Hybrid poplars have demonstrated high productivity as short rotation woody crops (SRWC) in the Midwest USA, and the hybrid aspen ―Crandon‖ (Populus alba L. × P. grandidenta Michx.) has exhibited particularly promising yields on marginal lands. However, a key obstacle for wider deployment is the lack of economic returns early in the rotation. Alleycropping has the potential to address this issue...

Oilseed crops are sources of oils and seed meal having a multitude of uses. While the domestication of soybean and rapeseed took extended periods of time, new genome-based techniques have ushered in an era where crop domestication can occur rapidly. One attractive target for rapid domestication is the winter annual plant Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.; pennycress; Brassicaceae). Pennycres...

BACKGROUND Temperate fruit and nut trees require adequate winter chill to produce economically viable yields. Global warming has the potential to reduce available winter chill and greatly impact crop yields. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We estimated winter chill for two past (1975 and 2000) and 18 future scenarios (mid and end 21st century; 3 Global Climate Models [GCMs]; 3 greenhouse gas e...

Recently, environmental quality issues related to sulfur (S) have made it necessary to reduce its release into the atmosphere in wet or dry forms, which in turn might influence the S requirement of crops. It is anticipated that by 2020, S deposition will decrease by up to 30% in eastern portions of Oklahoma and by 15% throughout the remainder of the state. This change calls for frequent monitor...

Contemporary crop production faces dual challenges of increasing crop yield while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emission. An integrated evaluation of the mitigation potential of yield-scaled nitrous oxide (N2O) emission by adjusting cropping practices can benefit the innovation of climate smart cropping. This study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of cropping systems and ...

Abstract Earwigs have been observed as an irregular pest of increasing concern to farmers growing canola and other winter grain crops in Australia over the past decade. In this study, we tested how abiotic biotic factors influence feeding behaviour earwigs. Studies were conducted with two Australian native species, Labidura truncata Nala lividipes , introduced European earwig, Forficula auricul...

We examine the impact of current and future climate on crop mixes over space in the US. We find using historical data that temperature and precipitation are among the causal factors for shits in crop production location and mixes, with some crops being more sensitive than others. In particular, we find that when temperature rises, cotton, rice, sorghum and winter wheat are more likely to be cho...