Drought stress characterization of post-rainy season (rabi) sorghum in India

During the post-rainy (rabi) season in India around 3 million tonnes of sorghum grain is produced from 5.7 million ha of cropping. This underpins the livelihood of about 5 million households. Severe drought is common as the crop grown in these areas relies largely on soil moisture stored during the preceding rainy season. Improvement of rabi sorghum cultivars through breeding has been slow but could be accelerated if drought scenarios in the production regions were better understood. The sorghum crop model within the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator) platform was used to simulate crop growth and yield and the pattern of crop water status through each season using available historical weather data. The current model reproduced credibly the observed yield variation across the production region (R2=0.73). The simulated trajectories of drought stress through each crop season were clustered into five different drought stress patterns. A majority of trajectories indicated terminal drought (43%) with various timings of onset during the crop cycle. The most severe droughts (25% of seasons) were when stress began before flowering and resulted in failure of grain production in most cases, although biomass production was not affected so severely. The frequencies of drought stress types were analyzed for selected locations throughout the rabi tract and showed different zones had different predominating stress patterns. This knowledge can help better focus the search for adaptive traits and management practices to specific stress situations and thus accelerate improvement of rabi sorghum via targeted specific adaptation. The case study presented here is applicable to other sorghum growing environments. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Soil nitrogen—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for winter cereal crops grown in Australia

More than 1200 wheat and 120 barley experiments conducted in Australia to examine yield responses to applied nitrogen (N) fertiliser are contained in a national database of field crops nutrient research (BFDC National Database). The yield responses are accompanied by various pre-plant soil test data to quantify plant-available N and other indicators of soil fertility status or mineralisable N. A web application (BFDC Interrogator), developed to access the database, enables construction of calibrations between relative crop yield ((Y0/Ymax) × 100) and N soil test value. In this paper we report the critical soil test values for 90% RY (CV90) and the associated critical ranges (CR90, defined as the 70% confidence interval around that CV90) derived from analysis of various subsets of these winter cereal experiments. Experimental programs were conducted throughout Australia’s main grain-production regions in different eras, starting from the 1960s in Queensland through to Victoria during 2000s. Improved management practices adopted during the period were reflected in increasing potential yields with research era, increasing from an average Ymax of 2.2 t/ha in Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s, to 3.4 t/ha in South Australia (SA) in the 1980s, to 4.3 t/ha in New South Wales (NSW) in the 1990s, and 4.2 t/ha in Victoria in the 2000s. Various sampling depths (0.1–1.2 m) and methods of quantifying available N (nitrate-N or mineral-N) from pre-planting soil samples were used and provided useful guides to the need for supplementary N. The most regionally consistent relationships were established using nitrate-N (kg/ha) in the top 0.6 m of the soil profile, with regional and seasonal variation in CV90 largely accounted for through impacts on experimental Ymax. The CV90 for nitrate-N within the top 0.6 m of the soil profile for wheat crops increased from 36 to 110 kg nitrate-N/ha as Ymax increased over the range 1 to >5 t/ha. Apparent variation in CV90 with seasonal moisture availability was entirely consistent with impacts on experimental Ymax. Further analyses of wheat trials with available grain protein (~45% of all experiments) established that grain yield and not grain N content was the major driver of crop N demand and CV90. Subsets of data explored the impact of crop management practices such as crop rotation or fallow length on both pre-planting profile mineral-N and CV90. Analyses showed that while management practices influenced profile mineral-N at planting and the likelihood and size of yield response to applied N fertiliser, they had no significant impact on CV90. A level of risk is involved with the use of pre-plant testing to determine the need for supplementary N application in all Australian dryland systems. In southern and western regions, where crop performance is based almost entirely on in-crop rainfall, this risk is offset by the management opportunity to split N applications during crop growth in response to changing crop yield potential. In northern cropping systems, where stored soil moisture at sowing is indicative of minimum yield potential, erratic winter rainfall increases uncertainty about actual yield potential as well as reducing the opportunity for effective in-season applications.

