The dataset was constructed from surveys of 310 farmers operating in irrigated agricultural zones surrounding Lake Guiers in northern Senegal. The survey was carried out from the 09 to the 20 of March 2023, using KoboToolbox, with a questionnaire aiming at collecting information about: 1) farmers' agricultural practices with a particular focus on pesticides and fertilizers use; 2) their socio-economic environment; 3) their perception of changes of climatic conditions and biotic pressures within agroecosystems and production limiting factors; 4) and the level of integration of agroecological practices in their systems. Farmers were selected to represent the main agricultural systems and cover the entire lake region. The dataset provides the first comprehensive description of farming systems and agroecological practices around Lake Guiers, offering a robust basis to analyze their diversity, dynamics, and environmental performance. It can serve as both a cross-sectional baseline and a reference for future longitudinal studies, supporting econometric, ecological, and policy analyses aimed at guiding the agroecological transition and informing sustainable land and water management in sub-Sahelian contexts.

Image Processing-Based Automatic Tooth Segmentation and Age Estimation in Sheep Using Deep Learning.

Agricultural HDPE pyrolysis for environmental management: Feedstock complexity, reaction dynamics, and circular resource recovery.

Unveiling Bronze Age Murghab: Small-scale community responses, agricultural practices and water management during environmental transitions in Turkmenistan

Beetle communities in agricultural landscapes: relative influences of climate, landscape, plant communities and agricultural practices

Mechanism of locust egg susceptibility to diafenthiuron: micropyle permeation and serosal cuticle disruption lead to embryonic lethality.

Fall armyworm (FAW) [Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)] is a destructive pest threatening global maize production. Conventional chemical control is effective but raises sustainability concerns. Drone-assisted ultra-low volume (ULV) spraying enables precision-targeted application, reducing pesticide input, energy consumption, and associated environmental footprints. This study reports the development of a drone-compatible oil dispersion (OD) formulation combining chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate for FAW control. The formulation was optimized using emulsifiers (E1 + E2, 8-10% + 5-5.9%), dispersant D1 (2-5%), and thickener R1 (1-3%), achieving desirable emulsion stability, viscosity, and pourability. The OD met FAO/WHO standards and remained stable under accelerated (54 ± 2 °C, 14 days) and cold storage (0 °C, 7 days) conditions. Surface tension and contact angle analyses confirmed effective spreading on maize foliage. Biochemical assays indicated significant inhibition of glutathione S-transferase and acetylcholinesterase in FAW, suggesting synergistic molecular action. Field trials with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) application demonstrated superior efficacy over commercial formulation (knapsack-sprayed), with reduced leaf damage (up to 47.4%, score: 2.56-4.1), lower cob infestation (13%) compared to untreated (40%) and commercial treatment (20%), and increased grain yield (13.43 t ha-1 in Delhi, 11 t ha-1 in Pune). This study demonstrates the potential of precision-engineered OD formulation, optimized for UAV-based ULV delivery, to enhance FAW management in maize while aligning with sustainable agriculture practices. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Simultaneous application of rice straw and sulfate in paddy soil under flood-drain conditions and its consequence on arsenic mobility.

Phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms: Advances in nutrient uptake mechanisms, plant growth promotion, and sustainable agriculture.

Biodiversity, crucial for resilient agri-food systems, is declining at an unprecedented rate, partly due to changing food systems. Lack of consumer willingness has been identified as a barrier to adopt biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, however, a consumer perspective remains underexplored. This paper presents findings from four focus group discussions in the Netherlands with a relatively environmentally-conscious sample (N=24), exploring how they perceive biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. These discussions reveal two main insights: first, participants are aware of the negative ecological impacts of food systems and can identify key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as increased chemical inputs, monocultures and unsustainable consumption patterns. They recognize the systemic nature of these problems, describing the system as 'locked in' by economic and institutional constraints. Second, while participants stress the role of consumers in driving food systems (change), they simultaneously express ambivalence around their own agency to do so. Mapped according to the COM-B model, the study identifies drivers and barriers related to people's perceived capability (e.g., limited visibility of biodiversity), opportunity (e.g., limited availability and accessibility of alternatives), and motivation (e.g., conflicting priorities) to consume in a more biodiversity-friendly way. We argue that this tension between responsibility and agency reflects a broader discourse of consumer responsibilization, in which individuals are assigned responsibility for solving broader problems through their consumption, without being given the means to. The study demonstrates the need for systems that enable biodiversity-friendly food consumption, as well as foster a more balanced societal discourse on responsibility and agency in food systems.

