crop biomass Articles
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Corn stover to sustain soil organic carbon further constrains biomass supply
Sustainable aboveground crop biomass harvest estimates for cellulosic ethanol production, to date, have been limited by the need for residue to control erosion. Recently, estimates of the amount of corn (Zea mays L.) stover needed to maintain soil carbon, which is responsible for favorable soil properties, were reported (5.25–12.50 Mg ha–1). These estimates indicate stover needed to maintain soil ...
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Scale of biomass production from new woody crops for salinity control in dryland agriculture in Australia
There is scope internationally to utilise surplus and degraded agricultural land for biomass crops that might also be environmentally beneficial. For example, dryland salinity in southern Australian could be ameliorated using profitable woody biomass crops. A model was developed to predict biomass production from such woody crops. At a biomass price of A$35/t (green) and a water use efficiency of ...
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Summer cover crop and management system affect lettuce and cantaloupe production system
Cover crops are widely used in both conventional and organic systems to protect and improve the soil. This study evaluated the effect of summer cover crop and management system on the production of fall romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and spring cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) from 1999 to 2003. Cover crop treatments included cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] incorporated (CPI), cowpea used ...
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Effect of irrigation with secondary treated effluent on essential oil, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds in oregano and rosemary
Shortage of water throughout the world dictates utilization of marginal water for irrigation. Treated urban wastewater is a common alternative water source for irrigation in arid and semiarid regions. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of irrigation with secondary-treated effluent on plant development, essential oil yield, antioxidant activity and selected antioxidant phenolic ...
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Impact assessment of pre- and post-sown irrigation with Post Methanation distillery Effluent on soil health and crop yield
Field experiments were conducted to assess the optimum dilution of Post Methanation distillery Effluent (PME) to utilise as an organic nutrient source for growing rice and wheat crops. Dilution levels of distillery effluent significantly affected the biomass production as well as grain yield of rice and wheat crops. Levels of organic carbon and NPK were significantly higher in effluent treated ...
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O3 sensitivity in a potential C4 bioenergy crop: Sugarcane in California
The C4 perennial grasses have many potential virtues as bioenergy crops—high productivity and water use efficiency, multiyear crop cycle that minimizes replanting costs, and wide environmental adaptation. In the productive San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California, these species also confront high levels of ozone (O3) air pollution. It is often assumed that C4 species will exhibit tolerance to O3, ...
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Potential for using sunn hemp as a source of biomass and nitrogen for the piedmont and coastal plain regions of the southeastern usa
The tropical legume sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) could be a valuable green manure/cover crop for vegetable producers in the southeastern USA because of its rapid growth and large N2 fixing ability. Planting and termination date effects on biomass and N accumulation are relatively unknown for the region, but would help producers manage sunn hemp between summer and winter cash crops. We ...
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Soil carbon levels in irrigated western corn belt rotations
Proposals promoting the use of massive amounts of crop residues and other lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production have increased the need for evaluation of the sustainability of cropping practices and their effect on environment quality. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of crop rotation and N fertilizer management and their stover production characteristics on soil organic carbon ...
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Weed biomass and species composition as affected by an integrated crop–livestock system
Crop and livestock production are rarely integrated together in modern farming systems. Reintegrating crops with livestock production has been shown to produce many agronomic and environmental benefits. The objective of this study was to evaluate how an integrated crop–livestock system would influence weed biomass and weed species composition compared with a conventional, continuous corn (Zea ...
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Better photosynthesis for a better world?
There’s no question that plants are better than most other life forms at converting carbon dioxide and sunlight into the sugars that form the basis of our global food web — and eventually, humans’ entire food supply. But fact of the matter is, with conversion rates hovering around 2 percent for our best crop fields, they’re by no means great. Even a slight increase in the ...
By Ensia
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