Diagnostic Techniques for Improving Crop Production

The accumulation of scientific knowledge in the past 100 years has enabled an ever-diminishing number of growers to produce an agricultural bounty capable of supporting a population that has literally exploded. Yields that were undreamt of even 50 years ago are now commonplace. Such production has required increased inputs of fertilizers, water, and pesticides. While the system has increased the potential for higher yields, it has made farming a much more technical enterprise-providing a greater potential for yields if inputs are used correctly, but exacting a greater cost to the grower and society if inputs are improperly used. Failure to use the various inputs properly has led to soil degradation, pollution of air and water, contaminated fruits and vegetables, greater pest damage, and undue costs of producing crops. Fortunately, along with information on the use of increased inputs has come a wide variety of diagnostic techniques that enable the grower to provide rational use of the inputs. Rational use can largely eliminate the harmful effects while reducing the unit cost of producing a crop. The book covers the various diagnostic techniques that can be used to provide intelligent use of the different inputs in six sections.