Search Results (1,838)

Cover crops are increasingly promoted to improve soil health, reduce nutrient losses, and enhance water quality, yet their large-scale performance across diverse climatic and soil conditions remains insufficiently quantified. We hypothesized that cereal rye cover crop adoption would reduce sediment and nutrient losses, with potential impacts on cash crop yields, and that these effects would vary with precipitation regime and soil vulnerability. Using Conservation Effects Assessment Project data and Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender simulations across 4317 U.S. corn and soybean sites over 45 years, we evaluated two scenarios: current management (Base) and Base plus Cover Crop (BCC). Stratification by precipitation group and Soil Vulnerability Index enabled assessment of context-dependent responses. Simulations showed substantial reductions in sediment losses (up to 60%) and surface nitrogen losses (≈30%) under the BCC scenario, with the strongest benefits in wetter regions and highly vulnerable soils. Soluble phosphorus decreased modestly (≈9%), and nitrogen retention improved under low-to-moderate leaching vulnerability. Yield reductions were limited (6–7%) and were smallest in drier regions where irrigation mitigated water stress. Overall, cereal rye cover crop adoption delivered meaningful soil and water conservation benefits with measurable yield impacts, supporting its role as an effective and scalable conservation practice across diverse U.S. agroecosystems. Full article

Improving space use while reducing supplemental-lighting demand is important for compact hydroponic fodder production. We developed a cyclic movable cultivation rack with total internal reflection (TIR)-based supplemental lighting and evaluated its geometry, preliminary structural performance, device-level light distribution, and short-cycle crop response. Relative to a predefined double-sided static geometric reference, the cyclic configuration increased nominal tray cultivation area by 36.4%. A preliminary linear-static check under a 5850 N equivalent load gave a maximum von Mises stress of 108.8 MPa, maximum deformation of 3.307 mm, and a yield-based safety factor of 2.16 for Q235 steel. At comparable recorded input power, TIR increased mean PPFD by 93.1% within the prescribed 350 mm single-unit reference-plane grid. After calibration to reference-plane mean-PPFD equivalence, lighting-unit AC active power decreased from 25.41 to 13.10 W, a descriptive 48.4% reduction relative to the same lens-free WS2812-based prototype baseline. In cultivation, harvested fresh biomass differed by approximately 0.3%, and the retrospective one-sided confidence bound was compatible with an exploratory 5% engineering margin but not the stricter 2% sensitivity margin. The results support prototype feasibility while array-level canopy photon exposure, whole-facility energy performance, and long-term mechanical reliability require further validation. Full article

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food crop globally, and identifying genes governing grain yield is critical for food security. Although heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known for their roles in stress tolerance, the molecular mechanisms by which they regulate yield formation remain unclear. In this study, we generated knockout and overexpression lines for OsHSP20 which is encoding a member of the Hsp20/alpha crystallin family, LOC_Os10g30162.1 (It is also one of the four candidate genes discovered during our fine mapping of major QTLs for photosynthetic rate in rice.), and performed integrated analyses combining field phenotyping, multi-stress assays, and transcriptomics. Phenotypic analyses revealed that OsHSP20 deficiency resulted in compromised plant architecture, leaf morphology, tillering, and panicle development, leading to a significant reduction in grain setting rate. Conversely, OsHSP20 overexpression enhanced drought tolerance. Mechanistically, transcriptomic and functional analyses demonstrated that OsHSP20 maintains protein homeostasis under drought stress via its chaperone activity; this function orchestrates a coordinated regulatory network involving lipid barrier formation, antioxidant defense, and carbon allocation. Our findings establish OsHSP20 as a positive regulator of both yield and drought resilience, improving crop adaptability by balancing growth and stress responses. In addition, our previous research has shown that OsHSP20 is actually one of the important components of the main QTL for rice photosynthetic rate. Therefore, this study can provide new genetic resources and a theoretical basis for cultivating rice varieties with high yield, stress resistant, and a high photosynthetic rate. Full article

