Food and Energy Security最新文献

Cocoa pod husk (CPH) is a by-product of cocoa. Whilst this by-product is converted into animal feed in some countries, it is largely left to decompose and cause environmental issues in most South Pacific countries, including Vanuatu. The husk represent 70%–80% of the whole fruit. Its use as animal feed is limited by the presence of antinutritional factors, of which, theobromine is the most prominent. Other antinutritional factors include tannin and phytate. Feeding value of the CPH is improved by reducing these antinutritional factors through broiling, alkaline, and microbial treatment. Exogenous feed enzymes are used to hydrolyze crude fiber. Up to 10% of this by-product is included in broiler feed and 15% with supplementation of exogenous feed enzymes in layer feed. In pigs, up to 20% can be included into diets of both the sow and growing pig. In ruminants, up to 35% can be used in cattle diet if treated with urea, molasses and/or fermented. The by-product is widely used as an ingredient and/or energy/protein sources in Africa and Asia. There is scanty literature on its use in the South Pacific countries. In this review, I compiled existing literature on its chemical composition, use in livestock and poultry diets, and existing strategies to improve feeding value. The aim of this review is to project cocoa pod husk meal (CPHM) as a potential feed ingredient as well as energy/protein sources for livestock and poultry in the South Pacific countries, including Vanuatu.

Ensuring global food security necessitates innovative solutions for early detection and precise classification of diseases in staple crops like rice. This study introduces an advanced approach for automated rice plant disease detection and classification by integrating deep learning and metaheuristic optimization techniques. Specifically, a deep dense neural network (DNN) is employed for its capacity to capture intricate patterns in images and extreme learning machine (ELM) for classification. To enhance the optimization process, an innovative variant of the Shuffled Shepherd Optimization (SSO) algorithm, known as Enhanced Artificial Shuffled Shepherd Optimization (EASSO), is introduced. EASSO incorporates adaptive strategies and enhanced exploration–exploitation mechanisms, enabling more efficient convergence during the training of the DNN. The proposed system operates by processing high-resolution images of rice plants through the DNN, extracting nuanced features indicative of various diseases, including blast, bacterial blight, and brown spots. EASSO optimizes the DNN's parameters, maximizing its accuracy in disease classification. The synergy between DNN and EASSO ensures a robust and adaptive model capable of handling diverse and complex disease patterns. This automated approach significantly reduces the reliance on manual inspection, enabling timely intervention and improving overall agricultural productivity. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the DNN-EASSO framework over traditional methods, showcasing higher accuracy rates and faster convergence. The incorporation of Enhanced Artificial Shuffled Shepherd Optimization enhances the precision and reliability of disease classification, making this integrated system a valuable tool for farmers and agricultural practitioners. This research represents a significant stride toward sustainable agriculture, showcasing the potential of advanced technologies in ensuring food security worldwide.

This work analyzes the sustainability status of cash crops (rice, wheat, and sunflower) and feed crops (silage and clover) cultivation in Turkey through thermodynamic sustainability assessment technique, emergy analysis (EA). EA offers insights into agricultural system's dependence on external resources, environmental loading, and renewability by classifying the resources that drive agricultural production as renewable, nonrenewable, and purchased. Data belonging to 17 agricultural systems evaluated in this work are gathered through survey method by interviewing the farmers. EA results reveal that production of cash crops is essentially unsustainable due to high dependence on externally purchased inputs fertilizer, diesel, and nonrenewable input water. Of cash crops, rice production has the lowest system renewability and the highest environmental loading. In feed crops, silage production is mainly unsustainable and clover production is in transition state in terms of sustainability. Feed crop production creates less environmental loading than cash crop production mainly due to being partially integrated with husbandry. Coinciding with this, the level of organic fertilization is found to be the determining factor in the sustainability status of the feed crop systems. Transforming these systems to sustainable ones requires increasing system's self-sufficiency through enhanced circularity (increased nutrient recycling) and functioning of natural processes. Consequently, we recommend growing crops in polycultures rather than monocultures to benefit from sister plant and predator–prey relations, integrating crop production with animal rearing (natural fertilization) and utilizing waste-origin bioenergy. For resource efficiency, we suggest adopting methods such as drip irrigation and utilization of biodegradable polymer-coated fertilizer grains to prevent fertilizer runoffs.

