This book will serve as a valuable source of information on the aspects of history, current scenario, non-mulberry cultivation, pruning, pests and diseases of eri, tasar and muga, silkworm rearing, pests and diseases of non-mulberry silkworm, processing of cocoon etc. This book can be used as resource material and practical guide for the students of agriculture, horticulture and sericulture. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

First survey of one of the most important pre-modern farming systems, and its effects on society and landscape. A landmark volume... essential reading for all those interested in social, agricultural and landscape history, as well as in East Anglia's past. Professor Tom Williamson, University of East Anglia. England in the medieval and early modern periods was farmed under a wide range of agrarian regimes, each of which was both engendered by, and had in turn a determining influence upon, innumerable aspects of society and landscape. Reconstructing the complex history of these systems - how they actually worked on the ground, how and why they first developed and how they evolved over time - is thus crucial for our understanding of the lived experience of past generations and the physical environments which they inhabited. But studies of past agricultural regimes which are detailed enough to highlight their full social, economic and environmental character and implications, are surprisingly thin on the ground. This innovative book dissects the character of one key example - the foldcourse system of East Anglia - from its genesis in the early Middle Ages to its demise in the nineteenth century. It casts a mass of new light on an institution that structured rural life in one region of England, over many centuries. But it also provides important new insights into the nature of early farming systems more generally, and the intricate balance of human agency, and environmental structures, that shaped and sustained them.

This timely and much-needed book focuses on the phenomenon often referred to as "holiday hunger" in the United Kingdom. The book begins by outlining the history and scope of holiday hunger - the condition that occurs when a child's household is, or will become, food insecure during the summer holidays. The decline of the UK welfare state and the rise of neoliberalism have created a situation where up to three million children in the UK face food insecurity during the summer months when there are extra financial pressures on the working poor and when free school meals are not available. This book details the level of childhood and household food insecurity in the UK and describes one of the main responses to holiday hunger - holiday clubs. These clubs are locally organised and funded and provide a place for children to go to eat nutritious meals for free during the school holidays. Highlighting the benefits of holiday clubs that often extend beyond food provision, this book also discusses the challenges that they face now and in the future. The book concludes with recommendations for food insecurity policy and the role of government in fighting holiday hunger. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food and nutrition security, social policy and public health.

Sustainable Biological Systems for Agriculture: Emerging Issues in Nanotechnology, Biofertilizers, Wastewater, and Farm Machines explores and introduces the use of nanotechnology, biofertilizers, and design of farm machines in agriculture. The contributions are from India, Africa and the USA; the chapters emphasize sustainable solutions for the enhancement of agriculture processes. The volume provides a wealth of information on new and emerging issues in this interdisciplinary field. The book is divided into several sections: Potential Applications of Nanotechnology in Biological Systems Emerging Issues, Challenges and Specific Examples of Nanotechnology for Sustainable Biological Systems Potential of Nano- and Bio- fertilizers in Sustainable Agriculture Emerging Focus Areas in Biological Systems Performance of Farm Machines for Sustainable Agriculture The information provided here will be valuable to government agricultural professionals, scientists, researchers, farmers, and faculty and students all over the world.

Plant physiology is now considered as an essential ingredient for improving crop productivity, a continuing necessity with today's ever-increasing world population. This new volume provides an understanding of the physiological basis of the various plant processes and their underlying mechanisms under fluctuating environments, which is of great importance for sustainable crop production. Further advances in cellular and molecular biology hold promise to modify physiological processes, thereby improving the quality and quantity of major food crops and ensuring stability in yield of the produce even under severe abiotic stress. This book covers the latest information on the physiological basis of plant productivity, including abiotic stress adaptation and management, plant nutrition, climate change and plant productivity, transgenic and functional genomics, and plant growth regulators and their applications. The chapters in this volume tackle some of these key issues of sustainable plant production and evolve future strategies in overcoming challenges faced by the agricultural sector as a whole. The topics covered in this book presents important from research reputed scientists. This volume is a rich source of information in one place. It will be a useful resource for researchers and extension workers involved in plant physiology and related disciplines. Key features: Provide the latest information on developments in plant physiology Covers abiotic and biotic stress on economically important crop species Presents a detailed collection of biotechnological approaches in plant physiology Covers plant growth regulators, secondary metabolites, germination, crop growth and development of different crop species Provides research from experts at internationally renowned institutes

