In many parts of Pakistan, availability of green forage is critical to livestock farmers. Forage production is often conducted with two succeeding crops grown within one year and it is highly affected by uncertain availability of irrigation water and low levels of applied mineral fertilisers. The objectives of the present study were to (i) evaluate the effects of crop species, fertiliser type and irrigation level on yield, (ii) determine the corresponding water use efficiency and (iii) investigate relationships between chlorophyll content and crop yield as a basis for a simple sensor-based prediction of crop yield for on-farm use. To this end a two-year field experiment was conducted in Faisalabad, Pakistan, with a completely randomised design with four replications in a split plot arrangement. A combination of fertiliser treatment (control, farm yard manure and mineral fertiliser) and irrigation (recommended irrigation, half recommended irrigation) were assigned to main plot whereas subplots were assigned to cropping systems (common (CCS): Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) followed by corn (Zea mays L.), drought-adapted (DACS): Oat (Avena sativa L.) followed by Sudangrass (Andropogon sorghum subsp. drummondii). Yield and irrigation water use efficiency of DACS was higher than CCS (14.8 and 26% respectively), the differences were bigger with reduced irrigation and fertilised crops used the available water better than the control. Positive linear relationships were found between chlorophyll concentration estimated by a chlorophyll meter and yield for all crops (r 2 = 0.63–0.96), suggesting this technique as a fairly accurate approach to predict yields of crops in vegetative growth stage.

This paper summarizes a study initiated by the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Research and ICARDA/CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program on the adoption of five new winter and spring wheat varieties developed and released by the Turkish national breeding program and through international collaboration in the past 10 years. The study results are based on a survey of 781 households selected randomly in the Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Edirne, and Konya provinces of Turkey. The five new wheat varieties are compared to old improved varieties released prior to 1995 that are also still grown by farmers. Technical and biological indicators of impacts including crop productivity are measured to determine the impact of these varieties. Yield stability is assessed by comparing average yields in normal, good and dry years and by comparing the coefficients of variation of yields by variety. Profitability is measured by the gross margin generated per unit of land. Household income from wheat and for all economic activities are estimated and compared between adopters and non-adopters. Adopters of the new varieties have higher per-capita income than non-adopters as compared to the same group using old varieties. However, the overall impact of the improved varieties is generally low, mainly due to their low adoption levels. Farmers’ knowledge and perception of certain variety characteristics and unavailability of adequate and timely seed are the main reasons. Increasing adoption has the potential to improve household income and this requires revising wheat impact pathway to achieve the expected impact.

Conducting farmers participatory field trials at 40 sites for 3 consecutive years in four rice-wheat system dominated districts of Haryana state of India, this paper tested the hypothesis that zero tillage (ZT) based crop production emits less greenhouse gases and yet provide adequate economic benefits to farmers compared to the conventional tillage (CT). In each farmer's field, ZT and CT based wheat production were compared side by side for three consecutive years from 2009–10 to 2011–12. In assessing the mitigation potential of ZT, we examined the differences in input use and crop management, especially those contributing to GHGs emissions, between ZT wheat and CT wheat. We employed Cool Farm Tool (CFT) to estimate emission of GHGs from various wheat production activities. In order to assess economic benefits, we examined the difference in input costs, net returns and cost-benefit analysis of wheat production under CT and ZT. Results show that farmers can save approximately USD 79 ha−1 in terms of total production costs and increase net revenue of about USD 97.5 ha−1 under ZT compared to CT. Similarly, benefit-cost ratio under ZT is 1.43 against 1.31 under CT. Our estimate shows that shifting from CT to ZT based wheat production reduces GHG emission by 1.5 Mg CO2-eq ha−1 season−1. Overall, ZT has both climate change mitigation and economic benefits, implying the win-win outcome of better agricultural practices.

