• Authors:
    • Kvarno, S.
  • Source: Variability and uncertainty in soil physical properties: effects of data source on functional criteria
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: This thesis aims to quantify variability in soil physical properties on arable land, uncertainties related to data sources, and effects of variability and uncertainty on selected functional criteria. The study was conducted in the Skuterud catchment in South-east Norway, representative of agricultural areas with cereal production on marine deposits. Data collected in other parts of Norway were used. Two soils for aggregate stability measurements were collected from a small catchment located in the municipality of Nes, Akershus county, to represent soils with assumed lower aggregate stability than found for the clay soils in the Skuterud catchment: an artificially leveled soil with clay loam texture, and a Gleyic Cambisol with silt texture. For pedotransfer function (PTF) performance evaluation, data from many parts in Norway were collected to form a database. Marine deposits, brackish flood sediment, fluvial deposits and glacial till are represented, all common parent material for arable soils in Norway. Textural compositions of the samples varied from sandy to heavy clay. Two point PTFs developed for soils in Norway, and six parameter PTFs developed for soils in Europe and USA, were evaluated using multiple statistical indicators. The point PTFs showed overall good performance. The parameter PTFs showed variable performance. The class PTFs showed poorer performance than the continuous PTFs, especially if organic matter was not an input to the PTF. Implications of variability, uncertainty and data source were investigated for selected functional criteria in the Skuterud catchment. This study also showed that differences related to choice of data source could be larger than differences as a result of different risk of runoff and erosion (crop covered situation versus "worst case" situation with reduced soil stability and without crop cover). The major conclusion of this work is that inadequate choice of input data sources can significantly underestimate or overestimate optimum workability (W opt), number of days until W opt is obtained, surface discharge and soil loss, and consequently the effect of e.g. climate change and measures.
  • Authors:
    • Lupwayi, N.
    • Lemke, R.
    • Holzapfel, C.
    • May, W.
    • Lafond, G.
  • Source: Agronomy Journal
  • Volume: 103
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Including grain-legumes in cropping systems contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and enhances agronomic and economic performance of cropping systems. The objective was to examine the potential for increasing the frequency of field pea ( Pisum sativum L.) (FP) in a spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) (W)-based cropping system. Three crop rotations, continuous pea (C-Pea), W-FP, and W-W-FP, were evaluated over a 10-yr period (1998-2007) at Indian Head, SK. During the FPphase of C-Pea and W-FP, three starter N rates (5, 20, 40 kg N ha -1) were applied. One rate of N (80 kg N ha -1) was used in W. Rotation and N had similar effects on plant densities in either crop. Field pea grain yields were 25% lower with C-Pea than W-FP or W-W-FP but similar between W-FP and W-W-FP. Starter N had some effect on FP grain yields at the higher N rate in W-FP but not C-Pea. Spring wheat grain yields were 3% greater on FP than W stubble. Grain protein in FP was 3.1% higher on C-Pea than W-P or W-W-FP while grain protein in W was 1 g kg -1 higher on FP than W stubble. Crop water use efficiency in FP and W was not affected by crop rotation. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that the frequency of FP in cropping systems in the subhumid and semiarid areas can be increased intermittently with only a 1-yr cereal break between FP crops when combined with proper integrated crop management practices.
  • Authors:
    • Zhang, F.
    • Stewart, B.
    • Miao, Y.
