Effects Of Agricultural Practices Research Articles

Effects of Agricultural Practices on Field Use by Invertebrate-Feeding Birds in Winter

1. Farmland in Britain supports large populations of invertebrate-feeding birds in winter. However, little is known about the effects of agricultural practices on the birds'use of individual fields or their food resources. This study aimed to assess the effects of farming practices on field choice by wintering birds in an area of mixed farmland in the Vale of Aylesbury, England. For methodological reasons, birds smaller than redwing (Turdus iliacus) were not considered. 2. Permanent grass fields supported the highest densities of most of the invertebratefeeding birds and were preferred throughout the winder. Cereal stubble and ley fields supported moderate densities of some birds but were generally avoided

Tillage Effects on Sediment and Soluble Nutrient Losses from a Maury Silt Loam Soil

AbstractAs the role of nonpoint‐source contamination of surface waters becomes more evident, increasingly more attention is focused on the effects of agricultural practices on soil erosion and water quality. Tillage systems are known to affect the amount of water moving over the surface and through the soil. This study compared the contributions of three tillage systems used in corn (Zea mays L.) production with (i) sediment losses and surface runoff and (ii) the potential for nonpoint‐source surface water pollution from N and P fertilizers and triazine herbicides. Tillage treatments were no‐tillage, chisel‐plow tillage, and conventional tillage (moldboard plow plus secondary tillage). The study site was on a Maury silt loam (Typic Paleudalfs). Over the 4‐yr period, conventional tillage runoff volume was 576.7 kL ha−1, chisel‐plow 205.7 kL ha−1, and no‐tillage 239.9 kL ha−1. Total soil loss from conventional tillage was 19.79 Mg ha−1, chisel plow 0.71 Mg ha−1, and no‐tillage 0.55 Mg ha−1. Amounts of NO−3, soluble P, and atrazine leaving the plots in surface runoff were greatest from conventional tillage and about equal from chisel‐plow and no‐tillage. The magnitudes of the losses in surface runoff water were small for all chemicals measured.

Effects of agricultural practices on soil arthropoda: Organic and mineral fertilizers in alfalfa fields

Microarthropod populations were studied in alfalfa fields treated with the following organic fertilizers: poultry manure, sheep manure, worm compost, urban sludge, sterilized urban sludge, straw and vetch green manure. The manures were added to enrich the soil to the same level of 4% organic matter. Two different doses of mineral fertilizers were also tested. The experiment was carried out on randomized block field plots on two adjacent areas, one of which was irrigated by sprinklers. Irrigation strongly influences the effects of organic and mineral fertilizers on microarthropod population densities. The effects are different depending on the taxon considered and may even be species specific.

Effects of farming practices on populations of two grasshopper pests(Kraussaria angulifraKrauss andOedaleus senegalensisKrauss (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Northern Nigeria

Abstract The effects of farming practices, continuous cropping, fallowing, cattle grazing and afforestation on the populations of two grasshopper pests, namely, Kraussaria angulifera and Oedaleus senegalensis were investigatged at Gumel, in the savanna zone of Nigeria. The populations of the adults and the nymphs of the grasshopper species were assessed by flushing quadrats in eight habitats. The Azadirachta indica (neem) plantation and the cropped fields of millet (Pennisetum americanum) surghum (Sorghum bicolor) and sorghum intercropped with Benniseed (Sesamum indicum) had lower populations of grasshoppers than the grazing field, fallow lands and Acacia arabica plantation. Intensification of fallow resulted in an increase in grasshopper numbers. Trampling by cattle did not significantly affect the viability of grasshopper eggs in the fields. Cultivation and afforestation affected grasshoppers adversely. K. angulifera was more vulnerable to cultivation pressure than O. senegalensis.

Effects of agricultural practices on the binding and fate of 14C-parathion in soil

Abstract The effects of agricultural practices on the formation of unextractable, bound residues of 14C‐(ring)‐parathion in a Piano silt loam soil were investigated. Relative binding of 14C‐parathion in soil decreased with increasing application rates of the insecticide. Thus, with a 1 ppm application rate, 31% of the initially applied radiocarbon was bound after 4 weeks, while binding at application rates of 10 and 45 ppm amounted to only 22% and 17% of the applied dose, respectively. This decreased binding at higher application rates resulted in an increased persistence of extractable 14C‐parathion residues. Binding of 14C‐parathion in soil was also greater after the insecticide had been uniformly mixed with the soil than when it was applied to the soil surface. Thus, an application of 14C‐parathion at 15 ppm resulted in 27% binding after 4 weeks when uniformly mixed with the soil, but only 20% when applied to the soil surface. With both the mixed and the surface applications, more binding of 14C‐parath...

The effects of farming practices on groundwater quality in the United Kingdom

During the period 1975 to 1980, research in the United Kingdom has produced a large, and possibly unique body of data on the distribution of solutes derived from agricultural land in the major British aquifers. Unsaturated zone pore-water quality profiles demonstrate a clear relationship between the concentrations of certain solutes, especially nitrate, and farming practice. High concentrations of nitrate, often in excess of WHO recommended limits, are characteristic of areas of arable farming, whilst low concentrations are generally found beneath permanent grass or woodland. Mathematical models have been developed which simulate the vertical distribution of mobile solutes, notably nitrate and tritium, at a number of sites. High concentrations of nitrate and other solutes have also been measured in the saturated zones of aquifers whose recharge areas are formed by arable farmland. The spatial distributions and temporal variations in concentrations suggest control by the hydrogeological properties and geometry of the aquifers. For some catchments it has been possible to use fully-mixed cell models to predict changes in groundwater nitrate concentrations.

Studying the activities of microorganisms in soil using slides

Two implanted slide techniques are described by which the activity of proteolytic bacteria and the growth of algae in the soil can be readily studied by school students using simple apparatus and methods. Variations are suggested for studying the effects of agricultural practices and environmental conditions on the soil bacteria and algae.