Landforming a red-brown earth dash effects of topsoil removal and redistribution on irrigated crop production

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 599 ◽  
Author(s):  
KE Pritchard ◽  
WK Mason ◽  
SP Byrne

Landforming is the use of earthmoving machinery and laser controlled land planes to improve the efficiency of irrigation layouts. Duplex soils with shallow A horizons are vulnerable to the exposure of subsoil in this process, and production from areas where topsoil has been removed is substantially less than from normal soil. A landformed area with a large range of depths of cut (soil removed) and fill (extra soil deposited) gave a linear decrease in dry matter (DM) yield/ha of maize (Zea mays) from 23.7 to 11.2 t/ha, and of oats (Avena sativa) from 13.9 to 7.5 t/ha with increasing depths of topsoil removal, but no progressive yield increase with added soil, so that overall production was estimated to be decreased by 16%. Whole plant N concentration was 24% lower, plant Zn 33% lower and soil Zn 43% lower from areas where topsoil was removed. Ameliorating the exposed subsoil with ripping, gypsum and compensatory N and P fertiliser produced only 71% of maize DM compared with normal soil (16.5 v. 11.7 t/ha). However, the replacement of 75 mm of topsoil completely restored yield. In a pot experiment which removed many of the physical limitations of the field, maize yields from subsoil and topsoil were similar when Zn was added to the subsoil in addition to N, P and K. Although Zn deficiency can limit maize growth on exposed subsoil, soil physical characteristics are a major cause of reduced yield and these were not eliminated in the field by amelioration. The cost of topsoil replacement during landforming may be less, in the long term, than amelioration plus cumulative production losses. The importance of topsoil in maintaining the yield potential of cropping land should not be underestimated in landforming designs for irrigation.

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
KJ Mccree

The whole-plant daily carbon balance (the 24-h sum of photosynthetic input of substrate carbon per plant and loss of carbon through respiration) is the CO2 exchange measure that relates most closely to crop production rates. Water stress reduces the photosynthetic input, reducing both leaf area and photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area. Respiratory losses are reduced more or less proportionately. A less-than-proportional loss was observed during osmotic adjustment in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench): the metabolic cost of storing photosynthate and using it for osmotic adjustment was less than the cost of converting it to new biomass. A slightly increased metabolic cost is often found under salt stress but, in sorghum plants that were salinized and then water stressed, the adverse effects of salt were mitigated by decreased water loss rates and enhanced osmotic adjustment during water stress. More tests involving combined salt and water stress are needed.


Author(s):  
Erin Stewart Mauldin

This chapter explores the ecological regime of slavery and the land-use practices employed by farmers across the antebellum South. Despite the diverse ecologies and crop regimes of the region, most southern farmers employed a set of extensive agricultural techniques that kept the cost of farming down and helped circumvent natural limits on crop production and stock-raising. The use of shifting cultivation, free-range animal husbandry, and slaves to perform erosion control masked the environmental impacts of farmers’ actions, at least temporarily. Debates over westward expansion during the sectional crisis of the 1850s were not just about the extension of slavery, they also reflected practical concerns regarding access to new lands and fresh soil. Both were necessary for the continued profitability of farming in the South.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1917
Author(s):  
Benedykt Pepliński ◽  
Wawrzyniec Czubak

In many circles, brown coal continues to be viewed as a cheap source of energy, resulting in numerous investments in new opencast brown coal mines. Such a perception of brown coal energy is only possible if the external costs associated with mining and burning coal are not considered. In past studies, external cost analysis has focused on the external costs of coal burning and associated emissions. This paper focuses on the extraction phase and assesses the external costs to agriculture associated with the resulting depression cone. This paper discusses the difficulties researchers face in estimating agricultural losses resulting from the development of a depression cone due to opencast mineral extraction. In the case of brown coal, the impacts are of a geological, natural-climatic, agricultural-productive, temporal, and spatial nature and result from a multiplicity of interacting factors. Then, a methodology for counting external costs in crop production was proposed. The next section estimates the external costs of crop production arising from the operation of opencast mines in the Konin-Turek brown coal field, which is located in central Poland. The analyses conducted showed a large decrease in grain and potato yields and no effect of the depression cone on sugar beet levels. Including the estimated external costs in the cost of producing electricity from mined brown coal would significantly worsen the profitability of that production.


