Search Results (3,021)

To investigate the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and primary driving factors of Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we employed an enhanced MODIS-PSN model. Utilizing the fifth-generation global climate reanalysis dataset (ECMWF ERA5), we generated GPP remote sensing products by integrating six natural factors. Through correlation analysis and geographical detector modeling, we quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics and key drivers of vegetation GPP across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from 2001 to 2022. The results demonstrate that GPP changes across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau display pronounced spatial heterogeneity. The humid northeastern and southeastern regions exhibit significantly positive change rates, primarily distributed across wetland and forest ecosystems, with a maximum mean annual change rate of 12.40 gC/m²/year. In contrast, the central and southern regions display a decreasing trend, with the minimum change rate reaching −1.61 gC/m²/year, predominantly concentrated in alpine grasslands and desert areas. Vegetation GPP on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shows significant correlations with temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), evapotranspiration (ET), leaf area index (LAI), precipitation, and radiation. Among the factors analyzed, LAI demonstrates the strongest explanatory power for spatial variations in vegetation GPP across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The dominant factors influencing vegetation GPP on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are LAI, ET, and precipitation. The pairwise interactions between these factors exhibit linear enhancement effects, demonstrating synergistic multifactor interactions. This study systematically analyzed the response mechanisms and variations of vegetation GPP to multiple driving factors across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from a spatial heterogeneity perspective. The findings provide both a critical theoretical framework and practical insights for better understanding ecosystem response dynamics and drought conditions on the plateau. Full article

The level of participation and performance of water user associations (WUAs) in drained and irrigated areas is influenced by many factors. This paper aims to identify the main challenges to the functioning and performance of these associations in Poland and Ukraine using the methodology of international comparative analysis. We examined legal, organizational, and financial framework of WUAs performance in Poland and Ukraine based on selected case study areas. The results of the study indicate that creation of WUAs in both countries can be assessed as beneficial for sustainable water development in general. However, it is found that the actions intended to bring benefits can actually exacerbate the problem of drought and water shortages. Research shows that the lack of complete documentation on the layout of the drainage networks plays a huge constraint factor that can lead to problems with controlling the reconstruction of drainage networks and significant deterioration of water relations. Another significant problem is the restriction of the scope of WUA activities in Poland to those types of actions subsidized by the state, while lacking financial resources for other necessary activities. Full article

With the rapid pace of urbanization, cities are increasingly facing severe challenges related to environmental pollution, ecological degradation, and climate change. Extreme climate events—such as heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall, and wildfires—have intensified public concern about sustainability, environmental protection, and low-carbon development. Ensuring environmental preservation while maintaining residents’ quality of life has become a central focus of urban governance. In this context, evaluating green indicators and predicting urban greenness is both necessary and urgent. This study incorporates international frameworks such as the EU Green City Index, the European Green Capital Award, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to assess urban sustainability. The Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm is employed to predict the green level of cities and to develop multiple optimized models. Comparative analysis with traditional models demonstrates that XGBoost achieves superior performance, with an accuracy of 0.84 and an F1-score of 0.81. Case study findings identify “Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Person” and “Per Capita Emissions from Transport” as the most critical indicators. These results provide practical guidance for policymakers, suggesting that targeted regulations based on these key factors can effectively support emission reduction and urban sustainability goals. Full article

