Dryland Cropping Research Articles

Efficient and rapid identification of tropical maize inbred lines tolerant to waterlogging stress

Waterlogging (WL) is an important abiotic stress, severely affecting plant growth and development, inhibiting root respiration and degradation of chlorophyll, senescence of leaves and chlorosis leading to substantial yield loss. These intensities of yield losses generally depend on the duration of WL and crop growth stages. Maize being a dry land crop is particularly sensitive to WL. Systematic screening techniques to identify parameters linked with tolerance are not well established which serves as a major bottleneck in the identification of promising genotypes. In this study, 120 maize inbred lines belonging to diverse genetic backgrounds were evaluated for WL tolerance both at pre-emergence as well as the seedling stage. Results based on percentage germination at pre-emergence and percentage survival at the seedling stage under WL established that pre-germination tolerance is independent of seedling stage tolerance. Membership function value based on WL tolerance coefficient of shoot and root fresh weights, dry weights, lengths, root surface area, shoot area and root volume was used to identify tolerant lines. Established mathematical models were used and identified root dry weight as a single reliable parameter to judge the tolerance level of genotypes. The use of BLPSI and ESIM selection indices as well as MTSI to judge the stability as well as genetic worth of genotypes further strengthens the selection efficiency. Lines thus performing best across all the models included I 185, I 172 and SE 503 and were identified as tolerant lines for WL. A combination of these different selection approaches would further strengthen selection efficiency and is believed to be a rapid and effective selection approach.

Legacy Effects of Cropping System and Precipitation Influence the Core Camelina sativa Microbiome

Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) is a potential biofuel crop and beneficial rotation crop in dryland cropping systems. Little is known about camelina microbiota or the legacy effect of soil origin/cropping system zones on camelina-associated microbiome assembly. To explore camelina-microbe associations, we grew camelina in the greenhouse using soil transplanted from 33 locations in the dryland wheat production area of eastern Washington. Bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities from bulk soil, rhizosphere and endosphere were characterized with 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing and were analyzed alongside site-specific climatic and edaphic data. We found soil from the highest precipitation zone had higher alpha diversity than soil from the driest zone, but this effect was not seen in the greenhouse rhizosphere or endosphere. Plant compartment, cropping system zone, and soil origin all significantly influenced microbial composition with soil pH and organic matter as well as precipitation at origin as major predictors. Analysis of abundance-occupancy distributions suggests that camelina selects for several different Actinobacteria (though distinct genera in the rhizosphere and endosphere). Rhizobium, and Clostridium. Sphingomonas ASVs were also consistently enriched in the rhizosphere, suggesting that they are present in soils collected throughout eastern Washington and may represent good candidate biostimulants. Several lignin decomposing fungi had site-specific rhizospheric distributions suggesting that they may be dispersal-limited or result from the legacy effect of long-term wheat cropping. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of microbiome assembly in and on camelina roots while also highlighting the potential impact of cropping history on soil and plant-associated microbiomes.

Dryland cropping in different Land uses of Senegal using Sentinel-2 and hybrid ML method

ABSTRACT In rainfed and dryland agricultural areas with smallholder farms (less than 2 ha), crop diversity is high due to farmers' decisions and local climatic conditions, leading to a complex spatial–temporal distribution of crops. Monitoring and mapping crops is crucial for food security and implementing agricultural support programs. This study aims to map crop types across Senegal using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and the limited ground reference data available, which has been increasing recently. The study compares conventional supervised classification algorithms to unsupervised classification algorithms using high-resolution satellite imagery. Crop type classification for 2020 in Senegal employed supervised machine learning algorithms, including Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform, and the unsupervised Iso-clustering classification algorithm with Spectral Matching Techniques (SMTs). Due to limited ground data, supervised classifiers achieved 45-55% accuracy, whereas the unsupervised semi-automatic approach achieved over 75% accuracy. The study indicates that supervised classifiers' performance depends on ground data quantity, while SMT shows good performance even with limited ground data. This SMT approach is valuable for classifying crop types in dryland areas with smallholder farms and diverse cropping patterns.

Moth bean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal] as an Alternative Crop to Groundnut in the Rainfed Areas of Northern Parts of Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Moth bean is an important dry land crop, requires less water and external input for their cultivation. Even though it has great importance, moth bean cultivation is ignored as minimum attention by the farmers. The major reasons for the low productivity of moth bean was the lack of adoption of improved production technologies and non-availability of high yielding variety seeds, timely guidance from village extension workers. Hence, it is imperative to improve the productivity of moth bean through demonstrations under rain-fed conditions. Methods: With the aims to improve the livelihood of farmers and crop diversification, the field demonstrations of the moth bean variety TMV 1 with integrated crop management practices were conducted by ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Villupuram. To improve the productivity of moth bean and farmers income through field demonstrations with improved production technologies compared to groundnut cultivation as farmers practice under rainfed condition. Result: Results on package-wise cost (ha-1) for three years average incurred for land preparation Rs. 9300, Seed cost Rs. 2400, weed management Rs. 9000, plant protection Rs. 8500 and harvesting cost was Rs.15000. The cost of plant protection and harvesting costs are same for moth bean and groundnut and remaining costs are varied for both crops. The yield was 1595 kgs.h-1, gross income Rs. 130000, Cost of cultivation Rs. 46,400, net income Rs. 83,700 and benefit-cost ratio Rs. 2.80. The average cost of cultivation for groundnut cultivation (farmers practice) for the three years is Rs. 76,300; gross income Rs. 1,43,000 and net income Rs. 66,700. Hence, moth bean cultivation proved to be better economically than groundnut cultivation in the rainfed ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, contributing to crop diversification and improved livelihood of farming communities.

Productivity and Economics of Ber Based Agri-Horticultural Systems under Semi-Arid Condition of Akola in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India

Alternate land use system is applicable in areas where subsistence farming is practiced in unstable ecosystems, and it poses more potentiality and flexibility in land use than the traditional crop production systems. Alternate land use systems are effective means of stabilizing both productivity of dryland crops and incomes of dryland farmers, besides generating more counter potential. Ber is highly resistant to drought conditions due to well-developed long tap root system than other crops. There is area to grow field crops in between the interspaces during the early growth stages of Ber in order to increase the land use efficiency. The experiment with objectives for studying the productivity and the economics of Ber based Agro-Horticulture system under dryland condition was conducted at the research farm of the AICRP for Dryland Agriculture, Dr. PDKV, Akola. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design with four treatments and five replications. The six years pooled data resulted that the treatment cotton + soybean (1:1) recorded significantly highest Ber equivalent yield (970 kg ha-1), gross monetary returns (Rs. 69643), net monetary returns (Rs.22106) and rainwater use efficiency (1.17 kg ha-1 mm-1) as compare to rest of the treatments.

Can biostimulants and tillage rotations improve dryland crop productivity and soil microbes?

AbstractSoil microbes are essential for soil nutrient cycling. However, frequent tillage and the use of synthetic agrochemicals can reduce soil microbial diversity and enzyme activity. In this study, the effects of four tillage treatments (mouldboard plough, shallow tine‐tillage, no‐tillage, and tillage rotation) and two rates of synthetic agrochemicals (standard and reduced, with biostimulants) on soil microbial diversity and enzyme activity were investigated between 2018 and 2020 in a Mediterranean climate zone in South Africa. It was hypothesized that a reduction in tillage frequency and quantity of synthetic agrochemical application would lead to greater microbial diversity and enzyme activity. Soil samples were collected from the 0‐ to 150‐mm layer of a field trial under a dryland crop rotation system. Soil microbial species richness and abundance were assessed using the Shannon–Wiener diversity and evenness indices. The activities of four microbial enzymes—β‐glucosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and urease—were used to evaluate ecosystem functioning. The combined effects of tillage rotation with a shallow tine implement and the application of biostimulants failed to significantly improve soil microbial diversity, enzyme activity, and crop productivity relative to other treatments. However, the combination did not reduce the wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain yield and quality, and soil biological parameters. Furthermore, the less intensive tillage treatments, ST, NT, and ST‐NT‐NT‐NT, resulted in higher enzyme activity than the mouldboard treatment. Therefore, we suggest that combining non‐intensive tillage with reduced synthetic agrochemical use can be a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative to intensive tillage and high agrochemical application in dryland cropping systems.

