Effectiveness of Voluntary Measures to Reduce Agricultural Impact on Groundwater as a Source for Drinking Water: Lessons Learned from Cases in the Dutch Provinces Overijssel and Noord-Brabant

Agricultural practices cause diffuse water pollution issues, which is a policy concern across the globe. This paper addresses the reduction in agricultural impact on groundwater as source for drinking water with a governance approach based on a mutual gains approach (MGA) using voluntary measures only. We performed case studies in Overijssel and in Noord-Brabant, both located in the Netherlands, to study the effectiveness of the governance approach on nutrients and pesticides, respectively. The effectiveness was studied by analyzing the engagement process qualitatively and by analyzing the impact of measures at farm scale as quantitative indicators. For nutrients, the effectiveness is expressed in the N-surplus at farm scale and the realization of groundwater quality objectives in groundwater protection areas (GWPA). For pesticides, the effectiveness is expressed in environmental impact points (EIP) at farm scale and the level of groundwater protection areas (GWPA). The results indicate that the engagement process based on voluntariness creates a platform for meaningful engagement, adds to the economics of the farm and reduces the agricultural impact on groundwater quality. However, the nitrate objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are not met at the level of GWPAs in Overijssel. Due to the voluntariness of the approach, the participation rate relies on the farmers’ expectation of the costs and benefits of the process, and diminishing economic returns prevent the further improvement of efficient nutrient use. Although an enforceable objective and strict deadline for pesticides is missing, the objective has been met at the level of GWPAs using voluntary measures only in Noord-Brabant. An important driver for this effectiveness is the fact that these results can be obtained without incurring economic losses, which may tie into the high participation rate of farmers.

Vegetation dynamics under non-strong agricultural impact (by the example of Oktyabrsk village environs in the Uchalinskiy District of the Republic of Bashkortostan)

Vegetation and its biotopes that are transitional between ruderal and natural ones have been researched in Oktyabrsk village environs (Uchalinskiy District of the Republic of Bashkortostan). The studied vegetation is characterized by rather low biodiversity values and high values of dominance 56 species of vascular plants are identified, 10-species plant communities with 23 clear identified dominant and co-dominant species prevail. Ruderal species are dominant and co-dominant for the majority of plant communities. Fifteen plant associations and specific biotopes have been defined by multivariate statistics methods. The identified associations are phytometers for detected principal abiotic factors. The detected associations form ordination series the authors have identified three biotopical centers (ruderal, birch forest and steppe), three biotopical series and three coenotic series, which are associated with high and temperate pasture loading levels and pasture digression series, forming an integrated succession system of the studied territory. It has been established that principal factors of associations forming is pasture loading level and the principal factors of biotopes forming are soil moistening and its variability, ombroregime (humidification level), termoregime and regime of continentality (temperature-varying amplitude).

The Chrysidoidea Wasps (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) in Conventional Coffee Crops and Agroforestry Systems in Southeastern Brazil

Agroforestry systems represent the integration of agricultural crops with native vegetation. These systems are of great importance to minimize the agricultural impact in the land through intercropping of these vegetations. Despite of the importance of Chrysidoidea as parasitoids wasps associated with different groups of insects, there is no study comparing the assemblages of these hymenopterans in conventional and agroforestry systems in Brazil. The “Pontal do Paranapanema”, located in the extreme west of the state of São Paulo (Brazil), has historically been occupied by coffee crops and some small areas of agroforestry systems. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the abundance and composition of Chrysidoidea wasp fauna in different conventional coffee crops and agroforestry systems located in this region. To do so, we collected in six different localities in the “Pontal do Paranapanema” using a Malaise trap in each locality with collections occurring monthly between June 2011 and July 2012. A total of 3,623 Chrysidoidea specimens of three families were collected: Bethylidae, with four genera and a total of 3,396 individuals, representing 93.73% of the total collected; Chrysididae with 11 genera and 151 individuals (4.16%), and Dryinidae with five genera and 76 individuals (2.09%). In terms of abundance, the agroforestry was responsible for most of the individuals collected (n = 2029), followed by the conventional systems with 1,406 individuals and the transitional with 188. The most abundant genera were Epyris and Dissomphalus, responsible for about 92% of the total of Chrysidoidea collected. Most of the genera of Chrysididae were collected in the conventional systems alone or in both conventional and agroforestry systems. For Bethylidae and Dryinidae, no genera were found exclusively in the conventional system. It is expected that the structural complexity of each one of the different ecosystems impact directly in the fauna of Chrysidoidea parasitoids associated.

