Mulched drip irrigation (MDI), a water-saving technology integrating surface plastic film mulching and drip irrigation, is widely adopted in cotton production to boost yield. However, its impacts on cotton root water uptake patterns, leaf photosynthetic physiology, water productivity (WP), and the relative contributions of agronomic (irrigation amount adjustment) and engineering (irrigation method improvement) water savings remain unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that MDI improves cotton WP by stabilizing shallow soil water supply to enhance leaf photosynthesis, and quantified the weights of these two water-saving types. A two-year field experiment in Xinjiang, China compared mulched drip irrigation (MDI) and traditional flood irrigation (TFI) at two irrigation volumes (390 and 600 mm). Key variables measured included 0–100 cm soil water content (SWC), leaf relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate (Pn), biomass, yield, and WP (defined as seed cotton yield per unit total water use); the entropy weight method quantified water-saving weights. Compared to TFI, MDI maintained stable 0–40 cm SWC and increased 0–60 cm SWC by 4.80–12.87 % during critical flowering-boll stages. This stability enhanced leaf RWC stability and chlorophyll content (11.43–26.38 % higher at prophase full boll stage), increasing average Pn by 5.95–12.04 %. DI-3 achieved the highest WP (13.35–14.10 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹) by reducing total water use by 8.14–15.46 % (vs. FI-3) while maximizing yield. DI-6 increased total water use by 28.58–29.76 % vs. DI-3, with excess water causing excessive vegetative growth and reduced WP. The achieved high water productivity depended on reducing the irrigation volume (contributing 57.44 % of the water saving), but was critically enabled by shifting to mulched drip irrigation (contributing 42.56 %), which efficiently transformed the saved water into enhanced yield. In conclusion, MDI at 390 mm improves cotton WP via stable shallow soil water and enhanced leaf physiology and photosynthesis. This study demonstrates that in arid regions, maximizing water productivity requires first optimizing the irrigation amount, and then adopting efficient irrigation methods to fully realize this potential.
Kevin Daudin, Gilles Belaud, Crystele Leauthaud
et al.
The vulnerability of irrigated systems in areas coping with water scarcity has boosted the demand for information and communication technologies (ICTs), e.g. tools and services derived from field sensors or satellite data. ICTs are promising tools to track and quantify water flows and transfers, yet their increased accessibility and production benefits does not often lead to their increased deployment beyond the group involved in the initial design and testing process. To support technological innovation scaling, an interdisciplinary approach and an original methodology are developed and implemented. The objective is to explore the dynamics of ICTs initiatives in irrigation systems and facilitate horizontal outreach. Technological emergence and diffusion is captured through in-depth analyses of information and collaboration processes operated by the technologies. Investigation into global and local datasets to map irrigation technical layouts at a regional scale shows a gap between representations of irrigation phenomenon, but used in combination these information sources can help characterize diffusion potential. Feedbacks from empirical works in a set of multistakeholder innovation platforms show that collaborative mechanisms during technological experimentations can be diverse but remain crucial to empower irrigation communities. This methodological investigation fuels the debate on digital agriculture, and shows that there are alternative avenues for irrigation sustainable development through technology. Finally, pathways for information and knowledge circulation across actors, scales, and contexts are identified, highlighting researchers’ role to collect, document, and share datasets and stories. Still, learning opportunities should not obscure the operational challenges towards a translocal network of ICTs initiatives for irrigation systems.
IntroductionEnergy analysis offers significant benefits by establishing a foundation for resource conservation, quantifying the energy consumed at each stage of production, identifying processes that require minimal energy input, and supporting sustainable management practices. In sustainable agricultural systems, maximizing the productivity of input energies is a key objective. This study aims to assess energy consumption patterns within the sugar industry and to compare the optimization of energy consumption indicators using two meta-heuristic algorithms, ultimately seeking to enhance resource efficiency and promote sustainable production methods.Materials and MethodsThis study evaluated energy efficiency and environmental impacts in sugarcane-based sugar production at Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company (in Khuzestan Province, Iran), during the 2019-2020 agricultural cycle. Data collection integrated field questionnaires, expert interviews, operational records from the facility, and national agricultural databases (Ministry of Agriculture Jihad statistics and energy balance sheet). Energy flow were analyzed using MATLAB statistical software and the Equinonet database, with comparative optimization through genetic algorithms and imperialist competitive algorithms to identify efficiency improvements.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that, for the majority of indicators evaluated, the imperialist competitive algorithm outperformed the genetic algorithm in optimizing energy consumption. In addition to reducing the environmental impacts of this profitable industry in the country, it has a high potential for energy savings. The total energy input reduction with the genetic algorithm was 17.05%, while the imperialist competitive algorithm achieved a higher reduction of 26.40%. Natural gas consumption decreased by 3.82% using the genetic algorithm, and by 27.60% with the imperialist competitive algorithm. Direct energy savings were 16.97% for the genetic algorithm and 27.48% for the imperialist competitive algorithm. Soil acidification reduction was 23.03% with the imperialist competitive algorithm and 19.19% with the genetic algorithm, compared to conditions before optimization.ConclusionIn general, it can be concluded that, given the growing demand for sugar production and related industries, as well as the high efficiency of the sugar production sector, it is advisable to utilize expert knowledge and apply meta-heuristics methods to optimize energy consumption and available inputs with the aim of reducing harmful environmental impacts.
