Search

Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) can be an alternative to a recommendation for uniform fertilizer use across a rice (Oryza sativa L.) production system within a country or region of a country. We developed a web-based decision support tool named Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMR), which used principles of SSNM to calculate fertilizer N, P, and K rates for individual fields based on a target yield set for each field. It also used expected growth duration of the rice variety, crop establishment method, and age of transplanted seedlings to calculate days after rice establishment for each of three applications of fertilizer N. NMR enabled P rates to match estimated removal of P with harvested grain and crop residue for the target yield set for each field. We compared field-specific fertilizer recommendations from NMR with uniform application of fertilizer provided by an existing blanket fertilizer recommendation for irrigated inbred rice (BFR) and farmer’s fertilizer practices (FFP) in on-farm trials conducted in 74 irrigated rice fields across three growing seasons in the Cauvery Delta, Tamil Nadu, India. Grain yield was 0.6–0.7 Mg ha−1 higher (P ≤ 0.05) with NMR than FFP in two of the three seasons, even though total fertilizer cost was comparable or less with NMR. Yield was comparable for NMR and BFR, but NMR reduced fertilizer N and P rates and total fertilizer cost compared to BFR. Use of NMR rather than BFR also had less risk of financial loss for a farmer. The likelihood of financial loss with a switch from FFP to BFR averaged 31%. It reduced to 18% with a switch from FFP to NMR. NMR facilitated the calculation of field-specific fertilizer N, P, and K management practices, which increased fertilizer use efficiency without loss in rice yield compared to a recommended uniform fertilizer management across fields. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10705-018-9959-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights • Rice Crop Manager (RCM) calculated field-specific nutrient management in Odisha. • Rice yield was greater with an RCM recommendation than farmers' fertilizer practice (FFP). • RCM had less risk of financial loss than a blanket fertilizer recommendation (BFR). • RCM was effective across rice varieties, irrigated and rainfed rice, and soils. • Use of RCM recommendation rather than BFR improved the rate of fertilizer N., The requirement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) for fertilizer can depend on crop and soil management practices, which can vary among fields within a rice-growing area. A web-based decision support tool named Rice Crop Manager (RCM) was developed previously to calculate field-specific rates of fertilizer N, P, and K for rice in Odisha State in eastern India. We compared field-specific nutrient management calculated by RCM with farmers’ fertilizer practice (FFP) and a blanket fertilizer recommendation (BFR), which used a uniform 80 kg N ha–1, 17 kg P ha–1, and 33 kg K ha–1. A total of 209 field trials were conducted in two seasons (kharif and rabi) for two years across ten districts in six agro-climatic zones. Grain yield was consistently higher with fertilization recommended by RCM than with FFP. Higher yield with RCM was attributed to a combination of applying more of the total fertilizer N at the critical growth stage of panicle initiation, applying more fertilizer N in kharif, and applying zinc. The RCM recommendation frequently increased yield compared to BFR as a result of improved N management, which included the adjustment of N rate for a target yield set slightly higher than historical yield reported by a farmer. Fertilization based on RCM rather than BFR reduced the risk of financial loss. The effectiveness of an RCM recommendation relative to BFR and FFP was consistent across rice varieties with different growth duration, irrigated and rainfed rice, and three categories of soil clay content. The RCM recommendation failed to increase yield relative to BFR in one of the six agro-climatic zones, where a higher rate of fertilizer P and/or K was apparently required. The nutrient management calculations used by RCM can be improved as new information and research findings become available. Experiences with RCM in Odisha can help guide the development of comparable nutrient management decision tools in other rice-growing areas.

Miscanthus x giganteus is often regarded as one of the most promising crops to produce bioenergy because it is renowned for its high biomass yields, combined with low input requirements. However, its productivity has been mainly studied in experimental conditions. Our study aimed at characterizing and explaining young M.giganteus yield variability on a farmers' field network located in the supply area of a cooperative society in east central France. It included the first three growth years of the crop. We defined and calculated a set of indicators of limiting factors that could be involved in yield variations and used the mixed-model method to identify those explaining most of the yield variation. Commercial yields averaged 8.1 and 12.8 t DM ha(-1) for the second and third growth year, respectively. However, these mean results concealed a high variability, ranging from 3 to 19 t DM ha(-1). Commercial yields, measured on whole fields, were on average 20% lower than plot yields, measured on a small area (two plots of 25 m(2)). Yields were found to be much more related to shoot density than to shoot mass, and particularly to the shoot density established at the end of the planting year. We highlighted that planting success was decisive and was built during the whole plantation year. Fields with the lowest yields also had the highest weed cover, which was influenced by the distance between the field and the farmhouse, the preceding crop and the soil type. Our findings show that growing young M.giganteus on farmers' fields involves limiting factors different from those commonly reported in the literature for experimental conditions and they could be useful to assess the economic and environmental impacts of growing M.giganteus on farmers' fields. They could also stimulate the discussion about growing bioenergy crops on marginal lands.

