This book provides a comprehensive overview of organic fertilizers and their importance in sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, and the environment. It presents new approaches, ideas, and trends on how to increase the effectiveness of chemical fertilizers as well as the resistance of plants against biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Chapters address such topics as the benefits of organic fertilizers over their chemical counterparts, vermicomposting, organic farming, insects in organic fertilizer production, and much more.

Global concern over the demerits of chemicals in agriculture has diverted the attention of researchers towards using the potential of PGPR in agriculture. This book contains many useful and important research papers pertaining to the use of bio-fertilizers and bio-fungicides for sustainable agriculture. This volume is presented in an easy-to-understand manner,with well-illustrated protocols on the production to commercialization of PGPR. The chapters on commercial potential, trade and regulatory issues among Asian countries are worthwhile additions. As such, this book will prove useful for students, researchers, teachers, and entrepreneurs in the area of PGPR and its allied fields.

This important volume provides new research on the design and application of ecologically safe formulations for protecting cultivated crops against pathogen-causing diseases and weeds—that also provide nitrogen fertilizers at the same time. The authors make a significant contribution to the development and agricultural use of environmentally safe and biodegradable new-generation pesticides with targeted and controlled release of active ingredients. They discuss the problems associated with the use and accumulation of xenobiotics in the biosphere and present highlights of modern trends in the design of new-generation formulations. The authors present their original research results on the properties of herbicides, fungicides, and nitrogen fertilizers deposited in a degradable polymer base and the effectiveness of the use of these formulations in laboratory ecosystems with higher plants infected with fusariosis and weeds. The research provided here provides a new direction for the use of degradable polymers, essential for the creation of ecologically safe agricultural technologies and reducing uncontrolled accumulation and spread of xenobiotics in the biosphere.

Provides complete coverage of the recovery of mineral nutrients from biomass and organic waste This book presents a comprehensive overview of the potential for mineral recovery from wastes, addressing technological issues as well as economic, ecological, and agronomic full-scale field assessments. It serves as a complete reference work for experts in the field and provides teaching material for future experts specializing in environmental technology sectors. Biorefinery of Inorganics: Recovering Mineral Nutrients from Biomass and Organic Waste starts by explaining the concept of using anaerobic digestion as a biorefinery for production of an energy carrier in addition to mineral secondary resources. It then discusses the current state of mineral fertilizer use throughout the world, offering readers a complete look at the resource availability and energy intensity. Technical aspects of mineral recovery organic (waste-)streams is discussed next, followed by an examination of the economics of biobased products and their mineral counterparts. The book also covers the environmental impact assessment of the production and use of bio-based fertilizers; modelling and optimization of nutrient recovery from wastes; and more. Discusses global production and consumption of mineral fertilizers Introduces technologies for the recovery of mineral NPK from organic wastes and residues Covers chemical characterization and speciation of refined secondary resources, and shows readers how to assess biobased mineral resources Discusses applications of recovered minerals in the inorganic chemistry sector Compares the economics of biobased products with current fossil-based counterparts Offers an ecological assessment of introducing biobased products in the current fertilizer industry Edited by leading experts in the field Biorefinery of Inorganics: Recovering Mineral Nutrients from Biomass and Organic Waste is an ideal book for scientists, environmental engineers, and end-users in the agro-industry, the waste industry, water and wastewater treatment, and agriculture. It will also be of great benefit to policy makers and regulators working in these fields.

This book presents a unique collection of up-to-date applications of graphene for water science. Because water is an invaluable resource and the intelligent use and maintenance of water supplies is one of the most important and crucial challenges that stand before mankind, new technologies are constantly being sought to lower the cost and footprint of processes that make use of water resources as potable water as well as water for agriculture and industry, which are always in desperate demand. Much research is focused on graphene for different water treatment uses. Graphene, whose discovery won the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics, has been a shining star in the material science in the past few years. Owing to its interesting electrical, optical, mechanical and chemical properties, graphene has found potential applications in a wide range of areas, including water purification technology. A new type of graphene-based filter could be the key to managing the global water crisis. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report, lack of access to safe, clean water is the biggest risk to society over the coming decade. Yet some of these risks could be mitigated by the development of this filter, which is so strong and stable that it can be used for extended periods in the harshest corrosive environments, and with less maintenance than other filters on the market. The graphene-based filter could be used to filter chemicals, viruses, or bacteria from a range of liquids. It could be used to purify water, dairy products or wine, or in the production of pharmaceuticals. This book provides practical information to all those who are involved in this field.

