Maximising profitability with limited water in cotton farming systems

Diminishing water supply, changing weather patterns and pressure to enhance environmental flows are making it imperative to optimise water use efficiency (WUE) on cotton/grain farming systems. Growers are looking for better strategies to make the best use of limited water, but it is still not clear how to best use the available water at farm and field scale. This research project investigated the impact of management strategies to deal with limited water supplies on the yield and quality of irrigated cotton and wheat. The objectives were: (1) to develop irrigation management guidelines for the main irrigated crops on the Darling Downs for full- and deficitirrigation scenarios, taking into account the critical factors that affect irrigation decisions at the local level, (2) to quantify the evapotranspiration (ET) of Bollgard II cotton and wheat and its relationship to yield and quality under full- and deficit-irrigation scenarios, and (3) to increase industry awareness and education of farming systems practises for optimised economic water use efficiency.Objective (1) was addressed by (A) collaborating with ASPRU to develop the APSFarm model within APSIM to be able to perform multi-paddock simulations. APSFarm was then tested by conducting a case study at a farm near Dalby, and (B) conducting semi-structured interviews with individual farmers and crop consultants on the Darling Downs to document the strategies they are using to deal with limited water. Objective (2) was addressed by (A) building and installing 12 large (1 m x 1m x 1.5 m) weighing lysimeters to measure crop evapotranspiration. The lysimeters were installed at the Agri-Science Queensland research station at Kingsthorpe in November 2008, (B) conducting field experiments to measure crop evapotranspiration and crop development under four irrigation treatments, including dryland, deficit-irrigation, and full irrigation. Field experiments were conducted with cotton in 2007-08 and 2008-09, and with wheat in 2008 and 2009, and (C) collaborating with USQ on a PhD thesis to quantify the impact of crop stress on crop evapotranspiration and canopy temperature. Glasshouse experiments were conducted with wheat in 2008 and with cotton in 2008-09. Objective (3) was addressed by (A) conducting a field day at Kingsthorpe in 2009, which was attended by 80 participants, (B) presenting information in conferences in Australia and overseas, (D) presenting information at farmers meeting, (E) making presentations to crop consultants, and (F) preparing extension publications.As part of this project we contributed to the development of APSfarm, which has been successfully applied to evaluate the feasibility of practices at the whole-farm scale. From growers and crop consultants interviews we learned that there is a great variety of strategies, at different scales, that they are using to deal with limited water situation. These strategies will be summarised in the "e;Limited Water Guidelines for the Darling Downs"e; that we are currently preparing. As a result of this project, we now have a state-of-the-art lysimeter research facility (23 large weighing lysimeters) to be able to conduct replicated experiments to investigate daily water use of a variety of crops under different irrigation regimes and under different environments. Under this project, a series of field and glasshouse experiments were conducted with cotton and wheat, investigating aspects like: (A) quantification of daily and seasonal crop water use under nonstressed and stressed conditions, (B) impact of row configuration on crop water use, (C) impact of water stress on yield, evapotranspiration, crop vegetative and reproductive development, soil water extraction pattern, yield and yield quality. The information obtained from this project is now being used to develop web-based tools to help growers make planning and day-to-day irrigation decisions.

Weed management strategies for farming systems with herbicide tolerant cotton.

The introduction of glyphosate tolerant cotton has significantly improved the flexibility and management of a number of problem weeds in cotton systems. However, reliance on glyphosate poses risks to the industry in term of glyphosate resistance and species shift. The aims of this project were to identify these risks, and determine strategies to prevent and mitigate the potential for resistance evolution. Field surveys identified fleabane as the most common weed now in both irrigated and dryland system. Sowthistle has also increased in prevalence, and bladder ketmia and peachvine remained common. The continued reliance on glyphosate has favoured small seeded, and glyphosate tolerant species. Fleabane is both of these, with populations confirmed resistant in grains systems in Queensland and NSW. When species were assessed for their resistance risk, fleabane, liverseed grass, feathertop Rhodes grass, sowthistle and barnyard grass were determined to have high risk ratings. Management practices were also determined to rely heavily on glyphosate and therefore be high risk in summer fallows, and dryland glyphosate tolerant and conventional cotton. Situations were these high risk species are present in high risk cropping phases need particular attention. The confirmation of a glyphosate resistance barnyard grass population in a dryland glyphosate tolerant cotton system means resistance is now a reality for the cotton industry. However, experiments have shown that resistant populations can be managed with other herbicide options currently available. However, the options for fleabane management in cotton are still limited. Although some selective residual herbicides are showing promise, the majority of fleabane control tactics can only be used in other phases of the cotton rotation. An online glyphosate resistance tool has been developed. This tool allows growers to assess their individual glyphosate resistance risks, and how they can adjust their practices to reduce their risks. It also provides researchers with current information on weed species present and practices used across the industry. This tool will be extremely useful in tailoring future research and extension efforts. Simulations from the expanded glyphosate resistance model have shown that glyphosate resistance can be prevented and managed in glyphosate-tolerant cotton farming systems. However, for strategies to be successful, some effort is required. Simulations have shown the importance of controlling survivors of glyphosate applications, using effective glyphosate alternatives in fallows, and combining several effective glyphosate alternatives in crop, and these are the key to the prevention and management of glyphosate resistance.

