Increase In Cultivated Area Research Articles

Lepidoptera larvae (Insecta) responsible for herbivory on Vanilla spp. (Orchidaceae) in the Federal District, Brazil

Given its culinary importance and high market value, the cultivation of Vanilla (Orchidaceae) has been expanding annually in Brazil. As observed in many crops, the increase in cultivated areas leads to a greater incidence of insects associated with species of this genus. This study reports the herbivory of larvae from Cremna thasus (Stoll, 1780) (Papilionoidea: Riodinidae: Riodininae), Hypercompe cunigunda (Stoll, 1781) (Noctuoidea: Erebidae: Arctiinae), and Spodoptera cosmioides Walker, 1858 (Noctuoidea: Noctuidae: Noctuinae) on Vanilla bahiana Hoehne and V. planifolia Andrews in the Federal District, Brazil. A list of 19 Lepidoptera species from six families associated with Vanilla spp. worldwide is provided based on a literature review. Most (n=15) of them exhibit polyphagous larvae. Given reports of exotic larvae spreading with orchids worldwide and the discussed larval polyphagy, we address precautions that producers of Vanilla and other orchids should take to reduce the incidence of insect pests in crops, especially in areas with intensive cropping systems involving annual commodities such as maize and soybean.

Holocene landscape changes in response to sea level oscillations and agricultural intensification in a coastal plain of southeastern South America

This study identified landscape changes in response to variations in mean sea level (MSL) and anthropogenic intervention, from the Early to Late Holocene in Southestern South America. Ananalysis based on palynology and sedimentary bacterial DNA from two sediment cores from the Patos-Mirim System (PMS) is introduced for the first time, to achieve an integrated paleoenvironmental and ladscape reconstruction. The data indicated an east-west migration of the freshwater and forest environments set in the lowlands during the transgressive period (6000–5000 cal yr BP) and an increase in external total biomass input during this MSL rise. A consolidated vegetation onset was inferred, especially of forest environments, after the Holocene Climatic Optimum (5000 cal yr BP). During the last century, landscape changes especially associated with anthropogenic factors were clearly identified from the palynological assemblages. That is, an alternation between Poaceae and Cyperaceae, the first occurrence of Pinus spp. and an increase in the influx of herbs and trees flagged the increase in cultivated areas due to the agricultural and agroforestry intensification. Extreme values of palynological influx appear to be a good proxy for the impact of El Niño events on the sedimentary record, which were associated to increased precipitation. The study also clearly demonstrates the high environmental stress generated by human activities, e.g. loss of plant diversity and changes in the bacterial abundance due to the higher agrochemicals input.

Edaphoclimatic variation and harvest seasonality as determining factors of multidimensional quality in avocado cv. hass grown in the tropics

The increase in cultivated areas in tropical zones such as Colombia for avocado cv. Hass and the lack of knowledge on edaphoclimatic relationships with factors associated with quality led to the present research. The aim of this research was to establish the relationship of soil, climatic, spatial factors (plot location), and harvest seasonality (principal and transitory) with the multidimensional quality of avocado cv. Hass planted under tropical conditions. This research was carried out on eight farms located in three producing subregions. Soil, environmental and harvest data were recorded for three years (2015–2017) in each plot. Avocado fruit samples were used to determine the parameters of macronutrient, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamin E. Descriptive, inferential statistics, multivariate analysis, effect size, second-order exponential model, and causal relationships were used to determine variables associated with soil, climate, harvest seasonality, and spatial location, and to determine quality parameters. The results established a relationship between nutritional quality and the origin region. Similarly, it was possible to identify parameters associated with differential quality with a robust statistical methodology to propose origin as a differentiating factor for quality. This study provided useful information for the value chain that selected the best areas for avocado crops according to market expectations and nutritional quality criteria.

