scholarly journals Farming practices and Roller Coracias garrulus conservation in south-west Spain

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
JESÚS M. AVILÉS ◽  
DESEADA PAREJO
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Holm Oak ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Coracias Garrulus ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
South West ◽  
Cereal Fields ◽  
Conservation Plans

There are no previous studies supporting the link between the decline of Roller Coracias garrulus populations in the Palaearctic and agricultural intensification. We studied the effect of farming practices on Roller reproduction during 1988–1991 in south-west Spain. Nest-boxes were installed on power pylons that crossed six different man-made habitats representing the most characteristic habitats in the Mediterranean region: pasture fields with and without holm oak Quercus rotundifolia trees, cereal fields with and without holm oak trees, scrub fields and irrigated fields. Rollers nesting in nest-boxes erected in unwooded pasture field had the highest breeding success, suggesting that this is the most suitable nesting habitat of Rollers in the region. There were no significant effects of farming practices in habitat adjacent to nests on Roller laying date and clutch size. However, after controlling for laying date, current agricultural practices around nests affected chick mortality, with higher losses in irrigated fields. Breeding success and egg productivity were also affected by farming activities, with the lowest values in irrigated fields. Future conservation plans for Rollers should consider that nest-box provision might increase habitat suitability for Roller reproduction and that highly intensified agricultural practices might have deleterious effects on Roller populations.

Agricultural practices of improve hardiness a winter-annual rape

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (91) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
O.L. Kyrylesko
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Winter Rape ◽  
Output Capacity ◽  
Careful Preparation ◽  
Digestible Protein ◽  
Winter Annual ◽  
Selection Of

Influence of top-dressing is considered in the article, norms and terms of sowing on of winter-annual rape. The assessment conducted by the yield of green mass and seeds, output capacity by about 1 hectare of dry matter, feed units and digestible protein, the number of dead plants and density of herbage. Established that hardiness and productivity of winter rape can be enhanced through the use of farming practices as: by creating a moderate density of herbage, using optimal terms of planting and doses of mineral fertilizers, selection of predecessors and careful preparation of the soil ect. The mechanism of influence of agrotechnical receptions is exposed on of winter-annual rape through determination in roots before the offensive of the winter of separate biochemical indexes (sugar, starch, to protein).

scholarly journals Endemic Cyprus Scops Owl Otus cyprius Readily Breeds in Artificial Nest Boxes

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1775
Author(s):  
Savvas Iezekiel ◽  
Reuven Yosef ◽  
Constantinos Themistokleus ◽  
Dimitrios E. Bakaloudis ◽  
Christos G. Vlachos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Breeding Parameters ◽  
Island Endemic ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Old Trees

As is well-known, endemic island bird species are especially vulnerable to extinction from anthropogenic environmental change and reduced fitness compared with mainland taxa. The Cyprus Scops Owl, Otus cyprius, is a recently recognized island endemic species whose ecology and breeding biology have not been studied. It nests mainly in holes in trees and buildings, so the felling of old trees, modern architectural practices, and the renovation of old houses in villages may reduce nest site availability. Its population trend is also unknown. Therefore, to better determine its ecological requirements and habitat preferences we placed nest boxes in rural areas adjacent to the forest, in the forest, and in the ecotone between them, and used breeding success as our indicator of habitat suitability. We found that breeding parameters like laying date, clutch size, length of the incubation period, hatching day, hatching success, and number of nestlings did not differ between the three habitats. Despite the low level of nest box occupancy rate (5–11%) the endemic Cyprus Scops Owl readily breeds in artificial nests. Therefore, although we are unaware of any current threats to the Cyprus Scops Owl, we recommend that its conservation be prioritized, including studies, monitoring, habitat conservation, and the provision of nest boxes.

scholarly journals Compliance of Agricultural Practices Used in Family Farms With Those Recommended in Organic Farming

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 368-377
Author(s):  
Raquel P. F. Guiné ◽  
Cristina A. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Gender Influence ◽  
Level Of Significance

Abstract This research intended to evaluate to what extent the managers in family farms tend to adopt practices of organic farming and identify the possible factors that might be associated with those choices. For that, a survey was undertaken in Portuguese and Spanish municipalities. The participation, by direct interview, was voluntary and 125 valid responses were obtained distributed as: 30 in Viseu (PT), 30 in Braga (PT), 30 in Barcelos (PT), 16 in Pontevedra (SP) and 19 in Padron (SP). For the treatment of the data, basic descriptive statistics tools were used in combination with crosstabs and chi square tests. Also tree classifications were conducted following the Classification and Regression Trees algorithm. In all tests a level of significance of 5% was considered. The results identified factors that influenced the behaviour of the managers in family farms towards an approximation to organic farming practices, which were the level of education and municipality, found as major determinants of the level of compliance with organic farming practices. Also, other factors like age or gender influence, although to a lesser extent, the compliance with organic farming. These results were the same for the chisquare tests or the tree classification analysis, and they thus indicate that improvements could be achieved towards a more expressive adoption of organic farming practices if planned to target the influential factors identified.

