Skip to Content

Agriculture, Volume 10, Issue 9

2020 September - 58 articles

Cover Story: The necessity to improve farming practices has initiated the development of new technological tools that are useful in agriculture. The goal of this study is the utilization of new technologies to define the geometry of olive tree crowns and the development of a forecasting model of annual production in a hilly non-linear olive grove. High-resolution multispectral imagery was acquired from a UAV platform. The trees’ crowns were isolated using object-based image analysis. Aerial and ground data analyses were conducted in a GIS environment. Thematic maps were made for each calculated variable and a yield forecasting model was developed. The spatial distribution of the variables gave noteworthy results due to the similar pattern they followed. Future crop yield optimization, even at a tree level, can be based on the results of the present study. View this paper
  • Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list .
  • You may sign up for email alerts to receive table of contents of newly released issues.
  • PDF is the official format for papers published in both, html and pdf forms. To view the papers in pdf format, click on the "PDF Full-text" link, and use the free Adobe Reader to open them.

Articles (58)

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
7,674 Views
21 Pages

Monitoring and Modelling Analysis of Maize (Zea mays L.) Yield Gap in Smallholder Farming in Ghana

  • Eric Owusu Danquah,
  • Yacob Beletse,
  • Richard Stirzaker,
  • Christopher Smith,
  • Stephen Yeboah,
  • Patricia Oteng-Darko,
  • Felix Frimpong and
  • Stella Ama Ennin

22 September 2020

Modelling and multiple linear regression were used to explore the reason for low maize yield in the Atebubu-Amantin and West Mamprusi Districts of Ghana, West Africa. The study evaluated maize yields on twenty farms against measures of soil fertility...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
5,601 Views
12 Pages

Crop Productivity and Climatic Conditions: Evidence from Hungary

  • Zoltán Bakucs,
  • Imre Fertő and
  • Enikő Vígh

22 September 2020

Hungarian agriculture is expected to experience greater risks due to more variability in crop productivity due to increasing yearly average temperatures and extreme precipitation patterns. This study investigates the effect of changing climatic condi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,965 Views
9 Pages

22 September 2020

The composition and dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM) are decisive factors in soil quality. In this work, total organic C (Ctot), hot water extractable C (Chwl), and aliphatic and aromatic SOM components detected by Fourier transform infrared (FT...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
5,004 Views
17 Pages

Site-Specific Forage Management of Sericea Lespedeza: Geospatial Technology-Based Forage Quality and Yield Enhancement Model Development

  • Sudhanshu S. Panda,
  • Thomas H. Terrill,
  • Ajit K. Mahapatra,
  • Brian Kelly,
  • Eric R. Morgan and
  • Jan A. van Wyk

22 September 2020

Site-specific forage management (SSFM), comprising growth observation, impact assessment, and timely strategic response to small variations in sericea lespedeza (SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum-Cours.) G. Don) production, has been envisioned as a life-cha...

  • Article
  • Open Access
39 Citations
6,758 Views
14 Pages

21 September 2020

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to capture high-resolution aerial images of crop fields. Software-based image analysis was performed to classify land uses. The purpose was to help relevant agencies use aerial imaging in managing agricultura...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
5,958 Views
10 Pages

Evaluation of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis Infection of Wheat Heads

  • Pao Theen See,
  • Nikki Schultz and
  • Caroline S. Moffat

21 September 2020

The incidence of wheat head infection by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), the etiological agent of tan spot disease, was evaluated during grain development in a glasshouse experiment. Heads artificially inoculated with a Ptr spore suspension devel...

  • Article
  • Open Access
17 Citations
5,453 Views
17 Pages

21 September 2020

Poor performance bedeviling SISs in South Africa is attributed to poor institutional integration, consequently impacting service delivery. Despite this, local institutional actors (LIAs)’ role has not been documented as a potential entry point...

  • Article
  • Open Access
40 Citations
4,676 Views
13 Pages

Wild Relatives of Wheat Respond Well to Water Deficit Stress: A Comparative Study of Antioxidant Enzyme Activities and Their Encoding Gene Expression

  • Alireza Pour-Aboughadareh,
  • Mansoor Omidi,
  • Mohammad Reza Naghavi,
  • Alireza Etminan,
  • Ali Ashraf Mehrabi and
  • Peter Poczai

20 September 2020

Previous studies have revealed that some wild wheat accessions respond well to water deficit treatments and have a good potential in terms of photosynthetic parameters, root system architecture, and several physiological properties. However, the bioc...

