Yield Of Wheat Crop Research Articles

Both class- and landscape-level patterns influence crop yield

Under global climate change, we can adjust landscape patterns to mitigate the effects of climate factors on crop yield. Field and landscape-scale research suggests that increased land cover diversity and non-crop habitats can improve crop yield, but little is known on the effects of patch area and shape of one type of land use (i.e., class-level) and spatial patterns (aggregation, fragmentation, and heterogeneity) of surrounding multiple land-use classes (i.e. landscape-level) on crop yield. We evaluated the relationship between 375 landscape metrics at both class- and landscape-levels, 120 climate variables, and the crop yields of maize, rice, and wheat in China from years 2000–2015 at national and sub-climatic zone scales. Our results suggest that both class- and landscape-level patterns were the main drivers, contributing averagely 12% of the variations in crop yields. Specifically at national scale, crop yield in cropland with forest cover (>27%) was increased by 169% than where without forest cover. Shape complexity in forest and cropland patches, aggregation degree, and spatial complexity of land cover types were more closely associated with crop yield (accounting for 2–73% of the variations in crop yield at sub-climatic zones) than landscape diversity (<2%), mainly owing to their mediating effects on the relationship between climate factors and crop yield. Not all non-crop habitats are beneficial to crop yield, and forest patches with a suitable area and shape complexity perform best. Our findings suggest that the regulation of both class- and landscape-level patterns may be an alternative way to improve crop yield, rather than only enhancing land-cover diversity or increasing the area of non-crop habitats.

Optimizing Water Use Efficiency and Yield of Wheat Crops through Integrated Irrigation and Nitrogen Management: A Comprehensive Review

Achieving sustainable agricultural productivity is critical due to the rising worldwide demand for food and the growing scarcity of water. This comprehensive review investigates the complex interrelations where integrated irrigation and nitrogen management are used as a strategic method to improve wheat crop yields and water use efficiency (WUE). The study synthesizes current research findings, methodologies, and technological advancements related to optimizing water and nitrogen inputs in wheat cultivation. A number of factors can affect WUE in wheat, including climate, soil, crop management practices, and genetic factors. There are a number of irrigation and nitrogen management practices that can be used to improve WUE in wheat, including deficit irrigation, mulching, and split applications of nitrogen fertilizer. The review underscores the significance of tailored irrigation and nitrogen management strategies in mitigating water stress, reducing nutrient runoff, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Insights from this comprehensive analysis aim to guide policymakers, agronomists, and farmers in making informed decisions for optimizing wheat production while conserving water resources and minimizing environmental impact. Future research on WUE can help to ensure that wheat production remains sustainable in the face of future challenges such as climate change and water scarcity.

Real-Time Sprinkler Irrigation (RTSI) Scheduling for Improving Wheat Crop Water Productivity in Vertisols

An experiment was conducted at ICAR- Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, during the rabi seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19 with the objectives of to study improved irrigation scheduling for enhancing water productivity of wheat crops in Vertisols. The experiment involved permanent raised bed cultivation in Vertisols and was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two planting systems (elevated bed and flatbed) replicated three times. The elevated bed levels were set as 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm. Soil moisture was continuously monitored using a real-time sensor network sprinkler irrigation, during crop growth period. Field data on soil moisture, crop performance, and yield were regularly recorded at different crop growth stages. The results indicated that both conventional sprinkler irrigation and real-time moisture sensor-based sprinkler irrigation led to substantial water savings of 27 and 35%, respectively with corresponding yield increase of 9 and 15% when compared to gravity (flood) irrigation, showing their effectiveness. Soil moisture variability study revealed that average soil moisture levels significantly varied when bed elevation was 10 cm or more, as compared to control (bed with normal field level) in different crop physiological stages. This variation occurred under sprinkler irrigation in Vertisols for recommended irrigation water depth. Under recommended irrigation water application through sprinkler, the wheat crop yield increased for elevation variations up to 10 cm bed elevation and the yield reduced significantly for more than 15 cm bed elevation. For sprinkler irrigation, the developed irrigation water application prescriptions (water depth/irrigation) include 400 mm irrigation depth (ID) for bed of 0 cm elevation, 476 mm ID for bed of 20 cm elevation and 552 mm ID for 30 cm bed elevation to sustain the wheat crop yield under soil moisture variability in Vertisols.

