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Societal Impact Statement: Multiple cropping, the cultivation of several crops on the same land in a year, occupied an important part of Taiwan's agricultural research from 1950 to 1970. This research originated in the context of Taiwan's land reform and diversification programs and their connections to the government's political ambition to maximize food production. The study of how multiple cropping was politicized and depoliticized by different actors helps to expand the narratives of the Green Revolution in Asia, analyze their legacies, and highlight Taiwan's role in the international exchange of visions of agricultural development during the Cold War. Summary: Scholars have recently expanded the history of the Green Revolution to move beyond the narrative of North–South technological diffusion. This article enriches the scholarship with the case of multiple cropping in Taiwan and its connection to Cold War geopolitics.Rice productivity in postwar Taiwan was boosted through a land reform launched by the Sino‐American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) in the 1950s. Backed by American aid and staffed by scientists from the Republic of China (ROC) government, the JCRR envisioned to turn tenant farmers into landowners so as to encourage labor input and adoption of seeds and fertilizers.By 1960, the JCRR presented its reform as a "bloodless social revolution" and extended its focus to multiple cropping through a diversification program. The JCRR further created the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in 1971 to spread Taiwan's breeding and cropping techniques. The ROC's diplomatic isolation in the 1970s, however, prompted the center to reinterpret Taiwan's success in multiple cropping from a political achievement to a technological triumph, thus reinforcing the technology‐driven narrative used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).Through Taiwan's influences on IRRI's rice breeding and multiple cropping research, this paper illustrates that the history of the Green Revolution requires more complex narratives. In addition, with Taiwan's political and economic transition since the 1980s, farmers began to reclaim their voice and influence agricultural policies. The case thus highlights the need of democratic participation in agricultural research, a concern that remains relevant today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate crop classification is crucial for agricultural monitoring and decision-making. Remote sensing's ultimate goal is the precise extraction and classification of crops. Based on a cloud platform, the study area of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh India, presents a multi-crop classification approach using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and machine learning techniques. The study area encompasses a diverse agricultural region with three major crop types. After pre-processing, spectral and textural features were extracted. It compares the traditional four machine learning algorithms employed, adding the NDVI, NDBI, MNDWI, and BSI vegetation indices for multi-crop classification enhances accuracy, and offers diverse and complementary information. The overall classification accuracy achieved 95%, with individual crop accuracies ranging from 85 to 96%. The scalable and simple classification method proposed in this research gives full play to the advantages of cloud platforms in data and operation, and the traditional machine learning compared with other algorithms can effectively improve the classification accuracy, and individual areas of crop production are calculated. The results underscored the reliability of GEE-based crop mapping in the region, demonstrating a satisfactory level of classification accuracy, surpassing 97% across distinct time intervals in overall accuracy values, Kappa coefficients, and F1-Score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement Multiple cropping, the cultivation of several crops on the same land in a year, occupied an important part of Taiwan's agricultural research from 1950 to 1970. This research originated in the context of Taiwan's land reform and diversification programs and their connections to the government's political ambition to maximize food production. The study of how multiple cropping was politicized and depoliticized by different actors helps to expand the narratives of the Green Revolution in Asia, analyze their legacies, and highlight Taiwan's role in the international exchange of visions of agricultural development during the Cold War. Summary Scholars have recently expanded the history of the Green Revolution to move beyond the narrative of North–South technological diffusion. This article enriches the scholarship with the case of multiple cropping in Taiwan and its connection to Cold War geopolitics. Rice productivity in postwar Taiwan was boosted through a land reform launched by the Sino‐American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR) in the 1950s. Backed by American aid and staffed by scientists from the Republic of China (ROC) government, the JCRR envisioned to turn tenant farmers into landowners so as to encourage labor input and adoption of seeds and fertilizers. By 1960, the JCRR presented its reform as a “bloodless social revolution” and extended its focus to multiple cropping through a diversification program. The JCRR further created the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in 1971 to spread Taiwan's breeding and cropping techniques. The ROC's diplomatic isolation in the 1970s, however, prompted the center to reinterpret Taiwan's success in multiple cropping from a political achievement to a technological triumph, thus reinforcing the technology‐driven narrative used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Through Taiwan's influences on IRRI's rice breeding and multiple cropping research, this paper illustrates that the history of the Green Revolution requires more complex narratives. In addition, with Taiwan's political and economic transition since the 1980s, farmers began to reclaim their voice and influence agricultural policies. The case thus highlights the need of democratic participation in agricultural research, a concern that remains relevant today.

[Objective] The study aimed to ascertain the optimal planting density for early-maturing dual-purpose corn varieties (grain and forage) for multiple cropping in the southern Xinjiang region, and to investigate the variation patterns of chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic parameters across different densities as well as their correlations with yield formation and to provide a scientific basis for enhancing the multiple-cropping corn cultivation technology in the southern Xinjiang region. [Method] The research employed two early-maturing grain-feed dual-purpose new breeds of maize, XL1822 and XL1903, as research materials. Two distinct densities were used for the investigation, high and low (9.00 x 104 plants/hm² and 11.25 x 10 plants/hm² respectively). The research explored the characteristics of chlorophyll fluorescence, main agronomic traits, matter accumulation and yield formation, in multiple cropping corn under different density conditions in the southern Xinjiang of China. [Result] The XL1822 maize, when grown in low-density conditions, exhibited higher levels of actual photo- chemical quantum yield of [Y(II)], coefficient of photochemical fluorescence quenching assuming (qL), and PS II reaction center activity during the jointing stage, big horn mouth period, silk-spinning period, and filling stage. The XL1903 maize, under high-density conditions, revealed elevated Y(II) and qL during ointing stage, big horn mouth period, silk-spinning period. The SPAD value of the XL1822 maizeduring the silk-spinning period, filling stage and maturation stages under low-density conditions was slightly higher than that under high-density conditions. The SPAD value of the XL1903 maize throughout its growth period was higher under high-density conditions. The XL1822 maize, when grown under low-density conditions, exhibited a seed rate yield of 9250 kg/hm² and a dry matter accumulation of 15 590 kg/ hm², significantly outperforming high-density cultivation. Conversely, the XL1903 maize under high-density conditions had a seed rate yield of 9065 kg/hm² and a dry matter accumulation of 19 095 kg/hm², significantly higher than those under low-density cultivation. [Conclusion] Elevated chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic parameters and SAPD values establish a solid foundation for corn yield formation and dry matter accumulation. Both the extremely early-maturing variety XL1822 under low-density treatment and the early-maturing variety XL1903 under high-density treatment exhibit notably higher Y(II) values, qL, and PSII reaction center activity during critical growth stages. Consequently, the recommended planting densities for XL1822 and XL1903 in the southern Xinjiang region are 9 x 10 and 11. 25 x 10 plants/hm², respectively, to achieve optimal yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the purpose of exploring the development of new quality productive forces in Guangdong, the present study hypothesized that reducing energy and carbon inputs was beneficial for increasing Guangdong's multi-cropping agricultural energy output and economic returns. Methods: The energy use efficiency of crop production and the corresponding carbon input and agricultural benefit trends from 2011 to 2021 were examined by linear regression analysis for Guangdong Province, China. The corresponding development trends were also predicted using a grey model. Results: The results indicated that the total energy output increased by 12.50%, wherein the energy productivity levels of peanuts, vegetables, mulberry, and fruits increased greatly (51.27–106.17%), while the total energy input and the total carbon input decreased by 12.17% and 6.37%, respectively. Moreover, the energy input per carbon input decreased by 6.19%, while the energy output per carbon input increased by 20.15%. Both energy-related indicators and economic-related indicators all had substantially increased (28.08–44.97% and 83.86–120.91%, respectively). Grey model predictions show that the agricultural output value increased steadily under the current agricultural policy of reducing fossil energy input. Conclusions: The current low-carbon and high-output agricultural model is beneficial for increasing Guangdong's multi-cropping agricultural economic returns and mitigating greenhouse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study portrays the roles of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the mitigation of natural hazards. Menoreh Hill in Kulon Progo experienced more than 200 landslides in 2022 and its communities implemented TEK to mitigate them. Hence, this research quantitatively analyzes the role of agriculture-related TEK, especially those applied in hilly areas, to support household resilience to natural hazards. Authors surveyed 106 farm households and interviewed eight key informants in Banjararum and Sidoharjo Villages, Kalibawang and Samigaluh Sub-districts, Kulon Progo Regency, D.I. Yogyakarta. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The descriptive statistics showed that farmers in both villages are highest in practicing alley cropping and integrated farming, while also applying mixed cropping, multiple cropping and locally based planting schedule (pranata mangsa). From binary logistic regression, authors found that TEK practices of multiple cropping, alley cropping and pranata mangsa support farm household resilience to natural hazards, especially landslides. The TEK practices serve as sources of buffer and adaptation capacity in the development of farm household resilience. Interestingly, mixed cropping and membership in farmer groups tend to weaken resilience, as mixed cropping often complicates the recovery efforts in the farmlands, and farmers’ groups are not conditioned to act promptly during hazards or disasters. While TEK has been proven to take roles in the mitigation and adaptation to natural hazards, there is a need to integrate scientific knowledge to improve its optimum benefits.