An effective adaptive strategy for reducing climate change risks and increasing agro-system resiliency is broadening cropping system diversity, heightening the flexibility of cultivation and tillage methods. Climate change impacts on standard cultivation practices such as mineralisation and nitrate leaching due to mild and rainy winters, as well as frequent drought or water saturation, not only limiting fieldwork days, but also restricting ploughing. This calls for alternative methods to counteract these propensities. From 2010 to 2013, a farming system experiment was conducted on a distinctly heterogeneous organic farm in Brandenburg, Germany. With the intention of devising a more varied and flexible winter wheat cultivation method, standard organic farming practices (winter wheat cultivation after two years of alfalfa-clover-grass and ploughing in mid-October) were compared to four alternative test methods, which were then evaluated for their robustness and suitability as adaptive strategies. Two of the alternative methods, early sowing and catch crop, entailed moving up the date for alfalfa-clover-grass tilling to July. Instead of a plough, a ring-cutter was used to shallowly (8 cm) cut through and mix the topsoil. In the early sowing test method, winter wheat was sown at the end of August, after repeated ring-cutter processing. With the catch crop method, winter wheat seeding followed a summer catch crop and October tillage. The two oat methods (oat/plough; oat/ring-cutter) entailed sowing winter wheat in September, following oat cultivation. Overall, the cultivation methods demonstrated the following robustness gradation: standard practice = catch crop ≥ early sowing > oat/plough > oat/ring-cutter. When compared to standard procedures, the catch crop and early sowing test methods showed no remarkable difference in grain yields. Measured against early sowing, the catch crop test method was significantly more robust when it came to winterkill, quality loss, and weed infestation (40% lower weed-cover). High Nmin- values (up to 116 kg N ha-1) in autumn could have caused the chamomile and thistle infestation in both oat/ploughoat/ring-cutter test methods, which led to crop failure in the hollows. Compared to standard practices, the oat ring-cutter test method brought in over 50% less grain yield. This was attributed to ring-cutter processing, which reduced N mineralisation and caused high weed infestation. However, the ring-cutter effectively regulated alfalfa-clover-grass fields in both exceedingly wet and very dry weather; a temporal flexibility which increases the number of fieldwork days. The catch crop and early sowing test methods contributed most to boosting future agronomic diversity.

Many studies have justified rabbit production as a desirable and profitable venture. Most of these research investigations projected their results based on data collected through farm surveys that greatly relied on the memory recall capabilities of the respondents. These data apart from being prone to biasedness, may not he too insightful as to depict the true situation on ground. It is on this premise that this study was conceived to ascertain the cost and revenue structure as well as theprofitability and efficiency of rabbit production, through actual production process using On-farm Research Approach the findings of the study were then compared with a similar one that made use of data collection through farm survey. Three does and one buck were used as start-off for the on-farm research using the prevalent small scale traditional backyard method of rabbit production. Two cycles of production were monitored and used to project file cycle which is the average for subsistent rabbit production in the tropics. The results re-emphasize rabbit production as a profit and efficient productive venture. Two hours of labour time was found to be necessary to produce 1 kg of rabbit meat. The rate of return to investment was found to be 152% (that is,₦1.52 return to every ₦l.00 invested). That for fixed cost was 1299% (that is ₦12.99 return to every ₦1.00 incurred on fixed asset) while the rate of return on variable cost was 274.5% that is ₦2.75 return to every ₦1.00 invested on variable inputs). These were quite higher when compared with a similar research investigation that depended on farm survey. The technical data derived from this indicate that technical data are more efficient and dependable in determining production outcomes on the filed relative to survey data. As a result of this, on-farm research was thus suggested as a way by which correct information on cost, returns and profitability of agricultural production could be obtained especially for baseline data collection.Keywords: On-farm research, economic, rabbit production.

Dit rapport beschrijft een proef met een Ayurvedisch recept tegen mastitis bij Nederlandse koeien met hoog celgetal. De proef is opgezet naar aanleiding van een werkbezoek aan India van een groep dierenartsen en boeren uit Overijssel in april 2014, in het kader van een uitwisselingsproject van Oxfam Novib over reductie van antibiotica in de melkveehouderij. In het kader van de reductie van het antibioticagebruik, de verhoging van de diergezondheid en het dierwelzijn is een pilotproef opgezet bij boeren in Overijssel om te onderzoeken of deze middelen ook onder Nederlandse omstandigheden werkzaam zijn.

