ASCOT Library Zabali Campus

Climatic factors –
Soil –
Classification –
Structure and composition –
Acidity and crop response –
Salinity and crop response –
Organic matter, crop residues, and N2 fixation –
Animal manures and sewage sludge –
Plant nutrient uptake –
Commercial fertilizers –
Plants –
Names and seed certification –
Seedlings rate –
Environment –
Water stress and irrigation –
Productivity –
Roots –
Tillage and rotations –
Pest and other losses –
Losses in plants –
Losses in animals –
Horticultural crops –
Storage –
Selected nutrients –
Oilseeds – composition and feeding –
Cereal grains –
Composition and feeding –
General –
Wheat –
Triticale –
Oats and wild-rice –
Sorghum –
Corn –
Physical properties and drying –
Seed conditioning –
Forage –
Hay grades –
Harvesting, composition, and feeding –
Dehydrated forage –
Leaf protein –
Roughages –
Silage crops – composition and feeding –
Sugar crops and tobacco – composition –
Animals –
General –
Reproduction –
Feeding –
Environment –
Production and feeding –
Cattle –
Beef cattle –
Dairy cattle –
Swine –
Sheep –
Poultry –
Horses –
Environmental control of livestock –
Meat, milk, and eggs –- grades and composition –
Comparative productivity –
Conversion factors –
Common statistical terms –
Statistical tables.

"This handbook was prepared as a "quick reference" to a variety of topics pertaining to soils and to the production and use of plants and animals. Emphasis has been devoted to providing information of broad significance in responding to questions on soils, plant adaptation, seeds, and major field and horticultural crops, as well as on selected factors involved in the production and utilization of animal products. Also, a substantial amount of illustrative data are included on the composition and nutritive value of plants for both animal feeding programs and human consumption.
Most of the tabular information has been assembled from the CRC Handbook Series in Agriculture and from other appropriate CRC handbooks. Although more recent data have been added for some subject matter areas, original published tables have been retained where it was felt that they were of merit in responding to general questions. Rather detailed background information has been included for certain topics (e.g., seed storage, seed germination, and rates of seeding) where an overly abridged presentation would be restricted in value. In addition, similar or somewhat similar information may appear in more than one table, either to underscore one or more aspects of the same data or to furnish readers with information in a more readily accessible format. The final product is designed to assist users in locating critical reference data where there is an immediate need for such information, especially in the absence of more comprehensive source materials.
The book was developed for the most part with the nonspecialist in mind, and, for that reason, most tables are either self-explanatory or require limited experience for adequate interpretation. On the assumption that the handbook will serve primarily as a ready source of facts and figures, tabular materials are presented without an accompanying explanatory text. Particular attention is given to those situations where prospective users must locate, with minimal effort, either a specific "general value" or "term" in the course of their endeavors. This explains the attention given to the inclusion of both common and scientific plant names, various conversion tables, tabular material used in the interpretation of certain statistical tests, and a glossary, albeit abridged, of common technical terms encountered in the improvement and management of soils, plants, and animals.
It would be surprising if some users did not question the treatment given to various topics covered in the handbook. Differences in emphasis can be attributed in varying degrees to limitations imposed by space, to the availability of what were judged to be acceptable summary tables, and to the selection process exercised by the editor. Information on pesticides, their application and relative effectiveness, has been excluded because current recommendations should be obtained from state agricultural extension services. All applications of pesticides, including herbicides, should be made in strict accordance with instructions provided on labels. Recognizing that the handbook provides more of an overview of selected topics than an encyclopedic treatment of "practical agriculture", it is my hope that the resulting compilation can serve as a valuable resource in the broad field of agricultural science."
- A. A. Hanson