No-till Research Articles

Impact of Conservation Tillage and Nitrogen Management on Soil Temperature and Soil Moisture in Aerobic Rice

This study investigates the impact of different tillage practices, namely Conventional Tillage (CT) (T1), Minimum Tillage with residue retention (MT) (T2) and Zero Tillage (ZT) (T3) and nitrogen fertilizer schedules 100% RDN (N1) (120 kg ha-1), 100% RDN + foliar spray of nano urea 2.5 ml l-1 at active tillering and panicle initiation stage (N2), 100% RDN + foliar spray of nano DAP 2.5 ml l-1 at active tillering and panicle initiation stage (N3), 75% RDN + Nano urea 2.5 ml l-1 at active tillering and panicle initiation stage (N4), 75 % RDN + Nano DAP 2.5 ml l-1 at active tillering and panicle initiation stage (N5) on soil temperature, moisture and their interaction in aerobic rice cultivation. Soil temperature was measured using digital thermometer and soil moisture was determined by Owen drying method. Results revealed that soil temperature and soil moisture was significantly influenced by tillage practices and Nitrogen fertilizer schedules showed no significant effect on soil temperature and soil moisture. Zero tillage (T3) consistently recording the lowest soil temperatures compared to T1 and T2 in both years. During rabi 2022-2023, T3 recorded 18.23°C in the 1st week, significantly lower than T1 (19.32°C). This trend persisted in the rabi 2023-2024, with T3 recording 27.1°C in the 19th week, significantly lower than T1 (28.61°C). In terms of soil moisture, zero tillage (T3) also consistently resulted in the highest moisture levels. During rabi 2022-2023 season, T3 recorded 18.93% soil moisture in the 1st week, significantly higher than T1 (18.11%). This pattern continued in the rabi 2023-2024, with T3 maintaining significantly higher moisture levels in most weeks. Zero tillage is effective in reducing soil temperature and enhancing soil moisture retention. Minimum tillage with residue retention performing similar to zero tillage.

Effect of conservation agriculture on soil fungal diversity in rice-wheat-greengram cropping system in eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is emerging as an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to food production in South Asia. CA, characterized by reduced tillage, soil surface cover through retaining crop residue or raising cover crops, and crop diversification, enhances crop production and soil fertility. Fungal communities in the soil play a crucial role in nutrient recycling, crop growth, and agro-ecosystem stability, particularly in agricultural crop fields. This study investigates the impact of seven combinations of tillage and crop residue management practices of agricultural production systems, including various tillage and crop residue management practices, on soil fungal diversity. Using the Illumina MiSeq platform, fungal diversity associated with soil was analysed. The results show that the partial CA-based (pCA) production systems had the highest number of unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (948 OTUs) while the conventional production system had the lowest number (665 OTUs). The major fungal phyla identified in the topsoil (0-15 cm) were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota, with their abundance varying across different tillage-cum-crop establishment (TCE) methods. Phylum Ascomycota was dominant in CA-based management treatments (94.9±0.62), followed by the partial CA (pCA)-based treatments (91.0 ± 0.37). Therefore, CA-based production systems play a crucial role in shaping soil fungal diversity, highlighting their significance for sustainable agricultural production.

Open windrow composting of lignocellulosic crop residues and neem litter: Accounting for reactive nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions

Crop residue management plays a key role in reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, particularly through composting. Compost application to soil replenishes organic matter. A study was conducted to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)) and reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses (ammonia (NH3) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)) from the open windrow composting of crop residues from three cereal crops (rice, maize and pearl millet) and neem litter. The windrow moisture was maintained between 50 and 60% with mechanical turning every 25 days. Compost maturity was reached after 137 days, indicated by a germination index (GI) > 80% and the ratio of initial to final C/N ratio, which was <0.4. CO2 and N2O emissions increased after turning, while CH4 emissions declined. The global warming potentials of the composts were 169.71, 184.13, 200.15, and 217.3 g CO2 eq. kg⁻1 initial dry matter (DM) for rice straw, maize stover, pearl millet stover, and neem litter, respectively. NH3 emissions ranged from 1.13 to 2.13 mg kg⁻1 initial DM, with neem litter producing more NH3 and less N2O due to its lower C/N ratio and nitrification inhibitory properties. Rice straw emitted the highest NOx (75.48 mg kg⁻1 DM), while maize stover had the lowest (28.39 mg kg⁻1 DM). Nitrogen losses from compost ranged from 8.16% in paddy straw to 0.53% in neem compost, with carbon losses ranging from 82.35% to 85.57%. The study concluded that careful management of moisture and aeration is critical for minimizing gaseous emissions from open windrow composting.

