Search Results (479)

Terraced vineyard landscapes represent complex cultural systems shaped by long-term interactions between geomorphology, agriculture and rural heritage. This study investigates the terraced viticultural landscape of Castiglione di Sicilia, located on the northern slope of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), through an integrated GIS-based framework combining Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), rural micro-structure mapping, visibility analysis and slow mobility assessment. Attention was given to dry-stone walls and traditional rural micro-structures, recognized as key components of the historical landscape identity of Etna. The methodology integrated geomorphological variables, vineyard distribution, dry-stone wall density and slope suitability within a Rural Micro-Structure Intensity Framework (RMSI) developed to identify areas characterized by stronger continuity of terraced rural landscapes. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the robustness of the weighting scheme. Slow mobility corridors were subsequently analyzed according to their relationship with landscape continuity and scenic visibility. The results reveal a strong spatial association between vineyards, dry-stone wall systems and historically structured terraced landscapes. Visibility analysis highlighted that highly visible areas do not fully correspond to the highest RMSI values, reflecting the geomorphological complexity of the volcanic environment. The corridor providing the best balance between scenic visibility, rural heritage continuity and route accessibility emerged as the most suitable option for landscape-oriented planning. The proposed framework supports landscape-sensitive planning and sustainable territorial valorization in Mediterranean terraced agricultural systems. Full article

Climate change is expected to increase temperatures in agricultural producing regions, potentially affecting fruit development and quality. To date, the molecular responses of raspberry fruits to moderate warming under field conditions have not been explored. In this paper, raspberry plants (Rubus idaeus L. cv. Heritage) growing in two contrasting agroclimatic regions of Chile were exposed to a moderate increase in temperature during fruit development. Fruit phenotyping, histological analyses, and RNA sequencing were used to evaluate physiological and transcriptomic responses to warming. Elevated temperature increased fruit weight and fruit dimensions in both orchards and was associated with larger drupelet and cell areas, which was accompanied by reduced cell density. Moreover, transcriptomic analyses revealed marked differences in gene expression responses between raspberries fruits from different locations with only a small number of heat-responsive genes shared across locations. Nevertheless, the common enrichment of oxylipin-related processes was observed, suggesting a conserved response. In addition, a combined treatment model identified the enrichment of processes like ribosome biogenesis, RNA metabolism, cell cycle regulation, cytokinesis, and structural cellular remodeling. These transcriptional changes were consistent with the cellular phenotypes observed in heat-treated fruits. Overall, our results show that moderate warming promotes larger raspberry fruits through changes in cellular organization, while the underlying molecular responses are strongly influenced by agroclimatic context. Full article

Paprika is a spice obtained from the dehydration and grinding of red pepper fruits, primarily from the Capsicum annuum species. Its etymology comes from Slavic Balkanian languages and was adopted in Hungarian. The crop originated in America, where it was domesticated by pre-Columbian civilizations over 6000 years ago (specifically in present-day Mexico) for medicinal and culinary purposes. Following the Spanish arrival in the Americas in the 15th century, pepper was introduced first in Spain (Sevilla, Extremadura and Murcia) and later in the rest of the Old World. The agroclimatic conditions of different Mediterranean regions made it an essential crop, turning these regions into centers of production and giving this spice a sense of cultural identity. The purpose of this study lies in the technological and nutritional significance of paprika in the modern food industry, where it is demanded as a natural colorant, preservative and source of bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants and carotenoids. Despite its prevalence, the existing literature is often fragmented into specific disciplines. This article distinguishes itself by proposing a holistic approach expanding the study from its historical evolution to its socioeconomic impact, including its agronomic characteristics and industrial-scale production. It is recommended that the research community and producers focus on the sustainability of processing methods while preserving cultural authenticity, ensuring the preservation of the functional and culinary relevance of this spice. Full article

