Productivity Of Agricultural Landscapes Research Articles

Low‐cost management interventions and their impact on multilevel trade‐offs in agricultural grasslands

Abstract Cost‐effective strategies to increase biodiversity are a fundamental requirement to reconcile conservation and food production in agricultural landscapes. Key for the implementation of such strategies is an accurate quantification of both their benefits and potential associated trade‐offs. We therefore assessed, in a commercially managed grassland, biodiversity responses to two low‐cost management interventions and their mediating effects on ecosystem services. In a 6‐year experiment, we showed that a one‐time seed bank activation treatment had strong initial impacts on biodiversity, increasing plant richness in year 1 by 61%. Long‐term effects, which were also driven by the second management intervention, the propagation of the keystone species yellow rattle, were weaker but nonetheless substantial. These positive biodiversity responses improved ecosystem multifunctionality through additive positive effects of richness, evenness and phylogenetic distinctiveness on nectar production and structural habitat complexity. In contrast, hay biomass production was negatively affected by both management interventions, resulting in a multilevel trade‐off between biomass production competing with biodiversity conservation and the provisioning of other ecosystem services. Synthesis and applications. In this study, we demonstrate that the maximisation of either biodiversity or biomass production requires largely different land management practices. The evaluation of this trade‐off, however, is strongly dependent on its social, economic and ecological context and requires clearly defined land management priorities for both food production and biodiversity conservation.

Impacts of land cover on reptile movement and habitat use in farming landscapes

AbstractAgriculture is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide, but knowledge of how agriculture modifies animal movement, which is crucial for survival, is limited. Here, we examined the effect of landscape composition on the movements of the oriental garden lizard Calotes versicolor in agricultural landscapes of north‐central Pakistan. We radio‐tracked 32 individuals over 5 months to determine whether land cover type (farmland, tree patches, grassland) influences hourly movement rate, inter‐day distance moved, and activity area size. We found that hourly movement rates were higher in tree patches compared to grasslands, and higher when animals moved between land cover types rather than within individual land cover types. Activity area size and movement rates became smaller as the season progressed, but they did not differ according to animal sex or body size. Habitat selection analysis showed that lizards preferred tree patches, avoided farms, roads, water bodies and human dwellings, and used grasslands in proportion to availability. When lizards used farmlands, they were found in field margins 85% of the time. Our results emphasize the importance of treed areas as reptile habitat in these highly modified agricultural lands. Agricultural intensification that reduces the availability of tree patches and field margins will likely reduce the extent to which lizards can use the landscape by removing preferred habitat. Maintaining tree cover and small fields with field margins should promote the coexistence of wildlife conservation and food production in agricultural landscapes.

Designer Ecosystems for the Anthropocene—Deliberately Creating Novel Ecosystems in Cultural Landscapes

Accepting that nature and culture are intricately co-evolved has profound implications for the ethical, legal, philosophical and pragmatic dimensions of social and environmental policy. The way we think about nature affects how we understand and manage ecosystems. While the ideals of preserving wilderness and conserving ecosystems have motivated much conservation effort to date, achieving these ideals may not be feasible under Anthropocene conditions unless communities accept custodial responsibilities for landscapes and other species. This paper’s origins are in the author’s work with the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council representing Indigenous traditional owners in Australia’s Kimberley region. These landscapes, shaped by 60,000 years of human occupation, interweave knowledge, laws and governance regimes, and material and spiritual connections with country. This interweaving offers insights into options for dealing with humanity’s complex sustainability challenges. The paper also draws on the literature about cultural landscapes, ecological design, agroecology and permaculture to explore options for applying ecological design as a planning and problem-solving framework. The paper concludes that design-based approaches offer significant opportunities for using ecological science to integrate conservation and production in agricultural landscapes in ways that can meet human needs while also conserving biodiversity under climate change.