Hydrological fluctuations affect cropping-structure optimization in arid inland river basins by altering agricultural water-supply boundaries and crop yields. This study focused on five counties and districts in the middle and lower reaches of the Shiyang River Basin. Based on the 1995–2024 runoff series, four hydrological scenarios—wet, normal, dry, and extremely dry—were constructed. Crop yield responses were incorporated into blue, green, and gray water footprint accounting, and NSGA-III coupled with entropy-weighted TOPSIS was applied for multi-objective optimization. The results showed that (1) under the current cropping structure, unit water footprints generally increased as hydrological conditions shifted from wet to extremely dry, with gray water footprints showing greater sensitivity to yield reductions; (2) the overall directions of cropping-structure adjustment were broadly consistent across scenarios, with the planted areas of wheat, maize, and tubers decreasing by nearly 30% and melon area increasing by nearly 30%, while vegetable and oilseed areas exhibited clear scenario-dependent adjustments; (3) relative to the corresponding 2024 cropping structure evaluated under the same hydrological conditions, the selected compromise schemes increased net economic return by 14.58–16.23 × 10⁸ CNY across the four scenarios. However, the attainable net economic return declined from 73.74 × 10⁸ CNY under the wet scenario to 17.95 × 10⁸ CNY under the extremely dry scenario. The blue water footprint decreased by 18.18–19.07%, whereas the gray water footprint decreased by approximately 17–18% across scenarios. Deteriorating hydrological conditions reduced the attainable economic return and highlighted clear county-level differences in adjustment pathways and economic vulnerability. These findings provide a quantitative basis for scenario- and county-specific cropping-structure optimization and water-resource regulation in arid inland river basins. Full article

The marketable yield of carrot is reduced by carrot cavity spot disease (Pythium violae and P. sulcatum). In the UK, metalaxyl-M is the only approved fungicide. Good calcium nutrition can manage cavity spot, but calcium is not generally mobilised to the maturing carrot root. We report field-based studies testing the effect of Albina, a novel calcium functional fertiliser, which contains a calcium transport stimulant (MCAS) LoCal^TM (Levity Crop Science, UK) that mimics the effect of auxin in relation to the transport of calcium across cell membranes. Its effect on cavity spot was compared with calcium nitrate (calcium fertiliser without MCAS) and metalaxyl-M in an inoculated ‘macrocosm’ plot experiment (cv. Nairobi), and in grower-managed field trials where it was compared with standard fertiliser and fungicide applications over two years (cvs. Nairobi and Octavo). In the macrocosm trial, the functional fertiliser gave significantly reduced cavity spot (12% incidence) compared with the inoculated (untreated) control (24% incidence) and had similar efficacy to the fungicide. In the grower-managed field trials, the functional fertiliser resulted in significantly improved cavity spot control with a mean reduction of 14%. The functional fertiliser could provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly means for reducing cavity spot in carrots. Full article

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in rice threatens rice food safety. Organosilicon shows substantial potential to reduce the uptake and accumulation of Cd in crops. However, the current understanding of the mechanisms by which organosilicon reduces Cd toxicity in rice remains fragmented. In a one-season pot experiment using soil with a total Cd concentration of 1.04 mg·kg⁻¹, we examined organosilicon-modulated physiological responses and Cd-transport gene expression in two rice varieties. The three organosilicon compounds tested were KH590 (3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane), DMDCS (dimethyldichlorosilane), and D6 (dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane). Two-way ANOVA confirmed significant cultivar × treatment interactions for Cd in all organs (p < 0.05). DMDCS treatment reduced grain Cd in Shaoxiang 100 by about 43.4%. Subcellular fractionation revealed that DMDCS enhanced Cd sequestration in root and culm cell walls (60.8% increase in culm), while D6 and KH590 showed greater efficacy in leaves. Gene expression analysis indicated that KH590 most potently suppressed the root uptake gene OsNramp5 (76% reduction), whereas DMDCS and D6 exerted stronger inhibition on the long-distance transport gene OsLCT1 (up to 91.8%). Principal component analysis further confirmed that KH590 primarily inhibited root uptake, DMDCS mainly enhanced root Fe oxide deposition and culm Cd retention, while D6 best maintained biomass and reduced late-stage Cd transport to grains, increasing yield by 28%. These findings provide evidence for differential pathways through which organosilicon compounds mitigate Cd stress in rice under pot conditions, offering a theoretical reference for reducing Cd pollution in farmland. Full article

