Farming System最新文献

Given the renewed interest in promoting healthy soils in agricultural production via practices such as cover crops, decreased fumigations, or biological fertilizers, this article explores U.S. potato farmers' preferences for soil health-related production practices. We conduct a discrete choice experiment (DCE) under which hypothetical practices varied based on their effect on pests, fertilizer requirements, irrigation needs, additional soil testing/education, and expected net returns. Surveys were deployed to potato growers using convenience sampling online—through practitioner journals—and in person—at industry meetings. Standard descriptive statistics of the sample are presented and the DCE experiment was analyzed using a mixed multinomial logit model. Results suggest that when considering a new practice, farmers are highly sensitive to changes in net returns (p ​< ​0.001), and somewhat responsive to changes in fertilizer requirements, irrigation, and pests (p ​< ​0.01). However, potato growers appear indifferent to changes in workload, education, or soil testing requirements. While potato growers’ responses to the survey suggest they are highly concerned with soil health, conventional practices (e.g., 2–3 years rotations, standard tillage, fumigation) are still common. Additionally, we find that complexity in implementation, uncertainty in economic benefits, and capital constraints are the most common barriers to adopting novel soil health practices.

Nitrogen (N) application and weed control play critical roles in the development of crops. In maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation, surface broadcast N application aiming at higher productivities is a common practice. However, N addition under weed competition could promote weeds rather than maize. To investigate this, a field study was developed over a Brazilian eutric nitisol for summer maize. We manipulated the presence (+) or absence (−) of surface broadcast N fertilization (N_S) at the recommended dose (90 ​kg ​ha⁻¹ N) and weed control (W_C), obtaining the treatments N_S+W_C+, N_S+W_C−, N_S−W_C+, N_S−W_C−. We aimed to determine 1) whether maize could profit from N application even under weed competition, and 2) how treatments would affect maize's leaf area index and all grain yield components (cobs area⁻¹, rows cob⁻¹, grains row⁻¹ and individual grain weight). We hypothesized that broadcast N application could jeopardize maize productivity by favoring weed development. Under no weed control, N application increased weed biomass by ∼58%, which resulted in reductions of 57% in leaf area index, 6.9% in rows per cob, 48% in grains per row, and 18.7% in grain weight. Ultimately, the grain yield (8216 ​kg ​ha⁻¹) of the best performing treatment (N_S+W_C+) was 66% higher than that with the worst performance (N_S+W_C−), of 2797.3 ​kg ​ha⁻¹. We conclude that in fertilized areas, weed control should be a priority, since the N applied under weed competition could be detrimental to maize's leaf area index, and affect most yield components and overall productivity.

In order to improve transplanter performance and mat characteristics in mat-type paddy tray nurseries in paddy cultivation and to increase the paddy seedling quality and yield, a soil mix fertilizer with vermicompost and farmyard manure was optimized in different proportions. The investigation provides valuable insights for optimizing paddy cultivation practices, with emphasis on the potential of a specific treatment TC₇, composed of 50% vermicompost, 30% farmyard manure, and 20% soil, to contribute to more robust and productive paddy cultivation systems. The TC₇ treatment showed notable results, including highest average paddy seed germination (93.00 ​± ​2.24%), significant paddy seedling height (16.85 ​± ​1.72 ​cm), balanced root-to-shoot ratio (0.72 ​± ​0.013), robust seedling vigour index (1567.05 ​± ​121.45), substantial biomass production (0.481 ​± ​0.0010 ​g), and significant dry matter production (0.0422 ​± ​0.0029 ​g). The highest mat thickness of 28.10 ​± ​0.05 ​mm and the lowest mat weight per m² area of 22.30 ​± ​1.56 ​kg/m² was recorded in TC₄ treatment containing 44% vermicompost, 44% farmyard manure, and 12% soil. The highest rolling quality of the mat with a rolling score of 10.00 ​± ​0.027 in TC₈ treatment containing 30% vermicompost, 50% farmyard manure, and 20% soil, and the maximum mat strength of 54.90 ​± ​3.82 ​kg/m² in TC₁₀ treatment (soil alone). Mechanical transplanter performance exhibited superiority maximum planted hills per meter run (7 ​± ​1), optimum seedlings per hill (3), minimum occurrences of missing hills (1), and a maximum plant population per m² (116 ​± ​5) utilizing seedling mats prepared with TC₇ treatment. The highest grain yield of 4180 ​± ​449 ​kg/ha and grain straw ratio of 0.88 ​± ​0.0317 was recorded in the TC₇ treatment. Thus, this study recommends fine-tuning and adopting the TC₇ treatment combination to facilitate sustainable smart farming practices in India. Farmers are encouraged to consider implementing TC₇ treatment combinations to elevate the quality and productivity of paddy cultivation.

High tunnel (HT) vegetable cultivation stands out as a superior choice when compared to open field (OF) production due to its numerous production benefits. However, intensive cultivation practices involving excessive use of inorganic fertilizer (IF) in HT production systems may lead to degradation of soil health, and ultimately poor crop yields. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) and IF on growth and yield of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars in HT and OF production systems. Two experiments were conducted in a split-split plot design with production systems (HT and OF) as main plot, fertilizers (LOF and IF) as sub-plot, and cultivars (‘Angela’ and ‘Jaylo’) as sub-sub plot factors. Throughout the growing season, daily average temperature and relative humidity were greater by 2 to 4 ​°C and 2 to 4%, respectively, under HT compared to OF conditions. In contrast, average daily light integral of HT decreased 18 to 24% compared to OF. Results from pooled growth and yield data of both experiments indicate HT produced 61% taller plants with 62% thicker stem diameter compared to OF. However, eggplant height and stem diameter did not differ significantly between fertilizer treatments or between cultivars. Due to a greater fruit count for each plant (63%) and average fruit weight (9%), total yield was 84% greater in HT compared to OF. Eggplant cultivar ‘Jaylo’ yielded 33% greater fruit count for each plant and 38% greater fruit yield compared to ‘Angela’ cultivar. However, no differences in fruit count, fruit weight, and the total yield were observed between LOF and IF. Results indicate that HT production offered a favorable microclimate which encouraged plant growth and greater fruit yield of eggplant compared to OF conditions. LOF and ‘Jaylo’ could be successfully used in organic eggplant production in HT and OF systems.

To review the evolution of Farming Systems, this paper aims to summarise highlights of international perspectives on the development and analysis of Farming Systems and supporting innovations and institutions. Farming Systems concepts have underpinned the strategies and decisions of the managers of natural resources for several million years, from hunter gatherer systems to modern farm management under changing climates, technologies and population densities. The term Farming Systems is used in two ways: first, as a description of the patterns of farm and landscape use and production; and second, as a research and development approach or process of multidisciplinary diagnosis, analysis, testing and scaling for the improvement of farming systems. Throughout history seven major drivers shaped the systematic evolution from hunter gatherer systems to modern farming and food systems, including climate, population density, natural resources, energy, and technologies. During the past Century, the Farming Systems Approach has been applied by agricultural research scientists, extension agents, planners, policy makers, geographers, and other development professionals to characterize and analyse various types of farming and to identify and scale technological and institutional innovations for supporting institutions and small and large farmers. The Farming Systems Approach itself is characterized by multidisciplinary diagnosis, analysis, innovation testing, targeting, and scaling of farming system interventions using systems, participatory and experimentation/learning methods. The Farming Systems Approach has added substantial value to agricultural research and scaling and would merit renewed investment to tackle the current complex climate, poverty, food security and rural development crises. A nested approach comprising farming systems at several level, for example, regional zones, landscapes and farms could facilitate technology adoption and scaling, improve resource use efficiency and address the pressing complex challenges of the food security-climate-rural development nexus.

Maize, which serves as the primary staple crop in Togo, plays a crucial role in supporting rural communities and ensuring food security. Comprehending the complex relationship between Togo's maize production, population dynamics, and climate variability is crucial for mitigating the impacts of global warming and guaranteeing long-term food security. The present study examines the climate patterns and their impact on maize cultivation in Togo for the period spanning from 1990 to 2020. During this temporal interval, significant variations were seen in important climate indices. The levels of rainfall and the frequency of wet days exhibited notable fluctuations, whereas the temperature and concentrations of air pollutants, specifically carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), had a persistent rising trajectory. The recorded temperature exhibited an increase from 27 ​°C in 1990 to 29 ​°C in 2020. The levels of CO₂ emissions had a substantial increase from 1000 ​kt in 1990 to an estimated 2500 ​kt in 2020. Similarly, the emissions of N₂O witnessed a notable rise of more than 800 ​kt over the same time frame. Using time series analysis, we examined the temporal characteristics and employed ARIMA predictive models to project maize production over the upcoming decade, considering the gradual decrease in rural population density. The studies highlight the significant implications of global warming on a worldwide scale, exerting a profound impact on the Earth. The agriculture sector, specifically maize production, had notable variations in yield and overall output. Notwithstanding the inherent fluctuations in output, maize continues to maintain its position as the most widely consumed and preferred crop in Togo, even in the face of the country's rapidly expanding population. As a result, Togo has increased its imports of maize to satisfy the growing demand. The present study sheds light on the intricate relationship between production parameters, including yield and quantity, and a range of environmental variables such as the frequency of precipitation, temperature, and levels of N₂O, in addition to rural and urban population density. The statement underscores the pressing necessity to confront the issue of global warming and its subsequent impacts on agricultural methodologies. Furthermore, the results underscore the significance of considering population dynamics and climate variables in the prediction of forthcoming agricultural outcomes.

