agriRxiv最新文献

{"title":"Composting green Eucalyptus globulus leaves. An experiment in Ambasel Woreda, Ethiopia.","authors":"Dessalew Kassa Bezuye, A. Dinku, Axel Gosseries","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00255","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Composting enhances soil fertility by improving its biological, chemical, and physical properties. One of the key challenges is accessing green compost ingredients throughout the year. Leaves from non-deciduous Eucalyptus are widely available in some regions. Yet farmers and agricultural experts tend to be reluctant to use Eucalyptus due to concerns about non-decomposability and acidity. Our experiment pursued two aims: (1) investigate the decomposability of Eucalyptus leaves for composting and (2) exchanging on the composting process with local farmers and agricultural experts in Ambasel Woreda (Ethiopia). Our results show that green eucalyptus leaves can be decomposed completely when combined with other ingredients and following proper procedures. After participating in the experiment and observing the successful decomposition of Eucalyptus leaves, farmers and agricultural experts were convinced of their viability for composting. The experiment highlights the potential of Eucalyptus leaves as a sustainable, all year round and locally available resource for composting.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141357344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agronomic drivers of pesticide use in small-scale horticultural systems in central Mexico: cropping and farming system factors.","authors":"Germán Wies, John Larsen, D. Ortiz-Salgado, A. Reyes-Tena, Alejandro Soto-Plancarte, Edna Garcilazo Moreno, C. González-Esquivel","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00253","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Horticultural Production Systems (HPS) in Mexico face challenges due to small-scale operations, limited resources, and high dependence on family labor. This study explores the use of agrochemicals in HPS and its impact on productivity and potential exposure to pesticides. Through on-farm surveys in the Morelia-Queréndaro valley, Central Mexico, factors influencing agrochemical use and toxicity were investigated. Results show that HPS configuration plays a pivotal role in predicting agrochemical use. HPS dominated by a single crop tend to use more herbicides and fertilizers, while diversified systems use fewer herbicides. Crop-specific management practices, such as row spacing and intercropping, significantly influence herbicide usage. Surprisingly, higher volumes of insecticides and fungicides do not consistently correlate with increased yields. Additionally, relationships between pesticide use and crop yields vary across onion cropping systems, emphasizing the need for tailored management strategies. We highlight the significant toxicity of insecticides and the importance of understanding factors determining their application volumes. Overall, this research underscores the complexity of agrochemical use in HPS and emphasizes the potential of diversified farming systems to reduce reliance on agrochemical inputs while maintaining productivity. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable agriculture practices and provide valuable insights for policy makers and farm managers.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141127946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first record of milk thistle (Silybum marianum, Asteraceae) as an alien invasive weed species in Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia.","authors":"W. B. Kassie","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00241","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Since 2020, milk thistle Silybum marianum, an invasive weed species, has been widely observed in urban green spaces and roadsides in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. To plan future management activities, this study aimed to determine the current distribution status of the weed in urban green areas of Addis Ababa city. Weed surveys were conducted across 42 urban green sites located in Yeka, Lemi Kura, Bole, Nifas Silk-Lafto, Kolfie Keraniyo, Akaky Kality, and Gullele sub-cities during the main rainy season from June to September 2023. Urban green areas were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Field observations confirmed that Silybum marianum can invade and colonize a wide range of habitats and is highly competitive, posing a threat to important native plant species. High weed density rates and dense stands of weeds were recorded in the 34 urban green areas surveyed. The survey results strongly suggest implementing fast integrated weed management options such as mowing/tilling, weeding before the plant goes to seed, cutting (stems and/or seed heads), and burning (collected plant parts and/or seed heads) into a prepared burrow to minimize the spread of the weed and its ecological impacts. The purpose of this survey study is to provide information about Silybum marianum to minimize or avoid its distribution and associated impacts by following sustainable invasive weed management programs in the city before spreading to other cities in the country.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140388549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accreditation of new technologies for predicting intramuscular fat percentage: combining Bayesian models and industry rules for transparent decisions.","authors":"Graham E. Gardner, C. Alston-Knox","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00240","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The experiment evaluated a method for statistically assessing the accuracy of technologies that measure intramuscular fat percentage (IMF%), enabling referencing against accreditation accuracy thresholds. To compare this method to the existing rules-based industry standard we simulated data for 4 separate devices that predicted IMF% across a range between 0.5 - 9.5% for sheep meat. These devices were simulated to reflect increasingly inaccurate predictions, and the two methods for statistically assessing accuracy were then applied. We found that for the technology which only just meets the accreditation accuracy standards, as few as 25 samples were required within each quarter of the IMF% range to achieve 80% likelihood of passing accreditation. In contrast, using the rules based approach at least 200 samples were required within each quarter of the IMF% range, and this increased the likelihood of passing to only 50%. This method has been developed into an on-line analysis App, which commercial users can freely access to test the accuracy of their technologies.