With the adjustment of agricultural industrial structure, animal husbandry in Ningxia has developed rapidly, and the demand for forage has increased significantly. In order to effectively alleviate the unbalanced development of grass and livestock caused by low forage yield, backward cultivation techniques and extreme shortage of seasonal green fodder in irrigation areas. Through three consecutive years of field experiments from 2020 to 2022, feeding triticale included preparation before sowing, variety selection, mechanical sowing, rotation irrigation group division, water and fertilizer management, overwintering management and timely harvest, and multiple cropping silage corn includes preparation before sowing, variety selection, mechanical sowing, water and fertilizer management, prevention and control of diseases, pests and weeds, and timely harvest. The high-efficient cultivation technology model of forage triticale multiple cropping silage corn in Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area was systematically summarized. This model has changed the traditional planting mode, efficiently utilized resources such as land, light, heat and nutrients, and greatly improved forage yield and economic benefits. In order to provide theoretical support for the reform of multi-cropping in irrigation area and the high-quality development of grass and livestock industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry systems present multiple benefits which include enrichment of soil quality via the use of fertilizer trees, provision of a micro climate due to tree canopies and generation of forest products such as firewood and other medicinal outputs. Agroforestry helps in better land management, livelihood diversification and to increase the land productivity. However, the debate on the role of agroforestry to help as a climate change adaption strategy has been increasing among the policy makers and other stakeholders. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of agroforestry as a climate change adaptation strategy. The data were primarily collected from 120 respondents in Taksar of Lamjung District through questionnaire survey. A Chi-square test and binary logistic model were used to analyze the factors influencing household choice of adaptation strategies to climate change. Similarly, regular triangulation and verification of the obtained data were made through interviews, discussions and observations followed by the analysis of documents. The study reveals that the farmers adopt many strategies in response to climate change. These strategies include crop-livestock diversification (71%), use of improved varieties of crops, fertilizers and pesticides (73%), agroforestry (68%), diversification of income generating activities (72%), change in crop calendar (57%) and multiple cropping strategies (67%). From the Chi-square test and binary logistic model, it was found that "farming experience" and "educational level" along with "farm size" and "gender" have a significant role on climate change adaptation strategies. Agroforestry possesses different benefits like increased catchment for rivers (79.2%), improved micro-climate (80.8%), increased wood products (71.7%), increased food outputs (83.3%), improved livestock health and livestock products (77.5%), improved soil fertility rate (84.2%) and diversification of livelihood options (82.2%). Given the findings, the study concludes that agroforestry is an approach to agricultural production that can reduce the impacts of climate change on local environment. The major recommendation from this study is that promotion and adoption of agroforestry can help local communities as an adaptation option to climate change impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four varieties of each rapeseed and buckwheat were planted in different sowing periods to explore a variety of planting patterns. A theoretical foundation was provided for the innovative application of cold region productive plant landscapes. The analytic hierarchy process was employed to develop a model for the evaluation of multiple cropping systems. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted to study 10 indicators in plant type, flower color, flowering period, flower volume, branch coverage, plot average yield, number of grains per plant, yield per plant, thousand-grain quality and ecological adaptability in four different varieties of each rapeseed and buckwheat. The results indicated that flower color, ecological adaptability, plot average yield and flower volume were the most important indicators for the value of productive plant landscapes in cold regions. Concerning the sowing period, the optimal combination of varieties and planting times were March 31 for Qingza No. 5 (rapeseed) and July 18 for Xinong T1211 (buckwheat). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Due to the limits of the conventional agricultural system, intercropping is important in terms of production sustainability. Intercropping plays an important role in increasing production and performance stability to improve the use of resources and environmental factors. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is an important leafy vegetable, of which the leaves and tender shoots are consumed fresh or processed. Spinach is native to Iran. Spinach contains different flavonoids that function as antioxidants and anticancer agents. Also, spinach may be used in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. It is an annual plant and as well as chickpea, spinach is grown as both an early spring and late fall crop in order to have growth at the coolest parts of the season. Spinach seed yield varies based on the climatic conditions, optimum sowing date and chose of the best planting pattern. Considering that the intercropping of this plant has not been studied with legumes such as chickpe, this experiment was designed to determine the possibility of intercropping spinach with chickpea using agronomical and economical indices, as well as determining the best planting pattern. Materials and Methods In order to investigate agronomic traits, yield and economical indices in spinach intercropping with chickpea, an experiment was carried out as a randomized complete block design with four treatments and three replications in 2017-18 growing season in Tuyserkan city, Hamedan province. In this city, spinach is mainly cultivated for seed production. Experimental treatments included additive intercropping of 20% chickpea with spinach, replacement intercropping of 60% spinach + 40% chickpea and pure stand of spinach and chickpea. Plant height, number of branches per plant, number of seeds per plant, 1000 seed weight, grain yield and biological yield in spinach, as well as plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 1000 seed weight, grain yield and biological yield in chickpea were measured. To compare the advantages of intercropping of spinach with chickpea, the land equivalent ratio (LER), dry matter equivalent ratio (DMER), system productivity index (SPI), competitive ratio (CR), aggressivity (AG), actual yield loss (AYL ), relative value total (RVT), monetary advantage index (MAI) and intercropping advantage (IA) were calculated and evaluated. SAS 9.1 software were used for analysis of variance (ANOVA) calculations. The difference between the means was evaluated by the least significant difference (LSD) method at the level of 5% probability. Results and Discussion Plant height, number of branches per plant, 1000 grain weight and grain and biological yields of spinach were significantly affected by intercropping. The highest plant height and the lowest number of branches per spinach plant were obtained from the replacement intercropping. Additive intercropping and pure stand of spinach without significant difference had the lowest plant height and the highest number of branches per plant. The highest 1000 grain weight and grain yield of spinach were associated with the additive intercropping method. However, in terms of biological yield, the pure stand of spinach showed the highest results. Notably, there were no significant differences between the treatments of additive intercropping and pure stand of spinach concerning grain and biological yield of spinach. On the other hand, in chickpeas plants, intercropping had a notable impact on various parameters. Specifically, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, 1000 grain weight, and both grain and biological yields were affected by the intercropping method. Among these, the additive intercropping treatment resulted in the highest plant height, while it had the lowest number of branches and number of pods per chickpeas plant.The highest 1000 grain weight and grain yield of spinach were related to the additive intercropping. Pure stand of spinach had the maximum biological yield. Treatments of additive intercropping and pure stand of spinach were not significantly different in terms of grain and biological yield of spinach. In chickpeas plant, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, 1000 grain weight, grain and biological yields were affected by intercropping. The highest plant height and the lowest number of branches and number of pods per chickpeas plant were obtained at the treatment of additive intercropping. Maximum grain and biological yields of chickpea were belonged to the pure stand of chickpea. Spinach and chickpea were dominant and recessive plants, respectively. Evaluation of the economical indices also showed the advantages of spinach intercropping with chickpea at both intercropping design (replacemet and additive intercropping). So that the highest values for land equivalent ratio, dry matter equivalent ratio, system productivity index, actual yield loss, relative value total and monetary advantage index were achieved at additive intercropping system. But, the lowest values for these indices (1.13, 1.06, 1.20 and 1321 for LER, DMER, RVT and MAI, respectively) were revealed at replacement intercropping. Conclusion Overall, the results indicate that chickpea is a suitable plant for intercropping with spinach. So that the intercropping of 20% chickpea with spinach improved the yield performance of spinach and land-use efficiency and can lead to the greatest economical profit.

