Cereal Area Research Articles

Examining the impact of climate change on cereal production in India: Empirical evidence from ARDL modelling approach

Agriculture sector is major sufferer of climate change both at a global level as well as at India level. Cereals account for about 92 % of India's total food grain output and climate change has a significant influence on the production of cereals. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term and short-term effects of climatic and non-climatic variables, specifically temperature, precipitation, cereal area, total cropped area, fertilizer consumption, and pesticide consumption, on cereal production in India. The study included annual time series data that covered the period from 1960 to 2018, covering a period of 58 years. Various econometric techniques were employed to examine these relationships. The validity of a long-term and short-term relationship among the relevant variables included in the study was validated by employing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique and the Johansen cointegration test. The ARDL model's estimation outcomes reveals that input factors such as cereal area became a key factor in rising cereal production, as evidenced by its positive coefficient. Similarly, fertilizer consumption and precipitation had positive effects on production in the long run whereas total cropped area and minimum temperature has little influence over the results of production both in short run as well as long run. Furthermore, the long-term findings were also supported using econometric tools like Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) and Fully Modified Least Squares (FMOLS). These methods confirmed that variations in cereal production in India were significantly influenced by both climatic factors and agricultural inputs and factors. The study emphasizes the urgency for policymakers to prioritize proactive measures aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of climate change on cereal production in India. This necessitates a comprehensive strategy integrating sustainable practices, technological innovations, and robust policy frameworks to ensure resilient agricultural sectors and sustainable food production.

Global relevance of Argentinean rainfed crops in a climatic variability context: A water footprint assessment in Buenos Aires province

Argentina has a relevant international role as a producer of agricultural commodities. Buenos Aires is the province with the largest cultivated area of cereals and oilseeds of the country. Rainfed crops depend exclusively on green water, meaning a comparative advantage for Buenos Aires province. The green virtual water content in the crops produced in Buenos Aires has implications for water allocation at international level. A great amount of countries depends on the Argentinean rainfed agriculture. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of climate variations on Argentinean crop production at local level and the role of rainfed crops in regional and international trade. We analysed the temporal and territorial variations of crops green water demand in a climatic variability context and their influence on the water footprint. The green water footprint of the main crops of Buenos Aires was assessed, including soybeans, maize, sunflower, wheat and barley, in different climatic conditions: for the period 2008–2018, which include a dry year, a humid year and an ordinary year. A dataset about the green water footprint at municipality level was provided, and the results were presented on maps for each crop and for the different climatic conditions. The relevance of green water of main crops in the world water-dependent supply chains was shown. This comprehensive green water footprint assessment provides a useful database for researchers, companies and policy makers in Argentina and beyond.

Siberian species on the steppe stations of the northwestern exclave of the meadow steppe

Climate warming has revived interest in the problem of species migration, changing vegetation boundaries. “Oka flora” in the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve is an isolated fragment of steppe communities in the zone of coniferous-deciduous forests. Its peculiarity is the significant participation of Siberian and Caucasian species. According to the results of long-term observations (25 years), the participation of Siberian species in steppe test sites was evaluated. In the steppe communities of the reserve, a relic floristic core is isolated, which includes species of glacial time (Carex obtusata, Draba sibirica, etc.) and species of warm Atlantic Time (Melica picta). The main part species in steppe test sites are typical steppe or meadow-steppe species, identical to the zonal meadow steppes. Modern research is devoted to identifying the features of biotopes of steppe communities. It has been established that steppe biotopes are the driest and warmest in the reserve. In recent years, there has been an expansion of the area of dense-grain cereals. Observations suggest that the ecosystem is capable of holding a pool of many species for a long time, although not all species manifest themselves in conditions of changing climatic trends. Herbaceous vegetation, depending on the hydrothermal conditions of the upper soil horizons, is the most mobile.

