Academic literature on the topic 'Agro forest eco-systems'

Canara Circle of Karnataka, which fall under agro-climatic zones 9 and 10 has a very unique type of eco-system comprising mainly forest followed by horticulture and agricultural eco-systems. Soil borne diseases was seriously impacting quality and quantity of crop production yielding low profitability. No doubt, pesticides were effective, but have soil and environment impairments. Application of effective native Trichoderma sp. is the best in all angles. As this region being the organic district with diverse ecosystems, it is a treasure for exploring efficient Trichoderma spp. In this context, a roving survey was carried out during 2019 in seven (7) different taluks of Canara circle (Haliyal, Mundgod, Siddapur, Sirsi, Yellapura, Ankola and Kumta). Two rhizosphere soil samples of 250 g each were collected from agriculture, horticulture and forest eco-systems of each taluk totalling forty two (42). Among the rhizosphere soils tested by serial dilution technique on Trichoderma selective medium (TSM), highest number of Trichoderma isolates was from forest ecosystem (11) with maximum recovery (78.57%). Horticulture ecosystem followed next (9 isolates) with 64.28 per cent recovery and the agriculture ecosystem recorded the lowest Trichoderma isolates (7) with 50 per cent recovery.

The present study was conducted at PAU, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Bathinda, Punjab for the evaluation of the performance of ‘Integrated Farming System’ (IFS). This IFS system includes the field crops (Grains, oilseed, pulses and fodders), livestock (Dairy animals and poultry birds), kitchen garden, orchard, biogas plant, vermi-compost unit, mushroom unit, beekeeping unit and boundary plantation of forest trees that makes the system: economically viable, socially supportive and ecologically sound. These components were interlinked with each other and provide the benefits to one or more components and vice-versa. These links and benefits enhanced the farm productivity and ensure sustainability, profitability and balanced food availability. After adoption of advanced practices in each component net profit of four IFS systems increased by 8.6%, 8.8% , 8.2% and 6.3 % respectively in 2019-20 as compared to 2018-19. This eco-friendly model also reduces the environmental degradation by minimizing the use of Agro-chemicals. Due to the flexibility of this model, farmers can opt any combination of components as per their requirement and purpose rather than mono-culture practices. This Ifs system improves the economic condition of farmers as well as soil health condition of farmer’s field.

Aim. The study of the regularities of the formation of connections between separate groups of microorganisms in the composition of gray forest soil groups for the cultivation of white lupine and winter wheat with the use of different systems of fertilization, liming, plowing by-products of crop production and indicators of potential and effective fertility. Methods. Microbiological, laboratory-analytical, statistical. The research was carried out in the polygon monitoring system on the basis of the stationary experiment of the department of agro-soil science and soil microbiology of the NSC «Institute of Agriculture of NAAS» «Development and improvement of intensive technologies for growing agricultural crops on the basis of extended reproduction of soil fertility». Results. It was established that the number of microorganisms of many eco-trophic, systematic and functional groups, their physiological and biochemical activity, the intensity and direction of mineralization processes are correlated with the indicators of the potential fertility of the gray forest soil. The number of ammonifiers in the 0-20 cm soil layer correlates with the value of saline pH (r = 0.385), the content of nitrogen (–0.445), phosphorus (0.774), potassium (0.804); in the soil layer 20−40 cm: with hydrolytic acidity (–0.710), pH of salt (0.730), the content of mobile compounds of aluminum (–0.430), phosphorus (0.640), exchangeable calcium (0.506) and humus (0.505). The number of immobilizers of mineral nitrogen correlates in the 0–20 cm soil layer with the value of exchangeable acidity (0.338), the content of phosphorus (0.440), potassium (0.410), mobile compounds of aluminum (–0.386); in the 20-40 cm soil layer: with hydrolytic acidity (–0.403), saline pH (0.355), exchangeable acidity (–0.542), content of mobile compounds of aluminum (–0.575), nitrogen (–0.365). The total number of microorganisms in the 0–20 cm soil layer correlates with the content of nitrogen (–0.434), phosphorus (0.481), potassium (0.522), exchangeable magnesium (–0.418); in the soil layer 20-40 cm: with hydrolytic acidity (–0.493), pH of salt (0.520), the amount of exchangeable acidity (–0.359), the content of mobile aluminum compounds (–0.465), the content of phosphorus (0.368), exchangeable magnesium (–0.412), humus (0.352). The inverse nature of the relationship between the total number of microorganisms and the content of nitrogen compounds in the soil indicates that the legume culture of white lupine in the flowering stage no longer depends on the nitrogen content in the soil, consuming symbiotrophic nitrogen for growth and development. Conclusions. It has been established that the systems of diagnostic indicators of effective soil fertility for winter wheat and white lupine differ significantly, and it may be necessary to create different systems of diagnostic indicators for grain and leguminous crops, since they differ in plant physiology.

