Stubble Fields Research Articles

Study on Operating Vibration Characteristics of Different No-Tillage Planter Row Units in Wheat Stubble Fields

Study on Operating Vibration Characteristics of Different No-Tillage Planter Row Units in Wheat Stubble Fields

Study on the Characteristics of Residual Film–Soil–Root Stubble Complex in Maize Stubble Fields of the Hexi Corridor and Establishment of a Discrete Element Model

Plastic film mulching is one of the key technologies for improving agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid regions. However, residual plastic film can severely disrupt the structure of the topsoil in farmland, leading to a decrease in crop yield. The Hexi Corridor, as the largest seed maize production base in the arid regions of Northwest China, is facing an increasingly prominent issue of residual plastic film recovery. This study designed experiments based on the typical maize planting model in the Hexi Corridor. A discrete element simulation model of the residual film–soil–root stubble complex was established using the Bonding-V2 model and API rapid filling technology. The reliability of the simulation model was verified through shear and puncture tests. The study revealed that the soil type in the Hexi Corridor is heavy sandy soil. The differences between the average maximum shear forces in the simulated and actual shear tests for root stubble–soil complexes at depths of 30 mm, 50 mm, and 100 mm were 4.8%, 6.4%, and 6.5%, respectively. Additionally, the differences in the average maximum vertical loading forces in the simulated and actual puncture tests for root stubble–soil complexes at depths of 50 mm and 100 mm were 6.4% and 12.37%, respectively. The small discrepancies between the simulated and actual values, along with the consistency of particle movement trends with real-world conditions, confirmed the reliability and accuracy of the simulation model. This indicates that the established discrete element flexible model can effectively represent actual field conditions, providing discrete element model parameters and theoretical support for optimizing the design of key components in China’s mechanized root stubble handling and residual film recovery machinery.

Unveiling The Evolving Dynamics Of Mountain Pastoralism At Various Altitudinal Zones Of Upper Swat Valley, Pakistan

The confluence of environmental, climatic, and socioeconomic transformations is intensifying the vulnerability of pastoral social-ecological systems worldwide, with mountainous regions being excessively affected. This research paper explores the adaptive strategies employed by mountain pastoralists in Upper Swat, Pakistan, to navigate the complexities of rangeland management amidst dynamic climatic, social, and environmenta[1]l contexts. Through a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, involving observations, focus groups, and an extensive survey (2022-2023), this study reveals that mountain pastoralists have developed a multifaceted, adaptive strategy that integrates stall feeding with six distinct grazing mechanisms to optimize the use of spatially and seasonally heterogeneous rangeland resources. This strategy involves a coordinated sequence of winter stall-feeding near villages, spring rotational grazing in adjacent pastures, summer migration to high-elevation settlements, and intense autumn browsing of stubble fields prior to winter crop planting. The findings of this research contribute nuanced insights into the resilience and adaptability of mountain pastoralists and their rangeland management systems, informing the development of effective policies and programs to enhance the sustainability and reduce the vulnerability of mountain social-ecological systems.

The Effect of Some Elements of Cultivation in Stubble on the Glycine max Performance

In the irrigation conditions of Azerbaijan, the cultivation of Glycine max in stubble fields after harvesting the barley crop along with spring sowing is also economically very important. Sowing in stubble fields makes it possible to obtain additional grain yield and fodder from a single area, and to use reclamation facilities efficiently. At this time, the soil is provided with organic matter for autumn planting, and at the same time salinization is prevented, soil erosion and weed control issues are fully resolved. Cultivation of stubble field crops in large farms increases the possibilities of more efficient use of labor force, irrigation networks, agricultural machinery and equipment. During the conducted research, different results were obtained regarding the effect of different irrigation regimes and fertilizer rates on soybean grain yield. The resulting productivity depended on the plant coverage factor, leaf surface area, changes in wet and dry biomass. The smallest indicator of the yield was 10.0 centners in the variant with soil moisture of 60% before irrigation, and the highest indicator was 25.8 cwt/ha in the variant of the fertilizer rate calculated when the soil moisture was 80%, which is the same as the yield obtained from the autumn sowing of barley of the previous year (39 cwt/ha) together, it is equal to the yield of 67.9 cwt/ha from 1 hectare of land in one year.

Rice straw as a source of nanocellulose for sustainable food packaging materials: A Review

Asian countries, despite being the largest producers and yielding a significant proportion of the world’s rice, have poor disposal facilities for the harvested rice straw (stubble). Due to higher costs in their handling relative to their value, local farmers prefer the burning of stubble fields, thus creating environmental problems. Even though the government has taken initiatives, no effective solution has been discovered to handle this large agro-waste problem efficiently. In this regard, the utilization of rice straw to develop nanocellulose (NC) products is of interest. Renewability and biodegradability, along with suitable mechanical and thermal properties required for the packaging functions, are key advantages of NC. The bio-nanocomposites prepared using NC and other bio-based polymers are also being widely considered for sustainable food packaging applications due to the reinforcement provided by NC and alternative petroleum-based packaging materials. This review provides an overview of process utilization for preparing NC products using rice straw, pulping methods, and isolation to produce bio-nanocomposites for sustainable food packaging applications. The challenges and future aspects covering the utilization of rice straw for producing NC and eventually producing active packaging materials are also discussed.

Development and evaluation of notched concave disc seed drill for direct seeding of wheat in paddy stubble field

Combine harvester leaves behind a swath of loose paddy residues, which interfere with wheat sowing operations in conventional seed drills. To avoid this problem, farmers resort to the burning of paddy residue, which not only leads to the loss of massive biomass but also causes environmental pollution. To enable the sowing of wheat in paddy stubble fields, various kinds of furrow openers were introduced by many researchers. Due to high maintenance and low performance of these furrow openers are not adopted up to the desired level. The main objective of this study is to develop a furrow opener and seed drill that overcomes the problem of existing furrow openers like the uniform seeding operation, least soil disturbance, and better straw handling capacity. The developed seed drill and double disc seed drill (control) were evaluated in a combine harvested field at three levels of forward speed (1.5, 2.1, and 2.8 kmh −1 ) and height of cut (38, 45, and 52 cm) of straw. The results were evaluated in terms of plant emergence, tillers per meter area, effective tillers per meter area, plant height, pinnacle length, number of grains per ear head, weight of grain per ear head, and wheat yield. The fuel consumption was 12% less than the double-disc seed drill. Whereas, the average yield (4.6 t ha −1 ) was also higher in notched concave disc seed drill. The Notched concave seed drill offers the means of drilling wheat into paddy stubble without burning, eliminating air pollution and loss of nutrients and organic carbon due to burning, at the same time as maintaining or increasing yield. • Direct seeding avoids paddy straw burning, which is a climate-friendly practice. • Notched concave disc are self-engaging type which helps to get desired penetration. • The operating cost of developed seed drill is 1495.07 R/ha. • Fuel consumption of developed seed drill is 12% less than double disc seed drill. • It reduces crop production cost and improves soil productivity in p-w system.

Evaluation of the costs of agricultural diffuse water pollution abatement in the context of Lithuania’s water protection goals and climate change

This study aimed at evaluating the scale and costs of an environmentally and economically optimal set of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for agricultural pollution abatement in Lithuania in order to reach water protection goals in both inland and marine waters by distributing BMPs optimally in space, while taking climate change impacts into consideration. The assessment of BMPs impact involved the use of the SWAT model by applying two climate change representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and two time horizons (mid-century and end-century), as well as five BMPs (arable land conversion to grasslands, reduced fertilization, no-till farming, catch-crops, and stubble fields throughout winter). The optimization of the set of BMPs employed a genetic algorithm. The results suggest that the need for BMPs application will increase from 52% of agricultural areas in the historical period up to 65% by the end of century in the RCP8.5 scenario. This means less arable land could actually be used for crop production in the future if water protection targets are met. The high costs for reaching water targets would rise even more, i.e. by 173% for RCP4.5, and by 220% for the RCP8.5 scenario, reaching approximately 200 million euros/year. In such a context, the BMP optimization approach is essential for significant reduction of the costs. Winter cover crops and reduced fertilization show the best effectiveness and cost balance, and will therefore be essential in pursuing water protection targets.

