This book, first published in 1990 and reprinted here, is a comprehensive, state-of-the art reference on the design principles and management techniques of two primary agricultural irrigation methods. The book presents a systematic approach to the optimal design, management and operation of these two systems. Focusing on the synthesis of the entire design process, the authors present the chapters in the sequence used to design systems with the analytical material presented and demonstrated in a concise manner. For the first time in any book, Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation offers complete design strategies and presentations for all of the major types of sprinkle and trickle systems: - Periodic-move - Center-pivot - Traveling sprinkler - Linear-moving - Set sprinkler - Drip, spray and line-source Sequential sample calculations that involve the steps in the design of typical irrigation systems are used extensively. As the book progresses, these calculations become more comprehensive and are linked together to form complete design packages for the various types of pressurized systems. The book also presents a section on selecting pressurized irrigation systems, a review of soil-plant-water relationships, unique insight into pipeline hydraulics and economics, design specifications for fertilization and frost control, a glossary and an annotated bibliography of ASAE Standards for Pressurized Irrigation Systems. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation is an important practical reference for agricultural engineers, irrigation system designers and agricultural managers, as well as a vital text for professors and researchers in agricultural engineering. "Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation presents beginning-to-end coverage of the processes and computations needed in the planning and design of sprinkle and trickle irrigation systems. The textbook is created for the thinking person who desires more than cookie-cutter recipes or simple, routine "rule-of-thumb" designs. Rather, the authors of Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation present concise rationale and philosophy behind each computation formula, figure and table. They decouple "recommended" design parameters into underlying components that can be recoupled at the time of the design to apply to specific cases and situations. In the process, the reader gains visualization skills that allow him/her to peer "inside" an irrigation system, both hydraulically, economically, and operationally. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation is a classic design text and reference that should be on every practitioner's desk. The chapters on center-pivot, linear-move and travelling sprinklers go well beyond other current texts. Solid and encompassing economics are infused into all design topics, including application, distribution, and pumping systems. I have lectured out of Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation for twelve years at the university-senior level. I am confident that all students who completed this design course know not only how to design efficient and effective pressurized irrigation systems, but also know why they use the procedures that they use." Dr. Richard G. Allen, Professor, University of Idaho

With the erratic changes in climate, crop plants are facing many forms of biotic stresses. When plants are under stress, among several gene families, regulatory genes play a vital role in signal transduction in modulating the expression of genes underpinning several defense pathways and targeting regulatory proteins (viz, transcription factors (TFs)) can be the alternative. Transcription factors directly regulate the downstream R genes and are excellent candidates for disease resistance breeding. Till date, numerous transcription factors have been identified and characterized structurally and functionally. Of them, TF families such as WRKY, NAC, Whirly, Apetala2 (AP2), ethylene responsive elements (ERF) etc. are found to be associated with transcriptional reprogramming of plant defense response. These TFs are responsive to the pathogen's PAMPs/DAMPs - host's PRR protein interactions and specifically binds to the cis-elements of defense genes and regulate their expression. With this background, realizing the importance of TFs in resistance breeding, this book discusses the recent research and developments in this field for various crops.

As agriculture becomes more mechanized and science increases the possibilities for using inputs to enhance production, the role of PGRs becomes more vital. Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture provides agriculture professionals and researchers with the information needed to effectively tap these versatile resources to enhance crop production.Through discussions of the "classical five" phytohormones--gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid, and auxins--and the growing number of nontraditional PGRs such as oligosaccharins and brassinosteroids, Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture reviews past and present uses of PGRs in managing crop yield and offers some speculation on future directions.Detailed discussions on the use of PGRs in, for example, grain, ornamental, and citrus crops, introduce readers to strategies for enhancing crop quantity and quality, for improving the postproduction quality of life of perishable plants, and for crop load management, respectively. The book also includes informative visuals, such as tables of common, chemical, and trade names of different commercially available PGRs; diagrams of various PGR processes; as well as before-and-after pictures illustrating the effects of PGRs.Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture is a comprehensive text covering the role of plant growth regulators in: root formation manipulating yield potential plant stress protection ornamental horticulture postharvest life of ornamentals manipulating fruit development and storage quality citriculture reducing fruit drop bloom-thinning strategiesIf the history of agriculture, which is over 10,000 years old, was condensed into a twenty-four-hour span, science-based plant breeding would be only about fifteen minutes old. Still, the role of PGRs in agriculture is modest compared to other agrochemicals, such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture is an invaluable guide to the varied roles filled by PGRs in the attainment of higher-quality, better-yielding crops.

