Crop Production Losses Research Articles

Investigation on the Biology of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) on Chickpea under Laboratory Condition

The Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is a polyphagous pest that is found throughout the world. Due to its damaging nature, it causes quantitative as well as qualitative loss and finally overalleconomic loss in agricultural crop production. So, the present investigation was done by rearing of H. armigera on chickpeas under laboratory conditions. The study revealed that this pest has four distinct stages i.e., egg, larva, pupa, and adult for completing its life cycle. The total life cycle of males and females were completed in 49-50 days and 52.30-53.00 days, respectively. The wholelife period was divided asthe incubation period takes 4-5 days, larval stage was completed in 20.00-20.50 days by passing through six instars under laboratory conditions at a temperature of 27±10C with 70±5 % relative humidity in 12 hours of light. The last larval instar did not molt and it contracted into a grub-like pre-pupal stage which lasted for 2-3 days and a pupal period of 13-14 days. The adult period of male and female insects was completed in 8.50-9.00 and 12.00-12.50 days, respectively. The female moths had a pre-oviposition period of 3-4 days that included a sexual maturity period. The oviposition and post-oviposition periodsrecorded were 5-6 days and 2 days, respectively. A single female produced on average 992.50-1085 eggs throughout her entire life span. The average hatching percentage of eggs recorded on 63.00-67.50 percent.

Quantifying movement of the coffee berry borer at the interface between coffee plantations and adjacent land uses

IntroductionInsect pests cause important crop production losses worldwide. Their distribution and movement are affected by climate and land use change and agriculture intensification. Site colonization by insect pests is dependent on pest dispersal capability, the availability of resources, the presence of competitors or predators, the weather conditions and the characteristics of the surrounding landscape. Movement of pests between the plots might be considered in pest management strategies to counterbalance the traditional plot oriented strategies. In this study, our objective was to provide evidence of the movement of the coffee berry borer (CBB), the most important pest in coffee cultivation, from neighboring coffee plantations to adjacent land uses at different time periods of the coffee production cycle.MethodsFor 10 months we captured the CBB with funnel traps in 13 coffee plots that had an interface with forests, pastures, and abandoned coffee plantations in Costa Rica. At each interface, we established three transects with a minimum distance of 50 m between them, in the direction of the wind. Within each transect, we placed four traps 20 m apart. We fitted generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the relationship between CBB captures and the type of interface, the position of the trap, wind velocity, rainfall, temperature and relative humidity, and their interactions.ResultsOur findings suggest that CBB moves into adjacent land uses when the coffee resource in the plot is limited. This effect varies according to the interface and the position of the trap. We also found an interaction between the interface and the position of the trap with the wind and relative humidity.DiscussionOur findings suggest that movement of the CBB partly depends upon the adjacent land uses. The forest creates a barrier to CBB movement and may prevent the transport of the CBB considering the action of the wind speed. The pasture may facilitate movement of the CBB through the action of the wind speed and infest coffee plantations beyond its dispersal capacity. Our results support the importance of considering the landscape context when developing CBB management strategies.

Impact of Climate Change on Pest Biology, Behaviour and Their Distributions

Increased temperatures, rising CO2 levels, and changing precipitation patterns are influencing agricultural production. These changes can lead to the expansion of insect pests geographic distribution, increased survival during overwintering, more generations per year, altered synchrony with plants, changed interspecific interactions, higher risk of invasion by migratory pests, increased incidence of insect-transmitted plant diseases, and reduced effectiveness of biological control. There is a serious risk of economic losses in crop production. Human food security is challenged due to potential disruptions in agricultural systems. Climate change necessitates adaptive management strategies to address evolving pest dynamics. Future research should focus on developing modified integrated pest management tactics to cope with changing pest statuses. Monitoring climate and pest populations is crucial for understanding and predicting the impact of climate change on insect pests. This review examines the climate change effect on insect pest biology and behavior and explores the potential use of modern pest monitoring technologies, modeling prediction tools can aid in forecasting and planning for potential pest outbreaks. Integrated pest management (IPM) approaches should be adapted to incorporate the changing dynamics influenced by climate change. This may involve a combination of chemical, biological, cultural, and mechanical control methods.

