Integrated fish farming: An international effort

1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Schroeder

AbstractIn much of the developing world, the high cost of purchased feeds makes meat and milk too expensive to be consumed by the producers' own families. A fish pond integrated with livestock or crop production provides an important source of animal protein for home consumption or sale. This protein involves almost no cash costs, since the needed nutrients and energy are supplied by crop residues, green manure, livestock manure and sunlight. Conversion of manure into animal flesh is possible because the anoxic sediments support a microbial flora similar to that of the rumen. Although integrated fish farming has been practiced for thousands of years in China, it has not yet been successfully adapted to all regions for which it potentially is applicable. A program in Wuxi, China brings together students and scientists from all over the world who are working towards that goal.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
V. V. Epifantsev ◽  
Ya. A. Osipov ◽  
Yu. A. Vaytekhovich

The authors showed that a rotary plow deepened the arable layer and destroyed the plow bottom, simultaneously crushed plant residues, green manure crops and embedded them in the soil upper layer that was active for the cultivated plants roots and microorganisms, which allowed providing them with available nutrients, maintained fertility and increased soybeans yield.(Research purpose) To determine the soil deepener and the plow rotor agrotechnical parameters when working after different predecessors, to establish the dynamics of nutrients, soybean yield and to compare the technical indicators of various tillage implements.(Materials and methods) The authors studied rotary plow indicators when cultivating the soil after green manure, wheat and soybeans: the tillage depth and the tooth linear speed, the rotor rotational speed and depth, crumbling, hardness and ridging of the soil surface, the presence of plant residues, specific fuel consumption, productivity. They conducted a comparative field experiment, meadow-chernozem-like soil was treated with tools: discs BDT-3.0 – control; plowshare PLN-3-35 and rotary plow PRN-2.5 M.(Results and discussion) The authors determined that the tillage depth with the rotor was 0.143-0.149 meters, with the soil deepener – 0.25 meters, 25-27 percent of crop residues remained on the soil surface. It was found that the rotary plow details provided good soil cultivation, as a result of the incorporation of stubble and green manure, they contributed to a content increase of phosphorus in it by 11.8-13.3 percent, potassium – by 18-21.8, nitrogen – by 48.1-48.9 percent, which had a positive impact on the soybeans yield.(Conclusions) The authors found a regular increase in soybean yields when processing the soil with a rotary plow by 0.32 tons per hectare compared to discs and by 0.06 tons per hectare compared to a share plow. It was suggested to use a rotary plow PRN-2.5 M. for soil cultivating for soybeans in the Amur region. They calculated the economic and energy feasibility of soil cultivating with a rotary plow in organic crop production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marziyeh Khavari ◽  
Reza Fatahi ◽  
Zabihollah Zamani

AbstractClimate change and population increase are two challenges for crop production in the world. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is considered an important nut regarding its nutritional and economic values. As a fact, the application of supporting materials as foliage sprays on plants will decrease biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the effects of salicylic acid (0, 1 mM and 2.5 mM) and kaolin (0, 3% and 6%) sprays were investigated on morphological, physiological, pomological, and biochemical characteristics of hazelnut. The results showed that 1 mM salicylic acid and 6% kaolin had the best effects on nut and kernel weight compared to control. Biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll a, b, a + b, and carotenoid contents showed that salicylic acid and kaolin improved pigment concentration. Proline and antioxidant contents such as phenolic acids, SOD, APX, and CAT enzyme activities increased by these applications. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation, protein content, and H2O2 content were decreased. Based on the tolerance index result, Merveille de Bollwiller cultivar showed the highest tolerance while 'Fertile de Coutard' had the lowest value. Therefore, hazelnut performance may be improved through exogenous application of the signaling (salicylic acid) and particle film (Kaolin) compounds in warmer climates.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Pierre Hiel ◽  
Sophie Barbieux ◽  
Jérôme Pierreux ◽  
Claire Olivier ◽  
Guillaume Lobet ◽  
...  

