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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #165821
Title: SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

Author
item SINGH, B - FORT VALLEY STATE UNIV.
item GRANBERRY, D - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item KELLEY, T - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item BOYHAN, G - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item SAINJU, U - FORT VALLEY STATE UNIV.
item PHATAK, S - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item SUMNER, P - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item BADER, M - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Webster, Theodore
item CULPEPPER, S - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: Vegetables: Growth, Nutrition, and Quality
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2004
Publication Date: 12/1/2005
Citation: Singh, B.P., Granberry, D.M., Kelley, W.T., Boyhan, G., Sainju, U.M., Phatak, S.C., Sumner, P.E., Bader, M.J., Webster, T.M., Culpepper, A.S., Riley, D.G., Langston, D.B., Fonsah, G. 2005. Sustainable Vegetable Production. In: Dris, R. editor. Vegetables: Growing Environment and Mineral Nutrition. Helsinki, Finland: WFL Publisher. p. 1-38.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Farming is the number one industrial enterprise both in the United States and the world. Like any other industry stakeholder, farmers strive for maximum profit from their investment. Keeping farming profitable requires continuous investment in the upkeep of its underlying foundation. Some of the reinvented or new technologies in conservation tillage, pest and predator management, nutrient conservation, soil and water conservation, land rehabilitation, green manuring, and water management are integral parts of sustainable agricultural systems. There is general agreement on the goals of sustainable agriculture: 1) to make better use of farm based resources, 2) to minimize the need of external inputs, 3) to prevent loss and degradation of farm resources, and 4) to maintain quality of farm life. The emphasis on the control of weeds, insects, and diseases on crop plants remains unchanged, but new methods consist of a combination of chemicals, pest-predator control, crop rotation, increased plant resistance, and other innovative means. Thus, sustainable agriculture is not a movement against industrialized agriculture but an economically and environmentally viable option for all farmers.