Abstract Climate change poses significant threats to agriculture, particularly in regions that heavily rely on farming for economic stability and food security. This study examines the economic impact of climate change on net revenue in the Delta region, a critical area for Myanmar’s rice production. Using the Ricardian approach, the research analyzes the sensitivity of net revenue to changes in seasonal temperature and rainfall, utilizing primary data from 1115 major rice farmers. The findings reveal that climate change has a significant influence on net revenue, with strong negative impacts and limited positive effects in the study area. Based on Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) climate projection scenarios, the study projects that future climate change will further reduce net revenue. These empirical results highlight the critical need for adaptive strategies, risk management practices, and forward-looking policies to enhance resilience against climate risks at both the farm and policy levels.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Agricultural industries
Fernando Rodrigues-Silva, Daniel A.S. Rodrigues, Pâmela B. Vilela
et al.
As global water demand rises – driven by climate change, population growth, and agricultural expansion – treated wastewater irrigation (WWI) offers a promising strategy for water conservation and nutrient recycling. Agriculture consumes nearly 70 % of global freshwater, while only 50.8 % of wastewater is treated in Brazil, where WWI represents less than 0.1 % of total irrigation. This review critically assesses the potential and challenges of WWI in Brazilian agriculture by comparing global practices, regulatory frameworks, and treatment technologies. WWI can significantly reduce freshwater withdrawals and dependence on chemical fertilizers, enhancing soil fertility through the recycling of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, persistent contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) – including antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), resistance genes (ARGs), microplastics, and heavy metals – pose environmental and health risks, as conventional systems such as UASB reactors and stabilization ponds, which are vastly implemented in Brazil, were not designed to remove them efficiently. Despite successful examples in high-income countries, regulatory gaps persist in low- and middle-income countries like Brazil, where only 9 of 27 states have local guidelines for wastewater reuse. The adoption of advanced technologies (e.g., membrane filtration, ozonation, UV disinfection) and the development of risk-based regulatory approaches are essential to ensure safety and public acceptance. Educational initiatives and participatory governance can further promote informed decision-making. By investing in technological innovation, harmonized regulation, and interdisciplinary research, WWI could evolve from a niche practice to a mainstream solution for sustainable agriculture, food security, and water resource management in Brazil and globally.
Plastic greenhouse (PG), as a new type of modern agricultural measure, has been used widely due to its significant benefits for agricultural production. However, it also raises concerns about its potential environmental impact. Monitoring of PG is necessary for the agricultural sustainability. However, extracting PGs in fragmented terrains based on remote sensing images is difficult due to the variety of types of PGs and high environmental heterogeneity. In this study, a modified plastic greenhouse index (MPGI) was proposed to monitor PG based on the differences on spectral signatures using Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager. Four study sites, including Weifang (China), Nantong (China), Kunming (China), and Dalat (Vietnam), were selected for index applications. And the effectiveness and robustness of the MPGI were examined by comparing with the exiting PG indices. The results indicated that MPGI improved extraction accuracy in fragmented terrains. The F1 scores for MPGI classification accuracy ranged from 85.7 % to 87.9 %, while other PG indices demonstrated between 67.0 % and 86.4 %. The MPGI demonstrated its capability across various season and datasets, highlighting it has the potential for the PGs mapping in heterogeneous regions. This index is capable of effecting a transformation of greenhouses from ''vague agricultural facilities'' into computable and manageable spatial decision-making units. In establishing an underlying data foundation for smart agriculture development, it serves to reduce the workload of manual labor.
