Use Of Improved Inputs Research Articles

Advanced strategies for optimization of primary nutrients requirement in rice-A review

The Green Revolution led to India's food independence mostly through the inclusion of supply-driven technologies, such as the introduction of high-yielding cultivars, improved access to water, agrochemicals, and mechanization. The present and future needs target agricultural sustainability without endangering the ecosystem. In this regard, the adoption of precision agriculture is required to meet this expected objective. In developed nations, precision farming has already experienced tremendous growth. However, precision farming methods have taken a while for emerging nations in Asia to comprehend, create, and embrace. Moreover, precision farming is frequently misunderstood as a sophisticated technological intervention intended for extensive agricultural fields. However, it is essentially a science that involves using the "right input" in the "right quantity," at the "right time," and in the "right place," to improve input use efficiency. In the case of primary nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, so-called recommendations for nutrient management based on soil tests have improved food grain output which increased the nutrient use efficiency up to a certain extent. Moreover, the recommendations are made for a given agroclimatic region and crops irrespective of site-specific soil fertility, cultivars, and agronomic management levels resulting in excess or scanty use to crop needs. At this juncture, assessing the nutritional requirements of plants proves to be a superior method, as it takes into account the cumulative impact of nutrient availability from various sources on plant growth at any specific stage, making it a reliable indicator of nutrient accessibility. Rice, the most important food crop, is grown in diverse agroclimatic regions at different management levels. Hence, there is an urgent need to adopt a precision nutrient management strategy to optimize the yield output. The article offers an overview of several precision instruments available for managing nutrients at specific sites and aids in choosing the most appropriate one for each circumstance.

Crop improvements for future‐proofing European food systems: A focus‐group‐driven analysis of agricultural production stakeholder priorities and viewpoints

AbstractCrop breeding is one of the main tools which can assist in future‐proofing food systems for more sustainable outcomes. In order to ensure priorities are aligned with the needs and wants of food system actors, it is essential to engage with key stakeholders to understand preferences on plant breeding solutions. This study presents results from a series of online focus groups conducted with agricultural production related stakeholders (i.e. farmers and farmer representatives, policymakers and NGOs) regarding the potential for crop improvement to future‐proof European food systems. Stakeholders shared concern around climate change and environmental impacts (particularly drought and heat stress), and general agreement about the need to develop resilient crops which combine multiple positive attributes, while reducing trade‐offs and negative externalities. Stakeholders also prioritized plant breeding solutions for areas where they felt they had little agency, and existing alternative solutions, such as improving input use efficiency, or altering diets to be considered where these are available. This highlights the need for the crop breeding community to focus its attentions on the ‘most hard to fix’ issues, where in‐field measures are currently not offering viable solutions, to maximize acceptance and adoption by agricultural production stakeholders. It also highlights that consideration of trade‐offs, within plant and within a broader agri‐food context, must be integrated into crop breeding research and development, with trade‐off analysis an explicit component of breeding research. Understanding broader agri‐food system knock‐on effects of plant innovation is a non‐trivial challenge requiring interdisciplinary research and close partnerships with food system stakeholders.

GPS and Sensor Based Technologies in Variable Rate Fertilizer Application

With an average consumption of 165.8 kg per hectare, India stands as the third-largest producer and consumer of fertilizer in the world. Farmers practice traditional methods to apply fertilizers uniformly throughout the field. This uniform and constant rate application of fertilizer is inefficient and mostly leads to over-fertilizing certain areas and at the same time, under-fertilizing others, not meeting the actual nutrient demand. Variable-rate fertilizer application (VRFA) is the process of applying various rates of crop nutrients by synchronizing existing machinery with mechatronics according to the variability within any agricultural field. One such effort are to be made to develop VRFA systems to meet the soil and plant needs. A variable rate fertilizer application (VRFA) system based on a digital map was developed in Kharagpur and achieved an appreciable target application rate at selected grid points (Chandel et al., 2016). The system was effective, accurate and showed quick response to target application rates with a negligible time lag. The coefficient of variation at all the outlets was in the range of 11.7–15.0 percent. The system was able to meet the target fertilizer application rate with a variation of up to 15 percent for a grid resolution of 8×8 m. Another VRFA system was developed for controlling the amount of fertilizer that works by measuring the NDVI of crops using an optical sensor (Zhang et al. 2014). This type of VRFA system does not use prescription maps but relies on sensors to provide real-time crop detection. The coefficient of variation was ranging from 0.35 to 2.67 percent and elapsed a response time of less than 0.875 s. The system helps in maintaining desired application rate by making real-time adjustments with on-the-go monitoring. It is revealed that the use of VRFA system helped to improve input use efficiency and decrease the negative effect on the environment. Thus, it is a promising technology through which the performance of a unit area could be tracked, mapped and analyzed. Also, the farmer will be able to know the exact production of each part of the field.

