Agriculture In China Research Articles

Root exudation under maize/soybean intercropping system mediates the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity and improves the plant growth.

Maize/soybean intercropping is a common cropping practice in Chinese agriculture, known to boost crop yield and enhance soil fertility. However, the role of below-ground interactions, particularly root exudates, in maintaining intercropping advantages in soybean/maize intercropping systems remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the differences in root exudates between intercropping and monocropping systems through two pot experiments using metabolomics methods. Multiple omics analyses were conducted to explore correlations between differential metabolites and the community of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), shedding light on the mechanisms underlying the dominance of intercropping from the perspective of root exudates-soil microorganism interactions. The study revealed that intercropping significantly increased the types and contents of root exudates, lowered soil pH, increased the availability of nutrients like available nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP), and enhanced AMF colonization, resulting in improving the community composition of AMF. Besides, root exudates in intercropping systems differed significantly from those in monocropping, with 41 and 39 differential metabolites identified in the root exudates of soybean/maize, predominantly amino acids and organic acids. The total amount of amino acids in the root exudates of soybean intercropping was 3.61 times higher than in monocropping. Additionally, the addition of root exudates significantly improved the growth of soybean/maize and AMF colonization, with the mycorrhizal colonization rate in intercropping increased by 105.99% and 111.18% compared to monocropping, respectively. The identified metabolic pathways associated with root exudates were closely linked to plant growth, soil fertility improvement, and the formation of AMF. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship (P < 0.05) between certain metabolites such as tartaric acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, aspartic acid, alanine, and the AMF community. Notably, the photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway involving aspartic acid showed a strong association with the function of Glomus_f_Glomerace, the dominant genus of AMF. A combined analysis of metabolomics and high throughput sequencing revealed that the root exudates of soybean/maize intercropping have direct or indirect connections with AMF and soil nutrients. This suggests that the increased root exudates of the soybean/maize intercropping system mediate an improvement in AMF community composition, thereby influencing soil fertility and maintaining the advantage of intercropping.

ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ РОЗВИТКУ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОГО ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ СІЛЬСЬКОГОСПОДАРСЬКИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ УКРАЇНИ ТА КИТАЮ

The article is aimed at identifying the features and comparing the main trends in the development of information support for agricultural enterprises in Ukraine and China. The relevance of the article is due to the importance of agricultural development in both countries in the context of food security. It is determined that the factor of agricultural development is precisely the informatisation and digitalisation of the industry. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to identify the features and conduct a comparative analysis of the main trends in the development of information support for agricultural enterprises in Ukraine and China. First, the general features and history of agricultural development in the two countries are analysed. The history of development of information support of agricultural enterprises in the countries is analysed. The main aspects of implementation of information support in agriculture of the countries are considered. The main directions of use of information support of agricultural enterprises are determined, the analysis of development trends and comparative analysis of both countries are carried out. The trends in the development of precision agriculture in Ukraine and China are studied. The main information technologies that ensure the development of precision agriculture are identified. The main aspects of the use of big data in agriculture of the countries are determined. The features of the use of artificial intelligence by agricultural enterprises of the countries are determined. The main problems associated with the insufficient level of implementation of information support for agricultural enterprises are identified. It is established that the information support of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine is currently insufficient. The scientific significance of the work is a detailed study of the information support of agricultural enterprises in both countries. The practical value of the work lies in detailing the shortcomings of informatisation of agriculture in Ukraine, which can be used to overcome existing problems and improve the development of the industry.

