This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on biodiversity management practices in agriculture.The first chapter reviews biodiversity management practices and benefits in Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems. After looking at the importance of soil microorganisms, the chapter looks at how CA systems contribute to soil biological activity, particularly the way cover crops and rotations, with a no-till regime, can enrich soil and the multitude or...

Covers the theoretical framework underpinning biodiversity conservation in agriculture, as well as key developments in areas such as mapping and modelling diversityComprehensive review of the range of biodiversity conservation practices such as field margins, hedgerows, agroforestry and improved grassland managementIncludes case studies of successful biodiversity conservation programmes

A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world.The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there...

Biodiversity offers great potential for managing insect pests. It provides resistance genes and anti-insect compounds; a huge range of predatory and parasitic natural enemies of pests; and community ecology-level effects operating at the local and landscape scales to check pest build-up. This book brings together world leaders in theoretical, methodological and applied aspects to provide a comprehensive treatment of this fast-moving field.Chapter authors from Europe, Asia, Africa, ...

This book incorporates new insights and concepts in the hope of helping guide agricultural students, researchers, and practitioners to a deeper understanding of the ecology of agricultural systems that will open the doors to new management options with the objectives of sustainable agriculture.

Reviews key advances and best practice in cultivation techniques across the value chain of organic farmingDiscusses ways of monitoring and improving the environmental impact of organic crop productionParticular focus on ways of supporting organic farming in the developing world

Summarises current good agricultural practice in maize cultivation, from seed selection to nutrient management, conservation agriculture, rotations and intercropping;Reviews advances in understanding and managing diseases and pests such as viruses, nematodes and weeds;Discusses ways maize cultivation can be made more ‘climate smart’

Summarises current research on optimising CA system practices and their ecological, economic and social benefits.Elaborates on how CA systems make efficient use of production inputs such as water, nutrients, energy and addresses challenges in such areas as weed, insect pest and disease management.Reviews the central issues of improvement in yield, profitability and ecosystem services as well as climate change adaptability and mitigation in CA systems.

It is only recently that the immense economic value of pollination to agriculture has been appreciated. At the same time, the alarming collapse in populations of bees and other pollinators has highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue. This book focuses on the specific measures and practices that the emerging science of pollination ecology is identifying to conserve and promote animal pollinators in agroecosystems.It reviews the expanding knowledge base on pollination servic...

This book provides an up-to-date coverage of green (vegetated) roof research, design, and management from an ecosystem perspective. It reviews, explains, and poses questions about monitoring, substrate, living components and the abiotic, biotic and cultural aspects connecting green roofs to the fields of community, landscape and urban ecology. The work contains examples of green roof venues that demonstrate the focus, level of detail, and techniques needed to understand the structure, func...

Detailed coverage of the latest research on plant physiology, including flowering and pollination in trees, apple fruit development and ripening;Reviews current best practice in tree training, pruning and thinning operations, including the use of growth regulators and new areas such as mechanisation and automation;Discusses the range of fungal and viral diseases affecting apples

Comprehensive review of the effectiveness of particular agroforestry practices, from riparian forest buffers and filter strips, windbreaks and contour buffers to alley cropping, silvopasture and forest farmingSummarises current research on ecosystem services delivered by agroforestry, from promoting biodiversity and soil health to water quality and managementAssesses research on best practice in tree planting and management as well as optimising agroforestry produ...