19602015
  • Authors:
    • Gurjeet, G.
    • Malik, R.
    • Ashok, Y.
    • Kamboj, B.
    • Yadav, D.
  • Source: Environment and Ecology
  • Volume: 29
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Two field experiments were conducted during kharif of 2009, to optimize ground cover by green manure cover crops before taking no-till direct seeded basmati rice and mechanical transplanted coarse grain rice. The treatments included three cover crops ( Sesbania, mungbean and cowpea) with two seed rates (X and 2X) along with check (without cover crop) under no-till after wheat harvest. The X seed rates for Sesbania, mungbean and cowpea were 30, 20 and 50 kg/ha, respectively. Farmers' field trails on the issue in question were also conducted at three locations. Weed infestation until cover crops were knocked down, was significantly reduced due to growing of cover crops as compared to plots where no cover crop was included. Minimum density and dry weight of weeds was recorded with Sesbania at 60 kg/ha seed rate which was superior to all other treatments. This could be due to ample ground cover and heavy biomass production by Sesbania. In general biomass production among green manure cover crops was followed the sequence of Sesbania > cowpea > mungbean. Due to lower cost of seed, Sesbania at 60 kg/ha was realized more economical than other cover crops. Infestation of Echinochloa sp. in rice was lowest in the plots where Sesbania was taken as preceding cover crop and it was superior to other two cover crops. There was no infestation of sedges in rice in the plots where cover crops were grown but there was infestation of sedges in check plots. There was no significant impact of different cover crops on the yield and yield attributed of rice; however, to attain higher returns, inclusion of green manure cover crops on long-term basis could be more meaningful.
  • Authors:
    • Du, R.
    • Cai, S.
    • Geng, D.
    • Song, J.
    • Yang, Z.
  • Source: International Agricultural Engineering Journal
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Based on the agronomic characteristics of yearly maize-wheat rotation in Huanghuaihai Plain, a new-concept no-till planter, named 2BMDF-8 no-till wheat-maize planter, has been developed by Shandong University of Technology to solve an extremely important problem, such as standing maize stubble in one pass in two-crop rotation areas of Shandong Province in China. The combine anti-blocking device that is composed of power chopping axle and the planting unit of double-disc opener was designed. The test results of field performance showed that the machine could accomplish many working procedures, such as stubble chopping, furrow opening, seeds and fertilizer placement etc, in one pass, so the operation cost could be decreased by about 30%. The machine worked well for planting wheat into fields with standing maize stubble and maize stubble shattered. The powered chopping axle resolved the anti-blockage problem that ahead of shank the double-disc opener unit reduced the blockage between planting units. Meanwhile the variations in seed depth reduced to 18.8% and 19.3% respectively. Therefore, this machine will be a good solution to no-till wheat-maize planting in two crop rotation areas.
  • Authors:
    • Xie, J.
    • Li, L.
    • Huang, G.
    • Cai, L.
    • Luo, Z.
    • Zhang, R.
  • Source: Acta Prataculturae Sinica
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Long-term field experiments on soil physical quality in rainfed farming systems were conducted in Dingxi on the western Loess Plateau. The effects of conventional tillage and five conservation agriculture patterns [conventional tillage (T), conventional tillage with stubble incorporation (TS), no till with no stubble (NT), no till with stubble retention (NTS), conventional tillage with plastic mulching (TP) and no till with plastic mulching (NTP)] were studied. The experiment was fully-phased with two rotation sequences. Phase 1 started with field pea ( Pisum sativum) followed by spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum) (P->W) whereas phase 2 started with spring wheat followed by field pea (W->P). There were highly significant differences between the six tillage measures in soil properties including soil aggregates, available water content, water use efficiency and saturation conductivity. There were also significant differences in some soil properties including soil bulk density, total porosity, capillary porosity, non-capillary porosity, soil strength and saturation capacity. There were no significant differences in soil properties such as soil temperature and field capacity. Using the addition and multiplication method, and weighted integrated method, quantitative assessments of soil physical quality in different tillage systems were carried out. The order of soil physical quality index from high to low was NTS, NTP, NT, TS, T(TP) and TP(T) in P->W rotation, and NTS, NTP, TS, NT, TP and T in W->P rotation. The various tillage measures resulted in very different soil physical quality levels. Improved soil structure arose from tillage reduction or residue retention which improved soil structure, enhanced water infiltration, reduced soil and water loss, and hence improved soil physical quality.