Перспективы экспорта продукции растениеводства России в Китай и продовольственная безопасность КНР

The article makes a contribution to academic discussion about the actual global problem of providing world’s population with the food. The paper focuses on cooperation between Russia and China in the context of economic development of Russian border regions and food security in China which is both largest food producer and food consumer. The main research question is how the situation with the food security in China influences cooperation between Russia in China in agriculture production and trade (especially grain trade) and could Russia benefit from it. And otherwise, what makes it difficult to cope with China in this aspect: alarmist sentiments, bureaucratic troubles or lack of food in Russia itself. On the basis of the analysis of sources about Russian production, Chinese consumption and the flow of goods via Russo-Chinese border the author concludes that import of Russian products (especially soybeans) has important but not crucial role for China’s food security while the demand for Russian production would maintain in the future. It is becoming more profitable for Russian agriculture business to produce food for Chinese market in recent years so now large-scale Russian corporations displace small-scale Chinese farmers from the Russian Far East soil but involvement of Chinese trade companies maintains crucial. There are good prospects for development of agriculture in the eastern regions of Russian (not only Far East but Siberia as well) while increasing of export to China could be provided only after the construction of special port terminal in the Russian Far East. Author proposes several variants for location of such a port terminal and analyzes actual situation in this sphere.

Accumulation of production capital and income growth of Chinese farmers in the post-poverty alleviation era: A study based on a two-way fixed effects model with CFPS data.

Agricultural mechanization is a crucial indicator of modernization in agriculture. It improves productivity and underpins the evolution of a modern state. This study scrutinizes the enduring effects of government subsidies on farm machinery acquisition, income growth, and capital accumulation in rural households. It is based on policies about targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. Research findings indicate that government subsidies have significantly increased the per capita net income of rural households. However, in the post-poverty alleviation era, for households that already possess agricultural machinery, the benefits brought by government subsidies in the early stages of the policy cycle tend to diminish over time. From 2016 to 2020, government subsidies continued to enhance the value of agricultural machinery in rural households. Their impact on ownership rates first slightly declined and then increased again. The promotional effect in 2020 was not significantly better than in 2016. When China is fighting against poverty, it is essential to encourage rural households to use their income and government subsidies to accumulate production capital. A long-term mechanism has been established to protect the achievements of poverty alleviation, promote agricultural mechanization and rural modernization, and support rural revitalization.

Research on the status of high-quality development of Chinese agriculture and countermeasures in the context of digital transformation

Research on the status of high-quality development of Chinese agriculture and countermeasures in the context of digital transformation

A new species of winter noctuid moth (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Xyleninae) from Zhejiang, China, with a key to species of the genus.

The tribe Xylenini is one of the main large taxonomic groups known as Winter Noctuidae. A new species of the genus Antivaleria Sugi, 1980, Antivaleriaronkayorum Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Zhejiang Prov., China. The species resembles Antivaleriaperegovitsi Ronkay et al., 2010, but differs in wing pattern, foot-like cucullus and special shape of harpe. A key to the Antivaleria species is presented. The holotype is deposited in the Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou.

Exploring the Online Platform Construction of English Movie Audiovisual Speaking Blended Teaching Mode Based on POA Theory of Production-Oriented Approach

Abstract This article is concerned with improving college students’ English audiovisual speaking ability in the context of the development of the times. Based on the SPOC (Small Private Online Course) teaching platform and the POA (Production-Oriented Approach) theory, the article constructs a blended teaching mode of English movie audiovisual speaking course. This model extracts English movie audiovisual features through the multimodal fusion of audiovisual correlation perception and audiovisual recognition. The article adopts CRNN (Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network) model and 3D convolutional structure to build a multimodal audiovisual speech recognition model for English movies. The differences between blended and traditional teaching are analyzed and the effects of integrated teaching are explored through a study of South China Agricultural University students. The study results show that the combined teaching is 0.699 points higher than the traditional teaching method in the average normalized gain score, and the audiovisual speaking ability of the students in the experimental class has improved by 76.04%. The blended teaching of English movie audiovisual speaking based on SPOC platform can effectively enhance students’ audiovisual speaking ability, thus promoting students’ cross-cultural communication ability.

