Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment最新文献

{"title":"Wheat Production Across East Africa: Trend, Instability, and Decomposition Analysis Using Time Series Approach","authors":"Habtamu Mossie Andualem,&nbsp;Mesfin Bekele Gebbisa,&nbsp;Zsuzsanna Bacsi","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Measuring agricultural growth and variability is key to tracking output changes. East African wheat production is below its potential, with limited data and analysis over time. As a result, this study examines the growth patterns, variability, and instability of wheat production in East Africa, specifically in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, between 1993 and 2023. To analyse and estimate wheat production trends, instability with regional disparity, and decomposition across East Africa's top wheat-producing countries, a 30-year data series with different secondary data, mostly the FAOSTAT database, was divided into three sub-periods: Period I (1993/94-2002/03), Period II (2003/04-2012/13) and Period III (2013/14-2022/23), even though compound growth rates, a semi-logarithmic trend model, a differential equation approach for decomposition analysis, and the Cuddy-Della Valle Index were utilised. Wheat production and productivity in Eastern Africa exhibited a general upward trend, primarily attributed to land expansion rather than breakthroughs in yield. Ethiopia became the leading producer, whereas Uganda has shown consistent and significant growth. Conversely, Kenya and Tanzania experienced decreasing trends in productivity within cultivated areas. Instability analysis indicates that Uganda exhibited the highest stability in production at 7.32%, whereas Rwanda and Tanzania taught greater volatility, with rates of 46.74% and 32.15%, respectively. The decomposition analysis reveals that the increase in farming areas contributed to 73.1% of the recent production growth. East African countries must prioritise productivity-enhancing wheat production by implementing modern farming technologies, employing improved varieties, increasing irrigation, and encouraging climate-resilient practices to ensure sustainability and improve regional food security, regional trade connectivity and for further encroachment of East Africa community.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70073","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Culturomics Reveals Microbial Dynamics in the Apple Carposphere Across Developmental Stages, Altitude and Tissue Types","authors":"Ana María Sánchez,&nbsp;Jonàs Oliva,&nbsp;Cristina Solsona,&nbsp;Ahmed Abdelfattah,&nbsp;Neus Teixidó","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The apple carposphere harbours a diverse community of microorganisms that could play a crucial role in fruit health and postharvest preservation. While culture-independent techniques have advanced our understanding of the apple microbiome, a substantial portion of this community remains unexplored due to cultivation limitations. In this study, a culturomics approach was adopted using culture media enriched with apple-derived nutrients to recover and characterise the epiphytic and endophytic bacterial and fungal communities of apple fruits. Aiming to analyse the effects of the altitude and developmental stage of the fruit on these microbial communities. To do this, the impact of altitude (Pyrenees mountain vs. Ebro valley), fruit developmental stage (30 days before harvest vs. harvest) and tissue type (epiphytes vs. endophytes) was assessed on microbial diversity and composition across four orchards in Catalonia, Spain. Using 13 distinct culture media, 50% more microbial genera were recovered than conventional laboratory media, yielding over 919 isolates, consisting of 489 bacteria, 222 filamentous fungi and 208 yeasts. The results showed that altitude, developmental stage and type of culture media influenced microbial diversity and composition. Richness of endophytic fungi was more influenced by altitude and developmental stage than epiphytic fungal and bacterial communities. On the other hand, bacterial community composition was strongly influenced by the type of culture medium used. Functional characterisation of isolates revealed potential biocontrol agents and plant pathogens, with some genera displaying altitude-specific distributions. Our findings demonstrate that culturomics provides an essential tool to unlock the hidden diversity of fruit-associated microbiomes, paving the way for future applications in sustainable agriculture and postharvest disease management.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144315354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Organic Mulching in Regenerative Agriculture Enhances Saprotrophs and Concomitantly Reduces Pathogenic Fungal Genera","authors":"Pratyusha Naresh,&nbsp;Indira Singh","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70066","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Regenerative agriculture (RA) uses nature-friendly farm practices to nurture soil microbial communities. This study compared the fungal communities in RA plots with those in conventional agriculture (CA) and barren land (BL) plots (comprising completely barren- BL and with Eucalyptus - BL-Euc). Two crops - finger millets and vegetables (tomato/beans) were considered here. The RA farms identified for this study used diverse organic mulch applications such as farm manure, cow dung, cover-crop mulch, green-mulch, vermicompost, and so forth, for soil management. Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) amplicon sequencing analysis of soil DNA samples obtained from RA, CA and BL plots was done to identify fungal composition in each of the study plots. The fungal communities in RA finger millet and RA vegetable were compared with respective CA finger millet and CA vegetable and with BL plots. The fungal community in finger millet and vegetable RA plots showed high levels of diversity as well as species evenness. The RA plots in both crops showed a significant reduction in plant pathogenic fungal genera - <i>Bipolaris</i> and <i>Pyrenochaetopsis</i>. Furthermore, the RA finger millet plots contained specific Plant Growth Promoting Fungi (PGPF) – <i>Rhizophlyctis</i> and <i>Agrocybe</i> (saprotroph) and <i>Acrocalymma</i> (biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and plant growth and yield inducer), which were absent in finger millet CA and BL plots. Similarly, in RA vegetable plots, we found PGPFs including <i>Mortierella</i> (a biocontrol agent and plant nutrient solubilizer), <i>Phoma</i> (bioherbicide and plant growth promoter), and <i>Pseudorobillarda</i> and <i>Torula</i> (saprotroph), which were absent in the vegetable CA plots and BL plots. Results indicate that regenerative agriculture involving the use of organic mulch as soil amendment enriches beneficial fungi in soil, including saprotrophs, which in turn subdue the pathogenic fungal genera for healthier crop outcomes. The study points to the need for in-depth experimentation on individual organic mulches, through years of application and the associated development of microbial communities to identify best practices for agricultural sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70066","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144264503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversifying Grapevines With Aromatic Plants Changes the Soil Habitat, Microbial Community Composition and Functions Toward More Efficient Substrate Use and Nutrient Allocation","authors":"Felix Dittrich,&nbsp;Loredana Canfora,&nbsp;Luigi Orrù,&nbsp;Bei Liu,&nbsp;Christoph C. Tebbe,&nbsp;Sören Thiele-Bruhn","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70071","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In vineyards facing soil degradation and biodiversity loss, crop diversification may improve sustainability, but its effects on the soil microbiome remain unclear. In a 3-year field study, we examined how diversifying the plant row under grapevine with aromatic plants affected topsoil properties (0–10 cm) in an organically farmed, steep-sloped vineyard. Specifically, we investigated the effects of diversification with oregano and thyme on microbial biomass, respiration, prokaryotic and fungal community compositions, enzyme activities, potential nitrification, and abiotic soil properties, including total and particulate organic carbon (TOC, POC), nutrient status, pH, and soil moisture. Grapevines alone with mechanical tillage served as control. The aromatic plants competed with grapevines by lowering soil nutrient contents and moisture. Aromatic plant litter had a small, mostly non-significant but consistent effect on POC contents, and POC stocks determined in the final year showed a slight increasing trend in the order control (10.9 ± 2.8 t POC ha⁻¹) &lt; thyme (12.6 ± 3.1) &lt; oregano (13.1 ± 4.1). Surprisingly, these changes coincided with a significant decrease in microbial biomass compared to control, indicating aromatic plant-microbe competition. Concomitant decreases in respiration and the activity of C-cycling enzymes but also the metabolic quotient, suggest lower carbon mineralisation but more efficient microbial carbon use. Multivariate statistics revealed that the prokaryotic community was primarily structured by abiotic soil properties, such as organic matter, nutrient and water availability. In contrast, the fungal community exhibited a stronger plant-specific response, with changes in composition likely driven by root-associated interactions, suggesting a more direct biotic influence. Especially, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and potential nitrification were promoted under both aromatic plants, which may benefit grapevine growth. Overall, we show that diversifying perennial agroecosystems such as vineyards with aromatic plants increases soil habitat heterogeneity with benefits for microbial diversity, carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling, demonstrating its positive impact on soil biodiversity and functioning.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70071","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144140831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing Heat Stress Impacts on Cotton Yield and Revenue: A Multilevel Regression Approach in the Southern U.S.","authors":"Oduniyi Oluwaseun Samuel,&nbsp;McCallister Donna,&nbsp;Gao Long,&nbsp;Bastos Leonardo,&nbsp;Jagadish S. V. Krishna","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate change-induced heat stress significantly threatens cotton production in the Southern United States, reducing yields and farm revenue. This study quantifies the impact of rising temperatures using a multilevel regression model applied to historical climate and yield data (1980–2018) from key cotton-growing regions. The analysis examines how maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, and growing degree days influence yield at different growth stages. Results show that a 1°C increase in maximum temperature during the flowering stage (TmaxGS2) reduces cotton yield by 5.5%, leading to revenue losses of up to $219 per acre. Conversely, higher precipitation during critical growth periods increases yield by 183 lb/acre, partially offsetting heat stress effects. Given these findings, adaptation strategies are essential. We recommend the development of heat-tolerant cotton varieties, improved irrigation management, and expanded financial support programmes, including climate-based crop insurance. Additionally, optimising planting schedules and adopting precision agriculture can help mitigate yield losses. These measures will strengthen the resilience of cotton farming against escalating climate risks, ensuring long-term