A Study on the Agricultural Scientific Research Management in the New Situation

As the core of the management of agricultural institutes,scientific research management plays a vital role in strategic development,and also affects the strategic development of agricultural research institutes. This paper expounds the connotation and characteristics of agricultural scientific research management as well as management ability requirements of management personnel. This paper puts forward the recommendations for improving agricultural scientific research management from the view of management personnel.

Research on Financial Support for the New Types of Agricultural Management Entities from the Perspective of the Rural Revitalization Strategy

Both the escape from the predicament of traditional financial support in rural areas and the cultivation of new types of agricultural management entities underlie,at a micro level,the improvement of a new-type of agricultural management system,and offer an important guarantee for the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy.In reference to the demands of carrying out reform,activating factors,invigorating entities and stimulating markets during the implementation of this rural revitalization strategy,we are applying a financing preference theory that infers and analyzes the excessive preference for new-type agricultural management entities(family farms,specialized farmer cooperatives,specialized large family farms,and modern agricultural enterprises)regarding government subsidies(quasi-equity financing).Our analysis has identified crucial factors in the issue and predicts that government subsidies(quasi-equity financing)will crowd out financial support funding(quasi-debt financing),and we offer empirical proof obtained through statistical modeling.As our results indicate,financing costs,free cash flows,and the perceived income adequacy(PIA)of new-type agricultural management entities all have significant influence upon decision-making for debt financing by such entities.Therefore,with the concrete contents of the formulation of policies concerning the financial support for rural agricultural strategy,one not only needs to consider the further decrease of financing costs,but also should take into account both the designing of cash flow mechanism in the process of paying both principal and interest,and the improvement of bankruptcy rules for agricultural management entities to accelerate the transformation of family farms,specialized farmer cooperatives,and specialized large family farms,towards modern agricultural enterprises.Meanwhile,upgrades to the supply chains of the agriculture industry,improvements to the construction of the rural financial information system,building an accounting system that meets the requirements of the rural revitalization strategy,and giving full play to the policies for financial support,which assume an important role in activating factors and markets during the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy,are also anticipated.

Reasons and Improving Strategies of Slow Development of Agricultural Insurance System in China

In order to establish modern agriculture and reduce harmful effects of natural disasters to agriculture, developing agricultural insurance and improving agricultural management system are essential. This paper firstly elaborated the feasibility and importance of improving agricultural economy, and analyzed some reasons which restricted China agricultural insurance developing speed, and then gave some improving suggestions in the end.

Decoding the inconsistency of six cropland maps in China

Accurate cropland information is critical for agricultural planning and production,especially in foodstressed countries like China.Although widely used medium-to-high-resolution satellite-based cropland maps have been developed from various remotely sensed data sources over the past few decades,considerable discrepancies exist among these products both in total area and in spatial distribution of croplands,impeding further applications of these datasets.The factors influencing their inconsistency are also unknown.In this study,we evaluated the consistency and accuracy of six cropland maps widely used in China in circa 2020,including three state-of-the-art 10-m products(i.e.,Google Dynamic World,ESRI Land Cover,and ESA WorldCover)and three 30-m ones(i.e.,GLC_FCS30,GlobeLand 30,and CLCD).We also investigated the effects of landscape fragmentation,climate,and agricultural management.Validation using a ground-truth sample revealed that the 10-m-resolution WorldCover provided the highest accuracy(92.3%).These maps collectively overestimated Chinese cropland area by up to 56%.Up to 37%of the land showed spatial inconsistency among the maps,concentrated mainly in mountainous regions and attributed to the varying accuracy of cropland maps,cropland fragmentation and management practices such as irrigation.Our work shed light on the promotion of future cropland mapping efforts,especially in highly inconsistent regions.

Construction of Ideological and Political Micro-Courses of Western Economics in Agricultural Economics Major

As a new means and way of combining media convergence and ideological and political education,ideological and political micro-courses play an important role in the process of cultivating the socialist core values of college students and qualified successors of the socialist cause.For western economics as the core course of agricultural economics major,how to construct ideological and political micro-courses in the era of media convergence to give full play to the effective function of micro-courses in ideological and political education in western economics has good practical significance at present.

