Volume 5, Issue 1

Nutrients use efficiency of plants could be affected by the antagonistic or synergistic effects of two or more elements in the soil leading to decreased or increased yield. Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons at the Landmark University Teaching and Research farm, Omu-Aran, Nigeria, to determine the interaction between zinc (Zn) and phosphate (P) fertilizers on growth, yield, nutrient elements and some heavy metals composition of groundnut grown on an Alfisol. Treatments consisted of four levels of phosphorus (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg P ha -1 ) and three levels of zinc (0, 4 and 8 kg Zn ha -1 ). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), replicated four times. The following parameters were taken: plant height, plant spread, total biomass, number of pods/plot, weight of pods/plot, number of seeds/plot, weight of seeds/plot. Laboratory analysis of some chemical constituents of groundnut seed was carried out to determine the nutrient and heavy metals composition. Results indicated that application of 8 kg Zn ha -1 and 120 kg P ha -1 had a synergistic effect on the growth parameters and antagonistic effect on the yield, yield parameters, some nutrient elements and beneficial heavy metals. Application of 8 kg Zn and 80 kg P ha -1 is therefore recommended on an Alfisol without necessarily increasing the concentration of non-beneficial heavy metals in groundnut seed.

In recent years have seen increasing percentage of the elderly in the overall population. This has driven the attention to the lifestyle factors that influence the health and quality of life of this social group, including their nutrition and physical activity. Universities of the Third Age (U3A) are a valuable platform for the dissemination and broadening of the knowledge related to these topics. The nutritional habits of 61 U3A students in Poznań were evaluated on the basis of a modified KomPAN questionnaire. Their nutritional status was determined using the body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) indices. Nearly half of the respondents were overweight and 16% had first degree obesity. The WHR index in women was on average 0.8, while in men it was 1.01. Only 13% of the students declared regular eating, with 60% consuming 4-5 meals a day. Women were found to eat snacks between meals more often than men. It was also found that the majority of the elderly do not add salt to ready meals or sweeten beverages with sugars. Taking into account the observed nutritional problems and the occurrence of improper eating habits of the elderly, it is recommended to continue the education on the prevention of common diet-related diseased.

Biochar has a low chemical composition and is recalcitrant to degradation. For good soil fertility and nutrient use efficiency of crops it becomes imperative that addition of a fast releasing nutrient source to biochar be sought. Therefore, studies were conducted in 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the effects of biochar with poultry manure (PM) and NPK fertilizer on soil properties, growth and yield of ginger. Treatments evaluated were: biochar applied alone at 15 t ha -1 , PM applied alone at 15 t ha -1 , NPK fertilizer applied alone at 200 kg ha -1 , biochar applied at 15 t ha -1 with poultry manure applied at 15 t ha -1 (B+PM), biochar applied at 15 t ha -1 with NPK fertilizer applied at 200 kg ha -1 (B+NPK) and a control with no amendment whatsoever. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Biochar, PM, NPK fertilizer alone or B+PM and B+NPK improved soil physical and chemical properties, growth and yield of ginger compared to no amendment (control). NPK fertilizer did not improve soil physical properties nor increased pH, OM, Ca and Mg significantly. B+PM and B+NPK improved soil physical and chemical properties, growth and ginger yield compared to their sole forms. Although B+PM had better soil physical properties, B+NPK increased yield and growth of ginger compared to B+PM. B+NPK increased the yield of ginger by 12.2% and 10.6% in 2017 and 2018, respectively compared with B+PM. B+NPK also increased the yield of ginger by 49.2% and 50.3% in 2017 and 2018, respectively compared to biochar alone. This was related to high presence of nutrients in B+NPK especially N and K which are important for ginger rhizome formation.

The over reliance on starchy foods such as maize flour may lead to protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in children. The enrichment of maize with protein-rich oyster mushroom will improve the nutritional composition of maize flour. This study determined the effects of oyster mushroom flour on nutritional, functional and storage stability properties of composite flour containing maize and oyster mushroom. Oyster mushroom flour was added at 0, 5, 10 and 15% to maize flour. Proximate, functional, minerals, amino acid profile, free fatty acids and peroxide value of the composite flours were determined. An increase in the addition of oyster mushroom flour led to an increase in proximate and the minerals content of the composite flour, but the functional properties decreased. Oyster mushroom flour increased the amino acid profile of the composite flour, with leucine being the highest (26.3 mg/g). The flours were relatively stable (25ºC) during storage. Enriching maize flour with 15% oyster mushroom flour improved the nutritional quality of maize flour which makes the resulting composite flour a better raw material for human consumption.

The study examined rural folks’ perception of suicide drivers in rural communities of Delta state, Nigeria and the resultant implications for societal and agricultural security. The objectives of the study are to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, ascertain the perceived suicide rates in rural households; identify the main causes (or drivers) of suicide in rural communities, ascertain the means of committing suicide, and determine respondents’ perception of the effect of suicide on agricultural production and their families. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in composing 351 respondents who furnished information on suicide situation in the study area. Results indicated some cases of suicide in the area; several perceived suicide drivers were identified by the respondents, and the respondents identified some perceived deleterious effects of suicide as illness among family members, depression of surviving members, loss of income and output of agricultural production and scattering of family of suicide victim. Logistic regression of relationship between perceived social economic characteristics and suicidal death indicated that marital status, education, family size, family income, membership of association and extension contact were significant in preventing suicide. From the findings, it was recommended that all stakeholders including the government, private sector, religion organizations, health and welfare institutions, rural communities, and individuals have crucial role to play in curbing suicidal deaths in rural communities.

A field experiment was conducted in the central highlands of Ethiopia to evaluate the performance of potato varieties for tuber yield and to identify a superior variety in tuber yield and yield components. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations in the central highlands of Ethiopia during the 2017 main cropping season. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the presence of highly significant (P<0.01) differences among varieties over all traits studied. The mean squares for location were also significant in indicating the influence of environments on the traits of the studied varieties. However, the interaction between variety and environment had no significant effect on the performances of the potato varieties to attain 50% flowering, specific gravity and dry matter content indicating a similar performance of these traits across all locations. The variety Belete produced the maximum total tuber yield of 32.8 t ha -1 and marketable tuber yield of 29.1 t ha -1 . Conversely, farmers` variety Nech Abeba produced the minimum total tuber yield of 13.8 t ha -1 and marketable tuber yield of 8.4 t ha -1 . For most tuber quality traits, viz., tuber specific gravity, dry matter content, starch percentage and total starch yield, varieties Belete and Menagesha were the maximum and minimum producers, respectively. Thus, it could be concluded that varietal and environmental variations as well as their interaction had considerable influence on tuber yield and the potato’s attributes.

The present study describes a protocol for micro-propagation, callus induction, and shoot regeneration of ginger ( Zingiber officinale ). The rhizomes were surface-sterilized with ethanol (70%) for 45 s, sodium hypochlorite (2.5%) for 10 min, and mercuric chloride (0.1%) for 10 min. Multiple shoots were induced from sprouting bud explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzyladenine (BA) combined with kinetin (Kin). The maximum shoot number was obtained from MS medium containing 10 mg/l BA with a mean of 20.6 shoots per explant. The leaf explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), Dicamba, or BA for callus culture. Green-red compact calli were induced using 2,4-D, Dicamba or BA. Also, BA successfully induced plant regeneration. The multiplied shoots that were transferred to the rooting medium (½MS supplemented with 0, 1 and 2 mg/l IAA, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or NAA) showed development of roots (100%). The rooted plantlets were transferred to pots containing a 1:1 mixture of cocopeat and perlite, and acclimatization was successful, resulting in 85% survival of the plantlets in the greenhouse.

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of foliar fertilizers containing amino acids, sulphur, boron on the number of productive branches, the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds in pods and the length of pods of three winter rape ( Brassica napus ) varieties (Monolit, PX115, PT248). The research was carried out in 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 at the Zawady Agricultural Experimental Station (52o03’N and 22o33’E) belonging to the University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, Poland. The field experiment was set up in a split-plot layout in triplicate. The area of one plot for harvest was 21 m 2 . The examined factors were I - morphotipe of winter rape: population variety (Monolit), hybrid restored with a semi-dwarf growth type (PX115), hybrid restored with a traditional growth type (PT248). II - types of foliar feeding: 1. treatment without biostimulator and foliar feeding, 2. Bioregulator Aminoplant, 3. Foliar fertilizer Siarkomag with foliar fertilizer Bormax, 4. Foliar fertilizer Siarkomag with foliar fertilizer Bormax and Aminoplant. Variable climatic conditions in the years of the experiment affected the studied components of seed yield of three L. morphotypes. In the year 2016-2017 of research, the plants produced the most productive branches, had the longest pods filled with the largest number of seeds. Foliar nutrition with a biostimulator containing amino acids did not significantly affect the increase of the number of productive branches, pods per plant and pod length compared to the variant on which no foliar fertilization was applied. Foliar fertilization with S and B in combination with bio-stimulators was the most effective in increasing the components of seed yield, while the number of productive branches and length of pods under the influence of foliar fertilizers was the same regardless of the application of the biostimulator. The long-stem variety had longer pods that were filled with more seeds than the others.

Rice ( Oryza sativa L.) production is important in the national food of Indonesia. The growth and yield of rice can be increased by the soil water supply and biochar application into the soil in a polybag. Water is a unique material resource that plays a vital role in agriculture. Biochar is a carbon-rich product obtained from biomass and can hold water and nutrients, making them more available to plants. The biochar used in this study was made from rice husks. This study aims to determine the effect of soil water content and biochar application in the soil on the growth and yield of rice in the polybag. The experiment appears to be a randomized multifactorial design with one factor being water content and the other being biochar application rate. A completely random design usually suggests only one factor in the experimental design. The first factor was soil water content consisting of two levels, i.e.: field capacity and soil waterlogging. The second factor was the biochar application consisting of four doses i.e.: 0; 14; 28; and 42 tons/ha. The results of the research showed that rice cultivation with soil water-logging is better than field capacity on the tillers number, panicle length, and harvest index. Without biochar application was given higher tillers number, but biochar dose of 14 tons/ha produced wider leaf area. There was a significant interaction between soil water content and biochar application on the dry weight of roots, shoots, and grains. The treatment combination of soil waterlogging and biochar dose of 14 tons/ha was most effective at increasing the growth and yield of rice in a polybag.

Information regarding the interaction between biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) with Azospirillum brasilense inoculation and the use of silicon (Si) is needed. Silicon exerts numerous benefits on grasses, especially when the plants are subjected to biotic and abiotic stresses, affecting plant nutrition. The aim of this research was to determine if there is a synergistic effect between the inoculation with A. brasilense and Si use, on macro-nutrient content in corn shoot and root. The field trial was performed in Selvíria, Brazil, on a Typic Rhodic Hapludox soil under no-till system. The experimental design was a completely randomized block design with four replicates arranged in a 2 × 5 × 2 triple factorial arrangement, consisting of two soil acidity corrective sources (dolomitic limestone and Ca and Mg silicate as sources of Si); five N doses (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha -1 applied in topdressing); with and without seed inoculation with A. brasilense . The inoculation favored N concentration in shoots and increased the N and S concentration even when associated to high N rates in topdressing. The Si as Ca and Mg silicate associated with the increment of N rates does not promote an increase in the macronutrients uptake. Although it did not favor the N use, the Si also did not negatively affect the benefits of the A. brasilense .

Phosphorus (P) fixation is very common in Malaysian acid soils due to the fixation of soluble inorganic P by Al and Fe under acidic soil pH conditions. Farmers tend to perform lots of liming and apply excess amount of P fertilizers in order to saturate the Al and Fe in the soil so that the plants are able to absorb the remaining P. Excessive liming and application of P fertilizers are not only not economical but also not environmentally friendly. Compost with a large surface area and pool of negative charges could be used to reduce P fixation in acidic soil. Hence, this study was carried out to assess the effect of amending Christmas Island rock phosphate (CIRP) with rice straw (RS) compost in improving soil P availability, nutrient uptake, and dry matter production of maize cultivated on a Malaysian tropical acid soil. A pot experiment was carried out in this study with the use of maize (FI hybrid sweet corn 801) as a test crop. The chemical properties of soils applied with RS compost were significantly improved ( P ≤ 0.05) compared to treatments without RS compost. As the soil pH increased, there was significant reduction in exchangeable acidity, Al and Fe in soil due to exchangeable Al and Fe were fixed with negatively charged functional groups of RS compost’s surfaces, thus increased the P availability and exchangeable cations in the soil applied with RS compost. There was also significantly higher N, P, and K uptake in leaf, stem, and root of maize in the treatments applied with RS compost. Application of CIRP with RS compost was found to increase the soil P availability, maize nutrient uptake, and dry matter production at the end of the pot experiment. An application rate of 15–20 t ha −1 of RS compost together with 130 kg ha −1 urea, 200 kg ha −1 CIRP, and 67 kg ha −1 muriate of potash is recommended to improve the soil NPK contents and growth of Zea mays in acidic soil.

