Agriculture

Agriculture and technological gadgets rule the world. No agriculture, no food. No technological gadgets, no civilisation. Agriculture as the ancient of civilisation is on threshold competition with high-tech gadgets. Everywhere, Money! Money! Money, but none for 99% of world population of over 6 billion. Only 1% of world population control world wealth of over US$251 trillion. Of this wealth high-tech gadgets account for over 90%. Agricultural products remain the least priced, but remains the most essential. Yet, high tech gadgets take the whole earnings from agriculture and add to their own empire. In view of the fact that high tech money monguls, must also feed and be happy with agriculture, and not from gadgets; they need to invest in agriculture and feed a hungry world with just 1% of their fortune. Nevertheless, agriculture and high tech gadgets must live and let live for a better world.

In this study the temporal variations in field soil respiration were investigated over a two year period, together with laboratory soil respiration rates in a park grassland at University of Essex, UK. Field soil respiration was measured with portable environmental gas monitor, while laboratory soil respiration was by incubation and titrimetric methods. Field soil respiration varied over time of day, sites and seasons, with the summer months recording the highest respiratory activity (127.8 and 69.8 mmol m-2 h-1 over two years respectively) while the winter months recorded the lowest field soil respiration rates (27.2 and 29.8 mmol m-2 h-1 for the same periods respectively). Soil temperature and water filled pore spaces (WFPS) also varied seasonally with highest temperature and lowest WFPS recorded in the summer months. Field soil respiration was dependent on either soil temperature or WFPS in first year only. A multiple regression analysis also recorded a significant relation between field soil respiration, temperature and WFPS (R2 multiple = 0.5, FSR = 45.6 + 10.5T + 86.9 WFPS mmol CO2 m-2 h-1) for the two years. Laboratory measurements are vital for explaining the factors that influence C-fluxes in the field.

In view of the place of biological parameters in defining soil health, many scientists of repute have developed methods of assessing environmental parameters one of which is soil health. Soil health is assessed from several angles: biological, chemical, physical, bearing in mind that the top and sub soils are the zones of plant growth and active flora and fauna activities. Biological parameters of the soil cannot do without reference to enzyme, humic acid and microbial activities. A lot of methods have been developed for their assessment and a lot of scientists have adopted and modified the methods with varying results. Each of them have additional benefits. There may be limitations but that is the basis of science. A big thank you to all the scientists living and dead who have shaped the scientific community and the world from their research and findings. All of them have been recognized globally directly as nobel laureates and indirectly through other honours by peer groups. This paper presents enzyme and microbial activities methods of assessment and their pros and cons.

Agriculture is the most beautiful and easy profession in the world; yet marked by drudgery and exploitations. It is a beauty to behold nature: plants, animals, insects, air, water, soil, rock, food, medicine, drugs. It is prestigious and honourable to have food on the table: morning, afternoon and evening. It is very appetizing to have various food stuff and ingredients. Food is always delicious if not abused. A well fed man is a happy man. A hungry man is an angry and sad man. Food! Food! Food everywhere; yet they are unavailable and unaffordable. Something must be wrong: with ourselves or how we embrace agriculture. But nothing is wrong with agriculture; except where we checkmate and abuse nature, in the name of agricultural revolution and increased food production. This paper reviews agriculture in peril. Happy reading.

Liquid 13C-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) spectra of HA (humic acid) extracted from a Hanslope Soil, Writtle College, UK under five types of land management: grassland under permanent pasture on 5 y ley before stocking; grassland under permanent pasture sown with red clover a y before stocking; grassland under permanent pasture treated with N-fertilizer a y before stocking; arable land under barley and deciduous woodland showed four major fragments: the aliphatic (alkyl C) region between 10 – 48 ppm; the carbohydrate (o-alkyl C) region between 49 and 110 ppm; the aromatic (aryl C) region between 111 and 165 ppm and the carboxyl region between 166 and 195 ppm. The study also revealed carboxyl conspicuous spectra between 150 and 200 ppm. The highest concentration of humic acid was in deciduous woodland, 55.2 mg g-1, and least in permanent pasture on a 5 y ley before stocking, 33.8 mg g-1.. Since soil organic matter (SOM) influences soil structure and fertility, humic substances effects bioavailability of elements and chemical compounds in the environment. The degradation of humic substances are slow. Hence, they do not appear to be a major direct source of nutrients – carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur.

