Carbon Dots in Agricultural Systems integrates and crystallizes the emerging knowledge and application strategies of carbon dots as a powerful tool in agriculture systems. The book includes practical insights into the synthesis of carbon dots from indigenous raw materials and how to employ them in agriculture systems to increase crop productivity and provide renewable and cost-effective strategies that meet agricultural needs. Presented by an international team of experts, this resource updates on the latest in synthesis, physical, chemical and optical properties, along with the effects and mechanisms of carbon dots, all further explained in real-world studies. Finally, the book highlights emerging innovative topics which are of great relevance to scientists, academicians and innovators in agriculture (soil science, agricultural chemistry and agronomy) and biotechnology for further research and development.

This book examines the implications of the net zero transition for food and farming in the UK and how these can be managed to avoid catastrophic climate change in the crucial decades ahead. For the UK to meet its international obligations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, nothing short of a revolution is required in our use of land, our farming practices and our diet. Taking a historical approach, the book examines the evolution of agriculture and the food system in the UK over the last century and discusses the implications of tackling climate change for food, farming and land use, setting the UK situation in an international context. The chapters analyse the key challenges for this transition, including dietary change and food waste, afforestation and energy crops, and low-emission farming practices. This historical perspective helps develop an understanding of how our food, farming and land use system has evolved to be the way that it is, and draws lessons for how the agri-food system could evolve further to support the transition to net zero and avoid catastrophic climate change. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be essential reading to students and scholars of food, agriculture and the environment, as well as policymakers and professionals involved climate change policy and the agriculture and food industry.

In order to meet food needs, farmers need to integrate the latest technologies enabling them to make more informed decisions. Smart Farming Technologies for Sustainable Agricultural Development provides innovative insights into the latest farming advancements in terms of informatics and communication. The content within this publication represents the work of topics such as sensor systems, wireless communication, and the integration of the Internet of Things in agriculture-related processes. It is a vital reference source for farmers, academicians, researchers, government agencies, technology developers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on smart farming technologies.

The frrst attempts to use physical methods in agriculture can be found in nineteenth century as a necessary component of farm and food machinery. There were mechanics, electricity and physical chemistry that were the first physical disciplines used in agriculture and food industry. In the same time period the studies on physical properties of soils started to be one of main topics of soil science. The twentieth century was a century of research on physical properties of agromaterials. The physical properties of agromaterials have been studied e. g. in the USA, where a big role has been played by ASAE (1907), and in the Soviet Union where the special Institute of Agrophysics was founded (1932) by Academician Ioffe. The ASAE's activity was enlarged in 1960s and 1970s, especially with the role playing by the Mohsenin's group and its followers. At that time the Institute of Agrophysics of Polish Academy of Sciences was founded in Lublin and conferences on physical methods in agriculture began to be organised. The participants of the last conference - "Physical Methods in Agriculture - Approach to Precision and Quality," held on August 27-30, 2001, have prepared the basis for this book. Part of the conference participants decided to enlarge their conference papers to be more general and more instructive in relation to further development of the science. New papers prepared under this deciSion were reviewed, discussed and revised, repeatedly, to be presented in this book.

Irrigated agriculture and the use of water resources in agriculture face the challenges of sustainable development. Research has advanced our knowledge of water use by crops, soil-water-solutes interactions, and the engineering and managerial tools needed to mobilize, convey, distribute, control and apply water for agricultural production. However, the achievements booked in user practice have revealed the need for new developments in the areas of resource conservation, control of environmental and health impacts, modernisation of technologies and management, economic viability and the social acceptance of changes. The contributions to Sustainability of Irrigated Agriculture cover most of the relevant disciplines. Besides its multidisciplinarity, the different origins, experience, backgrounds and practices of the authors provide a wide, in-depth analysis of the various aspects of water resource utilization in agriculture. The papers review scientific, technical and managerial aspects, highlighting the main problems, issues and future developments. The book covers the different aspects of sustainability, including environmental, technical, economic, institutional and social ones. Advances in irrigation science and engineering are dealt with, both on- and off-farm. Special attention is paid to the different components of water quality management, to the transfer of technology, and to capacity building.

