AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081232
S. Spasibionek, F. Wielebski, A. Liersch, M. Walkowiak
{"title":"The Influence of Nitrogen and Sulfur Fertilization on Oil Quality and Seed Meal in Different Genotypes of Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.)","authors":"S. Spasibionek, F. Wielebski, A. Liersch, M. Walkowiak","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081232","url":null,"abstract":"Adequate nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) fertilization of oilseed rape crops is necessary to obtain good-quality oil and post-extraction rapeseed meal. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different doses of N fertilization (100, 160 and 220 kg ha−1) and S (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha−1) on the value of seeds of three winter oilseed rape genotypes. Two winter oilseed rape genotypes obtained by mutagenesis (cultivar Polka and breeding genotype PN440) were characterized by changed fatty acid profile. The cultivar Polka, type HO (high oleic), had a high content of oleic acid (C18:1, 78.0%) and the breeding genotype PN440, type HOLL (high-oleic and low-linolenic), had a high content of oleic acid (C18:1, 75.0%) and a low content of linolenic acid (C18:3, 3.0%). We also used the canola type of winter oilseed rape cultivar, Monolit. The analysed winter oilseed rape genotypes responded similarly to the N and S fertilization factors with regard to the content of crude fat and total protein in the seeds and the composition of fatty acids in the oil. N fertilization increased the content of glucosinolates (GLS-alkenyl, indole and total) in seeds, whereas S application decreased the content of saturated fatty acids (stearic acid-C18:0) in oil and increased the content of alkenyl and total glucosinolates (GLSs) in seeds. A significant interaction between N and S was observed for crude-fat and total-protein content. This study suggests that ensuring an adequate supply of both nitrogen and sulfur in the soil is essential for optimizing meal and oil quality in different types of winter oilseed rape cultivars. Proper management of these nutrients can lead to improved oil content and overall crop performance.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"33 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141800781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081236
Kamonrat Suwanchaisri, J. Roddee, Jureemart Wangkeeree
{"title":"Wolbachia Transinfection and Effect on the Biological Traits of Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura), the Leafhopper Vector of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease","authors":"Kamonrat Suwanchaisri, J. Roddee, Jureemart Wangkeeree","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081236","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081236","url":null,"abstract":"The bacterial genus Wolbachia induces reproductive abnormalities in its insect host, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which causes embryonic death in the crossing of infected males and uninfected females. Hence, Wolbachia-based strategies are employed to control insect pests. However, Wolbachia does not naturally infect Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura), the main vector of the phytoplasma causing the sugarcane white leaf (SCWL) disease. In this study, the wYfla Wolbachia strain, which induces strong CI in its original host, was microinjected into nymphs of M. hiroglyphicus. Molecular detection revealed that Wolbachia was successfully transinfected into the recipient host, with an infection frequency of 55–80% in up to eight generations after transinfection. Wolbachia exhibited no significant detrimental effects on the developmental time of the immature stages, adult emergences, and female longevity, whereas the lifespan of transinfected males was decreased. Reciprocal crossing revealed that Wolbachia infection did not affect the number of eggs laid per female. However, the hatching rate produced by the pairs between the transinfected males and naturally uninfected females significantly decreased. The evidence of Wolbachia transmitted through the generations tested and partial CI occurrence in transinfected M. hiroglyphicus highlights the possibility of the future development of Wolbachia-based strategies for controlling the vector of SCWL.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving Sowing Uniformity of a Maize High-Speed Precision Seeder by Incorporating Energy Dissipator","authors":"Rui Liu, Guangwei Wu, Jianjun Dong, Bingxin Yan, Zhijun Meng","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081237","url":null,"abstract":"To enhance the sowing uniformity of the vacuum seeder in the high-speed working state, a flexible energy-dissipation receiving device was designed. We analyzed the angle and velocity of seed ejection from the seed-metering device. Additionally, we explored the rheological properties of four different sodium alginate (SA) solutions. Combined with high-speed camera technology, the movement characteristics of four kinds of energy dissipators were revealed, and it was determined that the fabrication material of the energy dissipator is colloid with an SA percentage of 10%. The influence of the thickness of the energy dissipator body, impact velocity, and impact angle on the pre- and post-impact velocity difference and end-of-motion transverse displacement value was investigated. The quadratic regression equation between experimental factors and experimental indexes was established, and it was determined that the thickness of the energy dissipator was 7 mm. Field experiment results showed that the working speed was 12~16 km·h−1, the leakage rate was less than 6.83%, the multiple rates were less than 0.97%, the qualified rate was stable at more than 92.4%, and the qualified grain distance variation rate was stable at less than 16.57%. The designed energy-dissipation device is beneficial to improve the overall working performance of high-speed precision seeders. In the future, if the reliability and long-term performance of the energy-dissipation device are further improved, it will be able to meet the requirements for precision seeding under high-speed conditions.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"13 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141802006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081229
Ramin Rayee, L. Anh, T.D. Xuan