World’s population is projected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100. To meet the food demands of the exponentially increasing population, a massive food production is necessary. Agricultural production on land and aquatic systems pose negative impacts on the earth’s ecosystems. Combined effects of climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, water scarcity and species infestations are major causes for loss of agricultural yields up to 25%. Therefore, the world needs a paradigm shift in agriculture development for sustainable food production and security through green revolution and eco-friendly approaches. Hence, agriculture practices must be sustained by the ability of farm land to produce food to satisfy human needs indefinitely as well as having sustainable impacts on the broader environment. The real agricultural challenges of the future as well as for today differ according to their geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts. Therefore, sustainable agriculture must be inclusive and have adaptability and flexibility over time to respond to demands for food production. Considering all these points, this book has been prepared to address and insights to generate awareness of food security and focuses on perspectives of sustainable food production and security towards human society. The book facilitates to describes the classical and recent advancement of technologies and strategies by sustainable way through plant and animal origin including, breeding, pest management, tissue culture, transgenic techniques, bio and phytoremediation, environmental stress and resistance, plant growth enhancing microbes, bio-fertilizer and integrated approaches of food nutrition. Chapters provide a new dimension to discuss the issues, challenges and strategies of agricultural sustainability in a comprehensive manner. It aims at educating the students, advanced and budding researchers to develop novel approaches for sustainability with environmentally sound practices.

This book covers biotechnology and applications of diatoms including various applications such as the use of diatom biogenic silica in drug delivery and their cultivation for wastewater remediation. It contains case studies in diatom biorefinery and provides information about the bioactive compounds, antioxidants, and lipids from diatoms. It also discusses the latest innovations in the genetic engineering of diatoms. Key Features: Discusses the applications of diatoms in drug delivery Covers the application and cultivation of diatoms for wastewater bioremediation Describes the innovations and gaps in genetic engineering of diatoms Throws light on the lipid content, antioxidant content, and various bioactive compounds present in diatoms Includes extraction technologies in diatoms The book is meant for academicians and microbiologists, biotechnologists, and marine biologists.

Advances in Agronomy, Volume 163, continues to be recognized as a leading reference and first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. Each volume contains an eclectic group of reviews by leading scientists throughout the world. As always, the subjects covered are rich, varied and exemplary of the abundant subject matter addressed by this long-running serial. - Includes numerous, timely, state-of-the-art reviews on the latest advancements in agronomy - Features distinguished, well-recognized authors from around the world - Builds upon this venerable and iconic review series - Covers the extensive variety and breadth of subject matter in the crop and soil sciences

The book focuses in detail on learning and adapting through partnerships between managers, scientists, and other stakeholders who learn together how to create and maintain sustainable resource systems. As natural areas shrink and fragment, our ability to sustain economic growth and safeguard biological diversity and ecological integrity is increasingly being put to the test. In attempting to meet this unprecedented challenge, adaptive management is becoming a viable alternative for broader application. Adaptive management is an iterative decision-making process which is both operationally and conceptually simple and which incorporates users to acknowledge and account for uncertainty, and sustain an operating environment that promotes its reduction through careful planning, evaluation, and learning until the desired results are achieved. This multifaceted approach requires clearly defined management objectives to guide decisions about what actions to take, and explicit assumptions about expected outcomes to compare against actual outcomes. In this edited book, we address the issue by pursuing a holistic and systematic approach that utilizes natural resources to reap sustainable environmental, economic and social benefits for adaptive management, helping to ensure that relationships between land, water and plants are managed in ways that mimic nature.

Sustainable livelihood security of resource poor farmers is the top priority for the nation today. However, there is wide gap in productivity of various horticultural commodities among different eco-regions, where horticulture can play significant role particularly in arid and semi arid regions, it is far below than the potential productivity. Hence, sustained and steady growth in rural income is critical for positive impact on living standard of various stakeholders. Therefore, an appropriate strategy needs to be devised for such climatically vulnerable regions. The net income of farmers can surely be increased by efficient management of nutrient, water and agri-input, integrated horticulture based farming system, better market price realization, post harvest management and value addition, integration of secondary enterprises and thereby improving productivity of arid and semi-arid horticultural crops. In this book, several such interventions are given in the form of various chapters which will be of immense use improving the productivity and profitability of horticultural commodities. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.