Yield Of Winter Barley Research Articles

Optimization of nitrogen fertilizer of the dark-gray soldized soil of the western forest steppe for using nitrification inhibitor

Nitrogen is a key element for the growth and yield of all crops. Increased doses of nitrogen do not give the expected return, create a danger of leaching of nitrates, activate the emission of nitrous oxide. These problems make it necessary to solve the urgent issue of optimizing nitrogen nutrition using the nitrogen stabilizer nitrapyrin. The purpose of our research under conditions of sufficient moisture in the Western Forest Steppe was to find out the effect of the urease inhibitor on the agrochemical parameters of the dark gray forest podzolized light loam soil, as well as the effect on the yield of winter barley. We conducted field experiments at the Lviv National University of Nature Management. We used traditional methods of field research and standardized methods of laboratory analysis. A positive effect of the use of the nitrogen stabilizer nitrapyrin on the funds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available for nutrition, as well as on the reduction of soil acidity, was established. The highest content of easily hydrolyzable nitrogen was achieved when applying N23P60K60 in autumn + N97 in the phase of vegetation recovery with nitrapyrin – 132 mg/kg of soil. This was 28 mg/kg more than the traditional fertilization system without nitrapyrin (N60P60K60). Application of 120 kg/ha of nitrogen in the form of urea created a reserve 3.3 times higher, and ammonium nitrate created a reserve 3.6 times higher than the unfertilized version. Nitrapyrin, a stabilizer of nitrates, made it possible to limit their formation with the introduction of urea by 3 5%, ammonium nitrate by 10 %. The nitrogen application rate of N120 kg/ha per year led to the annual emission of nitrous oxide in the amount of 121.5 kg/ha. Nitrapyrin limited the amount of nitrous oxide emission by 3.3–7.2 kg/ha, depending on the amount of nitrogen application rate. The use of ammonium nitrate at the rate of N120 when applied in the spring caused the highest level of nitrogen oxide emissions (29.5 kg/ha of soil). However, the application of this fertilizer and inhibitor reduced gaseous nitrogen losses to 25.9 kg/ha when applied to restore vegetation. The introduction of N97 (ammonium nitrate) + N-Lok Max under winter barley during the restoration of vegetation on the background of N23P60K60 under plowing gave the highest average yield in the experiment for 2020–2022 – 7.65 t/ha, for 2022 – 7.90 t/ha. The 3D regression model of winter barley grain yield under the influence of the synergistic effect of both forms of nitrogen illustrates the importance of balancing the funds of forms of this nutrient element in the soil.

Previous legume crop influences winter barley yield, N fertilizer response, and malting quality in Missouri

AbstractThe rapid growth in the craft brewing industry is increasing the demand for winter barley production. Little recent research exists on producing winter barley for malting in the lower Midwestern United States, with a lack of understanding how previous legumes crops grown in rotation with winter barley interact with nitrogen (N) fertilization rates to affect grain yield and malting quality. To investigate these topics, a preliminary, 1‐year study was conducted in Missouri, USA, to test how growing soybean, a common rotational crop, and sunn hemp, a specialty forage crop, prior to winter barley, as well as two fall N fertilization rates (22.4 and 44.8 kg N ha−1), affected barley grain yield. Barley grain yield was unaffected by the previous legume crop choice or the fall N fertilization rate, suggesting that either crop provided adequate residual N to the succeeding barley crop. Additionally, malting quality was analyzed from representative grain samples to reveal adequate levels suitable for use in the craft brewing industry. This study's results reveal preliminary data supporting winter barley production in the lower Midwestern United States, with an indication that previously grown legume crops impact crop yield greater than fall N fertilizer rate.