Integrated nutrient management (INM) is increasingly recognized as a promising approach for sustaining crop productivity while reducing some of the environmental impacts associated with intensive agricultural production. This study presents a structured narrative review with critical evidence synthesis of the published literature examining the effects of INM on crop productivity, soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions. Relevant studies were identified through structured searches of Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, covering publications from January 2000 to December 2025. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed field and controlled experiments evaluating the combined application of organic and inorganic nutrient sources across cereal, legume, and vegetable production systems under diverse soil types, climatic conditions, and agroecological regions. The findings show that INM has been associated with improvements in crop yield, soil health, and nutrient use efficiency across many production systems; however, the magnitude of these responses varies with crop type, soil properties, climate, organic input quality, and management practices. Reported yield improvements of approximately 15–25%, reductions in N₂O emissions of 15–30%, and decreases in global warming potential of 11–24% represent ranges reported in the reviewed literature rather than pooled effect estimates. Evidence from long-term field experiments further indicates that INM can increase soil organic carbon, improve soil structure, and enhance biological indicators of soil health, although responses are not uniform across all agroecosystems. In flooded rice systems, for example, improvements in greenhouse gas intensity may occur alongside methane–nitrous oxide trade-offs, highlighting the importance of evaluating both agronomic and environmental outcomes. Full article

Green chemistry provides a conceptual and technological framework for redesigning agricultural inputs and analytical workflows toward safer, more efficient, and more sustainable crop production. In this review, molecular crop quality is proposed as a chemical and metabolomic endpoint of green chemistry in sustainable agriculture. Rather than evaluating agricultural interventions proposed as compatible with green chemistry only through yield, input reduction, or environmental performance, this review focuses on their capacity to reshape crop composition, including micronutrient density, primary metabolites, specialized metabolites, bioactive compounds, antioxidant potential, and bioaccessibility. Particular attention is given to nano-enabled biofortification, biogenic nanomaterials, plant-derived biostimulants, microbial consortia, and biodegradable carrier systems as tools that may modulate nutrient uptake, redox signaling, transcriptional regulation, and selected biosynthetic pathways. Representative changes in phenolics and flavonoids, carotenoids, glucosinolates, and capsaicinoids are discussed as examples of how agricultural interventions evaluated within a green chemistry framework can influence functional and nutritional traits at the molecular level. The review also considers green extraction and analytical platforms, including ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical-fluid extraction, LC-MS, ICP-MS, NMR, and antioxidant assays, as essential tools for reliable assessment of molecular crop quality. Finally, safety-related challenges are critically examined, including nanoparticle characterization, dose-dependent phytotoxicity, environmental fate, bioaccessibility, and regulatory uncertainty. By integrating green chemistry, plant metabolism, nano-enabled biofortification, biostimulation, and analytical chemistry, this review outlines a framework for assessing crop quality beyond yield and highlights the need for standardized, mechanistically informed, and safety-oriented approaches to future agricultural innovation. Full article

Organic fertilizer (OF) application can significantly enhance soil fertility and crop yield. However, its influence on nitrogen (N) loss via ammonia (NH₃) volatilization from reclaimed coastal paddy soil is not well known. We conducted a pot experiment here using cyanobacteria compost of sawdust and chicken manure plus cyanobacterial sludge, with four treatments, i.e., no urea-N (CK), urea-N (U), 80% urea-N (RU), and 80% urea-N plus compost (RU+OF), to examine these effects. The results showed that reducing urea-N input increased rice grain yield by 29.9–52.1% compared to U treatment. However, RU+OF produced significantly lower rice grain than RU by 14.6%. More straw biomass and N uptake did not translate into higher rice grain yield under OF-amended treatment. Interestingly, compared to the other treatments, RU+OF significantly mitigated NH₃ volatilization by 8.9–25.3%, achieving the lowest emissions and the greatest reduction. A 20% reduction in N application rate combined with compost enhanced crop apparent N recovery efficiency and lowered NH₃ volatilization. Therefore, organic substitution through combined compost application has potential as a component of reduced-N fertilization strategies in reclaimed coastal paddy soil. Full article

