Crop Production

Citrus fruits are a diverse and economically important group of fruit crops known for their distinctive flavors and high nutritional value. Their cultivation and consumption contribute significantly to the global agricultural economy and offer a wide range of health benefits. Among the genetic diversity of citrus species, Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck is particularly relevant due to its chemical composition and potential health benefits. Two cultivars from the Sicily region (southern Italy) were compared for their phenolic content and preliminary antioxidant activity to select the distinctive extract with potential biological activity...

The fungicide phenamacril has been employed to manage Fusarium and mycotoxins in crops, leading to persistent residues in the environment and plants. Detecting phenamacril is pivotal for ensuring environmental and food safety. In this study, haptens and artificial antigens were synthesized to produce antiphenamacril monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Additionally, gold nanoparticles coated with a polydopamine shell were synthesized and conjugated with mAbs, inducing fluorescence quenching in quantum dots. Moreover, a dual-readout immunochromatographic assay that combines the positive signal from fluorescence with the negative signal from colorimetry was developed to enable sensitive and precise detection of phenamacril within 10 min, achieving detection limits of 5 ng/mL...

Strategies for plant nutrient resource allocation under Meloidogyne spp. infection and different soil nutrient conditions are not well established. In response, the objectives of this research are to determine if increased vegetative growth of Solanum lycopersicon var. cerasiforme (cherry tomato) under high nutrition enhances resistance to M. incognita and whether adaptive strategies for growth, reproduction, and nutrient uptake by cherry tomato infected with M. incognita alter nutrient availability. The study was conducted under greenhouse conditions using high, medium, and low soil nutrient regimes...

Soil acidity in Ethiopian highlands impacts barley production, affecting root system architecture. Study on 300 accessions showed significant trait variability, with potential for breeding enhancement. Soil acidity poses a significant challenge to crop production in the highland regions of Ethiopia, particularly impacting barley, a crucial staple crop. This acidity serves as a key stressor affecting the root system architecture (RSA) of this crop. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the RSA traits variability under acidic soil conditions using 300 barley accessions in a greenhouse experiment...

Climate change effects on tree reproduction are poorly understood, even though the resilience of populations relies on sufficient regeneration to balance increasing rates of mortality. Forest-forming tree species often mast, i.e. reproduce through synchronised year-to-year variation in seed production, which improves pollination and reduces seed predation. Recent observations in European beech show, however, that current climate change can dampen interannual variation and synchrony of seed production and that this masting breakdown drastically reduces the viability of seed crops...

Digital Twins have emerged as an outstanding opportunity for precision farming, digitally replicating in real-time the functionalities of objects and plants. A virtual replica of the crop, including key agronomic development aspects such as irrigation, optimal fertilization strategies, and pest management, can support decision-making and a step change in farm management, increasing overall sustainability and direct water, fertilizer, and pesticide savings. In this review, Digital Twin technology is critically reviewed and framed in the context of recent advances in precision agriculture and Agriculture 4...

INTRODUCTION: Codonopsis pilosula is widely sought-after in China as a substitute for the more expensive ginseng. Continuous cropping of C. pilosula supports a vibrant health-supplement industry but requires significant inputs of fertilizers which increase production costs and degrade the environment. METHODS: Here, three environmentally-friendly natural fertilizers, including biochar, bacterial fertilizer, and vermicompost, were used at different concentrations (undiluted, diluted 10 times, diluted 50 times) to determine their efficacy in seed germination and growth physiology of C...

Carrot ( Daucus carota L.) is a high value, nutritious, and colorful crop, but delivering carrots from seed to table can be a struggle for carrot growers. Weed competitive ability is a critical trait for crop success that carrot and its apiaceous relatives often lack owing to their characteristic slow shoot growth and erratic seedling emergence, even among genetically uniform lines. This study is the first field-based, multi-year experiment to evaluate shoot-growth trait variation over a 100-day growing season in a carrot diversity panel (N=695) that includes genetically diverse carrot accessions from the United States Department of Agriculture National Plant Germplasm System...

Compared to conventional irrigation and fertilization, the Water-fertilizer coupling can significantly enhance the efficiency of water and fertilizer utilization, thereby promoting crop growth and increasing yield. Targeting the challenges of poor crop growth, low yield, and inefficient water and fertilizer utilization in the arid region of northwest China under conventional irrigation and fertilization practices. Therefore, a two-year on-farm experiment in 2022 and 2023 was conducted to study the effects of water-fertilizer coupling regulation on pumpkin growth, yield, water consumption (ET), and water and fertilizer use efficiency...

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are highly valuable molecules in the cosmetic, pharmaceutic, and agricultural sectors with outstanding biosurfactant properties. In agriculture, due to their potential to artificially stimulate the natural immune system of crops (also known as elicitation), they could represent a critical substitute to conventional pesticides. However, their current synthesis methods are complex and not aligned with green chemistry principles, posing a challenge for their industrial applications. In addition, their bioproduction is cumbersome with reproducibility issues and expensive downstream processing...

