Policy issues impacting on crop production in water-limiting environments

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 1303
Author(s):  
John C Radcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Separation Of Powers ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Sustainable Production ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
World Markets

Policy issues have impacted on cropping since the earliest days of European colonial settlement. Following emigration to Australia, secure land titles were required, with the Torrens title system being progressively introduced from 1858. This provided the basis for landholders to be able to borrow to develop land. Closer settlement policies were adopted, underpinned by the development of transport infrastructure. The demand for education resulted in Agricultural Colleges in the colonies from the 1880s, with Departments of Agriculture soon afterwards. Federation of the colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia and the creation of the states resulted in a separation of powers, with the Commonwealth assuming responsibility for external powers including overseas marketing, import quarantine, health and quality standards of exports and credit and financial powers. Natural resource management matters and education were among those remaining with the states. Regular intergovernmental meetings were held to discuss research from 1927 and a broader range of agricultural issues from 1935. The Great Depression in the 1930s, poor commodity prices and serious land degradation led to government support for debt reconstruction and the introduction of soil conservation services. Realising the need for innovation to successfully compete on world markets, farmers, led by cereal growers, petitioned for the establishment of statutory research programs with joint grower/government funding from the 1950s. These have been remarkably successful, with the uptake of new technologies contributing to an average multifactor productivity growth of Australian grain farms by 3.3% per year between 1977–78 and 2001–02. With community and policy recognition of the need to conserve natural resources, the Commonwealth Government is playing an increasing role in this area. Farmers are required to meet standards for the use of agricultural chemicals and for occupational safety, welfare and environmental protection. The states have taken a conservative stand against the growing of genetically modified food crops in the name of protecting overseas markets. New water management regimes are coming into place with the separation of water titles from land. Market-based instruments are being introduced to encourage more sustainable production systems and saleable ecosystem services. Research and innovation along with complementary policy initiatives will continue to underpin farmers’ adaptive management skills to ensure dryland crop producers have sustainable production systems while remaining competitive in world markets.

New Technologies and Approaches for Weed Management in Sustainable Agriculture Systems

1994 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald L. Wyse
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Agriculture Systems

Weed science has a long history of solving weed management problems for farmers. Over the last four decades most of the solutions to weed problems have been based on herbicide technology. Thus, most crop production systems in the United States rely heavily on herbicides as the primary method of weed management. During the last decade environmentalists, farmers, agricultural scientists, policy makers, and the general public have begun to question the long-term sustainability of conventional farming systems. The sustainability of these systems is being questioned because of environmental, social, and economic concerns caused by global competition, cost of production, soil erosion, water pollution, and concern over the quality of rural life. Weeds are the major deterrent to the development of more sustainable agriculture systems. Since weeds dictate most of the crop production practices (e.g., tillage, herbicides, cultivation, row spacing) weed scientists must become the leaders of collaborative integrated approaches to agriculture systems research. New crop production systems must be developed that are less destructive to the environment, are profitable, conserve energy, and support rural community development. The goal is to facilitate the development of ecologically based alternative methods of weed management that will support crop production systems that require less tillage and herbicide inputs. To accomplish this goal, research efforts must be radically expanded in weed/crop ecology and in the development of ecologically based technologies for weed management.

An Impact of Innovations on Agricultural Production and Malong the Koshi-Highway of Eastern Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-175
Author(s):  
Shyam Prasad Wagle
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

 The study assesses the impact of using new technologies on crop production and marketing of selected crops particularly in the case of the Eastern hills. It also evaluates the role of governmental and non-govrnmental organizations to improve agricultural production systems too. Relevant data have been collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data draws from the interview, key informant survey and field observation. For this, 30 percent sample households were selected from three altitude belts (upper, middle and lower belts) ranging from 300 to 2,250 masl along the Koshi-highway. It has a wide range of climates, ranging from sub-tropical to alpine with monsoon precipitation in the summer for three and half months and therefore it has diversity in flora and fauna, and people. Similarly, secondary data havebeen gathered from various books, journals and official records. This paper presented that the crucial impact of acceptance of innovative methods in agriculture in the study area is a combined effort of both local people and government. The government together with the development agencies and non-government organizations has contributed to impart knowledge of the agriculture innovative methods in the local farmers and at the same time, the farmers were enthusiastic to learn and adopt those methods. As a result, one can easily see the remarkable changes in crop production due to the impact of new technologies.