The interaction between the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans and oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is becoming an excellent model system for studying genetics of host-pathogen interactions. Leptosphaeria maculans causes phoma stem canker (blackleg) on oilseed rape and other Brassica crops worldwide. Recently, application of molecular techniques has led to increased understanding of the genetics of this hemibiotrophic interaction. The complete sequences of the genomes of L. maculans and B. rapa (comprising the Brassica A genome) will be available soon. This will provide new opportunities to investigate basic metabolic pathways in the host and the pathogen, and detailed knowledge of the disease process. Worldwide, the major strategy for control of phoma stem canker is the use of cultivars with resistance to L. maculans.

Production of food to meet the demands of an ever-increasing human population in the world is the major task and challenge to agriculture today. The conventional methods of plant breeding alone can no longer cope with the situation. The success of any crop improvement program depends on the extent of genetic variability in the base population, but due to denuding of forests and agricultural land, the naturally occurring pool of germplasm is being depleted. An urgent need is therefore ap parent to create new variability and increase the genetic base of agricul tural crops. Agricultural biotechnology has progressed to a stage in the produc tion of plants where specific characteristics to improve their yield, ap pearance, disease-resistance, nutritional quality and adaptation to ad verse soil conditions can be built into the seed. This concept of built-in quality implies a continuous scientific endeavour to improve plant char acters using a wide range of possibilities, and it also implies a scrutiny of the materials and methods available in the world today."

This is the first book devoted to international deer husbandry techniques for the growing industries of venison, velvet antler, and antler trophy production as well as long established extensive park systems for amenity. Written by world leaders in their specialised subjects, chapters shed light on widely differing management systems and the optimum design of deer farms, handling yards and fencing layouts. Moreover, readers will discover the requisites of good stockmanship and specialist veterinarians describe different diseases the deer may develop. Details on available treatments, the general biology of deer and an explanation of controversial ethics of velvet and trophy production complete this work. As deer farming has come of age this collection is timely. At fifty years the New Zealand deer industry carries one million animals with annual venison exports to America, Europe and growing antler markets in China and Korea. Chinese antler production is well-established and Asian reindeer husbandry even more ancient. In North America and Europe, deer are now being kept for antler trophies and amenity in many historic parks. This volume is a valuable resource for everyone researching deer management systems, be it practising veterinarians, deer farmers, park managers or agricultural and veterinary students.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of sustainable and smart agriculture, as presented by leading researchers at the XI Farm Machinery and Processes Management in Sustainable Agriculture (FMPMSA), held in Bari, Italy on June 13-15, 2022. The volume covers highly diverse topics, including: management of field and livestock production machinery; management of biomass and agroenergy production; plant protection, soil management and agrochemicals application; smart farming and sustainability; ergonomic, labour organization, pandemic impact; sustainable agriculture in the European Union and other countries. The papers, which are published after a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

This book explains farmer suicides in India in the backdrop of rural politics as a determining factor. By bringing in politics as a variable the research presented in the book reveals that there are non-farm factors playing critical role in prompting behavioral change amongst the peasantry but haven't received much academic attention. The book argues that the changing nature of public spaces has significantly altered the perception of self in the rural society of India. It presents indicators of this rural change and how the state policy and political parties led political mobilization that changed the character of community relations in the rural areas. The book shows that other possible manifestations of the large-scale behavioral change in the rural areas and increasing rural distress, those are equally serious but haven't received much attention, are rising cases of drug-addiction, agrarian riots, or other forms of collective violence. The increasing number of farmers protests also need to be understood in this context.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) produced a 2011 report on women in agriculture with a clear and urgent message: agriculture underperforms because half of all farmers-women-lack equal access to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. This book builds on the report's conclusions by providing, for a non-specialist audience, a compendium of what we know now about gender gaps in agriculture.

As agriculture becomes more mechanized and science increases the possibilities for using inputs to enhance production, the role of PGRs becomes more vital. Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture provides agriculture professionals and researchers with the information needed to effectively tap these versatile resources to enhance crop production.Through discussions of the "classical five" phytohormones--gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid, and auxins--and the growing number of nontraditional PGRs such as oligosaccharins and brassinosteroids, Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture reviews past and present uses of PGRs in managing crop yield and offers some speculation on future directions.Detailed discussions on the use of PGRs in, for example, grain, ornamental, and citrus crops, introduce readers to strategies for enhancing crop quantity and quality, for improving the postproduction quality of life of perishable plants, and for crop load management, respectively. The book also includes informative visuals, such as tables of common, chemical, and trade names of different commercially available PGRs; diagrams of various PGR processes; as well as before-and-after pictures illustrating the effects of PGRs.Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture is a comprehensive text covering the role of plant growth regulators in: root formation manipulating yield potential plant stress protection ornamental horticulture postharvest life of ornamentals manipulating fruit development and storage quality citriculture reducing fruit drop bloom-thinning strategiesIf the history of agriculture, which is over 10,000 years old, was condensed into a twenty-four-hour span, science-based plant breeding would be only about fifteen minutes old. Still, the role of PGRs in agriculture is modest compared to other agrochemicals, such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture and Horticulture is an invaluable guide to the varied roles filled by PGRs in the attainment of higher-quality, better-yielding crops.

