Bovine respiratory microbiota of feedlot cattle and its association with disease

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), as one of the most common and costly diseases in the beef cattle industry, has significant adverse impacts on global food security and the economic stability of the industry. The bovine respiratory microbiome is strongly associated with health and disease and may provide insights for alternative therapy when treating BRD. The niche-specific microbiome communities that colonize the inter-surface of the upper and the lower respiratory tract consist of a dynamic and complex ecological system. The correlation between the disequilibrium in the respiratory ecosystem and BRD has become a hot research topic. Hence, we summarize the pathogenesis and clinical signs of BRD and the alteration of the respiratory microbiota. Current research techniques and the biogeography of the microbiome in the healthy respiratory tract are also reviewed. We discuss the process of resident microbiota and pathogen colonization as well as the host immune response. Although associations between the microbiota and BRD have been revealed to some extent, interpreting the development of BRD in relation to respiratory microbial dysbiosis will likely be the direction for upcoming studies, which will allow us to better understand the importance of the airway microbiome and its contributions to animal health and performance.

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

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

Salicylic-Acid-Regulated Antioxidant Capacity Contributes to Growth Improvement of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus cv. Red Balady)

The improvement of crop yield and quality are currently of prime concern to achieve global food security and sustainability. Plant elicitation with salicylic acid (SA) has been shown to play a key role in regulating plant growth and productivity. Here, the effects of foliar SA application (1, 2, and 4 mM) on antioxidant capacity and phenolic metabolism, among other biochemical parameters, were studied in okra leaves. The results showed that SA treatments markedly increase the levels of endogenous free SA and trigger the accumulation of chlorophylls, soluble proteins, proline, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds, alongside the stimulation of the enzymatic activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and peroxidase, with these changes being paralleled by decreased levels of lipid peroxidation. The beneficial effects of SA treatments were also tested on field-grown okra plants. Results revealed that yield-associated agronomic attributes significantly increased upon SA treatments, especially at 2 mM SA. Altogether, these results point to a connection between SA-induced antioxidant system strengthening and crop growth and productivity. Therefore, foliar application of SA seems to be a potent and workable approach to enhance okra crop quality and yield.

Increased climate pressure on the agricultural frontier in the Eastern Amazonia–Cerrado transition zone

Several large-scale drivers of both anthropogenic and natural environmental changes are interacting nonlinearly in the transition zone between eastern Amazonia and the adjacent Cerrado, considered to be another Brazilian agricultural frontier. Land-use change for agrobusiness expansion together with climate change in the transition zone between eastern Amazonia and the adjacent Cerrado may have induced a worsening of severe drought conditions over the last decade. Here we show that the largest warming and drying trends over tropical South America during the last four decades are observed to be precisely in the eastern Amazonia–Cerrado transition region, where they induce delayed wet-season and worsen severe drought conditions over the last decade. Our results evidence an increase in temperature, vapor pressure deficit, subsidence, dry-day frequency, and a decrease in precipitation, humidity, and evaporation, plus a delay in the onset of the wet season, inducing a higher risk of fire during the dry-to-wet transition season. These findings provide observational evidence of the increasing climatic pressure in this area, which is sensitive for global food security, and the need to reconcile agricultural expansion and protection of natural tropical biomes.

Seafood in Food Security: A Call for Bridging the Terrestrial-Aquatic Divide

The contribution of seafood to global food security is being increasingly highlighted in policy. However, the extent to which such claims are supported in the current food security literature is unclear. This review assesses the extent to which seafood is represented in the recent food security literature, both individually and from a food systems perspective, in combination with terrestrially-based production systems. The results demonstrate that seafood remains under-researched compared to the role of terrestrial animal and plant production in food security. Furthermore, seafood and terrestrial production remain siloed, with very few papers addressing the combined contribution or relations between terrestrial and aquatic systems. We conclude that far more attention is needed to the specific and relative role of seafood in global food security and call for the integration of seafood in a wider interdisciplinary approach to global food system research.

