Reduced body condition and enzymatic alterations in frogs inhabiting intensive crop production areas

Abstract. During the twentieth century, U.S. agriculture strived to achieve increased food production in order to satisfy both local and export demands. In many cases, this led to increased farm sizes and an operational separation of crop and livestock production. The trend of increasing centralization and industrialization of agriculture, specifically animal agriculture, has resulted in the concentration of waste products associated with animal production (manures and wash-down water) over relatively small geographic areas that are spatially segregated from crop production areas. Because the distance that manure can be economically hauled for land application has practical limits, the public is concerned that this spatial separation of crop and animal production areas could lead to over-application of manures near animal feeding facilities, and thus potentially increase the transport of nutrients to ground and surface waters. An aggregated analysis (statewide) of crop and animal production in Iowa suggests that about 30% to 40% of current nitrogen and phosphorus requirements for crop production could be supplied from manures and litters generated from livestock production, while about 50% of potassium requirements could be supplied. However, neither livestock nor crop production in Iowa is uniformly distributed across all counties. This unequal distribution suggests that a more disaggregated analysis of crop nutrient requirements and manure nutrient supply is necessary to estimate the risks of excess nutrient loss to the environment. Thus, we evaluated crop nutrient demand and manure and litter production at the county level to determine if excess manure generation is of concern and to locate areas where additional manures could be used. Results showed that several counties are becoming manure rich, but most locations maintain sufficient capacity to use manure nutrients effectively. Keywords: Crop nutrient capacity, Manure management, Manure production, Nutrient balance, Nutrient management.

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Individual and demographic consequences of reduced body condition following repeated exposure to high temperatures

Ecology ◽

10.1890/15-0642 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Janet L. Gardner ◽

Tatsuya Amano ◽

William J. Sutherland ◽

Mark Clayton ◽

Anne Peters

Keyword(s):

High Temperatures ◽

Body Condition ◽

Repeated Exposure ◽

Reduced Body

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The Growth and Development of Five Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) Populations in a Common Garden

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/wsc.2016.20 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 247-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Joseph M. Heneghan ◽

William G. Johnson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Crop Production ◽

Common Garden ◽

Common Garden Experiment ◽

Common Environment ◽

Amaranthus Tuberculatus ◽

Production Areas ◽

Seed Yields

Waterhemp is a weed indigenous to the midwestern United States and is problematic in agronomic crop production. This weed is well suited to inhabit minimally tilled environments and is increasing in prevalence across many agricultural production areas and systems. A common garden experiment was established in Indiana in 2014 and 2015 with waterhemp populations from Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska to compare the growth and development of waterhemp from these regions. Three establishment dates (May, June, and July) were used each year to simulate discontinuous germination. Mean biomass accumulations from the May (1,120 g plant−1) and June (1,069 g plant−1) establishment dates were higher than from the July (266 g plant−1) establishment date. There were no differences in biomass accumulations between the five populations in the May and June establishments, but biomass accumulations ranged from 195 to 338 g plant−1in the July establishment. Mean seed yields were higher from the May (926,629 seeds plant−1) and June (828,905 seeds plant−1) establishment dates compared with the July (276,258 seeds plant−1) establishment. In the May and June establishments, seed yields ranged from 469,939 seeds plant−1to 1,285,556 seeds plant−1. The Illinois population flowered the latest of all the populations yet also grew the tallest. The July establishment flowered the most rapidly after establishment, accumulated less biomass, and also had the largest seeds. This study demonstrated differences among waterhemp populations when grown in a common environment and the effect of establishment timing on waterhemp growth and development.

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Identification of the causal agent of “pata seca” in pepper crop production areas of Ecuador

Summa Phytopathologica ◽

10.1590/0100-5405/180291 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 338-343

Author(s):

Miguel Angel Quilambaqui Jara ◽

Antonio Carlos Maringoni

Keyword(s):

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Crop Production ◽

Sclerotium Rolfsii ◽

Causal Agent ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Fusarium Spp ◽

Pathogenicity Tests ◽

Production Areas ◽

Disease Analysis ◽

Santa Elena

ABSTRACT Cultivation of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) has high economic relevance in Ecuador. Although the planted area is approximately 5704 ha, its productivity is low (3.17 t ha-1) relative to other countries in the region. In recent years, the spread and the development of a disease that leads the plant to death, known by farmers as “pata seca” and occurring in production zones located in Guayas and Santa Elena Provinces, have caused great economic losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of “pata seca” on commercial pepper crops during 2013 and 2014 and to identify the causal agent of such disease. Twenty-three farms were visited, where samples and data were collected. “Pata seca” was detected in 79.2% samples, and 53.6% plants had symptoms of this disease. Analysis of the samples collected in 2013 and 2014 indicated that the predominant fungi were Sclerotium rolfsii (31.17%, 49.64%) and Fusarium spp. (29.29%, 32.37%), respectively. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that S. rofsii is the major causal agent.