Systems research helping to meet the needs and managing the trade-offs of a changing world

Facing the challenges of an increasing world population, a changing climate and ever depleting resources, agricultural intensification （Keating et al. 2010） is one of the few options for meeting the demand of food security. It is necessary to apply a dynamic and systematic approach to effectively man- age the complex agri-eco production and green processing systems. Indeed, farming systems approach for appropriate technology development and simulation modeling is a result of adopting the system thinking by the agricultural research community （Norman et al. 1995）.

Multispectral imaging systems for airborne remote sensing to support agricultural production management

This study investigated three different types of multispectral imaging systems for airborne remote sensing to support management in agricultural application and production.The three systems have been used in agricultural studies.They range from low-cost to relatively high-cost,manually operated to automated,multispectral composite imaging with a single camera and integrated imaging with custom-mounting of separate cameras.Practical issues regarding use of the imaging systems were described and discussed.The low-cost system,due to band saturation,slow imaging speed and poor image quality,is more preferable to slower moving platforms that can fly close to the ground,such as unmanned autonomous helicopters,but not recommended for low or high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft.With the restriction on payload unmanned autonomous helicopters are not recommended for high-cost systems because they are typically heavy and difficult to mount.The system with intermediate cost works well for low altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with field shapefile-based global positioning triggering.This system also works well for high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with global positioning triggering or manually operated.The custom-built system is recommended for high altitude aerial remote sensing on fixed-wing aircraft with waypoint global positioning triggering or manually operated.

DeCASA in AgriVerse: Parallel Agriculture for Smart Villages in Metaverses

The demand for food is tremendously increasing with the growth of the world population,which necessitates the development of sustainable agriculture under the impact of various factors,such as climate change.To fulfill this challenge,we are developing Metaverses for agriculture,referred to as Agri Verse,under our Decentralized Complex Adaptive Systems in Agriculture(De CASA)project,which is a digital world of smart villages created alongside the development of Decentralized Sciences(De Sci)and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations(DAO)for Cyber-Physical-Social Systems(CPSSs).Additionally,we provide the architectures,operating modes and major applications of De CASA in AgriVerse.For achieving sustainable agriculture,a foundation model based on ACP theory and federated intelligence is envisaged.Finally,we discuss the challenges and opportunities.

Using fuzzy-AHP and parametric technique to assess soil fertility status in Northeast of Iran

A good understanding of the levels and distribution patterns of soil properties and/or quality indicators is a prerequisite for developing sustainable agricultural land management programs. Traditional assessments of these parameters of soil fertility status are somewhat costly, in both economics and time aspects. Different modelling techniques have been proposed as a useful tool for determination of soil quality indicators and development of soil fertility maps, but to what extent these results are reliable remains under-quantified in many regions worldwide. To address this uncertainty, Fuzzy-Analytical Hierarchy Process(Fuzzy-AHP) and Parametric analyses were conducted to ascertain the soil fertility status of a semiarid region in the Northeast of Iran for some selected crops: alfalfa, corn silage, potato, sugar beet, tomato and wheat. The Fuzzy-AHP and Parametric techniques using soil suitability indices were estimated for each crop and each soil delineation was achieved by Ordinary Kriging. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution(TOPSIS) was used as a compensatory method to allow tradeoffs among the selected criteria. Our results demonstrated that from the Fuzzy-AHP analysis, the soil fertility indices ranged from moderate to high for production of alfalfa;from low to high for production of corn silage and sugar beet;moderate to high for production of potato and tomato;and from low to moderate for production of wheat. However, the parametric analysis showed soil fertility classes ranging from very low to high for production of all the selected crops. High correlations were also observed between soil fertility indices predicted by both models. Similarly, the capacities of both models to predict soil fertility status for production of the selected crops were also highly correlated. The preference for the cultivation of the selected crops based on the Fuzzy-AHP analysis was sugar beet > corn silage > wheat > alfalfa > tomato > potato. On the other hand, using Parametric techniques, the crops preferences for cultivation ranked as corn silage > wheat > alfalfa > sugar beet > tomato > potato. We concluded that the findings would help to develop sustainable plans of cultivation based on patterns related to soil fertility classes depending on each crop’s requirement.

