Search results for "crop rotation"

Effetti della Modalità di Gestione del Suolo e dell’Avvicendamento Colturale sulla Dinamica delle Popolazioni di Infestanti nel Frumento Duro in Ambi…

2013

Birch (Betula spp.) wood biochar is a potential soil amendment to reduce glyphosate leaching in agricultural soils

2015

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine), a commonly used herbicide in agriculture can leach to deeper soil layers and settle in surface- and ground waters. To mitigate the leaching of pesticides and nutrients, biochar has been suggested as a potential soil amendment due to its ability to sorb both organic and inorganic substances. However, the efficiency of biochar in retaining agro-chemicals in the soil is likely to vary with feedstock material and pyrolysis conditions. A greenhouse pot experiment, mimicking a crop rotation cycle of three plant genera, was established to study the effects of pyrolysis temperature on the ability of birch (Betula sp.) wood originated biochar to reduce the l…

CAMELINA SATIVA AS A CROP FOR DIVERSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURE AND AS A PRODUCER OF HIGH QUALITY OIL

2007

‘Camelina sativa’ is one of the oldest oil crops in Europe. Growing areas were reduced dramatically in 20-40-ties of the last century. Low price of rape oil and unclear composition of camelina oil were primary reasons of this process. Nevertheless, last years ‘Camelina sativa' attracted a great interest of scientists and oil processors as a crop for diversification of agriculture and, in the same time, for producing of the high quantity and quality oil for biofuel, feeding, food, and pharmacy (source of a-linolenic acid, linoleic acid and vitamins, especially E). In Latvia ‘Camelina sativa' is spread as a wild form but for the agriculture it is a new crop.The potential of me of ‘Camelina sa…

Soil carbon dynamics as affected by long-term contrasting cropping systems and tillages under semiarid Mediterranean climate

2014

Abstract In a dryland Mediterranean agrosystem (Sicily, Italy) a comparative study was carried out among two crop systems (wheat/wheat and wheat/bean) after 19 years under three most used tillage managements (conventional, dual layer and no-tillage), in order to ascertain the effects of those experimental factors, single and combined, on various soil organic C pools (total and extractable organic C, microbial biomass C, basal respiration). Field CO 2 fluxes from soil, throughout a year, were also determined. Moreover, C input and output were assessed, as well as microbial and metabolic quotients. Tillage management more than cropping system affected the soil organic C stored in the first 15…

Spatially variable rate herbicide application on durum wheat in Sicily

2004

Using the conventional farming system, durum wheat requires high rates of herbicide spraying. Herbicide residues can cause pollution of soil and ground water and, therefore, of the entire environment. In order to minimise the environmental impact of herbicides, a home made system for spatially variable rate crop input application was designed, developed and set up by the Department of Engineering and Technologies in Agriculture and Forestry (I.T.A.F.). This system consists of a DGPS, a portable computer, a specifically developed software and a device for applying rates proportionally related to the machine forward speed (DPA). Tests of spatially variable rate herbicide application were carr…

Particle-size distribution and associated organic matter under different cropping systems and tillage practices in a semi arid environment.

2008

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of different management practice and tillage tools on :1) changes in soil carbon stock with different cropping systems and soil tillage managements; 2) aggregate size distribution and organic carbon concentration of each fraction; 3) organic matter composition and stability Methodology The research was carried out at the Pietranera farm, located in southern part of central Sicily (Italy) (37°32’74” N / 13°31’53” E; elevation 236 m; mean annual precipitation 481 mm; mean air temperature 19 °C) on a soil of a long term experiment. The soil is classified as a fine-clayey, calcareous, mixed, xeric Chromic Pelloxerert with a slope of 4%.…

Soil quality indicators as affected by a long term barley-maize and maize cropping systems

2011

Most soil studies aim a better characterization of the system through indicators. In the present study nematofauna and soil structure were chosen as indicators to be assess soil health as related to agricultural practices. The field research was carried out on the two fodder cropping systems continuous maize (CM, Zea mays L.) and a 3-year rotation of silage-maize – silage-barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with Italian ryegrass (R3) and grain-maize maintained in these conditions for 18 years. Each crop system was submitted to two management options: 1) the high input level (H), done as a conventional tillage, 2) the low input level (L), where the tillage was replaced by harrowing and the…

Soil organic matter and soil nitrogen fractions as affected by crop rotation in rainfed Mediterranean conditions

2005

Long-Term Tillage and Cropping System Effects on Chemical and Biochemical Characteristics of Soil Organic Matter in a Mediterranean Semiarid Environm…

2014

Several studies have reported how tillage and cropping systems affect quantity, quality, and distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) along the profile. However, the effect of soil management on the chemical structure of SOM and on its hydrophobic and hydrophilic components has been little investigated. In this work, the long-term (19 years) effects of two cropping systems (wheat monoculture and wheat/faba bean rotation) and three tillage managements (conventional, reduced, and no tillage) on some chemical characteristics of SOM and their relationships with labile carbon (C) pools were evaluated. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0–15 cm) of a Chromic Haploxerert (central Sicily, I…

Mapping of penetrometer resistance in relation to tractor traffic using multivariate geostatistics

2007

Abstract The traffic of agricultural machines can cause soil compaction and high variability of soil structure, both along normal lines and along those parallel to the field plane. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of an electronic penetrometer, a GPS, a GIS and geostatistical techniques for mapping soil compaction. In July 2003 soil cone penetrometer resistance was measured using a semi-automatic electronic penetrometer in a sandy-silt soil (Vertic Xerochrept) of inland Sicily where a three-year rotation wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.)–wheat–tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) was practiced. The measurements were carried out along three parallel 3-m long transects, from the…