- Authors:
- Source: Acta Pedologica Sinica
- Volume: 46
- Issue: 5
- Year: 2009
- Summary: Plenty of reports about effects of intercropping improving yield and reducing disease incidence are available, but little was reported about the mechanism of the effects. RAPD and T-RFLP methods were used to study effects of intercropping of cucumber with wheat, vicia villosa and clover, individually, on cucumber disease indexes, cucumber rhizosphere soil microbial community diversity and yield. Results showed that intercropping of cucumber with wheat and vicia villosa increased soil microbial community diversity in cucumber rhizosphere, and the effect of the latter was the most prominent. All intercropping modes increased cucumber yield significantly ( p
- Authors:
- Ma, B.
- Strachan, I.
- Zhou, X.
- Mabood, F.
- Almaraz, J.
- Smith, D.
- Source: Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science
- Volume: 195
- Issue: 5
- Year: 2009
- Summary: Climate change will alter temperature and rainfall patterns over North American agricultural regions and there will be a need to adapt crop production systems to the altered conditions. A set of field experiments were conducted in south-western Quebec, Canada, with soybean ( Glycine max L.), corn ( Zea mays L.), sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L.) * sudangrass ( Sorghum sudanense Piper) hybrid and switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) under two tillage and three nitrogen fertility regimes, to study their performance in three successive growing seasons (2001-2003), two of them with unusually warm and dry conditions. The annual crops were established in two tillage systems: conventional and no-till (NT). All crops except soybean were fertilized with three levels of nitrogen: corn - 0, 90 and 180 kg N ha -1, sorghum-sudangrass - 0, 75 and 150 kg N ha -1, switchgrass - 0, 30 and 60 kg N ha -1. The 2001 and 2002 seasons were hotter and drier than the 2003 season, which was the most favourable for crop growth. The capacity of the crops to yield in dry seasons was as follow: switchgrass > sorghum-sudangrass > corn > soybean. The corn and sorghum-sudangrass responses to nitrogen fertilizer were low in 2001 due to the combined effect of dry growing season and coarse soil texture. Soybean did not perform well under NT. Corn yielded better at the highest nitrogen fertilizer rate under NT when the early season was warmer than the normal. Our results show that switchgrass and sorghum-sudangrass could be an option in south-western Quebec if the frequency of hot and dry seasons increase in the future, because of climate change.
- Authors:
- Source: Journal of Research and Applications in Agricultural Engineering
- Volume: 54
- Issue: 4
- Year: 2009
- Summary: In the paper, an influence of potato irrigation on higher level of total yield and changing share of market yield in total yield were evaluated. Profitability of using of drip irrigation was calculated taking into account the expenses and value of yield. Is was shown that in case of drought during the vegetation period yield the increase of potato yield due to irrigation in ecological system may achieve up to 25%. Potato quality is improved which is expressed by increased market yield. Relative high cost of drip irrigation are fully refund by increasing value of potato market yield. It is also possible to use the irrigation for increasing biomass production which comes from intercrop production used for ploughing.
- Authors:
- Buatowicz, A.
- Ozowicka, B.
- Source: Progress in Plant Protection
- Volume: 49
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2009
- Summary: The analysis of data obtained following sample collection within the framework of agricultural product official inspection and the results of laboratory tests revealed that cereals and oilseed rape originated from north-eastern Poland fulfilled the requirements concerning pesticide residue content (i.e. without consumer health threat). Improper plant protection treatments inconsistent with the recommendations might lead to various ecotoxicological problems. Therefore, there is a need for continuous monitoring of pesticide residues in agricultural products and pesticide contamination of the natural environment to minimize consumer health risks.
- Authors:
- Source: Biuletyn Instytutu Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roslin
- Issue: 254
- Year: 2009
- Summary: The paper presents results of the investigations conducted in the years 2001-2004, which aimed to assess the influence of undersown crops and stubble catch crops on yielding of potatoes cultivated under changing weather conditions. The following combinations of intercrop fertilization were applied: control object (without intercrop fertilization), farmyard manure, undersown crop (black medic, black medic+Italian ryegrass), stubble catch crop (phacelia, phacelia - mulch). In autumn, the content of dry mass and macroelements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in potato plants and in farmyard manure was determined. In the first year after intercrop fertilization table potatoes were cultivated. During harvest a total yield and commercial yield of potato tubers were assessed, and after harvest the content of starch was determined. The results obtained showed that weather conditions in the period of investigations significantly modified the yields of potato tubers. The undersown crops applied (black medic+Italian ryegrass and black medic) and stubble catch crops (phacelia both plowed down in the autumn or left in the form of mulch till the spring, time alike) completely substituted for the farmyard manure in potato fertilization.
