Search Results (138)

Seed health testing is a cornerstone of global food security, yet traditional diagnostic workflows often struggle to balance speed, sensitivity, and regulatory confidence under low-prevalence and heterogeneous seed lot conditions. This review synthesizes recent advances in molecular diagnostics (PCR, qPCR, LAMP, and digital PCR), non-destructive imaging technologies (hyperspectral, X-ray, and thermal imaging), and data-driven analytical approaches for pathogen detection in seeds. Emphasis is placed on the practical integration of these tools within high-throughput, ISO/IEC 17025-compliant laboratory workflows, highlighting their respective strengths, limitations, and roles in risk-based decision-making. Comparative discussions address cost, sensitivity, turnaround time, and field deployability across diagnostic platforms, supported by crop- and pathogen-specific examples. Emerging approaches such as CRISPR-based biosensing, advanced sequencing, and imaging-assisted analytics are discussed in the context of validation, regulatory acceptance, and operational feasibility. By focusing on implementation rather than conceptual frameworks, this review provides a pragmatic reference for laboratories, regulators, and seed companies seeking to modernize seed health testing while safeguarding trade integrity and biosecurity. Full article

Nail clipping can cause fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) in dogs and cats and possibly long-term aversion to veterinary care. We conducted an anonymous, online, mixed-methods survey to characterise the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Australian veterinary nurses, technicians, and other veterinary staff regarding nail clipping in dogs and cats. Among 242 valid responses, 71.9% (n = 174/242) performed nail clipping multiple times per week. Dogs (72.4%, n = 165/228) and cats (59%, n = 134/227) frequently displayed FAS (score > 2/5) during nail clipping. Most respondents (79.8%, n = 193/242) reported being injured while performing nail clipping. Respondents reporting a negative attitude towards nail clipping were 5.5 times (95% CI = 1.7–17.8) more likely to report being injured during a nail clip compared to those with a positive attitude. Respondents reported feeling pressure to persevere with nail clipping when it was unnecessary or when animals exhibited severe FAS. Where used, pre-visit pharmaceuticals and sedation were reported to effectively reduce FAS (dog: p = 0.015; cat: p = 0.152), along with non-pharmaceutical interventions such as gentle handling and counter-conditioning. Respondents perceived nail-clipping to be a difficult, undervalued task. Increased training of veterinary team members regarding nail clipping could improve animal welfare and the safety of veterinary team members. Full article

In the context of environmental challenges and digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a key role in promoting sustainable development within Industry 4.0 and the emerging paradigm of Industry 5.0. This study systematically reviewed the literature (2015–2025) from Scopus and Web of Science on the connections between AI, circular economy, industrial paradigms, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on supply chains and SDG 12—responsible consumption and production. The majority of research emphasizes managerial aspects, the application of machine learning and robotics, as well as waste reduction, resource optimization, and circular economy practices within supply chain and production–consumption systems. Geographical analysis shows that larger economies serve as central research hubs, while some countries that are not among the most populous often achieve the highest average citations per document. Temporal keyword trends indicate a shift in research focus from operational efficiency in traditional supply chains (optimization) toward supply chain digitalization (artificial intelligence) and sustainability (circular economy). Keyword trends reveal four thematic clusters: supply chain digitalization, agritech, smart industry, and sustainability. The study highlights future research directions, including integrating circular economy with managerial and technical approaches, linking Industry 5.0 with SDG 12, and applying advanced AI in sustainable industrial practices. The increasing attention to ethical and social dimensions underscores the need for AI solutions that are both technologically advanced and sustainability oriented. Full article

New Zealand’s only tea (Camellia sinensis) plantation supplies a niche market for organically produced high value tea but faces challenges from climatic conditions and the decision to use only organic production methods. Fungi from the genus Trichoderma have been commercialised in New Zealand and elsewhere as disease-suppressing and plant growth-promoting agents. However, the potential benefits of using Trichoderma as a microbial biostimulant for tea cultivation have not been investigated in New Zealand. The ability of T. atroviride application to stimulate tea plant growth at a tea plantation was investigated over one year of production. The study involved foliar application of the biostimulant either once, twice or three times, one month apart, using 12 g of a commercially formulated spore mixture of four strains of T. atroviride per 5 m² of experimental plots. Treatment with T. atroviride significantly increased tea yield by between 17% and 28% compared to the control over the harvesting season, but there were no statistically significant yield differences among the number of applications. The foliar applied T. atroviride was not detected in the soil or root samples six months after application, in either a soil metabarcoding analysis or on re-isolation media. This was likely due to the dense tea foliage and ground cover under the tea plants which impeded its movement to the soil. While the specific nature of T. atroviride interaction with perennial crops like tea is not known, in this trial it appeared to have remained on the phyllosphere and provided biostimulation without reaching the soil. Full article

