Books published by American Society of Agronomy

Completely devoted to applicati on of models to opti mize the use of limited water and nutrients in various climates, this collecti on will inspire confi dence in the capacity of modeling to tackle the biggest threats to secure agriculture. To obtain the most producti on from available water while maintaining natural resources, we need whole system-based quanti tati ve knowledge and tools to help select appropriate crops and manage water and associated inputs on a site-specifi c basis under changing climate. Site-specifi c experimental results are available for limited locati ons, limited periods of ti me, and limited management opti ons. Well-tested process models of cropping systems can extend fi eld research results to long-term weather conditi ons, as well as other climates and soils, allowing us to explore new management opti ons. The case studies in this volume are promising examples of these kinds of soluti ons.

Aflatoxin contamination represents a serious threat to a healthy food supply. Resulting from mold on corn, peanuts, and other grains and grain products, aflatoxins are extremely toxic. Understanding the nature of fungi infection and the factors that favor aflatoxin formation is important to grain producers, dealers, and other professionals who control grain from the field to the site of consumption to prevent serious loss of large quantities of grain or grain products. Producers of poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs, and even pet food need to be aware of the threat of aflatoxin. Participants in the grain industry who grow, store, or process corn and other grains subject to potential infection by aflatoxin should be aware of the risks of fungal infection and aflatoxin contamination, and proper management strategies. The authors focus on the binding of aflatoxin in animal feeds by employing calcium smectite. Readers will be especially glad to know that aflatoxin can often be controlled with a natural mineral material to bind aflatoxin in animal feeds at a modest cost.--

Research progress in soil-root growth interactions has been slow due to the relative inaccessibility of roots in their natural environment and because root research cuts across the boundaries of soil science, ecology, crop science, and plant physiology, among others. Enhancing Understanding and Quantification of Soil-Root Growth Interactions takes on this challenge to solve society's growing problems in the conservation of quality water and soil resources. Researchers must come together and leverage our understanding of the rhizosphere to maximize efficient, sustainable use of limited water and soil nutrient resources. This is a serious calling--from addressing the critical needs in nations who cannot afford costly fertilizers, to the global challenge of enhancing soil carbon storage to reduce climate change effects of elevated carbon dioxide. This book brings together scientists from different disciplines, worldwide, together to encourage synthesis of transdisciplinary knowledge and further research and developments in the area of root-soil interactions.

The new graduate student must select a graduate committee, plan course work, find an original research topic, and design a research plan that ultimately leads to a defensible thesis or series of publishable research articles. Whether a graduate student plans a research career or not, he or she typically must complete an original, independent, analytical study, even though few beginning students know how or where to begin. A little help would be good, right? This process-oriented manual holds the fundamentals students in the sciences need to trek the graduate school path--it is their "backpack." Open it and see what it can do for you.

Generalized Linear Mixed Models in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences provides readers with an understanding and appreciation for the design and analysis of mixed models for non-normally distributed data. It is the only publication of its kind directed specifically toward the agricultural and natural resources sciences audience. Readers will especially benefit from the numerous worked examples based on actual experimental data and the discussion of pitfalls associated with incorrect analyses.

If more than half of the Earth's people live in cities and the amount of paved surfaces in the United States is equivalent to the area of Ohio, shouldn't our sciences thrive in the city? Urban Ecosystem Ecology takes on the important task of reconciling environmental sciences with the world's growing urbanization. From wildlife to water, from urban agriculture to low-impact development, we need a better understanding of the urban ecosystem.

Grass: the 1948 yearbook of agriculture: Washington, D.C., U.S. Dept of Agriculture, included on CD-ROM.

Among crop nutrients, nitrogen has the most complex chemistry and behavior in soil, gives the largest yield responses, and is the most difficult to manage. Managing Nitrogen in Crop Production condenses the latest research and thinking from leading experts in nitrogen. The result will increase your understanding of nitrogen and your odds of managing it successfully.

In the 8th book of Dr. Ahuja's innovative "Advances in Agricultural Systems Modeling" series, authors give a look into the future of climatesmart agricultural systems, emphasizing the integration of soil, weather, vegetation and management information to predict relevant agro-ecosystem processes. Expansion of data availability, improvement of sensors, and computational power have opened opportunities in modeling and exploration of management impact. Authors give a background on model development and explain soil, plant, and climate processes and their interactions that encompass the wide range of applications of simulation models to address challenges in managing our resources and complex agricultural systems.