scholarly journals Use of Quality Potato Seeds in Family Farming Systems in the Highlands Zones of Peru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rember Pinedo-Taco ◽  
Percy Rolando Egusquiza-Bayona ◽  
Dylan Anderson-Berens
Keyword(s):  
Seed Quality ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Land Preparation ◽  
Underdeveloped Countries ◽  
Informal System ◽  
Quality Potato ◽  
Production Labor ◽  
Potato Crops

In the Andean region of Peru, the predominant production system for potatoes is family farming, oriented towards self-consumption, seed provision, and the sale of surplus production. Labor force activities for land preparation, sowing, maintenance, harvest and postharvest are under the responsibility of the family and eventually they hire farm laborers, when parcels are of a considerable size. Approximately 95% of the cultivated surface of potato crops is located in the high Andean zone, from 3000 to 4200 meters above sea level (masl), employing native varieties of tuber seeds and modern seeds introduced to production systems in the past 50 years. Potato systems in Peru, like the majority of underdeveloped countries, are characterized by the co-existence of formal and informal systems. Formal systems prioritize production and commercialization of seeds of just a few varieties positioned in modern markets which are regulated and accredited by a certification body according to the current legislation, while in the informal system the guarantee of seed quality falls under the responsibility of the very producers and users of those seeds.

scholarly journals Homegarden agroecosystems managed by Salar people on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjing Zhu ◽  
Binsheng Luo ◽  
Ben La ◽  
Ruijie Chen ◽  
Fenggui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract Background Salar is a Turkic-speaking Islamic ethnic group in China living mainly in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County (Xunhua or Xunhua County), Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Salar people are skilled in horticulture and their homegarden (HG) management. They are regarded as the first people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to practice horticulture, especially manage their HGs, traditional farming systems, and supplementary food production systems. Traditional knowledge of Salar people associated with their HGs always contributes significantly to the local livelihood, food security, ornamental value, and biodiversity conservation. The cultivation of different plants in HGs for self-sufficiency has a long tradition in China’s rural areas, especially in some mountainous areas. However, Salar traditional HGs have not been described. The present paper aims to report the features of Salar HGs mostly based on agrobiodiversity and its ecosystem services. Methods The methods used in this work included semi-structured interviews and participatory observation. A total of 60 households in three townships, 9 villages were surveyed. There are 4–12 family members in each household, aged from 20 to 86 years old. The homestead size is between 200 and 1200 m2. Plant species cultivated in Salar HGs were identified according to Flora of China. Based on a comprehensive survey of Salar HGs and related to background data, we identified and characterized the most important services and functions provided by Salar HGs. Results According to primary production systems, there are 4 different types of Salar HGs, including ornamental focus, product focus, dual-purpose and multi-purpose. In total, 108 (excluding weeds and bonsai) plant species were recorded in Salar HGs, within 43 plant families. The most important and frequently used plants are Rosa chinensis, Armeniaca vulgar, Prunus salicina, and Ziziphus jujuba. About 4 to 32 plant species were recorded in each homegarden. We found that the Salar HGs, as a typical agroecosyste, prossess multiple servcices and functions that directly benefit households according to the field investigation. Conclusion This paper reveals the floristic diversity of Salar HGs. It presents useful information in the homegarden agroecosystem of Salar people, such as HG types and species diversity in Salar HGs. Ecosystem functions and services research suggested that the Salar HG agroecosystem provides agroecosystem services mainly related to supply and culture services. Salar HGs are important as food supplement resources, aesthetics symbol, and cultural spaces.

