Feed and Food from Desert Environments

Conference · Sat Sep 17 04:00:00 EDT 1977

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3021-9_2· OSTI ID:5266552

Bassham, James A. ^[1]

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1. University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

Research programs on controlled environmental agricultural technology to allow a broad range of conventional and unconventional crops to be grown with very limited supplies of fresh or brackish water are reviewed. The use of water derived from the sea, from saline lakes, or from waste water treatment for crops in arid lands is discussed. Plant breeding programs to improve the nutritional value of food crops and irrigation systems to improve plant productivity are discussed. The production of liquid hydrocarbons and lubricating oils from plant species such as Euphorbic and Jojoba, and the use of leguminous plants such as mesquite (Prosopis juliflora), and other native plants, which thrive in arid regions, as important sources of proteins and carbohydrates are cited as examples of the productive potential of arid lands.

• Research Organization: University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); US Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5266552
• Report Number(s): LBL--6182; CONF-770960-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
553000 -- Agriculture & Food Technology
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
AGRICULTURE
ARID LANDS
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION
BIOMASS
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBOHYDRATES
CLIMATES
CROPS
DESERTS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENT
HYDROCARBONS
IRRIGATION
LUBRICANTS
LUBRICATING OILS
NUTRIENTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLANT BREEDING
PLANTS
PROTEINS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SYNTHESIS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
WATER QUALITY
WATER REQUIREMENTS
WATER RESOURCES