A survey of rice farmers' farming practices posing threats to insect biodiversity of rice crop in the Punjab, Pakistan

Rice is a staple food for many people in the world especially in Asian countries. Rice fields are economically important as well as ecologically valuable. A wide range of plant and animal species exist in rice fields. Rice fields are one of the biggest ecosystems that can be found in tropics, including diverse insect pests and their natural enemies. The present study was carried at Jeyamangalam, Theni District during November 2016 to January 2017. 40 species and 9 orders of insects were collected in the paddy field. The most abundant order was Hemiptera and Orthoptera. The species diversity index was determined using Richness indices and Margalef index R1. Diverse of insects can be potential effective way to conserve, use to enhance biodiversity to sustainable food security in agricultural ecosystem.

The sustainability of the productive rice-wheat systems of Northwest India is being questioned due to the complete removal of straw for animal consumption and fuel, or the burning of straw which has reduced the soil organic matter contents. However, straw incorporation at planting can temporarily reduce the availability of fertilizer-N and reduce crop yields. In a field study on a loamy sand soil, the effect of 6 mg ha−1 rice straw incorporated into the soil 20 or 40 days before sowing (DBS) the wheat was compared with removal or burning of rice straw on the fate and balance of 120 kg ha−1 of 5 atom% 15N-urea applied to wheat and to a following crop of rice. Wheat grain yield and agronomic efficiency (AE) of applied N (kg grain/kg N applied) were not influenced by rice straw management. However, N uptake (NU), and recovery efficiency (RE) of N by the difference method were lower with rice straw incorporation than with burning. Nitrogen-15 recovery by wheat was highest (41%) when the rice straw was removed or burned and lowest (30.4%) when 30 of the 120 kg N ha−1 was applied at the time of straw incorporation at 20 DBS of wheat. However, this strategy of adding 25% of the urea-N dose at the time of straw incorporation resulted in the highest 15N losses (45.2%). Inorganic N remaining at harvest in the 0 to 60 cm soil profile, mostly NO3−, was 5.5% after wheat and 4.2% after rice. Rice grain yields, NU, and RE were not influenced by rice straw management. Nitrogen-15 losses were similar in rice and wheat (31% with straw removed) despite total irrigation and rainfall inputs of 340 and 32 cm to rice and wheat, respectively. These results suggest to the farmers of northwest India that straw incorporation does not necessarily hurt grain yields, and indicates to researchers that work is still needed to improve N use efficiency in rice and wheat.

Comparison of physical and chemical characteristics and oxidative potential of fine particles emitted from rice straw and pine stem burning

158th EAAE, SSESSION 4D DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 9-10TH OF Sept., 2016 MAICH, CHANIA, GREECE

Rice and Watermelon cropping pattern has been always applied at Air Hitam Village, Lima Puluh Subdistrict, Batu Bara District. The selected cropping pattern was choosed because of rice production did not increase in rice and rice cropping pattern, and it will be expected that rice and watermelon cropping pattern will increase the farmer income. The difference in cropping pattern and supply of organic matter changes in soil properties of fields. The objective of this study was to know the changes in some chemical properties of paddy soil at Air Hitam Village, Lima Puluh Subdistrict, Batu Bara District which is lacated at about 18 m above sea level (asl). Parameters measured were pH using Electrometric method, organic carbon by using Walkley and Black method, available phosphorus by using Bray II method, exchangeable potassium NH4OAc with method, total-N by using Kjeldahl method and available SiO2 by using ammonium acetate extraction. The results of this study showed that rice and watermelon cropping pattern didn’t affect the paddy soil chemical properties including pH, organic carbon, total-N, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium, except soil available SiO2, is higher at rice and watermelon cropping pattern compared to that rice-rice cropping pattern. Key words : cropping system, soil chemical properties.

