Nutrient Deficiencies Of Field Crops: Guide To Diagnosis And

Description: Nutrient imbalance in soils is an emerging threat to sustainable agriculture: intensive cultivation, use of poor quality groundwater, depletion of soil organic matter and excessive use of fertilizers are major reasons for poor soil fertility worldwide. This necessitates correct diagnosis of plant nutrient deficiencies to avoid further use of pesticides in cases where pests or pathogens that are not in fact the cause of poor crop health. Richly illustrated with 600 colour photographs, this book is a visual field identification guide for symptoms of most common nutrient deficiencies in field crops, covering all their stages of occurrence. Detailed descriptions and suggested for management practices are given with each entry.



Contents: Preface Chapter 1 - Introduction to Plant Nutrition Chapter 2 - How to Identify Plant Nutrient deficiencies in Field Conditions PART I - Nutrient Deficiencies in Cereal Crops Maize (Zea mays Linn.) Rice (Oryza sativa Linn.) Sorghum ( Sorghum vulgare Pers.) Pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides Burm.f) Wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn.) Barley (Hordeum vulgare Linn.) PART II - Nutrient Deficiencies in Pulse Crop Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan Linn.) Greengram (Vigna radiata Linn.) Blackgram (Phaseolus mungo var. Radiatus Linn.) Cowpea (Vigna sinensis Linn.) Cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub) Chickpea (Cicer arietinum Linn.) Kidneybean (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn.) Lentil (Lense ulinaris Medik.) Pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense Linn.) PART III - Nutrient Deficiencies in Oilseed Crops Castor (Ricinus communis Linn.) Sesame (Sesamum indicum Linn.) Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius Linn.) Sunflower (Helianthus annuus Linn.) Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea Linn.) Soybean (Glycine max Linn.) Mustard (Brassica campestris Linn.) PART IV - Nutrient Deficiencies in Cash Crops Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum Linn.) Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum Linn.) PART V - Nutrient Deficiencies in Tuber Crops Potato (Solanum tuberosum Linn.) Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Linn.) PART VI - Nutrient Deficiencies in Fodder Crops Lucerne or Alfalfa (Medicago sativa Linn.)



Author Biography: Prakash Kumar is Principal Scientist, District Agriculture Office, India Manoj Kumar Sharma is a scientist at the Department of Agriculture, India