• Authors:
    • Bartosik, R.
  • Source: Julius-Kühn-Archiv
  • Issue: 425
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Concerning grain production, South America is divided in two main regions: (1) the Mercosur region (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) which produces more than 250 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds, and (2) the Andes Mountain region countries, which are net importers of these products. The main challenges related to grain postharvest that South America is facing are to minimize the quality and quantity losses; improve the food safety; enhance the capability for segregation and traceability of identity preserved (IP) grains; and incorporate technology to maintain the overall efficiency of the postharvest system. Among the critical points affecting the efficiency of the system are the shortage of permanent storage capacity; large storage structures which affects the segregation of IP grains; deficient transportation system (roads and railroads); poor management of integrated pest control system; and unsatisfied demand of formal and informal education in suitable grain postharvest technologies and practices. However, the region remains highly competitive in producing and delivering food for the rest of the world and it has demonstrated high capacity for incorporating cost efficient grain handling technologies. As a result, one of the main changes in the region was the appearance of the silobag system for temporary storage of dry grain and oilseeds. Each silobag can hold approximately 200 tonnes of wheat and with the available handling equipment is quite simple to load and unload. During the 2008 harvest season, more than 33 million tonnes of grain were stored in these plastic bags in Argentina (including corn, soybean, wheat, sunflower, malting barley, canola, cotton seed, rice, lentils, sorghum, beans and even fertilizers). The silobag technology is also being adopted not only in neighbor countries, but also in countries around the world such as the USA, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Russia and Ukraine, among others.
  • Authors:
    • Friedl, A.
    • Amon, B.
    • Boesch, P.
    • Leonhartsberger, C.
    • Bauer, A.
    • Amon, T.
  • Source: Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Currently an increasing demand for renewable energy can be observed. A part of this demand could be covered by the production of energy from agrarian biomass. Due to the limited availability of arable land, food and feed production are starting to compete for agrarian resources. A way out of this dilemma is to develop concepts that are based on otherwise unused agrarian biomass like straw and include new technologies for the fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass. In this paper, the energy potentials of two different cropping systems are compared. In the energy-based crop rotation system all crops were used either for biogas or ethanol production. In the biorefinery-based approach, the various crops were used in cascades for the production of food as well as feed. Experimental laboratory work and field trials were combined to calculate energy and biomass yields of the crops under investigation. The results demonstrate that steam explosion pretreatment of wheat straw led to a 30% increase in the specific methane yield. The calculated energy output of the biorefinery-based crop rotation system amounted to a total of 126 GJ ha(-1) year(-1). Extrapolating this energy output to the total arable land of the EU-27 member states, 13,608 PJ of energy could be produced. Therefore, biorefinery-based crop rotation systems could provide approximately three times more energy to the European population than energy-based crop rotation systems.
  • Authors:
    • McSorley, R.
    • Bhan, M.
    • Chase, C. A.
  • Source: Nematropica
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Two field experiments were initiated in summer 2006 in north-central Florida to compare the effects of integrating cover crops, living mulches, and intercropping on plant-parasitic nematode populations, as well as the effect of fall and spring vegetables on the multiplication rate of root-knot nematodes. Treatments consisted of seven organic cropping systems that included a summer cover crop followed by fall and spring vegetables. The summer cover crop included: pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var. sudanense), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens), weedy fallow, mixture of pearl millet-sunn hemp, and mixture of sorghum sudangrass-velvet bean. One experiment utilized fall yellow squash (Cucurbita pepo) and spring bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) as vegetable crops, and fall broccoli (Brassica oleracea) and spring sweet corn (Zea mays) were used in the other experiment. Nematode populations were monitored at the end of the cover crop and vegetable seasons. Summer cover crops of sorghum-sudangrass or pearl millet increased root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) population levels in some instances while sunn hemp suppressed it in the broccoli-sweet corn experiment. The multiplication rate of root-knot nematodes was lowest when broccoli was planted in the cropping system. Systems with sorghum-sudangrass (alone or in mixture) increased population densities of ring (Mesocriconema spp.) and lesion (Pratylenchus spp.) nematodes, and occasionally increased stubby-root nematodes (Paratrichodorus spp.). Cover crops that increased nematode numbers when planted alone usually gave the same result when planted in mixtures with another cover crop. Other cropping systems failed to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes but maintained low densities similar to weedy fallow.
  • Authors:
    • Maghirang, R. G.
    • Casada, M. E.
    • Boac, J. M.
