Crop Production Efficiency Research Articles

Liquid Nano Urea: Step Forward to Smart Agriculture- A Review

Chemical fertilizer is necessary for the growth and development of crops. However, the efficiency of conventional chemical fertilizers is very low. Nowadays, fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) is the focus of agriculture cultivation practices to meet economic and environmental challenges. Around half of the total agricultural production relies on urea fertilizer, and the reduction in soil fertility has led to 3.56%. Liquid Nano Urea (LNU) can play a vital role in ensuring food security in Bangladesh. It can replace 50 % of conventional urea and can save subsidies to the govt. In addition, it is environmentally safe and reduces production costs, ensuring an increase in the total yield of 8-20%. Ensuring 90% work efficiency, the utilization of cutting-edge technologies and modern innovation in agricultural practices to enhance sustainability and efficiency in farming. Only two sprays of LNU can change the whole scenario of food safety. Recommended dose of optimize the use of nano urea for improved crop productivity and sustainability. The proper application of nano urea holds immense potential for enhancing crop production efficiency and sustainability.

Critical Information Mining Network: Identifying Crop Diseases in Noisy Environments

When agricultural experts explore the use of artificial intelligence technology to identify and detect crop diseases, they mainly focus on the research of a stable environment, but ignore the problem of noise in the process of image acquisition in real situations. To solve this problem, we propose an innovative solution called the Critical Information Mining Network (CIMNet). Compared with traditional models, CIMNet has higher recognition accuracy and wider application scenarios. The network has a good effect on crop disease recognition under noisy environments, and can effectively deal with the interference of noise to the recognition effect in actual farmland scenes. Consider that the shape of the leaves can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.First, we introduce the Non-Local Attention Module (Non-Local), which uses a unique self-attention mechanism to fully capture the context information of the image. The module overcomes the limitation of traditional convolutional neural networks that only rely on local features and ignore global features. Global features are particularly important when the image is disturbed by noise. Non-Local improves a more comprehensive visual understanding of crop disease recognition. Secondly, we have innovatively designed a Multi-scale Critical Information Fusion Module (MSCM). The module uses the Key Information Extraction Module (KIB) to dig into the shallow key features in the network deeply. The shallow key features strengthen the feature perception of the model to the noise image through texture and contour information, and then the shallow key features and deep features are fused to enrich the original deep feature information of the network. Finally, we conducted experiments on two public datasets, and the results showed that the accuracy of our model in crop disease identification under a noisy environment was significantly improved. At the same time, our model also showed excellent performance under stable conditions. The results of this study provide favorable support for the improvement of crop production efficiency.

Uneven agricultural contraction within fast-urbanizing urban agglomeration decreases the nitrogen use efficiency of crop production.

Diverse development paths among cities within an urban agglomeration can lead to uneven changes in their agricultural production scale, which reshape the inter-city food supply patterns and the spatiotemporal characteristics of nitrogen (N) pollution from the food system. Here, using Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area of China as a case, we found a substantial decrease in N use efficiency of crop production from 45.2% to 29.3% during 1989-2007, along with a growing level of concentration of food N production in less-urbanized cities. From 1989 to 2018, 12.3% to 42.2% of total N pollution in food production became embedded in inter-city trade, leading to aggregation of N pollution in peripheral cities with relatively low levels of economic development. We suggest that protection and intensification of cropland from urban encroachment, as well as enhancing the economic and technical synergies among cities, can serve the sustainable transition of the food system with coordinated N pollution mitigation.

Economic Efficiency of Date Palm Crop Production Using Various Irrigation Methods in New Valley Governorate

Economic Efficiency of Date Palm Crop Production Using Various Irrigation Methods in New Valley Governorate

АГРАРНЫЙ СЕКТОР РЕГИОНОВ РОССИИ: ОТВЕТЫ НА ВЫЗОВЫ ДИНАМИЧНОЙ СТРАТЕГИЕЙ РАЗВИТИЯ

The agricultural sector of the Russian Federation is one of the priority and strategic areas of development, which receives special attention from the state, since it is not only the guarantor of our country’s food independence, but also a very significant export resource that replenishes the country’s budget. The article analyzes the dynamics of the efficiency of crop production in the Russian Federation, in particular the group of grain and leguminous crops, both in the country as a whole and in the context of federal districts. The dynamics of indicators of sown areas, yields, gross harvest, as well as production efficiency of agricultural enterprises operating in the crop production industry, not only on the scale of the Russian Federation, but also at the level of territorial-administrative entities of Russia - federal districts, have been studied.