Traditional Chinese villages are important carriers of rural heritage, collective memory, vernacular landscapes, and living cultural traditions. However, rapid urbanization, agricultural modernization, climate change, and tourism development have increasingly threatened their spatial integrity and cultural continuity, highlighting the need for evidence-based conservation and adaptive management. This study examines the spatial distribution patterns and associated factors of 8155 national-level traditional villages in China. An integrated spatial analytical framework was developed by combining kernel density estimation, spatial autocorrelation analysis, Geodetector, and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). The results show that: (1) traditional villages are unevenly distributed across China and form a distinct “three-core and multi-node” spatial pattern, with major high-density clusters concentrated in several cross-provincial regions and secondary clusters distributed in other heritage-rich areas; (2) the spatial differentiation of traditional village density is statistically associated with natural, cultural, and socioeconomic factors, among which temperature and precipitation show the strongest explanatory power, while cultural endowment, ecological quality, and socioeconomic variables show more context-dependent associations; and (3) compared with OLS and conventional GWR, MGWR improves model performance by capturing spatially heterogeneous and scale-dependent relationships through variable-specific bandwidths. These findings provide national-scale empirical evidence for differentiated conservation planning and support the integration of traditional village protection with rural revitalization, cultural heritage conservation, and sustainable regional development. Full article

Across human history, water has sustained communities while also shaping religious imagination as a symbol of life, danger, purification, and renewal. This review examines how water acquires religious meaning through symbolic associations, ritual uses, theological interpretations, sacred landscapes, and material water infrastructures across more than five millennia, drawing on examples from ancient civilizations, long-standing Asian traditions, Indigenous religions of the Americas and the Caribbean, and the three major Abrahamic religions. The study explores how rivers, springs, rain, floods, wells, sacred basins, and ritual waters have been understood as signs of creation, purification, fertility, healing, divine presence, destruction, and renewal, while also remaining part of everyday practices of settlement, agriculture, health, and communal life. The comparative analysis highlights recurring patterns and cultural differences. In some traditions, water appears as a primordial substance from which life emerges; in others, it functions as a medium of moral cleansing, ritual preparation, communal prayer, or sacred geography. The study argues that the religious meaning of water is best understood through the interaction of four closely related dimensions: symbolic interpretation, ritual practice, sacred or culturally charged landscapes, and material water infrastructures. By bringing these dimensions together, the article uses the concept of hydraulic heritage to connect religious water symbolism with sacred basins, wells, springs, hammams, monastic water systems, irrigation rituals, and other inherited water-related landscapes and practices. These connections offer a culturally grounded perspective for contemporary discussions on environmental ethics, water protection, and societies’ responsibility toward natural resources. Full article

Rice–fish co-culture is widely promoted for mitigating nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from paddy soils, yet how the duration of co-culture reshapes the underlying nitrogen-cycling microbial community under low-nitrogen input remains poorly understood. This study aimed to (i) characterize how co-culture duration alters the rhizosphere microbial functional potential for N₂O production and consumption, and (ii) identify the water and soil variables linking fish activity to that response. The experiment was conducted during the 2024 rice growing season in the Qingtian rice–fish system (Zhejiang Province, China), a traditional agricultural heritage system managed without chemical fertilizer or supplementary feed. Three treatments (i.e., rice monoculture, first-year co-culture, and long-established (~10-year) co-culture) were compared using six independently bunded replicate plots each. Rhizosphere soils were collected at the tillering, heading and maturity stages for shotgun metagenomic profiling of nitrogen-cycling functional genes, with concurrent measurement of N₂O flux and water and soil physicochemical properties. Fluxes were uniformly low and did not differ among treatments (p > 0.05), defining a substrate-limited baseline. Against this baseline, first-year co-culture induced a coordinated shift toward complete denitrification (nosZ increased by 25–33% across all stages; nosZ/(nirK + nirS) rose to 0.99 at heading), associated with a transient water organic carbon pulse and dissolved-oxygen availability. The long-established system resembled monoculture, indicating a non-monotonic, duration-dependent response. Full article

