Agricultural Issues Research Articles

Unveiling innovation imperatives in agriculture: A data-driven framework for identifying latent needs and regional priorities

Innovation within a company, sector, or territorial context can arise from identifying specific problems or needs. Performance analysis provides valuable insights, potentially highlighting areas where innovation may be necessary. This paper outlines a methodology designed to identify latent innovation needs at regional, sectoral, and dimensional levels. This methodology is based on critical issues emerging from comparing economic, environmental, and social sustainability indicators of farms. An iterative approach is used for this purpose. Mixed matching algorithms are employed to form the comparison groups, while G-computation is used to calculate the differences. Logistic regression is adopted to calculate the propensity scores, and several generalized linear models are used to estimate the impact of regional localization. Hypothesis tests are then conducted to confirm the statistical significance of the impacts, from which criticality levels are derived. This methodology is applied to data collected by the Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network, which includes over 64,000 observations from two consecutive three-year periods (2016-2018 and 2019-2021). The results highlight the existence of widespread critical issues in Italian agriculture. These problems primarily concern the efficient use of water, whose costs, relative to revenue, exceed, on average, around 40 %, and greenhouse horticulture, which shows an increased criticality level in terms of sustainability of over 50 %. From a regional perspective, Puglia in Southern Italy exhibits the most evident critical issues, with an average criticality level of 30 % that has increased over time. The emerging criticalities are analyzed in relation to the interventions introduced by the 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy to verify their coherence and identify possible innovative actions that can be implemented.

Enhancing emission reductions in South African agriculture: The crucial role of carbon credits in incentivizing climate-smart farming practices

Agriculture faces environmental threats caused by climate change, exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). As a result, climate change is a pressing issue for agriculture, necessitating strategies like carbon credits to mitigate emissions and enhance productivity. Carbon credits are recognized as a prominent avenue for reducing emissions, as highlighted in the 2023 Climate Change Conference (COP28). However, research on carbon credit targeting non-CO2 emissions from agriculture is limited. Thus, this study employed stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to examine panel data from 1991 to 2020, focusing on the effectiveness of climate-smart agriculture in reducing South African agricultural GHG emissions. The data included non-mechanical agricultural emissions sources, paying attention to emissions from crops and livestock. The findings supported the hypothesis, suggesting that increasing incentives, specifically carbon credits, can raise agricultural productivity while reducing emissions. The study also found that inefficiencies in agriculture significantly impact farm output and emissions. The results indicate that offering GHG carbon credits for agriculture promotes sustainable practices, as methane and nitrous oxide emissions are short-lived and can help reduce climate change impact through carbon sequestration. Prioritizing on-farm emissions, soil fertility improvement, reduced fertilizer use, and better livestock management can lead to positive change through climate-smart farming practices. Therefore, promoting customized GHG credits for agriculture mechanisms can lead to positive change through climate-smart farming practices. Thus, it is necessary to enhance mitigation strategies, policies, and farm practices. Finally, the study emphasizes the significance of evidence-based GHG credits for agriculture mechanisms policies and the need for future research into ways to persuade farmers to participate in the carbon credit market.

Urban Sprawl Analysis Using Landscape Metrics in Chiba Prefecture, Japan from 1990-2021

Abstract Urban sprawl, characterized by unregulated development on the outskirts of urban areas, leads to agricultural land loss, reduced biodiversity, and environmental issues. The study employs landscape metrics to analyze the spatial patterns and effects of urban sprawl by measuring the fragmentation and structure of urban areas in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The research employs data collected from Landsat imagery 5 (1990) and 8 (2021) and utilizes the Google Earth Engine platform for spatial and temporal analysis. The Land Use Land Cover (LULC) assessment reveals the transformation of Chiba’s landscape from 1990 to 2021, with urban areas expanding significantly and vegetation decreasing. The analysis using 8 selected landscape metrics highlights the varying degrees of urban sprawl across Chiba Prefecture. Cities near Tokyo show higher levels of sprawl, while some areas outside the edge experience growing development. Notably, there is a trend of increasing urban sprawl toward the edge. As Chiba Prefecture faces challenges from an aging population, the findings emphasize the need for controlled urban development to mitigate the negative impacts of sprawl and the importance of sustainable urban planning especially towards the edge area to ensure a balance between development and environmental preservation.