Water and nitrogen footprint assessment of integrated agronomic practice management in a summer maize cropping system

The footprints of water and nitrogen (WF and NF) provide a comprehensive overview of the type and quantity of water consumption and reactive nitrogen (Nr) loss in crop production. In this study, a field experiment over two years (2019 and 2020) compared three integrated agronomic practice management (IAPM) systems: An improved management system (T2), a high-yield production system (T3), and an integrated soil–crop management system (ISCM) using a local smallholder farmer's practice system (T1) as control, to investigate the responses of WF, Nr losses, water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) to IAPM. The results showed that IAPM optimized water distribution and promoted water use by summer maize. The evapotranspiration over the whole maize growth period of IAPM increased, but yield increased more, leading to a significant increase in WUE. The WUE of the T2, T3, and ISCM treatments was significantly greater than in the T1 treatment, in 2019 and 2020 respectively, by 19.8–21.5, 31.8–40.6, and 34.4–44.6%. The lowest WF was found in the ISCM treatment, which was 31.0% lower than that of the T1 treatment. In addition, the ISCM treatment optimized soil total nitrogen (TN) distribution and significantly increased TN in the cultivated layer. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer was applied in treatment T3, producing the highest maize yield, and resulting in the highest Nr losses. In contrast, the ISCM treatment used a reduced nitrogen fertilizer rate, sacrificing grain yield partly, which reduced Nr losses and eventually led to a significant increase in nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen recovery. The Nr level in the ISCM treatment was 34.8% lower than in the T1 treatment while NUE was significantly higher than in the T1 treatment by 56.8–63.1% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Considering yield, WUE, NUE, WF, and NF together, ISCM should be used as a more sustainable and clean system for sustainable production of summer maize.

Study on biocontrol aspect of potential Alcaligenes faecalis against Fusarium sp.,Concept and Approach

The world is dealing with vivid pollutions which lead to the degradation of resources and human health. In soil, the yield of crops is enhanced by the rampant use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The fungicides are applied on a large scale on almost all crops to control fungal infection which is the primary cause of crop productivity loss globally. The chemical fungicides are nevertheless causing great harm to soil quality and human health as many fungal pathogens are resistant to these chemical fungicides and all applied in bulk. There is a huge need for the substitution of such fungicides by natural components. The work is just an attempt in this aspect only to glorify Alcaligenes faecalis as a natural substitute for chemical fungicides as its bio- remediating aspect is explored earlier. The least explored association of Alcaligenes faecalis with Fusarium sp. which could be a futuristic fungicide is represented. Fusarium sp. (mainly Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium incarnatum) are quite pathogenic causing great loss to various plants and crops across the globe. They are altogether responsible for wilt, leaf spot and root rot diseases. Alcaligenes faecalis as a potent biocontrol agent is introduced here as this bacterium has plant growth- promoting features too. So, Alcaligenes faecalis could become a natural, futuristic and biological fungicide and fertilizer. The large-scale bioinoculant production with its specific carrier molecules needs to be explored.

Benefits and trade-offs of replacing inorganic fertilizer by organic substrate in crop production: A global meta-analysis

