scholarly journals Competency of Rhizobial Inoculation in Sustainable Agricultural Production and Biocontrol of Plant Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erana Kebede
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Systemic Resistance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rhizobial Inoculation ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Rhizobial Inoculants

The rate of growth of the global population poses a risk to food security, demanding an increase in food production. Much of the world's cultivable soils also do not have ideal farming conditions such as soil health and fertility problem and increased pest attacks, which are challenges of food production. In this perspective, there is a need to increase agricultural production using a more economically and environmentally sustainable approach. As practices of agricultural production and improvement, rhizobial inoculants represent a practically effective, ecologically safe, and economically alternative means of realizing maximum agricultural production. This review addressed how rhizobial inoculation advances agricultural production through improving plant growth, nutrient availability and uptake, and yields by enhancing bio-fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and solubilization of soil nutrients. Besides, rhizobial inoculants offer biocontrol of plant diseases by providing resistance against disease-causing pathogens or suppression of diseases. Mechanisms involved in biocontrol of plant diseases include competition for infection sites and nutrients, activation of induced systemic resistance, and production of substances such as growth hormones, antibiotics, enzymes, siderophores, hydrogen cyanide, and exo-polysaccharides. Consequently, this approach is promising as sustainable agricultural practices have yet to supplement or replace chemical fertilizers, serving as a basis for future research on sustainable agricultural production. Despite the multifunctional benefits of rhizobial inoculation, there is a variation in the implementation of this practice by farmers. Therefore, researchers should work on eradicating farmers' constraints in using rhizobia, and future studies should be concentrated toward the methods of improving inoculant quality and promotion of the technology.

Role of magnesium in food production: an overview

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Dechen ◽  
Q. A. C. Carmello ◽  
F. A. Monteiro ◽  
R. C. Nogueirol
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Production Factors ◽  
Fertiliser Use

The Second International Symposium on Magnesium was held in São Paulo, Brazil, in November 2014. An overview of the role of magnesium in food production was the theme of the opening session of that meeting. This paper considers agricultural production systems, mainly in terms of sustainability, fertiliser-use efficiency and food security, with emphasis on soils of tropical regions. Magnesium in soils and plants, as well as in relation to other nutrients and to other agricultural production factors, is especially covered. Finally, the role of magnesium is considered in terms of plant and animal health, nutrient management and the need of future research.

scholarly journals FARMERS' PERCEPTION REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTHERN TURKEY: THE CASE OF MERSIN PROVINCE

New Medit ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Cost

Climate change is responsible for the negative effects in human life causing a decrease in agricultural products, biodiversity, soil fertility, and forest areas. In contrast, climate change increases plant diseases and pests, the cost of agricultural production and risk in food security. This study aims to determine whether climate change is a phenomenon via the analysis of the perceptions of the farmers in the Mersin province conducted over 251 questionnaires. Farmers primarily perceive climate change over production costs and the reduction in yield. Moreover, they are highly aware of its relation to natural events such as floods, drought, and storms. Nevertheless, inappropriate agricultural practices also lead to the negative consequences caused by climate change. In this respect, this study revealed that farmers with high cooperative partnerships and experience perceived climate change significantly.

scholarly journals Ecosystem-Based Food Production: Consumers′ Preferred Practices and Willingness to Buy and Pay

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4542
Author(s):  
Eija Pouta ◽  
Eero Liski ◽  
Annika Tienhaara ◽  
Kauko Koikkalainen ◽  
Antti Miettinen
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Willingness To Buy ◽  
Consumer Segment ◽  
Food Provision

Ecosystem-based agricultural practices that utilize ecosystem processes aim to either reduce the negative externalities of agricultural production or increase the production of ecosystem services other than food provision. We examined consumer interest in buying and paying for food produced using ecosystem-based agricultural practices. According to the results, the most preferred practices were the more efficient use of livestock manure, the use of nitrogen-fixing crops, biological pest control, and the addition of soil carbon. Having these practices as an attribute of a food product increased the interest in buying the product for 43% of consumers. Their median willingness to pay (WTP) was 20% higher than for conventional products. Using socioeconomic and attitudinal variables, a hurdle model revealed the characteristics of a consumer segment interested in ecosystem-based agricultural practices.

