Winter Vegetables Research Articles

Effect of Post-Harvest Treatments on Quality Characteristics of Carrots During Storage

Background: Carrot due to its versatility in culinary uses is considered to be one of the most preferred vegetable. The carrot in Pakistan ranks third among winter vegetables, but due to adoption of improper postharvest techniques and storage, it leads to a great reduction in its quality.
 Objective: The study was carried out to assess the effect of different treatments on quality characteristics of carrot.
 Methodology: The study was carried out at the Laboratory of Farm Structures, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan. Freshly harvested mature carrots free from damage and fungal attack were obtained from field. The carrot samples were subjected to different post-harvest treatments i.e. 40 ºC hot water dip for 2 minutes, 50 ºC hot water dip for 2 minutes, 0.4% concentration of calcium chloride (CaCl2) dip for 2 minutes and tap water.
 Results: The results revealed that moisture content and firmness decreased with increasing storage duration, whereas weight loss, fungal incidence and total soluble solids increased with increasing storage duration. The carrots treated with 0.4% concentration of CaCl2 dip for 2 minutes had maximum moisture content (78.32%) and firmness (4.12 lbs), with minimum weight loss (41.33%), fungal incidence (38.14%) and total soluble solids (10.43%), followed by 40 ºC hot water dip for 2 minutes, 50 ºC hot water dip for 2 minutes and tap water.
 Conclusion: The carrots treated with 0.4% concentration of CaCl2 dip for 2 minutes showed better quality characteristics at the end of storage. The adoption of this treatment should therefore be encouraged in the developing countries for extending the quality characteristics of carrots.

Enhancing Crop Productivity and Profitability of Autumn Sugarcane with Intercropping of Winter Vegetables in Real Farming Situations of North-Central India

Enhancing Crop Productivity and Profitability of Autumn Sugarcane with Intercropping of Winter Vegetables in Real Farming Situations of North-Central India

Forest landscape restoration: Spectral behavior and diversity of tropical tree cover classes

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) commitments have been established in the past years to restore over 200 million hectares, as part of the global Bonn Challenge goal, mostly through the implementation of several different restorative practices in degraded lands, ranging from commercial tree monocultures to restoration plantings. The potential of such contrasting restorative practices to support biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision vary over space and time, making the monitoring of FLR programs an emerging challenge. Remote sensing techniques, together with innovative technologies for data acquisition, treatment, and analysis have proven to be strategic for planning and monitoring FLR, yet there are still important unresolved questions. Here, we evaluated the potential of multispectral orbital images of the high spatial (5 m) and spectral (12 bands) resolution VENμS microsatellite, joint project of the Israeli Space Agency and CNES, to classify the spectral behavior and diversity of six tree cover classes (savanna woodlands, old- and second-growth semi-deciduous forests, young restoration plantings, and eucalyptus and pine tree monocultures) commonly found in FLR programs in tropical regions. We assessed how these tree cover classes located in a study landscape in southeastern Brazil differ according to their spectral response (winter and summer bands, and vegetation indices), canopy variability (textural features), seasonal behavior (delta layers - difference between summer and winter vegetation indexes), and spectral diversity, and used these attributes as variables to the model. We used the Random Forest algorithm to generate the models and evaluate how the tree cover classes differ in the classification and how the variables supported the model. We achieved high values of global accuracy (91.9%) and “F1 score” (above 0.8) for all tree cover classes, in which second-growth forest presented the lowest accuracy. The textural layers, delta layers, and the spectral diversity layers were the most important attributes to discriminate among tree cover classes. We demonstrate here the potential of using VENμS or similar sensor images together with different image processing and machine learning algorithms to monitor FLR programs, allowing further remote sensing approaches and in-deep field assessments to advance evaluation of FLR benefits for nature and people. We demonstrated how the fusion of all these types of data and innovative approaches to data processing, can result in novel ways to assess restoration performance and open new avenues to upscale monitoring, bridging the gap between FLR expectations and achieved goals.

Embryo, Relocation and Secondary Nests of the Invasive Species Vespa velutina in Galicia (NW Spain).

