Environment and Crop Production

There is an urgent need for new approaches or management systems that are multi-objective and integrate new objectives such as quality of produce and cultivation, growing or production methods, quality of the abiotic environment, landscape and nature values into the old objectives. For example, growth of the world fertilizer industry has increasingly been affected by grave concerns, such as environmental pollution and increment in energy consumption, which in many cases have a negative impact on food products and consumer health. In fact, water stress during intensive growth of crops causes inhibition of physiological processes, such as nutrient transport, and hence decreases yield and affects quality performance. For example, limited resources of water in some regions has forced us to seek other sources, such as saline water, for irrigation of crops. Additional benefits of the application of correct fertilizer doses include improved soil protection and environment protection in general and prevention of contamination of soil and groundwater with nitrites. The book is a compilation of articles on various issues, presented at the workshop on the Influence of Environment on Growth, Production, Physiology and Disease of Crops was held at the University of Helsinki, Finland, December 2000. The main focus of the book is a review of the environmental factors influencing the growth, development and production of food crops grown under various conditions. New information on these issues is still relatively scarce. The book should be useful to scientists, researchers, students or experts dealing with agronomy, plant physiology, plant nutrition, plant pathology and crop cultivation.