Agricultural Improvement Research Articles

Nanotechnology in agriculture: A review of innovative utilization

The escalating challenges posed by swift population growth, global climate change, and occurrences of disease outbreaks to ensure food security necessitate innovate agricultural improvement techniques. In this intricate milieu, nanotechnology, with its remarkable advancements, emerges as a potent avenue for enhancing sustainable agricultural practices. This review underscores the current landscape of nanotechnology in agriculture, highlighting the classification and synthesis of nanomaterials. Furthermore, insightful applications of nano-based products in agriculture are meticulously elucidated in term of advantages and risks possessed. Notably, the regulatory frameworks from different countries have been addressed to ensure the safety of consumers and the environment. However, despite its myriad benefits, nanotechnology is not exempt from limitations and potential negative consequences, which are explored in the final section of this review. Keywords: nanomaterials, agriculture, nano-based products, regulatory frameworks

Endophytic fungi: versatile partners for pest biocontrol, growth promotion, and climate change resilience in plants

Plant-associated endophytic fungi (EFs) are emerging as a promising solution to advancing modern agriculture and fostering environmental sustainability, especially in the face of climate change scenarios. These fungi, either naturally residing in plants or introduced through artificial inoculation techniques, improve agricultural production due to their various roles in protecting and supporting host plants. The majority of EFs serve as natural biocontrol agents for a variety of agricultural pests, such as insects, phytopathogens, nematodes, and weeds. Notably, EFs produce secondary metabolites, trigger immune responses, modify plant defense gene expression, confer host plant resistance and/or tolerance, and regulate pest growth, populations, and survival to combat agricultural pests. Beyond controlling pests, EFs promote optimal plant growth, development, and resilience by aiding in the synthesis of vital compounds such as phytohormones and bioactive metabolites, nutrient acquisition, and fortifying plants against environmental stresses and climatic changes. Moreover, the mostly nonpathogenic nature of EFs, coupled with their high yield potential, environmental safety, and cost effectiveness, positions them as eco-friendly and economically viable alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals amidst rapid climate change scenarios. As a result, the promising horizon of EFs in agricultural production necessitates interdisciplinary study and microbial modulation approaches to optimize symbiotic plant-EF relationships and their potential for improved productivity. This review provides current and comprehensive insights into the practical applications and multifaceted benefits of EFs in pest management, plant growth promotion, and climate change resilience for future agricultural production improvements. The analysis reveals the potential of developing EFs into innovative bioformulations such as biofertilizers, biostimulants, and biopesticides, thereby paving the way for their integration into a sustainable and more resilient future agricultural system.

Editorial: Integrative systems biology and big data for agricultural improvement and understanding

Editorial: Integrative systems biology and big data for agricultural improvement and understanding

An eco-friendly versatile superabsorbent hydrogel based on sodium alginate and urea for soil improvement with a synchronous chemical loading strategy

In this paper, an eco-friendly versatile superabsorbent material was designed for soil improvement, and a synchronous chemical loading strategy was proposed. In this strategy, urea not only acted as fertilizer but also acted as a crosslinker to construct an alginate network. The microstructure, chemical structure, thermal stability and composition of the obtained SA/urea hydrogel were characterized in detail. Adsorption behavior and application performance in agriculture were evaluated. The results demonstrated that urea had two different conformations in the network. The SA/urea hydrogel had abundant pore structures with excellent water absorption performance. It could not only improve the water retention capacity of soil but also release nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium elements with degradation for as long as 9 weeks. Moreover, the hydrogel could promote plant growth, increase the nutritional composition of plants and inhibit the accumulation of harmful nitrate in plants. With advantages, including biodegradability, high water absorption, controllable degradation, excellent water retention, sustained NPK release and improved plant nutrition value, the SA/urea hydrogel has great potential for soil improvement in agriculture as an eco-friendly versatile water retention agent and can be expected to extend to more fields as a novel superabsorbent material.

