Diversifying with grain legumes amplifies carbon in management-sensitive soil organic carbon pools on smallholder farms

Regis Chikowo Sieglinde Snapp (2023, [Artículo])

Crop diversification with grain legumes has been advocated as a means to increase agroecological resilience, diversify livelihoods, boost household nutrition, and enhance soil health and fertility in cereal-based cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a primary indicator of soil health and there is limited data regarding SOC pools and grain legume diversification on smallholder farms where soils are often marginal. In Malawi, a range of legume diversification options are under investigation, including rotations and a doubled-up legume rotation (DLR) system in which two compatible legumes are intercropped and then rotated with a cereal. The impact of the DLR system on SOC has not yet been determined, and there is a lack of evidence regarding SOC status over a gradient of simple to complex grain legume diversified systems. We address this knowledge gap by evaluating these systems in comparison to continuous sole maize (Zea mays L.) at three on-farm trial sites in central Malawi. After six years of trial establishment, we measured SOC in bulk soils and aggregate fractions and in faster cycling SOC pools that respond more rapidly to management practices, including water extractable organic carbon (WEOC), particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), potentially mineralizable carbon (C), and macroaggregate C. Cropping treatment differences were not seen in bulk SOC or total N, but they were apparent in SOC pools with a shorter turnover time. The DLR system of intercropped pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) rotated with maize had higher WEOC, POM-C, potentially mineralizable C, macroaggregate and microaggregate C values than continuous maize. Of the single legume rotations, the pigeonpea-maize rotation had more mineralizable C and microaggregate C compared to continuous maize, while the groundnut-maize rotation had similar C values to the maize system. Overall, this study shows the potential for crop rotations diversified with grain legumes to enhance C in management sensitive SOC pools, and it is one of the first reports to show this effect on smallholder farm sites.

Crop Diversification Water Extractable Organic Carbon CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DIVERSIFICATION LEGUMES PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER SOIL ORGANIC CARBON

Identification and characterization of resistance loci to wheat leaf rust and stripe rust in Afghan landrace “KU3067”

CAIXIA LAN Ravi Singh JULIO HUERTA_ESPINO Zaifeng Li Evans Lagudah sridhar bhavani (2022, [Artículo])

Genetic Analysis Molecular Mapping Wheat Rusts APR Genes CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA ADULT PLANT RESISTANCE LANDRACES WHEAT RUSTS

An updated checklist of plant agrobiodiversity of northern Italy

Marco Canella Nicola Maria Giuseppe Ardenghi Graziano Rossi Filippo Guzzon (2022, [Artículo])

Ex Situ Conservation CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA ETHNOBOTANY LANDRACES ON-FARM CONSERVATION PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES

User manual: How to use Agvisely to generate climate service advisories for livestock in Bangladesh

T.S Amjath-Babu Timothy Joseph Krupnik (2023, [Libro])

The Agvisely digital service for livestock integrates location-specific meteorological forecasts generated by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) with species specific biological thresholds for weather variables (Temperature, rainfall, and temperature-humidity index (THI). When a biological threshold is to be breached in next five days' forecast, the system automatically generates location-specific management advice for livestock farmers. Advisories are based on a decision tree developed by the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) and CIMMYT. Agvisely is a smart phone app and web-based service developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) CIMMYT with the support of USAID, securing the Food Systems of Asian Mega- Deltas (AMD) for Climate and Livelihood Resilience and the Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) initiatives in collaboration with Bangladesh Dept. of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE SERVICES LIVESTOCK DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Discussion on sustainable water technologies for peri-urban areas of Mexico City: balancing urbanization and environmental conservation

EDUARDO LOPEZ RAMIREZ JOSE LUIS MARTINEZ RUIZ DANIEL MURILLO LICEA (2012, [Artículo])

This paper shows and demonstrates examples of different types of sustainable technologies that can be implemented in the peri-urban areas of Mexico City [rainwater harvesting, EcoSan and biofiltros (small constructed wetlands), and (vermi-)composting]. An innovative participatory planning method, combining scenario development with a participatory planning workshop with key stakeholders, was applied and resulted in three concept scenarios. Specific technologies were then selected for each concept scenario that the technical feasibility and applicability was assessed. Following this, the resulting resource flows (nutrients, water and energy) were determined and analyzed. The results show that decentralized technologies not only have the potential to deliver adequate water supply, sanitation and solid waste services in peri-urban areas and lessen environmental pollution, but also can recover significant amounts of resources thereby saving costs and providing valuable inputs in, for instance, the agricultural sector. Social acceptance of the technologies and institutional cooperation, however, is key for successful implementation.