Background: With the purpose of exploring the development of new quality productive forces in Guangdong, the present study hypothesized that reducing energy and carbon inputs was beneficial for increasing Guangdong’s multi-cropping agricultural energy output and economic returns. Methods: The energy use efficiency of crop production and the corresponding carbon input and agricultural benefit trends from 2011 to 2021 were examined by linear regression analysis for Guangdong Province, China. The corresponding development trends were also predicted using a grey model. Results: The results indicated that the total energy output increased by 12.50%, wherein the energy productivity levels of peanuts, vegetables, mulberry, and fruits increased greatly (51.27–106.17%), while the total energy input and the total carbon input decreased by 12.17% and 6.37%, respectively. Moreover, the energy input per carbon input decreased by 6.19%, while the energy output per carbon input increased by 20.15%. Both energy-related indicators and economic-related indicators all had substantially increased (28.08–44.97% and 83.86–120.91%, respectively). Grey model predictions show that the agricultural output value increased steadily under the current agricultural policy of reducing fossil energy input. Conclusions: The current low-carbon and high-output agricultural model is beneficial for increasing Guangdong’s multi-cropping agricultural economic returns and mitigating greenhouse effects.

The farmers in most regions of Pakistan are heavily reliant on traditional farming approaches all year round and tend to cultivate exhaustive crops like wheat, cotton, maize, and sugarcane in most areas of the country. Consistently adopting this system leads to depleting the soil fertility status, which they overcome by instigating an uneconomical way of using excessive chemical fertilizers to maximize crop yields. These fertilizers are truly acidic and adversely affect soil health. Adopting sustainable farming approaches by the incorporation of legumes into the farming system with an integrated nutrient supply restores soil fertility and maintains the sustainability of the agro-ecosystem. A field experiment was performed to determine the significance of the integrated source of nutrient management on the growth and yield of sole and mixed cultures of sorghum and mungbean crops in areas with moisture regimes. The fertility treatments applied to the sole and intercrops of sorghum and mung-bean in a given sequence; i) Control, ii) Compost @ 10 t/ha, iii) FYM @ 20 t/ha, iv) NP @ 40 kg N + 30 kg P2O5 ha-1, v) ½ of recommended Compost @ 5 t/ha + ½ of recommended NP @ 20 kg N & 15 kg P2O5 ha-1, vi) ½ of recommended FYM @ 10 t/ha + ½ of recommended NP @ 20 kg N & 15 kg P2O5 ha-1. The sole crop of mungbean gave a maximum grain yield of 2229.1 kg/ha over an intercrop of 1779.7 kg/ha. Similarly, the highest grain yield of 2779.8 kg/ha of sorghum was obtained in sole culture over its intercrop of 2150.9 kg/ha. The interaction effect of cropping pattern and fertility treatments showed that sorghum and mungbean gave significant results for growth and yield parameters where a combined dose of organic & mineral fertilizers were provided in comparison to the plots where these fertilizers were applied in split doses.