The yield of winter barley depending on sowing periods in the conditions of climate changes of the northeastern forest steppe

The yield of winter barley depending on sowing periods in the conditions of climate changes of the northeastern forest steppe

Еconomic efficiency of growing winter barley depending on sowing dates and seeding rates

Topicality. Nowadays, profitable agricultural production requires a comprehensive analysis of the feasibility of each agrotechnical technique of cultivation of field crops, including winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). In market conditions, the main criterion for choosing a technology for growing a particular crop is economic efficiency. Therefore, a competitive technology is the one that provides the highest profitability and profit. Purpose. Investigation of the influence of agrotechnical practices on the level of economic efficiency of growing winter barley. Methods. The field experiments were laid out and carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methodology of research. In the experiments, the winter barley of Deviatyi val variety was sown, followed by sunflower as a predecessor. Sowing was carried out in four dates: 20, 30 September and 10, 20 October with seeding rates of 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 million germinable seeds/ha. Results. On average, over the years of research (2017–2019), the best economic output was obtained by sowing winter barley on 30 September. As a result, the highest grain yield was 5.28–5.52 t/ha with a profitability level of 71.6–82.6 %. Sowing on 20 October in all variants of the experiment resulted in the lowest cost recovery when growing winter barley on a non-fallow predecessor, and the profitability level ranged from 16.1–21.7 % depending on the seeding rate. Sowing on 30 September resulted in the highest profit of 9321–10562 UAH/ha, which is 7375–7958 UAH/ha more compared to the variants with sowing dates at the end of the second ten days of October. Conclusions. We found that the economic indicators during the years of research were influenced by the grain yield of winter barley depending on the technological practices of its cultivation in the Northern Steppe of Ukraine. The research aimed at determining the economic efficiency of growing winter barley after sunflower, depending on the sowing dates and sowing rates, found that the variant with sowing on 30 September, where the highest grain yield was obtained, was more profitable. The sowing date with a seeding rate of 5.0 million seeds/ha provided the highest profitability (82.6 %), and the net income reached 10562 UAH/ha. Key words: winter barley, sowing dates, seeding rates, yield, economic efficiency

Comparative Experiment on the Use of Unmanned and Ground-Based Technologies of Fertilizer and Crop Protection Products on Winter Barley

The results of a comparative experiment of the use of an agricultural drone Agras T10 and ground agricultural machines (Amazone ZA-X Perfect fertilizer spreader, Amazone UF-901 sprayer) for the application of nitrogen fertilizers and plant protection products (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides treatment) are presented. Yield of experimental and control plots, economic efficiency of unmanned and ground technologies are determined. Calculation of economic efficiency of unmanned technology showed that its productivity is 4 times less. While using this technology with differentiated fertilizer application the winter barley yield increased by 3,6% while the amount of fertilizer application decreased by 2%. Consumption of fuel and lubricants decreased by 1.4 times, metal consumption by 26.7 times.

YIELD OF WINTER BARLEY DEPENDING ON MINERAL NUTRITION

The article presents the results of studies of the influence of mineral fertilizers on the yield of winter barley in the Western Forest-Steppe.
 It has been found that grain yield depends on providing plants with mineral nutrients throughout the growing season. The results of scientific research on the influence of mineral nutrition on seed germination, plant survival during the growing season, grain yield and structure of winter barley cultivated on gray podzolic soils in the Western Forest-Steppe are described. The authors of the research studied different doses of mineral fertilizers: 1) without fertilizers (control); 2) N30Р30К30; 3) N60Р60К60; 4) N90Р90К90.
 A decrease in field germination by 1.1–2.3 %, with an increase in the level of mineral nutrition was determined.
 The positive effect of mineral fertilization on the survival of winter barley has been proved. The lowest level of plant survival was in the areas without fertilizers, and the highest – under application of mineral fertilizers in the norm N90Р90К90.
 The positive effect of fertilization on the number of productive stems, the weight of grain from the ear and the number of grains in the ear was demonstrated. A positive correlation was established between fertilizer and the number of grains in the ear (r = 0.96) and fertilizer and grain weight from the ear (r = 0.77). It was found that the studied rates of fertilizers were effective for the nutritional regime of winter barley agrocenosis in the Western Forest-Steppe. The optimal dose of fertilizers which ensures maximum grain yield was determined. Application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (Р90К90) for plowing and nitrogen (N30+30+30) in three steps: during the restoration of spring vegetation, in the phase of tube emergence and earing provided a significant increase in yield as compared to control (without fertilizers) and options N30Р30К30 and N60Р60К60.

