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Books > Professional & Technical > Agriculture & farming > Agricultural engineering & machinery > Irrigation
This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on
soil health indicators. The first chapter describes indicators and
frameworks for soil health currently in use. It evaluates the
principles underpinning current approaches to monitoring soil
quality/health and shows these principles have been applied in the
development of a practical soil health toolkit for use by UK
farmers. The second chapter reviews the range of physical, chemical
and biological indicators of soil health and how they can be used
in practice. It focusses on measuring soil health in organic
vegetable cultivation and, in particular, ways of measuring the
effects of adding organic amendments to improve soil health. The
third chapter discusses key issues in soil organic carbon (SOM)
modelling and the development of increasingly sophisticated,
dynamic SOM models. It looks at the role of SOM models in improving
soil health monitoring and developing decision support tools for
farmers The final chapter reviews current challenges in collecting
more systematic and reliable data on earthworm communities,
including issues in identifying different earthworm groups. It
includes a case study on developing a robust method for accurate
measurement of earthworm communities in soil in assessing and
improving soil health.
The book Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation is intended as a text book
of micro irrigation design and practices for the students of the
agricultural sciences and the professionals and workers in the
field of micro irrigation. The book discusses the type and
components, hydraulics and design, installation and maintenance of
micro irrigation system. It contains good number of numerical as
example and task to get the students familiar to the requirements,
complicacies, and possible remedies in actual working condition. In
addition to conventional broad and short questions in every of the
book there are multiple choice questions to assist the students in
preparing the competitive examinations.
The application of machines and better power sources to enhance
agricultural production has been one of the most significant
developments in agriculture. Mechanization of agriculture is needed
for development and optimal utilization of natural resources
leading to higher productivity and reduced cost of production for
greater profitability, economic competitiveness and sustainability.
Mechanization also imparts capacity to the farmers to carry out
farm operations with dignity, comfort and freedom from drudgery,
making the farming agreeable vocation for educated youth as well.
It helps the farmers to achieve timeliness in farm operations and
apply costly input with reduced quantity for better efficacy and
efficiency. Small and marginal farmers can now make use of high
capacity agricultural machines on custom hire basis. The results of
this development can be seen in many aspects such as increase in
productivity and production per worker, precision in application of
crop inputs, increase in cropping intensity due to timeliness of
operations, increase in the quality of produce, reduction in grain
losses and increase in farm employment. Mechanization is
particularly advantageous when it can minimize a high peak labour
demand that occurs over a relatively short period of time each
year. Mechanization also encourages better management of farm
inputs, improvement in working conditions and performance of jobs
that would otherwise be difficult by hand. It also helps in
reducing the cost of production. This book 'Mechanization of
Cultivated Crops' covers the farm tools and equipment used in
different operations such as land development, tillage,
seeding/planting, interculture, fertilizer application, plant
protection, harvesting and threshing and residue management. The
book can be referred as a textbook for the under graduate students
of agriculture and under graduate and post graduate students of
agricultural engineering.
Microirrigation has become the fastest growing segment of the
irrigation industry worldwide and has the potential to increase the
quality of food supply through improved water fertilizer
efficiency. This book is meant to update the text "Trickle
Irrigation, Design, Operation and Management." This text offers the
most current understanding of the management criteria needed to
obtain maximum water and fertilization efficiency.
* Presents a detailed explanation of system design, operation, and
management specific to various types of MI systems
* Analyzes proper use of irrigation technology and its effect to
increase efficiency
* Provides an understanding to the basic science needed to
comprehend operation and management
* Over 150 figures of designs and charts of systems including,
surface drip, subsurface drip, spray/microsprinkler, and more
This book takes stock of micro irrigation systems (MIS), the
technological intervention in India's agricultural and water
management sectors, over the past couple of decades. Based on
empirical research from the major agriculturally dynamic states,
viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka, the book provides a nuanced understanding and
objective assessment of the implementation and adoption of MIS
across these states. It addresses several of the questions related
to adoption and impacts of MIS in India. On the adoption side, the
key question that the book addresses is which segment of the
farming community adopts MIS across states? The impacts analysed
include those on physical, agronomic and economic aspects. At the
macro level, the question being asked is about the future potential
of MIS in terms of saving water from agriculture and making more
water available for environment. The book also addresses the
question of the positive/negative externalities and real social
benefits and costs from the use of MIS, a major justification for
heavy capital subsidies for its purchase by farmers. It also brings
out certain critical concerns pertaining to MIS adoption, which
need to be addressed through more empirical research based on
longitudinal panel/ cross sectional data. The book would be of
great use to researchers (agricultural water management, irrigation
economics), students of water resource engineering, irrigation
engineering and water resources management, as well as to policy
makers and agricultural water management experts - national and
international.
