Regions Of Low Productivity Research Articles

Assessment of Soil Particle Distribution and Primary Nutrient Status in the Groundnut-Producing Areas of Nalgonda, Telangana, India

The current research involved a thorough field survey to assess particle size distribution and the availability of primary nutrients in rabi-grown groundnut soils (2022-2023) across three productivity regions: high (2497.15-3006.47 kg ha-1), medium (1987.82-2497.15 kg ha-1), and low (up to 1987.82 kg ha-1) in Nalgonda district, Telangana. A total of 150 surface soil samples (0 - 15 cm depth), with 50 samples from each productivity region, were collected before the sowing of rabi groundnut crop using a stratified random sampling method. These collected soil samples are further processed and analysed for soil texture, available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The objective of this research is to know the status of texture and primary nutrients in groundnut growing areas of Nalgonda district. The sand, silt and clay content in high, medium and low productivity regions averaged 72.90%, 71.29%, 67.56%; 6.82%, 8.35%, 10.16% and 20.27%, 20.36%, 22.27% respectively. The respective available N, P and K showed mean values of 257.29 kg ha-1, 189.40 kg ha-1 and 138.99 kg ha-1; 48.025 kg h IJPSS_116978a-1, 44.512 kg ha-1, 27.09 kg ha-1 and 251.91 kg ha-1, 236.48 kg ha-1, 174.86 kg ha-1 in high, medium and low productivity regions. In regions characterized by high productivity, there was a pronounced prevalence of sand content, significantly influencing soil particle aggregation. Notably, silt content exhibited considerable variation, particularly within areas of medium and low productivity, whereas clay content displayed the most variability in regions of low productivity. The availability of nitrogen decreased sequentially from high to medium productivity areas, and further from medium to low productivity regions. This same pattern was observed for available phosphorus and potassium, with substantial variations across the three productivity categories, declining consistently from high productivity regions to low productivity ones. Variations in available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) exhibited extensive dispersion within every productivity category, as evidenced by the significant standard deviation and coefficient of variation values across these regions. This is particularly notable for potassium, highlighting the necessity of considering diverse soil conditions and factors affecting potassium availability when formulating fertilization plans.

Microbial respiration in contrasting ocean provinces via high-frequency optode assays

Microbial respiration is a critical component of the marine carbon cycle, determining the proportion of fixed carbon that is subject to remineralization as opposed to being available for export to the ocean depths. Despite its importance, methodological constraints have led to an inadequate understanding of this process, especially in low-activity oligotrophic and mesopelagic regions. Here, we quantify respiration rates as low as 0.2 µmol O2 L-1 d-1 in contrasting ocean productivity provinces using oxygen optode sensors to identify size-fractionated respiration trends. In the low productivity region of the North Pacific Ocean at Station Papa, surface whole water microbial respiration was relatively stable at 1.2 µmol O2 L-1 d-1. Below the surface, there was a decoupling between respiration and bacterial production that coincided with increased phytodetritus and small phytoplankton. Size-fractionated analysis revealed that cells <5 µm were responsible for the majority of the respiration in the Pacific, both at the surface and below the mixed layer. At the North Atlantic Porcupine Abyssal Plain, surface whole water microbial respiration was higher (1.7 µmol O2 L-1 d-1) than in the Pacific and decreased by 3-fold below the euphotic zone. The Atlantic size-fraction contributions to total respiration shifted on the order of days during the evolution of a phytoplankton bloom with regular storm disturbances. The high-resolution optode method used in the Atlantic captured these significant shifts and is consistent with coinciding stain-based respiration methods and historical site estimates. This study highlights the dynamic nature of respiration across vertical, temporal, and size-fractionated factors, emphasizing the need for sensitive, high-throughput techniques to better understand ocean ecosystem metabolism.

