Food Production Systems Research Articles

Small Ruminant Lentivirus Infection in Sheep and Goats in North Portugal: Seroprevalence and Risk Factors.

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are transmitted among ovine and caprine species. This disease is a severe problem for small ruminant production, not only for animals' well-being but also for flocks' efficiency. The main aim of this research was to quantify the seroprevalence and associated risk factors for SRLV infection in the northern region of Portugal. Samples were collected from a total of 150 flocks, of which 129 (86.0%; 95% CI: 80.67%-91.33%) had at least one seropositive animal. Out of 2607 individual blood samples, 1074 (41.2%) were positive for SRLVs. Risk factors associated with SRLV infection were species (caprine), age (>2 years old), flock size (>100 animals), production system (intensive), food production system (milk), type of activity (professional), participation in livestock competitions (yes), replacement young ewe bought (yes), and natural feeding management (yes). This knowledge empowers the implementation of effective preventive measures. Overall, biosecurity measures should be promoted and implemented with the main aim of reducing viral transmission and reducing the prevalence of this disease. We recognise that government authorities should promote and audit voluntary control and eradication programs in small ruminant flocks in the region studied.

An improved DNA extraction method for detecting Bacillus subtilis spores in spiked foods and beverages

Bacillus and Paenibacillus spp. are essential aerobic spoilage bacteria in various food industry sectors. Spoilage from microorganisms occurs at many points throughout food production systems. Due to their complex wall structures, spores can resist heat, radiation, chemical agents, and enzymatic treatments. An alkaline lysis and mechanical disruption combination method was developed and evaluated to counter this. This combination method effectively improved DNA extraction from B. subtilis spore cells spiked into food (solid) and beverages (liquid milk and coffee) at concentrations down to 102 CFU/mL or g when spiked into food matrices and drinks. Released DNA recoveries were 27 % and 25 % for potato salad and 38 % and 36 % for whole corn spiked at 106 and 103 CFU/mL concentrations. Conversely, there was a low recovery for wheat flour (10 % and 8.8 %) and milk powders (12 % and 25 %) at 106 and 103 CFU/mL spiked concentrations. The combination method provides rapid, specific, reliable, and accurate signature sequences identification for the detection and presence confirmation of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant spoilage spore cells, improving food spoilage assessments and food control applications.

Large-scale Production and Application of Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles to Meet Agriculture Needs

The success of the agricultural sector is crucial to the whole world's prosperity. Reducing hunger and poverty and enhancing food security and nutrition have all made great strides in recent decades. Improvements in resource efficiency and food safety brought about by productivity and technical gains have not been shared fairly. Fortunately, it is possible to reduce the adverse effects of the current global food production system on the environment and climate with the aid of technological advancements. Nanotechnology can be integrated into the agricultural sciences as "nano agriculture", to provide solutions that are more accurately boost production without negatively impacting the environment. Among a range of nanoparticles, graphene oxide (GO) has found diverse application in electronics, optics, medicine, and supercapacitors. Due to its adaptability, it is also crucial in many critical biological contexts. Graphene oxide has a range of potential uses in industries as diverse as agriculture, technology, and food production. Nanoencapsulation of nutrients, smart-release systems, novel packaging, smart water treatment systems for various kinds of microorganisms and pollutants, pesticide and insecticide detection and analysis, and other kinds of detection systems are all possible applications of this versatile material. It may also be a part of fertilizer or used as a plant growth stimulant. In the GO market, yield is a major concern. With so much focus on graphene, it is essential to produce GO nanoparticles in large quantities. A possible method for industrial-scale graphene manufacturing is the oxidative exfoliation of graphite. This review outlines few cost effective strategies to mass-produce GO for use in agriculture.

Nuts and berries from agroforestry systems in temperate regions can form the foundation for a healthier human diet and improved outcomes from diet-related diseases.

Agroforestry is a specific type of agroecosystem that includes trees and shrubs with the potential to yield nutrient-rich products that contribute to human health. This paper reviews the literature on the human health benefits of tree nut and berry species commonly associated with agroforestry systems of the United States, considering their potential for preventing certain diet-related diseases. Emphasis is placed on those diseases that are most closely associated with poor outcomes from COVID-19, as they are indicators of confounding health prognoses. Results indicate that tree nuts reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, and walnuts (Juglans species) are particularly effective because of their unique fatty acid profile. Berries that are grown on shrubs have the potential to contribute to mitigation of hypertension, prevention of Type II diabetes, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. To optimize human health benefits, plant breeding programs can focus on the traits that enhance the naturally-occurring phytochemicals, through biofortification. Value-added processing techniques should be selected and employed to preserve the phytonutrients, so they are maintained through the point of consumption. Agroforestry systems can offer valuable human health outcomes for common diet-related diseases, in addition to providing many environmental benefits, particularly if they are purposefully designed with that goal in mind. The food system policies in the U.S. might be reoriented to prioritize these food production systems based on the health benefits.

