Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment最新文献

{"title":"Significant opportunities for tree crop expansion on marginal lands in the Midwest, USA","authors":"Bhuwan Thapa,&nbsp;Sarah Lovell,&nbsp;Ronald Revord,&nbsp;Phillip Owens,&nbsp;Michael Gold,&nbsp;Nicholas Meier","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12080","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12080","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Tree crop orchards can help diversify the monocropping practices in agricultural lands such as the Midwestern region of the United States which is currently dominated by corn-soybean rotation. These crops can not only expand farm income but also help stabilize soil, purify water, and provide other ecosystem services. Despite these benefits, tree crops as agroforestry systems are not widely established in the region. Identifying marginal land that is more suitable for tree crops over row crops can help the growers and the environment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Using the case of Missouri, USA, this study mapped marginal land for nut-producing tree crops using a three-step process. The first step includes the identification of marginal land suitable for a wide variety of tree crops. The second step involved GIS-based multicriteria analysis of biophysically suitable areas for three commercially viable tree species, that is, eastern black walnut, pecan, and Chinese chestnut. The final step maps the marginal land for tree crops based on their suitability to grow under different environmental vulnerabilities, mainly flooding, erosion, and sloped conditions. The Gridded Soil Survey Geographic Database developed by the United States Department of Agriculture provided information on soil biophysical and environmental characteristics.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The spatial analysis showed that Missouri has around 16,000 sq. km of land suitable for Black walnut, followed by 10,801 sq. km and 4587 sq. km for pecan and Chinese chestnut, respectively. The study found very few tree crop orchards on these marginal lands.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There are ample opportunities to expand tree crops on marginal cropland. Converting these lands to tree crops could provide communities with economic, human health, and environmental benefits. This multistep methodology could serve as a screening tool to identify tree-cropping areas for environmental improvement and rural America's economic revitalization.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"412-423"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136351545","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":"Forest restoration decouple soil C:N:P stoichiometry but has little effects on microbial biodiversity globally","authors":"Ximei Han,&nbsp;Kaiyan Zhai,&nbsp;Shengen Liu,&nbsp;Hongyang Chen,&nbsp;Yanghui He,&nbsp;Zhenggang Du,&nbsp;Ruiqiang Liu,&nbsp;Dingqin Liu,&nbsp;Lingyan Zhou,&nbsp;Xuhui Zhou,&nbsp;Guiyao Zhou","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12084","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12084","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Forest restoration is an effective way to promote ecosystem functions and mitigate climate change. However, how forest restoration affect soil C:N:P stoichiometry and microbial biodiversity, as well as their linkage across contrasting forest types globally remains largely illusive.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Here we conducted a global meta-analysis by synthesizing 121 published papers with 1649 observations to explore how forest restoration affect soil C:N:P stoichiometry and microbial biodiversity globally.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Forest restoration significantly increased soil total carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content, whereas having no significant impact on most microbial diversity indicator, except for an enhancement in bacterial operational taxonomic unit and fungal Simpson. Meanwhile, forest restoration effects on soil C:N:P stoichiometry varied with different forest types, with promoting more soil C and P in ectomycorrhizal than those in arbuscular mycorrhizal forests. Meanwhile, forest restoration induced changes in soil N and P were positively correlated with microbial Shannon index. More importantly, forest restoration effects on soil C:N:P stoichiometry and microbial biodiversity were regulated by climate factors such as mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our results highlight the crucial role of forest restoration in decoupling the biogeochemical cycles of C, N and P through changes in microbial biodiversity. Therefore, incorporating the decouple effects of forest restoration on soil C:N:P stoichiometry into Earth system models may improve predictions of climate–forest feedbacks in the Anthropocene.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"468-478"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12084","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135186595","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":"Evidence of distinct response of soil viral community to a plant infection and the disease pathobiome","authors":"Zhen-Zhen Yan,&nbsp;Juntao Wang,&nbsp;Jinsong Liang,&nbsp;Bruna D. Batista,&nbsp;Hongwei Liu,&nbsp;Chao Xiong,&nbsp;Simranjit Kaur,&nbsp;Catriona A. Macdonald,&nbsp;Brajesh K. Singh","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12079","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12079","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite the abundance and ubiquity of viruses in terrestrial ecosystems, the roles of soil viruses in ecosystem functions and plant diseases remain understudied. Here, we used 42 pairs of bulk soil and rhizosphere samples collected from cotton fields with different <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> infection conditions to investigate the responses of soil viruses to soilborne fungal pathogen infections. We found that <i>V. dahliae</i> infection significantly impacted the characteristics of rhizosphere