Agriculture

Soil biological activity is an integral characteristic reflecting the state of soil fertility, biodiversity, and the activity of soil processes carried out by soil organisms. In Africa, studies of soil biological properties are few compared to the agrochemical research. In this paper, we present an assessment of multiple biochemical and microbiological properties of soil from an agricultural field located in the African tropical savanna. We determined basal respiration, substrate-induced respiration, C of microbial biomass, the potential activity of denitrification, nitrogen fixation activity, and estimated prokaryotic components in the soil microbial complex by quantitative PCR. Basal respiration of soils ranged from 0.77 ± 0.04 to 1.90 ± 0.23 μg C-CO₂·g⁻¹·h⁻¹, and substrate-induced respiration ranged from 3.31 ± 0.17 to 7.84 ± 1.04 μg C-CO₂·g⁻¹·h⁻¹. The C reserves of microbial biomass averaged 403.7 ± 121.6 μg C·g⁻¹ of soil. The N₂O emission from the upper layer on average amounted to 2.79 ng N-N₂O·g⁻¹·day⁻¹, and the potential denitrification activity reached 745 ± 98 ng N-N₂O·g⁻¹·h⁻¹. The number of copies of bacterial genes varied from (0.19 ± 0.02) × 10⁸ to (3.52 ± 0.8) × 10⁸ copies·g⁻¹, and of archaea—from (0.10 ± 0.01) × 10⁷ to (0.29 ± 0.01) × 10⁷ copies·g⁻¹ of soil. These results were in good agreement with the studies in other seasonally wet tropical regions: the biological activity was relatively low. The difference between biological indicators of the experimental field and the reference profile were insignificant except for nitrogen loss, which was higher in the ploughed field. Biological indicators strongly varied in space; we explained their heterogeneity by non-uniform management practices in the course of agrochemical field experiments in the past. The use of organic fertilisers may cause the release of climatically active gases due to intensive microbial respiration and denitrification, but the intensity of emission would strongly depend on the cultivation and management method. Full article

Agriculture is the origin of existence and survival in any society. However, this sector is always associated with risk and uncertainty, and farmers are faced with many challenges. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to explore the (production) risk factors of irrigated wheat production systems among farmers in Kermanshah province, Iran. The exploratory nature of this study on the one hand and the need for expert judgment on the other hand necessitated a Delphi research design. Thus, this study utilized a three-round Delphi technique. The population comprised of 10 subject-matter experts (SME) and 32 agricultural extension experts in two climates (warm and semi-arid and cold and moderate) in seven counties in Kermanshah province. A purposeful (complete) sample of 42 experts in the agricultural field participated in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed on the basis of the Delphi technique. The findings indicated that, after three rounds of Delphi technique, the panel members reached a consensus on 75 factors which were categorized into biological, natural, managerial, and technological-structural groups for production risk. The results of this research provide useful insights for researchers, extension agents, and farmers. Full article

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different maize processing technologies, comparing treatments with conventional rollers (control), MCC MAX rollers and a Shredlage crop processor on the quality of chopped maize. All the three types of chopped maize were harvested on the same day from the same field where the same maize hybrid was grown. The chemical composition of chopped maize, degree of grain processing and particle size fractions, and the effect of the treatments on rumen disappearance of dry matter, organic matter, NDF and starch were assessed. The highest degree of grain processing was achieved with the Shredlage processor (79.2%), and at the same time this processing method had a tendency to produce the highest proportion of physically effective fibre (37.2%). Compared to the conventional rollers (control), the chopped maize produced using the Shredlage processor had higher disappearance of dry matter, organic matter and NDF after 48 h of rumen incubation and of starch after 24 h of incubation. The MCC MAX rollers provided higher disappearance of all nutrients compared to the control treatment after both 24 and 48 h of incubation. Full article

