Crop Combinations Research Articles

The Effect of Rhizobium Inoculation on the Nutritional Value of Crops in the Legume–Cereal Intercropping System in Northern Kazakhstan

In this study, the changes in yield, nutrient content, and amino acid levels in legume–cereal grass mixtures were qualitatively evaluated depending on the legume–cereal combination and inoculation with preparations based on Rhizobium. This study, taking into account the biological characteristics of legume forage crops, used inoculations with strains of nodule bacteria and associative nitrogen fixers to enhance the process of the nitrogen fixation of mixed crops of legumes and cereal. The aim of this study was to compare the yields and nutritional values of monocultures and mixed crops, as well as to determine the effects of preparations based on strains of nodule bacteria and the associated nitrogen fixer on the photosynthetic activity and yield of combined annual legume–grain crops. A comparative study of forage crop biomass was conducted to analyze crude protein, fiber, carotene, and amino acid content in monocultures and legume–cereal mixtures, with and without the use of nodule-bacteria-based preparations (Rhizotorphin, Mizorine, Flavobactrin, and Azolene). The combined effect of crop mixtures and biological products led to increased green mass yield, protein content, and feed productivity. Notably, two-component mixtures with Rhizotorphin inoculation increased green mass yield by 8.79%, while three-component mixtures saw a 16.49% increase. The oat–pea mixture showed the most significant amino acid improvements, with lysine increasing by 6.26% and tyrosine by 3.24%. The general conclusion reached by the two-year experiment of 2022–2023 in the hill–plain zone of northern Kazakhstan is that double grass mixtures treated with nodule bacteria are more productive than monoculture crops in this area. These results suggest that inoculation with bacterial strains can effectively enhance the productivity of forage crops in northern Kazakhstan, providing a basis for future recommendations on optimizing herbaceous crop combinations. It is recommended to grow annual forage crops in mixtures with legumes to produce highly nutritious feeds with high metabolic energy in terms of biochemical composition.

Strip cropping increases yield and revenue: multi-year analysis of an organic system in the Netherlands

Intercropping is proposed as a promising strategy to meet future food demand while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact by re-diversifying agricultural fields. Strip cropping, a form of intercropping, has a potential to simultaneously deliver multiple ecosystem services including productivity, while facilitating management as strip width can be adjusted to the working width of available machines. While the yield performance of strip cropping systems is influenced by the interaction between neighboring crops, to date, empirical studies on the performance of various crop combinations in strip cropping systems are limited. Here we used three-year data (2020–2022) from a 64-ha organic strip cropping system in the Netherlands to (1) evaluate the effects of crop neighbors and strip cropping on yield and (2) explore if optimizing the allocation of crop neighbors in alternative strip cropping configurations can improve yield and revenue performances. We analyzed the edge effect and strip cropping effect on yield of six crops grown in strips, each neighboring a total of five crops. The yield data was then used to evaluate the performance of the current and alternative strip configurations in terms of LER and relative revenue. Results showed that except for the positive effect observed on potato when neighboring celeriac or broccoli, edge effects lacked statistical significance. Strip cropping effect varied per crop: positive for faba bean and parsnip, neutral for celeriac and potato, and negative for oat and onion. Analysis across crops showed an overall significant positive strip cropping effect on yield. These findings highlighted the value of analysis at the cropping system level in developing designs aimed at unlocking the potential of strip cropping. The positive but variable strip cropping effects observed in the current experimental design and the two alternative configurations suggests prioritizing an overall increased crop diversity over optimizing their spatial arrangement. While we demonstrated increased productivity with strip cropping, further research is needed to expand the database on optimal crop combinations, extending the evaluation beyond yield and revenue performances to facilitate broader adoption of strip cropping in the Netherlands and Western Europe.