This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of land on rice, upland rice and sorghum crops in Sei Bamban SubDistric of Serdang Bedagai District. It can be obtained 3 Land Mapping Units (SPL) which is determined based on the overlay result from the soil type map, slope maps and altitude map that is Inceptisol SPL 1, Ultisol SPL 2, and Ultisol SPL 3. This study used survey method. The results showed that the land suitability classes of actual rice and upland rice crops in the SPL 1 and SPL 3 is Marginally Suitable/S3nr by a nutrient retention barrier factor, for rice crops in the SPL 2 is Suitable/S2nr, and Suitable/S2wanr for upland rice crops with the barrier factor of excessive water availability (wa). While the potential classes of land suitability for rice and upland rice crops is Very Suitable/S1 for SPL 1, 2 and 3. The suitability class for actual sorghum crops on SPL 1, 2, and 3 is Not Suitable/Nwa with the barrier factor of excessive water availability (wa). While the potential land suitability classes is Suitable/S2tcwa by the barrier factor of temperature (tc) and the excessive water availability (wa) for SPL 1, 2, and 3. The conclusion is the low production of rice crops (55,96 qw/ha) on Inceptisol SPL 1 due to low C-organic content. On Ultisol SPL 2 due to low C-organic content and clay CEC. On Ultisol SPL 3 due to low C-organic content, clay CEC, and the slope is a little bit ramped.

1. An apparatus was devised to facilitate vital observation, without injury, of seedling roots of rice and several other crop plants under a microscope, and to measure the rate of protoplasmic streaming in the root hairs under various temperature conditions. 2. The rate of protoplasmic streaming increased with temperature in an exponential curve, but above certain temperature, the rate began to decrease. Between l0°C. and 25°C., Q10 values were 2.0 in rice plant and 1.6 in wheat plant. 3. The difference in the cultivating temperature (15, 20, 25°C.) before the measurement had no effect on the rate of streaming in rice plant. 4. The temperature at which the maximum streaming rate was observed differed with species of crop plants. In wellwater (pH 6.6), it was 33°C. for corn, upland rice, paddy rice, tomato and cucumber; 32°C. for wheat; 30°C. for spinach; 29-30°C. for naked barley; 29°C. for barley and radish; and 27°C. for rape. Thus, it was found that the temperature was high in summer crop plants and low in winter ones. 5. The rate of protoplasmic streaming differed with species of plants. In wellwater (pH 6.6) of 20°C., the rate was rapid (6-8μ/sec.) for wheat, barley, naked barley, upland rice and paddy rice; moderate (5-6μ/sec.) for tomato, rape and corn; and slow (4-5μ/sec.) for spinach, radish and cucumber. 6. A slight varietal difference of streaming rate was observed in varieties of rice and wheat plants, but the temperatures for maximum rate did not differ with varieties. 7. The streaming was observed to stop at high temperature, within 40-45°C. with rice plant. The temperature was somewhat higher with the southern rice varieties or summer crop plants than with the northern rice varieties or winter crop plants. 8. Under certain limit of temperature, the streaming stopped at high temperature and recovered after the lowering of temperature, but it failed to recover, if the tempereture exceeded 45°C., with rice plant. 9. The streaming was also observed to stop at low temperature within 0-10°C., with rice plant. 10. When the temperature was lowered to 0--2°C. with rice plant, the streamig recovered as the temperature rose if the water did not freeze and the temperature did not rise suddenly. 11. The rate of streaming in rice plant increased somewhat in dilute solution of H2O2 (0.00003-0.000003%) in wellwater, but in a higher concentration (0.003%) the streaming stopped. 12. The rate in rice plant decreased in dilute H2S solution (0.000009 mol) and in a slightly higher concentration (O.OOO625 mol) the streaming stopped. 13. The rate in rice, wheat and barley plants decreased in dilute solution of KCN (0.0001 mol) in wellwater and in a slightly higher concentration (0.00l mol) the streaming stopped. 14. The rate in rice plant in boiled wellwater decreased after prolonged submersion. 15. The temperature for maximum rate in rice plant was slightly higher in dilute H2O2 solution, but it was lower in wellwater (after prolonged submersion) or in dilute KCN solution. 16. The rates of streaming in the roots which had grown in wellwater or in air (on moist filter paper) were observed respectively. With paddy rice, the rate at high temperature was more rapid in the former than in the latter. With wheat and barley, however, it was more rapid in the latter. With upland rice, the tendency was intermediate. The temperature for maximum rate did not differ between the plants cultured under both conditions. 17. The number of streaming root hairs in rice plant decreased under pH 4.0 and over pH 10.4, in wellwater. The streaming stopped completely at pH 1.4 as the result of coagulation of the protoplasm. At pH 10.5 the protoplasm of all root hairs dissolved. 18. [the rest omitted]

