Agricultural Utilization Research Articles

Understanding China's agricultural non‑carbon-dioxide greenhouse gas emissions: Subnational insights and global trade dynamics

Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the second and third most important greenhouse gases after carbon dioxide (CO2), with 60% and 40% of global CH4 and N2O emissions coming from agriculture, respectively. However, the global nexus of non‑carbon-dioxide greenhouse gas (NCGHG) emissions at the subnational scale in China, the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products, remains under-examined. To fill this gap, we nested China's provincial input-output data with global data to clarify China's subnational-scale agricultural NCGHG emissions and connected global trade-based relationships. We found that China's production- and consumption-based agricultural NCGHG emissions in 2017 constituted ∼11% and ∼ 13% of the global agricultural NCGHG emissions, respectively, and that there existed a significant spatial mismatch between production- and consumption-based agricultural NCGHG emissions. Domestic consumption drove 94% of China's agricultural NCGHG emissions, which were dominated by China's domestic supply chains related to cattle farming and rice planting. We consequently propose to reduce agricultural NCGHG emissions by improving the efficiency of critical supply chains and agricultural waste utilization.

Zinc solubilization and organic acid production by the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium pingshaense sheds light on its key ecological role in the environment

We report for the first-time higher zinc (Zn) solubilization efficiency and plant growth promotion by an entomopathogenic fungus (EPF), Metarhizium pingshaense IISR-EPF-14, which was earlier isolated from Conogethes punctiferalis, a pest of global importance. The Zn solubilizing efficiency of the fungus varied depending on the type of insoluble source of Zn used, which was observed to be 1.6 times higher in Zn3(PO4)2–amended media compared to ZnO media. In liquid media, there was a 6.2-fold increase in available Zn in ZnO–amended media, whereas a 20.2-fold increase in available Zn was recorded in Zn3(PO4)2 medium. We ascribe the production of various organic acids such as gluconic, keto-gluconic, oxalic, tartaric, malonic, succinic and formic acids, which in general, interact with insoluble Zn sources and make them soluble by forming metal cations and displacing anions as the major mechanism for Zn solubilization by M. pingshaense. However, the type and amount of organic acid produced in the media varied depending on the source of Zn used and the incubation period. Application of the fungus alone and in combination with insoluble Zn sources enhanced various plant growth parameters in rice and cardamom plants. Moreover, the uptake of Zn in rice plants was enhanced up to ~2.5-fold by fungal application. The fungus also exhibited various other plant growth-promoting traits, such as production of Indole-3-acetic acid, ammonia, siderophores, solubilization of mineral phosphate, and production of hydrolytic enzymes such as α-amylase, protease, and pectinase. Hence, apart from its use as a biological control agent, M. pingshaense has the potential to be used as a bio-fortifier to enhance the solubilization and uptake of Zn from nutrient poor soils under field conditions. Our findings shed light on the broader ecological role played by this fungus and widen its scope for utilization in sustainable agriculture.

Analysis of the environmental damage and agricultural utilization in Forest Area of Dieang Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia

Dieng Plateau is a renowned tourist attraction due to its captivating panoramas, protected forest, agricultural viability, and geothermal resources. However, encouraging social life forces the local community to depend on the surrounding forest by utilizing the forest area as agricultural land. These activities harm the environment. This study aimed to determine the level of environmental damage and agricultural utilization in forest area of Dieng Plateau. Data collection methods were observation and interviews, with a purposive determination of the sample. Data analysis was carried out spatially to determine the level of environmental damage. The results showed that the erosion rate in the Dieng Plateau was in the moderate (33-35 cm), heavy (86-100 cm) and very heavy class (92-235 cm). The level of canopy cover is in the moderately dense class (60%), sparse class (20-40%) and very sparse class (<20%). The level of land productivity is in the low class (40%), moderate class (45-53%), high class (70%) and very high (93%). The level of environmental management ranged from poor to excellent. The level of environmental damage in total is in the rather severe and damaged class. For this reason, it is necessary to implementing environmental damage control strategies by land rehabilitation and closely monitoring agricultural activities by the forest area management and local government authorities are essential measures.