Intercropping is considered as a promising system having multi-dimensional advantages such as improved yield on sustained basis, effective use of land and other resources and reduction in cost of production. The present study was carried out using pea and three non-legume winter vegetables, i.e. garlic, turnip and cauliflower, by planting as sole crops and in pea–garlic, pea–turnip and pea–cauliflower intercropping systems to determine the competition among these vegetables and economics of each intercropping system. The intercropping systems were assessed on the basis of existing competition and economic indices such as land equivalent ratio (LER), relative crowding coefficient (K), aggressivity (A), competitive ratio (CR), actual yield loss (AYL), intercropping advantage and monetary advantage index (MAI). Yields of individual vegetables were higher when grown as sole crops compared with their intercropping with pea. Harvest index for pea was higher when grown alone or intercropped with garlic and was significantly reduced when intercropped with turnip or cauliflower. Harvest indices for garlic, turnip and cauliflower were statistically similar when grown as sole crops or intercropped with pea. The partial LER, K, A and CR for pea were higher in pea–garlic intercropping. However, partial LER, K, A and CR for intercrop were significantly higher for cauliflower and turnip in pea–cauliflower and pea–turnip intercropping systems respectively. The product of relative K values was greater for pea–garlic intercropping system, indicating a definite yield advantage. A similar trend to LER was followed by AYL. These results indicate that pea was more competitive than garlic, and cauliflower and turnip were more competitive than pea for exploiting the available growth resources. The highest MAI value was recorded for pea–garlic intercropping, reflecting that this intercropping system was more advantageous compared with other intercropping systems, indicating definite yield and economic advantages. However, pea–cauliflower intercropping system resulted in higher net income and benefit cost ratio.

Stagnant early growth and mortality are the major constraints for goat production in Ethiopia. We evaluated the effects of non-genetic factors on early growth performance of kids in Halaba district of southern Ethiopia, on-farm monitoring with 587 kids owned by 60 households from 2008 to 2009. Body weight (kilograms) of kids at birth, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days were 2.34, 4.39, 6.61, 9.85, 11.8 and 13.7, respectively, while the average daily gain (ADG; gram) from birth to 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days were 68.3, 70.4, 82.3, 78.3 and 75.0, respectively. Season had profound effect on body weights of kids at all ages (except at 120 days) and ADG. There was significant sex effect on body weights from 30 to 120 days (P < 0.05). Parity influenced body weights of kids at birth (P < 0.01) and 30, 60, 120 and 150 days (P < 0.05). Type of birth affected pre-weaning body weights (P < 0.05) and ADG from birth to 30, 60 days (P < 0.01) and birth to 90 days (P < 0.05). There were significant (P < 0.05) effects of parity by sex and parity by type of birth on body weights and ADG at weaning. The non-genetic factors evaluated in this study are important sources of variation and need to be taken into account in the improvement plan of Halaba goats under semi-arid tropical conditions.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is an important grain crop for millions of poor farmers and consumers in the semi-arid region of West Africa. During the past 40 years, much research on pearl millet production practices and adoption in this region has been conducted, but an attempt to summarize these results has not been previously completed and these research results are not readily available to many West African scientists. This review was completed to address this need and integrate knowledge, and at the same time identify research needs for the future and extension priorities for semi-arid West African agro-ecological zones. Research has shown that selection of improved varieties and cropping systems, appropriate cultural practices, and recommended integrated soil, nutrient, residue and pest management can greatly increase grain and stover yields of pearl millet. However, adoption by farmers has been minimal due to limited profitability, high risk and labour demand, limited input supply, market availability and appropriate public policy. This review has 196 articles included as in-text citations (Table 1) compared to 149 articles in the reference list, indicating that only one in four articles integrated two or more topics in the research. The obvious conclusion is that most of the past research has not addressed the ‘system’ but rather one or two management practices. In addition, most studies have interpreted responses in terms of yield without addressing other important considerations for farmer adoption. Recent conservation agriculture research moves closer to addressing the larger integrative types of research needed. Such research is complex and requires sustained funding for field and laboratory activities, but also for computer simulation modelling and economic assessment.

