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Crop rotation and straw return are important sustainable agricultural practices. However, their combined impact on the soil microbiota is poorly understood. Here, the effects of crop rotation and straw return on rice (Oryza sativa L.) productivity, soil properties and soil microbial community was investigated in a Chinese southern paddy soil. There were six treatments, including rice-fallow (RF), rice-rape (Brassica campestris L.) rotation (RR), rice-edamame (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation (RE), RF with rice straw return (RFS), RR with rice and rape straw return (RRS), and RE with rice and edamame straw return (RES). The results showed that rice yields in RR and RE were increased by 6.28% and 6.93% relative to RF and straw return group increased by 3.03%-8.16% relative to the group without straw return. Rotation increased soil available P (AP) and RRS significantly increased soil organic matter (OM), total N (TN) and available K (AK) in comparison with RR. Rotation impacts soil microbial community in a stronger way than straw return. Rotation increased the bacterial species numbers and fungal Shannon index. Disease-suppressing bacteria were enriched and some fungal pathogen was decreased in rotation treatments. Straw return had no potential risk in increasing the microbial pathogens. Soil fertilities like AK and AP were closely correlated with bacterial alpha-diversity and rice yield. In conclusion, our research demonstrated that combined crop rotation and straw return is an optimum agricultural practice in increasing rice productivity and soil fertility. The impacts of crop rotation and straw return on the microbiota were distinct. These findings help us manage the crops and residues in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, there has been increased interest in rapeseed cultivation in Iran due to its role in crop rotation with cereals and its contribution to edible oil production. In this regard, a two-year experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of chitosan application on the yield and physiological traits of rapeseed genotypes under drought stress conditions. The experiment was designed as a factorial split plot with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and three replications. The main plots included irrigation at two levels, normal irrigation (control) and stopping irrigation after the flowering stage, and chitosan at two levels, foliar spraying with pure water (not using chitosan) and foliar spraying with chitosan at a rate of 250 mg per liter. The subplots included rapeseed genotypes, including BAL104, DIE710/08, BAL101, BAL102, QUIE03/11, and Okapi. Result of the mean comparison of irrigation and genotype interaction on grain yield showed that under normal irrigation conditions, Okapi had the highest grain yield with an average of 6,884 kg/ha. However, when irrigation was stopped after the flowering stage, genotype DIE710/08 had the highest grain yield with an average of 3,261 kg/ha. Furthermore, the Okapi genotype showed a sharp decrease in grain yield under water stress. Results also showed that the application of chitosan treatment caused a significant decrease of erucic acid and glucosinolate (18% and 17%, respectively) under stress conditions compared to the control treatment. The Okapi cultivar thrives best when there are no restrictions on irrigation water. However, it’s recommended to use the DIE710/08 genotype when there is stress during the flowering stage. This genotype can still provide a decent grain yield in these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the rising need for edible grains induced by a mushrooming human population over the past few decades, agriculture has undergone a modernization from traditional to contemporary. Monoculture, which is utilized in contemporary agriculture for intensive grain production system, requires a lot of land preparation, application of pesticides and fertilizers. These processes further imbalances the already weak below-ground and above-ground networks of agroecosystem and also worsen many benefits provided by biodiversity within agroecosystems, such as those related to biological control. As a result, conservation agriculture has been actively advocated as a useful alternative to tillage-based conventional agriculture and a crop husbandry practice that may reconcile these occasionally conflicting objectives. Conservation agriculture is a management strategy that permits permanent soil cover, minimize soil disturbance and, enhance spatio-temporal crop species diversity by the use of sustainable farming methods, which are encouraged as a means of reducing climate change and might also facilitate pest management. The author cites relevant research showing how arthropod pests and natural enemies are influenced by conservation agriculture practices, which not only have a bearing on pest management but also reduce the effects of climate change. Literature analysis reveals crop diversification, particularly the introduction of perennial species, cover cropping, tillage techniques that preserving crop residue, the use of organic fertilizers like compost, manure, and water management techniques are all promising methods for reducing pests and enhancing biological control. These techniques can strengthen crops’ resistance to insect attacks and broaden natural enemies’ diversity, thus reducing the impact of climate change on the breakdown of biological regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of cropping systems is a function of crop and management practice interaction in a given growing environment. However, the critical factors affecting productivity remains unclear under varying climate conditions. We conducted a 5 year study at six sites in western Canada to identify the critical factors affecting the productivity, standardized as protein-based yield (PBY), and quantify the relationships between yield and critical factors. We tested six crop rotations, including conventional system (Control), pulse- or oilseed-intensified system (Intensified), diversified system (Diversified), market-driven system (Market-driven), high-risk and potentially high reward system (High-risk), and soil-health enhanced system (Soil-health). The importance index and structural equation modeling were used to identify key factors and explore the underlying relationships among them. Results showed that Market-driven and Diversified rotations outperformed the Control by 2%–6% in PBY, while Soil-health and High-risk yielded 23%–26% lower than the Control. Relative to the Control, all rotations showed an increase trend in PBY over time, with Diversified rotations increasing 13%–28% faster than Market-driven and Intensified rotations. Precipitation and nitrogen (N) management are the primary factors affecting cropping system productivity, explaining 25% and 21% yield variations, respectively. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that precipitation had a significant indirect effect on yield through affecting biological N fixation of pulse crops, in addition to a significant direct effect. Increasing pulse frequency and rotation complexity mitigated PBY loss by 10%–24% during low rainfall seasons. We recommend integrating pulse crops into cropping systems to enhance N management and mitigate yield loss in low precipitation regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) is a common cover crop typically grown for its rapid establishment and superior weed suppression. One challenge of incorporating buckwheat into crop rotations, however, is its short generation time, which requires in-season management to prevent viable seed production and volunteers in subsequent crops. Mixing buckwheat at reduced seeding rates with other cover crop species is one way for producers to reduce volunteer potential; however, this may compromise weed suppression. To investigate mechanisms behind buckwheat weed suppression and how using buckwheat in mixtures can affect suppression, we collected a series of morphological measurements in buckwheat monocultures and in three, two-way and four, three-way cover crop species mixtures and modeled their response over the growing season. We found that while buckwheat height and relative growth rate were unaffected with increasing species richness, there was a significant reduction in maximum leaf area index (3.75 vs. 2.85 vs. 2.82 cm2 cm−2) in mixture. Buckwheat monocultures provided superior season-long weed suppression compared to mixtures (85% vs. 53% vs. 50%). Principal component analysis showed that increased height and leaf area index values were associated with greater weed suppression. The link between reduced leaf area index and weed suppression in mixtures compared to buckwheat monocultures suggests that the rapid leaf development and canopy cover associated with buckwheat is a key mechanism behind weed suppression. In practice, producers should expect a dilution effect and weed suppression to be compromised when the buckwheat seeding rate is reduced in mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a perennial medicinal plant. It's generally cultivated for three years, and should avoid long-term continuous cultivation. However, unreasonable crop rotation and extensive fertilization are common in G. uralensis cultivation, which leads to the imbalance of soil microflora structure, and the obstacle of continuous cropping are becoming increasingly serious. Some microbial fertilizers such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus subtilis , and complex microbial agent have the advantage of regulating soil microbial community structure and improving the soil environment. Therefore, these three kinds of microbial fertilizers were applied to G. uralensis and their effects on soil microorganisms of G. uralensis were studied. Methods: Combine microbial fertilizers with conventional fertilization for continuous cropping and rotating G. uralensis. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine soil microbial richness, diversity and distribution of community structure in rotating and continuous cropping G. uralensis. Results and discussion: Continuous cropping reduced G. uralensis soil bacterial diversity by 7.56% and increased fungal richness by 17.01% compared with crop rotation. However, after the application of microbial fertilizers, the fungal richness and diversity of continuous cropping G. uralensis were significantly reduced by 4.76%~20.96%, and the soil bacterial diversity of continuous cropping and rotating G. uralensis was significantly increased by 7.22%~12.03% and 6.75%~11.69% compared with the respective controls, respectively. Continuous cropping and rotating G. uralensis soil dominant bacteria mainly include Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadota , and the dominant fungi include Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota. The activity process of these microbial communities was mainly through carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid synthesis pathway in metabolism. The complex microbial agent significantly increased the relative abundance of soil dominant bacteria communities of continuous cropping and rotating G. uralensis by 3.11~11.54 percentage points, and significantly reduced the relative abundance of soil dominant fungal communities of continuous cropping G. uralensis by 1.57~8.93 percentage points, compared with the control. Of the three microbial fertilizers, the complex microbial agent had the most significant effects on optimizing the soil microbial community structure of continuous cropping and rotating G. uralensis. Conclusion: the application effect of different microbial fertilizers in continuous cropping G. uralensis was better than crop rotation, and the application effect of complex microbial agent was the best, which has more application value and development prospect in the cultivation management of G. uralensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregate area expansion is one of the important productivity impacts of agricultural mechanization. This study aims to explore potential new paths to aggregate area expansion through new forms of agricultural mechanization and estimate the relevant effects. Targeting the rapidly developing machinery rice transplanting (MRT) and the attendant centralized rice seedling cultivation (CRSC) in rural China, this article identifies a fresh path for the adoption of machinery technology to increase aggregate crop cultivation area. By analyzing two typical cases from Jiangxi Province, we unmask the mechanism through which MRT and CRSC promote aggregate area. The results indicate that, compared with the traditional method, CRSC makes technological progress in various aspects and significantly improves the supply efficiency of seedlings and the space utilization efficiency of seedling fields. This, in turn, reduces the required seedling area per unit of paddy field and thus substitutes a lot of traditional seedling fields with few modern ones. Under the rotation cropping system, CRSC releases the farming time of the potential previous crops in the saved traditional seedling fields and then increases cropping intensity and aggregate area. In the micro case, the substitution of the traditional method with CRSC can save 0.04 hectares of seedling field by serving 1 hectare of paddy field. The macro simulation results show that CRSC can, at most, increase aggregate crop cultivation area by 1.95 million hectares nationwide, and this is equivalent to an increase of 6.21 million tons of grain and 1.86 million tons of rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The plant-specific YABBY transcription factor family plays several activities, including responding to abiotic stress, establishing dorsoventral polarity, and developing lateral organs. Cucumis sativus L. commonly referred to as cucumber and one of the first vegetable