Agro-ecological Regions Research Articles

Ecogroups and maternal haplogroups reveal the ancestral origin of native Chinese goat populations based on the variation of mtDNA D-loop sequences.

China is rich in goat breeding resources. Officially recognized local goat breeds are mainly distributed in agro-ecological regions. The population structure and matrilineal origin of native Chinese goats can be used to formulate protection and utilization strategies for these genetic resources. In this study, the genetic structure and maternal origin of native Chinese goats were investigated using mtDNA D-loop sequences. A total of 329 goat samples from 25 Chinese indigenous goat populations and five introduced goat breeds from abroad were collected; these populations were distributed in four ecogroups designated as Southwest, South-central, the North China Plain, and Foreign-ecogroup. A larger average number of nucleotide differences and richer nucleotide diversity were observed in South-central and Foreign-ecogroup, whereas these were lower in Southwest. The 216 haplotypes divided into several haplogroups, of which HapA contained 99 haplotypes distributed in Southwest, the North China Plain, and Foreign-ecogroup with high frequency (0.53-0.77), whereas the frequency of HapA in South-central was <0.09. HapB was mostly found in South-central (0.5538) and was distributed to the North China Plain (0.2667), while it was rare in Southwest (<0.08) and Foreign-ecogroup (<0.07). According to the estimation of kinship and ancestry, HapA had five ancestors (A2, A3, A5, A10, and A12), HapB had a single maternal ancestor (A8), and HapC had two maternal ancestors (A1 and A4). This study showed that native Chinese goat breeds were mainly divided into three haplogroups (HapA, HapB, and HapC) and goat populations have expanded in the ecological regions.

Current State and Limiting Factors of Wheat Yield at the Farm Level in Hubei Province

Longitudinal wheat yields in China have declined in recent times due to climate change, more frequent natural disasters, and suboptimal agronomic management. To date, it has been unclear which factors have predominated yield penalties realised hitherto in Hubei Province. This study aimed to identify key factors limiting wheat production across systems and agroecological regions, and provide a basis for increasing crop production while engendering food security. Survey data from 791 households in Hubei Province were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Significant spatial heterogeneity in average wheat yields was observed, with the Jianghan Plain region having significantly lower yields compared with the northwest region (yield gap: 1125 kg·hm−2). Dryland wheat had higher average yields than rice-rotation wheat (yield gap: 134 to 575 kg·hm−2). Socioeconomic factors, cultivation management measures, and environmental factors contributed differently to yield differences. Input costs and economic benefits were key social factors influencing wheat production. Variation in management were mainly attributed to planting methods, while soil fertility and climatic factors limited yields in some regions. In the northwest, low soil fertility and susceptibility to drought and high temperatures had greater influence on yields. In the Jianghan Plain, soil waterlogging and erosion were key challenges. Waterlogging increased the probability of low yields by 8.6 times, while severe soil erosion increased probability of yield loss by a factor of almost five. Low-yield farms in the Jianghan Plain were 21% higher than those in the northwest. Extreme weather events also contributed to low yields in the Jianghan Plain. We note significant potential for increasing farm-level wheat production in Hubei Province, with large existing differences across agro-ecological regions and planting modes. Differences in cultivation practices was a major driving factor of yield gaps between planting modes, while soil fertility and meteorological disasters drive regional yield differences. These results have implications for those aspiring to narrow the yield gap across regions and increase production of cereal crops.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Diversity of Puccinia sorghi in Eastern Australia: Implications for Maize Breeding Programs