Organic matter accumulation encouraged K-strategy bacteria increase and metabolism variation in karst vegetation restoration

Vegetation restoration plays a critical role in terrestrial carbon sink increase, especially in subtropic Southwest China which has been the hotspot of vegetation restoration areas in recent decades. However, the variations in microbial community diversity resulting from this intervention remain unclear, and further research is needed to elucidate the complex interactions between microorganisms and soil nutrient elements. Soil samples were collected from three vegetation restoration stages in a karst rocky desertification (KRD) valley of Southwest China, which were named dry cropland (CL), 3–8 years grassland (WL), and afforestation land that recovered more than 20 years (AL), to investigate the soil nutrient and bacterial diversity variation during vegetation restoration course. The soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents are significantly higher in the afforestation land soil compared to the cropland and grassland soils, while the available nutrient contents decrease during the vegetation restoration course. The soil dominant bacteria genus shifts from R-strategy bacteria in cropland to K-strategy bacteria in afforestation land, and the relative abundances of R-strategy genera remain similar in the grassland and cropland soil. The dual-relative bacteria network evaluates from simple correlation net to very complex ones during the vegetation restoration, of which the core influenced factor alters from available nutrients to organic matter. The results of this study suggest that it will take a relatively longer period for the soil nutrient conditions and bacterial community to recover fully, although vegetation restoration could reduce the impacts of agricultural activities. This study refers to the ecological preservation and restoration strategies under the global climate change background, elucidating the nutrient metabolism variation induced by the accordance variation of organic matter accumulation and soil bacterial life strategy during the ecosystem restoration course.

Growth conditions but not the variety, affect the yield, seed oil and meal protein of camelina under Mediterranean conditions

European agriculture policies emphasize the importance of agricultural sustainability, focusing on increase of biodiversity through crop diversification. In Mediterranean dryland cropping systems, the introduction of crops in rotation with cereals is challenged by scarce precipitation and high evapotranspiration. In this scenario, camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz), a low-input annual oleaginous crop with a high morphological plasticity, short life cycle, and interesting oil and meal composition, could be an option to be included in rotation with winter cereals. The aim of this experiment was to study the agronomic performance, and seed oil and meal protein contents of camelina in two different climatic conditions, with a sowing delay in one of them. Several trials were conducted in Montargull (Mediterranean semihumid) and in Lleida (Mediterranean semiarid) in two seasons (2020–21 and 2021–22). In Montargull, two sowing dates (November, SD1 and January, SD2) were established. In each growing condition, three spring camelina varieties were sown (Calena, CO46 and GP204). Camelina was harvested between May and July, and yield and harvest index were measured. After cold pressing the seeds, seed oil and meal protein contents were analysed. Camelina yield and quality was not related to the variety, but to two climatic scenarios: 1) a favourable rainfall distribution without important drought periods (2020–21); 2) significant rainfalls in November and April, but with a drought period in between (2021–22). In the first situation, camelina production ranged from 1533 to 2187 kg ha−1, with high seed oil (40.4–41.4 %) and meal protein (41.0–44.8 %) contents. In the second situation, the yield decreased to 242–661 kg ha−1, seed oil content to 31.0–34.7 %, and meal protein content to 37.6–40.4 %. Despite these seasonal differences, SD1 in Montargull obtained higher average yields and protein content than in Lleida and in SD2. In contrast, in Lleida and in SD2 in Montargull camelina produced higher oil content. The implementation of camelina into Mediterranean dryland crop rotation systems is feasible. Considering the importance of moisture in these climatic conditions, the use of no-till practices is recommended in dryland fields to avoid excessive water loss, while the use of camelina in irrigated fields could be explored. However, more long-term agronomic and industrial research is still needed.

