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This volume comprehensively covers soil microbial processes that regulate the flux of greenhouse gasses (GHG) from agricultural soils, in an effort to address how GHG regulating microbes can be used to mitigate harmful climate change impacts on agriculture. The chapters define the linkages among soil microbial functioning, crop responses, ecosystem functioning, and GHG cycling processes. The book is framed through three major theme, including source and sink of GHG, microbial processes regulating GHG, and agricultural strategies and technologies to mitigate GHG emissions. The chapters highlight the fundamentals of soil microbial diversity and interactions with climate changing factors, soil carbon dynamics in response to different agricultural practices, conservation agriculture strategies to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture, and climate change mitigation through organic and climate-smart farming. The book is intended for policy makers, students, and researchers of environmental science, agriculture, soil science, and soil microbiology.

This edited volume elucidates state-of-the-art information and provides new paradigms of soil health-based pathways for sustaining plantation crops and diversified systems. The book covers soil characteristics, soil fertility constraints, issues of soil contamination, the impact of climate change on plantation soils, indicators of soil health and soil health assessment, fertility management for healthy soils, soil amendments, soil biodiversity, and biological functions and micro-biome as well as meta-genomic approach.Plantation crops are perennials, cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical agroecosystems in a contiguous area, and comprise estate crops which include tea, coffee, and rubber and small holders'plantation crops such as coconut, areca nut, oil palm, cashew, cocoa, and spices. These are high-value crops with considerable significance in livelihood security, commerce, and trade, and are grown in ecologically vulnerable regions such as coastal belts, hilly areas, andregions with high rainfall and high humidity, which makes maintenance of soil health a major challenge. Sustainable agricultural production depends on the health, quality, and functionality of the soil. The book includes technological options to achieve sustainable production encompassing soil health improvement through multi-strata, multi-species cropping systems, integrated farming systems, conservation agriculture practices, cover cropping and green manuring, crop residue recycling, bio-fertilizer and bio-stimulant technologies and organic farming systems.This book is an essential resource for researchers, plantation professionals, educators, and policymakers. It provides valuable insights and practical solutions for addressing emerging issues in soil health management and is a must-read for students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, microbiology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

Under ongoing climate change, natural and cultivated habitats of major food crops are being continuously disturbed. Such condition accelerates to impose stress effects like abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation etc. are important abiotic stresses; and diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens viz. fungal agents, bacteria and viruses are major biotic stresses. As a result, these harsh environments affect crop productivity and its biology in multiple complex paradigms. As stresses become the limiting factors for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops, scientists and researchers are challenged to maintain global food security for a rising world population.This two-volume work highlights the fast-moving agricultural research on crop improvement through the stress mitigation strategies, with specific focuses on crop biology and their response to climatic instabilities. Together with'Climate Resilient Agriculture, Vol 2: Agro-Biotechnological Advancement for Crop Production', it covers a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches, uniquely suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.

The aim of this book is to present, in depth, updated information on soil and microbial processes involved in mixed plantations of Eucalyptus and N2-fixing species, especially Acacia mangium, focusing on Forestry, Soils, Biology, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability. The potential of substituting chemical N fertilizer by a consortium of leguminous species that fix atmospheric nitrogen is an interesting solution for a more sustainable, economically and environmentally sound forest system. Among the main topics, we present reference topics on soil microbiology, as biological nitrogen fixation, the role of mycorrhiza in mixed plantations, bio-indicators of soil quality, and plantgrowth promoting bacteria with biotechnological potential. Here we discuss Ecosystem services and ecological benefits of these systems, the invasive potential of A.mangium, as well as the regulations and perspectives of land use policies for mixed forests and their role in the sustainability of the system.

