An agricultural presenter described severe drought losses in cotton fields, with some fields expected to yield less than 40 or 50 pounds against expectations of 100 pounds. Recent rain improved soil moisture, but the presenter said more was needed for next year's crop.

Agricultural diversification practices are widely used as a pathway to sustainable crop yield, yet integrated and multidimensional assessments of their trade-offs among ecosystem services remain limit...

BALIK PULAU, Oct 31 (Bernama) — A ratoon rice pilot project in Balik Pulau has achieved early success with a second harvest, proving that the “plant once, harvest twice” method has potential under local growing conditions. Penang Chinese Entrepreneurs Association (PCEA) president Dr Lee Eng Wah said the project, piloted in early 2025 with state government support and cooperation from related agencies, is a significant step in adapting ratoon rice technology to local conditions while exploring new approaches to raising yields and incomes in the agricultural sector. “The first planting of the local MR333 variety last May yielded 7.1 tonnes […]

Temperate alley-cropping agroforestry with short-rotation coppice is gaining interest due to its multifunctionality in agroecosystems; however, yield uncertainties from potential tree-crop competition...

The use of plastic mulch is a promising agronomic technique for enhancing crop performance under challenging environmental conditions. Mulching is commonly employed in horticultural crops, providing b...

Output projected at 8.4 million hectoliters ten percent below last year

A Simple Story from a Farmer’s Life

(Beyond Pesticides, December 9, 2021) The cost to maintain crops using conventional pesticides outweighs the economic benefits from crop production and yield, according to a report, Pesticides ‘cost double the amount they yield,’ by the French-based organization Bureau for the Appraisal of Social Impacts for Citizen Information (BASIC). Moreover, the annual cost of increasing organic farms three-fold by 2030 is less than the cost of pesticides to society (i.e., adverse health and ecological effects from pesticide use and contamination). However, the price to pay from pesticide use encompasses much more than the products themselves. Researchers point to the need for government and health officials to consider the billion-dollar costs associated with adverse health effects from pesticide use, especially as studies confirm that pesticides cause cancer, Parkinson’s, and other diseases that are increasing. Thus, this report adds to the growing body of research demonstrating the unsustainability of conventional, chemical-intensive agricultural practices. The National Academy of Sciences identifies four goals of sustainable agriculture—productivity, economics, environment, and social well-being for future generations. However, current chemical pesticide use threatens sustainable agriculture. Although the primary concerns about pesticide usage centers on health and ecological concerns, including food security, this report provides an economic assessment that offers an […]

(Beyond Pesticides, August 24, 2021) Organic agriculture provides multiple ecosystem functions and services at greater economic benefit to farmers than conventional, chemical-intensive cropping systems, according to research recently published in the journal Science Advances. The study, conducted by a team of scientists based in Switzerland, goes beyond farming evaluations based solely on ecosystem services to include socioeconomic elements. “We did this because agroecosystems also have a socioeconomic dimension for producers and policy makers,” the authors note. While it is unsurprising based on prior research that organic practices provide greater environmental and economic benefits, the study lays bare the true cost of policies that myopically focus on yield while ignoring other factors. Researchers conducted their study using data derived from a long-running Farming System and Tillage Experiment (FAST) based in Switzerland. FAST tracked four types of cropping systems: conventional intensive tillage, conventional no tillage, organic intensive tillage, and organic reduced tillage. Cropping systems were evaluated based on four broad categories, including provisioning (ie food production), regulating (ie water, air, and soil management), and supporting (ie biodiversity and soil health) ecosystem services, as well as socioeconomic well-being. These categories were subsequently broken down into nine assessments: soil health preservation, erosion control, biodiversity […]

Native fine flavor cacao fetches premium prices on specialty markets, owing to its superior sensorial traits. However, alleged low productivity limits its planting, and high-yielding bulk cacao dominates the international market. Overcoming the yield gap is necessary to promote fine flavor cacao and thus conserve cacao’s native genetic diversity, while increasing farmers’ revenues. We studied the compatibility and yield potential of six Blanco de Piura cacao genotypes, a fine flavour landrace from northwestern Peru. We compared planting designs with different genotype diversity and assessed the impact of plantation management intensity (frequency of pruning and removal of infested pods) on productivity. Following renewing the canopy of adult cacao trees using grafting, we quantified the yields of the six white-bean genotypes on 12 smallholder farms using three clonal designs: (1) monoclonal (one genotype per plot), (2) polyclonal rows (three genotypes alternated by row), and (3) polyclonal trees (three genotypes per tree). Yields were monitored for 3 years, starting 2 years after grafting, and compared with non-grafted controls. After 3 years, grafted trees yielded 59% more cacao than non-grafted controls, regardless of clonal design and management intensity. Monoclonal designs performed best under intensive management, whereas polyclonal designs excelled under poor management, suggesting that diversification is most beneficial for farmers with limited management capacity. Cacao yields on frequently managed farms were 118% higher than on poorly managed farms, reaching 1200–1500 kg dry beans/ha. Polyclonal trees offered no yield advantage over polyclonal rows, suggesting that the close vicinity of different genetic materials may not represent a benefit for cross-pollination by non-flying insects. We conclude that canopy renewal can increase the yield of native fine flavor cacao, matching or surpassing levels of high-yielding bulk cacao under smallholder farming conditions. A translated version of this manuscript in Spanish is available online.

Truffles are highly valued edible fungi belonging to the genus Tuber which grow wild in symbiotic association with the roots of many perennial plants. Due to their high market value and the decline in...