• Authors:
    • Kennedy, A. C.
    • Schillinger, W. F.
    • Young, D. L.
    • Paulitz, T. C.
  • Source: Field Crops Research
  • Volume: 115
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Field burning of residue is a traditional management tool for irrigated wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) production in the Inland Pacific Northwest of the United States (PNW) that can result in reduced air quality. A 6-year no-till field experiment to evaluate two complete cycles of a 3-year irrigated crop rotation of winter wheat-spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.)-winter canola ( Brassica napus L.) was sown (i) directly into standing residue of the previous crop, (ii) after mechanical removal of residue and, (iii) after burning of residue. The traditional practice of continuous annual winter wheat sown after burning residue and inverting the topsoil with a moldboard plow was included as a check treatment. Over-winter precipitation storage efficiency (PSE) was markedly improved when residue was not burned or burned and plowed after grain harvest. Grain yield of winter wheat trended higher in all no-till residue management treatments compared to the check treatment. Average grain yields of spring barley and canola were not significantly different among the no-till residue management treatments. Winter canola failed in 5 of 6 years due to a combination of a newly identified Rhizoctonia damping-off disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-1 and cold temperatures that necessitated replanting to spring canola. Six-year average net returns over total costs were statistically equal over all four systems. All systems lost from $358 to $396 ha -1. Soil organic carbon (SOC) increased linearly each year with no-till at the 0-5 cm depth and accumulated at a slower rate at the 5-10 cm depth. Take-all of wheat caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici was most severe in continuous annual winter wheat. The incidence and severity of Rhizoctonia on roots of wheat and inoculum of R. solani AG-8, was highest in the no-till treatments, but there was no grain yield loss due to this disease in any treatment. Residue management method had no consistent effect on Rhizoctonia root rot on barley. The annual winter grass downy brome ( Bromus tectorum L.) was problematic for winter wheat in the standing and mechanically removed residue treatments, but was controlled in the no-till residue burned and the burn and plow check. Another winter annual grass weed, rattail fescue ( Vulpia myuros L.), infested all no-till treatments. This was the first comprehensive and multidisciplinary no-till irrigated crop rotation study conducted in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Authors:
    • Singh, R.
  • Source: AMA-Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin Ameria
  • Volume: 41
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: India has emerged as the second largest producer of wheat in the world, close on the heels of China. Development and adoption of improved farm technologies has helped boost yields, provide resistance to important pests and diseases and other undesirable traits, spread of irrigation, storage, transport, processing and marketing, coupled with congenial price policies, all helping enhance the production and productivity of wheat. The transition in technology and agricultural development has brought in a shift in the choice of energy resources under use. The use of non-renewable energy sources has been increasing in the process. Adoption of an energy-efficient cultivation system would help in energy conservation and better resource allocation. For the wheat crop, data were collected from 780 irrigated farms spread over Tarai and Bhabar regions of Uttar Pradesh and five agro-climatic zones of the Punjab State. All the farms had the combination of tractor power and diesel engine and electric motor pumps as stationary power sources. The energy consumption patterns of these farms were studied and linear programming technique applied to determine optimal energy resource allocation for maximum yield obtainable under business-as-usual and improved cultivation practices. The results indicated that 16,635 MJ/ha of energy is presently consumed for an average yield of 3,646 kg/ha. Fertiliser provided 41 percent of the energy, followed by diesel, electricity, seed, farmyard manure, human, machinery and agro-chemicals. Based on the performance of the farms, optimal energy resource allocation suggests that 38.50 percent additional yield can be obtained without any major change in energy use pattern. Energy saving of 8.30 percent is also feasible with optimal energy resource allocations. Since the optimisation is based on actual performance of the sample size, it appears that the energy resource management by the majority of farmers has been sub-optimal. The results also suggest that by adopting improved cultivation practices and recommended seed and fertiliser application rates, the yield level can increase to 5,792 kg/ha with an investment of 17,230 MJ/ha of total energy. The optimized energy use requires 17.40 percent higher fertiliser, and 60.72 percent higher machinery energy for timely sowing of the crop with improved sowing implements and timely completion of time bound operations. Energy productivity in the process would increase to 0.336 kg/MJ from 0.219 kg/MJ presently being obtained by the farmers. The estimate of optimized energy resource allocation (using improved practices) required for attaining the potential yield level observed in research farms indicate that investment of 22,378 MJ/ha would be required for a yield level of 6,000 kg/ha. When compared with optimal energy resource allocation for business-as-usual approach, fertiliser use would increase by about 48 percent for the increase in yield by 19 percent. Diesel energy use would increase by 54 percent. As a consequence, electricity and human energy use would reduce by about 10 and 19 percent, respectively. The total energy consumption (using improved practices) increases with increase in productivity. The share of indirect energy increases faster than direct energy due to fertiliser consumption pattern. Energy productivity would improve to 0.426 kg/MJ, the rate of improvement being higher till yield level of 2,500 kg/ha. The total direct energy consumption in business-as-usual practice is, however, more than in the improved practice, the difference being more pronounced at lower productivity levels. The pattern is governed by the consumption pattern of direct commercial energy. The potential of saving of human energy and electricity in the process would provide a better energy management option for cultivation of the crop.
