Search Results (57)

Real-time monitoring of soil health parameters is crucial for efficient use of resources, improving agricultural productivity, and sustainability. Traditional soil analysis methods, although accurate, are time-consuming and lack the spatial and temporal resolution necessary for dynamic agricultural environments. Recent advancements in sensor technology offer promising alternatives, enabling real-time, in situ monitoring of key soil health indicators. This study details the deployment and validation of novel Sensor-in-Field probes at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Farm in Missouri, U.S., in a winter wheat plot. Three Sensor-in-Field probes were evaluated for their ability to measure nitrate (NO₃), ammonium (NH₄), soil organic matter (SOM), carbonaceous soil minerals (CSMs), soil volumetric density (SVD), soil hydration state (SHS), and total soil carbon (TSC) over a 28-day period. The probes’ coefficients of variation were well within acceptable limits (<20%) for all parameters. The measured metrics averaged 0.05% ± 0.001 and 1.92% ± 0.02 for CSMs and SOM, respectively, while TSC was 1.18% ± 0.15. For the nutrients, the measured NO₃ and NH₄ values were 4.44 ppm ± 0.37 and 2.78 ppm ± 0.22, respectively. The accuracy of the soil probes was validated at a certified traditional soil analysis laboratory. Three samples were collected at three different time points and analyzed. Bland–Altman analysis showed <$\pm$ 10% difference between the soil probes and traditional lab analysis for CSMs, SOM, and TSC, while t-test analysis reported p-values > 0.005 for NO₃, NH₄, and SHS/SVD, indicating non-significant differences between the probes and traditional soil analysis methods. Full article

Intercropping, the cultivation of two or more crops in the same field, is known to have numerous environmental and economic benefits. The success of such systems depends on geographical location, climatic conditions, and the choice of crop varieties, especially in organic systems. This study aimed to assess the effect of the sowing method, wheat variety, legume species on wheat grain yield and quality, and macro-elements of soil and plants. A three-year field experiment in intercropping spring wheat and legume species was performed at an organic-certified field of Czech Agrifood Research Center, Prague. Three spring wheat varieties (Alicia, Hystrix, and Toccata), two legume species (pea and faba bean), and two sowing methods (mixed and row-by-row) were used. Although the intercropping of wheat variety and legume species did not improve wheat yield, wheat grain quality and soil and plant nutrition content were enhanced in wheat and legume mixtures compared to monoculture wheat. Notably, the mixed cropping method resulted in significantly higher yields than the row-by-row method. Furthermore, the baking quality of wheat grains from intercropping systems was superior to that of monoculture wheat. The results highlight the potential of tailored intercropping systems to optimize agricultural efficiency and sustainability, especially in the face of changes in climate change. Full article

Consumers are increasingly seeking ecological, organic, minimally processed food from certified organic farms. Consumer purchasing decisions in the organic food market are determined by various factors. The main objective of the article is to identify the range and direction of multidimensional relationships between the frequency of purchasing organic food and the factors that determine purchasing decisions. For this purpose, a canonical analysis was performed. Statistical data were obtained from survey research conducted in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary (600 questionnaires filled in each country) from December 2023 to March 2024. Research shows that the key factor that influences purchasing decisions with respect to organic food is its high quality. In countries such as Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia, this feature received the highest percentage of indications as very important, 53%, 44%, and 54%, respectively. In the second place, respondents indicated production without agricultural chemicals and food additives (in Hungary, this factor was considered the most important, with a percentage of indications at the level of 77%). In all the countries of the Visegrad Group, the influence of famous people, celebrities, and bloggers seems to be the least important—40.7% of respondents in Slovakia considered them completely unimportant, and as many as 73% in Hungary. Fashion was similarly rated low. In the case of this factor, the percentage of indications as unimportant ranged from 31% (Slovakia) to 76% (Hungary). Full article

Nutrient levels in liquid organic manures (LOM) vary greatly, so it is important to determine the concentrations before field application in order to ensure that fertilisation is tailored to the crop requirements. Precise knowledge of the nutrient content in LOMs is a basic prerequisite for the optimum supply of these nutrients to crops and for avoiding environmental problems caused by over-fertilisation. The constituents of LOMs can be determined on site using various methods. One possibility is near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). This method is already a common procedure for use in the laboratory. This review deals with the suitability of the use of NIRS for the characterisation of LOMs on farm. For on-farm applications, there are many factors such as the ambient temperature or movements and vibrations of the machines which can influence the measurement with the sensors and thus also the measured values. The influencing factors should therefore be taken into account. The reliability of NIRS systems for the on-farm analysis of liquid manure is verified by the German Agricultural Society. For the tests, various LOMs from different farms are measured with NIRS sensors and the quality of the agreement of the NIRS data with laboratory tests is certified for the respective ingredients for each LOM type. In order to exploit the full potential of the NIRS technology in the future, the indispensable calibrations need to be expanded and improved so that the sensors deliver precise and reproducible results for the different LOM types in practical applications. Full article