Application of zero waste farming system technology for the empowerment of farmers and breeders in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi

The Covid-19 pandemic affects all sectors, including agriculture. Challenges faced by the "Belo Singgani" Livestock Farmer Group include a lack of skills in enhancing agricultural productivity at a macro level, resulting in low marketability of agricultural products, and insufficient community engagement and awareness regarding agricultural maintenance and utilization. To address these issues, implementing zero waste farming system technology, specifically integrated farming techniques, is proposed as a solution. The Community-based Empowerment Program (PBM) aims to support the community in implementing a zero waste farming system for economic empowerment post-Covid-19. Methods employed include training, demonstration plots, and community assistance. Results from the community service initiative indicate an 80% increase in participants' knowledge about zero-waste farming systems and 60% of participants successfully utilizing waste to produce organic fertilizer. This is evidenced by the production and utilization of organic fertilizer, contributing to the development of a sustainable zero waste farming system.

Impact of Waste Cooking Oils Addition on Thermophilic Dry Co-Digestion of Wheat Straw and Horse Manure for Renewable Energy Production in Two Stages.

Anaerobic co-digestion of waste wheat straw and horse manure in two steps was revealed as a promising option for renewable energy production in the form of hydrogen and methane. Addition of waste cooking oils, disposal of which could cause damage to health or the environment, as a third substrate for digestion, is suggested as an approach not only to help handle the increasing volume of food waste worldwide but also to improve process performance. In the present study, waste cooking oil, in a concentration of 5%, appeared to be a positive modulator of anaerobic digestion with the production of hydrogen and did not lead to inhibition of the hydrolysis phase. The overall efficiency of the two-stage anaerobic digestion of the mixture, which contains mainly lignocellulose waste, is positively dependent on thermochemical pretreatment with the alkali reagent (Ca(OH)2), but elevated temperature (55 °C) and cooking oil addition revealed the opportunity to omit the pre-treatment step. Nevertheless, the overall energy production was lower due to the methane production step. However, the addition of waste cooking oils to the process in which lig-nocellulose is not pretreated (V3) led to an increase in the methane production and energy yield compared to V1. The anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic waste is a complex process and comprises successive degradation pathways and syntrophic microbial associations' activities, so the division in two reactors ensured suitable conditions for the microorganisms residing in each of them. In this study, along with the production of hydrogen and methane and the separation of the hydrolysis and methanogenesis stages, utilization of agriculture- and kitchen-generated wastes was realized in the context of waste-to-energy sustainable production methods.

Multi-Vehicle Unmanned Following Operation Driving System Based on OpenMV

In response to the low level of agricultural production automation and labor shortage, to improve the efficiency of agricultural machinery utilization and the reliability of automatic navigation, this paper designs an intelligent agricultural machinery system based on OpenMV for multi-vehicle unmanned following operations. Firstly, the kinematics of the agricultural machinery vehicle is analyzed, the path recognition and location line extraction are carried out using the OpenMV vision module, and the agricultural machinery steering control system is designed using the cascade PID closed-loop control technology, which achieves accurate steering control and path tracking on straight lines and curves. Subsequently, using embedded microcontrollers to manage the workflow, utilizing OpenMV visual modules to receive, store, and process positioning information, and sending control instructions to execution units such as the TB6612FNG motor drive module. Moreover, in response to the communication issues involving multiple HC-05 Bluetooth modules in the system's multi-vehicle communication, corresponding protocol specifications have been developed, and combined with the use of the HC-SR04 ultrasonic module to maintain dual vehicle distance and obstacle detection, achieving multi-vehicle collaborative following operations. The experimental results show that the system achieves a path recognition navigation accuracy of 93.4% and a communication success rate of 97.5% in simulating the process of farm harvesting and transportation, effectively proving the multi-vehicle collaboration of the system in the paper

A Comprehensive Study from Cradle-to-Grave on the Environmental Profile of Malted Legumes.

