Input Management

Ending hunger, achieving food security and promoting sustainable development are at the top of the list of United Nations (UN) sustainable global development priorities. In the times of high population growth and increasing pressure of agricultural systems, efficiency in use of natural resources has been at the epicenter of sustainable agricultural. The concept of ‘Input efficiency’ implies production of high quantity and quality of food, from using only finite natural resources as inputs, in the form of mainly land, water, nutrients, energy, or biological diversity. In this book, editors provide a roadmap to the food, nutritional, and environmental security in the agricultural systems. They share insight into the approaches that can be put in practice for increasing the input use efficiency in the cropping systems and achieve stability and sustainability of agricultural production systems. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, agroforestry, agroecology, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policymakers will also find this to be a useful read.

Filled with figures, images, and illustrations, Encyclopedia of Water Science, Second Edition provides effective concepts and procedures in environmental water science and engineering. It unveils a wide spectrum of design concepts, methods, and solutions for enhanced performance of water quality, treatment, conservation, and irrigation methods, as well as improved water efficiency in industrial, municipal, and agricultural programs. The second edition also includes greatly enhanced coverage of streams and lakes as well as many regional case studies. An International Team Addresses Important Issues The only source to provide full coverage of current debates in the field, the encyclopedia offers professional expertise on vital issues including: Current laws and regulations Irrigation management Environmental water economics Agroforestry Erosion control Nutrient best management practices Water sanitation Stream and lake morphology and processes Sharpen Your Skills — Meet Challenges Well-Armed A direct and reliable source for best practices in water handling, preservation, and recovery, the encyclopedia examines challenges in the provision of safe water supplies, guiding environmental professionals as they face a worldwide demand for sanitary and affordable water reserves. Also Available Online This Taylor & Francis encyclopedia is also available through online subscription, offering a variety of extra benefits for researchers, students, and librarians, including: Citation tracking and alerts Active reference linking Saved searches and marked lists HTML and PDF format options Contact Taylor and Francis for more information or to inquire about subscription options and print/online combination packages. US: (Tel) 1.888.318.2367; (E-mail) [email protected] International: (Tel) +44 (0) 20 7017 6062; (E-mail) [email protected]

This book examines ways of assessing the rational management of nonrenewable resources. Integrating numerous methods, it systematically exposes the strengths of exergy analysis in resources management. Divided into two parts, the first section provides the theoretical background to assessment methods, while the second section provides practical application examples. The topics covered in detail include the theory of exergy cost and thermo-ecological cost, cumulative calculus and life cycle evaluation. This book serves as a valuable resource for researchers looking to investigate a range of advanced thermodynamic assessments of the influence of production processes on the depletion of nonrenewable resources.

To fully benefit from new agricultural technologies like improved seed varieties, significant investment in complementary inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, and practices such as systematic planting, irrigation, and weeding are also required. Farmers may fail to recognize the importance of these complements, leading to unsatisfactory crop yields and outputs and, eventually, dis-adoption of the variety. We provide a simple model of biased expectations, complementary input use and technology adoption and test its predictions using a field experiment among smallholder maize farmers in eastern Uganda. We find that pointing out the importance of complementary investments using a short, engaging video effectively deters some farmers from using commercial improved varieties. Consistent with the theoretical model, we find some evidence that this behavior change emanates from increased knowledge and expectations that are more in line with realized outcomes.

Volume 2 of this 4-volume set tackles the problems presented by diseases in vegetable crops that can reduce yield and quality. The effective management of plant diseases involves a detailed study of the disease symptoms, causal agents, disease cycles, and epidemiology. Written by nationally known scientists in their respective fields, the chapters incorporate the experience and knowledge of the authors. The chapters provide an introduction along with plant disease symptoms, causal organisms, disease cycles, epidemiology, and effective management solutions for diseases of economically important vegetables. Some of the vegetables addressed include brinjal (or eggplant), chili, cole crops (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi), cucurbits (gourds), garlic, green peas, potatoes, and more. The volumes provide an abundance of information for understanding and managing plant diseases, with emphasis on diagnostic techniques. The collection includes: Volume 1: Fruit Crops Volume 2: Vegetable Crops Volume 3: Ornamental Plants and Spice Crops Volume 4: Important Plantation Crops, Medicinal Crops, and Mushrooms