The mission of the International Fertilizer Development Center is to increase food production through the improvement of fertilizers and fertilizer practices for the developing countries with special emphasis on tropical and subtropical agriculture. The principal aim is to ensure that fertilizer technology is not a limiting factor to food production in those regions. Although the full extent to which deficiency of micronutrients hampers food production is yet un known, there is ample evidence that problem areas exist and more will be identified as crop production is intensified and marginal lands are exploited. Therefore, it seems fully appropriate at this time that IFDC, as an international organization, take a leadership role in developing micronutrient fertilizer technology appropriate for the tropics and subtropics. The gravity of micronutrient deficiency as a limiting factor to crop pro duction varies from crop to crop and from soil to soil. The effects may range from slight yield reductions to complete crop failure. While the economic impact of omitting micronutrients in seriously affected areas (e.g., Zn in Brazilian Cerrado) is convincing, it is difficult to estimate the yearly loss in crop production due to unsuspected micronutrient deficiency. Active soil and crop testing programs in regions with advanced agricultural systems are aimed at recognizing micronutrients as a limiting plant nutrient in time to allow corrective measures and prevent yield loss. Successful micronutrient monitoring systems are generally limited to developed economies or to developing economies producing export cash crops.

Micronutrient research has been an important component of the soil fertility and plant nutrition program in Pakistan since the identification of zinc deficiency in rice in 1969. Since then, considerable progress has been made on diagnosis and management of micronutrient nutrition problems in crops. However, now there is growing R&D evidence that micronutrient malnutrition in humans could be addressed through enriching staple food grains with micronutrients. This book presents the latest R&D information on micronutrient problems in crop plants/cropping systems and their corrective measures. The current status, the constraints, and economic benefits of using micronutrient fertilizers for optimizing crop productivity and soil resource sustainability are discussed along with estimating future potential requirement of micronutrient fertilizers to optimize crop productivity, produce quality, and soil resource sustainability. Wide-scale preventable micronutrient deficiencies in human populations originate from micronutrient-deficient soils over which staple cereals and other food crops are grown. This book summarizes R&D information on fertilizer use-based micronutrient biofortification in staple food grains to address "hidden hunger" in human populations. The book also presents the best management practices by which micronutrient deficiencies could be corrected in crop plants in a farmer-friendly manner. Features Reviews the micronutrients R&D carried out in Pakistan over the past five decades Focuses on soil-plant analysis techniques for effective prognosis and diagnosis of micronutrient disorders Presents spatial variability maps of micronutrient deficiencies in agricultural soils and crops Provides value-cost ratios of using micronutrient fertilizers for major crops Works out current use level of micronutrient fertilizers and their potential future requirements in the country Discusses agronomic biofortification approach for enriching crop-based food with micronutrients to address "hidden hunger" Presents a compelling case for enhanced use of the deficient micronutrient fertilizers to optimize crop productivity, farmer income, and national economy Presents micronutrient fertilizer use recommendations for salient crops and discusses fertilizer use for micronutrients in the context of 4R nutrient stewardship Recommends future R&D needed for optimizing micronutrient nutrition of crops

North American Agroforestry Explore the many benefits of alternative land-use systems with this incisive resource Humanity has become a victim of its own success. While we’ve managed to meet the needs—to one extent or another—of a large portion of the human population, we’ve often done so by ignoring the health of the natural environment we rely on to sustain our planet. And by deteriorating the quality of our air, water, and land, we’ve put into motion consequences we’ll be dealing with for generations. In the newly revised Third Edition of North American Agroforestry, an expert team of researchers delivers an authoritative and insightful exploration of an alternative land-use system that exploits the positive interactions between trees and crops when they are grown together and bridges the gap between production agriculture and natural resource management. This latest edition includes new material on urban food forests, as well as the air and soil quality benefits of agroforestry, agroforestry’s relevance in the Mexican context, and agroforestry training and education. The book also offers: A thorough introduction to the development of agroforestry as an integrated land use management strategy Comprehensive explorations of agroforestry nomenclature, concepts, and practices, as well as an agroecological foundation for temperate agroforestry Practical discussions of tree-crop interactions in temperate agroforestry, including in systems such as windbreak practices, silvopasture practices, and alley cropping practices In-depth examinations of vegetative environmental buffers for air and water quality benefits, agroforestry for wildlife habitat, agroforestry at the landscape level, and the impact of agroforestry on soil health Perfect for environmental scientists, natural resource professionals and ecologists, North American Agroforestry will also earn a place in the libraries of students and scholars of agricultural sciences interested in the potential benefits of agroforestry.

This bulletin is a collection of abstracts of U.S. patents selected from those published in the first 11 volumes of Fertilizer Abstracts. It contains 1014 abstracts selected as the most pertinent U.S. patents for the fertilizer industry today. U.S. equivalents of previously issued foreign patents are included. Defensive publications issued by the U.S. patent office have not been included.