Vegetable Production and Practices (Λαχανοκομία - έκδοση στα αγγλικά)

Vegetable Production and Practices

Successful vegetable production in a modern competitive market requires an understanding of many more factors than the biology of crops and the production techniques involved. This major new textbook brings the science and practice of vegetable production right up to date by addressing modern culture techniques and the recent challenges of consumer demand facing producers today. It introduces vegetable production from the perspective of producing high quality produce that satisfies the needs of the modern consumer. Beginning with the basics of how vegetables are grown using high and low input methods, including organic and sustainable production techniques, the book goes on to introduce and discuss many topics covered less comprehensively in older texts, including Good Agricultural Practices to improve quality, reduce biological contamination and secure food safety; water management; cropping systems; plasticulture; protected culture and mineral nutrition. Vegetable Production and Practices also introduces the use of molecular biology for genetic improvement of crops. Issues specific to individual vegetable crops are addressed by family, including their diseases, harvesting, quality attributes and other issues of increasing importance to consumers, including the role of vegetables in human health. Professor Gregory E. Welbaum has a long history of teaching successful courses in horticulture at Virginia Tech and other universities in the US and worldwide. Vegetable Production Practices has been specifically designed to accompany courses in vegetable crop production, so is ideally suited to inspire students in crop and horticultural sciences, as well as provide a useful reference for experienced practitioners.

Table of Contents

1. Vegetable Definitions and Classification Systems

2. Vegetable Production Areas Around the World

3. Tillage and Cropping Systems

4. Fertilization, Nutrient Management

5. Genetic Improvement of Vegetables

6. Mulches

7. Irrigation Systems and Management

8. Protected Vegetable Production

9. The Nutritional Importance of Vegetables to the Human Diet

10. Good Agricultural Practices, Organic/Sustainable Vegetable Production Techniques

11. Vegetable Safety

12. The Family Cucurbitaceae

13. The Family Solanaceae

14. The Family Asteraceae

15. The Family Poaceae

16. The Family Alliaceae

17. Comparison of the Families Chenopodiaceae and Dioscoreaceae

18. The Family Brassicaceae

19. The Family Chenopodiaceae

20. The Family Lilliaceae

21. The Family Fabaceae

22. The Family Apiaceae

23. Mushrooms