Developing fertilizer recommendations for rice in Sub-Saharan Africa,achievements and opportunities

Improving agricultural productivity to keep pace with the fast-growing food demand is a huge challenge for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Fertilizer is a powerful productivity-enhancing input; nevertheless, farmers of SSA use only 5–9 kg ha^?1 of fertilizer, which is ten times lesser than Latin America and Asia (50 and 80 kg ha^?1, respectively). Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important food crops of SSA, and its consumption is growing faster than any other commodity in Africa. Rice-based systems have high potential for improving food production through an efficient management of fertilizers. The biophysical environment, cropping systems and socio-economic status of farmers including market opportunities are the main factors for developing appropriate fertilizer recommendations. Many research efforts have been invested in different countries to develop fertilizer recommendation for rice. However, the diversity of rice ecologies, the type and the cost of fertilizers available on local market are the main constraints for development of blanket recommendations of fertilizer usually applied in many countries. Here, we make a reviews of the progress made on the development of fertilizer recommendations for rice-based systems in SSA. The utilization of the new concepts and decisions support tools for development of fertilizer recommendation and the main achievements and weakness are discussed. The opportunities offered by the new concepts, modeling and decision support tools are discussed in a regional strategic approach for better management of fertilizers in the diversified ecologies of rice-based systems.     

Valuation of Rice Postharvest Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Mitigation Strategies

正Data on rice harvest and postharvest loss in Sub-Sahara Africa(SSA) is scanty making it difficult for stakeholders to appreciate the loss and set priority areas for loss reduction along the value chain. To address this problem, a protocol was developed and validated for postharvest loss(PHL) quantification in SSA. Quantitative losses at each segment were determined by field measurements.     

DIVECOSYS: Bringing together researchers to design ecologically-based pest management for small-scale farming systems in West Africa

Crop pests are a major constraint to the intensification of agricultural production in the tropics, with novel issues related to global change (climate, land use, biological invasions, etc.), food security and preservation of natural resources and biodiversity. A research, extension and education network called DIVECOSYS (Diversity of cropping systems and ecologically-based pest management in West Africa) was launched in 2010 to synergize applied research actions in response to growing concerns on the vulnerability of agricultural systems to pest management in West Africa. This scientific network brings together research and academic institutions, with expertise spanning a multidisciplinary perspective from biology and ecology to remote sensing, agronomy and integrated pest management. Its main scientific objective is to explore the potential of biodiversity and ecological processes such as pest regulation, enabling novel ecologically-based models for productive systems, reduction of pesticide use, and adaptation or resilience of farming systems in the face of environmental disruptions. From Northern Senegal to Southern Benin, the research group explores a wide range of ecoregions and socio-ecological contexts, including stakeholders and their objectives, land use and agricultural practices, and management of biodiversity for enhancing biological control. Main challenges to be turned into opportunities include (i) encouraging collaborations amongst researchers from different scientific fields, (ii) fostering interactive research and synergies among research institutions and among countries, and (iii) developing an ecological engineering approach for the design of sustainable agricultural systems for smallholder farmers.     

A participatory farming system approach for sustainable broomrape (Orobanche spp.) management in the Near East and North Africa

Broomrapes (Orobanche spp.) are aggressive and damaging parasitic weeds which have a tremendous impact on agriculture in East Africa, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Despite the availability of technologies to control broomrapes in economically important crops, Orobanche infestation continues to increase, threatening the livelihoods of millions of farmers. Many of the technologies developed have not been effectively disseminated and there has been little or zero adoption by farmers—who continue to use ineffective management practices that exacerbate the problem. The adaptation and dissemination of appropriate management practices are major priorities in broomrape control. However, such work must take into consideration the specific socio-economic characteristics of individual farming systems. Orobanche is a community threat and effective management requires a community-based integrated management approach. Recognizing the central role of farmers in parasitic weed management, a technical cooperation project (TCP) involving FAO, ICARDA and seven countries in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region was implemented to improve the dissemination of knowledge and skills by using a farmer field school approach: a form of education that uses experiential learning methods to build farmers’ expertise. This paper reviews conventional Orobanche research and development approaches, and highlights weaknesses in the management of the parasitic weed using these approaches as opposed to participatory approaches. The benefits and challenges of participatory farming system approaches in relation to integrated broomrape management (IBM) are also discussed. Lessons learned from achieving community ownership of, and institutional support for, IBM could be applied to other sectors (e.g. public health) in which there is a need for institutional learning and reform. Recommendations are made that include regional collaboration within the framework of a proposed Near East and North Africa Orobanche Management Network (NENAOMAN).     

