Non-cultivated Land Research Articles

Crop Discrimination in Shandong Province Based on Phenology Analysis of Multi-year Time Series

Crop type identification plays an important role in extracting crop acreage, assessing crop growth and arable land productivity. In this study, the main crops (winter wheat, summer maize and cotton) of Shandong Province as research objects, and the SPOT_VGT normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) remote sensing datasets from 1999 to 2011 covering Shandong Province were acquired. The NDVI characteristic curves of typical features were extracted by combining the SPOT_VGT NDVI time series datasets, the HJ-1B image and the phenological information. Moreover, the reasonable dynamic thresholds were settled, the non-cultivated land areas were removed and the crop patterns and the crop types were identified based on the annual NDVI variation and the phenological information of the typical features. The accuracy assessment was performed through the spatial contrast and quantitative description. The overall accuracy is 77.10% in the spatial accuracy assessment compared with standard land cover classification ...

Introduction to the special issue ‘Tracer Applications in Sediment Research’

Introduction to the special issue ‘Tracer Applications in Sediment Research’

Acquisitions of Vegetation Coverage and Cultivated Land Occupation Ratio of Taiyuan Valley Plain for Example Using CBERS-02B CCD Image

Vegetation covering situation is very important for the quality of air quality, soil and water conservation ability and soil forming in an area. By using the remote sensing image of Taiyuan Valley Plain, the application of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and unsupervised classification, the vegetation coverage map which includes non-cultivated land disposition and cultivated land disposition was obtained using ERDAS Imagine software. To evaluate the accuracy of the results, 200 points were sampled randomly, the high spatial resolution remote sensing image from Google Earth was used as the reference. The overall classification accuracy is 82%, with the Kappa statistic of 0.81. By counting the totally pixel acreage, it was gotten that the vegetation coverage was 46% and the cultivated land coverage ratio was 31% in the study area.

Effect of Seasonal Variation on Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with Medicinal Plants in Central Himalayan Region of India

This research paper assesses the effect of seasonal variation on mycorrhizal fungi. Based on the richness of medicinal plants in Himalayan region, this research work considered three medicinal plants i.e. Catharanthus roseus Linn., Ocimum spp. and Asparagus racemosus Willd. The study was conducted at five districts of Uttarakhand state of India viz. Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar, Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar and Almora. To account for seasonal variations, soil and root samples were collected in months of Jan-Feb, May-June and Sep-Oct from year 2006 to 2008. Furthermore, the study was directed to collect information about the distribution of VAM fungi in the medicinal plants in relation to spore population. This research work evaluated and analyzed the effect of temperature, altitude and seasonal conditions. The undisturbed natural vegetations revealed maximum spore numbers followed by cultivated and non-cultivated regions. Similarly, root colonization by VAM fungi was observed at higher levels in natural vegetations and cultivated sites in comparison to non-cultivated lands. The monthly and seasonal temperature varied and had considerable effect on VAM fungal population. The data obtained in the present study undoubtedly indicate that the sea-sonal variation in VAM fungi is significant with few exceptions. VAM fungi in medicinal plants differ in the manner and extent with which root colonization rate occurs and also differ in their capacity to form propagules. Most of the study reveals that host plant had much more effect on spore population. Number of spores also varied with the growing season of the host plant. During the present study most of the sites showed a general increase in spore number from Sep-Oct to Jan-Feb.

Plains Prickly Pear Response to Fire: Effects of Fuel Load, Heat, Fire Weather, and Donor Site Soil

Plains prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha Haw.) is common throughout the Great Plains and often becomes detrimental to agricultural production on noncultivated lands. We examined direct fire effects on plains prickly pear and mechanisms of tissue damage to facilitate development of fire prescriptions. Cladodes from clones on three soils (claypan, gravelly, silty) were subjected to fire with two weather conditions (moderate, severe) at four fuel loads (1500, 3000, 4500, and 6000 kg ?ha 21 ) and a nonburned control. Fire was simulated with field-collected grass, and heat was measured using thermocouples at the soil surface and 8 cm above. Plants were maintained in a greenhouse and monitored for cladode mortality or growth. Cactus response to fire was examined in a field experiment with four nonburned and four summer-burned 0.75-ha plots. Some plants from each treatment sprouted new cladodes. Donor site soil and fire weather effects were limited to mass of new sprouts as they interacted with fuel load. Fire under any condition reduced cactus mass and survival. Reduction in cactus mass increased from 42% with 1500 kg ?ha 21 to 92% with fuel loads of 3000 kg ?ha 21 or more. Fuel load, duration of heat, maximum temperature, and degree-seconds were each positively related to mortality, but duration of heat greater than 60uC was the best predictor. Plant mortality was 15% in the field, but number of live cladodes was initially reduced 91%. After one year, number of live cladodes in burned plots was 43% of that in nonburned plots because burned plants sprouted more new cladodes than nonburned plants. Insect and browsing damage occurred on 83% of cladodes in burned plots and only 8% for nonburned plots. Lack of fire weather effects suggests prickly pear control can be achieved under broad fire prescriptions, given the amount of combustible fuel is adequate.

