Advanced hydroponics design for plant cultivation in cities

2021 ◽  
pp. 303-320
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Pennisi ◽  
◽  
Alessandro Pistillo ◽  
Elisa Appolloni ◽  
Francesco Orsini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Artificial Lighting ◽  
Plant Cultivation ◽  
The World

The growth of the world urban population altogether with the detrimental effects of climate change and resource scarcity are currently exerting extreme pressure on our food systems. Innovation in vegetable crop production is being driven by plant cultivation technologies that are independent of soil fertility and availability, highly efficient in the use of water and mineral nutrients and adapted to protected environments with resilience to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Soilless culture systems (SCS) are most suited to tackle these challenges, and in recent years their innovation has mainly targeted the adaptation of the growing techniques developed in traditional commercial greenhouse systems into advanced hydroponic designs fitted to diverse urban environments. This chapter describes the most recent innovations in SCS for plant cultivation within urban settings. These include rooftop farms and cultivation inside buildings through the use of artificial lighting. Finally, the chapter looks ahead to future research trends in this area.

scholarly journals Potential applications of biogenic selenium nanoparticles in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A comprehensive insight on the mechanistic approach and future perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 456-475
Author(s):  
Efat Zohra ◽  
Muhammad Ikram ◽  
Ahmad A. Omar ◽  
Mujahid Hussain ◽  
Seema Hassan Satti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Selenium Nanoparticles ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Biotic Stresses ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Developmental Growth ◽  
Potential Applications

Abstract In the present era, due to the increasing incidence of environmental stresses worldwide, the developmental growth and production of agriculture crops may be restrained. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have precedence over other nanoparticles because of the significant role of selenium in activating the defense system of plants. In addition to beneficial microorganisms, the use of biogenic SeNPs is known as an environmentally friendly and ecologically biocompatible approach to enhance crop production by alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. This review provides the latest development in the green synthesis of SeNPs by using the results of plant secondary metabolites in the biogenesis of nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes with unique morphologies. Unfortunately, green synthesized SeNPs failed to achieve significant attention in the agriculture sector. However, research studies were performed to explore the application potential of plant-based SeNPs in alleviating drought, salinity, heavy metal, heat stresses, and bacterial and fungal diseases in plants. This review also explains the mechanistic actions that the biogenic SeNPs acquire to alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this review article, the future research that needs to use plant-mediated SeNPs under the conditions of abiotic and biotic stresses are also highlighted.

Nanotechnology Applications for Sustainable Crop Production

2016 ◽  
pp. 246-266
Author(s):  
Gaurav Mishra ◽  
Shailesh Pandey ◽  
Antara Dutta ◽  
Krishna Giri
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Yield Enhancement ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
The World ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Global Food

Innovations in nanotechnology revolutionized the world in all sectors, including medicine, biotechnology, electronics, material science, energy sectors etc. In fact, the existing literature also points towards the potential application of nanotechnology in global food production and alarming situation of food scarcity. With the advancement of nanotechnology, use of nanofertilizers for yield enhancement, nanopesticides for insect pests and disease control and nanosensors to monitor soil and plant health becomes one of the most fascinating and promising lines of investigation to achieve sustainability. Furthermore, nanobiotechnology application enables gene transfer to expand the genetic base of crop varieties against different biotic and abiotic stresses. Some lacunas which may resist commercialization of nanotechnology are cost, industrial setup, and public attitude towards the health and food safety issues. Sincere attempts are required to answer these questions and develop suitable strategies to solve any problems, we might encounter in near future.

scholarly journals The effects of crop diversity and crop species on biological diversity in agricultural landscapes: a systematic review protocol

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Cami Moss ◽  
Martin Lukac ◽  
Francesca Harris ◽  
Charlotte L. Outhwaite ◽  
Pauline F.D. Scheelbeek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Crop Diversity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Crop Species

Agricultural intensification is a well-known driver of biodiversity loss. Diversity of crop production over space and time reduces land use intensity and may mitigate impacts on biodiversity while contributing to growing demand for human food and nutrition resources. Crop species are also known to have independent impacts on biodiversity. To date, reviews synthesising our knowledge of crop species and crop diversity-biodiversity links are missing. We will therefore conduct a systematic review by searching multiple agriculture, ecology and environmental science databases (e.g. Web of Science, Geobase, Agris, AGRICOLA, GreenFILE) to identify studies reporting the impacts of crop diversity and crop species on the biological diversity of fauna, flora and microbes in agricultural landscapes. Outcomes will include metrics of species richness, abundance, assemblage, community composition and species rarity. Screening, data coding and data extraction will be carried out by one reviewer and a proportion will be independently conducted by a second reviewer. Study quality and risk of bias will be assessed. Evidence will first be mapped by species/taxa then assessed for further narrative or statistical synthesis based on comparability of results and likely robustness. Gaps in the evidence base will also be identified with a view toward future research and policy directions for nutrition, food systems and ecology.