Flavonoids serve as crucial plant antioxidants in drought tolerance, yet their antioxidant regulatory mechanisms within mycorrhizal plants remain unclear. In this study, using a two-factor design, trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) seedlings in the four-to-five-leaf stage were either inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae or not, and subjected to well-watered (70–75% of field maximum water-holding capacity) or drought stress (50–55% field maximum water-holding capacity) conditions for 10 weeks. Plant growth performance, photosynthetic physiology, leaf flavonoid content and their antioxidant capacity, reactive oxygen species levels, and activities and gene expression of key flavonoid biosynthesis enzymes were analyzed. Although drought stress significantly reduced root colonization and soil hyphal length, inoculation with F. mosseae consistently enhanced the biomass of leaves, stems, and roots, as well as root surface area and diameter, irrespective of soil moisture. Despite drought suppressing photosynthesis in mycorrhizal plants, F. mosseae substantially improved photosynthetic capacity (measured via gas exchange) and optimized photochemical efficiency (assessed by chlorophyll fluorescence) while reducing non-photochemical quenching (heat dissipation). Inoculation with F. mosseae elevated the total flavonoid content in leaves by 46.67% (well-watered) and 14.04% (drought), accompanied by significantly enhanced activities of key synthases such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), 4-coumarate:coA ligase (4CL), and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), with increases ranging from 16.90 to 117.42% under drought. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that both mycorrhization and drought upregulated the expression of PtPAL1, PtCHI, and Pt4CL genes, with soil moisture critically modulating mycorrhizal regulatory effects. In vitro assays showed that flavonoid extracts scavenged radicals at rates of 30.07–41.60% in hydroxyl radical (•OH), 71.89–78.06% in superoxide radical anion (O₂^•−), and 49.97–74.75% in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Mycorrhizal symbiosis enhanced the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids, resulting in higher scavenging rates of •OH (19.07%), O₂^•− (5.00%), and DPPH (31.81%) under drought. Inoculated plants displayed reduced hydrogen peroxide (19.77%), O₂^•− (23.90%), and malondialdehyde (17.36%) levels. This study concludes that mycorrhizae promote the level of total flavonoids in trifoliate orange by accelerating the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, hence reducing oxidative damage under drought. Full article

Water is essential for ecological balance, environmental sustainability, and food security, particularly in arid regions where effective water management increasingly depends on farmer cooperation. The Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, known for its favorable climate and leading role in grape production, is facing rising drought conditions. This study explores the factors influencing grape farmers’ willingness to collaborate on water management in the districts of Ishtikhan, Payarik, and Kushrabot, which together produce 75–80% of the region’s grapes. A quantitative survey of 384 grape-producing households was conducted across 19 county citizens’ gatherings (38.7% of such gatherings), and structural equation modeling was employed to analyze a framework consisting of four dimensions: norms, environmental concerns, economic barriers, and the intention to adopt sustainable practices. The results indicate that norms and environmental concerns positively influence collaboration, suggesting a collective orientation toward sustainability. In contrast, economic barriers such as high costs and limited financial capacity significantly hinder cooperative behavior. Furthermore, a strong individual intention to adopt sustainable practices was associated with a greater likelihood of collaboration. These findings highlight the critical drivers and constraints shaping collective water use in agriculture and suggest that targeted policy measures and community-led efforts are vital for promoting sustainable water governance in drought-prone regions. Full article

Tillage is a major factor influencing soil biological communities, particularly earthworms, which play a key role in soil structure and nutrient cycling. To address soil degradation, less-intensive tillage practices are increasingly being adopted globally and have shown positive effects on earthworm populations when applied consistently over extended periods. However, understanding of the earthworm population dynamics in the period following the implementation of changes in tillage practices remains limited. This three-year field study (2021–2023) investigates earthworm populations during the early transition phase (4–6 years) following the conversion from conventional ploughing to conservation (<8 cm depth, with residue retention) and no-tillage systems in a temperate arable system in central Slovenia. Earthworms were sampled annually in early October from three adjacent fields, each following the same three-year crop rotation (maize—winter cereal + cover crop—soybeans), using a combination of hand-sorting and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) extraction. Results showed that reduced tillage practices significantly increased both earthworm biomass and abundance compared to conventional ploughing. However, a significant interaction between tillage and year was observed, with a sharp decline in earthworm abundance and mass in 2022, likely driven by a combination of 2022 summer tillage prior to cover crop sowing and extreme drought conditions. Juvenile earthworms were especially affected, with their proportion decreasing from 62% to 34% in ploughed plots and from 63% to 26% in conservation tillage plots. Despite interannual fluctuations, no-till showed the lowest variability in earthworm population. Long-term monitoring is essential to disentangle management and environmental effects and to inform resilient soil management strategies. Full article

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) cultivation is expanding in Central Europe due to the development of early-maturing cultivars and growing demand for plant-based protein produced without the use of genetically modified organisms. However, nitrogen (N) management remains a major challenge in temperate climates, where variable weather conditions can significantly affect nodulation and yield. This study evaluated the effects of three nitrogen fertilisation doses (0, 30, and 60 kg N·ha⁻¹), applied in the form of ammonium nitrate (34% N) and two commercial rhizobial inoculants—HiStick Soy (containing Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain 532C) and Nitragina (including a Polish strain of B. japonicum)—on nodulation, nitrogen uptake, and seed yield. A three-year field experiment (2017–2019) was conducted in southwestern Poland using a two-factor randomized complete block design. Nodulation varied significantly across years, with the highest values recorded under favourable early-season moisture and reduced during drought. In the first year, inoculation with HiStick Soy significantly increased nodule number and seed yield compared to Nitragina and the uninoculated control. Nitrogen fertilisation consistently improved seed yield, although it had no significant effect on nodulation. The highest nitrogen use efficiency was observed with moderate nitrogen input (30 kg N·ha⁻¹) combined with inoculation. These findings highlight the importance of integrating effective rhizobial inoculants with optimized nitrogen fertilisation to improve soybean productivity and nitrogen efficiency under variable temperate climate conditions. Full article

Conventional tillage and monocropping are common practices employed for cotton production in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region, but they can be detrimental to soil health, crop yield, and water resources when improperly managed. Regenerative practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage have been suggested as an alternative. The proposed shift in management practices originates from the need to make agriculture resilient to extreme weather events including intense rainfall and drought. The objective of this study is to test the effects of these regenerative practices in an environment with limited rainfall. Runoff volume, nutrient and sediment concentrations and loadings, and surface soil moisture levels were compared on twelve half-acre (0.2 hectare) cotton plots that employed different cotton seeding rates and variable winter wheat cover crop presence. A winter cover implemented on plots with a high cotton seeding rate significantly reduced runoff when compared to other treatments (p = 0.032). Cover cropped treatments did not show significant effects on nutrient or sediment loadings, although slight reductions were observed in the concentrations and loadings of total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, total solids, and Escherichia coli. The limitations of this study included a short timeframe, mechanical failures, and drought. These factors potentially reduced the statistical differences in several findings. More efficient methods of crop production must continue to be developed for agriculture in the SGP to conserve soil and water resources, improve soil health and crop yields, and enhance resiliency to climate change. Full article

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is widely cultivated for its valuable medicinal, aromatic, and oil-rich seeds. However, drought stress remains one of the most significant abiotic factors influencing its development, physiological function, and overall output. This study investigates the potential of foliar applications of silicon (Si), Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt extracts (SWE), and their combination to enhance drought tolerance and mitigate stress-induced damage in sesame. Plants were grown under well-watered conditions (80% field capacity, FC) versus 40% FC (drought conditions) and were treated with foliar applications of 1 mM Si, 10% SWE, or both. The results showed that the majority of the tested parameters were significantly (p < 0.05) lowered by drought stress. However, the combined application of Si and SWE significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced plant performance under drought stress, leading to improved growth, biomass accumulation, water status, and physiological traits. Gas exchange, photosynthetic pigment content, and photosystem activity (PSI and PSII) all increased significantly when SWE were given alone; PSII was more significantly affected. In contrast, Si alone had a more pronounced impact on PSI activity. These findings suggest that Si and SWE, applied individually or in combination, can effectively alleviate drought stress’s negative impact on sesame, supporting their use as promising biostimulants for enhancing drought tolerance. Full article

The Inner Mongolia Plateau (IMP), situated in the arid and semi-arid ecological transition zone of northern China, is particularly vulnerable to both climate change and human activities. Understanding the spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics and their driving forces is essential for regional ecological management. This study employs Sen’s slope estimation, BFAST analysis, residual trend method and Geodetector to analyze the spatial patterns of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) variability and distinguish between climatic and anthropogenic influences. Key findings include the following: (1) From 1982 to 2022, vegetation cover across the IMP exhibited a significant greening trend. Zonal analysis showed that this spatial heterogeneity was strongly regulated by regional hydrothermal conditions, with varied responses across land cover types and pronounced recovery observed in high-altitude areas. (2) In the western arid regions, vegetation trends were unstable, often marked by interruptions and reversals, contrasting with the sustained greening observed in the eastern zones. (3) Vegetation growth was primarily temperature-driven in the eastern forested areas, precipitation-driven in the central grasslands, and severely limited in the western deserts due to warming-induced drought. (4) Human activities exerted dual effects: significant positive residual trends were observed in the Hetao Plain and southern Horqin Sandy Land, while widespread negative residuals emerged across the southern deserts and central grasslands. (5) Vegetation change was driven by climate and human factors, with recovery mainly due to climate improvement and degradation linked to their combined impact. These findings highlight the interactive mechanisms of climate change and human disturbance in regulating terrestrial vegetation dynamics, offering insights for sustainable development and ecosystem education in climate-sensitive systems. Full article