crops with a fully sequenced genome. Results: In this work, we examined the application of NAA, CPPU, and GA4 + 7 to inflict parthenocarpy in the cucumber ZK line. The expression pattern of YABBY genes throughout fruit development and performed a genomic census of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Based on peptide classification, we discovered eight CsYABBY genes and divided them into five subfamilies. Similarities in motif composition and exon-intron structure were also observed. The cis-elements and gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed the involvement of CsYABBY genes in vegetative growth and the transition of vegetative to the reproductive phase. The expression analysis revealed the differential expression response to NAA, CPPU, and GA4 + 7. In particular, the CsYABBY1 was induced sharply by NAA and CPPU but not GA4 + 7. The transient expression of CsCRC disclosed that it is localized in the nucleus. Conclusion: These findings point to the possibility that CsYABBY1 and CsCRC may positively affect fruit development and could be utilized to generate parthenocarpic cucumber fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Crop rotation of tobacco with other crops could effectively break the negative impact of continuous tobacco cropping, but the mechanisms of intercropping system effects on tobacco, especially on the rhizosphere, are not clear. Methods: In this study, we investigated the impact of intercropping system on the diversity and function of tobacco metabolites and microorganisms through metabolomic and metagenomic analyses of the tobacco rhizosphere microenvironment intercropped with maize and soybean. Results: The results showed that the contents of huperzine b, chlorobenzene, and P-chlorophenylalanine in tobacco rhizosphere soils differed significantly among soybean-tobacco and maize-tobacco intercropping system. Chlorobenzene and P-chlorophenylalanine had the highest relative abundance under the soybean-tobacco intercropping system, and huperzine b had the highest relative abundance in the maize-tobacco cropping system. At the phylum level, the three most dominant strains were the same across all treatments: Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria , and Acidobacteria , with only minor differences in their abundance, with the fourth most abundant strain in both the tobacco monoculture. KEGG enrichment analysis of the tobacco rhizosphere soil microbiome revealed that intercropping significantly increased the abundance of metabolites in the ABC transporters pathway and up-regulated the LivK, LivH, Livg, LivM , and LivF genes of the branched-chain amino acid pathway Discussion: Collectively, our results indicate that the intercropping could enhance the activity of Livs to enhance the ABC transport pathway, and thus improve the transmembrane transport ability of tobacco roots, thus reducing the negative impact of continuous tobacco cropping. At the same time, the maize-tobacco intercropping could promote the production and transportation of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other bioactive substances in the tobacco root system, which could enhance tobacco adaptation capacity to abiotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Uruguayan agriculture's transition to no-till farming and intensified practices, replacing crop-pasture (CP) systems with continuous cropping (CC) rotations, has disrupted biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Despite this, diversified cropping sequences, including C4 species, have maintained the soil organic carbon (SOC) balance under no-till management, with limited overall impacts on productivity and sustainability. The effects of these changes on wheat productivity and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) need to be further investigated. Methods: This study, conducted within a long-term experiment (LTE) under rainfed conditions, compared wheat productivity in CP and CC rotations. Wheat following CP and CC were analyzed over three seasons. Variables measured included soil nitrogen (N) concentration, wheat grain yield (WGY), grain protein concentration (GPC), and NUE. Four N fertilizer levels were applied to each rotation system to assess their impact. Results: CC rotation consistently outperformed CP in WGY, with 2425 and 1668 kg ha−1 averages, respectively. CP showed slightly higher GPC (10.92%) than CC (10.48%). Nitrate-N levels at tillering positively correlated with WGY and negatively with GPC, but the relationship differed by rotation. Soil NUE indices were higher in CC rotations. Discussion: The study's findings highlighted the potential of CC rotation, especially when including C4 species in the crop sequence, to achieve higher wheat productivity in the short term due to healthier soil conditions compared to wheat seeded after post-pasture in CP. Additionally, our study highlights that the effect of the previous crop on yield and NUE in wheat was more relevant than the expected residual effect of the pasture phase in CP, primarily due to the quality of residues and the temporary adverse effects of soil compaction caused by livestock trampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forage crops can be grown in mixed species cultivation to provide productivity and nutritional benefits. In a three-round field test, two double-cropping systems (DCSs) based on maize and sorghum as the summer forage crop and alfalfa as the preceding winter forage crop were compared. There were comparisons of harvesting and growing time, nutritive value, as well as biomass and nutritional yields. The superiority of the M–A (alfalfa following a preceding crop of maize) was identified as compared with the S–A (alfalfa following a preceding crop of sorghum). Within the M–A, the maize Dongdan 60 (M1)–alfalfa WL525 (A) combination under the late sowing condition (D3) achieved the highest annual biomass production (fresh weight and dry weight). The maize/alfalfa combination achieved significantly higher nutritional yields compared to those of the sorghum/alfalfa combination. The highest yield of crude protein was obtained in the late sowing (D3) condition for the maize Dongdan 60 (M1)–alfalfa WL525 (A) combination. The highest yield of starch was obtained in the earliest sowing date (D1) in the maize Dongdan 60 (M1)–alfalfa WL525 (A) combination. The highest yield of crude fat was obtained in the latest sowing date (D3) in the maize Dongdan 1331 (M2)–alfalfa WL525 (A) combination. The study indicated that the winter alfalfa and maize DCS could be a promising strategy to achieve high biomass and nutritional productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Green soybean (edamame), an early-harvested soybean, is a popular vegetable in Asia and is recognised as a healthy vegetable in the other parts of the world. In Japan, edamame yield has gradually decreased over the last 30 years, despite similar cultivation areas. Damage caused by