Low-temperature stress is an important limiting factor to tobacco growth in early spring of south China. In this study, a low-temperature-resistant agent (LTRA) was employed to examine its ameliorating effect on the inhibition of tobacco growth triggered by low-temperature stress. Results indicated that low-temperature stress of 12 °C for 6 days reduced root number and biomass of tobacco seedling by 27.4% and 24.1%, while treatment with LTRA could recover the inhibitory effect of low-temperature stress on tobacco growth significantly. The content of ascorbic acid and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase at low-temperature stress were 65.2%, 53.5% and 32.1% of those at normal temperature condition (26 °C), while the corresponding values with LTRA treatment were 89.2%, 88.9% and 74.2%, suggesting that LTRA treatment could enhance the activity of antioxidant enzyme and the synthesis of antioxidant compounds. Low-temperature stress increased the membrane permeability by 84.8%, while LTRA treatment recovered it by 77.4%. Furthermore, LTRA treatment contributed to increase chlorophyll synthesis and maintain the integrity of tobacco leaf structure. Effective component analysis indicated that the complex of ammonium calcium nitrate and glycine betaine was the main effective component of LTRA in maintaining membrane integrity. Its effective concentration was 1.0 g L−1. The above results suggested that LTRA could enhance the synthesis of chlorophyll, activate the activity of antioxidant enzyme, maintain the integrity of cell membrane, and thus elevate the tolerance of tobacco seedlings to low-temperature stress.

Research has proved that integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) can increase crop yields at the field and farm scales. However, its uptake by smallholder farmers in Africa is often constrained by lack of technical guidelines on effective starting points and how the different ISFM options can be combined to increase crop productivity on a sustainable basis. A 4-year study was conducted on sandy soils (<10% clay) on smallholder farms in eastern Zimbabwe to assess how sequencing of different ISFM options may lead to incremental gains in soil productivity, enhanced efficiency of resource use, and increase crop yields at field scale. The sequences were primarily based on low-quality organic resources, nitrogen-fixing green manure and grain legumes, and mineral fertilizers. To enable comparison of legume and maize grain yields among treatments, yields were converted to energy (kilocalories) and protein (kg) equivalents. In the first year, ‘Manure-start’, a cattle manure-based sequence, yielded 3.4 t ha−1 of maize grain compared with 2.5 and 0.4 t ha−1 under a woodland litter-based sequence (‘Litter-start’) and continuous unfertilized maize control, respectively. The ‘Manure-start’ produced 12 × 106 kilocalories (kcal); significantly (p < 0.05) out-yielding ‘Litter start’ and a fertilizer-based sequence (‘Fertilizer-start’) by 50%. A soyabean-based sequence, ‘Soya-start’, gave the highest protein production of 720 kg against <450 kg for the other sequencing treatments. In the second year, the sequences yielded an average of 5.7 t ha−1 of maize grain, producing over 19 × 106 kcal and 400 kg of protein. Consequently, the sequences significantly out-performed farmers’ designated poor fields by ~ fivefold. In the third year, ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest maize grain yield of 3.7 t ha−1; translating to 1.5 and 3 times more calories than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields, respectively. In the fourth year, ‘Fertilizer-start’ produced the highest calories and protein of 14 × 106 kcal and 340 kg, respectively. Cumulatively over 4 years, ‘Manure-start’ and ‘Soya-start’ gave the highest calories and protein, out-performing farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.)-based sequences, ‘Green-start’ and ‘Fertilizer-start’, recorded the highest gains in plant available soil P of ~ 4 mg kg−1 over the 4-year period. Assessment of P agronomic efficiencies showed significantly more benefits under the ISFM-based sequences than under farmers’ designated rich and poor fields. Based on costs of seed, nutrients and labour, ‘Soya-start’ gave the best net present value over the 4 years, while ‘Fertilizer-start’ was financially the least attractive. Overall, the ISFM-based sequences were more profitable than fields designated as rich and poor by farmers. We concluded that ISFM-based sequences can provide options for farm-level intensification by different categories of smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.

We analyse the adoption of an Integrated Food-Energy System (IFES) in southern Malawi. The IFES combined the improved cookstove (chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa), designed to reduce demand for fuelwood, with the pigeonpea variety Mthawajuni, which increased both food supply and supply of fuelwood from pigeonpea stems. Adoption of the improved cookstove was found to be higher among households that were better off and where women had greater control over decision-making. However, adoption of the IFES was not associated with reduced demand for fuelwood from forests and hills or reduced frequency of collection. IFES adopters might have high fuelwood consumption because they were better off, but fuelwood consumption in better-off households did not differ significantly between IFES adopters and non-adopters. Pigeonpea increased food supply for adopter households, including children aged less than five years. Consequently, the IFES has had mixed results, improving food supply but not reducing demand for fuelwood. Households ranked early maturity, fuelwood and yield as the three most important reasons for preferring Mthawajuni over other varieties of pigeonpea. The plant breeding programme for pigeonpea in Malawi should evaluate improved varieties not only for earliness and grain yield but also for the production of fuelwood. Improved varieties with desirable market traits have had limited success in the absence of reliable markets and price incentives.

