Agroforestry Industry Research Articles

Fine-scale retrieval of leaf chlorophyll content using a semi-empirically accelerated 3D radiative transfer model

Leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) retrieval from remote sensing imagery is essential for monitoring vegetation growth and stress in the agroforestry industry. Many remote sensing inversion methods for estimating LCC primarily rely on 1D radiative transfer models (RTMs) that abstract canopies into horizontal layers or simple geometric primitives. Yet, this methodology faces challenges when applied to heterogeneous canopies, particularly in fine-scale mapping where each pixel's reflectance is significantly influenced by its surroundings, e.g. crown shadows. While 3D RTMs hold promise for addressing these challenges by explicitly describing complex canopy structures, their computational demands and the complexity involved in parameterizing detailed 3D structures limit the generation of extensive training datasets, requiring simulations across numerous parameter combinations. In this study, we used a semi-empirically accelerated 3D RTM, termed Semi-LESS, with a 1D residual network to accurately retrieve leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) from UAV images and LiDAR data at a 3-m resolution. We first reconstructed structures of forest plots using UAV LiDAR point cloud, based on which, UAV images with varying leaf and soil optical properties are simulated using the Semi-LESS. Subsequently, a training dataset consisting LCC and its corresponding reflectance was generated from the simulated UAV images by focusing on sunlit pixels. A 1D residual network is trained using the training dataset for LCC estimation. For comparison, we also trained an estimation model using a dataset generated from PROSAIL. The results show that estimation model trained with Semi-LESS surpasses PROSAIL in retrieving LCC from both simulation datasets and field measurements of two forest plots. The RMSE of Semi-LESS was 5.40–6.92 µg/cm2 for simulation datasets and 8.21–9.76 µg/cm2 for field measurements, whereas PROSAIL exhibited lower accuracy with an RMSE of 7.76–9.83 µg/cm2 for simulation datasets and 12.76–13.06 µg/cm2 in field measurements. The results demonstrate that Semi-LESS coupled with deep learning is reliable and has great potential for LCC mapping using UAV images, which is particularly useful for fine-scale applications such as crop and orchard monitoring. This approach also highlights the impact of shadows on LCC retrieval.

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Traditional Agroforestry System in Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar Based on Tree Biomass

The traditional agroforestry industry is part of the Forestry and Other Land Use Net Sink 2030 (FOLU Net Sink 2030) strategy for low carbon development and climate resilience in Indonesia. This study aims to estimate the value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration in traditional agroforestry systems in Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar. Six plots (each measuring 20 x 20 meters) are used; three of the plots are 15 years old and three are 9 years old, respectively, for the conventional agroforestry system. Biomass, carbon stock and carbon sequestration were estimated at the tree, pole and sapling levels. Biomass calculations used allometric equations based on diameter at breast height (DBH) data. The results showed that carbon sequestration in Dusun 2 (618.2 tons/ha) was greater than in Dusun 1 (399 tons/ha), with an average carbon sequestration in both dusun of 508.6 tons/ha. Trees contribute the highest value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration, which is 74%, The difference in the value of biomass, carbon stock, and carbon sequestration in traditional agroforestry systems in Rimbo Panjang Village is significantly influenced by the average stem diameter. The various trees that make up traditional agroforestry in Rimbo Panjang Kampar, which is generally in the yard, should ideally be maintained and developed because of their high carbon sequestration potential.

Requirements for information technology application competence for Vietnam agro-forestry students in the time of the 4th technology revolution

The professional work of today's agricultural and forestry engineers is changing dramatically under the impact of the 4th industrial revolution. In that context, the competence to apply information technology (IT) is one of the core and significant competencies. Therefore, in order for training products to meet the needs of society, one of the problems that training facility for agriculture and forestry industry need to solve is to clearly identify the basic requirements for agro-forestry graduates to meet the basic requirements of IT application competence. Based on theoretical and practical research on the IT application competence of each job position and the trend of employment change in the 4.0 period, the article presents the levels of IT application competence in the agro-forestry industry. On the basis of test results and opinions of experts and employers, the article has proposed the components and required levels of IT application competence for agro-forestry students. The research results, in addition to providing information on the current state of students' IT application competence, are also a good reference source for agro-forestry training institutions to set learning outcomes, develop training programs, and innovate new training methods to promptly provide high-quality human resources for the agro-forestry industry in the context of the 4th industrial revolution.

Establishment of An in Vitro Mass Propagation System for Dendrocalamus asper.