Simple SummaryVespa velutina nigrithorax is an invasive species established in the European Union since 2004. Galicia (NW Spain) is one of the areas strongly affected by the invasion, with around 28,000 nests identified per year. In the area, when the weather conditions are suitable, the queen starts the life cycle by building the embryo nest and laying the firsts eggs. This first stage of the colony is composed of the queen, a few small workers and sometimes males, living in a fragile nest usually situated in a protected place. After this, the nest continues to develop to a larger size, which leaves the nest more exposed in places such as tree canopy. The period of decline begins in autumn with the appearance of breeding individuals (males and gynes) and ends with the fecundation of new queens that will form the future colony in the next cycle. The high reproduction rate of this species has led to the successful expansion of this species into many regions, such as Galicia. Vespa velutina is established in Galicia since 2012, causing significant losses in agriculture, beekeeping and being a risk for human health.Invasive species become established in non-native areas due to their intrinsic characteristics and the ability to adapt to new environments. This work describes the characteristics of the nesting behavior of the invasive yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in Galicia (Northwest Spain). The first nest was detected in the area in 2012 and after that, the distribution pattern shows a species-invasion curve with slow progress at first but followed by rapid expansion. The nesting places for this hornet differ between the kinds of nests, while embryo nests are mainly found in buildings in spring, secondary nests are observed in vegetation in summer, autumn, and winter. The annual life cycle starts when the queen builds the embryo nests and starts to lay eggs. This leads to the emergence of the first workers, usually small in size, and sometimes a few males. After this stage, large nests called secondary nests are normally observed in most exposed sites. Relocation nests can also be observed; these are nests in the first stage of development presenting adults insects but without brood or meconium. The period of decline is characterized by the emergence of new queens and males, that are distinguishable even in the pupal stage, the appearance of two eggs per cell, and an irregular brood pattern.

Simulation of Thermal Performance in a Typical Chinese Solar Greenhouse

A Chinese solar greenhouse (CSG) is used as a horticultural facility that provides high efficiency thermal storage performance to produce vegetables in winter. Quantifying the thermal performance of the surrounding structure including the back roof, soil, and north wall is helpful to improve the thermal performance of the CSG. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the heat transfer inside a CSG and analyze the thermal characteristics of different parts of the surrounding structures including solar gain, heat flux, and conduction heat transfer. The model was validated using experimental data from clear days and cloudy days during winter in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. It indicates that the calculation method and model is valid and that EnergyPlus, which has been used in the thermal building field, can be used as a design tool to optimize solar energy storage and structure of greenhouses. The minimum temperatures of all components inside the CSG were maintained over 5 °C, even when the outside temperature reached to −22 °C, which showed good heat preservation in cold weather. Soil received the most radiation heat compared with other surfaces inside the CSG and contributed heat to the interior air to maintain air temperatures during the night.

Association of winter vegetation activity across the indo-gangetic plain with the subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Association of winter vegetation activity across the indo-gangetic plain with the subsequent Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Effect of Rye cover crop on weed control, soybean (Glycine max L.) yield and profitability

Considerable variations in farm productivity were reported across soils and climates when winter cover crops (CC) were rotated with summer main cash crops. Hence, a three-year field study (2019-2021) was conducted on Dundee silt loam in a humid climate to assess soybean growth and yield, weed control, and profitability under no-till conditions in response to (i) no CC (NC), (ii) winter rye CC rolled when green, followed by soybean planting and desiccation by paraquat (GR) and iii) winter rye CC desiccated using paraquat and rolled followed by soybean planting (BR). No differences in phenological growth stages of soybean were observed among the treatments. Measured leaf area index was comparable among the treatments across the three seasons. The rate of rye CC biomass decay estimated eight weeks after planting (WAP) was much higher than at four WAP. In 2019, at eight WAP plant residue ranged from 29.3% under NC to 52.9% under GR, indicating the paraquat desiccated natural winter vegetation decays faster than the desiccated rye CC biomass. The weed biomass was 72% higher at eight WAP (0.29 Mg ha-1) than that of four WAP (0.17 Mg ha-1) and NC plots had higher weed biomass at both four WAP and eight WAP over CC plots. Field established soybean stand in the GR plots were consistently higher than the NC plots by 8%, 30%, and 22% in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. Soybean yield in NC plot was 13% higher than GR and 15% higher than BR plots in 2019. However, in 2020 and 2021, soybean yield from BR and GR plots was significantly higher than NC plots (10% and 13%, respectively). In the three-year study, net returns from soybean with rye CC (regardless of GR or BR) in the first year was negative. In the second and third year, net returns in GR and BR were positive and comparable to NC. There were no differences in soybean yield and net returns between rye CC rolled green (GR) and rye CC desiccated (BR) prior to planting. These results show that a rye CC–based soybean conservation production system could be an economically a viable choice after the first year with an invaluable potential for carbon sequestration, weed suppression and positive impact on summer soybean productivity.

Assessment of Farmers’ Health Risk Due to Pesticide Uses in Winter Vegetables at Selected Areas of Bogura District, Bangladesh

Farmers are facing various kinds of health problems due to exposure of pesticides. This study was conducted to find out the use of pesticides and their related health hazards to vegetable farmers. Data was collected by using a structured questionnaire from seventy-five vegetable cultivators of three different villages at Shajahanpur Upazila under Bogura district Bangladesh, from November to December 2021. The findings showed that the utmost used pesticide was Benzol 5 EC (used by 40% interviewed farmers), followed by Hexaconazol 5%, Amamectin 1% + Acetamiprid 3%, Cloropairiphos 50% + Chypermethin 5%, Chypermethin 10%, Lamda chyhelothrin 2.5%, Mancozeb 80 %. Mascut 550 EC had been reported as mostly used pesticide for which the frequency was recorded as 28 times. Diefenaconazol 15% + Propiconazol 15% were the highest using dose (7.5 kg/ha) in vegetable farms. Around 35% of the farmers reported the increasing rate of pesticide application in last 5 years whereas 52% of respondents reported that the amount was the same. No health risk was found for most of the interviewed farmers (65%) during applying pesticide whereas 35 percent of the interviewed farmers claimed that they faced some negative health symptoms. Twenty percent of respondents reported that they experienced itching of eye, skin, and nose irritation while applying pesticide, 11 percent faced headache, 15 percent faced dry cough, 9 percent had a digestive problem, 11 percent faced difficulty in breathing, 5 percent had chest pain and 21 percent had no health problem. This study also specifies that the farmers of Bogura are not conscious of the proper use of pesticides and this kind of behavior results in serious health hazards. Alternative methods and programs especially Integrated Pest Management may be applied for environmentally friendly agricultural production in Bangladesh.

An Economic Assessment of Production and Marketing of Winter Vegetables in Selected Char Areas of Mymensingh District

The aim of the present study was to examine the cost and return of selected winter vegetables (bitter gourd, sweet gourd and brinjal). The main objective of the study was to find out the marketing costs and margins at different marketing stages through examining the marketing system. Primary data on production and marketing costs and problems of 30 vegetables producers and 30 vegetables traders were collected by face-to-face interview method. For estimating profitability and marketing margins, mainly descriptive statistics were used in this study. Results revealed that among these three vegetables, per acre total cost of production was highest for brinjal and lowest for sweet gourd. On an average, Benefit cost ratio (BCR) was highest for brinjal (2.65) and lowest for sweet gourd (1.28). This indicates that brinjal was the most profitable vegetables in selected char areas. On the other hand, four different channels were identified in vegetables marketing system. However, the net marketing margin was highest for retailers in channel 4 for sweet gourd and lowest for faria for bitter gourd. The producers share in consumer taka was highest i.e., 65.48 percent for bitter gourd in channel 4 and price spread was lower in the same. The study also found out some production and marketing problems and constraint faced by winter vegetables producers and traders. Among them lack of capital, higher transportation cost, lack of training facilities, lack of market information, price instability etc. were main. The study also suggested some necessary measures to reduce these problems, one of which is transportation cost would be reduced by constructing a bridge over the river Brahmaputra. The bridge would also be the solution of the backwardness of char Iswardia and char Nilakshmia.

