Search Results (58)

The study evaluated the effect of intercropping Paulownia (Paulownia spp.) with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L., cv. KWS Thalis) on selected components of agroecosystem biodiversity under Polish conditions. A field experiment established in 2019 compared an alley cropping system with barley monoculture during the 2025 growing season. Weed infestation, soil microbial communities, mesofauna abundance, and crop yield were assessed. Weed abundance was lower in the intercropping system than in monoculture, reaching 5.6 vs. 15.6 plants m⁻² at BBCH 21 and 21 and 22.8 vs. 35.6 plants m⁻² at BBCH 75. Bacterial alpha diversity was significantly higher under intercropping conditions, with Shannon index values ranging from 5.12 to 5.25, compared with 4.98–5.09 in monoculture. Fungal diversity showed moderate differences between systems, whereas the abundance of Collembola and Acari was influenced mainly by seasonal variation rather than by cultivation system. No significant reduction in barley yield was observed under intercropping conditions. The results suggest that Paulownia-based alley cropping may reduce weed pressure and support selected soil biological properties without negatively affecting crop productivity. However, the observed responses varied depending on the analyzed parameter and sampling period, indicating the preliminary and context-dependent character of the results. Further long-term studies are required to better understand the ecological mechanisms operating in such agroforestry systems. Full article

Wet direct-seeded rice (WDSR) is a resource-efficient cultivation system gaining global popularity, but its sustainability is severely threatened by weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea). Due to the high genetic and physiological similarities between weedy and cultivated rice, selective chemical control remains a formidable challenge. This study evaluated an integrated chemical control strategy utilizing the safener metcamifen (applied as a seed coating) to protect cultivated rice from the pre-emergence herbicide pretilachlor in a simulated WDSR system. Indoor bioassays and outdoor mock-plot trials revealed that metcamifen seed coating alone (up to 560 mg a.i. kg⁻¹ seed) significantly promoted early seedling vigor in cultivated rice (‘Jia 67’) without exhibiting phytotoxicity. Conversely, soil application of pretilachlor at 375 g a.i. ha⁻¹ provided effective initial herbicidal activity, suppressing weedy rice emergence to merely 7.0%. Under this severe herbicide stress, metcamifen seed coating at an effective dose of 480 mg a.i. kg⁻¹ seed significantly mitigated phytotoxicity. However, this protection was partial; crop emergence was maintained at 63.8%, substantially preserving seedling biomass compared to the non-safened control (28.3%), but still reflecting a clear emergence penalty. We hypothesize that this moderate reduction in initial crop stand could potentially be compensated by proportionally increasing the initial seeding rate—a potential agronomic compromise that warrants future empirical validation in the field. In summary, this study provides a preliminary, controlled-environment evaluation demonstrating that the protective application of metcamifen with pretilachlor offers a potential framework for mitigating weedy rice infestations, subject to further field-scale verification. Full article

Long-term continuous cropping often leads to soil-borne pathogen enrichment, and reducing pathogen abundance in continuously cropped soils is an important control measure. In this study, three rotation crops—carrot (C), garlic (G), and bok choy (B)—were introduced into potato pathogen-infested soils. The effects of different systems on pathogen abundance, soil physicochemical properties, and soil microbial abundance were investigated to preliminarily clarify mechanisms by which crop rotation suppressed pathogen enrichment. The results showed that all rotation systems significantly reduced soil pathogen abundance (Fusarium oxysporum, Fo). Among the rotation systems, carrot rotation achieved the greatest Fo reduction and exhibited the strongest increase in soil pH, followed by garlic rotation, while bok choy rotation had the weakest effect. Carrot rotation significantly increased soil bacterial abundance over other treatments. Moreover, crop rotation effectively suppressed soil pathogen enrichment by increasing soil pH and bacterial abundance. Importantly, carrot rotation enhanced soil pathogen-suppressive enzyme activities and the abundance of antagonistic bacteria in the soil. In contrast, garlic root exudates directly inhibited the pathogen, while bok choy and carrot root exudates promoted pathogen growth. These findings demonstrated different rotation crops exhibit distinct pathogen suppression mechanisms. Carrot rotation may indirectly suppress soil pathogen enrichment by increasing the abundance of antagonistic bacteria and enhancing antifungal enzymes, whereas garlic rotation may directly inhibit the pathogen via root exudates. This study provides practical guidance for growers to select optimal rotation crops and design rational continuous cropping systems. Full article