Assessment of Soil Particle Distribution, Primary Nutrient Status and Their Response to Environmental Factors Across the Bengal Gram Productive Regions of Sangareddy, Telangana

The present study was carried out to know the fertility status of rabi grown bengal gram soils of Sanga Reddy district, Telangana state by thorough field survey during the year 2022-2023. Total of 150 soil samples (50 samples from each productivity regions) from soil surface (0 - 15 cm depth) across three productivity regions high (592-613 kg acre-1), medium (571-592 kg/acre) and low (<571 kg acre-1) were collected from the study area before sowing of the crop and analyzed for the soil particle size distribution, available Nitrogen(N), Phosphorous(P) and Potassium(K). Their status was quantified and analytical data was interpreted and statistical parameters like range, mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation were calculated. The sand, silt and clay content in high, medium and low productivity regions averaged 32.1 %, 26.7%, 41.1 %; 33.7 %, 26.1 %, 40.1 % and 37.4 %, 25.1 %, 37.2 % respectively. The soil available N, P and K showed mean values of 224.3 kg ha-1, 209.4 kg ha-1 and 204.0 kg ha-1; 32.0 kg ha-1, 28.4 kg ha-1, 24.8 kg ha-1 and 316.4 kg ha-1, 311.0 kg ha-1, 306.1 kg ha-1 in high, medium and low productivity regions. Low productivity areas had the largest mean sand concentration, which influenced soil particle aggregation. Silt content varied greatly, particularly in medium and low productivity zones, whereas clay content varied the most in high productivity regions. Available N decreased from high to medium and medium to low production areas. Fluctuations in available P and K showed a wide distribution within each category, as evidenced by large standard deviation and coefficient of variation values across productivity regions, particularly for potassium, emphasising the importance of considering diverse soil conditions and factors influencing potassium availability when developing fertilisation strategies.

Exploration of Soil Particle Size Diversity and Primary Nutrient Status Across the Rice Productivity Regions of Mahabubnagar, Telangana, India

The current study involved a thorough field survey to assess particle size distribution and the availability of primary nutrients in rabi - grown rice soils (2022 - 2023) across three productivity regions: high (5923 - 6052 kg ha-1), medium (5793 - 5923 kg ha-1), and low (<5793 kg ha-1) in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana. A total of 225 surface soil samples (0 - 15 cm depth), with 75 samples from each productivity region, were collected before the transplanting of rabi rice crop using a stratified random sampling method and are further processed and analysed for soil texture, available nitrogen (Avl. N) available phosphorus (Avl. P) and available potassium (Avl. K). The sand, silt and clay content in high, medium and low productivity regions averaged 52.37%, 55.75%, 57.41%; 17.77%, 15.47%, 16.96% and 29.86%, 28.79%, 25.63% respectively. Low productivity areas had the highest mean sand content, negatively impacting soil particle aggregation thus affecting their rice productivity. Silt and clay content varied in three productivity regions, with the highest variation of clay content in high productivity regions. The respective Avl. N, Avl. P and Avl. K showed mean values of 257.88 kg ha-1, 253.61 kg ha-1 and 240.13 kg ha-1; 59.13 kg ha-1, 55.40 kg ha-1, 54.49 kg ha-1 and 304.96 kg ha-1, 301.25 kg ha-1, 300.19 kg ha-1 in high, medium and low productivity regions. Available N declined from high to medium and medium to low productivity regions. Fluctuations in available P and K showed wide distribution within each category, particularly in case of potassium emphasizing the inclusion of diverse soil conditions and factors influencing potassium availability. This variability study helped in identifying the fertility levels of three regions across the productivity regions.

Mapping the Pluralities of Agrarian Change in India: The Role of Intermediaries and Caste–Tribe Relations in Jharkhand

The agricultural economy of Jharkhand is primarily understood to be ‘subsistence’ agriculture. However, an ongoing agrarian change in rural Jharkhand has drawn less academic attention. This substantial change is from indigenous seeds to high-yielding varieties of paddy seeds enabling food sufficiency in the villages to a larger extent. In addition, the introduction of commercial crops like vegetables, watermelons and marigolds is another attendant change. This article is concerned with ethnographic fieldwork in two neighbouring villages of district—Khunti of Jharkhand, where farmers have been influenced by intermediaries (both old and new) restricted to State, NGOs and private companies (agricultural input suppliers). Also, the introduction of various governmental schemes, such as the ‘Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI)’ programme, a part of ‘National Food Security Mission’ and ‘Special-Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana’, has encouraged agrarian change in rural Jharkhand. Despite Jharkhand being a low agricultural productivity region, there is a proliferated presence of transnational connections such as agribusiness companies and research institutions linked to State institutions and NGOs to form a new set of agricultural intermediaries. These agricultural intermediaries at the regional level in the Khunti district influence the crop choice, cropping pattern and usage of inputs (seeds, fertilisers and pesticides). The study also tries to understand agrarian (labour) relations among caste–tribe communities of rural Jharkhand.

Vegetation productivity drives soil mineral associated organic matter formation and the relative contribution of sorption capacity across climates.

Mineral associated organic matter (MAOM) plays an important role in soil carbon (C) storage due to its long residence time in soils. Commonly, MAOM formation is assumed to be controlled by landscape scale factors such as ecosystem type and climate. However, within climates and landscapes rates of vegetative productivity and mineral sorption capacity contribute to MAOM formation. To what degree are climate, productivity, or sorption to mineral surfaces responsible for rates of MAOM development in meadow ecosystems with large, dynamic soil C stocks? We combined an in-situ13C pulse labeling experiment in montane meadows to measure MAOM formation with laboratory incubations to assess mineral sorption rates of organic C. We compared 13C label recovery and existing sorption capacity in high and low productivity regions of humid and semiarid montane climates and found that productivity explained the greatest variation among plots. In low productivity plots, the assimilated 13C label was rapidly incorporated into the MAOM fraction but was destabilized over one year of observation in both climates. Conversely, high productivity plots incorporated plant assimilate into MAOM more slowly and retained the labeled C one year later in both climates. The observation of MAOM destabilization in low productivity plots and MAOM retention in high productivity plots may create differences in mineral sorption capacity between regions of high and low productivity. This trend was supported by laboratory incubations where minerals from low productivity plots in either climate were able to sorb ten times as much organic C onto soil minerals as high productivity plots in either climate. Our results suggest that low vegetation productivity may limit the relative contribution of mineral sorption in MAOM formation across climates, making productivity the most important driver in MAOM formation we measured. The interaction of plant productivity and mineral sorption provide mechanisms for previously observed large soil C stocks and soil C dynamics in montane meadows.

Interactions between large-scale and local factors influence seed predation rates and seed loss.

Herbivores often have highly variable impacts on plant fecundity. The relative contribution of different environmental factors operating at varying spatial scales in affecting this variability is often unclear. We examined how density-dependent seed predation at local scales and regional differences in primary productivity are associated with variation in the magnitude of pre-dispersal seed predation on Monarda fistulosa (Lamiaceae). Within M. fistulosa populations growing in a low-productivity region (LPR), Montana, USA, and a high-productivity region (HPR), Wisconsin, USA, we quantified the magnitude of pre-dispersal seed predation among individual plants differing in seed head densities. Out of a total of 303 M. fistulosa plants that were surveyed, we found half as many herbivores in seed heads in the LPR (n = 133 herbivores) compared to the HPR (n = 316). In the LPR, 30% of the seed heads were damaged in plants with low seed head density, while 61% of seed heads were damaged in plants with high seed head density. Seed head damage was consistently high in the HPR (about 49% across the range of seed head density) compared to the LPR (45% across a range of seed head density). However, the proportion of seeds per seed head that were destroyed by herbivores was nearly two times higher (~38% loss) in the LPR compared to HPR (22% loss). Considering the combined effects of probability of damage and seed loss per seed head, the proportion seed loss per plant was consistently higher in the HPR regardless of seed head density. Nevertheless, because of greater seed head production, the total number of viable seeds produced per plant was higher in HPR and high-density plants, despite being exposed to greater herbivore pressure. These findings show how large-scale factors can interact with local-scale factors to influence how strongly herbivores suppress plant fecundity.

