A requirement for higher yielding crops due to population growth has led to a greater use of inputs, which are often used in excess, to increase agricultural production. Precautions to control the excess use of fertilizers are very important not only for agricultural production, but for the environment as well as for the economy. Therefore, optimization in the nutrition of crops is essential in producing high quality healthy crops in efforts to obtain higher yields per unit of agricultural land.

Optimal and efficient use of fertilizers can only be achieved by understanding factors such as climate, soil properties, cropping period and the timing, amount and type of fertilizers used. Otherwise, soil fertility and yield quality may decrease, and the environment negatively affected.

This publication includes eleven chapters each focusing on the growth requirements of a different crop: apricots, cherries, citrus, cotton, figs, maize, olives, thyme, greenhouse tomato, vineyards, and wheat, with an emphasis on climate, soil properties, nutrition as well as fertilization practices and recommendations. The authors of the chapters are all leading researchers from Ege University, Bornova; Celal Bayar University, Manisa; and the West Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute, Antalya.

The publication will be useful for researchers, extension and agri-business technicians working in Turkey.

For copies, please contact Prof. Dr. Dilek Anaç, Ege University, Faculty of Agriculture, Soil Sciences Dept., 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey, dilek.anac@ege.edu.tr.