Sustainability is de®ned as the ability of a system to `continue'. In view of this de®nition, several aspects of the crop protection activity in organic farming are reviewed according to their ability to `continue'. As no absolute measure of sustainability is available, this analysis takes the form of a comparison between organic and conventional crop protection methods. Two elements of crop pr...

In this study we use a high-quality data set of in situ ozone measurements at a suburban site called Mohali in the state of Punjab to estimate ozone-related crop yield losses for wheat, rice, cotton and maize for Punjab and the neighbouring state Haryana for the years 2011–2013. We intercompare crop yield loss estimates according to different exposure metrics, such as AOT40 (accumulated ozone e...

This paper provides a comprehensive review of literature related to the assessment of climate change impacts on crop productivity using climate, water and crop yield models. The existing studies present that climate change models with higher spatial resolution can be a way forward for future climate projections. Meanwhile, stochastic projections of more than one climate model are necessary for ...

Justifiable usage of large-scale crop model simulations requires transparent, comprehensive and spatially extensive evaluations of their performance and associated accuracy. Simulated crop yields of a Pan-European implementation of the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) crop model were satisfactorily evaluated with reported regional yield data from EUROSTAT for four major crops, inc...

[1] The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenarios for 2000 to 2050 describe contrasting future developments in agricultural land use under changing climate. Differences are related to the total crop and livestock production and the efficiency of nutrient use in agriculture. The scenarios with a reactive approach to environmental problems show increases in agricultural N and P soil balances in a...

Theoretical analysis of the CO(2) assimilation and water loss by single leaves suggests that the water use efficiency of C(4) species decreases as stomatal resistance increases. To confirm this hypothesis for a complete maize crop, results from computer simulations and a field experiment were compiled for varying stomatal resistances. A soil-plant-atmosphere model allowed simulations of the man...

An objective drought index that measures the dry and hot conditions adversely affecting crop yields is used in a regression analysis to test whether corn and soybeans have become more drought tolerant. Results indicate that corn yield losses from a drought of a given severity, whether measured in quantity terms or as a percentage of mean yield, have decreased over time. The null hypothesis that...

Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. ABSTRACT This article examines the extent to which actual crop insurance indemnification behavior conforms to the theoretical predictions of two ex post moral hazard models – costly state verification and costly state falsification. A nonpar...

Careful management of plant nutrients is more important than ever because of volatile grain/fertilizer price ratios and public concerns about water quality impairment due to excess nutrient loss from fields. The management concepts most relevant to increase the efficacy of crop production while limiting water quality impairment are different for nitrogen (N) than for less mobile nutrients such ...

Tajikistan is a hotspot of plant and animal species diversity and endemism andis important for the conservation of biodiversity on a global scale. The country is located ata biological crossroads. Species from Central and Northern Europe, Central Asia, theMiddle East, and North Africa mingle here with endemics found nowhere else. Therichness of Tajikistan‘s biodiversity shows up at the genetic,...