Diverse Production Systems Research Articles

Aquaculture in the Ancient World: Ecosystem Engineering, Domesticated Landscapes, and the First Blue Revolution

Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing food sector and accounts for more than 50% of the world’s fish food supply. The significant growth in global aquaculture since the middle of the 20th century has been dubbed by the Blue Revolution. However, it is not the first Blue Revolution to take place in human history. While historically classified as low-ranking, seasonal, or starvation resources in the archaeological discourse, marine foods were vital resources that ancient communities developed and exploited using a vast array of strategies. Among these aquatic strategies was aquaculture. This first Blue Revolution was initiated during the Early Holocene, some 8,000 years ago in China, with archaeologists now documenting aquaculture across the globe. This review considers the commonalities between ancient aquacultural systems including evidence of ecosystem engineering and the development of domesticated landscapes as production systems. People of the past constructed agroecosystems to not only enhance and diversify aquatic resources, but to control the reliability of key subsistence foods and to meet the demands of ritual practice and conspicuous social stratification. These aquaculture systems were maintained for centuries, if not millennia. Worldwide research conducted on ancient aquaculture can provide critical insights into developing more ecologically sustainable, resilient, and diverse marine production systems for coastal communities today, thus, achieving industry sustainability and limiting negative environmental impacts to the world’s shorelines and overexploited fisheries.

CARACTERIZACIÓN DE LAS UNIDADES DE PRODUCCIÓN DE TARWI (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet)

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Tarwi is a legume native to the Andes of South America and is currently an important crop in subsistence agricultural systems because it contributes to the generation of economic income and food security for the rural population.<strong> Objetive</strong>. To characterize the tarwi production units (UPT) in the inter-Andean valleys of the department of Ancash, Peru. <strong>Methodology</strong>. The research was of a descriptive, comparative, correlational, non-experimental type, survey data from 169 UPT were used and the characterization was carried out using statistical techniques of multidimensional analysis. <strong>Implications</strong>. The UPT are small-scale, they are integrated into diversified production systems, which implies knowing their characteristics in order to define coherent development plans or projects to promote the production and consumption of tarwi. <strong>Conclusions</strong>. The UPT are family farming; the family participates in running the plots and in generating economic income both from the main crop, as well as from other complementary sources. The farmers are typified mostly as small-scale, and their production is oriented towards family food security and some surpluses for the market; however, due to the gradual loss of conservation agricultural practices, abandonment of the state in promoting its conservation, cultivation, consumption and lack of financing and technical assistance, the cultivated area of tarwi is gradually decreasing.</p>

Review: Nutrient and energy supply in monogastric food producing animals with reduced environmental and climatic footprint and improved gut health.

With more efficient utilisation of dietary nutrients and energy, diversified production systems, modifications of diet composition with respect to feedstuffs included and the use of free amino acids, the negative impact of animal food production on the environment and climate can be reduced. Accurate requirements for nutrients and energy for animals with differing physiological needs, and the use of robust and accurate feed evaluation systems are key for more efficient feed utilisation. Data on CP and amino acid requirements in pigs and poultry indicate that it should be possible to implement indispensable amino acid-balanced diets with low- or reduced-protein content without any reduction in animal performance. Potential feed resources, not competing with human food security, can be derived from the traditional food- and agroindustry, such as various waste streams and co-products of different origins. In addition, novel feedstuffs emerging from aquaculture, biotechnology and innovative new technologies may have potential to provide the lack of indispensable amino acids in organic animal food production. High fibre content is a nutritional limitation of using waste streams and co-products as feed for monogastric animals as it is associated with decreased nutrient digestibility and reduced dietary energy values. However, minimum levels of dietary fibre are needed to maintain the normal physiological function of the gastro-intestinal tract. Moreover, there may be positive effects of fibre in the diet such as improved gut health, increased satiety, and an overall improvement of behaviour and well-being.

Water pollution from pharmaceutical use in livestock farming: Assessing differences between livestock types and production systems.

