Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment最新文献

Plant factory with artificial light (PFAL) technology is a soilless cultivation system designed to optimize plant growth, productivity, and product quality while ensuring the efficient use of water and fertilizers. In contrast, nonchemical farming (N-CF) focuses on using natural materials and intentionally avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Both systems can be employed for commodity production to help ensure food security. However, there are ongoing concerns regarding nutritional value and environmental sustainability. This study compared nutritional compositions, antioxidant contents, environmental impacts, and carbon footprints of kale (Brassica oleracea L.) cultivated in PFAL and N-CF systems. The proximate values of kale from both systems did not show significant differences (p < 0.05). However, the results indicated that antioxidant contents—measured through polyphenol analysis, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay—were significantly lower in kale harvested from PFAL system compared to N-CF system after 3 months of growth. The polyphenol, ORAC and FRAP of PFAL kale were 68.95 mg GAE/100 g, 1321.25 and 111.95 μmol TE/100 g fresh weight, respectively, while those of N-CF kale were 136.06 mg GAE/100 g, 3,519.87 and 220.17 μmol TE/100 g fresh weight, respectively. The carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of 3 month-kale from PFAL and N-CF productions were 168.61 and 14.75 kg CO₂ eq./kg of kale, respectively. Therefore, new policies must focus on mitigating environmental impacts by implementing process certifications that encourage reduced environmental footprints. However, these policies must prioritize the nutritional adequacy of food produced through various agricultural systems.

To fulfil food and nutritional demand for nine billion people by the mid-21st century, global food production must increase by 60% regardless of challenges such as environmental pollution, water scarcity and land degradation. Climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of biotic and abiotic stresses, which, in turn, severely compromise global crop yields, jeopardize food supply, deteriorate sustainable development goals for achieving global food safety, and limit sustainable climate-smart crop production. Current food production and consumption practices negatively influence the environment, posing a major threat to the global ecosystem and human health. Addressing these critical issues to achieve sustainable agriculture necessitates designing future crops employing cutting-edge breeding strategies for enhanced productivity with minimal environmental footprints. This endeavour requires a comprehensive understanding of plant stress adaptation, signalling pathways and mitigation mechanisms. In this review, we first explain the diverse impacts of ongoing climate change events on crop production. Subsequently, we outline various strategies to tackle climate change, including agronomic practices, and advanced technologies for understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms of plant stress tolerance. We also discuss breeding and engineering crops with superior stress tolerance and disease resistance and nurturing healthy microbial partnerships between plants and soil to ensure food and nutrition security for current and future populations amidst mounting environmental challenges.

The adoption of sustainable farming practices will improve food security around the world. The evidence that food is produced sustainably has become important for maintaining access to global markets and is influencing commodity marketing and pricing. This paper explores the current state of global sustainability reporting and examines whether yield data could improve the sustainability of farming by adding more rigour and transparency to the evidential basis of sustainability. The Australian grains and oilseeds industry is used as a case study with most of the Australian grain and oilseed crop grown for export markets. Sustainability policies in the European Union, United States of America and Australia are contrasted, with a focus on the improved management of nitrogenous fertiliser, which is viewed as the most efficient way to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. Generally, sustainability reporting is based on a suite of indicators that are easy to measure and interpret, sensitive to change, technically sound and cost-effective. These indicators serve as a mechanism to quantify and document the practices used to produce crops but some of the current measures are relatively coarse and lack transparency. The time and cost incurred to collect these measurements could be reduced by using secondary data to report on sustainability. Yield data are already collected by many grain, and oilseed growers, and provide a transparent, evidence-based way to optimise and report on fertiliser application at fine scale. Yield data can help to maintain soil health and farm profit, reduce environmental damage and generate quantitative data for reporting on agricultural sustainability, but some challenges remain before it could be implemented as a universal reporting measure.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum Desf.) is one of the world's most important and widely grown cereals, playing a fundamental role in global food security. In countries where it is traditionally cultivated, abiotic stress caused by high temperatures and limited precipitation, exacerbated by the ongoing climate crisis, is the main cause of production losses quality deterioration, and uncertainty in meeting market demand. The objective of this study was to monitor, across five experimental sites, the effect of climatic variability on phenological, morpho-physiological, and agronomic parameters, using physiological stress indices such as RWC, NDVI, and SPAD. The research was conducted during the 2023/2024 season across the southern Italian landscape of Sicily, a region representative of the durum wheat cultivation scenario in hot-arid environments, and one of the main production areas. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences in most parameters, with the exceptions of the number of spikelets per spike, harvest index, and test weight. In general, a decline in yield and quality was observed across all the sites, with notable variability. High temperatures and the absence of precipitation shortened the elongation-flowering and flowering-maturation stages, influencing the accumulation of growing degree days (GDD) in the more inland sites. In most environments, plants showed reduced growth (average culm height: 41.5 cm), while yields ranged from 10.0 to 27.0 q ha⁻¹. Quality parameters, such as yellow pigment (22.9%–24.3%), protein content (13.6%–15.8%), and gluten content (8.8%–11.9%), were variable depending on environmental conditions. Finally, Pearson's correlation analysis showed strong positive correlations between physiological parameters (SPAD, RWC, NDVI) and yield (r ≥ 0.8), between the yellow index and yield (r > 0.8), and strong negative correlations between proteins, dry gluten, and yield (r < −0.8).