Landscape Drivers of Floods Genesis (Case Study: Mayo Mizao Peri-Urban Watershed in Far North Cameroon)

Landscape has significant effects on hydrological processes in a watershed. In the Sudano-Sahelian area, watersheds are subjected to a quick change in landscape patterns due to the human footprint, and the exact role of the actual landscape features in the modification of the hydrological process remains elusive. This study tends to assess the effects of landscape on the genesis of the runoff in the Mayo Mizao watershed. To achieve this goal, 62 infiltration tests were performed at different points and depths (5 cm and 20 cm) using the double-ring method and the Porchet method. The results show that the combination of many factors (soil type, land use, and farming practices) can guide the hydraulic conductivity behavior of soils. For example, at 5 cm depths, clayey-evolved soils, such as vertisols and halomorphic soils, inhibit infiltration, as opposed to non-evolved mineral soils, such as lithosols and clayey-sandy soils. However, at 20 cm depths, gray soils with halomorphic tendencies followed by vertisols have a low sensitivity to infiltration, as opposed to soils derived from loose materials and halomorphic soils. For a given soil type, rainfed crops are the primary land use that runs against infiltration. However, the effect of tillage varies according to the soil type. Finally, given the extent of vertisols and halomorphic soils in the Far North region of Cameroon in general, and in the Mayo Mizao watershed in particular, and regarding the increase in cultivated areas, a probable reduction in the infiltration capacity of soils in this region is to be expected in the medium term. The results of this study can be used as a basis for land-use planning and sustainable watershed management in semi-arid tropical zones.

Rootstocks on the Nutritional Status of Seedlings of the Main Mango Cultivars of the São Francisco Valley

ABSTRACT Mango is the fruit most exported by Brazil, with a significant increase in cultivated area in recent years. However, the orchards have been made up of seedlings produced by the grafting process, but without identifying the most suitable rootstock for each cultivar, which affects the competitiveness of mango farming, since the rootstock affects, among other factors, the growth and nutrient absorption from the canopy cultivar. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and mineral nutrition of ‘Palmer,’ ‘Tommy Atkins,’ ‘Kent’ and ‘Keitt’ mango seedlings grafted onto the polyembryonic rootstocks Capucho, Coquinho and Espada. The experiment was carried out between October 2019 and May 2020 at the Fruit Growing Nursery of the Agricultural Sciences Campus of the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), in Petrolina-PE, in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to three polyembryonic rootstocks (Espada, Capucho and Coquinho) and four crown cultivars (‘Palmer,’ ‘Keitt,’ ‘Kent’ and ‘Tommy Atkins’), with five replications of ten plants each. Leaf contents of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca), micronutrients (Cu and Fe) and silicon depend on the scion (Tommy Atkins, Palmer, Keitt and Kent) x rootstock (Espada, Capucho and Conquinho) combination. The leaf contents of S, Mg, B, Mn and Mo in the scion are affected by the rootstock adopted for mango propagation In general, for macro and micronutrient absorption purposes, the sword rootstock and the ‘Keitt’ cultivar are the best combination for most of the variables analyzed in the research. The effect of rootstock on the nutritional status of scion cultivars (Tommy Atkins, Palmer, Keitt and Kent) must be taken into consideration when interpreting crop nutrition.

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF WHEAT PRODUCTION IN THE LIGHT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA

India is the second-largest producer of wheat in the world. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Gujarat are the major wheat-producing states. Out of all of these states, Uttar Pradesh produces the larger quantity of wheat. Wheat is exported by India to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the effects of climate change and other non-climatic factors on wheat production in India between 1991 and 2021. The researcher used climate and non-climate change variables: mean, maximum, minimum temperature, rainfall, production, net MSP, and cultivation area. This work tested long-run cointegration using an Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound test cointegration technique to evaluate short-run relationships among modeled variables. CUSUM and CUSUMQ tests assure model reliability and validity. The study’s findings demonstrated that the cultivated area has a major role in enhancing wheat output in the short and long term, while precipitation favors wheat production. In India, a 1% increase in cultivation area can increase 1.3% in wheat production in the long run. In the short run, a 1% increase in cultivation area increased 0.58% wheat production in India. Furthermore, although the temperature has little immediate effect, it is crucial for boosting wheat output over the long term.

