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Mediterranean European cities are characterized by high population density and limited space for large-scale implementation of renewable energy installations. This paper addresses the optimization of renewable energy installations in Mediterranean dwellings with the scope of increasing their energy contribution and cost-effectiveness. In a case study for Malta, the three technologies studied were solar photovoltaics, solar water heating, and heat pump water heating. Technical and economic analyses were performed on a number of reference configurations using Polysun software (version 2022.8). Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to study the impact that different technical and economic factors have on the performance of the configurations considered. Finally, comparisons were made between the techno-economic results obtained from the reference and sensitivity analyses. Based on data collected, the presence of renewable energy source (RES) technologies in the residential sector of Malta was characterized and correlated with the types of dwellings considered. Among the results obtained, it was found that although a solar RES installation may experience some shading, this does not mean that it is rendered economically unfeasible. Moreover, from the simulations conducted, electrical energy storage technology was considered as too premature unless strongly subsidized, making economic sense only in specific circumstances. On the other hand, although heat pump water heating technology is also relatively modern, it was concluded to be the most beneficial in terms of both energy yield and economic benefit, generally speaking. Furthermore, it was determined that in a higher occupancy dwelling, solar water heating (SWH) and heat pump water heating (HPWH) result in considerably more attractive energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term excessive use of fertilizers and intensive cultivation not only decreases soil organic carbon (SOC) and productivity, but also increases greenhouse gas emissions, which is detrimental to sustainable agricultural development. The purpose of this paper is to identify organic amendments suitable for winter wheat growth in the North China Plain by studying the effects of organic amendments on the economic benefits, carbon emissions, and carbon sequestration for winter wheat fields and to provide a theoretical basis for the wide application of organic amendments in agricultural fields. The two nitrogen rates were N0 (0 kg ha−1) and N240 (240 kg ha−1), and the four organic amendments were straw, manure, mushroom residue (M R), and biochar. The results showed that, compared to N0, N240 significantly increased the yield by 244.1–318.4% and the organic carbon storage by 16.7–30.5%, respectively, but increased the carbon emissions by 29.3–45.5%. In addition, soil carbon stocks increased with all three types of organic amendments compared to the straw amendment, with the biochar treatment being the largest, increasing carbon storage by 13.3–33.6%. In terms of yield and economic benefits, compared to the straw amendment, the manure and biochar amendments increased winter wheat yields by 0.0–1.5% and 4.0–13.3%, respectively, and M R slightly decreased wheat yield; only the economic benefit of the M R amendment was greater than that of the straw amendment, with an increase in economic benefit of 1.3% and 8.2% in the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons, respectively. Furthermore, according to the net ecosystem productivity (NEP), N0 was the source of CO2, while N240 was a sink of CO2. The TOPSIS results showed that N240 with a mushroom residue amendment could be recommended for increasing soil carbon stocks and economic benefits for winter wheat in the NCP and similar regions. Low-cost M R can increase farmer motivation and improve soil organic carbon, making a big step forward in the spread of organic materials on farmland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve sustainable development of the tea industry in China, it is necessary to reduce the use of chemical fertiliser rationally. With conventional fertilisation (CF) treatment as the control, five different chemical fertiliser-reduced regimes, including tea-specific formula fertiliser (T1), T1 + acidification amendment (T2), organic substitution based on T1 (T3), urea formaldehyde slow-release fertiliser (T4) and carbon-based organic fertiliser (T5), were conducted and evaluated on a green tea plantation from 2018 to 2021. The results showed that the spring tea yield of T1–T5 increased by 4.65–28.67%, while the free amino acids, tea polyphenols and sensory evaluation scores did not remarkably decrease. In addition, the T1–T5 treatments had a slight effect on soil acidification mitigation (except T2) and maintained the essential nutrients for tea production. Nutrient use efficiency improved, with agronomic efficiency (AE) increasing by 0.01–0.08 kg kg−1, shoot nutrient use efficiency (NUE) by 0.14–0.70% and partial factor productivity (PFP) by 0.05–0.18 kg kg−1. The net economic benefits also improved, with T1 showing a 135.28% increase, followed by T3 (67.53%), T2 (48.65%), T4 (38.07%) and T5 (33.35%). Overall, our results indicated that the T1 treatment could maintain the tea yield and quality while reducing the chemical fertiliser input and maximising the net economic benefit and AE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of excessive nitrogen fertiliser has been found to have a detrimental impact on the growth and development of cotton in Xinjiang, China. This has resulted in a reduction in cotton yield and economic benefit. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for reducing the input of inorganic N fertiliser while maintaining the quality and yield formation of cotton. The objective of this study was to examine the growth, photosynthesis, and yield of cotton crops subjected to varying fertiliser treatments. The experiment was conducted in 2021–2022 with eight treatments in the experiment: no fertiliser (CK); conventional application of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser (T0); T1–T3, with 8%, 16%, and 24% reduction in inorganic nitrogen fertiliser application, respectively; and T4–T6, with organic fertilisers replacing the reduced inorganic nitrogen fertiliser application of T1–T3, respectively. In comparison to T0, T5 demonstrated the most notable agronomical performance and yield components across both years. This is attributable to the spatial distribution of cotton bolls, which was more conducive to the net photosynthetic rate and yield formation. This, in turn, led to an augmented photosynthetic capacity, enhanced biomass accumulation, and an elevated harvesting index. The results of the economic benefit analysis demonstrated that in comparison to the control treatment (T0), the net profit of all treatments except T3 increased. In conclusion, the economic benefit reached its maximum in the range of a 9.90–14.10% reduction in nitrogen and a 16.60–17.60% substitution of organic fertiliser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant light and heat in the Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area in China provide superior natural conditions for agricultural development. To study the maize–soybean planting system of intercropping and determine superior group yield and economic benefits in the Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area, eight treatments were set up in 2022–2023: maize–soybean intercropping with a bandwidth of 1.8 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M1S3), a bandwidth of 1.8 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M1S4), a bandwidth of 2.0 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M2S3), a bandwidth of 2.0 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M2S4), a bandwidth of 2.2 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M3S3), a bandwidth of 2.2 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M3S4), monocropping maize (M), and monocropping soybean (S). We analyzed the effects of changes in bandwidth–row ratios on photosynthetic characteristics, yield, and interspecific relationships in these treatments during two crop reproductive periods. Our results showed the following: (1) Under the intercropping system, the photosynthetic capacity of maize was highest when the row ratio was 2∶3 and bandwidth was 1.8 m. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) increased by 1.72% to 48.90%, the transpiration rate (Tr) increased by 5.53% to 118.10%, and stomatal conductance (Gs) increased by 2.82% to 86.49% compared with other planting systems. Increasing the bandwidth from 1.8 m to 2.2 m improved the photosynthetic characteristics of soybean, increasing Pn, Tr, and Gs by 3.44% to 74.21%, 3.92% to 53.69%, and 2.41% to 55.22%, respectively. (2) The yield of maize and soybean under monocropping was significantly higher than that under intercropping. In the intercropping treatments, the average yield of crops in the M3S3 system was 16,519.4 kg ha−1, an increase of 6.48% compared with the M3S4 system, indicating that the reduction of one row of soybean in the same bandwidth system increases crop yield; The average economic benefit of the M3S3 system over two years was 35,171.73 CNY ha−1, which increased by 13.3 and 80% compared with the average economic benefit of maize and soybean monocropping, indicating that the intercropping system leads to better economic results for farmers than monocropping. (3) In the two-year experiment, the land equivalent ratio (LER) was highest in the M3S3 model, averaging 1.25 over the two years, showing better land productivity compared with other intercropping systems. (4) When bandwidth was 1.8, 2.0, or 2.2 m, the LER decreased by 8.3, 5.9, and 5.6% when planting an additional row of soybeans, the relative crowding coefficient of soybeans in the respective bandwidths increased by 4.59, 4.72, and 0.75%, the competition ratio of maize (CRM) increased by 22.94, 16.97, and 12.74%, the competition ratio of soybean (CRS) decreased by 20.47, 17.61, and 16.78%, and the competitive power of maize was greater than that of soybean, indicating that the increase in soybean rows in the same bandwidth system would weaken the competitive advantage of soybean, resulting in crop yield and economic benefit reduction. When the row ratio was 2:3 or 2:4, bandwidth increased from 1.8 m to 2.2 m, LER decreased by 3.31 and 0.86%, intercropping maize aggressiveness (AM) decreased by 7.55 and 12.50%, CRM decreased by 18.04 and 24.84%, and CRS increased by 17.32 and 22.77%, respectively, which indicated that the increase in bandwidth under different row ratio systems could improve the competitive advantage of intercropping soybean, thereby improving crop yield and economic benefits. (5) The AHP method, entropy weight method, and TOPSIS analysis showed that M3S3 ranked first, with the highest comprehensive evaluation (0.6017). In conclusion, the M3S3 planting system can better coordinate crop interspecies relationships, with higher land yield and economic benefit, and can be used as a suitable maize–soybean intercropping system in the Hexi oasis irrigation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive fertilizer input, low nutrient use efficiency, soil quality, and environmental degradation hinder greenhouse vegetable production. Integrated agronomic strategies of soil, crop, and nutrient management are needed to sharply improve the vegetable yield and simultaneously maintain sustainable production. A three-season field experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2018, aiming to evaluate the effect of integrated soil–crop system management (ISSM) on the agronomy, environment, and economy of greenhouse vegetable systems in the Yangtze River Basin, China. Three treatments were included in the experiment: (1) farmers' current practice (FP), based on a local farmers' survey; (2) soil remediation treatment (SR), the application of soil conditioner and compost fertilizer instead of chicken manure; (3) ISSM, a combination of soil conditioner, reducing plant density, and using formula fertilizer as well as increasing the fertilization times. The results indicated that ISSM (47.7 Mg ha−1) improved the pepper yield by 17% relative to farmers' current practice (FP, 40.7 Mg ha−1). Soil remediation (SR), as a single approach, mainly made a contribution to improving the yield (by 6.9%) and nutrient use efficiency while reducing apparent nitrogen (N) losses. Higher yields were mainly attributed to increasing the fruit number per plant. On average, apparent N losses were reduced by 245 kg N ha−1 per season for ISSM compared to FP. In addition, higher net profits were obtained under SR and ISSM relative to FP. Overall, both SR and ISSM have advantages for the agronomy, environment, and economy in greenhouse vegetable production, but ISSM would be the optimal choice to achieve higher yields with lower environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated energy system (IES) breaks down barriers between different energy subsystems, enhancing energy reliability and efficiency. However, issues such as uneven equipment capacity allocation and suboptimal scheduling persist in multi-energy flow IES. To maximize economic benefits while ensuring energy balance and the operational characteristics of the equipment, a capacity matching optimization and scheduling strategy model for IES was developed. Firstly, mathematical models for the electricity, gas, and thermal networks within the IES were established. Secondly, considering the efficiency of energy conversion between different forms and constraints of energy storage in the electricity–thermal–gas interconnected energy system, optimization solutions were obtained using regional contraction algorithms and sequential quadratic programming methods. Finally, case studies conducted in a real park demonstrated that, through optimized capacity matching, unit prices for electricity, heat, and gas decreased by 39.9%, 90.5%, and 74.2%, respectively, effectively improving the economic viability of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most investments, businesses, or even organizations, results and their value are calculated in terms of profit and economic terms. But what if you have to calculate the value and work of a social enterprise? What is that thin line that separates one business from another? The way to evaluate the efficiency of a business includes the social contribution and the social footprint of the business. Is it possible for a successful farmer cooperative that wants to increase its activity to remain as a social enterprise, or must it change its legal form? In an agricultural cooperative that shows remarkable success, how aligned are the opinions of the members with the vision of the cooperative and to what extent do the cooperative's vision and its reason to exist change? The above questions were the reasons behind why this study was carried out and the realization of the primary research presented in this article. The research presented herein is based on qualitative research tools, and this study involved carrying out a case study of a women's agricultural cooperative in Agios Antonios, a village in the prefecture of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing fertilizer doses under sustainable agricultural management is possible by increasing nutrient utilization efficiency, which will decrease crop production costs and boost economic return. Soil amendments known as water retention agents (WRAs) are added to the soil to enhance crop growth conditions. We hypothesize that the addition of WRAs may support the soil-retaining nutrients given through fertilization and prevent them from leaching into tropical soils characterized by severe rainfall due to WRAs' exceptional capacities to absorb and store water. Mango trees (Mangifera indica L. cv Tainong No. 1) aged 18 years were fertilized with 100% or 80% of the recommended doses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The experimental design included three treatments, i.e., complete recommended doses of N, P, and K (CRF), 80% of the complete recommended doses (RRF), and water-retaining agent (40 kg ha−1) + 80% of the complete recommended doses (WRARRF). Reducing the fertilization doses by 20% for mango trees in the studied tropical soil significantly (p < 0.05) minimized the nutrient availability in the soil compared to the complete fertilization doses. WRARRF compensated for the nutrient reduction by increasing the availability of N, P, and K. The addition of WRARR increased N, P, and K in mango leaf by 11%, 4%, and 7% in the first year and by 11%, 6%, and 7% in the second year, respectively, compared to CRF. The