Temporal effects of climate and soil fertility‐mediated maize yield and its sustainability: A case study in subtropical China

AbstractThe sustainability of food production systems requires accurate assessments of the combined impacts of climate change and soil fertility on crop yield. However, a knowledge gap remains regarding the interactions of climate and soil fertility for the determination of crop yield and sustainability. For this study, we investigated how climate and soil fertility affected maize yield and its sustainability over a 30‐year experiment on red soil. Seven fertilization treatments were selected (CK (no fertilizer), N (chemical nitrogen), NP (chemical nitrogen and phosphorus), NK (chemical nitrogen and potassium), NPK, M (pig manure), and NPKM (NPK and M)). The link between grain yield and the sustainability yield index (SYI) increased exponentially (p < 0.001). Manure (M and NPKM) improved the concentrations of soil nutrients considerably compared to chemical fertilizer treatments (N, NP, NK, and NPK). The explanatory rates of selected climatic and soil parameters for grain yield and its SYI varied from 56.6% to 66.9%. Soil available nutrients (AP and AK) and total nutrients (TN and TP) regulated grain yield and the SYI at low and high soil fertility, respectively. Redundancy analysis showed a negative correlation between temperature throughout the maize growing season, grain yield, and the SYI, excluding the NPKM treatment. Correlations between temperature, grain yield, and the SYI were reduced as soil fertility increased. Climate (44.0%) and nutrient inputs (40.2%) under chemical and manure fertilization contributed the most to the observed yield. Path analysis explained 68% and 77% of the variations in grain yield under chemical fertilizers and manure treatments, respectively. Additionally, the results suggested that as air temperatures are predicted to rise early maize should be planted earlier and late maize should be planted later to optimize grain yield. Together, this study emphasized that improving soil quality and adjusting planting schedules in agricultural management practices can attenuate the negative impact of climate warming on grain yield sustainable production in the global subtropical regions.

Managing pesticide resistance in Spodoptera frugiperda: A spatially explicit framework for identifying optimal treatment strategies

Pesticide resistance is a major challenge to increasing the resilience and sustainability of current food production systems. Preserving the susceptibility of pest organisms to chemical products is a key factor to optimize a pesticide-based strategy. However, resistance management strategies (RMSs) must consider unique species biologies, multiple resistance mechanisms, environmental factors, and pest management practices, which can make their implementation complex.Here, we develop a method to help manage this complexity using a grid-based simulation framework for pesticide resistance evolution including population growth and dispersal dynamics. This framework was applied to the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, for which resistance evolution is a major concern. We explored the sensitivity of 13 parameters dealing with landscape structure, dispersal rate, chemical treatment protocols, chemical degradation rate, dose-response curves and transition rates (i.e., flux between sub-population driven by the mutation rate). From the sensitivity analysis of simulations, we computed heat maps of the influence of each parameter on a set of variables (total pest population size, fully resistant population size, and resistance frequency).Assuming a large but realistic range for each parameter, Sobol's sensitivity index showed that resistant transition rate (from phenotypically susceptible to resistant sub-populations) and pesticide properties (in particular, degradation rate and dose-response curve) are more important in the outbreak of resistance compared with resistance ratio (i.e., the benefit of being resistant over susceptible in terms of fitness), chemical application intensity and landscape composition. In addition, using Pareto optimality, we assessed the performance of different pesticide application regimes according to total population size, population size of resistant individuals, the total amount of pesticide, and the total area of host plants suitable for S. frugiperda. Across the wide parameter space explored, we revealed the high volatility of outputs suggesting that the performance of treatment protocols depends on the ecological context. Nevertheless, despite this variability, a “windowing” management strategy consisting of a single pesticide group applied per insect generation, provided the optimal control of S. frugiperda and resistance evolution outcomes.This work provides a set of tools to test RMS scenarios for the control of S. frugiperda and to understand how variabilities may arise at different management steps and geographical scales.