Application of Nanocompounds for Sustainable Agriculture System

2018 ◽  
pp. 194-211
Author(s):  
Priyanka Khati ◽  
Saurabh Gangola ◽  
Pankaj Bhatt ◽  
Rajeev Kumar ◽  
Anita Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
The Other ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Considerable Concern ◽  
Future Population

Agriculture is one of the major determining forces for the economy of India. The burgeoning population also puts more pressure of the agriculture system. To meet the requirement for future population with little arable land and limited agricultural production, doubling of crop yields is required. Development of such production systems which depend on renewable resources is an urgent requirement for sustainable agriculture. New technologies are also required to be tested and tried for the improvement of the crop production system. Nanotechnology in agriculture system is the recent hope to make sustainable agriculture a success. A high proportion of the atoms in a nanoparticle are present on the surface of a nanoparticle which accounts for higher reactivity compared with particles of macrosize. On the other side, toxicity is also a considerable concern, but using nontoxic nanoparticles like nanozeolite, nanochitosan, and nanoclay is safe. These nanocompounds show advantages in crop production without harming the soil system.

scholarly journals Economic Effects of Climate Change-Induced Loss of Agricultural Production by 2050: A Case Study of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aamir Khan ◽  
Alishba Tahir ◽  
Nabila Khurshid ◽  
Muhammad Iftikhar ul Husnain ◽  
Mukhtar Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Crop Models ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
The Government

This research combined global climate, crop and economic models to examine the economic impact of climate change-induced loss of agricultural productivity in Pakistan. Previous studies conducted systematic model inter-comparisons, but results varied widely due to differences in model approaches, research scenarios and input data. This paper extends that analysis in the case of Pakistan by taking yield decline output of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) for CERES-Wheat, CERES-Rice and Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) crop models as an input in the global economic model to evaluate the economic effects of climate change-induced loss of crop production by 2050. Results showed that climate change-induced loss of wheat and rice crop production by 2050 is 19.5 billion dollars on Pakistan’s Real Gross Domestic Product coupled with an increase in commodity prices followed by a notable decrease in domestic private consumption. However, the decline in the crops’ production not only affects the economic agents involved in the agriculture sector of the country, but it also has a multiplier effect on industrial and business sectors. A huge rise in commodity prices will create a great challenge for the livelihood of the whole country, especially for urban households. It is recommended that the government should have a sound agricultural policy that can play a role in influencing its ability to adapt successfully to climate change as adaption is necessary for high production and net returns of the farm output.

Emerging Industrial Revolution: Symbiosis of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: The Role of Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Jobs

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

scholarly journals Semi-Transparent Organic Photovoltaics Applied as Greenhouse Shade for Spring and Summer Tomato Production in Arid Climate

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1152
Author(s):  
Rebekah Waller ◽  
Murat Kacira ◽  
Esther Magadley ◽  
Meir Teitel ◽  
Ibrahim Yehia
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Organic Photovoltaics ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
High Light ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tomato Crop ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Control Section