addition of WRARR increased the partial fertilizer productivity (PFP) value by 36% and 41% in the first and second years, respectively. The highest mango fruit output was achieved by the addition of WRARRF, which resulted in increases in mango fruit yield of 11.9% and 16.5% in the first and second years, respectively, compared to RRF. Fruit quality traits showed the descending order: WRARRF > RRF > CRF. WRARRF produced the maximum economic benefit (USD 7372 per hectare) compared to CRF and RRF. The polyacrylamide/attapulgite water-retaining agent exhibited remarkable improvement in mango fruit yield and economic profit by regulating the release of nutrients in tropical soils. Water-retaining agents are an effective strategy for overcoming the extensive fertilization used in mango orchards, which has resulted in numerous environmental contaminations and the inefficient use of fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing effective regulatory strategies to enhance irrigation water and fertilizer efficiency in the southern Xinjiang region of China, while simultaneously combatting desertification, is of paramount significance. This study focuses on Chinese jujube in Xinjiang and presents findings from a two-year field experiment aimed at investigating the optimal application strategy of microbial organic fertilizer (MOF). The research aims to provide a scientific foundation for achieving high-quality jujube production. The experiment involved a control group (utilizing only freshwater, referred to as CK) and various combinations of MOF treatments. In 2021, these treatments included M1 (0.6 t/ha), M2 (1.2 t/ha), M3 (1.8 t/ha), and M4 (2.4 t/ha), while in 2022, they encompassed M1 (0.6 t/ha), M2 (1.2 t/ha), M4 (2.4 t/ha), and M5 (4.8 t/ha). Over the two-year trial period, we assessed various indices, including the soil's physical properties, hydraulic characteristics, soil enzyme activities, and relative chlorophyll content. Additionally, we evaluated jujube yield, quality, and economic benefits. The results indicate that MOF application led to significant improvements in soil conditions. Specifically, the average moisture content and profile water storage of the 0–50 cm soil layer increased by 10.98% to 36.42% and 1.8% to 26.8%, respectively. Moreover, in both the 2021 and 2022 experiments, soil saturated water content (SSWC) and water-holding capacity (WHC) increased by 6.25% to 15.98%, while soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and bulk density (BD) decreased by 2.91% to 9.88% and 0.63% to 8.08%, respectively. In 2021, MOF application resulted in significant enhancements in soil enzyme activities, with urease activity increasing by approximately 22.5% to 100.5%, peroxidase activity rising by around 24.2% to 148.5%, and invertase activity augmenting by about 5.4% to 32.9%. Notably, the M4 treatment in 2021 demonstrated a substantial jujube yield increase of approximately 19.22%, elevating from 7.65 t/ha to 9.12 t/ha. Based on comprehensive analysis, this study recommends an optimal MOF application rate of approximately 2.4 t/ha. This approach not only provides robust support for the sustainable development of the jujube industry but also serves as a valuable reference for enhancing local soil resilience against desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the combined effects of sowing patterns and nitrogen (N) management strategies on crop productivity, environmental costs, and economic benefits is important to ensuring the sustainable development of dryland agriculture. Thus, we conducted a three-year field experiment to explore two spring maize sowing patterns (FS, flat sowing; RFPM, ridge and furrow plastic film mulching) and four N management strategies (N0, no N fertilizer; N1, normal urea as base fertilizer; N2, split application of normal urea at sowing and a large flare period at a ratio of 3:2; N3, all controlled-release urea as base fertilizer) on growth, the grain yield, the N uptake and utilization efficiency, N2O emissions, and economic benefits in the Loess Plateau region of China. Our results showed that compared to FS, RFPM promoted growth of the spring maize canopy and increased the grain yield, cumulative N uptake, and N use efficiency. RFPM promoted N2O emissions by improving the soil's hydrothermal environment, but it reduced the environmental cost (yield-scaled N2O emission). RFPM increased the production cost, but it increased the net income by improving the total output. Compared to traditional N management strategies (N1), N2 and N3 treatments improved the spring maize productivity and net income, and they reduced the environmental costs by improving the synchronization of the nitrogen supply. However, due to the decreasing rural labor force available in China, N3 is more beneficial in terms of reducing labor inputs. Therefore, we suggest that RFPM and N3 can be combined to form an efficient management strategy for spring maize production in the Loess Plateau that balances crop productivity, N2O emissions, and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting technical and economic evaluations is important for mining investment and mining operation decision-making. Traditional economic evaluation methods rarely address the issue of evaluation reliability and usually require complex calculations to obtain the optimal solution. In this study, the Rosenblueth point estimate method for reliability evaluation of engineering project schemes is introduced. Combined with the cash flow method for economic evaluation of mines, the Rosenblueth point estimate method for evaluating the reliability of mining economy is established. Based on the technical and economic index of the case mine, taking the ore grade as a sensitivity indicator, empirical research on established models and methods was carried out. The results of the economic reliability evaluation and the variation rules obtained using the Rosenblueth point estimate method model were basically consistent with the actual production and operation rules of mining enterprise. The similar results also proved that the proposed model has good applicability and reliability for mining economic evaluation. Using the proposed RPEM economic reliability model, the economic reliability of a certain iron mine in Liaoning Province was calculated to be 99.95, which was a huge improvement compared with the traditional evaluation method. Additionally, the calculation process of the proposed model for economic reliability evaluation is simple and the accuracy is controllable. The economic reliability of the project can be calculated based on changes in sensitivity indicators, and the value range of sensitivity indicators can also be calculated through the required reliability. The obtained results and the proposed evaluation model provide a decision-making basis for mining investment projects and operation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Corn Belt of Northeast China (CBNC) is the most important commercial grain base in China. However, long-term intensive cultivation has caused the productivity of black soil to decline. The sustainable development of corn and soybean is seriously threatened. Field experiments of a corn–soybean rotation were conducted to evaluate the crop yields, economic returns, and water productivity in the CBNC from 2017 to 2020. The field treatments included continuous soybean (CS), continuous corn (CC), soybean–corn (SC), and soybean–corn–corn (SCC). The total yield for 2017–2020 is compared using the equivalent yield of corn, indicating that the crop yield of the CC treatment was the highest and that of the CS treatment was the lowest. The crop yield of the CS treatment was 0.58-fold lower than that of the CC treatment. The 4-year total income of the treatments showed that the total and net revenue of the CC treatment was the highest. The 4-year total net income of the CS treatment was 0.66- and 0.72-fold lower compared with those of the SC and SCC treatments, respectively. There was no significant difference between the treatments of rotation. The crop water productivity (WPC) and biomass water productivity (WPB) of the CS treatment were the lowest, at 0.30- and 0.54-fold lower than those of the CC treatment in 2017–2020, respectively. The WPC and WPB of the CC treatment were the largest. If soybean–corn rotation was implemented in the CBNC, the SC treatment would be a better