Crop Physiology

Preface Acknowledgements 1. Crop Physiology: applications for breeding and agronomy Part 1: Farming Systems 2. High yield maize-soybean cropping systems in the U.S. corn belt 3. Farming systems of China: Innovations for sustainable crop production 4. Improving farming systems in northern Europe 5. Raising productivity of maize-based cropping systems in Eastern and Southern Africa: Step-wise intensification options 6. Cropping systems in high yielding potential environments. Opportunities and challenges in Southern Chile 7. Cereal yield in Mediterranean-type environments: challenging the paradigms on terminal drought, the adaptability of barley vs wheat and the role of nitrogen fertilization Part 2: Carbon, water and nutrient economies of crops 8. Quantifying crop responses to nitrogen deficiency and avenues to improve nitrogen-use efficiency 9. A Darwinian perspective on improving nitrogen-fixation efficiency of legume crops and forages 10. Senescence and crop performance 11. Improving Water Transport for Carbon Gain in Crops Part 3: Genetic improvement and agronomy 12. Genetic and Environmental Effects on Crop Development Determining Adaptation and Yield 13. Characterising the crop environment - nature, significance and applications 14. Model assisted phenotyping and ideotype design 15. Crop phenotyping for physiological breeding in grain crops: a case study for maize 16. Breeding challenge: improving yield potential 17. Improving grain quality. Ecophysiological and modelling tools to develop management and breeding strategies 18. Integrated views in plant breeding: from the perspective of biotechnology 19. Integration of biotechnology, plant breeding and crop physiology. Dealing with complex interactions from a physiological perspective 20. Crop modelling for climate change impact and adaptation

Victor Sadras is a crop ecophysiologist with interest in the adaptation of crops to environmental stresses, including water deficit, extreme temperatures, nutrient deficit, soil physical and chemical constraints, pathogens and insects. He has measured and modelled aspects of the water, carbon and nitrogen economies of annual (wheat, field pea, chickpea, sunflower, maize, soybean, cotton) and perennial crops (grapevine, olive) in rain-fed and irrigated systems. Dr. Daniel Calderini is a full professor of the Plant Production and Plant Protection Institute of Universidad Austral de Chile since 2002. He has specialised in the Physiology of Crops and Cereals. Dr. Calderini was distinguished with The People's Republic of China Friendship Award. He is Coordinator of the Network "Sustainable Intensification of Extensive Crop Production” of the Ibero-American Program of Science and Technology for Development. He was the head of the Graduate School and the Doctorate Program of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. His physiological research was carried out on pea, lupin, rapeseed, sunflower and quinoa in addition to temperate cereals.