The low N use efficiency of vines calls for more efficient fertilization processes, which must mitigate losses caused by volatilization. Thus, N dose applications through different methods, such as fertigation, can potentiate N harnessing by vines. The study aimed to determine ideal N concentration in leaves for the production of high-quality grapes cv ‘Alicante Bouschet’ (Vitis vinifera L.) subjected

The concept of plant critical dilution curve (PCDC) has been studied on several crop species for about four decades, which has been widely applied in studies of crop nutrition evaluation, growth predictions, and fertilization management. This bibliometric analysis comprehensively explores the evolution trends in PCDC research based on literature data retrieved from the Web of Science from 1985 to 2019

Crop lodging assessment needs to be carried out timely and accurately to ensure valuable information about the location and area where lodging occurs. Many applications have been explored and tested for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) visible imagery in agricultural management due to the ability of providing high-space-resolution information. However, there still face many challenges in extracting lodging

In this article we explore the concept and implications of three-dimensional (spatial, temporal, and genetic) in-field crop diversification to inform systems redesign towards ecological intensification. We first present a conceptual framework for classifying diversity in arable contexts. We then apply the framework to analyse two long-term systems experiments in The Netherlands where spatial and genetic

Understanding the agroecological mechanisms that determine forage yield and quality in intensively managed permanent grasslands is crucial to optimize management and provide environmental and economic benefits to society. In this study, we assessed the relative contribution of climatic, soil and vegetation drivers on forage yield and quality in nine different frequently defoliated and fertilized permanent

Crop tolerance and avoidance are critical adaptation mechanisms to cope with drought stress but they contribute differently to grain yield formation. Little is known about the different roles of these two mechanisms in long-term crop breeding. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the different effects of drought tolerance and avoidance mechanisms on the drought adaptation of wheat crops. The

The thickness of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) glumes and lemmas (TGL) influences their thermal insulation properties, which in turn, may influence reproductive frost susceptibility. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the variability in TGL in bread wheat cultivars, (ii) quantify the frost susceptibility of cultivars with different TGL under field conditions and natural frosts, and (iii)

Microbial inoculants are gaining prominence in technologically advanced agri-systems due to the need for alternatives to the most pollutant agricultural inputs. The objective of this work was to improve the agronomic performance of the rhizobial inoculants for common bean, based on the superior native strain Rlp-LCS0306 of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli (R), through co-inoculation with non-rhizobial

Wheat cultivar mixtures have a well-explored potential for improving crop diversity, yield stability, and agronomic features. However, it is unclear whether heterogeneity of phenological traits in such mixtures may help to cope with increasing environmental stresses and uncertainties. To investigate the option of using wheat cultivar mixtures with different ripening patterns for mitigating the adverse

Integrated weed control methods are increasingly demanded to maintain high yield while alleviating negative environmental side effects of control measures. Five field experiments were conducted during 2015–2017 at three locations in Iran to determine the advantage of exploiting enhanced competitive ability of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) via cultivar mixture to reduce herbicide dose. For all experiments

Despite their low concentrations, secondary metabolites are essential to the organoleptic quality of grapevine fruit. Anthocyanins of the fruit skin cells are the principal components of the pigmentation of the red grape. Glycosylated aroma precursors (GAPs), i.e. alcohols, C13-norisoprenoids, phenols and terpenes determine the aroma potential of the juice and the resulting wine. The regulation of

Agriculture represents about 10 % of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emission in the US, in which carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) can greatly contribute to global warming and climate change. Organic farming has been increasingly popular as it provides long-term environmental benefits including GHG mitigation. Judicious use of cover crops in crop rotation systems has been considered an effective

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is an emerging oilseed crop combining both industrial and agronomic advantages. Camelina seed yield, oil and protein contents, and fatty-acid composition, vary across genotypes, environments, and agricultural practices. However, no studies have been conducted to identify and rank major limiting factors explaining yield and quality variations under on-farm conditions

The benefits of drainage with respect to improving yield level and stability was recognized millennia ago, hence drainage is an old agronomical practice. However, agriculture is under constant change, and few long-term field studies exploring the need for drainage have been conducted in modern north European agricultural systems. The objective of this study is to describe yield variations in modern

