Three-way combination of post-emergence herbicides under DSR and TPR: deciphering weeds, energy budgeting, productivity and economic output in Northern Indo-Gangetic plains

This paper investigates the impact of remittance flows on economic output and labor productivity for Mexico during the 1970-2017 period. The findings suggest that remittance flows to Mexico have a positive and significant effect on economic output and labor productivity. The paper is organized as follows: First, it gives an overview of remittance flows in absolute terms, relative to GDP, in comparison to FDI inflows, and in terms of their regional destination. Next, the paper reviews the growing literature that assesses the impact of remittances on investment spending and economic growth. Third, to motivate the discussion of the empirical results, the paper presents a simple endogenous growth model that explicitly incorporates the potential impact of remittance flows on economic output and labor productivity. Fourth, it presents a modified empirical counterpart to the simple model that tests for unit roots and performs both a Johansen cointegration test and a Gregory and Hansen cointegration test with an endogenously determined regime shift. FMOLS and DOLS long-run estimates for the period in question suggest that remittance flows to Mexico have a positive and significant effect, albeit small, on both the levels of economic output and labor productivity. The concluding section summarizes the major results and discusses potential avenues for future research on this important topic. JEL Classification numbers: C10, F01, 010, 054. Keywords: ADF unit root test, DOLS, FDI inflows, FMOLS, Gregory-Hansen cointegration single-break test, Gross fixed capital formation, Johansen Cointegration test, KPSS no unit root test, labor productivity, and remittance flows.

With few exceptions, the growing literature on agricultural underdevelopment in Africa has two major deficiencies. First, many scholars are guided by either an “internalist” or “externalist” theoretical and policy orientation. Second, although many studies use descriptive data to support their arguments, few utilize formal quantitative techniques to test competing theories. By contrast, we apply several different theoretical perspectives to Kenyan development and then test them via time-series analysis. The quantitative analysis reveals a series of rich findings: (1) agricultural prices have a positive effect on coffee production, food production, and economic output; (2) coffee exports have a positive effect on total agricultural output but a negative effect on food production and overall economic output; (3) “finished” imports (e.g., machinery) have a positive effect on industrial output but a negative effect on agricultural output, coffee production, and total economic output.

What Do Unions in a Workers’ Paradise Do? Provincial-Level Evidence on Wages, Employment, Productivity, and Economic Output in China

Utilizing provincial-level data from the period of 1994-2008, this paper studies the relationship between union density and wages, employment, productivity, and economic output in China. The findings indicate that union density does not affect average wage levels, but is positively associated with aggregate productivity and output. We discuss if and to what extent these findings are consistent with the familiar two faces of unions model and alternative explanations relevant in the context of Chinese labor and union institutions.

Scaling of urban economic outputs: insights both from urban population size and population mobility

This paper examines co-integration and the causal relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the economic output or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the both short and long run of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India over the period of 1972-2008. Three econometric models, viz. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test, Engle-Granger two-step co-integration test, Vector error correction mechanism (VECM) have been used. This study also used Granger Causality (GC) to find the directional relationship between FDI and GDP. The results suggest that there is no co-integration between FDI and GDP in the both long and short run in Bangladesh and India. However, we find the co-integration between them in the both short and long run in Pakistan. Conversely, GC results suggest that there is no causality relationship between GDP and FDI for Bangladesh and one way or unidirectional relationship found for Pakistan and India, which means FDI caused economic output in Pakistan.

The long-run impact of Information and Communication Technology on economic output: The case of Australia

Economic decision criteria for adopting a particular input strategy are income above variable cost (IAVC) and net return to management (NRM). Field experimental data on the effectiveness and yield potential of different herbicides in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production over a 3 yr period were used to analyze the consistency of these two decision criteria. Seven early postemergence herbicide (EPOST) treatments were applied 3 to 7 d after peanut emergence and three other postemergence herbicide (POST) treatments are applied 14 to 24 d after peanut emergence. The resulting 21 herbicide combinations were compared for the two economic criteria to find whether treatments were ranked differently. Almost identical herbicide combination rankings were found for the two criteria, and the treatment using EPOST paraquat followed by paraquat + 2,4-DB + bentazone was found to be tbe best treatment by both criteria. NRM also provides an indication of desirability for producing peanuts over time using a specific herbicide strategy.

Energy budgeting and carbon footprints of three tillage systems in maize-wheat sequence of north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Thoughtful economists have long been aware of the limitations of national accounting and GDP in measuring economic activity and material well-being. Feminist economists criticize the failure to count women's unpaid and reproductive work in measures of economic production. This paper examines the treatment of human milk production in national accounting guidelines. Human milk is an important resource produced by women. Significant maternal and child health costs result from children's premature weaning onto formula or solid food. While human milk production meets the standard national accounting criteria for inclusion in GDP, current practice is to ignore its significant economic value and the substantial private and public health costs of commercial breastmilk substitutes. Economic output measures such as GDP thus are incomplete and biased estimates of national food production and overall economic output, and they distort policy priorities to the disadvantage of women and children.

