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.     

改进熵权法在作物区域试验中的应用分析——以小麦为例

作物区域试验的目的就是要鉴定作物新品种（系）的生产潜力、稳产性及区域适应性,田间调查和室内考种的项目繁多,但试验结果往往是对参试品系产量进行排名,其他性状进行描述,缺乏一种能代表品系综合性状表现的总成绩。本研究把熵权法引入小麦区域试验,建立了小麦综合表现的评价指标体系,包括目标层,准则层和指标层,其中目标层为参试材料综合性状表现,准则层包括田间记载性状、籽粒性状和产量性状,指标层有16个指标构成。通过计算各指标权重值和转化值,进而计算出各指标的分数值,分数值代表了一个品系在区域试验中的综合表现,可用于参试品种（系）间的比较。研究结果表明熵权法引入小麦区域试验,对参试品种（系）的评价是客观的。     

中国河西走廊东灰山和西灰山作物遗存研究

河西走廊是古代中原文化和西域文化的交叉地带,也是古丝绸之路的重要通道。为了给研究东西方物质和文化交流在中国农业发展史上的作用提供实物证据,对甘肃民乐东灰山和西灰山现有材料采用遗址剖面土壤样本浮选、分拣、鉴定和理化分析方法,以现代作物种子为对照,确定遗址炭化作物籽粒的种类、性状差异及年纪。结果显示,东灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、大麦、谷子(粟)、糜子(黍、稷)、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦籽粒,以及胡桃壳、枣核等;西灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、谷子、糜子和大麦籽粒;两个遗址的作物种植结构基本一致。东灰山和西灰山发现的作物以小麦最为古老,距今在3 800~3 600年之间,西灰山小麦种植历史稍早于东灰山。在新石器晚期至青铜器时代,河西走廊的粮食生产已有比较合理的作物种类结构,包括小麦、大麦、谷子、糜子、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦等。炭化小麦籽粒较小,且大小不均匀,说明人工选育程度低。如对东灰山和西灰山作物和植物遗存开展系统性发掘,可能还会有更多新发现或新认知。     

旱作覆膜玉米生长和水分利用对气候变化的响应

基于3 a连续冬小麦-夏玉米覆膜轮作试验校准和验证AquaCrop模型的适用性,模拟研究了气候变化对夏玉米生长、产量和水分利用的影响,分析了覆膜措施对气候变化的应对效果。结果表明:关中地区(以武功、宝鸡和西安地区为例)年平均温度呈逐年递增趋势,温度增加幅度由高到低依次为宝鸡、西安和武功,增温速率分别为0.20、0.12℃·10a~(-1)和0.09℃·10a~(-1);降雨量呈逐年递减趋势,减少幅度大小依次为西安、宝鸡和武功,减小量分别为3.59、3.23 mm·10a~(-1)和2.64 mm·10a~(-1)。AquaCrop模型在关中地区表现出了良好的适用性,可以较好地模拟连续覆膜条件下作物的产量指标、水分利用和生长的动态变化,冠层覆盖度模拟值和实测值之间的均方根误差(RMSE)介于1.1%～15.3%,生物量模拟值和实测值之间的RMSE介于0.626～2.540 t·hm~(-2),土壤贮水量模拟值和实测值之间的RMSE介于12.6～47.4 mm。模拟研究表明,上世纪60年代以来,随着气温不断升高,武功、宝鸡和西安地区的夏玉米生育期均呈逐年缩短趋势,特别是1980s以来,减少幅度达2.76、4.82 d·10a~(-1)和5.94 d·10a~(-1);在不同的降水年型下,覆膜处理产量均高于裸地处理,且其变异系数较小;在干旱气候条件下,覆膜处理依然可以获得一定的籽粒产量,与裸地处理相比,覆膜处理表现出了较好的稳产效应。同时,覆膜处理有效减少了玉米苗期土壤表层蒸发(平均减少7.6 mm),从而在土壤中保蓄更多的降雨;覆膜处理虽然增加了土壤耗水量,但其通过保蓄土壤水分,稳定作物产量,有效提高了玉米的水分利用效率。因此,关中地区旱作覆膜可以有效适应当地气候变化,在一定程度上应对干旱气候,具有较好的增产稳产效应。     

大豆作为前作植物对油菜根肿病发生的影响

为了解前作大豆对后茬油菜根肿病的影响,采用大田轮作试验和实时荧光定量PCR检测法,研究大豆、白菜、油菜分别作为前作,调查后茬油菜根肿病的发生和土壤中休眠孢子含量,比较分析了不同前作的根系分泌物对休眠孢子萌发的影响,结果表明前作大豆,后茬油菜根肿病的发病率和病情指数分别为34.00%和19.26、土壤休眠孢子含量为1.45×106个/克土壤,显著低于前作为油菜、白菜和撂荒对照的相应量。大豆、油菜和白菜根系分泌物均可刺激根肿菌休眠孢子萌发。与根肿菌休眠孢子共培6 d后,大豆根系分泌物培养的休眠孢子萌发率为29.82%,显著高于白菜（15.52%）、油菜根系分泌物（14.83%）和营养液（6.48%）培养下的萌发率。据此推测,前作种植大豆,后茬油菜根肿病发生和危害减轻,原因应与大豆根系分泌物刺激根肿菌休眠孢子萌发,产生的游动孢子因缺少寄主植物而死亡,导致诱发病害的初侵染源（土壤中休眠孢子含量）减少有关。     

