Value Of Crop Production Research Articles

Decrease in soil test phosphorus levels under omitted phosphorus fertilizer application

AbstractMany European cropped soils have high soil test P (STP) values in the top soil because of P accumulation over many years of fertilizer application. This should allow to save P fertilizer applications for some years without STP values decreasing to a level that might negatively impact crop yield. However, the way STP develops under omitted P fertilizer application is not well understood. We examined STP development under omitted P fertilizer application for timeframes between 7 and 46 years on 96 unfertilized treatments (P0 treatments) of 43 European long‐term P field experiments, using five different STP methods. For comparability, values obtained by different STP methods were converted to Olsen‐P concentrations. We fitted exponential decay curves to Olsen‐P data of each P0 treatment defined by initial Olsen‐P values (Olsen‐Pi), rates of decrease (k) and asymptotes (A), reflecting minimum obtainable STP. Subsequently, we analysed whether the variables most commonly recorded in experiments, are sufficient to explain the variation in model parameters, these variables being P export, clay content, Corg and pH as well as average annual temperature and precipitation. We found that out of our predictor variables, soil clay content, precipitation and temperature were showing the most prominent effects on the parameters Olsen‐Pi, A or k. However, the amount of variation explained by the considered variables was too low to potentially facilitate a prediction of STP decrease, and various P0 treatments showed no clear Olsen‐P decrease or unexpectedly high asymptotes. This hints at a strong influence of the P sorption capacity of the soil with often high potential for replenishment from less available P pools. In connection with P introduction from the subsoil or possibly from surrounding plots, the extension of timeframes of omitted P fertilizer application without reaching critical STP values for crop production, might be explainable. Corresponding effects could not be analysed because of lack of data for most P0 treatments, calling for the additional determination of, for example, the maximum P sorption capacity, total P and subsoil P in future experiments.

Overview of transcriptome changes and phenomic profile of sanitized artichoke vis-à-vis non-sanitized plants.

Plant tissue in vitro culture is increasingly used in agriculture to improve crop production, nutritional quality, and commercial value. In plant virology, the technique is used as sanitation protocol to produce virus-free plants. Sanitized (S) artichokes show increased vigour compared to their non-sanitized (NS) counterparts, because viral infections lead to a decline of growth and development. To investigate mechanisms that control the complex traits related to morphology, growth, and yield in S artichokes compared to NS plants, RNAseq analysis and phenotyping by imaging were used. The role of peroxidases (POD) was also investigated to understand their involvement in sanitized plant development. Results showed that virus infection affected regulation of cell cycle, gene expression and signal transduction modulating cellular response to stimulus/stress. Moreover, primary metabolism and photosynthesis were also influenced, contributing to explain the main morphological differences observed between S and NS artichokes. Sanitized artichokes are also characterized by higher POD activity, probably associated with increased plant growth, rather than strengthening of cell walls. Overall, results show that the differences in development of S artichokes may be derived from the in vitro culture stressor, as well as through pathogen elimination, which, in turn, improve qualitative and quantitative artichoke production.