Genetic variability in high temperature effects on seed-set in sorghum

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is grown as a dryland crop in semiarid subtropical and tropical environments where it is often exposed to high temperatures around flowering. Projected climate change is likely to increase the incidence of exposure to high temperature, with potential adverse effects on growth, development and grain yield. The objectives of this study were to explore genetic variability for the effects of high temperature on crop growth and development, in vitro pollen germination and seed-set. Eighteen diverse sorghum genotypes were grown at day : night temperatures of 32 : 21 degrees C (optimum temperature, OT) and 38 : 21 degrees C (high temperature, HT during the middle of the day) in controlled environment chambers. HT significantly accelerated development, and reduced plant height and individual leaf size. However, there was no consistent effect on leaf area per plant. HT significantly reduced pollen germination and seed-set percentage of all genotypes; under HT, genotypes differed significantly in pollen viability percentage (17-63%) and seed-set percentage (7-65%). The two traits were strongly and positively associated (R-2 = 0.93, n = 36, P < 0.001), suggesting a causal association. The observed genetic variation in pollen and seed-set traits should be able to be exploited through breeding to develop heat-tolerant varieties for future climates.

A participatory whole farm modelling approach to understand impacts and increase preparedness to climate change in Australia

This study presents the use of a whole farm model in a participatory modelling research approach to examine the sensitivity of four contrasting case study farms to a likely climate change scenario. The newly generated information was used to support discussions with the participating farmers in the search for options to design more profitable and sustainable farming systems in Queensland Australia. The four case studies contrasted in key systems characteristics: opportunism in decision making, i.e. flexible versus rigid crop rotations; function, i.e. production of livestock or crops; and level of intensification, i.e. dryland versus irrigated agriculture. Tested tactical and strategic changes under a baseline and climate change scenario (CCS) involved changes in the allocation of land between cropping and grazing enterprises, alternative allocations of limited irrigation water across cropping enterprises, and different management rules for planting wheat and sorghum in rainfed cropping. The results show that expected impacts from a likely climate change scenario were evident in the following increasing order: the irrigated cropping farm case study, the cropping and grazing farm, the more opportunistic rainfed cropping farm and the least opportunistic rainfed cropping farm. We concluded that in most cases the participating farmers were operating close to the efficiency frontier (i.e. in the relationship between profits and risks). This indicated that options to adapt to climate change might need to evolve from investments in the development of more innovative cropping and grazing systems and/or transformational changes on existing farming systems. We expect that even though assimilating expected changes in climate seems to be rather intangible and premature for these farmers, as innovations are developed, adaptation is likely to follow quickly. The multiple interactions among farm management components in complex and dynamic farm businesses operating in a variable and changing climate, make the use of whole farm participatory modelling approaches valuable tools to quantify benefits and trade-offs from alternative farming systems designs in the search for improved profitability and resilience.

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.

Tamarind orchards: Agroforestry for dry lands

Agroforestry has a potential for sequestering as much carbon if not more than forests. Massive benefits can be channeled to small farmers and landless labourers through cultivation of Tamarind and other fast growing and fruit yielding trees. This paper describes a project started by small farmers and landless labourers in a semiarid areas of south India. The aim is to upgrade dryland holdings of the member families through economically sound dry land horticulture, community woodlots, and planting of fast growing species along orchard and field boundaries. The small farmers invest massive labour inputs and project gives economic benefits to change their land use practices and improve environmental quality. This paper describes the planning. processes of the project, hurdles in finding AIJ partners, current monitoring procedures and costs of C sequestration. This shows this project is economically viable on its own, but initially needed, and continues to need Carbon credit investment in order to spread rapidly across the geopolitical region covered by the organization. It argues that economic gains to small farmers and landless labourers are the most certain way of achieving massive biomass increase and soil carbon replenishment, and that multiple holistic benefits are achieved through this kind of project.