  • Source: Agronomy for Sustainable Development
  • Volume: 31
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: China is facing one of the largest challenges of this century to continue to increase annual cereal production to about 600 Mt by 2030 to ensure food security with shrinking cropland and limited resources, while maintaining or improving soil fertility, and protecting the environment. Rich experiences in integrated and efficient utilization of different strategies of crop rotation, intercropping, and all possible nutrient resources accumulated by Chinese farmers in traditional farming systems have been gradually abandoned and nutrient management shifted to over-reliance on synthetic fertilizers. China is now the world's largest producer, consumer and importer of chemical fertilizers. Over application of nitrogen (N) is common in intensive agricultural regions, and current N-uptake efficiency was reported to be only 28.3, 28.2 and 26.1% for rice, wheat and maize, respectively, and less than 20% in intensive agricultural regions and for fruit trees or vegetable crops. In addition to surface and groundwater pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, over-application of N fertilizers has caused significant soil acidification in major Chinese croplands, decreasing soil pH by 0.13 to 2.20. High yield as a top priority, small-scale farming, lack of temporal synchronization of nutrient supply and crop demand, lack of effective extension systems, and hand application of fertilizers by farmers are possible reasons leading to the over-application problems. There is little doubt that current nutrient management practices are not sustainable and more efficient management systems need to be developed. A review of long-term experiments conducted around the world indicated that chemical fertilizer alone is not enough to improve or maintain soil fertility at high levels and the soil acidification problem caused by overapplication of synthetic N fertilizers can be reduced if more fertilizer N is applied as NO 3- relative to ammonium- or urea-based N fertilizers. Organic fertilizers can improve soil fertility and quality, but long-term application at high rates can also lead to more nitrate leaching, and accumulation of P, if not managed well. Well-managed combination of chemical and organic fertilizers can overcome the disadvantages of applying single source of fertilizers and sustainably achieve higher crop yields, improve soil fertility, alleviate soil acidification problems, and increase nutrient-use efficiency compared with only using chemical fertilizers. Crop yield can be increased through temporal diversity using crop rotation strategies compared with continuous cropping and legume-based cropping systems can reduce carbon and nitrogen losses. Crop yield responses to N fertilization can vary significantly from year to year due to variation in weather conditions and indigenous N supply, thus the commonly adopted prescriptive approach to N management needs to be replaced by a responsive in-season management approach based on diagnosis of crop growth, N status and demand. A crop sensor-based in-season site-specific N management strategy was able to increase Nuptake efficiency by 368% over farmers' practices in the North China Plain. Combination of these well-tested nutrient management principles and practices with modern crop management technologies is needed to develop sustainable nutrient management systems in China that can precisely match field-to-field and year-to-year variability in nutrient supply and crop demand for both single crops and crop rotations to not only improve nutrient-use efficiency but also increase crop yield and protect the environment. In addition, innovative and effective extension and service-providing systems to assist farmers in adopting and applying new management systems and technologies are also crucially important for China to meet the grand challenge of food security, nutrient-use efficiency and sustainable development.
  • Authors:
    • Ullrich, S.
    • Knoblauch, M.
    • Nair, S.
    • Baik, B.
  • Source: Journal of Cereal Science
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Kernel hardness, an important quality trait of cereal grains, is known to influence pearling properties and malting quality of barley. To understand the endosperm micro-structural features of kernels and their relationship to kernel hardness, endosperms of three hard and three soft hulled spring barley lines based on single kernel characterization system hardness index were observed under light (LM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy. Under LM, endosperm cell wall of the three hard kernel lines was significantly thicker than that of the three soft kernel lines. Hard and soft lines showed differences in the degree of starch-protein association and continuity of protein matrix under the SEM. Hard kernel lines with a continuous protein matrix exhibited greater starch-protein adhesion than the soft kernel lines, suggesting that starch-protein binding may be one of the factors influencing barley kernel hardness. SEM of flour particles of soft kernel lines showed numerous well defined individual A and B-type starch granules, while, flour of hard kernel lines mostly showed small flour aggregates with few individual starch granules.
  • Authors:
    • Osetrov, D.
