Requirements and Safeguard Measures for Using Soil Fertilizer in Organic Agriculture:A Case Study of Fushun City in Liaoning Province

This paper summarized the requirements of organic agriculture for soil environment,fertilizer application and irrigation water quality,put forward safeguard measures for organic agriculture in terms of soil,fertilizer and water,and finally came up with recommendations for strengthening the use of soil fertilizers in organic agriculture.

Organic Agriculture: The Inevitable Choice for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture

The current situation of farmland utilization in China was analyzed firstly, and then cost of fertilizer misuse leading to decrease of cultivat- ed land in quality was discussed. Finally, it is concluded that organic agriculture is the inevitable choice for the sustainable development of agricul- ture from the meaning, advantages and countermeasures of developing organic agriculture in China.

Effects of Climate Conditions on Organic Agriculture in Boshan District of Shandong and Countermeasures

[ Objective]The research aimed to study influences of the climate conditions on organic agriculture and defense countermeasures of the meteorological disasters in Boshan District of Shandong. [ Method ] From climate resources, relationships between meteorological conditions （tem- perature, water and sunshine, etc. ） and growth of the organic crops in Boshan District of Shandong were analyzed. 5-year development plan was put forward. Influences of the main meteorological disasters in growth process of the organic crops were analyzed. Moreover, corresponding de- fense countermeasures were put forward. [ Result] Due to monsoon influence in Boshan, rain and heat were in same season. Sunshine, heat and water coordinated well, and effectivity of the agricultural climate resources was higher. Qualities of the soil and water were good. Vegetation was complete. These conditions were all favorable for developing organic agricultural region. But the precipitation variability was big, which limited effec- tive utilizations of the sunshine and heat resources at different degrees. Meanwhile, in organic crops growth season when sunshine, heat and water were sufficient, meteorological disasters happened frequently. [ Conclusion] We should accelerate construction of the small water conservancy facil- ities, making rainstorm and flood as resources, and realizing timely watering. In addition, we ought to accelerate construction of the industrialized organic a clriculture to improve agricultural benefit.

Organic Ginger (<i>Zingiber officinale</i>Rosc.) Development in a Short Temperate Growing Season: Effect of Seedling Transplant Type and Mycorrhiza Application

Global warming and consumer demand for medicinal plants present an opportunity to introduce ginger growth to the US Delmarva Peninsula. High tunnel and field studies were conducted to assess the development of organic ginger (Zingiber officinalis, Rosc) seedling transplants in mycorrhiza-amended soil. Transplant types were tissue culture derived with less than three tillers (TCS1), three or more tillers (TCS2), and nontissue culture derived (NTCS1). Transplants were grown with or without mycorrhiza (2.8 g per plant) in a split plot design with soil amendments as main plot and transplant type as subplot. Data were collected for air temperatures, plant height, tiller number, leaf chlorophyll index (LCI), rhizome fresh weight, plant biomass, rhizome nutrients, and levels of As and Pb. TCS2 transplants produced significantly higher, or trended to higher rhizome yield than transplants with less than three tillers, except for year two field study. The maximum rhizome fresh weight per plant was 648.3 g for TCS2 in high tunnel in year one. Generally, TCS2 had most tillers throughout the growing season ranging from 6.9 to 25.7 tillers per plant over three studies. Mycorrhiza had no effect on ginger height, tiller number, LCI or rhizome yield. Sustained high temperatures above 37°C, plus high light in the field caused dieback and stunted shoot growth in year two. There were no consistent effects of mycorrhiza or transplant type on rhizome nutrient content. Content of total Pb, As and other elements were at safe threshold levels for rhizome consumption. These results suggest that gingers grown from TCS2 transplants with at least three tillers yielded more rhizome than those grown from S1 transplants with fewer tillers. Introduction of ginger to a short season region such as the Delmarva may require consideration of environmental condition such as high temperature and light to which seedling transplants may be exposed in summer.

