Various Authors

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the range of cultural and physical weed control methods. The first chapter summarises the range of cultural techniques used to control weeds in Conservation Agriculture systems. The chapter also discusses the effects of these practices on weed seedbanks, space occupation, competition for resources and weed population density. The second chapter provides an overview of physical weed control (PWC), focussing on its aims, principles and mechanisms of mortality. The chapter also highlights the influence of tool choice on the efficacy and selectivity of PWC practices. The third chapter reviews flame weeding requirements, the mechanism by which it reduces weeds and the potential uses of the technique. The chapter also considers the advantages and disadvantages of flame weeding, including its potential environmental impacts. The fourth chapter explores the variety of thermal weed control techniques, such as hot water/steam treatment and laser technology. The chapter also evaluates their efficacy, energy consumption and impact on soil health and crop safety. The final chapter highlights recent advancements in mechanical weed control technologies, focussing on novel inventions and the development of mechanical devices for full-width cultivation, inter-row cultivation and intra-row cultivation.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on improving nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE).The first chapter provides an overview of the recent advances in optimising NUE in crop production, focussing on broadacre cereals and oilseeds. The chapter also addresses the impact of underfertilisation and overfertilisation on crop yield, grain quality and profit.The second chapter outlines recent advances in understanding nitrogen (N) cycling in soil, as well as the main issues researchers and farmers are presented with when attempting to optimise productivity while minimising environmental impacts.The third chapter considers the ways in which molecular interventions can be used to optimise crop NUE in rice and how these interventions can contribute towards producing rice genotypes with high yields at low N-inputs.The fourth chapter reviews the principal mechanisms of N-uptake and efficient capture by crop root systems. The chapter also details the impact of abiotic stress factors on N-uptake and proliferation, such as soil structure and overall health.The final chapter reviews the role of traits related to N-uptake, N-assimilation and N-remobilisation in breeding more efficient varieties of wheat. The chapter also discusses future major research trends, such as high-throughput phenotyping.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the implementation of agroforestry practices.The first chapter reviews the use of integrated crop-livestock systems, with a focus on agroforestry systems. The chapter discusses the potential environmental and economic benefits of agroforestry systems, as well as their contribution to animal health and welfare.The second chapter considers the plantation and management of temperate agroforestry systems which combine timber trees and herbaceous crops. The chapter covers choice of tree species, techniques of tree planting, plantation maintenance and approaches to tree pruning and thinning.The third chapter provides an overview of the implementation of alley cropping in agroforestry systems. The chapter explores the economic and ecological benefits of alley cropping, as well as the challenges and major considerations of implementing these practices within North America.The fourth chapter addresses the challenges and key issues in the sustainable production and use of willow as feedstock for biofuel production in northern temperate regions, including the issues of feedstock quality for biofuel use.The final chapter explores the contribution of agroforestry to meet global strategies to increase biodiversity while sustainably increasing agricultural systems resource efficiency.

This book features four peer-reviewed reviews on the range of regenerative techniques used to enhance biodiversity. The first chapter reviews the benefits of field margins in enhancing biodiversity in agroecosystems by supporting plant diversity, increasing the abundance and diversity of beneficial insects, providing wildlife corridors and contributing to landscape heterogeneity. It also considers the design and management of field margins and their economic impacts. The second chapter explores the impact and management of hedgerows in promoting biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. It also discusses the range of ecological processes and biodiversity in hedgerows, from hedge structure and woody species to ground flora and nutrient cycling. The third chapter considers the development of a cell-based spatial modelling approach to better understand the interactions between planned biodiversity and associated biodiversity within alley cropping systems. The chapter also assesses the implications for different management strategies to optimise associated biodiversity. The final chapter outlines the principles, benefits, and practical management strategies of multispecies swards. The chapter also highlights their importance in creating sustainable and resilient agricultural systems that meet both agronomic and environmental goals.

