Sustainable Plant Nutrition

Sustainable Plant Nutrition: Molecular Interventions and Advancements for Crop Improvement explores the significant opportunities for sustainable, eco-friendly approaches in plant nutrition and agricultural crop production. The book highlights the various prospects involved in optimizing plant nutrient uptake agriculture and includes chapters representing diverse areas dealing with biotechnology, nanotechnology, molecular biology, proteomics, genomics and metabolomics. This book is an ideal resource for those seeking to ensure a sustainable plant production future. While plants have evolved a set of elaborate mechanisms to cope with nutrient limitations, the traditional supplementation by the application of fertilizers to plant productivity may then lead to overfertilization which can actually reduce plant growth and have adverse effects on the environment. To tackle these issues, a detailed understanding of the responses of plants to nutrients and nutrient deficiency at the physiological, metabolic, transcriptome and epigenetic level is essential. Illustrates the central role of sustainable plant nutrition to address current and future challenges Presents global insights and research ranging from signaling to sensing and translational research Provides a forward-looking perspective for future plans of action

Nanotechnology has shown great potential in all spheres of life. With the increasing pressure to meet the food demands of rapidly increasing population, thus, novel innovation and research are required in agriculture. The principles of nanotechnology can be implemented to meet the challenges faced by agricultural demands. Major challenges include the loss of nutrients in the soil and nutrient-deficient plants, which result in a lower crop yield and quality. Subsequently, consumption of such crops leads to malnourishment in humans, especially in underprivileged and rural populations. One convenient approach to tackle nutrient deficiency in plants is via the use of fertilizers; however, this method suffers from lower uptake efficiency in plants. Another approach to combat nutrient deficiency in humans is via the use of supplements and diet modifications; however, these approaches are less affordably viable in economically challenged communities and in rural areas. Therefore, the use of nano-fertilizers to combat this problem holds the greatest potential. Additionally, nanotechnology can be used to meet other challenges in agriculture including enhancing crop yield, protection from insect pests and animals, and by use of nano-pesticides and nano-biosensors to carry out the remediation of polluted soils. The future use of nanomaterials in soil ecosystems will be influenced by their capability to interact with soil constituents and the route of nanoparticles into the environment includes both natural and anthropogenic sources. The last decade has provided increasing research on the impact and use of nanoparticles in plants, animals, microbes, and soils, and yet these studies often lacked data involving the impact of nanoparticles on biotic and abiotic stress factors. This book provides significant recent research on the use of nano-fertilizers, which can have a major impact on components of an ecosystem. This work should provide a basis to further study these potential key areas in order to achieve sustainable and safe application of nanoparticles in agriculture.

This volume is a compilation of extended abstracts of all papers presented at the 14th International Plant Nutrition Colloquium. Over 500 oral and poster presentations illustrate current knowledge and research emphasis in this subject, providing a comprehensive view of the state of plant nutrition research.

This collection reviews current research on understanding nutrient cycles, the ways crops process nutrients, the environmental effects of fertilizer use and how this understanding can be used to improve nutrient use efficiency for a more resource-efficient and climate-smart agriculture. Parts 1-3 summarise research on the primary macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Chapter review what we know about nutrient cycles, crop nutrient processing, potential environmental effects and ways of optimising nutrient use efficiency (NUE). The fourth section of the book discusses secondary macronutrients and micronutrients including: calcium, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, boron, manganese and molybdenum. The final two parts of the book review research on optimising fertiliser use. Chapters cover topics such as assessing nutrient availability, decision support systems for optimising crop nutrition, advances in site-specific nutrient management and advances in integrated plant nutrient management. Other chapters discuss enhanced efficiency fertilisers, the use of bio-effectors/bio-stimulants, fertigation techniques and the use of organic amendments. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert authors, this will be a standard reference on optimising crop nutrition for the crop science and farming community.

Global industrial growth has resulted in numerous pollutants being introduced into the environment. It has additionally caused decreased water availability for agricultural activity in developing countries, which, in turn, has compelled farmers to use wastewater irrigation. In advanced agricultural systems, farmers are adapting various strategies to achieve a higher yield and thus sustain crop productivity. Consequent to the introduction of contaminants in the environment, soil pollutants have become a critical issue. Selection of disease-resistant, high-yielding crop varieties, and extensive fertilizer applications are quite common among farming communities. This book provides insight into environmental pollutants with special reference to their interference with plant nutrition. It additionally discusses the physiological aspects of plant nutrition. This book enhances current knowledge of the effects of pollutants on plant growth and physiology.

Greenhouse cultivation is noted for its high uptake of minerals, consistent climatic conditions, exclusion of natural precipitation and control of salt accumulation. Acknowledging that plant nutrition in greenhouse cultivation differs in many essentials from field production, this volume details specific information about testing methods for soils and substrates in a greenhouse environment. It does so while offering a universally applicable analysis. This is based on the composition of the soil and substrate solutions, methods for the interpretation of tissue tests, and crop responses on salinity and water supply in relation to fertilizer application. Fertilizer additions, related to analytical data of soil and substrate samples, are presented for a wide range of vegetable and ornamental crops. The subject is especially apt now as substrate growing offers excellent possibilities for the optimal use of water and nutrients, as well as the potential for sustainable production methods for greenhouse crops.

In the history of the International Plant Nutrition Colloquium from its first meeting in 1954, this meeting, the 13th Colloquium, is the first to be held in Asia and will be the last in the 20th century. The 20th century has seen huge changes in the number and activities of mankind. Our population has increased from around 1. 7 billion to more than 5. 8 billion and technological innovations have completely altered our way of living. As a consequence of such rapid change, we are facing many problems including changes in our environment of a global scale. But, while food shortage has been a serious concern to mankind throughout our history, serious food shortages in the 20th century have been confined to limited times and areas. As Lester Brown discusses in this volume, farmers have increased food production heroically on demand. We, the plant nutritionists should be proud of our support to the world's farmers which has helped them make their achievement possible. During the 20th century, the science of plant nutrition also has achieved great progress as described by Jack Loneragan; it became established as a discipline firmly based in science, defined the chemical elements supporting plant growth, and has contributed to improvements in plant production and environmental quality, as readers will find in many contributions in this volume.

These papers include two lectures which address the role of Plant Nutrition in the sustainability of agro-ecosystems and the production of enough high quality food to feed the growing world population. Recent advances in Plant Nutrition are reviewed in the 11 papers presented in each of the Symposia devoted to: genetics and molecular biology of Plant Nutrition, nutrient functions, the role of the apoplast in mineral nutrition, plant quality and plant health, salinity and plant-soil-water relations, mineral element toxicity and resistance nutrient acquisition, soil organisms/plant interactions, fertiliser use in relation to optimum yield and environment, nutrient dynamics in natural and agro-ecosystems, and plant nutrition and sustainable development. Current knowledge and research emphasis in these areas of the subject is well illustrated and the reader is provided with a comprehensive view of the state of Plant Nutrition research.