Search Results (15,805)

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes, WH) is a highly invasive aquatic plant. Although its surplus biomass has been proposed as an agricultural amendment, uncertainty remains regarding its safe use. Based on this knowledge gap, two working hypotheses were addressed: (i) WH application would enhance soil physicochemical and enzymatic attributes, particularly under water stress, and (ii) WH application would stimulate plant growth through nutrient release. To verify this, two WH amendment rates (2.5% and 5% w/w) were evaluated under normal (45%) and severe (22.5%) WHC using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) as a bioindicator. WH incorporation significantly altered soil conditions, inducing progressive acidification and increasing electrical conductivity (EC), particularly at the 5% rate under well-watered conditions, where EC values reached approximately 3000 µS/cm. Although WH amendments increased soil relative humidity owing to the hydrophilic nature of the biomass, these moisture-driven benefits were transient. Acid phosphatase activity increased markedly by day 60 in WH-amended soils, especially at 45% WHC, indicating enhanced microbial activity and phosphorus mineralization associated with organic matter decomposition. Plant responses were strongly driven by water availability, with severe water restrictions consistently limiting germination and growth and potentiating osmoprotectant retention. From day 60 onward, germination and biomass declined markedly in the 5% WH treatment, likely due to the accumulation of salt and osmotic stress arising from the decomposition of biomass. Surviving seedlings in WH-amended soils exhibited increased shoot biomass relative to their roots, suggesting stress-related biomass reallocation. Overall, the results indicate that the direct application of untreated WH biomass at moderate to high rates may generate short-term benefits but may impair long-term plant establishment. Lower application rates (≤2.5% w/w) may offer limited early stage benefits, whereas higher rates pose risks under prolonged exposure, highlighting the importance of dose, water regime, and amendment processing when considering WH valorization for agricultural use. This valorization approach may contribute to incentivizing control of this invasive species while promoting plant waste valorization within circular economy goals. Full article

Irrigation water quality is a crucial factor for agricultural sustainability and food safety, particularly amid climate change, water scarcity, and inadequate rural infrastructure. This study identifies the behavioral and structural factors associated with the adoption of eight water contamination prevention practices among smallholder farmers in central Chile, including irrigation canal cleaning, use of water filters, rainwater collection systems, and irrigation methods that avoid contact between edible crop parts and water. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), behavioral constructs were integrated with structural features of production systems to capture both cognitive and contextual drivers of adoption. A survey of 101 farmers in the O’Higgins Region was conducted, and a binary logistic regression model was applied (n = 96; AUC = 0.821). Results indicate that adoption was significantly associated with favorable attitudes toward preventive practices (OR = 1.16; p = 0.014) and supportive subjective norms (OR = 1.21; p = 0.037), while perceived behavioral control showed no significant effect. Among structural factors, the use of modern irrigation technologies was the strongest predictor (OR = 16.55; p < 0.001), followed by diversified production systems (OR = 14.55; p = 0.003) and the cultivation of fruit trees or vines (OR = 9.00; p = 0.002). These findings indicate that attitudinal and normative factors are more consistently associated with adoption when supported by enabling infrastructure and production conditions. They underscore the need for integrated policy approaches that align motivational and material components to promote sustainable water management practices in resource-constrained agricultural contexts. Full article

This study investigated nitrate contamination, potential nitrate sources, and transformation processes in shallow and deep groundwater of a steep coastal agricultural catchment in western Japan. Hydrochemistry and Endmember Mixing Analysis (EMMA) were applied to shallow and deep groundwater samples collected along a groundwater flow path. A spring and a river sample were used for comparative purposes. The results suggested that the groundwater hydrochemistry comprised mixed, Ca-HCO₃, Ca-Cl, and Na-Cl water types. Nitrate concentrations exceeded 10 mg L⁻¹ in 51.1% (23 out of 45) of the groundwater samples, higher in upstream groundwater than downstream groundwater, especially in deep wells. EMMA suggested agricultural recharge water as potentially the main nitrate source contributor to groundwater. Sewage contributions to the shallow wells, and deep groundwater contributions to the deep groundwater. The transformation processes were associated with nitrate addition via fertilizers and nitrification, water mixing, and nitrate removal potential by denitrification in shallow downstream wells. Sewage contributions were associated with the shallow downstream groundwater in areas with a greater residential area. Groundwater mixing was suggested to influence hydrochemical variability, especially in DD groundwater, which showed stronger coastal influences. These findings improve understanding of nitrate contamination and support sustainable groundwater management in steep coastal agricultural areas. Full article