Smart Agriculture Automation System using ML

Abstract: The "Smart Agriculture Automation System using Machine Learning" project envisages a future where farming transcends manual labor and embraces data-driven automation. In response to the escalating demand for food amidst a burgeoning global population, traditional farming methods are rendered insufficient. However, Smart Agriculture Automation Systems offer a transformative solution by enhancing crop production efficiency and maintaining yield quality. Climate changeinduced challenges such as erratic weather patterns and heightened pest attacks further underscore the necessity for innovation in agriculture. At the heart of this system lies real-time sensor data, enabling precision farming practices that optimize resource utilization while fostering environmental sustainability. Leveraging Machine Learning algorithms, the system not only predicts and mitigates agricultural challenges but also detects early signs of crop diseases and nutrient deficiencies. This proactive approach ensures higher yields minimizes manual tasks and minimizes wastage. The integration of IoT technology enables remote monitoring and seamless data exchange, unlocking capabilities such as precise crop prediction, weather forecasting, and fertilizer recommendations. By analyzing historical data alongside current environmental factors, these systems accurately forecast crop yields and offer insights for informed decision-making in planting and harvesting cycles. Smart Agriculture Automation Systems embody adaptability, sustainability, and accessibility, heralding a new era of intelligent and efficient modern farming. This project integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and an innovative marketplace to revolutionize the agricultural landscape. Through this system, we aim to empower farmers with data-driven insights,

Dynamic Energy Use Efficiency, Carbon Input, and Agricultural Benefits of Multiple Cropping in Southern China—A Case Study from Guangdong Province

Background: With the purpose of exploring the development of new quality productive forces in Guangdong, the present study hypothesized that reducing energy and carbon inputs was beneficial for increasing Guangdong’s multi-cropping agricultural energy output and economic returns. Methods: The energy use efficiency of crop production and the corresponding carbon input and agricultural benefit trends from 2011 to 2021 were examined by linear regression analysis for Guangdong Province, China. The corresponding development trends were also predicted using a grey model. Results: The results indicated that the total energy output increased by 12.50%, wherein the energy productivity levels of peanuts, vegetables, mulberry, and fruits increased greatly (51.27–106.17%), while the total energy input and the total carbon input decreased by 12.17% and 6.37%, respectively. Moreover, the energy input per carbon input decreased by 6.19%, while the energy output per carbon input increased by 20.15%. Both energy-related indicators and economic-related indicators all had substantially increased (28.08–44.97% and 83.86–120.91%, respectively). Grey model predictions show that the agricultural output value increased steadily under the current agricultural policy of reducing fossil energy input. Conclusions: The current low-carbon and high-output agricultural model is beneficial for increasing Guangdong’s multi-cropping agricultural economic returns and mitigating greenhouse effects.

Impact of Custom Hiring Centers on Cost, Profitability, and Efficiency in Crop Production in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India

This study examines the impact of custom hiring centers (CHCs) on agricultural mechanization and productivity of groundnut of cultivation in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh in 2021. CHCs, established under the Submission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) scheme, aim to address challenges faced by small-scale farmers in accessing improved machinery. Through farm business analysis, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and binary logistic regression, the study evaluates the adoption of improved farm machinery, changes in costs, profitability, and efficiency in crop production due to CHCs. Utilizing purposive sampling, data was collected from 160 beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers in villages. Cost concepts were used to compare costs and returns in groundnut cultivation among CHC beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Findings indicate that CHC beneficiaries demonstrate lower input costs and higher net returns, signaling improved efficiency and profitability. DEA analysis reveals higher technical, allocative and cost efficiency among beneficiary farms compared to non-beneficiary ones. Additionally, binary logistic regression identifies significant factors influencing farmers' decisions to hire machinery from CHCs, including machine labor, net income, hired human labor, irrigation, and yield. Overall, the study underscores the pivotal role of CHCs in enhancing agricultural productivity and efficiency, particularly among small-scale farmers. It suggests that policymakers prioritize expanding CHCs and promoting mechanization to further improve agricultural outcomes and address challenges faced by marginalized farmers.

