Yield and Production Gaps in Rainfed Wheat, Barley, and Canola in Alberta

Improving crop yields are essential to meet the increasing pressure of global food demands. The loss of high quality land, the slowing in annual yield increases of major cereals, increasing fertilizer use, and the effect of this on the environment all indicate that we need to develop new strategies to increase grain yields with less impact on the environment. One strategy that could help address this concern is by narrowing the yield gaps of major crops using improved genetics and management. The objective of this study was to determine wheat (Triticum spp. L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and canola (Brassica napus L.) yields and production gaps in Alberta. We used ten years of data (2005-14) to understand yield variability and input efficiency at a farmers’ specified level of management, and the yield potential under optimal management to suggest appropriate pathways for closing yield gaps. Significant management gaps were observed between attainable and actual yields of rainfed wheat (24%), barley (25%), and canola (30%). In addition, genetic gaps (i.e., gaps due to genetic selection) in wheat, barley, and canola were 18%, 12%, and 5%, respectively. Genetic selection with optimal crop management could increase yields of wheat, barley, and canola significantly, with estimated yield gains of 3.42, 1.92, and 1.65 million tonnes, respectively, each year under rainfed conditions in Alberta. This paper identifies yield gaps and offers suggestions to improve efficiency in crop production

Impacts of natural disasters on smallholder farmers : gaps and recommendations

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)Lessons from disaster relief situations demonstrate that national governments, aid agencies, and international/non-governmental organizations (I/NGOs) are effective at distributing short-term products to cities. This paper proposes an emergency sustainable agriculture kit (eSAK) framework for disaster relief in rural areas with products that can be combined into packages to address the needs of shelter, hunger, first aid, seeds, preservation of indigenous crop varieties, and post-disaster labour shortages. Products include rolls of agricultural-grade plastics, low-oxygen grain storage bags, waterproof gardening gloves, multi-use shovels, seeds of early maturing crops, fertilizers, inexpensive farming tools, temporary food support, and first-aid kits

Agronomic challenges and opportunities for smallholder terrace agriculture in developing countries

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)The article focuses on the challenges of terrace agriculture: lack of quality land area; erosion and loss of soil fertility; low yield; poor access to agricultural inputs and services; lack of mechanization; labor shortages; poverty and illiteracy. Agronomic strategies that help address these concerns include intensification of terraces using agroecological approaches along with introduction of light-weight, low-cost, and affordable tools and inputs that enhance productivity and reduce female drudgery. This paper references some challenges and successes of the “Nepal Terrace Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture Kits (SAK)” project, providing details of tools (illustrated table) and positive practices transferrable to similar regions

Top 10 inexpensive interventions to help farmers in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake : brief report for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD)

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)This report prioritizes 10 high-impact interventions for catastrophic conditions, that can be included in Sustainable Agricultural Kits (SAKs), two of which are: agricultural grade plastic for temporary housing, later re-purposed as greenhouse material or groundcover; hermetic grain storage bags to protect seeds against water damage. The strategies promote preservation of local farmer seed landraces, rather than emergency imported varieties. The report is brief containing 10 summary tables. For each product, the precise cost, number of units and procurement strategy is described. Aid efforts should procure locally first, but as short-term prices will likely spike, then external procurement has been suggested

Testing of models to scale up low cost agriculture practices and tools in hills of Nepal

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)The poster depicts how affordable appropriate technology interventions are being adopted and scaled up for terrace farmers in Nepal. A business model has been designed to scale up tools and materials through established private sector agencies like Agrovet or through organizations such as farmer cooperatives. For instance, the hand held corn sheller and composite vegetable kits are two top products. Agrovets are able to sell more vegetable composite kits (Sustainable Agricultural Kits), whereas a higher number of corn shellers are being supplied to the community by farmer cooperatives. Extension services are provided mainly through NGO and government agencies

Low cost sustainable agriculture kits (SAKs) as an agronomic strategy to improve farmer livelihoods in Nepal

This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)A sustainable agriculture kit (SAK) consists of 3 components: locally approved seeds; low cost tools and technologies (focused on reducing female drudgery); and an agricultural extension picture book to communicate best agronomic practices (indigenous and scientific) to empower illiterate farmers. The picture book is open access and will be available online at www.SAKNepal.org. Local vendors/ distributors have been identified, and the scaling up process has begun. The poster depicts components of the project so that interrelationships between aspects of the research and its implementation can be made and shared for training purposes

Optimizing biological nitrogen fixation inexpensively as part of a sustainable agriculture kit (SAK) strategy to assist subsistence farmers

PowerPoint presentationThis work was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC)This PowerPoint presentation shows how Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation (SNF) works in plants and soils, and how it can be improved to help smallholder farmers through identification practices. A newly developed biosensor “GlnLux biosensor” measures SNF output in non-transgenic ureide- and amide-exporting legumes. This process can efficiently measure nitrogen fixation capabilities of legume crop varieties. Also part of the presentation are low cost tools and methods of planting, provided as visual instructions for smallholder participants in field trials, as well as Sustainable Agriculture Kit (SAK) tests and demonstrations

