Water Resources in Chile

This study quantifies the current and future soil water balance in a spatially distributed way for the whole of Chile and establishes what biomes will be the most affected by variations in water resources. The study of water resources reveals that 90% of surface Chile will reduce its soil water resources in the future if greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere does not stop. The most disadvantaged biomes are the forests, where soil water availability could decrease an average of 100 mm/year. Desert biomes could not perceive the hydrological imbalances; however, it is expected its surface increases.

Geomorphologic Change in Nagavali River Basin: Geospatial Approach

The Nagavali river basin (NRB), along east coast of India investigated for its land use and land cover changes (LULCC) in the golden spike period of Anthropocene Epoch. Attempts made to assess the vicissitudes, causes, and consequences of natural resources, and soil/water resources of the NRB in last three decades as significant changes in hydro-climatic variables occurred. The interstate basin is well developed in lower reaches (north Andhra Pradesh) whereas upper stretches, South Odisha is less organized. GIS and remote sensing are efficient tools for an ideal study of LULCC of the area. Present work evaluates the dynamics of LULCC of NRB. LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-8, of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, respectively, were digitally classified for land use land cover mapping. The changing aspects of LULCC critically analyzed for three span, 1990–2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2020. Through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of the NRB examined carefully to assess the recent LULCC pattern. Major changes are sue to exchanges of areas are in between forest and built-up land followed by water body. The transformations are from forest to human habitation; especially built-up area that constitutes major percentage of the total landscape. The study shows that emphasis is necessary on more water consolidation projects in the upper Nagavali Basin considering the long-term LULC trend analysis.

Multivariate management systems of long-term hayfields in the Central Non-Chernozem region of Russia

В Центральном районе Нечернозёмной зоны в 2018–2020 годах изучалось шесть систем ведения долголетнего сенокоса. В среднем за годы исследования применение техногенной системы позволило получить 3,86 т/га сухого вещества (СВ), применение интегрированной — 5,08 т/га СВ, техногенно-органической — 4,75–5,16 т/га СВ, техногенно-минеральной экстенсивной — 3,97–7,13 т/га СВ, техногенно-минеральной интенсивной — 6,60–8,85 т/га СВ, комбинированной — 7,03–7,25 т/га СВ. Существенное влияние на урожайность оказывали погодные условия. В засушливый год не был сформирован полноценный 2-й укос, что не позволило травостоям реализовать потенциал продуктивности. Более эффективно ограниченный запас влаги в почве использовался в техногенно-минеральной интенсивной системе. В условиях достаточной влагообеспеченности был получен полноценный второй укос, составляющий 30–50% сбора СВ за сезон. При улучшении условий увлажнения урожайность наиболее заметно повышалась при применении техногенно-минеральной интенсивной системы. Отмечена высокая экономическая эффективность применения всех изучаемых систем за счёт длительного использования травостоя. В зависимости от технологии рентабельность производства корма составляла 74–220%, себестоимость 1 корм. ед. — 3,12–5,75 руб. Для получения 65,2–88,0 ГДж, 5,1–6,8 тыс. корм. ед. и 781–1153 кг сырого протеина с 1 га на суходольных лугах Центрального района Нечернозёмной зоны рекомендуется применять техногенно-минеральную интенсивную систему ведения сенокоса. В случае недостаточной обеспеченности хозяйств материально-техническими ресурсами рекомендуются техногенная, интегрированная, техногенно-органическая и техногенно-минеральная экстенсивная системы ведения, позволяющие поддерживать высокое участие бобовых видов в травостое, что обеспечивает использование биологического источника азота и позволяет получить с 1 га сенокосных угодий 39,0–56,7 ГДж, 3,1–4,5 тыс. корм. ед. и 462–688 кг сырого протеина. Six management systems for long-term hayfields were tested in the Central Non-Chernozem region in 2018–2020. Without fertilization 3.86 t ha-1 of dry matter (DM) was obtained. Integrated farming resulted in 5.08 t DM ha-1, application of organic fertilizers — 4.75–5.16 t DM ha-1, extensive farming with mineral fertilization — 3.97–7.13 t DM ha-1, intensive farming with mineral fertilization — 6.60–8.85 t DM ha-1, combined management system — 7.03–7.25 t DM ha-1. Weather significantly affected crop productivity. Under drought grasses showed poor growth after the first cut leading to low yield. Intensive farming with mineral fertilization allowed more effective use of soil water resources. Sufficient water availability positively affected grass growth after the first cut resulting in 30–50% of DM yield for a season. The best performance was observed under intensive farming with mineral fertilization. All the management systems provided high economic efficiency due to a long-term cultivation of swards. Payback amounted to 74–220%, prime cost of 1 feed unit — 3.12–5.75 rubles. Intensive farming with mineral fertilization was recommended in order to obtain 65.2–88.0 GJ, 5.1–6.8 thousand feed units and 781–1153 kg of crude protein from 1 ha. In case of insufficient material and technical resources other above-mentioned systems can be used, except for the combined one. These management systems maintained high proportion of legumes in swards, an effective mean to obtain nitrogen via nitrogen-fixing bacteria. As a result, swards yielded 39.0–56.7 GJ, 3.1–4.5 thousand feed units and 462–688 kg of crude protein from 1 ha.

