University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore

This book is mainly intended for the agronomy courses of graduate students in the field of agriculture. It is clear that young students are suffering from cultural shocks to shift from their environment. Semester system of education of B. Sc. (Ag) students are quite dynamic for which the students are to be helped for changeover. We can identify their difficulties for languages, non-availability of textbooks for their semester system. There is a need to use simple language. This book is written in simple understandable language dealing with various subject matters of agronomy. The courses included in this book are principles of agronomy, agro-meteorology, dry land agriculture, weed management, water management, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, farming systems, watershed management and conservation agriculture. This book has been prepared with a specific purpose of importing complete comprehensive information about agronomy and i hope that the students and readers will find this with much utility.

Includes bibliographical references and subject index.

Introduction to agronomy : Agro-climatic zones of India -- National and international agricultural research institutes in India -- Classification of crops -- Soil and it components -- Tillage -- Cultivation practices -- Factors affecting crop production or crop growth -- Seeds and sowing -- Crop stand establishment -- Essential plant nutrients -- Manures -- Commercial fertilizers -- Plant density and crop geometry -- Cropping systems -- Harvesting and postharvest operations -- Agro-meteorology : An introduction to meteorology -- Weather and climate -- Solar radiation -- Atmospheric temperature -- Air pressure -- Atmospheric humidity -- Weather forecasting -- Weather disaster management -- Dryland agriculture : Dryland agriculture : an introduction -- Dryland climate and crop production -- Drought -- Tillage and sowing in drylands -- Soil and water conservation -- Fertilizer use in drylands -- Cropping systems in drylands -- Weed management : Weed -- Weed biology and ecology -- Weed control methods -- Herbicides -- Adjuvants -- Selectivity of herbicides -- Mode of action of herbicides -- Herbicides in the environment -- Herbicide compatibility -- Herbicide resistance in weeds -- Weed shift and management of weeds under No-till systems --Allelopathy -- water management : Water resources & irrigation development in India -- Classification of soil water -- Absorption and movement of water in soil -- Methods of soil moisture estimation -- Evaporation, transpiration and evapo-transpiration -- Water requirement and irrigation requirement -- Scheduling of irrigation -- Methods of irrigation -- Drip irrigation -- Irrigation efficiently and frequency of irrigation -- Quality of irrigation water -- Drainage -- Definitions & terms used in irrigation -- Farming systems : Introduction to farming system -- Classification of farming systems -- Components of farming systems -- Farming systems research -- Sustainable agriculture : Sustainable agriculture -- Natural resources management -- Integrated pest management -- Integrated nutrient manage men -- Irrigation & rain water management -- Terminologies -- Organic farming : Organic farming -- Developments and state of organic farming -- Organic production requirements -- Crop management in organic farming -- Compost -- Poultry manure -- Green manure -- Vermicompost -- Biofertizers -- Panchagavya -- Biodynamic farming -- Pest management in organic farming -- Organic standards -- Watershed management : Watershed management -- Introduction to runoff -- Components of watershed management programme -- Principles of soil and water conservation -- Watershed development programme -- Integrated watershed development programme -- rain water harvesting and artificial recharge to ground water -- Conservation agriculture : Conservation agriculture -- Requirements of conservation agriculture -- Requirements of conservation agriculture -- Conservation agriculture for sustaining resources in rainfed areas.