Can Domestic Food Production Provide Future Urban Populations with Food and Nutrition Security?—Insights from Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda

Population growth and urbanization increasingly put pressure on our planet’s availability of areas needed for food production. The dependencies on domestically produced food are increasingly judged favourable, following the consequences of the Ukrainian war, with escalating fuel and grain prices and less accessibilities to low-income groups. It is, however, unclear whether land is domestically available. Applying a food system approach, the main aim of this article is to investigate spatial foodsheds and theoretical self-sufficiency for food production needed to supply increasing future populations in a selection of cities, including estimates for Dhaka in Bangladesh, Nairobi in Kenya and Kampala in Uganda. The projected foodshed scenario areas for the years 2020 and 2050 are estimated for the production of three core products currently extensively produced and consumed in the three countries. They show that it is not possible to feed an ever-increasing urban population based on domestic production alone. International trade, new technological developments and new consumer demands for less area-intensive food production systems may give solutions to the immense challenge of feeding the world’s population with nutritious food in 2050. However, to ensure fair and inclusive transition pathways for low-income groups: (1) affordability and accessibility of trade opportunities, technologies and products, (2) a common vision aiming for the SDGs, including SDG2: Zero hunger and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities as well as (3) best practices in co-creation and cooperation with the most vulnerable urban and rural populations, are highly needed.

Quantifying farm-to-fork greenhouse gas emissions for five dietary patterns across Europe and North America: A pooled analysis from 2009 to 2020

Dietary patterns are inherently related to greenhouse (GHG) emissions via agricultural practices and food production systems. As the global population is predicted to increase from 8 billion (current) to 9.6 billion by 2050 added pressure will be placed on existing agricultural systems, resulting in increased GHG emissions thus exacerbating climate change. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand present-day dietary patterns to shift to sustainable and healthy diets to mitigate GHG emissions and meet future climate targets. However, no review or pooled analyses of dietary pattern emissions from a farm-to-fork perspective has been undertaken to date. The current study sought to i) identify the current dietary habits within high-income regions from 2009 to 2020 and ii) quantify the GHG emissions associated with these dietary patterns via a global systematised review and pooled analysis. Twenty-three peer-reviewed studies were identified through online bibliographic databases. Dietary patterns are being examined based on fixed inclusion/exclusion criteria. Five dietary patterns were identified in the review with their mean GHG emissions: high-protein diets (5.71 CO2eq kg person −1 day −1), omnivorous diet (4.83 CO2eq kg person −1 day −1), lacto-ovo-vegetarian/pescatarian diet (3.86 CO2eq kg person −1 day −1), recommended diet (3.68 CO2eq kg person −1 day −1), and the vegan diet (2.34 CO2eq kg person −1 day −1). The lacto-ovo-vegetarian/pescatarian diet was associated with significantly lower emissions than both the omnivorous and high-protein dietary patterns, with -22% and -41% GHG emissions, respectively. The high-protein dietary pattern exhibited significantly higher GHG emissions than other dietary patterns. Geographically, significant statistical differences (p = 0.001) were only reported for the omnivorous diet between North America and Europe. Findings reveal that GHG emissions vary based on dietary patterns and have the potential to be reduced by shifting dietary patterns, which benefits the environment by lessening one of the drivers of climate change.

Fulfilling the Promises of Fermentation-Derived Foods

Fermentation-derived foods (FDFs) such as cultured animal cells, edible microbial biomass, and recombinant food proteins have recently seen a notable surge in both investment and public interest. FDFs have been promoted as a more ethical, resilient, and environmentally sustainable food alternative to animal-derived foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy. However, some of the manufacturing process choices and sociopolitical assumptions made by actors in this space could risk undermining the goals of the technology as stated above. This article highlights five aspects of FDFs that should be carefully considered if they are to assist human society successfully transition to a more ethical, sustainable, and resilient food production system: (1) sustainable nitrogen fixation and management, (2) transitioning away from sugar feedstocks, (3) realistic expectations of consumer adoption rate, (4) careful consideration of the role of intellectual property, and (5) greater emphasis on food products that do not require cold or frozen storage.