Development of profitable milk production systems for northern Australia: a field assessment of the productivity of five potential farming systems using farmlets

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 246 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Chataway ◽  
R. G. Walker ◽  
M. N. Callow
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Tropical Pastures ◽  
Mating Period ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Forage Base

Farmlets, each of 20 cows, were established to field test five milk production systems and provide a learning platform for farmers and researchers in a subtropical environment. The systems were developed through desktop modelling and industry consultation in response to the need for substantial increases in farm milk production following deregulation of the industry. Four of the systems were based on grazing and the continued use of existing farmland resource bases, whereas the fifth comprised a feedlot and associated forage base developed as a greenfield site. The field evaluation was conducted over 4 years under more adverse environmental conditions than anticipated with below average rainfall and restrictions on irrigation. For the grazed systems, mean annual milk yield per cow ranged from 6330 kg/year (1.9 cows/ha) for a herd based on rain-grown tropical pastures to 7617 kg/year (3.0 cows/ha) where animals were based on temperate and tropical irrigated forages. For the feedlot herd, production of 9460 kg/cow.year (4.3 cows/ha of forage base) was achieved. For all herds, the level of production achieved required annual inputs of concentrates of ~3 t DM/animal and purchased conserved fodder from 0.3 to 1.5 t DM/animal. This level of supplementary feeding made a major contribution to total farm nutrient inputs, contributing 50% or more of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium entering the farming system, and presents challenges to the management of manure and urine that results from the higher stocking rates enabled. Mean annual milk production for the five systems ranged from 88 to 105% of that predicted by the desktop modelling. This level of agreement for the grazed systems was achieved with minimal overall change in predicted feed inputs; however, the feedlot system required a substantial increase in inputs over those predicted. Reproductive performance for all systems was poorer than anticipated, particularly over the summer mating period. We conclude that the desktop model, developed as a rapid response to assist farmers modify their current farming systems, provided a reasonable prediction of inputs required and milk production. Further model development would need to consider more closely climate variability, the limitations summer temperatures place on reproductive success and the feed requirements of feedlot herds.

scholarly journals Seed conditioning of red oak: a recalcitrant North American seed

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (spe) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.K. Struve
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Quercus Rubra ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Red Oak ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Stand Establishment ◽  
Conditioning Treatment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Seed Conditioning

A ten day aerated water soak was developed as a seed conditioning treatment for red oak (Quercus rubra L.). Conditioned seeds had higher germination completeness, uniformity and speed compared to control seeds. Seeds could be conditioned under a wide range of temperatures and durations. Conditioned seeds were maintained at 7(0)C for 30 days without loss of seed quality. During conditioning, pericarps split in response to seed hydration. Split pericarps could be used as a pre-sowing indicator for high quality seeds. Seed conditioning was ineffective on dormant seeds. Increased crop uniformity and higher stand establishment can be realized by subjecting red oak acorns to an aerated water soak treatment followed by selecting seeds with split pericarps. These results are especially important in container production systems where limited numbers of value seeds are available.

scholarly journals The Fatty Acid Profile of Meat from New Zealand White Rabbits Raised under Intensive and Extensive Production Systems

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3126
Author(s):  
Tomasz Daszkiewicz ◽  
Andrzej Gugołek ◽  
Dorota Kubiak ◽  
Krzysztof Kerbaum ◽  
Ewa Burczyk
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Barley Grain ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Free Standing ◽  
Intensive Farming ◽  
New Zealand White Rabbits ◽  
Pelleted Diet

The aim of this study was to compare the fatty acid (FA) profile of meat from New Zealand White rabbits raised from 30 to 90 days of age under intensive (IPS) and extensive (EPS) production systems. In group IPS, the rabbits were housed in wire mesh cages with a slatted floor (16.7 animals/m2) and were fed a commercial pelleted diet. In group EPS, the rabbits were housed in free-standing cages on straw litter (2.5 animals/m2) and were fed a conventional farm-made diet (green fodder, barley grain, stale bread, hay). The FA profile of intramuscular fat (IMF) was analyzed in samples of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle. The analyzed production systems had no significant effect on the content of most FAs in IMF. However, the differences between group means contributed to more desirable values of the quality indicators of IMF (in particular in the LTL muscle) in group IPS. The study demonstrated that the claim that meat produced under less intensive farming systems is of superior quality could be an oversimplified generalization that should be validated in research.

scholarly journals Improving water productivity in the Australian Grains industry—a nationally coordinated approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 583 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Kirkegaard ◽  
J. R. Hunt ◽  
T. M. McBeath ◽  
J. M. Lilley ◽  
A. Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Farm Scale

