Multispectral and thermal infrared data, visual scores for severity of common rust symptoms, and genotypic single nucleotide polymorphism data of three F2-derived biparental doubled-haploid maize populations.

Three F2-derived biparental doubled haploid (DH) maize populations were generated for genetic mapping of resistance to common rust. Each of the three populations has the same susceptible parent, but a different resistance donor parent. Population 1 and 3 consist of 320 lines each, population 2 consists of 260 lines.

GaAs-chip-based mid-infrared supercontinuum generation.

The mid-infrared spectral region opens up new possibilities for applications such as molecular spectroscopy with high spatial and frequency resolution. For example, the mid-infrared light provided by synchrotron sources has helped for early diagnosis of several pathologies. However, alternative light sources at the table-top scale would enable better access to these state-of-the-art characterizations, eventually speeding up research in biology and medicine.

Radiative transfer model inversion using high-resolution hyperspectral airborne imagery - Retrieving maize LAI to access biomass and grain yield.

Mapping crop within-field yield variability provide an essential piece of information for precision agriculture applications. Leaf Area Index (LAI) is an important parameter that describes maize growth, vegetation structure, light absorption and subsequently maize biomass and grain yield (GY). The main goal for this study was to estimate maize biomass and GY through LAI retrieved from hyperspectral aerial images using a PROSAIL model inversion and compare its performance with biomass and GY estimations through simple vegetation index approaches.

Optical parametric generation in OP-GaAs waveguides pumped by a femtosecond fluoride fiber laser.

We report on mid-infrared optical parametric generation in the 4-5 μm and 9-12 μm bands by pumping custom-designed orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) rib waveguides with an ultrafast femtosecond fiber laser system. This pump source is seeded by a mode-locked fluoride fiber laser with 59 MHz repetition rate and can be tuned between 2.8 and 3.

Increased ranking change in wheat breeding under climate change.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center develops and annually distributes elite wheat lines to public and private breeders worldwide. Trials have been created in multiple sites over many years to assess the lines' performance for use in breeding and release as varieties, and to provide iterative feedback on refining breeding strategies. The collaborator test sites are experiencing climate change, with new implications for how wheat genotypes are bred and selected.

High Throughput Field Phenotyping for Plant Height Using UAV-Based RGB Imagery in Wheat Breeding Lines: Feasibility and Validation.

Plant height (PH) is an essential trait in the screening of most crops. While in crops such as wheat, medium stature helps reduce lodging, tall plants are preferred to increase total above-ground biomass. PH is an easy trait to measure manually, although it can be labor-intense depending on the number of plots.

Maize intercropping in the milpa system. Diversity, extent and importance for nutritional security in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.

We present an assessment of the extent, diversity, and nutritional contribution of the milpa through a quantitative analysis of data from a survey conducted in 989 small scale farm households in the Western Highlands of Guatemala (WHG). The milpa is a traditional agricultural system in which maize is intercropped with other species, such as common beans, faba beans, squashes or potatoes. Our study shows that more than two-thirds of the 1,205 plots recorded were under the milpa system, with a great diversity of crop combinations.

Application of Remote Sensing for Phenotyping Tar Spot Complex Resistance in Maize.

Tar spot complex (TSC), caused by at least two fungal pathogens, and , is one of the major foliar diseases of maize in Central and South America. was also detected in the United States of America in 2015 and since then the pathogen has spread in the maize growing regions of the country. Although remote sensing (RS) techniques are increasingly being used for plant phenotyping, they have not been applied to phenotyping TSC resistance in maize.

DOES SIZE MATTER? A CRITICAL REVIEW OF META-ANALYSIS IN AGRONOMY.