Impact of polyculture in aquaponics on the hemato-serological and health status of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and carp (Cyprinus carpio)

ABSTRACT Aquaponics is an innovative, eco-friendly, and sustainable food production system that combines hydroponic crop production with recirculating aquaculture. This study aimed to assess the haematological, biochemical, and health status of Nile tilapia and common carp in monoculture and polyculture systems. A total of 800 (Oreochromis niloticus) and (Cyprinus carpio) with an average body weight of 1.1± 0.2 g were used. The fish were divided into three groups: (I) contained Nile tilapia only (monoculture), (II) contained common carp only (monoculture), and (III) contained polycultured tilapia and carp. The results of the study revealed a decrease in red blood cell counts, haemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit in monoculture tilapia blood, indicating significant differences when compared to polyculture tilapia blood. The biochemical parameters except total protein, glucose, and urea were significantly higher in the blood serum of polyculture carp compared to tilapia. Immunoglobulin variables and lysozyme activity were the same in the blood of fishes, confirming that Nile tilapia and common carp were still fit with a good immunological status under monoculture and polyculture in an aquaponic system. Conclusion: Nile tilapia and common carp cultivated in aquaponic systems (monoculture and polyculture) still fall within the normal range for haematology and biochemistry.

Land suitability analysis for cocoa (Theobroma cacao) production in the Sunyani municipality, Bono region, Ghana

To ensure sustainable food production systems it is crucial to adopt resilient agricultural practices that boost productivity and income. Therefore, this study integrated geospatial methodologies with GIS-based AHP algorithms to identify potential cocoa production areas in the Sunyani Municipality. Despite the fact that some review studies addressed land suitability, very few of them particularly examined land suitability analyses for cocoa production. Additionally, past studies did not take into account the hotspot areas for higher yield prediction on current and future land suitability. Weighted Linear Combination models (WLC) were used to evaluate and map land suitability for cocoa production in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana, and the Saaty's matrix cross-comparison method was utilized to determine the consistency ratio across criteria. The parameters used in the study to identify and analyze suitable areas for growing cocoa were slope, soil depth, land surface drainage, soil texture, LULC, rainfall, and temperature.The WLC and GIS-MCDA findings indicate that 7918.38 ha (23.3%) was highly suitable for cocoa production, 21,456.65 ha (63.3%) moderately suitable, 2676.33 ha (7.9%) marginally suitable and 1859.1 ha (5.5%) was not suitable for cocoa production. The findings indicate that the main constraints limiting high cocoa production and yield were poor land use management brought on by rapid population increase and forest degradation as well as rainfall variability. Higher cocoa yields can be achieved when farmers adjust their agronomic management to the requirements of the newly identified cocoa-growing areas. The hot spot analysis revealed that farms in Fahiakotwere, Mensakurom, Yawsaekurom, Peprakurom, Opaniapakurom and Abesim community have higher cocoa yields on the present and future land suitability.The results could be used as the baseline information for mapping land constraints for sustainable cocoa production and to strengthen capacity for agriculture adaptation and agricultural development. The study's findings have significance for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations by using resilient agriculture techniques that boost agricultural productivity and income. Production of cocoa is more challenging in areas that are moderately and marginally appropriate due to varying rainfall patterns and harsh climatic conditions like high temperatures and drought. However, it is recommended that farmers produce cocoa in areas designated as suitable in the Municipality to guarantee productive land use.

A cross-section from the consumer perspective on sustainable nutrition: consumer awareness and motivation status.

Sustainable diets and food production systems are important for healthy life and future generations. This goal should be reachable by consumer motivations. The study aim is the evaluation of awareness and knowledge of sustainability and logo/claims related with sustainability.Participants' knowledge about sustainability definition and logos/claims related to sustainability were assessed by an online-questionnaire. The questionnaire involved the calculation of annual dietary carbon emissions (kg), nitrogen waste (g), and water consumption (L).Four hundred-two volunteers participated in the study (male: 24.9%; female: 75.1). Only 44 participants (10.9%) explained what sustainable nutrition definition, correctly. The rates of knowledge about logos were quite low; 29.4% for organic product logo; 26.6% for Good farming practice logo; 86.1% for Recycle logo; and 8.0% for Eco-label logo, respectively. The education status of participants affected to knowledge of logo/claim ratio (p < 0.05). Ethic production and environmental impact statement information were care of participants' ratio of 33.6% and 34.1%, respectively. The mean dietary carbon emission of participants was 551.0 ± 343.6kg/year, which was 81% of the upper limit (680kg/year). The mean nitrogen waste was 3238.8 ± 4620.9g/year and mean water consumption was 91,538.7 ± 157,537.9 L/year. Mediterranean diet model carbon emission and nitrogen waste were higher than other diet models, omnivore diet models had more water consumption than other diet models. But these differences were not found statistically significant (p > 0.05).Sustainable nutrition can be achieved via consumers' awareness. Food industry and government should encourage the people about promotion of sustainable food preferences.

EDNA metabarcoding of avocado flowers: 'Hass' it got potential to survey arthropods in food production systems?

In the face of global biodiversity declines, surveys of beneficial and antagonistic arthropod diversity as well as the ecological services that they provide are increasingly important in both natural and agro-ecosystems. Conventional survey methods used to monitor these communities often require extensive taxonomic expertise and are time-intensive, potentially limiting their application in industries such as agriculture, where arthropods often play a critical role in productivity (e.g. pollinators, pests and predators). Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of a novel substrate, crop flowers, may offer an accurate and high throughput alternative to aid in the detection of these managed and unmanaged taxa. Here, we compared the arthropod communities detected with eDNA metabarcoding of flowers, from an agricultural species (Persea americana-'Hass' avocado), with two conventional survey techniques: digital video recording (DVR) devices and pan traps. In total, 80 eDNA flower samples, 96 h of DVRs and 48 pan trap samples were collected. Across the three methods, 49 arthropod families were identified, of which 12 were unique to the eDNA dataset. Environmental DNA metabarcoding from flowers revealed potential arthropod pollinators, as well as plant pests and parasites. Alpha diversity levels did not differ across the three survey methods although taxonomic composition varied significantly, with only 12% of arthropod families found to be common across all three methods. eDNA metabarcoding of flowers has the potential to revolutionize the way arthropod communities are monitored in natural and agro-ecosystems, potentially detecting the response of pollinators and pests to climate change, diseases, habitat loss and other disturbances.

Dynamics and Determinants of Farmers’ Perceptions about Causes and Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Saudi Arabia: Implications for Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainability

Concerns over the potential harmful impacts of changing climate are strongly echoing around the globe. With its wide range of hazards to human societies, climate change is posing serious threats to human survival and impacting every aspect of human life, including food production systems. It is, therefore, imperative to gauge the local knowledge, perceptions, and adaptation capacity for the effective mitigation of the ill impacts of climate change. In this backdrop, the present study has been designed to investigate the perceptions of farmers regarding causes and impacts of climate change on agriculture. Required data were collected from the Madinah region in Saudi Arabia and analyzed to answer the following study questions: How do farmers perceive impacts of climate change? What factors affect their perceived impacts of climate change? Additionally, what factors affect their perception about the causes of climate change? Individual logit models were used to assess the impacts of various factors on perceived causes and perceived impacts of climate change on agriculture. A multinomial logit model was also employed to figure out significant determinants of perceived causes of climate change on agriculture. Results indicated that the most dominant perceived impacts of climate change are its effects on crop production, followed by drying water sources. The results also revealed that the age of the farmers had a positive effect on their perception of natural processes being the cause of climate change. Similarly, farming experience had an inverse effect on their perceptions regarding causes of climate change. The majority of the farmers seemed clear about the possible drivers of climate change in the country. In particular, about 79 percent of the farmers believed that GHGs and pollution are causing climate change in the country. The findings provide useful insights into farmers’ perceptions about causes and impacts of climate change and may be used by policymakers to strategically design extension and agricultural development initiatives for helping the farmers to implement sustainable agricultural practices to adapt to and lower the adverse impacts of climate change in the Kingdom.

Assessment and Principles of Environmentally Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems

Feeding the world depends on protecting our valuable ecosystems and biodiversity. Currently, increasing public awareness of the problems posed by the current industrialized food system has resulted in increased support for the creative market for economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable food production systems and enhanced demands for variations in agricultural policies and regulations. In food production, the restoration and protection of ecosystems and sustainable food systems must be given priority, which requires a forward-looking rational management strategy and fundamental changes in patterns and practices of economic development, product, and production. Food systems should be redesigned to have a neutral and positive environmental impact, as well as ensure healthy nutrition and food safety, and low environmental impact strategies should become a priority. This review paper aims to discuss, build, guide and evaluate sustainable food systems, principles, and transition strategies such as agroecological, organic, biodynamic, regenerative, urban, and precision agriculture, which are imperative visions for the management of agriculture and food production. To this end, we analyzed the evolution of the established strategies to develop sustainable agriculture and food systems, and we created assessment of key sustainability issues related to food, environment, climate, and rural development priorities and resource use practices.