Three representative pulses from the Latium region of Italy (namely, Solco Dritto chickpeas, SDC, Gradoli Purgatory beans, GPB, and Onano lentils, OL) underwent malting to reduce their anti-nutrient content, such as phytic acid and flatulence-inducing oligosaccharides. This initiative targets the current low per capita consumption of pulses. Employing Life Cycle Analysis, their environmental impact was assessed, revealing an overall carbon footprint of 2.8 or 3.0 kg CO2e per kg of malted (M) and decorticated (D) SDCs or GPBs and OLs, respectively. The Overall Weighted Sustainability scores (OWSS) complying with the Product Environmental Footprint method ranged from 298 ± 30 to 410 ± 40 or 731 ± 113 µPt/kg for malted and decorticated SDCs, OLs, or GPBs, indicating an increase from 13% to 17% compared to untreated dry seeds. Land use impact (LU) was a dominant factor, contributing 31% or 42% to the OWSS for MDSDCs or MDOLs, respectively. In MDGPBs, LU constituted 18% of the OWSS, but it was overshadowed by the impact of water use arising from bean irrigation, accounting for approximately 52% of the OWSS. This underscores the agricultural phase's pivotal role in evaluating environmental impact. The climate change impact category (CC) was the second-largest contributor, ranging from 28% (MDSDCs) to 22% (MDOLs), and ranking as the third contributor with 12% of the OWSS for MDGPBs. Mitigation should prioritize the primary impact from the agricultural phase, emphasizing land and water utilization. Selecting drought-tolerant bean varieties could significantly reduce OWSSs. To mitigate climate change impact, actions include optimizing electricity consumption during malting, transitioning to photovoltaic electricity, upgrading transport vehicles, and optimizing pulse cooking with energy-efficient appliances. These efforts, aligning with sustainability goals, may encourage the use of malted and decorticated pulses in gluten-free, low fat, α-oligosaccharide, and phytate-specific food products for celiac, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic patients. Overall, this comprehensive approach addresses environmental concerns, supports sustainable practices, and fosters innovation in pulse utilization for improved dietary choices.

Metagenomic exploration of the rhizosphere soil microbial community and their significance in facilitating the development of wild-simulated ginseng.

Panax ginseng, a prized medicinal herb, has faced increasingly challenging field production due to soil degradation and fungal diseases in Northeast China. Wild-simulated cultivation has prevailed because of its sustainable soil management and low disease incidence. Despite the recognized benefits of rhizosphere microorganisms in ginseng cultivation, their genomic and functional diversity remain largely unexplored. In this work, we utilized shotgun metagenomic analysis to reveal that Pseudomonadota, Actinomycetota, and Acidobacteriota were dominant in the ginseng rhizobiome and recovered 14 reliable metagenome-assembled genomes. Functional analysis indicated an enrichment of denitrification-associated genes, potentially contributing to the observed decline in soil fertility, while genes associated with aromatic carbon degradation may be linked to allelochemical degradation. Further analysis demonstrated enrichment of Actinomycetota in 9-year-old wild-simulated ginseng (WSG), suggesting the need for targeted isolation of Actinomycetota bacteria. Among these, at least three different actinomycete strains were found to play a crucial role in fungal disease resistance, with Streptomyces spp. WY144 standing out for its production of actinomycin natural products active against the pathogenic fungus Ilyonectria robusta. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the rhizobiome of WSG but also present promising avenues for combating detrimental fungal pathogens, underscoring the importance of ginseng in both medicinal and agricultural contexts.IMPORTANCEWild-simulated ginseng, growing naturally without human interference, is influenced by its soil microbiome. Using shotgun metagenomics, we analyzed the rhizospheric soil microbiome of 7- and 9-year-old wild-simulated ginseng. The study aimed to reveal its composition and functions, exploring the microbiome's key roles in ginseng growth. Enrichment analysis identified Streptomycetes in ginseng soil, with three strains inhibiting plant pathogenic fungi. Notably, one strain produced actinomycins, suppressing the ginseng pathogenic fungus Ilyonectria robusta. This research accelerates microbiome application in wild-simulated ginseng cultivation, offering insights into pathogen protection and supporting microbiome utilization in agriculture.