Women in the marginal areas of Uttarakhand have always played and continue to play a significant role in managing and operating most of the household and agricultural activities. They are the main subsistence provider in the hills and considered the backbone of hill agriculture. Their lives are intrinsically related to land, water, forest, which are the main components and integral parts of an eco-system. An adverse effect on any one of these components disturbs the other components due to strong linkages and interrelationship with each other and creates havoc on the life of people, especially women in the region. However, in recent years, environmental degradation, poor resource management and increased migration of men to the plains have deteriorated the livelihood options and added more workload to women of the region. The sufferings of the communities in these hilly areas are gradually increasing and their standard of living is declining because they have been neglected at both policy and practice levels by the government. The nexus between women, environment degradation and poverty are poorly understood and rarely treated in an integrated way. Therefore, the key objective of the present paper is to analyse the work participation of women operating at different sub-systems, impact of environmental degradation and role of women in sustaining the traditional agro-ecosystem in Khul Gad micro-watershed of Kumoun Himalaya.

Regardless of the time after the Chernobyl disaster, the problem of radioactive contamination is very urgent. At present, 6.7 million hectares of our country remain contaminated, of which 1.2 million hectares of land are contaminated with 137Cs with a density of 42 to 589 kBq/m2 (1–15 Ci/km2). There are 2,161 settlements in the radioactively contaminated territories, where there are about 3 million inhabitants. For the inhabitants of rural areas of these settlements, the main part of food products belongs to the products obtained from the land, so the definition of plant contamination by artificial radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr on the lands affected by radioactive contamination. The Chernobyl accident is relevant, since the internal dose of radiation is formed due to consumed products, grown in private plots. Reducing the transition of radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr from soil to crop production is one of the main tasks of agricultural production on contaminated radionuclide lands. The realization of these researchers will clarify the current state of migration of data of radionuclides in the soil-vegetation link in the agro eco systems of the Central Forest-steppe of Ukraine. From the moment of the Chernobyl accident, leading scientists conducted a sufficiently large number of scientific studies on the migration of 137Cs and 90Sr in agricultural production facilities, their accumulation in food products and the assessment of human exposure doses. The focus of the scholars focused on the territory of Polissya. Preferably migration of 137Cs and 90Sr in separate links and systems of the trophic chain. In addition, somewhat more attention is paid to 137Cs, which is the main dose-forming radionuclide. In addition, in forest-steppe areas that are radioactively contaminated, a significant proportion of pollution occurs at 90Sr, whose migration rate, according to scientists, will gradually increase. All these data led to the need for a detailed study of the state of migration of 137Cs and 90Sr in the soil-vegetation chain of agro eco systems of agricultural enterprises and private parts of the central forest-steppe affected by radioactive contamination because of the Chornobyl accident in the remote period. The purpose of these studies was to study the migration of 137Cs and 90Sr in the chain of soil plants in the villages Yosypivka and Tarasivka of the Kyiv region of the central forest-steppe of Ukraine, as well as the determination of the coefficients of transition of 137Cs and 90Sr from typical black soil to vegetable products for the next prognostication. The investigated areas of the Bila Tserkva district are located in the north-eastern part of the right-bank forest-steppe region of Ukraine and are represented mainly by typical low-humus black soil in the forests within the boundary plains. In order to achieve this goal, selection of samples of crop production and soil was