Yield of winter barley with different systems of mineral fertilizer and use of urease inhibitor

The use of urease inhibitors with nitrogen fertilizers is gaining relevance. There was a need to substantiate the expediency of combining these technology elements when growing winter barley. We conducted field experiments at the Lviv National Environmental University in the Banded Forest of the Western Forest Steppe conditions in 2020–2022. Our research goal is to describe the interaction of mineral fertilizers with the N-LokTM brand inhibitor, which restrains the formation of nitrates but improves the agrochemical parameters of the soil. This had a positive effect on the yield of winter barley. The soil is a dark gray forest gilded light loam with low humus. We used traditional methods of field research and standardized methods of laboratory analyses. The nitrogen fertilization system N97(NH4NO3) during vegetation restoration + N-LokTM (before sowing or during vegetation restoration) on the background of N23P60K60 ensured the initial content of easily hydrolyzable nitrogen in the arable layer of 132–136 mg/kg of soil. Applying N97(NH4NO3) + N-LokTM to winter barley during the restoration of vegetation on the background of N23P60K60 under plowing provided the highest yield in the experiment of 7.69 t/ha on average for 2020–2022. The average grain increase relative to the N97(NH4NO3) control (vegetation restoration) on the N23P60K60 background was 1.08 t/ha. On the other hand, applying N97(NH4NO3) during the restoration of vegetation + N-LokTM in autumn before sowing on the same background contributed to a more significant yield increase – by 1.26 t/ha only in 2021. The absence of a phosphorus-potassium background in the winter barley fertilization system reduced the crop yield by 0.11–0.44 t/ha. The significant importance of mineral fertilizers for obtaining high grain harvests, especially in less good years, is proven by the established high correlation coefficients of the parameters of available compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at the start of the growing season with the harvest in 2020–2021. The regression 3D model of winter barley grain yield under the influence of the synergistic effect of nitrogen fertilization rates and the resulting enrichment of the soil with easily hydrolyzable nitrogen illustrates the importance of fertilizers for increasing the fertility of the dark-gray podzolized light loam soil in Pasmovy Pobuzhzhia of the Western Forest Steppe.

Modeling the Impact of Extreme Droughts on Agriculture under Current and Future Climate Conditions Using a Spatialized Climatic Index

Extreme droughts have a strong impact on agricultural production. In France, the 2003 drought generated records of yield losses at a national scale for grassland (more than 30%) and for cereals (more than 10% for soft winter wheat and winter barley). These extreme events raise the question of farm resilience in the future. Studying them makes it possible to adapt risk management policy to climate change. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to analyze the frequency and the intensity of extreme drought in 2050 and their impact on crop yield losses (grassland and cereals) in France. We used the DOWKI (Drought and Overwhelmed Water Key Indicator) meteorological index based on a cumulative water anomaly, which can explain droughts and their consequences on agricultural yield losses at a departmental scale. Then, using the ARPEGE-Climat Model developed by Meteo-France, DOWKI was projected in 2050 and grassland, soft winter wheat, and winter barley yield losses were simulated. The results compare the frequency and intensity of extreme droughts between the climate in 2000 and 2050. Our results show that the frequency of extreme droughts (at least as intense as in 2003) doubled in 2050. In addition, the yield losses due to 10-year droughts increased by 35% for grassland and by more than 70% for cereals.

The impact of mineral nutrition on winter barley yields while using mustard as a precursor crop

The impact of mineral nutrition on winter barley yields while using mustard as a precursor crop

OPTIMIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL METHODS OF CULTIVATION OF WINTER BARLEY IN CONDITIONS EXPERIMENTAL FIELD WNAU

