Agriculture and Science 2024/12

Sanuki Udon Flour "Sanuki no Yume 2009
　　　　Total Basal Fertilizer Application of Fertility Control Fertilizers

Kagawa Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station, Crop and Specialty Crop Research Division
Akihiko Tanigawa

Introduction

　Kagawa Prefecture is the smallest prefecture in Japan, but it is famous as the largest udon prefecture in Japan. According to the 2022 household survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Takamatsu City ranks first in Japan in the annual per-household expenditure on Japanese soba and udon (eating out) at 13,968 yen, more than double the national average of 5,911 yen. This is about 2.6 times the national average of 1.99, ranking first in Japan.
　As described above, Kagawa Prefecture consumes the largest amount of udon in Japan, but most of the wheat used to make udon is Australian grown "ASW" wheat. Under these circumstances, the people of Kagawa Prefecture and the flour and noodle milling industry have been calling for "Sanuki udon noodles made from Kagawa wheat! Sanuki no Yume 2000" was bred for the first time as the prefecture's original Sanuki udon variety.
　Since then, development of the variety has continued, and it has now been replaced by the second generation "Sanuki no Yume 2009. Thanks to the efforts of farmers and related parties to expand the cultivation of "Sanuki no Yume 2009," the area under cultivation is gradually increasing year by year. However, in order to further expand the area, it is necessary to save labor in cultivation management. In this paper, we report on a study of total basal application of fertilizer to reduce fertilizer use in wheat cultivation management.

Methods and results

(1) Testing Method

　The trials were sown in 2017 and conducted in plots at the Kagawa Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station (Ayagawa Town, Kagawa Prefecture). The variety used was "Sanuki no Yume 2009". Sowing dates were November 2 (early sowing), November 13 (optimum sowing), and December 4 (late sowing). The seeding method was drill sowing at a seeding rate of 8 kg/10a. Four test plots were set up: one with conventional fast-acting fertilizer, one with controlled-release fertilizer, two with controlled-release fertilizer, and three with controlled-release fertilizer, and the growth, yield, and quality of wheat were compared (Table 1). The fertilizer components of the test fertilizers and the percentage of slow-release fertilizers are shown in Tables 2 and 3, respectively.

(2) Dissolution characteristics of fertilizer with regulated fertilizer effect (Figure 1)

　The leaching pattern of nitrogen from fertilizer 1-3 was simulated using the Takinomiya AMeDAS normal (30 years from 1981 to 2010). The base fertilizer application date was set for November 15.
　The results showed that fertilizer leaching of fertilizer 1 reached a maximum in mid-December, followed by a gradual decline. Fertilizer 2 remained high until mid-February, then dropped sharply in late February, followed by a gradual decline. Fertilizer 3 was low until mid-December, increased from late December, and remained high from late January to mid-April.

(3) Test results

　There was no significant difference in culm length and ear length between the two fertilizer treatments at each sowing period, when the conventional fast-acting fertilizer treatment was used as the standard. The number of ears was the same or slightly higher in all but the three fertilizer-regulated treatments sown at the right time of the year. The weight of fine wheat in the fertilizer-regulated zone was slightly lower than that in the late-seeded zone, except in the three fertilizer-regulated zones. There was no significant difference in thousand-grain weight and appearance quality among the fertilizer treatments, but the early sowing resulted in lower thousand-grain weight and slightly poorer appearance quality. In addition, protein content tended to be lower in the early-seeded fertilizer treatments (Tables 4 and 5).
　Based on these results, the total basal fertilizer application of the regulated fertilizer was slightly inferior to the fast-acting fertilizer system in terms of yield, but among the three fertilizer treatments, the three regulated fertilizer treatments maintained their efficacy until the latter half of growth and were considered to be better overall.