ТІНЬОВІ ВІДНОСИНИ ПРИ ВИРОБНИЦТВІ ТА ОБІГУ ПРОДУКЦІЇ РОСЛИННИЦТВА В УКРАЇНІ ТА НАПРЯМИ ЗАПОБІГАННЯ ЇМ

Introduction. The sector of national agricultural production and sales of plant products has significant volumes of the shadow economy. First of all, it is about shadow farming on the land and shadow circulation of plant products. Both the owners of the land, who manage non-publicly, and the economy of the country in general suffer from such negative phenomena. Moreover, shadow agrarian production affects other related industries, which increases the scope of the consequences of the illegal economy. Problem Statement. The problem of shadow production and circulation of plant products is complex and has existed for more than a decade. Attempts to solve this problem have not yielded real results so far. There are objective and subjective factors that have caused the existence of shadow production and circulation of plant products in Ukraine. After all, a situation has developed in the country, in which some business entities cannot manage land publicly for a number of objective reasons, while others benefit from shadow management. Participants in the shadow circulation of crop production are land owners who manage their own land alone or give land for use without registering the right to lease. The beneficiaries of the shadow circulation of crop production are land tenants, suppliers of commodity and material values for crop production, buyers of crop production and other subjects who seek and are able to receive profits from shadow operations. The purpose is to justify the necessity of detinization of land management processes and the circulation of plant products. Methods. The following methods are used: abstract-logical, systematization, dialectical and formal logic, expert evaluations. Results. Shadow farming on the land and shadow circulation of plant products were studied. A number of factors have been identified that cause the existence of shadow farming on land and the shadow circulation of plant products. The necessity and possibility of ending shadow farming on the land and the shadow circulation of plant products have been proven. Conclusions. The problems of shadow management on land and shadow circulation of plant products can be solved through legal, institutional and organizational mechanisms, the application of which will be aimed at creating conditions under which public management on land will provide the producer with more economic benefits than shadow management.

Eksplorasi Populasi dan Kepadatan Genus Nematoda Parasit pada Rizosfir Tanaman Kopi di Kota Solok, Sumatera Barat

Coffee is a plantation crop that has high economic value among other plantation crops and plays an important role as a source of foreign exchange for the country. The decline and low productivity of coffee plants in coffee production centers in Solok City, West Sumatra is one of the causes of plant parasitic nematode attacks. This nematode attack causes disrupted plant growth and reduces the value of crop production both in quantity and quality. This study aims to determine the diversity and population density of parasitic nematodes in the rhizosphere of coffee plants in Solok City, West Sumatra. This research was conducted from March to July 2023 at the Laboratory of Biological Control, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University. Soil samples were taken in two central areas of coffee plantations in Solok City, West Sumatra. In the rhizosphere of coffee plants in Solok City, four genera of parasitic nematodes were found, namely: the genera Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Meloidogyne, Rotylenchulus, Paratylenchus, and Tylenchorhynchus. The highest frequency of presence of nematodes, namely the genus Rotylenchulus, was 50.99 belonging to the medium category in Jorong Kayu Aro, and 44.80 in the rare category in Jorong Kayu Jao.

Thinking about soil health: A conceptual framework

This paper uses a dynamic economic model to take a holistic view of what constitutes soil health. The model considers actions taken over multiple periods of time to maximize the combined value of crop production, environmental quality, and investments in soil characteristics net of the costs of those actions. The model makes it clear that how soil health is assessed depends on the set of services soils provide and on the value that society places on those services. The temporal and spatial variability of those services and their values implies that the characteristics defining healthy soils will be location-specific and time-dependent. An additional implication is that an index of soil health valid for all places and times is unlikely to be feasible, although a soil health index that is “good enough” for specific locations at specific times may well be possible. Empirical evidence indicates that choices about managing soils generally involve tradeoffs, i.e., that “win-win” actions that increase agricultural productivity, improve environmental quality, and build up stocks of desirable soil characteristics are unlikely to occur. Assessments of soil health are most productively conducted by focusing on aspects of agricultural productivity, environmental quality, and soil characteristics of primary importance while ignoring those of secondary importance. Greater interdisciplinary cooperation between economists, soil scientists, and environmental scientists is likely the most fruitful path for making progress in developing methods for measuring soil health.

The Impact of Soybean Adoption on Households' Crop Production Value in Mozambique: A Genetic Matching Approach

The Impact of Soybean Adoption on Households' Crop Production Value in Mozambique: A Genetic Matching Approach

A Study on the Influence Factors of Agricultural Carbon Emissions in Hunan Province Based on Random Forest Model

Agricultural carbon reduction contributes to the realization of “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” strategy. This article analyzes the previous years’ data of agricultural carbon emissions in Hunan Province, and obtains the variation of carbon emissions; Using the random forest method to analyze the influence factors of agricultural carbon emissions in Hunan Province, it is proven that unit crop production value, unit energy carbon emissions in agriculture, and unit agricultural GDP energy consumption are the three most critical factors affecting agricultural carbon emissions in Hunan Province. LDMI method is used for validation. Sensitivity analysis was conducted on factors such as agricultural energy consumption, total production value of AFAF(Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing), total agricultural production value, crop yield, crop planting area, and non-urban population. The first five changes have a positive impact on agricultural carbon emissions, while non-urban population has a downward and then upward trend.

