How should Good Agricultural Practices be implemented? There is a lot you can miss when you are passing by your crops at high speeds, so hitting the ground and examining your crops is an important step towards a stronger crop yield. Technologies that allow farmers to best understand their soil, what kind of nutrients they may be lacking, and when to plant seeds have positively affected outcomes. The practice of crop rotation builds better soil … Learning how to increase agricultural productivity is always on a farmer’s mind, and there are multiple techniques to help improve your corn yields year after year. In some parts of the world, a growing number of innovative farmers are taking a different path, moving toward a farming system that is more sustainable — environmentally, economically and socially. It’s important to ensure your crop is getting enough water, but also that they aren’t being over-watered. Let us now find out what kinds of benefits await the farmers if they incorporate this technology in their … These practices focus on local people and their knowledge, skills, socio-cultural values and institutional structures to ensure that the basic nutritional requirements of current and future generations are met, both in terms of quantity and quality. Non-GMO seeds combine sustainability and cost seamlessly, which accounts for both quality and cost. When you are planting season-by-season, it is important to understand how planting recurring crops can affect your overall yield. Non-GMO seeds combine sustainability and cost seamlessly, … Weeds are not just the enemy of front lawns and golf courses, they can also compromise your farmland. 2015) of conventional yields.Yield differences vary considerably with growing conditions, management practices and crop types, with legumes showing a considerably smaller yield gap than cereals or tubers. Understanding the kind of crops you’re planting, and the kinds of seeds you are using, is important when assessing yield potential. Soil testing should be on your to do list right from the get-go, because your soil and its needs will directly influence the growth of your crops. Consider your crops like the ingredients in a recipe; the quality of your soil, your seeds, and your planting practices will determine the overall strength of the final product — the crops you are growing. Systems by means of which crop yields are being increased in the region are discussed in the following pages." 4. Some of the practices include permaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics, polycultures, mulching, rotating crops, planting cover crops, reducing or eliminating tillage, integrated pest management, integrating livestock and crops, and agroforestry practices. The UCS report comes at a time when food price spikes and localized shortages worldwide have prompted calls to boost agricultural productivity, or yield -- the amount of a crop produced per unit of land over a specified amount of time. • Plant monocultures (monocropping). Based on assumptions about the financial investment required in converting from conventional tilling to no-till agricultural practices at the study’s onset, overall farmer profits were initially reduced, despite the increase in actual crop yields in no-till fields each year. http://www.cropnutrition.com/understanding-fertilizer-and-its-essential-role-in-high-yielding-crops http://farmindustrynews.com/business/crop-yield-champions-kip-cullers-and-randy-dowdy-share-secrets-growing-high-yield-corn-and- It is not just enough to plan your seeds and hope for the best, you should always be sure to understand your field’s growth potential. Water management is essential to crop survival and maximizing your corn’s yield potential. This means that corn-on-corn planting should only be considered when your soil conditions are strong enough, or your land mass is limited. It is a practice designed to preserve the productive capacity of the soil, minimize pests and diseases, reduce chemical use, and manage nutrient requirements, all of which help to maximize yield. Cotton and rice showed the lowest increases, while maize, potatoes and some legumes (beans, pigeon peas, and others) demonstrated more than 100% increases. Yet, no single silver bullet exists. In pursuit of these goals, six basic practices have come to form the backbone of production: intensive tillage, monoculture, application of inorganic fertilizer, irrigation, chemical pest control, and genetic manipulation of crop plants. How can working conditions be improved and those of male and female workers? If you don’t have access to either, you may need to consider planting alternative crops in alternating years — such as soybeans. A practice that is applied in regions with scarce water resources, during dry seasons or during dry spells, is the application of irrigation, a system that helps supply moisture to the crop and to consequently increase crop yield. Weeds always need to be dealt with as early and often as possible. If you’re looking for more information about how to increase your corn crop yields, find more corn planting tips here, or contact De Dell today. The increase in yields for both crops over the last 13 years, the report finds, was largely due to traditional breeding or improvements in agricultural practices. Robertson, MSU KBS Using hybrid seeds that are naturally inclined to grow faster, stronger, and with greater efficiency is pivotal to the success of your crops. 1. 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