Research Frontiers of Agricultural Economics and Management

Introduction The focus of research on Agricultural Economics and Management (AEM) has been switching from developed countries to developing countries. In important international journals on AEM such as "American Journal of Agricultural Economics" and "Agricultural Economics", the research objectives mainly focus on AEM problems in developing countries, e.g. the effects of globalization and liberalization on agricultural production in developing countries, and problems in agricultural resources and environmental protections in developing countries. ……

The Risk of <i>Fusarium</i>and Their Mycotoxins in the Food Chain

Fusarium sp. and mycotoxins of these species pose a major risk to consumer health, agriculture and the food industry. This paper is a worldwide bibliographic study on impact of Fusarium and mycotoxins on the food chain. The factors influencing the development of fungi Fusarium sp., the formation of mycotoxins and their microbiological risk on the food chain must be considered as a whole. For cereals and oilseeds before and after harvest, fungal infections and mycotoxin contamination present serious problems worldwide. This paper is an overview of the factors that include the microbiological risk and impact of Fusarium in the food chain mentioned in national and international studies. The methods and results obtained in this direction internationally are mentioned, such as: infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectrometry and hyperspectral imaging. Also, in review are presented solutions to reduce this impact on the food chain.

Assessment of soil total phosphorus storage in a complex topography along China's southeast coast based on multiple mapping scales

Soil phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in both ecological and agricultural ecosystems, where total P (TP) in soil serves as a crucial indicator of soil fertility and quality. Most of the studies covered in the literature employ a single or narrow range of soil databases, which largely overlooks the impact of utilizing multiple mapping scales in estimating soil TP, especially in hilly topographies. In this study, Fujian Province, a subtropical hilly region along China’s southeast coast covered by a complex topographic environment, was taken as a case study. The influence of the mapping scale on soil TP storage (TPS)estimation was analyzed using six digital soil databases that were derived from 3 082 unique soil profiles at different mapping scales, i.e., 1:50 000 (S5),1:200 000 (S20), 1:500 000 (S50), 1:1 000 000 (S100), 1:4 000 000 (S400), and 1:10 000 000 (S1000). The regional TPS in the surface soil (0–20 cm) based on the S5, S20, S50, S100, S400, and S1000 soil maps was 20.72, 22.17, 23.06, 23.05, 22.04, and 23.48 Tg, respectively, and the corresponding TPS at0–100 cm soil depth was 80.98, 80.71, 85.00, 84.03, 82.96, and 86.72 Tg, respectively. By comparing soil TPS in the S20 to S1000 maps to that in the S5map, the relative deviations were 6.37%–13.32%for 0–20 cm and 0.33%–7.09%for 0–100 cm. Moreover, since the S20 map had the lowest relative deviation among different mapping scales as compared to S5, it could provide additional soil information and a richer soil environment than other smaller mapping scales. Our results also revealed that many uncertainties in soil TPS estimation originated from the lack of detailed soil information, i.e., representation and spatial variations among different soil types. From the time and labor perspectives, our work provides useful guidelines to identify the appropriate mapping scale for estimating regional soil TPS in areas like Fujian Province in subtropical China or other places with similar complex topographies. Moreover, it is of tremendous importance to accurately estimate soil TPS to ensure ecosystem stability and sustainable agricultural development, especially for regional decision-making and management of phosphate fertilizer application amounts.

Biochar derived from agricultural wastes and wood residues for sustainable agricultural and environmental applications

Lignocellulosic biomass can be circulated to produce many materials and products,including biochar.This study analyzed five different types of biochar produced from agricultural wastes and wood residues.The raw materials included three agricultural by-products:corncob,cassava rhizome,rice husk,and two types of wood residues:rain tree(Samanea saman(Jacq.)Merr.)and krachid(Streblus ilicifolius(Vidal)Corner.).The biochar were made in patented retorts with locally-appropriated technology at a temper-ature range of 450e500C.This research focuses on the primary physicochemical properties and biochar components,allowing biochar to become a vital material to support sustainable agriculture and the environment.Biochar properties used for agriculture consist of specific surface area,total pore volume,average pore diameter,pH,electrical conductivity(EC),and cation exchange capacity(CEC).The prop-erties that benefit the environmental purposes are the element:carbon(C),hydrogen(H),nitrogen(N),oxygen(O),and the molar ratio of H/C,O/C,and C/N.The study found that all five types of biochar contained suitable properties for soil amendment and carbon sequestration.However,significant dif-ferences were shown in specific surface area,average pore diameter,pH,CEC,and EC of various biochar.Based on O/C and H/C ratios,all five types of biochar persisted in soil from 100 to over 1,000 years.

