Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Cropping Systems

Soil fertility is the overriding constraint to food production in the tropics, and yet in many developing countries fertilizers are unavailable or beyond the reach of subsistence farmers. The biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen is the only way that plants can manufacture their own fertilizer and is the main input of nitrogen in many tropical cropping systems. This book provides a review of the main nitrogen-fixing grain crops, fodder plants and trees in the tropics and how the inputs of nitrogen can be most efficiently utilized for sustainable agricultural production.