High-throughput soybean pods high-quality segmentation and seed-per-pod estimation for soybean plant breeding

Accurately identifying soybean pods is a crucial prerequisite for retrieving multi-phenotypic traits (such as number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, pod size, pod color, and pod shape). However, the traditional manual measurement approach for pod phenotype investigation is time-consuming and labor-intensive, particularly when counting the number of seeds per pod. Furthermore, existing instance segmentation methods designed for coarse-grained classification are inadequate for precise seed-per-pod estimation. To address these challenges, we modified an instance segmentation network for high-throughput soybean pods high-quality segmentation and accurate seed-per-pod estimation. We modified the classification branch of the instance segmentation network Mask Transfiner (Ke et al., 2022) by increasing the resolution of feature map of each Region of Interest (RoI) region, incorporating a dual attention mechanism, and leveraging a center loss function, named RefinePod. To overcome the limitation of scarce labeled data, we modified our synthesizing image method to automatedly generate fine-labeled multi-class soybean pods images. We then train RefinePod purely with these synthetic images. Subsequently, we evaluate the trained model on both synthetic and real test images. Experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in the accuracy of seed-per-pod estimation achieved by RefinePod. Additionally, we conduct ablation experiments to analyze the individual contributions of each strategy employed in RefinePod. In summary, RefinePod achieves remarkable results in seed-per-pod estimation accuracy by integrating advanced techniques and leveraging synthetic images for training. Our findings highlight the potential of RefinePod for accelerating soybean phenotype investigation, enabling more efficient agricultural research and crop improvement initiatives.

Land Improvements in Agriculture: A bibliometric Analysis Unveiling Trends and Future Research Perspectives

Land Improvements in Agriculture: A bibliometric Analysis Unveiling Trends and Future Research Perspectives

Environmental Change Impact on Agriculture Economic Products

There are significant environmental changes in the northwest region of China. These changes are raising concerns about their effects on agricultural products. In addition, this paper synthesizes findings from various studies to find the relationship between environmental changes and agricultural products. Expect for historical challenges, like barren land and sandstorms, governance build many policies to make ecological and agricultural improvements. These policies target to solve the environmental problems. Furthermore, the study processes many influential factors like changing precipitation patterns, ecological improvements, creative farming practices, and governmental policy impacts. By using the ARIMA model to forecast the data from the China Agricultural Information Network, results evaluate how environmental changes affect prices of key agricultural products, especially for peaches and watermelons. In the rest of studies also highlights the roles of technology and policies and providing insights into their economic and ecological significance. In conclusion, this study reveals the understanding of relationship between environmental changes and agricultural products, and it offer insights for sustainable development in the northwest region of China.

Role of Plant Biotechnology in Agricultural Sustainability and Improvement of Crops

Role of Plant Biotechnology in Agricultural Sustainability and Improvement of Crops

Analisa Perbandingan Metode Teorema Bayes Dan Case Based Reasoning Diagnosa Penyakit Pada Tanaman Tomat

Diseases in tomato plants have a significant impact on the agriculture industry as they can reduce crop yields and tomato quality. Therefore, this research aims to compare the Bayesian Theorem and Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) methods in diagnosing tomato plant diseases. The Bayesian Theorem is a statistical approach based on probability, while CBR uses knowledge from previous cases. This study includes an analysis of the performance of both methods in terms of diagnostic accuracy, result delivery speed, and resource efficiency. The research results have the potential to assist farmers and agricultural experts in choosing the most suitable method for diagnosing tomato plant diseases. Furthermore, the implementation of expert systems in agriculture can have a positive impact on tomato cultivation productivity and sustainability. This research aims to provide practical guidance for stakeholders in the agricultural field and contribute to sustainable agriculture improvement, with a specific focus on disease identification and management in tomato plants. The percentage values of the application of the Bayesian Theorem and Case-Based Reasoning methods show that Case-Based Reasoning has a lower success rate in diagnosing Fusarium Wilt and Bacterial Wilt compared to the Bayesian Theorem. However, Case-Based Reasoning excels in diagnosing Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), achieving a success rate of 100%, while the Bayesian Theorem reaches 63%.

