Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.) -- Dept. of Soil and Water, Waite Agricultural Research Institute, University of Adelaide, 2002? / Bibliography: leaves 105-129.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 128-134).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2005. / Abstract. "December 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-92). Also available online in PDF format.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops in South Africa that is cultivated for food, feed and as a cash crop. Maize in the Eastern Cape is typically grown for consumption and the Province is one of the least producers owing to small landholdings, poor production conditions and pests. This study investigated: (i) the different maize cropping systems smallholder farmers practice in the Eastern Cape (EC), (ii) the major maize insect pests within the identified cropping systems, (iii) the perceptions of Eastern Cape smallholder maize farmers on the effects of insect pests, and (iv) the effects of crop residues on insect pests’ population dynamics. Four major cropping systems namely: maize sole cropping without rotations by government sponsored farmers (GCP) (94 percent), maize intercropping without rotations by independent farmers (IF) (79 percent), maize sole cropping without rotations by IF (67 percent) and maize intercropping without rotations by GCP (61 percent) were identified. The choice of a cropping system by the smallholder farmers was significantly influenced by source of sponsorship, the difference in their district localities, tenure system, availability of inputs and farming equipment, percentage of farmland farmers allocate to maize, maize varieties, farming experience, fallow operations and access to irrigation facilities. The major constraints faced by the farmers in maize production are the attack by insect pests, weeds competition, drought, the lack of fencing around the fields and destruction by mammals. The major insect pests identified were stalk borers (Busseola fusca, Chilo partellus), cutworms (Agrotis spp.), aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis), bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera) and weevils (Sitophylus spp.). The most popular control measures employed were the use of GM maize and pesticides. Results from the field trial showed that field crickets were the major ground dwelling insect pests observed followed by bollworms and cutworms. However, there were no significant influence of residue retention on the insects’ diversity indices, richness, and evenness. Above ground insects sampling revealed the domination by four major insects namely, cutworms, maize stalk borer, bollworms, and spotted stalk borer. Residue management significantly influenced the infestation by spotted stalk borer only on maize plots. However, the general trend was that there was less infestation by the insects in plots where residues were retained than the ones with residue removed. Results from the study indicate that government sponsorship is significantly influencing the maize cropping systems of the smallholder farmers of the Eastern Cape.

<p>Cover cropping is an effective management practice for reducing nitrogen (N) losses to the environment from agriculture fields in the Midwest. Cereal rye (CR; <i>Secale cereale L</i>.) and hairy vetch (HV; <i>Vicia villosa Roth</i>) are two of the most common cover crop species grown in the region. However, limited cover crop adoption in the region is partly due to a dearth of knowledge addressing the effect of cover crops on nitrogen cycling and grain production within corn and soybean conservation cropping systems. The following studies were designed to address knowledge gaps in the current literature regarding the rate, quantity, and timing of cover crop residue C and N release; the fate of CR N following termination; and the effects of cover crops specifically on soybean growth, N assimilation, and yield. Data from this study revealed that growers should be aware that cover crop nutrient release may result in a “tug-of-war” between the soil microbiome and cash crops for soil inorganic-N. Additionally, we observed that CR N is used minimally by the subsequent crop; thus, growers should value CR N as a long-term benefit, such as building SOM. Finally, we found that added pressure from CR during early soybean growth may reduce soybean resilience, and in a wet year result in yield loss.</p>

Tillage practices have changed dramatically during the past several decades as agricultural specialists have recognized the unfavorable environmental effects of mechanized tillage. Alternatively, conservation tillage management can mitigate adverse environmental impacts of tillage, such as soil and water degradation. Adoption of conservation tillage has continued to increase since its first introduction, which raises questions of when and where it is practiced. Spatial and temporal specifics of tillage practices form important dimensions for development of effective crop management practices and policies.  Because Landsat has been and will continue to image the Earth globally, it provides opportunities for systematic mapping of crop residue cover (CRC) /tillage practices. Thus, the overall objective of this study is to develop methodologies to improve our ability to monitor crop management across different landscapes in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery, which is addressed in three separate studies. The first study found that previous efforts to estimate CRC along a continuum using Landsat-based tillage indices were unsuccessful because they neglected the key temporal changes in agricultural surfaces caused by tilling, planting, and crop emergence at the start of the growing season. The first study addressed this difficulty by extracting minimum values of multi-temporal NDTI (Normalized Difference Tillage Index) spectral profiles, designated here as the minNDTI method. The minNDTI improves crop residue estimation along a continuum (R2 = 0.87) as well as tillage classification accuracy (overall accuracy > 90%).   A second study evaluated effectiveness of the minNDTI approach for assessing CRC at multiple locations over several years, and compared minNDTI to hyperspectral tillage index (CAI), and the ASTER tillage index (SINDRI). The minNDTI is effective across four different locations (R2 of 0.56 ~ 0.93). The third study, built upon the second study, addressed the Landsat ETM+ missing data issue, and devised methodologies for producing field-level tillage data at broad scales (multiple counties).  In summary, this research demonstrates that the minNDTI technique is currently the best alternative for monitoring CRC and tillage practices from space, and provides a foundation for monitoring crop residue cover at broad spatial and temporal scales. / Ph. D.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第20769号 / 農博第2252号 / 新制||農||1054(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H29||N5089(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科地域環境科学専攻 / (主査)教授 舟川 晋也, 教授 間藤 徹, 教授 縄田 栄治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Charles W. Rice / Biofuel feedstocks such as grains and cellulose are gaining increased attention as part of the U.S. portfolio of solutions to address climate change and improve energy security. As the future of biofuels unfolds, major concerns are emerging, including the sustainability of the soil resource in bioenergy cropping system. With a clear understanding of the sustainability risks that exist within the agricultural soil resources, it is now essential to develop metrics that document the soil health as well as the total biomass production of different cropping system. We tested the effectiveness of eight bioenergy plant species grouped between annual and perennial crops. Our main objective was to determine the sustainability of bioenergy cropping systems. There was significantly greater soil structural stability plus greater root biomass under the perennial crops but greater aboveground biomass in the annual crop. Differences in soil carbon measured to 1.2 m were not significant between energy crops after five years. A transparent, unbiased method to identify possible change in soil characteristics under bioenergy cropping practice was offered. Our next metrics were soil aggregate stability and microbial community structure as indicators of soil ecosystem health and environmental stability. The effects 24 years of differing levels of residue and fertilizer inputs on soil aggregate stability, aggregate C and microbial community structure were evaluated. A native, undisturbed prairie site, located nearby was used as a reference in this study. The results showed that greater inputs of inorganic N and increased returns of crop residues did not cause a proportionately greater increase in SOC. The abundance of microbial parameters generally followed their potential carbon pool in cultivated soils but a strong mismatch was observed in the native prairie site. Our results showed for the first time a clear disconnect between decomposers and macroaggregates; highlighting the role of soil structure in protecting organic matter. Soil carbon sequestration is one of the mechanisms that have been proposed as temporary measure to mitigate global climate change. However, there was a particularly large risk of negative effects of mitigation measures related to the increased removal of crop residues from cropping systems for use in bioenergy, if this means that soil carbon is reduced. Effective measurement of soil C at the field scale requires an understanding of the spatial variability of soil C on a landscape scale. Recent technological advances in soil C measurement offer new opportunities in this area. Our surface measurements of soil C by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provided a quick assessment of soil C and, soil C predicted by NIRS and measured by dry combustion laboratory measurements was correlated with and R-squared of 0.84.