Emissions of polychlorinated-p-dibenzo dioxin, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from rice straw biomass burning

In Cambodia, 85% of farmers are rice producers. Organic rice production has been adopted, with non-government organisation support and certifications, to improve farmers' revenue for sustainable rural development. This study aims to define the constraints of organic rice adoption in an agro-ecosystem with high risk of flood. Using agrarian system diagnosis and analysis, it is found in the study that organic rice gives high value-added per hectare but low value-added per family labour because of the less non-flooded surface available to avoid chemical contamination, to enlarge organic rice surface. Moreover, organic farmers face lower social status because organic production practices are viewed as old-fashioned tools use by the poor farmers and that will not help them escape poverty. Another institutional constraint is that organic farmers face late payment from their cooperative until the rice is on-sold. This study finds that the price premium for organic rice is not high enough to induce adoption of this cropping practice. However, organic farmers are well trained, produce high-quality rice and are model farmers who participate in policy-making events, which encourage them to continue to produce organic rice.

Atmospheric ultrafine, accumulation mode and coarse fractions collected at representative rice straw open burning areas in Hanoi were investigated to identify characteristics of size distribution and contribution of particles emitted from rice straw (RS) burning season to the atmosphere. The sampling was conducted in two episodes: RS burning episode and RS non-burning episode at Dong Anh and Quoc Oai, in seven consecutive days for each sampling campaign from 2018 to 2019. In the RS burning episode, PM1-2.5 showed the highest fraction among all collected particles in both sampling sites, while PM2.5-10 was the most abundant in RS non-burning season. The average mass concentration of PM2.5 in RS burning period and RS non-burning period were 79.7  46.5 g m-3 and 65.2  21.9 g m-3, respectively at Dong Anh sampling site. Those values were 90.9  33.2 g m-3 in the QO_RS burning site and 71.9  29.3 g m-3 in the TM_RS non-burning site. The proportion of fine particle (PM2.5) at both sites were considerable higher in RS burning period as compared to non-burning period, while the concentration of ultrafineparticle (PM0.1) and coarse particle (PM>10m) were similar between two episodes. This result provides better understanding on size distribution and contribution of fine particles from open RS burning to the atmosphere in Hanoi, which is an useful information for the environmental managers to control RS open burning in Hanoi as well as in Vietnam.

基于成本收益分析和能值分析理论，构建经济效益指标和生态经济效益指标，对江西省水稻（早稻和晚稻）、棉花、油菜种植系统的经济效益、生态经济综合效益进行分析和评价。经济效益方面，分析比较了单位面积作物成本构成，构建了净利润（Rev）和净利润率（Prof）两个经济效益指标；生态经济方面，分析比较了单位面积能值投入产出构成，构建了能值投入率、能值产出率、环境负载率、宏观经济能值等四个能值评价指标。计算结果表明江西省水稻、棉花和油菜等作物的生产成本占主导地位，价格因素是影响种植成本最重要的因素。水稻主要是以生产物资费用为主，而棉花和油菜以人工费用为主。从产值和收益来看，Rev大小为棉花〉晚稻〉早稻〉油菜，Prof大小为晚稻〉棉花〉早稻〉油菜。水稻、棉花和油菜种植系统对自然更新资源的依靠程度较低，系统的维系主要依赖于外部购买能值的投入，其构成与生产成本构成是一致的。水稻、棉花和油菜等作物的种植系统能值投入率比较高，大小为棉花〉早稻〉晚稻〉油菜，能值产出率：油菜〉棉花〉晚稻〉早稻，造成生态环境压力为晚稻〉早稻〉油菜〉棉花，宏观经济能值大小为油菜〉棉花〉晚稻〉早稻。结果表明，江西省水稻、棉花、油菜种植系统是高度开放的系统，主要依赖购买能值，但是系统产出率不高，其环境压力也不大。研究结果可为深入认识江西水稻、棉花和油菜等主要作物种植系统提供一个新的视角，并为种植业可持续发展提供一定的参考价值。