Construction of a high-density genetic map for yardlong bean and identification of ANT1 as a regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis.

Because its long, tender pods supply essential proteins, vitamins, and fibers to humans, yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) is a commonly consumed vegetable, especially in Southeast Asia. To provide insights into the genetic bases of key agricultural traits in yardlong bean, we here created a high-density bin-map with 2084 bin markers using 514 227 SNPs from a recombinant-inbred line (RIL) population. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was carried out to identify loci associated with anthocyanin content (ANT), vitamin E content (VE), total soluble protein content (TSP), pod length (PL), hundred-seed weight (HSW), seed length and width (SL and SW, respectively), and seed coat color (SCC). In total, 20 related QTLs were isolated, explaining 7.58-56.03% of the phenotypic variation. Of these, five major QTLs (qANT5, qTSP11, qVE7, qPL3, and qSCC9) were detected in 2020, 2021, and the combined environment, explaining 11.96-56.03% of the phenotypic variation. VuANT1 was identified as a causal gene for the QTL qANT5, which regulated anthocyanin content; VuANT1 was highly expressed in immature purple pods but barely detectable in white pods. VuANT1 overexpression in tobacco leaves and yardlong bean hairy roots resulted in purple coloration as a result of anthocyanin accumulation. These findings suggested that VuANT1 was a key regulator of anthocyanin accumulation in yardlong bean. Our results lay a firm foundation for target agricultural trait improvement and clarification of the genetic mechanisms underlying agricultural traits in yardlong bean.

Exploring the Benefits of Advanced Technologies in Fertilizer, Pesticide, and Water Management for Improved Efficiency and Yield Enhancement

The advantages of new technology in fertilizer, pesticide, and water management for enhanced productivity and yield improvement in precision agriculture are investigated in this thesis. Research of both a quantitative and qualitative nature was conducted as part of the approach in order to offer a thorough knowledge of the influence that improved technology have had on the practices of precision agriculture. The quantitative findings of the research indicate that the use of modern technological practices leads to a large increase in both productiveness and profitability. The qualitative findings emphasize the positive effects on the environment that would follow from a reduction in the use of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as an increase in the sustainability of agricultural operations. Nevertheless, the research also reveals several challenges to adoption, such as the expense involved and a resistance to changing behaviors that have been done traditionally. Getting rid of these obstacles is going to be essential if we want to realize the full potential of precision agricultural methods. In general, this thesis provides important insights into the potential of advanced technologies in fertilizer, pesticide, and water management to promote sustainable and efficient agricultural practices. Additionally, it identifies key areas for future research in this field, which is extremely helpful.

Using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology to Improve Crops and Address the Global Food Crisis: A Review

By developing a revolutionary method for modifying the genomes of living things, genome editing (GE) has completely changed the biological sciences. Recent years have seen the development of several technologies that make altering complex genomes possible. For agricultural crop production to be sustained and contribute to global food security, a fast and dependable method of raising yield and resilience to different environmental pressures is therefore required. The GE instruments for crop enhancement are explained in detail in this analytical research. Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are a few examples of these tools. This category also includes mega-nucleases (MNs). In particular, the most recent advancements in the use of CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing for major agricultural improvements - like the creation of crops that are more yielding and of higher quality - are covered this paper. When this approach is put into practice, non-transgene crops with desired traits will be produced, which might lead to increased yield capacity under different environmental challenges. To increase agricultural production and guarantee food security, the CRISPR/Cas9 methodology may be used in conjunction with existing and future breeding techniques (such as omics-assisted breeding and speed breeding). The difficulties and restrictions associated with CRISPR/Cas9 have also been covered. Plant breeders and scientists doing a detailed analysis of the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to enhance crops by focusing on the desired gene will find this material to be helpful.

