Soil Health in Field and Forage Crop Production PDF Download

Author: Sjoerd W. Duiker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crops
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Author: Andy Clark
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437903797
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

Author: John W. Miles
Publisher: CIAT
ISBN: 9789589439579
Category : Brachiaria
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Identifying and naming Brachiaria species. Morphology, taxonomy, and natural distribution of Brachiaria (Trin.) Griseb. Natural variation in Brachiaria and existing germplasm collections. The agronomy and physiology of Brachiaria species. National requirementes of Brachiaria and adaptation to acid soils. Nutrient cycling and environmental impact of Brachiaria Pastures. Pests and diseases of Brachiaria species. Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures. Reproductive physiology, seed production, and seed quality of Brachiaria. Seed production: perspective from the Brazilian private sector. Genetic, cytogenetics, and reproductive biology of Brachiaria. Manipulation of apomixis in Brachiaria breeding. Theoretical potential of biotechniques in crop improvement. Aplication of biothecnology to Brachiaria. Regional experience with Brachiaria: Tropical America-humid lowlands. Regional experience with Brachiaria: Tropical America-savannas. Regional experience with Brachiaria: Sub-savannas Africa. Regional experience with Brachiaria: Asia, the South Pacific, and Australia. Reports of working groups.

Author: Kenneth J. Moore
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119436613
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 968

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Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture, 7th Edition, Volume II will extensively evaluate the current knowledge and information on forage agriculture. Chapters written by leading researchers and authorities in grassland agriculture are aggregated under section themes, each one representing a major topic within grassland science and agriculture. This 7th edition will include two new additional chapters covering all aspects of forage physiology in three separate chapters, instead of one in previous editions. Chapters will be updated throughout to include new information that has developed since the last edition. This new edition of the classic reference serves as a comprehensive supplement to An Introduction to Grassland Agriculture, Volume I.

Author: Fred Magdoff
Publisher: Sare
ISBN: 9781888626131
Category : Humus
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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"'Published by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Author: Graham Stirling
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 1486303056
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Our capacity to maintain world food production depends heavily on the thin layer of soil covering the Earth's surface. The health of this soil determines whether crops can grow successfully, whether a farm business is profitable and whether an enterprise is sustainable in the long term. Farmers are generally aware of the physical and chemical factors that limit the productivity of their soils but often do not recognise that soil microbes and the soil fauna play a major role in achieving healthy soils and healthy crops. Soil Health, Soil Biology, Soilborne Diseases and Sustainable Agriculture provides readily understandable information about the bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other soil organisms that not only harm food crops but also help them take up water and nutrients and protect them from root diseases. Complete with illustrations and practical case studies, it provides growers and their consultants with holistic solutions for building an active and diverse soil biological community capable of improving soil structure, enhancing plant nutrient uptake and suppressing root pests and pathogens. The book is written by scientists with many years' experience developing sustainable crop production practices in the grains, vegetable, sugarcane, grazing and horticultural industries. This book will be useful for: growers, consultants, agronomists and soil chemists, extension personnel working in the grains, livestock, sugarcane and horticultural industries, professionals running courses in soil health/biological farming, and students taking university courses in soil science, ecology, microbiology, plant pathology and other biological sciences.

Author: Sieglinde Snapp
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128020954
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Agricultural Systems, Second Edition, is a comprehensive text for developing sustainable farming systems. It presents a synthetic overview of the emerging area of agroecology applications to transforming farming systems and supporting rural innovation, with particular emphasis on how research can be harnessed for sustainable agriculture. The inclusion of research theory and examples using the principles of cropping system design allows students to gain a unique understanding of the technical, biological, ecological, economic and sociological aspects of farming systems science for rural livelihoods. This book explores topics such as: re-inventing farming systems; principles and practice of agroecology; agricultural change and low-input technology; ecologically-based nutrient management; participatory breeding for developing improved and relevant crops; participatory livestock research for development; gender and agrarian inequality at the local scale; the nature of agricultural innovation; and outreach to support rural innovation. The extensive coverage of subjects is complemented with integrated references and a companion website, making this book essential reading for courses in international agricultural systems and management, sustainable agricultural management, and cropping systems. This book will be a valuable resource for students of agricultural science, environmental engineering, and rural planning; researchers and scientists in agricultural development agencies; and practitioners of agricultural development in government extension programs, development agencies, and NGOs. - Provides students with an enhanced understanding of how research can be harnessed for sustainable agriculture - Incorporates social, biological, chemical, and geographical aspects important to agroecology - Addresses social and development issues related to farming systems