1985 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. De ◽  
M. A. Salim Khan ◽  
M. S. Katti ◽  
V. Raja

SUMMARYExperiments made with winter fodder crops, lucerne (Medicago sativa), berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) and oats (Avena sativa) and summer fodder crops, cow pea (Vigna unguiculata), guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), sunhemp (Crotolaria juncea) and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) showed that a sequential crop of Sudan grass yielded more after the legumes than after the cereal fodders, oats or pearl millet. The legume advantage was noted in the crop not given fertilizers but also when Sudan grass was given N fertilizer. The yield increase in Sudan grass grown after legumes was equivalent to 32–60 kg fertilizer N/ha applied to Sudan grass following pearl millet.After harvesting the legumes more available N and NO3-N was present in the soil and the apparent recovery of fertilizer N by a subsequent crop was increased by the legume.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Costerousse ◽  
Joel Quattrini ◽  
Roman Grüter ◽  
Emmanuel Frossard ◽  
Cécile Thonar

Abstract Purpose Green manuring can increase the plant available fraction of zinc (Zn) in soil, making it a potential approach to increase wheat Zn concentrations and fight human Zn deficiency. We tested whether green manure increases the ability of both the native soil bacteria and inoculated Zn solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) to mobilize Zn. Methods Wheat was grown in a pot experiment with the following three factors (with or without); (i) clover addition; (ii) soil x-ray irradiation (i.e. elimination of the whole soil biota followed by re-inoculation with the native soil bacteria); and (iii) ZSB inoculation. The incorporation of clover in both the irradiated and the ZSB treatments allowed us to test green manure effects on the mobilization of Zn by indigenous soil bacteria as well as by inoculated strains. Results Inoculation with ZSB did neither increase soil Zn availability nor wheat Zn uptake. The highest soil Zn availabilities were found when clover was incorporated, particularly in the irradiated soils (containing only soil bacteria). This was partly associated with the stimulation of bacterial activity during the decomposition of the incorporated green manure. Conclusion The results support that the activity of soil bacteria is intimately involved in the mobilization of Zn following the incorporation of green manure.


2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. RODRÍGUEZ-NAVARRO ◽  
M. CAMACHO ◽  
F. TEMPRANO ◽  
C. SANTAMARÍA ◽  
E. O. LEIDI

SUMMARYAhipa is a legume of great interest for the production of raw materials (starch, sugar, oil and proteins) for industrial use. Its yield potential and ability to fix atmospheric N2 in association with rhizobia makes it an attractive option for low input agriculture systems. At present, it is cultivated on a very small scale as a food crop in a few South American countries. Little information is available on symbiotic N2 fixation in ahipa and no work has been performed on strain selection for inoculant production. Soils in southwest Europe are devoid of specific rhizobia able to nodulate on ahipa. Selecting rhizobia for symbiotic effectiveness from a collection led to the isolation of strains which provided greater shoot growth and N content under controlled conditions. In the field, inoculation at sowing with the selected strains increased significantly seed and tuberous root yield and seed protein content. The amount of N2 fixed, estimated by 15N natural abundance, reached 160–260 kg N ha−1. In previous work, ahipa appeared to be a promising alternative crop for the production of industrial raw materials. The results of the present study showed a yield increase in tuberous roots and seeds when applying effective rhizobia inoculants. Furthermore, a positive soil N balance was left after its cultivation making ahipa even more interesting for sustainable farming systems.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
D McCartney ◽  
J Fraser ◽  
A Ohama

Extension of the grazing season beyond the normal perennial grazing season has been identified as a potential mechanism to reduce the cost of production on Canadian cow-calf operations. This review will provide an overview of the potential use of warm-season and Brassica crops including corn (Zea mays), Golden German foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv.), kale (Brassica oleracea L.), forage rape (B. napus ssp. biennis L.) and turnip (B. rapa L.). These crops have a high yield potential, but the cost for grazing these crops has not been adequately compared with the cost of grazing oat (Avena sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and fall rye (Secale cereale L.). There are very few actual animal grazing trials evaluating the economics of using these crops in grazing systems in Canada, and this requires further research.Key words: Corn, millet, sorgum, sudan grass, fodder crops, brassicas


