scholarly journals Emerging Methods for Diagnostics and Mitigation of Crop Environmental Stress in a Changing Climate

HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo-Hyung Kim ◽  
Bert Cregg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Specialty Crops ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
American Society

Innovative approaches are required for improving crop productivity and quality to meet the increasing demand for providing food, energy, and other services for growing populations in a changing climate. The colloquium sponsored by the Environmental Stress Physiology (STRS) Working Group at the 2011 American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) annual conference served as a forum to bring together several of the emerging methods for diagnosing, monitoring, and mitigating crop environmental stress with an emphasis on horticultural, physiological, and ecological approaches. These methods are likely to be readily applicable for many research areas in specialty crops in the context of climate change. The colloquium articles in this volume provide a foundation and context to lead dialogues and initiate research themes for developing adaptive strategies to minimize climate impacts on horticultural crop production in a changing climate.

scholarly journals Consumer Horticulture Advancement: Identifying Critical Research Areas and Cultivating Collaborations

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-776
Author(s):  
Natalie Bumgarner ◽  
Sheri Dorn ◽  
Esther McGinnis ◽  
Pam Bennett ◽  
Ellen Bauske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Human Quality ◽  
American Society ◽  
The Impact

Many fields of research converge to assess the impact of plants on human health, well-being, and nutrition. However, even with a recent history of horticulturists contributing to human–plant interaction work, much of the current research is conducted outside the context of horticulture and specifically outside of consumer horticulture (CH). To connect CH to research being conducted by other disciplines that explore the role of plants in improving human quality of life, a workshop was held on 1 Aug. 2018 in Washington, DC, at the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) annual conference. The workshop focused on current food science, nutrition, and crop-breeding efforts to enhance nutrition and flavor, and human health and well-being research related to nature and plant interactions in an increasingly urban population. Following these presentations regarding potential research linkages and collaboration opportunities, a facilitated discussion identified ways to improve future CH research and foster collaborative work. Action items identified included connecting research and vocabulary to help cultivate an interest in plants in younger generations; supporting awareness of collaborative opportunities with health, nutrition, urban planning, and public health practitioners; ensuring CH is known to administrators; and taking responsibility for initiating communication with colleagues in these areas.

Analysis of Crop Yield Prediction of Kharif & Rabi Jowar Crops Using Data Mining Techniques

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Sujata Mulik
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Yield Prediction ◽  
Data Mining Techniques ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Rabi Crops

Agriculture sector in India is facing rigorous problem to maximize crop productivity. More than 60 percent of the crop still depends on climatic factors like rainfall, temperature, humidity. This paper discusses the use of various Data Mining applications in agriculture sector. Data Mining is used to solve various problems in agriculture sector. It can be used it to solve yield prediction.  The problem of yield prediction is a major problem that remains to be solved based on available data. Data mining techniques are the better choices for this purpose. Different Data Mining techniques are used and evaluated in agriculture for estimating the future year's crop production. In this paper we have focused on predicting crop yield productivity of kharif & Rabi Crops. 

Comparative Advantage of Using Biopesticides in Ukrainian Agroecosystems

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasrat Arjjumend ◽  
Konstantia Koutouki ◽  
Olga Donets
Keyword(s):  
Shelf Life ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Soil Biology ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Irreversible Damage

The use of unsustainable levels of chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals has resulted in a steady decline in soil and crop productivity the world over. Soil biology has undergone irreversible damage, coupled with a high concentration of toxic chemical residues in plant tissues and human bodies. Agricultural practices must evolve to sustainably meet the growing global demand for food without irreversibly damaging soil. Microbial biocontrol agents have tremendous potential to bring sustainability to agriculture in a way that is safe for the environment. Biopesticides do not kill non-target insects, and biosafety is ensured because biopesticides act as antidotes and do not lead to chemical contamination in the soil. This article is part of a larger study conducted in Ukraine by researchers at the Université de Montréal with the support of Mitacs and Earth Alive Clean Technologies. The responses of farmers who use biofertilizers (“user farmers”) and those who do not (“non-user farmers”), along with the responses of manufacturers or suppliers of biofertilizers, and research and development (R&D) scientists are captured to demonstrate the advantages of applying microbial biopesticides to field crops. Participants reported a 15-30% increase in yields and crop production after the application of biopesticides. With the use of biopesticides, farmers cultivated better quality fruits, grains, and tubers with a longer shelf life. Moreover, while the risk of crop loss remains high (60-70%) with chemically grown crops, this risk is reduced to 33% on average if crops are grown using biopesticides. The findings indicate that a large proportion of farmers would prefer to use biopesticides if they are effective and high quality products. In this context, the quality and effectiveness of products is therefore very important. Despite their benefits to soil, human health, and ecosystems, biopesticides face significant challenges and competition vis-à-vis synthetic pesticides for a variety of reasons. Therefore, the development of biopesticides must overcome the problems of poor quality products, short shelf life, delayed action, high market costs, and legal/registration issues.

