Wheat Yield Improvement in Eroded Semi-Arid Areas of China

2003 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng Xi-Ping ◽  
Shan Lun ◽  
Inanaga Shinobu ◽  
Keren Rami

The greatest fear from global climate change is drought, and water is the most important factor influencing wheat growth. Soil and water conservation are, therefore, key requirements for sustaining productivity and environmental quality in semi-arid cropping systems. Great attention has been paid to the management of, demand for, and more efficient use of water. The comprehensive technical strategies reviewed in this paper include conserving water to combine both increased agricultural productivity and resource conservation; enquiries into how wheat plants respond to drought through morphological, physiological and metabolic modifications that occur in all plant organs; breeding for drought tolerance where there is a delineated stress environment and genotype × environment interactions are stable; and effective conservation of rainfall and high efficiency of use. Valuable techniques such as conservation tillage, mulch cultivation, limited irrigation, introduction of drought-tolerant varieties and rotation systems can be adjusted to local agricultural practices.

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Karuma ◽  
Peter Mtakwa ◽  
Nyambilila Amuri ◽  
Charles K. Gachene ◽  
Patrick Gicheru

Soil water conservation through tillage is one of the appropriate ways of addressing soil moisture deficit in rainfed agriculture. This study evaluated the effects of tillage practices on soil moisture conservation and crop yields in Mwala District, Eastern Kenya during the long rains (LR) and short rains (SR) of 2012/13. Six tillage systems: Disc plough (MB), Disc plough and harrowing (MBH), Ox-ploughing (OX), Subsoiling – ripping (SR), Hand hoe and Tied Ridges (HTR) and Hand hoe only (H) and, three cropping systems namely, sole maize, sole bean and maize - bean intercrop, were investigated in a split-plot design with four replicates. Data on soil water content was monitored at different weeks after planting and the crop yields at end of each growing season. A three-season average shows that soil water content and crop yields were higher in conventional tillage methods compared to the conservation tillage methods. Long term tillage experiments are thus required at different locations, under various environmental and soil conditions to validate the study findings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 573-575
Author(s):  
Randy L. Anderson

AbstractInterseeding annual clovers in cereal grains may help organic producers reduce use of tillage following cereal harvest. Using clovers that winterkill would minimize need for tillage in the spring also. The objective of this study was to evaluate seedling emergence and survival of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Berseem clover (hereafter, referred to as berseem) was planted 0, 2 and 4 weeks after initiation of winter wheat growth in the spring. Berseem density was highest when planted on April 12, 2 weeks after winter wheat broke dormancy. Establishment density was 40–80% less with the other planting dates. A dry interval during the 5 weeks preceding winter wheat harvest reduced seedling survival of berseem, killing more than 80% of seedlings. Winter wheat yield was reduced at the last planting date of berseem, which was attributed to mechanical injury to winter wheat by the drill when planting berseem. Berseem may not be viable for interseeding at this location or in drier regions. Clover species that are more drought tolerant will be needed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafia Younas ◽  
Shiza Gul ◽  
Rehan Ahmad ◽  
Ali Raza Khan ◽  
Mumtaz Khan ◽  
...  

Global climate change is leading to a series of frequent onset of environmental stresses such as prolonged drought periods, dynamic precipitation patterns, heat stress, and cold stress on plants and commercial crops. The increasing severity of such stresses is not only making agriculture and related economic sector vulnerable but also negatively influences plant diversity patterns. The global temperature of planet Earth has risen to 1.1°C since the last 19th century. An increase in surface temperature leads to an increase in soil temperature which ultimately reduces water content in the soil, thereby, reducing crop growth and yield. Moreover, this situation is becoming more intense for agricultural practices in arid and semi-arid regions. To overcome climatically induced stresses, acclimatization of plant species via bioinoculation with Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) is becoming an effective approach. The PGPR are capable of colonizing rhizosphere (exophytes) as well as plant organs (endophytes), where they trigger an accumulation of osmolytes for osmoregulation or improving gene expression of heat or cold stress proteins, or by signaling the synthesis of phytohormones, metabolites, proteins, and antioxidants to scavenge reactive oxygen species. Thus, PGPR exhibiting multiple plant growth-promoting traits can be employed via bioinoculants to improve the plant’s tolerance against unfavorable stress conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Luisa Gandía ◽  
Juan Pablo Del Monte ◽  
José Luis Tenorio ◽  
María Inés Santín-Montanyá