INFLUENCE OF PRE-SOWING SEED TREATMENT WITH BIOPREPARATIONS ON THE YIELD OF WINTER WHEAT IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE RIGHT-BANK FOREST STEPPE

Pre-sowing seed treatment is one of the elements of crop cultivation technology and is widely used in grain production in the Vinnytsia region. The article presents the three-year results of the influence of preparations of different composition, which are used for seed treatment, on the yield and structure of the winter wheat crop. To establish a field experiment at the research site of the research farm "Agronomichne" VNAU village. Agronomic Vinnytsia district, seeds of the medium-ripening variety Skagen were treated with the following biological preparations: "Avicena, SE" in a dose of 0,4 l/t, "Azotophyt-r" – 0,8 l/t, "Organic balance" - 1 l/t, "Help Rost" – 1 l/t, a combination of growth regulator and poisoner "Azotophyt" – 0,8 l/t + "Avicena SE" – 0,4 l/t, "Organic balance" – 1 l/t + "Avicena, SE" – 0,4 l/t and "Help Rost" – 1 l/t + "Avicena, SE" – 0,4 l/t. In the course of the research, the effect of pre-sowing seed treatment with poison and growth regulators on the index of productive tillering, which in the control variant was 1,8 stems/plant, was noted. When used for pre-sowing seed inoculation of biopreparations Azotophyt and Organic balance, productive tillering was 2.1 stems/plant, which was 0,3 stems/plant more than the data obtained on the control variant without treatment. A similar result was observed in the variant that involved sowing seeds treated with the combination of Organic Balance + Avicena, SE. The pre-sowing treatment of Skagen winter wheat seeds with biological preparations, a poison and their combined use had a positive effect on the elements of the crop structure. The number of grains from a plant in the options that provided for the treatment of seeds with biopreparations Azotophyt-r, Organic Balance and Help Rost was on average 34,5-35,3 pcs., which is 1,4-2,3 pcs. exceeded this indicator in the control. The highest yield of the crop - 6.18 t/ha was recorded with the combined pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with a mixture of Organic Balance (1 l/t) + Avicen, SE (0,4 l/t). Compared to the control option, the increase in grain yield was 1,12 t/ha, and the conditional net profit was UAH 8,866, with a profitability level of 40,2%.

Development of Machine Learning based Models for Multivariate Prediction of Wheat Crop Yield in Uttar Pradesh, India

The consequences of climate change have a substantial impact on agricultural crop production and management. Predicting or forecasting crop yields well in advance would help farmers, agriculture corporations and government agencies manage risk and design suitable crop insurance plans. Ground survey is the traditional way of determining yield, which is subjective, time-consuming, and expensive. While Machine learning techniques make yield prediction less expensive, less time taking and more efficient. In this study, thirteen years of meteorological parameters and wheat yield data (2001-2013) of Uttar Pradesh were used to train and analyze three machine learning regression models viz. Support Vector Regression, Ordinary Least Squares, and Random Forest. Each model's performance was assessed using Mean Absolute Error, Mean Squared Error, and Root Mean Squared Error. Results revealed that the Random Forest model with a MAE of 0.258 t/ha, MSE of 0.096 t/ha and RMSE of 0.311 t/ha proved to be the best model in the yield prediction of wheat when results are statistically compared with others. Researchers and decision-makers can use the findings to estimate pre-harvest yields and to ensure food security.

