This data set presents the results of 121 focus group discussions with men and women, in randomly selected communities, therefore representative of the six major maize agroecological zones in Kenya. Topics include biotic and abiotic stresses, in particular storage pests, maize lethal necrose disease, fall army worm and drought. Communities were asked what the major stresses were, to estimate the losses, and describe control methods and coping strategies.
Rapidly depleting groundwater in western Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is a major threat to food security in South Asia. Conventional tillage-based and flood irrigated puddled transplanted rice (PTR) is a major contributor to faster depleting aquifers. Urgent actions are therefore warranted to develop alternate productive, profitable, water and N-use efficient rice production practices for rice-wheat (RW) cropping system. Conservation agriculture (CA) based direct-seeded rice (DSR) has been advocated as a potential alternative to PTR. Further, bundling CA with precision water and N management using sub-surface drip irrigation (SSD) has demonstrated significant benefits over CA-based flood irrigation (FI). However, for more efficient use of water, water budgeting is needed which is a challenging task as it requires expensive tools, and time, and efforts. Information about complete water budgeting in high water demanding crops like rice grown under CA-based SSD, FI, and PTR are not available. We deployed HYDRUS-2D model for estimating water budgeting of rice under CA+ (CA-based SSD), CA-based FI, and PTR-based systems. The objective of our study was to calibrate and validate the HYDRUS- 2D model to simulate water dynamics in rice grown under CA-based SSD and FI compared to PTR and to design water and N- use efficient production practices for rice cultivation in western IGP. Five treatments comprised of PTR+FI with 120 kg N ha 1 (PTR), zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZTDSR)+FI without N (ZT-N0), ZTDSR+FI with 100% of N recommended dose (ZT-N100), ZTDSR+SSD without N (SSD-N0), and ZTDSR+SSD with 100% of Nrecommended dose (SSD-N100) were compared. The result showed that the HYDRUS-2D model satisfactorily simulated the soil moisture content with low root mean square error (RMSE) (0.014–0.028), high coefficient of determination (74–92%), and model efficiency (59–87%) during the simulation period (80 days: 35–114 days after sowing). The highest grain yield (7.18 t ha 1) was observed in the PTR treatment, which was statistically similar to SSD-N100 (6.54 t ha 1) and significantly higher than ZT-N100. During the simulation period, PTR plots received 131.7 cm of water (rainfall + irrigation) which was 27.3% and 50.1% higher than ZT-N100 and SSD-N100 plots, respectively. Out of the cumulative water applied, PTR transpired only 18.4% of applied water, compared to 24% in ZT-N100 and 36.3% in SSD-N100. Interestingly, SSD-N100 plots recorded 20.6% and 23.5% less evaporative loss and 45.0% and 66.0% less water loss by deep drainage than ZT-N100 and PTR, respectively. Thus, conversion to CA+ system with 100% N-recommended dose saved 50.1% and 31.3% of water, and consequently attained 2.0 and 1.45-times higher biomass water use efficiency than PTR and ZT-N100, respectively. Based on the results, CA-based SSD could be recommended for precise utilization of water and to curtails the unproductive water loss components such as evaporation and deep drainage.
In water scarce regions of South Asia, diversification of rice with maize is being advocated towards sustainability of cereal-based cropping systems. Adoption of innovative agronomic management practices, i.e., conservation agriculture (CA) and sub-surface drip irrigation (SSDI) are considered as key strategies for much needed interventions to address the challenges of water scarcity under projected climate change. Benefits from CA and SSDI concerning water economy are well-established, however, information about their complementarity and water budgeting in cereal-based systems are lacking. A field study was conducted with process-based model (HYDRUS-2D) to understand water transport, root water uptake and components of soil water balance in maize grown in rotation with wheat after five years of continuous adoption of conservation agriculture. In this study, altogether eight treatments comprising of 6 CA+ treatments (CA coupled with SSDI); permanent beds using sub-surface drip (PB-SSD) with (WR) and without (WOR) crop residue at different N rates, 0, 120 and 150 kg N ha− 1 were compared with CA (PB using furrow irrigation-FI with crop residue-120 kg N ha− 1) and conventional tillage practices (CT) (CT using FI without crop residue-120 kg N ha− 1). Results showed that the model could simulate the daily changes in profile soil water content with reasonable accuracy in all the treatments. Simulated soil water balance indicated higher cumulative root water uptake (CRWU), lower cumulative evaporation (CE) and higher soil water retention in CA+ (PB-SSD+ crop residue at 150 and 120 kg N ha− 1) than CA and CT plots. Hydrus-2D model efficiency > 0, RMSE between 0.009–0.026 and R2 value between 0.80–0.92 at P < 0.01 indicates that the model is performing efficiently. The mean evaporation from CA+ treatments was 10 and 36% less than CA and CT treatments, respectively. On average, CRWU under CA+ treatments were 14–48% higher than FI treatments. The mean cumulative deep drainage in CA+ plots was 80–100 mm less than CA and CT plots. In CA+ based plots significantly higher biomass production and radiation use efficiency were observed with reduced water use than CA and CT. Therefore, the study justifies the water-saving nature of CA+, while maintaining higher productivity and meeting the transpiration demand of crops and halting unnecessary evaporation and deep drainage losses.
