Rain-fed Cultivation Research Articles

Fig rootstocks screening for rain-fed cultivation in Iran

Fig rootstocks screening for rain-fed cultivation in Iran

Optimizing cropping patterns and resource allocation for sustainable agricultural development: A case study of Ilam province, Iran

Establishing connections between ecosystems and agricultural mechanization can help address erroneous decision-making in agricultural management and prevent further harm to ecosystems. It is essential for authorities and decision-makers in the agricultural sector to understand ecosystem dynamics and influencing factors to develop appropriate policies for sustainable development. This study focuses on identifying optimal conditions for determining crop patterns and input allocation in Ilam province's agricultural practices, considering technical and energy parameters. Cultivating one hectare of wheat and barley in the region requires an average energy consumption of 1.79 GJ from various sources, with an estimated energy output of 38.04 GJ ha−1 for these crops. The research involved farmers cultivating wheat, barley, fodder maize, and canola in the southern region of Ilam province, covering cities like Abdanan, Dareshahr, and Dehloran. The study suggests adjustments to cropping patterns, including reducing wheat cultivation and increasing irrigated fodder maize cultivation under optimal conditions. It also recommends exploring rainfed cultivation or enhancing the yield of rainfed wheat to offset the reduced wheat cultivation. The goal planning model indicates a shift towards sustainability, with changes in cropping patterns focusing on wheat, barley, fodder maize, and canola crops, including expanding the cultivation areas of irrigated wheat, barley, and fodder maize. Efforts aim to enhance the productivity of irrigated crops to promote sustainability and improve agricultural practices in the province for long-term sustainability goals.

Responses of Soil Water, Temperature, and Yield of Apple Orchard to Straw Mulching and Supplemental Irrigation on China’s Loess Plateau

The combination effect of straw mulching and supplemental irrigation on the soil water and heat, and the growth and productivity of mature apple trees on the Loess Plateau of China remains unclear. Field experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the combined effect of straw mulching and supplemental irrigation (two irrigation types, ring and double-row drip irrigation, and three irrigation levels: high, medium, and low irrigation level) on the soil water and temperature, growth, yield, and water productivity (WP) of a mature apple orchard. Local rainfed cultivation was used as the control (CK). The results showed that straw mulching increased soil moisture by 2.4–6.5% compared to the CK treatment. Supplemental irrigation significantly increased soil moisture in the 0–60 cm layer by 3.0–8.1%, and its effect increased with an increasing irrigation level. Straw mulching significantly reduced soil temperature by 7.8% compared to the CK treatment. Supplemental irrigation significantly increased the new shoot length and stem thickness of apple trees. Under straw mulching, a medium supplemental irrigation level significantly increased both apple yield and WP compared to the CK treatment. In this study area, it is recommended to choose a combination of straw mulching and a medium supplemental irrigation level.

Managing uphill cultivation under climate change – An assessment of adaptation decisions among tribal farmers in Nagaland state of India

Tribal farmers in the Himalayas are vulnerable to climatic changes, as their rain-fed cultivation systems, practiced on steep, sloping terrain, are susceptible to changes in rainfall while at the same time being the primary means of livelihood. Soil and water conservation practices (SWCP) can improve the resilience of these cultivation systems to adverse climatic conditions. However, little is known about adaptation within these tribal farming communities. This is the first empirical study on the adaptation decisions of tribal farmers in the Himalayan uplands of Northeast India. Starting from the analysis of future climate risks, we surveyed 372 tribal farmers in Nagaland state to analyze perceived climate and environmental changes in relation to socio-demographic factors. We estimate current adoption rates of SWCP together with farmers’ goals and values and employ a binary logit model (BLM) to quantify the influence of diverse factors on adaptation decisions. Our results show that increases in temperatures and crop diseases were the most perceived changes by tribal farmers. Climate projections indicate that precipitation amount and intensity, along with temperatures, will increase towards the end of the century, underlining the importance of SWCP. However, all considered SWCP were employed by less than half of the tribal farmers. Adoption probabilities for all practices were significantly increased when farmers participated in agricultural training. After that, participation in a civil society organization, livestock ownership, high-altitude locations, and perceived increases in droughts were found to increase adoption probabilities significantly, while socio-demographic factors were of only minor importance. If the most effective factor was employed to all farmers, average adoption rates of SWCP could at least double. Adoption decisions were mainly motivated by improving livelihoods, sustaining natural resources, reducing workload, and preserving cultural aspects of cultivation. This research contributes to understanding adaptation decisions of tribal farmers and quantifies the untapped potential for climate change adaptation of marginalized and climate-vulnerable farming communities in mountain regions.

Water Requirement of Major Tuber Crops: A Review

One of the most crucial input required for the growth of crops is water. It is required by plants in enormous amounts and continually throughout their lifecycle. It has a significant impact on plant processes like photosynthesis, respiration, cell division, absorption, translocation, use of mineral nutrients and agriculture operations like irrigation, land husbandry, crop production, medium for spraying chemicals etc. But the future water supply is questionable due to climate change and related problems like rise in temperature. This lead to change in precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle are thrown off balance. Therefore, in the current environment, the development of water-saving agriculture is essential. As tuber crops are known for their high water use efficiency, it is having big part in water saving agriculture. Tuber crops are major sources of carbohydrates, thus play a key role in food safety. The starchy root of tuber crops can be used for various purposes like food, livestock feed, raw material in industry mainly for starch production etc. As most of the tuber crops are compatible with the farming systems, resistant to drought and withstand aberrant rainfall conditions, farmers follows rainfed cultivation of tuber crops. Anyhow water deficit stress occurring during the critical phases would adversely affect the ultimate performance of tuber crops and judicious use of water will result maximum yield. This review paper aims to know the water requirement of major tuber crops (Potato, Cassava, Sweet Potato, Amorphophallus, Taro and Tannia) and influence of water management in their yield potential.

HUMIC EXTRACT AS A BIOSTIMULANT IN CROPS SUBJECTED TO ABIOTIC STRESS

Because abiotic stresses pose significant challenges to the growth and productivity of crops, the development of plants with greater survival and growth when exposed to unfavorable situations is an objective of several research groups. Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied to crops through the foliar or root pathways, serve to enhance various processes related to growth and development. These processes include nutrient absorption, tolerance to environmental stress, and overall harvest quality. Interestingly, biostimulants can achieve these effects even when they possess a low concentration of nutrient elements in their composition. Among the main and most often used biostimulants are plant hormones, algae extract, mycorrhizal fungi, protein hydrolysates, and humic substances (humic and fulvic acids). This review sheds light on the biostimulant effects of applying humic substances to plants experiencing hydric stress conditions and low rainfed cultivation. Additionally, it aims to identify gaps in the current research and highlights areas that require further investigation. Furthermore, the review provides a concise overview of the origin and progression of research on humic substances (HS), including their extraction and obtaining process, as well as their structural characteristics and the relationship between structure, properties, and functions. The review also presents the research findings that support the potential of humic substances influencing crops affected by abiotic stress. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of humic substances in enhancing the resilience and performance of crops facing challenges such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes, and other non-biological stressors. The evidence underscores the significance of humic substances as a valuable tool in mitigating the detrimental impacts of abiotic stress on crop productivity and overall plant health.

Impact of Mixed Farming on the Socioeconomic Conditions of Small-Scale Farmers in Tehsil Mankera District, Bhakkar

The research study investigates the mixed farming attributes of farmer's households concerning socioeconomic conditions and services provided in the study area. The baseline survey was executed to investigate the indigenous farming activities, socioeconomic conditions of the local community, and services provided in Tehsil Mankera, District Bhakkar. 200 farmers' households from 20 stations and eight union councils were selected for the baseline survey. Ten farmers' households from each village were selected with random sampling. The results revealed that the study area comprised three types of cultivation: tube well cultivation was 17%, canal cultivation was 4%, and rain-fed cultivation was about 79. The total cultivated area was 88%, and significant Rabi crops were Gram (the primary source of their livelihood), wheat (the local staple food of the farmers) with fodder like alfalfa and mustard. The main Kharif crops were pearl millet (bajra) and cluster bean (guar seed). The farmer's households have an average of 2-6 cattle at home. The area is mainly rain-fed with poor health, education, water, sanitation, and electricity facilities. Most of the farmers' households' land is under 5-10 acres with poor quality that is difficult to cultivate. Poverty prevails in the study area. Agriculture and livestock herding are their livelihood strategies. Expenditures are far more than the annual income of farmer's households. Farmer's households live below the poverty line.

Interação genótipo x ambiente e estabilidade em variedades crioulas de feijão de corda em terras secas

ABSTRACT Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an excellent crop for research in semi-arid regions, due to its tolerance to high temperatures and water deficit, with satisfactory yields in rain-fed cultivation. The objective this work was to evaluate the genotype x environment (G × E) interaction, adaptability and stability of cowpea landraces used in the Cariri, Paraíba, in the semiarid region of Northeast Brazil. The experiment was carried out under rain-fed conditions in two locations of this region. For all traits evaluated, the G × E interaction was simple, which means that the evaluated landraces can be recommended for the different environments tested. The results also suggest that phenotypic selection can be efficient to enhance the yield of cowpea landraces and, therefore, can be practiced by the farmers themselves. The most advantageous landraces were ranked with good stability (qi <5%). Although the performance standards between the cowpea landraces were similar in the different environments, the best values were obtained on the farm with the best environmental conservation history and with higher precipitation. Therefore, the integration between the yield of cowpea landraces, environmental conservation in agricultural landscapes, and strategic planning that considers possible variations in local precipitation is essential in models of sustainable agricultural development in semi-arid zones of Northeast Brazil.

Use of life cycle assessment and modeling techniques for prediction of energy-environmental indicators in different wheat production systems

This study was conducted to analyze and model the energy consumption and environmental indicators for different wheat production systems in Qazvin province. Information needed for this study, related to 2021–2022, data was collected by monitoring machinery, and inputs during wheat production were interviewed by farmers and filled out questionnaires. The purpose of this study includes: (1) estimating the fuel consumption and energy of inputs in different wheat production systems, (2) estimating the environmental impact associated with input consumption using life cycle assessment (LCA), and (3) providing suggestions for optimization. The results showed wheat production in irrigated conservation tillage system has energy ratio (2.12) and energy productivity (0.18 kg MJ−1) suitable compared to conventional irrigated and rainfed tillage, and conservation rainfed tillage. Nitrogen fertilizer (55%–68%) and fuel consumption (15%–31%) of affect the energy consumption of four wheat cultivation systems. Three categories of damage to human health, ecosystem and resources in LCA were using the ReCiPe2016 method. Resource damage category for conventional tillage irrigation (76.05 USD2013) has significant pollution. The share of seed emissions, On-Farm emissions and nitrogen emissions affect the categories of damage to human health, ecosystems and resources, respectively. The results of the Cobb-Douglas model showed that T3 (fertilization and weed control) was significant at the level of 1% among other inputs. T1 (chisel packer roller), T2 (planting) and T4 (harvest and straw packaging) were significant at 5% level. The results of artificial neural network (ANN) of conventional rainfed cultivation showed that 6 input layers, 7 hidden layers with 10 hidden neurons and 1 output parameter were selected as the best structure. R2 and RMSE for fuel consumption were 0.95 and 43.65, respectively. As a result, the ANN results show higher accuracy than the Cobb-Douglas model.

Exploring The Nexus Between Crop Diversification

Following the effects of climate change, there has been a resurgence of interest in promoting crop diversification as a climate-smart agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve food security, increase income, and reduce vulnerability to external shocks. This practice is considered an effective risk management strategy and consumption smoothing strategy in a context characterized by repeated exposure to shocks. Agricultural production in Kenya is mainly dependent on rain-fed cultivation, with maize as the principal staple food crop. However, staple crops face major challenges and therefore, a diversification from over-reliance on staples will be important as part of progress toward achieving food security. The Kenyan government has, for a long time, been promoting crop diversification to improve household welfare and minimize risks associated with heavy dependence on maize. A decline in maize yields associated with the emergence of new pests and diseases, such as maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND) in Borabu sub-county, emphasized the need for maize farmers to diversify away from maize production. Although this strategy is in use, there is no clear evidence of the impact it has on the livelihoods of vulnerable households. Thus, the study sought to find out the nexus between crop diversification and household welfare among small-scale farming households in Borabu sub-county. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a representative sample size of 385 small-scale farmers. Primary data was collected using observations and interviews with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the STATA computer program. This paper adopted the Endogenous Switching Regression Model to determine the nexus between crop diversification and household welfare, with household welfare being proxied by household financial savings. The findings indicate that smallholder maize farmers who practiced crop diversification experienced an enhanced ability to save than a random individual would have experienced. Keywords: Crop diversification, household welfare, Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, Endogenous Switching Regression Model. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/13-8-07 Publication date: May 31 st 2023

Exploring the Nexus Between Crop Diversification and Household Welfare, in Borabu Sub-County, Kenya

Following the effects of climate change, there has been a resurgence of interest in promoting crop diversification as a climate-smart agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve food security, increase income, and reduce vulnerability to external shocks. This practice is considered an effective risk management strategy and consumption smoothing strategy in a context characterized by repeated exposure to shocks. Agricultural production in Kenya is mainly dependent on rain-fed cultivation, with maize as the principal staple food crop. However, staple crops face major challenges and therefore, a diversification from over-reliance on staples will be important as part of progress toward achieving food security. The Kenyan government has, for a long time, been promoting crop diversification to improve household welfare and minimize risks associated with heavy dependence on maize. A decline in maize yields associated with the emergence of new pests and diseases, such as maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND) in Borabu sub-county, emphasized the need for maize farmers to diversify away from maize production. Although this strategy is in use, there is no clear evidence of the impact it has on the livelihoods of vulnerable households. Thus, the study sought to find out the nexus between crop diversification and household welfare among small-scale farming households in Borabu sub-county. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a representative sample size of 385 small-scale farmers. Primary data was collected using observations and interviews with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the STATA computer program. This paper adopted the Endogenous Switching Regression Model to determine the nexus between crop diversification and household welfare, with household welfare being proxied by household financial savings. The findings indicate that smallholder maize farmers who practiced crop diversification experienced an enhanced ability to save than a random individual would have experienced. Keywords: Crop diversification, household welfare, Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, Endogenous Switching Regression Model. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-13-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2023

Effect of Tipping and Foliar Application of Proline and Botminn Plus on Yield and Quality of Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Khoshnaw

This study was carried out on 20 years old grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Khoshnaw, which was growing in Chwarta town northeastern Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region/Iraq, during the growing season 2021, to investigate the effect of tipping, foliar application of proline (0, 100, and 200 mg.L-1), botminn plus (0, 3 and 6 ml.L-1) and their interaction on yield and chemical characteristics of the grape. The vineyard was rain-fed cultivation and its elevation is 974 m above sea level. The results showed that tipping, foliar application of proline especially at 200 mg.L-1, and botminn plus especially at 6 ml.L-1 gave the highest cluster weight, the number of clusters.vine-1, total yield, TSS, total sugar, vitamin C, and Anthocyanin, While both of them did not significantly affect the percentage of phenols. The triple interaction between tipping, proline, and botminn plus significantly enhanced all detected traits since tipped vine + 200 mg.L-1 proline + 6 ml.L-1 botminn plus significantly outshine in yield and chemical characteristics of grape except total sugar and phenols compared to the untreated trees (control).

Pomological and Olive Oil Quality Characteristics Evaluation under Short Time Irrigation of Olive Trees cv. Chemlali with Untreated Industrial Poultry Wastewater

The aim of this work was the investigation of the effect of wastewater generated from the poultry meat industry on the irrigation of olive trees, during a short time period, in order to evaluate its impact on pomological criteria and olive oil quality. Olive trees were subjected to irrigation with different water qualities: (i) poultry wastewater (PWW), (ii) poultry wastewater diluted with tap water 50:50 (v/v) (PWTWW), (iii) rain-fed cultivation system (control). The results showed that PWTWW contains the optimal mineral proportions, leading to improved pomological criteria. However, the highest significant pulp oil content was obtained using poultry wastewater irrigation (69.51%), while this was 66.71% using diluted poultry wastewater, and 58.03 % for the control. Poultry wastewater irrigation yielded the best results in oil standard quality indices. In addition, an enrichment in oil total polyphenols content was achieved. The oil fatty acid profile was not affected following irrigation with poultry wastewater. Nevertheless, there was a significant increase in the contents of oleic acid and alcohols, accompanied by a decrease in total sterols. However, heavy metals accumulation was observed in both fruits and olive oil. In conclusion, our results suggest that among the three water qualities, poultry wastewater is the best alternative to improve olive oil quality.

Simulation and Evaluation of Water Resources Management Scenarios Under Climate Change for Adaptive Management of Coastal Agricultural Watersheds

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of climate change on water resources management and groundwater quantity and quality in the coastal agricultural Almyros Basin, in Greece. Intensive groundwater abstractions for irrigation and nitrogen fertilization for crop production maximization, have caused a large water deficit, nitrate pollution, as well as seawater intrusion in the Almyros aquifer system. Multi-model climate projections for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 4.5 and 8.5) from the Med-CORDEX database for precipitation and temperature have been used to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the study area. The multi-model climate projections have been bias-corrected with Delta, Delta change of Mean and Variance, Quantile Delta Change, Quantile Empirical Mapping, and Quantile Gamma Mapping methods, and statistically tested to find the best GCM/RCM multi-model ensemble. Simulation of coastal water resources has been performed using an Integrated Modelling System (IMS) that contains connected models of surface hydrology (UTHBAL), groundwater hydrology (MODFLOW), nitrate leaching/crop growth (REPIC), nitrate pollution (MT3DMS), and seawater intrusion (SEAWAT). The results indicate that the best climate multi-model ensemble consists of three (3) climate models for both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 using the Quantile Empirical Mapping bias-correction method. The IMS was applied for historical and future periods with observed and simulated meteorological inputs (e.g. precipitation and temperature) and various irrigation and agronomic scenarios and water storage works development (i.e. reservoirs). The results indicate that at least deficit irrigation and deficit irrigation along with rain-fed cultivation schemes, combined with or without the development and operation of reservoirs, should be applied to overcome the degradation of groundwater quality and quantity in the study basin. Based on the findings of this work, the water resources management should be adaptive to tackle the water resources problems of the Almyros Basin.

CFMV 2 (GIRA): A biofortified, high grain and fodder yielding finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn) variety

The nationally identified variety ‘CFMV 2/ Gira’ which is uniform maturing and developed through selection from local germplasm collected from the Dangs district of Gujarat. A finger millet biofortified variety ‘CFMV 2/ Gira’ was tested as a culture ‘WN 559’ at the State level and ‘FMV 1118’ at the National level. It was tested under different state trials at Waghai, Varanasi and Dahod centers in Gujarat from 2014 to 2020. WN-559 (3551 kg/ha) performed well with 15.02 per cent increase over local check 'GNN-6' while, 27.47  and 25.88 per cent grain yield superiority over national check varieties PR-202 and GPU 67, respectively. At the national level, under 28 locations under five states across India under IVT, AVT-I and AVT-II, culture FMV-1118 recorded on an average 2950 kg/ha of grain yield which was 20.7, 32.6, 6.70, 7.70 and 14.4 per cent higher than national checks GPU-45, VL-352, GPU-67, PR-202 and VL-376, respectively in All India Coordinated trials conducted at Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha. Proposed entry ‘FMV-1118’ yielded 8588 kg/ha of fodder yield with 12.3, 38.8, 11.11, 9.10 and 29.6 per cent increased yield over national checks GPU-45, VL-352, GPU-67, PR-202 and VL-376, respectively. It is medium duration, synchronous maturity (115 to 125 days) with profuse productive tillers and non-lodging culture suitable for rainfed cultivation. The proposed culture was found to be good in nutritional properties particularly high calcium, iron, phosphorous and also a good amount of protein and minerals. With respect to pests and diseases, it was found superior to checks and moderately resistant for the same. It is with bold grain size, non shattering habit of panicle with plant type and non-lodging with semi-compact panicle. Considering the need for medium duration cultivars, the Central Finger Millet Variety (CFMV-2/Gira) a high yield potential genotype with desirable grain quality and moderately resistant to foot rot and blast disease was released by the AICRP-Small Millets, IIMR, Hyderabad as a biofortified and high yielding finger millet variety for the states viz., Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha. Keywords: Finger millet, Grain yielding variety, High Ca, Fe content, better nutritional quality variety.

CKMV 1: A Short duration, high yielding, drought tolerant, non lodging kodomillet variety suitable for rainfed cultivation in India

A high yielding and early maturing kodo millet variety CKMV 1 was developed at the Centre of Excellence in Millets, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Athiyandal by pure line selection from DPS 63/58. It recorded an average grain yield of 2813 kg/ha and 6967 kg/ha of straw under rainfed conditions in all India trials, which was 14, 28, 34 and 16 per cent higher over the check varieties RK 390-25 (2465kg/ha), RBK-155 (2196kg/ha), GPUK-3 (2103kg/ha) and TNAU 86 (2420kg/ha), respectively. All India Coordinated trials were conducted in three years during kharif, 2017 to kharif, 2019. This variety has registered 18 and 16 per cent increased grain yield over the qualifying varieties KMV 546 and KMV 547, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. This variety has registered 22, 27, 23 and 10 per cent increased straw yield over the check varieties RK 390-25, RBK-155, GPUK3 and TNAU 86, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. This variety has registered 7 and 8 per cent increased fodder yield over the qualifying varieties KMV 546 and KMV 547, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. Being an early duration variety with 106-110 days of maturity, it is the best choice for rainfed sowing. It is a profusely tillering and non-lodging variety and is highly suitable for rainfed cultivation in India. The panicle is long, compact and grains are arranged in irregular rows.  The grains are bold and dark brown in colour and nutritionally superior with high protein (8.5%) and Iron (3.8 mg/100g) of rice.  The introduction of this high yielding, short duration and drought tolerant culture with nutritionally rich grains will fulfil the needs of the dry land, hill area and tribal farming tracts of India, where Kodomillet is grown predominantly under the rainfed situation. Keywords: Kodo millet, CKMV 1, rainfed sowing, short duration, high yielder, non lodging

Ancient Agriculture on Lava Flows: Using LiDAR and Soil Science to Reassess Pre-Hispanic Farming on Malpaís Landforms in West Mexico

The Mexican Central Highlands have been a major cluster for human settlement since pre-Hispanic times and its soils provide much of the food for modern Mexico. Rainfed cultivation yielded and still yields most of the agricultural products. However, pre-Hispanic rainfed cultivation has been less documented than other practices. Moreover, textual and ethnographic records, mostly postdating the deep modifications made by the Spanish conquerors, have long been prevalent in studies on pre-Hispanic farming and have tended to bias our conception of the latter. Archaeology provides new key information but struggles to address rainfed techniques, which leave few remains behind in some landscapes. To that regard, spatial approaches considering geoecological parameters are helpful. Furthermore, remote sensing techniques and airborne laser scanning (LiDAR), above all, offer increasing potential for feature detection and provides new ways to address fossilized landscapes at both archaeological and environmental levels. This paper offers new insights on pre-Hispanic rainfed cultivation through an interdisciplinary approach. It focuses on archaeological settlements on malpaís landforms (young and rugged lava flows) in the Malpaís de Zacapu, in western Mexico. There, a method combining fieldwork and remote sensing in archaeology and soil science was developed to reassess pre-Hispanic farming. After presenting the method and this study's main results, I discuss the latter in light of examples of ethnohistorical and ethnographical uses of malpaís landforms. They suggest that widespread conceptions about agricultural soils of the Mexican Central Highlands held by external observers differ from Indigenous and local farmers' notions, which seem partly inherited from pre-Hispanic times.

