Field management practices to produce nutritional and healthier minor crops

Abstract

Minor crops species are one of the basic sources of essential nutrients required in human and animal nutrition. Field management practices play crucial role in crop production affecting yield and nutritional quality. A wide range of genetic and agronomic practices are adopted to achieve optimal yield and quality which are also affected by agro-climatic conditions. Overuse of NPK fertilizers and inorganic forms of micronutrients may have adverse effects on soil pH, beneficial microbial activity and other soil properties leading to poor yield and nutritional quality of crop species. Tillage, among the field management practices, plays an important role in nutrient availability by decreasing soil compactness and bulk density. In modern agriculture different tillage conditions are reported to increase the disease spread in crop areas as well. Keeping in view this reason, it is necessary to opt for the optimal and best tillage conditions. To cope with the aforementioned problems, appropriate field management practices are essential for good crop yield and quality. In this chapter we have summarized the effect of field management practices on nutritional composition and crop health of minor crops including oat, rye, triticale, and spelt.