Replacing inorganic fertilizer with organic substrate contributes to sustainable agricultural production capacity. However, the effects of organic substitution regimes (OSR) on global crop productivity, soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses and biofertility as function of environmental variables have not been systematically quantified. Here, we have conducted a meta-analysis of these effects using field data (211 papers with 852 observations) collected around the world. Results indicated that OSR increased crop productivity (3.04 %) and soil biofertility (soil qMBC, qMBN, microbial richness, Shannon and functionality by 11.4 %, 21.1 %, 10.2 %, 3.95 %, and 38.5 %, respectively), and reduced soil N losses (N2O emissions, NH3 volatilization and soil N leaching by 26.5 %, 26.1 %, and 33.8 %, respectively), but increased CO2 emissions (19.4 %), and paddy fields CH4 emissions (41.2 %). N rate was an important factor influencing crop productivity and soil biofertility response to OSR, and crop productivity and soil biofertility had a greater positive response at moderate substitution rates in acid soil and long-term trials, but full substitution significantly decreased crop yield. Furthermore, the increase in soil biofertility and crop yield saturated in ~10–14 and ~ 22 years after organic substrate input. The emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O significantly increased with increasing substitution rates, while the opposite was true for N leaching. The NH3 volatilization response to OSR presented a positive effect in acidic and coarse texture soil. OSR was more beneficial in mitigating soil C and N loss response (except CO2 emissions) in uplands compared to paddy fields. Therefore, implementation of OSR requires site-specific strategies to better achieve a balance between increasing crop production and reducing environmental benefits. Given that the OSR improvement varies depending on environmental variables, we propose a predictive model to initially assess the potential for OSR improvement. This study will provide scientific guidance on the reasonable application of organic substrate in agroecosystems.

Climate change vulnerability of tribe managing Piper agroforestry systems in the Indian sub-Himalayan region

CONTEXTThe agrarian society of the Himalayan landscape is experiencing the continuous growing ill impact of climate change. The impacts are compounding due to shifting agriculture, which has jeopardized the ecological balance mainly by reducing the cultivation fallow cycles. Pnar, a hill tribe of the Assam state, Indian sub-Himalayan region, has transitioned shifting agriculture to Piper agroforestry (Piper betle L.), providing them numerous tangible and non-tangible benefits. Over the past three decades, there has been a notable transition from shifting agriculture to Piper agroforestry, driven by the rising demand in the market. OBJECTIVEUnderstanding climate change impact on agroforestry is crucial to addressing the climate crisis and to provision the adaptation of the tribe for the successful promotion of Piper agroforestry. METHODSTo assess the cause and nature of vulnerability in the study region, we surveyed 171 randomly selected households across 15 randomly selected tribe villages using the household-level questionnaire. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe present study showed that the villages with lower land holdings, higher loss of crop productivity due to extreme events, disease infestation and lower livelihood diversification were more vulnerable to climate change. The prominent diseases “leaf spot” and “root rot” were identified as a serious concern among the Piper farmers responsible for a decline in crop yield; the severity of losses in productivity leads to economic instability among households. Villages with prominent farm management strategies and greater decision-making abilities contributed explicitly to lower vulnerability. In contrast, villages with lower adaptive strategies were found specifically due to poor social networking and inadequate household infrastructure besides poor literacy levels. Additionally, the lack of multi-cropping farming and livestock management was a major cause of high climate sensitivity. Therefore, appropriate state government support is required to invest in crop diversification, better decision-making capability of tribes through education, and improved infrastructure besides diversifying the rural economy to enhance the adaptive capacity of the farmers to reduce their climate vulnerability and achieve agriculture-livestock-forestry nexus. SIGNIFICANCEThe sustainable Piper agroforestry farm management practices represent climate-smart agriculture, favouring high tree species diversity while reducing the farmers' vulnerability to climate change.

Neural network based on convolution and self-attention fusion mechanism for plant leaves disease recognition

In agriculture, early and timely detection and identification of plant disease categories can help growers take timely countermeasures. The use of deep learning techniques for plant disease category detection prevents further spread of the disease and helps to prevent crop production losses. In this paper, Based on the Next-Vit neural network model, we proposed a lightweight neural network CAST-Net based on the combination of convolution and self-attention, and we adopted self-distillation based on this model to achieve increased accuracy in classifying plant leaf diseases while reducing the number of model parameters and flops. Our model and method achieved 98.4% accuracy on the tomato subset of the data-enhanced PlantVillage dataset, a 4.9% improvement over the Next-Vit model, and 99.0% accuracy on the full PlantVillage set, a 6.9% improvement over the Next-Vit model. We also propose a new dynamic learning rate function that is applied to the training phase to prevent the loss from reaching the optimal value. The results show that our model and method have higher accuracy, fewer parameters, shorter training time and lower computational complexity than existing models.

