Preface
1. Edaphology and Edaphic Properties
1.1 Soil as
a Natural Body
1.2 Edaphic factors
1.2.1 Physical factors
1.2.1.1 Soil texture
1.2.1.2 Soil structure
1.2.1.3 Soil depth
1.2.1.4 Soil compaction
1.2.1.5 Porosity
1.2.1.6 Soil water
1.2.1.7 Soil Air
1.2.1.8 Soil temperature
1.3 Chemical
factors
1.3.1 Soil organic matter
1.3.2 Soil pH
1.3.3 Cation Exchange Capacity
(CEC)
1.3.4 Base saturation
1.3.5. Essential elements
1.3.6. Soluble salts
1.4
Biological factors
1.4.1 Decomposers
1.4.2 Grazers and predators
1.4.3 Litter transformers
1.4.4 Mutualists
1.4.5 Pathogens, parasites, and
root feeders
2. Solar Energy in Relation to Plant Growth
2.1 Importance of Solar Energy
2.2 Energy interaction
2.2.1 Kirchhoff’s Law
2.2.2 Planck’s law
2.2.3 Stefan-Boltzmann Law
2.2.4 Wein’s Displacement Law
2.3 Spectral Distribution of Solar Radiation
2.4 Photosynthetically Active Radiation
(PAR)
3. Environmental Factors in Growth Process
3.1 Water
3.2 Temperature
3.2.1 Temperature and
Photosynthesis
3.2.2 Application of Day time
temperature in Crop Development Analyses
3.3 Light
3.3.1 Quality of light
3.3.2 Duration of light
3.3.3 Light Intensities
4. Modification of Environmental
Factor for Plant Growth
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Forms of environmental
modifications
4.2.1 Selection of appropriate
crops, species and varieties
4.2.2 Alteration of sowing dates
to escape the stress
4.2.3 Changing of plant
population and field orientation
4.2.4 Crop rotation
4.2.5 Tillage practices
4.2.6 Planting methods
4.2.7 Inter-cropping
4.2.8 Soil moisture conservation
4.2.9 Shelter belts or wind
breaks
4.3 Achievement through short term modifications
4.3.1 Controlling heat load
4.3.2 Water balance
4.3.3 Solar Radiation
4.4 Long term strategies
5. Different Stress on Crop Growth
5.1 The mechanics of water uptake
5.2 Soil Water
5.3 Soil Moisture and its retention in soil
5.3.1 Kinds of water
5.3.2 Surface tension
5.3.3 Viscosity
5.3.4 Capillarity
5.4 Energy concept of soil water
5.4.1 Definition of Total soil
water potential
5.4.1.1 Gravity Potential
5.4.1.2 Pressure/Capillary/ matric potential
5.4.1.3 Osmotic potential
5.5 Soil Moisture Tension
5.6 Soil Moisture Constants
5.7 Soil Moisture Characteristics Curve
5.8 Measurement of Soil Moisture retention
5.8.1 Pressure plate pressure
membrane apparatus
5.8.2 Tensiometers
5.8.3 Soil moisture sensors
(Time Domain reflectometry, TDR)
5.8.4 Neutron scattering
6. Thermodynamics
6.1 Basics of Thermodynamics
6.2 Soil as a thermodynamic System
6.3 Thermodynamic Processes in Soil
6.4 Thermodynamic Potentials
6.5 Thermodynamic Relationships
6.5.1 The Maxwell Relations
6.5.2 The Euler Equation
6.5.3 The Gibbs-Duhem Equation
7. Evapo-transpiration &
Crop-Coefficient
7.1 Evapotranspiration
7.2 Determination of Evapotranspiration
7.2.1 Lysimeter
7.2.2 Installation of Lysimeter
7.2.3 Weighing Precision
7.2.4 Drum Culture Technique
7.3 Evapo-transpiration Models
7.4 Development of Reference Evapo-transpiration
Model
7.5
Penman-Monteith Method and its Calculation procedure
7.6 Step by Step Computation of Parameters in P-M
Equation (Zotarelli et al. 2010)
8. Drought Indices for Drought
Characterization
8.1 Introduction
8.2
Classification of drought
8.2.1 Meteorological Drought
8.2.2 Hydrological Drought
8.2.3 Agricultural Drought
8.2.4 Socio-economic Drought
8.3
Meteorological Drought Indices
8.3.1 Percent Normal
Precipitation (PNP)
8.3.2 National Rainfall Index
8.3.3 Deciles
8.3.4 Standardized Precipitation
Index (McKee et al. 1993)
8.3.5 Reconnaissance Drought
Index (RDI)
8.3.6 Bhalme and Mooly Drought
Index (BMDI)
8.4
Hydrological Drought Indices
8.4.1 Surface Water Supply Index
(SWSI)
8.4.2 Palmer hydrological
drought index (PHDI) (Karl, 1986)
8.4.3 Palmer Drought Severity
Index (PDSI)
8.4.4 Reclamation Drought Index
(RDI) (Weghorst, 1996)
8.4.5 Stream flow drought index
8.5 Agricultural Drought Indices
8.5.1 Crop moisture index (CMI)
(Palmer 1968)
8.5.2 Soil Moisture Drought
Index (SMDI) (Hollinger et al. 1993)
8.5.3 Crop Specific Drought
Index (CSDI) (Meyer and Hubbard 1995)
8.5.4 Vegetation Condition Index
(VCI) (Liu and Kogan 1996)
8.6 Socio-Economic Drought Index
8.6.1
Multivariate Standardized Reliability and Resilience Index (MSRRI)
(Mehran et al. 2015)
