Agriculture Monitoring Articles
-
Sand abrasion injury and biomass partitioning in cotton seedlings
Wind blown soil particle abrasion negatively impacts millions of hectares of crops annually. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of wind and wind blown sand abrasion damage on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedling biomass partitioning to leaves, stems, and roots. Seedlings of three cotton cultivars were exposed to no wind (untreated controls) or sand abrasive flux densities of 0, ...
-
Comparative plant growth and development in two cotton rotations under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions
Incorporating perennial grasses such as bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Fluegge) to diversify the conventional two-crop rotation of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) prevalent in the U.S. Southeast (SE) is advocated. However, little is reported on growth and development for cotton grown in rotation with perennial grasses. Our objectives were to compare plant ...
-
Yield and plant growth response of peanut to midseason forage harvest
Harvesting of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) foliage during the growing season may increase farm revenue through the sale of peanut hay; however, it is unknown how the peanut plant will respond to forage removal with respect to plant characteristics, pod yield, quality, and revenue. This experiment was a randomized complete block design where peanut foliage was harvested or sprayed with a plant ...
-
Effects of foliar-applied ethylene inhibitor and synthetic cytokinin on creeping bentgrass to enhance heat tolerance
Heat stress is a major factor causing leaf senescence and other physiological damages in cool-season grass species. Cytokinins and ethylene are two major plant hormones affecting leaf senescence. The objective of this study was to determine whether foliar application of an ethylene synthesis inhibitor (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG) and a synthetic cytokinin (trans-zeatin riboside, t-ZR) would ...
-
Leaf nitrogen concentration as an indicator of corn nitrogen status
Plant-based measurements can be used to diagnose the in-season N status of corn (Zea mays L.). Our objective was to assess the relationship between the corn nitrogen nutrition index (NNI), an index based on whole plant N concentration, and leaf nitrogen concentration of the uppermost collared leaf expressed on the basis of dry matter (DM; NL) or area (NLA). Three to seven N fertilization ...
-
Role of multicriteria decision-aid (MCDA) to promote sustainable agriculture: heterogeneous data and different kinds of actors in a decision process
Regulation of pesticides in agricultural sector is becoming increasingly oriented to the use of best management practices in order to counter the effect of agricultural practices on health and groundwater. Several distinct criteria (economic, technical, environmental, social and informational criteria) need to be considered in the decision-making process. Moreover, the preferences of actors can ...
-
Building a static farm level spatial microsimulation model for rural development and agricultural policy analysis in Ireland
Using statistical matching techniques, economists can now create attribute rich datasets by matching across the common variables in two or more datasets. The farm level spatial microsimulation model developed in this paper uses one of many combinational optimisation techniques – simulated annealing – to match the Irish Census of Agriculture to the 2005 Irish National Farm Survey (NFS). Using the ...
-
The essential oils in agriculture as an alternative strategy to herbicides: a case study
In this study we investigated the allelopathic effect of some essential oils extracted from aromatic plants to inhibit weed seed germination. The study was performed to evaluate the potential genotoxic effect of lavender on Vicia faba root meristems by genotoxicity tests (comet assay and micronuclei test) and to evaluate microbial diversity fluctuation by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism ...
-
Water deficit alters canopy structure but not photosynthesis during the regrowth of Alfalfa
Growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) following the correction of a water deficit will depend in part on the characteristics of the canopy grown during the water deficit. The current study was undertaken to determine the extent to which canopy structure and photosynthetic capacity are affected in alfalfa plants regrowing following defoliation while exposed to a water deficit. The effects of five ...
-
Application of two vermicomposts on a Rice crop: Effects on soil biological properties and rice quality and yield
Vermicomposts have been considered as a soil additive to reduce the use of mineral fertilizers because they provide required nutrients, increase cation exchange capacity, and improve water-holding capacity. However, the effect of each vermicompost on soil properties and crop yield depends on its chemical composition. The main objective of this work was to study the effect of incorporating two ...