The Shaping of “New Gentry” Discourse in the Context of China’s Rural Revitalisation and Heritage Conservation Strategy

The Chinese government now considers the conservation and reuse of cultural heritage important in revitalising the countryside and narrowing the gap between urban and rural development. We highlight the development of a “new gentry” concept, arguing that in this process the government has appropriated and transformed the concept of “gentry” from the traditional Chinese farming society of the imperial period. Heritage conservation allows the new gentry group to act as official agents to reinforce grassroots management and establish an elitist and capital-oriented authorised heritage discourse while erasing the class narrative. We propose that this is not equivalent to a general “gentrification” process, but is a policy tacitly supported by officials with a clear agenda.

Animal welfare with Chinese characteristics: Chinese poultry producers' perceptions of, and attitudes towards, animal welfare.

China's poultry industry faces challenges in adopting and sustaining cage-free systems for poultry production. Effective interventions are crucial to support producers transitioning from cages to alternative systems or maintaining cage-free systems to improve animal welfare. However, little is known about how Chinese poultry producers perceive animal welfare in relation to cage-free systems and the importance of animal welfare in poultry production. Through a qualitative interview study with 30 Chinese farm owners, managers and senior managers from large-scale egg and broiler farms using cages and non-cage systems (collectively referred to as "producers"), this paper explores Chinese poultry producers' attitudes and perceptions regarding animal welfare and welfare in different poultry housing systems. Template analysis was used to analyse the data from semi-structured interviews, which generated themes related to the participants' awareness and understanding of the concept of animal welfare, the factors that impacted their choices of different housing systems, and the perceived priorities in poultry production. The responses revealed that the participating producers had a strong awareness and knowledge of animal welfare. However, the participants' understanding of the term is heterogeneous: generally, egg producers emphasised natural behaviours, whereas broiler producers prioritised health and productivity. Nevertheless, profitability, leadership, and organisational policies primarily influenced housing system choices rather than animal welfare values. Economic motives drove egg producers towards cage-free systems, prompted by consumers' and companies' demand for cage-free eggs committed to transitioning away from cages by 2025. In conclusion, tailored interventions for different poultry sectors within China are necessary. While animal welfare values matter, economic incentives seem more promising for steering the shift towards and maintaining cage-free poultry production.

Comparative analysis of population growth and women employment patterns in agriculture and service sectors: Evidence from China and India.

This study uses a comparative approach to investigate population growth patterns and women employment in two strategic sectors of China and India from 2005 to 2021. Consequently, a descriptive statistic was used to estimate the performance of each of the variables of interest. The results showed that the average mean value of population growth rate in China is 0.52 % while that of India is 1.23%. The mean value of women employed in agriculture in India is higher comparing to the average percentage of women in agriculture in China. Moreover, Chinese service sector accounts for 45.27% of female workforce but its India counterpart engages 21.71% of women working population. This implies that the Chinese service sector engages a significant proportion of the female working population. In the light of this, policymakers in India should prioritise investment in human development of the female population in order to ensure gender balancing in the service sector of the country. Also, the policymakers in India need to embark on a proactive measure in controlling its increasing population in order to ensure that the country's population growth rate does not overshoot the means of sustenance in the country.

2009–2016年中国农业大学石羊河实验站玉米日耗水量数据集

A good understanding of the variation in crop water consumption in farming systems is essential for studying the patterns of water consumption by crops at various growth stages. Based on this, this dataset provides the maize evaporation and precipitation intensity data measured by a large-scale lysimeter at Shiyanghe Experimental Station of China Agricultural University from 2009 to 2016, with a temporal resolution of daily scale. The irrigation method is border irrigation. The data acquisition and processing process strictly follows the instrumental data quality control and specifications. After data processing, quality control and evaluation, the data are made public on a daily scale with a view to providing a basis for the efficient use of regional agricultural water resources.

