In Croatia, farmers are showing increasing interest in establishing walnut orchards for nut production on arable land due to higher anticipated net margins. One way to address the lack of ...profitability in the initial years when nut yields are low may be to plant arable intercrops. The anticipated impacts of this practice were assessed using a biophysical simulation model (Yield-SAFE) to determine the growth and yield of crops and trees in arable, orchard, and silvoarable systems, and an economic farm model (Farm-SAFE) was used to assess their profitability. The walnut orchard and the intercropped orchard systems were simulated assuming tree densities of 170, 135, and 100 trees ha
−1
, to determine the profitability and break-even date of the systems. The biophysical simulation predicted a decline in arable intercrop yields over time in all tree density scenarios. However, analysis of productivity of intercropped systems showed that intercropping was more productive than separate arable and walnut production for all tree density scenarios. From financial aspect, the return from intercropping helped to offset some of the initial orchard establishment costs and the arable intercrop remained profitable until the sixth year after tree planting. The modelling predicted that a system with 170 trees ha
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that included intercropping for the first 6 years provided the greatest cumulative net margin after 20 years. The financial benefit of intercropping over the first 6 years opposed to monoculture walnut fruit production appeared to be consistent across the three tree densities studied. These results suggest that silvoarable agroforestry is profitable approach to establishing walnut orchards.
Biofortification of wheat cultivars with selenium Manojlović, Maja S.; Lončarić, Zdenko; Cabilovski, Ranko R. ...
Acta agriculturae Scandinavica. Section B, Soil and plant science,
11/2019, Letnik:
69, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Biofortification experiments with three winter wheat cultivars treated with sodium selenate through foliar- and soil-fertilisation were conducted at two locations in Croatia and Serbia in two ...consecutive years to increase the selenium (Se) concentration in bread-making wheat grain. The treatments were: (a) 5 g ha
−1
Se foliar-, (b) 10 g ha
−1
Se foliar- and (c) 10 g ha
−1
Se in soil surface-application and they were compared with (d) control. Both Se foliar- and soil-fertilisation increased the Se concentration in grains from 2.6- to 4.6-fold. The concentration in grain was highest with Se foliar-fertilisation of 10 g ha
−1
and it was increased by 29-32 µg Se kg
−1
dry weight for each gram of Se applied per ha. The wheat cultivars differed in grain yield and Se uptake (g ha
−1
Se). However, on average, there were no differences between wheat cultivars with respect to Se grain concentrations. Agronomic use efficiency (by grain) was significantly higher for Se foliar- (19%) than for soil-fertilisation (13%). It can be concluded that agronomic biofortification of winter wheat can be effective in increasing Se grain concentration, where the efficiency depends on the rate of Se applied, application method and local environmental conditions rather than on cultivar differences.
The protection of air from pollution is one of the basic principles of sustainable development, and this article analyzes the joint impact of various types of agricultural production and traffic on ...nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The goal of this research is the development of a new methodology for assessing the combined impact of different types of agricultural production, traffic load, and traffic flow structure on the emission of nitrogen oxides. For the analysis of the joint impact of traffic and agricultural production, a new impact assessment methodology was developed, which is based on two selected impact prediction models. The following two models were used to predict the impact: the BioGrace model and the microsimulation model VISSIM. The developed methodology was applied to a case study in real field conditions. The results showed that the difference in the emission of NOx gases, depending on the type of agricultural production, indicates a reduction in NOx emissions in the walnut–winter-wheat system by 30%, compared to the production of winter wheat in an open field. The statistical analysis showed that there is no statistically significant difference between NOx emissions for different vehicle arrival scenarios for the same traffic load. The results of the joint impact show that the lowest NOx emission was found in walnut orchards and counted traffic. In this example, the difference between the one-hour emission load of three different agricultural types of production and traffic is not large; however, in the cumulative load, it can lead to significant differences. Emphasizing the importance of adopting new agricultural practices and the impact of traffic and the share of freight and heavy goods vehicles in agricultural production, we position them as a proactive and sustainable response to the critical ecological and agricultural challenges highlighted in European and Croatian policy.