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) are among the most destructive pests affecting cucumber production, causing significant reductions in plant growth and yield. This study investigated the efficacy of chitosan-based soil amendments, alone and in combination with hot or cold jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) leaf extracts and leaf powder, in suppressing nematode infestation and enhancing cucumber vegetative growth under greenhouse conditions. Treatments were evaluated for their impact on nematode reproduction, including egg masses, eggs per egg mass, second-stage juveniles (J2s), female numbers, and gall formation, as well as on plant growth parameters such as height, leaf number, and fresh and dry biomass. Chitosan alone reduced egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 43.83%, 56.35%, and 50.63%, respectively, while hot water extract reduced them by 44.10%, 54.18%, and 50.48%. Cold extract was less effective, with reductions of 31.36%, 48.29%, and 40.31%, whereas leaf powder alone caused reductions of 44.20%, 54.60%, and 45.00%. Combined applications exhibited higher efficacy: hot extract + chitosan reduced egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 61.64%, 59.45%, and 55.57%, leaf powder + chitosan by 64.38%, 60.70%, and 60.71%, and the triple treatment (leaf powder + chitosan + hot extract) achieved the highest suppression, reducing egg masses, eggs per egg mass, and J2s by 75.90%, 74.66%, and 69.22%, respectively. All treatments significantly enhanced cucumber growth compared with the naturally infested control. The triple treatment increased plant height by 38.5%, leaf number by 42.1%, fresh shoot biomass by 46.3%, and dry shoot biomass by 44.8%. Single treatments also improved growth, though to a lesser extent, reflecting a synergistic effect of chitosan and jojoba-derived amendments. These findings demonstrate that integrating biopolymer-based amendments with plant-derived bioactive compounds can simultaneously suppress root-knot nematode populations and promote cucumber growth. This study provides a solid basis for developing sustainable and eco-friendly integrated pest management strategies that reduce reliance on chemical nematicides. Full article

Cotton Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is a devastating soil-borne disease that severely limits global cotton production. While Myxococcus fulvus KS01 has demonstrated potent antagonistic activity and multi-functional biocontrol effects against V. dahliae, its practical application has been hindered by low myxospore yields and inconsistent efficacy in initial solid-state fermentation (SSF). This study aimed to optimize the SSF process for strain KS01 to maximize myxospore production and systematically evaluate its biocontrol efficacy against Verticillium wilt. Using a mixture of wheat straw and Protaetia brevitarsis frass (an agricultural byproduct) as the base substrate, we utilized single factor experiments and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize nutritional supplements and fermentation parameters. The optimized SSF process was determined as follows: a 3:1 (w/w) frass-to-straw ratio, supplemented with 3.08% potato starch and 1.05% yeast powder, with a 15.03% inoculum size, 65.05% moisture content, and an initial pH of 7.0, fermented at 30 °C for 6 days. Under these conditions, the myxospore concentration reached 6.61 × 10⁷ CFU/g, representing a 131.2-fold increase compared to unoptimized conditions (5.0 × 10⁵ CFU/g). Greenhouse pot trials showed that the optimized KS01 solid agent achieved a control efficacy of 71.9%. In field trials conducted in heavily infested soil, the agent maintained control efficacies of 71.2% at the budding stage and 54.5% at the bolling stage, significantly outperforming the commercial fungicide Benziothiazolinone (51.4% and 41.4%, respectively) and the sterile substrate control. Furthermore, application of the KS01 agent significantly promoted cotton growth, with seed cotton yield reaching 5380.0 kg/ha, equating to a 50.4% reduction in yield loss compared to the untreated control. Our results demonstrate that the valorization of P. brevitarsis frass through optimized SSF significantly enhances the production and field performance of M. fulvus KS01. This study provides a novel technical framework and a robust microbial resource for the sustainable management of Verticillium wilt in saline alkali cotton production systems. Full article

