Spatial Assessment of Jerusalem Artichoke’s Potential as an Energy Crop in the Marginal Land of the Shaanxi Province, China

As a foodstuff crop, Jerusalem artichoke has a promising prospect for providing sustainable feed-stock sources for bioenergy development. Due to relatively limited cultivated land resources in China, it is crucial to evaluate Jerusalem artichoke’s potential production capacity in marginal land. Based on Jerusalem artichoke’s growth and photosynthetic characteristics, the agricultural production systems simulator model (APSIM) and multi-factor integrated assessment method were integrated to provide an operational method for comprehensively evaluating the marginal land resources suitable for developing the plantation of Jerusalem artichoke in the Shaanxi province, China. The results showed that 0.73 million ha of marginal land was suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation in the Shaanxi province, and 5.4 million ha of marginal land was fairly suitable for Jerusalem artichoke cultivation, with the yield reaching 44,289 kg/ha and 38,861 kg/ha, respectively. The suitable land resources are mainly located in Yan’an (0.18 million ha), Hanzhong (0.13 million ha), and Baoji (0.08 million ha), most of which are moderate dense grassland (accounting for 50.6% of suitable land), dense grassland (accounting for 16.2% of suitable land), shrubland (accounting for 14.7% of suitable land), and sparse forest land (accounting for 9.18% of suitable land). The findings of this study can be used to establish targeted policies for Jerusalem artichoke development in China and other countries, particularly those along the Silk Road.

Land Suitability Assessment for Pulse (Green Gram) Production through Remote Sensing, GIS, and Multicriteria Analysis in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh

The agricultural potential of Bangladesh’s coastal region has been threatened by the impact of climate change. Pulse crops with high nutritional value and low production costs such as green gram constitute an important component of a healthy and accessible diet for the country. In order to optimize the production of this important staple, this research aims to promote climate-smart agriculture by optimizing the identification of the appropriate land. The objective of this research is to investigate, estimate, and identify the suitable land areas for green gram production based on the topography, climate, and soil characteristics in the coastal region of Bangladesh. The methodology of the study included a Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Multicriteria Decision-Making approach: the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Datasets were collected and prepared using Landsat 8 imagery, the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) data portal and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council. All the datasets were processed into raster images and then reclassified into four classes: Highly Suitable (S1), Moderately Suitable (S2), Marginally Suitable (S3), and Not Suitable. Then, the AHP results were applied to produce a final green gram suitability map with four classes of suitability. The results of the study found that 12% of the coastal area (344,619.5 ha) is highly suitable for green gram production, while the majority of the land area (82.3% of the area) shows moderately suitable (S2) land. The sensitivity analysis results show that 3.3%, 63.4%, 28.0%, and 1.2% of the study area are S1, S2, S3, and NS, respectively. It is also found that the highly suitable land area belongs mostly to the southeastern part of the country. The result of this study can be utilized by policymakers to adopt a proper green gram production strategy, providing special agricultural incentive policies in the highly suitable area as a provision for the increased food production of the country.

Using Ecological Niche Models for Population and Range Estimates of a Threatened Snake Species (Crotalus oreganus) in Canada

Modelling the distribution and abundance of species at risk is extremely important for their conservation and management. We used ecological niche models (ENMs) to predict the occurrence of western rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We applied this to existing population estimates to support a threshold of occurrence for management and conservation. We also identified predictors influencing rattlesnake distribution and abundance in this region. Using a Geographic Information Systems platform, we incorporated ENMs, capture–mark–recapture (CMR) and radio-telemetry results, province-wide observations, Landsat imagery and provincial databases for agricultural land use to produce quantitative, spatially explicit, population estimates across BC. Using available western rattlesnake habitat estimated at 183.9 km2 and averaging estimates calculated from densities in three study populations, we generated a mean adult population size of 9722 (±SD 3009; 0.8 relative index of occurrence [RIO] threshold). Only a small area (21.6 km2) of suitable land cover was located within protected areas, potentially protecting an estimated 1144 (±354) adults. Most suitable land cover was within 500 m of roads (170.6 km2), representing potential habitat being used by an estimated 9017 (±2791) adults. At the threshold RIO value chosen (0.8), only a very small area of farmland provided suitable land cover. Our results highlight the possibility of high mortality rates for western rattlesnakes near roads and the fact that protected areas do not provide sufficient coverage to conserve the population. Given that this species has relatively low mobility and high site fidelity to home ranges, our population estimate for BC provides a useful reference for the northern part of the species’ range. It also fulfills a need to estimate population size within political jurisdictions where conservation management decisions are made, as well as presenting a method that can be applied to other parts of the range, including the southern United States. Our study provides an important benchmark for future monitoring of western rattlesnakes in BC using a repeatable and transparent approach. Similar applications can be extrapolated and applied for other threatened species to identify and quantify population distributions and threats, further supporting conservation prioritization tools to be used to maximize the effectiveness of conservation strategies under financial constraints.

