Contribution of Good Agricultural Practices to Soil Biodiversity

At present time when climate change has negative effect on soil moisture and can decrease significantly the productivity, good agricultural practises have a high importance via their direct influence on soil properties, regimes and biodiversity. Objectives of this study have been focused on the assessment of good agricultural practises in different soil cultivation types: conventional, minimum till, mulch, no-till and organic farming. Method used was based on two case study areas where organic and/or minimal farming systems have been applied. As a control, we chose soil with traditional cultivation. In organic farm, we evaluated earthworms;their amount and status and in farm with different types of cultivation we evaluated the microbial activity to assess the biodiversity conditions. Basic soil properties and soil structure have been set to be able to assess the influence of good agricultural practises on soil environment. Our study shows positive effect of these practises on soil moisture content, biodiversity and soil structure stability. These findings can be used for further studies determining the ways of soil cultivation in harmony with nature—in sustainable way.

Assessment of Good Agricultural Practices on Cocoa and Coffee Farms in Northern Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and presents a unique scenario for the food and agriculture industry, because there is no food safety legislation. The application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) leads to improvements of quality, safety and sustainability of agricultural products. The purpose of the study was to assess the status of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) in cocoa and coffee farms in Northern Haiti. A general survey captured information about the farmer and the farm, and an audit checklist was used to assess compliance to GAPs. A total of 11 farms (n = 11) were audited, of which 7 were cocoa farms (64%) and 4 were coffee farms (34%) in the regions of Dondon, Limonade and Milot. Average overall audit scores for coffee farms (73%) were higher than for cocoa farms (55%). Farms affiliated with a cooperative scored higher (78%) than those that were not part of a cooperative (55%). The sections of the survey on “Practices related to premises and production site”, and the “use of agricultural inputs and chemicals” received the lowest scores but were confined to the cocoa farms. “Record keeping” plus “distribution, transportation, and traceability” were cause for concern with both the cocoa and coffee farms. Critical non-conformances included the access of livestock animals and domestic pets to processing and storage areas, the lack of control in the application of agricultural chemicals, a lack of safeguards on equipment and elevated surfaces, and washing of fresh cocoa beans to remove the mucilage with water that had not been treated or tested for potability. The root cause of the non-conformances, regardless of the commodity, was either related to poor physical and organizational infrastructures, or to a lack of technical training.

Changes in Soil Microbial Activity and Community Composition as a Result of Selected Agricultural Practices

For a constantly growing human population, healthy and productive soil is critical for sustainable delivery of agricultural products. The soil microorganisms play a crucial role in soil structure and functioning. They are responsible for soil formation, ecosystem biogeochemistry, cycling of nutrients and degradation of plant residues and xenobiotics. Certain agricultural treatments, such as fertilizers and pesticides applications, crop rotation, or soil amendment addition, influence the composition, abundance and function of bacteria and fungi in the soil ecosystems. Some of these practices have rather negative effects;others can help soil microorganisms by creating a friendlier habitat or providing nutrients. The changes in microbial community structure cannot be fully captured with traditional methods that are limited only to culturable organisms, which represent less than 1% of the whole population. The use of new molecular techniques such as metagenomics offers the possibility to better understand how agriculture affects soil microbiota. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to discuss how common farming practices influence microbial activity in the soil, with a special focus on pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and crop rotation. Furthermore, potential practices to mitigate the negative effects of some treatments are suggested and treatments that can beneficially influence soil microbiota are pointed out. Finally, application of metagenomics technique in agriculture and perspectives of developing efficient molecular tools in order to assess soil condition in the context of microbial activities are underlined.

