Developmental Tendency of Dry Land Farming Technologies

The developmental tendency of dry land farming technologies in the semiarid area of China were reviewed based on the overview of recent progress in dry land farming researches from China and oversea. It was emphasized that conservation tillage, limited irrigation, genetic modification and chemical control are the important aspects for the dry land farming research and development of the future. In addition, some consid-

Spatiotemporal variation of soil organic carbon in the cultivated soil layer of dry land in the South-Western Yunnan Plateau, China

The dynamics of soil organic carbon(SOC)in cropland is one of the central issues related to both soil fertility and environmental safety. However, little information is available at county level regarding the spatiotemporal variability of SOC in the southwestern mountainous region of China. Thus, this study aimed to explore spatiotemporal changes of SOC in the cultivated soil layer of dry land in Mojiang County,Yunnan Province, China. Data were obtained from the second national soil survey(SNSS) of 1985 and soil tests for fertilizer application carried out by the Mojiang Agricultural Bureau in 2006. The ANOVA test was applied to determine any significant differences between the datasets, while semivariogram analysis was performed on geostatistics via an ordinary Kriging method in order to map spatial patterns of soil organic carbon density(SOCD). The results revealed that SOCD in the cultivated soil layer significantly decreased from 3.93 kg m^(-2) in 1985 to 2.89 kg m^(-2) in 2006, with a total soil organic carbon stock(SOCS) decrease of 41.54×10~4 t over the same period. SOCS levels fell most markedly in yellow-brown soil at a rate of51.52%, while an increase of 8.70% was found in the analysed latosol. Geostatistical analysis also showed that the recorded changes in SOCD between 1985 and2006 were spatially structured. The decreasing trend might be attributed to the combined action of intense cultivation, major crop residue removal without any protective tillage measures, unreasonable fertilization and natural climatic diversity inducing a large decrease in SOC in the studied cultivated dry land region of Mojiang County. Therefore, management measures such as protective tillage should be undertaken in order to enhance soil C sequestration.

Sorghum as Dry Land Feedstock for Fuel Ethanol Production

Dry land crops such as sorghums （grain sorghum, promising feedstocks for fuel ethanol production. The major issue sweet sorghum and forage sorghum） have been identified as for using the sweet sorghum as feedstock is its stability at room temperature. At room temperature, the sweet sorghum juice could lose from 40% to 50% of its fermentable sugars from 7 to 14 days No significant sugar content and profile changes were observed in juice stored at refrigerator temperature in two weeks. Ethanol fermentation efficiencies of fresh and frozen juice were high （-93%）. Concentrated juice （≥25% sugar） had significantly lower efficiencies and large amounts of fructose left in finished beer; however, winery yeast strains and novel fermentation techniques may solve these problems. The ethanol yield from sorghum grain increased as starch content increased. No linear relationship between starch content and fermentation efficiency was found. Key factors affecting the ethanol fermentation efficiency of sorghum include starches and protein digestibility, amylose-lipid complexes, tannin content, and mash viscosity. Life cycle analysis showed a positive net energy value （NEV） = 25 500 Btu/gal ethanol. Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction （XRD） were used to determine changes in the structure and chemical composition of sorghum biomasses. Dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment was effective in removing the hemicellulose from biomasses and exposing the cellulose for enzymatic hydrolysis. Forage sorghum lignin had a lower syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and its pretreated biomass was easier to hydrolyze. Up to 72% hexose yield and 94% pentose yield were obtained by using a modified steam explosion with 2% sulfuric acid at 140℃ for 30 min and enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase.

Production Performance of Different Varieties of Oat A vena sativa) in Winter Dry Land of Hunan

The phenological phase, plant height, filler number, nutritional composition, yield and stem/leaf ratio of three oat （Arena sativa） varieties （lines） in winter dry land of Hunan were studied. The result shows that the three oat varieties were greatly different in plant height, nutritional composition, yield and stem/leaf ratio. Baiyan 7 had the best performance, with the plant height, tiller number and fresh yield of 101.67cm, 7.6 tiller/plant and 70.15 t/hm2 respectively ; the crude protein content of dry matter of Baiyan 7 was 32.63% ; the leaf weight per tiller of Baiyan 7 accounted for 31.6% of single tiller weight, while those of Baiyan 8 and Baiyan 2 accounted for 31.3% and 29.2%, respectively. The single tiller weight of oat could be estimated/calculated by the model/formula Y = 0.043 7X - 2.89 （ R2 = 0.913 4, P 〈 0.01 ）, where Y is the single tiller weight （ g ） and X is the plant height （cm）. Comprehensive analysis showed that Baiyan 7 had higher yields and stem/leaf ratio. Thus, Baiyan 7 is more suitable for planting as a winter-spring forage in the winter dry land of Hunan.

