• Authors:
    • Patil, S. G.
    • Ralevic, P.
    • Loon, G. van
  • Source: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
  • Volume: 34
  • Issue: 8
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Agriculture including crop production and animal husbandry provides for the food, fodder, and fuel needs in rural regions of many countries such as India. Using the knowledge pertinent to complex mixed cropping-livestock systems at the village level, the goal of this study is to develop a rational method for crop selection, such that the capacity for production of food, fodder and biomass fuel can be examined under various cropping patterns. An agricultural survey is carried out in November 2007 for three villages located in the dryland agro-ecozone of Karnataka State, India. Various demands, including human food energy and protein requirements, and constraints, including land area, are modeled for optimal cropping pattern. A clear recommendation of the study is that a substantial shift in village-wide area planted to cereal crops, in all cases over 50%, is necessary to satisfy human and livestock demands. Additionally, there are visible and growing population pressures on the resources in the dryland, semi-arid regions of India, and these strategies will need to be supplemented by improved agronomic practices directed toward increased productivity.
  • Authors:
    • Reid, R.
  • Source: Plant Science
  • Volume: 178
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: High boron concentrations in soil and in irrigation water reduce crop productivity in many areas of the world. Plant tolerance to boron toxicity has been identified in a range of genotypes and recent research has revealed a physiological mechanism behind this tolerance in cereals. Cultivars with high levels of expression of a gene encoding a boron-efflux transporter in roots and shoots have been reported to show tolerance to high boron in soils and in solution culture experiments conducted under controlled conditions in glasshouses and growth rooms. However, field trials of tolerant cultivars in rain-fed semi-arid environments have been disappointing with few showing even modest improvements in yield, and others showing either no effect or a decrease in yields.
  • Authors:
    • Sommer, R.
    • Ryan, J.
  • Source: Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of Soil Science: Soil solutions for a changing world, Brisbane, Australia, 1-6 August 2010. Division Symposium 3.2 Nutrient best management practices
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: While globally fertilizers have had a major impact on food production for the past half-century, the general use of chemical fertilizers in the semi-arid areas of the world is a more recent development. This is particularly true of the Mediterranean region, especially in North Africa and West Asia. Traditionally, the cropping system involved growing cereals (barley and wheat) in rotation with fallow to conserve moisture; sheep and goats were an integral part of the low-input system. Drought was a constant constraint on crop yields. In the past few decades, significant developments have occurred to increase agricultural output; new high-yielding disease resistant varieties; mechanization; irrigation; pest control; and particularly the use of chemical fertilizers as a supplement to the limited animal manures available. Research at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in collaboration with the national agricultural systems in the mandate countries of the region has made significant strides in fertilizer research. While much has been achieved in terms of best fertilizer management practices, much remains to be done. This presentation examines the use of fertilizers under the headings of the best management practice concept; right source, right application rate, right time of application, and right place. As fertilizer use will expand in the Mediterranean region, efficiency of use will be an underlying consideration. As agricultural land is on a global level is finite, with limited possibilities to expand cultivation, the increasing population of the world has correspondingly increased the needs for food and fibre. An inevitable development has been intensification of land use, particularly in developing countries of the world, leading to poverty and increased concerns about food security (Borlaug 2007). Pressure on land has been particularly acute in the arid and semi-arid regions, which are characterized by drought and land degradation. The lands surrounding the Mediterranean have been cultivated for millennia and are the site of settled agriculture and the center of origin of some of the world's major crops, especially cereals and pulses. Much development efforts have centered on the West Asia- North Africa (WANA) area, which is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and where drought is the main production constraint (Smith and Harris 1981).
  • Authors:
    • Deka, S.
    • Kattarkandi, B.
    • Singh, S.
    • Choudhary, R.
  • Source: Current Advances in Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Global warming poses a potential threat to agricultural production and productivity. Maize ( Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereals of the world and provides more human food than any other cereal. The study reported in this paper, uses field experiments and simulation models to understand the impact of changing climate on growth and yield of maize plant. In field environment, growth and yield of maize was greatly affected by temperature changes associated with sowing dates. Yield was reduced in late sown crops due to the harmful effect of chilling temperature. Application of irrigation had positive effect on crop growth. Biomass and grain yield as well as other yield attributes were higher in irrigated treatments than the rainfed one. InfoCrop model satisfactorily simulated crop phenology, leaf area index, dry matter production and yield of maize in Delhi. Impact assessment of maize yield to temperature rise showed reduction in yield in both Delhi and Patna with atmospheric temperature rise during the kharif season with percentage reduction was similar in both locations. In rabi crop, future temperature increase initially showed a positive response up to 2degreesC. Climate change is projected to reduce kharif maize yield in India, however, projected increase in rainfall may be beneficial in some locations during rabi season.