County-scale dataset indicating the effects of disasters on crops in Taiwan from 2003 to 2022

A lack of crop disaster datasets has limited the exploration of the influence of small-scale disasters on crops. Because disasters are often defined on the basis of human impact, disaster databases may underestimate the effect of disasters on crop production. Additionally, the resolution of such databases is insufficient for evaluating the effects of disasters on small areas. In this study, crop disaster and daily weather datasets covering the period from 2003 to 2022 in Taiwan were developed. Total 9,245 damage records from 233 observations of crop disasters were mined from the Report on Crop Production Loss Caused by Disasters of Taiwan. Daily weather data were collected from weather stations. Entire crop disaster information including multiple disasters, crops, and affected regions was stored in crop disaster dataset. All datasets were cleaned up and refined to enhance their quality, and characteristics such as disaster and crop classification were added to enhance the applicability of these datasets. These datasets can be used to determine the relationship between disaster type and crop production losses.

Estimation of agricultural productivity loss due to soil loss in Buayan-Malungon River Basin, Philippines: A foundation for watershed protection and agricultural development

The Buayan-Malungon River Basin (BMRB) is currently experiencing intolerable soil loss due to improper agricultural practices, and unsustainable land uses. This problem disrupts important ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting. This article provides an estimate of the agricultural crop productivity losses due to soil loss. The study estimates productivity losses through regression analysis by using nitrogen (N) fertilizer as a proxy for soil quality. The result revealed that N-fertilizer had a significant effect on corn yield. The predicted soil loss in BMRB in 2020 reached 41,308 tons/ha. Hence, the total soil loss cost in the river basin reached PhP 218,023,624 in 2020. This cost can be minimized if farmers practice a contour farming system as it helps to improve soil quality and control soil loss, which leads to sustainable farming and environmental sustainability.

Global meta-analysis and three-year field experiment shows that deep placement of fertilizer can enhance crop productivity and decrease gaseous nitrogen losses

Context or problemThere is an urgent need to address the contradiction between food security and climate change, and achieve the highest crop productivity at the lowest environmental cost. Scientific fertilization is the key to solving this problem. Objective or research questionDeep placement of fertilizer (DPF) is an effective fertilization strategy for improving crop productivity and reducing gaseous N losses, but its effectiveness varies among agricultural systems and appropriate fertilization depths have not yet been determined. MethodsIn this study, we synthesized 99 global studies (120 locations) and conducted a three-year field experiment to evaluate the effects of DPF on the crop yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3) emissions, and explored their responses to different climates, field management practices, and environmental factors. ResultsDPF could increase the grain yield by 13.5%, and NUE by 33.8%, and reduce N2O emission by 16.2%, and NH3 emissions by 86.6%, respectively. Random forest analysis showed that the fertilization depth and nitrogen application rate were the most important factors that determined the impacts of DPF on the crop yield, NUE, and N2O and NH3 emissions, but their effects also depended on the climate conditions, field management practices, and soil environmental factors. Meta-regression modeling showed that the effects of DPF on the crop yield and NUE increased but then decreased as the fertilizer application depth and nitrogen application rate increased, and the effects on N2O and NH3 emissions tended to increase gradually. The meta-analysis also demonstrated that under DPF, the emission factors for N2O and NH3 decreased by 35.8% and 84.5%, respectively. According to the meta-analysis, the global N2O and NH3 emissions under DPF can be reduced by 0.23 and 5.46 Tg N·year–1 respectively. ConclusionsThe results obtained based on global meta-analysis and a three-year experiment demonstrated that DPF obtained higher grain production with lower environmental costs, and the most suitable fertilization depth was identified as 15–25 cm. Implications or significanceThe results obtained in this study provide valuable insights into food security and environmental costs under effective fertilization management.