  • Authors:
    • Rasaily, R. G.
    • He, J.
    • Li, H.
    • Zhang, X.
  • Source: International Agricultural Engineering Journal
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Due to the problem of residues blocking and seriously damaged bed shape during the planting of wheat in maize stubble coverage fields under the condition of permanent raised beds in irrigated agricultural region of Northwest China, the throwing stubble and renovating the bed type no-till planter for wheat was designed. This paper mainly analyzed the reshaping plough, moving cutter and throwing stubble device. Furthermore, the key parameters were analyzed and determined. The field experiment showed that through adopting the anti-blocking principle that combined moving cutter and throwing stubble device and residue-cutting by knife type opener, the machine could solve the residue and weed blocking problem effectively. It also has a good performance of passing and cutting stubble, and renovating the beds. The seeding and fertilizing depths acquired by the planter were 47.2 mm and 85.6 mm, respectively, which indicates the planter could meet the requirements of wheat no-tillage planting in permanent raised beds farming system in agricultural region of Northwest China.
  • Authors:
    • Li, Z.
    • Liu, W. Z.
    • Zhang, X. C.
    • Chen, J.
  • Source: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
  • Volume: 151
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Trends and uncertainty of the climate change impacts on hydrology, soil erosion, and wheat production during 2010-2039 at El Reno in central Oklahoma, USA, were evaluated for 12 climate change scenarios projected by four GCMs (CCSR/NIES, CGCM2, CSIRO-Mk2, and HadCM3) under three emissions scenarios (A2, B2, and GGa). Compared with the present climate, overall t-tests ( n=12) show that it is almost certain that mean precipitation will decline by some 6% (>98.5% probability), daily precipitation variance increase by 12% (>99%), and maximum and minimum temperature increase by 1.46 and 1.26 degrees C (>99%), respectively. Compared with the present climate under the same tillage systems, it is very likely (>90%) that evapotranpiration and long-term soil water storage will decease, but runoff and soil loss will increase despite the projected declines in precipitation. There will be no significant changes in wheat grain yield. Paired t-tests show that daily precipitation variance projected under GGa is greater than those under A2 and B2 ( P=0.1), resulting in greater runoff and soil loss under GGa ( P=0.1). HadCM3 projected greater mean annual precipitation than CGCM2 and CSIRO ( P=0.1). Consequently, greater runoff, grain yield, transpiration, soil evaporation, and soil water storage were simulated for HadCM3 ( P=0.1). The inconsistency among GCMs and differential impact responses between emission scenarios underscore the necessity of using multi-GCMs and multi-emission scenarios for impact assessments. Overall results show that no-till and conservation tillage systems will need to be adopted for better soil and water conservation and environmental protection in the region during the next several decades.
  • Authors:
    • Shen, Y.
    • Wang, X.
    • Zheng, L.
  • Source: Acta Prataculturae Sinica
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The research presented crop yield, phosphorus dynamic for a wheat-soybean rotation systems affected by tillage management: conventional tillage (t), tillage+ stubble retention (ts), no-till (nt), no-till+stubble retention (nts) in the Loess Plateau. Results showed that ten years tillage management implementation did not carry a yield penalty for winter wheat, soybean yield had a positive response to conservation tillage. Soil phosphorus content increased with the increasing of rotation sequences. Both total phosphorus and available phosphorus contents were increased at top 0-5 cm. Stubble retention increase crop phosphorus uptake, P contents in soybean grain under nts and ts treatment were 111% and 82% higher than that under t treatment. The results provide a local agricultural implement provides certain theoretical guidance.