A Hanslope Soil health was investigated from context of enzyme activities namely: cellulose, phosphomonoesterase and urease to enhance the understanding of the following land management practices: grassland under permanent pasture on 5 y ley to stocking, another sown with red clover a y before stocking, the other fertilized with N-fertilizer a y to stocking; the last on barley; with pristine deciduous woodland as control. The highest cellulose activity was detected in deciduous woodland, 172.3 ± 106 µg glucose g-1 d-1 over the summer. Cellulase activity was positively dependent on soil microbial C (R2 = 0.64). Grassland under permanent pasture treated with N-fertilizer a y before stocking had the highest urease activity, 77 ± 57.8 µg NH4-N g-1 h-1 over winter in both buffered and non buffered measurement techniques. There was no significant differences in phosphomonoesterase activity between land management. Soil enzyme measurements is a major component of soil health. It defines biological productivity, promote environmental quality and maintains plant and animal health. Soil health is fundamental for agricultural sustainability. Amongst the soil biological properties, enzymes show extraordinary specificity in catalyzing biological reactions as revealed in this study. Regional information are solicited for global network.

The story of agricultural revolution in developed world is incomplete without farm mechanisation. The giant of the world – the United States agricultural success story is also incomplete without farm mechanisation. Feeding a hungry world will be incomplete without farm mechanisation. Nevertheless, farm mechanisation, just like farm pesticides have challenged sustainable agriculture; especially in fragile tropical ecosystem. No matter the level United States has attained in agriculture, it is very difficult for them to fend solely for a world of over 6 billion people, targeted to hit 10 billion by 2050. It calls for collective action of all nations of the world. Farm mechanisation that is tailored to local, regional and national requirements are very crucial to solving world food problems. Farm mechanisation: ecological paradise or disaster ? Is a mind rubbing question that keeps us conscious of limitations and needs in our agricultural systems. An attempt have been made to answer the question in this review.

Global warming frightens even the baby in the womb. No one wants to be roasted by sunshine or swept off the earth by tsunami arising from extreme weather events. The sights of such events are frightening. Global warming is daily effects of human civilization. There are several controversies surrounding it. Some positive, while others are negative. Negative impacts means gain, while positive impact means loss. We need more negative than positive impacts for a safe world. This paper reviews the subject matter from the point of boon, pandemic or quagmire.

The CENTURY 4.0 Model have many variables that can be simulated. One of them is microbial respiration. In soil carbon studies there are three principal parts: total organic carbon, CO2-C and CO2. They are used to quantify soil carbon storage, microbial biomass and microbial respiration respectively. Soil total carbon comes from photosynthesis, translocation, decomposition, mineralisation processes. Soil CO2-C gives basic mass of microbial communities while soil CO2 is indicator of microbial respiratory activities. They are complimentary and supplementary approaches to virtual soil health. They are strong indicators of life in the soil media. The CENTURY 4.0 Model has additional benefit of simulating microbial respiration. In this study measured and simulated soil microbial respiration was compared in a Hanslope Soil under different land management practices. The simulated results started with ages record of 59.6 g m-2 y-1 soil respiratory rate to as low as 0.001 g m-1 y-1 in other periods of perturbations and human civilisation that impinged on natural processes of soil regeneration.

The use of molecular and genomic techniques namely: nucleic acid, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE); terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have revolutionized ways of assaying biodiversity. This paper reviews their contributions to knowledge of soil microbial diversity.