A spatial aggregation index for effective fallow decision in paddy irrigation demand planning

As irrigation demands usually take the largest share of water supply, paddy fallow is considered as a drought relieving measure in some Asian paddy growing countries by transferring the water saved to the municipal and industrial sectors. But the relationship between fallow area and irrigation demand reduction is not necessarily linear, there may be more than dozens combinations of fallow farm that can meet the same amount of irrigation demand reduction requirement. The Joint Count Statistics (JCS), an index commonly used in spatial analysis to measure the spatial coherence among cells was modified as a spatial aggregation index for evaluating the irrigation demand reduction effectiveness from a spatial perspective. This Modified JCS is supposed to identify the degree of spatial aggregation by taking underlying irrigation network into considerations. The modified JCS was proved to be effective to identify better fallow pattern through a case study in Taiwan.     

The Young Age and Plant-Based Diet Hypothesis for Low SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Since the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), in December 2019, the...     

一个简便的适合于分析油菜中SSR位点的检测体系

介绍一个DNA用量少、灵敏度高、重复性好和快速简便的适合于分析油菜中SSR位点的检测体系，该体系对于其它作物的SSR标记分析也有一定的参考价值。     

On-farm irrigation development and management in lower Myanmar: factors for sustainable rice production and collective action

The case study is aimed at assessing impacts of on-farm level irrigation development and management on dry season rice production in the main irrigated rice production area of Myanmar. The study was carried out from 2003 to 2009 in the middle reaches of the Ngameoeyeik irrigation area of 28,000 ha. In addition to collecting information on water management and institutional arrangement of the study area, hydrologic and agronomic parameters were monitored during the study period. Results showed the effectiveness of on-farm level infrastructural development for increasing rice productivity owing to increased amount of water delivery, increased flexibility of water distribution, and improved drainage conditions. Besides, encouraging the involvement of farmers in design and implementation of the development led to improved farmer participation in the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. The outcomes of this study demonstrated the importance of balancing between infrastructural and institutional development in irrigation systems of Southeast Asia. Such infrastructural development should be in close association with institutional development and capacity building, and the interactions between those two aspects should be well understood.     

浅谈寒地水稻再高产的有效途径--二次移栽栽培技术

二次移栽是指比常规旱育稀植育苗提前 2 5天左右在室内火炕上育苗 ,待秧苗长至 2 .5～ 3叶时再移植到室外大棚内 ,当外界温度达到秧苗生长所需要的温度时 ,再将秧苗移栽到本田里的一种栽培技术。经试验研究 ,寒地采用该项技术每 hm2 可产稻谷1 0 0 0 0 kg,节约成本 50 %以上。一、增产原因一是提早育苗 2 0～ 2 5天 ,因此可选用生育期较长的优质高产品种 ,品种生育期越长 ,增产潜力越大 ;二是二次移栽以育壮苗为基础 ,加大株行距 ,减少穴基本苗数 ,单位面积基本苗数少 ,通风透光好 ,封垄晚 ,有效分蘖率高 ,绿叶寿命长 ,茎秆粗壮 ,抗病 ,抗倒…     

An integrated approach to controlling weeds in machine-transplanted lowland rice in Korea

An experiment was conducted to examine integrated weed-control techniques for machine-transplanted lowland rice in Korea. Six treatments combining tillage, water and herbicide regimes were compared in a single field trial in 1981. The dissimilarity coefficient (reflecting dissimilarity in botanical composition between two communities) based on weed species present was generally high when comparing herbicide-treated and untreated plots when assessed at the tillering stage of rice. At rice maturity, the highest dissimilarity value was shown between the minimum tillage plot (one rotavation and one harrowing) and the improved treatments which included other cultivations and herbicides. Broad-leaved weeds became dominant in the plots that did not receive any herbicide application whereas sedge weeds became dominant when herbicides were applied. The lowest weed number and weed weights throughout the whole season were recorded on the plot that received the herbicides butachlor and benthiocarb as part of the seedbed preparation with a subsequent application of piperophos/dimethametryn mixture 10 days after transplanting. The highest grain yield, 6·8 t/ha, was harvested from this plot. This was significantly higher than yields from the conventional weeding treatments of single applications of either butachlor (5·8 t/ha) 5 days after transplanting or piperophos/dimethametryn (4·4 t/ha) 10 days after transplanting.     