Author: Divya Pant
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Management intensive grazing of cover crops (MIGCC) in continuous no-tillage systems is an opportunity to procure mutual benefits of cover crops for improving soil health and providing forage to livestock. However, soil compaction by grazing animals could also have negative effects on soil structure. Therefore, the research studied impact of management intensive grazing of cover crops on soil physical and biological properties as well as forage production and economic returns. The research was conducted on four farms in southcentral Pennsylvania between 2019 and 2021. The comparison was between the grazed and ungrazed cover crop after small grain or corn silage harvest and between double-cropped soybeans and grazed cover crop after small grain harvest. After small grain or corn silage harvest, cover crops were planted and grazed, and cattle were moved daily with a target of leaving roughly 50% of cover crop biomass for soil protection and soil health management. The first experiment used a randomized full block design with a factorial arrangement of grazing treatment (ungrazed, recently grazed, and grazed 2 weeks earlier) and season (spring or fall) with four farms representing four replication per treatment. Bulk density, aggregate stability, field saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil CO2 burst, organic matter content, and permanganate oxidizable carbon were not significantly impacted by grazing in spring or fall. In the fall, cover crop grazing produced 1916-3746 kg ha-1 forage dry matter, and in the spring, 1425-4349 kg ha-1 forage dry matter. Farmers managed to leave an average of 1534-6717 kg ha-1 of total cover crop biomass (ranging from 47-73 percent) for soil function and protection. In spring 2020/2021, net revenue from grazing cover crops varied from $82 ha-1 to $566 ha-1, and in fall 2019/2020/2021, net revenue ranged from $481 ha-1 to $359 ha-1. In the second experiment, the impacts of grazed cover crops and soybeans on soil health and economic returns were compared using a completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement of treatments (grazed cover crop versus soybean) and years (2019, 2020, and 2021) on two farms, Franklin 1 and Adams 1. For Franklin 1, findings indicated greater field saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil organic matter content in grazed cover crop field than full-season soybean in 2019 and double-cropped soybean in 2021, while no effect was revealed on soil CO2 burst. In 2019, full-season soybeans (94%) outperformed grazed cover crops (85%) in terms of aggregate stability, with no difference between treatments in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, the bulk density of the grazed cover crop was lower than in 2020 and 2019. Similarly, the bulk density of soybean fields in 2021 was lower than in 2019. At Adams 1, when compared to double crop soybean, soil under grazed cover crops had higher permanganate oxidizable carbon in 2021 and enhanced structural stability in 2020 and 2021. Between treatments in 2020 and 2021, no significant differences in bulk density, field saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil CO2 burst, or organic matter content were observed at Adams 1. In 2020 and 2021, partial budget analysis revealed a net positive return of $523.13 ha--1 and $103.38 ha--1 for Adams 1. In 2020 and 2021, however, Franklin 1 had a net return of -$250.40 ha--1 and -$93.28 ha--1. For Adams 1, a complete soybean failure rendered management intense grazing of cover crops more profitable than a double crop soybean. Double crop soybean failure is common on droughty soils or during years with extreme weather like drought or early frost, making grazed cover crops a less risky alternative to double crop soybeans after small grain harvest. The results so far indicate that grazed cover crop results in better soil health and provides farmers a reduced risk compared with double crop soybean, especially on marginal soils. The research suggests that under continuous no-tillage systems, grazing cover crops using management intensive practices can provide additional feed and income to the farmer without detrimental effect on soil health, thereby increasing the motivation to adopt cover crops and their derived conservation benefits.

Author: Beth K. Gugino
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780967650746
Category : Soil biology
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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