scholarly journals Evaluation of the Grey Water Footprint Comparing the Indirect Effects of Different Agricultural Practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eros Borsato ◽  
Alejandro Galindo ◽  
Paolo Tarolli ◽  
Luigi Sartori ◽  
Francesco Marinello
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Grey Water ◽  
Experimental Field

Increasing global food demand and economic growth result in increasing competition over scarce freshwater resources, worsened by climate change and pollution. The agricultural sector has the largest share in the water footprint of humanity. While most studies focus on estimating water footprints (WFs) of crops through modeling, there are only few experimental field studies. The current work aims to understand the effect of supposedly better agricultural practices, particularly precision agriculture (variable rate application of fertilizers and pesticides) and conservation agriculture (minimum, strip, or no-tillage), on water deterioration and water pollution. We analyzed the results from an experimental field study in the northeast of Italy, in which four different crops are grown across three years of crops rotation. We compared minimum, strip, and no-tillage systems undergoing variable to uniform rate application. Grey WFs are assessed based on a field dataset using yield maps data, soil texture, and crop operations field. Leaching and associated grey WFs are assessed based on application rates and various environmental factors. Yields are measured in the field and recorded in a precision map. The results illustrate how precision agriculture combined with soil conservation tillage systems can reduce the grey water footprint by the 10%. We assessed the grey Water Footprint for all the field operation processes during the three-year crop rotation.

scholarly journals Comparison of energy inputs and energy efficiency for maize in a long-term tillage experiment under Pannonian climate conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (No. 5) ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
Gerhard Moitzi ◽  
Reinhard W. Neugschwandtner ◽  
Hans-Peter Kaul ◽  
Helmut Wagentristl
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Energy Input ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Total Energy Input

Sustainable crop production requires an efficient usage of fossil energy. This six-year study on a silt loam soil (chernozem) analysed the energy efficiency of four tillage systems (mouldboard plough 25–30 cm, deep conservation tillage 35 cm, shallow conservation tillage 8–10 cm, no-tillage). Fuel consumption, total energy input (made up of both direct and indirect input), grain of maize yield, energy output, net-energy output, energy intensity and energy use efficiency were considered. The input rates of fertiliser, herbicides and seeds were set constant; measured values of fuel consumption were used for all tillage operations. Total fuel consumption for maize (Zea mays L.) production was 81.6, 81.5, 69.5 and 53.2 L/ha for the four tillage systems. Between 60% and 64% of the total energy input (17.0–17.4 GJ/ha) was indirect energy (seeds, fertiliser, herbicides, machinery). The share of fertiliser energy of the total energy input was 36% on average across all tillage treatments. Grain drying was the second highest energy consumer with about 22%. Grain yield and energy output were mainly determined by the year. The tillage effect on yield and energy efficiency was smaller than the growing year effect. Over all six years, maize produced in the no-tillage system reached the highest energy efficiency.  

scholarly journals Yield and Quality Performance of Traditional and Improved Bread and Durum Wheat Varieties under Two Conservation Tillage Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Ruiz ◽  
Encarna Zambrana ◽  
Rosario Fite ◽  
Aida Sole ◽  
Jose Luis Tenorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Durum Wheat ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Wheat Varieties

The increasing spread of conservation agriculture demands that the next generation of wheat varieties includes cultivars capable of maintaining satisfactory yields with lower inputs and under uncertain climate scenarios. On the basis of the genetic gains achieved during decades of selection oriented to yield improvements under conventional crop management, it is important that novel breeding targets are defined and addressed. Grain yield, yield-related traits, and phenological and morphological characteristics, as well as functional quality parameters have been analyzed for six varieties each of bread and durum wheat, under minimum tillage and no-tillage. During the three-year experiment, the climatic conditions at the field trial site were characterized by low rainfall, although different degrees of aridity—from moderate to severe—were experienced. Differences were found between these two soil management practices in regard to the varieties’ yield stability. A positive influence of no-tillage on traits related to grain and biomass yield was also evidenced, and some traits among the examined seemed involved in varietal adaptation to a particular non-conventional tillage system. The study also confirmed some breeding targets for improved performance of wheat genotypes in conservation agroecosystems. These traits were represented in the small set of traditional varieties analysed.

scholarly journals Integrated application of drones for soil management and precision agriculture in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
Agbakoba Augustine Azubuike ◽  
Ema Idongesit Asuquo ◽  
Agbakoba Victor Chike
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Information And Communication

The recent push for precision agriculture has resulted in the deployment of highly sophisticated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gadgets in various agricultural practices and methods. The introduction of ICT devices has been linked to significant improvements in agricultural activities. These devices have been shown to enhance the optimal management of critical resources such as water, soil, crop and arable land. Again, ICT devices are increasingly attractive due to their flexibility, ease of operation, compactness and superior computational capabilities. Especially when in comparison to the mundane methods previously used by most small- and large-scale farmers. For instance, ICT devices such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also referred to as drones, are increasingly being deployed for remote sensing missions where they capture high quality spatial resolution images. The data generated by these UAVs provide much needed information that aids in early spotting of soil degradation, crop conditions, severity of weed infestation and overall monitoring of crop yield variability. This enables farmers to acquire on-the-spot information that will enhance decision making within a short period of time, which will in turn contribute to reduction in running cost and potentially increase yield. It is safe to say that full potentials of drones are yet to be fully utilized in the Nigerian agricultural sector. This is due to several factors; most notably are the numerous challenges that accompany the introduction and adoption of much new technologies. Other factors; include high cost of technology, inadequate or total lack of skilled labour, poor awareness and low-farmer literacy. Therefore, this review work highlights the global progress recorded as a result of the recent application of drones for soil management and efficient crop production. Furthermore, key discussions surrounding the application of drones for precision agriculture and the possible drawbacks facing the deployment of such technology in Nigeria has been covered in this work.

Conservative Precision Agriculture: an assessment of technical feasibility and energy efficiency within the LIFE+ AGRICARE project

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 439-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donato Cillis ◽  
Andrea Pezzuolo ◽  
Francesco Marinello ◽  
Bruno Basso ◽  
Nicola Colonna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Precision Farming ◽  
Technical Feasibility ◽  
Temporal Field ◽  
Field Variability

The integration of conservation agriculture with the benefits of precision farming represents an innovative feature aimed to achieve better economic and environmental sustainability. The synergy between these principles was assessed through a technical feasibility and energy efficiency to define the best approach depending on different agricultural systems, spatial and temporal field variability. The study compares three conservation tillage techniques supported by precision farming with conventional tillage in a specific crop rotation: wheat, rapeseed, corn and soybean. The preliminary results show a positive response of precision farming in all the conservation tillage systems, increasing yields until 22%. The energy efficiency achieves highest level in those techniques supported by precision farming, gaining peak of 9% compared to conventional tillage.

scholarly journals PENGARUH SISTEM OLAH TANAH DAN PEMUPUKAN NITROGEN JANGKA PANJANG TERHADAP RESPIRASI TANAH DI LAHAN POLITEKNIK NEGERI LAMPUNG TAHUN TANAM KE-27

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Erdiana Damayanti ◽  
Muhajir Utomo ◽  
Ainin Niswati ◽  
Henrie Buchari
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Tillage System