Drought Priming and Subsequent Irrigation Water Regimes Enhanced Grain Yield and Water Productivity of Wheat Crop

The most important factor impacting wheat production is water stress that occurs during the reproductive growth stage. Therefore, the plant responses and water productivity as affected by drought priming were investigated during Rabi seasons 2021 and 2022. The field trials were conducted in the research field of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. The Hamal-BNS wheat variety was subjected to differing irrigation water regime levels (40%, 50% and 60% of soil water holding capacity, SWHC) after being subjected to drought priming, irrigation water recovery (water closure period) and drought priming. There were six treatments: (1) DPP-40 (drought priming plants at 40% of SWHC), (2) DPP-50, (3) DPP-60, (4) CTP-40 (controlled treated plants at 40% of SWHC), (5) CTP-50 and (6) CTP-60. During the experiment period, soil moisture content was significantly affected by the different treatments at various growth stages of wheat. The results indicated that winter wheat pre-exposed to drought priming attained a stress imprint that improved the subsequent deficit water levels which occurred during the later plant growth stage as demonstrated by the progress of test weight, grain yield, plant level water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency as well as relative yield compared to CTP-50 (control treatment). Under the irrigation water regime levels during the post-anthesis period, primed wheat plants sustained grain yield and higher relative yield than wheat plants without priming due to the better irrigation water regime for drought-primed wheat plants. Similarly, primed wheat plants consumed 18.3% less irrigation water as compared to non-primed plants, which significantly increased plant level WUE and irrigation WUE and decreased dry biomass and root development of drought-primed wheat plants. Therefore, to conserve fresh water for other field crops and increase water productivity in the Sindh province, it is recommended that drought priming is used during the early growth period of wheat plants as a successful irrigation method.

Impact of various irrigation levels and nitrogen rates on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and nitrate leaching

BackgroundNitrogen (N) is a crucial macronutrient for plants and serves as a significant measure of soil productivity. The leaching of N-nitrate creates significant hazards for human health and ground water quality. Supplemental irrigation applied to various field crops significantly alters crop yield and nitrate (NO3–) leaching within the soil. Determining the influence of various N rates and irrigation levels on yield and NO3– leaching could help to select the optimum combination of irrigation and N. MethodsThe influence of various irrigation levels and N rates on NO3– leaching, soil physicochemical characteristics and grain yield of wheat crop was investigated. Two irrigation levels, i.e., I1 and I2 (60% and 75% of field capacity) and three N levels, i.e., 105, 130 and 160 kg/ha named as N1, N2 and N3 were included in the study. The irrigation and N levels were optimized in preliminary studies. Data relating to yield-related characteristics of wheat and soil physicochemical properties were recorded. ResultsThe growth and yield traits of the wheat crop were considerably influenced by varying degrees of irrigation N application. The interactive effect of I2N3 resulted in the highest numbers of tillers m−2 (18.9), 1000-grain weight (40.3 g), and straw (5.87 t ha−1) and grain (4.17 t ha−1) yields. Irrigation significantly affected infiltration rate, hydraulic conductivity of the saturated soil and soil strength. The bulk density of soil increased, while soil porosity decreased with increasing depth. Economic analysis revealed that higher irrigation and N levels, i.e., I2N3 resulted in the highest net economic returns. The NO3– concentration was significantly affected by soil depth and time after application of fertilizer. The NO3– concentration exhibited its greatest value at a depth of 0.35 m, while its lowest value was seen at a depth of 1 m. In addition, the concentration of NO3– exhibited a decline throughout the course of time after the administration of N. ConclusionIt is concluded that higher application of irrigation water and N fertilizer increased wheat yield and economic returns, and NO3– leaching. Therefore, alternative N sources with lower NO3– leaching must be used to reduce the adverse impacts on groundwater and environment.