Improving the water-limited yield of dryland crops and farming systems has been an underpinning objective of research within the Australian grains industry since the concept was defined in the 1970s. Recent slowing in productivity growth has stimulated a search for new sources of improvement, but few previous research investments have been targeted on a national scale. In 2008, the Australian grains industry established the 5-year, AU$17.6 million, Water Use Efficiency (WUE) Initiative, which challenged growers and researchers to lift WUE of grain-based production systems by 10%. Sixteen regional grower research teams distributed across southern Australia (300–700 mm annual rainfall) proposed a range of agronomic management strategies to improve water-limited productivity. A coordinating project involving a team of agronomists, plant physiologists, soil scientists and system modellers was funded to provide consistent understanding and benchmarking of water-limited yield, experimental advice and assistance, integrating system science and modelling, and to play an integration and communication role. The 16 diverse regional project activities were organised into four themes related to the type of innovation pursued (integrating break-crops, managing summer fallows, managing in-season water-use, managing variable and constraining soils), and the important interactions between these at the farm-scale were explored and emphasised. At annual meetings, the teams compared the impacts of various management strategies across different regions, and the interactions from management combinations. Simulation studies provided predictions of both a priori outcomes that were tested experimentally and extrapolation of results across sites, seasons and up to the whole-farm scale. We demonstrated experimentally that potential exists to improve water productivity at paddock scale by levels well above the 10% target by better summer weed control (37–140%), inclusion of break crops (16–83%), earlier sowing of appropriate varieties (21–33%) and matching N supply to soil type (91% on deep sands). Capturing synergies from combinations of pre- and in-crop management could increase wheat yield at farm scale by 11–47%, and significant on-farm validation and adoption of some innovations has occurred during the Initiative. An ex post economic analysis of the Initiative estimated a benefit : cost ratio of 3.7 : 1, and an internal return on investment of 18.5%. We briefly review the structure and operation of the initiative and summarise some of the key strategies that emerged to improve WUE at paddock and farm-scale.

scholarly journals As Experiências da Coalizão Adapta Sertão na Disseminação de Tecnologias e Estratégias de Adaptação à Mudança Climática para o Agricultor Familiar do Semiárido Brasileiro (The experience of the Adapta Sertão Coalition in Disseminating Climate Change...)

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Cesano ◽  
Emilio Lèbre La Rovere ◽  
Martin Obermaier ◽  
Thais Corral ◽  
Laise Santos da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Small Farmers ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Semi Arid

Este artigo descreve a experiência da coalizão Adapta Sertão na experimentação e disseminação de sistemas produtivos que possam tornar o agricultor familiar do Semiárido mais resiliente aos impactos da variação climática atual e da mudança do clima no futuro. Durante as experimentações, a coalizão teve que enfrentar várias barreiras ligadas à falta de integração entre políticas públicas existentes e projetos pilotos em comunidades locais. Hoje, a adaptação à mudança do clima não está sendo considerada na implementação de obras hídricas de pequeno e médio porte, que são de grande importância porque, geralmente, conseguem beneficiar as faixas de população mais pobres e mais suscetíveis aos impactos climáticos. As experiências mostram que é preciso desenvolver, com urgência, políticas públicas inovadoras que consigam integrar o acesso à água com a disseminação de tecnologias de adaptação e de sistemas produtivos mais resilientes à seca.  Palavras - chave: medidas de adaptação, agricultura familiar, semiárido, tecnologia.  The experience of the Adapta Sertão Coalition in Disseminating Climate Change Adaptation Technologies and Strategies for Family Farmers in Semi Arid Brazil  ABSTRACTThis paper describes the experience of the Adapta Sertão coalition in testing and experimenting production systems that have the potential to make small farmers of semi-arid Brazil more resilient to current and future climate change impacts. During the different testing, the coalition had to overcome several barriers linked to a lack of integration between current public policies. For example, today climate change is not considered in the design and implementation of small and medium hydraulic infrastructures. This limits the benefits to the target groups (small farmers) that are more likely to be affected by climate change. The experiences show that it is urgent and necessary to develop public policies to better integrate access to water, dissemination of climate resilient technologies and implementation of production systems more adequate to the semi arid conditions.  Keywords: adaptation measures, family farming, semi-arid, technology.

scholarly journals An evaluation of two pastoral dairy production systems using automatic milking technology

2010 ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jago ◽  
J. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Pastoral Farming

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of two pastoral farming systems using automatic milking systems (AMS).

