Hasil untuk "Agriculture (General)"

Katie E. Wyer, David B. Kelleghan, V. Blanes-Vidal et al.

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) released from agriculture is contributing significantly to acidification and atmospheric NH3 may have on human health is much less readily available. The potential direct impact of NH3 on the health of the general public is under-represented in scientific literature, though there have been several studies which indicate that NH3 has a direct effect on the respiratory health of those who handle livestock. These health impacts can include a reduced lung function, irritation to the throat and eyes, and increased coughing and phlegm expulsion. More recent studies have indicated that agricultural NH3 may directly influence the early on-set of asthma in young children. In addition to the potential direct impact of ammonia, it is also a substantial contributor to the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) fraction (namely the US and Europe); where it accounts for the formation of 30% and 50% of all PM2.5 respectively. PM2.5 has the ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and cause long term illnesses such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Hence, PM2.5 causes economic losses which equate to billions of dollars (US) to the global economy annually. Both premature deaths associated with the health impacts from PM2.5 and economic losses could be mitigated with a reduction in NH3 emissions resulting from agriculture. As agriculture contributes to more than 81% of all global NH3 emissions, it is imperative that food production does not come at a cost to the world's ability to breathe; where reductions in NH3 emissions can be easier to achieve than other associated pollutants.

Luiz F. P. Oliveira, A. Moreira, Manuel Silva

The constant advances in agricultural robotics aim to overcome the challenges imposed by population growth, accelerated urbanization, high competitiveness of high-quality products, environmental preservation and a lack of qualified labor. In this sense, this review paper surveys the main existing applications of agricultural robotic systems for the execution of land preparation before planting, sowing, planting, plant treatment, harvesting, yield estimation and phenotyping. In general, all robots were evaluated according to the following criteria: its locomotion system, what is the final application, if it has sensors, robotic arm and/or computer vision algorithm, what is its development stage and which country and continent they belong. After evaluating all similar characteristics, to expose the research trends, common pitfalls and the characteristics that hinder commercial development, and discover which countries are investing into Research and Development (R&D) in these technologies for the future, four major areas that need future research work for enhancing the state of the art in smart agriculture were highlighted: locomotion systems, sensors, computer vision algorithms and communication technologies. The results of this research suggest that the investment in agricultural robotic systems allows to achieve short—harvest monitoring—and long-term objectives—yield estimation.

B. Cárceles Rodríguez, V. H. Durán-Zuazo, Miguel Soriano Rodríguez et al.

Soil health is a term used to describe the general state or quality of soil, and in an agroecosystem, soil health can be defined as the ability of the soil to respond to agricultural practices in a way that sustainably supports both agricultural production and the provision of other ecosystem services. Conventional agricultural practices cause deterioration in soil quality, increasing its compaction, water erosion, and salinization and decreasing soil organic matter, nutrient content, and soil biodiversity, which negatively influences the productivity and long-term sustainability of the soil. Currently, there are many evidences throughout the world that demonstrate the capability of conservation agriculture (CA) as a sustainable system to overcome these adverse effects on soil health, to avoid soil degradation and to ensure food security. CA has multiple beneficial effects on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. In addition, CA can reduce the negative impacts of conventional agricultural practices on soil health while conserving the production and provision of soil ecosystem services. Today, agricultural development is facing unprecedented challenges, and CA plays a significant role in the sustainability of intensive agriculture. This review will discuss the impact of conservation agricultural practices on soil health and their role in agricultural sustainability.