A field experiment was conducted in maize under medium-term conservation agriculture (CA) based maizewheat system at BISA-CIMMYT, Ladhowal, Punjab during kharif 2019 to assess the effect of CA+ practices (CA with sub-surface drip irrigation) with variable N doses on maize. The CA+ treatments were residue retained (WR) permanent bed (PB) with sub-surface drip fertigation (PB-SSD): without N (N0), 120 kg N/ha,150 kg N/ha applied in 4-equal (Eq) and differential splits (Df); CA alone treatment includ PB furrow irrigation with 120 kg N/ha (PBWRFurrow- N120); conventional tillage (CT) involved furrow irrigation with 120 kg N/ha (CTWOR-Furrow-N120) and other treatments were residue removed (WOR) PB: PBWOR-without N (N0), with 120 kg N/ha, and 150 kg N/ha applied in four Eq-splits and Df-splits. The findings of the present experiment showed that the numerical value of yield attributing characters were higher under CA+ plots as compared to CA alone (PBWR-Furrow-N120) and CT (CTWOR-Furrow-N120). Biological yield of maize was significantly higher in all CA+ plots as compared to CA alone and CT plots. Highest biological yield was recorded under PBWR-SSD-N150 Df (23.45 t/ha). Highest no. of cobs (72800/ha), no. of grains/cob (605) and cob length (22.61cm) along with dry matter resulted highest biological yield in PBWR-SSD-N150 plots. The grain N content remained statistically similar across all the N management plots, but in case of total N uptake, PBWR-SSD-N150 Df (CA+) plots dominated due to higher biomass. Besides, CA+ based PBWR-SSD-N120 (average of Df and Eq) registered 23-24% higher total N uptake than CA alone (PBWRFurrow- N120) and conventional (CTWOR-Furrow-N120) plots. Improved agronomic N use-efficiency was also recorded under CA+ plots as compared to CA alone (36.4 kg/kg N) and CT (36.7 kg/kg N) plots.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) implemented storage experiments in 2019 at the experiment station of El Batán Texcoco, the State of Mexico, Mexico (2282 m above sea level), to evaluate the impact of storage technologies on seed of maize landraces. Experimented were conducted on four Mexican landraces during three and six months of storage and compared the effectiveness of farmers' conventional storage practices (polypropylene bags) and hermetic technologies (either the GrainPro Hermetic SuperGrainbag® Premium RZ, a hermetic bag with a Zip system, or plastic bottles used as airtight storage technologies) in minimizing seed losses and maintaining germination. Data collected include: (1) characteristics of the maize that was stored (name of landrace, moisture content, temperature) (2) grain damage data (percentage of insect-damaged grain, percentage of kernel without damage, weight loss) before and after storage experiments; (3) number of live insects per 500 g of sample (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, Prostephanus truncatus Horn, Sitotroga cerealella Olivier); (4) seed quality parameters (percentages of normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, germination, non-germinated viable seeds, non-germinated non-viable seeds).
Within the framework of SATYN, two types of nurseries are produced: SATYN series with odd numbers are lines for drought-stressed areas, and SATYN series with even numbers are lines for heat stress conditions. These nurseries have been phenotyped in the major wheat-growing mega environments through the International Wheat Improvement Network (IWIN) and the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) network, which included a total of 136 environments (site-year combinations) in major spring wheat-growing countries such as Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Mexico, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Combines presence data of Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica on different crops from four different sources, obtained from online publications or authors.