sustainability. This study provides valuable insights for farmers, policymakers, and researchers working to safeguard cotton production in a changing climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70070","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144126075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochar Suppresses Growth, Pupation and Eclosion Success of a Specialist (Manduca sexta) and a Generalist (Spodoptera frugiperda) Insect Herbivore","authors":"Nischal Wagle,&nbsp;Soumya Unnikrishnan,&nbsp;Satinderpal Kaur,&nbsp;Engil Pereira,&nbsp;Rupesh Kariyat","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made by the pyrolysis of organic material from agricultural and forestry waste. While biochar is well documented for altering soil physicochemical conditions, few studies have investigated its possible effects on the management of arthropod pests. Tobacco hornworm (<i>Manduca sexta</i>) and fall armyworm (<i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i>, FAW) are specialist and generalist insect herbivores respectively, that can cause significant defoliation in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In this study, we examined whether walnut shell biochar can affect growth and development of these herbivores. Specifically, we investigated how biochar influences parameters such as mass gain, length of pupation, pupal mass, pupal volume, deformity, duration of eclosion, wingspan, body length, thorax mass and survival. Laboratory experiments were conducted by allowing caterpillars to feed on a modified artificial diet and pupate in a pupation medium mixed with biochar. This was followed by allowing the insects to complete pupation and eclose. We found that in the generalist pest FAW, caterpillars feeding on biochar treated diet gained significantly lower mass and had lower pupal volume compared to their conspecifics feeding on normal control diet. Our results also show that biochar treatment on <i>M. sexta</i> pupae led to a reduction in pupal mass, and increased pupal deformity compared to the control, and these negative effects cascaded to significant reduction in adult mass. We also found that adult wingspan, body length, and survival were significantly lower in the biochar treatment when compared to the control for both species. In addition, the biochar treatments also prolonged the time to eclosion of adult moths and decreased their overall survivability. Based on these findings, we conclude that biochar negatively impacts the growth, pupation and eclosion of lepidopteran herbivores, indicating its potential use in sustainable pest management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70069","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143939548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decomposition of Litter and Root Residues From Perennial Intermediate Wheatgrass Governed by the Soil Microbiome and Different Earthworm Species","authors":"Alena Förster,&nbsp;Kristina Michl,&nbsp;Gabriele Berg,&nbsp;Tomislav Cernava,&nbsp;Christoph Emmerling","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70068","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Perennial intermediate wheatgrass (IWG, Kernza®) establishes an extensive root system which positively impacts nutrient retention and biodiversity and therefore offers a regenerative alternative to current annual wheat production. However, the effect of its components on the soil ecosystem, for example, on the macrofauna and microbiota, is not yet understood.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Litter and root samples of IWG and annual wheat were sampled and used in an experimental design consisting of two pot experiments under controlled conditions to investigate the effect of earthworms and microorganisms on litter and root decomposition differing in starch and element composition. From the experiment, two lifeforms of earthworms (anecic, endogeic) and the soil microbiome were analysed.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Both litter and root samples had higher lignin and starch content for IWG as compared to annual wheat. A possible greater nutrient retention for IWG was also indicated by higher nitrogen and carbon contents in both the litter and the root samples. Accordingly, the C/N ratio was lower than for annual wheat, which resulted in a faster decomposition rate and a significantly lower ratio of fungi to bacteria. Both cropping systems showed significant differences in the underlying soil bacterial community composition. Most notably, the IWG root substrate led to a higher diversity in the underlying soil in comparison to the annual wheat substrate.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The beneficial substrate composition of IWG supports macrofauna and microbial uptake and decomposition. The rhizosphere harbours a higher microbial diversity and an increased nutrient retention in comparison to annual wheat, recommending IWG for a sustainable and regenerative agriculture.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70068","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Manure-Based Fertilisers on Nitrogen Mineralisation and Greenhouse Gases Emissions After Soil Application","authors":"Joana Prado,&nbsp;Erik Meers,&nbsp;Henrique Ribeiro,&nbsp;Paula Alvarenga,&nbsp;David Fangueiro","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70062","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The continuous increase of costs with mineral fertilisers made farmers search for alternatives, while livestock producers face strong challenges to, sustainably, manage large amount of manure. It is, therefore, important to provide strategies that could enhance the use of manures in agriculture, recycling nutrients and organic matter. This study aimed to evaluate the use of manure-based fertilisers (MBFs), with tailored N:P₂O₅ ratios, to values