{"title":"Effects of Abscisic Acid on Rice Seed Dormancy: Antioxidant Response and Accumulations of Melatonin, Phenolics and Momilactones","authors":"Ramin Rayee, L. Anh, T.D. Xuan","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081229","url":null,"abstract":"Abscisic acid (ABA) is a well-known phytohormone that initiates seed dormancy. This is the first study elucidating the variability and relationship in the accumulation of phenolics, melatonin, and momilactones A (MA) and B (MB) during a rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Koshihikari, Akisakari, and Akiroman) seed dormancy process treated by ABA with concentrations of 0 (control), 10, 50, and 100 µM over 8 days. Accordingly, increased concentrations of ABA resulted in an extended dormancy period of rice seeds, along with reducing fresh weight while maintaining stable dry weight in all varieties. ABA treatment elevated total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents. Particularly, quantities of ferulic and cinnamic acids were enhanced, in line with the promoted antioxidant capacities of ABA-treated rice seeds. Momilactone contents were increased (3.8% to 32.6% for MA and 16.3% to 31.3% for MB) during the extension of rice seed dormancy regulated by ABA. Notably, the accumulation tendency of MA and MB under ABA effects was consistent with that of melatonin, a phytohormone associated with seed dormancy prolongation. The finding implies that MA and MB may play a role alongside melatonin in signaling the extended dormancy of rice seeds through the ABA pathway. Future research should delve into the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141799503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081230
Mareike Ließ, Ali Sakhaee
{"title":"Deep Learning with a Multi-Task Convolutional Neural Network to Generate a National-Scale 3D Soil Data Product: The Particle Size Distribution of the German Agricultural Soil Landscape","authors":"Mareike Ließ, Ali Sakhaee","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081230","url":null,"abstract":"Many soil functions and processes are controlled by the soil particle size distribution. Accordingly, nationwide geoinformation on this soil property is required to enable climate-smart and resilient land management. This study presents a new deep learning approach to simultaneously model the contents of the three particle sizes of sand, silt, and clay and their variations with depth throughout the landscape. The approach allows for the consideration of the natural soil horizon boundaries and the inclusion of the surrounding landscape context of each soil profile to investigate the soil–landscape relation. Applied to the agricultural soil landscape of Germany, the approach generated a three-dimensional continuous data product with a resolution of 100 m in geographic space and a depth resolution of 1 cm. The approach relies on a patch-wise multi-target convolutional neural network (CNN) model. Genetic algorithm optimization was applied for CNN parameter tuning. Overall, the effectiveness of the CNN algorithm in generating multidimensional, multivariate, national-scale soil data products was demonstrated. The predictive performance resulted in a median root mean square error of 17.8 mass-% for the sand, 14.4 mass-% for the silt, and 9.3 mass-% for the clay content in the top ten centimeters. This increased to 20.9, 16.5, and 11.8 mass-% at a 40 cm depth. The generated data product is the first of its kind. However, even though the potential of this deep learning approach to understand and model the complex soil–landscape relation is virtually limitless, its limitations are data driven concerning the approximation of the soil-forming factors and the available soil profile data.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"30 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141800536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081233
C. Karelakis, Zacharias Papanikolaou, Christina Keramopoulou, George Theodossiou
{"title":"Green Growth, Green Development and Climate Change Perceptions: Evidence from a Greek Region","authors":"C. Karelakis, Zacharias Papanikolaou, Christina Keramopoulou, George Theodossiou","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081233","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the planet confronts today and is predicted to continue to face in the future. It is one of the greatest threats to humanity, seriously affecting human health, the natural environment, and security. This research aims to investigate the factors related to the perception of Greek citizens regarding climate change and green development and the obstacles that exist in Greece in the transition to enhanced green growth. For this reason, four cases related to communication and education, energy, actions to protect the environment, and each one’s responsibility were investigated. Data were collected through a survey (structured questionnaire) of 745 respondents in the regional unit of the Greek city of Larissa with an overall response rate of 69% and analyzed through a combination of factor and path analysis. The results show that communication, actions related to environmental protection, and energy-saving actions are the ones that have significant associations with the goal of green development.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"18 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081234
Håkan Berg, Nguyen Thanh Tam, T. Lan, C. Da
{"title":"Enhanced Food-Production Efficiencies through Integrated Farming Systems in the Hau Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam","authors":"Håkan Berg, Nguyen Thanh Tam, T. Lan, C. Da","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081234","url":null,"abstract":"This study compares the food-production efficiencies of integrated rice-fish farming and rice monoculture and evaluates how these farming systems contribute to sustainable food production in the Mekong Delta. The study explores how food-production efficiencies are influenced by the systems’ ecological connectivity by comparing more integrated systems that apply integrated rice-fish farming and integrated pest management (IPM) with less integrated systems farming only rice. Rice-fish farmers with plenty of fish had significantly higher rice yields than farmers with less or no fish, especially during the second crop when the rice was grown together with the fish. A positive correlation between the fish and rice yields, indicated synergistic effects between the fish and rice, due to strengthened ecological connectivity and trophic interactions within the rice-field ecosystem. Overall, rice-fish farmers had higher rice yields than rice farmers, despite using lower amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. They also had lower rice production costs compared to rice farmers, partly because the fish helped fertilize the rice and control rice pests. They had a significantly higher profit and benefit cost ratio than rice farmers because of lower production costs, and high rice and fish yields. The results indicate that food-production efficiencies in the Mekong Delta can be enhanced through diversification and increased ecological connectivity, leading to a more efficient use of rice field ecosystem services that support a long-term and healthy production of food.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"34 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141800732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081231