  • Authors:
    • Singh, V. K.
    • Sah, A. K.
    • Prakash, O.
    • Singh, R. K.
    • Singh, S. N.
  • Source: Outlook on Agriculture
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Rice-wheat is the most commonly employed cropping system on around 14 million hectares of land extending across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). The IGP region covers the South Asian countries of Pakistan (2.2 million ha), India (10.5 million ha), Nepal (0.5 million ha) and Bangladesh (0.8 million ha). The major challenge facing the IGP's rice-wheat cropping system is to sustain long- term productivity. This system has a pivotal role in the food security and livelihoods of millions of farmers and workers of populous countries such as India, particularly in central Uttar Pradesh. The system's productivity and economic gains have been consistently decreasing, mainly because of the delayed sowing of wheat after the rice harvest and the fatigued soil condition. The region's farmers lose valuable time for pre-sowing irrigation and field preparation due to the gap of two to three weeks between the harvesting of rice and the planting of wheat. If wheat sowing is delayed beyond the optimal time (by late November), yields plummet at the rate of 30 kg per ha per day. The adoption of resource conservation technologies, such as zero tilled wheat sowing, is considered essential to maintain the productivity of the rice-wheat cropping system. Economic analysis of data for two years from six on- farm demonstrations shows that the zero tillage method of wheat cultivation is the most economical and attractive option for the farming community of central Uttar Pradesh. A high grain yield and reduced cost of cultivation per hectare, reduction in the density of weeds, especially Phalaris minor, and greater water saving were noted in zero tilled wheat sowings compared with conventional practices. As a result of field demonstrations and farmer training programmes, the introduction of zero till drill wheat sowing has expanded rapidly and has made significant contributions to the tillage revolution in the study area.
  • Authors:
    • Li, G.
    • Luo, C.
    • Wang, X.
    • Niu, Y.
    • Gao, C.
    • Nan, Z.
    • Shen, Y.
    • Yang, J.
  • Source: Acta Prataculturae Sinica
  • Volume: 19
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: The effects of conventional tillage (t), conventional tillage with stubble retention (ts), no-tillage (nt), and no-tillage with stubble retention (nts) treatment on crop yield, soil total nitrogen and carbon, total organic carbon, oxidizible organic carbon, and carbon pool management index (CPMI) were investigated within a maize-wheat-soy rotation system in the western Loess Plateau. Total crop yield for ten harvests during the years 2001 to 2007 under ts and nts treatments increased by 3.63 and 1.62 g/kg compared with conventional tillage, but decreased by 2.48 g/kg on the nt treatment. Total nitrogen contents under nts treatment were 15.4%, 30.2% and 16.2% higher than t, ts and nt treatments. Total carbon under nts treatment was significantly increased by 2.04 g/kg and total organic carbon were 2.50, 1.56 and 1.70 g/kg higher than under t, ts and nt treatment, respectively. Easily oxidized organic carbon under nts was 2.13 g/kg higher than under t treatment. TN/TC decreased by 12.75%, 15.97%, 6.87% and 24.16% under t, ts, nt and nts treatments. The CPMI under ts, nt and nts were 12.6%, 20.1% and 46.6% higher than under t, both stubble retention and no-till were beneficial to increasing the soil organic carbon content and improving the quality of the carbon pool.
  • Authors:
    • Zhang, X.
    • Shi, F.
    • Li, B.
    • Xue, Y.
    • Yang, Z.