The Liuwan burial complex is the largest known prehistoric clan-based cemetery in the upper Yellow River region, making its preservation vital for Chinese cultural heritage and sustainable local development. To address threats from unregulated agricultural activities and illegal looting, this study proposes a non-invasive preventive protection approach. Surface-visible tombs were identified using low-altitude UAV imagery and deep learning models (YOLOv8n, YOLOv5n, RT-DETR-l, and Hyper-YOLO). By incorporating environmental factors such as elevation, slope, aspect, distance to water, Topographic Wetness Index, and Topographic Position Index, potential tomb distributions were modeled on the Biomod2 platform and key environmental drivers were analyzed. Hyper-YOLO achieved the highest identification accuracy (94.4%). The optimal model, EMwmean (TSS = 0.492, AUC = 0.798), showed that high-potential tomb areas are mainly concentrated in the central region, with tombs preferring elevations of 1964–1978 m, south-facing slopes, and slopes of 13.14–19.19°. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using deep learning to identify surface-visible tombs and predict their potential distributions based on environmental characteristics, thereby providing priority references for heritage protection in Liuwan rather than a definitive inventory of all subsurface remains or cultural phases. Full article

The by-products of the wood-processing industry are still predominantly used for energy generation, despite being a rich source of high-value phenolic compounds. This review focuses on the valorization of bark from economically crucial European tree species. Based on an extensive literature survey, three deciduous species (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur/petraea, Carpinus betulus) and three coniferous species (Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Abies alba) were selected on the basis of their distribution in the European Union, their industrial relevance, and the composition and bioactivity of their extractive phenolic fractions. Conventional and nonconventional extraction techniques are briefly compared, with particular emphasis on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as emerging green media for the selective isolation of phenolics from bark and other lignocellulosic residues. DESs are typically renewable, nontoxic, biodegradable, and nonflammable, and their tunable composition allows them to be tailored to specific target compounds. The literature data demonstrate that DES-based extractions can provide phenolic-rich extracts with high antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and, in some cases, can outperform conventional solvents. Finally, the potential applications of bark-derived phenolic extracts in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, polymer processing, and cultural heritage sectors are outlined. The review also identifies knowledge gaps in DES selection, extract purification, and solvent recovery, highlighting future research needs for integrating DESs into sustainable wood-biomass biorefineries. Full article

Ancient olives are considered a major resource of gene pool, adapted across ages to ever changing environments. The ancient ‘Mehras’ olive is the only cultivar inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Of Humanity as recognized for its longevity and historical significance. However, detailed genetic and phenotypic analyses are still missing. Nineteen ‘Mehras’ accessions were collected from northern Jordan and subjected to inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker analysis and to a set of phenotypic parameters (leaf, fruit, and stone). ISSR analysis revealed similarity values ranging between 0.53 and 1.00, indicating moderate to high genetic diversity. Bayesian clustering and dendrogram analyses identified two major genetic clusters with limited admixture, indicating extended clonal propagation in addition to the transport of planting material. Phenotypic parameters revealed tangible variation among accessions, with major influence of fruit and stone traits followed by leaf traits. Strong correlations were observed between key traits, including fruit width and flesh thickness, while an inverse relationship was observed between flesh and stone percentages. Multivariate analysis further revealed clear separation among investigated accessions. The Mantel test showed a moderate correlation between genetic and phenotypic distances. Spatial analysis suggested weak geographic structuring of diversity, indicating exchange of plant material. ‘Mehras’ olive harbors structured genetic and phenotypic diversity influenced mainly by adaptation and traditional cultivation practices. These findings provide a foundation for conservation, breeding, and sustainable utilization of this ancient and culturally significant cultivar. Full article

