Enzymatic Activity of Soil under Spelt Grown in An Organic Farming System in Poland’s Temperate Climate

Wheat spelt is a very valuable plant, especially in organic farming. Its high nutritional values combined with low soil and climate requirements increase the interest in growing spelt in various soils. Spelt can be grown in different soil types, including sandy, wet, poor, non-draining and low-fertility soils. It is well adapted to cold climate. Compared to common wheat, it requires less nutrients and is more competitive against weeds. Activities of enzymes in soil under winter spelt have not been studied yet. We sought to determine whether the choice of varieties will also shape the enzymatic activities in different soil types and whether these activities will be the same under different climatic conditions of 2007, 2010 and 2013 year. The aim of this field experiment was to assess the impact of growing different winter spelt varieties (Oberkulmer Rotkorn, Franckenkorn, Schwabenkorn, Ostro) on the enzymatic activity on two different soil complexes. In the years 2007–2013, two three-year rotations of the experiment were carried out (the first ended in 2010 and the second in 2013). Spelt was cultivated in an organic system. Physicochemical properties of the two different types of soil after three and six years of the experiment were compared to the soil properties before the experiment. The catalase activity ranged between 3.33 and 6.75 µmol H2O2 g−1 d.m. min.−1, the dehydrogenase activity ranged between 1.6 and 87.7 nmol TPF g−1 d.m. 24 h−1, and the arylsulfatase activity ranged between 37.5 and 157 µmol pNF g−1 d.m. h−1. The enzymatic activity in the soil depended on the type of soil (as a rule, the activity was higher in a stagnic luvisol than in a haplic cambisol) and on the spelt variety (although no variety had a clear beneficial effect on the activities of all enzymes). Spelt cultivation in an organic system led to an increase of enzymatic activity in a stagnic luvisol, but not always in a haplic cambisol soil type.

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Organic Farming Increases the Technical Efficiency of Olive Farms in Italy

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 209

Author(s):

Maria Raimondo ◽

Francesco Caracciolo ◽

Concetta Nazzaro ◽

Giuseppe Marotta

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Stochastic Frontier ◽

Farming System ◽

Positive Role ◽

Conventional Agriculture ◽

Direct Sales ◽

Organic Farming System ◽

The Impact

While there is growing recognition of the positive role played by organic farming in the reduction of the negative externalities due to conventional agriculture, there is uncertainty about the effect of the latter on the economic performance of the farms. In this scenario, the present paper aims at investigating the effect of organic farming on technical efficiency in Italian olive farms. A cross-section dataset was analyzed through the stochastic frontier function, where the adoption of organic farming was explicitly modeled. Then, to obtain an unbiased estimate of the impact of organic farming on technical efficiency, a propensity score matching method was implemented. The findings reveal that organic farming increases technical efficiency in Italian olive farms by approximately 10%. The highest impact of organic farming is observed in small farms. As for the propensity to become organic, we found that the production and the direct sales of a higher quality of gross marketable output, as well as the intensity of labor and machines, increase the probability to adopt organic farming. Conversely, farm localization, the availability of family labor, and financial capital discourage conversion to the organic farming system.

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Systems of organic farming in spring vetch I: Biological response of sucking insect pests

Pesticidi i fitomedicina ◽

10.2298/pif1502077n ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 77-84

Author(s):

Ivelina Nikolova ◽

Natalia Georgieva

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Organic Farming ◽

Growth Regulator ◽

Plant Growth Regulator ◽

Farming System ◽

Conventional Farming ◽

Organic System ◽

Foliar Fertilizer ◽

Biological Insecticide ◽

Organic Farming System

Four systems of organic farming and a conventional farming system were studied over the period 2012-2014. The organic system trial variants included: I - an organic farming system without any biological products used (growth under natural soil fertility) - Control; II - an organic farming system involving the use of a biological foliar fertilizer and a biological plant growth regulator (Polyversum+Biofa); III - an organic farming system in which a biological insecticide (NeemAzal T/S) was used; IV - an organic farming system including a combination of three organic products: the foliar fertilizer, the plant growth regulator and the bioinsecticide (Polyversum+Biofa+NeemAzal T/S). Variant V represented a conventional farming system in which synthetic products were used in combination (foliar fertilizer, plant growth regulator and insecticide: Masterblend+Flordimex 420+Nurelle D). Treatment of vetch plants with the biological insecticide NeemAzal in combination with Biofa and Polyversum resulted in the lowest density of sucking pests, compared to all other organic farming methods tested (i.e. without NeemAzal, with NeemAzal alone, and its combination with Biofa and Polyversum). The greatest reduction in pest numbers during the vegetation period in that variant was observed in species of the order Thysanoptera (36.0-41.4%), followed by Hemiptera, and the families Aphididae (31.6-40.3%) and Cicadellidae (27.3-28.6%). This combination showed an efficient synergistic interaction and an increase in biological efficacy as compared to individual application of NeemAzal. The highest toxic impact was found against Thrips tabaci, followed by Acyrthosiphon pisum. An analysis of variance regarding the efficacy against the species A. pisum, E. pteridis and T. tabaci showed that type of treatment had the most dominant influence and statistically significant impact.