Common rust of maize (CR), caused by Puccinia sorghi Schwein., is found in all maize growing regions across the globe. In recent years, an increase in the incidence and severity of CR has been observed in Australia. The challenges posed by a diverse population of P. sorghi to maize breeding programs and the strategies required to deploy durable resistance were explored. Preliminary studies of diversity were conducted by phenotyping the five most diverse isolates against maize lines carrying no resistance genes and one to four resistance genes. The results showed that further genotyping studies were required. Short reads of 17 CR isolates were collected from an array of agroecological regions in Eastern Australia, and these were mapped back against the hybrid assembly of Isolate 1. A hybrid assembly between short (Illumina paired-end) and long (PacBio) reads was conducted in MaSuRCA of the first isolate collected. A draft genome of 145,963,792 bp was obtained after QUAST analysis, with a total length of 145,815,044 bp (when removing base pairs below ≥1,000). The prediction from the BRAKER pipeline identified 20,438 gene models. All 17 isolates sequenced represented unique genotypes, and no clones were detected. The 17 isolates grouped into three clusters. The diversity observed within the population of P. sorghi in Australia suggests that monogenic resistance might not be durable. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Dataset of metals and metalloids in food crops and soils sampled across the mining region of Moquegua in Peru

In recent years, there has been an increase in interest in the accumulation of heavy metals and metal(loid)s (HMM) in areas where agriculture and mining exist side by side. As a contribution to this body of knowledge, we report the first dataset into HMM concentrations in food crops and agricultural soils in Moquegua, which is a typical mining region and contains one of Peru’s largest copper deposits. Thanks to its geographic diversity, samples were taken in different agroecological regions at altitudes between 9 and 3,934 m. For food crops, 31 elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. For soils, 23 elements were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Thus, the dataset includes a total of 13,828 observations from 341 sampling sites. We hope that this dataset will facilitate a wide range of agricultural and food safety studies, as well as serving as a reference for monitoring changes in pollution over time or comparing HMM levels with other farmlands influenced by mining activities.

Essential Oil Quality of Lavender Grown Outside Its Native Distribution Range: A Study from Serbia

The aim of this study was to test the quality (physicochemical and sensory odor properties) and bioactivity (antimicrobial and antioxidant activities) of the essential oils (EO) obtained from the most frequently cultivated lavender and lavandin varieties in Serbia, whose cultivation areas were previously reserved for warmer climates, outside the agroecological region of Serbia. Seven EO from true lavenders (L. angustifolia Mill. and cultivars: ‘Hidcote blue’, ‘Munstead’, ‘Primorska’), Croatian indigenous lavandin cultivar (L. × intermedia ‘Budrovka’), lavandin ‘Grosso’ and one undetermined lavender sample (Lavandula sp.) showed compliance with standard requirements for lavender EO composition (contents of linalool 23.9–30.2% and 28.9–36.9%, and of linalyl acetate 22.2–32.2% and 6.9–20.7% in true lavender and lavandin samples, respectively). All EO were characterized as pleasant, with a floral aroma as a prominent odor. Samples exhibited high antimicrobial activities (3.5–14.2 µL mL−1 MIC and MBC values) against important Gram-positive (B. cereus and L. monocytogenes) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and yeasts (C. albicans), and high antioxidant capacity (IC50 values of 0.23–0.59 µg AAE mL−1 EO). This preliminary research on the quality of lavender EOs reveals the potential of this species for the future of medicinal and aromatic plant species production and further diversification of agriculture in the area.

Spatio-temporal trend of crop phenology, SPEI, and their interactions over different agro-ecological regions of India

Spatio-temporal trend of crop phenology, SPEI, and their interactions over different agro-ecological regions of India

Therapeutic value of organic and conventional teas in Sri Lanka against microbial agents

Due to its naturally occurring medicinal ingredients known as polyphenols, tea attracts the interest of the pharmaceutical and scientific disciplines. Besides the established antioxidant activity, many phenolic compounds in tea exhibit significant antimicrobial activity. Environmental factors and crop management substantially influence the amount and activity of polyphenols available in tea leaves. In Sri Lanka, there are six main agro-ecological regions where tea is grown using either conventional or organic management. Present study focused to determine the effects of tea production system and their growing region on polyphenol content and antimicrobial properties of made tea. Fresh leaf samples were collected from randomly selected tea estates each for organically certified and conventional from major tea growing regions in Sri Lanka. They were manufactured into CTC black tea using a miniature system. Polyphenol content was assessed by ISO standard method, while the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties were evaluated using disk diffusion technique against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and clinical pathogen of Aspergillus niger. Polyphenol content, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties were significantly different (P&lt;0.05) between the tea production systems and among the growing regions, where organic tea had higher polyphenol content, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties than conventional teas. The Southern region tea had greater anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties probably due to the high polyphenol content, while it was the lowest in Uva region. In conclusion, this research presents preliminary evidence that Sri Lankan teas grown and managed organically have superior antimicrobial properties over conventional teas. To confirm the findings, more investigation using time series measurement in all tea-growing regions is suggested.