Drought is one of the most complex natural hazards, characterized by its slow onset, persistent nature, diverse sectoral impacts (e.g., agriculture, water resources, ecosystems), and dependence on meteorological, hydrological, and socioeconomic factors. Over the years, significant scientific effort has been devoted to developing methodologies that address its multifaceted nature, reflecting the interdisciplinary challenges of drought analysis. However, previous reviews have typically focused on individual methods, while this study presents a unified, multidisciplinary framework that integrates multiple drought analysis methods and links them to key factors guiding method selection. To address this gap, five widely used methods—index-based, remote sensing, threshold-level methods (TLM), impact-based methods, and the storyline approach—are critically evaluated from a multidisciplinary perspective. In addition, the study examines spatial and temporal trends in scientific publications, illustrating how the application of these methods has evolved over time and across regions. The primary objective of this review is twofold: (1) to provide a holistic, state-of-the-art synthesis of these methods, their applications, and their limitations; and (2) to evaluate and prioritize the critical decision-making factors, including drought type, data type/availability, study scale, and management objectives that influence method selection. By bridging this gap, the paper offers a conceptual decision-support framework for selecting context-appropriate drought analysis methods. However, challenges remain, including the vast diversity of methods beyond the scope of this review and the limited consideration of less influential factors such as user expertise, computational resources, and policy context. The paper concludes with insights and recommendations for optimizing method selection under varying circumstances, aiming to support both drought research and effective policy implementation. Full article

Trichomes are specialized epidermal structures that protect plants from environmental stresses, regulated by transcription factors integrating hormonal and environmental cues. This study investigates the roles of two C2H2 zinc finger proteins, GIS2 and ZFP8, in regulating trichome patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using dexamethasone-inducible overexpression lines, transcriptomic profiling, and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we identified 142 GIS2- and 138 ZFP8-associated candidate genes involved in sterol metabolism, senescence, and stress responses. GIS2 positively and directly regulated the expression of SQE5, linked to sterol biosynthesis and drought tolerance, and repressed SEN1, a senescence marker associated with abscisic acid and phosphate signaling. ZFP8 modulated stress-related target genes, including PR-4 and SPL15, with partial functional overlap between GIS family members. Spatially, GIS2 functions in inflorescence trichomes via integrating gibberellin-cytokinin pathways, while ZFP8 influences leaf trichomes through cytokinin and abscisic acid signal. Gibberellin treatment stabilized GIS2 protein and induced SQE5 expression, whereas SEN1 repression was gibberellin-independent. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and DEX-CHX experiment confirmed GIS2 binding to SQE5 and SEN1 promoters at conserved C2H2 motifs. These findings highlight hormone-mediated transcriptional regulation of trichome development by GIS2 and ZFP8, offering mechanistic insight into signal integration. The results provide a foundation for future crop improvement strategies targeting trichome-associated stress resilience. Full article