Nanotechnology Applications for Sustainable Crop Production

2016 ◽  
pp. 164-184
Author(s):  
Gaurav Mishra ◽  
Shailesh Pandey ◽  
Antara Dutta ◽  
Krishna Giri
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Yield Enhancement ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
The World ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Global Food

Innovations in nanotechnology revolutionized the world in all sectors, including medicine, biotechnology, electronics, material science, energy sectors etc. In fact, the existing literature also points towards the potential application of nanotechnology in global food production and alarming situation of food scarcity. With the advancement of nanotechnology, use of nanofertilizers for yield enhancement, nanopesticides for insect pests and disease control and nanosensors to monitor soil and plant health becomes one of the most fascinating and promising lines of investigation to achieve sustainability. Furthermore, nanobiotechnology application enables gene transfer to expand the genetic base of crop varieties against different biotic and abiotic stresses. Some lacunas which may resist commercialization of nanotechnology are cost, industrial setup, and public attitude towards the health and food safety issues. Sincere attempts are required to answer these questions and develop suitable strategies to solve any problems, we might encounter in near future.

scholarly journals The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3423
Author(s):  
Phillip Warsaw ◽  
Steven Archambault ◽  
Arden He ◽  
Stacy Miller
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Fresh Food

Farmers markets are regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers directly sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown farm products to consumers. Markets rebuild and maintain local and regional food systems, leading to an outsized impact on the food system relative to their share of produce sales. Previous research has demonstrated the multifaceted impacts that farmers markets have on the communities, particularly economically. Recent scholarship in the United States has expanded inquiry into social impacts that markets have on communities, including improving access to fresh food products and increasing awareness of the sustainable agricultural practices adopted by producers, as well developing tools for producers and market stakeholders to measure their impact on both producers and communities. This paper reviews the recent scholarship on farmers markets to identify recent trends and synthesizes the current evidence describing the ways in which farmers markets contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, as well as identifying areas for additional future research.

Regenerative flow pumps, blowers and compressors – A review

2021 ◽  
pp. 095765092110181
Author(s):  
M Sreekanth ◽  
R Sivakumar ◽  
M Sai Santosh Pavan Kumar ◽  
K Karunamurthy ◽  
MB Shyam Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Performance Parameters ◽  
The World ◽  
Working Principle ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Specific Speed ◽  
Regenerative Flow ◽  
Product Description

This paper presents a detailed and objective review of regenerative flow turbomachines, namely pumps, blowers and compressors. Several aspects of turbomachines like design and operating parameters, working principle, flow behaviour, performance parameters and analytical and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) related details have been reviewed and summarized. Experimental work has been put in perspective and the most useful results for optimized performance have been presented. Consolidated plots of specific speed-specific diameter have been plotted which can be helpful in the early stages of design. Industrial outlook involving details of suppliers from various parts of the world, their product description and applications too are included. Finally, future research work to be carried out to make these machines widespread is suggested. This review is targeted at designer engineers who would need quantitative data to work with.

Promoting Savings for Financial Resilience: Expanding the Psychological Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
Crystal C. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Personal Savings

In the United States, the lack of personal savings has been a perennial concern in the world of public policy. Policymakers and other practitioners constantly struggle with how to encourage families to accumulate funds in preparation for inevitable, but often unpredictable, financial emergencies. The field of applied behavioral science has attempted to address this challenge—often with mixed or modest results. I argue that psychological science (personality and social psychology in particular) offers underappreciated insights into the design and implementation of policy interventions to improve the rate of individual savings. In this article, I briefly discuss examples of prior interventions that have attempted to increase saving and then lay out some opportunities that have not been deeply explored. Future research in this area should broaden and deepen the way that psychology is leveraged as a tool to improve the financial security of the people who are the most vulnerable.

scholarly journals The Effects of Urban Natural Environments on Preference and Self-Reported Psychological Restoration of the Elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Qujing Chen ◽  
Tian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Aging Populations

