Productivity Of Arable Land Research Articles

The Integration of Land Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Practices in Sustainable Food Systems of Africa: A Systematic Review

Land degradation poses a significant global challenge, adversely affecting soil quality and diminishing the productivity of arable land, which, in turn, impacts food production and ecosystem services. This degradation manifests in various forms, including soil compaction, salinity, nutrient depletion, loss of biodiversity, and contamination, ultimately rendering soil unproductive and exacerbating climate change. Given the challenges arising from conventional farming practices and climate change, there is an urgent necessity to develop agricultural systems that not only enhance agronomic efficiency but also improve environmental performance. This study focuses on addressing food security in Africa by investigating the role of land restoration and biodiversity in sustainable food systems through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis for documents between 2010 to 2023, identifying 64 relevant documents. The analysis reveals insights into the most-cited documents and thematic evolution, underscoring the significant contributions from Ethiopia and advocating for collaborative efforts among African nations. Key themes identified include “climate change”, “food security”, “biodiversity conservation”, and “agroecosystems”, all highlighting the importance of sustainable agricultural practices. The study anticipates a continued prioritization of agroecosystems, smart agriculture, and biodiversity conservation to tackle food security challenges in the face of climate change. Collaboration, investment in research, and practical initiatives emerge as essential components for achieving sustainable food security and mitigating climate change impacts in Africa. This research provides valuable insights into the current landscape and future trends regarding the contributions of land restoration and biodiversity to food systems in Africa, emphasizing the critical need for concerted efforts to address these pressing issues.

Theoretical substantiation and development of ecologically friendly farming system in Ukraine

Intensive farming has caused soil degradation, including the loss of humus, soil structure breakdown, compaction, and a decrease in both potential and effective fertility. Therefore, research into farming systems is highly relevant. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to scientifically substantiate, develop, and implement an ecologically friendly modern farming system under Ukrainian conditions. The primary methods used to determine the effectiveness of various farming systems and ensure the accuracy and reliability of experimental data were field, laboratory, and statistical methods. The study substantiated that an industrial farming system with the input of approximately 12.0 tonnes per hectare of crop rotation area of organic matter (8.0 tonnes per hectare of manure and 4.0 tonnes per hectare of plant residues) produces about 0.81 tonnes per hectare of humus, although 1.33 tonnes per hectare of it is mineralised, leading to a negative humus balance in the soil. The output of grain units in this system is 8.21 tonnes per hectare, feed units – 9.63, and digestible protein – 0.86 tonnes per hectare, with stability at 91.2% and profitability at 88.0%. The organic farming system, which includes the use of 24 tonnes per hectare of organic fertilisers and biological products to control weeds, diseases, and pests in agrocenoses, does not ensure a positive humus balance in the soil (-0.14 tonnes per hectare) and has significantly lower productivity. The no-till system, which involves the application of 12 tonnes per hectare of organic fertilisers in the form of root and stubble residues, by-products of crop production, and mineral fertilisers during sowing and foliar feeding, ensures a positive humus balance (+0.12 tonnes per hectare) but has productivity levels comparable to the organic system. The ecological system provides stable, economically viable, and resource-adequate productivity of arable land, enhances the quality indicators of products, and preserves and restores soil fertility. It increased the output of grain units by 8.9%, feed units by 7.2%, and digestible protein by 8.1%, ensuring high stability at 94.1% and an increase in production profitability by 8.5% compared to the control. The materials in this study are of practical value for agricultural enterprises of various ownership forms and will serve as technological guidelines for the implementation of modern, ecologically safe, economically and energetically justified agricultural production

Arable land in Northwest China: Dynamics analysis of health and productivity in 2000–2020

