Delayed harvest can improve the quality of miscanthus biomass for combustion and enhance the long-term sustainability of the crop, despite accompanying yield losses. The aim of this study is to identify the optimal harvesting time, which can deliver improved biomass quality for combustion of novel miscanthus genotypes at various sites across Europe, without high yield losses and without comprom...

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the ratio between N outputs in products over N inputs, is often used to evaluate N use outcomes of an agricultural system and/or the risk of environmental N losses. In this paper we address the question what NUE goals are realistic for dairy production systems. We use the following definitions of NUE: Crop NUE, defined as the percentage of the total N inputs taken...

The reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis, has become a serious threat to cotton and soybean production in Arkansas and the mid-South. Yield losses caused by this nematode in the field range as high as 50%. In the absence of resistant cultivars, nematicides, and crop rotation are the available methods for controlling this nematode (Robbins et al., 1994). Limited information is available o...

Crop rotation is one of the oldest and most important approaches to the con­ trol of nematodes that feed on the roots of annual crop plants. The value of rotations often was recognized long before their effects upon the dynamics of nematode populations and communities were considered. As specific nema­ tode problems were identified and their economic importance demonstrated, attention usually w...

Remote sensing-derived wheat crop yield-climate models were developed to highlight the impact of temperature variation during thermo-sensitive periods (anthesis and grain-filling; TSP) of wheat crop development. Specific questions addressed are: can the impact of temperature variation occurring during the TSP on wheat crop yield be detected using remote sensing data and what is the impact? Do c...

that causes blast disease. First seen in Brazil, wheat blast last year caused devastating crop losses in Bangladesh. Inoue et al. tracked down the shifting genetics that have allowed the emergence of this potentially global threat to wheat crops (see the Perspective by Maekawa and Schulze-Lefert). Wheat varieties with a disabled resistance gene were susceptible to pathogen strains that affected...

The results of these studies showed that mechanical loader and combine harvester performance varied considerably depending on the type of machine, cane yield, and crop and field conditions. Instantaneous loading rates and mechanical harvesting pour rates varied between 60 and 100 tons per hour. Infield cane losses were significantly lower where the cane was manually cut and mechanically loaded ...

Fusarium graminearum is among the main causal agents of Fusarium head blight (FHB), or scab, of wheat and other cereals, caused by a complex of Fusarium species, worldwide. Besides causing economic losses in terms of crop yield and quality, F. graminearum poses a severe threat to animal and human health. Here, we present the first draft whole-genome sequence of the mycotoxigenic Fusarium gramin...

Russian Wheat Aphid Barley Yellow Dwarf Wheat Streak Mosaic Planting winter wheat as early as possible, particularly under dryland conditions, can increase yields by 10 percent or more, but also increases the risk for several serious pest problems that can cause major yield losses. Early planting can create a situation called a green bridge where pests and disease move from maturing cereals or ...

Journal of Plant Registrations, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2009 51 W heat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is one of the most common, and devastating, diseases impacting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the western Great Plains of North America. Annual production losses of 5% have been estimated, although severe local WSMV infection can result in complete crop failure (French and Stenger, Regis...