La dirigencia y la formación de recursos especializados para el desarrollo comercial, en la ciudad puerto de Rosario y su región, 1890-1943

Resumen: La ciudad de Rosario y su región experimentó en las primeras décadas del siglo XX un proceso de modernización institucional sin precedentes por su magnitud. En el presente artículo se analiza la interrelación entre sectores de la dirigencia, puntualmente la vinculada al sistema educativo provincial y la Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario, por generar recursos especializados que acompañaran el crecimiento de la actividad mercantil y la transferencia de dichos recursos a una de las principales ramas de la producción: la comercialización de cereales. De allí que el trabajo consta de tres partes: el movimiento Pro Escuela de Comercio, el movimiento pro universidad y el inicio del proceso de transferencia de las primeras investigaciones académicas del área.

陕西省米脂县耕地动态变化与粮食安全研究

根据米脂县1990—2007年粮食生产的相关数据,对该县耕地、人口和粮食生产动态变化以及粮食总产与其影响因素进行了灰色关联度分析。结果表明,退耕还林还草工程是耕地总面积迅速减少的主要原因;提高粮食单产保障粮食总产是实现粮食安全的最关键因子;持续增长的人口造成耕地的承载压力越来越大,并对该区实现粮食安全提出了更大的挑战。最后,根据分析结果提出了增加科技投入,提高单产,保护耕地,挖掘耕地潜力等措施以保障该区域的粮食安全,为政府部门制定相关粮食安全政策提供科学的理论依据。

陕西省汉台区粮食供需平衡及其对策研究

笔者对汉台区粮食生产的现状、粮食消费与需求进行分析,研究结果表明:汉台区人均粮食为229kg,远低于全国人均粮食380kg拥有量的水平。粮作比、粮食总产量和人均粮食产量总体上呈现下降的趋势;汉台区近30年粮食缺口较大,粮食自给率低,粮食供给难以满足当地粮食需求;按90%自给率计算,要实现2010年小康的总产目标,必须保证34575hm2种植面积。

21世纪中国粮食生产布局构思

为满足 2 1世纪中国对粮食的需求 ,提出“发展东部 ,提高中部 ,开发西部”的粮食生产战略布局 ,就是在东部平原区发展产业化粮食生产 ,使之成为中国优质商品粮食主要生产基地 ;在中部高原区要大力治理水土流失 ,提高粮食生产的环境质量 ,从而提高粮食产量水平 ;在西部高寒及荒漠区要充分开发光能、土、水资源优势 ,进一步开发高寒农业与绿洲农业的粮食生产潜力

黄土旱塬粮食高产记录及其启示

研究了黄土旱塬区历史的与当今的粮食高产记录 ,结果表明 ,目前黄土旱塬各地出现的一料作物单产 15t/hm2 ,在国内其它地区也不多见。据此明确指出 ,黄土旱塬区粮食生产有巨大潜力 ,深入开展粮食高产研究必将推动粮食“高产、高质、高效”的全面发展 ,还将促进农业科学研究取得长足进步以至突破性发展 ,创建粮食高产还可成为治理水土流失与改善生态环境的突破口

陕北中部丘陵区土壤肥力现状及提高土地生产力的途径

调查分析了延安宝塔区和安塞县 7个乡镇近三年来的粮食生产 ,肥料投入以及各土地类型的土壤肥力状况 ,表明 :投入的化肥中 ,氮肥以低浓度养分的碳铵为主 ,平均占肥料总量的 38.3% ,从施入土壤的 N、P、K养分来看 ,K比例很小 ,结构不合理。土壤肥力总体水平低 ,且不同土地类型差异大 ;由于各乡镇自然和经济状况的差异 ,土地投入量不同 ,从而导致粮食产量相差悬殊 ,并且年际波动大。提高土地生产力的有效途径是培肥土壤和大力推广农作物高产栽培技术

实行三个基本转变促进黄土丘陵区农业和经济持续发展

依据黄土丘陵区几十年治理开发的正反两方面经验 ,认为该地区要真正抓住西部大开发大好机遇 ,迅速改变落后面貌 ,实现农业和经济的快速及可持续发展 ,必须在指导思想和农业生产上实现三个根本转变。即 :变以粮为主的广种薄收为高效的农林果牧综合发展 ;变自给自足的小农经济为以商品生产为主的集约经营 ;变生态经济相悖论为生态经济统一观

