A Special Vegetation Index for the Weed Detection in Sensor Based Precision Agriculture

Many technologies in precision agriculture (PA) require image analysis and image- processing with weed and background differentiations. The detection of weeds on mulched cropland is one important image-processing task for sensor based precision herbicide applications. The article introduces a special vegetation index, the Difference Index with Red Threshold (DIRT), for the weed detection on mulched croplands. Experimental investigations in weed detection on mulched areas point out that the DIRT performs better than the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The result of the evaluation with four different decision criteria indicate, that the new DIRT gives the highest reliability in weed/background differentiation on mulched areas. While using the same spectral bands (infrared and red) as the NDVI, the new DIRT is more suitable for weed detection than the other vegetation indices and requires only a small amount of additional calculation power. The new vegetation index DIRT was tested on mulched areas during automatic ratings with a special weed camera system. The test results compare the new DIRT and three other decision criteria: the difference between infrared and red intensity (Diff), the soil-adjusted quotient between infrared and red intensity (Quotient) and the NDVI. The decision criteria were compared with the definition of a worse case decision quality parameter Q, suitable for mulched croplands. Although this new index DIRT needs further testing, the index seems to be a good decision criterion for the weed detection on mulched areas and should also be useful for other image processing applications in precision agriculture. The weed detection hardware and the PC program for the weed image processing were developed with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).     

Greenhouse Gases as Clues to Permanence of Farmlands

Abstract:  Farmlands are expansive, diverse, and intensively managed ecosystems. These lands, so critical to human welfare, are threatened by growing stresses as demand for food escalates, fresh water wanes, cheap fuels deplete, and other uses jostle for space. With these coming pressures, how can we foster permanence on the lands that sustain us? In this essay I contemplate the hypothesis that the greenhouse gases, because they emanate from the interwoven flows of C, N, and energy in ecosystems, can help steer us toward permanence (sustainability). Alongside other indicators these emissions may detect the ecosystem's pulse, alerting us to inefficiencies and guiding us to better practices. To be effective signals, however, the greenhouse gases will need to be considered in their local settings, monitored longer and in more "listening places," and measured across boundaries of disciplines and biomes. This approach may help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our farmlands. But we may find that, in the long run, the main beneficiaries of our inquiry have been, not just the atmosphere, but our fragile lands, perhaps in ways we cannot yet foresee.     

Time Series Analysis of Nebraska Daily Rainfall Data to Simulate Atrazine Runoff1

Abstract: Measured atrazine concentrations in Nebraska surface water have been shown to exceed water‐quality standards, posing risks to humans and to the ecosystem. To assess this risk, atrazine runoff was simulated at the field‐scale in Nebraska based on the pesticide component of the AGNPS model. This project’s objective was to determine the frequency that the atrazine concentration at the field outlet exceeded three different atrazine water‐quality criteria. The simulation was conducted for different farm management practices, soil moisture conditions, and five Nebraska topographic regions. If the criteria were exceeded, a risk to the drinking water consumer or freshwater aquatic life was hypothesized to exist. Three pesticide fate and transport processes were simulated with the model. Degradation was simulated using first‐order kinetics. Adsorption/desorption was modeled assuming a linear soil‐water partitioning coefficient. Advection (runoff) was based primarily on the USDA‐NRCS curve number method. Daily rainfall from the National Weather Service was used to compute the soil moisture conditions for the 1985‐2000 growing seasons. After each runoff event, the pesticide runoff concentration was compared with each of the three atrazine water‐quality criteria. The results show that environmental receptors (i.e., freshwater aquatic species) are exposed to unacceptable atrazine runoff concentrations in 20‐50% of the runoff events.     