Optimization of pelleting parameters for producing composite pellets using agricultural and agro-processing wastes by Taguchi-Grey relational analysis

Agricultural and agro-processing sector produces large stream of by-products that are either discarded or are underutilized.Lignocellulosic biomass especially crop residues’potential to green energy development has been investigated.Material conditions as process variable was made a centerpiece of investigation in the present study since several parameters in the feedstock mixture come into interplay during pelletization.Moisture,binders,blending ratio,particle size,and principle feedstock material were the parameters of our interest in finding their effect on physical and thermochemical characteristics.It is also an endeavor to investigate low cost binder options in producing composite pellets of high quality.A Taguchi L9 orthogonal array experimental design was employed and Taguchi based Grey relational analysis was performed to determine the best combinatorial optimization of factor levels settings for producing best pellets.The optimal parameter level settings for pelletization was determined to be 3.18 mm wheat feedstock material blended with pine shavings at 60/40 ratio.An analysis of variance(ANOVA)was conducted to identify the contribution of each parameter.The magnitude of the significant impacts of parameters on performance characteristics were in the order of binder>blend ratio>grind>feedstock material.Results also showed that the physico-chemical characteristics of the pellets were concomitant with the proportion of ingredients or recipes in a blend.

An improved method that incorporates the estimated runoff for peak discharge prediction on the Chinese Loess Plateau

An accurate prediction of peak discharge in watersheds is critical not only for water resource manage-ment,but also for understanding the complex relationships of hydrological processes.In this study,a modified peak discharge formula based on the Chemicals,Runoff,and Erosion from Agricultural Man-agement Systems(CREAMS)model was developed by introducing rainfall intensity and soil moisture factors.The reliability of the proposed method was tested with data from 1464 storm events in 41 watersheds and was applied to 256 storm events in five remaining typical watersheds using the opti-mized parameters.The results indicate that the proposed method is highly accurate in terms of model efficiency,as determined by Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies(NSEs)of 88.60%,74.04%,and 90.12%during the calibration,validation,and application cases,respectively.Furthermore,it performed better than the original and modified CREAMS methods.Subsequently,using the parameters derived from the initial 41 watersheds and the runoff estimated using the modified Soil Conservation Service curve number(SCS-CN)method,the proposed method was used to predict the peak discharge from the last five typical watersheds.Large NSE(63.88-80.83%)and low root mean square error(RMSE)values(0.31-35.93 m^(3)s^(-1))were obtained for the five watersheds.Overall,the proposed peak discharge model,combined with the modified SCS-CN method,may accurately predict event-based peak discharge and runoff for general applications under various hydrological and geomorphic conditions in the Loess Plateau region.

气候变化与农业活动对中国开都河流域下游水质的影响

In the context of climate change and over-exploitation of water resources,water shortage and water pollution in arid regions have become major constraints to local sustainable development.In this study,we established a Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)model for simulating non-point source(NPS)pollution in the irrigation area of the lower reaches of the Kaidu River Basin,based on spatial and attribute data(2010-2014).Four climate change scenarios(2040-2044)and two agricultural management scenarios were input into the SWAT model to quantify the effects of climate change and agricultural management on solvents and solutes of pollutants in the study area.The simulation results show that compared to the reference period(2010-2014),with a decline in streamflow from the Kaidu River,the average annual irrigation water consumption is expected to decrease by 3.84×10^8 m^3 or 8.87%during the period of 2040-2044.Meanwhile,the average annual total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP)in agricultural drainage canals will also increase by 10.50%and 30.06%,respectively.Through the implementation of agricultural management measures,the TN and TP in farmland drainage can be reduced by 14.49%and 16.03%,respectively,reaching 661.56 t and 12.99 t,accordingly,and the increasing water efficiency can save irrigation water consumption by 4.41×10^8 m^3 or 4.77%.The results indicate that although the water environment in the irrigation area in the lower reaches of the Kaidu River Basin is deteriorating,the situation can be improved by implementing appropriate agricultural production methods.The quantitative analysis results of NPS pollutants in the irrigation area under different scenarios provide a scientific basis for water environmental management in the Kaidu River Basin.