Fresh? Juice? Paste? Canned? Stewed? Diced? Pureed? Sun Dried? Salsa? Sauce? Ketchup? Rare is the cuisine that does not make use of the tomato in some way, shape, or form, and the resulting culinary popularity of the tomato has led to its proliferation in fields and farms around the world. While some may still argue whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, few would argue that tomato crops are highly lucrative, attractive to farmers in both developing and developed countries and on large and small farms alike. In fact, for those crops with significant global volume and market share, tomatoes are the highest valued among those crops that lack an affiliation to mind-altering drugs. But, the tomato can be a persnickety critter. The tomato doesn't like it too hot, too chilly, too wet, too dry, or too fertile. Many don't ripen at the same time. Most are easily bruised. And, the selective breeding that has yielded a larger, more attractive, and deep red tomato has also mercilessly drained much of the taste and flavor from a once sweet and delectable fruit. Enter the world of sensors and modern sensing technology. The Internet of Things (IOT), when using well chosen, well networked, and well aggregated sensors, has shown tremendous potential to support precision agriculture, providing a more detailed picture of crops than was previously possible using conventional crop monitoring techniques. But, the stringent resources and tight profit margins that are a fact of life among many tomato growing operations, large and small, mean that sensor technologies must be chosen and used carefully. There is no doubt that each sensor must earn its keep in producing the perfect tomato. With that in mind, this book explores key opportunities to marry the potential of sensors that are networked within the IOT to the needs of tomato production in ways that are economically fruitful, technologically robust, and sustainable overall.

Urban and Regional Agriculture: Building Resilient Food Systems explores the sustainable integration of food provision, distribution and consumption through urban farms, agricultural systems, user communities and structural facilities designed to optimize food production and consumption. The book addresses the fundamental and pressing challenges of urban planning problems, waste minimization, food sourcing, access and equity issues, and multiple land use optimization. Sections cover the need and opportunities of urban agriculture, discuss tradition and transition, space and regulatory topics, explore the range of urban agriculture options (aquaculture to urban permaculture), discuss support structures and constructs of physically creating urban agricultural areas, and much more. Edited and authored by leading experts in the field, this volume will be valuable for those working to address issues of food security in urban environments.

Genetic Resources of Mediterranean Pasture and Forage Legumes is a comprehensive review of grassland improvement in Mediterranean areas using legume species. The book includes a detailed account of the processes involved in understanding the ecology of legumes and their collection in the Mediterranean, through to their preliminary evaluation and storage at various Genetic Resource Centres. A generic conspectus and key to the forage legumes of the Mediterranean basin is also included. These proceedings are truly international with examples on the collection and use of Mediterranean genetic resources being illustrated by Genetic Resource Centres in Australia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Syria, Turkey and Tunisia. Current important issues such as the sustainability of Mediterranean grasslands, the risk of genetic erosion and the principles of population genetics employed during a collecting mission are discussed. The book will be of value to researchers working in the fields of grassland and rangeland improvement, Mediterranean farming systems, genetic resources, and pasture and forage ecology.

Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents presents the most up-to-date advances in nanotechnology to improve the agriculture and food industry with novel nanotools for the controlling of rapid disease diagnostic and enhancement of the capacity of plants to absorb nutrients and resist environmental challenges. Highlighting the emerging nanofertilizers, nanopesticides and nanoherbicides that are being widely explored in order to overcome the limitations of conventional agricultural supplements, the book provides important insights to enable smart, knowledge-driven selection of nanoscale agricultural biomaterials, coupled with suitable delivery approaches and formulations will lead to promising agricultural innovation using nanotechnology. Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents explores emerging innovations in nanobiotechnology for agriculture, food, and natural resources to address the challenges of food security, sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy life. The book is ideal for the multidisciplinary scientists whose goal is to see the use of nanomaterials in agriculture to reduce the amount of spread chemicals, minimize nutrient losses in fertilization and to generate increased yield through pest and nutrient management.