黑土区城郊耕地重金属污染空间扩散机制

城郊复杂环境条件下的耕地土壤重金属污染空间扩散机制是落实土壤污染源头防控和保障黑土地质量安全的基础.针对以往溯源研究中污染源头难定位和扩散趋势不明确等问题,以长春市城郊地区为例,以耕地土壤As、Pb、Hg和Cd元素为研究对象,采用近邻传播（AP）算法和空间自回归的扩散格局-驱动因素组合分析法尝试揭示黑土区城郊耕地重金属污染空间扩散机制.结果表明,ω（As）和ω（Cd）均值分别为39.35mg ·kg^-1和0.183 mg ·kg^-1,累积水平较高.内梅罗指数显示研究区有52.38%的耕地已出现轻度污染.AP算法识别出As存在3个影响幅度相似的潜在污染源地,均位于远离城市的典型农耕区;Pb元素的2个潜在污染源地集中分布于范家屯镇附近的工业区;Hg和Cd元素的扩散格局复杂,尤其是Cd元素,呈现多地并发的污染扩散特征.空间滞后模型表明,As元素的空间扩散格局和农药施用强度有关;Cd元素主要受土壤类型和设施农业布局的制约;Pb元素受区域城镇化和工业化发展的影响;Hg元素和区域污染迁移条件相关.污染调蓄功能未对4种元素的空间扩散格局产生显著影响.研究丰富了耕地重金属污染的空间分析理论和方法,对落实城郊黑土地的污染源头防控具有科学意义.     

耕地地块细碎程度及其对山区农业生产成本的影响

在务农成本持续上涨和省工性技术普及的背景下,山区地块细碎化逐渐成为抑制农民增收的重要因素。厘清山区耕地细碎程度及其对农业生产的影响,对于降低农业生产成本具有指导价值。基于重庆市武隆区、巫山县和酉阳县的1015份农户调研数据,分别从地块权属和空间分布两个角度测算耕地细碎程度,并采用半对数经济计量模型评估耕地细碎差异对农业生产成本的影响。结果表明：研究区耕地细碎程度严重,辛普森指数和地块距离指数分别为0.71和0.19,户均耕地面积6.19亩、地块数8.89块,地块与家庭平均相距430 m,即呈现出“块数多、规模小和距离短”的特征;耕地细碎程度加剧提高了农业生产成本,当辛普森指数和地块距离指数每增加一个标准差时,单位产量总成本依次上升33.8%和16.6%;具体到各单项成本,耕地细碎程度加剧显著提高了劳动力、化肥和种子成本,而限制机械及其他要素的使用。分作物的实证显示,耕地细碎化效应存在明显的作物异质性。此外,优质耕地能缓解地块细碎带来的成本上升,同时扩大地块面积有助于降低生产成本。政策启示：降低农业经营成本是缓解山区耕地撂荒的重要举措,政府应建立低成本的农地流转网络,并鼓励农户或村庄之间的土地互换,提高地块规模和减少耕作距离,同时政府还应推广和普及适合山区农业的微耕机械。     

生态理念在社会主义新农村建设规划的应用——以乌川湖村清洁田园工程为例

在结合湖南省长沙县乌川湖村社会主义新农村环保“四洁”示范村建设背景下,对鸟川湖村田园污染现状及存在的问题进行了全面地调查和系统地剖析的基础上,利用生态学原理和方法探究了治理田园污染的有效措施,进一步对乌川湖村清洁田园工程建设规划进行了研究,其中主要有：化肥、农药减控工程;白色污染防治工程;废弃物回收利用工程;土壤污染治理工程以及绿色、有机食品工程,探讨社会主义新农村建设的生态化之路。     

基于GIS的农田土壤重金属空间分布研究

以浙江省慈溪市快速城镇化的小城镇为研究区,研究其农田土壤中重金属的含量与分布状况.采用ArcGIS中的地统计分析模块研究土壤中重金属分布的空间变异性,最后应用Kriging方法进行空间插值作图.结果表明,研究区土壤中的重金属含量均已超出当地的背景值,含量变异系数较大的重金属是Hg和Cu,中等变异的是Zn,其他几种重金属变异系数相对较小.空间分布上,Cu、Cd、As的空间相关性较强,Zn、Ni、Hg居中,而Cr和Pb较弱.插值结果显示,土壤中Cu、Zn和Pb的高含量区主要位于东南部,Cd、Hg和Ni的含量由南向北逐渐减少,As和Cr的分布为西部高而中部较低,不同的分布特征是人类活动与土壤母质双重影响的结果.     