In an earlier study it was concluded, based on literature and interviews, that biotrickling filters might be responsible for airborne transmission of Legionella bacteria. Risk factors in this type of systems are recirculating of trickling water with a pH close to neutral and the use of spray nozzles and fans. Under the right conditions, temperatures supportive for Legionella growth might be found in the scrubbing water. In order to investigate this risk, measurements were done at 36 animal houses where biotrickling filters were operated for exhaust air treatment. The investigation was performed in August and September because in several years the number of reports of Legionnaires’ disease significantly increased during this period in the Netherlands; during summer warming up of the water by ambient temperature is likely. In none of the samples Legionella was found. In only a few biotrickling filters the measured temperature was at such a level that growth of Legionella would be possible. It is concluded that it is unlikely that biotrickling filters at animal houses are a source of Legionella transmission to the air.

In an earlier study it was concluded, based on literature and interviews, that biotrickling filters might be responsible for airborne transmission of Legionella bacteria. Risk factors in this type of systems are recirculating of trickling water with a pH close to neutral and the use of spray nozzles and fans. Under the right conditions, temperatures supportive for Legionella growth might be found in the scrubbing water. In order to investigate this risk, measurements were done at 36 animal houses where biotrickling filters were operated for exhaust air treatment. The investigation was performed in August and September because in several years the number of reports of Legionnaires’ disease significantly increased during this period in the Netherlands; during summer warming up of the water by ambient temperature is likely. In none of the samples Legionella was found. In only a few biotrickling filters the measured temperature was at such a level that growth of Legionella would be possible. It is concluded that it is unlikely that biotrickling filters at animal houses are a source of Legionella transmission to the air. In een eerder onderzoek werd aan de hand van literatuur en interviews geconcludeerd dat verspreiding van legionella naar de omgeving door biologische luchtwassers theoretisch mogelijk is, mits de temperatuur van het waswater voldoende hoog is. Deze conclusie is gebaseerd op de geldende procesomstandigheden in deze systemen: de aanwezigheid van recirculerend water met een pH van rond de 7 en het gebruik van sproeiers en ventilatoren. Om na te gaan of hiervan sprake is in de praktijk, zijn in het hier beschreven onderzoek 36 biologische luchtwassers bij stallen onderzocht en is bepaald of legionella voorkomt in het waswater. Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd aan het eind van de zomer (augustus en september) omdat tijdens deze periode in verschillende jaren sprake was van een significante verhoging van het aantal meldingen van veteranenziekte; in de worden zomer relatief gunstige groeiomstandigheden voor legionella verwacht. In geen van de monsters werd echter legionella aangetroffen. In slechts enkele van de wassers was het niveau van de temperatuur van het waswater dusdanig dat legionellagroei mogelijk zou zijn (> 22°C). Op basis hiervan wordt geconcludeerd dat het niet waarschijnlijk is dat biologische luchtwassers bij veehouderijbedrijven een bron zijn van legionellaverspreiding naar de omgeving.

The long-term effects of biogas slurry application on soil fertility indices were compared with raw slurry in biodynamic organic farming systems. An on-farm soil and slurry sampling was carried out to quantify the effects on stocks of soil organic matter, microbial biomass and microbial residues. Five fields with biogas slurry and five neighbouring fields with raw slurry amendments were selected at 5 different sites in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The application of biogas slurry ranged from 15 to 25 years and did not affect SOC, total N stocks or the soil C/N ratio. Biogas slurry application decreased the soil microbial biomass to SOC ratio, which indicates a reduced availability of the biogas slurry C input to soil microorganisms compared with raw slurry. At some sites, differences in clay content masked any slurry effects on the microbial activity, biomass, and residue indices. There were no general effects of biogas slurry on the ratios of ergosterol to microbial biomass C or amino sugar-based fungal C to bacterial C, whereas an increasing clay content caused a significant shift towards bacteria according to the latter ratio. Since the soils had been farmed organically in diverse crop rotations for at least 40 years, chemical differences in slurry composition were not great enough to result in different biochemical properties. The consistency in the data of all approaches strongly indicates the validity of the current on-farm study by comparing neighbouring fields. The long-term effects of biogas slurry application on soil fertility indices were compared with raw slurry in biodynamic organic farming systems. An on-farm soil and slurry sampling was carried out to quantify the effects on stocks of soil organic matter, microbial biomass and microbial residues. Five fields with biogas slurry and five neighbouring fields with raw slurry amendments were selected at 5 different sites in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The application of biogas slurry ranged from 15 to 25 years and did not affect SOC, total N stocks or the soil C/N ratio. Biogas slurry application decreased the soil microbial biomass to SOC ratio, which indicates a reduced availability of the biogas slurry C input to soil microorganisms compared with raw slurry. At some sites, differences in clay content masked any slurry effects on the microbial activity, biomass, and residue indices. There were no general effects of biogas slurry on the ratios of ergosterol to microbial biomass C or amino sugar-based fungal C to bacterial C, whereas an increasing clay content caused a significant shift towards bacteria according to the latter ratio. Since the soils had been farmed organically in diverse crop rotations for at least 40 years, chemical differences in slurry composition were not great enough to result in different biochemical properties. The consistency in the data of all approaches strongly indicates the validity of the current on-farm study by comparing neighbouring fields.