Nano-Enabled Agrochemicals in Agriculture presents a targeted overview of the safe implementation of nanotechnologies within agricultural and horticultural settings, with the purpose of achieving enhanced production while maintaining ecological integrity. The growing global request for agricultural crops and products requires high standards of quality and safety, which has stimulated the search for new technologies that preserve their quality and delay their decomposition. Nanotechnology may boost plant production by improving nutrient uptake/use efficiency with nanoformulations of fertilizers and agrochemicals for plant enhancement, detection and treatment of diseases, and host-parasite interactions at the molecular level using nanosensors. It also may improve plant disease diagnostics, removal of contaminants from soil and water, postharvest management of vegetables and flowers, and reclamation of salt-affected soils. Although the markets for nanoproducts and nanoformulations continue to increase, there are also growing concerns regarding the fate and behavior of nanomaterials in environmental systems. Exploring important topics related to nanotechnology and nanomaterials, the book includes the use of nanochemicals in insect pest management, as nanofungicides, nanoherbicides, micronutrient supply, and nanosensors to monitor crop and soil health conditions, from detection of agrochemicals to their slow release of agrochemicals, and their impact on related environs. This book will serve as an excellent resource for a wide range of plant scientists who have concerns about nanomaterial interactions with terrestrial and aquatic plants.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on lameness in dairy cattle. The first chapter provides an overview of lameness and its impact on dairy cow health and welfare. The chapter reviews existing methods for manual and automated detection of lameness, including approaches that detect changes and abnormalities in the gait, stance and behaviour of the animal, including the use of video, accelerometers and spatial positioning systems. The second chapter discusses the aetiology of the four main causes of lameness in dairy cows: sole ulcer, white line, digital dermatitis and interdigital phlegmon. The chapter reviews the importance of prompt and effective treatments, as well as the best practices to optimise foot health to prevent the onset of lameness. The third chapter reviews advances in dairy cattle breeding to improve resistance to claw and foot disorders, primarily lameness. It considers the various steps in breeding, from the definition of the breeding goal to genomic evaluation and data validation, as well as the consequent challenges which can develop. The final chapter examines the impact of lameness on dairy production and highlights the importance of optimising foot health in dairy cattle to prevent the occurrence of lameness. The chapter discusses claw horn disruption and concludes with a case study on an outbreak of lameness in a herd of 800 Holstein cows.

Under leadership of CT de Wit a large amount of modeling, building prototypes and also application, was carried out in the 1970s and 1980s. Comprehensive models were built, evaluated and carefully documented in the areas of crop growth production, plant breeding, soil water and nutrients, and in crop protection. Simulation techniques and biophysical theories developed in parallel. Simulation and experimentation always went hand in hand. Much of this work is documented in a long series of PhD theses under supervision of De Wit, in the series of Simulation Monographs (PUDOC), and in numerous other publications. This work has inspired many scientists across the global science community. The CT de Wit Graduate School of Production Ecology (PE) of the Wageningen University builds further on this platform and finds new subjects for research on and with models, and data. The PE platform provides also an excellent opportunity to develop contacts, cooperation and joint software with research groups in related fields and abroad. This book precipitates from such an exploration in new directions. We realize that modem information systems and statistics can offer a substantial contribution to the modelling framework. Good examples can be found here, and these provide a clear direction for the years to come.

Rhizosphere Engineering is a guide to applying environmentally sound agronomic practices to improve crop yield while also protecting soil resources. Focusing on the potential and positive impacts of appropriate practices, the book includes the use of beneficial microbes, nanotechnology and metagenomics. Developing and applying techniques that not only enhance yield, but also restore the quality of soil and water using beneficial microbes such as Bacillus, Pseudomonas, vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi and others are covered, along with new information on utilizing nanotechnology, quorum sensing and other technologies to further advance the science. Designed to fill the gap between research and application, this book is written for advanced students, researchers and those seeking real-world insights for improving agricultural production.

This handbook is a comprehensive reference for engineers who design and build farm machinery, processing equipment, shipping containers and packaging, as well as storage equipment. The book is written by the world s leading engineers and gives both a broad and technically detailed look at these critical aspects of any farm-to-fork operation. It addresses food, chemical, mechanical, and packaging engineers directly or indirectly involved with the food industry.

AI, Edge, and IoT Smart Agriculture integrates applications of IoT, edge computing, and data analytics for sustainable agricultural development and introduces Edge of Thing-based data analytics and IoT for predictability of crop, soil, and plant disease occurrence for improved sustainability and increased profitability. The book also addresses precision irrigation, precision horticulture, greenhouse IoT, livestock monitoring, IoT ecosystem for agriculture, mobile robot for precision agriculture, energy monitoring, storage management, and smart farming. The book provides an overarching focus on sustainable environment and sustainable economic development through smart and e-agriculture. Providing a medium for the exchange of expertise and inspiration, contributions from both smart agriculture and data mining researchers around the world provide foundational insights. The book provides practical application opportunities for the resolution of real-world problems, including contributions from the data mining, data analytics, Edge of Things, and cloud research communities working in the farming production sector. The book offers broad coverage of the concepts, themes, and instruments of this important and evolving area of IOT-based agriculture, Edge of Things and cloud-based farming, Greenhouse IOT, mobile agriculture, sustainable agriculture, and big data analytics in agriculture toward smart farming.