Insect pollinators can unlock an annual monetary value of more than US $100 million from crop production in Rwanda

Insect pollinators provide a natural ecosystem service to more than 80% of known flowering plants, many of which are part of our diet. However, their importance in Africa and an agriculture-dependent country like Rwanda has yet to receive attention. This encumbers policy formulation and investments in insect pollinators as a strategic agronomic input. Meanwhile, Rwanda cultivates crops that can benefit significantly from insect pollinators for superior agronomic outputs. To uncover this, we characterized the dependence of the crop production subsector on insect pollinators. Using the bioeconomic approach, we assessed the total economic value and the value due to insect pollinators of crops cultivated in Rwanda. We also evaluated the crop's production value per ton and whether production would meet consumption demands in the complete absence of insect pollinators. Using 71 representative crops currently grown in Rwanda, we found a direct dependency of 62% on insect pollinators. Of 32 representative crops used for economic valuation in two years (2014 and 2020), their total monetary value is estimated at $2.551 billion to $2.788 billion. Direct insect pollinator-dependent crops accounted for 20% (2014) to 18% (2020) of this value, with the share attributed to insect pollinators above $100 million. The sector's vulnerability to insect pollinators decreased from 7.3% in 2014 to 4.3% in 2020. The mean production value per ton of the direct insect pollinator-dependent crops was found to be higher in 2014 before declining in 2020. Using 21 representative crops from 2014 to 2020, we found that many direct insect pollinator-dependent crops will struggle to meet consumption demands in the complete absence of all suitable insect pollinators. Finally, we propose interventions and future research that could be undertaken. These insights are a critical first step to propel the government to act on insect pollination to support its food security agenda.

Agricultural value chains and food security in the Pacific: Evidence from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

Small island developing states in the Pacific face multiple development challenges driven by rapid population growth and high transportation costs due to remoteness and isolation. Combined with the adverse consequences of extreme weather events and climate change, these challenges exacerbate poverty and food insecurity. Agricultural value chain development presents a pathway to poverty reduction and food security. In this paper, we assess the impacts of two value chain development projects in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands on dietary diversity and food security of small-scale producers. Project impacts on dietary diversity are positive and significant in both countries, but improved food security is only observed in Solomon Islands. These impacts are mainly driven by crop yields, value of crop production and sales, crop diversification and share of crop sales. We find that treatment households are more likely to consume less nutritious foods such as sweets and oils. Our findings expand the literature in a data-scarce region and caution that value chain interventions without nutrition-focused components to induce behavioral change may have unintended impacts on healthy diets.

Projected decline in European bumblebee populations in the twenty-first century.

Habitat degradation and climate change are globally acting as pivotal drivers of wildlife collapse, with mounting evidence that this erosion of biodiversity will accelerate in the following decades1-3. Here, we quantify the past, present and future ecological suitability of Europe for bumblebees, a threatened group of pollinators ranked among the highest contributors to crop production value in the northern hemisphere4-8. We demonstrate coherent declines of bumblebee populations since 1900 over most of Europe and identify future large-scale range contractions and species extirpations under all future climate and landuse changescenarios. Around 38-76% of studied European bumblebee species currently classified as 'Least Concern' are projected to undergo losses of at least 30% of ecologically suitable territory by 2061-2080 compared to 2000-2014. All scenarios highlight that parts of Scandinavia will become potential refugia for European bumblebees; it is howeveruncertain whether these areas will remain clear of additional anthropogenic stressors not accounted for in present models. Our results underline the critical role of globalchange mitigation policies as effective levers to protect bumblebees from manmade transformation of the biosphere.

