Experimental Agriculture最新文献

{"title":"High plant density increases sunlight interception and yield of direct-seeded winter canola in China","authors":"Rui Wang, Wei-Xiong Wu, Xiao Cheng, Wenli Peng","doi":"10.1017/S0014479722000564","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000564","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Rationally higher population density is crucial for seeking a balance that meets lodging resistance and maximizes seed yield in mechanized direct-seeded winter canola. In this study, a split-plot experiment with two cultivars (Huayouza9 and Zhongshuang11) and eleven planting densities (12–105 plants m-2) was conducted in a two-season field experiment to evaluate the high planting density in this cropping system and improve its production efficiency. Seed yield noticeably increased in planting density up to 80 plants m-2 in Zhongshuang11 (2187 kg hm-2) and 60 plants m-2 in Huayouza9 (2943 kg hm-2). The seed yield of Huayouza9 did not differ significantly from the local target seed yield. Higher plant density curtailed the luxurious vegetative growth of individual canola plants at the density of no less than 60–80 plants m-2, and high seed yield was derived from the increased ratio of main raceme and branch seed weight in winter canola. An increase in plant densities contributed to the reinforced sunlight interception at the pod-filling stage, providing a larger canopy photosynthetic area for the rapid growth of more canola pods at higher densities (60–105 plants m-2). Lodging resistance and breaking resistance decreased sharply with the plant density increasing from 12 to 60 plants m-2 while remaining almost steady as it further increased from 60 to 105 plants m-2 for Huayouza9 and Zhongshuang11. Hence, the population density of 60 plants m-2 reached a balance between lodging resistance and maximized seed yield in mechanized direct-seeded winter canola in China.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47673069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Controlled release urea increases soybean yield without compromising symbiotic nitrogen fixation","authors":"C. Pierozan Junior, J. L. Favarin, J. L. C. Baptistella, R. E. M. de Almeida, Silas Maciel de Oliveira, B. C. Lago, T. Tezotto","doi":"10.1017/S0014479722000540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000540","url":null,"abstract":"Summary In Brazil, high-yield soybean [Glycine Max (L). Merrill] – corn (Zea mays L.) double cropping system might be nitrogen (N)-limited and additional N fertilization can be beneficial. Early application of N in soybean reduces the symbiotic N fixation (SNF) efficiency and/or establishment. One alternative to avoid SNF impairment is to apply N between the beginning pod (R3) and seed-fill (R5) stages through the use of controlled release fertilizers. In this study, N was applied at 50 kg ha−1 as common urea (CU) or controlled release urea (CRU) with different lag periods until N release starts (30 days, 60 days, or 1:1 mix of both lag times) in a randomized complete blocks design with six treatments and four replicates under tropical and subtropical conditions. CU was applied after soybean emergence (VE) or at the beginning pod (R3), and CRU only at VE. Using urea labeled with 15N isotope, we analyzed the N source used by soybean (fertilizer, soil, or SNF) and SNF parameters. On average, CRU – 30 days, CRU – 1:1 mix (30 + 60 days) and CU applied at the R3 stage increased grain yield by 9.2% (354 kg ha−1) compared to the control. N derived from all fertilizer treatment were almost 35 kg N ha−1, a high N recovery efficiency of 68%. The SNF was not impaired by CU and CRU and accounted for 71% (220 kg N ha−1) of total N uptake. In the conditions of the experiments, fertilization of 50 kg N ha−1 as CRU was shown to be effective to supply N in late soybean demand (R3 stage), increasing yield without damaging the SNF process in high-yield environments.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47427786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variations in mango fruit quality in response to management factors on a pre- and post-harvest continuum","authors":"Antoine Drouillard, Mathieu Léchaudel, Michel Génard, Anna Doizy, Isabelle Grechi","doi":"10.1017/s0014479723000182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479723000182","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Fruit quality is a key factor – beginning with the producer, continuing through the supply chain, and ending with the consumer. It is described by multiple indicators and varies during the growth and ripening of the fruit. This study focused on two main aspects of Cogshall mango ( Mangifera indica L.) quality: (i) the physical properties of the fruit with fresh mass (FM), pulp dry matter content (DMC), and pulp coloration; and (ii) the chemical properties with pulp sugar content and pulp acidity. These indicators were monitored on on-tree fruit, from about 60 days after bloom until full maturity. The same indicators were also monitored on fruit stored in cold storage rooms during ripening. The effects of leaf-to-fruit ratio (manageable by pruning or fruit thinning), maturity stage of fruit at harvest (manageable by harvest date), and storage temperature on the kinetics of quality traits of on-tree and stored fruit were assessed. In addition, a change-point analysis was applied to the sweetness index kinetics (used as a proxy of fruit ripening) to study fruit ripening induction. The leaf-to-fruit ratio mainly influenced fruit growth in terms of FM and pulp DMC, whereas it had less impact on the evolution of fruit chemical properties. The maturity stage of the fruit at harvest was a key factor in determining the potential quality at the ripe stage. Ripening occurs naturally at the mature green stage for on-tree fruit, but ripening at an earlier stage can be induced by harvesting the fruit. During the ripening phase, a low leaf-to-fruit ratio and a cold storage temperature tended to slow down the daily rate of sweetness increase. The use of cold temperatures during storage slowed down starch degradation and sucrose accumulation, while almost stopping the variation in fruit coloration and acidity.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":"86 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135560183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainability assessment methodology oriented to soil-associated agricultural experiments","authors":"Oscar Iván Monsalve Camacho, Oscar Gonzalo Castillo-Romero, Carlos Ricardo Bojacá Aldana, Martha Cecilia Henao Toro","doi":"10.1017/s0014479723000145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479723000145","url":null,"abstract":"Summary A variety of established tools are available for agricultural sustainability assessment at global, regional, and farm geographical scales. However, no assessment has been reported in research literature to indicate their ability to provide insights about the most sustainable cropping system at plot level or experimental unit. Despite the environmental and social importance of soil in agricultural systems, many of the sustainability assessments use few or no indicators related to soil properties or processes. Hence, we propose a sustainability assessment methodology oriented to soil-associated agricultural experiments (SMAES) by defining its parameters through simulations and testing the methodology with real data from a fertilization tomato experiment with five treatments: chemical control (CR); organic control (OR); and organic:chemical ratios (OR) of 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25. The distance from the maximum, principal component analysis, and product of weighted indicator techniques were chosen for normalization, weighting, and aggregation in a single index process, respectively. Applying the SMAES methodology, the sustainability level of the treatments followed this sequence: CR (0.95) > O25:C75 (0.73) > O50:C50 (0.60) > O75:C25 (0.55) > OR (0.45). The proposed SMAES methodology allows soil researchers to define the best treatment through the interaction of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of agricultural systems.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":"64 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135402173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early harvesting and increasing stubble-cutting height enhance ratoon rice yield","authors":"Yuanwei Chen, Huabin Zheng, Weiqin Wang, Qiyuan Tang","doi":"10.1017/s0014479723000157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479723000157","url":null,"abstract":"Summary To clarify the combined effects of the cutting time and cutting height on ratooning ability and rice grain yield of the ratoon crop in the novel ratoon rice cropping, a field experiment was carried out to investigate the combined effects of harvesting time and the stubble-cutting height of the main crop on the growth duration, ratooning ability and grain yield of the ratoon crop. The growth period was shortened by 3.5 days on average when the harvesting time was 10 days ahead of time. On average, the growth duration was prolonged by 7 days per each decrease of 10 cm stubble height. Early harvesting and increasing stubble-cutting height greatly increased the grain yield of the ratoon crop. The highest grain yield was achieved at 10 days after flowering stage and a stubble height of 30 cm, which were 6916 kg·hm −2 for XLY900 and 7262 kg·hm −2 for YY4149, averaged across years. High rice yield of the ratoon crop was mainly depended on panicle numbers and grain-filling percentage, rather than spikelets per panicle. Increasing cutting height and the cutting time of the main crop ahead maintain more stubble biomass and nitrogen content. A significant positive correlation was observed between stubble nitrogen content and tillers-to-stubble ratio (TSR), as well as a significant positive relation was found between panicle-to-stubble ratio and TSR. Therefore, cutting 10 days after flowering stage of the main crop with 30 cm stubble-cutting height enhances ratooning ability due to higher stubble biomass and nitrogen content, and then increases rice yield of the ratoon crop.