Improvement of Native Pasture Productivity through Introduction of Various Types of Palatable Species on Dry Lands in Timor

This research was aimed to evaluate the productivity of native pasture in Timor Island by introducing various palatable species.The study was carried out on native pasture in Tuatuka,Timor Island for seven months.The study was performed by using randomized block design(RBD)with eight treatments(S0:no introduction,S1:Cynodon dactilon,S2:Dicanthium aristatum,S3:C.plectotachyus,S4:Brachiaria decumbens,S5:Desmanthus virgatus,S6:Macroptilium atropurpureum,S7:Clitoria ternatea)with four replications.Procedures on this study include trial plots preparation,tillers preparation for each species,introduction of species in trial plots,maintenance and observation of the productivity.Variables observed were forage production(fresh and dry matter(DM)in ton/ha),nutrient content(%)and stock capacity(animal unit(AU)/ha).Data were analyzed for variance based on RBD and followed by Duncan’s test.Analysis of variance showed that introduction of species had a very significant effect(p<0.01)on all observed variables.The introduction of M.atropurpureum produced the highest fresh forage(2.1 t/ha)and DM production(0.69 t/ha).M.atropurpureum also had the highest DM content(43.61%),nitrogen free extract(52.52%)and stock capacity(1.06 AU/ha).The highest crude protein and crude fiber content were found in D.virgatus(4.31%and 36.62%).The highest extract ether was observed in D.aristatum(1.48%).No introduction had the lowest productivity,but demonstrated the highest ash content.The introduction of palatable species increased the productivity of native pasture in Timor and M.atropupureum was the best introduced species.

Nitrate Accumulation in Soil Profile of Dry Land Farming in Northwest China

A long-term fertilizer experiment on dry land of the Loess Plateau, northwest China, has been conducted since 1984 to study the distribution and accumulation of NO3-N down to a depth of 400 cm in the profile of a coarse-textured dark loessial soil after continuous winter wheat cropping. Thirteen fertilizer treatments consisted of four levels of N and P applied alone or in combination. Annual N and P (P2O5) rates were 0,45, 90, 135 and 180 kg ha-1. After 15 successive cropping cycles, the soil samples were taken from each treatment for analysis of NO3-N concentration. The results showed that NO3-N distribution in the soil profile was quite different among the treatments. The application of fertilizer N alone resulted in higher NO3-N concentration in the soil profile than the combined application of N and P, showing that application of P could greatly reduce the NO3-N accumulation. With an annual application of 180 kg N ha-1 alone, a peak in NO3-N accumulation occurred at 140 cm soil depth, and the maximum NO3-N concentration in the soils was 67.92 mg kg-1. The amount of NO3-N accumulated in the soil profile decreased as the cumulative N uptake by the winter wheat increased. Application of a large amount of N resulted in lower N recoveries in winter wheat and greater NO3-N accumulation in soil profile. NO3-N did not enter underground water in the study region; therefore, there is no danger of underground water pollution. Amount of NO3-N accumulation can be predicted by an equation according to annual N and P rates based on the results of this experiment.

Production of physic nut hybrid progenies and their parental in various dry land

Hibridization is one of breeding strategy to increase productivity of crop including physic nut (Jatropha curcas Linn.). This study aimed to obtain information productivity per hectare and seed oil content of 11 numbers of physic nut hybrids and their parental in four dry lands. The research was conducted in four dry land: Kalipare-Malang, Oro-oro Pule-Kejayan Pasuruan, Kedung Pengaron-Pasuruan and Jorongan-Leces Probolinggo. The materials used in this research are the eleven result numbers of physic nut hybrids, they are SP38XHS49, SP8XHS49, SP8XSP16, SP8XSP38, SP33XHS49, SM35XHS49, SM35XSP38, IP1AXHS49, IP1AXSP38, IP1PXHS 49, IP1PXSP38, and their parental, they are HS49, SP16, SP38, SP8, SP33, SM35, IP1A, IP1P, IP3P. Observation was done during the plants’ generative phase, on the second harvest. The results showed that SP38XHS49 hybrid on Kedung Pengaron, produces the highest seeds dry weight per hectare (1170 kg/ha) with 62.33 gram of dry weight of 100 seeds and the oil content is 32.56%. The highest average of dry seed productions from all planting sites achieved on the crossing between SP38XHS49 (658.75 kg/hectare) and followed by SP8XHS49 (607.5 kg/hectare). If the comparison of the four locations, the highest average productivity of physic nut achieved on location Jorongan, Leces, Probolinggo. In general, the data proves that the hybrid result from the crossing shows the higher production level compare to their parental. The dry weight of 100 seeds produced ranged from 54.03 grams to 68.29 grams. Of all four planting sites, it shows that the highest 100 seeds dry weight achieved by the crossing between IP1P-XHS49 which is 64.63 grams. The seed oil content ranged from 27.04 to 35.24 percent. The highest average of seed oil content achieved by the crossing between SM35XSP38 (32.035%).