黄土高原水土流失地区粮食生产潜力与发展主要途径

农业是国民经济的基础 ,粮食是基础的基础。黄土高原地区是中华民族文化的发祥地 ,也是我国历史上早期农牧业生产区和政治中心 ,粮食是该区人民赖以生存的最基本产业。探索其发展规律 ,分析其障碍因素 ,寻求其发展潜力 ,采取“一靠政策 ,二靠科技 ,三靠投入 ,四靠保护 ,五靠工作”的战略措施 ,对同类地区的粮食发展具有重要意义。

中国化肥施用与粮食生产的进程、前景与布局

根据试验研究资料与调查结果，对中国粮食生产与化肥施用进行了时空宏观分析。结果表明，化肥施用量是２０ 世纪中国粮食生产重大成就之一，化肥对粮食产量的贡献率平均为４６．４３％ ，每吨化肥科学施用可增产粮食８．８４ｔ。２１ 世纪中国粮食产量与化肥施量将持续增长。粮食每增产１００×１０６ｔ，则化肥最少需增施１０．２２～１１．０８×１０６ｔ。为实现粮食持续发展与化肥高效施用，必须实施发展东部平原带，提高中部高原带，开发西部高寒荒漠带的战略布局。各带都应大力发展优质粮食与特用粮食生产，以提高国产粮食的市场占有率。

跨世纪中国粮食面临的问题与对策选择

文章回顾了国内外粮食生产现状 ,分析了粮食的发展阶段和生产存在的主要问题 ,并根据实际情况提出了相应对策 ,对试图探讨中国粮食问题的研究者起抛砖引玉之作用

中国粮食生产的区域演进研究

Grain is one of the primary material conditions of the human survival and the grain production concerns the stability and development of the society directly. The regional patterns influence greatly on the grain production and the rational production distribution the regional comparative advantages and promotes grain production. This thesis starts with summarizing of the characteristics of changes and the overall trend of regional pattern of grain production of our country since 1949. Then it carries on network analyses to the factors, which influences the evolvement of regional grain production patterns of our country. And finally it gives some proposals to the grain production distribution in the future. The main content includes: Firstly, Reviewing the regional evolvement of grain production in our country, and analyzing the changes of the regional pattern of grain production of our country on the provincial scale and county scale separately, since 1949, especially since the reform and opening up policy. The main grain production areas are acting an important position in ensuring the national grain security, so this thesis analyses the main matter of the main grain production areas, forecasts the grain production situation in the future, and selects the Northeastern main grain production areas as the typical area to carry on the positive research. Secondly, this thesis analyzes the origin causes from two respects of natural and social economy of the regional evolvement pattern of grain production in China. Thirdly, based on the summarizing to the status of the regional pattern of the grain production, this thesis proposes the precept of the grain production distribution in the future in our country. Therefore, the areas of three major cereal crops, rice, wheat and corn, are confirmed on the basis of the comparative advantages. Finally, this thesis puts forward the security system of guaranteeing the grain production progressing steady in China. According to the above analysis, some conclusions have been achieved as follows: (1) The grain gross production gets on extricating itself from awkward position frequently while fluctuating greatly annually since 1949 in China. (2) Since the reform, its traditional regional pattern of grain production, the most of which was concentrated in the south area, has changed rapidly. China's center of gravity of grain production has shifted from the south to the north, and on the belts of latitude, the grain production has represented a trend of focusing to the middle area in China. (3) The main grain production areas play a very important role in ensuring China's food security. With their relative severe situation of the problems of agriculture, rural area and peasant, China has carried out a series of measures, which aim at improving the food-producing conditions of the main grain production areas, and enhancing the grain yields there. Under this condition, a forecast of the producing amount of the main grain production areas under the nation's self-supplying rate of over 95% shows that the increasing provision production in these areas can meet the demand of the country. (4) The natural and social economic factors influence together on the changes of the grain production regional pattern. Along with the state system transition and progress of agricultural science and technology, the regional pattern of grain production is affected heavier by the agricultural policy and technological elements. (5) The grain production will be concentrated to the middle province in the future, which economic development level being medium-sized; According to crop allocation, although the rice superiority production area located in the South, its comparative advantage index is little in some degree. Meanwhile, the wheat and corn superiority production areas are in the North mainly and its scale superiority and production level advantage are all comparatively obviously.