An adaptive spacing of root-zone hole fertilization to improve production and fertilizer utilization of rapeseed.

Root-zone hole fertilization has a positive impact on enhancing crop production and fertilization efficiency. However, a suitable spacing for hole fertilization in rapeseed cultivation is unclear. To explore an adaptive hole spacing for improving rapeseed yield and fertilization efficiency, field experiments were conducted. Four spacings of hole fertilization were designed: 10 (FD10), 20 (FD20), 30 (FD30) and 40 cm (FD40), using no fertilization (F0) and deep-banded placement of fertilizer (DBP) as controls. The burial depth was 10 cm for FD and DBP treatments. Compared to DBP, hole fertilization impacted soil microenvironment, crop growth and yield components, resulting in a significant increase of 28.4% in seed yield and 25.6% in oil yield. Seed yield in FD20 (4345.43 kg ha-1) increased by 4.3%, 9.4% and 15.1% compared to FD10, FD30 and FD40, respectively. Fertilizer partial factor productivity under FD20 was 4.2%, 8.6% and 13.9% greater than FD10, FD30 and FD40, respectively; whereas the increase for agronomic efficiency was 6.0%, 12.7% and 21.0%, and the increase for N recovery efficiency was 39.5%, 52.5% and 62.9%, respectively. Fertilization with a hole spacing of 17 cm is a promising practice to maintain high production and fertilization efficiency when cultivating rapeseed. These results provide a theoretical foundation and scientific basis for improving rapeseed productivity and fertilizer utilization. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

ТЕНДЕНЦИИ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ ОТРАСЛИ РАСТЕНИЕВОДСТВА В ПЕРМСКОМ КРАЕ

The scientific article contains a theoretical review of scientific literature on the problems of development of the crop production industry. Attention is drawn to the state of the market for crop products, the competitiveness of agricultural sectors and the presence of consumer purchasing preferences in relation to organic products. The dynamics of reduction in sown areas have been revealed, and natural and climatic factors affecting the range, yield and production efficiency have been noted. A methodology for a comprehensive analysis of the conditions for conducting economic activity in the agricultural sector of the economy is presented. The activities of agricultural producers aimed at providing priority provision of their own feed to the livestock industry by reducing the marketable portion of crop production were noted. Solutions for efficient feed production are presented through the selection of promising varieties of feed crops, planning the yield and nutritional value of feed. The strategic directions for the development of the crop production industry have been determined. The priority of development of the crop production industry is confirmed by the presence of deposits and producers of mineral fertilizers. Weaknesses include natural, climatic and soil conditions that limit the list, yield and efficiency of crop production. There are quite a lot of threats to reduce crop production, but the main ones are of a social nature: the continuing outflow of young people from rural areas; Due to labor shortages, there is an increase in abandoned agricultural land. Political, managerial, production and economic opportunities for the development of the crop production industry have been identified in terms of ensuring a targeted approach to personnel training, the development of social and production infrastructure that makes it possible to promote the rural lifestyle among the younger generation and ensure the investment attractiveness of the industry. Thus, great potential for priority development of the crop production industry has been identified.