Livestock production is a major source of pharmaceutical emissions to the environment. The current scientific discourse focusses on measuring and modelling emissions as well as assessing their risks. While several studies evidence the severity of pharmaceutical pollution resulting from livestock farming, differences in pollution between livestock types and production systems are largely unknown. In fact, there is no comprehensive analysis of factors influencing pharmaceutical use - the emission's source - in the diverse production systems. To address these knowledge gaps, we develop a framework to investigate pharmaceutical pollution from different livestock production systems and apply it in a first pilot assessment to compare pollution from organic and conventional cattle, pig and chicken production systems on selected indicator substances, covering antibiotics, antiparasitics, hormones and NSAIDs. Given lacking statistics, hereto we retrieved novel qualitative information about influential factors for pharmaceutical use and pollution from expert interviews combined with quantitative data on a.o. the environmental behavior of specific substances from literature. Our analysis shows that factors across a pharmaceutical's entire lifecycle influence pollution. However, not all factors are livestock type or production system dependent. The pilot assessment furthermore reveals that differences in pollution potential between conventional and organic production exist, but for antibiotics, NSAIDs (and partially antiparasitics) some factors lead to higher pollution potential in conventional, others in organic systems. For hormones we identified a comparatively higher pollution potential from conventional systems. Among the indicator substance, the assessment over the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle illustrated that flubendazole in broiler production has the highest per unit impact. The framework and its application in the pilot assessment generated insights useful to identify which substances, livestock types, production systems, or the combination thereof have high or low pollution potential, informing more sustainable agricultural management practices. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:0-0. © 2023 SETAC.

Automation of unstructured production environment by applying reinforcement learning

Implementation of Machine Learning (ML) to improve product and production development processes poses a significant opportunity for manufacturing industries. ML has the capability to calibrate models with considerable adaptability and high accuracy. This capability is specifically promising for applications where classical production automation is too expensive, e.g., for mass customization cases where the production environment is uncertain and unstructured. To cope with the diversity in production systems and working environments, Reinforcement Learning (RL) in combination with lightweight game engines can be used from initial stages of a product and production development process. However, there are multiple challenges such as collecting observations in a virtual environment which can interact similar to a physical environment. This project focuses on setting up RL methodologies to perform path-finding and collision detection in varying environments. One case study is human assembly evaluation method in the automobile industry which is currently manual intensive to investigate digitally. For this case, a mannequin is trained to perform pick and place operations in varying environments and thus automating assembly validation process in early design phases. The next application is path-finding of mobile robots including an articulated arm to perform pick and place operations. This application is expensive to setup with classical methods and thus RL enables an automated approach for this task as well.

Identifying ways of producing pigs more sustainably: tradeoffs and co-benefits in land and antimicrobial use

Pork accounts for the largest proportion of meat consumed globally and demand is growing rapidly. Two important externalities of pig farming are land use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) driven by antimicrobial use (AMU). Land use and AMU are commonly perceived to be negatively related across different production systems, so those with smaller land footprints pose greater risk to human health. However, the relationship between land use and AMU has never been systematically evaluated. We addressed this by measuring both outcomes for 74 highly diverse pig production systems. We found weak evidence of an AMU/land use tradeoff. We also found several systems characterized by low externality costs in both domains. These potentially promising systems were spread across different label and husbandry types and indeed no type was a reliable indicator of low-cost systems in both externalities. Our findings highlight the importance of using empirical evidence in decision-making, rather than relying on assumptions.

Calibração e validação do modelo AquaCrop para a cultura do feijão-caupi sob estresse hídrico

ABSTRACT Cowpea is a legume crop cultivated in diversified production systems, under different conditions of climate, soil, cultivars and technological level. Although the crop is resistant to water stress, lack of moisture in the soil profile during its reproductive stage causes significant losses in its yield. The objective of this study was to calibrate and evaluate the AquaCrop model in the simulation of cowpea yield under water stress in two cropping seasons (rainy and dry) under no-tillage system condition. Experiments were carried out in two cropping seasons (rainy and dry) with five forms of water stress (without water stress, water suspension for 5, 10 and 15 days and rainfed cultivation), under no-tillage system. Regardless of the cowpea cropping season, water stress reduced grain yield and biomass yield, which was more pronounced in the dry season. The Aquacrop model simulated cowpea yield well for the rainy and dry seasons, with root mean square error of 16 and 9.1%, respectively. Aquacrop model showed poor performance for simulation of dry biomass production in both cropping seasons, overestimating the values obtained in the field.