Unsustainable cultivation techniques can cause carbon loss on farm.   The cultivation technique that is often used by farmers today is intensive tillage.  Intensive tillage can increase CO2. Steps to reduce CO2 gas emissions, while increasing carbon stored in the soil by implementing agricultural cultivation with conservation tillage system (Olah Tanah Konservasi). The conservation tillage system is able to reduce global warming through absorption of C in the soil, and reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, fertilization can also affect CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions in the soil come from soil respiration. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of long-term tillage systems on soil respiration, determine the effect of long-term N fertilization on soil respiration, and determine the effect of interactions between tillage systems and long-term N fertilization on soil respiration. The study was arranged in a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of two factors, namely the tillage system and nitrogen fertilization factors. The first factor is the treatment of tillage system (T) namely T0 = no tillage, and T1 = intensive tillage, while the second factor is without nitrogen fertilizer (N0) and high nitrogen fertilizer (N1). The data obtained will be tested for homogeneity by Bartlett Test and additives tested by Tukey Test. Furthermore, the data were analyzed by analysis of variance and continued with a BNJ test of 5% level. Observation of soil respiration was done 4 times, namely -1, 1, 2, 3 days after tillage. The results showed that soil respiration one day before to three days after the soil was treated in intensive tillage (OTI) was the same as the no tillage system (TOT), soil respiration -1 days after tillage to 3 days after tillage on nitrogen fertilization (100 N kg ha-1 ) given in the previous planting season the same as without fertilization (0 kg N ha-1), and there is no interaction between the tillage system and nitrogen fertilization on soil respiration.

Climate Smart Sustainable Agriculture

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-59
Author(s):  
Luis Loures ◽  
Paulo Ferreira ◽  
Ana Loures ◽  
Vera Barradas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystems ◽  
Smart Farming ◽  
The World ◽  
Careful Management

Careful management of agricultural ecosystems is considered a vital procedure to ensure both environmental health and the sustainability of this sector, particularly when, besides all the argumentative used by farmers, there are no globally accepted sustainable management solutions for agriculture. This scenario poses several challenges for the agricultural sector all over the world, especially on an increasing climate change situation, in which extreme weather phenomena tend to be gradually more severe, as is the case of floods and draughts. Still, considering that the last decades were marked by great developments in agricultural management systems as is the case of precision agriculture, hi-tech-agriculture, organic farming, conservation agriculture, sustainable agriculture, smart farming, among others, it is crucial to assess specific case studies, in which the application of predetermined sustainable farming principles and/or procedures contributed to increase their resilience to climate change on a sustainable manner.

scholarly journals The Prospect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Precision Agriculture for Farming Systems Productivity in Sub-Tropical India: A Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-110
Author(s):  
R. K. Naresh ◽  
M. Sharath Chandra ◽  
. Vivek ◽  
. Shivangi ◽  
G. R. Charankumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Increase In Productivity ◽  
Food Safety And Quality

Agriculture is becoming more integrated in the agro-food chain and the global market, while environmental, food safety and quality are also increasingly impacting on the sector. It is facing with new challenges to meet growing demands for food, to be internationally competitive and to produce agricultural products of high quality. To cope with these challenges, Agriculture requires a continuous and sustainable increase in productivity and efficiency on all levels of agricultural production, while resources like water, energy, fertilizers etc. need to be used carefully and efficiently in order to protect and maintain the soil quality and environment. Consequently, Agriculture needs help in handling the complexity, uncertainty and fuzziness inherent in this domain. It requires new solutions for all aspects of agricultural farming, including precision farming and optimized resource application. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology helps various industries to improve production and productivity. In agriculture, AI also allows farmers to increase their productivity and reduce negative environmental impacts. AI is changing the way our food is processed, where emissions from the agricultural sector have decreased by 20%. Together with precision agriculture (PA) and other emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) can play a key role in modernizing agricultural practices and achieving the goal of improving the productivity of alternative arable cropping systems. In offering progressive change with advanced approaches, AI's future in agriculture is well ahead. The aim of this paper is to review various agricultural intelligence applications and to reduce the use of colossal amounts of chemicals with the aid of these technologies, resulting in reduced spending, improved soil fertility and increased productivity. With AI tools and machine learning, farmers can improve yields, protect their crops and have a much more reliable source of food.

scholarly journals ECONOMY-WATER NEXUS IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: DECOMPOSING DYNAMICS IN WATER FOOTPRINT BY THE LMDI