Evaluation of the Impact Caused by the Snowfall after Storm Filomena on the Arboreal Masses of Madrid

Following a copious and famous snowfall in Madrid city (Spain) and its surrounding area, the tree masses were analysed to assess the impact of this snowfall. In this way, this paper proposes an approach towards urban forest impact inventory mapping as a consequence of the snowfall of January 2021, and the subsequent atmospheric stability, which kept surface temperatures in Madrid close to −10 °C. The study has been carried out using snowfall data from 1920 to 2020 and images from the Sentinel, Landsat and MODIS satellites. The results obtained by means of image changes in the NDVI reveal a clear impact on the trees, with 11% of the winter vegetation cover of the municipality being affected. Especially significant has been the damage detected both in the forest areas in the city and in the parks, gardens or urban roads.

Vegetation Dynamics and its Response to Climate Change in the Yellow River Basin, China

As an important ecological corridor, the Yellow River basin (YRB) is crucial for the eco-environmental security and sustainable socio-economic development of China. Systematic studies on the spatiotemporal evolution of vegetation cover and the response of vegetation dynamics to climate change in the YRB at different timescales are lacking. Utilizing a long-term remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and gridded climate dataset, we examined the spatiotemporal variability of vegetation cover and its response to climate variables in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) at multiple timescales by using the Mann-Kendall test, rescaled range analysis, and partial correlation analysis. Results indicated that the annual NDVI in the YRB decreased spatially from southeast to northwest, and peaked in August. From 1982 to 2015, the YRB experienced greening during the annual, growing season and spring, with statistically significant NDVI increases (p < 0.05) recorded in over 55% of the vegetated areas. NDVI trends should be expected to persist in the future, as evidenced by the Hurst index exceeding 0.5 in over 85% areas of the YRB. Temperature and precipitation determined the spatiotemporal pattern of vegetation cover in the YRB, and vegetation dynamics response to climatic variations varied among seasons and climatic zones. In contrast to other seasons, spring NDVI was significantly correlated with temperature, whereas winter vegetation was more vulnerable to suppression by increased precipitation. Vegetation growth was more susceptible to precipitation than to temperature in the arid and semiarid zones, while temperature dominated vegetation dynamics in the semi-humid zone, and the sunshine duration was essential for vegetation growth in high-altitude regions. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interrelationship between vegetation dynamics and climate change in the YRB and provides useful suggestions for the regional ecological conservation in the context of global warming.

Intensity and Biodiversity: The ‘Green’ Potential of Agriculture and Rural Territories in Poland in the Context of Sustainable Development

In the paper we provide an analysis of the potential of agricultural holdings for biomass production, an assessment of the level of farm sustainability and a description of the farming conditions of agricultural holdings depending on the degree of natural valuation of a given area. The approach makes it possible to assess the level of sustainability of farms, also in the context of their potential and taking into account the quality of the production space and its importance for increasing biodiversity. We use public and unpublished data of Statistics Poland (2005, 2007, 2016) as well as data on farms keeping accounts for the Polish FADN in 2016–2018. The paper shows that although concentration processes are progressing, farm productivity is increasing, but this is linked to specialisation, leading to efficient management of labour and land resources. Nevertheless, the decreasing number of farms with proper winter vegetation cover and optimal balances was confirmed. The farming conditions of the farms should take into account the share and degree of natural value of the production space of the areas (municipalities) in which they are located. The study found that farms in municipalities with a high share of high natural value farmland (HNVf) areas, compared to the other municipalities, characterized by lower livestock density per ha UAA, which indicates their less intensive organisation of agricultural production. Moreover, in these municipalities, as their natural value increased, the share of forests and waters in the total area increased and the share of permanent grassland in the total area decreased slightly.

