Food and Energy Security最新文献

Drought stress is the primary abiotic threat to soybean production. Drought tolerance mechanisms in Mexican soybeans have not yet been fully studied. We examined the responses of three Mexican soybean genotypes, with varying maturities, to progressive drought stress and recovery irrigation, regarding plant water status, biomass traits, root system architecture, and their relationships. Genotypes I1240, I700 (intermediate maturity), and E2309 (early maturity) were examined since they showed drought tolerance characteristics under field conditions in previous studies. Drought stress was applied at the R2 growth stage for 17 days, after that irrigation was restored. Control plants were irrigated normally throughout the study. Responses to severe drought stress were different depending on the genotype. Early genotype E2309 exhibited a wider root system and tolerated drought stress maintaining shoot biomass and root characteristics at a low plant water potential. Intermediate genotypes, I1240 and I700, avoided drought stress achieving a greater root system at a higher plant water potential. Due to drought, genotype I1240 showed a more prominent increase in root diameter; meanwhile, root biomass was not decreased in genotype I700. Genotype I700 displayed a longer root system with the highest root-to-shoot ratio and recovered root growth more efficiently after recovery irrigation. General effects also indicated a longer root system in this genotype. Therefore, it could be used as a genetic source to improve root traits to cope with drought. Morphological and biomass root traits are suitable for selecting drought stress–tolerant soybean genotypes.

Inflorescence architecture underpins sexual reproduction in wild Musa species and productivity in edible banana cultivars. In a functional analysis, we identified the apical inflorescence and lateral ‘cushion’ meristems and the change in flower type as the three primary components that generate inflorescence architecture. Five genotypes of two clone sets of edible plantains (Musa AAB) were grown for four generations along an elevation gradient (1100–2200 m, 16°C–24°C) straddling the equator in the humid highlands of East Africa. The data consisted of reproductive peduncle length at harvest (Pr), fruit per hand (Fh) and hands per bunch (Hb). The activity of the apical inflorescence meristem drives peduncle length and generates lateral ‘cushion’ meristems which determine Fh. However, Hb is determined by a change in flower type—from fruit forming to non-fruit forming. Site temperature affected Hb more than Fh, while the development of the genet (rhizome) changed the allocation of resources between Hb and Fh, independently of the effect of site temperature. Clone sets differed in their response to genet development. Cooler temperatures reduced the number of fruit-forming flowers in an inflorescence and changed the balance away from female towards male flowers. In banana breeding schemes, manipulating inflorescence components independently raises options for producing genotypes better suited to markets, environments and cultural practices.

Return of crop residues directly as straw, animal manure, or biochar are recommended management options for biowaste recycling and soil organic carbon (SOC) maintenance in agriculture. However, to address the soil health challenges associated with soil degradation and climate change, it is critical to determine if or which of these different forms of crop residues could deliver a synergic improvement in SOC storage, emission reduction, and crop productivity following field application. In this study, maize straw in the form of air-dried biomass (CS), manure via cattle digestion (CM), and biochar via pyrolysis (CB) was respectively amended once at a dose of 10 t C ha⁻¹, in comparison to no maize straw addition (CK), in a paddy field under rice-wheat rotation. Changes in soil properties, SOC storage, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and rice/wheat yield were examined over two consecutive rice/wheat rotation cycles following soil amendment. The total rice grain yield considerably increased by 6% under CM and CB, while it reduced by 6% under CS compared to CK. Soil nutrient content persistently increased under CM and CB by 4.2% ~ 17% and 11% ~ 26% for total nitrogen, 26% ~ 61% and 20% ~ 53% for available P, and 2% ~ 82% and 30% ~ 115% for available K, respectively. Topsoil SOC storage increased considerably by 8% under CM and 20% under CB, while remained unchanged under CS, compared to CK. The total methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions were considerably increased by 7 folds and 15% under CS and 3.5 folds and 61% under CM, respectively, compared to CK. In contrast, these emissions considerably decreased under CB by 33% for CH₄ and 29% for N₂O. Consequently, the C emission efficiency considerably reduced under CS and CM but increased under CB over the two rotation cycles monitored. Moreover, the soil quality index (SQI) considerably improved under CM and CB but remained unchanged under CS compared to CK. Among the different forms of straw return, manure, and biochar, straw amendments differed considerably in their effects on C sequestration, GHG emissions, and crop productivity. Only biochar from crop residues synergistically improved these functions in the short-term following application to paddy soil.

The Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag, a sustainable post-harvest storage technology, can address the high postharvest losses that are a major threat to economic development, food security and the environment in Africa. However, there is limited empirical research on this technology. This study therefore aims to fill this knowledge gap by analysing the factors influencing the diffusion and adoption rates of PICS bags and estimates the impact of the technology adoption on postharvest losses, farm income and income inequality in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The results show that less than 20% of farmers adopt the PICS bag, suggesting low adoption despite the widespread exposure of 51.75%. The technology adoption rate could be increased by 20% if all the farmers were exposed to it. It reduces postharvest losses by 14.2%–19.1%, increases farm income by 89.7%–91.2% and reduces income inequality by 51.33%. These findings suggest that promoting the technology can stimulate sustainable rural development by improving farmers' welfare.

Faced with a significant devaluation of its currency and a surge in food prices, the Nigerian government prohibited the use of foreign currency for food imports. This essentially blocked the importation of numerous food items under the guise of stimulating the domestic output of these staples. Consequently, food prices in Nigeria increased despite a global decline in food prices, and the incidence and severity of food insecurity escalated. This study examines the changes in the types and severity of coping mechanisms for food insecurity resulting from the food price shock caused by the oil price crash, currency devaluation, and restrictions on foreign exchange. Nigeria's General Household Survey Panel data from 2012 and 2015, during periods of high oil prices, is compared with data from 2018 when oil prices had remained low, the currency had been devalued, and the treasury had been depleted. Alongside detailed descriptive statistics, logistic and hurdle regressions are employed for statistical analysis. Findings indicate a rise in the percentage of Nigerian households grappling with food insecurity from 2015 to 2018. During this period, 68.7% of households resorted to at least one coping mechanism, 31.8% adopted six or more coping strategies, and 43.2% resorted to severe coping strategies. The issue stems not primarily from natural disasters or conflicts but from a failure in macroeconomic and agricultural economic policies. Our findings confirm that these policies come at great cost, particularly to female-headed households, single-parent households, households headed by elderly people, and other vulnerable populations, pushing them deeper into food insecurity.

The existing literature addresses the importance of food system disruptions and the risk of the global food crisis. However, there is insufficient understanding of response strategies and their effectiveness evaluations. This study offers a comprehensive introduction to China's food security policies and evaluates their effectiveness in enhancing the nation's risk resistance capability. Utilizing the Entropy Weight Method (EWM) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), we evaluated China's provincial food security resilience (FSR) from 2003 to 2020 and adopted the ArcGIS platform to map spatiotemporal trends. Our findings reveal significant improvements in FSR nationwide, with a notable average annual growth rate of 1%–5%. However, regional disparities persist, with higher resilience observed in eastern provinces compared to the west. The study emphasizes the effectiveness of China's food security policies, which have synergistically enhanced grain production, agricultural mechanization, and farmers’ economic conditions. The article offers policy recommendations aimed at bolstering China's FSR and challenges with global implications. Our study contributes to the broader discourse on global food security by offering a nuanced understanding of the effectiveness of policy interventions in a major agricultural economy.