To address the issues of unclear mechanisms and poor harvesting quality in mechanized pepper harvesting, a simulation model based on the discrete element method (DEM) is developed to analyze the harvesting process and optimize key parameters. Through theoretical analysis, kinematic models of the spring-tooth drum and plant system were established, along with mechanical models of spring-tooth and pepper interactions, to elucidate the relationship between motion characteristics and key parameters. A complete pepper plant DEM model was developed to investigate the separation characteristics of peppers and the positional variation patterns of plants. Single-factor tests were performed to determine the optimal ranges of key parameters including rotation speed (150–190 r/min), forward speed (0.5–0.7 m/s) and spring-tooth angle (15–20°). A quadratic regression orthogonal rotary combination test was then employed to optimize these parameters. The optimization results showed that the loss rate (η1) and picking rate (η2) achieved optimal values of 5.66 % and 85.90 %, respectively, at a rotation speed of 170 r/min, a forward speed of 0.61 m/s and a spring-tooth angle of 17° Bench tests revealed a loss rate of 6.07 % and a picking rate of 90.23 %, with relative errors of 7.24 % and 5.04 % respectively compared to the simulation outcomes. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for understanding pepper harvesting mechanisms and provides technical insights for optimizing harvesting devices and developing machinery for similar crops.
This study aims to analyze the export competitiveness and market position of the agricultural, manufacturing, and mining sectors in 10 main export destination countries (China, the United States, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the Philippines). This study uses secondary data sourced from UN COMTRADE for the period of 2013 – 2018. The data is categorized using a 2-digit Harmonized System (HS) classification. This study uses Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Export Product Dynamics (EPD) analysis tools. The RCA estimation results show the export competitiveness of Indonesia’s agricultural, industrial, and mining products is still weak and strong in several major export destination countries. Meanwhile, the EPD estimation shows the Indonesia’s exports of agricultural, industry, and mining commodities mostly got rising star positions in some countries but losing opportunity positions in some other countries. The following suggestions proposed are based on the research. In general, the implications of policy to improve the competitiveness of export products in the manufacturing, agriculture, and mining industries are infrastructure improvement, expansion of the export market, improvement in the quality of human resources, and employment, increasing access to finance, increasing the quality and quantity of production in processing, agriculture and mining industries, and maintaining political
Simin Hagh Nazari, Hosein Monazami, Khadijeh Bagheri
et al.
The restriction on the development of agricultural fields due to the population growth and the conversion of arable land to residential one has caused the failure in the production of macular crops. Also, the increase in greenhouse gases especially resulting from livestock on farms and also urban life and the resulting climate change; have posed major environmental challenges to almost all human activities over the years. Currently, modern biotechnology can be used for sustainable development in agricultural productivity and related industries to solve human problems in diseases, poverty, pollution, and the current food crisis. Because the traditional systems can no longer meet the world's food needs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to use modern biotechnology to accelerate the development of executive programs.
Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim, Hasina Begum, Vitaliano Lopena
et al.
Developing high-yielding rice varieties is critical to ensure global food security. To date, selection of promising genotypes is based on empirical evaluation for grain yield, but the relationship of agronomic traits to yield in tropical rice breeding is largely unknown. This study aimed to determine the extent of variation for 19 agronomic traits and interrelationships among traits in an irrigated rice breeding program at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. A large set of elite germplasm comprising advanced genotypes and varieties derived from the breeding pipeline was evaluated during dry and wet seasons. The broad-sense heritability ranged from 0.35 to 0.99 for all traits in both seasons. Grain yield for the whole plot (plot yield) was positively correlated with yield per plant, 1000 grain weight, and grain width in dry season, and yield per plant, 1000 grain weight, grain width, number of panicles per plant, and panicle exertion rate in wet season. Path analysis showed that the highest direct positive effect of traits on plot yield ranged from 0.25 to 0.45 in dry season and from 0.22 to 0.88 in wet season. Heat map bi-cluster analysis assigned genotypes into three main clusters in both seasons, while traits were grouped into three and five clusters in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The cluster analysis showed that spikelets per panicle, filled grains per plant, and yield per plant were key yield contributing traits. Identification of traits that were highly correlated with rice yield could be useful for developing new varieties adapted to tropical environments.
Abstract The modern world market for agricultural products is a highly competitive environment and requires suppliers to improve constantly the quality of products and the efficiency of production processes. This becomes possible by using the achievements of scientific and technological progress in production. Scientific and technical development of the agricultural sector, first of all, implies the technical and technological renewal of economic entities and the introduction of knowledgeintensive forms of labor organization, management, marketing, etc. Such modernization has a positive impact on the resource intensity and development of means of production, increases the economic potential of farmers and improves the characteristics of products. Moreover, the results of scientific progress contribute to solving socio-economic problems facing society. The combination of factors of scientific and technological development determines the pace, volume and depth of dissemination of research results in the industry. Consistent and rational interaction between science and the production sector, taking into account the variety of factors of scientific and technological development, will allow solving such strategic tasks of the agricultural sector as the emergence and growth of national production of certain types of agricultural products, and ensuring food security of the country. The relevance of the study of the above-mentioned processes is supplemented by the moral and physical obsolescence of the material and technical base of the Russian agro-industrial complex and the weak innovative activity of farmers. The paper will review the list of key factors of scientific and technical development of the agro-industrial complex and analyze the results of innovative activities in the industry.