Investigation on the effects of cooking methods on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of five mostly consumed vegetables in winter

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of steaming and boiling on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of five frequently consumed vegetables in winter. The vegetables were prepared by three different cooking methods including steaming, 5-minute boiling, 15-minute boiling to compare with their raw forms. Antioxidant capacity was measured with 1, 1-diphenyl–2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method, anti-inflammatory activity was measured with 5-lipoxgenase inhibitory method, and the total phenolic content was detected after in vitro cooking process. The highest antioxidant activities among the raw vegetables were found in spinach (SR) (425.80 µg/mL, 12.83 mg/g) and broccoli (BR) (754.50 µg/mL, 7 mg/g). While boiling for 15 minutes and steaming slightly increased the antioxidant capacity in spinach and decreased it in broccoli; the highest activities among the mentioned cooking methods and vegetable samples were detected in these two vegetables. The lowest antioxidant activities were determined in leek (LR) (5662.0 µg/mL, 1.24 mg/g) and celery (CeR) (2796.0 µg/mL, 2.98 mg/g). In addition, the least affected vegetable from the cooking methods was spinach (S) (227.4-549.8 µg/mL). Cooking techniques have significative effects on the levels of phytochemical compounds and antioxidant capacities. It was observed that cooking methods increased the anti-inflammatory activity of the vegetables used in this study. Only broccoli (B) showed a decrease. The highest anti-inflammatory activity was found in the leek (L15) which was boiled for 15 minutes. Also, our results contribute to the databases that provide information about the effects of different cooking techniques on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of vegetables.

Indoxacarb resistance-associated mutation of Liriomyza trifolii in Hainan, China

Liriomyza trifolii, which has been recently prevalent in China, harms more than 300 plant species, especially cowpea in Hainan. This pest also affects the quality and production of vegetables in winter. Indoxacarb is the first commercial oxadiazine pesticide, which is a new efficient insecticide used to control pests of Diptera, including L. trifolii. The unique mechanism of indoxacarb is that indenyl is transformed into N-demethoxycarbonyl metabolite (DCJW) in insects and acts on inactivated sodium channel; DCJW could then destroy the conduction of nerve impulses, which leads to movement disorders, feeding stoppage, paralysis, and eventually the death of pests. The field population of L. trifolii developed resistance by 769 times higher than the sensitive population in Sanya, Hainan. Results revealed the existence of a mutation (i.e., V1848I) in the sixth transmembrane segment of Domain IV of the sodium channel in the field population. The homozygous resistant genotype frequency for the V1848I mutation was 10–15% among the three field-collected populations. This paper reports for the first time the presence of the kdr mutation V1848I in resistant populations of L. trifolii to indoxacarb. The present study will contribute to the understanding of the evolution of indoxacarb resistance and contribute to the development of resistance management practices for winter vegetables in Hainan.

A UAV-derived thermal infrared remote sensing three-temperature model and estimation of various vegetation evapotranspiration in urban micro-environments

The large-scale and single-point observations on urban vegetation easily cause the difficulty to quantitatively study the evapotranspiration of vegetation in urban micro-environments. In this content, the three-temperature (3T) model by combining the UAV-derived thermal infrared data was applied to estimate the evapotranspiration of different urban vegetation types at the microscale in Nanjing city, China accurately. The diurnal variation characteristics of the evapotranspiration rates of the different vegetation types such as arbors, shrubs and grasslands in different seasons were quantitatively analysed. The results showed that the estimated vegetation evapotranspiration rate was between 0–1.4 mm/h. The highest evapotranspiration rate among the different vegetation types was that of arbors, followed by shrubs and grasslands. The evapotranspiration rate on the sunny side was significantly higher than that on the shady side. There were obvious seasonal differences in vegetation evapotranspiration, which gradually decreased from spring to winter. The transpiration transfer coefficients of vegetation in summer and winter were significantly higher than those in other seasons, which indicated that the effects of water deficits or environmental stress were the largest at these times. The UAV-derived thermal infrared remote sensing three-temperature (3T) can simplify the complexity of the calculations and ensure the accuracy of the estimation results, which may provide the high spatio-temporal resolution urban vegetation evapotranspiration.