This book discusses theoretical approaches to the taxonomy of biological systems and theory and mathematical approaches to the problem of plant diversity, cultivation, and the environment. Particular attention is given to theoretical and practical problems of soil and the environmental sustainability of phytocoenosis, with the goal to enhance the productivity of agricultural crops: cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruit. Providing valuable information on the distribution of chemical elements in the soil-plant system and on the migration of chemical elements in the food chain, this book looks at the composition of the soil and the distribution of elements in the soil-plant system that are manifested as adaptations of plant organism to environmental conditions. With chapters written by acknowledged scientists in the field of genetics, plant selection, ecology, and agro-economy, the book attempts, in many cases, to find consensus between the need to address ways to decrease the excess load on the environment and the need to provide adequately for the human population in agro-developed countries. This book also presents precision farming techniques, including the introduction of differentiated agrochemicals and considering variability of soil fertility and crop conditions. An important element for the conservation and adaptation of plant organism to environmental conditions is the use of physiologically active compounds.

Management, Performance, and Applications of Micro Irrigation Systems, the fourth volume in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation series, emphasizes sustainable and meaningful methods of irrigation to counter rampant water scarcity. In many parts of the world, this scarcity significantly affects crop yield, crop quality, and, consequently, human quality of life. This important volume presents the best management practices in sustainable micro irrigation, with the goal of increasing crop yield and quality and conserving water. The practices described are practical and attainable and are based on research and studies from many areas of the world, including India, South Africa, and other areas. The applications described can be adapted and applied to many regions with a critical need to address the water crisis in crop production. The practices and applications presented include: * Partial root-zone surface drip irrigation * Effective maintenance techniques * Web-based irrigation scheduling * Water use efficiency methods * The use of flushing and filtration systems This valuable book is a must for those struggling to find ways to address the need to maintain efficient crop production in the midst of water shortages. With chapters from hands-on experts in the field, the book will be an invaluable reference and guide to effective micro irrigation methods.

Climate change and increased climate variability in terms of rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and increasing extreme weather events, such as severe drought and devastating floods, pose a threat to the production of agricultural and horticultural crops-a threat this is expected to worsen. Climate change is already affecting-and is likely to increase-invasive species, pests, and disease vectors, all adversely affecting agri-horticultural crop productivity. Advances in agricultural knowledge, science, and technology will be required to develop improved crop traits, such as temperature, drought, pest, and salt tolerance. This two-volume set gives readers an understanding of the issues and makes suggestions for ways to mitigate adverse climate change effects on crops. The focus of Volume 1: The Principles and Applications in Horticultural Science is to identify impacts and suggest appropriate and effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Volume 2: Impact, Adaptation, and Mitigation focuses on the impact of climate change on horticultural crops and offers ways to adapt practices to mitigate adverse effects. Together, the two volumes offer a diverse selection of chapters that address issues of importance to those in the horticulture industry, researchers, faculty, and others. The books are an excellent resource for researchers; instructors; students in agriculture, horticulture, environmental science, and other allied subjects; and policymakers.

Ecological and genetic control of plant resistance to unfavorable environmental influences is being carried out all over the world, and new varieties and hybrids of plants are being created, resulting in rich, new information and innovative new methods of cultivation. This new volume, Temperate Horticulture for Sustainable Development and Environment: Ecological Aspects, explores the vast biotic diversity in horticulture, with a focus on sustainable development in today's deteriorating environment. The book offers new technologies for a wide range of horticultural crops, including vegetables, fruit, berries, and flowers. The information presented here is the result of original experiments and study of leading specialists in horticulture, plant breeding, and related areas. Part 1, Innovation in the Field of Vegetable Growing, looks at several completely new methods for increasing the yield of potatoes and cucumbers. The second part. The Arctic Berries: Ecology and Biochemistry presents an abundance of data on the phytocenotic properties of wild-growing and cultivated berry plants and of arctic raspberry and blueberry in natural populations of taiga zones. The authors studied berry crops, cranberry, Arctic bramble, blueberry, Arctic raspberry, cowberry, growing on the boggy soil and peatlands in taiga zones. Part 3, Decorative Plants: Breeding and Biochemistry, provides an overview of winter garden plants and their successful cultivation, looks at the range of resistance to salinization and other stresses of ornamental plants growing, and presents a biochemical analysis of biological active compounds and antioxidants among various species of the genus Aloe. Part 4, on Fruit Growing and Breeding, reviews various technologies for the cultivation of various fruits and presents an overview of data on breeding rare fruit crop. This volume will be useful for the scientific community, ecologists, geneticists, breeders, and industry professionals interested in using science to implement practical applications in production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Maize is among the most widely spread and widely used crops of the world, used for cereals for over 4 billion humans, as food for farm animals, and as a source material for biofuel production. Yet there are relatively few books on the cropping system of this important crop. This book, Maize Agroecosystem, is a concise treatise dealing with agronomy, soil fertility, and productivity of maize. The information is global in nature and considers recent developments in all maize cropping belts. The "global maize agroecosystem" is a conglomerate of several "maize cropping belts" that flourish on different continents. The impact of nutrient management on the productivity of maize agroecosystems is the main focus of this book. The book includes the history of maize growing, the kinds of soil needed, nutrient dynamics, the use of soil organic matter, the physiology and genetics of maize, and integrated nutrient management. It presents comprehensive knowledge regarding the physicochemical dynamics of the three major nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Also covered is how fertilizers impinge on soils of maize farms and their impact on soil and groundwater quality. The impact of crop genotype on soil nutrient dynamics and productivity is also highlighted. The information provided here will be highly useful to students at colleges and universities in the fields of agricultural sciences and environmental science and ecology, and the book also functions as valuable resource for researchers and professors in crop science. Several figures and tables are included that describe and summarize the impact of various agronomic/fertilizer management procedures on crop productivity.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Agriculture is one of the prime users of water, particularly in arid places with already-limited water resources, and its effects are diverse and far reaching. Providing a nuanced study of agricultural resource management, this informative book takes a four-pronged approach, covering research on: * The impact of agriculture on water * The impact of agriculture on soil quality and its ecological health * Energy and greenhouse gases * The impact of a growing population on agricultural resources Topics include the connection between chemical fertilizer use in agriculture and stream water quality; beef and dairy production on livestock, dairy, and crops; livestock and greenhouse gases; energy consumption rates in agriculture; efficient farming techniques, such as precision agriculture, irrigation management, and sustainable water technologies; and more. This informative and accessible volume offers a comprehensive guide to this vital and necessary field of study.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Organic practices are quickly redefining how agriculture is done around the world, as we come to realize how detrimental conventional agriculture is to local and global environments and economies. This book serves as an overview of some of the important topics in organic agriculture. The volume is broken into several sections which explore the effects of organic practices on crop productivity, the use of biofertilizers, plant cultivars, and compare the environmental impact with conventional agriculture. Also covered are the following topics: *Organic agriculture as a strategy to combat many of the negative effects of conventional agriculture, such as pollution and loss of soil fertility *How practices, such as the use of biofertilizers, can enhance plant growth over the use of chemical fertilizers *Vermicompost and the high potential to benefit land in agricultural use *Organic practices' associations with increased soil fertility, increased biodiversity, and greenhouse gas sequestration *The negative effects of organic agriculture practices, such as an increase in nitrogen pollution or pests This easily accessible reference volume offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly expanding field. Edited by an experienced writer with experience in both food systems and agricultural sociology, Organic Agricultural Practices: Alternatives to Conventional Agricultural Systems is an authoritative and easy-to-use reference, ideal for both researchers in the field and students who wish to gain an overview to this important field of study.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Environmental science integrates physical and biological sciences to the study of the environment, with the goal of solving today's environmental challenges. Many of these challenges tie into a greater concept of using the earth's resources sustainably. This collection brings together some very important advances in environmental science, including how climate change affects plant disease, how to keep birds and bats away from wind turbines, disinfecting polluted water for drinking, how climate policy impacts natural habitats, cancer risk due to ecological issues, and much more.