Sustainable poultry farming in developing nations: Exploring cassava waste utilization for enhanced poultry production and economic viability

AbstractIn intensive poultry production, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria, addressing the issues of agricultural waste and feed costs for farmers is crucial. This study explores a solution by incorporating cassava waste into broiler chicken diets. The research examines its effects on economic factors, growth performance, carcass yield, and agricultural waste utilization over 8 weeks. Three hundred broiler chickens were divided into three groups: a control group without cassava waste and two treatment groups with 10% and 15% cassava waste inclusion. Results showed that a 10% inclusion improved key performance indicators such as weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and carcass weight, while a 15% inclusion was less efficient than the control. Economically, diets with 10% and 15% cassava tuber waste were more cost‐effective than the control, emphasizing the economic benefits of cassava‐based diets for broiler chickens, and offering a sustainable, cost‐efficient feeding option for poultry farmers.

Recent Trends and Advances in Additive-Mediated Composting Technology for Agricultural Waste Resources: A Comprehensive Review.

Agriculture waste has increased annually due to the global food demand and intensive animal production. Preventing environmental degradation requires fast and effective agricultural waste treatment. Aerobic digestion or composting uses agricultural wastes to create a stabilized and sterilized organic fertilizer and reduces chemical fertilizer input. Indeed, conventional composting technology requires a large surface area, a long fermentation period, significant malodorous emissions, inferior product quality, and little demand for poor end results. Conventional composting loses a lot of organic nitrogen and carbon. Thus, this comprehensive research examined sustainable and adaptable methods for improving agricultural waste composting efficiency. This review summarizes composting processes and examines how compost additives affect organic solid waste composting and product quality. Our findings indicate that additives have an impact on the composting process by influencing variables including temperature, pH, and moisture. Compost additive amendment could dramatically reduce gas emissions and mineral ion mobility. Composting additives can (1) improve the physicochemical composition of the compost mixture, (2) accelerate organic material disintegration and increase microbial activity, (3) reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia (NH3) emissions to reduce nitrogen (N) losses, and (4) retain compost nutrients to increase soil nutrient content, maturity, and phytotoxicity. This essay concluded with a brief summary of compost maturity, which is essential before using it as an organic fertilizer. This work will add to agricultural waste composting technology literature. To increase the sustainability of agricultural waste resource utilization, composting strategies must be locally optimized and involve the created amendments in a circular economy.

Agricultural Information Utilization Pattern Among Rural Women Farmers: A Community Level Study in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

This study was to investigate the pattern of agricultural information utilization among the rural women farmers in Effium community of Ebony State. Three research questions and null hypothesis were developed to guide the study. A structured questionnaire was also developed, validated and used for eliciting information from 540 rural women farmers. Data were analyzed with mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions; and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. From the findings, rural women farmers are mostly within middle age for active use of agricultural information; but have small farm holdings, and depend to great extent on inter-personal communication for agricultural information. The findings also revealed that most of rural women farmers have low education. The respondents agreed that women farmers use information on fertilizer, herbicides, improved seeds, labour sources and market locations. But, women rarely use information on livestock management, record keeping, farm planning, sources of credit and farm mechanization. It was then-recommended that government should deploy extension agents into rural areas to educate farmers on the need and how to use new agricultural information technologies. Again farmers should be encouraged to form co-operative societies to enable them secure greater inputs to improve their income.

