Current Comments” EUGENE GARFIELD INSTITUTE FOR SC1:hTIFiC !RWKMATIGP$B 3501 MARKET ST PHILAGE.R+IA, PA 19104 Journal Citation Studies. 53. Agricultural Sciences: Most Fruitful Journals and High Yield Research Fields Number 51 December 17, 1990 Citation data for agricultural science journals indexed in the 1989 Science Cifarion Ibex ~ are exami- ned. Impact factors, journals most cited by these “core” journals, and those that most frequently cited the core journals are identified. Highest impact articles and most active research fronts in the agricul- tural sciences also are presented. Based on these data, nine journals are identified as occupying a prominent position in the field. Introduction: A Brief Overview herds and cultivated crops. Based on ar- of Agriculture chaeological findings, researchers believe that primitive agriculture developed as early Last October, I participated in a sympo- as 9003-7000 BC in the Near East. The sium on peer review and editing at the an- Natufians of Palestine used sickfes during nual meeting of the American Society of this period, though it is unclear whether Agronomy (ASA) in San Antonio, Texas. At they harvested wild or sown grains. There the invitation of Bob Sojka and Hank May- are also indications that wheat and barley kurd, Agricultural Research Service, US De- were cultivated as early as 7000 BC in what partment of Agriculture (USDA), Kimberly, is now lran and Iraq.3 Idaho, I presented a citationist perspective However, the popular conception that the on how the ASAs key publications compare Middle East was the single center of agr- with other journals of agricultural research. 1 icultural development is no longer sup- While this presentation understandably fo- ported. Domesticated beans, gourds, and cused on ASA journals, the data we pre- water chestnuts seem to have been grown in pared gave us an opportunity to provide an Thailand approximately X00 BC, and pep- overview of the agricukumf sciences litera- pers, avocados, beans, pumpkins, and ture as part of our continuing series of jour- gourds also were domesticated in the Amer- nal citation studies. icas by 7000-5000 BC.3 The agricultural sciences today span a broad spectrum of research on virtually all Justus von Liebig and the Growth aspects of feud production. This includes of Scientific Agriculture farm production, soil cultivation and conser- vation, the growth and harvesting of food Agricultural knowledge remained an orrd crops as well as forage and feed for animals, tradition, with information transmitted ver- animal husbandry, and t!!e. processing of bafly from farmer to farmer, until the turn of pIant and animal products for consump- the nineteenth eenttrry. Agricultural science tiotr,z did not gain a place in academia until the The rise of agncuhuraf knowledge has first agricultural academies were established been traced back to ancient times, when hu- in Hungary in 1796 and Germany in 1818. mankind made the transition from nomadic The earliest effort to put agriculture on an hunting/gathetirrg tribes to more settled so- empirical, scientific footing is credited to cieties supported by domesticated animal Justus von Liebig, a German chemist who 455 Tabfe 1: Cors amicufture ioumals. 1989 SCf ’, in abhabelic order by wbliifser, with their years of origin (in pamntheaes), ~ 1989 im~ct factors. (See Table 2 for explanation of im~~i f=tor caJcultstimts.)” Academic Press, US Field Crops Research (1977) 0.63 Advances m Agronomy ( 19’$9) 1.03 Geoderma ( 1967) 0.56 Ag’icultuml fnsfitute of Canada Soi[ & Ti/@e Research ( 1980 ) 0.53 Canadian Journal of Soil SCrence (1957 ) 0.73 Elsevier Applied Science, UK Akademie Vedag, Germany Agriadfund Systems (1976) 0.40 Archtv@ Auker- wrd Pflan:enbau und ftm/ogica/ Wasfes (1979) 0.21 Bodenkurufs’ (1971) 0.24 Biomass (198 1) 0.48 ,kimqvist & Wiksell, Swe&n Jourrwzl of the Sctence of Food and Smedish Journal @Agricultural Research ( 1933) 0.29 Agrictdrwe (1950) 0.68 Amenmn Chemical Smiety Pesric/de Science (1970) I,02 Jourml of Agricultural and Food Entomological Society of America C’hemi.srq (1953) 1.20 Journal of Economic Entomology (1908) 0.74 American society of Agricultural Engineers European Association for Potato Research, Tramacfions of the ASAE ( 19!?7) 0.37 The Netherlands American Snciety of Agronomy F’ofato Research ( 1958) 0.33 Cmp Science Society of America European Weed Research .%iety, UK Soil Science Scciety of America Wet-dResearch (1% 1) 0.35 Agronom! Journal (1‘X)7) 0,7 I Mtuto Spsnmentale per la Cerealicohra, ltaly Crop .scwznce([961) 0,61 Maydica (1956) o,~o Soil Science Socidy of America Journal ( 1936) 1,18 Intematiomd Be Research Assocuthon, UK American Society for Enolog y and Wticultm Bee World (19 19) 0.19 Anav-ican Journal of Enology and JG i+&SS, US Vilwldmre ( I948) 0.66 Ltimyc{e ( 1960) 0.22 Blackwell Scientific, UK Kluwer. The Netherlands Journal ofSoil Science (1949) 0.95 .Euphyrica (1952) 0.39 British Sxiety for Research in Agricultwal Pkmr md. soil ( 1948) 0.69 Engineering Kyushu University, Japan Academ]c Press, UK Journal of the Faculty of Agrlcuhwe, Jourmd of Agric’uhurul Engineering Kyushu Umw’rsity (1923) 0.13 Research (1956) 0,23 Japan .