• Authors:
    • Javanshir, A.
    • Moghaddam, M.
    • Salmasi, S.
    • Nassab, A.
    • Asl, A.
  • Source: Journal of Food Agriculture & Environment
  • Volume: 7
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: In order to evaluate different proportions of intercropping potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) and pinto bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with their sole cropping, two experiments were carried out in Agricultural Research Station of University of Tabriz in 2005 and 2006, using randomized complete block design with three replications of eight treatments of replacement intercropping with proportions 2:1 and 3:1 of potato with pinto bean, (the densities of potato 4.7 and 5.3 plants per m 2 and those of pinto bean 45 and 55 plants per m 2) along with two sole cropping treatments of potato (4.7 and 5.3 plants per m 2) and two sole cropping treatments of pinto bean (with 45 and 55 plants per m 2). In all intercropping plots, tuber yield per m 2 and per plant, number of leaves and branches and size of tuber per plant increased significantly as compared with their sole croppings. For pinto bean also, grain yield per m 2 and per plant, number of pods per plant and number of leaves and branches per plant increased significantly as compared with their sole croppings. Highest amounts of LER in two years (1.25 and 1.27) were related to intercropping proportion of 2:1 (66% potato with density of 5.3 plants per m 2+34% pinto bean with the density of 55 plants per m 2). We can infer that these two crops have used more environmental resources in intercropping than sole croppings due to increase in Resources Use Efficiency (RUE).
  • Authors:
    • Suleau, M.
    • Heinesch, B.
    • Dufranne, D.
    • Bodson, B.
    • Moureaux, C.
    • Aubinet, M.
    • Vancutsem, F.
    • Vilret, A.
  • Source: Agricultural & Forest Meteorology
  • Volume: 149
  • Issue: 3/4
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: A crop managed in a traditional way was monitored over a complete sugar beet/winter wheat/potato/winter wheat rotation cycle from 2004 to 2008. Eddy covariance, automatic and manual soil chamber, leaf diffusion and biomass measurements were performed continuously in order to obtain the daily and seasonal Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Total Ecosystem Respiration (TER), Net Primary Productivity (NPP), autotrophic respiration, heterotrophic respiration and Net Biome Production (NBP). The results showed that GPP and TER were subjected to important inter-annual variability due to differences between crops and to climate variability. A significant impact of intercrop assimilation and of some farmer interventions was also detected and quantified. Notably, the impact of ploughing was found to be limited in intensity (1-2 mol m -2 s -1) and duration (not more than 1 day). Seasonal budgets showed that, during cropping periods, the TER/GPP ratio varied between 40 and 60% and that TER was dominated mainly by the autotrophic component (65% of TER and more). Autotrophic respiration was closely related to GPP during the growth period. The whole cycle budget showed that NEE was negative and the rotation behaved as a sink of 1.59 kgC m -2 over the 4-year rotation. However, if exports are deducted from the budget, the crop became a small source of 0.22 (0.14) kgC m -2. The main causes of uncertainty with these results were due to biomass samplings and eddy covariance measurements (mainly, uncertainties about the u* threshold determination). The positive NBP also suggested that the crop soil carbon content decreased. This could be explained by the crop management, as neither farmyard manure nor slurry had been applied to the crop for more than 10 years and because cereal straw had been systematically exported for livestock. The results were also strongly influenced by the particular climatic conditions in 2007 (mild winter, and dry spring) that increased the fraction of biomass returned to the soil at the expense of harvested biomass, and therefore mitigated the source intensity. If 2007 had been a 'normal' year, this intensity would have been twice as great. This suggests that, in general, the rotation behaved as a small carbon source, which accords with similar studies based on multi-year eddy covariance measurements and export assessment and with modelling or inventory studies analysing the evolution of crop soil organic carbon (SOC) on a decennial scale.
  • Authors:
    • Ramakrishna, A.
    • Bourke, R.
  • Source: ACIAR Technical Reports Series
  • Issue: 71
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Sweetpotato was introduced into Papua New Guinea (PNG) from eastern Indonesia about 300 years ago and now dominates agricultural production in the PNG highlands. The environments in which it is grown in the highlands are briefly reviewed. The main components of the agricultural systems in which it is grown are noted, including type of fallow vegetation cleared for cultivation, fallow period, cropping period before fallow, intercropping, seasonality, soil fertility maintenance techniques, mounding and drainage. The importance of the crop in highlanders' diets and agricultural systems is briefly reviewed, as is the crop's role as pig fodder and the quantity sold in fresh food markets. Some possible future trends for sweetpotato in the highlands conclude the paper.
  • Authors:
    • Govindakrishnan, P.
    • Lal, S.
    • Dua, V.
  • Source: Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 79
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: A field experiment was conducted at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, during 2003-06, to determine the nutrient requirement of French bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris) when intercropped with potato ( Solanum tuberosum) under 2:2 row ratio in which 2 rows of French bean (paired at 30 cm) were planted at 2 population densities (88 888 plants/ha with 15 cm plant spacing and 133 333 plants/ha with 10 cm plant spacing) after every 2 rows of potato planted at 50 cm. Potato tuber yield was not affected since it was supplied with a uniform recommended dose of NPK and farmyard manure in all the treatments. Results revealed that in the potato+French bean (2:2) intercropping, French bean required only 2/3 of the recommended NPK and farmyard manure, applied on the basis of their sole crop density in intercropping, irrespective of its planting spacing. The increase in pod yield of French bean under this treatment over control was 1.62 tonnes/ha (38.7%) and 1.78 tonnes/ha (37.0%) at population densities of 88 888 and 133 333 plants/ha, respectively. At this level of fertility, French bean with 133 333 plants/ha gave 13.4% more pods (0.78 tonnes/ha) than with 88 888 plants/ha. The nutrient balance was also positive as the removal of N, P and K was 40.6, 31.2 and 44.1%, respectively, with 88 888 plants/ha of French bean and 39.3, 27.1 and 42.7%, respectively, with 133 333 plants/ha of Frenchbean grown with 2/3 of recommended NPK+farmyard manure. The economics was also favourable for these treatments.