No-till, crop residue management and winter wheat-based crop rotation strategies under rainfed environment

Rainfed agriculture is primarily limited by unstable low precipitation, poor soil fertility and monocropping, which are the main factors leading to decreased crop production. This long-term research was conducted under a rainfed agroecosystem from 2019 to 2023 on the sierozem soil of the Karshi steppe, Uzbekistan. Along with winter wheat (WW) which was the main crop covering 50% of each proposed cropping pattern, chickpea (CH), safflower (SA), flax (FL), barley (BA) and canola (CA) were evaluated to find the most suitable rotation systems under no-till (NT) i.e. NT1: WW–CH–WW–FL, NT2: CH–WW–SA–WW, NT3: WW–SA–WW–BA and NT4: SA–WW–CA–WW compared against continuous WW produced with conventional tillage (CT). Results showed that the integrated effect of NT x crop diversification x residue retention positively affected crop productivity; however, their impact were significantly higher under the NT2 treatment, but not with continuous WW under CT. The highest grain yield of WW in the 2020-2021 growing season was recorded under NT2 and NT4 treatments with values of 1.47 and 1.30 Mg ha-1, while the lowest index (1.02 Mg ha-1) was found at the CT treatment. The grain yield in the NT treatments increased with the improvement of soil chemical and physical parameters, i.e. NPK and humus content. When comparing NT2 to CT treatment at the project end, the total N, P, and K values at the 0–20 cm soil profile were 27.9%, 13.9%, and 33.9% higher, respectively. This study concluded that implementation of NT along with strategic selection of legumes incorporated into the cropping system and residue management can be prioritized as rehabilitation measures in rainfed croplands.

Control of a Directional Downhole Drilling System Using a State Barrier Avoidance Based Method

Abstract Vibrations such as bit-bouncing, stick–slip, and whirl motion can significantly reduce downhole drilling's performance and efficiency. These phenomena are likely to arise once the dynamical states of drilling fall into undesired operating regimes, as verified by both theoretical analyses and experimental studies. To effectively avoid such undesired operating conditions of a downhole drilling process, this paper introduces an advanced nonlinear state-constrained control method to formulate a setpoint tracking problem of high-order directional drilling dynamics under state constraints. These constraints are carefully defined using the field test results, and their shapes are in complex state-space regions, causing additional complexity to the control design. Moreover, unlike vertical drilling, the directional drilling system requires modeling of coupled axial and torsional dynamics with a higher degree-of-freedom (DOF). In this study, the proposed method will tackle these challenges by converting the original high-order constrained control problem into a standard nonlinear control problem. Leveraging on the linear parameter varying (LPV) method that is applied to the converted system, we can actively prevent drilling from falling into the undesired regimes, to achieve the constrained control objective.

A Comparative Study on the Sustainable Management of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Residues from Waste Tamarind and Litchi Shells through Optimized Extraction Methods

A Comparative Study on the Sustainable Management of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Residues from Waste Tamarind and Litchi Shells through Optimized Extraction Methods

Response of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) to crop residue application and potassium management options under rainfed condition

A field experiment was conducted during rainy (kharif) seasons of 2021 and 2022 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study the impact of crop residue mulching and potassium management options on growth and yield attributes of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br]. The experiment was conducted in a split plot design (SPD) with three mains plots, viz. C0, No residue mulching; C1, Crop residue mulching @3 t/ha; and C2, Crop residue mulching @3 t/ha + Pusa decomposer; and five potassium management in sub plot, viz. K0, No potassium application; K1, 40 kg K2O/ha; K2, 40 kg K2O/ha + potassium solubilising bacteria (KSB); K3, 30 kg K2O/ha + KSB; and K4, 20 kg K2O/ha + KSB. Pearl millet variety Pusa Composite 701 was used for the experiment. Significant variation among growth and yield parameters were observed under crop residue as well as potassium management options. Under crop residue mulching these were recorded maximum in treatment C2 (crop residue mulching @3 t/ha + Pusa decomposer). However, under potassium management options plant height (11.8–13.3%), ear head length (9.5 and 9.8%) and yield (26.7 and 24%) of pearl millet was recorded maximum in treatment K2 (40 kg K2O/ha + KSB) during the consecutive year over the control. These finding highlights the synergistic effects of potassium and residue management demonstrating that the presence of KSB enhanced potassium uptake by the plants, resulting in improved outcomes.

