Conservation Practices: Relation to the Management of Plant Nutrients for Crop Production

2015 ◽  
pp. 19-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Follett ◽  
S.C. Gupta ◽  
P.G. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Nutrients ◽  
Conservation Practices

scholarly journals Conservation Reserve Program: Environmental Benefits Update

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
LeRoy Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Forest Lands ◽  
National Environmental

This paper presents the methodology, assumptions, and data used to generate regional and national environmental benefit estimates of the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). It's assumed that, without the program, production and conservation practices on CRP lands would be the same as those used on surrounding lands. When range and forest lands are (are not) included as land-use options, 54 (71) percent of the CRP land would be in crop production—which is consistent with past analyses. Soil erosion would be 222 to 248 million tons per year—about 11 percent—higher than the current level. Benefits are estimated by applying environmental benefit models, estimated in previous analyses, to the CRP's estimated effect on erosion and wildlife habitat. Nationally, the CRP is estimated to provide $1.3 billion in annual benefits, which represents 75 to 80 percent of the program's cost. In seven of the 10 USDA Farm Production Regions, the CRP's environmental benefits exceed costs. Thus, reallocating acreage to these regions could increase net program benefits. However, because many benefits could not be estimated, one cannot conclude that regional and national benefits do not exceed costs.

Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Practices as Climate Change Adaptations in Eastern US Corn-Soybean Production

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Hill ◽  
Natalia Salazar ◽  
Adel Shirmohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Soybean Production ◽  
Cover Cropping

<p>Climate change is projected to affect the atmospheric variables that control crop production in the Eastern United States (US). Given that changes in these variables over the next decades are currently unavoidable, crop production will need to adapt to the expected changes in order to prevent or reduce yield losses. The main objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the effects of climate change on yields in rainfed corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation systems in the Eastern US and 2) to test two soil conservation practices—no tillage and winter cover cropping with rye (Secale cereale L.)—for their effectiveness as climate change adaptations in these systems. We used the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model to simulate corn-soybean rotation systems in the future (2041‒2070) at nine land grant university research farms located throughout the Eastern US corn-soybean production belt from New York to Georgia. The simulated effects of climate change on yields varied depending on the climate model used, ranging from decreases to increases. Mean corn yields experienced decreases of 15‒51% and increases of 14‒85% while mean soybean yields experienced decreases of 7.6‒13% and increases of 22‒170%. Yield decreases were most common under the climate model predicting the highest increase in temperature and a reduction in precipitation, whereas yield increases were most common in the climate models predicting either a relatively small increase in temperature or a relatively large increase in precipitation. In many cases, the effects of climate change on yields worsened with time within the 30-year future period. The effects of climate change differed between the northern, central, and southern regions of the Eastern US, generally improving with latitude. Climate change generally affected corn yields more negatively or less positively than it did soybean yields. No tillage and rye cover cropping did not serve as effective climate change adaptations in regards to corn or soybean yields. In fact, planting rye after corn and soybeans reduced mean corn yields by 3.1‒28% relative to the control (no cover crop). We speculate that this yield decrease occurred because the rye cover crop reduced the amount of soil water available to the following corn crop.</p>

scholarly journals The Role of Nanotechnology in the Fortification of Plant Nutrients and Improvement of Crop Production

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Elemike ◽  
Ifeyinwa Uzoh ◽  
Damian Onwudiwe ◽  
Olubukola Babalola
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Environmental Effect ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Nutrient Deficiency ◽  
Plant Nutrients ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Nutrient Use ◽  
Food Content ◽  
Dietary Diversification

Nutrient deficiency in food crops is seriously affecting human health, especially those in the rural areas, and nanotechnology may become the most sustainable approach to alleviating this challenge. There are several ways of fortifying the nutrients in food such as dietary diversification, use of drugs and industrial fortification. However, the affordability and sustainability of these methods have not been completely achieved. Plants absorb nutrients from fertilizers, but most conventional fertilizers have low nutrient use and uptake efficiency. Nanofertilizers are, therefore, engineered to be target oriented and not easily lost. This review surveys the effects of the addition of macro- and nanonutrients to soil, the interaction, and the absorption capability of the plants, the environmental effect and food content of the nutrients. Most reports were obtained from recent works, and they show that plants nutrients could be enriched by applying nanoparticulate nutrients, which are easily absorbed by the plant. Although there are some toxicity issues associated with the use of nanoparticles in crop, biologically synthesized nanoparticles may be preferred for agricultural purposes. This would circumvent the concerns associated with toxicity, in addition to being pollution free. This report, therefore, offers more understanding on the application of nanotechnology in biofortification of plant nutrients and the future possibilities offered by this practice. It also highlights some of the ills associated with the introduction of nanomaterials into the soil for crop’s improvement.