Effectiveness of best management practices for non-point source agricultural water pollution control with changing climate – Lithuania’s case

This study aimed at the evaluation of the change in the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for agricultural pollution control in terms of reduction of nutrient loads to surface water bodies in Lithuania in the context of climate change (CC). The SWAT model was used by applying two CC representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), three time horizons (historical – 2000–2019, mid-century – 2040–2059, and end-century – 2080–2099), and five BMPs (arable land conversion to grasslands, reduced fertilization, no-till farming, catch-crops, and stubble fields throughout winter). The most effective (with the greatest nutrient reduction) BMPs include grasslands, stubble fields, and winter cover crops. No-plough farming and reduced fertilization BMPs appear to be the least effective ones. CC would increase the potential of reduced fertilization and conversion to grasslands BMPs up to 179% and 17%, respectively for total nitrogen (TN) reduction. Regarding total phosphorus (TP), the reduction potential would increase 226% for fertilization reduction, and remain approximate for grasslands (at median −4%). Due to winter reduction of loads, no-plough stubble fields, and winter cover crops would decrease by as much as − 50%, − 12% and − 26%, respectively for TN, and − 30%, − 11%, and − 17%, respectively for TP, compared to the historical period. The greatest change would be recorded for the most extreme CC scenario (RCP8.5) and the longest time horizon (end-century). The effectiveness of BMPs (except for no-plough) for TN load reduction would increase more, and on average would become greater in agriculture dominated areas (of central-northern Lithuania) than elsewhere, although the maximum reduction values would occur in western (and in some cases eastern) Lithuania (except for reduced fertilization). This suggests the importance of the application of the measures in both areas. BMPs (except for grasslands) are expected to have relatively little effect on the overall crop yield.

Farming practices and biodiversity: Evidence from a Mediterranean semi-extensive system on the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece)

The management of agroecosystems affects biodiversity at all levels from genetic to food-web complexity. Low-input farming systems support higher levels of genetic, species and habitat diversity than high-input, industrial ones. In Greece, as in other Mediterranean countries, the role of traditional farming practices has been underlined in studies concerning conservation in agricultural landscapes. With this study, we aim to provide evidence for the potential of semi-extensive farming for biodiversity conservation at landscape-scale, focusing on Lemnos, a medium-sized island in the North Aegean. Evidence was gathered by species- and community-level local-scale surveys on various trophic levels (vascular plants, arthropods, birds). The surveys took place in 2018 and 2019 in 25 sampling areas comprising 106 plots of 100 m2 (vascular plants, arthropods) and 57 points where bird species were recorded. The plots were classified into three landscape types: mosaic agriculture, mixed rangelands and uniform rangelands. The relevés of Lemnos farmlands were assigned to plant communities of 18 phytosociological alliances, grouped into 12 classes. The most abundant arthropods were Coleoptera, Chilopoda, and Hymenoptera, followed by Opiliones and Isopoda, while 133 different bird species were recorded in total, including the recording for the first time on the island of five species. Farming on Lemnos is rather extensive compared to most agricultural landscapes of Europe. Our approach has demonstrated that, given the geographic characteristics of the area, the measured data reveal very high biodiversity. Our explorative findings suggest that moderate seasonal grazing, the mixed habitat mosaic with ecotones, fallow and stubble fields at the landscape scale, and the small size of fields, the kinds of crop, and farm-scale crop diversification, like mixed cultivation and crop rotation, are key practices supporting this diversity. These explorative findings are considered as a first step providing the baseline for future assessments. A wider effort, for systematic evaluation of the impacts of farming practices to biodiversity, is required, as part of a subsidized agri-environmental scheme and/or through a market-oriented product certification system for the area.

Mountain Pastoralism in the Eastern Hindu Kush: The Case of Lotkuh Valley, Pakistan

Pastoral social-ecological systems worldwide are threatened by environmental, climatic, and socioeconomic changes. The magnitude of these threats and their impacts is higher in mountain social-ecological systems. This study analyzes how mountain pastoralists in Lotkuh Valley (Chitral, Pakistan) use their rangelands in changing social, environmental, and climatic contexts. Data were collected from a survey, focus groups, and observations through multistage stratified sampling and extensive fieldwork (2016–2019). The findings reveal that the strategy adopted by mountain pastoralists combines 7 different grazing mechanisms and stall feeding to use spatially segregated and seasonally productive rangeland resources in a sustainable manner. These seasonal mechanisms involve different types of livestock mobility, diverse fodder consumption, and grazing patterns. In winter, livestock are kept in stalls near the village. During spring, sheep and goats are taken to nearby low-lying pastures and meadows on a rotation basis. In summer, livestock and people move away from the village to settlements along a 3000 m elevational range to graze on the available pastures. Finally, in autumn, as the livestock descend, they browse intensively on stubble fields before the winter crops are planted. Furthermore, this strategy is based on the coordination of households' available labor force and pasture readiness. This study provides nuanced information on mountain pastoralists and rangeland management systems. The findings are useful for policymakers and practitioners in designing effective programs and policies to decrease the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of mountain social-ecological systems.

Effects of plant density and nitrogen rate on cotton yield and nitrogen use in cotton stubble retaining fields

Increasing nitrogen (N) rate could accelerate the decomposition of crop residues, and then improve crop yield by increasing N availability of soil and N uptake of crops. However, it is not clear whether N rate and plant density should be modified after a long period of cotton stubble return with high N rate. This study seeks to assess the effects of N rate and plant density on cotton yield, N use efficiency, leaf senescence, soil inorganic N, and apparent N balance in cotton stubble return fields in Liaocheng, China, in 2016 and 2017. Three plant densities 5.25 (D5.25), 6.75 (D6.75) and 8.25 (D8.25) plants m−2 and five N rates 0 (N0), 105 (N105), 210 (N210), 315 (N315), and 420 (N420) kg ha−1 were investigated. Compared to the combination used by local farmers (D5.25N315), a 33.3% N reduction and a 28.6% increase in plant density (D6.75N210) can maintain high cotton yield, while a 66.7% N reduction at 6.75 plants m−2 (D6.75N105) can only achieve high yield in the first year. Biological yield increased with the increase of N rate and plant density, and the highest yield was obtained under 420 kg N ha−1 at 8.25 plants m−2 (D8.25N420) across the two years under investigation. Compared to D5.25N315, N agronomic efficiency (NAE) and N recovery efficiency (NRE) in D6.75N210 increased by 30.2 and 54.1%, respectively, and NAE and NRE in D6.75N105 increased by 104.8 and 88.1%, respectively. Soil inorganic N decreased sharply under 105 kg N ha−1, but no change was found under 210 kg N ha−1 at 6.75 plants m−2. N deficit occurred under 105 kg N ha−1, but it did not occurr under 210 kg N ha−1 at 6.75 plants m−2. Net photosynthetic rate and N concentration of leaves under N rate ranging from 210 to 420 kg ha−1 were higher than those under N rate of 0 or 105 kg N ha−1 at all three densities. The findings suggest that D6.75N210 is a superior combination in cotton stubble retaining fields in the Yellow River Valley and other areas with similar ecologies.

Data on the Orthoptera fauna of characteristic agricultural landscape in the Carpathian Lowland

Orthoptera fauna and assemblages of natural and semi-natural grasslands of the Hungarian Lowland are well-known, however, little is known about assemblages living in agricultural and anthropogenic habitats such as arable lands, roadsides, hedges, and riverbanks. Due to climate change, intensification of agriculture, and change of habitat use, these habitat types become increasingly important. To collect data on these mainly unknown habitat types, a three-year study was carried out on the Orthoptera fauna and assemblages of the firth region of the Tisza and Sajó rivers. This area was mainly unknown, and our research contributes to increasing knowledge and provides a base for further investigations. In the 40 sampling sites of the studied region, an occurrence of 30 Orthoptera species was recorded based on 2241 sampled individuals. In this study, we provide 540 new distribution data records of orthopterans that means an almost eightfold increase of the known data. Orthoptera assemblages of different agricultural habitat types showed significant differences considering both species richness and composition. Data suggested that non-cultivated habitat patches of dirt-roads, roadsides and stubble fields and even extensively used pastures, hayfields and alfalfa, red clover, and even wheat fields can preserve relatively species-rich Orthoptera assemblages. Contrary weedy sites of these cultivars and intensively used arable lands (maize, sunflower and rape fields) showed extremely low species diversity.

The Effects of different agricultural management measures on CH4 emission from paddy fields in southwest Shandong Province

The field experiments were conducted on garlic stubble rice fields in southwestern Shandong Province. The experimental program was designed and the influence of different agricultural management measures on CH4 emission flux and the factors affecting CH4 emission were analyzed. The results show that although temperature affects CH4 emissions from paddy fields, it is not the only influencing factor. Compared with submerged irrigation+no basal fertilizer method, the CH4 emission flux of intermittent irrigation+basal fertilizer method is significantly larger; under the same submerged irrigation method, applying basal fertilizer is beneficial to CH4 emission. In the submerged irrigation+basal fertilizer mode, tillering fertilizer is more conducive to methane emission than panicle fertilizer. The use of intermittent irrigation method to apply appropriate amount of base fertilizer and tiller fertilizer can effectively control the increase of rice yield and the reduction of CH4 emissions in the rice field. The above operations can increase agricultural production and income and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Three decades of field surveys reveal a decline of arable bryophytes in the Swiss lowlands despite agri-environment schemes

Agricultural intensification represents one of the major drivers for the dramatic loss of biodiversity worldwide. To halt the decline of farmland biodiversity, Switzerland adopted agri-environment schemes (AES) in 1998. Here, we monitored the occurrence, abundance and habitats of two species of arable bryophyte specialists, the Field hornwort (Anthoceros agrestis) and the Carolina hornwort (Phaeoceros carolinianus), in 28 crop fields in the intensively cultivated Swiss Plateau from 1991–2018, to investigate the effects of arable management, AES directives, and weather conditions on their performance. The target species are characteristic of the specialized short-lived arable bryophyte flora of Central Europe that depend on bare substrate in low-intensively cultivated and regularly ploughed fields. Trends in their occurrence thus reflect in many respects the status of the arable bryophytes in cultivated fields. Hornwort occurrence significantly declined between 1991 and 2018. A strong decrease in stubble fields that remain unmanaged after harvest, the favourite habitat for many arable specialists in the study area, largely accounted for the decline. Stubble fields nearly disappeared in the study area because of a gradual reduction in the cultivation area of cereals and the increasing practice of immediate post-harvest tillage. The latter is common in intensive arable farming and was accentuated by AES directives amended in 2005. Hornwort occurrences were positively affected by high air humidity during summer, but weather effects were subordinate to management effects. We propose tailored amendments of AES regulations, that are implemented at selected sites, to maintain the characteristic arable specialist bryophytes in the Swiss Plateau: crop rotation with adequate proportions of cereals that are regularly ploughed but not before the end of October, no post-harvest processing of stubble fields, and optimization of the existing instrument ‘Biodiversity Promoting Areas’, e.g., short-term fallows in crop fields. Late-autumn or overwintering stubbles and short-term fallows will benefit many other organisms that depend on extensively managed open habitats, for example arable wildflowers, farmland breeding birds and specialized arthropods.

Can current farmland landscapes feed declining steppe birds? Evaluating arthropod abundance for the endangered little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in cereal farmland during the chick-rearing period: Variations between habitats and localities.

Agriculture intensification threatens farmland bird populations because, among other reasons, it reduces the availability of food resources required to rear their offspring. In our study, we sampled and analyzed total arthropod abundance, biomass and richness, and orthopteran and coleopteran abundance and biomass in different agricultural habitats (alfalfa fields, stubble fields, grazed fields, and field margins) across 4 study localities with different levels of agriculture abandonment–intensification, comparing between areas used and not used by one of the most threatened farmland birds in Europe, the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), during the chick‐rearing season. Field margins were the taxonomically richest habitat, while alfalfa fields presented significantly higher total arthropod abundance and biomass than other habitats. All arthropod variables were the highest in the localities with clear conservation‐focused agrarian management, and the lowest in the most intensive one. Areas used by little bustards had higher orthopteran and coleopteran abundance and biomass than nonused areas, except for coleopteran biomass in grazed fields. These results highlight the relevance of these arthropods for the species, the importance of dry alfalfa fields as food reservoirs in this critical time of year, the food scarcity in sites where agrarian management disregards farmland bird conservation, and the role of stubbles as providers of food resources during the chick‐rearing season in areas used by the species. The adequate management of alfalfa fields and stubbles to provide those key resources seems crucial to improve little bustard breeding success.

Masne kiseline u semenu divlje konoplje (Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa var. spontanea Vavilov)

Wild hemp (Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa var. spontanea) is a special variety of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa), which is believed to have originated from the acclimatization of industrial hemp to the ruderal habitat conditions of Eastern Europe. In Serbia it is found along roads, on field edges, stubble fields, garbage dumps etc., but also as a weed in fields. Due to the great popularity of industrial hemp, which can be used for various purposes (as raw material in food and pharmaceutical industry, in the production of gluten-free flour, biodiesel, detergents, in folk medicine), many researchers have analyzed its seeds, including analysing their fatty acids content. However, even though this knowledge can be of chemotaxonomic, ecological, evolutionary and nutritional significance, there is no data on the presence and composition of fatty acids in wild hemp seeds For the analysis of fatty acids in wild hemp seeds, the seed material was collected from two locations. After the extraction with hexane, determination of fatty acid esters was performed by capillary gas chromatography. Chromatographic peaks in the samples were identified by comparing the retention times with the retention times of the fatty acid esters in the analytical standard of a mixture of 37 fatty acid esters. The fatty acid composition is expressed as the relative mass fraction of the total fatty acids. The analysis of fatty acids in wild hemp seeds reveales the presence of 15 different acids, with content of 17.5% (U1) and 14.7% (U2) in relation to the total seed weight. Linoleic (45.3 and 47.5%) and a-linoleic (13.6 and 15.5%) acids were the most dominant. Of the 15 detected fatty acids, only 4 are saturated, with a representation of about 12%. Unsaturated fatty acids are present in a significantly higher proportion (about 88%), which indicates the nutritional value of these seeds.

Field Variation Characteristics of Sprayer Boom Height Using a Newly Designed Boom Height Detection System

To ensure boom sprayer safety and spraying efficiency, the sprayer boom height must be adjusted during pesticide application. The field variation characteristics of the sprayer boom height are the basis of the boom balance adjustment. A boom height detection system based on ultrasonic sensors was designed. Field tests were performed in 2.0 ha of vacant fields and 13.44 ha of wheat stubble fields. A signal processing method based on the K-means clustering algorithm was used to preprocess the ultrasonic sensor data. The results showed that the K-means clustering algorithm could effectively improve the detection accuracy of an ultrasonic sensor. The boom height variation was greatest at the sides of the boom, and the primary frequencies of the boom height variation were concentrated within a low-frequency band from 0 Hz to 1 Hz. The U-turn operation was more likely to cause the boom to contact the crop canopy or the ground than row operation. As the spraying speed increased, the maximum boom height variation and maximum roll angle increased; these primary components decreased in frequency, and the amplitude clearly increased. The maximum boom height variation exceeded 50 cm, and the maximum roll angle exceeded 3°, which not only aggravated the droplet drift but also caused damage to the boom and nozzles due to contact with the ground or the crop canopy. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for use in the development of an automatic boom height adjustment system.

Influence of cereal harvest on adrenocortical activity in European hares (Lepus europaeus)

Anthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat modifications and machines, are associated with increased levels of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs) in mammals, an indicator of a stress response. One human-caused process provoking incisive habitat alterations is harvesting arable crops. We investigated the effect of cereal harvest on fGCM concentrations in European hares (Lepus europaeus) in arable landscapes in lower Austria during the year 2018 by collecting 591 faecal samples before, during and after cereal harvest. fGCMs were analysed using an enzyme immunoassay, and data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models. We found that neither cereal harvest nor farming practice (organic vs. conventional) caused an overall increase in the hares’ stress level. Lower vegetation density and higher proportions of bare ground were negatively correlated with fGCM concentrations, whereas the proportion of stubble fields was significantly positively correlated with fGCM concentrations in European hares. A change to more open landscapes might decrease time spent avoiding predation, and fallen grains may provide a beneficial additional food source for the hares. This indicates that European hares are well adapted to an opening up of the landscape and short-term disturbances such as cereal harvesting. In conclusion, cereal harvest had no large impact on European hares’ adrenocortical activity in an arable landscape with small average field size and enough available non-farmed areas.

A fuzzy machine learning approach for identification of paddy stubble burnt fields

Stubble burning is the most common practice in Northern region of India and is considered as the main reason for pollution in nearby NCR (National Capital Region) New Delhi, India. Therefore, in this research work, paddy stubble burnt fields were identified by using fuzzy based machine learning algorithms for a test site in Patiala, Punjab, India. An Euclidean Distance (ED) and Gaussian Kernel based Modified Possibilistic c-Means (MPCM) algorithms were used for this purpose. The main objective of this research work was to test the effectiveness of machine learning approach for identification of paddy stubble burnt filed and also to find out the better classifier amongst Euclidean Distance (ED) and Gaussian Kernel MPCM classifier. The Sentinel 2A/2B cloud free temporal data having a high frequency of repetitiveness in the interval of 5-days were used. To reduce spectral dimensionality of data Class Based Sensor Independent Indices (CBSII) database were generated. The burning was mainly observed from the last week of October to the first week of November and has been visualized using variation of CBSII-NDVI temporal plot. Normalized Burnt Ratio (NBR) was computed and compared with CBSII-NDVI outputs for both the ED and Kernel based MPCM classifiers. Delta Normalized Burnt Ratio (ΔNBR) was computed for cross-validation of burnt patches and is found to be in between 0.45 and 0.66. Thus, it can be concluded that kernel based MPCM classifiers are more efficient in terms of accuracy and robustness to noise in comparison to distance based MPCM classifiers, for the mapping of paddy burnt fields.

Mechanisms of Cold Region Hydrologic Change to Recent Wetting in a Northern Glaciated Landscape

AbstractThe Northern Great Plains (NGP) experienced a transition from a long drought cycle to a deluge cycle in the late 1900s. Embedded within this long‐term transition were shorter‐term decadal‐scale dry and wet periods. A recent NGP drought (1999–2004) was followed in 2005 by a wet period that continues to present day. However, how surface hydrology in a northern glaciated landscape responds to increased precipitation is poorly understood and a physically based modeling framework is needed to clarify the underlying processes. This study utilizes a physically based hydrologic model to investigate the impacts of increased precipitation on the water budget by examining its partition into intermediate processes from 2004–2017 in the Mauvais Coulee Basin (MCB). The MCB model evaluations against snow observations (2016–2017) and outlet streamflow observations (2004–2017) imply strong model performance. Simulated snow exhibits high spatiotemporal variation due to variability in precipitation, snow redistribution from stubble fields to wooded areas, and snow accumulation in small depressions. Our modeling results identify two major phases (before and after 2011) exhibiting different hydrologic responses. The period before 2011 is dominated by streamflow and evapotranspiration (ET), while extreme ET dominance is observed after 2011. This switch is due to climatic conditions involving changes in the vapor density difference and depressional and subsurface storage by intermediate processes. A clear contrast in the prewinter soil moisture‐streamflow relationship between before and after 2011 is reported. Our findings help illuminate the important influences of increased precipitation upon the intermediate processes in controlling streamflow in a northern glaciated prairie landscape.