In recent years, agriculture has undergone transformative innovations to enhance crop productivity, resilience, and nutritional value. With increasing concerns over food security, environmental degradation, and soil health, there is growing emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices. Among these strategies, the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have emerged as promising solutions. Advances in nanobiotechnology have led to the development of various metal-based nanoparticles (NPs), such as silver (Ag NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO NPs), titanium dioxide (TiO2 NPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and quantum dots (QDs). These nanomaterials have the potential to enhance plant biomass and crop yield in both laboratory and field settings. PGPR have gained attention for their ability to improve crop productivity through mechanisms such as nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore and phytohormone production, and the induction of systemic resistance. The synergistic use of nanotechnology and PGPR represents a revolutionary platform for sustainable agriculture. This integrated approach offers practical solutions to critical agricultural challenges such as low productivity, soil degradation, and environmental sustainability. This review highlights how the combination of synergistic utilization of nanotechnology and PGPR can be developed as a winning strategy for sustainable agriculture to solve the current challenges of food security, soil degradation, and environmental sustainability.

Deciphering antibiotic resistome characteristics and dissemination risks in fertilized and irrigated agricultural soils.

ABSTRACT Microplastics are increasingly recognized as a global environmental concern due to their potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. While most research has focused on aquatic systems, microplastic contamination in agricultural soils remains poorly understood. This study investigates the occurrence of microplastics in rice-cultivated soils in Guyana, where rice is a dietary staple and an important economic crop. Triplicate soil samples were collected from eight fields across four cultivated and non-cultivated sites, then sieved, dried, and processed using digestion, density separation, and filtration. Microplastics were identified and characterized under a light microscope. Microplastics were detected in all rice-cultivated fields, with green fragments and pellets being the most abundant. In contrast, non-cultivated soils contained few or no microplastics. These results indicate that agricultural practices may contribute to microplastic accumulation in soils, with potential implications for soil health, crop productivity, and human exposure. The study highlights the need for further research into the sources, distribution, and long-term effects of microplastics in terrestrial agricultural environments.

Maize production, a strategic food crop for food security and rural incomes in Cameroon, is increasingly threatened by climate change. The main objective is to assess the extent to which farmers’ adaptive behaviors contribute to strengthening the resilience of family farms in the Banyo subdivision of the Adamawa region. The methodological approach combined a literature review with a field survey conducted among 234 maize producers. Data analysis revealed that more than 80% of farmers adjust their cropping calendar, delaying or advancing sowing dates to cope with prolonged droughts at the beginning of the agricultural season. Around 97% adopt improved seeds and implement practices such as field irrigation, crop diversification, intercropping, agricultural intensification, and the use of organic fertilizers to compensate for declining soil fertility and to optimize yields. The adoption of off-season cropping further illustrates a willingness to innovate and secure production despite climatic uncertainties. These agricultural practices highlight both a strong capacity for local adaptation and the persistence of significant vulnerabilities. While farmers are mobilizing a diverse repertoire of climate-smart practices, their effectiveness remains constrained by technical, economic, and institutional barriers. The study underscores the urgent need for strengthened agricultural extension services, improved access to timely climate information, and wider dissemination of appropriate technologies tailored to local contexts. Beyond its empirical findings, this research contributes to enriching scientific debates on agricultural adaptation in Central Africa. It also provides concrete insights for guiding public policies towards sustainable resilience strategies that build on farmer behavior, local innovations, and knowledge systems.

Nexus between environmental development and agricultural productivity: A study of inclusive sustainable development for Brazil.