Tea components (tea polyphenols, catechins, free amino acids, and caffeine) are the key factors affecting the quality of green tea. This study aimed to relate key biochemical substances in tea to soil nutrient composition and the effectiveness of fertilization. Seventy tea samples and their corresponding plantation soil were randomly collected from Xinyang City, China. The catechins, free amino acids, and caffeine in tea were examined, as well as the soil pH, nitrate (${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$-N), ammonium (${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{H}}_4^{+}$-N), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and soil organic matter (SOM). The ordinary kriging was employed to visualize the spatial variation characteristic by ArcGIS. A quadratic regression model was used to analyze the effects of the soil environment on the tea. The results showed that the soil pH of the study area was suitable for cultivating tea plants. The relationship between soil pH and tea polyphenols and catechins presented the U-shape curve, whereas the soil pH and ${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{H}}_4^{+}$-N and the free amino acids, the soil pH, and caffeine presented the inverted U-shape curve. Soil management measures could be implemented to control the soil environment for improving the tea quality. The combination of the macro metrological model with individual experimentation could help to analyze the detailed influence mechanisms of environmental factors on plant physiological processes. Full article

Chinese goldthread (Coptis chinensis Franch.) represents one of the most important medicinal plants with diverse medicinal applications, but it easily suffers from continuous cropping obstacles in the plantation. In this study, we have selected eight different continuously cropped fields with C. chinensis and fallow field, providing detailed information regarding the diversity and composition of the rhizospheric bacterial communities. We have found a significant difference between fallow field (LH) and other continuously cropped fields in soil pH; the total content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; and soil enzyme activities. The results indicate that continuous cropping had a significant effect on soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities under different plant cultivations. The relative abundance of bacterial phyla was significantly altered among the fields; for example, proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were observed to be higher in continuous cropping of maize (HY6) and lower in sweet potato continuous cropping (HH). Alpha diversity analysis showed that different plants with different years of continuous cropping could change the diversity of bacterial communities, among which the effect of maize and Polygonum multiflorum continuous cropping were most significant. Principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that continuously cropped C. chinensis (LZ) and cabbage continuously cropped for 2 years (HS) were slightly clustered together and separated from LH and others. The results showed that the similarity of the bacterial community in the same crop rotation was higher, which further indicated that the bacterial community structure was significantly altered by the continuous cropping system and plant species. Our study provides a foundation for future agricultural research to improve microbial activity and increase crops/cash-crops productivity under a continuous cropping system and mitigate continuous cropping obstacles. Full article

In the multiple cropping regions of southern China, straw returning has become a widely practiced agronomic measure for rice cultivation. However, excessive straw often leads to a high proportion of stubble in topsoil, which prolongs the leveling time of the paddy field and delays the transplanting date for rice seedlings. In particular, scholars in this region have successively improved multiple paddy field levelers to realize excellent straw returning and subsequent land preparation synchronously, but the economic benefit from land preparation to crop harvest was less reported. Therefore, this study carried out a 2-year rice cultivation experiments to compare the effects of paddy field preparation methods on rice growth and economic benefits within the same growing duration. Three treatments were designed: traditional tillage (TT), double axis rotary tillage (DR) and multiple operations for paddy field preparation (DR + ML), with three repeats. The results showed that DR + ML treatment simplified the operation process while improving the quality of land preparation. Within the same growing duration, DR + ML treatment could reduce the paddy field preparation time and extend the growing time in the field by 5–6 days. Furthermore, in comparison to TT treatment, DR + ML showed advantages in stimulating plant development, increasing dry matter accumulation (DMA), and thereby increasing rice yield by more than 12%. The economic benefits were mainly reflected in saving operation cost of paddy field preparation and improving the output (grain yield), which can generally increase the total profit by 58%. The implementation of this study can provide a reference for a simplified high yield cultivation technique in rice-related multiple cropping systems. Full article