This book illustrates the importance of microbiome interactions in sustainable agriculture and the environment. The chapters of the book provide information pertaining to the vast diversity of microbiomes in many ecosystems and their functional dynamics. The book also discusses bioremediation, space microbiomes, geo microbiomes, coral microbiomes, antibiotic resistomes, and rhizomicrobiome. It also sheds light on the complex syntrophic and other symbiotic interactions between bacteria, protists, plants, and certain animals in agricultural and environmental systems. The book, in turn, provides an understanding of the adaptation, resilience, and evolution of microbial ecosystems. Further, the chapters cover metagenomics analysis of microbiomes of a novel or extreme environments, microbial resilience or temporal fluctuations, symbiosis and co-evolution of the microbiome, and novel microbial interactions in agriculture and environment. Finally, the book elucidates a comprehensive yet representative description of complex structural and functional diversity within the plant and environmental microbiomes to reveal their immense potential. This book covers United Nations Sustainable Developmental Goal 2 towards Zero Hunger.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop, such as wheat, usually take 10-12 years to develop and release of the new variety. During the past 10 years, significant advances have been made and accelerated methods have been developed for precision breeding and early release of crop varieties. This work summarizes concepts dealing with germplasm enhancement and development of improved varieties based on innovative methodologies that include doubled haploidy, marker assisted selection, marker assisted background selection, genetic mapping, genomic selection, high-throughput genotyping, high-throughput phenotyping, mutation breeding, reverse breeding, transgenic breeding, shuttle breeding, speed breeding, low cost high-throughput field phenotyping, etc. It is an important reference with special focus on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

In this book we present ten chapters describing the synthesis and application of nanomaterials for health, food, agriculture and bioremediation. Nanomaterials, with unique properties are now being used to improve food and agricultural production. Research on nanomaterials is indeed revealing new applications that were once thought to be imaginary. Specifically, applications lead to higher crop productivity with nanofertilisers, better packaging, longer food shelf life and better sensing of aromas and contaminants. these applications are needed in particular in poor countries where food is scarce and the water quality bad. Nanotechnology also addresses the age old issue of water polluted by industrial, urban and agricultural pollutants. For instance, research produces nanomaterials that clean water more efficiently than classical methods, thus yielding water for drinking and irrigation. However, some nanomaterials have been found to be toxic. Therefore, nanomaterials should be engineered to be safe for the environment.

Most philosophers still like to feel that they have a special subject matter, well insulated from anything that the social scientists, and scientists in general, have to tell them. That is not healthy for philosophy; and it is all too likely to lead to an ethics that continues, as of old, to plead for its ultimates-the fact that one is totally ineffectual being decently concealed by an impressive terminology. (Stevenson 1963, pp. 114-5) Many so-called moral theories do not even attempt to explain or justify common morality but are used to generate guides to conduct intended to replace common morality. These p- posed moral guides, those generated by all of the standard consequentialist, contractarian, and deontological theories, are far simpler than the common moral system and sometimes yield totally unacceptable answers to moral problems. Since these philosophers who put forward these theories have usually dismissed common morality as confused, they are c- pletely unaware of the complexity involved in making moral decisions and judgments. It is not surprising that many who take morality seriously and try to apply it to real problems faced by actual people are so critical of moral theory. (Bernard Gert 1998, p. 6) As both Stevenson and Gert note, ethics requires social and other sciences for by its very nature, ethics is a practical enterprise.

Miscanthus is a promising non-food crop yielding high quality lignocellulosic material which can be used in a number of ways, including energy and fibre production, thatching, and industrial use. This book encompasses the results and recommendations arising from extensive trials and experiments carried out by the leading European research organisations and institutions in the field. Much of the research was performed under the auspices of the Miscanthus Productivity Network, established under European Union's Directorate General for Agriculture (DG VI). This book presents expert guidance to growth conditions and breeding of Miscanthus, potential productivity and economics, environmental aspects, and harvesting, storage and utilisation. A guide to this increasingly important subject is long overdue and will be welcomed by all those involved in biomass production and renewable energies, or assessing the potential of Miscanthus as a non-food crop.