This book features three peer-reviewed reviews on rewilding in agriculture. The first chapter highlights the diversity of best practices used to rewild grasslands and rangelands, including those used to restore biological soil crusts, apply prescribed fire, increase stand establishment and persistence, overcome soil limitations, rectify nutrient pollution, and sequester soil carbon. The chapter also provides a case study on the restoration of sagebrush-steppe rangelands in the state of Utah, USA. The second chapter provides an overview of the trade-offs related to animal rewilding in agroecosystems (e.g. ecosystem services versus disservices). The chapter also discusses three key management trends the authors foresee will facilitate net positive outcomes in animal rewilding: capturing wild provisioning services, coordinating broad spatial heterogeneity in land use and employing coexistence conservation tactics. The final chapter outlines the benefits and challenges of rewilding in Australia and New Zealand and references four case studies to study this. The first two describe rewildings on formerly degraded agricultural land (Tiritiri Matangi Island, Scotia Sanctuary), while the third posits a conceptual rewilding program using a continental top predator, the dingo. The fourth case study describes a digitally-enabled survey and monitoring system on a mixed-agriculture farm that provides a step towards rewilding such landscapes in future.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the environmental impact of poultry production. The first chapter briefly introduces life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and addresses the particular effects of egg production on four key impact categories: climate change, land use change, acidifying and eutrophying emissions and water footprint. The second chapter reviews the key role of LCA in identifying the sources of environmental impacts in poultry meat production, as well as potential mitigation strategies. The third chapter discusses key emissions resulting from layer production systems, including greenhouse gases, ammonia, particulate matter, odours and volatile organic compounds. It also considers practical solutions for emissions mitigation, from diet and genetics, to manure and litter management. The fourth chapter reviews the major types of waste generated in egg production facilities and discusses the various methods and technologies for treating and managing these waste streams, such as the use of aerobic treatments. The final chapter addresses current poultry processing practices, the consequent production of byproducts, as well as future opportunities to enhance the value of these byproducts as sources of high-value biological compounds and tissues.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on controlled environment agriculture.The first chapter summarises rapid improvements in the technology used for plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs), including developments in automation, lighting, climate control, sensors and algorithms.The second chapter briefly discusses the sustainability of indoor vertical farms (IVF) and details best practices for conducting an environmental sustainability assessment of IVFs using the life cycle assessment methodology.The third chapter reviews the advent of soilless culture systems (SCSs) and their role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable agriculture. The chapter considers the range and variety of horticultural crops which can be grown in SCSs.The fourth chapter details recent advances in screenhouse design for protected cultivation and describes the common types of structures and materials used by growers. The chapter also addresses whether increasing water-use efficiency in screenhouses is possible.The final chapter provides an overview of the ornamentals industry and the technological advances improving its efficiency and sustainability, such as the implementation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems to manipulate plant growth and development.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on machine vision applications in agriculture.The first chapter examines recent advances in machine vision technologies for the measurement of soil texture, structure and topography. The chapter also provides an overview of the basic principles of machine vision technologies, focussing on areas such as 3D surface modelling.The second chapter considers the use of machine learning methods to classify multiple diseases across several different crop types. The chapter also explains how deep learning for image analysis and classification works.The third chapter presents an overview of the use of machine learning for agri-robotics, including the main trends of the last decade. It also discusses the use of machine learning for data analysis and decision-making for perception and navigation.The fourth chapter addresses the prospects of machine vision application in plant factories with artificial lighting. The chapter also summarises recent research utilising this technology, including plant growth monitoring, robot operation assistance and fruit grading.The final chapter reviews advances in computer vision-based technologies for precision livestock farming. The chapter also reviews how automation in image analysis can promote smart management of livestock to improve health and welfare.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on best practices for improving the sustainability of dairy production. The first chapter reviews the main, internationally accepted methods available to evaluate the environmental impact of dairy farming, identify levers of action and set environmental targets.The second chapter considers how dairy farms can manage both energy consumption and water in order to minimise their environmental impacts. The chapter also addresses the issue of sustainable water use.The third chapter provides a compilation of current research which highlights the need to further examine dietary mitigation strategies in ruminant production systems at a whole farm level. The chapter also discusses the range of nutritional strategies available for enteric- and manure-CH4 abatement.The fourth chapter focusses on the role of the ruminant microbiome in methane emissions and the potential genetic factors affecting microbial composition and emission reduction.The final chapter highlights the growing issue of food loss and waste (FLW) in countries with developed dairy value chains. The chapter discusses the key stages and management practices for reducing FLW in dairy value chains, as well as how decision-making can be improved.

This book features four peer-reviewed reviews on improving the welfare of growing and finishing pigs.The first chapter begins by defining animal welfare in the context of pig production. The chapter discusses pig behaviour and how this can be affected by intensive production systems, group size, living conditions, as well as systems for monitoring animal health and care.The second chapter explores the relationship between nutrition management and physical and social environments on the welfare of finishing pigs. The chapter also considers the use of environmental enrichment as a means of mitigating aggressive forms of behaviour, such as tail biting.The third chapter provides a detailed overview of recent research findings on the effects of transport, handling and slaughter practices on the behavioural and physiological responses of pigs. The chapter also reviews how these pre-slaughter practices can impact carcass and meat quality and potentially result in loss of profits.The final chapter discusses best practices for optimising the general management of growing finishing pigs to improve overall herd health. The chapter considers the impact of substandard herd management and the consequent increased risk of outbreaks of respiratory or digestive diseases, ulcers, lameness, prolapses, tail biting and other conditions.

This book features six peer-reviewed reviews on viruses affecting key horticultural crops.The first chapter considers best management practices for the control of viruses and virus-like agents in apple production, including the development of orchards with clean, virus-tested planting stock. The second chapter comprehensively details how Apple mosaic virus is spread and describes the symptoms displayed by affected host plants.The third chapter examines the challenge of Plum pox virus (PPV) control for sustainable cultivation of plums and looks at the genetic and molecular basis of PPV resistance in Prunus.The fourth chapter outlines the major insect-transmitted viruses infecting tomato crops, including viruses transmitted by aphids, thrips, whitefly and leafhoppers.The fifth chapter reviews current knowledge on banana bunchy top disease. The chapter outlines symptoms of the disease, as well as the biological characteristics of the pathogen related to host range, transmission and spread.The final chapter discusses the symptoms, taxonomy, diagnosis, epidemiology and control of minor viral pathogens of banana, plantain and abacá, such as cucumber mosaic virus, banana bract mosaic virus and sugarcane mosaic virus.