Although durum wheat is drought-tolerant, it is affected by water and thermal stress, which causes spatial and temporal variability in production. Monitoring cereal systems and adopting appropriate techniques could mitigate this vulnerability, supporting cereal farming businesses.

Nematodes, the most abundant animals on Earth, play a vital role in the soil biosphere by regulating microbial communities and influencing nutrient cycling. However, their grazing impact on soil nitrogen (N) cycling and microbial communities remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we addressed this knowledge gap through a microcosm experiment using gamma-sterilised acidic soil (pH < 4.5), inoculated with either microbial suspension alone or in combination with low or high concentrations of nematodes. Our results revealed that nematodes significantly increased soil NH₄⁺–N content and bacterial abundance, with bacterivorous nematodes increasingly dominating the microcosm environment. This study provides new evidence that bacterivorous nematodes significantly enhance ammonification in acidic soil, with implications for soil N availability and agricultural productivity.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to both human and environmental health. Before human intervention, the natural resistome existed in a relatively balanced state, mainly regulated by microbial interactions and environmental factors. However, the continuous use of antimicrobials and other novel entities (chemicals or biological substances) in agricultural production and clinical settings has resulted in a huge release of residual antimicrobials into the environment. This may lead to a decrease in microbial diversity and an increase in selection pressure. The outcome is the alteration of resistome with mobile and clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing a significant risk to human health. In the agricultural sector, the emergence of AMR is a result of multiple mechanisms. It involves intricate interactions between human activities, environmental factors and microbial processes. Direct exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ARGs in agricultural produce particularly raw eaten vegetables, salad, herbs and fruits may facilitate the spread of resistance between humans and the environment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of antibiotic resistance in fresh produce microbiomes. It focuses on the impact of agricultural practices on the resistome and risks associated with antibiotic resistance to humans and the environment. More importantly, this review highlights several mitigation strategies and future interventions for a better understanding of ARG transmission within food systems.

Excessive or insufficient application of phosphorus (P) fertilisers can lead to soil P build-up or reduced crop productivity, respectively. Variable-rate P fertilisation offers a sustainable solution to this challenge. This study compared the efficiency of pig slurry (PgS) as a P fertiliser to a mineral P fertiliser (superphosphate, SPP) by evaluating their impacts on soil P availability, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and nutrient leaching in different laboratory experiments. PgS was applied at three increasing rates (R1, R2 and R3) to soils with varying P levels: very low (VL), low (L) or medium (M). A control (CTRL) without P application was included. Results showed PgS was as efficient as, or superior to, SPP in increasing soil extractable P content (1%–104%). Excessive PgS application indicated to soil P build-up. CO₂ emissions were highest with PgS (204.85 mg C kg⁻¹ soil) compared with SPP (171.26 mg C kg⁻¹ soil), though no significant differences in N₂O and CH₄ emissions were observed. GHG emissions were influenced by original soil P values, with the highest emissions in VL soil (1.36 g CO_2-eq kg⁻¹ soil). Optimal fertilisation (R2 for L soils) minimised emissions (647.56 mg CO_2-eq kg⁻¹ soil). Total P (TP) leaching was exacerbated in our selected sandy soils and increased with higher PgS application (11.95 mg TP kg⁻¹ soil in R3) and higher soil P levels (8.18 mg TP kg⁻¹ soil in soil M). Similar trends were observed for N leaching. This study highlighted PgS as a vial alternative to mineral P fertilisers and underscored the importance of site-specific variable-rate P application, to optimise fertiliser efficiency while minimising environmental impacts.

Hemp, Cannabis sativa L., was legalized in the United States in the 2018 Farm Bill for industrial production. While growing has boomed, profitable agronomic practices lag behind in the infant industry. Growers are specifically interested in weed and pest management strategies that do not impact yield or quality, as there are few herbicide and pesticide options for hemp, and they want agronomic practices to be sustainable or regenerative. Our research assesses the utility of companion cropping to address these needs. Companion cropping is a cultural management tactic within farming systems in which a secondary crop is planted with the main crop, offering an array of potential benefits and ecosystem services. Some of the possible benefits of companion cropping within hemp systems include weed control, additional food sources and habitat for beneficial insects, pest deterrence, increased crop productivity, soil health, and environmental resilience against stresses. To determine which companion crops are most suitable within cannabidiol (CBD) hemp production, we have analyzed the effects of intercropping five companions (basil, dill, cilantro, sage, and marigold, against a blank control) on: (i) companion plant yield and profit, (ii) weed competition, (iii) insect diversity, (iv) hemp biomass yield, and (vi) cannabinoid content. Results show that companion crops differentially and significantly impact weed cover and insect diversity, but do not significantly impact yield or cannabinoid content, with marigold and basil being the most promising. This means that growers can choose companion crops that fit their farm and equipment best without having to worry about a negative impact to quality and yield. Future studies will focus on implementation of companion cropping through on farm trials, an exciting and necessary next step to a sustainable future for cannabis production.