ALBERT

Description: Identification of yield deficits early in the growing season for cereal crops (e.g., Triticum aestivum) could help to identify more precise agronomic strategies for intervention to manage production. We investigated how effective crop canopy properties, including leaf area index (LAI), leaf chlorophyll content, and canopy height, are as predictors of winter wheat yield over various lead times. Models were calibrated and validated on fertiliser trials over two years in fields in the UK. Correlations of LAI and plant height with yield were stronger than for yield and chlorophyll content. Yield prediction models calibrated in one year and tested on another suggested that LAI and height provided the most robust outcomes. Linear models had equal or smaller validation errors than machine learning. The information content of data for yield prediction degraded strongly with time before harvest, and in application to years not included in the calibration. Thus, impact of soil and weather variation between years on crop phenotypes was critical in changing the interactions between crop variables and yield (i.e., slopes and intercepts of regression models) and was a key contributor to predictive error. These results show that canopy property data provide valuable information on crop status for yield assessment, but with important limitations.

Description: The intercropping of two or more crop species on the same piece of land at a given time has been hypothesized to enhance crop yield stability. To address this hypothesis, we assessed the grain yield stability of various barley-pea and wheat-faba bean mixtures grown in seven experimental field trials (locations) across Europe during two years with contrasting weather (2017 and 2018). Three different yield stability measures were used, all based on the expected yield variability of the mixture components grown as sole crops, and the corresponding observed yield variability of the same components grown in 50:50 mixtures in a replacement design. Stability indices were calculated as ratios between the expected and observed variabilities, with values 〉 1 indicating greater stability of the intercrops. Mean grain yields tended to be higher in intercrops than sole crops. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, the observed (intercrop) yield stability was similar or lower than the expected (sole crop) stability in most locations except one. Furthermore, yield stability significantly increased with increasing mean yields when assessed across differentially productive locations. The results are relevant for the designing of intercropping systems as a means to increase yield stability and the resilience of cropping systems.

Description: Hybrid sterility is a reproductive barrier that prevents gene flow between species. In Oryza species, some hybrid sterility loci, which are classified as gamete eliminators, cause pollen and seed sterility and sex-independent transmission ratio distortion (siTRD) in hybrids. However, the molecular basis of siTRD has not been fully characterized because of lacking information on causative genes. Here, we analyze one of the hybrid sterility loci, S2, which was reported more than forty years ago but has not been located on rice chromosomes. Hybrids between African rice (Oryza glaberrima) and a near-isogenic line that possesses introgressed chromosomal segments from Asian rice (Oryza sativa) showed sterility and siTRD, which confirms the presence of the S2 locus. Genome-wide SNP marker survey revealed that the near-isogenic line has an introgression on chromosome 4. Further substitution mapping located the S2 locus between 22.60 Mb and 23.54 Mb on this chromosome. Significant TRD in this chromosomal region was also observed in a calli population derived from cultured anther in hybrids of another cross combination of African and Asian rice species. This indicates that the pollen abortion caused by the S2 locus occurs before callus induction in anther culture. It also suggests the wide existence of the S2-mediated siTRD in this interspecific cross combination. Chromosomal location of the S2 locus will be valuable for identifying causative genes and for understanding of the molecular basis of siTRD.

Description: The rhizosphere’s microbial communities consist of a diverse set of microorganisms that can be beneficial to plants. These beneficial microorganisms are key determinants of plant productivity and health. In this study, we used shotgun metagenomics to explore and characterize the microbiome of the sunflower rhizosphere and bulk soil. The rhizosphere shared features with the bulk soil with dominant phyla such as Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia. There was no significant difference in the alpha diversity of the sunflower rhizosphere and bulk soils, though diversity was lower in the rhizosphere, suggesting a selection of microorganisms by sunflower rhizosphere to the bulk soil community. The genes present in the rhizosphere with their corresponding proteins as observed in our study conferred potential plant-beneficial properties such as siderophore production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilizing, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. Furthermore, other genes such as exopolysaccharides-producing, high-temperature stress response, and heat and cold shock response genes, which help withstand environmental stresses were also identified more in the rhizosphere. Of note from our study is the gene phenazine biosynthesis protein, which confers biocontrol. With the current indiscriminate use of pesticides that are considered harmful to the ecosystem, these potential functional genes can be further exploited and used as a biotechnological application for sustainable agriculture.

Description: The rapid developments in high-throughput sequencing technologies have allowed researchers to analyze the full genomic sequence of organisms faster and cheaper than ever before. An important application of such advancements is to identify the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the phenotypes and genotypes of the same species by discovering the factors that affect the occurrence of SNPs. The focus of this study is to determine whether climate factors such as the main climate, the precipitation, and the temperature affecting a certain geographical area might be associated with specific variations in certain ecotypes of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. To test our hypothesis we analyzed 18 genes that encode Forkhead-Associated domain-containing proteins. They were extracted from 80 genomic sequences gathered from within 8 Eurasian regions. We used k-means clustering to separate the plants into distinct groups and evaluated the clusters using an innovative scoring system based upon the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system. The methods we used allow the selection of candidate clusters most likely to contain samples with similar polymorphisms. These clusters show that there is a correlation between genomic variations and the geographic distribution of those ecotypes.

Description: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a heat tolerant vegetable crop with high economic and nutritional importance in parts of Asia, Africa, and America. The okra biodiversity held in gene bank collections could be mined for traits for breeding more stress tolerant and nutritional cultivars. An okra core collection of 166 accessions comprising A. esculentus, A. moschatus, A. caillei, and A. manihot has been assembled from the World Vegetable Center germplasm collection (840 accessions) based on diversity analysis with 20 microsatellite markers. A selection of A. esculentus accessions of the core collection (75 accessions) and 20 breeder-selected genotypes have been screened for variation of their response to flooding stress under field conditions using a high throughput phenotyping system. Growth increment per day and changes of physiological indices were measured before, during, and after application of 9 days of flooding stress. Several accessions showed only a small reduction in daily growth increment during flooding. Across the germplasm panel, maintained growth was correlated with maintained normalized differential vegetation index and was negatively correlated with plant senescence index. Accessions with maintained growth and health under flooding were selected for future further analysis and use in breeding.

Description: Bioactive compounds (e.g., flavonoids, phenolics acids, alkaloids and carotenoids) are commercially-valued products, due to their wide array of applications in the medical, pharmacological, cosmetic, agriculture and food industry. A strategy applied to increase or enhancing bioactive compounds production in plants is controlled elicitation. In recent years, many researchers have studied the role of nanoparticles (NPs) as a novel elicitor for the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds shown that the NPs could affect the plant’s secondary metabolism in plant and culture systems. In this sense, recent studies have highlighted the potential applications of nanotechnology in crop production by improving the nutraceutical and nutritional quality of plants. In this review, we present studies about the application of NPs to enhance the production of bioactive plant metabolites. The aforementioned studies in ex vitro as in vitro, in addition to the effect of post-harvest by NPs application.

Description: The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.

Description: For the ammonia generated in Korea, the contribution rate of livestock manure is high, and a large amount of ammonia (NH3) is emitted into the atmosphere during the soil application process. Volatilization of NH3 is affected by soil characteristics as well as manure characteristics, but the current inventory does not sufficiently reflect this. This study was conducted to confirm the change of the NH3 emitted from liquid fertilizer (LF) due to soil pH and to evaluate the impacts of biochar (BC) on the suppression of NH3 volatilization. Estimating the NH3 emission flux using the chamber for 24 soils after LF treatment, it showed a tendency to increase exponentially as the pH in soil increased from 4 to 7. In addition, the parallel treatment of BC and LF increased the soil pH, thereby increasing the NH3 emission flux. The rise of soil pH due to LF treatment is a temporary phenomenon that appears in the early stage, but since NH3 volatilization is also highest at the beginning of LF application, the effect of soil characteristics on emission factor and its inventory should be considered when calculating the amount of NH3 emissions. Therefore, follow-up studies such as subdividing and enhancing the NH3 emission factor by soil characteristics and developing a reduction coefficient to certify the amount of emission reduction are needed.

Description: In Citrus, flower induction represents the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. The regulation of flower induction is mainly triggered by exposure to low temperatures and water-deficit stress, which activates the signaling cascade leading to an increased expression of the citrus orthologs of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (CiFT). In this study, the relationship between rootstock and flower induction under Mediterranean field conditions was investigated by monitoring the expression levels of the floral promoter CiFT2 in leaves of the pigmented sweet orange “Tarocco Scirè” grafted onto “C35” citrange and “Swingle” citrumelo rootstocks. The latter two are known to confer, respectively, high and low yield efficiency to the scion. In both rootstock/scion combinations, CiFT2 showed a seasonal expression with a peak during the inductive period in January triggered by cold temperature. The “Tarocco Scirè”/”C35” citrange combination showed the highest expression levels for CiFT2; this increased expression was correlated with yield and a higher number of flowers in the following spring, suggesting a significant effect of rootstocks on flower induction mediated by the overexpression of the CiFT2 gene.

Description: Family farming is an important pillar of the global primary food sector and is characterized by a significant local and regional impact. The sustainability of these businesses depends greatly on the use of effective management practices in family farming and smallholder farmer’s activities. However, there is a lack of methodologies to support decision making in this sector related to the recognition of all aspects involved in the acquisition of inputs. Commonly, the existing approaches are focused on cost as the major criterion, which might impact on the agribusiness sustainability in the short or long term. Furthermore, traditional cost-focused approaches should be complemented with multi-criteria aspects within comprehensive and practical methodologies. This paper presents a Cost Management Model (CMM) integrating the concepts of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), which includes both monetary and non-monetary attributes. The use of TCO was mostly focused on industrial applications and studies on costs in agribusiness are still scarce and incomplete. The model was applied to a set of agribusiness families in Southern Brazil to support the supplier selection process of the three main inputs (i.e., fertilizer, fungicide, and soybeans). A significant cost reduction of approximately 13% for fertilizers, 7% for fungicides, and 3% for soybeans can be achieved. The CMM can be applied by smallholder farmers in any region of the world, and its flexibility allows changes in weights and criteria at any time by the decision maker. Buyers are more prepared to select the best supplier for each input and the later can recognize how they are more or less competitive when all costs and relevant criteria are taken into consideration. It can be also applied from an industry-level perspective to highlight the industry’s cost structure and value chain, supporting more focused and effective public policies namely the design of subsidies that mitigate relevant context costs and the investment in infrastructures. Both, subsidies and public investment, are of major importance in rural areas of developing countries.

Description: The work discusses issues of the infrastructure, its instruments, and specifics of infrastructure in Polish and Slovak rural areas. The aim of this article is to analyze the level of technical infrastructure development in rural regions of the Małopolskie Voivodeship in Poland and the west part of Slovakia—Trnava self-governing region (Trnava region) as two regions with a similar position regarding regional competitiveness index. Following the topic, after identification of strengths and weaknesses of mentioned regions, the opportunities, and threats of sustainable development of infrastructure in rural areas have been analyzed using the SWOT method. The development of sustainable, reliable, and functional infrastructure does not only refer to the chosen regions of Poland and Slovakia but also other regions in the European Union. Sustainable infrastructure is a factor stimulating social and economic progress as one of the most important determinants of sustainable development and regional competitiveness. The authors notice a particular lack in the sustainable development of infrastructure in the field of water and sewerage management together with the supply of water. Therefore, this article tries to complete the gap in research focusing on the concept of a more systematic approach to technical infrastructure improvement in the context of sustainable development, and strategy of cooperation.

Description: The effects of previous crops (soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera Metzg)), as well as of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), on yield and some quality parameters of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain were evaluated based on a four-year field experiment. Wheat was grown in a four-field crop rotation: Soybean—winter wheat—winter oilseed rape—winter wheat. The study revealed that growing winter wheat after soybean, compared to its cultivation in the field after winter oilseed rape, significantly increased grain and straw yield, as well as all yield and crop components evaluated. After the previous soybean crop, higher grain protein content, Zeleny sedimentation value, and grain uniformity were also found. After winter oilseed rape, only a greater value of the gluten index was obtained. Statistical analysis did not show the tillage system (TS) to influence the grain yield of winter wheat. Under the CT system, relative to NT, straw yield, number of ears per 1 m2, and plant height of winter wheat were found to be significantly higher. The NT system, on the other hand, beneficially affected the thousand grain weight. Wheat grain harvested under the CT system was characterized by a higher grain test weight, better grain uniformity, and lower gluten index than under NT.

Description: Human diets and their associated environmental impacts differ across segments of the population. There is evidence that consumer choices of food intake can also affect the overall environmental impacts of a food system. This paper analyzes the environmental impact of diets and food choices across a rural–urban transect in Northern Vietnam by using mixed survey data from 619 adult respondents. The average greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) resulting from producing the daily food intake of adults in the urban and peri-urban districts were similar, while the average in the rural district was lower. Although starchy staples contributed the most to energy intake, pork and beef were the largest contributors to GHGE. Metrics of blue water use were higher for diets of males than those of females in all three districts. Interestingly, the difference in mean diet diversity score between urban and rural households was significant, and females’ diets were more diverse than those of males. As expected, urban households were more likely to buy food, while rural households often produced their own foods. Urban households reported prioritizing personal health and the natural content of food and would increase seafood and fruits if their income were to increase. In rural regions, interventions aimed at reducing undernutrition should address improving diet quality without significant increases to diet-related environmental impacts.

