History
In the end of XIX century scientists recognized the need of application of physics to agriculture. The pioneer in this field of research was probably Franklin Hiram King. He was born in 1848 in Whitewater Wisconsin USA. He graduated from Cornell University and served as professor of natural sciences at River Falls State Normal School and after that as professor of agricultural physics at the University of Wisconsin. In 1888 the University of Wisconsin called him to the Chair of Agricultural Physics, the first of its kind in America. F.H. King was interested in a wide range of scientific problems but he made his major contributions to the applications of physics to agriculture. Most attention was given to soil physics, e.g., he studied water-holding capacities, moisture requirements of plants, aeration, movement of water in soils, movement of groundwater, and the drafts of plows. During his last years in Madison he also began studies of soil fertility. He has been called the “father” of soil physics in the USA.
Agrophysics's definition and scope
From the very beginning of its existence the definition of Agrophysics as a science was described a number of times. In general, Agrophysics is a branch of natural and agricultural sciences which applies physics into agriculture. Therefore sometimes it is also called agricultural physics. It explores agricultural materials and processes to describe their physical properties in order to assure best quality of agricultural products or raw material for industry, taking into account the role of environment and other factors. As a field of science, Agrophysics is of interdisciplinary scope and it is closely related to Biophysics. It is however limited strictly to the agricultural environment, i.e., soil, plants and animals and also takes into account the knowledge of Agronomy and Agriculture Engineering.