  • Authors:
    • Yin, Q.
    • Jia, Z.
    • Xie, Y.
    • Guo, X.
  • Source: Jiangsu Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Cultivation practices on fresh sweetpotato were conducted on both farmland and interplanting poplars field with three factors of cultivar, planting density and potassium fertilizer. It was different in composition of marketable root yield among three cultivars. Ningshu 192 was a kind of root-weight type cultivar which gave high ratio of marketable root yield. Ningzi 1 was a kind of root-number type cultivar which gave lots of small root. Jishu 18 was the intermediate which gave higher ratio of marketable root number following a better cultivation method. On farmland the high marketable root yield were harvested through planting density 1 hm 2 48 000 cuttings and more application of 225 kg/hm potassium sulfate fertilizer. The fresh sweetpotato production was unavailable on the interplanting poplars field due to very low marketable root yield.
  • Authors:
    • Raina, S.
    • Jaggi, R.
  • Source: Indian Journal of Fertilisers
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Nitrogen application up to 240 kg/ha consistently increased total and large-sized potato tuber yield over no N. However, higher levels of N led to the deterioration in nutritional, processing and storage quality of potato. Applying 75% of N as basal and 25% as top dressing improved the storage quality of potato. The effect of FYM was more pronounced in the absence of N. Use of biofertilizers in conjunction with organic fertilizers increased their efficiency and served as a supplementing source to increase nutrient availability for sustainable agriculture especially in heavy feeder crop like potato. This also reduced P dose without sacrificing yield and kept soil healthier at the same time. The optimum doses of K for mid hill soils of Himachal Pradesh were worked out to be 62 to 112 kg/ha with and without FYM, respectively. Significant improvement in storability of potato was observed up to 100 kg K 2O/ha. A significant response to application of micronutrients (Zn, Mn and Fe) was observed under Jammu and Himachal Pradesh soils. There was also a significant response to seed rate, sowing time and irrigation. Intercrops of cabbage, french bean and pea with potato were very productive and far more remunerative than sole potato. There was a good response to balanced and integrated nutrient management in potato.
  • Authors:
    • Sanjay, K.
    • Sharma, S.
    • Kaushik, V.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Research and Development
  • Volume: 4
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Suitable to environment or eco-friendly means not harmful to our system of environment i.e. not harmful to land, air etc. Presently, due to agriculture a lot of pollutants are added day by day in our environment. Because of these pollutants, the soil fertility is decreasing, the fear of disease in living beings are increasing, a lot of poisonous chemicals and gases prevails in the environment. There is a great need to the use of such a cropping system which is suitable to environment i.e Eco-friendly system of cropping. The Eco-friendliness of cropping system may be viewed from two different angles i.e systems which help in soil and water conservation and system which reduce the use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, organic fertilizers. As far as the pesticides use is concerned at national level, it is a still for below the alarming proportions. Inclusion of such crops in the cropping systems in problem areas can play a significant role in minimizing the use of agro-chemicals in the crop production. Insecticides or fungicides use can also be minimized to a considerable extent through cropping system approach. It has been reported that sorghum ear-head fly damage is extremely rare where pigeon pea is planted in alternate rows. Intercropping of coriander in autumn planted sugarcane prevent top borer in sugarcane Sorghum helepense ( L) pers (Tohangen grass) becomes predominant weed in continuous maize cultivation but can be controlled by rotating with cotton. Adoption of sugarcane wheat system in place of rice-wheat decreases philaries minor infestation to almost negligible level which is otherwise not achieved through herbicides. In maize-potato cropping system raising of pearl millet for green fodder or sesamum for green manure during summer was also found advantageous in reducing Cyprus rotundas in succeeding crop of maize and potato. Position of ground water owing to leaching of nitrates is a selectively new concern in India. Because usage of N-fertilizer is low in India, nitrate is not likely to pose serious problems in most farming situations. Choice of appropriate system and management practices helped minimizing nitrate leaching besides improving N-use efficiency.
  • Authors:
    • Zhu, Y.
    • Wang, H.
    • Xie, Y.
    • Sun, Y.
    • Liu, L.
    • Yang, J.
    • Zhao, G.
    • Tang, Y.
    • Xu, J.
    • Long, Y.
    • Wang, G.
    • Yang, J.
    • Fan, J.
    • Yang, J.
    • Li, Y.
    • Wang, Y.
    • Zhou, H.
    • Zhu, S.
    • He, X.
    • Li, C.
  • Source: PLOS One
  • Issue: November
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Traditional farming practices suggest that cultivation of a mixture of crop species in the same field through temporal and spatial management may be advantageous in boosting yields and preventing disease, but evidence from large-scale field testing is limited. Increasing crop diversity through intercropping addresses the problem of increasing land utilization and crop productivity. In collaboration with farmers and extension personnel, we tested intercropping of tobacco, maize, sugarcane, potato, wheat and broad bean - either by relay cropping or by mixing crop species based on differences in their heights, and practiced these patterns on 15,302 hectares in ten counties in Yunnan Province, China. The results of observation plots within these areas showed that some combinations increased crop yields for the same season between 33.2 and 84.7% and reached a land equivalent ratio (LER) of between 1.31 and 1.84. This approach can be easily applied in developing countries, which is crucial in face of dwindling arable land and increasing food demand.
  • Authors:
    • Nowacki, W.
  • 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:
    • Paza, A.
  • 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.