This paper considers two river systems that have been subject to significant development during the last 60 years: the Jordan River in the Middle East and the Colorado River in the western United States. Both play major roles in serving the demands of growing populations, and climate ... Read More
Drought, the occurrence of a substantial water deficit in the soil or in the atmosphere, is an alarming constraint to crop productivity and yield stability worldwide. It is the leading environmental stress in world agriculture, causing losses in crop yield probably exceeding losses from ... Read More
The Middle East region, embracing West Asia and North Africa (WANA), is characterized by a Mediterranean climate which dictates the agriculture of the region. Being one of the centers of origin of settled farming, where cereals and pulses originated along with sheep and goats, crop pr... Read More
Rice is life for more than half of humanity. It is the grain that has shaped the cultures, diets, and economies of billions of people in the world. Food security in the world is challenged by increasing food demand and threatened by declining water availability. More recently, the inc... Read More
About 90% of rice is produced and consumed in Asia, where the demand for rice is on the increase due to increasing population. Rice is a semiaquatic plant and grows well under lowland flooded anaerobic conditions. Most high yielding varieties yielding 6-8 t/ha have been developed to s... Read More
Governments worldwide are promoting the development of biofuels in order to mitigate the climate impact of using fuels. In this article, I discuss the impacts of biofuels on climate change, water use, and land use. I discuss the overall metric by
... Read MoreSustainable management of land and water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is of concern as a result of increased population pressure and the need for more food and fiber. Soil and water salinity is widespread across the arid and semi-arid
... Read MoreAbiotic stress is the primary cause of crop plant yield losses worldwide. Drought and salinity stress are the major environmental challenges faced by agriculture. Improving yield production and stability under stressful environments is needed to
... Read MoreAgriculture faces a constant challenge to increase crop production annually in response to human population growth. As land and water resources become limiting, high-yielding crops even in environmentally stressful conditions will be essential. D
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