Bio-nanocomposites: Innovative solutions for addressing issues in health, agriculture, energy and environmental domains

The extensive industrial use of plastics causes serious environmental problems. In order to solve this, scientists have concentrated on developing composites that are environmentally sustainable through the integration of nanofillers with bio-based components. These bio-nanocomposites, with significant potential in health, agriculture, energy, and environmental applications, offer a viable alternative to conventional plastics. In the field of medicine, bio-nanocomposites, owing to their unique properties and functionalities, find extensive applications in tissue culture, wound healing, and drug delivery. Also, bio-nanocomposites have the ability to support sustainable agriculture while enhancing crop yields. Additionally, due to their enhanced conductivity and environmentally beneficial components, bio-nanocomposites stimulate innovations in energy storage and renewable energy technology. Furthermore, the bio-nanocomposites provide environmentally friendly options for remediation and pollution management. This review explores the diverse applications of nanocomposite and bio-nanocomposite materials across healthcare, agriculture, energy storage and environment sectors and discusses strategies for enhancing their features to suit specific applications.

An elephant in the room? Explaining agenda-setting in antimicrobial resistance policies in 30 European countries

Antimicrobial resistances (AMR) present a particularly challenging cross-sectoral policy problem, affecting human and animal health as well as the environment. Compared to the actual problem pressure, the public awareness for AMR is comparatively low and the issue has not been high on the political agenda in most. Given the rising problem pressure, we aim to find out as to what degree and under which conditions political parties bring AMR on the political agenda. By means of multilevel logit regressions based on 173 electoral manifestos in 30 European countries from 2015 to 2020, we explore the conditions that explain whether AMR are taken up in manifestos. The empirical findings indicate firstly that AMR are only addressed by political parties in Northern and Western Europe, in no case in Eastern, and only in one case in Southern Europe, though resistant bacteria are more widely spread in the latter. Secondly, Green parties are those who are most likely to address the AMR challenge. Thirdly, vote share is positively associated with AMR agenda-setting, while EU membership is insignificant and the national average on antibiotics consumption is negatively related to AMR agenda-setting. Finally, AMR are surprisingly mainly perceived as a problem of the agricultural policy subsystem despite its cross-sectoral policy character. The study makes theoretical and empirical contributions: regarding theory, the article shows that typical variables that are used for agenda-setting are less explanatory for complex intersectoral policies. This is also accompanied by the empirical contribution: since problem awareness and complexity of policy problems are correlated, AMR are reduced to an agricultural issue and as such, it is taken over by political parties that have expertise on agricultural-environmental topics.

Known and Unknown Environmental Impacts Related to Climate Changes in Pakistan: An Under-Recognized Risk to Local Communities

This study prioritized initiatives within the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), foreign funding, and the associated environmental and national issues. Additionally, it analyzed these factors’ effects on improving infrastructure, commerce, and economic cooperation between China and Pakistan. Besides that, it also studies the current climatic, economic, and political challenges, mainly focused on water and agriculture issues. Climate, economic, and political issues affect the environment. These concerns deserve global attention. Pakistan mainly relies on agriculture, and its water scarcity predisposes it to economic losses, urbanization, and many socioeconomic problems. Climate change and the current flood have devastated the agriculture sector. Water scarcity affects agriculture too and significantly impacts the economy and food resources. The nation has not previously experienced such a profoundly distressing epoch. Pakistan has faced several environmental, economic, and political challenges; specifically, the fields of agriculture and water present notable apprehensions. Unfavorable climatic conditions impede the attainment of sustainable agriculture in Pakistan. Considering the strong reliance of agriculture on water resources, it is crucial to acknowledge that industrialization has resulted in substantial water contamination due to the presence of microplastics and heavy metals. Moreover, the South Asian region experiences a significant scarcity of water resources. Besides that, CPEC is the solution for the financial issues, but it is a big challenge for environmental degradation in the current stage, especially since foreign funding is a key challenge for increasing corruption and bringing more burden on the economy. Unfortunately, foreign funding is not good for Pakistan. To ensure safety, security, and sustainability, CPEC projects should follow environmental regulations. This study provides a new list of CPEC initiative priority tasks that more openly disrupt the initiative, serve the whole project, and give appropriate recommendations for future research and policy-making.

Comparative High-Throughput Sequencing Analysis of the Bacterial Community Associated with the Rhizosphere of Date Palm (Phoenix dactyllifera L.) Irrigated with Treated Wastewater and Groundwater

Water scarcity is a major agricultural issue in most arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Alternative water supplies, such as the reuse of wastewater for agricultural irrigation, have been introduced. However, little is known about their impact on the soil and rhizosphere microbiomes that receive irrigation. Therefore, this work evaluates the impact of treated wastewater (TWW) irrigation on the soil and rhizosphere bacterial communities of date palms in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia. In this study, metagenomic DNA from the rhizosphere of the date palm was sequenced using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. According to the observed OTUs, Chao1 richness estimations, and Shannon diversity values, soils from groundwater-irrigated date palms showed higher microbial diversity than did soils from TWW-irrigated date palms. A total of 569 OTUs were generated; most of them (97.3%) were assigned into 15 different phyla, whereas 2.7% were marked as unclassified. DNA sequence analysis of the WWT-irrigated rhizosphere showed that the most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (43.6%), Bacteroidetes (17.3%), Proteobacteria (15.2%), and Actinobacteria (14.6%), representing more than 90.7% of the total community, while the soil of the rhizosphere irrigated with GW was dominated by Actinobacteria (44.1%), Proteobacteria (23.4%), Firmicutes (15.5%), and Gemmatimonadetes (4.9%). The most frequently observed species in the two soils were also different. The dominant species in TWW-irrigated soil was Planococcus plakortidis, which is prevalent in saline and moderately saline habitats and can play an important ecological role. The GW-irrigated rhizosphere exhibited higher levels of biocontrol bacteria, particularly Nocardioides mesophilus. These results provide a comprehensive understanding and insights into the population dynamics and microbiome of date palm rhizosphere. The findings show that the irrigation water quality has a significant impact on the microbiome composition. Identifying the microbial diversity is the first step toward determining the best way to use TWW in irrigation.

Disembedding and re-embedding practices of social innovation at the nexus of migration and labour exploitation in agriculture

The last two decades have witnessed a growing academic debate on labour exploitation, caporalato, organised crime, and migration issues in agriculture, which, as wicked problems, are deeply interconnected and resist generalisable solutions. To contribute to this thriving debate from a social innovation lens, we investigate the organising practices meant to disrupt the organised status-quo of exploitation. Drawing upon a case study from Foggia in Puglia (southern Italy), we investigate how an Italian non-profit organisation developed and implemented a multi-stakeholder pilot project of economic integration in rural areas to confront the phenomenon of labour exploitation in agriculture. Through collaboration among authorities, civil societies, and private sectors, this pilot project managed to unlock underused resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable individuals embedded in the local ecosystem. By developing a grounded theory on practices of disembedding and embedding, this study contributes to theories on social innovation as political actions and interactions that purposely trigger disruption in established systems of labour exploitation, organised crime, and migration.

The impact of social capital on rural residents ' income and its mechanism analysis —Based on the intermediary effect test of non-agricultural employment

Agricultural, rural, and farmer-related issues are of pivotal importance, significantly influencing the evolution of our party, nation, and state. Central to these multifaceted issues, the farmer's plight is three-fold: low earnings, the hardship of income augmentation, and a pronounced socioeconomic divide between rural and urban areas. The crux of resolving these agricultural, rural, and farmer-related issues lies in elevating the income levels of farmers. Utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2018, this study probes the influence of social capital on the earnings of rural dwellers and delves into the intermediary role of non-agricultural employment. The findings indicate a substantial and positive correlation between social capital and rural income. The conclusions remain robust even after applying instrumental variable methods to counteract endogeneity. Mediation analysis reveals that social capital significantly boosts opportunities for non-agricultural employment, which, in turn, enhances the income of rural residents. Therefore, the roles of social capital and non-agricultural employment in income augmentation warrant careful consideration.

Unveiling the salinity tolerance potential of Armenian Dandur (Portulaca oleracea L.) genotypes: Enhancing sustainable agriculture and food security

This study examines the adaptation of an undocumented halophyte, Dandur, to salt stress in different soil mediums. The Dandur plant physiological, morphological, and biochemical analyses show that it can withstand salinity stress. Dandur plants grown in clay and clay loam soil experienced significant decreases in height and stem diameter under extreme salinity conditions compared to non-saline soil. The fresh weight of root and shoot decreased by 70.4% and 84.8%, respectively, and dry weight by 48.5% and 79.7%. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining saline soil conditions for plant growth. Dandur unique ability to avoid dehydration and maintain growth traits, particularly in clay soil, holds promise for further exploration in agricultural research and food security-related issues caused by climate change in saline areas of Armenia and other European countries.