The income and food security impacts of soil and water conservation technologies in Tanzania

Soil and water conservation technologies are critical in reducing drought and soil erosion risks and increasing crop yields and incomes. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence on the extent and impacts of adopting soil and water conservation technologies in Tanzania. The study’s objective is to evaluate the adoption (as well as the duration of adoption) and the impacts of soil and water conservation technologies on income and food security in Tanzania. The study employs a control function approach and the instrumental variable quantile treatment effects model to survey data from 575 households to estimate the average and distributional impacts of adoption. The results show that the adoption and duration of adopting soil and water conservation technologies had significant and positive effects on the total value of crop production and household income. Moreover, we find that the adoption and its duration had a significant and positive impact on the food security indicator—household dietary diversity. The results from the instrumental variable quantile treatment effects model also show that the impacts of adopting soil and water conservation technologies on the outcome variables are positive and significant, although they vary significantly across the income and food security distributions. The results indicate that even though adoption benefits households in both the lower and upper quantiles of the income and food security distributions, the marginal impacts of adoption are generally more significant for the households in the upper quantiles. The paper concludes by discussing the policy options for increasing and sustaining the adoption and impacts of soil and water conservation technologies in Tanzania.

Evaluation of Agricultural Marketing of Tomato and Cucumber in Qatar Agro Climatic Zone

There is a great demand of tomato and cucumber in Qatar than their production. Qatar has been categorized as BWh (B=Arid or Dry; W=Waste or Desert; h=hot) based on the Köppen's classification. In addition to having high summer temperatures, high humidity, intense sun radiation, poor soil, and strong winds, Qatar also has limited precipitation. As a result, the climate is no longer favorable for agricultural production. Furthermore, the conditions are made worse by the scarcity of cultivable agricultural land. Due to these unfavorable circumstances and the growing emphasis on self-sufficiency, Qatar has adopted protected farming methods including greenhouse farming. The current state of Qatar's agriculture production has been examined in this review by taking into account the amount of crop output, the amount of cultivated land, the reliance on imports, and the value of crop production with reference to two major vegetable crops identified as critical commodity by Qatar National Food Security Strategy Programme (QNFSS) i.e. Tomato and Cucumber.

Investigation of Agricultural Sustainability with Irrigation and Economic Factors

Agricultural sustainability is becoming more and more important with the increasing world population. Therefore, the dissemination of sustainable agricultural practices; It is extremely important for future generations in terms of protecting the environment and natural resources, ensuring economic stability and increasing sustainable food production. This study investigates the sustainability in agriculture for Türkiye in terms of irrigation and economic factors in crop production change. Using the ARDL error correction model and Granger causality analysis methods for the period between 1995 and 2020, the short and long-term relationship between irrigation and economic factors and crop production value variables were analyzed. The research found that, the relationship between inflation variables irrigation, irrigation and the crop production value was found to be significant. In terms of agricultural sustainability, while the increase in the land opened to irrigation has led to an increase in crop production, the increase in the use of clean water from existing surface and groundwater resources has negatively affected the value of crop production. This has shown how important the water source and economic stability are in the sustainability of agriculture.

Evaluating agroforestry patterns to increase land productivity of Falcataria moluccana private forests in Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara

Developing agroforestry systems in private forests is expected to increase productivity. This study aims to determine the appropriate agroforestry design for Falcataria moluccana-based private forests in Central Lombok Regency. Three intercrop species were tested: small taro (Colocasia esculenta), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews). This study was established using a completely randomized design. The three planting combinations were examined in three replications for a total of nine test plots: F. moluccana+vanilla+small taro (FmVT), F. moluccana+vanilla+ginger (FmVG), and F. moluccana+vanilla+ginger+small taro (FmVGT). Each test plot was 10 x 10 m and was located at 3 x 3 m spacing under a 3-year-old F. moluccana stand. The measured variables were crop survival rates, plant yields, and microclimatic data. The correlation between the variables was examined using the Pearson Product Moment, Duncan's advanced multiple range test (DMRT), and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The market price was used to determine the crop's economic value. The best agroforestry design was based on the economic value of crop production and the land equivalent ratio. The results indicated that the combination of F. moluccana, vanilla, ginger, and small taro, which generated an additional income of IDR 11,851,250 ha-1 a year, should be widely promoted and adopted.