Development and experiment of rice hill-drop drilling machine for dry land based on proportional speed regulation

Rice precision hill-drop drilling technique in dry land uses fixed hill spacing to achieve orderly planting of crops and to attain good ventilating and day-lighting effects in rice fields.The technique is also beneficial in improving root growth and root structure and in increasing lodging resistance.The high-yield record of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp’s first division for three consecutive years shows that rice precision hill-drop drilling technique in dry land is one of the important directions to developed rice cultivating mechanization technology.To further improve the quality of rice precision hill-drop drilling machine for dry land,a single profiling,electro-hydraulic proportional real-time adjustment of system was developed according to the agronomic requirements.This machine can simultaneously finish various kinds of seedbed leveling,furrowing and seeding operations,as well as soil covering and pressing.Electro-hydraulic proportional speed regulation makes an AMESim simulation test and analyzes the stability and error of hydraulic adjusting planting distance.Bench testing was carried out on the metering device by simultaneously employing high speed photography technology and analyzing the relationship of the high speed of hill distance and seed charge height.Finally,machine trial was completed.The two-year field experiments of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp showed that when the machine operation speed is 2.8-3.2 km/h,the sowing depth percent of pass is 75%or higher,the qualified rate of row spacing is 80%or more,the pass rate of row spacing is 90%or higher,and the quantity per hill is 75%or higher.This machine met the various indicators of hill sowing quality requirements.

Regional fire monitoring and NASA MODIS fire products characterization using global in dry lands of Central Asia

Central Asian dry lands are grass- and desert shrub-dominated ecosystems stretching across Northern Eurasia. This region supports a population of more than 1 00 million which continues to grow at an average rate of 1.5% annually. Dry steppes are the primary grain and cattle growing zone within Central Asia. Degradation of this ecosystem through burning and overgrazing directly impacts economic growth and food supply in the region. Fire is a recurrent disturbance agent in dry lands contributing to soil erosion and air pollution. Here we provide an overview of inter-annual and seasonal fire dynamics in Central Asia obtained from remotely sensed data. We evaluate the accuracy of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer （MODIS） global fire products within Central Asian dry lands and use these products to characterize fire occurrence between 2001 and 2009. The results show that on average -15 million ha of land burns annually across Central Asia with the majority of the area burned in August and September in grasslands. Fire is used as a common crop residue management practice across the region. Nearly 89% of all burning occurs in Kazakhstan, where 5% and 3% of croplands and grasslands, respec- tively, are burned annually.

Status and circulation characteristics of soil water in dryland field of southeast Shanxi Province

Based on the observed soil water data from experimental site located in southeast of Shanxi Province, the physical characteristics of soil water, crop effect on soil moisture, and the field water circulation pattern were studied by using the water balance method. The results suggested that soil water deficit often exists in fields of these areas. From May to June, the amount of water deficit in bare land rises to the maximum (232 8 mm) and falls to the minimum (66 6 mm) from August to September. By comparison, because of crop transpiration, both soil water deficit and dry soil layer in cultivated land are 15 1—40 4 mm more and 20—70 mm deeper respectively than those of bare land. Crops mainly planted in these areas have a relatively weak utilization ability to soil water. Winter wheat has the highest utilization ability to soil water among the crops planted in these areas. The soil water utilization ability of winter wheat is 26 2%—30 6% and winter wheat can use soil water that lies in soil layer below a depth of over 200 cm. Spring corn and millet can only consume soil water with the maximum ability of 13 4% and the deepest layer of 0—50 cm or 0—100cm, which shows that the soil water utilization ability of winter wheat is higher than that of spring crops. After crop is ripe, more than 41% of available soil water remains unused in field. So, increasing soil water storage and improving crop utilization ability to soil water by adopting efficient agrotechnique measures are the main ways for improving agricultural productivity in dry farming areas of Northern China.