Soil carbon dynamics in drained prairie pothole wetlands

Drainage leads to trade-offs between crop production efficiency and wetland conservation, with complex impacts on ecosystem services. In North America’s Prairie Pothole Region, wetland drainage is widespread, often to increase the available land for cultivation, prevent crop loss due to flooding, and manage soil salinity. Wetlands are known for providing key ecosystem services such as improved water quality, flood mitigation, and carbon storage. There is limited research on how changes to soil hydrology and soil redistribution through wetland drainage can impact soil carbon storage and persistence in this region. This research evaluates factors that contribute to soil carbon storage in drained prairie pothole wetland based on 33 drained wetlands in Saskatchewan, Canada. These analyses showed regional differences in the response of soil carbon storage to drainage that are driven by environmental factors such as annual precipitation, temperature, and wetland permanence. We observed increasing soil carbon storage from the Dark Brown to Black soil zones, as well as with longer wetland pond permanence. The sampling depth used for calculating soil carbon storage was especially important when comparing geographically across the soil zones as the Black soil zone had greater soil carbon stored at depth. Soil carbon was also intensively monitored over 2 years following installation of surface drainage across a wetland complex (8 drained wetlands) where water was partially directed to a consolidation wetland. We further assessed changes in soil carbon dynamics and protection from microbial decomposition based on three soil organic matter fractions, ATR-FTIR for organic matter functional groups, and phospholipid fatty acid analysis to understand the microbial community abundance and structure. After 2 years following drainage, ephemeral wetlands with short pond permanence were found to be most sensitive to drainage and the only wetland class with decreases in soil carbon. The temporary and seasonal wetland classes showed no significant differences in soil carbon content but there were changes in the organic matter with depth due to soil redistribution during drainage implementation. Jointly, this research provides region-specific estimates of soil carbon storage in drained prairie pothole wetlands that can be used to inform wetland soil carbon management in cultivated fields.

Integrated Nutrient Management for Enhancing Cereal Crop Production: A Review

Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) is a holistic approach that aims to optimize nutrient use efficiency in cereal crop production by combining various sources of nutrients, including organic and inorganic fertilizers. The integration of organic materials, such as crop residues and manures, with chemical fertilizers is emphasized to enhance soil fertility, improve nutrient availability, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. The synergistic effects of combining different nutrient sources contribute to balanced nutrition, reduced environmental impact, and increased resilience to changing climatic conditions. This abstract highlights the significance of integrated nutrient management as a comprehensive strategy for achieving higher cereal crop yields while addressing the challenges of nutrient management and environmental sustainability in modern agriculture. Integrated Nutrient Management not only boosts the growth, yield attributes, overall yield, and quality parameters of cereal crops but also fosters soil health, thereby fostering long-term agricultural sustainability.

Novel nano-fertilizers derived from drinking water industry waste for sustained release of macronutrients: performance, kinetics and sorption mechanisms

Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach for the controlled release of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and potassium. These essential plant nutrients are often applied in excess, leading to environmental pollution and loss of efficiency in crop production. Innovative economic and highly efficient fertilizers are urgently needed to achieve the targeted crop production worldwide in the presence of limited land and water resources. Therefore, in this study, novel, eco-friendly, cost-effective and enhanced efficiency nano-enabled fertilizers, NEF (nWTF1and nWTF2) were synthesized by impregnation of nanostructured water treatment residuals (nWTR) with (KH2PO4 + MgO) at 1:1 and 3:1 (w/w) ratios respectively using a planetary ball mill. The nWTR, nWTF1 and nWTF2 were extensively characterized. The water retention behavior and the sustained release of nutrients from the fabricated nano-enabled fertilizers (nWTF1 and nWTF2) in distilled water and sandy soil were investigated and monitored over time. The water retention capacity of the soil treated with nWTF2 after 26 days was 9.3 times higher than that of soil treated with conventional fertilizer. In addition, the nWTF2 exhibited lower release rates of P, K and Mg nutrients for longer release periods in comparison with the conventional fertilizers. This is a significant advantage over traditional fertilizers, which release nutrients quickly and can lead to leaching and nutrient loss. The main interaction mechanisms of PO4–K–Mg ions with nWTR surface were suggested. The results of the kinetics study revealed that power function was the best suitable model to describe the kinetics of P, K and Mg release data from NEF in water and soil. The produced NEF were applied to Zea maize plants and compared to commercial chemical fertilizer control plants. The obtained results revealed that the nano-enabled fertilizers (nWTF1 and nWTF2) significantly promoted growth, and P content compared with the commercial chemical fertilizer treated plants. The present work demonstrated the power of nano enabled fertilizers as efficient and sustained release nano-fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and pollution free environment.