Extreme climatic events, such as droughts, hinder progress toward achieving the sustainable development goal of food security. South Africa is vulnerable to drought-related agricultural losses, which have led to food insecurity. However, few studies have focused on the long-term impacts of drought on crop production at a regional scale. Therefore, we aimed to examine the intensity, magnitude, and trend of rainfall-based short-term agricultural drought at the provincial scale in South Africa based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Additionally, we analyzed the impact of agricultural drought on maize yield by calculating the Standardized Yield Residual Series (SYRS) and Crop Drought-Resilience Factor (CDRF). To this end, we collected rainfall data from 29 stations across nine provinces along with maize yield data for the period of 1993–2022. Agricultural drought analyses based on the three-month (SPI-3) and six-month (SPI-6) SPIs demonstrated dynamic variations in occurrence, with Sen's slope indicating that 10 stations exhibited a significant increase in drought events across South Africa. Notably, SPI-6 analysis showed that Gauteng, Free State, and North West provinces experienced the highest percentages of severe to extreme drought events during the study period, at 4.17%, 3.89%, and 3.61%, respectively. Furthermore, the majority of provinces in South Africa experienced an extreme SPI-6 magnitude ranging from −46.03 in Western Cape Province to −61.6 in Free State Province. The dynamic effects of agricultural drought on maize yield revealed that the maximum yield loss of 13% occurred in 1993 in Eastern Cape Province, while some provinces experienced no yield loss during certain years. However, CDRF analyses identified Western Cape (CDRF [SPI-3] = 0.52, CDRF [SPI-6] = 0.62) and Mpumalanga (CDRF [SPI-6] = 0.7) provinces as the most vulnerable to food insecurity due to the severe non-resilience of maize to drought in these regions. This study reveals the complex interplay between climatic extremes and maize yield variability, providing valuable insights for managing regional food production systems and ensuring future food security in South Africa.

Enhancing crop drought tolerance is crucial for food security amid climate change. This study examines how 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) can improve drought resilience in tomato plants, which are essential for sustainable food production. Drought stress was induced using 12% PEG-6000. Plants were pre-treated with 25 mg L⁻¹ ALA and 0.1 mg L⁻¹ hypotaurine (HT), followed by 0.2 mM sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) treatment to assess the effects on plant physiological effects over 10 days. Drought stress reduced plant dry weight, chlorophylls (a and b), F_v/F_m, leaf water potential, and relative water content, while increasing glycine betaine (GB) and proline levels. Additionally, drought stress elevated NADPH oxidase (NOX) and glycolate oxidase (GOX) activities, inducing oxidative stress and membrane damage. ALA and NaHS enhanced plant growth, photosynthesis, proline, GB, ALA content, ATP synthase, and ATPase activities, while mitigating NOX and GOX activities, thereby reducing $��O_2^{�·�-�}�$ and H₂O₂ radicals. ALA alone boosted L-DES activity, promoting H₂S accumulation. However, ALA + HT reduced H₂S levels, compromising ALA's efficacy. NaHS with ALA + HT reinstated positive effects by restoring H₂S levels. Biochemical assays confirmed ALA and NaHS promoted H₂S accumulation, bolstering antioxidants, mitigating lipid peroxidation, suggesting their drought resilience potential in tomatoes.

New approaches for managing agricultural and forestry systems are needed to bring back inputs to levels that are within planetary boundaries and make greater and better use of ecosystem services based on biodiversity. A new scientific framework informed by ecology, agronomy, forestry, and agroforestry is key to designing resilient plant-based ecosystems to meet this challenge. Integrating information on plant functional traits, ontogenetic development stages, site characteristics, and structural stand characteristics can unleash the power of diversity (in species traits and structural and temporal arrangements) as a crucial factor for sustaining environmental services in times of global change. To leverage the benefits of diversity, a general theoretical framework and scalable simulation models are needed to understand structural and species diversification effects and interactions at multiple levels, from plant to field/forest stand to landscape. By working across established research boundaries, the scientific community can harness the power of structural and functional diversity to develop resilient, production-oriented ecosystems. With this integrative approach, our objectives are as follows: (i) to conceptualize processes and methodologies for managing resilient terrestrial ecosystems that can guarantee sustainable and diversified ecosystem services within planetary boundaries, and (ii) to outline the workflow for crafting a system capable of sustaining human well-being amid space, resource, and energy constraints.