Advances in Organic Farming: Agronomic Soil Management Practices focuses on the integrated interactions between soil-plant-microbe-environment elements in a functioning ecosystem. It explains sustainable nutrient management under organic farming and agriculture, with chapters focusing on the role of nutrient management in sustaining global ecosystems, the remediation of polluted soils, conservation practices, degradation of pollutants, biofertilizers and biopesticides, critical biogeochemical cycles, potential responses for current and impending environmental change, and other critical factors. Organic farming is both challenging and exciting, as its practice of "feeding the soil, not the plant provides opportunity to better understand why some growing methods are preferred over others. In the simplest terms, organic growing is based on maintaining a living soil with a diverse population of micro and macro soil organisms. Organic matter (OM) is maintained in the soil through the addition of compost, animal manure, green manures and the avoidance of excess mechanization. - Presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances and new developments in the field OF research within a relevant theoretical framework - Highlights the scope of the inexpensive and improved management practices - Focuses on the role of nutrient management in sustaining the ecosystems

Quite simply, this is required reading for anyone involved in managing agricultural research. With a wealth of practical solutions and advice, it offers a how-to guide for managers as well as highlighting the differences in the way that different nations approach this key area of research – one of the most widespread forms of inquiry in the world. The lessons that can be learned from this brilliant study apply in equal measure to developed and developing nations.

This book covers various aspects of Indian agriculture. It consists of 32 chapters that are presented in 12 parts with the following headings: agricultural scenario; revolutions in agriculture; reorienting agricultural research for innovation; improving productivity and production; harnessing agricultural biotechnology; managing plant genetic resources; the role and growth of the seed sector; integrated natural resource management; impact of climate change; innovation in extension; the role of women and youth; and policy reforms for accelerated growth.

This book provides the most recent understanding about climate change and its effects on agriculture in India. Further in-depth research is showcased regarding important allied sectors such as horticulture and fisheries, and examines the effect of climate change on different cereal crops. The individual chapters discuss the different mitigation strategies for climate change impacts and detail abiotic and biotic stresses in relation to climate change. The book provides an insight into environmentally safe and modern technologies approaches such as nanotechnology and utilization of underutilized crops under a changing climate. This book provides a solid foundation for the discussion of climate resilience in agricultural systems and the requirements to keep improving agricultural production. This book is an excellent resource for researchers, instructors, students in agriculture, horticulture and environmental science.

This symposium, which was held on March 10-11, 2003, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together policy experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in both developed and developing countries to (1) describe the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research; (2) identify and analyze the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information, and their potential effects on international research; and (3) review the existing and proposed approaches for preserving and promoting the public domain and open access to scientific and technical data and information on a global basis, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.

This book focuses on the recent advances in precision agriculture and satellite farming, detailing applications for sensing, data handling, modeling, and control. In addition, the book reviews its history - establishing the background on the various processes and applications – describes the current status, and offers insight into the future technology of satellite farming in India. Introducing processes and applications based on a global scale, the book reveals how precision agriculture can be used in large-scale agriculture, community agriculture, and diversified farming. It includes site-specific information from a variety of information sources for planning, planting, growing, and harvesting agricultural crops. It also presents a new concept based on the control system theory that can be used to formulate systematic methods for more effective precision crop production. Precision agriculture when properly integrated into the crop production process, can greatly improve overall production and sustainability.

This collection reviews current research on understanding nutrient cycles, the ways crops process nutrients, the environmental effects of fertilizer use and how this understanding can be used to improve nutrient use efficiency for a more resource-efficient and climate-smart agriculture. Parts 1-3 summarise research on the primary macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Chapter review what we know about nutrient cycles, crop nutrient processing, potential environmental effects and ways of optimising nutrient use efficiency (NUE). The fourth section of the book discusses secondary macronutrients and micronutrients including: calcium, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, boron, manganese and molybdenum. The final two parts of the book review research on optimising fertiliser use. Chapters cover topics such as assessing nutrient availability, decision support systems for optimising crop nutrition, advances in site-specific nutrient management and advances in integrated plant nutrient management. Other chapters discuss enhanced efficiency fertilisers, the use of bio-effectors/bio-stimulants, fertigation techniques and the use of organic amendments. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference on optimising crop nutrition for the crop science and farming community.