Investigation and Exploration of the Current Situation and Feasible Paths of Agricultural Waste Resource Utilization Development under the "Dual Carbon" Strategy: Taking Wuhe, Anhui as an Example

With the continuous development of rural social economy in China, the quality of life and agricultural production level of farmers have significantly improved. The lifestyle of farmers has changed significantly, and some traditional agricultural production links have been broken, resulting in a sharp increase in the quantity and variety of agricultural waste. The resource utilization of agricultural waste can not only improve the efficiency of rural resource utilization, but also reduce agricultural waste pollution and protect the rural environment. This article takes the agricultural waste resource utilization in Wuhe County, Anhui Province as an example for investigation and analysis. The main conclusions are as follows: the significance of agricultural waste resource utilization is significant, and resource utilization treatment is very necessary; Agricultural waste has a wide range of sources, and strengthening classification and integration is particularly important; Group cognition needs to be improved, and guiding education is imperative; The subjective willingness of villagers is good, and policy implementation is expected to be popularized; The four types of factors have a significant impact, and targeted measures are taken. Based on the results of the practical investigation, this article mainly proposes the following feasible path suggestions for agricultural waste resource utilization: publicity and education, improving the awareness of villagers; Government guidance and increased regulatory support; Facing market pain points and enhancing industrial vitality; Strengthen classification integration and promote technological innovation; Strengthen scientific layout and promote benefit sharing.

Potential and benefits of biochar production: crop straw management and carbon emission mitigation in Shaanxi Province, China.

Shaanxi Province is an important agricultural province in western China. Its profit-oriented management of crop residues remains a concern in the agriculture sector. Aiming to accelerate the valorization of agricultural straw and offer potential solutions for profit-oriented use of crop residues in Shaanxi, this study estimated the quantity of resources and collectable amount of crop straw by using the grain-to-straw ratio, analyzed the carbon emission reduction potential considering biochar energy and soil uses with the help of a life cycle assessment (LCA) model, and calculated the economic benefits of biochar production using waste and abandoned straw in Weinan (a city of Shaanxi). The theoretical resources and collectible amount of crop straw in Shaanxi showed an overall growth trend from 1949 to 2021, reaching 1.47 × 107 and 1.26 × 107t in 2021 respectively. In 2021, straw from corn, wheat, and other grains accounted for 94.32% of the total straw. Among the 11 cities in Shaanxi, Weinan had the largest straw resources of 2.82 × 106t, Yulin had the largest per capita straw resources of 0.72t/person, and Yangling had the highest resource density of 7.60t/hm2. The total carbon emission reduction was 3.11 × 104t under scenario A with crop straw used for power generation. The emission reduction ranged from 1.25 × 107 to 1.27 × 107 CO2e t under scenario B with biochar production for energy and soil use. By using waste and abandoned straw in Weinan for biochar production, carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 2.07 × 105t CO2e. In terms of the economic benefit from straw pyrolysis, the actual income was estimated to range from 0.67 × 108 to 1.33 × 108 ¥/a with different carbon prices. This study sheds light on the economic and environmental benefits of agricultural straw valorization through pyrolysis in Shaanxi, and provided an important basis for promoting the agricultural straw utilization in view of its potential for carbon emission reduction.

Business Ecosystem Development in Corporate Business Strategy

Purpose: The objective of this research is to identify the parties involved in the agro-business ecosystem in Kabupaten Bandung and determine the factors influencing the development of strategies at PT BANDUNG DAYA SENTOSA as a Regional Government-Owned Enterprise (BUMD) operating in the Agribusiness sector. Research methodology: This study uses a business ecosystem approach to map the roles and parties involved in the agro-business ecosystem in Kabupaten Bandung. This study employed a qualitative research method with a case study design. Results: Through multi-agent-based ecosystem modeling and business model reconfiguration, it can be concluded that adaptability and collaboration among actors in the agribusiness ecosystem in Kabupaten Bandung are key to success. The Regional Government-Owned Enterprise Bandung Daya Sentosa (BDS) has the potential to become an innovation hub and enhance its role through the development of innovative agricultural products and utilization of digital technology. Implementation: The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in the community economy in Kabupaten Bandung. The agricultural sector in Kabupaten Bandung is the third-largest contributor to the Gross Regional Domestic Product (PDRB) after manufacturing and trade (Master Plan for the Economy of Kab. Bandung 2021-2026: 2021).

