The role of supplementary irrigation for food production in a semi-arid country – Palestine

2004 ◽  
pp. 191-200
Author(s):  
Mohammed Yousef Sbeih
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation ◽  
Semi Arid

Enhancement of food production quality: the truffle case

2020 ◽  
pp. 587-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Viganò ◽  
Federico Gori ◽  
Antonella Amicucci
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Marketing Literature

The central role of quality agri-food production in the promotion of a given territory is actually widely recognized by both the economic and marketing literature and the stakeholders involved in the enhancement process of rural systems. On this basis, this work analyzes one of the finest Italian agri-food products: the truffle. This work tries to point out the main problems characterizing the current regulatory framework, the trade and the production of the Italian truffle sector, emphasizing their causes, consequences and possible solutions.

Food security in the 21st century and in the role of biotechnology

foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Adequate Diet ◽  
The World ◽  
Productivity Gains ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Global Food

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.

Carbon mineralization in semi-arid northeastern Australia: the role of termites

1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Microbial Population ◽  
Carbon Mineralization ◽  
Termite Mounds ◽  
Interaction Term ◽  
Temperature Interaction ◽  
Soil Carbon Mineralization ◽  
Semi Arid

ABSTRACTThe contribution of a population of mound building, detritivorous termites (Amitermes laurensis (Mjöberg)) to nett carbon mineralization in an Australian tropical semi-arid woodland has been examined. Carbon mineralization rates were estimated by measuring daily CO2 flux from five termite mounds at monthly intervals for 12 months. Carbon flux from the mounds was found to be due to microbial activity as well as termite activity. It is conservatively estimated that the association of A. laurensis and the microbial population present in their mounds is responsible for between 4%–10% of carbon mineralized in this ecosystem, and the contribution of all termites together (mound builders and subterranean) may account for up to 20% of carbon mineralized. Regression analysis showed that rates of carbon mineralization in termite mounds were significantly related to mound moisture and mound temperature. Soil moisture was the most important factor in soil carbon mineralization, with temperature and a moisture X temperature interaction term also exerting significant affects.

scholarly journals The effect of summer drought on the yield of Arundo donax is reduced by the retention of photosynthetic capacity and leaf growth later in the growing season

2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Haworth ◽  
Giovanni Marino ◽  
Ezio Riggi ◽  
Giovanni Avola ◽  
Cecilia Brunetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Photosynthetic Capacity ◽  
Leaf Growth ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Arundo Donax ◽  
Genetic Identification ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract Background and Aims The development of Arundo donax as a biomass crop for use on drought-prone marginal lands in areas with warm to hot climates is constrained by the lack of variation within this species. We investigated the effect of morphological and physiological variation on growth and tolerance to drought under field conditions in three ecotypes of A. donax collected from habitats representing a climate gradient: a pre-desert in Morocco, a semi-arid Mediterranean climate in southern Italy and a warm sub-humid region of central Italy. Methods The three A. donax ecotypes were grown under irrigated and rain-fed conditions in a common garden field trial in a region with a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Physiological and morphological characteristics, and carbohydrate metabolism of the ecotypes were recorded to establish which traits were associated with yield and/or drought tolerance. Key Results Variation was observed between the A. donax ecotypes. The ecotype from the most arid habitat produced the highest biomass yield. Stem height and the retention of photosynthetic capacity later in the year were key traits associated with differences in biomass yield. The downregulation of photosynthetic capacity was not associated with changes in foliar concentrations of sugars or starch. Rain-fed plants maintained photosynthesis and growth later in the year compared with irrigated plants that began to senescence earlier, thus minimizing the difference in yield. Effective stomatal control prevented excessive water loss, and the emission of isoprene stabilized photosynthetic membranes under drought and heat stress in A. donax plants grown under rain-fed conditions without supplementary irrigation. Conclusions Arundo donax is well adapted to cultivation in drought-prone areas with warm to hot climates. None of the A. donax ecotypes exhibited all of the desired traits consistent with an ‘ideotype’. Breeding or genetic (identification of quantitative trait loci) improvement of A. donax should select ecotypes on the basis of stem morphology and the retention of photosynthetic capacity.

Non-crop resources and the role of indigenous knowledge in semi-arid production of Mexico

2007 ◽  
Vol 119 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Blanckaert ◽  
Koenraad Vancraeynest ◽  
Rony L. Swennen ◽  
Francisco J. Espinosa-García ◽  
Daniel Piñero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Semi Arid
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