The livestock sector is facing increasing pressure to develop more 'climate-smart' methods that can be used to prevent the onset of major diseases, whilst also monitoring the efficiency and environmental impact of livestock production. Advances in precision livestock farming provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in the development of precision livestock technologies to monitor the health and welfare of animals as well as key areas of production such as housing and feed efficiency. The collection includes chapters on monitoring key health issues such as mastitis, lameness and fertility together with areas such as milking and grazing management. Edited by a leading researcher in the field, Advances in precision livestock farming will be a standard reference for livestock scientists in universities and research centres, precision farming manufacturers, and government and private sector agencies involved in the regulation of new technologies to improve the health and welfare of livestock.

This book examines the changing roles and functions of the soybean throughout world history and discusses how this reflects the complex processes of agrofood globalization. The book uses a historical lens to analyse the processes and features that brought us to the current global configuration of soy. From its origins as a peasant food in ancient China, today the protein-rich soybean is by far the most cultivated biotech crop on Earth, used to make a huge variety of food and industrial products, including animal feed, tofu, cooking oil, soy sauce, biodiesel and soap. While there is a burgeoning amount of literature on how the contemporary global soy web affects large tracts of our planet’s social and ecological systems, little attention has been given to the questions of how we got here and what alternative roles the soybean has played in the past. This book fills this gap and demonstrates that it is impossible to properly comprehend the contemporary global soybean chain, or the wider agrofood system of which it is a part, without looking at both their long and short historical development. However, a history of the soybean and its changing roles within equally changing agrofood systems is inexorably a history about globalization. Not only does this book map out where soybeans are produced, but also who governs, wields power and accumulates capital in the entire commodity chain from production to consumption, as well as identifying the institutional context the global commodity chain operates within. The book concludes by considering the soybean’s future role in a desirable agrofood system which improves human health, culture and livelihoods, and the provision of ecosystem services. This book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in agriculture and food systems, global commodity chains, globalization, environmental history, economic history and social-ecological systems.

This symposium is the third in a series featuring the propaga tion of higher plants through tissue culture. The first of these symposia, entitled "A Bridge Between Research and Application," was held at the University in 1978 and was published by the Technical Information Center, Department of Energy. The second symposium, on "Emerging Technologies and Strategies," was held in 1980 and pub lished as a special issue of Environmental and Experimental Botany. One of the aims of these symposia was to examine the current state of-the-art in tissue culture technology and to relate this state of technology to practical, applied, and commercial interests. Thus, the third of this series on development and variation focused on embryogenesis in culture: how to recognize it, factors which affect embryogenesis, use of embryogenic systems, etc.; and variability from culture. A special session on woody species again emphasized somatic embryogenesis as a means of rapid propagation. This volume emphasizes tissue culture of forest trees. All of these areas, we feel, are breakthrough areas in which significant progress is expected in the next few years."

Intelligent Data Mining and Fusion Systems in Agriculture presents methods of computational intelligence and data fusion that have applications in agriculture for the non-destructive testing of agricultural products and crop condition monitoring. Sections cover the combination of sensors with artificial intelligence architectures in precision agriculture, including algorithms, bio-inspired hierarchical neural maps, and novelty detection algorithms capable of detecting sudden changes in different conditions. This book offers advanced students and entry-level professionals in agricultural science and engineering, geography and geoinformation science an in-depth overview of the connection between decision-making in agricultural operations and the decision support features offered by advanced computational intelligence algorithms.

Handbook of Agricultural and Farm Machinery, Third Edition, is the essential reference for understanding the food industry, from farm machinery, to dairy processing, food storage facilities and the machinery that processes and packages foods. Effective and efficient food delivery systems are built around processes that maximize efforts while minimizing cost and time. This comprehensive reference is for engineers who design and build machinery and processing equipment, shipping containers, and packaging and storage equipment. It includes coverage of microwave vacuum applications in grain processing, cacao processing, fruit and vegetable processing, ohmic heating of meat, facility design, closures for glass containers, double seaming, and more. The book's chapters include an excellent overview of food engineering, but also regulation and safety information, machinery design for the various stages of food production, from tillage, to processing and packaging. Each chapter includes the state-of-the art in technology for each subject and numerous illustrations, tables and references to guide the reader through key concepts.