Evaluation of Agricultural Practices Scenarios for Reducing Erosion in Buyo Lake Catchment (Sassandra;Cote d’Ivoire) by Use of GIS

This study has used RUSLE model factors within a GIS component to evaluate eroded soil and developed viable agricultural practices scenarios to reduce soil loss in Buyo Lake catchment in the Western region of Côte d’Ivoire. Consequently, five study cases were tested as following: scenario 1—association of dense forest and crops with a high percentage of mulch;scenario 2—corn and sorghum combination by considering a high yield without conventional tillage;scenario 3—establishment of an herbaceous meadow;and scenario 4—association of palm, coffee, and cocoa with green cover. Scenario P was the setting up of straw mulch after corn or sorghum harvest. The erosion map resulting from these study cases showed by estimation, an average of soil loss of about 95 t/ha/year. The respective values obtained for the scenarios 1, 2 and 3 are 28 t/ha/year, 66 t/ha/year and 30 t/ha/year. This indicates a decrease of 68%. By scenario 4, the estimated average was 2 t/ha/year corresponding to a decrease of 98%. The combination of scenario 2 with scenario P gave soil losses average of 5 t/ha/year, i.e. a 95% reduction. This study shows that the association of palm, coffee, and cocoa with green cover would be very effective in reducing soil loss.

Future development of Good Agricultural Practice in China under globalization of traditional herbal medicine trade

Traditional herbal medicine(THM)is an important part of the traditional Chinese medicine culture.Due to its high medicinal potential,it should not only serve for the Chinese people’s medical use,but also contribute to the world medicine,THM for the international market must be standardized and large-scale,and produced according to the"Good Agriculture Practice"(GAP).The quality of THM directly affects the patient’s treatment status and safety of use.Therefore,the quality assurance of THM runs through the entire process of research and development,production and clinical practice.The standardized production and cultivation of THM is the starting point of the THM industry chain and plays a decisive role in the economic development of the THM industry.This article summarizes the development history,limitations and future development of GAP,and clarifies the opportunities for THM in the rapid development of the international and domestic Chinese medicine industry.In addition,analyzing the deficiencies that were existing in the former GAP implementation process and by suggesting science-based quality measures,it is hoped to stipulate improved GAP guidelines in the future and to lay the foundation for a modern THM international trade.

How Does Heat-Stress Intensity Affect the Stability of Microbial Activity and Diversity of Soil Microbial Communities in Outfields and Homefields’ Cultivation Practices in the Senegalese Groundnut Basin?

Agroecosystems in the Senegalese groundnut basin experience long periods of high temperatures and drought, which disrupt the stability of soil microbial communities. This study evaluated how that stability is affected by homefields and outfields’ agricultural practices and the duration of heat stress. Specifically, we collected soils from organically farmed fields that receive continual high inputs of manure (homefields), and from fields that are rarely manured (outfields). Soil samples were submitted to artificial heat stress at 60°C for 3, 14, and 28 days, followed by 28 days of recovery at 28°C. We examined the functional stability of microbial communities by quantifying C mineralization, and characterized the stability of the communities’ taxonomic compositions via high-throughput DNA sequencing. We found that the microbial communities have a low resistance to heat stress in soils from both types of fields. However, the manuring practice does affect how the functional stability of microbial communities responds to different durations of heat stress. Although functional stability was not recovered fully in either soil, microbial community resilience seemed to be greater in homefield soils. Differences in manuring practices also affected the structural taxonomic stability of microbial communities: relative abundances of Bacilli, Chloroflexia, Actinobacteria and Sordariomycetes increased in the homefield stressed-soils, but decreased significantly in outfield soils. In contrast, relative abundances of α-Proteobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria and Eurotiomycetes increased significantly in outfield stressed-soils, while decreasing significantly in the homefield soils. Relative abundances of Bacilli changed little in outfield soils, indicating that this taxon is resistant to heat stress. In summary, the microbial communities’ capacities to resist heat stress and recover from it depend upon the organic richness of the soil (i.e., manuring practice) and the adaptation of soil microbes to environmental conditions.

RESEARCH & PRACTICE OF WATER-SAVING AGRICULTURE

China is one of the world’s major agricultural countries. About 80% of its annual water consumption is used for fanning undertakings. On the other hand, China is a country deficient in water resources and in particular, the water shortage is embarrassingly serious in the north. So the current development of water-saving agriculture (WSA) is a way of easing the strain between the supply and demand of water. This article expounds the WSA’s status in the development of the national economy, its research and implementation, and suggests an institutional system of WSA to be established in this country.

