scholarly journals Excessive and Disproportionate Use of Chemicals Cause Soil Contamination and Nutritional Stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita Bisht ◽  
Puneet Singh Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Effective Use

Incredible achievements have been made in agricultural production worldwide, but many daunting challenges remain unresolved to ensure food security and environmental sustainability. Chemical fertilisers are used in excessive and disproportionate quantities to raise crop yields in order to combat certain circumstances. However, apart from being processed in crop plants, chemical fertilisers above the threshold level pollute the atmosphere. As the availability of nutrients becomes a constraint of plant growth and production, sustained crop productivity relies on constant renewal. To increase agriculture production and maintain soil fertility, the application of chemical fertilisers is indispensable. However, insufficient or unnecessary application of fertiliser does not guarantee consistently growing yields, which can result in low efficiency of nutrient usage. Today, the key goals are the study of the effective use of chemicals, the reduction of production costs and the efficient use of fertilisation.

scholarly journals Exploiting Beneficial Pseudomonas spp. for Cannabis Production

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Balthazar ◽  
David L. Joly ◽  
Martin Filion
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Stresses ◽  
Biotic Stresses ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
The Many

Among the oldest domesticated crops, cannabis plants (Cannabis sativa L., marijuana and hemp) have been used to produce food, fiber, and drugs for thousands of years. With the ongoing legalization of cannabis in several jurisdictions worldwide, a new high-value market is emerging for the supply of marijuana and hemp products. This creates unprecedented challenges to achieve better yields and environmental sustainability, while lowering production costs. In this review, we discuss the opportunities and challenges pertaining to the use of beneficial Pseudomonas spp. bacteria as crop inoculants to improve productivity. The prevalence and diversity of naturally occurring Pseudomonas strains within the cannabis microbiome is overviewed, followed by their potential mechanisms involved in plant growth promotion and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Emphasis is placed on specific aspects relevant for hemp and marijuana crops in various production systems. Finally, factors likely to influence inoculant efficacy are provided, along with strategies to identify promising strains, overcome commercialization bottlenecks, and design adapted formulations. This work aims at supporting the development of the cannabis industry in a sustainable way, by exploiting the many beneficial attributes of Pseudomonas spp.

scholarly journals Green Synthesized Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Mediate Growth Regulation and Physiology of Crop Plants under Drought Stress

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1730
Author(s):  
Nadiyah M. Alabdallah ◽  
Md. Mahadi Hasan ◽  
Inès Hammami ◽  
Azzah Ibrahim Alghamdi ◽  
Dikhnah Alshehri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Metal Oxide ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Growth Regulation ◽  
Foliar Application ◽  
Metal Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Oxide Nanoparticles

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are regarded as critical tools for overcoming ongoing and prospective crop productivity challenges. MONPs with distinct physiochemical characteristics boost crop production and resistance to abiotic stresses such as drought. They have recently been used to improve plant growth, physiology, and yield of a variety of crops grown in drought-stressed settings. Additionally, they mitigate drought-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the aggregation of osmolytes, which results in enhanced osmotic adaptation and crop water balance. These roles of MONPs are based on their physicochemical and biological features, foliar application method, and the applied MONPs concentrations. In this review, we focused on three important metal oxide nanoparticles that are widely used in agriculture: titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and iron oxide (Fe3O4). The impacts of various MONPs forms, features, and dosages on plant growth and development under drought stress are summarized and discussed. Overall, this review will contribute to our present understanding of MONPs’ effects on plants in alleviating drought stress in crop plants.

scholarly journals Impacts of Temperature Trends and SPEI on Yields of Major Cereal Crops in the Gambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12480
Author(s):  
Fanta F. Jabbi ◽  
Yu’e Li ◽  
Tianyi Zhang ◽  
Wang Bin ◽  
Waseem Hassan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Climate Trends ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Climate Resilience

Variations in the climate constitute a significant threat to the productivity of food crops in the Gambia. A good understanding of the influence of climate variability on crop production is vital for climate resilience and improved food security. This study examined the trends, relationships, and the extent to which growing season temperatures and the SPEI (Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index) impacted sorghum, millet, maize, and rice yields in three agro-ecological regions of the Gambia during 1990–2019. Mean temperatures and the SPEI exhibited increasing trends while observed yields showed a decline across all regions. The SPEI had a significant positive relationship with yields, and temperatures were negatively associated with yields. Though yield response to climate variability differs among regions, 20% to 62% of variations in the four crop yields were due to climate trends. The combined effect of the SPEI and temperatures decreased yields from 3.6 kg ha−1 year−1 to 29.4 kg ha−1 year−1, with the most severe decline observed in rice and maize yields in the Sahelian zone. Although uncertainties might arise from not considering related extreme climate events, this study highlights how past climate trends affect cereal yields in the Gambia; thus, any unfavorable change in the local climate could have severe repercussions on the country’s food security. There is a need for concerted efforts to increase investments in adaptation strategies to lessen the effects of the climate for improved crop productivity.

scholarly journals Crop climate suitability mapping on the cloud: a geovisualization application for sustainable agriculture