Recognizing the growing interest in the application of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) with greenhouse crop production systems, in this study we used flexible, roll-to-roll printed, semi-transparent OPV arrays as a roof shade for a greenhouse hydroponic tomato production system during a spring and summer production season in the arid southwestern U.S. The wavelength-selective OPV arrays were installed in a contiguous area on a section of the greenhouse roof, decreasing the transmittance of all solar radiation wavelengths and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) wavelengths (400–700 nm) to the OPV-shaded area by approximately 40% and 37%, respectively. Microclimate conditions and tomato crop growth and yield parameters were measured in both the OPV-shaded (‘OPV’) and non-OPV-shaded (‘Control’) sections of the greenhouse. The OPV shade stabilized the canopy temperature during midday periods with the highest solar radiation intensities, performing the function of a conventional shading method. Although delayed fruit development and ripening in the OPV section resulted in lower total yields compared to the Control section (24.6 kg m−2 and 27.7 kg m−2, respectively), after the fourth (of 10 total) harvests, the average weekly yield, fruit number, and fruit mass were not significantly different between the treatment (OPV-shaded) and control group. Light use efficiency (LUE), defined as the ratio of total fruit yield to accumulated PAR received by the plant canopy, was nearly twice as high as the Control section, with 21.4 g of fruit per mole of PAR for plants in the OPV-covered section compared to 10.1 g in the Control section. Overall, this study demonstrated that the use of semi-transparent OPVs as a seasonal shade element for greenhouse production in a high-light region is feasible. However, a higher transmission of PAR and greater OPV device efficiency and durability could make OPV shades more economically viable, providing a desirable solution for co-located greenhouse crop production and renewable energy generation in hot and high-light intensity regions.

scholarly journals Precision agriculture and geospatial techniques for sustainable disease control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Roberts ◽  
Nicholas M. Short ◽  
James Sill ◽  
Dilip K. Lakshman ◽  
Xiaojia Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Disease ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
Plant Disease Control ◽  
Crop Germplasm

AbstractThe agricultural community is confronted with dual challenges; increasing production of nutritionally dense food and decreasing the impacts of these crop production systems on the land, water, and climate. Control of plant pathogens will figure prominently in meeting these challenges as plant diseases cause significant yield and economic losses to crops responsible for feeding a large portion of the world population. New approaches and technologies to enhance sustainability of crop production systems and, importantly, plant disease control need to be developed and adopted. By leveraging advanced geoinformatic techniques, advances in computing and sensing infrastructure (e.g., cloud-based, big data-driven applications) will aid in the monitoring and management of pesticides and biologicals, such as cover crops and beneficial microbes, to reduce the impact of plant disease control and cropping systems on the environment. This includes geospatial tools being developed to aid the farmer in managing cropping system and disease management strategies that are more sustainable but increasingly complex. Geoinformatics and cloud-based, big data-driven applications are also being enlisted to speed up crop germplasm improvement; crop germplasm that has enhanced tolerance to pathogens and abiotic stress and is in tune with different cropping systems and environmental conditions is needed. Finally, advanced geoinformatic techniques and advances in computing infrastructure allow a more collaborative framework amongst scientists, policymakers, and the agricultural community to speed the development, transfer, and adoption of these sustainable technologies.

Effects of cereal rye seeding rate on waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) emergence and soybean growth and yield

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Mandy Bish ◽  
Brian Dintelmann ◽  
Eric Oseland ◽  
Jacob Vaughn ◽  
Kevin Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Seeding Rate ◽  
Early Season ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Herbicide Resistant ◽  
Growing Seasons

Abstract The evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds has resulted in the necessity to integrate non-chemical control methods with chemicals for effective management in crop production systems. In soybean, control of the pigweed species, particularly herbicide-resistant waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, have become predominant concerns. Cereal rye planted as a winter cover crop can effectively suppress early-season weed emergence in soybean, including waterhemp, when planted at a rate of 123 kg ha−1. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of different cereal rye seeding rates (0, 34, 56, 79, 110, and 123 kg ha−1) on early-season waterhemp suppression and soybean growth and yield. Soybean was planted into fall-seeded cereal rye, which was terminated within four days of soybean planting. The experiment was conducted over the 2018, 2019, and 2020 growing seasons in Columbia, Missouri. Effects of cereal rye on early-season waterhemp suppression varied by year and were most consistent at 56 kg ha−1 or higher seeding rates. Linear regression analysis of cereal rye biomass, height, or stand at soybean planting showed inverse relationships with waterhemp emergence. No adverse effects to soybean growth or yield were observed at any of the cereal rye seeding rates relative to plots that lacked cereal rye cover. Result differences among the years suggest that the successfulness of cereal rye on suppression of early-season waterhemp emergence is likely influenced by the amount of waterhemp seed present in the soil seed bank.