Pests are the key yield limiting factors in agricultural production systems around the world. Their population dynamics are shown to vary with the modifications in agro-ecosystem, cropping system and management practices. Plentiful information is available on assessment of their seasonal population fluctuations mainly due to abiotic factors in conventional tillage (CT) based cereal production systems. However, while transitioning from CT based production systems to a more stable and ecologically sustainable conservation agriculture (CA)- based systems, the pest dynamics particularly in relation to biotic factors are not clearly understood. Therefore, we conducted a systematic study on pest dynamics under long-term CA in major cropping systems of North-West Indo-Gangetic plains. In our study, crop rotations, no-tillage and residue retention led to more diverse aerial and epigeic arthropod communities which seemingly increased biological control of pests through predation by natural enemies, that subsequently resulted in no significant increase of pests in the CA-based cereal systems. CA-based ricewheat (RW) system had the highest insect diversity than respective CT system and maize-wheat (MW) systems. In RW system, stem borers (+7.0% and -11.2%), leaf folders (15.6% and 4.8%), leafhoppers (-2.9% and -3.6%) and grain sucking insects (0% and -2.0%) were observed at tillering and grain filling stage, respectively under CA- based system compared to CT- system. Similarly, in MW system, stem and silk borers (-14.8% and -14.0%), defoliators (-4.6% and -36.8%), beetles (-22.9% and -4.2%), shoot fly (-9.2% and 0%) were recorded. The parasitoids and predators density under CA-based RW system was about 20 folds at tillering stage and 3.5 folds at grain filling stage, while, under CA-based MW system it was 6.4 times (at tillering stage) and 3.9 times (at grain filling stage) as compared to their CT counterparts. The increased density of both aerial and epigeic beneficial arthropod diversity perhaps yields in increased niche differentiation and consequently reduced herbivory in CA systems. The CA systems naturally conserve and foster beneficial biodiversity that potentially helps mitigating the populations of several detrimental arthropods by making production systems more amenable to biocontrol.
Intensive tillage operations, indiscriminate use of irrigation water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides and crop biomass burning have made the conventional rice–wheat (RW) system highly energyintensive and inefficient. In the recent past, portfolios of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAP) have been promoted as a potential alternative to improve the energy efficiency in conventional RW system. Therefore, to evaluate the energy input–output relation, energy flow and economic efficiency in various combinations of crop management options, a 3-year (2014–2017) on-farm study was conducted at Karnal, India. Various portfolio of management practices; Sc1-Business as usual (BAU) or Conventional tillage (CT) without residue, Sc2-CT with residue, Sc3-Reduce tillage (RT) with residue + recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), Sc4-RT/Zero tillage (ZT) with residue + RDF, Sc5-ZT with residue + RDF + GreenSeeker + Tensiometer, Sc6-Sc5 + Nutrient expert were investigated. Present study results revealed that net energy, energy use efficiency and energy productivity were 11–18, 31–51 and 29–53% higher under CSAP (mean of Sc4, Sc5 and Sc6) in RW system than Sc1, respectively. However, renewable and non-renewable energy inputs were 14 and 33% higher in Sc1 compared to CSAP (4028 and 49,547 MJ ha− 1), respectively, it showed that BAU practices mostly dependents on non-renewable energy sources whereas CSAP dependents on renewable energy sources. Similarly, the adoption of CSAP improved the biomass yield, net farm income and economic efficiency by 6–9, 18–23 and 42–58%, respectively compared to Sc1. Overall, the adoption of CSAP could be a viable alternative for improving energy use efficiency, farm profitability and eco-efficiency in the RW system.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA)-based management practices are getting popular across South-Asia as an alternative to the conventional system for particular weed suppression, resources conservation and environmental quality. An 8-year study (2012–2013 to 2019–2020) was conducted to understand the shift in weed density and diversity under different CSA-based management practices called scenarios (Sc). These Sc involved: Sc1, conventional tillage (CT)-based rice–wheat system with flood irrigation (farmers’ practice); Sc2, CT-rice, zero tillage (ZT)-wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CA-based); Sc3, ZT rice–wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CSA-based rice); Sc4, ZT maize–wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CSA-based maize); Sc5, ZT rice–wheat– mungbean with subsurface drip irrigation (full CSA-based rice); and Sc6, ZT maize–wheat–mungbean with subsurface drip irrigation (full CSA-based maize). The most abundant weed species were P. minor > A. arvensis > M. indicus > C. album and were favored by farmers’ practice. However, CSA-based management practices suppressed these species and favored S. nigrum and R. dentatus and the effect of CSAPs was more evident in the long-term. Maximum total weed density was observed for Sc1, while minimum value was recorded under full CSA-based maize systems, where seven weed-species vanished, and P. minor density declined to 0.33 instead of 25.93 plant m− 2 after 8-years of continuous cultivation. Full CSA-based maize–wheat system could be a promising alternative for the conveniently managed rice–wheat system in weed suppression in north-west India.