carried out on private plots of peasants of Yosypivska and Tarasivska villages of the Bila Tserkva district of Kyiv region according to generally accepted methods. The territory of these settlements fell into the zone of the "southern trace of radioactive contamination" and is associated with the third and fourth zones of radioactive contamination. After preparation of samples, the activity of 137Cs and 90Sr was determined in the life safety department of the Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University at the USK Gamma Plus spectrometric complex according to the methodology for this device. To determine 90Sr, selective radiochemical separation was performed by precipitation of oxalates. The 90Sr determination was performed on the USC Gamma Plus beta spectrometric path. These studies were processed using the statistical method using the Microsoft Excel program. The main vegetable crops grown on private plots were carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers and radish. These studies were conducted during 2016-2018. From the data of the research it is clear that the least activity of 137Cs was in potatoes, onions and cucumbers. In zucchini and pepper, it appeared twice, carrots and tomatoes – almost four times, beets and radish – almost in 8, and beans – 11 times higher. Our studies show that there is a direct proportional relationship between the activity of 137Cs and 90Sr in the yield of vegetable crops and the level of the soil contamination. The research results make it possible, on the basis of the explained coefficient of transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr, to predict the contamination by plant radionuclides that will be grown in radioactive contaminated territories of the Central Forest-steppe of Ukraine. The coefficients of transition of 137Cs from soil (typical black soil) to vegetable crops grown in the III zone of radioactive contamination accumulate from 0.01 to 0.09 and 90Sr – from 0.01 to 0.30. The lowest coefficient of transition of 137Cs in potatoes, onions and cucumbers (0.01). In cabbage, squash and pepper, the transition factor is twice as high (0.03), and in carrots and tomatoes it is three times higher (0.04), in beets – 5 times, radish – 6 and beans – in 9 times higher. The lowest transfer coefficient of 90Sr in onions (0.01), in tomatoes and cucumbers it is 2 times higher (0.02), in pepper – 4 times higher (0.04), potatoes and cabbage – nine times higher (0.09), and in beets, radishes, carrots and beans in 27–30 times higher. The research conducted by us proves that the studied vegetable production, obtained in the settlements of Yosypivka and Tarasivka, does not exceed DR-2006, that is, it is quite suitable for use. The coefficients of the transition of radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr from the soil (in this case, this typical black soil) to crop production grown on peasants’ plots have been determined, which will allow to predict in the future the contamination of 137Cs and 90Sr of vegetable products on the radically contaminated territories of the Central Forest-Steppe data. The content of radionuclide contamination of vegetable products after 33 years of the Chernobyl disaster proves that the problem of monitoring, studying and forecasting of products is still very relevant. Key words: 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides, pollution density, transition coefficient.

Collembola communities are differently affected by land use practices. This study relies on the relationships between Collembola community structures and land use systems as a proxy for characterizing changes in soil quality. Thus, Collembola community structure (density, richness of Collembola morphotypes, eco-morphological groups - edaphic, hemiedaphic and epigeic) were examined in agro-forestry ecosystems to evaluate the discriminative power of the Collembola community structure. Fifteen morphotypes of Collembola were recorded in this study, 4 belonging to the edaphic eco-morphological group, 6 hemiedaphic, and 5 epigeic. The hemiedaphic and epigeic groups, in agricultural system, were more influenced by changes in land uses than the groups in natural forest system. Collembola eco-morphological groups and density were better predictors for ecosystem functioning and can be used to distinguish differences between soil uses, reducing laboratory analysis time.