the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines , is one of the main causes. We surveyed the distribution of SCN in different locations and found a wide distribution of SCN across Japan. Different control measures are available, such as chemical control using fumigants or a granular type of nematicide, solarisation, and rotation with non-host crops. We are developing a new type of biological control method, which comprises short-term field cultivation and soil incorporation of mung bean. This method not only decreases the SCN density in soil but also mitigates soil erosion and nitrate leaching. For future SCN control it is essential to establish an environmentally friendly management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of agri‐environment schemes (AESs), the largest conservation‐related expenditure for farmland biodiversity conservation within the European Union, is often compromised by a limited spatial scale of implementation. We focused on multiannual forage crops, a surrogate habitat for grassland birds, to assess the scale‐dependent effects of mowing timing and frequency on the local population size of an iconic species, the skylark (Alauda arvensis). While there is much evidence for a negative impact of in‐field mowing activities on grassland birds, whether such effects occur also at broader spatial scales is largely unknown. We surveyed breeding skylarks in the Po Plain (northern Italy) to determine (1) the association between landscape composition/configuration and abundance and (2) how abundance is affected by forage crop mowing timing and frequency. We addressed both questions through scale optimisation, identifying the most influential spatial scales for each covariate. Forage crop mowing timing was assessed through a novel remote sensing algorithm based on high‐resolution Sentinel‐2 satellite images. We observed a strong scale dependence on the importance of different habitats in determining skylark abundance. Abundance increased with an increasing cover of forage crops locally (200 m) and of winter crops at a landscape scale (2600 m), suggesting that the species is favoured by heterogeneous agroecosystems. Locally (150–350 m), skylarks were more abundant when crops were aggregated, being negatively impacted by crop fragmentation caused by urbanization and by seminatural habitats. At the landscape scale (1150 m), the timing of mowing was consistent across years, with early‐mown areas supporting fewer skylarks. This is probably because, over longer temporal scales, early‐mown forage patches have limited or null productivity, eventually limiting local population size. Synthesis and applications. We provide a new perspective on the overarching influence of spatial scale in driving the abundance of a declining farmland bird species, supporting the urgency of designing landscape scale‐effective AESs. This should be framed within the new EU Common Agricultural Policy reform and operated by farmer collectives, whereby management interventions should be monitored by state‐of‐the‐art remote sensing techniques. These results suggest that implementing scale‐optimized AESs could be crucial for effective farmland biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of agroecological management strategies (AEMS) in controlling bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) remains a critical question. A quantitative review was conducted based on publications reporting agroecological bacterial wilt management practices under on‐station or on‐farm field conditions in electronic libraries, without geographical restrictions, on tomato, pepper, eggplant and potato. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 papers were retained, resulting in 644 and 146 observations of bacterial wilt incidence (BWI) and yield, respectively. The effectiveness of AEMS for each crop was evaluated based on BWI and crop yield. The effect size was calculated as the natural logarithm of the response ratio, and confidence intervals were determined by bootstrapping. Varietal control, biological control (used of biological control agents) and combinations of many AEMS were the most reported practices, both under on‐station and on‐farm conditions. The use of plant extracts (Thymus spp., Crotalaria spp.), grafting, solarization, soil amendments (manure, compost) and crop rotations (with maize, beans) were also reported. All AEMS significantly reduced bacterial wilt incidence and increased yields compared to the untreated plots. Grafting, combinations of control methods, varietal control and biological control were the most effective agroecological practices in reducing BWI and increasing yield in tomato and eggplant. Varietal control was the most effective compared to biological control on pepper. The effectiveness of AEMS also varied with crop susceptibility and origin, climatic zone and soil acidity. This study highlights the potential of AEMS in reducing BWI and increasing crop yield in infested soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar amendments in rice‐wheat systems are sustainable for reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases) and improving soil health but the widespread adoption of biochar faces economic challenges. To address limitation, a novel biochar‐based urea was formulated for environmental and cost advantages. A pot experiment within a rice‐wheat rotation was conducted to evaluate comparative effects of biochar‐based urea (CKBU), biochar + urea (BCU), and biochar‐based urea + biochar (BCBU) over conventional mineral fertilizer (CKU) on soil ammonia (NH3) volatilization, GHG emissions, soil structure, and crop productivity. Furthermore, fertilizer N fate was tracked using the 15N isotope during wheat season. The results indicated that compared to CKU, CKBU, BCU, and BCBU treatments significantly mitigated NH3 volatilization by 22%–31% during the rice season, and a 19% reduction was observed under the BCBU treatment during the wheat season due to the response of N‐cycling microorganisms. Regarding GHG emissions, the CKBU, BCU, and BCBU treatments significantly decreased the global warming potential (GWP) value by 49%–55% during the rice season and by 26%–45% during the wheat season, compared to CKU. Additionally, CKBU enhanced 15N use efficiency by 29% during wheat season, without affecting the rice season. The economic performance indicated that applying BU alone offered a net economic benefit, whereas biochar amendment led to a net economic loss. However, biochar amendment improved SOC and aggregation structure, with a significant increase in macroaggregate distribution over 50% compared to CKU and CKBU. Therefore, BU with small portions of biochar can be as effective in reducing NH3 emissions and mitigating GHG emissions as the use of a large quantity of biochar. Additionally, the BCBU did not show additional synergistic benefits regarding emission reduction or yield enhancement. Therefore, shifting biochar to BU could be a cost‐effective approach to