Sustainable Agriculture and Its Impact on the Rural Development in EU Countries: A Multivariate Analysis

The aim of this study was to highlight the interrelationship between the environmental, social, and economic pillars of agricultural sustainability and their impact on rural development in EU countries. By considering the cumulative influence of 15 social, economic, and environmental indicators, the study clustered the EU countries into five homogeneous groups using principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The research findings confirm that there is a significant trade-off between the three dimensions of sustainability, particularly between the environmental dimension, on the one hand, and the socio–economic dimension, on the other. Thus, the main real challenges identified for the countries included in cluster 5 (Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Hungary) are related to the socio–economic pillar of sustainability. Moreover, for four EU countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Ireland), included in two different clusters, achieving environmental goals such as reducing agricultural emissions (SDG 2.60) and increasing area under organic farming (SDG 2.40) represents a significant issue in sustainable agriculture. The results highlighted specific challenges to sustainability in agriculture for EU countries that can hinder its effects on rural development. Therefore, tailored measures should be designed to efficiently address these specific issues.

A multi-tier methodology for the estimation of individual-specific parameters of DEB models

Intraspecific variability plays a key role in modeling population dynamics and ecological interactions. It is also a fundamental issue for agriculture, livestock production, and aquaculture. Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory is a metabolic theory that can provide insights for these applications, as it can accurately predict the response of an organism to changes in environmental conditions. However, DEB model parameters are typically estimated for the species using mean trait values, neglecting individual differences. With advancing data collection technologies, there is a growing need to leverage individual data to calibrate DEB models. In this paper, we propose a multi-tier methodology for estimating individual-specific DEB parameters based on techniques and principles of the standard DEB estimation procedure. Individual data is often not sufficiently complete, therefore we compliment it available data on organisms of the same species. To avoid estimation bias, we employ a hierarchical tier structure. Data is categorized into tiers, depending on how general it is. In each tier, only a subset of the parameters is estimated depending on available data. The estimation proceeds in a top-down approach, starting with the most general tier and culminating in the individual tier. Values obtained in previously estimated tiers are used as pseudo-data to anchor the parameter estimation. In this way, we obtain biologically sensible individual parameter estimates in an efficient manner. As a case study, we apply our methodology to a dataset that contains weight and feed intake measurements for 52 individuals of the Mertolenga cattle breed from two performance trials. We conclude that variability in the surface-specific maximum assimilation rate and the digestion efficiency is needed to accurately model the individual data. Furthermore, the analysis of tier parameters and individual parameter distributions uncovers differences in the diets fed to the animals.

IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACTUAL ISSUES IN AGRICULTURE PROCESS: A DEMATEL- BASED MODEL

The agriculture sector contributes vastly to a nation’s economy, including Malaysia. Nevertheless, limited research has looked on the contractual issues in agriculture process. The purpose of this study was to explore the contractual issues in the agriculture process and determine the relationship between both variables. The respondents involved seven experts from the agriculture sector in Sabah, Malaysia and a survey questionnaire were used to gather the data. Subsequently, the DEMATEL method was used to create the causal and effect diagram between the contractual issues. The results showed that Delayed Delivery Issues (Issue A) is the most crucial contract issue in agriculture and must be addressed. Furthermore, the most crucial relationship existed between Crucial Contract Issues (Issue A) and Contract Duration (Issue E). These issues should be studied further to improve the agriculture sector.

Research on Sustainable Usage of Straw in China

Agricultural waste refers to the by-products or residue of agricultural activities, which mainly consists of roots, stems, and leaves, which are left over after processing crops or harvesting (Li et al., 2021). Straw is one of the main agricultural residues produced from cereals during the harvesting process. Cereal waste has led to significant agricultural waste issues, which presents great challenges in terms of sustainable development in China. This study focuses on the sustainable use of straw waste in China. Some researchers pointed out that the 3R approach is recognized as a successful model used to analyze the circular economy and sustainable social development. The sustainable barriers framework is regarded as a reasonable framework for analyzing the obstacles to sustainable behaviors in society. The combination framework will be used in conjunction with the 3R approach in this research to evaluate the issue and demonstrate the obstacles in China's agricultural industry more intuitively and effectively. This study will also analyze the reasons for the unsustainable use of straw in Chinese society from three perspectives: social, economic, and policy, and analyze how the sustainable use of straw in China can be achieved, including media communication, modification of production lines, and division of government function, according to the 3Rs and sustainable barrier framework.