Effect of agricultural products price fluctuations on smallholder farmer’s welfare in Rwanda. A case study of Gicumbi, Nyagatare, Nyaruguru, Rubavu Districts.

Agriculture sector is the main motel of life in the world. The price of agricultural products plays an important role in regulating production and consumption mechanism. Mainly farmers have been affected by different problems in supply of the products particularly price fluctuation. This paper aims to assess the effect of agricultural products price fluctuations on smallholder farmer’s welfare. A case study of Gicumbi, Nyagatare, Rubavu, and Nyaruguru districts. A cross sectional research design was used in the study where both purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 120 respondents. A regression analysis technique was used to identify the factors influencing price fluctuation through SPSS and STATA software. The results from the regression analysis indicated that various factors influencing price fluctuation of agricultural production including type of market, seasonal production, climate condition change, middlemen, farm inputs price, nature of product, price of petroleum, and political stability. The results of the study also indicated the effect of good price on farmers ‘lifestyle change through the increased farmer’ income, improved farmers livelihood, reduced the youth migration, increased their money savings, and the effective utilization of farm inputs. The study also revealed different measures for price fluctuation control; these include provision of subsidies to farmers, government price control, improvement of infrastructures, control of middlemen in agriculture sector, market stability, improvement of farming system, and creation of buffer stock zones in agro-ecological regions. As the rural and urban life mainly dependent on farmers ‘produce the stability of price of agricultural products should be control along the whole value chain in all possible area particularly at farm get and market level both regional and district.

A Geospatial and Socio-economic Assessment of Tree Density in Home Gardens as Trees Outside Forests Sources in Agro-ecological Regions: Upper Mahaweli Catchment, Sri Lanka

Homegardens (HGs) serve as crucial 'Trees Outside Forest Sources' (TOFS) systems, offsetting tree cover loss resulting from extensive deforestation in the Upper Mahaweli Catchment (UMC) over the past two centuries. This study examined the temporal and spatial distribution of HGs in relation to agro-ecological regions (AERs) within the UMC boundary, assessed the tree density of HGs, and analyzed the biophysical and socio-economic factors influencing tree density. Geospatial assessment utilized Landsat Images and tree density estimation was based on a random sample of 500 HGs in the UMC with a minimum diameter at breast height (dbh) of &gt;10cm. Regression analysis was employed to identify factors affecting tree density. The spatial assessment revealed that in 2017, the AER of IM3a covered the highest percentage area (66.5%) whereas IM1a recorded the greatest incremental percentage change (22.8%) from 1992-2017, while the lowest change was observed in IL2 (0.03%). The highest tree density was observed in IU2 (858 trees/ha), and the average density in WM2a (505 trees/ha), comparable to that of South-Asian tropical rainforests. However, there is a concerning trend of rapid spread of exotic species contributing to the high tree density observed in IU2, WM2a, and IU3d. The multiple linear regression model (p&lt;0.01, R2 = 58.62%) indicated spatial, agronomic and institutional factors positively influenced tree density. Conversely, the HG area square, and demographic factors had a significant negative impact on tree diversity (p&lt;0.01). To ensure the ecological sustainability of the UMC, the study proposes to introduce an appropriate incentive package to enhance tree density in HGs, with native species.

