Tab Article
This book presents an overview of all aspects of modern agricultural practices. Agricultural Chemistry is involved in the production, protection, and use of crops and livestock. Agricultural chemistry must be considered within the context of the soil ecosystem in which living and nonliving components interact in complicated cycles that are critical to all living things. Soil organisms, in turn, promote organic carbon degradation and catalyze the release of nutrients required for plant growth. The stability and productivity of agricultural ecosystems rely on efficient functioning of these and other processes, whereby carbon and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are recycled. Humaninduced perturbations to the system, such as those that occur with pesticide or fertilizer application, alter ecosystem processes, sometimes with negative environmental consequences. The aim of this book is to provide a coverage of information to control and understand the processes by which humans obtain food and fiber for them-selves and feed for their animals; that includes all the life processes through which food and fiber are obtained for humans and theirs animals, and control of these processes to increase yields, improve quality, and reduce costs.
