scholarly journals Agricultural Management Strategies for Countering Drought Conditions in Eastern Croatia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Mustać ◽  
Vilim Filipović ◽  
Lana Filipović ◽  
Gabrijel Ondrašek ◽  
Dragutin Petošić
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Drought Conditions

scholarly journals Exploring Farmers’ Management Practices and Values of Ecosystem Services in an Agroecosystem Context—A Case Study from the Eastern Cape, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Junior Choruma ◽  
Oghenekaro Nelson Odume
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Provisioning Ecosystem Services

Globally, farmers remain the key ecosystem managers responsible for increasing food production while simultaneously reducing the associated negative environmental impacts. However, research investigating how farmers’ agricultural management practices are influenced by the values they assign to ecosystem services is scarce in South Africa. To address this gap, a survey of farmers’ agricultural management practices and the values they assigned towards ecosystem services was conducted in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results from the survey show that farmers assign a high value on food provisioning ecosystem services compared to other ecosystem services. Irrigation and fertiliser decisions were mostly based on achieving maximum crop yields or good crop quality. The majority of farmers (86%) indicated a willingness to receive payments for ecosystem services (PES) to manage their farms in a more ecosystems-oriented manner. To encourage farmers to shift from managing ecosystems for single ecosystem services such as food provision to managing ecosystems for multiple ecosystem services, market-oriented plans such as PES may be employed. Effective measures for sustainable intensification of food production will depend on the inclusion of farmers in the development of land management strategies and practices as well as increasing farmers’ awareness and knowledge of the ecosystem services concept.

scholarly journals Moisture content, moisture-related properties and agricultural management strategies of the Benue floodplain vertisols in North Cameroon

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (33) ◽  
pp. 1730-1746
Author(s):  
Azinwi Tamfuh Primus ◽  
Djoufac Woumfo Emmanuel ◽  
Temgoua Emile ◽  
Boukong Alexis ◽  
Bitom Dieudonné
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Agricultural Management

Effects of grazing management on botanical composition of native grass-based pastures in temperate south-east Australia

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Garden ◽  
G. M. Lodge ◽  
D. A. Friend ◽  
P. M. Dowling ◽  
B. A. Orchard
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Botanical Composition ◽  
Holcus Lanatus ◽  
Themeda Triandra ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Native Pastures

Grazing management strategies to alter botanical composition of native pastures were investigated at 4 locations in the high rainfall zone of south-east Australia, including Tasmania. These studies were conducted as part of the Temperate Pasture Sustainability Key Program, which evaluated the effects of grazing management on a wide range of pasture types between 1993 and 1996. Pastures in this study were based on Aristida ramosa/Bothriochloa macra, Microlaena stipoides–Austrodanthonia spp. or Themeda triandra–Austrodanthonia spp. Seasonal rests, increased grazing pressure in spring, mob stocking and cutting for hay were compared to continuous grazing at all sites. In addition, specific local treatments were tested at individual sites. Changes in composition resulting from the treatments were minimal at most sites. This may have been due to a combination of the inherent stability of the pastures, the relatively short duration of the experiments, and the drought conditions experienced, which minimised differences between treatments. Some strategies to alter composition of natural pastures are suggested. In the Aristida–Bothriochloa pasture there was a general decrease in Aristida and an increase in Bothriochloa, which was largely unaffected by the type of grazing management applied. The combination of drought conditions and increasing grazing pressure was sufficient to alter composition without specific management strategies being necessary. In the Themeda–Austrodanthonia pasture, resting in spring, 12-month rests or cutting for hay (which involved a spring rest) allowed Themeda to increase in the pasture. The Microlaena–Austrodanthonia pastures were very stable, especially where annual grass content was low. However, certain treatments allowed Microlaena to increase, a result which is regarded as being favourable. The major effects in these latter pastures were on undesirable species. Vulpia spp. were reduced by resting in autumn and increased spring grazing pressure, while Holcus lanatus was increased dramatically by resting in spring and was also increased by resting in autumn or winter, but only when conditions were suitable for growth of this species. In many cases, treatment differences were only expressed following recovery from drought, showing that timing of grazing management to achieve change is critical.