A comprehensive assessment of yield loss in rice due to surface ozone pollution in India during 2005–2020: A great concern for food security

CONTEXTAbout 60% of the world population relies primarily on rice as their staple food, and India ranks second in terms of global rice production. Studies have shown the adverse impact of surface ozone pollution on agriculture, particularly the yield loss (YL) of major staple crops. OBJECTIVE(i) To assess the bias associated with ozone data used for YL estimation, (ii) to find the uncertainties in ozone exposure/crop-response methods applied for computing YL and (iii) to analyse the spatio-temporal variability of YL in rice due to surface ozone in India for the period 2005–2020 to assess food security of the country. METHODSWe use the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer chemical reanalysis (TCR-2) surface ozone data and the ozone exposure/crop-response functions to compute YL in rice. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSBy using the AOT40 crop-response method, we find a crop production loss (CPL) of about 7.39 million tonnes (Mt) of rice in 2005, which increased to 11.46 Mt. in 2020. The estimated average CPL for the study period is sufficient to feed about 233 million people per year. It also has incurred an economic loss of about $2.92 billion in 2020. SIGNIFICANCEAtmospheric pollution must be reduced to protect crop health and ensure food security, as evidenced by the two-fold rise of YL in rice due to ozone pollution during the past decade in India. This is also applicable to all agrarian economies of the world with high atmospheric pollution; reiterating the global significance of this study.

Study of Allelopathic Effects of Argemone mexicana L. Root Extract on Seed Germination and Growth of Triticum aestivum L. under in vitro Condition

The present study was conducted in Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Nagpur, to investigate the allelopathic effects of Mexican poppy (Argemone mexicana L.) on wheat. Wheat is the most important edible cereal crop. Wheat can grow in a wide variety of soils and temperatures, but thrives in humid regions with 30-90 cm of precipitation. Argemone mexicana L. is a rapidly expanding weed and an important competitor of wheat (in terms of allelochemicals). Weed is one of major cause of crop production loss. The entire plants of Argemone mexicana L. were harvested, rinse with tap water to remove soil debris, roots are dried in shade which kept at 25 degrees celcius (±2) for 72 hours. To demonstrate the germination of seeds of two locally grown wheat varieties (Sharabati and Lokwan), five concentrations of different ratios of root aqueous extract were obtained. A bioassay of a petri dish was carried out to assess the allelopathic potential of Argemone mexicana L. on the germination of Triticum aestivum L. seeds. The water based root extracts of weeds were used for treatment. The differential inhibitory effect of Argemone mexicana L. on Sharbati and Lokwan variety of wheat was observed.

Molecular Techniques for Root-Knot Nematode Identification.

Among plant-parasitic nematodes, root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp., are the most important parasite infecting economically important crops globally and causing severe losses in crop production. The use of efficient nematode control methods against these parasites depends upon their correct detection in roots and soil samples. Currently, the use of integrated identification methods, including biochemical, molecular, and morphological-based characters, is preferred. But the techniques using morphology and phylogenetic analysis are time-consuming and not suitable for routine analysis. They have only been used for studies of cryptic species, which were identified using integrative taxonomy. Here we describe the enzymatic and molecular-based methods that have successfully been used in Brazil for more than 25years in the Nematology Lab at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology for routine analysis. This technique is a combination of isozyme esterase profiling and molecular markers, with the aim of having a rapid and correct diagnosis of Meloidogyne spp. populations from field and greenhouse.

ОЦЕНКА ПОСЛЕДСТВИЙ ЭКОЛОГО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ РИСКОВ В АГРАРНОМ ПРИРОДОПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ

The article updates the scientific development of economic tools for assessing possible environmental and economic risks in the Baikal region. Environmental risks in agricultural production are considered, production losses are calculated using the example of the southern territories. An economic assessment of the consequences of hydrological risks is shown using the example of flooding of agricultural land in the Kabansky district. The features of institutional regulation of environmental protection, as well as regulatory factors of economic activity for agricultural environmental management are presented. The technical and technological costs that cause an increase in production costs in crop and livestock production, lost profits and direct product losses are analyzed.

