High-yield Cultivation Research Articles

Lightweight Deep Learning Models for High-Precision Rice Seedling Segmentation from UAV-Based Multispectral Images.

Accurate segmentation and detection of rice seedlings is essential for precision agriculture and high-yield cultivation. However, current methods suffer from high computational complexity and poor robustness to different rice varieties and densities. This article proposes 2 lightweight neural network architectures, LW-Segnet and LW-Unet, for high-precision rice seedling segmentation. The networks adopt an encoder-decoder structure with hybrid lightweight convolutions and spatial pyramid dilated convolutions, achieving accurate segmentation while reducing model parameters. Multispectral imagery acquired by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to train and test the models covering 3 rice varieties and different planting densities. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LW-Segnet and LW-Unet models achieve higher F1-scores and intersection over union values for seedling detection and row segmentation across varieties, indicating improved segmentation accuracy. Furthermore, the models exhibit stable performance when handling different varieties and densities, showing strong robustness. In terms of efficiency, the networks have lower graphics processing unit memory usage, complexity, and parameters but faster inference speeds, reflecting higher computational efficiency. In particular, the fast speed of LW-Unet indicates potential for real-time applications. The study presents lightweight yet effective neural network architectures for agricultural tasks. By handling multiple rice varieties and densities with high accuracy, efficiency, and robustness, the models show promise for use in edge devices and UAVs to assist precision farming and crop management. The findings provide valuable insights into designing lightweight deep learning models to tackle complex agricultural problems.

黄秋葵优质高产栽培技术体系

黄秋葵优质高产栽培技术体系

High-yield Cultivation Technology of Regenerated Rice in Boluo County

High-yield Cultivation Technology of Regenerated Rice in Boluo County

Technology of high-yield cultivation by planting a new variety of mung bean to improve land reclamation condition, increase its productivity, and ensure ecological stability

It is important to plant new early varieties of mung bean from leguminous crops in irrigated lands. These crops create very favorable conditions for the crops that will be planted after them. In the year following the planting of the new “Charos” variety of intensive mung bean, an additional yield of 5-7 q/ha of cotton and 7-9 quintals of grain was achieved. Therefore, when mung bean is planted as a repeated crop, the weeds in the field are reduced by 70-80 percent, while ensuring the enrichment of the soil with nutrients. In the autumn, when mung bean fields are plowed up by roots, soil fertility increases and the structure improves, as a result of raising the level of underground water to the optimal level, i.e. 2.5-3.0 meters, it was found that water-saving technologies can be widely used in planting agricultural crops. In the soil and climatic conditions of the Bukhara region, when the intensive type of mung bean “Charos” is planted, the full germination period is 5 days earlier than the Local (control) variety, 4 days compared to the Radost variety, and 3 days earlier than the Navruz variety and ripened 10-15 days earlier than Local (control), Radost, Navruz varieties. Productivity was on average 28-30 quintals per hectare, which was 6-9 q/ha more than other varieties. When this variety is planted, the stem is resistant to lying down, and until harvesting, the pods do not crack and the grain does not spill, it is very convenient to harvest with combines. For 2-3 years after planting mung bean, the use of chemical fertilizers is reduced by 25-30%, which ensures the stability of the environment and production of a clean product.

Multi-omics analyses reveal new insights into nutritional quality changes of alfalfa leaves during the flowering period.

