Efficient Culture Research Articles

Characteristics of nutrient accumulation and vertical spatial distribution in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation with different stand densities

The growth, biomass, nutrient content and accumulation as well as the vertical distribution of nutrient accumulation in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation across densities of 1800, 3000, 4500 trees·hm-2 were stu-died in order to provide scientific basis for efficient cultivation of C. lanceolata plantation. The total amounts of nutrients accumulated in C. lanceolata plantation with 1800, 3000, 4500 trees·hm-2 were 1311.57, 2531.55 and 2307.33 kg·hm-2, respectively. There were significant variations among different densities. Under the same density, the order of nutrient content and accumulation in C. lanceolata plantation was total N > total K > total Ca > total Mg > total P. Moreover, the amount of nutrients in trunk and bark decreased with the increases of tree height. The amount of nutrient accumulation in persistent withered branch and leaf were allocated from middle to the upper part of tree, while the opposite was observed for fresh branch and leaf. N accumulation increased with the increases of stand densities, while the other nutrients first increased then decreased. The order of the amount of nutrient accumulation in trunk, bark, root, persistent withered branch, persistent withered leaf and litter among different densities was 4500 > 3000 > 1800 trees·hm-2, and was 3000 > 1800 > 4500 trees·hm-2 in fresh branch and leaf, and 1800 > 3000 > 4500 trees·hm-2 in understory. Under the densities of 1800 and 4500 trees·hm-2, the nutrient distribution ratio in bark was the largest, accounting for 21.6% and 19.4%. In 3000 trees·hm-2, the distribution ratio of fresh leaves reached its maximum, accounting for about 22.9%, and the next was fresh branches, which had a distribution ratio of about 17.8%. 3000 trees·hm-2 was the most appropriate density for nutrient accumulation and distribution in C. lanceolata plantation.

Effects of LED Light Illumination on the Growth, Digestive Enzymes, and Photoacclimation of Goniopora columna in Captivity.

Simple SummaryCoral aquaculture is a new industry, which is of great importance to the sustainable development of coral reefs and meeting commercial needs. Light sources are crucial for the growth of corals because zooxanthellae provide them with essential nutrients through photosynthesis. Different corals and zooxanthellae have different photoacclimation characteristics; therefore, selecting a suitable light wavelength remains the critical inhibitor of coral maintenance in marine aquariums. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of different light wavelengths and feeding of G. columna. The results showed that blue light (440–470 nm) and purple light (400–430 nm) increased the protease and body protein in corals, and the growth and survival rate also increased. In summary, G. columna’s efficient cultivation can use 400–470 nm wavelengths as the primary source of illumination.Goniopora columna is a stony coral valued for its reef-building potential and its unique appearance. Thus, identifying the optimal culture conditions for G. columna would enable efficient cultivation and prevent the illegal exploitation of marine resources. Light sources are crucial for the growth of corals because zooxanthellae provide them with basic nutrients through photosynthesis. Different corals and zooxanthellae have different photoacclimation characteristics; therefore, selecting a suitable light wavelength remains the key inhibitor of coral maintenance in marine aquariums. Accordingly, this study investigated the effects of different light wavelengths on G. columna. It was illuminated for 6 or 12 h a day under white light, yellow light, red light (LR), green light (LG), blue light (LB), or purple light (LP) for 8 weeks. During the experiment, R(R; i.e., a formula feed that combines sodium alginate, protein and probiotics) of 5% (w/v) of G. columna tissue and skeletal dry weight was fed every day. Coral polyps were counted, zooxanthellae density, chlorophyll a concentration, specific growth rates, and survival rates were calculated; polyp stretching and contractile behaviors were observed; and body composition and digestive enzyme activity were analyzed. LB or LP (but not LG or LR) illumination for at least 6 h per day significantly promoted the growth, survival, protein content, and protease activity of the G. columna specimens. Furthermore, coral polyp extension reached 100% after 30 min of LP and LB light irradiation. Although no significant differences in the zooxanthellae density or chlorophyll a concentration were noted under various light wavelengths, significant reductions were detected in the absence of light. To achieve energy-efficient coral aquaculture with regard to G. columna cultivation, 6 h of LB or LP illumination per day can improve the growth.

