In addition to the guidelines, there are links to videos from Danish organic orchards. Rules and regulations regarding fertilizer and plant protection are subject to change, and recommendations in the guidelines should be ascertained within the rules before applying. The guidelines are targeted at organic orchard owners, but private gardeners may also benefit. It contains sections on how to design and establish an orchard, choice of varieties, pruning, weed management, fertilization, irrigation, pollination and thinning, plant health and protection, harvest and storage.

The article proposes the improvement of the technology and complex of small-sized machines for growing potatoes in Russia, where most of 80 % are cultivated by private farms and farmers with low crop cultivation in low-contour, clogged areas, with non-rotation, rare update of tubers, obsolete equipment and multioperation technology. Multiple mechanical tillage before planting and afterwards compact and spray the soil, which is undesirable for the soil condition; the need arises for one-time preparation of the field with a combined mounted tillage unit in one technological pass as deep cultivation and harrowing. Also, little use is made of combining several operations in one technological pass as comb formation, fertilizing, dressing and planting tubers with comb sealing. The care of potato plants is especially important in the initial period of vegetation before budding, since at this time the formation of the future crop and the need for the next few mechanical and chemical treatments occur, which leads to costs, spraying and compaction of the soil. Therefore, the creation of a mounted combined cultivator-sprayer that allows loosening the ridges and treating weeds, pests and diseases during the beginning and end of the growing season is enough for a favourable increase in potato productivity. The purpose of the study is to improve the technology of cultivating potatoes in small areas by creating combined and modernized small-sized agricultural machines and implements. The research tasks, ways of their solution and results are set.

Southeast Asia’s expanding population and increasing incomes, urbanization, and retail sectors are contributing to rising meat consumption and growing imports of feedstuffs. According to USDA’s International Long-Term Projections to 2028, the region will become the world’s fastest-growing importer of soybean meal—a key ingredient in animal feed—over the next decade and will overtake the European Union (EU) as the largest soybean meal importer by 2022.

The study in its exploration of some of the reasons behind farmers�?? decision-making strategies offers important insights into the role of norms in shaping agricultural production systems. It highlights the effect of various social determinants such as age, sex and ethnicity in influencing farmers�?? decisions to adopt or not adopt improved agricultural practices including the use of improved cowpea varieties. As such it identifies some key challenges and potential opportunities to link research in crop improvement, SLM, and large-scale dissemination of improved agricultural practices | Bezaiet Dessalegn. (31/12/2019). Social Differentiation and implications for growing cow pea in Burkina Faso.

The demand for natural fibers is increasing worldwide as markets respond to the need to replace nonrenewable sources. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a promising biorenewable resource for producing natural fibers. Few studies have investigated the crop when grown at latitudes above 40° and in the U.S. Midwest. The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of management practices on fiber (bast and core lignocellulose) composition, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and total ash concentration. Cultivars ‘Tainung 2’ and ‘Whitten’ were planted in Boone County, IA in 2014 and 2015 at 247,000 or 371,000 seed ha⁻¹, in 38‐ or 76‐cm rows, and fertilized with N at 0, 56, 112, 168, or 224 kg ha⁻¹. Treatments were in a factorial design with four replications in 2 yr. Stem bast and core lignocellulose concentrations, total ash, and C/N ratio were determined at harvest. Variety or interactions of variety with management practices influenced most parameters. Increased N fertilization decreased bast cellulose concentration, but increased core cellulose concentration. Hemicellulose concentration in core was greater than in bast. Ash concentration decreased as N fertilization rate increased and interacted with seeding rate and variety. The implications of these observations are directly related to markets and desired kenaf end‐use products. Variety and management interactions influence kenaf fiber quality, and consequently are important considerations for kenaf producers and processors.

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the results of a study devoted to the development of approaches to optimizing the level of costs for the implementation of new varieties and hybrids in crop production, including under conditions of its financing through borrowed capital. Methodology / approach. Based on the dialectical method of cognition, the abstract-and-logical method (systematization of the publications on agroinnovations and crediting of the agricultural sector, theoretical generalizations and conclusions), the nonlinear correlation and regression analysis (establishing the interdependence between the intensity of plant products production and the results of the functioning of the branch), optimization modeling (development of tools to determine the optimal amount of the credit in terms of innovation) were used. Results. The approach has been developed that takes into account the agrobiological, economic and financial aspects of the agricultural branch and allows assessing the appropriateness of the credit covered expenses of implementing an innovative solution at the stage of planning the production process and its financial support; the methodological tools have been tested, which allow determining the optimal values of the costs under different conditions and forms of financing, as well as the optimal amount of credit support, which maximizes profits taking into account the expected increase in crop capacity due to the implementation of new varieties and hybrids. Originality / scientific novelty. The approach to determining the optimal amount of credit support for innovation, which in contrast to the traditional one, that is based on the effect of the financial leverage, takes into account the nonlinearity of the cost and the efficiency indicators of the agricultural sector caused by the effect of diminishing returns. Practical value / implications. The application of the proposed methodological approach allows determining the optimal values of the production costs and their credit coverage, taking into account the expected increase in productivity, which provides the implementation of a new variety or hybrid of plants.

Bacillus subtilis is a model Gram-positive bacterium, which has been widely used as industrially important chassis in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Rapid growth of chassis is beneficial for shortening the fermentation period and enhancing production of target product. However, engineered B. subtilis with faster growth phenotype is lacking. Here, fast-growing B. subtilis were constructed through rational gene knockout and adaptive laboratory evolution using wild type strain B. subtilis 168 (BS168) as starting strain. Specifically, strains BS01, BS02, and BS03 were obtained through gene knockout of oppD, hag, and flgD genes, respectively, resulting 15.37%, 24.18% and 36.46% increases of specific growth rate compared with BS168. Next, strains A28 and A40 were obtained through adaptive laboratory evolution, whose specific growth rates increased by 39.88% and 43.53% compared to BS168, respectively. Then these two methods were combined via deleting oppD, hag, and flgD genes respectively on the basis of evolved strain A40, yielding strain A4003 with further 7.76% increase of specific growth rate, reaching 0.75 h-1 in chemical defined M9 medium. Finally, bioproduction efficiency of intracellular product (ribonucleic acid, RNA), extracellular product (acetoin), and recombinant proteins (green fluorescent protein (GFP) and ovalbumin) by fast-growing strain A4003 was tested. And the production of RNA, acetoin, GFP, and ovalbumin increased 38.09%, 5.40%, 9.47% and 19.79% using fast-growing strain A4003 as chassis compared with BS168, respectively. The developed fast-growing B. subtilis strains and strategies used for developing these strains should be useful for improving bioproduction efficiency and constructing other industrially important bacterium with faster growth phenotype.

Benefits Phase feeding will more closely match the pig’s nutrient requirements and minimise the over- and underfeeding of nutrients. The feed will be better utilised by the pigs, in favour of both production economy and reduced N-emissions. Practical recommendation • To get the maximum benefit from phase feeding, diets and feeding should be established based on actual animal performance and profitability/performance goals for each stage of production. It is easier to develop with a small number of pigs per batch (to manage heterogeneity) • Diets should be formulated on a digestible amino acid basis rather than on a total amino acid or crude protein basis, crude protein should preferably be kept at a low level and ingredients should be analysed for their nutrient contents. • A phase feeding system is complex and factors such as the availability of high-quality protein feed ingredients, the managing and ordering of feed as well as the need for additional feed bins on the farm must be considered. • Consult with an advisor or nutritionist to adjust the feeding plan accordingly to meet the production goals.