Dairy cattle breeding practices, production and constraints in arid and semi-arid Algerian bioclimatic environments

ABSTRACT The present study aims to characterise dairy cattle farms in two Algerian agro-ecological regions; the semi-arid region (SAR) and the arid region (AR). The survey was carried out on 213 farms. Accordingly, more than 40% of farms are characterised by small herds with ≤15 heads/farm and ≤5 dairy cows/herd. SAR farms benefit from both agricultural land types of 1–300 ha (Used Agricultural Area UAA and pastoral area), while the Saharan ones rely on small UAA. Fertility levels were higher in SAR farms where is recorded a fertility index ≤2 in 92.6% and open period ≤90 days postpartum in 68.6% with a mean lactation length exceeding 305 days in 44.6% farms. The average daily milk yield is 15 litres/cow in both regions. It is recommended to implement strategic and reliable farm management to improve herd management, minimise constraints, and maximise production, particularly in the AR.

Nutrient analysis of local pumpkin varieties (Cucurbita spp.) grown in dry zone of Sri Lanka and development of a value-added product

&#x0D; &#x0D; Cucurbita spp. generally recognized as pumpkins in Sri Lanka, is a commonly grown vegetable in the dry and intermediate zones in the island. C. maxima and C. moschata are the highly popularized cucurbits and they include number of varieties including open pollinated varieties (OPVs), hybrid and imported varieties. The study was aimed to conduct a nutrient analysis of 7 pumpkin varieties collected from dry zone low country 1b (DL1b) agro-ecological region of Sri Lanka and development of a value-added product considering the nutrient composition of the varieties. The proximate, mineral composition and the antioxidant activity were evaluated using standard analytical methods and compared the varieties through one-way ANOVA. According to the study results in 100 g of pumpkin flesh powder, protein content was ranging from 28.33-28.86 g, carbohydrates from 49.68-51.93 g, fat content from 1.04-6.13 g, crude fibre from 2.19-10.94 g, Fe content from 4.11-7.76 mg, K content from 5055.49-8841.43 mg, Mg content from 96.0-337.02 mg and antioxidant activity from 145.10-147.10 mg AAE (Ascorbic acid equivalent) in the analysed pumpkin varieties in dry weight (DW) basis at 95 % confidence interval. As per results, the three varieties of C. maxima have expressed significantly higher values (p&lt;0.05) during the nutrient analysis compared to the moschata varieties. For the development of the instant powdered drink as the value-added product, ‘Rajah’ which is a C. maxima variety was used considering its nutrient richness over the other tested varieties and due to its significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) dispersibility (8.42 gcm-3), solubility (0.58 g), loose bulk density (0.43 gcm-3) and low wettability (8.27 s). Considering the overall acceptability rated as 3.80 out of 5 from the sensory evaluation, the instant drink made by supplementing cinnamon extract and stevia in 1:1 was finalized as the value-added product. The knowledge on the compositional and physical property variation among different varieties of pumpkin and the value addition information of pumpkin would be useful in future value additions which emphasize products’ nutritional and nutraceutical parameters.&#x0D; Key words: Cucurbita spp., Dry zone low country, Sri Lanka, Nutrient analysis, Value addition

Triggering elements for adoption of Hybrid Napier in crop-livestock system of semi-arid tropical regions of India: evidence from Tamil Nadu

ABSTRACT This study aimed to understand the elements triggering adoption of Hybrid Napier among dairy farmers of hot semi-arid agro ecological region of India. For this study, a household survey of 450 dairying households distributed in 18 villages and focus group discussions were carried out in the study area. The study found that duration of crops other than fodder crops and land size increases the chances to adopt, while the area under sorghum and farmers being women decrease the chances to adopt Hybrid Napier. The propensity-score matching revealed that farmers adopting Hybrid Napier had significant higher milk production than non-adopters. But at the same time the expenditure on feed(s) and cost of milk production per unit of milk for adopters were significantly higher than non-adopters. Thus farming situation(s) and gender were the major drivers for the adoption of Hybrid Napier rather than as a strategy to reduce cost of milk production.