choice than the SCC treatment for the CBNC, and farmers would need to be subsidized at least USD 1047.5 ha−1 to equal the income from growing corn. In considering production, financial gains, and water productivity, the CC treatment was, as a result, still the best planting pattern for the CBNC under the test site's conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective, economical and feasible remediation technology of heavy metal pollution in farmland is an important research concentration in the field of farmland soil remediation. In order to investigate the remediation effects of formula fertilizer and biochar on cadmium (Cd)–plumbum (Pb) contaminated farmland, blank (CK), lime (SH), biochar (SWT), formula fertilizer (FL), and biochar + formula fertilizer (FS) were set up in Cd–Pb contaminated farmland. The results demonstrated the following: (1) Compared with CK, SWT and FS increased the yield by 11.21% and 15.00%, respectively, which was significantly higher than other treatments. (2) The concentrations of Cd and Pb in maize kernels under all treatments were lower than the limited value stipulated by GB 2762-2022 in China. Compared with CK, FS reduced the concentration of Cd and Pb in maize kernels by 24.96% and 31.46%, respectively, which were the most significant. All the treatments can reduce the concentrations of Cd and Pb in maize cob and straw and inhibit the transfer of Cd and Pb from the lower part of the maize field to the overground part. (3) FL, SWT, and FS increased soil pH by 0.17, 0.10, and 0.19 units, respectively. FS can reduce the concentrations of available cadmium (DTPA-Cd) and available lead (DTPA-Pb) significantly, which are 31.05% and 38.57% lower than CK, respectively. (4) Each treatment can reduce the extraction state and reducible state of weak acid Cd and Pb in soil, while increasing the proportion of oxidizable state and residual state. FL and FS significantly increased the percentage of residual Cd and Pb by 18.00% and 24.32%, respectively, and 33.33% and 37.76%, respectively. (5) FL (1.747) and FS (1.679) were relatively higher than CK in input/output. In conclusion, the combined application of biochar and formula fertilizer in Cd/Pb polluted farmland can effectively reduce the concentration of Cd and Pb in maize and has high economic benefits and practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vegetable water production function has been one of the most significant parameters to improve the use efficiency and economic benefit of agricultural water in the greenhouse. Meanwhile, aerated irrigation unlocks the high yield potential for greenhouse crop production. Thus, water, fertilizer and air coupled production function is proposed for the optimization of the irrigation scheme during the greenhouse tomato growth period. Two seasons of greenhouse tomato experiments were conducted under aerated subsurface drip irrigation (ASDI). There were three nitrogen application rates (N1, 120 kg ha−1; N2, 180 kg ha−1; N3, 240 kg ha−1) and three aeration rates with dissolved oxygen (DO) in irrigation water (A2, 15 mg L−1; A3, 40 mg L−1 and A1, 5 mg L−1 in the non-aeration treatment) in the first crop season, while three irrigation rates of soil moisture content (W1, 50–60% field capacity; W2, 60–70% field capacity; W3, 70–80% field capacity) and two aeration rates with DO in irrigation water (25 mg L−1 and 5 mg L−1) in the second crop season. The potential yield function of tomato was constructed, and the water sensitivity index was resolved. The production function of greenhouse tomato under water, fertilizer, and air coupled irrigation was established based on the Jensen function. The water allocation scheme under multiple irrigation quotas was optimized by the dynamic programming (DP) method. The results showed that with the elapse of crop growth stages, the cumulative curve of the water sensitivity index showed an S-shaped curve, which first rose slowly and then fast, and eventually tended to be stable. The optimized irrigation increased the yield by 4.25% averagely compared with the irrigation method of fixed moisture content interval, while the crop yield in the optimized ASDI increased by 26.13% compared with non-aeration treatment. In summary, the optimal combination was the aeration rate DO of 24.55mg L−1 in irrigation water and nitrogen application rate of 281.43 kg ha−1, and the irrigation quota of 420 mm. The net yield increased by 11,012 USD ha−1 in a single crop season when compared with the non-aeration treatment. The results would provide a reference method for the optimization of technical parameters of water—fertilizer—air coupled irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In practice, most Chinese farmers usually apply excessive fertilizers to ensure wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield, resulting in environmental impacts. How to maintain an even increase wheat yield with less fertilizers is still not clear. This study evaluated the yield, quality, nutrient accumulation, and environmental costs of winter wheat under optimal fertilization management strategies. A field trial was set up with a randomized block design, constituted of eight different fertilization management strategies and four replicate plots. The results showed that optimal fertilization management strategy increased wheat yield and net benefit, and increased N, P, K accumulation, N and P fertilizer partial productivity and N and P uptake efficiency. Compared with the farmers' practice, the yield in the different optimal fertilization management strategies was increased by 2.21–8.42% through improving the spike number or the grain number per spike. Meanwhile, the net benefit increased by 6.83–11.29% in different optimal fertilization management strategies. Furthermore, NO3− leaching and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in the different optimal fertilization managements were reduced by 25.50–35.15%, 48.80–60.26%, and 29.60–38.36%, respectively. In conclusion, CF3, CF1, 90%CF1 fertilization management can not only achieve high yield of wheat, but also improve economic benefits and reduce environmental costs, which are effective fertilization management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation technology is among the effective ways of environmental protection and resource utilization, which can be combined with treatment of wastewater and flue gas, preparation of biofuels and other technologies, with high economic benefits. However, in industrial application, microalgae still have problems such as poor photosynthetic efficiency, high input cost and large capital investment. The technology of microalgae energy development and resource utilization needs to be further studied. Therefore, this work reviewed the mechanism of CO2 fixation in microalgae. Improving the carbon sequestration capacity of microalgae by adjusting the parameters of their growth conditions (e.g., light, temperature, pH, nutrient elements, and CO2 concentration) was briefly discussed. The strategies of random mutagenesis, adaptive laboratory evolution and genetic engineering were evaluated to screen microalgae with a high growth rate, strong tolerance, high CO2 fixation efficiency and biomass. In addition, in order to better realize the industrialization of microalgae CO2 fixation technology, the feasibility of combining flue gas and wastewater treatment and utilizing high-value-added products was analyzed. Considering the current challenges of microalgae CO2 fixation technology, the application of microalgae CO2 fixation technology in the above aspects is expected to establish a more optimized mechanism of microalgae carbon sequestration in the future. At the same time, it provides a solid foundation and a favorable basis for fully implementing sustainable development, steadily promoting the carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and realizing clean, green, low-carbon and efficient utilization of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dryland agriculture, mulching methods and nitrogen application have been extensively adopted to improve water and nitrogen use efficiency and increase crop yield. However, there has been a scarcity of research on the combined effects of mulching types and nitrogen application on the growth and yield of soybean (Glycine max L.). In the present study, four nitrogen levels (N0: 0 kg N ha−1, N1: 60 