Recently, there has been increasing interest in organic carbon (OC) certification of soil as an incentive for farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. In this context, this pilot project combines geochemical and geophysical methods to map the distribution of OC contents in agricultural fields, allowing us to detect variations in time and space. Here we demonstrated a relationship between soil OC contents estimated in the laboratory and the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured in the field. Specifically, geochemical elemental analyses were used to evaluate the OC content and relative isotopic signature in collected soil samples from a hazelnut orchard in the Emilia–Romagna region of Northeastern Italy, while the geophysical Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) method enabled the in situ mapping of the ECa distribution in the same soil field. According to the results, geochemical and geophysical data were found to be reciprocally related, as both the organic matter and soil moisture were mainly incorporated into the fine sediments (i.e., clay) of the soil. Therefore, such a relation was used to create a map of the OC content distribution in the investigated field, which could be used to monitor the soil C sequestration on small-scale farmland and eventually develop precision agricultural services. In the future, this method could be used by farmers and regional and/or national policymakers to periodically certify the farm’s soil conditions and verify the effectiveness of carbon sequestration. These measures would enable farmers to pursue Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) incentives for the reduction of CO₂ emissions. Full article

Fungal diseases are a yield-limiting factor for wheat. Their management in organic production systems is one of the prevailing challenges because it must be based mainly on indirect measures through agricultural practices. Variety mixtures are one of these practices, a concept that has been demonstrated to improve several factors affecting yield. Recently, it has become a practice that enables sustainability in agriculture. Our research aim is to evaluate the capacity of this practice to control three fungal diseases (foliar and ear) on durum wheat. This study was conducted over two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) at two locations: a certified organic farm in the Benslimane region (2019) and the National School of Agriculture farm in Meknes (2020). Four durum wheat varieties (Isly, Tarek, Karim, and Nassira) were used to create the mixture. The parameters that were monitored were the disease severity, the grain yield, and its components. The analysis of variance for the three fungal diseases’ severity was significant. The variety that showed resistance to all diseases was the Isly variety, and the most susceptible variety was the Nassira variety. The resistance of the other varieties to the diseases was variable from one year to the other. The mixture showed average severity values. It allowed a reduction in the severity of leaf rust of 47% during the first year and 30% during the second year compared to the most susceptible variety (Nassira). In the case of HLB (helminthosporiosis leaf blight), it reduced the disease by 47% during the first year and 34% during the 2020 season. For ear disease, Fusarium head blight (FHB), the reduction was 68% during the year 2019 and 49% during 2020. The mixture also ensured yield stability between the two trial years (1.66 t ha⁻¹ and 1.54 t ha⁻¹). Full article

This study proposes an improved methodology based on life cycle assessment (LCA), which is used to calculate the carbon footprint of agriculture, provides a simple and feasible calculation path, and constructs a streamlined framework for calculating the carbon footprint based on the agricultural traceability system records. Using important economic crop (Onion) as research subject, and choose the largest planting area in R.O.C. (southern Taiwan) as a case study. A total of 64 farm production history records have been collected, includes all of farms certified with a traceable agricultural products (TAP) label. Through a detailed analysis of the traditional carbon footprint calculation method, found that agricultural traceability system records could replace the data source in carbon footprint verification (CFV) process, and system records could be used as activity data after being organized. With our method, no need to go through a complicated CFV process, just download the existing data on agricultural traceability system, can start calculating carbon footprint as soon as possible. To compared to traditional assessment method, results show a margin of error is less than 6% compared to traditional assessment methods. Advantages of improved method were be found, such as easy data acquisition, simplified calculation steps, and improved data transparency and accuracy. From statistical data, show that at least seven categories of carbon emission sources for carbon footprints, the most significant of carbon emission impact are fertilizers. The result of improved methodology based on life cycle assessment (LCA), show that using the improved methods can help promote the carbon footprint management efficiency of agricultural organizations such as Farmers’ Association or Agricultural Production Marketing Group, promptly monitor the carbon footprint status of their fields and adjust strategies to reduce carbon footprints in real-time, advancing towards the goal of net-zero carbon emissions. Full article