Dit rapport beschrijft een proef met een Ayurvedisch recept tegen mastitis bij Nederlandse koeien met hoog celgetal. De proef is opgezet naar aanleiding van een werkbezoek aan India van een groep dierenartsen en boeren uit Overijssel in april 2014, in het kader van een uitwisselingsproject van Oxfam Novib over reductie van antibiotica in de melkveehouderij. In het kader van de reductie van het antibioticagebruik, de verhoging van de diergezondheid en het dierwelzijn is een pilotproef opgezet bij boeren in Overijssel om te onderzoeken of deze middelen ook onder Nederlandse omstandigheden werkzaam zijn.

Precision agricultural technologies such as GPS-enabled automated guidance, yield monitors, and controller-driven variable rate applicators have reduced but not eliminated the costs of conducting on-farm trials. Farm decision makers often contemplate the benefit side of the profitability equation when considering on-farm trials. However, the cost portion of the equation must be considered to make informed decisions. This study estimates the whole-farm costs of conducting on-farm trials using a modification of the classic down-time model in a linear programming framework with comparisons to previously estimated potential benefits. Results indicate that after accounting for the whole farm costs there are still benefits to on-farm trials. Whole farm costs vary significantly dependent upon the type of on-farm trial undertaken. When on-farm trials cause planting and harvesting field operations to be conducted outside the optimal time, crop yields may be adversely affected. Therefore, farm decision makers should consider research questions that do not necessitate adversely impacting these windows until experience has been gained.

CT3 ; EnjS4 ; Département E.A; Miscanthus × giganteus is often regarded as one of the most promising crops to produce sustainable bioenergy. This perennial crop, renowned for its high productivity associated with low input requirements, in particular regarding fertilizers, is thought to have low environmental impacts, but few data are available to confirm this. Our study aimed at assessing nitrate leaching from Miscanthus × giganteus crops in farmers' fields, thus including a wide range of soil and cropping system conditions. We focused on the first years of growth after planting as experimental studies have suggested that Miscanthus × giganteus, once established, results in low nitrate leaching. We combined on-farm measurements and modeling to estimate drainage, leached nitrogen, and nitrate concentration in drainage water in 38 fields located in Center-East France during two winters (November 2010 to March 2011, November 2011 to March 2012). Nitrate leaching and nitrate concentration in drainage water were on average very low. Nitrate leaching averaged 6 kg N ha−1 whereas nitrate concentration averaged 12 mg l−1. These low values are attributable to the low estimates of drainage water (mean = 166 mm) but also to the low soil mineral nitrogen contents measured at the beginning of winter (mean = 37 kg N ha−1). Our results were, however, very variable, mainly due to the crop age: nitrate leaching and nitrate concentration were critically higher during the winter following the first growth year of Miscanthus × giganteus, reflecting the low development of the crop. This variability was also explained by the range of soil and cropping conditions explored in the on-farm design: shallow and/or sandy soils as well as fields where establishment failed had a higher risk of nitrate leaching.

This paper surveys what is successfully going on in problem oriented participatory agrometeorology in tropical Africa. It suggests the priorities and requirements for research, education and services. With distinct emphasis on Nigeria, it is shown that there is progress in African agrometeorology, although some work is hidden in grey literature. Successes in research and education are strongly related to external support. There are much more needs than deeds in operational agrometeorology in tropical Africa, because the agricultural environment is endangered in many places and in many ways. It is also concluded that on-farm validations of new approaches and technologies, that take traditional and more recent local expertise into account, are needed above all.