Perennial grain has been proposed to provide an effective means of ensuring both food and ecological security. The newly released cultivar of perennial rice 23 (PR23) represents a new rice production system that is based on no-tillage. Nevertheless, how perennial rice responds to this new system remains unclear. Two field experiments were conducted over four successive seasons from 2016 to 2017 in

The yields of crops in organic farming are typically lower than in conventional farming, although this depend greatly on local climatic conditions and on crop and soil management. A long-term study over three consecutive 4-year cropping cycles at three locations in Denmark compared organic arable cropping systems varying in fertilization management (green manure crops, cover crops, livestock manure)

The present study aims to compare the relative abundance of ureides (RAU) among soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plant fractions in contrasting trial settings and under three nitrogen (N) rates, designed to create variability on symbiotic N fixation. A greenhouse and a field experiment evaluated the RAU in plant fractions (base of the main stem, petiole and leaflets of the uppermost fully developed

A three-year field experiment was conducted to determine the influence of plastic mulch (PM) and fertilization methods (FMs) on marketable yield (MY) and environmental impact of spring cabbage production. The trial consisted of two levels of mulching (without and with PM) and nine different FMs, including the control without fertilization (FM1). PM use without fertilization (FM1) increased yields by

High grain size is a primary target in malt barley especially under Mediterranean conditions where thin grains production is very common. In fact, market value depends on grain size due to the positive relationship between grain size and malt extract yield, which in turn determines the amount of produced beer. Using a large and unbiased data set (n = 241) derived from 25 different environments (Years

Extreme temperatures at critical developmental phases reduce grain yield. Combinations of sowing date and cultivar that favour faster development reduce the likelihood of heat stress but increase the risk of frost at critical phases. Current models are unable to predict pulse yield in response to frost and heat, hence our focus on phenology. Our aim was to model phenological variation with sowing date

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species and was introduced also in the Veneto region of north east Italy. CA is not always viewed as a win-win solution for sustainable production because of the increase in soil strength and compaction that may negatively impact root growth and

Silicon application (Si) is considered beneficial for plant growth and development in both monocotyledons and dicotyledons, however its effect on root development and nodule formation in soybean is poorly understood. For this reason, we examined the effects of Si application on soybean (Glycine max L.) growth and its yield in field conditions. On 4 m × 5 m plots, we applied 0.08 kg/m2 of commercial

Wheat-rice cropping system has several negative effects on sustainability factors like underground water, soil structure, nutrient availability, soil organic carbon and productivity. In order to alleviate the obstacles of intensive cultivation of wheat-rice system, the impact of different cropping systems, viz., wheat-rice (W-R), lentil-rice (L–R), potato-green graM–Rice (P-Gg-R), mustard-rice (M–R)

The role of biodiversity in plant breeding needs to be reconsidered to cope with the complexity, location specificity and combined challenges of climate change, human population increase, human health and food security, safety and sovereignty. From a biological viewpoint, heterogeneous plant populations derived from evolutionary plant breeding may address most of these grand challenges. Field trials

To assess the competitive ability of plant species, ecologists describe many species from contrasting habitats with traits that are proxies of ecophysiological functions whereas agronomists describe few species from similar habitats with process-based parameters. Here, we combined both approaches and compared many contrasting crop and weed species of temperate European arable crops in terms of competition

Agriculture in rural Bihar needs to maintain its productivity while enhancing its biophysical sustainability. To sustainably intensify the predominant rice-wheat systems, alternative cropping patterns with short duration legumes, planted in the usually fallow summer season, were developed. The addition of the legume ensures near-permanent soil cover, breaks the cereal-cereal cycle, and aims to improve

Crop yield estimation plays a significant role in agricultural development and management decision making. Simulation of crop growth at field scales requires high-resolution remote sensing (RS) data and an applicable model. However, RS data based on satellite sensors are affected by atmospheric interference, limiting its use in precision agriculture. The objective of this study is to assimilate plant

Water deficit is the major constraint to crop production in dry temperate climates and no-till (NT) has been widely recommended to increase water conservation, crop yields, and soil organic carbon (SOC) content. In this study, tillage practice [conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), NT and annually alternating tillage with NT (NT/MT)]] and crop rotation [fallow-wheat (Triticum aestivum L