Preliminary analysis of the diet of wild boar (Sus scrofa L., 1758) in Islamabad, Pakistan

During the present study, 117 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were killed to examine their stomach contents in Islamabad, Pakistan. Stomach contents were found to be correlated with feeding sites, plant material, and the nature of food material and items consumed from both cultivated and noncultivated lands. The major component of the wild boar's diet in Islamabad was garbage (58%), followed by dead animals (16%), while the rest of the consumed food comprised cereals, herbs, grasses, weeds, tree bark, etc. Wheat leaves were prominent in samples collected from December 2005 until March 2006, when wheat grains (seed formation stage) became the major part of diet until July; maize was also a part of the diet during the same period. A small quantity of tree bark and Zizyphus leaves were also found in the stomachs, and mesquite was heavily consumed in June and July. Several grasses and weeds appeared prominently in the diet during the period between August and November. The presence of garbage among other food items was highest in the stomach throughout the year.

Optimization and analysis of a bioethanol agro-industrial system from sweet sorghum

The use of non-food crops for bioethanol production represents an important trend for renewable energy in China. In this paper, a bioethanol agro-industrial system with distributed fermentation plants from sweet sorghum is presented. The system consists of the following processes: sweet sorghum cultivation, crude ethanol production, ethanol refining and by-product utilization. The plant capacities of crude ethanol and pure ethanol, in different fractions of useful land, are optimized. Assuming a minimum cost of investment, transport, operation and so on, the optimum capacity of the pure ethanol factory is 50,000 tonnes/year. Moreover, this bioethanol system, which requires ca. 13,300 ha (hectares) of non-cultivated land to supply the raw materials, can provide 26,000 jobs for rural workers. The income from the sale of the crops is approximately 71 million RMB Yuan and the ethanol production income is approximately 94 million RMB Yuan. The potential savings in CO 2 emissions are ca. 423,000 tonnes/year and clear economic, social and environmental benefits can be realized.

내린천수계 비점오염원 오염물질 유출량조사

This study evaluates the water quality of the river near the alpine farmland in the upper Naerin stream, which is a typical stream of the upper Bukhan River with muddy water generation, by the flow examination, it aims to estimate the characteristics of nonpoint sources flowing out from the investigated area and figure out effective methods to reduce them. According to the result of water quality examination, the average BOD of the area not affected by the cultivated land among the areas of the upper Naerin River was 0.47mg/l, and total phosphorous was 0.007mg/l; thus, it maintained the cleanliness level of Ia. The average BOD of the area with the alpine farmland was 0.52mg/l, which was similar to the one of the non-cultivated land. But total phosphorous concentration was 0.023mg/l, which was more than three times higher than the area belonging to level II due to the effect of fertilizer ingredients discharged from the cultivated land. About the loadings of the investigated area generated from each of the pollution sources, BOD was 878.5kg/day and total phosphorous was 79.7kg/day. Moreover, for the load density, BOD was <TEX>$2.22kg/day.km^2$</TEX> and total phosphorous was shown as <TEX>$0.20kg/day.km^2$</TEX>. Regarding the rates generated from nonpoint sources like land among the loadings per pollution sources, BOD was 54%, total nitrogen was 91%, and total phosphorous was 73.4%. Therefore, it was shown that most of the nutrients were produced from the nonpoint sources. The level of BOD runoff loading in the Jaun River area, where nonpoint sources were mainly generated, was 37.1kg/day and total phosphorous was 1.33kg/day. The flow rates to the generated amount were estimated as 10.5% and 4.7% each.

