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Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source of the latest research in agronomy. Major reviews deal with the current topics of interest to agronomists, as well as crop and soil scientists. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Editor Donald Sparks, former president of the Soil Science Society of America and current president of the International Union of Soil Science, is the S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Plant and Soil Sciences at The University of Delaware. * Maintains the highest impact factor among serial publications in Agriculture* Presents timely reviews on important agronomy issues * Enjoys a long-standing reputation for excellence in the field
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Preface Volume 80 contains five comprehensive reviews dealing with timely topics in the plant and soil sciences. Chapter 1 is an important review on soil as a source of dust and implications for human health. Dispersion mechanisms, characteristics of soil dust, modes of exposure and health effects are discussed. Chapter 2 is a timely review on ecological approaches for enhancing weed management in the semiarid Great Plains. Discussions on herbicide resistance, changes in cropping practices, ecologically based weed management, reducing weed density, and enhancing crop competitiveness are included. Chapter 3 is a comprehensive overview of nutrient management practices for improving nutrient use including liming, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients. Chapter 4 is a cutting-edge review on molecular breeding of groundnut to enhance productivity and food security in the semi-arid tropics. Discussions on genetic variability, conventional genetic improvement, biotechnology applications, and opportunities for molecular breeding are included. Chapter 5 is a contemporary overview of scale-dependent disperson in soils including stochastic and numerical approaches. I thank the authors for their fine contributions. DONALD L. SPARKS xi Contributors Numbers in parentheses indicate the pages on which the authors’ contributions begin. R. Anderson (33), USDA—Agricultural Research Service, 2923 Medary Ave., Brookings, SD 57006, USA V. C. Baligar (63), USDA-ARS, Alternate Crops and Systems Research Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Room 342, Building 001, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA J. H. Crouch (153), International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, PO 502324, A.P., India S. L. Dwivedi (153), International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, PO 502324, A.P., India N. K. Fageria (63), National Rice and Bean Research Center of EMBRAPA, Caixa Postal 179, Santo Antoˆnio de Goia´s, Goia´s, CEP 75375-000, Brazil M. E. Ferguson (153), International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, PO 502324, A.P., India K. Lee (1), Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA S. N. Nigam (153), International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, PO 502324, A.P., India A. H. Paterson (153), Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, Room 162, Riverbend Research Center, 110 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA H. M. Selim (223), Louisiana State University, Department of Agronomy, 305 M B Sturgis, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, USA N. A. Slaton (63), University of Arkansas, 1366 W. Altheimer Dr., Fayetteville, AR 72704, USA J. Smith (1), Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA L. Zhou (223), 251 10th St NW #14-133, Atlanta, GA 30318-5615, USA ix Contents CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .