scholarly journals Modelling the yield and profitability of intercropped walnut systems in Croatia

Author(s):  
Helena Žalac ◽  
Paul Burgess ◽  
Anil Graves ◽  
Michail Giannitsopoulos ◽  
Ivan Paponja ◽  
...  

AbstractIn Croatia, farmers are showing increasing interest in establishing walnut orchards for nut production on arable land due to higher anticipated net margins. One way to address the lack of profitability in the initial years when nut yields are low may be to plant arable intercrops. The anticipated impacts of this practice were assessed using a biophysical simulation model (Yield-SAFE) to determine the growth and yield of crops and trees in arable, orchard, and silvoarable systems, and an economic farm model (Farm-SAFE) was used to assess their profitability. The walnut orchard and the intercropped orchard systems were simulated assuming tree densities of 170, 135, and 100 trees ha−1, to determine the profitability and break-even date of the systems. The biophysical simulation predicted a decline in arable intercrop yields over time in all tree density scenarios. However, analysis of productivity of intercropped systems showed that intercropping was more productive than separate arable and walnut production for all tree density scenarios. From financial aspect, the return from intercropping helped to offset some of the initial orchard establishment costs and the arable intercrop remained profitable until the sixth year after tree planting. The modelling predicted that a system with 170 trees ha−1 that included intercropping for the first 6 years provided the greatest cumulative net margin after 20 years. The financial benefit of intercropping over the first 6 years opposed to monoculture walnut fruit production appeared to be consistent across the three tree densities studied. These results suggest that silvoarable agroforestry is profitable approach to establishing walnut orchards.

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 408
Author(s):  
Gizachew Zeleke ◽  
Tatek Dejene ◽  
Wubalem Tadesse ◽  
Pablo Martín-Pinto

In this study, we evaluated stand status, dendrometric variables, and fruit production of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) trees growing in bushland and farmland-use types in dryland areas of Ethiopia. The vegetation survey was conducted using the point-centered quarter method. The fruit yield of 54 trees was also evaluated. Tree density and fruit production in ha were estimated. There was a significant difference in Tamarind tree density between the two land-use types (p = 0.01). The mean fruit yield of farmland trees was significantly higher than that of bushland trees. However, Tamarind has unsustainable structure on farmlands. Differences in the dendrometric characteristics of trees were also observed between the two land-use types. Predictive models were selected for Tamarind fruit yield estimations in both land-use types. Although the majority of farmland trees produced <5000 fruit year−1, the selection of Tamarind germplasm in its natural ranges could improve production. Thus, the development of management plans to establish stands that have a more balanced diameter structure and thereby ensure continuity of the population and fruit yields is required in this area, particularly in the farmlands. This baseline information could assist elsewhere in areas that are facing similar challenges for the species due to land-use change.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco Bochicchio ◽  
Roberta Rossi ◽  
Rosanna Labella ◽  
Giovanni Bitella ◽  
Michele Perniola ◽  
...  

The demand for sources of nutraceuticals has led to the rediscovery and diffusion of traditional crops such as chia (<em>Salvia hispanica</em> L.), whose leaves and fruits are rich in W3 fatty acids and anti-oxidants. Chia originates in Central America but it is rapidly expanding to new areas. A field experiment conducted at Atella in Basilicata (Southern Italy) was set up to test the response of chia to N top-dress fertilisation (0 and 20 kg ha<sup>–1</sup>) and to sowing density (D1=125, D2=25, D3=8 and D4=4 plants m<sup>–2</sup>) in a split-plot design with three replications. First results show maximum leaf area index values up to 7.1 and fresh vegetative biomass production at early flowering ranging between 50.87 (D4) and 59.71 (D1) t ha<sup>–1</sup>. Yield increased with plant density: a significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher production (398 kg ha<sup>–1</sup>) was reached in D1. N top-dressing had a detrimental effect on yield and corresponded to higher lodging and lower maturation percentage of seeds, though non-significant. Based on our first results it seems worthwhile to continue agronomical trials for chia in herbaceous systems of southern Italy for leaf production based on traditional genotypes, while fruit production might be pursued by adopting high sowing density and the search for longer-day genotypes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Brzozowski ◽  
Krzysztof Zmarlicki