In provinces where the dynamics of industrialization and urbanization are intensifying, migration flows from rural settlements to urban centers are transforming the socio-cultural structure and physical fabric of rural spaces, leading to the gradual weakening of the unique rural identity and, consequently, a decline in its sustainability. This study examines the population loss occurring in rural areas as a result of industrialization and urbanization processes, along with the accompanying issue of cultural heritage preservation, using the village of Akkoy in Bilecik as a case study. Akkoy is considered worthy of preservation due to its geographical location and its architectural fabric, which has survived largely intact to the present day. Within the scope of the research, the architectural typology of 134 traditional dwellings in Akkoy was analyzed in detail based on parameters such as plot relationships, number of floors, construction systems, material usage, and facade characteristics. The findings show that the structures in the village are examples of sustainable architecture, built using local materials (adobe, stone, wood) and adapted to the sloping terrain. However, it was determined that due to intense migration, a large portion of the structures are abandoned and at risk of losing their original identities. The study emphasizes that a comprehensive conservation and management plan covering not only the buildings but also socio-economic activities (silkworm farming, agriculture, etc.) must be implemented urgently to preserve Akkoy’s rural heritage. Full article

Industrial grain silos built in reinforced concrete during the twentieth century constitute an important yet often overlooked component of industrial heritage worldwide and represent significant reservoir of embodied materials and carbon within the built environment. In the context of sustainability, circular economy strategies, and low-carbon development, their preservation and adaptive reuse are increasingly considered potential alternatives to demolition and new construction. This study presents the first systematic inventory and analysis of Romania’s twentieth-century reinforced-concrete grain silo network, based on archival research and extensive fieldwork conducted across 130 locations, where 201 silos were identified and analysed. This research study examines their spatial distribution, typologies, construction characteristics, technological facilities, and current condition in order to assess their heritage value and reuse potential. The results show that most silos were constructed between 1930 and 1990, strategically located near transport networks and high-productivity agricultural regions. While a large proportion remains operational, others are progressively affected by obsolescence and abandonment. Their robust reinforced-concrete structures, large storage capacities, and strategic locations suggest significant potential for life cycle extension and adaptive reuse. This study provides a transferable methodological framework for the sustainable management of large-scale agro-industrial heritage in comparable international contexts. Full article

Rural low-altitude tourism serves as an important carrier for the deep integration of general aviation technology and agricultural culture and tourism, driven by the comprehensive promotion of the rural revitalization strategy and the accelerated rise of the low-altitude economy. However, systematic sustainability assessment tools suitable for complex rural scenes remain lacking. This study aimed to fill this gap and constructed a multi-dimensional evaluation framework. The framework included five main dimensions: the integration of low-altitude general technology and digital infrastructure, the digital protection and activation of rural cultural heritage, the economic and social benefits of agricultural culture and tourism integration, ecological coordination and community inclusiveness, and airspace governance and policy support. Twenty-one secondary indicators supplemented these dimensions. The triangular fuzzy number-TOPSIS group decision method determined the indicator weights and reduced subjective uncertainty in expert evaluation. The TOPSIS method quantitatively evaluated and ranked five typical villages: Anji in Zhejiang, Yangshuo in Guangxi, Yuanjiajie in Hunan, Nantai in Gansu, and Lingshui in Hainan. The results show that Zhejiang Anji leads in comprehensive sustainability, followed by Hunan Yuanjiajie and Guangxi Yangshuo. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the ranking results. The innovation of this research lies in the integration of frontier elements such as airspace synergy efficiency into the evaluation framework. The application of triangular fuzzy number TOPSIS enhances the methodological rigor and robustness of the evaluation. This study provides practical insights for optimizing rural low-altitude tourism resource allocation, strengthening cultural heritage transmission, and promoting green transformation. Full article