A. Nasirahmadi, O. Hensel

Digitalization has impacted agricultural and food production systems, and makes application of technologies and advanced data processing techniques in agricultural field possible. Digital farming aims to use available information from agricultural assets to solve several existing challenges for addressing food security, climate protection, and resource management. However, the agricultural sector is complex, dynamic, and requires sophisticated management systems. The digital approaches are expected to provide more optimization and further decision-making supports. Digital twin in agriculture is a virtual representation of a farm with great potential for enhancing productivity and efficiency while declining energy usage and losses. This review describes the state-of-the-art of digital twin concepts along with different digital technologies and techniques in agricultural contexts. It presents a general framework of digital twins in soil, irrigation, robotics, farm machineries, and food post-harvest processing in agricultural field. Data recording, modeling including artificial intelligence, big data, simulation, analysis, prediction, and communication aspects (e.g., Internet of Things, wireless technologies) of digital twin in agriculture are discussed. Digital twin systems can support farmers as a next generation of digitalization paradigm by continuous and real-time monitoring of physical world (farm) and updating the state of virtual world.

S. Divya, Iryna Rusyn, Omar Solorza-Feria et al.

Agriculture will face the issue of ensuring food security for a growing global population without compromising environmental security as demand for the world's food systems increases in the next decades. To provide enough food and reduce the harmful effects of chemical fertilization and improper disposal or reusing of agricultural wastes on the environment, will be required to apply current technologies in agroecosystems. Combining biotechnology and nanotechnology has the potential to transform agricultural practices and offer answers to both immediate and long-term issues. This review study seeks to identify, categorize, and characterize the so-called smart fertilizers as the future frontier of sustainable agriculture. The conventional fertilizer and smart fertilizers in general are covered in the first section of this review. Another key barrier preventing the widespread use of smart fertilizers in agriculture is the high cost of materials. Nevertheless, smart fertilizers are widely represented on the world market and are actively used in farms that have already switched to sustainable technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of various raw materials used to create smart fertilizers, with a focus on inorganic and organic materials, synthetic and natural polymers, along with their physical and chemical preparation processes, are contrasted in the following sections. The rate and the mechanism of release are covered. The purpose of this study is to provide a deep understanding of the advancements in smart fertilizers during the last ten years. Trends are also recognized and studied to provide insight for upcoming agricultural research projects.

David Vallejo-Gómez, Marisol Osorio, Carlos A. Hincapié

This research aims to carry out a systematic review of the available literature about smart irrigation systems. It will be focused on systems using artificial intelligence techniques in urban and rural agriculture for soil crops to identify those that are currently being used or can be adapted to urban agriculture. To this end, a modified PRISMA 2020 method is applied, and three search equations are formulated. From those filters, and after a screening process, 170 articles are obtained. These articles are analyzed through VantagePoint, a text processing software. After this, they are taken through a detailed analysis phase in which 50 sources are selected as the most relevant to be read and analyzed by topic. Finally, the different phases of the analysis are used to draw conclusions that might be interesting for researchers working in this specific field or for the general public interested in rural and urban agriculture and its automation.

Marius Giorgi Usturoi, Roxana Nicoleta Rațu, Ioana Cristina Crivei et al.

This study explores the nutritional benefits and health implications of omega-3- and omega-6-enriched eggs, positioning them within the context of functional foods aimed at improving public health outcomes. With rising consumer interest in nutritionally fortified foods, omega-enriched eggs have emerged as a viable source of essential fatty acids, offering potential benefits for cardiovascular health, inflammation reduction, and cognitive function. This research examines enrichment techniques, particularly dietary modifications for laying hens, such as the inclusion of flaxseed and algae, to enhance omega-3 content and balance the omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio in eggs. The findings indicate that enriched eggs provide significantly higher levels of essential fatty acids and bioactive compounds than conventional eggs, aligning with dietary needs in populations with limited access to traditional omega-3 sources like fish. This study further addresses consumer perception challenges, regulatory constraints, and environmental considerations related to sustainable production practices. The conclusions underscore the value of omega-enriched eggs as a functional food that aligns with health-conscious dietary trends and recommend ongoing research to refine enrichment methods and expand market accessibility.

