Developing integrated farming systems is critical to reducing the environmental impact of animal production. Traditionally, this has been through integrating animal and feed or plant production. But that has become increasingly difficult as agricultural production has become regionally specialized leading to the spatial separation of animal and feed production. This spatial separation has led t...

As the use of forest harvesting residues for energy production gains popularity, debate continues regarding the long-term sustainability of whole tree harvesting (WTH). This practice removes nutrient-rich twigs that only account for a small fraction of harvest residues, emphasising the need to develop nutrient-efficient alternatives to WTH. This study assessed N, P, K, Ca, and Mg distributions ...

Soils provide plants with a medium in which roots can anchor themselves and support their canopies, and from which they can tap reserves of water and nutrients. To supply adequate space, water and nutrients, a good soil should be deep, permeable, porous, with good water and nutrient retention capacity and rich in a balanced amount of minerals and organic compounds. Most soils do not have these ...

The lactating sow limits the growth potential of the neonatal pig by limiting the supply of nutrients and/or not providing the optimum balance of nutrients to maximize growth. Therefore, alterations in sow milk composition to provide an optimum pattern of nutrients could improve piglet weight gains. Fifty-five mixed parity lactating sows (Landrace x Chester White) were blocked by parity and ran...

Invariably, many agricultural soils of the world are deficient in one or more of the essential nutrients needed to support healthy plants. Acidity, alkalinity, salinity, anthropogenic processes, nature of farming, and erosion can lead to soil degradation. Additions of fertilizers and/or amendments are essential for a proper nutrient supply and maximum yields. Estimates of overall efficiency of ...

One of the great contributions of Armsby to the science of animal nutrition was the demonstration that the requirements of animals for nutrients, and the values of feeds in covering these requirements, are two separate and distinct problems, requiring different experimental methods for their solution. The requirement of an animal for energy, for example, must involve a study of the heat product...

Nanotechnology monitors a leading agricultural controlling process, especially by its miniature dimension. Additionally, many potential benefits such as enhancement of food quality and safety, reduction of agricultural inputs, enrichment of absorbing nanoscale nutrients from the soil, etc. allow the application of nanotechnology to be resonant encumbrance. Agriculture, food, and natural resourc...

Agroforestry has been widely practiced in the Loess Plateau region of China because of its prominent effects in reducing soil and water losses, improving land-use efficiency and increasing economic returns. However, the agroforestry practices may lead to competition between crops and trees for underground soil moisture and nutrients, and the trees on the canopy layer may also lead to shortage o...

Use of dairy manure to supply crop nutrients is gaining broader acceptance as the cost of fertilizer rises. However, there are concerns regarding manure's effect on water quality. In 2003 and 2004, we measured sediment, NO3-N, NH4-N, K, dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total P (TP) concentrations in runoff from furrow irrigated field plots (6-7 irrigations yr(-1)) cropped to corn (Zea mays L.) i...