Climate change represents a major global challenge that threatens agricultural productivity, ecosystem stability, and food security by intensifying abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. Solanaceous crops, which are economically and nutritionally important worldwide, are highly sensitive to these stresses, leading to oxidative damage, impaired photosynthesis, and reduced yield and quality. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to mitigate these adverse effects. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) enhance nutrient uptake, improve water-use efficiency, and regulate plant metabolic processes. They also activate antioxidant defense systems, reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and improve the delivery efficiency of growth regulators and bioactive compounds. This review synthesizes recent literature on abiotic stress responses in solanaceous crops and evaluates the role of nanoparticles as mitigation strategies, focusing on physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. The scope includes drought, salinity, and temperature stresses, as well as nano-enabled applications such as nano-carriers and nano-sensors. Overall, nanoparticle applications improve plant tolerance by enhancing antioxidant activity, regulating stress-responsive pathways, and improving resource-use efficiency, thereby contributing to increased crop productivity under climate change conditions. However, challenges related to nanoparticle toxicity and environmental risks remain, emphasizing the need for optimized and safe application strategies. These findings highlight the potential of nanotechnology as a sustainable tool to enhance the resilience and productivity of solanaceous crops under changing climatic conditions. This review highlights that nanoparticles can enhance abiotic stress tolerance in solanaceous crops by improving antioxidant activity, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and water-use efficiency under adverse environmental conditions. Overall, nanotechnology represents a promising strategy for sustainable crop production under climate change, although further studies are needed to ensure its environmental safety and long-term applicability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of abiotic stress effects on solanaceous crops and highlights the role of nanoparticles as a sustainable tool to enhance plant tolerance, productivity, and resilience under climate change conditions. Full article

Water scarcity is a critical constraint for agricultural production, particularly in Mediterranean regions, since it is a key stressor directly affecting plant growth, yield, and fruit quality in vegetables. Among others, cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) represents a high-value crop with increasing global importance due to its economic, nutritional, and commercial attributes. The objective of this research is to evaluate the seasonal (autumn and spring) effects of reduced irrigation volumes relative to commercial practice on the yield, fruit quality, water-use efficiency (WUE), and physiological responses of cherry tomato plants grown under greenhouse conditions. Plants were irrigated according to growers’ standard practices (100%), as well as 75% and 50% of that water volume, throughout a cultivation cycle of 11 months (August to July). Results indicate strong seasonal variation in quality and physiological parameters (+35.3% single fruit fresh weight and +34.2% flesh firmness, but −68.2% total phenolic compounds content and −38.5% total antioxidant capacity during late autumn assessment). A 50% irrigation level reduction significantly improved water-use efficiency (+82.7%), but reduced single fruit fresh weight (−22.9%) and showed a declining trend in total yield. We conclude that local irrigation practices should be reconsidered in regions highly affected by water scarcity and suggest that the 75% treatment has a practical potential. Full article

Urbanization profoundly influences social, economic, and environmental systems, imposing a comprehensive understanding of spatial and temporal land use and land cover (LULC) transformations. This study aims to quantify the LULC changes from 2014 to 2023 in Penang Island, Malaysia, using SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 satellite imagery with a 1.5 m spatial resolution. After preprocessing and transforming data, five LULC classes—namely built-up, forest, water bodies, agriculture and horticulture, and barren land—were classified. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier achieved accuracies of 90.8% in 2014, 91% in 2019, and 94.2% in 2023, with kappa coefficients of 0.85, 0.84, and 0.9, respectively. Analysis at the district level revealed that built-up area decreased by 4.53 km², forest expanded by 10.32 km², water bodies grew by 0.26 km², agriculture and horticulture increased by 8.47 km², and barren land declined by 11.84 km². Interestingly, the decline in built-up areas presents a paradox to the conventional narrative of urban growth, which typically anticipates an increase in developed land over time. This counterintuitive trend invites further inquiry into factors that may have driven such a reversal in urbanization patterns. Nevertheless, the findings align with SDG 11 and the NPP, which advocate for sustainable and resilient urban development. Full article