- Authors:
- Source: Biuletyn Instytutu Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roslin
- Issue: 251
- Year: 2009
- Summary: Field studies were conducted in Poland, from 2001 to 2004, to evaluate the influence of undersown crop plowed down in autumn and of stubble crop plowed down in autumn and left in the form of mulch until spring in combinations with or without straw on potato tuber yield and its structure. The effects of 2 factors were assessed, i.e. intercrop fertilizer application, control object, farmyard manure and undersown crop biomass which was plowed down in autumn (white clover + Italian ryegrass), stubble crop-biomass plowed down in autumn (white mustard) and stubble crop-biomass left in the form of mulch until spring (white mustard) and straw fertilizer application, a sub-block with straw and a sub-block without straw. During harvest time, the total yield and commercial yield were assessed. The yield structure was determined after harvest. The highest yield of potato tubers was obtained from the object that had been fertilized with a mixture of white clover with Italian ryegrass. Fertilizer application with intercrops and farmyard manure had favourable influence on the shaping of tuber yield structure. The yield produced in sub-blocks with straw, compared to that produced in sub-blocks with no straw, was characterized by a lower share of medium-sized tubers and higher share of small tubers.
- Authors:
- Krolikowska, M.
- Ceglarek, F.
- Paza, A.
- Prochnicka, M.
- Source: Biuletyn Instytutu Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roslin
- Issue: 254
- Year: 2009
- Summary: The paper presents results of the studies carried out in 2002-2005, which aimed to assess the influence of intercrop fertilization on table potato yield and its structure under conditions of East-Central Poland. The following combinations of intercrop fertilization were applied: control object (without intercrop fertilization), farmyard manure, undersown crop (red clover, Italian ryegrass), stubble catch crop (oil radish, oil radish - mulch). The content of dry mass and macroelements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) in biomass of intercrops was determined. In the first year after applying intercrop fertilization the potatoes were cultivated. During harvest a total yield and commercial yield of potato tubers were assessed, and after harvest a structure of tuber yield was evaluated. The results obtained in indicated that the highest amount of dry mass and macroelements was introduced into soil with Italian ryegrass and red clover respectively. The fertilizing value of red clover exceeded that of farmyard manure. No significant difference in fertilizing value was found between oil radish and farmyard manure. The plot fertilized with red clover was characterized by the highest proportions of table and seed potatoes, and the lowest participation of small tubers.
- Authors:
- Ceglarek, F.
- Plaza, A.
- Prochnicka, M.
- Source: Fragmenta Agronomica
- Volume: 26
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2009
- Summary: The paper presents the results from years 1998-2001, which aim was to describe the influence of stubble catch crops which were plowed down in autumn and left in the form of mulch till spring, in combinations with or without straw on the yield and the structure of yield of potato tubers. A field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm in Zawady, owned by the University of Podlasie in Siedlce. Two factors were taken into account: I - stubble catch crop fertilization (control object - without intercrop fertilization, farmyard manure, white mustard, phacelia, white mustard-mulch, phacelia-mulch); II - straw fertilization (without straw, with straw). The yield of spring barley straw was determined, the yield of fresh mass of stubble catch crop and its content of dry mass and macroelements (N, P, K, Ca and Mg). In the first year after organic fertilization the potatoes were cultivated. During the harvest the total and commercial yield, and also after harvest the structure of tuber yield was determined. The results pointed that, the highest yield of potato tubers was achieved from combinations fertilized with phacelia which was plowed down in autumn, and also phacelia left in the form of mulch till spring in combination with straw. Stubble catch crop and farmyard manure fertilization caused the increase of participation of medium and large tubers in yield.
- Authors:
- Source: Plant Disease
- Volume: 93
- Issue: 3
- Year: 2009
- Summary: Wheat ( Triticum aestivum) in low-precipitation regions of eastern Oregon and Washington is grown mostly as rainfed biennial winter wheat (10-month growing season) planted into cultivated fallow (14-month crop-free period). There are increasing trends for cultivated fallow to be replaced by chemical fallow and for spring cereals to be planted annually without tillage. Most fields are infested by the root-lesion nematodes Pratylenchus neglectus or P. thornei. A replicated multiyear experiment was conducted to compare cropping systems on soil infested by P. neglectus. Populations became greater with increasing frequency of the host crops mustard, pea, and wheat. Annual winter wheat had the highest P. neglectus populations, the lowest capacity to extract soil water, and a lower grain yield compared with wheat grown biennially or rotated with other crops. Populations of P. neglectus did not differ for cultivated versus chemical fallow. Lowest populations occurred in annual spring barley. Winter wheat yield was inversely correlated with the population of P. neglectus. Measures to monitor and to reduce the population of P. neglectus in Pacific Northwest wheat fields are recommended.
- Authors:
- Mozny, M.
- Zalud, Z.
- Dubrovsky, M.
- Semeradova, D.
- Trnka, M.
- Hlavinka, P.
- Source: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
- Volume: 149
- Issue: 3-4
- Year: 2009
- Summary: The relationship between seasonal agricultural drought and detrended yields (within a period from 1961 to 2000) of selected crops was assessed in the conditions of the Czech Republic, which are to some extent representative of a wider area of Central Europe. Impact of water stress was analyzed using time series of yields for 8 crops (spring barley, winter wheat, grain maize, potato, winter rape, oats, winter rye and hay from permanent meadows) for 77 districts in the Czech Republic (average district area is 1025 km(2)). Relative version of Palmer's Z-index (rZ-index or rZ-i) was used as a tool for quantification of agricultural drought. The monthly values of the rZ-index for each individual district were calculated as the spatial average (only for the grids of arable land). The study showed that severe droughts (e.g., in 1981 and 2000) are linked with significant reduction in yields of the main cereals and majority of other crops through the most drought prone regions. We found a statistically significant correlation (p