Does Land Fragmentation Affect the Effectiveness of Fiscal Subsidies for Agriculture: Evidence from China

Fiscal and land policies are important tools in developing agriculture in China. Understanding how agricultural subsidies and land fragmentation jointly affect agricultural Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is crucial for building a strong agricultural nation. This paper utilizes microdata from fixed observation points in rural China from 2003 to 2017 and employs panel bidirectional fixed-effect models and moderation-effect models to empirically analyze the impact of agricultural subsidies and land fragmentation on agricultural TFP. The research finds: (1) Agricultural subsidies positively affect agricultural TFP, while land fragmentation leads to decreased agricultural TFP. (2) Land fragmentation hinders the positive effects of agricultural subsidies on agricultural TFP. A 1% increase in land fragmentation could lead to approximately a 3% decrease in the enhancement effect of agricultural subsidies, with significant impacts on households in major grain-producing areas and those primarily engaged in agriculture. (3) There is no evidence that reforms in the “three agricultural subsidies” would alter the combined effect of agricultural subsidies and land fragmentation on agricultural TFP. The obstructive role of land fragmentation cannot be mitigated through the “three agricultural subsidies” reform. The study indicates that the incentivizing role of agricultural subsidies has not been fully realized, and land fragmentation remains a key bottleneck in agricultural development. Fiscal support for agriculture should be coupled with effective land reform policies for synergistic efforts.

Перспективные направления повышения продовольственной безопасности Российской Федерации и Китая на основе развития экспорта российской свинины в дальневосточном направлении

the article presents the results of a study of promising directions for increasing food security of the Russian Federation and China based on the development of Russian pork exports to the Far East. The pig population in the countries of the world was analyzed. Environmental factors hindering the development of pig farming in China have been identified. Opportunities for the development of Russian pig farming based on increasing export supplies to the Far East have been identified.

Potassium resources management systems in Chinese agriculture: Yield gaps and environmental costs

China is the world's largest consumer of chemical fertilizers, with a strong reliance on imports of mineral K fertilizer up to 50 %. Inexpensive and renewable straw-K recycling is crucial for enhancing soil K fertility and carbon (C) sequestration. Here, national management networks for inorganic- and straw-K were systematically integrated to identify yield gaps and C mitigation potential in Chinese typical crop rotation systems. National spatio-temporal changes in soil K fertility in the past 40 years were also mapped, indicating that about 52 % of national cereal arable cropland was still under low-K status in 2020. Compared with the inorganic K system (INK), grain yields of maize, wheat, and rice were respectively reduced by 9.4 %, 14.9 %, and 13.4 % under 0 K system, and increased by 5.2 %, 6.2 %, and 3.0 % under straw-based K recycling system (SBK system). Estimated net C emissions with the SBK system were 11.6 % (maize) and 47.4 % (wheat) lower than with the INK system, mainly due to the larger increase in soil C sequestration than in N2O production. Conversely, the SBK system increased net C emissions in rice by 57.6 % than the INK system due to larger increase in CH4 emissions. Scenario analyses showed that the annual C mitigation potential in the SBK system would approach 16.9 % (spring maize), 46.4 % (wheat-maize), 62.9 % (rice-wheat), and 22.4 % (rice-rice) by optimising the annual chemical fertilizer rate and seasonal straw distribution. Integrated inorganic- and straw-K management could also be extended to other K-limited developing and less-developed regions to enhance global food security and agricultural green development.

Constraints and Countermeasures of Digital Economy Empowering High-quality Development in Chinese Agriculture

With the wide application of networking, informatization, and digitization technologies in agriculture, as well as the improvement of farmers’ modern information skills, the digital economy has become an important engine driving high-quality development and digital transformation in agriculture. Digital agriculture is an essential component of the national strategy for “Digital China” and an effective measure to achieve the deep integration of informatization and agricultural modernization. Driven by digital technologies, digital agriculture in rural areas shows tremendous development potential, huge market demand, and broad application prospects. The era of digital-driven agriculture and rural areas “leapfrogging” is approaching. However, the digital economy empowering high-quality development in agriculture also faces various constraints, such as lagging infrastructure construction, slow development of digital agriculture, insufficient endogenous driving forces, and difficulties in practical applications. To address these issues, the government should increase investment, clarify directions, promote industry academia research collaboration, and strengthen core technologies. These measures will enable the digital economy to better empower the high-quality development of Chinese agriculture.