  • Authors:
    • Afshar, A.
    • Behrooz, M.
    • Aynehband, A.
  • Source: American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science
  • Volume: 7
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Intercropping system of cereal with legume or some non-legume is a common practice in many developing countries because it may produce higher forage quantity and quality product than monocropping. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mixture system and planting ratios on forage yield and yield components of two intercropping systems including maize:amaranth and maize:mung bean. This field study was conducted during 2008-09 under Mediterranean region in Ahvaz, Iran. The experimental design was split plot with three replications. Our results showed that both intercropping systems at the 75:25 mix-proportion had the highest intercropping dry matter yield. However, regardless of planting ratios, maize:amaranth had the highest intercropping dry matter. But, maize:mungbean at this condition was observed to be the most LER advantages. Furthermore, greater dry matter in maize:amaranth intercropping system mainly was due to higher leaf weight and stem weight values in this mixture than maize:mungbean systems. Means stem and leaf weights were higher in maize:amaranth than maize:mungbean mixture. However, yield of all maize intercropping systems were less that it was in monocropping. The ratio of proportion also seemed to had significantly affect on yield components of both intercropping systems and all crops. Despite of maize dry matter decrease in intercropping system as compared to sole stand, mixing of legume or some pseudocereal in cereal is a suitable alternative to increase the quality of cereal fodders.
  • Authors:
    • Man, S.
    • Muresan, C.
    • Muste, S.
    • Birou, A.
  • Source: Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Agriculture
  • Volume: 67
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Pesticides reach the grain directly as a result of phytosanitary treatments applied and indirectly through acquisition of water and soil. Time to disappearance of half the quantity of soil is: 1-4 years aldin, 1-7 years dieldrin, 2-10 years DDT. In areas where, the use of organochlorine pesticides was abandoned long ago than in our country, the contamination of these products is steadily decreasing but continuous monitoring. Separation and identification of compounds present in a sample using GC/MS is more powerful than if the same sample would be analyzed only by GC content or by MS. If the sample is analyzed by gas chromatography may arise some confusion, because there is a possibility that two molecules have the same retention time. Similarly, if the MS analysis is performed it is possible that two molecules have similar mass spectra. When, however, combines gas chromatography with mass spectrometry is highly unlikely that two different molecules behave similarly in the gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer. In this way the identification of pesticide residues in various matrices is not only based on retention times but also on mass spectra, thus eliminating the possible confusion that could arise if the identification were done using only one of the methods mentioned (compounds that have the same retention time or molecules with similar mass spectra).
  • Authors:
    • Bosede, A.
  • Source: African Journal of Agricultural Research
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: An assessment of fertilizer use and other integrated practices was carried out with two hundred farmers selected by stratified random sampling from twenty villages in Kano and Katsina States of Nigeria. The farming system was mixed farming (legume-cereal-livestock mixture), as a strategy both to address nutrient management as well as their livelihoods (both food and income security). The major crops comprised maize, sorghum, millet, rice, soybean, groundnut and cowpea. The average farm size was 7.4 ha and livestock comprised an average of 14 goats, 15 poultry birds, 7 sheep and 9 cattle. An average of 63 kg fertilizer was applied per ha of land relative to about 649 kg of fertilizer requirement per hectare of the crops grown, very low relative to Asia and some other African countries such as South Africa, Malawi, Benin and Ethiopia. The livestock mix provided substantial farmyard manure for fertilizing the soils and supplemented farm drought animals/animal traction while the crop residues (legumes and cereals) provided feeds for the livestock. It was found that fertilizer use multiplies the returns on farmers' output by a factor of 2.1-14.6, which was relatively higher than previous findings (IFDC, 2002) for the same crops in Nigeria, but crop yields were comparatively less for other Sub-Saharan and Asian countries. The observed higher response coefficient could be explained by the use of organic/farmyard manures and other soil conservation practices. Farmers exploit land and the natural fertility of the soil through continuous cropping and poor fertilization (organic and inorganic). Critical environmental issues emanating from these are soil nutrient depletion, soil degradation by erosion, weed and pest invasion, all culminating in sustained low productivity. It was therefore concluded that sustained growth in agricultural productivity without environmental exploitation and degradation cannot be achieved unless efforts to enhance farmers' fertilizer use and organic fertilization are taken seriously. Efforts should be put in place to correct fertilizer market inadequacies, particularly to monitor the quality standard and guarantee farmers' access to fertilizers, as well as encourage National research and extension programs to emphasize economic use of basic local materials for effective fertilization of farmers' fields, reduced vulnerability to nutrient loss and drought, and increased agricultural productivity.
