Richard Bell

This book will address the major subsoil physical and chemical constraints and their implications to crop production. Plant growth is often restricted by adverse physical and chemical properties of subsoils yet these limitations are not revealed by testing surface soils and hence their significance in crop management is often overlooked. The major constraints can be physical or chemical. Physical limitations such as poor/nil subsoil structure, sandy subsoils that do not provide adequate water or gravelly subsoils and, etc. On the other hand, chemical constraints include acidity/alkalinity, high extractable Al or Mn, low nutrient availability, salts, boron toxicity and pyritic subsoils. Some of these constraints are inherent properties of the soil profile while others are induced by crop and soil management practices. This aim of this book is to define the constraints and discuss amelioration practices and benefits for crop production. This book will be of interest to readers involved with agriculture and soil sciences in laboratory, applied or classroom settings.

This book is written for practitioners and stakeholders in the fertiliser industry and for policy makers whose decisions may impact on the use of micronutrients in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. The aim of the book is to explain the growing importance of micronutrients in balanced fertilisation, to consider the micronutrient fertiliser types that are currently available and how to best use them, to assess the current market and prospects for micronutrient fertilisers, and to discuss the policy, regulatory and quality control framework needed to maximize the benefits from using micronutrient fertilisers.

These proceedings summarize the outcomes of the Inception Workshop of ACIAR Project SMCN/2005/001, entitled "Addressing constraints to pulses in cereals-based cropping systems, with particular reference to poverty alleviation in north-western Bangladesh". The Project uses methodologies intended to hasten transfer of technology to the target resource-poor farming communities. These methodologies include on-farm research and development, business development services, whole family training and farmer field school approaches; brief descriptions of these methodologies are included. Activities proposed for the 2006-07 season are presented under the four objectives of the Project: • Promotion of chickpea in the High Barind Tract • Expansion of cultivation of chickpea and lentil in northern Rajshahi Division • Mechanization of sowing of pulses using power tiller attachments • Fertilizer placement studies. Currently recommended integrated crop management (ICM) packages for lentil and chickpea are presented. Plans for conduct of demonstrations of this ICM technology are outlined and on-farm trials to examine some nutrient components of these packages are specified (effects of method of Rhizobium inoculation and response to Mo, Band lime application). The present state of development of seeder attachments for power tillers is described. As the project requires interaction of multiple partners, guidelines for management and coordination of the Project are elaborated.

This book comprises the contributions of the international workshop Boron 2001 which was aimed at gathering all relevant information on recent developments in boron research in soils, plants, animal and men over the past years. Review articles and original contributions deal with both applied and basic aspects in this area, comprising topics such as methods for B determination, the physiological functions of boron in plant and animal metabolism, including use of 10B for diagnostic purposes and cancer treatment. Genetic and molecular aspects of boron efficiency and tolerance to toxic levels in plants and the early physiological reactions to boron deprivation are further important topics of this volume. The role of boron for reproductive development is dealt with in further contributions. Furthermore, improved methods for the diagnosis of the available boron status in soils, plants appropriate timing and leaf fertilizer application are addressed. Special emphasis is given in the contributions to highlight the most recent developments in the aforementioned areas.