Description
Book SynopsisAs populations continue to grow in tropical countries, there is an ever increasing pressure to produce more food from less land, while at the same time maintaining the quality of the environment. This textbook integrates research in agronomy, physiology, environmental physics and soil science to provide a framework for analyzing practical problems associated with crop production in tropical environments. The impact of essential resources, such as solar radiation and water are discussed and research findings are used to illustrate solutions to real challenges.The book will serve as a core textbook for advanced undergraduate courses in agronomy.
Table of ContentsPart I: Resource Flows and Currencies 1: Solar radiation 2: The solar spectrum and plant processes 3: The fate of radiation in crop systems 4: Water 5: The hydrological cycle 6: Soil water energy 7: Plant water energy 8: Evaporation 9: The fate of water in crop systems 10: Conclusions Part II: Essential Choices: Genotype, Timing, Configuration 11: Genotype (what?) 12: Evolution and genetic manipulation 13: Characteristics of the main crop types 14: Genetic modification within species 15: Conclusions 16: Timing (when?) 17: Characteristics of timing in crops 18: Development and resource capture 19: Environmental control of timing 20: Regulation of timing by management and choice of cultivar 21: Conclusions 22: Configuration (how?) 23: Plant populations 24: Mixed cropping 25: Calculating the performance of intercrops 26: Conclusions Part III: Integration 27: Manipulating fluxes 28: A simple frame of reference 29: Empirical input-yield responses 30: Understanding the input-yield response 31: Scale and integration: extending the principles 32: Synthesis 33: Some major developments in agricultural research 34: Assessing the potential of underutilised crops - a case study of bambara groundnut 35: The status and contribution of agronomy