中国作物分子育种现状与展望

分子育种是现代农业发展应用推广最迅速的育种新技术,对作物遗传改良产生了深远的影响。国际农作物育种已经进入分子育种时代,以DNA重组技术和基因组编辑技术等为代表的现代生物技术已成为世界上作物遗传改良的重要手段。本综述简要介绍了国际分子育种发展趋势,并对中国作物分子育种现状和国家相关政策导向、集成创新、科研管理体制、生物种业发展和人才现状等方面进行了分析,以期为中国农业和科技管理部门、生物技术工作者、育种家和种子企业提供参考。     

池养脊尾白虾的繁殖、生长及其最大持续轮捕量的初步探讨

池养脊尾白虾经过３个月生长可达性成熟，抱卵亲虾占总虾数比例为３．８４％－１６．７１％，相对抱卵量平均值为５１２．７２粒／克体重。本试验中池养脊尾白虾的体长、体重与月龄关系可用ｖｏｎ Ｂｅｒｔａｌａｎｆｆｙ生长方程描述。在目前的轮捕条件下，３月龄的个体可供渔具选择，年总死亡率φ＝０．６２７０，轮捕死亡率Ｅ＝０．２７４４，自然死亡率Ｄ＝０．３５２６。若把首次轮捕月龄从３月龄提高到４月龄，轮捕强度控制在     

Application of crop growth simulation and mathematical modeling to supply chain management in the Thai sugar industry

The poorly integrated cane supply planning between mills and cane growers in the Northeast of Thailand generates an excess of cane supplies that exceeds the mills’ capacity during the peak of harvest season. Each grower individually determines his/her cultivation plan by selecting planting dates and cultivars based on one’s own preference without taking into account the individual mill’s capacity and other growers’ plans. This situation causes most sugarcane grown in this area to reach its mature stage at the same period. In this study, we propose a framework of cultivation planning to cope with the problem. The focus of the cultivation plan is a long-term plan to determine the cultivation time, the cultivar selection and the corresponding prospective harvesting time window for each field such that overall sugar production is optimized.The crop growth model and a mathematical model are employed for yield simulation and optimization task. The crop growth model enables decision-makers to visualize cane production of each individual field at different dates with different cultivars and allow decision-makers to apply the mathematical programming to cultivation planning. The suggested framework has the potential to increase sugar production by 23% when compared to the traditional method.     

Integrated effect of transplanting date, cultivar and irrigation on yield, water saving and water productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Indian Punjab: Field and simulation study

Individual effect of different field scale management interventions for water saving in rice viz. changing date of transplanting, cultivar and irrigation schedule on yield, water saving and water productivity is well documented in the literature. However, little is known about their integrated effect. To study that, field experimentation and modeling approach was used. Field experiments were conducted for 2 years (2006 and 2007) at Punjab Agricultural University Farm, Ludhiana on a deep alluvial loamy sand Typic Ustipsamment soils developed under hyper-thermic regime. Treatments included three dates of transplanting (25 May, 10 June and 25 June), two cultivars (PR 118 inbred and RH 257 hybrid) and two irrigation schedules (2-days drainage period and at soil water suction of 16 kPa). The model used was CropSyst, which has already been calibrated for growth (periodic biomass and LAI) of rice and soil water content in two independent experiments. The main findings of the field and simulation studies conducted are compared to any individual, integrated management of transplanting date, cultivar and irrigation, sustained yield (6.3-7.5 t ha⁻¹) and saved substantial amount of water in rice. For example, with two management interventions, i.e. shifting of transplanting date to lower evaporative demand (from 5 May to 25 June) concomitant with growing of short duration hybrid variety (90 days from transplanting to harvest), the total real water saving (wet saving) through reduction in evapotranspiration (ET) was 140 mm, which was almost double than managing the single, i.e. 66 mm by shifting transplanting or 71 mm by growing short duration hybrid variety. Shifting the transplanting date saved water through reduction in soil water evaporation component while growing of short duration variety through reduction in both evaporation and transpiration components of water balance. Managing irrigation water schedule based on soil water suction of 16 kPa at 15-20 cm soil depth, compared to 2-day drainage, did not save water in real (wet saving), however, it resulted into apparent water saving (dry saving). The real crop water productivity (marketable yield/ET) was more by 17% in 25th June transplanted rice than 25th May, 23% in short duration variety than long and 2% in irrigation treatment of 16 kPa soil water suction than 2-days drainage. The corresponding values for the apparent crop water productivity (marketable yield/irrigation water applied) were 16, 20 and 50%, respectively. Pooled experimental data of 2 years showed that with managing irrigation scheduling based on soil water suction of 16 kPa at 15-20 cm soil depth, though 700 mm irrigation water was saved but the associated yield was reduced by 277 kg ha⁻¹.     

Response of Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Tempranillo’ to partial rootzone drying in the field: Water relations, growth, yield and fruit and wine quality

This paper reports the effects of irrigation amount and partial rootzone drying (PRD) on water relations, growth, yield and wine quality of Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Tempranillo’ during two consecutive years in a commercial vineyard with a deep, light-clay soil located in Requena, Valencia, Spain. Partial rootzone drying applied at two amounts (100% and 50% of the estimated crop evapotranspiration), was compared to conventional drip irrigation, and also to rainfed vines. Results showed that the effects of irrigation amount on yield and wine quality were different between years. In 2003 with low yield values (around 6.3 t ha⁻¹) irrigation did neither affect grape production nor wine quality. However, in the following year, with much higher general yield (17 t ha⁻¹), the high irrigation dose increased yield by 30% compared to rainfed vines and it also increased must total soluble solids and wine alcohol content. In both seasons, PRD did not significantly affect physiological parameters, nor growth, yield or fruit and wine quality, when compared to the same amount of water applied by conventional drip irrigation. Overall these results suggest that, under our experimental conditions, it was the irrigation amount rather than the system of application what affected vine performance, indicating the difficulties of successfully employing the PRD type of irrigation with a drip system in heavy and deep soils.