Andrea Marchini, Chiara Riganelli, Francesco Diotallevi
et al.
Abstract The purpose of the research is to evaluate the impact of different kinds of information disclosures of milk labels, investigating the interest among consumers based on their consumption behaviours and characteristics. In this research, all the actions which lead to a healthiness, become expressions of a production process, among which consumers’ food choices, purchase, preparation, and also self-production. Therefore, in the “health creation” production process, information and knowledge about food become “investments”. In this context, label disclosures become a tangible expression of this kind of “investment”. The research question is: what impact do purchase preferences and consumers’ characteristics have on their interest towards the label information provided? Several information disclosures, both mandatory and voluntary, are investigated. Therefore, some choice attributes will be analysed as indicators of the consumer’s behaviour in relation to his investment in food information. The methodology used for the analysis is an Ordered Logit. The analysis of the consumer’s behaviour has been performed by transposing Ménard’s analysis of firm corporate governance (Ménard, Agribus. 34:142–160, 2018) to the consumer as producer of welfare equity. The reduction of information asymmetry is a cost for the producer, and this research may be able to measure how much it would be convenient to invest in this reduction, based on the analysis of the consumer’s behaviour toward his personal investment in food information acquisition.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Agricultural industries
Paolo Prosperi, Daniele Vergamini, Fabio Bartolini
Abstract Increasing fish consumption along with rising competition in the global seafood market has brought fisheries and aquaculture producers to adopt several differentiation and marketing strategies. Labelling schemes were thus introduced to respond to a growing demand for traceable and sustainable products. However, the proliferation of quality labels brought to general confusion, calling for collective and public fish labels to ease decision-making. In our case study region (Tuscany, Italy), a number of policy-driven efforts were deployed for establishing regional labelling schemes for fisheries products with no observable impact on the market. Meanwhile, local companies have implemented a number of successful private and regional labels. The purpose of this research is to contribute to potential options for collective regional labelling schemes of fisheries and aquaculture products, through a case study analysis, building on agro-food value-chain and management approaches. Our empirical results highlight key issues and perspectives on labelling policies for local fisheries and aquaculture products.
Nutrition. Foods and food supply, Agricultural industries
This study analyzes consumer preferences for wine in Prishtina, Kosovo – a transition country in the Balkans, which is making efforts to withstand to the competition pressure from the traditional neighboring wine producing countries. With the changes in life style and consumer behavior, and incomes rising rapidly since the last conflict, it is imperative to survey the changing demand for producers to compete in the domestic markets. Conjoint Choice Experiments were used to evaluate wine consumer preferences based on wine type (white vs. red), origin (domestic vs. imported), taste (sweet vs. dry) and price. Four distinct classes of consumers were identified. The top two important attributes in the choice of wine are the type and origin but preferences vary across groups – type of wine and origin appear far more important when compared to price, especially for the richest identified segment, whose consumers prefer more expensive wines.
J. J. Bond, A. J. Donaldson, J. V. F. Coumans
et al.
Abstract Background The rumen wall plays a major role in efficient transfer of digested nutrients in the rumen to peripheral tissues through the portal venous system. Some of these substrates are metabolised in the epithelium during this process. To identify the specific proteins involved in these processes, we used proteomic technologies. Protein extracts were prepared from ventral rumen tissue of six sheep fed a fibrous diet at 1.5× maintenance energy requirements. Using a newly developed method, we were able to enzymatically isolate the epithelial cells from underlying tissue layers, thus allowing cytosol and membrane fractions to be independently analysed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS). Results Using our procedure we identified 570 epithelial proteins in the Ovis aries sequence database. Subcellular locations were largely cytosolic (n = 221) and extracellular (n = 85). However, a quarter of the proteins identified were assigned to the plasma membrane or organelle membranes, some of which transport nutrients and metabolites. Of these 91 were transmembrane proteins (TMHMM), 27 had an N-terminal signal peptide (signalP) and TMHMM motif, 13 had a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor and signalP sequence, 67 had beta (β) strands or 17 β strands and a transit peptide sequence, indicating the identified proteins were integral or peripheral membrane proteins. Subunits of the 5 protein complexes involved in mitochondrial cellular energy production were well represented. Structural proteins (15%), proteins involved in the metabolism of lipids and proteins (26%) and those with steroid or cytokine action were a feature of the proteome. Conclusion Our research has developed a procedure to isolate rumen epithelium proteins from the underlying tissue layers so that they may be profiled using proteomic technologies. The approach improves the number of proteins that can be profiled that are specific to the epithelium of the rumen wall. It provides new insights into the proteins of structural and nutritional importance in the rumen epithelium, that carry out nutrient transport and metabolism, cell growth and signalling.