The world is facing the challenge of aging populations. Urban natural environments, including green spaces and blue spaces, have been demonstrated to have great benefits to the mental restoration of the elderly. However, the study of the specific characteristics of urban environments that are popular and the most restorative for the elderly is still lacking. Photo elicitation as visual stimuli was utilized to explore the differences in preference and psychological restoration of the elderly through the perception of the eight perceived sensory dimensions (PSDs) in different types of urban environments. The results showed that: (1) The respondents had different perceptions of the eight PSDs in the different urban natural environments. Blue space and partly-closed green space were more preferred by the elderly, and also had more psychological restorative effects on the elderly. (2) There was no significant correlation between the number of highly perceived PSDs and preference, as well as between the number of highly perceived PSDs and psychological restoration. However, there was a significant correlation between preference and psychological restoration. (3) Partly-closed green space with more Serene and Refuge qualities, and blue space with more Serene, Refuge and Prospect properties were optimal characteristics for psychological restoration of the elderly. In addition, open green space with more Prospect, Serene and Social qualities, and closed green space with more Space, Refuge and less Nature properties could also increase psychological restoration of older adults. These findings can provide useful guidelines for restorative environmental design for the elderly in the future.

scholarly journals Revisiting Sulphur—The Once Neglected Nutrient: It’s Roles in Plant Growth, Metabolism, Stress Tolerance and Crop Production

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 626
Author(s):  
Tinashe Zenda ◽  
Songtao Liu ◽  
Anyi Dong ◽  
Huijun Duan
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Plant Phenotyping ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Sulphur Nutrition ◽  
Physiological Processes

Sulphur plays crucial roles in plant growth and development, with its functions ranging from being a structural constituent of macro-biomolecules to modulating several physiological processes and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In spite of these numerous sulphur roles being well acknowledged, agriculture has paid scant regard for sulphur nutrition, until only recently. Serious problems related to soil sulphur deficiencies have emerged and the intensification of food, fiber, and animal production is escalating to feed the ever-increasing human population. In the wake of huge demand for high quality cereal and vegetable diets, sulphur can play a key role in augmenting the production, productivity, and quality of crops. Additionally, in light of the emerging problems of soil fertility exhaustion and climate change-exacerbated environmental stresses, sulphur assumes special importance in crop production, particularly under intensively cropped areas. Here, citing several relevant examples, we highlight, in addition to its plant biological and metabolism functions, how sulphur can significantly enhance crop productivity and quality, as well as acclimation to abiotic stresses. By this appraisal, we also aim to stimulate readers interests in crop sulphur research by providing priorities for future pursuance, including bettering our understanding of the molecular processes and dynamics of sulphur availability and utilization in plants, dissecting the role of soil rhizospherical microbes in plant sulphur transformations, enhancing plant phenotyping and diagnosis for nutrient deficiencies, and matching site-specific crop sulphur demands with fertilizer amendments in order to reduce nutrient use inefficiencies in both crop and livestock production systems. This will facilitate the proper utilization of sulphur in crop production and eventually enhance sustainable and environmentally friend food production.

scholarly journals Salicylic acid and kaolin effects on pomological, physiological, and phytochemical characters of hazelnut (Corylus avellana) at warm summer condition

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marziyeh Khavari ◽  
Reza Fatahi ◽  
Zabihollah Zamani
Keyword(s):  
Salicylic Acid ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Corylus Avellana ◽  
Kernel Weight ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Tolerance Index ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
The World ◽  
Warm Summer ◽  
Supporting Materials

AbstractClimate change and population increase are two challenges for crop production in the world. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is considered an important nut regarding its nutritional and economic values. As a fact, the application of supporting materials as foliage sprays on plants will decrease biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the effects of salicylic acid (0, 1 mM and 2.5 mM) and kaolin (0, 3% and 6%) sprays were investigated on morphological, physiological, pomological, and biochemical characteristics of hazelnut. The results showed that 1 mM salicylic acid and 6% kaolin had the best effects on nut and kernel weight compared to control. Biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll a, b, a + b, and carotenoid contents showed that salicylic acid and kaolin improved pigment concentration. Proline and antioxidant contents such as phenolic acids, SOD, APX, and CAT enzyme activities increased by these applications. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation, protein content, and H2O2 content were decreased. Based on the tolerance index result, Merveille de Bollwiller cultivar showed the highest tolerance while 'Fertile de Coutard' had the lowest value. Therefore, hazelnut performance may be improved through exogenous application of the signaling (salicylic acid) and particle film (Kaolin) compounds in warmer climates.

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