Ashraf abdallah, Bara' Al-MISTAREHI, Amir SHTAYAT

Agriculture is a vital component of Egypt's economy; therefore, using Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in agricultural planning in Egypt has significant benefits regarding water management, site appropriateness assessment, flood risk mitigation, and infrastructure construction. It is also essential for planners to make more informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and support sustainable farming practices. This research paper investigates the accuracy of obtaining DEM data from four free global models (STRM30, ALOS30, COP30, and TanDEM-X90). The global DEM data has been compared to an actual GNSS-RTK DEM data surveyed onsite for two agricultural block areas in Aswan, the southern Government of Egypt. The two blocks are a part of a national project. For Block I and II, the RMSE of the Model STRM30 was 2.92 m and 3.59 m, respectively, indicating a poorer solution. Regarding accuracy, the ALOS30 model ranks third, reporting an RMSE of 2.58 m for block II and 3.30 m for block I. COP30 has an RMSE value of 1.06 m for blocks I and II and.91 m overall. TanDEM-X90 is the most accurate model in this investigation; block I provided an RMSE of 0.90 m with an SD of 0.58 m (SD95% = 0.38 m). After removing the anomalies, the model's stated RMSE for block II was 0.34 m, with an SD value of 0.62 m and 1.03 m. According to the classification using machine learning algorithms, with an accuracy of 84.7% for block I and 85% for block II, TanDEM-X90 is the best solution.

Merve Dilek KARATAŞ

This study investigated the effects of treated wastewater irrigation on physiological traits and gene expression in pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants during early development. Control (tap water) and treated wastewater treatments were compared, and physiological parameters, including SPAD values and leaf color measurements, were assessed. In addition, the expression levels of stress-related genes CaCAT2, CaDREB32, and CaLOX1 were analyzed using RT-qPCR. The results showed that treated wastewater irrigation significantly enhanced leaf chlorophyll content and caused a shift in leaf coloration toward darker, greenish tones. At the molecular level, a moderate upregulation of CaCAT2 was detected, whereas CaDREB32 exhibited only a slight and statistically insignificant change. The most pronounced response was observed for CaLOX1, which showed an approximately 50% increase in expression under treated wastewater treatment compared with the control. These findings suggest that treated wastewater irrigation can temporarily enhance photosynthetic capacity in pepper plants, while concurrently activating stress-related signaling pathways. This dual effect highlights that the agricultural use of treated wastewater entails potential benefits but also carries long-term risks that must be carefully considered.

Declan Watts, E. Palombo, Alex Jaimes Castillo et al.

Endophytic fungi and bacteria live asymptomatically within plant tissues. In recent decades, research on endophytes has revealed that their significant role in promoting plants as endophytes has been shown to enhance nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and disease resistance in the host plants, resulting in improved crop yields. Evidence shows that endophytes can provide improved tolerances to salinity, moisture, and drought conditions, highlighting the capacity to farm them in marginal land with the use of endophyte-based strategies. Furthermore, endophytes offer a sustainable alternative to traditional agricultural practices, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and in turn reducing the risks associated with chemical treatments. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on endophytes in agriculture, highlighting their potential as a sustainable solution for improving crop productivity and general plant health. This review outlines key nutrient, environmental, and biotic stressors, providing examples of endophytes mitigating the effects of stress. We also discuss the challenges associated with the use of endophytes in agriculture and the need for further research to fully realise their potential.

J. C. Moreno, M. Berenguel, J. G. Donaire et al.

Dunlu Lu, Jianxiong Ye, Yangxu Wang et al.