The spread of areas under crops of winter barley is associated with great national economic importance, since its products include malt, feed grain, hay and are used in the food industry. The main reasons for the production of an insufficient amount of winter barley grain is a violation of cultivation technologies. Among the main ones are the untimely use of means of protection or the absence of these measures to regulate the number of harmful organisms in crops of winter barley to an economically imperceptible level. Violation of the scientific foundations of agriculture and changes in weather and climatic conditions led to an increase in the development of diseases, the number of weeds in winter barley crops. During seed dressing with modern highly effective dressing agents, conditions are created under which winter barley plants better tolerate stress, improve the development of their root system, which is important for plants in preparation for winter entry. The infestation of winter barley fields is accompanied by the appearance of both early and late crops, a certain periodicity of the appearance of weeds of different biological groups. Accordingly, in different conditions and in different fields, the weed structure can differ significantly. Therefore, the development of highly effective systems for protecting winter barley crops from weeds largely depends on the completeness of the study of phytocenoses and the species composition of weeds. The introduction of herbicides on crops of winter barley contributed to a sharp decrease in weeds. Dicotyledonous weeds were almost completely destroyed, in the agrocenoses of winter barley, mainly cereal weeds remained, but they did not pose a threat to barley plants. Control of barley and weed plant diseases in agrocenoses provides an increase in crop yields, as well as an improvement in grain quality. To obtain the planned level of grain yield of winter barley of appropriate quality, it is recommended before sowing barley seeds to treat with a disinfectant Scenik 80 FS at a rate of 1,5 l/ha, and for effective weed control in winter barley crops, spray with herbicide Caliber 75 c. g. + South Africa Trend 90 at a rate of 50 g/ha + 0,2 l/ha, which helps reduce weeds to 96,5% and will allow to obtain a grain yield of winter barley at 6,24 t/ha.

Sensitivity of Winter Barley Yield to Climate Variability in a Pleistocene Loess Area

Global climate change is predicted to increase temperatures and change the distribution of precipitation. However, there is high uncertainty regarding the regional occurrence and intensity of climate change. Therefore, this work examines the effects of climate parameters on the long-term yields of winter barley and assesses the parameters affecting plant development throughout the year and in specific growth phases. The investigation was carried out in an area with Pleistocene loess, a highly fertile site in Germany. The effect of climate on crop yields was modeled with monthly weather parameters and additional indices such as different drought parameters, heat-related stress, late spring frost, early autumn frost, and precipitation-free periods. Residuals and yield values were treated as dependent variables. The residuals were determined from long-term yield trends using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) method. The results indicated that temperature and precipitation are significant in all calculations in all variants, but to a lesser degree when considered as sums or mean values, compared with specific indices (e.g., frost-alternating days, the temperature threshold, the precipitation intensity, rain-free days, the early/late frost index, and the de Martonne–Reichel dryness index). The inter-annual variations in crop yields were mainly determined by the prevailing climatic conditions in winter as well as the transition periods from the warmer season to winter and vice versa. The main winter indices were the temperature threshold, frost-alternating days, and precipitation intensity. During the main growth periods, only the precipitation intensity was significant. These findings can be attributed to the high available field water capacity of this site, which overcomes the need for summer precipitation if the soil water storage is replenished during winter.

YIELD OF WINTER BARLEY DEPENDING ON THE FERTILIZER SYSTEM

The highest and most stable grain yields of winter barley depend on the possibility of using the variety of soil and climatic conditions of cultivation at the maximum level, as well as the ability to overcome adverse meteorological factors that impair plant growth and development. Therefore, new varieties must be characterized by a complex system of biochemical, physiological and economically valuable traits and properties that ensure adaptability to specific growing conditions. In recent years, climate change has become apparent in the central forest-steppe of Ukraine. Autumn and spring periods are often accompanied by drought, air storms. Precipitation is uneven, which is typical for the zone of unstable moistu. Winter barley can give high grain yields only on fertile soils and for the application of a sufficient amount of fertilizers. Therefore, in modern intensive technologies, the use of mineral fertilizers has an important place. It is especially important to carry out nitrogen fertilization of crops, which should be moderate in autumn and during tillering and the formation of elements of the yield structure. Plants assimilate nitrogen most intensively during the period of active growth - from the spring tillering phase to the heading phase. Introduction of diammofosk N10P26K26 + N34 for top dressing in the phase of the beginning of tillering + N46 the beginning of the emergence of plants into the tube under pre-sowing cultivation for growing winter barley winter barley plants and foliar feeding with urea at a dose of N8 + microfertilizer Ecolist at a rate of 4,0 l/ha contributed to the opportunity to obtain grain yield of winter barley varieties Atlant Mironovsky at the level of 6,81 t/ha, Paso variety – 7,29 t/ha, which is more for the control plots without fertilization, by 4,97-5,23 t/ha.