Long-term fertilization experiment has been conducted since 1981 to study the effect of soil management practices on soil fertility, soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration, soil culturable microbe counts and crop yields at the Nanhu Experimental Station in the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences (situated in the middle reach of the Yangtze River and the rice–wheat cropping system). The experiment was designed with the following eight treatments: (1) unfertilized treatment: Control; (2) inorganic nitrogen fertilizer treatment: N; (3) inorganic nitrogen plus inorganic phosphorus fertilizer treatment: NP; (4) inorganic nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus plus inorganic potassium fertilizer treatment: NPK; (5) pig dung compost (manure) treatment: M; (6) inorganic nitrogen fertilizer plus manure: NM; (7) inorganic nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus fertilizer plus manure treatment: NPM and (8) inorganic nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, inorganic potassium fertilizer plus manure treatment: NPKM. The results showed that long-term application of organic manure in combination with inorganic fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) increased soil organic C concentrations compared with the corresponding inorganic fertilizers alone. Soil organic C contents were significantly (p < 0.05) increased in balanced application of NPK fertilizers in comparison to unbalanced application of fertilizers. After 30 years of experiment, soil organic C and total N sequestration rate averagely were 0.48 t ha−1 year−1 and 28.3 kg ha−1 year−1 in the fertilized treatments respectively; nevertheless, it were 0.27 t ha−1 year−1 and 9.7 kg ha−1 year−1 in the unfertilized treatment. Application of organic fertilizer in combination with inorganic fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) increased culturable microbial counts compared with the corresponding inorganic fertilizers alone. The balanced application of NPK fertilizers significantly (p < 0.05) increased culturable microbial counts compared with unbalanced application of fertilizers. The average grain yield of wheat and rice was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in organic manure combined with inorganic fertilizer treatment than in inorganic fertilizer alone and unfertilized control. Therefore, long-term application of organic manure combined with inorganic fertilizer and balanced application of NPK fertilizers could increase soil organic C and total N sequestration, culturable microbial counts and crop grain yields.

Large areas of rainfed lowlands of Asia annually experienced flash flooding during the rice-growing season, which is an important abiotic stress that adversely affect grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop. Submergence stress is a common environmental challenge for agriculture sustainability in these areas because lack of high-yielding, flood-tolerant cultivars. In this study, IR64-Sub1 and IR64 were compared for their tolerance to submergence at active tillering (AT), panicle initiation (PI) and heading (H) stages with nitrogen and phosphorus application time. We evaluated the role of cultivars, stage of submergence and N and P application on phenology, leaf senescence (LS), photosynthetic (Pn) rate, yield attributes and yield. Under non-submerged conditions, no difference was observed in phenology, Pn rate and yield of both cultivars. Submergence substantially reduced biomass, Pn rate, yields attributes and yield across cultivars with more drastic reduction in IR64. Submergence at H stage proves to be most detrimental. Nitrogen application after desubmergence with basal P improved the Pn rate resulting in significantly higher yield and yield components. Nitrogen application before submergence resulted in increased LS and ethylene accumulation in shoots leading to drastic reduction in growth, Pn rate and yield. Crop establishment and productivity could therefore be enhanced in areas where untimely flooding is anticipated by avoiding N application before submergence and applying N after desubmergence with basal P (phosphorus).