Description: Sweet potatoes are a substantial source of nutrition and can be added to processed foods in the form of paste. The moisture and starch contents of these potatoes affect the physicochemical properties of sweet potato paste. In this study, the changes in the moisture, starch, and α-amylase content of sweet potatoes were measured for eight weeks after harvest. Using nondestructive near-infrared analyses and chemometric models, the moisture and starch contents were predicted. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used for prediction, while linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used for discrimination. To increase the accuracy of the model, the near-infrared spectrum was preprocessed using the Savitzky–Golay derivative (S–G), standard normal variate (SNV), and multiplicative scattering correction methods. When applying PLS to the moisture content, the best calibration model accuracy was obtained using the S–G preprocessed spectrum. Furthermore, the best calibration model accuracy for starch content was obtained using the SNV preprocessed spectrum. The moisture and starch contents were categorized into five classes for LDA, with results indicating that the internal quality of sweet potatoes can be predicted and classified using chemometric models through nondestructive detection.

Description: This paper analyses the effects of soil and foliar fertilization with sodium selenate (VI) on the selenium content in spring wheat grain. The research was carried out at the Departmental Experimental Station of the Institute of Agriculture WULS in Skierniewice in 2018 and 2019. The dose of selenium used was 5.00 g Se·ha−1 in various development stages of spring wheat. The results showed that selenium fertilisation did not affect the size of the grain yield, but both soil and foliar fertilisation significantly increased the content of selenium in wheat grain compared to the control group. The highest Se content was obtained with the method of soil fertilisation combined with the foliar application with a total dose of 10.00 g·ha-1 Se in the stem elongation phase (S + F2), and in the tillering and stem elongation phase (S + F1 + F2), which resulted in the values of 0.615 and 0.719 mg·kg−1 Se in grain, respectively. On this basis, it was concluded that the best time to carry out foliar fertilisation treatment is in the stem elongation phase (BBCH 30–39). The results show that the greatest increase in selenium content in the grain is achieved with soil and foliar fertilisation combined.

Description: Trees of the olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivar Carolea grown in Calabria (Italy) in three sites with different main climate traits (temperatures, rainfall, Growth Degree Days seasonal variations) were studied for three years to see the ripening time course and quality of the oils. The optimal harvesting time for obtaining the best-quality olive oils was defined for each site. The effect on quality indexes of three harvesting periods was also considered, linking this to the observed various thermal regimes. The different climates largely affected the growth and the development of fruits and the quality of obtained oils. Lower temperatures and higher rainfall slow down fruit growth and development and delay ripening. Olive oils of good quality (free acidity, fatty acid composition, antioxidant components and oxidative stability were obtained in the site with lower temperatures and higher rainfall when fruits were still yellow-green ripe and had a detachment index between 1.9 and 1.5. Climate change, evidenced by rising temperatures, led to the movement of olive groves from the high-temperature coastal plain to the intern foothills.

Description: Manganese is an important essential micronutrient, and its deficiency causes latent health issues in humans. Agronomic biofortification can promisingly improve the plant nutrient concentration without changing the genetic makeup of plants. This study was designed to assess the best method of Mn application to enhance productivity and grain Mn contents under conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) systems. Manganese was delivered through seed coating (250-mg kg−1 seed), osmopriming (0.1-M Mn solution), soil application (1 kg ha−1), and foliar application (0.25-M Mn solution). A general control with no seed Mn application was included, whereas hydropriming and water spray were used as positive control treatments for Mn seed priming and Mn foliar spray, respectively. No tillage had a higher total soil porosity (9%), soil organic carbon (16%), soil microbial biomass carbon (4%), nitrogen (2%), and soil nutrients in the CT system. Manganese nutrition through various methods significantly enhanced the yield, grain biofortification, and net benefits for CT and NT systems. Averaged across two years, the maximum improvement in grain productivity was recorded with osmopriming (28%) followed by foliar application (26%). The highest grain Mn concentration (29% over no application) was recorded with Mn foliar applications under both tillage systems. Moreover, the highest economic returns and marginal net benefits were recorded with osmopriming. To improve the wheat production, profitability, and grain Mn concentration, Mn application through priming and foliar application may be opted.

Description: Plants evolve complex interactions with diverse soil mutualist organisms to enhance P mobilization from the soil. These strategies are particularly important when P is poorly available. It is still unclear how the soil P source (e.g., mineral P versus recalcitrant organic P) and its mobility in the soil (high or low) affect soil mutualist biological (ectomycorrhizal fungi, bacteria and bacterial-feeding nematodes) richness—plant P acquisition relationships. Using a set of six microcosm experiments conducted in growth chamber across contrasting P situations, we tested the hypothesis that the relationship between the increasing addition of soil mutualist organisms in the rhizosphere of the plant and plant P acquisition depends on P source and mobility. The highest correlation (R2 = 0.70) between plant P acquisition with soil rhizosphere biological richness was found in a high P-sorbing soil amended with an organic P source. In the five other situations, the relationships became significant either in soil conditions, with or without mineral P addition, or when the P source was supplied as organic P in the absence of soil, although with a low correlation coefficient (0.09 〈 R2 〈 0.15). We thus encourage the systematic and careful consideration of the form and mobility of P in the experimental trials that aim to assess the role of biological complexity on plant P nutrition.

Description: Microbial inoculants are widely accepted as potential alternatives or complements to chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. However, there remains a lack of knowledge regarding their application and effects under field conditions. Thus, a quantitative description of the scientific literature related to soil microbial inoculants was conducted, adopting a science mapping approach to observe trends, strengths, and weaknesses of their application during the period of 2000–2020 and providing useful insights for future research. Overall, the study retrieved 682 publications with an increasing number during the 2015–2020 period, confirming China, India, and the U.S. as leading countries in microbial inoculants research. Over the last decade, the research field emphasized the use of microbial consortia rather than single strains, with increasing attention paid to sustainability and environmental purposes by means of multidisciplinary approaches. Among the emerging topics, terms such as “persistence” indicate the actual need for detecting and monitoring the persistence and fate of soil microbial inoculants. On the other hand, the low occurrence of terms related to failed studies as well as formulation processes may have limited the overall comprehension of the real potential of microbial inoculants to date. In conclusion, successful application of soil microbial inoculants in agriculture requires filling the fundamental knowledge gaps related to the processes that govern dynamics and interactions of the inoculants with soil and its native microbiota.

Description: Spring frost poses a challenge for all major crops and, in the case of Lupinus mutabilis (Andean lupin) can cause severe damage or even total loss of the crop. Within the LIBBIO project consortium, we conducted a series of experiments in order to develop a suitable protocol for screening lupin germplasm under frost-simulation conditions. Four lupin accessions, one Lupinus albus and three Andean lupins were used in the experiments (L. albus Mihai, L. mutabilis LIB 220, LIB 221, LIB 222). Seedlings at four developmental stages were challenged with five different levels of ‘frost’ stress from low (−2 °C) to high (−10 °C). Notably, young seedling (cotyledons just breaking through the soil surface) showed little evidence of frost damage for temperatures down to −6 °C. At −8 °C, however, damage was evident, suggesting a cold tolerance threshold occurs at this temperature. Interestingly, for later developmental stages, when the first and second leaves were visible, notable differences were observed starting at −6 °C. The results indicate that the plant growth stage is an important parameter when screening for frost tolerance in germplasm. Overall, by identifying Andean lupin genotypes adapted to high abiotic stress factors, farmers will be able to use it as a reference crop with potentially a commercial interest from the food sector, or cosmetics, and biofuel industries.

Description: Adoption and utilisation of indigenous knowledge (IK) is declining. The objective of the current study was to determine differences in the extent of use of IK to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in goats between wet and dry environments. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Almost all households used IK in controlling parasites. There was a close association among environment, gender, and religion (p 〈 0.05) on IK use. Farmers who were less poor were 2.38 times more likely to use IK (p 〉 0.05) than farmers that were poor. Adults were 1.20 more likely to use IK (p 〈 0.05) than younger people. Unemployed farmers were 4.26 more likely to use IK compared to their employed counter parts (p 〈 0.01). Having a herbalist in the community was 3.6 times more likely to influence the use of IK (p 〈 0.05) compared to the environment in which there was no herbalist. Farmers that received informal education in the dry environment were 5.88 times more likely to use IK (p 〈 0.05) than those in the wet environment. Farmers who practised traditional Zulu culture were 2.05 times more likely to use IK compared to those following the Christian faith (p 〈 0.05). The considerable variation in the adoption of IK suggests that intervention strategies that advance IK use should consider the socio-demographic information of the community.

Description: Genotype, environmental temperature, and agronomic management of parents influence seed yield in three-way cross hybrid maize seed production. The objective of this research was to generate information on the seed production of six three-way cross hybrids and their progenitors, adapted to tropical lowlands. Data on days to—and duration of—flowering, distance to spike and stigmas, and seed yield of five female single crosses and five male inbred lines were recorded for different combinations of four planting densities and four sowing dates in Mexico. The effect of planting density was not significant. The male inbred line T10 was the earliest and highest seed yield and T31 the latest, occupying second place in yield. The single crosses T32/T10 and T13/T14 were the earliest and had the highest effective seed yield. At the earliest sowing date, the females were later in their flowering, accumulated fewer growing degree days (GDD), and obtained higher yields since the grain-filling period coincided with hot days and cool nights. To achieve greater floral synchronization and therefore greater production of hybrid seed, differential planting dates for parents are recommended based on information from the accumulated GDD of each parent. The three-way cross hybrids were classified according to the expected seed yield of the females and the complexity in the synchronization of flowering of their parents.

Description: This research focuses on the efficiency of recommended heavy use area protection (HUAP) pads installed in poultry houses utilizing the Choptank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is severely affected by crop agriculture and poultry feeding operations. Water quality degradation along with scarcity of water is a significant concern in this area, suggesting a need for changes in both environmental and groundwater management practices. Our objective in this study was to compare the efficiency of HUAP in reducing litter spillage and nutrient runoff between two poultry houses, one of which was constructed in 2005 and the other in 2009. The poultry house constructed in 2005 did not have HUAP pads initially; they were built in 2006. The poultry house built in 2009 had the pads from the starting point. We collected soil and water samples each month and analyzed them for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, phosphate, and other soil properties throughout the year. The pH of soil and water samples was in the range of 6.8–8.0 and 6.5–7.2, respectively. We collected six water samples in total in the ditch, from points at retention ponds near the farm ditch to sites in wooded areas on the farm. Water sample B (where ditch water meets retention pond water from the poultry farm) had the highest EC value and nitrate, nitrite, and total nitrogen concentrations compared with other water samples. The subsequent water samples downstream had reduced loads of nutrients. The study results suggest that there was a minimum carryover of nutrients from soil into the runoff water, storm ditches, and adjacent stream. There was also a minimal effect of house cleaning and storm events in raising the concentration of nutrients in soil and water samples at our study sites. The older poultry site had higher total nitrogen and phosphorous surrounding the pads, whereas no elevated levels of nutrients were identified at the newer site. The ability of HUAP pads to hold onto contaminates decreases with age and use. This study also shows that the impacts from poultry activities on surface and groundwater can be minimized by using management practices such as HUAP pads. These practices can reduce pollution in the farm, increase productivity, and save farmers and ranchers time and money in the long run.

Description: Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) and edema disease (ED), caused by enterotoxigenic and Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (ETEC and STEC) strains, are important diseases of newly weaned piglets worldwide. The objective of this study is to develop a passive immunization strategy to protect piglets against PWD and ED using recombinant Lactococcus lactis added to piglet diet at weaning. The Variable Heavy chain domains of Heavy chain antibodies (VHHs) or Nanobodies (Nbs), directed against the fimbrial adhesins FaeG (F4 fimbriae) and FedF (F18 fimbriae) of E. coli were cloned and expressed on the surface of L. lactis. In vitro, the recombinant L. lactis strains agglutinated and inhibited adhesion of cognate F4 or F18 fimbriae expressing E. coli to pig villous preparation. In vivo, the anti-F4 L. lactis protected weaned piglets against a challenge with an F4-positive ETEC strain. Piglets supplemented with oral anti-F4 L. lactis showed reduced fecal E. coli shedding. We concluded that the surface expressed Nanobodies on L. lactis neutralized the adhesins of targeted E. coli and abrogated gut colonization, the first step in disease pathogenesis. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the potential of passive immunization with recombinant L. lactis as a viable alternative to antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing piglet-post-weaning diarrhea.