scholarly journals Revisiting Sulphur—The Once Neglected Nutrient: It’s Roles in Plant Growth, Metabolism, Stress Tolerance and Crop Production

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 626
Author(s):  
Tinashe Zenda ◽  
Songtao Liu ◽  
Anyi Dong ◽  
Huijun Duan
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Sulphur Nutrition ◽  
Physiological Processes

Sulphur plays crucial roles in plant growth and development, with its functions ranging from being a structural constituent of macro-biomolecules to modulating several physiological processes and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In spite of these numerous sulphur roles being well acknowledged, agriculture has paid scant regard for sulphur nutrition, until only recently. Serious problems related to soil sulphur deficiencies have emerged and the intensification of food, fiber, and animal production is escalating to feed the ever-increasing human population. In the wake of huge demand for high quality cereal and vegetable diets, sulphur can play a key role in augmenting the production, productivity, and quality of crops. Additionally, in light of the emerging problems of soil fertility exhaustion and climate change-exacerbated environmental stresses, sulphur assumes special importance in crop production, particularly under intensively cropped areas. Here, citing several relevant examples, we highlight, in addition to its plant biological and metabolism functions, how sulphur can significantly enhance crop productivity and quality, as well as acclimation to abiotic stresses. By this appraisal, we also aim to stimulate readers interests in crop sulphur research by providing priorities for future pursuance, including bettering our understanding of the molecular processes and dynamics of sulphur availability and utilization in plants, dissecting the role of soil rhizospherical microbes in plant sulphur transformations, enhancing plant phenotyping and diagnosis for nutrient deficiencies, and matching site-specific crop sulphur demands with fertilizer amendments in order to reduce nutrient use inefficiencies in both crop and livestock production systems. This will facilitate the proper utilization of sulphur in crop production and eventually enhance sustainable and environmentally friend food production.

scholarly journals iHSD Mill Efficacy on the Seeds of Australian Cropping System Weeds

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Walsh ◽  
John C. Broster ◽  
Stephen B. Powles
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
High Efficacy ◽  
Weed Seed ◽  
Rigid Ryegrass ◽  
Mill Speed ◽  
Wheat Chaff

AbstractIn Australia, widespread evolution of multi-resistant weed populations has driven the development and adoption of harvest weed seed control (HWSC). However, due to incompatibility of commonly used HWSC systems with highly productive conservation cropping systems, better HWSC systems are in demand. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the integrated Harrington Seed Destructor (iHSD) mill on the seeds of Australia’s major crop weeds during wheat chaff processing. Also examined were the impacts of chaff type and moisture content on weed seed destruction efficacy. Initially, the iHSD mill speed of 3,000 rpm was identified as the most effective at destroying rigid ryegrass seeds present in wheat chaff. Subsequent testing determined that the iHSD mill was highly effective (>95% seed kill) on all Australian crop weeds examined. Rigid ryegrass seed kill was found to be highest for lupin chaff and lowest in barley, with wheat and canola chaff intermediate. Similarly, wheat chaff moisture reduced rigid ryegrass seed kill when moisture level exceeded 12%. The broad potential of the iHSD mill was evident, in that the reductions in efficacy due to wide-ranging differences in chaff type and moisture content were relatively small (≤10%). The results from these studies confirm the high efficacy and widespread suitability of the iHSD for use in Australian crop production systems. Additionally, as this system allows the conservation of all harvest residues, it is the best HWSC technique for conservation cropping systems.

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