Summary

　A trial of total basal fertilizer application using fertilizer-regulated fertilizer in Sanuki Udon wheat "Sanuki no Yume 2009" was introduced.
　The results of this test showed that fertilizer 3 was good, but the extremely high percentage of slow-release fertilizer (75% of the total nitrogen content) made the price of fertilizer too high to make it practical.
　Based on the test results and cost-effectiveness in terms of yield and quality, a controlled-release fertilizer consisting of 45% fast-acting fertilizer and 55% slow-acting fertilizer (25% Good IB and 30% Emcote S20H) was finally adopted in 2020 as "Sanuki no Yume Ippatsu" in the growing calendar.
　Sanuki no Yume Ippatsu" has been widely used mainly by large scale farmers, and has contributed to the expansion of the planted area to a certain extent. Currently, the Kagawa Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station is conducting trials of "Sanuki no Yume 2023," the successor to "Sanuki no Yume 2009," and is also studying fertilization methods using slow-release fertilizers for "Sanuki no Yume 2023.

References

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2022): Household Survey
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2021): Economic Census Activity Survey
Jaycam Agri: Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, Good IB, Super IB
https://www.jcam-agri.co.jp/product/ibdu.html
Tanigawa, A., Miyahara, K., Okuma, M., and Ikeuchi, H. (2020): Increasing yield of wheat "Sanuki no Yume 2009" by applying fertilizer in the second half of growth.

By Micro Long Total
　Verification of labor-saving seedling cultivation of onions for processing and commercial use

Ibaraki Prefecture West Agriculture and Forestry Office
Bando Regional Agricultural Extension Center
　Kanako Hayashi
(currently Ibaraki Prefectural Pest Control Center)

Introduction.

　The JA Ibaraki Mutsumi Onion Research Group consists of nine producers from Koga City, Bando City, Goka Town, and Sakai Town, and has been engaged in contract cultivation of onions for processing and commercial use since 2009. Currently, some growers are growing onions on a 1 ha scale and positioning them as a part of their business, and their efforts are expanding as a complementary item to vegetable management or as a composite item of regular crop management.
　In the fall sown onion cultivation that our research group is engaged in, onions are sown in early September, planted from mid-November to early December, and harvested from late May to early July. For planting and harvesting, an efficient and labor-saving work system is being established through the shared use of fully automatic transplanters, harvesters, pickers, and other equipment.
　On the other hand, it is difficult to introduce machinery and other technology to manage seedlings over a period of about two months, and reducing the workload, which increases as the scale of production expands, has become an issue. In particular, one of the management tasks, fertilizer application, is carried out once a week (5 to 6 times in total) from 2 weeks after sowing until planting, using a jar or a back-propelled jet. This is a heavy burden for growers who manage onion seedlings on a 1 ha scale, as it takes half a day to a full day to perform one fertilizer application.
　Therefore, we tested whether the use of a slow-release fertilizer, "Microlong Total 70 Type," as a fertilizer material during the seedling stage would (1) reduce the time required for a single application of fertilizer and (2) reduce the number of applications of fertilizer during the period of seedling growth.

Verification of labor-saving fertilizer application

The verification was conducted in two onion research households growing onions in the 2004 (sown in early September 2021) and 2005 (sown in early September 2022) crop years. The amount of fertilizer applied per application was set at 10 g/tray or 25 g/tray, and the application was made two weeks after sowing, based on examples in other prefectures.

(1) Case 1: Producer A (2022, 5-year production)

　Farmer A, a large-scale onion grower in our research group, introduced a trial application of Micro Long Total fertilizer to approximately 30 trays, or 5 a of seedlings, out of 190 a of 2022 crop area. Treatments were applied either by hand or by using a thumper start (Thumper, Yamato Nouji Co., Ltd.: Fig. 1).

　The working time for total microlong application was 1 to 2:30 min/tray by hand and less than 10 sec/tray with thumper in the 25 g test plot, and about 1 min/tray by hand and less than 10 sec/tray with thumper in the 10 g test plot (Table 1).

In the case of the treatment using Samper, which required particularly short working time, it was estimated that the fertilizer application time for 10a of seedlings was 6 to 7 minutes. The usual fertilizer application by grower A (four times with a jar) required 68 minutes of work for 10a of seedlings, and it was estimated that the use of Micro Long Total could reduce the amount of time required to about one-tenth of that by using Micro Long Total.
　A seedling quality survey (10 seedlings x 3 replications) was conducted in mid-November, just before planting, and the seedlings in the test area treated with MicroLong Total showed growth comparable to that of seedlings treated with conventional fertilizer (Figure 2). Growth after planting was also generally good, and the final yield was comparable to that of the conventional method (data omitted).

