irrigator Articles
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Novel simulation-based algorithms for optimal open-loop and closed-loop scheduling of deficit irrigation systems
The scarcity of water compared with the abundance of land constitutes the main drawback within agricultural production. Besides the improvement of irrigation techniques a task of primary importance is solving the problem of intra-seasonal irrigation scheduling under limited seasonal water supply. An efficient scheduling algorithm has to take into account the crops' response to water stress at ...
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Assessment of aquacrop, cropsyst, and WOFOST models in the simulation of sunflower growth under different water regimes
This work compares the performance of AquaCrop, a crop simulation model developed by FAO, with that of two well established models, CropSyst and WOFOST, in simulating sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth under different water regimes in a Mediterranean environment. The models differ in the level of complexity describing crop development, in the main growth modules driving the simulation of ...
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Irrigation frequency effects on growth and ethanol yield in sweet Sorghum
With the increasing costs of fossil fuels, new methods of generating renewable fuels need to be researched and developed. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of irrigation frequency on crop growth and ethanol yield of sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Nine combinations of pre- and postanthesis irrigation frequencies triggered by 35, 50, or 65% depletion of plant-available ...
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Summer Irrigation Makes the Crop
Summer Irrigation Makes the Crop Summertime. At this point in the growing season, fruit for tree and vine crops has long been set. Now, the challenge is to bring as much of this yield potential to harvest, and at the desired quality. Irrigation management is crucial to achieve this goal. For most crops, irrigation should provide readily available soil moisture continuously so that fruit and ...
By Farm(x)
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AquaCrop model simulation under different irrigation water and nitrogen strategies
On a global scale, irrigated agriculture consumes about 72% of available freshwater resources. Deficit irrigation can be applied in the field to save irrigation water and still lead to acceptable crop production. The AquaCrop model is a simulation model for management of irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer. This model is a new model that is accurate, robust and requires fewer data inputs ...
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Postanthesis moderate wetting drying improves both quality and quantity of rice yield
A major challenge in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in China is to cope with a declining availability of fresh water without compromising grain yield and grain quality. This study was designed to determine if alternate wetting and moderate soil drying during grain filling could maintain grain yield and grain quality. Two rice cultivars, Zhendao 88 (japonica) and Shanyou 63 (indica), were ...
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Salinity effects on colour and health traits in the pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) fruit peel
Irrigation water salinity effects on colour and health ingredients in the pomegranate peel were studied in two accessions, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘SP-2’, grown under a wide range of salinities, 1.2 to 9 dS m –1 . Ripe fruit peels were analysed for phenolics and anthocyanins composition, and antioxidative capacity. Total phenolics concentration and antioxidative capacity were determined by the ...
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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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Disruptive Innovation Festival
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s first-ever Distributive Innovation Festival debuts online Oct. 20. Over the course of four weeks, the DIF will provide an online space for entrepreneurs, businesses, thought leaders and learners from around the world to explore how we might shape a circular economy. DIF aims to challenge our current “cradle-to-grave” mindset and replace it with ...
By Ensia
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Aquacrop—the FAO crop model to simulate yield response to water
This article introduces the FAO crop model AquaCrop. It simulates attainable yields of major herbaceous crops as a function of water consumption under rainfed, supplemental, deficit, and full irrigation conditions. The growth engine of AquaCrop is water-driven, in that transpiration is calculated first and translated into biomass using a conservative, crop-specific parameter: the biomass water ...
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The Bonsucro Difference: Responsible Sugarcane Production
Sustainability starts at the source—and Amyris’ feedstock source is sustainably harvested sugarcane, certified by Bonsucro, a global non-profit organization founded by the World Wildlife Fund that ensures responsible sugarcane production, processing, and trade. With the Bonsucro certification, Amyris has achieved new levels of accountability and transparency into the lifecycle of the ...
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Why We Launched Indigo Marketplace
The system by which we grow and distribute grain is well over a hundred years old. In the early 1900s, with significant urban migration, came the need for an efficient way to transport crops from rural areas to city centers. This led to the development of a commodity system, in which growers brought their harvested grain to silos where it was mixed with their neighbors’. Growers were paid a ...
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How to get seed rates spot on for target market and harvest scheduling
Potato agronomy is complex and requires a lot of planning, monitoring and evaluation throughout the production process. CPM finds out how digital agronomy tool Crop4Sight can help in all three areas as preparation for the 2023 season gathers paceIf you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail – an adage that is very relevant when thinking about potato crop establishment, with half the agronomy done ...
By Crop4Sight
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On site at Northdown Orchard Organic Farm
On Saturday 15th of October we were on site with Mike and the team at Northdown Orchard, an existing customer who was kind enough to show us around the farm and let us snap some great photos at his site in exchange for a morning demonstrating our latest stone burier on his tractor. About Northdown Orchard The organic farm is a family run affair and sits on a site of 12 acres. Mike and his ever ...
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Worst Water Weeds #1: Hydrilla
The Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health lists a total of 79 different invasive and exotic aquatic plants that can be found in various parts of the United States. Some are wreaking more havoc than others, but one of the worst of all is hydrilla. It has invaded across much of the southern United States, and is beginning to make its way northward. Below are the basics of this invasive ...
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Climate change to worsen drought, diminish corn yields in Africa
Original story at MIT News Nearly 25 percent of the world’s malnourished population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 300 million people depend on corn, or maize, as their main food source. Maize is the most widely harvested agricultural product in Africa and is grown by small farmers who rely heavily on rainwater rather than irrigation. The crop is therefore extremely sensitive ...
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Water Weed Removal: Mechanical Harvesting Versus Chemical Herbicides
Mechanical harvesting versus chemical herbicides is the great debate when it comes to tackling water weed problems. When you’re faced with an infestation of any of the water weeds we’ve covered in previous articles (and there are plenty more to talk about as well), you can feel so overwhelmed and frustrated that you just want the problem to go away as quickly as possible. This causes ...
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Plastics in agriculture: Which are suitable?
Plastics have been an unavoidable part of life for many years, and they have now crept into almost industry that there is. However, when it comes to agriculture, farmers have found that they have needed to be careful which plastics they use. This is because some can be harmful to the environment and the crops that they grow. However, there are also some plastics which have proved to be essential ...
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Can the World Feed China?
By Lester R. Brown Overnight, China has become a leading world grain importer, set to buy a staggering 22 million tons in the 2013–14 trade year, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture projections. As recently as 2006—just eight years ago—China had a grain surplus and was exporting 10 million tons. What caused this dramatic shift? It wasn’t until 20 years ...
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New Era of Food Scarcity Echoes Collapsed Civilizations
The world is in transition from an era of food abundance to one of scarcity. Over the last decade, world grain reserves have fallen by one third. World food prices have more than doubled, triggering a worldwide land rush and ushering in a new geopolitics of food. Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold. This new era is one of rising food prices and spreading hunger. On the demand side of the ...
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