The adoption of climate-smart irrigation technologies amongst smallholder farmers generally remains low beside their role in combating food and nutrition security in a society and in climate change adaptation strategies. This study identified the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ decision to adopt Climate Smart Irrigation Technologies (CSIT) in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Data were collected through the completion of a face-to-face structured questionnaire by 100 smallholder farmers selected through convenience and purposive sampling. A probit regression and OLS model were used to identify factors that influence the smallholder farmer’s decision to adopt CSIT and the level of adoption. The results indicated that only 46% of the smallholder farmers adopted climate-smart irrigation technologies and suggested that adoption is influenced positively by factors such as gender, age, district, farm size, staple food production and knowledge on CSIT. There is an urgent need for related stakeholders to transform the smallholder farmer subsector through improved extension services, training, adopting resilient crop varieties, promoting underutilized and nutrient-dense crops adapted to harsh local conditions, and other interventions. This should be done by promoting awareness to smallholder farmers regarding these interventions and new technologies that have the potential to improve rural livelihoods and enhance resilience and adaptation. Full article

The growth of lateral bud can greatly affect the development of apical bud and reduce the quality of single-flower cut chrysanthemum. However, the wide use of artificial bud removal in production leads to the increase on production cost. Therefore, it is important to study the lateral bud development mechanism in chrysanthemum for plant type regulation and genetic improvement. Auxin (IAA), cytokinins (CKs) and strigolactones (SLs) have direct or indirect effects on the formation of lateral buds. D14, BRC1 and LsL are key factors regulating the signal pathways of hormones, but their regulation mechanisms on the development of lateral buds in chrysanthemum are still unclear. In this study, single-flower cut chrysanthemum ‘Jinba’ and spray cut chrysanthemum ‘Fenyan’ were used as experimental materials. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to observe the effects of apical bud removal and exogenous hormones on the growth of lateral buds and the expression levels of DgD14, DgBRC1 and DgLsL, so as to clarify the expression characteristics of three genes in the process of lateral bud formation. The results showed that GA was effective in promoting the growth of lateral buds, whereas IAA and ABA had little effects on lateral bud growth or even inhibited. Removing apical dominance can significantly affect the expression levels of three genes, which regulated the formation and elongation of lateral buds. Additionally, the three genes showed different responses to different hormone treatments. DgD14 had a significant response to GA, but a gentle response to ABA. The expression levels of DgBRC1 varied in different trends, and it responded to IAA in a more dramatic way. The levels of DgLsL reached the peaks quickly before decreased in most experimental groups, and its response to GA was extraordinary severe. Full article

When growing wide-row crops on sloped lands, there is significant surface runoff. In relation to the runoff process, potatoes are classified as a risk crop. This study aimed to grow potatoes in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, where the protection zone of the water supply reservoir of Švihov is also located. At selected experimental areas, water samples were taken after precipitation events when surface runoff and water erosion occurred. These samples were analysed (nitrates, total P, and selected pesticides used for potato growing) in an accredited laboratory. We located three different variants of nitrogen fertilisation in each experimental area. Precipitation and the amount of water from surface runoff after each higher precipitation event were also measured in the experimental areas. By knowing the acreage of each experimental area, the volume of surface runoff water and the concentration of nitrates, phosphorus, and pesticides, it was possible to calculate the balance of these substances. We also calculated the percentage of surface runoff. The results imply that a new potato cultivator in the technology of stone windrowing should be designed for weed control as part of a weed control system with reduced herbicide application requirements. Innovative agrotechnical processes reducing pollution of water sources by phosphorus and nitrates should also be enhanced. These are based on a precise application of mineral fertiliser into the root area of plants within the period of an intensive intake of nutrients. Full article

The rapidly emerging fertilizer rapeseed used as green manure has wide applications for use. However, there have been few studies on its decomposition and effects on soil nutrients and microorganisms after its decay. In this study, 12 rapeseed lines to be screened were decomposed through a randomized block field design with two green-manure-specific varieties as the controls. The contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the plants, soil nutrients, and microbial changes after degradation were measured. There were substantial differences in the rates of decomposition and cumulative release of nutrients among the different lines after 30 days of rolling. The contents of phosphorus and potassium in the soil were 1.23–2.03 and 3.93–6.32 times those before decomposition, respectively. In addition, there was a significant difference in the relative content of soil microorganisms at the phylum level after the decomposition of different species of rapeseeds. Most of the top 20 bacterial groups significantly correlated with the characteristics of plant decomposition and soil nutrient content, including Proteobacteria, Actinomycetes, Armatimonadetes, Rokubacteria, and Planctomycetes. A principal component analysis showed that the soil microorganisms and nutrients are the leading factors that enable the evaluation of the decomposing characteristics of green manure rapeseed. Numbers 5 (purple leaf mustard) and 8 (Xiafang self-seeding) were more effective than two controls, which can be used as excellent types of germplasm to promote the breeding of green manure rapeseed. Full article

