• Authors:
    • Emel'yanov, A. M.
  • Source: Kormoproizvodstvo
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2007
  • Summary: Increasing fodder crop productivity is a research priority due to the cattle raising type of agriculture practised in Buryatia. Productivity of oats in different crop rotation schemes in the dry steppe zone during 2001-05 is tabulated. The highest oat grain-haylage yield (11.3 t/ha) was achieved in the following scheme: naked fallow - wheat + oats - oat for grain-haylage. Usage of multispecies cropping system for increasing hay cutting yield is described. Melilotus, oil radish and spring rape are highly recommended for cultivation in single and mixed forage sowing. Fodder crops productivity and additional yield depending on sowing time and fertilization in 5-years period are summarised in 2 tables. Optimum sowing time for using June-August precipitation is the last ten-day period of June. Nutritional quality of oat and barley hay according to degree of their ripeness is discussed.
  • Authors:
    • Perez, A.
    • Ali, M.
    • Pollack, S.
    • Lucier, G.
  • Year: 2006
  • Summary: The U.S. fruit and vegetable industry accounts for nearly a third of U.S. crop cash receipts and a fifth of U.S. agricultural exports. A variety of challenges face this complex and diverse industry in both domestic and international markets, ranging from immigration reform and its effect on labor availability to international competitiveness. The national debate on diet and health frequently focuses on the nutritional role of fruit and vegetables, and a continued emphasis on the benefits of eating produce may provide opportunities to the industry. In the domestic market, Americans are eating more fruit and vegetables than they did 20 years ago, but consumption remains below recommended levels. In terms of per capita consumption expressed on a fresh-weight basis, the top five vegetables are potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet corn, and onions while the top five fruit include oranges, grapes (including wine grapes), apples, bananas, and pineapples. The industry also faces a variety of trade-related issues, including competition with imports. During 2002-04, imports accounted for 21 percent of domestic consumption of all fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, up from 16 percent during 1992-94.
  • Authors:
    • Wang, X. B.
    • Cai, D. X.
  • Source: Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering
  • Volume: 21
  • Issue: 6
  • Year: 2005
  • Summary: Field experiments on surface soil mulch with emulsified bituminous materials and fertilizer management based on conservation tillage practices for spring maize were conducted in dry farmland of Shouyang in Shanxi Province (China), to determine the impacts of tillage, surface mulch with emulsified bituminous materials and fertilizer rate on soil temperature, soil water, and crop seedling emergence and yields, and to evaluate the integrated management of conservation tillage, emulsified bituminous mulch and fertilizer application in dry farming for promoting agricultural production. Compared with the conventional tillage methods, using emulsified bituminous mulch under no-tillage soils caused the increases of 0.5-2degreesC for surface temperature during the seedling stage, above 18% for the number of maize seedling emergence, approximately 5% for maize yields, 21 mm for the 0-200 cm soil moisture contents, and 12 mm for water use during the growing season. The study provides information for improving tillage-mulching-fertilizer application management of dry farming.
  • Authors:
    • Harveson, R. M.
    • Burgener, P. A.
    • Blumenthal, J. M.
    • Baltensperger, D. D.
    • Lyon, D. J.
  • Source: Crop Science
  • Volume: 44
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2004
  • Summary: ummer fallow is commonly used to stabilize winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the Central Great Plains, but summer fallow results in soil degradation, limits farm productivity and profitability, and stores soil water inefficiently. The objectives of this study were to quantify the production and economic consequences of replacing summer fallow with spring-planted crops on the subsequent winter wheat crop. A summer fallow treatment and five spring crop treatments [spring canola (Brassica napus L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) + pea (Pisum sativum L.) for forage, proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and corn (Zea mays L.)] were no-till seeded into sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) residue in a randomized complete block design with five replications during 1999, 2000, and 2001. Winter wheat was planted in the fall following the spring crops. Five N fertilizer treatments (0, 22, 45, 67, and 90 kg N ha-1) were randomly assigned to each previous spring crop treatment in a split-plot treatment arrangement. The 3-yr mean wheat grain yield after summer fallow was 29% greater than following oat + pea for forage and 86% greater than following corn. The 3-yr mean annualized net return for the spring crop and subsequent winter wheat crop was $4.20, -$6.91, -$7.55, -$29.66, -$81.17, and -$94.88 ha-1 for oat + pea for forage, proso millet, summer fallow, dry bean, corn, and spring canola, respectively. Systems involving oat + pea for forage and proso millet are economically competitive with systems using summer fallow.
  • Authors:
    • Figueroa-Viramontes, R.
    • Vazquez-Vazquez, C.
    • Salazar-Sosa, E.
    • Lopez-Martinez, J. D.
    • Berumen-Padilla, S.
    • Martinez-Rubin, E.
  • Source: Agrofaz: publicación semestral de investigación científica, ISSN 1665-8892, Vol. 3, Nº. 1, 2003 or Phyton REVISTA INTERNACIONAL DE BOTÁNICA EXPERIMENTAL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
  • Volume: 2004
  • Year: 2004
  • Summary: Taking into consideration that potential evapotranspiration normally exceeds the growing season rainfall and that a water shortage can occur unless a reserve of soil water is stored before the crop is planted, it can be concluded that the amount of stored soil water at sowing time is a critical factor in the success of dryland cropping systems. The main aim of this investigation was to know if interaction chi 2 test is a valuable tool, when taking into account stored soil (0-60 cm depth) water at sowing time and maize grain yield, in making decision for sowing or not sowing at a given time. Data on the amount of soil water at sowing time and maize grain yield from four experiments carried out during 2001 and 2002 at the Ejido Francisco Villa, Lerdo, Durango, Mexico were used to run the interaction chi 2 tests. For a minimum maize yield of 1000 kg ha -1, the following level of stored soil water was defined as critical: 8.34 cm for cv. 'Blanco Hualauises' and cv. 'H-412'. The interaction chi 2 test is a good tool to determine soil water critical levels at the sowing time of maize to ensure success in the present dryland cropping system.