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Costly parasite resistance: a genotype-dependent handicap in sand lizards?

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2005.0339 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 375-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mats Olsson ◽

Erik Wapstra ◽

Thomas Madsen ◽

Beata Ujvari ◽

Carl Rugfelt

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Blood Stream ◽

Encounter Rate ◽

Short Term ◽

Adaptive Immune ◽

Reduced Body ◽

Histocompatibility Complex ◽

Secondary Infections ◽

Specific Restriction ◽

Lacerta Agilis

Male sand lizards ( Lacerta agilis ) with a specific restriction fragment length polymorphism fragment in their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotype (‘O-males’) are more resistant to ectoparasites (a tick, Ixodes ricinus ) than are males that lack this fragment (‘NO-males’). However, emerging evidence suggests that such adaptive immune responses are costly, here manifested by reduced body condition and a compromised defence against secondary infections by haemoprotid parasites that use the ticks as vectors. Subsequent to tick encounter, O-males suffer from a higher leucocyte–erythrocyte ratio, and higher haemoprotid parasitaemia, in particular in relation to vector encounter rate. Furthermore, O-males (i.e. successful tick defenders) with more haemoprotid parasites remaining in their blood stream were in better body condition, whereas this did not apply in NO-males, demonstrating that the adaptive immunoreaction can—in the short term—be energetically even more costly than being moderately parasitized. In agreement with Zahavian handicap theory, O-males had a (marginally) higher reproductive success than males that lacked this fragment.

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Cropland area estimates using Modis NDVI time series in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-204x2012000900012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 47 (9) ◽

pp. 1270-1278 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Daniel de Castro Victoria ◽

Adriano Rolim da Paz ◽

Alexandre Camargo Coutinho ◽

Jude Kastens ◽

J. Christopher Brown

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Crop Production ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

The State ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Cropland Area ◽

Modis Ndvi ◽

Ndvi Time Series ◽

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽

Production Areas

The objective of this work was to evaluate a simple, semi‑automated methodology for mapping cropland areas in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. A Fourier transform was applied over a time series of vegetation index products from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (Modis) sensor. This procedure allows for the evaluation of the amplitude of the periodic changes in vegetation response through time and the identification of areas with strong seasonal variation related to crop production. Annual cropland masks from 2006 to 2009 were generated and municipal cropland areas were estimated through remote sensing. We observed good agreement with official statistics on planted area, especially for municipalities with more than 10% of cropland cover (R² = 0.89), but poor agreement in municipalities with less than 5% crop cover (R² = 0.41). The assessed methodology can be used for annual cropland mapping over large production areas in Brazil.

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Climate change risks to push large parts of global food production and population centres to unprecedented conditions

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-12897 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Matti Kummu ◽

Matias Heino ◽

Maija Taka ◽

Olli Varis ◽

Daniel Viviroli

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Production ◽

Crop Production ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Rcp 8.5 ◽

Production Areas ◽

Global Food

<p>The majority of global food production, as we know it, is based on agricultural practices developed within stable Holocene climate conditions. Climate change is altering the key conditions for human societies, such as precipitation, temperature and aridity. Their combined impact on altering the conditions in areas where people live and grow food has not yet, however, been systematically quantified on a global scale. Here, we estimate the impacts of two climate change scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 8.5) on major population centres and food crop production areas at 5 arc-min scale (~10 km at equator) using Holdridge Life Zones (HLZs), a concept that incorporates all the aforementioned climatic characteristics. We found that if rapid growth of GHG emissions is not halted (RCP 8.5), in year 2070, one fifth of the major food production areas and one fourth of the global population centres would experience climate conditions beyond the ones where food is currently produced, and people are living. Our results thus reinforce the importance of following the RCP 2.6 path, as then only a small fraction of food production (5%) and population centres (6%) would face such unprecedented conditions. Several areas experiencing these unprecedented conditions also have low resilience, such as those within Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chad, and Guinea-Bissau. In these countries over 75% of food production and population would experience unprecedented climatic conditions under RCP 8.5. These and many other hotspot areas require the most urgent attention to secure sustainable development and equity.</p>

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Organic amendments initiate the formation and stabilisation of macroaggregates in a high clay sodic soil