Description: The current work evaluated spray coverage and pest control effectiveness against the grape berry moth (Lobesia botrana) by two different spray technologies and volume rates: A spray gun (high-volume sprayer—HVS) calibrated at 1000 L ha−1 and a conventional orchard sprayer calibrated at 500 L ha−1 (OS500) or 250 L ha−1 (OS250). Experiments were carried out in three different grape varieties over two years in mountain vineyards on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The median coverage for HVS remained above 80% for all three varieties, while that for OS500 ranged from 26% to 56%, and that for OS250 from 18% to 37%. Infestation by the grape berry moth varied from about 2.5% for Palomino, to 8% for Carignan and 3.2% for Xynisteri. Infestation in sprayed plots remained below 1.8% for all treatments, varieties and study years. Although infestation levels in OS250 were not different than the control in two varieties, the infestation levels among sprayer treatments did not differ by more than one percentage point. The current work suggests that lowering application volume and pesticide amount to 50% or more, in some cases, provides adequate control and represents an effective option for reducing pesticide use in vineyards.

Description: The article presents a spatial variation in particulate emission from animal farming in Poland. In addition, this paper estimates the PM2.5 and PM10 particulate emissions. The data on respective emissions sources have been acquired from the Central Statistics Authority (GUS) of 2019 (Local Data Bank). The emissions of PM2.5 and PM10 particulates were estimated from the structure of the emissions sources covered in the “EEA/EMEP Emission Inventory Guidebook” following the Tier 1 method. The research shows that, in Poland, the biggest share in particulate emission is found for poultry and cattle farming, which are the emissions of 5.5 and 3 m kg of particulates annually all across Poland, respectively. The highest pollution with PM2.5 resulting from animal farming was recorded for the Podlaskie (0.19 kg/ha), Wielkopolskie (0.16 kg/ha), and Mazowieckie (0.14 kg/ha) provinces, whereas the highest pollution with PM10 was recorded for the Wielkopolskie province (0.83 kg/ha). The key sources of particulate emission indicated in the study facilitate adapting the adequate method to reduce the particulate emissions in respective provinces. It is essential, especially due to the negative effect of particulates on human health.

Description: Olive oil is an essential part of the so-called “Mediterranean diet”, purportedly one of the healthiest gastronomic traditions in the world. The wax content in olive oil is regulated under European Union directives, and it is used as a purity parameter for extra-virgin and virgin olive oils. The wax profile may also help the characterization of monovarietal olive oils. In this study, monovarietal oils were extracted from the fruits of nine native Spanish olive varieties (‘Arbequina’, ‘Argudell’, ‘Empeltre’, ‘Farga’, ‘Manzanilla’, ‘Marfil’, ‘Morrut’, ‘Picual’ and ‘Sevillenca’), and their chemical and sensory attributes were determined. Total wax content in oil was cultivar-dependent and ranged widely between 26 (‘Manzanilla’) and 144 mg kg−1 (‘Arbequina’), while it was negligible in ‘Picual’ oil. The wax ester fraction was comprised largely of phytol-containing diterpene esters, with phytyl vaccinate and phytyl arachidate being the most common components of this non-polar fraction in all nine olive oils assessed. A direct relationship between phytyl esters and the sensory perception of “ripe fruit” notes was also observed.

Description: Northeast (NE) India is a typical tropical ecosystem with a luxuriant forest vegetation cover, but nowadays forests are under stress due to exploitation and land use changes, which are known to affect soil health and productivity. However, due to a scarcity of data, the influence of land uses and altitude on soil properties of this peculiar ecosystem is poorly quantified. This study presents the changes in soil properties in two districts of Nagaland (Mon and Zunheboto) in relation to land uses (forest, plantation, jhum and fallow jhum), altitude (1000 m) and soil texture (coarse, medium, fine). For this, a random soil sampling was performed in both the districts. Results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and available potassium (K) were significantly influenced by land uses in the Mon district, while in Zunheboto a significant difference was observed in available phosphorus (P) content. SOC stocks showed an increasing trend with elevation in both districts. The influence of altitude on P was significant and the maximum concentration was at lower elevations (

Description: Knotweeds (Reynoutria spp.) are plants producing useful secondary metabolites, including stilbenes (resveratrol and piceid have been studied more thoroughly) and emodin. Many studies have shown the positive effects of resveratrol on the health status of humans and animals. Resveratrol has been added into pigs’ diet as a pure extract, but it has never been supplemented into the fodder with knotweed biomass which contains other secondary metabolites, thus we would expect it would provide a more complex effect. The study objective is to discover whether the 2 weight percent addition of knotweed into pigs’ diet will have positive effects on their health. We compared two groups of Prestice Black-Pied pigs, the experimental group was fed by fodder with the knotweed rhizomes additive, the control group without knotweed additive. Investigated parameters were feed consumption, the composition of excrements, weight increment, muscle-to-fat ratio, fatty acid composition and blood haematology and biochemistry. The addition of knotweed stimulated a whole range of physiological changes. It positively stimulated weight growth and increased the back fat and proportion of muscle, but statistically significant only in gilts. On the other hand, the changes in fatty acid composition seemed to be unsatisfactory. It is the first study of the effects of knotweed on pigs’ development, and more detailed research is desirable.

Description: The world’s human population continues to increase, posing a significant challenge in ensuring food security, as soil nutrients and fertility are limited and decreasing with time. Thus, there is a need to increase agricultural productivity to meet the food demands of the growing population. A high level of dependence on chemical fertilizers as a means of increasing food production has damaged the ecological balance and human health and is becoming too expensive for many farmers to afford. The exploitation of beneficial soil microorganisms as a substitute for chemical fertilizers in the production of food is one potential solution to this conundrum. Microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, have demonstrated their ability in the formulation of biofertilizers in the agricultural sector, providing plants with nutrients required to enhance their growth, increase yield, manage abiotic and biotic stress, and prevent phytopathogens attack. Recently, beneficial soil microbes have been reported to produce some volatile organic compounds, which are beneficial to plants, and the amendment of these microbes with locally available organic materials and nanoparticles is currently used to formulate biofertilizers to increase plant productivity. This review focuses on the important role performed by beneficial soil microorganisms as a cost-effective, nontoxic, and eco-friendly approach in the management of the rhizosphere to promote plant growth and yield.

Description: In Italy most dairy cows produce milk for cheese manufacture and are farmed in intensive systems, with free stall barns, milking parlor or robotic milking, total mixed ration and no (or limited) access to pasture. The main objective for farmers is to maximize farm income and minimize farm costs by adopting strategies and ‘best practices’ in the early life of heifers. Monitoring body weight (BW) and fertility of young stock is fundamental to ensure good performances in future dairy cows and to enhance farm profit. In this study BW (kg) and average daily gain (ADG, kg/d) recorded at different stages in early life of 382 Holstein calves were used to estimate associations with fertility traits. Data consisted of BW at birth (BW0), three BWs (BW1, BW2, and BW3) recorded in three phases of calf’s early life, ADG in the three phases (ADGI, ADGII, and ADGIII), ADG of the entire period (ADGI-III), number of services per pregnancy (NS), and age at first calving (AFC). As expected, the four BWs were positively correlated to each. In general, heavier calves were characterized by better fertility compared to lighter calves. Monitoring BW and ADG in replacement heifers starting from the early age is recommended to improve NS and AFC at farm level and could be useful to set up genetic improvement programs. Future studies will benefit from the addition of milk-related traits and the increase of sample size (number of farms).

Description: Promotion of sustainable horticulture via wider use of peat substrate substitutes makes wood fiber an increasingly popular substrate component. Interspecific geraniums are plants of huge potential in the floriculture market, but there are not enough specific guidelines on their cultivation. This study investigated the effectiveness of enriching peat substrate with 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% (by volume) waste wood fiber in the pot cultivation of interspecific geraniums cv. ‘Calliope Dark Red’. It also examined plant response to additional fertilization with nitrogen in the form of Ca(NO3)2. Plants grown in the substrate with 10% and 20% of wood fiber did not differ in the leaf greening index, flower weight, and visual score from the plants grown in control (100% peat substrate). Wood fiber content of 40% negatively affected all growth parameters and leaf content of macro- and micronutrients. The plants growing in the peat substrate enriched with 20% of waste wood fiber and fertilized with nitrogen had the highest leaf greenness index, the greatest number of flowers, and the highest content of N, P, Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn. In summary, the study demonstrated that high quality ornamental plants can be successfully grown in peat substrate containing 20% of waste wood fiber and additionally fertilized with nitrogen.

Description: Sheep (Ovis aries) liveweight and liveweight change can contain errors when collection procedures are not standardized, or when there are varying time delays between removal from grazing and weighing. A two-stage study was conducted to determine the effect of herbage availability and season of year on the rate of liveweight loss during fasting and to develop and validate correction equations applied to sets of delayed liveweights collected under commercial conditions. Results showed that ewe lambs offered the Low herbage availability lost up to 1.7 kg and those offered the Medium or High herbage availability lost 2.4 kg during 8 h of delayed weighing without access to feed or drinking water. The rate of liveweight loss varied by season, herbage availability and farm (p 〈 0.05). Applying correction equations on matching liveweight data collected under similar conditions, provided more accurate estimates (33–55%) of without delay liveweight than using the delayed liveweight. In conclusion, a short-term delay prior to weighing commonly associated with practical handling operations significantly reduced the liveweight recorded for individual sheep. Using delayed liveweights on commercial farms and in research can have significant consequences for management practices and research results globally, therefore, liveweight data should be collected without delay. However, when this is not feasible delayed liveweights should be corrected, and in the absence of locally formulated correction equations, the ones presented in this paper could be used.

Description: Macadamia is an essential commodity crop in Malawi. The nuts are a lucrative commodity and are used for household consumption, income generation among farming families and as a foreign exchange earning crop at country-level. Macadamia production in Malawi has increased significantly in recent years. Malawi is the seventh top producer of macadamia nuts valued at £23.5 million, with a global market share of 3%. In 2018, the country was the fourth-largest exporter of macadamia nuts that were valued at £18.2 million. The majority (90%) of this crop was grown by large commercial estates with smallholder’s production only contributing about 10% of the total crop production. However, the smallholder sector is vital for the future growth of the macadamia sector in the country. Further, Malawian smallholders consider macadamia production as a low-input crop with large returns per unit area (£10.7 kg−1 ha−1), and it thus a lucrative commodity with high potential for poverty reduction and wealth creation among these farming families. This paper, therefore, explores: (i) the historical and current trends in macadamia nut production in Malawi; (ii) analyses the country’s macadamia value chain focusing on smallholder farmer contributions; and (iii) discusses the constraints of smallholder macadamia production in Malawi for informed policymaking. We conclude that the synthesis of the Malawian macadamia sub-sector provides an understanding of the vital contributions of macadamia to Malawi’s economic growth and improvement of livelihoods.

Description: The genus Neofusicoccum is comprised of approximately 50 species with a worldwide distribution and is typically associated with plants. Neofusicoccum is well-known for the diseases it causes on economically and ecologically relevant host plants. In particular, members of this genus are responsible for grapevine diseases, such as leaf spots, fruit rots, shoot dieback, bud necrosis, vascular discoloration of the wood, and perennial cankers. Many secondary metabolites, including (−)-botryoisocoumarin A, botryosphaerones, cyclobotryoxide and isosclerone, were identified from species of Neofusicoccum and their structural variability and bioactivities might be associated with the role of these compounds in the fungal pathogenicity and virulence. In this review, we summarize the secondary metabolites from Neofusicoccum species focusing on the role of these compounds in the interaction between the fungus and host plant.

Description: The biofiltration technique is of great importance for the removal of heavy metals. In the present work, a laboratory-scale biofilter was modeled using rice husk as a filter material. The Wolborska model was used to know the dimensions necessary for the biofilter to function. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were performed to quantify the filter adsorption process, showing that the Langmuir isotherms are the ones that present the highest correlation coefficient and best represent the removal process of Cd (II), Cu (II) and Cr (VI). According to the Langmuir isotherms, the maximum operating temperature allowed for this model was chosen, which was 303.15 K, because it presents the maximum removal of heavy metals. Regarding the pH variations for Cd (II) and Cu (II), the maximum removal was presented with a pH = 9.0 and for Cr (VI) with a pH = 3.0 the maximum removal was presented. According to the rupture curves, the blocking times were obtained for each height: for Cd (II) the highest tb for h = 0.55, Cu (II) the highest tb for h = 0.40 and for Cr (VI) the highest tb for h = 0.40.

Description: The purpose of the research was to determine the influence of selected factors on the average degree of coverage and uniformity of liquid spray coverage using selected single and dual flat fan nozzles. The impact of nozzle type, spray pressure, driving speed, and spray angle on the average degree of coverage and coverage unevenness coefficient were studied. The research was conducted with special spray track machinery designed and constructed to control and change the boom height, spray angle, driving speed, and spray pressure. Based on the research results, it was found that the highest average coverage was obtained for single standard flat fan nozzles and dual anti-drift flat fan nozzles. At the same time, the highest values of unevenness were observed for these nozzles. Inverse relationships were obtained for air-induction nozzles. Maximization of coverage with simultaneous minimization of unevenness can be achieved by using a medium droplet size for single flat fan nozzles (volume median diameter (VMD) = 300 μm) and coarse droplet size for dual flat fan nozzles (VMD = 352 μm), with low driving speed (respectively 1.1 m∙s−1 and 1.6 m∙s−1) and angling of the nozzle by 20° in the opposite direction to the direction of travel.