kg N ha−1, N2: 120 kg N ha−1, N3: 180 kg N ha−1) and four mulching methods (NM: no mulching, SM: straw mulching, FM: film mulching, SFM: straw and film mulching) were set so as to evaluate the effects of mulching methods and nitrogen application on dry matter accumulation, grain yield, water-nitrogen use efficiency, and economic benefits of soybean in Northwest China from 2021 to 2022. The results show that the dry matter accumulation, yield formation, water and nitrogen use efficiency, and economic benefits of soybean were improved under different mulching methods (SM, FM, and SFM) and nitrogen applications (N1-N3), and that the effect is the best when the nitrogen application rate is N2 and the mulching method is FM. As such, a conclusion could be drawn that suitable nitrogen application (120 kg ha−1) combined with film mulching was beneficial for the utilization of rainwater resources and soybean production in the dryland of Northwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-renewable resources such as natural stone and asphalt are in short supply. Recycling technology, with its lower cost, has been used as the primary approach to asphalt pavement maintenance engineering. The inclusion of reclaimed asphalt pavement materials in producing new asphalt pavements may increase the risk of cracking. The strength and toughness of the asphalt mixture can be reduced. In this study, Hamburg wheel tracking tests (HWTT) were performed on rejuvenated asphalt mixtures with distinct maintenance processes. Different kinds of fibers have been used as additives to reinforce the rejuvenated asphalt mixtures. The HWTT rutting curve was identified as having three stages, including the post-compaction stage, the creep stage, and the stripping stage. The three-stage rutting curve model was used to determine the intersection point between the creep stage and stripping stage. The other two feature points (i.e., the post-compaction point and the stripping inflection point) were redefined with a new calculation method. Then, the rutting effect and stripping effect were separated with these feature points. The performance and economic benefits of fiber-reinforced rejuvenated asphalt mixtures were investigated through grey correlation analysis under the three maintenance processes. The feature points of the HWTT curve and the cost of the corresponding maintenance process were selected as the impact factors. Finally, the optimal scheme was developed by analyzing the influence of each factor on both performance and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional tourism development has adopted a top-down approach, and the role of government has primarily been decision making and regulation in regard to tourism development. There has been growing interest in residents' participation in tourism destination development and management. The study aims provide empirical evidence by examining the relationship between participative leadership, empowerment, and tourism participation among residents living in the provinces near the borders in Korea. We examine the economic benefits derived from tourists as a moderator. A total of 758 questionnaires were used. This study performed descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). This study examined the effects of participative leadership and empowerment on three categories of residents' participation in tourism in DMZ areas in South Korea. This present study tests the relationships between and evaluated the effects of participatory leadership and resident empowerment on three types of resident participation. Participative leadership positively influences empowerment and resident participation. In addition, a positive effect of psychological empowerment between participative leadership and participation as a mediator was found. Participative leadership affects motivational processes, and psychological empowerment leads to participation. The results found that residents perceive their participation as important, and there is no difference based on the additional income they derive from tourism. The study contributes to the enhancement of sustainable development and a deeper understanding of how residents act. Furthermore, the results can provide direction for the creation of participative approaches in tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imbalance between the supply and demand of electricity is becoming expansive due to the increase in renewable energy penetration. Consequently, the time-varying electricity price is proposed as a tool to manage the mismatch. To cope with the electricity price difference across time and to extract the benefit to the limit, an energy storage system (ESS) can be a good tool to smooth out electricity usage. Nevertheless, ESS can be expensive due to the high installation cost and centrally managed system. In this paper, we propose a distributed ESS installed in each home appliance. Separately installed batteries can avoid sizeable initial investment costs. We calculated the benefit of the system that mainly stemmed from the electricity price difference and compared the benefits across various sizes of the battery system. In addition, the charging/discharging schedule depends on the power consumption profile and electricity price distribution. Decreasing battery prices and rising electricity price volatility can increase the system's potential benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stand-density management and fertilization practices are the main two factors affecting bamboo-shoot yield. However, the appropriate density and fertilization rates are still unclear for improving the bamboo-shoot yield and its economic benefits, especially for a high economic value bamboo-shoot forest. To fill this gap, we conducted a two-year split-plot design experiment in a Chimonobambusa pachystachys shoot forest. The main plots were assigned to five density rates, 40,000, 50,000, 60,000, 70,000, and 100,000 culms ha−1, and the subplots were assigned to four fertilization rates (nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium = 23:3:15): 0, 820, 1640, and 2460 kg ha−1 a−1. Results showed that the bamboo-shoot yield increased first and then decreased with stand density, while it increased with fertilization rates. Density management and fertilization regulate bamboo-shoot yield by changing the soil's Olsen P, available nitrogen, organic matter, and available potassium contents. The maximum bamboo-shoot yield was 9315.92 kg ha−1, which appeared in the density of 60,000 culms ha−1 and the fertilization of 2460 kg ha−1 a−1. However, the maximum bamboo-shoot net profit was 135,242.63 CNY ha−1, which appeared at the density of 60,000 culms ha−1 and the fertilization of 1640 kg ha−1 a−1. The economic-benefit analysis shows that density management achieves a net-profit growth comparable to fertilizer application at a much lower cost. The study results provide a basis for the scientific management of C. pachystachys shoot forests and bamboo farmers to improve their income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Korean government currently designates toluene as a hazardous chemical, only limiting its use in products that are feared to be harmful. Since no measures to prohibit the use of toluene have been implemented, toluene is frequently detected in amounts that exceed the limit. Accordingly, the Government is considering implementing a plan to tighten the current regulations related to the use of toluene to prevent the occurrence of diseases caused by exposure and addiction to it. Therefore, the most important objective of this research is to evaluate quantitatively the economic benefits arising from the implementation of the plan in South Korea. To achieve the purpose of this paper, contingent valuation, an economic technique for analyzing data collected from a survey of people based on economic theory, is applied. For this purpose, a survey of 1000 people nationwide is conducted, and an analysis model that is well received in the literature is adopted. In other words, the annual willingness to pay (WTP) per household to strengthen the regulations to reduce the human health risks of toluene is evaluated to calculate its economic benefits. All the estimated WTP models secure statistical significance. The average WTP per household per annum is derived as KRW 3394 (USD 3.02). Considering that the country contained 