High-quality alfalfa is an indispensable resource for animal husbandry and sustainable development. Its nutritional quality changes dramatically during its life cycle and, at present, no molecular mechanisms for nutrient metabolic variation in alfalfa leaves at different growth stages have been clearly reported. We have used correlation and network analyses of the alfalfa leaf metabolome, proteome, and transcriptome to explore chlorophyll, flavonoid, and amino acid content at two development stages: budding stage (BS) and full-bloom stage (FBS). A high correlation between the expression of biosynthetic genes and their metabolites revealed significant reductions in metabolite content as the plant matured from BS to FBS. l-Glutamate, the first molecule of chlorophyll biosynthesis, decreased, and the expression of HemA, which controls the transformation of glutamyl-tRNA to glutamate 1-semialdehyde, was down-regulated, leading to a reduction in leaf chlorophyll content. Flavonoids also decreased, driven at least in part by increased expression of the gene encoding CYP75B1: flavonoid 3'-monooxygenase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation of dihydroflavonols and flavonols, resulting in degradation of flavonoids. Expression of NITRILASE 2 (NIT2) and Methyltransferase B (metB), which regulate amino acid metabolism and influence the expression of genes of the glycolysis-TCA pathway, were down-regulated, causing amino acid content in alfalfa leaves to decrease at FBS. This study provides new insights into the complex regulatory network governing the content and decrease of chlorophyll, amino acids, flavonoids, and other nutrients in alfalfa leaves during maturation. These results further provide a theoretical basis for the generation of alfalfa varieties exhibiting higher nutritional quality, high-yield cultivation, and a timely harvest.

Improved Nitrogen Utilization of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Roots and Plant Physiological Characteristics under the Combined Application of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers

As one of the most important edible legumes worldwide, faba bean can be grown for grain, feed, vegetable, fertilizer, medicine and deep processing. In this study, experiments were designed to determine the combined effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and development of faba bean. Dabaipi (a cultivar of Vicia faba L.) was used for the experiments. Five treatments with different ratios of organic nitrogen (N) to total N were applied, including 0% organic fertilizer (0% OF), 25% OF, 50% OF, 75% OF, 100% OF and 0% OF. Chemical urea was used as an inorganic fertilizer. The experimental results showed that 50% OF resulted in the highest faba bean yield, up to 10,337.39 and 13,595.7 kg ha−1 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Compared with 0% OF, 50% OF increased the yield by 84.47% and 183.17%, respectively. The regression analysis showed that the yield could be maximized when ROT accounted for 51.1%. The 50% OF treatment significantly increased N accumulation in seeds, resulting in higher N partial factor productivity and N harvest index (NHI). N accumulation in green seeds and aboveground plant parts had a significantly positive linear correlation with the yield and NHI, respectively. The 50% OF treatment maintained appropriate N accumulation in vegetative organs and higher N accumulation in reproductive organs and whole plants. Compared to 0% OF, the 50% OF treatment increased the total nodule number per plant (52.5%), fresh nodule weight (55.8%), nitrate reductase activity (70.7%), glutamine synthetase (18.2%) and glutamate synthase activity (42.4%). Therefore, the combined application of 50% OF and 50% inorganic fertilizer can be recommended for faba bean cultivation. This study will provide a theoretical basis for high-yield cultivation of faba bean.

Analysis of the Influence of Soil Fertility Factors on High-Yielding Cultivation Techniques

Abstract Soil is the material base of soil fertility. It can not only fix the root system but also provide nutrients, water, and other necessary conditions for crops to promote growth of crops. As a characteristic agricultural product in the Yanbian area, the production of ‘Pingguoli’ is related to the development of the agricultural economy in the Yanbian area. To solve the agricultural problems caused by excessive fertilisation in ‘Pingguoli’ orchards in the Yanbian area and to study the correlation between rare elements and soil properties. Based on the collection of regional natural economic background and soil data in the study area, four treatments were set up: The soil and ‘Pingguoli’ samples were collected, and the total amount of rare earth elements in the soil samples and the related indexes of ‘Pingguoli’ fruit were detected. Soil is the material basis of soil fertility, and soil management determines crop growth. CF1 treatment could increase ‘Pingguoli’ yield and significantly improve fruit quality. The rate of fruit softening and bad fruit decreased significantly after storage. Reduction of fertilisation can improve quality and save cost, among which CF1 has the best effect and can obtain more benefits when applied in production. Implications: Through experiments, agricultural workers can be more deeply aware of the importance of soil to crops; reducing fertilisation can lead to better crop yield and quality while achieving greater benefits, and consumers can get healthier food.