Plant detection and counting play a crucial role in modern agriculture, providing vital references for precision management and resource allocation. This study follows the footsteps of machine learning experts by introducing the state-of-the-art Yolov8 technology into the field of plant science. Moreover, we made some simple yet effective improvements. The integration of shallow-level information into the Path Aggregation Network (PANet) served to counterbalance the resolution loss stemming from the expanded receptive field. The enhancement of upsampled features was accomplished through combining the lightweight up-sampling operator Content-Aware ReAssembly of Features (CARAFE) with the Multi-Efficient Channel Attention (Mlt-ECA) technique to optimize the precision of upsampled features. This collective approach markedly amplified the discernment of small objects in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images, naming it Yolov8-UAV. Our evaluation is based on datasets containing four different plant species. Experimental results demonstrate the strong competitiveness of our proposed method even when compared to the most advanced counting techniques, and it possesses sufficient robustness. In order to advance the cross-disciplinary research of computer vision and plant science, we also release a new cotton boll dataset with detailed annotated bounding box information. What’s more, we address previous oversights in existing wheat ear datasets by providing updated labels consistent with global research advancements. Overall, this research offers practitioners a powerful solution for addressing real-world application challenges. For UAV scenarios, recommend using the specialized Yolov8-UAV, while Yolov8-N is a wise choice for general scenes due to its sufficient accuracy and speed in the majority of cases. Furthermore, we contribute two meaningful datasets that have research significance, effectively promoting the application of data resources in the field of plant science. In short, our contribution is to improve the use of Yolov8 in UAV scenarios and open two datasets with bounding boxes. The curated data and code can be accessed at the following link: https://github.com/Ye-Sk/Plant-dataset.

Pavel Pereslavtsev, Christian Bachmann, Joelle Elbez-Uzan et al.

There is widespread use of nuclear radiation for medical imagery and treatments. Worldwide, almost 40 million treatments are performed per year. There are also applications of radiation sources in other commercial fields, e.g., for weld inspection or steelmaking processes, in consumer products, in the food industry, and in agriculture. The large number of neutrons generated in a fusion reactor such as DEMO could potentially contribute to the production of the required radioactive isotopes. The associated commercial value of these isotopes could mitigate the capital investments and operating costs of a large fusion plant. The potential of producing various radioactive isotopes was studied from material pieces arranged inside a DEMO equatorial port plug. In this location, they are exposed to an intensive neutron spectrum suitable for a high isotope production rate. For this purpose, the full 3D geometry of one DEMO toroidal sector with an irradiation chamber in the equatorial port plug was modeled with an MCNP code to perform neutron transport simulations. Subsequent activation calculations provide detailed information on the quality and composition of the produced radioactive isotopes. The technical feasibility and the commercial potential of the production of various isotopes in the DEMO port are reported.

R. Solomon, B. Simane, B. Zaitchik

The challenge of meeting the ever-increasing food demand for the growing population will be further exacerbated by climate change in Ethiopia. This paper presents the simulated economy-wide impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector of Ethiopia using a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The study simulated the scenarios of agricultural productivity change induced by climate change up to the year 2050. At national level, the simulation results suggest that crop production will be adversely affected during the coming four decades and the severity will increase over the time period. Production of teff, maize and sorghum will decline by 25.4, 21.8 and 25.2 percent, respectively by 2050 compared to the base period. Climate change will also cause losses of 31.1 percent agricultural GDP at factor cost by 2050. Climate change affects more the income and consumption of poor rural households than urban rural non-farming households. The reduction in agricultural production will not be evenly distributed across agro ecological zones, and will not all be negative. Among rural residents, climate change impacts tend to hurt the income of the poor more in drought prone regions. Income from labor, land and livestock in moisture sufficient highland cereal-based will decline by 5.1, 8.8 and 15.2 percent in 2050. This study indicated that since climate change is an inevitable phenomenon, the country should start mainstreaming adaptation measures to sustain the overall performance of the economy.