The book may have the potential to fill a gap for researchers who will work in this field and those who need information by considering agriculture and digital technologies together for the needs of the digital age we are in today. Agriculture is a necessary industry for survival - it has become necessary to use the opportunities offered by technology in agricultural production. The reader will be able to see what the latest technologies used as technology in agriculture are and what kind of work has been done. It addresses agricultural needs and the issues showing how various technologies work and their components. It features information that the user can apply in the field. Topics are presented in a simple manner and comprehensive. The author has through hundreds of books and articles - literature on this topic remains scattered. Although most of his publications on Researchgate are in Turkish, the number of reads has exceeded 55,000 - these publications are on subject matter that will appear in this book - there should be lots of interest from both farmers and technology developers. Multidisciplinary - agriculture, agricultural engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering

In many ways this book tells a familiar story in British industry: of innovation and enterprise in the early decades ...of worldwide dominance at a time when Britain was the workshop of the world ...of wars and economic downturns ...of foreign competition ...and of relative and absolute decline on the path of - de-industrialisation in the latter part of the twentieth century. For most of this period the farm machine industry grew and matured. It is an inspiring story of technological achievement and of industrial success, as farmers and engineers brought iron and steel to fields which had - previously been the domain of locally made timber implements and power provided by horses.Agricultural technology moved on, inexorably, from broad-cast seed and the sound of the threshing flail, via the portable steam engine and the threshing machine, right through to the modern world of giant tractors - each with the power of 200 horses - combine harvesters and - impressively efficient farming methods.This book traces the broad sweep of the whole industry over 200 years, looking at many individual companies and products to explain how and why the farm machinery industry developed in the way it did. Important individual machines are described and illustrated in detail. The British farm machine industry is unlikely ever again to be large by world standards, nor to dominate the world stage as once it did. Yet the author traces a rich vein of innovation, enterprise and technological inspiration, often taking place within the large number of relatively small-scale, craft-based workshops which were so prevalent in the early decades. Rather than mere manufacturing, therefore, perhaps it is this tradition of technical innovation and invention which marked out the British farm machinery industry for historical greatness, and perhaps it is this tradition which will continue to mark it out in the future.

From Basic Fundamentals to Advanced Design Applications A culmination of the author's more than 20 years of research efforts, academic papers, and lecture notes, Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design outlines the key concepts of combine harvester process theory and provides you with a complete and thorough understanding of combine harvester processes. Utilizing a wealth of experimental data to promote validated mathematical models, this book presents the latest stochastic and deterministic modeling methods, evolutionary computational techniques, and practical applications. Highly focused on engineering and mathematics, it incorporates the use of simulation software (including MATLAB (R)) throughout the text and introduces a unified approach that can be used for any combine harvester functional structure. The book addresses modeling, simulation, evolutionary optimization, and combine process design. Breadth of coverage includes general technical specifications, developing machine layout as defined by engineering calculations, and design considerations for major subassembly processes. Comprised of 15 chapters, this text: Provides examples of current combine systems/elements design throughout the book Incorporates applications/exercises inspired by the author's engineering and research experience Uses both SI (metric) and imperial/U.S. measuring units throughout Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design contains principles, calculations, and examples that can aid you in combine process modeling and simulation, the development of combine process and driving task-based control systems by considering a top-to-bottom design of combine assembly and components.

presents evidence-based research on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems brings together international collaborative research on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems compiled by leading scientists and experts from Europe, Asia and Africa. present evidence-based research and innovative solutions that can be applied or upscaled in different farming systems and regions across the world. The book will be of great interest to students and academics of sustainable agriculture, food security, climate mitigation and sustainable development, in addition to policymakers and practitioners working in these areas.

- the first collection to reflect and compile the currently dispersed histories, concepts and practices involved in the increasingly popular field of urban food governance - contains chapters written by emerging and established scholars, as well as practitioners, the handbook provides a global, diverse and state of the art, examination the role of cities in delivering sustainability and food security outcomes - provides theoretical and practical tools to understand and transform urban food governance to enact more sustainable and just futures - will be essential reading for students, scholars, practitioners and policymakers interested in food governance, urban studies and sustainable development more broadly