Soil microbial community composition by crop type under rotation diversification

BackgroundCrop rotation is an important agricultural practice that often affects the metabolic processes of soil microorganisms through the composition and combination of crops, thereby altering nutrient cycling and supply to the soil. Although the benefits of crop rotation have been extensively discussed, the effects and mechanisms of different crop combinations on the soil microbial community structure in specific environments still need to be analyzed in detail.Materials and methodsIn this study, six crop rotation systems were selected, for which the spring crops were mainly tobacco or gramineous crops: AT (asparagus lettuce and tobacco rotation), BT (broad bean and tobacco rotation), OT (oilseed rape and tobacco rotation), AM (asparagus lettuce and maize rotation), BM (broad bean and maize rotation), and OR (oilseed rape and rice rotation). All crops had been cultivated for > 10 years. Soil samples were collected when the rotation was completed in spring, after which the soil properties, composition, and functions of bacterial and fungal communities were analyzed.ResultsThe results indicate that spring cultivated crops play a more dominant role in the crop rotation systems than do autumn cultivated crops. Crop rotation systems with the same spring crops have similar soil properties and microbial community compositions. pH and AK are the most important factors driving microbial community changes, and bacteria are more sensitive to environmental responses than fungi. Rotation using tobacco systems led to soil acidification and a decrease in microbial diversity, while the number of biomarkers and taxonomic indicator species differed between rotation patterns. Symbiotic network analysis revealed that the network complexity of OT and BM was the highest, and that the network density of tobacco systems was lower than that of gramineous systems.ConclusionsDifferent crop rotation combinations influence both soil microbial communities and soil nutrient conditions. The spring crops in the crop rotation systems had stronger dominating effects, and the soil bacteria were more sensitive than the fungi were to environmental changes. The tobacco rotation system can cause soil acidification and thereby affect soil sustainability, while the complexity of soil microbial networks is lower than that of gramineous systems. These results provide a reference for future sustainable applications of rotation crop systems.

Rice, lamb and tuna. Food processing and acquiring strategies in the medieval harbour city of Qalhât (Oman): Bioarchaeological evidence from the twin houses' building (B94)

The rise of the kingdom of Hormuz during the 13th–15th c. CE led to the development of harbour cities such as Qalhât (Sultanate of Oman), considered as the kingdom's second capital. However, although some textual sources are available, a lack of bioarchaeological analysis means that the food-processing activities and subsistence strategies set up to feed this urban population are still largely unknown. Multi-proxy analyses, including zoological, ichthyological, and botanical, have therefore been undertaken on the twin house building (B94) at the site of Qalhât. Cross-referencing these data allowed for the identification of several food processing activities and the function of some rooms due to their spatial distribution. In addition, these data give new insights into fishing practices (intensively exploited pelagic zone) and the composition and management of agropastoral systems (in the form of oasis date palm gardens, using a combination of crops, weeds and livestock), as well as food acquiring strategies that relied on the importation of plant products via the long-distance maritime trade networks of the western Indian Ocean. The study of building (B94) has provided major data to understand the way of life of the inhabitants of this region for this period, still too little studied.

Intercropping of tobacco and maize at seedling stage promotes crop growth through manipulating rhizosphere microenvironment.

Changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and metabolites resulting from crop intercropping can significantly enhance crop growth. While there has been an increasing number of studies on various crop combinations, research on the intercropping of tobacco and maize at seedling stage remains limited. This study is the first to explore rhizosphere effects of intercropping between tobacco and maize seedling stages, we analyzed the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients in the soil, and revealed the important effects on soil microbial community composition and metabolite profiles, thereby regulating crop growth and improving soil balance. Compared with mono-cropping, intercropping increased the biomass of the two crops and promoted the nutrient absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Under intercropping conditions, the activities of sucrase, catalase and nitrate reductase in tobacco rhizosphere soil and the content of available potassium, the activities of nitrate reductase and acid phosphatase in maize rhizosphere soil were significantly increasing. Rhizosphere soil bacterial and fungal communities such as Sphingomonas, Massilia, Humicola and Penicillium respond differently to crop planting patterns, and soil dominant microbial communities are regulated by environmental factors such as pH, Organic Matter, Available Potassium, Nitrate Reductase, and Urease Enzyme. Network analysis showed that soil microbial communities were more complex after intercropping, and the reciprocal relationship between bacteria and fungi was enhanced. The difference of metabolites in soil between intercropping and monocropping system was mainly concentrated in galactose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism pathway, and the content of carbohydrate metabolites was significantly higher than that of monocropping soil. Key metabolites such as D-Sucrose, D-Fructose-6-Phosphate, D-Glucose-1-Phosphatel significantly influence the composition of dominant microbial communities such as Sphingomonas and Penicillium. This study explained the effects of intercropping between flue-cured tobacco and maize on the content of soil metabolites and soil microbial composition in rhizosphere soil, and deepened the understanding that intercropping system can improve the growth of flue-cured crops seedlings through rhizosphere effects.