Correction To: Current and Future Diversity of Thysanoptera Species in the Cereal Areas of the Lakes Region, Turkey

Correction To: Current and Future Diversity of Thysanoptera Species in the Cereal Areas of the Lakes Region, Turkey

Supplemental feeding on rangelands: New dynamics of the livestock in the El Ouara rangelands in southern Tunisia

Fodder production in arid rangelands has been traditionally considered as the main source of nutrition for livestock. However, the production of these fodder may be influenced by some socio-economic and climatic factors. This study aims to identify the various rangeland use forms and determine the types of livestock feeding system in the El Ouara rangelands of Ben guarden District in southern Tunisia by analysing the importance of supplemental feeding and main determinants of this practice. Data were collected by a survey that targeted a sample of 50 breeders in the El Ouara rangelands. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The results showed that there are two types of association practiced for breeders:“Cherka” association practiced by 10.00% of breeders and cash payment association practiced by 53.00% of breeders. Then, transhumance, sedentary, and semi-urban forms are the main ways in which breeders use the rangeland. There are four livestock feeding systems in the El Ouara rangelands being used to feed livestock: natural rangeland, rangeland-based, mixed, and concentrate-based feeding systems. Supplemental feeding has become fundamental for the livestock feeding system in the El Ouara rangelands. The breeders with the largest camel size still use the natural rangeland feeding system, while the breeders who have the largest herd size practice the mixed feeding system. The logistic regression results reveal that breeder age, cereal area, herd size, migrant remittance, second activity, and agricultural development group membership can significantly impact the supplemental feeding. In summary, this study can help policy-makers plan innovative practices based on climatic change, ensure the sustainability of livestock feeding system, and make effective decisions for local development.

Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Trends of Major Agricultural Crops in Romania Using Interactive Geographic Information System Mapping

This research study presents the spatio-temporal distribution of the main agricultural crops in Romania using a modern digitalisation technique, namely interactive GIS mapping. Interactive GIS mapping includes various features specific to the development of sustainable Romanian agriculture, including the arable area of Romania, information on the area (hectares) cultivated with corn, wheat, sunflower, and rape during the 1990–2018 period, the degree of mechanisation, the number of tractors, and information regarding the landforms, a natural factor in relation to cultivated surfaces. Agricultural land should be properly used based on its ability to meet the demands of consumers of traditional Romanian products with an ecological label, but also the needs of the local population, and, at the same time, to ensure the sustainability of the natural environment through the practice of ecological agriculture. The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the current state of the main agricultural crops in Romania. From a theoretical but also practical point of view, this research presents, for the first time, a retrospective analysis of each county in Romania in terms of the geospatial distribution of major agricultural crops using interactive GIS mapping. Geospatial data were processed in ArcGIS Geographic Information System 10.7.2. The results of this study show that the most extensive cereal areas at the county level in Romania are corn and wheat. The largest areas cultivated with corn and wheat in 2018 were recorded in the Western Plain, the Romanian Plain, and the Moldavian Plateau. For wheat, increases were also recorded in the Dobrogea Plateau. The intensification of labour productivity and the promotion of the sustainability of the natural environment in Romania is presented through the main indicator (the number of tractors) of the degree of mechanisation of agriculture. The higher values of this indicator are in the counties of Bihor, Timiș, and Maramureș. Limitations in Romania’s agricultural data present substantial challenges to the sector’s development and sustainability. Addressing these challenges is essential for informed decision making, policy formulation, and effective resource allocation.

Intensification options in cereal-legume production systems generate trade-offs between sustainability pillars for farm households in northern Morocco

CONTEXTFarmers in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region face several interrelated challenges including natural resource depletion, low crop productivity, and food and nutrition insecurity. To address some of these challenges, governments are considering different incentives to increase crop production. However, incentives often entail trade-offs and may have diverging effects on economic, social, and environmental sustainability. OBJECTIVESThis study assessed the ex-ante effects of incentives targeted towards increasing crop production on the production and consumption decisions of farm households on the Saïss plain of northern Morocco. METHODSThe assessment was conducted with a dynamic, intertemporal farm household model that simulates farm production and food consumption decisions. The model was calibrated using survey data from 85 farm households for 2014. Four scenarios were codesigned with local stakeholders and then simulated over a continuous 15-year period to capture rainfall variability: (1) increased availability of annual groundwater for irrigated cropping from 31 m3 ha−1 to 215 m3 ha−1, (2) a 15% increase in grain prices for cereals and legumes, (3) introduced drought tolerant crop varieties, and (4) a fourth scenario that combines all factors in the above three scenarios. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONOur results showed that regardless of the scenario, the area of cereals and legumes cultivated only slightly changed compared to the Baseline scenario. However, according to the scenarios tested, the total production of cereals increased by 10% to 21% and of legumes increased by 2% to 9%. This production increase is the direct consequence of increased crop yields due to an intensification of crop production methods. The incentives increased the consumption of cereals and legumes by up to 43%. This increase was mainly due to a shift from grain to vegetable production that increases cash income, resulting in more food purchases from the market while consumption from own production dropped by up to 53%. The average increase in crop income was 14% in scenarios 1–3 and 28% in scenario 4. However, increased income had ramifications for nature resource stocks, with irrigation water use from groundwater increasing by 593% in the Water scenario and 320% in the combined scenario, relative to the Baseline scenario. In the Water scenario, incomes increased by 15% and nitrogen leached increased by 36%, highlighting the trade-off between economic and environmental sustainability. SIGNIFICANCEThese results show the challenges in obtaining acceptable compromises between the three sustainability pillars as the scenarios increased income but also led to increased groundwater extraction and nitrate leaching.

