Download or read book The Ecology of Agroecosystems written by John Vandermeer and published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. This book was released on 2011 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. The Ecology of Agroecosystems highlights a collection of alternative agricultural methodologies and philosophies and provides an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the sociopolitical and historical context of agriculture. It includes the technical issues in a serious and ecological fashion and captures the complex merging of ecology, agriculture, politics and economics in both a historical and contemporary context. Readers will learn not only about the ethical and moral elements related to producing food of questionable quality while possibly impairing the environment, but also about the soil chemistry involved.

Download or read book Agroecosystems written by K. R. Krishna and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2013-12-04 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Tropical Agroecosystems written by John H. Vandermeer and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2002-12-03 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical areas present ecological, cultural and political problems that demand analysis that is distinct from general ecological analysis. The tropical environment is special in many ways, from the lack of a biological down season (winter), to generally poor soil conditions, to a reliance on traditional methods of agriculture in an undeveloped soci

Download or read book Biodiversity in Agroecosystems written by Wanda W. Collins and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1998-08-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: between the diversity of plant and animal species and host/dependent agricultural systems. Biodiversity in Agroecosystems shows how biodiversity can be thought of not only as the rich make-up of a great number of related and competing species within an ecologically defined community, but also as the robust behavior and resilience of those species over time and as the endurance of their eco-community. This book brings to the fore new research on biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems at both micro and macro levels, heretofore available only in journals and proceedings papers.

Download or read book Agroecosystem Diversity written by Gilles Lemaire and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-10-08 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agro-Ecosystem Diversity: Impact on Food Security and Environmental Quality presents cutting-edge exploration of developing novel farming systems and introduces landscape ecology to agronomy. It encompasses the broad range of links between agricultural development and ecological impact and how to limit the potential negative results. Presented in seven sections, each focusing on a specific challenge to sustaining diversity, the book provides insights toward the argument that by re-introducing diversity, it should be possible to maintain a high level of productivity of agro-ecosystems while also maintaining and/or restoring a satisfactory level of environment quality and biodiversity. Demonstrates that diversified agro-ecosystems can be intensified with environmental quality preserved, restored and enhanced Includes analysis of economic constraints leading to specialization of farms and regions and the social locking forces resisting to diversification of agro-ecosystems Presents a global vision of world agriculture and the tradeoff between a necessary increase in food production and restoring environment quality

Download or read book Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems written by Miguel Altieri and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the latest research on biological control! Completely updated for 2004, this new edition examines methods for making agricultural systems less susceptible to insect pests. Containing new findings and reports of strategies, Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems, Second Edition will show you how pests can be managed by enhancing beneficial biodiversity using agroecological diversification methods. Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems, Second Edition provides you with an essential overview of the role of biodiversity in agriculture and then gets specific, with new and updated information on: the agroecology of pest management plant diversity and pest outbreaks within agroecosystems diversification strategies for pest management how sustainable farming systems are designed You'll also explore: the role of plant diversity on the biology of beneficial insects insect regulation in diverse agroecosystems manipulation of plant diversity in agroecosystems ecological and socioeconomic implications The fact is, many modern agroecosystems are unstable as a consequence of constant human intervention in crop systems which ignore ecological principles. With case studies on a variety of crops and pests, Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems, Second Edition explores entomological aspects of agriculture and analyzes the ecological basis for the maintenance of biodiversity. It will familiarize you with the theory and practice of enhancing biological pest control in agricultural systems by managing vegetational diversity via multiple cropping, cover cropping, rotations, and other spatial and temporal designs. With studies on intercropping, cover cropping, weed management, and crop-field border vegetation manipulation, this book covers the effects of these diverse systems on pest population density and the mechanisms underlying pest reduction in polycultures. Make it a part of your reference/teaching collection today!

Download or read book Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate written by Paul C.D. Newton and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-09-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate considers the consequences of changes in the atmosphere and climate on the integrity, stability, and productivity of agroecosystems. The book adopts a novel approach by bringing together theoretical contributions from ecologists and the applied interpretations of agriculturalists. Drawing these two approa

Download or read book Sustainable Agroecosystem Management written by Patrick J. Bohlen and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-03-24 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emphasizes Centrality of the Ecosystem PerspectiveSustainable management of agroecosystems in the 21st century faces unprecedented challenges. Protecting the environment while feeding a burgeoning population that could reach nine billion by mid-century, preserving the world's biodiversity, and sustaining agriculture in an increasingly urban world i

Download or read book Soil Fertility Management in Agroecosystems written by Amitava Chatterjee and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Soil Fertility Management in Agroecosystems, Editors Amitava Chatterjee and David Clay provide a thoughtful survey of important concepts in soil fertility management. For the requirements of our future workforce, it is imperative that we evolve our understanding of soil fertility. Agronomists and soil scientists are increasingly challenged by extreme climatic conditions. Farmers are experimenting with integrating cover crops into rotations and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers. In other words, there is no such a thing as a simple fertilizer recommendation in today's agriculture. Topics covered include crop-specific nutrient management, program assessment, crop models for decision making, optimization of fertilizer use, cover crops, reducing nitrous oxide emissions, natural abundance techniques, tile-drained conditions, and soil biological fertility.