Sentinel-1 time series data for sunflower (Helianthus annuus) phenology monitoring

The potential of time series of Sentinel-1 (S1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for monitoring crops and their phenological stages has long been recognized. However, sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is one of the crops whose interaction with microwave signal is still not fully understood. Here, we aim to analyze and interpret time series of S1 data for sunflower phenology monitoring. The SAR backscattering coefficients in VH (vertical-horizontal) and VV (vertical-vertical) polarizations as well as their ratio (VH/VV) in both ascending and descending orbits were retrieved for three sites located in three different agro-ecological regions in Ukraine. We observed that sunflower backscattering response differs for the ascending and descending orbits for the VV polarization and VH/VV polarization ratio due to the directional behavior of the flower head. Our analysis did not find major change in VH polarization for the two orbits. We also compared the S1-based sunflower phenology with that of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from optical data acquired by Sentinel-2 (S2). Our analysis revealed a considerable correlation r2 > 0.4 between S1 and NDVI for VH and VV polarizations in both ascending and descending orbits; however, we observed lower correlation (r2 < 0.20) for the VH/VV polarization ratio in descending orbit (VH/VVdes). Based on the characteristics of sunflower phenology, we identified two sunflower phenological stages: beginning of flowering (BoF) and end of flowering (EoF). The difference between S1-based dates using VH/VVdes and reference dates was 4.1 and 4.4 days for the BoF and EoF stages, respectively; the use of VH/VVdes+asc yielded weaker results: 7.4 and 6.1 days. These results suggest that the VH/VVdes is a preferable parameter for identifying sunflower phenological stages such as BoF and EoF.

Seasonal Occurrence of Greater Banded Hornet (Vespa tropica Linn.) in Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera Linn.) Colonies under Terai Agro-ecological Region of West Bengal

The present study was conducted during September, 2018 to August, 2020 on the seasonal incidence of Vespa tropica Linn. on Apis mellifera Linn. under terai agro-ecological region of West Bengal, India. Ten numbers of A. mellifera colonies of similar strength was placed in the apiary unit of Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India in which no pest management strategies were carried out. Incidence of V. tropica was recorded higher during July to October peaking in the month of July (251.50±22.17 visits day-1) with annual average success rate of 57.23%±1.16%. From December to March little or no incidence was recorded. Minimum abundance of hornets was recorded at 07:00–09:00 hours. After that incidence started increasing with maximum incidence recorded at 13:00–15:00 hours i.e., 43.52±11.97 visits to the bee colonies day-1 during this time gap. Both maximum and minimum temperature and relative humidity showed significantly positive correlation with the incidence of V. tropica. However, rainfall was found to be detrimental for their incidence as it showed negative and non-significant correlation with their incidence. As V. tropica has been considered as a major enemy of honey bees, so the results obtained from the study can be used for designing integrated pest management strategies against this pest that will allow the beekeepers to focus on that particular time period when this pest is more abundant.

Productive efficiency of beef cattle production in Botswana: a latent class stochastic meta-frontier analysis

IntroductionEfficiency in food production is crucial for sustainable agriculture in developing countries. This paper contributes to the existing literature by presenting an innovative approach to modeling productive efficiency in beef cattle production. Treating farm performance across regions as unobserved heterogeneity, we determine technical efficiency of beef cattle production in Botswana. We aim to shed light on the factors influencing efficiency in this sector.MethodsThe study utilized block-level data from various annual agricultural surveys (2006–2014) covering 26 agricultural districts and six agro-ecological regions in Botswana. We employed a latent class stochastic frontier model complemented with the stochastic meta-frontier analysis.ResultsResults show that the best performing farming systems in terms of efficiency are districts with well-developed infrastructure and better access to output and input markets. In contrast, the farming systems that perform poorly consist of agricultural districts without access to livestock advisory centers, with higher average temperatures and foot and mouth disease, limiting access to export markets. The mean technical efficiency scores for beef production for agricultural districts in class one and two were 62 and 59%, respectively, implying high potential to improve beef production using the same level of agricultural inputs through efficiency-enhancing investments.DiscussionBased on our results, it is crucial for agricultural policies to prioritize regionally specific investments that address the needs of the under-performing districts. By targeting the lagging districts, policymakers can help beef producers improve their input efficiency and bridge the technological gaps to the meta-frontier. This can be achieved through investments in infrastructure, access to livestock advisory services, and disease control measures. Such efforts will not only enhance the efficiency of beef production but also contribute to the overall sustainability of the agricultural sector in Botswana.