Dosadašnji načini kontrole uzročnika bolesti koji, među ostalim, podrazumijevaju uporabu fungicida prema novim zakonodavnim okvirima i novim strategijama u biljnom zdravstvu nailaze na sve veće ...restrikcije. Pronalaženje nekemijskih sredstava za zaštitu usjeva od biološki preparat, Fusarium graminearum, pšenica, zrnobolesti je od velikog interesa za poljoprivrednu proizvodnju, stoga je u našem istraživanju ispitan učinak novog biološkog preparata (BP) za kontrolu gljive Fusarium graminearum na klijancima pšenice. Biološki preparat primijenjen je na tri različita načina: inokulacijom zrna pšenice, zalijevanjem, te inokulacijom zrna i zalijevanjem. Utvrđeno je kako se intenzitet bolesti primjenom BP smanjuje, a najbolji rezultati dobiveni su inokulacijom zrna prije sjetve dok je zalijevanje površine BP polučilo slabije rezultate. Također, ukoliko je zrno već tretirano biološkim preparatom dodatna aplikacija zalijevanjem nije bila opravdana ni s ekološkog ni s ekonomskog aspekta.
Stationary field experiment pertaining to the winter wheat in Croatia was performed during the three seasons. This study’s intention was to examine and diagnose the effect of tillage systems (TS) on ...soil chemical properties (soil acidity, phosphorus P, potassium K, and organic matter content). The TSs were as follows: CT — ploughing up to 30 cm depth, DT — disking up to 8-12 cm depth, LT — loosening up to 35 cm depth, and NT — no-tillage. The experimental design was a randomised block design in four repetitions, in which the basic TS plot amounted to 540 m2. Soil sampling for 0-30 cm soil layer was performed prior to setting up the experiment and subsequent to the three seasons with a total of 320 soil samples. Chemical analysis was performed according to standard pedological procedures. Economic indicators were calculated using economic equations and standards, whereas statistical analysis was performed with SAS 9.3 and Microsoft Excel 2016. Generated results indicate that the expressed accumulation of phosphorus and potassium appeared with a distinct vertical stratification in the systems with shallower tillage or no-tillage. At the same time, these TSs ensured the soil organic matter and soil fertility preservation. A conservable agricultural production of reduced soil tillage systems has its efficiency and vigor while providing soil degradation.
Stacionarni poljski pokus za ozimu pšenicu u Hrvatskoj proveden je tijekom triju sezona . Namjera ovoga istraživanja bila je ispitati i dijagnosticirati utjecaj sustava obrade tla (TSs) na kemijska svojstva tla (kiselost tla, sadržaj fosfora, kalija i organske tvari. TSs-i su bili CT — oranje do 30 cm dubine; DT — tanjuranje do 8-12 cm dubine; LT — rahljenje do 35 cm dubine; NT — bez obrade tla. Eksperimentalni dizajn je bio randomizirani blok dizajn u četiri ponavljanja, u kojem je osnovna TSs parcela bila 540 m2 . Uzorkovanje za sloj tla 0-30 cm obavljeno je prije postavljanja pokusa i nakon triju sezona s ukupno 320 uzoraka tla. Kemijska analiza provedena jer prema standardnim pedološkim postupcima. Standardna statistička analiza provedena softverom SAS 9.3 i Microsoft Excel 2016. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju da se na sustavima s plićom obradom ili bez obrade javlja izražena akumulacija fosfora i kalija uz izraženu vertikalnu stratifikaciju. Istodobno ovi TSs-i osiguravaju konzervaciju organske tvari tla i očuvanje plodnosti tla. Poljoprivredna proizvodnja uz primjenu reduciranih sustava obrade tla ima svoju učinkovitost i snagu kroz sprječavanje degradacije tla.