Comparison of energy consumption and economic performance of organic and conventional soybean production——A case study from Jilin Province, China

Modern agriculture heavily depends on energy consumption, especially fossil energy, but intensive energy input increases the production cost for producers and results in environmental pollution.Organic agricultural production is considered a more sustainable system, but there is lack of scientific research on the energy consumption between organic and conventional systems in China.The analysis and comparison of energy use between the two systems would help decision-makers to establish economic, effective and efficient agricultural production.Thus, the objectives of the present study are to analyze energy inputs, outputs, energy efficiency, and economic benefits between organic and conventional soybean（Glycine max（L.） Merrill） production.A total of 24 organic farmers and 24 conventional farmers in Jilin Province, China, were chosen for investigation in 2010 production year.Total energy input was 71.55 GJ ha–1 and total energy output was 96.18 GJ ha–1 in the organic system, resulting in an energy efficiency（output/input） of 1.34.Total energy input was 9.37 GJ ha–1 and total energy output was 113.4 GJ ha–1 in the conventional system, resulting in the energy efficiency of 12.1.The huge discrepancy in energy inputs and respective efficiencies lies in the several times higher nutrient inputs in the organic compared to the conventional production system.Finally, the production costs ha–1 were 33% higher, and the net income ha–1 25% lower in the organic compared to the conventional soybean production system.It is recommended to improve fertilizer management in organic production to improve its energetic and economic performance.

Organic Manures Improved the Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Capacity and Soluble Solids in Pepper

The aim of this research was to determine the effect of three organic manures (vermicompost, simple compost, compost with gypsum) with four different levels, as sources of fertilization, and mixed with river sand, this was used as an inert material, on the phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and total soluble solids of bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). The 12 mixtures formulated, with eight replications, were distributed in a completely randomized design. Data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance and means were compared by test Tukey5%. All variables were significantly affected (p ≤ 0.001). Fruits with highest phenolic content were developed in the mixtures M2, M5 and M6 with 538.76, 541.54 and 565.04 mg GAE·100 kg-1 DW, respectively. Antioxidant capacity of fruits was increased with mixtures M2, M5, M6 and M7 with values of 934.48, 942.04, 921.69 and 924.17 μM TEAC·g-1 DW, respectively. The soluble solids content was higher in mixtures M1 and M2 with values of 4.93 and 4.97 °Brix, respectively. It was concluded that the variables studied were favored when applying, as sources of fertilization, mixtures of these organic manures with river sand, which could represent a suitable alternative for food production with quality nutraceutical.

Morphological and Physiological Development of Organic Greenhouse Grown Ginger (Zingiber officinalis, Rosc) in a Temperate Climate as Influenced by Container and Transplant Origin

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) is a spice produced from underground rhizomes. This makes it necessary to consider the size of its growing area. There is limited information on the phenological development of the plant in containerized greenhouse conditions in temperate regions where natural daylength decreases as the growing season advances. This study determined the effects of container and rhizome sources on ginger shoot growth, chlorophyll concentration, leaf chlorophyll index, transpiration rate, and rhizome yield. Ginger, from non-tissue culture (O1) and tissue culture (O2) origins, were transplanted in a greenhouse in June 2019, 2020 and 2021, and monitored in five container types of different sizes. These were (C1) plastic Supertub (113.2 L), (C2) large Sterilite box (55.3 L), (C3) small Sterilite box (36.7 L), (C4) Husky heavy duty contractor plastic clean up bags (26.3 L) and (C5) Root Trapper Grounder Squat bag (27.9 L). The results did not show consistent trends for the effects of the respective size and origin combinations on most of the morphological characteristics, and all the physiological characteristics evaluated. Increasing container size increased the shoot biomass in all studies and increased fresh rhizome yield in two of three studies in the greenhouse. The effect of transplant origin was inconclusive, with a tissue culture advantage one year and no effect the other year. During the first 5 months after transplanting, the morphological development of tillers and height increased. Leaf chlorophyll index, chlorophyll concentration and stomatal conductance varied across sampling months, and within container and rhizome origin at individual sampling dates. The development of the plants in a greenhouse with decreasing natural day length posed a challenge as some plants senesced within 5 months after transplanting. Further opportunities to arrest senescence and extend growth should be introduced as another approach to extend growth and increase rhizome yield.