In recent years, Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) have been a key issue both in the scientific community and in public debates. This is due to their profound implications for rural development, local sustainability, and bio-economics. This edited collection discusses what the main determinants of the participation of operators - both consumers and producers - in AFNs are, what the conditions for their sustainability are, what their social and environmental effects are, and how they are distributed geographically. Further discussions include the effect of AFNs in structuring the food chain and how AFNs can be successfully scaled up. The authors explicitly take an interdisciplinary approach to analyse AFNs from different perspectives, using as an example the Italian region of Piedmont, a particularly interesting case study due to the diffusion of AFNs in the area, as well as due to the fact that it was in this region that the 'Slow Food' movement originated.

This edited volume covers all aspects of microbes in consortia; their roles in the ecological balance of soil by mineralize soil nutrients, plant growth promotion, protecting plants from disease by acting as biocontrol agents etc. Step-by-step descriptions are provided to the development and designing strategies of microbial consortia of rhizobacteria, phytohormone producing with biocontrol; ACC-deaminase producing with siderophore producing; vice-versa, and many combinations of multifaceted bacteria. The development of microbial consortia into successful bioinoculant and biofertilizers is also included in various chapters. In addition, molecular mechanisms to study the synergistic behaviors of rhizobacteria, accompanied by numerous helpful schematic drawings. Using phylogeny to justify the molecular similarity among two different bacteria identifies the possibility of microbial synergism, fruitful to development of microbial consortium and establish them in the rhizosphere with consorted mechanisms. In addition, clear drawings are included in support of understanding the natural phenomenon of synergism in below-ground ecosystem. Essential information is provided on ecological management by consorted mechanisms of rhizobacteria that directly affect ‘agriculture sustainability’ and an individual chapter is devoted to the understanding of future research, and addressing bottlenecks and successful steps.  This book assists the academicians, researchers and NGOs in negotiating the steep learning curve involved in gaining the skills needed to perform design and development of microbial consortiums, preparation of PGPR-based fertilizers, which offers significant advantages in terms of pertaining novel knowledge on the groundbreaking research, still ongoing. 

This volume considers current and future challenges for nature law and policy in Europe. Following the Fitness Check evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, in 2017 the EU adopted an Action Plan for nature, people and the economy to rapidly improve the Directives' implementation and accelerate progress towards the EU's biodiversity targets for 2020. More recently, the EU has adopted a Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and proposed an EU Nature Restoration Law. This book makes a timely contribution by examining the current state of play in light of recent and historical developments, as well as the post-2020 nature law and policy landscape. While evidence suggests that Natura 2000 and the Habitats and Birds Directives have delivered conservation benefits for wildlife in Europe, biodiversity loss continues apace. The book reviews the requirements for an effective international nature conservation system, with reference to the Birds and Habitats Directives. It examines regulatory regimes, current legal issues in the fields of site protection and species protection, the protection of areas outside Natura 2000, recent developments in the EU and the UK, including the implications of Brexit, agriculture and nature conservation, litigation, science and access to justice. Written by leading experts in the field, from a range of stakeholder groups, the volume draws on diverse experiences as well as providing interdisciplinary perspectives. This volume will be essential reading for students and scholars interested in European environmental policy and law, including lawyers, ecologists, environmental scientists, political scientists, natural resource managers, and planners. It will also be of interest to conservation practitioners, policy-makers and NGOs.

This proceeding covers all the collected research data and presentations from the 8th International Symposium on the Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf. The book explores themes in molecular breeding of forage and turf, including abiotic and biotic stresses, bioenergy and biorenewables, comparative genomics, emerging tools for forage and turf research, functional genetics and genomics and genetic mapping germplasm, diversity and its impact on breeding, herbage quality, plant-microbe interactions and transgenic and risk assessment. Written by renowned researchers in plant genomics, Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf: The Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on the Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf is a valuable resource for researchers and students in the field of plant genomics.