Flower availability drives effects of wildflower strips on ground-dwelling natural enemies and crop yield

Wildflower strips have been heralded as a promising way to enhance ecosystem services by providing organisms which may help make farming less dependent on external inputs. However, recent studies show inconsistent effects on delivery of ecosystem services and crop yield, warranting a more detailed analysis of the factors determining the effects of wildflower strips. We examined how the natural enemy groups of spider, carabid beetle and staphylinid beetle, as well as aphid pest and crop yield respond to wildflower strips. We furthermore determined whether the response of natural enemies, aphids and crop yield depends on flower cover and species richness, and how this is influenced by fertilizer and insecticide applications to the crop in 16 winter wheat fields in the Netherlands. We used an experimental approach with a nested design that included all combinations of wildflower strips (present/absent), fertilizer application (yes/no) and insecticide application (yes/no). Presence of wildflower strips did not affect ground-dwelling natural enemies, aphids or crop yield. However, flower availability across wildflower strips and control margins was positively related to the abundance of the pooled number of examined natural enemies, spiders and carabid beetles. Positive effects in the crop were observed over limited distances; up to 5 m from the edge for spiders and wheat yield. The effects of flower availability and on-field management practices on natural enemies, aphids and wheat yield did not interact suggesting that, in our study, effects of flowers were not influenced by insecticide or fertilizer applications but were mainly additive. Our study indicates that cover and richness of wildflowers in field margin habitat, rather than establishment of wildflower strips per se, drove increases in natural enemies and crop yield. This suggests that more attention should be given to the optimization of establishment success of seed mixtures and management practices enhancing wildflower cover and diversity. Furthermore, biodiversity enhancing management of the herbaceous vegetation in linear landscape elements may represent a cost-effective alternative to boost ecosystem services regulating crop production in agricultural landscapes.

Proportion of Grassland at Landscape Scale Drives Natural Pest Control Services in Agricultural Landscapes

Managing regulating ecosystem services delivered by biodiversity in farmland is a way to maintain crop yields while reducing the use of agrochemicals. Because semi-natural habitats provide shelter and food for pest enemies, a higher proportion of semi-natural habitats in the landscape or their proximity to crops may enhance pest control in arable fields. However, the ways in which the spatial arrangement of these habitats affects the delivery of this beneficial ecosystem service to crops remains poorly known. Here, we investigated the relative effects of the amount of grassland in the landscape versus the distance to the nearest grassland on the predation rates of weed seeds and aphids into 52 cereal fields. We found that both seed and aphid predation levels increased with the proportion of grassland in a 500 m radius buffer while the distance to the nearest grassland displayed no effect. We show that increasing from 0 to 50% the proportion of grasslands in a 500 m radius, respectively, increased seed and aphid predation by 38 and 20%. In addition to the strong effect of the proportion of grassland, we found that seed predation increased with the proportion of forest fragments while aphid predation increased with the proportion of organic farming in the landscape. Overall, our results reveal that natural pest control in cereal crops is not related to the distance to the nearest grassland, suggesting that natural enemies are not limited by their dispersal ability. Our study indicates that maintaining key semi-natural habitats, such as grasslands, is needed to ensure natural pest control and support food production in agricultural landscapes.

Investigation of the soil cover ecological state under the different geomorphological elements conditions

The soil is the result of the interaction of a complex of soil-forming factors. In the process of agricultural use, anthropogenic impacts on the soil lead to its significant properties, increase the degradation of its potential and effective fertility, which affects the growth of dehumification, overconsolidation, decalcification and loss of structure. In addition, the agrogenic impact is augmented by climatic conditions and the specifics of the geomorphological structure of the territory. The high degree of plowing of the territory of the Kursk region and the differentiated relief have led to the development of intense erosion processes, which lead to a decrease in the productivity of agricultural landscapes. It is necessary to study in detail the regional specificity of the ecological state of the soil cover under the conditions of different geomorphological elements in order to distinguish between the natural degradation of slope soils and their agrogenic transformation.

Influence of Agroforestry on Rural Income and Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in the Semi-Arid Region of Sub Saharan Africa

Semi-arid lands typically suffer from sustainable land use challenges including climate variability, declining agricultural productivity, low economic prowess and poor livelihood conditions. In order to sustainably address these challenges, agroforestry has been fronted as a critical entry point allowing for the integration of trees on farms and diversification of production in agricultural landscapes. Nevertheless, the contribution of agroforestry to socio-economic and rural livelihood in several developing countries remains debatable. This study determined the influence of agroforestry on rural income and livelihood of smallholder farmers in Machakos county (Kenya). The study was conducted using survey research design from a sample of 248 smallholder farmers, who were selected using stratified, random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Results showed that agroforestry was adopted by 82% of the smallholder farmers as a strategy for livelihood improvement in the region. Total income was higher among adopters from timber, fuel wood, posts/poles and fodder. Adopters also had more money to spend on food, clothing, education, medicine and basic needs as a result of revenues from agroforestry. The overall gross revenue, net returns above variable costs and total costs were also higher among adopters compared to the non adopters due to sales of agroforestry products. The study recommends adoption of agroforestry as a strategy to boost rural income and livelihood.

