scholarly journals In-Field Management Practices for Mitigating Soil CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> Fluxes under Corn (<i>Zea mays</i>) Production System in Middle Tennessee

2015 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 367-378
Author(s):  
Sam Dennis ◽  
Qi Deng ◽  
Dafeng Hui ◽  
Junming Wang ◽  
Stephen Iwuozo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Production System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Field Management ◽  
Middle Tennessee

scholarly journals Surface lime and silicate application and crop production system effects on physical characteristics of a Brazilian Oxisol

Soil Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 778
Author(s):  
G. S. A. Castro ◽  
C. A. C. Crusciol ◽  
C. A. Rosolem ◽  
J. C. Calonego ◽  
K. R. Brye
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Production System ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Physical Properties ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Forage Crop

This work aimed to evaluate the effects of crop rotations and soil acidity amelioration on soil physical properties of an Oxisol (Rhodic Ferralsol or Red Ferrosol in the Australian Soil Classification) from October 2006 to September 2011 in Botucatu, SP, Brazil. Treatments consisted of four soybean (Glycine max)–maize (Zea mays)–rice (Oryza sativa) rotations that differed in their off-season crop, either a signal grass (Urochloa ruziziensis) forage crop, a second crop, a cover crop, or fallow. Two acid-neutralising materials, dolomitic lime (effective calcium carbonate equivalent (ECCE) = 90%) and calcium-magnesium silicate (ECCE = 80%), were surface applied to raise the soil’s base saturation to 70%. Selected soil physical characteristics were evaluated at three depths (0–0.1, 0.1–0.2, and 0.2–0.4 m). In the top 0.1 m, soil bulk density was lowest (P < 0.05) and macroporosity and aggregate stability index were greatest (P < 0.05) in the forage crop compared with all other production systems. Also, bulk density was lower (P < 0.05) and macroporosity was greater (P < 0.05) in the acid-neutralising-amended than the unamended control soil. In the 0.1–0.2-m interval, mean weight diameter and mean geometric diameter were greater (P < 0.05) in the forage crop compared with all other production systems. All soil properties evaluated in this study in the 0.2–0.4-m interval were unaffected by production system or soil amendment after five complete cropping cycles. Results of this study demonstrated that certain soil physical properties can be improved in a no-tillage soybean–maize–rice rotation using a forage crop in the off-season and with the addition of acid-neutralising soil amendments. Any soil and crop management practices that improve soil physical properties will likely contribute to sustaining long-term soil and crop productivity in areas with highly weathered, organic matter-depleted, acidic Oxisols.

scholarly journals Global Warming Potential, Variable Costs, and Water Use of a Model Greenhouse Production System for 11.4-cm Annual Plants Using Life Cycle Assessment

HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewayne L. Ingram ◽  
Charles R. Hall ◽  
Joshua Knight
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Production System ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Environmental Controls

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to analyze the global warming potential (GWP) and variable costs of production system components for an 11.4-cm container of wax begonia (Begonia ×semperflorens-cultorum Hort) modeled in a gutter-connected, Dutch-style greenhouse with natural ventilation in the northeastern United States. A life cycle inventory of the model system was developed based on grower interviews and published best management practices. In this model, the GWP of input products, equipment use, and environmental controls for an individual plant would be 0.140 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kg CO2e) and the variable costs would total $0.666. Fifty-seven percent of the GWP and 43% of the variable costs would be due to the container and the portion of a 12-plant shuttle tray assigned to a plant. Electricity for irrigation and general overhead would be only 13% of GWP and 2% of variable costs. Natural gas use for heating would be 0.01% of GWP and less of the variable costs, even at a northeastern U.S. location. This was because of the rapid crop turnover and only heated for 3 months of a 50-week production year. Life cycle GWP contributions through carbon sequestration of flowering annuals after being transplanted in the landscape would be minor compared with woody plants; however, others have documented numerous benefits that enhance the human environment.

Lean production system: compatible with Malaysian culture?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siew Imm Ng ◽  
Ck Cha ◽  
Murali Sambasivan ◽  
Azmawani Abd Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Production System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Lean Production ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Content Type