The lack of protocols for breaking seed dormancy, inconsistent seed quality, and abiotic stress factors such as drought impede large-scale restoration efforts of pollinator-friendly native plant species. This research explores the germination response, dormancy-breaking techniques, and water stress tolerance in selected pollinator-friendly plant species with characteristics facilitating mechanized rehabilitation protocols and biodiversity enhancement. Forty-two commercial seed lots representing seven plant families with 28 species were evaluated under two alternating temperature regimes (15/25 °C and 20/30 °C) with and without gibberellic acid (GA₃) priming treatments. Six of the twenty-eight species were selected based on pollinator requirements for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) and further examined by priming seeds for 24 h in solutions containing GA₃, kinetin (KIN), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), or their combinations, to evaluate their dormancy-breaking responses. The effect of water stress on seed germination was assessed in controlled chambers at soil water potentials of −1.08, −0.75, −0.13, and 0 MPa. Initial seed quality of the 42 seed lots revealed that only 62% had greater than 50% germination, while of the same 42 lots, 98% had greater than 50% viability based on the commercial seed label. The difference was largely attributed to seed dormancy. In laboratory studies of the 42 seed lots, GA₃ significantly enhanced germination percentage, and reduced T₅₀ (time to 50% germination) across most seed lots. Overall, germination was higher and faster at 20/30 °C than 15/25 °C. Priming the six selected species with 1.0 mM GA₃ in 0.3% H₂O₂ consistently improved germination compared to the non-primed control after 14 days. Asclepias species (A. incarnata, A. syriaca, and A. tuberosa) exhibited consistently high germination across a broad moisture range of −0.75 to 0 MPa. In contrast, Echinacea purpurea required high moisture levels (−0.13 to 0 MPa) for optimal germination. Monarda fistulosa and Rudbeckia hirta showed their best performance under moderate moisture conditions (−0.13 MPa). Collectively, the use of GA₃ priming to break physiological seed dormancy offers a promising approach to enhance germination and improving the establishment potential of native pollinator species in restoration programs. Full article

Global demand for food is expected to grow significantly by 2050, underlying the urgency of a sustainable transition in agriculture. In this context, the Circular Economy (CE) paradigm emerges as a promising strategy. This transition is still ongoing, underscoring the importance of sustainability assessment as the first crucial step in supporting this process effectively. Therefore, comprehensive and robust evaluation tools and methodologies are necessary to support effective decision-making processes in this context. This study addresses this topic by conducting a literature review focused on the main evaluation methodologies adopted to assess the sustainability of circular technologies in agriculture, as well as to identify emerging research trends and to identify current knowledge gaps. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to establish a well-defined framework that starting from existing researches, it will support the development of future research directions. The performed review identifies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as the most applied methodology for environmental impact assessment, due to its ability to analyze environmental impacts and resources consumption throughout the entire life-cycle of a product, followed by Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) and performances-based models for their capacity of integrating and managing many dimensions (environmental, economic, and social) within the evaluation process. Emerging trends highlight the increasing adoption of computational approaches, such as System Dynamics (SD), facilitating a more comprehensive assessment of complex agricultural systems. Despite this increasing attention, the review addresses the significant gap, or rather, the limited management of stakeholders’ conflicts and synergies. This gap will inform potential research directions within the Agritech project, especially regarding the development of Social Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) to integrate stakeholders’ perspectives in the sustainability assessment of circular technologies. Full article

Temperature and humidity excursions during transport accelerate quality loss in fresh produce. This study develops and validates a self-contained Internet of Things (IoT) platform for in-transit monitoring and energy-aware operation. The battery-powered device operates independently of vehicle power and continuously logs temperature, relative humidity, GPS position, and onboard power draw. Power budgeting combines firmware-level deep-sleep scheduling with a LiFePO₄ battery pack, enabling uninterrupted operation for up to four days. Using ∼10,000 time-stamped observations collected over four consecutive days in a standard dry truck (non-commercial validation), we trained and compared Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Random Forest (RF), and Linear Regression (LR) models to predict energy consumption under varying environmental and routing conditions. GBM and LR achieved high explanatory power ($R^2\approx 0.88$) with a mean absolute error of 0.77 A·h, while RF provided interpretable feature importance data, identifying temperature as the dominant driver, followed by trip duration and humidity. The end-to-end system integrates an EMQX MQTT broker, a Laravel web application, MongoDB storage, and Node-RED flows for real-time dashboards and multi-day historical analytics. The proposed platform supports proactive decision-making in perishable logistics, with the AI analysis validating that the collected time-aligned on-route data can configure sampling/transmit cadence to preserve autonomy under stressful conditions. Full article

