An entropy approach to spatial disaggregation of agricultural production

While agricultural production statistics are reported on a geopolitical – often national – basis we often need to know the status of production or productivity within specific sub-regions, watersheds, or agroecological zones. Such re-aggregations are typically made using expert judgments or simple area-weighting rules. We describe a new, entropy-based approach to making spatially disaggregated assessments of the distribution of crop production. Using this approach, tabular crop production statistics are blended judiciously with an array of other secondary data to assess the production of specific crops within individual ‘pixels’ – typically 25–100 square kilometers in size. The information utilized includes crop production statistics, farming system characteristics, satellite-derived land cover data, biophysical crop suitability assessments, and population density. An application is presented in which Brazilian state level production statistics are used to generate pixel level crop production data for eight crops. To validate the spatial allocation we aggregated the pixel estimates to obtain synthetic estimates of municipality level production in Brazil, and compared those estimates with actual municipality statistics. The approach produced extremely promising results. We then examined the robustness of these results compared to short-cut approaches to allocating crop production statistics and showed that, while computationally intensive, the cross-entropy method does provide more reliable estimates of crop production patterns.     

超高压技术在粮食产品加工中的应用

超高压技术是一种非热加工技术,因具有杀菌、保持食品原有营养成分、护色等特点,在食品行业的应用已越来越广泛。目前,超高压技术在粮食产品加工方面的应用发展较快,随着对该技术研究的不断深入,其在粮食产品加工中所发挥的作用也越来越受关注。阐述了国内外超高压技术在粮食产品淀粉改性、蛋白质改性、成分提取、致敏性降低、贮藏(灭菌灭芽)等方面的研究进展,分析了各方面研究结果的意义、应用价值和前景,并对今后应重点关注的研究方向提出了建议。     

Effects of different soil conservation tillage approaches on soil nutrients,water use and wheat-maize yield in rainfed dry-land regions of North China

Excessive tillage compromises soil quality by causing severe water shortages that can lead to crop failure. Reports on the effects of conservation tillage on major soil nutrients, water use efficiency and gain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) in rainfed regions in the North China Plain are relatively scarce. In this work, four tillage approaches were tested from 2004 to 2012 in a randomized study performed in triplicate: one conventional tillage and three conservation tillage experiments with straw mulching (no tillage during wheat and maize seasons, subsoiling during the maize season but no tillage during the wheat season, and ridge planting during both wheat and maize seasons). Compared with conventional tillage, by 2012, eight years of conservation tillage treatments (no tillage, subsoiling and ridge planting) resulted in a significant increase in available phosphorus in topsoil (0–0.20 m), by 3.8%, 37.8% and 36.9%, respectively. Soil available potassium was also increased following conservation tillage, by 13.6%, 37.5% and 25.0%, and soil organic matter by 0.17%, 5.65% and 4.77%, while soil total nitrogen was altered by −2.33%, 4.21% and 1.74%, respectively. Meanwhile, all three conservation tillage approaches increased water use efficiency, by 19.1–28.4% (average 24.6%), 10.1–23.8% (average 15.9%) and 11.2–20.7% (average 15.7%) in wheat, maize and annual, respectively. Additionally, wheat yield was increased by 7.9–12.0% (average 10.3%), maize yield by 13.4–24.6% (average 17.4%) and rotation annual yield by 12.3–16.9% (average 14.1%). Overall, our findings demonstrate that subsoiling and ridge planting with straw mulching performed better than conventional tillage for enhancing major soil nutrients and improving grain yield and water use efficiency in rainfed regions in the North China Plain.     

Reflectance-based assessment of spider mite “bio-response” to maize leaves and plant potassium content in different irrigation regimes

It is widely accepted that pest infestations elicit a change in plant physiology, which cause detectable changes in crop leaf reflectance. In this study, we test the hypothesis that crop leaf reflectance may also be used to forecast the risk of pest infestation before they actually occur. We collected reflectance data in 160 spectral bands from 405 to 907 nm from excised leaf pieces from field grown maize plants under 3 irrigation regimes. Leaf material was collected at weekly intervals in two growing seasons. The same leaf pieces were used in choice bioassays with carmine spider mites to assess attractiveness to mites (spider mite “bio-response”) across irrigation regimes. In one growing season, we also obtained nutritional element data (lipid, protein, soluble sugar, starch, lignin, Ca, P, Mg, K, S, and Cl) from whole maize plants. Principal component analysis showed that potassium content (K) was highly negatively correlated with spider mite bio-response. Relative reflectance at 740 nm showed a highly significant and positive trend across spider mite bio-response classes, and that potassium content showed a highly significant and negative trend across the same classes. Thus, we argue that relative reflectance at 740 nm may be used to predict both potassium content and risk of spider mite infestation. Based on extensive reviews, potassium leaf content is known to reduce susceptibility of crops to pests. The results presented provide encouraging support for remotely sensed risk assessment of pest infestations through reflectance-based monitoring of maize leaf attractiveness and highlight that reflectance based monitoring of crop susceptibility may be possible through careful management of macro element crop properties, such as potassium content.     