AbstractUsing the Haken model to explore the synergistic evolutionary characteristics and competition trends of agricultural resilience and eco‐efficiency can establish a theoretical foundation for achieving high‐quality and sustainable agricultural development. The traditional Haken model cannot address the issue of the lack of directionality in synergy values, but incorporating the tendency theory of the coupling coordination model into the Haken model can solve this problem, thus establishing propensity synergistic Haken model to give values directionality. Established a more comprehensive evaluation system for China's agricultural resilience. Measuring agricultural system resilience in China's 31 provinces and cities from 2001 to 2021. The synergistic values between agricultural resilience and eco‐efficiency were measured by the improved Haken model. Results show that: (1) Agricultural resilience exhibits a stable upward trend, but the overall level is low. Regional differences have been increasing over time. (2) Eco‐efficiency is the sequential covariate of synergistic evolution by the two systems. The overall synergy level between agricultural system resilience and eco‐efficiency is higher. (3) Considering the “propensity synergistic,” the overall change from low‐level benign synergy to high‐level benign synergy between agricultural resilience and eco‐efficiency in China. (4) The propensity synergy Haken model can compensate for the directionality‐lack problem of the traditional Haken model synergy value.

Societal Impact StatementWith the rapid development of modern agriculture and its reliance on high‐yielding and genetically uniform varieties, many traditional agricultural systems are gradually being abandoned. The genetic diversity contained in landraces is crucial for modern eco‐agriculture. An indicator evaluation model combined with machine learning could help to locate and conserve these existing traditional agricultural systems, called agricultural heritage systems (AHS). Here, this method provided the first map of potential areas of Tea‐AHS in China. These results could help policymakers to confirm priorities and rationally allocate conservation resources based on the distribution status and endangerment of AHS. This could also help local people to receive additional support for the transfer of germplasm resources and indigenous knowledge.Summary Modern agriculture is overly dependent on high‐yielding and genetically uniform varieties, whereas traditional agricultural systems contain a large number of genetically diverse landraces and the indigenous knowledge associated with them. We call traditional agricultural systems that survive to the present‐day agricultural heritage systems (AHS). Under the impact of modernization, AHS are gradually disappearing. Identifying these systems is the first step towards conserving them, but the potential areas of AHS related to agro‐biodiversity are not yet clear. Using Chinese tea as an example, this paper provides the first universal method for identifying potential areas of AHS based on agro‐biodiversity and the first map of potential areas of Tea‐AHS in China. The map is constructed based on the maximum entropy model (Maxent) of tea germplasm resources and related indicator functions and has been validated by existing Tea‐AHS in China. The study identified 54 potential areas of Tea‐AHS. These potential areas are mainly concentrated in the southern region, in 15 provinces, including Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hubei, and Hunan. Mangshi, Qimen County, and Chaisang District are among the high potential areas for Tea‐AHS and are the next priority for exploration and conservation work. We have verified the validity of the proposed method, which can help conserve the germplasm resources and traditional wisdom in the global AHS in a timely manner, and contribute to the development of modern and eco‐agriculture.