Global market trends of grain and industrial crops

Analysing the dynamics of cultivation and consumption of major agricultural crops worldwide is crucial for understanding trends and planning for sustainable food production. It is important to have an integrated approach that involves collaboration between scientists, and farmers to implement sustainable practices. The analysis of global market trends of grain and industrial crops is the goal of paper. Methods of analysis, synthesis, generalisation, forecasting and databases of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations were used in the process of work. Such crops as wheat, corn, sunflower and flax were chosen for the study, because they are the major food needs of the world population. They are grown for grain (seeds), and flax is a plant of complex use, in which both the stem and the grain are important. They provide essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals that are crucial for human health. Cultivating these crops has been integral to the food security and economic stability of many countries, supporting large populations. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that India, China, the USA and Canada remain the largest producers of wheat in the world, but only India increases the cultivated area. A global trend to increase corn production has been identified. It was established that Ukraine remains an important producer of sunflower seeds. In addition, a gradual increase in interest in flax was noted. Although the increase in cultivated area can help to meet the growing demand for food products, the problem of using the agricultural plant residues also increases proportionally. This is an international problem, so its solution is of global importance. It has been founded that current research is focused on improving agricultural plant residues processing to obtain goods of various applications. The new knowledge received in the paper will allow working on the improvement of processing wheat, corn, sunflower and flax, which will be able to adequately meet the food needs of the growing world population without harming the environment

Agricultural sector of Akmola region of the Republic of Kazakhstan: methodological approach to assessment and analysis

The goal is to substantiate the current state of agro-industrial complex of the Akmola region, identify the main trends, and determine promising directions for its development. Methods - economic-statistical, analytical. Results show the share of gross regional product (GRP) in the gross domestic product of the republic, the dynamics of gross production (GP) of agriculture in the region, the gross harvest and yield of main agricultural crops, the number of livestock and poultry in all categories of farms, including cattle, sheep and goats, pigs, horses and poultry, volumes of meat and milk processing. A comprehensive study made it possible to identify the problems hindering the development of agro-industrial production in the region, these are, first of all, the small-scale production of economic entities, the majority of farmers and personal subsidiary farms in the total volume of gross agricultural output, the low level of processing of raw materials - their low quality, the insufficient level of utilization of processing facilities enterprises. Conclusions – measures have been proposed to modernize the region’s agro-industrial complex, aimed at the widespread dissemination of agricultural cooperation; development of meat and dairy subcomplexes, processing industry, provision of the population with food products of own production, improvement of state and market regulation of agricultural sectors. The agro-industrial complex also plays a significant social role, solving issues of food supply for the entire country and a certain In addition, it is a guarantor of employment and the main source of income for residents. The effectiveness of its activities contributes to an increase in the number of jobs, an increase in cultivated areas, an increase in the financial stability of manufacturing enterprises, an increase in the volume of product exports and the creation of an export-oriented commodity distribution infrastructure.

Study on Predicting the Price of Coconut in Tamil Nadu Market

Aims: The study aims to comprehensively analyze coconut cultivation trends in Tamil Nadu, covering area, production, yield, and market prices. Through data analysis, it seeks to reveal historical shifts in cultivation practices. The study also strives to develop precise price forecasting models for Coimbatore and Pollachi markets, enhancing insights into agricultural dynamics and enabling accurate price predictions.
 Study Design: Exploratory research design.
 Place and Duration of Study: The present study was conducted in the year 2023 during July and August
 Methodology: Secondary data was used for the present study. Secondary Data on area , production and productivity of coconut in Tamil Nadu was collected from 2000 to 2022 and price of coconut from 2012 to 2023 in selected market was collected. The research utilizes Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) Analysis to identify the past trends in the area, production, and productivity of coconut in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models are employed to forecast the future trens in coconut price in Coimbatore and Pollachi market.
 Results: Area, Production and Productivity of coconut in Tamilnadu has shown a positive trend. Coconut cultivation is growing steadily with a 1.56% increase in cultivation area and a 2.089% rise in production, while productivity is also improving by 1.19% annually, indicating positive growth. ARIMA (1, 1, 1) for Coconut in the Coimbatore market and ARIMA (1, 1, 1) for coconut in the Pollachi market was found to provide the best fit for predicting the price of coconut in both markets.
 Conclusion: Increase in trend in area, production and productivity was observed in Tamil Nadu. ARIMA (1, 1, 1) was found to provide the best fit for predicting the price of coconut in both markets. The model predicted declining price in the forthcoming months (August – September, 2023). Increased area under cultivation and increased production of coconut in all the major growing States are the major reasons for declining prices. Efforts have to be made to increase the consumption of coconut value added products to sustain the price of coconut in the coming years.