The ultimate goal of crop production is to provide quality produce to consumers at reasonable rates. Most fresh produce is highly perishable, and postharvest losses are significant under the present methods of management in many countries. However, significant achievements have been made during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security and safety as well. These include advancements in breeding horticultural crops for quality improvement; postharvest physiology; postharvest pathology and entomology; postharvest management of fruits, vegetables, and flowers; nondestructive technologies to assess produce quality; minimal processing of fruits and vegetables; as well as innovations in packaging and storage technology of fresh produce. This new book, Postharvest Biology and Technology of Horticultural Crops: Principles and Practices for Quality Maintenance, describes the above-mentioned advancements in postharvest quality improvement of fresh horticultural produce. This book will be a standard reference work for postharvest management for the fresh produce industry. It presents important new advances that will extend the shelf life of fresh produce by retaining its safety and nutritional or sensory quality. The book covers a multitude of topics, particularly advances in: * Conventional breeding approaches for fruits and vegetables * Storage of fruits and vegetables * Postharvest treatment and smart packaging * Management of pests and other postharvest diseases * Postharvest management of fresh-cut flowers * Management of medicinal and aromatic plants during postharvest * Biotechnological methods for postharvest management

Applications of Furrow and Micro Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions, the fifth volume in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation series, addresses the ever-challenging need for irrigation systems in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, areas that are suffering from severe water shortages. These areas, such as Egypt, Tunisia, most of Africa, and parts of South America, Central America, and Australia, find it a struggle to grow crops sustainably with the water available. This important book emphasizes sustainable agriculture practices to promote increased water usage efficiency in dry areas for growing of crops. It presents a variety of research and studies on such topics as: * Meteorological instruments for water management * Buried micro irrigation laterals for soil water retention * Water vapor flux models * Performance of various crops grown under different irrigation methods * Scheduling of irrigation * Phyto-monitoring techniques This valuable book is a must for those finding it a challenge to maintain sustainable crop production in the midst of continuous water shortages in areas where water is not naturally plentiful. With contributions from authors with hands-on experience in the field, the book will be an invaluable reference and guide to effective micro irrigation methods.

Comprised of three sections, this covers the nutrient dynamics and productivity of global agroecosystems. It focuses on the major aspects that make up agroecosystems, such as soils, climate, crops, nutrient dynamics, and productivity. It introduces agroeocsystems and describes global soil types that support vast crop belts, then deals with the principles that drive crop growth, nutrient dynamics and ecosystematic functions within any agroecosystem. It also details the influence of agronomic practices and factors such as soil microbes, organic matter, crop genetic nature, irrigation, weeds, and cropping systems that affect productivity of agroecosystems.

This book covers topics on the basic models, assessments, and techniques to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) for practical applications in agriculture, forestry, and urban science. This simple and thorough guide provides the information and techniques necessary to develop, manage, interpret, and apply evapotranspiration [ET] data to practical applications. The simplicity of the contents facilitates a technician to develop an ET data for effective water management.

With contributions from leading scientists in agricultural biology and young researchers, this book examines the ecological consequences that sometimes arise with various methods of increasing crop productivity. It also presents agroecological approaches to crop improvement and productivity from several perspectives, examines alternative energy sources, and discusses other problems related to sustainable agriculture.

This valuable book, the third volume in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation series, focuses on sustainable micro irrigation management for trees and vines. It covers the principles as well as recent advances and applications of micro irrigation techniques. Specialists throughout the world share their expertise on: * Automation of micro irrigation systems * Service and maintenance of micro irrigation systems * Evaluation of micro irrigation systems * Scheduling of irrigation * Using municipal wastewater for micro irrigation * Micro-jet irrigation and other systems * The effect of potassium, acid lime, and other elements

This book focuses on best management practices for drip irrigated crops. It cover irrigation methods, scheduling of micro irrigation, and mulching and crop performance. Micro irrigation techniques with diverse crops are discussed, including sweet pepper, chili, tomatoes, cauliflower, wheat, sweet peas, sugarcane, and potatoes. The performance of the various techniques has been tested and evaluated in the field. Written by experts on micro irrigation, this valuable book is a must-have for micro irrigation professionals as well as advanced students.