    • Harner, J. P.,III
  • Source: Transactions of the ASABE
  • Volume: 53
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Experimental investigations of grain flow can be expensive and time consuming, but computer simulations can reduce the large effort required to evaluate the flow of grain in handling operations. Published data on material and interaction properties of selected grains and oilseeds relevant to discrete element method (DEM) modeling were reviewed. Material properties include grain kernel shape, size, and distribution; Poisson's ratio; shear modulus; and density. Interaction properties consist of coefficients of restitution, static friction, and rolling friction. Soybeans were selected as the test material for DEM simulations to validate the model fundamentals using material and interaction properties. Single- and multi-sphere soybean particle shapes, comprised of one to four overlapping spheres, were compared based on DEM simulations of bulk properties (bulk density and bulk angle of repose) and computation time. A single-sphere particle model best simulated soybean kernels in the bulk property tests. The best particle model had a particle coefficient of restitution of 0.6, particle coefficient of static friction of 0.45 for soybean-soybean contact (0.30 for soybean-steel interaction), particle coefficient of rolling friction of 0.05, normal particle size distribution with standard deviation factor of 0.4, and particle shear modulus of 1.04 MPa.
  • Authors:
    • Logsdon, G.
  • Source: Small-scale grain raising
  • Issue: Ed.2
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This book (12 chapters) discusses the basics of the organic farming and processing of whole grains (specifically maize, wheat, sorghum, oats, dry beans, rye and barley, buckwheat and millet, rice, some uncommon grains, and legumes) for home gardeners and small-scale farmers. Topics covered include planting; pest, weed and disease management; harvesting; and processing, storing and using whole grains. Some recipes are also included.
  • Authors:
    • Bernardi, A.
    • Harden, S.
    • Wilson, B.
    • Young, R.
  • Source: Australian Journal of Soil Research
  • Volume: 47
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Australian agriculture contributes an estimated 16% of all national greenhouse gas emissions, and considerable attention is now focused on management approaches that reduce net emissions. One area of potential is the modification of cropping practices to increase soil carbon storage. This paper report short-medium term changes in soil carbon under zero tillage cropping systems and perennial vegetation, both in a replicated field experiment and on nearby farmers' paddocks, on carbon-depleted Black Vertosols in the upper Liverpool Plains catchment. Soil organic carbon stocks (C S ) remained unchanged under both zero tillage long fallow wheat ( Triticum aestivum)-sorghum ( Sorghum) rotations and zero tillage continuous winter cereal in a replicated field experiment from 1994 to 2000. There was some evidence of accumulation of C S under intensive (>1 crop/year) zero tillage response cropping. There was significant accumulation of C S (~0.35 tonnes/ha/year) under 3 types of perennial pasture, despite removal of aerial biomass with each harvest. Significant accumulation was detected in the 0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, and 0.2-0.4 m depth increments under lucerne and the top 2 increments under mixed pastures of lucerne and phalaris and of C3 and C4 perennial grasses. Average annual rainfall for the period of observations was 772 mm, greater than the 40-year average of 680 mm. A comparison of major attributes of cropping systems and perennial pastures showed no association between aerial biomass production and accumulation rates of C S but a positive correlation between the residence times of established plants and accumulation rates of C S . C S also remained unchanged (1998/2000-07) under zero tillage cropping on nearby farms, irrespective of paddock history before 1998/2000 (zero tillage cropping, traditional cropping, or ~10 years of sown perennial pasture). These results are consistent with previous work in Queensland and central western New South Wales suggesting that the climate (warm, semi-arid temperate, semi-arid subtropical) of much of the inland cropping country in eastern Australia is not conducive to accumulation of soil carbon under continuous cropping, although they do suggest that C S may accumulate under several years of healthy perennial pastures in rotation with zero tillage cropping.
  • Authors:
    • Hunt, J. R.
    • Dalgliesh, N. P.
    • McCown, R. L.
    • Whish, J. P. M.
    • Robertson, M. J.
    • Foale, M. A.
    • Poulton, P. L.
    • Rees, H. van
    • Carberry, P. S.
    • Hochman, Z.