  • Authors:
    • Castoldi, N.
    • Bechini, L.
  • Source: European Journal of Agronomy
  • Volume: 32
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: The sustainability of agricultural systems is frequently evaluated with indicators, which are synthetic variables describing complex systems. Each indicator deals with one aspect of sustainability (e.g. nutrients, pesticides, energy), and therefore the result of a complete assessment usually includes several indicator values. These values are frequently presented separately, while an integrated evaluation could benefit from the calculation of a single sustainability index. The aim of this work was to integrate 15 economic and environmental indicator values into a global sustainability index ( Sg) ranging from 0 to 1. To calculate the indicators, we used a large data set of cropping systems management for 131 fields cultivated with arable crops in northern Italy, obtained through periodic interviews with farmers over a 2-year period. The fields were chosen to represent the main cropping systems in the area (cereals and forages, on animal and cereal farms). The 15 indicators describe a large variety of sustainability aspects, i.e. the economic performance and the management of energy, nutrients, soil, and pesticides. The indicator values were first converted into a sustainability score ( Si; 0-1) applying continuous non-linear sustainability functions that use thresholds defining what is sustainable, unsustainable, or intermediate. We obtained 15 values of Si per each field, which we aggregated into Sg using indicator-specific weights provided by different stakeholders. This procedure permits not only the single indicators evaluation, but also to combine indicators for an assessment of cropping systems at field level. Permanent meadows, due to good management of soil, pesticides and nutrients, obtained the highest Sg, even when different weights were used. Continuous rice obtained the lowest Sg (due to unsatisfactory soil management, low energy production, and high pest and weed pressure, which involved a large use of pesticides), while maize was intermediate, with good economic and energetic performance. The methodology allows a transparent, repeatable, sound, and quantitative evaluation of sustainability of agricultural systems. It can be easily expanded by adding other indicators, and can be tailored by changing the thresholds used to calculate Si and the weights assigned by stakeholder groups.
  • Authors:
    • Ghelfi,R.
    • Armuzzi,M.
    • Marchi,A.
  • Source: Informatore Agrario
  • Volume: 66
  • Issue: 47
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: This paper describes the yield and profitability of potato as an intercrop for cereals grown in Italy. Information on production costs based on the input requirements of production methods commonly used by growers in Emilia Romagna is included.
  • Authors:
    • Nouroozi, A.
    • Yazdian, U.
    • Hajimirrahimi, S.
    • Gholifar, E.
  • Source: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
  • Volume: 4
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: This research, of survey type, aimed at investigation of effective individual, social and economic factors on innovation adoption of "soil test" by cereal planters in Qom province. The population of the study consisted of 2455 cereal planters which were under guiding and technical services coverage. The statistical sample was determined to be 188 using Cochran's formula. Then these people were selected in four areas by sampling. Data were collected by a questionnaire whose face validity was confirmed utilizing opinion of experts and its reliability by Alfa Cronbach test. The results showed, this innovation has not completely been accepted by 67/4% of cereal planters. The knowledge level variables concerning "soil test", the degree of relation with information resources and renewability, participation levels in improving and reclamation projects, social position, motivation degree for farming and job satisfaction, access degree to institutes, degree of positive relationship credit utilizing and significance of comprehensive acceptance behavior of "soil test". According to the results obtained, the following recommendations are suggested: vast spread of "soil test" conducting knowledge and plant nutrition principle among cereal planters through applying Extensional various methods such as distribution of Extensional publications in a continuous and extensive level, schematization for increasing the presence of promoters in cereal planting units, offering useful promotional services to cereal planters by Promotional centers, reconsideration of promotional programs to attract the contribution of the cereal planters and establishing a close relationship among the promoters and the cereal planters.