Water-Deficit Stress Tolerance Differs between Two Locoweed Genera (Astragalus and Oxytropis) with Fungal Endophytes

Weed Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Klypina ◽  
Matthew Pinch ◽  
Brian J. Schutte ◽  
Janakiraman Maruthavanan ◽  
Tracy M. Sterling
Keyword(s):  
Water Deficit ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Water Deficit Stress ◽  
Photosynthetic Gas Exchange ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Leaf Pigment ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Young Leaves

Locoweeds are plants of the genera Astragalus and Oxytropis (Fabaceae family) and are toxic to cattle, sheep, and horses. The toxic property of locoweeds is due to the alkaloid swainsonine (SWA), which is synthesized by an endophytic fungus Alternaria spp. section Undifilum. Although the endophyte–locoweed complex is often considered mutualistic, empirical evidence for benefits to host plants is lacking. This study: 1) compared the growth, photosynthesis, and leaf pigment and antioxidant concentrations between endophyte-infected and endophyte-free plants under well-watered and water-deficit conditions; and 2) measured SWA to determine whether SWA concentrations are attenuated by water deficit and leaf age. Locoweed species in this study were woolly loco and silky crazyweed. Endophyte-infected and endophyte-free (by removal of seed coat) seedlings, as confirmed by DNA analyses, were grown under greenhouse conditions for 6 mo, after which plants were subjected to three 12- to 15-d water-deficit periods that created sublethal drought conditions. Results suggest that the endophyte did not influence photosynthetic gas exchange and leaf pigment concentrations. Under well-watered conditions only, endophyte-infected woolly loco plants had lower shoot and root biomass and higher concentrations of α-tocopherol than endophyte-free plants. SWA analyses revealed taxon-specific effects of water deficit, with water deficit increasing SWA concentrations in young leaves of woolly loco but not affecting SWA concentration in silky crazyweed. These results suggest that the endophyte behaves as a parasite in woolly loco plants grown under optimal but not under water-limited conditions. Further, results indicate that drought conditions elevate the toxicity of woolly loco plants. Improved understanding of endophyte-locoweed interactions and factors influencing SWA levels will contribute to the development of livestock management strategies to predict toxicity in particular locoweed populations.

Determining Corn Aflatoxin Risk within Counties in Southern Georgia, USA using Remotely Sensed Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 640-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kerry ◽  
B. R. Ingram ◽  
F. Navarro ◽  
B. V. Ortiz ◽  
B. T. Scully
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Aflatoxin Contamination ◽  
County Level ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Eastern Usa ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Southern Georgia

Aflatoxin contamination of food can cause liver cancer in humans and animals. Identification of aflatoxin risk areas allows farmers to adapt management strategies before planting, during growth and at harvest. Aflatoxin contamination is driven by high temperatures and drought conditions and crops grown on light textured soil in the south eastern USA are at particular risk. Aflatoxin assessment is expensive so a role of extension services in precision farming is to identify the areas most at risk of contamination so that farmers can adapt irrigation or planting strategies. This paper extends a county-level risk factors approach developed by Kerry et al. (2017) by investigating the use of NDVI and thermal IR data to indicate drought stress and thus aflatoxin contamination risk at the sub-county level.

Making water count: water accountability change within an Australian university

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Egan
Keyword(s):  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Financial Control ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Outcomes ◽  
Emergent Systems ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Growing Network

Purpose – Drought conditions affected an acute water scarcity crisis across large parts of Australia through the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Public policy responses emphasised demand management strategies. This study aims to examine the response to these challenges within a large Australian university from 1999 to 2010. Design/methodology/approach – Case study utilising semi-structured interviews. Findings – Staff empowered to take an emergent approach to issues of social concern, initiated water accountability change focused on water efficiency from 1999, and “water principles” from 2002. A growing network had some success translating and enrolling others over coming years. However into the late 2000s, as drought conditions abated and with a renewed focus on financial control, developments that had not established clear links to core accountability mechanisms eroded. This study demonstrates that measurement is essential to understanding patterns of water usage, but also needs to establish links to core systems of accountability to broadly change behaviour. Practical implications – Higher education continues to be an environment where creative responses to community challenges can be nurtured. Despite increasing pressures to focus on financial outcomes, the sector should continue to nurture opportunities to shape issues of community concern through leading practice. Originality/value – This study provides insight into the development, fragility, and contested meaning of emergent systems of water accountability within the context of a university.

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