Dendrocalamus asper is a species of bamboo that has high commercial value and is the bamboo of choice for large scale agro-forestry plantations in the tropical regions of the world. Micropropagation using tissue culture is essential to generate uniform clones that are amenable to establishment in industrial agro-forestry projects for bamboo biomass, habitat restoration or in carbon sequestration. This paper reports on the establishment of D. asper invitro using commercially available seeds. The seeds were surface sterilized using three different chemical agents which were Sodium Hypochlorite (20%), Mercuric Chloride (0.1%) and Ethanol (70%) followed by shoot initiation on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) with a concentration ranging from 1.0 - 5.0 mg/L. Propagules were multiplied on MS media supplemented with different concentration of IBA Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA), and finally rooted and hardened in peat moss. The findings of our study indicate that the sterilization protocol eliminated all the plant pathogens, resulting in an axenic culture. Full strength MS medium supplemented with 5 mg/L BAP yielded the highest number of shoots (11.46 per explant) after four weeks of inoculation. The highest multiplication rate (3.95 shoots per explant) was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/L BAP. The time required from initiation to hardening was 70 to 90 days, following which the plantlets were ready for field trials. The findings of this study will facilitate the establishment of plant tissue culture programmes dedicated to the production of D. asper locally, thus eliminating the need for imports and the possible entry of plant pathogens that can be detrimental to the local agro-forestry industry.

Research Hotspots and Frontier Prospects in the Field of Agroforestry Picking Robots in China—Cite Space Bibliographic Analysis

The research on picking robots is vital to the transformation and upgrading of the agroforestry industry and the revitalization and development of rural areas. This paper examines the research field of agroforestry picking robots by meticulously combing and analyzing 623 CNKI and 648 WoS core literature from 2004 to 2022 selected in China Knowledge Network (CNKI) and Web of Science (WoS) databases using Cite Space 6.1R3 software. The analysis includes the quantity of literature, issuing countries, organizations, keywords, keyword clustering, emerging terms, etc. On this basis, research hotspots in the field of agroforestry picking robots are identified, such as research based on the identification of picking targets, the control of motion planning, structural design and simulation, and the planning of walking paths. This paper analyzes and discusses these research hotspots and main lines, providing a reference for future studies in this field. This bibliometric approach can provide comprehensive literature information for research in related fields, as well as identify and summarize the major research hotspots in a shorter time, allowing new researchers to enter the field more quickly and obtain more valuable scientific information.

Variations of Business Process Reengineering: The Conceptual Framework for Teak Production Sustainability

For agroforestry industry, in this case teak production, the most challenge that are faced is the balance of teak production optimization and environmental problem. Because, when the production of timber is increased, and then the environment will be affected. Hence, it is required to be found the better solution in balancing the teak production optimization and environment conservation. By searching any literatures, either empirically or theoretically, this article reveals that business process re-engineering that can be implemented by agroforestry industry in teak production may be consist of five stages, they are identifying, model map, analyzing, improvement the process, and re-engineering. All those process must be completed by the principles in the business process they are clarity (understandable), correctness, relevance, economic efficiency, comparability, systematic design. In which must understood and completed in the business process re-engineering may include process mapping, fail-saving, teamwork, and communication. Hence, when it is implemented in the teak production process, it can deliver the positive outcomes that supported the business sustainability in teak production.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Corporate Performance of Listed Companies in China’s Agriculture and Forestry Sector Based on a Panel Threshold Model

The global food crisis caused by COVID-19 and the Russia–Ukraine conflict have made many countries around the world realize the significance of agroforestry to a country’s food security. However, China’s agroforestry R&D innovation is currently lagging behind in development, and some agricultural seeds are heavily dependent on foreign countries, which seriously affects China’s national food security. It is especially important to explore the reasons why China’s agroforestry R&D and innovation is lagging behind. As listed agroforestry companies face the market demand directly, there is an urgent need to study the R&D innovations of listed agroforestry companies at present. This paper analyzes the impacts of R&D innovation, corporate management and supply chain management on the corporate performance of listed agroforestry companies using the entropy weighting method, GMM estimation and panel threshold model, mainly by selecting annual panel data from CSMAR for the period 2010 to 2021. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) There is a nonlinear relationship between R&D innovation and firm performance, and a “U”-shaped relationship. This indicates that there is an entrance threshold for R&D innovation in the agroforestry industry, below which corporate performance does not improve. (2) There is a nonlinear relationship between corporate management and corporate performance, and a U-shaped relationship. (3) There is a nonlinear relationship between supply chain management and firm performance, with an inverted-U-shaped relationship. This paper explains the reasons for the slow development of R&D innovation in China’s agriculture and forestry industry and fills the gap in the theoretical study of the nonlinear relationship between R&D innovation and corporate performance of listed companies in China’s agriculture and forestry industry. Finally, this paper provides a theoretical basis for the decision making of government departments related to agriculture and forestry, and offers some suggestions for listed companies in agriculture and forestry to improve their corporate performance.