An Australian approach to IPM in cotton: integrating new technologies to minimise insecticide dependence

Insect pests represent a severe limitation for cotton production in many regions of the world. Key pests include several Heliothine moths, which are well adapted to exploit cropping systems associated with cotton and often evolve resistance to pesticides. While many components of IPM have been implemented, the main intervention for the management of key pests continues to be insecticides. This reliance on pesticides brings significant environmental liabilities of off-target drift, chemical residues and resistance. IPM must be founded on a thorough understanding of the ecology of pest and beneficial species and their interaction with the crop. The emerging era of insect resistant transgenic cottons offers real prospects to provide a foundation for more sustainable, economically acceptable IPM with the integration of a range of non-chemical tactics and much less reliance on pesticides.     

Modeling waterbird diversity in irrigation ponds of Taoyuan, Taiwan using an artificial neural network approach

The study develops an approach adopted by artificial neural networks (ANN) to model the relationship between pondscape and waterbird diversity. Study areas with thousands of irrigation ponds are unique geographic features from the original functions of irrigation converted to waterbird refuges. The model considers pond shape and size, neighboring farmlands, and constructed areas in calculating parameters pertaining to the interactive influences on avian diversity, among them the Shannon–Wiener diversity index. Results indicate that irrigation ponds adjacent to farmland benefited waterbird diversity. On the other hand, urban development leads to the reduction of pond numbers, which reduces waterbird diversity. By running the ANN model, the resulting index shows a good-fit prediction of bird diversity against pond size, shape, neighboring farmlands, and neighboring developed areas with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.72, in contrast to the results from a linear regression model (r < 0.28).     

Transferring water from irrigation to higher valued uses: a case study of the Zhanghe irrigation system in China

The Zhanghe irrigation system (ZIS) is located in the Yangtze River Basin approximately 200 km west of Wuhan in Hubei Province. The reservoir was designed for multiple uses—irrigation, flood control, domestic water supply, industrial use, aquaculture, and hydropower. Over a period of more than 30 years a steadily increasing amount of water has been transferred from irrigation to other uses. Activities on the part of government, irrigation system managers, and farmers made this transfer possible with only modest decline in rice production. Most important factor was the steady increase in rice yields. The water pricing system provided an incentive for ZIS to reduce irrigation releases. With the steady decline in releases, farmers were forced to find ways to save water. Farmers improved existing ponds and built new ones to store water (improved infrastructure). Access to pond water on demand facilitated the adoption of alternate wetting and drying (technology) particularly in dry years. The establishment of volumetric pricing (price policy) and water user associations (institutions) may also have provided incentives for adoption of AWD, but more research is needed to establish their impact. These activities taken together can be seen as potentially complementary measures. Farmers received no direct compensation for the transfer of water, but recently farm taxes have been reduced or altogether abolished. Further reduction in water releases from the ZIS reservoir could adversely affect rice production in normal or dry years.     

棉花南繁滴灌栽培技术

针对海南特殊的气候．充分利用当地的光热资源。系统分析总结了南繁工作中适合棉花生长发育规律的漓灌栽培技术。     

An approach to field screening potato genotypes for potato leaf roll virus resistance

Eight potato cultivars and two advanced breeder selections were assessed for field resistance to the potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) following field exposures in which PLRV-infected Russet Burbank plants were used as inoculum sources within treatments. This screening protocol provided consistent PLRV resistance ratings despite year-to-year variation in PLRV pressure. Secondary disease incidence based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of foliage from tuber progeny ranged from 0–87% in 1990 and 0–67% in 1991, and was consistent with reported PLRV resistance ratings for eight of ten genotypes. Agreement between visual assessment and ELISA on plants from harvested tubers was 94% in 1990 and 83% in 1991, for all genotypes. However, agreement data were inconsistent from year-to-year, with the exception of three genotypes. In both years, current season infection, based on ELISA of foliage, was detected in less than two percent of the plants and, was inadequate as a measure of secondary PLRV incidence. Green peach aphid (GPA) populations did not differ among genotypes at sampling times during the season, but the PLRV concentration in GPA colonizing Russet Burbank plots was significantly higher than in GPA colonizing any other genotype.     

