Modelling soil productivity and pollution.
Predictive models of soil and plant processes should be of much benefit both in developing and developed countries. They can assist in enabling agronomic practices to be better adjusted for differences in conditions; in avoiding disasters that can accompany change in land use; in minimizing waste and environmental pollution, and in modifying and implementing legislation. These views are discussed in the light of recent advances. Particular attention is drawn to (i) the excellent relationships linking average national yields, nutrient uptakes, etc. to single factors such as average fertilizer application; (ii) equations for predicting the behaviour of added chemicals and water in soil that have been obtained by rigorous deduction from physical and chemical laws; (iii) the discovery of semi-empirical, but nevertheless widely applicable quantitative relations for key soil and plant processes, and (iv) the formulation and use of computer models for field situations. There is a pressing need to find ways of presenting the outcome of this work so that it can be more widely applied in practice.
Greenwood
D J
DJ
AFRC Institute of Horticultural Research, Wellesbourne, Warwick, U.K.
Walker
A
A
D000383:Agriculture; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants