Low Land Use Efficiency Research Articles

EFFECT OF WEED CONTROL STRATEGIES ON PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF MAIZE, COWPEA, AND THEIR INTERCROP

Weed interference causes low land-use efficiency, expensive cost of production, related to control of plant and pests, low quality of crops and high cost and less efficient utilization of labour. The increase in herbicide resistance weeds which has led to increase use of herbicide has been a great concern to human health. This necessitated the need to investigate the effect of pendimethalin (P) with supplementary hand weeding (HW) on weed control efficiency and proximate composition of maize, cowpea and their intercrop. Field experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018 rainy seasons. The field layout followed complete randomized block design with three replicates. There were eight treatments: Sole Maize/Cowpea + P, Sole Maize/Cowpea + P + 1HW at 3 weeks after sowing (WAS), Sole Maize/Cowpea + P+ 2HW at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS), Sole Maize/Cowpea weedy check, Intercrop + P, Intercrop + P + 1HW at 3WAS, Intercrop + P + 2HW at 3 and 6 WAS and Intercrop weedy check. It was observed that, P+1HW and P+2HW significantly (p≤0.05) increased carbohydrate (3.61%, 5.61%, 3.73% and 5.75%), protein (13.30%, 15.20%, 5.78% and 14.62%) and lipid contents (60.25%, 87.46%, 56.61% and 64.87%) in maize, cowpea and their respective intercrop. It can be concluded that the use of pendimethalin and 1 supplementary hand weeding effectively suppress weed-crop competition and increase the proximate composition of maize and cowpea

Evaluation of the Supply-Side Efficiency of China’s Real Estate Market: A Data Envelopment Analysis

With the gradual slowdown of economic growth in China, the Chinese government proposed the task of supply-side reform. As a vital part of China’s economy, supply-side reform in the real estate market is particularly important. Using 29 provinces (divided into seven regions) in China as examples, this paper empirically studies the supply-side efficiency of China’s real estate market using data envelopment analysis (DEA) for the period of 2012–2016. The results showed that (1) the main problem of low supply-side efficiency in the Chinese real estate market is the low land-use efficiency, with a redundancy rate of 60.59% in China’s land space pending development; and (2) China’s southeastern coastal region, with the highest supply-side efficiency in the real estate market, reached a level of decreasing returns, and it is no longer appropriate to increase the supply-side efficiency by expanding the market scale. However, the southwestern region and the Yangtze River’s middle region, which both have lower supply-side efficiency, can improve the land utilization ratio and technology investment to change the current situations. The study results suggest (1) improving the construction land development efficiency by adjusting the input and output of the market according to the specific conditions of each city, and (2) promoting the supply-side reform of China’s real estate market and sustainable urbanization.

Greenhouse gas and energy balance of Jatropha biofuel production systems of Burkina Faso

Jatropha curcas has been introduced as a low-cost energy crop in Burkina Faso for the production of straight vegetable oil (SVO) and biodiesel. It is cultivated in different plantation systems including smallholder inter-plantings with annual crops, large-scale monoculture, afforestation on marginal land, in traditional hedge systems along contour stone walls, and in living fences. We performed Life Cycle Assessment of these Jatropha systems using empirical data on yields and carbon stocks, and accounting for changes in agro-ecosystem provisioning and regulating services that occurred after the land conversion to Jatropha. The study found that all J. curcas production pathways substantially reduced greenhouse gas emission (68–89%) and saved energy (65–90%) compared to diesel fuel. Highest values are achievable under the assumption that by-products (husks, seed cake, glycerin) are used for energy generation. The decentralized production of SVO supplied by feedstocks from intercropping and hedgerow systems seems to be most promising option. However, very low land-use efficiency (6.5–9.5 GJ ha−1 production) characterized Jatropha intercropping and monoculture plantations, rendering the plant a competitor to food crops and increasing the risk of conversion of savanna land to Jatropha cultivation. Jatropha plantings on marginal lands largely failed. High labor requirements constrain integration of Jatropha plantation systems within small farmholdings. Currently, the traditional hedge systems show the lowest land-use replacement potential and labor needs while providing multiple ecosystem services, but alone cannot satisfy rural energy needs. In order to reach energy supply targets without claiming more land and compromising other ecosystem services, the J. curcas plantation systems in Burkina Faso need to be made more efficient through plant breeding and improved agronomic management.