Fabrication of a Portable Groundnut Decorticating Machine for Domestic Purpose

Groundnut is one of the important oil seed crops cultivated in India. India ranks first in groundnut area under cultivation and is the second largest producer in the world with 101 lakh tones with productivity of 1863 kg per hectare in 2021-22. Groundnut cultivation in India is done by small-scale farmersand is the predominant dryland crop. In the beginning, thepeanuts were separated from their shells by the workers and theoutput from this method was much less and could not satisfy themarket demand as it was a very time-consuming process. It is atime-consuming and tedious operation. Hence, a portablegroundnut decorticating machine is designed and fabricatedwhich is small in size, easy to carry anywhere, and very easy tooperate (at any time). This is more useful for domestic purposessuch as households, hotels, and restaurants. This paper describesabout the design and fabrication of various components of a hand-operated groundnut decorticator. Small farmers or businessmencan start businesses by investing less capital. The output is about40-42 kg/hour, shelling time taken 1.5 min/kg, and with a highcost-benefit ratio of 1:28.6. The machine is also lightweight andeasy to operate and maintain, the spare parts are also availablelocally. Maintenance is very easy, purchase cost is low, and highlyeconomical in use. No electric power or diesel or skill knowledge is required. The shelling operation can be done by women at any time by accommodating in the house itself. Small and marginalfarmers can use regular shelling for the sowing of groundnut. This is a convenient equipment and can be used at any time(during day time or night time) based on their convenience. Not much labor is required and one person can manage the decortication process it is cost effective also.

Reduced nitrogen rate sustains malt barley yield and quality in malt barley‐pea rotation

AbstractRotational benefit of pea (Pisum sativum L.) may reduce N fertilization rate and sustain malt barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yield and quality in the malt barley‐pea rotation. This study examined the effect of cover crop [oat (Avena sativa L.) cover crop vs. none] and N fertilization rate (0, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 kg N ha−1) on malt barley growth, yield, and quality in the malt barley‐pea rotation from 2012 to 2019 in the northern Great Plains. Cover crop biomass yield and N accumulation were greater in 2016 than other years. Compared to fallow, malt barley plant density with cover crop was 9%–13% lower from 2013 to 2015, but 10% greater in 2017. Malt barley straw yield was 38% greater in 2017 and grain yield 15%–39% greater in 2017 and 2018, but grain plumpness was 5%–10% lower in 2014 and 2017 with than without cover crop. Increasing N fertilization rate linearly increased grain yield and N uptake, but reduced grain test weight and plumpness in most years. Straw N concentration and uptake and grain protein concentration varied by year. Because of the similar grain yield, protein concentration, plumpness, and test weight between 60 and 80 kg N ha−1, 60 kg N ha−1 can be recommended to sustain malt barley yield and quality in the malt barley‐pea rotation, regardless of cover crops. This helps to reduce N fertilization rate by 20 kg N ha−1 for malt barley in dryland cropping systems of the US northern Great Plains.

High-yield rice with rich nutrition and low toxicity can be obtained under potato-rice cropping system.

Rice is often rotated with dryland crops to produce sufficient foodstuff, as rice is the main food crop of humans. In order to verify whether under the intensive rice-based cropping system, high yield and good quality of rice can be achieved simultaneously to ensure food security. Five long-term paddy-upland rotations - wheat-rice (WR), rapeseed-rice (RR), garlic-rice (GR), broad beans-rice (BR) and potato-rice (PR) - were conducted from 2014 to investigate rice yield, along with the profiling of 24 elements in rice grain. Mg, Zn, Cu, As, Mo and Sb concentrations were highest in the aleurone layer, and Ag and Cd concentrations showed little variation among different parts of the rice grain. Al, Ti, V, Si, Fe and Tl concentrations in the endosperm under GR were higher, while the Se concentration under PR was the highest. Furthermore, the yield of GR and PR were higher than the other three rotations with N supplementation, and the sustainable yield index of PR and WR were larger than 0.8. When we consider the concentration of toxic (As, Cd and Pb) and nutrient elements (Ca, Fe, Zn, Se, Cu and Mg) in the endosperm and grain yields, PR can simultaneously achieve high yield, high nutrition and low toxicity with different nitrogen treatments. Here we provide novel insights regarding the selection of rice-based cropping systems, focused on producing nutritious and safe rice with high grain yield. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