Tillage and cover cropping influence phosphorus dynamics in soil and water pools

AbstractWinter cover crops (CCs) have the potential to reduce phosphorus (P) loss by temporarily fixing P into CC biomass. A field experiment with no‐tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) was used to study the ability of different CC species planted after corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) harvests to reduce the P availability in soil solution. The effect of three crop rotations (corn–no CC–soybean–no CC [C–S], corn–cereal rye (Secale cereale)–soybean–hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) [C–R–S–HV], corn–cereal rye–soybean–oats (Avena sativa)+ radish (Raphanus sativus L.) [C–R–S–OR]) and two tillage (NT and CT) treatments was determined on soil available P and soil solution P content through pan (A horizon) and tension (100‐cm depth) cup lysimeters. The experiment was set up as a randomized complete block design with tillage as a split factor with three replicates. Over the study period, incorporating hairy vetch in C–R–S–HV rotation reduced the Mehlich‐3 P content in soil by 26%–29% compared to the C–S and C–R–S–OR rotation. Both CC rotations (C–R–S–HV and C–R–S–OR) were effective in reducing dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentration in pan and tension cup lysimeters compared to the C–S in both CT and NT systems. However, these results varied with CC species grown and seasonal variability in precipitation. A significantly lower DRP load with crop rotation and tillage treatments was observed mainly during the CC growing season. During the study period, crop rotations with reduced labile soil P content and DRP loss were ranked in an order of C–R–S–HV &gt; C–R–S–OR &gt; C–S. Overall, this study showed that CCs have the potential in both CT and NT systems to significantly reduce P in soil and soil solution, and these effects are resilient to a wide range of precipitation conditions.

Long-Term Effects of Nitrogen and Tillage on Yields and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Irrigated Corn

By tonnage, corn (Zea mays L.) is the #1 crop produced globally, and recent research has suggested that no-till (NT) systems can lead to reduced yields of this important crop. Additionally, there is a lack of long-term data about the effects of tillage and N management on cropping systems. Corn is the most nitrogen (N)-fertilized crop in the USA, and N losses to the environment contribute to significant impacts on air and water quality. We conducted long-term studies on conventional tillage (CT) and conservation tillage systems, such as strip tillage (ST) and NT, under different N rates. We found that immediately after conversion to NT, yields from NT were significantly lower than yields from CT (p &lt; 0.1), but after five years of NT, the NT yields were 1.5% higher than the CT yields (p &lt; 0.1). Initially, the NT yields were lower than the ST (p &lt; 0.01), but after seven years of NT, the NT yields were comparable to ST grain yields. Although the total aboveground N uptake with NT immediately after conversion to NT was lower than with CT and ST, these differences were not significant in the long run. The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) with NT increased over time. The present work highlights the importance of long-term research for determining the cumulative impacts of best management practices such as NT. We found that NT becomes a more viable practice after five or seven years of implementation, demonstrating the high importance of long-term research.