Assessing the impact of sand and dust storm on agriculture: Empirical evidence from Mongolia.

Assessing the economic impact of sand and dust storms provides critical insights to policy development and reforms; a subject that is gaining more attention as risk management becomes the dominant approach for hazard mitigation policies. To assess the causal impact of sand and dust storms on agriculture, specifically on crop and livestock revenue and physical production, random year-to-year variations in dust exposure were analyzed using a fixed effect regression. To complete this analysis, weather and climate data from the on-ground meteorological stations was combined with the household level socioeconomic surveys conducted by Mongolia's National Statistics Office (NSO) over a decade. The descriptive statistics of the meteorological data collected over the eight years period show that, on average, 29 dust events have occurred every year across the country, with greater variation among provinces (Aimags) and regions, reaching up to 108 events in a year in some provinces. The overall trend reveals a slight decrease in the dust events from 2009 to 2019. The econometric results show that value of crop and livestock production (gross income) and physical yields significantly decline in response to higher frequencies of sand and dust storms events. During this period, Mongolia experienced a 2.7% decline in crop revenue as a result of additional sand and dust storms. Assuming 2.7% constant decline in revenues across all agricultural sub-sectors and regions or Aimags, this could lead to about $37.8 million in losses to the economy, which is equivalent to about 0.27% of the national GDP of Mongolia. Increases in the frequency of sand and dust storms could reduce agricultural productivity by between 1.5% to 24%, depending on the crop. Estimates from the modelling exercise are robust to potential endogeneity bias in the measure of sand and dust storms; different specification and identification approaches accounting for the endogeneity bias consistently reveal negative and qualitatively similar impacts of sand and dust storms on crop and livestock productivity.

Irish faba beans (Fabales: Fabaceae) depend on wild bumblebee pollination for marketable yields

Abstract Quantifying the contributions of insect pollinators to crops provides insight into how pollination services should be managed and protected into the future. Faba bean, Vicia faba var minor (Linneaus), is a widely grown crop globally that can benefit from pollinator visitation, but only from species that are morphologically compatible with the plant's long‐corollae flowers. Here, we rank insect pollinators in terms of their potential importance to faba bean pollination and quantify the economic value of pollination for Irish faba beans. Our findings demonstrate that bee pollination contributes significantly to the pod set of faba beans, and, consequently, the crop's production value. We find that pollination services account for almost half of Ireland's total faba bean market value, with the pollinator contribution estimated at almost €4,000,000 per year. We estimate that, relative to other pollinators, wild bumblebees contribute to approximately 70% of the economic value of pollination services in faba bean fields, driven mainly by the contributions of a long‐tongued bumblebee species, Bombus hortorum (Linneaus; Hymenoptera: Apidae). Based on these results, we suggest that B. hortorum populations be encouraged on farmland through appropriate management to ensure the continued delivery of pollination services to Irish faba beans.

Ecosystem Mapping and Accounting in Italy Based on Copernicus and National Data through Integration of EAGLE and SEEA-EA Frameworks

Developing appropriate tools to understand and protect ecosystems and the services they provide is of unprecedented importance. This work describes the activity performed by ISPRA for the mapping of the types of ecosystems and the evaluation of their related ecosystem services, to meet the needs of the “ecosystem extent account” and “ecosystem services physical account” activities envisaged by the SEEA-EA framework. A map of the types of ecosystems is proposed, obtained by integrating the main Copernicus data with the ISPRA National Land Consumption Map, according to the MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services) classification system. The crop production and carbon stock values for 2018 were then calculated and aggregated with respect to each ecosystem. The ecosystem accounting was based on the land cover map produced by ISPRA integrating, according to an EAGLE compliant classification system, the same Copernicus and National input data used for mapping the types of ecosystems. The analysis shows the importance of an integrated reading of the main monitoring tools and the advantages in terms of compatibility and comparability, with a view to enhancing the potential of Copernicus land monitoring instruments also in the context of ecosystem accounting activities.