Contents of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in water-stable aggregates in abandoned agricultural lands in an arid ecosystem of Northwest China

Soil organic matter content in water-stable aggregates（WSA） in the arid ecosystems（abandoned agricultural lands especially） of China is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the WSA sizes and stability, and soil organic carbon（OC） and nitrogen（N） contents in agricultural lands with abandonment ages of 0, 3, 12, 20, 30 and 40 years, respectively, in the Minqin Oasis of Northwest China. The total soil OC and N contents at depths of 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm in abandoned agricultural lands were compared to those in cultivated land（the control）. Agricultural land abandonment significantly（P0.25 mm） as the age of agricultural land abandonment increased. The effect of abandonment ages of agricultural lands on MWD was determined by the changes of OC and N accumulation in WSA sizes ＆gt;2 mm. The total OC and N contents presented a stratification phenomenon across soil depths in this arid ecosystem. That is, both of them decreased significantly at depths of 0–20 and 40–60 cm while increased at the depth of 20–40 cm. The WSA sizes ＆lt;0.053 mm had the highest soil OC and N contents（accounting for 51.41%–55.59% and 42.61%–48.94% of their total, respectively）. Soil OC and N contents in microaggregates（sizes 0.053–0.25 mm） were the dominant factors that influenced the variations of total OC and N contents in abandoned agricultural lands. The results of this study suggested that agricultural land abandonment may result in the recovery of WSA stability and the shifting of soil organic matter from the silt＋clay（＆lt;0.053 mm） and microaggregate fractions to the macroaggregate fractions. However, agricultural land abandonment did not increase total soil OC and N contents in the short-term.

Acaricidal activity of Derris floribunda essential oil and its main constituent

Objective: To evaluate the acaricidal activity of the essential oil obtained from roots of Derris floribunda(D. floribunda)(Miq.) Benth, and its main constituent nerolidol against the Mexican mite Tetranychus mexicanus(T. mexicanus)(Mc Gregor).Methods: The essential oil from the roots of D. floribunda collected in the Amazon region(Brazil) was obtained by hydrodistillation. Its chemical composition was determined by GC–MS analysis. The acaricidal activities of this essential oil and nerolidol,were evaluated by recording the number of dead females(mortality) and eggs(fertility).Results: The essential oil showed sesquiterpenes as major volatile components. Nerolidol, the main component, represented 68.5% of the total composition of the essential oil. D. floribunda essential oil and nerolidol showed acaricidal activity, with LC_(50) of9.61 mg/m L air and 9.2 mg/m L air, respectively, over a 72 h period. In addition, both the essential oil and nerolidol significantly reduced the fecundity of T. mexicanus.Conclusions: Due to the economic importance of T. mexicanus and the lack of new pesticides, our data are very promising in the search for efficient and safer acaricidal products. Furthermore, this is the first report about the chemical composition and bioactivity of the essential oil of the Amazon plant species D. floribunda.

Decomposition of different crop straws and variation in straw-associated microbial communities in a peach orchard,China