Optimized Tillage Method Increased Rice Yield in Rice Ratooning System

Ratoon rice occupies an important position in rice production owing to its time-saving, labor-saving and low-pollution planting, and increased benefits. However, the impact of tillage management on the yield in rice ratooning system has not yet been reported. Thus, field experiments were carried out to investigate the impact of seven tillage methods on the yield of ratoon rice crop in Jingzhou City in 2021–2022. The managements included winter plowing + rotary 2 times (PTw + RT2) or 3 times (PTw + RT3), spring plowing + rotary 2 times (PTs + RT2) or 3 times (PTs + RT3), no plowing + rotary 2 times (P0 + RT2) or 3 times (P0 + RT3) and no tillage (NT). PTw + RT3 had the highest total rice yield. The experimental data were collected in 2021 and 2022. In terms of main season rice yield, the order of ranking was PTw &gt; PTs ≈ NT ≈ P0, while for ratoon rice yield, the ranking was NT &gt; PTw ≈ PTs &gt; P0. Generally, the root function ranked as PTw &gt; PTs &gt; P0 &gt; NT. The photosynthetic capacity of the main season rice always maximized in PTw, those of the ratoon rice all maximized in NT, and those of both the main season rice and ratoon rice always minimized in P0. In the three tillage modes (PTw, PTs, P0), an additional rotary tillage did not affect the growth or yield of rice. PTw + 3RT was the highest yielding tillage management, but it is still necessary to explore other PTw + 3RT methods and more economical tillage management to increase the yield of ratoon rice.

Strategies for managing corn crop residue in the context of greenhouse gas emissions.

Food production is one of the most important sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, both in primary production and in processing and the logistics chain. The most problematic and risky is the optimization of environmental effects in the stage of primary production. This is due to the significant influence of factors related to climate and soil that are difficult to predict. The scientific literature offers much information on the impact of crop residue management, but the context for assessing the impact of crop residue management in corn production on the carbon footprint is still unclear. The effectiveness of using organic additives like biochar, compost, corn, or straw to maintain soil productivity is well acknowledged. Information about the effects of particular crop residue management strategies on soil carbon sequestration, soil quality, and crop yield in corn cultivation is currently scarce. The research aimed to assess the potential for optimizing corn production through modifications in crop residue management, with a focus on the efficiency indicator being the level of greenhouse gas emissions per functional unit of the product. A 3-year growing experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of different corn crop residue management strategies. The modifications of the corn cultivation technology in terms of the crop residue management strategy had a significant impact on the yield of plants and the amount of GHG emissions. The conversion of corn straw to biochar and its introduction into the soil reduced the GHG emissions from corn cultivation per functional unit, despite the energy expenditure related to straw transport and biochar production. From a 3-year time perspective, a beneficial effect of biochar addition on the size of the commercial yield of plants was observed. In variants with biochar and a reduced level of nitrogen fertilization, no reduction in yields was observed. This confirmed the hypothesis that biochar could be a useful material for the production of slow-acting fertilizers.

Are bacterial communities and aggregation in fragile soils influenced by the management system?

Light-textured soils are widely distributed globally and, despite their limitations, have been integrated into agricultural production systems. This study aimed to assess how management systems—conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT)—affect aggregate formation pathways (physicogenic and biogenic) and bacterial communities. Two management systems (NT and CT) and three cover crops were evaluated: CJ: Crotalária (Crotalaria juncea (40 ​kg ​ha−1); M: Millet (Pennisetum glaucum - 60 ​kg ​ha−1); and C: Cocktail (Crotalária - Crotalaria juncea - 10 ​kg ​ha−1, Jack bean - Canavalia ensiformis - 75 ​kg ​ha−1, and Millet - Pennisetum glaucum - 30 ​kg ​ha−1). Undisturbed soil samples were collected from the crop row at a depth of 0.00–0.10 ​m. Aggregates with diameters between 9.7 and 8.0 ​mm were classified as biogenic or physicogenic. In addition to the chemical attributes of the aggregates, total organic carbon (TOC) and its fractions (mineral-associated organic carbon, MAOC; particulate organic carbon, POC; and free light fraction carbon, FLFC) were quantified. The structure and bacterial composition of the aggregates were also characterized. A higher proportion of biogenic aggregates (53–64%) was observed compared to physicogenic aggregates (36–47%). Cover crops exhibited significant differences in pH, calcium (Ca2+), base saturation, phosphorous (P), and percentage of base saturation. The management systems differed significantly for Ca2+ and P, with CT showing higher values than NT. The management system influenced organic matter accumulation and stabilization in the aggregates, with MAOC content being significantly lower in CT. POC and TOC were also significantly lower in physicogenic aggregates under CT. Bacterial community richness, diversity, and structure were significantly influenced by the management system, with greater richness and diversity in NT compared to CT. Network analysis revealed NT had more nodes and edges (65 and 406, respectively) than CT (52 and 357, respectively. Phyla abundance differed between the systems, with Firmicutes and Entotheonellaeota more abundant in CT, while WPS_2, GAL15, Bdellovibrionota, and Myxococcota were more abundant in NT. Despite the relatively short period of NT implementation (5 years), it had a positive effect on the bacterial community, which may subsequently influence nutrient and carbon content and their fractions in the aggregates.