Multidimensional forests: Complexity of forest-based values and livelihoods across Amazonian socio-cultural and geopolitical contexts

Research on the contribution of forests to local livelihoods has so far had a strong focus on quantifying the monetary value of forest-derived products and services. In this paper, we move beyond monetary valuation and integrate the less tangible and sometimes culturally complex dimensions through which forests support local livelihoods. We look at four local contexts in the Brazilian, Bolivian and Ecuadorian Amazon, which differ markedly in terms of their biophysical, sociocultural and geopolitical settings. Combining economic and anthropological data, we used quantitative and qualitative methods, and measures of the ecological impacts of local forest uses. Quantitative analyses drew on datasets from 48 communities, and 510 households, while the qualitative analyses relied on semi-structured interviews with 78 families in 22 communities. Forest-based livelihoods exhibited complex portfolios, diversified production systems, seasonal variation of activities, and different specialization strategies. Beyond a source of subsistence and cash incomes, forests were locally valued by people across all sites in terms of identities, worldviews, territorial attachment, governance, and conservation. Populations with a longer history of interactions with the environment displayed more complex forest-related cultural systems, but even among people who had migrated into the forest in a more recent historical period, forest-based self-cultural identification was evident. At all sites, forests were unanimously recognized as critical to people’s health and wellbeing, despite substantial differences in local histories, policy and market environments. The findings underscore the persistent importance of non-economic values of forests as both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups constantly adapt their forest and land use practices based on transcultural exchange and changing conditions. A focus on economic value as the rationale for forest conservation disregards the striking resilience of cultural values in promoting forest conservation and use by diverse local and Indigenous communities, especially when supported by favorable policies and markets.

Whither digital agriculture in India?

Agriculture is central to the Indian economy and suffers from widespread operational inefficiencies that could be corrected by the use of digital agriculture technologies (DA). We review and synthesise available literature concerning digital agriculture in India and anticipate its transformative potential in the coming decade. Although the initial growth of DA was more conspicuous in the downstream sectors and high-value crops, reaching smallholder farmers upstream is slowly emerging despite significant obstacles such as small fragmented holdings, inadequate data infrastructure and public policy, and unequal access to digital infrastructure. Agri-tech enables innovation at many locations within value chains, and a steady shift is occurring in change from individual farms to the whole value chain. Technology in the sector is progressing from information and communication technology-based solutions to Internet of Things and artificial intelligence–machine learning-enabled services. India’s public policy shows signs of a longstanding investment and collaboration in the sector, with an explicit focus on data infrastructure development. We find smallholder predominance, diversity in production systems, the predominance of commodity crops, proximity to urban markets, and public policy as the major factors of DA’s success in India. A stocktake of the available technologies and their applications by the public sector, tech giants, information technology leaders and agri-food tech startups in India strongly indicates a digital transformation of Indian agriculture. However, given the federal structure of governance and agriculture being a state (province) subject, we need to wait to see how DA policies are rolled out and taken up across the country.

Sustaining Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) productivity and soil health through varietal diversification under diverse production systems

Indian mustard is one of the most important oilseed crop in India as it contributes maximally in domestic edible oil production. Inclusion of Indian mustard in cereal based cropping system is increasingly felt due to its beneficial effect in the system and comparatively lesser requirement of resources, hence lesser environmental footprints. To assess the feasibility of different cultures for profitable diversification, as field experiment was conducted during rabi 2020–21 at the research farm of IARI, New Delhi. The varietal diversification in Indian mustard has further helped in bringing the resilience in the production system. The study revealed that Pusa mustard 26 under integrated crop management system resulted in higher seed yield (2,206, kg/ha), biological yield (10,711 kg/ha), oil yield (877.0 kg/ha) and also enhanced net return (`76,060/ha).

Diversification of crops: Assessment of managerial flexibility and economic impact on sugarcane medium-sized farms

The aim of this study is to assess the economic viability of a medium-sized sugarcane farm applying a diversification strategy, including the possibility of managerial flexibility in changing its portfolio over time. There is a theoretical gap in the economic evaluation of diversified production systems in farm space. We assessed one diversified structure for the sugarcane agricultural farm that included land areas dedicated to the rotational cultivation of soybean/corn, corn/peanut, and corn/green manure. We considered the managerial flexibility when replacing sugarcane culture. Primary and secondary data were used based on the agricultural context of São Paulo State, Brazil, where the modal profile of medium-sized producers in the region was defined with the support of technicians from the leading agricultural cooperative and sugarcane suppliers association. The results indicate that the diversification strategy for the investigated context generates: lower financial risk for the farm, higher potential return on investment, and higher economic value added.