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most economically devastating pathogen of soybean in North America. Even at low to moderate infestation levels, SCN can cause 20–30% yield loss without producing any visible aboveground symptoms. In severely infested fields, yield reductions can reach 60–70% and, in extreme cases, exceed 80%. Prior research on identifying SCN infestations has primarily relied on traditional machine-learning methods applied to Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-based multispectral imagery, with limited success. This study hypothesizes that deep-learning (DL) methods can more effectively capture the subtle spectral and spatial signatures in multispectral images of SCN stress. To address this gap, we evaluate the performance of advanced DL architectures, including Vision Transformer (ViT) and a customized Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), for detecting SCN infestation in soybean fields using multispectral UAS imagery. Spectral analysis of the multispectral imagery revealed that the near-infrared (NIR) band is a strong discriminator between non-detected and SCN-infested areas. The DL models trained and tested across multiple growth stages showed promising results. The four-timestamp ViT model (3 June, 29 July, 19 August, and 2 September) achieved an F1-score of 0.74, while the five-timestamp SCN–CNN model (3 June, 22 July, 29 July, 19 August, and 2 September) achieved an F1-score of 0.75. Although overall performance was comparable, ViT demonstrated more stable performance across varying training and test data distributions. These findings highlight the effectiveness of DL architectures to automatically extract subtle, complex plant features from multispectral imagery throughout the growing season. Compared with manual, time-consuming soil-sampling techniques, the proposed framework enables more precise spatial and temporal monitoring of SCN infestations across fields. Full article

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is one of the most destructive pests of tomato crops worldwide. Its high reproductive potential and increasing resistance to conventional insecticides have made the development of sustainable management strategies essential. Biological control using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), particularly when established as endophytes, has emerged as a promising approach. This study investigated the endophytic colonization capacity and greenhouse performance of three commercially available EPF formulations: Beauveria bassiana (Velifer^®), Lecanicillium lecanii (Lecan^®), and a Beauveria bassiana–Metarhizium anisopliae mixture (Metab^®), for the suppression of T. absoluta in tomato. Our experiment was conducted under commercial greenhouse conditions using soil drench applications at manufacturer-recommended doses. Endophytic colonization was assessed through surface-sterilized leaf assays, while pest suppression was evaluated via weekly measurements of larval mine length, infestation incidence, and survival dynamics. B. bassiana (Velifer^®) exhibited the highest endophytic colonization frequency and consistently reduced mine length and infestation levels compared with untreated plants. Survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards revealed significant reductions in infestation risk for Velifer^® (hazard ratio, HR = 0.420), Metab^® (HR = 0.480), and Lecan^® (HR = 0.599), relative to the negative control, whereas the chemical positive control provided the strongest overall suppression (HR = 0.287). Our findings demonstrate that commercial EPF formulations can significantly reduce T. absoluta infestation under greenhouse conditions and represent a valuable component of integrated pest management programs. Full article

Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) is an effective approach for controlling horticultural plant diseases by improving soil properties. However, its effects on microbial communities and their functional characteristics across soil depths remain poorly researched. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of RSD using solid (rice bran, RB) and liquid (molasses, MO) organic amendments in a Fusarium-infested field. Changes in biotic and abiotic properties were examined at two soil depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm) and the potential of different amendments to restore microecological functions in deeper soil was assessed. Both RSD treatments alleviated soil acidification and salinization compared with the control. The absolute abundances of Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani were significantly reduced under both treatments, with MO-RSD showing stronger pathogen suppression in the 15–30 cm layer. MO-RSD exerted a greater influence on microbial community structure across soil depths, resulting in bacterial-fungal co-occurrence networks with higher complexity. Metabolic activity and carbon source utilization increased significantly following both RSD treatments, with the greatest enhancement observed in the 0–15 cm layer under MO-RSD. Furthermore, MO-RSD enriched a higher diversity and abundance of beneficial microorganisms such as Bacillus, Paenibacillus, and Tumebacillus in the 0–15 cm layer, and Azotobacter, Penicillium, and Neurospora in the 15–30 cm layer. These microbes were closely associated with enhanced metabolic activity and pathogen suppression. Overall, MO-RSD established a more integrated and functionally diverse microbiota across the 0–30 soil profile, likely due to the greater permeability and mobility of liquid organic amendments in shaping deeper soil microbial communities. Full article