Rui Manuel Pinto Dantier, Aldo Shimoya, Eduardo Shimoda
et al.
O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar uma revisão sistematizada, que possibilite gerar debates e identificar o estado da arte sobre o tema “transporte público” utilizando a base Scopus para verificar as tendências e a evolução das publicações. Na pesquisa, foi observado que o primeiro artigo data de 1945 e que, a partir do ano 2000, o número de artigos cresceu exponencialmente, chegando a 740, em 2016. Os países que mais publicaram sobre o tema foram Reino Unido (13,9%) e Estados Unidos (9,3%). O Brasil ocupa atualmente a 17ª lugar no ranking, com 1,5% dos artigos publicados no mundo. A instituição “The University of Sydney” foi a que mais publicou artigos (152), seguida da “Delft University os Technology” (102). No Brasil, o destaque é para a Universidade de São Paulo, com 18 artigos publicados. Foi realizado também o levantamento dos principais autores, periódicos e áreas de publicação.
Iris Pereira, Jaime Tapia, Ignacio Errázuriz
et al.
The concentrations of Cu, Cr, Fe, Pb and Zn in thallus of three species of epiphytic lichens were determined: Flavopunctelia flaventior, Phaeophyscia orbicularis and Ramalina ecklonii, collected in three sectors of Talca city (Region of Maule, Chile), which have been exposed to different human activities. The first collection of samples was carried out by Pereira & Tapia. in 1999 and those results were compared with samples collected in 2016. Metal determinations were made by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, considering the thallus of each lichen as representative sample for analysis. The methodological validation was carried out using certified reference material (SRM-1570). The highest levels of concentration in the three sectors and for the two sampling periods were for Fe > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Cd. In 1999, the range of concentrations of the heavy metals in dry wet varied 335.5-1724 μg/g for iron (Fe); 40.7-209.5 μg/g for zinc (Zn); 10.4-64.2 μg/g for lead (Pb); 10-28.7 μg/g for copper (Cu); 0.6-4.8 μg/g for chromium and 0.1-0.4 μg/g for cadmium (Cd) while in 2016 the ranges were 1356.6-14280.4 μg/g for iron (Fe); 26.8-179.5 μg/g for zinc (Zn); 13.5-102.5 μg/g for lead (Pb); 7.9-36.2 μg/g for copper (Cu); 3.6-24.6 μg/g for chromium and not detected for cadmium (Cd). The samples collected in 2016 generally showed higher concentration levels of Fe, Cu, Cr and Pb than those collected in 1999, especially those corresponding to the central area of the city of Talca. According to the results, the species that accumulated more heavy metals were P. orbicularis followed by F. flaventior and last R. ecklonii. It can be concluded that foliose species are potentially better candidates to be used as long-term bioindicators than the fruticose species. The downtown sector of the city is the most polluted due to the presence of tannery industries and the increase of vehicular traffic that the city has had in the last two decades as a result of agricultural development and population growth.
This article concerns with new and traditional practises in agriculture in Alxa League in the Inner Mongolia of China. For such a purpose, the DISPAA Department of University of Florence (Italy) collaborated with the University of Tuscia (Italy), which has been one of the Italian executives for the Beijing Wind Dust Control Project under the framework of the Sino-Italian Cooperation Programme on Environmental Protection.
In the context of ADAM Project, the Inner Mongolia was indicated as a potential hot-spot due to the combination of climatic change, human activities and the general phenomenon of desertification, which is an ongoing process in this area. During the past centuries, arid and semi-arid general environmental characteristics of Inner Mongolia’s landscape have conditioned the main course of economic development in rural areas. Into the Alxa League, a sub-case study situated around Jarantai City in the Alxa Left Banner was selected.
During 2005-06, the work analysed the agricultural activities of the local rural population to evaluate if these might be able to cope with desertification and, more in general, with climatic change impacts.
In particular, field surveys were implemented among local peasants, which were old herders or new farmers immigrated in the area, following a non-structured interview approach where the length of the interview was calibrated on the characteristics of the single interviewed.
The interviews showed that soil fertility and water requirement (e.g. water drawdown and high evaporation rate that cause superficial salt crust formation) are yet the main constraints to social and economic development of agriculture.