This important volume, the ninth in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation book series, provides an invaluable addition to the literature and knowledge on the ever-growing need for sustainable irrigation for agricultural crops in many water-scarce parts of the world. The book specifically covers advances in fertigation for water management in general as well as for specific crops, such as peaches, maize, and citrus crops. Specific topics include: * The design of various surface and subsurface water emitters * Using information from weather stations for irrigation purposes * Ultra low drip irrigation technology * The management of weeds in crops using micro irrigation * New technology and advances in fertigation With chapters from researchers and practitioners in agricultural engineering, water research and technology, soil conservation, and other fields, this compendium provides a wealth of useful information that can be put into practice to enhance crop production.

Spices provide our food with nutraceutical value rather than actual nutrition. But apart from the popular and major spices, there are several other spices, which, in spite of their enormous contribution to human health, remain underexploited or underutilized. This new volume, Underexploited Spice Crops: Present Status, Agrotechnology, and Future Research Directions, is a valuable compilation of agrotechniques coupled with background information, research works, and scientific discussions on these spices. It will include in-depth narration on underexploited spice crops as products in influencing present-day the global export market and the renewed interest in these crops throughout the world. The volume deals with the scientific approach of growing underexploited spices with the intention of popularizing them. Separate chapters on the importance of each spice, methods of growing and harvesting, and recent research from around the world along with future strategies are covered.

This important volume provides new research on the design and application of ecologically safe formulations for protecting cultivated crops against pathogen-causing diseases and weeds-that also provide nitrogen fertilizers at the same time. The authors make a significant contribution to the development and agricultural use of environmentally safe and biodegradable new-generation pesticides with targeted and controlled release of active ingredients. They discuss the problems associated with the use and accumulation of xenobiotics in the biosphere and present highlights of modern trends in the design of new-generation formulations. The authors present their original research results on the properties of herbicides, fungicides, and nitrogen fertilizers deposited in a degradable polymer base and the effectiveness of the use of these formulations in laboratory ecosystems with higher plants infected with fusariosis and weeds. The research provided here provides a new direction for the use of degradable polymers, essential for the creation of ecologically safe agricultural technologies and reducing uncontrolled accumulation and spread of xenobiotics in the biosphere.

This volume responds to the growing interest in adopting aerial robots (UAVs, or drones) for agricultural crop production, which are revolutionizing farming methods worldwide. The book provides a detailed review of 250 UAVs that examines their usefulness in enhancing profitability, yield, and quality of crop production. Recent trends indicate an increase in agricultural drone production and use. Millions of dollars have been invested in start-ups that produce agro-drones in the past several years. North America, Europe, China, and the Far East have excelled in offering a large number of UAV models. Some of them are versatile, a few are specific, and many of them are low cost. With so many drone models (over 1200) available, how do farmers and agricultural specialists choose the models best for them? This compendium examines the most useful drones and provides the pertinent details about each drone, its producer, cost incurred, and its pros and cons. It covers their technical specifications, suitability for various purposes, previous performances in farms, and possible benefits to farmers. It covers fixed-wing drones, fixed-winged (hybrid) VTOL helicopters, multi-copters, tilted-wing drones, etc. The book includes a few drones meant more for military or other purposes (e.g. recreation/fun) but that could be easily modified and adapted for the farming sector. The reviews compare activities among the UAVs, such aerial imagery of crops, ability to provide spectral analyses to collect useful data about a crop's growth patterns, and how they can be used to gauge crop canopy temperature (i.e. water stress index), determine grain maturity, and much more.

Wild Edible Underutilized Plants explores the role of wild plants in human nutrition-a topic that continues to take precedence in various fields of research. Despite the increasing evidence on past and present nutritional roles of wild edible plants, the use of these resources is often overlooked and neglected in countless policy areas. This book emphasizes the importance of these plants and explores their relevance to sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and public health in different agro-ecological regions. The book implements a conceptual approach to wild plants, focusing on the benefits of incorporating these plants into people's diets and daily lives and the advantage they will provide to future generations. The book also addresses widespread issues of scarcity, proposing solutions that promote food sovereignty and security. The book begins by first discussing the nutritional aspects of wild edible plants to explore their value as a source of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and other nutrients. It then continues to elaborate on the anti-nutritional elements of these plants, providing a comprehensive overview of their utility.