Human-modified environments constitute evolutionary scenarios where novel environmental conditions impose multiple selective pressures on wild species. Rapid adaptation to such environments is critical for species survival. Hence, deciphering the environmental factors associated with species tolerance to modified habitats is fundamental for understanding local adaptation processes across populations. We studied the Giant Toad Rhinella horribilis from two landscapes characterized by land-use changes resulting from combined traditional and intensive agriculture and livestock practices. We identified potential outlier loci, assessed genotype-environment associations, annotated candidate genes, and tested for signals of repeated genomic selection in the two landscapes. We used an integrative analytical approach and assessed patterns of genetic repeatability at the genome scale, which improve confidence in identifying true selection signals and provide insights into genetic responses contributing to adaptive evolution. We found positive genotype-environment associations (GEA) related to suboptimal climatic and water physiochemical conditions. Candidate genes were negatively and positively linked with different environmental variables (temperature, solar radiation, oxygen availability, potassium levels in water bodies). Our findings provide evidence of repeated genomic evolution at the functional level, with successful annotation of 34 shared (statistically overlapped) genes between landscapes. Seven genes were enriched for biological processes and metabolic pathways, associated mainly with embryonic development, sexual maturation, and immune responses. These repeated genomic GEA patterns likely reflect rapid local adaptive responses to stressful conditions imposed by these human-modified environments.

Field trials were conducted to assess the effect of tolfenpyrad on consumers by studying the persistence, dissipation kinetics and effect of different household processing methods in the reduction of tolfenpyrad residues in cabbage. The average residues in cabbage heads (2 h after spray) were found to be 1.36, 1.46 and 2.39 mg kg−1 after two applications at doses of 150, 187.5 and 300 g a.i. ha−1. The residues dissipated below the LOQ of 0.01 mg kg−1 after 15, 15 and 20 days of application at the three respective doses. In soil, the residues dissipated below the quantification limit on fifth, seventh and tenth day at three respective doses. Dissipation followed first-order kinetics with half-life (T1/2) values of 2.11, 2.14, and 1.97 days at 150, 187.5 and 300 g a.i. ha−1 doses, respectively. Risk assessment studies showed that application at 150 and 300 g a.i. ha−1 doses using proper agricultural practices resulted in a Hazard Quotient less than 1. Effectiveness of household practices to decontaminate tolfenpyrad residues was assessed and cooking of cabbage proved to be more effective (81.60–85.91 per cent reduction of residues).

ABSTRACT The 2014 publication of Yuin historian Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu signalled a shift in Australian agricultural discourse and practice. Prior to its publication, little attention was given to the intersection between food practices and (de)colonisation. Over the past decade, small-scale alternative food movements as well as large-scale export-oriented producers have responded unevenly to Pascoe’s provocation. While the former sought to develop a decolonial approach in response to a growing awareness of settler complicity in colonial food systems, the latter, represented by government agencies and peak organisations, adopted a milder reconciliatory turn of Indigenous–settler relations within conventional agriculture. This article argues that Dark Emu presents a pivotal moment and rupture in Australia’s agricultural practices and food discourses. We examine the sociopolitical conditions surrounding Dark Emu and ask how its publication produced an urgency towards decolonial thinking across alternative food actors, and reconciliatory thinking in agriculture more broadly. We conceptualise the “Pascoe Moment” as a set of contingent conditions around Dark Emu that activated an urgent need to reassemble food systems in response to the (de)colonial question of agriculture. In doing so, this article untangles how agricultural actors differently engage in decolonial questions.

Physiological disruption, genotoxicity, and body condition impairment in Caiman latirostris yearlings exposed to environmentally relevant pesticide concentrations.

Abstract Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to rural communities in the Global South, yet the social transformation pathways through which these communities navigate climate impacts remain inadequately understood. This paper examines the intersection of climate change and social transformation in Bahraich District, Uttar Pradesh, one of India's most climate-vulnerable regions. Drawing on empirical climate data spanning 1979–2025, hazard assessments, and a systematic review of community adaptation literature, the study addresses three research questions: (1) What specific climate changes has Bahraich experienced over the past four decades? (2) How are these changes driving social transformation across agricultural practices, livelihoods, and community structures? (3) What pathways exist for just and inclusive adaptation? The findings reveal that Bahraich has experienced a temperature increase of 0.9°C since 2010, a 54.2% reduction in annual rainfall, and a 43.3% worsening in climate severity scores, with drought expected every five years. These biophysical changes are catalyzing profound social transformations: agricultural system reorganization, livelihood diversification, migration pattern shifts, and emerging community-based adaptation strategies. Drawing on comparative insights from Nepal, Vietnam, Peru, and European case studies, the paper proposes an integrated framework for equitable climate transformation centred on four pillars: climate justice and equity, community resilience, participatory governance, and ethically deployed technological tools. The study contributes to scholarship on climate-induced social transformation while offering actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working in similar contexts across the Indo-Gangetic Plain.