Crop Harvesting Articles
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Preharvest neutral detergent fiber concentration of alfalfa as influenced by stubble height
Regression equations can be used to estimate the preharvest neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration of alfalfa. In New York, where the stubble height of alfalfa varies due to terrain, predictive accuracy of existing equations may be reduced. The objectives of this experiment were to develop and evaluate alfalfa NDF equations that incorporate intended stubble height. Stands of first-cut ...
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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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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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An occupational health and safety programme for crop farm workers in the Mangaung municipal district, Free State
The occupational hygiene of South African farm workers have been largely neglected because of the emphasis specifically put on the industrial environment. The aim of the study was to compile an applicable occupational hygiene programme for Mangaung crop farm workers. Twenty-five farms were selected and a list that included the different farm activities, number of workers and work hours was ...
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Annual legumes for forage systems in the United States gulf coast region
Forage-livestock systems in the U.S. Gulf Coast are based on perennial C4 grasses. System productivity often is predicated on significant inputs of N fertilizer, but rapidly escalating fertilizer prices raise questions about the sustainability of these systems and provide impetus for legume research. There are few successful forage legumes in the region, suggesting that alternative species merit ...
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Dryland crop yields and soil organic matter as influenced by long-term tillage and cropping sequence
Novel management practices are needed to improve the declining dryland crop yields and soil organic matter contents using conventional farming practices in the northern Great Plains. We evaluated the 21-yr effect of tillage and cropping sequence on dryland grain and biomass (stems + leaves) yields of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and pea (Pisum sativum L.) and ...
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Biomass heterosis as the basis for grain and stover yield heterosis in arid zone pearl millet hybrids
Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] single cross hybrids, bred from high-yielding parental lines in favorable environments, are not well adapted to northwest India's arid zone. The objectives of these experiments were (i) to measure grain and stover yield heterosis in testcrosses of six landrace-based restorer populations and (ii) to understand how heterosis for biomass and harvest ...
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Trait-specific improvement of a Cytoplasmic male-sterile line using molecular marker-assisted selection in rice
To specifically improve preharvest sprouting (PHS) and amylose content (AC) in the cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) line G46A, two simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, RM3754 and RM447, that are closely linked to qPSR8, a major quantitative trait locus for PHS, were adopted to select for reduced PHS; SSR marker 484/485, which is tightly linked to the waxy gene, was used to select for AC. In the ...
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Mass balance of Cadmium in two contrasting oak forest ecosystems
The mass balance of cadmium in forest ecosystems was parameterized. Soil pH is the main variable controlling retention of Cd in the soil and, hence, determines whether Cd is leached from the system or not. However the extent to which root uptake and biomass accumulation of Cd, or the return of Cd to the soil as internal cycling, influences forest Cd balances is unknown. Also unknown is whether ...
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Land application of sugar beet by-products: effects on Nitrogen mineralization and crop yields
Land application of food processing wastes has become an acceptable practice because of the nutrient value of the wastes and potential cost savings in their disposal. Spoiled beets and pulp are among the main by-products generated by the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) processing industry. Farmers commonly land apply these by-products at rates >224 Mg ha–1 on a fresh weight basis. However, ...
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Land application of sugar beet by-products: Effects on runoff and percolating water quality
Water quality concerns, including greater potential for nutrient transport to surface waters resulting in eutrophication and nutrient leaching to ground water, exist when agricultural or food processing industry wastes and by-products are land applied. Plot- and field-scale studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of sugar beet by-products on NO3–N and P losses and biochemical oxygen demand ...
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Uptake of point source depleted 15n fertilizer by neighboring corn plants
Ground-based active (self-illuminating) sensors make it possible to collect canopy data that are useful for making on-the-go N fertilizer application decisions. These technologies raise questions about plant-to-plant competition for targeted fertilizer N applications. This study evaluated the extent to which fertilizer N applied to an individual corn (Zea mays L.) plant might be intercepted by ...
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A survey of factors involved in crop maturity
The time necessary for crops to successfully complete reproduction is species and environment dependent. Lifecycles can be completed in a few weeks or take several years depending on the plant species. Crop development is divided into phenophases that are affected primarily by light and temperature changes, interacting with phytohormones. Some species are influenced more by light and others by ...
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Heritability of drought resistance traits and correlation of drought resistance and agronomic traits in peanut
Inheritance of traits is important for developing effective breeding schemes for improving desired traits. The aims of this study were to estimate the heritabilities (h2) of drought resistance traits and the genotypic (rG) and phenotypic (rP) correlations between drought resistance traits and agronomic traits, and to examine the relationships between drought resistance traits under stressed and ...
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Uncomposted wool and hair-wastes as soil amendments for high-value crops
The hypothesis of this work was that uncomposted sheep wool and human hair could be used as nutrient source for nonedible high-value plants. Pot and field experiments were conducted to assess uncomposted sheep wool-wastes and human hair-wastes as a nutrient source for high-value crops and to evaluate the effect of these waste materials on soil microbial community and mycorrhizae. In the pot ...
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Second harvest timing and cut height of forage crops in Central Alaska
Proper timing of second harvest is critical for good yields and long-term sustainability of perennial hay crops in high latitude environments. We studied effects of second harvest timing and height on yield and forage quality for smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) in central Alaska. Second harvest treatments occurred ...
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Evaluation of convective heat and mass transfer in Open Sun and Green House Drying
In this paper, a study on open sun and green house drying has been performed to evaluate the convective heat and mass transfer coefficients as a function of climatic parameters. The hourly data for the rate of moisture removal, crop temperature, relative humidity inside greenhouse and outside greenhouse and ambient air temperature for complete drying have been recorded. The experiments were done ...
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Long-term fertilization influences on clay mineral composition and Ammonium adsorption in a Rice Paddy soil
Increasing NH4+ adsorption can be an effective alternative in building an available N pool in soils to optimize crop recovery and minimize losses into the environment. We hypothesized that long-term fertilization may change NH4+ adsorption due to changes in the chemical and mineralogical properties of a rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddy soil. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine clay ...
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Comparative mycotoxin profiles of gibberella zeae populations from barley, wheat, potatoes, and sugar beets
Gibberella zeae is one of the most devastating pathogens of barley and wheat in the United States. The fungus also infects noncereal crops, such as potatoes and sugar beets, and the genetic relationships among barley, wheat, potato, and sugar beet isolates indicate high levels of similarity. However, little is known about the toxigenic potential of G. zeae isolates from potatoes and sugar ...
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Impact of defoliation on corn forage quality
Hail damage can be a serious problem on corn (Zea mays L.) grown for silage. The value of corn grown for silage is a function of both the yield and quality of the forage produced. An improved understanding of the effects of defoliation on forage quality would improve the ability of agronomists, farmers, and crop insurance adjusters to assess the economic impact of hail damage to corn harvested ...
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