Textile bio-based and bioactive coatings using vegetal waste and by-products

This work aimed to fulfil one of the great consumer trends related to ethically and environmentally sustainable attitudes. The main concept was to develop an alternative material to natural and synthetic leather by creating new bio-coated textile structures with improved environmental credentials, and to use vegetable wastes and by-products from agroforestry industries, as well as biopolymers. Different residues, such as sawdust and pine bark were successfully incorporated in polymeric aqueous formulations and applied as textile coatings. The Life Cycle Assessment of these new textile products showed that they present a lower environmental impact in comparison to natural leather used for clothing and shoe applications. Overall, the alternative material developed here is a favourable sustainable material. The use of by-products to create bio-based materials comprises a great potential for a broad spectrum of applications in other fields in the Textile and Clothing Industry such as fashion, eco-design, sports and protection apparel, furniture decoration, home textiles, footwear, fashion accessories, in addition to others.

What Affects the Corporate Performance of Listed Companies in China’s Agriculture and Forestry Industry?

China is embarking on a new journey to build a comprehensive socialist modern state in the new era. Modernization of agriculture and forestry is the basis of agricultural modernization, but China’s traditional agriculture and forestry industry are facing a more serious crisis of independent research and innovation. As the listed agroforestry companies are directly facing the demands of the market, it becomes essential to study the technological innovation of listed agroforestry companies. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between R&D innovation, corporate management, supply chain management, growth capacity, debt servicing capacity, and corporate performance of listed agroforestry companies. Based on the annual panel data of agroforestry listed companies in the CSMAR database from 2010–2021, the empirical study was conducted using panel PVAR models, OLS, 2SLS, LIML, and GMM estimation. The findings show that: (1) Granger causes affecting the supply chain management of listed companies in agroforestry are corporate management, debt servicing capacity, and growth capacity. Granger causes affecting the debt servicing capacity of listed companies in the agroforestry industry are R&D innovation, growth capacity, and corporate performance. Among them, there is a causal influence relationship between debt servicing capacity and corporate performance. (2) R&D innovation, corporate management, supply chain management, growth capacity, debt servicing capacity, and corporate performance contribute the most to its own impulse response, with an average contribution of 87.4%, 81.8%, 86.9%, 96.9%, 86.5%, and 94.7%, respectively. Compared to the other variables, the impulse response contribution of debt servicing capacity to corporate performance was the largest. (3) When supply chain management and growth capability play a fully mediating role, there is a significant positive effect of R&D innovation on corporate performance. Finally, we offer some policy recommendations and suggestions to the Chinese government, as well as some suggestions on how Chinese-listed companies in the agroforestry industry can improve their corporate performance. This paper provides a Chinese case study on the corporate performance of listed companies in the global agroforestry industry.

Proposed Enterprise Architecture design for Agroforestry and Ecotourism towards Industry 4.0

Management of forest resources can generate income for individuals or companies including agroforestry and ecotourism. In times of a pandemic like recent times, the application of technology with the Industry 4.0 framework is needed the most and is no longer a privilege. However, the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology requires large investment or cost so that a collaborative ecosystem is required from several stakeholders such as forest planter, crop planters, livestock and ecotourism business actors with suppliers, customers and policy makers. In its application, even for Information Technology (IT) system in general, the use of Enterprise Architecture is a mediator between business language and IT language. With all of that background and a literature study approach, this research will propose an Enterprise Architecture design with an Industry 4.0 framework in the agroforestry industry and ecotourism that can be used together to form an integrated ecosystem from various stakeholders, both for companies of various scales and small farmers if supported by the government or a larger company for better efficiency and common interests.