Greenhouse gas emissions and financial analysis of rice paddy production scenarios in northern Iran

Adopting environmentally and economically sustainable rice production systems is essential to achieve better results in terms of yield, financial profitability and eco-efficiency. This study compares the GHG emissions and the financial analysis (based on both costs and gross return and some financial indicators) in eight rice paddy production systems in northern Iran, under the combination of three factors: two water irrigation sources (groundwater by wells and surface water by rivers), two groups of rice cultivars (low- and high-yielding), and two transplanting methods (traditional and mechanical). The average total GHG emissions were 117.6% higher in groundwater than surface water systems, 12.4% higher in mechanical than traditional systems and 20.8% higher in high-yielding than low-yielding rice cultivars. The highest GHG share in groundwater systems was as average for electricity (52.2%), while in surface water systems was diesel fuel (51.0%). The best option for higher and more profitable yields among the studied rice production scenarios was the use of the surface water source for irrigation that, however, implies a higher water use. Considering irrigation water productivity, traditional cultivation and high-yielding rice cultivars coupled with irrigation from the surface water source could be preferred. In terms of yield profitability, that is summarized by the benefit/cost ratio and the productivity index, the best combination is irrigation with surface water, mechanical cultivation and high-yielding cultivars (1.99 and 1.36 kg US$−1, respectively). However, net return in relation to global warming potential (GWP) indicated that irrigation with surface water source systems, traditional cultivation and high-yielding rice cultivars proved more eco-efficient. Therefore, policies should give priority to surface water use and high-yielding cultivation.

Effect of fertilisation on fungal community in topsoil of winter wheat field

Soil fungi played important roles in the maintenance of soil fertility and soil sustainable development. In this study, the effects of different fertilisers (i.e. bacterial fertiliser (BF), composed of organic matters and bacteria; mineral fertiliser (MF), composed of N, P and K) on soil fungi in wheat field were analysed. The results showed that the yield of winter wheat with BF was 4 788.52 kg/ha, which was significantly higher than that with term MF. Chao 1<br />and Shannon indexes and principal coordinates analysis showed that fertilisation increased the richness of soil fungi to varying degrees and changed the fungal community structure of soil compared with no fertiliser control (NF). The soil fungal community was mainly composed of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota, with Ascomycota as the main species (62.67–65.08%). Compared with MF, the relative abundance of potential beneficial fungi Talaromyces in BF increased 4.44 times. Compared with no fertiliser control, the relative abundance of potential beneficial fungi Chrysosporium in BF increased 4.11 times. The abundance of potential soil pathogenic fungi (P < 0.01), like Stachybotrys, Acrocalymma, Achroiostachys, Arachnomyces and Setophoma, significantly decreased in BF treatment, which was beneficial to the maintenance of crop health and the sustainable development of the environment. Moreover, the network analysis showed that the interspecific relationship of soil fungi in BF was more intimate than MF and NF and fungi were inclined to adopt cooperative manner to adapt ecological niches in BF treatment. The improvement of wheat yield might be due to the optimisation of soil fungal community structure by applying BF, which strengthened the transformation of nutrients in soil, increased some biocontrol microorganism, and reduced the crop disease. The results explain the improvement of wheat yield by BF to a certain extent, and provided theoretical basis for high-yield cultivation of wheat.

Coordinating maize source and sink relationship to achieve yield potential of 22.5 Mg ha-1