The potential of cyanobacteria-based compost formulations was evaluated in cotton crop at two agro-ecological locations (Nagpur and Sirsa) as plant growth promoting (PGP) and biocontrol agents. Compost-based formulations fortified with Calothrix sp. or Anabaena sp. enhanced germination and fresh weight of plants, and microbiological activity by 10–15%, besides increased available nitrogen (by 20–50%) in soil at Nagpur. In the fungi-infected fields at Sirsa, Anabaena–T. viride biofilmed formulation performed the best, recording 11.1% lower plant mortality than commercial Trichoderma formulation. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the colonisation of inoculated cyanobacteria/biofilms on roots. Significant correlation between mortality, increased activity of hydrolytic enzymes and fresh weight of plant roots were recorded. Calothrix sp. and Anabaena sp. proved promising as both PGP and biocontrol agents, while biofilmed formulations substantially reduced mortality of cotton plants in sick plots. This study illustrates the promise of cyanobacteria as viable inoculation option for integrated nutrient and pest management strategies of cotton.

Family farming in the tropics suffers from low crop productivity mainly due to a combination of poor soil fertility, low investment capacity, and a variable climate. The Lake Alaotra region of Madagascar is no exception and rainfed production is particularly hard hit. To evaluate the agronomic benefits of conservation agriculture (CA) in a region of erratic rainfall, we analysed four years of yield, management and climatic data from 3803 upland rice fields cultivated by farmers and monitored by researchers. Fields located on rainfed lowlands and hillsides were cultivated with sole rice using conventional tillage (Cv) or rice sown with no-tillage on dead organic mulch and rotated with other cereal/legume combinations (CA) from 2006 to 2011. A first global comparison across seasons, locations and years of adoption showed significantly higher average yields under CA, with no change in variance (on lowland: 2.6 ± 0.9 t ha–1 Cv, 2.8 ± 0.9 t ha–1 CA; on hillside: 2.1 ± 0.8 t ha–1 Cv, 2.4 ± 0.8 t ha–1 CA). Grouping fields according to the number of years under CA (first to fourth) revealed that CA gradually increased average yields and reduced the coefficient of variation in the short and mid-term (on lowland: +0.2 t ha–1 and –6% coefficient of variation; on hillside: +0.7 t ha–1 and –13% coefficient of variation, over four to six years of successive CA cropping). The average yield increase under CA was not associated with an increase in mineral fertiliser use, as farmers used the same amounts of fertilisers (or none) under Cv and CA. The comparison Cv versus CA also highlighted a major benefit of CA regarding climate: it widened the window of possible sowing dates. A classification and regression tree analysis of the entire dataset revealed that rice yield was more affected by agro-environmental factors than management factors (fertilisation, Cv or CA), and extreme climate variability such as the severe drought of 2007–2008 could not be offset by CA. The hypothesis of yield penalties during the first years of implementation of CA cannot be verified with the evidence presented in this study.

The results of international research on the water relations and irrigation needs of onions have been synthesised in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to irrigation practices, and consequent impacts on crop yield, quality and storage. Following a brief introduction on its origins and centres of production, a synthesis of research on crop development including plant water relations, crop water requirements, yield response to water, irrigation systems and scheduling are presented. Most of the evidence stems from research conducted in arid and semi-arid regions, notably the USA, India, Spain and Turkey. The findings confirm that onion seasonal water requirements are highly variable depending on agroclimate, location and season, as are the crop coefficients (Kc) which range from 0.4 to 0.7 (initial stage), 0.85 to 1.05 (middle development) and 0.6 to 0.75 (final stage). Seasonal irrigation needs are reported to vary from 225 to 1040 mm to produce between 10 and 77 t ha−1. The most sensitive stages for water stress are at emergence, transplanting and bulb formation. Final crop quality can also be affected by water excess. Water stress at specific stages can negatively impact on quality leading to reduced size and multi-centred bulbs. In recent years, pressure on water resources, retailer demands for quality assurance and rising production costs have meant that onion irrigation has switched from traditional low efficiency (furrow) methods to more efficient advanced (sprinkler and drip) technologies. For scheduling, optimal soil water potential thresholds for triggering irrigation were found to be between −17 and −27 kPa for drip and furrow irrigation. Research is underway to maximise water use efficiency in onions, but the deficit irrigation regimes being tested under experimental conditions have yet to be adopted commercially.

