Search results for "FAO"
showing 10 items of 91 documents
Timing and patterns of the ENSO signal in Africa over the last 30 years: insights from normalized difference vegetation index data.
2014
Abstract A more complete picture of the timing and patterns of the ENSO signal during the seasonal cycle for the whole of Africa over the three last decades is provided using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Indeed, NDVI has a higher spatial resolution and is more frequently updated than in situ climate databases, and highlights the impact of ENSO on vegetation dynamics as a combined result of ENSO on rainfall, solar radiation, and temperature. The month-by-month NDVI–Niño-3.4 correlation patterns evolve as follows. From July to September, negative correlations are observed over the Sahel, the Gulf of Guinea coast, and regions from the northern Democratic Republic of Congo…
Combining the FAO56 agrohydrological model and remote sensing data to assess water demand in a Sicilian irrigation district
2020
<p>Agricultural water use in irrigated areas plays a key role in the Mediterranean regions characterized by semi-arid climate and water shortage. In the face of optimizing irrigation water use, farmers must revise their irrigation practices to increase the drought resilience of agricultural systems and to avoid severe damages in agro-ecosystems. In this direction, during the last decades, the research has been focused on mathematical models to simulate the process of driving mass transport and energy exchanges in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere system.</p><p>The objective of the paper was to test the suitability of the combination of FAO56 agro-hydrologi…
Early Warning Systems for Food Security in West Africa: Evolution, Achievements and Challenges
2010
In West Africa, early warning systems (EWSs) for food security have been widely recognized to have contributed, in the last 20 years, to an improved ability to deal with famine emergencies. Nevertheless, despite the advancements in understanding of the environmental and socio-economic dynamics and despite the improved technologies, tackling food security remains a difficult task for decision makers as demonstrated by local food crises in many countries of the region. African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis, while improving the understanding of the monsoon system, allowed us to better orient research challenges to provide EWS with improved products, effectively meeting the needs of end-us…
Rice cooking and sensory quality
2019
International audience; This chapter provides a state-of-the-art review of the diversity and dynamics of consumer demand with respect to the eating quality of rice worldwide. Quality includes both tangible measurable factors (rice characteristics) and the context of consumption. The main sensory attributes evaluated around the world are described, and their relationship with the diversity of consumer demand is discussed. Instrumental methods for predicting quality measured on either raw or cooked grains are reviewed. The changes that occur in the rice grain during cooking are described along with a modeling approach able to predict the changes and their spatial distribution in the rice grai…
Effects of garlic powders with varying alliin contents on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats
2003
International audience; The anticarcinogenic effect of garlic has been demonstrated in both epidemiologic and experimental studies. In this study, possible mechanisms involved in the anticarcinogenic effect of garlic consumption were assessed by determining its capacity to alter drug metabolizing enzymes, in relation with its alliin content. Rats were fed a diet for 2 weeks containing 5% garlic powders produced from bulbs grown on soils with different levels of sulfate fertilization and therefore containing differing amounts of alliin. Activities of several hepatic enzymes, which are important in carcinogen metabolism such cytochromes P450 (CYP) and phase II enzymes, were determined. Garlic…
Agro-hydrological models and field measurements to assess the water status of a citrus orchard irrigated with micro-sprinkler and subsurface drip sys…
2021
Compared to the micro-sprinkler irrigation, traditionally used in citrus orchards, subsurface drip systems (SDS) allow increasing the water use efficiency (WUE); when coupled with water-saving strategies, like regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), further increase of WUE are possible. Combining measurements of soil water content (SWC) and weather data with measurements of midday stem water potential (MSWP) makes it possible to identify irrigation scheduling parameters for the RDI. However, measurements of MSWP are destructive and time-consuming, and also require skilled operators. For all these reasons, the use of the agro-hydrological models, such as the FAO-56 model, can be considered a sur…
Misura e Modellazione degli Scambi Idrici nel Sistema Continuo SPA e approfondimenti sulle Funzioni di Stress Idrico: Applicazione alla coltura dell’…
2010
Gli effetti negativi dovuti ai periodi di aridità che caratterizzano i Paesi del bacino del Mediterraneo (Rebetez et al. 2006) determinano nel suolo una ridotta disponibilità di acqua per le piante e quindi l’insorgenza inevitabile di una forma importante di stress abiotico (Nielsen et al., 1996). In particolare, nel bacino del Mediterraneo l'aridità ambientale viene ancor più accentuata da fattori climatici poiché, in corrispondenza del periodo estivo, alle scarse o assenti precipitazioni sono associate elevate temperature che si traducono in un aumento della domanda evapotraspirativa dell’atmosfera. Tali effetti sono più marcati nelle regioni semiaride del bacino del Mediterraneo e più in…
Agro-hydrological models to schedule irrigation of Mediterranean tree crops
2010
In this paper a comparison between two agro-hydrological models, used to schedule irrigation of typical Mediterranean tree crops, is assessed. In particular the comparison between the model proposed by FAO, using a black box processes schematization, and the SWAP model based on the numerical analysis of Richards’ equation is initially presented for two irrigation seasons, 2005 and 2006, and two Mediterranean tree crops, i.e. grapevine (Vitis vinifera, L.) and olive oil (Olea europea, L.). The comparison mainly focuses on hydrological balance components and on soil water contents. After investigating and setting the scheduling parameters ordinarily practiced by the framers in the area (i.e o…
Assessing agro-hydrological models to schedule irrigation for crops of Mediterranean Environment
2008
L'incremento della sostenibilità ambientale attraverso una corretta gestione dell'irrigazione.
2014
Lo scopo di questo lavoro è quello di mettere a punto, a partire dalle informazioni territoriali quali caratteristichemeteorologiche e pedologiche, uno studio capace di valutare la sostenibilità della gestione irrigua in tre ipotetiche parcelle sperimentali individuate nel territorio del sottobacino Iudeo-Bucari (TP). Sitratta di tre vigneti che rappresentano per caratteristiche morfologiche e gestionali l'intero sottobacino, ovvero una delle aree maggiormente vitate della Sicilia. Il fine è valutare la sostenibilità della gestione irrigua in termini di risparmio energetico, attraverso l'applicazione del modello di bilancio idrico FAO 56. Questo tipo di studio pone le basi per la redazione …