Description: The regionalization of food systems in order to shorten supply chains and develop local agriculture to feed city regions presents particular challenges for food planning and policy. The existing foodshed approaches enable one to assess the theoretical capacity of the food self-sufficiency of a specific region, but they struggle to consider the diversity of existing crops in a way that could be usable to inform decisions and support urban food strategies. Most studies are based on the definition of the area required to meet local consumption, obtaining a map represented as an isotropic circle around the city, without considering the site-specific pedoclimatic, geographical, and socioeconomic conditions which are essential for the development of local food supply chains. In this study, we propose a first stage to fill this gap by combining the Metropolitan Foodshed and Self-sufficiency Scenario model, which already considers regional yields and specific land use covers, with spatially-explicit data on the cropping patterns, soil and topography. We use the available Europe-wide data and apply the methodology in the city region of Avignon (France), initially considering a foodshed with a radius of 30 km. Our results show that even though a theoretically-high potential self-sufficiency could be achieved for all of the food commodities consumed (〉80%), when the specific pedological conditions of the area are considered, this could be suitable only for domestic plant-based products, whereas an expansion of the initial foodshed to a radius of 100 km was required for animal products to provide 〉70% self-sufficiency. We conclude that it is necessary to shift the analysis from the size assessment to the commodity-group–specific spatial configuration of the foodshed based on biophysical and socioeconomic features, and discuss avenues for further research to enable the development of a foodshed assessment as a complex of complementary pieces, i.e., the ‘foodshed archipelago’.

Description: Agriculture is the most important industry for human survival and solving the hunger problem worldwide. With the growth of the global population, the demand for food is increasing, which needs more agriculture labor. However, the number of people willing to engage in agricultural work is decreasing, causing a severe shortage of agricultural labor. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mode of agricultural production without labor force participation. With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, Big Data, artificial intelligence, robotics and fifth-generation (5G) communication technology, robots can replace humans in agricultural operations, thus enabling the establishment of unmanned farms in the near future. In this review, we have defined unmanned farms, introduced the framework of unmanned farms, analyzed the current state of the technology and how these technologies can be used in unmanned farms, and finally discuss all the technical challenges. We believe that this review will provide guidance for the development of unmanned farms and provide ideas for further investigation of these farms.

Description: The resilience and profitability of livestock production in many countries can be impacted by shocks, such as drought and market shifts, especially under high debt levels. For farmers to remain profitable through such uncertainty, there is a need to understand and predict a farming business’s ability to withstand and recover from such shocks. This research demonstrates the use of biophysical modelling linked with copula and Monte Carlo simulation techniques to predict the risks faced by a typical wool and meat lamb enterprise in South-Eastern Australia, given the financial impacts of different debt levels on a farming business’s profitability and growth in net wealth. The study tested five starting gearing scenarios, i.e., debt to equity (D:E) ratios to define a farm’s financial risk profiles, given weather and price variations over time. Farms with higher gearing are increasingly worse off, highlighting the implications of debt accumulating over time due to drought shocks. In addition to business risk, financial risk should be included in the analyses and planning of farm production to identify optimal management strategies better. The methods described in this paper enable the extension of production simulation to include the farmer’s management information to determine financial risk profiles and guide decision making for improved business resilience.

Description: The primary purpose of this study was to explore yield stability of common vetch varieties based on the stability index, with a specific aim of exploring common vetch variety behavior regarding the yield of legumes under both conventional and low-input cultivation systems. Six varieties of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), namely, cv. Filippos, cv. Omiros, cv. Alexandros, cv. Tempi, cv. Zefyros and cv. Pigasos, were used. The cultivation was conducted using a strip-plot design with the six varieties randomized within each plot in two farming systems (conventional and low-input). Filippos was the best variety in conventional farming for seed yield, followed by Omiros. Omiros was the best variety in the low-input farming system for seed yield. Comparisons between conventional and low-input farming systems generally did not display any effect on stability estimations, but revealed the varieties that exhibit stable performance even in low-input farming systems. Stability analysis via the AMMI1 and GxE biplot analysis for one main factor showed two groups of varieties for seed yield with similar behavior. Genotype and environment distribution were used to group varieties that showed better performance in certain environments for seed yield but with differences in comparison to other traits. Correlations between traits showed the positive relation of seed yield to the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds per pod, the pod length, the mean weight of pods and, especially, the hay weight (r = 0.771), a useful finding for indirect selection for breeders. The results provide valuable data regarding the genetic material, its adaptability and stability in varied environments and suitability for low-input cultivation systems.

Description: Over half of the world’s population depends on rice for its calorie supply, although it consumes the highest amount of water compared to other major crops. To minimize this excess water usage, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation practice is considered as an efficient technique in which soil intermittently dried during the growing period of rice by maintaining yield compared to a flooded system. Continuous AWD may result in poor soil health caused by carbon loss, nutrient depletion, cracking, and affecting soil physical properties. Due to being a potential organic amendment, biochar has a great scope to overcome these problems by improving soil’s physicochemical properties. Biochar is a carbon enriched highly porous material and characterized by several functional groups on its large surface area and full of nutrients. However, biochar’s implication for sustaining soil physicochemical and water retention properties in the AWD irrigation systems has not been widely discussed. This paper reviews the adverse impacts of AWD irrigation on soil structure and C, N depletion; the potential of biochar to mitigate this problem and recovering soil productivity; its influence on improving soil physical properties and moisture retention; and the scope of future study. This review opined that biochar efficiently retains nutrients and supplies as a slow-release fertilizer, which may restrict preferential nutrient loss through soil cracks under AWD. It also improves soil’s physical properties, slows cracking during drying cycles, and enhances water retention by storing moisture within its internal pores. However, long-term field studies are scarce; additionally, economic evaluation is required to confirm the extent of biochar impact.

Description: Pro-ecological behavior of consumers on the food market is conditioned by many factors, among which the literature on the subject particularly indicates, is high environmental awareness. Among other factors, the influence of social groups is also emphasized, in relation to young consumers; these are mainly peers and friends, which was confirmed by the authors’ research. The aim of the research was to identify the role of ecological awareness and influence on the food purchasing habits of young consumers in shaping their pro-ecological behavior. Based on the literature on the subject, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the empirical material, reducing the number of dimensions through the use of factor analysis. Analyzing the collected material, the authors proposed three latent variables—ecological awareness (EA), impact on food preferences (IFP), and ecological behavior (EB). Hidden variables were defined by explicit variables, and the whole was characterized in the light of the literature. The research results indicated that there are significant correlations between all latent variables, however the strongest one could be observed between EA and EB. This proves that the ecological behavior of young consumers is strongly determined by their environmental awareness.

Description: Rice sheath blight, a fungal disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani, seriously threatens rice production. Some of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by microbes are inhibitory to the growth of the plant pathogen, and hence may have the potential as environmentally friendly antifungal substances. However, information on the inhibitory effect of VOCs released by rice rhizosphere bacteria on R. solani is scarce. In this study, bacteria from the rice rhizosphere capable of inhibiting the growth of R. solani via releasing VOCs were screened using a double Petri dish assay. Headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were used to identify and quantify the VOCs. The contributions of VOCs to the inhibition of the growth of R. solani were estimated by constructing a random forest model, and were verified using pure compounds. Nine strains (i.e., Pseudomonas sp. No. 3, Enterobacter sp. No. 26, Enterobacter sp. No. 34, Pseudomonas sp. No. 35, Ralstonia sp. No. 50, Bacillus sp. No. 62, Arthrobacter sp. No. 146, Brevibacillus sp. No. 2–18, and Paenisporosarcina sp. No. 2–60) showed various inhibition on R. solani growth via VOCs. The inhibitory effect ranged from 7.84% to 100%, with Ralstonia sp. No. 50 completely inhibiting the growth of R. solani. Five VOCs (i.e., benzoic acid ethyl ester, 3-methyl-butanoic acid, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one) identified by random forest model were confirmed to be toxic to R. solani when applied as a pure chemical compound. In particular, benzoic acid ethyl ester, 3-methyl-butanoic acid, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol were lethal to R. solani. In summary, the rice rhizosphere bacteria (Ralstonia sp. No. 50) and VOCs (benzoic acid ethyl ester, 3-methyl-butanoic acid, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol) showed potential to be used as new resources for biological control of rice sheath blight.

Description: Introduction: Climate change (CC) and the increased occurrence of extreme climatic events pose a serious threat to crop yields and their stability worldwide. This study analyzed the CC mitigation potential of an alley cropping system on crop physiological stresses and growth as compared to a monoculture system. Materials and Methods: Growth of winter durum wheat, cultivated alone (agriculture) and in combination with hybrid walnut (agroforestry), was simulated with the Hi-sAFe agroforestry model, as driven by business-as-usual Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections, split into three scenarios, representing Past (1951–1990), Present (1991–2030), and Future (2031–2070) climatic conditions. Crop growth and the occurrence of thermal, nitrogen, and water stresses were analyzed. Results: Cold-related stresses were modest in Past and almost disappeared over time. Heat, drought, and nitrogen stresses increased about twofold from Past to Future, but were reduced by 20–35% in agroforestry, already with medium-sized trees (diameter at breast height (DBH) of about 10–15 cm). Crop yields in agriculture increased from Past to the end of Present and then remained stable. This moderately decreased with tree age in agroforestry (especially in Future). Discussion: The impact of CC on the crop was buffered in agroforestry, especially for the most extreme climatic events. The mitigation of crop microclimate and the increased stability of crop yields highlight the potential of agroforestry as a CC adaptation strategy.

Description: The poor generational renewal has been identified as a key issue for the EU policy that undermines the restructuring of the agricultural sector and the revitalisation of rural areas. The start-up aid for young farmers is one of the main EU-driven policy measures that try to mitigate this trend, by facilitating the initial investment of young newcomers in agriculture. At the same time, innovative crops with appealing characteristics are proposed as promising alternatives with high socioeconomic and low environmental impacts. Recently, a draft new call of the start-up aid for young farmers measure has been set under public consultation in Greece, which significantly alters the requirements and the level of support of the beneficiaries, compared to the previous one. The aim of this study is to explore the consequences of this change to the desirability to invest in the organic aloe vera crop, one of the leading innovating crops in Greece. In this study, taking into consideration the embedded risk and uncertainty, we utilise a stochastic version of the Net Present Value (NPV) analysis, a common discount cash flows method to detect the desirability of an investment. Results indicate that the potential alteration of the start-up aid for young farmers deteriorates the desirability of this investment and thus prevents farmers from its adoption. The analysis provides useful insights by highlighting risk factors and the possible impacts of policy measures on the desirability of innovative crops; thus, it can be useful both for investors and policymakers.

Description: The deficiency of water sources and the environmental disposal of large amounts of biomass waste (orange peels) produces economic and environmental problems, though its conversion into biochar by a pyrolysis procedure might be used to improve soil productivity. In the current study, we investigated the performance of superabsorbent biochar composite grafted on CMC as a low-cost, alternative, and biodegradable terpolymer composite (IPNCB) for soil water retention capacity. The IPNCB composite was synthesized by both microwave and conventional routes. The optimal reaction parameters proved that the microwave route has a high grafting percentage (%G) and short reaction time compared to the conventional route. The superabsorbent composite was characterized using different methods: FTIR, TGA, and SEM. The results show that the equilibrium water swelling (EW) of the IPNCB composite was improved at a 2% biochar concentration. The incorporation of biochar (BC) into the polymer network improved the water holding capacity (WHC) to 57.6% and water retention (WR) to 9.1% after 30 days. The degradation test indicates the IPNCB composite has a good degradability rate. Mixing soil with the prepared IPNCB composite can improve plant growth and reduce water consumption through the irrigation of arid lands. The IPNCB composite is a candidate in sustainable agriculture applications.

Description: We quantified the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception in a high-density (HD) and a super high-density (SHD) or hedgerow olive system, by measuring the PAR transmitted under the canopy along transects at increasing distance from the tree rows. Transmitted PAR was measured every minute, then cumulated over the day and the season. The frequencies of the different PAR levels occurring during the day were calculated. SHD intercepted significantly but slightly less overall PAR than HD (0.57 ± 0.002 vs. 0.62 ± 0.03 of the PAR incident above the canopy) but had a much greater spatial variability of transmitted PAR (0.21 under the tree row, up to 0.59 in the alley center), compared to HD (range: 0.34–0.43). This corresponded to greater variability in the frequencies of daily PAR values, with the more shaded positions receiving greater frequencies of low PAR values. The much lower PAR level under the tree row in SHD, compared to any position in HD, implies greater self-shading in lower-canopy layers, despite similar overall interception. Therefore, knowing overall PAR interception does not allow an understanding of differences in PAR distribution on the ground and within the canopy and their possible effects on canopy radiation use efficiency (RUE) and performance, between different architectural systems.