viral community but not bulk soil community. In addition, our results revealed that unlike current knowledge of the impacts of plant pathogens on soil bacterial and fungal communities, the soil viral community demonstrated a lower viral network vulnerability to infection. Importantly, we provided evidence that soil viruses are a potentially important component of the pathobiome of plant disease which may help pathogen invasion and promote disease symptoms. Our study highlights distinct response of viral community and has implications for future plant disease management and agricultural productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"382-387"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12079","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135242776","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":"Exploring the connectivity between rhizosphere microbiomes and the plant genes: A way forward for sustainable increase in primary productivity","authors":"Ayomide E. Fadiji,&nbsp;Rutwik Barmukh,&nbsp;Rajeev K. Varshney,&nbsp;Brajesh K. Singh","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12081","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The plant genome and its microbiome act together to enhance survival and promote host growth under various stresses. Plant microbiome plays an important role in plant productivity via a multitude of mechanisms including provision of nutrients and resistance against different biotic and abiotic factors. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for plant microbiome interactions remain largely unknown. Nevertheless, gaining a deeper understanding of the plant genetic traits driving microbiome recruitments and assembly holds the potential to greatly enhance our capacity to utilize the microbiome effectively, leading to sustainable improvements in agricultural productivity and produce quality. This article explores the mutual influence of specific plant genes in modulating the rhizosphere (area around plant roots) microbiome, and how this rhizosphere microbiome impacts the plant genes, ultimately enhancing plant health and productivity. It further examines the effects of various rhizosphere microbiota, including <i>Bacillus</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Azospirillum</i>, <i>Trichoderma</i> spp., on plant development, immunology and the expression of host functional genes. We conclude that the adoption of a hologenomics approach (i.e., considering both the plant genome and the genomes of all microorganisms colonizing the plant) can significantly advance our understanding of plant resistance and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. This approach can offer improved solutions for agronomic challenges in the future. Furthermore, within this context, we identify key knowledge gaps within the discipline and propose frameworks that may be employed in the future to harness plant–microbial interactions effectively, leading to a sustainable increase in farm productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"424-443"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135725795","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":"Molecular insights into the salt stress response of Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum): Pathways, differentially expressed genes and transcription factors","authors":"Faten Dhawi","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12083","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12083","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pearl millet (<i>Pennisetum glaucum</i>) plays a crucial role as a cereal crop in arid and semi-arid regions, where it confronts the formidable challenge of salt stress.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms that underpin its salt stress resilience, we subjected 14-day-old seedlings to three distinct groups: Control, 75 mM NaCl and 150 mM NaCl. These pots received daily irrigation with their respective treatment solutions for a duration of 7 days. Following this week-long treatment, we measured plant chlorophyll content, as well as the fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots. It became evident that the saline treatment, particularly in the 150 mM NaCl group, had a more pronounced impact on both weight and chlorophyll content in comparison to the control group, surpassing the effects observed in the 75 mM NaCl group. Subsequently, we conducted RNA sequence analysis on the leaves of Pearl millet from both the control and 150 mM NaCl-treated groups.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The results revealed that 27.6% of <i>Pennisetum glaucum</i> genes exhibited differential expression, with 3246 genes being upregulated and 7408 genes downregulated when compared to the control group. Principal component analysis underscored distinct variations in gene expression patterns between the control and salt-stressed groups. Pathway analysis sheds light on the upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), highlighting their involvement in crucial pathways such as phytyl-PP biosynthesis, lysine degradation, glutamate biosynthesis, nitrate assimilation and DLO biosynthesis. Conversely, the downregulated DEGs were associated with pathways like coumarins biosynthesis, pinobanksin biosynthesis, UDP-\u0000<span>d</span>-glucuronate biosynthesis and cholesterol biosynthesis, among others. Furthermore, our transcription factor analysis unveiled specific families associated with the salt stress response, including bHLH, ERF, NAC, WRKY, bZIP, MYB and HD-ZIP.