ОПТИМИЗАЦИЯ СТРУКТУРЫ ПОСЕВНЫХ ПЛОЩАДЕЙ ДЛЯ СТЕПНОЙ ЗОНЫ РСО – АЛАНИЯ

The structure of the cultivated areas serves as the basis for the system of crop rotation, the main link in modern farming systems. The structure of sown areas and the system of crop rotations as the fundamental links of the farming system have close direct correlations and feed-backs with all other links of the farming system. On the one hand, they are fundamental, first of all, for organizing the soil protection and nature conservation of the territory, since in each farm the sown areas of agricultural crops on arable land prevail over the area of other agricultural lands. On the other hand, the system of crop rotation, which is developed on the basis of the promising structure of sown areas, is the basis for other links of the farming system. For more efficient use of arable land, increasing the yield of major agricultural crops, meeting the needs of farms with crop production, improving soil fertility, it is necessary to change the structure of sown areas taking into account the specific agro-climatic conditions of the steppe zone. There are two subzones in the considered zone: arid and moderately arid one. We have substantiated and optimized the structure of cultivated areas in order to increase soil fertility, ecological balance and productivity of agricultural landscapes for these two sub-zones of the steppe zone. For the arid sub-zone, in the structure of sown areas, winter and spring crops should occupy 51.7%, legumes – 9.8%, fodder – 12.5%, industrial – 21%, vegetables – 5%. For the moderately arid sub-zone in the structure of sown areas, winter and spring crops should occupy 42.0%, legumes – 10.3%, corn for grain – 13.7%, fodder – 10.5%, industrial – 17.0%, vegetables – 5%, potatoes – 1.5%.

ОЦЕНКА ПРОДУКТИВНОСТИ МЕЛИОРАТИВНЫХ АГРОЛАНДШАФТОВ ЖАМБЫЛСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

The article deals with the issues of climate productivity assessment, selection and justification of integral criteria that allow conducting an environmental assessment of landscape productivity. The ecological situation of the Zhambyl region’s natural system is characterized, and the state of natural objects is assessed on energy and ecological indicators. According to the radiation index of the altitude (Rn), there were made calculations of the radiation index of dryness (Ŕ) and its comparison with the calculated data according to the formula of M.I. Budyko was carried out. Changing of the calculated value of the dryness index makes it possible to mark a foothill and mountain zone. The proposed method of environmental assessment of agricultural landscape productivity and the results of integrated zoning of geographical zones of the Zhambyl region make it possible to clarify the total energy and production resources of natural systems which will make it possible to take complex measures to restore, preserve and increase the potential productivity of agricultural landscapes, and can be applied when rationing the maximum permissible level of use of natural resources and arranging productive forces of the agro-industrial complex.

Совершенствование средств механизации и агротехнологий в горных и предгорных районах Северного Кавказа

Abstract. The authors presented the results of scientific research and experimental development, on the basis of which a prototype was designed and created for applying liquid fertilizers to the grass and the soil surface of mountain meadows and pastures in order to improve them, reduce erosion processes and increase productivity. The aim of the work: to develop and create a combined multifunctional unit for the application of liquid fertilizers on mountain meadows and pastures, providing an increase in the productivity of agricultural landscapes and profitability of agricultural production by 15–20 %. The object of the study are fertilizer application rates and interchangeable working parts: a container for liquid mineral fertilizers, a collector of sprayers, tips. The novelty of the technical solution lies in the fact that a combined multifunctional unit based on a chisel cultivator ССМ-2,4 was created for the first time. The research of the unit was carried out on the basis of the workshop of the mechanization group of the North Caucasus Research Institute of Mining and Piedmont Agriculture (NCRIMPAC) and at the high-altitude experimental site in the village of Dargavs Prigorodny district of North Ossetia-Alania. When creating a prototype of a unit for applying liquid fertilizers, the developments of the authors are used and combined, which are confirmed by the issuance of patents for useful model of the Russian Federation No. 144420 and No. 130781. As a result of the application of the developed prototype of the unit, the erosion processes are reduced, the productivity and profitability of the sloping lands increases, and the botanical composition of the herbs is improved. It was established that the design and functionality of the proposed unit also allow it to be used in the mountain zone in nursery farms and on tilled crops with simultaneous application of liquid fertilizers in the forest zone. The use of a prototype unit will reduce erosion and other types of degradation of the fertile soil in the mountains, solve the problem of surface improvement of hayfields and pastures and, as a result, increase the productivity of forage lands by 15–20 %.

