Volume 7, Issue 1

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal concentration of boron (B) to obtain the highest growth, yield, and oil content of black sesame. A field experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with five treatments and five replications. Treatments included foliar application of B at five rates: control, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L −1 at 25 and 35 days after sowing. Results showed that spraying B on leaves increased sesame growth in terms of plant height, number of leaves, and chlorophyll content. Moreover, spraying B increased yield components including the number of pods; the highest pods per plant was 46.2 in the B application treatment with 150 mg L −1 compared to the control with 27.2 pods per plant. The grain yield of the B spray treatment produced 1.10–1.32 t ha −1 , with the highest yield at the dose of 150 mg L −1 and the lowest yield at no B spray treatment. Spraying B on leaves at optimal concentration also increased the oil content in seeds up to 5.3% compared to the control treatment. The findings of the study suggest that foliar B application with 150 mg L −1 increases the growth, fruit set, seed yield, and oil content in sesame.

Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) has been introduced in many provinces in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam to enhance the competitive advantage to fruit growers, including Idor longan ( Dimocarpus longan Lour.) growers, to explore the stricter domestic and export markets and increase the income of the fruit growers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. This article presents a case study on the impacts of adopting VietGAP on the income of fruit growers (Idor longan) in the Mekong Delta by applying both T -test and Propensity Score Matching of 180 VietGAP and non-VietGAP adopters. The results show that applying VietGAP can reduce production cost, increase revenue, and profit to fruit growers. This is evidence to prove the benefits of adopting VietGAP and encourage the expansion of VietGAP to many fruits and other agricultural sectors in Vietnam.

A preliminary study of the development and growth of lettuce crops trap cropped with 11 trap crops for root-knot nematode (RKN) control was studied under glasshouse conditions in Kadoorie Agriculture Research Centre in Palestine Technical University. Main crop growth parameters were evaluated by measuring the shoot height, lateral root length, wet and dry weight, ash percentage, and chlorophyll content. The total RKNs recovered from both main and trap crops from root systems were counted 6 weeks post RKN artificial inoculation. The first screening of the potential trap crops against RKNs showed a significant reduction in nematode numbers in lettuce and the average number of galls per gram fresh root when trap cropped with canola, B.G. pumpkin, mustard, and vetch cv. 976. No eggs were found by the end of the experiment. These trap crops attracted more nematodes and kept them from infecting the main crop. The effect of these trap crops on the growth and development of the main crop was variable. Trap cropping lettuce with canola, mustard, Armenian cucumber, and bottle gourd pumpkin caused a significant reduction of the total wet weight and dry weight compared with the control. Still, trap cropping did not significantly affect the lateral root length and wet weight. Removing the trap crops from the field after 6–8 weeks could be applied to reduce the competition between the main crop and the trap crops.

Farm productivity in most developing countries remains low, hence the need to enhance technical efficiency (TE) of producers. This study evaluates the TE of maize production in rural Ghana, using primary data from a survey of smallholder producers. A two-stage double bootstrap data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach was used to assess TE and its determinants. The results revealed a bias-corrected mean TE of 68% (as opposed to 81% using the traditional DEA approach). Hence, with the prevailing technology and current input levels, farmers can increase their TE of maize production by 32%. TE increased with adoption of improved varieties, weeding frequency, and herd size but decreased with producer’s age, household size, educational status, and group membership. Subsequently, these factors need to be carefully considered in targeting policies for increasing maize productivity. The study observed increased adoption of improved varieties and training in efficient methods of weed control as important measures to enhance TE of maize farmers.

Assessing soil compaction using soil bulk density as an index for measurement could provide background information on the critical range of soil compaction for groundnut production in Nigeria. Therefore, field experiments were conducted in 2012 (year 1) and 2014 (year 2) to assess the effects of five levels of soil compaction (1.1 Mg m −3 [control], 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 Mg m −3 ) on groundnut yield. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design with four replicates. Number of Pods (NP) and Fresh Pod Mass (FPM) of groundnut were estimated using standard procedures and subjected to ANOVA at α 0.05 . The NP of groundnut differed significantly among the treatments and was reduced by 70.1 and 76.0% in 1.4 and 1.5 Mg m −3 relative to 1.1 Mg m −3 in year 1, while corresponding low values were 40.4% (1.4 Mg m −3 ) and 48.4% (1.5 Mg m −3 ) in year 2. It was noteworthy that the NP in 1.2 and 1.3 Mg m −3 were statistically similar. Consequently, FPM of groundnut was in the order of 1.1 > 1.3 > 1.2 > 1.4 > 1.5 Mg m −3 in years 1 and 2, respectively. Hence, soil compaction at 1.1–1.3 Mg m −3 could be critical for groundnut cultivation.

The European Union Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) publishes data for the representative farms of several European Union (EU) farm types, regions and countries. In this database, the published data for the farm types allow us to assess several agricultural policies. In fact, the FADN publishes data for the EU farming types and there are not many studies about these fields in the whole European context. This study aims to bring novelty for the whole spectrum of stakeholder types in these domains. The analysis of these impacts may bring relevant insights, especially, for adjustments in the design of future strategies and plans. We analyse the evolution of the EU farm types in the last two decades with significant scenario changes like two large common agricultural policy (CAP) reforms (2003 and 2013) and suggest new approaches to the design for future measures. Statistical information from the FADN over the period 2004–2018 is considered. In addition, efficiency and productivity assessments are carried out, to assess the implications of the most recent instruments of the CAP. The results show that the policy instruments in the framework of the 2013 CAP justify the use of more inputs (or at least at higher costs) for the same level of output. In fact, the subsidies given to the farmers since 2014 mask the inefficiencies underlying some farm types. A significant decrease in the total factor productivity confirmed this trend, despite positive growth rates for the total verified output for several farm types over the period.

A climate-resilient, root-based sweetpotato planting material (SPM) conservation method called “Triple S” or “ S torage in S and and S prouting” has created timely access to sweetpotato planting material in areas with a prolonged dry season in Uganda and Tanzania. The aim of this study was to validate and optimize the Triple S method for conservation of sweetpotato planting material in dry areas of southern Ethiopia. The Triple S method was validated in four districts of southern Ethiopia on varieties Kulfo and Awassa 83 and compared with two common local planting material conservation methods: leaving “volunteer roots” in the soil which then sprout at the onset of rains; and planting vines under shade or mulch. Across study locations and for both varieties, Triple S resulted in a higher survival rate (81–95%) in storage during the dry season compared to the local conservation methods (7–57%). Plants of both varieties grown from roots conserved with the Triple S method showed significantly higher vine growth and lower weevil and virus infection symptoms compared to plants grown from the two local conservation methods. An additional experiment found that planting at the start of the main rainy season in June and harvesting just before the start of the dry season in October gives the highest number of medium-sized and weevil-free roots suitable for Triple S. The current study demonstrated that the Triple S method is a promising technology for small-scale sweetpotato farmers in dry areas for timely access to high-quality planting material

The intercropping of maize with other food crops is a current solution to problems in food crop production and crop failures. The objectives of the study were to (i) select adaptive maize hybrids in intercropping as well as sole-cropping systems, and (ii) test the ideal cropping system to evaluate best hybrids for intercropping. This study used 12 maize hybrids with different genetic backgrounds. Planting was carried out for two seasons using four cropping systems. Hybrids were selected according to their adaptability and stability based on parametric, nonparametric, and multivariate analyses. The results showed that G10 had high yield for all cropping systems. G10 was also selected as an adaptive hybrid for sole-cropping, whereas G9 was selected as an adaptive hybrid for intercropping. The L5 and L4 were ideal environments for evaluating hybrids under different cropping systems. The selected hybrids should be evaluated and disseminated for small-holder farmers in Indonesia.

Malting barley production in the Southeastern highlands of Ethiopia relied on almost a blanket phosphorus (P) fertilizer recommendation regardless of the diverse fertility status of the soil. This study was, therefore, conducted in Lemu–Bilbilo district at 24 fields for two cropping seasons to provide farmers with P fertilizer recommendations based on soil fertility status and to enhance malting barley production. The experiment comprised six levels of P fertilizer (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 kg P ha −1 ) arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The critical concentrations for soil P levels were found above 13 mg P kg −1 for Olsen and 16 mg P kg −1 for Bray II, and were sufficient for malting barley production on Nitisol of the study area and other similar agro-ecologies. The mean P-requirement factors were 5.80 and 6.10 mg P kg −1 for Olsen and Bray II, respectively. Results further revealed that P fertilization, at a rate of 30 kg ha −1 , gave 10 and 73% more grain yields of malting barley compared to the existing recommendation, 20 kg P ha −1 , and treatment with no P fertilizer, respectively. Such information can be used as a guideline for soil-specific P fertilizer recommendations to increase the productivity of malting barley in the study area and other similar agro-ecologies, where soil test studies were not conducted.

To understand the growth and survival during the postlarval stage of Macrobrachium rosenbergii , commonly known as the giant freshwater prawn, two experiments were performed which explored the differences in growth and survival rates between wild and captive postlarvae and the effect of temperature on survival and growth. The postlarvae reared at 27 and 30°C grew significantly throughout the experimental periods. The survival rates in the wild and captive postlarvae were similar at approximately 60%. The highest survival rate of 58% was found at 27°C.

Olive ( Olea europaea L.) oil production is an emerging industry in Texas (USA). However, limited research has been conducted to determine best irrigation practices for Texas growers. In this study, established “Arbequina” olive trees from three south Texas orchard locations were used to investigate effects of irrigation volume on olive tree gas exchange, growth, and oil quality. Twelve-year-old trees were exposed to three irrigation regimes. Over the course of two growing seasons, leaf gas exchange, shoot growth, and oil quality were measured. Data from a single orchard and growing season are presented. Differences in monthly and overall leaf gas exchange data were not found. Based on soil surface area under each tree’s dripline, depth of total water applied to each tree (irrigation plus precipitation) ranged from 1,451 (three-emitter irrigation treatment) to 759 mm (one-emitter irrigation treatment). Trees exposed to the three-emitter irrigation treatment produced the greatest shoot growth. Fruit mass and fruit volume were greatest for trees which had the fewest emitters (lowest irrigation volumes). Oil pressed from each experimental tree rendered extra virgin olive oil. Oil chemical analysis indicates total phenols tended to be greatest from trees receiving the least volume of irrigation. For Texas olive growers, research suggests there are opportunities to reduce irrigation, yet maintain olive oil quality.

Postharvest losses contribute to food shortages and ongoing food insecurity. Value addition in each aspect of agricultural produce creates more quality and adequate demand for the products. However, the growing market demand for quality and consistency in supply requires resources and necessary technical skills. There is a poor linkage between Research and Development institutions and the agro-value addition industry. Shortage of postharvest and value addition technical specialists and inefficient knowledge transfer from research stations to extension services are some constraints for needed outreach activities. Effective extension and training play a vital role in building capacity along the value chain by encouraging proper postharvest activities. In this article, the current postharvest value addition challenges are discussed with a specific focus on Oman. Furthermore, the strategies to be undertaken to enhance value addition processing and the need for increased institutional capacity building and technology transfer to achieve sustainability are discussed. It was recommended that targeted involvement be aimed at for better support for agricultural value addition in Oman.