Coordination between source and sink is vital for the final maize grain yield planted under high density. To clarify the source and sink characteristics of high yield potential (22.5 Mg ha-1), a four-year field experiment was conducted at Qitai Farm in Xinjiang, China. At silking, the maximum leaf area indexes were 5.8, 7.5, and 6.2 for cultivars of high yield level-1 (H1), high yield level-2 (H2), and high yield level-3 (H3) with yield increase of H1 < H2 < H3, which were 2.2, 4.6, and 3.9 at maturity, respectively. The H3 biomass was significantly higher than those of H1 and H2 during post-silking, and the H2 and H3 total kernel numbers were significantly higher than H1’s, although H2 had a significantly higher harvest ear number. While H3’s kernel size was not the largest of the three levels, H3 had a significantly higher thousand kernel weight. The grain filling analysis showed that H1 and H3 had shorter lag period durations (D1) than H2, and H3 had a longer maturation drying period duration (D3) than the other groups did. However, H1 and H3 had significantly higher grain filling rates than H2 in the lag period (D1), and H3’s was the lowest in the maturation drying period (D3). Also, H3’s maximum grain filling rate was significantly higher than H2’s, and H3 had significantly higher biomass/kernel number and kernel weight/leaf area ratios than H1 and H2 did. Based on our findings, three high yield levels were classified into three source-sink types: (1) H1: small source and weak productivity, small sink and short maturation drying period duration (D3); (2) H2: large source but weak productivity, large sink but slow grain filling start, and low maximum grain filling rate; (3) H3: small source but strong productivity, large sink, fast grain filling start, long maturation drying period duration (D3), and high maximum grain filling rate. We achieved an actual high yield of 22.4 Mg ha-1 for H3, which was also the highest yield in China. Therefore, hybrids with H3-type source and sink characteristics should be selected in the future for high-yield cultivation under dense planting.

Effects of Different Chemicals on Sexual Regulation in Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) Flowers

Research on crop sexuality is important for establishing systems for germplasm innovation and cultivating improved varieties. In this study, androecious persimmon trees were treated with various concentrations of ethrel (100, 500, and 1,000 mg/L) and zeatin (1, 5, and 10 mg/L) to investigate the morphological, physiological, and molecular characteristics of persimmon. Ethrel at 1,000 mg/L and zeatin at 10 mg/L both significantly reduced the stamen length and pollen grain diameter in androecious trees. Ethrel treatment also led to reduced stamen development with degenerated cellular contents; zeatin treatment promoted the development of arrested pistils via maintaining relatively normal mitochondrial morphology. Both treatments altered carbohydrate, amino acid, and endogenous phytohormone contents, as well as genes associated with hormone production and floral organ development. Thereafter, we explored the combined effects of four chemicals, including ethrel and zeatin, as well as zebularine and 5-azacytidine, both of which are DNA methylation inhibitors, on androecious persimmon flower development. Morphological comparisons showed that stamen length, pollen viability, and pollen grain diameter were significantly inhibited after combined treatment. Large numbers of genes involving in carbohydrate metabolic, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, and ribosome pathways, and metabolites including uridine monophosphate (UMP) and cyclamic acid were identified in response to the treatment, indicating complex regulatory mechanisms. An association analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data indicated that ribosomal genes have distinct effects on UMP and cyclamic acid metabolites, explaining how male floral buds of androecious persimmon trees respond to these exogenous chemicals. These findings extend the knowledge concerning sexual differentiation in persimmon; they also provide a theoretical basis for molecular breeding, high-yield cultivation, and quality improvement in persimmon.

Discussion on High-yielding Cultivation Techniques of Highland Barley

Discussion on High-yielding Cultivation Techniques of Highland Barley

High-yielding Cultivation Technology of Potato in Tibet

High-yielding Cultivation Technology of Potato in Tibet

High-yielding Cultivation Techniques of Spring Highland Barley "Ximala 22"

High-yielding Cultivation Techniques of Spring Highland Barley "Ximala 22"

Fast Determination of the Rubber Content in Taraxacum kok-saghyz Fresh Biomass Using Portable Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography

Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS) is a plant native to the Tianshan valley on the border between China and Kazakhstan. TKS rubber is a good substitute for natural rubber. TKS's breeding work necessitates the need to screen high-yielding varieties, hence rapid determination of rubber content is essential for the screening. Conventional analytical methods cannot meet actual needs in terms of real-time testing and economic cost. Near-infrared spectroscopy analysis technology, which has developed rapidly in the field of industrial process analysis in recent years, is a green detection technology with obvious merits of fast measurement speed, low cost and no sample loss. This research aims to develop a portable non-destructive near-infrared spectroscopic detection scheme to evaluate the content of natural rubber in TKS fresh roots. Pyrolysis gas chromatography (Py-GC) was chosen as the reference method for the development of NIR prediction model. 208 TKS fresh root samples were collected from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Near-infrared spectra were acquired for all samples. Randomly, two-thirds of them were selected as the calibration set, the remaining one-third as the validation set, and the partial least squares method was successfully established a good NIR prediction model for rubber content at 1080–1800 nm with a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 5.54 and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.95. This study showed that portable near-infrared spectroscopy could be used with ease for large-scale screening of TKS plants in farmland, and could greatly facilitate TKS germplasm preservation, high-yield cultivation, environment-friendly, high-efficiency and low-cost rubber extraction, and comprehensive advancement of the natural rubber industry thereof.