In response to the limitations of traditional double rice cropping models, this study constructed five typical rice planting models in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, namely "Chinese milk vetch-early rice-late rice (CK/CRR), Chinese milk vetch—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean (CRI), rapeseed—early rice—late rice (RRR), rapeseed—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean (RRI) and potato—early rice—late rice (PRR)" to study the annual emission characteristics of greenhouse gases under different planting models. The results showed the following: (1) From the perspective of total yield in two years, the CRI treatment reached its maximum, which was significantly higher than that of other treatments by 9.30~20.29% in 2019 (p < 0.05); in 2020, except for the treatment of RRI, it was significantly higher than other treatments by 20.46~30.23% (p < 0.05). (2) The cumulative emission of CH4 in the double rice treatment is generally higher than that in paddy-upland rotation treatment, while the cumulative emission of N2O in the paddy-upland rotation treatment is higher than that in the double rice treatment, but the total amount is much lower than the cumulative emission of CH4. Therefore, CH4 emissions from rice fields still occupy most of the GHGs. (3) The global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) of different planting patterns in rice fields in 2020 were higher than those in 2019, and the GWP and GHGI of double rice cropping treatment is higher than that of paddy-upland rotation treatments. During the two years, the GWP of CRR treatment reached its maximum and was significantly higher than that of other treatments by 48.28~448.90% and 34.43~278.33% (p < 0.05). The GHGI of CRR was significantly higher than that of CRI and RRI by 3.57~5.4 and 1.4~3.5 times (p < 0.05). Based on the comprehensive performance of greenhouse gas emissions over the two experimental years, RRI and CRI have shown good emission reduction effects, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields, are conducive to reducing global warming potential and greenhouse gas emission intensity and conform to the development trend of "carbon neutrality". Therefore, considering high-yield, low-temperature chamber gas emissions, the Chinese milk vetch—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean model performs well and has the best comprehensive benefits. It is of great significance for optimizing the rice field planting mode in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable intensification of cropping systems is a strategy to increase productivity and reduce disservices of conventional agroecosystems. Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] and field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) are winter annual oilseed crops well suited to fill the fallow period between corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in the U.S. northern Corn Belt, but resources use could limit their addition. A 2-year study was conducted from 2015 to 2017 in the U.S. upper Midwest to evaluate the effect of double cropping on winter oilseed crops and soybean productivity and economic performance. Treatments included relay- and sequential-cropped soybean with winter camelina and field pennycress, and monocrop soybean as control. Biomass and grain yield of winter oilseed crops were not affected by cropping system. Averaged over years and cropping systems, winter camelina resulted in more biomass, nitrogen (N) uptake and grain yield by 240, 186 and 139% respectively, compared to field pennycress. Soybean biomass, N uptake and yield were higher in relay relative to sequential cropping. Relay soybean resulted in similar total grain yield (soybean + winter oilseed crop) compared to monocropped soybean. Double cropping soybean could maintain net return compared to monocropped soybean. Results indicate that double cropping winter oilseed crops with soybean can be economically viable in the U.S. upper Midwest. Yet, research aimed at optimizing yield through N and water use while improving ecosystem services is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses a fundamental threat to agriculture within the Nile basin due to the magnitude of projected impacts and low adaptive capacity. So far, climate change impacts on agriculture for the basin have mostly been assessed for single-cropping systems, which may bias the results considering that the basin is dominated by different cropping systems, with about one-third of the crop area under double cropping. In this study, we simulate single- and double-cropping systems in the Nile basin and assess the climate change impacts on different cropping systems under two scenarios, i.e. “no adaptation” and “adaptation to a late-maturing cultivar”. We find that the mean crop yields of maize, soybean and wheat decrease with future warming without cultivar adaptation. We attribute this to the shortening of the growing season due to increased temperature. The decrease is stronger in all single-cropping systems (12.6–45.5%) than in double-cropping systems (5.9–26.6%). The relative magnitude of yield reduction varies spatially with the greatest reduction in the northern part of the basin experiencing the strongest warming. In a scenario with cultivar adaptation, mean crop yields show a stronger increase in double-cropping systems (14.4–35.2%) than single-cropping systems (8.3–13.7%). In this scenario, farmers could possibly benefit from increasing cropping intensities while adapting to late-maturing cultivars. This study underscores the importance of accounting for multiple-cropping systems in agricultural assessments under climate change within the Nile basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a global food crop, and Iran with more than 5 million tons of production, ranks 13th among the world’s biggest producers of potatoes. Hamedan province is also one of the main potato producers in Iran. In this crop, the yields of quantity and quality are very dependent on an adequate application of nitrogen. However, the relatively shallow root system of the potato crop, coupled with its large nitrogen and water requirement increases the risk of nitrogen leaching. Therefore, optimizing N consumption for potato is important, both for maximizing production and for minimizing N loss to groundwater. Sustainable agriculture can play a significant role in achieving this goal. One of the methods for achieving sustainable agriculture is to create diversity by using intercropping of different plants in agriculture. Hence, the purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the response of potato as well as the resources use efficiency to intercropping with green bean. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications in 2016 growing season at the Research Farm of the Bu-Ali Sina University. Planting patterns in four levels (potato sole cropping, planting green bean between potato rows, planting green bean within potato rows, and planting green bean between and within potato rows), and three levels of urea fertilizer (0, 174 and 348 kg urea/ha) were the experimental factors. To calculate the advantages of intercropping, the pure stand of green bean was also cultivated in three replications. In intercropping, 50% of the density of green bean was added to pure stand of potato. Tuber yield, percentage and yield of tubers in different size, leaf chlorophyll content of potato, nitrogen and water use efficiency, as well as total relative yield (RYT) and land equivalent coefficient (LEC) indices were calculated and evaluated. SAS 9.1 software were used for analysis of variance (ANOVA) calculations. The difference between the means was evaluated by the least significant difference (LSD) method at the level of 5% probability. Results: The interaction of treatments on traits was significant except for the number of main stems and tubers per plant. The highest number and weight of root nodules were obtained from the green bean planting between potato rows with consumption of 174 kg urea/ha, and the lowest values of these were belonged to the green bean planting within potato rows with consumption of 348 kg urea/ha. Also the highest potato leaf chlorophyll was revealed at the green bean planting between potato rows with consumption of 174 kg urea/ha. Maximum total tuber yield and yield of commercial tubers were revealed at the green bean planting between potato rows with consumption of 348 kg urea/ha. However, this treatment did not show a significant difference with the treatment of green bean planting between potato rows at the fertilizer level of 174 kg urea/ha for the traits of total tuber yield and yield of commercial tubers. The highest water and urea fertilizer use efficiency were obtained from the treatment of green bean planting between potato rows at the fertilizer level of 174 kg urea/ha. Maximum RVT and LEC were achieved at green bean planting between potato rows with consumption of 174 kg urea/ha. Conclusion: Generally, green bean planting between potato rows with consumption of 174 kg urea/ha compare to potato sole cropping with application of 348 kg urea/ha, improved the yield of potato and the efficiency of resources use. Therefore, it seems that this planting pattern is low input agricultural techniques and in addition to the satisfactory production can also reduce nitrogen chemical fertilizer consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Understanding and mapping multiple cropping patterns(MCP) is important to meet global food demand. Due to the random crops in smallholder farming, it is challenging to obtain phenology and location of MCP. Phenology exhibits stable rhythmic variation, and vegetation index(VI) forms time-series profiles reflecting rhythmic variations. Since most crops have different growth cycles, time-series are used as a fingerprint to distinguish multiple crops in a specific area. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) normalized-VI(NDVI) data were used to construct time-series, but different land cover types were often mixed in a 250 m MODIS pixel. Time-series were explored as input of spectral unmixing algorithms that could capture the spatial distribution of MCP and subpixels at large areas. Time-series profiles of MCP were extracted based on N-finder algorithm(N-FINDR). Considering the mixed-pixel, fully constrained least-squares(FCLS) was used to extract the spatial distribution of MCP. The accuracy of the algorithm was verified using high spatial resolution images with an overall accuracy of 85.65%. The results show that the algorithm simultaneously extracts MCP and spatial distributions at large scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the limitations of traditional double rice cropping models, this study constructed five typical rice planting models in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, namely “Chinese milk vetch-early rice-late rice (CK/CRR), Chinese milk vetch—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean (CRI), rapeseed—early rice—late rice (RRR), rapeseed—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean (RRI) and potato—early rice—late rice (PRR)” to study the annual emission characteristics of greenhouse gases under different planting models. The results showed the following: (1) From the perspective of total yield in two years, the CRI treatment reached its maximum, which was significantly higher than that of other treatments by 9.30~20.29% in 2019 (p < 0.05); in 2020, except for the treatment of RRI, it was significantly higher than other treatments by 20.46~30.23% (p < 0.05). (2) The cumulative emission of CH4 in the double rice treatment is generally higher than that in paddy-upland rotation treatment, while the cumulative emission of N2O in the paddy-upland rotation treatment is higher than that in the double rice treatment, but the total amount is much lower than the cumulative emission of CH4. Therefore, CH4 emissions from rice fields still occupy most of the GHGs. (3) The global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) of different planting patterns in rice fields in 2020 were higher than those in 2019, and the GWP and GHGI of double rice cropping treatment is higher than that of paddy-upland rotation treatments. During the two years, the GWP of CRR treatment reached its maximum and was significantly higher than that of other treatments by 48.28~448.90% and 34.43~278.33% (p < 0.05). The GHGI of CRR was significantly higher than that of CRI and RRI by 3.57~5.4 and 1.4~3.5 times (p < 0.05). Based on the comprehensive performance of greenhouse gas emissions over the two experimental years, RRI and CRI have shown good emission reduction effects, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields, are conducive to reducing global warming potential and greenhouse gas emission intensity and conform to the development trend of “carbon neutrality”. Therefore, considering high-yield, low-temperature chamber gas emissions, the Chinese milk vetch—early rice—sweet potato || late soybean model performs well and has the best comprehensive benefits. It is of great significance for optimizing the rice field planting mode in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