Growth Response and Yield Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L.) On Top Soil Alfisol Planting Media From Jamaimo Village, Mariat District, Sorong Regency To Bio Boost Fertilizer Treatment

Lettuce has great potential to be developed. However, the limited condition of agricultural land in Indonesia requires alternative for efficient cultivation systems that can maintain the yield and growth of lettuce plants. Therefore, the cultivation carried out in this study was cultivation on narrow land with polybags using planting media top soil Alfisoll from Jamimo Village, Mariat District, Sorong Regency. Considering this, a study was conducted to determine the effect of best concentration of liquid Bioboost organic fertilizer in increasing the growth and yield of lettuce on Alfisol top soil planting media. This research was conducted in Klawuyuk Village, Sorong City, and analyzed soil samples at the Chemistry and Soil Fertility Laboratory, Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University Makassar. This study used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with one treatment factor, namely the concentration of Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer which consisted of 4 treatment levels, namely 1) without Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer (control)); 2) 60 ml Bio- Boost liquid organic fertilizer + 1 liter of water 3) 80 ml Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer + 1 liter of water; 4)100 ml Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer + 1 liter of water. Observational data were analyzed statistically with analysis of variance at the 5% level. The dosage of Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer gave a very significant effect on the growth and yield of lettuce on Alfisol top soil planting media, where the concentration of B2 treatment (80 ml of Bio-Boost liquid organic fertilizer + 1 liter of water) resulted in variables growth and the highest yield, namely plant height 39.5 cm, several leaves 11, leaf area 91.3 cm, and wet weight 610, 4 gr.

Research progress and application of photobioreactor in wastewater treatment

The first photobioreactors were born in the 1950s, and photobioreactors based on microalgae have potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry, food and feed production, environmental engineering, wastewater treatment, and renewable energy. Photobioreactors were first used in pollutant treatment for carbon dioxide sequestration in 1953 at the Carnegie Institute in Washington. Photobioreactors use stable and efficient algae cultivation technology to create an artificial environment that provides all necessary conditions for algae growth such as (light, temperature, nutrients), and these conditions can be controlled and monitored, especially for microalgae cultivation, It is convenient for the rapid, stable and controllable growth of microalgae. Currently, there are many types of microalgae-based photobioreactors in terms of configuration, fabrication materials, and operating modes. It can optimize biomass production, improve the efficiency of pollutant removal, reduce cost and improve space advantage. The most common structures for photobioreactors are flat, columnar and tubular, followed by hoses and hybrid photobioreactors, taking their flexibility and efficacy to a higher level. Each photobioreactor type has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of operation, biomass production, pollutant removal efficiency, and level of upgrade.

<sup>15</sup>N Tracer-based Analysis on Nitrogen Utilization Laws of Rice Under Different Irrigation Modes

In order to promote the efficient and coordinated utilization of water and nitrogen in rice, the  15 N missing technology experiment was adopted to study the effects of nitrogen application rate (N 0 , N 160 , N 200 , N 240 ) and irrigation mode (Wet-dry alternation, conventional irrigation) on nitrogen absorption, transport, residue, loss and nitrogen utilization of super rice. The results showed that with the increase of nitrogen application rate, the accumulation of fertilizer nitrogen and total nitrogen in rice plants at different growth stages, and the accumulation of nitrogen in various organs at mature stage increased significantly, and the accumulation of nitrogen per panicle at mature stage was the highest, reaching 67.20%~69.02%. The transport amount of nitrogen from different sources in different vegetative organs of rice plants increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, and the comparison of nitrogen transport amount in organs was as follows: leaf > stem > root; After full heading, the accumulation of nitrogen from different sources and its contribution rate to grain nitrogen per spike increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, but with the increase of nitrogen application rate, the residual amount of soil fertilizer nitrogen increased significantly, the residual rate showed a downward trend, and the nitrogen loss rate increased significantly. Dry-wet alternate irrigation treatment can increase nitrogen accumulation in different organs of rice in different periods, improve nitrogen use efficiency and rice yield to a certain extent. This study summarized the laws of nitrogen absorption, utilization, residue and loss of rice under different irrigation conditions and different nitrogen application conditions, which provided a theoretical basis for efficient cultivation of rice.

