Strategies for sustainable nutrient management: insights from a mixed natural and social science analysis of Chinese crop production systems

Magnesium (Mg) plays a vital role in photosynthesis, dry matter production and carbon partitioning in sink organs. Hence, four permanent manurial experiments (20–27 years of duration) under the auspices of All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) network centres across diverse agro-ecological regions were carried out to examine the soil exchangeable Mg (ex-Mg), crop uptake and overall Mg balance. Groundnut (peanut), finger millet, rice–lentil sequence and post rainy sorghum were the major crops or cropping systems followed in four permanent manure experiments at Anantapuram, Bengaluru, Varanasi and Solapur, respectively. Nutrient management in all experiments involved control (no addition of nutrients), 100% organic, 100% chemical, and integration of organic and chemical. Except in the finger millet-based system, mean ex-Mg status in the entire profile was higher than the sufficiency level (1.0 cmol(+) kg–1 as a critical limit). Status of ex-Mg (cmol(+) kg–1 soil) in soil profiles was in the order: Solapur (3.80) > Varanasi (2.07) > Anantapuram (1.06) > Bengaluru (0.44). A uniform distribution of ex-Mg was observed in plots that received integrated application of organic and chemical fertilisers. In general, improved status of profile ex-Mg (cmol(+) kg–1) over the control was observed in soils under groundnut (0.19–0.78), finger millet (1.90–3.20), and post rainy sorghum (6.50–7.60, except 4.20 in 100% NPK) cropping. Overall, ex-Mg status and balance of different soil types under diverse crop production systems was influenced by several factors, some of which include soil type with varying mineralogy, particle size distribution, nutrient management strategies and rainfall. Significant positive relationships were observed between ex-Mg status and clay content (R2 = 0.94), soil pH (R2 = 0.92), cation exchange capacity (R2 = 0.98) and mean air temperature (R2 = 0.22), whereas a weak relationship was observed with rainfall (R2 = 0.01). The study gives an account of Mg balance in major Indian soil types and recommends further attention on Mg nutrition in current intensive agriculture.

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Implementing the Five Rs of Nutrient Stewardship for Fertigation in Florida’s Vegetable Production

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-hs1386-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Mary Dixon ◽

Guodong Liu

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Ammonia Volatilization ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽

Nitrogen Loss ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Accuracy And Precision ◽

Sustainable Nutrient Management ◽

Commercial Crop ◽

Source Rate

The five Rs of nutrient stewardship is a mnemonic device used to emphasize accuracy and precision for nutrient management so as to apply the (1) right source of fertilizer at the (2) right rate at the (3) right time in the (4) right place with the (5) right irrigation. Because the majority of Florida's soils are sandy, this fifth R is imperative for sustainable nutrient management for commercial crop production. These main points of nutrient management (source, rate, time, place, irrigation) may help enhance sustainability by reducing pollution by eutrophication, nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization, and climate change from soil greenhouse gas emission. This new 8-page publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department was written by Mary Dixon and Guodong Liu.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1386

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Application of the “4R” Nutrient Stewardship Concept to Horticultural Crops: Selecting the “Right” Nutrient Source

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.21.6.663 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 663-666 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark Gaskell ◽

Tim Hartz

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Management Practices ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Production Systems ◽

Environmental Water ◽

Application Rate ◽

Organic Production ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Product Price ◽