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140389737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of climatic factors and poverty on wheat yields via machine learning in a semi-arid region across West Asia.","authors":"A. Lashkari, Jun-guo Liu","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00239","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Winter-sown wheat is particularly vulnerable to high temperatures in spring. However, little is known concerning the impact of high temperatures and other climatic and non-climatic factors in combination on winter-sown wheat yields in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, in this study we investigate the impacts of high temperatures and other climatic indices, including evapotranspiration and aridity index during spring months, and non-climatic factors, including technology improvement and poverty ratio on irrigated and dryland wheat yields. We employed Random Forests a machine learning technique to our long-term data (1980-2010) and annual wheat yields (irrigated and dryland) for 27 provinces of Iran. The results show that technology improvement and poverty ratio are the most important variables which explain irrigated wheat yields variability. Temperatures above 31°C, evapotranspiration and aridity index are the other variables that alter irrigated whet yields in the region during the period 1980-2010. Dryland wheat yields mainly explained by temperatures above 31°C. Poverty ratio, technology improvement, evapotranspiration and aridity index ranked after high temperatures above 31°C, respectively. This study demonstrates that, although, in arid areas technological improvement and irrigation may avoid yield reduction due to high temperatures in spring months, in poor arid areas and dryland systems, high temperatures significantly reduce wheat yields.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140389409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Equiband Pro System improves gait symmetry in horses at the trot.","authors":"Lila M. Zarski, Nicole Rombach, Dmitry A. Marchenko, Leon Rutten","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00238","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 It has been shown that there is a relationship between spinal stability and gait symmetry in horses (1-3). Use of the Equiband Pro System, an elastic band system used for in-hand or ridden work with horses, has previously been shown to improve spinal stability and abdominal muscle engagement (4-6). More recently, it was demonstrated that a 4 week handwalking protocol with the System improves hindlimb symmetry in horses with a mild hind limb lameness (7). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Equiband Pro System affects gait symmetry immediately in horses trotting on the lunge, using a repeated measures crossover study design. Six horses with varying degrees of gait asymmetries trotted on a lunge in both directions, with and without the abdominal and hindquarter bands of the Equiband Pro System. After evaluation of movement symmetry data, generated by an inertial measurement unit (the Equestic SaddleClip), landing forces were found to be significantly more symmetrical between the left and right diagonal limbs in horses while using the Equiband Pro System (p = 0.05). These results suggest that the Equiband Pro System can immediately alter motor patterns, leading to improved gait symmetry. More work is needed to understand the precise mechanism of this effect.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140389286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The contribution of the Gaza envelope region to Israel's food security.","authors":"Avraham Ben-Sheleg, N. De Falco, Uri Roll, S. Rachmilevitch","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00235","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Armed conflicts can have severe implications on food security by displacing farmers, destroying farms and agricultural infrastructure, disrupting supply chains, and limiting the ability of governance to control the highly volatile food markets. Here, we aim to understand the impact of the current Israel-Hamas War on local food production in Israel. Our analysis focused on challenges in food production in the Gaza Envelope region, the region in Israel that borders the Gaza Strip that has been significantly affected by the conflict. Our goals were to understand the agricultural significance of the region- both regarding crop diversity and the risks posed to individual crops due to the conflict, and to assess the nutritional contribution of the region's agricultural output. We found that the Gaza Envelope region is crucial for the propagation of several key crops, notably cherry tomatoes, radishes, and sweet potatoes. Furthermore, we identified 16 crops whose local production is particularly vulnerable due to their proximity to conflict, including radishes and potatoes. The nutritional output of the edible crops of the Gaza Envelope region is extensive and produces over 50% of the annual energetic requirements of the Israeli population. Beyond the caloric contribution, the produce of the region is nutrient-dense, exceeding 100% of the annual Dietary Reference Intakes for the Israeli population of 12 vital nutrients. These 12 nutrients include dietary fiber, six vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K, and five minerals including Potassium and Iron. Based on these findings, we suggest that the Israel-Hamas War also has detrimental ramifications on local food production in Israel.","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140408584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What are the critical factors which support or inhibit the effective implementation of the one health approach in Africa? A systematic map protocol.","authors":"S. Savilaakso, A. Kaiser-Grolimund, Silviu Petrovan, G. Chimwaza, R. Ssenono, A. Kinengyere, Marcia Mabhula, Mercy Moyo, J. Porciello, Jakob