Greater precipitation use efficiency (PUE) and economic returns by increasing cropping frequency through the addition of summer crops to the dryland winter wheat-fallow (WF) cropping system have been reported in the semiarid Central Great Plains of USA. However, due to the highly variable nature of precipitation and uncertain water availability, selection of a crop with assured positive net ret...

Wang Shengfeng,Xu Jianxin,Yang Shuqin,Jia ping (North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhenzhou, P. R. China) Email:[email protected] Abstract:Winter wheat and summer maize were important grain crops in China,and winter wheat-summer maize continuous cropping was the main tillage method in north China.According to field experiment datas, Jensen models of winter wheat and...

Combinations of winter and fall cover crops were evalu­ ated for the management of plant-parasitic nematodes. The winter cover crops examined were rye (Secale cereale) and narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) and the fall cover crops were soybean (Glycine max), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), sorghum-sudangrass (Sor­ ghum bicolor x S. sudanense), sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea), and corn (Zea m...

The winter wheat/summer fallow rotation is the most common cropping system in eastern Oregon. It is used to store winter precipitation and control weeds. This cropping system, however, destroys soil organic carbon, reduces water infiltration and thus leads to soil erosion, and is not sustainable. Conservation tillage, annual cropping, and the introduction of alternative crops are ways to improv...

The yield of rainfed crops is commonly limited by the availability of soil water during the summer growing season. Channels produced by cover crop roots in fall/winter when soils are relatively moist may facilitate the penetration of compacted soils by subsequent crop roots in summer when soils are relatively dry and hard. Our objective was to determine the effects of fall cover crops on maize ...

One of the objectives of conservation agriculture to reduce soil erosion in olive orchards is to protect the soil with cover crops between rows. Andalusian and European administrations have developed regulations to subsidise the establishment of cover crops between rows in olive orchards. Current methods to follow-up the cover crops systems by administrations consist of sampling and on ground v...

Drought is a complex and highly destructive natural phenomenon that affects portions of the United States almost every year, and severe water deficiencies can often become catastrophic for agricultural production. Evapotranspiration (ET) by crops is an important component in the agricultural water budget; thus, it is advantageous to include ET in agricultural drought monitoring. The main object...

Large unheated greenhouse areas are located in the coastal lands of the Mediterranean Basin, based on low-cost structures covered with plastic. Water is a scarce resource in these areas and therefore it is necessary to optimise irrigation practice by applying the crop water needs, thus avoiding waste. This work was undertaken to determine the water requirements of four major horticultural crops...