Biochar is a carbon-rich material that has recently received attention due to its increasing agronomical potential. The agricultural utilization of biochar relates to its potential to act in the soil as a soil conditioner; nevertheless, complex information on the direct dependence of biochar’s physical properties (texture, particle size) and corresponding leaching and availability of organic molecules (e.g., the polycyclic and heterocyclic organic compounds) and inorganic mineral salts (based on micro- and macroelements) is still inconsistent. Multi-elemental analysis by using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to assess the information on the contents and availability of macro- and microelements in studied commercial biochar samples. The results showed a statistically significant indirect relation between an increase in the size fraction of biochar and the content of aqueous-extractable K and Na and the direct relation with the aqueous-extractable Ca, Mg, and P. Compared to the macroelements, the detected contents of aqueous-extractable microelements were almost three orders lower, and the dependence on fraction size was not consistent or statistically significant. In addition, gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS) was further used to reveal the concentrations of available polycyclic aromatic and heterocyclic compounds in biochar samples. The detected concentrations of these types of organic compounds were far below the certified limits, and a statistically significant indirect correlation with particle size was also observed for all the studied biochar samples. The proposed methodological concept could provide the necessary insights into the description of biochar mineral content and its connection to biochar texture, the physicochemical properties, and the potential of biochar to release nutrients into the soil. These findings could help in the further assessment of biochar as a soil conditioner in modern agriculture. Full article

Growing consumer awareness of the importance of food quality on their health is the main driving force for increasing the market for sustainable agricultural products. This makes sustainable, environmentally friendly production methods into non-chemical plant protection products against pathogens, including microbial biopreparations, increasingly important among farmers. Strawberry fruits (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) are often negatively affected by fungal pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of five combinations of newly developed microbial biopreparations (from K2 to K6) on fungal pathogens and the yield of three strawberry cultivars. The research was conducted on a certified organic strawberry plantation in Poland in 2020–2021. In the first year of the study, no statistically significant positive impact of tested treatments on strawberry yields have been found. At the same time, yields of ‘Honeoye’ treated with K4 combination showed a tendency (with no statistical significance) to have higher yields than the control object by about 33%. In the second year of the study, yields of ‘Honeoye’ and ‘Rumba’ treated with K4 combination (containing Bacillus sp. Sp116AC*, Bacillus sp. Sp115AD, Bacillus sp. AF75BC and Bacillus subtilis AF75AB2, humic acids, yeast culture effluent, micronized dolomite, and mustard and rapeseed oil) significantly increased by 79% and 49%, respectively. Fruit infestation by fungal pathogens was reduced under some microbial treatments; however, the effect varied between years, cultivars, and tested biopreparations. The K2 combination showed a tendency (with no statistical significance) to limit B. cinerea infestation rate by 23% in 2020 and 21% in 2021, C. acutatum by 16% in 2021, and P. cactorum infestation rate by 30% in 2021. Tested microbial biopreparations showed a positive impact on the yield of strawberries and (to some extent) on disease infestation, with an impact on pathogen infestation strongly dependent on the year, variety, and biopreparation tested. Full article

Fulvic acid (FA) is an eco-friendly solution for reducing the reliance on agrochemicals and enhancing crop quality. The study aimed to investigate the impact of soil and foliar application of FA on the phytochemical content and antioxidant properties of organically grown bell peppers at both the green and red stages. Bell pepper cv. Revolution was grown under open-field conditions at the certified organic farm at Tennessee State University, Nashville, with nine treatments and three replications. FA was applied as a soil drench and foliar spray at four different rates (0, 2.3, 5.5, 7.8, 10.9 mL L⁻¹). The fruits were harvested 55 days (green stage) and 86 days after transplantation (red stage). The study showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the treatment and maturation stage. The foliar treatment of 7.8 mL L⁻¹ resulted in the highest phenolic content in green bell peppers. The highest total flavonoid content in red bell peppers was achieved with a soil treatment of 7.8 mL L⁻¹. Additionally, the highest level of vitamin C in red bell peppers occurred with a soil concentration of 5.5 mL L⁻¹. In conclusion, applying FA as a biostimulant can enhance the quality of organically grown bell peppers, offering promising opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices. Full article

Edible insects are becoming increasingly popular as protein alternatives to traditional animal-based products. As such, information on their elemental composition is important to ensure they are safe for human consumption. This article describes the development and validation of a rapid, reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 19 elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Pb, Se, Sr, and Zn) in edible insects by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following closed vessel microwave digestion. The method was validated using three insect certified reference materials, namely black soldier fly larvae meal (BFLY-1), cricket flour (KRIK-1), and mealworm powder (VORM-1). The method was applied to analyze twelve different (whole) insect species. The maximum amount of each sample was calculated for As, Cd, and Pb with respect to their provisional tolerable daily intake values established by the Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization. Most of the samples, except for scorpions and tarantulas, were safe to consume at large doses (1000–10,000 insects per day). Furthermore, most of the samples contained high levels of Fe, K, Na, and Zn, providing a preliminary overview of the nutritional profile of these novel protein alternatives. Full article