  • Article
  • Open Access
18 Citations
4,834 Views
16 Pages

Organic but Also Low-Input Conventional Farming Systems Support High Biodiversity of Weed Species in Winter Cereals

  • Adam Kleofas Berbeć,
  • Mariola Staniak,
  • Beata Feledyn-Szewczyk,
  • Anna Kocira and
  • Jarosław Stalenga

18 September 2020

In recent years, the European Union has been paying particular attention to the problem of biodiversity loss. The possibilities of its assessment and conservation are included in the latest European Union (EU) policies and reflected in the European B...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
4,693 Views
12 Pages

18 September 2020

The severe limitation of agricultural land productivity induced by physical soil degradation has become a major concern in semiarid climates, especially in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A randomized complete block design in a split-split-p...

  • Article
  • Open Access
13 Citations
3,859 Views
17 Pages

Effects of Site, Genotype and Subsequent Harvest Rotation on Willow Productivity

  • Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski,
  • Michał Krzyżaniak,
  • Dariusz Załuski,
  • Józef Tworkowski and
  • Stefan Szczukowski

17 September 2020

Perennial crops harvested in short rotations provide substantial amounts of biomass. This study determined the survival rate, biometric features and yield of fresh and dry biomass of 15 willow genotypes (including seven varieties and eight clones), c...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
5,146 Views
14 Pages

16 September 2020

Nitrogen and phosphorus limitation affect the growth, development, and productivity of lettuce, which exert a marked influence on metabolites. To compare the influence of low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus stresses on various metabolites of lettuce leav...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
3,907 Views
15 Pages

16 September 2020

Heat stress constitutes a major threat to crop production, and according to climatic projections, night temperatures are expected to increase faster and to a greater extent compared to day temperatures. While extensive research has been dedicated to...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
3,063 Views
10 Pages

Peanut (Arachis hypogea) Response to Low Rates of Dicamba at Reproductive Growth Stages

  • John W. Seale,
  • Taghi Bararpour,
  • Jason A. Bond,
  • Jeffrey Gore and
  • Bobby R. Golden

16 September 2020

Tank contamination and off-target movement of dicamba is a probable issue facing peanut producers in Mississippi. In 2017 and 2018, a field study was conducted at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
8,584 Views
16 Pages

A Comparative Cost-Benefit Analysis of Conventional and Organic Hazelnuts Production Systems in Center Italy

  • Giuseppe Coppola,
  • Michele Costantini,
  • Luigi Orsi,
  • Davide Facchinetti,
  • Francesco Santoro,
  • Domenico Pessina and
  • Jacopo Bacenetti

16 September 2020

In this study, the economic profitability of hazelnut production in central Italy using conventional and organic farming systems was evaluated using the cost–benefit analysis methodology. Viterbo’s province is the leading province in Ital...

  • Article
  • Open Access
48 Citations
7,258 Views
16 Pages

16 September 2020

This study was undertaken to understand the smallholder farmer’s perception of the effects of climate variability, their adaptation strategies to cope with climate variability and factors determining the adoption of their adaptation strategies...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
6,946 Views
15 Pages

Change in Maize Final Leaf Numbers and Its Effects on Biomass and Grain Yield across China

  • Wanmao Liu,
  • Bo Ming,
  • Ruizhi Xie,
  • Guangzhou Liu,
  • Keru Wang,
  • Yunshan Yang,
  • Xiaoxia Guo,
  • Peng Hou and
  • Shaokun Li

16 September 2020

The final leaf number is an important morphological characteristic of maize (Zea mays L.) and is therefore an important input parameter in some maize crop models. In this study, field experiments were conducted from 2013 to 2016 at 23 sites across Ch...

  • Article
  • Open Access
46 Citations
7,178 Views
12 Pages

13 September 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the yield and quality of winter wheat grain and soil properties in three tillage systems (TS): (1) Conventional (CT), (2) reduced (RT), and (3) no-tillage (NT). In the CT system, shallow ploughing (at a depth of 10–...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
5,083 Views
14 Pages

12 September 2020

A strict field experiment with maize was carried out in the years 2009–2011 at the Experimental Station of the Poznań University of Life Sciences. The impact of mineral fertilization levels on the nutritional status of plants at an early develo...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
13,625 Views
15 Pages

11 September 2020

Beef production in Kenya is the forte of pastoralists and large-scale ranches in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas. Cross sectional data was collected from 67 pastoralists and seven large-scale ranches, selected through multistage stratified sampling. Com...