Description: The agricultural land market and its legal and political limitations play an important role in sustainable agricultural production. This study analyzed the agricultural land market in particular regions of Slovakia in terms of the sustainability of agricultural production. We focused on the development of proposed land prices between 2014 and 2018 to find out whether the prices proposed by landowners align with administrative land prices reflecting the soil quality in particular regions of Slovakia, or whether they are influenced by the proposed land prices of neighboring regions. Moreover, we focused on the existence of regional differences in proposed land prices in Slovakia, including differences in supply prices of arable land and permanent grasslands in particular regions. Statistical induction tools, together with multiple range tests and spatial autocorrelation, were used to confirm or refuse our expectations. We confirmed statistically significant differences in proposed land prices between regions. Moreover, we found that landowners are only influenced by the proposed land prices of their neighboring regions to a slight degree. However, we found that the price scissors between proposed land prices and administrative land prices open towards smaller administrative land prices, meaning that land of poorer fertility is supplied at a higher price than land of the best soil quality. There is a risk that expensive and poorer land plots will be used by investors for non-agricultural purposes, and agricultural production will be crowded out from these regions. Therefore, we propose that changes to the prepared legislative measures are necessary in order to promote the sustainability of agricultural production in all regions of the country.

Description: Political instability (PI) occurs between governments and other political elites either at the local, regional, and/or national levels. Planning, implementing, and monitoring of sustainable rangeland management strategies have a significant impact on the political environment of an area. In this study, the term PI implies an unsafe and unstable exercise of political power, and is a major obstacle to the implementation of sustainable rangeland management. The main purpose of this research was to provide empirical and theoretical knowledge by testing hypotheses about the impact of PI on the implementation of sustainable practice of rangeland management. Using in-depth interviews, this study conducted both structured and unstructured group discussions with 300 representative households of local pastoralists and others who were considered the key stakeholders in the sustainable activities of rangeland management. Results indicated that the local communities are significantly susceptible to the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural effects of sustainable management of rangeland due to PI. Furthermore, the impact of PI on the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural aspects of rangelands indicators was evaluated. The findings also proved that the satisfaction of pastoralists with rangeland productivity and function was significantly affected, and prevented pastoralists from participating in rangeland management practice.

Description: While the capability of integrated nutrient management (INM) in rice systems has been adequately studied, little is known about the related short-term carbon sequestration and changes in soil carbon fractions. Our study examined the responses of organic carbon pools, carbon sequestration and rice yields after application of different organic manures combined with chemical fertilizers in a rice–rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping system in the red and laterite agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India. The treatments included non-fertilized control; rice straw (RS) + nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (NPK); Gliricidia (GL) + NPK; farmyard manure (FYM) + NPK; vermicompost (VC) + NPK; and NPK only. Rice straw + NPK treatment resulted in the highest total organic carbon and passive pool of carbon. Vermicompost + NPK treatment resulted in the highest oxidizable organic carbon (0.69%), dissolved organic carbon (0.007%) and microbial biomass carbon (0.01%), followed by FYM + NPK, GL + NPK and RS + NPK as compared to control. Rice straw + NPK sequestered the highest amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) as the total organic carbon (91.10 t ha−1) and passive pool of carbon (85.64 t ha−1), whereas VC + NPK resulted in the highest amount of CO2 (10.24 t ha−1) being sequestered as the active pool of carbon, followed by FYM + NPK (8.33 t ha−1) and GL + NPK (7.22 t ha−1). The application of both NPK only and VC + NPK treatments resulted in the highest grain yields over the three cropping seasons. In spite of high carbon sequestration being observed in more recalcitrant carbon pools, RS + NPK resulted in little increase (3.52 t ha−1) in rice yield over the short term. The results of this study suggest that the short-term changes of soil carbon fractions and carbon sequestration primarily depend on the type of organic manure used. Vermicompost, FYM and GL provide more labile carbon, which can improve rice yield over the short term. However, it is suggested to explore the dynamics of different carbon fractions, carbon sequestration in different pools and rice yields over longer periods of time.

Description: As in several fruit crops, citrus trees with decreased size allow for a higher planting density, which may lead to higher productivity and facilitate operations such as harvesting and spraying. The use of dwarfing rootstocks is one of the most feasible methods for tree size control, but few commercial varieties are available to date. In this work, the long-term performance of Valencia sweet orange grafted onto 51 hybrid citrus rootstocks was evaluated in rainfed cultivation at 6.0 m × 2.5 m tree spacing in Northern São Paulo State, Brazil. About a third of the evaluated hybrids were classified as dwarfing and semi-dwarfing rootstocks, that is, respectively inducing a relative canopy volume of

Description: Sulfur (S) directly influences the proper development, yield, and biological value of Allium sativum. The sulfuric forms of S are easily leached from the soil due to poor sorption. In this context, we looked at to what extent application of S and biomass of catch crops (CCs) left until spring would cause an increase in the yield; we also looked at the macro- and micronutrient content of garlic plants. The experimental factors included applications of 0 and 20 kg ha−1 S to CCs consisting of Trifolium alexandrinum, Raphamus sativus var. oleiformis, Fagopyrum esculentum, Sinapis alba, and control. The bulbs contained more dry matter and macro- and micronutrients (N, P, K, S, Zn, and Fe) than those without S. Garlic plants cultivated with S accumulated more glutathione and total phenolic acids (TPA), and the extracts showed greater antioxidant activity (AA) than those cultivated without S. In 2019 and 2020, the cultivation of winter garlic with S, in combination with clover contributed to an increase in the content of dry matter, S, TPA, AA in bulbs. In the cultivation with fodder radish garlic plants accumulated more nitrogen (N), S, TPA, AA and glutathione in bulbs. In those cultivated with buckwheat, garlic contained more TPA, AA, glutathione, and with mustard more TPA and AA. However, further research is needed to select the species of CC and to determine the S dose to be applied in the effective biofortification of garlic in a sustainable agriculture system.

Description: Intercropping results in high overall system productivity on a given piece of land due to the efficient use of available plant growth resources. Weed control in intercropping systems is, however, still a challenge. This study focuses on the effect of the type of weed control (chemical/mechanical) and the timing of chemical herbicide application (pre-emergence/post-emergence) on weed control and crop productivity in a maize bean mixture. For this purpose, the results of a three-year field experiment (2017 to 2019) in northeast Germany will be presented. The experimental setup included a control, three chemical methods, and one mechanical method of weed control. Except for the mechanical treatment, a completely randomized block design was established. Weeds were assessed at BBCH 12 of the maize, immediately before the first weed control treatments to estimate the initial weed infestation, and twice in the six to eight leaf stage of the maize. The weed coverage (%) was estimated. The maize bean mixture was harvested and yields (t ha−1) were measured. The results confirm that the type of weed control, as well as the timing of herbicide application, significantly affects the weed coverage of the maize bean mixture. The most successful weed control strategy was the double chemical herbicide application, in which chemical herbicides are in used pre-emergence beans (BBCH 12 maize) and post-emergence beans (BBCH 12 bean). Weed coverage was reduced by up to 75% using this most effective herbicide strategy and by up to 61% through mechanical weed control, compared to the control. The additional effects of post-emergence treatment on the pre-emergence herbicide control resulted in a 16.5% weed coverage decline. The yield surplus of double chemical herbicide application (pre/post-emergence) was up to 53%, and for the mechanical weed control up to 23%. Additionally, post-emergence herbicide use in intercropped maize and bean resulted in a 16% yield surplus, compared to the single pre-emergence chemical weed control. Optimal timing of weed control during the most sensitive phenology stages of the maize bean mixture is crucial for productivity. The results of this study provide an additional option for suitable weed control of intercropped maize and bean.

Description: Self-incompatibility is an important evolutionary feature in angiosperms and has major implications for breeding strategies in horticultural crops. In citrus, when coupled with parthenocarpy, it enables the production of seedless fruits in a mono-varietal orchard. A gametophytic incompatibility system with one S locus was proposed for citrus, but its molecular mechanisms remain the subject of debate. The objective of this work was to locate the S locus by the analyzing segregation distortion in reciprocal crosses of two self-incompatible citrus sharing one self-incompatible allele and to compare this location with previously published models. High density genetic maps of ‘Fortune’ mandarin and ‘Ellendale tangor’ with, respectively, 2164 SNP and 1467 SNP markers, were constructed using genotyping by sequencing data. They are highly syntenic and collinear with the clementine genome. Complete rejection of one allele was only observed in male segregation in the two parents and in only one genomic area, at the beginning of chromosome 7 of the clementine reference genome. Haplotype data in the area surrounding the theoretical S locus were in agreement with previously proposed S genotypes. Overall, our results are in full agreement with the recently proposed gametophytic S-RNase system with the S locus at the beginning of chromosome 7 of the clementine reference genome.

Description: This study assessed farmers’ soil and irrigation water management practices, perceptions, and major constraints at Koga, a large-scale irrigation scheme in Ethiopia. Key informant interviews, structured and semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and field visits were used for data collection. Soil samples were collected for the assessment of soil properties and a comparison with the respondents’ perception of soil-related constraints. A total of 385 respondents were involved in the questionnaire. All of the respondents had a good perception of soil acidity and its management strategies. Respondents’ perception was in line with the mean soil pH, soil texture, infiltration rate, exchangeable acidity, and soil organic carbon obtained from lab analysis and field tests. Soil acidity, unwise use of water, water scarcity, and lack of market linkages hampered the performance of the Koga irrigation scheme. Yet, respondents had a low awareness of irrigation water management. Farmers never used irrigation scheduling, but apply the same amount of water regardless of the crop type. As a result, low yield and water use efficiency were reported. To reduce soil acidity, an adequate lime supply for farmers with hands-on training on how to apply it would be desirable. Farmers should be aware of how to design effective irrigation scheduling and adopt water-saving management strategies.

Description: Cannabis plant has long been execrated by law in different nations due to the psychoactive properties of only a few cannabinoids. Recent scientific advances coupled with growing public awareness of cannabinoids as a medical commodity drove legislation change and brought about a historic transition where the demand rose over ten-fold in less than five years. On the other hand, the technology required for cannabis processing and the extraction of the most valuable chemical compounds from the cannabis flower remains the bottleneck of processing technology. This paper sheds light on the downstream processing steps and principles involved in producing cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa L. (Hemp) biomass. By categorizing the extraction technology into seed and trichome, we examined and critiqued different pretreatment methods and technological options available for large-scale extraction in both categories. Solvent extraction methods being the main focus, the critical decision-making parameters in each stage, and the applicable current technologies in the field, were discussed. We further examined the factors affecting the cannabinoid transformation that changes the medical functionality of the final cannabinoid products. Based on the current trends, the extraction technologies are continuously being revised and enhanced, yet they still fail to keep up with market demands.

Description: Echinochloa spp. is one of the most invasive weeds in rice fields worldwide. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibiting herbicides are two of the most widely used rice herbicides. However, overuse has led to the resistance evolution of Echinochloa spp. to penoxsulam (ALS-inhibitor) and cyhalofop-methyl (ACCase-inhibitor). In this work, 137 different Echinochloa spp. populations were collected in different rice fields in Extremadura (western Spain) where lack of control was detected. Target-site based resistance (by sequencing ALS and ACCase gene) and characterization of Echinochloa species at the molecular level (based on PCR-RFLP analyses) were carried out in those populations. Most of the populations studied (111 of 137) belong to the E. oryzicola/E. oryzoides group. Three-point mutations were identified in ALS genes: Pro197Ser, Pro197Thr, and Ser653Asn, the first being the most frequent substitution in resistant plants. In the ACCase gene, the Ile1781Leu substitution was found. In both ALS and ACCase sequencing, evidence of heterozygosity was also observed. To assess whether cross-resistance patterns differed between mutations, two populations belonging to the E. oryzicola/E. oryzoides group had its most frequent mutations (Pro197Ser, population ech3-14 and Ile1781Leu, population ech114-10) chosen to be carried out in a dose-response assay. It was confirmed that Pro197Ser conferred resistance to triazolopyrimidine, imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, and pyrimidinyl benzoate families. On the other hand, the Ile1781Leu change gave resistance to aryloxyphenoxypropionate and cyclohexanedione families. Of the authorized herbicides in rice in Spain, more that 80% belong to these families. It is therefore important that farmers carry out an integrated control system that combines both chemical and non-chemical tools.

Description: The increasing anthropisation of mountain regions is a cause of soil degradation, which needs to be addressed. Conventional methods of ski slope revegetation often fail to stabilise the soil and recover natural vegetation. To test alternative methods to create a persistent, biodiversity-friendly plant cover, different sowing (site-adapted native propagation materials vs. forage cultivars vs. no sowing) and fertilisation treatments were compared over nine years at a graded ski slope. Because of the gravelly soil, the ninth-year plant cover was only 65%, which was sufficient to prevent erosion. All native propagation materials were equally efficient at recreating a semi-natural grassland. Except for Festuca rubra, the forage cultivars did not persist. However, native volunteer species from close natural ecosystems efficiently colonised plots sown with forage cultivars and plots that were not sown. This resulted in a lower plant cover but a high similarity to the surrounding vegetation. Fertilisation had a positive but transient effect on plant cover and a little negative effect on species richness. High-altitude sites with gravelly soils should be revegetated with native propagation materials. Using forage cultivars can attain a persistent plant cover only if the sown non-persistent cultivars are replaced by the species arriving from nearby surrounding vegetation.

