Abstract

So long as man must eat the production of food will be the most basic of all occupations. So long as populations continue to increase more and more food will have to be produced, Since the area of land suitable for food production is limited the continuing aim will have to be ever increasing yields on the limited land available. The Agronomic scientist will be judged not by the fundamental problems he succeeds in unravelling or the pure scientific truths he discovers but by the success of his efforts in increasing yields. on the land. Work that is essentially academic can quickly lose its agricultural significance if new principles are not (or cannot) be related in simple effective economic terms to the farmer. In agronomic enquiry the farmer should be associated with the scientist for such work can lose much of its value if not immediately and persistently associated with farming practice itself. Since our scientists know little or nothing of farming practice or farming problems nor care to associate farmers with their enquiry, research in this country tends to remain purely academic. This is where research in the U. S. A, or Australia scores over research in this country.

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