Balancing quality with quantity: a case study of UK bread wheat

Nick Fradgley Keith Gardner Stéphanie M. Swarbreck Alison Bentley (2023, [Artículo])

Grain Protein Content Environmental Sustainability End-Use Quality Modern Bread Baking Methods CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA GRAIN PROTEIN CONTENT HISTORY QUALITY WHEAT YIELDS

Agroecology can promote climate change adaptation outcomes without compromising yield in smallholder systems

Sieglinde Snapp Yodit Kebede Eva Wollenberg (2023, [Artículo])

A critical question is whether agroecology can promote climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes without compromising food security. We assessed the outcomes of smallholder agricultural systems and practices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) against 35 mitigation, adaptation, and yield indicators by reviewing 50 articles with 77 cases of agroecological treatments relative to a baseline of conventional practices. Crop yields were higher for 63% of cases reporting yields. Crop diversity, income diversity, net income, reduced income variability, nutrient regulation, and reduced pest infestation, indicators of adaptative capacity, were associated with 70% or more of cases. Limited information on climate change mitigation, such as greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration impacts, was available. Overall, the evidence indicates that use of organic nutrient sources, diversifying systems with legumes and integrated pest management lead to climate change adaptation in multiple contexts. Landscape mosaics, biological control (e.g., enhancement of beneficial organisms) and field sanitation measures do not yet have sufficient evidence based on this review. Widespread adoption of agroecological practices and system transformations shows promise to contribute to climate change services and food security in LMICs. Gaps in adaptation and mitigation strategies and areas for policy and research interventions are finally discussed.

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE CHANGE CROPS FOOD SUPPLY GAS EMISSIONS GREENHOUSE GASES FARMING SYSTEMS AGROECOLOGY FOOD SECURITY LESS FAVOURED AREAS SMALLHOLDERS YIELDS NUTRIENTS BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL CARBON SEQUESTRATION LEGUMES

Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in Southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique

Siyabusa Mkuhlani Isaiah Nyagumbo (2023, [Artículo])

Introduction: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly producing soybean for food, feed, cash, and soil fertility improvement. Yet, the difference between the smallholder farmers’ yield and either the attainable in research fields or the potential from crop models is wide. Reasons for the yield gap include low to nonapplication of appropriate fertilizers and inoculants, late planting, low plant populations, recycling seeds, etc. Methods: Here, we reviewed the literature on the yield gap and the technologies for narrowing it and modelled yields through the right sowing dates and suitable high-yielding varieties in APSIM. Results and Discussion: Results highlighted that between 2010 and 2020 in SSA, soybean production increased; however, it was through an expansion in the cropped area rather than a yield increase per hectare. Also, the actual smallholder farmers’ yield was 3.8, 2.2, and 2.3 times lower than the attainable yield in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, respectively. Through inoculants, soybean yield increased by 23.8%. Coupling this with either 40 kg ha−1 of P or 60 kg ha−1 of K boosted the yields by 89.1% and 26.0%, respectively. Overall, application of 21–30 kg ha-1 of P to soybean in SSA could increase yields by about 48.2%. Furthermore, sowing at the right time increased soybean yield by 300%. Although these technologies enhance soybean yields, they are not fully embraced by smallholder farmers. Hence, refining and bundling them in a digital advisory tool will enhance the availability of the correct information to smallholder farmers at the right time and improve soybean yields per unit area.

Decision Support Tools Digital Tools Site-Specific Recommendations CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS LEGUMES YIELDS SOYBEANS

Los manglares: un hogar para los murciélagos

JUAN ANTONIO PIROD ALAYOLA CELIA ISELA SELEM SALAS (2023, [Artículo])

Los manglares albergan una gran diversidad de especies de insectos, peces, aves y mamíferos; entre estos últimos se encuentran los murciélagos (Chiroptera). Los manglares son de gran importancia para la conservación de la biodiversidad, así como también por los servicios ambientales que nos ofrecen y por las especies que albergan. Reconocer la importancia de los manglares para los murciélagos toma relevancia, ya que, al proteger este ecosistema, conservamos la diversidad de murciélagos y su hábitat, razones por las que se han establecido tres áreas con manglar en la península de Yucatán, como importantes para la conservación de los murciélagos.

BIODIVERSIDAD SERVICIOS AMBIENTALES QUIROPTEROS MEXICO YUCATAN BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Reubicación de enjambres de abejas de Apis mellifera en zonas urbanas y periurbanas

JOSÉ CHAVIER DE ARAUJO FREITAS (2023, [Artículo])

Hoy día podemos encontrar poblaciones silvestres de Apis mellifera de origen africanizado en todo el país, siendo además la abeja que la mayoría de los apicultores tienen en sus apiarios. Estas abejas africanizadas tuvieron su origen en un proceso de hibridación entre abejas africanizadas y europeas que ocurrió en México, pero que tuvo su origen en Brasil. Estos enjambres en zonas urbanas son un riesgo para la salud pública, ya que su presencia puede ocasionar accidentes y víctimas fatales, por lo cual es necesario saber qué hacer cuando se está ante la presencia de ellos.