Identifying Credit Accessibility Mechanisms for Conservation Agriculture Farmers in Cambodia

As the expected cost of conservation agriculture (CA) inputs becomes an issue for farmers, financial institutions (FIs) play an essential role in promoting CA, a set of agricultural management practices with multiple positive effects. This research aimed to determine influencing factors, to rank challenges, and identify mechanisms for farmers to access agricultural credit for adoption of CA management practices in Cambodia. It was administered by conducting a survey of 242 randomly selected households for face-to-face interviews and conducting key informant interviews from purposive samples of 28 participants in Battambang and Preah Vihear provinces. The results indicated that influencing factors, including the family, adult labor and total farm size, had a positive relationship with farmers’ accessibility to agricultural credit, whereas age was negative. However, education year, farm size for main crops, on-farm income and farm experience were not significantly associated. High interest rates were the significant first-order challenge ranked, followed by document process complication, limited agricultural credit information, limited collateral security and a few other challenges. Support and improved process mechanisms to enhance credit accessibility are required to engage with multiple stakeholders, including farmers, FIs, non-government organizations (NGOs) and government officers. There has been a reduction in agricultural credit interest rates and incentives for importing CA inputs by the government, while provision of information support for agribusiness plans by NGOs which have implemented development project activities were considered as the main support mechanism. An improved process mechanism at the farmers’ level needs to include access to credit with low interest rates and a straightforward documentation process, whereas the FI level requires a business plan for lending decisions. It is evident that high lending rates hinder access to agricultural credit and the improvement of support and improved process mechanisms are necessary to better promote CA practices among farmers in Cambodia.

Empirical Experience of the Prophet as a Source of Knowledge Hadith Perspective

Empiricism is a branch of Western epistemology that is based on experience and discourages reason. According to empiricism, the source of knowledge is experience or empirical. Reason is not a source of knowledge; instead, reason is tasked with processing knowledge gained from experience. The aim of this research is to find out hadiths about the life of the Prophet which can constitute epistemology as science. This research uses a descriptive method with a literature review. Thus, this research concludes that the application of Islamic epistemology based on the life of the Prophet is proven in the Muslim hadith no. index 2336 about the wrong story of the Prophet to date palm farmers. This hadith is a tribute to the Prophet because of his expertise and ability in the professional field. In other words, the Prophet's hadith shows that the only people who understand agricultural issues better are farmers. Judging from the asbab al-wurud hadith, the Prophet was born and raised on the barren Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, the Prophet only expressed his opinion without having experience in farming dates. From this experience of the Prophet's erroneous opinions, lessons can be made for farmers, as those who understand more about the world of Islamic boarding schools are the kyai and Islamic boarding school administrators.

Empirical Experience of the Prophet as a Source of Knowledge Hadith Perspective

Empiricism is a branch of Western epistemology that is based on experience and discourages reason. According to empiricism, the source of knowledge is experience or empirical. Reason is not a source of knowledge; instead, reason is tasked with processing knowledge gained from experience. The aim of this research is to find out hadiths about the life of the Prophet which can constitute epistemology as science. This research uses a descriptive method with a literature review. Thus, this research concludes that the application of Islamic epistemology based on the life of the Prophet is proven in the Muslim hadith no. index 2336 about the wrong story of the Prophet to date palm farmers. This hadith is a tribute to the Prophet because of his expertise and ability in the professional field. In other words, the Prophet's hadith shows that the only people who understand agricultural issues better are farmers. Judging from the asbab al-wurud hadith, the Prophet was born and raised on the barren Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, the Prophet only expressed his opinion without having experience in farming dates. From this experience of the Prophet's erroneous opinions, lessons can be made for farmers, as those who understand more about the world of Islamic boarding schools are the kyai and Islamic boarding school administrators.