What do Lygus like? Looking for potential trap crops to reduce faba bean damage

Grain legumes, such as faba bean (Vicia faba L.), are crucial for protein supply and soil fertility enhancement through nitrogen fixation. However, faba bean cultivation is challenged by Lygus plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae), which cause significant crop damage and seed quality loss. This study aimed to evaluate Lygus preferences between faba bean and alternative crops to develop effective management strategies. We conducted choice bioassay experiments under laboratory conditions and field plot experiments. Laboratory results indicated sex-based host preferences, with males favoring faba beans and females preferring canola. Field studies showed that faba beans adjacent to canola had higher Lygus abundance and damage compared to those next to peas, flax, and safflower. Safflower and sunflower demonstrated potential as trap crops to reduce Lygus damage to faba beans. Our findings provide insights into Lygus behavior and suggest that a combination of trap cropping, and targeted insecticide use could mitigate the impact of Lygus infestations on faba bean cultivation.

The Cycles agroecosystem model: Fundamentals, testing, and applications

Models of the soil–plant-atmosphere continuum are repositories of knowledge and gears in analytical and decision support tools applied to agroecosystems. In this paper, we present the Cycles agroecosystem model theory along with test cases and applications. Cycles combines innovations for simulating soil hydrology and biogeochemistry, including carbon and nitrogen saturation theory, with a modular software architecture. These elements enable simulating monoculture or polyculture crop sequences and associated management practices, containerizing for applications that require high-performance computing, and data assimilation at runtime. A comparison of simulated and measured daily evapotranspiration (ET) obtained with the eddy covariance method for maize (Zea mays L.) and shrub willow (Salix spp.) shows that Cycles represents well meteorological and vegetation controls of ET (root mean square error or RMSE = 0.75 mm d-1). Cycles accurately simulated differences of 150 mm in growing season ET between these two plant communities. Comparisons of modeled versus measured soil water content under soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) in southeastern Pennsylvania for six soil layers at 0.1-m increments show accurate representation of water depletion and recharge (RMSE of 0.027–0.011 m3 m−3). Simulations of growth and nitrogen uptake of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in eastern Washington also highlight the model’s skill simulating processes that affect water and nutrient fluxes simultaneously. To highlight Cycles’ suitability for incorporation in high performance computing applications, we present a coupling of Cycles with an autonomous crop sequence builder (Cycles-A) in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This system automatically identified areas for double cropping and selected the optimum combination of annual crops across the watershed. The Cycles model innovations and agroecosystem framing continue advancing the premise of making models not only dynamic knowledge repositories but useful tools for research and landscape management.

Atmospheric CO2 fertilization effect on cereal yields in Morocco using the CARAIB dynamic vegetation model

Climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 levels are critical factors influencing agricultural productivity, particularly in Morocco, where cereal crops are essential for food security. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the combined effects of atmospheric CO2 variations and climatic changes on cereal yields up to 2099 using the CARAIB dynamic vegetation model. This evaluation is driven by four future scenarios based on the Euro-CORDEX initiative's regional climate models under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. As part of this evaluation, the study also validates the CARAIB model for Morocco’s major cereal crops: soft wheat, durum wheat, and barley, in order to ensure the model's accuracy in simulating crop responses under projected environmental conditions. The CARAIB model effectively simulated historical cereal yield trajectories across major farming regions in Morocco from 2000 to 2016, demonstrating its robust predictive capability. Our future projections suggest that elevated CO2 levels might initially sustain cereal yields at approximately 90 % of current levels until 2050. This trend indicates that the increase in atmospheric CO2 may exert a moderating influence on the negative impacts of other environmental stressors on crop yields. However, despite this initial buffering effect, the overall yield trend from the present until 2099 indicates a decrease for most combinations of crop, zone, and climate model, even with the CO2 fertilization effect, except in some cases, the model exhibits slight increases or stabilization in yields. Additionally, the CARAIB model predicts potential yield shocks of 10–35 % below current levels from the 2080 s onwards, primarily due to periodic droughts. This variation underscores the complexity of the interplay between CO2 fertilization and climatic changes, emphasizing the urgent need for Morocco to develop adaptive agricultural strategies for long-term sustainability in the face of climatic challenges.