Pseudomonas sp. MUP55, isolated from rainfall water in Western Australia, was characterized by polyphasic taxonomy and functional assays. Whole-genome and 16S rRNA phylogeny placed Pseudomonas sp. MUP55 in the Pseudomonas fluorescens species group. Massetolide A/D was identified as the leading candidate bioactive compound(s), consistent with its biosynthetic gene cluster, GNPS library matching, and loss of activity in regulatory mutants. The strain showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacterial (Escherichia coli and Xanthomonas campestris) and fungal (Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani) plant pathogens. GacA regulates Massetolide production: a P58L mutation abolished synthesis and reduced biocontrol efficacy. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of a ΔpvfC mutant revealed that the pvf cluster regulates specialized metabolism while also contributing to secreted growth-inhibitory activity. The pvf cluster differentially regulates dual siderophore systems and uncouples the co-regulated small RNAs rsmY and rsmZ in the Gac/Rsm cascade. Deletion of pvfC partially reduced the growth-inhibitory activity of Pseudomonas sp. MUP55 supernatants against bacterial pathogens, indicating that pvfC also influences secreted antimicrobial activity beyond its global regulatory role. These findings establish Pseudomonas sp. MUP55 as a taxonomically novel, mechanistically characterized biocontrol agent with potential for sustainable agriculture. Full article

Agricultural nonpoint-source phosphorus (NPS-P) losses threaten receiving waters, but regional control is complicated by differences in source intensity, erosion sensitivity, and hydrologic connectivity. This study jointly applied an improved export coefficient model (IECM), the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Global and Local Moran statistics, and Getis-Ord Gi* analysis to six contrasting basins. The outputs were cross-interpreted without a formal composite index. Average annual soil erosion ranged from 1.96 to 18.47 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with very slight and slight erosion dominating all basins. Annual NPS-P export ranged from 2169.55 to 12,028.32 t yr⁻¹ (1.26–2.74 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹), and cultivated land contributed 48.60–69.32% of modeled export. Under 999 random permutations, Global Moran’s I ranged from 0.615 to 0.834 (pseudo p = 0.001), and Gi* hot spots occupied 26.18–33.59% of valid cells. The basin-level perturbation analysis indicated greater ranking robustness for clearly high- and low-load basins than for intermediate basins, while the cultivated-land sensitivity analysis quantified the influence of the dominant coefficient. The framework supports regional screening, monitoring prioritization, and subsequent field verification rather than calibrated event-scale prediction. Full article

Water scarcity in the Peruvian Altiplano demands irrigation strategies that optimise water use without compromising agricultural productivity. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler irrigation on the agronomic development, water balance, and yield of Chinese garlic (Allium sativum L.) in the community of Challapujo, Ilave, Puno, during the 2021–2022 growing season. Six plots were evaluated under two localised irrigation treatments: T-1 (drip) and T-2 (micro-sprinkler). The irrigation scheduling was based on a daily water balance, accounting for evapotranspiration, precipitation, effective root depth, and soil moisture thresholds. The soil exhibited analogous hydro-physical characteristics across treatments, with a bulk density of 1.28 g cm⁻³, a field capacity of 20.31%, and a permanent wilting point of 10.33% for T-1 and values of 1.31 g cm⁻³, 19.99%, and 10.16%, respectively, for T-2. The C-factor was calculated based the actual volume applied and the effectively wetted area, estimated at 80% for drip irrigation and close to 100% for micro-sprinklers. During the 190-day growing period, 84 effective irrigation events and a cumulative precipitation of 424.30 mm were recorded. Treatment T-1 required 1099.98 min of irrigation and applied 223.87 mm, whereas T-2 required 1280.75 min and 346.76 mm; this represented an absolute saving of 122.89 mm and a 35.5% reduction in favour of drip irrigation. Nevertheless, no significant differences were observed regarding to plant height, pseudostem diameter, leaf length, pre-bulbing stage, number of leaves, or yield—with values of 14.70 t ha⁻¹ for T-1 and 14.83 t ha⁻¹ for T-2. In conclusion, both systems yielded equivalent agronomic results, but drip irrigation demonstrated superior water-use efficiency, making it a technically favourable alternative for high-Andean production systems with limited water availability. Full article