Accelerating Sustainable Agri-Food Production and Processing in Post-Covid Recovery within Turkey’s Context

The Covid-19 pandemic not only has halted our day-to-day life but has also slowed down our progress towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by imposing constraints in our social and economic lives. Hence, an all-hands approach in which stakeholders come together to ensure the implementation of the SDGs is essential for a post-pandemic recovery. As the SDGs are perceived as an invisible whole, it is eminent that synergies and tradeoffs exist within the different goals they present. This review paper explores the environmental-human linkage within SDG 2 and SDG 12 by focusing on optimizing the synergies between sustainable food production systems and resilient agriculture practices while addressing how to reduce the tradeoffs between these goals. The paper analyzes thematic focus areas such as resource utilization in the agri-food sector, food loss and waste management, IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and smart farming, the circular economic model for the agri-food industry, and food security. Moreover, the paper investigates specific targets and indicators for both SDG 2 and SDG 12 and explores these targets within the framework of proper food waste management; increased crop yield; sustainable food production methodologies; the effect of the food production sector on the environment; as well as efficient resource use including water, land, and Nitrogen in the context of Turkey

Improving the Sustainability of Processing By-Products: Extraction and Recent Biological Activities of Collagen Peptides.

Society and consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety and the sustainability of food production systems. A significant amount of by-products and discards are generated during the processing of aquatic animals, which still needs to be fully utilized by the food industry. The management and sustainable use of these resources are essential to avoiding environmental pollution and resource waste. These by-products are rich in biologically active proteins, which can be converted into peptides by enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation treatment. Therefore, exploring the extraction of collagen peptides from these by-products using an enzymatic hydrolysis technology has attracted a wide range of attention from numerous researchers. Collagen peptides have been found to possess multiple biological activities, including antioxidant, anticancer, antitumor, hypotensive, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties can enhance the physiological functions of organisms and make collagen peptides useful as ingredients in food, pharmaceuticals, or cosmetics. This paper reviews the general methods for extracting collagen peptides from various processing by-products of aquatic animals, including fish skin, scales, bones, and offal. It also summarizes the functional activities of collagen peptides as well as their applications.

Exploring tomato phenotypic variability under combined nitrogen and water deficit

BackgroundDespite drought and nitrogen (N) deficit being two of the most important crops’ growth limiting factors, only few studies have explored tomato phenotypic variability in response to both abiotic stresses.AimsIn this study, we aimed to perform a phenotypic evaluation and an analysis of the growth traits of 40 tomato genotypes (mostly focusing on old cultivars, but also including modern hybrids and wild tomato relatives’ accessions as anchors) grown in pots that were subjected to combined N and water deficit.MethodsEach genotype was divided into two groups: control (100% N, 100% field capacity) and combined deficit (20% N, 50% field capacity). A total of 14 morpho-physiological traits were evaluated and further analyzed using multivariate statistical methods.ResultsThe Principal Component Analyses revealed considerable phenotypical diversity among tomato genotypes, with four principal components explaining 82% of the variability. Data integration on a cluster analysis separated the studied genotypes into three distinct clusters based on their ability to handle the combined deficit. Tolerance was associated with traits such as lower specific leaf area, lower leaf area ratio and higher water use efficiency, comparing to the sensitive genotypes.ConclusionsThis study shows that tomato tolerance to combined N and water deficit largely varies between genotypes and that old cultivars represent a valuable gene pool towards more sustainable food production systems.

Influence of Rhizobium and Virus Inocula on Growth and Yields of Cowpea: A Mini-review

Cowpea is a nutritional grain consumed especially in developing countries of the tropical and subtropical regions. It is prone to attack in its entire stages of growth by pathogens and pests such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and insects. Organisms, whether microbes, plants or animals interact both in isolated and complex systems. These interactions could be plant-plant, plant-microbe, microbe-microbe or microbe-microbe-plant interaction to complete the process of the food web. While some interactions are healthy and beneficial to the parties involved in the relationship, some others are unhealthy and harmful. This review has as its focus microbe-microbe interaction and effects on nodulation and yields of cowpea, with a view to examining the impacts on the sustainability of the food production system. A good knowledge of such interactions could help improve productivity and may allow the development of new strategies for plant protection and the control of parasites as well as for increasing crop yields. Hence this article assesses the influence of rhizobium and virus on cowpea nodulation and yields with a view to evaluating their contributory effects and assessing their individual potency in the interaction.

Editorial: Enhancing food production system resilience for food security facing a changing environment

Editorial: Enhancing food production system resilience for food security facing a changing environment