AbstractArable land health (ALH) and arable land productivity (ALP) are crucial indicators of agricultural ecological functionality and sustainability. The shift of grain‐producing regions in Northwest China has led to arable land degradation, which endangers both food production and sustainable development. Several studies have focused on arable land quantity, distribution, and regional features, but ALH and sustainable ALP have received little attention. For the first time, we investigated the spatio‐temporal distribution and coupling connection between ALH and ALP in Northwest China (NC) using soil health indicators. Our study revealed the following key findings: (1) A minimal dataset of 12 indicators can efficiently replace the total dataset to evaluate the arable land health index in NC. (2) Over the last 20 years, the high and sub‐high grades of ALH increased by 536.8% and 222.6%, respectively, with a shift toward the northwest. During the specified period, ALH with low health and underutilized grade decreased by 46.01% and 69.4%, respectively, primarily in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. At the county level, ALP increased by 26%, primarily in northern Xinjiang and southern Gansu. 71% of counties remained stable, while only 3% experienced a decline. (4) The relationship between ALH and ALP were divided into six coupled groups that form an inverted “U” shape. High‐production areas were generally strongly linked, while low‐production areas were weakly coupled. Over the last 20 years, NC has seen significant improvements in ALH, coinciding with an increase in ALP. However, in most cases, the relationship between ALH and ALP were negative or weak.

Soil Physicochemical Properties Variation under Annual Crop and Coffee Landuse in the Chentale Watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

A detrimental decline in soil fertility has been attributed to losses in arable land productivity in Ethiopia. In this line, several studies were conducted to enable informed decisions; however, monitoring soil property dynamics in different biophysical, climatic, and cropping systems is yet to be adequate to support and influence decision and policymakers. To this end, this study evaluated soil physicochemical properties on land managed for annual crops and coffee land use in the Chentale watershed, the upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. About 24 soil samples were collected from the two land uses and soil depths (topsoil: 0–15 cm and subsoil: 15–30 cm) with 6 replications for soil properties analysis. The result showed that most of the soil parameters varied significantly with land uses and were higher with coffee landuse (p<0.01) than with cropland. Furthermore, a neutral pH range, clay loam texture, medium level of organic matter (3.93%) and nitrogen (0.18%), high level of available phosphorus (23.35 PPM), and high to very high level of exchangeable base were recorded from coffee landuse than from cropland. Whereas the mean values of organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (TN) decreased significantly (p<0.05) decreased in the subsoil. However, most of the physical and chemical properties of the soil did not vary significantly with depth. Moreover, low pH, low OM content, and low TN are the main properties of soil considered constraints of soil fertility in cropland at both depths. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain agroforestry practices, reduce the intensity of tilling, and supply organic materials to sustain the productivity of cropland.

陕北长城沿线风沙区耕地产能核算研究

陕北长城沿线风沙区耕地产能核算研究

Assessment of Arable Land Productivity Resources on Sloping Agricultural Landscapes in Central Chernozem Region

Assessment of Arable Land Productivity Resources on Sloping Agricultural Landscapes in Central Chernozem Region

Socio Economic and environtmental values of Curcuma xantorrhiza Roxb. at Banjar Community, South Kalimantan

Since ancient times Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. or Javanese Turmeric (JT) is an important spice for the Banjar people. JT contains active ingredients such curcuminoids which have antioxidant properties. Due to the ability to increase the body’s immunity, the demand for JT during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased. Banjar Regency is a supplier of JT in South Kalimantan. This paper describes the socio-economic and environmental values of JT for the Banjar people. Data was collected from interviews with several JT spice farmers, collectors, traders, and consumers in several locations. Data were analyzed descriptively to describe JT’s role in supporting the community’s economy and the environment. From an economic perspective, JT has provided many benefits and produces several products such as food, body care, traditional medicine, and animal feed. From an environmental perspective, JT increases the productivity of arable land and prevents fires land. The development of JT on private land faces several challenges due to the low interest of the community to cultivate JT and lower prices than seasonings spices. Therefore, several strategies are needed to support its development, such arrange cropping patterns, combinations of cropping types, research support related to the use of superior varieties, and expansion of planting.

