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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 11757

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Svein Øivind Solberg

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2318 Hamar, Norway
Interests: biodiversity; phenotypic and genetic diversity; soil and plant interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant diversity is essential for healthy diets and sustainable food production. Crop diversity is maintained in seed banks where the Global Seed Vault at Svalbard houses a backup of world’s plant genetic resources. Production, on the other hand, tends to focus on limited numbers of crops and with a limited genetic background. With the ongoing climate change, we see many challenges in sustaining the food security. In this Special Issue, we welcome philosophical, theoretical, and practical review and research papers on different approaches of diversification and sustainability in our food systems. This can be on overviewing genetic resources, farmers’ access to plant diversity, or constraints in production, marketing, and trade. We welcome contributions on under-utilized crops, food trees/agroforestry, traditional vegetables, and indigenous knowledge related to the production and use of plants.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svein Øivind Solberg
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Genetic diversity
Crop diversification
Climate change
Food security
Indigenous knowledge

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

37 pages, 1846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Medicinal Plants and Related Ethnomedicinal Knowledge in the Communities of Khadukhel Tehsil, Buner District, Pakistan

by Hammad Ahmad Jan, Sheikh Zain Ul Abidin, Muhammad Zeeshan Bhatti, Latif Ahmad, Abdulaziz Khalaf Alghamdi and Huda Mohammed Alkreathy

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13077; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013077 - 12 Oct 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2724

Abstract

The local communities of Pakistan have vast traditional knowledge about local medicinal plants that is centuries old and transferred from generation to generation, but now, the survival of this precious ethnic knowledge is threatened. This study aimed to document the ethnomedicinal information residing within the communities of the Khadukhel Tehsil, Buner District, Pakistan. To conserve this valuable traditional knowledge, data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, one-on-one interviews, and group discussions. From 2018 to 2021, 853 people were interviewed regarding 317 plant species. Most of the ethnomedicinal data were obtained from members of the 60–69 age group. The most dominant plant family was Asteraceae (27 sp.). Leaves (124 sp.) were the most dominant plant part used in medicines, and paste (80 sp.) was the most common herbal formulation method. Most (88) medicinal plants were used to cure digestive system diseases. The collected medicinal plants and related indigenous medicinal knowledge were compared with previously published work on the surrounding areas. We suggest a phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of the collected medicinal plants for the discovery of new drugs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agrobiodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems)

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17 pages, 1305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Italian Ryegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Meadow Fescue as Undersown Cover Crops in Spring Wheat and Barley: Results from a Mixed Methods Study in Norway

by Prabhat Poudel, Jørgen Ødegaard, Siri Josefine Mo, Rebekka Kaald Andresen, Hans Andre Tandberg, Thomas Cottis, Harald Solberg, Kari Bysveen, Puspa Raj Dulal, Hesam Mousavi and Svein Øivind Solberg

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13055; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013055 - 12 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

Cover crops could provide environmental benefits in spring-grain systems through diversification, reduced nitrate leaching, and carbon sequestration. However, few farmers apply the technique, partly as they believe the cover crops will compete with the main crop and cause yield losses. Cover crops can either be sown together with the grain (undersown) or in autumn and establish after grain harvest. The current study uses a mixed-method approach combining field trials, interviews, and literature synthesis. The field trials focused on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.) that were undersown with 15 kg ha⁻¹ but with different seeding dates in spring wheat and barley. The interviews focused on gathering practical experiences from farmers in Norway and the literature synthesis gathered results from other studies. For carbon sequestration, nine studies were judged relevant for our target climate and included in our synthesis. They showed a median value at 264 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. In our field trials, 300–900 kg DM ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ was produced, with Italian ryegrass sown at the same date as the grain on top. Our trials showed no significant grain yield reduction due to the use of cover crops. However, our synthesis of the literature showed a 5–10% yield reduction with Italian ryegrass that was sown at the same time as the grain. One- or two-weeks delay in the sowing of Italian ryegrass, or reduced seeding rates, could reduce the problem. The interviews showed that farmers do not prefer undersown species, especially not perennial species, as they have experienced that such species may come up again in the following years and cause a weed problem. We recommend farmers to use cover crops and for undersowing, we recommend Italian ryegrass that is sown one or two weeks after the grain. Perennial ryegrass can also be recommended, as long as the growth is properly terminated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agrobiodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems)

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16 pages, 2689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Crop Diversification in South Asia: A Panel Regression Approach

by Pardeep Singh, Pradipkumar Adhale, Amit Guleria, Priya Brata Bhoi, Akash Kumar Bhoi, Manlio Bacco and Paolo Barsocchi

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9363; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159363 - 30 Jul 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2128

Abstract

The South Asian agricultural sector has experienced vigorous growth and structural transformation over the last few decades, albeit differently across the region. This study examines the crop diversification status and various determinants, such as socioeconomic (per capita gross domestic product, population, arable land, and cropland), soil/agronomic (root zone moisture), agricultural inputs (fertilizer and pesticide consumption), the productivity of food and non-food crops, international trade, and climate (maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall) factors. The share of cereals has decreased in most countries, but they continue to dominate South Asian agriculture. The area under high-value crops in India has increased significantly, replacing the area under cereal cultivation during the study period. Similar results were seen in the Maldives, where vegetables replaced oilseeds. The Hausman model test suggested a random-effects model for analyzing the determinants. All the determinants considered in the study explain 69 percent of the variation in the crop diversification index. The crop diversification in South Asia was influenced by per capita gross domestic product (G.D.P.), minimum temperature, pesticide consumption, food crop yield index, and non-food crop yield index during the study period. Cropland percentage and population, on the other hand, reduce crop diversification. The price factor contributed more than half to agricultural growth. It remained the primary source of growth in all South Asian countries, followed by yield, which is identified as the second most crucial factor. The contribution of crop diversification to agricultural growth has been declining over time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agrobiodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems)

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14 pages, 1189 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Characteristics of Some Wild Olive Phenotypes (Oleaster) Selected from the Western Mountains of Syria

by Reem Abdul Hamid, Hussam Hag Husein and Rupert Bäumler

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5151; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095151 - 24 Apr 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1680

Abstract

This study presents the evaluation of some technological and production specifications of 20 selected wild olive (oleaster) phenotypes from Hama Province, western–central Syria. The analyses of oil quantity showed that the olive oil (OO) extracted ranged from 10.43 to 29.3%. The fatty acid composition determined by gas chromatography (m/m%, methyl esters), conforming to commercial standards, showed the percentages of palmitic (ranged 13.2–15.06%), stearic (2.27–4.2%), arachidic (0.42–0.7%), palmitoleic (0.73–1.25%), oleic (64.29–73.17%), linoleic (8.96–16.45%), and linolenic (0.23–1.6%). Our results suggest that, despite being in a harsh environment and lacking agricultural service, two wild olive phenotypes (WA4, WA6) are interesting since their fruits showed high-quality properties (fruit weight 2.16, 3.24 g; flesh 75.83, 86.2, respectively), high content of OO% (29.27, 29.01, respectively), and better fatty acid composition (oleic % 68.45, 66.74, respectively). This enables them to be a very promising introductory feature in olive genetic improvement processes. Thus, both phenotypes were adopted tentatively as inputs, the first for oil purposes and the second for dual purposes (oil and table olives). It will be important to further evaluate these promising phenotypes in terms of their OO minor compounds, as well as their ability to resist biotic and abiotic stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agrobiodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems)

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18 pages, 3808 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Agriculture: Nutritional Benefits of Wheat–Soybean and Maize–Sunflower Associations for Hibernation and Reproduction of Endangered Common Hamsters

by Mathilde Louise Tissier, Florian Kletty, Jean-Patrice Robin and Caroline Habold

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413521 - 07 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2613

Abstract

Farmland species face many threats, including habitat loss and malnutrition during key periods of their life cycle. This is aggravated in conventionally managed monocultures, leading to nutrient deficiencies that impair the survival and reproduction of farmland wildlife. For instance, protein deficiencies in wheat or vitamin B3 deficiency in maize reduce by up to 87% the reproductive success of the critically endangered common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), a flagship species of European farmlands. It is urgent to identify and implement agricultural practices that can overcome these deficiencies and help restoring hamsters’ reproductive success. As part of a conservation program to diversify farming habitats in collaboration with farmers, we tested whether associations between wheat or maize and three supplemental crops (soybean, sunflower and fodder radish) supported hamsters’ performance during hibernation and reproduction. We observed that maize–sunflower, maize–radish and wheat–soybean associations minimized hamsters’ body mass loss during hibernation. The wheat–soybean association led to the highest reproductive success (N = 2 litters of 4.5 ± 0.7 pups with a 100% survival rate to weaning), followed by maize–sunflower and maize–radish. These crop associations offer promising opportunities to overcome nutritional deficiencies caused by cereal monocultures. Their agronomic potential should promote their implementation on a large scale and benefit farmland biodiversity beyond the common hamster. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agrobiodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems)

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