Climate-resilient land-use planning increasingly requires methods that can translate heterogeneous climate-risk knowledge into actionable territorial recommendations. This study develops the Hazard–Sector Translation Framework, a planning-oriented method for linking regional hazard pathways with affected territorial systems, land-use domains, recommendation families, planning instruments, and resilience functions. The framework was developed through a qualitative cross-regional synthesis of five Southern European regions: Sicily, Costa del Sol, Osijek-Baranja County, Central Greece, and the Troodos Mountain Range. The analysis identifies how diverse hazard pathways, including heat, drought, water scarcity, pluvial flooding, wildfire, hail, frost risk, and tourism climate-suitability pressures, become actionable through recurring land-use domains. Results show that heterogeneous regional risks converge around five main land-use resilience domains: buildings, agriculture, blue-green infrastructure, transportation, and protected-area conservation, while governance and capacity are treated separately as cross-cutting implementation conditions. The operational matrix demonstrates how region-specific hazard pathways can be converted into traceable recommendation structures without reducing local complexity. The framework does not replace detailed hazard modeling or climate-risk assessment; rather, it provides an intermediate methodological bridge between climate-risk evidence and land-use planning action. The approach is transferable to other regions seeking to organize stakeholder-derived needs and adaptation recommendations into coherent, sector-specific planning responses. Full article

Non-invasive, real-time monitoring of plant water status is critical for precision agriculture and plant physiology. However, existing methods often lack continuous in situ measurement capability or are limited by temporal resolution. This paper proposes a novel non-invasive method based on xylem electrical conductivity, inspired by industrial non-contact fluid measurement. As a ground-based complement to remote sensing, this approach demonstrates the feasibility of online, in situ, and non-invasive monitoring of water stress in grapevine stems under controlled laboratory conditions. The industrial C⁴D sensing system is adaptively modified into a specialized Plant-C⁴D sensor with an array-based design for batch signal acquisition. To validate the electrical response to water loss, a gravimetric natural dehydration experiment was conducted, demonstrating a clear correlation between electrical signals and water content changes in detached stem samples. Full-day dynamic experiments are conducted under three conditions: normal water supply, varying water stress, and plant inactivation. Sensitive characteristic parameters are extracted through signal analysis, and a pattern recognition framework is established to eliminate environmental interference and suppress individual differences. Experimental results on 24 plant samples (Shine Muscat) show that the method accurately discriminates viable from inactivated plants with an accuracy of 91.67% (22/24 correct). Furthermore, the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering algorithm successfully quantifies the severity of water stress in viable plants, yielding results consistent with actual water supply conditions. While these findings demonstrate the capability of Plant-C⁴D sensor to capture stem water status-related information, the current results do not establish full physiological validation, warranting further exploration with in vivo experiments. Full article

