131. A high-oleic-acid and low-palmitic-acid soybean: agronomic performance and evaluation as a feedstock for biodiesel.

• Authors:
  • Gerpen, J. H. van
  • Kinney, A. J.
  • Schweiger, B.
  • Tat, M.
  • Tenopir, P.
  • LaVallee, B. J.
  • Graef, G.
  • Clemente, T. E.
• Source: Plant Biotechnology Journal
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 5
• Year: 2009
• Summary: Phenotypic characterization of soybean event 335-13, which possesses oil with an increased oleic acid content (>85%) and reduced palmitic acid content (

132. Nitrous oxide emissions from sugarcane soils: Effects of urea forms and application rate

• Authors:
  • Dalal, R. C.
  • Salter, B.
  • Reeves, S. H.
  • Moody, P. W.
  • Wang, W. J.
• Source: Proceedings of Australian Society of Sugarcane Technologists
• Volume: 30
• Year: 2008

133. Meta-analysis of maize yield response to woody and herbaceous legumes in sub-Saharan Africa

• Authors:
  • Place, F.
  • Ajayi, O. C.
  • Akinnifesi, F. K.
  • Sileshi, G.
• Source: Plant and Soil
• Volume: 307
• Issue: 1-2
• Year: 2008
• Summary: A number of studies have tested the effect of woody and herbaceous legumes on soil fertility and maize yields in sub-Saharan Africa. However, their effects on maize productivity are much debated because results have been variable. A meta-analysis was conducted with the aim of evaluating the evidence in support of yield benefits from woody and herbaceous green manure legumes. A total of 94 peer-reviewed publications from West, East and southern Africa qualified for inclusion in the analysis. Maize yield from herbaceous green manure legumes (54 publications), non-coppicing legumes (48 publications), coppicing woody legumes (10 publications), natural fallows (29 publications), and fully fertilized monoculture maize (52 publications) were compared. Mixed linear modelling using yield differences (D) and response ratios (RR) indicated that the response to legumes is positive. The mean yield increase (D) over unfertilized maize was highest (2.3 t ha-1) and least variable (CV=70%) in fully fertilized maize, while it was lowest (0.3 t ha-1) and most variable (CV=229%) in natural fallows. The increase in yield over unfertilized maize was 1.6 t ha-1 with coppicing woody legumes, 1.3 t ha-1 with non-coppicing woody legumes and 0.8 t ha-1 with herbaceous green manure legumes. Doubling and tripling of yields relative to the control (RR > 2) was recorded in coppicing species (67% of the cases), non-coppicing legumes (45% of the cases), herbaceous green manure legumes (16% of the cases) and natural fallows (19% of the cases). However, doubling or tripling of yields occurred only in low and medium potential sites. Amending post-fallow plots with 50% of the recommended fertilizer dose further increased yields by over 25% indicating that legume rotations may play an important role in reducing fertilizer requirements. Except with the natural fallow, the 95% confidence intervals of D and RR were higher than 1 and 0, respectively indicating significant and positive response to treatments. Therefore, it is concluded that the global maize yield response to legumes is significantly positive and higher than unfertilized maize and natural vegetation fallows.

134. Population dynamics of cotton bollworms in various cotton based intercropping systems.

• Authors:
  • Chikte, P.
  • Bhalkare, S. K.
  • Thakare, S. M.
  • Lande, G. K.
• Source: Journal Of Cotton Research And Development
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 2
• Year: 2008
• Summary: The experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2004-05 at Dr. PDKV, Akola to evaluate the effect of different possible intercrops on bollworm complex on cotton crop. The intercrops viz., cotton+greengram, cotton+blackgram, cotton+cowpea, cotton+sorghum, cotton+maize, cotton+marigold, cotton+soybean in 1:1 ratio alongwith a treatment of sole cotton crop were sown. The intercrop cotton+cowpea proved to be the best recording least population of spotted bollworm, American bollworm and pink bollworm as against the treatment of sole cotton crop. The highest seed cotton yield of 251 kg/ha was recorded in cotton+cowpea-intercropping system as against 160 kg/ha recorded in the sole cotton crop.

135. Crop succession and its influence on soil physical properties and irrigated winter common bean yield, under different soil tillage systems.; Sucessao de culturas e sua influencia nas propriedades fisicas do solo e na produtividade do feijoeiro de inverno irrigado, em diferentes sistemas de manejo do solo.

• Authors:
  • Alves, M. C.
  • Arf, O.
  • Silva, M. G. da
  • Buzetti, S.
• Source: Bragantia
• Volume: 67
• Issue: 2
• Year: 2008
• Summary: The soil physical properties are influenced by different soil tillage as well as by crop rotation. Field studies were conducted in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, in 2003/04, to evaluate the shoot dry matter production, soil covering percentage and the influence of crop rotation and tillage system on soil physical properties of a Rhodic Hapludox and to evaluate irrigated winter common bean yield. The treatments consisted of soil tillage systems (heavy harrow, chisel plough and no-tillage) and 6 rotations sown in the summer (maize, maize + black velvet bean, maize + brachiaria grass, soyabean, rice and sunn hemp). The crop rotations that presented larger soil coverage and shoot dry matter production were sunn hemp, maize + black velvet bean, maize + braquiaria grass and maize. No-tillage resulted in larger values of penetration resistance at 0.00-0.10 m layer. Except for macroporosity at the 0-0,1 m layer, the properties humidity, macroporosity, microporosity and total porosity of soil were not influenced by soil tillage systems. Despite differences in some yield components of common bean due to certain soil tillage or crop succession, the irrigated winter common bean crop yield was not affected.