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135601328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Canopy development, leaf traits and yield in high-altitude Andean maize under contrasting plant densities in Argentina","authors":"D. A. Salve, M. L. Maydup, G. A. Salazar, E. A. Tambussi, M. Antonietta","doi":"10.1017/s0014479723000194","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479723000194","url":null,"abstract":"Summary In highlands, the increase in altitude results in a drastic decrease in temperature (T) that delays phenological development of maize, decreasing light interception during the cycle. This could be partially overcome by increasing plant density, but information is scarce for designing specific management options. The objective of this work was to describe changes in canopy development, photosynthetic performance, biomass and yield of maize grown at contrasting plant densities (5.7 plants m −2 , locally used, and 8.7 plants m −2 , 50% higher). Three experiments were carried out in two high-altitude environments within the Argentinean Andean region, Hornillos (HOR, 2380 masl, 2019–20 and 2020–21) and El Rosal (ERO, 3350 masl, 2019–20), and complementary data were obtained from samplings in 8 farmer’s fields (from 2400 to 3400 masl, 2022–23). In the experiments, mean T during the first 150 days of the cycle was 33% lower at ERO, which implied 39 extra days but 25% shorter thermal time to achieve silking. The higher plant density significantly increased leaf area index and light interception at ERO, whereas at HOR, this was only evident during the second season. At the leaf level, plants grown at ERO had thicker leaves with higher chlorophyll (+36%) and nitrogen (40%) content. Photosynthetic electron transport rate at full irradiance was +20% higher at ERO but significantly varied throughout the day with lowest values in the morning, which was not observed at HOR and was not related to light intensity or stomatal conductance. At HOR, the increase in plant density did not improve light interception, nor yield in 2019–20 (with average yields of 6356 kg ha −1 ) but it did improve both in 2020–21 when generally lower yields were attained (4821 kg ha −1 ). Across farmer’s fields, increasing densities consistently reduced yield per plant ( r 2 = 0.57***) but improved yield per area basis, which was maximised at 10 pl m −2 as a result of a steady increase in kernel number m −2 (up to 15 pl m −2 ). Thus, in these high-altitude environments, increasing plant density beyond recommended (6 pl m −2 ) is a promising approach for improving yield, with major penalties of supra-optimum densities being related to kernel weight. Further work is needed to explore the effect of different factors limiting kernel growth, over plant density responses.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135658884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Farmers’ heterogeneous preferences for traits of improved varieties: Informing demand-oriented crop breeding in Tanzania","authors":"Mekdim D. Regassa, Philip K. Miriti, Mequanint B. Melesse","doi":"10.1017/s0014479723000169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479723000169","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Understanding farmers’ preferences and willingness to pay for different traits is critical for demand-driven varietal development and designing targeted strategies that stimulate adoption of varieties by farmers. This study uses choice experiment data from a random sample of 1299 Tanzanian farmers to analyze their preferences for traits of groundnut varieties, investigate trade-offs involved in valuation of attributes, and explore heterogeneity in preferences. Results reveal that farmers have strong preferences for groundnut varieties that are high yielding, tolerant to environmental stresses, early-maturing, red-colored, and fetching high sale prices in grain markets. Farmers are willing to pay the highest premium for high-yielding attributes, closely followed by the tolerance trait. Further, a latent class analysis identifies four distinct classes of farmers, confirming considerable heterogeneity in farmers’ preferences for various groundnut traits. A specific distinction is notable between preferences of consumption-oriented and market-oriented farmer classes. Our results have important implications for demand-driven variety development and targeted dissemination of improved varieties.