scholarly journals Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as Agricultural Lighting: Impact and Its Potential on Improving Physiology, Flowering, and Secondary Metabolites of Crops

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1985
Author(s):  
Musa Al Murad ◽  
Kaukab Razi ◽  
Byoung Ryong Jeong ◽  
Prakash Muthu Arjuna Samy ◽  
Sowbiya Muneer
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Photon Flux ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Cultivation Systems ◽  
Lighting Systems

A reduction in crop productivity in cultivable land and challenging environmental factors have directed advancement in indoor cultivation systems, such that the yield parameters are higher in outdoor cultivation systems. In wake of this situation, light emitting diode (LED) lighting has proved to be promising in the field of agricultural lighting. Properties such as energy efficiency, long lifetime, photon flux efficacy and flexibility in application make LEDs better suited for future agricultural lighting systems over traditional lighting systems. Different LED spectrums have varied effects on the morphogenesis and photosynthetic responses in plants. LEDs have a profound effect on plant growth and development and also control key physiological processes such as phototropism, the immigration of chloroplasts, day/night period control and the opening/closing of stomata. Moreover, the synthesis of bioactive compounds and antioxidants on exposure to LED spectrum also provides information on the possible regulation of antioxidative defense genes to protect the cells from oxidative damage. Similarly, LEDs are also seen to escalate the nutrient metabolism in plants and flower initiation, thus improving the quality of the crops as well. However, the complete management of the irradiance and wavelength is the key to maximize the economic efficacy of crop production, quality, and the nutrition potential of plants grown in controlled environments. This review aims to summarize the various advancements made in the area of LED technology in agriculture, focusing on key processes such as morphological changes, photosynthetic activity, nutrient metabolism, antioxidant capacity and flowering in plants. Emphasis is also made on the variation in activities of different LED spectra between different plant species. In addition, research gaps and future perspectives are also discussed of this emerging multidisciplinary field of research and its development.

scholarly journals Agricultural Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Markose Chekol Zewdie ◽  
Michele Moretti ◽  
Daregot Berihun Tenessa ◽  
Zemen Ayalew Ayele ◽  
Jan Nyssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Approach ◽  
Small Scale Irrigation

In the past decade, to improve crop production and productivity, Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious irrigation farming expansion program and has introduced new large- and small-scale irrigation initiatives. However, in Ethiopia, poverty remains a challenge, and crop productivity per unit area of land is very low. Literature on the technical efficiency (TE) of large-scale and small-scale irrigation user farmers as compared to the non-user farmers in Ethiopia is also limited. Investigating smallholder farmers’ TE level and its principal determinants is very important to increase crop production and productivity and to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihood and food security. Using 1026 household-level cross-section data, this study adopts a technology flexible stochastic frontier approach to examine agricultural TE of large-scale irrigation users, small-scale irrigation users and non-user farmers in Ethiopia. The results indicate that, due to poor extension services and old-style agronomic practices, the mean TE of farmers is very low (44.33%), implying that there is a wider room for increasing crop production in the study areas through increasing the TE of smallholder farmers without additional investment in novel agricultural technologies. Results also show that large-scale irrigation user farmers (21.05%) are less technically efficient than small-scale irrigation user farmers (60.29%). However, improving irrigation infrastructure shifts the frontier up and has a positive impact on smallholder farmers’ output.

scholarly journals Revisiting Sulphur—The Once Neglected Nutrient: It’s Roles in Plant Growth, Metabolism, Stress Tolerance and Crop Production

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 626
Author(s):  
Tinashe Zenda ◽  
Songtao Liu ◽  
Anyi Dong ◽  
Huijun Duan
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Sulphur Nutrition ◽  
Physiological Processes