Oasis agriculture in arid areas faces the constraints of scarce resources and a fragile ecological environment. Improving agricultural production efficiency is the key solution. However, there are few studies analyzing the relationship between farmers’ production efficiency and planting scale from a micro-empirical perspective. Herein, we study the seed-producing corn growers in Zhangye city, and supplement special survey data with national input–output survey data. We use data envelopment analysis to measure agricultural production efficiency, and tobit regression to calculate the marginal effects of factors affecting production efficiency on farms of different scales. The results show that production efficiency is greater for large-scale farmers than for small-scale farmers. Duration of technical training, education time of laborers, planting income, and productive expenditure are significantly positively correlated with production efficiency. Average age of farmers and the amount of pesticide and fertilizer use are significantly negatively correlated with production efficiency. Off-farm activities improve the production efficiency of small-scale farmers but inhibit it for medium- and large-scale farmers. Differences exist in marginal impacts for different scales of farmland. We conclude that expanding the scale of family farms and optimizing human capital are effective for improving agricultural production efficiency in arid oasis areas. Full article

This article analyses the cereal-legume value chain in Malawi through a comprehensive VC Map, a SWOT exercise and a policy analysis. VC participation entails a number of challenges for smallholders. Limited access to land, technology and inputs, inadequate knowledge of market functioning, insufficient access to credit and extension services, combined with more general problems of poor infrastructures, often prevent smallholder farmers from accessing profitable market opportunities. The effectiveness of national policies (e.g., public extension service support, inputs subsidy system) oriented to increase smallholders’ market access is often constrained by inadequate financial capacity, an inefficient public extension services system and limited involvement of privates in the extension services scheme. VC interventions should distinguish between VC-ready farmers, namely those provided with the minimum conditions of external and internal factors, and non-value-chain-ready farmers. Market-based interventions (e.g., enhancing VC coordination) are needed for enhancing market access of value-chain-ready farmers. Conversely, while non-market-based interventions (e.g., investments in basic infrastructure, increasing extension services, credit and inputs access) prove necessary to build the minimum asset thresholds for non-value-chain-ready farmers’ participation in the market. A smallholder-friendly VC development relies on the role played by VC actors and the need to harmonise and improve existing policies to remove inadequacies, conflicts and overlaps in the various institutions charged with implementation. Full article

Northern leaf blight (NLB) is a serious disease in maize which leads to significant yield losses. Automatic and accurate methods of quantifying disease are crucial for disease identification and quantitative assessment of severity. Leaf images collected with natural backgrounds pose a great challenge to the segmentation of disease lesions. To address these problems, we propose an image segmentation method based on YOLACT++ with an attention module for segmenting disease lesions of maize leaves in natural conditions in order to improve the accuracy and real-time ability of lesion segmentation. The attention module is equipped on the output of the ResNet-101 backbone and the output of the FPN. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method improves segmentation accuracy compared with the state-of-the-art disease lesion-segmentation methods. The proposed method achieved 98.71% maize leaf lesion segmentation precision, a comprehensive evaluation index of 98.36%, and a mean Intersection over Union of 84.91%; the average processing time of a single image was about 31.5 ms. The results show that the proposed method allows for the automatic and accurate quantitative assessment of crop disease severity in natural conditions. Full article