Function of Soils in Regulating Rainwater in Southern China: Impacts of Land Uses and Soils

One of the most important functions of soils is to regulate rainwater and mitigate flooding and associated damages; this function can be estimated by the rainwater regulation ratio (η), i.e., percent of regulated rainwater. Fifteen experimental plots were set up on the hills in Yingtan of Jiangxi Province, southern China. These plots were under three land use patterns, cultivated cropland, noncultivated land, and orchard interplanted with cash crops. With aid of an artificial rainfall simulator and Guelph method, rainfall, runoff, soil infiltration, and so on were measured in situ. Results showed that the orchard interplanted with cash crops was more effective in regulating rainwater than the other two land use patterns. When the maximum infiltration intensity was three times higher than the observed mean,η was higher than 70% for all plots. η was related to land use, slope gradient, and soil properties such as soil infiltration, organic carbon, bulk density, and texture. There is still more room to improve capacity of rainwater drainage (underground percolation) than that of rainwater storage in soils. Therefore, enhancing soil permeability is vital to improve the rainwater regulation efficiency in soils.

Aquatic Risk Assessment of Herbicides in Freshwater Ecosystems of South Florida

Widespread, high-volume use and subsequent off-site transport of herbicides, specifically photosystem II inhibitors (PSII), on agricultural and noncultivated lands in south Florida has resulted in frequent detections in freshwater systems. In light of the current restoration efforts as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration Plan (CERP), increased water flows containing detectable herbicide levels into the Everglades ecosystem and adjacent areas may have adverse consequences to the unique plant communities present in the region. The potential impact of individual herbicides to aquatic plant and algae species was examined using a probabilistic risk assessment approach. Risk was characterized for nine PSII herbicides (four triazines: ametryn, atrazine, simazine, and prometryn; two triazinones: hexazinone and metribuzin; two substituted ureas: diuron and linuron; and a uracil: bromacil) and a pyridazinone herbicide (norflurazon) by comparing the overlap of the 90th percentile surface water concentration (exposure benchmark) from the exposure distributions to the 10th percentile of effects (effects benchmark) determined from species sensitivity distributions of acute laboratory toxicity data. Overall, the risk of the individual herbicides was generally low. A Multiple Substance Potentially Affected Fraction (msPAF) risk approach also was utilized to examine the joint toxicity of the herbicide mixtures based on a concentration addition model. The risk associated with the herbicide mixture (mainly bromacil, diuron, and norflurazon) was determined to be high for Lee (site S79 on the Caloosahatchee River), Martin (site S80 on St. Lucie Canal), and St. Lucie (site S99 on C25 emptying into Indian River Lagoon) counties in south Florida. This study highlights the need to consider joint action of chemical mixtures as part of an ecological risk assessment.

Agricultural Legacies in the Great Basin Alter Vegetation Cover, Composition, and Response to Precipitation

The land-use history of an ecosystem influences current structure and possibly response to modern disturbances and stresses. In semiarid systems the nature of land-use legacies is poorly understood, confounding efforts to establish sustainable management approaches. We compare previously cultivated and non-cultivated lands in Owens Valley, California, where cultivation once extended to 34% of the valley floor but was largely discontinued by 1940, to measure the influence of past disturbance on modern vegetation. We combined historic maps of cultivated and non-cultivated land with an extensive vegetation survey, historic aerial photographs, and satellite measurements of vegetation response to precipitation variability to examine the importance of land-use history in determining the sensitivity of vegetation to annual variations in precipitation. Remote sensing analysis showed that total plant cover on previously cultivated lands was lower and fluctuations in cover were marginally more dependent on precipitation compared with plant cover on non-cultivated lands. We then compared modern plant assemblages within cultivated and non-cultivated land to determine if compositional differences could explain the current patterns of vegetation cover. We found lower species richness on previously cultivated parcels, and higher frequency and cover of perennial grasses on non-cultivated lands. Therefore, we showed differences in land-cover patterns, isolated a mechanism that could account for the differences (species differences), and developed a method for remotely analyzing land regions that have experienced historic anthropogenic disturbance.

The Iberian ibex is under an expansion trend but displaced to suboptimal habitats by the presence of extensive goat livestock in central Spain

In this paper an updated distribution of the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838) in the central Spanish region of Castile–La Mancha is shown. The species is present in 19% of the study region, and in areas not cited so far in the literature. A detailed analysis of habitat suitability was also carried out, applying a␣new methodology, Ecological-Niche Factor Analysis, which uses presence data to␣build a habitat suitability map of a given species. As livestock activity is quite intense in the region, the presence of a potential competitor, the domestic goat (Capra hircus), was included in the analyses. Factors affecting ibex relative abundance were determined by means of a nested stepwise multiple regression, where livestock presence/absence was the nested factor. The presence of livestock has a negative effect on ibex relative abundance, causing the ibex to select areas of poor, sparse vegetation, cultivated lands and forests, whereas in the absence of livestock, the ibex is mainly present in pasture–scrub lands and non-cultivated lands. Conservation implications of these results are discussed in the context of a Mediterranean region where extensive livestock grazing systems abound.