Characterization, classification, and suitability evaluation of some soils in the floodplains of River Niger, Kogi East, Nigeria for rice, maize, cassava, and oil palm production

This study was conducted to characterize, classify and evaluate four soils along River Niger in Kogi East for rice, maize, cassava and oil palm production. The soils developed predominantly from alluvium. The soils were located in four communities namely Ejule-Ojebe, Shintaku, Bagana and Kpata all in the floodplains of River Niger in Kogi East. The soils were investigated using a free survey technique. Four pedons representing four soils located at different sites in the floodplain were studied. The environs and the profiles of the soils were described according to standard field procedures. Soil samples were then taken from genetic horizons for laboratory analysis. The soils were also characterized and classified according to Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). The colour of the soils ranged from shades of brown to grey generally due to poor drainage. The soils also varied in depth and horizonation due to differences in profile development. Due to the relatively higher sand content of the soils, especially in the surface and subsurface horizons, the texture of the soils generally ranged from sand to clay loam. The pH (H2O) of the soils ranged from 4.8 to 7.3, strongly acidic to slightly alkaline, and tended to increase with depth. The soils containedmoderate amounts of organic carbon in the surface soils but lower levels in the lower horizons. Based on their properties, the soils were classified according to Soil Taxonomy as Alfisols (Ejule-Ojebe), Entisols (Shintaku), Inceptisols (Bagana) and Alfisols (Kpata) and according to WRB as Planosols, Arenosols, Gleysols and Planosols, respectively. The soils were found to be highly suitable for rice production but moderately suitable for maize, cassava and oil palm. Apart from rice cultivation, wetness of soil was found to be the major limiting factor for optimum rainfed cultivation of maize, cassava and oil palm.

Monitoring climate change, drought conditions and wheat production in Eurasia: the case study of Kazakhstan

Wheat is an important global food security commodity. Kazakhstan is currently a producer and exporter of high-quality wheat to global markets. The most important wheat-growing regions, which lie in the northern part of Kazakhstan, are based on spring-sown rain-fed cultivation and are susceptible to climate change and drought. Using the monthly surface air temperature and precipitation data from 1950 to 2020 from 110 meteorological stations over Kazakhstan and in addition wheat cultivation data, the research aims to analyze climate change, drought occurrence, and wheat cultivation trends in Kazakhstan in recent 70 years and investigate relationships between wheat productivity and drought. The linear method and two drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index) and in addition, Pearson's correlation coefficient have been used to characterise the climate change trends and vulnerability of agriculture in Kazakhstan to drought. The geographic information system (GIS) was applied to display climate change, drought, and wheat referenced information. The research has shown that the 70-year (1950–2020) linear rates of annual mean surface temperature in Kazakhstan have significantly increased (on average 0.31 °C per decade) with the precipitation trends are not obvious and fluctuated trends of drought. The wheat yield demonstrates strong internal variability and wheat yields were significantly correlated with 3-month June and July drought indices over the period of 1950–2020. The results underline the potential susceptibility of wheat yields in Kazakhstan to any future reductions in precipitation and increase in drought occurrence and intensity.

Effects of spatial and temporal regulation of drip emitters and tube configurations on water productivity of juvenile macadamia trees in the tropics

SummaryMacadamia in Australia is traditionally grown in semi-arid climates with hot and humid summers and cool winters supporting rainfed cultivation. Recent industry expansion into more northern, drier production areas of Queensland, Australia, requires supplementary irrigation for successful macadamia production. However, ever-increasing demand for irrigation water in these areas is both competitive and regulated. Limited information is available to optimize water use efficiency for field-grown macadamia trees. We trialled a technique that employs specially designed drip tubes with push-in emitter plugs to close emitters so that transplanting can start with emitters closed distant from tree bases and open next to the trunks of each tree. Additional emitters are then gradually opened (i.e., plugs are removed) as tree canopy size increases over subsequent years. This technique was tested on single and double in-line irrigation tube configurations per row of macadamia. Temporal regulation of emitter closure significantly reduced irrigation input by 75, 50 and 25% in the first, second and third year of treatment. Hence, irrigation over the three-year establishment period was reduced to one-half that of the non-regulated crop. These early reductions of irrigation in juvenile trees had no significant negative effects on plant growth (height, canopy spread, leaf chlorophyll and leaf photosynthetic rates), nor on nut counts. Control of emitter discharge between the plants along the row in the earlier stage (i.e., before complete within-row canopy cover) also reduced weed growth between the trees in the row. Notable growth advantages of the single in-line over the double in-line tube configuration were evident, with a non-significant but sizeable benefit on nut counts too. Effects of the temporal regulation of emitters and of in-line tube configurations must be validated on cultivars with differing water requirements and for the longer-term reproductive performance and nut quality.