Improved Crop Quality By Nutrient Management

Emphasis in agricultural production has shifted from mere quantity to quality products. Practical experience and scientific investigations have shown that, of the various culture measures, balanced fertilization above all exerts a considerable influence on the quality of agricultural products. Simply adding more of what the crop has already absorbed to capacity is unproductive, expensive, wasteful and damaging to the environment. Therefore, balanced crop nutrition increases crop quality, safeguards natural resources and brings benefit to the farmer. Otherwise rapid population growth and severe urbanization will exhaust our natural resources.

This Special Issue reprint provides updates on relevant knowledge about the usefulness of improving fertilizer use efficiency in crops, thus ensuring enough food of acceptable quality for the rising world population while taking into account environmental considerations. Plant nutrient requirements and nutrition are complex issues, with 17 known nutrients necessary for plant growth and this field being an intersection of various sciences such as soil science, plant physiology, chemistry, circular economy, environmental science, and others. Plant nutrition is one of the most important elements on which the yield and quality of agricultural products depend. For about a century, a significant yield increase was seen thanks to the revolutionary method introduced by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug on the use of chemical fertilizers for crops that can cover the nutritional needs of the world. But, what should we expect today? The current tendency around the world is to adjust to the actual nutritional needs of the consumers and plants, maximizing yields and improving quality, with special attention paid to the environment and the grower. This Special Issue provides nutrient management strategies and advanced knowledge on fertilizer use efficiency as one of the primary means of improving the quality and quantity of crops, contributing to a stable and healthy food chain.

Both nutrient scarcities and surpluses alike can threaten this balance.

"'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."

This book explores the agricultural, commercial, and ecological future of plants in relation to mineral nutrition. It covers various topics regarding the role and importance of mineral nutrition in plants including essentiality, availability, applications, as well as their management and control strategies. Plants and plant products are increasingly important sources for the production of energy, biofuels, and biopolymers in order to replace the use of fossil fuels. The maximum genetic potential of plants can be realized successfully with a balanced mineral nutrients supply. This book explores efficient nutrient management strategies that tackle the over and under use of nutrients, check different kinds of losses from the system, and improve use efficiency of the plants. Applied and basic aspects of ecophysiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology have been adequately incorporated including pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, agronomical, breeding and plant protection parameters, propagation and nutrients managements. This book will serve not only as an excellent reference material but also as a practical guide for readers, cultivators, students, botanists, entrepreneurs, and farmers.