Sulphur plays crucial roles in plant growth and development, with its functions ranging from being a structural constituent of macro-biomolecules to modulating several physiological processes and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In spite of these numerous sulphur roles being well acknowledged, agriculture has paid scant regard for sulphur nutrition, until only recently. Serious problems related to soil sulphur deficiencies have emerged and the intensification of food, fiber, and animal production is escalating to feed the ever-increasing human population. In the wake of huge demand for high quality cereal and vegetable diets, sulphur can play a key role in augmenting the production, productivity, and quality of crops. Additionally, in light of the emerging problems of soil fertility exhaustion and climate change-exacerbated environmental stresses, sulphur assumes special importance in crop production, particularly under intensively cropped areas. Here, citing several relevant examples, we highlight, in addition to its plant biological and metabolism functions, how sulphur can significantly enhance crop productivity and quality, as well as acclimation to abiotic stresses. By this appraisal, we also aim to stimulate readers interests in crop sulphur research by providing priorities for future pursuance, including bettering our understanding of the molecular processes and dynamics of sulphur availability and utilization in plants, dissecting the role of soil rhizospherical microbes in plant sulphur transformations, enhancing plant phenotyping and diagnosis for nutrient deficiencies, and matching site-specific crop sulphur demands with fertilizer amendments in order to reduce nutrient use inefficiencies in both crop and livestock production systems. This will facilitate the proper utilization of sulphur in crop production and eventually enhance sustainable and environmentally friend food production.

scholarly journals The Pitfalls of Relating Weeds, Herbicide Use, and Crop Yield: Don't Fall Into the Trap! A Critical Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Arable Farming ◽  
Herbicide Use ◽  
The Impact

The growing recognition of the environmental and health issues associated to pesticide use requires to investigate how to manage weeds with less or no herbicides in arable farming while maintaining crop productivity. The questions of weed harmfulness, herbicide efficacy, the effects of herbicide use on crop yields, and the effect of reducing herbicides on crop production have been addressed over the years but results and interpretations often appear contradictory. In this paper, we critically analyze studies that have focused on the herbicide use, weeds and crop yield nexus. We identified many inconsistencies in the published results and demonstrate that these often stem from differences in the methodologies used and in the choice of the conceptual model that links the three items. Our main findings are: (1) although our review confirms that herbicide reduction increases weed infestation if not compensated by other cultural techniques, there are many shortcomings in the different methods used to assess the impact of weeds on crop production; (2) Reducing herbicide use rarely results in increased crop yield loss due to weeds if farmers compensate low herbicide use by other efficient cultural practices; (3) There is a need for comprehensive studies describing the effect of cropping systems on crop production that explicitly include weeds and disentangle the impact of herbicides from the effect of other practices on weeds and on crop production. We propose a framework that presents all the links and feed-backs that must be considered when analyzing the herbicide-weed-crop yield nexus. We then provide a number of methodological recommendations for future studies. We conclude that, since weeds are causing yield loss, reduced herbicide use and maintained crop productivity necessarily requires a redesign of cropping systems. These new systems should include both agronomic and biodiversity-based levers acting in concert to deliver sustainable weed management.

Irrigation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Growing Medium ◽  
Increasing Demand

Abstract Crop production in many regions has been reliant on irrigation for almost as long as man has been cultivating plant life. For 6000 years, irrigation has ranked among the most powerful tools of human advancement (Postel, 1999), and by the start of the 21st century no less than 75% of the world's fresh water was in use for agricultural production (Levy and Coleman, 2014). In 2012, twenty percent of total cultivated land was under irrigation, contributing forty percent of the total food production worldwide, this represented 275 million hectares under actual irrigation with a total of 324 million hectares equipped for irrigation (FAO, 2016). Irrigation, which can be defined as 'the artificial application of water to land, soil or other growing medium for the purposes of crop growth', has become a global issue in more recent times as the increasing demand for fresh water has seen problems develop with water scarcity, quality issues and conflict over usage.

scholarly journals Growing climatic sensitivity of U.S. agriculture linked to technological change and regional specialization

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. eaat4343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Ortiz-Bobea ◽  
Erwin Knippenberg ◽  
Robert G. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Specialty Crops ◽  
Regional Specialization ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Climatic Sensitivity

A pressing question for climate change adaptation is whether ongoing transformations of the agricultural sector affect its ability to cope with climatic variations. We examine this question in the United States, where major increases in productivity have fueled most of agricultural production growth over the past half-century. To quantify the evolving climate sensitivity of the sector and identify its sources, we combine state-level measures of agricultural productivity with detailed climate data for 1960–2004. We find that agriculture is growing more sensitive to climate in Midwestern states for two distinct but compounding reasons: a rising climatic sensitivity of nonirrigated cereal and oilseed crops and a growing specialization in crop production. In contrast, other regions specialize in less climate-sensitive production such as irrigated specialty crops or livestock. Results suggest that reducing vulnerability to climate change should consider the role of policies in inducing regional specialization.

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