Predicting the hydrologic consequences of biomass cropping systems requires an understanding of how different crops and management practices affect soil hydraulic properties across space and time. To inform such predictions, I investigated the impacts of five biomass cropping systems on the hydraulic properties of soils across a landscape gradient in wet, dry, and average rainfall years. I used...

Crop production is threatened by the increased nitrogen (N) input and declining N use efficiency (NUE). Information on total N input from planted seeds/tubers, atmospheric deposition, irrigation water, crop residues, animal manure, biological N fixation, and synthetic N fertilizer and NUE based on these N inputs in China’s crop production is limited. We calculated the amount of various N inputs...

This publication is written for those looking for a way out of the high risk, long hours, low pay, poor prices, and dim future associated with conventional cash crop production. There are viable alternatives to continuing in the cash crop business for those who can adjust their thinking. Finding alternatives to commodity crop production is the focus of this publication. Certain principles provi...

Reducing tillage intensity offers the possibility of moving towards sustainable intensification objectives. Reduced tillage (RT) practices, where the plough is not used, can provide a number of environmental and financial benefits, particularly for soil erosion control. Based on 2010 harvest year data from the nationally stratified Farm Business Survey and drawing on a sub-sample of 249 English...

Poultry litter usage in horticultural crop production is a contributor to nuisance fly populations, in particular stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans L.) and house flies (Musca domestica L.). Extrapolation of adult emergence data suggests that approximately 1.5 million house flies and 0.2 million stable flies are emerging on average from every hectare of poultry litter applied as a preplant ferti...

This study was designed to measure technical efficiency and identify its determinants in crop production in Lafia Local government Area of Nasarawa State of Nigeria using a stochastic frontier production model. Double stage random sampling technique was used to select 100 crop farmers from which input-output data were collected based on 2005 cropping season. The results revealed that sixty five...

The conventional method of compiling statistics on Crop Estimation is done by the Government Ministry to make ground surveys, during which selected farmers or village officials are interviewed regarding their crops. By comparison with the results of previous years, this information is then extrapolated to generate data and predictions on a regional basis. This means that these traditional surve...

decreasing water resources has made optimum water allocation in agriculture essential. planning optimum irrigation and crop production function considering accessible water and growing stage is an efficient approach to increase water productivity. studies have applied this approach to maximize crop production using the fao crop production method introduced in 1979. however, the fao introduced a...