Description: The bacterial community of rhizosphere soil maintains soil properties, regulates the microbiome, improves productivity, and sustains agriculture. However, the structure and function of bacterial communities have been interrupted or destroyed by unreasonable agricultural practices, especially the excessive use of chemical fertilizers. Microbial inoculants, regarded as harmless, effective, and environmentally friendly amendments, are receiving more attention. Herein, the effects of three microbial inoculants, inoculant M and two commercial inoculants (A and S), on bacterial communities of maize rhizosphere soil under three nitrogen application rates were compared. Bacterial communities treated with the inoculants were different from those of the non-inoculant control. The OTU (operational taxonomic unit) numbers and alpha diversity indices were decreased by three inoculants, except for the application of inoculant M in CF group. Beta diversity showed the different structures of bacterial communities changed by three inoculants compared with control. Furthermore, key phylotypes analyses exhibited the differences of biomarkers between different treatments visually. Overall, inoculant M had shared and unique abilities of regulating bacterial communities compared with the other two inoculants by increasing potentially beneficial bacteria and decreasing the negative. This work provides a theoretical basis for the application of microbial inoculants in sustainable agriculture.

Description: The study presents the effects of fertilisation on selected quality parameters of the dried material obtained from plants of lovage and coriander. During the crop production process, the plants were treated with two fertilisers containing substances potentially acting as elicitors. The dried material was obtained in course of a drying process carried out in optimum conditions and based on the CD-VMFD method which combines convective pre-drying (CD) at a low temperature (40 °C) with vacuum-microwave finish drying with the use of 240 W microwaves (VMFD). The quality of the dried material was evaluated through measurement of the total contents of polyphenols, total antioxidant potential (ABTS and DPPH method), and the profile of volatile compounds (headspace-solid phase microextractio-HS-SPME) as well as assessment of the colour. It was found that by applying first fertilisation (with organic components) it is possible to significantly increase the contents of both bioactive compounds and volatile substances responsible for the aroma. It was determined that the higher content of bioactive compounds was related to the composition of the first fertiliser, presumably the extract from common nettle. The study showed that the application of the first fertiliser contributed to enhanced quality parameters of the raw material obtained.

Description: To estimate the irrigation volume required for agriculture and improve water resources utilization efficiency, it is essential to obtain an estimate of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and its components (e.g., reference transpiration, T0 and reference soil evaporation, E0). This study updated a soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) evapotranspiration model and its associated components to obtain a reference-based SPAC model of reference evapotranspiration (R-SPAC), and it applied the model to an agricultural ecosystem. Model simulations of mean hourly ET0 were benchmarked against those of the Penman-Monteith method by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-PM) throughout the growing season. The resulting good correlation obtained (R2 = 0.96, agreement index, I = 0.98, root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) = 0.05 mm h−1) validated the accuracy of the R-SPAC model. Sensitivity analysis was used to explore uncertainties and errors for ET0, T0, and E0 caused by input variables. The results showed that net radiation and shortwave radiation at the study site were the main drivers of ET0 for both the FAO-PM and R-SPAC models. The study showed that the proposed R-SPAC model can be used for predicting ET0 and for exploring interactions between climate, crop type, and soil in determining evapotranspiration under various future environment conditions.

Description: Mixed cropping, also known as inter-cropping, polyculture, or co-cultivation, is a type of plant production system that involves planting two or more species (or cultivars) simultaneously in the same field in a variable order (row or rowless) [...]

Description: This paper explores the potential of machine learning algorithms for weed and crop classification from UAV images. The identification of weeds in crops is a challenging task that has been addressed through orthomosaicing of images, feature extraction and labelling of images to train machine learning algorithms. In this paper, the performances of several machine learning algorithms, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbours (KNN), are analysed to detect weeds using UAV images collected from a chilli crop field located in Australia. The evaluation metrics used in the comparison of performance were accuracy, precision, recall, false positive rate and kappa coefficient. MATLAB is used for simulating the machine learning algorithms; and the achieved weed detection accuracies are 96% using RF, 94% using SVM and 63% using KNN. Based on this study, RF and SVM algorithms are efficient and practical to use, and can be implemented easily for detecting weed from UAV images.

Description: The European Green Deal is the EU’s latest growth strategy and action plan, which will meet the challenges concerning climate change and environmental degradation. The components of the Green Deal which are intended to prevent biodiversity loss, to reduce pollution level, and to improve food quality are: The Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy. Their main aims include: Reducing the application of pesticides by 50% by 2030, reducing nutrients loss by 50% while preserving soil fertility, reducing the application of mineral fertilizers by a minimum of 20% by 2030, as well as supporting the development of organic farming to reach 25% of all the arable land in the EU. These aims are very ambitious and they pose a serious challenge. Can the European Green Deal provide an opportunity for fungal grass endophytes? This paper presented different aspects in which endophytes of the Epichloë genus affect colonized plants, as well as their possible applications in biological grass protection and in improving the performance properties of different grass biotopes. Literature was reviewed to provide evidence of how fungal endophytes might be used to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal strategy, in accordance with the principles of sustainable agriculture.

Description: Catch crop cultivation for green manure is considered to be a sustainable agricultural strategy whose main goal is to mitigate the negative effects of inappropriate plant sequent by increasing the soil biological activity, improving the nutrient content and reducing their loss from soil. Additionally, correct catch crop management is expected to improve the yield of consequent crops as well as their quality parameters. The effects of field pea when used as a catch crop, either incorporated in autumn or mulched and incorporated in spring vs. a control—without a catch crop on the soil chemical properties (total N, organic C, available forms of K and P) and the composition of spring barley grain and straw (total N, P, K, Ca) were studied for three years (2009 to 2011) in two-field, one-factor experiments, which were conducted on two different soil types (Luvisol and Phaeozem). The catch crop had no effect regarding the soil pH, soil organic C or total N content. In turn, applying a catch crop significantly affected the concentration of the available K (in both soils) and available P content (Phaeozem). The effect of a catch crop on the nutrients in the grain and straw of spring barley was associated with the soil type. In Luvisol, a catch crop, independent of its management, increased the total N and P in the grain and straw of spring barley. In Phaeozem, a catch crop that was incorporated in the autumn significantly increased the K content in grain.

Description: A laboratory investigation of abrasive waterjet cutting of wheat straws was conducted. The work was aimed at a systematic characterization of the abrasive waterjet cutting capability of wheat straws, as a potential alternative to cutting discs currently adopted in no-till drills and planters for crop residue management. A two level 2IV7−3 fractional factorial design was applied to investigate the influence of abrasive waterjet process parameters on the cutting efficiency of wheat straws. Straw coverage thickness, water pressure, and orifice diameter were found to be the most significant ones. Experimental results suggest that straw cutting mechanism is mostly related to the hydraulic power of the jet. A multiple logistic regression was performed to model the relationship between the cutting efficiency and the jet power. The logistic model was then applied to estimate the average water and power consumption for wheat straw cutting during a no-tillage seeding operation. An average jet hydraulic power of 6400 W would be sufficiently high to guarantee 90% cutting efficiency in presence of heavy residue distribution. The experimental study shows that a small quantity of abrasive powder (50 g·min−1) allows one to increase the jet cutting capability of wheat straws, and to reduce the required maximum hydraulic power, compared to pure waterjet cutting. Results show are potentially relevant for field validation in agriculture based on no-tillage.

Description: The accurate classification of Amanita is helpful to its research on biological control and medical value, and it can also prevent mushroom poisoning incidents. In this paper, we constructed the Bilinear convolutional neural networks (B-CNN) with attention mechanism model based on transfer learning to realize the classification of Amanita. When the model is trained, the weight on ImageNet is used for pre-training, and the Adam optimizer is used to update network parameters. In the test process, images of Amanita at different growth stages were used to further test the generalization ability of the model. After comparing our model with other models, the results show that our model greatly reduces the number of parameters while achieving high accuracy (95.2%) and has good generalization ability. It is an efficient classification model, which provides a new option for mushroom classification in areas with limited computing resources.

Description: Commercial production of cacao in Hawaii has doubled in the past 10 years, and farmers are receiving premium prices for their beans from the expanding local confectionery industry. Black pod, caused by Phytophthora spp., is the only major cacao disease that has been reported in Hawaii but distribution and molecular identification are lacking. To determine the species of Phytophthora affecting Theobroma cacao, a sampling trip was conducted on Hawaii Island and Oahu. Ten isolates of Phytophthora palmivora were obtained from diseased cacao on Hawaii Island, but none from Oahu, despite the presence of symptomatic pods. No other Phytophthora species were found. Laboratory studies showed that all isolates produced lesions on unwounded cacao pods, but they differed in terms of their temperature–growth responses. Fungicide sensitives for a subset of isolates (n = 4) were determined using media amended with a range of fungicide concentrations. The Hawaiian isolates of P. palmivora were more sensitive to mefenoxam, chlorothalonil, and fosetyl-Al, than isolates from Ghana (n = 2) and Mexico (n = 1). This study identifies P. palmivora as a causal agent of black pod in Hawaii based on molecular data and provides valuable preliminary information on fungicide resistance and temperature response that can be used to improve disease management.

Description: Agricultural production systems based on the application of synthetic chemical inputs are changing to more ecological management systems. In this context, rhizosphere microorganisms are considered fundamental to improving soil fertility and providing protection to the host plant. The objective of this study was to perform co-inoculation of Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. plants (chayote) with Rhizophagus intraradices and Azospirillum brasilense to reduce Phytophthora capsici damage. The chayote seeds were established in bags, and their inoculation was evaluated alone and in combination with R. intraradices and A. brasilense, in addition to inoculating the stem 14 days after planting with P. capsici. Eight treatments were distributed completely at random, with four repetitions. Morphological and physiological yield variables were recorded at 28, 56, and 84. It was found that S. edule treatment with R. intraradices and A. brasilense increased dry matter allocation in the morphological and physiological performance components. The biomass of plants inoculated with P. capsici and biofertilized with R. intraradices and A. brasilense decreased by 27%, which is relevant, since, under field conditions, plants infected with P. capsici die. Petiole biomass and leaf area decreased during the three evaluation periods with the presence of P. capsici. The other components had a differential response.

Description: Rice breeding was conducted for a long time during historical times and is an important job in Vietnam because rice is the major food for domestic consumption and export. In this review, we have provided a comprehensive insight into the importance of promising rice germplasm resources, breeding achievements, and breeding approaches as well as discussed challenges and perspectives of rice breeding in this country. With rice germplasm and wild rice relative resources with rich and various genetic diversity, their useful genes and traits have been exploited and integrated into commercial varieties as the final outputs of rice breeding programs. New achievements of the modern genetics era have been approached and effectively contributed to breeding activities in this country. Genome sequences, molecular breeding, and mutation are powerful tools and playing vital roles in developing new varieties with characteristics of interest that should be followed by the current market demands. In the last decades, there has been a plethora of newly generated varieties by Vietnamese scientists and rice breeders and approved by the state authorities. However, very few domestic mega varieties have prevailed over the imported varieties. Therefore, rice breeding in this country is faced with big challenges, including limitations of backgrounds, budgets, and even talents in basic research to compete with other rice-producing countries. The target goals and long-term approaches for rice breeding should be paid explicitly in priority to ensure national food security and the advantage and development of rice breeding in this country.

Description: In the context of the Healthy China strategy and the targeted poverty alleviation policy, based on the survey data of 1710 apple planters in Shandong, Yunnan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, we selected the Probit model and the mediating effect test model to analyze the impact of income inequality on the self-rated health of farmers in this paper. The main results are as follows: First, income inequality within villages and townships had a significant negative impact on self-rated health, with both showing inverted U-shaped relationships, while income inequality within counties had no significant impact on self-rated health. Second, income inequality can impact the health of farmers, in terms of tobacco and alcohol behaviors, social trust, and sense of relative deprivation, where the mediating effect ratio of these three factors combined accounted for 32.4% of the total effect. Furthermore, the effect of income inequality on health was heterogeneous among different income groups, where the negative impact of income inequality on the self-rated health of the high-income group was less than that of the low-income group, indicating that an increase in income inequality serves to aggravate the degree of health inequality. Therefore, the government should adopt differentiated policies to improve the health of farmers. In rural areas with high income inequality, the government should focus on increasing the income of low-income groups, guide them to develop a healthy lifestyle, improve their social trust, and reduce their sense of relative deprivation. In rural areas where incomes are generally low, the government should first guide qualified farmers to become rich, then encourage others to become rich later.