A Novel Shape Based Plant Growth Prediction Algorithm Using Deep Learning and Spatial Transformation

Plant growth prediction is challenging, as the growth rate varies depending on environmental factors. It is an essential task for efficient cultivation in controlled environments, such as in plant factories. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning network for predicting future plant images from a number of past and current images. In particular, our focus is on the estimation of leaf shape in a plant, because the amount of plant growth is commonly quantified based on the leaf area. A spatial transform is applied to a sequence of plant images within the network, and the growth behavior is measured using a set of affine transform parameters. Instead of conventional sequential image fusion, the affine transform parameters for all pairs of successive images are fused together to predict the shape of the future plant image. Then, an RGB reconstruction subnet divides the plants into multiple patches to make global and local growth predictions based on hierarchical auto-encoders. A variety of experimental results show that the proposed network is robust to dynamic plant movements and can accurately predict the shapes of future plant images.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity Associated with Olea europaea L. Growing in Yunnan Province, Southwestern China

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruit trees, with high economic, ecological, cultural and scientific value. China began introducing and cultivating olive in the 1960s, and Yunnan Province is one of the main growing areas. Improving the cultivation and productivity of this tree crop species is an important challenge. Olive is a typical mycotrophic species and the potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) for this plant is well recognized; nevertheless, studies of olive AMF in China are still very limited. Roots and rhizosphere soils of olive were sampled from five representative growing sites in the Yunnan Province of China to investigate the AMF colonization status in the root systems, the AMF community in the olive orchards and the edaphic factors influencing the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) parameters. Root samples of olive trees from different growing sites generally showed AMF colonization, suggesting that autochthonous AMF manifest a high efficiency in colonizing the roots of olive plants. The spore density on the five sites ranged from 81.6 to 350 spores per 20 g soil. Twenty-three AMF species from 9 genera were identified in total, and Glomeraceae was the dominant family. The findings of our study suggested a high AMF diversity harbored by olive growing in different areas of the Yunnan Province, Southwestern China. Furthermore, the hyphal colonization in roots positively correlated with soil pH and EC. The arbuscule colonization in olive roots negatively correlated with soil pH, EC, OM, TN, TP and AN. The spore density positively correlated with OM, TN, AN, AP and sand content. Finally, the Shannon index of AMF in the rhizosphere soil positively correlated with the clay content, but negatively correlated with soil pH, TN and silt content. The high diversity of autochthonous AMF in Yunnan is promising for screening AMF isolates for utilization in the efficient cultivation of this crop.

Adaptive resource capacity management agricultural landscapes of Siberia for efficient cultivation grain crops

In the grain production of Siberia, not everything is provided safely. With a yield potential of 30 - 35 million tons, the actual grain production is 13 - 14 million tons. Cultivation of grain crops is energy intensive, extensive and ecologically unbalanced. The management of the productivity of agrocenoses is carried out by agricultural technologies. This management problem has not been solved even in modern precision farming systems. The purpose of the research is to increase the efficiency of grain crops cultivation by managing the resource potential based on agricultural technologies that take into account spatio-temporal changes in properties and the state of agricultural landscapes in Siberia. Research methods. Structural analysis and synthesis, mathematical modeling of mechanical and technological solutions and the integral indicator of agriculture. Main research results. Intensification is the main way to increase the efficiency of grain production, an analytical expression is proposed for the integral criterion of agriculture - the really possible value of their yield. For the management of agricultural technologies, a 4-level hierarchical concept with mechanical and technological temporary control actions is proposed: the upper level is strategic management. Developed adaptive-mobile field crop rotations, providing 2.72–3.09 MJ growth of the energy coefficient. For the arid regions of Siberia, the Research Institute of Applied Sciences of Khakasia proposed a surface irrigation technology. Provides an increase in labor productivity by 3-5 times, reduces the cost of 1 ton of hay by 3-4 times with an average yield of 5 t / ha; the second level is the management of a separate growing season; a furrow-band sowing was proposed, providing a 20 - 35% increase in yield; the third level is technological control in real time. An automatic flexible technological complex for the main tillage is proposed, which improves the quality of tillage and increases labor productivity by 15 - 20%; the fourth is the level of technological impact on the basis of scientific principles, taking into account the physical, mechanical and technological properties of the treatment object. Conclusions: 1) In the conditions of Siberia with its spatio-temporal changes in the properties and conditions of the soil cover, precise (digital) management of the resource potential of agricultural landscapes is required. 2) To increase the efficiency of grain crops cultivation, four mechanical and technological levels of control have been proposed.

Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of Mesocotyl Length for Direct Seeding in Rice

Direct seeding is considered an efficient cultivation technology that reduces water use and labor costs. Mesocotyl length is one of the significant traits in cultivation; long mesocotyl is beneficial for the rate and uniformity of seedling emergence. In this study, we used a core collection of 137 rice accessions to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for mesocotyl elongation. A genome-wide association study (GWAS), combined with a principal component analysis (PCA) and a kinship matrix analysis, was conducted for the genotype analysis of 2 million, high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Through this GWAS analysis, 11 lead SNPs were confirmed to be associated with mesocotyl length, and a linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay analysis identified the 230 kb exploratory range for the detection of QTLs and candidate genes. Based on the gene expression database and haplotype analysis, five candidate genes (Os01g0269800, Os01g0731100, Os08g0136700, Os08g0137800, and Os08g0137900) were detected to be significantly associated with phenotypic variation. Five candidate gene expressions are reported to be associated with various plant hormone responses. Interestingly, two biotic stress response genes and two copper-containing redox proteins were detected as the candidate genes. The results of this study provide associated SNPs in candidate genes for mesocotyl length and strategies for developing direct seeding in breeding programs.

Stimulation of Physiological Processes in St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) Seedlings by Treatments with Triacontanol and Benzyladenine

Abstract Treatment of St. John’s wort plantlets with 1 µM triacontanol and 2 µM benzyladenine stimulates growth and metabolic processes, being an environmental-friendly approach for optimizing the cultivation of these valuable medicinal plants under controlled conditions. When the two growth regulators (a bioactive cuticular wax constituent and a cytokinin) are applied simultaneously, they act synergistically, enhancing each other’s effect on the biomass accumulation and on certain parameters of the photosynthetic light use efficiency, such as the effective quantum yield of photosystem II and the overall vitality index of the photosynthetic apparatus which performs the conversion of light energy into usable forms for carbon dioxide assimilation. The results concerning the interactions between the two externally applied growth regulators during the early development of St. John’s wort plants may lead to a more efficient cultivation of this herbal medicinal product, including the possibility to modulate the production of pharmacologically active metabolites.

Effect of cropping patterns onbacterial community diversity and metabolic function in rhizosphere soil of Angelica sinensis

The sustainable development of Angelica sinensis industry is seriously restricted by continuous cropping obstacles. In order to explore an efficient cultivation technique for A. sinensis, an experiment with five cropping patterns [A: Pisum sativum (Ps)-A. sinensis (As)-As, control); B: Ps-Triticum aestivum (Ta)-As; C: Ps-Mongolia astragalus (Ma)-As; D: Ps-Solanum tuberosum (St)-As); E: Ps-Fallow (F)-As)] were conducted in major A. sinensis producing areas located in Weiyuan County, Gansu Province. The physicochemical properties and relative abundance of bacterial genomic DNA in rhizosphere soil under different cropping patterns were measured during A. sinensis harvest period to investigate the effects of different cropping patterns on physicochemical properties, bacterial community diversity, and metabolic pathways. The results showed that: 1) the physicochemical properties in A. sinensis rhizosphere soil varied among different cropping patterns. Compared with the control, soil electrical conductivity under C pattern was significantly higher, and lower under B, D and E, CO2 respiration rate for B, C, D and E were significantly increased. 2) Soil bacteria of A. sinensis rhizosphere soil in the five cropping patterns belonged to 26 phyla and 368 genera. The dominant genera were Gemmatimonas from Gemmatimonadetes, Sphingomonas from Proteobacteria, and Subgroup_6 from Acidobacteria. Compared with the control, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria under B and C patterns was significantly higher, Acidobacteria in D pattern was significantly lower, while Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria in E pattern was significantly higher. 3) There were significantly negative relations between soil pH, electrical conductivity, contents of organic matter, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium with the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in A. sinensis rhizosphere soil across the five cropping patterns. 4) There was significant difference in relative abundance for bacteria of six metabolic pathways under the five cropping patterns. In conclusion, C pattern had a regulating effect on physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in A.sinensis rhizosphere soil, which could be taken as a major practice to overcome the continuous cropping obstacles.

