This paper summarizes a study initiated by the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Research and ICARDA/CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program on the adoption of five new winter and spring wheat varieties developed and released by the Turkish national breeding program and through international collaboration in the past 10 years. The study results are based on a survey of 781 households selected randomly in the Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Edirne, and Konya provinces of Turkey. The five new wheat varieties are compared to old improved varieties released prior to 1995 that are also still grown by farmers. Technical and biological indicators of impacts including crop productivity are measured to determine the impact of these varieties. Yield stability is assessed by comparing average yields in normal, good and dry years and by comparing the coefficients of variation of yields by variety. Profitability is measured by the gross margin generated per unit of land. Household income from wheat and for all economic activities are estimated and compared between adopters and non-adopters. Adopters of the new varieties have higher per-capita income than non-adopters as compared to the same group using old varieties. However, the overall impact of the improved varieties is generally low, mainly due to their low adoption levels. Farmers’ knowledge and perception of certain variety characteristics and unavailability of adequate and timely seed are the main reasons. Increasing adoption has the potential to improve household income and this requires revising wheat impact pathway to achieve the expected impact.

Low-temperature stress is an important limiting factor to tobacco growth in early spring of south China. In this study, a low-temperature-resistant agent (LTRA) was employed to examine its ameliorating effect on the inhibition of tobacco growth triggered by low-temperature stress. Results indicated that low-temperature stress of 12 °C for 6 days reduced root number and biomass of tobacco seedling by 27.4% and 24.1%, while treatment with LTRA could recover the inhibitory effect of low-temperature stress on tobacco growth significantly. The content of ascorbic acid and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase at low-temperature stress were 65.2%, 53.5% and 32.1% of those at normal temperature condition (26 °C), while the corresponding values with LTRA treatment were 89.2%, 88.9% and 74.2%, suggesting that LTRA treatment could enhance the activity of antioxidant enzyme and the synthesis of antioxidant compounds. Low-temperature stress increased the membrane permeability by 84.8%, while LTRA treatment recovered it by 77.4%. Furthermore, LTRA treatment contributed to increase chlorophyll synthesis and maintain the integrity of tobacco leaf structure. Effective component analysis indicated that the complex of ammonium calcium nitrate and glycine betaine was the main effective component of LTRA in maintaining membrane integrity. Its effective concentration was 1.0 g L−1. The above results suggested that LTRA could enhance the synthesis of chlorophyll, activate the activity of antioxidant enzyme, maintain the integrity of cell membrane, and thus elevate the tolerance of tobacco seedlings to low-temperature stress.

We analyse the adoption of an Integrated Food-Energy System (IFES) in southern Malawi. The IFES combined the improved cookstove (chitetezo mbaula in Chichewa), designed to reduce demand for fuelwood, with the pigeonpea variety Mthawajuni, which increased both food supply and supply of fuelwood from pigeonpea stems. Adoption of the improved cookstove was found to be higher among households that were better off and where women had greater control over decision-making. However, adoption of the IFES was not associated with reduced demand for fuelwood from forests and hills or reduced frequency of collection. IFES adopters might have high fuelwood consumption because they were better off, but fuelwood consumption in better-off households did not differ significantly between IFES adopters and non-adopters. Pigeonpea increased food supply for adopter households, including children aged less than five years. Consequently, the IFES has had mixed results, improving food supply but not reducing demand for fuelwood. Households ranked early maturity, fuelwood and yield as the three most important reasons for preferring Mthawajuni over other varieties of pigeonpea. The plant breeding programme for pigeonpea in Malawi should evaluate improved varieties not only for earliness and grain yield but also for the production of fuelwood. Improved varieties with desirable market traits have had limited success in the absence of reliable markets and price incentives.

The results of international research on the water relations and irrigation needs of onions have been synthesised in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to irrigation practices, and consequent impacts on crop yield, quality and storage. Following a brief introduction on its origins and centres of production, a synthesis of research on crop development including plant water relations, crop water requirements, yield response to water, irrigation systems and scheduling are presented. Most of the evidence stems from research conducted in arid and semi-arid regions, notably the USA, India, Spain and Turkey. The findings confirm that onion seasonal water requirements are highly variable depending on agroclimate, location and season, as are the crop coefficients (Kc) which range from 0.4 to 0.7 (initial stage), 0.85 to 1.05 (middle development) and 0.6 to 0.75 (final stage). Seasonal irrigation needs are reported to vary from 225 to 1040 mm to produce between 10 and 77 t ha−1. The most sensitive stages for water stress are at emergence, transplanting and bulb formation. Final crop quality can also be affected by water excess. Water stress at specific stages can negatively impact on quality leading to reduced size and multi-centred bulbs. In recent years, pressure on water resources, retailer demands for quality assurance and rising production costs have meant that onion irrigation has switched from traditional low efficiency (furrow) methods to more efficient advanced (sprinkler and drip) technologies. For scheduling, optimal soil water potential thresholds for triggering irrigation were found to be between −17 and −27 kPa for drip and furrow irrigation. Research is underway to maximise water use efficiency in onions, but the deficit irrigation regimes being tested under experimental conditions have yet to be adopted commercially.

Enset [Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman (Musaceae)] is a multi-purpose and drought-tolerant crop, traditionally grown in Ethiopia. Food from enset has nutritive values similar to potato; it could improve food and livelihood security for many in larger geographical areas. Agronomical advice is needed which requires increased knowledge of management techniques. The purposes of this study were to (i) compare traditional corm pre-treatments when planting for sucker production, (ii) compare all six officially released cultivars regarding sprouting and (iii) investigate the effect of watering on newly buried corms. Emergence rate and number and characteristics of sprouts were recorded. Corms, from 63 two year old plants, were buried in local soil supplied with cow manure in Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia. Emergence was recorded daily. After nine months, including one rainy season, all suckers (totally 4405) were harvested and individually recorded. Regardless of cultivar, minimum time to emergence was 50 days. Sprouts from split parent corms emerged earlier than from entire. Emergence occurred from 100% of corms, number of sprouts was strongly correlated to cultivar: average 28–106. The cultivars responded similarly to corm splitting: the more pieces the corm was split into, the more sprouts per parent corm. Average pseudostem diameter of the seven largest per parent corm: 8–10 cm for all cultivars, leaf length: 3.1–3.7 m, remaining 2700 smaller suckers: diameter 3 cm (SD 1.8). Watering decreased the average time to emergence and levelled out the differences between pre-treatments. The traditional belief is that watering as well as manure on corm cause rotting; manure is therefore usually put on the soil surface. On the contrary, full emergence and unexpected large suckers may be a result of careful soil preparation with manure applied on corm directly; watering resulted in an even emergence and growth. In conclusion, vegetative propagation of enset is efficient, but methods used and agronomical advice can be improved.

One consequence of climate change is change in the phenology and distribution of plants, including the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Date palm, as a crop specifically adapted to arid conditions in desert oases and to very high temperatures, may be dramatically affected by climate changes. Some areas that are climatically suitable for date palm growth at the present time will become climatically unsuitable in the future, while other areas that are unsuitable under current climate will become suitable in the future. This study used CLIMEX to estimate potential date palm distribution under current and future climate scenarios using one emission scenario (A2) with two different global climate models (GCMs), CSIRO-Mk3.0 (CS) and MIROC-H (MR). The results of this study indicated that Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran are most affected countries as a result of climate change. In Saudi Arabia, 129 million ha (68%) of currently suitable area is projected to become unsuitable by 2100. However, this is based on climate modelling alone. The actual decrease in area may be much smaller when abiotic and other factors are taken into account. On the other hand, 13 million ha (33%) of currently unsuitable area is projected to become suitable by 2100 in Iran. Additionally, by 2050, Israel, Jordan and western Syria will become climatically more suitable. Cold and heat stresses will play a significant role in date palm distribution in the future. These results can inform strategic planning by government and agricultural organizations to identify areas for cultivation of this profitable crop in the future, and to address those areas that will need greater attention because they are becoming marginal regions for date palm cultivation.

Achieving export growth in rice production from variable rainfed lowland rice ecosystems is at risk if depending on conventional breeding or genetic development alone. Sustained, long-term production requires building adaption capacity of smallholder farmers to better manage the challenges of seasonal climate variability and future climate change. Better understanding of the risks and constraints that farmers face in managing their current cropping system helps develop strategies for improving rice production in Cambodia. System models are now considered valuable assessment tools for evaluating cropping systems performance worldwide but require validation at the local level. This paper presents an evaluation of the APSIM-Oryza model for 15 Cambodian rice varieties under recommended practice. Data from a field experiment in 2011, conducted in a non-limiting water and nutrient environment, are used to calibrate varietal-specific coefficients and model input parameters. An independent dataset is then used to validate the model performance for a ‘real-world’ situation using on-farm data for six rice varieties planted in 54 farmer fields on 32 farms in two villages of Southeastern Cambodia. From this analysis, the APSIM-Oryza model is shown to be an acceptable tool for exploring the mismatch between current on-farm yields and potential production through yield gap analysis and the exploration of cropping system options for smallholder farmers to increase production, adapt to seasonal climate variability and be prepared for potential climate changes.