20,573,060 households in 2021, the national economic benefits are calculated as KRW 69.82 billion (USD 62.23 million) every year. It is difficult to estimate accurately the costs incurred by tightening the regulations on toluene use, but they do not seem to exceed the benefits. Because tightening the regulations would be socially desirable, the Government would be justified in making this decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submerged marine debris (SMD) scattered between sea level and the bottom of the sea damages the habitats of marine life and threatens its growth in South Korea. The collection of SMD is more difficult and expensive than that of coastal and floating debris. The government is trying to achieve a 33% reduction in SMD by 2023 by expanding its collection, which requires huge additional investments and additional information about the economic value or benefits of the reduction. This article seeks to conduct an economic valuation of the reduction by employing contingent valuation (CV), which asks people to indicate their willingness to pay (WTP) for the reduction. A dichotomous choice CV survey was undertaken with 1000 households by a professional survey firm through person-to-person interviews during July 2019. Overall, people understood the CV questions well and reported the WTP responses for a hypothetical market successfully created with CV. Although 37.9% of interviewees stated zero WTP, the average of the yearly household WTP was estimated as 5523 Korean won (KRW) (USD 4.92). This value ensures statistical significance. The population's WTP for the reduction would be KRW 110.30 billion (USD 99.75 million) per year over the next five years. It was found that the reduction is socially beneficial since the value was greater than the costs involved in the reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems of the damage of weed in paddy field on crop yield and quality, the impact of chemical herbicides on the ecological environment, and the soil pollution caused by plastic film mulching, the field-positioning test was carried out in 2015 to 2017. Taking Daohuaxiang 2 as the test material, three treatments (plant fiber-based degradable film, plastic film, and CK) were setup to investigate the effects of plant fiber-based degradable film on the weed inhibition, warming effect under mulching cultivation, rice yield, rice quality, and economic benefit. The results showed that compared with CK, the plant fiber-based degradable film and plastic film reduced the weed by 85.5% to 87.7% and 78.7% to 81.7%, respectively. Plant fiber-based degradable film mulching cultivation can increase the soil temperature of soil layer 0 to 0.1 m depth. In 2015 to 2017, rice yield with plant fiber-based degradable film increased by 8.71%, 7.53%, and 9.02%, respectively. Plant fiber-based degradable film can significantly reduce the hardness, increase its adhesion, and improve the eating quality of rice. Different films mulching had a certain impact on crop economic benefit. During the developmental stage of the panicle, the plant fiber-based degradable film began to crack, and by the blossom fruit period, the degradation rate reached the grade of 3 or 4. Therefore, the use of plant fiber-based degradable film instead of plastic film can reduce the amount of weed under the membrane and create a more suitable soil temperature, which was conducive to rice yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The study can be used for retrofitting frame structures to satisfy a revised seismic design code, where a building site had a low seismic hazard but now has a high seismic hazard. The study proposes a retrofitting method with an optimum design of viscous dampers in order to improve the structural resistant capacity to earthquakes. The retrofitting method firstly uses a 2D frame model and places the viscous dampers in the structure to satisfy the performance requirements under code-specific design earthquake intensities and then performs an optimum design to increase the structural collapse-resistant capacity. The failure pattern analysis and fragility analysis show that the optimum design leads to better performance than the original frame structure. For regular structures, it is demonstrated that the optimum pattern of viscous damper placement obtained from a 2D frame model can be directly used in the retrofitting of the 3D frame model. The economic loss and repair time analyses are conducted for the retrofitted frame structure under different earthquake intensities, including the frequent earthquake, the occasional earthquake, and the rare earthquake. Although the proposed method is based on time-history analyses, it seems that the computational cost is acceptable because the 2D frame model is adopted to determine the optimum pattern of viscous damper placement; meanwhile, the owner can clearly know the economic benefits of the retrofitting under different earthquake intensities. The retrofitting also causes the frame to have reduced environmental problems (such as carbon emission) compared to the original frame in the repair process after a rare earthquake happens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing global awareness of the requirement for sustainable development, economic development is no longer the sole objective of business activities. The need to find a balance between environmental impacts and economic benefits is especially the case for airport operations in or around cities. This study measured the environmental costs and economic benefits and of an airport for a period of 10 years, using Taipei Songshan Airport for the empirical analysis, to examine whether the environmental costs could outweigh the economic benefits. Of all the environmental negative side effects, aircraft engine emissions and noise nuisance are considered the main sources of environmental impacts. The dose-response method and the hedonic price method, respectively, were used for estimating the social costs of these. Income generation from both direct and secondary employment is measured as economic benefits by applying the Garin-Lowry model, originally developed in 1966, for estimation of the employment multiplier. The results show that, in general, the operation of Taipei Songshan Airport brought more economic benefits than environmental costs. The sensitivity analysis of emissions and noise social cost parameters shows that the environmental costs might have exceeded the economic benefits in 2008 and 2009 in certain high emissions and noise social cost cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byproduct gases generated during steel production process are the main fuels for on-site power plants (OSPPs) in steel enterprises. Recently, with the implementation of time-of-use (TOU) power price in China, increasing attention has been paid to the collaborative scheduling between OSPPs and gasholders. However, the load shifting potential of OSPPs has seldom been discussed in previous studies. In this paper, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)-based scheduling model is built to evaluate the load shifting potential and the corresponding economic benefits. A case study is conducted on two steel enterprises with different configurations of OSPPs, and the optimal operation strategy is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), especially those that live in Dokdo, Korea, represent an endangered species in Korea. Thus, the government is considering the implementation of the Dokdo Seals (DS) restoration project. This article looks at the economic benefits for implementing the project, which includes making habitats for the DS, such as an artificial sea ranch, and training DS rescued from fishing nets and wounded in the wild to adapt to the wild so that they can be released into the Dokdo Sea. To this end, we looked at the willingness to pay (WTP) for the implementation of the project by conducting a contingent valuation (CV) survey of 1000 Korean households. We employed a one-and-one-half-bounded dichotomous choice question format. Furthermore, we used a spike model to model the WTP responses with zero observations. The mean yearly WTP for the project implementation was computed to be KRW4923 (USD 4.86) for next ten years per household, which is statistically significant at the 1% level. The national annual value amounts to KRW 90.9 billion (USD 89.8 million). This