The positive effect of grain legume pre-crops on the yield of the subsequent crop has been studied widely, whereas less information is available on the nitrogen (N) processes related to this positive effect, especially for a wide range of grain legume species. The objective was to quantify and understand the effect of grain legume compared to cereal pre-crops (sown in 2014 and 2016) on grain and shoot

Agro-ecological service crops (ASCs), also known as cover crops, green manures or catch crops, can improve organic vegetable production in terms of weed suppression, nitrogen (N) recycling, or addition of N through symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes. Traditionally, ASCs are terminated through full incorporation into the soil (FI), but alternative termination without tillage is available by roller-crimping

Forecasting crop yields, or providing an expectation of ex-ante harvest amounts, is highly relevant to the whole agricultural production chain. Farmers can adapt their management, traders or insurers their pricing schemes, suppliers their stocks, logistic companies their routes, national authorities their food balance sheets to guide import or export and, finally, international aid organizations can

Worldwide supply of water and nitrogen (N) are critical to crop yield with multiple interactions that need to be untangled. We used an allometric framework to quantify the dynamic relationships between crop growth, transpiration and N uptake in maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) using published data from experiments in France, New Zealand and United States. Our analysis highlighted

Keeping global temperatures below 2.0 °C above pre-industrial condition and pursuing efforts toward the more ambitious 1.5 °C goal in the late 21st century was the main target from the Paris Agreement in 2015. Here we assessed the likely challenges for the China’s winter wheat production under 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C increase of global temperature, with four wheat crop models (CERES-Wheat, Nwheat, WheatGrow

The present study developed a method to use RapidEye satellite information for N management in durum wheat cultivation. The estimation of the N status was based on the development of Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI), referred to as the ratio between actual N concentration (Nac) and the minimum N content required to obtain maximum biomass (critical N concentration (Nc)). Nc was then calculated by means

Reducing the use of synthetic inputs by shifting to alternative practices is becoming a growing priority in the agricultural sector. This study aims to understand how farmers manage this shift on diversified horticultural farms. The implementation of alternative practices at the crop level was analyzed on 28 farms on La Réunion Island (France). The surveys conducted combined interviews with farmers

Plant-based indicators may have the potential to improve fertilizer phosphorus (P) recommendations for maize (Zea mays L.). Our objectives were (i) to validate existing models of critical P concentration (Pc) in maize shoot biomass during vegetative growth and (ii) to evaluate on farm the ability of the P nutrition index (PNI), a plant-based indicator derived from Pc, to predict a positive response

Surface ozone (O3) is an important air pollutant globally and enhanced concentrations lead to crop yield penalties in many parts of the world. Crop models simulate production and yield and they are often used for various applications. However, most of the existing models neglect the effect of O3 and only limited parameterization schemes exist. In addition, the existing O3 modelling approaches do not

Root traits are important to crop functioning, yet there is little information about how root traits vary with shoot traits. Using a standardized protocol, we collected 160 soil cores (0−210 cm) across 10 locations, three years and multiple cropping systems (crops x management practices) in Iowa, USA. Maximum root biomass ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 Mg ha−1 in maize and 0.86 to 1.93 Mg ha−1 in soybean.

The present study investigated genotypic differences in canopy temperature of 218 testcross progenies of a recombinant inbred lines mapping population of winter rye. For this purpose, we repeatedly measured canopy temperature (Tc) and air temperature (Ta) differences (Tc − Ta) in field trials on two locations with sandy soils in northern Germany, two water treatments (rainfed and irrigated) in two

Plant breeding is one of the key strategies for further enhancement of crop yields; however, effective breeding strategies require phenotypic characterisation of the available germplasm. This study sought to characterise the phenotypic expression of fourteen crop traits related to phenology, plant architecture, and yield in a panel of 40 cultivars selected to represent the phenotypic variability present

This study analyzed the relationship between important agronomic traits and major genes regulating flowering time in a panel of 151 Mediterranean durum wheat landraces and 20 modern cultivars. Field experiments were conducted under rainfed conditions during six crop seasons in northeastern Spain. Multivariate analysis of agronomic traits and genotypic data allowed the modern cultivars to be differentiated