Cyperus esculentus is a very destructive perennial weed, rapidly propagating and spreading through large amounts of daughter tubers. Successful control relies on depleting the soil tuber bank. This study investigated the effect of different control measures, applied across several cropping systems, on tuber bank dynamics over time. Therefore, 52 infested fields were monitored over 3 consecutive years, with annual quantification of the C. esculentus tuber bank. In maize monocropping systems, substantial 3-year tuber bank reductions (>90%) are achievable with preplant incorporation of dimethenamid-P or S-metolachlor, followed by a post-emergence application of mesotrione and pyridate at the 4–5 leaf stage, combined with delayed sowing (after 20 May) or mechanical measures (e.g., hoeing, harrowing). On non-maize fields, effective strategies (median tuber bank reductions of 57–70%) include intensive black fallow with at least four control timings or winter cereal cropping followed by intensive control (at least three measures) during the stubble phase. Established, fertilized grasslands also offer moderate reductions (17–67%) via intensive grazing or mowing. These results demonstrate that significant C. esculentus reductions are possible across different crops, but control remains challenging, requiring intensive, repeated strategies over multiple years. Less intensive approaches may undermine previous efforts. Full article

Chinese milk vetch (CMV; Astragalus sinicus L.), serving as winter green manure in rice cropping systems, is widely adopted in the southern China. Field experiments including different incorporation regimes (CMV incorporation, urea substitution incorporation and fertilizer-free incorporation), times (45 days, 30 days and 15 days before rice transplanting) and methods (no flooding, intermittent flooding and continuous flooding) were conducted from 2022 to 2024 to determine the optimal time and method for CMV incorporation that could improve soil nutrients, reduce rice-associated weed infestation, and increase rice yield. Delaying CMV incorporation was beneficial to the accumulation of dry matter and organic matter content in CMV shoots and the increase in the total nitrogen content of the soil before rice transplanting. Broadleaf weed infestation was significantly influenced by flooding method, CMV incorporation and incorporation time. Delaying CMV incorporation combined with flooding significantly reduced the density of broadleaf weeds. Grassy weed infestation was only significantly affected by the flooding method, with significantly lower density under flooding conditions compared to non-flooding conditions when other treatments were consistent. Sedge weed infestation was not affected by any of the experimental treatments. Compared with conventional CMV incorporation (incorporated 30 days before rice transplanting without flooding), incorporating CMV 15 days before rice transplanting with flooding (continuous or intermittent flooding) resulted in a 59.20–66.86% reduction in rice-associated weed infestation. Rice yield was also increased with a delay in CMV incorporation, which mainly manifested in increases in panicle number and seed setting rate. Incorporating CMV 15 days before rice transplanting increased rice yield by 5.34–13.24% compared to conventional CMV incorporation. Therefore, considering the comprehensive effects on soil nutrients, weed infestation and rice yield, incorporating CMV 15 days before rice transplanting combined with intermittent flooding is a recommended green manure management practice in green manure–rice rotation systems. Full article