Xi Jin, Zheng Hao, Yelong Song, Lan Gao, Fuqiang He, Qingjie Li, A. Cao
{"title":"Response of Yam Yield and Soil Microbial Communities to Soil Fumigation and Substrate Cultivation","authors":"Xi Jin, Zheng Hao, Yelong Song, Lan Gao, Fuqiang He, Qingjie Li, A. Cao","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081231","url":null,"abstract":"Soil fumigation is considered a method to control soil-borne diseases and solve crop continuous cropping obstacles. However, fumigant residues in the soil are detrimental to soil health. Though substrate cultivation is a cultivation mode that can promote plant growth, studies to date on whether substrate cultivation can replace soil fumigation for the control of soil pathogens are limited. In this study, the effects of chloropicrin fumigation (Pic) and substrate cultivation (SC) on yam growth, soil pathogens, soil nutrients, and microbial communities were demonstrated using a 2-year field experiment. The results showed that SC significantly increased the content of soil organic matter (SOM), available phosphorus, and available potassium compared with Pic. In addition, SC could effectively reduce the number of Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp., decrease the rate of diseased yam plants, and significantly increase the yam yield. Moreover, SC significantly increased the abundance of beneficial microorganisms such as Actinobacteriota, Acidobacteriota, and Bacillus in soil. Correlation analysis showed that yam yield exhibited a negative relation with the number of soil pathogens and a positive correlation with SOM. Our study suggests that substrate cultivation can be an alternative to soil fumigation to control soil pathogens and protect soil health.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"33 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141801612","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-26DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081235
Zhiwen Song, Lei Zhao, J. Bi, Qing-Long Tang, Guodong Wang, Yuxiang Li
{"title":"Classification of Degradable Mulch Films and Their Promotional Effects and Limitations on Agricultural Production","authors":"Zhiwen Song, Lei Zhao, J. Bi, Qing-Long Tang, Guodong Wang, Yuxiang Li","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081235","url":null,"abstract":"Film mulching technology has greatly improved the efficiency of agricultural production. However, it also causes environmental problems such as soil contamination. Biodegradable mulch films, which represent environmentally friendly alternatives, present different characteristics depending on regional differences and crop growth differences. This review was based on the literature and data collected from databases such as the Web of Science. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the development, types and degradation characteristics of biodegradable mulch films. The following conclusions are presented: (1) Applying biodegradable mulch films can conserve water, maintain the soil temperature, improve soil nutrition, increase the soil respiration rate, and promote soil microbial activity. (2) Biodegradable mulch films promote crop root system development, suppress weeds, shorten the crop growth cycle, improve crop emergence rates, and expand the planting range of crops. (3) At present, the incomplete degradability of biodegradable mulch films, their relatively high cost and the potential harm to soil from their degradation products still limit their widespread use in agricultural production. The aim of this study is to provide a reference for future research and for the application of biodegradable mulch films in the hope of promoting their role in the sustainable development of agriculture.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"44 42","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141800153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AgriculturePub Date : 2024-07-25DOI: 10.3390/agriculture14081222
Dimitrios Fotakis, I. Karmiris, Diogenis A. Kiziridis, Christos Astaras, T. Papachristou
{"title":"Social-Ecological Spatial Analysis of Agroforestry in the European Union with a Focus on Mediterranean Countries","authors":"Dimitrios Fotakis, I. Karmiris, Diogenis A. Kiziridis, Christos Astaras, T. Papachristou","doi":"10.3390/agriculture14081222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081222","url":null,"abstract":"Agroforestry has a long history of evolution in Europe and has been especially selected under the unfavorable socioeconomic and environmental conditions of the Mediterranean region. The recent changes in social-ecological conditions have increased the interest in the contribution of agroforestry to the mitigation of forthcoming challenges. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the socioeconomic and ecological suitability of agricultural lands for preserving, restoring, and establishing agroforestry practices in Europe. We classified different agroforestry systems based on the LUCAS database, finding that most agroforestry in Europe is in areas associated with older human populations of varying densities and employment levels at lower altitudes, gentler slopes, moderate annual mean temperature and precipitation, and in medium textured soils with limited organic carbon content. Focusing on the prevalent agroforestry system of silvopasture, the majority of which is found in three Mediterranean ecoregions of mainly sclerophyllous forests, the most important factors for the occurrence of this system were subsoil available water content (Aegean), land cover (Adriatic), and topsoil available water content (Iberian). The suitable area for silvopasture according to MaxEnt was 32%, 30%, and 22% of the Aegean, Adriatic, and Iberian ecoregion’s area, respectively. Such mapping of agroforestry suitability can help policymakers to undertake adaptive management for the implementation of agroforestry-based solutions to address ecosystem restoration, food insecurity, and rapid environmental changes and threats.","PeriodicalId":7447,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture","volume":"64 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141802512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}