Two separate forms of application of silver and copper nanoparticles (AgNP and CuNP in a nanocolloidal suspension) to winter oilseed rape seeds were used: (1) seed soaking (S) for 1 h at 20 °C in a NP suspension and (2) additional seed soaking and spraying plants 21-day-old seedlings (SP) with NP. The AgNP and CuNP colloidal suspensions in sterile distilled water were applied in three different NP concentrations (50, 100, 150 mg L⁻¹). However, the changes in the biology and biochemistry of the Brassica napus rhizospheric soil after the application of CuNPs and AgNPs are not considerable, although mostly statistically significant, and the application of CuNPs is more beneficial for this activity than the application of AgNPs. The number of CFUs (colony–forming units) of the tested groups of culturable microorganisms (fungi and copiotrophic, oligotrophic, and siderophore-producing bacteria) indicates the following trend: the abundance of all the tested groups was slightly positively correlated with CuNPs and clearly negatively correlated with AgNPs in each version of application. The soil pH value and tested biochemical soil parameters (IAA: indole-3-acetic acid, PhC: phenolic compounds, FeCC: Fe–chelating compounds) were negatively correlated with AgNPs applied to the seeds (S) at all the tested concentrations and to the seeds and plants (SP) at the concentration of 50 mg L⁻¹. In turn, these parameters were strongly positively correlated with CuNPs applied to the S and SP groups at the concentration of 50 mg L⁻¹ as well as Ag applied to SP at 100 mg L⁻¹. Decrease in dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was lower after the application of CuNPs and AgNPs in S than in the SP way, and the DHA activity was equal to the activity in the control sample after the CuNP application in 100 and 150 mg L⁻¹ concentrations. Full article

The production of chrysanthemums is severely hampered by Fusarium wilt, which is exacerbated by monoculture. In this study, the role of inorganic plant nutrition fertilizer (IPN), organic fertilizer (OF) and bio-organic fertilizer (BOF) in avoiding monoculture-related production constraints was evaluated. We conducted a series of greenhouse experiments and studied the growth of chrysanthemum and changes in rhizosphere soil microflora and function. BOF application reduced the incidence of Fusarium wilt by 82.8% and increased the chrysanthemum shoot height and flower ray floret number by 31.4% and 26.1%, respectively. High-throughput Illumina HiSeq2500 sequencing results indicated that BOF and OF treatments increased the values of α-diversity indices of bacteria and fungi. In addition, significant alterations in microbe community structures were found in response to IPN, OF or BOF application. Among the major genera detected after BOF treatments, the levels of Fusarium and Glycomyces decreased while Cladosporium, arbuscular mycorrhizal and endophyte groups increased. In particular, the abundance of Mariniflexile had a positive relationship (R = 0.693, p < 0.05) with the incidence of Fusarium wilt, while Cladosporium showed a significant negative relationship (R = −0.586, p < 0.05). Interestingly, an analysis of microbiomes based on 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the functions of signal transduction, bacterial secretion system, oxidative phosphorylation and the metabolism of carbohydrate, nitrogen and amino acids all increased in both BOF and OF treatments. The results suggested that BOF could be effective for chrysanthemum monoculture soil restoration, potentially by altering the microbial community structures and functions, which affect the physiological and morphological attributes of chrysanthemum in monoculture. Full article

Asparagus is highly appreciated for its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics and wild genotypes are valuable components of traditional dishes. In this study, the physical and chemical traits of wild (green and violet) and cultivated asparagus (‘Grande’, ‘Purple Passion’, and ‘Bianco di Bassano del Grappa’), both raw and steamed, were evaluated. Steaming did not affect the total phenols content with the exception of wild green (+49%) and ‘Grande’ (−31%). Only for wild violet asparagus steaming increased the total antioxidant activity (+46%). Chlorogenic acid and chicoric acid were found only in wild asparagus, while rutin was generally higher in colored cultivated asparagus than wild ones. The highest content of isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside was found in wild violet asparagus while only traces of this compound were detected in the cultivated ones. Steaming influenced the content of both chlorophylls and carotenoids in asparagus, also resulting in changes in the color parameters in cooked spears. Overall, the sugar content in wild asparagus was lower than in the cultivated ones and steaming had a low impact on this chemical trait. Principal component analysis highlighted the most evident separation between wild asparagus and cultivated ones. These results indicate that wild asparagus can be considered a nutritious and refined food, and provide specific information required for cooking process strategies in the agri-food industrial sector. Full article

