Analysis of Total Factor Productivity of Pigeon Pea (Red Gram) in North-Eastern Karnataka, India

The present paper explores the growth of total factor productivity of red gram crop in North-Eastern Karnataka. The cost of cultivation data of red gram crop for the period 1990-91 to 2012-13 was used for estimation of Total Factor Productivity. It was found that TFP of red gram crop has substantially increased in North Eastern Dry Zone and the mean TFP index recorded for the entire 23 year period was 1.92. TFP of red gram during the period has registered a growth rate of 5.14 percent per annum implying that change in output growth is due to the factors such as research, extension, soil types, rainfall and infrastructure facilities, etc. In the case of North-Eastern Transitional Zone, the TFP index registered fluctuations over 23 year period and there was no substantial growth in TFP. The total factor productivity estimate of red gram crop shows that there was significant growth in TFP in North-Eastern Dry Zone compared to North-Eastern Transitional Zone.

Validação do modelo Ceres-Rice para a cultivar IRGA 424 no Rio Grande do Sul

The objective of this paper was to calibrate and validate the CERES-Rice model in relation to the productivity estimate for the cultivar IRGA 424 in Rio Grande do Sul, using only information found in the literature. CERES-Rice is a model that simulates the development and productivity of a cultivar. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to obtain the genetic coefficients of the cultivar through the calibration process. The genetic coefficients describe the behavior of the plant in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. The GENCALC module present in the DSSAT was used for the calibration. After the calibration process with 30% of the assembled experiments, the validation was performed in the others. The results for productivity were considered acceptable, since most of the values were below 15%, only one of the results showed an error of 16,88%. Note that the model did not consider neither phenological stages nor fertilization or water issues in the calibration and validation process.

A Case Study on Quality and Productivity Optimization in Electric Discharge Machining (EDM)

Quality and productivity are two important aspects have become great concerns in todays competitive global market. Every manufacturing/ production unit mainly focuses on these areas in relation to the process as well as product developed. Achieving high quality necessarily requires higher degree of skill, sophisticated machine/ tools, advanced technology, precise control, immense attention-inspection and considerable time. Improvement of quality results reduction in productivity and vice versa. Thus, optimality must be maintained between quality as well as productivity. The case study highlights EDM of stainless steel in which best process environment (optimal) has been determined to satisfy productivity and quality requirements simultaneously. Material Removal Rate (MRR) during the process has been considered as productivity estimate with the aim to maximize it; whereas surface roughness i.e. (Ra value) of the machined surface has been chosen as surface quality estimate with the requirement to minimize it. These two contradicting requirements have been simultaneously satisfied by selecting an optimal process environment (optimal parameter setting). Desirability Function (DF) approach coupled with Taguchi method has been used to solve the problem.

Comparison of Productivity Estimates for Laminaria in Nova Scotia

An estimate of productivity for a southwestern Nova Scotia Laminaria community was obtained using a dynamic simulation model which incorporated data on population recruitment and mortality, lamina growth and attrition, and interspecific competition for L. longicruris and L. digitata. The estimate for the total quantity of particulate material produced by this community at equilibrium is ≈6800 g∙m−2∙yr−1 (wet weight), or ≈408 g C∙m−2∙yr−1. The annual productivity to standing crop ratio (P:S) was determined to be ≈2.1:1. The productivity estimate for this community at equilibrium is considerably lower than a widely cited previous estimate for Laminaria productivity in Nova Scotia, which placed the seaweed zone amongst the most productive plant communities known. An evaluation of the methodology yielding this estimate has indicated that inaccurate estimates of population age structure and mortality have possibly resulted in a significant overestimation of particulate productivity.

POTENTIAL VEGETATIVE PRODUCTIVITY IN CANADA

Duration of the growing season appears to be the single most important factor limiting vegetative productivity in Canada. A theoretical estimate of annual vegetative productivity in the absence of limitations due to water, nutrients or soil structure, shows that potential productivity in the 5-mo growing season of Southern Canada is in the range of 25–55 tonne/ha. Maximum productivity, however, lies considerably below the potential productivity estimate due to lower-than-expected photosynthetic efficiency during periods of high solar irradiance. Crop growth rates appear to be rather independent of variation in radiant flux density during the growing season. Consequently, a realistic estimate of maximum vegetative productivity can be obtained by multiplying number of days of full light interception by a crop canopy, by a crop growth rate of 230 kg∙h−1∙day−1 and adding the weight of the crop at the onset of full light interception by the canopy. Maximum vegetative productivity could likely be improved by extending the period of full light interception by crop canopies through the cultivation of perennial species or double-crop sequences. Alternatively, vegetative productivity could likely be improved through increased photosynthetic efficiency. Very high photosynthetic efficiencies of crops grown under field conditions have been reported occasionally in the literature, but factors underlying this high photosynthetic efficiency have not yet been identified.Key words: Vegetative production, photosynthetic efficiency, potential productivity, duration of growing season, crop species