Estimate provincial-level effectiveness of the arable land requisition-compensation balance policy in mainland China in the last 20 years

The “requisition-compensation balance policy” is a basic arable land protection policy promulgated by the Chinese government to maintain the dynamic balance of the total arable land. Since the implementation of the “requisition-compensation balance policy”, its important role in the conservation of arable land has been widely noted. Multiple studies indicate the effectiveness of the policy by estimating the quantity and quality change of arable land. In addition, the defects and negative externalities of the policy are disputed. The overall goal of this study is to estimate the provincial-level effectiveness of the “requisition-compensation balance policy” in mainland China in two periods (i.e., 2000—2010; 2010—2020) from four perspectives: arable land quantity dynamic balance; arable land productivity balance; farming distance; and sustainability of arable land use. The results showed that, first, the arable land quantity balance was achieved during 2000–2020 from a national perspective. There are still 19–23% of provinces have failed to reach the quantity balance. Second, the decrease in China’s total arable land productivity was exacerbated from 9612.1 thousand tons. to 31254.6 thousand ton. The average potential yield balance index was less than 1 for nearly all provinces during 2000–2010 and became even worse in the next decade because of occupying superior arable land while compensating for inferior arable land. The conservation of arable land productivity has become more important than the conservation of quantity. Third, due to the lack of constraints on the farming distance changes in the “requisition-compensation balance policy”, most provinces convert arable land around urban and rural areas to built-up land while replenishing land far from residential areas without providing adequate agricultural infrastructure, which leads to an increase in the cost of farming and consequently to an increase in the marginalization of arable land. During 2010–2020, the average farming distance of compensated arable land at the provincial level reached 2–7 times that of occupied arable land. However, the average farming distance of the whole arable land at the provincial level decreased by 3.82–63.88% during the same period. This contradiction is mainly due to increasing marginalization and opportunity costs resulting in arable land with high farming distance (including arable land that was compensated in the past) to be used with low intensity or even abandoned and thus identified as other land use types by remote sensing classification models. This factor outweighed that of “occupy nearby arable land while compensating farther one”, resulting in a reduction in the provincial average farming distance. Fourth, the percentage of sustainable compensated arable land in most provinces was lower than 70%. This indicated that the utilization and protection of arable land in these provinces was insufficiently implemented and monitored. Challenges along optimization of the “requisition-compensation balance policy” were discussed from two respects: data, theory and methodology and policy design and implementation. The authors argue that a more comprehensive “requisition-compensation balance policy” should be designed considering not only the quantity and productivity of arable land but also the farming distance, sustainability and ecological protection. A differentiated regulation mechanism of arable land requisition compensation in trans-provincial areas should be formulated. This study can provide guidance for optimizing the implementation of regional arable land protection and can also provide a reference for other countries to protect arable land.

Changes in Fertility of Alluvial Meadow Soil under Different Fertilizer Systems in Vegetable Crop Rotation

In a laboratory and field experiment conducted in the climatic conditions of the Moscow region, it was found that after 2 rotations (6 years) saturated vegetable crop rotation (late white cabbage – carrots – table beets) on alluvial meadow medium loamy soil with annual application of biocompost at a dose of 6 t/ha (total of 18 t/ha), the humus content in the soil stabilized, a tendency to accumulation of alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen fraction (+6%) was noted and the consumption of mobile forms of phosphorus (–4%) and potassium (–6%), as well as soil decompression. The use of mineral fertilizers in single and one-and-a-half doses revealed a tendency to decrease the content of humus in the soil (by 3–4%), hydrolyzable nitrogen (by 7–8%) and the accumulation of mobile phosphorus (by 1–15%) and potassium (by 3–22%). The introduction of a low dose of mineral fertilizers led to a deterioration of soil fertility, a decrease in the content of humus (–5%), mobile phosphorus and potassium (by 5 and 17%). Slightly more effective was the introduction of biocompost annually at a dose of 3 t/ha. With the joint application of biocompost (6 t/ha) and a single dose of NPK, stabilization of the humus content in the soil at the initial level, accumulation of hydrolyzable nitrogen (by 9%), mobile phosphorus and potassium (by 5–6%) was noted. During 2 rotations, there was a decrease in the content of exchangeable calcium (by 1–10% from the initial level) and magnesium (by 3–11%) and weak acidification of the soil (a decrease in pHKCl by 1–2% from the initial indicator). It was found that the average productivity of arable land without the use of fertilizers was 50 t/ha, increased by 14 when the half dose was applied, by 28 when the single dose was applied, and by 42% when the half dose was applied, the use of biocompost at doses of 3 and 6 t/ha provided an increase in productivity by 8–16%. With the joint annual application of biocompost with a single dose of NPK, the average productivity of crop rotation increased by 26–35%.