We must enhance the effectiveness ofland stewardship and management
of the world's natural resources to meet a growing global
population's need for conservation, sustainable development, and
use of land, water, and other natural resources. Ecosystem-based,
mul tiple-use land stewardship is necessary when considering the
present and future uses ofland, water, and other natural resources
on an operationally efficient scale. We need holistically planned
and carefully implemented watershed management practices, projects,
and pro grams to accommodate the increasing demand for commodities
and amenities, clear water, open space, and uncluttered landscapes.
An international conference in Tucson, Arizona, from March 13 to
16, 2000, examined these needs and increased people's awareness of
the contributions that ecosystem-based, multiple-use watershed
management can make to future land stewardship. The conference was
sponsored by the School of Renewable Natural Resources, University
of Arizona; the College of Agriculture, University of Arizona; the
Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service; the Research
Center for Conservation of Water Resources and Disaster Pre
vention, National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan; the Department of
Forest Resources, University of Minnesota; the Center for
Integrated Natural Resources and Agriculture Man agement,
University of Minnesota; the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas
del Noreste, Mexico; the International Arid Lands Consortium; the
USDA Natural Resources Conserva tion Service; the Bureau of Land
Management of the Department of the Interior; the Salt River
Project, Phoenix, Arizona; the Southern Arizona Chapter,
Southwestern Section of the Society of American Foresters; and
IUFRO Working Party 8. 04. 04, Erosion Control by Watershed
Management."
At last, integrated management of drought on farms is dealt with in
one comprehensive book. Although drought is a highly variable,
near-universal natural phenomenon which has repercussions on a
country's water and food supplies and many other sectors of the
economy, there are many ways of avoiding, resisting and mitigating
the effects of drought. Pro-active preparedness entails using the
principles of risk management to upgrade the drought resistance of
a farm systematically, and to have auxiliary contingency plans at
the ready for use during unusually long droughts. The book provides
tools for these strategies as it covers the management of water,
soils, crops, rangeland, fodder and livestock, and many other
drought-related topics. Audience: This book will be an important
source of information for university and college staff and students
in agricultural sciences, water and land use, environmental
management, geography and risk management, and also farmers,
agricultural advisors and policy makers.
The comprehensive and compact presentation in this book is the
perfect format for a resource/textbook for undergraduate students
in the areas of Agricultural Engineering, Biological Systems
Engineering, Bio-Science Engineering, Water Resource Engineering,
and Civil & Environmental Engineering. This book will also
serve as a reference manual for researchers and extension workers
in such diverse fields as agricultural engineering, agronomy,
ecology, hydrology, and meteorology.
The book is a realistic blend of basic knowledge and understanding
in soil physical properties. It will enable the reader to
scientifically analyze soils to develop practical and successful
means of providing sufficient drainage and to develop science-based
irrigation strategies. Only basic mathematical knowledge is
necessary to understand and apply the proven principles covered.
With limited resources that are increasing significantly in costs,
the book blends the ideal concept of providing sufficient drainage
and irrigation based on using soil physical properties but with
financial limitations in mind. One traditional problem with many
Soil Physics, Drainage, and Irrigations-based texts is the
prerequisite of understanding complicated calculus-based
mathematics. Although necessary for a theory-based text, our text
was developed with practitioners in mind where such complicated
mathematics was avoided but referenced if the reader wishes to
further explore the specific topic. Another problem with many
traditional texts is the lack of practical examples or case-studies
allowing readers to relate their specific scenarios to similar
types of situations. We have purposely included numerous examples
and practical field experiences. This is especially true when many
of the theoretical ideals are covered, followed by explanations of
how such ideals can be applied in the laboratory and field.
Salinization of soils is a major threat to irrigated agriculture
and counteracts the targets of costly public infrastructure
investments. In this study, salinization is regarded as the outcome
of an institutional arrangement which impedes the effective
implementation of well-known and well-established control measures
be they technical, managerial or economic. In public irrigation
systems neither the management units nor the farmers are offered
any incentives towards the control of high groundwater levels and
salinization if the management units are embedded in a highly
centralized non-market institutional setting. The author answers
the question under which conditions management units and irrigators
are active in halting and reversing the process of salinization.
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