Perennial Crop: An Important Genetic Resource in Agroecosystems

2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 4091-4094
Author(s):  
Yan Ming Zhang ◽  
Bo Jiang ◽  
Song Jin ◽  
Cun Yu Li ◽  
Yu Xin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Genetic Resource ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Perennial Crop ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Industrial Farming ◽  
Multiple Issues ◽  
Agriculture Development

As agriculture's impact on the Earth has been amplified by industrial farming, the functioning of ecosystems around the world is disruptive. The phenomena of agroecological environment are becoming worse and worse in the arid and semi-arid regions, which has become the predominant obstacle for agriculture development. Through understanding the character of perennial crops and developing them, however, would help us to deal with the multiple issues in agroecosystems, such as agroecological environmental conservation, economic benefits and so on. It also can provide multiple ecosystem services including a new solution to the long-standing problems of soil erosion and degradation associated with conventional annual small-grain cropping systems. This paper assesses the derivation of agroecology and agroecosystems, introduces the agroecological value of perennial crop, and prospects the significant utilization of perennial crop in the future.

Advantages of Perennial Crop on Conservation of Agroecological Environment

2012 ◽  
Vol 518-523 ◽  
pp. 5213-5216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Ming Zhang ◽  
Chao Tian ◽  
Lu Ming Jiang ◽  
Yong Peng Li ◽  
Zhi Min Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Perennial Crop ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Industrial Farming ◽  
Multiple Issues

Of human activities, agriculture is perhaps the most disruptive to the functioning of ecosystems around the world. As agriculture's impact on the Earth has been amplified by industrial farming, the agroecological environment is worsening. By developing perennial crops, however, would help deal with the multiple issues involving agroecological environmental conservation and economic benefits in a world of shrinking resources. It can provide multiple ecosystem services essential for sustainable production more effectively than production systems based on annual crops, such as reducing soil erosion, minimizing nutrient leaching, sequestering more C in soils, building better pest tolerance and providing continuous habitat for wildlife. This paper presents advantages of perennial crop system in agroecological benefits, introduces the important role of perennial crop at the development of sustainable agriculture, and prospects the significant utilization of perennial crop on conservation of agroecological environment.

scholarly journals Religion, Polity, and the Natural Environment in the Anthropocene Age

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peyman Hekmatpour
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Political Organizations ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Level Of Analysis

The Anthropocene age is marked by increased human impacts on the natural environment. As social beings, humans interact with each other, and with their surrounding environments, often through organizations and institutions. Religion and the polity are among the most influential human institutions, and they tend to impact the natural environment in several ways. For instance, several thinkers have claimed that some of the central ideas of the Abrahamic traditions, such as the concept of “Domination of men over the earth,” are among the causes of several anthropogenic environmental problems. By contrast, some of the ideas of non-Abrahamic, particularly animistic, religions are found to be associated with environmental conservation and stewardship. The polity can also contribute to environmental problems. The relationship between political organizations and environmental degradation, at any level of analysis from local to global, is well studied and established in the literature. Politicizing the natural environment, however, is not without tradeoffs. Environmentalism, by certain groups of people, is considered as a “stigma,” while it is a central concept in the political ideology of another part of the population. This antagonism is harmful to the environmental protection cause. I make the case that religion, or at least a number of religious ideas, can be conducive to the process of depoliticizing the natural environment. In this paper, I strive to draw a theoretical framework to explain how religion and the polity can mutually impact the natural environment.

scholarly journals Conservation and directed utilization of forest genetic resources

2007 ◽  
pp. 7-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Sijacic-Nikolic ◽  
Jelena Milovanovic
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Genetic Resource ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Forest Genetic ◽  
Forest Genetic Resources ◽  
Defensive Mechanism

Forest genetic resources represent the genetic diversity contained in the thousands of species of forest trees on the earth. their conservation is a set of activities and strategies, which are performed in the aim of ensuring the continued existence, evolution and availability of these resources for the present and future generations. the aim of genetic resource management is the enhancement of conditions for the continual evolution of the species which is the defensive mechanism of the organisms in the struggle with environmental changes.

scholarly journals Investing in Blue Natural Capital to Secure a Future for the Red Sea Ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha J. Cziesielski ◽  
Carlos M. Duarte ◽  
Nojood Aalismail ◽  
Yousef Al-Hafedh ◽  
Andrea Anton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Marine Habitats