　In the 2023 crop, we applied Micro Long Total fertilizer using Samper to 200 a (approximately 1,200 trays), which is the total area of the crop. As with the 2022 crop, only one application of this fertilizer was used during the seedling growth period in the 2023 crop, and good seedling growth was achieved as in previous years. In addition, the time required for fertilizer application was greatly reduced, from nearly one day to only half a day (according to the producer's opinion).
　Farmer A, who conducted the demonstration, felt that the reduction in the frequency of fertilizer application was particularly significant, and decided to continue using Micro Long Total fertilizer from 2024 onward. He also expressed his desire to further expand his onion acreage because of the labor savings in fertilizer application.

(2) Case 2: Producer B (2023)

　Grower B, who grows 60 a of onions, tested fertilization with Micro Long Total on 10 a of seedlings (about 60 trays). Following the example of Grower A, the treatment was applied using Samper.
　The total time required to apply MicroLong Total to 10a of seedlings was 16 minutes in the 25g test plot and 17 minutes in the 10g test plot. The use of MicroLong Total reduced the time needed to apply fertilizer by about one-third from the 25 minutes required for the usual liquid fertilizer application by Grower B (five times in total, using a back-powered sprayer).
　However, unlike Grower A, who was able to secure good seedlings with only one application of this fertilizer, the seedlings of Grower B showed yellowing of the leaves in late November (Figure 3), and had to be fertilized twice with liquid fertilizer before planting in early December. It was considered that the seedlings ran out of fertilizer because the growing period was about two weeks longer than that of Grower A and the temperature from September to early December 2022 was higher than normal. The additional application of fertilizer resulted in good growth after planting (Figure 4), and the final yield was comparable to that of the conventional crop.
I was very pleased with the results.

　Although an additional application was required, grower B gave a positive opinion about the reduction in the number of fertilizer applications and the shortening of work time per application. Based on this case, it was considered necessary to consider increasing the amount of fertilizer or combining fertilizer application in the latter half of the seedling growth period, even when using slow-release fertilizers, when the seedling growth period is longer than two months or under environmental conditions that may cause the fertilizer effect to wear off earlier than usual, such as high temperatures during the growing period.

Conclusion

　Verification by two growers in our area showed that the use of Micro Long Total could save labor for fertilizer application during the onion seedling period. When we introduced the case study to onion research members at a field workshop, some members showed interest, while others said that they would prefer to use liquid fertilizer for fertilization because it can be used in combination with irrigation work.
　In addition, as shown in Case 2, the fertilizer efficacy period of MicroLong Total may vary depending on the weather conditions during the seedling growth period, and the results may differ from those in our production area depending on the region, crop type, and other factors. When actually introducing micro long total fertilizer, we would like to ask our customers to consider the necessity of conducting a trial on a small scale first.

No Soil - No. 37
　　Agricultural land is land on which crops are grown
　　　-How to think about biodiversity in agricultural lands

Former Technical Advisor, Hokkaido Branch, Jcam Agri Co.
Teruo Matsunaka

　So far, I have described the reality that man's excessive economic activities have not only brought the world's soil to the verge of degradation, but have also led to environmental destruction. Starting this month, I would like to change the topic to organic agriculture and compare it with conventional agriculture that has been commonly practiced. This month's theme is how to understand farmland and how to consider biodiversity in that farmland.

1. farmland is not a pristine natural ecosystem

　About 10,000 years ago, people began what we now call agriculture. This beginning of agriculture and food production on farmland was also the beginning of environmental destruction in the sense that people added their hands to the pristine natural ecosystems that had been given to them.
　Since the beginning of agriculture, farmland has been managed by people in order to maximize the productivity of crops grown there by creating an optimal growing environment for the crops. For example, in rice paddies in conventional agriculture, the priority is given to the growth of rice plants, and people manage the paddies to prevent the invasion of various plants and animals other than rice plants. Therefore, biodiversity is kept low (Figure 1).