Heteroscedastic Reaction Norm Models Improve the Assessment of Genotype by Environment Interaction for Growth, Reproductive, and Visual Score Traits in Nellore Cattle.

Simple SummaryIn animal breeding, the different climatic conditions and production systems in beef cattle can result in the genotype by environment interaction. These interactions also need to be considered in genetic evaluations. In this study, five reaction norm models were tested on eleven traits related to growth, reproduction, and visual score measured in Nellore cattle breeding programs to check changes in the estimated genetic values of sires according to the selection environment. Using the best fitted statistical model, the presence of genotype by environment interaction was observed for some traits such as age at first calving, scrotal circumference, weaning to yearling weight gain, and yearling weight. For these traits, it is possible to select the best sires to increase productivity and reduce environmental sensitivity. Overall, the reaction norms trajectories for these traits seem to be affected by a non-linear component, and selecting robust animals for these traits is an alternative to increase production and reduce environmental sensitivity.The assessment of the presence of genotype by environment interaction (GxE) in beef cattle is very important in tropical countries with diverse climatic conditions and production systems. The present study aimed to assess the presence of GxE by using different reaction norm models for eleven traits related to growth, reproduction, and visual score in Nellore cattle. We studied five reaction norm models (RNM), fitting a linear model considering homoscedastic residual variance (RNM_homo), and four models considering heteroskedasticity, being linear (RNM_hete), quadratic (RNM_quad), linear spline (RNM_l-l), and quadratic spline (RNM_q-q). There was the presence of GxE for age at first calving (AFC), scrotal circumference (SC), weaning to yearling weight gain (WYG), and yearling weight (YW). The best models were RNM_l-l for YW and RNM_q-q for AFC, SC, and WYG. The heritability estimates for RNM_l-l ranged from 0.07 to 0.20, 0.42 to 0.61, 0.24 to 0.42, and 0.47 to 0.63 for AFC, SC, WYG, and YW, respectively. The heteroskedasticity in reaction norm models improves the assessment of the presence of GxE for YW, WYG, AFC, and SC. Additionally, the trajectories of reaction norms for these traits seem to be affected by a non-linear component, and selecting robust animals for these traits is an alternative to increase production and reduce environmental sensitivity.

317 Importance and Difficulty of Measuring Complete Greenhouse gas Flux from Diverse Beef Production Systems

Abstract Cattle naturally respire CO2 from energy and rumen metabolism, and produce enteric CH4 from rumen fermentation. In addition, N2O is produced from soils used for agricultural production following precipitation events. These three gases need to be more accurately quantified in beef production systems to model greenhouse gas (GHG) flux and establish effective mitigation strategies. Most models assume CO2 respiration equals carbon uptake by soil when cattle are fed harvested feeds or during grazing. Therefore, CH4 or N2O release is the net contribution from beef production, while ignoring respired CO2. Recent evidence suggests carbon uptake in soils within grazing systems may offset much of the GHG emissions during beef production. However, total flux is difficult to measure in open, extensive systems including pasture and feedlot pens. Using methods of eddy covariance, footprint modeling, and satellite GPS data on cattle location during grazing, we have estimated CO2 and CH4 production from grazing cattle independent of the pasture (soil and plant) to get accurate fluxes. Regardless of whether the beef industry is already net zero, focus on mitigating enteric methane production is warranted. Three primary methods are used for evaluating CH4: in vitro techniques, calorimetry head boxes, or pen chambers. The most robust system for quantification of enteric methane is pen chambers, which allows for cattle performance to be evaluated simultaneously. Many new additives are being evaluated, but not yet approved for use in food animals. Use of pen-based chambers has a limitation with large numbers of animals that cannot enter the food chain. More focus is required to find suitable methane mitigation strategies from novel feed additives and evaluate changes in productivity and ensuring no residues. Whenever possible, increasing speed of approval for those additives that are effective and pose no risk for food safety will be critical for ruminant production.

A geospatial approach to identifying biophysically suitable areas for fruit and vegetable production in the United States

AbstractIn the United States, the production of many fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) is concentrated in a few key regions of the country, and it may not be possible to maintain or increase output from these areas due to natural resource constraints and climate change. Rather, developing new and more geographically diverse production systems may be necessary to meet food needs and adapt to changing conditions. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the availability and location of suitable land where future production could occur. In this project, we developed geospatial models to identify and quantify land suitable for producing F&V crops across the contiguous United States based on biophysical constraints. Suitability was based on key criteria related to land cover and use, topography, soil properties, and climate. We found tremendous potential to expand F&V production at the national level, identifying 333 million hectares of suitable land, 47% of which is currently used for agriculture. Suitable land to produce most F&Vs exists across the United States, indicating that there is significant potential to geographically diversify production in the future, though tropical and sub‐tropical fruits are restricted to the southern areas of the country. These results provide a starting point for identifying opportunities to expand F&V production, reduce geographic concentration, and establish new supply chains.