Evaluation of the Maize - False basil Cultural Association in the Fight against the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

In Ivory Coast, maize (Zea mays L.) is the second most cultivated cereal after rice. Despite this, maize cultivation is limited by pest pressures. Apart from the usual pests, a new enemy has arrived on the continent, the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. To control this pest, farmers use pesticides, which are not only expensive, but also pose risks to human health and the environment. The objective of this study is to find an alternative solution to chemical control through the cultivation of maize-Ocimum gratissimum (False basil) in two ways. The first consisted in planting False basil around the maize plot as a barrier plant (P1). The second consisted of alternating maize plants with False basil plants (P2). The experimental design used was a one-factor randomized FISHER block with three treatments. The efficacy of the two association modalities was compared to that of control which was maize crop only. The results showed better control of fall armyworm in the combination than control. Of the two combination treatments, it was the P1 treatment that was effective against S. frugiperda compared to the P2 treatment and the control. Thus the infestation rate of treatment P1 (33 %) was lower than that of treatment P2 (50 %) followed by the control (70 %). In addition, it was the P1 treatment that harbored fewer armyworms (8 larvae) compared to the P2 treatment (22 larvae) and the control (35 larvae). The maize-False basil crop combination therefore appears to be beneficial than pure crops as it significantly reduces the infestation rate, damage level and harbors less fall armyworm population.

Use of Indices Applied to Remote Sensing for Establishing Winter–Spring Cropping Areas in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Farmers in Kazakhstan face unreliable water resources. This includes water scarcity in the summer, high fluctuations in precipitation levels, and an increase in extreme weather events such as snow, rain, floods, and droughts. Wheat production is regulated and subsidized by the Kazakh government to strengthen food security. The proper monitoring of crop production is vital to government agencies, as well as insurance and banking structures. These organizations offer subsidies through different levels support. Some farmers already use farmland soil monitoring combined with adaptive combinations of different crops. These include winter–spring plowing crop programs. Winter wheat crops are generally more adaptive and may survive summer droughts. Kazakhstan is a large country with large plots of farmland, which are complicated to monitor. Therefore, it would be reasonable to adapt more efficient technologies and methodologies, such as remote sensing. This research work presents a method for identifying winter wheat crops in the foothills of South Kazakhstan by employing multi-temporal Sentinel-2 data. Here, the researchers adapted and applied a Plowed Land Index, derived from the Brightness Index. The methodology encompasses satellite data processing, the computation of Plowed Land Index values for the swift recognition of plowed fields and the demarcation of winter wheat crop sowing regions, along with a comparative analysis of the acquired data with ground surveys.

Drought risk management in agriculture: A copula perspective on crop diversification

AbstractDrought events are a major cause of large crop yield losses with implications for food security and farmers’ incomes. Growing multiple crops simultaneously during a cropping season is a well‐known on‐farm risk management strategy to cope with these drought risks. However, the effectiveness of this crop diversification under different severity levels of drought and how this effectiveness is influenced by the crop composition is unclear. This article provides new methodological and empirical insights to assess the effectiveness of such diversification, in particular to cope with extreme drought. We apply and evaluate nested Archimedean copulas and elliptical copulas to assess simultaneous farm‐level yield losses of different cash crops in German agriculture (winter wheat, winter barley, winter rapeseed, sugar beet, and grain maize) under different drought severity levels (N = 249,756; regionally pooled farm‐level crop‐yield pairs, 1995–2019). We show that on‐farm crop diversification contributes to cope with drought risks, but its effectiveness varies considerably across regions, crop pairs, and drought severity. Our results underline that cropping system diversification alone is often not sufficient to cope with drought risks, but that the right crop combinations are needed. For example, during a severe drought (one in 20 years event), 26.4% of farmers in eastern Germany suffered simultaneous yield losses of at least 20% in winter wheat and winter barley, while 19.1% of farmers in eastern Germany suffered simultaneous yield losses of at least 20% in winter wheat and sugar beet. Farmers should therefore be encouraged to grow crops with more diverse phenological requirements throughout the year.

AN ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA

Agricultural transformation and its development are multidimensional, it includes a variety of aspects like agricultural land utilization, intensity of cropping, crop productivity, crop concentration, crop diversification, crop combination, commercialization of agriculture, nature of agrarian relationship, and maintenance of ecological balance and so on. Agriculture plays an essential role in the process of economic development of less developed nations like India and agricultural development is an integral part of overall economic development. This paper, intends to analyse the nature of structural transformation in agriculture in India, and to determine the factors responsible for the structural transformation of agriculture. KEYWORDS: Agriculture, agriculture transformation, structural transformation

A new bi-level TOPSIS based neutrosophic programming technique for land allocation to medium farm holders

Agriculture impacts a country's social and economic growth. Crop allocation, crop combinations, and crop production processes are all necessary to achieve optimal results during various growing seasons. To maximize farm earnings, proper farm planning and resource allocations are necessary. In agriculture, land allocation problems involve several uncertainties and unpredictable variables, includes water supply, labour demands, fertility use, and food requirements. The objective of this study is to propose novel bi-level programming approaches to overcome such issues and obtain optimal land allocation for medium-sized farmers. The current study examines a bi-level, TOPSIS-based neutrosophic programming approaches in two cases, including non-interactive and interactive approaches with linear, exponential, and hyperbolic membership functions to maximize net profit and minimize the expenditure. The proposed methods are compared to other approaches, such as the Torabi & Hassini approach, the Fuzzy Optimization Technique (FOT), and the Intuitionistic Fuzzy Optimization Technique (IFOT) and are found to be more effective than the existing ones.