混农林生态系统服务研究进展

混农林产业是兼顾生态环境修复、土壤资源可持续利用与社会经济效益共赢的生态治理衍生产业，将生态系统服务与混农林实践相结合既是全球生态系统服务研究的主要前沿之一，也是推进石漠化治理向生态产业振兴与生态系统服务提升融合阶段转变的具体路径。研究系统回顾了混农林生态系统服务的研究进展与特征，揭示了混农林生态系统服务与喀斯特地区产业振兴的内在关系，从混农林生态系统服务认知、评估与决策三个层面探讨了喀斯特地区产业振兴的方向，强调未来喀斯特地区应围绕混农林生态系统服务的级联机理、供需关系、权衡协同及影响因素等层面为混农林产业振兴提供决策支撑，进而更好地服务于喀斯特地区以巩固石漠化治理成效，提升生态系统服务，助力乡村振兴。;Agroforestry industry is a derivative industry of ecological governance that takes into account ecological environment restoration, sustainable utilization of soil resources and social and economic benefits. Integrating ecosystem services with agroforestry practices is not only one of the main frontiers of global ecosystem services research, but also a specific path to promote the transformation of rocky desertification control to the stage of ecological industry revitalization, ecosystem services improvement and integration. This paper systematically reviewed the research progress and characteristics of agroforestry ecosystem services, revealed the internal relationship between agroforestry ecosystem services and industrial revitalization in karst areas, and discussed the direction of industrial revitalization in karst areas from three aspects of cognition, evaluation and decision-making of agroforestry ecosystem services. It is emphasized that the future karst region should provide decision support for the revitalization of agroforestry industry from the aspects of cascading mechanism, supply-demand relationship, trade-off and synergy, and influencing factors of agroforestry ecosystem services. Thus, it can better serve karst areas to consolidate the effectiveness of rocky desertification control, improve ecosystem services, and help rural revitalization.

Controlled lignosulfonate depolymerizationviasolvothermal fragmentation coupled with catalytic hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation in a continuous flow reactor

This study presents an efficient and controlled catalytic valorization of a real side product of the agroforestry industry,i.e., sodium lignosulfonate (LS), in a continuous flow system to either monomers or oligomers.

Potential of Briquette Produced with Torrefied Agroforestry Biomass to Generate Energy

Agroforestry industries, such as sugar-alcohol, food, and logging, produce large quantities of waste, used to generate energy from direct burning. The application of other processes, such as torrefaction and briquetting, can increase the profits from the use of agro-industrial waste for energy generation. Briquetting is an alternative for using these wastes, allowing the compaction of the biomass, generating a biofuel with high energy density, and which is more homogeneous and easier to store and transport. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of four biomass types (wastes from sawed eucalypt and pine wood, coffee pruning wastes, and sugarcane bagasse) torrefied at 300 °C and compacted (briquetting) at pressures of 6.21, 8.27, and 10.34 MPa. The torrefaction increased the fixed carbon content, ash, and calorific value, and reduced the volatile material content and hygroscopic equilibrium moisture of the biomasses. The volatile material content was lower and the fixed carbon higher in the coffee pruning waste, the ash content higher in the sugarcane bagasse, and the calorific value higher in the pine and eucalypt wood. The briquetting and the torrefaction processes increased the biomass bulk density, and the useful calorific value, respectively, and consequently the energy density of the briquettes produced with torrefied raw material under high pressure. The mechanical properties of the briquettes produced with all materials increased with the compaction pressure. Torrefaction and briquetting increased the energy potential of the biomasses evaluated to produce energy from clean technology.

Determination of the Optimal Operative Conditions for the Torrefaction of Olive Waste Biomass

The need for new energy sources and the problems associated with waste in the agroforestry industry are an opportunity for the recovery of this waste. For the use of this agricultural waste as energy, different pretreatments, such as torrefaction, can be carried out. Torrefaction is a thermochemical treatment involving energetic densification of biomass at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 °C under an inert and anaerobic environment. This study developed a numerical model to evaluate the effect of temperature and residence time of torrefaction on biomass from olive tree waste to determine optimum operative conditions for the process. Four temperatures and four residence times, in the operation range of the process, were tested to determine the weight loss and the higher heating values (HHVs) of the torrefied sample. From these data, a numerical model was developed to infer the complete behavior of the process in the temperature range between 200 and 300 °C and in the residence time range of a few minutes to 2 h. The HHV of the torrefied sample increased at a temperature between 200 and 275 °C. However, from 275 to 300 °C, there was an HHV decrease. The effect of the residence time depended on the torrefaction temperature. At low temperatures, there were no statistically significant differences, although an increase of HHV was detected under 120 min. However, at 250 °C this effect was reversed, and statistically significant differences were not observed between 30 and 120 min. Overall, the increase of temperature in the torrefaction process reduces the residence time needed to achieve the maximum HHV. As a result, the optimum conditions of torrefaction for this biomass were, approximately, 275 °C and 30 min of residence time. This reaction yielded an optimum 5830 cal/g HHV.