Achievements of the federal scientific center "all-Russian institute of forages V.R. Williams" in the study of fodder plants

Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology for more than 100 years has been the largest scientific, methodological, research, intellectual center, which concentrates scientific knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the cultivation of fodder plants. Strategic areas of research for the period of activity of the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology, is the selection and seed production of fodder plants; meadow fodder production; field fodder production; development of technologies for procurement, storage and use of feed. The State Register of Breeding Achievements Approved for Use in the Russian Federation includes 227 varieties of forage crops (24 % of the total number of forage crops in Russia) bred by the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology, 57 varieties are released to all regions. Profound fundamental research is being carried out on meadow ecosystems, on the ontogeny of meadow grasses, and grassland technologies are being developed. Effective technologies for the restoration of degraded arid pastures and saline lands based on ecologically specialized plant species with extremely high salinity and drought resistance have been developed and put into practice. The total gene pool of halophytes and arid plants includes more than 1200 samples of 25 species. The result of bioresource and breeding work was the creation of 20 new varieties of drought-resistant fodder halophytes for arid territories from the families Chenopodiaceae, Tamaricaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae. Scientists of the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology developed the scientific foundations of field fodder production. It is shown that fodder crop rotations are the most important means of increasing the productivity of arable land, combating drought, erosion and soil dehumification. Perennial grasses on arable land are the most important means of protection against droughts, the basis for restoring and maintaining soil fertility. Experimental data on the preservative efficacy of compositions of experimental enzyme multisystems in combination with bacterial preparations have been obtained.

Exploring PlanetScope Satellite Capabilities for Soil Salinity Estimation and Mapping in Arid Regions Oases

One reason for soil degradation is salinization in inland dryland, which poses a substantial threat to arable land productivity. Remote-sensing technology provides a rapid and accurate assessment for soil salinity monitoring, but there is a lack of high-resolution remote-sensing spatial salinity estimations. The PlanetScope satellite array provides high-precision mapping for land surface monitoring through its 3-m spatial resolution and near-daily revisiting frequency. This study’s use of the PlanetScope satellite array is a new attempt to estimate soil salinity in inland drylands. We hypothesized that field observations, PlanetScope data, and spectral indices derived from the PlanetScope data using the partial least-squares regression (PLSR) method would produce reasonably accurate regional salinity maps based on 84 ground-truth soil salinity data and various spectral parameters, like satellite band reflectance, and published satellite salinity indices. The results showed that using the newly constructed red-edge salinity and yellow band salinity indices, we were able to develop several inversion models to produce regional salinity maps. Different algorithms, including Boruta feature preference, Random Forest algorithm (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm (XGBoost), were applied for variable selection. The newly constructed yellow salinity indices (YRNDSI and YRNDVI) had the best Pearson correlations of 0.78 and −0.78. We also found that the proportions of the newly constructed yellow and red-edge bands accounted for a large proportion of the essential strategies of the three algorithms, with Boruta feature preference at 80%, RF at 80%, and XGBoost at 60%, indicating that these two band indices contributed more to the soil salinity estimation results. The best PLSR model estimation for different strategies is the XGBoost-PLSR model with coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) values of 0.832, 12.050, and 2.442, respectively. These results suggest that PlanetScope data has the potential to significantly advance the field of soil salinity research by providing a wealth of fine-scale salinity information.

