Molecular transformation is commonly offered as a hope to overcome the apparent stagnation in crop yield potential. A basic understanding of the resource limits imposed on crops and the yield hierarchy going from gene expression to harvestable yield leads to a rather negative view that transformations of a few, or even of a complex of genes will result directly in major yield increases. Forty y...

Better irrigation management and more efficient management of crop production require modeling of plant growth and crop yield. More applicable models are usually simple and requires less and accessible inputs. The objective of this study was to develop a model for growth and yield prediction of saffron under various irrigation regimes. In this modeling soil water budget and other simple rel...

Long-term yield performance and yield stability of common cropping systems needs to be simultaneously assessed at various fertility regimes. Based on a consecutive 19-year field trial, including eight fertilization treatments with different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and recycled manure (RM), the effects of fertilization and crop rotation on corn (Zea mays L.) y...

Crop insurance is a viable solution to reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to risks from pest and disease outbreaks, extreme weather events, and market shocks that threaten their household food and income security. In developing and emerging countries, the implementation of area yield-based insurance, the form of crop insurance preferred by clients and industry, is constrained by th...

Low variability of crop production from year to year is desirable for many reasons, including reduced income risk and stability of supplies. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of yield variability, whether it is changing through time, and how it varies between crops and regions. Previous studies have shown that national crop yield variability has changed in the past, with the d...

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is currently the most important upland crop of Cambodia, but information on yield variations and causal factors which is important for efficiently targeting efforts to increase production is still lacking. The objectives of this study were to determine the yield variations and causal factors for cassava production in Kampong Cham province in Cambodia. Fort...

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...

To improve crop model performance for regional crop yield estimates, a new four-dimensional variational algorithm (POD4DVar) merging the Monte Carlo and proper orthogonal decomposition techniques was introduced to develop a data assimilation strategy using the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis (CERES)-Wheat model. Two winter wheat yield estimation procedures were conducted on a field plot and...