Following the collapse of the communist regime in Romania, there has been an intense growth in the number of farms providing holiday accommodation, which has gone to answer the tourism flows from other European countries that have increased significantly, particularly since 2009. The core purpose of this study was to estimate, through a quantitative approach, the main relationships between decoupled payments and other financial subsidies allocated by the European Union in the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the growth of Romanian agritourism. The findings reveal that, over the 2007–2016 period, decoupled payments more than financial subsidies allocated under the second pillar of the CAP have acted to encourage the growth of agritourism in the Romanian countryside. This has corroborated the crucial role that direct payments and other financial subsidies have played in stimulating diversification in Romanian farms and, at the same time, reducing the levels of permanent emigration from rural villages as well.

This study examined the coping strategies of crop farmers to pastoralist activities in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 120 farmers. The data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire and interview and were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The result revealed various levels of damage caused to food security by the pastoralist as follows: compaction of soil (84%), damage and eating of the crops on the field (79%), indiscriminate bush burning leading to fire outbreak on farms (73%), stealing of farm produce by herders (73%), pollution of water points (54%), killing of farmers (13%) and others. The result further revealed the coping strategies used by crop farmers: praying for peace (98%), early harvesting (95%), early planting (92%), multiple farm plots (91%), group farming (90%), relocating farm (77%), police intervention (60%), government intervention (9%), NGO intervention (9%) and insurance (4.2%). The results of Chi-square analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between the educational status ( X 2 = 13.06, P = 0.01) and coping strategies used against pastoralist activities. Therefore, it is recommended that the government should formulate a policy that will stimulate peace among crop farmers and pastoralist to sustain food security and reduce poverty among rural dwellers, thereby transforming the rural environment into an attractive centre.

Maintaining yield stability in the African yam bean (AYB) ( Sphenostylis stenocarpa ) under year-to-year variability is crucial to its sustained productivity. Exploring yield stability in crops is vital in identifying how stable and consistent the yield of such crops is. Cultivation of AYB, an underutilized traditional legume in a specific environment, will further popularize the crop and enhance the acceptance as a cheap protein source thereby reducing hunger and malnutrition especially in regions where climate change has negatively affected legume crop production. Field trials were carried out to study the performance of 23 AYB genotypes in four-year environments. Two seeds of each genotype were sown in a single 5 m row plot spaced at 1 m between and within rows; the trial was conducted during the cropping season of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 and was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. At harvesting, five plants from each row were separately harvested; seeds of all the sampled plants in each plot were bulked and weighed, and the seed yield per plant was then determined. A combined analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to test for the significance of genotypes, year, and genotype by year interaction. Before combined ANOVA, a test for homogeneity of residual variances was performed using Bartlet’s test; stability of the genotypes over the years was ascertained numerically and graphically using additive main effects and multiplicative interaction and Genotype X Genotype X Environment interaction (GGE) biplot analyses. Rainfall distribution between 680 and 1,700 mm with an average temperature of 28.50°C under sandy-clay soil type supported high and stable seed yield production in AYB. This environment was found adequate during the 2014 (E1) growing season. Genotypes TSs118, TSs12, TSs109, TSs148, TSs5, TSs61, and TSs69 produced an above-average mean yield across the years and were found to be productive and stable in all the year environments. TSs82 and TSs6 with above-average mean seed and tuber yield can be considered for cultivation where seed and tuber dual-purpose production is to be maximized, while TSs111, TSs49, and TSs96 with high tuber yield ranking above average total tuber yield can be further enhanced for tuber production.

Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) have predominant characteristics compared to that in their bulk usage due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. The walnut ( Juglans regia L.) leaf extract containing different bioactive compounds that act as reductant and stabilizing agents has been used for the green synthesis of the Se NPs. Influences of two synthetic variables, namely, the amount of selenium salt solution ranging from 15 to 25 mL and the amount of walnut leaf extract ranging from 1 to 5 mL, on broad emission peak ( λ max ) and absorbance of colloidal solutions having Se NPs were evaluated via the response surface methodology. Obtained results indicated that using microwave radiation (800 W for 4 min) and 5 mL of walnut leaf extract and 15 mL of selenium salt solution, Se NPs with λ max , absorbance, particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential values of 375 nm, 3.65% absorbance unit (a.u.), 208 nm, 0.206, and −24.7 mV were synthesized, which had high bactericidal activity toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . The transmission electron microscopy analysis also indicated that spherical and monodispersed Se NPs with a mean particle size of 150 nm were formed using the walnut leaf extract.

One of the most important simulation models in the field of water produc"tivity (WP) management in the world is the Aquacrop model, which depends on many factors and conditions related to climate, soil, irrigation water, etc. Aquacrop model program simulates vegetative growth and the yield of both grains, biomass and irrigation WP. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Aquacrop model of two Egyptian wheat varieties, Gemeza-9 (G-9) and Misr-1 (M-1), under the two modern irrigation systems, sprinkler and drip, and the application of algae solution. Experiment location of fieldwork for this research was in El-Nubaria area, El-Beheira Governorate, and Aquacrop in Egypt. Results obtained show that under both irrigation systems, the deviation percentages between simulated by Aquacrop and observed WP values were 40.6% and 68.34%, in the case of using untreated algae and treated algae, respectively. From LSD 0.05% values, there are significant differences between all study factors (irrigation system, wheat varieties, and applied algae). Moreover, the interactions between all factors were significant under wheat grain yield of two varieties but no significant differences were found under observed or simulated WP by the Aquacrop model. It can be concluded that it is possible to recommend to use the Aquacrop simulation model for different wheat varieties in the future, to predict the WP in these semi-arid areas, especially under different irrigation systems (Bradford and Hsiao 1982; Entz et al. 1992; Johnston et al. 2002; Heng et al. 2009; Araya et al. 2010; Bennett and Harms 2011).

Mango orchards in Pakistan are deficient in soil micronutrients. Multan is one of the prime regions for mango production in Pakistan; therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the micronutrient status of mango orchards in the Multan region. Soil samples from four different depths (0–30, 30–60, 60–90, and 90–120 cm) and leaf samples were collected from thirteen different locations of Multan. Depth-wise variations in the micronutrient status and the levels of pH, EC, CEC, SOM, and CaCO 3 were determined. All data collected from the field and laboratory work of mango orchards under study were analyzed statistically by applying the RCBD design. It was observed that pH and EC e of soil under study were significantly higher in upper depths when compared with lower depths whereas CaCO 3 content was contrary to pH and EC as it was observed to be higher from the lower depth of the soil. Moreover, mango leaves from the majority of locations were deficient in total micronutrients due to poorly available micronutrients status of the soil. Thus, there is a serious need to improve the chemical properties of the soil, and the proper dose of micronutrients should be applied every season for sufficient supply throughout the growing cycle of mango in and around the Multan region.

This research work was carried out to evaluate drought stress for the differentiation of bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in their ability to tolerate drought. An experiment was carried out on six genotypes (‘Sides 1’, ‘Shindwell 1’, ‘Gemmiza 9’, ‘Sakha 93’, ‘Saheel 1’ and ‘Masr 2’). A randomized complete block design with three replications along two separate tests under the drip and the sprinkler irrigation systems was used in this experiment. One of the irrigation treatments applied the normal amount of irrigation water and the other applied end-season drought stress conditions through two successful agricultural seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. The impact on biomass, grain yield and water productivity of the six genotypes was measured. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to evaluate genetic variation among the six genotypes. PCR–RAPD analysis showed that there were several differences in both the size and number of bands between the varieties. Based on these markers, genetic similarity coefficients were calculated and a dendrogram was constructed. The dendrogram analysis delineated three major clusters. The current study showed that RAPD markers are useful in the assessment of the genetic diversity among the wheat genotypes. The drip irrigation system gave the highest values of both the biomass and the grain yield for the six genotypes, while the sprinkler irrigation gave the lowest values. Comparing the six genotypes in terms of the biomass, grain yield and water productivity, it was concluded that, the highest water productivity (WP) genotype was Sides 1, except during water stress with the sprinkler irrigation system. It was followed by genotype Sakha 93, then genotype Shindwell 1, while genotype Gemmiza 9 gave the lowest in all cases, except without water stress under drip irrigation.

In this era, we must synthesize safe pesticides from inexpensive sources to avoid the diseases caused by most of the previously used pesticides. Therefore, nanotechnology was used to produce biologically synthesis pesticides from very cheap sources such as seaweed, especially green algae, as it is safe to synthesize a pesticide against various pests such as bacteria and fungi that affect various agricultural crops. Ulva lactuca is used for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by a bottom-up bioreduction reaction of silver nitrate to silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) observed by the formation of brown color. The biosynthesis reaction has been proven by using UV-VIS, FT-IR, EDAX, SEM, TEM, and DSC-TGA and has been tested against a wide range of bacteria and fungi that affect plants, poultry, fish, rabbits, animals, and humans. Antioxidant activity was also determined. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have proven to be good and safe synthetic pesticides. The results of the spectroscopy demonstrated the success of the biological synthesis of the pesticide. Also, the results of the antimicrobial activity demonstrated the success of the pesticide that was biologically synthesized to fight bacteria and fungi that cause different diseases of different agricultural crops and should be used as a safe synthetic pesticide.

The aim of this work was to develop an analytical method for determining acrylamide in potato-based products by gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS/MS) using solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up. Different conditions for extraction and clean-up of AA extracts were studied on a potato crisps reference material (RM) with the value of 625 ± 45 μg/kg: the solvent volume used for AA elution, the extraction water temperature, the volume of hexane used, and also the addition of Carrez solutions. The SPE cartridge sorbents contain silica-based C-18 groups (anion and cation exchangers) and polymers (polystyrene-divinylbenzene). After SPE clean-up, extracts were derivatized with bromine compounds. A good efficiency for AA extraction and a cleaned-up extract from this matrix were obtained when the SPE procedure was carried out with water at room temperature, simultaneous with hexane, without Carrez solutions, by using two types of SPE cartridges (Isolute Multimode; Isolute ENV + ), and 5 mL of elution solvent. The SPE clean-up procedure functionality was demonstrated by the results obtained in the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme proficiency test ( z -score: −0.8) on French fries (precooked) matrix and also by comparative analysis with a laboratory procedure, validated and accredited on cereal-based food matrices, in which liquid–liquid extraction and clean-up through a florisil column were realized (RSD (R) = 2.23–5.10%).

To address agricultural needs of the future, a better understanding of plastic mulch film effects on soil temperature and moisture is required. The effects of different plant type and mulch combinations were studied over a 3.5-month period to better grasp the consequence of mulch on root zone temperature (RZT) and moisture. Measurements of (RZT) and soil moisture for tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) and carrot ( Daucus carota ) grown using polyolefin mulch films (black and white-on-black) were conducted in Ontario using a plot without mulch as a control. Black mulch films used in combination with pepper and carrot plants caused similar RZTs relative to uncovered soil, but black mulch film in combination with tomato plants caused a reduction in RZT relative to soil without mulch that increased as plants grew and provided more shade. White-on-black mulch film used in combination with tomatoes, peppers or carrots led to a reduction in RZT relative to soil without mulch that became greater than the temperature of soil without mulch. This insulative capability was similarly observed for black mulch films used with tomato plants. Apart from white-on-black film used in combination with tomatoes, all mulch film and plant combinations demonstrated an ability to stabilize soil moisture relative to soil without mulch. RZT and soil moisture were generally stabilized with mulch film, but some differences were seen among different plant types.

Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ) leaves are nutritious indigenous vegetables that are produced and consumed among local communities in Kenya. However, seasonal production limits their utilization. The study investigated the changing trends in the consumption and utilization of cowpea leaves among cowpea producing households in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) areas. A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected households producing and consuming cowpea leaves was carried out in Eastern and Coastal ASALs of Kenya to determine the trends and constraints in the production and utilization of the vegetable, thus evaluating its efficiency as a food security crop. The average household production in a season was found to be 3.03 ± 0.9 of 90 kg bags. Lesser severity of the constraints, poor soils, drought, lack of access to seeds and massive spoilage with an odds ratio of 0.4, 0.9, 2.0 and 2.3, respectively, significantly ( p < 0.05) predicted the production quantities among households, R 2 = 0.21. The study also found that the reliance on own production among households for sourcing the leaves in-season and off-season was 97.5% and 24.9%, respectively. The households consumed the leaves in boiled (87.5%), sundried (27.5%) or blanched (13.6%) forms. Households in the coastal ASALs significantly ( p < 0.05) consumed more of dried forms (odds ratio: 3.3) but less of boiled ones (odds ratio: 0.1) than those in the Eastern parts. Households that had more members or a female deciding the food to be bought had significantly ( p < 0.05) higher frequency of consumption of cowpea leaves. Marketing challenges, lack of access to inputs and inadequate postharvest technologies for preservation of the vegetables constrained the production and utilization of cowpea leaves. In order to promote the availability and utilization of cowpea leaves both in and out of season, accessibility of good quality seeds and postharvest management are necessary.

Soil microbiome plays a significant role in the development of the soil profile and the implementation of key soil biochemical processes. Observed Arctic warming creates significant environmental risks, since permafrost soils contain a huge amount of organic matter, which is in potential risk to be released in the form of greenhouse gases. This work is aimed to investigate the microbiomes in soils of mature tundra and anthropogenically affected areas of the Yamal region using a high-throughput sequencing approach. The taxonomic analysis of the soil microbiomes revealed 33 bacterial and archaeal phyla, among which the dominant were Proteobacteria , Acidobacteria , Actinobacteria , Bacteroides , Chloroflexi , Cyanobacteria , Firmicutes , Gematimonadetes , Patescibacteria , Plantomycetes , Thaumarchaeota , Verrucomicrobia , and WPS-2 . The analysis of alpha and beta diversities revealed that undisturbed soil is completely different from anthropogenically affected ones in terms of microorganism biodiversity. Soils of the urban zone of Salekhard were found to be different with regard to the number of operational taxonomic units and beta diversity. Herein the microbiome in the upper and lower layers of soil developed under strong technogenic influence (M19) was unequal both in quality and in quantity. At the same time, soils developed in the recreational zone of Salekhard showed less differentiation profile of microbiome (former crop field and former vegetable garden soils). Microbial communities in the mature tundra soil showed less differentiated microbiome composition.

Biochar produced from pyrolysis of organic materials has been found to improve plant growth by improving the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil as well as enhancing the sequestration of carbon dioxide that would release into the atmosphere through the decomposition of organic residues. However, there is scanty information on the methods used to apply biochar in order to optimize the benefits of biochar use for agricultural production. In view of this, a field study was carried out at the experimental field of CSIR – Soil Research Institute, Kumasi, to assess the effect of method of biochar application on the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ) in a moderately acidic sandy Ferric Acrisol . The experiment was set up using a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments imposed were as follows: control, broadcasting, spot and ring methods of application. The parameters assessed included growth and yield data as well as nitrogen and phosphorus uptake in shoots and grains. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using Genstat 12th edition. The results showed that the spot and ring methods of application significantly enhanced height, girth, nodule number and dry weight, shoot biomass and grain yield as well as nitrogen and phosphorus contents in shoots and grains when compared with the broadcasting method and control. This study therefore recommends the spot and ring methods of biochar application for adoption in cowpea production for enhanced growth, yield and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake.

One of the fundamental problems at the source of youthful reluctance to join the agricultural sector is the issue of identity. Unrealistic and negative views toward agriculture, increasing levels of education, and the existence stimulating opportunities in non-agricultural sectors have resulted in a situation that makes youths question previous assumptions about succession farming. This article discusses the identity gaps experienced by six young Indonesian farmers in developing and maintaining coherent identities within the framework of the communication theory of identity. This theoretical framework is used to explore the identity gaps among the identity layers of these young farmers in the situations they face and to understand the way they seek validation for their identity through self-verification. With the explanation approach, this article focuses on a discussion of how young farmers overcome the tensions they experience arising out of conflicts between expectations and reality. These conflicts show that there are identity gaps that must be negotiated by the youths while building their self-identity as farmers.

The success of genetically modified crops (GMCs), claimed to hold solution to impending environmental problems, depends on land holdings, agroclimatic and geoclimatic conditions, food preferences and sociocultural factors. The direct and indirect impacts of these crops on human health, ecology and environment have not been evaluated on long-term basis. In India, with rich background of farming, GMCs remain a minor change. Introduction of first GMC, Bt Cotton (BC), showed varied response throughout the country. New GMCs like Bt Brinjal and GM Mustard approved for open-field trials in the country were marred under contentious debate and were never approved for commercial cultivation. The current research article aims to study the ecological implications of only GMC available for experimentation in India, BC. A three-phase study carried out as field survey, glass dome experiments and open-field trials compared the BC and conventional cotton (CC) plants with extensive experimentation of ecological parameters including vegetation diversity, insect diversity, plant morphology and infestation intensity. Results highlighted the better morphological characteristics of BC over CC, while infestation studies showed 40% survival rate of insect pest on BC for which it is genetically modified. High electrical conductivity and low organic matter content in the BC soil samples as compared to CC soil samples were indicative of impact of Bt toxins in soil but need further in-depth soil studies to reach scientifically valid results. The current research article substantiates the environmental concerns raised against GMCs especially BC in the country. Its objective is to trigger more research in this direction, so that the technology of GMCs is utilized for the benefit of humankind.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of neem ( Azadirachta indica A. JUSS) and garlic ( Allium sativum L.) against Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) disease of groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.). A split plot design using two exotic (“fleur” 11 var., 65-13 var.) and one local (village var.) variety of groundnut as the main factor and ten treatments comprising one negative control (sterile distilled water), one positive control (fungicide: spavozeb) and eight phyto-extracts replicated three times was applied. Treatments were applied to plots at 45, 60, 75 and 90 days after planting (DAP). Results showed that CLS disease incidence ranged between 66.67% and 88.89% at 65 DAP for 10% ethanolic extract of garlic and 20% aqueous extract of garlic, respectively. Disease severity was lowest for 20% ethanolic extracts of neem seeds (14.74%) and garlic bulb (14.99%) at 65 DAP. Yield obtained from treatments of ethanolic extracts of garlic (3.62 t ha −1 ) was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than the control (2.40 t ha −1 ) but comparable to the spavozeb treatment (3.09 t ha −1 ). Exotic varieties were more productive (3.13 and 3.43 t ha −1 ) than the more resistant local variety (2.67 t ha −1 ).

The article presents a method of obtaining films based on carboxymethyl polysaccharide derivatives cross-linked with citric acid and reinforced with cellulose fibers (CFs). The addition of CFs to a film improves the mechanical properties of the composite. With the increase of filler content, the water solubility drops from 64 to 61%, respectively, for a system without a filler and that containing 7 wt% CFs, whereas Young’s modulus increases from 4.8 to 24.8 MPa for a film containing 5 wt% filler.

The Sierra Leonean government has implemented the improved rice varieties directed at enhancing more rice production to reduce food insecurity. This paper evaluates the food security effect of improved rice variety adoption using cross-sectional data collected in 2017 from a randomly selected sample of 624 rice farmers in Sierra Leone. The analysis uses the endogenous switching regression and propensity score matching (PSM) approach. The results revealed that the adoption of improved rice varieties has a significant positive effect on food security. That confirms the crucial role of improved rice variety adoption in increasing food production and food security. Therefore, the study recommended the intensification of policies that promote improved rice variety adoption, if more food production and food security are to be realized. Further, the government should continue the lead in rice variety promotion and dissemination and in enhancing an enabling environment for the effective adoption of farmers. Given the preponderant evidence of the different factors of food security, appropriate policies that seek to promote formal education, more income generation for farmers, and easy and credible access to farmland for landless farmers would enhance food security.

Cassava, which is a tropical storage root crop, serves as a veritable source of carbohydrate for people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also an important source of industrial starch, biopolymers, animal feeds and ethanol. However, the genetic improvement of the crop is impeded by dearth in information on its genetic variability. A field experiment was carried out at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike (05° 29′ N; 07° 33′ E; 122 m a.s.l.), Nigeria, aimed at assessing the interrelationship between fresh root yield and thirteen quantitative yield-related characters of twenty-eight (28) newly developed cassava genotypes. The rain-fed experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with dual replications in 2016/2017 cropping seasons. The results indicated that the newly developed cassava genotypes [2] NR110315 followed by [20] B1-5 and [1] NR110238 exhibited ( P < 0.05) highest fresh root yield among the twenty-eight genotypes tested. The fresh root yield of [2] NR110315 (18.77 Mt ha −1 ) was relatively higher compared with [18] NR050080, which gave the least root yield of 5.38 Mt ha −1 . The correlation coefficients obtained from the associations among the variables were positive and exhibited highly significant ( P ≤ 0.01) association, especially between leaf area index (LAI) and root diameter as well as with fresh root yield of cassava. Among the nine variables subjected to the path analysis, LAI, starch content, above ground dry matter (AGDM), weight of fresh marketable roots per plant and root length that contributed positively and directly to higher fresh root yield require greater attention during selection and breeding in cassava studies. The direct effect of the variables indicating their magnitudes in decreasing order showed that LAI exhibited the greatest effect followed by starch content, AGDM, weight of fresh marketable roots plant −1 , root length, % cassava bacterial blight incidence and % Cassava mosaic disease incidence, which had the lowest direct effect on root yield of cassava. Cyanide potential exhibited a direct, weak and negative effect on fresh root yield. The results further suggested that cassava improvement could be achieved through these characters that have positive and highly significant magnitude effect on fresh root yield.

The state of the microbial community is an essential factor determining the processes of soil restoration of disturbed soils. Quarrying and mining complexes are valuable sites for studying soil formation processes. Four different quarries (gypsum, sand–gravel mixture, sand, and clay) of the Republic of Bashkortostan were surveyed to determine the status of the microbial community of post-technogenic soils. Amplicon libraries of the 16s rDNA gene were analyzed. It was shown that the microbial communities of different soil horizons of quarries differ significantly. According to the results of the analysis, quarry communities demonstrate differences in the microbial composition of different horizons, while in some cases, the upper horizon is richer.

A potted experiment arranged in a 5 × 3 factorial in a randomized complete block design was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the soil of five leguminous plants: Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth, Centrosema pascuorum Martius ex Benth, Crotalaria ochroleuca G. Don, Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet and Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. The effects of varying phosphorus concentrations (P0) (0 kg/ha of single superphosphate), P1 (100 kg/ha of single superphosphate) and P2 (200 kg/ha of single superphosphate) on the population of AMF spores under these legumes were also carried out. The AMF spores in soil samples were extracted at 19 weeks after planting, using the wet sieving and decanting method, and enumerated with the aid of a stereoscopic microscope. Spores of different species of genera Glomus and Gigaspora were encountered in the soils of the five leguminous plants. Spores of Glomus species predominated while the spores of Gigaspora species were found in lower numbers. The total AMF population was significantly affected by legume species ( p ≤ 0.05). The total AMF spore counts were higher in the soils of Mucuna pruriens and Crotolaria ochroleuca ( p ≤ 0.05). The populations of Glomus mossae in soils decreased with increasing level of applied phosphorus ( p ≤ 0.05). A positive correlation was recorded between the total AMF spores, the predominant AMF spores and soil pH, while the organic matter content and the available phosphorus were negatively correlated with both the total AM spores and the predominant AMF spores.

Farmers have not tested their soils for nutrient status and therefore are unaware of the fertility status of their soils. Therefore, a baseline fertility survey of 50 hectares of land of a gravelly Alfisol in the Teaching and Research Farm of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria was carried out with a view to identifying soil health constraints and site-specific sustainable land management practices for optimizing crop production. Standard field protocols and laboratory analytical procedures were employed for all sample parameters measured. Results show that the soil textural classes vary from sand to loamy sand, exchangeable acidity, Ca, Mg, K, and Na and the effective cation exchange capacity has the surface and subsurface soil values of 0.0–0.92 and 0.00–0.89 cmol kg −1 , 1.6–7.7 and 2.0–5.8 cmol kg −1 , 1.2–11.5 and 0.7–8.0 cmol kg −1 , 0.09–0.33 and 0.09–0.43 cmol kg −1 , 0.0–0.16 and 0.04–0.16 cmol kg −1 , 7.2–12.10 and 0.9–12.5 cmol kg −1 , respectively. P values lie in the ranges of 2.5–68.9 mg kg −1 and 2.0–37.7 mg kg −1 in the surface and subsurface soils, respectively, organic C values were 0.86–2.81% and 0.68–3.49%, respectively, in the surface and subsurface soils while the values of N were 0.12–0.61% in the surface and 0.11–0.56% subsurface soils. Land evaluation shows that the soils of the project site are very fragile and poor in native fertility. Compound fertilizers low in nitrogen contents but high in phosphorus and potassium are recommended for gravelly Alfisol in a derived savannah ecological zone of the Kwara State, Nigeria to avoid a nutrient imbalance that may create artificial deficiencies of otherwise adequate nutrient elements.

This study examined strain, sex and slaughter weight effect on performance, meat quality and yield of broiler chicken. One hundred and fifty-day-old chicks (broilers) were distributed randomly in a 3 × 2 × 4 factorial experiment, with 50 birds per strain (Ross, Aboaca and Anak) and 25 birds per sex. After trial, 32 birds per strain and 16 per sex were slaughtered at 4 different body weights (1,000, 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 g) to determine carcass yield and meat quality. The results revealed significant strain and sex effect ( P < 0.05) on growth performance of the broiler chicken. Ross strain had the highest feed intake (4883.25 g) and final body weight (2440.25 g) compared to Aboaca and Anak strains. Female broiler having heavier body weight (2431.66 g) and feed intake (4864.83 g) than the males for all strains. Aboaca birds had the highest carcass yields for all slaughter weight than Anak and Ross. The slaughter weight, irrespective sex and strains significantly influenced the carcass yield ( P < 0.001) with birds slaughtered at 2,500 g having ( P < 0.001) highest values compared to other slaughtered weights. As slaughter weight increases, cooking loss and thermal shortening decreases while water holding capacity and shear force values increases. Overall, Aboaca strain was considered to have best performances for production.

Indonesia developed the Smallholder Plantation Scheme (PIR) in the early 1980s, making smallholders an important part of the national scale. Increasing smallholder yields is an important instrument for increasing local income and livelihoods. However, small-scale oil palm expansion has problems with low productivity and quality of production. Therefore, to increase their productivity and improve their cultivation, this study measures the importance of planting behavior and specific treatment of farmers’ prosperity and productivity. To measure the possible significant differences between and within groups, a statistical approach, ANOVA, has been used while Spearman’s correlation matrix also has been used to measure the correlation between variables. This study finds that good seed treatment and adequate doses of fertilizer are important for farmers’ prosperity and productivity. Smallholder farmers have the least expenditure but the highest average production and income with the most extended growing age when compared with the other two groups of smallholder farmers. Even though the number of seeds used was the smallest, the success rate of smallholder planting was the highest. The optimal use of fertilizer and seed care alone is not significant enough to increase yields. It is a combination of other factors such as planting management practices, drainage capacity and soil substrate properties, climate characteristics, rainfall distribution, nutrient supply, and prevention of plant diseases and also determining maximum yield.

The spatial distribution of urban vegetation cover is strongly related to climatological conditions, which play a vital role in urban cooling via shading and reducing ground surface temperature and effective strategy in mitigation urban heat island. Based on the Landsat satellite images, the quantitative normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was spatially mapped at two times for each year during 2008, 2013, 2019 in Baghdad. The NDVI values ranged from −1 to +1 with considering values larger than 0.2 indicate the dense healthy vegetation. In this study, the fractional areas of NDVI >0.2 were computed with their percentage. The responses of the NDVI during the growing seasons to two climate indices (i.e., air temperature and precipitation) were investigated. These climatic data obtained from the Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology for the aforementioned years were used to explore the potential correlations between seasonal NDVI and above climate variables. The result shows that NDVI-derived vegetation growth patterns were highly correlated with their recording during the current growth seasons.

Because of the increased demand for information, the scientific community have published their results on the Internet over the last 20 years, adapting to society requirements. Due to the development of web-based spatial information soil systems, access to data on various themes and of varying quality has become substantially easier. The focus of our paper is to demonstrate a freely accessible and usable web-based soil database and soil information system (Soil Information and Soil Classifier System), which is suitable for geovisualization uploaded soil data and for determining reference soil groups (RSGs) in accordance with the World Reference Base of Soil Resources (WRB; RSG). In order to achieve this, we algorithmized the diagnostic soil classification process of the WRB, then we created decision trees to correspond input soil data to the WRB system. In order to facilitate geovisualization of the spatial data, the Keyhole Markup Language file format supported by Google API was applied.

The study assessed the contributions of stakeholders to livestock development through provision of infrastructure to rural areas of Delta State, Nigeria. The objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, appraise the role of external stakeholders in livestock development, verify any existing relationship between livestock development and rural development indicators and identify the challenges faced by respondents. A purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the three major towns and 180 respondents. Data were collected by questionnaire and subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Result obtained showed that majority of the respondents were males (68.3%) with higher national diplomat (HND)/First degree (33.3%) and have a mean age of 42 years. The first four highest external stakeholders were skills training and entrepreneurship programme (94%), youth agricultural entrepreneurs programme (90.6%), job creation agency (89.4%) and FADAMA (80.0%) that promoted livestock development. A significant relationship was observed based on infrastructural contributions to livestock development ( p < 0.05) among the variables: market, water project, market and roads. Serious challenges included high cost of feed facilities (mean = 3.69) and insufficient power supply (mean = 3.49). The study concluded that the more available the rural infrastructure intervention, the more developed the livestock sector. The study recommended that stakeholders should make their extension agent available to livestock farmers.

Rural areas as a space have many features in common: land as a significant resource for economic activity, forests as a natural kind of climate-friendly environment, a low population density, etc. At the same time, the natural resources of rural areas tend to be exploited in a different way, which is determined by the different activities of the population of a particular territorial unit about the exploitation of the natural resources. By employing cluster analysis, an analysis of 110 administrative-territorial units forming the space outside cities of national significance allowed identifying the geographical locations of the least economically developed territorial units and the most specific socio-economic characteristics of the units. Geographically, the territorial units were spread across all the planning regions in Latvia, while business and entrepreneurship there focused on the use of natural resources, i.e. agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The trend has been observed since 2009 and requires seeking innovative ideas for changing the situation, one of which could be the expansion of the e-environment and e-commerce in these areas as well as the establishment of a cooperation network for home producers.

Organic rice farming (ORF) is getting more attention from many parties because conventional rice farming (CRF) has environmental issues and because people’s awareness of healthy food is increasing. The social, economical, and environmental challenges make ORF a potential path forward. This study aims to understand farmers’ responses to ORF. Data were collected through interviews with 37 respondents from Central Java and 67 respondents from South Sulawesi. The respondents, chosen randomly, represented 40.38% CRF farmers and 59.62% ORF farmers. A mean was used to present the difference between CRF and ORF farmers’ responses in each variable. Multiple linear regression was used to describe the factors affecting these responses. Results showed that ORF farmers’ mean on all response variables was higher than CRF farmers’, except market opportunity (MKOP), which showed only a slight difference in means at 4.357 (CRF) and 4.371 (ORF). MKOP is the one area of trust for both CRF and ORF farmers. Both responses from CRF and ORF farmers have value for use by stakeholders to develop Indonesian ORF.

Potatoes are prone to attack by multiple viruses, which contribute greatly to yield and quality decline depending on the cultivar and the virus involved. This study investigated the effect of co-infection involving Potato virus Y ( potyvirus ) and Potato leafroll Virus ( pelero virus ) on productivity of five potato cultivars in Uganda and the nature of virus interaction during co-infection process. Variety response to virus infection by PVY, PLRV and co-infection (PVY + PLRV) varied across different varieties. The plants that were infected with PLRV had leaf rolling, stuntedness, leaf distortion, reduction in leaf size and mottling and light yellow mosaics, and in some cases, purple or red margins were observed, while single infection of PVY induced necrosis, leaf rugosity, crinkling, stunting, interveinal necrosis, blotching of the margins, leaf distortion and mottling. When the two viruses were combined during co-infection with PVY + PLRV, the symptoms were characterized by bright blotching and necrotic leaf margins with purpling of the leaf tips and leaf margins, stuntedness and leaf distortions. The virus disease severity was higher under mixed infected plants than single infected plants. The high disease severity culminated in a significant effect on yield, marketable tuber number per plant, plant growth height and plant vigor, which were different across the varieties. Co-infection involving PVY and PLRV caused a reduction in the marketable yield of 95.2% (Kinigi), 94% (Victoria), 89.5 (Rwagume), 45.3% (Royal) and 23.7% (Sifra). Single infection by PLRV caused a reduction in a marketable yield in Victoria (91.8%), Kinigi (84.8%), Rwagume (73.3%), Royal (47.2%) and Sifra 22.1%, while PVY caused a marketable yield reduction in Victoria (87.2%), Rwagume (85.9.7%), Kinigi (85.1%), Royal (37.4%) and Sifra (14.1%). The effects associated with the co-infection of PVY and PLRV were lower than the combined value of the single infections, suggesting that the two viruses were interacting to affect the potato productivity. The high yield loss suggested that effective resistance strategy targeting PVY, PLRV and their combination was required to save the potato industry in Uganda.

Despite the conceptual promise and attractiveness of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in ensuring farmers’ resilience and food security, empirical evidence of its success are observed to be scanty and mixed in terms of results, thus prompting further research. In this article, we analyzed the effect of adopting six Agricultural Practices with CSA Potentials (AP-CSAPs) on food security status using recent cross-sectional data on 238 maize farmers from Northern Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Probit regression. The results showed that 92.4% of the maize farmers were male, with a mean age and household size of 44 years and nine persons, respectively. We find that 37.0% of the farm households were food insecure, and adoption of the AP-CSAPs was generally low. However, while refuse retention and agroforestry influenced food security, the remaining four practices considered did not. In addition, we find that land fragmentation, off-farm income and age influence the likelihood of being food secure. We recommend further research on the medium- to long-term effects of AP-CSAPs and suggest that policies aimed at consolidating landholdings to promote monocropping among rural farmers be discouraged.

Green fabrication of metal nanoparticles (NPs), using natural reducing and stabilizing agents existed in plants and their derivatives, due to their unique properties, has gained more attention. The present study focuses on the synthesis of gold (Au), silver (Ag) and selenium (Se) NPs using coffee bean extract under hydrothermal conditions (1.5 atm and 121°C, for 15 min). Coffee bean extract obtained in 2 h processing using Clevenger apparatus and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated five highlighted peaks, namely, hydroxyl, amide, aromatic, alkane and ring groups. Dynamic light scattering analysis revealed that among three different NPs formed, fabricated Ag NPs had small particle size (153 nm) and high zeta potential value (16.8 mV). However, synthesized Au NPs had minimum polydispersity index (0.312). Results also indicated that fabricated Au, Se and Ag NPs had low antioxidant activity with values of 9.1, 8.9 and 8.7%, respectively. Morphological and antibacterial activity assessments, demonstrated that synthesized Ag, Au and Se NPs had spherical shape and high bactericidal activity against E. coli and S. aurous . Obtained results indicated that the synthesized NPs, can be utilized in various areas.

This work was developed as part of a study on the potential of agritourism in Baja California, Mexico, and had its origin in the discovery of great opportunities for economic development in rural areas with the use of alternative tourism. The main objective was to analyze the links of value along the chain of agro-tourism services, which allow increasing the attractiveness of tourism proposals in agricultural companies. To achieve this, tours of 100 ranches or agricultural companies were conducted in the San Quintín Valley, Baja California, as a case study. With the use of indicators and comparative interpretations of the photographs obtained, potential products were selected as tourist attractions. The way to increase the value of each identified link was discussed, and finally a proposal was made for a value chain for agritourism destinations, describing the set of primary and support activities to be considered for the whole proposed chain. It is concluded that the success of any agritourism product will depend on the differentiation of the business concept offered, the access to new markets, the articulation between the proposed links, as well as the development of skills of the human talent that participates in each link of the chain.

Due to the rise in cost and detrimental health and environmental consequences that accompany the use of nematicides, there is a need for a more eco-friendly and less expensive alternative to control root-knot nematode ( Meloidogyne incognita ). Nematode infestation reduces the quality and quantity of Celosia argentea Linn. A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to determine the biocontrol efficacy of Trichoderma asperellum against M. incognita in C. argentea . The treatments consisted M. incognita infected C. argentea inoculated with 0, 2.2 × 10 7 , 4.4 × 10 7 , or 6.6 × 10 7  cfu/pot of T. asperellum . All doses of T. asperellum reduced the root-knot nematode population and root gall index. Growth and development of C. argentea were improved, indicating that T. asperellum has the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent in C. argentea production. The biocontrol activity of T. asperellum in C. argantea increased as the week went by until the plants attained full maturity. Hence, the control of M. incognita by T. asperellum depends on the developmental stage of the plant root system.

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential plant macronutrient responsible for modulating many physiological or biochemical processes such as photosynthetic activity, amino acid synthesis and nucleotide metabolism. Agricultural soils with a more-than-adequate availability of calcium (Ca) have inherent Mg deficiency, potentially resulting in overall reduced soil productivity and crop yield potential. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the optimum soil application of Mg to increase crop growth and productivity under calcareous soil conditions. In addition to recommended soil application of mineral fertilizers, we applied the following four levels of Mg to the soil in the form of anhydrous MgSO 4 : control, 4 kg Mg ha −1 (Mg4), 8 kg Mg ha −1 (Mg8) and 16 kg Mg ha −1 (Mg16). Results showed that Mg16 application enhanced the plant height (21%), number of grains (18%), 1,000 grains weight (20%), grain yield (20%) and biological yield (9%) over control ( p ≤ 0.05). Chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were generally higher at the Mg8 and Mg16 levels than at the control level. Contrasting to increases in growth traits, the concentration of K significantly decreased in grains, leaves and shoots of maize along the soil’s Mg gradient ( p ≤ 0.05). We suggest that Mg16 overcomes the deficiency of soil Mg and can increase the crop yield traits in calcareous soils. More investigations of the effect of soil Mg on various crops grown in calcareous soils may add to our knowledge related to the stressing impact of soil Mg on plant K concentration.

Understanding the mode of inheritance of traits is vital in the selection of breeding methods for the grain yield and improvement of associated traits in a target environment. Combining ability is one of the powerful indices for the selection of the best cross combinations, parental lines that combine with other lines and the best breeding method for high grain yield improvement programmes. A total of 45 crosses were generated from ten maize varieties developed in low nitrogen environment in a diallel mating fashion without reciprocal. The resultant progenies were investigated in low- and highnitrogen soil to identify the mode of grain yield inheritance and those of related traits in the tested environments. Mean square analysis revealed the preponderance of additive and non-additive gene actions in the expression of maize grain yield and related characters tested under stress and optimal conditions. In this study, it is proved that both standard selection and hybridization breeding strategies are effective for the improvement of most traits involved. This experiment also confirmed the adequacy of sufficient variation in the gene pool present in the maize population that could be exploited in maize grain yield improvement programmes in the tropics. The ratio of SCA to GCA however emphasized the superiority of additive gene effects in the expression of most traits in the tested environments. The results, therefore, suggest that additive gene actions primarily condition the expression of maize grain yield and associated characters in the tested environments. Therefore, suggesting that the standard selection method would be effective for the improvement of most traits tested under the two environments.

The Zambian government has introduced the farm block development programme (FBDP) to facilitate agricultural land and rural development and encourage private sector investment. This study assessed whether the FBDP achieves these goals. Key obstacles and possible opportunities were also identified and, where appropriate, specific corrective actions were recommended. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in Lusaka with various stakeholders of the FBDP. The FBDP is designed to facilitate agricultural land development and encourage private sector investment. However, the programme falls far short in terms of implementation, amidst policy uncertainty and lack of support. This is evident by the insecurity of land tenure which negatively affects small- and medium-scale producers’ access to financing, lack of infrastructure development of these farm blocks, and constraints in the agricultural sector such as low labour productivity and poor access to service expertise. It is recommended that innovative policy interventions should be created to support agricultural development. This can be achieved by following a multistakeholder approach through involving private, public and non-profit sectors such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors.

This study briefly discusses the relatively young private wildlife industry of South Africa which surfaced in the late 1990s, early 2000s. The industry has unique conservation management models and land uses that include hunting, breeding and game sales and ecotourism and by-products as well as mixed farming practices that include stock and crop farming. The research found that breeding and game sales are the most productive land-use form. Since this research was conducted, the market for live game sales collapsed and the authors believe that other wildlife-related land uses, such as ecotourism and by-products, will gain popularity in the future to replace breeding which is now less favourable. Furthermore, it was also found that different farm sizes influence the land uses, and a combination of land uses was chosen to be incorporated on a private wildlife establishment. A qualitative research approach was followed, and 223 privately owned wildlife establishment owners and managers were interviewed at fourteen auctions across South Africa. This research also concludes that since most wildlife are found on private conservation land, this research is a must for the industry as it can guide private wildlife establishment owners and managers to manage their private wildlife establishments most productively. Since this research was conducted, the market for live game sales collapsed, and the results show that fewer wildlife establishments are now breeding with game. These game farmers or wildlife establishment owners are now looking for different options on their land. If they cannot find an alternative in the wildlife industry, they will divert to other farming activities such as cattle farming. This will lead to a decrease in land for wildlife, which can impact wildlife numbers in South Africa. The authors believe that land use such as ecotourism and by-products will gain popularity in the future to replace breeding. This research also shows where there are opportunities in the wildlife industry.

The agrosoddy-podzolic soil (Eutric Albic Glossic Retisol (Abruptic, Loamic, Aric, Cutanic)) is typical for Moscow Oblast and is used for agricultural purposes, resulting in use of various agrochemicals and pesticides. The presence of macropores and cracks in such soils leads to preferential water and substance transfer and nonequilibrium conditions. Therefore, it is important to study the numerical characteristics of the pore space of soils to adjust mathematical models of substance transfer. Undisturbed soil monoliths 10 cm in diameter taken from Ap (from 0 to 30 cm) and E, BE horizons (from 30 to 50 cm) were investigated under the field moisture conditions and after saturation using the tomographic core analyzer RKT-180 with the resolution of 200 μm/pixel. Using the X-ray computer tomography, it has been established that the plough layer of the agrosoddy-podzolic soil contains over 7% of macropores larger than 1 mm, while the subsurface layer has a porosity of about 3%. After saturation, some of the inter-aggregate pores overlap, which leads to a decrease in the total porosity to 4% in the upper and 2% in lower horizons, as well as increase in the average pore diameter. The number of macropores determined by tomographic analysis is one third higher than the values calculated using pedotransfer functions for this soil. The data obtained in this paper are recommended for use in national scenarios of migration of substances (pesticides, agrochemicals, salts) in soils.

A two-factorial field experiment with soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merill) was conducted in a randomized block design, with four replications. The tested factors were seed priming method and genotype responses. There had been seven soybean varieties (Aldana, Aligator, Annushka, Augusta, Lissabon, Mavka, and Merlin) and each of them had control (unprimed) and seed primed groups. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hydropriming on germination ability and emergence under field conditions, on the growth and development of selected soybean varieties. Shortly before harvest, 10 randomly selected plants were collected from each plot, and their morphological and yield-related traits were measured. In addition, the seed yield was assessed. On the basis of statistical analysis, significant differences were found between the applied hydropriming method and the control group in regard to morphological traits. Seed treatment resulted in a slight increase in harvested seed yield, which is within error margin. The seed yield of Aligator increased significantly by 0.5 t ha −1 , indicating a genotype-specific different reaction to seed priming in terms of yield.

Paddy-wheat crop rotation is responsible for declining soil health, underground water table, arising new micronutrient deficiencies, new weed flora, and resistance to herbicides, declining both land and water productivity and is claimed to be capital and energy-intensive, more particularly in emerging countries. This is further aggravated when micronutrients are deficient, particularly zinc (Zn), which plays an important role in human health, especially in developing countries. Zn biofortification is a technique in which the inherent Zn status of the edible portion of plants is improved by simply spraying a Zn solution onto the crop or through a soil application at a predetermined stage and a proper dose. The concentration of Zn within a wheat grain is genotype-dependent and interacts with the environment, inducing variation in a grain’s concentration of micronutrients. Grain quality parameters are positively correlated with a higher dose of nitrogen in the late reproductive stage. Broadcasting of ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O at 62.5 kg ha −1 and foliar application of Zn chelates such as Zn–HEDP (C) at 2 g L −1 , Zn–HEDP (L) at 3 g L −1 , or a 0.4–0.5% ZnSO 4 solution during grain development stage enhanced the growth, productivity, and micronutrients concentration in the edible portion of the plant which further improves the quality of wheat grains and ultimately improves human health in the region. Given the central importance to Zn in cereal-based nutrition, zinc biofortification appears as an innovative technology to alleviate the zinc deficiency in human health, especially on the Indian subcontinent, by applying Zn either as a foliar or soil application.

Globally, weeds have been considered as a major threat and act as a hindrance to crop production, even though the farmers put tremendous efforts to eliminate the weeds to get a better yield. Weeds stayed a steady threat to productivity and manageability of soil and environment, regardless of many years of research and advances in management practices. Parthenium hysterophorus is widely studied all around the world including India as a noxious and an unsafe weed responsible for many health risks in humans and animals. Many experts employed different biological methods using insects, beetle, microorganisms, and certain pathogens, which caused a broad dispersal damage to P. hysterophorus. Biorational weed control is also offered by allelopathy through the production of allelochemicals from the leaf, blossoms, grains, nuts, bud, berry, trunk, and organization of living or decaying plant substance. Allelopathy is the most realistic method to control the weeds as well as different plants. Lately, there has been a proliferation of curiosity to research on plant allelopathy to control weeds in agro-ecosystems. The successful management of this weed can only be achieved by an integrated approach with allelochemicals as a crucial aspect.

The purpose of this article was to give a comprehensive review of the published research works on biological control of different fungal, bacterial, and nematode plant diseases in Iran from 1992 to 2018. Plant pathogens cause economical loss in many agricultural products in Iran. In an attempt to prevent these serious losses, chemical control measures have usually been applied to reduce diseases in farms, gardens, and greenhouses. In recent decades, using the biological control against plant diseases has been considered as a beneficial and alternative method to chemical control due to its potential in integrated plant disease management as well as the increasing yield in an eco-friendly manner. Based on the reported studies, various species of Trichoderma , Pseudomonas , and Bacillus were the most common biocontrol agents with the ability to control the wide range of plant pathogens in Iran from lab to the greenhouse and field conditions.

Calcium- and magnesium-rich alkaline silicate minerals, when applied to soil, can aid in carbon dioxide sequestration via enhanced weathering. The weathering of these silicate minerals is also associated with the release of heavy metals such as Ni and Cr, depending on the composition of the parent rock, and also labile Si. This paper critically analyses the risk associated with the release of Ni, Cr, and Si from alkaline silicate minerals as a result of enhanced weathering to evaluate its potential to be applied as a soil amendment. Based on the available data in the literature, this study evaluates the soil contamination level and quantifies the risk these elements pose to human health as well as the environment. To assess these potential threat levels, the geoaccumulation index was applied, along with the method recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency for health risk assessment. The main findings of this study indicate the potential release of Ni, Cr, and Si to exceed the soil quality guideline value. The geochemical index suggests that the analyzed samples are in the class 0–3 and represents sites that lie between uncontaminated zones to highly contaminated zones. The hazard index value for Ni and Cr is greater than unity, which suggests that Ni and Cr release poses a non-carcinogenic risk. The probability of labile Si concentration in the soil to exceed the critical value is found to be 75%.

A total of 145 accessions of the genus Citrus and related genera, maintained in the Conservation Garden for Citrus Germplasm at the Experimental Farm of Kindai University, Yuasa, Wakayama, Japan, were examined for their phylogenetic relationships. The present classification was conducted using an inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) method based on the insertion polymorphism of a retrotransposon, CIRE1 , identified in C. sinensis . The objective of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the IRAP method for citrus classification. The constructed dendrogram showed that the 145 accessions and two outgroup species were successfully classified into five major clades. A large number of C. sinensis accessions were divided into three traditional groups, navel orange, sweet orange, and blood orange, almost corresponding to the sub-clades in the dendrogram. Several other accessions belonging to the same species, and also many hybrid cultivars from crossbreeding, were localized into the respective sub-clades or near positions in the dendrogram. Several unclassified accessions could also be located in the dendrogram, suggesting novel relationships with other accessions. It was concluded that the IRAP method based on CIRE1 insertion polymorphism was suitable for the classification of citrus from a molecular point of view.

Fifty wheat seed variety (var.) CIRNO C2008 were gamma irradiated with 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 600 Gy by using a Cobalt-60 source at 907.39 Gy/h, and the nonirradiated seeds were considered the control ( M 0 ). A photoperiod of 13 h of darkness (14°C) and 11 h of light (2 h at 18°C, 7 h at 25°C, and 2 h at 18°C) was used for 30 days, in a growth chamber (BJPX-A450; BIOBASE) for quantifying the morphometric traits of the irradiated vs nonirradiated seeds. The germination percentage (from 88.89% in M 0 to 77.78% in 600 Gy) did not show significant differences among treatments; while the survival percentage (from 100% in M 0 to 6.66% in 600 Gy) and plant height (from 19.21 cm in M 0 to 1.16 cm in 600 Gy) showed negative significant ( p < 0.05) difference among nonirradiated seeds ( M 0 ) and the rest of the treatments. Finally, based on the survival percentage, the calculated lethal dose was 290.6 Gy, which will allow obtaining promising wheat mutants. Gamma irradiation is a promising alternative to obtain a greater wheat variability for advanced mutant lines.

The aim of the work was to compare the taxonomic composition of the rumen procariotic community in young and adult individuals of Nenets breed reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) from the central part of the Yamal region by using the NGS method (next generation sequencing) and compare the microbiome composition of reindeer with the microbiome of their initial vegetation food material. The obtained data showed that the dominant position in microbial communities, like that of other ruminants, was occupied by representatives of phylum Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes , whose total share between observed groups did not differ significantly. The composition of the microbiome of the rumen of the investigated group of animals was completely different from the microbiome structure of the initial vegetation cover. Digestion of vegetation by reindeers resulted in complex transformation in the initial plant microbiome and an increase of biological diversity which was expressed in operational taxonomic unit (OTU) numbers increasing and changes in indexes of alpha-diversity parameters. According to the results of alpha- and beta- diversity of the rumen microbial communities, the greatest uniqueness was revealed for the microbiomes of the adults in comparison with calves and young. The presence of changes in the biodiversity indexes of the rumen microbiota in the reindeer, examined by us, confirm the opinion of the researchers that the microbial community may also reflect the physiological state of the animals. It has also been demonstrated that the presence of the phylum Verrucomicrobia , and the genera Stenotrophomonas , Pseudomonas , etc., may be specific to Nenets breed reindeer and have a pattern with their presence on various plants and lichens that are part of the reindeer diet. This is partially confirmed by data on plants microbiome taxonomy.

This study set out to investigate possible relationships between lamb carcass weight and quality with feed availability during the main growing season in southern Greenland where farms are sparsely distributed over a large area. In early May, ewes and new-born lambs are let out to graze permanent nature areas until slaughter towards the end of September. In our study, we used data from 157,477 lambs slaughtered between 2010 and 2017 as well as the Normalized Differentiated Vegetation Index (NDVI) as an indicator of biomass growth. Mean carcass weight of lambs ranged from 13.4 kg in 2015 to 16.5 kg in 2010 where 70.5% of all lambs scored well for conformation and fat. Both farm, year, and NDVI significantly correlated with carcass weight and quality. Lambs raised in the northern and the southern grazing areas generally were smaller than lambs raised in the central part. Finally, NDVI explained between 0 and 74% of the variation in mean carcass weight across years within each grazing area. Our work exemplifies the use of satellite-derived data to attempt an explanation of spatial variation in productivity, which in the future could be coupled with other spatial variables such as soil quality, vegetation, and topography.

Transnational cooperation is a common strategy for addressing research and development (R&D) issues resulting from similar challenges that cut across administrative borders. Value chains for food and drinks are complex, and transdisciplinary work is recognised as a method for solving complex issues. The Northern Cereals project ran from 2015 to 2018, and its goal was to increase cereal production and the value of grain products in four regions in the Northern Periphery programme area. The project included both R&D, but the main emphasis was on development, and was carried out by transdisciplinary cooperation between R&D partners and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By reviewing the project’s methods, outcomes and composition, we discuss if a framework of transnational and transdisciplinary cooperation can help to develop the value chain from local barley to beer. We found that transnational cooperation was achieved successfully, that stakeholder involvement was crucial, but that academic disciplines such as marketing and innovation could have been included. In addition, we recognised that much work remains to further increase cereal production and the use of local grain in the Northern Periphery region, but believe that this project has laid a good foundation for further progress.

Results of a recent multiyear experiment conducted on an agricultural plot that was recently converted from boreal forest (Labrador, Canada) suggested that NPK fertilizers contributed to better crop establishment and higher yield but only when it was applied along with biochar. The failure of fertilizer only treatments to allow crop establishment and desirable growth and yield could be related to the deficiency of one or more micronutrients. Consequently, a missing element trial with a number of micronutrients (Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo) was initiated on the same soil to investigate whether biochar can facilitate the availability of one or more of these micronutrients, contributing to crop growth and yields. Results show that the incorporation of chemical fertilizers with biochar produced significantly higher yields than in the absence of biochar. Furthermore, in the absence of biochar, the addition of micronutrients (i.e., Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo) did not significantly increase yield. On the other hand, among the treatments that included biochar, the absence of a micronutrient (i.e., only three of the four micronutrients included) had either no effect (e.g., absence of Mn or Zn) or was associated with the increased yields (i.e., absence of Cu or Mo). Thus, it is proposed that while all tested micronutrients were present in the podzolic soil, with Cu and Mo possibly oversupplied, co-application with biochar enhanced both macronutrient and micronutrient utilization by plants. The data on the availability of micronutrients in the soil, their concentration in plants, and total uptake also support this conclusion. Thus, biochar facilitates the plant uptake of both naturally occurring and added micronutrients, and associated crop productivity, in a podzolic soil typical for lands converted from forest to agricultural use in the boreal ecoregion of Labrador. These results also challenge the view that micronutrients must always be added to Podzols to achieve maximum productivity; biochar-mediated micronutrient plant uptake deserves consideration when managing Podzols.

The positive adoption of digital technology within the food sector can boost sustainable development in Finnish Lapland. There is a need for a food system in the region to respond to current trends from consumers and ensure a better supply of local foods that are processed efficiently with minimal waste. In this article, a review of the literature on the benefits of digitalisation as a tool amongst food processors was carried out. The opportunities offered by digital technology are expected to make local food business operators more transparent, efficient and sustainable. Digitalisation can help to minimise the environmental impacts of food processing and ultimately improve sustainability. In meeting the demand of local consumers, distributed and localised manufacturing will help to add value to local food crops, lower transportation and storage costs. The adoption of food digitalisation will open up market accessibility for the locally produced food products in local communities. In the future, digitalisation is likely to have major impacts in the local food system of the Lapland region.

The post-anthropogenic and soil cover transformations of former agricultural soils on the abandoned lands in the Russian Arctic territory are poorly investigated due to the active growth of the city complexes and increasing area occupied by agricultural lands. That is lead to an increase in the area of the arable lands surrounding the polar urbanized territories. Today, most of that land allocated for agricultural needs has been abandoned or affected by other types of land use. This study aimed to investigate the abandoned lands surrounding some of the settlements in the central part of the Yamal region. The soil diversity, morphology, and chemical and agrochemical properties were investigated with special reference to the specific transformations that occur to fallow lands under permafrost-affected cryogenic-ecosystem conditions. Analysis of data show that these soils are characterized by features relating to both, previous (and existing), anthropogenic impacts and natural processes such as cryogenic mass transfer. The degradation of the arable humus-enriched horizon was not as pronounced as it has been in more humid boreal environments over recent decades. The organic carbon content in topsoil depends on the land use and varied considerably among the soil types. The former arable topsoil horizon has been stable over time in terms of its morphological features and agrochemical state. Despite the high soil acidity levels, thenutrient content in the anthropogenically impacted soils was still high, even though being abandoned for 20 years.

The peculiarity of natural conditions of Yakutia plays an important role in the formation of economic activities of its population. A significant number of rivers and lakes are a favorable condition for the development and preservation of traditional fishing. Currently, more than 89% of the commercial fish catch is produced in the lower reaches of the large northern rivers and lakes in the Arctic and subarctic zones of Yakutia. The main part of this catch is whitefish species, which are valued for their fat content, protein content, culinary, and taste qualities. Fish is a valuable food product for the population of Yakutia. This article presents the results of the study on the nutritional value and the content of heavy metals in the Arctic cisco meat. The high content of fat and protein in the studied samples shows that the Arctic cisco meat belongs to high-protein and high-calorie products and has a high biological value. It was found that on average, the level of toxic metals in the Arctic cisco meat does not exceed the norms accepted in Russia for fish products. The data obtained suggest that the content of heavy metals in fish is due to the peculiarities of living conditions and environmental pollution. Over the past decades, the volume of fish production in Yakutia has been declining due to the socioeconomic and climatic factors. Due to the anthropogenic pollution of water in rivers and lakes by oil products and effluents and waste from various sectors of the economy, especially the mining industry, there is a reduction in the fish resources and there is a need to monitor the environmental condition of the fishing reservoirs and the fish food quality.

Sufficient sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) pre-basic seed at the start of the “seed” value chain is critical and often a bottleneck in the production of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa. Predominantly, pre-basic seed is multiplied in screenhouse using the conventional soil substrate method which is costly, is untenable, and achieves sub-optimal yields. The sandponics system is a better alternative for sweetpotato pre-basic seed multiplication in the screenhouse attributed to increased yields and cost-effectiveness. This experiment compared sweetpotato yield- and growth-related traits of planting materials sourced from the sandponics system with conventional soil substrate planting materials for four genotypes when grown in the field. A randomized complete block design was used with three replicates. Results showed a significant difference ( p ≤ 0.05) between sources of planting materials and among genotypes for the measured traits. The interaction of source of planting materials and genotype was significant ( p ≤ 0.05) for harvest index. Vine survival, storage root yield, number of storage roots per plant, and vine yield were higher by 4.1%, 24%, 27%, and 24%, respectively, in favor of planting materials sourced from the sandponics system. Sandponically multiplied planting materials showed superior performance for yield and most of the measured growth-related traits to planting materials multiplied by the conventional soil substrate method.

Dealing with multiple stakeholders in agriculture–nutrition projects often makes communication and the collection of quality, reliable, and low-cost data complex and challenging. Communication bureaucracies among stakeholders often lead to delay, distortion, or loss of information along the communication channel. Social networking platforms can facilitate communication and collection of real-time data useful for project monitoring. This article shares our experience in using the WhatsApp platform for communication and collection of additional monitoring data. A WhatsApp platform for project implementers from the ministries of health (100) and agriculture (52) from Bungoma, Busia, Homa Bay, and Migori counties Kenya was formed in September 2016 for sharing additional monitoring data in the form of photos, videos, and texts. Project monitoring-related costs reduced by 51% and collapsing reporting hierarchies reduced information delays, thereby saving time and communication challenges. A shared understanding among different actors on the project’s indicators, reporting timelines, and data collection guidelines improved the quality of continuous monitoring data. However, staff transfer and replacements called for the continuous induction of new entrants to the forum. WhatsApp is a compelling tool in project monitoring to mitigate communication challenges. It offers an opportunity to share information on one platform among different cadres, facilitating collective action in multisectoral approach projects.

Increased sweetpotato utilization has become an important breeding objective recently, with much emphasis on the development of non-sweet sweetpotatoes for income and food security in Ghana. The objective of this study was to evaluate 26 elite non-sweet and less sweet sweetpotato genotypes with regard to their release as commercial varieties using mother–baby trial. The 26 sweetpotato genotypes were tested multilocational on-farm across five ecozones from 2016 to 2017. These genotypes were selected from accelerated breeding scheme carried out from 2010 to 2013. There were no year-by-ecozone-by-genotype and year-by-ecozone interactions. However, ecozone-by-genotype interaction was significant for storage root dry matter, beta-carotene, iron and zinc content. This implies that the relative performance of the genotypes for storage root yield was stable across locations and years. Genotypic differences were found for all the traits and indicated that selection of superior genotypes across ecozone was possible. Storage root yield ranged from 7 t/ha to 39 t/ha, while dry matter content ranged from 34% to 46%. The storage root cooking quality preference was comparable with farmers’ check. Ten superior genotypes were identified for release as commercial varieties based on their staple-preferred taste, higher storage root yield, higher dry matter content, earliness, resistance to the sweetpotato virus, sweetpotato weevil and Alcidodes .

Farmer-based seed multiplication is widely promoted by development practitioners, but there is limited understanding of the individual or collective motivations of farmers to engage or disengage in specialised seed production. The objective of this study is to understand the factors influencing the continuity of sweetpotato vine multiplication enterprises in the Lake Zone of Tanzania, five years after support from a project ended. A total of 81 out of 88 trained group or individual decentralised vine multipliers (DVMs) were traced to assess their vine multiplication activities. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through telephone and field interviews. Our data showed that 40% of the 81 DVMs had sold vines in the year prior to the study and 20% had maintained the improved varieties for their own use. Some group members had continued vine sales as individuals. The DVMs’ reasons for abandoning vine multiplication included climatic and water access issues, market factors and group dynamics. The DVMs did not engage in high volumes of commercial sales. Socio-economic norms and values underpin the transactions of sweetpotato vines. These norms may undermine the emergence of commercially viable enterprises yet seem navigable for a substantial number of the DVMs. Group DVMs seem less commercially successful than individuals.

This study was undertaken to investigate the use of mineral fertilizer by smallholder farmers in order to understand the set of factors influencing the decisions of smallholder farmers to use fertilizers in land-scarce conditions. Using descriptive analysis and the Cragg’s double-hurdle model, the study identified and analyzed factors that determine smallholder farmer adoption of mineral fertilizers and those that affect the intensity of household mineral fertilizer use. From factors that only influence the decision of smallholder farmers to use mineral fertilizers, distance to fertilizer market and livestock affects it negatively; while farmer association membership, landholding per capita, access to extension services and the size of household affect it positively. The variable “domestic assets” which is a proxy variable for smallholder farmers’ wealth affects only the intensity of use of mineral fertilizers. Literacy of head of household, share of potatoes sold and extension services have an effect on the probability of adoption and intensity of mineral fertilizer use. Improving smallholder farmers’ access to information (extension services and education) and increasing mineral fertilizer profitability through improving agricultural commodity markets are essential for raising both the adoption of mineral fertilizers and the extent of mineral fertilizer use among smallholder farmers in Rwanda.

In Rwanda, sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is a highly valued crop in a crop-livestock mixed farming system. The objective of this study was to assess the role of sweetpotato in the crop-livestock farming system, to identify farmer-preferred traits, and to establish farmer-led priorities in breeding dual-purpose varieties (DPVs) in Rwanda. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in three selected districts of Rwanda, namely, Bugesera, Huye, and Nyagatare. Data on the uses of sweetpotato and farmers’ trait preferences in sweetpotato varieties were collected and analysed. In Huye District, a high percent (56.7%) of respondents consumed sweetpotato every day, followed by Nyagatare with 53.3% consuming it at least twice a week. Most farmers (52.2%) used sweetpotato vines for livestock feed, depending on their availability. All respondents wanted to grow new sweetpotato varieties with improved root production combined with high aboveground biomass. About 87.7, 66.6, 56.6, and 51.1% of the respondents indicated that root-related traits of the crop such as high dry matter content (DMC), red skin colour, marketable root size, and yellow flesh colour were additional preferred traits, respectively. Therefore, farmers-preferred DPVs with improved root and green fodder yields could be developed to enhance the sustainable production and adoption of sweetpotato in a mixed farming system in Rwanda.

The process to develop potato cultivars is complex and lengthy due to numerous reasons, viz., tetrasomic inheritance with heterozygous nature, large number of phenotypic recurrent selections, low efficiency of selections in early generations, slow multiplication rate of selected clones, and others. In Southeast Asia, varieties are primarily developed by public sector having poor seed multiplication facilities, and the complexity is further aggravated by the presence of few commercial seed multipliers. To speed up the breeding and selection processes and ensure the adoption of developed varieties by strengthening the seed value chain, a public–private partnership has been established between International Potato Center and HZPC, a leading private potato seed company. The adopted integrated breeding approach is a blend of modern and traditional breeding techniques involving shuttle breeding and stringent selection of disease-resistant cultivars through marker-assisted selection at early stage, followed by parallel evaluation in several environments and rapid disease-free multiplication of the elite material. This study simultaneously addresses the issues related to the extensive and complex variety registration process in the region by initiating discussion with the local authorities. The collaboration is likely to set norms for licensing and benefit-sharing between public and private partners in future alliances.

The levels of acrylamide intake because of potato crisps consumption remains unknown in Kenyan context. This study assessed the exposure to acrylamide because of consumption of potato crisps in Nairobi, Kenya. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 315 crisps consumers in Nairobi, and consumption patterns were collected using a pre-tested structured 7-day recall questionnaire. A total of 43 branded and 15 unbranded potato crisps samples were purchased in triplicates of 100 g and acrylamide was quantified using a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector. Consumption data were combined with the data on acrylamide contents from which dietary acrylamide intake was calculated using a probabilistic approach based on @Risk TopRank 6 risk analysis software for excel. The mean estimated acrylamide intake was 1.57 µg/kg body weight (BW) per day while the 95th (P95) percentile was 5.1 µg/kg BW per day, with margins of exposures (MOE) being 197 and 61, respectively. The intake of acrylamide was significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in unbranded crisps with a mean value of 2.26 and 95th percentile of 6.54 µg/kg BW per day, MOE being 137 and 47, respectively. There were extremely lower MOE indicating higher exposure to acrylamide by the consumers mainly because of the higher acrylamide contents in potato crisps, and hence the need for mitigation measures.

Phosphorus availability is the major constraint for plant growth in the acid soil ecosystem, due to high fixation by Al and Fe. Microbial fertilizers such as phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can increase P availability in soils for root uptake. The objective of the research was to verify the ability of four isolates of PSB isolated from acid soil to solubilize unavailable inorganic phosphate, produce phosphatase, malic acid and indole acetic acid (IAA), as well as increase plant height of maize seedling. The bioassay by growing maize seedling in liquid nutrients has been performed to study the response of seedling to PSB inoculation. The experimental design of bioassay was a randomized block design with five replications. The results showed that the isolates RR 1 and SPR 4 had a relatively high solubilizing index. Moreover, all the PSB isolates had the ability to produce phosphatase and IAA and dissolve P. The performance of PSB-inoculated seedling was better visually and the root length was increased by 66.7–74.5% compared to the control. This result concludes that the species of four isolates needs to be identified by a biomolecular method and formulated as biofertilizers for increasing the maize productivity in the acid soil ecosystem.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the best parameters of particleboard manufacturing throughout the physical and mechanical properties’ test under Japanese Industrial Standard. Particleboard panels were manufactured from veneer waste of sengon wood ( Paraserianthes moluccana ) bonded with dextrin-based adhesives (DAs) and urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesives at the density target of 0.70 g/cm 2 under various manufacturing parameters of adhesives composition, load pressure and pressure temperatures. The results showed that an increase in the value of physical and mechanical properties occurred on particleboards which were glued with DAs added with UF. As the addition of UF adhesive increases, the physical and mechanical properties of the particleboard also gradually increase. This confirms that a good bonding occurs when adding UF adhesives compared to using only dextrin. The particleboard manufacturing parameters demonstrated the best properties when 40% DA was mixed with 60% UF adhesives (DA–UF = 40:60 pbw; P12) for the physical test and 20% DA mixed with 80% UF (DA–UF = 20:80; P13) for the mechanical test for both particleboards under the load pressurized at 40 kgf/cm 2 for 30 min at a temperature of 105°C.

It has been widely known that integrating and adopting sustainable agricultural practices can restore and maintain the health of degraded agricultural land and adapt to climate change. Azolla pinnata and Sesbania rostrata are local potential plants in paddy fields that can be used as green manures. Two paddy varieties were planted. The experiment was conducted as factorial randomized block design, consisting of green manure types (p1 = goat manure 10 t/ha, p2 = goat manure 10 t/ha + Azolla 10 t/ha, p3 = goat manure 10 t/ha + Sesbania 2 t/h, and p4 = goat manure 10 t/ha + Azolla 5 t/ha + Sesbania 1 t/ha) and rice varieties (v1 = Bangir and v2 = Inpari 41). The results indicated that the use of green manure has increased the nitrogen and organic carbon contents in the soil from 0.10% and 0.82% to more than 0.20% and 2.0%, respectively. Inpari 41 variety produced higher grain yield (4.92 t/ha) compared to Bangir variety (3.48 t/ha). These findings indicate that the suitable green manure combined with paddy varieties can improve the resilience of soil health and paddy productivity.

The properties of the laminated veneer lumber (LVL) composed of the boiled veneer of Rubberwood ( Hevea brasiliensis ) using polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesives in various cold-pressing time and various conditioned time with loaded and unloaded were studied. Five-ply LVL was produced by boiling veneer at 100°C for 90 min as pretreatment and cold-pressing time at 12 kgf cm −2 for 1.5, 6, 18, and 24 h then conditioned at 20°C and 65% relative humidity (RH) with loaded (12 kgf cm −2 ) and unloaded for 7 days as physical treatment. Especially for the delamination test, the specimens were immersed at 70 ± 3°C for 2 h and dried in the oven at 60 ± 3°C for 24 h; then, the specimens were solidified at room temperature (20°C and 65% RH) with loaded (12 kgf cm −2 ) and unloaded for 7, 10, 12, and 14 days. To determine the performance of LVL, the density, moisture content (MC), delamination, modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), horizontal shear strength, and formaldehyde emission tests were conducted according to the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS 2008) for structural LVL. The MOE and MOR values were significantly influenced by the physical treatment, however, neither to horizontal shear strength nor to formaldehyde emission. The best performance of LVL has resulted from unloaded LVL with cold-pressed time for 18 h; the MOE and MOR values were 9,345.05 ± 141.61 N mm −2 and 80.67 ± 1.77 N mm −2 , respectively. The best value of the horizontal shear strength was obtained from the LVL with 18 h cold-pressing time and conditioned with loaded (13.10 ± 1.47 N mm −2 ) and unloaded (12.23 ± 1.36 N mm −2 ). The percentage of delamination values decreased with an increase in the cold-pressing time and conditioning time. The lowest value of delamination (19.06%) was obtained from the LVL with 24 h cold-pressing time and conditioned with loaded for 14 days. Except the delamination test, all other properties fulfilled the JAS.

The uncontrolled and excessive use of insecticides on Spodoptera exigua can cause resistance. The aim of this study is to test resistance of S. exigua to chlorpyrifos and determine the possible mechanism of resistance to S. exigua . The resistance assay was carried out on chlorpyrifos by determining the level of resistance by the comparison of LC50 between the field samples and the standard samples. The resistivity of S. exigua was correlated with the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), esterase, and glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes. The samples of S. exigua were also tested for their sensitivity to neem oil insecticides. The results showed that S. exigua samples from Brebes and Cipanas had a resistance ratio (RR) of 5.50 and 3.26, respectively. The results of the present study indicate that the insensitivity of the AChE and the high activity of the GST play a significant role in the mechanism of S. exigua resistance to chlorpyrifos. However, the esterase has fewer roles in the S. exigua resistance mechanism for both samples. In addition, the results of neem oil insecticides test showed that S. exigua from Brebes and Cipanas samples is sensitive to the insecticide with the RR value less than 1; therefore, this biopesticide has the opportunity to manage resistant pests. A novel mechanism for insecticide resistance by insect was proposed.

The soil fertility and nutrient availability are limiting factors for growth and plant development. Fermented compost and nitrogen (N)-fertilizer are useful as sources of nutrients to support the growth of plant and microorganisms in soils. The combination of biological fertilizer and chemical fertilizer can support the concept of sustainable and integrated agriculture and minimize the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers. The research was conducted to get the recommended dose of fermented compost and N-fertilizer to increase the plant height and productivity of purple eggplant. The experiment was arranged as factorialized randomized block design and consisted of two factors and two replications, namely fermented compost dose (0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha −1 ) and N-fertilizer dose (0, 75, 150, and 225 kg ha −1 ). The observed responses were increase in plant height and productivity of purple eggplant. Compared to the control, the application of 15 t ha −1 fermented compost and 225 kg ha −1 N-fertilizer increased the plant height by 40.76% at 30 days after planting and 57.59% at 37 days after planting and increased the purple eggplant yield by 43.15%. BC ratio of the fermented compost (15 t ha −1 ) is 1.16 and BC ratio of the N-fertilizer (225 kg ha −1 ) is 1.09. Recommended dose to increase the plant height and productivity of purple eggplant in vertisol is 15 t ha −1 of fermented compost and 225 kg ha −1 of N-fertilizer.

Soybean is a grain product that has a lot of protein content. Bioactive peptides derived from soybean protein are believed to have the ability to maintain brain health such as the neurotransmitter system. Brain mapping is a mapping of the electrical activity of the brain to study the functional human brain. In this study, 2D brain mapping based on power spectrum is proposed to see the differences in brain activity in adolescents before and 1 h after consuming soy peptide using the 19-channel electroencephalogram. In the experiment, the adolescents in an age range of 16–24 years were involved (fasting in the span of 7–8 h before the experiment). The 2D brain mapping results showed that after consuming soy peptide, the subject as seen from alpha waves experienced an increase in activity by 5%.

Intensive agricultural practices and heavy use of inorganic fertilizers have significantly accelerated soil degradation. Mineralization of the organic matter of soil affects soil health and the abundance of soil beneficial microbes (SBMs) and its dynamics in the soil. The research to investigate the shifting of microbial population and the soil health was conducted in natural forest, agricultural, and degraded ecosystems. The research setting involved randomized block design consisting of six ecosystems, namely, natural forest, agricultural soil (oil palm: 10, 9, 8, and 7 years old), and degraded soils. The soil samples were taken with four replications from rhizomicrobiome of each land use. In the soil health analysis, it was understood that soil beneficial microbes (SBMs) consist of total bacteria, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, total actinomycetes, and total fungi). The results showed that natural forest, oil palm plantation, and degraded land demonstrated a significant effect on the changes in biodiversity of SBM in rhizomicrobiome. The highest population of SBMs was in natural forest followed by the 10-year-old oil palm plantations and the lowest was recorded in degraded soils. These results confirm that the shift of forest ecosystems to agricultural soils will accelerate the degradation and decline of soil health.

This study investigated the Turkish consumers’ knowledge about dietary fibres and purchasing behaviours about fibre rich foods and also their attitudes towards food labelling with specific emphasis on dietary fibre. The survey consisted of a longitudinal study undertaken on a sample of 293 participants. For the analysis of the data, basic descriptive statistics was used, complemented with statistical tests (U-Mann Whitney [UMW] for comparisons between two groups and Kruskal–Wallis [KW] test for comparisons between three or more groups). Finally, a tree classification analysis was done to evaluate the relative importance of each of the possible influential variables on knowledge: age group, level of education, gender or living environment. The results revealed that both the level of knowledge about dietary fibre and foods and also the level of knowledge about dietary fibre and health effects were considered high for the general population. The classification analysis revealed that gender was the major discriminant for knowledge about dietary fibre and foods, while the most important discriminant for knowledge about dietary fibre and health effects was age. The importance of this study resided in the highlight of the pivotal factors that influence people’s knowledge about dietary fibre sources and the health benefits of its ingestion.

In the confectionery market, jelly gums are one of the most relevant sectors, being frequently consumed by many people, from children to adults. The present work intended to evaluate the textural properties in newly developed jelly gums made with berry fruits and herbs, given the critical role of texture in products with a gel-like structure. Four types of gums were developed (Strawberry & Anise, Strawberry & Mint, Raspberry & Mint, Blueberry & Mint) and their texture was evaluated through two types of tests (compression with a 75 mm probe and puncture with a 2 mm probe) allowing to calculate several textural properties. The results showed some differences between the two faces of the jelly gums analysed, i.e. on the top and on the bottom. As for the compression test, the Strawberry & Anise gums were among the softer (25.6 N) and with lower resilience (36.3%) and chewiness (16.9 N), despite being more adhesive (−0.5 N s). As for the puncture test, the sample Strawberry & Mint had the highest adhesiveness (−2.0 N s) but the lowest stickiness (−0.38 N). Additionally, very strong correlations were encountered between some of the properties studied ( r = 0.861 or r = 0.822), and the factor analysis allowed defining three factors, the first clearly associated with the puncture properties while the other two were related to the compression properties. This work allowed concluding that the jelly gums presented different textural properties, particularly when assessed through different types of measurements. Hence, the use of different types of tests for texture analysis is recommended, since the results are complementary. This is relevant when developing food products intended for industrial production and commercialization.

This study investigated the Lebanese consumers’ knowledge about healthy food perception and their food motivations according to gender and also to environmental, social, and health behaviors. The survey consisted of a longitudinal study undertaken on a sample of 450 participants from which only 410 questionnaires were considered to be valid. For the analysis of the data, basic descriptive statistics were used, complemented with statistical tests (Student t -test for comparisons between two groups and ANOVA for comparisons between three or more groups). Finally, analyses were done to evaluate the importance of healthy food perception among these people, and the possible sociodemographic variables are as follows: age group, level of education, gender, and living environment. The results allowed identifying which types of factors mostly influence people's food choices. They revealed that both the economic and availability motivations (mean scores 2.83 and 2.98 for female and male participants, respectively) and the social and cultural motivations (mean scores 2.90 and 3.09) have less impact on the perception of a healthy diet than the healthy motivations (mean scores 3.48 and 3.29) and the environmental and political motivations (mean scores 3.35 and 3.43), this last being also the highest expression and without statistical gender differences. This work is relevant because it highlights the food motivation factors that influence people’s perception about a healthy diet in a developing country, facing social and economic crisis in addition to many gender inequalities, yet having the highest education levels in the region in addition to its multiethnical diversity and religiosity.

The milk sector across the European Union (EU) has experienced several changes, due to the intrinsic characteristics of its respective structures of production. In fact, due to significant increases in production, this sector has suffered dramatic surplus supplies, which have had a relevant impact, namely on the market’s management. In this framework, the EU created the milk quota system in the 1980s to control the milk markets and prepare the sector for the subsequent reforms verified by the agricultural policy instruments. However, this system was a temporary measure from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and was removed in 2015, having new and relevant impacts on the sector around Europe and, specifically, in Portugal. In this context, the main objective of this research was to assess the several impacts from the several reforms of the CAP instruments for the milk sector within the Portuguese context. For this, a literature survey from the Web of Science (Core Collection) was carried out searching for the topics “milk” and “Common Agricultural Policy.” From this search, 57 documents (only articles were considered, excluding, for example, proceedings papers) were obtained. To complement this literature review, several data from the Eurostat and from the Portuguese agricultural market information system were considered and explored through econometric approaches. The main insights obtained show that the milk sector is a controversial topic, which continues to need special policy attention, namely to avoid asymmetries across the several EU member-states.

This research work focused on the evaluation of energy and exergy in the convective drying of potato slices. Experiments were conducted at four air temperatures (40, 50, 60 and 70°C) and three air velocities (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s) in a convective dryer, with circulating heated air. Freshly harvested potatoes with initial moisture content (MC) of 79.9% wet basis were used in this research. The influence of temperature and air velocity was investigated in terms of energy and exergy (energy utilization [EU], energy utilization ratio [EUR], exergy losses and exergy efficiency). The calculations for energy and exergy were based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Results indicated that EU, EUR and exergy losses decreased along drying time, while exergy efficiency increased. The specific energy consumption (SEC) varied from 1.94 × 10 5 to 3.14 × 10 5  kJ/kg. The exergy loss varied in the range of 0.006 to 0.036 kJ/s and the maximum exergy efficiency obtained was 85.85% at 70°C and 0.5 m/s, while minimum exergy efficiency was 57.07% at 40°C and 1.5 m/s. Moreover, the values of exergetic improvement potential (IP) rate changed between 0.0016 and 0.0046 kJ/s and the highest value occurred for drying at 70°C and 1.5 m/s, whereas the lowest value was for 70°C and 0.5 m/s. As a result, this knowledge will allow the optimization of convective dryers, when operating for the drying of this food product or others, as well as choosing the most appropriate operating conditions that cause the reduction of energy consumption, irreversibilities and losses in the industrial convective drying processes.

The adequate intake of dietary fibers is essential to human health. Hence, this study intended to evaluate the level knowledge of about food fibers and investigate what factors might be associated with it. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample composed of 6,010 participants from ten different countries. The survey was based on a questionnaire of self-response, approved and complying with all ethical issues. The data collected were subjected to the factor analysis (FA) and the cluster analysis (CA). Validation was done by splitting the data set into two equal parts for confirmation of the results. FA concluded that ten from the 12 variables used to measure the knowledge about dietary fibre (DF) should be grouped into two dimensions or factors: one linked to health effects of DF ( α = 0.854) and the other to its sources ( α = 0.644). CA showed that the participants could be divided into three groups: Cluster 1 – good knowledge both about sources and health effects of DF; Cluster 2 – good knowledge about the sources of DF but poor knowledge about its health effects; Cluster 3 – poor knowledge both about sources and health effects of DF. The data were appropriate for the analysis by means of factor and CA, so that two factors and three clusters were clearly identified. Moreover, the cluster membership was found varying mostly according to the country, living environment, and level of education but not according to age or gender.

In the present work, mass transfer properties of thistle flower ( Cynara cardunculus L.) were evaluated for the convective drying carried out at temperatures between 35 and 65°C, with an air flow of 0.5 m/s. The calculations followed two different algorithms, based on mathematical models derived from the thin layer drying equation and Fick’s second law of diffusion. The results obtained indicated that different methodologies resulted in different values of mass transfer properties, which is an alert that care must be taken when choosing which calculation method might be more appropriate in a specific practical application. In all cases, the values of moisture diffusion and mass transfer coefficient were found to increase with increasing operating temperature. The values of diffusivity increased from 2.7866 × 10 −9 to 1.4027 × 10 −8  m 2 /s for the thin layer model-based algorithm and from 1.9256 × 10 −10 to 1.2033 × 10 −9  m 2 /s for Fick’s equation model. The values of the mass transfer coefficient increased from 8.4335 × 10 −8 to 8.4400 × 10 −7  m/s and from 5.8277 × 10 −9 to 7.2398 × 10 −8  m/s, respectively, for the thin layer and Fick’s law-based models.

In spite of the increasing attention being paid to short food supply chains (SFSCs), research in the area is still scarce, particularly in Portugal. Thus, based on a case study in Viseu Dão Lafões Region (VDLR), we intend to identify and discuss (emphasizing potentialities and constraints) the movement of SFSCs in the region. This case study is based on document analysis and interviews with agrifood baskets’ promotors. On the one hand, the results show the wide variety of SFSCs that exist in the region and the emergence of new forms of SFSCs like the agrifood baskets. On the other hand, the empirical research also emphasizes the environmental, economic, and sociocultural benefits of SFSCs that will have a positive impact on the well-being of producers, consumers, and/or on the whole region. However, the interviews have also exposed a (certain) limitation in terms of communication and marketing that may constraint these initiatives. From a practical point of view, it became clear that producers must do their best to develop their communication and marketing strategies; from a political point of view, local authorities should provide the necessary assistance to help implement training programmes and develop suitable communication and marketing skills.

Recently, edible flowers (EF) have aroused increased interest because of their aesthetic properties as well as potential health benefits related to the occurrence of some bioactive compounds. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the total phenolics, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (AOA) (following DPPH and ABTS methods) in eleven EF. The samples were subjected to three successive extraction steps using methanol, and these extracts were then analysed for the aforementioned properties using spectrophotometric methods. The obtained extracts were used for the quantification of phenolic composition and AOA. The results indicated that, among the flowers analysed in this study, red rose, pink rose, and red carnation possessed the highest total phenolic contents (27.53, 23.30, and 18.17 mg g −1 gallic acid equivalents, respectively), total anthocyanins (3.07, 1.97, and 4.47 mg g −1 catechin equivalents [CE], respectively), and AOA (12.07, 15.77, and 12.93 mg g −1 TE, respectively, as given by the DPPH method or 8.23, 9.27 and 8.00 mg g −1 TE, respectively, as given by the ABTS method). The flowers with highest flavonoids contents were red carnation, Mexican marigold, and pink rose (17.50, 16.90, and 16.57 mg g −1 CE, respectively). Cluster analysis grouped the analysed flowers into two groups, those richest in phenolics with AOA and those not so rich. Finally, some important correlations were observed between the total phenolics and the AOA. In conclusion, these flowers could represent a potential source of natural compounds with antioxidant capacity.

Chestnut shell (CS) is a by-product of some food sector companies. The aim of this study was to test the suitability of this material to be liquefied with polyalcohols, optimizing the main liquefaction parameters in order to use the liquefied material for the production of high added value products. As the chemical composition of the fruit shell depends on the variation in the soil, climate, and species, the chemical composition of CS was determined. Liquefaction was performed with 50:50 ethyleneglycol:glycerol catalyzed by sulfuric acid. Different tests were carried out and several parameters were tested: particle size, temperature 130–190°C, and time 15–120 min. Chemical composition of CSs was determined. The main component found was lignin with 47.0%, which is higher than α-cellulose with around 20.5%, hemicelluloses 15.2%, and extractives in ethanol 8.8%. For the tested parameters, the best liquefaction yield was obtained at 190°C, 30 min, and a 40–60 particle size.

Organic agriculture is a system of production whose principles are health, ecology, fairness, and care. Bearing in mind the principle of health and its links to agriculture and human health, the main goal of this work is to suggest the inclusion of organic agriculture as a public health indicator. For this purpose, four scientific online databases such as b-on, PubMed ® , Scielo, and ScienceDirect were used for searching the research publications relating organic agriculture (and organic farming) with human health. However, no study suggesting organic agriculture as a public health indicator has been found. For this reason, a pictorial conceptual model that advocates the inclusion of organic agriculture as an indicator of public health was developed for the first time. This proposal intends to provide a tool that can be used by organizations and public health institutions when revising and updating their health indicators.