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Este estudio evaluó los determinantes de la elección de estrategias indígenas relacionadas con el clima por parte de pequeños agricultores en el norte de Ghana utilizando datos primarios obtenidos a través de discusiones de grupos focales comunitarios y encuestas de hogares, y sujetos al modelo de regresión Multinomial Logit. Los resultados empíricos revelan que la presencia de un mercado, el crédito informal de amigos y familiares, la ubicación del agricultor, la extensión de agricultor a agricultor, notar una disminución de las precipitaciones y notar un aumento de la temperatura influyen en la elección de las estrategias indígenas relacionadas con el clima. Por lo tanto, existe la necesidad de mejorar el acceso de los pequeños agricultores al mercado, los servicios de extensión agrícola y su conocimiento de los cambios en las precipitaciones y la temperatura. Cette étude a évalué les déterminants du choix des stratégies autochtones liées au climat par les petits exploitants agricoles du nord du Ghana à l'aide de données primaires obtenues lors de groupes de discussion communautaires et d'enquêtes auprès des ménages, et soumises au modèle de régression Multinomial Logit. Les résultats empiriques révèlent que la présence d'un marché, le crédit informel d'amis et de parents, l'emplacement de l'agriculteur, l'extension de l'agriculteur à l'agriculteur, la constatation d'une diminution des précipitations et d'une augmentation de la température influencent le choix des stratégies autochtones liées au climat. Il est donc nécessaire d'améliorer l'accès des petits agriculteurs au marché, aux services de vulgarisation agricole et leur sensibilisation aux changements de précipitations et de température. This study assessed the determinants of Choice of Indigenous Climate Related Strategies by Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana using primary data obtained through community focus group discussions and household survey, and subjected to the Multinomial Logit regression model. The empirical results reveal that presence of a market, informal credit from friends and relatives, location of farmer, farmer-to-farmer extension, noticing of a decrease in rainfall and noticing an increase in temperature influence the choice of indigenous climate related strategies. There is therefore the need to improve smallholder farmers' access to market, agricultural extension services and their awareness of changes in rainfall and temperature. قيمت هذه الدراسة محددات اختيار الاستراتيجيات المتعلقة بالمناخ للسكان الأصليين من قبل المزارعين أصحاب الحيازات الصغيرة في شمال غانا باستخدام البيانات الأولية التي تم الحصول عليها من خلال مناقشات مجموعات التركيز المجتمعية والمسح الأسري، وتخضع لنموذج انحدار اللوغاريتم متعدد الحدود. تكشف النتائج التجريبية أن وجود سوق، والائتمان غير الرسمي من الأصدقاء والأقارب، وموقع المزارع، والإرشاد من مزارع إلى مزارع، وملاحظة انخفاض في هطول الأمطار وملاحظة زيادة في درجة الحرارة يؤثر على اختيار الاستراتيجيات المتعلقة بالمناخ المحلي. لذلك هناك حاجة إلى تحسين وصول صغار المزارعين إلى الأسواق وخدمات الإرشاد الزراعي ووعيهم بالتغيرات في هطول الأمطار ودرجة الحرارة.

SummaryThe adaptation of extra short duration (ESD) pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) genotypes to rainfed environments was studied on Alfisols and Vertisols at the ICRISAT Center between 1987 and 1989. Despite a slightly shorter crop duration, the grain yield of ESD genotypes was twice as large on Alfisols as on Vertisols. On both soil types, the rate of growth and grain yield were better in crops sown on time than in those where sowing was delayed. The population levels necessary to maximize yield varied among genotypes on Alfisols, where the grain yield of several ESD genotypes compared favourably with that of ICPL 87, a standard short duration genotype. However, none of the ESD genotypes yielded more than ICPL 87 on the Vertisols.

In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of tillage systems (TS) on wheat grain yield, yield components, and physicochemical properties under rain-fed conditions over 2 years (2018–2019) in the Kuhdasht region in southwestern Iran. The tillage treatments were a combination of conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no tillage (NT) systems based on randomized complete blocks with three replications. Wheat grain yields and yield components, physical properties (geometrical dimensions, sphericity, thousand-grain mass (TGM), water absorption (WA), volume (V), and density), chemical composition (protein content (PC), water content (WC), fiber content (FC), ash content (AC)), surface color parameters (L*, a*, and b*), and correlations among measured parameters were assessed. The results showed that wheat grain yield and yield components were significantly affected by TS (p < 0.01). The wheat grain yield was higher under CT (2.72 t ha−1), with a significant difference between RT (1.76 t ha−1) and NT (1.20 t ha−1). The highest TGM (49.19 g) was achieved under CT, followed by RT (43.41 g), with the lowest (39.17 g) in the NT system. TS had significant effects on certain physical properties of wheat grains (p < 0.01). Wheat grain, size, shape, and mass values were higher under CT than RT and NT systems in all experimental years. CT resulted in the highest WA, while the lowest resulted from NT. TS had no significant influence on the density of the grains. TS had significant effects on PC, AC, and WC values of grains at the 1% probability level and on FC at the 5% level. Higher PC values were obtained under the CT system (13.07%, against 11.90% and 10.67% for RT and NT, respectively) in all growing seasons. Additionally, the AC was significantly lower in the sample grains under RT (2.38%) and NT (2.43%) than in those from CT (2.56). The FC was higher under NT (15.73%) than RT (13.73) and CT (13.71%). The grain WC was significantly higher under NT (7.57%) than RT (6.79%) and CT (7.0%). The TS significantly affected the surface color parameters of grains, while the L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values of grains under CT were higher than in RT and NT.