Compound disaster characteristics of rock burst and coal spontaneous combustion in island mining face: A case study

The island mining face in coal mines often encounters stress concentration and significant air leakage, elevating the risk of rock burst and spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf. This study centers on the investigation of the 9305 island mining face within a mine situated in Shandong Province, China. Leveraging the features of coal spontaneous combustion and data from microseismic and gas monitoring throughout the mining process, a novel method for calculating safe mining speeds under compound disasters is introduced. The safe mining speed of the 9305 island mining face is stratified, and a prevention and control technology integrating long distance directional drilling for impact-spontaneous combustion compound disasters is proposed. Findings suggest that to mitigate spontaneous combustion of residual coal, considering the seam's spontaneous combustion tendency, the safe mining speed should exceed 3.7 m per day. Accounting for the distribution of microseismic events during coal seam extraction, the safe mining speed is maintained below 4.8 m per day in the unprotected mining area and capped at 8 m per day in the protected zone. Through a comprehensive analysis considering coal seam spontaneous combustion tendency, impact tendency, and time to coal seam oxidation to critical temperature, the safe mining speed for the island mining face ranges from 3.7 m per day to 4.8 m per day in the unprotected area and from 5.14 m per day to 8 m per day in the protected area. The proposed long distance directional drilling 'one hole, multiple purposes' scheme enables an integrated approach encompassing pressure relief before coal seam extraction, water injection during mining, and grouting post-mining. This method effectively prevents and controls the compound disasters of rock burst and coal spontaneous combustion, presenting innovative technical solutions for the safe extraction of coal resources.

Selectivity of new generation herbicide ‘Tembotrione’ under conservation agriculture-based maize (&lt;i&gt;Zea mays&lt;/i&gt;) in maize-wheat-mungbean cropping system

An experiment was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi during the rainy (Kharif) seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23. The study aimed to evaluate the weed control efficiency of low dose new generation herbicide: tembotrione (34.4% SC) as a component of integrated weed management (IWM), on zero-till (ZT) and conventional till (CT) maize (Zea mays L.). The treatments were comprised of conventional tillage maize (M1: CT-M), conventional tillage maize with green manure from preceding green gram (M2: CT-M+GM), zero tillage maize with residue retention at 3 t/ha (M3: ZT-M+R), zero tillage maize with Sesbania co-culture as brown manuring (cover crop) (M4: ZT-M+BM) in the main plot and five weed control treatments, viz S1: Un- weeded check, S2: Pre +1 HW, S3: Pre + Post (tembotrione) @120g/ha, S4: Pre+ Post (Premix of Mesotrione+ Atrazine) @120 g/ha, S5: Weed free check (WFC) in the sub-plots were evaluated in split-plot design. It was ob- served that ZT-M+BM caused a considerable reduction in the population of broad-leaf weed, narrow leaf weed with sedges and total weeds (28.4% reduction at 60 days after sowing) compared to M1. The results also revealed that the sequential application of atrazine @750g/ha+pendimethalin @750g/ha(pre) followed by (fb.) tembotrione (34.4% SC) @120 g/ha (post) among the herbicide options reduced the weeds population (78.5%) and dry weight (81.3%) significantly than the un-weeded control (UWC). Maize yield attributes were higher in ZT with Sesbania co-culture (ZT-M+BM) than conventional-tilled treatments (CT-M). The application of atrazine @750g/ ha+pendimethalin @750g/ha (pre) fb. tembotrione @120 g/ha (post) combined with ZT-M+BM resulting in higher maize yield (6.88 t/ha) which was comparable with that in weed-free check (WFC). The post emergence (PoE) ap- plication of tembotrione (34.4% SC) @120 g/ha recorded highest weed control efficiency (86.2%), weed control in- dex (88.1%) and lowest value of weed index (7.04) when applied in the ZT-maize with sesbania as a cover crop. Therefore, combining zero tillage (ZT) with brown manure (Sesbania), along with atrazine and pendimethalin (@750g/ha each) as pre-emergence herbicides, and tembotrione (@120g/ha) as a post-emergence herbicide is recommended for effective weed control and high maize productivity in the North-Western Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP).