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A review on use of agrochemical in agriculture and need of organic farming in Nepal

Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science ◽

10.26832/24566632.2021.0603016 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 367-372

Author(s):

Susan Makaju ◽

Kabita Kurunju

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Soil Health ◽

Farming System ◽

Organic Production ◽

Climate Mitigation ◽

Conventional Farming ◽

Agriculture Policy ◽

Organic Farming System ◽

The Impact ◽

Chemical Pesticides

The growing use of chemical pesticides haphazardly and their harmful influence on ecosystem and human health highlight the necessity for safe and sustainable organic production in our time. The article reviews a general overview of organic farming; the impact of organic farming on soil health and climate mitigation in comparison with conventional farming practice in Nepal. The article identifies the problems and possibilities of organic farming to resuscitate the pesticide-dominated conventional practice in Nepal. Organic farming now has been embedded in the natural agriculture policy in Nepal. Organic farming benefits in terms of environmental protection along with better living health. Various governmental and non-governmental bodies, farmers, and individuals are working to promote organic farming in Nepal. With the increase in awareness of health and environmental concerns, the adoption of organic agriculture and the demand for organic agricultural products is increasing. It holds a great prospect in countries like ours where an integrated crop-livestock system is still prevalent in many parts of the country. As a result, an organic farming system in Nepal must be thoroughly investigated and supported through proper regulations and tactics. It is urged to supplant pesticide-based conventional farming with organic farming that leads towards agricultural sustainability for the upcoming generation.

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Soil Carbon Dynamics and Atmospheric Signals in Stalagmite Radiocarbon at Sofular Cave, Turkey

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14942 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Steffen Therre ◽

Jens Fohlmeister ◽

Dominik Fleitmann ◽

Ronny Friedrich ◽

Andrea Schröder-Ritzrau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Carbon ◽

Growth Period ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Series Data ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Radiocarbon Age ◽

Soil Activity ◽

The Impact ◽

Radiocarbon Calibration

The climatic controls of stalagmite radiocarbon remain one focus of modern paleoclimatology due to recent efforts and achievements in radiocarbon calibration. The Hulu cave radiocarbon record (Cheng et al., 2018) has proven the potential of stalagmites from temperate climate zones for atmospheric radiocarbon reconstruction. However, a constant dead carbon fraction (DCF) in stalagmites over long periods of time is rather exceptional. In our study, a high-resolution radiocarbon record (N>100) of a U-Series dated stalagmite from Sofular Cave, Northern Turkey, with elemental Mg/Ca ratio data is presented. From 14 to 10 kyr BP, the radiocarbon signal reveals changing climatic conditions throughout Termination I with warm periods affiliated with increased soil activity and lower DCF. We observe unstable soil conditions for the period before 14 kyr BP where DCF is strongly variable between a lower threshold of ca. 5% and an upper limit of 25%. The combination of stable isotopes, element ratios, radiocarbon and U-series data allows a multi-proxy analysis of the impact of fast climate changes like D/O events on the incorporation of radiocarbon into stalagmites. Between 15 and 27 kyr BP, hydrological changes and soil carbon cycling have a large impact on limestone dissolution systematics which is reflected in fast changing DCF on sub-centennial time scales. Although the reconstruction of atmospheric radiocarbon variability is not possible for the entire growth period, the stalagmite closely reproduces the increased atmospheric radiocarbon concentration at ca. 40 kyr BP during the Laschamp geomagnetic reversal, which has been implemented into radiocarbon calibration curves with the publication of IntCal20 (Reimer et al. 2020). Our record provides new insights in the climatic influence on stalagmite radiocarbon and as to how precision and accuracy of calibration can benefit from comprehensive multi-proxy stalagmite records.ReferencesCheng, H., Lawrence Edwards, R., Southon, J., et al.: Atmospheric 14C/12C changes during the last glacial period from Hulu cave, Science, 362(6420), 1293&#8211;1297, doi:10.1126/science.aau0747, 2018.Reimer, P. J., Austin, W. E. N., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., et al.: The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0&#8211;55 cal kBP), Radiocarbon, 62(4), 725-757. doi:10.1017/RDC.2020.41

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The Impact of a Mobile Shading System and a Phase-Change Heat Store on the Thermal Functioning of a Transparent Building Partition

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14102512 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 2512

Author(s):

Michał Musiał ◽

Lech Lichołai

Keyword(s):

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Summer Period ◽

Heat Accumulator ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Empirical Results ◽