Multistoried woodlot based agroforestry system for improved resource utilization and incomes for farmer

Diversification of cropping pattern coupled with the development of suitable technology packages is crucial to meet the ever-increasing demand for diversified products and sustained farmers’ incomes. We evaluated different woodlot-based multistoried agroforestry systems for their effectiveness to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change by offering multifaceted benefits. Specifically, the present study aimed to assess the yield and probability of woodlot based multistoried agroforestry system with two vegetables, i.e., potato and brinjal during the period of 2019–2020. The vegetables were planted on the floor of the orchard where pineapple were planted in the same row with the trees. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that the upper-storied woody plants and sole vegetables received 100 % Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) but incident light gradually decreased for brinjal and potato, which were grown at the floor of woody trees. The vegetables experienced 55.85(T3), 60.70(T2), 66.38(T1), and 100 (T4) % PAR under different tree crop combinations respectively. In both cases the highest BCR (3.75) and (3.09) was obtained in the ghoraneem + pineapple based multistoried agroforestry system for potato and brinjal production, respectively, which may considered as the best technique for higher production, crop diversification, and maximization of land use efficiency.

Effects of several long-term soil health treatments on populations of Pratylenchus penetrans and the soil microbial community

Soil suppressiveness can reduce the damage by plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) in agricultural soils and is conveyed by the activity of soil microorganisms. While natural suppressiveness has been reported, it is still poorly understood if soil suppressiveness can be elicited by manipulating the soil microbial community. In the present study we assessed the number of the Pratylenchus penetrans (Pp) and the bacterial and fungal community composition over 7 years in a long-term soil health experiment. The field experiment consisted of an organic and conventional agricultural land management system and three soil health treatments (SHT): an untreated control (CT), anaerobic disinfestation (AD) and a combination of marigold cover cropping, compost and chitin amendment (CB). The land management systems were kept continuously, while the soil health treatments were applied only twice in seven years. The microbial community significantly differed between the organic and conventional system, but there was no significant difference in Pp numbers between the two systems. However, both the CB treatment and to a lesser extent the AD treatment reduced Pp numbers and increased yield with the effect being the strongest in the years immediately after the treatment. Accordingly, both the bacterial and fungal community differed significantly between the treatments, the differences being largest in the years after the treatments. Notably, the CB treatment elicited both long-term changes in the microbial community and a reduction of Pp numbers lasting for at least three years. These results indicated that a combination of treatments can lead to an altered soil microbial community in combination with persisting suppressiveness of Pp.

Native Polistes wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) hold potential as biocontrol agents for lepidopteran pests of Brassica.

Social paper wasps regularly prey upon lepidopteran larvae, some of which are economically impactful agricultural pest species. We examined the potential of native North American Polistes metricus Say (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius) for biocontrol of Brassica L. pests in an experimental setting. First, we translocated P. metricus to one-half of a divided screened hoop house and placed a mix of 4th-5th instar lepidopteran larvae (Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Pieris spp. Schrank (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), and Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)) on half of the broccoli plants on both sides of the hoop house. We recorded and replaced missing caterpillars daily, and assessed leaf damage after 1 wk. P. metricus was 100% effective at removing all caterpillars from the wasp side of the hoop house, and plant damage by caterpillars was significantly reduced in the presence of wasps. We then replicated the study using a different combination of Polistes (fuscatus) and Brassica crop (kale) with a 2 × 2 experimental design in which plants had either T. ni larvae added or absent (factor 1), and were either covered with insect mesh or left exposed (factor 2). By the second day of exposure to these pest species, wasps removed over 80% of the larvae within 3 h of placing them on the plants. We discuss implications of this study for the potential use of native Polistes wasps as an integrated pest management strategy.

