Contents



Preface

Organic crop production is the science and art of growing field crops, fruits, vegetables, and flowers by adopting the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety conservation. This book provides detailed insights into organic farming in agriculture, biological efficacy in the management of plant diseases, organic nutrient management, socio-economic dimensions of adoption of conservation practices, nonchemical weed control, plant growth promoting fungi for phytostimulation, nanotechnological approaches, and finally vermicomposting. The book primarily focuses on research and development based organic agriculture and horticulture production technologies, and has attempted to abridge information on organic crop production of the major food grain crops. The book also contains comprehensive information on the various related dimensions of organic crop production.

It is a matter of great privilege and honor for me to express my esteemed gratitude to all my senior colleagues who conceived, detailed, and shaped the problem. Their sagacious guidance, persistent involvement, scholarly suggestions, relentless encouragement, prudent admonitions, constant and ungrudging help, and affectionate behavior has been a fountain of great inspiration to me. I implore my feeling of profound gratitude to the researchers for their keen interest, cordial attitude, generous help, and valuable suggestions during the entire course of work. I owe a great deal to all the scientific community for their wise counsel and steadfast help during this investigation. I avail myself of this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks to contributors of the book chapters for providing necessary facilities and valuable help during the entire span of work. I express my heartfelt thankfulness to my brother, mother, father, wife, and son for their encouragement, cordial attitude, and help during the entire span of my study. Candid thanks are due to all my seniors, juniors, and friends for their helping nature, company, inspiration, and moral support, which made my passage smooth over the rough terrain. Finally, I express my special thanks to all the staff of the IntechOpen from whom I received

**Shaon Kumar Das**

India

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),

ever-willing help and moral support.
