bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The linkage between pesticide use and pesticide residues
Authors: Kuchler Fred , Chandran Ram , Ralston Katherine 
Published: October 2009

AbstractNewly available data from USDA's Pesticide Data Program allow us to trace pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables to their sources among various uses. We show that pesticide residues come from four sources: on-farm pesticide use; post-harvest pesticide use; pesticide use on imported food; and canceled pesticides that persist in the environment. Post-harvest pesticides account for the largest share of residue detections. Farmers' pest control choices influence consumers' dietary intake of pesticides, but the way in which food is marketed and the history of pest management techniques used on farms may have a greater influence. For pesticides that U.S. farmers currently use, the data show the geographic sources of residues and the extent to which use contributes to dietary intake risks. This information could be used to target development of pest control alternatives more narrowly. However, research to develop on-farm pest control alternatives will not address all pesticide residue risks in consumers' diets.
Sustainable agriculture in the Corn Belt: Production-side progress and demand-side constraints
Authors: Lighthall David R. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis paper explores the constraints to sustainable agriculture in the Com Belt stemming from the trend toward increased farm size and the continued dependence of the region on undifferentiated farm commodities produced for regional, national, and international markets. It is based on a three-county comparison of 14 full-time farmers who have embraced sustainable principles and practices, and a randomly sampled group of 25 farmers. An encouraging finding was the substantial progress made towards lower-input production of com and soybeans by the nine farmers who had adopted the ridge tillage system, which uses elevated seedbeds, banded herbicides, and post-plant nitrogen application to reduce both soil erosion and synthetic chemical inputs while maintaining yields. However, operators of large farms that depend on hired labor and highly dispersed field sites regarded these practices as too risky at their scale of production despite their short-term economic and long-term environmental benefits. The region's commercial farmers appear split between family farmers who wish to avoid the headaches of scale expansion and hired labor, and therefore, embrace more efficient low-input systems such as ridge tillage versus those who reject the increased management intensity and risks of lower-input systems in favor of scale expansion via more chemical-intensive no-till systems. Although ridge tillage represents movement toward low-input cash grain production, low-input production systems alone are not sufficient to improve the underlying social welfare of rural areas. Arresting the trend towards fewer and larger farms will also require development of more specialized or more localized markets for sustainably produced commodities.
Inoculative release of anecic earthworms in a California orchard
Authors: Werner Matthew R. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAnecic earthworms (e.g., nightcrawlers) create deep, vertical burrows and feed by dragging organic matter from the soil surface into the burrow, thereby incorporating organic matter. The incorporation of leaf litter in orchards may reduce inoculum levels of organisms that cause diseases such as apple scab. However, anecic earthworms are generally absent from agro-ecosystems in California, in part possibly because of low rainfall and seasonal drought. Anecic earthworms(Lumbricus terrestris)were introduced to an organic apple orchard in Watsonville, California, where the resident earthworm community included only the endogeic (subsurface-feeding) speciesAporrectodea caliginosaandMicroscolex dubius.WithL. terrestrispresent, incorporation of apple leaf litter increased from less than 28% to 79%. Yearly patterns of activity of resident earthworm species were unimodal, corresponding to the winter season of peak rainfall and low soil temperature. Earthworm populations were similar for organic and conventional treatments until the third year, when abundance and biomass of resident species were significantly greater in the organic plots.
Flooding in cranberry to minimize insecticide and fungicide inputs
Authors: Averill Anne L. , Sylvia Martha M. , Kusek Charles C. , DeMoranville Carolyn J. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA traditional flooding practice showed promise for reducing pesticide use in Massachusetts cranberry beds. The 4-week long spring flood, termed “late water,” checked pressure of two of the most prevalent and severe management problems, cranberry fruitworm (CFW) and fungal finit rots (CFR). Fruit rot generally was equal or lower and infestation of fruitworm was consistently lower at the late water beds compared with unflooded beds, even though no fungicides were used for CFR control (standard practice is two or three applications per season) and insecticide applications for CFW were cut by almost 70%. Although there were no significant reductions in yield in two of the years studied, a significant decline (about 25%) occurred on late water beds in one year for unknown reasons.
