Single Crop Research Articles

More than rubber: Exploring the benefits and practicalities of diverse intercropping systems in rubber plantations

Conventional monocrop rubber farming, while profitable, has led to significant environmental and socio-economic issues. These include deforestation, reduced soil fertility, loss of biodiversity, and increased carbon emissions. Economically, smallholder farmers face risks due to fluctuating rubber prices and income dependency on a single crop. This situation has resulted in low incomes, labour shortages, and, in some cases, abandonment of rubber plantations. Intercropping, or modern rubber agroforestry, offers a promising solution to these challenges. This approach involves planting other crops or trees alongside rubber, increasing revenue, enhancing soil properties, conserving moisture, reducing erosion and improving overall rubber crop yield. Various crops such as fruits (Salaca palm, gnetum, banana and lemon), vegetables (Cucumber, arrowroot, french bean, chilli, mung bean, broad leaf pumpkin, yam, cowpea and egusi melon), spices (Ginger, turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg) and medicinal plants (Sarpagandha, kalmegh, lesser galangal, satavar and long pepper) can be successfully grown with rubber. However, implementing intercropping systems comes with challenges, including potential adverse effects on rubber growth and yield if not appropriately managed. Farmers must implement good agricultural practices and integrated farming strategies to achieve sustainable economic and ecological benefits from rubber-based intercropping. This includes careful selection of cultivars, optimal planting and spacing, regular maintenance and balanced fertilizer application. This review explored essential intercropping practices and highlighted successful case studies within rubber plantations. While more complex than traditional monocropping, a well-managed intercropping system can provide diverse income sources, improve agro-biodiversity and contribute to more sustainable rubber farming practices.

Spatial benefit difference of fertilizer reduction and substitution policy based on grid scale: A case study of the Heihe River Basin

Agriculture green development faces the challenge of balancing the application of both organic and chemical fertilizers. Formulating effective policies to harmonize these applications is essential for ensuring food security and environmental sustainability. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the economic and environmental benefits of policy implementation at the grid scale, and insufficient research has been conducted on the subsequent impacts these policies have on diverse crops. Therefore, this paper develops the SIMPLE-G-Heihe model to simulate the impacts of green agricultural policies on multiple crops planting in arid regions. This model addresses limitations found in the SIMPLE-G model, which supported a single crop and lacked organic fertilizer substitution simulation. The results show that: (1) Merely increasing subsidies for organic fertilizers is insufficient to significantly enhance yields, and improving the efficiency of fertilizer utilization should also be emphasized. (2) Combining improvements in fertilizer technology with subsidies for organic fertilizers can concurrently support economic advancement and environmental mitigation. Research indicates that integrating a 3% organic fertilizer subsidy with an 8% improvement in chemical fertilizer technology increases vegetable output value by 0.27% and reduces N2O emissions by 1.09%. (3) The upstream areas of the Heihe River Basin show a significant reduction in fertilizer use. Fertilizer input is mainly reduced for vegetables in the upstream areas, while for wheat and maize, the reduction is primarily in the midstream and upstream areas. The findings discuss the spatial heterogeneity and flexibility of policy impacts, providing valuable insights for the implementation of green agriculture strategies in China.

Shifting agricultural land use and its unintended water consumption in the North China Plain

Agricultural land use (ALU) critically influences food production and water resource allocation. This study examines the dynamics of ALU in the North China Plain (NCP), a region characterized by intensive agriculture and severe groundwater over-exploitation, focusing on the multidimensional drivers and their implications for water resource management. By employing an elaborate classification scheme based on satellite imagery and extensive first-hand field data, we identified significant shifts in crop patterns. From 2013 to 2017, there was a notable transition from double crops (primarily wheat-maize) to single crops (primarily maize), covering 4600 km2 and accounting for 42% of single crops in 2013. From 2017 to 2022, there was a shift from single crops to economic forests, encompassing 3600 km2 and 22% of economic forests in 2017, including orchards, timber trees, and shelter forest belts. These shifts resulted in an 11% decrease in grain acreage (6800 km2) but an 11% increase in crop water consumption (6.3 km3) during 2013–2022. Notably, water consumption by economic forests increased by 126% (9.4 km3) during this period. This study highlights the critical need to balance competing demands for food and water security, providing valuable insights applicable to other agriculturally intensive regions worldwide.

Dynamics of legume Cropping and Agro-ecological Transition in the Cotton Savannah Zones of West Africa: the Case of Koumbia District of Burkina Faso

Aims: This paper shows the contribution of participatory research to upgrade the integration of legumes into cropping systems. Place and Duration of Study: The investigation is based on survey data collected in 2008 and 2011 (two reference years) and 2021 and 2022 (current situation) in the village of Koumbia in western Burkina Faso. Methodology: Data was collected through surveys and field measurements. The surveys were conducted with a sample of fifty (50) volunteer farmers. In 2008, 2011 and 2022, the same questionnaire was administered to all 50 farmers. Field measurements with GPS (Global Positioning System) were conducted on crop area. Results: The results show that the proportion of area under legumes crops increased by 77,38% after 15 years. Other legumes crops (Glycine max and Mucuna sp.) were introduced in addition to those previously grown (groundnuts and cowpeas) by farmers. Surface cropped in sorghum (35.36%) and millet (82.79%) declined while cotton and maize remain the main crops in the zone. The results on farmers’ perception show that they prefer single cropping of legume crops as their insertion modality in the existing farming systems compared to their association with cereals. Conclusion: The study shows that the role of legumes is increasing in the cropping system, and represents an opportunity to succeed in the agro-ecological transition, even though the intercropping of cereal/legume, which is put forward by the theoretical models of the agro-ecological transition, is still little practiced. The structuration of the legume sector can be a condition for achieving it.

Social and economic importance of new bamboo species established in three municipalities of the North Eastern Mountain range of Puebla, Mexico

The study was conducted in three municipalities of Puebia, Mexico. The objectives were to identify the species of bamboo in the North Eastern region of Puebla, know the climatic conditions and agronomic systems where it grows, characterize the socioeconomic situation of the producers, and identify the contribution to the family economy. A review of the history of cultivation in Mexico was carried out at the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU). For the collection of information, it was considered that the bamboo system was within the local agricultural system and selection of municipalities was based on the productive relationship of the crop and the introduction of species in the area. Sixty-four surveys were done of bamboo producers through the questionnaire with social, economic, and productive variables related to the bamboo production system. In the Puebla’s North Eastern Mountain range there are two new species of bamboo, Bambusa oldhamii and Guadua angustifolia, both with different characteristics of uses and established in two production systems, the commercial and family system. At present they have a low commercialization of some bamboo derivatives and little use as food. The region is considered one of extreme proverty. The two species have a high potential for environmental adaptation agronomically they are developed as a single crop in backyards and used in various commercial activities. The lack of use of the crop in the region and its rapid natural expansion due to the environmental conditions for its growth, induces the tendency to consider it as an undesirable plant

Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation in Jhagadia, Netrang and Valia Taluka of Bharuch District in South Gujarat, India

Bharuch, a heavily industrialized district on the west coast, faces challenges like over-extraction and contamination, which threaten its groundwater quality. In response, a post-monsoon 2023 assessment was conducted in the Jhagadia, Netrang, and Valia talukas, where water samples from 78 locations were collected and analyzed. These locations were identified using landforms developed through GIS. The study found that around 40% of the TGA in these blocks is used for agriculture, with 52,106 hectares for single crops and 7,843 hectares for double crops, making up 15.05% of the total cultivated area. Eastern part of Jhagadia and Netrang recorded deep water levels (10–20 m), while other areas had moderately shallow levels (5–10 m). Tube wells were mainly found in Valia, northern Jhagadia, and western Netrang, whereas dug wells dominated eastern Netrang and southeastern Jhagadia. Irrigation water pH ranged from 6.31 to 8.82, averaging 6.97, with higher pH in Jhagadia. Electrical conductivity (EC) was highest in Valia (0.66–2.94 dSm⁻¹), and medium salinity was noted in Jhagadia (1.03 dSm⁻¹) and Netrang (0.71 dSm⁻¹), affecting irrigation suitability. All samples had a SAR classification of S1 (<10). Most water samples were "Suitable" based on RSC, except some in Valia with RSC >1.25 meL⁻¹. Chloride levels varied from 0.50 mg/L-1 to 25.48 mg/L-1. The specific soil management practices, such as gypsum application, improving drainage and the growing of salt-tolerant crop varieties can help mitigate potential negative impacts on crop productivity.

Effect of tobacco–radish rotation for different years on bacterial wilt and rhizosphere microbial communities

Tobacco bacterial wilt is a major limiting factor for tobacco production and development, and it is more likely to occur under perennial single cropping of tobacco. In recent years, the rotation of tobacco-radish has gradually become popular. Therefore, we studied the effects of years of tobacco–radish rotation on tobacco bacterial wilt occurrence and rhizosphere microorganisms. The results indicated that both SY and TY could significantly reduce the risk of tobacco bacterial wilt occurrence, and SY had the lowest disease index. The rotation of radish plants significantly increased the soil pH but decreased the contents of alkali-hydrolysed nitrogen and organic matter in the soil. Alkali-hydrolysed nitrogen and pH are the key factors affecting the composition of the bacterial community. Furthermore, radish rotation changed the composition of the soil microbial community, increased the diversity of the bacterial community, and significantly altered the bacterial community structure. At the genus level, the abundance of Sphingomonas species negatively correlated with Ralstonia increased significantly, while the relative abundance of Rhodanobacter species positively correlated with Ralstonia decreased significantly. Disease index, pH and available phosphorus were the main factors affecting the variation in different bacterial genera. The network analysis results showed that Ralstonia was less connected in the network than in the CK group, and the SY treatment group had a more complex bacterial network structure. Overall, 2 years of tobacco and radish rotation improved the bacterial community structure of the rhizosphere soil and alleviated the harm caused by tobacco bacterial wilt, which is highly important for the stability and health of the rhizosphere soil ecosystem.

"Green Hills And Golden Brews: The Tea Profile Of Kerala"

The plantation sector in Kerala, encompassing key crops like tea, coffee, and rubber, faces significant challenges that threaten its economic viability and the livelihoods of workers. High production costs, coupled with fluctuating market prices, have positioned Kerala as one of the highest-cost producers of plantation commodities in India. The cost of producing tea has escalated dramatically over the years, severely impacting profitability and leading to financial instability for many growers. Additionally, climate change has introduced further complications, resulting in unpredictable weather patterns, increased pest infestations, and damage to plantation infrastructure. These factors have not only diminished productivity but have also jeopardized the sustainability of the entire sector. To address these issues, a multifaceted approach is necessary. Implementing a support price mechanism can stabilize incomes for growers, while crop diversification can enhance revenue generation and reduce dependency on a single crop. Moreover, investing in skill development programs tailored to the needs of the plantation workforce is vital, enabling workers to adapt to value-added production processes. Strengthening worker welfare through the enforcement of the Plantation Labour Act and improving access to education and healthcare in remote plantation areas are also crucial. Collaborative efforts between government entities and plantation stakeholders can lead to enhanced infrastructure, better access to technology, and educational opportunities, ensuring a resilient and sustainable plantation sector that benefits both producers and local communities alike. By prioritizing these strategies, the plantation industry in Kerala can navigate its current challenges and pave the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future

Responses of potential double cropping areas expansion and appropriate crop management practices to climate change in northern China

IntroductionGlobal climate change has led to increases in the temperature and decreases in the number of frost days in northern China, facilitating a shift from a single cropping system (SCS, spring maize) to a double cropping system (DCS, winter wheat-summer maize rotation).MethodsTherefore, under the current climate conditions, DCS expansion should be evaluated, and new planting schemes should be explored. In this paper, we identified the areas with potential for DCS in northern China considering an annual accumulated temperature of >0°C. The World Food Studies simulation model was used to simulate the yield, irrigation requirement (IR), and net income under various crop management conditions when considering the maximum yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of crops.ResultsOur results indicated that the potential DCS area increased by approximately 31.51 × 104 km2 in northern China, with the primary DCS areas being located in the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Liaoning. Regarding variety selection, winter wheat and summer maize varieties with early and mid-early maturation were found to be favored for the potential DCS areas. The sowing dates corresponding to the maximum WUEs of the crops were later than those corresponding to the maximum yields. In the potential DCS areas, under the maximum yield condition, the average unit total yield, IR, and net income increased to 2700 kg ha−1, 305 mm, and 607 USD ha−1, respectively, whereas under the maximum WUE condition, increases of 2862 kg ha−1, 284 mm, and 608 USD ha−1, respectively, were observed. The average unit total yield of the DCS was 15927 and 13793 kg ha−1 under the maximum yield and maximum WUE condition, respectively.DiscussionOur findings may clarify the effects of climate change on agricultural production patterns and indicate suitable crop management practices.

Development of single and dual crop coefficients for drip-irrigated broccoli using weighing type field lysimeters in semi-arid environment

Development of single and dual crop coefficients for drip-irrigated broccoli using weighing type field lysimeters in semi-arid environment

Residues of Symbiont Cover Crops Improving Corn Growth and Soil-Dependent Health Parameters

Cover crops have emerged as a crucial tool in promoting sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in improving soil quality and soil–plant health. This study investigates the impact of single cover crop plants each with varying fungal and/or bacterial symbiosis capacities in a pot experiment. The growth of non-symbiont Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata), the associative bacterium symbiont black oat (Avena strigosa) and the double (fungus–bacterium) endosymbiont broad bean (Vicia faba) was studied on three distinct soil types, namely a less-fertile sandy soil (Arenosol), an average value of loam soil (Luvisol) and a more productive chernozem soil (Chernozem). Beside the biomass production, nitrogen content and frequency of AM fungi symbiosis (MYCO%) of cover crops, the main soil health characteristics of electrical conductivity (EC), labile carbon (POXC) and fluorescein diacetate enzyme activity (FDA) were assessed and evaluated by detailed statistical analysis. Among the used soil types, the greatest biomass production was found on Chernozem soil with the relatively highest soil organic matter (2.81%) content and productivity. Double symbiotic activity, assessed by soil nitrogen content and mycorrhiza frequency (MYCO%), were significantly improved on the lowest-quality Arenosols (SOM 1.16%). In that slightly humous sandy soil, MYCO% was enhanced by 45%, indicating that symbiosis was crucial for plant growth in the less-fertile soil investigated. After the initial cover crop phase, the accumulated biomass was incorporated into the Luvisol (SOM 1.64%) soil, followed by the cultivation of corn (Zea mays, DK 3972) as the main crop. The results indicate that incorporating cover crop residues enhanced labile carbon (POXC) by 20% and significantly increased the FDA microbial activity in the soil, which positively correlated with the nutrient availability and growth of the maize crop. This study emphasizes the importance of selecting suitable cover crops based on their symbiotic characteristics to improve soil quality and enhance soil–plant health in sustainable agricultural systems.

A conceptual framework for landscape-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides

While pesticide use is subject to strict regulatory oversight worldwide, it remains a main concern for environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation. This is partly due to the current regulatory approach that relies on separate assessments for each single pesticide, crop use, and non-target organism group at local scales. Such assessments tend to overlook the combined effects of overall pesticide usage at larger spatial scales. Integrative landscape-based approaches are emerging, enabling the consideration of agricultural management, the environmental characteristics, and the combined effects of pesticides applied in a same or in different crops within an area. These developments offer the opportunity to deliver informative risk predictions relevant for different decision contexts including their connection to larger spatial scales and to combine environmental risks of pesticides, with those from other environmental stressors. We discuss the needs, challenges, opportunities and available tools for implementing landscape-based approaches for prospective and retrospective pesticide Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA). A set of “building blocks” that emerged from the discussions have been integrated into a conceptual framework. The framework includes elements to facilitate its implementation, in particular: flexibility to address the needs of relevant users and stakeholders; means to address the inherent complexity of environmental systems; connections to make use of and integrate data derived from monitoring programs; and options for validation and approaches to facilitate future use in a regulatory context. The conceptual model can be applied to existing ERA methodologies, facilitating its comparability, and highlighting interoperability drivers at landscape level. The benefits of landscape-based pesticide ERA extend beyond regulation. Linking and validating risk predictions with relevant environmental impacts under a solid science-based approach will support the setting of protection goals and the formulation of sustainable agricultural strategies. Moreover, landscape ERA offers a communication tool on realistic pesticide impacts in a multistressors environment for stakeholders and citizens.

Rediscovering the location of agricultural production: Spatial linkage of farmland use intensity and labor opportunity costs in Central China

Agricultural location theory was the earliest work to reveal the land use and agricultural layout of urban suburbs; however, there is an increasing difference between Dunn's theoretical model and modern agricultural layouts, and there is thus an urgent need to establish new theoretical relationships. In this work, we sought to reveal new patterns of modern suburban agricultural land use using remote sensing data and land economics knowledge. We used remote sensing data to obtain first-hand land-use information while considering the attractiveness of the urban center to labor, and we explored the impact of agricultural opportunity costs on agricultural land use. We found that agricultural land use in suburbs in Central China have four obvious layers: dominance of built-up areas, dominance of single cropping, dominance of double cropping, and dominance of triple cropping. From the perspective of planting patterns, with increasing distance from the city center, the proportion of single-cropping areas decreases from 60% to 20%, that of double-cropping areas increases from 20% to 70%, that of triple-cropping areas always remains below 10%, and the multiple-cropping index increases from 120% to 180%. From the perspective of land economics and considering labor cost, planting profits decrease with increasing distance from the city center. The increasing attractiveness of the urban center to migrant workers significantly weakens farmers' willingness to plant. From the perspective of the circle structure, before 2000, farmers' planting profits were higher than the opportunity costs in all regions; after 2000, farmers with arable land within a 40-km radius of the center may have been more inclined to choose farming, while those with land outside this 40-km radius may have been more inclined to work elsewhere. Under changing agricultural policies, farmers' planting profits increased to a historical high, but profits became negative in all regions after 2015, and the willingness of people to farm reached a historical low. With this work, we continue the development of the hierarchical structure model of The Location of Agricultural Production and summarize new laws of modern agricultural land use from the perspectives of remote sensing data and land economics, supplementing and enriching agricultural location theory.

Trade-off between the future water resource utilization and grain production in a water-deficient region from the perspective of the Water−Land−Grain nexus

The utilization and future evolution of water resources in water-deficient regions will have a significant impact on sustainable agricultural development. The trade-off between water resource utilization and grain production in the Daqing River Basin (DRB) was explored, and the characteristics of the future evolution of the water − land − grain system was analyzed. The main planting patterns of farmland in the DRB are winter wheat, spring maize, summer maize, or a winter wheat − summer maize rotation. The total water consumption and supply are 61.6 × 108 and 54.4 × 108 m3, respectively. The water supply gap is approximately 7.2 × 108 m3, which is mainly supplemented by the overexploitation of groundwater. Under the current land use structure, grain production in the DRB has achieved self-sufficiency, but excessive water consumption in agricultural production has led to severe groundwater overexploitation. Despite the exploration and implementation of a fallow land policy in the DRB, the quantity of water resources conserved currently falls significantly short in comparison to the extent of groundwater overexploitation. From the trade-off between water resource utilization and grain production, if winter wheat areas were left completely fallow, or winter wheat planting regions establish three crops in two years or a single crop in a year, the total amount of irrigation water that could be saved was 18.4 × 108, 7.5 × 108, and 15.2 × 108 m3, although the grain production capacity would be reduced by 31 %, 12 %, and 24 %, respectively. This study proposes prioritizing fallow areas in the winter wheat planting regions with high water demand located in the Diandong Plain, and changing the current system of two crops a year to three crops in two years or a single crop a year. The implementation of this approach is anticipated to alleviate the strain on water resources. To achieve the control of groundwater overexploitation and balance the supply and demand of water resources, it is necessary to continue to expand the fallow area of winter wheat in the eastern and southern plains of Baiyangdian by approximately 25.3 × 104 hm2, or increase the amount of water diverted from outside the basin by approximately 7.20 × 108 m3. By 2030, the DRB will face the dual pressures of both water and grain security, with a water resource gap of 13.8 × 108 m3. It is therefore necessary to increase inter-basin water transfer or continue to expand the fallow area of winter wheat in the future.

Rotary Tillage Plus Mechanical Transplanting Practices Increased Rice Yields with Lower CH4 Emission in a Single Cropping Rice System

As the main contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) in paddy soil, information on methane (CH4) emission characteristics under different tillage and cultivation practices are limited. A five-year field trial was conducted from 2019 in a single-cropping rice system in Taihu Lake region, east of China. The experiment had a completely randomized block design, and the treatments included rotary tillage plus rice dry direct seeding (RD), rotary tillage plus rice mechanical transplanting (RT), and plowing tillage plus rice mechanical transplanting (PT). We determined the rice yield, GHG emission, soil traits, and methanogens and methanotrophs in 2022 and 2023. The results revealed that PT and RT significantly increased rice yield compared to RD, whereas PT simultaneously increased CH4 emissions. The year-averaged cumulative CH4 emissions in PT were increased by 38.5% and 61.4% higher than RT and RD, respectively. Meanwhile, yield-scaled global warming potentials (GWPs) in RT and RD were lower than those in PT. Tillage and cultivation practices shifted mcrA and pmoA abundances, and PT significantly decreased pmoA abundance. The community structure and diversity of the methanogens and methanotrophs were not significantly affected. Structural equation model analyses illustrated that CH4 emissions were regulated by mcrA and pmoA directly, which in turn, regulated by soil carbon and nitrogen. Overall, rotary tillage plus mechanism transplanting was a feasible agronomic technology in a single-cropping rice system in Taihu Lake region, exhibiting higher and more stable rice productivity, accompanied with lower CH4 emissions and yield-scaled GWP.

Linkages between gully erosion susceptibility and hydrological connectivity in Tropical sub-humid river basin: Application of Machine learning algorithms and Connectivity Index

Hydrological connectivity from upslope to downslope of valley floor and main channel, triggered the gully initiation and associated land degradation continue occurring off-site erosion as considered most effective drivers on potential sediment detachment. Present study attempted to identify the linkage between gullies erosion susceptibility (GES) and hydrological connectivity pathway in sub-tropical humid river basin Kangsabati (KRB) using four machine-learning algorithms (MLALs) such as Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for GES mapping, and connectivity index (IC) for hydrological connectivity mapping. Thirty-five controlling factors were selected using Boruta’s approach to produce GES mapping, while frequency ratio (FR) was applied to determine the significant role in each individual class of controlling factors on degree of gully susceptibility. To achieve the efficiency of using MLALs, AUC of ROC including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, F, and Kappa index were employed to compare in each model. In testing datasets, AUC values reveals that RF (0.99) and XGB (0.99) were well performed and predicted to GES followed by ANN (0.97) and SVM (0.87). FR depicts the most contributing factors of barren land and laterite followed by rainfall erosivity, degraded forest, single crop, and elevation to GES. IC result showed that values range (−11.52 to 0.49) address the three connectivity categories i.e. not connected (NC), gully connected but not reach (CNR), and gully well connected (WC). Correlation analysis clarified that double crop (R = 0.82), topographical wetted index (R = 0.77) and slope (R = 0.0.44) are prolonged WC for large downslope in north-western sub-basins of upper catchment and western, eastern sub-basins of lower catchment, while dense forest (R = -0.71) and vegetation cover (R = -0.82) forms NC gullies and CNR to channel due to interrupted upslope in central sub-basins of upper and lower catchment. Finally, research findings could provide to take strategy for sustainable land uses policy.

Agricultural Irrigation Water Requirement and Its Response to Climatic Factors Based on Remote Sensing and Single Crop Coefficient Method

Agricultural Irrigation Water Requirement and Its Response to Climatic Factors Based on Remote Sensing and Single Crop Coefficient Method

Camelina Intercropping with Pulses a Sustainable Approach for Land Competition between Food and Non-Food Crops

With increasing global attention toward the need for mitigating climate change, the transition to sustainable energy sources has become an essential priority. Introducing alternative oilseed crops, such as camelina (Camelina sativa L.), into intercropping systems with staple food crops can mitigate ILUC (indirect land use change) and their negative impact on biofuel production. The present study compared camelina + field pea intercropping (ICw + IP, winter sowing) and camelina + lentil intercropping (ICs + IL, spring sowing) with their respective single crops regarding weed control, soil coverage, yields, and camelina seed quality (1000-seed weight, oil, and fatty acid composition). The comparison between different cropping systems was conducted using a one-way ANOVA. Both intercropping improved weed control at an early stage but no differences in soil coverage were found. Camelina seed yield was negatively affected by the presence of peas, whereas the pulse was unaffected. Conversely, camelina seed yield was not affected when intercropped with lentils while lentils reduced their yield in the intercropping. Furthermore, when camelina was intercropped with lentils, a significant increase was reported in 1000-seed weight and α -linolenic acid (C18:3) compared with the sole-camelina. However, both intercropping systems had a land equivalent ratio (LER, based on total seed yield at maturity) higher than one. Defining the best combination of crops and the optimal sowing and harvesting settings remain key to increasing the adoption of intercropping systems by farmers.

#3070 Machine learning glomerulonephritis diagnosis on single glomeruli

Abstract Background and Aims Diagnostic applications of machine learning in nephropathology are only beginning to emerge. We hypothesized that we could develop a machine learning classifier for 12 different classes of glomerulonephritis with CNN and self-attention-based architectures, following the nephropathology paradigm that globally sclerosed glomeruli are not useful for diagnostic purposes. Method The dataset contains 11,000 PAS-stained glomerular crops from 350 biopsies (four institutions). Each crop retained the diagnosis label from the 12 classes ABMGN, ANCA, C3-GN, CryoGN, DDD, Fibrillary, infection-associated GN (IAGN), IgAGN, MPGN, Membranous, PGNMID, SLEGN-IV; globally sclerotic glomerular crops were stripped from this diagnostic label and were just labeled as the 13th class Sclerotic. This dataset was divided into 75% of samples for training, 15% for validation and 10% testing, avoiding information leak within biopsies. Moreover, a hold-out validation set of another 50 biopsies with 2,000 new crops that were taken from another three centres. A classifier was trained in a fully supervised fashion for 13 classes (12 GN classes and Sclerotic), based on an ensemble of multiple transformer-based classification networks, including Swin-Transformer and ConvNext. This allows classification of each glomerular crop by different network instances. Since each network was trained under different conditions, the whole system acquired a more global knowledge understanding rather than a relying on a single method. For the final decision, the system takes the prediction with the largest confidence threshold, which is also predicted along with the class. Results The Table and the Figure list the metrics for classification performance calculated as Precision, Sensitivity, Specificity, F1 Score and balanced Accuracy. Balanced accuracy was between 0.4797 for CryoGN and 0.5949 for Membranous, it was 0.6892 for Sclerotic. AUCs for ROCs were between 0.40 for PGNMID and 0.82 for Membranous, with 0.81 for Sclerotic. Conclusion This proof-of-concept study establishes a baseline for this challenging classification task, which usually requires immunostains, electron microscopy and even clinical data. Our classification results even on single PAS glomerular crops appear promising. Combined with our automatic glomerular segmentation models, we could rapidly expand the training cohorts sizes and even add more classes of GN.

The impacts of cover crop mixes on the penetration resistance model of an Oxisol under no-tillage

Soil penetration resistance is used as an indicator of mechanical resistance to root growth into the soil matrix. However, penetration resistance measured only under wet soil conditions may not identify the effects of cover crops on soil structure. We aimed to determine the impact of individual and mixes of cover crops on soil penetration resistance as a function of water content and bulk density in an Oxisol under no-tillage in southern Brazil. Six treatments of individual and mixed cover crops were tested: (i) black oat; (ii) ryegrass; (iii) forage radish; (iv) wheat; (v) Fibrous-rooted crop mix: with 80 % fibrous-rooted and 20 % tap-rooted plants; and (vi) Tap-rooted crop mix: 40 % fibrous-rooted and 60 % tap-rooted plants. Soil cores were collected from a depth of 0–0.10 and 0.10–0.20 m and soil penetration resistance was evaluated under four soil water matric potentials (−6, −33, −100, and −500 kPa). Soil penetration resistance (Q) data for each treatment were fitted as a function of bulk density (ρ) and water content (θ) [Q=f(ρ, θ)]. The soil penetration resistance model was a non-linear equation (i.e., a double power function, with a negative exponent for water content and a positive exponent for bulk density). Under a given combination of bulk density and water content values, soil penetration resistance was higher after single crops than crop mixes, indicating a crop-mediated soil strengthening process. The cover crop mixes increased the macroporosity, resulting in an adequate soil physical quality for successional crops such as soybean, although no differences were observed for cover crops at soil water matric potentials of −60 hPa and −330 hPa when soil penetration resistance was used as a static measurement. The modelling of the soil resistance to penetration, as a function of soil bulk density and soil water content, showed that cover crops changed soil cohesion and reduced the impact of drying on soil strength when compared to the single cropping systems, indicating that soil penetration resistance should be modelled under a broad range of water contents, instead of only under a specific soil water content, to quantify the impacts of cover crops on soil strength.