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Optimizing soil moisture for plant production

The significance of soil porosity











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    Book (stand-alone)
    Organic recycling in Africa. Papers presented at the FAO/SIDA Workshop on the Use of Organic Materials as Fertilizers in Africa, Buea, Cameroon, 5-14 December 1977
    FAO Soils Bulletin 43
    1980
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    Policy makers as well as scientists have started to acquire an honest appreciation of the possibilities of reducing the wastage of materials which could be profitably utilized for improving or maintaining soil productivity. In addition, the great opportunities offered by making more efficient use of the potentials of biological nitrogen fixation in farming systems are now fully recognized. A number of recommendations and suggested guidelines were made by the various Working Groups during the t wo-week Workshop. These covered: 1- Cropping systems and crop residue management 2- Biological N-fixation 3- Research, training and extension. A central theme much emphasized at the Workshop was the fact that agricultural policy makers, technicians and scientists need to study more closely the basic practices of the small farmers so that proposal for the introduction of new systems could be easily understood, integrated and accepted by these farmers.
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    Soil survey investigations for irrigation
    FAO Soils Bulletin 42
    1979
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    The pressing need for increased agricultural production in the years ahead can only be met by more efficient use of our land and water resources including more widespread and better irrigation in those regions where rainfall is inadequate. Production gains will be shortlived unless the attendant hazards of salinization, water logging and lowered fertility are kept in check by effective planning and management based on a thorough understanding of the soil conditions. Soil survey and land classifi cation are generally accepted essential preliminaries to investment in irrigation development. This publication aims to describe the special requirements of soil survey for irrigation development, and assumes that the reader is familiar with basic soil science and soil survey techniques.
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    Application of nitrogen-fixing systems in soil improvement and management
    FAO Soils Bulletin No.49
    1982
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    In view of the continuing increase in cost and scarcity of mineral fertilizers resulting from the use of high-cost fossil energy, there is renewed interest in organic recycling and biological nitrogen-fixation to improve soil fertility and productivity. The workshop in Alexandria recommended the further promotion of research, development, application and dissemination of information available on various aspects of biological nitrogen-fixation, including symbiotic systems of rhizobia/legume and Azolla/blue-green algae, and free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and blue-green algae. It is hoped that the compilation of various aspects of nitrogen-fixation under one cover in this Bulletin will be of interest and assistance to research workers and extension planners concerned with the further development and refinement of these natural systems for soil improvement and management.

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