Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 58

This book presents recently-developed crop, soil, and management practices that can be used to improve phosphorous use efficiency in agriculture. Food security highly depends on the availability of plant nutrients such as phosphorus, yet rock phosphate reserves are expected to be exhausted in the next 50-100 years. Moreover, about 80% of the phosphorous fertilizers applied to soils become unavailable to plants due to phosphorous fixation in iron and aluminum oxides in acidic soils and with carbonates in alkaline soils. As a consequence, only 10-15% of applied phosphorous is up taken by crops. Therefore, there is a need for advanced practices for improving phosphorus use efficiency.

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Dr. Asif Iqbal is Postdoctoral Fellow at Cotton Research Institute (CRI), Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (CAAS), Anyang, Henan, China. His current research project is "The Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Phosphorus Use Efficiency in Cotton". He completed his Ph.D. on "The Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cotton" from CRI, CAAS. He has worked in the areas of crop production, plant nutrition, and plant stress physiology at CRI, CAAS. His main research interests include genetic evaluation of crop germplasms for efficient nutrients utilization and adaptive mechanisms in crop plants under abiotic stresses, especially nutrient stress. He has been awarded Gold Medal in Master, Outstanding International Graduate Student in Ph.D. studies and also nominated for best thesis award by the Crop Science Committee of the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. He has been honored by different authorities due to his outstanding performance in the Department of Agronomy the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. He has also received State Level Merit Scholarship for Master studies from Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, Chinese Government Scholarship for Ph.D. studies from the Chinese Scholarship Council, and an Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellowship from China Postdoctoral Organization and CRI, CAAS. He is the author and co-author of more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 conference proceedings and abstracts, 3 chapters, 1 book, and 4 articles for growers. He is also serving as the editorial board member and reviewer for certain international peer-reviewed journals. Mr. Mazhar Iqbal is Lecturer in the Department of Botany Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal Dir (U), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan since 2014. He has received his B.Sc (Hons) in Botany from the Department of Botany the University of Malakand, KPK, Pakistan. He has completed his Master of Philosophy in Botany (Weed Ecology and Physiology) from the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. He has worked in the areas of Phytosociology, Ethnobotany, and Weed Ecology. His main research interests include the identification and utilization of economic botanical flora of Northern Pakistan (Malakand Division) and the management of important weeds in major field crops. He has published many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on important aspects of ethnobotany, weed ecology, crop production, and stress physiology in internationally renowned publishers. He has organized and attended many national and international conferences in Pakistan. He has supervised three B.Sc (Hons) students and four M.Sc students as the main supervisor and one as a co-supervisor. He has been associated with Teaching, Research, and Administration in the field of Biological Sciences. Dr. Madeeha Alamzeb is Assistant Director Plant Protection in the Directorate of Agriculture Extension, Peshawar, Pakistan. She has received her BSc (Hons) and MSc (Hons) in Agriculture (Agronomy) with distinction from the Department of Agronomy, the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. She completed her Ph.D. on "Phosphorous Source Management With and Without Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria and Rhizobium for Improving Chickpea Productivity" from the Department of Agronomy, the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. Her main research interests include integrated nutrients management, crop production, protection, and physiology. She has published many peer-reviewed articles book and book chapters on important aspects of crop production, nutrients management, and stress physiology in internationally renowned publishers. She has attended many national and international conferences in Pakistan. Presently, she has been associated with Research and Administration in the field of Plant Nutrition and Protection Sciences. Dr. Meizhen Song is a professor/researcher in Cotton Research Institute (CRI), Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (CAAS), Anyang, Henan, China since 1986. She is the head of the cotton standardization and technology group of CRI, CAAS. She is involved in cotton genetics and breeding, physiology and molecular biology for high nutrients efficient genotypes and the development of wide early maturing cotton genotypes and high-efficiency cultivation. She has supervised many national and international master and Ph.D. students. She has been the author of many peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters. As a key speaker, she attended national and international conferences, congress, symposia, and workshops. She has been honored by different authorities due to her outstanding performance in the field of research and education.

Mr. Zhang Xiling is Professor/Researcher in Cotton Research Institute (CRI), Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (CAAS), Anyang, Henan, China since 1987. He is involved in cotton genetic breeding, farming and cultivation, cotton industry development, cotton southern propagation, Xinjiang cotton issues and other research work. Previously, he served as the Director of the East Field, the Deputy Director of the Agricultural Management Division, and the Chief Field Manager of the Experimental Farm of CRI, CAAS, Deputy General Manager of Science and Technology Trading Company, Deputy Director of Industrial Development Division, Director of Hainan Breeding Center, Director of Hainan Scientific Research Center. Currently, he is working as Director of the Scientific Research Center, Director of the Logistics Center, Director of the Achievement Transformation Division, and Deputy Director of Cotton Research Institute. He is the main author of the "Three-Field System Reform Plan for the Experimental Farm of the CRI, CAAS". He is the main pioneer in the construction of the Sanya base ofthe CRI, CAAS and the research on the southern propagation of cotton in China. He has won third prize of the Ministry of Agriculture's Science and Technology Progress Award (1990), second (1994), and third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award (1996), Hainan Province prize in Science and Technology (2010) and second prize for the Chinese Agricultural Science and Technology Award of the Ministry of Agriculture (2011). He edited and published many books on cotton production, published more than 20 scientific papers as the first author, and obtained 3 national invention patents.

Dr. Muhammad Arif is Professor in the department of Agronomy, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. He started his career in the same department as farm manager/lecturer after MS in 2000 and got Ph.D. degree in 2005 from the same department. He went to UK for pursuing his postdoctoral research in 2008. His main area of interest is seed priming, crop nutrition and dual purpose technology development and using biochar and compost as soil amendments for improving soil fertility and productivity. He got Silver Medal during MS in 1999 and Research Productivity Award for the year 2011 and 2012 and Best Teacher Award from HEC for the year 2016-2017. He is also member of many national and international societies. He is working as reviewer for more than a dozen national and international journals. H…