The impact of sand and dust storms on agriculture in Iraq

ABSTRACT Sand and dust storms are a common natural hazard in arid and dry areas of the Middle East and North Africa severely affecting human life and economic sectors, including agriculture production. In this paper, I explore the potential impact of sand and dust storms (SDS) on agricultural sub-sectors in Iraq by combining the household-level production and socioeconomic data with the climate dataset to allow the empirical assessment of agricultural impacts due to dust storms. I find compelling evidence that exposure of crops and livestock to dust storms significantly diminish agricultural productivity, vegetation cover and have significant bearings on the household welfare. Our analysis reveals a 1.1% reduction in the value of crop production as a result of an additional SDS event. This corresponds to about 0.045% losses in the GDP of Iraq, an amount equivalent to about $0.1 billion. Crop yields are reduced significantly ranging from 0.9% to 3% for an additional day of sand and dust storms.

ESTIMATION OF THE ADDED VALUE OF WHEAT CROP PRODUCTION IN NINEVEH GOVERNORATE FOR THE AGRICULTURAL SEASON 2019-2020

This study examines the typical value of wheat crop production in Nineveh Governorate for the production season 2020, and calculates costs, the United States and profits and diagnoses the challenges and problems of crop production. (134) questionnaire forms were distributed to a random sample of wheat crop farmers in Nineveh Governorate for the agricultural season 2019-2020. showing that the average revenue per ton of wheat crop amounted to (497, 578,832) dinars/ton, and that the average total value added per ton was estimated at (384,200,121) dinars/ton, and the average total costs (production and marketing) per ton amounted to (223.621.841) dinars/ton. The results of the research indicated that there are problems and obstacles with regard to the process of preparing the state for production requirements for farmers in terms of inappropriate timings for cultivation and low quantities distributed, This leads to higher variable costs than production costs. and the presence of delays in the process of marketing and receiving the yield from the silos, The study recommends early development of the agricultural plan, opening centers to collect the crop in the harvest season, close to the farms in order to reduce costs and facilitate the marketing process, and work to develop a marketing mechanism and the receipt of the crop by the silos, and expedite the process of disbursing the financial dues to farmers.

Pollinator Deficits, Food Consumption, and Consequences for Human Health: A Modeling Study.

Animal pollination supports agricultural production for many healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, that provide key nutrients and protect against noncommunicable disease. Today, most crops receive suboptimal pollination because of limited abundance and diversity of pollinating insects. Animal pollinators are currently suffering owing to a host of direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures: land-use change, intensive farming techniques, harmful pesticides, nutritional stress, and climate change, among others. We aimed to model the impacts on current global human health from insufficient pollination via diet. We used a climate zonation approach to estimate current yield gaps for animal-pollinated foods and estimated the proportion of the gap attributable to insufficient pollinators based on existing research. We then simulated closing the "pollinator yield gaps" by eliminating the portion of total yield gaps attributable to insufficient pollination. Next, we used an agriculture-economic model to estimate the impacts of closing the pollinator yield gap on food production, interregional trade, and consumption. Finally, we used a comparative risk assessment to estimate the related changes in dietary risks and mortality by country and globally. In addition, we estimated the lost economic value of crop production for three diverse case-study countries: Honduras, Nepal, and Nigeria. Globally, we calculated that 3%-5% of fruit, vegetable, and nut production is lost due to inadequate pollination, leading to an estimated 427,000 (95% uncertainty interval: 86,000, 691,000) excess deaths annually from lost healthy food consumption and associated diseases. Modeled impacts were unevenly distributed: Lost food production was concentrated in lower-income countries, whereas impacts on food consumption and mortality attributable to insufficient pollination were greater in middle- and high-income countries with higher rates of noncommunicable disease. Furthermore, in our three case-study countries, we calculated the economic value of crop production to be 12%-31% lower than if pollinators were abundant (due to crop production losses of 3%-19%), mainly due to lost fruit and vegetable production. According to our analysis, insufficient populations of pollinators were responsible for large present-day burdens of disease through lost healthy food consumption. In addition, we calculated that low-income countries lost significant income and crop yields from pollinator deficits. These results underscore the urgent need to promote pollinator-friendly practices for both human health and agricultural livelihoods. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10947.