Biological control represents a sustainable alternative that can be used to reduce the impacts of soilborne diseases in melon cultivation, which are major constraints to productivity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of four biological products formulated with Bacillus and Trichoderma species in suppressing symptoms caused by root pathogens in melon crops, including Fusarium spp., Macrophomina phaseolina, Monosporascus cannonballus, and Rhizoctonia solani. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to simulate successive crop cycles using two naturally infested soils (A and B). Bombardeiro/Lastro, Quality^®, TrichobiolMax, and TrichonemateMax were applied using two management strategies: (1) a tray application 8 days after sowing (DAS) + four pot applications at 7-day intervals, totaling five applications, and (2) a tray application 8 DAS + two pot applications at 14-day intervals, totaling three applications. The yellow melon cultivar ‘Goldex’ was used in the experiments. Forty-five days after transplanting, the treatments showed statistically significant differences compared to the positive control (naturally infested soil without products), both in disease incidence and severity and in plant growth parameters. In Soil A, three applications of Quality^® and TrichobiolMax resulted in 50% and 60% disease incidences, respectively. In Soil B, five applications of Lastro and TrichobiolMax led to 60% of plants showing disease symptoms. These products also reduced disease severity in both soils, and TrichonemateMax showed potential for nematode control. Additionally, these products resulted in a 21% reduction in the frequency of Fusarium spp. in Soil A. These findings are valuable for developing sustainable practices in melon cultivation, promoting more efficient and environmentally sound management of root diseases. Full article

Weed infestation contributes significantly to global agricultural yield loss and increases the reliance on herbicides, raising both economic and environmental concerns. Effective weed detection in agriculture requires high accuracy and architectural efficiency. This is particularly important under challenging field conditions, including densely clustered targets, small weed instances, and low visual contrast between vegetation and soil. In this study, we propose GTDR-YOLOv12, an improved object detection framework based on YOLOv12, tailored for real-time weed identification in complex agricultural environments. The model is evaluated on the publicly available Weeds Detection dataset, which contains a wide range of weed species and challenging visual scenarios. To achieve better accuracy and efficiency, GTDR-YOLOv12 introduces several targeted structural enhancements. The backbone incorporates GDR-Conv, which integrates Ghost convolution and Dynamic ReLU (DyReLU) to improve early-stage feature representation while reducing redundancy. The GTDR-C3 module combines GDR-Conv with Task-Dependent Attention Mechanisms (TDAMs), allowing the network to adaptively refine spatial features critical for accurate weed identification and localization. In addition, the Lookahead optimizer is employed during training to improve convergence efficiency and reduce computational overhead, thereby contributing to the model’s lightweight design. GTDR-YOLOv12 outperforms several representative detectors, including YOLOv7, YOLOv9, YOLOv10, YOLOv11, YOLOv12, ATSS, RTMDet and Double-Head. Compared with YOLOv12, GTDR-YOLOv12 achieves notable improvements across multiple evaluation metrics. Precision increases from 85.0% to 88.0%, recall from 79.7% to 83.9%, and F1-score from 82.3% to 85.9%. In terms of detection accuracy, mAP:0.5 improves from 87.0% to 90.0%, while mAP:0.5:0.95 rises from 58.0% to 63.8%. Furthermore, the model reduces computational complexity. GFLOPs drop from 5.8 to 4.8, and the number of parameters is reduced from 2.51 M to 2.23 M. These reductions reflect a more efficient network design that not only lowers model complexity but also enhances detection performance. With a throughput of 58 FPS on the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier, GTDR-YOLOv12 proves both resource-efficient and deployable for practical, real-time weeding tasks in agricultural settings. Full article