Management of Crop Residues for Improving Input Use Efficiency and Agricultural Sustainability

Crop residues, the byproduct of crop production, are valuable natural resources that can be managed to maximize different input use efficiencies. Crop residue management is a well-known and widely accepted practice, and is a key component of conservation agriculture. The rapid shift from conventional agriculture to input-intensive modern agricultural practices often leads to an increase in the production of crop residues. Growing more food for an ever-increasing population brings the chance of fast residue generation. Ecosystem services from crop residues improve soil health status and supplement necessary elements in plants. However, this is just one side of the shield. Indecorous crop residue management, including in-situ residue burning, often causes serious environmental hazards. This happens to be one of the most serious environmental hazard issues witnessed by the agricultural sector. Moreover, improper management of these residues often restrains them from imparting their beneficial effects. In this paper, we have reviewed all recent findings to understand and summarize the different aspects of crop residue management, like the impact of the residues on crop and soil health, natural resource recycling, and strategies related to residue retention in farming systems, which are linked to the environment and ecology. This comprehensive review paper may be helpful for different stakeholders to formulate suitable residue management techniques that will fit well under existing farming system practices without compromising the systems’ productivity and environmental sustainability.

ANALYSIS IN DETERMINING FACTORS INFLUENCING RICE FARMS PRODUCTIVITY IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

A great impediment to achieving food security in Nigeria is the low productivity of most staple food crops, which has translated to limited food availability for the populace. These have jeopardized the efforts made by the Nigerian government towards food security. Government emphasis geared towards improving input use, and development of improved seed varieties while the root causes of low productivity of staple foods are left unattended to. This research centered on analysis in determining factors influencing rice farms productivity in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Four hundred and seventy-six (476) rice farms were selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaire, and analyzed using mean, percentage, Total Factor Productivity (TFP), and regression method. The result shows that extension visit, household size, and rice farm size had positive influence on rice farms productivity while age of the farmer and quantity of herbicide had a negative influence on rice farms productivity. Result further revealed that 1% increase in herbicide quantity, will decrease rice farm productivity by 4%. Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) and other non-governmental agencies that have the mandate of agricultural development in Nigeria, should intensify efforts in training rice farmers in better rice production practices with more emphasis on herbicide usage. In-depth soil analysis should be conducted in Ebonyi soil to ascertain herbicide compatibility with the soil.

Effect of Rhizobium Inoculation and Tillage Practices on Fodder Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