Conventional nitrogen fertilizers are essential to food production but impose substantial energy, greenhouse-gas, and reactive-nitrogen losses. This review compares Haber–Bosch-derived urea, ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, green ammonia, and fertigation with plasma-activated water (PAW), in which non-thermal plasma fixes atmospheric nitrogen directly into water as NO₃⁻/NO₂⁻ and, in some systems, NH₄⁺. A PRISMA-adapted Scopus screening retrieved 765 records. Automated screening excluded 312 records; all 453 provisionally retained records were then manually audited, removing 88 additional false positives and yielding 365 plasma nitrogen-fixation studies, including 157 PAW/plasma-in-liquid records. The comparison uses explicit system boundaries for energy, carbon intensity, nitrogen-use efficiency, and technology readiness. The lowest verified directly measured in-water system reports 1.14 MJ mol⁻¹ N for total soluble nitrogen, whereas lower values near 0.4–0.5 MJ mol⁻¹ N refer mainly to gas-phase or modeled plasma fixation and are not directly interchangeable with PAW. Controlled-environment studies report improved germination or vegetative growth in several crops and, in one full-cycle controlled horticultural study with a nitrate-equivalent control, fruit performance comparable with conventional nitrate fertilization. Nevertheless, PAW is not a general replacement for synthetic fertilizer. Its most credible near-term role is as a decentralized complement in fertigation, protected cultivation, hydroponics, and remote or supply-constrained systems supplied by low-carbon electricity. Major barriers are dilute and variable nitrogen concentration, reactor durability, storage stability, incomplete techno-economic accounting, and the absence of replicated multi-season field validation. Minimum reporting requirements and research priorities are proposed. Full article

Over the past few decades, South Africa has experienced recurrent drought events of varying intensity. The Musina Local Municipality is particularly vulnerable due to a semi-arid climate, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures which collectively contribute to heightened environmental stress. This study analyzed drought spatiotemporal patterns, livelihood impacts, and associated coping strategies in Musina from 1991 to 2023. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the research integrated quantitative climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store with qualitative insights gathered through semi-structured questionnaires administered to local community members. Drought frequency and distribution were examined using rainfall anomalies, temperature trends, and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). With more than 15 drought events recorded between 1991 and 2023, the findings indicate that Musina experiences recurrent drought episodes including major drought events in 1991–1992 and 2015–2016, characterized by rising temperatures that intensify evapotranspiration and exacerbate water scarcity. SPEI results highlight repeated drought conditions over the study period, with over 14 identified episodes and variable recovery periods, while notably negative values during major events (1991–1992 and 2015–2016) reflect severe moisture deficits associated with elevated temperatures. These climatic shifts have significantly undermined agricultural productivity, livestock health, and household water security, thereby threatening overall livelihood stability. More than 50% of the households experienced water shortages, with 17% reporting crop losses and 17% livestock mortality. While the study identified various coping mechanisms—such as reliance on boreholes, government water aid, conservation agriculture, and livelihood diversification—community vulnerability remains high due to limited water infrastructure and ongoing climate variability. These results contribute to efforts to reduce localized drought risk by providing a detailed understanding of drought dynamics and the effectiveness of community-based adaptation strategies in Musina. Full article

Climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme temperatures pose severe threats to global agricultural productivity, making the breeding of water-efficient crops a critical imperative. Originating from arid regions, foxtail millet serves as an ideal C4 model crop for elucidating plant adaptations to water deficits. Unlike previous reviews that often isolate genomic features from physiological responses, this review constructs an explicit conceptual framework integrating cross-scale defense mechanisms—mechanistically linking molecular signal transduction and post-transcriptional regulation to cellular homeostasis and field-scale yield stability. We first detail the developmental stage-specific physiological penalties of water stress and dissect proactive water-conservation strategies, including stomatal anatomical optimization, root-carbon reallocation, and dynamic rhizosphere remodeling. At the genetic level, we highlight the application of dynamic quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, which transcends the static limitations of conventional QTLs by capturing the spatiotemporal evolution of drought-tolerance traits across distinct developmental nodes. To bridge the gap between intrinsic genetic potential and field application, we spotlight the emerging integration of machine learning-assisted breeding and genomic prediction for the efficient evaluation of superior germplasms. Across this framework, several persistent gaps emerge: most drought-responsive genes identified in foxtail millet remain at the level of expression association without functional validation; dynamic QTL analysis remains underutilized relative to its capacity to resolve reproductive-stage drought tolerance; and ML-based genomic prediction, though demonstrated in this species, has not been integrated into operational breeding. Closing these gaps will require connecting high-throughput field phenotyping to genomic selection and deploying functionally validated editing targets in genetic backgrounds relevant to dryland production. Full article