Agricultural Crop Production Research Articles

Оценка эффективности почвообрабатывающих элементов глубокорыхлителей с применением коэффициента рационального использования

In conditions of increasing production and turnover of agricultural crops, soil degradation associated with wind and water erosion leads to depletion of fertile land and reduction of crop yields. One of the ways to increase the protective capacity of cultivated areas is deep loosening. The development of methods for assessing the efficiency and forecasting the use of tillage elements, taking into account economic, qualitative and agrotechnical requirements is an urgent task. To provide for the rational choice of a tillage element, the authors compared commercially produced domestic and foreign chisels, their mechanical and economic parameters and agrotechnical requirements for deep tillage of soils in the Southern Federal District. The analysis of mathematical models and methods was applied to evaluate the efficiency of working elements of soil tillage implements. Forecasts of their service life and loosening quality evaluation were made based on the algorithm developed in Matlab. The algorithm was used to calculate the rational utilisation factor of the chisel based on the data of its thickness and angle of installation, the initial size of the soil clod and the degree of crumbling. The rational utilization factor takes into account chisel design parameters (steel grade, thickness, sharpening angle and hardness), economic (price and estimated service life) and agrotechnical (depth of cultivation). Knowing the rational utilisation factor, we can get a rough estimate of the tool quality at the stage of design or purchase. This solution will reduce unnecessary costs, identify design deficiencies, determine the theoretical degree of crumbling by passive working elements and select the optimal tool taking into account economic, qualitative and agrotechnical requirements.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF RYE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NICHE PRODUCTION

The article reveals the relevance of the production of niche agricultural crops in today's conditions. It is emphasized that in Ukraine it has increased in the conditions of martial law, as the prices of traditional business crops have decreased significantly. Analysis of the production of niche grain crops in today's conditions is performed on the example of such a representative of this group as rye. The main advantages that form the potential of culture in the economic, agro-technical, social plane are revealed and the main reasons that inhibit the increase in crops and the volume of its production are outlined. In particular, it is stated that the main advantages of rye are versatility, the possibility of application in many areas and export orientation. Emphasis is also placed on the important agrotechnical importance of culture and the possibilities of meeting social needs, in accordance with modern trends of healthy and ecological life. The level and dynamics of rye production in Ukraine by main commodity producers are analyzed. In particular, an analysis of areas, volumes of production and yield of the specified crops was carried out. It was established that small and small farmers are more actively engaged in the production of niche grain crops, in particular rye, and the yield of these crops has increased significantly during the studied period. The geography of rye cultivation in Ukraine is highlighted. The dynamics of indicators of the economic efficiency of cultivation and sale of niche grain crops (on the example of rye) by agricultural enterprises of Ukraine were studied - the full cost of 1 cent, the price of sale of 1 cent, the level of profitability. It was established that the economic feasibility of the production of the specified culture is also due to potentially high profitability. We came to the conclusion that in the conditions of the threat to the food security of the state and in the difficult economic conditions of management for many farmers, the production and processing of niche grain crops, in particular rye with its high potential, is quite capable of becoming one of the tools for stabilizing the situation on the domestic grain market through the development of niche production and development of new foreign markets.

Adoption Behaviour of Climate-resilient Agricultural Practices in Punjab under NICRA Project

An integrated package of climate-resilient technologies was demonstrated in one village per 4 selected districts namely Bathinda, Faridkot, Roopnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib of Punjab. The major objective was to augment the resilience of agricultural systems, both crop production and livestock farming to climate vulnerability. From 2011-2020, major interventions made in crop production system were; crop residue management, zero tillage, quality seed, green manuring, biofertilizers and promotion of water saving technologies such as laser land levelling, direct seeded rice, short to medium duration rice varieties, etc. Major interventions made in livestock production system included green fodder production round the year, silage making, mineral mixture, uromin lick availability and regular vaccinations. To improve livelihood, subsidiary occupations like dairy farm, backyard poultry, piggery, jaggery production and protected cultivation units were established in the NICRA villages. Farmers were highly convinced to adopt the recommended practices but adoption level of demonstrated natural resource management technologies was variable and specific to a district. The satisfying results were witnessed under the NICRA project and there was an increase in the adaptive capacities, and enhanced incomes. NICRA villages functioned as model villages and became knowledge hubs/centres for out-scaling technologies in large areas.