  • Authors:
    • Iraj Eskandari
    • Abbas Hemmat
  • Source: Aktualni zadaci mehanizacije poljoprivrede. Zbornik radova, 31. međunarodnog simpozija iz područja mehanizacije poljoprivrede, Opatija, Hrvatska, 24-28 veljač 2003
  • Year: 2003
  • Authors:
    • Yang, H.
    • Walters, D. T.
    • Dobermann, A.
    • Cassman, K. G.
  • Source: Annual Review of Environment and Resources
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2003
  • Summary: Agriculture is a resource-intensive enterprise. The manner in which food production systems utilize resources has a large influence on environmental quality. To evaluate prospects for conserving natural resources while meeting increased demand for cereals, we interpret recent trends and future trajectories in crop yields, land and nitrogen fertilizer use, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions to identify key issues and challenges. Based on this assessment, we conclude that avoiding expansion of cultivation into natural ecosystems, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and improved soil quality are pivotal components of a sustainable agriculture that meets human needs and protects natural resources. To achieve this outcome will depend on raising the yield potential and closing existing yield gaps of the major cereal crops to avoid yield stagnation in some of the world's most productive systems. Recent trends suggest, however, that increasing crop yield potential is a formidable scientific challenge that has proven to be an elusive goal.
  • Authors:
    • Lal, R.
    • Kimble, J. M.
    • Follett, R. F.
  • Year: 2001
  • Summary: Grazing lands represent the largest and most diverse land resource-taking up over half the earth's land surface. The large area grazing land occupies, its diversity of climates and soils, and the potential to improve its use and productivity all contribute to its importance for sequestering C and mitigating the greenhouse effect and other conditions brought about by climate change. The Potential of U.S. Grazing Lands to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect gives you an in-depth look at this possibility.
  • Authors:
    • Heinemeyer, O.
    • Lyon, D. J.
    • Drijber, R. A.
    • Doran, J. W.
    • Mosier, A. R.
    • Kessavalou, A.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Quality
  • Volume: 27
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 1998
  • Summary: Cropping and tillage management can increase atmospheric CO2, N2O, and CH4 concentrations, and contribute to global warming and destruction of the ozone layer. Fluxes of these gases in vented surface chambers, and water-filled pore space (WFPS) and temperature of survace soil were measured weekly from a long-term winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow rotation system under chemical (no-tillage) and mechanical tillage (noninversion subtillage at 7 to 10 cm or moldboard plowing to 15 cm) follow management and compared with those from "native" grass sod at Sidney, NE, from March 1993 to July 1995. Cropping, tillage, within-field location, time of year, soil temperature, and WFPS influenced net greenhouse gas fluxes. Mean annual interrow CO2 emissions from wheat-fallow ranged from 6.9 to 20.1 kg C ha-1 d-1 and generally increased with intensity and degree of tillage (no-till least and plow greatest). Nitrous oxide flux averaged summer > autumn > winter. Winter periods accounted for 4 to 10% and 3 to 47% of the annual CO2 and N2O flux, respectively, and 12 to 21% of the annual CH4 uptake. Fluxes of CO2 and N2O, and CH4 uptake increased linearly with soil temperature. No-till fallow exhibited the least threat to deterioration of atmospheric or soil quality as reflected by greater CH4 uptake, decreased N2O and CO2 emissions, and less loss of soil organic C than tilled soils. However, potential for increased C sequestration in this wheat-fallow system is limited due to reduced C input from intermittent cropping.
  • Authors:
    • Peterson, G. A.
    • Lyon, D. J.
    • Halvorson, A. D.
    • Leavitt, S. W.
    • Paul, E. A.
    • Follett, R. F.
  • Source: Soil Science Society of America Journal
  • Volume: 61
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 1997
  • Summary: The purposes of this study were to improve knowledge of regional vegetation patterns of C-3 and C-4 plants in the North American Great Plains and to use delta(13)C methodology and long-term research sites to determine contributions of small-grain crops to total soil organic carbon (SOC) now present, Archived and recent soil samples were used, Detailed soil sampling was in 1993 at long-term sites near Akron, CO, and Sidney, NE, After soil sieving, drying, and deliming, SOC and delta(13)C were determined using an automated C/N analyzer interfaced to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer, Yield records from long-term experimental sites were used to estimate the amount of C-3 plant residue C returned to the soil, Results from delta(13)C analyses of soils from near Waldheim, Saskatchewan, to Big Springs, TX, showed a strong north to south decrease in SOC derived from C-3 plants and a corresponding increase from C-4 plants. The delta(13)C analyses gave evidence that C-3 plant residue C (possibly from shrubs) is increasing at the Big Springs, TX, and Lawton, OK, sites, Also, delta(13)C analyses of subsoil and topsoil layers shows evidence of a regional shift to more C-3 species, possibly because of a cooler climate during the past few hundreds to thousands of years, Data from long-term research sites indicate that the efficiency of incorporation of small-grain crop residue C was about 5.4% during 84 Jr at Akron, CO, and about 10.5% : during 20 yr at Sidney, NE, The C-14 age of the SOC at 0- to IO-tm depth was 193 yr and at 30 to 45 cm was 4000 yr; C-14 age of nonhydrolyzable C was 2000 and 7000 yr for these same two respective depths, Natural partitioning of the C-13 isotope by the photosynthetic pathways of C-3 and C-4 plants provides a potentially powerful tool to study SOC dynamics at both regional and local scales.