The study was to clarify the optimal seeding rate and harvesting period of forage rapeseed for multiple cropping after wheat in cold region of north China. Huayouza 62 was used as experimental material, the main characters of yield and quality at seedling, bolting, flowering and early pod under different seweding rate were compared and analyzed. The results showed that under the same seeding rate, during growth and development, crude protein and ether extract content of Huayouza 62 showed a trend of gradual increase, while ash content and carbohydrate content showed a trend of gradual decrease. Crude fiber content increased significantly from seedling stage to early pod stage. Correlation analysis showed that the crude protein and caloric content, carbohydrate and caloric content of Huayouza 62 were extremely positively correlated (P<0.01). The yield of Huayouza 62 was the highest at full flowering stage. The fresh weight yield of Huayouza 62 was the highest when the seeding rate was 11.25 kg/hm2. The study indicates that Huayouza 62 can obtain higher yield and the best nutritional quality of rapeseed under the condition of seeding rate of 11.25 kg/hm2, harvested before and after the flowering period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Crop diversification is a dynamic pathway towards sustainable agrifood systems.• Technological and institutional barriers restrict uptake of crop diversification.• More coordination and cooperation among agrifood system stakeholders is required.• The European Crop Diversification Cluster calls for multiactor networks.European cropping systems are often characterized by short rotations or even monocropping, leading to environmental issues such as soil degradation, water eutrophication, and air pollution including greenhouse gas emissions, that contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss. The use of diversification practices (i.e., intercropping, multiple cropping including cover cropping and rotation extension), may help enhance agrobiodiversity and deliver ecosystem services while developing new value chains. Despite its benefits, crop diversification is hindered by various technical, organizational, and institutional barriers along value chains (input industries, farms, trading and processing industries, retailers, and consumers) and within sociotechnical systems (policy, research, education, regulation and advisory). Six EU-funded research projects have joined forces to boost crop diversification by creating the European Crop Diversification Cluster (CDC). This Cluster aggregates research, innovation, commercial and citizen-focused partnerships to identify and remove barriers across the agrifood system and thus enables the uptake of diversification measures by all European value-chain stakeholders. The CDC will produce a typology of barriers, develop tools to accompany actors in their transition, harmonize the use of multicriteria assessment indicators, prepare policy recommendations and pave the way for a long-term network on crop diversification.

This paper aims to explore the impact of multiple cropping on farmers’ welfare level and provide the theoretical and empirical basis for solving relative poverty in rural areas in the future. The paper uses data from the field survey of 1,120 farmers in Hubei in 2018 and uses the Endogenous Transformation Regression Model (ESR) and generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) model to construct a counterfactual framework. The paper analyses the effect of multiple cropping on farmers’ relative poverty and examines its mechanism. The result shows that: Multiple cropping of farmland can reduce the relative poverty of farmers through the mechanism of yield improvement path and factor intensification path. Under the counterfactual hypothesis, the relative poverty of farmers would increase by 28.43% if the farmers who participated in the multiple cropping did not; and that the relative poverty of the farmers would decrease by 29.57% if the farmers who did not participate in the multiple cropping participated. From the perspective of multiple cropping, the poverty reduction effect of multiple cropping in paddy fields is higher than that of dry land. From the perspective of the degree of multiple cropping, the poverty reduction effects of paddy fields and dryland will experience an increasing return to scale as the multiple cropping index increases. When the household equivalent scale adjustment coefficient is not used to eliminate the impact of family population structure on the “family per capita comparable income,” the artificially high results estimated by the model cannot truly reflect the poverty-reducing effect of multi-cropping of farmland. This paper argues that the government can guide farmers to choose the suitable mode of multiple cropping to reduce farmers’ vulnerability to relative poverty.

Agricultural intensification negatively affects the environment through soil degradation, loss of agrobiodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient leaching. Thus, the introduction of crop diversification strategies and alternative management practices is crucial to re-design agricultural intensification systems. To better understand the contribution of crop diversification to more sustainable agricultural systems, an accurate evaluation of synergies and trade-offs is needed. In this context, the 5-year Horizon 2020 DIVERFARMING project aims to define sustainable, diversified cropping systems with low-input farming practices, adopting a multi-disciplinary approach. The overall objective of this study was to improve the understanding of the stakeholders’ perceptions of barriers and opportunities for implementing farming practices and crop diversification strategies in intensive rainfed and irrigated cereal-based cropping systems in Italy. Fifty stakeholders, grouped in farmers and technical agricultural advisors, field technical officers from public agricultural administrations, technical experts from NGOs with experience on farming practices, and researchers in agriculture, were engaged by public consultations to capture their practical knowledge of current farming practices for promoting suitable diversified cropping system, as alternative to agricultural intensification systems. The analysis of the stakeholders’ perceptions of barriers and opportunities to the transition of cropping systems towards diversification was done using a multi-criteria decision analysis The most important agro-environmental problem identified by the stakeholders in both the cropping systems was the loss of profitability, associated with the risk of farm abandonment, while minimum tillage, maintenance of vegetation covers, application of organic matter/manure and use of green manure, integrated pest management, and change of rotations were identified as the most adequate and effective practices to be adopted in the case study areas. Crop rotation and legumes were the most adequate diversification strategies selected for the intensive rainfed cereal-based cropping systems, while crop rotations with processing tomato and multiple cropping with short cycle maize and wheat were selected as the most appropriate alternatives for irrigated cereal-based production. Our findings highlight relevant strengths and drawbacks for the implementation of diversified cropping systems under low-input agricultural practices. An important strength is that the crop alternatives selected for the diversification are already cultivated as monocultures and are adapted to the local pedoclimatic conditions, while a major weakness is that few farmers are experts in crop diversification. These results can provide insights to support the planning of agricultural policies at different levels.