ABEJAS MELIFERAS ENJAMBRE DEFENSIVIDAD AFRICANIZACION YUCATAN MEXICO BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) INVERTEBRADOS INVERTEBRADOS

Optimizing nitrogen fertilizer and planting density levels for maize production under current climate conditions in Northwest Ethiopian midlands

Kindie Tesfaye Dereje Ademe Enyew Adgo (2023, [Artículo])

This study determined the most effective plating density (PD) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate for well-adapted BH540 medium-maturing maize cultivars for current climate condition in north west Ethiopia midlands. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT)-Crop Environment Resource Synthesis (CERES)-Maize model has been utilized to determine the appropriate PD and N-fertilizer rate. An experimental study of PD (55,555, 62500, and 76,900 plants ha−1) and N (138, 207, and 276 kg N ha−1) levels was conducted for 3 years at 4 distinct sites. The DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was calibrated using climate data from 1987 to 2018, physicochemical soil profiling data (wilting point, field capacity, saturation, saturated hydraulic conductivity, root growth factor, bulk density, soil texture, organic carbon, total nitrogen; and soil pH), and agronomic management data from the experiment. After calibration, the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was able to simulate the phenology and growth parameters of maize in the evaluation data set. The results from analysis of variance revealed that the maximum observed and simulated grain yield, biomass, and leaf area index were recorded from 276 kg N ha−1 and 76,900 plants ha−1 for the BH540 maize variety under the current climate condition. The application of 76,900 plants ha−1 combined with 276 kg N ha−1 significantly increased observed and simulated yield by 25% and 15%, respectively, compared with recommendation. Finally, future research on different N and PD levels in various agroecological zones with different varieties of mature maize types could be conducted for the current and future climate periods.

Maize Model Planting Density CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE MODELS SPACING NITROGEN FERTILIZERS YIELDS

Impact of adoption of heat-stress tolerant maize hybrid on yield and profitability: evidence from Terai region of Nepal

Atul Kulkarni Keshab Babu Koirala Pervez Zaidi (2023, [Artículo])

Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Heat Tolerant Maize Hybrid Partial Budget CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA HEAT STRESS HEAT TOLERANCE MAIZE HYBRIDS BUDGETS YIELDS

La historia detrás de Gonolobus caamali (Apocynaceae), endémica de la península de Yucatán

GERMAN CARNEVALI FERNANDEZ CONCHA GUSTAVO ADOLFO ROMERO GONZALEZ José Luis Tapia Muñoz Ivón Mercedes Ramírez Morillo CLAUDIA JANETH RAMIREZ DIAZ William Rolando Cetzal Ix RODRIGO STEFANO DUNO KATYA JEANNETH ROMERO SOLER (2022, [Artículo])

Publicar una especie nueva para la ciencia es siempre una tarea interesante y retadora, sobre todo en los tiempos modernos, donde la comunidad de sistemáticos de plantas y las revistas científicas exigen investigaciones de biología comparada más completas, integrando diferentes fuentes de evidencia (morfológica y molecular), más allá de una simple descripción morfológica. Esta historia comenzó hace más de 15 años y terminó este año, cuando Gonolobus caamali Carnevali & R. Duno (Apocynaceae), fue descrita como una nueva especie para la ciencia. Presentamos aquí algunos detalles de esta especie.

ASCLEPIADOIDEAE EXTINCION MEXICO NOVEDAD TAXONOMICA YUCATAN BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) TAXONOMÍA VEGETAL TAXONOMÍA VEGETAL

Parques vemos, biodiversidad no sabemos: el caso de la herpetofauna de la ciudad de Mérida

Roberto Carlos Barrientos Medina (2023, [Artículo])

La herpetofauna, constituida por las diferentes especies de anfibios y reptiles que se pueden encontrar en un hábitat, es un buen grupo indicador de diversidad, ya que presenta características de movilidad que los hacen ser más dependientes del hábitat (lugar en el que viven). En este trabajo se analizan los patrones de diversidad de los anfibios y reptiles que se pueden encontrar en los parques ecológicos de Mérida, en distintos niveles de expresión (alfa, beta y gamma). Los resultados señalan la influencia del grado de urbanización, de acuerdo con los patrones encontrados en las diversidades beta y gamma.

AMBIENTES ANTROPIZADOS ECOLOGIA URBANA NIVELES DE DIVERSIDAD PATRONES ECOLOGICOS YUCATAN BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) HERPETOLOGÍA HERPETOLOGÍA

Big data, small explanatory and predictive power: Lessons from random forest modeling of on-farm yield variability and implications for data-driven agronomy

Martin van Ittersum (2023, [Artículo])

Context: Collection and analysis of large volumes of on-farm production data are widely seen as key to understanding yield variability among farmers and improving resource-use efficiency. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of statistical and machine learning methods to explain and predict crop yield across thousands of farmers’ fields in contrasting farming systems worldwide. Methods: A large database of 10,940 field-year combinations from three countries in different stages of agricultural intensification was analyzed. Random effects models were used to partition crop yield variability and random forest models were used to explain and predict crop yield within a cross-validation scheme with data re-sampling over space and time. Results: Yield variability in relative terms was smallest for wheat and barley in the Netherlands and for wheat in Ethiopia, intermediate for rice in the Philippines, and greatest for maize in Ethiopia. Random forest models comprising a total of 87 variables explained a maximum of 65 % of cereal yield variability in the Netherlands and less than 45 % of cereal yield variability in Ethiopia and in the Philippines. Crop management related variables were important to explain and predict cereal yields in Ethiopia, while predictive (i.e., known before the growing season) climatic variables and explanatory (i.e., known during or after the growing season) climatic variables were most important to explain and predict cereal yield variability in the Philippines and in the Netherlands, respectively. Finally, model cross-validation for regions or years not seen during model training reduced the R2 considerably for most crop x country combinations, while for wheat in the Netherlands this was model dependent. Conclusion: Big data from farmers’ fields is useful to explain on-farm yield variability to some extent, but not to predict it across time and space. Significance: The results call for moderate expectations towards big data and machine learning in agronomic studies, particularly for smallholder farms in the tropics where model performance was poorest independently of the variables considered and the cross-validation scheme used.

Model Accuracy Model Precision Linear Mixed Models CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MACHINE LEARNING SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION BIG DATA YIELDS MODELS AGRONOMY