This practical book covers issues related to suicide risk, prevention and postvention in Higher and Further Education communities. Compiled by 37 experts, it is an authoritative guide to an issue that is causing increasingly large concern for FE and HE institutions and covers multiple evidence-backed approaches with a pragmatic focus. It is the first that specifically deals with student suicide in FE Colleges and universities, encouraging a holistic, institutional response. Chapters are split into three sections, beginning with understanding and preventing student suicide among students, followed by responses to risk, including a model for student prevention in HE settings. The book concludes with the response to student death by suicide with advice on postvention, and how to support bereaved family, staff, and students.

Mystery Writers of America is proud to present Deadly Anniversaries, a collection of crime and mystery stories from some of the best contemporary authors, all of whom have been invited to put their own unique spin on what it means to recognize a certain day or event every year. An anniversary can take many forms, and by the time this group of bestsellers and award winners is through, none of us will ever look at anniversaries the same way again.Edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, Deadly Anniversaries will feature original stories from twenty industry giants, including one final story from Sue Grafton, never seen before, in her own inimitable sly voice.Deadly Anniversaries is sure to shock, scare and delight mystery and suspense fans of all kinds. The list of writers includes: Doug AllynLee ChildMax Allan CollinsJeffery DeaverMeg GardinerAlison GaylinSue GraftonCarolyn HartNaomi HiraharaWendy HornsbyLaurie R. KingWilliam Kent KruegerLaura LippmanPeter LoveseyMargaret MaronMarcia MullerBill PronziniPeter RobinsonS.J. RozanJulie Smit

'I believe in the flapper as an artist in her particular field, the art of being - being young, being lovely' Zelda Fitzgerald Vivacious, charming, irreverent, the flapper is a girl who knows how to have a roaring good time. In this collection of short stories, she's a partygoer, a socialite, a student, a shopgirl, and an acrobat. She bobs her hair, shortens her skirt, searches for a husband and scandalises her mother. She's a glittering object of delight, and a woman embracing a newfound independence. Bringing together stories from widely adored writers and rediscovered gems, principally sourced from the magazines of the period, this collection is a celebration of the outrageous charm of an iconic figure of the Jazz Age. Featuring works from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Dana Ames, Rudolph Fisher, John Watts, Dorothy Parker, Katherine Bush, Gertrude Schalk, Dawn Powell, Vina Delmar, Guy Gilpatric, Anita Loos and Zora Neale Hurston.

A collection of chilling tales from the dark heart of American literature A masquerade ball cut short by a mysterious plague; a strange nocturnal ritual in the woods; a black bobcat howling in the night: these ten tales are some of the most strange and unsettling in all of American literature, filled with unforgettable imagery and simmering with tension. From Edgar Allan Poe to Shirley Jackson, Nathaniel Hawthorne to Zora Neale Hurston, the authors of these classics of supernatural suspense have inspired generations of writers to explore the dark heart of the land of the free. The stories in this collection have been selected and introduced by Laird Hunt, an author of seven acclaimed novels which explore the shadowy corners of American history. Contains: 'The Masque of the Red Death', Edgar Allan Poe 'Young Goodman Brown', Nathaniel Hawthorne 'The Eyes', Edith Wharton 'The Mask', Robert Chambers 'Home', Shirley Jackson 'A Ghost Story', Mark Twain 'Spunk', Zora Neale Hurston 'The Yellow Wallpaper', Charlotte Perkins Gilman 'An Itinerant House', Emma Frances Dawson Laird Hunt is an American writer and translator. He has written seven novels, including Neverhome, which was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice selection, an IndieNext selection, winner of the Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine and The Bridge prize, and a finalist for the Prix Femina Étranger. His In the House in the Dark of the Woods is also available from Pushkin Press. A resident of Boulder, CO, he is on the faculty in the creative writing PhD program at the University of Denver.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on major contaminants in agricultural soils. The first chapter discusses emerging technologies for remediating soil polluted with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and their contamination routes. The chapter also addresses techniques for their identification and tracking, persistence and bioaccumulation in the soil and risks to and effects on human health and soil health. The second chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the pathways through which antibiotics reach the soil, the processes that influence their fate within the soil and the techniques and efforts used to predict their behaviour and fate. The chapter also offers insights from specific case studies and discusses future research directions to address environmental challenges. The third chapter addresses the risks associated with using treated wastewater in irrigation systems for crop production, including an elevation in soil water osmotic pressure, the addition of toxic ions and organic contaminants to the soil and the deterioration of the physical and hydraulic properties of soil. The final chapter reviews the impact of heavy metal contamination on soil health, focussing on its effects on soil biogeochemical processes, nutrient cycling and soil functions in crop production, environmental quality and food security. The chapter also discusses common indicators of soil contamination and remediation techniques.