Soils are neither good nor bad, but some have inherent or acquired characteristics that may or may not suit our intended use. Unsuitable characteristics are considered to be soil problems, soil constraints or soil limitations. Only twelve percent of global land is right for agricultural production without much limitation. Some soils have severe limitations for crop production. These soils are so called ‘problem soils'. Many of them do not have enough fertility to be productive; some are arid and saline; some are very sandy and dry; and some are wet and waterlogged for most of the growing season. The global demand for food, wood, fuel, fiber, medicine and other plant products for the 7.2 billion current world population has created such an immense pressure on global soil resources that even the most fertile soils are losing their productive capacity. We are being compelled to bring more and more unsuitable or marginally suitable soils under cultivation. Unless innovative and integrated soil, crop and environmental management practices are adopted for their improvement and sustainable use, further degradation is inevitable. This book, Management of Soil Problems, identifies the problems and discusses management options in a smooth and reader-friendly style. It will be useful for students and professionals of soil science, agriculture, forestry, geography and environmental sciences.

This book links tropical agri-chain dynamics – with which CIRAD and AFD have been involved for decades – to that of sustainable development. Increased environmental and social concerns urge agri-chain actors and development practitioners to design innovations, and public and private actors to invent regulations in connection with agri-chains to improve sustainability.With a view to contributing towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this book examines the different roles of agri-chains: as vectors of development, as spaces of innovation, as objects of evaluation, and as arenas of regulation. It builds upon the findings and experiences of CIRAD and its researchers together with their Southern partners, and of AFD and its officers.Linking agricultural production with the other economic sectors, agri- chains are key spaces where local and global challenges to sustainability meet and where local and global actors experiment interlinked orcommon solutions.

This book represents a pioneer initiative to describe the new technologies available for next-generation phenotyping and applied to plant breeding. Over the last several years plant breeding has experienced a true revolution. Phenomics, i.e., high-throughput phenotyping using automation, robotics and remote data collection, is changing the way cultivars are developed. Written in an easy to understand style, this book offers an indispensable reference work for all students, instructors and scientists who are interested in the latest innovative technologies applied to plant breeding.

Precision farming is a farming management concept based on observing and responding to intra field variations. Today, precision farming is about whole farm management with the goal of optimizing returns on input while preserving resources. Precision farming is one of the most scientific and modern approach to sustainable agriculture that has gained momentum in 21st Century. The book presents up-to-date research, field studies and practical applications written by leading scientists and experts in their respective field. This book not only introduces the reader to the hi-tech technology of precision farming but it also presents a broad overview of its concepts and the tools of this system. It is hoped that the book will serve as a good text cum reference source for those interested in Precision farming.

The dramatic worldwide increase in agricultural and industrial productivity has created severe environmental problems. Soil and groundwater reservoirs have been polluted with pesticides, xenobiotics and agro-chemicals. The global consensus to reduce inputs of chemical pesticides and agrochemical fertilizers, which are perceived at being hazardous by some consumers, has provided opportunities for the development of novel, benign sustainable crop management strategies.The future of agricultural depends upon our ability to enhance the productivity without damage to their long-term production potential. One of the strategies is the application of effective microbial products beneficial for both farmers and ecosystems. This kind of approach can ensure both ecological and economic sustainability. Soil microbial populations are immersed in framework of interactions, which are known to affect plant fitness and soil quality.For betterment of life of human being, improvedquality and variety of products are formed due to versatile action of different group of microorganisms, Microbes are able to degrade solid waste material into compost which is a mixture of decayed organic matter, manure etc. Incomplete microbial degradation of organic waste where the microbial process varies aerobic to anaerobic form is stated as compost, if added to soil improves plant growth and development. The biological activities and microbial metabolism in the soil contribute to alter its mixture and fertility. Incorporation of organic remain in the form of compost is known to influence favourably the physio-chemical and biological properties of soil. The beneficial activities bestowed upon plants by compost utilization are multifaceted, hence most promising alternatives for achieving sustainable agricultural production.An increased awareness on compost has led to their use in agricultural concern. Contents in the present book will comprised various chapters on the role of beneficial bacteria in the composting process. The application is depicted to achieve the attainable productivity besides, in disease management and suppressiveness of organisms of phytopathogenic in nature. Significance of the compost elicits certain responses e.g. soil reclamation, soil fertility, soil health and disease management exhibit due to quality compost amendment in soil. It serves as low cost prospective option for sustainable crop production and protection.