Variability and estimating in fruiting of shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn) associated to climatic conditions in West Africa: implications for sustainable management and development

ABSTRACT

Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is one of the main native oil plants with high economic value in Africa. Its fruits are used for food, medicinal, cultural and exportation purposes. However, the lack of efficient tools to assess annual fruit production of the species limits the sustainable management of its resources. Therefore, production statistics are useful to organize the activities of the shea sector. This study aimed to (i) assess the interannual variation in fruit production along a climatic gradient in Burkina Faso, (ii) examine fruit production patterns according to climatic zones and tree size, (iii) assess the contribution of high-yielding trees in the annual potential production and (iv) develop allometric equations for estimating fruit yields of the species. The yield of 212 trees distributed across three climatic zones was monitored over four successive years. Within each climatic zone, fruit production was significantly different among years. Fruit production was positively and significantly correlated with tree size. The interannual variation in fruit production at tree individual level was higher in drier climatic conditions. The mean interindividual synchrony was less than 50% in each zone, suggesting a large range in fruit production patterns of the species. Annually, more than 55% of the total fruit production was supported by high-yielding trees. The best regression models for estimating fruit yields had R ² values of 69–73% with prediction errors ranging from ?7% to 4%. Our findings are useful tools for the planning of rational exploitation of shea tree’s resources and its sustainable management.     

Crop response to biochar under differing irrigation levels in the southeastern USA

Application of biochar to soils is hypothesized to increase crop yield. Crop productivity impacts of biochar application in southeastern cropping systems consisting of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) produced under varying rates of irrigation have not been addressed. This research incorporated biochar at two different rates into a long-term irrigation and cropping systems study to compare yield and quality response of peanut, corn, and cotton. Biochar was incorporated into soil once at the beginning of the 4-year project at rates of 22.4 and 44.8 Mg ha^?1. Peanut, corn, and cotton were produced under three sprinkler irrigation levels (100%, 66%, and 33%), shallow surface drip irrigation (100%), and a nonirrigated control. Crop input management followed best management practices. Sprinkler irrigation was scheduled by Irrigator Pro for Peanuts, Corn, and Cotton at the 100% level and the 66% and 33% levels were applied at the same time as the 100% level. Significant year, irrigation, and year × irrigation effects for corn, cotton, and peanut yield resulted (p < 0.001). No differences resulted for biochar in corn (p = 0.930) or cotton (p = 0.678). Peanut yield showed a significant response to biochar comparing the 44.8 Mg ha^?1 rate to the untreated control in nonirrigated production at the p = 0.05 level and in the 33% irrigated treatment at the p = 0.10 level. No negative effects resulted from biochar opening opportunities for biochar application in southeastern U.S. cropping systems for purposes related to carbon sequestration without compromising productivity of producers and related agricultural sectors.     

Closing the cassava yield gap: An analysis from smallholder farms in East Africa

Cassava yields in Africa are small and it remains unclear which factors most limit yields. Using a series of farm surveys and on-farm and on-station trials in Uganda and western Kenya, we evaluated the importance of abiotic, biotic and associated crop management constraints for cassava production in a range of socio-economic settings as found in smallholder farms in the region. Average yields under farmer management were 8.6 t ha⁻¹, but these were more than doubled to 20.8 t ha⁻¹ by using improved crop establishment, improved genotypes and 100–22–83 kg ha⁻¹ of single-nutrient N–P–K fertilizers. A farm survey revealed large yield differences between farms. Less endowed farmers harvested less cassava per unit area than better endowed farmers (difference of 5.9 and 9.7 t ha⁻¹ in Kenya and Uganda, respectively); differences were associated with less access to labour, poorer soils, and premature harvesting by less endowed farmers. Analysis of 99 on-farm and 6 on-station trials showed that constraints for cassava production varied strongly between sites and years. Poor soil fertility, early water stress and sub-optimal weed management limited cassava production by 6.7, 5.4 and 5.0 t ha⁻¹, respectively, when improved crop establishment and genotypes were used. Pests and diseases were relatively unimportant, while weed management was particularly important in farmer fields during a dry year in Kenya (yield gap of 11.6 t ha⁻¹). The use of complementary analytical tools such as multiple regression and boundary line analysis revealed that many fields were affected by multiple and interacting production constraints. These should be addressed simultaneously if significant productivity improvements are to be achieved. This will be more difficult for less endowed than for better endowed farm households, since the former lack social and financial capital to improve management.