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Crops And Environmental Change: An Introduction To Effects Of Global Warming, Increasing Atmospheric CO2 And O3 Concentrations, And Soil Salinization On Crop Physiology And Yield

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Scientists have statistics for how much food plants grow in what environment over time. They have experimental results for what and how much plants grow in what environment. So we know it used to be growing population went along with growing more garden and field crops, by clearing more land. Since the mid-20th century it goes along with making each plant grow more. In the 21st century it goes along with making lots of breeding decisions. For plants face warmer, unhealthy environments of too much carbon dioxide and ozone in the air and salt in the soil.

More carbon dioxide and ozone in the air; saltier soil; and warmer temperatures aren't the only stresses making our world unhealthy. These four are well studied. The problem is experiments and research look at stresses one by one. But in the real world stresses work together to strain our world. So we need paper trails on what happens when stresses gang up together.

Plants have ways of dealing with worldwide stresses. Some are choosing to put more growth into some parts over others; letting all parts grow, but in changed ways such as changed numbers of leaves; and using stress-busters such as antioxidants and polyamines against ozone and salt damage, and heat shock proteins and membranes against high temperatures. One problem is they generally handle more carbon dioxide better than they do greater ozone, saltiness and warmth. The other is plants strong on stress-busters tend to be small, slow-growers that put out less and smaller fruits and tubers.

Scientists also have ways of dealing with stressed plant environments. Some are breeding, developing cultivars, and genetic engineering. They're using these ways to get faster, greater harvests from garden and field crops. They're also trying to grow garden vegetables and field crops in more climates and places. The problem is breeders favor fast-growing big harvesters over stress-busters. That might change. For drought, as one of many stresses, is a real concern in the face of worldwide fresh water shortages. Also, growers grow particular garden and field crops, to make money and support families. So there's a place for irrigation, which salts soils, and for chemicals such as fertilizers and herbicides/pesticides. That's what happens when growers don't match soils with crops, when they change soils to fit crops.

The book begins with a helpful preface and set of abbreviations. It ends with an appendix list of plants; an appendix comment on main field and vegetable crops of the United States; a complete, up-to-date set of references; and a good index. In between, Seth G Pritchard and Jeffrey S Amthor organize the ten chapters well, with convincing examples, facts and figures. It's fortunate for readers CROPS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE is so well organized. For the writing is clear, but technical throughout.