Mineral Nutrition of Rice

The third most important cereal crop after wheat and corn, rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. This includes regions of high population density and rapid growth, indicating that rice will continue to be a major food crop in the next century. Mineral Nutrition of Rice brings together a wealth of information on the ecophysiology and nutrient requirements of rice. Compiling the latest scientific research, the book explains how to manage essential nutrients to maximize rice yield.

The book examines 15 essential or beneficial nutrients used in irrigated, upland, and floating rice across a range of geographic regions. For each mineral, the text details the cycle in the soil–plant system as well as the mineral’s functions, deficiency symptoms, uptake in plants, harvest index, and use efficiency. It then outlines management practices, covering application methods and timing, adequate rates, the use of efficient genotypes, and more. The author, an internationally recognized expert in mineral nutrition for crop plants, also proposes recommendations for the judicious use of fertilizers to reduce the cost of crop production and the risk of environmental pollution. Color photographs help readers identify nutrient deficiency symptoms and take the necessary corrective measures.

Packed with useful tables and illustrations, this comprehensive reference guides readers who want to know how to increase rice yield, reduce production costs, and avoid environmental pollution from fertilizers. It offers practical information for those working in agricultural research fields, in laboratories, and in classrooms around the world.

Dr. Nand Kumar Fageria, doctor of science in agronomy, has been the senior research soil scientist at the National Rice and Bean Research Center, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), since 1975. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the area of mineral nutrition for crop plants and has been a research fellow and ad hoc consultant to the Brazilian Scientific and Technological Research Council (CNPq) since 1989. Dr. Fageria is the author or coauthor of 12 books and more than 320 scientific journal articles, book chapters, review articles, and technical bulletins. He has written several review articles for Advances in Agronomy and has been an invited speaker to several national and international congresses, symposiums, and workshops. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Plant Nutrition and the Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology. Since 1990, he has also served as a member of an international steering committee of symposiums on plant–soil interactions at low pH. He is an active member of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.