Author(s):  
Shinta Lestari Santosa ◽  
I Nyoman Rai ◽  
Wayan Diara

Vegetable cultivation is livelihoods for side Lake Batur communities, Kintamani, Bangli. Hilly natural conditions with a soil texture influenced by the eruption of Mount Batur, 900 m above sea level, and 900-3500 mm high rainfall, causing this region is very suitable for the cultivation of various vegetables, including shallot. One effort to meet the high demand for shallots is that efforts are made to improve cultivation techniques, including fertilizing to improve yields. In modern agriculture, the use of fertilizer is absolutely essential to trigger the level of crop production. The aims is to analyze the combination effect of using of inorganic fertilizer (ZA fertilizer) and organic fertilizer (compost fertilizer) on shallot vegetable cultivation systems on the content of pollutants, N nutrients and onion crop yields on the shores of Lake Batur, Kintamani District, Bangli Regency. The study using RBD with two factors where factor I: provision of organic fertilizer is leaf compost made aerobically (O), consisted of 3 levels, namely: O0 = 0*, O1 = 5* and O2 = 10*and factor II: the application of inorganic fertilizer namely ZA (S) fertilizer, consisted of 3 levels, namely: S0 = 0**, S1 = 50** and S2  = 100**, each repeated 3 times. The parameters observed were the growth and yield of shallots as well as the content of Pb, Zn, Cu and N nutrients in the soil. The nutrient content (N) in the soil, when using chemical fertilizer ZA and compost organic is not significantly different, as well as the results of onion plants, while the content of Pb, Zn and Cu on the use of chemical fertilizer ZA and organic compost, very real different. The highest soil Pb content in S2O1 treatment is 30.07***, the highest soil Zn content in the S2O1 treatment was 28.24***, and the highest soil Cu content in the S1O2 treatment is 17.22***. *= tons/ha **= kg/ha ***= mg/kg Keywords: compost; contents Pb; Zn; Cu of soil; shallot; ZA.


Author(s):  
Nooruldeen S. Ali

Micronutrient deficiency can be considered as one of the yield "quantity and quality" limiting factor in arid calcareous lands and can be considered as the troubling component of hunger. Therefore, enriching food products through adding nutrients to a food product or through increasing soil fertility and breeding crop for nutrient efficiency are alternatives available to improve food quality. However, poor people have no excess to food additives and can benefit from naturally enriched food products or what being called Biofortification. The existence of a general geographical overlap between soil Zn deficiency and human Zn deficiency has been already postulated. As agriculture-based food products are the major source of human nutrition, the relationship between the nutrient status of soils, food crops, and human health is understandable. poor but also deliver all the essential nutrients needed for adequate nutritional health. Sustainable solutions to malnutrition will only be found by closely linking agriculture to nutrition and health. The undergoing review would discuss these concepts and their implementation and uses with special concern on Iraqi conditions.


1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. B. DAYNARD ◽  
R. B. HUNTER

Identical experiments were conducted at the Elora Research Station, near Guelph, Ontario in 1970 and 1971 with the objective of determining the relationships among whole-plant dry matter (DM) yield, whole-plant moisture content, and grain moisture content of corn (Zea mays L.) during the later part of the growing season. Each experiment involved eight commercial hybrids representative of the range in maturity, endosperm type, lodging resistance, and grain yield potential of corn hybrids grown commercially in central Ontario. The hybrids were sampled at weekly intervals over an 8-wk period beginning approximately 1 September; the sampled plants were divided into their leaf, stalk, husk, ear and grain components and oven-dried. Fresh and dry weights were used to calculate dry matter (DM) yields and "at harvest" moisture contents of the various components, and of the entire plant. Averaged across the eight hybrids, maximum DM yield was attained at whole-plant moisture content of 66–70%, and a grain moisture content of 45–50%. Among hybrids, 66% whole-plant moisture corresponded to a range in grain moisture content from 41 to 47%. Two additional experiments were grown also at Elora in 1970 and 1971 to evaluate the effects of harvest date on the DM yield and in vitro digestibility of corn plants and their component plant parts. Each experiment involved four representative commercial hybrids which were sampled at four equal time intervals during the month of September, and divided into grain, cob, husks (including shank) and stover (including leaves, leaf sheaths, stalks and tassels) for dry weight and in vitro digestibility measurement. Whole-plant DM digestibility was essentially constant over a range of whole-plant moisture from 76 to 56% in 1970, and from 76 to 64% in 1971. The consistency of whole-plant digestibility was the result of compensating changes in component yield and digestibility. A decrease in the digestibility of the stover, husks and cob with delayed harvest was compensated for by an increase in the proportion of grain in the whole-plant yield.


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