Results and prospects of optimization of agrochemical indicies of arable soils fertility in Belarus

A critical overview of dynamics of agrochemical indices of arable soils fertility over 50-year period is presented. The low-yield sod-podzol and swampy soils of Belarus were relatively poor in available plant nutrients. As a result of the largescale water engineering, liming and the intensive use of fertilizers over the period of 1965–2020 the productivity of arable land increased from 1.5 to 4.6 tons per hectare in grain equivalent. The significant improvement of soil fertility status was also achieved. Data of soil fertility status are based on the large-scale soil test monitoring conducted by State Agrochemical Service every 4–5 years. The share of strongly and moderately acid soils with pH < 5.0, that are harmful for the main crops, decreased from 66.8 % in 1970 to 4.5% of total area of arable land in 2004. However, the share of acid arable soils increased up to 9.8% in 2020, due to insufficient volume of liming that will be increased in the forthcoming years. The average organic matter (O.M.) content had been strongly increased from 1.77 to 2.28 % during the period of 1970–2000, due to high share of perennial grasses in cropping structure and manure application up to 14–15 t/ha per year. About 1 million ha of drained soils with the high O.M. content was also involved to arable land. The average O.M. content in the last two decades had been in mobile equilibrium of 2.23–2.27 % with a tendency to decline in some districts. The average contents of mobile Phosphorous and Potassium in arable soils increased up to 2.4–3.2 times during the experimental period and they are in the optimal range for cultivated crops. Currently balanced fertilization is the most important, with differentiation of fertilizer rates that would be most suitable to crop requirements and soil tests on each field. Formation and maintenance of optimal soil fertility indices, especially pH and mobile Р2О5 and К2О contents, are strictly controlled as protective measures on the land contaminated with radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr after Chernobyl accident. Measures to improve the efficiency of capital investment at fertility reproduction and use of arable soils are discussed currently.

Important wheat diseases in the US and their management in the 21st century.

Wheat is a crop of historical significance, as it marks the turning point of human civilization 10,000 years ago with its domestication. Due to the rapid increase in population, wheat production needs to be increased by 50% by 2050 and this growth will be mainly based on yield increases, as there is strong competition for scarce productive arable land from other sectors. This increasing demand can be further achieved using sustainable approaches including integrated disease pest management, adaption to warmer climates, less use of water resources and increased frequency of abiotic stress tolerances. Out of 200 diseases of wheat, 50 cause economic losses and are widely distributed. Each year, about 20% of wheat is lost due to diseases. Some major wheat diseases are rusts, smut, tan spot, spot blotch, fusarium head blight, common root rot, septoria blotch, powdery mildew, blast, and several viral, nematode, and bacterial diseases. These diseases badly impact the yield and cause mortality of the plants. This review focuses on important diseases of the wheat present in the United States, with comprehensive information of causal organism, economic damage, symptoms and host range, favorable conditions, and disease management strategies. Furthermore, major genetic and breeding efforts to control and manage these diseases are discussed. A detailed description of all the QTLs, genes reported and cloned for these diseases are provided in this review. This study will be of utmost importance to wheat breeding programs throughout the world to breed for resistance under changing environmental conditions.

