CRC Press Applications of Furrow and Micro Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions (Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation)

Applications of Furrow and Micro Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions, the fifth volume in the Research Advances in Sustainable Micro Irrigation series, addresses the ever-challenging need for irrigation systems in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, areas that are suffering from severe water shortages. These areas, such as Egypt, Tunisia, most of Africa, and parts of South America, Central America, and Australia, find it a struggle to grow crops sustainably with the water available. This important book emphasizes sustainable agriculture practices to promote increased water usage efficiency in dry areas for growing of crops. It presents a variety of research and studies on such topics as: • Meteorological instruments for water management • Buried micro irrigation laterals for soil water retention • Water vapor flux models • Performance of various crops grown under different irrigation methods • Scheduling of irrigation • Phyto-monitoring techniques This valuable book is a must for those finding it a challenge to maintain sustainable crop production in the midst of continuous water shortages in areas where water is not naturally plentiful. With contributions from authors with hands-on experience in the field, the book will be an invaluable reference and guide to effective micro irrigation methods. About the Author Dr. Megh R. Goyal received a BSc in engineering in 1971, MSc in 1977, PhD in 1979, and Master of Divinity in 2001. He spent a one-year sabbatical leave in 2002–03 at the Biomedical Engineering Department of Florida International University, Miami, USA. Since 1971, he has worked as lecturer/research assistant at Haryana Agricultural University and The Ohio State University, and professor – cum research agricultural engineer at Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus. At present, he is a retired professor in agricultural and biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering at University of Puerto Rico. He is also senior acquisitions editor for Apple Academic Press, Inc., in the areas of agricultural science and biomedical engineering, as well as senior editor-in-chief of the book series Advances in Bioengineering Research and Applications, published by AAP. He has authored more than 200 articles in technical journals and textbooks, including Elements of Agroclimatology (Spanish) by UNISARC; Colombia, two Bibliographies on Drip Irrigation; the books Biofluid Dynamics of Human Body, Management of Drip/Trickle or Micro Irrigation, Evapotranspiration: Principles and Applications for Water Management, and Biomechanics of Artificial Organs and Prostheses; as well as the three-volume series on Research Advances on Sustainable Micro Irrigation.