Decreasing antenna size is considered a potential option for improving photosynthesis and increasing yield potential. Reducing chlorophyll content has been employed as a strategy to decrease antenna size. One of the commonly mentioned advantages of this approach is its ability to enhance crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE); however, there is limited field evidence supporting this claim. In this study, we utilized a rice mutant called p35s-Ami-YGL1, which exhibits lower chlorophyll content and smaller antenna size, to investigate the effects of modifying leaf chlorophyll content on tissue nitrogen content and NUE. Our results demonstrate that the nitrogen contents in various tissues, including seed tissue, increased on a weight basis in p35s-Ami-YGL1 mutants while exhibiting a decrease in C:N ratio. Simultaneously, we observed a reduction in tissue carbon content along with an increase in the levels of chlorophyll precursors such as Proto IX. Specifically, we observed an upregulation in the expression of genes associated with photosynthetic light reactions and chlorophyll metabolism, while there was no increase in the expression of genes involved in the CBB cycle and nitrogen metabolism. In addition, p35s-Ami-YGL1 experienced increased photodamage. These findings suggest that the alterations in the C:N ratio and nitrogen content in plants may be attributed to Proto IX-mediated photodamage and chloroplast reverse transduction signaling. Besides, these results suggest that the observed increase in tissue nitrogen content in p35s-Ami-YGL1 does not reflect an increase in plant nitrogen absorption or use efficiency, rather it is a result of stunted carbon fixation capacity.

The consumption of cassava, a vital staple food for more than 1 billion people worldwide, holds particular significance in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Expansion in cassava production in SSA is driven by increasing market demand, local consumption, and adaptability to diverse environments. However, cyanide concentration in cassava tubers and products across SSA ranges from 9 to 1148 ppm – most exceed the World Health Organisation's recommended safe level of 10 ppm. Such variation and high cyanide concentrations in cassava products are expected to be exacerbated by climate-induced increases in the frequency, intensity and occurrence of drought, heat waves and biotic stresses, further jeopardising regional food security. Thus, it is essential to examine cassava production and cyanide toxicity under climate change and their implications for food security in SSA. In this review, we look at the drivers of cassava production and spatial variation in cyanide concentrations across SSA, impacts of climate variability and biotic stresses on cassava cyanide concentrations in SSA, and crop management practices for reducing cyanogenic glucosides in cassava tubers. We surmise that urgent actions are required to adopt improved cassava varieties and management strategies that reduce cassava cyanide toxicity amid climate-induced challenges in SSA.

The challenge of feeding an additional 2 billion people by 2050 is one of the most pressing issues of our generation. The required changes in the current food system must be achieved while reducing the negative environmental impacts of current farming practices on our climate and biodiversity and avoiding deforestation. This formidable challenge must be overcome in a projected climate that is more variable and where extreme weather events are increasingly common. While the green revolution, agricultural land expansion and agrotechnological innovations have significantly increased crop productivity over the last 50 years, the gains in the yields of most major crops have reached a plateau. Moreover, global hunger remains at a record high. Climate change-associated changes in weather patterns have decreased the yields of major crops. Further land expansion is impossible without severe trade-offs with biodiversity and climate change mitigation. Wars and pandemics are currently severely disrupting the global agri-food system, increasing prices and exacerbating food insecurity, with the world's poorest suffering the most. The climate change–social instability nexus will continue to cause additional stress to the agri-food system. Here, we consider the inequities in the current food system, highlighting the weak interconnection among research, policy and societal action that is hindering mitigation and adaptation efforts. We argue that improved interconnections among research, policy, governance and societal action will unlock the potential to achieve food security while supporting climate change mitigation targets. Our analysis includes specific strategies such as strengthening small-scale farmers, promoting fair trade practices and reducing food waste to achieve these goals.

This study aims to explore the formation mechanism of starch structure and the relationships between the appearance quality and starch structure of soft rice under different nitrogen levels. We comprehensively investigated the physiological aspects, starch structure variations, and appearance quality of soft rice in response to different nitrogen applications. The results showed that under the moderate nitrogen application (270 N), the soft rice exhibited the highest AGPase activity, the highest large-starch granule content, and the lowest chalkiness. Under the highest nitrogen application (360 N), the soft rice exhibited the highest GBSS and DBE activity and the lowest SBE activity, the highest content of long-branched amylopectin, the lowest relative crystallinity, the fewest ordered structures, the most amorphous structures, the largest semi-crystalline lamellar thicknesses, and the highest transparency of chalk-free rice. In conclusion, moderate nitrogen fertilization (270 N) improved the AGPase activity, which leaded to fuller starch granules and more compact endosperm in soft rice. Thus, the grain chalkiness of soft rice decreased. Continuous nitrogen application (0-360 N) constantly increased the GBSS and DBE activity and reduced the SBE activity in soft rice, leading a lower content of short-branched amylopectin and a higher content of long-branched amylopectin in soft rice. Thus, the relative crystallinity and ordered structures of soft rice were reduced. These structures improved the transparency phenotype of soft rice.