Participación social Tecnología apropiada Abastecimiento de agua Saneamiento Zonas periurbanas Humedales Lombricultura CIENCIAS SOCIALES

Closing the yield gap of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) in Southern Africa: a case of Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique

Siyabusa Mkuhlani Isaiah Nyagumbo (2023, [Artículo])

Introduction: Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly producing soybean for food, feed, cash, and soil fertility improvement. Yet, the difference between the smallholder farmers’ yield and either the attainable in research fields or the potential from crop models is wide. Reasons for the yield gap include low to nonapplication of appropriate fertilizers and inoculants, late planting, low plant populations, recycling seeds, etc. Methods: Here, we reviewed the literature on the yield gap and the technologies for narrowing it and modelled yields through the right sowing dates and suitable high-yielding varieties in APSIM. Results and Discussion: Results highlighted that between 2010 and 2020 in SSA, soybean production increased; however, it was through an expansion in the cropped area rather than a yield increase per hectare. Also, the actual smallholder farmers’ yield was 3.8, 2.2, and 2.3 times lower than the attainable yield in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, respectively. Through inoculants, soybean yield increased by 23.8%. Coupling this with either 40 kg ha−1 of P or 60 kg ha−1 of K boosted the yields by 89.1% and 26.0%, respectively. Overall, application of 21–30 kg ha-1 of P to soybean in SSA could increase yields by about 48.2%. Furthermore, sowing at the right time increased soybean yield by 300%. Although these technologies enhance soybean yields, they are not fully embraced by smallholder farmers. Hence, refining and bundling them in a digital advisory tool will enhance the availability of the correct information to smallholder farmers at the right time and improve soybean yields per unit area.

Decision Support Tools Digital Tools Site-Specific Recommendations CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS LEGUMES YIELDS SOYBEANS

Genome-wide association analysis of tan spot disease resistance in durum wheat accessions from Tunisia

marwa laribi Sarrah Ben M'barek Carolina Sansaloni Susanne Dreisigacker (2023, [Artículo])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DISEASE RESISTANCE HARD WHEAT GENETIC DIVERSITY GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES LANDRACES POPULATION STRUCTURE

Preparing for, coping with and bouncing back after shocks. A nuanced resilience assessment for smallholder farms and farmers in Northern Ghana

Mirja Michalscheck Fred Kizito Carl Timler Jeroen Groot (2023, [Artículo])

Whole-Farm Model Health Shock CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION VULNERABILITY SMALLHOLDERS LANDSCAPE TECHNOLOGY

Near-real-time welfare and livelihood impacts of an active war: Evidence from Ethiopia

Kibrom  Abay Guush Berhane Jordan Chamberlin Mehari Hiluf Abay (2023, [Artículo])

Ethiopia recently experienced a large-scale war that lasted for more than two years. Using unique High-Frequency Phone Survey (HFPS) data, which span several months before and after the outbreak of the war, this paper provides evidence on the immediate impacts of the conflict on households’ food security. We also assess potential mechanisms and evaluate impacts on proximate outcomes, including on livelihood activities and access to food markets. We use difference-in-differences and two-way fixed effects estimation to compare trends across affected and unaffected regions (households) and before and after the outbreak of the war. Seven months into the conflict, we find that the war was associated with a 37 percentage points increase in the probability of moderate to severe food insecurity. Using the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), we show that exposure to an additional battle leads to a 1 percentage point increase in the probability of moderate or severe food insecurity. The conflict was associated with significant reduction in access to food through supply chain disruptions and by curtailing non-farm livelihood activities. Non-farm and wage related activities were affected the most, whereas farming activities were relatively more resilient. Our estimates, which likely underestimate the true average effects on the population, constitute novel evidence on the near-real-time impacts of large-scale conflict. Our work highlights the potential of HFPS to monitor active and large-scale conflicts, especially in contexts where conventional data sources are not immediately available.

Phone Surveys CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA WAR CONFLICTS FOOD SECURITY LIVELIHOODS

Metodología Value Stream Mapping (VSM) aplicada a procesos de perforación de pozos petroleros en México

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) methodology applied to oil well drilling processes in Mexico

NEMIAS VASQUES MORALES CARLOS BELISARIO CASTAÑEDA CASTAÑEDA (2023, [Artículo])

Con los cambios recientes en el sector energético a nivel mundial, la industria petrolera enfrenta retos importantes en la extracción de hidrocarburos, por lo que se ha priorizado la implementación de operaciones que permitan esta actividad de forma eficiente y optimizada. En este trabajo se analizará la aplicación de una de las herramientas del Lean Manufacturing, el VSM (Value Stream Mapping) con la finalidad de identificar posibles mejoras y disminución de tiempos no productivos en los procesos de perforación de pozos petroleros, de acuerdo a las experiencias previas en campos desarrollados en México. Se pretende demostrar que herramientas de análisis de eficiencia para la manufactura pueden adaptarse a industrias pesadas como la petrolera y en particular del área de perforación.

With recent changes in the energy sector worldwide, the oil industry faces significant challenges in the extraction of hydrocarbons, which is why the implementation of operations that allow this activity in an efficient and optimized manner has been prioritized. In this work, the application of one of the Lean Manufacturing tools, VSM (Value Stream Mapping) will be analyzed with the purpose of identifying possible improvements and reduction of non-productive times in the oil well drilling processes, according to experiences. previous ones in developed fields in Mexico. The aim is to demonstrate that efficiency analysis tools for manufacturing can be adapted to heavy industries such as the oil industry and in particular the drilling area.

Lean Operaciones Tiempos no productivos Operations Non-productive times INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS