Search Results (22,548)

Rapeseed price stability is an important determinant of the long-term sustainability of biofuel production and the economic resilience of farms in the European Union. This study evaluates long-term rapeseed price dynamics in Poland and assesses their implications for biofuel production and agricultural resilience. Annual data for 2005–2024 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) test, while ARIMA models were used for forecasting and GARCH models were estimated from 778 daily MATIF observations for 18 February 2022–10 March 2025. The results show substantial price variability, with pronounced changes associated with international market conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The ARIMA forecasts for 2025–2034 indicate a projected decline in the analyzed rapeseed and rapeseed-product prices; however, the widening forecast errors indicate increasing uncertainty over the longer horizon. The findings suggest that long-term price uncertainty should be considered in policies supporting the resilience of rapeseed producers and the stability of feedstock supply for renewable fuels. Full article

Water scarcity is a major constraint to wheat production in arid regions, highlighting the need for sustainable approaches to improve crop productivity and irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE). Although Bacillus-based bioinoculants have been widely investigated, the potential of indigenous strains adapted to arid environments remains underutilized for the developing of site-specific bioinoculants. This study developed an integrated screening strategy combining plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits characterization, greenhouse evaluation, correlation analysis, and multivariate analyses to identify elite indigenous Bacillus strains capable of improving wheat performance under contrasting irrigation regimes. Fifty-one indigenous Bacillus strains representing 19 species, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, were characterized for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ammonia (NH₃), siderophore production, and potassium-solubilizing activity and subsequently evaluated in greenhouse conditions under full (FI) and deficit (DI) irrigation. Plant growth was assessed at 85 days after sowing, while yield and yield-related traits were evaluated at physiological maturity (130 DAS). Significant variation was observed among the strains in both PGP traits and their effects on wheat performance. Selected strains increased vegetative growth traits by 22.2–53.7% under FI and 16.4–49.2% under DI, while improving yield-related traits and IWUE by 24.7–52.3% and 14.7–67.2%, respectively, compared with the uninoculated control. Correlation analysis identified IAA production as the PGP trait most strongly associated with wheat growth, grain yield, and IWUE, followed by NH₃ production, whereas siderophore production showed weak associations with most agronomic traits. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis consistently identified Bacillus cereus A2, B. pumilus D2 and E3, and B. safensis D5 as the elite strains, while several additional indigenous strains also exhibited considerable potential under both irrigation regimes. This study demonstrates that the integrated screening approach enabled the identification of strain-level differences that could not be adequately captured by individual PGP traits alone, highlighting indigenous Bacillus strains as valuable resources for developing locally adapted bioinoculants to improve wheat productivity, IWUE, and drought resilience in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems. Full article

Bacillus velezensis is a promising candidate for the biocontrol of plant pathogens due to its production of broad-spectrum antimicrobial metabolites. The present study evaluates the antifungal potential and metabolic profile of the non-pathogenic rhizobacterial strain Bacillus velezensis 5RB. Modifying the mineral composition across three different growth media (A, B, and C) resulted in distinct secondary-metabolite profiles of B. velezensis 5RB. Notably, the free-cell supernatant of strain 5RB cultivated in medium A and C demonstrated the most potent antifungal activity against the gray mold pathogen Botrytis cinerea. For the first time, the antimicrobial metabolites produced by B. velezensis 5RB across these three media were comprehensively characterized using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quantitative time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). Mass spectrometric analyses (LC-ESI-MS) identified predominantly lipopeptides from the surfactin and fengycin families, alongside three classes of polyketides: macrolactins, difficidins, and bacillaenes. Multiple lipopeptide homologues, including a novel surfactin isoform (B*), were confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Additionally, this study provides the first experimental evidence for subtilosin A production by B. velezensis 5RB. The multicomponent fermentation matrix of 5RB conferred robust biocontrol protection to tomato leaves against B. cinerea and Phytophthora infestans in an in vitro disease model, underscoring its strong potential for sustainable agricultural applications. Full article

Extreme temperatures, drought, and salinity are among the most detrimental abiotic stressors limiting global plant productivity, and their frequency has intensified under climate change. These escalating pressures underscore the need for sustainable biological strategies that enhance plant resilience to climate-induced abiotic stresses. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have emerged as a promising, eco-friendly solution due to their ability to optimize rhizospheric processes that strengthen plant adaptive capacity. PGPR improve nutrient acquisition, maintain ionic homeostasis, modulate phytohormone signaling, and regulate ethylene levels through ACC deaminase activity. They also stimulate antioxidant defenses, promote osmolyte and exopolysaccharide synthesis, and enhance root system development—key traits that collectively alleviate drought, salinity, and heat stress. Recent research demonstrates that co-inoculation, multi-strain microbial consortia, and synthetic communities designed using multi-omics approaches significantly enhance PGPR stability, colonization, and functional effectiveness under field conditions. Additionally, nanotechnology-enabled formulations and smart delivery systems are emerging as innovative tools to improve PGPR survival and targeted release in harsh environments. This review synthesizes current insights into PGPR-mediated stress mitigation, highlights technological innovations that support their application, and outlines pathways for integrating PGPR into climate-resilient, sustainable agricultural systems to safeguard crop productivity amid escalating environmental stress. Full article

Information asymmetry constrains agricultural credit, but repayment and default labels are often unavailable for empirical analysis. Using administrative records for 2970 agricultural enterprises and cooperatives in Beijing linked to bank-authorized credit, this study examines whether multi-source subsidy profiles are associated with observed lending decisions. Two-stage gradient-boosted-tree models compare eight raw administrative features, an externally supplied composite score, and their combination; Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) provides conditional model attributions. No positive authorized credit was observed for economic or share cooperatives. Among the remaining entity types, the combined model predicted accurate positive authorized credit, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) of 0.97. Raw administrative features alone had little out-of-fold value for conditional authorized-credit amounts, whereas including the supplied score improved prediction. The framework supports transparent analysis of observed lending where repayment and application process data are unavailable. Full article

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) leaves are an abundant agricultural by-product and an underexploited source of bioactive polyphenols. This study characterized hydroalcoholic leaf extracts from autochthonous Sardinian cultivars and evaluated their effects in RKO human colorectal carcinoma cells. LC–HRMS revealed flavonol-rich profiles dominated by glycosylated derivatives of quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, with marked cultivar-dependent differences and higher total flavonol abundance in Cannonau and Nieddera. Cyclic voltammetry showed distinct redox reactivity among extracts, with Vermentino and Martellada Bianca displaying the strongest electrochemical responses, consistent with their modulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species. In RKO cells, the extracts reduced metabolic activity in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values ranging from 100.3 to 251.8 µg/mL. At the molecular level, treatments modulated c-myb expression and shifted the bax/bcl2 balance toward a pro-apoptotic profile. These effects were supported by DAPI staining, showing chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation, and by moderate activation of caspase-3/7. Overall, Sardinian grapevine leaf extracts showed cultivar-specific phenolic composition, redox activity, and pro-apoptotic effects in an in vitro colorectal cancer model, supporting their potential valorization as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds. Further studies addressing bioavailability, metabolism, and in vivo effects are required to assess their physiological relevance and translational potential. Full article

Trichoderma species are recognized biocontrol agents and plant growth promoters with applications in sustainable agriculture. Despite the economic importance of cacao and orange crops in the San Martín region of the Peruvian Amazon, the diversity of native Trichoderma associated with these crops remains undocumented. This study provides the first report of Trichoderma diversity in rhizospheric soil and plant tissues of Theobroma cacao and Citrus sinensis in this region. Sampling was conducted in 18 sectors across five districts (195–785 m a.s.l.). Molecular identification was performed using the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) gene marker, with NCBI BLAST analysis against GenBank and phylogenetic analysis using the Neighbor-Joining method. From 59 initial isolates, 18 strains were successfully identified. Seven putative species (T. koningiopsis, T. reesei, T. lentiforme, T. longibrachiatum, T. harzianum, T. spirale, and T. azevedoi) were found associated with cacao, while four putative species (T. erinaceum, T. parareesei, T. longibrachiatum, and T. virens) were identified from orange crops. Sequence identity ranged from 94.38% to 100%. BLAST comparison initially returned equal identity scores between T. harzianum and T. lentiforme for five strains (T-3, T-11, T-14, T-15, and T-16); subsequent phylogenetic placement using a broader GenBank reference panel resolved all five within the T. lentiforme clade. Phylogenetic placement also refined two further identifications beyond their initial BLAST match: strain T6-SR-B grouped with T. azevedoi rather than T. harzianum, and strain T12-R-A grouped with the sister species T. parareesei rather than T. reesei. These findings establish a baseline for Trichoderma biodiversity in the region and identify potential candidates for biocontrol applications. Full article

Chinese home-cooked dishes (CHCDs) link agricultural production and daily consumption, but their resource dependence and sustainability remain poorly quantified. We standardized 341 recipes from China’s 34 provincial-level administrative regions, conducted a production-to-consumption analysis using emergy (solar-equivalent available energy directly and indirectly required for a product or service), and evaluated six optimization scenarios. Mean emergy input was 5.93 × 10¹² sej·dish⁻¹, with nonrenewable purchased inputs accounting for 77.99%. Ingredients, oil and sauces, and cooking contributed 69.17%, 21.69%, and 9.14%, respectively. Plant-based production relied on labor and chemical inputs; animal-based production relied on feed. Ruminant meats had relatively high nonrenewable inputs and environmental loads; vegetables had lower values. Across CHCDs, the emergy sustainability index (ESI), transformity, emergy consumption intensity, and food processing intensity averaged 0.26, 1.02 × 10⁶ sej·J⁻¹, 1.45 × 10¹² sej·serving⁻¹, and 4.64 × 10¹¹ sej·serving⁻¹, respectively. Sustainability declined from plant-based through mixed to animal-based dishes. Shandong cuisine ranked highest and Zhejiang cuisine lowest in combined sustainability and efficiency. Combining crop–livestock recycling, mechanization and energy-efficiency improvements, technological advancement and scaling up, moderate oil and sauce reduction, and cooking-efficiency improvements was projected to increase ESI by 19.34% relative to baseline. These results support dish-level emergy accounting for improving agri-food sustainability. Full article

The North China Plain is a core grain-producing region in China. Under the dual pressures of global warming and intensifying human activities, frequent agricultural droughts pose a serious threat to regional food security and sustainable agricultural development. Based on ERA5-Land root-zone soil-moisture data (1982–2022), this study constructed the Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSMI) and applied an MMK trend test, Partial Wavelet Coherence (PWC), and sub-regional Pearson correlation to investigate drought evolution and driving mechanisms. Groundwater-level and effective-irrigated-area datasets were further incorporated to complement soil-moisture-based analysis and investigate the anthropogenic drivers behind drought variations. The results show that: (1) The regional-average SSMI showed a significant decreasing trend at a rate of −0.013 decade⁻¹ (p < 0.001), indicating the intensification of agricultural drought. Meanwhile, the SPEI presented a non-significant increasing trend of 0.145 × 10⁻² decade⁻¹ (p < 0.001), revealing the existence of hysteresis between the two drought types. Spring suffered the most severe drought, while drought is alleviated by precipitation replenishment in summer, which highlighted the association between seasonal differences and regional climatic characteristics. (2) Groundwater level (GW) is identified as the dominant explanatory factor for agricultural drought (POSC = 70.53%, AWC = 0.93), far exceeding precipitation (16.66%) and evapotranspiration (8.71%), which underscores the pivotal role of groundwater in regulating soil moisture. (3) The driving mechanisms of agricultural drought exhibit remarkable north–south differentiation: southern sub-regions are predominantly driven by meteorological factors, whereas northern sub-regions are closely associated with intensive groundwater irrigation. Anthropogenic groundwater over-extraction shows strong statistical associations with agricultural drought variability. Future work should combine groundwater dynamics, irrigation and crop phenology. These findings support refined drought early-warning and region-tailored mitigation for the North China Plain. Full article

Long-term conservation tillage can alter soil properties and crop performance in a depth-dependent manner. We evaluated a 2 × 2 factorial experiment combining tillage practice (conventional plowing vs. no-tillage) and organic manure application (without vs. with organic manure) in rainfed winter wheat on the Loess Plateau. Soil nutrients, aggregate stability, N₂-adsorption-derived surface and pore properties, and bulk density were measured at 0–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm, and grain yield was analyzed from 2011 to 2025. Two-way ANOVA showed that no-tillage generally increased surface-soil nutrient contents and aggregate stability, with the strongest responses at 0–10 cm. Significant tillage × organic manure application interactions for several nutrient properties indicated manure-dependent responses to tillage. These effects generally weakened with soil depth, demonstrating pronounced vertical stratification. Management effects on N₂-adsorption-derived surface and pore properties were limited, whereas no-tillage increased bulk density mainly within the upper 20 cm. Based on the descriptive 15-year yield analysis, NT had the numerically highest mean and cumulative yields and the lowest interannual variability. Overall, no-tillage enhanced surface-soil fertility and aggregate stability, but nutrient stratification and increased soil consolidation should be considered when optimizing long-term management. Full article

Paludiculture, the sustainable productive use of wet and rewetted peat soils, offers a dual solution for preserving soil carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions whilst offering a form of income for landowners/farmers. However, establishing best practices for the transition to wet agriculture production systems remains difficult due to the inherent variability of peatland sites. This study synthesises evidence from the peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and stakeholder surveys to map current practices, concepts, knowledge gaps, and research priorities. The main gap is a lack of long-term studies tracking crops from establishment through multiple harvests. Practical knowledge is also geography-ically, limiting applicability without local environmental and policy context. Further critical gaps include crop species selection, upscaling, biodiversity impacts, specialised harvesting equipment, and evolving end-product markets, alongside country-specific legal and financial barriers. Key recommendations include establishing a robust initial site investigation as edaphic properties and previous land-use can inform crop establishment and potential operational hurdles. Furthermore, increased funding for long-term farm-based projects, technological innovation and prioritising producing data that supports finance models must be made available to offset the costs of transitioning and developing new, system-level agronomical tools. Ultimately, scaling paludiculture hinges on robust incentive frameworks, shared knowledge platforms, and standardised nomenclature to guarantee long-term environmental and economic sustainability. Full article

We investigated prevalence of crop failure and food insecurity among smallholder farming households in Southern Lesotho, examining socio-demographic correlates with these reported outcomes. We adopted a cross-sectional design involving 771 smallholder farmers reliant on field crop production across three districts. Household food security was measured using Food Consumption Score (FCS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to estimate adjusted odds ratios for associations of demographic factors with food security outcomes. A total of 737 (95.6%) participants reported crop losses. Nearly half of households that reported crop losses were severely food-insecure based on HFIAS and FCS. Households without secondary source of income were at higher odds of being in a more food-insecure category. For HFIAS, female-headed households had higher odds of being in a more food-insecure category. For FCS, households that relied on rain-fed irrigation and had agricultural land holdings of <5 hectares had higher odds of being in a more food-insecure category. Addressing crop loss-related food insecurity requires integrated, sustainability-oriented strategies that span climate-resilient agriculture, livelihood diversification, strengthened sex-responsive intervention, and social protection systems. We recommend anticipatory action systems to target groups identified as most vulnerable in this analysis to provide support before, during, and after drought events. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study investigated the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) to improve the in vitro skin delivery and retention of bioactive compounds derived from Bombyx mori silk cocoon. Furthermore, an NLC-based facial serum was developed and clinically evaluated for its efficacy and safety. Methods: Silk cocoons from Nang Lai (NL) and Lueang Saraburi (LS) were extracted using aqueous and enzymatic methods. Extracts were evaluated for protein, phenolic, and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity, collagenase inhibition, and irritation potential. The most active extract was incorporated into NLCs and assessed for their physicochemical properties, entrapment efficiency, release, and Strat-M^® membrane permeation and retention. The selected NLC was subsequently incorporated into a facial serum and clinically evaluated in 30 volunteers over 28 days for its effects on skin hydration and roughness using a Corneometer^® and Visioscan^®, respectively. Results: Enzymatic extraction markedly increased phenolic and flavonoid contents, resulting in stronger antioxidant and collagenase inhibitory activities than aqueous extraction. LS enzymatic extract (LS-EN) exhibited the most favorable overall bioactivities and was selected for NLC formulation, which showed a particle size of 149 ± 1 nm, low polydispersity index (0.263 ± 0.05), a zeta potential of −48 ± 1 mV, and an entrapment efficiency of 83%. Compared with the solution, the NLCs showed sustained release and approximately 3.7-fold higher membrane retention (5.45 ± 0.59% versus 1.47 ± 0.59%). The NLC-based facial serum demonstrated good skin tolerability and high user satisfaction, with skin moisture increasing by 7.05% and skin roughness significantly decreasing by 6.74–7.29% after 28 days of application (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Enzymatic extraction combined with NLC encapsulation enhanced the cosmeceutical potential of silk cocoon bioactive by enabling sustained release and localized retention, while the NLC-based facial serum demonstrated good skin tolerability and improved skin hydration and roughness, supporting its potential as a promising anti-aging cosmeceuticals. Full article

