The response of grain production to changes in quantity and quality of cropland in Yangtze River Delta, China.

Cropland in Yangtze River Delta has declined drastically since economic reforms in 1978 that led to rapid economic development. Such cropland loss due to population growth has led to a decline in grain production. This study aimed at analyzing the impact of land use changes on grain production. To achieve this, the spatiotemporal dynamics of cropland during 1980-2010 were analyzed. Irrigation and soil fertility data were used as additional lines of evidence. Cropland loss had negative impacts on grain production. About 80 and 66% of grain production decreased during 1980-2005 and 2005-2010 respectively. This decline was attributed to the conversion of cropland to built-up areas. Abandoned cropland areas were mainly concentrated in regions with high irrigation capability and high soil fertility, while cropland reclamation was mainly in areas with low irrigation and soil fertility, implying that, although cropland was reclaimed, production remained low. The decline in cropland area has reinforced the chronic food insecurity in Yangtze River Delta. This study demonstrated the response of grain production to the changes in cropland quantity and quality. It also provides scientific evidence for decision makers to protect cropland and enhance grain production.

Liu G ，Zhang L ，Zhang Q ，Musyimi Z ... -  《-》

[Temporal characteristics of soil fertility of cropland requisition-compensation in the typical region of Yangtze River Delta, China.].

Xui ZC ，Yu DS ，Pan Y ，Wang XY ，Huang JJ ，Sun B ... -  《-》

Impact of land-take on the land resource base for crop production in the European Union.

Spatial analyses of cropland productivity levels and land use data from 2000 and 2006 were performed to assess the loss of cropland resources for biomass production of the European Union due to land take. Productivity loss in administrative regions was calculated on the basis of the extent and quality of agricultural land resources converted to artificial surfaces. Data show that while all EU member states experience constant decrease of their production capacity, there are also considerable differences among countries and regions. Based on the analysis of 24 member states, the EU lost 0.27% of its cropland and 0.26% of its crop productive potential in the period between 2000 and 2006 due to land take. The loss of agricultural land during the study period was the highest in the Netherlands, which lost 1.57% of its crop production potential within six years. The figures are quite alarming for Cyprus (0.84%), Ireland (0.77%) and Spain (0.49%) as well. In metropolitan areas of Barcelona, Berlin, Bratislava, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Milan, and Vienna infrastructural investment occurred on the higher quality cropland while Budapest, Paris, and Warsaw spread their urban growth to areas of less productive cropland. Denmark had to face the largest loss of its food production capacity for each citizen, exceeding the equivalent of 4 kg capita(-1)year(-1) of wheat, followed by Ireland with more than the equivalent of 3 kg wheat and Spain, Netherlands, Hungary, Cyprus and France all above 2 kg loss per capita, annually. The EU lost an amount of cropland production potential equal to approximately 700,000t of wheat grain, annually, in the study period. Results highlight the following general trends: (i) land conversion from different land cover types to artificial surfaces follows the historic trends in Europe with continuing consumption of more productive areas from its land resources; (ii) the conversion rate of croplands to artificial surfaces is growing with increased population growth; (iii) with the growing rate of population increase, increasingly higher quality croplands are converted to artificial surfaces, while with faster rates of population decline increasingly poorer quality croplands are converted; (iv) countries with more developed economies generally convert cropland at a higher speed; and (v) there is a negative correlation between annual economic growth and the rate of cropland conversion.

Tóth G 《-》

Land-cover changes and its impacts on ecological variables in the headwaters area of the Yangtze River, China.

Wang G ，Wang Y ，Kubota J 《ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT》

[Composition and Distribution of Antibiotics in Soils with Different Land Use Types in a Typical Peri-urban Area of the Yangtze River Delta].

Zhao FK ，Chen LD ，Yang L ，Fang L ，Sun L ，Li SJ ... -  《-》