Integrating organic soil amendments such as vermicompost (VC) and vermicompost tea (VCT) in agriculture has received increasing attention as a sustainable strategy to improve soil fertility, enhance plant growth, and suppress pest infestations. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of varying concentrations of VCT (10%, 20%, and 40%), alone and in combination with VC (2.47 ton/ha), on the development and yield of corn (Zea mays), and suppression of fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) infestation. The experiment was conducted in seven raised beds with seven treatments: V0 (control), VCT10, VCT20, VCT40, VC1 + VCT10, VC1 + VCT20, and VC1 + VCT40. Six weekly applications of VCT were applied starting at the V2 stage, and soil and plant nutrient contents were determined post-harvest. Additionally, relative chlorophyll content, height, cob yield, dry biomass, and FAW infestations were assessed. Results show that both VC and VCT significantly enhanced soil nutrient content compared to the control treatment (V0). VCT20 and VC1 + VCT10 improved plant N, K, and micronutrient uptake. Corn treated with VCT10 and VC1 + VCT10 had the highest biomass (6.52 and 6.57 tons/ha, respectively), while VCT20 produced the highest cob yield (6.0 tons/ha), which was more than eight times that of V0. SPAD values and corn height were significantly high across all treatments, with VCT20 achieving the highest SPAD readings while the control achieved the lowest. For FAW infestation, the control treatment experienced moderate infestation. At the same time, there was complete suppression in VCT20 and VCT40 treatments and a reduction in VC + VCT treatments, likely due to the bioactive compounds and beneficial microbes in VC and VCT that strengthened plant immunity. The results suggest that VCT20 is a cost-effective, eco-friendly amendment for improving corn performance and FAW resistance. This study contributes to sustainable agriculture by demonstrating how organic amendments can enhance crop resilience while supporting environmentally friendly farming practices. Full article

Root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne spp. are sedentary endoparasites that infest a wide range of plant species; they are also widely distributed, making them one of the most economically significant pests. Similarly, damage caused by Aphelenchoides fragariae can lead to substantial reductions in both crop yield and quality. This research focused on the rhizosphere of Helianthus tuberosus L. (variety Albik), grown in a Polish plantation. The experiment was conducted at the National Institute of Horticultural Research in Skierniewice, using concrete rings filled with medium sandy soil amended with 10% peat. The treatments included the following: control (no amendments), silver solution (Ag+) (120 mg/L soil), and vermicompost (Ve) (20 L of Eisenia fetida vermicompost). Each treatment was replicated four times. Compared with control, (Ve) significantly decreased the numbers of Aphelenchoides fragariae and Meloidogyne hapla, by about 48% and 31%. The application of (Ag+) led to the most significant reduction in population density in both nematode species, with A. fragariae decreasing by over 67% and M. hapla by approximately 75%. Full article

Pineapples are highly susceptible to “Wilt disease”, caused by the biotrophic insect Dysmicoccus brevipes that also transmits several Wilt-associated viruses (PMWaVs). Conventional farms manage mealybugs and Wilt disease using chemicals. However, many of these chemicals have been banned in Europe due to safety concerns, leading to a critical need for studies on pesticide-free control methods. During their evolution, plants have developed natural defences, such as systemic acquired resistance (SAR), against pathogens and pests. In this study, salicylic acid (10⁻³ M) was applied to MD2 and Queen Victoria pineapple plants as a foliar spray or soil drench, followed by mealybug infestation. This treatment enhanced defences, assessed through mealybug multiplication rates, and biochemical and molecular responses of tissue-cultured plantlets under controlled conditions. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity (PAL) was measured as a potential SAR signalling enzymatic marker. Additionally, the expression levels of four genes were analyzed, which included AcPAL and AcICS2, both linked to salicylic acid synthesis; AcMYB-like, a transcription factor regulating salicylic acid biosynthesis; and AcCAT, which is involved in H₂O₂ level control in plants. SA elicitation reduced the mealybug multiplication rate by 70% on pineapples compared to untreated plants. In this study, the biochemical marker (PAL) and three molecular markers (AcPAL, AcICS2, and AcCAT) showed significant differences between primed and unprimed plants, indicating SAR induction and its role in the pineapple–mealybug interaction. In MD2 and Queen Victoria, PAL increased by 2.3 and 1.5, respectively, while AcPAL increased by 4 and more than 10. The other molecular markers, AcICS2, AcCAT, and AcMYB-like (a transcription factor), increased by 3, except for the last one in Queen Victoria. The reduction in mealybug populations with SAR is less effective than with pesticides, but it provides a valuable alternative on Réunion Island, where the only remaining insecticide will soon be banned. In addition, SAR priming offers a promising, eco-friendly strategy for managing mealybug populations and reducing Wilt disease in pesticide-free pineapple cropping systems. Full article