Productivity of winter barley depending on its predecessors in Transcarpathia of Ukraine

Winter barley is a valuable food, fodder, and technical crop. The purpose of the study is the establishing and developing of an economically and energetically feasible, adequate bioresource potential for the yield of winter barley grain, depending on its predecessors in Transcarpathia of Ukraine. Studies and calculations of the balance of available moisture in the soil showed that in the conditions of Transcarpathia, it is negative and ranges from 250 to 1210 t/ha, or 25-121 mm. The accumulation and effective use of available moisture in the soil depends on the amount of precipitation and its frequency, the alternation of crops in crop rotation (predecessors), the system of tillage, fertilisation, and the extent of how weeded the fields are. The largest reserves of available moisture in the soil during the sowing period of winter barley were after winter rapeseed and buckwheat, the smallest – after sunflower and, especially, corn for grain. During the autumn-winter period, the reserves of available moisture in the meter-deep soil layer were replenished by 21-35%, but the pattern, according to its predecessors, was preserved. The critical period of winter barley in terms of moisture occurs during earing – grain ripening. Predecessors of early harvesting periods (winter rapeseed and buckwheat) have a positive effect on the accumulation and preservation of moisture in the soil. Predecessors of late harvesting periods (corn for grain and sunflower) reduce the content of available moisture and its reserves by up to 18% compared to crops of early harvesting. On average, for three years, the highest yield of winter barley was after buckwheat and amounted to 5.9 t/ha, the lowest – after corn for grain and was at the level of 4.9 t/ha, which is 0.8 t/ha lower than the control option

Формування надземної маси та врожайності зерна сортами ячменю озимого в умовах Південного Степу України під впливом біопрепаратів

Формування надземної маси та врожайності зерна сортами ячменю озимого в умовах Південного Степу України під впливом біопрепаратів

Влияние норм высева озимого ячменя на зерновую и семенную продуктивность

High yields of winter barley significantly depend on the elements of cultivation technology, among which seeding rate is of considerable importance. The aim of the current research was to identify the optimal seeding rate for winter barley in the current climatic conditions of the steppe zone of the Crimea. Winter barley variety ‘Buran’ served as a material of this study. In the course of the research we studied five variants of seeding rate – 1.0; 2.0; 3.0; 4.0; 5.0 million seeds per hectare. The experiments were carried out in the central steppe zone of the Crimea in 2018-2020 according to the methods of the State variety testing of agricultural crops. The first year of research was favourable in climatic conditions; the second one – unfavourable during the entire growing season. The survey highlighted some key points: the seeding rate influences the main components of winter barley yield – plants (stems) density and productivity of the ear. Over two years, an increase in the seeding rate increased plant density on average from 229 to 465 plants per m2. Ear productivity (grain weight per ear), on the contrary, decreased from 2.5 to 1.3 g. The yield of winter barley depended on the weather conditions of the year and, on average, reached 5.76 t/ha in 2019 and 3.41 t/ha in 2020 (which is 41 % less than in 2019). In 2019, at a seeding rate of 1.0 million/ha, a minimum yield (4.71 t/ha) was obtained. At other seeding rates, the yield of winter barley was statistically equivalent: 2.0 million/ha – 6.07 t/ha; 3.0 million/ha – 5.99 t/ha; 4.0 million/ha – 5.96 t/ha; 5.0 million/ha – 6.11 t/ha. In 2020, seeding rate did not have any effect on the yield of winter barley. It varied from 3.23 to 3.52 t/ha and was within the experimental error. The dependence of the indicators of grain quality on the seeding rates was noted only in 2020 for 1000-grain weight, which was significantly higher at seeding rates of 1.0 and 2.0 million/ha (36.8 and 36.7 g, respectively) compared to other studied ones. According to the efficiency of seed reproduction, the variants with the minimum seeding rates (1.0 and 2.0 million/ha) were the best. The rate of reproduction in these cases was 91 and 55, respectively.

Агрофізичні показники грунту за вирощування ячменю озимого в Закарпатті України

The article presents importance, objectives and results of different methods of basic tillage under different predecessors for its agrophysical properties for growing winter barley in Transcarpathia Ukraine. Soils of the experimental field are soddy podzolic gleyed, which contain on average 2.6% humus in the humus horizon. With depth, the amount of humus decreases gradually and at a depth of 100-130 cm it reaches another 1,0-1,7%. The soil is typical for the research area, on average provided with mobile forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Qualitative assessment of the surveyed soils showed that the soils require constant use of organic and mineral fertilizers, liming and crop rotation. Soil density is an important indicator of the physical properties of the soil, which affects not only on soil conditions, but also on its quality of cultivation, which ultimately effects on the yield and quality of the crop. During the sowing period of winter barley, the most favorable indicators of the bulk density of 0-10 cm of the soil layer were provided by all main tillage systems. The average soil density in the variants of the main cultivation ranged from 1.09 to 1.17 g/cm3, at HIP0,5 0.01 g/cm3. At a depth of 10-20 cm, the average volumetric mass of the soil during plowing was 1.14 g/cm3, during chisel cultivation it was without significant differences – 1.15 g/cm3. Conducting shallow tillage by 12-14 cm and surface by 6-8 cm was accompanied by an increase in bulk density to 1.16 and .1.19 g/cm3, respectively. Situation was similar in the soil layer 20-30 cm: for shallow tillage the average density was at the level of 1,24 g/cm3, and for surface - 1.25 g/cm3. Predecessors didn't significantly effect on the change in the density of the tillage layer of the soil. However, after maize for grain and sunflower, there is a tendency to increase the bulk density of the soil after shelfless shallow and surface tillage, especially in the lower layers of the soil. This soil density was at the level of 1.24-1.26 g/cm3, which didn’t exceed the optimum. Loosened in the process of mechanical tillage of the soil during the growing season under the influence of its own weight, moisture and drying self-compacts to equilibrium density. Therefore, during the period of earing and harvesting of winter barley, the soil was gradually compacted to natural values. In the 0-10 cm layer of soil the bulk density varied in the range of 1.20-1.27 g/cm3, in the soil layer 10-20 cm – 1.25-1.30 g/cm3 and 20-30 cm – 1.34-1.37 g/cm3. Density (porosity) is important for the effective activity of microorganisms, growth and development of the root system of plants and accumulation of moisture in the soil. It was found that long-term use of shelf and shelf-free tillage didn’t reduce the overall density below 50% of the structure of the treated layer, which ensured high productivity of cultivated plants. With shelf-free surface and shallow tillage, the total slit in the lower layers was up to 50% of the structure of the cultivation layer, and in some cases less than 47%. This structure of the cultivation layer negatively affected on the water and air regimes of the soil, the growth and development of the root system and, ultimately, the yield of winter barley. The highest yield of winter barley was obtained after buckwheat, winter rape and soybeans (6.0-6.3 t/ha) for selfless chisel tillage by 20-22 cm. After corn for grain and sunflower, the yield was 5.1-5.7 t/ha.

Winter barley yield and quality dependence on mineral fertilizers on Western Ciscaucasia leached chernozem

Winter barley yield and quality dependence on mineral fertilizers on Western Ciscaucasia leached chernozem

Продуктивність ячменю озимого залежно від попередників у Закарпатті України

Winter barley is a valuable food, fodder, and technical crop. Our research is aimed at obtaining economically and energy-efficient, adequate to the bioresource potential of winter barley grain yield, depending on the preceding crops in Transcarpathia of Ukraine. Research and balance calculations available soil moisture showed that the conditions of Transcarpathia it is negative and ranges from 250 to 1210 tons / ha or 25-121 mm. Accumulation and efficient use of available moisture in the soil depends on the amount of precipitation and their frequency of precipitation, crop rotation (preceding crops), tillage system, fertilization, and weediness of fields. The largest reserves of available moisture in the soil during the sowing of winter barley were after winter rape and buckwheat, the smallest – after sunflower and, especially, corn for grain. During the autumn-winter period, the reserves of available moisture in a meter layer of soil were replenished by 21-35%, but the influence of preceding crops remained. The critical period of winter barley in terms of moisture occurs during earing - grain filling. Preceding crops of early harvesting (winter oilseed rape and buckwheat) have a positive effect on the accumulation and retention of moisture in the soil. Late harvest preceding crops (maize for grain and sunflower) reduce the available moisture content and reserves by up to 18% compared to early harvest crops. On average over three years, the highest yield of winter barley was after buckwheat and amounted to 5.9 t / ha, the lowest - after corn for grain and was at 4.9 t / ha, which is 0.8 t / ha lower than the control variant.