미군정기 농사교도국(農事敎導局) 신설과 해체 과정

This study explores establishment and disbandment of The Agricultural Extension Service In USArmy Military Government in South Korea and reviews Political and social meaning. To do so, we analyzed the US Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) documents and memorandum of South Korean agricultural officials, including the U.S. military's response to agricultural issues, discussions on the establishment of the Agricultural Extension Service and activities. A comparative study was also conducted with the agricultural policies of the Syngman Rhee regime to identify the characteristics of the Agricultural Improvement Service and the Agricultural Extension Service that USArmy Military Government established. The results of this study are as follows. First, The process of creation of the Agricultural Extension Service was a manifestation of new values that countered coloniality. But We can also see the reaction of countering the tendency. Second, the newly created agricultural experiment organization achieved a qualitative strengthening of rural leaders along with a quantitative strengthening, including the expansion of rural leaders, which laid the foundation for the achievements of the Agricultural Extension Service. Third, the establishment of Syngman Rhee's regime brought about a major change in the perspective and operation of agricultural extension, which led to the atrophy and disappearance of the Agricultural Extension Service and the emergence of the legacy of colonial agriculture into the mainstream of Korean agricultural administration. The creation and activities of the Agricultural Extension Service were process of the spread of American values that emphasized procedural democracy. Not only that, The establishment of The Agricultural Extension Service was in line with the Cold War goals of the United States. It was therefore likely to be promoted by the USArmy Military Government’s rural stabilization policy. But this was qualitatively different from colonial agrarianism in that modern values based on democracy were spread to rural society.

The enduring nature of cranberry production in a changing climate: The interplay of extreme weather, knowledge networks, and adaptation

Anthropogenic climate change is causing critical issues in agriculture, including cranberry production; however, in a previous study the majority of Massachusetts cranberry growers were less likely to see global warming as a threat than the general US population, and more still reported to be little worried about such warming. This research aims to determine the influence of weather and professional information disseminated to cranberry growers on their climate change adaptation. The authors used a mixed-methods, interdisciplinary approach, including content analysis of around 300 issues of UMass Extension’s Cranberry Station monthly newsletter—a widely trusted source of information in the cranberry grower “network of knowledge”—along with historical weather data from 1974 to 2020, and interview and survey data. Despite infrequent usage of direct communication on climate change and adaptation, UMass Extension’s communication on weather challenges in general showed a small but significant increase when monthly temperature anomalies increased. Meanwhile, anomalous monthly precipitation was negatively associated with total chemical mentions (linked to chemical use behavior). Climate impacts such as increased weeds, water issues (e.g., heavy rainfall, water scarcity), and heat waves ruining harvests were important to growers, leading to the adoption of both conventional (e.g., increased strategic flooding, barge sanding due to lack of ice) and emerging (e.g., smart irrigation, solar panel installations for added income) adaptive strategies. Growers demonstrate climate and technological optimism, believing that other growers are hit worse by climate change than themselves and that cranberry plant resilience, better weather forecasting, and improved irrigation technology will allow them to handle future weather challenges. The prioritization of immediate needs over the more abstract, long-term challenge of climate change by growers and the supporting system underscores the imperative to explore the socio-environmental dynamics that shape their climate responses in cranberry production.

Exploring the Role of Debaryomyces hansenii as Biofertilizer in Iron-Deficient Environments to Enhance Plant Nutrition and Crop Production Sustainability.

The European "Green Deal" policies are shifting toward more sustainable and environmentally conscious agricultural practices, reducing the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. This implies exploring alternative strategies. One promising alternative to improve plant nutrition and reinforce plant defenses is the use of beneficial microorganisms in the rhizosphere, such as "Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and fungi". Despite the great abundance of iron (Fe) in the Earth's crust, its poor solubility in calcareous soil makes Fe deficiency a major agricultural issue worldwide. Among plant promoting microorganisms, the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii has been very recently incorporated, for its ability to induce morphological and physiological key responses to Fe deficiency in plants, under hydroponic culture conditions. The present work takes it a step further and explores the potential of D. hansenii to improve plant nutrition and stimulate growth in cucumber plants grown in calcareous soil, where ferric chlorosis is common. Additionally, the study examines D. hansenii's ability to induce systemic resistance (ISR) through a comparative relative expression study by qRT-PCR of ethylene (ET) biosynthesis (ACO1), or ET signaling (EIN2 and EIN3), and salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis (PAL)-related genes. The results mark a significant milestone since D. hansenii not only enhances nutrient uptake and stimulates plant growth and flower development but could also amplify induced systemic resistance (ISR). Although there is still much work ahead, these findings make D. hansenii a promising candidate to be used for sustainable and environmentally friendly integrated crop management.