In mountainous areas of Continental South East Asia, double cropping in the irrigable valleys and terraces is often promoted as a way to increase farmers’ income while alleviating the pressure of agriculture on fragile slopes. However, cold temperature and low global radiation may constrain this strategy. Lethally cold events may occur, and increases in crop cycle length may jeopardize the correct timing of the main rice crop, taking place in summer. The model PYE (potential yield estimator) simulating the impact of temperature and radiation on the development and yield of annual crops was adapted to account for the range of temperature occurring in the area under study. It was calibrated against experimental data for the three crops that are most often considered as spring crops in the irrigable land of the northern mountains of Vietnam: rice, soybean and maize. Then a virtual experiment was designed in order to simulate various scenarios combining crop species and sowing date with climatic data accounting for variability of climate across years, location and elevation. Completed with a sensitivity analysis, it allowed to define favourable ‘sowing windows’ for non-water limited environments, based on the three following criteria: high average yield, low incidence over years of lethally cold events and low incidence over years of delays in the maturity of the spring crop. The length of this sowing window varied greatly across the scenarios tested. The widest was obtained for the case of soybean whatever the location and elevation, which makes it the less risky of the tested options. The approach followed proved effective to identify favourable and unfavourable environments in order to help better targeting the policy in support to the introduction of a spring crop in the mountains of Vietnam.

Seedling vigor is important to help ensure good crop establishment. In direct-seeded rice, this is particularly relevant when soil conditions are marginal. In Asia, about one third of the area of rainfed rice is situated on unfavorable soils, many of which are low in plant available P. In such environments, as farmers tend to have few resources, options to overcome poor crop establishment should be low cost and preferably seed-based. The P content of seed depends on genotype and can be augmented by soaking seeds in a P-containing solution prior to seeding (P-priming). In addition, the presence of the Pup1 quantitative trait locus can reportedly confer tolerance to low soil P availability. We tested combinations of seed priming (unprimed control, water priming, P-priming), and inherent seed P concentrations in contrasting rice genotypes (DJ123, Sadri Tor Misri), and two near isogenic sister lines of IR74 with (+Pup1) and without (−Pup1) the Pup1 QTL. Treatment effects on germination were studied in Petri dishes, while seedling growth and P accumulation were assessed using pots with P deficient soil. Germination was less than 75% in seeds with low seed P content. Seed priming with both water and P enhanced germination and seedling growth. In plants growing from high P seeds, water priming outperformed P-priming. In Sadri Tor Misri with low seed P, we observed a tendency for better performance in some parameters when P-primed. While the presence of the Pup1 QTL in IR74 increased shoot biomass and total root length, these effects could be further enhanced by water priming. Combining genetic and seed management approaches may contribute to improved rice establishment in P deficient soils but its effectiveness depends on genotype and seed attributes.

The hill ecosystem of Northeastern Himalayas is suitable for organic farming due to negligible use of fertilizer (<12 kg ha−1) and agrochemicals, abundance of organic manure, especially plant biomass, and favourable climatic conditions for diverse crops. For successful organic farming, efficient cropping systems and organic amendments are to be identified to sustain soil health on one hand and productivity and enhanced income on the other. The efficacy of three organic amendments, namely, farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost (VC) and integrated nutrient source (INS; 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (N) through FYM + 50% N through VC) on performance of three-vegetable-based cropping systems, namely, maize + soybean (2:2 intercropping)–tomato, maize + soybean–potato and maize + soybean–French bean was evaluated for five consecutive years (2005–06 to 2009–10) under subtropical climate at Umiam, Meghalaya, India (950 m above sea level). All the organic amendments were applied on N equivalent basis and phosphorus (P) requirement was compensated through rock phosphate. The results revealed that the yield of vegetables, except root vegetables, was maximum with FYM as soil amendment. Total system productivity in terms of maize equivalent yield (MEY) was significantly higher under FYM followed by INS. Pooled analysis revealed that MEY was enhanced by 200 and 191% with continuous application of FYM and INS, respectively, over control (no manure). Maize + soybean–tomato system recorded the highest MEY (28.78 Mg ha−1; Mg – megagram) followed by maize + soybean–French bean (24.37 Mg ha−1). INS as organic amendment resulted in maximum improvement in soil organic carbon (SOC), available P and potassium (K), soil microbial biomass carbon and water holding capacity and was similar to those under FYM. The SOC concentration under INS (23.6 g kg−1), FYM (23.3 g kg−1) and VC (22.3 g kg−1) after five years of organic farming were 31.0, 29.4 and 23.8% higher than the initial and 26.2, 24.6 and 19.3% higher than those under control, respectively. The quality traits of tomato such as total soluble solids (5%), ascorbic acid (28.6 mg 100 g−1) and lycopene content (19.35 mg 100 g−1) were higher under FYM application than other amendments. The study indicated that FYM and INS are equally good as organic amendment and their continuous application not only improves soil health but also crop productivity. FYM application was also found to be cost effective as it resulted in a higher benefit: cost ratio (4.4:1) compared to other amendments irrespective of cropping sequences during transition to organic farming.

Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman (Musaceae)] is a multi-purpose and drought-tolerant crop, traditionally grown in Ethiopia. Food from enset has nutritive values similar to potato; it could improve food and livelihood security for many in larger geographical areas. Agronomical advice is needed which requires increased knowledge of management techniques. The purposes of this study were to (i) compare traditional corm pre-treatments when planting for sucker production, (ii) compare all six officially released cultivars regarding sprouting and (iii) investigate the effect of watering on newly buried corms. Emergence rate and number and characteristics of sprouts were recorded. Corms, from 63 two year old plants, were buried in local soil supplied with cow manure in Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia. Emergence was recorded daily. After nine months, including one rainy season, all suckers (totally 4405) were harvested and individually recorded. Regardless of cultivar, minimum time to emergence was 50 days. Sprouts from split parent corms emerged earlier than from entire. Emergence occurred from 100% of corms, number of sprouts was strongly correlated to cultivar: average 28–106. The cultivars responded similarly to corm splitting: the more pieces the corm was split into, the more sprouts per parent corm. Average pseudostem diameter of the seven largest per parent corm: 8–10 cm for all cultivars, leaf length: 3.1–3.7 m, remaining 2700 smaller suckers: diameter 3 cm (SD 1.8). Watering decreased the average time to emergence and levelled out the differences between pre-treatments. The traditional belief is that watering as well as manure on corm cause rotting; manure is therefore usually put on the soil surface. On the contrary, full emergence and unexpected large suckers may be a result of careful soil preparation with manure applied on corm directly; watering resulted in an even emergence and growth. In conclusion, vegetative propagation of enset is efficient, but methods used and agronomical advice can be improved.

A study was conducted, including 17 oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) crops distributed throughout Colombia, to determine how much silicon (Si) this plant species accumulates in their leaves, and also to determine the available Si levels in the soils. The study was conceived as a preliminary step of a research project aimed at determining whether the beneficial effects of Si, which have been identified for other species also, occur in the oil palm crop. Available Si varied among soils; lower levels were found in the soils with characteristics associated with greater weathering as compared with less weathered soils. Relatively high leaf Si levels were found in all of the sites studied and this was interpreted as an indication that oil palm could be considered a Si accumulator. An increase in Si concentration with leaf age was found, indicating that this element probably behaves as a non-mobile element in the plant. A defined relationship between soil available Si and Si concentration in the leaves was not found, however. The results indicate that it is worthwhile conducting specific studies to determine the effects of Si on oil palm growth and behaviour, and provide useful criteria for the design of future studies.

In this study, we compared the weed emergence, water input, water saving, water productivity, panicle sterility, yield outputs and economic returns of transplanting with alternate wetting and drying (TRAWD) and dry direct seeding (DSR) with transplanting under continuous flooding (TRCF) using three fine-grain rice cultivars: Super Basmati; Basmati 2000; and Shaheen Basmati. Higher weed infestation was recorded in DSR than in TRCF and TRAWD. Raising rice as TRAWD and DSR had considerable water savings but a lower grain yield than TRCF. High panicle sterility was primarily responsible for low grain yield in TRAWD and DSR systems. Nonetheless, water productivity was better in DSR and TRAWD than TRCF. Shaheen Basmati in the DSR system and Basmati 2000 in TRCF fetched the highest economic returns during 2008 and 2009, respectively. In conclusion, fine-grain rice cultivars can be grown in water-saving production systems (e.g. TRAWD and DSR); however, these water-saving production systems might incur a yield penalty.