Background: Agriculture and its allied sectors is an important sector in employment, income and food security. The increasing demands for food grains and cash crops, the area under fodder crops has been static since last 3-4 decades (8.4 mha) resulted into a net deficit in dry and green fodder is around 10 and 35%, respectively making livestock rearing more challenging. Conventional agriculture has largelybeen characterized by conventional tillage which caused soil degradation and negative impacts on soil physical and biological activity. To mitigate these negative effects, resource conservation technologies (RCTs) was tested and adopted to save substantial quantity of irrigation water, reducing the cost of cultivation, timely sowing, improve input use efficiency and left indirect effect on mitigating the adverse effect of climate changes. Biological N2 fixation (BNF) can make plants self-sustaining for N nutrition and avoiding the need for mineral N fertilization. The current study aimed enhancing fodder production by adoption of modern tillage practices and efficient N management. Methods: In this field-laboratory investigation during 2017-18, experiment was laid out in the split plot design consisting of three tillage practices zero tillage (ZT), conventional tillage (CT) and raised bed (RB) and six N management viz., N0, N75, N75+Rhizo, N100, N100+Rhizo and N125%. The soil of the experimental field was clay loam in texture having pH 7.30, EC; 0.35 dS/m, medium in organic carbon (0.63%), low in nitrogen (188.48 kg/ha), medium in phosphorus (23.56 kg/ha) and potassium (271.12 kg/ha). The recommended dose of fertilizer and other cultural practices was applied as per treatments with standard process. The crop was harvested at 60 days after sowing and weighed for green fodder yield. The observations growth, yields and quality parameters was recorded as per the standard method. Statistical analysis was done using analysis of variance in split plot design. Result: ZT practices significantly improved growth attributes, fodder yield and available nitrogen. Higher fodder yield of cowpea was recorded with ZT as compared to CT and it was statistically similar in RB. The nitrogen management practices had significant effect on root length and root nodules, plant growth attributes, fodder yield and available N, P and K. The significant fodder yield was increase with successive increase of N application up to 75% N + rhizobium, over 0 and 75% N alone. The present work shows that adoption of ZT and inoculation of rhizobia had significantly improved soil health and stabilized fodder yield of cowpea besides decrease fertilizer nitrogen requirement in the irrigated agro-ecosystem of T-IGP.

Technical efficiency of the small-scale tea processors in Kenya: a stochastic metafrontier approach

PurposeImportance of small-scale tea producers in Kenya is not in doubt. They account for 60% of all tea produced in the country, serve about 560,000 tea farmers and employ about 10,000 people directly. However, the subsector faces a myriad of challenges ranging from declining yields and rising costs of production to fluctuating world prices. Thus, it is imperative that the producers entrench efficiency as a critical success factor. This makes it important for the producers to understand their relative performances to inform decisions on improving input use. Congruent with this motivation, this study sought to analyze the technical efficiency (TE) of the country's small-scale tea processors within and across the regions under the management of Kenya Tea Development Authority.Design/methodology/approachTo allow comparison across regions, this study adopted a stochastic metafrontier approach and to be able to decompose inefficiency into persistent and time-varying components, the study adopted regression analysis.FindingsResults showed that the small-scale tea processors operated at a mean TE level of 76% with a technology gap ratio (TGR) of 97%. This implies that the prevailing level of output could be maintained even if inputs were reduced by 24%. Persistent inefficiency could be reduced possibly through rationalization of structural and managerial components of the firms.Research limitations/implicationsWhile it is important to adopt yield-enhancing technologies and innovation, small-scale tea processors have the latitude to improve their earnings through enhanced TE. They can save up to 24% of their input and be able to pay farmers better even with the fluctuating global tea prices. Enhancing TE should be given priority because it is within the control of the individual firms.Originality/valueThis is a pioneering study in panel data analysis of TE of small-scale tea processors within and across regions in Kenya.

Application of nano technology in crop production to enhance resource use efficiency with special reference to soil and water conservation: A review

Nanotechnology may offer keener solutions to current intensive agriculture problems. By the end of the 20th century, the controlled preparation of nanomaterials with desired morphology and size were visualized as smart systems in nutrient and water management. There has been significant interest and scope for using nanotechnology and its products in agriculture to improve the resource use efficiency to curtail the high amount of inorganic fertilizer and pesticides usage and protect soil and environment health by judicious use of these essential agro-inputs especially water and nutrients in different crops on sustainable bases. The nanotechnology applications like carbon nano-tubes for increasing seed germination and establishment, clay nanocomposite in soil water conservation, nanofertilizers as ‘Smart nutrient delivery system’, cellulose nanocrystals or nanofibres as absorbents for water remediation, zerovalent iron nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles as various pollutant degraders are emerging as alternative tool of nanotechnology to improve soil fertility, productivity, and quality of agricultural produces. These nanotechnology applications are being visualized as a game-changer in the field of agriculture to improve input use efficiency, productivity apart from a significant reduction in input cost.