  • Article
  • Open Access
89 Citations
7,323 Views
27 Pages

A Hybrid CFS Filter and RF-RFE Wrapper-Based Feature Extraction for Enhanced Agricultural Crop Yield Prediction Modeling

  • Dhivya Elavarasan,
  • Durai Raj Vincent P M,
  • Kathiravan Srinivasan and
  • Chuan-Yu Chang

11 September 2020

The innovation in science and technical knowledge has prompted an enormous amount of information for the agrarian sector. Machine learning has risen with massive processing techniques to perceive new contingencies in agricultural development. Machine...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
5,136 Views
21 Pages

Residue and Potassium Management Strategies to Improve Crop Productivity, Potassium Mobilization, and Assimilation under Zero-Till Maize–Wheat Cropping System

  • Raghavendra Madar,
  • Yudh Vir Singh,
  • Mahesh Chand Meena,
  • Tapas Kumar Das,
  • Venkatesh Paramesh,
  • Fahed A. Al-Mana,
  • Mohamed A. Mattar and
  • Hosam O. Elansary

11 September 2020

Understanding of the potassium (K) nutrient cycle and its microbial transformation of unavailable forms of soil K to plant-available K is crucial in any agroecosystem for strategic nutrient management through inorganic fertilizer, crop residue (CR),...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
10,969 Views
14 Pages

Impact of Climate Change on Land Use, Yield and Production of Cassava in Thailand

  • Siwabhorn Pipitpukdee,
  • Witsanu Attavanich and
  • Somskaow Bejranonda

11 September 2020

This article examined the effect of climate change on land use, yield, and production of cassava in Thailand, employing the panel data analysis between 1989 and 2016. The spatial regression and the instrumental variable method with the generalized me...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,365 Views
9 Pages

11 September 2020

The effect of housing system on ovulation rate, leptin concentration, body weight, condition score and litter size of Żelażnieńska ewes was investigated. The observations were carried out during three successive years on 36 ewes between 2 and 4 years...

  • Article
  • Open Access
61 Citations
12,142 Views
19 Pages

Agritourism in the Era of the Coronavirus (COVID-19): A Rapid Assessment from Poland

  • Monika Małgorzata Wojcieszak-Zbierska,
  • Anna Jęczmyk,
  • Jan Zawadka and
  • Jarosław Uglis

8 September 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has had strong impact on the tourism market. As a result of the lockdown and the closing of borders, tourist traffic came to an abrupt halt. Agritourism is an important way of diversifying agriculture and rural areas. In additio...

  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
6,511 Views
12 Pages

8 September 2020

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of increasing potassium fertilization (0, 140, 190, and 240 mg K2O/kg of soil) in the interaction with nitrogen fertilization (130 and 170 mg N/kg of soil) on the trace elements content in the typical,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
4,724 Views
16 Pages

The Impact of Exotic Tamarix Species on Riparian Plant Biodiversity

  • Kgalalelo Tshimologo Annie Setshedi and
  • Solomon Wakshom Newete

7 September 2020

This study investigated the impact of exotic Tamarix species on vascular plant biodiversity in riparian ecosystems in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Vegetation was sampled, using 5 m wide belt transects, along the Leeu, Swart, and Olifants...

  • Review
  • Open Access
425 Citations
29,803 Views
20 Pages

The Critical Role of Zinc in Plants Facing the Drought Stress

  • Muhammad Umair Hassan,
  • Muhammad Aamer,
  • Muhammad Umer Chattha,
  • Tang Haiying,
  • Babar Shahzad,
  • Lorenzo Barbanti,
  • Muhammad Nawaz,
  • Adnan Rasheed,
  • Aniqa Afzal and
  • Huang Guoqin
  • + 1 author

7 September 2020

Drought stress affects plant growth and development by altering physiological and biochemical processes resulting in reduced crop productivity. Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient that plays fundamental roles in crop resistance against the drough...

  • Review
  • Open Access
78 Citations
15,327 Views
41 Pages

Legume Cover Crops as One of the Elements of Strategic Weed Management and Soil Quality Improvement. A Review

  • Anna Kocira,
  • Mariola Staniak,
  • Marzena Tomaszewska,
  • Rafał Kornas,
  • Jacek Cymerman,
  • Katarzyna Panasiewicz and
  • Halina Lipińska

5 September 2020

The benefits of conservation practices increased the interest of farmers in the cultivation of cover crops (CCs). This review aims to present and analyze the state of the art on the cultivation of legume CCs, including their importance in protecting...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,981 Views
9 Pages

4 September 2020

Grapevine leaves are a major by-product of viticulture practices derived from the leaf-removal from the fruit cluster zone in all vine growing regions. These leaves can be a valuable source of antioxidants to be used in pharmaceuticals or other healt...

