Agronomy is an integrative science and practice of sustainable crop production that draws on the principles of climatology, ecology, soil management, crop and weed sciences, genetics, entomology, plant pathology and economics. Agronomy, a core branch of Agriculture, affords scientific agricultural production strategies, such as how to sustain the productivity of soil, conservation and managing water resources, how to grow and care the crops in specific environments. Most of us believe that Agronomy is a field which is only related to the cultivation of field crops. Agronomy, which was only limited to field crop cultivation, has now integrated its role towards all allied sciences. Agronomy-based aspirants reach the most prestigious position in the nationwide public and private sectors and play a key role in serving society and the growth of the nation. The UPSC, ICAR (ARS, NET, SRF, JRF), SPSC, Staff Selection Commission (AO), banking and allied sectors, etc., announces frequent recruitments every year. If the aspirants have to be unforgettable with the fundamental concepts of agriculture, most specifically in Agronomy and allied sciences, they will easily crack all types of competitive examinations. For example, the two set of papers in the Agriculture Optional Syllabus in UPSC Mains, paper one alone covers 75 per cent of the syllabus that is related to Agronomy and allied sciences subjects, such as Ecology, climate change, GIS, Cropping systems, Weed Science, Introductory Forestry, Soil Fertility Management, Soil and Water Conservation, Irrigation Management, etc. It elucidates the importance of Agronomy for competitive exams. Further, these topics also help in qualifying M.Sc. (Ag) and Ph.D. Agronomy entrance exams. Even other subject holders also require Agronomy as an important subject to enrich their knowledge. The important pin-points related to all these topics are included in this book. This book’s goal is to enhance aspirant’s knowledge with upto-date agronomical and allied sciences scientific and technological information. Climate change and disaster management aspects mentioned in this book also help to the Aspirants well versed, which are significantly reliable with present-day agricultural production systems. The information mentioned in this book were obtained from a variety of resources, including reference books, web-searches, magazines, bulletins, monographs, published scientific articles, annual reports, etc., and the author acknowledges their due to those authors.
R. Rex Immanuel Ph.D. was born in an agrarian village of Nesarpuram, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. He did his M.Sc. (Agri.) in 1999, and Ph.D. (Agronomy) with research area entitled ‘Agronomic Strategies and Use of Multipurpose Trees for Rehabilitation of Degraded lands in the Coastal Agroecosystem of Tamil Nadu’, 2009 from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. He has qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by ICAR-ASRB in 2004. His current position is Assistant Professor in Agronomy, Annamalai University and has 20 years of experience in Academic, Research and Extension. He has been teaching courses on Agricultural Meteorology, Agroforestry, Rainfed Farming, Cropping and Farming Systems, Climate Change and Disaster Management to under-graduate/post-graduate students. His current area of research is Coastal Agro-ecosystem Management. He has authored books, book chapters, and published significant number ofresearch articles in reputed national and international journals. He has also received Outstanding Agronomist Award in 2019.
1. General Agriculture .......................................................................... 1
2. Agro-climatology and Remote Sensing ....................................... 27
3. Soils ..................................................................................................125
4. Crop Physiology ............................................................................141
5. Tillage and Farm Machinery .......................................................159
6. Agronomy of Field Crops ............................................................171
Cereals .............................................................................................171
Nutri-cereals ...................................................................................217
Pulses ...............................................................................................223
Oilseeds ...........................................................................................233
Tuber crops .....................................................................................250
Sugar and Bio-fuel crops ..............................................................256
Fibre crops.......................................................................................268
Narcotics .........................................................................................282
Fodder and pasture crops ............................................................286
7. Rainfed Agriculture and Watershed Management ................293
8. Cropping and Farming Systems .................................................311
9. Forest Resource Management and Agro-forestry ...................339
10. Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrient Management.........................387
11. Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming .......................435
12. Water Management ......................................................................485
13. Weed Management .......................................................................537
14. Problematic Soils and Their Management ................................583
15. Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation .....................601
16. Disaster Management...................................................................635
17. Agricultural Experimental Design and Analysis ....................673
Annexures
(i) Agriculture/Forestry Related Institutions & Organizations ..........................................................................689
(ii) Conversion Factors .................................................................719
(iii) Popular Reference Books and Journals ...............................723
