Good Agronomy

Good agronomy is the center of good farming: it means the law of the field, or how to grow a crop successfully. Nowadays, its largely about managing the complex interactions between genotype and genetics, environment and management options. We want to get as close to the yield potential that is defined by the solar radiation temperature and the amount of available water. We have many ways of managing the crop, the soil, and the resources along with it. Good agronomic management accounts for at least 50% of the productivity and efficiency of the agricultural systems. There are a few general principles: you want to choose profitable and sustainable crop rotation that suits the production to your environment; you need to choose the right kind of quality seed of a well-adapted variety; you need to plant that variety at the time; you need to prepare your soil and manage the crop reside from the previous crop in the right way; you need to maximize and capture the use of available water from rainfall and irrigation sources; you want to balance use of mineral fertilizers and available organic nutrient sources; you would implement integrated pest management; and you need to harvest at the right time. Two examples of good agronomy are given. People need to keep things simple and focused, and have access to good science so that it enables behavior change. 

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