MENGANALISIS TUTUPAN LAHAN DAN URBAN HEAT INDEX (UHI) YANG ADA DI KOTA PANGKALAN BUN

Urban forest planning is not without obstacles, and one of them is the lack of research on the urban forest planning of the Mendawai Seberang Subdistrict, particularly in Pangkalan Bun City as a whole. Therefore, there is a need for spatial research aimed at determining whether the location of the urban forest plan aligns with the West Kotawaringin Regency Spatial Planning 2017-2037 and the criteria for urban forests based on Government Regulation No. 3 of 2002 on Urban Forests. Additionally, an analysis of land cover and the Urban Heat Index (UHI) in the urban forest plan location is also supported. The objective of this research is to evaluate the land cover and Urban Heat Index (UHI) in Pangkalan Bun City. The purposive sampling method was used, with a total of 50 survey points. The results of this research indicate that the land cover in the research location consists of Mixed Residential Buildings, Swamp/Peatland Forests, Scrubland, Rivers, and Seasonal Dryland Crops. Based on the survey results, the accuracy test calculation using the Kappa method shows that the kappa value in this research is 0.86, which is considered good as it approaches 1. Furthermore, the land cover has an impact on temperature increase in the study area.

Long-term continuous cropping reduces greenhouse gas emissions while sustaining crop yields.

Information is needed on the effect of long-term cropping systems on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dryland conditions. The effect of 34 years of dryland cropping system was examined on N2O and CH4 emissions, greenhouse gas balance (GHGB), crop yield, and yield-scaled GHG balance (YSGB) from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018 in the US northern Great Plains. Cropping systems were no-till continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (NTCW), no-till spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (NTWP), and conventional till spring wheat-fallow (CTWF). Gases were sampled twice a week to once a month throughout the year using a static chamber and flux determined. Soil C sequestration rate at 0-10cm was determined from samples taken in 2012 and 2019. The N2O emissions occurred immediately after planting, fertilization, and intense rainfall from May to September in both years when the emissions greater for NTCW and NTWP than CTWF. The CH4 emissions were minimal and mostly negative throughout the year. Carbon sequestration rate was positive for NTCW and NTWP due to greater C input, but negative for CTWF due to rapid C mineralization. As a result, GHGB was 170%-362% lower for NTCW than NTWP and CTWF. Annualized crop yield was 23%-60% greater for NTWP than NTCW and CTWF in 2016-2017, but not different among cropping systems in 2017-2018. The YSGB was also 129%-132% lower for NTCW and NTWP than CTWF in both years. Because of greater annualized crop yield, but lower GHG emissions, NTWP is recommended for reducing GHG emissions while sustaining long-term dryland crop yields in the northern Great Plains.

Precision management influences productivity and nutrients availability in dryland cropping system

AbstractPrecision management (PM) aims to reduce inputs while increasing land productivity and economical return and enhancing cropping system resiliency to climate change. This study evaluated how climate (precipitation) and management influenced yields and soil nutrients in a dryland agricultural system. We compared an “aspirational” (ASP) system (no‐till, 4‐year rotation of winter wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], corn [Zea mays L.], proso millet [Panicum miliaceum L.], and fallow/flex) to a traditional “business‐as‐usual” (BAU) system (reduced tillage, 2‐year rotation of winter wheat and fallow: W–F). Phases of each rotation were included yearly throughout the study period (2018–2022) with three replications. The ASP system incorporated PM by dividing each ASP field into three zones (high‐, medium‐, and low‐PM) according to prior yield and topography. Nitrogen was applied at high, medium, or low application rates within those zones. Under favorable precipitation, wheat, corn, and millet yields responded to PM treatments, with yields increasing proportional to N addition. Years with low in‐season precipitation had a significant reduction in wheat and corn yields (2020 and 2022) and complete millet yield failures (2020 and 2021). Low soil organic matter accumulation (0.1%–0.5%) and a reduction in soil macro‐ and micronutrient status suggested that soil nutrient additions are needed to prevent soil‐nutrient degradation. The ASP treatment added a third crop every 4 years and did so without significantly decreasing wheat yield following fallow. The ASP management shows promise as an alternative to BAU in the Great Plains dryland production region.