Пропаганда антинаучных взглядов Т. Д. Лысенко на страницах французских периодических изданий в 1930-х ‒ 1940-х гг.

The article is devoted to foreign propaganda of T. D. Lysenko’s views on the nature of heredity and variability. Articles from French communist periodicals are used as an example. The article?s relevance is determined by understudied issue of the Lysenkoism promotion in France, although it is known that his doctrine, which was close to Lamarckism, was being implanted after 1948 in the countries of the socialist camp and criticized by the British and American biologists. The historical picture of purposeful promotion of anti-scientific views criticizing fundamental genetics has been reconstructed in materials of French periodicals and documents deposited in the T. D. Lysenko fond in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (fond 1521). To determine the political factors that influenced international scientific relations between Soviet and French scientists, the documents from the Political Bureau of the Central Committee fond of the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (fond 3) have been used. When describing popularization of Lysenkoism in France, an integrated approach has been chosen, as it takes into account various factors (political, ideological, cognitive) that determined penetration and reception of scientific ideas. Using newspapers and magazines as historical source have permitted to detail the phenomenon, to supplement the available information with new facts, and to revise established notions. It is shown that T.D. Lysenko’s figure came into the spotlight in the French press as early as the late 1930s, when a campaign began in the Soviet Union against Mendelism-Morganism, called metaphysical-idealistic bourgeois science by the party elite. In those years, such scientists as N. I. Vavilov, G. D. Karpechenko, S. G. Levit, I. I. Agol were arrested and repressed. In 1948, with J. V. Stalin support, Lysenko organized the August session of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences, where representatives of classical genetics were accused of sabotage. Lysenko claimed that his experiments were aimed at increasing productivity of agricultural crops and solving food security issues. The Soviet bureaucracy saw innovation and bold struggle against old scientific dogmas in populist statements of the “People's Academician.” The fight against genetics was not limited the territory of the USSR, almost all socialist countries were involved. However, the leading scientific powers (the USA and Great Britain) actively resisted penetration of the works of Soviet Lysenkoists into scientific and popular publications. The exception was France, which had long-standing scientific contacts with the Soviet Union. Information on the “victory” of Michurin Biology over genetics at the 1948 Agricultural Sciences Session was widely presented on the pages of French liberal publications. It is shown that the French scientific community was not categorically opposed to Lysenkoism for a number of reasons, among them spread of communist ideas in the country, stability of Lamarckian traditions, cooling diplomatic relations between the USSR and the USA, desire of the Soviet leadership to make France its political ally.

A comprehensive overview of miRNA targeting drought stress resistance in plants.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential nonprotein-coding genes. In a range of organisms, miRNAs has been reported to play an essential role in regulating gene expressions at post-transcriptional level. They participate in most of the stress responsive processes in plants. Drought is an ultimate abiotic stress that affects the crop production. Therefore understanding drought stress responses are essential to improve the production of agricultural crops. Throughout evolution, plants have developed their own defense systems to cope with the adversities of environmental stresses. Among defensive mechanisms include the regulations of gene expression by miRNAs. Drought stress regulates the expression of some of the functionally conserved miRNAs in different plants. The given properties of miRNAs provide an insight to genetic alterations and enhancing drought resistance in cereal crops. The current review gives a summary to regulatory mechanisms in plants as well as miRNAs response to drought stresses in cereal crops. Some possible approaches and guidelines for the exploitation of drought stress miRNA responses to improve cereal crops are also described.