Remotely Sensed Agriculture Drought Indices for Assessing the Impact on Cereal Yield

This study aims to analyze the potential of different drought indices for identifying drought periods and predicting cereal yield in two semi-arid regions, Lleida in Catalonia and Kairouan in Tunisia, which have similar Mediterranean climates but different agricultural practices. Four drought indices, namely the Soil Moisture Anomaly Index (SMAI), the Vegetation Anomaly Index (VAI), the Evapotranspiration Anomaly Index (EAI), and the Inverse Temperature Anomaly Index (ITAI), were calculated from remote sensing data. Drought periods were identified from 2010/2011 to 2021/2022 based on the aforementioned indices. A correlation study between drought indices and wheat and barley yields was performed in order to select the most informative index and month for yield prediction. In the rainfed cereal area of Lleida, the strongest correlation was found between the EAI and VAI with barley yield (0.91 and 0.83, respectively) at the time of cereal maturity in June. For wheat, the strongest correlation was found between the EAI and VAI (0.75 and 0.72, respectively) at the time of cereal maturity in July. However, the VAI, EAI, and SMAI showed the best performance as an earlier indicator in March with a correlation with barley yield of 0.72, 0.67, and 0.64, respectively; the lowest standard deviation was for the SMAI. For wheat yield, the best earlier indicator was the SMAI in March, showing the highest correlation (0.6) and the lowest standard deviation. For the irrigated cereal zone of Kairouan, the strongest correlation (0.9) and the lowest standard deviation are found between the EAI and cereal yield in April. In terms of advanced prediction, the VAI shows a high correlation in March (0.79) while the SMAI shows a slightly lower correlation in February (0.67) and a lower standard deviation. The results highlight the importance of the EAI and SMAI as key indicators for the estimation and early estimation (respectively) of cereal yield.

Assessing marginality of Camelina (C. sativa L. Crantz) in rotation with barley production in Southern Europe: A modelling approach

Camelina (C. sativa L. Crantz) is a promising biofuel crop with high potential for cultivation on marginal soils. In this work, seed yields have been modelled to assess suitable areas based on experimental field trials, meteorological data from the Monitoring Agricultural ResourceS (MARS) gridded agro-meteorological in Europe, soil properties from LUCAS, topography and land cover. Potential yields for Camelina-Barley rotation (CAMBAR) were modelled for the past 20 years using the mechanistic crop growth model ARMOSA that can estimate quantitatively several soil and water parameters and future forcing scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) using the generation model HadGEM2-ES. The term marginal land is found in the literature to indicate unused agriculture land such as abandoned, underused, degraded and fallow. In this work, marginality is considered the economic feasibility of cultivation, which aims to identifying land where cost effective agricultural production is not possible under a given set of conditions. Marginal lands were identified when the average Camelina seed yield from the crop growth modelling was lower than average in European countries based on a comprehensive literature assessment. The analysis was targeted at regions with a predominantly Mediterranean climate. Simulation by the mechanistic crop model was carried out on a 25 km grid for soil texture, soil carbon average stock, slope and aspect found in the MARS agricultural area mask. Spatial data and subsequent editing and processing of each simulation were allocated to a 500 m spatial resolution via a Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The study area covers around 500,000 km2. The CAMBAR scenario obtained an average yield of 2468 kg ha-1 yr-1, with standard deviation (+- 641) due to fluctuations for extreme weather patterns. Regarding soil organic carbon (SOC), CAMBAR showed an increase of + 43 kg ha-1 yr-1, which aligns with other studies carried out in Mediterranean or continental climates under crop rotation with minimum tillage and straw retention. The results of the present scenarios showed a slight increase in SOC stock (0.1–0.15 % yr-1). In regions with sufficient precipitation throughout the crop cycle, the increase of SOC is lower than the entire study area average, and in few cases, the SOC stock was drastically decreased. However, the model shows that SOC stock can increase when Camelina is introduced in rotation with cereals in areas with high desertification risk. In Spain, in the regions of Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León and Comunidad de Madrid accounting for 40% of the total area of investigation in Spain, equivalent to an area of 88,233 km2, the SOC increase was + 188, + 255 and + 236 kg ha-1 yr-1, respectively. The results of this work constitute a key contribution to policy development at the sub-national, national and EU level, through the investigation of low LUC/ILUC biofuel from marginal areas before these are lost due to land degradation processes and other anthropogenic impacts. Mapping the marginal areas is fundamental to showing potential for producing advanced biofuel crops.