Dryland farming systems in Jordan
Authors: Taimeh Awni Y. , Katkhuda Nabil 
Published: October 2009

AbstractResources available for dryland farming in Jordan are limited since 91% of the country has an arid climate. Moreover, the available resources are subject to a wide range of natural and human constraints. The farming systems consist of two main types: annual crops such as wheat and barley, and fruit trees such as olives, grapes, and stone fruits. Socioeconomic factors coupled with a fluctuating rainfall pattern cause some shifting in land use and variation in land under cultivation. Alternative land use strategies and preservation and more efficient use of resources are the means to achieve higher production. Substantial addition of land suitable for cultivation is unlikely since it would require additional water resources, which are diminishing in Jordan. Environmental degradation such as desertification is a major concern to land use planners. Several issues must be addressed if agricultural productivity is to be sustained: preservation of resources; overcoming various pressures imposed on agricultural lands; adoption of new practical and economical practices; introduction of modern technologies such as water harvesting, supplemental irrigation, use of treated waste water, and proper soil conservation measures; and adaptive research.
Effect of cultural practices on barley and durum wheat yields in semiarid regions of Tunisia
Authors: Yahyaoui A. , M'Hedhbi K. , Rezgui S. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe semiarid regions (SARs) are characterized by extreme temperature changes, low and unevenly distributed precipitation, hazardous torrential rains, and frequent early spring droughts. Barley is the most highly adapted cereal in SARs, but durum wheat is the most widely cultivated. The area in cereals varies considerably from year to year, and yields are low. Tillage practices are used to conserve both soil and moisture and to prepare the seed bed. However, improved fertilizer use and weed control practices are not being used. Without development of needed cultural and tillage practice systems, the genetic potential of today's varieties cannot be realized. Planting depth and rate, row spacing, fertilizer application, and weed control were investigated under conventional tillage and reduced tillage systems. In on-farm trials, reduced tillage did not significantly affect durum wheat yield but slightly increased barley yield compared with traditional practices. Optimum planting depth for both wheat and barley was 7 cm. Higher seeding rates increased the yield of both crops. Highest yields were obtained at planting rates of 140 kg/ha for wheat and 100 kg/ha for barley. At these rates, maximum yields were achieved at row spacings of 30 cm for barley and 20 cm for durum wheat. Use of fertilizer and weed control increased yields substantially. Sustained and increased production in SARs can be achieved with a “package of practices” approach that incorporates these cultural and tillage practices.
The potential for sustainable rainfed farming in Palestine
Authors: Isaac Jad , Gasteyer Stephen 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe most important source of increased crop yield in the Middle East has probably been the increase in irrigated area although it has been accompanied by other inputs such as chemical fertilizers, improved varieties, mechanization, and pesticides. Palestine, which in this paper encompasses West Bank and Gaza, has had a similar emphasis on irrigation although only 5% of West Bank agricultural land is irrigated. However, the possibility of further expanding or even maintaining present water use for fostering agricultural growth in this dry region is diminishing. There now is a growing understanding that future sustainable agriculture in the Middle East may depend on shifting emphasis to rainfed farming; in the past, this was not considered possible because of its perceived low productive potential. Recent research, however, has evaluated the status of rainfed farming in Palestine and targeted areas that need improvement. Experiments and demonstrations have shown the potential to vastly improve rainfed farming's production, economic return and status. Following up on these initial steps should be an important priority in maintaining food production in this region.
Agricultural development in Israel: Challenges and opportunities for regional collaboration
Authors: Seligman No'am G. , Blum Abraham , Morin Joseph , Amir Jacob 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAgriculture in Israel is practiced throughout the country from the Arava Valley in the South, where average annual rainfall is less than 40 mm, to the Upper Galilee in the North, where annual rainfall exceeds 700 mm. Less than half the cultivated area used for field crops is irrigated. Much of the output is exponed, primarily to Europe, but some to the United States and Japan. In nonirrigated dry-farming areas, the main crops grown are wheat for grain and silage and several secondary crops, including sunflower, watermelons and hay legumes. Animal production is predominantly intensive dairying (mainly cows, but also sheep and goats), poultry production, and aquaculture, all of which use large quantities of imported feed grains. Beef production is largely from dairy bullocks, but includes an important rangeland beef sector. Problems that face Israeli agriculture in general and dryland agriculture in particular are primarily economic, including low prices for many traditional dryland crops, a small local market, and increasing input costs. The changing socioeconomic scene, reflected by decreasing employment in agriculture, has added to the problems of proper land use. There is an urgent need for more appropriate production systems and associated innovative research and development. This includes management for higher output/input ratios, conservation and enhancement of genetic resources, crop diversification, integration of crop and livestock production, and alternative land use options such as agroforestry, recreation, ecological refuges, and landscape enhancement. These challenges are common to most countries in the Middle East, and offer opportunities for regional and international collaboration to improve the sustainability of agriculture in the region.