Native wildlife is protected in national parks and reserves, but it is becoming increasing clear that these areas are not large enough to protect biodiversity into the future. There is great potential for rangelands, used for livestock grazing, to be managed in ways that not only provide profits for graziers but also maintain the ecological processes that support native wildlife. This concept is known as 'off-reserve conservation'. To make recommendations about the best way to achieve off-reserve conservation, we first need to understand how fauna respond to different grazing strategies and how this relates to profitability. I examined the bird, mammal and reptile communities at an experimental grazing trial (established in 1997) in north Queensland. I aimed to find out how these fauna communities responded to four different grazing strategies and two vegetation types and determine whether a trade-off existed between economic performance, land condition, and biodiversity. Twice a year, over three years, I conducted aural and visual bird surveys, mammal cage trapping and reptile pitfall and funnel trapping. Additionally, I measured terrestrial and arboreal microhabitats at each survey site. I found that the effect of grazing on wildlife is complex and can be strongly influenced by the vegetation type and seasonal rainfall. I found that abundance and richness can sometimes mask more complex community compositional changes. Overall, reptile abundance responded negatively to heavy grazing. In birds, reptiles and mammals I identified species that benefited from heavy grazing, those negatively influenced by heavy grazing, and species that showed no response to the grazing treatments. In some species, microhabitat selection was a strong driver of grazing response. I found that there was no trade-off between reptiles and profitability: the heavily grazed treatment was the least profitable, and also had the lowest number of reptiles. My research shows that biodiversity can be maintained in grazing strategies that also have high profitability. As such, economically sustainable red meat production and conservation on rangelands are not necessarily opposing goals. Conserving native wildlife on rangelands is important due to the ecosystem services that wildlife can provide e.g. maintaining soil health, pollination, seed dispersal and insect pest control. For corporate graziers, using sustainable grazing practices and maintaining native wildlife populations suggests excellent stewardship and may be highly valued by consumers.

Background: Occupational poisoning via the use of agrochemicals is common in developing countries. This is because grass-root farmers, who are the majority, are poor, illiterate and are undertrained on ethics surrounding its use. This is a cross sectional descriptive study carried out in Fadan-Daji (FD) district of Kagoro Chiefdom, Kaura LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Methods: Three villages - Kodwak, Uzha-Tuyit and Zankam were randomly selected in the district. A sample size of 250 farmers was obtained using a p-value of 82%, while the selected farmers completed structured questionnaires. Results: Physical, chemical, biological, mechanical and psychosocial events occurred at the same time in the FD Farming community. Thus, clients present with multiple finding or symptoms. In this study most farmers experienced chest pain/tightness, cough, dizziness, reddening of the eyes; sneezing and rheum more often following the use on their farms. This study further revealed that farmers in the studied communities (31.6%) resorted to self-medication ranging from analgesics, to over the counter antihistamines, whilst 23.6% reported that they ingest milk as antidote. 32.4% did nothing about it while only 12.4% of the respondents visited a health facility. 54.4% of FD farmers used no form of personal protective devices (PPDs). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the root problem faced with the FD like the average farmer of the developing world is lack of relevant education in terms of ethical use and disposal of agrochemicals which has made a significant number of FD farmers more susceptible to the agrochemical side effects resulting from its use. Such a community located in the heart of Nigeria also being a food basket needs prompt attention in terms of improved western/farmer education and health facilities.