E. Sanyé‐Mengual, K. Specht, J. Vávra et al.

Within the scholarly debate, Urban Agriculture (UA) has been widely acknowledged to provide diverse environmental and socio-cultural ecosystem services (ESs) for cities. However, the question of whether these potential benefits are also recognized as such by the involved societal groups on the ground has not yet been investigated. This paper aims at (1) assessing the perceived ESs of UA, comparing the views of different societal groups in the city of Bologna, Italy (namely: UA project leaders, stakeholders and the general public) and (2) to identify differences in the evaluation of specific UA types (indoor farming, high-tech greenhouses, peri-urban farms, community-supported agriculture, community rooftop garden and urban co-op). In total, 406 individuals evaluated 25 ESs via a standardized Likert-scale survey. The study unveiled similarities and divergences of perceptions among the different societal groups. The statistical analysis indicated that the general public and UA stakeholders agree on the high relevance of socio-cultural ESs, while provisioning ESs was considered as less significant. UA types focusing on social innovation were expected to provide higher socio-cultural ESs whereas peri-urban activities were more closely linked to habitat ESs. We assume that involvement and knowledge of UA are determining factors for valuing the provision of ESs through UA, which needs to be considered for ES valuation, particularly in a policymaking context.

P. T. Dung, Le Thi Thuy Trang, Ha Huu Tung

Aims: Wound care is the basic technique in patient care which has direct effects on treatment outcome. However, the Agriculture General Hospital (AGH), Vietnam, has never organized a continuing professional development (CPD) training program based on Vietnam’s Basic Nursing Competency Standards (VNBNCS) for their nurses. This study aimed to examine the knowledge, practice, and confidence level among nurses at the AGH after 12 months of implementing a VNBNCS-based wound care training program. Methodology: This descriptive and comparative study assessed the changes in knowledge, practice, and confidence scores of 43 nurses at five clinical departments before and 12 months after the training program (April 2018 to June 2019). Data were collected using a self-administrated knowledge questionnaire with 48 items, a 13-item confidence checklist, and a 16-item skills checklist. EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 18.0 were used to enter and analyze data, respectively. Results: The mean scores of knowledge (113.70 ± 14.75 vs. 129.7 ± 19.6), and practice (63.21 ± 19.99 vs. 132.07 ± 4.31) statistically significantly increased 12 months after training (p p < 0.001). Conclusion: Nurses’ wound care-related knowledge, practice, and confidence have improved 12 months after training. This demonstrates the VNBNCS-based wound care training program developed by Viet Duc University Hospital is suitable for use in the AGH and has achieved its promising initial outcomes. This program should be duplicated in other health facilities.

Taís Altmann, Guilherme Heisler, Luiz Felipe da Silva et al.

As jabuticabeiras (Plinia spp.) são espécies frutíferas pertencentes a família Myrtaceae, nativa do Brasil, sendo ainda pouco estudadas, apesar de seu pronunciado potencial agronômico e fitoterápico. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar o crescimento e maturação dos frutos de jabuticabeira (Plinia peruviana (Poir.) Govaerts), nas condições de cultivo da região da Depressão Central do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Este trabalho foi realizado em pomar com onze anos de idade, localizado na zona rural de Porto Alegre, e na Faculdade de Agronomia, UFRGS, durante o ciclo produtivo de setembro/outubro de 2016. A curva de crescimento foi obtida a partir do diâmetro transversal dos frutos. A caracterização da maturação foi realizada através das análises de pH, acidez titulável e do teor de sólidos solúveis da polpa dos frutos. A cor do epicarpo dos frutos foi avaliada através de dados de luminosidade (L*), cromaticidade (C*) e ângulo da cor (h°). A maturação dos frutos ocorreu 38 dias após a plena floração. Uma curva de crescimento do tipo sigmoide simples foi observada. Com o avanço da maturação dos frutos ocorre a redução da acidez titulável, o aumento do pH e do teor de sólidos solúveis e a redução dos valores dos parâmetros de cor.

Ferrara, Giannina, Kim, Jenna, Lin, Shuhao et al.