Relative Economic Profitability of Millet based Crop Rotations with Chickpea in Hisar District of Haryana

Background: Millets and pulses are the most important dryland crops grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons in the semi-arid regions of the country for food, feed and animal fodder. These crops also show considerable resilience to changing climate (drought, heat and nutrient stresses). For diversification of Pearl millet-Chickpea rotation, adoption of small millets (finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, little millet, brown top millet, barnyard millet and kodo millet) in addition to pearl millet may be viable option. Methods: A field experiment was carried out at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India during 2022-23 in randomized block design in Kharif and Rabi season, replicated thrice with eight treatments (foxtail millet, little millet, brown top millet, proso millet, kodo millet, barnyard millet, finger millet and pearl millet) in Kharif season and eight crop rotations (foxtail millet-chickpea, little millet- chickpea, brown top millet- chickpea, proso millet- chickpea, kodo millet-chickpea, barnyard millet- chickpea, finger millet- chickpea and pearl millet- chickpea) in Rabi season to evaluate economic profitability of eight millet based crop rotations with chickpea. Result: During Kharif season among all millets (foxtail millet, little millet, brown top millet, proso millet, kodo millet, barnyard millet, finger millet and pearl millet) tested, Pearl millet was found most suitable, which produced significantly higher grain yield (2462 kg/ha), biological yield (10066 kg/ha), net energy returns (121552 MJ/ha), energy intensiveness (14.0 MJ/USD), human energy profitability (133.3 MJ/ha) compared to all other millets. In Rabi season chickpea sown after Foxtail millet recorded significantly higher seed yield (2080 kg/ha), biological yield (8923 kg/ha), net returns (Rs. 66713/ha), B:C (2.44), net energy returns (120497 MJ/ha), energy ratio (19.27), energy productivity (0.31 kg/MJ), energy profitability (18.27 MJ/ha) and human energy profitability (134.2 MJ/ha).

The adaptation of dryland crops to the climate in southern China

It is unclear how dryland crops adapted to the humid climate of southern China, nevertheless they were an important component of prehistoric agricultural systems in the region. In this study, archaeobotanical results assembled from 110 archaeological sites in southern China, Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-based slope results of these archaeological sites, regional meteorological data and paleoclimate records were used to analyse the main factors affecting the distribution of prehistoric dryland agriculture, to help understand the adaptation of this agriculture to southern China and assess the role of climate change in the expansion of dryland crops in the region. The results highlighted the importance of effective water input and temperature. Farmers in prehistoric times adopted diverse strategies to plant dryland crops in southern China. The main proportion of the dryland crops centred on the use of foxtail millet (over 75% of the total dryland crops) and it was adjusted to adapt to the variations in effective water inputs resulting from precipitation and topography in the low-elevation area. Approximately 3° might be the slope threshold for agricultural transformation in the low-elevation humid areas of southern China. The millets-dominated (61.7%) or rice-dominated (85.3%) agricultural systems in dry-hot valleys, and wheat-dominated (51.8%) agriculture in the west Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau were developed to adapt to the arid climate and the low summer temperature, respectively. The weakening of the Asian monsoon since 5000 BC had objectively favoured the expansion of dryland agriculture in the low-slope areas of southern China, but the role of climate change should not be overestimated in the expansion of dryland crops.

The influence of vermicompost on atrazine microbial degradation performance and pathway in black soil, Northeast China

The atrazine (ATR) is extensively used in dryland crops like corn and sorghum in black soil region of Northeast China, posing ecological risks due to toxic metabolites. Vermicompost are known for soil organic pollution remediation but their role in pesticide degradation in black soil remains understudied. The influence of vermicompost on the microbial degradation pathway of atrazine was assessed in this study. Although vermicompost didn't significantly boost atrazine removal, they notably aided in primary metabolite degradation, hydroxyatrazine (HYA), deisopropylatrazine (DIA), and deethylatrazine (DEA), reducing their content by 38.67 %. They also altered the soil microbial community structure, favoring atrazine-degrading bacteria like Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Five secondary degradation products were identified in vermicompost treatments. Atrazine degradation occurred via dechlorination, dealkylation, and deamination pathways mainly by Nocardioidacea, Streptomycetaceae, Bacillaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae and Nitrososphaeraceae. pH and available nitrogen (AN) influenced microbial community structure and atrazine degradation, correlating with vermicompost application rates. Future black soil remediation should optimize application rates based on atrazine content and soil properties.