Subjective preferences, liquidity constraints and price risk management under large-scale farm management

PurposeLarge-scale farm management in China has developed rapidly in recent years. Large-scale farmers face substantial operating risks, requiring extensive price risk management. However, the agricultural insurance and futures markets in China are incomplete. This study aims to analyze the price-risk-management behaviors of large-scale farmers under incomplete market conditions, with a focus on the interconnections between large scale farmers' subjective preferences (risk preferences, time preferences), liquidity constraints and their price risk management.Design/methodology/approachThe authors construct an analysis framework to reveal the impact of large-scale farmers' risk preferences, time preferences and liquidity conditions on their price-risk-management behaviors under incomplete market conditions. Using data from field surveys and subjective preference experiments involving 409 large-scale grain farmers in China, an empirical analysis was conducted using the bivariate probit model.FindingsThe results show that risk-averse farmers will use risk transfer (such as contract farming) and risk diversification (such as multi-period sales) to avoid price risk. However, farmers subject to liquidity constraints and strong time preferences will not choose risk diversification, and the interaction between time preferences and liquidity constraints will strengthen this decision. The larger the farm-management scale, the greater the impact.Originality/valueThe authors focus on rapidly developed large-scale farm management in China. Appropriate price risk management is required by large-scale farmers due to their substantial operating risks. Considering the incomplete conditions of agricultural insurance and futures markets, the results of this study will help identify behavioral characteristics of large-scale farmers and optimize their price-risk-management strategies, further stabilizing large-scale farm management.

Comparing the effects of two different vitamin regimens on bone metabolism for meat ducks at starting phase

Objective Leg problems including lameness and tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) are one of the most important factors affecting health and animal welfare in meat-type poultry, which are considerably impacted by dietary vitamin regimens. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin levels on growth performance and tibia quality in 14-d-old meat ducks. Methods One-d-old Cherry Valley meat-type male ducks were allocated to two vitamin regimens for 14 d, which was formulated according to the recommendation of the National Research Council (NRC, 1994) or China Agricultural Industry Standards (NY/T 2122-2012). Each group included 8 replicates with 16 birds per replicate. Results There was no significant difference in the growth performance of ducks, whereas dietary NY/T vitamin supplementation decreased leg abnormalities as compared to the NRC group, along with similar tibia length, perimeter, and the relative weight of tibia. The tibia from the birds that received the NY/T vitamin diet exhibited markedly higher (p < 0.05) ash level, calcium (Ca) content, and bone strength when compared with the bone of NRC vitamin-treated birds. In the tibia proximal end, the increased trabecular area and a number of bone trabeculae were observed in the NY/T vitamin diet (p < 0.05). Moreover, a pronounced increase (p < 0.05) in the serum Ca, alkaline phosphatase activity, and C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen level as the indicators of bone formation were found in NT/T vitamin diet than them in NRC diet. Dietary supplementation with NY/T vitamin regimen also significantly upregulated the relative gene expression of phosphate regulating endopeptidase homolog x linked (Phex), an osteoblastic gene, as compared to the NRC vitamin diet (p < 0.05). However, the concentration of serum bone resorption markers and the transcription of osteoclast-related genes were comparable between the NRC and NY/T vitamin groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion NY/T vitamin diet improved tibia quality and subsequently decreased leg abnormalities in 14-d-old ducks, which was probably linked with the promoted bone formation.