Climate-adaptive strategies for enhancing agricultural resilience in southeastern coastal Bangladesh: Insights from farmers and stakeholders.

Climate change impacts crop production worldwide, and coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to its adverse effects. Given the projected rise in temperature and shifting precipitation patterns, it is crucial to examine the current challenges faced by farmers in coastal Bangladesh. Using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), we assessed the perceptions and experiences of farmers and stakeholders regarding the existing agricultural practices, the challenges they face in crop cultivation, and the adoption of climate-adaptive practices in 2 sub-districts in the southeastern coastal region of Bangladesh. Moreover, using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Terrestrial Water Storage Index (STI), we assessed the frequency and intensity of different climatic conditions in these two sub-districts. Results show that 100% of the respondents reported an increase in dry climatic conditions, the occurrence of untimely precipitation, and a decline in irrigation water during the cropping season. All the respondents in the FGDs expressed a loss of crop production because of these climate-induced disturbances. Despite these challenges, farmers have been implementing several climate-adaptive practices. Among the 9 mentioned climate-adaptive practices, 50% of FGD respondents utilize organic fertilizers, 42% cultivate heat- and drought-resilient crop varieties, use improved irrigation and harvest rainwater, and 25% cultivate integrated crops. The results of quantitative analysis of 3- and 6-month SPEI and STI values show that this region experienced frequent and intense dry climatic conditions during the growing-season, which supports the farmers' and stakeholders' concern about the increasing occurrence of droughts during crop growing periods. The results suggest that despite adopting climate-resilient practices under increasing growing-season droughts, farmers require support from the government and NGOs in capacity-building training and input support (e.g., stress-resilient seeds). This study holds practical implications for government, NGOs, and policymakers for ensuring sustainable agricultural productivity in the coastal region of Bangladesh.

Mitigation and risk management of climate change in crop cultivation through the adoption of Agromet Advisory Bulletin (AAB) in NICRA adopted villages in Punjab

Crop production is a direct output of manageable (agronomic) and unmanageable (weather) inputs. A farmer can cut down losses in crop production due to aberrant weather conditions by following weather forecast. India Meteorological Department is providing weather forecast on eight weather parameters at district and block level. Under All India Coordinated Research Project on Agrometeorology-National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture, an Agromet Advisory Bulletin (AAB) is prepared by using this forecast for coming five days and disseminated to farmers. To evaluate the impact of AAB in three selected villages Badoshe Kalan and Bauranga Zer (district Fatehgarh Sahib) and Rampur Fasse (district Rupnagar) a survey from 110 farmers was conducted. Amongst the 110 farmer, 70 were marginal/small farmers (landholding <2.0ha) and 40 were medium farmers (landholding 2-10ha) who adopted the information given in AAB in crop cultivation. The analysis revealed that by following AAB in rice and wheat crops 65-93% farmers benefitted by managing biotic stresses, 65-85% farmers by irrigation management, 75-78% farmers by adjusting sowing and 62-65% farmers by nutrient management. The farmers who scheduled irrigations to their crop by adopting AAB in rice-wheat cropping system reduced ~34.2 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions by preventing wasteful burning of diesel. The adopters of AAB in rice and wheat crop were able to harness an average yield increase of 2.25-3.75q/ha and 1.75-4.50 q/ha, respectively and save nearly Rs 4100 to 7000/ha and Rs 3200-9200/ha, respectively with lesser expenditure. Hence, AAB can help boost crop productivity as well as help reduce carbon footprints and make agriculture an eco-friendly and profitable venture.