Download or read book Allelopathy in Agroecosystems written by Ravinder Kumar Kohli and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-08-17 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover environmentally safe ways to control weeds and pests! Until now farmers have had to choose between using expensive herbicides and fertilizers, which pollute the water table, or watching crop yields drop. All too often, crop yields dropped anyway, despite intensive farming. Allelopathy in Agroecosystems offers fresh hope. It provides an in-depth understanding of allelopathy-the mysterious, complex biochemical interactions among plants and microbes. This little-understood phenomenon plays a large role in agriculture, for good or ill. It can lead to changes in nutrient dynamics, vegetation structure, and species diversity. This comprehensive treatise is the first compendium devoted to explaining and exploring these chemical interactions in agricultural crop systems. Allelopathy in Agroecosystems explains how these interactions can make soil “sick,” especially in intensively cropped areas. This leads to less growth and lower yield. On the other hand, it has great potential as an environmentally safe method of weed and pest management. The fascinating original research presented here will help you understand the complexities of this invisible yet potent force in agriculture. Allelopathy in Agroecosystems examines this interaction as it affects the most important concerns of farmers and agronomists, including: beneficial interactions between crops weed control using crop residues crop rotation natural herbicides genetic engineering soil rhizosphere bacteria improving pastures forest/crop interactions sustainable management of agroecosystems new directions for research International in scope, Allelopathy in Agroecosystems offers an abundance of scientific data on this revolutionary new concept. It offers incalculable potential for rescuing farmed-out land, increasing crop yields, and cutting back on expensive soil additives. Every agronomist, environmental scientist, policymaker, agricultural librarian, and advocate of sustainable farming needs this book.

Download or read book Landscape Ecology in Agroecosystems Management written by Lech Ryszkowski and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-12-27 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successful management of agricultural landscapes depends on the recognition of the relationships between the processes and the structures that maintain the system. The rapidly growing science of Landscape Ecology quantifies the ways these ecosystems interact and establishes a link between the activities in one region and repercussions in another. A

Download or read book Agroecosystems of South India written by K. R. Krishna and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2010 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecosystems of South India is a unique treatise that deals with the relevance of natural resources, genetic stocks, fertilizers, and agronomic practices on the productivity of agroecoregions. Within the context of this book, an agroecosystem has been defined as a conglomerate of small cropping zones, which may be mono-cropping expanses or intercrops that occur in various geographic regions of South India. South India abounds with several such agroecosystems that encompass field crops, vegetables, cash crops, plantations, and forest species. However, the main emphasis within this volume is restricted to agroecosystems that include major cereals, legumes, and oil seed crops. There are 10 chapters in this volume. The first, on historical aspects, traces important events related to domestication, introduction of crop species, agricultural implements, development of soil fertility and crop husbandry procedures. An introductory chapter on Agroecosystems delineates various agroecoregions of South India. Their classification based on physiography, soils, and climatic parameters have been dealt with in great detail. Descriptions on natural resources such as soils and their fertility conditions; water resources; climatic conditions including precipitation patterns; and crops and their genotypes are available in chapter 2. The impact of soil fertility and nutrient dynamics on ecosystematic functions and productivity of crops in an agroecosystem forms the central piece of discussions within chapters 3 to 9. Historical background, geographical settings, agroclimate, soils, cropping systems, and productivity trends have been provided for each cropping ecosystem. Recent advances and details on aspects of nutrient dynamics, such as soil nutrients, their availability, physico-chemical transformations, nutrient fluxes, inorganic fertilizer supply, organic manures, crop residue recycling, nutrient carry over and nutrient balances/imbalances form the core of each chapter. The impact of beneficial soil microbes such as Rhizobium, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizas, on nutrient dynamics in soil has also been discussed. More recent developments dealing with modeling nutrients in cropping ecosystems, computer based-simulations, precision farming and site-specific nutrient management have been emphasized. Forecasts on the impact of nutrient dynamics on the future course of agroecosystems are also available. Overall, this book is a scholarly edition that aims at providing an excellent exposition of recent developments within various agroecosystems of South India to a global audience. It highlights the importance of soil fertility and nutrient dynamics within agroecosystems to total food grain and fodder production in South India. It will be a useful book to researchers, professors, and students dealing with agriculture, environmental science, ecology, and plant science.

