Pest management involves assessment of pest and crop biology at the population level and an understand'mg of the interaction of organisms at the molecular, cellular, tissue, plant, and population levels. These interactions frequently are sufficiently complex to require simphfication through modeling to allow objective management decisions. The disciplinary orientation of pest scientists often r...

Root and rhizosphere research has been conducted for many decades, but the underlying strategy of root/rhizosphere processes and management in intensive cropping systems remain largely to be determined. Improved grain production to meet the food demand of an increasing population has been highly dependent on chemical fertilizer input based on the traditionally assumed notion of 'high input, hig...

An inventory of topsoil soil organic carbon (SOC) content in household farms was performed in a village from a red earth region in Jiangxi Province, China in 2003. In this region, the farmland managed by each household is fragmented, consisting of several plots of land that are not necessarily adjacent to each other. A statistical analysis of SOC variation with land use and household management...

The Green Revolution, through the adoption of new crop varieties, irrigation, and agrochemicals, saved about 1 billion people from famine by increasing global food production (FAO 2011). We now recognize that these enormous gains in agricultural production were accompanied by harm to agriculture’s natural resource base, jeopardizing our future ability to meet human food, fuel, and fiber needs f...

To support food security, information products about the actual cropping area per crop type, the current status of agricultural production and estimated yields, as well as the sustainability of the agricultural management are necessary. Based on this information, well-targeted land management decisions can be made. Remote sensing is in a unique position to contribute to this task as it is globa...

Process-based crop simulation models require employment of new knowledge for continuous improvement. To simulate growth and development of different genotypes of a given crop, most models use empirical relationships or parameters defined as genetic coefficients to represent the various cultivar characteristics. Such a loose introduction of different cultivar characteristics can result in bias w...

L.) are now grown with winter wheat and fallow. Integrating crop diversity with other cultural tactics enabled No-till systems have enabled producers to change crop rotations in producers to effectively control weeds with 50% less the semiarid Central Great Plains. Previously, winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–fallow was the prevalent rotation; now producers grow herbicide inputs compared wit...