The role of responsive heterogeneity in sub-Saharan smallholder farming sustainability: socio-economic and biophysical determinants of mineral and organic fertilizers used in South Western Burkina Faso

ABSTRACTSustainable soil nutrient management (SNM) is important for improving soil resources and food security in sub-Saharan African countries. Inherent livelihood diversity may lead to differences in household behavior in the adoption of SNM practices, thus challenging policy interventions uniformly implemented. This study aims at exploring the responsive heterogeneity in household behavior in the adoption of fertilizer use by farmers. Determinants of fertilizer uses were analyzed across different farm types. These farm types were identified from farm-household data collected in six villages in the South Western of Burkina Faso using the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. Using multilinear and binary logistic models, determinants of mineral, organic and combined mineral-organic fertilizer uses were analyzed. The results revealed that the determinants of SMN adoption include not only common determinants to whole sampled population (income, household size, access to roads and cereal areas), but also specific determinants to farm types (small ruminants, animal power, educational level and access to agro-training). This finding suggests that policy interventions will not be effective if the responsive heterogeneity in SNM adoption behavior is not taken into account. The study recommends the use of the presented framework, as an approach, to identify functional farm types to be considered in SNM policies.

Regression models for forecasting Nutri cereals area and production in India

Regression models for forecasting Nutri cereals area and production in India

Current and Future Diversity of Thysanoptera Species in the Cereal Areas of the Lakes Region, Turkey

Field surveys were carried out to determine the thrips fauna in cereal production areas of the Lakes Region in Turkey in 2016 and 2017. Thysanoptera specimens were collected with destructive and strike methods in two periods (before and after spike) from each production field during the production season. Thrips specimens were identified based on morphological taxonomic characters. Species distribution maps, species richness, abundance, as well as Shannon–Wiener (H') index, species seasonal dynamic and species sex ratio were calculated to indicate the diversity of Thysanoptera species in the Lakes Region. We also calculated Pearson correlation coefficient to evaluate correlation between Thysanoptera species richness and host plant richness. Species Distribution Modelling, namely MaxEnt algorithm, was used in order to establish the current and future distributional patterns of Thysanoptera species collected in our research area. During the two years of the study, 27,603 specimens of Thysanoptera were collected in production fields of wheat, oat and barley. There were 51 different species from four families. Haplothrips tritici was the most abundant species with 15,284 specimens or 55.371% of all collected. The highest relative abundance within family Thripidae was recorded for Collembolothrips mediterraneus, Chirothrips manicatus, Thrips angusticeps, Thrips herricki and Limothrips cerealium. Considering the altitudinal gradient of the study area, the highest species richness and abundance were found between 950 and 1,050 m.a.s.l. with 40 species and 7,622 specimens recorded. Potential species richness of Thysanoptera revealed an increase in areas that predominantly encompass eastern parts of Burdur province, as well as central north parts of Isparta.

Optimized drought tolerance in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)

Barley is among the most cultivated cereals in areas suffering water deficit, which impacts their growth and crop production. Here, we aimed to select plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that have the potential to enhance barley growth under drought stress. Thus, 15 bacterial isolates were selected for drought tolerance (more than −0.49 MPa) and screened for PGP characteristics: phosphate solubilization, production of exopolysaccharides, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, siderophores, and indole-3-acetic acid, and enzyme activities such as phosphatase, cellulase, pectinase, and chitinase. The top four isolates (MFC1, MFE3, MFF2, and MFF5) regarding PGP traits were tested on barley plants in irrigated and under drought conditions. The inoculation of barley plants by the isolates increased the indexes of plant tolerance to drought stress, such as shoot dry weight, relative water content, chlorophyll pigments content, photosynthesis efficiency (Fv/m ratio), and proline content. On the other hand, plant sensitivity indexes such as electrolytes leakage and MDA and hydrogen peroxide contents were decreased. Principal component analysis discriminates clearly between uninoculated and inoculated plants. This isolate was identified as Providencia rettgeri. Indeed, under stressful conditions, MFE3 showed high plant tolerance index values, making it a potent isolate. Our current study showed that the interaction between barley plants and MFE3 might lead to an effective plant-bacteria system under drought stress.

