Improved efficiency in the use of natural resources, pragmatic production systems and environmental sustainability, justified by the need for improved land use systems and increased productivity, are discussed in the context of Asian integrated systems, diversification, and issues of sustainability. The importance of these are reflected by serious inadequate animal protein production throughout...

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merril.) is an annual plant of Asian origin, adapted to temperate climates. This plant is a member of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Papilionoideae, tribe Phaseoleae, genus Glycine and subgenus Soja (Hymowitz, 2004). One of the most important agronomic characteristics of soybean is that it can take nitrogen from the air and fix it to be used as nutrient by the plant. The...

Cover crops are important components of a sustainable crop-production system in plantation crops such as cacao (theobroma cacao), coffee (Coffee arabica), oil palm (Elaeis Spp.), and banana (Musa Spp.). Optimal growth of cover crops in plantation agriculture is determined by adaptability of crop species, light intensity reaching their leaf canopies, and their nutrient-use efficiencies, includin...

This contribution reviews the possibility of using the by-products from biodiesel production as substrates for anaerobic digestion and production of biogas. The process of biodiesel production is predominantly carried out by catalyzed transesterification. Besides desired methylesters, this reaction provides also few other products, including crude glycerol, oil-pressed cakes, and washing water....

Many scholars in China have done a lot of research on regionalization of agricultural resources in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, but there is no quantitative research on agriculture of the whole plain. By using qualitative and quantitative analysis based on the basic data collected over 300 counties in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, considering such indicators as the natural resources of the plains and ...

BACKGROUND Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the most abundant form of storage oil in plants. They consist of three fatty acid chains (usually C16 or C18) covalently linked to glycerol. SDP1 is a specific lipase for the first step of TAG catabolism in Arabidopsis seeds. Arabidopsis mutants deficient in SDP1 accumulate high levels of oils, probably due to blockage in TAG degradation. We applied this k...

Vegetable oils (VO) are possible substitutes for fish oil in aquafeeds but their use is limited by their lack of omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). However, oilseed crops can be modified to produce n-3 LC-PUFA such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, representing a potential option to fill the gap between supply and demand of these important n...

In recent years the macadamia [Macadanmia ternifolia F. von Mueller, var. integrifolia (Maiden and Betche) Maiden] has assumed increasing commercial importance in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station has placed emphasis on establishing varieties and developinig improved cultural practices, and toward the latter end it has becoine desirable to secure knowledge concern...

Cropping systems in farmland areas of Iran are characterized by continuous cultivation of crops with consumption of chemical fertilizers leading to serious soil erosion and fertility decline. Information regarding the simultaneous evaluation of crop rotation and fertilization on the canola traits is not available. Therefore, an experiment was conducted during 2007 2010. Experimental designs wer...