Wind-driven desertification: process modeling, remote monitoring, and forecasting

Arid and semiarid landscapes comprise nearly a third of the Earth's total land surface. These areas are coming under increasing land use pressures. Despite their low productivity these lands are not barren. Rather, they consist of fragile ecosystems vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance.

The purpose of this thesis is threefold: (I) to develop and test a process model of wind-driven desertification, (II) to evaluate next-generation process-relevant remote monitoring strategies for use in arid and semiarid regions, and (III) to identify elements for effective management of the world's drylands.

In developing the process model of wind-driven desertification in arid and semiarid lands, field, remote sensing, and modeling observations from a degraded Mojave Desert shrubland are used. This model focuses on aeolian removal and transport of dust, sand, and litter as the primary mechanisms of degradation: killing plants by burial and abrasion, interrupting natural processes of nutrient accumulation, and allowing the loss of soil resources by abiotic transport. This model is tested in field sampling experiments at two sites and is extended by Fourier Transform and geostatistical analysis of high-resolution imagery from one site.

Next, the use of hyperspectral remote sensing data is evaluated as a substantive input to dryland remote monitoring strategies. In particular, the efficacy of spectral mixture analysis (SMA) in discriminating vegetation and soil types and detennining vegetation cover is investigated. The results indicate that hyperspectral data may be less useful than often thought in determining vegetation parameters. Its usefulness in determining soil parameters, however, may be leveraged by developing simple multispectral classification tools that can be used to monitor desertification.

Finally, the elements required for effective monitoring and management of arid and semiarid lands are discussed. Several large-scale multi-site field experiments are proposed to clarify the role of wind as a landscape and degradation process in dry lands. The role of remote sensing in monitoring the world's drylands is discussed in terms of optimal remote sensing platform characteristics and surface phenomena which may be monitored in order to identify areas at risk of desertification. A desertification indicator is proposed that unifies consideration of environmental and human variables.

黄土高原旱地小麦氮磷钾与有机肥优化配施试验

试验研究了不同施肥处理对小麦产量及肥料、水分利用率的影响。结果表明:氮磷配施对产量的贡献率最高,产量达5 099.8 kg/hm2,增产率达21.5%,较氮、磷肥单施产量分别增产14.0%和18.4%,具有正交互效应;单施有机肥较NM、PM、NPM增产率分别达到6.63%、4.12%、11.3%。化肥配施可显著提高旱地小麦的肥料利用率和水分利用效率,氮磷有机肥配施肥料氮、磷肥的利用率分别较氮、磷肥单施提高1.71和12.55个百分点;氮磷配施可同时提高氮肥、磷肥肥效,此时氮贡献率为15.53%,磷贡献率达12.26%,且水分利用率提高了24.1%,耗水系数降低了17.57%。

不同耕作方式对黄土高原旱地麦田土壤物理性状的影响

通过冬小麦田间试验,研究了免耕、深松、翻耕三种不同耕作措施对土壤物理特性的影响。结果表明:冬小麦收获时,免耕与其它处理相比,增大了土壤容重、土壤硬度,其土壤干筛法>0.25 mm团聚体含量比深松和翻耕每层平均增加3%和5%,但较冬小麦耕作处理前每层平均下降5%;免耕条件下,湿筛法>0.25 mm团聚体含量比深松和翻耕每层平均增加11%和32%,较冬小麦耕作处理前每层平均下降42%;免耕可增加土壤蓄水量,收获期土壤蓄水量为373.1 mm,较深松和翻耕提高17%和8%;随着降水量的增加,冬小麦收获期水分入渗速率逐渐减少;且不同耕作方式水分入渗速率为免耕>深松>翻耕。

黄土高原旱区长期施肥条件下土壤钾素形态空间分布特征及有效性研究

在黄土高原南部旱地长期肥料定位试验的基础上研究了土壤钾素空间分布特征及其有效性。结果表明:长期施肥后土壤中特殊吸附性钾(SAK)和非特殊吸附性钾(NSAK)储量增加,但水溶性钾(WSK)和非交换性钾(NEK)则有明显的下降,单施N水溶性钾下降了48.24%,单施P下降32.32%,NP配施和NPK配施分别下降10.61%和17.93%,非交换性钾降幅为8.56%~24.91%。增施钾肥可以缓解因长期施肥作物生长所携出的钾素,增加耕层土壤中的水溶性钾、非特殊吸附性钾及特殊吸附性钾。相关分析结果表明,土壤不同形态钾素对速效钾的重要性依次为WSK>NSAK>SAK>NEK,土壤速效钾与水溶性钾、非特殊吸附性钾呈显著相关,与特殊吸附性钾和非交换性钾无显著相关性。