都市近郊畑作地帯における不耕作後の土地利用変化要因

This paper studied out how to use changing after non-cultivated land in suburban area. Consequently, as for non-cultivated land, cultivation was resumed by lending the land to other farmers and by repair of their agricultural machines. However, many farmlands were owned as non-cultivated land because the farmers who owned the land refused to lend the land to others.

Integrated spatial sampling modeling of geospatial data

Spatial sampling is a necessary and important method for extracting geospatial data and its methodology directly affects the geo-analysis results. Counter to the deficiency of separate models of spatial, sampling, this article analyzes three crucial elements of spatial sampling (frame, correlation and decision diagram) and induces its general integrated model. The program of Spatial Sampling Integration (SSI) has been developed with Component Object Model (COM) to realize the general integrated model. In two practical applications, i.e. design of the monitoring network of natural disasters and sampling survey of the areas of non-cultivated land, SSI has produced accurate results at less cost, better realizing the cost-effective goal of sampling toward the geo-objects with spatial correlation. The two cases exemplify expanded application and convenient implementation of the general integrated model with inset components in an integrated environment, which can also be extended to other modeling of spatial analysis.

Polyphasic taxonomy of symbiotic rhizobia from wild leguminous plants growing in Egypt.

About 20 strains of rhizobia from wild legumes were characterized based on numerical analysis of phenotypic characteristics, nodulating ability, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and SDS-PAGE profiles of whole cell proteins. FAME analysis revealed that palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0) and arachidonic (20:0) were detected in most of wild-legume rhizobia, the latter being uncommon in fatty acid profiles of Rhizobium and Sinorhizobium. Numerical analysis of FAME classified strains of wild-legume rhizobia into 9 clusters and one heterogeneous group. There was both agreement and disagreement with the clustering data based on phenotypic analysis and FAME analysis. Four strains were grouped together in the same cluster based on both methods. However, 4 another strains, which were placed in one cluster of phenotypic analysis, were distributed in several clusters after FAME analysis. SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins revealed that the rhizobial strains exhibited protein profiles with peptide bands ranging from 5-19 band per profile and showed molar mass of 110-183 kDa. As in the case of FAME analysis, numerical analysis of protein bands was compared with clustering of phenotypic analysis. Agreement of the two methods was obvious when clustering some strains but conflicted in the classification of some other strains. However, integration of the three methods could be the basis of a polyphasic taxonomy. The twenty strains of wild-legume rhizobia were finally classified as follows: 12 strains related to Rhizobium leguminosarum, 5 strains related to Sinorhizobium meliloti and 3 strains to Rhizobium spp. Rhizobia nodulating wild herb legumes are among indigenous strains nodulating crop legumes in cultivated as well as noncultivated lands.

Relative Abundance of Bobwhites in Relation to Weather and Land Use

Weather and land use are important factors influencing the population dynamics of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) in Texas and elsewhere. Using an artificial neural network, we studied the effects of these factors on an index of bobwhite abundance (hereafter, index) in 6 ecoregions in Texas. We used roadside-count data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) during 1978-1997. Weather variables were June, July, and August mean maximum temperatures, and winter (Dec-Feb), spring (Mar-May), summer (Jun-Aug), and fall (Sep-Nov) rainfall. We also included the proportion of county area in cultivation, the number of livestock per hectare of noncultivated land, and the previous year's bobwhite count in the analyses. The data were partitioned into training and validation data sets prior to analyses. The neural model explained 65% of the variation in the training data (n = 72) and 61% of the variation in the validation data (n = 17). The most important variables contributing to network predictions were July temperature, fall rainfall, cattle density, and the previous year's bob-white count. State-level simulation results indicated that the bobwhite index decreased with increasing June temperature and livestock density. The bobwhite index increased with July and August temperature, fall rainfall, and the previous year's bobwhite count. Bobwhite abundance increased with the proportion of county area in cultivation up to approximately 20% cultivation and then declined. Winter, spring, and summer rainfall had little effect on the bobwhite index. Although many relationships appeared approximately linear or were decelerating, proportion of county area in cultivation and livestock density on noncultivated land showed strongly curvilinear responses. Therefore, cultivation up to approximately 20% of county area was beneficial, but the benefits disappeared as cultivation increased beyond this level. Further, at low livestock densities, between 0.15 and 0.40 head/ha, small increases in head/ha resulted in a decrease in the bobwhite index of 156.4%/head/ha. The results also indicated that a potential bias might exist in the survey protocol resulting in artificially inflated counts under some weather conditions.