Cropping patterns are defined as the sequence and spatial arrangement of annual crops on a piece of land. Knowledge of cropping patterns is crucial for crop production and land-use intensity. While cropping patterns are related to crop production and land use intensity, they are rarely reported in agricultural statistics, especially those relating to small farms in developing countries. Remote sensing has enabled mapping cropping patterns by monitoring crops' spatial and temporal dynamics. In this paper, we reviewed remote sensing studies of single, sequential and intercropping patterns of annual crops practiced at local and regional scales. A total of 90 studies were selected from 753 publications based on their cropping pattern types and relevance to the scope of this review. The review found that despite the increase in single cropping pattern studies due to the Sentinel missions, studies on intercropping patterns are rare, suggesting that mapping intercropping is still challenging. More so, microwave remote sensing for mapping intercropping has not been fully explored. Given the complexities in mapping intercropping, our review highlights how less frequently used vegetation indices (VIs) that benefit from red-edge and SWIR spectral bands may improve intercropping mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crop spatial pattern (CSP) is the spatial expression of the planting structure, maturity and planting pattern of crops in a region or production unit. It reflects the situation of human agricultural production using agricultural production resources, and is very important for human survival and development. Based on 5356 publications collected from the Web of Science Core CollectionTM (WoS), this paper's aim is to illustrate a comprehensive run-through and visualization of the subject of CSP. A time series evolution diagram of hot topics and the evolution of research hotspots are discussed in detail. Then, remote sensing monitoring methods of the crop planting area, multiple cropping, crop planting patterns and the mechanisms of crop spatial patterns are summarized, respectively. In the discussion, we focus on three important issues, namely, the remote sensing cloud platform, the changes in characteristics of the crop spatial pattern and the simulation of the crop spatial pattern. The main objective of the paper is to assist research workers interested in the area of CSP in determining potential research gaps and hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presenting a new bi-level mathematical model for government-farmer interaction. • Attention to food security and environmental damages of pesticides and fertilizers. • Using different sensitivity analysis for a case study of rice in Iran. As an important crop, rural farmers mainly plant rice on small agricultural lands. The rice supply chain provides specific features in Agricultural Supply Chain due to high demand, product diversity, and wide production area. Therefore, it is one of the most significant policymaking challenges to make a balance between the demand of different members and stakeholders of the rice supply chain. The extant study presents a completely new mathematical bilevel model that government exists at its upper level, and wants to minimize the environmental damages of pesticides and fertilizers. Agriculture guilds are at the low level and aim to maximize production through multiple cropping to increase revenue. In addition to damages from pesticides and fertilizers, price, demand, permissible cultivation area, guaranteed purchase of government, and direct sales of farmers have also been mentioned in this case. The higher number of crops and more use of pesticides and fertilizers would lead to soil erosion and jeopardize people's food security in the long term. Moreover, governments are responsible to meet the market rice need, which is a consumable product. The proposed model has been analyzed and evaluated by a real sample in Iran, which comprises 6 main rice producers and 32 provinces. The results indicate that a 50% rise in the price of pesticides and fertilizers and a 30% reduction in permissible cultivation area cause 8.9% damage to the environment. Furthermore, a 50% increase in rice demand led to a 27% rise in government purchases from farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land equivalent ratio (LER) is a most widely used indicator of yield advantage of multi-crop farms over sole-crop farms, and usually measured using crop biomass yield per unit area. Most often, crop yields are compared between both systems using the same area. In this paper, we demonstrate that although the yield per unit area and the yield per plant are widely different, LER remains invariant. As a corollary, area time equivalent ratio and land use efficiency, derived from LER, also remain unchanged when using the two different measures of crop yields. We recommend that when the estimation of the exact land area is difficult due to complex crop planting designs, yield per plant estimate is much easier and equally valid for estimation of LER and its derivative indices.

Induced Land Use Changes (ILUCs) can decrease the environmental benefits of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) if produced from traditional food crops. The development of oilseed cover crops can eliminate the side effect of ILUCs for biofuel production because they come in rotation with the major crops with some savings in demand for new cropland. This study implemented Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and GTAP-BIO to estimate ILUC emissions values, the potentially available area, and total possible emissions savings of producing SAFs from carinata, camelina, and pennycress in the United States. The results suggest that: 1) the meals produced in conjunction with increases in Sustainable Aviation Fuel production from carinata, camelina, and pennycress could reduce land use emissions by 12.9, 15.3, and 18.3 gCO2e/MJ, respectively; 2) the total area of available land for producing these feedstocks could be about 29.3 million ha in 2035; and 3) using this area of land for SAF production, depends on the mix of oilseed cover crops that can be produced in practice, could generate up to 92 million metric tons of savings in GHG emissions per year. The projected emissions savings is about 11% of the current global GHG emissions generated by the aviation industry. Providing incentives to encourage farmers to produce these cover crops and facilitating investment in producing SAF from these cover crops are the most important factors that could help the aviation industry to enhance emissions savings.

Purpose- Food security (FS) is defined as sustainable access to safe and nutritious food for a healthy and active life. The present study was designed to investigate and determine FS status of rural households and the relevant influential factors. It was conducted on 432 rural households in six subdistricts of two districts of Sarpolzahab, West of Iran, in 2016. Design/methodology/approach- The samples were selected using random cluster sampling, and FS status was assessed using United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) household FS questionnaire. Therefore, both socio-economic questionnaire and the household FS questionnaire were completed during a face to face interview. Data were analyzed using the statistical software package SPSS-22. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and forward multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. Findings- Prevalence of food insecurity (FI) in all of the surveyed households was 65.3%, and household FS status between the subdistricts had a significant difference (P< 0.01). The results of the study showed that the prevalence of FI in the subdistricts of Posht-Tang and Sarab (83.3% and 76.4%, respectively) was higher than other subdistricts. Number of household’s members, land ownership, education of household’s head, activity status, and household’s income had significantly relationship with household FI (P< 0.01). Practical implications- The high prevalence of FI is a major threat to the abnormal utilization of environmental resources in this realm. Therefore, given the impact of horticultural activities and diverse cultivation on household FS, macro and regional policies should be provided to increase the diversity of products through agroforestry and intercropping. Original/value- This research presents the basic information on the FS status of rural households in Sarpolzahab and some related socio-economic factors the results of which can help planners and managers to implement interventions to improve the FS and welfare of rural households.

The prioritized subwatersheds are comprised of seven subwatersheds that have been declared critical within the 52 subwatersheds in the Muria Mountains. An area of approximately 11,000 ha, the topography of the prioritized subwatersheds is wavy—the typical slope ranges from 25 to 45%—and susceptible to erosion. The purpose of this research was to evaluate agroforestry cropping patterns to support soil conservation and reclamation on critical lands. This study is a quantitative description of research conducted through survey. The results show that most of the researched area has Inceptisols soil type with sandy, clay, and loam textures. The nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, C-organic, and organic matter contents are relatively low while the vegetation Diversity Index is categorized as medium. Sengon trees dominate in the prioritized subwatersheds area, followed by mahogany, coffee, and teak with average Importance Values of 89.57, 60.24, 78.40, and 21.03, respectively. This research shows that an agroforestry system comprised of sengon trees and coffee is ideally applied in the prioritized subwatersheds. Coffee requires shade and reduces rain-induced erosion; sengon trees function as a shade while at the same time contributing to the soil as a source of nutrients. During rains, this combined agroforestry system is able to control surface runoff and soil erosion. A sengon/coffee-tree based agroforestry system is ecologically friendly and appropriate for development in the prioritized subwatersheds.

Background and objective: Intercropping is one of the sustainable intensification methods which reduces the demand for increased land resources. However, growing of two or more crops as an intercrop is not business as usual but it needs extensive knowledge about the nature of component crops to grow in harmony. Hence selection and evaluation of compatible legume species for intercropping with finger millet in the study area is necessary. Materials and methods: A field experiment was conducted at two major finger millet producing areas of northwestern Ethiopia. Four legumes crops such as (sweet lupine, cowpea, haricot bean, and soybean) intercropped with finger millet. Results: The analysis of variance showed that intercropping of finger millet with different legumes had yield advantage in both districts as compared to component crops. Land equivalent ratio was more than unity for all treatments in both districts except for finger millet intercropped with soybean at South Achefer district. At Guangua finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean showed 27% and 12% yield advantage, respectively and also finger millet + cowpea preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for animal feed. At South Achefer finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea showed 38% and 35% yield advantage respectively and also finger millet + sweet lupine preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield to make stew as a protein source, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for human and animal feed. Conclusion: Therefore intercropping, finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean at Guangua and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea at South Achefer preferred by farmers and also had yield advantage as compared to component crops. Hence finger millet + cowpea and finger millet + soybean recommended for Guangua and similar agro-ecologies and finger millet + sweet lupine and finger millet + cowpea for South Achefer and similar agro-ecologies as 1st, 2nd option respectively.