Including filter-feeding gelatinous macrozooplankton in a global marine biogeochemical model: model–data comparison and impact on the ocean carbon cycle

Abstract. Filter-feeding gelatinous macrozooplankton (FFGM), namely salps, pyrosomes and doliolids, are increasingly recognized as an essential component of the marine ecosystem. Unlike crustacean zooplankton (e.g., copepods) that feed on prey that are an order of magnitude smaller, filter feeding allows FFGM to have access to a wider range of organisms, with predator-over-prey size ratios as high as 105:1. In addition, most FFGM produce carcasses and/or fecal pellets that sink 10 times faster than those of copepods. This implies a rapid and efficient export of organic matter to depth. Even if these organisms represent < 5 % of the overall planktonic biomass, their associated organic matter flux could be substantial. Here we present a first estimate of the influence of FFGM on the export of particulate organic matter to the deep ocean based on the marine biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean, Pelagic Interaction Scheme for Carbon and Ecosystem Studies). In this new version of PISCES, two processes characterize FFGM: the preference for small organisms due to filter feeding and the rapid sinking of carcasses and fecal pellets. To evaluate our simulated FFGM distribution, we compiled FFGM abundance observations into a monthly biomass climatology using a taxon-specific biomass–abundance conversion. Model–observation comparison supports the model's ability to quantify the global and large-scale patterns of FFGM biomass distribution but reveals an urgent need to better understand the factors triggering the boom-and-bust FFGM dynamics before we can reproduce the observed spatio-temporal variability of FFGM. FFGM substantially contribute to carbon export at depth (0.4 Pg C yr−1 at 1000 m), particularly in low-productivity regions (up to 40 % of organic carbon export at 1000 m), where they dominate macrozooplankton biomass by a factor of 2. The FFGM-induced export increases in importance with depth, with a simulated transfer efficiency close to 1.

Integrated Modeling of Dynamic Marsh Feedbacks and Evolution Under Sea‐Level Rise in a Mesotidal Estuary (Plum Island, MA, USA)

AbstractAround the world, wetland vulnerability to sea‐level rise (SLR) depends on different factors including tidal regimes, topography, creeks and estuary geometry, sediment availability, vegetation type, etc. The Plum Island estuary (PIE) is a mesotidal wetland system on the east coast of the United States. This research applied a newly updated Hydro‐MEM (integrated hydrodynamic‐marsh) model to assess the impacts of intermediate‐low (50 cm), intermediate (1 m), and intermediate‐high (1.5 m) SLR on marsh evolution by the year 2100. Model advancements include capturing vegetation change, inorganic and below and aboveground organic matter portion of marsh platform accretion, and mudflat creation. Although the results indicate a low vulnerability marsh at the PIE, the vegetation changes from high to low marsh under all SLR scenarios (2%–22%), with the higher bounds belonging to higher rise scenarios. Lower SLR produces more productive marsh (13% gain in high productivity regions), whereas the highest SLR scenario causes increased tidal inundation, which leads to loss in productivity (12% change from high to low productivity regions), generation of mudflats (17% of the domain land), and marsh migration to higher lands. Sensitive nonlinear tidal flow changes, which may be increased or decreased with SLR as a result of mudflat creation, marsh migration, and bottom friction change, emphasize the importance of integrated modeling approaches that include dynamic marsh feedbacks in hydrodynamic modeling and varying hydrodynamic effects on the marsh system.