Heat storage and release in binary paraffin-hexadecyl amine composites for solar greenhouses in cold climates

Traditional solar greenhouses in cold regions of China often suffer from poor thermal insulation and storage capacity, resulting in inefficient use of solar energy resources and reduced crop production efficiency. Therefore, it is crucial to explore methods to enhance the thermal conditions within these greenhouses. This paper proposes incorporating a “binary paraffin hexadecyl amine” phase change material into concrete, creating a novel composite material for use in a phase change thermal storage concrete slab. This approach can effectively address the previously mentioned issues. Two solar greenhouses were constructed to directly observe the material's impact on the thermal environment within a greenhouse. One greenhouse was equipped with the phase-change thermal storage slab, while the other served as a control greenhouse without the slab. Temperature field test was conducted on both greenhouses, and the obtained test data demonstrated the temperature regulation advantages of the phase-change greenhouses. Tomatoes were concurrently cultivated in both structures, and a temperature test was conducted to assess the phase-change heat-storage slab's influence on temperature regulation. The results indicate that, compared to similar studies, the phase-change heat-storage slab employed in this study demonstrates superior temperature regulation capabilities. It raises the average greenhouse temperature by 4.2 °C during winter, storing 8.85 × 104 kJ/m3 of heat per unit volume, which is 1.5 to 2.8 times higher than existing materials in the same category. In sunny conditions, the phase-change greenhouse exhibited a 4.9 °C reduction in maximum indoor temperature during the day and a 3.5 °C increase in minimum indoor temperature at night compared to the control greenhouse. This indicated that the phase-change heat storage slab acted as a heat buffer, effectively regulating the temperature inside the solar greenhouse. Tomatoes experienced a 26.6 % increase in effective accumulated temperature, resulting in maturation period occurring 13.04 % earlier compared to the control greenhouse.

Sustainability of precision agriculture as a proposal for the development of autonomous crops using IoT

Agricultural activities have experienced a significant increase due to population growth; hence, the demand for food has risen to the point where prioritizing greater efficiency and quality in crop production within a short period is crucial. This paper addresses the contemporary need to design prototypes focused on optimizing natural resources, specifically in the agricultural sector, where recurring wastage of water, fertilizers, and pesticides is evident. This research proposes a comprehensive prototype incorporating a monitoring and control system managed through the IoT Arduino Cloud platform using an ESP32 development board to improve resource management from the initial germination stages to harvest. The planting phase is based on a 3D printer mechanism with three-dimensional movements controlled. The monitoring system includes real-time visualization of variables such as temperature, soil humidity, and electrical magnitudes, as well as the automation of the irrigation and fertilization system. In this regard, the results demonstrated efficient resource management in cultivation. Additionally, the photovoltaic system contributes to a more sustainable and efficient management approach.

Morpho-physio-biochemical, molecular, and phytoremedial responses of plants to red, blue, and green light: a review.

Light is a basic requirement to drive carbon metabolism in plants and supports life on earth. Spectral quality greatly affects plant morphology, physiology, and metabolism of various biochemical pathways. Among visible light spectrum, red, blue, and green light wavelengths affect several mechanisms to contribute in plant growth and productivity. In addition, supplementation of red, blue, or green light with other wavelengths showed vivid effects on the plant biology. However, response of plants differs in different species and growing conditions. This review article provides a detailed view and interpretation of existing knowledge and clarifies underlying mechanisms that how red, blue, and green light spectra affect plant morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular parameters to make a significant contribution towards improved crop production, fruit quality, disease control, phytoremediation potential, and resource use efficiency.

