Current plant phenotyping technologies to characterize agriculturally relevant traits have been primarily developed for use in laboratory and/or greenhouse conditions. In the case of root architectural traits, this limits phenotyping efforts, largely, to young plants grown in specialized containers and growth media. Hence, novel approaches are required to characterize mature root systems of old...

Tree diversity in forests is an important driver of ecological processes including herbivory. Empirical evidence suggests both negative and positive effects of tree diversity on herbivory, which can be, respectively, attributed to associational resistance or associational susceptibility. Tree diversity experiments allow testing for associational effects, but evidence regarding which pattern pre...

Winter wheat is one kind of important crop in China. It’s planting area is one key element to explain yield change. To obtain winter wheat planting area as soon as possible can provide scientific reference for our country’s making related policy. Basing on the cropping system in Shandong province, winter wheat is divided into two kinds “winter wheat sowed by machine-maize” and “people broadcast...

Five soybean cultivars, one each from Maturity Groups (MG) III, IV, V, VI, and VII, all susceptible to Heterodera glycines, were planted in H. glycines-infested soil in April, May, June, and July at multiple locations in Arkansas and Missouri. The purpose of the study was to determine whether planting early reduces yield losses due to H. glycines. The population levels of cysts, eggs, and secon...

This paper demonstrates the potential of using Web search volumes for generating crop specific planting and harvesting dates in the USA integrating climatic, social and technological factors affecting crop calendars. Using Google Insights for Search, clear peaks in volume occur at times of planting and harvest at the national level, which were used to derive corn specific planting and harvestin...

Current plant phenotyping technologies to characterize agriculturally relevant traits have been primarily developed for use in laboratory and/or greenhouse conditions. In the case of root architectural traits, this limits phenotyping efforts, largely, to young plants grown in specialized containers and growth media. Hence, novel approaches are required to characterize mature root systems of old...

Indonesia is the third largest cocoa-producing country in the world. Knowledge of genetic diversity and parentage of farmer selections is important for effective selection and rational deployment of superior cacao clones in farmers' fields. We assessed genetic diversity and parentage of 53 farmer selections of cacao in Sulawesi, Indonesia, using 152 international clones as references. Cluster a...

Pre-Columbian farmers cultivated several species of agave in central Arizona from ca. A.D. 600-1350. Because of the longevity and primarily asexual reproduction of these species, relict agave clones remain in the landscape and provide insights into pre-Columbian agricultural practices. We analyzed variation in allozyme allele frequencies to infer genetic effects of prehistoric cultivation on Ag...

Two schools of thought exist regarding the planting of bare-root seedlings. One school favors the “pull-up” m e t h o d w h e r e t h e s e e d l i n g i s p u l l e d u p 3 t o 1 0 c m a f t e r p l a c i n g t h e r o o t s i n t h e p l a n t i n g h o l e . A l t h o u g h t h i s a c t i o n p u r p o r t e d l y s t r a i g h t e n s t h e taproot, d a t a a r e l a c k i n g t o s h o w ...

Several species of the predatory mite family Phytoseiidae are of major economic importance for biological pest control in crops, including grapevines. Plant diversification in agrosystems is reported to enhance useful biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. Thus, agroforestry, which consists in co-planting trees and crops, is assumed to be a possible way to ensure regulation of pest outbre...