Application of geostatistical methods in the development of landscape-adaptive land use

The article describes the ways of using statistical methods in agricultural geography. The use of analysis of variance in determining the influence of geocomplexes of various ranks on the yield of plants and other parameters of farms is shown. It was found that yield variability, soil acidity, the proportion of pastures and fallow lands are less than 30% determined by the characteristics of the natural environment of geosystems and the variability of plant nutrients, stony and marshy soil, and the share of haymaking by 30-50%. Other elements of the structural organization of enterprises are more than half determined by the peculiarities of the territories of different levels. The process of determining a set of crops should be based on knowledge of the variability of their yields within the types of agricultural landscapes, and, if possible, at lower taxonomic levels. The degree of development of agricultural landscapes and the average size of the contour of the land is determined even when analyzing the conditions of the macroenvironment. The use of track analysis allows to identify the factors of direct impact on the crops which are divided into "active" and "potential". It has been established that all types of agricultural landscapes of the Upper Volga region can be divided into two groups according to the number of active and potential factors: geocomplexes with a homogeneous lithogenic basis and landscapes on two-membered sediments. The latter are distinguished by a large number of active factors and a wide range of affected crops. The design of crop rotations should take into account an individual set of factors affecting the production process. The methodology for assessing the productivity of agricultural landscapes can be based on the use of its integral indicators. The systems of measures that increase the degree of realization of the potential productivity of agricultural landscapes for cereal grass stands have been determined. They are combined into three groups: 1. Adaptive placement of grass stands depending on the granulometric composition and the geological structure of the soil. 2. Adaptive placement of grass stands and drainage irrigation amelioration. 3. Adaptive placement of grass stands, water melioration and land management activities. Identified areas of distribution of these groups of activities in the Upper Volga region.

Neonicotinoids and other agricultural stressors collectively modify aquatic insect communities

Threats to wetland water quality and aquatic insect secondary production in agricultural landscapes are multifaceted and are known to vary spatially and temporally. We designed this study with the aim to disentangle the effects of multiple stressors on emerging aquatic insects from wetlands impacted by intensive agricultural practices and receiving runoff from neonicotinoid-treated canola. A total of 22 semi-permanent wetlands were monitored over two growing seasons (11 different wetlands per year) in central Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the two sampling years, dipterans from the families Chironomidae (60–67%), Muscidae (13–15%) and Ceratopogonidae (7–13%) made up the majority of emergent taxa, representing 80–95% of the total emergence. Multivariate ordination analyses of eight water quality and nine wetland habitat variables revealed that neonicotinoid concentration, turbidity, vegetation disturbance, and continuity of a vegetative grass buffer zone were significant factors influencing the aquatic insect taxa composition. Generalized linear mixed effects models indicated that total insect emergence over time was significantly predicted by neonicotinoid concentrations (imidacloprid toxic equivalency, TEQ) and vegetation disturbance. Higher neonicotinoid concentrations negatively affected insect emergence over time, whereas vegetation disturbance increased total emergence, likely due to the abundance of disturbance-tolerant taxa. Overall, we observed community-level responses driven by multiple indicators of wetland degradation (insecticides, turbidity, and vegetation disturbance). Collectively, these multivariate field data provide an in-depth understanding of how agricultural management practices, including neonicotinoid use, interact to shape wetland aquatic insect communities.

Improving ground cover and landscape function in a semi-arid rangeland through alternative grazing management

