This article deals with technology transfer from science to agriculture with pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.)R.Br.) in central Tanzania as example. The major question is which validity recommendations from different types of field experiments have and how geo-information (i.e. soil and landscape position) can lead to more site-specific recommendations. Tied ridging and reduced amounts of placed fertilizer during sowing were tested to increase yields on researcher-managed plots on-station, demonstration plots in villages, and farmer-managed plots on-farm. While on-station trials provided potential yield effects, physical distance to the station and differing conditions led to a higher informational value of village plots that mirror the context of local farmers. The treatments often resulted in significant yield increase. Soil and relief information and distance to settlements (i.e. gradient of management intensity) are key factors for data variability in on-farm trials. Unexplained variability is introduced through leaving degrees of freedom with respect to management to the farmer. Apart from soil and physiographic information, the latter should be part of a detailed data collection procedure in agronomic trials in large numbers addressing Sub-Saharan smallholder farming. Balanced data sets with dispersed trials on crucial soil and relief units are essential for future research.

Maize is the primary staple crop cultivated during the monsoon season in eastern India. However, yield gaps are large because of multiple factors, including low adoption rates of good agronomic management practices. This study aimed to narrow the maize yield gap using diverse agronomic and varietal interventions through field experiments over 2 years (2013–2014) in the rainfed plateau region of Odisha. As a result, maize yield increased by 0.9, 0.74, and 0.17 Mg ha−1 under optimum plant population, fertilizer management, and herbicide-based weed management, respectively, over farmers’ current practices (Check). Moreover, when all three interventions were combined (‘best’ management practice), grain yields increased by 1.7 Mg ha−1 in conservation tillage and 2.2 Mg ha−1 in conventional tillage. We also observed that the combination of long-duration hybrids and best management practices (BMPs) increased grain yield by 4.0 Mg ha−1 and profitability by $888 ha−1 over farmers’ current practices. In addition, Nutrient Expert decision support tool-based fertilizer management along with BMPs increased grain yield by 1.7 Mg ha−1 and profitability by $314 ha−1 over farmers’ fertilizer practices (Check). These results suggest that the combination of maize hybrids and BMPs can improve the productivity and profitability of rainfed maize in the plateau region of Odisha. However, these entry points for intensification need to be placed in the context of varying investment requirements, input and output market conditions, and matched with farmer preferences and risk.

Rice productivity is limited by many pests, especially Pomacea spp. in Southeast Asia. Pomacea spp. damage to rice depends on sowing methods, flooded conditions, and snail densities in the field. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of different sowing methods, water levels, and snail density (1, 2, and 3 snails per plot) on the damage potential of Pomacea maculata and Pomacea canaliculata to rice and its yield. Both species caused complete loss of crop in direct seeding and 14 days old transplanted rice. The least damage by both species was recorded in 21 and 28 days old transplanted rice with no further damage after week five. Irrigation and snail density also influenced damage whereby highest damage was recorded in rice grown with 5 cm water level in comparison to 2 cm. At 2 cm water level, damage by various snail densities was trivial. However, in 5 cm water level, damage increased with the increasing snail density and the highest damage was observed at three snails per plot of either species. No difference in inflicted damage to various treatments was observed between two species, suggesting their equal damage potential on rice. Meanwhile, rice yields in 2 cm water level treatments were compatible with 5 cm control treatment. The least yield was recorded in treatments with three snails per plot of either species at 5 cm water level. Understanding the effect of sowing method and suitable water level is important as it can be further incorporated into rice cultivation practices to reduce damage of apple snails and ensure a high yield during harvest.

A variety of established tools are available for agricultural sustainability assessment at global, regional, and farm geographical scales. However, no assessment has been reported in research literature to indicate their ability to provide insights about the most sustainable cropping system at plot level or experimental unit. Despite the environmental and social importance of soil in agricultural systems, many of the sustainability assessments use few or no indicators related to soil properties or processes. Hence, we propose a sustainability assessment methodology oriented to soil-associated agricultural experiments (SMAES) by defining its parameters through simulations and testing the methodology with real data from a fertilization tomato experiment with five treatments: chemical control (CR); organic control (OR); and organic:chemical ratios (OR) of 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25. The distance from the maximum, principal component analysis, and product of weighted indicator techniques were chosen for normalization, weighting, and aggregation in a single index process, respectively. Applying the SMAES methodology, the sustainability level of the treatments followed this sequence: CR (0.95) > O25:C75 (0.73) > O50:C50 (0.60) > O75:C25 (0.55) > OR (0.45). The proposed SMAES methodology allows soil researchers to define the best treatment through the interaction of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of agricultural systems.

Enhancing seedling quality and promoting root growth post-transplantation are crucial for improving mechanically transplanted rice productivity. Here we investigated the impact of various plant growth regulators on hybrid and conventional rice varieties. Treatments, including two-diethylaminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6, 10 mg L−1), a combination of potassium 3-indole-butyrate + potassium 1-naphthylacetate + 6-benzylaminopurine (C3, 50 + 50 + 10 mg L−1), potassium 3-indole-butyrate + potassium 1-naphthylacetate + 1-triacontanol (C4, 50 + 50 + 50 mg L−1), potassium 3-indole-butyrate + potassium 1-naphthylacetate + 1.8% sodium nitrophenolate (C5, 50 + 50 + 1 mg L−1), and a combination of potassium 3-indole-butyrate + potassium 1-naphthylacetate + 1.8% sodium nitrophenolate + DA-6 (C6, 50 + 50 + 1 + 10 mg L−1), were sprayed either 3 or 10 days before transplanting. Seedlings sprayed 10 days before transplanting exhibited a higher number of white roots and total roots at the returning green stage, along with increased grain yield, irrespective of the plant growth regulator used. The C6 combination emerged as the most effective treatment, enhancing the growth of both hybrid and conventional rice seedlings, accelerating the growth rate of white roots and total roots, and increasing the length of the longest white root during the greening period, ultimately resulting in higher grain yield. Our findings demonstrate that pre-transplantation application of a combination of plant growth regulators positively influences rice seedling growth.