Mitigating soil water deficit using organic waste compost and commercial water retainer: a comparative study under semiarid conditions

Semiarid regions have particularly been confronted with climate change effects reflected by the consistent decrease of rainfall and increase of evapotranspiration. This drought stress constitutes the main constraint for agricultural production improvement, which is aggravated by the fact that strategic (field) crops are mostly grown under rainfed systems. Therefore, the objective of this field study was to improve soil water retention by the application of two conditioners namely, an organic waste compost (DS) and a synthetic water-retaining hydrogel (WS). These amendments were applied to an agricultural soil for the cultivation of fodder maize under normal and deficit irrigation regimes. Advanced analysis showed a general disruption of plant growth parameters under water stress. However, both amendments attenuated this negative effect with respect to control by improving soil water status. More precisely, the measured soil water tension at the start of the dry season was the lowest in presence of DS (48 centibars), followed by WS (61 centibars), then unamended soil (83 centibars). Besides, compost application resulted in higher moisture (13.3%), nitrogen (0.36%), and organic matter (0.56%) in soil than the synthetic hydrogel at the end of the field experiment. Soil and plant characterization highlighted the combined effect of water deficit and conditioner type. Indeed, the consistent increase of soil water content in the presence of DS and WS improved all the addressed plant parameters when compared with untreated soil. Infrared thermal imaging showed that canopy temperature was lower in presence of both amendments while dry biomass yield increased by 38% when water supply was limited. Nevertheless, the long-term sustainability of the soil system appears to be better maintained in the presence of the organic waste compost. The latter has the added advantage of improving soil fertility in contrast to inert polymers.

Does the rural housing land system reform model meeting the needs of farmers improve the welfare of farmers?

The rural land system reform (RLSR) is inseparable from the protection of farmers' rights and profits. The success or failure of the system reform determines the value embodiment of the farmers' subject position. Under the background of continuously promoting the RLSR in China, combining the farmers' demands and welfare change, this study reveals the practice and process of rural housing land system reform (RHLSR) and puts forward three theory hypotheses. Then, four kinds of RHLSR mode are designed based on the outer edge-kernel system theory and Maslow demand theory. Finally, using fuzzy mathematical evaluation and a structure equation model, this study depicts the implementation process and effect of 20 typical cases and puts forward corresponding policy enlightenment. Results show that (1) due to the influence of the system, the RHLSR mode is diversified; the RHLSR mode that conforms to farmers' needs is also conducive to improving farmers' welfare level. (2) The correlation between farmers' living status and welfare level is the highest in the RHLSR process, while the degree of social participation is the lowest. (3) The land investment mode (LIM) has the best effect on the improvement of farmers’ welfare (FW) level, followed by the monetary compensation mode (MCM), and the asset replacement mode (ARM). Meanwhile, the use of land to ensure the life of the aged mode (ULELAM) has the lowest effect. These findings indicate that the government should adhere to the concept of people first, combining the welfare needs of farmers step-by-step. Those needs should be prioritized and optimized appropriately, according to the time and household, so as to realize a better tilt of land policy dividend towards farmers.

Cultivation and Analysis of Citronella Essential Oil Compounds for Traditional Medicine Development

Purpose: This study addresses challenges faced by Mahapraja, a Bali tourist cottage. It explores issues related to citronella cultivation, trust-building, limited land, equipment underutilization, and marketing hurdles. It is relevant for regional traditional medicine and agriculture.
 Method: This research uses a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative data collection (interviews, surveys, observations) with quantitative analysis (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometer). Pre- and post-tests gauge knowledge enhancement during socialization activities.
 Practical Applications: The findings improve citronella cultivation in Mahapraja, boosting essential oil production and benefiting the cottage and traditional medicine industry. It informs marketing strategies, instilling confidence in producing and selling derivative products.
 Conclusion: This study highlights Mahapraja's citronella challenges, setting the stage for agricultural improvements and effective marketing. It underscores research's role in advancing regional traditional medicine and agriculture, positioning Mahapraja for success in citronella essential oil production and sales.