Assessing the Impacts of Agriculture and Its Trade on Philippine Biodiversity

Many Philippine species are at risk of extinction because of habitat loss and degradation driven by agricultural land use and land-use change. The Philippines is one of the world’s primary banana and pineapple producers. The input-intensive style of plantation agriculture for these typically exported crops has many adverse effects on the environment. While global studies have attempted to understand the biodiversity impacts of agricultural goods, there are few studies that have investigated the Philippines specifically. In this study, Philippine policies and data are investigated to better characterize the nexus between agriculture, biodiversity, and trade. An analysis of key national policies highlights that more stringent definitions and protections for biodiversity are needed to recognize the increasing roles that agricultural production, and importantly, its global trade, have on threatened Philippine species. A geographical analysis shows that many banana and pineapple plantations in Mindanao and their surrounding agricultural impact zones overlap with ecologically important areas, such as Protected Areas and Important Bird Areas. Overlaps of recorded species occurrence are observed within the immediate zones surrounding 250 plantations for banana and pineapple in Mindanao, with 83 threatened species of Philippine fauna and tree at risk of exposure to the impacts of intensive agriculture.

Ecological analysis of agricultural environmental management problems in the Central Chernozem Region

Land resources of the Central Chernozem Region are intensively used in economic activities that have affected the degradation of the natural environment components. The 100-year observation period revealed changes in biogenic components and humus in the regions soils. To determine the environmental problems of agricultural environmental management, we have calculated modular indicators of geochemical impact of various agricultural sectors. We have calculated the modular indicator of agricultural impact assessment on agricultural systems of the Central Chernozem Region. In order to preserve land resources it is important to quantify the impact of agricultural production. To assess the impact the authors have introduced three types of coefficients: taking into account the agricultural, livestock and technogenic impact. They can be used as the main diagnostic indicators to identify environmental problems. The coefficients make it possible to determine trends in environmental management and by the results of geochemical analysis environmental problems and the degree of impact of different types of agricultural production are identified. Balance violations of the substances cycle in forest-steppe landscapes have been revealed. The landscape and geochemical approach reveals migration processes, the cycle of substance and violations of self-regulating properties of the natural landscape. The analysis of potassium and phosphorus distribution is important in agrochemical aspect. The coefficient was calculated based on the mass of matter introduced and removed from the soil in relation to their content in the soil. The degree of geochemical agricultural impact exceeds the natural geochemical background. It gives an opportunity to define negative features of agricultural nature use. A complex geochemical analysis of different nature users will make it possible to determine the degree of their impact on the natural environment in the region. Soil transformation in agrosystems is accompanied by ecological losses both for the natural environment and for life activity of the population. Due to wide application of chemicalization means for implementation of the agricultural intensification program, it became necessary to determine quantitatively the geochemical load on the landscape in order to optimize and protect it. In this regard, issues of renewal of natural material and energy resources are relevant for agricultural production.

The Function of miRNAs in Plants

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNAs (sRNAs) that repress gene expression via high complementary binding sites in target mRNAs (messenger RNAs). Many miRNAs are ancient, and their intricate integration into gene expression programs have been fundamental for plant life, controlling developmental programs and executing responses to biotic/abiotic cues. Additionally, there are many less conserved miRNAs in each plant species, raising the possibility that the functional impact of miRNAs extends into virtually every aspect of plant biology. This Special Issue of Plants presents papers that investigate the function and mechanism of miRNAs in controlling development and abiotic stress response. This includes how miRNAs adapt plants to nutrient availability, and the silencing machinery that is responsible for this. Several papers profile changes in miRNA abundances during stress, and another study raises the possibility of circular RNAs acting as endogenous decoys to sequester and inhibit plant miRNA function. These papers act as foundational studies for the more difficult task ahead of determining the functional significance of these changes to miRNA abundances, or the presence of these circular RNAs. Finally, how miRNAs trigger the production of secondary sRNAs is reviewed, along with the potential agricultural impact of miRNAs and these secondary sRNA in the exemplar crop maize.