Society is increasingly demanding a more sustainable management of agro-ecosystems in a context of climate change and an ever growing global population. The fate of crop residues is one of the important management aspects under debate, since it represents an unneglectable quantity of organic matter which can be kept in or removed from the agro-ecosystem. The topic of residue management is not new, but the need for global conclusion on the impact of crop residue management on the agro-ecosystem linked to local pedo-climatic conditions has become apparent with an increasing amount of studies showing a diversity of conclusions. This study specifically focusses on temperate climate and loamy soil using a seven-year data set. Between 2008 and 2016, we compared four contrasting residue management strategies differing in the amount of crop residues returned to the soil (incorporation vs. exportation of residues) and in the type of tillage (reduced tillage (10 cm depth) vs. conventional tillage (ploughing at 25 cm depth)) in a field experiment. We assessed the impact of the crop residue management on crop production (three crops—winter wheat, faba bean and maize—cultivated over six cropping seasons), soil organic carbon content, nitrate (${\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}$), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) soil content and uptake by the crops. The main differences came primarily from the tillage practice and less from the restitution or removal of residues. All years and crops combined, conventional tillage resulted in a yield advantage of 3.4% as compared to reduced tillage, which can be partly explained by a lower germination rate observed under reduced tillage, especially during drier years. On average, only small differences were observed for total organic carbon (TOC) content of the soil, but reduced tillage resulted in a very clear stratification of TOC and also of P and K content as compared to conventional tillage. We observed no effect of residue management on the ${\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}$ content, since the effect of fertilization dominated the effect of residue management. To confirm the results and enhance early tendencies, we believe that the experiment should be followed up in the future to observe whether more consistent changes in the whole agro-ecosystem functioning are present on the long term when managing residues with contrasted strategies.


1971 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. EMMOND

Soil aggregation was lowest in a fallow-wheat rotation and increased in other fallow-grain rotations with the second, third, and fourth crops after the fallow year. The best aggregation was under continuous wheat. Rotations containing hay crops, particularly those with grass, increased soil aggregation significantly. The influence of tillage treatments on soil aggregation declined with increased depth. Various tillage treatments affected surface soil aggregation, in the following order: green manure crop plowed under > cultivated with trash cover > crop residues plowed under > cultivated with residues burned off = crop residues disced in. Fertilizer (11–48–0) applied to the wheat crop of the various tillage treatments increased soil aggregation except where the crop residues had been removed. The application of barn manure increased soil aggregation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Shirtliffe ◽  
Eric N. Johnson

AbstractOrganic farmers in western Canada rely on tillage to control weeds and incorporate crop residues that could plug mechanical weed-control implements. However, tillage significantly increases the risk of soil erosion. For farmers seeking to reduce or eliminate tillage, potential alternatives include mowing or using a roller crimper for terminating green manure crops (cover crops) or using a minimum tillage (min-till) rotary hoe for mechanically controlling weeds. Although many researchers have studied organic crop production in western Canada, few have studied no-till organic production practices. Two studies were recently conducted in Saskatchewan to determine the efficacy of the following alternatives to tillage: mowing and roller crimping for weed control, and min-till rotary hoeing weed control in field pea (Pisum sativum L.). The first study compared mowing and roller crimping with tillage when terminating faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and field pea green manure crops. Early termination of annual green manure crops with roller crimping or mowing resulted in less weed regrowth compared with tillage. When compared with faba bean, field pea produced greater crop biomass, suppressed weeds better and had less regrowth. Wheat yields following pea were not affected by the method of termination. Thus, this first study indicated that roller crimping and mowing are viable alternatives to tillage to terminate field pea green manure crops. The second study evaluated the tolerance and efficacy of a min-till rotary harrow in no-till field pea production. The min-till rotary hoe was able to operate in no-till cereal residues and multiple passes did not affect the level of residue cover. Field pea exhibited excellent tolerance to the min-till rotary hoe. Good weed control occurred with multiple rotary hoe passes, and pea seed yield was 87% of the yield obtained in the herbicide-treated check. Therefore, this second study demonstrated that min-till rotary hoeing effectively controls many small seeded annual weeds in the presence of crop residue and thus can reduce the need for tillage in organic-cropping systems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew J. Lyon ◽  
Gary W. Hergert

AbstractOrganic farming systems use green and animal manures to supply nitrogen (N) to their fields for crop production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of green manure and composted cattle manure on the subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) crop in a semiarid environment. Dry pea (Pisum sativumL.) was seeded in early April and terminated at first flower in late June. Composted cattle manure was applied at 0, 11.2 or 22.5 Mg ha−1just prior to pea termination. Winter wheat was planted in mid September following the green manure or tilled summer fallow. No positive wheat response to green manure or composted cattle manure was observed in any of the 3 years of the study. In 2 of the 3 years, wheat yields and grain test weight were reduced following green manure. Green manure reduced grain yields compared with summer fallow by 220 and 1190 kg ha−1in 2009 and 2010, respectively. This may partially be explained by 40 and 47 mm less soil water at wheat planting following peas compared with tilled summer fallow in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Also, in 2008 and 2009, soil nitrate level averaged 45 kg ha−1higher for black fallow compared with green manure fallow when no compost was added. Organic growers in the semiarid Central Great Plains will be challenged to supply N fertility to their winter wheat crop in a rapid and consistent manner as a result of the inherently variable precipitation. Growers may need to allow several years to pass before seeing the benefits of fertility practices in their winter wheat cropping systems.