achieving sustainable productivity in rice‐wheat crop rotation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated soil fungal biodiversity in wheat-based crop rotation systems on Chernozem soil within the Pannonian Basin, focusing on the effects of tillage, crop rotation, and soil properties. Over three years, soil samples from ten plots were analyzed, revealing significant fungal diversity with Shannon–Wiener diversity indices ranging from 1.90 in monoculture systems to 2.38 in a fertilized two-year crop rotation. Dominant fungi, including Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium sp., and Aspergillus sp., showed distinct preferences for soil conditions such as pH and organic matter (OM). Conservation tillage significantly enhanced fungal diversity and richness, with the highest diversity observed in a three-year crop rotation system incorporating cover crops, which achieved an average winter wheat yield of 7.0 t ha−1—47% higher than unfertilized monoculture systems. Increased OM and nitrogen levels in these systems correlated with greater fungal abundance and diversity. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed strong relationships between fungal communities and soil properties, particularly pH and calcium carbonate content. These findings highlight the importance of tailored crop rotation and tillage strategies to improve soil health, enhance microbial biodiversity, and boost agricultural sustainability in temperate climates, providing valuable insights for mitigating the impacts of intensive farming and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the factors driving farmers' crop rotation intention and behavior can provide a scientific foundation for enhancing crop rotation policies. Utilizing 448 micro-research samples from three counties in Heilongjiang Province, a structural equation model was developed to examine the factors influencing farmers' crop rotation intention and behavior. This analysis focused on farmer cognition, family endowment, and the external environment. The study results indicate that farmer cognition and family endowment positively impact their intention to rotate. The rotation intention, in turn, is a crucial driver of actual rotation behavior. However, the external environment tends to affect rotational behavior negatively. Then, positive effects were noted, and factors such as the benefits of crop rotation, policy awareness, social support, larger cropland area, narrower return, the profit gap between maize and soybean, lower spatial connectivity standard, and higher crop rotation subsidy standard significantly encourage farmers' crop rotation intention and behavior. In a nutshell, to effectively promote the area of rotation, it is crucial to enhance policy communication, target subsidy to larger households, and establish differentiated subsidy standards. These measures are essential to boosting farmers' motivation and increasing the adoption of crop rotation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Populus and its hybrids are attractive bioenergy crops and the southeastern United States has broad ability to supply bioenergy markets with woody biomass. Breeding and hybridization have led to superior eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall) and hybrid poplars adapted to a wide variety of site types not suited for agricultural production. In order to maximize productivity and minimize inputs, genotypes need to efficiently use available site resources and tolerate environmental stresses. In addition, we need to determine plasticity of traits and their coordination across sites to select traits that will broadly characterize genotypes. Therefore, our study objectives were to determine (1) which leaf traits were correlated with growth, (2) if traits and genotypes exhibited significant plasticity across sites, and (3) how traits were coordinated within and across sites and Populus taxa. Methods: We measured trees at two sites in northeastern Mississippi, United States: one upland and one alluvial terrace site. Genotypes included eastern cottonwoods as well as F1 crosses of eastern cottonwood and P. maximowiczii (Henry), P. nigra (L.) and P. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray). Results: We found that sites differed in which leaf traits were correlated with productivity; with water use efficiency specifically being positively correlated with growth at an alluvial terrace site, but negatively correlated with growth at an upland site. Tree height growth, leaf isotope composition (δ13C and δ15N), as well as leaf mass per area (LMA) exhibited the least plasticity across sites, while physiological gas exchange parameters and leaf nitrogen concentration exhibited the highest plasticity. Broadly across taxa, leaf carbon isotope ratios were correlated with intrinsic water use efficiency, and stomatal conductance was positively correlated with photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency across sites, while leaf nitrogen isotope ratios exhibited contrasting relationships with leaf nitrogen concentration. Discussion: Overall, these results allow us to refine selections of productive genotypes based on site conditions and site-specific relationships with physiological parameters to better match Populus taxa with sites and landowner objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope for natural colours is increasing because of the awareness of allergic, toxic, and hazardous reactions associated with synthetic dyes. Natural colours are extracted from sources that are naturally available, such as flora, fauna, and minerals. Nature sourced us multiple possibilities of colours with varied shades and hues that are subtle and harmonious when combined. Reasons like the instability of natural colours during industrial processing, seasonal availability of raw materials, fading of colour over time, cost of the benefit, and struggles in attaining sustainability have reduced commercialisation success as synthetic colours. Some plants that yield natural colours are also included in crop rotation practice. Natural dye extraction is a source of employment for the countrified subdivisions of poor developing countries. Indigenous technologies on natural colour extraction are available and have been practiced over the years; due to a lack of documentation and information on colour-yielding plants or products from horticultural crops, and their extraction methods, the use of natural colours is diminishing day by day. Even in recent years, emerging techniques have been adopted in research and development, and the information has not been brought together for the use of industries and allied sectors. Several modern approaches, such as Ultrasonication, microwave, enzymatic, supercritical, pressurised liquid extraction, etc., have proven to give better results in extracting natural colours. Thereby, having instantaneous information will help to go green, be eco-friendly, and effectively utilise