  • Authors:
    • European Food Safety Authority
  • Source: EFSA Journal
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Difenoconazole is one of the 84 substances of the third stage part B of the review programme covered by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1490/2002,3 as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1095/2007.4 Difenoconazole was included in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC on 1 January 2009 pursuant to Article 11b of the Regulation (EC) No 1490/2002, as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1095/2007 (hereinafter referred to as "the Regulation"). Sweden, being the designated rapporteur Member State submitted a draft assessment report (DAR) on difenoconazole in accordance with the provisions of Article 10(1) of the Regulation, which was received by the EFSA on 22 December 2006. A peer review was initiated by EFSA on 6 March 2007 by dispatching the DAR for consultation of the Member States and the notifier Syngenta Ltd. Following consideration of the comments received on the DAR, EFSA conducted a focused peer review the active substance difenoconazole, its, physicochemical and technical properties, mammalian toxicology, residues, environmental fate and behaviour, ecotoxicology, and risk assessment on the environment. The conclusions laid down in this report were reached on the basis of the evaluation of the representative uses of difenoconazole as a fungicide on pome fruit, carrot, wheat, barley, triticale, rye and oats as proposed by the notifier.
  • Authors:
    • Zekaite, V.
    • Deveikyte, I.
    • Kadziuliene, Z.
    • Sarunaite, L.
    • Maiksteniene, S.
    • Arlauskiene, A.
    • Cesnuleviciene, R.
  • Source: ZEMDIRBYSTE-AGRICULTURE
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Intercropping of cereals and grain legumes is a technology intended to enhance biodiversity in organic agroecosystems, increase and stabilize yields and make better use of plant growth resources. The experiments were designed to investigate the intercrops' yield advantage in different soil, climate and plant competition conditions in organic farming. Field trials were carried out during 2007-2010 at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture at three different soil sites: on a loamy Endocalcari-Epihypogleyic Cambisol ( CMg-p-w-can) (Dotnuva), on a clay loam Endocalcari-Endohypogleyic Cambisol ( CMg-n-w-can) (Joniskelis) and on a sandy loam Hapli-Albic Luvisol ( LVe-ha) (Perloja). Pea ( Pisum sativum L. (Partim)) and spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori et Paol.), spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), oat ( Avena sativa L.) and spring triticale (* Triticosecale Wittm.) were sown as intercrops (50:50 - a relative proportion of grain legume and spring cereal seeds) or as a sole crop. The result showed that weather and soil conditions during plant emerge determined the optimal productive density and created a basis for competition between the intercrop components. Spring cereals were dominant due to higher aggressivity index and competition rate compared with peas. Under various soils' conditions the aggressivity of cereals increased with increasing density of pea. In productive soils (Dotnuva, Joniskelis), the highest competitive and suppressive power in the intercrops was exhibited by oats, in low productivity soils (Perloja) - the dominant species varied. Under the conditions of various soils, the production of pea intercrop with oats or barley was directly affected by cereals, while pea intercropped with wheat or triticale by the two components of the intercrop. In terms of grain yield, intercrops ranked as follows: pea/oats > pea/wheat, pea/triticale > pea/barley. In loamy soil (Dotnuva), these regularities were less consistent, therefore the advantages of intercrops' yield over sole crops' yield were negligible when the relative yield total (RYT) was >1.0, except for the pea intercropped with barley. In Joniskelis and Perloja, the relative yield total showed greater and more stable yield advantages of intercrops, except pea intercropped with triticale. The efficiency of intercrops stood out even more vividly in the treatments managed under organic cropping system for a longer period of time.
  • Authors:
    • Shahid, A.
    • Saghir, A.
    • Jamil, M.
    • Zubair, M.