Crop residue is a major source of soil organic matter;therefore,application of crop straw to soil contributes to the sustainable development of organic agriculture.To better understand the transformation of crop straw in orchard soils,we investigated the relationship between the characteristics of straw decomposition and functional diversity of associated microbial communities in a long-term peach orchard,China.Mesh bags,each containing 30 g of corn or bean straw,were buried at a soil depth of 20 cm in a 12-year-old peach orchard for 360 d(October 2011–October 2012).Three treatments were applied,i.e.,fresh corn straw,fresh corn straw with nitrogen fertilizer(urea,10.34 g/kg),and fresh bean straw.Changes in straw residual rate,straw water content and soil conditions were monitored after treatment.The functional diversity of straw-associated microbial communities was analyzed by the Biolog-Eco microplate assay.During the decomposition process,straw residual rates did not vary considerably from 10 d(30.4%–45.4%)to 360 d(19.0%–30.3%).Irrespective of nitrogen addition,corn straw decomposed faster than bean straw.Corn straw with nitrogen fertilizer yielded the highest average well color development(AWCD)values(1.11–1.67),followed by corn straw(1.14–1.68)and bean straw(1.18–1.62).Although the AWCD values did not differ significantly among the three treatments,substantial differences occurred across various time periods of the decomposition process(P<0.01).In terms of carbon source utilization,the dominant microbial groups fed mainly on saccharides.Hard-to-decompose substances gradually accumulated in the middle and late stages of straw decomposition.Of the six categories of carbon sources tested,the utilization rate of aromatics was the lowest with corn straw,whereas that of polymers was the lowest with bean straw.Among different treatments,straw residual rate was negatively correlated to soil available phosphorous,soil available potassium and soil temperature(P<0.05),but not to soil water content.In some cases(corn straw with or without nitrogen fertilizer),straw residual rate was negatively correlated to straw water content,amino acid utilization and carboxylic acid utilization,and positively correlated with microbial species richness and evenness(P<0.05).Microbial community associated with corn and bean straw decomposition in soil was respectively dominated by aromatic-and polymer-metabolizing groups during the middle and late stages of this process,which could reduce the stability of microbial community structure and decrease the rate of straw decomposition in the fruit tree orchard.

Assessment of Soil Erosion and Climate Variability on Kerio Valley Basin, Kenya

This study was aimed at assessing soil erosion, climate variation and how climate has affected both the agro climatic and agro-ological zones of Kerio Valley basin. The basin faces challenges especially soil loss, due to the massive degradation that takes place in Kerio valley. Due to the increase in rainfall recently experienced in the area, most of the top soil has been carried away leading to excessive degradation of the valley, causing soil loss in the basin and subsequent deposition of the sediments in Lake Kamnarok which is an oxbow lake posing it to the threat of extinction. All these aforementioned factors, i.e. soil erosion, climate variation and land degradation have contributed to reduction of water storage capacity of the Lake. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of soil erosion, climate variation on the basin and climate effect on agro-climatic and agro-ecological zones of the basin. Agro-climatic zones show how climate variability shapes agricultural landscape of an area while agro-ological zones show how agriculture affects the ecology of the basin. This includes the reduction of the lake size that has led to the disruption of the ecology of Lake Kamnarok and its environs, the major implications being the lake size reduction as the lake is proved to be a home for reptiles especially crocodiles. All these factors were finally assessed to determine their effect on water reduction capacity of Lake Kamnarok. The results depicted that the major factors that have caused changes in the basin and the Lake include heavy rainfall that has resulted in soil erosion and subsequent land degradation. These factors have eventually affected the agroclimatic and agroecological zones of the basin. This study integrated the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) to assess the areas with massive degradation and to quantify the amount of soil loss using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. It was concluded that the main factor that caused the changes in the agroclimatic and the agroecological zones was soil erosion which was influenced by climatic factors, i.e. rainfall and temperature.

Connotation and Realization of Ningxia Agricultural Organization:Practice Induction and Model Reference

Through a large number of literature studies and field survey,from the perspective of small farmers’integration into agricultural modernization,this paper innovatively divided the current integration mode of national agricultural organizations into five main types:leading enterprises,leading new agricultural business entities,cooperative financial institutions,embedded scientific research institutes,and financial poverty alleviation and assistance.It found that Ningxia region can gradually carry out horizontal integration and extension in the process of promoting the vertical integration and extension of agricultural industry value chain,and try to explore the possibility of new integration mode such as"modern agricultural cloud service public platform+leading enterprises+farmers"in Ningxia,in order to bridge the gaps in agricultural organization policies through the pilot,because the village plans to plan the development of the industry,adapt to the local conditions to strengthen the village collective economy,and continuously improve the degree of farmers’organization.