Electricity demand has consistently exceeded available supply in India. While the electricity deficit varies across states, nationally it was estimated to be of the order of 12percent on peak and 11percent for electricity during 2008-09. This paper explores a demand-side focused potential for energy efficiency improvement to eliminate the electricity deficit compared to a business as usual (BAU) supply-side focused scenario. The limited availability of finance and other legal and administrative barriers have constrained the construction of new power plant capacity in India. As a result, under the BAU scenario, India continues to face an electricity deficit beyond the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan. The demand-side cost-effective potential achieved through replacement of new electricity-using products, however, is large enough to eliminate the deficit as early as 2013 and subsequently reduce the future construction of power plants and thus reduce air pollutant emissions. Moreover, energy efficiency improvements cost a fraction of the cost for new supply and can lead to a substantial increase in India's economic output or gross domestic product (GDP). Eliminating the deficit permits businesses that have experienced electricity cutbacks to restore production. We estimate the size of the cumulative production increase in terms of the contribution to GDP at a $505 billion between 2009 and 2017, the end of India's Twelfth Five Year Plan, which may be compared with India's 2007-08 GDP of $911 billion. The economic output is influenced by the size of the electricity savings and rate of penetration of energy efficient technologies, and that of self-generation equipment and inverters used by businesses faced with electricity cuts. Generation and inverters are estimated to service 23percent of these customers in 2009, which increase to 48percent by 2020. The reduction in the construction and operation of new power plants reduces the cumulative CO2 emissions by 65 Mt, and those of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by 0.4 Mt each, while also reducing India's imports of coal and natural gas. By 2020, the cumulative GDP benefit increases to $608 billion, the CO2 savings expand to 333 Mt and SO2 and NOx to 2.1 Mt.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important food crop catering half of the world’s population. India being the second largest producer of rice, needs to produce around 120 million tons of rice by 2030 to feed its one and a half billion plus population. Weeds are undoubtedly a major biotic constraint to rice production in most of the rice growing areas of the world. Rice fields are very often characterized by a complex plurispecific weed flora, comprising of grasses, sedges, and broad-leaved weeds (BLWs). They usually grow faster than rice and absorb available water and nutrient earlier than the rice and suppress rice growth. Cultural and mechanical methods of weed management in general, are time consuming, cumbersome and laborious apart from being less effective because of chance of escape and regeneration of weeds from roots or rhizome that are left behind. Herbicides offer the most effective, economical and practical way of weed management. Since rice ecosystems usually harbours a variety of weeds, the use of a single herbicide cannot give satisfactory results. Moreover, continous use of such herbicides leads to the evolution of weeds resistant to several herbicides. Therefore, more convenient option would be single shot application of ready mix or tank mix combination of herbicide. The herbicide mixtures broaden the spectrum of weed control in single application. The ideal herbicide combinations are those that effectively target the weed species while minimizing toxicity to crops, thereby exhibiting enhanced selectivity. Using herbicide combinations allows for reduced herbicide use rates compared to using a single herbicide. Additionally, apart from providing broad-spectrum weed control, herbicide combinations reduce the herbicide load in the environment and minimize application costs. Among the various combination herbicides available, the ones having pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides combined had shown better weed control with single shot application at reduced cost. Some of the ready-mix herbicide combinations that are gaining greater importance includes Pretilachlor + Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl, Pendimethalin + Penoxsulam and Butachlor + Penoxsulam.

Co-implementation of precision nutrient management in long-term conservation agriculture-based systems: A step towards sustainable energy-water-food nexus

Designing an ecofriendly and carbon-cum-energy efficient production system for the diverse agroecosystem of South Asia

Roses are likely the most popular garden plant in the United States, and cultivars are also used as landscape plant materials. Three herbicide trials with two main objectives were conducted with rose plants. The first objective was to evaluate injury to the roses when over-sprayed at various stages of growth. The second objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the herbicides. All herbicides were used at label rates and applied over the top of rose plants. In the first trial, the pre-emergent herbicides pendimethalin, oryzalin, trifluralin, metolachlor, napropamide, and oxyfluorfen were applied to plots containing dormant roses with ≈1-cm shoots just pushing. Evaluations of shoot length taken over the next 6 weeks showed no differences in growth of rose plants, but weed populations were reduced. In the second trial, five post-emergent herbicides were applied to plots containing dormant roses. Herbicides evaluated included the grass herbicides fluazifop-p-butyl, sethoxydim, and clethodim. The nonselective herbicide glyphosate was included in the trial, as was a combination herbicide containing 2,4-D, mecoprop, and dicamba. There was no visible injury to rose plants until 6 weeks after treatment. At that time, roses treated with glyphosate had shorter shoots. Recovery from glyphosate appeared more rapidly than recovery from the combination herbicide. Weed control varied with each herbicide. The third trial evaluated the same five herbicides for control of bermudagrass in late spring. Injury to roses was noted immediately from the combination herbicide and glyphosate. All the grass herbicides and glyphosate were effective in controlling bermudagrass.