Dryland Pastoralism Climate Landscape and Food Security in the Suam River Basin of Kenya

River basins in the drylands of Sub-Saharan Africa have traditionally been utilized for pastoral livelihoods under communal land tenure. Communities in West Pokot in Kenya have continued to experience increased precipitation and temperature as a result of climate variability and change. This study aimed at assessing the impact of climate variability and change at micro-basin level in order to address research and policy gaps on climate change and food security as policy arena shifts from centralized to decentralized governance in Kenya. Primary quantitative data was collected from 387 households’ perceptions of climate variability and change and its implications on food security were measured. Food security index score was calculated. The annual rainfall trend over Suam river basin for the period (1981-2020), was characterized by a linearly increasing annual rainfall trend. Mann Kendall test Z-statistics and Tau were at 2.3578 and 0.0720 respectively. The basin experienced the highest rainfall variability during the first decade (1981-1990) with the highest coefficient of rainfall variation noted at 11.5%. The highest temperature was recorded in the third decade (2001-2010) and fourth decade (2011-2020) at 27.0 and 28.2 degrees Celsius respectively. However, the overall index score for food security was 55.78 with food availability scoring the highest index, mean (SD) of 63.41 (36.52). This was attributed to households’ practice of both nomadic pastoralism and agro-pastoralism activities. Climate variability and change, have resulted in increased amount of rainfall received providing for opportunity investment in rain water harvesting to support both pastoralism and agro-pastoralism production to enhance food security.

Estimating Ecological Characteristics and Carbon Stock in Uneven-Aged Plantations of Acacia senegal L. in the Savannah Woodlands of Sudan

The aim of this study was to assess Acacia senegal trees’ characteristics as well as evaluate the carbon stock under a variety of ages in the El Demokeya forest in Sudan, where the Gum Arabic belt is located. 12 sample plots, in 2021 were randomly distributed to represent the entire area of the forest prior to the required measurements. The sample was designed as squire plots with one hectare. In each sample plot, all trees were counted, their height (m), and Diameters Breast Height (DBH in cm), respectively. The results showed the highest number of trees per ha at age 20 years old and the lowest number at age 47 years, while the highest values of DBH and volume were found at age 47 years old. As a result, the maximum and minimum values of the aboveground biomass were found in the age 47 years old and 16 years, accounting for 19.87 tons and 1.9 tons respectively. Thus, the amount of carbon stock was 11.92 tons/ha in the 35-years-old and 1.19 tons/ha in the 21-year stands. Furthermore, the average carbon stock in all plots was estimated as 18.70 tons/ha and hence the total carbon stock in the El Demokeya forest is equal to 620.11 tons. Conclusively, the characteristics of trees, amount of aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the El Demokeya forest varied among the uneven-aged plantation groups. The study recommends and encourages the protection of A. senegal in order to increase the carbon sink as well as protect the environment in the era of climatic changes.

A New Cultivation Technique of Cangmai 6005 for High Yield in Cangzhou Dry-alkali Land

Cangmai 6005 is a national wheat variety approved by Cangzhou Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences,which has the characteristics of drought resistance,salt tolerance,high yield and stable yield. According to the characteristics of dry-alkali land in Cangzhou City and the variety characteristics,the new cultivation technique was completed.

OREINTATION AND PRIORITY AREAS OF DRY LAND AGRO-TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA

Addressing major problems faced by dry land agro technology development and based on a summarization of existing domestic dry land agro tech and overseas dry land agro tech development trend, this paper proposes a direction and technological option for China’s dry land agro tech development and also puts forward research priorities in the future.