Farm days are designed to be an innovative tool for the dissemination of the project outcomes among farmer’s communities and other stakeholders. The poster describes and illustrates this concept of “farm days”. Solibam partners are in charge of the organisation and implementation of Farm days in their country. These are organised each year, to enable breeders, farmers, adisors and researchers to share their skills, information, and knowledge. It also facilitates information flow among stakeholders. They are also often an opportunity 1) to involve participants in the discussion of plant breeding traits or in organoleptic tests 2) to illustrate field trials or participatory plant breeding. Farm days are also a way to communicate on the Solibam project, to distribute booklets and other dissemination tools. In addition, Farm days stand as a space for discussion of the project results and related topics with farmers.

International audience; Latex is a key product for many tropical countries, of which 80% is produced by smallholders. Latex is produced by the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Given the 7-year immature unproductive period, establishing a rubber plantation requires considerable investment by smallholders, emphasizing the need for sustainable management. The difficulty of performing an agronomic diagnosis of a tree crop is to obtain an accurate picture of current and past cultivation practices, to be able to assess their impacts on the agro-ecosystem as well as on sustainability. Smallholders do not usually keep records of latex yield or of their technical practices, making it impossible to perform a diagnosis based on productivity. As latex harvesting involves tapping the bark, which leaves scars on the trunk, we hypothesised that these morphological traces would be good indicators of current and past practices and would thus enable a diagnosis based on the economic lifespan of plantation. To this end, we formalised a tapping panel diagnosis that involved reproducing the scars on tapping panel diagrams, and analysing them using two indicators: the amount of virgin bark consumed and the number of tapping years that remained. We validated this tapping panel diagnosis in a sample of 25 smallholder plantations in Cameroon, where we characterised eight tapping management systems reflecting different levels of tapping intensity. The assessment of the respective share of each tapping practice on virgin bark consumption revealed major effects of tapping frequency and of shaving thickness. We showed that the tapping panel diagnosis used as a decision support tool can increase remaining tapping years by 33% to 355%. To conclude, the tapping panel diagnosis formalised here for the first time will be a useful support for the participatory development of innovating tapping management schemes involving both technicians and smallholders.

25 Pags., 7 Figs. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01671987, Conservation tillage has been encouraged as a management alternative to preserve soil and water resources in semiarid Aragon (NE Spain). In fact, its adoption by farmers, and especially of no tillage (NT) systems, has increased in recent years. However, little information concerning the soils on which these techniques are applied is available for this region. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of NT to increase organic carbon content at the soil surface (0–20 cm) in rainfed Aragon. To this aim, 22 pairs of adjacent farm fields under NT and conventional tillage (CT) were compared in different cereal production areas. The fields were under continuous NT between 5 and 19 years but half were over 10 years. Soil organic carbon (SOC) in NT ranged from 7.06 to 18.53 g kg−1 (0–20 cm depth) and was higher than 12 g kg−1 in nearly 30% of the fields. These contents represented between 8% less (only one case) and 55% more SOC under NT than under CT with an average gain of 20% in favour of NT. The highest SOC contents were found in the NT fields of longer duration (>10 years) and/or managed with practices that enhance the return of more crop biomass to the soil (complete residue return, cropping intensification and manure application). The identification of the current management practices used by farmers has allowed us to know the diversity of the NT-based cropping systems and the reality of the conservation agriculture in our region. Overall, results from this on-farm study indicate that NT can be recommended as a viable alternative to CT to increase organic carbon at the soil surface in cereal production areas of Aragon., This research was supported by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología of Spain (Grants AGL2010-22050-CO3-02/AGR and AGL2007-66320-C02-02/AGR) and the European Union (FEDER Funds). N. Blanco-Moure was awarded with a PhD fellowship (FPI Program) by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

In Lembang, a farming community on western Java, family-sized, plug-flow, polyethylene biogas systems fed with cow dung, are being used as an integrated solution to issues related to energy, agriculture and waste management. Through simple, on-farm research and observation, a number of key problems have been addressed and improvements made to the design. Due to the large supply of cow dung in the area, and the potential to spread the benefits of the technology beyond the homes of dairy farmers, the feasibility of developing a communal, polyethylene biogas system for several households, has been investigated. Experiments on small model-digesters were combined with observations of full-scale biogas systems in use. Measurement equipment and techniques were constructed and developed, in order to measure biogas production and other relevant process parameters. Results indicate that a communal system can be an appropriate choice, but only under a certain set of circumstances.

This article 'On-farm evaluation of an improved rice variety and integrated weed management techniques for improving the productivity of deepwater rice' appeared in the International Rice Research Notes series, created by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to expedite communication among scientists concerned with the development of improved technology for rice and rice-based systems. The series is a mechanism to help scientists keep each other informed of current rice research findings. The concise scientific notes are meant to encourage rice scientists to communicate with one another to obtain details on the research reported.