Infiltration capacity in urban areas undergoing frequent snow and freeze–thaw cycles: Implications on sustainable urban drainage systems

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) promote environmental protection and climate resilience. SuDS implementation in cold climates faces concerns of impaired hydrological function due to infiltration-reducing frost. The goal of this research was to assess the seasonal variations in infiltration and how different surface covers prevalent in and near coastal cities respond to frequent rain-on-snow and freeze–thaw cycles. A total of 28 constant head infiltration measurements were conducted over a period of 28 months in Urridaholt in Gardabaer, Iceland (64° 4′18.46″ N, 21° 54′37.11″ W) in a grass swale, lupine, and barren terrains. All test locations exhibited infiltration-inhibiting frost in winter, whose severity increased with frequent snow and freeze–thaw cycles. The grass swale resisted structural deformations resulting from frost, which was attributed to the high near-surface porosity within the intertwined root layer and the high drainage capacity of the underlying soil. The sparsely vegetated lupine and the barren area experienced severe frost heaving and cracking, and soil structural collapse which led to bypass flow upon thawing. The non-vegetated site had 30 to 50 times lower infiltration during winter (19 mm h−1) compared to the grass swale and lupine field (630- and 890-mm h−1, respectively), and twenty times lower during summer and fall (45 mm h−1 vs. ∼ 1000 mm h−1). The study concludes that frequent warming and cooling renders soils particularly vulnerable to frost. Vegetation plays an instrumental role in maintaining the hydrological functions of SuDS in winter. Therefore, the greening of urban centers is an important step towards climate resiliency. Plant selection and SuDS design criteria need to account for cold climate hydrological performance. In that regard, plants that limit sunlight and fully shed their vegetation in winter, such as the invasive lupine, can potentially contribute to frost formation and increase runoff generation.

Impact of Dhap Residue on the Performance of Some Selected Winter Vegetables

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of dhap residue and nutrient sources on the growth and yield of red amaranth, radish and garlic during the period from October, 2013 to February 2014 and October, 2014 to February 2015 at Gopalganj district in Bangladesh. The single factor experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. There were eight treatments viz. control (without organic and inorganic fertilizer), cowdung, recommended dose of NPK, 50% cowdung + 50% recommended dose of NPK, dhap residue, dhap residue + cowdung, dhap residue + recommended dose of NPK, dhap residue +50% cowdung +50% recommended dose of NPK. Dhap residue significantly influences the growth and yield of all three crops i.e red amaranth, radish and garlic. In respect of red amaranth, the tallest plant (43.70 cm and 42.37 cm, respectively) and maximum number of leaves (33.00 and 33.33, respectively) per plant as well as yield (20.88 and 21.32 t ha-1, respectively) were observed from dhap residue + 50% cow dung + 50% recommended dose of NPK which was significantly similar to dhap residue + recommended dose of NPK in both the years. Similar results were also observed in radish for root growth and in bulb production of garlic. From economic consideration, the application of dhap residue + 50% cow dung + 50% recommended dose of NPK fertilizers were suitable for growth and yield as well as cost effective for red amaranth, radish and garlic production under the climatic conditions in Gopalganj district of Bangladesh.

Genome wide simple sequence repeats development and their application in genetic diversity analysis in wax gourd (Benincasa hispida)

AbstractWax gourd is one of the most important winter vegetables of the Cucurbitaceae family. There are only limited markers available for this crop and the draft genome of wax gourd provides a powerful tool for simple sequence repeats (SSR) marker development. In this study, we developed genome‐wide SSR markers from wax gourd genome and characterized their distribution and frequency of different motifs and repeats. A total of 52,431 microsatellites from wax gourd genome were identified, of which 39,319 SSR markers were developed. The 1152 non‐wax gourd SSR markers were selected from cucumber, melon, watermelon and pumpkin to test their transferability in wax gourd. The 580 SSR markers could be transferable in wax gourd, and 42 of them were detected with polymorphic in 11 tested accessions of wax gourd. In addition, 11 good polymorphic transferrable SSR markers and 21 SSR markers of wax gourd were selected to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of 129 wax gourd accessions. One hundred twelve alleles were detected by these 32 SSR markers. The result of population structure showed that the 129 wax gourd accessions were divided into two main populations, and the genetic diversity analysis separated them into two clusters. The large number of wax gourd SSR markers developed in this study provides a valuable resource for genetic linkage map construction, molecular mapping, and marker‐assisted selection (MAS) in wax gourd.

