• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.74-87
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• 2016

Potato phenology, growth, and yield are projected to be highly affected by global warming in the future. The objective of this study was to examine the responses of potato growth and yield to environmental elements like temperature, solar radiation, and daylength. Planting date experiments under open field condition were conducted using three cultivars differing in maturity group (Irish Cobbler and Superior as early; Atlantic as mid-late maturing) at eight different planting dates. In addition, elevated temperature experiment was conducted in four plastic houses controlled to target temperatures of ambient temperature (AT), $AT+1.5^{\circ}C$, $AT+3^{\circ}C$, and $AT+5^{\circ}C$ using cv. Superior. Tuber initiation onset was found to be hastened curve-linearly with increasing temperature, showing optimum temperature around $22-24^{\circ}C$, while delayed by longer photoperiod and lower solar radiation in Superior and Atlantic. In the planting date experiments where the average temperature is near optimal and solar radiation, rainfall, pest, and disease are not limiting factor for tuber yield, the most important determinant was growth duration, which is limited by the beginning of rainy season in summer and frost in the late fall. Yield tended to increase along with delayed tuber initiation. Within the optimum temperature range ($17^{\circ}-22^{\circ}C$), larger diurnal range of temperature increased the tuber yield. In an elevated temperature treatment of $AT+5.0^{\circ}C$, plants failed to form tubers as affected by high temperature, low irradiance, and long daylength. Tuber number at early growth stage was reduced by higher temperature, resulting in the decrease of assimilates allocated to tuber and the reduction of average tuber weight. Stem growth was enhanced by elevated temperature at the expense of tuber growth. Consequently, tuber yield decreased with elevated temperature above ambient and drop to almost nil at $AT+5.0^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.325-335
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• 1985

Biogas production from agricultural wastes were summarized as follows: 1. Biogas Generation Characteristics of Various Manures and Residues a. Gas yield from crop residues like rice straw, rice hull, corn stalk and coconut husk can be improved by addition of animal manures. b. Gas yield from coconut husk can be improved through aerobic fermentation for at least one week before loading in the digester. c. Gas yield from fresh rice straw is better than from pre-fermented one, whether alone or in combination with animal manures. d. Initial study has shown that fresh azolla can be substituted for animal manures in manurerice straw combinations and gas yield derived based on unit volatile solids loaded is actually better than for manure-residue combinations. e. Gas production is highly sensitive to substrate pH and becomes almost nil at a pH of below 6. 2. Effect of ambient conditions and other factors on biogas production in a house hold-size digester. a. Results showed that compaction of rice straw in straw-manure combination can reduce gas yield compared with loosely mixed straw. b. The effective gas production period extended to 70 days using freshly threshed rice straw and fresh cattle manure as feed material. c. Underground and above ground digesters with shade have relatively more stable substrate temperature than aboveground exposed digesters. This relative temperature instability may likely be the reason for lower gas yield for the exposed aboveground digester loaded with loose straw-cattle manure substrate, compared with the underground digester with the same substrate. 3. Economic Analysis a. Based on prevailing costs of fuel, materials, and labor in the Philippines, biogas produced from the household size system is cheaper than either LPG or kerosene. b. If other benefits like organic fertilizer, pollution control and convenience are considered, biogas will surely be the best alternative fuel source.