Analysis of Land Water Balance in Various Rainfall Conditions and Its Utilization to Determine Planting Patterns of Food Crops in the Eastern Part of Seram District of Seram Island

Soil water balance calculation is one of the methods used to estimate the dynamics of soil water content during plant growth. This study aims to describe rainfall conditions and analyze soil water balance as well as determine the growing season and composition of food crop combination patterns based on the available growing season in East Seram Island. This research uses rainfall data for 30 years of observation period 1992-2021 from Geser Meteorological Station (Data analysis with the following stages: (i) rainfall analysis (ii) calculation of average rainfall (iii) determination of rainfall with a 75% chance (iv) calculation of soil water balance using the Thornthwaite and Mather method (v) determination of the growing season and cropping pattern. The results showed that the average rainfall in East Seram was 2,194 mm/year with a water deficit (D) occurring in October and November, then the rainfall had a 75% chance of being exceeded at 1,439 mm/year with a water deficit of 228 mm/year which lasted for eight months, namely August - March. The growing season under normal rainfall conditions was available throughout the year, while under high rainfall conditions, a 75% chance of the growing season was available for five months, namely May and October. The cropping patterns and crop combinations used were monoculture, polyculture, and intercropping with combinations of cassava, maize, sweet potato, groundnut, mung bean, cassava-corn, cassava-peanuts/green beans, maize-peanuts, cassava-corn-peanuts/green beans, cassava-corn-horticultural crops.

Discrimination of relatedness drives rice flowering and reproduction in cultivar mixtures.

The improvement of performance and yield in both cultivar and species mixtures has been well established. Despite the clear benefits of crop mixtures to agriculture, identifying the critical mechanisms behind performance increases are largely lacking. We experimentally demonstrated that the benefits of rice cultivar mixtures were linked to relatedness-mediated intraspecific neighbour recognition and discrimination under both field and controlled conditions. We then tested biochemical mechanisms of responses in incubation experiments involving the addition of root exudates and a root-secreted signal, (-)-loliolide, followed by transcriptome analysis. We found that closely related cultivar mixtures increased grain yields by modifying root behaviour and accelerating flowering over distantly related mixtures. Importantly, these responses were accompanied by altered concentration of signalling (-)-loliolide that affected rice transcriptome profiling, directly regulating root growth and flowering gene expression. These findings suggest that beneficial crop combinations may be generated a-priori by manipulating neighbour genetic relatedness in rice cultivar mixtures and that root-secreted (-)-loliolide functions as a key mediator of genetic relatedness interactions. The ability of relatedness discrimination to regulate rice flowering and yield raises an intriguing possibility to increase crop production.

Identifying the Traditional and Existing Tree–Crop Combination of Agroforestry System in Southern Part of Chhattisgarh, India

The present study was conducted in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh to identify the traditional and existing agroforestry practices used by farmers. The data were collected through survey of field visits and filled out of pre-prepared questionnaires in four blocks of Bastar district, namely Jagdalpur, Bastar, Tokapal and Bakawand. The survey revealed six different types of agroforestry system practices i.e., agrisilvihorticulture, agrisilviculture, silvihorticulture, agrisilvipastoral, silvihortipastoral, and agrisilvihortipastoral. Among these, 67% of farmers were practiced agrisilvihorticulture-type agroforestry systems. Farmers in Bastar were found to use 29 different tree crops, 17 horticultural crops, 20 vegetable crops, and 11 agricultural crops in their fields.

Expanding supporting land to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farms: Case studies in northern China

Livestock farms in China are equipped with supporting land, which is a key factor in promoting the optimal combination of crop and livestock systems to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural production. However, there is still a research gap on the process of carbon flow at the farm scale in China and the mechanisms by which supporting land affects GHG emissions. In this study, we used an agri-environmental impact assessment framework created through an extensive farm survey based on a localized database. GHG emissions from livestock production were accounted for on a farm-by-farm basis. The impact pathways of GHGs were also analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that the completed coupling farms (consuming agricultural waste and supplying fodder) were 2840 kg CO2e/$1000 USD, which was approximately 13.1% lower than those from incomplete coupling farms (consuming agricultural waste or supplying fodder) and 20.2% lower than those from non-coupling farms. GHG emissions are positively correlated with the pig–land ratio (R2 = 0.62, p < 0.001). Assuming that China's farms could be fully integrated by 2030, it could reduce GHG emissions by 12–22% of current levels, or about 45.5–84.5 million tons CO2e. Our findings provide new insights about expanding land to improve manure and feed management, which can help stakeholders develop strategies to reduce GHG emissions from livestock production, contributing to the achievement of sustainable agricultural development across China and globally.