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr09119 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 (8) ◽

pp. 770 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

G. J. Clark ◽

P. W. G. Sale ◽

C. Tang

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Green Plant ◽

Chicken Manure ◽

Sodic Soil ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Substantial Problem ◽

Level Of Aggregation ◽

Production Areas ◽

Agricultural Regions

Subsoil constraints present a substantial problem for crop production in many agricultural regions. In particular, soils in temperate grain production areas of Australia are often poorly structured due to high content of sodic clay. An alternative to the standard practice of addition of gypsum is to incorporate organic amendments deep into the subsoil. An incubation experiment was performed for 174 days using several organic amendments. These consisted of wheat shoots, lucerne pellets, canola and chickpea stubbles, chicken manure, peat, and sawdust. Gypsum, an inorganic amendment commonly applied to sodic soil, was included for comparison. The change over 174 days in soil structural properties was measured using wet-sieving. Formation of slaking-resistant macroaggregates >2 mm was most rapid with ‘green plant material’, wheat and lucerne, while the ‘stubbles’ were markedly slower in obtaining the equivalent level of aggregation. However, the largest growth in aggregates after day 56 was shown by the ‘stubble’ and chicken manure amended soils. The gypsum amendment was not capable of forming large, slaking-resistant aggregates >2 mm; this may be attributed to the inability of gypsum to stimulate soil biological processes. Peat and sawdust failed to initiate slaking-resistant macroaggregates. The study demonstrated that a variety of organic amendments have the ability to improve the physical fertility of sodic subsoil, and in the case of the green plant materials within 1 week of incubation.

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A survey of cover crop practices and perceptions of sustainable farmers in North Carolina and the surrounding region

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170514000398 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 550-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

S. O'Connell ◽

J.M. Grossman ◽

G.D. Hoyt ◽

W. Shi ◽

S. Bowen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Production ◽

Warm Season ◽

Organic Production ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Cover Cropping ◽

Survey Population ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Production Areas

AbstractThe environmental benefits of cover cropping are widely recognized but there is a general consensus that adoption levels are still quite low among US farmers. A survey was developed and distributed to more than 200 farmers engaged in two sustainable farming organizations in NC and the surrounding region to determine their level of utilization, current practices and perceptions related to cover cropping. The majority of farms surveyed had diverse crop production, production areas <8 ha, and total gross farm incomes <US$50,000. Approximately one-third of the survey population had an organic production component. Eighty-nine percent of participants had a crop rotation plan and 79% of the total survey population utilized cover cropping. More than 25 different cool- and warm-season cover crops were reported. The statements that generated the strongest agreement about cover crop benefits were that cover crops: increase soil organic matter, decrease soil erosion, increase soil moisture, contribute nitrogen to subsequent cash crops, suppress weeds, provide beneficial insect habitat and break hard pans with their roots. Economic costs associated with cover cropping were not viewed as an obstacle to implementation. A factor analysis was conducted to identify underlying themes from a series of positive and negative statements about cover crops. Pre- and post-management challenges were able to explain the most variability (30%) among participant responses. Overall, participants indicated that the incorporation of residues was their greatest challenge and that a lack of equipment, especially for no-till systems, influenced their decisions about cover cropping. Farmers did not always appear to implement practices that would maximize potential benefits from cover crops.

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Institutions of a Horticulture Curriculum at College of the Ozarks

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.30.4.901d ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 901D-901

Author(s):

Mark A. Hubbard

Keyword(s):

Liberal Arts ◽

Crop Production ◽

Classroom Instruction ◽

Liberal Arts College ◽

Student Interest ◽

Work Experiences ◽

Horticultural Crop ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Part Time ◽

Production Areas

College of the Ozarks is a private, liberal arts college in southwestern Missouri, and the Agriculture Dept. has recently begun instituting a variety of horticulture courses in an effort to meet the increasing student interest in horticultural science. The objective is to educate and train students in the horticulture fundamentals and specific production areas (advanced courses). Also, the College is in the process of constructing teaching and demonstration gardens to be used in conjunction with classroom instruction. These gardens will include a plant materials collection and horticultural crop production areas. Additionally, as the College requires that students work part-time at any of several work “stations” on campus, students have the opportunity to gain experience in landscaping or in production greenhouses on campus. Currently, the college has 10,000 ft2 of greenhouse space that is operated for the purposes of producing plants for campus landscaping, maintaining a ≥6000 orchid collection, and producing plants for seasonal sales. The college intends to integrate the classroom instruction, experiences in the teaching gardens, and the required work experiences to provide students with a complete horticultural education. Comments and suggestions for this budding endeavor are highly sought after.

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