Preface

Second International Conference for Agricultural Science (ICFAS 2021) presents “The Scientific Research is the Gate to achieve Food Security and Sustainable Development” as the main conference theme. This conference provides a forum for international researchers, academics, practitioners, policymakers and related communities to discuss, share and exchange their latest research and experience progress associated with the field of Biotechnology and modern advanced methods in addressing various environmental problems related to all lands, air, animals, desertification and the green environment. In addition, this conference also aimed to address a common issue of georesources sustainability, renewable energy sources and climate change related geohazard and disasters in the development of urban areas. ICFAS 2021 provides opportunities to all participants in expanding their network collaboration at the regional and international. We invited research papers on the topic of Soil, Water Resources and Dessertification Combat Axis, Horticulture and Plant protection Axis, Field Crops Axis, Farm Machinery, Economic and Agricultural Extention Axis, Biotechnology Axis., geo-environmental engineering and any related geoscience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation during the year, it is not easy to hold a regular conference in a specific place. There were travel restrictions and regulations from the World Health Organization and the Iraqi Government to be complied with to cut the spread of the COVID-19 virus in terms of physical distancing. In this uncertain condition, the ICFAS should not be postponed since participants have arranged to address their research findings at this conference. Thus, the committees of ICFAS 2021 have decided to switch the conference format into a virtual meeting. The ICFAS 2021 is held online from 29-30 September 2021, Muthanna, Iraq and managed by the University of Al-Muthanna and College of Agriculture. This conference has attracted more than 122 papers submitted to the open conference Submission System. After being reviewed, the scientific committee has selected around 91 papers to be presented at this conference. During the plenary session of the conference, we were pleased to welcome sex distinguished experts to share their experience and present their insightful keynote speech. Participants did their presentations live, engaged throughout plenary, panel discussion and parallel sessions. Feedbacks, comments and questions from participants in all sessions were very positive and constructive. About 91 papers received final decision to be accepted and submitted for publication into the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. We would like to acknowledge all of those who supported the ICFAS 2021. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all scientific committees who made in-depth reviews of full papers, to sponsors who give their support, and to each individual and institutional help that is very important for the success of this conference. Thank you to all the organizing committee and related parties who built this virtual conference feasible and successful. List of List of committees for Second International Conference for Agricultural Science (ICFAS 2021), Tables, Photos, Logos are available in this pdf.

Influence of Natural Liquid Organics on Morphology and Growth Attributes of Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.)

Background: Heavy use of chemicals in agriculture has weakened the ecological base and caused the degradation of soil, water resources and quality of the food. The increasing cost and unavailability of fertilizers, growing ecological concern has forced us to try new methods of application of nutrients. Natural farming is the new method introduced as a holistic alternative to the present chemical input based agriculture. There has been increasing interest in the use of panchagavya, beejamrutha, jeevamrutha and other liquid organic formulations during the recent years. Therefore, there is a need to compare the efficiency of natural liquid organics and the regular chemical fertilizers. Hence, the present investigation is taken up with the aim to study the effect of different foliar spray of organics on growth of blackgram. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at the dryland farm, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati during Kharif, 2017 to study the effect of foliar sprays of different natural liquid organics on morphological and growth attributes of blackgram. Result: The results indicated that RDF (recommended dose of fertilizers) recorded significantly maximum plant height, leaf area, dry matter, seed yield and other yield attributes over the foliar spray of liquid organics. Results further revealed that significantly lower plant height, dry matter were recorded in the treatment receiving seed treatment with beejamrutha. No significant difference in terms of days to 50% flowering was observed among the treatments. Significantly higher emergence index was recorded in the treatments receiving seed treatment with beejamrutha and water. Integrated use of organics has recorded significantly more number of root nodules compared to other treatments. Jeevamrutha foliar spray recorded to be superior over panchagavya foliar spray which was attributed to the presence of micronutrients in jeevamrutha.

Soil Hydrology Process and Rational Use of Soil Water in Desert Regions

There is a balanced plant–water relationship in the original vegetation in the desert area. With the increase in the population and social development of the desert area, people need the goods and services of the forest vegetation ecosystem. To meet the growing demand for plant community goods and services, more original vegetation has been changed into non-native vegetation, such as in the Loess Plateau in China. However, with the plant growth, sometime soil drying happens and becomes gradually serious with time in most desert regions. Serious drying of soil eventually results in soil quality degradation, vegetation decline, and crop failure, which influence the produce and supply of forest vegetation goods and services in the market in dry years or waste of soil water resources in wet years, which wastes precious natural resources. In order to use soil water rationally, soil water must be used in a sustainable way and the plant–water relationship has to be regulated for the Soil Water carrying capacity for vegetation in the key period of plant–water relationship regulation to carry out a sustainable use of natural resources, high-quality sustainable development of forest and grass, and high-quality production of fruit and crops in desert regions.

