Ecological Principles of Agriculture / Edition 1

by Laura Powers, Robert McSorley

Overview

Ecological Principles of Agriculture will help you understand the ecological principles operating in any agricultural system. Everyone from specialists in specific areas of agricultural to extension personnel and hobbyists, will find it invaluable as a general overview of ecological principles, especially as they relate to agricultural design, management and problem-solving. Without discussing every different type of agricultural practice (an impossible task), users will obtain insight into how to apply ecological principles in very specific situations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780766806535
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	12/28/1999
Series:	Agriculture Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	456
Product dimensions:	7.98(w) x 8.66(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO AGROECOLOGY. THE AGRICULTURAL FIELD AS AN ECOSYSTEM: Carbon and Energy in the Agroecosystem. Community Ecology. Nutrient Recycling and Decomposition. ADAPTATIONS OF ORGANISMS TO THE ECOSYSTEM: Physical Factors and the Agroecosystem. Growth and Dynamics of Populations. Niches and Competition. Adaptation of Plant Cultivars. ABUNDANCE IN THE ECOSYSTEM: Predation and Parasitism. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: Agricultural Pests. Principles of Pest Management. MONOCULTURE VS POLYCULTURE: Agriculture in the Landscape. Cropping Systems. CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES: Conservation of Nutrients. Water Conservation and the Politics of Irrigation. Energy Conservation and Animal Agriculture. HUMAN POPULATION AND IMPACT: Political and Socioeconomic Issues of Agroecology. Issues in Tropical Agriculture. Human Population Growth.