Advances in pea breeding and genomics: From traditional techniques to modern approaches

Peas, a highly valued annual legume vegetable with a rich history of domestication, are grown globally as a valuable exportoriented cash crop. Despite an increase in cultivation area and production, there has been only a slight improvement in green pea productivity, from 7.7 to 7.8 t/ha, over the last two decades. The primary focus for genetic improvement in peas is developing resistance to various biotic stressors, including diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, rust, wilt, viral infections, and bacterial blight, as well as pests like leaf miners, aphids, pod borers, and pea stem flies. Traditional reeding approaches have played a significant role in the genetic improvement of peas, resulting in the development of veral cultivars in various segments; however, advanced breeding techniques such as marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and genome editing hold great promise in enhancing genetic improvement by facilitating the identification and selection of desirable traits, such as resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors, improved yield, and increased nutrient content, through the introduction of precise genetic modifications. By targeting specific genomic regions associated with desired traits, these techniques can increase the efficiency and precision of breeding programs, ultimately leading to the development of more resilient and productive pea varieties.

Cameroon’s Rice Sector Faced with Import Dependency

Rice is a staple food for the Cameroonian population and is the most consumed cereal after maize. The SNDR (National Rice Development Strategy) document shows that despite the scale of investment to absorb domestic demand for rice, Cameroonian production has only been able to satisfy domestic demand to the tune of 20%. The question is therefore to understand the constraints that prevent the development of local rice production to the level of national need. To obtain results, quantitative and qualitative data from secondary sources were used. The rice sector in Cameroon is managed by the state through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER). MINADER designs development policies and strategies and coordinates the development of activities in the field. The state implements its policies and strategies through the projects and supervisory structures under its supervision. The sector is organized from the supervisory authority to the consumer. Each actor who intervenes has very specific missions that are transformed into effective activities in the field. The tracing of the evolution of rice production in Cameroon, from the year 2000 to 2018, shows three phases of evolution. The first phase, from 2000 to 2008, can be described as a recovery phase, with a growth rate of 44.84%, at the rate of 5.6% growth per year. The second phase can be described as the take-off phase, which runs from 2008 to 2016 when production peaked. The growth rate during this period was 79.96% at a rate of 10% growth per year. After the take-off phase, there is a decline between 2016 and 2018 at a rate of −12.7%, at a rate of −6.35% per year. It can be seen that the increase in production is evolving at the same rate as the increase in cultivated areas. However, the level of rice production in Cameroon does not essentially depend on the cultivated areas. This suggests that the increase in rice production in Cameroon also depends on the level of local farm yields. The State should, therefore, in addition to the increase in cultivated areas, accentuate its actions in the direction of increasing the yields of local producers.

Potential Use of Cardunculus Biomass on Pleurotus eryngii Production: Heteroglycans Content and Nutritional Properties (Preliminary Results)

The new perspective of using waste biomass to cultivate mushrooms as a source of protein for human nutrition, in line with the circular economy principles, is receiving increasing attention in the scientific community and represents great wealth in terms of environmental sustainability. Pleurotus eryngii is a mushroom also known as cardunculus mushroom due to its ability to grow on this plant. This study explores the potential intrinsic properties of cardunculus (for example, the presence of inulin in the roots) as raw material for the growth of cardunculus mushrooms, and the influence on heteroglycan content and nutrition parameters of the fruiting bodies. Both mycelium and fruiting bodies were used to determine the heteroglycan content in the presence of inulin or cardunculus roots rich in inulin. To produce heteroglycans from P. eryngii in greater quantities and shorter times without having to wait for the formation of the fruiting bodies, the mycelium could be used. The results showed that the presence of cardunculus biomass positively influences the heteroglycan content of P. eryngii. In terms of nutritional parameters, higher contents of polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity were detected in P. eryngii grown on the cardunculus stem and root substrate. In conclusion, recycling cardunculus biomass to generate growth blocks for edible mushrooms is a winning choice due to the opportunity to use this biomass waste, which is gaining more and more attention due to the increase in cultivated areas and the use of fruiting bodies of P. eryngii as a functional food and source of molecules with potential biological activities.