Effects of rural collective economy policy on the common prosperity in China: based on the mediating effect of farmland transfer

The rural collective economy plays a crucial role in achieving the common prosperity of farmers, revitalizing the countryside, and modernizing agriculture in China. This paper analyses the impact and internal mechanism of the policy on the level of common prosperity, using provincial panel data from China from 2011 to 2020. Additionally, it investigates whether the rapid development of the rural collective economy takes into account both economic growth and income distribution. The findings demonstrate that the policy significantly enhances the common prosperity of farmers and rural areas. These conclusions remain valid even after considering the endogeneity problem and conducting robustness tests using the time-varying difference-in-differences model. Furthermore, the intermediary effect model reveals that the increase in the rate of farmland transfer and the proportion of scale operation play crucial roles in transmitting the benefits of the policy to achieve common prosperity. The result of the heterogeneity analysis indicates that the marginal decline of policy effect has a greater impact on the enhancement of rural collective economy in the less developed provinces of the central and western regions in China, compared to the developed provinces of the eastern region. These findings have targeted policy significance for promoting the sustainable development of agricultural and rural areas.

Isolation and Pathogenicity Analysis of a G5P[23] Porcine Rotavirus Strain.

(1) Background: Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are the primary cause of severe intestinal diseases in piglets. Porcine rotaviruses (PoRVs) are widely prevalent in Chinese farms, resulting in significant economic losses to the livestock industry. However, isolation of PoRVs is challenging, and their pathogenicity in piglets is not well understood. (2) Methods: We conducted clinical testing on a farm in Jiangsu Province, China, and isolated PoRV by continuously passaging on MA104 cells. Subsequently, the pathogenicity of the isolated strain in piglets was investigated. The piglets of the PoRV-infection group were orally inoculated with 1 mL of 1.0 × 106 TCID50 PoRV, whereas those of the mock-infection group were fed with an equivalent amount of DMEM. (3) Results: A G5P[23] genotype PoRV strain was successfully isolated from one of the positive samples and named RVA/Pig/China/JS/2023/G5P[23](JS). The genomic constellation of this strain was G5-P[23]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1. Sequence analysis revealed that the genes VP3, VP7, NSP2, and NSP4 of the JS strain were closely related to human RVAs, whereas the remaining gene segments were closely related to porcine RVAs, indicating a reassortment between porcine and human strains. Furthermore, infection of 15-day-old piglets with the JS strain resulted in a diarrheal rate of 100% (8 of 8) and a mortality rate of 37.5% (3 of 8). (4) Conclusions: The isolated G5P[23] genotype rotavirus strain, which exhibited strong pathogenicity in piglets, may have resulted from recombination between porcine and human strains. It may serve as a potential candidate strain for developing vaccines, and its immunogenicity can be tested in future studies.

Research on the Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance and Rural Household Human Capital Investment on Urban-rural Income Gap

The high-quality development of an economy and society is reflected in the sustained growth of the economic aggregate and in the fruits of development being shared by the majority of residents. Therefore, a reasonable income distribution pattern is an important guarantee for sustainable economic development. However, the excessively high urban-rural income gap has become a characteristic fact in China's economy and society. In order to curb the continuous expansion of the urban-rural income gap, our country has clearly pointed out the path of " socialist rural revitalization with Chinese characteristics " . Against this background, it is important to explore the yet-to-be-clarified impact of the human capital investment of Chinese farmers on the urban-rural income gap. At the same time, the emergence of digital inclusive finance provides a new perspective for finance to help converge the urban-rural income gap. Digital inclusive finance mainly targets disadvantaged groups excluded by traditional finance. Rural residents with low incomes are naturally among its targets. Converging the income gap between urban and rural areas should also be one of the responsibilities of digital inclusive finance. This article first reviews the theories and literature related to digital inclusive finance and the urban-rural income gap. By summarizing the reasons for the formation of the urban-rural income gap and the conditions for its convergence, it analyzes the important role of finance in it and the limitations of traditional financial development. , and further deduced the impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on the urban-rural income gap. It is also recognized through public data that educational human capital and migrant human capital have greatly narrowed the urban-rural income gap in the eastern region, verifying that human capital investment has an incremental role in economic development levels and policy guidance.