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation, growth and yield response of common bean and cowpea for Rhizobia inoculation and micronutrients (B and Mo) application in mid-hill regions of Nepal

This is a CIFSIRF funded project.Challenges associated with legume production in Nepal include: lack of high yielding varieties and crop specific management (e.g., disease/pest management) practices, loss of soil fertility including micronutrients, poor access to agricultural inputs and services, shortage of irrigation water, lack of mechanization, and labour shortages which led to poor yields and low economic returns to farmers (Chapagain and Gurung, 2010; Chapagain and Raizada, 2017). Farmers mostly used untreated seeds from previous season harvest to cultivate these crops and very little attention has been given to study the effects of bacterial inoculation on the crop performance and soil health through systemic on-farm trials. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation of 3 legumes can be improved by introducing efficient rhizobia strains for N fixation (Thilakarathna and Raizada, 2017), and also through application of soil deficient micronutrients which are important for different stages of SNF (Weisany et al., 2013). This research explores the opportunities to use different rhizobia strains (native as well as exotic) along with micronutrients (Boron and Molybdenum) on two legume crops (e.g., cowpea and common bean) to enhance SNF, crop yields (grain and plant biomass), plant and grain N content, and offers the most productive combination(s) for each crop

Seasonal and year-round intercropping systems for smallholder farmers : results from on-farm intercropping trials on terraces in Nepal on maize, millet, mustard, wheat and ginger

We would like to thank the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), jointly sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Ottawa) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) for funding.Low yield and total land productivity are major challenges associated with smallholder terrace agriculture in developing countries. Crop intensification and diversification by introducing legumes as intercrop could help alleviate these challenges. We compared 10 intercrop combinations with sole cropping system for two rotation cycles (2015-17) to identify the most productive and economic intercrop combinations for smallholder terrace agriculture. In the spring-summer season (March/April-July/August), cowpea (var. Makaibodi and Suryabodi) and bean were intercropped with maize in rows of 1:1 whereas soybean, blackgram and horsegram were broadcasted with millet (30:70 ratios) during summer-rainy season (July/August-November/December). Pea and lentil were used as winter intercrop (November/December-March/April) in wheat (30:70 ratios) while mustard was planted with pea. Ginger was planted with maize in 1:1 rows during spring-summer season in which the maize rows were replaced by soybean and lentil during summer-rainy and winter season, respectively

Intercropping wheat and barley with nitrogen fixing legume species in low input organic systems

Declining land productivity associated with decreasing soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (N) is an issue for conventional production of small grains. Intercropping grains with legumes may provide a sustainable solution. I grew wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. ‘Scarlet’) as a monoculture and intercropped with either common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. ‘Red Kidney’, or cv. ‘Black Turtle’), or fava bean (Vicia faba cv. ‘Bell’) in rows of wheat:bean 1:1 and 2:1 as well as broadcast arrangements to assess the effects of genotype and spatial arrangements on crop agronomy, land productivity, biological nitrogen fixation and transfer, N and carbon (C) accumulation in aboveground biomass, soil N balance, gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP), net ecosystem productivity (NEP), and water use efficiency (WUE). Barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. ‘Oxbridge’) and pea (Pisum sativum cv. ‘Reward’) were also included based on synchronized maturity, yield potential, protein content, and root architecture. Stable isotope methods (¹³C and ¹⁵N) coupled with field CO₂ exchange measurements were used to determine C and N transformations. Intercrop plots had higher land productivity, improved grain and biomass quality, increased legume nodulation and percent N derived from symbiotic N₂ fixation. Wheat-fava bean in the 1:1 arrangement displayed a 50% increase in land productivity. Barley-pea in the 2:1 arrangement also had the highest total land outputs (5.9 t ha-¹) and land equivalent ratio (1.32). Wheat-fava bean in the 1:1 arrangement fixed the highest amount of N (74 kg N ha-¹), transferred the most N (13% of N in wheat), and accumulated more C (26% higher than wheat monoculture) in shoot biomass. WUE of wheat was improved when grown with fava bean. Pea in intercrop plots also displayed increased nodulation (27-45%) and symbiotic N₂ fixation (9-17%) leading to the addition of 60-78 kg N ha-¹. The GEP and NEP were highest in the 2:1 arrangement and led to the highest daytime C sequestration (229 mg C m-² hr-¹). I demonstrated that intercropping small grains with legumes, in specific spatial arrangements and under low input organic conditions, can counter conventional monoculture-associated SOC and N losses through higher land and ecosystem productivity, and greater organic N-fixation and transfer.Land and Food Systems, Faculty ofGraduat