Food and Energy Security最新文献

Using the Haken model to explore the synergistic evolutionary characteristics and competition trends of agricultural resilience and eco-efficiency can establish a theoretical foundation for achieving high-quality and sustainable agricultural development. The traditional Haken model cannot address the issue of the lack of directionality in synergy values, but incorporating the tendency theory of the coupling coordination model into the Haken model can solve this problem, thus establishing propensity synergistic Haken model to give values directionality. Established a more comprehensive evaluation system for China's agricultural resilience. Measuring agricultural system resilience in China's 31 provinces and cities from 2001 to 2021. The synergistic values between agricultural resilience and eco-efficiency were measured by the improved Haken model. Results show that: (1) Agricultural resilience exhibits a stable upward trend, but the overall level is low. Regional differences have been increasing over time. (2) Eco-efficiency is the sequential covariate of synergistic evolution by the two systems. The overall synergy level between agricultural system resilience and eco-efficiency is higher. (3) Considering the “propensity synergistic,” the overall change from low-level benign synergy to high-level benign synergy between agricultural resilience and eco-efficiency in China. (4) The propensity synergy Haken model can compensate for the directionality-lack problem of the traditional Haken model synergy value.

Locust swarm control is still a main topic in agriculture and is often based on the extensive use of chemical agents that can be problematic for the environment and human health. Currently, only a few alternative control agents are available on the market, such as neem oil, the fungus Metarhizium sp., and the microsporidian Paranosema locustae. In this study, we improved the formulation of a botanical insecticide that is based on linseed oil and was found to be effective against the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. To make sure that linseed oil is most effective, we first tested several natural plant oils in a comparative laboratory study. Linseed oil performed best and resulted in 100% mortality within only 2 days after a single spray treatment. However, this linseed oil formulation contains three expensive essential oils, thus we further improved it to avoid costly essential oils. A much lower concentration of linseed oil was also found to be highly effective and killed adult S. gregaria within 3 days in an experiment performed under semifield conditions. Furthermore, a concentrated stock solution of this botanical insecticide was developed to increase stability and reduce shipping costs in areas where water for dilution is available. Mechanical treatment, applied during the preparation of this linseed oil emulsion, resulted in the formation of micro-colloids, which prevent the separation of phases and enable 1:16 dilution with water containing bicarbonate. Interestingly, only 24 h after single spray treatment, locusts became immobile and most of them were unable to jump, which would make them easy prey for natural enemies. Later, insects died due to the hardening of the linseed oil emulsion. This novel linseed oil emulsion is harmless for humans, rather easy to produce, and remains stable over weeks in its concentrated form, which suggests that it is promising alternative agent for locust control.

Cassava is a major food security crop in the developing world, providing a basic diet for over half a billion people. Stem cutting is the major propagation technique in commercial cassava production, despite its limitations in bulkiness and high cost. Research is lacking in optimizing the number of nodes for the most economical use of the planting material. It can be hypothesized that one or two node cuttings can be used in proper rooting media. Hence, a study was conducted to determine the appropriate number of nodes on selected rooting media for better rooting and shoot growth of cassava. A factorial combination of four number nodes (one, two, three, and standard, or 4–6 nodes) and four types of rooting media (sawdust, cocopeat, topsoil, and sand) was used in a completely randomized design with three replications. Nursery and field establishment data were collected. The result revealed that the interaction between the number of nodes and the media significantly (p < 0.05) affected all fresh and dry weights of root and shoot. Sawdust and cocopeat performed best in terms of root number, root length, leaf number, branch number, shoot length, and rooting percentage. Root fresh weight, root dry weight, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight were higher when stem cuttings were planted using two or more nodes on cocopeat or sawdust as compared to planting them on topsoil or sand. The use of two or more nodes on cuttings using cocopeat or sawdust found outstanding results for rooting. However, the standard cutting was better for survival percentage during field establishment. The result confirmed that two nodes of cassava stem cutting are enough for the successful rooting of cassava, and sawdust promotes the rooting of cuttings. Hence, we recommend sawdust as a rooting medium and two or more nodes of stem cuttings of cassava.

The symbiotic synergy between proteome shifts in plants and microbial colonization orchestrates adaptive responses. This thorough review delves into the less explored domain of proteomic and metabolomic changes triggered by drought stress, shedding light on how they are influenced by interactions with microbiota. Notably, microbial mediation at the crossroads of hormone signaling, proteomic and metabolomic dynamics in drought adaptation emerges as a crucial focal point. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms that orchestrate these complex interactions offers a holistic view of the molecular foundation underlying a plant's ability to endure water scarcity. The insights gained from this exploration hold the potential to reshape agricultural practices and enhance drought-tolerance through microbiota-mediated mechanisms, supported by proteomic and metabolomic insights. As this review seamlessly integrates the latest developments in understanding drought stress responses, microbiota dynamics, proteomics and metabolomic, it reveals the interconnected molecular basis that underlies these aspects. Specifically, the review emphasizes the crucial role of microbial mediation at the crossroads of hormone signaling, proteomic and metabolomic dynamics during drought adaptation. This enhanced understanding of the intricate interactions among these components presents new opportunities for envisioning sustainable agricultural approaches in the face of the escalating challenges presented by intensifying drought scenarios.

The content and composition of the grain storage proteins in wheat determine to a high extent its end-use quality for pasta and bread production. This study aimed to evaluate the content and composition of the grain storage proteins in Ethiopian landraces and cultivars to contribute to future breeding toward improved pasta quality. Thus, 116 landraces and 34 cultivars originating from Ethiopia were grown in three locations, and the protein parameters were analyzed using size exclusion-high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC). A considerable variation in the amount of the analyzed protein parameters was found. The genotypes, environments, and interactions contributed significantly (p < 0.001) to the differences obtained. The broad-sense heritability was high (0.75–0.98) for all protein parameters except for unextractable small monomeric protein (uSMP). Using the principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the impact of protein parameters and using either PCA or unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) to assess the impact of the genetic composition, the cultivar group was found to form a separate cluster. This indicates that durum wheat improvement in Ethiopia has relied on exotic materials, which might result from a narrow genetic base. Unlike most landraces, most released cultivars showed a high and stable gluten strength across environments. Two landraces, G057 and G107, were found genetically distinct from the released cultivars but with high and stable gluten. The two selected landraces might be of extremely high value for future use in durum wheat breeding programs, as they might be adapted to wide-ranging Ethiopian growing conditions, they might carry genes of relevance to withstand abiotic and biotic stresses, and they seem to hold essential protein properties, which might result in high-quality grains for industrial processes.

Kafirins are the primary storage proteins in sorghum kernels that provide amino acids for seed germination. The highly proteolytic resistant γ- and β-kafirins form the cross-linked outer layers that encapsulate α-kafirins to generate protein bodies, resulting in poor digestibility of sorghum grains. The sorghum kafirins thus contribute to the poor quality of the kernels. The nutritional quality and digestibility of sorghum grains can be improved by reducing the contents of kafirin. γ-Kafirin is encoded by the K2G gene, which is located on sorghum chromosome 2. In this study, we used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to target the K2G gene to create new sorghum lines with reduced levels of kafirin. A guide RNA (sgRNA) was designed to introduce mutations in the CDS region that encodes the endoplasmic reticulum signal peptide of γ-kafirin. The pK2GsgRNA/Cas9 vector was transformed into sorghum using the pollen-mediated transformation method. Sequencing of the transformants showed that three out of 24 transgenic plants contain genetic mutations in the targeted region. Compared with the wildtype, the γ-kafirin contents of the mutant plants decreased by 12.75%–19.22%, and the protein digestibility of the mutant kernels increased by 26.91%–74.31% in raw flour. Although the grain weights remained comparable to those of the wildtype, the growth of the mutant plants was more vigorous as the mutant shoots grew taller and thicker compared with those of the wildtype. Our work advances the ability to improve the digestibility of an important crop. The resulting quality improvements can also be rapidly deployed for breeding and generation of transgene-free, improved cultivars of sorghum, a major crop worldwide.

