Advances in Agronomy 98 1st Edition by Donald Sparks 9780123743558 0123743559

Chapter One: Root systems of major tropical root and tuber crops: Root architecture, size, and growt

1. Introduction

2. Root development

2.1. Stem cuttings

2.2. Tubers

2.3. Suckers/head-setts

3. Initiation and growth of storage organs

3.1. Storage roots

3.2. Storage stems

4. Growth and activity of root systems

5. Gaps in knowledge and future research

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter Two: Nanotechnology support the next agricultural revolution: Perspectives to enhancement of

1. Introduction

2. Worldwide fertilizer demand and supply

3. Nutrient use efficiency

4. Nanotechnology and agriculture

4.1. Nanofertilizers

4.1.1. Nanofertilizers use scenarios

4.1.1.1. Open field agriculture

4.1.1.2. Closed plant production system

4.1.1.3. Space-grown plants

5. Nanofertilizers in scientific literature. A systematic overview

5.1. Macronutrient nanofertilizers

5.1.1. Nitrogen

5.1.2. Phosphorus

5.1.3. Potassium

5.1.4. Calcium

5.1.5. Magnesium

5.2. Micronutrient nanofertilizers

5.2.1. Copper

5.2.2. Iron

5.2.3. Manganese

5.2.4. Molybdenum

5.2.5. Zinc

5.3. Nanomaterial-enhanced fertilizers

5.3.1. Nutrient-loaded zeolites

5.3.2. Nano-chitosan fertilizer

5.3.3. Silica nanoparticles

5.4. Plant growth stimulating nanomaterials

5.4.1. Cerium

5.4.2. Titanium

5.4.3. Carbon based nanomaterial

5.4.3.1. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCTNs)

5.4.3.2. Multiple walled carbon nanotubes (MWCTNs)

5.4.3.3. Graphene and fullerenes

5.4.3.4. Nano carbon structures containing nutrient elements

5.4.3.4.1. Plant nutrient delivering by means of nano carbon structures

5.4.3.4.2. Functionalization of nano carbon structures

6. Nanofertilizers and crops: Knowledge gaps

7. Concluding remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter Three: Crop spatial uniformity, yield and weed suppression

1. Introduction

1.1. Crop plant spatial pattern and spatial uniformity

1.2. What do we mean by spatial uniformity and how can we measure it?

1.2.1. Variance-based methods

1.2.2. Voronoi polygons (tessellations)

2. How uniform is the spatial pattern of crop plants?

2.1. Spatial simulations of crop spatial patterns

2.2. Spatial pattern of seeds sown vs. spatial pattern of seedlings

3. Studies on the effects of increased crop spatial uniformity

4. Methods

4.1. Selection of studies for review

4.2. Two sub-searches

5. Results

5.1. Studies identified and included

5.2. Effects of increased crop spatial uniformity within rows

5.3. Effects of changing only row distance

5.4. Factors influencing the effects of spatial uniformity

6. Discussion

6.1. Direct vs. weed-mediated effects of spatial uniformity on yield

6.2. Overall effects of increasing crop spatial uniformity

6.3. Main crop species

6.4. Factors influencing the effects of crop spatial uniformity

6.4.1. Weather conditions

6.4.2. Soil nitrogen level

6.4.3. Crop sowing density

6.4.4. Plasticity in crop growth form

6.5. The size and yield distribution of individual crop plants

6.6. Can increased crop spatial uniformity be disadvantageous in some situations?

6.6.1. Yield quality

6.6.2. Diseases

6.7. Practical implications

6.8. Perspectives for future research

7. Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Further reading

Chapter Four: Soil research challenges in response to emerging agricultural soil management practice

1. Introduction

2. Methods

2.1. Composition of the expert group

2.2. Structural framework

2.3. Methods for synthesis

3. Soil research challenges in response to agricultural soil management practices

3.1. Spatial arrangements of cropping systems

3.2. Crops and rotations

3.3. Mechanical pressures on soil

3.4. Inputs into the soil

4. Cross-cutting research challenges

4.1. Data management

4.2. Modeling

4.3. Sustainability assessment, economics, and governance

4.4. Stakeholder interaction

5. Synthesis

6. Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter Five: Site-specific seeding using multi-sensor and data fusion techniques: A review

1. Introduction

2. Principles of site-specific seeding

2.1. Map-based site-specific seeding

2.2. Sensor-based site-specific seeding

3. Key field quality indicators for defining site-specific productivity potential

3.1. Soil quality indicators

3.2. Soil quality indexes

3.3. Crop quality indicators

4. Soil and crop sensing technologies

4.1. Proximal soil sensing

4.1.1. Electromagnetic induction

4.1.2. Visible near infrared (vis-NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

4.2. Crop sensing

4.2.1. Remote crop sensing

4.2.2. Proximal crop sensing

4.3. Multi-sensor and data fusion

5. Site-specific recommendation

5.1. Site-specific seeding rate recommendation

5.1.1. MZs-specific arbitrary seed rate

5.1.2. MZs-specific optimal seed rate

5.1.3. Model-based optimal seed rate

5.2. Site-specific sowing depth recommendation

5.2.1. Soil texture specific sowing depth

5.2.2. Soil moisture specific sowing depth

5.2.3. Soil temperature specific sowing depth

6. Implementation of map-based site-specific seeding

7. Economics of site-specific seeding

8. Integration, research gaps and future prospects

8.1. Research and technology gaps

8.2. Discussions and future prospects

9. Conclusions

Acknowledgment

References

Further reading

Chapter Six: The vanishing legacy of soil salinity data from irrigated districts: A case study from

1. Introduction

2. Origin of soil salinity in the central Ebro Basin

3. Two correlative approaches to soil salinity in the CEB

3.1. The conservationist approach

3.2. The agricultural approach

4. Characterizing soil salinity in the Ebro Basin

5. Legacy studies devoted to soil salinity as related to irrigation

6. Cautions in comparing different soil studies

7. Value and applicability of the heritage documents on soils

8. Final remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Index

Back Cover