The Impact ◽

Change Material

The article presents the results of multi-month field tests and numerical analyses describing the thermal functioning of mobile shading systems for building windows containing a phase-change heat accumulator. The experiments were conducted in the summer period with temperate climate conditions in Rzeszów (Poland). The tested shading system was dedicated to the daily life cycle of residents, taking into account both the need to illuminate the rooms with natural light and reducing the undesirable overheating of the rooms in the summer. The obtained empirical results showed a reduction in room overheating in the summer period by 29.4% from composite windows with a phase-change heat accumulator and a mobile shading system as compared to the reference composite window with an analogous mobile shading system. The database of empirical results allowed for the creation and verification of a numerical model of heat conversion, storage and distribution within the composite window containing phase change material and a mobile shading system. The verified model made it possible to analyse the thermal functioning of the modified transparent partitions in cool temperate, temperate and subtropical climates. The article is a solution to the problem of undesirable overheating of transparent building partitions by efficient storage and distribution of solar radiation energy thanks to the use of a mobile shading system and a phase change material, while presenting a useful tool enabling the prediction of energy gains in different climatic conditions.

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ANALISIS EFISIENSI TEKNIS USAHATANI PADI SAWAH APLIKASI PERTANIAN ORGANIK ( Studi Kasus Di Desa Sumber Ngepoh, Kecamatan Lawang ) Kabupaten Malang MT 2009 – 2010

el–Hayah ◽

10.18860/elha.v2i1.1788 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tien Tien

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farming System ◽

Rice Farming ◽

Organic System ◽

Organic Certification ◽

Organic Rice ◽

Field School ◽

Organic Farming System

The application of organic farming on rice farming in Indonesia is still new to know. The farming interested if efficiency economics. The meaning efficiency economics if the technical efficiency. This research aimed to evaluate the performance of organic rice farming systems, focusing on: (1) identifying the range of application of organic farming on rice farming, (2) analyzing the productivity and income from applying organic farming, and (3) analyzing the technical efficiency of applying organic farming and identifying factors that influence it. The study was conducted in Malang Regency with take sample Sumber Ngepoh village, Lawang, Malang. This village is purposively taken because this is only a village in East Java which has obtained a certificate as a producer of organic rice from Organic Certification Agency. Furthermore, farmers did not interested application of organic farming. The sample of farmers 120 respondents selected by using non-proportionate stratified random sampling among those applying organic rice farming. The data are anal The results at the study stage show that there was diversity between implementing organic and agricultural organic farming system. This diversity reached only 8,33 percent application of organic rice farming of the total land area, while the rest was still in the transitional stage of applying organic system. The application of organic rice farming must independently be able to increase production and income of the farmer. Judging from the level of technical efficiency, the application of organic rice farming is generally quite high, above the value of TE (technical efficiency) 0.8, while applying an independent organic farming has higher technical efficiency than others. Determinant of technical efficiency is the practice of Sekolah Lapang or Field School and the independence of farmers in affording resources locally.Keywords: Technical efficiency, independence of rice farming system, Organic farming applications.

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Evaluation of thermal energy consumption in broiler farms and saving strategies

Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia ◽

10.1590/1678-4162-12051 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (6) ◽

pp. 2355-2364

Author(s):

A. Jahedi ◽

A. Zarei

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Breeding Period ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Difference ◽

Dry Climates

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate thermal energy consumption in broiler farms and provide solutions to reduce it. This study was performed with a completely randomized design under 4 climatic conditions, including Ardabil (cold climate representative), Khuzestan (warm climate representative), Isfahan (dry climate representative) and Guilan (temperate climate representative) in 4 replicates (4 broiler farms in each climate) and with 5 repetitions (5 periods of breeding per unit) and a capacity of 492,700, Ross 308 broiler in each breeding period. According to the results, in all climates, the proposed solutions to save thermal energy were able to create a significant difference (P<0.05). The experimental results also showed that the difference in thermal energy consumption in cold and dry climates wasmuch higher than in temperate and warm climates (P<0.05). Overall, the results of the present study show that, by optimizing andmodernizing construction equipment in broiler farms, thermal energy losses can be reduced in all climatic conditions.