Straw and biochar incorporation are sustainable soil improvement practices to enhance crop productivity. However, the responses of japonica rice to these organic amendments under different planting modes remain unclear in cold regions. A pot experiment was conducted, including two planting methods (transplanting and wet direct-seeding) and three return treatments (straw removal, straw incorporation and biochar incorporation). Rice growth traits, physiology and yield components were investigated. The results showed that wet direct-seeded rice exhibited depressed growth at the reproductive stage, along with smaller root systems and lower root activity, leading to a significant 19.55% yield reduction. Straw incorporation inhibited the early growth for transplanted rice. Biochar incorporation promoted early vegetative growth under both planting modes and significantly increased the activities of nitrogen-metabolism-related enzymes for transplanted rice. Straw and biochar incorporation increased the root bleeding rate and photosynthetic characteristics at the late stage, leading to yield increases of 9.89% and 13.09% for transplanted rice, respectively. No significant yield gains were observed for wet direct-seeded rice. These results indicate that biochar incorporation is an efficient organic returning strategy for transplanted rice, and the responses of japonica rice to straw and biochar incorporation are highly dependent on planting patterns in cold regions. Full article

The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is one of the most destructive pests of coffee, causing significant losses in yield, bean quality, and overall crop profitability. Current integrated pest management strategies reduce damage but cannot prevent insects from locating and infesting coffee fruit. Because host selection by CBB relies on olfactory cues, modifying the emission of key volatile compounds represents a potential strategy to reduce pest attraction. This study aimed to decrease CBB attraction by editing genes involved in the biosynthesis of the monoterpenes limonene and pinene, which participate in host recognition. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was performed in Coffea arabica seedlings, and gene editing used a binary vector carrying sgRNAs targeting terpene synthase genes, the cas9 gene, and the bar selection marker. Nine cas9-positive plants were obtained, including six of them also positive for bar, with seven plants exhibiting non-synonymous mutations at the target site for limonene synthase. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed a significant reduction in transcript levels in edited fruit, ranging from 95.5% to 99.2% compared to wild-type controls. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis confirmed a reduction of approximately 55% in limonene emission in variants exhibiting low-frequency mutations. Olfactometry bioassays revealed significantly reduced attraction, with only 17–36% of H. hampei females orienting toward edited fruit compared with 64–83% for wild-type controls (p < 0.05). These results suggest that targeted editing of limonene synthase can modulate volatile emissions and alter host-seeking behavior in H. hampei, providing a proof-of-concept for engineering crop plants with reduced pest attraction and offering a complementary, sustainable strategy for pest management in coffee production systems. Full article

Farm-level yield models are commonly evaluated using random train–test partitions; however, spatial dependence among geographically related observations can lead to overly optimistic estimates of predictive performance and may not adequately reflect generalization to unseen locations. This study evaluated whether supervised machine-learning models could predict farm-level hard dry maize yield in previously unseen parishes of Manabí, Ecuador. The response variable was record-level maize yield, while predictors included survey-derived farm, crop, producer, management, socioeconomic, and digital-access characteristics. Climate-enhanced models additionally included crop-season cumulative precipitation, longest dry spell, mean 2 m air temperature, and mean upper-layer soil moisture. The analysis comprised 518 sole-crop hard dry maize records representing 433 producers in 45 parishes. Elastic Net, Random Forest, and histogram-based gradient boosting models were compared with a training-fold mean benchmark using nested cross-validation grouped by parish. The mean observed yield was 4.09 t ha⁻¹. The benchmark achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.534 t ha⁻¹, whereas the best survey-only and survey-plus-climate models achieved MAE values of 1.535 and 1.548 t ha⁻¹, respectively. For histogram-based gradient boosting, the estimated climate-related MAE reduction was −0.013 t ha⁻¹ (−0.85%; parish-cluster bootstrap 95% CI: −0.061 to 0.036). All model configurations produced negative pooled R² values. Random record-level validation yielded more favorable results, indicating potential spatial optimism. The findings do not imply that management practices or climate conditions are agronomically unimportant; rather, they indicate that the available survey data and parish-level climate variables were insufficient to support reliable yield prediction for individual crop records in previously unseen parishes. Full article