  • Source: Ekonomika Sel'skokhozyaistvennykh i Pererabatyvayushchikh Predpriyatii
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: In 2006-2009, total annual production of food and feed grain crops in Russia's Volgograd Oblast' averaged 3 652 300 tonnes, of which the main food crops (winter and spring wheat, rye, buckwheat and millet) accounted for 85.8%, the main feed crops (barley, oats, cereal maize and legumes) 14.1%, and other food and feed crops 0.1%. In 2001-2005, the region's total annual production of food and feed grain crops averaged 3 075 500 tonnes, of which the main food crops accounted for 78.9%, the main feed crops 21.1%, and other food and feed crops 0.0%. Total production of food grains, increased significantly (29.1%) between the 2001-2005 and 2006-2009 periods, with this growth largely attributable to higher harvests of winter wheat (up 50.1%). Total production of feed grains fell by 20.4% between the 2001-2005 and 2006-2009 periods, with harvests of barley, oats and legumes falling by 45.9%, 34.8% and 37.2% respectively, although cereal maize output more than quadrupled. On average in the 2006-2009 period, 1 755 000 tonnes/year of cereal grains were exported outside the region, and 112 000 tonnes/year were imported. Analysis of actual consumption of cereal grains in Volgograd Oblast' shows that total regional consumption averaged 1 919 000 tonnes/year in 2006-2009, of which 19.3% was used for seeds, 62.1% for animal feeds, 13.0% for food purposes, and 2.4% for other industrial processing, with 3.2% losses. A very similar usage pattern was recorded in 2001-2005. It is anticipated that demand for feed grains will rise as a result of implementation of government agricultural policies aimed at stimulating animal production, including the priority national programme "Development of the agro-industrial complex". While 62.1% of cereal grains consumed in Volgograd Oblast' in 2006-2009 were used in animal feeds (1 191 000 tonnes/year), feed crops accounted for only 14.1% of the region's cereal grain output (515 200 tonnes/year). Consequently many enterprises in the animal production segment were forced to use significant volumes of food grains, particularly wheat, for production of animal feeds. This pushes up the price of feeds, and also causes imbalances in the nutrient composition of feeds. Production of food grains in Volgograd Oblast' significantly exceeds demand, and the percentage of total cereal grain production accounted for by food grains is continuing to rise. However the region's food industry still suffers from shortages of some types of cereal grain. In order to correct the problems that have been identified with regard to cereal grains production in Volgograd Oblast', a strategy based on formation of clusters of cereal grain producers, processors and end users is recommended. Recommendations for improvements to the structure of cereal grain production in the region are also presented. These include significant increases in volumes of production of feed crops, in particular oats, maize, legumes and triticale.
  • Authors:
    • Postolache, A.
  • Source: Lucrari Stiintifice, Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole Si Medicina Veterinara "Ion Ionescu de la Brad" Iasi
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Consumption needs for agricultural and food products evolve with the economic and social development. Providing optimum standards of food consumption is a difficult problem because of influences of different factors, including diversity and mobility needs of the consumer and the great variety of possibilities to meet them. For local producers to compete with producers of other districts and particularly those of foreign markets with competitive bidding, local producers must be to develop new elements of competitiveness (Brands, marketing innovations, supply services, adapting to the single market, major investment efforts, etc.). And adapt quality standards in production and marketing. This paper aims to analyze the results of the production of cereal grains in related communities perirbane area of Iasi in the period 2009-2011 as well as highlighting research on culture and territorial distribution of cereal grains in the same area. The analyze of the indicator' system pointed out that in Iasi, corn is the best profitable culture, followed by: barley, wheat, rye and oat.
  • Authors:
    • Kadziuliene, Z.
    • Sarunaite, L.
  • Source: Grassland farming and land management systems in mountainous regions. Proceedings of the 16th Symposium of the European Grassland Federation, Gumpenstein, Austria, 29th-31st August, 2011
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The potential of white clover to supply winter cereals with biologically fixed N was investigated in an experiment conducted on a loamy Cambisol. Spring barley, white clover as pure-sown crops, and clover with barley cover crops were established in the spring of the first experimental year. In the autumn, wheat was direct drilled into differently sown and managed clover to form a bi-cropping system. In other treatments wheat was conventionally sown after ploughing in of pre-crops. In the autumn of the second year, winter rye was conventionally drilled into the plots. The N content of pre-crop residues incorporated into the soil was higher in clover treatments with the barley cover crop. The wheat grain yield was higher (5.3-6.0 t ha -1) after ploughing in clover. The grain yield was significantly lower in the bi-cropping system and varied depending on the treatments (1.3-4.7 t ha -1); however, the yield was high for an organic crop rotation. The highest N concentrations in wheat grain yield were observed in bi-cropping. The winter rye grain yield was higher after differently direct drilled wheat (2.7-3.5 t ha -1) compared with that of conventionally drilled wheat (1.7-2.05 t ha -1). N concentration in rye grain was higher after a bi-cropping system had been used.