Evaluation of alternative farm safety net program combination strategies

PurposeSeveral farm safety net strategies are available to farmers as a source of financial protection against losses due to price instability, government policies, weather fluctuations and global market changes. Producers can employ these strategies combining crop insurance policies with countercyclical policies for several crops and production areas; however, less is known about the efficiency of these strategies in enhancing profit and reducing its variability. In this study, we examine the efficiency of these strategies at minimizing inter crop year farm profit variability.Design/methodology/approachWe utilized relative mean of profit and coefficient of variation, to compare counterfactually calculated farm safety net strategies for a sample of 28,615 observations across 2,486 farms and four dryland crops (corn, soybean, sorghum and wheat) in Kansas spanning nine crop years (2014–2022). A no farm safety net strategy is used as the benchmark for every alternative strategy to ascertain whether a policy customization is statistically different from a no farm safety case.FindingsThe general pattern of the results suggests that program combination strategies that have a high-profit enhancement potential necessarily have low profit risk for dryland wheat and sorghum production. On the contrary, such a connection is absent for dryland corn and soybeans production. Low-cost farm safety net strategies that enhance corn and soybeans profits do not necessarily lower profit risks.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to use a large sample of actual farm-level observations to evaluate how combinations of safety net programs offered under the Title I (PLC, ARCCO and ARCIC) and XI (FCIP) of the U.S. Farm Bill rank in terms of profit level enhancement and profit risk reduction.

Prediction of potential invasion of two weeds of the genus Avena in Asia under climate change based on Maxent

Avena sterilis L. (A. sterilis) and Avena ludoviciana Dur. (A. ludoviciana) are extremely invasive weeds with strong competitive ability and multiple transmission routes. Both species can invade a variety of dryland crops, including wheat, corn, and beans. Asia, as the world's major food-producing continent, will experience significant losses to agricultural production if it is invaded by these weeds on a large scale. This study used the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS to map the distribution of suitable habitats of the two species in Asia under climate change conditions. The constructed model comprised four levels, with a total of 25 index-level indicator factors used to evaluate the invasion risk of the two species. The results showed that the distribution of suitable habitats for both Avena species was highly dependent on precipitation and temperature. Under climate warming conditions, although overall the total suitable area is predicted to decrease compared to the current period, there are still moderately or highly suitable areas. Asian countries need to provide early warning for areas with significant increases in moderate and highly suitable zones for these two species of weeds under the background of climate change. If there is already an invaded area or if the suitability of the original area is increased, this should be closely monitored, and control measures should be taken to prevent further spread and deterioration.

Soil, forage, and weed attributes following tillage in grazed no‐tillage triticale pasture

AbstractGrazing annual forages in dryland cropping systems has been used to integrate crop and livestock systems, rejuvenate soils, enhance in‐field nutrient cycling and soil organic carbon (SOC), and increase net returns by eliminating harvest expenses and feed delivery. However, cattle (Bos taurus) could potentially degrade soil physical properties by increasing compaction and reducing water infiltration in no‐tillage (NT) systems. Minimum tillage (MT) may help correct some of these potential soil quality concerns. The objective of this study was to quantify MT effects on soil properties, forage mass, and weeds compared to NT in a grazed winter triticale [×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus (Secale × Triticum)] annual forage system from 2020 to 2022 near Jetmore, KS. The experiment had two tillage treatments, NT and MT (sweep plow to a depth of 5–13 cm twice during summer fallow), in a grazed continuous winter triticale cropping system. Bulk density was greater in June, pre‐till (1.31 g cm−3), compared to August, post‐till (1.23 g cm−3), across tillage treatments. The mean weight diameter of dry aggregates decreased, and wind‐erodible fraction increased with MT. Across years, the mean weight diameter of water‐stable aggregates was greater with NT compared to MT. The SOC stocks did not differ between tillage practices near the soil surface, but MT increased SOC at the 5‐ to 15‐cm depth. Nitrate (NO3‐N) concentration was 28% higher with MT compared to NT across depths at the August sampling time. Soil pH was slightly lower in NT (5.81) compared to MT (5.94). Penetration resistance was high due to frequently dry soil conditions, but there were no differences between tillage systems. Early‐season forage biomass was greater in MT compared to NT in one out of two seasons. Our findings suggest that MT could be used to mitigate adverse effects of grazing on soil bulk density in NT systems but could cause short‐term decreases in dry and wet aggregate stability and increased wind‐erodible fraction.