The objective of this study was to calibrate and evaluate a simple crop yield model for 101 Brazilian soybean cultivars, and through the calibrated water deficit sensitivity index (Ky) to classify groups of cultivars in relation to drought tolerance. The cultivars’ actual yield was obtained from field experiments conducted by Pro-Seeds Foundation in 17 locations in southern Brazil from 2008 to 2011. Daily weather data were obtained from the government weather networks and rainfall was recorded at each experimental location. The crop yield model FAO–Agroecological zone was used to estimate potential yield (Yp), while the water deficit yield depletion model was used to estimate actual yield (Ya) and to determine Ky. Calibrated Ky values were used in a cluster analysis to determine groups of soybean cultivars with the same degree of drought tolerance. The crop yield model performed very well with lower values of mean absolute error (284 kg ha−1) and mean error (7 kg ha−1). The Ky values of 0.97, 0.90, 0.88 and 0.78 were obtained for the most sensitive soybean phenological phase to water deficit (flowering/yield formation), and were used to identify the groups of low, medium-low, medium-high and high drought tolerance respectively. In spite of Ky differences in cultivar groups, harvest index (CH) also varied, ranging from 0.31 to 0.35 for the group of high to low drought tolerance. The crop yield model proved to be an efficient tool for identifying drought tolerance of Brazilian soybean cultivars and for choosing the best cultivar for a given environment.

Much of the watermelon (Citullus lanatus) cultivation in Brazil is conducted in sandy soil and topographic conditions that favour the erosion process. Therefore, conservation tillage methods are critical for the sustainability of the production chain of this vegetable crop. We studied different tillage methods and cover crops in watermelon cultivation in the area of the reform of degraded pasture. For this purpose, two tillage methods were established as experimental treatments: minimum tillage preparation with subsoiling only, and no tillage. As cover crops white lupine (Lupinus albus) and bristle oat (Avena strigosa) were seeded. As control, watermelon was cultivated with conventional tillage, without prior cultivation of cover crops. For the experimental design, randomised blocks in a factorial arrangement with four replications were used. After liming and phosphate fertilisation of the soil, cover crops were cultivated in soil with minimum tillage and no tillage to produce straw to be used for soil cover, where subsequently the watermelon was grown. The productivity of dry mass and nutrient accumulation in the shoot of cover crops, the soil properties and the watermelon agronomic performance were evaluated. White lupine had better performance in the production of dry mass and nutrient accumulation in shoot than bristle oat. There were differences among treatments for soil penetration resistance, where in conventional tillage the values were lower in the first 30 cm of depth in relation to no-tillage cultivation. The tillage method also affected the fertility of the soil at a depth of 0 to 20 cm. The no tillage provided increased nitrogen leaf content in watermelon regardless of cover crops but restricted root growth in relation to minimum tillage and conventional tillage. Watermelon had similar commercial production by different treatments, with reduction only in no tillage on bristle oat straw.

A study was conducted to evaluate performance of two rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties under water saving irrigation through alternate wetting and drying in sandy clay loams of Southern Malawi. The varieties, Nunkile and NERICA 4, are adapted to upland and lowland irrigated conditions, individually, and commonly grown by farmers. Four irrigation regimes were used in the study: (1) continuous flooding with surface water level kept at approximately 5 cm throughout crop duration (CFI), (2) alternate wetting and drying up to start of flowering after which continuous flooding was applied (AWD1), (3) alternate wetting and drying up to start of grain filling after which continuous flooding was applied (AWD2) and (4) alternate wetting and drying throughout the crop duration (AWD3). While seasonal crop water requirement was 690 mm, total irrigation depths were 1923.61, 1307.81, 1160.61 and 807.87 mm for the four regimes respectively. The CFI treatment used 32%, 40% and 58% more water than AWD1, AWD2, and AWD3 regimes respectively. In the same treatment order, the average yields per treatment for Nunkile were 4.92, 4.75, 4.74, and 4.47 t ha−1 with significant yield differences among CFI, AWD2 and AWD3 treatments. The average yields per treatment for NERICA 4 were 3.93, 3.75, 3.75, and 3.71 t ha−1 with significant yield differences only between CFI and all AWD treatments. Crop water productivity (CWP) was higher for Nunkile compared with NERICA 4 across all irrigation treatments, while CWP for CFI treatment was superior to all three AWD treatments grown under either variety. Thus, CWP was not increased with AWD irrigations. AWD till flowering and grain filling did not significantly differ with respect to yield and CWP. It is suggested that for similar conditions and where water is scarce, rice can be grown by AWD till grain filling as it saved more water. An important part of the research is to extend the initial results beyond the climate and soils of study.