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad G. Peter ◽  
Joseph P. Messina ◽  
Zihan Lin ◽  
Sieglinde S. Snapp
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Climate Niche ◽  
Crop Varieties

Abstract Climate change, food security, and environmental sustainability are pressing issues faced by today’s global population. As production demands increase and climate threatens crop productivity, agricultural research develops innovative technologies to meet these challenges. Strategies include biodiverse cropping arrangements, new crop introductions, and genetic modification of crop varieties that are resilient to climatic and environmental stressors. Geography in particular is equipped to address a critical question in this pursuit—when and where can crop system innovations be introduced? This manuscript presents a case study of the geographic scaling potential utilizing common bean, delivers an open access Google Earth Engine geovisualization application for mapping the fundamental climate niche of any crop, and discusses food security and legume biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The application is temporally agile, allowing variable growing season selections and the production of ‘living maps’ that are continually producible as new data become available. This is an essential communication tool for the future, as practitioners can evaluate the potential geographic range for newly-developed, experimental, and underrepresented crop varieties for facilitating sustainable and innovative agroecological solutions.

scholarly journals Unraveling the Mechanisms of Zinc Efficiency in Crop Plants: From Lab to Field Applications

Plants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Gokhan Hacisalihoglu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
World Population ◽  
Zinc Efficiency ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Global Food

Global food security and sustainability in the time of pandemics (COVID-19) and a growing world population are important challenges that will require optimized crop productivity under the anticipated effects of climate change [...]

Plant Growth Promoting and Stress Mitigating Abilities of Soil Born Microorganisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahid Ali ◽  
Linan Xie
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Acc Deaminase ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Extreme Condition ◽  
World Population

Abiotic stresses affect the plant growth in different ways and at different developmental stages that reduce the crop yields. The increasing world population continually demands more crop yields; therefore it is important to use low-cost technologies against abiotic stresses to increase crop productivity. Soil microorganisms survive in the soil associated with plants in extreme condition. It was demonstrated that these beneficial microorganisms promote plant growth and development under various stresses. The soil microbes interact with the plant through rhizospheric or endophytic association and promote the plant growth through different processes such as nutrients mobilization, disease suppression, and hormone secretions. The microorganisms colonized in the rhizospheric region and imparted the abiotic stress tolerance by producing 1-aminocyclopropane-1- carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, antioxidant, and volatile compounds, inducing the accumulation of osmolytes, production of exopolysaccharide, upregulation or downregulation of stress genes, phytohormones and change the root morphology. A large number of these rhizosphere microorganisms are now patented. In the present review, an attempt was made to throw light on the mechanism of micro-organism that operates during abiotic stresses and promotes plant survival and productivity.

scholarly journals Precision Nutrient Rates and Placement in Conservation Maize-Wheat System: Effects on Crop Productivity, Profitability, Nutrient-Use Efficiency, and Environmental Footprints

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2320
Author(s):  
Raj K. Jat ◽  
Deepak Bijarniya ◽  
Suresh K. Kakraliya ◽  
Tek B. Sapkota ◽  
Manish Kakraliya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

Intensive tillage-based production systems coupled with inefficient fertilizer management practices have led to increased production costs, sub-optimal productivity, and significant environmental externalities. Conservation agriculture (CA) is being increasingly advocated as a management strategy to overcome these issues but precision nutrient management under the CA-based maize-wheat system is rarely studied. Two year’s (2014–2015 and 2015–2016) research was conducted at the research farm of BISA, Pusa, Bihar, India to develop precision nutrient management practices for CA-based management in the maize-wheat system. Seven treatment combinations involving (i) tillage (conventional tillage; CT & permanent beds; PB) and (ii) nutrient management rates, application methods (farmers’ fertilizer practices; FFP, state recommended dose of fertilizer; SR and precision nutrient management using Nutrient Expert tool; NE and GreenSeeker; (GS), applied using two methods; broadcasting (B) and drilling (D)) were investigated for multiple parameters. The results showed that NE, NE+GS, and SR-based nutrient management tactics with drilling improved crop yields, nutrient-use efficiency (NUE), and economic profitability relative to NE-broadcasting, SR broadcasting, and FFP broadcasting methods. Maize-wheat system productivity and net returns under NE+GS-drilling on PB were significantly higher by 31.2%, 49.7% compared to FFP-broadcasting method, respectively. Total global warming potential (GWP) was lower in the PB-based maize-wheat system coupled with precision nutrient management compared to CT-based maize-wheat system with FFP. Higher (15.2%) carbon sustainability index (CSI) was recorded with NE-drilling compared to FFP-broadcasting method. Results suggests that PB-based maize-wheat system together with precision nutrient management approaches (NE+GS+drilling) can significantly increase crop yields, NUE, and profitability while reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from maize-wheat systems in eastern Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP).

scholarly journals Research on Innovative Training on Smart Greenhouse Technologies for Economic and Environmental Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10536
Author(s):  
Angeliki Kavga ◽  
Vasileios Thomopoulos ◽  
Pantelis Barouchas ◽  
Nikolaos Stefanakis ◽  
Aglaia Liopa-Tsakalidi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Graphical Form ◽  
Climate Control ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

Great advancements in technologies such as big data analytics, robots, remote sensing, the Internet of Things, decision support systems and artificial intelligence have transformed the agricultural sector. In the greenhouse sector, these technologies help farmers increase their profits and crop yields while minimizing the production costs, produce in a more environmentally friendly way and mitigate the risks caused by climate change. In greenhouse farming, especially in the Mediterranean region, a lack of knowledge and qualified personnel able to uptake new knowledge, the small size of farms, etc., make it difficult to implement new technologies. Although it is necessary to demonstrate the advantages of innovations related to sustainable agriculture, there is a little opportunity for specific training on greenhouse production in cutting-edge technologies. To gain insight into this problem, questionnaires for greenhouse farmers and intermediaries were developed in multiple choice format and filled in by the stakeholders. A statistical analysis was performed, and the results are presented in graphical form. In most cases, the findings confirmed that producers who run small farms, in most cases, have a lack of knowledge, especially on how to manage climate control systems or fertigation systems. The majority of farmers were elderly with a low level of education, which makes it difficult to be aware of the training issues, due to distrust and a lack of innovation culture. Therefore, their strategy was usually survival with cost control. However, young graduates have been recently returning to agriculture, and they are open to training activities and innovation. The most desirable training offer should be related to sustainable agriculture and precision agriculture technologies.

Silica Sol-Gel Microbead Encapsulation as a Novel Delivery Method for Symbiotic Microbes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Elissiry ◽  
Jingwen Sun ◽  
Ann M. Hirsch ◽  
Chong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
Hormone Production ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Synthetic Fertilizer ◽  
Inorganic Nanomaterials

Synthetic fertilizer is responsible for the greatly increased crop yields that have enabled worldwide industrialization. However, the production and use of such fertilizers are environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable; synthetic fertilizers are produced via non-renewable resources and fertilizer runoff causes groundwater contamination and eutrophication. A promising alternative to synthetic fertilizer is bacterial inoculation. In this process, a symbiotic relationship is formed between a crop and bacteria species that can fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus, and stimulate plant hormone production. The bacteria carrier developed here aims to maintain bacteria viability while in storage, protect bacteria while encapsulated, and provide a sustained and controllable bacterial release. This novel bacterial delivery method utilizes inorganic nanomaterials, silica microbeads, to encapsulate symbiotic bacteria. These microbeads, which were produced with aqueous, non-toxic precursors, are sprayed directly onto crop seeds and solidify on the seeds as a resilient silica matrix. The bacterial release from the carrier was found by submerging coated seeds in solution to simulate degradation in soil environments, measuring the number of bacteria released by the plate count technique, and comparing the carrier to seeds coated only in bacteria. The carrier’s effectiveness to enhance plant growth was determined through greenhouse plant assays with alfalfa (<i>Medicago sativa</i>) plants and the nitrogen-fixing <i>Sinorhizobium meliloti</i> Rm1021 strain. When compared to bacteria-only inoculation, the silica microbead carrier exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) increased holding capacity of viable bacteria and increased plant growth by a similar amount, demonstrating the capability of inorganic nanomaterials for microbial delivery. The carrier presented in this work has potential applications for commercial agriculture and presents an opportunity to further pursue more sustainable agricultural practices.

Silica Sol-Gel Microbead Encapsulation as a Novel Delivery Method for Symbiotic Microbes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Elissiry ◽  
Jingwen Sun ◽  
Ann M. Hirsch ◽  
Chong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
Hormone Production ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Synthetic Fertilizer ◽  
Inorganic Nanomaterials

Synthetic fertilizer is responsible for the greatly increased crop yields that have enabled worldwide industrialization. However, the production and use of such fertilizers are environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable; synthetic fertilizers are produced via non-renewable resources and fertilizer runoff causes groundwater contamination and eutrophication. A promising alternative to synthetic fertilizer is bacterial inoculation. In this process, a symbiotic relationship is formed between a crop and bacteria species that can fix nitrogen, solubilize phosphorus, and stimulate plant hormone production. The bacteria carrier developed here aims to maintain bacteria viability while in storage, protect bacteria while encapsulated, and provide a sustained and controllable bacterial release. This novel bacterial delivery method utilizes inorganic nanomaterials, silica microbeads, to encapsulate symbiotic bacteria. These microbeads, which were produced with aqueous, non-toxic precursors, are sprayed directly onto crop seeds and solidify on the seeds as a resilient silica matrix. The bacterial release from the carrier was found by submerging coated seeds in solution to simulate degradation in soil environments, measuring the number of bacteria released by the plate count technique, and comparing the carrier to seeds coated only in bacteria. The carrier’s effectiveness to enhance plant growth was determined through greenhouse plant assays with alfalfa (<i>Medicago sativa</i>) plants and the nitrogen-fixing <i>Sinorhizobium meliloti</i> Rm1021 strain. When compared to bacteria-only inoculation, the silica microbead carrier exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) increased holding capacity of viable bacteria and increased plant growth by a similar amount, demonstrating the capability of inorganic nanomaterials for microbial delivery. The carrier presented in this work has potential applications for commercial agriculture and presents an opportunity to further pursue more sustainable agricultural practices.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document