Indonesian chili faces some problems in increasing production, added value, and competitiveness of chili products, mainly in terms of quantity, quality, and continuity. The objectives of this study are (1) to analyze the private and social profitability of chili farming, (2) to analyze the chili competitiveness from both competitive and comparative advantage perspectives, (3) to examine government policy impact on chili performance, and (4) to formulate strategies to encourage chili development in Indonesia. The results of the policy analysis matrix revealed that chili farming in Indonesia’s production centers is profitable, both privately and socially. It also has competitiveness, both competitive and comparative advantages. The highest competitiveness occurs in Bandung district, West Java, with a coefficient of private cost ratio (PCR) of 0.416 and a domestic resource cost ratio (DRCR) of 0.269. Meanwhile, the lowest competitiveness occurs in Tabalong district, South Kalimantan, with a PCR coefficient of 0.857 and a DRCR of 0.556. This study also concluded that for Indonesia, it is more profitable to increase domestic chili production than importing from abroad. Strategic policies for chili development can be implemented by using hybrid seeds, complete and balanced fertilization, improving irrigation infrastructure and farming roads, increasing the capacity of farmers’ resources, and expanding the objectives and market segments.

To feed humans on a future Mars settlement, a sustainable closed agricultural ecosystem is a necessity. On Mars, both the faeces of astronauts as well as any plant residues or other organic waste needs to be (re)used to fertilise the present regolith. The activity of earthworms may play a crucial role in this ecosystem as they break down and recycle the dead organic matter. The contribution of worms to Mars regolith forming is yet an unexplored territory. The first goal of our research was to investigate whether earthworms ( Caligonella genus and Dendrobaena veneta ) can survive in Mars soil simulant. The second goal was to investigate whether earthworm activity on Mars soil simulant can stimulate the growth of crops, in our case Rucola. The third goal was if earthworm activity can enhance the effect of pig slurry on the growth of Rucola. In a 75-day greenhouse experiment, we sowed Rucola in Mars soil simulant as well as in silver sand as an Earth control, amended with pig slurry, plant residues, and earthworms. During the experimental period, we observed worm activity. At the end of the experiment, the worms had propagated both in the Mars soil simulant and Earth control. However, we found no significant effect of worm activity on plant biomass production. This was probably due to the relative short duration of the experiment, being one life cycle of Rucola. Adding pig slurry stimulated plant growth significantly as expected, especially for the Mars soil simulant.

Teff is the most dominant staple cereals in Ethiopia, but yield levels are extremely low (1.2 t/ha) because of declining soil fertility, resulting in widespread national food insecurity. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of potassium (K) fertilization on teff yield and nutrient uptake in Vertisols in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Five levels of K (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 K 2 O kg/ha) were applied as muirate of potash (KCl) arranged in RCBD with three farm fields as replicates. At crop maturity, a plot of 3 m × 3 m was harvested to measure teff yield and yield components and subsampled for laboratory analysis to determine nutrient uptake. Results showed a highly significant ( p < 0.01) response of teff to K fertilizer application and significant differences among locations. When averaged across locations, the highest mean grain (1,875 kg/ha) and straw yields (6,774 kg/ha) were obtained with the application of 90 and 120 kg K 2 O/ha, respectively. However, the lowest grain (1,576 kg/ha) and straw (5,798 kg/ha) yields were harvested from control plots. This is about a 20% increase over the control. When averaged for all treatments, the highest mean grain (2,641 kg/ha) and straw (7,794 kg/ha) yields were obtained at Moretina Jiru and the lowest grain (1,280 kg/ha) and straw (4,210 kg/ha) yields were obtained at Sululta. Contrary to the popular view that Ethiopian Vertisols are rich in K, there are sites in the central highlands where K deficiency is limiting teff production. In sites where K-soil level was low and rainfall distribution was adequate, the application of K fertilizer along with the government recommended zinc blend fertilizer – NPSZn: 17.7 N + 35.3 P 2 O 5 + 6.5 S + 2.5 Zn – significantly improves nutrient uptake, agronomic efficiency, and teff yields.

Many impacts occur due to oil palm cultivation. One of them is a conflict that occurred in some regions, especially in Jambi Province in Indonesia. Most of the conflicts that occurred are related to natural resources. Disputes can be more complicated when there is any part of the land belongs to the government. Commonly, 30% of the plantations is owned by plasma land, while the remaining 70% is owned by nucleus land. Conflicts occurred due to the smallholders’ position, which is a weak party in land tenure. The smallholders’ low income was partly due to the high price of fertilizers, the toke ’s (middleman) low price, and related transportation problems. Differences in individual perceptions are also one of the conflicts that occur. The purpose of this study was to understand more deeply the conflict between smallholders, especially independent smallholders, and the company oil palm that occurred. By using soft system method-based action research, real-world primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with stakeholders (local government, smallholders, companies, and NGO activists) in Jambi. This article found that this system is also implemented in oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Independent smallholder oil palms also consider that community engagement should be involved as a learning effort. Therefore, social interaction and community involvement, through approaches with the government, companies, and oil palm planters in forms of social interaction and training, need to be applied to minimize oil palm conflicts. It is suggested that further research can provide a study, explanation, and implementation of existing policies so that the obligations and rights of smallholder oil palms and plantation companies do not cause oil palm conflicts.

The green revolution and climate change have become a promising Indonesian rice production strategy to reach self-sufficiency through the application of improved agricultural technology such as organic rice farming (ORF). ORF is an eco-friendly agricultural practice that increases production, income, and sustainable agriculture. This study assessed farmers’ perception, motivation, constraints, awareness, and belief in adopting ORF. The study used a multi-stage sampling procedure. The primary data were collected from 203 households in West Java Province using a structured questionnaire. Weighted average index (WAI) was used to assess the farmers’ perception, motivation, awareness, and belief regarding the adoption of ORF. The results reveal a significantly different perception between ORF and conventional rice farming (CRF) farmers on production, quality, health and safety, market price, environmental concern, and certification aspects. ORF farmers had a more positive perception than conventional farmers. The results of the WAI reveal that CRF had a lower yield (0.63), risk-averse (0.70), and no cash compensation (0.62), whereas ORF had a higher price (0.82) and organic farming lifestyle (0.83). The ORF farmers also still have a strong positive belief in organic farming for the future, even though they lack organic fertilizer resources and certification. The strategies for adopting ORF are infrastructure improvement and community empowerment, compensation and incentive strategy, more intensive socialization, provision of assistance and training related to ORF, marketing facilitation, and subsidies on the prices and certification of organic rice.

The COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian challenges such as war and conflict, climate changes, and economic crises bring unexpected humanitarian challenges, such as food insecurity. Especially for developing countries, this is a double crisis, food poverty and COVID-19 pandemic. This situation needs an alternative food network (AFN), which can improve the local food sources to fulfill the food demand. The local food hubs’ (LFHs) development as an AFN that considers local producers and customers could serve as an alternative strategy to reduce the uncertainty of food availability. However, the challenge in developing LFH in developing countries is the problem of logistics efficiency. Therefore, this study discusses the development of food logistics efficiency by determining the optimum location of LFH and the fulfillment of food supply for each optimum location of LFH in rural areas. Robust optimization is applied to the Multi-Objective Many-to-Many Location-Routing Problem (MOMMLRP) model to handle the uncertain demand and production capacity. This study focused on West Java Province, Indonesia, as areas that represent developing countries. Based on our result, eight sub-districts have been determined as an optimum location to develop LFHs. This study also elaborates on the food network in the worst situation that needs regional food hubs’ (RFHs) support. The RFH support can be used when the LFH faces an unexpected problem that cannot fulfill their demand.

Algarrobo flour is a gluten-free flour obtained by grinding the whole fruit (pods) of Prosopis chilensis . Because of its taste, this flour could be used as a sugar replacer. Besides, it can improve the protein profile, and the antioxidant and fibre content of foodstuffs. This is of special interest in gluten-free products that are generally deficient in these nutrients. In the present work a total of eleven different gluten-free biscuit formulations with Algarrobo flour and different proportions of rice flour, chickpea flour, cassava starch, and maize starch were evaluated. The effects of each ingredient were analysed and the texture, colour, total dietary fibre content, antioxidant capacity, and sensorial acceptability associated with the addition of algarrobo flour as a partial sugar replacer were studied in detail in three selected formulations. Results showed that the dietary fibre content and the antioxidant capacity increased with the addition of algarrobo flour (60 and 20%, respectively). In addition, no significant differences were found in the sensory scores of biscuits prepared with sugar or with algarrobo flour ( P ≥ 0.05). It could be concluded that algarrobo flour could partially replace sugar in gluten-free biscuit formulations. Besides, its addition increases the fibre and antioxidant capacity of the product without significantly changing its optimum texture. This is a major achievement that could be the starting point for future research aimed to develop new and healthy gluten-free products.

To achieve the goals of our study, we investigated the relationship between morphological composition of pig carcasses and their pre-slaughter weight. In this research, 60 pigs were reared for fattening under the identical conditions of keeping and feeding, then slaughtered and sampled with pre-slaughter weight 110 and 120 kg. The content of meat, fat, and bones and their ratio in carcasses were evaluated. The probable influence of the factor of pre-slaughter weight on the share of meat in certain parts of the carcass is established 61.96% for the cervical-scapular third, 62.21% for the lumbosacral third, and 96.57% for the pelvic-femoral thirds. It has been found that in pigs at slaughter weight 120 kg for each additional increase in fat content by 1.0 kg, the meat content was proportionally insufficient by 0.43 kg in the cervical-scapular third and by 0.39 kg in the pelvic-femoral third of the carcass. In peers weighing 110 kg, each additional 1 kg of fat did not allow to gain 0.72 kg of meat in the cervical-scapular third of the carcass. The study shows that pigs fattening up to 110 kg of its carcass is more sensitive (44.99%) to changes in meat–fat ratios in the cervical-scapular third, which allows more targeted formation of the characteristics of semi-finished products of this part at this stage. Slaughter weight management can improve the quality of pork.

Fertilizer plays an important role in agricultural production, and up to now it has always been subsidized through the selling price mechanism. This study aims to analyze three related areas, namely, the subsidized fertilizer policy dynamics, the development of subsidized fertilizer highest retail price (HRP), and the effects of its subsidy price changes on rice production. The study uses both the primary data from research in West Java in 2020 and the data from 2016 national farmer panel and also the secondary data. The data analysis was carried out quantitatively, namely, multiple regression analysis and qualitative descriptive studies. The results of the analysis show that the profit value of lowland rice farming is Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). 13.89 million/ha/season and Revenue per cost ratio (R/C) is 1.85. The proportion of fertilizer input cost to the total lowland rice farming cost reaches 10.25%. The analysis of the nationwide impacts of the HRP increase of the subsidized fertilizers by IDR. 300/kg shows the result that there would be a decrease in national rice productivity by 0.09 tons/ha, a decrease in national rice production by 0.94 million tons milled dry rice (MDR/GKG), and a decrease in the national rice harvest area equivalent to 186,219 ha. It is suggested that in the future, some efforts and measures are needed to make the use of subsidized fertilizers to be more effective and efficient. In order to maintain national rice production, a program to increase the harvested areas is needed.