Determination of the shelterbelts influence on the average productivity of agrophytocenoses based on geostatistical analysis of spatial data and the NDVI

Shelterbelts effect positively on the elements of the microclimate, the water regime of soils, the agronomic properties of the soil, soil fertility in the agricultural landscape. The assessment of the influence of the density of shelterbelts on the overall productivity of arable land is poorly studied. In this study, the methodology for assessing of such impact with using GIS technologies is suggested. We propose to use the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), as a standardized index showing the relative biomass of vegetation, averaged for each working area within the studied region for working plots of arable land with an area of more than 25 hectares in the Belgorod oblast. Paired correlation analysis between the density of shelterbelts and arable land productivity showed the weak relationship (R2= 0.124), however, the classification of the density of shelterbelts with the interval of 0.5 km/km2 allowed us to reveal the linear regression dependence y = 0.0059x + 0.5195 (R2 = 0.989) of arable land productivity from the density of shelterbelts. Taking into account that many abiotic factors can affect the yield, we additionally proposed to carry out typing to identify areas of the same type in terms of the relief of the earth’s surface, climatic conditions and productivity. To do this, the spatial clustering (K-means algorithm) was proposed to use. It was revealed that the productivity of agrophytocenoses increases by 10% with the increasing of the density of shelterbelts by 2 times with an average slope steepness of up to 2°. In physical terms, the yield of winter wheat will increase by 0.28 t/ha. Soil-protective crop rotations are an additional factor in increasing the value of the NDVI index on slopes more than 2°.

Resource-saving technologies for the basic cultivation of chernozem typical in the northeastern region of the Central Chernozem region

The research was carried out with the aim of solving the problem of optimizing the system of basic tillage, providing a reduction in energy costs, obtaining high crop productivity and profitability of production in a grain-fallow crop rotation in the conditions of the northeast of the Central Chernozem Region. The work was carried out in 2013-2021, in a stationary field experiment on a typical heavy loamy chernozem with a high supply of mineral nutrients with a humus content in the arable layer of 6.8-7.0%. The scheme of the experiment included the following options for the main tillage systems: traditional mid-depth moldboard, for soybean at 25-27 cm (control); resource-saving: surface (disking by 10-12 cm) for all crops and non-moldboard mid-depth, 25-27 cm for soybeans and 20-22 cm for cereals; combined: moldboard-less plowing (25% plowing for soybeans + 75% non-moldboard semi-deep plowing for cereals) and moldboard-surface (25% plowing for soybeans + 75% surface plowing for cereals). Against the background of treatments for crop rotation, fertilizers and plant protection products were used. It was found that resource-saving non-moldboard and combined tillage for sowing, on average, for crop rotation crops, accumulated more moisture in the arable layer by 12.1-13.8%, by 3.9-7.8% in the meter layer, compared with traditional moldboard cultivation. . Surface tillage reduced the reserve of productive moisture in the arable layer by 4.4%, in the meter layer - by 5.1%. It has been studied that the best nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium regimes are established with traditional dump and combined dump-surface treatments. In the variants with surface and non-moldboard tillage, a decrease in the content of mineral nutrition elements in the arable soil layer is noted. At the same time, there was an increase in the process of differentiation of the arable layer by fertility with a concentration of nutrients in the layer of 0-10 cm and a significant decrease in them in the layer of 20-30 cm. 2.1 times without herbicides, 2.2 times against the background of herbicide treatment, in terms of the number of weeds and 1.4 and 1.5 times in terms of their mass, in comparison with traditional moldboard treatment. The use of herbicides contributed to a decrease in the number of weeds and the mass of the weed component on average for the variants of the experiment by 55.4 and 60.0%, respectively. It was analyzed that the use of surface and non-moldboard tillage systems led to a decrease in the productivity of a hectare of arable land in crop rotation by 0.09 tons of grain units without protection and by 0.11-0.14 tons in combination with plant protection. The combined (dump-surface) system of tillage ensured the productivity of arable land at the level of the traditional dump system at different depths. It has been proved that the highest profitability of production in crop rotation (250.3%) was achieved using a combined (dump-surface) tillage system in combination with the use of complex protection products (seed dressing + pesticides for crop vegetation). Resource-saving processing systems (surface and non-moldboard) worsened economic performance. Income from the use of these tillage systems decreased by 4.8-5.5%, profitability decreased by 1.6-2.7% compared to the traditional mid-depth moldboard tillage system in crop rotation.