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The multiple cropping index of farmland is a significant characterization of land use intensity. Based on the NDVI data, this paper calculated the multiple cropping index of farmland in China using the S-G filtering method, and proposed an optimized regionalization scheme for the farmland use. The findings reveal that from 2000 to 2018, the multiple cropping index of farmland in China underwent the fluctuation of rising first, then falling and rising continuously, which was closely associated with the agricultural support policies enforced in China. Counties whose multiple cropping indexes decreased from 2009 to 2018 were mainly located in areas primarily producing grain, which exerted a greater influence on food security. The gap between the multiple cropping index and potential multiple cropping index of farmland is increasingly widening from north to south in China. Accordingly, four types of grain producing zones were delineated: key development zone, potential growth zone, appropriate development zone, and restricted development zone. Some suggestions, such as rotation, fallow, determination of yield by water and offsetting the quantity balance of farmland by increasing the multiple cropping index, are put forward based on different zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European cropping systems are often characterized by short rotations or even monocropping, leading to environmental issues such as soil degradation, water eutrophication, and air pollution including greenhouse gas emissions, that contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss. The use of diversification practices (i.e., intercropping, multiple cropping including cover cropping and rotation extension), may help enhance agrobiodiversity and deliver ecosystem services while developing new value chains. Despite its benefits, crop diversification is hindered by various technical, organizational, and institutional barriers along value chains (input industries, farms, trading and processing industries, retailers, and consumers) and within sociotechnical systems (policy, research, education, regulation and advisory). Six EU-funded research projects have joined forces to boost crop diversification by creating the European Crop Diversification Cluster (CDC). This Cluster aggregates research, innovation, commercial and citizen-focused partnerships to identify and remove barriers across the agrifood system and thus enables the uptake of diversification measures by all European value-chain stakeholders. The CDC will produce a typology of barriers, develop tools to accompany actors in their transition, harmonize the use of multicriteria assessment indicators, prepare policy recommendations and pave the way for a long-term network on crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed a realistic irrigation scheme in version 3.6 of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF3.6) with version 4 of the Community Land Model (CLM4) land surface scheme to investigate the effects of cropland irrigation on regional climate in China. Irrigation may occur throughout the year in most croplands with good thermal conditions to cultivate crops for more grain production, known as multiple cropping (MC). However, MC has been considered less in previous studies investigating the climatic effects of irrigation. In addition, the effects of cropland irrigation on seasonal climate in China have been less studied. The climatic effects of irrigation are assessed by comparing observations and model simulations with and without irrigation from 2001 through 2010. Results showed that the simulation with irrigation reduced mainly biases of land surface temperature (LST), surface air temperature (SAT), and precipitation over the irrigated areas. The simulation with irrigation also reproduced reliable annual irrigation water use and reasonable spatial distribution patterns of seasonal irrigation amounts. Both annual LST and SAT decreased 0.6 °C averaged over irrigated areas due to the irrigation‐induced cooling effect. Additionally, the decreased surface temperature in the spring led to a reduced land‐sea heat contrast that suppressed summer precipitation. The results indicated that a realistic irrigation scheme is important for accessing the climatic effects of irrigation. More broadly, including MC in the irrigation scheme may be useful for other assessments of the climatic effects of irrigation. Key Points: A realistic irrigation scheme was proposed including multiple cropping to study the effects of irrigation on regional climateLand surface temperature and surface air temperature decreased mainly in irrigated areas due to the irrigation‐induced cooling effectSpring irrigation could suppress summer precipitation over China via the decreased land‐sea heat contrast [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping patterns are defined as the sequence and spatial arrangement of annual crops on a piece of land. Knowledge of cropping patterns is crucial for crop production and land-use intensity. While cropping patterns are related to crop production and land use intensity, they are rarely reported in agricultural statistics, especially those relating to small farms in developing countries. Remote sensing has enabled mapping cropping patterns by monitoring crops’ spatial and temporal dynamics. In this paper, we reviewed remote sensing studies of single, sequential and intercropping patterns of annual crops practiced at local and regional scales. A total of 90 studies were selected from 753 publications based on their cropping pattern types and relevance to the scope of this review. The review found that despite the increase in single cropping pattern studies due to the Sentinel missions, studies on intercropping patterns are rare, suggesting that mapping intercropping is still challenging. More so, microwave remote sensing for mapping intercropping has not been fully explored. Given the complexities in mapping intercropping, our review highlights how less frequently used vegetation indices (VIs) that benefit from red-edge and SWIR spectral bands may improve intercropping mapping.

