Description
Book Synopsis"The concept of grasslands as a global resource is not new. Indeed many recognised authorities have been canvassing for a global approach to understanding, managing and exploiting this resource for many years. This is the first book that gathers together leading experts from around the world to outline our current understanding of this complex ecosystem, the ways in which it can be enhanced and utilised and where the research challenges are for the future. The following themes unite the book: - Efficient production from grassland; - Grassland and the environment; - Delivering the benefits from grassland. The reader is given an in depth understanding of the biology of the system and how grasslands are crucial for soil stabilisation and water quality. Secondly, much attention is given to how grasslands offer the possibility of increasing food supply and income generation, which is a hugely important but often ignored facet in today’s climate of extensification and biodiversity. Current advances in the grassland sciences have a proven potential to promote the economic development and environmental stability of regions, nations and peoples, particularly in some of the most resource-limited areas of the world. Approaches for achieving the most effective development and adoption of new technology are reviewed."
Table of ContentsForeword 7; Section 1: Efficient production from grassland 11; Grassland in Ireland and the UK 13; M. Rath and S. Peel; Rising demand for meat and milk in developing countries: implications for grasslands-based livestock production 29; C.L. Delgado; Improving the quality of products from grassland 41; N.D. Scollan, R.J. Dewhurst, A.P. Moloney and J.J. Murphy; Grass and forage improvement: temperate forages 57; C.J. Pollock, M.T. Abberton and M.O. Humphreys; Grass and forage plant improvement in the tropics and sub-tropics 69; L. Jank, C.B. do Valle and R.M.S. Resende; Foraging behaviour and herbage intake in the favourable tropics/sub-tropics 81; S.C. Da Silva and P.C. de F. Carvalho; Interactions between foraging behaviour of herbivores and grassland resources in the eastern Eurasian steppes 97; D. Wang, G. Han and Y. Bai; Strategies to mitigate seasonality of production in grassland-based systems 111; C. Porqueddu, S. Maltoni and J.G. Mclvor; Overcoming seasonality of production: opportunities offered by forage conservation technologies 123; P. O'Kiely and A.G. Kaiser; Evolution of integrated crop-livestock production systems 137; M.H.Entz, W.D.Bellotti, J.M. Powell, S.V. Angadi, W. Chen, K.H. Ominski and B. Boelt; Adoption of tropical legume technology around the world: analysis of success 149; H.M. Shelton, S. Franzel and M. Peters; Grasses as biofactories: scoping out the opportunities 167; N. Roberts, K. Richardson, G. Bryan, C. Voisey, W. McNabb, T. Conner, M. Christey and R. Johnson; The potential of grassland and associated forages to produce fibre, biomass, energy or other feedstocks for non-food and other sectors: new uses for a global resource 179; M.F. Askew; Section 2: Grassland & the Environment 191; Grasslands for production and the environment 193; D.R. Kemp and D.L. Michalk; Soil microbial community: understanding the belowground network for sustainable grassland management 209; Y.G. Zhu, W.D. Kong, B.D. Chen, Z.B. Nan and P. Christie; Soil quality assessment and management 219; M.G. Kibblewhite; Water resources, agriculture and pasture: implications of growing demand and increasing scarcity 227; M.W. Rosegrant, R.A. Valmonte-Santos, S.A. Cline, C. Ringler and W. Li; Grassland productivity and water quality: a 21st Century issue 239; D.M. Nash and P.M. Haygarth; Global atmospheric change and its effect on managed grassland systems 251; A. Luscher, J. Fuhrer and P.C.D. Newton; Grazing land contributions to carbon sequestration 265; R.F. Follett and G.E. Schuman; Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from grazed grasslands 279; H. Clark, C. Pinares-Patino and C. deKlein; Relationships between biodiversity and production in grasslands at local and regional scales 295; A. Hector and M. Loreau. Enhancing grassland biodiversity and its consequences for grassland management and utilisation 305; J. Isselstein; Section 3: Delivering the benefits from grassland 321; Grassland and forage to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty 323; S.G. Reynolds, C. Batello, S. Baas and S. Mack; Participatory approach to common use grazing management in dry area developing countries 339; J.A. Tiedeman, A. Larbi, F. Ghassali and N. Battikha; Adoption of Brachiaria grasses in Mexico and Central America: a successful story 343; F. Holmann, P.J. Argel and C.E. Lascano; Improved livelihoods from grasslands; the case of Napier grass in smallholder dairy farms in Kenya 347; D.M. Mwangi, D. Romney, S. Staal, I. Baltenweck and S.W. Mwendia; Role of information and information providers in technology transfer 351; D.J. Undersander; Participatory research for smallholder livestock systems - applying common sense to complex problems 359; P.M. Horne and W.W. Stur; The contribution of participatory research: on-farm research 375; P.F. Fennessy, N.J. Daniels, S.A. Chadwick and P.A. Speck; Computer-based forage management tools: historical, current, and future applications 389; D.H. Hannaway, C.P.Q. Daly, D.F Chapman, B.B. Baker and A.S. Cooper; Paying for our keep: grasslands decision support in more-developed countries 403; A.D. Moore; Decision support for grassland systems in developing countries 415; P.K. Thornton; Keyword index 427; Author index 429.
