Nutrient management for production, profit, and environmental protection: Striking the balance Strategies to manage nutrients in crop production were first designed to maximize crop yields, an objective that became increasingly possible with the development of inorganic fertilizers during the past century. Later, as economic analysis of farm profitability became more sophisticated, strategies s...

this research represents the first attempt in italy to develop a cage system for adult freshwater mussel stocking, for extensive farming, that was realized from 2003 to 2005 in nw italy. two autochthonous species of italian freshwater mussel were used: anodonta anatina and unio mancus. 5133 mussels were collected and successively stocked in floating cages in 5 different sites in a lake. this st...

the main driving force of the earth atmospheric system is solar radiation. radiation flux determines the surface temperature and impacts life on the earth through photosynthesis. a quantitative knowledge of the earth radiation field is important to evaluate the atmosphere–surface interactions and the global hydrological cycle. various atmospheric radiative transfer models have been proposed in ...

Discourse on the origins and spread of domesticated species focuses on universal causal explanations or unique regional or temporal trajectories. Despite new data as to the context and physical processes of early domestication, researchers still do not understand the types of system-level reorganizations required to transition from foraging to farming. Drawing upon dynamical systems theory and ...

China’s agricultural development in recent decades is impressive. Its farmers continue to feed the world’s largest population and China’s crop yields are well above global averages. Yet rural incomes have been stagnating, with wide and growing geographic disparities. Overall, China’s median net per capita rural income is low, estimated at US$317 in 2003. Nevertheless, Chinese agricultural devel...

Intensive agricultural practices in farming systems in eastern Australia have been identified as a contributor to the poor runoff water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). A field investigation was carried out to measure the off-farm water quality and productivity in a coastal farming system in northeastern Australia. Two vegetable crops (capsicum and zucchini) were grown in summer 2...

We set out to give a brief outline of key studies that look at the benefits/costs of outsourcing production and services. The bulk of the evidence suggests that farming out physical components, both domestically as well as from overseas, enhances both productivity and profitability. However, the net benefit arising from outsourcing services is less clear-cut.

Both organic and conventional farming processes require energy input in the form of diesel fuel for farming equipment, animal feed, and fertilizer compounds. The most significant difference between the two methods is the use in conventional farming of mineral fertilizers and pesticides that are minimally employed in organic management. It is argued that organic farming is more environmentally f...