In vitro Mutations for Biotic and Abiotic Stresses: A Review

Plants are subjected to a wide range of environmental stresses which reduces and limits the productivity of agricultural crops. Two types of environmental stresses are encountered to plants which can be categorized as (1) Abiotic stress and (2) Biotic stress. The abiotic stress causes the loss of major crop plants worldwide and includes radiation, salinity, floods, drought, extremes in temperature, heavy metals, etc. On the other hand, attacks by various pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, oomycetes, nematodes and herbivores are included in biotic stresses. Establishment of a reliable, reproducible and efficient in vitro plant regeneration system with cell and tissue culture is a vital prerequisite for biotechnological application of crop improvement programme. An in vitro plant regeneration technique refers to culturing, cell division, cell multiplication, de-differentiation and differentiation of cells, protoplasts, tissues and organs on defined liquid/solid medium under aseptic and controlled environment. Recent progress in the field of plant tissue culture has made this area one of the most dynamic and promising in experimental biology. There are many published reports on in vitro plant regeneration studies including direct organogenesis, indirect organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. This review summarizes those plant regeneration studies that could be helpful in drawing the attention of the researchers and scientists to work on it to produce healthy, biotic and abiotic stress resistant plant material and to carry out genetic transformation studies for the production of transgenic plants

A novel genotypic selection methodology to create a breeding population for developing drought-tolerant cultivars in tree crops

With the adverse effects of climate change, selecting the best tolerant varieties to drought stress is highly necessary to sustain the yield and productivity of agricultural crops including tree crops. However, classical drought tolerance selection studies of tree crops have several limitations due to their relatively long lifespan. In this study, we propose a method to identify stable high-yielding trees under changing soil moisture conditions using yield data of existing elite tree populations. We develop this method using the data from a tropical tree palm, Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) as a model crop. Our selection method considers individual palms as different genotypes. The method considered both mean trait values and their stability across different environments therefore, it can be effectively used to identify elite genotypes of tree crops for drought tolerance.•We propose an analysis framework to identify stable, high-yielding individuals of tree crops under limited soil moisture conditions using the data of existing tree populations.•Individual trees that produce stable and higher yields under soil moisture stress were identified based on mean yield and regression-based coefficient over different environments characterized by inter-annual rainfall variability.•Individual trees selected by this method can be used as parental populations in breeding programs that focus on developing drought-tolerant varieties.

Uso de peróxido de hidrogênio na aclimatação do sorgo ao estresse salino

ABSTRACT The use of chemical conditioners, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), is important for mitigating deleterious effects caused by salt stress on plants. This practice can increase the production of agricultural crops, including sorghum, in the Semiarid region of Brazil. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate effects of different electrical conductivities of the irrigation water and H2O2 concentrations on plant growth and biomass accumulation of sorghum plants grown in the Semiarid region of Brazil. The experiment was conducted from November 2020 to January 2021 in a greenhouse at the Center for Agri-Food Sciences and Technologies of the Federal University of Campina Grande, in Pombal, Paraiba, Brazil. A randomized block experimental design was used, in a 4×4 factorial arrangement, consisted of four electrical conductivities of the irrigation water [0.30 (control), 1.50, 3.50, and 5.50 dS m-1] and four H2O2 concentrations [0 (control), 6, 12, and 18 µM], with three replications and one plant per plot, totaling 48 experimental units. Plant height, stem diameter, flag leaf length, and fresh and dry weights of leaves and stems were evaluated. The results showed that applying irrigation water with electrical conductivities higher than 1.50 dS m-1 decreases plant growth and biomass accumulation in sorghum plants. Treating sorghum seeds with H2O2 concentrations of up to 12 µM mitigates adverse effects caused by salt stress on sorghum plants subjected to the salinity levels evaluated in the present study.

The role of breeding centers and breed testing systems in the development of breeds with a wide potential for use

It shall be noted that the country's food security is impossible without modern breeding and seed production, which fully applies to both open and protected ground. Grain crops, wheat, barley, corn, rice and others, in terms of fodder productive qualities, are always among the most valuable agricultural crops and are the staple food in many countries of the world. The production of advanced agricultural products is carried out through the use of effective methods of genetics, breeding, seed production, diagnostics of pathogens, integrated plant protection products, the latest technologies and others. The tasks of breeding and seed production of agricultural crops are the reproduction of seeds of breeds and the maintenance of their genetic potential in order to preserve the properties and economically valuable traits. High-quality seeds of the best zoned breeds and hybrids are the foundation of the future harvest. Breeds with a wide adaptive potential allow them to be grown in different climatic conditions and to select for the best forms.

Chickpea C2H2-Type Zinc Finger Protein ZF2 is a Positive Regulator in Drought Response in Arabidopsis

Drought is a major abiotic stress limiting agricultural crops production worldwide. In our study, we isolated a novel C2H2-type zinc finger protein gene ZF2 from chickpea. ZF2 consisted of 232 amino acids with two QALGGH motifs in Cys2/His2 zinc finger domain. Transient expression analysis of ZF2:GFP fusion protein showed that ZF2 was a nuclear localized protein. In the yeast assay system, the full-length of ZF2 did not show transcriptional activation. Expression of ZF2 gene was enhanced by treatments of several abiotic stresses and phytohormones. The promoter region of ZF2 contained multiple stress- and hormone-related cis-elements. Overexpression of ZF2 in Arabidopsis significantly improved the root length and fresh weight at seedling stage and enhanced the survival rates and proline content under drought treatment. These results indicated that ZF2 functioned as a positive regulator in drought response.

How agricultural practices affect the risk of human contamination by infectious pathogens: the need for a ‘One Health’ perspective

Abstract We conducted a comprehensive literature review with a global geographic scope, of interactions between agricultural crop production practices (excluding crop protection practices) and biological human health hazards. The majority of relevant references dealt with bacterial contaminations and infections, largely due to the important public health issue of antibiotic resistance. Indicator coliforms were particularly significant (only a minority mentioned harmful Escherichia coli strains), followed by species belonging to Salmonella , Campylobacter , Clostridia , Pseudomonas , and Listeria genera. Protozoan Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp., and helminthic Ascaris spp. and Trichuris spp. dominated the references to parasites. Enteric viruses largely dominated the references to viruses (particularly noroviruses and rotaviruses). Very few references mentioned human fungal pathogens. Fresh vegetables were the most commonly mentioned crops, particularly leafy greens and those eaten raw, due to the use of wastewater for irrigation, and fertilization with livestock manure and human excreta/sewage sludge, potentially unsafe practices. While earlier literature reviews have shown that crop protection practices are central to the One Health concept, this review shows that other agricultural practices can also contribute to human and environmental health via different pathways, including better soil health, water quality, better food safety, and human nutrition. Our review underlines that besides tradeoffs, synergies should be sought, between, on the one hand, saving/preserving freshwater and organic waste recycling (affecting environmental health and some aspects of human health), and health hazards associated with the use of potentially contaminated waste on the other (affecting other aspects of human health), from both agroecological and One Health perspectives.

The contribution of agricultural crop production towards the economic growth of Indonesia’s agricultural sector

The agricultural sector is annually included in the top three after the manufacturing sector and wholesale and retail trade sectors as Indonesia’s largest contributor to gross domestic product (GDP). The average contribution of the agricultural sector to the country’s income is around 11–13% of total GDP. The GRDP of the agricultural sector (AgriGRDP) is an indicator of the economic growth of Indonesia’s agricultural sector. This study aims to examine the contribution of plantation crop production (PPC), food crop production (PFC), horticultural crop production (PHC), and farmer terms of trade (FTT) to the AgriGRDP. This study uses secondary data sourced from BPS-Statistics Indonesia. This research method uses panel data regression analysis with time series data for 2018–2021 and cross-sectional data from 33 provinces in Indonesia, resulting in 132 observations. The results of this study found that the best econometric model to answer the research objectives is the random effect model (REM). The findings of this study indicate that simultaneously and partially, the variables PPC, PFC, PHC, and FTT have a significant positive effect on AgriGRDP. An increase in PPC, PFC, PHC, and FTT will increase Indonesia’s AgriGRDP.

Computer-Oriented Model for Network Aggregation of Measurement Data in IoT Monitoring of Soil and Climatic Parameters of Agricultural Crop Production Enterprises

Computer-Oriented Model for Network Aggregation of Measurement Data in IoT Monitoring of Soil and Climatic Parameters of Agricultural Crop Production Enterprises

Wastewater Use: A Debatable Scenario and their Impacts on Crop Production

About 90% of freshwater is used in agriculture for crop production and the world is already facing a scarcity of fresh water resources. Changing climate and rainfall pattern urge crops to demand more water while wastewater is excessively available and produce in huge amount which holds a maximum amount of organic matter and nutrients. Freshwater scarcity and demand for more food production urge farmers to use wastewater. Wastewater use has some pros and cons, in pros the addition of organic matter to soil bodies, while in cons are reduction in germination, growth, and yield. Wastewater helps farmers increment soil organic matter, total available macro and micronutrients. The negative effect is due to the addition of toxic material to soil bodies such as heavy metals, and it can't be reduced crop yield if it remains below the toxic limits. But the current scenario of wastewater uses and their positive and negative effects on the yield of crops are still under debate due many researchers showed that crop yield is reduced, and some mentioned that the crop yield increases or effects are insignificant. In this article, discussions are made about the impacts of wastewater irrigation and their correlation to seeds germination, plant growth and yield.

Regional effect on meat quality traits of Buffalos in Bangladesh

The study was aimed to determine the management practices of buffaloes and the meat quality test at different villages of Pauba upazilla in Rajshahi, Madargonj upazilla in Jamalpur and sadar upazilla in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Total 15 respondents were randomly selected from three villages; each village consists of variable numbers of respondents. The period of data collection was from February to April, 2016. The data were collected through personal interview from the individual respondent present in their own house. Only buffalo rearing was the major occupation of the farmers followed by agricultural crop production. Most of them (70.0%) kept their buffaloes on their own land; but some of them (30.0%) kept buffaloes on a hired place. The farmers (60.0%) basically have no training skill for buffalo rearing but some of them have influences from the buffalo farmers (40.0%). Most of the buffalo farmers purchased one pair of buffalo at a time and reared buffalos for at least 2 years. They fed their buffaloes with locally available roughages and tree leaves which contained more crude protein (CP) and less crude fibre (CF). In time of autumn season, they send their buffalo in Sunamgonj or Sylhet region for proper feeding. Buffalo farmers mainly maintain semi-intensive feeding system. The major diseases of buffaloes in those areas were Foot and Mouth Disease, anthrax and black quarter. Most of them performed vaccination collected from the local market and they also practiced medication and deworming. The farmers were satisfied with the marketing facilities. In case of meat quality parameters with proximate analysis and the results indicate that the better management gives us better quality of meat. It can be suggested that, management practice is very important fact in our country to get good quality of meat. So, we should improve our management practice through scientific approach.

Comprehensive assessment of soil heterogeneity by crop canopy status

One of the most important applications of soil knowledge is in agricultural processes and crop production. Crop and forage yields strongly depend on soil conditions. Therefore, accurate soil information is an important component of informational support for agricultural production. A soil map is used as the basis for obtaining the soil data of a land plot. But the information on the soil map in many cases does not reflect the spatial variation of all agronomically important properties of soils, which leads to oversimplified and inaccurate analysis of soil information when making management decisions. A new methodology of applied soil mapping for agricultural purposes, based on a detailed analysis of the state of crops in a crop rotation with the use of multi-year satellite data archives, is proposed. The maps of soil inhomogeneity of individual fields, obtained on the basis of the proposed approaches, differ significantly from the traditionally developed soil maps and more accurately reflect the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties, predetermining their actual fertility.

Changes in Agro-climatic Indicators in the Korça Region

The productivity of agricultural crops depends on an optimal degree of genetic factors, climate, soil and level of agrotechnology. Climate changes have a significant negative impact on the productivity of agricultural crops. The study is focused on a multi-year analysis of the main climate indicators, such as temperature and precipitation. The data collected from hydrometeorological stations in the Korça region of Albania were processed and compared with the corresponding data from two previous 30-year periods. The increase in temperature indicated a trend without significant volatility from one year to the next, and the annual amount of precipitation did not fundamentally change; however, a greater concern was the amount of rain that fell over fewer days but in larger amounts. Moreover, the structure of the diagram which integrated temperature and average monthly rainfall showed that there had been an increase in the periods of drought. The changes in agro-climatic indicators present a challenge for producers in the field of agriculture if they are to meaningfully remodel agricultural areas and determine the most appropriate cultivation technologies for agricultural crops.

