The Ecology of Tropical Food Crops

by M. J. T. Norman, C. J. Pearson, P. G. E. Searle

Overview

In tropical developing countries farmers tend to grow a wide range of crops in a small area for subsistence or sale. To make full use of often limited resources, a good understanding of how environmental conditions affect the characteristics and performance of these crops is essential. This book considers the response of tropical food crops to environmental factors such as climate, soil and farming system. Three types of crop are considered: cereals, legumes and non-cereal energy crops, with individual chapters on the four most important crops in each group. This material is set in context by introductory chapters on tropical farming systems, tropical climates and tropical soils. This new, updated edition retains the successful formula of the first edition while placing additional emphasis on tropical environmental conservation. It will serve the needs of advanced students of tropical agriculture, as well as professionals engaged in research and extension work in tropical crop production.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521422642
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/18/1995
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	444
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Part I. General: 1. Tropical cropping systems; 2. Tropical crop/climate relations; 3. Tropical crop/soil relations; Part II. Cereals: 4. Cereals in tropical agriculture; 5. Rice (Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima); 6. Maize (Zea mays); 7. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor); 8. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum); Part III. Legumes: 9. Crop legumes in tropical agriculture; 10. Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea); 11. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris); 12. Soybean (Glycine max); 13. Chick pea (Cicer arietinum); Part IV. Non-Cereal Energy Crops: 14. Non-cereal energy crops in tropical agriculture; 15. Cassava (Manihot esculenta); 16. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas); 17. Yams (Dioscorea species); 18. Bananas (Musa species); References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...an excellent book, especially timely in view of the recent burgeoning interest in agroecosystem ecology." John Vandermeer, The Quarterly Review of Biology

"...written authoritatively and is excellent." Julia F. Morton, Economic Botany

"...a wealth of concisely-written information that will be particularly valuable for specialists and more experienced readers....well written, information is fully referenced." R. W. Willey, Experimental Agriculture

"...a good reference book for beginners in crop ecology and provides useful background material for advanced students of tropical agriculture." Proserpina L. Gomez, Quarterly Review of Biology

"This is a carefully crafted edition in which the analysis is handsomely amplified, illustrated, and clarified with a splendid variety of diagrammatic representations and graphical data useful for the serious researcher. Researchers with backgrounds in the natural sciences would discover in this work a superb knowledge base....The authors deserve acclaim for a well-executed scholarly piece." Agricultural History

"This book is a useful and valuable source of tropical food production and palnt growth information for educators, libraries, government officials, agricultural producers, agricultural scientists, and ecologists." Douglas D. Malo, Journal of Natural Resources (Life Science Education)

"...the analysis is handsomely amplified, illustrated, and clarified with a splendid variety of diagrammatic representations and graphical data useful for the serious researcher." Francis Danquah, Agricultural History

"I found the book to be well organized and easy to follow with a tremendous range of sources of materials in the references from journals, books, international center publications, proceedings of symposia, etc..." Ingvar Ohlsson, Field Crops Research

From the Publisher