Bringing skepticism to crop science / Thomas Sinclair, Thomas W. Rufty.
Sinclair, Thomas, author.; Rufty, Thomas W. author.
2022
SB91 .S56 2022
Available Online

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Title Bringing skepticism to crop science / Thomas Sinclair, Thomas W. Rufty.
Author Sinclair, Thomas, author.
ISBN 9783031144141 (electronic bk.)
3031144147 (electronic bk.)
3031144139
9783031144134
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14414-1
Published Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2022]
Language English
Description 1 online resource (1 volume) : illustrations
Item Number 10.1007/978-3-031-14414-1 doi
Call Number SB91 .S56 2022
Dewey Decimal Classification 631.5
Summary Global food production and climate change among other concerns are societal issues that require major research input from crop science. While suggestions are abundant on how crop science can help to resolve these issues, many of the suggestions come from people who are not actually familiar with the challenges and requirements to modify crop plants grown under field conditions to achieve the necessary improvements. Efforts to alter a gene or even several genes have very rarely proven successful in having impact on crop production under realistic field conditions. This lack of success has not been addressed head on. This book serves as a reminder to crop scientists and others that open, clear-minded assessments of the entirety of evidence concerning a hypothesis is required before making claims of possible increases in crop performance. This attitude of skepticism is not a negative attitude but rather an employment of the cornerstone of scientific investigation based on formation and evaluation of hypotheses. Skeptical analyses are to be presented in the book on some of the common suggestions for improving crop plants. The six specific topics to be addressed are photosynthesis, seed number, nitrogen use efficiency, water use efficiency, crop water loss, and unconfirmed field observations. Each of the topics in this book, will first be reviewed to present the origins of the popular assumptions about how specific plant modification will result in improved crop performance. The review of the background information will be followed by an examination of the evidence, logic, and predicted outcomes for the assumed benefits of the modifications. Finally, each chapter will offer novel, alternate approaches to plant modification that have documented support for positively impacting crop performance. The book will not be written in specialized, detail language but offer access for those with a wide range of interests in options for increasing crop production in the future. The goal of the book is to provide information that is useful to those with interests ranging from climatologist to food-oriented sociologists. Of course, the topics covered will be of direct interest to those studying plant sciences, particularly crop scientists. The hope is to challenge a reader to re-examine some of her/his assumptions about crop improvement and approach the topic with a renewed practice of skepticism in formulating and evaluating hypotheses. .
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references.
Access Note Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on January 31, 2023).
Added Author Rufty, Thomas W. author.
Series SpringerBriefs in agriculture.
Available in Other Form BRINGING SKEPTICISM TO CROP SCIENCE.
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Chapter 1 The Role of Skepticism in Science?
Chapter 2 Warnings for Skeptics
Chapter 3 Photosynthesis
Chapter 4 Seed Number
Chapter 5 Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Chapter 6 Water Use Efficiency
Chapter 7 Water Loss
Chapter 8 Unconfirmed Field Observations (UFOs).

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