Organic horticulture is a holistic management system that follows good production practices and should be considered the cornerstone of mitigating climate change and producing healthier fruits and vegetables. This agroecosystem practice not only benefits the green economy but promotes and enhances soil biological activity, biodiversity, and other biological cycles in the sphere. The last decade has observed a rise in the production and consumption of organically certified agricultural products, and the biggest growth was registered in France (18%) due to its higher nutritional value of vitamin C (27%) and polyphenol content (72%), with a lowered risk of exposure to harmful chemicals of up to 70% and improved organoleptic properties. Between 2012 and 2020, the European Union’s organic sector experienced significant growth, with a 56% expansion in organic land area, a 40% increase in organic producers, and a 114% increase in retail sales. The aim of this review was to evaluate the significant impact of organic horticulture on mitigating climate change and meeting consumer needs by examining key research areas, including Soil Health and Management, Pest and Disease Management, Climate Resilience and Adaptation, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Mitigation, Market and Consumer Preferences, and Policy and Institutional Support. The outcome of this review demonstrates that there are still numerous research studies required to evaluate how different farming systems and pedoclimatic conditions can contribute to more efficient horticultural practices. Full article

Organic agriculture based on the participatory guarantee system (PGS) is frequently touted as a tool for improving ecosystem sustainability and self-reliance and for alleviating the poverty of smallholder farmers in Thailand. However, specific criteria must be fulfilled for products to be certified organic. In this paper, we investigate the similarities and differences between three cases of organic agricultural production (based on the participatory guarantee system) in four provinces in northeastern Thailand: Nong Bua Lam Phu, Nakhon Phanom, Ubon Ratchathani, and Nakhon Ratchasima. A total of 135 smallholder farmers were selected to act as informants, and semi-structured interviews were held. The participatory guarantee system was utilized, considering the farmers’ diverse agricultural backgrounds and socio-economic conditions. For agriculture to be adapted with the ultimate aim of sustainability, policy support will be necessary in the form of financial measures and capacity building. Full article

Motivated by the increasing interest in sustainable agriculture and the potential benefits associated with organic certification, this study employs a multidimensional fixed-effects model to analyze data derived from onsite surveys conducted among 681 apple farmers in the Loess Plateau region of China to explore the influence of organic certification on absolute and relative agricultural product prices given online market access. The findings indicated a significant increase in apple prices among farmers who held organic certifications and engaged in online market sales, with prices rising by CNY1.60 per half kilogram. Additionally, this study highlights that the amalgamation of organic certification with online market access significantly enhances agricultural product prices by facilitating better dissemination of market information among farmers. Furthermore, this research addresses a critical gap in the existing literature by clarifying the differential impact of organic certification across distinct farmer demographics and geographical regions. The more pronounced positive impact of organic certification on prices observed among cooperative members and farmers in the low-altitude areas is particularly noteworthy. These results underscore the crucial role of online market access in achieving premium effects and price stability for organically certified products. Full article

Agriculture is the main economic activity of Mozambique and there is a lack of information about the quality of agricultural soils. In this paper, five soils from the Manica and Sussundenga districts (Manica province) sampled in the years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 (before and after the rainy seasons) were subjected to an agronomical and environmental chemical analysis to assess their quality, from the fertility and environmental contamination points of view. Standard analytical methodologies from external certified laboratories and local X-ray fluorescence measurements were used. All the studied soils were acidic (pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.4), had no salinity problems (conductivity ranging from 4.2 to 11.8 mS/m), and had a low amount of soil organic matter (0.90% to 1.81%). Soils from the Sussundenga district had a very low cation exchange capacity (CEC) (average of 3.33 cmol_c/kg), while that of those from the Manica district ranged from very low to average CEC (3.59 to 13.11 cmol_c/kg). Sussundenga soils also had a phosphorous deficiency (values ranging from <20 to 38.5 mg/kg) and there were deficiencies and/or excesses of some macro and micronutrients in all soil samples. Manica soils were contaminated, apparently from geogenic origin, with Cr (280 to 1400 mg/kg), Co (80 mg/kg), Ni (78 to 680 mg/kg) and V (86 mg/kg). Agricultural soil monitoring must be fostered in Mozambique in order to improve food quality and quantity to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. Full article