Description: Seed treatments are frequently applied for the management of early-season pests, including seed-borne pathogens. However, to be effective against internal pathogens, the active ingredient must be able to penetrate the seed coat. Tomato seeds were the focus of this study, and the objectives were to (1) evaluate three coumarin fluorescent tracers in terms of uptake and (2) quantify seed coat permeability in relation to lipophilicity to better elucidate chemical movement in seed tissue. Uptake in seeds treated with coumarin 1, 120, and 151 was assessed by fluorescence microscopy. For quantitative studies, a series of 11 n-alkyl piperonyl amides with log Kow in the range of 0.02–5.66 were applied, and two portions, namely, the embryo, and the endosperm + seed coat, were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Coumarin 120 with the lowest log Kow of 1.3 displayed greater seed uptake than coumarin 1 with a log Kow of 2.9. In contrast, the optimal log Kow for embryo uptake ranged from 2.9 to 3.3 derived from the amide series. Therefore, heterogeneous coumarin tracers were not suitable to determine optimal log Kow for uptake. Three tomato varieties were investigated with the amide series, and the maximum percent recovered in the embryonic tissue ranged from only 1.2% to 5%. These data suggest that the application of active ingredients as seed treatments could result in suboptimal concentrations in the embryo being efficacious.

Description: Microgreens, considered “superfood”, are easy to cultivate and very rich in health-promoting compounds, as antioxidants. White cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) microgreens contain high quantities of phenolics, which contribute together with other bioactive compounds to their important antioxidant properties. The present study analyses the effects of development stage (5-, 7- and 9-days) and two sodium salts, NaCl and Na2SO4, in two concentrations (0.01 M and 0.1 M), on the antioxidant properties of white cabbage microgreens. Among the three development levels, the 5-day microgreens revealed the highest total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging and total reducing capacities. Concerning the effects of sodium salts, 0.01 M NaCl and 0.1 M Na2SO4 determined higher total reducing capacity. Additionally, 0.01 M NaCl induced the highest DPPH radical scavenging capacity, while the most important total phenolics and anthocyanins contents were obtained in case of 0.1 M Na2SO4. In conclusion, from the developmental point of view, the 5-day old microgreens present, globally, the best characteristics. Considering the elicitor effects of sodium salts, 0.01 M NaCl and 0.1 M Na2SO4 generally determined the strongest antioxidant properties. The results could be used to develop new production technologies for antioxidant-enriched microgreens.

Description: Fertilization is an important practical measure in agricultural production. As an important nutrient element of plants, nitrogen (N) has a significant impact on the plant productivity and microbial function. Rhizosphere microorganisms affect plant growth and development, nitrogen uptake and utilization, and ecological adaptability. The interaction mechanism between plant and rhizosphere microorganisms is one of the hotspots in life science research and the key program of agricultural microorganism utilization. In this article, the relationship among plant root morphology and physiology, rhizosphere microorganisms, and nitrogen is reviewed, summarized, and prospected.

Description: Precision viticulture (PV) aims to optimize vineyard management, reducing the use of resources, the environmental impact and maximizing the yield and quality of the production. New technologies as UAVs, satellites, proximal sensors and variable rate machines (VRT) are being developed and used more and more frequently in recent years thanks also to informatics systems able to read, analyze and process a huge number of data in order to give the winegrowers a decision support system (DSS) for making better decisions at the right place and time. This review presents a brief state of the art of precision viticulture technologies, focusing on monitoring tools, i.e., remote/proximal sensing, variable rate machines, robotics, DSS and the wireless sensor network.

Description: Ex-arable land-use change is a global issue with significant implications for climate change and impact for phytocenosis productivity and soil quality. In temperate humid grassland, we examined the impact of climate variability and changes of soil properties on 23 years of grass productivity after conversion of ex-arable soil to abandoned land (AL), unfertilized, and fertilized managed grassland (MGunfert and MGfert, respectively). This study aimed to investigate the changes between phytocenosis dry matter (DM) yield and rainfall amount in May–June and changes of organic carbon (Corg) stocks in soil. It was found that from 1995 to 2019, rainfall in May–June tended to decrease. The more resistant to rainfall variation were plants recovered in AL. The average DM yield of MGfert was 3.0 times higher compared to that in the AL. The DM yields of AL and MG were also influenced by the long-term change of soil properties. Our results showed that Corg sequestration in AL was faster (0.455 Mg ha−1 year−1) than that in MGfert (0.321 Mg ha−1 year−1). These studies will be important in Arenosol for selecting the method for transforming low-productivity arable land into MG.

Description: Agribusiness is both a complex social process and a market structure, consisting of many independent economic entities that generate demand for labour in the sector. The role of people whose activity is directly or indirectly related to the production of food products, the acquisition of resources, and the processing and production of ready food was considered. The way gender affects people’s decision to work in this sector and university graduates’ perception of agribusiness being an ideal job were also analysed. A total of 485 students, from four fields of study, from the Poznań University of Life Sciences were surveyed between 2016 and 2019. In the case of undergraduate students, it was determined that while they perceive that working in agribusiness is an interesting career stage, they are also convinced that they could easily find a job outside of this sector. Additionally, from a gender perspective, men and women view working in agribusiness differently. Women see it as an opportunity for self-development and building good social relations as well as acting for the benefit of the environment. For men, job-related prestige and economic benefits are much more important. Men were found to have higher aspirations for pursuing their own businesses, whereas women were more likely to pursue further education. The attitudes towards working in agribusiness represented by the respondents are a good predictor of meeting its knowledge needs.

Description: The causal basis for many of the relationships in models used to estimate the indirect effects of U.S. biofuels on global agricultural markets has not been adequately established. This paper addresses this gap by examining causal interactions among corn market variables through which the indirect effects of U.S. corn use for ethanol would be transmitted. Specifically, structural break and causal analyses of U.S. corn supply, uses, trade, and price are performed using quarterly data for marketing years 1986 to 2017. The structural break analysis identifies three breaks in corn use for ethanol that reflect the policy-driven evolution of U.S. corn ethanol production and other market factors. The causality analysis finds that U.S. corn use for ethanol is not a driver of the corn price and net corn exports. Changes in corn supply and domestic corn use are found to be the key factors in accommodating the large increase in corn use for ethanol between 2003 and 2010. These results mean that common assumptions linking U.S. corn ethanol production to large reductions in corn availability and exports, and higher global corn prices merit reconsideration.

Description: Septoria tritici blotch (STB; Zymoseptoria tritici), one of the most important foliar diseases in wheat, is mainly controlled by the intensive use of fungicides during crop growth. Unfortunately, Z. tritici field populations have developed various extents of resistance to different groups of fungicides. Due to the complete resistance to quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs), fungicidal control of STB relies mainly on demethylation inhibitors (DMIs) and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) as well as multi-site inhibitors. In this study, temporal changes in the sensitivity of Z. tritici to selected DMIs (tebuconazole, propiconazole, prothioconazole, prochloraz), SDHIs (boscalid, bixafen), and multi-site inhibitors (chlorothalonil, folpet) were determined in microtiter assays using Z. tritici field populations isolated in 1999, 2009, 2014, and 2020 in a high-disease-pressure and high-fungicide-input area in Northern Germany. For the four tested DMI fungicides, a significant shift towards decreasing sensitivity of Z. tritici field populations was observed between 1999 and 2009, whereby concentrations inhibiting fungal growth by 50% (EC50) increased differentially between the four DMIs. Since 2009, EC50 values of tebuconazole, propiconazole, and prochloraz remain stable, whereas for prothioconazole a slightly increased sensitivity shift was found. A shift in sensitivity of Z. tritici was also determined for both tested SDHI fungicides. In contrast to DMIs, EC50 values of boscalid and bixafen increased continuously between 1999 and 2020, but the increasing EC50 values were much smaller compared to those of the four tested DMIs. No changes in sensitivity of Z. tritici were observed for the multi-site inhibitors chlorothalonil and folpet over the last 21 years. The sensitivity adaptation of Z. tritici to both groups of single-site inhibitors (DMIs, SDHIs) mainly used for STB control represents a major challenge for future wheat cultivation.

Description: The aim of this study was the evaluation of the insect processed animal protein (IPAP) contamination level by Clostridium spp. Particularly, we screened for the occurrence of pathogenic species of Clostridia. The samples of IPAP were derived from yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) available in the Polish market. The IPAPs were added to experimental feeds for poultry. The differences between the contamination levels of the control (without the addition of IPAP) and experimental (with the addition of IPAP) groups were monitored. The samples were also examined by culture and PCR-based methods to detect 16S rDNA and genes determining botulinum toxin (BoNT) production. Statistical significance was noticed among the feed with the IPAP addition, as well as an increase of contamination by Clostridium spp. In one sample of IPAP, the occurrence of ntnh and bont/D genes determining the production of BoNT/D was noticed. However, a positive result was noticed only at the step of the liquid culture; the Clostridium botulinum type D strain was not isolated. Phenotypically, and according to the 16S rDNA analysis, genetically similar strains to C. botulinum species were isolated. Considering the microbiological safety of IPAP and expanding possibility of its use in livestock animal feed, it seems to be reasonable to provide complex risk assessment on the potential transfer of Clostridia into feed compounds, to assure the safety and sustainable development of insect PAP industry.

Description: Essential oils (EOs) from medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are well-known as natural antioxidants. Their addition to extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) can contribute to reducing fat oxidation. The main aim of this study was to improve both food shelf-life and aromatic flavour of EVOO, adding different EOs of Sicilian accessions of common sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme. The morphological and production characteristics of 40 accessions of MAPs were preliminarily assessed. EOs from the most promising accessions of MAPs were analysed by gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry. Photo-oxidative studies of the EOs were carried out and the determination of the EVOO fatty acids obtained from 4 Italian olive varieties was also made. EO content was on average 1.45% (v/w) for common sage, 3.97% for oregano, 1.42% for rosemary and 5.90% for thyme accessions. The highest average EO yield was found in thyme (172.70 kg ha−1) whilst the lowest (9.30 kg ha−1) in rosemary accessions. The chemical composition of EOs was very different in the four MAPs in the study. No significant change of oleic acid percentage was detected in the mixture of EVOO with EO samples. The results seem to highlight the presence of an antioxidant effect of EOs on EVOO.

Description: In this study, we apply the hypothesis of private amenity which simulates that the nonindustrial livestock farmers are assured an ex-ante normal minimum operating profitability rate for their investments in the production systems of livestock species based on grazing in a case study of dehesas in Andalusia, Spain. The ex-post measurement in the Agroforestry Accounting System of the commercial operating opportunity cost incurred by the owners at the close of the period corresponds to the lower limit of the additional amount of noncommercial intermediate product of the private amenity self-consumption service (ISSnca). When the livestock farmers obtain an above-normal operating profitability rate, it is assumed that the absence of opportunity cost results in the free use of the private amenity and, therefore, the latter is a free (noneconomic) service with zero value. In the case study of dehesa farms, the results show that the commercial operating profitability rates at basic prices are below the normal. When the ISSnca is included, the operating profitability rates at social prices for the livestock species exceed by 30%, on average, the assumed normal rate of 3%. However, due to the decline in the prices of the inanimate fixed capital in 2010, the average total profitability rate for the livestock species is estimated at 0.1%, which differs substantially from the assumed normal operating profitability rate. These results are of interest with regard to the design and application of official economic accounts at farm scale, which, as in the European Commission Farm Accounting Data Network, omit the measurement of ISSnca.

Description: This article aims to explore the perceptions of banana farms managers towards environmental sustainability practices through the impact of innovation, adoption of information systems, and training employees through a case study in the province of El Oro (Ecuador). Furthermore, the paper assesses how farmers’ perceptions could guide public policy incentives. PLS-Structural Equation Modeling are used as the framework by which the constructs is represented within the model. The model explained 59% of the environmental sustainability practices of Ecuadorian banana farms. The results indicate that environmental sustainability practices were positively influenced mainly by training employees, innovation, and adoption of information systems. Additionally, both the adoption of information systems and training employees indirectly influenced sustainable practices through innovation as a mediator. We may conclude that in the Ecuadorian banana farms, changes in environmental practices are derived from innovation strategies as an axis of development of useful information and training employees in public policies.

Description: Brassica oleracea is an important crop species that at early growth stages may exhibit failure of the apical growing point, an abnormality called “blindness”. The occurrence of blindness is promoted by exposure to low temperatures during imbibition and germination, but the causes of sensitivity to such conditions are unknown. We combined three analytical seed technology instruments to explore seed physical properties that are highly correlated with quality parameters and might be used directly for grading or sorting seed lots into subpopulations varying in potential susceptibility to blindness. For image analysis, we used the VideometerLab instrument, which can scan 19 wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared and utilize that information in any combination to potentially identify unique criteria related to seed quality. The iXeed CF Analyzer was utilized to obtain chlorophyll fluorescence values for individual seeds. Chlorophyll contents of many seeds can be used as an indicator of seed maturity, a major contributor to seed quality. Finally, oxygen consumption measurements of individual seeds as obtained with the Q2 instrument are highly correlated with their performance under a wide variety of conditions. Six Brassica seed lots differed in their susceptibility to induction of blindness or loss of viability due to 48 h hydrated incubation at 1.5 ∘C. Analysis of physical and respiratory parameters identified some measurements that were highly correlated with the occurrence of blindness. Higher chlorophyll content, as detected by the CF-Mobile and certain wavelengths in the Videometer, was associated with greater occurrence of blindness or death following the induction treatment, suggesting that more immature seeds may be susceptible to blindness. Further research is required, but methods to detect and sort such seeds based on physical characteristics appear to be feasible.