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 240-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Su ◽  
Sibo Chen ◽  
Tomas Baležentis ◽  
Ji Chen
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Grey Water ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Crop Farming ◽  
Efficient Resource ◽  
Diverse Groups

Traditional economic activities induce environmental pressures. In order to ensure sustainable economic growth, one needs to decouple it from the environmental pressures. Sustainable growth of the agricultural sector is topical in the sense that economic activity supports rural populations, whereas the resulting environmental pressures may affect diverse groups of population. Thus, the analysis of water footprint related to crop farming is important in the sense of efficient resource use and sustainable development of agriculture in general. In this paper, we focus on Lithuanian crop farming and the related green and grey water footprints. Specifically, we decompose the changes in the water footprints during 2000–2016 by exploiting the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index. Due to the expansion of the areas harvested, the scale effect appeared as an important driver of growth in green and grey water footprints. The shifts in spatial distribution of area harvested virtually had no influence on the dynamics in either of the water footprints. The crop-mix effect was much higher for the grey water footprint (51% over the period of 2000–2015) than it was the case for the green water footprint (21%). The yield growth induced growth in both green and grey water footprints.

scholarly journals A Multivariate Approach to Evaluate Reduced Tillage Systems and Cover Crop Sustainability

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Felice Sartori ◽  
Ilaria Piccoli ◽  
Riccardo Polese ◽  
Antonio Berti
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crop ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Crop Sustainability

The evaluation of the effects of conservation agriculture during the transition from conventional tillage to no-tillage requires numerous indicators to be considered. For this purpose, we monitored changes in a multi-parameter dataset during a three-year experiment that combined three tillage intensities (conventional tillage—CT; minimum tillage—MT; and no tillage—NT) with three soil covering managements (tillage radish cover crop, winter wheat cover crop and bare soil). Using a multivariate analysis, we developed a Relative Sustainability Index (RSI) based on 11 physical (e.g., bulk density and penetration resistance), chemical (e.g., soil organic carbon and pH) and biological soil properties (e.g., earthworm density) to evaluate cropping systems sustainability. The RSI was most affected by tillage intensity showing higher RSI values (i.e., better performances) in reduced tillage systems. Specifically, the RSI under NT was 42% greater than that of CT and 13% greater than that of MT. Soil covering had little impact on the RSI. Among the tested parameters, the RSI was increased most by saturated hydraulic conductivity (+193%) and earthworm density (+339%) across CT and NT treatments.to. Our results suggest that conservation agriculture and, particularly, reduced tillage systems, have the potential to increase farm environmental and agronomic sustainability.

scholarly journals Long and Midterm Effect of Conservation Agriculture on Soil Properties in Dry Areas of Morocco

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malika Laghrour ◽  
Rachid Moussadek ◽  
Rachid Mrabet ◽  
Rachid Dahan ◽  
Mohammed El-Mourid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Soil Organic Matter Content ◽  
Significant Difference

In Morocco, conservation agriculture, particularly no tillage systems, has become an alternative strategy to mitigate land degradation caused by conventional tillage in semiarid to arid regions. This paper is based on behaviour to tillage treatments of two Vertisols in Morocco. After 11 years of testing, soil organic matter content results showed a significant difference (P<0.05) only at soil surface (0–10 cm) in favour of no tillage and a variation of 30% at this depth. The results obtained after 32 years of testing showed a significant soil profile difference (P<0.05), up to 40 cm under no tillage compared to conventional tillage, and a variation of 54% at 5–10 cm. For total nitrogen, there was no significant effect between no tillage and conventional tillage at the soil surface after 11 years unlike the result obtained after 32 years. There are no significant differences in bulk density between tillage treatments at soil surface for both sites. The measurement of soil structural stability showed a significant effect (P<0.05) for all three tests and for both sites. This means that no tillage helped Vertisols to resist different climatic constraints, preserving environmental soil quality.

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