Farming System最新文献

Phosphorus (P) is an indispensable nutrient for agricultural crops, existing in both organic and inorganic forms within the soil matrix. However, its runoff and leaching could potentially pollute the natural water bodies worldwide through eutrophication. Despite the elevated soil P levels indicated by soil tests, the potato crop necessitates substantial P fertilization due to its relatively superficial root structure and short growth period, particularly when compared to longer-cycle agronomic crops such as corn or cotton. This investigation was designed to assess the response of potato tuber yield and quality to incremental P fertilizer applications during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons. The research was performed in the 2021 growing season across two different agricultural sites at the Hastings Agricultural Extension Center (HAEC), incorporating eight varying rates of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) (formulation 0-46-0% N–P₂O₅–K), specifically 0, 28, 56, 84, 112, 140, 168, and 224 ​kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹. In the subsequent 2022 season, the study expanded to include three additional sites at HAEC, testing six different TSP levels at 0, 22, 45, 67, 90, and 112 ​kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications was employed throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The cumulative data from 2021 to 2022 indicated that total and marketable yields across all sites increased in response to increasing P rates (p ​< ​0.05), exhibiting a linear trend in most locations. When aggregating data from all sites, a quadratic yield response pattern emerged. In 2021, P uptake was statistically significant, with mean values fluctuating between 18.69 and 45.09 ​kg ​P ha⁻¹. The P application was correlated with enhanced total P removal from the soil, though the specific gravity of the tubers remained unaffected by any level of P application. The study results suggest applying P improves potato yield even if the soil test P falls in the high range.

Pesticide-free agriculture is an innovative form of land use, characterized by the abandonment of synthetic chemical pesticides and the use of mineral fertilizers. One significant factor in establishing such a land use system is, that consumers are willing to pay for the products it produces. The objective of this study was to assess the willingness to pay for four pesticide-free products (lettuce, wheat flour, soy drink, wheat roll) with different processing degrees using the contingent valuation method. In addition, the extent to which additional information on cultivation as well as socio-demographic characteristics have an influence on the willingness to pay was examined. By means of an online questionnaire, 597 German consumers were surveyed. The analyses show an additional willingness to pay for pesticide-free versus conventional products ranging from 38.3% to 93.7%. When additional information on synthetic chemical pesticide alternatives was given, there was a positive effect on the willingness to pay for unprocessed products and basic processed products that require cooking/preparation. Information on the regional cultivation on the other hand had no direct effect. For the socio-demographic characteristics, only individual effects on the willingness to pay could be proven. The findings indicate the possibility of positioning pesticide-free products in the middle market segment. Implications regarding the relevance of pesticide-free agriculture and food for the food chain actors can be derived from the results.

The availability of models constitutes a key factor when selecting a decision support tool aimed at improving the production and environmental aspects of farms. There is a need for robust models that are user-friendly, facilitating the estimation of farm emissions and the analysis of their temporal fluctuations. The objectives of this study were i) to calculate both the partial (PCF) and total carbon (TCF) footprints of 212 dairy farms, distinguishing those with and without maize cultivation; ii) to identify critical variables related to feed, nutrition, productivity and environmental efficiency; and iii) to formulate and validate prediction equations based on available data from dairy farms. The database encompasses information from 212 dairy cattle farms situated in the temperate-humid zone of northern Spain, spanning the period from 2014 to 2018. Farm classification was based on the presence (CcMz) or absence (ScCMz) of maize cultivation for silage production, resulting in 96 farms in the CcMz category and 116 farms in the ScCMz category.

Among the variables considered, the variable herd N-use efficiency (NUE_CR) for (PCF) showed the lowest root mean square error of prediction at 0.39% and the correspondingly lowest root men. The root mean squared percentage error (RMSPE): standard deviation ratio (RSR) at 0.52. In the case of total carbon footprint (TCF), herd N-use efficiency (NUE_CR) again showed the lowest root mean square error of prediction at 0.52%. Regarding TCF, herd feed efficiency (EA_CR) was the variable with the lowest both RMSPE and RSR, with 0.65 and 0.64, respectively. Consequently, the estimation of the PCF and TCF of 1 ​kg of milk from the temperate-humid zone of northern Spain at the farm gate can be feasibly accomplished utilizing NUE_CR and EA_CR, respectively.

Variable climate resulting in floods, and labor-intensive manual rice transplanting are the major challenges in rice cultivation in Assam, India. Our study aimed to improve rice-rice systems productivity through submergence-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) and mechanical puddled transplanted rice (MTR). On-farm experiments were conducted in four rice seasons over two years (2018-19 and 2019-20) in 15 districts where rice-rice is the dominant cropping system. We evaluated best management practices (BMPs- a combination of STRVs and MTR) against farmers practice (FP-local popular varieties and manual puddled transplanted rice (PTR)). The study also carried out mixed model to assess the unequal distributions of treatments, 127 sites under BMPs and 392 sites under FP. Our results showed that BMPs increased rice grain yield by 25% (1.11–1.14 ​t ​ha⁻¹) and net margin by 68–90% (290–320 USD ha⁻¹) over FP across the seasons. The BMPs also had less variable cost by 59–67 USD ha⁻¹ compared to FP. The adoption of BMPs in rice-rice system increased the system productivity by 2.25 ​t ​ha⁻¹ and net margin by 610 USD ha⁻¹. We conclude that rice-rice system productivity can be increased by adoption of BMPs in Assam. However, scaling of BMPs requires awareness and access to seeds of submergence-tolerant rice varieties and mechanical transplanters.

Integrating camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) into wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -based cropping systems in the Great Plains Region of the United States could improve soil properties and overall system productivity. However, there is little information on crop yields and soil properties in dryland cropping systems with camelina rotation. This study investigated the effect of replacing fallow with camelina on crop yields, soil water content, and soil properties in dryland wheat-based cropping systems in western Kansas, United States, from 2013 to 2017. Treatments were four crop rotations, wheat-fallow (W–F), wheat-sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) -fallow (W–S–F), wheat-camelina (W–C), and wheat-sorghum-camelina (W–S–C) in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results showed sorghum grain yield was unaffected by camelina in the crop rotation. Wheat grain yield was reduced by 15% when camelina replaced fallow in the rotation. Camelina yield was two-fold greater when planted after wheat (W–C) relative to the yield after sorghum (W–S–C). Increasing cropping intensification increased annualized yield compared to W–F. Soil water content was less in intensified crop rotations compared to rotations with fallow. Soil organic carbon varied among crop rotations and was least in W–F (1.4%). The W–S–C rotation had the greatest microbial biomass carbon, while microbial biomass nitrogen was least in W–C regardless of sampling time. Rotations including camelina had greater potentially mineralizable nitrogen. Increasing cropping intensity increased the proportion of larger water stable soil aggregates, while the less intensified system (W–F) had greater proportion of smaller water stable soil aggregates. Our findings suggest adding camelina to wheat-based crop rotations decreased wheat yields, but improved soil properties and increased the overall system productivity.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is the single most important agricultural industry in Fiji and occupies half of the nation's cropped area while supporting 25% of the labour force. However, the industry is facing comprehensive challenges across the supply chain, underlain by declining productivity and changing climate. The purposes of this study were to: (1) use model simulation to determine the potential of conservation agriculture (CA) practices to narrow yield gaps in sugarcane production systems under historical and projected climates in a case study; (2) identify and rank candidate practices that would contribute to narrowing such yield gaps; and (3) identify the limitations of the modelling approach and make recommendations for improving it. We simulated nine scenarios of CA practices with potential to reduce the estimated yield gap (55 ​Mg ​ha^-1) by increasing nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates (30 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹), liming (25 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹), improved weed control (5–9 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹), replacing uncropped fallow with legume crops (2–3 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹), crop cycle duration (0 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹), and retaining crop residues (−2 ​Mg ​ha⁻¹). The yield benefit of CA practices was similar under projected climates that were warmer and wetter or drier, or hotter and wetter. For a projected climate that was hotter and drier, the greatest yield benefit was obtained from liming, weed control, and retaining crop residues. The study was limited by the availability of daily weather data, and it would be complemented by additional studies incorporating more local crops, evaluation of barriers to mechanisation needed to implement new practices, and economic assessment of scenarios.

India's west coast region is unique due to the co-existence of abundant natural resources and continuous agricultural production. In this region, arecanut is a dominant crop, but due to many factors such as unstable markets, price fluctuations, diseases, etc., the risk faced by farmers has increased. The integrated farming system (IFS) is a viable option for reducing risks and improving productivity and income while also offering multiple benefits to the farm family. Considering these, we collected data from ten farmers' fields in coastal Karnataka, India for the period 2013–2022, to compare arecanut farming with IFS systems where coconut, nutmeg and banana were intercrops with livestock component. Results indicated that IFS had diverse plant species such as plantation crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, and forest trees offering multiple benefits to the farm families. Various plant species found on the IFS farms were primarily utilized for culinary, ornamental, and religious purposes (benefits worth US$ 421 year⁻¹). The arecanut equivalent yield in IFS farms was consistently and significantly higher during the last ten years. The mean net return derived from IFS farms (US$ 7857) was also significantly higher than the arecanut farming (US$ 3990). Energy budgeting indicated that, in IFS, significantly higher direct and renewable energy and lower indirect and non-renewable energy was utilized. Energy output (192,202 ​MJ ​ha⁻¹), net energy (120,477 ​MJ ​ha⁻¹), energy use efficiency (2.68), and energy profitability (1.68) were significantly higher under the IFS farm compared to the arecanut farming. Employment generation was also significantly higher in IFS (1236.7 mandays year⁻¹) than in control farms (755.2 mandays year⁻¹), especially for female laborers (2.05 times higher). This study concludes that the adoption of IFS helps in enhancing farm profitability and generating employment opportunities while improving energy use efficiency. Considering these benefits, promoting IFS through subsidy and policy support would help in sustainable development of agriculture sector in this region.

To achieve the goal in the Paris Agreement of limiting mean global temperature rise to 1.5 ​°C, total anthropogenic radiative forcing (RF) should be reduced from current 2.7 to around 1.9 ​W ​m⁻². A newly developed RF-based climate footprint (RFCF) indicator, which quantifies the additional contribution to RF associated with current and historical emissions, can support transparent alignment with climate stabilization targets by assessing the profile of RF over time. Nevertheless, RFCF applications to date have been based on parameters and equations from IPCC 5^th Assessment Report (AR). Considering the latest updates in the IPCC 6^th AR, we applied the RFCF approach for the first time in a case study involving the Australian agricultural sector. We compared the RF, RFCF and annual changes in RFCF of CH₄, N₂O and CO₂ using both models. All the results of RF as well as RFCF calculated using the latest model were slightly lower than those obtained using the former model. The agricultural sector's contribution to RF had plateaued in recent years and is projected to reach the point of net zero increase in 2022 (IPCC 6^th AR model) or 2023 (IPCC 5^th AR model). Considering the latest updates in emission lifetime, radiative efficiency and indirect effects based on the background concentration (1750–2019), the assessments based on IPCC 6^th AR model provide more reliable results. However, a dynamic model is required to reflect the additional RF for the pulse emission based on the relevant climate background in the same year. The RF-based footprint approach can support national greenhouse gas emission reduction policy targets, especially for sectors with substantial biogenic methane emissions.

Sustainable agricultural strategies such as conservation agriculture (CA) and integrated land management are required to mitigate land degradation and food insecurity. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different cropping systems: sole sorghum (SOR), sole cowpea (COW), sole soybean (SOY), sorghum-cowpea intercrop (SC), and sorghum-soybean intercrop (SS); and tillage practices: conventional tillage (CT), no tillage (NT), and compacted no till (NTc) on physical and mechanical properties of an Alfisol in Southwestern Nigeria. The experimental layout comprised a split plot design accommodating the 3 tillage and 5 cropping systems in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from 0 to 15 ​cm, and 15–30 ​cm soil layers for the determination of soil bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), and unconfined compressive strength (q_uf). The results showed that bulk density was lower, while total porosity was higher under intercrops than monocrops in all the tillage treatments. Conventional tillage had the least BD compared to no tillage and compacted no till plots. Soil vane shear strength (Ʈ) and unconfined compressive strength (q_uf) were generally lower under the intercrops than the sole sorghum plots. Averaged over the two soil depths, the mean soil q_uf of SS intercrop was 1.28 times lower than the mean soil q_uf of SOR but was 1.06 times higher than the mean soil q_uf of SOY. SC intercrop had a 14.20% and a 9.15% lower average soil q_uf than SOR and COW in 2019. Unconfined compressive strength and vanes shear strength significantly positively correlated with BD and negatively with TP, organic carbon (OC), organic matter (OM), and total nitrogen (N) in both cropping years. The research demonstrates that farming approaches that integrate soil cover preservation and minimal soil disturbance with diverse cropping systems improve soil physical and mechanical behavior.

Soil laboratories throughout the United States have widely integrated the Mehlich-III (M-III), derived from Mehlich-I (M-I), methodologies to extract soil nutrients. However, there have been concerns regarding its precision. The University of Florida's Hastings Agricultural and Extension Center (HAEC) conducted a soil sampling during the spring of 2021. This research aimed to rigorously compare the extraction efficiencies of M-I and M-III, specifically focusing on critical soil nutrients like phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). From forty-six meticulously chosen fields, 276 composite soil samples derived from two distinct depth strata (0–15 ​cm and 15–50 ​cm) were analyzed using both methods. Our findings highlighted the superior extraction prowess of M-III, which showcased an efficiency almost threefold compared to M-I. Intriguingly, the correlation between M-I and M-III extraction efficiencies weakened with escalating soil nutrient concentrations. The coefficient of determination (r²) between M-I and M-III had a high correlation value and was statistically significant (p<0.05) for all macro- and micronutrients. We found that the correlation between M-I and M-III became more robust with an increase in sample size and a higher correlation coefficient. It is noteworthy to mention that the M-III method has the propensity to provide slightly inflated soil nutrient estimations. Since soil labs worldwide use M-III equations derived from M-I, this study proposes that soil labs reinvestigate and possibly adopt new correlation equations to estimate soil nutrients using M-III.