Potash manuring for arable crops
Perennial crops, perennial problem
Fertilizers and resource management for food security, quality and the environment
Fertilizers and
resource management for food security, quality and the environment
Future trends in food demand and fertilizers were highlighted at the 2001 Dahlia Greidinger Symposium, organized by the International Fertiliser Society and the Dahlia Greidinger Fertilizer Research Fund, Israel, March 4-6, 2001 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Global fertilizer use will increase by 2.3% per year. However, in developed countries, efficient farmers will continue to cut back on fertilizers. Experts expect a gradual decline in fertilizer consumption, by one percent per annum, in Western Europe. This is linked, amongst other factors, to improved agronomy, more efficient varieties and stricter environmental regulations. In contrast, any revival of farming, and thus fertilizer use, in the FSU and Central Europe will depend upon overcoming obstacles such as lack of capital, uncertain land ownership and low investment. Outside the Russian Federation, only Belarus and Uzbekistan, which have considerable State control of agriculture, continue to use fertilizer to any great extent.
It is expected that Eastern European countries will have a major role to play in meeting the increasing demand for cereals expected between now and 2020. Improvements in crop yield are needed to meet the 2020 requirement. Much of the future demand will be fuelled by a ‘livestock revolution’ in the developing world driven by changing diets in response to higher income.
Other papers dealt with sustainable food production including organic food. In this context it was made clear that present day food production would be halved without fertilizer inputs, and that huge quantities of food would be lost in storage without pesticides. It seems that integrated farming provides a “best practice approach” that could be used in the development of sustainable agriculture.
Titles and authors of the papers that were presented are given below. Copies of individual papers are available from The International Fertiliser Society, POB 4, York YO32 5YS, UK. Details are also available at www.fertiliser-society.org.
"Principles of crop nutrition for sustainable food production" by Johnny Johnston, Rothamsted, UK.
"Prospects for Food Demand and Supply towards 2020" by Rajul Pandya-Lorch, IFPRI, USA.
"Review and projection of fertiliser supply and demand balances" by Luc Maene, Director General, IFA, France.
"Nitrogen cycling in grassland systems" by Catherine Watson, Queen's University Belfast, UK.
"Dynamics of soil and fertiliser nitrogen in arable systems" by Sylvie Recous, INRA Laon, France.
"Gaseous loss of oxides of nitrogen from the agricultural nitrogen cycle" by Dennis Rolston, University of California, Davis, USA.
"Nutrient cycling - Phosphorus, Potassium and Sulphur" by Johnny Johnston, IACR Rothamsted, UK.
"Fertiliser usage and the mineral requirements of grazing livestock" by Jim Parkins, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, UK.
"Selenium inclusion in fertilisers to correct an inadequate national dietary intake" by Helinä Hartikainen, University of Helsinki, Finland.
"Efficient water use and the maintenance of crop quality" by Bill Davies, Lancaster University, UK.
"Improvement of fertiliser efficiency - product processing, positioning and application methods" by Avi Shaviv, Technion IIT, Haifa, Israel.
"Plant growth stimulation by humic substances and their complexes with iron" by Yona Chen, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
"Organic farming - Nutrient management and productivity" by Bernard Tinker, University of Oxford, UK.
"Nutritional and toxicological quality comparisons between organic and conventionally grown foodstuffs" by Jorma Kumpulainen, MTT, Finland.
"The use of modelling to improve the effectiveness of fertiliser recommendations" by Peter de Willigen, Wageningen, Netherlands.
"Plant factors and opportunities for the improvement of root functioning" by Bill Davies, Lancaster University, UK.
"Sustainable agricultural production systems" by Kerry Garrett, Budapest, Hungary.
"Energy balances in different agricultural systems - can they be improved?" by Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen, Martin Luther University, Germany.
"Life Cycle Analysis: An expanded perspective" by Anthony Janetos, WRI, USA.