Weed Science - A Plea for Thought - Revisited

Weed Science - A Plea for Thought - Revisited PDF

Author: Robert L. Zimdahl

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-09-26

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 9400720882

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Weed scientists are confident of increasing production through agricultural technology, including herbicides, but do not must ask if the moral obligation to feed people is sufficient justification for the benefits and harms achieved. A continuing, rigorous examination of the science’s goals that leads to appropriate change is advocated. Weed scientists have a research consensus - a paradigm - Weeds must be controlled. Herbicides are the best control technology. Agriculture's practitoners should discuss the necessity and risks of their technology. Discussion must include scientific evidence and value-laden arguments.

A History of Weed Science in the United States

A History of Weed Science in the United States PDF

Author: Robert L Zimdahl

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2010-02-04

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 0123815029

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It is important that scientists think about and know their history - where they came from, what they have accomplished, and how these may affect the future. Weed scientists, similar to scientists in many technological disciplines, have not sought historical reflection. The technological world asks for results and for progress. Achievement is important not, in general, the road that leads to achievement. What was new yesterday is routine today, and what is described as revolutionary today may be considered antiquated tomorrow. Weed science has been strongly influenced by technology developed by supporting industries, subsequently employed in research and, ultimately, used by farmers and crop growers. The science has focused on results and progress. Scientists have been--and the majority remain--problem solvers whose solutions have evolved as rapidly as have the new weed problems needing solutions. In a more formal sense, weed scientists have been adherents of the instrumental ideology of modern science. That is an analysis of their work, and their orientation reveals the strong emphasis on practical, useful knowledge; on know how. The opposite, and frequently complementary orientation, that has been missing from weed science is an emphasis on contemplative knowledge; that is, knowing why. This book expands on and analyzes how these orientations have affected weed science’s development. The first analytical history of weed science to be written Compares the development of weed science, entomology and plant pathology Identifies the primary founders of weed science and describes their role

Reflections on the Role of Ethics in Agriculture

Reflections on the Role of Ethics in Agriculture PDF

Author: Robert L. Zimdahl

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2024-08-25

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783031629402

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This volume is an update to Weed Science- A Plea for Thought-Revisited published by Springer in 2012. More than a decade after the first edition, ethical discussion on the use of pesticides for weed management is largely absent. Startingly, weed science and agriculture have continued on the same path and are still dominated by capital chemical and energy intensive practices, including the paralysis of pesticides. This second edition expands upon the first, using recent data to confirm the dominance of herbicides. The revision includes chapters which emphasize the role of ethics in agriculture and the reasons it should, but has not yet become part of agricultural education. This includes suggestions on how education in agricultural ethics should be shifting and whose responsibility it is. The revised version also includes a discussion on the role of genetically modified crops and the consequences of using these crops-both positive and negative. Scientists have developed a wealth of knowledge they bring to the surface of their disciplinary silos. Yet there needs to be greater discussion on the necessity and risks of agricultural science and technology. This revised version provides a rigorous examination of weed science’s goals and ethics and challenges the way we manage weeds and agriculture.

Agricultural Ethics - An Invitation

Agricultural Ethics - An Invitation PDF

Author: Robert L. Zimdahl

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-08-13

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 3030489353

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I write because I am concerned that I and my agricultural colleagues have avoided addressing the moral dimension of the environmental and social problems we have contributed to. I hope for an exchange of ideas about agriculture's moral dilemmas. I encourage my readers to engage in a collective conversation about the dilemmas and avoid remaining in what Merton calls "the collective arrogance and despair of his own herd." If those engaged in agriculture continue to ignore and fail to realize our common difficulties they will be addressed and resolved by societal pressure and political action, which may not yield the resolution we favor. The book's goal is not to resolve the moral dilemmas raised. It is to raise them and encourage thought and discussion. It will ask but not answer why nearly all involved in agriculture have not addressed the moral concerns voiced by the general public. The agricultural enterprise is committed to the benefits and future success of the present, very productive, chemical, capital, and energy intensive system, which is, in the minds of many, not sustainable. The internal justification invokes the moral claim that they feed the world's population. The question remains whether or not the prevailing moral justification of feeding the world is adequate given all the issues modern, developed country agriculture faces: pesticides in soil, water, and food, cruelty to animals, Biotech/GMO's, corporate agriculture, pollution by animal factory waste, exploitation of and cruelty to migrant labor.

Herbicides

Herbicides PDF

Author:

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2021-06-23

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0128236752

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Herbicides: Chemistry, Efficacy, Toxicology, and Environmental Impacts addresses contemporary debates on herbicide toxicology. The reader is offered a comprehensive overview of this complex topic, presented by internationally recognized experts. Information presented will inform discussions on the use of herbicides in modern agricultural and other systems, and their potential non-target effects on human populations and various ecosystems. The book covers these matters in concise language appropriate to engage both specialists in the research community and informed persons responsible for legislative, funding, and public health matters in the community at large. The use of herbicides is an essential pillar of modern agricultural production systems. Weeds, if uncontrolled, would reduce crop yield and result in massive economic damage. Recently, the heavy reliance on single herbicides has been linked to the development of weed resistance. To combat resistant weeds, farmers are advised to use a mix of several herbicides and to increase herbicide application rates. As a result, the toxicity of herbicides on human health and the environment has become a controversial topic. Offers a comprehensive overview of herbicide science in modern agricultural systems Addresses the complex problems that can arise from herbicide use and misuse, including weed resistance, pollution, and human health issues Uses recent examples to demonstrate the topical nature of this issue

Weeds

Weeds PDF

Author: Nina Edwards

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2015-05-15

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1780234848

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We spray them, pluck them, and bury them under mulch; and we curse their resilience when they spring back into place. To most of us, weeds are a nuisance, not worth the dirt they are growing in. But the fact is weeds are a plant just like any other, and it is only we who designate them as a weed or not, as a plant we will dote over or one we will tear out of the earth with abandon. And as Nina Edwards shows in this history, that designation is constantly changing. Balancing popular history with botanical science, she tells the story of the lowly, but proud, weed. As Edwards shows, the idea of the weed is a slippery one, constantly changing under different needs, fashions, and contexts. In a tightly controlled field of corn, a scarlet poppy is a bright red intruder, but in other parts of the world it is an important cultural symbol, a potent and lucrative pharmaceutical source, or simply a beautiful, lakeside ornament. What we consider a pest—Aristolochia Rotunda, or “fat hen”—was, in Neolithic times, a staple crop, its seeds an important source of nutrition. Sprinkled with personal anecdotes and loads of useful information, Weeds sketches history after history of the fashions and attitudes that have shaped our gardens, showing us that it is just as important what we keep out of them as what we put in, and that just because we despise one species does not mean that there haven’t been others whose very lives have depended on it.

Integrated Weed Management for Reduced Weed Infestations in Sustainable Cropping Systems

Integrated Weed Management for Reduced Weed Infestations in Sustainable Cropping Systems PDF

Author: Rodrigo Werle

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Published: 2023-10-30

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 2832537588

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Weeds pose a major challenge to the sustainability of agricultural production systems, causing significant crop yield, economic and environmental losses. Chemical weed control tactics play a major role in modern weed management, maintaining the productivity of diverse cropping systems, reducing yield losses and facilitating conservation agriculture. However, the over-reliance on chemical weed control has led to shifts in weed communities in agroecosystems which are now becoming dominated by high competitors and herbicide resistance. Thus, weed scientists and practitioners are urged to develop and incorporate innovative and feasible integrated weed management (IWM) systems that can reduce weed infestations and environmental impacts.

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