Ideal pH for the adsorption of metal ions Cr6+, Ni2+, Pb2+ in aqueous solution with different adsorbent materials

Industrialization increases the number of heavy metals released into the environment. Lead (Pb2+), nickel (Ni2+) and chromium (Cr6+) are among these toxic metals and cause irreversible effects on ecosystems and human health due to their bio-accumulative potential. The decontamination through adsorption processes using lignocellulosic wastes from agricultural and/or forestry processes is a viable solution. Hence, this work aimed at studying the effect of pH on the biosorption of the metal ions using four different by-product materials: walnut shell, chestnut shell, pinewood and burnt pinewood. These experiments were conducted with solutions of the three heavy metals in which the adsorbents were immersed to measure the rate of adsorption. A range of pH values from 3.0 to 7.5 was used in the experiments, and the concentrations were determined by atomic absorption. The results showed different behaviour of the biosorbent materials when applied to the different metals. The lead adsorption had an ideal pH in the range of 5.5–7.5 when the walnut shell was used as an adsorbent, corresponding to values of adsorption greater than 90%, but for the other materials, maximum adsorption occurred for a pH of 7.5. For the adsorption of chromium, the pH was very heterogeneous with all adsorbents, with optimal values of pH varying from 3.0 (for chestnut shell) to 6.5 (for walnut shell and wood). For nickel, the best pH range was around pH 5, with different values according to the lignocellulosic material used. These results indicate that the tested biosorbents have the potential to decontaminate wastewater in variable extensions and that by controlling the pH of the solution; a more efficient removal of the heavy metals can be achieved.

Conversion of land use and household livelihoods in Vietnam: A study in Nghe An

This article describes the relationship between the land use purpose conversion and households’ livelihoods in suburban Vinh City, Nghe An province. In the survey with 170 households losing their land to build the VSIP Nghe An industrial park project, this article shows the double impact of this issue. (1) On the positive side, households’ quality of life in the current period shows a significant improvement. They are living in better conditions with more spacious houses and modern facilities than before. The average income of households increased by 900 USD than before. (2) On the negative side, the unemployment rate increases with women older than 35 years and men older than 40 years. Along with the improper use of compensation received, income sustainability is a doubt for these households’ future.

The role of edible insects to mitigate challenges for sustainability

This review is focused on the utilization of insects as a new opportunity in food and feed products, including their commercialization both in traditional and new markets. It has been suggested that insects are considerably more sustainable when compared with other sources of animal protein, thus alleviating the pressure over the environment and the planet facing the necessity to feed the world population, constantly increasing. Many chefs have adhered to the trend of using insects in their culinary preparations, bringing insects to the plan of top gastronomy, highlighting their organoleptic qualities allied to a recognized high nutritional value. However, in some markets, insects or insect-based products are not readily accepted because of neophobia and disgust. Moreover, the insect markets, farming, and commercialization are experiencing a huge growth, in which the domain of animal feed is undoubtedly a very strong component. The future of insects as human food and animal feed seems promising in view of the recent trends and challenges.

Increase in the antioxidant content in biscuits by infusions or Prosopis chilensis pod flour

Nowadays there is an increasing demand for healthy biscuits. The reduction in sugar and fat level, as well as the addition of bioactive compounds, is positively associated with a healthy diet. In the present work, low-fat and low-sugar biscuits were prepared with infusions (mate, coffee, and tea) or with Prosopis chilensis pod flour (PPF). Biscuits were made with maize starch and wheat flour (gluten formulations) or with gluten-free ingredients (gluten-free). The colour, texture, and the antioxidant capacity were evaluated in dough and biscuits. Among the formulations prepared with infusions, the mate dough showed the lowest firmness (1.1 N (gluten)-24.3 N (gluten-free)). However, no significant differences were found in the fracture stress of the final products (P > 0.05). Mate gluten biscuits and PPF gluten-free biscuits showed the highest fracture strain (16.2 and 9.4%, respectively) and the lowest Young’s modulus (7.3 and 13.3 MPa, respectively) in their groups. The highest antioxidant activity was found in biscuits with mate (8.7 µmol FeSO4/g (gluten)-4.3 µmol FeSO4/g (gluten-free)). These values were three times higher than the ones found in the control biscuits (2.9 µmol FeSO4/g (gluten)-3.9 µmol FeSO4/g (gluten-free)). The present results showed that the antioxidant content in biscuits could be successfully increased with infusion addition.