Determinants and resource use efficiency of “better cotton”: An innovative cleaner production alternative

The resource constraints along with socioeconomic attributes and capabilities of farmers cause variations in the adoption of agricultural technologies. These variations represent an inefficiency source in complete utilization of management practices and epitomize a lack of achieving full potential offered by “better cotton” – an innovative cleaner production alternative. Therefore, this research focused on identifying the potential areas of improvement in “better cotton” farmers' input use by investigating the technical and economic efficiencies as well as the factors determining the resource use efficiency. Technical, allocative, and economic efficiencies of “better cotton” were analyzed using input-oriented data envelopment analysis. Factors affecting technical and economic efficiencies were identified using bootstrapped truncated regression. There was variation in technical efficiency and it was positively influenced by farmers’ education, farming experience, and drainage status, whereas it was negatively influenced by the number of household members involved in farming and the area under cotton. The mean economic efficiency of 56% indicated that at the current productivity level inefficient farmers can reduce their costs by 44%. The economic efficiency was negatively affected by the number of household members involved in farming and the intensity of using crop management practices. Thus, efforts should be made to improve input use efficiency of particularly those “better cotton” farmers who are currently operating inefficiently. This efficiency analysis aims to provide recommendations to policy makers and promoters of “better cotton” as to which practices and inputs should be focused while implementing “better cotton” as a cleaner alternative to conventional cotton.

Management Strategy to Improve Input Use Efficiency and Enhance Sorghum Productivity Per Stored Rain Drop in Vertisols during <i>Rabi</i> Season

Crop developmental process and in turn its growth phases (vegetative and reproductive) are influenced by environmental factors, i.e. temperature and photoperiod in field crops like sorghum. Crop growth and biomass production is a function of genotype by environment interaction, which is optimized through management strategies. Crop grain yield is determined as a product of its yield components like the grain numbers per plant and the average kernel weight at maturity. Grain numbers set at the panicle initiation phase can be enhanced by best matching the supply of nitrogen with its demand in the crop. Grain growth dynamics, a function of genotype by environment by management interaction is an important feature that enhances sorghum productivity. Rabi sorghum growing environment presents a challenge through a receding soil moisture front which decreases its response to applied external inputs like nitrogen (N) fertilizer. Deep placement of top dressed nitrogen fertilizer treatments increased rabi sorghum grain yield by about 630-930 kg ha -1 over farmers, practice of no fertilizer application. A management strategy helped enhance the agronomic nitrogen use efficiency to 16 kg grain per kg applied N, and the rain water use efficiency to 15 kg ha -1 mm. Thus, the hypothesis of increased rabi sorghum productivity per rain drop through improved management intervention in vertisols was validated.

Variability and determinants of yields in rice production systems of West Africa

Rice (Oryza spp.) is the major staple food for most countries in West Africa, but local production does not meet demand. Rice is grown mainly by smallholder farmers, and yields are generally low with high temporal and spatial variability. Low yields have been attributed to unfavorable climate conditions, poor soil quality, and sub-optimum agricultural practices. The objectives of this study were to assess variation in yields of three major rice production systems (irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, and upland) across three climatic zones (semi-arid, sub-humid, and humid), and identify factors affecting that variation. We analyzed data on yield, climate, soil, and agricultural practices for 1305 farmers’ fields at 22 sites in 11 West African countries between 2012 and 2014. A boundary function approach was used to determine attainable yields. Random forest algorithm was used to identify factors responsible for yield variation. Average rice yield was 4.1, 2.0, and 1.5tha−1 in irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, and rainfed upland systems, respectively, with maximum attainable yields of 8.3, 6.5, and 4.0tha−1. Yield difference between attainable and average yield tended to be higher in irrigated and rainfed lowland systems. In those two systems, yields were highest in the semi-arid zone, while no difference in yields among climatic zones was apparent for upland rice. High rice yields were associated with high solar radiation, high maximum temperature, intermediate air humidity, multiple split nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications, high frequency of weeding operations, the use of certified seeds, and well-leveled fields in the irrigated lowland system. Minimum temperature, solar radiation, rainfall, construction of field bunds, varietal choice, and the frequency of weeding operations were determinants of rice yield variation in the rainfed lowland system. Varietal choice, bird control, and frequency of weeding operations affected rice yields in the upland system. Improving access to inputs, improving input use efficiencies, and site-specific management strategies are recommended as priority interventions to boost rice yields at regional scale independent of production system and climatic zone.