Diagnosing an Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen on Spaceflight-Grown Plants Using the MinION Sequencing Platform.

Sustainable agriculture in microgravity is integral to future long-term human space exploration. To ensure the efficient and sustainable cultivation of plants in space, a contingency plan to monitor plant health and mitigate plant diseases is necessary. Yet, neither methods nor tools currently exist to evaluate the plant microbial interactions or to diagnose potential plant diseases in space-based bioregenerative life support systems. In this study, we show how the MinION sequencing platform can be used to diagnose the opportunistic pathogen Fusarium oxysporum sensu lato, a fungal infection on Zinnia hybrida (zinnia) plants that were grown on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015-2016. Genomic DNA from the infected plant material (root and leaf tissues) retrieved from the ISS were extracted and sequenced. In addition, pure cultures of Burkholderia contaminans, F. oxysporum sensu lato, and Fusarium sporotrichioides were used as controls to test the specificity of the bioinformatics pipeline developed. The results show that the MinION platform can be used to accurately differentiate between fusaria species and strengthens the case for using the platform as a rapid plant disease diagnostic tool in space.

Bacteria Cultivated From Sponges and Bacteria Not Yet Cultivated From Sponges-A Review.

The application of high-throughput microbial community profiling as well as “omics” approaches unveiled high diversity and host-specificity of bacteria associated with marine sponges, which are renowned for their wide range of bioactive natural products. However, exploration and exploitation of bioactive compounds from sponge-associated bacteria have been limited because the majority of the bacteria remains recalcitrant to cultivation. In this review, we (i) discuss recent/novel cultivation techniques that have been used to isolate sponge-associated bacteria, (ii) provide an overview of bacteria isolated from sponges until 2017 and the associated culture conditions and identify the bacteria not yet cultured from sponges, and (iii) outline promising cultivation strategies for cultivating the uncultivated majority of bacteria from sponges in the future. Despite intensive cultivation attempts, the diversity of bacteria obtained through cultivation remains much lower than that seen through cultivation-independent methods, which is particularly noticeable for those taxa that were previously marked as “sponge-specific” and “sponge-enriched.” This poses an urgent need for more efficient cultivation methods. Refining cultivation media and conditions based on information obtained from metagenomic datasets and cultivation under simulated natural conditions are the most promising strategies to isolate the most wanted sponge-associated bacteria.

Enzymatic Activities and Gene Transcript Levels Associated with the Augmentation of Antioxidant Constituents during Drought Stress in Lettuce

Efficient cultivation methods were investigated to promote the branding of products in plant factories. Moderate stress can enhance plant constituents that are beneficial for human health, without reducing yield. Dehydration stress in lettuce rhizospheres increased some antioxidants, including L-ascorbic acid (AsA) and polyphenols. In this study, the major factors contributing to the augmentation of antioxidant constituents were investigated. The drought treatment resulted in increased hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values but not hydrophobic ORAC values. Both activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD, and ascorbate peroxidase, APX) were elevated under drought conditions. RNA-seq analysis revealed 33 upregulated and 115 downregulated differentially expressed genes, and 40 gene ontology enrichment categories. A dehydrin gene was the most significant among the upregulated genes in response to drought stress. Dehydrin protects plant cells from dryness through multiple functions, such as radical scavenging and protection of enzymes. Real-time PCR validated the substantial increase in some dehydrin paralogs with root desiccation. In conclusion, the enhancement of antioxidant levels by drought stress is likely not due to the induction of antioxidant enzyme genes, but due to increased enzymic activities. These activities might be protected by dehydrins encoded by the upregulated paralogs under drought stress.