Integrated weed management practices and sustainable food production among farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

A survey was conducted in the Kwara State of Nigeria to study the integrated weed management (IWM) practices by farmers. This was in view of the poor weed management practices adopted by farmers, which is a major factor responsible for low yields of many arable crops in Kwara State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 480 respondents, and a structured interview schedule was used to elicit information from them. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Factor analysis was also carried out to examine the perception of farmers’ benefits of IWM. Results showed that the majority of farmers (29.4%) were youths, married (89.1%), and involved in medium-scale farming (47.2%). Furthermore, 50.8% of the farmers had primary or secondary education. Although farmers use different weed control methods, more than half of them (54.7%) use herbicides. Most farmers (92.6%) are engaged in the use of IWM, However, 73.5% of them use a combination of herbicides and hoe weeding. Although not properly practiced, farmers perceived IWM as having socio-environmental (29.229%) and techno-efficacious (23.495%) benefits over either hoe weeding or herbicides used alone. The findings suggest a need to train farmers on all aspects of IWM to achieve self-sufficiency in food production in Kwara State.

Factors affecting eating habits and knowledge of edible flowers in different countries

The use of edible flowers (EF) in gastronomy is gaining popularity; however, there is still a lack of information about the factors that most contribute to the acceptance of this product. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the habits associated with the usage of EF in gastronomy in three different countries (Portugal, Slovenia, and Brazil) and also to evaluate the major determinants for those habits. In addition, the level of knowledge was also investigated, particularly with regard to the aspects such as perceived risks of toxicity and pesticides. For that, a questionnaire survey of self-response was carried out on a sample of 559 participants, from the above-mentioned countries. To analyse the data, basic descriptive statistical tools were used combined with crosstabs and chi-square tests. Finally, a tree classification was performed using the classification and regression trees algorithm. The results revealed that, regardless of the country, the participants were familiar with the use of EF in gastronomy. The participants had, in general, already consumed EF, and their use was more popular between the Portuguese participants, being the Brazilian those who used them less. Significant differences were found between the countries in the form of consumption of EF and also in the types of EF consumed. There were also significant differences regarding the reasons for eating EF. The classification analysis showed that the country and the level of education were the major determinants for the consuming habits and knowledge about EF. This study highlighted that eating habits are very dependent on the customs and traditions of each country and helped understanding the factors that most affect the participants’ attitudes towards the consumption and knowledge of EF.

Nanocomposite coatings for hatching eggs and table eggs

Theoretical and applied aspects of the concept of using biomimetic protective coatings GREEN ARTICLE (ARTIficial cutiCLE) in the poultry industry, namely in the production of table and hatching eggs, are developed. The basic matrix component of the protective coatings GREEN ARTICLE is chitosan, an environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and harmless material. It is experimentally proved that electrochemical and ultrasonic technologies for modifying a solution of chitosan in peroxide compounds (peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide) with nanoparticles of oxides like titanium, iron, zinc, and metals, such as titanium, copper, and calcite, allow to create protective coatings of double action in accordance with the technologies: (a) extending the shelf life of table eggs, food green article (FGA) and (b) preventing contamination of hatching eggs with pathogenic microflora, increasing the hatchability of eggs, and the quality of chicken, hatching green article (HGA). In the technology of storing table eggs, artificial cuticles based on chitosan FGA are characterized by the following characteristics: increased thickness of 6–10 µm, low gas and moisture permeability, and high biocidal activity against pathogenic bacteria and viruses. It is shown that the use of FGA technology in the production of table eggs can extend the period of transportation and storage of products by 33–35 days at a temperature of 24°C and maintained a grade A (Haugh unit = 71–60) through the entire 35 days period. The technology HGA reduces the rate of contamination of hatching eggs with pathogenic microflora by 99.29–99.7%, while increasing the egg hatching rate by 2.3–11.6% compared to the control, depending on the cross of the poultry and the storage conditions of the hatching eggs. It is important that these technologies have a great prospect for application in countries that develop green technologies for the production of poultry products.