What makes a change? Understanding the renewal process of barley cultivars on Finnish farms

The potential to adapt to climate change varies depending on the crop and is considered low especially for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Europe. Barley is the most widely cultivated crop in Finland, grown in a wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions. Access to a large and diverse assortment of locally well adapted, climate-resilient barley cultivars is the premise for successful cultivation. Barley has plenty of cultivar choices in Finland. However, cultivar switch is “a hidden process,” and in this study, we therefore aimed: 1) to increase understanding of farmers’ cultivar renewal process; 2) to study how yield and growing time of new cultivars have changed when farmers switched cultivars; and 3) to describe how farms with willingness to change cultivars differ from those reluctant to make a change. The renewal interval of barley cultivars is long: The cultivars grown in 2018 were usually introduced to the Official Variety Trials as early as 2008–2012. The median age difference between replaced and new cultivars was seven years. The probability of switching cultivars was systematically higher on larger farms and farms with a large cereal area. New cultivars were allocated primarily to high-yielding field parcels owned by a farmer. Farmers aspired for an increased yield potential, but this did not necessarily entail a shift to later maturity. We found strong spatial dependency in cultivar renewal if the distance between the neighboring farms was < 5 km. The direction of the change was not only toward new breeds as long as the cultivar was high yielding. When returning to an older cultivar, it was likely that the new breed did not meet the farmer’s expectations, or that the growing season was exceptionally challenging.

Evolution of pastoral livestock farming on arid rangelands in the last 15years.

Livestock farming in arid rangelands constitutes a key component in the agricultural sector, particularly in developing countries. Farms have rapidly changed in recent decades, which has resulted in the modification of their structure, management and economic performance. Nowadays, livestock production in arid rangelands is threatened by climate change, coupled with the impact of complex interactions among social, economic and political factors. The present study analyses the main changes that have occurred on farms in the arid rangelands of south Tunisia from 2004 to 2019 and discusses the factors that explain the geographical patterns of such changes. Data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires with 73 farmers in two years (2004 and 2019). Information included farm structure and management, resources use and economic performance. Multivariate statistical methods analysed the differences in farm typologies between dates and the different pathways of change. Results showed that most farms increased herd size and cereal area for feeding the sheep, and reduced the time spent in rangelands. These changes could be partly explained as a response to decreasing gross margins per livestock unit and the deployment of policies fostering the use of agriculture-based feed resources. Despite these general trends, the variability among pathways of change was wide. Few farms kept using rangelands by focusing on sheep or camel production. Small sheep farms intensified the use of off-farm feeds in the north of the study area, where ecological conditions favoured agriculture. Feed supplementation allowed herd size and animal production to increase, with a substantial risk of susceptibility to market fluctuations. The economic results showed that camel farming combined with small ruminant species can lead to a similar profitability to, or even higher than, large farms that focus solely on sheep and rely on feed supplementation. We conclude that the current situation of livestock farming in arid rangelands remains fragile and their long-term viability is uncertain.

Land-use patterns of energy crops in the agricultural landscape

Lignocellulosic energy crops can produce substantial amounts of biomass for energy purposes, but their introduction implies land-use changes as they are mainly cultivated in agriculturally dominated landscapes. This thesis presents a land-use analysis of lignocellulosic energy crops in the agricultural landscape in Sweden, specifically aiming to i) assess different energy crops’ regarding production, location and climatic profiles, ii) characterise and define the surrounding agricultural landscape, and iii) study the overall land-use changes derived from the establishment of energy crops in the country. The analysis is based on empirical data from commercial fast-growing tree plantations (willow, poplar, and hybrid aspen) and energy grasses (reed canary grass) at multiple spatial scales from field to landscape level, during the period 1986-2018. At field level, there is a trend for smaller and more regular fields dedicated to energy crops, with cultivation patterns moving towards more productive lands, reflecting an intensification in the land-use management. Willow was initially established mainly on fallow lands, but many plantations were subsequently replaced by cereals due to changes in global cereal prices. In the case of grasses, this pattern was similar, although changes appeared later and not so markedly. At landscape level, energy crops significantly diversify the agricultural landscape, as fast-growing tree plantations are largely introduced in cereal areas and grasses in forest-dominated landscapes. The methods and analysis of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of land-use changes associated to energy crops, and help define their contribution to diversifying the agricultural landscape.