　This effort, on the other hand, is rather counterintuitive from the standpoint of protecting biodiversity. This is why agriculture is considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity in the world (Newbold et al., 2015). In contrast, organic agriculture, unlike conventional agriculture, finds significance in protecting biodiversity even in the anthropogenic ecosystem of farmland.

2. organic farming aims to improve the quality of life and livelihood

　In Japan, organic farming is often thought of simply as farming that produces agricultural products without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, or farming that meets organic JAS standards. However, organic agriculture is not something that can be described in such a simple way. Organic agriculture has deeper goals. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM, founded in France in 1972), an international organization that unites organic farming activities around the world, declared the following definition of organic agriculture and its goals at its 2008 general meeting. Organic agriculture is an agricultural production system that sustains the health of the soil, natural ecosystems, and people. It is rooted in the workings of local natural ecosystems, biodiversity and cycles, and avoids the use of inputs that negatively affect them. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science, shares its bounty in harmony with the natural environment, and enhances the quality of life and livelihood while building equitable relationships between all living things and people involved. (Japanese translation by IFOAM)
　Thus, organic farming is not only about producing healthy food, but also about the local environment, the living creatures including people who live there, and the way people should conduct agriculture. This is why organic farming is also strongly concerned with local environmental preservation and animal welfare (animal welfare). It never thinks that it is enough if it is good enough only for oneself.

3. it is difficult to balance crop production with protecting biodiversity on farmland

The problem is that it is difficult to balance maintaining rich biodiversity on farmland with increasing the desired crop production on that farmland.
　According to the results of a large-scale survey of paddy fields in Japan (Katayama et al., 2019; Katayama et al., 2020), biodiversity was superior in paddy fields under organic agriculture than in conventional agriculture (Figure 2). However, in the same study, when rice yield was compared between the two, the yield of rice was 30% lower in the paddies of organic agriculture than in conventional agriculture (Figure 3).

　The higher yields in rice paddies in conventional agriculture than in organic agriculture are the result of the farmland's objective to protect the growth of rice plants in preference to other plants and animals, and to increase yields. Organic paddy farming recognizes the significance of protecting biodiversity by allowing the plants and animals that congregate in the paddy fields to coexist, even at the expense of rice yield.
　Similar comparisons have been made in studies examining global reports for various crops, where crop yields in organic agriculture were about 75-80% of the same crops grown in conventional agriculture (De Ponti et al., 2012; Seufert et al., 2012).
　However, this incompatibility between biodiversity and crop productivity in agricultural land is not limited to organic farming. For example, an interesting result was noted in a study of pastureland in the UK, where the type and amount of nutrients applied as chemical fertilizers, as well as treatments with and without acidification, continued for more than 160 years (Crawley et al., 2005).
　When nitrogen application was increased using a chemical fertilizer (sodium nitrate), which is less likely to cause acidification of pasture soil over time in this study, a species of grass that responded well to fertilizer nutrients became dominant among the many grass species, reducing diversity. However, hay yield increased. Conversely, when nitrogen application was reduced, there were no dominant grass species in the pasture, and many grass species grew and diversity increased. However, hay yield decreased.
　In the end, it can be understood that biodiversity on farmland is not a characteristic of organic agriculture alone, but reflects differences in thinking about whether priority should be given to the growth of cultivated crops on farmland or whether coexistence with other plants and animals should also be tolerated.

4. the meaning of the coexistence of organic and conventional agriculture

　With the world population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, food production through agriculture will become increasingly important to protect human life. Conventional agriculture attempts to increase production (yield) per unit land area by creating an environment that is beneficial to the growth of crops grown on that land. These efforts are essential to ensure a stable supply of food for people from the earth's limited land resources.
　On the other hand, organic agriculture is necessary for those who want to support and share the goals and ethics of organic agriculture, and for those who cannot eat produce produced by conventional agriculture with peace of mind due to concerns about chemical substances. However, it is necessary to recognize once again that it is difficult to balance crop production with the preservation of biodiversity, which organic agriculture values, in the ecosystem of farmland.