Protein-enriched fruit gels, such as spoonable sauces and cuttable gels, can meet consumers’ desire for high protein/fiber value-added health foods. High pressure processing (HPP) is a nonthermal pasteurizing method that has shown additional usage as a novel structuring method for gels by affecting protein–protein interactions. This work studied HPP (575 MPa, 3 min, 5 °C) compared to heat (85–90 °C, 3–10 min) pasteurization as a method to produce novel fruit gels from whole Concord grapes enriched with 4, 6, and 8% (w/w) chickpea and pea protein. Physicochemical and rheological analyses were conducted, as well as sensory evaluation of a model gel. Heat-treated gels produced spoonable high viscosity gels compared to free standing gels produced through HPP. Chickpea protein-enriched samples exhibited a greater change with an increase in heat processing due to non-protein constituents compared to pea protein. Sensory analysis showed a desire for added nutritional value, though flavor was ultimately the deciding factor in preference, with heat-treated gels achieving higher liking scores compared to a HPP counterpart. Full article

Sustainability of animal production requires reducing reliance on soybean meal by identifying viable alternative protein sources. Within the framework of the Italian Agritech National Research Center, seven Italian research groups collaborated to evaluate unconventional feed ingredients and their effects on animal performance and product quality. Alternative legume seeds (peas, chickpeas, faba bean, and lupins) can partially or completely replace soybean meal without impairing productivity, while enhancing product health value and shelf-life through bioactive compounds. Microalgae (Chlorella, Spirulina) improved carotenoid content, antioxidant activity, fatty acid profile, and cholesterol levels in poultry products, with limited effects in pigs. Insects supported optimal growth in fish at 25–30% inclusion, whereas maximum recommended levels are 15% in broilers and 24% in laying hens to sustain growth, egg production, and quality. Camelina by-products are suitable for poultry diets at up to 5–10%, beyond which performance declines. Whole-plant soybean silage, tef (Eragrostis tef), and triticale–lupin intercropping represent promising protein-rich resources for ruminants, provided diets maintain balanced protein-to-energy ratios, adequate fibre characteristics, and appropriate harvest timing under drought-prone conditions. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of diverse protein sources to improve the sustainability of livestock systems while preserving productivity and enhancing the nutritional quality of animal-derived foods. Full article

Hazelnut cultivation is a strategic agricultural sector in Italy, with Calabria contributing through the native “Tonda Calabrese” cultivar, valued for its biodiversity. Despite its importance, data on the nutritional and compositional characteristics of this cultivar remain limited. In this study, hazelnuts from three different Calabrian producers were analyzed for morphological traits, proximate composition, and elemental content, using both conventional and non-destructive techniques such as CIELab color profiling and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The nuts showed high levels of essential micro-elements (Fe, Cu, Zn), aligning with previous findings on other cultivars, and showed no detectable pesticide residues, confirming their nutritional quality. Moreover, this study also aims to explore sustainable valorization strategies for hazelnut by-products, embracing circular economy principles in a “zero waste” approach, including oils and defatted flours. The extracted oils were evaluated for oxidative stability (peroxide value, p-anisidine, TOTOX index) and acidity, meeting Codex Alimentarius quality standards. The residual defatted flour was upcycled through eco-friendly methods, such as Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE), to isolate the polyphenol and protein fractions, respectively. Both extracts exhibited notable antioxidant activity (34.7–35.3 mmol Fe²⁺ eq/100 g and 64.3–82.2 mmol Fe²⁺ eq/100 g, respectively), suggesting their potential use as valuable ingredients for dietetic and nutraceutical applications. Full article

Soil nutrient monitoring is essential to achieving UN development goals and meeting the projected 70% increase in agricultural production from 2009 values by 2050. This study presents a novel, low-cost impedimetric device for the direct and simultaneous measurement of soil ion bioavailability (Na⁺, K⁺), temperature, and humidity. Designed for Arduino integration, the device offers scalable, cost-effective deployment. Different AI algorithms were trained to interpret signals (Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, XBoost), enabling real-time monitoring. Best performance was achieved for XBoost. Calibration was first performed using solutions of known NaCl and KCl concentrations to establish impedance patterns, and benchmarking against fitted Cole model outputs demonstrated high predictive accuracy (R² = 0.99 for both Na⁺ and K⁺). The system operated across a 1–100 kHz impedance range with environmental resolution of ±0.5 °C, ±3% RH, and ±1 hPa, acquiring data every 10 min during in vivo trials. This affordable, AI-enhanced platform has the potential to empower smallholder farmers by reducing reliance on costly laboratory analyses, enabling precise fertiliser application, and integrating seamlessly into smart farming platforms for sustainable yield improvement. Full article