Double Advantages of Nutrients and Biostimulants Derived from Sewage Sludge by Alkaline Thermal Hydrolysis Process for Agricultural Use: Quality Promotion of Soil and Crop.

Low-carbon alkaline thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge for the production of high-quality plant-growth-promoting nutrients and biostimulants is a growing concern for sludge resource utilization in agriculture. Thus, this study aims to investigate functional characteristics and soil biochemical effects of sewage sludge-derived nutrients and biostimulants (SS-NB). The content of heavy metals in SS-NB decreased by 47.39-100%, and an increase in soil protease, invertase, and soil nutrient utilization rates are observed in SS-NB groups. SS-NB substituted for chemical fertilizer increased the diversity and evenness of microbial community and reduced the abundance of the soil-borne bacterial genus Arthrobacter. The dominant community of SS-NB100 group is mainly enriched in Microvirga, Ensifer, Novosphingobium, Bosea and Ellin6055, which are principally beneficial symbiotic bacteria of plants and participated in C and N cycles. Moreover, SS-NB reduced the accumulation of Ktedonobacteria and Nitrosospira, which are involved in the production of CO2 and N2O, and also enhanced the coordination of soil microorganisms with enzyme activities and nutrient utilization rate. In conclusion, the results suggest that SS-NB exerts a positive effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing soil-borne diseases, and can further enhance collaboration with soil enzyme activity and soil nutrient utilization by stimulating soil microorganisms.

Convolutional Neural Network-Based Method for Agriculture Plot Segmentation in Remote Sensing Images

Accurate delineation of individual agricultural plots, the foundational units for agriculture-based activities, is crucial for effective government oversight of agricultural productivity and land utilization. To improve the accuracy of plot segmentation in high-resolution remote sensing images, the paper collects GF-2 satellite remote sensing images, uses ArcGIS10.3.1 software to establish datasets, and builds UNet, SegNet, DeeplabV3+, and TransUNet neural network frameworks, respectively, for experimental analysis. Then, the TransUNet network with the best segmentation effects is optimized in both the residual module and the skip connection to further improve its performance for plot segmentation in high-resolution remote sensing images. This article introduces Deformable ConvNets in the residual module to improve the original ResNet50 feature extraction network and combines the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) at the skip connection to calculate and improve the skip connection steps. Experimental results indicate that the optimized remote sensing plot segmentation algorithm based on the TransUNet network achieves an Accuracy of 86.02%, a Recall of 83.32%, an F1-score of 84.67%, and an Intersection over Union (IOU) of 86.90%. Compared to the original TransUNet network for remote sensing land parcel segmentation, whose F1-S is 81.94% and whose IoU is 69.41%, the optimized TransUNet network has significantly improved the performance of remote sensing land parcel segmentation, which verifies the effectiveness and reliability of the plot segmentation algorithm.

Soil Moisture Prediction Model Based on Improved GRU Recurrent Neural Network

Soil moisture plays a crucial role in land water and energy cycles, and has a certain impact on weather and climate change. In agricultural production, crop moisture status can be determined based on soil moisture, and timely and effective irrigation strategies can be formulated to ensure grain yield while saving water resources, maximizing the value of agricultural water resource utilization, and achieving sustainable development. Therefore, the accuracy of soil moisture prediction has important research value for many fields such as agriculture and climate. In this paper, the super parameters of GRU Recurrent neural network are optimized by intelligent seagull optimization algorithm using a small number of influencing factors, namely, atmospheric temperature, atmospheric humidity, rainfall and soil moisture data, and a soil moisture prediction model is established. The model was used to predict soil moisture for the next 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours, respectively. The final experiment showed that the model in this paper had better predictive effect on soil moisture, with the best predictive evaluation index data being MAPE (12h) = 4.4120%, R2 (12h) = 0.94605, and RMSE (12h) = 1.9998; By comparing the prediction results of multiple time steps vertically, it was found that the prediction accuracy of the model in this paper decreased more smoothly, meeting the requirements of soil moisture prediction.