The steady decline in agrobiodiversity is not only a significant threat to the genetic stability of the rural agroecosystems but also places a huge impediment to the realization of global food security. Climate change and decline in arable land is forcing subsistence farmers to abandon the less productive but well-adapted local crops for the newer short term and drought-tolerant crops decimating agrobiodiversity further. This study sought to establish the on-farm species and genetic diversity status among the family farming systems of semiarid areas of Eastern Kenya and effect on food security, agrobiodiversity management strategies, their perception of climate change, and climate change coping strategies. Structured questionnaires were administered to 92 active farmers in Embu, Kitui, and Tharaka Nithi Counties of Eastern Kenya. On-farm diversity, socio-economic factors, and their impact on agrobiodiversity were determined. Possible correlations were established using Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient. Remarkably, 26 crop species were recorded where legumes and cereals were dominant. According to the Shannon–Wiener Diversity index ( H ′), Tharaka Nithi County recorded the highest legumes and cereals diversity indices of 3.436 and 3.449, respectively. Food shortage was reported by over 50% of the respondents in the study area. The existence of weaker adaptive measures in response to climate change was evident. Family farming systems that had higher crop diversification and integrated livestock rearing in their farms were more food secure. Improved mitigation to climate change and diversification of farming systems among the smallholder farms is essential not only in boosting the food security but also in establishment of sustainable farming systems resilient to climate change.

Plant population of 40,000 ha −1 with the respective inter- and intra-row spacing of 50 cm × 50 cm is the blanket recommendation for the production of head cabbage in Ethiopia. However, producers complain that this spacing produces too large head size, which is not the market's preference for household consumption instead for hotels and big institutions like universities. This two-season field experiment was conducted to optimize the head cabbage yield with appropriate head size by adjusting inter- and intra-row spacing. The result of the combined analysis over location and season revealed that all tested parameters were significantly ( P < 0.05) influenced by the interaction effect of inter- and intra-row spacing. The combinations of 35 cm × 30 cm, 35 cm × 50 cm, and 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing gave the highest head yield of 45, 43 significantly, and 42 t ha −1 , respectively as compared to other treatment combinations. The interaction of the lowest inter- and intra-row spacing of 35 cm × 30 cm gave the lowest average head weight of 923 g of cabbage. The result showed that as intra-row spacing increased from 30 to 50 cm with all possible combinations of inter-row spacing, head-sized cabbage increased linearly. The current study identified that blanket recommendation of 50 cm × 50 cm inter-and intra-row spacing which assures a plant population of 40,000 ha −1 produced more than 1.4 kg individual head weight with a yield penalty of 10.70 t ha −1 compared to 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing combination which assures a plant population of 66,667 ha −1 . The current study confirmed that the earlier blanket recommendation of 40,000 plants ha −1 should be enhanced to a plant population of 66,667 ha −1 with a yield advantage of 131%. Concretely the manifested plant population difference gives an opportunity to producers to harvest a maximum yield with an acceptable head size of 1.2 kg. Therefore, it is concluded that the combination of 50 cm × 30 cm inter- and intra-row spacing assures that a plant population of 66,667 ha −1 is optimum for the production of head cabbage in the study and similar agro-ecologies.

Nan province, the biggest cultivation area of fresh mulberry fruit in Thailand is located in four districts: Chaloem Phra Kiat, Bor Klua, Tha Wang Pha, and Wiang Sa. The production yield of mulberry is about 848.6 kg/acre/year; however, it is mostly sold as frozen product. The Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture intends to develop a new marketing channel for fresh mulberry fruit. The present study was to explore the current situation of mulberry fruit supply chain management in Nan province and to propose a new supply chain model for fresh mulberry. To gather information about supply chain management, the supply chain operation reference (SCOR) model was utilized to investigate four members of the mulberry supply chains, including growers, primary middlemen, secondary middlemen, and customers. The SCOR model possibly identifies critical points in the current supply chain and five obstacles in the distribution of fresh mulberries that are improperly handled, affecting market channels and product quality due to a lack of suitable knowledge and technology for postharvest handling. Active packaging technology of fresh mulberries from a previous study was introduced to design a new supply chain model, and it was found that this technology could extend the product’s shelf life and preserve its freshness. Although the cost of the active packaging technology leads to a much higher cost on the newly developed supply chain compared to that of the traditional supply chain, the developed model could enhance new market channels, including selling prices, and provide growers with more benefits than the traditional supply chain.

Over the years, agriculture has been considered as a panacea for long-term economic growth as believed by the physiocracy school of thought. Aligning this with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (specifically UN-SDG-2 which highlights zero hunger), the present study empirically complements existing studies by exploring the interactions between agriculture, trade openness, and oil rents using annual time frequency series data from 1981–2017. A series of analyses is conducted. First, a battery of non-stationarity and stationarity unit root tests are performed; these range from the traditional Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) techniques to the relatively recent Zivot Andrews (ZA) unit root test which accounts for a single structural break to ascertain stationarity properties in the variables under review. Subsequently, the recent Bayer–Hanck cointegration test in conjunction with the Johansen cointegration test was used for the cointegration analysis. Furthermore, to detect the direction of causality, the Toda-Yamamoto Granger Causality test alongside the impulse response function technique shows insightful outcomes. From the empirical results, cointegration is apparent and a long-run equilibrium relationship is traced between the outlined variables over the investigated period. The causality results and impulse response analysis highlight the existence of one-way causality links running from agriculture to trade and from trade to oil rents. The causality test results are informative, and the plausible explanation might be due to the dwindling oil market prices. More insights are elucidated in the conclusion section accordingly.

One of the most important screening techniques used in cowpea selection for drought tolerance is screening at the seedling stage. The objective of this study was to phenotype 60 cowpea genotypes for seedling drought tolerance in screen houses (glasshouse and greenhouse). Principal component analysis revealed that of the 14 variables, the first 4 expressed more than 1 eigenvalue. Data showed that PC1, PC2, and PC3 contributed 39.3, 15.2, and 10%, respectively, with 64.68% total variation. A PCA plot and biplot showed that the number of pods (NP), seeds per pod (SP), survival count (SC), pod weight (PWT), and stem wilting in week 1 (WWK1) had the most significant contributions to genetic variability to drought tolerance and to yield after stress imposition based on the PCA, biplot, and cluster plot, the accessions IT 07-292-10, IT 07-274-2-9, IT90K-59, 835-911, RV 343, and IT 95K-2017-15 had the maximum variability in terms of NP, SP, SC, PWT, and WWK1 after drought imposition. Cowpea accessions 835-911, IT 07-292-10, RV 344, Kangorongondo , and IT 90K-59 were the major individuals that contributed mainly to domain information model (DIM) 1 and 2. The accessions that contributed the least were IT 89KD288, Chibundi mavara , and TVU12746. Thirty-six cowpea accessions from both screen houses were tolerant to drought, 15 were moderately tolerant, while 23 were susceptible. The findings of the study provided a useful tool for screening and determining drought-tolerant and susceptible accessions at the seedling stage.

Introduction Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and biofloc systems (BFS) have been considered eco-friendly aquaculture technologies in the last few decades. However, which system performs better has become a common question for fish farmers. Thus, this study aimed to compare the performances of the two aquaculture systems in culturing Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus , larvae. Materials and methods The experiment was conducted by culturing 3-day post-hatching (dph) tilapia larvae in either the RAS or BFS for 43 days. At the end of the culture period, apparent net protein utilization (NPUa), apparent fat utilization (NFUa) and apparent net energy utilization (NEUa), metabolic growth rate (GRmet) of Nile tilapia, and water quality were compared using analysis of variance. Results The result showed, in general, that RAS performed better than BFS. NPUa and NEUa were significantly higher in Nile tilapia cultured in RAS than that of BFS, p < 0.05. While NFUa was not significantly different, p > 0.05. GRmet of tilapia cultured in BFS was higher in the first week but showed to be the same during the second week to the fourth week. At the end of the culture period (43 days), the GRmet of tilapia cultured in RAS was significantly higher than those of fish raised in the BFS. Other results showed that water quality parameters, including total ammonia nitrogen (TAN-N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO 2 –N), were lower in RAS than in BFS during the culture periods. While urea and CO 2 were significantly higher in the rearing water of BFS than that of RAS, p < 0.05. Conclusion The RAS had better performance than the BFS in culturing tilapia larvae.

There is a paucity of information on the serum biochemistry of indigenous Zulu sheep in different seasons and rangeland type. Twenty clinically healthy Zulu rams aged at least 12 months were selected in different rangeland type, namely, Moist Coast Forest and Thornveld (MCT), Dry Highland Sourveld (DHS), Moist Zululand Thornveld (MZT), Natal Sour Sandveld (NSS), and Lowveld (LV) in KwaZulu-Natal from November 2014 to June 2015. Sheep with highest body weights were observed in LV and NSS ( P < 0.05). Sheep with highest body condition score were found in MCT, LV, and DHS ( P < 0.05). The concentration of albumin was high ( P < 0.05) in MZT and DHS and low ( P < 0.05) in NSS. Globulin and total protein concentrations were high ( P < 0.05) in NSS. Albumin, total protein, and creatinine levels were higher in dry season ( P < 0.05). Glucose and blood urea nitrogen were higher in rainy season ( P < 0.05). In LV, albumin concentration was high in rainy season than in dry season ( P < 0.05). In NSS, albumin concentration was high in dry season than in rainy season ( P < 0.05). Globulin concentration was higher during dry season in MCT ( P < 0.05). In MCT, there was a higher total protein concentration in dry season than in rainy season ( P < 0.05). In NSS, the concentration of β-hydroxyl-butyrate was significantly higher in rainy season compared to dry season. Creatinine concentration was significantly high during dry season in LV, NSS, and MCT. There was a positive correlation on body weight against globulin, total protein, creatinine, and β-hydroxyl-butyrate ( P < 0.05). Serum biochemistry of Zulu sheep varied with rangeland type, season, and their interactive effect.

The broiler chicken industry needs effective probiotics to boost productivity and health. However, published data on the impact of in-feed Bacillus supplementation on physiological parameters in healthy broiler chickens are often conflicting and inconclusive. As a result, this meta-analysis aimed to assess the influence of Bacillus on intestinal histomorphometry (villus height [VH], crypt depth [CD], and VH:CD) and blood immunoglobulin (A, G, and M) levels in healthy broiler chickens. Results were pooled using a random-effects model and presented as Hedges d ( d ) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The results indicate that Bacillus improves gut histomorphometric variables in broilers with the exception of duodenal and ileal CD, which had comparable values with the controls. Likewise, broiler chickens fed Bacillus had increased blood immunoglobulin (Ig) levels compared to controls (IgA: d = 2.29 mg/mL, 95% CI: 1.54–3.04; IgG: d = 2.17 mg/mL, 95% CI: 1.36–2.98; IgM: d = 1.00 mg/mL, 95% CI: 0.54–1.46) taking cognizance of heterogeneity ( I 2 = 96–98%). Subgroup analysis showed that studied moderators ( Bacillus species, broiler strain, and dosage and duration of supplementation) influenced the results of the meta-analysis. In conclusion, our results suggested that the inclusion of Bacillus at 0.1–6.0 × 10 6 colony-forming unit/g in broiler chicken feed enhanced the absorptive capacity of the small intestine and blood immunoglobulin levels of broiler chickens. The findings of this study avail important suggestions on policy advancements and sustainable usage of Bacillus in broiler chicken industry.

Weed species composition has been assessed for major crops such as rice, rubber, and oil palm but not for cash crops in Malaysia. In this study, we determine the associations between maize yields and weed species, weed density, mean temperature, and mean rainfall. Annual field surveys of weeds were conducted in maize (Zea mays L.) in a former tin-mining land in Malim Nawar, Perak, Malaysia, during June of 2017, 2018, and 2020 to determine the effects of weeds on maize yields. The field surveys in 2017, 2018, and 2020 involved 120 quadrats (0.5 m × 0.5 m) with 40 replicates. Fifteen species were observed, representing 14 genera and 9 families and consisted of 9 broadleaves, 3 grasses, and 1 sedge. Phytosociological characteristics, namely, frequency, relative frequency, density, relative density, abundance, and relative abundance, were used to analyze weed species composition at the study site. The species with the highest mean density and relative abundance were Cyperus sp., followed by Amaranthus viridis , Eleusine indica , Hedyotis corymbosa , and Phyllanthus amarus. These five species accounted for 65% of the total relative abundance. Individual broadleaf, sedge, and grass weed types were compared between paired years using a two-proportion z -test. The variation in number of individuals in each group was significant between 2017 and 2018, 2018 and 2020, and 2017 and 2020. The relationship between maize yield and mean rainfall, mean temperature, and weed species was analyzed using a general linear model, none of which affected maize yields. The results of this study provide a foundation for practical weed management in maize fields in Malaysia, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security.

Mount Semeru is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and the highest mountain in Java Island. Although the island is prone to volcanic eruptions, it is densely populated and also home to several farmers. The aim of this study is to analyze the strategies for overcoming farmers’ lives in Mount Semeru. This study involves 150 farmers who were randomly selected from terrains located at altitudes between 6 and 10 km in Mount Semeru. This study shows that farmers benefit significantly from the fertile lands resulting from volcanic eruptions. And they are highly motivated to engage in mitigation activities to reduce the impacts of eruption; therefore, they tend to participate in mitigation education or programs organized by government or private institutions. Support with the information and financial access regarding any mitigation strategies can help farmers a lot. Coordination among stakeholders to support mitigation strategies is necessary because all the parties are equally responsible for alleviating the impacts of volcanic eruptions. Any strategies for overcoming farmers’ lives in volcano areas also can be supported by community resilience.

Soil management decisions should consider physical potential of the environment, weather variability, and requirements of crops to maximize production to the potential limits. This calls for characterization of environments using selected input variables. Such studies are scanty in southern central Rift Valley of Ethiopia due to which the area is considered homogeneous and identical for agricultural planning, extension, and input delivery programs. Thus, to investigate the scenario, we employed principal component, clustering, and GIS analysis on geo-referenced physiographic and climatic attributes, and their statistical variables obtained from 43 stations with the objective of identifying homogeneous management units with similar physiography, weather pattern, and production scheduling. The analysis of principal components (PCs) indicated that three PCs explained 74.7% of variance in October, November, December, and January (ONDJ), four PCs explained 79.3% of variance in February, March, April, and May, and four PCs explained 80.5% of variance in June, July, August, and September (JJAS). Cluster-I was characterized by high altitude and low temperature in ONDJ season. Cluster-II was characterized by low altitude and high temperature across most seasons. Cluster-III was intermediate in altitude, temperature, and rainfall. Cluster-IV was characterized by high rainfall in JJAS. In all the clusters, PC1 was the mean rainfall component with strong association with altitude and longitude, while PC2 was the temperature component. PC3 is the statistical component with strong influence from mean rainfall. Thus the factors that determine the formation of clusters are reduced from 12 to 5 ( T mean , latitude, longitude, altitude, and RF mean ) and 43 stations are grouped into 4 clusters (Shamana, Bilate, Hawassa, and Dilla) which are geographically and ecologically distinct. These clusters require different sets of agro-meteorology advisory, maize management, and input delivery strategies.

Agriculture has always been a sector with several specificities that call for adjusted interventions from public institutions through agricultural policies. This is not an exception for the context in the European Union where the Common Agricultural Policy has had more impact in some contexts than the national agricultural policies of the member-states. In turn, the profit margins are, in general, narrow and this needs specific financial and economic management. However, the financial, economic instruments, and indicators for farming are, often, ignored, or at least, not sufficiently analysed. From this perspective, the main objective of this study is to assess the net working capital framework across European Union countries and regions, including assessments through types of farming and economic size. Another objective is to analyse the impacts from financial indicators (current ratio, current assets-to-total assets ratio, current liabilities-to-total assets ratio, and debt-to-total assets ratio) on profitability (return on assets) and financial performance (return on equity). For this purpose, data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network were considered, for the period 2004–2018. These data were worked through descriptive analysis, spatial autocorrelation approaches, and panel data regressions. As main conclusions, it is worth noting the diversity of financial realities across the European farming sector and the null impacts from the liquidity ratio on the farms’ performance.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the trend and variability of rainfall and temperature parameters in the teff growing belts of Ethiopia. The data were obtained from weather stations and covered 1981–2018. Data analyses were carried out with descriptive statistics and time trend regression model. The results showed that short-season rainfall declined by 0.474 mm, while long-season rainfall increased by 2.72 mm. Also, the short season rainfall showed higher variability when compared to the long season rainfall. The standardized seasonal rainfall anomalies indicated severe and extreme droughts (<−1), and the results were in alignment previous droughts. In addition, over the period, the maximum and minimum temperature significantly increased by 0.13 and 0.15°C, respectively. The coefficients of variation (CV) for maximum and minimum temperatures were 2.24 and 5.10%, respectively. Anomalies in maximum and minimum temperatures were negatively low in 1981–1997 but positive in 2003–2018. There were teff yield anomalies and variability. It was concluded that variations in selected climatic parameters or their interactions accounted for teff yield variability. This necessitates provision of adequate adaptation strategies to minimize the impacts of climate change on the yields of teff.

Although Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in Java Island, many people still opt to stay there, with most of them working as farmers. This study aimed to analyze the food security of farmers living in the Mount Merapi area. A total of 303 farmers from four different surrounding areas in Mount Merapi were randomly interviewed, and the factors that affect their food security were determined. The findings indicated that Glagaharjo has the highest mean score for food availability variable; it seems effected by the farmers that have livelihood diversification such as sand miner. With regard to food utilization, rice and vegetables are commonly consumed. Farm size has a significant effect on food availability and food utilization. Effort to increase the farm size is less likely possible, therefore other effort such as controlling the number of family member through family planning program can be implemented to support food security in the study area. People, especially farmers, who live in the hazardous areas in Mount Merapi seem to be unwilling to leave their current lives.

Porang corms ( Amorphophallus muelleri Blume) have many uses, high economic value, and high demand from overseas processing industries, making them an export target. However, there are several problems in porang farming, such as closed markets, which affect exports. Therefore, this study examined the sustainability of porang farming as it plays an essential role in supporting the triple export policy. This study was conducted in Wonogiri Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. A purposive sampling method was used to select 180 farmers, and the key informants to provide the data included experts, porang associations, and related agency officials. Multidimensional scale (MDS) and qualitative analysis were used to assess the sustainability status and review improvement strategies. Furthermore, environmental, economic, social, institutional, and technological dimensions were analyzed. Multidimensional analysis showed that porang farming is less sustainable. This implies that the indicators in each dimension have little or no support for the cultivation of this plant. The MDS analysis showed 11 indicators sensitive to increasing the sustainability of porang farming, which is a crucial factor. Therefore, the grade score of this factor is increased to achieve a moderately sustainable progressive strategy. Since the strategy applied between indicators is comprehensive, they do not overlap in their implementation but complement each other in supporting export policies.

Peruvian regions for sugarcane planting produce sugarcanes throughout the year with a high average productivity. The objective of this article is to analyze the role of agents in the sugarcane supply chain to Peruvian mills and their relationship with the practice of agrarian contracts to sugarcane production. The perception of landowners and farmers about bioenergy and their predisposition to plant energy crops is also investigated. Field interviews are conducted with the main agents of the sugarcane production chain in the major producing regions. Statistical analysis of data from field interviews indicates that the relationship between owners and sugarcane producers is of land leasing. Intermediate agents act as a fundamental part of the sugarcane supply chain. The sharecropping or sugarcane purchase contract is an instrument that is established between middlemen and small independent producers, whether they are owners or tenants. The middlemen participation in commercialization can reach 30–40% of the sugarcane production. Most mills prefer to produce sugarcane in own lands. A relatively high degree of inequity in favor of the middlemen appears in the intermediation process because, in general, the mills prefer this intermediation in their commercial practice. A large number of landowners and tenants are familiar with notions of energy crops, particularly in relation to sugarcane and have a positive vision about them for the environmental sustainability. However, their interest in planting bioenergy crops is less. Friendly and equitable relations between agents will provide more economic and social stability to the Peruvian sugarcane agroindustry.

The various efforts done to promote conservation agriculture (CA) in the Sub-Saharan Africa and the Republic of South Africa have diminished over time. This study was carried out to determine the factors that influenced the adoption of CA in the Okhahlamba Local Municipality of Uthukela District Municipality in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa. It used a dataset collected through a structured questionnaire from 273 smallholder farmers. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the households, whereas descriptive statistics (such as frequency count and percentages) and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the factors that influenced the adoption of CA. The results revealed that the respondents’ age, access to credit, visits by extension agents, and training showed a significant influence on the adoption of CA practices by farmers. The results emphasized the important role of extension agents and of more female farmers in the promotion of CA practices. The study recommended intentional and direct effort by all stakeholders in promoting and encouraging farmers’ participation at all age levels, and to make the CA programmes flexible to accommodate the illiterate farming households. The study further recommended additional extension agents to adequately guide and train farmers on CA through all-inclusive extension services.

The incorporation of zinc in the diets of breeding chickens to enhance reproductive performance has been highlighted. However, no consensus has been reached on the effect of dietary zinc supplementation on the reproductive outcomes of breeding chickens. Therefore, the current study assessed the effects of dietary zinc supplementation on semen quality, fertility and hatchability percentage of breeding chickens using meta-analysis. Furthermore, subgroup analysis was also used to assess the effect of zinc sources (organic versus inorganic) on the reproductive outcomes of breeding chickens. A systematic search conducted on four electronic databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses yielded 521 candidate studies; 8 of the 521 studies that examined the effects of zinc supplementation on reproductive outcomes of breeding chickens met the selection criteria and were used for the meta-analysis. Outcome measures were pooled using random-effects model and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each study. OpenMEE software was used for the analysis. The results indicate significant increase in semen output (SMD = 1.32 mL, 95% CI: 0.76, 1.89), sperm motility (SMD = 1.10 %, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.39), sperm concentration (SMD = 4.28 × 10 6 /mL, 95% CI: 2.78, 5.79), live sperm percent (SMD = 0.96%, 95% CI: 0.69, 1.23) and significant reductions in percentage dead sperm (SMD = –2.80%; 95% CI: –3.43, –2.17), and abnormal sperm (SMD = –4.64%; 95% CI: –5.74, –3.53) when compared to controls, taking cognizance of heterogeneity. In contrast, zinc supplementation had no effect on fertility and hatchability percentage. The subgroup analysis results revealed that zinc sources influenced aspects of the reproductive outcomes of breeding chickens. We conclude that dietary zinc supplementation had a positive influence on reproductive outcomes of breeding chickens, but did not affect percentage fertility and hatchability.

Bacillus probiotics have been shown to possess several advantages over conventional probiotics, including the capacity to withstand heat during feed manufacturing processes and to be stored for a long time without losing viability, as well as the ability to survive and function in the acidic environment of the chicken gut. However, there are inconsistent results on the effect of Bacillus on growth performance of broiler chickens. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of dietary Bacillus supplementation on feed intake (FI), feed conversion efficiency (FCE), and average daily gain (ADG) in broiler chickens. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases were searched for studies that fed diets with and without Bacillus to broilers. Pooled estimation revealed that Bacillus supplementation improved FCE (standardised mean difference [SMD] = −0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.39 to −0.28) and increased ADG (SMD = 0.37 g/bird/day, 95% CI 0.28–0.46). In contrast, feed intake (SMD) = 0.03 g/bird/day, 95% CI −0.03 to 0.09) was not significantly different from controls. Subanalysis revealed that broilers fed with Bacillus at 0.1–0.5 × 10 6 colony-forming unit (cfu)/g had higher ADG than controls. There is evidence of significant heterogeneity (inconsistency index [ I 2 ] = 80–93%) among the studies included in the meta-analysis. Meta-regression showed that studied moderators (i.e., Bacillus spp., duration of supplementation, and broiler strain) explained most of the effect. In conclusion, our results suggest that Bacillus supplementation at 0.1–0.5 × 10 6  cfu/g improved FCE and ADG in broiler chickens. However, it is recommended that more research be conducted to determine the Bacillus supplementation dose that optimises growth performance indices in broiler chickens.

Biomaterials from mushrooms and natural fibers have been used to reduce environmental impacts. This study aimed to develop the mycelium composite from four local mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus , Auricularia auricula-judae , Lentinus squarrosulus , and Lentinus polychrous and three substrates derived from agricultural wastes (coconut husk, rice husk, and rice straw). The mycelia of all mushrooms were cultured on potato dextrose agar and measured for the growth for 9 days. It showed that L. squarrosulus had a colony size significantly greater than the other species. Then, L. squarrosulus was selected to form the biocomposites and tested for material properties, e.g., morphology, compressive strength, water and moisture absorption, and biodegradability. Microscopically, the mycelium colonized almost all parts of the rice husk while it colonized less in the rice straw and coconut husk. However, the rice straw absorbed significantly more moisture than rice husk and coconut husk, but the coconut husk absorbed significantly more water than the rice husk and rice straw. Moreover, the rice straw composite showed the highest compressive strength value and the greatest biodegradability according to the highest weight loss. This research provided the results of the mycelium biocomposite production and mechanical tests for future biomaterials.

Pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is a valuable agronomic and industrial promising crop with high adaptation potentials considered as understudied species and is not attributed the interest it deserves. This investigation reports for the first time the transferability of barley nuclear microsatellites to pearl millet genome. This allowed the inference of the considerable potential of transferability of the nuclear simple sequence repeats (nSSRs) mapped from Hordeum vulgare L. genome to P. glaucum species. Out of the 42 tested SSRs, ten were found to be transferable, giving a transferability rate of 23.8%. These latter markers enabled the molecular characterization of the nine barley and nine pearl millet autochthonous landraces and revealed high levels of polymorphism and discriminatory powers. All the microsatellites were proved to be highly informative with an average polymorphic information content value of 0.74. The gene diversity index revealed a high level of diversity encompassed in both germplams with a mean H e value of 0.80. At the species level, comparable amounts of genetic variability were detected for H. vulgare and P. glaucum landraces. Furthermore, the set of ten transferable nSSRs exhibited high ability in revealing the genetic structure, differentiation and phylogenetic relationships among the studied germplasms. The new available nSSRs present an additional informative and discriminant set of molecular markers which will be useful in further genetic studies concerning the multipurpose species P. glaucum L. such as molecular fingerprinting, genetic purity assessment, genome mapping, marker-assisted breeding and conservation programs.

Butterfly-pea ( Clitoria ternatea L.) extract powder is a functional product with numerous benefits obtained by extraction followed by the drying process. During drying, encapsulations can be added to protect the color and antioxidants of the samples. Using visible-near-infrared (Vis–NIR) spectroscopy, this research aimed to detect maltodextrin and soybean protein isolate (SPI) added as encapsulants to butterfly-pea extract powder. Butterfly-pea extract powder were added with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% concentrations of maltodextrin and SPI. Spectral data were acquired using a Vis–NIR fiber optic spectrometer at 350–1,000 nm. The chemometric methods used were principal component analysis (PCA), PCA-discriminant analysis (PCA–DA), partial least square regression (PLSR), and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results showed that PCA can discriminate pure and maltodextrin- and SPI-added samples using low principal components. PCA-DA determined the accuracy levels of 88% for maltodextrin and 94.67% for SPIs. The PLSR models predicted the addition of maltodextrin with the following variables: coefficient of determination of calibration ( R c 2 ), 0.98; coefficient of determination of prediction ( R p 2 ), 0.98; root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), 2.1%; and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), 4.02%. The values for the addition of SPI were R c 2 of 0.97, R p 2 of 0.97, RMSEC of 2.72%, and RMSEP of 2.83%. The PLS-DA models resulted in an accuracy of 98 and 91% for the identification of maltodextrin and SPI, respectively. In conclusion, this research showed the potency of Vis–NIR spectroscopy combined with a proper chemometric analysis to detect additives in butterfly-pea extract powders.

The land is one of the determining factors for sustainable agriculture. However, attention to the protection of agricultural land in economic development has not fully sided with the interests of agricultural development in the long term. The conversion of agricultural land because of the growth of the industrial and service sectors has displaced agricultural land, making this a serious problem for the existence and sustainability of agriculture. This study aims to analyze the willingness of farmers to maintain sustainable food agricultural land (SFAL) in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. This study can contribute thoughts in the formulation of sustainable agricultural development policies. The survey was conducted on rice farmers at 25 observation points from eight irrigation source rivers spread across the Special Region of Yogyakarta. A total of 125 rice farmers were taken at simple random as the sample of this study. The determinants of farmers’ willingness were analyzed using binomial logistic regression. The results of the analysis show that education, the distance to irrigation sources, rural areas, farm income, and access to credit are factors that influence the willingness of farmers to maintain SFAL, especially rice plants. Therefore, it is important for farmers to maintain sustainable food fields through various programs such as extension, farming credit, production price incentives, and the provision of good irrigation facilities.

In this study, a transparent conductive film is developed using polyvinyl alcohol as the substrate material and carbon fiber is deposited for electrical conductivity. The two materials are mixed into a solution and then cast to form a transparent conductive film suitable for usage in agricultural greenhouses. The designed film with a dimension of 200 mm × 200 mm has an average edge-to-edge resistance of 560.87 + 118.17 Ω, block resistance (BR) of 1.4 + 0.29 Ω/cm 2 , light transmittance of 70.07% over a wavelength of 400 to 780 nm, and a heating capability of 72 W/m 2 via far-infrared light over a wavelength of 25–1,000 µm. Being highly transparent, the film can be integrated into the structure of agricultural greenhouses as it allows adequate sunlight penetration for the necessary photosynthesis of crops while providing heating capability during cold climates in seasonal regions such as northern China, thus replacing the need for conventional electrical heaters. A proof-of-concept is conducted at an agricultural greenhouse in Shandong, China, in rural settings where electricity may not be available. The films were powered with 200 custom-made aluminum-air (Al-air) batteries rated for 12 V, 20 mA. The electrolyte used for the batteries is potassium sulfate (K 2 SO 4 ), which is a kind of agricultural chemical fertilizer that is easily available in agricultural greenhouse settings. For 7 weeks, the films were successfully powered by the batteries and operated to provide constant heating to maintain the nighttime temperature inside the greenhouse at above 10.06°C with outside temperatures dropping as low as 3.8°C.

Black soybean ( Glycine soja (L.) Merril) is one of the potential agricultural commodities in Indonesia. The multilocation trial is the primary requirement for variety release before farmers can widely use the new varieties. Various stability measurements on grain yields will provide more accurate information in selecting superior lines. The aims of the study were to: (i) identify the effect of genotype by environment interactions (G×E) on black soybean grain yields; (ii) select the black soybean lines with stable and high grain yields in different agroecosystems; and (iii) determine the best representative environment for testing black soybean lines. The field trials used an augmented design that was applied in three blocks for each location. The research was conducted in West Java, Indonesia, specifically in Sumedang, Indramayu, and Majalengka. The three locations are traditionally soybean production areas in West Java. The results showed that G×E significantly affected grain yields, with a contribution of 38.35%. Based on the results of stability testing using parametric, non-parametric, and genotype plus genotype by environments (GGE) biplot measurements, the G13, G22, G25, and G26 lines were considered the most stable and produced the highest yields in the three agroecosystems. In addition, Sumedang is the most representative location for testing black soybeans in Indonesia. Therefore, the four lines can be proposed as new superior lines for black soybeans with high yields and stability in three environments. Information about the relationship between the yield stability parameters can be used for the most accessible parameter selection.

Currently, many sugarcane mills face the challenge of obtaining sufficient raw material. This work analyzes and compares the land access forms to cane production in Brazil (big producer) and Peru (small producer). Data from Agricultural Censuses of the two countries are used. In the analyzed period, there was an increase in sugarcane production in both countries. It is observed that in Brazil, the tendency is for sugar mills to use land leasing or sharecropping contracts. In Peru, new sugarcane mills mainly use their own land. The access to land through agrarian contracts can be a factor of sustainability of the sugarcane agribusiness.

Agriculture and its development are the foundations of development in Iran as a developing country. So, this sector can be regarded as the foundation of economic and social development. The capabilities of the agriculture sector are limited, and its efficiency is trivial because of neglecting agricultural development and depriving this sector of real functional supports instead of slogans. The transformation of agriculture to a developed, dynamic, and efficient environment depends not only on appropriate climate and natural resources but also on human resource development in the relevant sector. Hence, in the present study, the causes of the underdevelopment of mechanization in rural areas of Jiroft which has a significant contribution to agricultural production in the area are investigated. Library and field methods have been used to collect information. The statistical population includes 1,324 farmers in Jiroft villages. According to Cochran’s formula, in order to complete the questionnaires, the required quantity as the sample was about 300 farmers. To determine the validity of the content, the experts used Cronbach’s alpha (0.81) to verify the reliability of the instrument. In the present study, the collected data were analyzed by statistical package of Social Sciences 22 and LISREL9 using Pearson correlation through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that five factors, Supportive – research oriented and promotional, market and product, technical and technological, and cultural-social, respectively, were 19.9, 18.6, 14.5, 10.4, and 7.3 percent of the variance. Creating a national document in the field of sustainable development in agriculture, codification of supportive policies, and required laws for this sector are very impressive to improve the process of agricultural mechanization development in Jiroft.

Transmigration program is a part of rural development to reduce poverty in which entrepreneurship was also developed. It becomes necessary to explore how the program affects the entrepreneurial aspects of the poor farmers. The objectives of this study are (1) to measure entrepreneurship skill, intention, risk taking, social valuation, and competence of poor farmers, (2) to know the impact of transmigration program in improving the competence of poor farmers, and (3) to analyze the influence of skills, intentions, risk taking, and social valuation toward entrepreneurial competence of poor farmers. One hundred twenty poor transmigrant and 120 local farmer households were interviewed in this study. The data were analyzed by descriptive quantitative method and multiple regression analysis by using SPSS 22. The results showed that transmigration program that provides farmland land freely can improve skill, entrepreneurship intention, risk taking capability, and social valuation of poor farmers. Yet, there is a gap between skills and intentions where entrepreneurship intentions are greater than their skills. The result shows that transmigrant entrepreneurship competence is higher than that of local farmers. However, social valuation of local households is higher than that of transmigrants due to their less adaptability in society. Regression analysis shows that social valuation, skills, intentions, and risk taking have a significant effect on both local and transmigrant entrepreneurship competencies. It can be concluded that transmigration program has successfully changed the mindset of poor farmers to become more entrepreneurial oriented and is one of the important factors in reducing the poverty level particularly in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia.

Smallholder livestock farmers routinely use existing communication networks as their information sources. This study explored these information sources, the frequency of contacts, and perceived usefulness of livestock health-related information received from these sources. Respondents were randomly selected from two farming districts in the Free State province. Using a mix of descriptive and correlation analyses, it categorized respondents according to their total information scores (TISs) and explored the relationship between their scores and socioeconomic characteristics. Findings show that 65% of farmers scored a high reliance on fellow farmers and extension officials. Mass media sources such as radio and television scored low on perceived usefulness. The correlation coefficients for age (−0.228), farming experience (0.183), extension visits (0.002), and information contacts (0.214) were significant ( p < 0.05). Level of education (0.256), herd size (0.067), and perceived usefulness of information contacts (0.252) were also significant ( p < 0.01). Gender, household size, income, cooperative participation, and access to financial services were not correlated to the TISs of respondents. It was recommended that mass media sources in the area be supported by extension communication specialists to disseminate livestock health-related information.

Arabica coffee plantation area is limited, and production is still low while demand increases. The development of Arabica coffee in Indonesia faces many obstacles that threaten its sustainability. The objective of this study is to determine the sustainability status of the Arabica coffee business in West Java and formulate a sustainability strategy. Primary data were obtained through interviews with respondents and key persons from relevant stakeholders from upstream to downstream using a structured questionnaire. The study was conducted in August‒October 2021 in Garut District, West Java. Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) was used to assess the sustainability status of the Arabica coffee business in five dimensions, i.e., ecological, economic, social, marketing, and institutional. The results show that the Arabica coffee business in West Java is fairly sustainable, with an average score of 55.65%. The MDS analysis for each dimension reveals that the social dimension has the highest score (62.45%), followed by the ecological dimension (59.01%), the economic dimension (53.00%), the institutional dimension (51.92%), and the marketing dimension (51.87%). This study emphasizes five actions as parts of the sustainability strategy, i.e., adaptation and mitigation of climate change, creative efforts to increase farmers’ income, human resource capacity building, strengthening business partnerships, and strengthening farmer organizations.

The possible future challenge for food agriculture development led to the transition from conventional to modern agricultural management using smart farming technology (SFT). Some factors detaining the use of SFT for food commodities, specifically in small farmers’ communities, are global climate change, low-quality human resources of farmers, and extension workers. Small farmers generally have relatively small land, limited access to capital and farming input, and grow different kinds of commodities according to seasons. This research examined the adoption readiness in using SFT for three food commodities in Aceh Province, Indonesia, namely rice, maize, and potatoes. The sample comprises 70 farmers per commodity and 48 extension workers, obtained through the quota sampling method, culminating in 258 respondents. The readiness measurement for SFT adoption was conducted by introducing various models, images, videos, and RITX applications. The collected data were investigated and analyzed using the Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis for two or more categories. The result showed that both farmers and extension workers have a positive perception of the application of SFT. However, in terms of readiness, farmers have a relatively lower readiness level than the extension workers due to their low capacity. This means it is essential to focus on the economic and capacity building of farmers by providing them with appropriate SFT devices to overcome the high investment cost and provide the technical skill for its application to overcome this situation.

Rice productivity in the tropics largely depends on fertilizers as soils are commonly low in nitrogen and phosphorus. Some farmers in this region cultivate rice using the hand-broadcast method, which has resulted in a low yield. Therefore, this on-farm experiment was conducted to compare the performance and yield of broadcasted and transplanted rice production systems under different fertilizer combinations. The experimental was set up in a split plot design with six combination treatments and seven replications. The main plots were planting methods comprised of transplanting and broadcasting. The subplots were a combination of NPK fertilizer, urea, and biofertilizer (BF) with and without compost, while the control treatment was NPK fertilizer and urea. The BF contained nitrogen fixer bacteria and phosphate solubilizer microbes. The results showed that fertilizer combination increased shoot height, root length, shoot and root dry weight (RDW), root-to-shoot ratio (R/S), tiller number, 1,000-grain weight, and yield but did not affect clump number. In addition, the planting method affected the parameters except for R/S and 1,000-grain weight. The yield of transplanted rice grown with NPK fertilizer and urea was 17.5% higher than that of the broadcasting method. Incorporation of chemical fertilizer combined with compost and BF resulted in a comparable yield; transplanted rice yield was only 2.18% more than broadcasted. This showed that diverse fertilizer application is needed to minimize the yield gap between broadcasted and transplanted rice.

Potato is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. In a tropical country such as Indonesia, potato is cultivated in highland that has low temperature. However, the extensification and intensification of potato cultivation cause environmental problems in the highland. Soil erosion is one of the common problems resulting from potato cultivation that applies heavy tillage. To prevent environmental problems, the land expansion for potato cultivation is carried out in both the medium and lowland. High temperature in both medium and lowland results in the limitation of plant growth and yield. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs), namely paclobutrazol and benzylaminopurine (BAP) application on the growth and yield of potatoes grown under high temperature in both lowland and medium land. A split-plot design was used in this experiment with the main plot as growing altitude, i.e., low and medium land, and the PGR treatments as the subplot, i.e., control, paclobutrazol at 100 mg L −1 , BAP at 50 mg L −1 , and a combination of paclobutrazol at 100 mg L −1 and BAP at 100 mg L −1 . The result showed a reduction in plant growth and yield in potatoes grown in lowland compared to those in medium land. The application of paclobutrazol and BAP improved the number, the weight of tuber, and its starch content. The result indicated that the application of paclobutrazol and BAP could be used to solve an environmental limitation for potato cultivation in both lowland and medium land.

Science plays an important role in the development of agriculture. Publication activity is one of the factors in the assessment of science intensity in certain areas. Evaluating the number of articles on a specific topic in a certain period can indicate a trend in developing science in the country and international cooperation. Agricultural science in Russia lags far behind leading topics such as chemistry and physics, especially in international cooperation. This article aimed to assess the publication activity in Russia in the area of agriculture to analyze the development of agricultural science in the country and the impact of the national project “Science” on the trend of change. The authors used the Web of Science Core Collection database for this study and analyzed 7,436 papers on the topic of agriculture co-authored by Russian and foreign authors. This study showed the number of articles by year, research areas, and distribution publication records in collaboration with other countries. The article results showed that agricultural science has been growing in a general trend in recent years. The most significant increase in the overall publication in agriculture topics and cooperation occurred after the project “Science” was launched. The project showed a great impact on publication activity in Russia.

Aflatoxins are known to cause devastating acute and chronic effects in humans and animals. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of postharvest practices and storage conditions on aflatoxin contamination in maize in two counties. Aflatoxin levels in 144 maize samples from different maize storage conditions were determined. While sampling, a structured questionnaire was also administered to evaluate farmer’s postharvest practices. Makueni County had the highest percentage of aflatoxin positive samples with up to 174 ppb attributed to the long storage under unfavourable conditions. On the other hand, Baringo County had lower positivity associated with the harvesting season at the time of sample collection. The type of storage condition had a significant effect on the extent of contamination and accounted for 11% of the variation ( R 2 = 0.11). Gunny bags were the most common type of storage condition and had the highest level of contamination in both the counties. Metallic bins had the lowest level of contamination. Aflatoxin G1 and G2 were predominant in samples from Baringo County, while aflatoxin B1 and B2 were predominant in samples from Makueni County. The study concluded that the type of storage condition significantly contributes to the aflatoxin contamination in the stored maize. Proper drying of maize to the recommended moisture content and subsequent storage in hermetic structures will reduce the cases of aflatoxin contamination.

The latest technologies for growing crops, including potatoes, are based on the use of modern mathematical models that can fairly accurately identify the impact of various factors of natural and technological nature on the object of study. Yield modeling makes it possible to adjust resource consumption indicators to obtain the maximum economic effect and minimize the negative impact on the environment. It was found that the lowest weediness of potato agrocenosis (24 pcs/m 2 ) was formed by the complex application of Hezagard (4 L ha −1 ) and Panthera (1 L ha −1 ). The lowest level of actual weeds infestation had a positive effect on the yield of tubers – 27.6 t ha −1 (+26.6% to control) and was obtained in the variant of herbicide application. The results of correlations of potato tuber yield from factors such as weediness, density and productive moisture reserves in the arable soil layer are highlighted. It was found that the highest yield of 27.6 t ha −1 (+26.6% compared to the control) was obtained in the variant with the application of herbicides Hezagard (4 L ha −1 ) and Panthera (1 L ha −1 ). According to the results of multiple regression, it was found that the coefficient of multiple correlation is R = 0.9985, and the coefficient of determination is R = 0.997, i.e., the relationship between potato yield and experimental factors is quite close.

Diatraea busckella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a sugarcane borer, was recently reported in Valle del Cauca, Caldas, and Risaralda in Colombia. This fact puts sugarcane ( S. officinarum ) producers in a critical situation. The insufficient knowledge about Diatraea species phenomenology, biology, and the life cycle feature under different climate scenarios does not let the experts relate (with certainty) the population explosion with climate offer changes. The work was carried out at the Center for Research and Breeding of Natural Enemies, located in the botanical garden of the University of Caldas at 5.0563885°3′23″ north latitude and −75.49416675°29′39″ west longitude, at an altitude of 2,160 m above the sea level and an average temperature of 14°C (Manizales, Caldas). To cope with the lack of bio-meteorological information, an experimental approach, based on the simulation of sugar cane production environments, was designed for obtaining the relationship between air temperature and the life cycle of the sugarcane borer. Growth chambers were used to simulate the air temperature of five ambients (10, 20, 24.7, 30, and 35°C). Under low latitude conditions (5°N), the referred temperatures corresponded to x , y , z , a , and b . The cycles were completed up to the first oviposition by females; in addition, the direct relationship between air temperature and the insect’s development, reproduction, and survival was verified. The number of days of the larval stage was 40 days DS ± 16.7 ± 2 days from larva to pupae and 6 ± 1 more to reach the adult stage under controlled conditions under five different temperatures (10, 20, 24.7, 30, and 35°C). In addition, significant differences were found in development time under controlled conditions (20, 24.7, and 30°C). Diatraea busckella can become a significant pest due to the positive response in development when environmental scenarios have to change, specifically the increase in temperature.

In this study, the performance and emissions of a compression combustion diesel engine were investigated. The net diesel and the blends of diesel with waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel (5 and 20%) were considered as control fuel and were blended with graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONPs) (30, 60, and 90 ppm) and were evaluated. The engine was operated at full load at 1,500 rpm and the brake power (BP), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) besides CO, CO 2 , and NO x emissions appraised in the two sections of engine performance and emission, respectively, were evaluated. According to the results in the D 95 B 5 G 90 fuel blend, GONPs had a positive effect on BP. BTE also showed a significant improvement in D 95 B 5 G 60 . GONPs increase NO x and CO 2 emissions and decrease CO emissions. Overall, it can be concluded that GONPs can be introduced as a suitable alternative additive for diesel and WCOs biodiesel fuel blends.

Red chili is one of the important commodities with increasing demand. However, the quality, continuity of supply, and quantity have not been realized to meet domestic market demand. Increasing growth, yield, and quality can be pursued through superior varieties, and the effort to increase crop productivity is the application of various doses of potassium fertilizer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of various varieties and doses of potassium fertilizer on the growth, yield, and quality of red chili. The split-plot experimental design consisting of two factors was also used. The first factor is the variety, as the main plot consisting of UNPAD CB2, Tanjung 2, and Lingga. The second factor was the dose of potassium fertilizer as sub-plots which consisted of four levels, namely 0, 100, 200, and 300 kg/ha KCl. The results showed an interaction between variety and dose of potassium fertilizer on plant height at 8 weeks after planting (WAP), stem diameter at 8 WAP, and leaf area index at 9 WAP. Meanwhile, UNPAD CB2 showed the best results for 6 WAP plant height, fruit weight per plant, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, dihydrocapsaicin, total capsaicinoid, and scoville heat unit. Potassium fertilizer doses of 200 and 300 kg/ha KCl showed high yields for stem diameters of 6 WAP.

Asteraceae annuals from South Africa’s winter-rainfall region often exhibit poor germination, and it is a challenge to establish a garden display using fresh seeds from the wild. Arctotis hirsuta (Harv.) Beauvard is a popular ornamental, Oncosiphon suffruticosum (L. Bolus) K. Bremer & Humphries is important in traditional medicine, and Cotula duckittiae (L. Bolus) K. Bremer & Humphries has a vulnerable (VU) status on the red list of South African plants. C. duckittiae is teetering on the brink of extinction in a few localities on severely threatened ecosystems due to continued pressure on land for housing developments and invasive aliens. At present, there is no knowledge of O. suffruticosum being cultivated exclusively for its healing properties. The successful cultivation of this species may allow it to fulfil not only a more acute medicinal role in society but also in the economy to create precious job opportunities. The potential to develop or improve certain plant breeding lines of A. hirsuta commercially, besides just normal wild forms of these species at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, is huge. This, in addition to the ongoing pressure exerted on wild populations of C. duckittiae , warrants investigations into aspects of germination ecology of this VU species of the West Coast.

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging risk for human and animal health, and mitigating the risk requires an improved understanding of various sources of risks and identifying the level of threats for each source. Many antibiotics are currently used against pathogens for treating infections in animals and humans, and it is considered that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) acquired by pathogens may have an environmental origin. Because of contamination in ambient waterways, it is likely that ARGs may affect both organic and non-organic farming. While health risk as a consequence of ARGs is difficult to determine because of lack of understanding of dose-response, the presence of ARGs in human waste and animal manure, and the subsequent application of these organic wastes as fertilizers has a potential of spreading ARGs in the environment. Additional research is needed to understand the presence, growth, and transport of ARGs through animal wastes such as dairy manure. In this review, we focus on synthesizing information regarding the occurrence of ARGs in dairy manure, potential transport pathways, and factors responsible for the spread of ARGs in the environment. Besides, we also explore potential treatment methods that may contribute to the ARG removal in dairy manure and help alleviate ARG contamination.

Currently, there are no general reviews that focus on feed analysis and its development from early to modern use. An objective of this review was to create a brief chronology of people, discoveries, and activities that were part of the development of modern feed analysis. Peer-reviewed, extension, and trade literature were used as resources in this review. Conference and symposia proceedings were also referenced. Some textbooks and PhD dissertations were cited. Finally, historic agricultural and other scientific literature dating from 1725 to 1936 were all used as sources. In modern society, feed analysis is more widely used than ever before in history, and interest in and utilization of feed analysis steadily increases. The history of feed analysis is not a simple chronological construct, since feed analysis has developed in conjunction with advancements and discoveries in chemistry, nutrition, and agricultural sciences. Using different systems of analysis, the evaluation of feeds has been practiced for millennia. Feed analysis, its categories, systems, methods, and applications are topics of universal interest among extension, education, and agricultural professionals. This review of people, practices, and events leading to the development of feed analyses can be a useful resource for anyone who wants to convey unique information about feed analysis and its history.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a variety of challenges to Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, especially in the area of health protection, food security, and availability. Food security is a concept that encompasses the availability and accessibility of safe nutritious foods to everyone and is dependent on the maintenance of the food supply chain. The food security status of Nigeria, a developing country that previously was problematic, has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic through several fronts including the disruption of the food supply chain, reduced agricultural output as a result of the global lockdown, and lack of access to agricultural facilities and products, such as fertilisers, manpower, and restrictive policies. These factors have generally resulted in food scarcity and price inflations, which increasingly threaten the political and economic stability of households within the country, leading to an insecure future for the people. This review examines how the food security status of households in Nigeria has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the lockdown and changing business environment on farmers’ food production operations and marketing activities. It further evaluates the pandemics impacts on agro-industrial projects and governments’ efforts in making the agriculture sector more sustainable. Strategies to improve local food production, accessibility and availability, through interventions, including financial incentives/grants to farmers, the revival of moribund agricultural agencies, and encouraging local production and processing of foods are explored.

With the expanding hemp cannabidiol (CBD) industry in the United States, information on fertilizer recommendations for optimal production under field conditions is deficient in the literature. This study evaluates the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization on bud biomass and CBD yield of two high-yielding CBD hemp varieties (Spectrum and Therapy) under field conditions. Four application rates of N fertilization (0, 56, 112, and 224 kg N ha −1 ) were supplied using 2 commercially available N fertilizers. Fresh bud biomass, dry bud biomass, and CBD yield (g plant −1 ) increased quadratically with N fertilization rates, with optimum rates between 140 and 190 kg N ha −1 . When pooled across varieties, the tissue N concentration was linearly related to the fresh bud biomass, dry bud biomass, and CBD yield. Our findings show that N fertilization can affect CBD yield under field conditions. The resulting effect of N fertilizer rates on these varieties could serve as a preliminary guide for CBD hemp production under field conditions, although results may differ with variety, location, or fertilizer type.

Between 2005 and 2015, the forest area occupied by maritime pine trees in Continental Portugal decreased by about 10.6%, and the existing volume decreased by about 18.4% mainly due to fires and pests (e.g., nematode) that occurred during this period. The purpose of this study was to study the evolution of the land use environmental impact of 1 m 3 of maritime pine, standing in Portuguese forest, during that period using the model by Milà i Canals based on soil organic matter measured by soil organic carbon. Results show that the land use impact category increased from 16,812 kg C deficit in 2005 to 18,423 kg C deficit in 2015. Land transformation to forest roads is the main contribution for land use impact representing 54% of the total value followed by land occupation as forest that represents about 40%.

“Grada de Viseu” is an indigenous hazelnut variety from Portugal, and it is considered by the producers as the most important variety in terms of production and productivity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of harvest year (2017/2018/2019) and location of production (Viseu/Faia) on some physical and chemical properties of the variety “Grada de Viseu,” namely biometric parameters, colour, true and bulk densities, texture parameters (hardness and friability), and chemical composition. The results showed that the fruits of the samples harvested in 2019 had higher values of height, width, and thickness. Hazelnuts from 2018 had a clearer shell, independently of the location of production, but only the samples from Faia harvested in 2018 had a clearer kernel. As for the texture, the fruits grown in Viseu harvested in 2018 had a harder shell and was more resistant to fracture, whereas the sample from 2019 had a harder kernel. In all cases, fat was the major chemical component. The sample from 2019 had a water activity greater than 0.62, meaning that its stability was not guaranteed. “Grada de Viseu” from Faia in 2018 presented a higher induction period and, therefore, was the one with the highest oxidation stability. The year of production showed to be the best predictor for almost every chemical and biometric characteristics. In general, it was possible to verify that harvesting year and geographical location influence hazelnut characteristics.

The purpose of the current study is to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected eating behavior and directed toward organic food and bioproducts consumption in the North African region especially Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia as well as identify the variables that may affect the eating behavior of these population. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey on 1,244 respondents from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The results showed that the confinement did influence the consumption of healthy food to enhance people’s immune system so as to prevent infection by the COVID-19, and other diseases. Moreover, academic level, gender, and country of residence were diversely correlated with the eating behavior during COVID-19 confinement. The understanding of people’s eating behavior will help the public health to reshape future policies toward organic and bio-based food production; moreover, some further nutritional recommendations could be concluded to maintain a global better health status and improve body defence mechanism.

This article presents a study on customer knowledge and habits regarding the use of refrigerated display cabinets (RDC). The study was carried out on a sample of Portuguese retail stores’ customers, using a questionnaire survey available through an Internet platform. The sample consisted of 136 individuals, who voluntarily participated in the study. Questions included the characterization of the sociodemographic population involved. The questionnaire included different questions to related with RDC, namely customer knowledge about the appearance of each RDC equipment, questions to evaluate the respondents’ perception about the advantages and disadvantages related to open or glass-door closed RDC, questions to assess the participants’ habits and behavior when purchasing food products from glass-door closed RDC (frequency and duration of door open), questions to characterize the consumers’ habits on purchasing food products from RDC, and also questions to characterize the consumers’ shopping attitudes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results seem to indicate that customers prefer closed RDC; for example, 61.8% of participants prefer products preserved in glass-door closed RDC, against 6.6% that admit to preferring products preserved in open RDC. Therefore, we can deduce that the existence of doors does not appear to be an obstacle to purchasing food products. Regarding the use of glass-door closed RDC, 80.1% of the participants say they just open the door once, and 53.7% of the costumers believe they keep the door open in the interval [4‒6 s]. This indicates that Portuguese customers are quite well informed about food safety issues and seem to follow assertive attitudes when purchasing food products from RDC. This study reinforces the benefits of replacing open RDC by closed glass-doors allowing significant energy savings.

The objective of this study is to investigate the consumer perceptions about quality and safety of foods packed in plastic, as well as the impact of plastic materials on human health. To carry out the study, a questionnaire survey about the consumption habits and knowledge about plastic packaging was conducted to a sample of 487 Portuguese adult citizens. The results revealed that most respondents (81%) think about food safety and quality when purchasing foods. Additionally, it was found that the consumer’s knowledge about the toxicity of components possibly migrating from the plastic packaging to the food is still limited (only 46% of participants). However, other negative effects of plastics well known to consumers include environmental pollution and marine fauna degradation (67 and 82% of participants, respectively). Thus, it was concluded that the Portuguese population need to be further educated about the toxicity of some chemical compounds present in plastic packaging, which can be ingested by migrating to the food or which can be absorbed from the environmental microplastics resulting from incorrect disposal.

Today’s consumers are becoming more aware of what they consume and the implications that a proper diet can have for their health. This work aimed to understand how Lebanese people get information about foods, and which communication media they consider the most appropriate. Also, the attitudes toward food labelling were assessed. This was a cross-sectional study undertaken by means of a questionnaire survey on a sample of 258 Lebanese participants. Data analysis used statistical tools such as T -test and ANOVA with post hoc to test possible group differences or Cronbach’s alpha to assess internal scale reliability. The results showed that radio was the first choice as a media tool used by Lebanese people for gathering food information (29.1%), followed by hospitals (23.3%), and the participants also considered that these are the most appropriate means to communicate information (28.3 and 22.5%, respectively). Regarding the Lebanese behaviour on nutrition labelling, nearly half of the participants (44.6%) very frequently or always check the food labels but some showed no interest in the components and the fibres they contain. Reliability analysis showed that the items used to assess the food labelling scale have a very high internal consistency ( α = 0.847). So, the Lebanese people tend to rely on radio for information about food and the labels are considered as important source of information as well. Nevertheless, Lebanese don’t consult the nutritional composition as often as desirable in order to adjust their purchases or compare to different items, aimed at healthier food choices. So in order to inform Lebanese people about related food rich in fibres and to instigate their purchasing intentions, the producing companies must rely on marketing campaigns through radio and on labels not just the information in nutritional composition.

The cultivation of walnut ( Juglans regia L.) for the exploitation of the fruit has been increasingly recognized worldwide; therefore, it is important to valorize a large amount of biomass from walnut shells (WS), where liquefaction may play an important role. This work intends to contribute to an improved understanding of the best uses for this material. The assays were made with a binary mixture of ethylene glycol and glycerol (1:1 v/v) as solvents, catalyzed by sulfuric acid. The tested parameters were as follows: particle size >0.420–0.177 mm, temperature 140–200°C, and reaction time between 15 and 60 min. The initial dried material, the liquefied material, and the resulting solid residue were analyzed by FTIR-ATR for polyol characterization. The results showed that WS are mostly composed of lignin with 35.0% and polysaccharides, 30.0% cellulose and 24.9% hemicelluloses. High-lignin content indicated that WS might be used as a bio-fuel or adhesives. Extractives represent 10.2% with almost half (4.6%) of polar extractives. The best conditions to attain the optimal liquefaction yield were 160°C, 30 min, and 0.420–0.250 mm particle size, for the tested parameters. FTIR spectrum of the liquefied material is very different from the original material, and solid residue spectra seem to indicate that there is higher liquefaction of polysaccharides when compared with lignin since there is a higher absorption at 1,600 cm −1 and lower absorption at 1,040 cm −1 and that liquefied compounds are probably in smaller molecules.

The 12 principles of green chemistry were stated to pursue good practices and techniques that minimize the use of hazardous substances in the production and application of chemicals. To minimize the risks and the pollution generated using chemicals, new methodologies must be developed that avoid the application of dangerous products or its amount. Considering the principle of pollution prevention, this work proposes the development and application of a different methodology for the quantification of humic substances (HS), applying a spectrophotometric methodology that reduces the quantity of hazardous reagents (sodium dichromate and sulfuric acid) and minimizes the waste production. To deeply acknowledge the method, a validation of the methodology was done to allow the evaluation of its effectiveness to report reliable results. It was done by the evaluation of the parameters often used for this purpose (analytical limits, precision, accuracy, selectivity, robustness, and method working range). The detection limit attained was 0.03 g glucose/L and the quantification limit was 0.09 g glucose/L. The precision and accuracy were also evaluated using the repeatability limit and through performance testing, respectively, with a repeatability limit of 0.045 g/L and a Z -score less than 2. For selectivity and robustness, differences in variances were not significant, and the working range is well adjusted, with no differences regarding the precision of the lower and higher standard. The results obtained showed that the method under study, adapted to the green chemistry principles, can be applied to quantify HS in impure and complex samples.

Ongole crossbred were endemic cattle in Java Island due to their good adaptation to the environment. The Government of Yogyakarta Special Region sought to develop cattle farms through an Ongole crossbred cattle development program in the Gunungkidul Regency to preserve this Ongole crossbred population. The study aimed to describe the behavior of breeders who participated in the Ongole crossbred cattle development programs on the post of this program. A sample of 40 small-breeder participants of this program was interviewed. The observed behaviors were all activities conducted by the breeders in carrying out the Ongole crossbred cattle farming. This study showed that breeders well implemented toward some core program, i.e., facilities management, cultivating forage, integrated animal service, and conserving productive female cows since program completion. However, due to limitations of capital ownership, the breeders were not well producing alternative fodder. Based on this result, the government was recommended to introduce a simple small farming capacity machine to small farmers to process the agricultural waste as animal feed.

This article argues that the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) future promotion should be based on the potential users’ good understanding of sustainable agriculture. A qualitative approach was used to examine the perceptions of SRI attributes among Indonesian rice farmers, which is built upon the developing theory of diffusion of innovation. Through focus group discussions in three Indonesian provinces, compatibility, complexity, and relative advantage were identified as essential factors for SRI adoption. SRI was seen as incompatible with current farming practices, labour capacity, budget, and time available for additional labour inputs. SRI was seen as relatively complicated in terms of compost processing and application as well as mechanised agricultural technologies. As a result of the economic surplus provided by SRI rice, organised farmers may be able to obtain a higher price for SRI rice than non-organised farmers. Environmental and agronomic benefits were thought to have a long-term payoff. Such results demonstrate the subjective evaluation of SRI by farmers, which is important to its implementation.

The added value of Lactobacillus acidophilus encapsulation due to its production process is one of the first things that need to be known in calculating techno-economic analysis to determine the sustainability of its downstream. The result of value-added analysis plays an important role in determining which formulation, encapsulate material, and production process should be used. The inoculum media used were skimmed milk and whole milk, the coating material used in this study was Eucheuma cottonii , while the process variations used were spray-drying and freeze-drying methods. There were four treatments in the research that analyzed their added value. Determination of the best treatment was carried out through the scoring method on the value of cell viability, cell morphology, encapsulation effectiveness, process costs, cost of supporting materials, and added value of the product. Added value analysis was carried out using the Hayami and Kawagoe methods. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that added value is most influenced by process costs. The treatments selected were E. cottonii coating material, fresh milk inoculation medium, and spray-drying encapsulation method with an overall score of 22.

In the market, single-origin chocolate is gaining high attention. However, up till now, there is no study investigating the characteristic single-origin chocolate from different regions in Indonesia, particularly in the aspect of emotional conceptualisation. Thus, the first part of this study was designed to investigate the elicited emotion of single-origin chocolate consumers in Indonesia. Chocolates were prepared from cocoa beans obtained from seven regions in Indonesia with two different roasting methods (dynamic and static). Later, a conceptual approach to find the correlation between the development of single-origin chocolate and the development of a rural area, particularly in the cocoa-producing region, in Indonesia was given, which was elaborated. The results show that based on 120 respondents, chocolate made of cocoa beans from Makassar obtained the highest consumer acceptance level due to the lowest bitterness, aftertaste duration, and aftertaste intensity, as well as the highest sweetness level. The roasting method had no significant effect on the hedonic response implying that the quality of raw material had a more pronounced impact on the quality of the chocolate than the roasting method. Single-origin chocolate elicited particular emotions, such as pleasant, calm, feeling good, satisfying, enthusiastic, happy, and stimulating. The development of single-origin chocolate can contribute to the economic impact on rural areas where cocoa trees grow.

Garlic is usually propagated asexually from the cloves. Clove as the propagation source for garlic has many weaknesses. Alternatively, bulbils could be used for the propagation. The aim of this study was to know the effect of temperature and time of vernalization from several clones of Indonesian garlic to bulbil production. This research was conducted at a farmer’s field at Banjarnegara, Central Java, Indonesia. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Block Design with three factors: temperature of vernalization, i.e., 0, 5, and 10°C, duration of vernalization, i.e., 20, 40, and 60 days, and on 12 garlic varieties/clones (V1–V12). Cloves of garlic were vernalized in cold storage according to the treatments and then planted in the field. The results revealed that a temperature of 5°C and duration of 20 days of vernalization independently single factor increased the number of bulbils of V3. Bulbil variables of V4 and V7 were enhanced with vernalization at 0°C for 20 days, although it did not significantly differ from the control. Therefore, these clones do not need particular vernalization treatment in order to produce bulbils.

Indonesia is one of the most important centers for biodiversity in the world with the highest level of endemism. Meanwhile, tourism is one of the important and strategic economic sectors in the future. It is hoped that the development of the tourism industry will also be able to support efforts to conserve nature, biological wealth, and national cultural wealth. The identification and development planning of the tourism industry needs to be done in more detail and carefully. In this article, the identification and prediction model of support from the local government and the community in developing agro-tourism was proposed. The prediction model was built using the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) method. Data were taken from 56 community members as respondents around the agro-tourism area. The results of modeling using the ANFIS method showed satisfactory results with an accuracy of 98.89%. The support of the local government and the surrounding community for the development of community-based agro-tourism is still considered not optimal. There needs to be a synergy between the two with various recommendations for more realistic development support.

To increase the competitiveness of chocolate and cocoa drink on the market, innovation of the products is substantially required. Incorporation of additional ingredients, i.e., ginger and cinnamon, as well giving information intervention on their health effect may increase the consumer acceptance as well as advance the consumer perception on the products. This study, therefore, aims to determine the effect of additional ingredient and intervention on health-related information on the hedonic level, emo-sensory response and collative perception of panelists on milk chocolate and cocoa drinks, which were enriched with additional ingredients, i.e., ginger, cinnamon and stabilizers. This study used descriptive quantitative method in which the data were obtained from 40 panelists. Correspondence analysis was used to see the emo-sensory profile and panelist perceptions that were emerged from each sample. The results show that the addition of spices to chocolate and cocoa drinks resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the hedonic level. However, the use of stabilizer significantly improved the hedonic level of cocoa drink. The hedonic responses, emotions and collative perceptions of the panelists were influenced by the product information, particularly on the products with the addition of spices.