Reproduction of soil fertility in adaptive landscape farming systems of the foothill zone of the RNO-Alania

Modern intensification of agriculture has significantly speeded up the processes of land destruction and loss of its fertility. This has led to the deterioration in the agroecological situation, boost in the potential fertility of land, and a significant decrease in yields and quality of agricultural products. The purpose of our research was the rational use of land, while compacting the link of the grain crop rotation. The studies were carried out in the foothill zone of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania, on leached chernozems, in the subzone of sufficient moisture. In the experiments, oats were sown in pure form, mixed with peas, as well as a variant of a pea-oat-sunflower mixture, with harvesting terms for green fodder, grain haylage and grain. Today pea-oat-sunflower mixture, unlike corn for silage, is a resource-saving, low-cost and multicomponent mixture. After harvesting these crops, the crop rotation is compacted by buckwheat crops for grain. With such a sparing use of land resources, the high self-cleaning ability of these mixtures and buckwheat reduces the cost and increases the productivity of arable land. An increase in soil fertility is achieved by introducing green manure crops (winter and spring rapeseed, oilseed radish, white mustard, winter rye, etc.), which, when plowing, improve the soil structure (structural coefficient up to 3), boost the humus content in the soil by 0.02 – 0.05%, neutralize the acidity of the soil environment (up to pH = 5.5 – 6,7), clean the soil from excess nitrates, heavy metals, pesticide residues, etc., and enhance the yield by 15-20%.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF TECHNOLOGICAL METHODS OF CHICKPEA GROWING IN CONDITIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

In the context of climate change in the right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, as well as temperature fluctuations over the years, an important direction in increasing the productivity of arable land is the cultivation of drought-resistant leguminous crops and the improvement of technological methods of cultivation aimed at creating highly productive agrocenoses. It has been studied that chickpeas are among the drought-resistant leguminous crops, which can withstand high temperatures and prolonged droughts; a detailed analysis of the features of energy-efficient technological aspects of growing chickpeas has been carried out. It was revealed that the factors that have a direct impact on energy efficiency indicators in the context of climate change include pre-sowing seed treatment and foliar top dressing. The calculations proved the absence of a negative energy balance when growing chickpeas. Consequently, the sum of the total energy costs and calculations of the developed technology amounted to 17,611.2 MJ. In Pegasus chickpea plants, the energy consumption control was 14.85 GJ / ha and the gross energy yield was 34.26 GJ / ha, while the net energy profit was 19.46 GJ / ha and the energy efficiency ratio was 2.31. The highest energy efficiency coefficient (3.20) was recorded for the technology of growing chickpeas, which provides for a combination of pre-sowing treatment of seeds to the bioenoculant Rizoline in combination with Risosave and two-time foliar top dressing of microfertilizers Harvest legumes in the phase of intensive growth. It is thanks to the optimal combination and development of new adaptive technological methods in the varietal technology of growing chickpeas for the conditions of the right-bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine that it is possible to obtain competitive products with high-quality energy valuable seeds.

Characterization of an Endophytic Antagonistic Bacterial Strain Bacillus halotolerans LBG-1-13 with Multiple Plant Growth-Promoting Traits, Stress Tolerance, and Its Effects on Lily Growth.