The aim of this study was to develop models based on linear dimensions or shape factors, and the sets of combined linear dimensions and shape factors for discrimination of sour cherry pits of different cultivars (‘Debreceni botermo’, ‘Łutówka’, ‘Nefris’, ‘Kelleris’). The geometric parameters were calculated using image processing. The pits of different sour cherry cultivars statistically significantly differed in terms of selected dimensions and shape factors. The discriminative models built based on linear dimensions produced average accuracies of up to 95% for distinguishing the pit cultivars in the case of ‘Nefris’ vs. ‘Kelleris’ and 72% for all four cultivars. The average accuracies for the discriminative models built based on shape factors were up to 95% for the ‘Nefris’ and ‘Kelleris’ pits and 73% for four cultivars. The models combining the linear dimensions and shape factors produced accuracies reaching 96% for the ‘Nefris’ vs. ‘Kelleris’ pits and 75% for all cultivars. The geometric parameters with high discriminative power may be used for distinguishing different cultivars of sour cherry pits. It can be of great importance for practical applications. It may allow avoiding the adulteration and mixing of different cultivars. Full article

In this paper, we have comparatively analyzed two subspecies of Origanum vulgare (O. vulgare ssp. hirtum and O. vulgare ssp. vulgare) in climatic conditions with higher than usual temperatures from the Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection Chisinau, Rep. Moldova. The aim of the research was to study the producing capacity, content, composition of essential oil, as well as the polyphenols content in O. vulgare varieties, their drought testing and the selection of promising cultivars. Seven O. vulgare ssp. vulgare (Ov) varieties and fourteen O. vulgare ssp. hirtum (Oh) varieties were used as the biological material. The essential oil (EO) separated by hydrodistillation was analyzed by GC-MS techniques. The polyphenolic content was assessed using spectrophotometric techniques. The presence of a direct correlation between the content, production of essential oil and content of polyphenols has been highlighted. Thus, the varieties of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum demonstrate a higher content of essential oil than the varieties of O. vulgare ssp. vulgare, while the polyphenol content, on the other hand, is higher for the varieties of O. vulgare ssp. vulgare than for those of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum. This research has resulted in the selection of two varieties, i.e., “Savoare” of O. vulgare ssp. hirtum and “Panacea” of O. vulgare ssp. vulgare. Full article

Monopotassium phosphate is a widely used phosphorus and potassium fertiliser for ornamental plants, but it is not known what concentration will result in optimal flower production, root growth and nutrient uptake of rose plants. We compared potted rose plants fertilised with six different concentrations (0.0 as a water-only control, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 g·L⁻¹) of an aqueous monopotassium phosphate solution as a combination of foliar and soil applications over two consecutive flowering cycles. Rose growth, flower production and nutrient accumulation responded differently to fertilisation with different concentrations of monopotassium phosphate. During the first flowering cycle, shoot and root dry weight, leaf chlorophyll content, flower diameter, total root length and surface area, and total fine root length significantly increased in response to increased monopotassium phosphate concentrations from 0.0 to 3.0 g·L⁻¹ but decreased in response to fertilisation with 4.0 or 5.0 g·L⁻¹ monopotassium phosphate. Similar trends were observed in shoot dry weight, leaf chlorophyll content, flower diameter and number, phosphorus and potassium accumulation during the second flowering cycle. According to quadratic equations derived from both flowering cycles, the optimal concentration of monopotassium phosphate, based on flower diameter and dry weight, as well as total phosphorus and potassium accumulation, was 2.6–3.0 g·L⁻¹. Furthermore, total root length was significantly correlated with flower diameter, flower dry weight, and total phosphorus and potassium accumulation (p < 0.05). These results indicated that fertilisation with optimal concentrations of monopotassium phosphate can increase rose growth, flower productivity and nutrient uptake through enhanced root growth. Full article