scholarly journals Compost in the 20th Century: A Tool to Control Plant Diseases in Nursery and Vegetable Crops

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladis M. Zinati
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Root Rot ◽  
Phytophthora Cinnamomi ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Systemic Resistance ◽  
Future Research

The discovery of disease suppression in certain bark composts increased the interest in using compost as growing substrate to control root rot diseases caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. Disease suppression mechanisms include antibiosis, competition, hyperparasitism, and induced systemic resistance. Although abiotic factors may influence disease suppression, the latter is often based on microbial interactions—the two common mechanisms being general for pythium (Pythium spp.) and phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora spp.) and specific for rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia solani). The discovery of disease suppression agents in compost led to the development of biocontrol agent-fortified compost during the last decade of the 20th century. The suggested recommendations for future research and extension outreach may include 1) development of methods to manage bacterial and viral diseases through the use of compost; 2) exploration of the potential effects of fortified compost on insect pests suppression; 3) improvement of inoculation methods of composts with biocontrol agents to produce consistent levels of disease suppression at the commercial scale; 4) development of effective fortified compost teas for suppressing foliar diseases; 5) education of compost producers on methods of production of fortified compost that suppress specific diseases; and 6) education of end-users on uses of fortified compost and its by-products.

scholarly journals Perspectivas de la investigación en fitopatología

2017 ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Ernesto Moreno-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
World Food ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Environmental Integrity

Approximately only 30 cultivated plants provide the world supply of calories and proteins constituting more than 90% of the human diet. One of the strongest trends toward preserving global natural resources, which has the potential to reverse the current world food crisis involves the concept of sustainable agriculture. This concept allows for better use and protection of natural resources and more efficient management of materials for food production (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, etc) toward the production of food in regions which are currently deficient with a minimum compromise of the environment. Plant diseases have always created a problem for food production worldwide. In the past fifteen years, a variety of plant diseases have threatened crops of great economic importance in México and in other Latin American countries. Research performed in Mexico has been responsible for greaty alleviating some of the compromise to agricultural production caused by these plant diseases. In the case of wheat, the stem rust was finally brought under control by the brilliant research achievements of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and his team of Mexican scientists, who in 1970, received the Nobel Prize for World Peace. The agricultural research of this century has yielded enormous advances in plant breeding, in the use of soil and water, in the development of agricultural machinery for growing as well as harvesting crops. Now, however, the focus must be toward a more prudent use of chemicals in the name of global environmental integrity. The achievements of modern biotechnology through the use of special techniques such as tissue culture and genetic engineering contribute to an optimistic vision of world food production for the future of mankind. Two of the most important challenges for our country in the field of agricultural biotechnology are the upbringing of highly qualified human resources and the formation of research groups in touch with the problems that affect agricultural production.

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.

scholarly journals Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits

Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Michele Sellitto ◽  
Severino Zara ◽  
Fabio Fracchetti ◽  
Vittorio Capozzi ◽  
Tiziana Nardi
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Postharvest Quality ◽  
Crucial Point ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits ◽  
And Storage

From a ‘farm to fork’ perspective, there are several phases in the production chain of fruits and vegetables in which undesired microbial contaminations can attack foodstuff. In managing these diseases, harvest is a crucial point for shifting the intervention criteria. While in preharvest, pest management consists of tailored agricultural practices, in postharvest, the contaminations are treated using specific (bio)technological approaches (physical, chemical, biological). Some issues connect the ‘pre’ and ‘post’, aligning some problems and possible solution. The colonisation of undesired microorganisms in preharvest can affect the postharvest quality, influencing crop production, yield and storage. Postharvest practices can ‘amplify’ the contamination, favouring microbial spread and provoking injures of the product, which can sustain microbial growth. In this context, microbial biocontrol is a biological strategy receiving increasing interest as sustainable innovation. Microbial-based biotools can find application both to control plant diseases and to reduce contaminations on the product, and therefore, can be considered biocontrol solutions in preharvest or in postharvest. Numerous microbial antagonists (fungi, yeasts and bacteria) can be used in the field and during storage, as reported by laboratory and industrial-scale studies. This review aims to examine the main microbial-based tools potentially representing sustainable bioprotective biotechnologies, focusing on the biotools that overtake the boundaries between pre- and postharvest applications protecting quality against microbial decay.