Abstract Certified organic farm area in Poland increased 8.5 fold during the 2003-2010 time period to 518 thousand ha, which constituted 2.8% of the arable land. The production costs and profitability of the organic fruit production of apples, strawberries, and sour cherries were evaluated and compared to conventional production of those fruits. The research was based on data from thirty-two commercial fruit farms; twenty farms with conventional production, and twelve with organic production. The main problems associated with organic production were the costs of weed control and soil cultivation. The conventional production of apples turned out to be slightly more profitable than the organic production. The organic production of sour cherries was not profitable. In the case of strawberries, it was the opposite - the organic production gave a better financial outcome than the conventional one


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1294-1307
Author(s):  
Fatimata Niang-Diop ◽  
Steen N. Christensen ◽  
Anders S. Barfod ◽  
Bienvenu Sambou ◽  
Mamadou Diop ◽  
...  

Trees are rapidly disappearing from agrarian landscapes in many tropical countries, a severe problem to rural populations, who depend on wood and non-timber forest products (NTFP) for their livelihoods. The aim of this study was to determine tree density, diversity, biomass and carbon stock in farmlands in Senegal and to gain insight in the socio-economic determinants of the tree cover. An allometric model was developed to estimate the average above ground biomass (AGB) based on field investigations of 235.5 ha of agricultural fields. In total, 25 tree species were recorded with an average density of 1.6 tree ha-1 and a canopy cover of 1%. The AGB was 8.9 t. ha-1 corresponding to 4.45 t C ha-1. A single species, Cordyla pinnata, accounted for 50% of all the trees censured. Investigations of google Earth images showed considerable change in tree density during the investigated periods (2004, 2009 and 2013). The tree density decreased at the rate of 3% per year-1 from 2004-2009 and 6.4% per year-1 from 2009-2013. Based on these results, all the trees would be lost in 30 years from 2009 and in 16 years from 2013 if this trend continues. Informants were generally interested in increasing the number of fruit trees. On average, they were willing to allocate 19% of their land for planting of new trees. Tree planting, however, has not been traditionally considered an option by the landowners, since livestock damage on young trees was too big and fencing not an option, but the recent years tree planting with certification for carbon sale has been initiated with support from outside.Keywords: Africa, forest resources, deforestation, local management, woody biomass.  


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixiang Liu ◽  
Haotian Bai ◽  
Neng Yan ◽  
Tin-Yan Wong ◽  
Dongfeng Dang ◽  
...  

Human population is now faced with grand challenges such as global warming, food shortage and energy sustainability, which could be partially solved by massively increasing the growth and yield of photosynthetic organisms which capture the light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into usable chemical energy. Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae are considered as attractive targets to be exploited by the algal factory because of their fast growth, low cost cultivation, less arable land and the diversity of high-value chemical substances produced. Many optical approaches have been introduced to increase the efficiency in artificial culturing systems, such as adding a luminescent layer that absorbs ultraviolet light and emits photosynthetic active radiation for cyanobacteria. In this work, we introduced luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIEgens) into the growth medium of a marine cyanobacteria. These hydrophobic AIEgens formed highly emissive luminogenic aggregates in the aqueous <a>medium and</a> dispersed around the cyanobacteria. Remarkedly, the number of cyanobacteria incubated in the medium with AIE aggregates was 5-fold more than the control group after 14-day culturing. The increased photosynthetic active radiation and the change of cyanobacteria protein expression in photosynthesis and metabolism might be the reason. Our study is the first using organic luminogenic aggregates as optical engineering inside the growth medium to dramatically increase the growth of cyanobacteria and demonstrated that AIEgens is promising technologies in the development of algal factories.


HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 707-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore M. Webster ◽  
A. Stanley Culpepper

Halosulfuron is a proposed alternative to methyl bromide for managing nutsedges (Cyperus spp.) in several vegetable crops, including cucurbits. Field studies were conducted to evaluate the crop sensitivity to halosulfuron in a spring squash (Cucurbita pepo L.)—fall cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) rotation from 2000 to 2002. Treatments included application of halosulfuron to the soil surface after forming the bed, but before laying mulch (halosulfuron-PRE), halosulfuron applied through drip irrigation (halosulfuron-DRIP) after forming bed and laying mulch, metham applied through drip irrigation after forming bed and laying mulch, a nontreated control with mulch, and nontreated control without mulch. Each treatment was applied to both direct seeded and transplanted zucchini squash. Halosulfuron treatments reduced squash plant diameter relative to metham, however plant diameters in halosulfuron-PRE (transplant and direct seed) and halosulfuron-DRIP (transplant) treatments were not different from the nontreated control. Halosulfuron-PRE delayed squash fruit production relative to the mulched nontreated control. However, application of halosulfuron-PRE and halosulfuron-DRIP did not reduce squash yield at the conclusion of the season, relative to the nontreated control. Cucumbers were transplanted and direct seeded into previous squash plots and received either an application of halosulfuron-DRIP, or were not treated. Differences in cucumber yields were not detected with second crop treatments. Cucumbers appear to have adequate tolerance to halosulfuron, making it a potential replacement for methyl bromide for nutsedge control. Suppression of early season squash growth by halosulfuron may hinder the adoption of halosulfuron as a methyl bromide alternative for squash.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Sukmana Siswandana Putra ◽  
Eka Tarwaca Susila Putra ◽  
Jaka Widada

Market demand for chilies continues to increase, so efforts are needed to increase the productivity of the chili plants. One of the efforts is by intensifying production factors such as applying fertilizers on beach sand which contain low nutrients and organic matter so that manure input is needed and also utilizes soil microbial technology in the form of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi which are relatively cheap economically and environmentally friendly. The purpose of this research was to study the effect of types of manure and mycorrhizal applications on the growth and yield of curly red chili. The research was arranged in a strip-plot Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) consisting of two factors with three replications. The first factor is the type of fertilizer (cow manure, chicken manure, guano fertilizer, quail manure and urea fertilizer) and the second factor is the application of mycorrhizae (with and without). This study concludes that quail manure increases plant height. The addition of chicken manure, guano fertilizer and quail manure multiplies the total fruit production. The application of mycorrhizae gives the same results on the growth and yield of chili.


2021 ◽  
pp. 146-153
Author(s):  
S. Razanov ◽  
V. Melnyk ◽  
B. Nazaruk ◽  
M. Kutsenko

The article presents the results of the agroecological composition of soils for different agricultural uses. Under modern conditions of increasing intensification of agricultural production, the agroecological condition of soils is deteriorating, which increases the risk of obtaining low–quality products. Along with this, there are various problems, such as loss of soil fertility, increased erosion, groundwater pollution and environmental pollution in general. Therefore, there is a need for constant monitoring of agroecological indicators of the soil in the conditions of intensive agriculture and horticulture. The great importance is the problem of finding reserves to increase soil fertility and improve their agroecological condition. Therefore, regular testing of soil nutrients and factors that have a major impact on their availability are extremely important to achieve sustainable levels of crop and fruit production. The main purpose of the research was to study and analyze agricultural lands: arable land and perennial plantations and the main agrochemical indicators of the soil of the central part of Vinnytsia region during intensive agriculture and horticulture. The object of research is the soils of agricultural lands used under intensive horticulture and crop production. The subject of research is the agroecological indicators of soil. The research was carried out in the farm of Agro–Etalon LLC in the village of Vasylivka, Tyvriv district. The soils of agricultural lands used under orchards (apple orchard) and agricultural crops (wheat after sunflower predecessor) were studied for comparison. According to the results of soil analysis, it was found that the highest difference in the studied indicators was found in the exchangeable potassium (К2О), mobile phosphorus (Р2О5), which was observed more in the soils involved in horticulture compared to the soils of field crop rotations. Farm soils with different agricultural uses were characterized by lower humus content. The highest difference in the concentration of chemical metals was found for molybdenum (Mo) and cadmium (Cd), which were more in the soils used in horticulture.


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