Evapotranspiration (ET) crucially regulates water storage dynamics and is an essential component of the terrestrial water cycle. Understanding ET dynamics is fundamental for sustainable water resource management, particularly in regions facing increasing drought risks under climate change. In regions like southwestern China, where extreme drought events are prevalent due to complex terrain and climate warming, ET becomes a key factor in understanding water availability and drought dynamics. Using the SWAT model, this study investigates ET dynamics and influencing factors in the Jizi Basin, Yunnan Province, a small basin with over 71% forest coverage. The model calibration and validation results demonstrated a high degree of consistency with observed discharge data and ERA5, confirming its reliability. The results show that the annual average ET in the Jizi Basin is 573.96 mm, with significant seasonal variations. ET in summer typically ranges from 70 to 100 mm/month, while in winter, it drops to around 20 mm/month. Spring ET exhibits the highest variability, coinciding with the occurrence of extreme hydrological events such as droughts. The monthly anomalies of ET effectively reproduce the spring and early summer 2019 drought event. Notably, ET variation exhibits significant uncertainty under scenarios of +1 °C temperature and −20% precipitation. Furthermore, although land use changes had relatively small effects on overall ET, they played crucial roles in promoting groundwater recharge through enhanced percolation, especially forest cover. The study highlights that, in addition to climate and land use, soil moisture and groundwater conditions are vital in modulating ET and drought occurrence. The findings offer insights into the hydrological processes of small forested basins in southwestern China and provide important support for sustainable water resource management and effective climate adaptation strategies, particularly in the context of increasing drought vulnerability. Full article

GOLDEN2-LIKEs (GLKs) are important transcription factors for the chloroplast development influencing photosynthesis, nutrition, senescence, and stress response in plants. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a highly photosynthetic plant; here, a GLK-homologues gene HaGLK was identified from the sunflower genome by bioinformatics. To analyze the bio-function of HaGLK, transgenic rice plants overexpressing HaGLK (HaGLK-OE) were constructed and characterized via phenotype. Compared to the wild-type control rice variety Zhonghua 11 (ZH11), the HaGLK-OE lines exhibited increased photosynthetic pigment contents, higher net photosynthetic rates, and enlarged chloroplast area; meanwhile, genes involved in both photosynthesis and chlorophyll biosynthesis were also significantly up-regulated. Significantly, the HaGLK-OE plants showed a 12–13% increase in yield per plant. Additionally, the HaGLK-OE plants were demonstrated to have improved salt and drought tolerance compared to the control ZH11. Our results indicated that the HaGLK gene could play multiple roles in photosynthesis and stress response in rice, underscoring its potential value for improving crop productivity and environmental adaptability in breeding. Full article

The worldwide agriculture industry is facing increasing problems due to rapid population increase and increasingly unfavorable weather patterns. In order to reach the projected food production targets, which are essential for guaranteeing global food security, innovative and sustainable agricultural methods must be adopted. Conventional approaches, including traditional breeding procedures, often cannot handle the complex and simultaneous effects of biotic pressures such as pest infestations, disease attacks, and nutritional imbalances, as well as abiotic stresses including heat, salt, drought, and heavy metal toxicity. Applying phytohormonal approaches, particularly those involving hormonal crosstalk, presents a viable way to increase crop resilience in this context. Abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellins (GAs), auxin, cytokinins, salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene, and GA are among the plant hormones that control plant stress responses. In order to precisely respond to a range of environmental stimuli, these hormones allow plants to control gene expression, signal transduction, and physiological adaptation through intricate networks of antagonistic and constructive interactions. This review focuses on how the principal hormonal signaling pathways (in particular, ABA-ET, ABA-JA, JA-SA, and ABA-auxin) intricately interact and how they affect the plant stress response. For example, ABA-driven drought tolerance controls immunological responses and stomatal behavior through antagonistic interactions with ET and SA, while using SnRK2 kinases to activate genes that react to stress. Similarly, the transcription factor MYC2 is an essential node in ABA–JA crosstalk and mediates the integration of defense and drought signals. Plants’ complex hormonal crosstalk networks are an example of a precisely calibrated regulatory system that strikes a balance between growth and abiotic stress adaptation. ABA, JA, SA, ethylene, auxin, cytokinin, GA, and BR are examples of central nodes that interact dynamically and context-specifically to modify signal transduction, rewire gene expression, and change physiological outcomes. To engineer stress-resilient crops in the face of shifting environmental challenges, a systems-level view of these pathways is provided by a combination of enrichment analyses and STRING-based interaction mapping. These hormonal interactions are directly related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action). This review emphasizes the potential of biotechnologies to use hormone signaling to improve agricultural performance and sustainability by uncovering the molecular foundations of hormonal crosstalk. Increasing our understanding of these pathways presents a strategic opportunity to increase crop resilience, reduce environmental degradation, and secure food systems in the face of increasing climate unpredictability. Full article