Past, present and future criteria to breed crops for water-limited environments in West Africa

Asia's Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s has largely bypassed West Africa, and “modern” (high-yielding, input responsive) germplasm for staple crops has found comparatively little adoption, except for systems that are have good access to markets and sufficient water resources. It is unlikely, however, that breeding objectives conserving traditional crop characteristics as found in extensive systems would have been more successful. The authors identify systems caught in the agricultural transition from subsistence to intensified, market-oriented production as the most important target for crop improvement, and provide examples of new breeding objectives for cowpea, sorghum and upland rice. In each of these cases, breeders, with the help of physiologists, have developed innovative plant-type concepts that combine improved yield potential and input responsiveness with specific traditional crop characteristics that remain essential during the agricultural transition. In the case of cowpea, dual-purpose varieties were developed that produce a good grain yield due to an erect plant habit, then produce new leaves enabling a second harvest of green foliage. For upland rice systems that are limited by labour (mainly needed to control weeds that abound due to shortened fallow periods), a weed competitive plant type was developed from Oryza sativa × Oryza glaberrima crosses. Lastly, sorghum breeders who had previously deselected photoperiod sensitivity are now re-inserting sensitivity into plants having “modern” architecture, in order to allow for flexible sowing dates while maintaining an agro-ecologically optimal time of flowering near the end of the wet season. The ecophysiological basis of these plant types, their place in current and future cropping systems, as well as the problem of under-funding for their realisation, are discussed.     

Intensification or extensification? Factors affecting technology use in peri-urban lowlands along an agro-ecological gradient in West Africa

The paper analyses whether the increased use of lowlands in proximity to urban centres in West Africa is associated with technological intensification or extensification. Technologies are typified in terms of their orientation – land or labour saving – and market dependence for their procurement and reviews the factors driving and modifying their use in lowlands. The factors associated with technology use are analyzed empirically using geo-referenced lowland data around four urban centers along an ecological gradient in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. The technologies analyzed include both external inputs (fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, improved varieties) and crop management practices (plot level bunding, rice transplanting and rice direct seeding). Results from binomial logit models highlight the prominent positive and non-linear role of proximity to urban markets for the technological intensification of lowlands – an issue associated with factor scarcities and the transaction costs for procurement and marketing. Technology use in lowlands is also associated with the agro-ecological gradient, lowland development and non-native lowland users. A common thread linking these variables is that they modify resource scarcity and therefore intensification incentives. Lowlands are not always as valuable as they may seem and there may be limited incentives to intensify. Instances of significant lowland cultivation and intensification in the study sites tend to be associated with specific opportunities – driven by market opportunities and modified by seasonal, institutional or development-induced relative land scarcity. Market access is therefore a necessary but not sufficient factor for the technological intensification of lowland use. There is a need for better targeting of development efforts in terms of enabling lowland intensification or extensification as appropriate.     

Evaluation of the RZWQM-CERES-Maize hybrid model for maize production

The root zone water quality model (RZWQM) was developed primarily for water quality research with a generic plant growth module primarily serving as a sink for plant nitrogen and water uptake. In this study, we coupled the CERES-Maize Version 3.5 crop growth model with RZWQM to provide RZWQM users with the option for selecting a more comprehensive plant growth model. In the hybrid model, RZWQM supplied CERES with daily soil water and nitrogen contents, soil temperature, and potential evapotranspiration, in addition to daily weather data. CERES-Maize supplied RZWQM with daily water and nitrogen uptake, and other plant growth variables (e.g., root distribution and leaf area index). The RZWQM-CERES hybrid model was evaluated with two well-documented experimental datasets distributed with DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) Version 3.5, which had various nitrogen and irrigation treatments. Simulation results were compared to the original DSSAT-CERES-Maize model. Both models used the same plant cultivar coefficients and the same soil parameters as distributed with DSSAT Version 3.5. The hybrid model provided similar maize prediction in terms of yield, biomass and leaf area index, as the DSSAT-CERES model when the same soil and crop parameters were used. No overall differences were found between the two models based on the paired t test, suggesting successful coupling of the two models. The hybrid model offers RZWQM users access to a rigorous new plant growth model and provides CERES-Maize users with a tool to address soil and water quality issues under different cropping systems.     

水泵与水轮机空化状态监测与诊断的研究进展

影响水泵与水轮机使用寿命与性能的主要问题是空化空蚀现象，在现场监测与分析水泵与水轮机的空化状态是空化空蚀研究的重要领域，根据国外对空化监测与分析的最新研究成果和背景噪声的处理手段。介绍了空化监测与分析的新方法，肉加速度计与声压计测得的空化信号时域图，功率谱图和归一化谱图中，反映了出空化发生的特征，信号处理方法的意义。     

高原环境对拖拉机、农用运输车安全性能的影响及对策

着重从青藏高原的地理、气候、道路等环境特点,分析高原环境对拖拉机、农用运输车安全生产影响的因素,提出预防措施,以确保安全生产。     

Agricultural practice changes with cultivating genetically modified herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape

To facilitate weed suppression, oilseed rape or canola (Brassica napus) has been genetically modified (GM) over the last two decades to incorporate herbicide tolerance (HT). The introduction of oilseed rape in commercial agriculture raises concerns about potential adverse agronomic and environmental effects linked to both the genetic modification and altered agricultural practice. How will this new crop modify the existing cropping practice? What are the potential agro-environmental implications of its introduction? This paper analyses and schematises recorded and conceivable agricultural practice changes with GMHT oilseed rape introduction and its likely agro-environmental effects. It develops a conceptual systematics of influencing factors, subsequent practice changes and likely agro-environmental effects. The results can be used to design the mandatory monitoring of adverse GM crop effects.     

我国欠发达地区农业保险问题探究

我国农业保险在1982年恢复以来一直都处于低潮期,高风险、高赔付率在迫使农险业务逐步萎缩,本文分析了我国欠发达地区农业保险存在的问题,提出了相应的对策。     

强化农机培训,造就新"能民"

建设社会主义新农村,农民是主人、是主力军。新农村建设的宏伟目标能否实现,从根本上讲,取决于农民的思想观念和科技文化素质。强化对农民的培训,是提高农民综合素质的关键,也是全面推进社会主义新农村建设的需要;既是县级农机学校的发展出路,也是加快培养新农村建设人才的重要措施。     

基于PPC模型的农机选型与优序关系研究

将投影寻踪（PP）与实数编码的遗传算法（RAGA）相结合，应用到农业机械的选型与优序关系研究中，通过寻求各种机型评价指标的最佳投影方向，将高维数据转换成一维投影指标值，实现对机器样本的分类与排序，从而克服 以往二阶模糊综合评判法及灰色系统评价法中权重取值的人为因素，取得了良好的效果。     

基于VI技术的农用动平衡机测量系统

采用虚拟仪器（VI）技术设计了农用旋转机械动同测量系统，探讨了硬件和软件设计的核心技术，解决了现场可调和模块化设计、数据库管理及高速实时处理等综合问题，给出了农用碟片式胶乳分离机整机动平衡实验过程和结果。