Implementasi Program Jari Tangan: Analisis Pelaksanaan dan Dampaknya

The popularity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) continues to rise, reflecting a company's commitment to addressing social and environmental issues to support sustainable development. As an example of CSR commitment, PT Pertamina EP Zona 7 Jatibarang Field has put this approach into practice. Their community development program, known as "Jari Tangan" (Independent Farming and Sustainable Food Production), is focused on developing sustainable horticulture cultivation. This research analyzes the implementation of the "Jari Tangan" program using a qualitative approach. The research findings demonstrate that this program has a positive impact on the local community in terms of economic, environmental, and social aspects. The program helps farmers increase their income, optimize land management, and introduce environmentally friendly farming practices. Additionally, the program introduces innovation in the form of the Bio-Cyclo Farming System, which helps address organic waste issues and enhances agricultural productivity. The success of the “Jari Tangan” program in Bongas Wetan Village extended to its replication in Karanganyar Village. This replication helped farmers enhance their rice harvests and income. The significance of the "Jari Tangan" program extends beyond the local context and aligns with broader sustainable development goals like poverty alleviation and sustainable agriculture improvement. The program's success is also recognized by the awards it has received in the field of CSR. Therefore, the "Jari Tangan" program not only serves as an example of a company actively engaged in sustainable development but also illustrates how appropriate innovations can generate significant positive impacts on society, the environment, and the economy.

Agricultural Land Rights Confirmation, Clan Network, and Farmers’ Investment in Production and Operation

This study is based on micro-survey data on rural household transfers in China. This study uses a multiple linear regression model (to analyze the relationship between variables), an instrumental variable model (to solve potential endogenous problems), and an intermediary effect model to explore the impact of farmland rights confirmation and clan network on farmers’ investment in production and operation and the relationship between clan network confirmation of farmland rights and farmer household investment. The research shows that: (1) The confirmation of farmland rights in China substantially bolsters farmers’ investments in agricultural production and operation. It serves as a secure foundation for land property rights, elevating farmers’ confidence and significantly contributing to the growth of rural economies and the improvement of farmers’ income levels in the Chinese context. (2) In the Chinese context, the existence of clan networks exerts a discernible adverse influence on farmers’ investment decisions in agricultural production and operation. This is primarily attributable to the restricted flow of information within these networks, the enforcement of stringent social norms, and the prevalence of risk-averse attitudes. These factors collectively act as barriers, dampening farmers’ enthusiasm for investment and impeding effective decision-making. (3) Importantly, the confirmation of agricultural land rights in China serves as a counterbalance to the inhibitory effects of clan networks. It achieves this by mitigating information asymmetry and reducing cooperation risks. This proactive approach not only promotes but also facilitates farmers’ investments in agricultural production and operation within the Chinese context. Consequently, land rights confirmation emerges as a key driver of increased rural investments in China. This study conducts in-depth research on the impact of farmland ownership confirmation and clan networks on farmers’ investment behavior and the mechanism of action, which provides a useful reference for formulating relevant policies, such as increasing the authority of cultivated land, promoting the modernization of clan networks, cultivating modern management capabilities, etc.