Theoretical basis An instructor could link the case to lean production principles and Kurt Lewin’s change management model, key reading materials on these theories are, namely,  Lewin, K (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science; equilibrium and social change. Human Relations 1(1): 5–41  Stewart, J. (2012). The Toyota Kaizen continuum: a practical guide to implementing lean. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Wickramasinghe, V. and Wickramasinghe, G. L. D. (2020). Effects of human resource management practices, lean production practices and lean duration on performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(11), 1467–1512. Research methodology This case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. The primary source included three face to face meetings with Mr CK in University Putra Malaysia (two meetings) and WSAE factory (Rawang, Malaysia – one meeting), respectively. Interviewed three workers at Rawang factory. The secondary source was taken from the company website and company reports. Case overview/synopsis Dr Wan, the Chief Executive Officer of WSA Engineering Sdn Bhd (WSAE) accepted the invitation from Small Medium Industries Development Corporation to participate in a Malaysian-Japanese Industry Cooperation program that focused on Lean Production System (LPS). Dr Wan was worried about Malaysia’s culture incompatible with Japanese-originated LPS. The case shares how the organization and behavioral change took place, for LPS buy-in. Successes and challenges WSAE faced in the 10-year journey of implementing LPS were elaborated. Complexity academic level This case was written for use in an operations management course, on the topic of lean production. It can also be used as a training material targeting the operation managers of a manufacturing company aiming to implement lean production or any change management process.

Production economics of rabi maize (Zea mays. L.) under different weed management practices and residual soil fertility conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-218
Author(s):  
Banashri Lodh ◽  
S.N. Jena ◽  
R.K. Paikaray ◽  
Manoranjan Satapathy ◽  
Bishnupriya Patra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Zea Mays L ◽  
Production Economics ◽  
Residual Soil

scholarly journals Using a modified DNDC biogeochemical model to optimize field management of a multi-crop (cotton, wheat, and maize) system: a site-scale case study in northern China

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2905-2922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Chunyan Liu ◽  
Xunhua Zheng ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Feng Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
No Production ◽  
Field Management ◽  
Crop System

Abstract. It is still a severe challenge to optimize the field management practices for a multi-crop system when simultaneously aiming at yield sustainability and minimum negative impacts on climate as well as atmosphere and water quality. This site-scale case study was devoted to developing a biogeochemical process model-based approach as a solution to this challenge. The best management practices (BMPs) of a three-crop system growing cotton and winter wheat–summer maize (W–M) in rotation, which is widely adopted in northern China, were identified. The BMPs referred to the management alternatives with the lowest negative impact potentials (NIPs) among the scenarios satisfying all given constraints. The independent variables used to determine the NIPs and those utilized as constrained criteria were simulated by the DeNitrification-DeComposition model, which was modified in this study. Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the model in daily simulations of nitric oxide (NO) emission and net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE), the model was modified to (i) newly parameterize the soil moisture effects on NO production during nitrification, and (ii) replace the original NEE calculation approach with an algorithm based on gross primary production. Validation of the modified model showed statistically meaningful agreements between the simulations and observations in the cotton and W–M fields. Three BMP alternatives with overlapping uncertainties of simulated NIPs were screened from 6000 management scenarios randomly generated by Latin hypercube sampling. All of these BMP alternatives adopted the baseline (currently applied) practices of crop rotation (3 consecutive years of cotton rotating with 3 years of W–M in each 6-year cycle), the fraction of crop residue incorporation (100 %), and deep tillage (30 cm) for cotton. At the same time, these BMP alternatives would use 18 % less fertilizer nitrogen and sprinkle or flood-irrigate ∼23 % less water than the baseline while adopting reduced tillage (5 cm) for W–M. Compared with the baseline practices, these BMP alternatives could simultaneously sustain crop yields, annually enlarge the soil organic carbon stock by 4 ‰ or more, mitigate the aggregate emission of greenhouse gases, NO release, ammonia volatilization, and nitrate leaching by ∼7 %, ∼25 %, ∼2 %, and ∼43 %, respectively, despite a ∼5 % increase in N2O emission. However, further study is still necessary for field confirmation of these BMP alternatives. Nevertheless, this case study proposed a practical approach to optimize multi-crop system management to simultaneously achieve multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Assessment of nitrification and urease inhibitors on nitrate leaching in corn (Zea mays L.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy A. Pawlick ◽  
Claudia Wagner-Riddle ◽  
Gary W. Parkin ◽  
Aaron A. Berg
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Zea Mays L ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Large Field ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Urease Inhibitors ◽  
Eddy Covariance Method