1975 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 268-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
W P Feistritzer

In this short article the author indicates the present stages of development of variety evaluation, testing, certification, production and marketing of quality seed—of cereals, industrial crops, pasture plants and vegetables—in major geographical regions of the world and draws attention to some of the underlying problems which must be faced in the future if further progress is to be made.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feledyn-Szewczyk ◽  
Radzikowski ◽  
Stalenga ◽  
Matyka

The purpose of the study was to compare earthworm communities under winter wheat in different crop production systems on arable land—organic (ORG), integrated (INT), conventional (CON), monoculture (MON)—and under perennial crops cultivated for energy purposes—willow (WIL), Virginia mallow (VIR), and miscanthus (MIS). Earthworm abundance, biomass, and species composition were assessed each spring and autumn in the years 2014–2016 using the method of soil blocks. The mean species number of earthworms was ordered in the following way: ORG > VIR > WIL > CON > INT > MIS > MON. Mean abundance of earthworms decreased in the following order: ORG > WIL > CON > VIR > INT > MIS > MON. There were significantly more species under winter wheat cultivated organically than under the integrated system (p = 0.045), miscanthus (p = 0.039), and wheat monoculture (p = 0.002). Earthworm abundance was significantly higher in the organic system compared to wheat monoculture (p = 0.001) and to miscanthus (p = 0.008). Among the tested energy crops, Virginia mallow created the best habitat for species richness and biomass due to the high amount of crop residues suitable for earthworms and was similar to the organic system. Differences in the composition of earthworm species in the soil under the compared agricultural systems were proven. Energy crops, except miscanthus, have been found to increase earthworm diversity, as they are good crops for landscape diversification.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maninder Singh ◽  
Anita Jaswal ◽  
Arshdeep Singh

Crop residue management (CRM) through conservation agriculture can improve soil productivity and crop production by preserving soil organic matter (SOM) levels. Two major benefits of surface-residue management are improved organic matter (OM) near the soil surface and boosted nutrient cycling and preservation. Larger microbial biomass and activity near the soil surface act as a pool for nutrients desirable in crop production and enhance structural stability for increased infiltration. In addition to the altered nutrient distribution within the soil profile, changes also occur in the chemical and physical properties of the soil. Improved soil C sequestration through enhanced CRM is a cost-effective option for reducing agriculture's impact on the environment. Ideally, CRM practices should be selected to optimize crop yields with negligible adverse effects on the environment. Crop residues of common agricultural crops are chief resources, not only as sources of nutrients for subsequent crops but also for amended soil, water and air quality. Maintaining and managing crop residues in agriculture can be economically beneficial to many producers and more importantly to society. Improved residue management and reduced tillage practices should be encouraged because of their beneficial role in reducing soil degradation and increasing soil productivity. Thus, farmers have a responsibility in making management decisions that will enable them to optimize crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. Multi-disciplinary and integrated efforts by a wide variety of scientists are required to design the best site-specific systems for CRM practices to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability while minimizing environmental impacts.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usha Nandhini Devi Harinarayanan ◽  
Pugalendhi Lakshmanan

Present day agricultural practices are posing a serious threat to the human population due to unscrupulous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Conventional agricultural practices wherein large quantities and unscrupulous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are no longer safer as it directly enter the food chain. Hence, organic cultivation of vegetables is gaining momentum among the growing population. Organic practices rely on crop rotations, crop residues, plant and animal manures, growing of legume and green manure crops and biological control of pests and diseases. It aims to combine tradition, innovation and science in a balanced proportion to utilize the environment in safer manner and maintain ecological balance. Organic cultivation assures protection of the environment and plays a major role on the economy of a nation. Sustainable production of organic vegetables needs to be ensured to fetch premium price in the domestic as well as international markets. Organic farming has shown expansion in the recent years in the European countries offering scope for a better price in the international market.


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