Intended to test broad hypotheses and arrive at unifying conclusions, meta-analysis is the process of extracting, assembling, and analyzing large quantities of data from multiple publications to increase statistical power and uncover explanatory patterns. This paper describes the ways in which meta-analysis has been applied to support claims and counter-claims regarding two topics widely debated in agricultural research, namely organic agriculture (OA) and conservation agriculture (CA). We describe the origins of debate for each topic and assess prominent meta-analyses considering data-selection criteria, research question framing, and the interpretation and extrapolation of meta-analytical results.

Multi-Temporal and Spectral Analysis of High-Resolution Hyperspectral Airborne Imagery for Precision Agriculture: Assessment of Wheat Grain Yield and Grain Protein Content.

This study evaluates the potential of high resolution hyperspectral airborne imagery to capture within-field variability of durum wheat grain yield (GY) and grain protein content (GPC) in two commercial fields in the Yaqui Valley (northwestern Mexico). Through a weekly/biweekly airborne flight campaign, we acquired 10 mosaics with a micro-hyperspectral Vis-NIR imaging sensor ranging from 400-850 nanometres (nm). Just before harvest, 114 georeferenced grain samples were obtained manually.

140 W peak power laser system tunable in the LWIR.

We present a high peak power rapidly tunable laser system in the long-wave infrared comprising an external-cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) broadly tunable from 8 to 10 µm and an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) based on quasi phase-matching in orientation-patterned gallium arsenide (OP-GaAs) of fixed grating period. The nonlinear crystal is pumped by a pulsed fiber laser system to achieve efficient amplification in the OPA. Quasi phase-matching remains satisfied when the EC-QCL wavelength is swept from 8 to 10 µm with a crystal of fixed grating period through tuning the pump laser source around 2 µm.

Enhancing Smallholder Access to Agricultural Machinery Services: Lessons from Bangladesh.

Resource poor smallholders in developing countries often lack access to capital goods such as farm machinery. Enabling adequate access through machinery services can thereby significantly contribute to food security and farm incomes. At the core of the service provision model is the lead farmer, who makes the initial investment in agricultural machinery, and provides services to others on a fee-for-service basis.

Optical parametric generation by a simultaneously Q-switched mode-locked single-oscillator thulium-doped fiber laser in orientation-patterned gallium arsenide.

Optical parametric generation is demonstrated in orientation-patterned gallium arsenide, pumped by a novel single-oscillator simultaneously Q-switched and mode-locked thulium-doped fiber laser, downconverting the pump radiation into the mid-infrared wavelength regime. The maximum output energy reached is greater than 2.0 μJ per pump pulse.

Robust, frequency-stable and accurate mid-IR laser spectrometer based on frequency comb metrology of quantum cascade lasers up-converted in orientation-patterned GaAs.

We demonstrate a robust and simple method for measurement, stabilization and tuning of the frequency of cw mid-infrared (MIR) lasers, in particular of quantum cascade lasers. The proof of principle is performed with a quantum cascade laser at 5.4 µm, which is upconverted to 1.

Integrating crops and livestock in subtropical agricultural systems.

As the demand for livestock products increases, and is expected to continue to increase over the next few decades, especially in developing countries, smallholder mixed systems are becoming more intensive. However, with limited land and water resources and concern about the environmental impact of agricultural practices and climate change, the challenge is to find ways of increasing productivity that do not compromise household food security, but rather increase incomes equitably and sustain or enhance the natural resource base. In developed countries there has been increased specialisation of crop and livestock production.

Low level of pollen-mediated gene flow from cultivated to wild grapevine: consequences for the evolution of the endangered subspecies Vitis vinifera L. subsp. silvestris.

A parentage and a paternity-based approach were tested for estimation of pollen-mediated gene flow in wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. silvestris), a wind-pollinated species occurring in Mediterranean Europe and southwestern Asia.

Diversity of wild and cultivated pearl millet accessions (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br.) in Niger assessed by microsatellite markers.

Genetic diversity of crop species in sub-Sahelian Africa is still poorly documented. Among such crops, pearl millet is one of the most important staple species. In Niger, pearl millet covers more than 65% of the total cultivated area.