value can be taken as an indication of the economic benefits of restoring the endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-duty trucks (HDTs) in road freight are a primary contributor of PM2.5 and NOX emissions in many cities. Shenzhen, a megacity of China, has already made great efforts to promote the green transport transition, including via the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) HDTs program, which may be the largest alternative fuel vehicle promotion program in the world. In order to fully understand the actual efficiency of such program, the economic and environmental impacts of LNG HDTs were analyzed in this study. The results revealed that, while the capital cost of LNG HDTs is higher than that of diesel HDTs, the aggregated cost during the entire operation period of LNG HDTs is 10% to 17% lower than that of diesel HDTs. By replacing existing diesel HDTs mode (including China-I to China-V) with LNG HDTs (100%), environmental impact analysis showed that PM2.5 and NOX emissions could be reduced by 96.7% and 73.2% in the city level, respectively. Moreover, the environmental benefits of using purely LNG HDTs versus just China-V diesel HDTs were also compared, which indicated that LNG substitution is superior to China-V, with a reduction of 20.9% for PM2.5 and 35.4% for NOX, respectively. Overall, the effectiveness of the promotion of LNG HDTs is notable in Shenzhen, and these findings could provide references for other cities to promote LNG HDTs and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the multiple cropping regions of southern China, straw returning has become a widely practiced agronomic measure for rice cultivation. However, excessive straw often leads to a high proportion of stubble in topsoil, which prolongs the leveling time of the paddy field and delays the transplanting date for rice seedlings. In particular, scholars in this region have successively improved multiple paddy field levelers to realize excellent straw returning and subsequent land preparation synchronously, but the economic benefit from land preparation to crop harvest was less reported. Therefore, this study carried out a 2-year rice cultivation experiments to compare the effects of paddy field preparation methods on rice growth and economic benefits within the same growing duration. Three treatments were designed: traditional tillage (TT), double axis rotary tillage (DR) and multiple operations for paddy field preparation (DR + ML), with three repeats. The results showed that DR + ML treatment simplified the operation process while improving the quality of land preparation. Within the same growing duration, DR + ML treatment could reduce the paddy field preparation time and extend the growing time in the field by 5–6 days. Furthermore, in comparison to TT treatment, DR + ML showed advantages in stimulating plant development, increasing dry matter accumulation (DMA), and thereby increasing rice yield by more than 12%. The economic benefits were mainly reflected in saving operation cost of paddy field preparation and improving the output (grain yield), which can generally increase the total profit by 58%. The implementation of this study can provide a reference for a simplified high yield cultivation technique in rice-related multiple cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control is considered as a promising alternative to pesticide and plant resistance to manage plant diseases, but a better understanding of the interaction of its natural and societal functions is necessary for its endorsement. The introduction of biological control agents (BCAs) alters the interaction among plants, pathogens, and environments, leading to biological and physical cascades that influence pathogen fitness, plant health, and ecological function. These interrelationships generate a landscape of tradeoffs among natural and social functions of biological control, and a comprehensive evaluation of its benefits and costs across social and farmer perspectives is required to ensure the sustainable development and deployment of the approach. Consequently, there should be a shift of disease control philosophy from a single concept that only concerns crop productivity to a multifaceted concept concerning crop productivity, ecological function, social acceptability, and economical accessibility. To achieve these goals, attempts should make to develop "green" BCAs used dynamically and synthetically with other disease control approaches in an integrated disease management scheme, and evolutionary biologists should play an increasing role in formulating the strategies. Governments and the public should also play a role in the development and implementation of biological control strategies supporting positive externality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the rapid development of China's economy, China's energy demand has also been growing rapidly. Promoting the use of renewable energy in China has become an urgent need. This study evaluates the potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation on the roofs of residential buildings in rural areas of mainland China and calculates the area that can used for generating energy, the installed capacity, and the power generation, and conducts a comprehensive analysis of the economic benefits of investing in the construction of distributed PV systems in various provinces. The findings unveiled in this study indicate that China still has more than 6.4 billion m2 of rural construction area available for the installation of PV modules. If this is all used for solar power generation, the annual power generation can reach up to 1.55 times the electricity consumption of urban and rural residents for the whole society. Through a comprehensive evaluation of energy efficiency and economic benefits, the Chinese mainland can be divided into three types of resource areas. The three types of resource areas have their own advantages and disadvantages. According to their own characteristics and advantages, we can reasonably formulate relevant policies to accelerate the development of PV system application in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive application of plastic-film mulching (PFM) has brought a series of environmental pollution due to the lack of awareness of plastic-film rational use and absence of plastic residues recycling in China. In addition, the use of degradable film instead of common polyethylene plastic film (PE film) can effectively alleviate this situation. The substitution of PE film with biodegradable film in the agricultural production of processed tomato in Xinjiang region was investigated in this study. Using bare soil as the control, we compared the effects of PE film and biodegradable film mulching on crop growth, yield, and economic benefits in processed tomato. The results indicated that: (1) Biodegradable film with a thickness of about 8 μm can meet the mechanical operation requirements, and the effect of biodegradable film mulching was completely consistent with that of PE film; (2) Four kinds of biodegradable film can meet the requirements of processed tomato growth and development, although slightly different from PE film in increasing temperature and water retention; (3) Plastic-film planting can ensure a net profit of 1.14–1.64 ten thousand CNY per hectare under the current production conditions and mode of Xinjiang region, and biodegradable film planting was observed to be essentially equal to those of PE film; (4) Nearly 50%–70% of the biodegradable film was ruptured and degraded during processed tomato harvesting, which avoided the occurrence of the winch of the plastic-film winding harvester and improves the efficiency and commodity rate of the processed tomato harvest operation. As the biodegradable film mulching causes no residual pollution, it is accepted to be an alternative to plastic-film mulching for agricultural applications and supports the sustainable development of agroecosystems in Xinjiang region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To guarantee the stability of a building complex above a planned mining district with ultrasoft strata, strip mining technology (SMT) was applied to control the displacement and deformation caused by underground exploitation. This study attempts to design a reasonable pillar width to establish a stable pillar-support (PS) system composed of