Heterosis and Hybrid Seed Production in Agronomic Crops discusses how heterosis or "hybrid vigor" has played a major role in improving crop productivity and quality in order to feed the ever-increasing human population, particularly in developing countries. Plant breeders, agronomists, seed producers, and farmers will discover why the development of hybrids in the world's major food crops and why the methods of hybrid seed production are critical for achieving this goal. This landmark book deals with heterosis and hybrid seed production of major agronomic crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, cotton, sunflower, and rapeseed. Through Heterosis and Hybrid Seed Production in Agronomic Crops, you will discover valuable information on hybrid seed production methods that is not available in any other single volume. This unique book contains relevant and essential information about important procedures to help increase crop yield, including: methods for derivingsecond cycle inbred lines for hybrid maize possibilities for hybrid seed production in wheat techniques of hybrid sorghum seed production production of hybrid seeds using male sterile lines of cotton agronomic management in seed production plots of sunflower seed production technology of hybrid rapeseed advances in hybrid seed production technology of rice in ChinaHeterosis and Hybrid Seed Production in Agronomic Crops gives you a global perspective on essential food crops in all parts of the world. This informative guide will help you use hybrid seed production methods with important agricultural crops and increase the quality of these vital and essential food sources.

The book discusses the importance of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) as a crop, highlighting the potential for eggplant to serve as a model for understanding several evolutionary and taxonomic questions. It also explores the genomic make-up, in particular in comparison to other Solanaceous crops, and examines the parallels between eggplant and tomato domestication as well as between the most common eggplant species and two related eggplants native to Africa (Ethiopian eggplant [Solanum aethiopicum L.] and African eggplant [Solanum macrocarpon L.]). The eggplant genome was first sequenced in 2014, and an improved version was due to be released in 2017. Further investigations have revealed the relationships between wild species, domesticated eggplant, and feral weedy eggplant (derived from the domesticate), as well as targets of selection during domestication. Parallels between eggplant and tomato domestication loci are well known and the molecular basis is currently being investigated. Eggplant is a source of nutrition for millions of people worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia where it is a staple food source. Domesticated in the old world, in contrast to its congeners tomato and potato, the eggplant is morphologically and nutritionally diverse. The spread of wild eggplants from Africa is particularly interesting from a cultural point of view. This book brings together diverse fields of research, from bioinformatics to taxonomy to nutrition to allow readers to fully understand eggplant's importance and potential.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book looks at a range of topics covering a variety of animals, including how macaques teach their offspring, how rats transmit avoidance behavior, how supplementary feeding of tree frogs affects their breeding behavior, and more. Studies in animal behavior can have far-reaching implications for animals and humans alike, such as how humans can improve conservation efforts, how to better protect animals-both in the wild and in captivity (zoos), and what can be learned about humans from animals, such as how the human brain and behaviors might work.

This book presents the proceedings of the 10th Central European Congress on Food (CEFood), held on June 11-13, 2020, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It reports on recent advances in the area of food science and food technology, and is divided into 5 major topical sections: food analysis, food energy systems, food trends and competitiveness, food and feed chain management, and modern challenges. Offering a timely snapshot of cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research and developments in modern food science and technology, these proceedings facilitate the transfer of these findings to industry. As such, the book will appeal to researchers and professionals in the food and agricultural industries, as well as those at regulatory and food safety agencies.

It has been reported that up to 95% of all flowering plants require the services of other organisms to move pollen from male to female flower parts during the pollination process. These organisms, including bees, are collectively known as pollinators. However, in light of the growing evidence of global declines in pollinator species, the management, ecology and conservation of wild and managed pollinators is a subject of growing importance and research activity. Promoting pollination and pollinators in farming reviews the wealth of research on our current understanding of existing pollination processes and their importance to our global ecosystems. The book considers how pollinators interact with plants, as well as the major threats to pollinator species, including climate change, diseases and pesticide exposure. Through its comprehensive exploration of the current status of pollinators in farming, the book provides its readers with the knowledge required to promote pollination by protecting the world's pollinators species and the ecosystem services they deliver using techniques such as habitat conservation.

During the 45 years of communist regimes in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, agriculture was centrally directed without regard of quality factors and market needs, and was heavily subsidized. Democratization of the countries and adoption of market driven economies, including agriculture, created conditions that require new thinking and approaches to find market areas that will fill the needs of each country, and provide produce that is not redundant for the Common Market. The aim of this book is to facilitate solving common agricultural problems using the tools of biotechnology. The book addresses five themes: Plant Transformations, Plant Genomics, Breeding Plants for Resistance and Legal Aspects of Biotechnology, including risk assessment. Some specific topics dealt with are: The way from fundamental research to start-up company, Crop improvement by transgenic technology; Strategies for improving resistance; Current procedures for applying risk assessment in genetically modified crops; Questions arising from the implementation of the Hungarian gene technology law; Public perception and legislation of Biotechnology in Poland.