Water And Sustainable Agriculture (springerbriefs In Agriculture)

Irrigated agriculture, a vital component of general agriculture, supplies fruits, vegetables, and cereals consumed by humans and grains fed to animals. Consequently, agriculture is the largest user of fresh water globally, and irrigation practices in many parts of the world are biologically, economically, and socially unsustainable. Water management should balance the need for agricultural water and the need for a sustainable environment. Water-use efficiency is the prime challenge in worldwide farming practices where problems of water shortages are widespread. Currently, agriculture is undergoing significant changes in innovative irrigation, fertilizer technology, and agronomic expertise. These elements constitute a vital platform for sustainable agricultural success and for preventing environmental damage. This review presents several processes linked to environmental irrigation, balancing environmental protection with improved agricultural production--From publisher's description Cover 1 SpringerBriefs in Agriculture 2 Water and Sustainable Agriculture 4 ISBN 9789400720909 5 Contents 6 1 Water and Sustainable Agriculture 8 Abstract 8 1...Introduction 9 2...Water and Agriculture 13 2.1 Water Productivity in Rainfed Systems: Mediterranean Region 19 2.2 Rainwater-Harvesting Practices 31 2.3 Water-Use Efficiency 32 2.3.1 Estimating the Water-Use Efficiency 36 3...Water Resources and Sustainable Agriculture 40 4...Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change 44 5...Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture 47 5.1 Deficit Irrigation as a Sustainable Strategy for Optimising the Agricultural Use 50 5.1.1 Irrigation Scheduling 52 Weather Data 53 Soil--Water Content 55 Plant--Water Status 58 5.1.2 Impact of Deficit Irrigation on Water Productivity 63 Deciduous 64 Evergreen 66 Grapevines 69 Annual and Vegetable Crops 70 Maize 70 Cotton 70 Tomato 71 Potato 71 6...Conclusions 72 Acknowledgments 74 References 74 9400720904,9789400720909 Springer 2011