Relationships between runoff and land degradation on non-cultivated land in the Middle Hills of Nepal

SUMMARY Rainfall-surface water runoff relationships have been examined for 912 rainfall events during the 1992 and 1993 monsoon seasons on 15 erosion plots on a variety of non-cultivated land uses in the Middle Hills, Nepal. Vegetation cover and type examined ranged from grassland and relatively undisturbed mixed broadleaf forest to subtropical Sal forest, in various states of degradation, and bare ground. Runoff was frequently generated on most plots and often by relatively small rainfall amounts (less than 5 mm) and low rainfall intensities (3 mm/h). Ground cover and canopy cover were significant factors in determining amounts of runoff. Runoff coefficients ranged from 1–2% under grassland and mixed broadleaf forest to 57–64% on the bare sites. Coefficients for Sal forest were between these two extremes; specific values depended on the level of degradation induced by human activity. The most degraded forest sites experienced runoff coefficients of 33%. Ground cover beneath the trees, especially leaf litter, was more effective in reducing runoff than the amount of canopy cover. Canopy cover was more effective during the less intense storms but was ineffective when the rainfall intensity was high. The results suggest that a minimum ground cover of 60% will keep runoff to within 10% of total rainfall amounts for most normal monsoons in the Middle Hills. This will also reduce the risk of gullying and surface soil erosion. It is the nature of the forest that is important and not its total area. In the study area, although the total area under forest had not changed, some of the forest had become more degraded with a corresponding increase in mean runoff rates. Increased runoff can occur even if the area under forest increases. Estimates of levels of degradation based solely on changing forest areas are likely to be inaccurate.

Influence of within-field and landscape factors on aphid predator populations in wheat

The influence of prey density, within-field vegetation, and the composition and patchiness of the surrounding landscape on the abundance of insect predators of cereal aphids was studied in wheat fields in eastern South Dakota, USA. Cereal aphids, aphid predators, and within-field vegetation were sampled in 104 fields over a three year period (1988–1990). The composition and patchiness of the landscape surrounding each field were determined from high altitude aerial photographs. Five landscape variables, aggregated at three spatial scales ranging from 2.6 km2 to 581 km2, were measured from aerial photographs. Regression models incorporating within-field and landscape variables accounted for 27–49% of the variance in aphid predator abundance in wheat fields. Aphid predator species richness and species diversity were also related to within-field and landscape variables. Some predators were strongly influenced by variability in the composition and patchiness of the landscape surrounding a field at a particular spatial scale while others responded to variability at all scales. Overall, predator abundance, species richness, and species diversity increased with increasing vegetational diversity in wheat fields and with increasing amounts of non-cultivated lands and increasing patchiness in the surrounding landscape.

農家条件からみた都市近郊の耕作放棄発生要因

Recently abandonment of cultivation increases in suburban area. There are many approaches to investigate the factors of abandonment of cultivation. Adopting a questionnaire survey, the purpose of this paper is to make clear the factors of abandonment of cultivation by the condition of farm household. Study areas are Ageo city and Hatoyama town in Saitama prefecture. Mail service was used for the questionnaire survey.The feature of farm household with abandoned cultivated land made clear. The agricultural labor force is scarce and aged. And the livelihood is depending on off-farm income.One main factor of abandonment of cultivation is deficiency of agricultural labor force. Because labor force of farm household is inclined to non-agricultural sectors. Another main factor of cultivation abandonment in Hatoyama town is the deficit of agricultural infrastructure improvement. Because topographic condition of Hatoyama town is the same as undulated and mountain region.And one important factor is the zoning, i. e. the non-cultivated land should not be converted to non-agricultural land.So the non-cultivated land left as abandoned agricultural land.

Le village et son seigneur (14e-16e siècles). Domination sur le terroir, autodéfense et justice

Les villages apparaissent à l'historien du Moyen Age japonais comme un ensemble institutionnel fondamental pour la survie sociale des hommes, en même temps qu'un lieu de pouvoir. L'autonomie villageoise s'affirme au sein d'une société qui tend à considérer comme normal le fait de se rendre justice soi-même. Dans cette contribution, je voudrais montrer que le village médiéval japonais, du moins à partir du 14e siècle, constitue un centre de pouvoir qui s'établit de deux manières, d'abord par son affirmation face aux autorités seigneuriales et ensuite comme entité qui étend son autorité en tant que telle.