Triple impact: Biochar, no-tillage, and cover crops for soil carbon enhancement and climate resilience in soybean farming

With the dissemination of conservation agriculture, no-tillage (NT) and cover crops have widely been adopted globally. However, their effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are controversial. Biochar is posited to mitigate climate change by increasing carbon (C) sequestration and decreasing GHG emission in soil. To investigate the comprehensive effect of NT, cover crops, and biochar on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and net global warming potential (GWP), a split-split-plot experiment was conducted. The experiment involved various combinations of two tillage methods (NT; Moldboard plowing, MP), two cover crop treatments (Fallow, FA; Rye, RY), and two biochar treatments (with biochar application, WB; no biochar application, NB). NT and RY demonstrated a trend of increasing N2O emission, while WB tended to reduce the N2O emission in NT plots. NT–RY–WB increased the SOC stock (0–30 cm) by 23.2% in 2020 and 30.2% in 2021 compared with MP–FA–NB, indicating that this combination promoted C sequestration. Due to the heightened SOC stock, the net carbon dioxide (CO2) retention effectively compensated the GWP arising from non-CO2 emissions. Consequently, the triple combination of NT, RY and WB positively contributed to a decreased net GWP in the soybean field (−1231 kg CO2 equivalent ha−1 year−1 in 2020 and −2767 kg CO2 equivalent ha−1 year−1 in 2021). These findings highlight the considerable potential of the combined NT–RY–WB for SOC sequestration and net GWP decrease, positioning it as an environmentally beneficial agricultural system for mitigating climate change in Asia’s long-term food production.

Residue management and overwinter survival in winter canola (Brassica napus L.)

Winter canola production in eastern Canada is a growing segment of the Canadian canola industry. Crop establishment and survival overwinter have been identified as two of the major challenges associated with the production of winter canola. Environmental conditions can interact with agronomic practices, including seeding date, plant population density, fertility and residue management, to influence stand establishment in autumn and overwinter survival. The objective of the current research was to evaluate the impact and interaction of preceding crop residue and tillage practices on the establishment, overwinter survival and yield of winter canola in southern Ontario. Winter canola was seeded following either winter wheat or soybean and using conventional, no-till or strip-till practices. Over the course of the three years of study, the annual decline in winter canola plant population density was influenced by the type of tillage practice used but not by the preceding crop. The overwinter decrease in plant population density was largest in no-till, followed by strip-till and finally conventional tillage. At physiological maturity, winter canola yields in reduced tillage practices (i.e., no-till and strip-till) were equivalent to those achieved utilizing conventional tillage practices. When grain yields were standardized as a function of the spring plant population density, the highest and lowest yield per plant coincided with the lowest and highest plant population densities and were observed in strip-till (14.2 g plant-1) and no-till (9.1 g plant-1), respectively. Results of this research have established that winter canola can be successfully produced in Ontario utilizing a range of tillage practices.

Examining Pipe–Borehole Wall Contact and Pullback Loads for Horizontal Directional Drilling

Pipeline pullback load is a crucial basis for drill rig selection and pipeline strength design. This paper presents a new pullback load calculation model from the perspective of pipe–borehole wall contact. The pipe–borehole wall contact analysis includes the distribution of contact pressure and the relationship between the external load and compressive displacement. The friction force between the pipe and the borehole wall was calculated based on the pipe–borehole wall contact analysis and adhesion theory without depending on the empirical friction coefficient. The effects of the eccentricity were also considered when calculating the fluid drag force. Through case studies, we verified the applicability of the model and discussed the possible reasons for the errors between the theoretical and field-measured results. This study can provide a helpful tool for analyzing the pipe–borehole wall contact and pullback loads for horizontal directional drilling.