This study evaluated yield statistics and data from a comprehensive national soil inventory representing 90 yield survey districts and from the Swedish long-term soil fertility experiments. The aim was to identify the most yield-limiting soil properties and best agronomic practices in order to further improve yield. Principal Component Analysis, multi-variate analysis, step-wise regression, and tree

Northern China is the major grain-production region in the country. To adapt to climate change and ensure food security with a fixed area of arable land, utilizing a multiple cropping frequency each year is regarded as an efficient method of offsetting the projected negative yield impacts on staple crops. Given that climate warming prolongs the potential growing season and benefits the expansion of

Changes in agricultural land use over recent decades have exacerbated the pressures and impacts of agriculture on the environment. Researchers model these pressures and impacts using data on soils, climate and agricultural land use characteristics, which have to be represented at the spatial and temporal scales appropriate to the ecological or biophysical processes being studied. Representation of

The aim of on-farm research is to identify and test a new technology, product or management practice (e.g. more efficient seeding rate, enhanced row spacing, better disease management treatment, etc.) suited to local conditions by comparing it to a standard farmer practice across several farmers’ fields. Typically, each trial includes two treatments (new practice vs. standard control practice) replicated

Water is the main factor determining yield performance under drought conditions. Traditional soybean breeding has significantly increased grain yield under drought, but its effect on water use strategies and associated traits are not well understood. Field and pot experiments with new cultivars and landrace soybean genotypes were undertaken to identify the effect of soybean breeding on water use strategies

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an energy crop with low soil requirements (high tolerance to low-quality soils) that can potentially compete with the maize (Zea mays L.) monocultures. This paper presents the results of a 6-year field experiment investigating the biomass yield and energy efficiency of sweet sorghum grown under high-input and low-input production technologies. The experiment

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is traditionally known for its better adaptation to drought when compared to other cereals like maize (Zea mays L.). However, genetic gains are significantly higher for maize than for sorghum, and are known to include drought tolerance. We analyzed maize and sorghum harvested area, yield, and yield stability using publically available farm data from 1970 to 2016

Conventional polyethylene plastic film mulching has been widely used, but its subsequent plastic residue pollution received widespread concern. Fully biodegradable film mulching is viewed as a potential substitution solution, however, it is generally thought not to be efficient as conventional plastic film mulching in field productivity and economic harvest. A two-year field experiment using a newly

Knowledge about the response of root biomass and root system architecture (RSA) to soil conditions would increase efficiency in selecting high performance crop varieties and predicting the impact of rotations on long-term soil organic matter (SOM) stock. We evaluated the effect of variety and site on maize (Zea mays L.) root growth. Two-dimensional (2D) and 3D techniques were used to quantify changes

Low-input grasslands depend on the presence of grasses and legumes for the provision of nitrogen and a sufficient amount and quality of herbage for livestock. Increasing variability in the amount and distribution of rainfall, associated with climate change, is a major factor affecting production from permanent grassland and particularly grass-clover swards. Previous work has shown that introduction

Timely sowing is an important agronomic practice that ensures normal seed germination, stable seedling establishment and final yield formation for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, delays in sowing frequently occur due to uncontrollable limitations, especially under multi–cropping. Increased seeding rate is recommended to minimize the negative impacts associated with delayed sowing, but

Productive cropping systems like cereal-legume intercropping might contribute to feeding the ever-growing population. However, intercropping systems require adapted nitrogen (N) fertilizer management that better match temporal and spatial N supply with crop demand. On the basis of field experiment conducted in northwestern China from 2012 to 2014, the study evaluated three N management practices in

In tropical agriculture, maize (Zea mays L.) intercropped with palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) is considered a highly relevant cropping system to deliver both residue and forage. However, the benefits of inclusion of palisadegrass in maize systems and its influence on fertilizer dynamics and nitrogen (N) budget as well as the period after maize harvest for which palisadegrass continues

Weeds are often solely considered with a negative viewpoint, but they may also provide services for agroecosystems. Especially, the residual weed flora that is tolerated by integrated crop protection may contribute to a reduction of nitrate leaching and soil erosion during the summer and autumn fallow. To date, the determinants underlying these environmental weed benefits are largely unknown. The present