Modelling submerged biofouled microplastics and their vertical trajectories

Abstract. The fate of (micro)plastic particles in the open ocean is controlled by biological and physical processes. Here, we model the effects of biofouling on the subsurface vertical distribution of spherical, virtual plastic particles with radii of 0.01–1 mm. The biological specifications include the attachment, growth and loss of algae on particles. The physical specifications include four vertical velocity terms: advection, wind-driven mixing, tidally induced mixing and the sinking velocity of the biofouled particle. We track 10 000 particles for 1 year in three different regions with distinct biological and physical properties: the low-productivity region of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, the high-productivity region of the equatorial Pacific and the high mixing region of the Southern Ocean. The growth of biofilm mass in the euphotic zone and loss of mass below the euphotic zone result in the oscillatory behaviour of particles, where the larger (0.1–1.0 mm) particles have much shorter average oscillation lengths (<10 d; 90th percentile) than the smaller (0.01–0.1 mm) particles (up to 130 d; 90th percentile). A subsurface maximum particle concentration occurs just below the mixed-layer depth (around 30 m) in the equatorial Pacific, which is most pronounced for larger particles (0.1–1.0 mm). This occurs because particles become neutrally buoyant when the processes affecting the settling velocity of a particle and the seawater's vertical movement are in equilibrium. Seasonal effects in the subtropical gyre result in particles sinking below the mixed-layer depth only during spring blooms but otherwise remaining within the mixed layer. The strong winds and deepest average mixed-layer depth in the Southern Ocean (400 m) result in the deepest redistribution of particles (>5000 m). Our results show that the vertical movement of particles is mainly affected by physical (wind-induced mixing) processes within the mixed-layer and biological (biofilm) dynamics below the mixed layer. Furthermore, positively buoyant particles with radii of 0.01–1.0 mm can sink far below the euphotic zone and mixed layer in regions with high near-surface mixing or high biological activity. This work can easily be coupled to other models to simulate open-ocean biofouling dynamics, in order to reach a better understanding of where ocean (micro)plastic ends up.

Coccolithophore Abundance, Degree of Calcification, and Their Contribution to Particulate Inorganic Carbon in the South China Sea

AbstractParticulate inorganic carbon (PIC) production and export to deep ocean are important processes in water column carbonate cycling. Biochemistry investigations have shown that the seawater PIC in eutrophic high‐latitude waters is contributed by marine calcifying algae coccolithophores which are constituted by the nearly monospecies Emiliania huxleyi. This allows the seawater PIC to be predicted in these high‐fertility regions based on satellite remote sensing. However, in waters with low surface PIC productivity, which still account for 70% of global ocean areas, the subsurface PIC maximum may not be well disclosed by satellite. Here, with a biochemistry cruise, we investigated the seawater coccolithophore cell and coccolith abundances, degree of E. huxleyi coccolith calcification, and PIC concentration in the deep chlorophyll maximum layers in the South China Sea, with the aim to improve our understanding of PIC production in these low productivity regions. Our results demonstrate the control of nutrient levels in the water column on the geographical (horizontal) distribution of Noelaerhabdaceae coccolithophores (E. huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica) in the investigated area, as well as an insensitive response of the calcification degree of E. huxleyi coccolith to carbonate chemistry. Although Noelaerhabdaceae coccoliths were the major components of deep‐sea sediment carbonate, they on average contributed to <18% of suspended PIC for the investigated seawater, indicating multiple sources of highly variable suspended PIC in the subsurface oligotrophic water. The production of Noelaerhabdaceae coccoliths greatly depends on local environments, which highlights the importance of field investigations in low‐fertility areas for global PIC productivity evaluation.

Relative yield of food and efficiency of land-use in organic agriculture - A regional study

CONTEXTMost information on relative yield of organic (OA) and conventional agriculture (CA) is from plot experiments of individual crops grown with organic or inorganic fertilizers, respectively. Commonly reported values are 0.75–0.91, a relatively small difference. But organic manures are produced through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) by legumes. How much and what else does that land in legumes contribute to overall yield? OBJECTIVEEstablishment of OA/CA yield ratios for crop-dairy production at regional scale accounting for proportions of land in crop and fodder production and their contributions to overall food yield using human metabolizable energy (HME) as a unifying parameter of yield of grain and milk. METHODSAverage yield of grain and fodder crops per unit farm area for OA and CA in eight regions of Sweden were converted to human (HME) and ruminant metabolizable energy (RME), respectively. Two diets for dairy cattle were constructed to maximize either yield of HME in grain plus milk (maxHME) or in milk (maxmilk) from all grown fodder supplemented by crop products while maintaining overall diet quality at 15% crude protein (CP). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSAverage regional annual primary production (dry biomass), including crop residues, of 6361 (range 4862–7793) kg/ha for OA was less than 9223 (range 6337–12,910) kg/ha in CA. OA had greater proportion of land in fodder crops and pasture (65%, range 38–87%) than CA (30%, range 11–86%). Total HME yields (grain plus milk) were less in OA than CA but with large variation between regions, maxHME OA 21.2 (range 11.0–30.4) GJ/ha and CA 43.6 (16.2–82.1) GJ/ha and maxmilk OA 19.9 (range 9.1–27.4) GJ/ha and CA 42.9 (range 16.0–80.9) GJ/ha. Regional OA/CA HME-yield ratios ranged from 0.43 to 0.74, with greater values in northern regions of low productivity where crop intensification is constrained by low temperature. SIGNIFICANCEThis analysis establishes smaller relative yields of OA than are commonly reported. Smaller yields per crop area in OA are further reduced at farm (system) level relative to CA by the larger proportion of land required in legume-based crops and pastures. Ruminant animals provide some compensation for that land by converting human-inedible fodder to human food. Consequently, transformation of CA farmland to OA would require additional land, up to 130% in productive southern and central regions, to maintain equal overall yield. More such comprehensive data are required for calculation of OA/CA yield ratios at the system level.