Research on Structure Innovation of Agricultural Organization in China's Southwestern Mountainous Regions

Taking agricultural organization in China's southwestern mountainous regions as research object,on the basis of analysis of the status quo of agricultural organization development in China's southwestern mountainous regions,we use related theoretical knowledge on economics and organization science,we probe into the process of innovation and mechanism of action concerning the structure of agricultural organization in China's southwestern mountainous regions over the past 30 years.Finally we draw several general conclusions regarding structure innovation of agricultural organization in China's southwestern mountainous regions as follows:first,the structure innovation of agricultural organization,a gradual process,proceeds ceaselessly along with ongoing progress and development of agriculture,and in this process,farmers always play a fundamental role;second,the structure innovation of agricultural organization is affected by many factors,and government institutional arrangement and change in market conditions is undoubtedly the most critical factor;third,the probable evolving direction of structure innovation of agricultural organization includes internal differentiation of the same form of agricultural organization,association of different forms of agricultural organization,and emergence of other forms of agricultural organization.

Effect of semi-continuous water washing on the combustion behaviors of agricultural organic solid waste

Combustion of agricultural organic solid waste(AOSW)was an ideal solution for their resource utilization in view of their massive annual production and great potential for reduction of fossil fuel utilization.However,high alkali and alkaline earth metals(AAEMs)content in the feedstock can arose severe fouling and slagging issues and thus prohibiting its vast utilization.In this study,a semi-continuous water washing method was proposed to preliminarily remove AAEMs from agricultural organic solid waste and its effects on the combustion behaviors of washed solid product were investigated.Results showed that the combustion index S were improved to 2.63×10-6,over 68%of the total ashes were removed from the cotton stalk,and 96.3%,89.0%and 74.7%of K,Na and Mg were effectively removed,respectively.Moreover,the softening temperature of low temperature ash from the washed sample was as high as 1450◦C,538◦C higher than the low temperature ash from the original sample;the base acid ratio and fouling index were improved from high slagging and fouling risk(1.7 and 90.8)of the original organic solid waste to low and medium risk(0.4 and 3.5),respectively.All these results signified the contributing effect of proposed semi-continuous water washing method on the combustion of agricultural organic solid waste.In a word,this study provided a promising method for fouling and slagging inhibition during the agricultural organic solid waste combustion.

Advances in research and utilization of botanical pesticides for agricultural pest management in Inner Mongolia, China

Traditional Chinese herbal medicines not only cure human diseases,but also play an important role as insecticides.Compared with conventional chemical agents,traditional Chinese herbal medicines are characterized by low toxicity,low residues,and being eco-friendly,and they have become a research hotspot.Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have tremendous flexibility and indefinite potential.Therefore,this paper reviewed the types of insecticides belonging to traditional Chinese herbal medicines in Inner Mongolia,China,including their traditional uses,secondary metabolites,biological activities,action mechanisms,application methods,and development status.In addition,the most relevant issues involved in the development of traditional Chinese herbal medicines was discussed.We believe that traditional Chinese herbal medicines can be better implemented and developed;such that its other advantages,such as an insect repellent,can be promoted.Moreover,this study lays a solid foundation for further research on traditional Chinese herbal medicines in Inner Mongolia,China.