Maximizing fucoxanthin production in Odontella aurita by optimizing the ratio of red and blue light-emitting diodes in an auto-controlled internally illuminated photobioreactor

Fucoxanthin has multiple beneficial effects on human health. However, an efficient cultivation strategy for hyper-production of microalgae-based fucoxanthin has been seldom achieved. Here, an auto-controlled photobioreactor (PBR) installed internal light-emitting diodes illumination with adjustable spectra ratio was firstly used to culture Odontella aurita. The results showed that red light (RL) was more suitable for cell growth and fucoxanthin accumulation than blue light (BL) and white light. The biomass and fucoxanthin production were further promoted by optimizing the ratios of RL and BL, with 8:2 giving the highest productivities of 570 and 9.41 mg L-1 d-1, respectively, which is the highest fucoxanthin productivity ever reported under photoautotrophic cultivation. Pilot-scale cultivation demonstrated its promising feasibility in commercial fucoxanthin production. Our study represents a pioneering work of harnessing the PBR with internal illumination for hyper-production of microalgae-based fucoxanthin, and provides feasible strategies for high-efficient production of other value-added products in related species/strains.

Extremophilic Microalgae Galdieria Gen. for Urban Wastewater Treatment: Current State, the Case of “POWER” System, and Future Prospects

Over the past decades, wastewater research has increasingly focused on the use of microalgae as a tool to remove contaminants, entrapping nutrients, and whose biomass could provide both material and energy resources. This review covers the advances in the emerging research on the use in wastewater sector of thermoacidophilic, low-lipid microalgae of the genus Galdieria, which exhibit high content of protein, reserve carbohydrates, and other potentially extractable high-value compounds. The natural tolerance of Galdieria for high toxic environments and hot climates recently made it a key player in a single-step process for municipal wastewater treatment, biomass cultivation and production of energetic compounds using hydrothermal liquefaction. In this system developed in New Mexico, Galdieria proved to be a highly performing organism, able to restore the composition of the effluent to the standards required by the current legislation for the discharge of treated wastewater. Future research efforts should focus on the implementation, in the context of wastewater treatment, of more energetically efficient cultivation systems, potentially capable of generating water with increasingly higher purity levels.

Delineation of Efficient Paddy Cropping Zones in Andhra Pradesh

The research delineated efficient paddy crop zones in Andhra Pradesh. The area, yield and production of paddy were gathered from the Andhra Pradesh Department of Economics and Statistics to compute the Relative Spread Index (RSI) and Relative Yield Index (RYI). The definition of an efficient cultivation zone for paddy shows that in all nine districts of Andhra Pradesh there are numerous possibilities to increase overall paddy production. The primary source of irrigation is groundwater, comprising tubes and wells that cover 49 percent of net irrigation. The grade is of four types: Most Efficient Cropping Zone (MECZ) and Area Efficient Cropping Zone (AECZ) and Yield Efficient Cropping Zone(YECZ) and Not Efficient Cropping Zone (NECZ). It was noted that the West Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Nellore are five districts inside Paddy's Most efficient cropping zone. Srikakulam and Vizianagaram are two districts within the Area efficient cropping zone. The Kurnool and Prakasam are two districts in which Yields efficient cropping zone. Visakhapatnam, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur are four districts belong to the Not-efficient cropping zone. It is concluded that there was a lot of possibilities of increasing the overall production of paddy in all nine districts of Andhra Pradesh by delineating the efficient cropping zone for paddy. In the case of AECZ there is a need for popularisation of high-yielding cultivars, for better management technologies like the Rice Intensification System (RIS) and for integrated nutrient handling to increase yield levels and convert this zone into MECZ. In the case of YECZ, these sites offer promise for rice growing, although a decrease in water availability may be attributed to the less extensive area.

The ratoon rice system with high yield and high efficiency in China: Progress, trend of theory and technology