Lentil is one of the important pulse crops of Nepal and has high export potential. This study aimed to analyze the technical efficiency of the lentil production system and its determinants. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select respondent farmers from four districts representing three provinces in Nepal. Primary data were collected through face-to-face interviews with randomly selected 473 respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule. To derive the results, the stochastic production frontier and Tobit model were adopted. The average lentil output in the study area was found 672.6 ​kg ha^-1 and the input variables such as seed, labor, tractor use, and area were the significant inputs increasing the output of lentils. The mean technical efficiency percentage for the pooled sample was 61.5% with a range between 23.0% and 89.9%. Further, the result revealed that average-performing farmers and least-performing farmers need to reduce their costs by 42.82% and 85.65%, respectively to attain the status of the most efficient farmer. Education, membership in groups and cooperatives, weeding practice, use of improved seed, and lentil farm size were found as determinants of technical efficiency in lentil production and unit increment of those variables favor lentil yield by 0.3%, 2.6%, 21.5%, 3.1%, and 3.1% respectively. As there is room to increase lentil output by using inputs efficiently, the government and related stakeholders should motivate farmers to get involved in groups and cooperatives to pool resources together and share information. Based on the results, with the application of current available resources farmers are strongly recommended to maintain their lentil farm size between 0.5 and 1 ​ha, use improved varietal seed, and also follow at least one weeding operation to increase their farm technical efficiency level by 21.5%.

Increasing crop output while emitting fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) from limited farmland has been a major focus of research in world agricultural production. However, information on diversified multicropping systems involving forage in winter fallow fields has rarely been reported in South China. Therefore, in this study we designed three diversified multicropping systems, including maize−rice−fallow (MRF), maize−rice/ryegrass ​× ​milk vetch mixture (1:1) (MRM1) and maize−rice/ryegrass ​× ​milk vetch mixture (1:2) (MRM2), based on a field trial in the Pearl River Delta region of South China during 2021–2023. The annual crop productivity, economic benefits and carbon footprint (CF) of the diversified multicropping system were jointly analyzed. The results showed that the crop productivity of MRM1 and MRM2 was increased by 14.97% and 14.01%, respectively, compared with MRF, and the increase in MRM1 was significant (P ​< ​0.05). Compared with MRF, the economic benefits of MRM1 and MRM2 were increased by 10.15% and 10.29%, respectively, and the differences were not significant. It was found that the higher the planting index is, the lower the CF value. The CF values of MRM1 and MRM2 based on unit area, unit crop productivity and unit economic benefit decreased by 5.13%–22.83%, respectively; this was mainly due to the significant increase in soil organic carbon content by MRM1 and MRM2, which were 4.12% and 15.66% higher than MRF, respectively (P ​< ​0.05). In summary, the introduction of winter forage in the maize‒rice multicropping systems in the Pearl River Delta region of South China could improve crop productivity, increase economic benefits, and reduce the CF. MRM2, the recommended pattern based on the current results, has higher economic efficiency and lower carbon footprint per unit compared to MRM1. This study provides valuable information for the creation of diversified multicropping systems in South China and a reference for the development of sustainable farming systems in tropical subtropical regions worldwide.

While crop diversification has many benefits and is a stated government objective across the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of South Asia, the complexity of assessment has led to a rather limited understanding on the progress towards, and status of, smallholder crop diversification. Most studies focus on specific commodities or report as part of a singular index, use outdated secondary data, or implement highly localized studies, leading to broad generalisations and a lack of regional comparison. We collected representative primary data with more than 5000 households in 55 communities in Eastern Nepal, West Bengal (India) and Northwest Bangladesh to explore seasonally based diversification experiences and applied novel metrics to understand the nuanced status of farm diversification. While 66 crops were commercially grown across the region, only five crops and three crop families were widely grown (Poaceae, Malvaceae, and Brassicaceae). Non-cereal diversification across the region was limited (1.5 crops per household), though regional differentiation were evident particularly relating to livestock and off-farm activities, highlighting the importance of cross border studies. In terms of farmer's largest commercial plots, 20% of systems contained only rice, and 57% contained only rice/wheat/maize, with substantial regional diversity present. This raises concerns regarding the extent of commercially oriented high value and non-cereal diversification, alongside opportunities for diversification in the under-diversified pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. Future promotional efforts may need to focus particularly on legumes to ensure the future sustainability and viability of farming systems.