Crucial, But not Systematically Investigated: Rock Glaciers, the Concealed Water Reservoirs of the Himalayas: An Opinion

The current article is an opinion on the sensitivity of high mountain regions which are the most fragile,sensitive and vulnerable to ongoing climate change.Its impacts are especially severe on the high mountain communities owing to their weak socio-economic profile,limited livelihood resources and agricultural land.The melting of glaciers and changes in the snow cover under the climate change scenario is leading to the scarcity of freshwater supplies,affecting both local and downstream communities.Changes in the precipitation patterns have been suggested to cause droughts,impact restricted agriculture,and limit the availability of water for domestic use.Additionally,the high mountain areas contain distinct flora and fauna,and climate change is not just altering them,but also has resulted in biodiversity loss as species are unable to adapt to the changing climate.Because of its higher altitudes and semi-arid to arid climate,the consequences of climate change are more evident in the higher Himalayas.Climate change is affecting the availability of key resources,such as freshwater and agriculture and pasture lands,resulting in food and water insecurity and their reliance on imports from other regions.As a result,high mountain communities in the Himalayas are progressively shifting to higher glacier valleys in search of suitable cultivable land with adequate irrigation.People are engaging in agro-pastoral activities around thermokarst lakes(Oasis)atop rock glaciers as part of this endeavour.Such actions underscore the crucial role of rock glaciers in dealing with and adjusting to the consequences of climate change.Despite its relevance,rock glacier research in the Himalayan region is still in its infancy.The purpose of this work is to emphasise the significance of these major climate-resilient water resources,as well as the methodology that must be adopted for their systematic and compressive investigations.

Ensuring Compliance of Raw Herbal Materials Stemmed from China with European Good Agricultural and Collection Practice

A'simplified'European procedure now allows the registration of traditional herbal medicines as medicinal products even without the support of clinical data.This procedure entails the requirement that those products comply with European Good Manufacturing Practice for medicinal products,which in turn implies that the raw herbal materials comply with the European Guidelines for Good Agricultural and Collection Practice.On the basis of a comparison between European Good Agricultural and Collection Practice and China Good Agricultural Practice,as well as direct observation made at sites in China,we issue some recommendations to facilitate good communication between the Chinese producer and European pharmaceutical customer,with a view to ensure full compliance with European expectations.

Organic carbon stock in topsoil of Jiangsu Province, China, and the recent trend of carbon sequestration

Data collection of soil organic carbon(SOC) of 154 soil series of Jiangsu, China from the second provincial soil survey and of recent changes in SOC from a number of field pilot experiments across the province were collected. Statistical analysis of SOC contents and soil properties related to organic carbon storage were performed. The provincial total topsoil SOC stock was estimated to be 0 1 Pg with an extended pool of 0 4 Pg taking soil depth of 1 m, being relatively small compared to its total land area of 101700 km 2 One quarter of this topsoil stock was found in the soils of the Taihu Lake region that occupied 1/6 of the provincial arable area. Paddy soils accounted for over 50% of this stock in terms of SOC distribution among the soil types in the province. Experimental data from experimental farms widely distributed in the province showed that SOC storage increased consistently over the last 20 years despite a previously reported decreasing tendency during the period between 1950—1970 The evidence indicated that agricultural management practices such as irrigation, straw return and rotation of upland crops with rice or wheat crops contributed significantly to the increase in SOC storage. The annual carbon sequestration rate in the soils was in the range of 0 3—3 5 tC/(hm 2·a), depending on cropping systems and other agricultural practices. Thus, the agricultural production in the province, despite the high input, could serve as one of the practical methods to mitigate the increasing air CO 2

Constraints, and Implications of Organic Farming in Bananas and Plantains Production Sustainability in Benin

Bananas and plantains production is an important income source for millions of small farmers. The increased demand for bananas and plantains on national and international market would justify its value chain development. However, its value chain faces several constraints, of which production and marketing turn out to be the most important. This study aimed at determining and analyzing the constraints related to Bananas and Plantains value chain and showing the gaps between agroecological and agricultural practices used by farmers in southern Benin. Characterization was carried out on the seed production systems, agricultural practices, bananas and plantains production, fruit availability and commercialization constraints with farmers using individual and focus groups surveys. Bananas and plantains seedlings production and acquisition varied according to production areas. Their seedlings self-production was widespread in production areas and 26 cultivars have been identified as major. The availability of these cultivars varied across time and production areas. There were significant negative effects of agricultural practices on major banana pest’s presence. Bananas and plantains production was limited by 12 factors, from which banana plants fall related to the wind, lack of financial support to irrigate banana fields, climate changes, no availability of cultivable lands and low rainfall are revealed to be the most important. Regarding commercialization constraints, low sale prices and difficult access to markets were the most important. Better knowledge of bananas and plantains production systems would help to develop sustainable organic farming strategies to reduce the constraints identified.