Low Efficiency

Nutrient management practices must be tailored to the crop, environment, and production system if nutrient efficiency and environmental water quality protection are to be achieved. This requires consideration of fertilizer choice, placement, application rate, and timing. These factors have been characterized as the “4Rs” of nutrient stewardship—right material, right placement, right rate, and right timing. The factors affecting the choice of fertilizer material have been described previously for agronomic crops, and include plant nutritional requirements, soil conditions, fertilizer delivery issues, environmental risks, product price, and economic constraints. Although those factors are applicable to all crops, the unique features of intensive horticultural production systems affect their interactions. This article discusses fertilizer choice as it affects productivity, profitability, sustainability, and environmental impact of intensive horticultural crop production. Diverse fertilizer materials are available for specialized application to provide nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other plant nutrients for different horticultural needs. These fertilizer sources can be formulated as dry or liquid blends, but increasingly higher solubility materials are used to target plant growth needs even in field operations. Composts can have useful applications—particularly for certified organic production—but their high cost, bulk, and relatively low efficiency limit their use. Profitability can be affected by fertilizer cost—typically a relative small percentage of overall costs in intensive production systems—and the improved efficiency of these specialized materials often improves profitability. There are also sustainability issues with the manufacture, transport, and efficient use of different fertilizer sources. Such factors as soil chemical reaction changes, effects on soil salinity, and loss of organic matter also can adversely affect sustainability, but systems are available to maintain soil quality while using more efficient fertilizer sources.

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Integrated Soil Water and Nutrient Management for Late Season Crop Production Systems in the Nigerian Savanna

Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.3923/ja.2006.314.320 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 314-320

Author(s):

J.O. Ogunwole . ◽

A.B. Lawal . ◽

J.D. Olarewaju . ◽

K. Audu . ◽

D.I. Adekpe . ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Crop Production ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Production Systems ◽

Late Season ◽

Nigerian Savanna

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Organic Vegetable Crop Production in Controlled Environments Using Soilless Media

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech03352-16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 166-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mary A. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Production Systems ◽

Technical Information ◽

Future Research ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Soilless Media ◽

Organic Vegetable Production ◽

Controlled Environments ◽

National Organic Program

Organic vegetables produced in greenhouses and other controlled environments may fill a unique market niche as consumers demand local, high vegetables year round. However, limited technical information supports these production systems and more research is needed to provide recommendations for appropriate substrate mixes and nutrient management. Compost can be used as a substitute for peat-based media, and research results vary widely based on feedstock, compost method, and proportion used in mixes. Most studies consider compost in terms of peat-substitute or replacement and not as a source of fertility in soilless systems. Common challenges in using compost in soilless media are due to immaturity of the compost, poor water holding capacity, and unbalanced salinity and pH. It is possible to certify organic soilless production systems; however, the National Organic Program (NOP) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not yet provided clear rules and requirements supporting these systems. The objective of this article is to review the literature on soilless organic vegetable production, summarize results from the more widely studied topic of vegetable transplant production, and point to future research for organic agriculture.

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Nitrogen balance as an indicator of environmental impact: Toward sustainable agricultural production

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170512000166 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 276-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

G.F. Sassenrath ◽

J.M. Schneider ◽

R. Gaj ◽

W. Grzebisz ◽

J.M. Halloran

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Crop Production ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Production Systems ◽

N Balance ◽

Nutrient Budgets ◽

Department Of Agriculture ◽

The Us ◽

The Impact

AbstractEfficient nutrient use is critical to ensure economical crop production while minimizing the impact of excessive nutrient applications on the environment. Nitrogen (N) is a key component of agricultural production, both as an input to support crop production and as a waste product of livestock production. Increasing concern for future sustainability of agricultural production and preservation of the natural resource base has led to the development of nutrient budgets as indicators and policy instruments for nutrient management. Nutrient budgets for N have been developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as agri-environmental indicators to compare the evolving conditions in member states, and are also used by the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to develop nutrient management plans. Here, we examine the crop and animal production systems, drivers impacting management choices, and the outcome of those choices to assess the utility of gross annual N balances in tracking the progress of management decisions in minimizing the environmental impact of agricultural production systems. We use as case studies two very different agronomic production systems: Mississippi, USA and Poland. State and country level data from the US Department of Agriculture and OECD databases are used to develop data for the years 1998–2008, and gross annual N balances are computed. Examination of agricultural production practices reveals that the gross annual N balance is a useful tool in identifying differences in the magnitude and trends in N within agricultural systems over large areas. Significant differences in the magnitude of the N budget were observed between the highly diversified, small-scale agriculture common to Poland, and the large-scale, intensive agriculture of Mississippi. It is noted that use of N balance indices can be problematic if the primary intent is to reveal the impact of economic drivers, such as crop prices, or management choices, such as tillage or crop rotation. Changes in cropping systems in response to commodity prices that improve N balance can be masked by detrimental growing conditions, including edaphic, biotic and weather conditions, that are outside of the producers’ control. Moreover, use of large area-scale indices such as country or state-wide balances may mask the severity of localized nutrient imbalances that result from regionalized production systems that overwhelm the nutrient balance, such as confinement livestock production. Development of a policy to address environmental impact and establish sustainable production systems must consider the year-to-year variability of drivers impacting agricultural production, and the spatial heterogeneity of nutrient imbalance.