ground buildings with coal pillars underneath. Based on the stratigraphic structure of ultrasoft strata and in situ measurement data of mining subsidence monitoring, this study takes an ultrasoft strata colliery in western Henan province, central China, as an example to examine the technical and economical feasibility of the proposed PSsyst under two mining scenarios. The major results indicated that the initial design of pillar width would be 120 m under scenario 1, with expected damage of only 450 mm maximum subsidence predicted by probability integration method (PIM); while under scenario 2, the cost of compensation for buildings' mining-induced damage would increase to CNY 61.31 million with an expected output of 7.629 million tons of raw coal. Moreover, the protection rate of the residential area in the proposed postmining area of scenario 1 can reach as much as 6.91% comparing to the fully mechanized coal winning technology in scenario 2. Overall, the proposed PSsyst will bring good benefits both economically and environmentally and should be worth promoting as a reference for similar geological and mining conditions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of emissions from aviation come from the combustion of the fuel required to operate each flight. Keeping the fuel consumption required for a safe flight to the absolute minimum is therefore the simplest and most effective way to ensure that emissions from that flight are kept to a minimum. In practice, however, the fuel load is determined by each aircraft operator on the basis of a number of criteria maximizing first cost efficiency, rather than fuel savings. In this context, tankering is the practice of carrying more fuel than is necessary for the safe execution of the flight to avoid or minimize refueling at the destination airport. It offers an economic advantage when there is a significant difference in fuel prices between the departure and arrival airports, but considerably increases the amount of emissions produced, because the more fuel an aircraft carries, the heavier it is, and carrying this extra weight increases its fuel consumption. This paper presents the steps followed by EUROCONTROL in conducting a first study to estimate the number of times this practice would offer an economic benefit and the amount of extra CO2 emissions that would result. This study, limited to flights up to 1500 and 2500 NM, corresponding mainly to short and medium-haul flights, estimates that, in 2018, 21% of ECAC (In this paper, ECAC refers to the geographical region defined by the 44 member states that signed the European Civil Aviation Conference) flights would perform fuel tankering beneficially. This would represent a net saving of 265 M€ per year for the airlines, but the burning of 286,000 tonnes of additional fuel (equivalent to 0.54% of ECAC jet fuel used), or 901,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. At a time when aviation is challenged for its contribution to climate change, the use of fuel tankering for economic reasons is therefore highly questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since plug seedling plays a key role in automatic transplanting, this work aimed to explore the effect biochar has on the root growth of plug seedlings. The physicochemical properties tests showed that the addition of biochar in the peats could increase the porosity, pH, and EC values of the substrate, and the substrates treated with 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% biochar could meet the requirements of seedling raising. The water retention of the substrate was superior with the increase of biochar proportion, and the nitrogen release significantly decreased with the increase of the biochar proportion. Our results demonstrated that the substrate with 10% biochar-treated apparently promoted the growth of seedlings and root systems, even the length of the root-tip cells. However, the substrates with 40% and 50% biochar-treated obviously inhibited the growth of seedlings and root systems. It was noticed that the strength of substrate with appropriate biochar proportion was enhanced, as well. Under the interaction of strong root system and solid substrate, the compressive strength of the substrate with 20% and 10% biochar-treated was much better than others, especially that of 40% and 50% biochar-treated, which efficiently satisfied the requirements of automatic seedling picking. The biochar may have a good application prospect in seedling raising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purchase of local food is often argued to stimulate local economies through multiplier effects; this argument is questioned in this paper. Methods: The ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Taylor and Francis Online, SpringerLink, AgECON, and Emerald databases were searched systematically. A complementary search in Google Scholar was also carried out. Peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2019 were identified using multiple search terms. Data about four types of multipliers (output, employment, income, and value-added multipliers) were extracted. Results: Twenty-four papers fit the criteria, allowing for a qualitative assessment only. Sixteen papers found unambiguously that an increase in demand for local food had a directly positive impact on local economies in some way; one paper found no impact at all. The papers were classified into three groups based on their focal areas: marketing channel-focused, farm enterprise-focused, and scenario/impact analysis-focused studies. In terms of the methods of analysis, three major approaches were identified: input–output models, assessments of descriptive statistics, and econometric analyses. Considerations related to the potential overestimation of current approaches are presented. Conclusions: The existence of employment and income multipliers seems to be more evident, while the impacts of output- and value-added multipliers depend more on the actual context. Research gaps are also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton is the most important cash crop in Xinjiang but low utilization rate of water and fertilizer is restricting healthy development of this industry. At present, there is a lack of water and nitrogen management optimization methods based on multi-objectives of cotton water use efficiency (WUE), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), yield, and income. A continuous field experiment was conducted during 2017–2018 to study the effects of water–nitrogen coupling on cotton growth, WUE, NUE, nitrogen partial factor productivity, yield, quality, and economic benefits under drip irrigation in northern Xinjiang. Using multiple regression and spatial analyses, the water and nitrogen management strategy for multi-objective optimization was determined. Three irrigation levels were used—low (I1), medium (I2), and full (I3)—Representing 75%, 87.5%, and 100% of cotton water demand, respectively. The three nitrogen application levels were low (N1, 210 kg/ha), medium (N2, 280 kg/ha), and high (N3, 350 kg/ha), representing 75%, 100%, and 125% of the local nitrogen application, respectively. Among all treatments, the leaf area index, boll weight, dry matter quantity and yield reached respective maxima of 4.43 m2/m2, 4.73 g, 16,623 kg/ha, and 6333 kg/ha for the I3N2 treatment. Cotton fiber quality was the best for I3 irrigation, but too little or too much nitrogen reduced fiber quality. The economic benefit under I3 irrigation was 1.93–4.81 times that for I1. For a single optimization objective, WUE reached a maximum of 1.78 kg/ha·mm for irrigation of 415.80 mm and nitrogen application of 295.71 kg/ha; corresponding single maxima follow: NUE of 37.65% for 418.27 mm and 278.57 kg/ha; yield of 6416.42 kg/ha for 470.12 mm and 304.29 kg/ha; and economic benefit of 15,338.55 RMB/ha for 470.12 mm and 307.14 kg/ha. Multiple regression and spatial analysis showed that for irrigation of 430.71–440.12 mm and nitrogen application of 270.95–318.45 kg/ha, the WUE, NUE, yield, and economic benefits of cotton simultaneously exceeded 90% of their maxima, which was an efficient and reasonable water and nitrogen management mode in this location. The results provide a scientific basis for effective integrated management of water and fertilizer in drip irrigation cotton fields in northern Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]