ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
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Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 13 CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICS AND AGRONOMY: A CRITICAL REVIEW
Arpana Agrawal
Department of Physics, Shri Neelkantheshwar Government Post-Graduate College, Khandwa-450001, India
Abstract- Various phenomenons taking place in agronomy has some mechanism behind it that can be explained on the basis of concepts of Physics and hence there exist a strong correlation between Physics and Agronomy. Such scenario gives birth to AGROPHYSICS, one of the areas of natural science that deals with using physics in agriculture and the environment. Accordingly, AGROPHYSICS is an integral part of environmental Physics.
Herein, a critical review dealing with agrophysics providing an overview of various examples depicting the correlation between Physics and Agronomy has been presented including agrophysical properties of soils, plants; agricultural methods; modelling and monitoring various processes. Assessing and enhancing the quality of soils, agricultural products, and technological processes can benefit from an understanding of agrophysics.
Keywords: Agrophysics; Agriculture; Agrophysical properties; Environmental Physics; Soil.
1. INTRODUCTION
Agrophysics is described as the study of physical processes and qualities that impact plant production. The fundamentals of agrophysical research are mass (water, air, nutrients) and energy (light, heat) transfer throughout the agro-ecosystem, as well as their management to achieve high biomass quantity and quality while being environmentally friendly. Understanding of physical processes in the agro-ecosystem enables for more efficient use of water and pesticides in agriculture, soil, as well as reduced biomass losses during harvest, transportation, storage, and treatment [1].
Agrophysics is an essential component of environmental physics and associated with phenomena in agricultural areas that are subject to heavy human interference, such as monoculture crops, water management, and a high level of chemical and mechanical interventions. Plant raw materials are also of interest in agrophysics as a source of superior agricultural goods and food. It includes physical mechanisms and qualities of soils, plants, agricultural products, and food, as well as tools for assessing, simulating, and evaluating [2]. Agrophysics bridges the gap between agrochemistry, agrobiology, agroecology, and agroclimatology by connecting knowledge in environmental physics, soil physics, plant physics, and food physics.
The preset review article aims to demonstrate the significance of agrophysics in the determination of pitfalls to agricultural systems (e.g., physical soil deterioration, crop production setbacks) and physiochemical characteristics of plant materials impacting their nutritional qualities as well as the environment (soil-plant-atmosphere relations, soil physical conditions and plant development, gas production in soils and emission to the atmosphere) using modern measurement, monitoring and modelling tools.
ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
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Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 14 2. VARIOUS AGROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Various physical properties significantly affect the overall growth of agriculture. These properties include the properties of soil and its quality such as temperature, water content of soil, factors affecting soil fertility, influence of various fertilizers, soil cultivation, green house fluxes and their exchange from soil to environment and vice versa, factors influencing the nutritional values, technological aspects, deterioration of the physical properties of soil, etc. Soil physical deterioration usually implies the overall process responsible for the diminishing of soil in quality and hence making it inappropriate for a legitimate goal, such as crop production and has a detrimental influence on soil properties and processes, including roots of the plants and soil space, soil temperature, water, air, and nutrient transfer, and natural attenuation of organic and inorganic pollutants, etc. Various natural or human-caused processes, including soil erosion, compaction, crusting, desertification, and water-logging, constructional work, etc have also influence the overall process. However, these can be mitigated with physical remedies.
Several researchers have investigated the physical properties of various food/agricultural materials including persimmon fruits [3]; several rice varieties and their dependence on moisture concentration [4]; arigo seeds [5]; fruits/nuts/oil palm [6];
hazelnuts [7]; common beans [8], etc. Apart from the physical properties, there exist several factors that significantly affect the physical properties such as moisture content, drying temperature, seedbed cultivation, soil macrostructure, etc. Soil conditions also significantly affect the root responses and hence the growth dynamics [9]. Atkinson et al [10] examined the influence of soil macrostructure and the seedbed cultivation of the winter wheats. Dependence of physicochemical chateristics of cassava starch on drying temperature was investigated by Aviara et al [11]. Water losses in tomatoes as a consequence of mechanical damage were also examined [12]. Physiochemical properties of bread upon pea seed coating was reported by Kasprzak et al [13]. The utilization of manure, tractor use, depth of sowing, date of sowing, seed priming are reported to be influential for the growth of sorghum bicolor [14]. Green house fluxes and their exchange in soil and atmosphere also get affected by the land use [15]. Chebykina [16]., has also studied the effect of utilizing fertilizers, tilting on the biological properties of sod-podzolic gleyic soils.
3. MEASURING, MODELING AND MONITORING OF VARIOUS AGROPHYSICAL PROCESSES
Data accumulation is one of the decisive factors to evaluate the spatial and temporal behavior of various agrophysical conditions. These conditions warrant proper measurement and monitoring as they highly influence the growth rate/yield/losses. For measuring the various agrophysical phenomenons, various measuring techniques can be employed including nuclear magnetic resonance, remote sensing, dielectric measurements, particle film technology, x-ray methods, optical technologies, etc. Apart from this, various mathematical tools, statistical analysis and modeling techniques are also employed to investigate and/or predict various agrophysical/agrochemical/agrobiological properties.
Conformal microscopy has been employed by Pieczywek et al [17] to examine the microstructures of plant tissue. To investigate the quality of saffron peach, digital imaging has been employed by Esehaghbeygi et al [18]. Imaging system and micrometer measuring has also been reported to be an effective tool for monitoring the geometrical properties of rice [19]. Shear test were also reported to be very importance to determine the mechanical properties of wheat affected by moisture content [20]. Zhang et al [21] reported the method to examine the water content of soil which is based on analysis of abscisic acid that is obtained in dehydrating root of the plants.
Gorjian et al [22] have proposed a model for thin layer drying processes via proper optimization of neural network. Firmness and textures of apples stored for long time was also analyzed in laboratories [23]. Wicek et al [24]., proposed DEM modeling to investigate the dependence of moisture on the various physical properties of rape seeds. Holst et al [25, 26]., have reported a numerical modeling of silo filling in continuum and discrete analysis.
Physical and statistical properties of raisin berries were also discussed via modeling [27]. The repose angle and frictional characteristics of wheat grains were also reported to be simultaneously analyzed [28]. Van Genuchten [29] mathematically predicted the
ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037
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Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 15 hydraulic conductivity of soils. Mathematical modeling for carrot drying and thermodynamic behavior of corn was also discussed [30, 31]. Clark et al [32]., have presented a critical review on the sensing of physical properties as well as the nutritional values of the root environments.
4. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the present review provides an overview of various agrophysical properties of soils, plants, agricultural methods. The correlation between physics and agronomy has been presented along with the significance of agrophysics in determining the various physical properties of agricultural systems including properties of soil such as its quality, temperature, moisture content, fertility, effect of fertilizers, soil cultivation, green house fluxes and their exchange from soil to environment and vice versa, factors influencing the nutritional values, technological aspects, deterioration of the physical properties of soil, etc. The investigation of these physical properties using various modern measurement, monitoring and modeling tools included in physics has also been demonstrated along with few recent studies.
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