Carryover Effect of Green Manure, FYM and N-Fertilization on the Succeeding Wheat in Rice-wheat Cropping System

The present study was carried out Punjab Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Gurdaspur, Punjab (India) during 2020-21 and 2021-22. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with three factors. Main plots contain three organic fertilizers treatments, sub plot contains three nitrogen levels and sub-sub plots contain three nitrogen application stage. Plant height of succeeding wheat crop grown after basmati rice was affected non-significantly by organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers applied to basmati rice during both the years. The number of tillers and dry matter accumulation significant affected during both the years. Greater values were obtained with FYM application @ 15 t ha-1 which was significantly similar to green manuring but significantly higher than control during both the years. The various nitrogen doses and nitrogen application stages failed to significantly influence number of tillers and dry matter accumulation of succeeding wheat crop. In case of number of effective tillers and grains per spike, the maximum values were obtained with FYM. It was at par with green manuring but significantly higher than. The nitrogen doses and nitrogen application stages had non-significant effect on both these parameters. The organic fertilizers had statistical significant effect on straw and grain yield of wheat crop. The highest straw and grain yields were obtained with application of FYM @ 15 t ha-1 which was significantly higher than control but statistically at par with green manuring during both the years. The harvest index was non-significant for all the treatments. The total NPK uptake in wheat was significantly affected by the organic fertilizers. Highest uptake of NPK in grain and straw was observed with FYM application which was at par with green manuring but significantly higher than control during both the years.

Optimum Yaramila (N23P10S5) Blend Formulation and Its Fertilization for Growth and Yield of Wheat in Enderta District, South Eastern Tigray

Fertilizer use in Ethiopia has focused mainly on the application of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers in the form of di-ammonium phosphate and urea for almost all cultivated crops for the last several years. Such unbalanced application of plant nutrients may aggravate the depletion of other important nutrient elements in soils such as S and micro-nutrients. Present study was conducted in Tigray region Enderta district with the objective of evaluating Yaramila (23-10-5, N: P2O5: S) and its rate on yield of wheat crop. In this trial five treatments were included and it was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results indicated that biomass, grain, and straw yields of wheat responded to the additional yaramila levels. But, these levels did not beat recommended NP and the maximum grain yield was obtained at the recommended NP. The yaramila@200kg/ha level has almost equal levels of N and P with the recommended NP and additional sulfur levels but the yield and yield components of wheat were not significantly higher than recommended NP even with additional NP adjusted. This implies that either the sulfur or the formulation of blending decreased nitrogen and phosphorus efficiency. Hence, nitrogen and phosphorus are the yield limiting nutrients rather than sulfur for wheat. Moreover, Yaramila blended based on this formulation as source of sulfur is not a suitable fertilizer for wheat growth in the study. So, other alternative sources of sulfur rather than yaramila should be used for wheat production.

Nano-Biochar Enhances Wheat Crop Productivity by Vindicating the Effects of Drought: In Relation to Physiological and Phenological Stages.

Climatic changes are major hindrances to crop productivity. Likewise, water scarcity is the major obstacle during different physiological and phenological stages, which ultimately reduces the wheat crop yield. So, there is a dire need to adopt modern approaches such as soil amendments, i.e., using nano-biochar (NBC) to boost soil health and wheat crop productivity. Therefore, a case study was performed in the wire house of the Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Islamia University of Bahawalpur. CRD (completely randomized design) with four treatments of NBC, i.e., NBC0 (control), NBC1 (0.5%), NBC2 (1.00%), NBC3 (1.5%), and four drought levels D0 = control, D1 = drought at tillering, D2 = drought at flowering, and D3 = drought at grain filling was used. The hypothesis for the case study was to investigate if the NBC increases crop productivity by boosting physiological and chemical attributes under different drought conditions at different phenological stages. Results showed that among NBC treatments, NBC2 (1.00%) showed 37.10% increase in peroxidase activity, 28.60% in superoxide dismutase, 63.33% in catalase, 22.03% in ascorbate peroxidase, and 6.66% in plant height as compared to other NBC treatments, whereas among drought treatments, D0 = control stood out in comparison to water deficit treatments at critical growth and development stages, statistically analyzed data revealed that D0 was able to generate plant height 6.17 times more, 12.76% in the number of grains per spike, 4.60% in osmotic potential, and 2.96% in stomatal conductance activities of wheat crop. D3 and NBC0 were identified as treatment levels with the statistically lowest growth and yield returns, respectively. It showed a decrease of 4.69% in leaf relative water contents, 12.33% in water potential, and 23.64% in fertile tillers. It was recommended that drought is avoided at any critical growth, particularly at the grain-filling stage. The use of organic substances (fertilizers) must be promoted as they possess soil and crop health-promoting properties and also reduce different management expenses (fertilizer cost). Using NBC helps boost crop growth in the presence of a limited water supply. However, extensive research is needed to find out the impact of these organic substances (humic acid, farmyard manure, and NBC) on different crops, particularly on wheat, under stress conditions.