Flavor and Other Quality Traits of Tomato Cultivars Bred for Diverse Production Systems as Revealed in Organic Low-Input Management.

This study was conducted to determine the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with fruit flavor in diverse tomato cultivars (salad and cocktail cultivars) under organic low-input production. For this objective, 60 cultivars deriving from very diverse breeding programs 1880–2015 were evaluated in 2015, and a subset of 20 cultivars was selected for further evaluation in 2016. The diversity of instrumentally determined traits, especially for VOCs concentration and sensory properties (fruit firmness, juiciness, skin firmness, sweetness, sourness, aroma, and acceptability), was investigated at two harvest dates. The evaluation of the cultivars exhibited a wide range of variation for all studied traits, with the exception of a few VOCs. Cultivar had the most important effect on all instrumentally determined traits, while the influence of cultivar × harvest date × year interaction was significant for 17 VOCs, but not for total soluble solid (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA). The VOCs with the highest proportion (>8%) were hexanal, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, 2-isobutylthiazole, and (E)-2-hexenal, which were identified in all cultivars. Twelve VOCs significantly correlated with one or more sensory attributes and these VOCs also allowed differentiation of the fruit type. Among these VOCs, phenylethyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol positively correlated with acceptability in the cocktail cultivars, whereas 2-isobuthylthiazole and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol negatively correlated with acceptability in the salad cultivars. As a result of this study, organic breeders are recommended to use cultivars from a wide range of breeding programs to improve important quality and agronomic traits. As examples, salad tomatoes “Campari F1”, “Green Zebra”, and “Auriga”, as well as cocktail tomatoes “Supersweet 100 F1”, “Sakura F1”, and “Black Cherry” showed higher scores for the sensory attributes aroma and acceptability under organic low-input growing conditions. It remains a challenge for breeders and growers to reduce the trade-off of yield and quality.

Diversified production systems in sandy soils of the Brazilian Cerrado: nutrient dynamics and soybean productivity

Increased functional diversity, given by the Integrated Crop-Livestock System (ICLS), is an alternative of quantitative and qualitative technical evolution for soybean (Glycine max) cropping in sandy soils. The objective of the present research was to investigate production systems with different levels of functional diversity in sandy soils of the Brazilian Cerrado regarding their (a) soil microbiological activity, (b) macronutrient accumulation and release, and (c) soybean yield. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications and the treatments corresponded to different levels of functional diversity: very low (Fallow), low (Ruziziensis), medium (Ruziziensis, niger, radish and rattlepod), and high (Ruziziensis, niger, radish and rattlepod with animal entrance). The plants were desiccated and the phytomass contained within a frame was collected at ground level. The evaluation of phytomass decomposition and nutrient release was performed at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after desiccation (DAD) of the plants. Functional diversity levels increase the carbon content of the microbial biomass in the sandy soil, with an emphasis on systems with high plant diversity and the presence of animals. High functional diversity with the presence of the animal results in higher rates of phytomass decomposition and nutrient release with a shorter half-life (t 1/2=85 DAD), mainly with respect to potassium. This functional diversity increases soybean yield by up to 25% in the high diversity system compared to a system with very low diversity. The high functional diversity in ICLS enriches soil microbiological quality and increases soybean productivity in the sandy soil in the short term.

Exploring the association between agricultural production systems and household diets in Viet Nam

The government of Viet Nam promotes an integrated and diversified production system that focuses on the symbiotic relationship of livestock, aquaculture, and fruits and vegetables (F&V), locally known as Vuon Ao Chuong (VAC). The expectation is that this system can prevent soil degradation, while improving dietary quality and income. This study examines the correlation between VAC production systems and diets using cross-sectional data from the 2016 round of the Viet Nam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS). Using ordinary least squares, we model four continuous outcome variables related to quantity consumed of fruits and vegetables, fiber, animal protein, and dietary energy; while using logistical regression, we model three indicator variables related to whether diets are balanced in terms of intake of dietary energy derived from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. While individual components of VAC, such as aquaculture or F&V production, show a positive correlation with one or more dietary indicators, adoption of the full VAC system is found to be positively correlated only with dietary fiber consumption, making it challenging to establish a causal link between system adoption and improved dietary quality. However, we find that several socioeconomic variables, such as access to markets, household wealth, education of the household members, and household size are positively associated with one or more dietary indicators. Further research is needed to establish strong and causal relationships, or lack thereof, between VAC system and diets by exploiting the panel structure of VHLSS to examine the role of VAC in improving nutritional outcomes in Viet Nam.