A utilização frequente de glyphosate em sistemas de produção envolvendo as culturas de soja e milho, resistentes ao glyphosate, tem selecionado populações resistentes de plantas daninhas a este herbicida, sendo comum no Brasil a ocorrência de populações resistentes de capim amargoso (Digitaria insularis). Para manejo racional destas populações, há necessidade de medidas alternativas envolvendo herbicidas e práticas culturais, as quais somente podem ser empregadas adequadamente com o conhecimento da biologia da planta daninha, porém atualmente pouco se sabe sobre a biologia do capim amargoso. Portanto, este trabalho teve como objetivo obter informações básicas da biologia das populações de capim-amargoso suscetíveis e resistentes ao herbicida glyphosate. Para isso, foram conduzidos três ensaios no Departamento de produção Vegetal da ESALQ/USP, em Piracicaba - SP, durante o ano de 2012. Para isso foram coletadas sementes do biótipo resistente no município de Matão, São Paulo, e as sementes do biótipo suscetível no município de Piracicaba, São Paulo. A determinação do fator de resistência entre estes biótipos ao glyphosate foi determinas a partir da elaboração de curvas de dose-resposta no estádio de desenvolvimento de 3 a 4 perfilhos do capim amargoso. Em seguida, foram conduzidos experimentos para avaliar a germinação e quantificação de massa seca produzida sob efeito de diferentes volumes da cobertura do solo com resíduos de milheto. Também foram desenvolvidos ensaios para avaliar a longevidade das sementes dos biótipos resistentes e suscetíveis, conduzidas em diferentes profundidades no solo. Através do modelo de curva dose-resposta foi possível quantificar o fator de resistência (GR50) a partir do programa estatístico R obtendo o valor de 16,66, comparando-se o biótipo resistente ao suscetível. O aumento da quantidade de palha de milheto sobre as sementes proporciona diminuição do peso de matéria seca de plântulas de Digitaria insularis, tanto resistente como suscetível ao glyphosate, sendo percebida de forma mais acentuada nos tratamentos 4,0 e 8,0 ton ha-1. O biótipo resistente apresenta número de plântulas significativamente maior que o biótipo suscetível, independentemente da quantidade de palha. Não é possível concluir que as sementes dos biótipos resistentes possuem maior longevidade que as sementes dos biótipos suscetíveis, sendo que a presença de luz é indiferente para a sua germinação. / The frequent use of glyphosate in production systems that involve the crops soybean and corn, resistant to glyphosate, have selected weed populations resistant to this herbicide, being very common in Brazil the occurrence of resistant populations of bitter grass (Digitaria insularis). For the rational management of these populations, there is a need of alternative measures, that involve herbicides and cultural practices, which can be applied only with the knowledge of the weed biology, however little is known about the bitter grass biology. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain basic information of the biology of populations of bitter grass susceptible and resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. For that, three assays were conducted in the Department of Crop Science at ESALQ / USP, in Piracicaba - SP, during the year 2012. For that, it was collected seeds of the resistant biotype in Matão, São Paulo and seeds of the susceptible population in Piracicaba, São Paulo. The determination of the resistance factor for glyphosate between the biotypes was performed using dose-response curves at stage 3-4 tillers of bitter grass. Following, it was evaluated the germination and quantification of dry matter produced under the effect of different amounts of coverage with millet straw. It was also developed trials to see longevity of the resistant and susceptible biotypes, conducted at different soil depths. With the model of dose-response curve, it was possible to quantify the resistance factor (GR50) from the R statistical program by obtaining the value of 16.66, compared to the susceptible biotype resistant. The increased amount of millet straw on seed caused reduction in dry weight of seedlings of Digitaria insularis, for both biotypes, being more evident in treatments of 4.0 and 8.0 ton ha-1. The resistant biotype showed significantly higher number of seedlings than susceptible population, regardless of the amount of straw. It is not possible to conclude that the seeds of resistant biotypes have greater longevity than the seeds of the susceptible biotype, and the presence of light is indifferent to its germination.