Recent Trends in Nano-Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture under Climate Change for Global Food Security

Nano-fertilizers (NFs) significantly improve soil quality and plant growth performance and enhance crop production with quality fruits/grains. The management of macro-micronutrients is a big task globally, as it relies predominantly on synthetic chemical fertilizers which may not be environmentally friendly for human beings and may be expensive for farmers. NFs may enhance nutrient uptake and plant production by regulating the availability of fertilizers in the rhizosphere; extend stress resistance by improving nutritional capacity; and increase plant defense mechanisms. They may also substitute for synthetic fertilizers for sustainable agriculture, being found more suitable for stimulation of plant development. They are associated with mitigating environmental stresses and enhancing tolerance abilities under adverse atmospheric eco-variables. Recent trends in NFs explored relevant agri-technology to fill the gaps and assure long-term beneficial agriculture strategies to safeguard food security globally. Accordingly, nanoparticles are emerging as a cutting-edge agri-technology for agri-improvement in the near future. Interestingly, they do confer stress resistance capabilities to crop plants. The effective and appropriate mechanisms are revealed in this article to update researchers widely.

Remediation of Pesticides by Microalgae as Feasible Approach in Agriculture: Bibliometric Strategies

Pesticide treatment dramatically reduces crop loss and enhances agricultural productivity, promoting global food security and economic growth. However, owing to high accrual and persistent tendency, pesticides could create significant ecological consequences when used often. Lately, the perspective has transitioned to implementing biological material, environmentally sustainable, and economical strategies via bioremediation approaches to eradicate pesticides contaminations. Microalgae were regarded as a prominent option for the detoxification of such hazardous contaminants. Sustainable application and remediation strategies of pesticides pollutants in the agriculture system by microalgae from the past studies, and recent advancements were integrated into this review. Bibliometric strategies to enhance the research advancements in pesticide bioremediation by microalgae between 2010 and 2020 were implemented through critical comparative analysis of documents from Scopus and PubMed databases. As a result, this study identified a growing annual research trend from 1994 to 2020 (nScopus > nPubMed). Global production of pesticide remediation by microalgae demonstrated significant contributions from India (23.8%) and China (16.7%). The author’s keyword clustering was visualized using bibliometric software (VOSviewer), which revealed the strongest network formed by “microalgae”, “bioremediation”, “biodegradation”, “cyanobacteria”, “wastewater”, and “pesticide” as significant to the research topic. Hence, this bibliometric review will facilitate the future roadmap for many scholars and authors who were drawing attention to the burgeoning research on bioremediation of pesticides to counteract environmental impacts while maintaining food sustainability.

In silico characterization and comparison of the fruit ripening related beta‐ amylase (BAM) gene family in banana genome A and B

Banana is one of the most important commodities for maintaining global food security. Primary metabolic processes during the ripening of banana greatly affect post‐harvest quality, particularly in starch metabolism. The beta‐ amylase (BAM) gene family is known as a group of genes that plays an important role in starch metabolism regulation. In this study, we focused on the characterization and comparative analysis of the BAM gene family in DH Pahang and Pisang Klutuk Wulung (PKW) varieties, these being the AA and BB genomes, respectively. The sequences of BAM gene family were retrieved from the database of Musa acuminata ’DH Pahang’ and Musa balbisiana ’PKW’ genome, then structural and functional characterization was performed, followed by identification of cis‐acting elements in the BAM promoter regions. The results showed that the BAM gene family structure was relatively conserved in both genomes, and a putative BAM11 gene was found, the function of which has not been studied in other plants. Cis‐acting element analysis showed that they were distinct in the copy number and types of elements that were responsive to various phytohormones. This study suggested that the BAM genes involved in ripening are spatiotemporally regulated. However, further functional genomic analysis is required to describe the specific role and regulation of BAM genes during ripening in banana.