Drought assessment on barley and millet production in Karnali Province, Nepal

Spatio-temporal characteristics of agricultural drought and its impact on the yield of winter barley and summer millet crops in Karnali Province of Nepal were evaluated. For this purpose, precipitation data from 1988 to 2018 of 18 stations and agricultural data from 2003 to 2018 were used for the analysis. Standardized Precipitation Indices (SPI-3 and SPI-4) were used for measuring drought intensity. Based on drought intensity, SPI<-1 was considered for drought occurrence. Similarly, Standardized Residual Yield Series (SYRS) was also calculated for crop yield change, eliminating other factors responsible for crop yield. The result shows that Salyan, Surkhet, and Jumla districts have more occurrence of summer and winter drought in comparison to other districts. Similarly, 1999, 2002, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2012, and 2015 were considered as drought years in most stations. Moreover, the province experienced more winter drought events than summer and winter droughts are increasing after 2015. Concerning the impact of drought occurrence on cereal yield loss, barley seems to be more affected. SPI-3 and SYRS (barley) are significantly correlated in Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Surkhet, and Salyan districts at 95% confidence. With the exception, drought occurrence has a larger impact on barley yield loss than drought severity in the study area. However, millet yield loss doesn't seem to be affected due to drought occurrence and intensity in all districts except Rukum, as millet is a drought-tolerant crop. Therefore, for sustainable agriculture practices, drought-tolerant crops like millet could be suitable in Karnali Province, where drought frequency is very high.

SASYA: An integrated framework for crop biophysical parameter retrieval and within-season crop yield prediction with SAR remote sensing data

Food security can be assured with a reasonable crop yield forecast at a national and regional scale. The agencies require advance estimates of production of major crops at a regional scale for taking various policy decisions. Hence, it is necessary to develop operational systems for crop monitoring and yield forecasting. Unlike the traditional annual crop yield estimates based on the statistics-based framework, remote sensing techniques are recognized as an effective approach for yield forecasting. In particular, the microwave remote sensing data have gained importance due to its all-weather imaging capability and sensitivity to crop phenological changes. In this present work, an integrated framework ‘SASYA-Space technology for Agricultural Systems and Yield forecasting Algorithm’ is introduced for crop yield forecasting using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing images. SASYA incorporates a model inversion scheme to estimate crop biophysical parameters (Leaf Area Index–LAI and wet biomass) simultaneously using a multi-output support vector regression (MSVR). The framework cross-link the MSVR based inversion module with a yield prediction module, which utilizes the WOrld FOod STudies (WOFOST) crop simulation model. The robustness of the framework is assessed for estimation of winter barley yield using L-band NISAR data simulated using full-pol L-band E-SAR airborne SAR data acquired during AgriSAR 2006 campaign over DEMMIN test site in Germany. The simulated NISAR data in HH-HV-VV, HH-HV, and VV-HV modes are first compared by investigating accuracies to estimate crop biophysical parameters with the inversion of Water Cloud Model. These LAI and wet biomass estimates are then used in SASYA framework to assimilate with WOFOST crop yield model to estimate grain yield. Different polarization modes HH-HV-VV, HH-HV, and VV-HV are also assessed to investigate best performance in grain yield estimation. Also, different test cases are considered to find the suitable acquisition dates based on crop phenological stages, which returns the best potential yield estimation. The SAR images during heading and early fruit development stage are found to be most important for yield prediction with lowest RMSE error in the range of 0.57–1.612 ton/ha. The LAI, biomass and potential yield map indicate promising results, which can be used further for crop risk assessment for that region.