This research looked at the state of soils faced with urbanization processes in the Arctic region of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (YANAO). Soils recently used in agriculture, which are now included in the infrastructure of the cities of Salekhard, Labytnangi, Kharsaim, and Aksarka in the form of various parks and public gardens were studied. Morphological, physico-chemical, and agrochemical studies of selected soils were conducted. Significant differences in fertility parameters between urbanized abandoned agricultural soils and mature soils of the region were revealed. The quality of soil resources was also evaluated in terms of their ecotoxicology condition, namely, the concentrations of trace metals in soils were determined and their current condition was assessed using calculations of various individual and complex soil quality indices.

Abstract Crude glycerin, a by-product of the biodiesel industry, has been used as a strategic ingredient in intensive ruminant production systems, mainly in substitution of starch-rich ingredients. The present study was performed to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of up to 30% of crude glycerin in diets for feedlot sheep, on ruminal parameters, such as pH, NH3-N and volatile fatty acids concentrations, in situ degradability, as well as in vitro greenhouse gas production and in vitro digestibility. Eight ruminally-cannulated male Santa Ines × Dorper sheep (64.5 ± 8.5 kg) were distributed in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. The experimental diets contained 0, 10, 20 or 30% of crude glycerin and were labeled as G0, G10, G20 and G30, respectively. The crude glycerin totally replaced the corn cracked grain in treatment G30. The inclusion of crude glycerin in the diets tended to promote a quadratic effect in DMI, with greater values observed for treatments G10 and G20. Crude glycerin tended to increase the ruminal pH and NH3-N, but linearly reduced the total molar concentration of VFA, acetic, butyric, isobutyric and isovaleric acids. Treatments linearly increased in vitro DM digestibility of diets and linearly reduced NDF digestibility. The inclusion of crude glycerin in the diets linearly decreased the in vitro total gas and CO2 production (mL/g degraded) and tented to reduce CH4 (mL/g degraded). A linear increase of soluble fraction in water (“a”) of the diets was observed with the increasing inclusion of crude glycerin. The insoluble but potentially degradable fraction (“b”) of DM and NDF of the diets were linearly decreased and increased, respectively. The potential ruminal degradation of the diets was markedly and linearly increased with the increasing inclusion of the by-product. The replacement of corn cracked grain by crude glycerin (up to 30% DM) changes rumen fermentation parameters, decreasing VFA production, in vitro total gas production and CH4. Additionally, the potential and effective degradation as well as in vitro DM digestibility of diets are improved while fiber digestibility is impaired.

A pot experiment was undertaken to investigate the effects of Cd and Cu mixtures to growth and nutrients (sugar, carotene or vitamin C) of carrot and pakchoi under greenhouse cultivation condition. The study included: (a) physical-chemical properties of soil and soil animals in response to Cd and Cu stress; (b) bioaccumulation of heavy metals, length, biomass, contents of sugar and carotene (vitamin C) of carrot and pakchoi; (c) estimation the effects of Cd and Cu mixtures by multivariate regression analysis. The results implied that heavy metals impacted negative influence on soil animals' abundance. The metals contents in plants increased obviously with Cd and Cu contamination in soil. The biomass production and nutrients declined with Cd and Cu contents increasing. Cd (20 mg kg-1) treatment caused maximum reduction of sugar content (45.29%) in carrot root; maximum reduction in carotene content (75.73%) in carrot, 75.1% sugar content reduction and 70.58% vitamin C content reduction in pakchoi shoots were observed with addition of Cd (20 mg kg-1) and Cu (400 mg kg-1) mixture. The results of multivariate regression analysis indicated that combination of Cd and Cu exerts negative effects to both carrot and pakchoi, and both growth and nutrients were negatively correlated with metals concentrations. It is concluded that the Cd and Cu mixtures caused toxic damage to vegetable plants as Cd and Cu gradient concentrations increased.

With an approach combining crop modelling and biotechnology to assess the performance of three durum wheat cultivars (Creso, Duilio, Simeto) in a climate change context, weather and agronomic datasets over the period 1973–2004 from two sites, Benatzu and Ussana (Southern Sardinia, Itay), were used and the model responses were interpreted considering the role of DREB genes in the genotype performance with a focus on drought conditions. The CERES-Wheat crop model was calibrated and validated for grain yield, earliness and kernel weight. Forty-eight synthetic scenarios were used: 6 scenarios with increasing maximum air temperature; 6 scenarios with decreasing rainfall; 36 scenarios combining increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall. The simulated effects on yields, anthesis and kernel weights resulted in yield reduction, increasing kernel weight, and shortened growth duration in both sites. Creso (late cultivar) was the most sensitive to simulated climate conditions. Simeto and Duilio (early cultivars) showed lower simulated yield reductions and a larger anticipation of anthesis date. Observed data showed the same responses for the three cultivars in both sites. The CERES-Wheat model proved to be effective in representing reality and can be used in crop breeding programs with a molecular approach aiming at developing molecular markers for the resistance to drought stress.