Soil fertility status and land suitability evaluation for rice crops on former shrimp ponds

Undertaking suitable land, including former shrimp ponds for rice, is required to cope with future rice shortages. The purpose of this study was to identify the soil morphology and physicochemical properties, determine soil fertility status and assess irrigated rice suitability of ex-shrimp ponds. Soil morpho-physicochemical properties such as soil color, structure, texture, pH, organic-C, P2O5, K2O, base saturation, and cation exchange capacity were determined. The resulting data was then matched into the criteria for BSCR and SLAN/CCDS, five major soil fertility criteria, and ICALRRD land suitability. Soil physiographical, morphological, and physicochemical analysis suggested that the soil developed from the alluvial site of calcareous-marl parent material located at saturated backswamp, then permanently drained. ESP, SAR, and salinity values were detected relatively lower than saline, sodic, and saline-sodic soil. The entire cations fell below BCSR ideal ratios, whereas all exchangeable K were detected below the CCDS/SLAN thresholds. Actual suitability for land units of A, B, and C were S3-rc,na, S3-na and S3-rc,nr,na,eh, respectively. The improvement such as fertilization, amelioration, slope flattening/cut-filling, and irrigation management increases all land units to S1. This study pinpointed the importance of former shrimp pond soil to provide suitable land for rice crop cultivation. Also, encouraging further research to identify the origin of alluvial parent material from the soil at the study site

Productivity and profitability of peanut at various land suitability in North Lombok Regency of Nusa Tenggara Barat Province

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) are the second main commodity in the annual cropping pattern in lowland and dryland in North Lombok District of NTB Province. However, peanut productivity is still low, and it varies across regions, which might be due to the traditional crop management of farmers and the difference in land suitability classes. Effects of crop varieties and land suitability on the peanut productivity have not been evaluated in the Region. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the productivity and profitability of peanut varieties at various land classification in KLU NTB. The experiment was arranged in a Split Plot Design consisting of three classes of land suitability as main plot and six peanut varieties as sub-plot with three replications. The results showed that the land suitability classes have a significant effect on the agronomic variables of peanut varieties, including plant height, number of branches, number of pods and productivity. The highest peanut yield was obtained at suitable land class (S1), followed by moderately suitable land class (S2) and marginally suitable land class (S3) at 2.37 ton.ha-1, 2.08 ton.ha-1 and 1.71 ton.ha-1, respectively. Likewise, the R/C ratio follows a similar pattern to productivity in various land suitability classes. The highest yield (above 2 ton.ha-1) in each land suitability class was produced by Kelinci variety, followed by Tuban, Bima and Talam varieties. Those varieties have potential prospective to be developed in North Lombok Regency.

Intercropping Sedum Alfredii and Cicer Arietinum L. Does Not Present a Suitable Land Use Pattern For Multi-Metal-Polluted Soil

Background and aims Intercropping of hyperaccumulators with commercial crops is widely accepted in single-metal-polluted farmland. However, the ecological risks of non-hyperaccumulated metals in intercropping systems have not been revealed. Methods To evaluate Pb and Cu activation and absorption in an intercropped system of Sedum alfredii and Cicer arietinum L., sequential extraction and dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization were used to describe the migration of metals in the intercropping system. Results This study found that the concentrations of DOM in the S. alfredii monoculture and intercropping system were significantly higher than those in the C. arietinum L. monoculture, and DOM from the former two cultivation strategies had significantly higher Cd, Pb, and Cu extraction capacity than those from the latter. Compared with the C. arietinum L. monoculture, C. arietinum L. intercropping had significantly lower Cd content owing to the depletion of Cd by S. alfredii. However, Cu and Pb concentrations in the former were significantly higher than those in the latter because S. alfredii mobilized these metals but did not hyperaccumulate them. Conclusion The results indicated that intercropping efficiently decreased the potential risk of Cd, but deteriorated the ecological risk of Pb and Cu. Therefore, intercropping does not present a suitable land-use pattern for multi-metal-polluted soil.

