scholarly journals Economic exploitation of the photosynthetic process: the basis of agricultural production

1987 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-168
Author(s):  
P. S. Hammes

Crop production is based on the photosynthetic process. Effective cropping systems are only attainable by optimising the size, active duration and effectivity of the photosynthesizing leaf canopy in the field. The extent of photosynthesis on a farm scale is impressive. A typical maize crop on one hectare of land utilises approximately 20 t. carbon dioxide, which is recovered from as much as 60 000 t. of air. Even highly productive cropping systems convert available radiation from the sun into chemical energy with an efficiency of less than 5%. Dramatic increases in crop yields may be attained in future, as has been the case in the past, as the process of photosynthesis is exploited with increasing skill.

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lazányi

The best-known and most remarkable example of continuous production in Hungary is the Westsik crop rotation experiment established in 1929. It is still in use to study the effects of organic manure treatment, to develop models and to predict the likely effects of different cropping systems on soil properties and crop yields. In this respect, the Westsik crop rotation experiment provides data of immediate value to farmers concerning the application of green manure, straw and farmyard manure. The increased demand for food and changes in the ecological requirements of agricultural production have urged scientists to revise the widely used traditional principles and to develop alternative crop production practices. In this respect, they must strive for the adoption of technologies which serve for the simultaneous maintenance of production levels, soil fertility and environmental goals. The Westsik crop rotation experiment provides useful help and a thorough scientific basis for the solution of this problem. It models various possible methods of nutrient management and assists in answering questions on the sustainability of agricultural production. Since 1929, only minor changes have been introduced in some treatments. These changes have made the classical experiment more relevant to current research needs and farming practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  

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.


1980 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Harris ◽  
Harry P. Mapp

Climatic conditions in semiarid regions like the Oklahoma Panhandle result in wide fluctuations in rainfall, dryland crop yields, and returns to agricultural producers in the area. Irrigated crop production increases peracre yields and significantly reduces fluctuations in yields and net returns.Irrigated production of food and fiber in the Oklahoma Panhandle has developed rapidly during the past three decades, increasing from 11,500 to 385,900 acres since 1950 (Schwab). The primary source of irrigation water in the area is the Ogallala Formation, an aquifer underlying much of the Great Plains region. Until the past couple of years, the presence of relatively low cost natural gas led producers to expand irrigated production and apply high levels of water to crops irrigated in the area.


2020 ◽  
pp. 22-39
Author(s):  
I. L. Kovalev

Some basic directions in the global development of agricultural machinery and global trends in the dig-ital transformation of agriculture are reviewed and identified based on analysis of reports and articles by well-known expert organizations in this field. The analysis of the technical re-equipment of the Belarusian crop production over the past decade has been carried out, the directions of digitalization of agricultural production of the republic identified by the current State programs in the agricultural sector and Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 8 "On the Development of the Digital Economy" have been determined.


Author(s):  
I.L. Kovalev

Some basic directions in the global development of agricultural machinery and global trends in the digital transformation of agriculture are reviewed and identified based on analysis of reports and articles by well-known expert organizations in this field. The analysis of the technical re-equipment of the Belarusian crop production over the past decade has been carried out, the directions of digitalization of agricultural production of the republic identified by the current State programs in the agricultural sector and Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 8 “On the Development of the Digital Economy” have been determined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 14-30
Author(s):  
M Jahangir Alam ◽  
S Ahmed ◽  
MK Islam ◽  
R Islam ◽  
M Islam

Cropping systems of Bangladesh are highly diverse and cultivation costs of puddled transplanted rice (PTR) are high. Therefore, an improved system is needed to address the issues, a field experiment was conducted during 2011-2013 to evaluate system intensification with varying degrees of cropping systems and residue retention. Four cropping systems (CSE) namely CSE1: T. boro rice-T. aman rice (control), CSE2: wheat-mungbean-T. aman rice (wheat and mungbean sown using a power tiller-operated seeder (PTOS) with full tillage in a single pass; puddled transplanted aman), CSE3: wheat-mungbean-dry seeded DS aman rice (DSR), and CSE4: wheat-mungbean-DS aman rice (all sown by PTOS with strip tillage) were compared. Two levels of aman rice residue retention (removed; partial retention i.e. 40 cm of standing stubble) were compared in sub plots. Grain yield was significantly higher (by 11%) when wheat was grown after DSR than PTR. Similarly, PTR and DSR (aman rice) produced statistically similar crop yields. Rice residue retention resulted a significantly higher (by 10%) wheat yield and a slightly increased (by 6%) mungbean yield than that of residues removed. The system productivity of CSE4 was significantly higher (by 10%) than CSE1 when averaged of the two years data. Partial aman residue retention gave significantly higher system yield than residue removal (by 0.6 t ha-1). After two years, no effect of CSE or partial aman residue retention was found on soil physical property (bulk density) of the top soil. Therefore, CSE4 along with residue retention would be more effective for sustainable crop production. The Agriculturists 2019; 17(1-2) 14-30


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Kodjo Avornyo ◽  
◽  
Osamu Ito ◽  
Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic ◽  
Osamu Saito ◽  
...  