The planting area of ratoon rice in China has expanded in recent years to accommodate the warm temperatures and additional sunshine of the autumn season, greatly improving the yields of rice paddies. China is a global leader in both the research and cultivation of ratoon rice. Along with our 30 consecutive years of research, this review summarizes the research progress of theories and technologies relating to the efficient cultivation of high-yield ratoon rice based on the following: (1) Five regions in China were designated based on the thermal energy available for cultivating main crop-ratoon rice: Southwestern, Southern, Southeast, Central, and Eastern. (2) Ratooning ability is affected by both genetics and environmental factors. Rice cultivars with strong ratooning ability are characterized by strong root activity and high dry matter weight per stem. (3) Mechanisms underlying the death and yield formation of ratooning buds of rice cultivars with strong ratooning ability were analyzed, and the effects of promoting-bud fertilizers, stubble height, timely harvest of main rice crop, and plant growth regulator on improving the ratooning ability of rice cultivars were examined. (4) An efficient method for applying promoting-bud nitrogen fertilizer has been established based on spikelet number per panicle, chlorophyll content, and target yield of ratoon rice. (5) The large-scale production of ratoon rice has several constraints, such as low and unstable grain yield of ratoon crops, large differences in grain yield between the demonstration area and the expansion area, large-scale destruction of stubble after mechanical harvesting of the main crop, and the need for more land between planting ratoon rice and planting double-season rice. (6) Technologies relating to future development trends in ratoon rice are clarified, including high-quality and labor-saving technologies, high nitrogen and potassium use efficiency technologies, the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomical measures, technological advancements related to the cultivation of ratoon rice, and the optimal economic threshold of rice yield in ratoon rice production.

Application of Digital Technologies for the Next Level of Agriculture Growth and Transformation under Changing the Indian Agriculture: A Critical Review

The rapid population growth has driven the demand for more food, fiber, energy, and water, which is associated to an increase in the need to use natural resources in a more sustainable way. The growing connectivity in the rural environment, in addition to its greater integration with data from sensor systems, remote sensors, equipment, and smart-phones have paved the way for new concepts from the so-called digital agriculture. The information that crops offer is turned into profitable decisions only when efficiently managed. Current advances in data management are making Smart Farming grow exponentially as data have become the key element in modern agriculture to help producers with critical decision-making. Valuable advantages appear with objective information acquired through sensors with the aim of maximizing productivity and sustainability. These kind of data-based managed farms rely on data that can increase efficiency by avoiding the misuse of resources and the pollution of the environment. Data-driven agriculture, with the help of robotic solutions incorporating artificial intelligent techniques, sets the grounds for the sustainable agriculture of the future. Digital agriculture offers far-reaching opportunities for accelerating agricultural transformation. Although there are concerns that digital agriculture will enhance the market power of large agribusiness enterprises and increase the digital divide, a combination of new actors and public action can help accelerate the supply of digital agricultural technology, manage threats of market concentration, and harness the opportunities of digital agriculture for all.
 The agriculture industry has radically transformed over the past 50 years. Advances in machinery have expanded the scale, speed, and productivity of farm equipment, leading to more efficient cultivation of more land. Seed, irrigation, and fertilizers also have vastly improved, helping farmers increase yields. Now, agriculture is in the early days of yet another revolution, at the heart of which lie data and connectivity. Artificial intelligence, analytics, connected sensors, and other emerging technologies could further increase yields, improve the efficiency of water and other inputs, and build sustainability and resilience across crop cultivation and animal husbandry. This paper reviews the current status of advanced farm management systems by revisiting each crucial step, from data acquisition in crop fields to variable rate applications, so that growers can make optimized decisions to save money while protecting the environment and transforming how food will be produced to sustainably match the forthcoming population growth.

Progressive Web App for Crop Field Data Collection

General farming needs to have a matter of data collection. For efficient cultivation planning and harvesting, information must be collected for evaluation and analysis to make each harvest decision. For example, we need to assess plants’ ages, changes in size, color, and other senses (sweetness, smell, etc.) to plan for different crop field growth phases. Also, data collection problems occur due to the need to collect data in multiple locations simultaneously. Collecting information manually in the form of documents makes the process challenging to analyze. There is a need to collect field data more efficiently. Thus, this article proposes developing a web application to replace manual note-taking to reduce errors in recording and gathering data and missing data. Users can locate and modify crop field locations using latitude and longitude and work seamlessly with the Google Earth application. Furthermore, to accommodate practical use in real-life, the web application developed using Progressive Web Application (PWA) can perform without the Internet. Besides, PWA web applications are as fast as using an application on a smartphone without downloading and saving space. Based on the experimental result, compared with the process without using the application, it was found that the proposed application could reduce time in collecting sugarcane sampling data by about 45.28%