P450Rdb: A manually curated database of reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes

IntroductionCytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) are recognized as the most versatile catalysts worldwide, playing vital roles in numerous biological metabolism and biosynthesis processes across all kingdoms of life. Despite the vast number of P450 genes available in databases (over 300,000), only a small fraction of them (less than 0.2 %) have undergone functional characterization. ObjectivesTo provide a convenient platform with abundant information on P450s and their corresponding reactions, we introduce the P450Rdb database, a manually curated resource compiles literature-supported reactions catalyzed by P450s. MethodsAll the P450s and Reactions were manually curated from the literature and known databases. Subsequently, the P450 reactions organized and categorized according to their chemical reaction type and site. The website was developed using HTML and PHP languages, with the MySQL server utilized for data storage. ResultsThe current version of P450Rdb catalogs over 1,600 reactions, involving more than 590 P450s across a diverse range of over 200 species. Additionally, it offers a user-friendly interface with comprehensive information, enabling easy querying, browsing, and analysis of P450s and their corresponding reactions. P450Rdb is free available at http://www.cellknowledge.com.cn/p450rdb/. ConclusionsWe believe that this database will significantly promote structural and functional research on P450s, thereby fostering advancements in the fields of natural product synthesis, pharmaceutical engineering, biotechnological applications, agricultural and crop improvement, and the chemical industry.

A Centrally Driven Place-Based Economic Development Strategy: A Local Perspective of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor

We contrast place-based economic development strategies (PBEDS) in Thailand and in economically advanced countries. Through government initiatives, PBEDS focuses on improving economically underdeveloped areas' economic conditions. Thailand's PBEDS began in 1959 to develop the impoverished Northeast region, focusing on agricultural improvements. Since 1970, infrastructure and industrial development zones have been the main strategies to attract foreign investment for export-oriented growth. In economically advanced countries, the primary purpose of PBEDS is to reduce regional economic disparity. However, as they are implemented in Thailand, they increase regional inequality as development is concentrated in and around Bangkok. Thailand's latest PBEDS is the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project in three eastern provinces. The national government oversaw the EEC and granted the EEC Office special powers to streamline investment approvals, although local governments have no formal role. We contrast Thailand's top-down PBEDS with approaches in other countries that emphasize local decision-making and leveraging regional assets. Thailand's policies focus on national growth, while international evidence suggests that locally-led PBEDS more effectively address regional disparities and increase national output. Thailand should empower local governments, coordinate with them, and invest in poorer regions. At the same time, the EEC may promote growth, but its centralized approach risks misaligning with local needs. A balanced strategy accounting for local contexts could better lift Thailand economically.

Effects of government policies reform on environmental sustainability: An integrated approach of PMP and system dynamics simulation model

The government's supportive policies in the agricultural sector may provide some goals intended by policymakers; however, they may have environmental, social, and sometimes economic inefficiencies. Therefore, policy analysis not only needs to examine the effectiveness of these policies from the point of view of economic components but also, in a more comprehensive view, should assess the impact of these policies on other aspects like sustainability. In this study, an integrated Positive Mathematical Programming (PMP) and System Dynamics (SD) model was developed to investigate the effects of the agricultural policy reform on the cultivation pattern and water resources sustainability in the Doroodzan Dam basin in Fars Province, southern Iran, where managing water resources is a seriously challenging due to population growth and periodic drought. The initial investigation involved analyzing how price policies (guaranteed price and world price of crops) and non-price policies (removal of subsidy payments to agricultural inputs and improvement of irrigation efficiency) impacted the cropping pattern. The results of the study showed that the most significant decrease in cropland area occurs due to the removal of agricultural input subsidies. Although this crop pattern can lead to environmental sustainability, it is not considered from the point of view of food self-sufficiency. Based on the results, applying world prices increase cropping area for crops like rice, which is a water-intensive crop. Another point was the high priority of onions, fodder corn, and beans while they are not subjected to governmental pricing intervention. This may indicate the extent of public policies' impact on agriculture. Although under some policy scenarios changes in the gross margin or cropping area do not sound significant, the water-saving nature of these policies is more compelling. Finally, the impact of altering cropping patterns along with climate change and population growth on water indices was assessed using SD modeling. Thus, reforming the government's policies in the agricultural sector may help reduce the water shortage index in the basin. The policy of removing subsidies for the agricultural inputs led to the attainment of the lowest water shortage index.