An increased awareness of environmental protection and sustainable production raise the necessity of incorporating the selection of low nitrogen-tolerant winter wheat cultivars for high yield and ...quality in the breeding process. This selection can be assisted by using stress screening indices. Our study aimed to evaluate and compare a number of stress screening indices and to determine and select the most nitrogen deficiency-tolerant winter wheat cultivars for further breeding. The experiment included forty-eight winter wheat cultivars from eight different countries that were grown for two consecutive years at three different locations under low-nitrogen (LN) and high-nitrogen (HN) conditions. The results emphasized the importance of applying the appropriate stress screening indices in evaluating and selecting nitrogen deficiency-tolerant wheat cultivars. The promising stress screening indices were the mean productivity index (MP), geometric mean productivity index (GMP), harmonic mean index (HM), stress tolerance index (STI) and yield index (YI). They identified cultivars Sofru, BC Opsesija and MV-Nemere as the most tolerant cultivars to LN conditions for grain yield. The same indices classified U-1, OS-Olimpija, Forcali, Viktoria and BC Tena cultivars as the most tolerant to LN conditions for the grain protein content. Using the tolerance index (TOL), yield stability index (YSI) and relative stress index (RSI), the Katarina and Ficko cultivars were denoted as LN-tolerant cultivars in terms of the grain yield and Isengrain, Tosunbey, Vulkan and BC Darija in terms of the grain protein content.
The implementation of sustainable agro-energy systems that integrate crop, livestock, and bioenergy production is attracting increasing interest from farmers. Livestock produces large amounts of ...animal manure which can serve as organic fertilizer for crops and pasture growth. However, the nutrients contained in manure can adversely affect air, water, and soil quality and pose a public health risk if not handled properly. Existing manure management practices vary widely on a global scale. Researchers are striving to identify appropriate manure management practices with the aim of environmental protection. Anaerobic digestion of manure and subsequent digestate (DG) processing technologies have been proposed to stabilize manure so that it can be safely used for land applications. DG, which represents digested substrate removed from the anaerobic reactor after recovery of biogas, is a rich source of N, P, K, and S, various micronutrients, and organic matter, the addition of which to the soil can stimulate soil microbial biomass metabolic activities thus improving soil ecosystem function. However, the optimal fertilization properties of DG can be lost if it is neither fully stabilized nor contains biodegradable materials. To overcome these problems, various processing technologies can be used to convert DG into value-added by-products. Composting has been proposed as one such preferred post-treatment that can convert DG into mature, stable, safe, humus- and nutrient-rich compost. Other processing technologies such as thermal drying, gasification, hydrothermal carbonization, pyrolysis, membrane filtration, struvite precipitation, ammonia stripping, and evaporation have also been proposed for DG processing and nutrient recovery from DG. The objective of this review paper was to provide an overview of the current state of the art in DG management regulations and practices and to provide an update on the various processes that have been developed to meet DG stabilization requirements, with a focus on composting as one of the preferred solutions.
The aim of this study was to determine the influence of liquid chicken manure preparation on nematode biodiversity as an indicator of soil health and agrochemi-cal soil properties. The field ...experiment was conducted during two years into two treatments and three samplings per year. One plot was treated with liquid chicken manure preparation (LCMP) while the other plot, without manure application, was control (C). In the first year of this study, the treatments were conducted in the wheat plantation, while in the following year the culture was rapeseed. Results indicate that genus biodiversity was significantly higher in treatments with LCMP (18% in wheat, 28% in rapeseed). Indices of disturbance (MI, MI 2-5, PPI/MI) show statistically significant differences during the two years indicating ecosys-tem stability, reduction of plant parasitic nematodes and the multitude of beneficial nematodes in treatment with LCMP compared to C. The analysed agrochemical properties showed the increasement of organic matter content (60%) and P and K content in treatment with LCMP compared to C. It can be concluded that the use of LCMP significantly increases the nematode diversity and the stability of the soil ecosystem as well as a nutrient content in the soil which results in a reduced eco-nomic investment, primarily in the use of mineral fertilizers.
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