scholarly journals Application of Nematode Community Analyses-Based Models towards Identifying Sustainable Soil Health Management Outcomes: A Review of the Concepts

Soil Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Haddish Melakeberhan ◽  
Gregory Bonito ◽  
Alexandra N. Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Nematode Community ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Water Holding

Soil health connotes the balance of biological, physicochemical, nutritional, structural, and water-holding components necessary to sustain plant productivity. Despite a substantial knowledge base, achieving sustainable soil health remains a goal because it is difficult to simultaneously: (i) improve soil structure, physicochemistry, water-holding capacity, and nutrient cycling; (ii) suppress pests and diseases while increasing beneficial organisms; and (iii) improve biological functioning leading to improved biomass/crop yield. The objectives of this review are (a) to identify agricultural practices (APs) driving soil health degradations and barriers to developing sustainable soil health, and (b) to describe how the nematode community analyses-based soil food web (SFW) and fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) data visualization models can be used towards developing sustainable soil health. The SFW model considers changes in beneficial nematode population dynamics relative to food and reproduction (enrichment index, EI; y-axis) and resistance to disturbance (structure index, SI; x-axis) in order to identify best-to-worst case scenarios for nutrient cycling and agroecosystem suitability of AP-driven outcomes. The FUE model visualizes associations between beneficial and plant-parasitic nematodes (x-axis) and ecosystem services (e.g., yield or nutrients, y-axis). The x-y relationship identifies best-to-worst case scenarios of the outcomes for sustainability. Both models can serve as platforms towards developing integrated and sustainable soil health management strategies on a location-specific or a one-size-fits-all basis. Future improvements for increased implementation of these models are discussed.

scholarly journals Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from a Traditional Nutrient-Rich Cambodian Diet Food Production System Using Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3660
Author(s):  
Rathna Hor ◽  
Phanna Ly ◽  
Agusta Samodra Putra ◽  
Riaru Ishizaki ◽  
Tofael Ahamed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Production System ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
Food Production System

Traditional Cambodian food has higher nutrient balances and is environmentally sustainable compared to conventional diets. However, there is a lack of knowledge and evidence on nutrient intake and the environmental greenness of traditional food at different age distributions. The relationship between nutritional intake and environmental impact can be evaluated using carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural production based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The objective of this study was to estimate the CO2 equivalent (eq) emissions from the traditional Cambodian diet using LCA, starting at each agricultural production phase. A one-year food consumption scenario with the traditional diet was established. Five breakfast (BF1–5) and seven lunch and dinner (LD1–7) food sets were consumed at the same rate and compared using LCA. The results showed that BF1 and LD2 had the lowest and highest emissions (0.3 Mt CO2 eq/yr and 1.2 Mt CO2 eq/yr, respectively). The food calories, minerals, and vitamins met the recommended dietary allowance. The country’s existing food production system generates CO2 emissions of 9.7 Mt CO2 eq/yr, with the proposed system reducing these by 28.9% to 6.9 Mt CO2 eq/yr. The change in each food item could decrease emissions depending on the type and quantity of the food set, especially meat and milk consumption.

scholarly journals How Much Is Enough? First Steps to a Social Ecology of the Pergamon Microregion

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 479
Author(s):  
Julian Laabs ◽  
Daniel Knitter
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Cultural Dynamics ◽  
Imperial Period ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Complementary Region ◽  
The City

In this study, we present a transparent and reproducible approach to model agricultural production with respect to environmental characteristics and available labour. Our research focuses on the city of Pergamon and its surroundings, with an emphasis on the transition between the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial Period, where widespread demographic changes took place. We investigated the degree of local self-sufficiency using different concepts of a city’s complementary region. Using simple topographic derivatives, we derive a measure of environmental suitability that we translate into a carrying capacity index. Our results show that workforce was not a limiting factor for local self-sufficiency. However, environmental carrying capacity may have been limiting in a scenario with a large population. An active investment into the environment, e.g., by the construction of terraces, could have helped to increase the degree of self-sufficiency. Future research should investigate the level of resilience of such a coupled socio-ecological system in relation to environmental and socio-cultural dynamics.

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