Consumer preferences for ‘natural’ agricultural practices: Assessing methods to manage bird pests

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Herrnstadt ◽  
Philip H. Howard ◽  
Chi-Ok Oh ◽  
Catherine A. Lindell
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Methyl Anthranilate ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Bird Management

Abstract‘Natural’ is a popular food marketing term. Although it is not well-defined, it refers primarily to inputs used for food processing, rather than agricultural practices. Given the market success of organic and non-GMO labeled foods, other agricultural practices may have the potential to develop ‘natural’ market niches while also addressing sustainability goals. We assessed perceptions of natural for one specific set of agricultural practices, bird management methods in fruit crops, utilizing a series of four focus groups. In addition, we quantified consumer preferences for these methods with a national online survey (n = 1000). The most positively received methods, falconry and nest boxes, were typically described as more natural. Conversely, the most negatively received methods, live ammunition and methyl anthranilate spray, were frequently viewed as less natural. The majority of survey respondents indicated that controlling fruit-consuming birds with natural practices was important, but an even higher percentage deemed avoiding harms to personal health as important. Because falconry and nest boxes do not have perceived direct effects on human health, they are likely to have less market potential than more established ecolabels. Communicating the use of these practices to consumers, however, may result in consumers selecting them over other products, particularly if the associated price premiums are relatively modest.

Environmental, ontogenetic, and genetic variation in egg size of Pied Flycatchers

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (8) ◽  
pp. 1534-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Potti
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Relative Volume ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Territory Quality ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Female Condition ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Ontogenetic, genetic, and environmental variation in egg length, breadth, and volume were investigated in the Pied Flycatcher across four breeding seasons in central Spain. Egg length and breadth were poorly correlated and did not vary with laying date. There was an indication of decreasing egg breadth with increasing clutch size that may indicate a trade-off between both variables. Egg size increased with female condition and, independently, with territory quality. Mean egg size decreased with advancing female age, which is perhaps related to the increase of clutch size with age in this species. There were high, significant repeatabilities of almost all egg dimensions, including relative volumes of first and last eggs, among females, both within and between years. Also, nest boxes were repeatable in the relative volume of the last eggs of (different) females laying in them, suggesting an influence of territory quality on relative egg size. Territory quality also had positive influences on some egg measurements that were independent of female condition. Heritability, estimated by mother–daughter regression, was significant only for egg length. These results are discussed in relation to proximate constraints on egg formation, predictions from the brood-survival hypothesis, and a possible trade-off between clutch and egg sizes.

LAYING DATE, CHICK PROVISIONING, AND BREEDING SUCCESS OF LESSER NODDIES ON ARIDE ISLAND, SEYCHELLES

The Condor ◽  
10.1650/7529 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime A. Ramos ◽  
Anna Maria Maul ◽  
John Bowler ◽  
David Monticelli ◽  
Carlos Pacheco
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Success ◽  
Laying Date

scholarly journals The Impact of Behavioral Drivers on Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Case of Organic Farming in Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6875
Author(s):  
Nuray Cakirli Akyüz ◽  
Ludwig Theuvsen
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
The Impact

Adoption decisions represent a crucial topic in sustainable agriculture research, particularly in the organic agriculture sector; to understand farmers’ decision-making, research has to delve more deeply into the influences of farmers’ behavior. The aim of this study, therefore, is to determine the behavioral intentions of Turkish sultana raisin producers toward organic farming practices. The proposed model integrates basic elements of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the technology acceptance model, which is then tested with survey data gathered from conventional and organic farmers by applying structural equation modeling, a powerful multivariate statistical technique. The results reveal that organic agriculture is perceived as a useful low-cost innovation by conventional farmers. Relating the results to group comparisons indicates that members of the conventional group are significantly more likely to have a positive intention towards adopting organic farming practices. Our results suggest possible interventions that policymakers should implement not only to stimulate adoption intentions of conventional farmers, but also to sustain continuance of organic practices by current operators.

The effect of drought on body size, growth and abundance of wild brush-tailed phascogales (Phascogale tapoatafa) in south-western Australia

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Rhind ◽  
J. S. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
The South ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
South West ◽  
Size Growth ◽  
Time Of Year

Body size and growth data were gathered on 387 wild brush-tailed phascogales captured between 1992–1997 in south-western Australia. This marsupial has not previously been studied in Western Australia. Compared with Victorian phascogales, those in the south-west (single region) are typically 20–30% smaller in mass, smaller in skeletal measurements, and sexual size dimorphism is less. Habitat quality was correlated with body size and the largest phascogales were found in swamp/gully systems. These findings suggest food is a normally limiting resource for this species in the south-west environment. Additionally, a significant decrease in growth and size occurred during a drought year (1994), and growth of young seemed restricted during dependency. Maternal mortality appeared high during late lactation as orphaned, unweaned young were encountered in nest boxes. In 1995 adult males were 25% less in mass than usual; females 15% less. Population decline followed and by 1996 capture rates were 1/3 of that typically found for the time of year. Recovery was not apparent until two years after drought (early 1997). In this food-limited environment phascogale populations appear particularly vulnerable to annual fluctuations in rainfall.

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