all the resources without compromising industrial benefits. Reviewing the availability of natural colours from horticultural crops, classifications, recent trends in their extraction process, and applications in various fields will help achieve the above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The ecosystem services provided by soil microbial communities are critical for the resilience of agroecosystems, ensuring environmental conservation and food security. Long-term experiments comparing contrasting crop rotations are valuable tools for monitoring microbial responses, but they rarely include all crop phases within a single year. Therefore, the long-term agronomic impact may be masked by the immediate effect of the crop evaluated. In this study, we compared different crop rotations based on the Intensification Sequence Index (ISI), which considers the soil occupation time, and analyzed the impact of cover crops and two nitrogen fertilization strategies. Material and methods: We used an experiment initiated in 2006 with the following crop rotations: Soybean-Soybean, Maize-Wheat/Soybean, and Maize-Soybean-Wheat/Soybean. Soil samples were taken after the harvest of each summer crop phase (i.e., Soybean, Maize, Wheat/Soybean), and the soil prokaryotic community was monitored using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results and discussion: We observed that ISI and crop phase were the main predictors of microbial community composition, explaining 14.7% and 13.0% of the variation, respectively. Nitrogen fertilization had a minor effect (3.12%) and was detected only after maize sampling; cover crops had no significant effect. However, the presence of cover crops showed higher alpha diversity and an increased abundance of Proteobacteria. Maize enriched the abundance of certain taxa of Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia , while Soybean increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Comparatively, Soybean enriched Mucilaginibacter and Geobacter , while Wheat/Soybean enriched Brevundimonas and Roseimicrobium. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that crop phase is as important as the long-term legacy of crop rotations in shaping the microbial community and that specific taxa responses are highly dependent on the crop phase surveyed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping systems in the North-Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso face significant challenges related to poor yields, declining soil fertility and harsh climatic conditions. Together these necessitate a shift toward more sustainable farming practices. Agroecology aims to enhance yields while minimizing environmental harm through the use of ecological functions and has been promoted by researchers and farmers' organizations as a solution. However, its implementation remains limited. This study investigated the criteria farmers consider when implementing agroecological practices at the farm level and how these criteria and their implementation are influenced by farm characteristics. Data collection methods included the serious game TAKIT, together with baseline and complementary household surveys (108 farmers each). Farm diversity was analyzed using a statistical typology. The influence of farm types, farm structural variables and the village location on (1) whether or not agroecological practices were implemented and (2) the criteria considered by farmers was explored. Four distinct farm types were identified: low resource endowed farms relying on off-farm income, low resource endowed farms relying on livestock income, medium resource endowed farms relying on agricultural and livestock income, and high resource endowed farms with diverse sources of income. There were no significant differences in the implementation of agroecological practices across farm types. Crop rotations were the most frequently implemented practice (by 91% of the study farmers), while the 2-by-2 line intercropping of sorghum-cowpea was the least implemented (9% of farmers). Implementation of zai pits varied significantly between villages, with farmers in Nagreonkoudogo more likely to use them than those in Tanvousse, due to differing soil characteristics. Farmers considered several criteria when deciding whether to implement agroecological practices, including the ability to improve yield and preserve soil. Constraints to their implementation included a lack of knowledge and their high labor requirements. These criteria did not differ across farm types, likely because they stem from shared environmental constraints or conditions. The study highlights the complexity of agroecological transitions in sub-Saharan Africa, and illustrates the need to adequately consider contextual conditions. The co-design of new practices, and the redesign of existing ones, should align with criteria considered by farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melilotus albus, which contains abundant pharmacologically active coumarins, is usually used as a rotation crop and green manure worldwide. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a crucial plant hormone that plays an important role in plant stress responses. There is a paucity of information about the ABA signaling pathway and its regulatory network in M. albus. Here, we performed a comparative physiological and transcriptomic analysis to assess the response of M. albus to exogenous ABA. Physiological analysis revealed that proline (Pro), soluble protein and H2O2 content after ABA treatment 3 h significantly increased by 14.0%, 12.0% and 32.4% compared with 0 h in M. albus. A total of 19,855 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified under ABA treatment, including 13,392 in shoots and 15,471 in roots. We obtained two modules that were significantly correlated with the ABA treatment (the darkorange module was positively correlated at 24 h in the shoot, brown2 module positively correlated at 3 h in the root) by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). KEGG enrichment analysis showed that genes within two modules were primarily enriched in protein synthesis and metabolism, secondary metabolites, purine and pyrimidine metabolism, and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis. GO enrichment analysis indicated that genes within two modules were primarily enriched in energy substance metabolism. These pathways were mainly associated with abiothic stress, which indicated that exogenous application of ABA activated the stress resistance system of M. albus. The hub gene 4CL1 (4-Coumarate: CoA ligase 1) was translated and expressed in yeast, resulting in enhanced salt and ABA tolerance in the transgenic yeast. Overexpression of Ma4CL1 in M. albus improved the salt resistance of the transgenic plants. Profiling ABA-responsive genes offers valuable insights into the molecular functions of regulatory genes and will facilitate future molecular breeding efforts in M. albus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe food-forage production system is crucial for the sustainability and livelihood of resource-poor farming communities. This study evaluates the impact of various nutrient sources on the sustainable production of oats as a fodder crop and green gram as a sequence crop. Application of nitrogen and phosphorus are key factor that affects the quality and yield of fodder. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of various combinations of organic and inorganic nutrient sources on the sustainable production of green gram as a sequence crop and oats as a fodder crop. The highest grain yield, overall system productivity, and oats equivalent yield of green forage and green gram were obtained from the treatment (T6) with combination of 75% of the recommended nitrogen dose + vermicompost @ 2 t/ha + phosphate-solubilizing bacteria @ 15 kg/ha + Azotobactor @ 10 g/kg seed + zinc sulfate (ZnSO4, 7H2O) @ 20 kg/ha. Additionally, T6 markedly increased the amount of crude protein content, dry matter yield, nutrient uptake, and forage quality in both green gram and oats. According to the energy balance analysis, T6 had the highest levels of energy use efficiency and energy profitability. Results also showed that T6 had superior irrigation and total water productivity, as well as enhanced soil microbial populations. The treatment (T6) produced the highest gross and net returns despite having the highest cultivation costs, indicating that combining organic and inorganic fertilizer sources can increase agricultural profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While diuron residues are being detected more frequently in agricultural soils, there is limited information available regarding their potential phytotoxicity to non-target grain crops. This study aims to determine robust phytotoxicity thresholds for three common, but contrasting, crop species (canola, chickpea, and wheat) exposed to a range of diuron concentrations and to determine how loamy sand soil can change the toxicity thresholds relative to an inert sand. The log-logistic non-linear regression model proved most effective in determining toxicity thresholds by analysing crop responses to diuron. Canola was the most sensitive to diuron in sand followed by wheat and chickpea. Diuron exhibits higher phytotoxicity in sand compared to loamy sand, with ED50 values (which is the dose at which diuron causes a 50% decrease in plant growth) of 0.03 mg kg-1 and 0.07 mg kg-1 for canola shoot biomass inhibition and 0.01 mg kg-1 and 0.06 mg kg-1 for root dry weight reduction, respectively. The ED50 values for wheat shoot biomass (0.11 and 0.24 mg kg-1) in sand and loamy sand, respectively, and the ED50 values for root growth inhibition are 0.14 mg kg-1 in sand and 0.19 mg kg-1 in loamy sand. These values were lower than label concentrations and previously estimated average and maximum diuron residue loads (0.17 and 0.29 mg kg-1) in Western Australia paddocks. The larger ED50 values of diuron in the loamy sand can be attributed to higher soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity that decreased bio-available diuron levels. Average diuron residue loads in Western Australia crop fields exceed the ED50 value emphasizes the need for careful planning of crop rotations to avoid crop phytotoxicity from soil-borne diuron residues. Further study is needed to determine the effect of a wider range of soil properties such as pH, clay content, and soil organic matter on the phytotoxicity risk of diuron to rotational crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop rotation can affect crop productivity and soil characteristics; however, the impact of preceding crops on the yield and quality of foxtail millet and the relationship between these two factors have not been well characterised. To further investigate the effects of preceding crops on foxtail millet, this study cultivated maize, mung beans, soybeans, potatoes, and proso millet as the preceding crops and rotated them with Zhangzagu10 foxtail millet. A randomised complete block design was employed for the study, and soil and millet samples were collected after harvest. The performance of Zhangzagu10 foxtail millet grown with five different preceding crops was explored by measuring yield and quality indicators and comprehensively analysing various quality traits and their interrelationships. The physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of millet grains were significantly influenced by the preceding crop. The yield of Zhangzagu10 cultivated after mung bean was significantly higher (8277.47 kg/hm 2) than that of millet cultivated after the other crops. Additionally, the colour characteristics (a*, b*, and △E values) were superior, with the rice exhibiting the strongest yellow colour. Foxtail millet preceded by soybean showed a significantly higher thousand-grain weight, indicating well-filled grains. Furthermore, this treatment had rich contents of carotenoids and polyphenols at 34.79 mg/kg and 76.27 mg/100 g, respectively, and significantly higher levels of minerals such as V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Se, and Sn compared to the other treatments. Foxtail millet following mung bean and soybean demonstrated excellent grain quality, featuring high breakage values and gelatinisation, along with low cooking values and gelatinisation temperatures and moderately low setback values. Zhangzagu10 cultivated after potato exhibited a polyphenol content of 67.13 mg/100 g, showcasing strong antioxidant effects. In contrast, proso millet preceded by foxtail millet had relatively lower content levels across various substances, resulting in an overall subpar performance. In summary, selecting appropriate preceding crops can significantly enhance both the yield and quality of Zhangzagu millet. Moreover, soybeans, potatoes, and mung beans can be effectively incorporated into a sustainable crop rotation plan for millet. In the future, we aim to further explore the interaction mechanisms between preceding crops and millet to optimise rotation strategies and improve foxtail millet quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to intensify the agricultural sector to ensure the food security of the growing population of the planet against the background of depletion of natural sources of phosphorous raw materials leads to an increase in the costs of agricultural producers for phosphorus fertilizers (PFs), which increases the urgency of the problem of optimizing their doses. Based on the generalization of long-term field experiments, the economic and environmental validity of different approaches to calculating doses of PFs for cereals in the Ob region was compared. The study was conducted in 2006–2017 in long-term experiments of the Siberian Federal Scientific Center of Agrobiotechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences on leached medium loamy, medium humus chernozem in the central forest steppe of the Ob region (54°53′13.5″ N and 82°59′36.7″ E). Calculations were performed based on the results of observations in three crop rotations: three-full grain (fallow–wheat–wheat), in four-full grain fallow (fallow–wheat–wheat–barley), and in four-full grain fallow (fallow–wheat–wheat–wheat). The duration of the experiments was 18, 23, and 38 years, respectively. The experiments were carried out against a background of nitrogen fertilizers with a complete plant protection from harmful organisms. A high agronomic efficiency of PF application has been shown: the increase in grain yield with the use of P15–P30 averaged 0.5–1.2 t ha–1. Phosphorus removal by the grain harvest (its alienation from the field) in the control variants was ≈20 kg P2O5 ha–1 of the crop area, and it reached 30 kg ha–1 in the variants with fertilization. Its removal by aboveground biomass was 1.6 times greater and reached 48 kg/ha. The phosphorus balance in the soil in the variants of experiments without the introduction of PF was deficient (‒15...