The effects of different nitrogen (N) application levels on seed endophytes and grain nutritional quality are not yet clear. The impact of four N application levels on endophytes and amino acid accumulation in purple rice seeds was examined using 16S rRNA and ITS amplicon sequencing technology. This study integrates 16S rRNA, ITS amplicon sequencing technology and amino acid-targeted detection to explore the effects of four different nitrogen application levels (0 kg hm⁻², Y1N0; 180 kg hm⁻², Y1N1; 270 kg hm⁻², Y1N2; 360 kg hm⁻², Y1N3) on the accumulation of endophytic bacteria, fungi and amino acid content in purple rice seeds and their interaction mechanisms. The findings indicated an increase in the contents of most amino acids with increasing N application. The dominant bacterial species in the community were mainly from the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota, while the dominant fungal species were from the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. There was a significant difference in the richness of endophytic fungal communities between Y1N0 and Y1N2. Y1N1 showed significant differences in Mucoromycota compared to Y1N3. The quantity of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the bacterial and fungal community co-occurrence network increased with increasing N fertilizer, showing strong correlations with Sporidiobolus, Chaetomium, Humicola, Botryotrichum, Ophiosphaeria and Dioszegia for most amino acids. These findings indicate that a high amount of N fertilizer greatly increases amino acid contents in purple rice seeds and improves the diversity and stability of endophytic fungal populations.

Optimal root system architecture (RSA) is critical for efficient resource capture in soils, hence being an interest in crop breeding. Seminal root angle (SRA) at the seedling stage in durum wheat has been suggested to be a good indicator of RSA. However, research on correlating such laboratory-based seedling root phenotyping to RSA at later phases of plant growth is limited, resulting in the importance of root trait variation seen in seedlings often being overstated. To explore the role of SRA in modifying RSA at later phases of plant growth, we assessed 11 genotypes contrasting in SRA (wide and narrow), grown in a rhizobox designed for phenotyping root systems of plants during late-tillering. Aboveground traits and root dry mass in different soil depths and across the entire soil volume were measured manually, while root architectural traits were extracted using image analysis and summarised by multiple factor analysis to describe RSA. When comparing the wide and narrow genotypes, no differences were detected for aboveground traits and total root dry mass. However, differences were observed in the allocation of root dry mass at different depths. The wide and narrow genotypes showed distinct RSAs, particularly in the upper soil (0–30 cm). The wide genotypes exhibited a ‘spread-out’ root system with dense and thin roots, whereas the narrow genotypes had a compact root system with fewer but thicker roots. Our study demonstrated a clear difference in RSA between the wide and narrow genotypes, highlighting the association between SRA on the direction and distribution of root growth in plants at later growth stages.

Green manuring is the process by which vegetative crops are incorporated into the soil, and it plays a good substitutable role in reducing chemical fertilizer applications while enhancing soil fertility. Field experiments were conducted at Lingao City of Hainan Province in 2020 and 2021, to evaluate the effects of in situ incorporation of different green manures (fallow (as control), rice, sesbania, and stylosanthes) on soil physical and chemical properties, nitrogen (N) uptake, grain yield, and the grain anthocyanin content in colored rice. Treatments included colored rice cultivated with previous fallow (T0), with previous rice straw manure (T1), with previous sesbania manure (T2), and with previous stylosanthes manure (T3). The seedlings of the colored rice variety Suixiangheinuo were transplanted 23 days after the incorporation of green manure. Our results indicated that both the grain yield and grain anthocyanin content of colored rice were significantly increased when green manure was incorporated into the soil compared to that of the control. Therein, grain yields of T1, T2, and T3 were increased by an average of 12.7%, 29.0%, and 24.5%, respectively, across 2 years in comparison with those of T0. And grain anthocyanin content in colored rice under T1, T2, and T3 was increased by 7.2%–7.5%, 13.9%–24.2%, and 9.8%–20.6%, respectively. In addition, in situ incorporation of leguminous green manure in the soil significantly increased soil fertility and partial factor productivity for N fertilizer. The above results suggested that colored rice crops should be followed in rotation with leguminous green manure, which was beneficial to increasing both grain yield and grain anthocyanin content of colored rice. This research elucidated that the incorporation of leguminous green manure sustained the production of colored rice in tropical regions, which was beneficial to reconcile the relationship between rice production and environmental protection.