Irrigation has long been used in arid regions to increase yields and reduce production risk. More recently, irrigation has gained popularity as a risk management tool in humid and subhumid regions. This study was conducted to determine stochastically efficient irrigation strategies and corresponding irrigation initiation thresholds. Stochastic Dominance analysis was applied to net returns to ascertain the stochastically efficient strategies and associated irrigation trigger levels for corn (Zea mays L.) in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. The CERES‐Maize (V1.01) simulation model was used to estimate corn yields and associated quantities of applied irrigation water for the study. Three strategies with associated irrigation trigger levels were found to be stochastically efficient with respect to second‐degree stochastic dominance. These were (i) irrigate within 24 h after more than one‐half of the tensiometers at the 15‐ and 30‐cm depths reflect a soil moisture content of 20% of capacity, (ii) irrigate within 24 h after a plant stress factor of 70 to 80% is reached, (Hi) irrigate twice, once at tassel emergence and again 21 d later in the amount of 1.3 to 2.0 in. If water conservation is essential, the latter two strategies should be preferred. The results of this study verify the importance of irrigation scheduling for enhanced profitability and risk management. The analytical framework employed can be used to derive stochastically efficient irrigation schedules for any number of crops and environmental conditions.
Kherbet El Dieb, north of Aleppo, is one of 24 Syrian villages involved in a participatory plant breeding (PPB) initiative started by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA). Yields there have increased since the farmers have begun using varieties developed through the PPB program. PPB is one of the most common types of benefi t sharing related to farmers' rights as the concept is outlined in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Combining farmers' knowledge with that of professional breeders, this approach enables the farmers to benefi t from their contribution to the global genetic pool by adding value to their crops, improving their livelihoods and increasing their incomes. However, as the name indicates, the main principle of PPB is participation, and this is a signature characteristic of the barley breeding initiative in Syria.Fawaz Al-Abboud Al-Hassoun, a farmer in Kherbet El Dieb who took part in the project, is very happy with the participatory approach and the resulting varieties. The productivity of the new varieties is high because of their increased resistance to drought and cold and, thus, they have been adopted by many of the farmers in the village.This case study describes how PPB evolved in Syria and how benefi ts have been generated through local action research in which farmers and breeders are engaged in a collaborative learning process. The PPB work in Syria also served as a learning ground for PPB in other countries in the region (e
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