AbstractExtreme climate events (ECEs) of drought are becoming common in Mediterranean areas and farmers need adapt agricultural practices to achieve sustainability. This field study took place in to gain insight into the effects of seasonal rainfall, tillage and crop systems on wheat yield and weed parameters. Conventional (CT), minimum (MT) and no-tillage (NT) systems in wheat monoculture and rotation cropping systems were tested during 3 years of study (2014–2015, 2015–2016 and 2016–2017). Growing Season Rainfall (GSR) was the most influential factor on yield parameters and weed population. In 2016–2017, categorized as an extreme climate event by drought, the GSR accounted for 43.4% of the historical average. This year, the wheat yield (373 kg ha−1) and harvest index (0.18) were the lowest. In 2015–2016, scarcer autumn rainfall (44 mm) affected the weed germination period, reducing the density (17 plants m−2) and diversity of weed species (3 species m−2) while yield was favoured by high winter and spring rainfall (247 mm). Our study revealed that tillage effects was not significant on wheat yield, but NT systems consistently showed higher weed density and diversity than CT and MT despite the irregular GSR during this study. The rotation system presented higher values of wheat grain yield (781 kg/ha) and dry straw biomass (1803 kg/ha) but also weed biomass (48.54 g m−2) compared to monoculture (27.50 g m−2). NT and rotation combined increased the weed community although did not reduce the wheat yield compare to conventional systems even with an ECE of drought.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
K. S. Pike ◽  
L. K. Tanigoshi

AbstractSix species of ophids (Homoptera: Aphididae) are the most economically significant insect pests of wheat in Washington. Management technologies under development or in use in Washington emphasize biorational approaches, including development and use of resistance germplasm, manipulation of pest populations through cropping systems, and development of biological controls. We review wheat yield losses caused by aphids, their biological control, and the effects of conservation tillage and systemic seed treatment.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1222
Author(s):  
Niloufar Nasrollahi ◽  
James Hunt ◽  
Caixian Tang ◽  
David Cann

Most dryland grain growers in Australia retain all or most of their crop residues to protect the soil from erosion and to improve water conservation but retaining stubbles with a high carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio can affect N availability to crops. A simulation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of N fertilizer application rate and residue retention on soil N dynamics. The simulation used seven N fertilizer application rates (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 kg N ha−1) to wheat (Triticum aestivum) over 27 years (1990–2016) at four locations across a gradient in annual rainfall in Victoria, Australia. Nitrogen immobilization, denitrification and N leaching loss were predicted and collectively defined as sources of N inefficiency. When residues were retained, immobilization was predicted to be the biggest source of inefficiency at all simulated sites at N application rates currently used by growers. Leaching became a bigger source of inefficiency at one site with low soil water-holding capacity, but only at N rates much higher than would currently be commercially applied, resulting in high levels of nitrate (NO3−) accumulating in the soil. Denitrification was an appreciable source of inefficiency at higher rainfall sites. Further research is necessary to evaluate strategies to minimize immobilization of N in semi-arid cropping systems.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdalla I. A. Ahmed ◽  
Ibrahim M. Eldoma ◽  
Elsadig ElMahdi A. H. Elaagip ◽  
Fujiang Hou

In dry regions, it is customary for farmers to use soil water conservation and/or water harvesting techniques. These practices have now become applicable to agriculturalists combating the adverse effects of drought on food production. In the semiarid areas of Zalingei in western Sudan, we quantified the soil erosion using traditional conservation measures, and conducted experiments in two consecutive rainy seasons (2013 and 2014). A split-split plot design was used to quantify the respective influences of each variable on reducing soil erosion: A) three gentle gradients (Slope1 (0.98%), Slope2 (1.81%), and Slope3 (3.1%)); B) two cropping systems (mono-crop and mixed-crops); and C) five indigenous conservation tillage practices—chisel ploughing (CHP), cross slope tied bonding (CSTB), contour ridge with stone bonds (CRSB), cross slope bonding (CSB), and zero tillage (ZT). Our results showed that there were significant differences between the slopes in season 2 (2014); the soil eroded at Slope3 was more than that of Slope1 and Slope2 by 71% and 27%, respectively. Over two seasons, there were no significant differences between the cropping systems. Conversely, the erosion level observed with CHP was higher than with the other practices. However, the CSTB and CSB erosion levels were only higher in season 2 when compared with those of CRSB and ZT. The study concluded that under the above conditions, the rate of soil erosion was severe and exceeded the erosion tolerance. Based on these results, in western Sudan, CRSB and ZT may be the more effective indigenous conservation practices for the protection of agricultural soils and productivity.


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