Insects are well recognised as being the major contributor to global biodiversity, and for their critical involvement in many biotic interactions. Most of the insect diversity is found in tropical rainforests. However, these forests are threatened by high rates of clearing and the subsequent fragmentation of remaining habitat. The effects on biota, particularly insects, are poorly understood as are the mechanisms mediating faunal changes. Reforestation could potentially alleviate some of the deleterious effects of forest loss and fragmentation. However, because reforestation is a relatively new endeavour, it is little known just how much insect biodiversity can be supported by reforestation and what factors influence insect colonisation. These issues were investigated in the Atherton Tablelands of north-eastern Australia, a landscape whose rainforest has been heavily cleared and fragmented over the last 80 years, but is also the focus of reforestation efforts. To quantify the effects of rainforest loss and fragmentation, pasture sites were compared with small rainforest fragments, and with the edges and interiors of large rainforest fragments (24 sites in total). Sites with replanted rainforest (planted with a high diversity of plants) were also included. These varied in their age (2-17 yrs) and their distance (0-4.5 km) from existing rainforest (24 sites in total). Another set of reforested sites was also studied but these differed in their planting style (number of plant species, spacing etc). This second set of sites was located in two regions: the Atherton Tablelands (50 sites), and in the subtropics of eastern Australia (54 sites). At each site, beetle assemblages were surveyed using methods that sample beetles near the ground (four ground-based flight interception traps in the first set of sites and ten pitfall traps in the second set of sites), and then the assemblages among site-types were compared. Over 32,000 beetles were caught and identified to the level of family, and of these, 15,206 were identified further to the level of species. Very few beetle species were present in pasture, suggesting that converting rainforest into pasture has a very strong negative effect on beetle diversity and species composition. Irrespective of rainforest fragment size, beetle species composition in drier rainforest habitats was different from that of moister rainforest. Beetle species composition also differed between small remnants and interior rainforest: drier-associated species were more abundant in small remnants, whereas wetter-associated species were more abundant in interiors. This pattern can be best attributed to a fragmentation effect mediated by differences in microclimate. With the exception of differences between rainforest and pasture, these results were generally not observed among beetle assemblages identified to coarser taxonomic groups (family, feeding guild, and body size). Among replanted rainforest, older sites and those adjacent to rainforest had a more rainforest-like beetle species composition. However, even the closer and older sites had a substantially lower abundance and richness of rainforest-associated beetles than did rainforest. Age effects were generally stronger than distance effects. Beetle assemblage similarity to rainforest was more strongly correlated with structural similarity to rainforest than with site age or distance from rainforest. Thus the use of revegetation techniques which lead to more rainforest-like structural conditions appears to be of over-riding importance in catalysing the rapid acquisition of rainforest beetle assemblages in the initial stages of restoration. Nevertheless, not all beetle species were equally affected by the factors tested. Large-bodied beetle species (>5 mm) were more strongly influenced by distance than small-bodied species (<5 mm), suggesting that small-bodied species are better dispersers, and thus are amongst the first to colonise new habitats. Spatial ubiquity in rainforest was not a good predictor of a species' dispersal ability. Interestingly, fewer of the broader groups (family, feeding guild, and body size) showed the response to distance evident at the species level although they showed differences between reforested sites differing in age, and between reforested and reference site-types. Therefore, these results and those from the fragmentation study suggest that information at the species level is more sensitive to environmental change than data identified to a coarser level of taxonomy or grouped according to feeding ecology or body size. For the pitfall-trapped beetles in the second reforested site network, beetle assemblages in all styles of reforestation were intermediate in species composition between pasture and rainforest. The similarity of beetle assemblages to intact rainforest increased with the age and structural complexity of reforested sites, although again structural complexity appeared to be of overriding importance. This study has shown that even small patches of rainforest and reforested areas can support diverse rainforest-dependent beetle assemblages. A range of factors influence the development of beetle assemblages in reforested sites although not all species are equally affected. However, even structurally complex reforested sites cannot provide a short- or medium-term substitute for the retention of intact rainforest.

Energy valorization of rice straw is possible by thermal conversion. The aim of this paper was to study the emissions throughout heating of rice straw under seven different atmospheres (simulating combustion, gasification and pyrolysis). For this purpose, combustion, gasification and pyrolysis of rice straw were studied by simultaneous TG/MS dynamic runs at 15 °C min−1. Results showed that a partially inert atmosphere is more advisable from an environmental point of view due to the lower emission of contaminants.