Production of quality fruits in the dry and low humid October-May period has been a challenge in the tropics and sub-tropics having wide weather fluctuations throughout the year. Henceforth, the research aimed at investigating the seasonal variations in vegetative developments as well as flowering, fruiting, yield, and fruit quality of guava emphasizing the off-seasonality by pruning 0 cm (control), 15 cm, 30 cm, and 45 cm from shoot-tip, once a year at spring (early March), monsoon (early June) and autumn (early September) under such atmospheric implications...

Teff [Eragrostistef (Zucc.)] is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia which is part of the traditional dish of the people in the form of Injera. Interest in Teff has increased noticeably due to its very attractive nutritional profile and the gluten-free nature of the grain. It is a gluten-free cereal, among the major cereal crops, Teff accounts for the largest average annual acreage in the country. It also accounts for the second-largest average annual production, next to maize. The study endeavored to review the harvest and postharvest losses, the causes of these losses, and possible solutions to reduce the postharvest losses of the Teff crop in Ethiopia...

The agricultural value chain is underpinned by the interdependence of agricultural value added, household consumption and domestic investment. Understanding the complex interactions between these microeconomic outcomes and the uncertainties in the macroeconomic variables of exchange rates, energy prices and sectoral spending remains under-researched. Therefore, this study examines the impact of exchange rate, energy prices and sectoral spending on agricultural value added, household consumption and domestic investment in Nigeria from 1981 to 2020...

The objectives were to compare cereal grain and straw yield between barley and hybrid rye ( HR ) and to evaluate whether the inclusion of dry-rolled HR grain as a replacement for barley grain affected feed intake and growth for growing cattle, and feed intake, growth, and carcass characteristics for finishing cattle. Crop yield was measured by directly weighing harvested grain and straw bales ( n  = 3 plots/grain type). Three-hundred sixty steers with an initial body weight ( BW ) of 348 ± 40 kg were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to 1 of the 24 pens during the growing phase ( n  = 8; 65 d)...

Soil salinization is a global constraint that significantly hampers agricultural production, with cotton being an important cash crop that is not immune to its detrimental effects. The rhizosphere microbiome plays a critical role in plant health and growth, which assists plants in resisting adverse abiotic stresses including soil salinization. This study explores the impact of soil salinization on cotton, including its effects on growth, yield, soil physical and chemical properties, as well as soil bacterial community structures...

In surveys conducted from 2020 to 2022, five leaf samples each from symptomatic Agele marmelos trees and seedlings, along with five samples from asymptomatic trees and seedlings, were collected in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. The DNA extraction from all the samples was subjected to nested PCR assays, using the universal phytoplasma-specific primers set (P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2). The resulting 1.2 kb amplified products were observed in all the symptomatic samples but not in the asymptomatic samples...

The cultivated strawberry, Fragaria ×ananassa , is a recently domesticated fruit species of economic interest worldwide. As such, there is significant interest in continuous varietal improvement. Genomics-assisted improvement, including the use of DNA markers and genomic selection have facilitated significant improvements of numerous key traits during strawberry breeding. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing allows targeted mutations and precision nucleotide substitutions in the target genome, revolutionizing functional genomics and crop improvement...

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid essential for synthesizing tetrapyrrole compounds, including heme, chlorophyll, cytochrome, and vitamin B12. As a plant growth regulator, 5-ALA is extensively used in agriculture to enhance crop yield and quality. The complexity and low yield of chemical synthesis methods have led to significant interest in the microbial synthesis of 5-ALA. Advanced strategies, including the: enhancement of precursor and cofactor supply, compartmentalization of key enzymes, product transporters engineering, by-product formation reduction, and biosensor-based dynamic regulation, have been implemented in bacteria for 5-ALA production, significantly advancing its industrialization...

Phytohormones, pivotal regulators of plant growth and development, are increasingly recognized for their multifaceted roles in enhancing crop resilience against environmental stresses. In this review, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of current research on utilizing phytohormones to enhance crop productivity and fortify their defence mechanisms. Initially, we introduce the significance of phytohormones in orchestrating plant growth, followed by their potential utilization in bolstering crop defences against diverse environmental stressors...

Dieldrin, an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) widely used for crop protection in the second half of the 20th century till the 70's, is worldwide still present in arable soils. It can be transferred to crops, notably cucurbits, depending on plant species and cultivars. Finding strategies to decrease OCP bioavailability in soil is therefore a main concern. Phytomanagement strategies could provide (i) ready-to-use short term solution for maintaining the production of edible plant parts with dieldrin concentrations below the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) and (ii) long-term solution for dieldrin phytoextraction reducing progressively its bioavailability in the soil...