In the North China Plain, groundwater tables have been dropping at unsustainable rates of 1 m per year due to irrigation of a double cropping system of winter wheat and summer maize. To reverse the trend, we examined whether alternative crop rotations could save water. Moisture contents were measured weekly at 20 cm intervals in the top 180 cm of soil as part of a 12-year field experiment with ...

The bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) transmits the nonpersistent Potato virus Y (PVY) to seed potatoes. Planting a nonvirus host plant around the main crop can reduce PVY incidence, because aphids tend to land in high numbers at the edge of a field and the crop border acts as a virus sink. This study determined R. padi landing and settling preferences and reproductive rates on thre...

An understanding of the relative impacts of the changes in climate variables on crop yield can help develop effective adaptation strategies to cope with climate change. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the interannual variability and trends in temperature, solar radiation and precipitation during 1961–2003 on wheat and maize yields in a double cropping system at Beijing an...

One of the ways of haploid production is a cross between wheat and maize. Recently success has been achieved in this method, leading to the production of zygotes; these zygotes generally undergo elimination of maize chromosomes and thus lead to production of wheat haploid plant. The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient method of haploid production via maize pollination in short dur...

Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) trait variation underpins multiple agroecological processes and many prominent crop yield models. While there are numerous independent studies assessing trait variation in crops, to date there have been no comprehensive assessments of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in LES traits for wheat and maize: the world's most widespread crops. Using trait databases and ...

An integrated optimization model was developed for the spatial distribution of agricultural crops in order to efficiently utilize agricultural water and land resources simultaneously. The model is based on the spatial distribution of crop suitability, spatial distribution of population density, and agricultural land use data. Multi-source remote sensing data are combined with constraints of opt...

Members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) are important pathogens on wheat, maize, barley, and rice in China. Harvested grains are often contaminated by mycotoxins, such as the trichothecene nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON) and the estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN), which is a big threat to humans and animals. In this study, 97 isolates were collected from maize, w...

There are methods to increase fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency through optical sensor-based nitrogen application; however, the sensors are expensive and cost prohibitive to farmers in the developing world. This study evaluated a novel, reduced cost, prototype, and optical sensor to determine if it could be used with the same level of accuracy as a commercial sensor. The stability of the proto...

twentieth century had faced considerable increase in crops yields. nonetheless, it is postulated that world population will reach 10.4 billion until 2050 which means the demand for agricultural crops production should be increased between 60 and 110 percent. in the present study, improvements in grain yields of wheat, maize and rice during the recent decades in iran were studies through analyzi...

The starch granules of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) contain a group of three proteins known as SGP-1 (starch granule protein-1) proteins, which have apparent molecular masses of 100, 108, and 115 kD. The nature and role of these proteins has not been defined previously. We demonstrate that these polypeptides are starch synthases that are present in both the starch granule and the soluble...