Bupleurum chinense is a genuine medicinal material in Shanxi Province, and planting B. chinense is one of the main sources for local farmers to increase their income. In B. chinense cultivation, wheat-B. chinense, maize-B. chinense and soybean-B. chinense are commonly used as multiple cropping patterns. In the present study, we studied the effects of three different multiple cropping patterns on N, P and K levels of soil, photosynthetic parameters, agronomic characteristics, saikosaponin A, C and D contents, yield and economic benefits of B. chinense. The results showed that the soybean-B. chinense multiple cropping pattern was beneficial to the enrichment of N in the soil, thus promoting photosynthetic parameters, growth, saikosaponin accumulation, yield and economic benefits of B. chinense. It is suggested that soybean-B. chinense multiple cropping was an appropriate multiple cropping pattern for local cultivation of B. chinense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted from October 2018 to April 2019 at Sidomukti Village, Brondong Sub-District of Lamongan Regency, Province of East Java. The research was performed with the aim of examining and obtaining appropriate combinations of plant spacing and planting model for red chili (Capsicum annuum L.) and shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) plants in saline soil conditions. The utilized design on this research was randomized block design. This research consists of 6 combinations that are repeated 4 times, resulting in 24 experimental units. Based on the research, it was found that the treatment of multiple cropping of red chilies i.e. 2 rows of shallot plants between rows of red chilies have land equivalence ratios (LER) greater than 1, being 1.32 and 1.41, which indicates that the treatment of multiple cropping leads to higher land effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both short- and long-term effects of fertilizers on crops and soils are often studied only in arid or paddy soils, whereas less is known about the long-term effects in paddy-upland rotations, particularly with multiple crops and frequent tillage in subtropical areas. Therefore, an 18-year field experiment was initialized to assess the effects of different types of fertilization (no fertilizer; chemical fertilizer (CF); and manure in combination with CF (MCF)) on yield and soil chemical and microbial properties in a crop rotation involving rice (Oryza sativa L., summer), rapeseed (Brassica campestris L., winter), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L., the following summer), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth, the following winter). MCF caused higher yields of rapeseed grains and tobacco leaves than CF after 3 or 4 years of implementing the experiment, while rice yields varied little between MCF and CF, with one exception in 2011. Compared with the initial soil properties, providing soil with MCF increased organic matter (OM), while the opposite trend was found with CF. Higher microbial biomasses, enzyme activities, bacterial operational taxonomic units, and richness and diversity indexes of bacterial communities were found in soils receiving MCF, implying the improvement of soil microbial properties in the paddy-upland rotation system with multiple crops and frequent tillage. The experimental soils under varying fertilization were dominated by four bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and unclassified groups), which accounted for approximately 70% of the 16S rDNA sequences. Among the top 20 predominant bacteria, 14 were commonly found in all soil samples irrespective of which fertilizer treatment was implemented. Thus, the presence of those bacteria was stable in the soil and to some extent was influenced by fertilization. Most of them were facultative anaerobic bacteria, which can adapt to both anaerobic paddy soil and aerobic drylands. The dominant bacteria at various taxonomic levels found in soils might reflect multiple soil processes such as OM turnover, nutrient cycling, physical structure formation, and xenobiotic detoxification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop in Pakistan and produced twice or more in a year. Its tubers undergo a certain period of dormancy after the harvest and are incapable to sprout which can limit their usage as seed for the next season. Therefore, this study was planned to break the tuber dormancy using plant growth regulators and electric current. For this purpose, three experiments were conducted from April 2015 to July 2016 with the objectives: i) to screen out genotypes based on their dormancy duration and ii) to assess the effects of two dormancy breaking methods on seed tuber dormancy breakage, hydrogen peroxide contents and antioxidative activities at one and three week storage. The first experiment comprised of 22 equal number of white and red skin potato genotypes. Mean dormancy ranged from 36 to 85 days in these genotypes, including FD51-5 and PRI Red in short-term dormancy group; Sante and FD73-49 in medium-term dormancy group and FD69-1 and FD8-1 in long-term dormancy group. The second experiment consisted of above screened genotypes and three levels of benzyl aminopurine (30, 60 and 90 mgL-1) and gibberellic acid (10, 20 and 30 mgL-1). The solution of 60 mgL-1 benzyl aminopurine significantly reduced the dormancy duration in all genotypes but did not have a significant effect on the sprout outgrowth. While, 20 mgL-1 GA3 produced maximum sprout length with non-significant effect on dormancy duration. The genotype × PGR interaction was more pronounced in short and medium-term dormancy genotypes than in longterm dormancy genotypes. The third experiment also consisted of above six genotypes with five levels of electric current (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 volt). The use of electric current was most effective at 80 volt for shortening tuber dormancy and inducing sprout length. Hydrogen peroxide contents, superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities after treatment with plant growth regulators and electric current increased with dormancy progression. In contrast, catalase and peroxidase activities decreased. Our results indicate that enhanced antioxidative activity is closely associated with the effect of applied treatments, storage period, genotypes and genotype × storage period. Nevertheless, further research should be continued to evaluate the combined effect of BAP and GA3 on dormancy termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the contributions of climate factors and soil fertility to crop yield is significant for the assessment of climate change impacts on crop production. Three 20-year field experiments were conducted in major Chinese wheat-maize cropping areas. Over the 20-year period, crop yield and soil properties showed significantly dissimilar variation trends under similar climate changes at each experimental site. The correlation between climatic factors and crop yield varied greatly among the fertilization regimes and experimental sites. Across all the fertilization regimes and the experimental sites, the average contribution rates of soil properties to wheat and maize yield were 45.7% and 53.2%, respectively, without considering climate factors, and 40.4% and 36.6%, respectively, when considering climate factors. The contributions of soil properties to wheat and maize yield variation when considering climate factors were significantly lower than those without considering climate factors. Across all experimental sites and all fertilization regimes, the mean contribution rates of climate factors to wheat and maize yield were 29.5% and 33.0%, respectively. The contribution rates of the interaction of climate and soil to wheat and maize yield were 3.7% and −0.9%, respectively. Under balanced fertilization treatments (NPK and NPKM), the change in the contribution rate of soil properties to wheat or maize yield was not obvious, and the average contribution rates of the interaction of climate and soil to wheat and maize yield were positive, at 14.8% and 9.5%, respectively. In contrast, under unbalanced fertilization treatments (CK and N), the contribution rates of soil properties to wheat or maize yield decreased, and the average contribution rates of the interaction of climate and soil were negative, at −7.4% and −11.2%, respectively. The above results indicate that climate and soil synergistically affected crop yields and that, with the optimization of the fertilization regime, positive interactions gradually emerged.

With the continuous and rapid rise of urbanization in China, land use transition research has been carried out extensively. Multiple cropping is the content of land use recessive morphology research, and it is also a common agricultural system in China. Accordingly, further research on multiple cropping index (MCI) can enrich the land use transition research and help to evaluate China’s food security. In order to examine the spatiotemporal changes and factors influencing the MCI of cultivated land in China, we collected MODIS remote sensing image data and land use classification data and conducted a remote sensing inversion on China’s MCI from 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. The spatial distributions and evolution processes of the MCI were explored through spatial mapping, statistical analysis, and processing with the Geographic Information System; moreover, the influencing factors of MCI were explored quantitatively with principal component regression. The results were as follows: (1) at the provincial scale, the average MCI across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu was high; meanwhile, the average MCI across Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Qinghai was low. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of provinces with low MCI increased gradually, and the average MCI decreased greatly in the southern provinces. (2) At the county scale, the Taihang Mountains, Qinling Mountains, and Hengduan Mountains formed the boundary of China’s single cropping and multiple cropping indices. Dynamic changes in China’s MCI were obvious, and the number of counties with MCI change values lower than 0 increased gradually. Last, (3) natural conditions, nonagricultural process, cultivated land quality, and agricultural intensification demonstrated different degrees of impact on the MCI; in particular, the influence of nonagricultural industries, pesticides, and agricultural plastic film on the MCI proved especially important. Future research should strengthen the existing work on related transformations in farmers’ livelihoods, especially in terms of the return of rural labor force, the body of agricultural production, agricultural ecological issues, and the balance between increased crop production and reduced environmental pollution. In addition, agricultural policy design should pay more attention to cultivated land quality, the farmer who cultivates the land, and the multiple cropping potential of cultivated land.

Multiple cropping is an agriculture system long adopted by marginalized small holder farmers especially in hills and mountains. This practice was a meant to enhance farm productivity when farming area is limited. Here, in this paper, a brief review on the benefits of multiple cropping is presented focusing on the practices adopted by marginalized farmers, in general. In multiple cropping, it is generally argued that the practice favors an efficient utilization of resources like air, water, light, space, and nutrients by companion crops in both temporal and spatial dimensions due to their differential growth habits and seasonality. Multiple cropping could be one of the viable alternatives to cope uncertainties and changes, where food and nutritional uncertainty looming large. The ultimate outcome of multiple cropping could be visualized in adverse or harsh environment for increase agriculture production, livelihood and income. Various food products are obtained through multiple cropping. Land equivalent ratio (LER), relative yield total (RYT) and income equivalent ratio (IER) can be increased with mixed/intercropping systems. Multiple cropping helps in getting more than one crop simultaneously, so even if the selling price of one commodity is less, the other might compensate. In the tropics, smallholder farms, which produce over 60% of the food resources of developing nations from intercropping of cereals with many crops mostly legumes, had been the field of much investigation because of synergistic effects of diversifying food production and household cash incomes in these systems. This clearly implies the importance of multiple cropping for small farmers who constitute majority in the developing countries.