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Increasing Snow–Soil Interface Temperature in Farmland of Northeast China from 1979 to 2018

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11090878 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 878

Author(s):

Xiuxue Chen ◽

Xiaofeng Li ◽

Lingjia Gu ◽

Xingming Zheng ◽

Guangrui Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Snow Cover ◽

Snow Depth ◽

Northeast China ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Impact Factors ◽

Control Factor ◽

Interface Temperature ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil Interface

The presence of seasonal snow cover in the cold season can significantly affect the thermal conditions of the ground. Understanding the change of the snow–soil interface temperature (TSS) and its environmental impact factors is essential for predicting subnivean species changes and carbon balance in future climatic conditions. An improved Snow Thermal Model (SNTHERM) is employed to quantify TSS in farmland of Northeast China (NEC) in a 39-year period (1979–2018) firstly. This study also explored the variation tendency of TSS and its main influencing factors on grid scale. The result shows that annual average TSS and the difference between TSS and air temperature (TDSSA) increased rapidly between 1979 and 2018 in the farmland of NEC, and we used the Mann–Kendall test to further verify the increasing trends of TSS and TDSSA on aggregated farmland of NEC. The correlation analysis showed that mean snow depth (MSD) is the most pivotal control factor in 95% of pixels and TDSSA increases as MSD increases. Snow depth can better predict the change of TSS in deep–snow regions than average winter temperature (TSA). The results of this study are of great significance for understanding the impact of snow cover on the energy exchange between the ground and the atmosphere in the cold climate.

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LEARNING FROM THE PRESENT AND THE PAST: A CONTEMPORARY AND HISTORICAL REVIEW OF AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS ON SOIL FERTILITY

AGRICA ◽

10.37478/agr.v4i1.465 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 38-46

Author(s):

Leslie Campbell

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Traditional Approach ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

Historical Study ◽

Conventional Farming ◽

Farming Practices ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Alternative Farming ◽

The Impact

Conventional farming involves the use of synthetic and chemical pesticides that increases the short-term productivity of the soil with the expense of its long-term fertility. The emergence of alternative agriculture movement is estimated to have become a progressive response in increasing awareness of the long adverse effects on an effort to promote the soil which is well cultivated by the agro-ecological environment. Although it is a shift from conventional farming, alternative farming practices have not been adequately integrated as organic farming techniques and remain non-organic farming options. In an effort to explore the differences, we conducted a literature review of temperate areas studies comparing to conventional and alternative farming techniques in terms of their effects on soil nutrient levels. This review was found that 70% of the literature supports the use of alternative techniques as the means of reducing the agriculture impact on fertility and health of the soil and highlights the need of further research on the topic of longitudinal studies primarily in the context of the ecology of temperate climate. To contextualize contemporary view with the developing popularity of the alternative conventional farming system, we also explored the literature about the impact of agriculture that expanded again from the 1920s. The historical study examined literature concerning long-term fertility soil in Canada Journal on scientific agriculture to capture general environment narration about alternative farming at that time. It was found that a segment of the pre-1950s literature viewed the farming practices sustainable time, citing the declining yields to support this claim. The latest increasing proved in alternative farming techniques in response to a growing awareness of the long-term effects of conventional farming can be contextualized in the context of history as well as the rise of a more traditional approach to farming.

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Climatic-niche evolution of SARS-CoV-2

10.1101/2020.06.18.147074 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Priyanka Bajaj ◽

Prakash Chandra Arya

Keyword(s):

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Phylogenetic Network ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Temperate Climate ◽

List Type ◽

Hot Climate ◽

In The Beginning ◽

The Tropics

AbstractCOVID-19 pandemic is studied by several field experts. However, it is still unclear why it was restricted to higher latitudes during the initial days & later cascaded in the tropics. Here, we analyzed 176 SARS-CoV-2 genomes across different latitudes & climate (Koppen’s climate) that provided insights about within species virus evolution & its relation to abiotic factors. Two genetically variant groups, named as G1 & G2 were identified, well defined by four mutations. The G1 group (ancestor), is mainly restricted to warm & moist, temperate climate (Koppen’s C climate) while its descendent G2 group surpasses the climatic restrictions of G1, initially cascading into neighboring cold climate (D) of higher latitudes & later into hot climate of the tropics (A). It appears that the gradation of temperate climate (Cfa-Cfb) to “cold climate” (Dfa-Dfb) climate drives the evolution of G1 into G2 variant group which later adapted to tropical climate (A) as well. It seems this virus follows inverse latitudinal gradient in the beginning due to its preference towards temperate (C) & cold climate (D). Nevertheless, due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 data, the results must be cautiously interpreted & should not be extrapolated to climate types and climatic conditions other than those analyzed here for the early evolution period. Our work elucidates virus evolutionary studies combined with climatic studies can provide crucial information about the pathogenesis & natural spreading pathways in such outbreaks which is hard to achieve through individual studies.Graphical AbstractIn BriefThe authors elucidate adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to different climates by studying phylogenetics & the distribution of strains on Koppen’s climate map.HighlightsSARS-CoV-2 follows inverse latitudinal gradient during initial days.Phylogenetic network divides SARS-CoV-2 strains into two variant groups, G1 & G2.G1 strains is restricted to Koppen’s “temperate” climate (mainly Cfa-Cfb).G2 strains has evolved from G1 to sustain in mainly “humid-continental” (Dfa-Dfb) & “tropical-savannah” (Aw) climate.

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