The current regime of heat waves and their impact on the yield of cereal crops in Ukraine

Heat waves are one of the most dangerous meteorological phenomena, the manifestations of which have become more frequent in all regions of the globe in recent decades. Due to excessively high temperatures persisting for a long time, heat waves cause heat stress in living organisms and plants, and negatively affect various sectors of the national economy. Although the mechanism of heat wave formation is well known, the question of determining and predicting the intensity and duration of these processes in advance, as well as the areas of their propagation, remains open, including due to the lack of unified concept of a heat wave. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of extremely warm days and heat waves for the period 1996-2021 in 16 regions of Ukraine, where the production of the main agricultural crops (winter wheat, spring barley, corn) is concentrated. The analysis was performed using the surface skin temperature Ts, which contains information about the temperature of both the canopy and ground surface.
 It was found that during the study period, the number of extremely warm days increased in all regions of the country and in all seasons of the year, with the most significant increase occurring in the last decade in winter and autumn. The warmest year was 2020, when the number of extremely warm days in some regions reached 100-106 per year. The frequency of heat waves at the end of the study period almost doubled compared to the beginning, reaching an average of 8-10 cases per year. The average seasonal frequency of heat waves was 4-5 cases in summer and 2-4 cases in other seasons. The longest heat waves lasting 17-19 days were recorded in all agro-climatic zones in August 2010. In other seasons, the maximum duration of heat waves did not exceed 10-14 days.
 Statistical assessment of the relationship between the seasonal number of extremely warm days and the grain yield crops showed that an increase in these days in the spring leads to decrease in the yield crops of winter wheat and spring barley; in summer this negative impact is observed for corn.

Towards sustainable crop production in Somalia: Examining the role of environmental pollution and degradation

Climate change poses a severe threat to the agriculture sector of low-income economies. To mitigate the influence of the intensifying deforestation and climate change on the environment and the livelihoods of many societies, it is crucial to illustrate the association between environmental pollution, degradation, and crop production. Somalia is facing massive deforestation. The key drivers of land degradation in Somalia are the dependence on traditional biomass energy—charcoal and firewood—, and unsustainable agriculture cultivation methods. In this regard, this study assesses the role of CO2 emissions, agriculture methane emissions, and environmental degradation on crop production in Somalia from 1990 to 2018. The long-run Cointegration and causality of the variables were assessed using an ARDL bound test and Granger causality, respectively. The study found strong empirical evidence that CO2 and agricultural methane emissions enhance crop production in the long run in Somalia. On the contrary, environmental degradation has a long-run adverse impact on crop productivity. The long-run results of the study are robust for various econometric methods. Besides, bidirectional causality between CO2 emissions and agricultural output, and Agricultural methane emissions and crop production were established. Nevertheless, the study suggests policy reforms and investments in agriculture research, agricultural input markets, seed and fertilizers systems, and policies that enhance farmers’ and pastoralists’ awareness of environmental quality.

The impact of climate variability on agricultural food crop production and output: the case of some selected communities in Offinso South District of Ghana

In Ghana, there is evidence of the direct influence of climate change on the environment, such as rising temperatures, variable rainfall, and precipitation. These manifestations affect various facets of Ghana socio-economic structure especially with its high reliance on sectors that are particularly sensitive to climate change like agriculture. In the settlements of Bonsua and Amoawi in the Offinso South District, the study concentrated on the influence of climate change variables on food crop production and how farmers are adapting to the various climate change measures. Out of the total of 650 staple food crop farmers in the dorminated selected communities namely, Amoawi and Bonsua, 160 farmers were chosen for the study using systematic random sampling. The study included both primary and secondary data. Descriptive cross sectional survey was employed for the study. The data collection instrument employed was Structured and semi-structured interviews. SPSS was used to analyse the data. The data collected for the study were analysed using both descriptive and inferential analytical tools. Findings from the study indicate that climate change is a challenge to food crop production since agriculture activity in the two communities are mostly rain feed (97.5%). The majority of the crops grown in the two areas are climate change vulnerable. Another study finding reveals that most respondents have modified their coping mechanisms such as such as growing different crop varieties, early and late planting, irrigation and soil conservation to deal with how climate change is affecting agriculture. Therefore, the study suggests that both government and non-governmental organizations should support farmers in building irrigation systems to continuously irrigate their food crops during the dry season, increasing their farm productivity.