Multifunctional farming as successful pathway for the next generation of Thai farmers.

Young farmers play a significant role in sustaining food security and the communities’ and rural areas’ viability. However, as with many countries, Thailand is facing a decline in the number of young farmers who, if not productive and satisfied with their farm business, are likely to exit farming to take advantage of their increased educational level and off-farm job opportunities. Data were collected by interviewing young farmers in the Prachin Buri province, Thailand, with the aim of assessing their reason for farming in the long-term and the type of farming. Farming decisions can be categorised into three types: full-time profit-oriented farming with a focus on rice production (~53%), full-time multifunctional farming in innovative mixed or organic production systems (~23%), and part-time farming where young farmers work off-farm and farm outside regular working hours (~24%). Using path analysis, we investigated which physical and psychological factors affect young farmers’ decisions to pursue these three farming types. The results show that non-monetary farming’s benefits are as important as monetary benefits. Education, farming and regular off-farm work experience, farm production, market and pest problems, and government support directly affect the farming types. These effects were also mediated by attitudes towards farming and net farming income. Young farmers choosing to pursue multifunctional farming have higher incomes, more often apply sophisticated technologies, and farm more sustainably than those choosing the other types of farming. This indicates that a shift from conventional rice production to more diversified production systems using innovative technologies is needed to sustain farming success and retain young people in the farming sector.

P-FLUX: A phosphorus budget dataset spanning diverse agricultural production systems in the United States and Canada.

Quantifying spatial and temporal fluxes of phosphorus (P) within and among agricultural production systems is critical for sustaining agricultural production while minimizing environmental impacts. To better understand P fluxes in agricultural landscapes, P-FLUX, a detailed and harmonized dataset of P inputs, outputs, and budgets, as well as estimated uncertainties for each P flux and budget, was developed. Data were collected from 24 research sites and 61 production systems through the Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network and partner organizations spanning 22 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. The objectives of this paper are to (a) present and provide a description of the P-FLUX dataset, (b) provide summary analyses of the agricultural production systems included in the dataset and the variability in P inputs and outputs across systems, and (c) provide details for accessing the dataset, dataset limitations, and an example of future use. P-FLUX includes information on select site characteristics (area, soil series), crop rotation, P inputs (P application rate, source, timing, placement, P in irrigation water, atmospheric deposition), P outputs (crop removal, hydrologic losses), P budgets (agronomic budget, overall budget), uncertainties associated with each flux and budget, and data sources. Phosphorus fluxes and budgets vary across agricultural production systems and are useful resources to improve P use efficiency and develop management strategies to mitigate environmental impacts of agricultural systems. P-FLUX is available for download through the USDA Ag Data Commons (https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1523365).

Resource Conservation Technologies in Era of Climate Change: A Review

Declining per capita land, water and other resources triggered by changing climate and increasing population need resource conservation technologies (RCTs) for agricultural sustainability. This paper has presented findings from recent research on resource conservation technologies that have been attempted in different regions of India. The superiority of resource conservation technologies (RCTs) such as laser land leveling, zero tillage, bed planting, direct seeded rice, leaf colour chart, green seeker and crop diversification over conventional methods of cultivation practices is evaluated in terms of saving of energy, water and labour, increase in crop yield, water productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, net returns and making agriculture climate smart. Zero tillage with residue retention increase soil organic carbon sequestration, conserve soil moisture and lower soil temperature thus making agriculture climate smart. Direct seeded rice is solution for labour scarcity, excessive water and fuel use in transplanted rice. Use of leaf colour chart saves nitrogenous fertilizers. Laser land leveling and bed planting practices increase water productivity and crop yield over conventional practices. But the machinery required for adoption of RCTs are heavy and costly, so the study has suggested the use of machines on co-operative basis and also the wider scale testing of new technologies under diverse production systems.