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135440833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Field arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation increased plant performance without phosphorus fertilizer supply of four promoted upland rice varieties in Madagascar","authors":"Naliharilala Miora Rakotoarivelo Njaramanana, Volatsara Baholy Rahetlah, J. Trap, P. Autfray","doi":"10.1017/S0014479722000527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000527","url":null,"abstract":"Summary In Madagascar, upland rice cropping is constrained by soil acidity and low phosphorus (P) bioavailability. Given their role in plant P nutrition, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may improve crop yield in nutrient-poor tropical soils. In the Vakinankaratra region, a field experiment was conducted at 908 m asl on an acidic Ferralsol during the 2019–2020 growing season. The aim was to test the ability of four promoted rice varieties to respond to AMF seed-coating inoculation with a commercial strain of Rhizophagus irregularis in the absence or presence of P fertilizer (20 kg ha−1 of P2O5) under no expected nitrogen (N) limitation. In absence of P fertilization, both at tillering and at maturity and irrespective of the rice varieties, AMF inoculation significantly improved plant performance and finally grain yield, grain N, and grain P amounts by an average of 28%, 30%, and 39%, respectively. In contrast, when P fertilizer was supplied, no significant effect of AMF inoculation was observed. Rice growth variables were significantly higher with the application of P fertilizer than with AMF inoculation both at tillering and at maturity. P fertilizer without inoculation provided an average grain yield improvement of 85%. At tillering, mycorrhizal parameters for root colonization assessment were not positively linked with rice growth variables suggesting an early effect of AMF inoculation. We concluded that, with no P fertilization, AMF seed coating inoculation at the field scale significantly improved upland rice plant performance in a limited soil P environment. Our rice genetic variability did not interfere significantly both with mycorrhizal parameters and crop AMF inoculation benefits.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45147055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enabling cumulative learning in user-oriented research for root, tuber and banana crop breeding","authors":"José Francisco Valle, E. Arnaud, P. Marimo, Jacob van Etten","doi":"10.1017/S0014479722000539","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000539","url":null,"abstract":"Summary User-oriented research is important in breeding improved genotypes, for developing and validating product concepts (mostly involving trait prioritisation), as well as evaluating breeding products in use situations (mostly involving participatory variety evaluation). This paper examines key aspects that enable cumulative learning in user-oriented research for root, tuber and banana (RTB) crop breeding. We reviewed empirical user-oriented studies on RTB crops published between 1996 and 2020. We examined the ability of user-oriented research to foster cumulative learning by examining four key aspects: spatial and temporal coverage; gender aspects; the range of traits considered and publishing practices as evident in reports and datasets. We conclude that user-oriented studies have received attention in RTB breeding but fall short of enabling cumulative learning. Substantial investments in methodology development and capacity are needed to bring greater coherence to this field and enable cumulative learning about user perspectives to iteratively increase the fit between improved genotypes and user preferences.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45486302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing the clipping frequency and nitrogen topdressing in a dual-purpose oat used for fodder and cover cropping","authors":"Kudzayi Janhi, C. Chiduza, John Fisher Mupangwa, L. Muzangwa","doi":"10.1017/S0014479722000515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479722000515","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Management strategies such as nitrogen (N) topdressing and clipping can be used to optimize a cover crop for the dual purpose of soil cover and forage. The present study tested oat (Avena sativa) for a holistic provision of soil cover and forage under various levels of clipping frequency and N topdressing. Effects on root and above-ground biomass, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and crude protein (CP) were evaluated. Clipping frequency had four levels, namely clipped only at termination (C1), clipped at 28 days after emergence (DAE) and termination (C2), clipped at 28, 42 DAE, and termination (C3), and clipped at 28, 42, 56 DAE, and termination (C4). Nitrogen topdressing had two levels, namely with (N1) and without (N0) the recommended N topdressing. Increasing clipping frequency reduced the root and aerial biomass and did not affect the forage quality harvested before termination. However, N topdressing increased biomass and CP content across the clipping frequencies. Results suggest clipping thrice combined with N topdressing (C4 + N1) provides the best option to satisfy both soil cover and livestock demands. The treatment (C4 + N1) gave > 2 t ha−1 of biomass during the growing period and 6 t ha−1 at termination which can be used for livestock forage and soil cover, respectively. Clipping thrice without N topdressing (C4 + N0) was the best option for resource-constrained farmers.","PeriodicalId":12245,"journal":{"name":"Experimental Agriculture","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2022-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44722694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}