Applicable properties of the bio-fertilizer spent mushroom substrate in organic systems as a byproduct from the cultivation of Pleurotus spp

The spent mushroom substrate(SMS)is a byproduct of cultivation of oyster mushroom(Pleurotus spp.)and represents the composted substrate that remains after completion the harvested crop.This study mentioned the role of some effective date palm wastes in improving spent mushroom substrate properties which containing fibers of date palm Phoenix dactylifera L.(Fibrillum),mixed with white sawdust and wheat straw in three formulas.These mixtures of SMS namely,SMS1(wheat straw),SMS2(wheat straw 70%,sawdust 20%and date palm fiber 10%)and SMS3(wheat straw 50%,sawdust 30%and date palm fiber 20%)were obtained from locally mushroom farm in western Iraq and sent to determine some properties such as moisture content,dry matter,EC,pH,ash,carbon,nitrogen,protein contents and C:N ratio.Generally,determinations of Hydrogen ion concentration(pH)for SMS extracts had acidic value at average 5.06.The higher EC was 3.30 ms/cm for SMS1-P.ostreatus(white),while the lower value reached to 1.13 ms/cm for SMS3 of same species.The higher nitrogen content was 9.98 g/kg for SMS3-P.ostreatus(white),SMS1 of Pleurotus salmoneostramineus and SMS2-P.ostreatus(white),while,SMS3-P.salmoneostramineus had lower nitrogen content(6.65 g/kg).The higher C:N ratio was reported with SMS3 of P.salmoneostramineus at value 35.36,while SMS2-P.ostreatus(grey)had ratio 22.03,significantly(p<0.05).Overall,these SMS was suitable as a natural fertilizer and soil amender in agriculture and horticulture fields.

Determining an optimum pattern of mixed planting from organic and non-organic crops with regard to economic and environmental indicators:A case study of cucumber in Kerman,Iran

Today,planning procedures which are used in different fields of decision making such as determination of optimum planting patterns are considered as important management issues.The importance of optimum planting patterns is highlighted when we learn that agricultural measures may have environmental side effects.Most economical analyses only focus on increasing economic gains of the farmers without regard to its environmental consequences.Therefore,one can argue that efficient managers should consider multiple purposes that cover both economic and environmental goals at the same time.This study attempted to identify an optimum mixed model of organic and non-organic production systems using a combination of AHP(Analytical Hierarchy Process)approach andWeighted Goal Programming to consider environmental and economic indicators simultaneously.This procedure was employed in the current design to determine and compare an optimum pattern of mixed planting of organic and non-organic products.The study sample was cucumber,investigated in four farming systems:organic open field farming system,nonorganic greenhouse farming system,non-organic tunnel farming system and open field non-organic farming system in Jiroft,Kerman,with regard to paper indices.Following the proposed MCDM(Multiple Criteria Decision Making)model,cucumber planting in open field non-organic farming system was replaced by open field organic farming system.Economic and environmental indicators rose by 11.97%and 21.40%respectively in MCDM proposed plan in comparison with the existing farm plan,which indicates the feasibility of MCDM proposed plan in terms of economic and environmental indicators.

Regional land ecological security evaluation and ecological poverty alleviation practice:A case study of Yangxian County in Shaanxi Province,China

Land ecological security(LES)is an important part of China’s ecological civilization construction,which plays a vital role in ensuring the sustainable development of its society and economy.Based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response(DPSIR)framework,this study quantified the spatiotemporal changes of LES in 28 counties of the southern Shaanxi Province from 2009 to 2018.The influencing factors of LES in Yangxian County were explored to clarify the mechanisms that rely on the land ecological advantages to develop organic agriculture and boost poverty alleviation.Results show that the LES of Yangxian always ranked in the top six in 28 counties of the southern Shaanxi region during 2009–2018.The LES in Yangxian increased from 0.385 in 2009 to 0.533 in 2018,and the LES level changed from relatively unsafe to safe.The indicators of rural per capita net income,grain output per unit area of arable land,and grazing intensity could explain 99.8%of the LES variance in Yangxian.Relying on ecological resources,Yangxian increased farmers’income and boosted alleviation of poverty through innovative land policies,developing organic agriculture,and rural tourism.These findings will provide theoretical support and model reference for balancing ecological protection and poverty alleviation in restricted development zones.