Socioeconomic determinants of long-term cropland fallowing: smallholders in north-western Uganda

SUMMARY

Long-term cropland fallowing decisions of farmers in the West Nile Province of Uganda were studied. Tabular and regression methods are used to examine the relationship between farm and household factors and seasons of net fallowing. The results show that farmers plan to decrease the rate of fallowing in the immediate future. Serious (but undocumented) problems in maintaining cropland productivity could result. Population density had a large and negative effect on net fallowing (seasons of fallowing less seasons of crops), decreasing from the current average of ?0.6 seasons to ?2.21 seasons for a doubling of population. This 268% decrease in the use of fallowing could occur in as few as 13.5 years, assuming a 3% annual population growth rate. Farms larger in size, but with no increase in per capita cropland availability, had a higher rate of net fallowing. Cashcrop production was negatively associated with net fallowing, whilst farmer age had a positive association.

The results have implications for both agricultural policy and guidance for further research on cropland fallowing. Increased cash-cropping should not be recommended unless the full economic costs of using land resources are evaluated. Much of the increased area for cash-crop production would come from fallowed land, decreasing the rate of fallowing and thus increasing the potential for soil degradation. Fallowing has long been used in the area to maintain cropland productivity. Building upon farmers current practices and improving fallowing through the use of green manures and agroforestry could prove to be more economical than the use of mineral fertilizers. Investigating why farms larger in size and those with older head-of-households were able to use fallowing more effectively may provide key information for the development of more productive fallowing technologies.     

基于Agent的城市扩张占用耕地动态模型及模拟

与传统的在景观尺度上对城市扩张占用耕地时空特征及其演变规律的研究不同,论文从微观层面提出基于Agent 的城市扩张占用耕地动态模型（Urban Encroachment on CroplandDynamic Model,UECDM）,多角度深入探索耕地向城市用地转变的驱动机理及其时空动态特征,并提出协调二者平衡的可持续发展对策。在UECDM模型中引入视域分析,通过模拟地形和观察点将视觉景观的量化评价结果应用到居民居住区位决策过程,从而分别构建包含可视域的能够更全面表征环境要素及其内部关系的元胞自动机层和不同类型Agent 相互作用的多智能体层,兼顾人类决策行为和城市空间生长自组织性。应用该模型对天津城市扩张占用耕地进行动态模拟研究,并从数量与空间格局两方面展开精度验证,Kappa 系数达到0.795,依据4 个景观格局指数计算得到模拟结果的平均相对误差为3.86%,表明模型具有较高可信度。对不同时期模拟结果的分析表明,天津城市扩张占用耕地空间主要表现为“摊大饼”式外延扩展和跳跃式“卫星城”,研究结果将为未来城市发展规划和耕地保护提供决策支持。     

青海乐都县30a来农田表层土壤有机碳储量变化特征

青海省地处高寒区,近几十年来针对这一区域农田生态系统中土壤有机碳(SOC)库变化及其影响因素的研究较少.研究利用第二次土壤普查数据(1982 年),结合近期(2011 年)重复采集的田间土壤样品,以土壤类型为单元,对县域尺度(青海乐都县)农田表层(0~20 cm)SOC库的时空变化特征进行分析.结果表明:① 乐都县1982 年表层有机碳密度(SOCD)为3.8kg·m^-2,2011 年降低至2.8 kg·m^-2,30 a 间降幅达26%,且呈东北部和南部降低、西北地区增加的趋势;② 乐都县1982 年表层SOC储量1.8×10⁶ t,2011 年1.4×10⁶ t,30 a 间降幅达24%;③ 土壤类型中,草甸土、栗钙土和黑钙土表现为丢碳,速率分别为-137.3、-35.0、-91.0 g C·m^-2·a^-1,潮土和灰钙土表现为固碳,速率分别为9.7、7.3 g C·m^-2·a^-1,且30 a 来各土类SOCD变化率与1982 年SOCD呈负线性相关(y=0.35-0.13x).