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These findings represent a significant advancement in our comprehension of Pearl millet's capacity to withstand salt stress and provide potential targets for the development of salt-resistant crops, contributing to the advancement of sustainable agriculture in regions affected by salinity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"444-455"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12083","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135821688","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":"Evaluation of 16S rRNA gene primer pairs for bacterial community profiling in an across soil and ryegrass plant study","authors":"Shengjing Shi,&nbsp;Sandeep Kumar,&nbsp;Sandra Young,&nbsp;Paul Maclean,&nbsp;Ruy Jauregui","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12075","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12075","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>As microbes play important roles in many hosts and niches, linking microbiota across niches is becoming an important area of research. Studying microbiota across multiple niches would allow understanding of ecosystem-level interactions and potential points of better manipulation for agriculture gains. However, a suitable methodology to characterize microbiota from vast different niches is currently lacking. We used the plant shoot and soil as two important niches for this case study.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Considering the important linkage plant play in connecting above- and below-ground ecosystems and challenges of working with plant microbiota, we first compared three commonly used 16S ribosomal RNA gene primer pairs targeting V3–V4 or V5–V7 regions coupled with Illumina sequencing for bacterial communities associated with ryegrass shoot. Then the selected primer was used to amplify bacterial communities in soil and rhizosphere samples for comparison with the commonly used 338F/806R. Finally, core operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across soil and plant niches were identified.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Primer pair 799F/1193R amplified the lowest number of plant organelle sequences (&lt;0.2% of total sequences) and consistently showed the highest α-diversity compared with 338F/806R and 335F/769R. For soil and rhizosphere samples, 799F/1193R also demonstrated significantly higher α-diversity indices compared with 338F/806R. The bacterial phyla commonly detected by both primer pairs comprised &gt;97% of the total relative abundance in soil and rhizosphere samples. In addition, the differences in bacterial communities of the soil and rhizosphere samples were more evident when using 799F/1193R than 338F/806R. Using the 799F/1193R data set, 50 core bacterial OTUs were identified across soil, rhizosphere and shoot niches, whereas only 38 core OTUs were identified when using 338F/806R. Most of these core OTUs were dominant in either shoot or soil niche.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Primer pair 799F/1193R is suitable for bacterial community studies targeting ryegrass plant and soil microbiota, in particular for cross-niches studies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"500-512"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12075","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136234401","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":"Plant species and soil depth differentially affect microbial diversity and function in grasslands","authors":"Kerry B. Ryan,&nbsp;Alexandre De Menezes,&nbsp;John A. Finn,&nbsp;Fiona P. Brennan","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12077","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12077","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Grassland ecosystems are a major store of terrestrial carbon (C), yet little is known about their capacity to cycle and store C in deeper soil horizons. Further, it is unclear how plant community composition within agricultural grasslands mediates this capacity and influences microbial community composition. We investigated whether the aboveground community composition in intensively managed agricultural grasslands influenced belowground microbial community composition, abundance, respiration and enzyme activities with depth.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Soil was sampled in four soil layers: A (0–15 cm), B (15–30 cm), C (30–60 cm) and D (60–90 cm) in monocultures of six grassland species and a mixture of all six. Functional capacity was measured through enzymatic and substrate-induced respiration assays, and microbial abundance and diversity were assessed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction and sequencing (16S, Internal transcribed spacer), respectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Microbial abundance and C cycling enzyme activity decreased and community composition changed, along the soil depth gradient, regardless of the plant community. Microbial abundance was not significantly influenced by plant community type across the entire soil depth profile. However, prokaryotic community composition was significantly influenced by plant community in the top 15 cm of soil, and fungal community composition was significantly influenced between 15 and 30 cm in depth. Plant community types mediated the rate at which C cycling enzyme activity decreased along the soil depth gradient, and selected C cycling enzymes were significantly more active at 15–60 cm depth when <i>Cichorium intybus</i> (a deep rooting species) was present.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study provides an improved understanding of how agricultural grassland communities affect the soil microbiome with depth; this has potential implications for the management of these systems for enhanced soil health. Our work indicates the potential for multispecies mixtures with deep rooting species to be a practical strategy to increase C cycling capacity in deeper soil layers within grasslands, which may have implications for policy goals related to C storage.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"397-411"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135617593","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":"Cool semi-arid cropping treatments alter Avena fatua's performance and competitive intensity","authors":"Christian D. Larson,&nbsp;Mei Ling Wong,&nbsp;Patrick M. Carr,&nbsp;Timothy Seipel","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12078","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12078","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Multiple herbicide-resistant <i>Avena fatua</i> L. is common in the Northern Great Plains, USA. This prevalence and the ecological impacts of tillage in this semi-arid agricultural region have created a need for integrated weed management, with a specific knowledge gap in using annual forage crops and targeted grazing for <i>A. fatua</i> suppression.