Bibliometric Study of Scientific Productivity on the Impacts on Mental Health in Times of Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: The presence of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus is causing enormous threats to people’s health and lives, so quantifying the scientific productivity on mental health in times of pandemic is an urgent need, especially to expand the degree of knowledge on mental health problems in regions of low scientific productivity. The aim was to characterize the bibliometric indicators of scientific productivity on mental health during the pandemic in the PubMed Identifier database of the National Library of Medicine in the United States. Materials and Methods: A documentary study (bibliometric) of the scientific productivity on mental health in times of pandemic from January 2020 to June 2021 was carried out. The PubMed database was used to abstract the information from the original scientific articles. The data abstracted were: authors, year of publication, journal name, country, and language of publication. Results: We identified 47 original articles worldwide, which were published in 29 journals and in three languages (English, Spanish, and German). We observed three groups of countries that published on mental health topics. The first group comprised the largest number of publications, which were multicenter studies (six studies), followed by India (five studies), and Italy (four studies). A second group comprised Bangladesh, China, USA, and Spain, with 3 studies each; and a third group comprised 13 countries (Albania, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, and New Zealand) with one study each. Conclusions: Bibliometric indicators of scientific productivity on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic have ostensibly increased. We verified 47 studies in PubMed, which could serve to improve the understanding and management of COVID-19, as well as serve as a thought-provoking means for other countries and researchers to publish on the state of mental health during and post pandemic.

Present‐Day Patagonian Dust Emissions: Combining Surface Visibility, Mass Flux, and Reanalysis Data

AbstractThe magnitude of the climatic forcing associated with mineral dust aerosols remains uncertain due in part to a lack of observations on dust sources. While modeling and satellite studies provide spatially extensive constraints, they must be supported by surface‐validating dust monitoring. Southern South America is the main dust source to the southern oceans (>45°S), a region of low biological productivity potentially susceptible to increased micronutrient fertilization through dust deposition, as well as one of the main dust sources to Antarctica, implying long‐range transport of dust from Patagonia and potentially affecting snow cover albedo. We present multiyear time series of dust‐related visibility reduction (DRVR) and dust mass flux in Patagonia. We find that local DRVR is partly controlled by long‐term (i.e., months) water deficit, while same‐day conditions play a smaller role, reflective of water retention properties of fine‐grained dust‐emitting soils in low‐moisture conditions. This is supported independently by reanalysis data showing that large‐scale dust outbreaks are usually associated with anomalously high long‐term water deficit. By combining visibility data, surface dust sampling, and particle dispersion modeling, we derive regional dust emission rates. Our results suggest that the inclusion of long‐term soil hydrologic balance parameterizations under low‐moisture conditions may improve the performance of dust emission schemes in Earth system models.