Economic analysis of domestic and international food prices during WTO regime: Effects on Indian crop planning, production, poverty, inflation, and trade

AbstractPrices can distress small and marginal farmers adversely by affecting their farm returns and affordability in agriculture. Price, a competitive weapon, helps to exploit opportunities and decides the profit of all business in the market. This study is a domestic and foreign market‐based research study. The study period is from 1990–91 to 2017–18. Compound annual growth rate (CAGR), instability index, Terms of Trade (TOT), price elasticity, and regression analysis were employed to estimate the results of the study. The study found that the area and production of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds have been increasing except sorghum, groundnut, and sunflower since 1990–91 to 2017–18. TOT was favored for Indian wheat, sorghum, gram, groundnut, soybean, and sunflower with other nations. Export quantity of rice, groundnut, and sunflower; export price of rice and sunflower; import quantity of arhar; and import price of sorghum were found to be stable. The rice, wheat, gram, groundnut, soybean, and sunflower export price elasticities were marginally greater than their imports. In case of agricultural commodities, area would be increased by increasing minimum support price (MSP) of arhar and moong; domestic price of sunflower; export price of groundnut and sunflower; and import price of sunflower and soybean. But the same was increased by decreasing the MSP of soybean; sorghum export price; and domestic price and import price of groundnut. Production was increased by increasing MSP of rice, wheat, maize, arhar, and moong; export and import quantity of gram; export price of wheat and soybean; and import price of sunflower and soybean. But the same was increased by decreasing the MSP of sunflower and export price of sorghum. Total agricultural exports were increased by increasing the rice, wheat, maize, moong, and soybean production; export quantity of gram and sunflower; export price of rice, sorghum, gram, groundnut, sunflower, and soybean; and trade balance of sunflower. The same was increased by lessening the sorghum and sunflower production; export quantity of arhar and groundnut; and trade balance of arhar and groundnut. Total agricultural imports increased by increasing the rice, wheat, maize, arhar, moong, and soybean production; import quantity of gram, sunflower, and soybean; import price of gram and moong; and trade balance of rice, gram, groundnut, sunflower, and soybean. The same was reduced by reducing the sunflower production. Poverty would be reduced by increasing the rice, wheat, maize, gram, and soybean production; export price of rice, sorghum, gram, sunflower, and soybean; and trade balance of sunflower and soybean. The same was reduced by decreasing the sunflower production and trade balance of maize, sorghum, and arhar. Inflation would be increased by increasing the production of gram; export price of rice, wheat, moong, and groundnut; import price of arhar; and trade balance of gram and also by reducing the maize production and MSP of rice, gram, and groundnut. Consumer price general index would be increased by increasing the domestic prices of wheat, maize, sorghum, moong, groundnut, and soybean; and MSP of wheat, maize, sorghum, arhar, moong, groundnut, and sunflower. The same was increased by diminishing the international prices except maize; import price of sorghum and sunflower; and producer price index of sorghum and soybean. Consumer price food index would be improved by raising the domestic price of groundnut and by diminishing the international prices; MSP and import price of soybean; and producer price index of groundnut. The study findings have important inferences to be considered in designing agricultural price policies and schemes to protect domestic producers, to boost exports and foreign earnings of agricultural commodities in India. The study guides producers, exporters, and importers for price signals of agricultural commodities in the market.

РЫНОК ЗЕРНА В КРАСНОЯРСКОМ КРАЕ: ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА

Agriculture forms the agro-food market, food and economic security of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the labor potential of rural are-as. In the formation of the food potential of the region, the receipt and processing of grain is important.In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, there is a decrease in the share of the rural population, which is accompanied by a decrease in the number of people employed in agricultural production. Sown area of cereals and leguminous crops from 2016 to 2020 averaged 980.8 thousand hectares, which is 52-53% of the total area under crops. Agricultural organizations are the main producers of grain and leguminous crops, they accounted for 72.0-81.0% of the gross harvest for 2017–2020, peasant (farm) enterprises provided 13.3-18.2% in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.The average per capita grain production in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in years with a high gross harvest is at the level of the average for the Russian Federation.In 2016, the average per capita grain production in the region was at the level of 821.03 kg, in 2017-2018 it was slightly higher than the lower limit of 668.35-675.05, in 2020 it was 930.92 kg. Grain im-port to gross harvest in 2016–2020 varies from 0.54% to 5.21%. The use of grain for processing (processed into flour, cereals, feed and other purposes) is characterized by an increase from 573.7 thousand tons in 2017 to 745.4 thousand tons in 2020, the annual increase over 3 years averaged 57.2 thousand tons. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, it is necessary to increase the gross harvest of grain and leguminous crops in order to de-velop processing and provide the population with grain products of their own production and increase the volume of grain exports.

Effect of Wheat Monoculture on Durum Wheat Yield under Rainfed Sub-Humid Mediterranean Climate of Tunisia

Cultivating cereals in monoculture systems contributes to the decrease in grain yield and quality. Currently, under Mediterranean climate conditions of Tunisia, wheat mono-cropping covers more than 70% of cereal areas. In order to reveal the impact of this practice on cereal productivity, five improved durum wheat cultivars (Karim, Khiar, Om Rabiaa, Razzek, and Maali) were conducted under two conditions of previous wheat crop: one-year wheat previous crop (W) and two successive years (W-W). Then, they were assessed for grain yield (GY), yield components (NKS, TKW, NS), straw yield, harvest index (SY, HI), and grain quality parameters during three consecutive cropping seasons (2017, 2018, and 2019). The results showed significant effects of cropping season for all measured parameters, except thousand kernel weight (TKW). A significant effect (p &lt; 0.05) of Pre-Crop was observed on yield components. However, grain yield (GY) was improved after one-year wheat Pre-Crop (W) (4082.3 kg ha−1) more than after two years (W-W) (3277.3 kg ha−1). Our results show that, based on the three-year experiment, almost all yield related traits were significantly affected by the genotype except HI and NS. The highest GYs were recorded for Om Rabiaa (4010.4 kg ha−1) and Nasr (3765.76 kg ha−1). All grain quality was significantly (p &lt; 0.05) affected by cropping season, but only gluten content (GC) and vitreousness aspect (Vit A) were affected by genotype. On the other hand, the Pre-Crop W-W decreased grain protein concentration (GPC) (12.13%) and GC (22.14%) but no significant effect was observed on the Vit A of grain in our study. Furthermore, GY was positively correlated with HI (r = 0.64), NKS (r = 0.59), SN (r = 0.49), GPC (r = 0.23), and GC (r = 0.23). According to stability analysis, the Karim cultivar is the most stable genotype in wheat mono-cropping for GY and straw yield (SY). Altogether, this study provides useful information for farmers on how to produce a satisfactory yield for durum wheat cultivation under mono-cropping wheat conditions in the sub-humid environment of the Mediterranean climate of Tunisia.

Farmers’ Experiences of How Under-Sown Clovers, Ryegrasses, and Timothy Perform in Northern European Crop Production Systems

Early adopter-farmers form a living lab of farms that have a great deal of hidden knowledge about the cultivation of cover crops (CCs). Understanding of how early adopters use and value CCs provides valuable knowhow to be shared with other farmers. This study gathered information about the most common under-sown CCs in Finland. A structured survey was used to collect farmers’ experiences considering CCs’ regional suitability, growth, competition, and impacts on soil and cash crop yields. The respondents were both conventional and organic farmers who cultivated CCs in 2020. One thousand one hundred and thirty farmers answered the survey. Four hundred and ten times they shared knowhow about the use of under-sown CCs. They were mostly familiar with clovers, ryegrasses, and timothy as CCs. They answered 27 specific statements on CC (a Likert scale, five answer choices). Farmers’ experiences were well in line with the understanding gained from field experiments. Farmers had experienced positive impacts of CCs on soil health. Organic farmers were slightly more positive than conventional farmers. This is attributable to a longer period of having CCs in organic farms, and general differences in means to control weeds and manage crop nutrition. Gained experience with common species used in grassland mixtures had strengthened farmers’ trust in their use of CCs. Farmers having high cereal areas are an important target group for sharing the early adopters’ experiences, as cereal farmers were more challenged to use even common CCs. Future research and on-farm experiments should focus on CCs with other cash crops instead of cereals (grain legumes, rapeseed, and other minor crops).