Management of natural Kentucky bluegrass-white clover pasture
Authors: Murphy William M. , Silman Joshua P. , McCrory Lisa E. , Flack Sarah E. , Schmitt Abdon L. , Mzamane Nthoana M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractManagement recommendations are needed f or low-input (no N fertilizer) Kentucky bluegrass-dominant/white clover swards, particularly to increase or maintain white clover content. We applied treatments involving different amounts of forage present pre- and postgrazing, with and without harrowing and soil aeration, to a well-established, naturally seeded pasture grazed by dairy cows. Pregrazing dry matter was 2350 or 2700 kg/ha (about 10 or 15 cm tall). Postgrazing dry matter was 1100 or 1575 kg/ha (about 2.5 or 5 cm tall). The sward was composed mainly of Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, quackgrass, timothy, white clover, dandelion, and chicory. Soil aeration and harrowing did not affect botanical composition, plant components, or forage yield. Pre- and postgrazing mass (total forage dry matter per unit area) did not affect botanical composition or plant components, but did influence total forage yield. White clover tended to increase under all pasture-mass treatments. During the second year the lowest postgraz- ing mass produced the most forage (mean: 6685 kg DM/ha). Forage quality of all treatments was excellent (seasonal means: 26% crude protein; 1.6 Meal net energy lactation/kg DM).
Soil erosion and productivity research: A regional approach
Authors: Jones Alice J. , Lal Rattan , Huggins David R. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSoil erosion is occurring at an alarming rate and threatens soil productivity and crop growth. A regional research committee was formed in the North Central region of the US in 1983 to develop a better understanding of soil erosion and productivity relationships on a broad geographic scale. This paper presents the history, project development and implementation and results of the committee, and a perspective on soil erosion-productivity research approaches. The original project included multistate field experiments on soils selected f or their local extent or agricultural importance. Erosion was classified as slight, moderate, or severe. Cropping practices were continuous corn or small grains, with cultural practices appropriate f or the area. The crop yields on moderately and severely eroded soils were consistently lower than on comparable slightly eroded soils. Precipitation and soil available water holding capacity were the factors most often identified as affecting yields. Other specific limitations were soil- or location-dependent. The most frequent soil limitations were depth of the mollic epipedon/topsoil, organic matter and clay content. Evolving objectives of the committee and state-based research emphases have provided additional information germane to soil erosion-productivity research. More than 40 papers have been published on soil properties, crop growth, management, and modeling as a result of this effort. The regional approach has fostered research on complex interactions among management and environmental factors and led to an increased understanding of functional relationships between soil erosion and productivity.
Small-scale, intensive cultivation methods: The effects of deep hand tillage on the productivity of bush beans and red beets
Authors: Holt Ben F. , Smith Ivan K. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThis study examined how one aspect of intensive cultivation, double digging by hand (loosening the planting bed to 50 cm deep), contributed to crop productivity and nutrient uptake in bush beans (1994 and 1995) and red beets (1995 only). Comparison beds were prepared with the soil cultivated to 25 cm (single dig) and 6 cm (surface cultivation). Although there were significant differences (1994 beans) between the surface cultivated beds and other cultivation types for leaf mass and chlorophyll content, there were no significant differences in the total mass of beans (whole fruit) produced. There were no significant differences in beet green or root (edible portion) biomass among cultivation methods. Levels of Ca, Mg, and K in the bean fruits and beet roots were not significantly different among cultivation methods. This study demonstrated that deep cultivation significantly alters the soil profile as measured by penetrometer resistance, but that this change does not necessarily alter productivity or nutrient uptake. We suggest that deep hand tillage has little effect on crop productivity in well-watered and moderate to high fertility soils. These results are similar to those found in mechanically subsoiled systems.
Geographic information systems for selection of CRP tracts to meet different management goals after contract expiration
Authors: Rickerl D.H. , Gritzner J.H. , Wieland P.K. , Rial G. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractLand use decisions, following expiration of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts, can be aided by Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis. We utilized a GIS to overlay maps of CRP tracts including wetlands, a surficial aquifer, lakes, rivers and other landscape features in a small watershed in eastern South Dakota. Attribute data including the percentage of highly erodible land, soil type, vegetation, and land capability class were also integrated with the maps. Lake County, South Dakota was used to test the GIS selection model. Criteria were developed for the selection of tracts suitable for various management goals including: protection of surface and groundwater resources, wildlife enhancement, and row-crop or grassland agriculture. The maximum percentage of tract hectares selected for each goal was 17 for groundwater protection, 22 for surface water protection, 18 for wildlife enhancement, 30 for rowcrop production, and 38 for pasture or rangeland. All CRP tracts were selected at least once. The GIS provides a mechanism for selecting CRP tracts to meet several management goals.