  • Article
  • Open Access
30 Citations
6,712 Views
23 Pages

Genome-Wide Association Mapping through 90K SNP Array for Quality and Yield Attributes in Bread Wheat against Water-Deficit Conditions

  • Hafiz Ghulam Muhu-Din Ahmed,
  • Muhammad Sajjad,
  • Yawen Zeng,
  • Muhammad Iqbal,
  • Sultan Habibullah Khan,
  • Aziz Ullah and
  • Malik Nadeem Akhtar

4 September 2020

The decrease in water resources is a serious threat to food security world-wide. In this regard, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify grain yield and quality-related genes/loci under normal and water-deficit conditions. Hi...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,951 Views
21 Pages

3 September 2020

Case-based reasoning has considerable potential to model decision support systems for smart agriculture, assisting farmers in managing farming operations. However, with the explosive amount of sensing data, these systems may achieve poor performance...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,065 Views
9 Pages

3 September 2020

The largest group of cabbage plant pests are the species in the owlet moth family (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the most dangerous species of which is the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae L.). In cases of heavy infestation by this insect, the surface of...

  • Article
  • Open Access
41 Citations
8,760 Views
15 Pages

3 September 2020

The leaves and berries of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) are rich in phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and flavanols. The richness of these antioxidant compounds allows the potential use of myrtle biomasses as raw materials for med...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
15,190 Views
20 Pages

Development of Functional High-Protein Organic Bars with the Addition of Whey Protein Concentrate and Bioactive Ingredients

  • Aleksandra Szydłowska,
  • Dorota Zielińska,
  • Anna Łepecka,
  • Monika Trząskowska,
  • Katarzyna Neffe-Skocińska and
  • Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska

3 September 2020

The study aimed to develop the high-protein bars using organic ingredients such as whey protein concentrate (WPC), prebiotic-inulin, as well as pro-health additives (dried fruits, cereals, and nuts). The physicochemical, microbiological, sensory, and...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
4,989 Views
13 Pages

Economic Efficiency in the Tunisian Olive Oil Sector

  • Domingo Fernández-Uclés,
  • Saida Elfkih,
  • Adoración Mozas-Moral,
  • Enrique Bernal-Jurado,
  • Miguel Jesús Medina-Viruel and
  • Saker Ben Abdallah

3 September 2020

This study aims to assess the economic efficiency of Tunisian olive oil firms in order to identify the organizational and technological variables that are directly associated with greater efficiency. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and fuzzy sets...

  • Article
  • Open Access
9 Citations
3,726 Views
13 Pages

2 September 2020

The combined stress of waterlogging and shading (WS) caused by continuous rain threatens the production of high-quality weak gluten wheat in China (Triticum aestivum L.). To evaluate its influences on wheat quality formation, Yangmai 158 was chosen t...

  • Article
  • Open Access
58 Citations
7,649 Views
13 Pages

2 September 2020

Greek agriculture is mainly based on olive tree cultivation. Farmers have always been concerned about annual olive orchard production. The necessity for the improvement of farming practices initiated the development of new technological tools that ar...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
5,932 Views
14 Pages

Nitrogen Contents in Soil, Grains, and Straw of Hybrid Rice Differ When Applied with Different Organic Nitrogen Sources

  • Amanullah,
  • Hidayat Ullah,
  • Mohamed Soliman Elshikh,
  • Mona S. Alwahibi,
  • Jawaher Alkahtani,
  • Asim Muhammad,
  • Shah Khalid and
  • Imran

2 September 2020

In the rice–wheat (R–W) system, inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer (urea, etc.) is the largest component of the N cycle, because the supply of N from organic fertilizers is insufficient. But the 4% Initiative aims to improve organic matter...

  • Article
  • Open Access
50 Citations
7,079 Views
15 Pages

Inorganic Phosphate Solubilization by a Novel Isolated Bacterial Strain Enterobacter sp. ITCB-09 and Its Application Potential as Biofertilizer

  • Gustavo Enrique Mendoza-Arroyo,
  • Manuel Jesús Chan-Bacab,
  • Ruth Noemi Aguila-Ramírez,
  • Benjamín Otto Ortega-Morales,
  • René Efraín Canché Solís,
  • Antonio O. Chab-Ruiz,
  • Katia I. Cob-Rivera,
  • Benito Dzib-Castillo,
  • Rodrigo Enrique Tun-Che and
  • Juan Carlos Camacho-Chab

1 September 2020

The excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture is mainly due to the recognized plant requirements for soluble phosphorus. This problem has limited the implementation of sustainable agriculture. A viable alternative is to use phosphate solubilizing s...

