Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment最新文献

Water stress affects over one-third of global cropland, with rice (Oryza sativa L.) being highly vulnerable, particularly at the reproductive stage. This study evaluated three eco-friendly plant-based hydrogels—potato peel powder-chitosan (PPPC), cellulose-based (CL), and gum arabica (GA)—applied via seed coating and soil amendment to improve drought resilience in rice. Hydrogels were characterized (swelling, FTIR, XRD, SEM) and tested in vitro and in pots under reproductive-stage drought stress. Results showed that under drought, seed coating with CL hydrogel increased germination by 28%, shoot length by 37%, and grain yield by up to 140% compared to the control, while PPPC hydrogel maximized root length (43% increase) and 1000-grain weight. Both hydrogel application methods (seed coating and soil application) enhanced drought tolerance; however seed coating proved to be more cost-effective and efficient approach. These findings provide a sustainable, low-cost adaptation tool for rice farmers in water-scarce regions, enhancing food security, supporting climate-resilient agriculture, and contributing to socioeconomic stability in drought-prone areas.

Plant microbiomes play an important role in plant health, growth, disease and stress resistance, but interacting drivers and ecological processes shaping microbiome diversity remain elusive. In this study, we examined bacterial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in bulk soil, rhizosphere, rhizoplane and endosphere of three salt-tolerant date palm cultivars. We found the highest diversity in the rhizosphere and bulk soil, while lower diversity in the rhizoplane and endophyte compartments across the three cultivars. Furthermore, the bacterial microbiome exhibited genotype and compartment-specificity, with significant differences (p < 0.05) noted in community composition between compartments of the same date palm cultivar and among cultivars. Bacterial diversity and co-occurrence network complexity progressively decreased as host selection pressure increased from the soil to epiphytes, then to endophytes. Specialist microorganisms dominate the community composition and play a major role in microbial interactions in each compartment. The ecological model showed that stochastic processes, primarily drift (37%), predominantly shaped microbial community assembly in bulk soil, whereas deterministic processes, mainly homogenous selection, governed microbial assembly in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and endosphere, contributed 59%, 60%, and 64%, respectively. Notably, the heatmap based on PICRUSt2 analysis showed that functional profiles clustered distinctly by compartment, with significant differences (p < 0.05) in differentially abundant metabolic pathways, reflecting the functional specialisation of plant-associated compartments. Our findings provide strong empirical support for the theoretical model of host selection and niche occupation in date palm microbiome assembly, with significant implications for sustainable agriculture in arid ecosystems through improved crop management and microbiome manipulation.

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is recognised for its abundance of bioactive compounds, which make it a valuable natural resource. While much of the research has focused on the cones, hop leaves remain relatively unexplored, particularly in terms of changes occurring throughout the plant's growing cycle. In this context, the present study aims to characterize extracts from the leaves of the hop variety ‘Cascade,’ harvested monthly over the growing season. The extracts obtained were evaluated for total (poly)phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and (poly)phenolic profile using UPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS. Additionally, their antimicrobial activity was assessed. The results highlighted the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential, with some variations observed at different stages of growth. Our analysis identified 29 distinct compounds, with their concentrations fluctuating throughout the plant's life cycle. Furthermore, the leaf extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, particularly during the early stages of the plant's growth.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a globally important oilseed crop, and its accurate monitoring through remote sensing is crucial for timely and informed agricultural decision-making. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of 21 vegetation indices (VIs), including both commonly used and flower-sensitive indices, for classifying rapeseed fields using time-series Sentinel-2 imagery. We utilized 50 Sentinel-2 images acquired throughout the growing season to capture phenological variation. A supervised classification approach based on the Random Forest algorithm was implemented to distinguish rapeseed from non-rapeseed pixels. The results revealed that VIs sensitive to changes in green and red reflectance (e.g., GRVI, VARI) and those contrasting green and blue reflectance (e.g., NDYI) performed best, achieving overall accuracy (OA) values up to 0.99, Kappa coefficients around 0.97, and F1 scores near 0.97. These top-performing indices also exhibited the lowest false positive and false negative rates. In contrast, traditional biomass-oriented indices such as CI and MSAVI performed poorly, with lower OA (~0.94) and significantly higher false positive rates, likely due to their insensitivity to the spectral effects of flowering. Our findings confirm that flower-sensitive indices are better suited for capturing the phenological signals of rapeseed flowering, especially those in the visible spectrum, while indices primarily relying on NIR and red-edge features are less effective under flowering conditions. We conclude that a phenology-based classification approach, when supported by well-selected training data and appropriate indices, can yield highly accurate results. We recommend that future studies adopt the most effective indices identified in this study—particularly GRVI, VARI and NDYI—for operational monitoring and mapping of rapeseed fields using Sentinel-2 data.

