Season Vegetable Production Research Articles

Economic Analysis of Main Season and Off-season Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Dhading District, Nepal

This survey research was conducted in Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality of Dhading district of Nepal in 2022. Main objective of the study was to analyze the profitability of main season and off-season production of selected vegetables in Dhading district. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 60 respondents (commercial vegetable farmers) who were interviewed face-to-face administering a semi-structured questionnaire to collect primary data. Though the average cost of production of cauliflower and tomato in off-season was higher than in main season, net incomes from these crops in off-season were higher than in main season (p<0.01). Benefit-cost ratios of cauliflower and tomato in main season (2.09 and 1.13 respectively) were lower than in off-season (2.78 and 1.47 respectively). Results indicated that growing vegetables in off-season is more profitable than in main season. The major problems perceived by the commercial vegetable farmers in the study area were high fluctuation in market price of vegetables followed by disease and insect pest damage. Study suggests that off-season vegetable production can be used as better alternative for income generation taking advantage of premium price. Government support to off-season vegetable production could make this business more profitable and sustainable.

Temporal and Spatial Variation of Land Use and Vegetation in the Three–North Shelter Forest Program Area from 2000 to 2020

The Three–North Shelter Forest Program Area (TNSFPA), covering the three subregions of Northwest, North and Northeast China, is an important green ecological barrier in northern China. Research on spatiotemporal variation of land use and vegetation in this area can help us understand the evolution of vegetation recovery. Based on MODIS image data, we built a dataset including land use/cover, annual and seasonal vegetation coverage and vegetation productivity in the TNSFPA from 2000 to 2020, then analyzed their spatiotemporal dynamics’ characteristics and further explored the driving factors. The results demonstrate that 90.05% of land area in the TNSFPA remained unchanged from 2001 to 2020. The area of barren decreased, whereas the area of all other land use types increased. From 2000 to 2020, the vegetation coverage generally presented a spatial pattern of high in the east and low in the west, and the interannual fluctuation of high coverage area was small. More than 90% of the TNSFPA had an increasing vegetation coverage (0.41%·a−1), with the change rates of 0.51%·a−1, 0.54%·a−1 and 0.37%·a−1 in Northeast, North and Northwest China, respectively. The spatial distribution of vegetation productivity was generally consistent with the vegetation coverage, and the interannual fluctuation in areas with low productivity was small. The area with an increasing vegetation productivity (3.41 gC·m−2·a−1) occupied 51.66% of the TNSFPA, mainly in the basic stable state and significantly increased state. The change rates in Northeast, North and Northwest China were 7.34 gC·m−2·a−1, 6.72 gC·m−2·a−1 and 2.10 gC·m−2·a−1, respectively. The vegetation coverage and productivity were positively correlated with climate factors, and the correlation with precipitation is significantly higher than that with temperature. The ecological protection and restoration activities in the TNSFPA have accelerated the recovery of the vegetation ecosystem. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of population has led to the acceleration of urbanization. The intensification of the interaction between humans and land has led to the reclamation and development of barren, which has a great impact on the small–scale vegetation ecosystem.

Dissolved organic matter concentration and composition discontinuity at the peat–pool interface in a boreal peatland

Abstract. Pools are common features of peatlands and can represent from 5 % to 50 % of the peatland ecosystem's surface area. Pools play an important role in the peatland carbon cycle by releasing carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. However, the origin of this carbon is not well constrained. A hypothesis is that the majority of the carbon emitted from pools predominantly originates from mineralized allochthonous (i.e., plant-derived) dissolved organic matter (DOM) from peat rather than in situ primary production. To test this hypothesis, this study examined the origin, composition, and degradability of DOM in peat porewater and pools of an ombrotrophic boreal peatland in northeastern Quebec (Canada) for 2 years over the growing season. The temporal evolution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, the optical properties, molecular composition (THM-GC-MS), stable isotopic signature (δ13C-DOC), and degradability of DOM were determined. This study demonstrates that DOM, in both peat porewater and pools, presents a diverse composition and constitutes highly dynamic components of peatland ecosystems. The molecular and isotopic analyses showed that DOM in pools was derived from plants. However, DOM compositions in the two environments were markedly different. Peat porewater DOM was more aromatic, with a higher molecular weight and DOC : DON (dissolved organic nitrogen) ratio compared to pools. The temporal dynamics of DOC concentration and DOM composition also differed. In peat porewater, the DOC concentration followed a strong seasonal increase, starting from 9 mg L−1 and reaching a plateau above 20 mg L−1 in summer and autumn. This was explained by seasonal peatland vegetation productivity, which is greater than microbial DOM degradation. In pools, DOC concentration also increased but remained 2 times lower than in the peat porewaters at the end of the growing season (∼ 10 mg L−1). Those differences might be explained by a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors. The limited hydraulic conductivity in deeper peat horizons and associated DOM residence time might have favored both DOM microbial transformation within the peat and the interaction of DOM aromatic compounds with the peat matrix, explaining part of the shift of DOM compositions between peat porewater and pools. This study did not report any photolability of DOM and only limited microbial degradability. Thus, it is likely that the DOM might have been microbially transformed at the interface between peat and pools. The combination of DOM quantitative and qualitative analyses presented in this study demonstrates that most of the carbon present within and released from the pools originates from peat vegetation. These results demonstrate that pools represent a key component of the peatland ecosystem ecological and biogeochemical functioning.

The spatial and temporal influence of infrastructure and road dust on seasonal snowmelt, vegetation productivity, and early season surface water cover in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield

Increased industrial development in the Arctic has led to a rapid expansion of infrastructure in the region. Localized impacts of infrastructure on snow distribution, road dust, and snowmelt timing and duration feeds back into the coupled Arctic system causing a series of cascading effects that remain poorly understood. We quantify spatial and temporal patterns of snow-off dates in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield, Alaska, using Sentinel-2 data. We derive the Normalized Difference Snow Index to quantify snow persistence in 2019–2020. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Normalized Difference Water Index were used to show linkages of vegetation and surface hydrology, in relationship to patterns of snowmelt. Newly available infrastructure data were used to analyze snowmelt patterns in relation infrastructure. Results show a relationship between snowmelt and distance to infrastructure varying by use and traffic load, and orientation relative to the prevailing wind direction (up to 1 month difference in snow-free dates). Post-snowmelt surface water area showed a strong negative correlation (up to −0.927) with distance to infrastructure. Results from field observations indicate an impact of infrastructure on winter near-surface ground temperature and snow depth. This study highlights the impact of infrastructure on a large area beyond the direct human footprint and the interconnectedness between snow-off timing, vegetation, surface hydrology, and near-surface ground temperatures.

Estimation of crop evapotranspiration of Okra using drainage Lysimeters under dry season conditions

Water scarcity is a major constraint to dry season vegetable production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and fresh pod weight (FPW) of okra were determined over two cropping seasons for water management in dry season irrigated farming. Two commonly grown okra varieties (NH47–4 and UI4–30) in Nigeria were investigated under three reference evapotranspiration (ETo) rates (High: ETo-H, Medium: ETo−M and Low: ETo-L) in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment using drainage lysimeters. The average ETc of UI4–30 (2.46 mm day−1) and NH47–4 (2.39 mm day−1) did not differ significantly and ranged from 1.00 mm day−1 (ETo-L) to 3.97 mm day−1 (ETo-H) and 1.04 mm day−1 (ETo−M) to 3.62 mm day−1 (ETo-H), respectively. Okra ETc was in the order: 2.89 mm day−1 (ETo-H) > 2.33 mm day−1 (ETo−M) > 2.04 mm day−1 (ETo-L). Average okra FPW over two cropping seasons was higher by 13.0% in UI4–30 than NH47–4, and had the largest strong positive correlation with ETc (r = 0.905*). UI4–30 appears superior to NH47–4 in efficient water use for high yield production, while high okra yield production during dry seasons might require a variety with high crop evapotranspiration.

ANALYSIS OF DRY SEASON VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AMONG KIRI DAM USERS IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

This study analysed the dry season vegetable production in the study area with the objective of estimating the profit and factors that affect vegetable production among the users of Kiri Dam. The data used for the study was collected from 120 randomly selected farms during the 2019 dry farming season. Descriptive statistics, farm budgeting and OLS regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The empirical estimates from farm budgeting methodology showed N29,230/ha net farm income and Naira investment return was 0.32. The Double log functional form showed farm size (P<0.1), seeds (P<0.05), fertilizer (P<0.01), age (P<0.05), and education level (P<0.01) had statistically significant effects on the vegetable production of the farmers in the study region. It was concluded that growing vegetables in the study area during the dry season was profitable. Therefore, it was suggested encouraged to educated youth who were not gainfully employed to join vegetable farming in the study area and supplying subsidized farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, and agrochemicals so as to lower production costs and increase profit.

Design, Development and Evaluation of a Bucket Drip Irrigation System for Dry Season Vegetable Production in South-Eastern Nigeria

In South-Eastern Nigeria, during the dry season from November to April, vegetables are always in short supply and consequently expensive. Hence, there is a need to design, develop an affordable and simple bucket drip irrigation system that can be used to grow vegetables under limited water supply conditions. Using the estimated consumptive use of the proposed crop okra and the area occupied by the crop stands, the capacity of the bucket as a source of water was computed. The bucket filled with water was placed at a head of 1 m. The water was allowed to flow through emitters located at 30 cm intervals along the lateral lines laid at the land slope of 2%. Two lengths of PVC tubes 11 m long, 1 mm thick and internal diameters 16 mm, Micro-tubes 5 cm long and internal diameter 1.2 mm, were used. The discharge from each emitter was determined through volumetric measurements. The system was then evaluated using the Christiansen’s method and the Merriam and Keller’s method and assessed using ASAE standards 1996(a) and 1996(b) performance rating. 22 sampled emitters evaluated from the lateral line showed total energy drop of 2.5 x 10-5 m, flow variation (FV) of 8%, coefficient of variation (CV) of emitter discharge of 0.02, uniformity coefficient (UC) of 97% and emission uniformity (EU) of 73%. The results show that the system is efficient and can be used by farmers to meet the demands for vegetables in the dry season.

Assessing Vegetation Response to Multi-Scalar Drought across the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan Deserts and Apache Highlands in the Southwest United States

Understanding the patterns and relationships between vegetation productivity and climatic conditions is essential for predicting the future impacts of climate change. Climate change is altering precipitation patterns and increasing temperatures in the Southwest United States. The large-scale and long-term effects of these changes on vegetation productivity are not well understood. This study investigates the patterns and relationships between seasonal vegetation productivity, represented by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) across the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts and the Apache Highlands of the Southwest United States over 16 years from 2000 to 2015. To examine the spatiotemporal gradient and response of vegetation productivity to dry and wet conditions, we evaluated the linear trend of different SPEI timescales and correlations between NDVI and SPEI. We found that all four ecoregions are experiencing more frequent and severe drought conditions in recent years as measured by negative SPEI trends and severe negative SPEI values. We found that changes in NDVI were more strongly correlated with winter rather than summer water availability. Investigating correlations by vegetation type across all four ecoregions, we found that grassland and shrubland productivity were more dependent on summer water availability whereas sparse vegetation and forest productivity were more dependent on winter water availability. Our results can inform resource management and enhance our understanding of vegetation vulnerability to climate change.

Minimum carbon uptake controls the interannual variability of ecosystem productivity in tropical evergreen forests

Tropical evergreen forests contribute an important part to the interannual variability (IAV) of the global terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP). Due to its year-round growing-season, high minimum carbon uptake (GPP min ) and dry season greening-up, the key processes driving the GPP variability across seasonal to interannual scale are still in debate. Here, we analyzed the time-series of FLUXCOM GPP (1980–2013), sun-induced fluorescence (SIF; 2001–2013) and site-level GPP measurements in three tropical evergreen forests regions (i.e., Amazon, Africa, and Southeast Asia). We decomposed the annual accumulated GPP into the basic and recurrent GPP, which represent the accumulated minimum and seasonal vegetation productivity, respectively. Then we quantified the proportion of each component and estimated the contribution to the IAV of GPP. We find that the basic GPP overwhelmed the recurrent GPP with the averaging ratio of 4.2:1 across the global tropical regions, and dominated the IAV of annual total GPP in 83.7% of the tropical evergreen forest areas. The high contribution of the basic GPP resulted from the great sensitivity of GPP min to rainfall changes among years. The decomposition of the basic and recurrent GPP sheds new light on the understanding of tropical GPP variability in responding to climate change at seasonal and annual scale. Our study highlights the critical role of the GPP min in shaping temporal dynamics of the annual GPP in tropical forests and emphasizes the importance of managing tropical forest of the shifting periods between wet-dry seasons in global tropical regions. • Visualizing the seasonal recurrence of tropical forests. • Revealing the role of the minimum carbon uptake in shaping the inter-annual variability of GPP. • Bridging the understandings of GPP variations at seasonal and inter-annual scales.

Economic analysis of dry season vegetable production in Ogun State, Nigeria

PurposeThe study was conducted to investigate the economics of dry season vegetable production in Ogun state, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive statistics, budgetary technique and regression analysis model were used to analyze the data collected from 120 respondents using multistage sampling technique.FindingsDescriptive statistics showed that while the mean age of the farmers was 62.1 ± 38.78, the mean farming experience was 17.3 ± 12.84. Majority (56.7%) of the respondents were uneducated. Vegetable enterprise in the area was male-dominant. The result of budgetary analysis revealed that the average net and total income were ₦ 55,405.29 and ₦ 131,514, respectively. While the average total variable cost was ₦ 64,767.29, average total cost was ₦ 76,108.70. Benefit cost ratio and rate of returns were 1.73 and 0.73, respectively. The regression analysis revealed that revenue from vegetable production in the study area was influenced by farm size, seed quantity, farming experience, quantity of labor and fertilizer used.Research limitations/implicationsIt is therefore imperative for policymakers to encourage dry season vegetable farming as a viable enterprise option for the unemployed and upcoming entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the government should design and implement policies that would improve access to land, labor, quality seed, water and fertilizers.Originality/valueThe study adds to the growing body of literature on inherent prospects for labor and entrepreneurs as regards the opportunities latent in dry season farming activities.

Assessment of Constraints to Participation of Rural Women in Technology Dissemination of Women in Agriculture Program in Imo State, Nigeria

The survey was conducted to identify constraints to participation of rural women in technology dissemination of Women in Agriculture Program (WIA) in Imo State, Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 60 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean score. Results showed that 33.0% of the respondents were aged between 41 and 50 years, majority (75.0%) were married, 88.0% had formal education and 55.3% engaged in farming and trading, while 56.6% had a household size of 6-10 persons. The respondents participated in the activities like processing and utilization of food crops (16.7%), harvesting and storage of food crops (16.7%), dry season vegetable production (13.3%), processing and utilization of livestock products (10.0%), processing and utilization of soya bean into soya milk and soya meal (6.7%). The study recommended that rural women should be encouraged to join co-operative societies in order to pull their resources together. It also highlighted the need for promotion of rural women’s activities through adequate provision of credit facilities by government at all levels for optimum productivity.

Time series harmonic regression analysis reveals seasonal vegetation productivity trends in semi-arid savannas

Vegetation cover in savannas is characterized by high spatial heterogeneity driven by natural and anthropogenic drivers acting at multiple spatial and temporal scales. This research article identifies trends in vegetation cover and productivity in response to both land management and variable precipitation through a methodological approach that incorporates vegetation transect fieldwork with satellite imagery time series analysis. The phenological cycles of semi-arid savanna vegetation were analyzed over 27 years for both a protected area and a privately-owned property in order to capture multiple vegetation cover categories within the eastern Edwards Plateau ecoregion of central Texas. Line-intercept vegetation transects were established across these two sites in 2015, with ground cover and structural vegetation measurements collected along each transect. These measurements were classified based upon distinct vegetation cover categories: woodland, intermediate, open, and open disturbed. Time series analysis of vegetation productivity utilized 111 multi-season Landsat TM5 and Landsat 8 images that captured spring, fall, and winter seasonalities across the 27-year time period spanning from 1988 to 2015, with the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) calculated as an indicator of vegetative productivity. Harmonic regression was applied to this time series in order to determine the relationship between time of year with respect to growing season and productivity level across vegetation cover types. Fixed mean harmonic amplitudes for calendar year productivity were calculated across the entire time period as well as across three natural breaks-based sub-divisions of the 27-year period. Mean amplitudes per transect were then plotted against field-truthed tree-grass ratios in order to determine the relationship between tree and grass cover and mean harmonic SAVI amplitude. Harmonic regression identified inter- and intra-annual seasonal variability across cover types, with woodland sites exhibiting much lower variability in SAVI levels than open sites. These results provide insight into the phenological response of vegetation cover types typical of semi-arid savannas to spatially and temporally variable precipitation levels and land management schemes, allowing for better informed management and monitoring strategies for these environments.

Evolution of Vegetation Fraction Cover in Agricultural Areas Affected by Prellonged Draughts in the South Regions of Romania

Abstract The draught phenomena affecting the traditional agricultural areas in south of Romania has been increasing in intensity over the time, leading to the desertification of several thousands of hectares in the south part of the country. In this study we have computed the vegetation fraction cover for the South-West and South - East regions of Romania, based on the minimum and maximum NDVI extracted from MODIS satellite images. The time frame to refer to is 2000 - 2017, perennially, with special significance given the numerous and prolonged draught intervals these areas have been facing and the social economic evolution, from small farms to large agricultural holdings. The resulted vegetation fraction cover (fc) is correlated to the SPI values in order to determine a pattern to be used in anticipating deviations from the seasonal vegetation productivity. As a conclusion, the study presents a fair balance, indicating the most sensitive areas in soil vegetation cover, due to the SPI change.

Nutritional Compositions of Selected Green Leafy Vegetables in Oyo State, Nigeria

The nutritional compositions of selected green leafy vegetables obtained from major towns in Oyo State, Nigeria, (March and April) were determined using standard analytical methods for proximate analysis. The following nutrients in percentage were determined; moisture contents, ash, fat, crude fibre and crude protein. The green leafy vegetable used are Talium triangulare, Amaranthus hybridus, Launaena taraxacifolia Ocimum gratissimum, Celosia argentea, Cucuribita maxima, Abelimoschus esculentus, Solanum macrocarpon, Vernonia amygdalina and Sesamum indicum. All nutrients were present in appreciable quantities. Moisture contents ranged from 5.33 ± 0.06% - 8.33 ± 0.06%, ash (23.07 ± 0.06% - 61.27 ± 0.06%), fat (1.13 ± 0.06% - 3.37 ± 0.06%), crude fibre (2.43 ± 0.12% - 22.03 ± 0.06%), and crude protein (18.50 ± 0.10% - 55.23 ± 0.06%). The functional properties of vegetables were close in term of high protein level indicating that they are more nutritious. Also, the level of their ash content showed that the vegetables are very rich in essential minerals for healthy life when compared with one another and recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Thus, there is a need for farmers in the area to engage in dry season vegetable production so as to ensure availability of leafy vegetables throughout the year.

The effect of cropping pattern on the profitability of liquid fertilizer usage in dry season vegetable production in the Southern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria

Liquid fertilizers in dry season vegetable production are applied using different cropping patterns with little or no empirical evidence on which pattern is the most profitable. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of cropping patterns on the profitability of liquid fertilizer usage in dry season vegetable production. Specifically, the study identified the various vegetable enterprises, assessed the inputs and outputs of the different vegetable enterprises and estimated the profitability of the vegetable enterprises. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 309 farmers in the Southern Guinea Savannah zone. Pretested and structured interview schedules were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and partial budgeting techniques were used for data analysis. Twelve different vegetable enterprises were identified in the study. Sixty percent of users of liquid fertilizer cultivated only fruit vegetables such as okra and peppers. The usage of the combination of both liquid and non-liquid fertilizers in mixed vegetable production yielded the highest quantity of output of about 1374kg/ha. However, usage of sole liquid fertilizer on exotic vegetables gave the highest profitability of 323 percent on the rate of return to capital investment. The study has concluded that the use of liquid fertilizer increases profitability and therefore recommends the formulation and implementation of policies that will encourage liquid fertilizer usage among the farmers.

Evaluation of the Standardized Precipitation Index as an early predictor of seasonal vegetation production anomalies in the Sahel

ABSTRACTWe analysed the performance and timeliness of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in anticipating deviations from mean seasonal vegetation productivity in the Sahel. Gridded rainfall estimates are used to compute the SPI for 1–6-month timescales, whereas the Z-score of the cumulative value of the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation over the growing season (zCFAPAR) is used as a proxy of seasonal productivity. Results show that the strength of the link varies in space as a function of both the SPI timescale and the timing of the SPI calculation with respect to the vegetative season’s progress. For productivity forecasting, we propose an operational strategy to select per grid cell the SPI timescale and computation time with the highest correlation with zCFAPAR at different moments of the season. The linear relationship between SPI and zCFAPAR is significant for 32–66% of the study area, depending on the timing at which SPI is considered (at 0% and 75% of the seasonal progress, respectively). For these areas, the selected SPI explains on average about 40% of the variance of zCFAPAR and may thus assist in the earlier identification of agricultural drought.

Urban Farmers’ Adoption of Improved Dry Season Vegetable Production Technologies in in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to examine the constraints and strategies for improving agricultural intervention programmes in Nigeria with particular reference to the National Fadama Development Project, phase two in Kogi state. A set of interview schedule and questionnaire were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage and mean score were used to present the data. Factor analysis with principal component model on varimax rotation was used to determine major constraints while t-test was used to analyse the differences in perception of two sets of respondents to the constraints of the programme. Poverty was the major constraint perceived by farmers (mean = 3.89), while facilitators perceived both high cost of farm inputs and lack of credit facilities as the most serious constraint (mean = 3.38 each). Both farmers and facilitators shared similar opinion on twenty identified constraints and have significant differences in their perception of seven identified problems (p< 0.05). The result however, showed that several factors constrained the effectiveness of the project. The factors were grouped using factor analysis into technical problems, institutional problems and economic problems. For the farmers, the major strategy suggested was supply of farm machineries (65.2%), while facilitators suggested supply of subsidies and training opportunities for farmers (87.5%). It was recommended that, employment of project staff should be specific to only those with good agricultural background especially in crop science and agricultural extension to allow for effective relationship between the project and farmers.

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

Himalayan mountain system in the Indian sub-continent are among the most ecologically sensitive environments and are also a repository of biodiversity, water and ecosystem services. Over the last two decades, land transformation related to exploitative land uses is among the main drivers of changing vegetation cover and productivity in western Himalayas. In a region where field based research is challenging due to heterogenous relief and high altitude, quantifying changes in vegetation photosynthetic activity using remote sensing can provide essential information regarding trends in vegetation cover and its linkages with anthropogenic impacts. We conducted seasonal trend analysis (STA) on MODIS NDVI time-series data (2000–2014) over Uttarakhand Himalayas and examined spatio-temporal patterns in vegetation trends and its association with altitudinal gradient and land use land cover (LULC) dynamics. In STA the first step determines the annual mean and seasonal NDVI patterns and the second step analyzes the non-parametric trend in magnitude and timing of the annual mean and seasonal NDVI cycle. To provide insights on the role of changing land use to detected changes in vegetation trend, we linked MODIS derived trends to land transformation processes using multi-temporal high spatial resolution imagery in Google Earth (GE). In total 3286.82 km2 (6.9% vegetated area of Uttarakhand) showed significant trend (p < 0.01) in mean annual greenness. While areas <800 m elevation showed dominant negative trend in mean annual greenness (browning)), those between 800 and 1600 m showed mostly positive trend (greening) and majority of areas >1600 m were characterized by negative trend in mean annual greenness. Majority of intensively cultivated irrigated croplands in the Himalayan foothills as well as areas around growing urban centers showed widespread browning, which was contrastingly different from rainfed cultivation areas that showed dominant greening trend. Browning trend was observed to be consistent with increasing altitude, particularly in closed needle leaf forests and alpine shrublands, except areas where human impacts has led to more mixed patterns. Trends in the annual seasonal timing of NDVI indicated an earlier green-up for most parts of the Uttarakhand Himalayas. These results highlight fine scale spatial variations in seasonal vegetation trends and are in partial agreement with previous studies that report only increasing brownness detected at broader scale using much coarser spatial resolution time-series.

Environmental factors and habitat use influence body condition of individuals in a species at risk, the grizzly bear.

Metrics used to quantify the condition or physiological states of individuals provide proactive mechanisms for understanding population dynamics in the context of environmental factors. Our study examined how anthropogenic disturbance, habitat characteristics and hair cortisol concentrations interpreted as a sex-specific indicator of potential habitat net-energy demand affect the body condition of grizzly bears (n = 163) in a threatened population in Alberta, Canada. We quantified environmental variables by modelling spatial patterns of individual habitat use based on global positioning system telemetry data. After controlling for gender, age and capture effects, we assessed the influence of biological and environmental variables on body condition using linear mixed-effects models in an information theoretical approach. Our strongest model suggested that body condition was improved when patterns of habitat use included greater vegetation productivity, increased influence of forest harvest blocks and oil and gas well sites, and a higher percentage of regenerating and coniferous forest. However, body condition was negatively affected by habitat use in close proximity to roads and in areas where potential energetic demands were high. Poor body condition was also associated with increased selection of parks and protected areas and greater seasonal vegetation productivity. Adult females, females with cubs-of-year, juvenile females and juvenile males were in poorer body condition compared with adult males, suggesting that intra-specific competition and differences in habitat use based on gender and age may influence body condition dynamics. Habitat net-energy demand also tended to be higher in areas used by females which, combined with observed trends in body condition, could affect reproductive success in this threatened population. Our results highlight the importance of considering spatiotemporal variability in environmental factors and habitat use when assessing the body condition of individuals. Long-term and large-scale monitoring of the physiological state of individuals provides a more comprehensive approach to support management and conservation of species at risk.

Global Biogeographical Pattern of Ecosystem Functional Types Derived From Earth Observation Data

The present study classified global Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) derived from seasonal vegetation dynamics of the GIMMS3g NDVI time-series. Rotated Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was run on the derived phenological and productivity variables, which selected the Standing Biomass (approximation of Net Primary Productivity), the Cyclic Fraction (seasonal vegetation productivity), the Permanent Fraction (permanent surface vegetation), the Maximum Day (day of maximum vegetation development) and the Season Length (length of vegetation growing season) variables, describing 98% of the variation in global ecosystems. EFTs were created based on Isodata classification of the spatial patterns of the Principal Components and were interpreted via gradient analysis using the selected remote sensing variables and climatic constraints (radiation, temperature, and water) of vegetation growth. The association of the EFTs with existing climate and land cover classifications was demonstrated via Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). The ordination indicated good description of the global environmental gradient by the EFTs, supporting the understanding of phenological and productivity dynamics of global ecosystems. Climatic constraints of vegetation growth explained 50% of variation in the phenological data along the EFTs showing that part of the variation in the global phenological gradient is not climate related but is unique to the Earth Observation derived variables. DCA demonstrated good correspondence of the EFTs to global climate and also to land use classification. The results show the great potential of Earth Observation derived parameters for the quantification of ecosystem functional dynamics and for providing reference status information for future assessments of ecosystem changes.