  • Article
  • Open Access
14 Citations
3,752 Views
13 Pages

Grazing and enclosing are two of the most important grassland managements. In order to evaluate the effects of different managements on the ecosystem balance of grassland, the vertical distributions of soil nutrients and their stoichiometric ratios w...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
6,438 Views
15 Pages

Differential Response to Water Deficit in Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Growing in Two Types of Soil Under Different Irrigation Regimes

  • Israel Macias-Bobadilla,
  • Marcela Vargas-Hernandez,
  • Ramon G. Guevara-Gonzalez,
  • Enrique Rico-Garcia,
  • Rosalia V. Ocampo-Velazquez and
  • Irineo Torres-Pacheco

Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world; its production for the food and pharmaceutical industries has been increasing worldwide. The economic importance of this crop is due, in part, to...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,343 Views
16 Pages

Accumulation Dynamics of Starch and Its Granule Size Distribution of Cassava Genotypes at Different Growing Seasons

  • Anon Janket,
  • Nimitr Vorasoot,
  • Banyong Toomsan,
  • Wanwipa Kaewpradit,
  • Piyada Theerakulpisut,
  • Carl Corley Holbrook,
  • Craig K. Kvien,
  • Sanun Jogloy and
  • Poramate Banterng

This study aims to evaluate seasonal variation on starch production of different cassava genotypes planted under irrigated condition. Three cassava genotypes (Kasetsart 50, Rayong 11 and CMR38-125-77) were evaluated in two different growing seasons,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
4,207 Views
18 Pages

Parameterisation and Optimisation of a Hand-Rake Sweeper: Application in Olive Picking

  • Rafael E. Hidalgo Fernández,
  • Pilar Carranza-Cañadas,
  • Francisco J. García-Salcedo and
  • Paula Triviño-Tarradas

Olive picking is one of the most common social agricultural activities in many regions of Andalusia where the predominant crop is the traditional olive grove. The machinery used includes shakers, blowers and essential, low-cost hand-rake sweepers. Th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,847 Views
16 Pages

In agricultural science, the establishment of a given cropping system in mountainous areas is often understood from the relationship between differences of altitude-specific, agroecological conditions and crop cultivation characteristics. However, so...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
4,529 Views
14 Pages

Universities and Wineries: Supporting Sustainable Development in Disadvantaged Rural Areas

  • Chiara Aleffi,
  • Sabrina Tomasi,
  • Concetta Ferrara,
  • Cristina Santini,
  • Gigliola Paviotti,
  • Federica Baldoni and
  • Alessio Cavicchi

This exploratory study focuses on the role of the university in supporting sustainable development in rural areas, focusing on small wine producers, particularly those located in remote and disadvantaged areas. Disadvantaged areas have distinctive fe...

  • Article
  • Open Access
12 Citations
4,109 Views
25 Pages

Local development is a long-term process of economic transformation. To make it happen, expenditure must be incurred, especially including investments. At a local level, the financial burden involved in the transformation is mostly on local governmen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
4,628 Views
13 Pages

Understanding the impacts of agricultural practices on carbon stocks and CO2 emission is imperative in order to recommend low emission strategies. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tillage, crop rotation, and residue manag...

  • Review
  • Open Access
50 Citations
10,377 Views
15 Pages

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a popular tree nut worldwide, and in recent years, the production of hazelnuts has increased in many countries due to large investments improving agricultural techniques and the selection of new cultivars. Turkey, th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
3,703 Views
18 Pages

Biological and Agrotechnical Aspects of Weed Control in the Cultivation of Early Potato Cultivars under Cover

  • Piotr Pszczółkowski,
  • Piotr Barbaś,
  • Barbara Sawicka and
  • Barbara Krochmal-Marczak

Problems with weed infestation under cover were the reason to conduct research on the regulation of weed infestation in potato cultivation for early harvest. The field experiment was carried out in 2015–2017 at the Experimental Station for Cult...

of 2

Get Alerted

Add your email address to receive forthcoming issues of this journal.

XFacebookLinkedIn
Agriculture - ISSN 2077-0472