Benelli, A., Primi, R., Evangelista, C., Spina, R., Milanesi, M., Pietrucci, D., Ronchi, B., Bernabucci, U., & Moscetti, R. (2025). Predicting Forage Nutritional Quality With Near- Infrared Spectroscopy. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment, 4(3), e70077. https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70077

In Figure 5(d), the Fit Line (solid blue line) appears incorrectly positioned, nearly overlapping the 1:1 Line. This graphical error was introduced during the production process and does not reflect the version originally submitted by the authors. The correct figure shows the Fit Line slightly offset from the 1:1 Line, in accordance with the model parameters described in the article.

We apologize for this error.

The para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is an economic crop cultivated worldwide, particularly in Southeast Asia. Their latex serum is commonly treated as waste in the rubber industry. We aimed to investigate the latex serum for its antifungal activity. Phytophthora species are major fungal pathogen causing substantial economic losses in crops worldwide, especially Phytophthora palmivora which causes black rot disease in orchid farms. Crude serum extracts from H. brasiliensis latex clone RRIT251 and RRIM600 were evaluated for inhibitory activity against the mycelial growth of P. palmivora. The serum extracts from both clones showed complete inhibition (100%) against the pathogen at a concentration of 20,000 mg/L. A dose–response experiment at a lower concentration of 10,000 mg/L demonstrated greater effectiveness of extracts from RRIT251. Two major volatile organic compounds, 1,2-Dithiane-4,5-diol (DTD) and 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP), were identified in these serum extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Inhibition studies using synthetic DTD and 2,4-DTBP confirmed their fungicidal activities against P. palmivora. The combined treatment of DTD and 2,4-DTBP showed a trend towards synergistic inhibition. However, combined treatment using synthetic DTD and 2,4-DTBP at concentrations similar to those in crude serum exhibited lower efficacy than the crude extracts. The results suggest that the two compounds may work synergistically with other defensive proteins present in the serum extracts, contributing to antifungal activity. Thus, the latex serum waste of H. brasiliensis demonstrates potential use as a natural fungicide for the management and control of black rot disease in orchid farms.

Soil microfauna are recognised as key regulators of nitrogen (N) transformations, primarily through grazing and translocation mechanisms. The interactions between soil microorganisms and their microfaunal grazers play a crucial role in controlling N mineralisation and immobilisation processes. Despite the well-established role of bacterivore nematodes and other microbial grazers in enhancing N mineralisation, the extent to which these organisms contribute to overall nutrient cycling within fungal-dominated systems remains unclear. In a non-amended soil microcosm experiment, we investigated microorganisms-microfauna interaction using morphological observations, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and high-fthroughput sequencing. Our findings indicate that microbial grazing by microfauna did not enhance N mineralisation contrary to our hypothesis, despite an increase in bacterial grazers and bacterial abundance compared to the defaunated control. Instead, we observed a dominant fungal-driven N immobilisation process, as evidenced by the increased presence of saprophytic fungi, fungivore nematodes, and a high nematode channel index. The absolute abundance of fungal communities, particularly members of the Sordariomycetes class, further supports the hypothesis that fungi play a central role in regulating N transformations. These results challenge the conventional assumption that microfauna-driven bacterial turnover leads to enhanced N availability and highlight the significant role of fungal networks in N retention.

Lemon balm is a medicinal and aromatic plant which is commonly known for its antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antianxiety and anti-inflammatory activities. Literature reports that the intrinsic traits of this species can be greatly affected by several factors, producing relevant variations. Particularly, the crop yield and synthesis of secondary metabolites are affected by abiotic factors, such as temperature, drought and salt stresses. The application of biostimulants, complementing the conventional agronomic practices, allows to reduce the impact of stress conditions on yield and enhance the quality standards of the plant. With this in mind, a 2-year study was carried out with the aim to investigate the effects of three different biostimulant formulations such as Ascophyllum nodosum, fulvic acids, and vegetal protein hydrolysate, with two intervals of application, on morphological traits, biomass yield and chemical parameters of lemon ball. The experimental setup was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The foliar application and application interval, as main factors, significantly affected almost all parameters in the study. In general, all biostimulants improved plant growth. The best results in terms of fresh and dry biomass were observed in plants treated with fulvic acids every 14 days. An increase of over 5 t ha⁻¹ for fresh yield and over 1 t ha⁻¹ for dry yield were recorded. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were positively affected by biostimulant and interval of application. The results highlight that few applications of biostimulants can greatly improve the yields of lemon balm and, in some cases, enhance the properties of its extracts.