Assessment of climatic impact on growth and production of rice (Kharif) and wheat (Rabi) using geospatial technology over Haryana

Global climate change could have a substantial negative influence on Indian agriculture and becoming more common and intense growing as a result of food security. Indeed, the examination of weather variability on agricultural growth and production is always complex. The weather variability impact on agricultural growth and production has been evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis among various weather variables (minimum temperature, maximum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall), vegetation indices (NDVI and LAI) and crop yield (wheat and rice) on yearly and monthly basis for the time period from the year 1991 to 2020 in the present study. Initially, the temporal behavior of weather variables and vegetation indices have been explored on the monthly and yearly time scale for the long term (1991-2020) along with crop yield over Indian state of Haryana. After that a Pearson correlation analysis have been carried out among the weather variables, vegetation indices and crop yield on monthly and yearly time scale, individually to understand the relationship of NDVI-weather and LAI- weather along with the long-term weather impact on agricultural production. A significant correlation is found between NDVI- weather and LAI- weather on monthly and yearly basis. The positive impact of the temperature, relative humidity and rainfall is found on the rice crop production, while the wind speed showed the negative impact on the rice crop production during the Kharif season in Haryana state of India during the years 1998-2018. In case of wheat crop (Rabi season), the minimum temperature, rainfall and relative humidity supports the wheat crop production, while the maximum temperature and wind speed showed the negative impact on the wheat yield in Haryana during the years 1998-2018. Overall, this study has found the annual increase in wheat crop yield approximately 0.044 tons per hectare, and rice crop yield 0.029 tons per hectare.

Response of Different Moisture Regimes and Nitrogen Sources on Soil Health, Growth and Yield Attributes of Wheat: A Comprehensive Review

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a ancestor of the Poaceae family, is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. On a global scale, wheat is the main cereal that is cultivated and produced most widely. Irrigation has been essential to keep wheat a key food crop around the world. In response to climate change, it is also becoming more important. In response to better irrigation management, a key aspect in increasing water productivity and maintaining the viability of water resource use in agricultural production. At all growth stages of the crop, the wheat crop's growth and yield characteristics improved with rising levels of moisture regime. The performance of the yield component parts has been linked to higher nitrogen fertilization levels.

Phenology and yield response of wheat varieties as influenced by sowing dates at gonde and ardayita seed production farm, Ethiopia