Crop management: principles and practices.

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-123
Author(s):  
Dennis B. Egli
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Management ◽  
Planting Date ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Variety Selection

Abstract This chapter discusses planting-seed quality, variety selection, plant population, planting date and row spacing. The goal of crop management is to create the perfect environment for the growth of the crop, where the perfect environment is characterized by the absence of stress or other factors that reduce crop growth and yield. This goal may be impossible or uneconomical to achieve, but that does not detract from its usefulness as a goal. The management practices discussed in this chapter are fundamental components of grain production systems that contribute to reaching the goal of the perfect environment. There are many management options available to an individual producer; selecting the best combination is not always easy and it may be constrained by factors outside the realm of the physiological processes controlling crop yield.

scholarly journals The Use of Lupin as a Source of Protein in Animal Feeding: Genomic Tools and Breeding Approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Abraham ◽  
Ioannis Ganopoulos ◽  
Panagiotis Madesis ◽  
Athanasios Mavromatis ◽  
Photini Mylona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Quality ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Antinutritional Factors ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stress ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Genomic Tools ◽  
Animal Feeding

Livestock production in the European Union EU is highly dependent on imported soybean, exposing the livestock farming system to risks related to the global trade of soybean. Lupin species could be a realistic sustainable alternative source of protein for animal feeding. Lupinus is a very diverse genus with many species. However, only four of them—namely, L. albus, L. angustifolius, L. luteus and L. mutabilis—are cultivated. Their use in livestock farming systems has many advantages in relation to economic and environmental impact. Generally, lupin grains are characterized by high protein content, while their oil content is relatively low but of high quality. On the other hand, the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids and their specific carbohydrate composition are the main antinutritional factors that prevent their use in animal feeding. This research is mainly related to L. albus and to L. angustifolius, and to a lesser extent, to L. lauteus and L. mutabilis. The breeding efforts are mostly focused on yield stabilization, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, biochemical structure associated with seed quality and late maturing. Progress is made in improving lupin with respect to the seed quality, as well as the tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. It has to be noted that modern cultivars, mostly of L. albus and L. angustifolius, contain low levels of alkaloids. However, for future breeding efforts, the implementation of marker-assisted selection and the available genomic tools is of great importance.

scholarly journals Socio-ecological factors determine crop performance in agricultural systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Libère Nkurunziza ◽  
Christine A. Watson ◽  
Ingrid Öborn ◽  
Henrik G. Smith ◽  
Göran Bergkvist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Crop Performance ◽  
Latent Structures

AbstractAgricultural production systems are affected by complex interactions between social and ecological factors, which are often hard to integrate in a common analytical framework. We evaluated differences in crop production among farms by integrating components of several related research disciplines in a single socio-ecological analysis. Specifically, we evaluated spring barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.) performance on 34 farms (organic and conventional) in two agro-ecological zones to unravel the importance of ecological, crop and management factors in the performance of a standard crop. We used Projections to Latent Structures (PLS), a simple but robust analytical tool widely utilized in research disciplines dealing with complex systems (e.g. social sciences and chemometrics), but infrequently in agricultural sciences. We show that barley performance on organic farms was affected by previous management, landscape structure, and soil quality, in contrast to conventional farms where external inputs were the main factors affecting biomass and grain yield. This indicates that more complex management strategies are required in organic than in conventional farming systems. We conclude that the PLS method combining socio-ecological and biophysical factors provides improved understanding of the various interacting factors determining crop performance and can help identify where improvements in the agricultural system are most likely to be effective.

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