The domestic sheep with over 1200 breeds descended from those early domesticated animals that are bred for a variety of resources such as meat, milk and wool. Akkaraman, a fat-tailed indigenous sheep breed of Türkiye, is widespread throughout Central Anatolia, with the largest indigenous sheep population. Assessing the genetic diversity and genomic structure of animal breeds is among the key contributors to deciphering adaptation to environmental extremes and constructing efficient genetic improvement strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the genome of Akkaraman breed against various world-renowned transboundary sheep and indigenous sheep with fat and thin tails. Genetic similarities and differences between those breeds have been displayed by estimating and comparing various genetic diversity indices, linkage disequilibrium (LD) estimates and fixation index (F_ST), runs of homozygosity (ROH) as well as PCA and neighbour-joining tree analysis. Akkaraman sheep were observed to form a cluster alongside Moghani, Karakas, Tibetan and Cyprus Fat Tail sheep, which are primarily the sole representatives of fat-tailed sheep in the study. This clustering was evident in both the PCA and neighbour-joining tree analysis. The Akkaraman sheep was also observed to have the lowest genomic inbreeding and one of the lowest numbers of ROHs, which might also indicate that the breed has not been exposed to historical intensive selection pressure, inbred mating or a massive population bottleneck that might leave strong marks of genomic homozygosity. The results improve our understanding of the genetic diversity in Akkaraman sheep in comparison with certain mainstream sheep breeds as well as those indigenous breeds from around the world. Additionally, findings will also provide valuable insights to perform further GWAS effectively by considering population structure, diversity and LD patterns observed among the breeds while providing practical knowledge that will contribute to designing efficient and successful genome-based selection programmes for worldwide sheep production systems.

Access to credit has been a key component in protecting a country's agriculture sector against uncertainties and climate-related shocks. Agricultural credits may also increase both agribusiness sectors' and farming-related commercial activities' exposure to world markets. This study aims to investigate agricultural credits' short-run and long-run effects on agricultural production using control variables such as foreign direct investments, inflation rate, and government expenditures. We found that credits to agriculture affect value-added agriculture positively in the long-run; specifically, when agricultural credits increase by 1%, value-added agriculture will increase by 0.19%; that is, an increase in credits to the agricultural sector leads to a significant increase in value-added agriculture, while FDI and government size both reduce agricultural value-added across countries. The findings of the pairwise causation test show that bidirectional causal links exist among almost all variables, validating feedback among agricultural value-added, credit to agriculture, FDI, government expenditures, and inflation.

Climate change is a constant threat to global food security. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), extended dry spells, heavy rainfall, flooding, and tropical storms have driven a large percentage of the population to a severe food crisis. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a potential comprehensive solution whose adoption can mitigate climate change and its ramifications on the state of food security in the region. CSA combines innovation, the use of technology, extensive research, stakeholder involvement, and data to increase food production, optimize resource allocation and utilization, and enhance the region's ability to feed its population. The adoption of CSA has succeeded in increasing agricultural productivity in several parts of SSA and will help towards the building of resilience food systems across the region amid constant and unpredictable climate change and its far-reaching impacts in the region. For the sustained and universal adoption of CSA within the region, there is a need for more stakeholder involvement in its development and adaptation to the needs of specific communities. Furthermore, it is necessary to leverage the positive impact of the approach by expanding its scope beyond climate change mitigation to prevention and control, and ultimately help in achieving the United Nations SDG 2 and 13.

Growing recognition of the potential vulnerabilities of major crop systems has spurred a growing interest in the potential of alternative crops which may be resilient to climate change and also help mitigate its effects. In Indonesia, such issues are particularly pertinent given that country's particular vulnerability to climate change impacts high dependence on agricultural livelihoods and varied topographies and growing conditions. Cyrtosperma merkusii (giant swamp taro) is a wetland plant which has historically formed part of food systems in the eastern Pacific. The plant has the potential to be cultivated as a source of starch on marginal coastal land and on peatlands with high water tables. The aim of this paper was therefore to determine site conditions that promote growth of C. merkusii and the macro and micronutrient status of the corms. Naturally, the size of the plants varied substantially among sites, with a neutral pH, and low redox and conductivity being strong edaphic predictors of corm size. Despite substantial differences in the soil properties of the different study sites, there were no significant differences in the macro and micronutrient content of the corms. Field trials showed that although the plants grew under dry land conditions, the plants grew bigger and yielded corms with greater concentrations of Fe, Mn and K under waterlogged conditions, indicating that a high-water table is the best cultivation environment for C. merkusii. The nutrient content of the corms suggests that, although primarily a starch crop, C. merkusii could also increase the intake of Fe in populations where Fe deficiency is pervasive. We conclude that the wetland plant C. merkusii has considerable potential as a paludiculture crop in low-lying areas of SE Asia as it was tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions and performed well when cultivated under waterlogged conditions without additional fertilisation.