Production Efficiency of Four Main Crops in the Decade in Hunan Province

The research explored productive efficiencies of main crops in the decade in Hunan by nonparametric DEA method and the results showed that net output value and net-profit rate of potato and sweet potato were extremely higher than those of rice and maize, and comprehensive efficiencies from high to low were potato, rice, sweet potato and maize. It is recommended that scales of rice, maize, and sweet potato should be reduced to certain extent and the scale of potato pro- duction extended. Besides, direct fee and labor cost should be lowered as much as possible to improve net-profit rate, accelerate crop S＆T development and improve grain productive efficiency.

辽宁省人民政府办公厅转发省财政厅等部门关于辽宁省2006年对种粮农民综合直补实施意见的通知

各市人民政府,省政府各厅委、各直属机构: 经省政府同意,现将省财政厅、省农委、省粮食局、省审计厅、省监察厅、省农发行、省农信联社《关于辽宁省2006年对种粮农民综合直补的实施意见》转发给你们,请认真贯彻执行。

Accelerating Grain Legumes Production in Nigeria： Prospects and Challenges

This paper reviews programs and projects that are elements of the strategy to boost crop production in general and grain legumes in particular in Nigeria. The objective is to bring to fore the neglect of grain legumes production in such strategies and for improved understanding of the need to implement grain legumes specific programs for enhanced food security in the country. The paper reiterates that grain legumes were neglected in most of the strategies for increased crop production which presented enormous challenges and reflects largely the inbalance in the policies for the attainment of food self-sufficiency and food security in the country The paper gives an overview of the programs and projects, and reviews the output of grain legumes during the period （1970-2007）. It submits that the activities of some research institutes and the presidential initiative on vegetable oil development program had positive impact on the output of legumes which is an added impetus for the need to establish grain legumes specific research institutes and programs for further productivity increases. Constraints identified by the paper include： poverty, storage systems, among others. It itemizes prospects and current challenges for grain legume crop sub-sector in Nigeria.

Growth Parameters of DK8031 Maize Variety as Affected by Varying Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates in Embu County, Kenya

Determination of crop growth parameters of maize helps assess the performance of the crop for food security. A study was conducted in two seasons covering 2012 and 2013 to establish optimal irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer rates for drought tolerant hybrid maize （Zea mays L.）, DK8031 variety, in sandy loam soils using furrow irrigation. Four additive irrigation levels （119.05 mm, 238.10 mm, 357.15 mm and 476.2 mm） were allocated the main plots while five nitrogen fertilizer rates （0 kg/ha, 60, 75 kg/ha, 90 kg/ha and 100 kg/ha） were allocated the sub-plots. Both irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer treatments significantly enhanced crop growth parameters under consideration. Stand count per treatment plot, plant height and number of leaves per ranged from 45-59 plants/plot, 215-238 cm and 14-16 leaves respectively. It was concluded that use of supplementary irrigation and phased nitrogen fertilizer rates for maize growing in areas such as Embu can greatly promote crop growth.

Complex Research of Using Microwave in Processing Grains and Plants Materials for Agriculture

It is observed contamination and subsequent growth of various types of mycotoxins in the production and processing of grain and non-grain crops. The contamination of grain and non-grain cereals crops harvest was analyzed. The aim of this research is using of microwave energy to disinfect grains of harvest and giving new properties to the grains and plants materials. The author has presented researches of the grains disinfection, during seedbed preparation and post processing. Rational parameters of heating rates of different biological objects were identified, revealed their dependence and impact on infection pathogens, through using of microwave energy technology. The author found a reduction of the number of pathogenic microbes and organisms at the various stages of processing agricultural products during using of microwave energy, and found new qualitative indicators of the products properties.

C and N stable isotope analysis of human and animal bones at the Beiqian site

The Beiqian site,located in Jimo city,Qingdao,went through three archaeological excavations,and a large number of human and animal bones in the Dawenkou culture and the Zhou Dynasty period were unearthed.By carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis,the diet of ancestors is expected to be recovered,and the domesticated plants and animals will be discussed.The investigated results showed that the food structure of ancestors in both periods included food crops,mainly C4 foods,and meat,mainly marine shellfish and livestock.For domestic pigs,they mainly eat C3 plants,and were affected by the lifestyle of ancestors.This study also showed that the diet of ancestors is the shellfish rather than marine fish despite the Beiqian site is located near the shoreline.We can conclude that the diet of ancestors in Dawenkou culture period included millet crops(C4plants),shellfish,marine food,and livestock,representing the lifestyle of farming,domestication,and fishing,supplemented by hunting.In the Zhou dynasty period the meat resource was enriched by domesticated animals and marine fisheries,and the living conditions were significantly improved.

Two centuries of April-July temperature change in southeastern China and its influence on grain productivity

China is a traditional agriculture based country and one main region for crop production is southeastern China where temperature is a dominant climate variable affecting agriculture. Temperature and social disturbances both influence crop production, yet distinguishing their relative impacts is difficult due to a lack of reliable, high-resolution historical climatic records before the very recent period. Here we present the first tree-ring based warm-season temperature reconstruction for southeastern China, a core region of the East Asian monsoon, for the past 227 years. The reconstruction target was April-July mean temperature, and our model explained 60.6% of the observed temperature variance during 1953–2012.Spatial correlation analysis showed that the reconstruction is representative of April-July temperature change over most of eastern China. The reconstructed temperature series agrees well with China-scale(heavily weighted in eastern China) agricultural production index values quite well at decadal timescales.The impacts of social upheavals on food production, such as those in the period 1920–1949, were confirmed after climatic influences were excluded. Our study should help distinguish the influence of social disturbance and warm-season temperature on grain productivity in the core agricultural region of China during the past two centuries.