Effects of seeding rates and panicle nitrogen fertilizer rates on grain yield and quality in good taste rice cultivars under direct sowing

<p id="C3">Seeding rate is one of the key factors affecting grain yield under direct sowing in rice, but there are fewer studies of its influence on grain yield and quality in good taste rice cultivars (GTRC). The application of panicle fertilizer is an important measure for high-yielding cultivation in rice production, however, the effects of panicle fertilizer rates on grain yield and quality in GTRC is still unclear. In this study, three representative GTRC (Suxiangjing 3, Nanjing 5055, and Nanjing 9108) in Jiangsu province were used as materials, and the effects of seeding rates (60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 kg hm^-2) and the effect of nitrogen (N) application as panicle fertilizer on grain yield and quality were investigated under direct sowing when the rowing spacing was fixed at 25 cm. The main results were as follows: (1) The yields of Suxiangjing 3, Nanjing 5055, and Nanjing 9108 all increased first and then decreased with the increase of seeding rates. The optimum seeding rates for the high yield of the three rice cultivars were 130.2-136.5 kg hm^-2, 118.3-119.3 kg hm^-2, and 90.0-96.4 kg hm^-2, respectively. Rice processing quality was negatively correlated with the seeding rates to different extents, while chalky grain rate, chalkiness, protein content, and setback was significantly or extremely significantly positively correlated with the seeding rates. Gel consistency, amylose content, taste value, and breakdown were significantly or extremely significantly negatively correlated with seeding rates. (2) Under the optimum seeding rates with the high yield, compared with conventional panicle N application rate, halving the panicle N application had no significant effects on the yields of Nanjing 5055 and Nanjing 9108, but it could significantly improve the appearance quality and taste value. The above results indicated that the optimum seeding rate in GTRC under direct sowing varied with cultivars. Excessive seeding rate would decrease the processing quality, appearance quality, and taste value. Appropriately reducing the amount of N application as panicle fertilizer was beneficial to further improve the appearance and taste quality in GTRC under direct sowing.

Seed Setting and Its Spatial Characteristics in Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

A low seed-setting rate is the main limiting factor influencing Tartary buckwheat production under high-yield cultivation conditions. To investigate the seed setting and its spatial characteristics, two Tartary buckwheat cultivars (high seed-setting rate cultivar Qianku 3; low seed-setting rate cultivar Liuku 3) were compared by a two-year field trial in 2017 and 2018. The results showed that the Tartary buckwheat underwent simultaneous flowering and fruiting. Flowers, generated from branch, were still blooming during the mature stage of grains on stem, which resulting in a greater number of flowers and grains on the branch than those on the stem at the low part of plant. The seed-setting characteristics significantly differed between two cultivars. The high seed-setting rate of Qianku 3 was 26.6% and 33.2% higher than Liuku 3 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Meanwhile, Qianku 3 showed a higher filled grain number (157.8%) and seed-setting rate (66.4%) on branch than Liuku 3. A network analysis showed that the whole-plant seed-setting rate was positively correlated with grain number, which was closely correlated with flower number at the same position of plant. The path-coefficient analysis revealed that grains number on branches was the most dominant component (Path coefficient (P) = 2.19) of the seed-setting rate, followed by grains number on stem (P = 0.60). The grains number on branches showed the greatest positive direct effect with significant correlation (r = 0.76 and P < 0.01) on the seed-setting rate. Overall, the present study indicated that the grain number of branches may play a vital role in improving the seed-setting rate in Tartary buckwheat.