Microbial inoculants are an important tool for increasing arable land productivity and decreasing mineral fertilizer application. This study was aimed at isolating and identifying endophytic antagonistic bacteria from lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) roots grown in Northwestern China and at evaluating their antifungal activity and plant growth-promoting characteristics. For this purpose, endophytic bacteria were isolated from plant roots, and plant growth-promoting strains were identified. One bacterial strain, isolated from the root part, was identified as Bacillus halotolerans based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and was designated as LBG-1-13. The strain showed antagonistic activities against important plant pathogens of lily including Botrytis cinerea, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium oxysporum. The highest percentage of growth inhibition, i.e., 71.65 ± 2.39%, was observed for LBG-1-13 against Botryosphaeria dothidea followed by 68.33 ± 4.70% and 48.22 ± 4.11% against Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively. Meanwhile, the isolated strain also showed plant growth-promoting traits such as the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, ACC deaminase, and phosphate solubilization activity. The strain showed ACC deaminase activity and was able to cleave 58.41 ± 2.62 nmol α-ketobutyrate (mg protein)-1 min-1. The strain exhibited tolerance to salt and drought stress in an in vitro experiment. The strain LBG-1-13 was able to grow in the presence of 10% NaCl and 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the growth medium. Inoculation of Lilium varieties, Tresor and Bright Diamond, with LBG-1-13 enhanced plant growth under greenhouse and field conditions, respectively. All these results demonstrated that Bacillus halotolerans LBG-1-13 could be utilized as a good candidate in the biocontrol of lily disease and plant growth promotion in sustainable agriculture.

Стратегічне управління продуктивністю агроценозів у системі осушуваного землеробства

Goal. To improve the zone agrotechnological aspects of growing market-oriented crops in the system of drained agriculture. Methods. The experiment and research were carried out using generally accepted methods of field and lysimeter experiments in agriculture and crop production. Results. The results of experimental research on conducting highly efficient managed agriculture on drained lands, which ensures the creation of the most favorable conditions for the formation of highly productive agrocenoses and the expansion of their productive functions in the Polissia zone, are given. The influence of purposeful optimization of the technological parameters of the main links of reclamation agriculture: water-air and nutrient regimes of the drained soil with the use of the crop rotation factor on the formation of the yield of the commercial grain of commercially attractive crops was studied. Fertilizer systems for intensive technical crops adapted to the conditions of Polissia were improved. The effect of additional regulation of the water-air regime of the drained soil following the requirements of crops (favorable conditions of moisture) on their productivity was studied. The standards for the consumption of biogenic nutrients for crop formation were updated and clarified. The economic parameters of the technologies — the break-even points at which effective cultivation of crops could be achieved — were determined. The productivity potential of the proposed intensive short crop rotation, aimed at market conditions of farming, was evaluated. Conclusions. Strategic management of water, air, and nutrient conditions of the soil with effective plant nutrition in the conditions of a perfect meliorative system makes it possible to increase the productivity of arable land in the Polissia zone by 2.8 times (from 40 t/ha to 110 t/ha), which ensures effective development of plant industry in this territory and rational use of the resource potential of drained lands.

Виробництво сільськогосподарської продукції в Україні для потреб Королівства Марокко

Goal. To assess the possibilities of cooperation between Ukraine and potential importers of domestic food based on investing in agricultural production of Ukraine and mutual benefits. Methods. Theoretical methods of scientific research: analysis and synthesis, comparison, classification, and generalization. Results. The commercial proposal is to create a joint agricultural production system on an area of 20 thousand hectares of state-owned land. The project is proposed to be implemented in the irrigation zone of the South of Ukraine. This area has significant thermal resources, and soils have a high fertility potential, which allows for optimization of moisture conditions for irrigation to ensure maximum and stable levels of productivity of arable land with high-quality products, including vegetables, livestock, grain, and feed. Conclusions. During the discussion, various options for the terms of cooperation were considered by stakeholders. One of such options for cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco (Party — 1) and Ukraine (Party — 2) in the field of agriculture — is successive stages of joint production and investment activities. The initial in these stages is the production of corn and winter wheat on the lands of NAAS in the irrigation zone of 20 thousand hectares. One of the options for cooperation provides for the following conditions and obligations of the Parties: «Party — » provides investment resources for the implementation of projects for the restoration and expansion of irrigation systems on an area of 20 thousand hectares with an estimated capital cost of $ USA 50 million.; «Party — 2» develops and implements in practice projects for restoration and expansion of irrigation, provides agro-technological processes directly for grain production, and supplies it to Party — 1 in compliance with investment conditions and obligations (250 thousand tons).