Minimizing the Impacts of Desertification in an Arid Region: A Case Study of the West Desert of Iraq

Currently, desertification is a major problem in the western desert of Iraq. The harsh nature, remoteness, and size of the desert make it difficult and expensive to monitor and mitigate desertification. Therefore, this study proposed a comprehensive and cost-effective method, via the integration of geographic information systems (GISs) and remote sensing (RS) techniques to estimate the potential risk of desertification, to identify the most vulnerable areas and determine the most appropriate sites for rainwater conservation. Two indices, namely, the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Degradation Index (LDI), were used for a cadastral assessment of land degradation. The findings of the combined rainwater harvesting appropriateness map, and the maps of NDVI and LDI changes found that 65% of highly suitable land for rainwater harvesting lies in the large change and 35% lies in the small change of NDVI, and 85% of highly suitable land lies in areas with a moderate change and 12% lies in strong change of LDI. The adoption of the weighted linear combination (WLC) and Boolean methods within the GIS environment, and the analysis of NDVI with LDI changes can allow hydrologists, decision-makers, and planners to quickly determine and minimize the risk of desertification and to prioritize the determination of suitable sites for rainwater harvesting.

Evaluating Land Suitability and Potential Climate Change Impacts on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Production in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa with 35 million tropical livestock units. The livestock system relies on natural open grazing which is affected by frequent droughts. However, little research exists that studies the suitability of the biophysical environment for fodder production and the risks due to climate change. The main objectives of the study are to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on land suitability for alfalfa production in Ethiopia and to assess the extent of irrigation requirements for alfalfa growing under the adverse climate change projections. The impact of climate change on land suitability for alfalfa was evaluated using projected changes in rainfall and temperature based on three global circulation models (CCSM4, HadGEM2-AO, and MIROC5). A multi-criteria evaluation in GIS that uses biophysical, climatic and topography factors was applied to identify the suitable land. The highly suitable area under current climate scenarios covered ~472,000 km2, while moderately suitable and marginally suitable covered ~397,000 km2 and ~16,200 km2, respectively. The projected climate alters the suitable land for fodder production across Ethiopia. Expansion of suitable land occurred in the highlands where climate scenarios predict an increase in temperature and precipitation. Dryland regions showed a rainfall deficit for the three model projections. The research provides guidelines for growing alfalfa in Ethiopia considering ecological and climatic variability.

Integrated Multi-criteria Land Suitability Evaluation and Mapping for Scaling Malt Barley Varieties in Rain-Fed Production Areas of Ethiopia

Information on variety specific land suitability analysis was not available in Ethiopia. Therefore, integrated multi-criteria land suitability analysis and mapping for contrasting malt barley varieties was carried out to identify where and how much potentially suitable land exists in the country. The main factors considered for analysis include rainfall and temperature during the growing period, length of growing period, digital elevation models, (altitude and slope data) and soil characteristics (types, pH, depth, texture and drainage). The malt barley varieties included are late maturing Bekoji-1, EH1847 and Holker; and early maturing Grace, IBON 174/03 and Sabini. For classification of the data layers according to the degree of suitability for each variety, various reports and other relevant information were reviewed and used in defining the limits of the suitability ranges of malt barley varieties. The overall suitability was computed by multiplying the selected criteria weight by the assigned sub-criteria score and summing these values in the ArcGIS Model Builder. The analysis showing the extent and patterns of suitable land area available for the selected malt barley varieties are presented in the form of tabular data and maps. Highly suitable areas for these varieties include: 125,332 ha for Bekoji-1; 124,004 ha for EH1847; 775,312 ha for Grace; 125,356 ha for Holker; 1,677,388 ha for IBON 174/03; and 307,952 ha for Sabini. The results suggest that current improved malt barley varieties can be targeted for scaling out in the identified land suitability classes in the highlands of Ethiopia. Results also suggest that future research and development works should give priority for developing early maturing, acidic and waterlogging soil tolerant malt barley varieties. The results can be useful for policy and decision making to ensure land resources are used in the most productive and sustainable ways and solve the mismatches between current land use and land suitability for malt barley varieties in the country.