Large-scale Agricultural Systems Research Articles

Integrating Multiscale Geospatial Analysis for Monitoring Crop Growth, Nutrient Distribution, and Hydrological Dynamics in Large-Scale Agricultural Systems

Monitoring crop growth, soil conditions, and hydrological dynamics are imperative for sustainable agriculture and reduced environmental impacts. This interdisciplinary study integrates remote sensing, digital soil mapping, and hydrological data to elucidate intricate connections between these factors in the state of Ohio, USA. Advanced spatiotemporal analysis techniques were applied to key datasets, including the MODIS sensor satellite imagery, USDA crop data, soil datasets, Aster GDEM, and USGS stream gauge measurements. Vegetation indices derived from MODIS characterized crop-specific phenology and productivity patterns. Exploratory spatial data analysis show relationships of vegetation dynamics and soil properties, uncovering links between plant vigor, edaphic fertility, and nutrient distributions. Correlation analysis quantified these relationships and their seasonal evolution. Examination of stream gauge data revealed insights into spatiotemporal relationships of nutrient pollution and stream discharge. By synthesizing diverse geospatial data through cutting-edge data analytics, this work illuminated complex interactions between crop health, soil nutrients, and water quality in Ohio. The methodology and findings provide actionable perspectives to inform sustainable agricultural management and environmental policy. This study demonstrates the significant potential of open geospatial resources when integrated using a robust spatiotemporal framework. Integrating additional measurements and high-resolution data sources through advanced analytics and interactive visualizations could strengthen these insights.

Soil Health and Sustainability in the Age of Organic Amendments: A Review

Organic amendments have emerged as a pivotal component in the trajectory of sustainable agriculture, given their multifaceted contributions to soil health, crop yield, and environmental conservation. This comprehensive review delves into the intricacies of organic amendments, spanning their historical context, types, sources, nutrient profiles, and their interplay with soil and plant health. Special emphasis is laid on the integration of modern technological advancements with traditional amendment practices, exploring the synergistic potential of digital agriculture and precision farming in enhancing the efficacy of organic inputs. The review also sheds light on the economic, social, and environmental ramifications, emphasizing the role of organic amendments in smallholder versus large-scale agricultural systems and their influence on farmer resilience and consumer perceptions. Crucially, this review addresses the challenges and limitations inherent in organic amendment practices, including concerns related to quality variation, scalability, over-application, and regulatory nuances. Concomitantly, the work culminates with a forward-looking perspective, highlighting emergent trends and innovations that portend the future of organic amendments in global agriculture. The findings underscore the significance of organic amendments not merely as soil additives but as integral elements in the blueprint for a sustainable, resilient, and food-secure future.

Imidacloprid and Its Bioactive Metabolite, Desnitro-Imidacloprid, Differentially Affect Ovarian Antral Follicle Growth, Morphology, and Hormone Synthesis In Vitro.

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid pesticide used in large-scale agricultural systems, home gardens, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. Imidacloprid is a small molecule that is more water-soluble than other insecticides, increasing the likelihood of large-scale environmental accumulation and chronic exposure of non-targeted species. Imidacloprid can be converted to the bioactive metabolite desnitro-imidacloprid in the environment and body. Little is known about the mechanisms by which imidacloprid and desnitro-imidacloprid induce ovarian toxicity. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that imidacloprid and desnitro-imidacloprid differentially affect antral follicle growth and steroidogenesis in vitro. Antral follicles were dissected from the ovaries of CD-1 mice and cultured in media containing vehicle control or 0.2 µg/mL-200 µg/mL of imidacloprid or desnitro-imidacloprid for 96 h. Follicle morphology was monitored, and follicle size was measured every 24 h. At the end of the culture periods, media were used to quantify follicular hormone levels, and follicles were used for gene expression analysis of steroidogenic regulators, hormone receptors, and apoptotic factors. Imidacloprid did not affect follicle growth or morphology compared to the control. Desnitro-imidacloprid inhibited follicle growth and caused follicles to rupture in culture compared to the control. Imidacloprid increased progesterone, whereas desnitro-imidacloprid decreased testosterone and progesterone compared to the control. Desnitro-imidacloprid also changed estradiol compared to the control. At 48 h, IMI decreased the expression of Star, Cyp17a1, Hsd17b1, Cyp19a1, and Esr2 and increased the expression of Cyp11a1, Cyp19a1, Bax, and Bcl2 compared to the control. IMI also changed the expression of Esr1 compared to the control. At 48 h, DNI decreased the expression of Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Hsd3b1, Cyp19a1, and Esr1 and increased the expression of Cyp11a1, Hsd3b1, and Bax compared to the control. At 72 h of culture, IMI significantly decreased the expression of Cyp19a1 and increased the expression of Star and Hsd17b1 compared to the control. At 72 h, DNI significantly decreased the expression of Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Hsd3b1, and Bax and increased the expression of Esr1 and Esr2. At 96 h, IMI decreased the expression of Hsd3b1, Cyp19a1, Esr1, Bax, and Bcl2 compared to the control. At 96 h, DNI decreased the expression of Cyp17a1, Bax, and Bcl2 and increased the expression of Cyp11a1, Hsd3b1, and Bax compared to the control. Together, these data suggest mouse antral follicles are targets of neonicotinoid toxicity, and the mechanisms of toxicity differ between parent compounds and metabolites.