Multiple Leveling for Paddy Field Preparation with Double Axis Rotary Tillage Accelerates Rice Growth and Economic Benefits

In the multiple cropping regions of southern China, straw returning has become a widely practiced agronomic measure for rice cultivation. However, excessive straw often leads to a high proportion of stubble in topsoil, which prolongs the leveling time of the paddy field and delays the transplanting date for rice seedlings. In particular, scholars in this region have successively improved multiple paddy field levelers to realize excellent straw returning and subsequent land preparation synchronously, but the economic benefit from land preparation to crop harvest was less reported. Therefore, this study carried out a 2-year rice cultivation experiments to compare the effects of paddy field preparation methods on rice growth and economic benefits within the same growing duration. Three treatments were designed: traditional tillage (TT), double axis rotary tillage (DR) and multiple operations for paddy field preparation (DR + ML), with three repeats. The results showed that DR + ML treatment simplified the operation process while improving the quality of land preparation. Within the same growing duration, DR + ML treatment could reduce the paddy field preparation time and extend the growing time in the field by 5–6 days. Furthermore, in comparison to TT treatment, DR + ML showed advantages in stimulating plant development, increasing dry matter accumulation (DMA), and thereby increasing rice yield by more than 12%. The economic benefits were mainly reflected in saving operation cost of paddy field preparation and improving the output (grain yield), which can generally increase the total profit by 58%. The implementation of this study can provide a reference for a simplified high yield cultivation technique in rice-related multiple cropping systems.

High yield cultivation of marine macroalga Ulva lactuca in a multi-tubular airlift photobioreactor: A scalable model for quality feedstock

Conventional off-shore and on-shore cultivation methods for marine macroalgae are both inadequate to pitch macroalgae as scalable renewable feedstock that can be grown across all coastal locations. With on-shore cultivation likely to be sustainable and preferred over eco-damaging open seas cultivation, new reactor systems need to be developed for on-shore cultivation of seaweeds at scale. The present work is an attempt to use the indigenously designed vertical multi-tubular air-lift photobioreactor system to grow Ulva lactuca through the entire year under natural conditions. Optimized operation of the 1000 L photobioreactor assembly demonstrated a year-round averaged productivity of 0.87 kg m−2.d−1 (fresh weight) implying 1800 ton.ha−1.y−1 feedstock production. Carbon dioxide supplementation (5%), optimized circulation velocity (0.25–0.35 m/s), and managing nitrogen supply (17 ppm), under natural light intensities (500–1400 μmol m−2.s−1) provided a year-round sustained and continuous production of Ulva lactuca biomass. The photobioreactor system designed as a modular, linearly scalable, and resilient system operates with low land and water footprints, and gives a multi-fold increase in renewable feedstock production compared to the conventional sea-based and other on-shore tank-based practices.For the video summary of this article, see the file in the supplemental data.

Effects of belowground interactions on crop yields and nutrient uptake in maize-faba bean relay intercropping systems

ABSTRACT Belowground interactions are crucial in the over-yielding of intercropping systems. However, the effects of belowground interactions on the yields of intercrops in faba bean-maize relay intercropping system are still unclear. In this study, field and pot experiments were conducted, and the biomass, yield, nutrient accumulation and photosynthetic parameters of intercrops were determined to analyze the effects of belowground interactions and relay intercropping. In the field experiments, the yield and biomass of faba bean and maize in the relay intercropping system was significantly increased compared with the monocropping. The relay intercropping promoted the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in faba bean and maize but showed no effect on potassium accumulation. In the pot experiments, no barrier treatment significantly increased the nutrient accumulation of faba bean and maize, nutrient content in soil, photosynthesis, maize, yield, biomass, plant height, 100-grain weight of faba bean and maize. In summary, relay intercropping increased nutrient accumulation, photosynthesis, biomass and yield of crops. The belowground interactions of intercrops could provide good soil fertility conditions for crop growth. The results can provide references for high-yield cultivation of crops and sustainable development of agriculture.