Trends in breeding activity of the threatened Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata): what can we expect under a changing climate?

ABSTRACT Climate change is expected to significantly impact bird species through changes to breeding and survival. Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) are threatened mound-building birds that persist in uncleared mallee and shrubland vegetation in semi-arid parts of southern Australia. Our aim was to understand the relationship between environmental factors and mound breeding activity (a proxy for population trends) to identify likely climate change impacts and possible proactive management actions. We compared annual activity at grids that encompassed groups of mounds at six sites in South Australia for up to 24 years with a range of environmental and habitat variables, focussing on variables predicted to change with a warming climate. Mound activity declined significantly over the study period at five of the six sites. Activity was positively associated with increased cumulative rain in the previous 2 years, lower average maximum temperatures in the winter, higher-than-average Southern Oscillation Index (i.e. more rain) 2 years before breeding and greater winter vegetation cover. These results suggest that moisture and vegetation cover are important for higher breeding activity. Climate change is predicted to lead to drier conditions and more frequent fires in our study region, suggesting that Malleefowl populations will continue to decline. We urge conservation practitioners to minimise climate change impacts through implementing proactive management actions that increase habitat quality for Malleefowl: fire management to reduce the scale of fire events and controlling introduced and overabundant native herbivores to preserve vegetation cover, retain soil moisture, increase food resources and protect from temperature extremes.

Agronomic and environmental factors influencing the marginal increase in nitrate leaching by adding extra mineral nitrogen fertilizer

Nitrate leaching from agricultural soils is a considerable environmental concern related to nitrogen (N) application, and in some countries N fertilizer application is regulated by legislation to reach environmental goals. Information about the change in nitrate leaching with changes in mineral N fertilizer rates is important under such conditions. The increase in nitrate leaching due to extra mineral N application near the economic optimal N application for crop production, called marginal nitrate leaching, depends on a number of factors like soil type, crop types, climatic conditions and N fertilization rates. In this study, we collected published experimental data from 44 site-years from Denmark and 31 site-years from other European countries (Germany, Sweden, UK) with measured nitrate leaching at increasing mineral N fertilizer rates. We focused on obtaining marginal nitrate leaching around optimal N rates based on available information from the different field experiments. The measured nitrate leaching varied from 3 to 92 kg N ha-1 in the Danish dataset. For the European data set, it varied from 1 to 124 kg N ha-1. The median and mean of the estimated marginal nitrate leaching at the optimal N rates were 17.0% and 20.5%, respectively, in the Danish dataset and 9.0% and 14.9%, respectively, in the European dataset. At the optimal N rate, a positive relationship was found between yearly nitrate leaching and marginal nitrate leaching. Both nitrate leaching and marginal nitrate leaching at the optimal N rate were positively correlated with precipitation during the hydrological year and winter periods, but not to any other environmental factors tested. There was no significant difference in either marginal nitrate leaching or nitrate leaching between growing spring cereals versus winter cereals. No significant effect of winter vegetation cover on marginal nitrate leaching was detected. Furthermore, the marginal nitrate leaching at the optimal N rate in the first year of the experiments with increasing N rates was significantly lower than the accumulated effect of two or more years with low or high N rates. Therefore, the long-term effects of N rates should be accounted for when estimating marginal nitrate leaching. The marginal nitrate leaching is highly variable between years and only a part of this variation was explained in this study. The positive correlation between marginal nitrate leaching and nitrate leaching at optimum N rates implies that cropping system and management factors reducing nitrate leaching also reduce the marginal nitrate leaching.