Wheat is one of Ethiopia's main foods, contributing to daily caloric consumption. Due to environmental conditions such as distribution and length of the rainy season shifting from time to time elsewhere, particularly at Gode and Ardayita seed production farm, sowing timing and varietal selection are key factors for low yield of wheat crop. This Experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with three-replications which contain four sowing dates, ranging from June 17 to July 18 at ten-day intervals, and four wheat varieties namely Kingbird, Hidase, Picaflor, and Ogolcho combined to form 16 treatments. According to the result, on days to heading, there was a significant interaction effect of variety and location and the highest number of days (70.42) was obtained at the Ardayita location on Kingbird variety. On the day of heading, there is also a substantial interaction effect of location and sowing date, the maximum days (72.00) were observed at Ardayita on the early sowing date (June-17). The maturity dates of the two locations varied significantly, the longer (116.17) days were recorded at Ardayita. The effect of variations on days to maturity of varieties also significant, Ogolcho variety had the highest maturity (120.04) days. Date of sowing also has a significant effect on maturity date; the highest number of days (116.96) was recorded on June 17 sowing date. The grain filling period significantly vary among the varieties, the Ogolcho variety had the highest number of days (53.25). Grain filling period also had significant variation on date of sowing; the earliest sowing date (June 17) has the longest date (49.96). On the other hand, location had no effect on the grain-filling period, plant height and seed yield. Sowing date and location significantly interact on grain yield of wheat. The maximum (6.38 ton ha-1) seed yield was recorded at Gonde location on second (June 28) sowing date and Ardayita place obtained highest yield at first sowing date (June 17). There was a significant interaction between sowing date and varieties on yield of wheat. From the result Hidasse variety obtained highest yield (6.58 ton ha-1) on the second sowing date (June 28) whereas the Ogolch variety recorded highest (6.28 ton ha-1) at the first sowing date (June 17). Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. Vol. 10, No. 2, August 2023: 133-145

Contribution of Eco-Friendly Agricultural Practices in Improving and Stabilizing Wheat Crop Yield: A Review

Wheat is considered to be a strategic crop for achieving food security. Wherefore, one of the current objectives of today’s agriculture is to ensure a consistent and sustainable yield of this particular crop while mitigating its environmental footprint. However, along with the genetic potential of varieties, agricultural practices play a key role in ensuring a high and stable yield of wheat. Under changing climatic conditions, new eco-friendly practices were adopted in the wheat farming system in recent decades. In this review, a large number of peer-reviewed articles have been screened during the last 15 years to evaluate the potential of some environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as tillage system, biological crop protection, crop rotation, intercropping systems, and the integration of resistant varieties in achieving a high and stable wheat yield. The present investigation unveiled that embracing eco-friendly agricultural methods in the wheat farming system holds the potential to engender high and sustainable wheat yields, contingent upon a normative strategy that comprehensively addresses multiple factors. These include the intrinsic attributes of the grown wheat cultivars, plant nutritional parameters, soil agrochemical characteristics, and specific climatic conditions. Further in-depth investigations under field conditions are necessary to help in the discernment of appropriate environmentally agricultural techniques that can efficaciously optimize the yield potential of the different cultivated varieties.

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS AND ADAPTIVE NEURO FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM FOR WHEAT YIELD ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION

The current study evaluated the prediction of the yield of wheat crops in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka State, India. The study aimed to provide crop yield predictions to help farmers optimize their cultivation and marketing strategies. The model used various independent variables, such as temperature, humidity of air, and water resources, to predict growth in the yield of wheat crops. The correlation analysis helps determine the strength and direction of the relationship between the variables based on the results. The statistical analysis identifies the variables that have a significant impact on crop yield growth. The work developed and tested two different models (the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model and the Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Interference System (ANFIS) to predict crop yield growth based on the selected independent variables. The ANFIS model was particularly interesting as it can predict a mapping between the input and output parameters, which can be useful for understanding the relationships between different variables. ANFIS was considered a better predictor than ANN as the error percentage ranged from 0-3%. Overall, the work highlighted the importance of crop yield predictions and the potential benefits that simulations can generate for farmers and the agriculture sector in general.

Long term conservation agriculture impact on soil nitrogen fractions and wheat (Triticum aestivum) yield in subtropical Inceptisol