%ciety for Bimcience, Butterworth-Heinem, UK Biotecfuwlogy, and Agmchemistry Crop Proferfmn (1982) 0,45 Agrmdrurcd and ffio/ogica/ Chsmis/V ( 1961) 0.86 Tropical Agr;culfare (1924) 0,11 Japanese society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition CAB Soil Scmce and P/unr Nurri(ion ( 1955) 0,52 Perganson Press, UK Macel D&k, US Outkwk on Agriculture (1956) 0.25 Communications in Soil ScWnce and Cambridge University Press, UK Pfanr Anulysis (1970) 0.47 Eqwrimerwd Agricukre (1933) 0.25 Journal of Environmental Science Journu/ of Agricu/omd Science ( 1935) 0.49 and Health Part B-- Pestickies, Food Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering Contandnants ami Agricfdtural Wastes (1976) 0.60 Canadian Agricultural Engineering (1959) 0.34 PergamwmPress, UK Council of Scientific and Industrid Research Journal of Stored Products Research ( 1%5 ) 0.28 Orgamzations, AustraJia .soi[ Bmk)gy & Lkckmistq (1%9) 1.31 Aus!rolian Journal <$A,yricultura/ Pesticide Science ~Iay of Japan Research (1950) 0,74 Journal of Pesricide Science (1973) 0,54 Australian Journal ofEqerinteftfal Potato Association of America Agricu/mre (I% 1) 0.40 American Potato Journal (191 3) 0.40 Australian Journal of Soil Research (1963) 0,s4 RoyaJ Netherlands Society for Agicukuml science Tropical Grasslands (1%7) 0.11 Netherlands Journal of’Agriculnwol DSfR, New Zealand Scwrce ( 1953) 0.36 New Zzalaml Journal <flAgriculturo/ Soil and Water Conservation .%ciety, US Research (1938) 0.43 Journal of Soil& Water Conservation (1946) 0.59 New Zealard Journal of Crop and Hor:icu[w-al .bmdinavian Association of Agricultural Scientists Science ( 1973) 0,21 Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry ELsevier scientific, France Ac!u Agricultwae Scandinmica (1945) 0.48 Apido/ogie (1970) 0.56 Springer Verlag, US Elsevier Science, The Netherlands Bio/ogy and Fertiliry ofSoils ( 1985) 0.79 Agrictdmt’e Ecoqs!ems & Environment (1983) 0.27 Irrigatiofi Science (1978) 0.58 Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (1964) 0.63 Univemity of California, US Agricultural Water Management (1976) 0,10 Hilgardia (1925) 1.06 456 Verband der C1garettmiodustrie, Germany Journal of Agronomy and Crop Scienc+ Lfeitrage MI Tabaiforschung Zeimchrft fiir Acker- und Pffnrrzetdkru (1853) 0.16 Internatiorrcd(l%l ) 0.50 Pfant Breedirr@itschr frfiir Vdxsmks Oeuwcher Lsndwirtschnfttkk PJ7arrzerrzuchtwrg(1912) 0.7I Urrtem.uchungs und Forxhungssnstelten Weed Science Sockry of America %uerkmder, Genrwmy Weed Science (1951) 0.59 Agribiological Research: i?eitschrfrftir Wiley, US Agrarbiologie-.,4grikultwchernidko@ie .%vier Soi/ Science (1959) 00s (1949) 0.32 Wdliams & WMim, US V.lag PSU1Parey, Germany Soil .Science ( 1916) 0.65 taught at the Universities of Giessen and what has since been acclaimed as one of the Munich in the early and mid- 1800s.z.4 most important books in the history of sci- Liebig is best known for his many contri- entific agriculture, Organic Chemistty in Its butions to the development of organic Applications to Agriculture and Physiol- chemistry. He systematicrdly extended this ogy.5 Among the landmark topics it dis- knowledge to agriculture and plant physiol- cussed were the role of carbon in plant nu- ogy, and ultimately put forward the most trition, the source of nitrogen for plant comprehensive treatment of plant nutrition uptake, and the purpose of fertilizers in sup- presented to that time. In 1840, he published plying ammonia and various salts to plants.4 Frederic L. Holmes, University of West- Tabte 2 Core agriculture journafs with impact fac- ern Ontario, London, Canada, summarized tors of at least 0.50, 1989 JCR e tnrpactfactnrs are Liebig’s impact on practical and scientific cntculated by dividing 1989 citations to a journal’s agriculture: 1988 and 1987 srticles by the number of srticles it published in tbe two years. Before 1840 it was generally believed that troth plant and animal life were dependent 1989 1988+1987 1989 on the circulation of an organic, pre- Journal Impact Arttdes Citations- Soil Biol. Biochcm. 1:31 283 371 viously living material. Now, whatever J. Age Fowt Chem. 1.20 54s 658 opinion individuals held on spezific Soil Sci. SW. Amer J. 1,18 638 756 points, they agreed that the nutrient sub- Hilgardii 1.06 16 17 stances of plants were inorganic. That Pestic. Sci. 1.02 187 lW change had transformed the objectives of Advarr. Agmn. 1.00 10 10 agriculture for under the older conception J. Soil Sci. .95 125 119 the potentiat production of frmdstuffs A~, Biol. Chem Tokyo .86 1,225 1,051 would seem to have a fixed limit, whereas Aust. J, Soil Res. .84 112 94 Biol. Fat. Soils .79 210 165 in the new view ao unbound increase in Aust.