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Semi-Transparent Organic Photovoltaics Applied as Greenhouse Shade for Spring and Summer Tomato Production in Arid Climate

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11061152 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1152

Author(s):

Rebekah Waller ◽

Murat Kacira ◽

Esther Magadley ◽

Meir Teitel ◽

Ibrahim Yehia

Keyword(s):

Solar Radiation ◽

Organic Photovoltaics ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

High Light ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Control Group ◽

Tomato Crop ◽

Tomato Production ◽

Control Section

Recognizing the growing interest in the application of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) with greenhouse crop production systems, in this study we used flexible, roll-to-roll printed, semi-transparent OPV arrays as a roof shade for a greenhouse hydroponic tomato production system during a spring and summer production season in the arid southwestern U.S. The wavelength-selective OPV arrays were installed in a contiguous area on a section of the greenhouse roof, decreasing the transmittance of all solar radiation wavelengths and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) wavelengths (400–700 nm) to the OPV-shaded area by approximately 40% and 37%, respectively. Microclimate conditions and tomato crop growth and yield parameters were measured in both the OPV-shaded (‘OPV’) and non-OPV-shaded (‘Control’) sections of the greenhouse. The OPV shade stabilized the canopy temperature during midday periods with the highest solar radiation intensities, performing the function of a conventional shading method. Although delayed fruit development and ripening in the OPV section resulted in lower total yields compared to the Control section (24.6 kg m−2 and 27.7 kg m−2, respectively), after the fourth (of 10 total) harvests, the average weekly yield, fruit number, and fruit mass were not significantly different between the treatment (OPV-shaded) and control group. Light use efficiency (LUE), defined as the ratio of total fruit yield to accumulated PAR received by the plant canopy, was nearly twice as high as the Control section, with 21.4 g of fruit per mole of PAR for plants in the OPV-covered section compared to 10.1 g in the Control section. Overall, this study demonstrated that the use of semi-transparent OPVs as a seasonal shade element for greenhouse production in a high-light region is feasible. However, a higher transmission of PAR and greater OPV device efficiency and durability could make OPV shades more economically viable, providing a desirable solution for co-located greenhouse crop production and renewable energy generation in hot and high-light intensity regions.

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Precision agriculture and geospatial techniques for sustainable disease control

Indian Phytopathology ◽

10.1007/s42360-021-00334-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel P. Roberts ◽

Nicholas M. Short ◽

James Sill ◽

Dilip K. Lakshman ◽

Xiaojia Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Disease Control ◽

Crop Production ◽

Plant Disease ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Data Driven ◽

Agricultural Community ◽

Plant Disease Control ◽

Crop Germplasm

AbstractThe agricultural community is confronted with dual challenges; increasing production of nutritionally dense food and decreasing the impacts of these crop production systems on the land, water, and climate. Control of plant pathogens will figure prominently in meeting these challenges as plant diseases cause significant yield and economic losses to crops responsible for feeding a large portion of the world population. New approaches and technologies to enhance sustainability of crop production systems and, importantly, plant disease control need to be developed and adopted. By leveraging advanced geoinformatic techniques, advances in computing and sensing infrastructure (e.g., cloud-based, big data-driven applications) will aid in the monitoring and management of pesticides and biologicals, such as cover crops and beneficial microbes, to reduce the impact of plant disease control and cropping systems on the environment. This includes geospatial tools being developed to aid the farmer in managing cropping system and disease management strategies that are more sustainable but increasingly complex. Geoinformatics and cloud-based, big data-driven applications are also being enlisted to speed up crop germplasm improvement; crop germplasm that has enhanced tolerance to pathogens and abiotic stress and is in tune with different cropping systems and environmental conditions is needed. Finally, advanced geoinformatic techniques and advances in computing infrastructure allow a more collaborative framework amongst scientists, policymakers, and the agricultural community to speed the development, transfer, and adoption of these sustainable technologies.