  • Source: Crop & Pasture Science
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue: 11
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Crop simulation models relevant to real-world agriculture have been a rationale for model development over many years. However, as crop models are generally developed and tested against experimental data and with large systematic gaps often reported between experimental and farmer yields, the relevance of simulated yields to the commercial yields of field crops may be questioned. This is the third paper in a series which describes a substantial effort to deliver model-based decision support to Australian farmers. First, the performance of the cropping systems simulator, APSIM, in simulating commercial crop yields is reported across a range of field crops and agricultural regions. Second, how APSIM is used in gaining farmer credibility for their planning and decision making is described using actual case studies. Information was collated on APSIM performance in simulating the yields of over 700 commercial crops of barley, canola, chickpea, cotton, maize, mungbean, sorghum, sugarcane, and wheat monitored over the period 1992 to 2007 in all cropping regions of Australia. This evidence indicated that APSIM can predict the performance of commercial crops at a level close to that reported for its performance against experimental yields. Importantly, an essential requirement for simulating commercial yields across the Australian dryland cropping regions is to accurately describe the resources available to the crop being simulated, particularly soil water and nitrogen. Five case studies of using APSIM with farmers are described in order to demonstrate how model credibility was gained in the context of each circumstance. The proposed process for creating mutual understanding and credibility involved dealing with immediate questions of the involved farmers, contextualising the simulations to the specific situation in question, providing simulation outputs in an iterative process, and together reviewing the ensuing seasonal results against provided simulations. This paper is distinct from many other reports testing the performance and utility of cropping systems models. Here, the measured yields are from commercial crops not experimental plots and the described applications were from real-life situations identified by farmers. A key conclusion, from 17 years of effort, is the proven ability of APSIM to simulate yields from commercial crops provided soil properties are well characterised. Thus, the ambition of models being relevant to real-world agriculture is indeed attainable, at least in situations where biotic stresses are manageable.
  • Authors:
    • NASS
    • USDA
  • Year: 2009
  • Authors:
    • Azevedo, W.
    • Pereira, H.
    • Reis, E.
    • Souza, E.
    • Carneiro, M.
  • Source: REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIA DO SOLO
  • Volume: 33
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: This study investigated the effects of tillage systems and soil use on the physical, chemical and biological properties of a clayey dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol) and a sandy Neosol (Entisol). The treatments for the Oxisol consisted of: native savanna, pasture, conventional tillage, no-tillage with turnip and with forage sorghum as cover crop. For the Entisol: native savanna, native pasture, integrated crop-livestock, cultivated pasture, no-tillage with soyabean and maize in the summer. Soil samples were collected from a depth of 0-10 cm, in a clayey dystrophic Oxisol and a sandy Entisol in a savanna ecosystem, near the Parque Nacional das Emas in Goias, Brazil. Treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design, in 5 plots of 150 m 2, where 10 sub-samples were collected randomly. Chemical, physical and biological analyses were carried out at a soil laboratory. In the Entisol, tillage influenced the soil density, total pore volume, macroporosity and penetration resistance. In the Oxisol, tillage induced variations in soil bulk density, macroporosity and penetration resistance. Small variations in chemical properties were observed in both soils, with higher potential acidity and lower exchangeable cation and phosphorus concentrations. The soil biological properties were influenced by tillage, and were most affected in systems with more anthropic action. In the canonical data analysis the greater weighting coefficient of the physical properties in the canonic variables demonstrated that these were the least important. The contribution of the separate soil properties to evaluate soil quality was minor, but the most sustainable management systems could be defined by multivariate analysis.
  • Authors:
    • Darbyshire, S.
    • Clements, D.
    • DiTommaso, A.
    • Dauer, J.
  • Source: Canadian Journal of Plant Science
  • Volume: 89
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2009
  • Summary: Hemp dogbane, Apocynum cannabinum (Apocynaceae), is a perennial herb with white to greenish flowers in terminal clusters that produces pencil-like pods 12-20 cm long. A highly variable plant, A. cannabinum may be distinguished from spreading dogbane ( Apocynum androsaemifolium) by its shorter corolla (2-6 mm compared with 5-10 mm), erect greenish-white petals (compared with recurved or spreading pinkish petals), seeds more than 3 mm long (compared with seeds less than 3 mm), and more erect leaves (compared with spreading or drooping leaves), although frequent hybridization between the two species obscures the identity of some individuals. Hemp dogbane is native to the United States and southern Canada, but most abundant in the upper Mississippi River Valley and east to the Atlantic coast. It has been increasing in other areas, and becoming more of a problem where conservation tillage is adopted. It infests crops such as corn ( Zea mays), soybeans ( Glycine max), wheat ( Triticum aestivum), sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor) and forages, and may cause livestock poisoning due to cardiac glycosides within its milky sap (but livestock generally avoid it). Potential medicinal uses of these compounds have been investigated, and the roots are a source of fibre. Control of A. cannabinum with various herbicides is difficult due to a thick cuticle, and one solution may be to target susceptible stages, such as seedlings or early spring growth. Cultivation may also control A. cannabinum, but care must be taken not to promote the proliferation of the plant through regrowth from fragmented roots and rhizomes. Rotation with alfalfa also reduces populations of A. cannabinum.