This book provides insights into recent developments in the use of mulching in agroecosystems with emphasis on the major pros and cons. Increase in human population, climatic changes and agricultural intensification have put enormous pressure on soil and water resources. As a result, we are confronted with challenges to enhance nutrient and water use efficiencies and conserve soil organic matter without compromising crop yields and food security. Increasing the soil organic matter (SOM) via residue return increased nutrient availability and soil physical and biological properties. Management practices, such as straw mulching or incorporation, have significant effects on soil health. Straw addition also increases functionality related to carbon and N metabolism via increasing the microbes and thus greatly contributes to CO2 and N2O emissions. However, the co-use of organic and inorganic fertilizer reduces the N2O emission without compromising crop yield. Mulching has long been advocated to conserve soil moisture and increase the efficiency of macro- and micro-nutrients by improving soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. These effects of mulch are translated into better crop yields while improving soil health and quality in the long run. Therefore, the use of mulching techniques is on the rise in organic as well as conventional agriculture. The book is of great interest for researchers, academics, agriculture extensionists, soil and plant scientist, fertilizer industry, farmers, agro-industrial workers, farm managers, NGOs, and climate and civil society activists.
Chapter 1. Effects of mulches on soil physical properties i.e. porosity,
aggregate stability, infiltration rates, bulk density, compaction.
Chapter
2. Mulching and soil erosion.
Chapter
3. Effects of mulching on soil
chemical, biological and enzymatic activities.
Chapter
4. Mulching and soil
biota.
Chapter
5. Effects of mulches on soil moisture conservations,
evapotranspiration and water use efficiency.
Chapter
6. Effects of mulching
on soil organic carbon dynamics.
Chapter
7. Effects of mulches on mineral
fertilizer (N, P & K) management and fertilizer use efficiency.
Chapter
8.
Mulching to manage drought stress.
Chapter
9. Interactions of mulches with
inorganic and organic fertilizers i.e. manures, biochar, bio-fertilizers.-
Chapter
10. Organic vs synthetic i.e. plastic mulches.
Chapter
11. Mulches
in rain-fed vs irrigated agroecosystems.
Chapter
12. Mulching and tillage
practices effects on soil and plants.
Chapter
13. Mulching, soil quality and
health.
Chapter
14. Mulches and abiotic stresses i.e. heavy metals,
salinity, pesticides.
Chapter 15. Effects of mulching on crop growth,
productivity and yield.
Chapter
16. Mulches for management of diseases and
weeds in crops.
Chapter
17. Mulching and plant physiological attributes
under abiotic stress i.e. drought, salinity, heavy metal etc.
Chapter
18.
Mulching and plant-water relations.
Chapter
19. Mulching and nutrient use
efficiencies in plants.
Chapter
20. Agronomic and economic valuation of
mulches.
Chapter 21. Effects of mulching on soil and air temperature.-
Chapter
22. Effect of mulches on greenhouse gas emissions i.e. CO2, N2O and
CH4.
Chapter
23. Response of mulching in combination with inorganic
fertilizer on agroecosystem.
Chapter
24. Role of mulching in global warming
potential and greenhouse gas intensity.
Dr. Kashif Akhtar now is Postdoctoral Researcher in College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China. His main research interests are soil quality & stabilization, predicting the effects of environmental changes on the soil and plant health, sustainable crop production, GHG emission, plant-soil-microbe interactions, C stocks, waste management, and C3/C4 vegetation shift.
Dr. Muhammad Arif is Professor/Director Farms, Department of Agronomy, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. His research areas of interests are seed priming, crop nutrition and dual purpose crops, and use of biochar as soil amendment.
Dr. Muhammad Riaz is Associate Professor at Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan. His main research interests are biogeochemical carbon and nitrogen cycling under changing climate and land use in agroecosystems; biochar for carbon sequestration, organic matter stabilization, and food security; sustainable soil quality management using multiple and multiscale approaches.
Dr. Haiyan Wang is Associate Professor at College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University. Her main research interests are pesticide and environmental chemistry.
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