BackgroundSmartphone diet-tracking apps may help individuals lose weight, manage chronic conditions, and understand dietary patterns; however, the usabilities and functionalities of these apps have not been well studied. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to review the usability of current iPhone operating system (iOS) and Android diet-tracking apps, the degree to which app features align with behavior change constructs, and to assess variations between apps in nutrient coding. MethodsThe top 7 diet-tracking apps were identified from the iOS iTunes and Android Play online stores, downloaded and used over a 2-week period. Each app was independently scored by researchers using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and features were compared with the domains in an integrated behavior change theory framework: the Theoretical Domains Framework. An estimated 3-day food diary was completed using each app, and food items were entered into the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Databases to evaluate their differences in nutrient data against the USDA reference. ResultsOf the apps that were reviewed, LifeSum had the highest average SUS score of 89.2, whereas MyDietCoach had the lowest SUS score of 46.7. Some variations in features were noted between Android and iOS versions of the same apps, mainly for MyDietCoach, which affected the SUS score. App features varied considerably, yet all of the apps had features consistent with Beliefs about Capabilities and thus have the potential to promote self-efficacy by helping individuals track their diet and progress toward goals. None of the apps allowed for tracking of emotional factors that may be associated with diet patterns. The presence of behavior change domain features tended to be weakly correlated with greater usability, with R2 ranging from 0 to .396. The exception to this was features related to the Reinforcement domain, which were correlated with less usability. Comparing the apps with the USDA reference for a 3-day diet, the average differences were 1.4% for calories, 1.0% for carbohydrates, 10.4% for protein, and −6.5% for fat. ConclusionsAlmost all reviewed diet-tracking apps scored well with respect to usability, used a variety of behavior change constructs, and accurately coded calories and carbohydrates, allowing them to play a potential role in dietary intervention studies.

Alicja Pohl, Aneta Grabowska, Andrzej Kalisz et al.

Seaweed extracts are widely used in agriculture as ecological focus substances applied to improve crop growth and quality. One of the primary benefits they bring is increased effectiveness of fruit setting as well as improved stress tolerance, essential for warm-climate crops cultivated in the nonoptimal environmental conditions of Northern and Central Europe. The aim of this study was a preliminary investigation of any genotype-dependent reaction of eggplant cultivars (Solanum melongena) to application of a standardized extract of the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Göemar BM-86) under field conditions in Poland. The only statistically relevant result of this biostimulant was shown for cultivar ‘Flavine’ F1, where it positively affected the early crop yield and the number of fruits per plant. Fruit quality attributes, including antioxidant activity, as well as selected mineral contents, increased as an effect of biostimulant spraying. This reaction was specific for the cultivars investigated, and it was confirmed by significant differences in the main effects between biostimulant and control treatments for almost all the properties measured. The use of this A. nodosum extract suggested that there could be an improvement in fruit yield and quality in selected eggplant cultivars under field conditions in the temperate climatic zone.

Azwin Azwin

Agarwood (A. malaccensis Lamk.) is one of the important tropical forest trees, which produces a high economically valuable fragrant resinous wood. The increase of agarwood demand from year to year leads to uncontrolled illegal harvest of this plant from its natural habitat. To encounter this problem, there is an urgent need to develop agarwood plantation. Tissue culture is an alternative method to provide genetically good seedlings for plantation in the future due to its short period and mass quantity of planlet production. In addition, through this method, its might also provide homogenous plant, and free pest and diseases. The objectives of the study were (1) to find out the optimal concentration of BAP or TDZ for inducing shoot multiplication of agarwood in in vitro conditions. MS (Murashige And Skoog, 1962), was used as basal media. The experimental design of the research was completely randomized design (RAL) with treatment of BAP concentration ( control; 0,50 ppm; 0,75 ppm; 1,0 ppm) or TDZ concentration (control; 0,25 ppm; 0,50 ppm; 0,75 ppm), in 3 units, of replicate every units consist of 4 bottles, every bottle containing one explants coming from axillaries and adventitious shoot explants. Results indicated that two types of agarwood explants grown in vitro in MS basal media containing BAP 0,50 ppm or TDZ 0,25 ppm produced the highest number of shoots and leaves of agarwood plantlets, as well as its plantlet shoot length