Germinative and physiological performance of eucalyptus species under abiotic stress

With the increase in cultivated areas, one of the great challenges faced by eucalyptus growers is abiotic stresses, especially because new areas are often affected by water deficit. Therefore, the identification of tolerant genotypes is important to overcome this problem. Thus, the objective of this work was to characterize the germinative and physiological performance of eucalyptus species under abiotic stress. Four Eucalyptus species (E. brassiana, E. camaldulensis, E. saligna, and E. urophylla) were evaluated in two experiments. In the first experiment, the germination potential was assessed under two temperatures (25 and 35 °C) and 11 water potentials of the substrate: 0 (deionized water), -0.05, -0.10, -0.15, -0.20, -0.25, -0.30, -0.40, -0.60, -0.80, and -1.0 MPa. In the second experiment, the species were evaluated in a protected environment under two water regimes comprised by 60% and 20% of the maximum water retention capacity by the soil of the pots. Regarding germination, E. saligna was the most sensitive species to stress, showing only 48% germination on 0 MPa potential (35 °C) and under substrate water deficit it reduced 50% germination on -0.21 MPa (25 °C) and -0.16 MPa potential (35 °C). On the other hand, E. brassiana maintained germination at both temperatures and reduced half of its germination at potentials of -0.33 MPa (25 °C) and -0.32 MPa (35 °C). In protected environment, the physiological metabolism of plants decreased under lower water availability. E. saligna was the species with the highest reduction for the rate of net assimilation and efficiency in water use. In addition, E. camaldulensis showed better physiological performance under water deficit. Thus, E. brassiana and E. camaldulensis would be the most suitable species to be used for breeding program aiming to improve water deficit tolerance. E. saligna is indicated for places with a mild climate and with good water availability. The behavior of the species between the experiments showed that under certain conditions there are correspondences in performance, which indicates that this type of experiment assists in the characterization of species, especially when considering the establishment and initial plant development.

Developing a new water–energy–food‐greenhouse gases nexus tool for sustainable agricultural landscape management

AbstractA new comprehensive water, energy, food, greenhouse gas (WEFG) nexus index was developed to capture the interrelationships between them. A total of 11 indicators were applied to consider the interplay of resources consumption, productivity, economic issues, and carbon emission as one of the most critical issues regarding sustainable agricultural development. The proposed WEFG index was evaluated for crop pattern optimization. The results showed that the WEFG ranged from 0.162 to 0.658, which were calculated respectively for almonds and rice due to their energy consumption and carbon emission levels. The optimal cultivation pattern based on WEFG leads to 11% and 15.8% reductions in water and energy consumption, even with a 2.3% increase in cultivation area. The estimated profit for optimal pattern based on WEFG decreased by 13.67% due to lower cultivation levels of high‐yield crops such as onion and potatoes. However, the optimal cultivation pattern based on the WEFG index has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 2%, leading to sustainable agricultural management. Therefore, the presented WEFG nexus index can be a practical metric for sustainable planning and management in the agriculture sector.

Comprehensive analysis of water resources from the perspective of water footprint and water ecological footprint: a case study from Anyang City, China.

Agriculture is the largest freshwater consumer, accounting for ~ 70% of global freshwater consumption. The agricultural water footprint (WF) and water resources ecological footprint (EFw) are used to describe the ecological environment and socioeconomic functions of water resources. Anyang in the North China Plain is a typical area with freshwater shortage and was selected as a study area to estimate water consumption by agriculture. We estimated the spatiotemporal variation of green, blue, and grey WF of five crops in Anyang during 1990-2018 based on the WF theory, EFw, and water resources carrying capacity (ECw) methods. To analyze the EFw of specific crops, we developed the framework between agricultural WF and EFw, and quantified the EFw of specific crops. The results show that the WFgreen, WFblue, and WFgrey of Anyang increased from 1188, 1560, and 511 million m3 in 1990 to 1440, 1736, and 1010 million m3 in 2018, respectively, mainly owing to the increase of cultivated area and amount of agricultural nitrogen. Winter wheat and maize were the two leading crops in both green and blue water consumption, taking 31.35 and 55.25% of the total WFgreen, and 71.32 and 22.52% of the total WFblue, respectively. The average unit mass WFgreen and WFblue of crops showed a reducing trend during 1990-2018 because of the urbanization of farmland and the increase of crop yields. Both ECw and water ecological deficit per capital in Anyang decreased. Anyang has been in a state of water ecological deficit since 2000. The results imply that Anyang has been importing a large amount of water from other areas for its consumption since 2000. This study is expected to contribute to agricultural water management by providing suitable information to policy-makers. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that it is urgent to make strict water resource management and water pollution prevention measures to improve the water use efficiency in Anyang and to ease the pressure on water scarcity.