Despite the growing demand for rice in Ghana, domestic rice production remains low, resulting in the importation of about 70% of the rice consumed in Ghana. In spite of the fact that 39-47% of the 20-28% of Ghana’s total geographic area classified as inland valley wetlands is considered suitable for rice cultivation, less than 15% is presently being used. A household survey was therefore conducted in six communities, Fihini (F), Cheshegu (C), Dabogushei (D), Kpalgum (K), Zergua (Z), and Yoggu (Y), of the Tolon district in northern Ghana in order to identify factors affecting the introduction of rice into the cropping system. Maize, groundnut, rice, and yam were found to be the four major crops grown in the communities. Overall, 64% of respondents cultivate rice, but this figure is particularly low (30%) in F and Y communities. Rice is usually combined with two other major crops, most frequently maize and yam. In C, D, and K communities, about 90% of households cultivate at least, three out of the four major crops. The interview with farmers revealed that rice yield is 0.73 t/ha on average and significantly higher in K and C (1.06 t/ha and 0.93 t/ha, respectively) than in D (0.37 t/ha). The average distance from compound houses to rice and maize fields is significantly shorter in C, D, and K. Similarly, the rate of rice introduction in C, D, and K is higher than in F, Z, and Y, suggesting that distance to inland valleys may be one of the factors that influence the incorporation of rice into the cropping systems of these communities. Principal component analysis of crop yields and cattle number for the Y community revealed that rice growers tend to have higher crop productivity while cattle production is higher among non-rice growers. Within the community, the productivity of upland crops and balance between crop production and cattle production may be important factors that influence the incorporation of rice into the cropping system.


1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Stapleton

Soil disinfestation strategies for intensive vegetable crop production, which have relied heavily on chemical fumigants for the past 40 years, are now undergoing rapid change. The principal driving force of change has been governmental regulatory action to phase out chemicals with properties deemed to be hazardous to the environment and/or public health. Softer methods of soil disinfestation, which rely more on physical, cultural, biological, or integrated modes of action, likely will predominate in future vegetable-cropping systems. In conducive (i.e., warm) climates, solarization can be adopted economically in plasticulture systems. Solarization can be combined with other chemical, physical, and biological methods for enhanced management of soil and root pests and diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 937 (3) ◽  
pp. 032081
Author(s):  
Vladimir Fedorov ◽  
Oleg Bunchikov ◽  
Evgeniya Kapelist

Abstract The article examines the issues of agricultural production by the agrarians of the Russian Federation in the context of import substitution and their contribution to the formation of food independence in the region. The dynamics of agricultural production in such sectors as crop and livestock production has been analyzed. In recent years, thanks to new innovative technologies in crop production, there has been a positive trend towards an increase in gross harvest, as well as an increase in crop yields. So, in particular, for more than thirty years of the analyzed period of time, gross agricultural production increased by 6110.4 billion rubles, and in the sectors crop and livestock production there was an increase in production by 3276.8 billion rubles. and by 2833.8 billion rubles. These indicators were influenced by such innovative developments in crop production as binary crops, new varieties of agricultural crops, as well as a significant increase in the use of fertilizers on agricultural land.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerzy Lipiec ◽  
Boguslaw Usowicz

<p>Research indicates that spatial differentiation of crop yields and soil properties are largely influenced by agricultural practices and the nature of the soil itself. The aim of this study was to examine the spatial relationship between cereal (wheat and oats ) yields and soil properties related to the application of soil-improving cropping systems (SICS). Four-year experiment (2017-2020) was carried out on low productive sandy soil with application of following SICS: S1 – control; S2 – liming; S3 – green manure/cover crops including lupine, phacelia, serradella; S4 – manure and S5 – manure, liming and cover crops together. Effect of the SICS was evaluated using classical statistics, Bland-Altman analysis and geostatistical methods. Mathematical functions, fitted to the experimental cross- and semivariograms were used for mapping the yields (grain and straw) by ordinary cokriging. The grain yields in years with normal rainfall increased by 2% for S2, 10% for S3, 46% for S4, 47% for S5 compared to control (S1) 2789 kg/ha and in dry years were lower (respectively for S2-S5 by 16.3, 10.6, 2.8, 9.9% compared to control 1567 kg/ha. The range of spatial dependence for the yields in direct semi-variograms varied was 50–100 m and > 100 m in cross-semivariograms using textural fractions as secondary variables. The spatial relationships were stronger between yield and soil texture and properties were much stronger with texture and cation exchange capacity than with pH and organic carbon content. Using cokriging for interpolation (mapping) allowed the delineation of zones of lower and higher cereal yields including areas of the SICS application. Higher cereal yield and lower spatial variability in the areas of SICS compared to control soil were observed in the years with normal rainfall. Analysis of the Bland-Altman including limits of agreement enabled to quantify the effect of particular SICS on cereal yield vs. control reference. Different effect of particular SICS on the cereal yield was observed in the years with scarce and good rainfall amount and distribution during growing season. The greatest variation of the cereal yield was observed in manure amended soil (S4) and it was lower and similar in the areas of remaining SICS (S2-S5). The results will help to to select most effective SICS for localized improving crop productivity and adaptation to global warming.</p><p>Acknowledgements.The study was funded by HORIZON 2020, European Commission, Programme H2020-SFS-2015-2: SoilCare for profitable and sustainable crop production in Europe, project No. 677407 (SoilCare, 2016-2021).</p>


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