    • Farooq, M.
    • Awais, R.
  • Source: Pakistan Sugar Journal
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Sugarcane is a long duration crop and is suitable for intercropping with other short duration crops to maximize the farmer income from the unit area. Thus, this study was designed to find out the possibility of wheat, lentil and gram intercropping with autumn planted sugarcane crop. The study was carried out at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad during 2004-05 cropping season. Sugarcane variety RB-72-454 was used as test crop and planted at 1.2 meter row distance in the first week of September, 2004. Two rows of each wheat, lentil and gram crop were seeded in the month of November in between cane rows. Sugarcane crop was harvested in the month of December, 2005. Lentil and gram were harvested in the month of April while, wheat in May. The results of the study indicted that sugarcane planted alone produced highest cane yield of 130.5 t ha -1, while sugarcane intercropped with wheat produced lowest cane yield of 105.5 t ha -1. The yields of wheat, lentil and gram were 1.18, 0.57 and 0.43 t ha -1, respectively. However, it was observed that intercropping of wheat, lentil and gram with sugarcane decreased cane yield by 19.2, 18.6 and 14.3%, respectively. The maximum economic return of Rs. 156641 ha -1 was noticed when sugarcane was planted without intercropping, whereas, intercropping of sugarcane with wheat resulted in minimum return of Rs. 138889 ha -1. Findings of the study revealed that autumn planting of sugarcane without any intercropping is more profitable than intercropping with cereal and leguminous crops.
  • Authors:
    • Badran, M.
  • Source: Bulletin of Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University
  • Volume: 62
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Egyptian faba bean cultivar Sakha 1 was planted either solely or intercropped with four Egyptian wheat varieties i.e., Giza 168, Sakha 94, Gemmiza 9 and Sids 1 by seven cropping patterns. The cropping patterns i.e., sowing wheat at three seeding rates (300, 350 and 400 grains/m 2) solely and intercropped with faba bean as well as solid faba bean plantings, were tested for each wheat variety in alternative rows 20 cm apart (1:1). The main objective of this work was to determine the suitable (wheat/faba bean) intercropping treatment for maximizing the land productivity of sandy soil through calculating the degree of competition indices for both crops. Hence, both faba bean seed yield and wheat grain yield tons/ha were used to calculate the degrees of competition indices in terms of Land Equivalent Ratio (LER), Aggressivity (Ag) and Relative Crowding Coefficient (RCC). Two field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Station Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, El-Bostan Region, El-Behera Governorate, Egypt, during 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons. A split-plot design with four replicates was used in both seasons. Wheat varieties were randomly assigned to the main-plots, while intercropping patterns were allocated in the sub-plots. The obtained results can be summarized as follows: - LER was insignificantly affected by the four studied wheat varieties in both seasons. Meanwhile, the intercropping patterns significantly affected LER values, in both seasons. LER values averaged of both seasons were greater than one (1.40) for intercropping plantings. - Values of aggressivity of wheat varieties were significantly differed in the second season only. Sakha 94 was the most aggressive wheat variety compared with the other studied varieties in both seasons. The data also, revealed that the aggressivity values of faba bean were positive, while that of wheat was negative, under intercropping treatments in both seasons. - RCC for wheat and faba bean was insignificantly affected among wheat varieties, in both seasons. The higher values of RCC w were produced when using Giza 168 (wheat variety) meanwhile, the lowest RCC f values were produced by Sids 1 variety in both seasons. A significant interaction was detected between wheat varieties and cropping patterns (Vx C 1) for the relative yield of wheat, in the first season only. In general, it could be concluded that intercropping any studied wheat variety with seeding rate of 300 grains/m 2 with Sakha 1 faba bean cultivar at 166667 plants/ha in alternative rows 20 cm apart (1:1) could be recommended to maximizing the productivity of land unit area under sandy soil conditions, in El-Bostan Region, El-Behera Governorate, Egypt.