136. Change vector analysis to categorise land cover change processes using the tasselled cap as biophysical indicator

• Authors:
  • Koch, B.
  • Siwe, R. N.
• Source: Environmental monitoring and assessment
• Volume: 145
• Issue: 1-3
• Year: 2008
• Summary: The continuous extraction of wood and the conversion of forest to small- and large-scale agricultural parcels is rapidly changing the land cover of the mount Cameroon region. The changes occur at varying spatial scales most often not more than 2ha for the small-scale subsistence farms and above 10ha for the extensive agricultural plantations of cocoa and palm. Given the importance of land use and land cover data in conservation planning, accurate and efficient techniques to provide up-to-date change information are required. A number of techniques for realising the detection of land cover dynamics using remotely sensed imagery have been formulated, tested and assessed with the results varying with respect to the change scenario under investigation, the information required and the imagery applied. In this study the Change Vector Analysis (CVA) technique was implemented on multitemporal multispectral Landsat data from the Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) sensors to monitor the dynamics of forest change in the mount Cameroon region. CVA was applied to multi-temporal data to compare the differences in the time-trajectory of the tasseled cap greenness and brightness for two successive time periods - 1987 and 2002. The tasseled cap was selected as biophysical indicator because it optimises the data viewing capabilities of vegetation, representing the basic types of land cover - vegetation, soil and water. Classes were created arbitrarily to predict the technique's potential in monitoring forest cover changes in the mount Cameroon region. The efficiency of the technique could not be fully assessed due to the inavailability of sufficient ground truth data. Assessment was based on the establishment of an error matrix of change versus no-change. The overall accuracy was 70%. The technique nevertheless demonstrated immense potentials in monitoring forest cover change dynamics especially when complemented with field studies.

137. Cover crops biomass under different cultivation systems and crop sequence in a Cerrado region, Selviria, MS, Brazil.; Fitomassa de plantas de cobertura sob diferentes sistemas de cultivo e sucessao de culturas em Selviria - MS.

• Authors:
  • Suzuki, L. G. A. S.
  • Alves, M. C.
  • Suzuki, L. E. A. S.
  • Rodrigues, R. A. F.
• Source: Científica, Jaboticabal
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 2
• Year: 2008
• Summary: The objective of this study was to verify the biomass yield potential of different cover crops in a Cerrado region, in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The work was conducted in the Experimental University Farm of the Paulista State University (UNESP). The experimental design was the randomized complete blocks in strips with splitsplit plot: the plots were the cover crops Mucuna aterrima, Pennisetum americanum, Crotalaria juncea, Cajanus cajan and a fallow area; the split plots were the no-tillage and the conventional tillage, and the splitsplit plots were corn ( Zea mays L.), soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill), and cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) crops. In the winter irrigated Phaseolus vulgaris L. was the crop. In the spring/summer season the cover crop with the greatest biomass yield was Pennisetum americanum. Crotalaria juncea and the fallow area showed medium results while Mucuna aterrima and Cajanus cajan were those with the least yields. Pennisetum americanum was the crop cover with the biggest production potential of dry biomass. The cultivation systems did not influence the dry biomass of the cover crops. Only Pennisetum americanum production was influenced by crop sequence.

138. Reducing uncertainties in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from sub-tropical land use systems of Queensland

• Authors:
  • Grace, P.
  • Rowlings, D.
  • Peterson, N.
  • Weier, K.
  • Kiese, R.
  • Butterbach-Bahl, K.
• Source: Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Australian-New Zealand Landscapes
• Year: 2007

139. Implications of climate change for tillage practice in Australia

• Authors:
  • McGregor, A.
  • Slattery, B.
  • Ugalde, D.
  • Brungs, A.
  • Kaebernick, M.
• Source: Soil & Tillage Research
• Volume: 97
• Issue: 2
• Year: 2007

140. On-farm crop performances and water use efficiency of zero till wheat in low land rice ecosystem.

• Authors:
  • Goswami, S. B.
  • Saha, S.
  • Dutta, S.
• Source: National Seminar on Ecorestoration of Soil and Water Resources Towards Efficient Crop Production
• Year: 2007
• Summary: On-farm field experiments were undertaken in Chakdah Block, West Bengal, India, to study the impact of surface sowing, sowing by zero till seed drill (ZT) and conventional sowing with normal tillage (CT) in lowland rice fields on the growth and yield performances of wheat cv. 'UP 262', sown in the 1st, 3rd and 4th weeks of November during 2005-06 and 2006-07. For sowing under zero till, the seed rate was high (150 kg/ha). The depth of irrigation for ZT was 4 cm (3 h/bigha) compared to CT of 6 cm (4.5 h/bigha). Three irrigations were applied at crown root initiation, maximum tillering and flowering stages. The wheat plant height, tillering, panicle length, grains per spike and test weight were significantly affected by ZT and surface sowing compared to CT. Effective tiller production was higher under ZT with 3 irrigations than ZT with 2 irrigations or surface sowing. ZT with 3 irrigations (226 mm total water use) recorded the highest grain yield of 24.6 q/ha, which was a 21.8% yield increase over CT with 3 irrigations (243 mm total water use). ZT with 2 irrigations (189 mm total water use) decreased the grain yield by 111.8% over ZT with 3 irrigations. The water use efficiency was higher (8.5-8.71 kg ha -1 mma -1) under ZT with 3 irrigations over ZT with 2 irrigations or CT with 3 irrigations.