8.7 Drought prediction and forecasting
8.7.1 Goodness of fit
8.7.2 Return period
8.7.3 Confidence limit
9. Soil-Plant-Atmospheric Continuum
10. Controlled and Protected Cultivation
10.1 What is greenhouse?
10.2 Green house effect
10.3. Advantages of greenhouse
10.4. Requirement of Green House Environment for
Crop Growth
10.4.1 Light
10.4.2 Role of light
10.4.3 Artificial source of
light
10.4.4 Selection of light source
10.4.4.1
Incandescent
10.4.4.2 Fluorescent
10.4.4.3 High Intensity Discharge Lamps
10.4.4.4 Light Emitting Diode (LED)
10.4.4.5 Air composition
10.5 Factors affecting CO2 uptake
10.5.1 CO2 enrichment
10.5.2 Methods for enrichment
10.6 Temperature
10.7 Humidity
10.8 Types of Greenhouse
10.8.1 Classification Based on
Shape
10.8.1.1 Lean-to Type
10.8.1.2 Gable Even Type
10.8.1.3 Uneven Span Type
10.8.1.4 Quonset type
10.8.1.5 Ridge and Furrow Type
10.8.1.6 Saw tooth Type
10.8.2 Classification Based on
Type of Climate Control
10.9 Types of Cooling system
10.9.1 Passive Cooling
10.9.1.1 Natural draft cooling
10.9.1.2 Forced convections
10.9.1.3 Nocturnal radiation cooling
10.9.1.4 Cooling by night convection
10.9.2 Active Cooling System
10.9.2.1 Roof evaporative cooling
10.9.2.2 Pad-fan cooling system
10.9.2.3 Foggers
10.9.2.4 Movable screens (shading)
10.10 Green House Heating
10.10.1 Types of Heating System
10.10.1.1 Passive Heating System
10.10.1.2 Conventional Methods
10.10.1.3 Active Heating System
11. Design
and Construction of Green House
11.1 Site selection
11.2 Layout
11.3 Orientation
11.4 Different loads on green house
11.4.1 Dead load
11.4.2 Live load
11.4.3 Snow Load
11.4.4 Wind Load
11.5 Construction of Greenhouse
11.5.1 Foundations
11.5.2 Floors
11.5.3 Frames
11.6 Structural components of a greenhouse
11.6.1 Hoops
11.6.2 Foundation pipes
11.6.3 End frame
11.6.4 Lateral support
11.6.5 Polygrip assembly
11.7 Cladding Materials and their Properties
11.7.1 Glass
11.7.2 Acrylic
11.7.3 Polycarbonate
11.7.4 Fibre glass reinforced
plastic panels (FRP)
11.7.5 Polythene
11.7.6 Polyvinyl Fluoride film
11.8 Electrical requirements
11.9 Water requirements
11.10 Instrumentation
11.10.1 Air Temperature
Measurement
11.10.2 Radiation Measuring
Instrument
11.10.3 Photosynthesis Analyzer
11.10.4 Humidity measurement
11.10.5 Leaf Area Index (LAI)
Measurements
11.11 Errors and Uncertainties in measurement micro
climate within the green house
12. Hydroponics: Soil less Cultivation
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Types of Hydroponics System
12.2.1 Standing aerated nutrient
solution
12.2.2 Nutrient Film Technique
(NFT)
12.2.3 Ebb and Flow Nutrient
Solution System
12.2.4 Capillary System
12.2.5 Raft System
12.2.6 Drip System
12.3 Growing Media
12.3.1 Coco-peat
12.3.2 Perlite
12.3.3 Vermiculite
12.3.4 Lightweight Expanded Clay
Aggregate (LECA)
12.3.5 Rockwool
12.3.6 Sand and Gravel Culture
12.4 Nutrient Management in Hydroponics
13. Crop Growth Models
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Modelling Concept
13.3 Types of Models
13.4 Stages of Model Formulation
13.5 Forrester Diagram
13.6 Importance of Crop Growth Models
13.7 Crop Growth Models
13.8 Radiation Use Efficiency
13.9 Status of Crop Growth Models
14. Climate change and its effect on Crop production
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Crop response to Climate Change
14.2.1 Temperature
14.2.2 Carbon dioxide (CO2)
14.2.3 Solar Radiation
14.2.4 Precipitation
14.3 Extreme Conditions
14.4 Indirect Climate Change Effects
14.5 Livestock Response to Climate Change
14.6 Effects of Climate Change on Soil and Water
14.7 Adaptation Options
14.8 Crop Growth Models
14.9 Effect of Projected Climate Change on Crops
through Crop Growth Model
Refrences
Abbreviation
Subject Index