Studying Impact of Moisture, Node Position and Loading Rate of Paddy Straw on its Mechanical Properties

In this study, mechanical properties of paddy straw such as bending strength, shear strength and Young's modulus were determined through force-deformation curve using textural analyzer with 50 kg load cell. The mechanical properties were determined at three moisture contents, i.e., 18.4% (M1), 13.5% (M2) and 10.8% (M3), at three node positions, i.e., N1, N2 and N3 and three loading rates, i.e., 25, 30 and 35 mm min-1, respectively. The results revealed that moisture content and loading rate at different node positions significantly (p&lt;0.01) affected the bending strength, shear strength, and Young's modulus of straw, whose values varied from 5.35 to 17.34 MPa, 4.99 to 7.35 MPa, 0.43 to 1.39 GPa, respectively, through N1 to N3 with decrease in moisture content; likewise, other findings also indicated increase in output values on increasing loads through N1 to N3. Cutting force was also significantly affected (p&lt;0.01) by shear angle and moisture content, which varied from 6.39 to 22.9 N, and cutting energy ranged from 142 to 511 J by Straw Management System serrated blade and was found to be minimum at 20° shear angle. The mechanical property of the straw for residue management in the context of cutting force for node position N3 at the initial moisture content was found optimum.

Economic optimization of sustainable soil management: a Dutch case study

Soil quality is pivotal for crop productivity and the environmental quality of agricultural ecosystems. Achieving sufficient yearly income and long-term farm continuity are key goals for farmers, making sustainable soil management an economic challenge. Existing bio-economic models often inadequately address soil quality. In this study, we apply the novel FARManalytics model, which integrates chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil quality indicator, quantitative rules on how these indicators respond to farmers’ production management over time, and an economic calculation framework that accurately calculates the contribution of production management decisions towards farm income. This is the first study applying this model on existing arable farms. FARManalytics optimizes crop rotation design, cover crops, manure and fertilizer application and crop residue management. Nine Dutch arable farms were analyzed with a high variation in farm size, soil type, and cultivated crops. First, we assessed farm differences in soil quality and farm economics. Second, we optimized production management to maximize farm income while meeting soil quality targets using farm-specific scenarios. Third, we explored the impact of recent policy measures to preserve water quality and to increase the contribution of local protein production. The results show that the case farms already perform well regarding soil quality, with 75% of the soil quality indicators above critical levels. The main soil quality bottlenecks are subsoil compaction and soil organic matter input. We show that even in front-runner farms, bio-economic modeling with FARManalytics substantially improves economic performance while increasing soil quality. We found that farm income could be increased by up to €704 ha−1 year−1 while meeting soil quality targets. Additionally, we show that to anticipate on stricter water quality regulation and market shift for protein crops, FARManalytics is able to provide alternative production management strategies that ensure the highest farm income while preserving soil quality for a set of heterogenous farms.

FAIRE DES ECONOMIES DE SURFACE AVEC LASSOCIATION MAIS-LEGUMINEUSES TOUT EN MAINTENANT LE RENDEMENT DU MAIS PAR RAPPORT A SA CULTURE PURE DANS LES CONDITIONS DE LOUEST DU BURKINA FASO

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction between crop residue management practices, cropping systems, and fertilization on the yield of associated crops in western Burkina Faso. To this end, an experimental design comprising three factors (crop residue management methods, cropping systems, and fertilization types) and four replications was established and monitored over three farming seasons (2018, 2019, and 2020). The grain and straw yields were determined, and the landequivalentratio (LER) was calculated. The results demonstrate that the management of crop residue through mulching or burial maintains crop yields at a level comparable to that achieved through ploughing with residue removal. In general, organo-mineral fertilization stands out as the fertilization practice that improves the production of maize (43.58% and 46.09% in 2018 and 2020, respectively) and legumes (58.42% and 66.11% in 2018 and 2020, respectively) compared to standardized mineral fertilization. Legume yields are significantly higher in monoculture (from 60% to 89% for amber and from 40% to 50% for cowpea) than in association. Additionally, the interaction between soil tillage and fertilization does not appear to be a significant factor in intercropping. However, the maize-legume association emerged as the cropping system with the greatest potential for area savings (LER&gt;1) and crop diversification on the same plot when compared to monocropping. The study suggests that a combination of maize-legume associations, mulching or burying crop residues, and organo-mineral fertilization represents a successful strategy for the sustainable management of cropping systems in western Burkina Faso.