Productivity and profitability of organic and conventional potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production in West-Central Bhutan

Bhutan aspires to be an entirely organic nation. Food self-sufficiency and increasing farm household income are critical priorities in the country. Realising these priorities necessitates assessing the country’s current organic agriculture performance. The objectives of this study were to investigate the productivity and profitability of organic and conventional potato and farmers’ constraints in producing organic potato in West-Central Bhutan. Multistage and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study sample. A semi-structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were employed to gather primary data for the 2019 cropping cycle from 93 potato farmers: 43 organic farmers in the Gasa District and 50 conventional farmers in Wangdue Phodrang District. Descriptive statistics, cost and return analysis, and independent sample t-test were applied for data analysis. The results revealed that the conventional potato’s productivity (tuber yield) and profitability were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than organic potatoes. The average productivities for organic and conventional potatoes were 7.48 and 19.22 t/ha, respectively. Organic potato farmers incurred a loss of −202,708.47 Ngultrum (Nu)/ha, while conventional potato farmers incurred a profit of 83,832.85 Nu/ha. The benefit-cost ratios of organic and conventional potato stood at 0.40 and 1.27, respectively. Lack of premium price, pest and disease problems, low crop productivity, and climate change were the constraints faced by organic potato farmers. The study found that the productivity and profitability of the conventional potatoes were higher than the organic potatoes in West-Central Bhutan in the current scenario. Further, the critical information will contribute to guiding Bhutan’s vision for its organic agriculture development.

Influences of spacing on yield and root size of carrot (Daucus carota L.) under ridge-furrow production

Although there is adequate information on the influence of plant population on root yield and size of carrot on flat and raised bed for rain fed production system, information on ridge-furrow bed preparation method is limited for irrigation production system. Therefore, in this study, field experiments were conducted for 2 years to determine the appropriate spacing of carrot on ridge-furrow carrot production practice under irrigation. Root yield increased significantly as the population increased. On the contrary, root size significantly decreased as population increased. The result of combined analysis over season and locations indicated that the narrowest spacing of 10 cm × 4 cm rows on the ridge and between plants, respectively, which accommodates 1,250,000 plants ha−1 gave significantly highest marketable carrot root yield of 26 t ha−1 followed by 22.6 t ha−1 with spacing of 20 cm × 4 cm which accommodates 1,000,000 plants ha−1, but it produced the smallest individual root weight of 83 g which is mostly preferred for household consumption unlike jumbo roots. Therefore, in terms of root sizes and marketable yield, the current study identified that spacing of 10 cm × 4 cm is optimum on ridge-furrow carrot production practices.

Relationships between soil salinity and economic dynamics: Main highlights from literature

Soil characteristics often have an impact on a farm’s competitiveness and on the quality of the agricultural goods obtained through farming activities. The quality of these products leads to social consequences, namely because of its impact on human health. Considering these contexts and the pertinence of these issues, in this study the intention is to highlight the several dimensions related to soil salinity and the respective economic dynamics. To achieve these objectives, several documents were considered from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) and Scopus for search topics associated with these issues (soil salinity and economic dynamics). The metadata obtained from the two databases for these documents was first benchmarked. After this initial benchmarking to identify the main differences between WoS and Scopus, these documents were analysed through bibliometric approaches and later exploited using a literature review. An alternative approach to carrying out systematic reviews in the presence of a great number of documents (methodology based on benchmarking of metadata, from scientific databases, and bibliometric assessment and analysis) was suggested. The results show that the strategies for dealing with the soil salinity and the concerns for food security, desertification, climate change, nitrogen management, and plant osmoregulation deserved special attention from the researchers. In turn, the direct assessment of the socioeconomic impacts from soil salinity, or the impacts on several dimensions of sustainability motived fewer studies.