Global food security is coupled with the preservation and safe use of arable land resources. Land use competition in terms of commercial land use and urbanization has imparted enormous pressure on soil resources. The arable land of the world is already shrinking due to land degradation and desertification while our efforts to ensure commercial land availability is making the current scenario even worse. Soil degradation has put millions of acres of land as devoid of sustainable use over the past few decades and research shows that situation is going to be worse day by day. Precision agriculture can not only ensure the optimal use of available land but also can increase the restoration potential of global agriculture sectors. Integrated nutrient and pest management along with zero tillage, organic farming, and vertical plantation can be visualized as insurance of land and water conservation for the future. This chapter is an effort to contribute comprehensive information regarding the role of precision farming in the restoration and optimal use of global land resources.

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Global food security is coupled with the preservation and safe use of arable land resources. Land use competition in terms of commercial land use and urbanization has imparted enormous pressure on soil resources. The arable land of the world is already shrinking due to land degradation and desertification while our efforts to ensure commercial land availability is making the current scenario even worse. Soil degradation has put millions of acres of land as devoid of sustainable use over the past few decades and research shows that situation is going to be worse day by day. Precision agriculture can not only ensure the optimal use of available land but also can increase the restoration potential of global agriculture sectors. Integrated nutrient and pest management along with zero tillage, organic farming, and vertical plantation can be visualized as insurance of land and water conservation for the future. This chapter is an effort to contribute comprehensive information regarding the role of precision farming in the restoration and optimal use of global land resources.

No abstract

Soybean is considered among the crops that demand a plentiful water supply, particularly during the growth phase to achieve maximum production. The drought stress adversely reduces the productivity and yield of soybean as compared to other legumes crops. With the passage of time, the local varieties of soybean have declined their yield potential because they have no resistance against abiotic stresses. There is a need to explore the avenues that minimize the impact of drought on soybean plants. In this regard, a pot experiment was performed to assess the exogenously applied foliar supplementation of proline and glycine betaine osmolytes @10mM and 20mM on the various physical parameters, oxidative stress amelioration, and cessation of damaging lipid peroxidation that indicates the beneficial effects of osmolytes supplementation in drought-stressed soybean. The water stress was applied at 50% of field capacity sown with three different genotypes of soybean including Ajmeri, Rawal, and Faisal-Soy. This leads to the reduced morphological growth and physiological response in all three soybean genotypes in lieu of water stress conditions. The water stress also reduced the content of proline and glycine betaine and reduced the activity of antioxidant enzymes. It also enhanced the process of lipid peroxidation in all genotypes of soybean. The osmolyte treatments enhanced the resistance against drought stress conditions by improving the physiological response and antioxidant enzymatic activity. It also decreased the degree of lipid peroxidation evaluated through MDA and H2O2 contents. The most significant results were found in the Ajmeri genotype as compared to other genotypes at 20mM foliar application of proline. Therefore, it is suggested that the use of exogenous osmolytes especially proline is helpful in enhancing soybean production and alleviating the drought stress effects