黄土旱塬冬小麦水分利用效率及相关生理特性研究

采用Li-6400便携式光合测定系统在模拟光照条件下,通过对冬小麦叶片生理指标及其相应环境因子的测定,研究了小麦的生理指标和叶片水分利用效率的动态变化规律及其对环境因子的响应。结果表明:净光合速率日变化呈不明显的双峰曲线,蒸腾速率日变化呈明显的倒"U"型曲线,且不同生育期两者峰值出现的时间不同。拔节期环境因子对生理指标的影响要比灌浆期明显的多。光合有效辐射和CO2浓度是对净光合速率和叶片蒸腾速率影响最强烈的环境因子。在小麦整个生长过程中,温湿度对气孔导度的影响在逐渐增大,对胞间CO2浓度的影响也比较明显。小麦叶片水分利用效率的日变化呈不明显的双峰曲线,其峰值出现的时间早于净光合速率和蒸腾速率峰值出现的时间。灌浆期日平均WUE比拔节期低30.5%。小麦净光合速率、蒸腾速率和气孔导度三者之间极显著相关,叶片温度与气孔导度显著负相关。

旱地农业发展中若干生物学问题的探讨

植物抗旱节水生物学是发展旱地农业和缺水区农业的重要学科基础,当前面临的主要问题包括:在研究路线上,如何正确处理分子水平研究与整体性研究之间的关系,以促进两者的互补;在研究目标上,如何做到抗旱性、水分利用效率、产量性状的有效结合,以实现高产高效;在研究成果应用中,如何切实加强学科交叉,以尽快取得实际效果。在论述上述问题的同时,对当前半干旱和半湿润地区与抗旱节水生物学有关的几个实践中的科技难点作了介绍,并提出建议。

干旱对不同冬小麦旗叶光合产物供应能力的影响

研究干旱对小麦旗叶光合产物供应能力的影响,揭示小麦抗旱高产的生理机制,为提高小麦的抗旱能力及高产稳产提供理论依据。【方法】在防雨池栽培条件下,以旱地冬小麦品种长武134(抗旱性强)和水地冬小麦品种陕253(抗旱性弱)为试材,以适宜水分处理为对照(CK,土壤含水量为田间持水量的70%～75%),研究干旱处理(土壤含水量为田间持水量的50%～55%)对不同冬小麦旗叶光合产物供应速率(净光合速率和蔗糖合成能力)和供应持续期的影响。【结果】与对照相比,干旱处理降低了冬小麦灌浆中后期旗叶净光合速率,缩短了净光合速率高值持续期(PAD),其中长武134降幅较小,净光合速率较高;干旱处理提高了冬小麦灌浆初期旗叶的蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)活性,其中长武134增幅较大,且在灌浆中后期依然能保持相对较高的蔗糖供应能力;干旱处理缩短了冬小麦叶绿素含量缓降期(RSP),提高了丙二醛(MDA)含量,加速了旗叶的衰老,缩短了光合产物的供应持续期,其中长武134受干旱影响较小;干旱处理降低了冬小麦灌浆中后期主茎穗粒质量积累量及其速率,其中长武134降幅较小。【结论】干旱条件下,抗旱品种长武134旗叶在灌浆中后期可维持较高的光合产物...

栽培和施肥模式对黄土区旱地土壤微生物量及可溶性有机碳、氮的影响

以黄土高原南部地区的两个定位试验为基础,研究了旱地不同栽培和施肥模式对土壤微生物量碳、氮和可溶性有机碳、氮的影响。结果表明,秸秆覆盖显著提高土壤微生物量氮(SMBN)含量,地膜覆盖使SMBN含量显著降低;秸秆和地膜覆盖显著降低小麦拔节期和灌浆期土壤可溶性有机氮(SON)含量。适量施用化学氮肥(120kg/hm2)有利于小麦生长后期SMBN含量的升高,而过量施用(240 kg/hm2)显著降低SMBN含量。与不施肥处理相比,土地经长期撂荒后0-10 cm土层SMBC,SMBN,SOC和SON含量显著提高;氮磷钾配施有机肥显著提高小麦各生育期0-10,10-20 cm土层SMBC,SMBN,SOC和SON的含量;单施氮磷钾肥对土壤SMBC,SMBN含量无明显影响,提高土壤SOC,SON的平均含量。土壤SMBC,SMBN,SOC和SON含量两两之间呈极显著正相关关系,四者含量与土壤有机碳、全氮含量间的正相关关系也达显著或极显著水平。