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A 2-year study in central Montana, USA, assessed <i>A. fatua</i> performance (aboveground biomass, stem density and seed production) in response to seven cropping treatments: (1–4) tall and short spring wheat cultivars crossed with high and low seeding rates, (5–6) annual forage mixture terminated using sheep grazing and simulated haying and (7) tilled fallow. <i>Avena fatua</i>'s competitive intensity in wheat and the annual forage mixture was determined using a relative competition intensity index.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Avena fatua</i> performance was lowest in tilled fallow, although stem density and seed production did not differ from the grazed annual forage treatment. Response variables were lower in the forage treatments compared with the wheat treatments, and there were no differences among the four fully crossed wheat treatments. Separate analysis of the wheat treatments indicated lower <i>A. fatua</i> biomass and stem density when wheat was sown at a higher rate with no impact of wheat height. <i>Avena fatua</i> competition impacted wheat and forage crops but was more intense for wheat.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Tillage was the most effective treatment at reducing <i>A. fatua</i> performance, but annual forage mixtures can be used to resist <i>A. fatua</i> invasion (reduced <i>A. fatua</i> competitive intensity) and limit its performance after invasion. We conclude that crop sequences that combine higher cash crop (wheat) seeding rates and competitive annual forage mixtures may be utilized to manage <i>A. fatua</i> invaded systems, thereby reducing heavy reliance on tillage in the US Northern Great Plains and similar semi-arid regions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12078","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135617577","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":"Integrating grafting and companion planting to improve crop performance in intensive high-tunnel tomato production","authors":"Wadih Ghanem,&nbsp;Ian Kaplan","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12074","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12074","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Tomatoes are among the most popular horticultural crops cultivated in high tunnels. Due to space limitations in these enclosed environments, some tomatoes are produced in succession (i.e., without rotation) across years, which could lead to yield reductions over time. However, the impact of tomato monocultures on productivity in high tunnels and strategies to buffer against yield declines need further testing.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We used a 4-year field experiment whereby heirloom tomatoes (cv. Cherokee Purple and Black Krim) were grown in the same high tunnel soil over time. We tested the impact of both tomato grafting and companion planting on aboveground vegetative biomass and fruit yield. For the grafting treatment, we used the commercially available Maxifort and wild tomato, <i>Solanum pimpinellifolium</i>, as rootstocks. For companion planting, we seeded open alleys with clover and spatially shifted crop beds each year such that tomatoes were transplanted into the previous year's clover planting.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our data indicate that the companion (clover) treatment had little to no impact on tomato production, while grafting to Maxifort rootstock had a significant positive effect on biomass and yield. However, beneficial effects of grafting were only observed over time, in years three (+71% inc. in biomass) and four (+77% inc. in biomass, +38% inc. in yield) of the experiment; not during the initial 2 years. Leaf (SPAD) and fruit (Brix) metrics were unaffected by any of the treatments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Overall, our results suggest that grafting tomatoes with commercially available rootstock is an effective tool for maintaining production in high tunnel monocultures over time.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"2 4","pages":"388-396"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136014418","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":"Keystone predatory protists are associated closely with ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in an acidic Ultisol","authors":"Yongxin Lin,&nbsp;Guiping Ye,&nbsp;Hang-Wei Hu,&nbsp;Weixin Ding,&nbsp;Jianbo Fan,&nbsp;Zi-Yang He,&nbsp;Ji-Zheng He","doi":"10.1002/sae2.12076","DOIUrl":"10.1002/sae2.12076","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Predatory protists are widely recognized as critical biotic forces driving soil microbial communities, but their top-down controls on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs), the major players in nitrification, are largely unresolved. Here, we investigated the communities of predatory protists and their associations with AOMs using high-throughput sequencing and network analysis in soil aggregates following various long-term organic substitutions. We found that organic substitutions increased while soil aggregation decreased the alpha diversity of predatory protists. Predatory protistan communities were significantly associated with AOMs. Variosea, an important group of Amoebozoa, were the keystone predatory protists associated with the AOMs. Collectively, our findings highlight the importance of predatory protists, especially Variosea, in regulating the communities of AOMs in an acidic Ultsisol, with implications for managing nitrification by predatory protists in agricultural soils.</p>","PeriodicalId":100834,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/sae2.12076","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136213291","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}