Agricultural ecosystems are one of the largest global contributors to nitrate (NO3−) contamination of surface- and groundwater through fertilizer application. Improved fertilizer practices are needed to manage crop nutrient supply in corn (Zea mays L.) while minimizing impacts to clean water reserves. The goal of this study was to compare current nitrogen (N) fertilizer practices (urea at planting) with “packages” of improved management practices (a combination of right timing and product) that farmers potentially use. We conducted measurements in a continuous corn system from November 2015 to May 2017 at a large field scale (four 4 ha plots). Nitrate concentration was measured below the root zone and drainage estimated using a soil water budget approach in which evapotranspiration was measured using the eddy covariance method. The objective was to compare NO3−-N leaching from fields receiving urea vs. urea + combination of nitrification and urease inhibitors (NUI) fertilizer applications at planting, urea–ammonium nitrate (UAN) vs. UAN + NUI applied at sidedress, and a combination of these practices: urea + NUI at planting vs. UAN at sidedress. Drainage was only significant in the non-growing season. Neither fertilizer products applied with NUI at planting or sidedress proved to significantly reduce NO3−-N leaching. The combination of delaying fertilization to sidedress and applying UAN significantly reduced the soil water NO3−-N concentration compared with urea + NUI at planting (mean of 5.2 vs. 6.7 mg L−1) but only in 2015–2016. Based on these results, applying UAN at sidedress is recommended, although additional study years are needed to confirm those results.

scholarly journals Quality indicators of tank milk in different production systems of tropical regions

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4Supl1) ◽  
pp. 2819
Author(s):  
Paula Priscilla L. da Escóssia Campos ◽  
Adriano Henrique Do Nascimento Rangel ◽  
Luis Henrique Fernandes Borba ◽  
Stela Antas Urbano ◽  
Luciano Patto Novaes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Production System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Bacterial Count ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Total Bacterial Count ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Specialized Production ◽  
Nitrogen Concentrations

Research was conducted in eight commercial herds located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Properties were classified according to the production system, the seasons were divided into four and the genetic groups into six. Milk samples from morning milking were collected monthly, directly from a cooling tank. Protein, fat, lactose, total solids, casein, urea nitrogen concentrations/levels, somatic cell count (SCC) and total bacterial count (TBC) were determined. For milk composition, the detected results were satisfactory and met the requirements of Normative Ruling 62, but the averages for SCC and TBC were above the recommended limit. All variables, with the exception of casein from total protein were influenced (P &lt; 0.05) by the production system used in the production unit. A lower fat content was recorded in 2010 compared to 2011. For the seasons, all the constituents of milk had lower values in drier season (seasons 3 and 4), with the exception of casein; SCC and TBC had higher values in periods 1 and 2, which are considered rainy periods. There was variation in the chemical composition of milk according to the genotypes. Milk chemical composition met the legal and market requirements, with a positive emphasis on specialized production systems. The variations over the year and according to the genetic group of the herd are also significant and should be taken into account in the search for improvements. As for the hygiene and health aspects of milk, the results portray the need for a greater focus by the entities involved in the sector, as well as the producers, on the viability of an adequacy program and monitoring of management practices related to this criterion.

scholarly journals Application of Multi-Component Conditioner with Clinoptilolite and Ascophyllum nodosum Extract for Improving Soil Properties and Zea mays L. Growth and Yield

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2005
Author(s):  
Jacek Długosz ◽  
Anna Piotrowska-Długosz ◽  
Karol Kotwica ◽  
Ewelina Przybyszewska
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Zea Mays L ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Water Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Available Water Capacity ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Plant Properties

The application of various conditioners in agriculture is one of the management practices used to improve soil quality and plant growth and development. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a multi-component conditioner on the selected soil properties and maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield. The effect of a conditioner on a set of soil properties and maize growth and yield was studied in one-year experiments carried out at three study sites, which were under a conventional tillage system. All of the study sites were located on farms in three geographic mezoregions in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Region (Midwestern Poland). The studied soils were Haplic Luvisol (Janocin and Kobylnica) and Albic Luvisols (Krukówko) that were composed of sandy loam. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of a conditioner Solactiv on the soil and plant properties. The conditioner significantly affected the soil enzyme activities such as dehydrogenase (DHA), fluorescein sodium salt hydrolysis level (FDAH) and carboxymethylcellulose cellulase (CMC—cellulase); wherein the last one increased by about 16–20%. The application of Solactiv also increased the available K content (about 11%) but not the content of the microbial biomass C and N. Total porosity (TP), which was significantly higher in the soil treated with conditioner than in the control soils, increased the available water capacity (AWC) (about 2.2%). The higher AWC in the treated soil indicated the greater contribution of the mesopores in the TP (about 4%). A significantly higher readily available water capacity (RAWC) and small pores available water capacity (SAWC) was determined in the treated soils compared to the controls. Of the plant properties, only plant height, fresh cob biomass (BBCH 87–89) and fresh plant biomass (BBCH 84–85) were significantly increased by the conditioner. The application of Solactiv is considered to be a promising approach for developing sustainable agriculture by improving the soil’s biological activity and water-related properties.

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