Unsustainable agricultural practices and overreliance on chemical fertilizers have led to severe environmental issues, such as soil and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, and risks to human and animal health. Moreover, plant diseases continuously decrease crop productivity and threaten global food security. Therefore, there is a strong need to focus on sustainable agricultural practices. Microbial biofertilizers emerge as environment-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers that help in nutrient solubilization and availability, soil fertility, and plant growth promotion, in addition to curbing the application of chemical fertilizers. Microbial inoculants enhance agricultural yield by performing complementary roles, such as facilitating nutrient uptake through biological nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization, promoting plant growth via phytohormone synthesis, and mitigating diseases by activating plant defense responses. A 2025 meta-analysis of 107 field studies in China reported mean yield increases of 22.3% in wheat, 13.6% in rice, 12.8% in maize, and 65.4% in millet, while a field study in saline soil reported a 25% reduction in NPK fertilizer use in barley without reducing the grain yield. This review provides an overview of the major types of microbial biofertilizers, their modes of action, and their use in important cropping systems. Special emphasis is placed on microbial consortia that can enhance nutrient cycling, plant productivity, and tolerance to abiotic stress factors. The application of nanotechnology, genetically engineered microorganisms, and combinations of microbial inoculants with organic waste are some strategies that could be adopted for next-generation biofertilizer development. The review also addresses the major hurdles in the formulation, field performance, and commercialization of microbial biofertilizers. Future perspectives revolve around optimizing microbial formulations, applying advanced biotechnological tools, and developing enabling policies for the rapid adoption of microbial biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture. Full article

Vertical circulating rice seedling racks in cold regions of northeast China face limited natural radiation, uneven light distribution, and high energy demand. This study develops a digital twin optimization framework integrating dynamic light field reconstruction, crop physiological response, surrogate modeling, and multi-objective analysis. A solar position algorithm-based simulator reconstructs the spatiotemporal PPFD distribution along the circulating trajectory and couples it with stage-specific rice seedling light response curves. An XGBoost surrogate model is then used to accelerate parameter evaluation for stage-wise optimization. Preliminary measurements using a plant light analyzer showed limited PPFD deviations from simulation, with a mean deviation of −3.4% and a maximum deviation of +11.4%. The surrogate model achieved a test R² of 0.9955 and a five-fold cross-validation R² of 0.9933 ± 0.0024. Under the engineering constraint of CV ≤ 0.10, stage-wise optimization identified max yield, best efficiency, and balanced operating strategies. The balanced strategy predicted a 7.7% increase in YI, a 6.0% reduction in energy use, and a decrease in CV from 0.0353 to 0.0058 relative to the fixed-parameter baseline. SHAP analysis further identified growth stage as the dominant structural factor, while lighting duration and rack speed mainly regulated within-stage performance. This framework provides a quantitative basis for stage-aware light environment optimization and subsequent experimental validation. Full article

Frankliniella occidentalis, an important crop pest worldwide, is mainly controlled by chemical pesticides, triggering resistance in thrips populations. Among the biological control methods evaluated in recent years, entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) appear to be a promising solution. A self-inoculation method could be an alternative that would increase specificity and reduce application costs. This requires efficient compatible semiochemicals and available EPF. The present study therefore consists of a preliminary screening of these components and their compatibility. Fungal strains were isolated from thrips cadavers with fungal infection symptoms in thrips populations reared in insect rearing cages. Out of twenty-three isolated fungal strains, one strain (Bb1) of Akanthomyces lecanii showed some efficacy for F. occidentalis biocontrol. Other strains potentially pathogenic to humans were not considered. The pathogenicity of the Bb1 strain and nine other EPF strains from our collection was assessed using an exploratory method in which the fungal treatments were applied to F. occidentalis eggs laid on bean pods. The reduction in the number of surviving individuals in the emerging population was evaluated after 8 days. The Bb1 strain caused a statistically significant mortality of 75%. In addition to that, the ten EPF strains were exposed to seven semiochemicals at concentrations of 1% and 10%. All semiochemicals showed an inhibitory effect. Moreover, geraniol, nerol and linalool at 10% were specifically deleterious, with 41%, 71% and 82% fungal growth inhibition, respectively. However, the inhibitory effect of semiochemicals depends on the strains tested. Thus, the radial growth of strain Bb1 is particularly little affected by verbenone, neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate, methyl isonicotinate, and p-anisaldehyde. This work yielded a fungal strain of interest and the selection of potentially compatible semiochemicals attractive to F. occidentalis. Full article