This on-farm study explored the effects of diverse pasture systems and seaweed bio-stimulants (AgriSea NZ Seaweed Products, Paeroa, New Zealand) on sheep performance, metabolic health, milk composition, and carcass characteristics. A 3 × 2 factorial design was used to compare three pasture systems; ryegrass-white clover (RW), a 23-species diverse mix (DI), and functionally diverse strip swards (ST), with (SW) or without (CO) a seaweed bio-stimulant. Ninety pregnant ewes were stratified by live weight and allocated across six treatment groups (15 ewes per treatment). Lambing occurred on treatment paddocks. At weaning, 90 lambs (15 per treatment) were selected based on body weight and sex balance to continue through to finishing. Pasture chemical composition differed among treatments: ST had lower fibre (neutral detergent fibre, NDF; acid detergent fibre, ADF) than RW and DI, while SW increased dry matter digestibility (DMD) and metabolisable energy (ME), and reduced NDF and ADF (p < 0.05). Strip pastures improved lamb average daily gain (ADG) by 17% from lambing to weaning compared to DI, and by 14% from weaning to finishing compared to RW (p < 0.05). Seaweed bio-stimulant treatment enhanced lamb ADG by up to 12% and improved carcass traits, including loin and shoulder yields (p < 0.05). Ewes and lambs on seaweed-treated pastures exhibited lower serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations (p < 0.05), indicating better energy balance. Milk from ST and/or SW treated ewes had elevated omega-6 fatty acids and essential amino acids, suggesting enhanced nutritional value. These findings demonstrate that combining botanical diversity with natural bio-stimulants can improve animal growth, metabolic health, and product quality, offering a promising strategy for sustainable and welfare-oriented sheep production systems. Full article

Digital innovation is rapidly transforming the agriculture sector, drawing attention from global development institutions, policymakers, tech firms, and scholars aimed at aligning food systems with international goals like Zero Hunger and the FAO agendas. Small and medium enterprises in agriculture (Agri-SMEs) represent a significant portion of processing and production units but face challenges in digital transformation despite their importance. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud services, IoT, and mobile platforms offer tools to improve efficiency, access, value creation, and traceability. However, the patterns and applications of these transformations in Agri-SMEs remain fragmented and under-theorized. This paper presents a systematic review of interactions between digital transformation and innovation in Agri-SMEs based on findings from ninety-five peer-reviewed studies. Key themes identified include AI-based decision support, blockchain traceability, cloud platforms, IoT precision agriculture, and mobile technologies for financial integration. The review maps these themes against business model values and highlights barriers like capacity gaps and infrastructure deficiencies that hinder scalable adoption. It concludes with recommendations for future research, policy, and ecosystem coordination to promote the sustainable development of digitally robust Agri-SMEs. Full article

The Fusarium genus includes some of the most economically and ecologically impactful fungal pathogens affecting global agriculture and human health. Over the past 15 years, rapid advances in molecular biology, genomics, and diagnostic technologies have reshaped our understanding of Fusarium taxonomy, host–pathogen dynamics, mycotoxin biosynthesis, and disease management. This review synthesizes key developments in these areas, focusing on agriculturally important Fusarium species complexes such as the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC), Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), and a discussion on emerging lineages such as Neocosmospora. We explore recent shifts in species delimitation, functional genomics, and the molecular architecture of pathogenicity. In addition, we examine the global burden of Fusarium-induced mycotoxins by examining their prevalence in three of the world’s most widely consumed staple crops: maize, wheat, and rice. Last, we also evaluate contemporary management strategies, including molecular diagnostics, host resistance, and integrated disease control, positioning this review as a roadmap for future research and practical solutions in Fusarium-related disease and mycotoxin management. By weaving together morphological insights and cutting-edge multi-omics tools, this review captures the transition into a new era of Fusarium research where integrated, high-resolution approaches are transforming diagnosis, classification, and management. Full article

This on-farm study evaluated the effects of a regenerative (plant polyculture) as compared to conventional (monoculture) pasture-based New Zealand dairy production system on milk and yoghurt nutraceutical properties and environmental impact. Milk and yoghurt produced by two adjacent regenerative and conventional farms were sampled throughout the year and analyzed for chemical composition, metabolomics, and microbiome. Milk samples were also collected over four consecutive days (one day after herbage sampling) on four occasions throughout lactation: early lactation (October), peak lactation (December/January), mid-lactation (March), and late lactation (May). Overall, the regenerative system had a lower environmental impact while maintaining a similar yield and the same milk composition compared to conventional systems. Furthermore, milk and yoghurt from the regenerative system had a more favourable profile of phytochemical antioxidants with potential positive benefits to human health (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant). Full article