Impacts of climate change on hydrology,water quality and crop productivity in the Ohio-Tennessee River Basin

Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture is the main source of nitrogen and phosphorus in the stream systems of the Corn Belt region in the Midwestern US.The eastern part of this region is comprised of the Ohio-Tennessee River Basin(OTRB),which is considered a key contributing area for water pollution and the Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.A point of crucial importance in this basin is therefore how intensive corn-based cropping systems for food and fuel production can be sustainable and coexist with a healthy water environment,not only under existing climate but also under climate change conditions in the future.To address this issue,a OTRB integrated modeling system has been built with a greatly refined 12-digit subbasin structure based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT)water quality model,which is capable of estimating landscape and in-stream water and pollutant yields in response to a wide array of alternative cropping and/or management strategies and climatic conditions.The effects of three agricultural management scenarios on crop production and pollutant loads exported from the crop land of the OTRB to streams and rivers were evaluated:(1)expansion of continuous corn across the entire basin,(2)adoption of no-till on all corn and soybean fields in the region,(3)implementation of a winter cover crop within the baseline rotations.The effects of each management scenario were evaluated both for current climate and projected mid-century(2046-2065)climates from seven global circulation models(GCMs).In both present and future climates each management scenario resulted in reduced erosion and nutrient loadings to surface water bodies compared to the baseline agricultural management,with cover crops causing the highest water pollution reduction.Corn and soybean yields in the region were negligibly influenced from the agricultural management scenarios.On the other hand,both water quality and crop yield numbers under climate change deviated considerably for all seven GCMs compared to the baseline climate.Future climates from all GCMs led to decreased corn and soybean yields by up to 20%on a mean annual basis,while water quality alterations were either positive or negative depending on the GCM.The study highlights the loss of productivity in the eastern Corn Belt under climate change,the need to consider a range of GCMs when assessing impacts of climate change,and the value of SWAT as a tool to analyze the effects of climate change on parameters of interest at the basin scale.

Analysis of simultaneous effect of water access requirements in Regional Water Corporation ofWest- Azerbaijan and risk factor on cultivation optimal pattern

In vast farms management,especially in multi-crop cultivation case,planning for a combination of crops cultivation has always been of high importance to achieve the maximum income,by taking into account imposed limitations and the risk of different activities.According to the fact that in traditional models of farm programming because of not attention to risk,its results differ from what farmer do in reality,considering the risk farm programming should be well thought.MOTAD model(Minimization of the Total Absolute Deviation)is a mathematic programming model that enters risk into decision making related to farm activities and provides different programs.A main feature of this model is that the risk is calculated by negative deviation from efficiency amount as total multiplication.In recent years,serious declining of water table problem forced Regional Water Corporation of West-Azerbaijan province to impose limitations for extra water use of wells in order to sustain"Mako,Poldasht"water resources.These limitations result in lowering available water level(The most important input for farming),and create changes in cropping patterns and income level of farmers in this area.The aim of this study is analyzing improved cropping considering water limitations and in risk conditions.Data have been collected from farmers and Agriculture"Jihad"Management of town of Mako for duration of 1387-1388.According to the results of the research,the real cultivation plan that is now being implemented throughout the region carries a high risk and low income.Based on results,if the farmer uses the optimal cultivation pattern during the so-called water access limitation,watermelon harvest will be excluded from the optimal cultivation pattern.Also,alfalfa will enter the cultivation plan with the expected income level of 1067 billion Rials(100 Rials=US$0.01).If the farmer uses improved cropping pattern in limitations in risk it will decrease total income as 171.36 billion Rials,to when the water limitations is not implemented.