In this research we analyzed land cover/use processes and their impact on biodiversity in the Megalopolis of Mexico City. We used land cover/use databases from 1976 and 2018, both validated, improved and adapted for conducting landscape dynamic analysis. We also included records of 159 threatened species of fungi, vascular plants and vertebrates to construct spatially explicit biodiversity richness models based upon niche ecological algorithms. The results showed that human settlement encroachment (35%, 1892 km²) was the main factor driving land cover/use changes, significantly affecting rural and natural landscapes. The extent and location of the dramatic shrinking of agricultural land was clearly demonstrated (47.22%). Afforestation was the second most important land cover/use process occurring mainly on conversion of native grasslands and shrubland into forest cover mainly with non-local tree species. Biodiversity richness was depleted substantially, affecting 36.7% of the largest hotspots by human settlement encroachment. On the mountain peaks, as vestiges of temperate Nearctic ecosystems, with a large number of endemic and threatened species, remnants of the high potential richness of biodiversity are still conserved. The results are discussed in the light of interdisciplinary methodological approaches, potential water recharge, governance of territorial disputes, loss of cultural heritage and poorly implemented environmental policies. Furthermore, the study highlights the urgent need to generate an innovative model for development which gives equal importance to the conservation of natural and rural landscapes as a fundamental form of subsistence for human settlements. Protecting biocultural heritage is of paramount importance. The region’s genetic resources and cultural diversity are unique and have played a fundamental role in providing various benefits from nature to urban and rural inhabitants. These findings can serve as a guide for other similar megacities around the world. Full article

Agricultural heritage systems are traditional agroecosystems formed through long-term ecological adaptation, farming practices, and local knowledge transmission. Their conservation depends not only on formal recognition but also on ecological support and effective links with contemporary cultural service networks. Yet it remains unclear whether they are spatially aligned with the eco-cultural service conditions required for socio-ecological resilience and agroecological transition. Using 205 important agricultural heritage systems in Zhejiang Province, China, this study integrates nearest neighbor analysis, kernel density estimation, the InVEST model, a cultural service index, and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Results show that agricultural heritage systems are significantly clustered in northern and southwestern Zhejiang. Ecosystem service values are concentrated in the mountainous and hilly areas of southwestern and south-central Zhejiang, whereas cultural service provision is concentrated in the northern Zhejiang Plain and urbanized areas around Hangzhou Bay. Agricultural heritage systems show weak but statistically detectable spatial associations with ecosystem services, cultural service provision, and their eco-cultural synergy pattern, indicating limited spatial correspondence rather than strong spatial coupling. These findings indicate a spatial mismatch between historically evolved agricultural heritage systems, ecological support conditions, and contemporary cultural service provision. This study contributes a spatial diagnostic framework for identifying ecological-support gaps, cultural-service gaps, and eco-cultural mismatch areas, thereby informing differentiated agricultural heritage governance and regional planning. Full article

Conservation tillage (CT) practices, including no-tillage and stover mulching, are increasingly recognized for their capacity to enhance soil health, sequester carbon, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in conventional agricultural systems. However, their application and mechanistic implications in medicinal crop cultivation—where soil quality directly influences not only yield but also the accumulation of pharmaceutically active secondary metabolites—remain underexplored. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding how CT modulates soil microbial communities, with particular emphasis on nosZ II-type denitrifiers, to reduce nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions and improve nitrogen use efficiency. The mechanistic pathways through which CT-induced changes in soil structure, moisture regimes, and organic matter dynamics influence the abundance, community composition, and activity of nitrogen-cycling microorganisms were examined. Based on evidence from black soil ecosystems and other agricultural systems, it is demonstrated that no-tillage with full stover mulching (NT100) selectively enriches specific nosZ II subclades (IIB, IIE, IIG) through deterministic community assembly processes, effectively decoupling N₂O emissions from nitrification activity. The implications of these soil improvements for medicinal plant growth, root development, nutrient acquisition, and stress tolerance were further explored, and case studies linking organic amendments, mycorrhizal associations, and microbial inoculants to enhanced accumulation of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and saponins were synthesized. Importantly, findings from spatial phylogenetics and biocultural diversity research were integrated to examine how CT can support in situ conservation of medicinal flora and associated microbial communities in ethnomedicinally significant hotspots such as the Hengduan Mountains, southeastern Tibet, and subtropical refugia. Policy and community-based approaches for integrating CT into biocultural conservation strategies are discussed. By bridging agronomy, microbial ecology, phytochemistry, and ethnobotany, a framework for “eco-pharmacological” management is proposed, aligning sustainable soil practices with medicinal crop quality, climate mitigation, and the preservation of both biological and cultural heritage. Full article