Improving smallholder farmers’ gross margins and labor-use efficiency across a range of cropping systems in the Eastern Gangetic Plains

The Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia is a region of high rural poverty and low agronomic productivity, with crops grown using traditional management practices which are labor-intensive and uneconomical. Poor agronomic productivity is largely caused by unintentional, inefficient management practices which are exacerbated by labor shortages caused by increased migration away from rural areas as households require additional income from remittances. These labor shortages increase the cost of hiring labor, further contributing to low gross margins from cropping systems. The climates, soils and available water across the region indicate that, with improved management practices, this region has the potential to produce high yields for low production costs and labor requirements, ensuring high gross margins for smallholder farmers. We conducted on-farm participatory trials to compare the performance of traditional and improved conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification management practices to understand which used less labor, had lower production costs and returned higher gross margins to smallholder farmers. Our study showed that compared to traditional management practices, conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification practices reduced both labor use and total cropping system production costs by around 40% and increased gross margins by up to 25%. Trials were conducted on over 400 farms and thus our results are both statistically rigorous and representative of a range of common crop production management across the Eastern Gangetic Plains. These results show there is potential to increase livelihoods and reduce the impact of labor shortages for smallholder farmers living in diverse climatic, edaphic and social circumstances across the region. They have broader applications in labor-constrained smallholder cropping systems throughout South Asia and worldwide.

Levels, Pattern and Distribution of Income of Farmers in Rural Punjab: An Empirical Analysis

The present study examined the levels, pattern and distribution of income of farmers in rural Punjab. For this purpose, the primary data was collected from 510 farm households randomly from the selected villages from all the development blocks of the high, medium and low productivity regions during the period of 2015-16. The results of the study revealed that average household and per capita income increased with an increase in the farm size. The average household income of the large farm-size category was 9.94 and 6.31 times of the marginal and small farm-size categories, respectively. Farm business income was the largest source of income for all the farm-size categories followed by milk and milk products. The marginal and small farm-size categories have to work as labourers in agricultural and non-agricultural sector due to inadequate income from small landholdings, whereas the semi-medium, medium and large farm-size categories supplemented their income by hiring out agricultural machinery. The marginal and small farm-size categories earned 6.05 and 4.28 times less per capita income than the large farm-size category. The study showed the highly skewed distribution of per household and per capita income among farmers in the rural areas of Punjab.

Socio-economic Characteristics of Farmers in Rural Punjab: An Inter-Category Analysis

ABSTRACT The present study examined the socio-economic characteristics of farm households in the rural areas of Punjab. For this purpose, the data were collected from the 510 farm households from the villages which were further randomly selected from the high, medium and low productivity regions of Punjab. The results revealed that most of the farm households belonged to the General Castes and Sikh religion. About 70 percent of persons appeared in the economically active age group of 15 to 59 years. The sex ratio had been es against the females among all the farm-size categories. The proportion of farm households living in the joint type family was positively associated with the farm size. Most of the persons of the marginal and small farm-size categories were illiterate and with relatively low level of education as compared to the semi-medium, medium and large farm-size categories. The proportionate share of earners was the highest for the small farm-size category and the lowest for the semi-medium farm-size category. About 99 percent of sampled farmers owned either pucca or semi-pucca houses. The proportion of sampled farmers who owned good condition houses, bathrooms and toilets were directly related to the farm size. About 92 and 96 percent of farm households had separate kitchen and gas connections, respectively. LPG was a major fuel used in the kitchen and owned RO was the major source of drinking water for a majority of sampled farmers in the rural areas of Punjab.

Brucellosis in Colombia: Current Status and Challenges in the Control of an Endemic Disease.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis of nearly worldwide distribution. The disease is considered to be endemic in most of the developing countries with a substantial impact on both human and animal health as well as on the economy. The aim of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the brucellosis status in Colombia and the factors associated with its persistence, to highlight the strengths and gaps of the adopted countermeasures and to supply evidence to policy-makers on the best approaches to mitigate the disease burden. Due to the presence of brucellosis in several susceptible production livestock systems scattered throughout the country, a plan for its control, prevention and eradication was established almost 20 years ago. However, despite extensive efforts, brucellosis prevalence has fluctuated over the years without any trend of decreasing. The restricted budget allocated for brucellosis control is a limiting factor for the success of the program. For instance, the absence of indemnities for farmers results in infected animals remaining on farms which potentially increases the risk of disease spread. Likewise, disease surveillance is restricted to Brucella abortus and excludes other Brucella species of importance, such as B. melitensis and B. suis. The countermeasures are mostly focused on cattle and only a few actions are in place for the management of brucellosis in other livestock species. In humans, cases of brucellosis are annually diagnosed, although the disease remains highly underreported. High impact educational and training programs are required to address the disease in a comprehensive manner, including vulnerable groups, such as traditional smallholders and low-productivity regions, as well as other stakeholders, such as healthcare and veterinary authorities. Important financial investments based on sustained cooperation between governmental institutions, industry, and farmers are important for developing affordable and effective strategies to control the disease.

