Search results for "Intensive farming"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
Half a century of forest cover change along the Latvian-Russian border captured by object-based image analysis of Corona and Landsat TM/OLI data
2020
Abstract After 1991, major events, such as the collapse of socialism and the transition to market economies, caused land use change across the former USSR and affected forests in particular. However, major land use changes may have occurred already during Soviet rule, but those are largely unknown and difficult to map for large areas because 30-m Landsat data is not available prior to the 1980s. Our goal was to analyze the rates and determinants of forest cover change from 1967 to 2015 along the Latvian-Russian border, and to develop an object-based image analysis approach to compare forest cover based on declassified Corona spy satellite images from 1967 with that derived from Landsat 5 TM…
Modelling nitrous oxide emissions from cropland at the regional scale
2006
Arable soils are a large source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, making up half of the biogenic emissions worldwide. Estimating their source strength requires methods capable of capturing the spatial and temporal variability of N2O emissions, along with the effects of crop management. Here, we applied a process-based model, CERES, with geo-referenced input data on soils, weather, and land use to map N2O emissions from wheat-cropped soils in three agriculturally intensive regions in France. Emissions were mostly controlled by soil type and local climate conditions, and only to a minor extent by the doses of fertilizer nitrogen applied. As a result, the direct emission factors calculated at …
Economic modelling as a tool to support macroalgal bloom management: a case study (Sacca di Goro, Po river delta)
2003
During the last 20, years, intensive mollusk farming has been developed in coastal waters, mostly in sheltered bays and lagoons. Often, mollusk stocks are threatened by frequent anoxic events from macroalgal blooms. Here, a decision support tool is described to select the optimal short-term strategy to control algal biomasses. Even though long-term and detailed studies of the lagoon systems are required to provide reliable, biologically based policies, we have here developed a simplified analysis that overlooks most of the ecological complexity, but explicitly includes environmental variability and uncertainty in parameter estimation in the economic assessment of the performances of differe…
Current Experience with Application of Metal-based Nanofertilizers
2019
Agriculture is one of the many fields in which nanotechnology is currently applied. At the nano-scale, materials exhibit different properties mainly due to the reduced molecular size which allows different interactions between molecules. Nowadays, the agricultural sector demands methods that not only increase crop productivity, but are also sustainable and produce less environmental impact. Large-scale application of chemical fertilizers is common in farming with the aim of increasing productivity. The use of large doses of fertilizers, however, causes more harm than good. Chemically intensive agriculture disturbs the soil-mineral balance, pollutes soil, water and air, and makes lands less …
Drought tolerance of three olive cultivars alternatively selected for rain fed or intensive cultivation
2016
Abstract Physiological drought response was evaluated for two olive cultivars commonly grown under rain fed conditions (‘Souri’ and ‘Picual’) and another selected for intensive, irrigated cultivation (‘Barnea’). ‘Souri’ is a traditional local Israeli cultivar, ‘Picual’ originated in Spain and ‘Barnea’ is a modern Israeli cultivar. Trees in pots were alternatively provided well irrigated conditions (100% FC, field capacity) or allowed to dry, first to 33% FC and then to 10% FC. Under conditions of greatest water availability, the ‘Barnea’ cultivar had the highest stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis, significantly higher than that found in ‘Souri’. Stomatal conductance and leaf water …
Lesser kestrel diet and agricultural intensification in the Mediterranean: An unexpected win-win solution?
2018
Abstract Farmland bird species have suffered dramatic declines in recent decades, especially in Mediterranean areas. The intensification of agricultural practices has led to reduced invertebrate prey, which represent the bulk of the diet of many farmland birds. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal variation in the diet of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) during the breeding season, monitored over a five-year period between 2006 and 2013 in the Gela Plain (Sicily). Our aim was to understand whether, and to what extent, farming practices affected the reproductive outputs of this predominantly insectivore bird in order to find a profitable compromise between conservation …
Intensive aquaculture selects for increased virulence and interference competition in bacteria
2016
Although increased disease severity driven by intensive farming practices is problematic in food production, the role of evolutionary change in disease is not well understood in these environments. Experiments on parasite evolution are traditionally conducted using laboratory models, often unrelated to economically important systems. We compared how the virulence, growth and competitive ability of a globally important fish pathogen, Flavobacterium columnare , change under intensive aquaculture. We characterized bacterial isolates from disease outbreaks at fish farms during 2003–2010, and compared F. columnare populations in inlet water and outlet water of a fish farm during the 2010 outbre…
Revisiting agricultural modernisation: Interconnected farming practices driving rural development at the farm level
2019
Abstract Rural development related to agriculture can roughly be divided into two trajectories: 1) agri-industrial development or modernisation, and 2) multifunctional or even post-productivist rural development. The role of these trajectories varies in different rural settings, with different emphases on agricultural production and its conduct. At the farm level, the trajectories evolve from existing farming practices and their connections, which enable or disable different kinds of development. However, the connections through which changes in agricultural production practices contribute to different rural development trajectories deserve further scrutiny. This is addressed with the help …
Aspects of soil phenolic matter (SPM): An explorative investigation in agricultural, agroforestry, and wood ecosystems
2014
Abstract This paper assesses the distribution of soil phenolic matter (SPM) in soil environments from a pedological perspective, with particular emphasis on soil horizonation and its involvement in pedogenic processes. The study was conducted on 15 soil profiles (Andosols, Calcisols, Cambisols, Lixisols, Phaeozems, Podzols, Umbrisols) covering five distinct ecosystems. Although the ecosystems were virtually homogeneous in and of themselves, they represented strongly contrasting climates, geolithology and morphology, land use and vegetation cover (intensive agriculture, chestnut grove, alpine pasture, woody reforestations, and natural woods). Three main SPM fractions were categorised: (i) “t…
Variability of Spring Barley Traits Essential for Organic Farming in Association Mapping Population
2012
Association mapping population consisting of 154 Latvian and foreign spring barley genotypes contrasting for traits that are important for organic agriculture was established with the aim to develop molecular markers useful in breeding for organic farming. The mapping population was genotyped at 3072 single-nucleotide polymorphism loci using Illumina GoldenGate platform to provide marker data for association mapping. Field trials in two organically and two conventionally managed locations are being carried out during three seasons. The following traits essential for organic farming were phenotyped: plant morphological traits ensuring competitive ability against weeds, grain yield in organic…