  • Source: Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: By using field monitoring methods, the village, the water consumption of winter wheat grown Zhangcun town of Huixian county, Henan province were determined. Water consumption can reach 216.3-345.2 mm at the yield level of 4 500-6 000 kg/ha. The water consumption percentage constitution of different growing period was 25.9%-36.9% between seeding and reviving stages, 22.0%-31.1% between reviving and heading stages, and 31.9%-52.2% between heading and maturation. The variation was great among different years. When the yield level of corn was 6 750-7 500 kg/ha, water consumption 299.6-462 mm which account for 81.3%-97.4% of precipitation during the period of the year. The water consumption percentage constitution of different growing period was 17.1%-17.3% between seeding and jointing stages, 34.5%-39.1% between jointing and trumpet stages, and 43.6%-48.4% between trumpet and maturation stages. For both wheat and corn, the water consumption density increased dramatically after jointing stage. The jointing and seed filling stages were two important periods for wheat water consumption. The trumpet stage was important for corn. In the dry-land hilly areas of middle and north Henan province at the current situation, natural precipitation can generally meet the water demand of autumn grain crops, while for summer grain crops, it is inadequate. So the emphases of water-saving irrigation should be on the summer grain crops.
  • Authors:
    • Balesdent, J.
    • Munoz, C.
    • Vidal, I.
    • Zagal, E.
  • Source: Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of Soil Science: Soil solutions for a changing world
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Sustainable agriculture should maintain soil organic carbon to prevent soil degradation and erosion, but soil C management still requires basic data on soil C dynamics under many climates, soil types and land uses. We applied a simple field method for the measurement of soil carbon dynamics, based on the natural 13C labelling technique of carbon inputs. The method implies the addition of locally produced maize material into the soil with C3 crops, in a simple, light and cost-effective design, and the kinetic analysis of soil 13C/ 12C. In Chile the approach was applied on a nine years fertility experiment with no till conditions sustaining a wheat-oat rotation, and followed thereafter for 5 years. The experimental site is located in the Andes pre-mountain (36degrees55′S, 71degrees53′O). The soil is of volcanic origin (medial, amorphic, mesic, Typic Haploxerands) and the crop rotation wheat-oat. The labeling technique showed that a very low amount (about 1 t ha -1) was incorporated to the soil (new C) during the time-period of the experiment (4 years). The ratio of remaining C/ added C after 4 years was very low (0.03) suggesting that the high carbon content of the soil can therefore be considered as due to a large amount of passive carbon, or to ancient carbon inputs, that have saturated the sorption capacity.
  • Authors:
    • Sharaiha, R.
    • Adamu, M.
  • Source: World Journal of Agricultural Sciences
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Mixed cropping of barley and durum wheat has been the practice of smallholder farmers in some drylands of Ethiopia even though the reasons for this successful cropping system were not well understood. Therefore, four planting densities, five intercrop proportions and three irrigation water levels were studied in a split-split plot arrangement in RCBD with three replications to determine the competition levels and resource use of barley and wheat mixed cropping under different growth stages. Barley was more competitive at early stages, while wheat dominated towards the reproductive stage. Intra- and inter-specific competition was decreased with increasing irrigation water levels but it was increased with increasing planting densities. Intraspecific competition was increased with increasing barley ratio in the cropping systems at all irrigation water levels, planting densities and harvesting stages. Fast growing nature of barley at early growth stages helps the intercropping system in that barley can capture belowground and areal resources faster, while wheat grows slowly and demands less resource at earlier growth stages. At later stages when wheat becomes dominant and resource demanding, early maturity of barley leaves more space for wheat to satisfy its resource demand. Thus niche differentiation index was consistently more than one in all growth stages and irrigation water levels. Therefore, mixed cropping of these two crop species helps combine important characters in a cropping system so as to enhance productivity through complementary resource uses in drylands.
  • Authors:
    • Naeem, M.
    • Khan, F.
    • Ahmad, W.
