groups.
Garden visitation has been a tourism motivator for many years and can now be enjoyed in many different forms. Private garden visiting, historical garden tourism, urban gardens, and a myriad of festivals, shows and events all allow the green-fingered enthusiast to appreciate the natural world. This book traces the history of garden visitation and examines tourist motivations to visit gardens. Useful for garden managers and tourism students as well as casual readers, it also examines management and marketing of gardens for tourism purposes, before concluding with a detailed look at the form and tourism-based role of gardens in the future.
Global demand for wheat, rice, corn, and other essential grains is expected to steadily rise over the next twenty years. Meeting this demand by increasing production through increased land use is not very likely; and while better crop management may make a marginal difference, most agriculture experts agree that this anticipated deficit must be made up through increased crop yields. The first resource of its kind, Physiology and Biotechnology Integration for Plant Breeding assembles current research in crop plant physiology, plant biotechnology, and plant breeding that is aimed toward improving crop plants genetically while supporting a productive agriculture ecosystem. Highly comprehensive, this reference provides access to the most innovative perspectives in crop physiology – with a special emphasis on molecular approaches – aimed at the formulation of those crop cultivars that offer the greatest potential to increase crop yields in stress environments. Surveys the current state of the field, as well as modern options and avenues for plant breeders and biotechnologists interested in augmenting crop yield and stability With the contributions of plant scientists from all corners of the globe who are actively involved in meeting this important challenge, Physiology and Biotechnology Integration for Plant Breeding provides readers with the background information needed to understand this cutting-edge work, as well as detailed information on present and potential applications. While the first half of the book establishes and fully explains the link between crop physiology and molecular biology, the second part explores the application of biotechnology in the effective delivery of the high yield and environmentally stable crop plants needed to avert the very real possibility of worldwide hunger.
This single volume explores the theoretical and the practical aspects of crop physiological processes around the world The marked decrease over the past century in the land available for crop production has brought about mounting pressure to increase crop yields, especially in developing nations. Physiology of Crop Production provides cutting-edge research and data for complete coverage of the physiology of crop production, all in one source, right at your fingertips. This valuable reference gives the extensive in-depth information soil and crop professionals need to maximize crop productivity anywhere the world. Leading soil and plant scientists and researchers clearly explain theory, practical applications, and the latest advances in the field. Crop physiology is a vital science needed to understand crop growth and development to facilitate increases of plant yield. Physiology of Crop Production presents a wide range of information and references from varying regions of the world to make the book as complete and broadly focused as possible. Discussion in each chapter is supported by experimental data to make this book a superb resource that will be used again and again. Chapter topics include plant and root architecture, growth and yield components, photosynthesis, source-sink relationship, water use efficiency, crop yield relative to water stress, and active and passive ion transport. Several figures and tables accompany the extensive referencing to provide a detailed, in-depth look at every facet of crop production. Physiology of Crop Production explores management strategies for: ideal plant architecture maximizing root systems ideal yield components maximizing photosynthesis maximizing source-sink relationship sequestration of carbon dioxide reducing the effects of drought improving N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S nutrition improving micronutrient uptake Physiology of Crop Production is an essential desktop resource for plant physiologists, soil and crop scientists, breeders, agronomists, agronomy administrators in agro-industry, educators, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students.
This 1974 book was made available as a second edition in 1979. It provides an understanding of the ways in which the various physiological processes are integrated to produce the responses shown by whole plants growing in the variable environment in the field, whilst stressing the quantitative aspects of these relationships. This was the first general text to attempt such a treatment, thereby digesting much material that had been found only in research papers or detailed monographs and complementing the reductionist approach of most standard texts of plant physiology. Most of the subject matter concerns agricultural systems, but many of the concepts and approaches are applicable to more complex natural ecosystems. Emphasis is placed on integrating knowledge from many sources and on trying to assess quantitatively the importance of each component. The result is a comprehensive account making the book a valuable background for all interested in the study of plants in the field.