For millennia, coastal and marine ecosystems have adapted and flourished in the Red Sea’s unique environment. Surrounded by deserts on all sides, the Red Sea is subjected to high dust inputs and receives very little freshwater input, and so harbors a high salinity. Coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves flourish in this environment and provide socio-economic and environmental benefits to the bordering coastlines and countries. Interestingly, while coral reef ecosystems are currently experiencing rapid decline on a global scale, those in the Red Sea appear to be in relatively better shape. That said, they are certainly not immune to the stressors that cause degradation, such as increasing ocean temperature, acidification and pollution. In many regions, ecosystems are already severely deteriorating and are further threatened by increasing population pressure and large coastal development projects. Degradation of these marine habitats will lead to environmental costs, as well as significant economic losses. Therefore, it will result in a missed opportunity for the bordering countries to develop a sustainable blue economy and integrate innovative nature-based solutions. Recognizing that securing the Red Sea ecosystems’ future must occur in synergy with continued social and economic growth, we developed an action plan for the conservation, restoration, and growth of marine environments of the Red Sea. We then investigated the level of resources for financial and economic investment that may incentivize these activities. This study presents a set of commercially viable financial investment strategies, ecological innovations, and sustainable development opportunities, which can, if implemented strategically, help ensure long-term economic benefits while promoting environmental conservation. We make a case for investing in blue natural capital and propose a strategic development model that relies on maintaining the health of natural ecosystems to safeguard the Red Sea’s sustainable development.

scholarly journals Quantifying nitrogen losses in oil palm plantations: models and challenges

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lénaïc Pardon ◽  
Cécile Bessou ◽  
Nathalie Saint-Geours ◽  
Benoît Gabrielle ◽  
Ni’matul Khasanah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Palm ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Perennial Crop ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Total N

Abstract. Oil palm is the most rapidly expanding tropical perennial crop. Its cultivation raises environmental concerns, notably related to the use of nitrogen (N) fertilisers and associated pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. While numerous and diverse models exist to estimate N losses from agriculture, very few are available for tropical perennial crops. Moreover, there has been no critical analysis of the performances of existing models in the specific context of tropical perennial cropping systems. We assessed the capacity of 11 models and 29 sub-models to estimate N losses in a typical oil palm plantation over a 25-year-growth cycle, through leaching and runoff, and emissions of NH3, N2, N2O, and NOx. Estimates of total N losses were very variable, ranging from 21 to 139 kg N ha−1 yr−1. On average, 31 % of the losses occurred during the first three years of the cycle. Leaching comprised about 80 % of the losses. Based on a comprehensive Morris sensitivity analysis, the most influential variables were soil clay content, rooting depth and oil palm N uptake. We also compared model estimates with published field measurements. Many challenges remain to model more accurately processes related to the peculiarities of perennial tropical crop systems such as oil palm.

Bioclimate of Jericho in Palestine

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jehad Ighbareyeh
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Thermal Model ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Latitudinal Belt ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Very High

 Jericho is an ancient Canaanite Palestinian city and one of the oldest cities in history, which dates back to more than 10.000 BC (Stone Age). It is located near to the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea, and north of Jerusalem. Moreover, it considered the lowest area in the earth and has a unique climatic zone. during the study period (1975-1995), was utilized the Salvador Rivas Martinez scale to classify the bioclimate of the earth to analysis the climate and bioclimate data, which was obtained from one station from Palestinian Meteorology Department (Jericho station). The results revealed that the mean monthly temperature was 22.4 0C, mean maximum temperature was 34.8 0C, mean monthly minimum temperature was 15.3 0C, the value of the annual ombrothermic index was 0.6, the compensated thermicity index is very high around 1209/1209 and the simple continentality index was 16.7. The bioclomate of Jericho is located within the zones of the thermal model under the inframediterranean basin, the dry and arid regions. Jericho is belong to Mediterranean desertic-oceanic, the latitudinal belt as subtropical, while continentality is oceanic-low eu-oceanic.

Postlude

Art Scents ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 307-314
Author(s):  
Larry Shiner
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Creosote Bush ◽  
Electrical Discharges ◽  
Central Coast ◽  
Climatic Extremes ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Sudden Rise

There are certain places on California’s Central Coast where the scent from stands of eucalyptus can penetrate your car even with the windows closed, although the smell is so inviting you are tempted to open them a bit.1 You can have equally interesting scent experiences driving east through the California and Nevada deserts after a rain when you can inhale the pungent smell of sage and creosote bush. Or consider the fact that sometimes you can smell rain before it comes, first from the ozone in the air produced by electrical discharges, and then, especially if you are in arid regions, from the smell of geosmin released from the earth. As Cynthia Barnett points out, you can inhale an especially intense version of earth odors in some rural areas of India, West Africa, or Australia that experience the climatic extremes of months of no rain followed by stretches of monsoon. Back in 1964 two Australian scientists discovered that a major source of this odor were geosmin, a soil-dwelling bacteria, and terpenes secreted by plants. These kinds of molecules are absorbed by rock and clay during hot dry periods, building up great quantities that are then released by the sudden rise in humidity. The scientists nicknamed the smell “petrichor,” from ...

scholarly journals Linking silvicultural aspects of pro-poor leasehold forestry for socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable communities

2018 ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
K. K. Yadav ◽  
G. P. Kafley ◽  
K. P. Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Community Forestry ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Silvicultural Practices ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Forest User Groups ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Forest User

Government of Nepal has adopted different models like community forestry, leasehold forestry, collaborative forestry, buffer zone community forestry and public land agroforestry for management of forest resources. Poor focused leasehold forestry is only the approach adopted since early 1990 that has two major objectives: livelihood improvement and environmental conservation. Forest user groups of 5–15 households (HHs) are provided with part of national forests for a period of initial lease of 40 years. Leased forests are managed mainly with forestry crops, forage and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to meet the dual objectives. Past studies and researches have indicated that leasehold forests are better than the hand over time however they are inadequate in dealing with silvicultural aspects in leasehold forestry (LF). This research paper has highlighted the significance of silvicultural aspects of leasehold forestry for overall socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable forest users. Review of the existing policy and legal documents, studies and progress reports of the leasehold forestry projects implemented during the last two decades, consultation with leasehold forest user groups from five districts (Tehrathum, Makawanpur, Tanahun, Pyuthan and Doti) formed the main source of data for this article. Further, author’s own experiences in the sector were taken as supporting reliable information for the study. The study found that silvicultural practices, except plantations and weeding, were not adopted in leasehold forest but there was great potential for such practices to maximize the socio-economic benefits. Proper use of silvicultural practices might have increased contribution to currently realized benefits like (i) increased income of members i.e. poorest families (having less than 3 months secured foods) were reduced over years, (ii) group members had increased access to different networks and cooperatives, (iii) participation of women, poor and indigenous people increased in the decision-making process, and (iv) forest coverage was increased with respect to the hand over time. Some issues on silviculture aspects included proper guidelines for silvicultural methods, capacity of staff and leasehold forest user group members, smaller sizes of leasehold forests, and promotion of appropriate species. Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Special Issue No. 4, 2018, Page: 113-119 

scholarly journals Application of the radionuclide 210Pb in glaciology – an overview

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (257) ◽  
pp. 447-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz W. Gäggeler ◽  
Leonhard Tobler ◽  
Margit Schwikowski ◽  
Theo M. Jenk
Keyword(s):  
Half Life ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Noble Gas ◽  
Radioactive Decay ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Glacier Flow

Abstract210Pb is an environmental radionuclide with a half-life of 22.3 years, formed in the atmosphere via radioactive decay of radon (222Rn). 222Rn itself is a noble gas with a half-life of 3.8 days and is formed via radioactive decay of uranium (238U) contained in the Earth crust from where it constantly emanates into the atmosphere. 210Pb atoms attach to aerosol particles, which are then deposited on glaciers via scavenging with fresh snow. Due to its half-life, ice cores can be dated with this radionuclide over roughly one century, depending on the initial 210Pb activity concentration. Optimum 210Pb dating is achieved for cold glaciers with no – or little – influence by percolating meltwater. This paper presents an overview which not only includes dating of cold glaciers but also some special cases of 210Pb applications in glaciology addressing temperate glaciers, glaciers with negative mass balance, sublimation processes on glaciers in arid regions, determination of annual net snow accumulation as well as glacier flow rates.

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