Agronomy

Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation.

Ibn al-'Awwam, a 12th-century Andalusian agronomist, wrote the Kitāb al-Filāḥa, a comprehensive guide on farming practices, crop management and soil conservation.

Leonardo da Vinci and other scholars contributed to early agronomic theory, studying plant growth, crop rotation, and animal husbandry.

The Green Revolution (1940s-1960s), led by scientists like Norman Borlaug, introduced high-yield crop varieties and modern farming techniques, helping to avert hunger in many parts of the world.

Today agronomy continues to adapt to challenges of climate change, global food security and the need to balance productivity with environmental stewardship.

Furthermore, the application of plant breeding for turfgrass development has resulted in a reduction in the demand for fertilizer and water inputs (requirements), as well as turf-types with higher disease resistance.

For example, oilseed is at present used mainly for margarine and other food oils, but it can be modified to produce fatty acids for detergents, substitute fuels and petrochemicals.

The plant is treated as a kind of biological factory, which processes light, carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients into harvestable products.

The main parameters are temperature, sunlight, standing crop biomass, plant production distribution, and nutrient and water supply.