Effects of Land Use Change on the Ecosystem Services Value in the Dry-Hot Valley

The objective of the study reported here was to determine whether LANDSAT TM images could be used to quantify changes in land-use and ecosystem services in Yuanmou County. The sizes of six land use/land cover （LUCC） categories were estimated in Yuanmou County according to the LANDSAT TM images in the summer of 1986 and 2005. Coefficients published by Xie Gaodi and co-workers in 2003 were used to value changes in ecosystem services delivered by each land use/land cover category, and the ecosystem services sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the effect of manipulating these coefficients on the estimated values. The important results are summarized as followings. （1） The estimated size of cultivated land, pasture land, water area and unused land decreased by 6.39%, 1.35%, 2.25% and 10.67% respectively between 1986 and 2005. By contrast, the estimated size of forest land and construction land increased by about 2.23% and 71.15% respectively between 1986 and 2005. （2） The total ecosystem services value （EVS） of the study area increased from 2 142 132 609.46 yuan to 2 146 416 621.00 yuan, with the net increase of 4 284 011.54 yuan during the 20-year time period. （3） The coefficient sensitivity （CS） of the study are less than unity in all cases （CS 〈 1）. This indicates that the total ecosystem values estimated for the study area are relatively inelastic with respect to the ecosystem service coefficients. While this implies that our estimates are robust and the coefficient is reasonable, highly under or over valued coefficients can substantially affect the veracity of estimated changes in ecosystem service values overtime even when the CS are less than unity（CS 〈 1）.

辣椒漂盘苗机械化移栽适应性研究

为了探索辣椒漂盘苗对机械化移栽的适应性,以贵州某辣椒基地所育适栽期辣椒漂盘苗和2ZB-2旱地吊杯鸭嘴式移栽机为测试对象,完成了辣椒苗形态特征参数测量、落苗基质损失及田间机械栽植的试验研究。结果表明:从辣椒苗的苗高、叶面展幅、基质情况来看,所育漂盘苗基质饱满,且适于膜上移栽常用的鸭嘴式栽植器;漂盘苗基质含水率在56.4%~63.5%时,利于机械移栽的基质保持;田间机械移栽的栽植深度合格率、漏栽率、伤苗率分别为76.7%、2.4%、3.2%,满足指标要求;直立度合格率为88.7%,低于93%的指标下限。总体来说,辣椒漂盘苗与移栽机适应性较好,基本能达到贵州辣椒机械化栽植作业要求。

THE POSSIBILITIES AND REALITIES ON THE REMANAGEMENT OF DESERTIFIED LANDS IN THE TRANSITIONAL ZONE BETWEEN THE DRY-FARMING AREA AND THE GRAZING AREA IN NORTH CHINA

The desertification process is rapidly developing at present and 61.5% of the land area in the zone are already desertified.Among the desertified lands, 26.9% are seriously desertified, 25% most seriously desertified and 47.4% are the lands where desertification is under way. They are caused by over-reclamation for farming, over-grazing, unreasonable collection of firewood,the destruction of vegetation and the misuse of water resources. Under the ecological environment in semi-arid zone,the degraded environment process possesses the ability of restoring to its original status as soon as the interruption of excessive human activities are eliminated. The fencing- and-self-cultivating method is an effective measure adopted universally in semi-arid zone to cure the desertified lands.The desertified lands can be readjusted and controlled easily if other controlling measures are supplemented. The fundamental ways to control desertification are to utilize rationally the resources, to readjust the existing

Land Suitability Evaluation of Zanthoxylum schinifolium in Dry and Hot Valley of Jinsha River: A Case Study of Jiaopingdu Town of Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County,Yunnan Province

According to the recent practice in Laopingzi Village,Jiaopingdu Town,Luquan Yi and Miao Autonomous County(Luquan County hereinafter)in dry and hot valley of Jinsha River,the development of Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb.et Zucc planting industry can help farmers gradually get rid of poverty and achieve a virtuous cycle of ecological environment.It is a sustainable poverty alleviation way.Based on the three aspects of soil properties,climatic conditions,and topographical conditions influencing the growth of Z.schinifolium,this paper selected eight evaluation factors to establish a suitability evaluation system for Z.schinifolium,used the analytic hierarchy process to determine the indicator,and determined the weight of the evaluation indicators.Besides,it calculated the comprehensive suitability index of land suitability of Z.schinifolium and evaluated the suitability of Z.schinifolium land in Jiaopingdu Town of Luquan County.The results showed that the suitable area for the cultivation of Z.schinifolium in Jiaopingdu Town reached 7270.78 ha,accounting for 88.69%of the study area;the area of unsuitable land was 922.07 ha,accounting for 11.31%of the study area.Among the suitable land areas,the high suitability area reached562.99 ha,accounting for 7.79%;the moderate suitability area was 2206.76 ha,accounting for 28.61%;the low suitability area was4599.03 ha,accounting for 63.6%.Based on the results of suitability evaluation,it came up with pertinent recommendations for the development of Z.schinifolium industry in Jiaopingdu Town.