  • Authors:
    • Arvadia, M.
    • Patil, P.
    • Surve, V.
  • Source: Madras Agricultural Journal
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue: 10/12
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Field experiment was conducted during summer 2007 at Navsari campus on clay in textured soils with different cereal-legume fodders under sole and intercropping systems for getting higher fodder yield and economics. Green and dry fodder yields of sorghum/maize, cropping systems either sole sorghum or sorghum+cowpea in the ratio of 2:1 were equally good and superior to rest of the systems. The intercropping of sorghum with cowpea in a row ratio of 2:1 recorded maximum land-equivalent ratio (1.51), gross (Rs 60744/-ha -1) and net (Rs 50031/-ha -1) return along with higher benefit: cost ratio (5.67).
  • Authors:
    • Tendziagolska, E.
    • Wacawowicz, R.
  • Source: Progress in Plant Protection
  • Volume: 51
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The objective of the studies was to assess the changes in weed seedbank over 5-year period. Two terms were considered in the experiment: (1) soil preparation for organic farming (2004-2005) and organic plant cultivation with crop rotation (2005-2008). Three variants of cereal crop sequence (A - oats - winter rye, B - oats - spring triticale, C - spring triticale - spring triticale) were included in two-year period of conversion. Over the three years of organic cultivation, a significant increase of weed species diversity in each examined layer was observed in comparison with seed species number determined after soil conversion. Strongly dominant species in both terms of the study was Chenopodium album, which has declined in its number over three years of the organic cultivation. Among the weed species, which did not appear during conversion but have appeared after organic cultivation Erigeron canadensis was noted in the highest number.
  • Authors:
    • Lehane, K.
    • Orange, D.
    • Holmes, C.
    • King, A.
    • Weston, E.
    • Dalal, R.
    • Thomas, G.
  • Source: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Rainfed grain production in semi-arid, subtropical south-west Queensland in north-east Australia is marginal, because of low and variable rainfall and low soil fertility. Current cropping systems are based around winter cereals, with a summer fallow period essential for storing soil water to reduce risk. Increasing the soil water storage and the efficiency of water and nitrogen use is essential for sustainable crop production in this region. The effects on crop production and economic returns of various crop rotations involving winter crops - wheat ( Triticum aestivum), chickpea ( Cicer arietinum), faba bean ( Vicia faba) and canola ( Brassica napus); summer crops - grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor) and mung bean ( Phaseolus mungo); and fertilizer N application to wheat, canola and grain sorghum were studied from 1996 to 2005 on a grey Vertisol. Annual rainfall was above the long-term average in 6 of these 10 years and below average in 4 years. Crops were either not sown or failed due to drought in 3 years during this period. Under the seasonal conditions and grain prices that occurred during this experiment, mean annual gross margin was $100/ha greater for a 2-year chickpea-wheat rotation, $20/ha greater for a faba bean-canola-wheat rotation and $45/ha greater for an alternate cereal-grain legume rotation involving grain sorghum, mung bean, wheat and chickpea than for continuous wheat ($40/ha), where no nitrogen fertilizer was applied to wheat, canola or grain sorghum. Where nitrogen fertilizer was applied to target prime hard grain protein in wheat and maximize yield in canola and grain sorghum, chickpea-wheat ($170/ha) was the only rotation to result in greater gross margin than continuous wheat ($110/ha). Chickpea generally yielded well and resulted in a mean yield increase of 22% in the following wheat crop compared with continuous wheat, where no nitrogen fertilizer was applied in wheat and of 11% where N fertilizer was applied in wheat to target prime hard grain protein. On average, the grain legumes, chickpea and faba bean, provided soil nitrogen benefits of 20 and 40 kg N/ha, respectively, thereby reducing nitrogen fertilizer requirements for following cereal crops and canola. Therefore, the profitability and sustainability of crop production in this semi-arid, subtropical environment can be improved, compared with continuous winter cereal cropping, by appropriate crop rotations and nutrient management.