Description: Agricultural land abandonment is a process observed in most European countries. In Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, it was initiated with the political transformation of the 1990s. Currently, in Poland, it concerns over 2 million ha of arable land. Such a large acreage constitutes a resource of land that can be directly restored to agricultural production or perform environmental functions. A new concept for management of fallow/abandoned areas is to start producing biomass for the bioeconomy purposes. Production of perennial crops, especially on poorer soils, requires an appropriate assessment of soil conditions. Therefore, it has become crucial to answer the question: What is the real impact of the fallowing process on soil, and is it possible to return it to production at all? For this purpose, on the selected fallowed land that met the marginality criteria defined under the project, physicochemical tests of soil properties were carried out, and subsequently, the results were compared with those of the neighboring agricultural land and with the soil valuation of the fallow land, which was conducted during its past agricultural use. The work was mainly aimed at analyzing the impact of long-term fallowing on soil pH, carbon sequestration and nutrient content, e.g., phosphorus and potassium. The result of the work is a positive assessment of the possibility of restoring fallowed land for agricultural production, including the production of biomass for non-agricultural purposes. Among the studied types of fallow plots, the fields where goldenrod (Solidago L.—invasive species) appeared were indicated as the areas most affected by soil degradation.

Description: Citrus are affected by many viruses and viroids, some globally widespread and some restricted to particular countries or areas. In this study, we simulated the use of high throughput sequencing (HTS) and the bioinformatic analysis of small interfering RNAs (siRNA) as a pre-screening method to guide bioindexing and molecular detection to enhance the surveillance survey of some key or emerging citrus viruses, such as non-European citrus tristeza virus isolates (non-EU CTV), citrus tatter leaf virus, citrus leprosis virus, citrus yellow mosaic virus, and citrus bark cracking viroid, present in the EPPO lists, and the citrus yellow vein clearing virus. The HTS’s ability to detect other citrus viroids was also evaluated. The results demonstrate that HTS provides a comprehensive phytosanitary status of citrus samples either in single and multiple infections of viruses and viroids. It also provides effective information on citrus tristeza virus mixed infections despite not being able to identify the non-EU variants of the virus. Bioindexing checks each single virus infection but does not differentiate viroids on the Etrog citron indicator and is time-consuming. Molecular assays are valuable as confirmation tests of viruses and viroids but many pairs of primers are needed for a full screening and new or non-target pathogens remain undetected. In addition, the genomes of two isolates of the citrus yellow vein clearing virus and the citrus tatter leaf virus, detected in a sample from China, are described.

Description: Farm machinery selection, operation and management directly impact crop cultivation processes and outputs. A priori quantification of technical and financial needs allows definition of proportionate distribution and management of available resources and simplification of selection process. Appropriate planning, association and adjustment of the power unit and implement are required for soil cultivation. Consideration of functional parameters of the implement, their proper estimation and operation directly impact the soil structure, productivity and return on investment. Thus, a modelling approach was implemented for the definition of possible parameter-price relations for tillage equipment. The performed analysis allowed us to investigate the main relevant parameters, quantify their impact, and elaborate forecasting models for price, power, mass and working width. The significant relevance of the technical parameters and adjustment issues were outlined for each tillage implement group. For harrows and cultivators, the dependencies between studied parameters expressed better predictive qualities, especially for price-mass relation (R² 〉 0.8). While for ploughs power and mass relation had a primary output (R² = 0.7). The prediction features of the models provided reliable results for the estimation of the indicative values of the price and parameters of the implements.

Description: The pre-harvest biocontrol approach currently used includes laboratory inoculations using non-aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus. This strategy effectively suppresses the indigenous aflatoxigenic strains and reduces aflatoxin accumulation in sweetcorn. The current in vitro study’s main objective is to determine the diametric growth rates of both Aflatoxin (AF)+ and AF− strains and improve the understanding of competitive relationships among these strains in sweetcorn (Zea mays). Sweetcorn kernels inoculated with AF+ strains only, AF− strains only, and co-inoculated with AF+ + AF− strains were investigated for aflatoxin concentrations. The diametric growth results revealed that growth rates of AF− strains at 25 and 30 °C were much greater than AF+ strains, which was in line with previous studies. The in vitro findings showed that the AKR5− and AKL34− biocontrol strains effectively inhibited the colony propagation and subsequent AFB1 contamination (up to 79%) of AF+ strains. On the other hand, the AKR1− and AKL35− were least effective in reducing AFB1 contents only by 58% and 60%, respectively. There was a significant difference (p 〈 0.05) in the reduction of AFB1 contents achieved by AF− strains of A. flavus. The findings of the present study indicated the reduction in AFB1 with population expressions of AF+ strains by the AF− strains and supports the notion of competitive exclusion through vigorous development and propagation of the non-aflatoxigenic fungi.

Description: The increasing demand for qualitative and varietal foods by the consumer society is a big concern for energy production, and utilization of that energy in a judicious manner for sustainable management of resources is a big challenge in the eminent future. Existing resources (land, water, fertilizer, etc.) and their socioeconomic aspects warrant the farming community to adopt alternative strategies aimed at enhancing the use efficiency of inputs and improve the environmental quality. The adaptability of microbes to thrive in different environments has prompted scientists to introduce microbial intervention in the agricultural processes. Bio-priming has the potential to fulfill many objectives of the modern production system with the use of beneficial microorganisms in an eco-friendly manner. Interestingly, it also plays a crucial role in enhancing the nutrient use efficiency of crops. There is rising evidence of a paradigm shift from the use of a single microbe to a consortium approach for efficient rhizosphere engineering in the context of sustainable agriculture. Our understanding of different signaling cascades, rhizosphere chemistry, and other mechanisms of plant–microbial interactions will frame suitable strategies to harness the best ecosystem services including improved resource use efficiency.

Description: Many authors emphasize that reducing the income deprivation of the agricultural sector in relation to the non-agricultural sectors is a prerequisite to the growth of sustainability of agriculture. Thus, this raises the question: despite the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the value of agricultural income in EU countries, is there still income deprivation for agriculture in relation to non-agricultural sectors? If so, is its depth comparable among farms with a different scale of production from the same EU country or among farms with the same scale of production from different countries? The answers to these questions constitute the added value of the article. The aim of the paper is to compare the ratio of agricultural income to non-agricultural income in regard to family farms in EU countries. Results show that the CAP solutions do limit the agricultural income disparities but that there are significant differences in the income deprivation of farms with different production values in the same country. These differences also apply to farms with a similar production volume in different countries. This publication includes critical analysis of literature, spatial-analysis and panel regression. The time scale of the research is 2004–2017, the spatial scope is individual EU countries and the subjective scope is representative EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) farms.

Description: In tropical fruit crops, anthracnose is mainly caused by species belonging to the fungal genus, Colletotrichum. These phytopathogens can infect several parts of the fruit crops; however, infection during postharvest or ripening stages is responsible for major economic losses. Due to the formation of black to dark brown sunken lesions on the fruit surface, anthracnose reduces fruit quality and marketability. Among the most common tropical fruit crops susceptible to anthracnose are mango, papaya, banana, avocado, guava, and dragon fruit; these are economically relevant products in many developing countries. It is important to document that the newly recorded Colletotrichum spp. associated with fruit anthracnose can infect multiple hosts, but some species may be host-specific. By using multiple markers, many phylogenetic species of Colletotrichum have been reported as anthracnose-causing pathogens. Taking into account that disease management strategies strongly rely on adequate knowledge of the causative agents, updated information on Colletotrichum species and the hazard posed by the most recently identified species in tropical fruit plantations and harvested fruits becomes vital. Besides, the newly recorded species may be important for biosecurity and should be listed as quarantine pathogens, considering that tropical fruits are traded worldwide.

Description: Teff is an important crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Improved crop management practices are needed to increase teff productivity and decrease production costs. Here, we used a split–split plot design to evaluate the impacts of different tillage, sowing, and soil compaction practices, and their combinations, on agronomic performance, weed population, lodging, and cost in teff production at the Aba Gerima watershed in northwestern Ethiopia in 2018–2020. Reduced tillage (RT) improved soil moisture, resulting in increased agronomic performance and decreased production costs compared with conventional tillage (CT); however, the weed population was substantially larger with RT than with CT. Row planting (RP) reduced seed cost and lodging but increased sowing and weeding costs compared with broadcast planting (BP). Plant population and leaf area index were substantially greater with BP than with RP during early-stage growth, but this reversed during late-stage growth. Despite labor costs being significantly greater with (WC) compaction than without (NC), little to no differences were observed in the weed population or in agronomic performance. Partial cost–benefit analysis revealed that RT–RP–WC followed by RT–RP–NC was the most economical treatment combination, suggesting that RT–RP–NC could be a labor-effective means of increasing teff production by smallholder farms in Ethiopia.

Description: The phosphorus (P) chemistry of biochar (BC)-amended soils is poorly understood. This statement is based on the lack of published research attempting a comprehensive characterization of biochar’s influence on P sorption. Therefore, this study addressed the kinetic limitations of these processes. This was accomplished using a fast pyrolysis biochar made from a mix of waste materials applied to a highly weathered Latossolo Vermelho distrofico (Oxisol) from São Paulo, Brazil. Standard method (batch method) was used. The sorption kinetic studies indicated that P sorption in both cases, soil (S) and soil-biochar (SBC), had a relatively fast initial reaction between 0 to 5 min. This may have happened because adding biochar to the soil decreased P sorption capacity compared to the mineral soil alone. Presumably, this is a result of: (i) Inorganic phosphorus desorbed from biochar was resorbed onto the mineral soil; (ii) charcoal particles physically covered P sorption locations on soil; or (iii) the pH increased when BC was added SBC and the soil surface became more negatively charged, thus increasing anion repulsion and decreasing P sorption.

Description: Straw amendment can improve soil properties and is an effective strategy to control soil-borne diseases. However, gramineous straw application to vegetable fields has rarely been studied. In this study, rice straw was added to the field of Chinese cabbage for one or two years (repeated), and Chinese cabbage plant growth, disease occurrence and changes in soil chemical properties were measured. In addition, the bacterial community composition of Chinese cabbage was analyzed using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Results showed that rice straw application increased the content of available nutrients, pH and electrical conductivity, but decreased the diversity and richness of the bacterial community. The relative abundances of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi were increased after repeated rice straw application, which were associated with the available potassium and pH in the soil. Network analysis revealed that rice straw amendment differentially affected the key bacterial genera. These results suggest that repeated application of rice straw changed the soil chemical properties and altered the bacterial community composition to suppress the clubroot disease incidence in Chinese cabbage.

Description: Improving nitrogen use efficiency is a significant scientific problem to be solved. Two maize hybrids JD27 (Jidan 27) and SD19 (Sidan 19) were selected to study the effects of nitrogen levels on root characteristic parameters and plant dry matter accumulation, distribution and transportation. We set five different nitrogen levels, which were nitrogen deficiency (000N), low nitrogen (075N), medium nitrogen (150N), high nitrogen (225N) and excessive nitrogen (300N). The results showed that the root length and root surface area of JD27 were significantly higher than those of SD19 under 075N. With the increase of nitrogen levels, the root difference among varieties gradually decreased. The root length, projection area, total surface area and total volume reached the maximum values at silking stage. The average root diameter kept stable or decreased slowly with the growth stage. The dry matter accumulation of JD27 was higher than that of SD19 at all growth stages. Increasing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer can promote the transport of dry matter to grain and improve dry matter transport efficiency after anthesis. Under the treatment of medium and high nitrogen fertilizer, maize was easy to obtain a higher yield, but excessive nitrogen fertilizer inhibited the increase of yield. This study provides theoretical and practical guidance for maize production techniques.

Description: This research is an outcome of the R&D activities of Ecodevelopment S.A. (steadily supported by the Hellenic Agricultural Organization—Demeter) towards offering precision farming services to rice growers. Within this framework, a new methodology for topdressing nitrogen prediction was developed based on machine learning. Nitrogen is a key element in rice culture and its rational management can increase productivity, reduce costs, and prevent environmental impacts. A multi-source, multi-temporal, and multi-scale dataset was collected, including optical and radar imagery, soil data, and yield maps by monitoring a 110 ha pilot rice farm in Thessaloniki Plain, Greece, for four consecutive years. RapidEye imagery underwent image segmentation to delineate management zones (ancillary, visual interpretation of unmanned aerial system scenes was employed, too); Sentinel-1 (SAR) imagery was modelled with Computer Vision to detect inundated fields and (through this) indicate the exact growth stage of the crop; and Sentinel-2 image data were used to map leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) exactly before topdressing applications. Several machine learning algorithms were configured to predict yield for various nitrogen levels, with the XGBoost model resulting in the highest accuracy. Finally, yield curves were used to select the nitrogen dose maximizing yield, which was thus recommended to the grower. Inundation mapping proved to be critical in the prediction process. Currently, Ecodevelopment S.A. is expanding the application of the new method in different study areas, with a view to further empower its generality and operationality.