The present study was carried out at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi over two consecutive years (2020 and 2021) to evaluate the influence of conservation agriculture (CA) and nitrogen management strategies on wheat yield in an intensified maize (Zea mays L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) cropping system. Results indicated that grain and straw yields of wheat in CA plots were higher, reaching 4829 and 7231 kg/ha, respectively. However, these yields were statistically comparable to those obtained from conventionally tilled plots (4502 and 6611 kg/ha, respectively). Significantly higher wheat grain and straw yields were observed in plots receiving nitrogen fertilizer. Interestingly, the harvest index remained unaffected by both tillage practices and nitrogen management strategies. After two seasons of wheat cultivation, CA plots had significantly higher soil nitrogen fractions, including mineral, alkali-permanganate, potentially mineralizable, microbial biomass N and total nitrogen, compared to conventionally tilled plots. Moreover, all nitrogen-receiving treatments demonstrated significantly higher nitrogen fractions at both soil depths (0–5 and 5–15 cm) compared to the control. Notably, plots treated with urea super granules exhibited superior results in enhancing plant-available nitrogen. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of CA and various nitrogen management strategies for increasing wheat crop yield and promoting plant-available nitrogen fractions in the soil. These findings providevaluable insights for farmers and researchers looking for sustainable and efficient agricultural practices to optimize wheat production and soil health.

Adaptation to seasonal drought in irrigation districts of south China: A copula-based fuzzy-flexible stochastic multi-objective approach for precise irrigation planning

The occurrence of seasonal drought has led to periodic water shortages in irrigation districts of south China, posing significant agricultural challenges on water and food security. Consequently, there is a pressing need for high-efficient water resources management from a sustainability perspective. To address this issue, a copula-based fuzzy-flexible stochastic multi-objective programming (CFSMP) model was proposed to facilitate irrigation planning under the combined influence of seasonal dry and wet conditions. The model was aimed to simultaneously achieve maximum economic benefit, water productivity and green water use efficiency, considering the economic, social, and environmental spheres of the irrigation district. The CFSMP model represented an innovative solution that was capable of (1) precisely describing the response of crop yield to water supply at ten-day time scale, which can be matched with practical irrigation demand; (2) characterizing joint distributions of seasonal dry and wet conditions of precipitation during different crop growth periods based on the copula function; (3) reconciling conflicts on objectives among economic, social, and environmental spheres of the irrigation district in complex and uncertain environments. The proposed model was applied to the Dongfeng Reservoir Irrigation District in south China. The downscaled ten-day Jensen water production functions of main grain and cash crops were fitted to recognize precise distributions of crop water demand and water sensitivity index. The Frank copula, with the smallest value of squared Euclidean distribution, was selected to describe the joint distribution of seasonal precipitation and gain insights into actual seasonal water availability and water scarcity. The results showed that the proposed model produced more water-saving and yield-promoting irrigation planning policies than the current quota. The average water allocation of rice, wheat, maize, rape, and citrus decreased by 352.6 mm, 10.6 mm, 67.7 mm, 7.44 mm, and 54.6 mm, respectively. Except for a yield reduction of 8.8% for rape, crop yields of rice, wheat, maize, and citrus were improved by 33.3%, 45.4%, 29.9%, and 12.3%, respectively. The coordination degree of the model reached 0.827, demonstrating excellent performance on generating coordinated and robust solutions. Therefore, the CSFMP model has the potential to alleviate seasonal drought in south China and can be applied in similar regions with comparable resources crisis.

Streptomyces biostimulants: An effective sustainable approach to reduce inorganic N input and maintain high yield of wheat crop in different soil types.

This study aimed to isolate and characterize endophytic plant growth-promoting (PGP) actinomycetes from the wild medicinal plant Zygophyllum album. Eight actinomycetes were isolated, identified, and screened for their PGP activities to improve the growth and production of wheat plants under low N-inputs. Based on 16S rRNA analysis, the isolated actinobacteria showed high diversity and had multiple in-vitro PGP attributes. In pot experiments, Streptomyces sp. NGB-Act4 and NGB-Act6 demonstrated the highest significant PGP activities to enhance the growth of wheat plants under reduced N-inputs. Under various field conditions (high-fertility clay soils and low-fertility sandy soils), in combination with 50% N-dose, the two streptomycetes showed significant increases in grain N% and grain yield of the wheat crop compared with the 50% N-fertilized treatment. Irrespective of soil type, wheat plants inoculated with strain NGB-Act4 produced grain yield and grain N% significantly greater than, or comparable to the full N-dose treatment. This is the first field report on the successful use of endophytic streptomycetes as an effective strategy to improve wheat yield and reduce the use of synthetic N fertilizers.