Effect of wheat dwarfing genes on nitrogen-use efficiency

Near isogenic lines (NILs) varying for alleles for reduced height (Rht) and photoperiod insensitivity (Ppd-D1a) in a cvar Mercia background (rht (tall), Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b, Rht-B1c, Rht8c+Ppd-D1a, Rht-D1c, Rht12) were compared at a field site in Berkshire, UK, but within different systems (‘organic’, O, in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 growing seasons v. ‘conventional’, C, in 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09). In 2007 and 2008, further NILs (rht (tall), Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b, Rht-B1c, Rht-B1b+Rht-D1b, Rht-D1b+Rht-B1c) in both Maris Huntsman and Maris Widgeon backgrounds were added. The contrasting systems allowed NILs to be tested in diverse rotational and agronomic, but commercially relevant, contexts, particularly with regard to the assumed temporal distribution of nitrogen availability, and competition from weeds. For grain, nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE; grain dry matter (DM) yield/available N; where available N=fertilizer N+soil mineral N), recovery of N in the grain (grain N yield/available N), N utilization efficiency to produce grain (NUtEg; grain DM yield/above-ground crop N yield), N harvest index (grain N yield/above-ground crop N yield) and dry matter harvest index (DMHI; grain DM yield/above-ground crop DM yield) all peaked at final crop heights of 800–950 mm. Maximum NUE occurred at greater crop heights in the organic system than in the conventional system, such that even adding just a semi-dwarfing allele (Rht-D1b) to the shortest background, Mercia, reduced NUE in the organic system. The mechanism of dwarfing (gibberellin sensitive or insensitive) made little difference to the relationship between NUE and its components with crop height. For above-ground biomass: dwarfing alleles had a greater effect on DM accumulation compared with N accumulation such that all dwarfing alleles could reduce nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE; crop DM yield/crop N yield). This was particularly evident at anthesis in the conventional system when there was no significant penalty for severe dwarfism for N accumulation, despite a 3-tonne (t)/ha reduction in biomass compared to the tallest lines. Differences between genotypes for recovery of N in the grain were thus mostly a function of net N uptake after anthesis rather than of remobilized N. This effect was compounded as dwarfing, except when coupled with Ppd-D1a, was associated with delayed anthesis. In the organic experiments there was greater reliance on N accumulated before anthesis, and genotype effects on NUE were confounded with effects on N accumulated by weeds, which was negatively associated with crop height. Optimum height for maximizing wheat NUE and its components, as manipulated by Rht alleles, thus depend on growing system, and crop utilization (i.e. biomass or grain production).

The impact of secondary pests on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops

The intensification of agriculture and the development of synthetic insecticides enabled worldwide grain production to more than double in the last third of the 20th century. However, the heavy dependence and, in some cases, overuse of insecticides has been responsible for negative environmental and ecological impacts across the globe, such as a reduction in biodiversity, insect resistance to pesticides, negative effects on nontarget species (e.g. natural enemies) and the development of secondary pests. The use of recombinant DNA technology to develop genetically engineered (GE) insect resistant crops could mitigate many of the negative side effects of pesticides. One such genetic alteration enables crops to express toxic crystalline (Cry) proteins from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Despite the widespread adoption of Bt crops, there are still a range of unanswered questions concerning longer term agro-ecosystem interactions. For instance, insect species that are not susceptible to the expressed toxin can develop into secondary pests and cause significant damage to the crop. Here we review the main causes surrounding secondary pest dynamics in Bt crops and the impact of such outbreaks. Regardless of the causes, if non-susceptible secondary pest populations exceed economic thresholds, insecticide spraying could become the immediate solution at farmers’ disposal, and the sustainable use of this genetic modification technology may be in jeopardy. Based on the literature, recommendations for future research are outlined that will help to improve the knowledge of the possible longterm ecological trophic interactions of employing this technology.