Sustainable Crop Production

Declining soil quality due to continuous use of chemical fertilizers is commonplace throughout Southern Asia. Sustainable approaches are required to reverse this trend to ensure food security for coming generations. One potential solution to halt this decline and increase crop yield on sustainable basis is the implementation of integrated nutrient management whereby inorganic fertilizers are added together with organic fertilizers sources. These organic materials, however, are often quickly broken down in soil and provide only a transitory improvement in soil quality. Biochar, which can potentially persist in soil for centuries, may offer a more permanent solution to this problem. This book elaborates a comprehensive research-based study to be adopted for improving soil quality and maize crop yield on sustainable basis using an integrated nutrients management approach.