Maize is one of the most important and widely grown cereal crops in the world and is a staple food for almost a billion people, particularly in the developing world. It has been estimated that maize yields need to increase by 60% by 2050. There is an urgent need to increase yields in the face of such challenges as climate change, threats from pests and diseases and the need to make cultivation more resource-efficient and sustainable.
Drawing on an international range of expertise, this collection focuses on ways of improving the cultivation of maize at each step in the value chain, from breeding to post-harvest storage. Volume 2 reviews research on improvements in cultivation techniques such as nutrient management, crop rotation, intercropping and other aspects of conservation agriculture. It also discusses developments in methods for combatting pests and diseases.
Achieving sustainable cultivation of maize Volume 2: Cultivation techniques, pest and disease control will be a standard reference for cereal scientists in universities, government and other research centres and companies involved in maize cultivation. It is accompanied by Volume 1 which reviews developments in breeding and ways research can be translated into effective outcomes for smallholders in the developing world.
Hutchinson, Bill: - Dr. William (Bill) Hutchison has been a Professor and Extension Entomologist at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA. His expertise is applied insect population ecology, as it relates to the development of innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for a variety of fruit and vegetable crops. He has also been active in evaluating the long-term sustainability of insect-resistant, genetically engineered (GE) maize, and implementing GE crops into IPM programs. He is also active in international IPM research, with a current US-AID project in East Africa.
Hutchison, William D.: - Dr. William (Bill) Hutchison is a Professor and Extension Entomologist at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA. His expertise is applied insect population ecology, as it relates to the development of innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for a variety of fruit and vegetable crops. He has also been active in evaluating the long-term sustainability of insect-resistant, genetically engineered (GE) maize, and implementing GE crops into IPM programs. He is also active in international IPM research, with a current US-AID project in East Africa.
Kudsk, Per: -
Professor Per Kudsk is Head of the Crop Health Section in the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark. An internationally-known expert in integrated weed management, he is a former President of the European Weed Research Society. Professor Kudsk has played a leading role in EU research projects such as IWMPRAISE and the ENDURE Network as well as in the European Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO).
Watson, Dave: -
Dr Dave Watson is a leading authority on sustainable development and optimising value chains in agriculture. He has taught courses on sustainable development for the University of Hull (UK), as well as managing research and development programmes for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico. Dr Watson is editor of the two-volume Achieving sustainable cultivation of maize, also published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.