Assessment of Agroforestry Residues: Their Potential within the Biorefinery Context

The concept of bioeconomy has been promoted worldwide in order to replace fossil-based resources and to find new strategies for waste management, by converting biomass into energy, chemicals, and value-added products, in a sustainable way. Despite the efforts that have been made in this area, there are still some unexplored raw materials globally, namely from agricultural and forestry industries. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize four abundant residues from the Portuguese agroforestry industry, including pruning residues (pine branches, PB) and stumps (PS), tomato waste (TW), and winery wastewater (WW), for analyzing their potential within the biorefinery context. Volatiles were analyzed by gas-chromatography, and compounds with repellent/attractant properties were found for PB and PS, while flavor-enhancers were particularly identified in agrowastes. Composition analysis revealed that both TW and WW had the potential for biogas generation (BMP ∼340 and ∼250 NL CH4/kg VS, respectively), ...

A review of the properties of hemp concrete for green building applications

Abstract The growing concerns surrounding the rising carbon emissions have impelled the leaders around the world to make efforts to prevent catastrophic manifestations of climate change and global warming. This has led to the resurrection of vegetal concrete building materials using biomass, which have the added benefits of carbon sequestration apart from low embodied energy and renewability. Vegetal concretes are made up of an organic or inorganic binder, and biomass originating from agro-forestry industries such as rice husk, straw bale, hemp, kenaf, cork, and so on. Hemp concrete, a variety of vegetal concrete has been widely researched and is arguably one of the most researched building materials in current times. This paper presents a review of the state-of-the-art of hemp concrete research, with a view to identifying research gaps that shall guide future research for its implementation in the fast-growing green buildings industry. The reviewed aspects of hemp concrete include properties of hemp relevant to construction, binder characteristics, mechanical properties, durability, hygric and thermal properties, environmental credentials, manufacturing processes, and current applications. Several research gaps with regards to the hydraulicity of the binder, strength and durability, and fire resistance of hemp concrete were identified. It was also established that hemp concrete has very low embodied carbon and embodied energy, making it ideal for green building applications. The paper ends with a discussion outlining the need and direction for future research on improving the manufacturing processes and mechanical performance of hemp concrete for wider adoption by the construction industry.

Efficient and economic process for the production of bacterial cellulose from isolated strain of Acetobacter pasteurianus of RSV-4 bacterium

In the present investigation, several residues from agro-forestry industries such as rice straw acid hydrolysate, corn cob acid hydrolysate, tomato juice, cane molasses and orange pulp were evaluated as the economical source for the production of bacterial cellulose. The bacterial cellulose attained the significant yield of 7.8 g/L using tomato juice, followed by 3.6 g/L using cane molasses and 2.8 g/L using orange pulp after 7 days of incubation. Furthermore, the optimum pH and temperature of fermentation for maximum production of bacterial cellulose was 4.5 and 30 ± 1 °C. The identified bacterium Acetobacter pasteurianus RSV-4 has been deposited at repository under the accession number MTCC 25117. The produced bacterial cellulose was characterized through FTIR, SEM, TGA and DSC and found to be of very good quality. The bacterial cellulose produced by identified strain on these various agro-waste residues could be a cost effective technology for commercial its production.

Assessment of therapeutic effect of moringa fortified products

Moringa oleifera has very high nutritional properties that would be useful as a food supplement especially in those relegated communities. Besides its nutritional and medicinal applications Moringa oleifera is very useful as an alley crop in the agro-forestry industry. It is useful not only for human beings but also for animals and also in various industrial applications. It has been processed into a medicine it contains acetone which can be prepared into herbal formulation which is an effective anti-malaria bio agent. Such trees have the potential to be a source of new drugs. It is also an effective water clarifier using the seed thus providing millions of people with clean drinking water. This study indicates that the developed products of biscuit with moringa can be easily prepared under optimized condition. The various parameters such as moisture, crude protein, iron, total ash and calcium were analyzed. The sensory evaluation of products on all attributes (appearance, taste, flavour, texture, colour and overall acceptability) was found in biscuit which was highly acceptable, due to Bajra flour, wheat flour, Moringa oleifera leaves, milk cream and butter. The analysed nutritional content (protein, iron, calcium) of developed products concluded that nutritive value of moringa was highest then other developed products. The benefits for the treatment or prevention of joint pain disease or infection that may accrue from taking moringa fortified biscuits daily. In this study we determined the effect of a biscuit fortified with moringa leaves on the vitamins and minerals status of women between age group 35 to 50 and above living in an area with a known prevalence of diseases.

Business Process Reengineering of Sustainable Teak Forest at Agroforestry Industry

Business Process Reengineering of Sustainable Teak Forest at Agroforestry Industry

Business Process Reengineering of Sustainable Teak Forest at Agroforestry Industry

Business Process Reengineering of Sustainable Teak Forest at Agroforestry Industry