crop observation Articles
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Technical efficiency of organic tea smallholding sector in Sri Lanka: a stochastic frontier analysis
Organic tea is emerging as a major farming activity in Sri Lanka. In this paper, using a stochastic frontier analysis, we analyse the technical efficiency of organic tea smallholdings in the mid country wet zone of Sri Lanka. The Cobb-Douglas functional specifications are found to be an adequate representation of the cross-sectional data obtained in 2002. Our results indicate that there is great ...
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Cover crops and organic mulch to improve tomato yields and soil fertility
Cover crops and organic mulches (OMs) have been reported as a means to reduce inputs and increase soil quality. A field experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of summer cover crops and organic compost on winter fresh market tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) yields and quality. Cover crops were sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis), cowpea ...
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Crop Intelligence Creates New Opportunities
Adding Crop Intelligence to your tool kit creates a number of new opportunities for your farm. Here’s what we know from data analysis and firsthand experience with farmers and agronomists. The Crop Intelligence app interprets data and that can help you: Develop a baseline Weather stations and environmental sensor technology is more reliable and affordable to implement. With farm-specific ...
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Evolution of satellite image data in agriculture
Mapping and monitoring of agricultural areas are an ideal application for satellite image data as big areas can be easily covered in a very cost-efficient way. Today, it is essential for farmers not just to get data, which would increase their workload, but to get concrete, straight-to-the-point recommendations on what precisely to do on the field in terms of irrigation, fertilizing, and ...
By cloudeo
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How crop registration boosts quality, quantity & consistency
Crop registration - an essential piece of the puzzle No matter how well controlled a growing environment is, environmental conditions are bound to vary from time to time. This can be due to the weather conditions in your natural climate, interactions between different plant species or even changes in your operational practices. It’s essential to gain knowledge and understanding of all of ...
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5 reasons commercial farming needs to embrace technology
Stepping forward with technological advancements Agriculture is one of the oldest industries known to man, and many traditional methods and commercial farming practices are still unrivalled. However, technological advancements are continuing at a rapid pace, and rather than shun these, commercial farmers can utilise them to improve their operations. Technology will probably never completely ...
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Breeding maize for a bioeconomy: a literature survey examining harvest index and stover yield and their relationship to grain yield
The use of maize (Zea mays L.) stover as a feedstock for cellulosic biofuels production will create demand for maize hybrids with greater stover yield. It is expected that grain yield will remain the most critical trait and continue to drive hybrid sales, requiring that any increases in stover yield be made without sacrificing grain yield potential. The objective of this review was to determine ...
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The future of agriculture: saving water with Hydroponic Crops
In the hydroponic crops, the plants complete their vegetative cycle without the necessity of using the soil. The water with mineral nutrition (total or partial) is provided through a solution in which the different essential nutrients for their development are dissolved. The future of modern agriculture goes through the optimal use of one of the most limited and most important resources: water. ...
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Changes in genetic diversity of U.S. flue-cured tobacco germplasm over seven decades of cultivar development
Plant breeding methodologies have been applied to flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) for approximately seven decades. As has been observed in several other crops, stringent quality requirements have resulted in use of conservative breeding strategies in the development of new cultivars. The impact of breeding practices on genetic diversity within U.S. flue-cured tobacco germplasm has not ...
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Can changes in canopy and/or root system architecture explain historical maize yield trends in the U.S. corn belt?
Continuous increase in the yield of maize (Zea mays L.) in the U.S. Corn Belt has involved an interaction with plant density. A number of contributing traits and mechanisms have been suggested. In this study we used a modeling approach to examine whether changes in canopy and/or root system architecture might explain the observed trends. A maize crop model was generalized so that changes in ...
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Wheat grain quality response to tillage and rotation with field Pea
Preceding spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with field pea (Pisum sativum L.) can enhance wheat grain yield in a wheat-pea (WP) rotation compared with continuous wheat (WW). The pea-rotation benefits to wheat grain quality are uncertain. A 6-yr study was conducted to determine (i) if grain protein content, kernel weight, and test weight were enhanced for wheat in a WP rotation compared with WW, ...
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Effect of implementing organic farming on chemical and biochemical properties of an irrigated loam soil
Conventional agriculture can lead to reduced soil organic matter and depletion in soil fertility. For that reason, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends organic matter incorporation to soils to increase their agronomic quality. This work studies the effect of the transition to organic farming on chemical and biochemical properties of a loam soil (Xerofluvent), ...
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Analysis of trends in area, production and yield of important crops of India
Information related to trends in different crops can aid the policy makers in recommending policies leading to sustainable increase in the food production. The present study was aimed at analyzing the trends in area, production and yield of important crops viz. Cotton, Castor and Banana of India. A time series data from 2000-01 to 2011-12 (12 years) regarding the area, production and yield of ...
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The complex nature of GMOs calls for a new conversation
An honest discussion of genetically modified organisms must move beyond narrow concepts of human health to the wider social and environmental impacts of engineered crops. The GMO debate is one from which I’ve kept a purposeful distance. For one thing, it’s an issue that has already garnered more than its fair share of attention. For another, when you consider that many domesticated ...
By Ensia
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