  • Source: Soil and Environment
  • Volume: 29
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: This study was undertaken as a part of soil fertility management of eroded soils in NWFP, Pakistan. The study was started in summer 2006 and continued for four consecutive crop seasons till winter 2007, in District Swabi, NWFP, Pakistan. Soil fertility status of the experimental site was determined before the start of the experiment. The experiment was laid out in a factorial split plot design using two factors viz cropping patterns and fertilizer treatments. The cropping patterns included maize-wheat-maize rotation, maize-lentil-maize rotation and maize-wheat+lentil intercrop-maize rotation and these were kept in main plots whereas the fertilizer treatments included control, 50% NP, 100% NPK and 20 t ha -1 farmyard manure integrated with 50% N and 100% PK as mineral fertilizers which were placed in sub plots. Fertilizers were applied for four seasons continuously. At the end of winter 2007, soil samples from two depths (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) were collected from each plot and analyzed for microbial biomass carbon (MBC) at day 3, day 6 and day 10 incubation periods, total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and mineralizable nitrogen (MN). Results showed significant improvement in organic fertility of soil with fertilizer addition and cropping patterns. Combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers (20 t ha -1 farmyard manure integrated with 50% N and 100% PK) showed 55, 25, 18 and 61% increase in total N, MBN, MN, and MBC after 10 days incubation period over the control, respectively, in the surface soil whilst 100% NPK showed 44, 15, 6 and 45% improvement over the control treatment for the same parameters in surface soil. Data further showed 43, 23, 19 and 60% increase in the corresponding microbial parameters in combined organic and inorganic fertilizer treatment over the control treatment in sub soil whilst 100% NPK showed 39, 20, 10 and 54% increase in TN, MBN, MN and MBC over the control in sub soil. The cropping patterns having cereal-legume rotation also improved organic soil fertility and showed 27 and 13% more total N and MBC after 10 days incubation period over the cereal-cereal rotation respectively and the improvement in MBN and MN in cereal-legume rotation over cereal-cereal rotation was non significant in surface soil. In the sub-surface soil cereal-legume rotation improved TN, MBN, MN and MBC by 9, 6, 8 and 28% over the cereal-cereal rotation. It was concluded that there is sufficient potential to improve soil organic fertility in Pirsabak soil series, the restoration of which on sustained basis would require at least 50% N from the organic sources. Moreover legumes must be included in the traditional cereal-cereal cropping pattern to further improve the N input and organic fertility of these soils.
  • Authors:
    • Hussain, F.
    • Akhter, J.
    • Ashraf, M.
    • Iqbal, Z.
    • Yaqub, M.
    • Akhtar, M.
  • Source: Pakistan Journal of Botany
  • Volume: 42
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Soil fertility and organic matter in our soils are on decline. Legume intercropping and manuring are important measures to sustain fertility and enhance productivity of soil. Four wheat cultivars Inqlab-91, WL-886, 1076 & 41 grown in field either as mono crop or intercropped with chickpea (CM 88) were evaluated with respect to yield, nutrient (N & P) uptake, compatibility and profitability. Prior to establishment of experiment, soil was enriched by green manuring of vegetative biomass of legume cereal for the last two years to raise organic matter/nutrients contents sufficienctly for growing a crop without mineral fertilizer addition. In monoculture, wheat cultivar Inqlab-91 produced the maximum grain (3294 kg ha -1) than other wheat lines (WL). In intercropping system, one hactare of land produced a maximum grain yield of WL-1076 (2456 kg) along with additional chickpea grain yield (1302 kg) while an other association produced maximum grain yield of chickpea (1795 kg) along with additional wheat yield (2144 kg by Inqlab-91). Cumulative grain value (Rs. ha -1) in intercropping culture was two times higher compared to that of wheat mono cropping. Associated crops accumulated significantly higher N in their biomass with a maximum of 87 kg ha -1 (by Inqlab+chickpea), compared to a maximum of 58 kg ha -1 by wheat (Inqlab-91) as mono culture. Phosphorus uptake by associated crops was also higher compared to wheat grown alone. The results clearly suggested superiority of wheat-chickpea co-cropping over wheat monoculture in terms of enhanced nutrient utilization, crop yield and farm income.
  • Authors:
    • Nursoy, H.
    • Aksoy, I.
  • Source: Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Hungarian vetch intercropped with wheat at 50:50 ratio planted at dryland in Autumn were harvested seven times at weekly intervals between mid June and late July. The study was conducted to determine the effects of harvesting frequency on the nutrient content, in vitro digestibility, relative feed value (RFV) and rumen degradation kinetics of the forages. Results revealed that harvesting frequency had no effect on dry matter, ash and organic matter of Hungarian vetch and wheat, but the NDF and ADF ratios increased. The crude protein ratios increased upto 20 July, while the digestibility level was observed between 30.10 and 53.24%, but significantly decreased with increasing maturity (P