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is an important tuber crop in a number of countries, but especially in West Africa where it serves as a food staple as well as a cash crop as excess production is sold in local markets. But the availability of quality planting material, most notably seed yams, for yam production remains an important constraint for farmers. Techniques have been developed to help address this limitation by cutting yam tubers into pieces (minisetts), treating them with the pesticide either via a seed dressing dust or pesticide ‘dips’ and planting to grow seed yams of the required size and quality. But while there have been many studies on the agronomy and adoption by farmers of these techniques, there have been fewer studies on their economic performance. Indeed, to date there have been no studies that compare the economic performance of treating setts compared to leaving them untreated, and neither has there been any analysis of the environmental impact of treating setts. This paper reports the results of a study designed to address these two gaps in knowledge and is based upon results from a series of farmer-managed seed yam plots established in the middle belt of Nigeria over 4 years (2013–2016). Results suggest that revenue and gross margin were higher for treated versus untreated setts although the latter still performed relatively well. Using the Field Use Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ), the commonly recommended pesticide sett treatments were estimated to have a low-to-moderate environmental impact, and further research is needed to see how far pesticide use can be reduced to still be effective and minimise any environmental impact.

The effects of straw alone or combined with industrial and agricultural wastes as fertilizers on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still poorly known in cropland areas. Here, we studied the effects of 3.5 Mg ha−1 straw and 3.5 Mg ha−1 straw combined with 8 Mg ha−1 of diverse wastes on GHG emission in a subtropical Jasminum sambac plantation in southeastern China. There were five treatments in a completely randomized block design: control, straw only, straw + biochar, straw + steel slag, and straw + gypsum slag. Emissions of carbon dioxide were generally higher in the treatments with waste than in the control or straw-only treatments, whereas the contrary pattern was observed in CH4 and N2O emission rates. Moreover, the total global warming potentials (GWPs) were no significantly higher in most of the amended treatments as compared to the control and straw-only treatments. In relation to the treatment with only straw, GWPs were 9.4% lower when steel slag was used. This finding could be a consequence of Fe amount added by steel slag, which would limit and inhibit the emissions of GHGs and their transport from soil to atmosphere. Our results showed that the application of slags did not increase the emission of GHGs and that the combination of straw with steel slag or biochar could be more effective than straw alone for controlling GHGs emission and improve soil C and nutrient provision.

Low levels of zinc are reported in flooded rice grown on alkaline clay soils in the Lake Chad basin, north-east Nigeria. Zinc was added at 0, 5, 10 and 20 kg/ha to sample plots. For the untreated plots, the mean levels of zinc in young rice leaf and ‘available’ zinc in the supporting soil, using the alkaline extractant method of Trierweiler and Lindsay (1969), were 18·2 and 0·33 ppm respectively; corresponding mean levels for plots with 20 kg/ha added zinc were 36·5 and 1·54 ppm. There is a correlation between the two variables of r=+0·61 (P<0·01). Levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium in the rice leaf are also reported.

Methods of determining the causes of year-to-year variation in yield are discussed. The types of data required for valid analysis, the need to build up a logical argument, and the use of direct experimentation to verify conclusions drawn from regression analyses, are considered.

A field experiment was conducted for two years to study the influence of type of seed bed and various mulcheson yield and nutrient uptake by pearl millet, and on moisture conservation, under the semi-arid conditions of Delhi. A flat seedbed stored more moisture, gave significantly higher yield of pearl millet, and increased the uptake of N, P and K, compared withridge and furrow beds. Mulches were effective in conserving moisture, with straw mulch significantly better than dust mulch inits effect on crop yield and nutrient uptake.

The experiment, designed to investigate the production of alfalfa in Saudi Arabia, was a factorial involving three irrigation rates and three cutting heights. The irrigation rates were sub-optimum, optimum and super-optimum, supplying 2730, 3850, and 5040 mm of water over the duration of the experiment respectively; cutting heights were low (2 cm), high (8 cm) and alternate (2 cm and 8 cm). The experiment ran for a year, with 14 harvests. Sub-optimum, optimum and super-optimum irrigation treatments produced 27·5, 31·4 and 31·9 tonnes of DM per hectare respectively. Proximate analysis of crude fibre, crude protein, and ash percentage were determined, and plant density and weed infestation recorded.

Combining ability analysis was carried out on diallel crosses of 20 yellow maize varieties in four environments. General combining ability variance (σ2g) was of greater importance than specific combining ability (σ2s) in the inheritance of all traits except grain yield and ear length, where the reverse was true. Interaction components (σ2ge, σ2se) were greater than the respective main components (σ2g, σ2s) for grain yield. The study brought out the prominent role of genotype-environmental interactions. Heritability in the broad sense was very high for all traits except grain yield and grain moisture, and narrow sense heritability was also high for all traits except grain yield and ear length.