Zinsstag, K. Heitz-Tokpa","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00234","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 The One Health approach recognizes that the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health, emphasizing collaboration sectors, disciplines and communities to address threats and foster overall well-being. Particularly relevant in Africa due to its diverse climates, weak health systems and the interactions between humans and wildlife, the approach aims to ensure sustainable and better health outcomes. Over the past decade, the One Health approach has been operationalized at different levels and regions of Africa. However, what is currently missing is an overview of factors facilitating or inhibiting operationalization as well as the existing evidence base including which areas have been researched, in which countries, for which specific factors or levels, and where major gaps in knowledge remain. To bridge this gap, a systematic mapping will be conducted by compiling existing evidence of One Health operationalization in Africa. We will conduct a comprehensive search of literature from bibliographic databases, organizational websites and Google Scholar. At the title and abstract stage, articles will be screened for eligibility against an\u0000 a priori\u0000 set criteria. We will screen one or more subset of relevant records and use them as an input for a natural language processing model. Once we have verified and validated model accuracy, the model will be used to classify the remaining abstracts. Full-text screening will be conducted independently by two team members. We will produce a narrative synthesis of the results describing the evidence base within the systematic map. Thematic analysis will identify the critical factors inhibiting or supporting the implementation of the One Health approach in Africa. We will use multiple visualizations to explore relationships within and between studies, highlighting areas requiring further research. Lastly, this systematic map aims to provide an evidence base to guide future interventions to further implement the One Health approach in Africa.\u0000","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140430911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increased pastoralist livestock mobility is associated with large-scale rangeland restoration and soil carbon sequestration.","authors":"Mark E. Ritchie, Jackson Kikardi Suyianka, Tim H. Tear, Emilan P. Mayemba, Deepali Gohil, Megan McSherry, G. Soka, Rich Brereton, Juliet King","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00233","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Semi-arid rangelands cover 40% of the earth's land surface, but their ecosystem services have declined due to, among other factors, increasingly sedentary livestock husbandry by pastoralists. Such degradation might be reversed by adopting frequent, large-scale livestock movements similar to those associated with traditional nomadic pastoralist habits but data to support this hypothesis is lacking. We report here the consequences of implementing a program to increase the mobility of livestock grazing across 2 million ha in northern Kenya from 2014-2021, as compared to conditions prior to the program, 2001-2013. Despite increased human populations and livestock numbers on the study area during the program, nearly 60% of 213 sampled locations experienced the single major grazing events per year intended by the grazing program in at least 6 out of 7 years, with accompanying rainfall-corrected increases in forage biomass and soil carbon sequestration. Locations where mobile grazing was less consistently applied experienced neither of these responses. We demonstrate that increasing mobility in grazing practices within large-scale pastoralist systems can be implemented to improve range condition and soils and consequently sequester substantial CO\u0000 2\u0000 in soil organic carbon.\u0000","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140447733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal dynamics of\u0000 Fusarium\u0000 wilt of banana caused by subtropical race 4.","authors":"Mariela P. González, Daniel W. Heck, R. A. Silva, Alessandro Santos, G. Alves, E. D. Del Ponte, E. Mizubuti","doi":"10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31220/agrirxiv.2024.00229","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Historically,\u0000 Fusarium\u0000 wilt of banana (FWB) caused by\u0000 Fusarium oxysporum\u0000 f. sp.\u0000 cubense\u0000 (Foc) has rendered hectares of banana unusable in Central and South America. In 2019, tropical race 4 (TR4), the most virulent race of Foc, was detected in South America and its spread to the main banana producing regions is a matter of time. In this work, knowledge of the spatio-temporal dynamics of FWB caused by subtropical race 4 (SR4) and their relation with environmental features aim at providing background to epidemiologically-based mitigation actions to contain TR4. One banana cv. 'Maçã' (AAB) field was established in 2017 in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Bimonthly assessments of incidence were conducted between 2017 to 2020. Weather variables were also recorded. The spatial pattern was studied using quadrat- and distance-based methods. Temporal analyses were based on epidemiological models fitted to disease progress curves. Average values of weather variables were estimated for intervals of 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-weeks before a given assessment date seeking for any correlation with FWB incidence and absolute disease progress rate. The first foci were detected six months after planting, randomly distributed in the field. The spatial pattern changed to aggregated when FWB incidence increased (maximum of 43%). The FWB progress curve had a sigmoidal-shape and the Gompertz model provided the best description of the temporal dynamic of FWB. Increases in the rate of progress of FWB were correlated with precipitation four weeks before the evaluation. Mitigation actions based on the spatio-temporal epidemiology of SR4 in highly susceptible cultivars might contribute to prevent total crop losses and the expansion of FWB into non-infested regions.\u0000","PeriodicalId":504744,"journal":{"name":"agriRxiv","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140489539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}