Effects of the “Grain for Green” Program on Soil Water Dynamics in the Semi-Arid Grassland of Inner Mongolia, China

The Grain for Green Program (GGP) initiated by Chinese government significantly impacts mitigating environmental degradation. Soil water resources probably constrain large-scale vegetation restoration projects in arid and semi-arid regions. Characterizing soil water dynamics after the GGP’s implementation is essential in assessing whether vegetation restoration can be sustained as part of ecological restoration. In this study, four sites were selected for field investigation: original natural grassland (NG) and grassland that was reconverted from cropland 12 years (12-year site), 8 years (8-year site), and 6 years (6-year site) before. Soil water at five depths was measured continuously at 10 min intervals at four sites. The findings showed that less rainfall infiltrated a deeper soil layer as the time after restoration augmented, and the 12-year site had the shallowest infiltration depth and soil water storage. Younger restored grassland (8-year and 6-year sites) had a higher soil water content than older restored grassland (12-year site) and NG. The soil water content decreased steadily with restoration age after an immediate initial rise, and the highest soil moisture was in the 8-year site. The results suggest that soil water dynamics varied with GGP and a soil water deficit could be formed after the GGP’s implementation for 12 years in semi-arid grassland.

Soil Hydrology Process and Sustainable Use of Soil Water Resources in Desert Regions

There is a balanced plant-water relationship in the primary vegetation of desert area. With the increase of population and social development in desert areas, people’s need for forest vegetation ecosystem’s goods and service have been changed. To meet the growing demand for plant community goods and services, more original vegetation has been changed into non-native vegetation such as in China loess plateau. However, with the plant growth, sometime soil drying happens and then becomes gradually serious with times in most of desert regions. Serious drying of soil eventually result in soil degradation, vegetation decline and agriculture failure，which influence the produce and supply of forest vegetation goods and service in market in dry year or waste of soil water resources in wet year, which wastes precious nature resources. In order to solve these problems, the soil water resources have to be used in sustainable way and plant-water relationship have to be regulated on Carrying Capacity of Soil Water for Vegetation in the key period of plant water relationship regulation, to carry out sustainable use of nature resources, high-quality and sustainable development of forest and grass or high-quality produce of fruit and crop in desert re-gions.

Soil Water and High-Quality Development in Water-Limited Regions

The goods and services produced by forest and vegetation ecology system is the power by which human society can be promoted fast in high-quality and sustainable way. With the increase of population and economic development in water-limited regions, there is an increasing demand for the quantity and variety of forest vegetation ecosystem products and services. To meet the demands of this situation, most of the original forest has changed into farmland, non-native forest and grass land. As a result, water-plant relationship changed from equilibrium to non-equilibrium, which led to soil drought, soil degradation and vegetation decline in dry years or waste of soil water in rainy years in most of water-limited regions. In order to solve the questions and realize the sustainable utilization of soil water resources and the high quality and sustainable development of social economy, it is necessary to apply the utilization limit theory of soil water resources by plants and the theory of soil water carrying capacity for vegetation to adjust the relationship between plant growth and soil moisture to obtain the maximum yield and benefit of vegetation and serve high-quality and sustainable development.

How Elevated CO2 Shifts Root Water Uptake Pattern of Crop? Lessons from Climate Chamber Experiments and Isotopic Tracing Technique

Root water uptake plays an important role in water transport and carbon cycle among Groundwater–Soil–Plant–Atmosphere–Continuum. The acclimation of crops under elevated carbon dioxide concentrations (eCO2) depends greatly on their capability to exploit soil water resources. Quantifying root water uptake and its relationship with crop growth under eCO2 remains challenging. This study observed maize growth subjected to current CO2 (400 ppm) and eCO2 (700 ppm) treatments via a device combined with a climate chamber and weighing lysimeters. Root water uptake patterns were determined based on the isotopic tracing technique. The main water uptake depth shifted from 0−20 cm under current treatment to 20−40 cm under eCO2 at the seedling growth stage. Maize took up 22.7% and 15.4% more soil water from a main uptake depth of 40−80 cm at jointing and tasseling stages in response to eCO2, respectively. More soil water (8.0%) was absorbed from the 80−140 cm layer at the filling stage under eCO2. Soil water contributions at the main uptake depth during seedling stage were negatively associated with leaf transpiration rate (Tr), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and leaf area index (LAI) under both treatments, whereas significant positive correlations in the 40−80 cm layer under current treatment shifted to the 80−140 cm layer by eCO2. Deep soil water benefited to improve Tr, Pn and LAI under both treatments. No significant correlation between soil water contributions in each layer and leaf water use efficiency was induced by eCO2. This study enhanced our knowledge of crop water use acclimation to future eCO2 and provides insights into agricultural water management.