Measuring scarce water saving from interregional virtual water flows in China

Trade of commodities can lead to virtual water flows between trading partners. When commodities flow from regions of high water productivity to regions of low water productivity, the trade has the potential to generate water saving. However, this accounting of water saving does not account for the water scarcity status in different regions. It could be that the water saving generated from this trade occurs at the expense of the intensified water scarcity in the exporting region, and exerts limited effect on water stress alleviation in importing regions. In this paper, we propose an approach to measure the scarce water saving associated with virtual water trade (measuring in water withdrawal/use). The scarce water is quantified by multiplying the water use in production with the water stress index (WSI). We assessed the scarce water saving/loss through interprovincial trade within China using a multi-region input-output table from 2010. The results show that interprovincial trade resulted in 14.2 km3 of water loss without considering water stress, but only 0.4 km3 scarce water loss using the scarce water concept. Among the 435 total connections of virtual water flows, 254 connections contributed to 20.2 km3 of scarce water saving. Most of these connections are virtual water flows from provinces with lower WSI to that with higher WSI. Conversely, 175 connections contributed to 20.6 km3 of scarce water loss. The virtual water flow connections between Xinjiang and other provinces stood out as the biggest contributors, accounting for 66% of total scarce water loss. The results show the importance of assessing water savings generated from trade with consideration of both water scarcity status and water productivity across regions. Identifying key connections of scarce water saving is useful in guiding interregional economic restructuring towards water stress alleviation, a major goal of China’s sustainable development strategy.

Pelagic Iron Recycling in the Southern Ocean: Exploring the Contribution of Marine Animals

The availability of iron controls primary productivity in large areas of the Southern Ocean. Iron is largely supplied via atmospheric dust deposition, melting ice, the weathering of shelf sediments, upwelling, sediment resuspension, mixing (deep water, biogenic, and vertical mixing) and hydrothermal vents with varying degrees of temporal and spatial importance. However, large areas of the Southern Ocean are remote from these sources, leading to regions of low primary productivity. Recent studies suggest that recycling of iron by animals in the surface layer could enhance primary productivity in the Southern Ocean. The aim of this review is to provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the current literature on pelagic iron recycling by marine animals in the Southern Ocean and highlight the next steps forward in quantifying the retention and recycling of iron by higher trophic levels in the Southern Ocean. Phytoplankton utilize the iron in seawater to meet their metabolic demand. Through grazing, pelagic herbivores transfer the iron in phytoplankton cells into their body tissues and organs. Herbivores can recycle iron through inefficient feeding behavior that release iron into the water before ingestion, and through the release of fecal pellets. The iron stored within herbivores is transferred to higher trophic levels when they are consumed. When predators consume iron beyond their metabolic demand it is either excreted or defecated. Waste products from pelagic vertebrates can thus contain high concentrations of iron which may be in a form that is available to phytoplankton. Bioavailability of fecal iron for phytoplankton growth is influenced by a combination of the size of the fecal particle, presence of organic ligands, the oxidation state of the iron, as well as biological (e.g., remineralization, coprochaly, coprorhexy, and coprophagy) and physical (e.g., dissolution, fragmentation) processes that lead to the degradation and release of fecal iron. The flux of dissolved iron from pelagic recycling is comparable to other sources in the region such as atmospheric dust, vertical diffusivity, vertical flux, lateral flux and upwelling, but lower than sea ice, icebergs, sediment resuspension, and deep winter mixing. The temporal and seasonal importance of these various factors requires further examination.