Smart Agriculture and IoT Technology

This paper firstly describes the main applications of Internet of Things(IoT)in modern agriculture and achievements made on the basis of these technologies.It introduces the role of IoT in modern agricultural practices such as vertical farming(VF),hydroponics and phenotyping.Then,it analyzes the potential of wireless sensors and IoT in agriculture,and incoming challenges when integrating this technology with traditional agriculture.In addition,it lists the sensors that can be used in specific agricultural applications,and the main current and future agricultural application scenarios and platforms based on IoT.It also reviews the relevant research being carried out by major technology companies at home and abroad.It is intended to help researchers and agricultural engineers to implement the technology based on the IoT and realize the construction of smart parks.

Glyphosate Exposure in a Farmer’s Family

We tested the presence of glyphosate in the urines of a farmer who sprayed a glyphosate based herbicide on his land, and in his family, as his children were born with birth defects that could be due to or promoted by pesticides. Glyphosate residues were measured in urines a day before, during, and two days after spraying, by liquid chromatography-linear ion trap mass spectrometry. Glyphosate reached a peak of 9.5 μg/L in the farmer after spraying, and 2 μg/L were found in him and in one of his children living at a distance from the field, two days after the pulverization. Oral or dermal absorptions could explain the differential pesticide excretions, even in family members at a distance from the fields. A more detailed following of agricultural practices and family exposures should be advocated together with information and recommendations.

Suppression of weeds and weed seeds in the soil by stubbles and no-tillage in an arid maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau of China

Reduced tillage provides ecological and economic benefits to arable land on the Loess Plateau of China, where soil erosion has long been a serious problem and soil water availability is largely restricted. However, high abundances of weeds in reduced tillage systems cause significant yield losses. In this study, we explored the effects of no-tillage and stubble retention on the number and density of weeds and weed seeds in a 12-year maize-winter wheat-common vetch rotation on the Loess Plateau. Four treatments including conventional tillage, no-tillage, conventional tillage＋stubble retention and no-tillage＋stubble retention were designed and applied. We found that no-tillage increased the number of weed species and weed density in most of the crops, while stubble retention decreased weed density in maize and tended to suppress weeds in both no-tillage treatments（no-tillage and no-tillage＋stubble retention）. No-tillage led to an increase in the number of weed species in the weed seedbank and tended to increase seed density during the spring growth of winter wheat, but it decreased seed density during post-vetch fallow. Stubble retention tended to reduce seed density during the spring growth of winter wheat and post-vetch fallow. We concluded that no-tillage can promote weeds in the experimental crop rotation, while stubble retention suppresses weeds in untilled fields. The combined effects of stubble retention and no-tillage on weed suppression varied among the three crops. Based on these results, we recommend stubble retention in untilled legume-crop rotations on the Loess Plateau to improve the control of weeds.

Elevated carbon dioxide stimulates nitrous oxide emission in agricultural soils: A global meta-analysis

Elevated carbon dioxide (CO_(2))(e CO_(2)) has been shown to affect the nitrous oxide (N_(2)O) emission from terrestrial ecosystems by altering the interaction of plants,soils,and microorganisms.However,the impact of e CO_(2) on the N_(2)O emission from agricultural soils remains poorly understood.This meta-analysis summarizes the effect of e CO_(2) on N_(2)O emission in agricultural ecosystems and soil physiochemical and biological characteristics using 50 publications selected.The e CO_(2) effect values,which equal to the percentage changes of N_(2)O emission under e CO_(2),were calculated based on the natural logarithm of the response ratio to e CO_(2).We found that e CO_(2) significantly increased N_(2)O emission (by 44%),which varied depending on experimental conditions,agricultural practices,and soil properties.In addition,e CO_(2) significantly increased soil water-filled pore space (by 6%),dissolved organic carbon content (by11%),and nitrate nitrogen content (by 13%),but significantly reduced soil p H (by 1%).Moreover,e CO_(2) significantly increased soil microbial biomass carbon(by 28%) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (by 7%) contents.Additionally,e CO_(2) significantly increased the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) amo A (by 21%),nir K (by 15%),and nir S (by 15%),but did not affect the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) amo A and nos Z.Our findings indicate that e CO_(2) substantially stimulates N_(2)O emission in agroecosystems and highlight that optimization of nitrogen management and agronomic options might suppress this stimulation and aid in reducing greenhouse effect.

Changes in bulk soil affect the disease-suppressive rhizosphere microbiome against Fusarium wilt disease

Harnessing disease suppressive microbiomes constitutes a promising strategy for optimizing plant growth.However,relatively lttle information is available about the relationship between bulk and rhizosphere soil microbiomes.Here,the assembly of banana bulk soil and rhizosphere microbiomes was investigated in a mono-culture system consisting of bio-organic(BIO)and organic management practices.Applying BIO practice in newly reclaimed fields resulted in a high-efficiency biocontrol rate,thus providing a promising strategy for pre-control of Fusarium wilt disease.The soil microbiota was further characterized by MiSeq sequencing and quantitative PCR.The results indicate that disease suppression was mediated by the structure of a suppressive rhizosphere microbiome with respect to distinct community composition,diversity and abundance.Overall microbiome suppressiveness was primarily related to a particular set of enriched bacterial taxa affiliated with Pseudomonas,Terrimonas,Cupriavi-dus,Gp6,Ohtaekwangia and Duganella.Finally,struc-tural equation modeling was used to show that the changes in bulk soil bacterial community determined its induced rhizosphere bacterial community,which serves as an important and direct factor in restraining the pathogen.Collectively,this study provides an integrative approach to disentangle the biological basis of disease-suppressive microbiomes in the context of agricultural practice and soil management.

Interlinking climate change with waterenergy-food nexus and related ecosystem processes in California case studies

Global climate change creates critical challenges with increasing temperature,reducing snowpack,and changing precipitation for water,energy,and food,as well as ecosystem processes at regional scales.Ecosystem services provide life support,goods,and natural resources from water,energy,and food,as well as the environments.There are knowledge gaps from the lack of conceptual framework and practices to interlink major climate change drivers of water resources with water-energy-food nexus and related ecosystem processes.This paper provided an overview of research background,developed a conceptual framework to bridge these knowledge gaps,summarized California case studies for practices in cross sector ecosystem services,and identified future research needs.In this conceptual framework,climate change drivers of changing temperature,snowpack,and precipitation are interlinked with life cycles in water,energy,food,and related key elements in ecosystem processes.Case studies in California indicated climate change affected variation in increasing temperature and changing hydrology at the regional scales.A large variation in average energy intensity values was also estimated from ground water and federal,state,and local water supplies both within each hydrological region and among the ten hydrological regions in California.The increased regional temperature,changes in snowpack and precipitation,and increased water stresses from drought can reduce ecosystem services and affect the water and energy nexus and agricultural food production,as well as fish and wildlife habitats in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta(Delta)and Central Valley watersheds.Regional decisions and practices in integrated management of water,energy,food,and related ecosystem processes are essential to adapt and mitigate global climate change impacts at the regional scales.Science and policy support for interdisciplinary research are critical to develop the database and tools for comprehensive analysis to fill knowledge gaps and address ecosystem service complexity,the related natural resource investment,and integrated planning needs.

Status and Trends of GAP Base Construction of Chinese Materia Medica in Guangdong Province

It is one of the key points for modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicines to construct the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) base of Chinese materia medica (CMM). GAP helps to minimize contamination and improve the quality of CMM during the plantation and the production of Chinese crude drugs. In this article, the status and development of CMM production bases of GAP in Guangdong Province, China, are presented. The suggestions upon the problems during the development of GAP for Chinese crude drugs are also provided.