Impact of Climate Change on Fruit Production: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Northeast Himalayan Region

Numerous horticulture crops, both well-known and less well-known underutilized fruit crops native to this region, are grown in abundance in the north-eastern Himalayan region. If grown to their full capacity, these crops will produce significant revenue and contribute to the local economy. There is however, a decrease in their availability even before being fully exploited due to losses resulting from many factors including climate change and related variability. The primary consequence of climate change, among many others, is the changes in the agro-ecological region that are observable in some places where there is the replacement of native fruits, many of which originated at higher elevations, with low chilling-required fruits. In the Ukhrul district of Manipur (Northeast India), the abundance of many local temperate crops of the Prunus species such as peaches, plums, cherries, pears, bird cherry (Prunus nepalensis) and others like walnut, wild apple (Docynia indica), Pyrus pashia, Myrica spp., Rhus semialatus, Rubus spp., Eleagnus spp., Elaeocarpus floribundus, Spondias axillaris, etc. are reduced and being replaced by low chilling requiring crops like kiwi, avocado, low chilling apples (Anna, Golden Dorsett, HRMN 99) and area under these crops particularly kiwi is increasing. In household gardens at higher altitudes, tropical fruits like mango, banana and guava are now thriving; in the past, the harsh winter frosts made it impossible even for the seedlings to survive. Despite employing rootstocks that are more resistant to higher temperature, kiwi is replacing the apple-growing regions in the foothills of Bomdila and Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, since the requisite quality is not achieved.

Milk Composition of Creole Goats Raised at Different Altitudes in an Extensive Production System in Northeast Mexico.

Goat milk composition is affected by feeding, and in semiarid rangeland, information on Creole goat milk physicochemical composition is lacking. For the fulfillment of this objective, three agroecological regions (AR) considering altitude (lowland 87, highland 779, and mountain 1309 m above sea level) with different botanical compositions were chosen. Every AR analyzed accounted for 30 goat herds, with a total of 90 herds. The results demonstrated that altitude had an influence mainly on density and protein. Milk density increases as altitude increases; conversely, milk protein increases as altitude decreases. On the other hand, in the mountain and lowland ARs, the salts and solids not fat (SNF) percentages were higher compared to that of the highland AR (p < 0.05). The freezing point (FP) was higher at highland altitudes compared to that of mountain and lowland ARs (p < 0.01). In the milk fatty acids (FA) profile, only the C14:1 value was affected by altitude, whereas goat milk at lowland and mountain altitudes had higher values compared to that at highland altitudes (p < 0.05). Additionally, late lactation stage fat, FP, and pH values were higher compared to early lactation values. The opposite effect was observed for salts and SNF. In the FA profile, late lactation values were higher for C10:0 and C8:0 compared to early lactation values. The opposite trend was observed for C18:2n6t. The thrombogenic index was significantly higher at lowland altitudes compared to highland altitudes, and similar to the mountain AR. These goat milk characteristics could be explained as a consequence of animal nutrition, as well as the goat's meat-type phenotype.