High furfural and levoglucosan selectivity from stepwise torrefaction and fast pyrolysis of sugarcane trash washed with citric acid

Converting agricultural waste biomass into value-added chemicals is attractive. However, a low selectivity for target chemicals hinders practical applications. This study presents a stepwise strategy to convert sugarcane trash (ST) into furfural and levoglucosan with high selectivity. The approach includes citric acid washing to reduce mineral content in ST, followed by torrefaction at different temperatures (210 °C, 250 °C and 290 °C) in a tube furnace and then fast pyrolysis at 500 °C in a micro-reactor. This study highlights the valorization potential of the torrefaction liquid, an often overlooked by-product from torrefaction, through significantly increasing furfural selectivity during the torrefaction of washed ST. Furthermore, the vapors from subsequent fast pyrolysis of washed-torrefied ST exhibited reduced acetic acid content compared to that of solely washed ST, which is advantageous for minimizing the acidity of the resulting bio-oil. Moreover, fast pyrolysis of ST, treated with washing and torrefaction at 250 °C, achieved a high levoglucosan yield while maintaining a high furfural yield obtained in the prior torrefaction step. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into future research and industrial applications in agricultural waste biomass utilization.

Insect venom allergies-What will change in times of global change?

In Germany, honeybees (Apis mellifera) and various Vespula species (wasps) are primarily relevant for hypersensitivity reactions to stings. Hornets (Vespa crabro), bumblebees, paper wasps (Polistes) and yellowjackets (Dolichovespula) less frequently cause sting reactions. What effects do intensive agricultural utilization and climate change have on the living conditions and occurrence of Hymenoptera and what consequences do they have for the diagnostics and treatment of hypersensitivity reactions to Hymenoptera stings. A literature search was carried out. Honeybees and wild bees are endangered due to introduced diseases, invasive species and pesticides. The aim of widespread beekeeping activity is to protect honeybees, which is why no reduction in stings is to be expected despite increased bee mortality. In Germany, there is evidence of the spread of thermophilic Polistes species (paper wasps) from south to north and the immigration of Vespa velutina nigrithorax (Asian hornet). It is unlikely that these species will lead to asignificant increase in sting reactions. Nests of the red fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), which was originally common in South America, were first detected in Sicily in 2022. Red fire ants are aggressive insects with ahigh potential for adverse sting reactions. Invasive insects must be considered as a trigger in the anamnesis and diagnostics. Diagnostics are only available for the detection of Polistes sensitization. Therapeutic allergens can be obtained from other European countries for venom immunotherapy of a Polistes allergy. Due to cross-reactivity, diagnostic and therapeutic allergens from Vespula spp. are used for the diagnosis and treatment of suspected allergies to the Asian hornet.

Nanoparticle-Enhanced Approaches for Sustainable Agriculture and Innovations in Food Science

This comprehensive review paper delves into the burgeoning field of nanoparticle-based applications in sustainable agriculture and food science. With a focus on the latest advancements, we explore the diverse ways in which nanoparticles are being harnessed to enhance agricultural practices and revolutionize the food industry. The review covers the synthesis methods of nanoparticles, their unique physicochemical properties, and their multifaceted roles in promoting sustainable agriculture, including improved crop yield, disease resistance, and nutrient uptake. Furthermore, we investigate the applications of nanoparticles in food science, ranging from food preservation and packaging to the development of nanostructured delivery systems for bioactive compounds. The potential benefits and challenges associated with nanoparticle utilization in agriculture and food science are critically examined, providing insights for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. This review aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on sustainable and innovative practices that can shape the future of agriculture and food technology.