Hymenopteran parasitoid complex and fall armyworm: a case study in eastern India

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) has significantly affected maize crop yields, production efficiency, and farmers’ incomes in the Indian Eastern Gangetic Plains region since it was first observed in India in 2018. A lack of awareness by maize growers of the appropriate selection, method, and timing of insecticide application not only creates a barrier to sustainable FAW control but also contributes to increased environmental pollution, reduced human health and increased production costs. We demonstrated that FAW inflicted the most damage in early whorl growth stage of maize, regardless of whether chemical insecticides were applied. FAW egg masses and larvae collected from maize fields in which no insecticides had been sprayed showed high parasitism rates by parasitoid wasps; in contrast fields that had been sprayed had much lower rates of parasitism on FAW. Ten hymenopteran parasitoids were observed in maize fields across the study region, suggesting a diversity of natural methods to suppress FAW in maize at different growth stages. These included two FAW egg parasitoids and eight FAW larval parasitoids. Microplitis manilae Ashmead was the most abundant FAW larval parasitoid species, and Telenomus cf. remus was the dominant FAW egg parasitoid species. Endemic FAW parasitoids such as those observed in this study have great potential as part of a sustainable, cost-effective agroecological management strategy, which can be integrated with other methods to achieve effective control of FAW.

Technical and allocative efficiency of crop production using different storage and water‐lifting technologies in Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

AbstractAssessing the efficiency gains, in terms of crop production and productivity, of using agricultural water management is critical to understanding the comparative advantage of using different storage and water‐lifting technologies in irrigation development. This study aims to compare the efficiency differences among irrigation farmers using various water‐lifting technologies and among users of various technology suites in the Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Cross‐sectional data collected from 320 randomly selected smallholder farmers, considering the 2019/2020 production season, were used to analyse a one‐step Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier function. The results of the study revealed the existence of technical and allocative efficiency differences between gravity and fuel pump users. Factors that positively determine the level of technical efficiency scores are gender, age, education status, technology type and extension contact. Irrigation experience, access to credit, training and technology type positively affected allocative efficiency, while the distance to the irrigation water source had a negative effect. The findings have important implications for agricultural policy and practice as improving efficiency through the adoption of fuel‐powered water‐lifting technology could further improve overall agricultural productivity. Designing small‐scale friendly business models and promoting irrigation extension services, among others, is critical for scaling successful water management technologies.

Does ecologization matter for technical efficiency in crop production? A case of Swedish agriculture

The effect of ecologisation on crop production performance in Sweden, measured as technical efficiency, was investigated by incorporating ecologisation into the production function and technical inefficiency determinant model. An unbalanced panel of data from the Swedish Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN), comprising 1944 observations on 346 crop farms 2009–2019, was used in stochastic frontier analysis. Ecologisation indicators considered were crop diversity index, organic farming, and environmental subsidies. The results showed that ecologisation affected the technical efficiency of crop production. Crop diversity index for the current year and the two preceding years had a positive effect on performance, with crop diversity index for current year in particular being positively associated with production performance of crop production. Organic farming was estimated to be negatively significantly associated with production performance. Rural subsidies were positively associated with production performance, but no association was found between environmental subsidies and production performance. Mean technical efficiency was 0.715, with higher values in southern Sweden than northern Sweden. These findings on the impact of ecologisation on arable farming can be useful when designing policies to encourage farmers to adopt ecologisation approaches.

Economic analysis of marketing of banana in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh

To accomplish the stated objectives 90 farmers were selected from three tehsils namely Vemula, Pulivendula and Lingala of Kadapa district. The study was based on primary data during the year 2021-2022. The data regarding marketing of Banana were collected from producers, 10 pre harvest contractors, 10 wholesalers and 10 retailers.The average gross returns were obtained was Rs.804955.81. The average per hectare net return received at overall was Rs. 377582.66. The overall input-output ratio was 1.88.The input output ratio which is an indicator of economic efficiency in crop production for the crop and it indicated that the banana registered a good input output ratio i.e.1.88. Producer’s share in consumer’s rupee was highest in channel - I i.e. 76.23 per cent. Banana growers faced the problem of Incidence of disease with mean score of 71.74 in production of banana and fluctuation in price (mean score: 69.49) was the main constraint in marketing of banana.