Responses of total, reactive and dissolved phosphorus pools and crop yields to long-term fertilization

Maintaining an appropriate soil phosphorus level is key to ensure sustainable phosphorus management for crop production and to minimise phosphorus losses to water bodies. However, the effects of long-term fertilization on different soil phosphorus pools, crop yields and phosphorus loss risk remain unclear. This requires insights into the responses of soil phosphorus pools, crop phosphorus uptake with related crop yields and phosphorus loss to long-term phosphorus inputs. Changes in four soil phosphorus pools (PCACL2, POLSEN, POX and PTOTAL, respectively) and crop yield responses to various fertilization rates were examined in a 29-year long-term phosphorus fertilization experiment in China. Results showed that the increase in the four soil phosphorus pools was proportional to the accumulated phosphorus surplus, i.e., the input minus uptake. POLSEN and POX increased linearly with continuous phosphorus application and peaked at a phosphorus accumulation near 3200 kg P ha−1. Beyond this threshold, continuous phosphorus application caused a gradual increase in PTOTAL and a linear increase in PCACL2, which implies an increasing risk for leaching. The POX pool accounted for 87% of the accumulated phosphorus surplus until soil phosphorus saturation occurred. The crop yields of wheat and maize responded clearly to changes in PTOTAL, POX, POLSEN and PCACL2, with POX explaining most of the yield variation. Furthermore, POX was highly correlated with PCACL2, being a risk indicator for phosphorus leaching. Given that POX explains best how much of phosphorus surplus accumulates in soil, the variation in crop yield, and the risk for P leaching, it can be used as a valuable and reliable indicator to manage phosphorus sustainably.

Weed infestation and productivity of wheat crop sown in various cropping systems under conventional and conservation tillage.

Climate change, pest infestation, and soil degradation are significantly reducing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield. Wheat is cultivated in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems and escalating global population is exerting substantial pressure on the efficiency of these systems. Conservation tillage and crop rotation could help in lowering soil degradation and pest infestation, and improving wheat yield. This three-year study evaluated soil properties, weed infestation and wheat yield under various tillage and cropping systems. Six different cropping systems, i.e., cotton-wheat, sorghum-wheat, mungbean-wheat, rice-wheat, sunflower-wheat, and fallow-wheat (control) and three tillage systems, i.e., conventional tillage (CT), zero-tillage (ZT) and minimum tillage (MT) were included in the study. The individual and interactive effects of tillage and cropping systems significantly affected soil properties, weed infestation and yield of wheat crop. Overall, CT resulted in lower soil bulk density and higher porosity, while ZT behaved oppositely at all locations in this regard. Similarly, mungbean-wheat cropping system resulted in lower bulk density and higher porosity and nitrogen (N) contents, while fallow-wheat cropping system resulted in higher bulk density, and lower soil porosity and N contents. Similarly, ZT and CT resulted in higher and lower weed infestation, respectively. Likewise, lower and higher weed density and biomass were recorded in wheat-sorghum and wheat-fallow cropping systems, respectively at all locations. In the same way higher number of productive tillers, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, and economic returns of wheat crop were recorded for CT, whereas ZT resulted in lower values of these traits. Regarding interactions, wheat-mungbean cropping system with CT resulted in lower bulk density and higher porosity and N contents, whereas wheat-fallow system with ZT behaved oppositely at all locations in this regard. Similarly, higher and lower values for yield-related traits and economic returns of wheat crop were noted for mungbean-wheat cropping system under CT and fallow-wheat and sorghum-wheat cropping systems under ZT, respectively. It is concluded that the mungbean-wheat cropping system improved wheat productivity and soil health and sorghum-wheat cropping system could lower weed infestation. Therefore, these cropping systems can be practiced to lower weed infestation and improve wheat yield and economic returns.