Download or read book The Biology of Agroecosystems written by Nicola Randall and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019-10-10 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the advent of agriculture approximately 12,000 years ago, human activity has created a unique set of ecosystems. However, the recent development of world markets, rapid technological advances, and other changes to farming practices have led to hugely increased pressures on farm habitats and organisms. Global human populations are rising and diets are becoming ever more complicated, leading to unrelenting requirements for increased levels of food production. Natural biotopes are becoming increasingly fragmented as agricultural activities expand around them. "Agroecosystems" now occur from the tropics to subarctic environments and comprise systems as varied as annual crops, perennial grasslands, orchards, and agroforestry systems. They presently cover almost 40% of the terrestrial land surface and significantly shape landscapes at a global scale. This key addition to the OUP Biology of Habitats Series provides a novel perspective on agroecosystems, summarising our current understanding of the basic and applied aspects of these important and complex habitats, whilst focusing on environmental concerns in the context of global change. The Biology of Agroecosystemsis is for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in agroecology, farmland ecology, conservation, and agriculture as well as the many professional ecologists, conservation biologists, and land managers requiring a concise overview of agroecology.

Download or read book Integrated Assessment of Health and Sustainability of Agroecosystems written by Thomas Gitau and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2008-06-10 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the implementation of participatory, multistakeholder, and transdisciplinary ecosystem health research, Integrated Assessment of Health and Sustainability of Agroecosystems combines the latest theories in complexity and management with practical tools and approaches for sustainable rural development research.Although the text foc

Download or read book Interactions Between Agroecosystems and Rural Communities written by Cornelia Flora and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-02-05 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is an increasing realization among biophysical scientists that human behavior drastically impacts the degree to which sound agroecosystems are implemented. Written by an international team of experts assembled by a leading rural sociologist, Interactions Between Agroecosystems and Rural Communities shows how human behavior impacts agroecosyst

Download or read book Energy in Agroecosystems written by Gloria I. Guzman Casado and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-01-12 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Energy in Agroecosystems: A Tool for Assessing Sustainability is the first book on energy analysis that is up-to-date and specifically dedicated to agriculture. It is written from an agroecological perspective and goes beyond the conventional analysis of the efficient use of energy. The book provide a methodological guide to assess energy efficiency and sustainability from an eco-energetic point of view. Case studies from both Europe and America, which are representative of today’s most used scales of analysis (crop, farm, local or national) and the different farm management practices (traditional, industrialized, and contemporary organic), apply this methodology This book will be of primary interest to researchers, practitioners, and students working in the areas of agroecology, sustainable agriculture, environmental science, energy analysis, natural resources management, rural development and international development.

Download or read book Microbial Ecology in Sustainable Agroecosystems written by Tanya E. Cheeke and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-07-17 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While soil ecologists continue to be on the forefront of research on biodiversity and ecosystem function, there are few interdisciplinary studies that incorporate ecological knowledge into sustainable land management practices. Conventional, high fossil-fuel input-based agricultural systems can reduce soil biodiversity, alter soil community structure and nutrient cycling, and lead to greater dependence on energy-intensive practices. Microbial Ecology in Sustainable Agroecosystems brings together soil ecologists, microbial ecologists, and agroecologists working globally to demonstrate how research in soil ecology can contribute to the long-term sustainability of agricultural systems. The book identifies five key areas of research that can be combined to support and direct sustainable land management practices: agriculture, biodiversity, ecosystem services, integrated soil ecology research, and policy. Topics include: A broad range of soil microbial processes in terms of the importance of microbial heterogeneity Inputs by soil microorganisms into wheat-farming systems The importance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in making nutrients more available to crops The benefits and environmental problems associated with the use of crops genetically modified with Bacillus thuringiensis The incorporation of soil ecological or microbial ecological theory into agricultural practice to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability Challenges in sustainable agricultural research and the need for coalescing new avenues of research in agriculture and soil ecology The contributors range from long-time ecological researchers to graduate students and early career scientists, representing a wide spectrum of experience, ages, diversity, and research interests in this area. They cover the diversity and complexity of microbial activity and interactions in soil systems and the many ways in which microorganisms may be manipulated and managed to improve the functions of crop rhizospheres and thereby maximize crop yields and overall productivity. These recommendations can be used to direct and influence agricultural and environmental policy and guide future research in sustainable agricultural systems management.