Integrating Life Cycle Assessment and Agent-Based Modeling: A Dynamic Modeling Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Abstract As food demand increases, it is critical to develop effective strategies and evaluate their potential in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental footprints of large-scale agricultural systems. This study addresses the challenge by developing a dynamic system modeling framework integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA). LCA and TEA were coupled with dynamic simulation models of crop yields, costs, and prices, allowing for the estimation of life-cycle environmental impacts and profitability of crop planting activities under changing climate and economic conditions. The framework was demonstrated by a case study for an agricultural system, including 1,000 farms in the United States over a 30-year time frame. The results indicated that information exchange among farmers, farmers' environmental awareness, access to environmental information, and farm size are key factors driving the system's environmental impacts. The results can provide a broad range of stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, nonprofits, agriculture companies) with insightful information to tailor their strategies for effectively managing the environmental footprints of large-scale agricultural systems. The integrated modeling framework has the potential to address sustainability challenges in other systems that are dynamic, involve human behaviors, and have complex interactions among human and nature systems.

Byzantine–Early Islamic agricultural systems in the Negev Highlands: Stages of development as interpreted through OSL dating

An extensive survey followed by OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) dating of loess accumulation in agricultural terraces at six Byzantine and Early Islamic sites in the Negev Highlands revealed clear stratigraphic and chronological sequences. Traditionally dated to the 1st–7th centuries a.d., results from the present study demonstrate that the construction and use of largescale agricultural systems took place in the 4th–11th centuries a.d. This new chronology provides the framework for a more precise interpretation of the circumstances of construction and demise of largescale agriculture in the Negev Highlands. The agricultural fields were exploited continuously, yet ancient farmers had to confront the environmental hazards of occasional intensive floods, successive years of drought, and a constant process of loess accumulation and erosion. The constant maintenance and repair of fields necessitated an investment of labor. However, it seems that the expansion of ancient agriculture was part of the natural growth and development of Byzantine settlements in the Negev, and not the outcome of planned government enterprise. The agricultural systems were abandoned in the course of the 11th century a.d. and sporadically reused by pastoral nomads.

Far Beyond Tractors: Envirotech and the Intersections of Technology, Agriculture, and the Environment

This essay reviews three recent books that assess the interwoven relationships among the histories of technology, agriculture, and the environment. Alan Olmstead and Paul Rhode's Creating Abundance , J. L. Anderson's Industrializing the Corn Belt , and Christopher Henke's Cultivating Science, Harvesting Power each fit within an emerging genre labeled "envirotech," an approach that challenges presumptions that technology's impacts upon society, the economy, and plants and animals are predictable, deterministic, and unidirectional. Instead, these studies of biological innovation among various American crops and livestock breeds, of the mechanization and chemicalization of farming in postwar Iowa, and of the emergence on large-scale agricultural systems in the Salinas Valley of California, make clear that the technological choices bring unintended consequences to rural landscapes and societies. Among other themes, these sophisticated histories make clear that nature fights back against technological inputs, which in turn drives humans to devise ever more complex envirotechnical systems.

The Melting Himalayas: Cascading Effects of Climate Change on Water, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

The Greater Himalayas hold the largest mass of ice outside polar regions and are the source of the 10 largest rivers in Asia. Rapid reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change is occurring. The cascading effects of rising temperatures and loss of ice and snow in the region are affecting, for example, water availability (amounts, seasonality), biodiversity (endemic species, predator-prey relations), ecosystem boundary shifts (tree-line movements, high-elevation ecosystem changes), and global feedbacks (monsoonal shifts, loss of soil carbon). Climate change will also have environmental and social impacts that will likely increase uncertainty in water supplies and agricultural production for human populations across Asia. A common understanding of climate change needs to be developed through regional and local-scale research so that mitigation and adaptation strategies can be identified and implemented. The challenges brought about by climate change in the Greater Himalayas can only be addressed through increased regional collaboration in scientific research and policy making.