Designing agroecological transitions; A review

Concerns about the negative impacts of productivist agriculture have led to the emergence of two forms of ecological modernisation of agriculture. The first, efficiency-substitution agriculture, aims to improve input use efficiency and to minimise environmental impacts of modern farming systems. It is currently the dominant modernisation pathway. The second, biodiversity-based agriculture, aims to develop ecosystem services provided by biological diversity. It currently exists only as a niche. Here we review challenges of implementing biodiversity-based agriculture: managing, at the local level, a consistent transition within and among farming systems, supply chains and natural resource management. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of existing conceptual frameworks developed to analyse farming, social-ecological and socio-technical systems. Then we present an integrative framework tailored for structuring analysis of agriculture from the perspective of developing a territorial biodiversity-based agriculture. In addition, we propose a participatory methodology to design this agroecological transition at the local level. This design methodology was developed to support a multi-stakeholder arena in analysing the current situation, identifying future exogenous changes and designing (1) targeted territorial biodiversity-based agriculture, (2) the pathway of the transition and (3) the required adaptive governance structures and management strategies. We conclude by analysing key challenges of designing such a complex transition, developing multi-actor and multi-domain approaches based on a combination of scientific and experiential knowledge and on building suitable boundary objects (computer-based and conceptual models, indicators, etc.) to assess innovative systems designed by stakeholders.

Input saving possibilities and practices contributing to more efficient beef production in Sweden

This study estimated the possibilities of reducing costs and improving input use in a sample of Swedish farms specialising in beef production. Input use efficiency was measured in a multi-output, multi-input function distance function analysis, covering the period 2008-2011. For comparison, both the classical radial and the generalised non-parametric approach were used. The results revealed that on average, costs could be decreased by 20%. Both models constructed frontiers where: i) the rankings of farms according to efficiency were positively and highly correlated and ii) the size and the significance of the parameter estimates were similar. Input-saving technologies were found to be positively influenced by livestock density, pasture availability and the use of coupled income support. Larger farms, farms with higher specialisation in beef cattle, farms with a larger number of animals older than 2 years, farms converting to organic production, farms located in less favoured areas and farms located in regions with a shorter grazing period were found be less efficient.

Can food-for-work encourage agricultural production?

Food-for-work (FFW) is the most widely used type of public works program in Ethiopia through which a high share of the food aid is distributed. This paper assesses the impacts of FFW in Tigray, a chronically food insecure region in Ethiopia, in terms of relieving liquidity constraints and thereby improving input use in agriculture. A Heckman selection model on the adoption and intensity of fertilizer use demonstrated that FFW positively influenced the decision to adopt fertilizer and there was no evidence of disincentive effect.

Demarcating Management Zones for Site‐Specific Farming Using Electromagnetic Induction and Yield Maps in Eastern Oregon

Traditional farming practices in eastern Oregon ignore the inherent spatial variability (topography, soils) resulting in inefficient farming and lower net returns. Site-specific farming (SSF), or farming based on requirements of specific areas in a field, has the potential to improve input use efficiency and farm profits. To implement SSF, however, management zones should be demarcated preferably based on factors that most affect yield. The most common method for demarcating management zones is through intensive grid sampling that can be very expensive. The objective of this study was to find cheaper and quicker ways to demarcate management zones in a field in eastern Oregon. This study evaluated the use of electrical conductivity (EC) and yield maps in demarcating management zones. A 28-acre field was characterized for depth and nutrients at a 100-ft grid. Wheat was uniformly seeded throughout the field and harvested at each grid location. Results indicated that the spatial variability of wheat yield was influenced by soil depth. EC data were correlated with both depth and grain yield and can therefore be used to demarcate management zones quicker and cheaper than grid sampling in this field. Information from yield maps was also useful in demarcating management zones for SSF.