Agriculture
NOVA publishes a wide array of books in the field of agriculture from authors and editors from around the globe.
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Quick ViewOrganic farming is a system approach utilizing the natural cycles and biological interactions for crop production and protection. It aims at harmonizing with nature using a method of production that does not destroy the environment. Vermitechnology is one of the important components of organic farming. The earthworm (verm) is now known to be a good…
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Quick ViewIncreasing dependence on foreign sources of crude oil, concerns over global climate change, and the desire to promote domestic rural economies have raised interest in renewable biofuels as an alternative to petroleum in the U.S. transportation sector. However, energy from renewable sources has historically been more expensive to produce and use than fossil-fuel-based energy. This…
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Quick ViewThis book explores the developments, issues and research outlook of global agriculture. Topics discussed in this compilation include cotton and hydropower in Central Asia; rising grain exports by the former Soviet Union region; and resources, policies, and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Imprint: Nova)
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Quick ViewNitrate and nitrite are two ions largely diffused in the environment because they take part in the nitrogen cycle. Moreover, a great part of atmospheric nitrogen may be oxidized to nitrite and nitrate by microorganisms in plants, soil or water. The more stable form of oxidized nitrogen is nitrate ion, but, through microbial activity, it…
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Quick ViewStrawberries are among the most widely consumed fruits in the world and its cultivation is increasing worldwide. It is a microclimatic crop, which means that its behaviour may vary considerably depending on many agronomical and environmental factors such as temperature, light, moisture, soil type, etc. Strawberry production requires the input of large amounts of water…
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Quick ViewThis compilation examines agricultural research from across the globe and covers a broad spectrum of related topics. In this book, the authors discuss research including cheese whey as a source of active peptides; technological and chemical characterization of PDO cheeses of Italy; biotechnological conversion of whey into high-value products; apple pomace; trends in precision agriculture…
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Quick ViewThis book focuses on those policies contained in the 2014 farm bill that support agriculture-based renewable energy, especially biofuels. The introductory sections of this book briefly describe how USDA bioenergy policies evolved and how they fit into the larger context of U.S. biofuels policy. Then, each of the bioenergy provisions of the 2014 farm bill…
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Quick ViewThe farm bill is an omnibus, multi-year piece of authorizing legislation that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. Titles in the most recent farm bill encompass farm commodity price and income supports, farm credit, trade, agricultural conservation, research, rural development, bioenergy, foreign food aid, and domestic nutrition assistance. Although agricultural policies sometimes are…
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Quick ViewGrapes (Vitis spp.) are economically the most important fruit species in the world. Most cultivated vines belong to the European type (Vitis vinefera), the American bunch type (V. labrusca and its derivatives) or Muscadine type (V. rotundifolia). Grapes contain many of the most valuable elements necessary for life. In addition, it is known to have…
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Quick ViewThe Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) assists farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners with the establishment, maintenance, and harvest of non-food, non-feed biomass dedicated for energy production. BCAP was designed to expand bioenergy feedstocks beyond existing cash crops by encouraging both the establishment of new supplies of biomass as well as the collection of existing but…
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Quick ViewIrrigation of pear, raspberry and blueberry is less studied relative to apple and peach, for example. Various researchers have tried different techniques to reduce vegetative growth, but regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial rootzone drying (PRD) are the most favourable and cost-effective techniques, maintaining and, in some cases, increasing yields because allocation of photosynthetic carbohydrates…
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Quick ViewThis compilation examines agricultural research from across the globe and covers a broad spectrum of related topics. In this book, the authors discuss research including cotton pests and the actual strategies for their management control; cotton production and climatic factors: studying this relationship by different applied statistical methods; screening to select natural substances for control…
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Quick ViewGenetically engineered (GE) varieties with pest management traits became commercially available for major crops in 1996. More than 15 years later, adoption of these varieties by U.S. farmers is widespread and U.S. consumers eat many products derived from GE crops—including cornmeal, oils, and sugars—largely unaware that these products were derived from GE crops. Despite the…
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Quick ViewFish meal and fish oil are important components in the feeds for many farm-raised species, from pigs and poultry to farmed fish. As ingredients in aquaculture feed, fish meal and fish oil supply essential amino acids and fatty acids required for normal growth for cultured species, including carp, salmon, tilapia, trout, catfish, shrimp and others.…
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Quick ViewAquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture globally. Production in freshwater and marine fisheries has plateaued or is declining, and the increasing demand for seafood and need for affordable protein sources in third world countries will ensure growth of aquaculture in the future. Tilapia are the second most cultured fish worldwide behind…
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Quick ViewSanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are the laws, rules, standards, and procedures that governments employ to protect humans, animals, and plants from diseases, pests, toxins, and other contaminants. Examples include meat and poultry processing standards to reduce pathogens, residue limits for pesticides in foods, and regulation of agricultural biotechnology. Technical barriers to trade (TBT) cover…
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Quick ViewAgriculture is one of the defining elements of a nation. This series consists of analyses on a variety of agricultural issues including (but not limited to) the developments, policies, programs, trade, trends and economics of agriculture. Topics will be seen from a U.S. perspective, but not to the exclusion of other countries particularly when the…
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Quick ViewA variety of analytical techniques have been developed to determine the content of sugars in honey, such as spectroscopic, chromatographic, and electrochemical ones. In this collection, the authors present the cross-section of results on sugar composition, obtained by contemporary analytical methods used in honey authentication. The following chapter addresses how sago fronds can be used…
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Quick ViewThe 2014 Farm Bill makes significant changes to the structure of U.S. dairy support programs, including the elimination of several major price and income support programs from the 2008 Farm Bill, the extension of several smaller dairy programs, and the addition of two new programs, the Margin Protection Program and the Dairy Product Donation Program.…
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Quick ViewPesticides—including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides—have contributed to substantial increases in crop yields over the past five decades. Properly applied, pesticides contribute to higher yields and improved product quality by controlling weeds, insects, nematodes, and plant pathogens. In addition, herbicides reduce the amount of labor, machinery, and fuel used for mechanical weed control. However, because pesticides…
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Quick ViewThe Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 farm bill) was enacted on February 7, 2014. After years of debate and deliberation, the enacted 2014 farm bill included a number of changes to the Conservation title, including program consolidation and reauthorization, amendments to conservation compliance, and a reduction in overall funding. Debate on the 2014 farm bill…
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Quick ViewSugarcane is a C4, perennial, sucrose-storing grass belonging to the genus Saccharum (Arceneaux, 1965) that originated in Asia, and it is a cultivated crop in tropical and subtropical countries throughout the world. Among the countries cultivating sugarcane, Brazil is the largest producer. Sugarcane has been harvested for human and animal consumption for centuries, and in…
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Quick ViewThe word auxin has a Greek origin: auxein means to enlarge or to grow. Auxins are an important category of plant hormones, regulating many aspects of plant growth and development throughout the plant cell cycle, from cell division, cell elongation and vascular differentiation to root initiation, somatic embryogenesis, apical dominance, tropistic responses, flowering, fruit ripening,…
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Quick ViewAn understanding of food demand and food trends across countries and the ability to predict potential shifts in demand for different food products is an invaluable tool for all individuals involved in the agricultural sector. In a 2003 report, International Evidence on Food Consumption Patterns, ERS and collaborating economists estimated income and price elasticities of…