This perspective examines the interactions among microplastics (MPs), emerging contaminants (ECs), climate change, and extreme hydrological events. Droughts, water scarcity, heatwaves, intense rainfall, and floods can alter the occurrence, mobilisation, transport, fate, and risks of MPs and associated ECs across water, soil, and groundwater systems. The analysis focuses on the context-dependent potential of MPs to act as vectors of ECs, soil–water interactions, and the potential influence of MPs on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When these stressors co-occur, their combined effects may be additive, synergistic, or antagonistic. Accordingly, the “perfect storm” framing is used here to describe the potential for mutually reinforcing and cascading risks rather than to imply that synergy occurs universally. An integrated perspective therefore helps anticipate worst-case scenarios and move beyond the fragmented assessment of individual stressors. This paper discusses sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies, including advanced wastewater treatment, water reuse, climate-resilient water management, infrastructure adapted to increasing hydrological variability, climate-smart agriculture, and safer alternatives to conventional plastics and chemicals. Effective implementation combines technological innovation with monitoring, governance, policy action, and public awareness. By framing the microplastics–contaminants–water–soil–climate nexus as an interconnected sustainability challenge, this work aims to support environmental resilience and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Ensuring food authenticity, traceability, and quality has become a critical challenge in increasingly complex and globalized food supply chains. Conventional post-harvest analytical approaches, while powerful, often operate in isolation and fail to fully capture the influence of pre-harvest conditions on food composition. In parallel, the emergence of smart farming technologies has enabled the collection of high-resolution environmental and agronomic data, offering new opportunities to establish baseline signatures linked to geographical origin and production practices. This review explores the integration of pre-harvest data from precision agriculture with advanced post-harvest analytical techniques, focusing on spectroscopic and isotopic methods for food authentication. Recent advances in vibrational spectroscopy, including near- and mid-infrared, Fourier-transform infrared, and Raman techniques, alongside complementary methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance and fluorescence spectroscopy, have enabled rapid and non-destructive food fingerprinting. In parallel, isotope ratio mass spectrometry and compound-specific isotope analysis provide robust markers of origin, climate conditions, and agricultural inputs through the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The combination of these analytical approaches with chemometric and machine learning tools facilitates the extraction of meaningful patterns from complex datasets. A central focus of this review is the development of integrated farm-to-fork frameworks that use multi-source data, including field sensor technologies, spectral fingerprints, and isotopic signatures, to enhance traceability and authentication. Applications across a wide range of food systems, including edible oils, beverages, plant-based products, and animal-derived foods, are critically evaluated to highlight the strengths and limitations of current methodologies. Key challenges related to data standardization, system interoperability, cost, portability, miniaturization and regulatory acceptance are discussed, alongside emerging solutions such as artificial intelligence-driven models, digital twins, and blockchain-enabled traceability systems. The review underscores a paradigm shift from reactive testing toward predictive and real-time food authentication systems, driven by the convergence of smart agriculture and advanced analytical chemistry. This integrated approach has the potential to significantly enhance transparency, trust, and sustainability in the global food system. Full article