‒27 kg ha–1), its deficit was ‒11 kg ha–1 with the introduction of P15, and the balance with a dose of P30 was positive; i.e., the phosphorus intake was excessive. Two indicators were considered evidence of excess doses of PF > P30 for grain agrocenoses in the forest steppe of the Ob region: accumulation of mobile mineral phosphorus in the soil and an increase in the fraction of enzymatically available phosphorus, these pools can become a source of phosphorus losses from agrocenosis. It is concluded that the calculation of doses of phosphorus fertilizers based on the amount of phosphorus alienation by the grain harvest for the leached chernozem of the Ob region is more justified from an economic and environmental point of view in comparison with the calculation based on the amount of removal of the element by the entire aboveground (grain + straw) biomass of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil functioning is affected by agriculture. Therefore, sustainable soil use requires frequent soil health monitoring. Soil health indicators (ISE) allow to do soil health evaluation simply and periodically. The carbon (C) dioxide emission during short aerobic incubations (Cmin) could be used as an ISE. However, its performance as ISE has not been sufficiently evaluated. The objective of this work was to evaluate the sensitivity of Cmin at 2 [Cmin(2)], 4 [Cmin(4)], 6 [Cmin(6)], and 10 [Cmin(10)] days of incubation to the effect of different management practices and their relationship with total (COT), mineral associated (COA), particulate (COP), potentially mineralizable (C0), and potassium permanganate oxidizable (CoxP) organic C, anaerobically mineralized nitrogen (NAN), and aggregate stability of a Mollisol from the southeastern Buenos Aires province. We determined Cmin(2), Cmin(4), Cmin(6), and Cmin(10), COT, COA, COP, C0, CoxP, NAN, and EA (remnant mass of macroaggregates, MasaMAMV) in soil samples (0-5 and 5-20 cm) from a long-term experiment in Balcarce including crop-pasture rotations under conventional tillage and no-tillage (SD). As expected, the Cmin showed a similar pattern as the rest of the variables reflecting the effect of the different management practices with greater values observed under pasture and SD, especially at 0-5 and 0-20 cm. The ability of the Cmin to show the effect of the management practices evaluated increased with the increase of the duration of the incubation. The Cmin correlated (Pearson r) to COT, COP, C0, CoxP, NAN, and MasaMAMV (r=0.52 to r=0.96) (P<0.01) with coefficients increasing with the days of incubation. It is concluded that Cmin4 (r=0.59 to r=0.88) or Cmin6 (r=0.52 to r=0.93) could be used as adequate ISE. It is necessary to continue studying these relationships under contrasting soil, climate and management conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of crop type and soil characteristics on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Latvian agriculture, offering insights directly relevant to policymakers and practitioners focused on sustainable land management. From 2020 to 2023, emissions were monitored across four agricultural sites featuring different crop rotations: blueberry monoculture, continuous maize cropping, winter barley–winter rapeseed rotation, and spring barley–bean–winter wheat–fallow rotation. Results indicate that GHG emissions vary widely depending on crop and soil type. CO2 emissions varied significantly based on both crop and soil type, with organic soils under maize cultivation in Mārupe averaging 184.91 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1, while mineral soils in Bērze under spring barley emitted 60.98 kg CO2 ha−1 day−1. Methane absorption was highest in well-aerated mineral soils, reaching 6.11 g CH4 ha−1 day−1 in spring barley fields in Auce. Maize cultivation contributed the highest N2O emissions, reaching 33.15 g N2O ha−1 day−1. These findings underscore that targeted practices, like optimized crop rotation and fertilizer use, can substantially reduce GHG emissions. Climate variability across locations affects soil moisture and temperature, but these factors were statistically controlled to isolate the impacts of crop type and soil characteristics on emissions. This study provides valuable data to inform sustainable agricultural policies and help achieve EU climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased agricultural weed diversity is associated with reduced dominance of competitive weeds that reduce crop yields. In addition, diverse weed communities can promote biodiversity at other trophic levels and enhance ecosystem services. For both reasons, there is increasing interest in the relationship between agricultural management and weed diversity. Existing information in this area is limited, relative to the large number of influential factors, but knowledge is increasing rapidly. We conducted a scoping review to determine when, where, and how weed diversity has been evaluated in relation to management. From an initial set of 10 236 items retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus, 7198 were screened and 331 were included. The median publication year was 2015. Nearly half of all studies were conducted in Europe (n = 161, 49%). Organic cropping systems were included in 48 studies (15%). Tillage was the most common management factor (n = 111, 34%), followed by crop rotation (n = 73, 22%). There were 135 studies in which management factors were implemented for six or more years (41%). Most studies included measurements of species richness (n = 265, 80%) and/or Shannon–Wiener diversity (n = 145, 44%). Overall, this review identified a small and heterogenous—but quickly growing—body of literature on weed diversity. Priority areas for future research should include weed diversity beyond field crops in temperate environments, weed seedbanks, functional diversity, and best practices for measuring weed diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]