Supplementation of midgestation swine grazing alfalfa
Authors: Honeyman M. S. , Roush W. B. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractFor four years (1991–1994), gestating gilts rotationally grazing alfalfa were compared to gilts in a dry lot fed 1,800 g/d of a corn-soy diet (control). The dietary supplementation treatments for the grazing gilts were 1,260 g, 720 g, and 180 g of ground corn (70, 40, and 10% of the gilts' energy needs) plus 45 g of monosodium phosphate and 9 g of salt (sodium chloride) per day. All gilts were fed individually. In 1991 and 1992, the gilts were fed daily. In 1993 and 1994, the gilts were fed their weekly feed ration in three equal feedings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Alfalfa paddocks were grazed for one week with a stocking rate of 62 gilts/ha/wk. All gilts had rings in their noses to minimize rooting. For the 42-d mid-gestation trial, the weight gain of the control gilts did not differ from the gain of the grazing gilts daily fed 720 g corn (40%) (P<.05). The interval feeding reduced gains compared to the daily feeding. Gilts daily fed 1,260 g corn/d (70%) gained more than the other grazing treatments (P<.05). The gilts daily fed 180 g corn/d (10%) gained less than all other treatments (P<.05) and had the greatest backfat loss (P<.05) for the 42-d trial. No major trends were noted in number of pigs born per litter or pig birth weight. After one week of grazing, alfalfa height decreased 14.7 cm and DM content of the remaining alfalfa increased 9%. Each grazing season, the alfalfa stand decreased 3.8 plants/m2. Daily alfalfa intakes per gilt were calculated at 11.5 kg (3.2 kg DM) for 1991 and 1992, and increased to 16.3 kg (4.2 kg DM) for 1993 and 1994. These are composite intakes because all grazing gilts were commingled. Mid-gestation gilts rotationally grazing alfalfa need 720 g of corn per day plus phosphorus and salt to match weight gains of gestating gilts in a drylot fed 1,800 g/d of a corn-soy diet. Daily feeding, rather than interval feeding, resulted in greater weight gains and lower alfalfa intakes. The practice of grazing gestating sows has the advantages of no manure to haul, reduced purchased feed inputs, and inclusion of a soil-building crop like alfalfa in the crop rotation.
Performance of reduced-tillage cropping systems for sustainable grain production in Maryland
Authors: Teasdale J.R. , Rosecrance R.C. , Coffman C.B. , Starr J.L. , Paltineanu I.C. , Lu Y.C. , Watkins B.K. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSustainable production systems are needed to maintain soil resources and reduce environmental contamination on erodible lands that are incompatible with tillage-intensive operations. A long-term cropping systems comparison was established at Beltsville, Maryland, on a site with 2 to 15% slope to evaluate the efficacy of sustainable strategies compatible with reduced-tillage systems. All systems followed a 2-year rotation of corn the first year and winter wheat followed by soybean the second year. Treatments included (1) no-tillage system with recommended fertilizer and herbicide inputs, (2) crownvetch living mulch system with similar inputs to the no-tillage system, (3) cover crop system including a hairy vetch cover crop before corn and a wheat cover crop before soybean with reduced fertilizer and herbicide inputs, and (4) manure system including crimson clover green manure plus cow manure for nutrient sources, chisel plow/disk for incorporating manure, and rotary hoe plus cultivation for weed control. Results from the initial 4 years demonstrated the relative productivity of these systems. Corn yields were similar in the no-tillage and cover crop systems in each year; both systems averaged 7.8 Mg ha-1 compared to 5.7 Mg ha-1 in both the crownvetch and manure systems. Wheat yields were highest in the manure system in the first 2 years and in the crownvetch system in the last 2 years. Soybean yields were highest in the cover crop system in all years. The manure system usually had lower yields than the highest yielding systems, partly because of competition from uncontrolled weeds. Several measures of the efficiency of grain production were evaluated. The no-tillage system produced the most grain per total vegetative biomass throughout the rotation. The cover crop system produced the most grain per unit of external nitrogen input and, along with the no-tillage system, had the highest corn water-use efficiency. The cover crop system also recycled the most vegetative residues and nutrients of all systems. No single system performed best according to all measures of comparison, suggesting that trade-offs will be required when choosing production systems.