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Effects of cereal rye seeding rate on waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) emergence and soybean growth and yield

Weed Technology ◽

10.1017/wet.2021.28 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Mandy Bish ◽

Brian Dintelmann ◽

Eric Oseland ◽

Jacob Vaughn ◽

Kevin Bradley

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Soil Seed Bank ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Seeding Rate ◽

Early Season ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Herbicide Resistant ◽

Growing Seasons

Abstract The evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds has resulted in the necessity to integrate non-chemical control methods with chemicals for effective management in crop production systems. In soybean, control of the pigweed species, particularly herbicide-resistant waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, have become predominant concerns. Cereal rye planted as a winter cover crop can effectively suppress early-season weed emergence in soybean, including waterhemp, when planted at a rate of 123 kg ha−1. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of different cereal rye seeding rates (0, 34, 56, 79, 110, and 123 kg ha−1) on early-season waterhemp suppression and soybean growth and yield. Soybean was planted into fall-seeded cereal rye, which was terminated within four days of soybean planting. The experiment was conducted over the 2018, 2019, and 2020 growing seasons in Columbia, Missouri. Effects of cereal rye on early-season waterhemp suppression varied by year and were most consistent at 56 kg ha−1 or higher seeding rates. Linear regression analysis of cereal rye biomass, height, or stand at soybean planting showed inverse relationships with waterhemp emergence. No adverse effects to soybean growth or yield were observed at any of the cereal rye seeding rates relative to plots that lacked cereal rye cover. Result differences among the years suggest that the successfulness of cereal rye on suppression of early-season waterhemp emergence is likely influenced by the amount of waterhemp seed present in the soil seed bank.

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Zeolite and Vermiculite as Inorganic Soil Amendments Modify Shoot-Root Allocation, Mineral Nutrition, Photosystem II Activity and Gas Exchange Parameters of Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill) Plants

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11010109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 109

Author(s):

Theocharis Chatzistathis ◽

Evgenia Papaioannou ◽

Anastasia Giannakoula ◽

Ioannis E. Papadakis

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Management ◽

Soil Amendments ◽

Castanea Sativa ◽

Gas Exchange Parameters ◽

Soil P ◽

Fertilization Rates ◽

Sustainable Nutrient Management ◽

Castanea Sativa Mill ◽

High Fertilization ◽

Exchange Parameters

One of the most challenging topics for the sustainable agriculture is how to decrease high fertilization rates. A pot experiment, exploring the effects of zeolite (ZEO) and/or vermiculite (VER) as soil amendments, comparing to the soil application of a controlled release fertilizer (CRF), was realized in chestnut plants. Various parameters related to soil fertility, and plant growth, nutrition, and physiology were investigated to gain knowledge towards more sustainable management. After ZEO application and in comparison to CRF, an impressive boost in soil K was achieved. Moreover, soil P and Zn levels were higher in the VER-treated soil, compared to CRF. Leaf K and Ca concentrations were significantly higher in ZEO, compared to the VER treatment; the highest foliar N and Zn concentrations were measured in CRF and VER, respectively. However, significantly lower foliar Mn and Cu were found in VER. The highest root biomass produced in the ZEO treated plants. For most nutrients, their total uptake per plant was higher in CRF and ZEO. Finally, photosynthetic rates were higher in VER (mainly due to non-stomatal factors) and CRF (mainly due to stomatal factors). Our data open a discussion towards the application of ZEO and/or VER as soil amendments in chestnut nurseries and orchards, aiming at partially decreasing fertilization rates and boosting sustainable nutrient management.

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