Global production patterns: Understanding the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture greening and climate variability

Climate change due to increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the atmosphere has been consistently observed since the mid-20th century. The profound influence of global climate change on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, encompassing carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), has established a vital feedback loop that contributes to further climate change. This intricate relationship necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the underlying feedback mechanisms. By examining the interactions between global climate change, soil, and GHG emissions, we can elucidate the complexities of CO2, CH4, and N2O dynamics and their implications. In this study, we evaluate the global climate change relationship with GHG globally in 246 countries. We find a robust positive association between climate and GHG emissions. By 2100, GHG emissions will increase in all G7 countries and China while decreasing in the United Kingdom based on current economic growth policies, resulting in a net global increase, suggesting that climate-driven increase in GHG and climate variations impact crop production loss due to soil impacts and not provide climate adaptation. The study highlights the diverse strategies employed by G7 countries in reducing GHG emissions, with France leveraging nuclear power, Germany focusing on renewables, and Italy targeting its industrial and transportation sectors. The UK and Japan are making significant progress in emission reduction through renewable energy, while the US and Canada face challenges due to their industrial activities and reliance on fossil fuels.

Diversity of halotolerant endophytes from wheat (Triticum aestivum) and their response to mitigate salt stress in plants

Soil salinity is one of the major limiting factors that decline crop production. About 20% of irrigated land soil is presently affected by high salinity worldwide reducing the crop yield by 20–50%. Endophytes play an important role in coping with the salinity stress in plants. In present study, 224 bacterial endophytes exhibiting discrete salt tolerance ranging from 0.5 M to 4.0 M were isolated from the shoot and root of wheat. Endophytic isolates showed varying salt tolerance potential and only a few (7.14%) possess the capability to tolerate high salt concentration (≥3.0 M NaCl). The 16S rRNA gene sequence exhibited 65 discrete OTUs recovered from the root (53.85%) and shoot tissue (46.15%) of the wheat plant. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed the majority of phylum were Firmicutes (81.54%), Proteobacteria (13.85%), and Actinobacteria (4.62%) and dominated by Bacillus (63.08%), Priestia (13.85%), Pseudomonas (10.77%), Exiguobacterium and Curtobacterium (3.08% each). Moreover, this study is the first report for the abundance of certain bacterial species as endophytes from wheat cultivated under saline-affected regions like Bacillus australimaris, B. vallismortis, B. haynesii, Rossellomorea marisflavi, Exiguobacterium undae, Curtobacterium pusillum. The selected endophytes significantly reduced the detrimental influence of salt stress and enhanced various growth parameters like root length, shoot length, fresh weight, and dry weight of salt susceptible wheat variety ‘HD 2733’ as compared to the control. The present study might be beneficial to restore soil fertility and reduce the loss of crop productivity under saline stress conditions.

The effect of climate change on crop yield anomaly in Europe

AbstractEvery human needs sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to live an active and healthy life. Climate change, especially more frequent extreme climate events, increasingly affects crop yields. Unpredictable losses in crop production pose a high risk to our food systems, thus threatening agricultural producers and consumers worldwide. This study analyzes the effect of climate change on wheat, maize, and barley yield anomalies for the major producing countries in the EU. Applying the Random Forest machine learning model, climate indicators, comprising mean and extreme climate conditions, explain 18% of crop yield anomalies across crops and countries from 1961 to 2020. The predictive power of climate indicators is highest for maize with 24%, followed by barley with 22% and wheat with 3%. However, mean climate indicators are stronger associated with crop yield anomalies than extreme climate indicators. Temperature‐ and soil moisture–related indicators are more important than precipitation‐related indicators. The results reveal a nonlinear relationship between climate indicators and crop yields. Thresholds lead to a sharp decrease or increase in crop yields. Under SSP3‐7.0, rising temperatures tend to increase crop yield losses until 2100 without effective adaptation measures. The impact of changing soil moisture–related indicators depends on crop and country. Our study discusses adaptation strategies but also emphasizes the relevance of global mitigation efforts to reduce climate‐induced crop risk and to improve our food system's resilience.