Research progress on optimizing panicle characters and quality improvement of <italic>indica</italic> pedigree in northern <italic>japonica</italic> rice

<p indent=0mm>Since the Eleventh Five Year Plan began, the northern <italic>japonica</italic> rice breeding team, headed by the Rice Research Institute of Shenyang Agricultural University, has undertaken an effort to improve the quality of northern <italic>japonica</italic> rice, with particular attention to panicle traits and regulating the <italic>indica</italic> pedigree. Remarkable progress has been made in the elucidation of the genetic and physiological basis of important agronomic traits, germplasm resource innovation, and the breeding of new varieties. (1) We found that erect panicle architecture is controlled by a dominant allele of <italic>EP1</italic>, which produces the shortened internode of the panicle, increases both the number of grains per panicle and the seed density, and eventually affects overall appearance and milling quality while improving the yield characters. We also found that the introgression of <italic>indica</italic> pedigree improved the yield potential of <italic>japonica</italic> rice, though there was a detectable quality penalty, especially in eating and cooking quality. (2) We proposed a model of ideal panicle architecture and identified effective selection indicators including panicle curvature, panicle type index, vascular bundle efficiency, primary branch efficiency, and <italic>indica</italic> pedigree introgression percentage. On this basis, we established the quantitative parameters for ideal panicle type of <italic>japonica</italic> rice in northern China (neck panicle curvature < 40°, panicle type index > 0.50, vascular bundle efficiency ≥ 0.75, primary branch efficiency ≈ 1.0, number of primary branches ≥ 15, brown rice rate ≥ 83%, head rice rate ≥ 68%, chalky rice rate ≤ 10%, taste value ≥ 80, the <italic>indica</italic> pedigree introgression at about 10%) to coordinate the balance between yield and quality, especially eating quality. (3) We have systematically summarized the results of our research, and we developed a strong theory for the improvement of the quality and technical systems of northern <italic>japonica</italic> rice by optimizing panicle traits and <italic>indica</italic> pedigree introgression. We first selected elite offspring derived from the cross between <italic>indica</italic> and <italic>japonica</italic>, and then backcrossed or double-crossed them with high-quality, high-yield <italic>japonica</italic> germplasm resources, optimized the eating and cooking quality using a directional selection of <italic>indica</italic> pedigree introgression, and narrowed the gap between superior and inferior grains through the increase in the number of panicle neck vascular bundles and primary branches to realize the synchronous improvement of milling, appearance, and eating and cooking quality on the basis of maintaining the grain yield. This research has led to a 16.60% increase in the per unit yield of <italic>japonica</italic> rice in northeastern China and a 96.88% increase in cultivation area since the beginning of the 21st century. The proportion of total yield in the country has increased from 9.51% to 17.91%, indicating a synchronous and significant improvement of cultivation area per unit yield, and grain quality. In this paper, we also discuss existing problems and directions for the development of related fields.

Within-Field Rice Yield Estimation Based on Sentinel-2 Satellite Data

Rice is considered one of the most important crops in the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), rice production has increased significantly (156%) during the last 50 years, with a limited increase in cultivated area (24%). With the recent advances in remote sensing technologies, it is now possible to monitor rice crop production for a better understanding of its management at field scale to ultimately improve rice yields. In this work, we monitor within-field rice production of the two main rice varieties grown in Valencia (Spain) JSendra and Bomba during the 2020 season. The sowing date of both varieties was May 22–25, while the harvesting date was September 15–17 for Bomba and October 5–8 for JSendra. Rice yield data was collected over 66.03 ha (52 fields) by harvesting machines equipped with onboard sensors that determine the dry grain yield within irregular polygons of 3–7 m width. This dataset was split in two, selecting 70% of fields for training and 30% for validation purposes. Sentinel-2 surface reflectance spectral data acquired from May until September 2020 was considered over the test area at the two different spatial resolutions of 10 and 20 m. These two datasets were combined assessing the best combination of spectral reflectance bands (SR) or vegetation indices (VIs) as well as the best timing to infer final within-field yields. The results show that SR improves the performance of models with VIs. Furthermore, the correlation of each spectral band and VIs with the final yield changes with the dates and varieties. Considering the training data, the best correlation with the yields is obtained on July 4, with R2 for JSendra of 0.72 at 10 m and 0.76 at 20 m resolution, while the R2 for Bomba is 0.87 at 10 m and 0.92 at 20 m resolution. Based on the validation dataset, the proposed models provide within-field yield modelling Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.254 t×ha−1 (Mean Absolute Percentage Error, MAPE, of 3.73%) for JSendra at 10 m (0.240 t×ha−1; 3.48% at 20 m) and 0.218 t×ha−1 (MAPE 5.82%) for Bomba (0.223 t×ha−1; 5.78% at 20 m) on July 4, that is three months before harvest. At parcel level the model’s MAE is 0.176 t×ha−1 (MAPE 2.61%) for JSendra and 0.142 t×ha−1 (MAPE 4.51%) for Bomba. These results confirm the close correlation between the rice yield and the spectral information from satellite imagery. Additionally, these models provide a timeliness overview of underperforming areas within the field three months before the harvest where farmers can improve their management practices. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of optimum agronomic management of rice plants during the first weeks of rice cultivation (40–50 days after sowing) to achieve high yields.