The main task of agriculture is the production of quality and safe food. In conventional agriculture, the use of synthetic plant protection and plant nutrition products is often excessive, uncontrolled and unprofessional, which endangers the production of safe food, its quality and the human and animal health. Conventional agriculture has a negative effect on the environment, primarily on soil, water, air, and biodiversity. In response to the negative effects caused by conventional production, organic agriculture and organic food production emerged. Organic production is a complex production method that must respect strict legal norms and standards. It is a system of sustainable agriculture based on ethical respect of ecological principles through the rational use of natural resources, the use of renewable energy sources, the preservation of natural diversity and environmental protection. Agricultural production is based on the use of inputs obtained on the farm and the application of those methods that lead to the ecological balance of natural systems. Total area of organic agricultural land (OAL) in the world, including areas in conversion, amounted to 71.5 million ha in 2018. Non-agricultural organic land (NAL) (pastures, land for collecting wild plants, areas for beekeeping, aquaculture, and forests) amounted to 35.7 million ha. Over 2/3 of the OAL (more than 48.2 million ha) are grasslands/pastures. OAL in the type of arable land covered 13.3 million ha, which is 18.6% of OAL. Permanent cropland occupied over 4.7 million ha of OAL. Half of the world's OAL in 2018 was in Oceania (36 million ha), followed by Europe (15.6 million ha), Latin America (8 million ha), Asia (6.5 million ha), North America (3.3 million ha) and Africa (2 million ha). The largest areas of organic arable land were located in Europe, followed by Asia and North America. Cereals, including rice (4.8 million ha), fodder legumes (3.9 million ha) and oilseeds were mostly cultivated on arable land in organic production. The largest areas of permanent cropland in organic production are in Europe, followed by Africa and Latin America. The most important permanent crops are olives, coffee, stone fruits, vines, tropical and subtropical fruits, coconut and cocoa. Almost 2.6 million organic hives were registered, which represents 2.6% of the total number of hivesin 2018. The largest number of organic hives is found in Europe and Latin America. Organic aquaculture is mainly concentrated in Europe (56%), Asia (44%) and somewhat less in Latin America. At least 2.8 million organic producers were registered worldwide in 2018 (India 1,149,371, Uganda 210,352, Ethiopia 203,602). In Europe, 418,000 producers managed 15.6 million ha of organic agricultural land, of which 327,000 producers and 13.8 million ha were in the EU. In Europe, 3.1% of agricultural land is in the organic system, while in EU accounts to 7.5%. The countries with the largest areas of OAL were Spain (2.2 million ha), France (2 million ha) and Italy (2 million ha). In ten countries, the area of OAL in relation to the total agriculture is over 10% (Liechtenstein 38.5%, Austria 34.7%, Estonia 21.6%, etc.). The value of sale of organic food and beverages in 2018 amounted to over 97 billion euros, with the largest share of sales in the United States (40.6 billion euros), Germany (10.9 billion), France (9.1 billion) and China (8, 1 billion) The highest consumption of organic food per capita was in Switzerland and Denmark; 312 euros. The largest share of organic food and beverages was in the markets of Denmark (11.5%), Switzerland (9.9%) and Sweden (9.6%). In the production of organic food, Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with fragmented plots, have all the conditions for organic production. Organic food production can be a way out for small farmers who cannot be commercially viable in conventional production. Republic of Srpska has a comparative advantage over other countries in Europe due to the preserved agrosystem and unpolluted soil, water and air. The possibility of expanding the volume of organic production in Republic of Srpska also lies in the demand for organic products in larger city centres and the increased interest of domestic consumers in recognisable organic products. Organic production covered 896 ha in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018, of which 350 ha were in conversion. Cereals occupied 118 ha, oilseeds 23 ha, vegetables 11 ha, legumes 1 ha, continental fruits 2 ha, and perennial crops 150 ha. The total area of 896 ha represents about 0.03% of the total arable land. Non-agricultural land included 165,534 ha. The term multifunctional agriculture is related to non-marketable functions, and the requirement to achieve sustainable economic, social and ecological development of the environments in which agricultural production takes place. This means that agriculture, in addition to production for the market, should also participate in the development of rural areas, the improvement of the living conditions of its population and the protection and improvement of the environment. Multifunctional agriculture implies a farming type of production, where the emphasis is on the formation of the “eco-farms“. Agri-forestry systems, developed within organic agriculture, increase the complexity of agroecosystems, which represents an increase in the multifunctionality of organic agriculture. This is the reason why organic forestry farms are being developed today, where the interdependence of multifunctional organic agriculture and biodiversity is most clearly visible.