commonly used by farmers: 1:1, 2:1 and 0.5:1. These MBFs were applied to a sandy soil and the resulting nitrogen mineralisation, nitrification rates and greenhouse gases emission were measured. Raw manures (cattle slurry [CaS], pig slurry [PiS] and poultry manure [PoM]) were used directly to obtain the 1:1 N:P₂O₅ ratio. For the 2:1 ratio, two MBFs were produced with each raw manure, plus the addition of urea or ammonium sulphate to provide additional N. To prepare the P richer fertiliser with a 0.5:1 ratio, the pig slurry solid fraction was used on its own, while the CaS and PoM were blended with superphosphate (SP) or with phosphoric acid, to provide additional P. In the 1:1 ratio, both slurries had higher mineralisation rates (~35% of the organic N applied) and lower environmental impact, compared with PoM. Blending PoM with urea, for the 2:1 ratio, improved the N mineralisation rate, while decreasing the N₂O and CO₂ emissions to almost half the value observed with the raw PoM, enhancing its fertiliser value. The addition of SP to PoM decreased the N₂O emissions and presented a similar nitrification rate as the raw material. The results demonstrate that it is possible to produce MBFs with these specific N:P₂O₅ ratios, with potential agronomical and environmental benefits, compared with the raw material.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70062","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alley Cropping Can Potentially Alter the Nitrogen and Carbon Soil Cycles and Increase the Abundance of Beneficial Bacteria in a Mediterranean Citrus Orchard","authors":"Margarita Ros,&nbsp;Jessica Cuartero,&nbsp;Onurcan Özbolat,&nbsp;Virginia Sánchez-Navarro,&nbsp;Marcos Egea-Cortines,&nbsp;Maria Almagro,&nbsp;María Hurtado-Navarro,&nbsp;Maria Martinez-Mena,&nbsp;Jose Antonio Pascual,&nbsp;Raúl Zornoza","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Monocrop of mandarin leading to reduced soil biodiversity and functionality that must be changed to a sustainable agriculture practice such as alley cropping. In this study an attempt has been made to assess how two different alley cropping strategies promote soil bacterial diversity, microbial activities and the abundance of beneficial bacteria. Three treatments were established: (i) mandarin monoculture (MC); (ii) mandarin diversified with barley/vetch (summer) and with fava bean (winter) for 3 consecutive years (DIV1); and (iii) mandarin diversified with fava bean, purslane and cowpea (DIV2). Results reveal that alley cropping did not significantly affect alfa-diversity indices, but beta-diversity showed significant differences among the three treatments, indicating changes in the bacterial community. Specific genera such as <i>Haliangium, Microbacterium, Pseudonocardia, Solirubrobacter</i> and <i>Sphingomonas</i>, known as plant growth-promoting bacteria, showed higher relative abundances in DIV1 and DIV2 than MC. The genus <i>Novosphingobium</i> showed a higher relative abundance in DIV2, while <i>MND1</i> showed a higher relative abundance in DIV1. Regarding potential gene abundances related to C and N cycling at the end of the experiment, only <i>manB</i> (hemicellulose degradation) showed a higher abundance in DIV2 than MC, while <i>nifH</i> (N fixation), <i>amoA</i>, and <i>hao</i> (nitrification) showed higher values in DIV1 and DIV2. Enzyme activities showed lower values in diversified treatments than in MC. Most significant changes were observed in the diversification of the alley with a sequence of different crops every year (DIV1), rather than repeating the same crops (DIV2). These alley cropping strategies (DIV1 and DIV2) seem an effective strategy to enhance the abundance of beneficial bacteria with increased potential activity related to N fixation and nitrification.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70063","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143925932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compost Teas Reduce Verticillium dahliae Growth In Vitro via Direct and Volatile Effects","authors":"Hatem M. Younes,&nbsp;Summer R. A. Lockhart,&nbsp;Lynne Carpenter-Boggs","doi":"10.1002/sae2.70067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Verticillium wilt of potatoes is caused by the fungus <i>Verticillium dahliae</i>, which leads to significant economic losses in potato production. The fungus is soil-borne and can remain for up to 14 years in the soil or previous crop residues as hard-to-suppress microsclerotia. Compost teas (CTs) have been shown to suppress a variety of pathogenic fungi in food crops and are a sustainable option for pathogen suppression and crop nutrient provision. CTs are prepared by extracting compost in water and allowing it to brew for a period of time. In this study, we used a factorial experiment of two composts with four combinations of additives and aeration time to prepare eight CTs. Each CT was used after 3, 6 and 10 days of brewing. We tested the direct and volatile effects of unsterilised and filter-sterilised CTs on the mycelial growth of <i>V. dahliae</i> in vitro. Unsterilised CTs inhibited <i>V. dahliae</i> growth by 90.1% via direct suppression and 71.7% via volatile suppression. Sterilised CTs inhibited <i>V. dahliae</i> growth by 79.3% via direct suppression and 26.6% via volatile suppression. CT efficacy was least at 3 days of brewing time and greatest at 6 days. Scanning electron microscopy revealed mycoparasitism by several fungal species on <i>V. dahliae</i>, indicating that mycoparasitism may be a source of CT efficacy as a biocontrol agent. This study demonstrates that, with further development, CTs have the potential to be a sustainable solution for suppressing verticillium wilt in potatoes.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.70067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143875682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}