Water deficit in the soybean breeding

The climate unpredictability causes long periods of drought, becoming the main risk factor in soybeans production fields and consequent losses to farmers in Brazil and worldwide. As sessile organisms, plants are constantly challenged by a wide range of environmental stresses, including drought. Growth constraints and stress due to these environmental changes result in reduced yield and significant harvesting losses. The response to abiotic stresses is a very complex phenomenon, since several stages of plant development can be affected by a particular stress and often several stresses affect the plant simultaneously. In order to mitigate the damages caused by the climate, new soybean cultivars adapted to the drought and the diversified climate are necessary, as well as technological advances in the production of soybeans that must advance with the increase of cultivated area. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying tolerance and adaptation to stress have been the focus of intensive research. In this sense, the objective of this review is to provide an overview of the evolution of genetic improvement regarding the search for more drought-tolerant cultivars, as well as to verify which strategies are used in the genetic improvement of soybean in the search of these genotypes.

Accounting for land cover changes and degradation in the Katse and Mohale Dam catchments of the Lesotho highlands

Rangeland conditions in the Lesotho highland dam catchment areas is important for local livelihoods and regional water supply. We investigated changes in land cover and condition from 1991 (before construction) to 2013, using Landsat imagery. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) decreased in the catchment areas, while increasing within two protected areas. NDVI decreases were greatest close to the dams and in the high altitude summer grazing areas. Land cover maps were generated for 1993, 2005 and 2013, using structural vegetation classes, as well as categories of grassland based on NDVI. High altitude areas were characterised by grasslands changing to lower NDVI categories, indicating overgrazing in climax sourveld grasslands. Mid-altitude areas were characterised by grasslands changing to higher NDVI categories and increases in woody vegetation, indicating overgrazing in Sweetveld. At lower altitudes, the increase in cultivated areas suggested disproportionately high population growth in the catchment areas. The results suggest that there has been widespread degradation that appears to be more as a result of overgrazing than climate change. The study demonstrates the importance of using a combination of land cover, NDVI and field data in assessing degradation. Natural capital accounting methods provide a useful framework for documenting, monitoring and understanding changes in ecosystem condition.

Spatial and transient modelling of land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics in a Sahelian landscape under semi-arid climate in northern Burkina Faso

Sahelian landscapes have gone through rapid changes over the past decades under high pressure from an ever-growing population, climate hazards and land degradation. Understanding drivers of change and forecasting LULC dynamics in time and space are critical for sustainable land management. This research aimed at analyzing LULC patterns and forecasting future changes in the landscape at the watershed level in semi-arid climate in northern Burkina Faso. Three LULC categories (natural vegetation, degradation soils, and cultivated areas) were considered. Seasonal vegetation dynamics were assessed through the monitoring of radiometric indices over the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. The post-harvest period (October-November) was found to be optimal for single-date LULC mapping. Furthermore, LULC maps for 1986, 1999, 2009 and 2017 were produced through a supervised classification of Landsat satellite images. For land change modelling and prediction, a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network was calibrated between 1999 and 2009 and validated against 2017 reference map, then used to simulate prediction maps for 2030 and 2050, in conjunction with population growth forecasts. Analysis of LULC changes revealed degradation soils were the major contributor to cultivated areas expansion between 1986 and 2017. Land use maps predicted for 2030 and 2050 indicated an expected increase in cultivated areas of 10.4 % and 22.7 % respectively. These results highlight the strength of the human-environment relationship in the watershed and call for careful planning and conservation actions for a sustainable balance between sustainable agricultural production and natural resources conservation.