scholarly journals Beekeeping promotes the traditional home-garden conservation in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-37
Author(s):  
Tolera Kumsa ◽  
Tura Bareke ◽  
Admasu Addi ◽  
Kasim Roba
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Home Gardens ◽  
Home Garden ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Rural Ethiopia ◽  
Sustainable Conservation

In Ethiopia, agrobiodiversity is managed through indigenous knowledge of rural communities, where the selection of plant species varies depending on the sociocultural practices and local economic needs. Traditional beekeeping has been practiced by millions of households in rural Ethiopia over a long historical period. However, the contribution of beekeeping in maintaining agrobiodiversity has not been systematically assessed in the country. This study was conducted in Central and Western Ethiopia to assess and compare traditional conservation practices, as well as the diversity and abundance of vegetation found within home-garden maintained by beekeepers and non-beekeepers. The results of the study showed that beekeepers raditionally retain more remnants of trees and shrubs in their home-garden to favor sustainable beekeeping, compared to non-beekeepers who instead are more likely to expand crop production. The mean number of floral species in beekeeper and non-beekeeper home-gardens was 22.8 ±3.2 and 14.2 ± 2.1, respectively. The higher species richness of bee visited plants in beekeepers’ home-gardens may be associated with traditional ecological knowledge accumulated by beekeepers over the years to maximize harvests of bee products. We therefore recommend the integration of ekeeping to other conservation interventions, such as community forestry, watersheds and protected areas as sustainable conservation practices. We suggest that necessary financial, technological, and extensional support should be enhanced to align improved v to any conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Balancing Disturbance and Conservation in Agroecosystems to Improve Biological Control

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Tooker ◽  
Matthew E. O'Neal ◽  
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Natural Enemy ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Insect Outbreaks ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Pest Outbreaks

Disturbances associated with agricultural intensification reduce our ability to achieve sustainable crop production. These disturbances stem from crop-management tactics and can leave crop fields more vulnerable to insect outbreaks, in part because natural-enemy communities often tend to be more susceptible to disturbance than herbivorous pests. Recent research has explored practices that conserve natural-enemy communities and reduce pest outbreaks, revealing that different components of agroecosystems can influence natural-enemy populations. In this review, we consider a range of disturbances that influence pest control provided by natural enemies and how conservation practices can mitigate or counteract disturbance. We use four case studies to illustrate how conservation and disturbance mitigation increase the potential for biological control and provide co-benefits for the broader agroecosystem. To facilitate the adoption of conservation practices that improve top-down control across significant areas of the landscape, these practices will need to provide multifunctional benefits, but should be implemented with natural enemies explicitly in mind.

scholarly journals Integrating Plant Nutrients and Elicitors for Production of Secondary Metabolites, Sustainable Crop Production and Human Health: A Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (03) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avila-Juarez Luciano ◽  
Torres-Pacheco Irineo ◽  
Ocampo-Velazquez Rosalia Virginia ◽  
Ana Angelica Feregrino-Perez ◽  
Andres Cruz Hernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Nutrients ◽  
Sustainable Crop Production

scholarly journals Recycling of Organic Wastes through the Vermicomposting Process of Cow Dung and Crop Residues

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Aminul Islam ◽  
Md Sharif Uddin Talukder ◽  
Md Shafiqul Islam ◽  
Mohammed Sadid Hossian ◽  
MG Mostofa
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Plant Nutrients ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Soil Microbial

Fertilizer is considered to be one of the main inputs for increasing crop yields. Chemical fertilizer industries are highly energy intensive and have a fundamental dependence on natural gas supply. On the other hand, organic fertilizers are the safer sources of plant nutrients without any detrimental effect on crops and soil. In the era of technological innovation, the farmers are interested to grow HYV rice and other diversified crops to support huge population of Bangladesh. So various harmful chemicals were used which degraded the health of the soil. Vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. It can bring back the fertility of the soil. Vermicomposting with earthworms has been recognized as a composting technique that transforms complex organic substances into stabilized, humus-like product. The application of vermicompost to the soil is considered as a good management practice in any agricultural production system because of the stimulation of soil microbial growth and activity and mineralization of plant nutrients and increased soil fertility and quality. This research focuses on producing nutrient-rich organic fertilizer by vermicomposting process from biomass. An experimental setup was carried out in Doulatpur, Kushtia targeting 10 tons output per month. Cow dung and crop residues were collected and followed vermicomposting method. Three cycles were maintained in the experiments i.e. 120 days per cycle-360 days in total and counted the vermi population for each consecutive cycle. The output fertilizer was analyzed in the laboratory and it was observed that the component ratios were suitable for agricultural lands. This fertilizer can also be used as a remedy for the barren lands. For the sustainable crop production and net improvement of soil productivity, vermicomposing is an excellent process to produce organic fertilizer from biomass.Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 42, No. 1, 1-9, 2018

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document