The relative role of soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit in affecting the Indian vegetation productivity

Atmospheric aridity (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) and soil moisture (SM) deficit limit plant photosynthesis and, thus, affect vegetation carbon uptake. The strong correlation between SM and VPD makes it challenging to delineate their relative contributions to regional vegetation productivity. Addressing this gap is vital to understand the future trajectory of plant productivity in India—the second-highest contributor to global greening. Here, we separate the controls of SM and VPD on the Indian vegetation using statistical and causal analysis. We found that vegetation productivity in India is primarily controlled by SM limitation (87.66% of grids) than VPD limitation (12.34% of grids). Vegetation has a varying association with SM and VPD across different agroecological regions in India. The negative impact of VPD on vegetation carbon uptake is not visible in high-rainfall areas of India. These findings advance our understanding of vegetation dynamics under regional dryness stress and can enhance dynamic vegetation model estimates for India under changing climate scenarios.

Identifying appropriate prediction models for estimating hourly temperature over diverse agro-ecological regions of India

The present study tests the accuracy of four models in estimating the hourly air temperatures in different agroecological regions of the country during two major crop seasons, kharif and rabi, by taking daily maximum and minimum temperatures as input. These methods that are being used in different crop growth simulation models were selected from the literature. To adjust the biases of estimated hourly temperature, three bias correction methods (Linear regression, Linear scaling and Quantile mapping) were used. When compared with the observed data, the estimated hourly temperature, after bias correction, is reasonably close to the observed during both kharif and rabi seasons. The bias-corrected Soygro model exhibited its good performance at 14 locations, followed by the WAVE model and Temperature models at 8 and 6 locations, respectively during the kharif season. In the case of rabi season, the bias-corrected Temperature model appears to be accurate at more locations (21), followed by WAVE and Soygro models at 4 and 2 locations, respectively. The pooled data analysis showed the least error between estimated (uncorrected and bias-corrected) and observed hourly temperature from 04 to 08 h during kharif season while it was 03 to 08 h during the rabi season. The results of the present study indicated that Soygro and Temperature models estimated hourly temperature with better accuracy at a majority of the locations situated in the agroecological regions representing different climates and soil types. Though the WAVE model worked well at some of the locations, estimation by the PL model was not up to the mark in both kharif and rabi seasons. Hence, Soygro and Temperature models can be used to estimate hourly temperature data during both kharif and rabi seasons, after the bias correction by the Linear Regression method. We believe that the application of the study would facilitate the usage of hourly temperature data instead of daily data which in turn improves the precision in predicting phenological events and bud dormancy breaks, chilling hour requirement etc.

Nutrients status and soil microbial biomass C and N in charcoal production sites of derived savannah forest of southwestern Nigeria

Deforestation and other anthropogenic activities, including charcoal production affect several microbial activities and nutrients availability and status in the savannah forest soil of southwestern Nigeria. However, understandings of the microbial activities and soil nutrients availability in these sites have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the study aims to clarify the charcoal production effects on the microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, nutrients status of charcoal production sites and the surrounding soils. Soil samples were collected to determine the microbial biomass contents in carbon and nitrogen (BC and BN), organic carbon of the soil (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium and nitrate nitrogen [(NH4+-N) and (NO3N)] in the soil layers between 0–15, 15–30 and 30 – 45 cm, under different locations of charcoal production and non-production sites (CPS and NPS) respectively. We found out that SOC, TN, C/N ratio, Bc and BN and the ratios of Bc/SOC and BN/TN were significantly higher in the NPS than in the CPS. The SOC, TN, BC and BN and the ratios of Bc/SOC and BN/TN declined significantly (P ˂ 0.05) with increase in depth in the two sites under different locations. However, NH4+-N and NO3N contents in the NPS were significantly lower compared to the CPS. The results of the analysis indicate better soil nutrients in term of SOC and TN in the NPS than CPS. It is therefore posited that NPS is healthier and can sustain soil microbial activities than CPS. Although, NPS is lower in inorganic nitrogen contents determined, CPS has the potential to reduce leaching of inorganic nitrogen and increases its availability in the derived savannah agro-ecological region of southwestern Nigeria. Effort must be made to mitigate the large-scale conversions of the native derived savannah forests for traditional charcoal production that contributes to environmental pollution; it is therefore useful to consider biochar strategy in order to mitigate global warming and manage soil health and productivity.