Developments in agricultural and managed-forest ecology.
GENERAL NOTES
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Factors affecting the efficiency of fertilizer application.
CONTENTS NOTE
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Front Cover; Agriculture in Dry Lands: Principles and Practice; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Foreword; Part I: Environment and natural resources; Chapter 1. Dry climates and their world distribution; Classification of dry areas; The dry regions of the world; Causes of aridity; Summary; References; Chapter 2. Climatic factors and their effect on crop production; Introduction ; Precipitation; Solar radiation; Winds; Carbon dioxide; Microclimate; References; Chapter 3. Soils of the dry zones; Soil-forming processes in drylands; Systems of soil classification; Major soils of the dry regions. Agricultural use of major soil typesFormative elements of names used in the Soil Taxonomy; References; Chapter 4. Water resources, conservation and development; World water needs on the increase; Water conservation practices; Principal water resources; Small-scale water storage methods ; Underground water reservoirs; Unconventional water resources; Economic aspects of water use; Water legislation; References; Part II: Crops under Moisture Stress; Chapter 5. Crop-water relations; Properties of water and its role in plants; Water potential; Water in the soil. Water in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuumPhysiological effects of water stress; Water use efficiency; References; Chapter 6. Plant adaptations to moisture stress; Definitions and concepts; Categories of drought resistance; Drought escape; Avoiding stress; Dehydration tolerance (low lethal water status); Significance of survival for crop plants; Complex drought resistance mechanisms; References; Chapter 7. Crop introduction and breeding for drought-prone areas; Crop introduction; Breeding crops for drought-prone areas; Major approaches to breeding for drought resistance. Incorporating physiological and morphological traits for high yieldsBreeding for heat tolerance and cold resistance; References; Part III: Land use and farming systems; Chapter 8. Agricultural systems in dry regions and their evolution; The beginnings of agriculture in dry zones; General patterns of land use in the dry regions; Desert pastoral agriculture; Potentials for improving range and livestock productivity; High-technology schemes for desert areas; Rainfed arable cropping in semi-arid areas; Irrigation agriculture; Recapitulation; References. Chapter 9. Sustainable agriculture in dry regionsThe deterioration of natural resources; Deterioration and loss of water resources; Sustainable agricultural systems; References; Part IV: Soil and crop management; Chapter 10. Soil fertility; The concept of soil fertility; Physical factors affecting soil fertility; Chemical soil fertility; Biotic aspects of soil fertility; Soil micro-organisms in relation to plant nutrition; Dinitrogen fixation; Mycorrhizae; Soil pathogens; References; Chapter 11. Mineral plant nutrition and fertilizer use; Plant nutrients; Determining fertilizer requirements.
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
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Throughout history, man has, by over-use, consistently reduced the productive capacity of dry lands. This degradation of one-third of the land area of the globe is, unfortunately, increasing. In recent years, world interest has turned to the problems of pollution of the environment and the impending food shortage as world population grows explosively. Thus the attention of international and other agricultural bodies has turned to the need for preserving and developing more effectively the agricultural potential of these areas. This book provides a comprehensive review of present knowledge of t.