A hundred and more years of plant protection in the Netherlands

At the occasion of the Centenary of the Netherlands Society of Plant Pathology a reflection on past, present and future of plant protection, the subject matter of the Society, was thought to be appropriate.Developments in plant protection are projected against a general stream of thought. Three turning points are distinguished which can be seen as paradigm changes. The first occurred around 1890, when the concept of pathogenitism gained its final victory over autogenitism. The second occurred around 1940, when the public outlook on human and plant health changed drastically due to the advent of chemotherapeutants. The third occurred around 1990 when a clear change in public thinking on agriculture, environment and plant protection became apparent. The background of these changes is sketched in a personal manner.Some ideas on plant protection beyond the year 2000 are given, based upon recent developments in the Netherlands to which the Society contributed in its own way.     

绿洲农业作物生态─—经济优势分析及布局调整

本文以临河市绿洲农业为例，通过建立高产效益、生物量、等价产量、稳产性能、增产性能、综合性能、产值、光能利用率、热生产效率的隶属函数关系，用Ｆｕｚｚｙ向量Ａ和Ｆｕｚｚｙ矩阵Ｒ根据Ｂ＝Ａ·Ｒ的关系，首次分析了临河市绿洲农业粮经作物的生态经济优势。由此确定调整农作物结构数学比例关系，并结合生产实际提出了粮经作物的调整方案，为绿洲农业建设的作物初级生产力调控提供理论依据。     

Differential effect of nematicide treatments on tuber yields in early- and late-maturing potato cultivars

A 3-year field study examined the effects of 1,3-dichloropropene or oxamyl on tuber yields in four early- and five late-maturing potato cultivars. The nematicide treatments increased total tuber yield by ≈ 12% for early-maturing cultivars, but by less than 2% for the late-maturing cultivars. The treatments reduced the numbers of root lesion nematodes (primarily Pratylenchus penetrans ), which were the dominant plant parasitic nematodes at the site. Covariance analysis indicated that treatment effects on total tuber yield were no longer significant after adjusting for root lesion nematodes in soil at harvest, confirming that these nematodes had a direct effect on the host. As expected, there were significant inverse relationships ( P  = 0·05) between total tuber yields and numbers of root lesion nematodes in soil and in roots. However, the application of nematicides in late-maturing cultivars was found to be of no practical value. Crop production systems designed to reduce or optimize pesticide applications can form one criterion in the development of more environmentally sensitive management strategies. The merit of utilizing chemicals for root lesion nematode control are considered with regard to cultivar maturity.     

Soil tillage for crop production and for protection of soil and environmental quality: a Scandinavian viewpoint

Based on experience from 35 years of tillage research in Sweden, future development of soil tillage is discussed and some research problems are identified. Tillage and seeding methods must be more carefully adapted to conditions at individual sites and occasions. Low-pressure typres, better weed control and improved seed coulters favour the increased use of reduced tillage. In order to diminish the impact of agriculture on the environment, it is necessary to develop methods for establishment of crops in the early spring or immediately after harvest, even in soils with large amounts of crop residues or high moisture content. The roles of tillage methods, and of soil compaction and structure on environmental impact of agriculture must be investigated. World food production must increase, since the world population is rapidly increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop improved crop production systems, including crop establishment systems, which favour efficient use of basic crop growth factors, while protecting or increasing soil productivity. Compaction, decreased organic matter content, and erosion are important long-term threats to soil productivity.     

积因子位次赋值数据求权重法在粮食生产潜力评价中的应用

提出了一种改进的积因子层次分析方法—积因子位次赋值数据求权重法,该方法采用算术平均数赋值代替专家打分,最大程度的避免了主观判断可能造成的决策失误。用该方法对影响黑龙江省粮食生产潜力的17个因素进行排序,结果与实际情况较吻合。