The development and adoption of sustainable grazing strategies is important to improve the functionality and productivity of agricultural landscapes. Alternative grazing systems incorporating periods of planned rest may achieve this compared to continuous grazing systems, but the evidence is conflicting. Using paired paddock contrasts, soil characteristics, ground cover and landscape function (i.e. soil stability, nutrient cycling, infiltration and landscape organisation indices) were compared between alternative grazing management (incorporating periods of rest), traditional (continuous) grazing, and areas managed for conservation (ungrazed by commercial livestock but grazed by native and feral herbivores) on contrasting soil types in semi-arid rangelands. Relationships between the response variables and understorey floristic biodiversity measures were also explored. Total ground cover was greater under conservation management than grazing, and was greater under alternative grazing than traditional grazing management. Indices of landscape function, including stability, nutrient cycling, patch area and landscape organisation were significantly greater, and interpatch length significantly shorter, under conservation compared to traditional grazing management. Alternative grazing management had intermediate values of landscape function which did not differ significantly to traditional grazing or conservation treatments. Ground cover and floristic biodiversity measures were often positively correlated, but there was no clear relationship between most landscape function and plant biodiversity indices. Landscape function may be important in detecting changes in rangelands that remain undetected by floristic diversity measures. Alternative grazing strategies incorporating planned rest have the potential to improve ground cover with the associated benefits of improved productivity and landscape function compared to continuous grazing regimes.

Functional capabilities of the experimental unit for introducing into the soil aqueous solutions of fertilizers

One of the ways to revive and preserve meadows and pastures in the mountainous zone is the in-troduction of liquid fertilizers to the sparse phytocenosis and exposed areas that have lost valuable forage species. To solve this problem, for the first time a new method for improving mountain meadows and pastures was proposed by the staff of SKNIIGPSKh, for the implementation of which, for the first time, a prototype of an aggregate that performs the application of liquid fertilizers to the soil of the planted area was created on the basis of the KGG-2,4 mining cultivator. According to calculations on the experimental sample of the unit, a tank of 240 liters is installed, which ensures continuous operation of the unit within one hour. The prototype of the unit, due to maneuverability, mobility and light weight, is quite suitable for working on sloping lands in farms for superficial improvement of mountain meadows and pastures with a slope up to 16°. This method opens the possibility of performing sowing operations even in the dry period, making the grass stand thicker, which prevents water and wind erosion. The unit was tested on the basis of the experimental workshop of the mechanization group of SKNIIGPSKh and on the experimental plot in the village of Dargavs of the Prigorodny district of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania on a total area of 300 m2 in triplicate. The aim of the research was to develop a prototype block module of a multifunctional aggregate for applying liquid fertilizers to the soil on mountain meadows and pastures, which provides an increase in the productivity of agricultural landscapes and the profitability of agricultural production by 15-20 %. The novelty of the unit is that for the first time a prototype of a block-module of a multifunctional unit based on a mountain chisel cultivator KChG-2,4 (designed by SKNIIGPSKh) equipped with working elements for introducing liquid mineral fertilizers and solutions of other preparations onto the slopes of meadows and pastures with Rocky protrusions on the surface, providing an increase in the productivity of agricultural land, reducing erosion processes and increasing the stability of agrolandscapes.

Bird communities in future bioenergy landscapes of the Upper Midwest

Mandates for biofuel and renewable electricity are creating incentives for biomass production in agricultural landscapes of the Upper Midwest. Different bioenergy crops are expected to vary in their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here, we use data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to forecast the impact of potential bioenergy crops on avian species richness and the number of bird species of conservation concern in Midwestern landscapes. Our analysis suggests that expanded production of annual bioenergy crops (e.g., corn and soybeans) on marginal land will lead to declines in avian richness between 7% and 65% across 20% of the region, and will make managing at-risk species more challenging. In contrast, replacement of annual with diverse perennial bioenergy crops (e.g., mixed grasses and forbs) is expected to bring increases in avian richness between 12% and 207% across 20% of the region, and possibly aid the recovery of several species of conservation concern.

Climatic Drivers of Revegetation Management Practices in Australia: Analysis of a Social Survey

Investment in small and large-scale revegetation in Australia is growing in response to concerns regarding the sustainability and productivity of agricultural landscapes. Site preparation and management––such as soil cultivation, weed control, fertilising, mulching, use of treeguards and watering––are major costs associated with small-scale revegetation. The aim of this study has been to investigate local revegetation knowledge and practices to determine the usefulness of each management practice for achieving success and to determine whether some practices are more suited to particular climatic zones. A national online revegetation survey was conducted to ascertain current small-scale revegetation practices and the factors that drive these choices. Management practices were found to be strongly associated with climate. Mulch, fertiliser, weed control and watering were applied more frequently in higher rainfall and higher temperature zones. Soil cultivation and treeguards were used more frequently in lower rainfall and lower temperature zones. These findings suggest that there may be some benefit in modifying existing revegetation guidelines to reflect climatic zones and management flexibility.