-
Accounting precautionary measures in agriculture through pathway analysis: the case of the Environmental Farm Plan
Stewardship programs are an important element of agroecosystems management. These programs are confronted with the difficult challenges of demonstrating their positive impacts on the environment. This paper argues that under the precautionary principle, evaluation of stewardship programs should be aimed at identifying risks mitigated, as opposed to actual changes in environmental conditions. The ...
-
Conflicting farmers' objectives and environmental policies: the case of a Mediterranean farm
In dry land areas of the Mediterranean region, farmers' decisions are particularly difficult due to irregular rainfall. Yield risk, soil erosion and desertification are important problems. Decision-making behaviour of farmers is supposed to incorporate a particular concern in the adoption of strategies to decrease income variability, to conserve soil and to guarantee a comfortable level of ...
-
The economic impact of transgenic crops in developing countries: a note on the methods
A vast literature has accumulated since crop varieties with transgenic resistance to insects and herbicide tolerance were released to farmers in 1996 and 1997. A comparatively minor segment of this literature consists of studies conducted by agricultural economists to measure the farm-level impact of transgenic crop varieties, the size and distribution of the economic benefits from adopting them ...
-
Effect of height on the competitive ability of wheat with oats
Competitive ability of wheat is influenced by a range of attributes such as plant height, tiller number, and light interception. This study focused on the effect of plant height on weed competitiveness of a set of near-isogenic wheat lines (NILs). The set included seven bread wheat (Triticum aestivium L.) and six durum wheat (T. turgidum L.) cultivars, each having a semidwarf and tall ...
-
Goals and standards in Swedish organic farming: trading off between desirables
Organic farming is an explicitly value-based movement working towards a set of goals. The standards of organic farming serve the purpose of telling organic producers what they need to do, to be certified organic, but they are also as a means to steer them towards the goals of organic production. Both standards and goals are dynamic and subject to change. While goals can be broad and idealistic, ...
-
Policy instruments in support of organic farming in Austria
This paper explores the connection between agricultural policy measures and the development of organic farming in Austria from 1991 onwards. First, past policy measures are reviewed. Then, various new policy strategies for the further development of the organic sector in Austria are elaborated and their potential impact discussed. The analysis suggests that the current direct policy measures ...
-
After 10,000 years of agriculture, whither agronomy?
The evolution of agriculture within the last 11,000 yr marked the first major inflection point in food yield and changed forever the character of the human condition. The application of technology to agriculture early in the 20th Century induced the next major crop yield inflexion point. Identifying the technological wellspring from which increased rates of productivity will be obtained in the ...
-
Variation in characteristics and imazamox tolerance of feral rye
Rye (Secale cereale L.) is a minor crop in America, with similarities to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in growth habit and distribution. However, feral rye has become a weed in wheat. Little is known about variation in feral rye morphological characteristics that influence success of cultural controls. Thus, 21 feral rye populations were sampled from wheat fields in central Oklahoma to ...
-
A test of agricultural labour market efficiency in the Gezira scheme, Sudan: a production function approach
This study is concerned with testing the efficiency of the rural labour market in the Gezira scheme. One hundred and fifty respondents were randomly selected through a field survey during the 2003?2004 season. A Cobb-Douglas production function was fitted to the data. The results indicated that labour markets in Gezira do not behave as predicted by the neoclassical theory. Labour allocations are ...
-
Fabricated soils for landscape restoration: an example for scientific contribution by a public-private partnership effort
Public-private partnership efforts are working towards creating green landscapes from abandoned industrial sites. Fabricated soils, potentially an essential element of such landscapes, are designed to substitute for top-soil on the areas free from ground cover and plant community. The aluminosilicate matrix and humus form the soil micelle the primary unit of any soil complex. Humus formation is a ...
Need help finding the right suppliers? Try XPRT Sourcing. Let the XPRTs do the work for you