Search Results (882)

Soil salinization has become a major constraint on sustainable agricultural development and the improvement of crop productivity. However, the effects of biochar combined with different organic amendments on the microbial ecology of saline–alkaline soils and crop performance remain insufficiently understood. This study evaluated the effects of different amendment strategies, including sole applications of fulvic acid (FA), organic fertilizer (OF), and biochar (BC), as well as their combinations. Soil bacterial community composition, richness, and diversity, oat agronomic traits, hay yield, and forage quality indicators were assessed. Spearman correlation analysis and the Mantel test were employed to examine the relationships among soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and crop performance. Combined applications exerted stronger effects on modulating soil bacterial community composition than sole applications, while FA, BC, or their combinations significantly enhanced bacterial richness and diversity. Crop responses exhibited distinct functional differentiation among combined treatments. The biochar combined with fulvic acid (BC + FA) treatment showed the greatest potential for promoting oat growth and increasing yield, with plant height and stem diameter reaching 99.20 cm and 3.99 mm, respectively, and hay yield increasing by 48.5% compared with the control treatment. In contrast, the biochar combined with organic fertilizer (BC + OF) treatment significantly increased crude protein content (CP) and reduced acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents, indicating improved forage quality. Although the crude fat content was numerically higher under BC + OF, no significant differences were observed among treatments. Correlation analyses further revealed that changes in soil physicochemical properties were associated with variations in several dominant bacterial genera, which were correlated with oat agronomic traits and forage quality indicators. Overall, the combined application of biochar with fulvic acid or organic fertilizer improved saline-alkaline soil microbial characteristics and showed potential for enhancing forage oat yield and quality, with BC + FA primarily improving yield production and BC + OF mainly enhancing forage quality. Full article

Understanding seasonal dietary shifts in reintroduced herbivores is essential for conservation, yet detailed patterns for Milu (Elaphurus davidianus) in wetland habitats remain underexplored. This study applied high-throughput sequencing to fecal samples collected across four seasons in Tianjin Qilihai Wetland, identifying 43 plant species from 24 families. Significant seasonal differences were detected in relative read abundance. At the family level, Poaceae dominated spring, significantly exceeding all other seasons; Asteraceae and Cyperaceae were highest in summer, with Cyperaceae also surpassing winter and spring; Amaranthaceae peaked in autumn, higher than spring and summer; and Celastraceae prevailed in winter. At the species level, Phragmites australis was overwhelmingly consumed in spring; Lactuca indica and Bolboschoenus planiculmis peaked in summer; Euonymus japonicus dominated winter; and Suaeda salsa was highest in autumn, exceeding spring. These compositional shifts reveal a strategic transition from a specialized diet focused on high-quality resources in spring–summer to a broad-spectrum diet including woody plants, legumes, and cultivated species in autumn–winter. Overall, Milu exhibit substantial dietary plasticity, a key trait underpinning reintroduction success, and our findings provide empirical evidence to guide adaptive forage management in wetland reserves. Full article

Forage conservation is a strategic component of Mediterranean livestock systems, where seasonal drought, irregular rainfall, and high summer temperatures limit the availability of fresh forage. In these environments, hay and haylage are widely used as preservation strategies, yet their environmental performance remains insufficiently quantified under semi-arid conditions. It is hypothesized that the higher material and energy inputs required for haylage could be compensated for by the combined effects of biomass preservation efficiency and forage productivity, resulting in comparable or lower impacts per unit of conserved forage under Mediterranean farm conditions. To test this hypothesis, a life cycle assessment was conducted to compare hay and haylage production in a forage farm located in Sicily, Italy, considering the 2024–2025 season. The analysis adopted a cradle-to-farm-gate system boundary, and two complementary impact assessment methods, namely the CML-IA baseline method and the ReCiPe 2016 method, were applied. Environmental burdens were calculated per hectare of cultivated land and per ton of dry matter produced to capture both land-based and product-based performance. The choice of functional unit strongly influenced the interpretation of the environmental impact results. Per hectare, hay and haylage displayed comparable overall burdens, with haylage showing higher impacts in impact categories linked to plastic use and wrapping operations. Per ton of dry matter, however, haylage showed consistently lower impacts, attributed to greater biomass recovery and higher dry matter output, reflecting the combined effect of forage composition, crop productivity, and conservation efficiency. Hay systems showed greater burdens per unit of product under the evaluated farm conditions due to prolonged drying periods, repeated field operations, and higher biomass losses during harvesting and storage. The results suggest that, within the specific Mediterranean farm context analyzed, the combined effects of biomass preservation efficiency and crop productivity were important factors influencing environmental performance when impacts were expressed on an output basis. This case study contributes to current knowledge by identifying biomass recovery, rather than input minimization alone, as a key driver of sustainable forage conservation. Full article

Brazilian cattle production relies predominantly on pasture systems, many of which are degraded by nutrient depletion, particularly nitrogen deficiency. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) offer a sustainable strategy to improve pasture productivity, but their effects are often host-specific and remain poorly explored in Paspalum. This study evaluated the effect of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense strains CNPSo 2083 (=Ab-V5) and CNPSo 2084 (=Ab-V6) and Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CNPSo 2719 (=CCTB 03), applied by seed inoculation or leaf spray, on the root morphology and shoot growth of four Paspalum accessions under controlled axenic greenhouse conditions, evaluated in an early growth stage at 35 days after emergence. Genotype-specific responses were the central finding of this study: Paspalum malacophyllum BGP-293 showed negligible responses to inoculation, whereas BGP-486—of the same species—increased root dry weight by up to 43% and root tissue density by up to 30% in all inoculated treatments. In Paspalum regnellii BGP-112, seed inoculation produced stronger root responses than foliar spray, increasing root dry weight by up to 38% and root area by up to 40%. In Paspalum rojasii BGP-149, inoculation induced root architectural remodeling without increasing root biomass—root area increased by up to 92% and total root length by up to 97%, relative to the control—indicating an efficient root-foraging strategy. P. fluorescens favored root-foraging traits and tissue density, whereas A. brasilense preferentially stimulated root-hair elongation. These accession-level contrasts, rather than a single generalizable trend, are the main contribution of this work: they support tailored, genotype-specific PGPB strategies for sustainable tropical pastures. Full article

Water scarcity has a significant impact on global agriculture, particularly in semi-arid regions, hindering economic development. The use of recycled urban wastewater in agriculture is a sustainable practice; however, it is essential to assess its impact on soil carbon stocks and microbial activity. This study hypothesized that the use of wastewater in soil cultivated with forage cactus and amended with 8 or 12 tons of sorghum straw as soil cover could increase carbon stocks, microbial biomass, and microbial activity compared to bare soil, even after only 8 months. The experiment was conducted in a tropical semi-arid region of Brazil, based on a factorial design with different cactus intercropping systems and soil cover treatments under wastewater irrigation. Overall, soil carbon stocks did not increase significantly compared to the control, although they increased by approximately 21% over the study period. However, soil cover increased C-CO₂ emissions by 70% after 4 and 8 months. Microbial biomass carbon increased by 65% compared to the baseline (time 0), particularly in treatments with soil cover. Soil cover and consortium under wastewater irrigation improved microbial activity and biomass, even over a short experimental period, indicating a sustainable soil management strategy to enhance soil organic matter quality and microbial properties. Full article

Although Alternaria gansuense causes yellow stunt and root rot (YSRR)—a destructive disease of the leguminous forage Astragalus adsurgens in northern China—systematic investigations of this pathogen at the protein level remain scarce. In this study, we establish an optimized proteomic workflow for A. gansuense by comparing two protein extraction methods. Using data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry with a DIA-NN search against the Alternaria protein database, we construct the first comprehensive proteome reference map of A. gansuense, then perform functional annotation via Gene Ontology, KOG, KEGG, InterPro domain, and subcellular localization analyses. A total of 5052 proteins were identified from vegetative mycelia, and the proteome was found to be predominantly composed of proteins involved in primary metabolism, signal transduction, secondary metabolism, and stress responses. Notably, a set of putative pathogenicity-associated proteins, including two-component regulators (SSK1p), protein kinases, cytochrome P450 enzymes, and ABC transporters, was identified. These proteins are homologs of well-characterized virulence factors in other pathogenic fungi, suggesting a potential coordinated signaling—metabolism—defense network that may contribute to fungal virulence. Subcellular localization further shows that cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins together account for over 50% of the annotated proteome. This study presents the first comprehensive proteomic reference map for A. gansuense, providing a valuable resource for functional genomics. Subsequent experimental validation of the bioinformatically predicted candidate molecular targets presented here may help to dissect the pathogenic mechanisms of YSRR and enable the development of novel disease management strategies. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of formic acid (A), lignocellulolytic enzymes (E), and a lignocellulose-degrading microbial consortium (M) on fermentation quality, lignocellulose degradation, carbohydrate conversion, bacterial community, and potential microbial associations in forage oat silage. Fresh forage oat was treated with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum alone (control) or combined with A, E, or M and ensiled for 60 days with three biological replicates per treatment. All additives improved silage fermentation quality. Compared with the control, E and M significantly increased lactic acid content, reduced pH, and decreased ammonia-N accumulation. E exhibited the highest water-soluble carbohydrate content (26.37 g/kg DM) and achieved the greatest degradation extent of hemicellulose, cellulose, and ADL, accompanied by increased release of glucose, fructose, and xylose. LEfSe and correlation analysis suggested that carbohydrate-utilizing bacteria and LAB-related taxa were closely associated with lignocellulose degradation, xylose release, and lactic acid production. M exhibited the highest observed co-occurrence network complexity, suggesting altered potential associations among bacterial taxa during ensiling. E primarily improved silage quality by promoting lignocellulose degradation and increasing carbohydrate availability, whereas M was associated with improved fermentation characteristics and changes in bacterial community composition and co-occurrence network complexity. These findings highlight lignocellulolytic enzymes and microbial consortia as effective strategies for improving lignocellulose utilization and fermentation quality in forage oat silage. Full article

Livestock production in Africa occurs across highly heterogeneous agroecological and management environments, ranging from extensive pastoral and mixed crop–livestock systems to intensive enterprises. These systems are characterized by seasonal and spatial variation in feed resources, reliance on locally available forage and agricultural by-products, climatic stress, endemic diseases, and the use of indigenous and locally adapted breeds. Such conditions create distinctive microbiome–host interactions that remain poorly represented in global livestock omics research. Although the gut microbiome is central to nutrient utilization, immune function, metabolic homeostasis, and resilience, the functional mechanisms linking microbial communities, diet, host physiology, and productivity in African livestock remain insufficiently characterized. African systems are particularly underrepresented in integrated microbiome–metabolomics datasets, longitudinal studies, and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled predictive models, limiting the development of context-specific precision nutrition strategies. This review examines the integration of metabolomics and AI with microbiome and host data to advance precision livestock nutrition within an African and One Health context. It identifies both substantial constraints and strategic opportunities. Limited research infrastructure, high-quality regional datasets, computational capacity, and specialized expertise remain major barriers. Conversely, Africa’s diversity of livestock breeds, feed resources, agroecological conditions, and naturally occurring resilience phenotypes provides an important opportunity to identify microbiome–metabolite signatures associated with feed efficiency, disease resilience, climate adaptation, and product quality. Emerging metabolomics and computational capacity, particularly in South Africa, could support regional research networks and continental data infrastructures. Furthermore, the review proposes an Africa-specific approach that develops locally grounded, scalable, and resource-sensitive precision nutrition strategies, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, animal health, food safety, climate resilience, sustainable livestock production, and broader One Health objectives. Full article

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) in forage legumes is a key biological process that provides nitrogen inputs and enhances soil fertility in agroecosystems. Enhancing SNF efficiency helps reduce dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and improve nitrogen use efficiency. Humic substances (HS) have been reported to stimulate root development and nutrient acquisition in different crop species. However, their effect on root nodulation and SNF in forage legumes remains poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of a humic acid-based soil amendment (liquid Humalite) on root growth, nodulation, SNF, and plant nitrogen acquisition in red clover. Red clover seedlings were grown in a modified Leonard jar system placed under controlled environmental conditions and treated with 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% (v/v) liquid Humalite. Plant biomass, root morphological traits, nodulation parameters, SNF, and shoot nitrogen accumulation were assessed after 6 weeks. SNF was quantified using the ¹⁵N-isotope dilution method. Application of liquid Humalite significantly affected plant growth and SNF responses in red clover. The 0.2% liquid Humalite treatment significantly increased root and total plant biomass by 35% compared to the untreated control. Total root length, surface area, and volume increased by 20–25% at 0.2% liquid Humalite. Nodule number, nodule dry weight, shoot nitrogen concentration, and shoot C:N ratio did not differ among treatments. However, the percent nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) was significantly higher under the 0.2% liquid Humalite treatment (47%) as compared to the untreated control (28%). Under the 0.2% liquid Humalite, total fixed and accumulated shoot nitrogen increased by 134% and 37%, respectively, compared to the control. Overall, these findings indicate that humic substances may enhance SNF and nitrogen accumulation in red clover, highlighting their potential as a management strategy to improve forage productivity. Full article

Goat milk composition is an important determinant of the nutritional, technological, and economic value of dairy products and is influenced by feeding management. This study examined the associations between feeding practices implemented during different lactation stages and goat milk quality, expressed as a latent construct comprising fat, protein, lactose, and solids-not-fat, in semi-intensive dairy goat farms in Northern Greece. Data were collected from 242 commercial farms through milk sampling and a structured questionnaire on feeding management, animal characteristics, and farm practices. Associations between feeding practices and milk quality were evaluated using structural equation modeling. The final model showed satisfactory fit and explained 46.6% of the variance in the latent milk-quality construct. Moderate concentrate supplementation (300–500 g/day) during mid and late lactation showed the strongest positive association with milk quality, followed by grass–legume hay, protein concentrate supplementation, dairy mixes containing vitamins and minerals, pasture intake of 3–4 kg/day, and goat balancer use. Annual milk yield was negatively associated with milk quality, whereas goat age showed a positive association. These findings indicate that lactation-stage-specific feeding management emphasizing moderate concentrate supplementation and high-quality forage is associated with improved milk composition and may help optimize feeding strategies in semi-intensive dairy goat systems. Full article

The Hetao Irrigation District in arid northwestern China presents a significant challenge in balancing agricultural intensification and water conservation, particularly in its terminal lake, Wuliangsu Lake. This study examined how changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and cropping structures influenced the lake’s water quality. By using remote sensing data for LULC classification and agricultural statistics for crop composition, we analyzed the spatio-temporal variation in LULC and cropping structure in the irrigation district and quantified the associated agricultural non-point source pollution loads (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand) entering the lake. A calibrated Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code model was applied to evaluate water quality responses to cropping structure optimization. Our findings revealed significant shifts in LULC and cropping structure during the study period, driven by agricultural intensification, ecological restoration policies, urbanization, market forces, and national food security strategies. Concurrently, agricultural non-point source pollution loads into the lake showed a steady declining trend from 2018 to 2023, with total nitrogen (TN) decreasing by 15%, total phosphorus (TP) by 16.9%, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 19.4%. Model simulations demonstrated that optimizing the cropping structure, specifically by reducing the area of high-fertilizer crops (sunflower) and expanding low-fertilizer crops (spring wheat) and forage crops for ecological purposes, could further improve lake water quality. Under the intensive adjustment scenario, the inflow loads of TN, TP, and COD decreased by 10%, 11.7%, and 10.9%, respectively, while the corresponding in-lake concentrations decreased by 22.1%, 19.8%, and 18.7%, respectively. TP exhibited the highest sensitivity to such adjustments. By linking cropping structure adjustments with hydrodynamic-water quality modeling, this study provides a quantitative framework for assessing water quality responses in arid irrigated systems, offering a scientific basis for balancing agricultural production and water ecosystem protection in the Hetao district and similar regions. Full article

Food security faces significant challenges due to the growing threat of insect pests and global climate change, making it essential to adopt sustainable agricultural strategies. Plants possess intrinsic defense systems that are activated in response to herbivore attack, including the emission of specialized volatile organic compounds (VOC) known as herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). These volatiles aid the foraging of natural enemies (predators and parasitoids), thereby contributing to biological control of pest populations. Harnessing these chemical defense mechanisms offers a promising avenue for pest management, although natural enemy attraction does not necessarily result in pest suppression or increased crop yield. This review synthesizes plant and insect-derived chemical signaling mechanisms with direct relevance to biological control in crop agroecosystems, including field crops, orchards, vegetable systems, and protected cultivation. We emphasize recent applied research while retaining selected foundational studies that established the principal concepts and mechanisms underlying chemically mediated pest management. Considering the importance of chemical signaling in sustainable agriculture, we propose four key research directions: (1) optimizing plant defense induction mechanisms; (2) integrating HIPVs with natural enemy pheromone-based attractants; (3) combining habitat management with the provision of plant-derived food resources; and (4) harnessing plant defenses through breeding and infochemical-based genetically modified crops. Additionally, we examine the potential impacts of environmental stressors on plant–herbivore chemical communication, underscoring their importance for resilient and environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. Full article

This study proposes a biomimetic multi-objective optimization framework for airflow distribution design in mine ventilation systems by integrating sensitivity screening with an improved multi-objective sparrow search algorithm (IMOSSA). The design problem is formulated with network-balance, critical branch airflow, fan-boundary, and adjustable-resistance constraints, while theoretical ventilation air power and pressure-drop disturbance are minimized as two conflicting objectives. Resistance-perturbation sensitivity analysis is used to identify high-impact adjustable branches and construct branch-specific search bounds, thereby forming a compact and physically feasible decision domain. Inspired by the foraging and vigilance behaviors of sparrow populations, IMOSSA is employed as a swarm-intelligence Pareto-search engine and integrates three strategies: chaotic opposition-based elite initialization to enhance initial population diversity, density-penalized external-archive guidance to maintain Pareto-front diversity, and stagnation-triggered differential–Cauchy perturbation to improve late-stage escape capability. ZDT and DTLZ benchmark functions verify the computational reliability of IMOSSA; in particular, on the multimodal ZDT4 function, IMOSSA achieves GD, IGD, and HV values of 0.0096, 0.0195, and 0.8479, respectively, indicating strong robustness in complex Pareto-front search. A mine ventilation network case further validates the engineering applicability of the proposed framework. For 13 adjustable branches, the compromise solution reduces model-computed ventilation air power from 313.61 kW to 281.11 kW, corresponding to a reduction of 10.36%, with a pressure-drop deviation of 354.15 Pa; the energy-priority solution further reduces the power to 256.91 kW, corresponding to a reduction of 18.08%. The results show that the proposed biomimetic multi-objective optimization framework can provide computable and interpretable Pareto decision support for airflow distribution design in mine ventilation systems. Full article

Driven by global climate change and Taiwan’s Net-Zero initiatives, high-input livestock farming faces urgent pressures to transform. Pennisetum purpureum, a primary forage and bioenergy crop, traditionally relies on heavy chemical nitrogen inputs, thereby exacerbating its carbon footprint. This study evaluated a sustainable cultivation model integrating legume intercropping with reduced fertilization. A field trial in central Taiwan utilizing a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) compared four treatments: conventional full nitrogen (800 kg N/ha), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) intercropping with half nitrogen, sunn hemp intercropping only, and organic compost. We monitored biomass, forage chemistry, and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. The sunn hemp plus half-nitrogen treatment achieved dry matter yields (30–35 Mg/ha) and crude protein levels (7.1–7.4%) statistically equivalent to the full-nitrogen control, significantly surpassing other groups. While short-term SOC stocks (72–81 Mg C/ha) showed no significant differences, trends indicated carbon accumulation in deep soil (30–50 cm). Consequently, substituting 50% of chemical nitrogen through biological fixation proves a viable strategy to maintain yield while reducing inputs. This model sustains productivity and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions, offering an economically feasible, potential carbon-negative solution for tropical forage systems. Full article

Dual-purpose cattle systems are among the most important livestock production systems in tropical regions, contributing significantly to food production and rural livelihoods. However, their considerable diversity in management practices, resource endowments, producer-reported climatic stressors, and production intensity remains insufficiently characterized for effective policy design. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and characterize farm typologies by integrating productive, structural, environmental, and management dimensions and to describe differences in farm-system vulnerability among them. Data were collected from 132 commercial farms using structured surveys. Twenty-three variables were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis of which 22 reached the predefined absolute loading threshold for component interpretation. The resulting component scores were subsequently used in the hierarchical cluster analysis. Seven principal components with eigenvalues > 1 were identified, explaining 68.87% of the total variance. Cluster 1 comprised extensive, milk-oriented farms with the lowest milk productivity but the greatest pasture availability and diversity; nevertheless, these farms were particularly affected by drought. Cluster 2 represented the predominant dual-purpose model, with intermediate productive, environmental, and diversification characteristics. Cluster 3 included more intensive and productive farms with limited land availability, the lowest soil conservation and pasture availability scores, high maintenance expenditure, and low investment capacity. Cluster 4 showed the highest milk productivity but also the greatest exposure to excessive rainfall and northerly winds. Accordingly, appropriate strategies should prioritize drought preparedness and forage conservation in Cluster 1, gradual improvements in efficiency and environmental management in Cluster 2, soil and pasture restoration and reduced maintenance dependence in Cluster 3, and climate-resilient infrastructure and risk-management measures in Cluster 4. These findings demonstrate that dual-purpose cattle systems are highly heterogeneous systems structured by multiple productive, environmental, and organizational dimensions. The results demonstrate that typology-specific interventions are more appropriate than uniform recommendations and provide a framework for improving productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience in tropical livestock systems. Full article