Modern Agricultural Science Research Articles

Sejarah, Perkembangan dan Revolusi Pertanian Dalam Tamadun Islam serta Kaitannya Dengan Zaman Moden History, Development and Revolution of Agriculture in Islamic Civilization and Their Relevance to Modern Times

Islamic civilization witnessed an extraordinary agricultural revolution that played an important role in shaping the socio-economic landscape. The aim of this abstract is to provide an overview of this revolution, exploring the main drivers, impacts, and changes that occurred. This research was carried out using qualitative method. This method involves a library study which is a comprehensive literature review about the agricultural revolution in Islamic civilization and its connection with modern times. The agricultural revolution in Islamic civilization emerged during the Islamic Golden Age (8th to 14th centuries), characterized by advances in various fields of knowledge, including agriculture. One of the main factors behind this agricultural revolution was the development and spread of new cultivation systems. This system not only increases agricultural productivity but also facilitates the expansion of cultivated areas in arid and semi-arid areas. Islamic agricultural practices also produced Islamic scientists such as Ibn al-Awwam who studied plants, soil fertility, and agronomy, which led to the introduction of new plant varieties and better planting techniques. Their scientific discoveries and experiments laid the foundation for modern agricultural science. In addition, the connection of the agricultural revolution in Islamic civilization with modern agriculture lies in its sustainable and efficient techniques. Emphasis on irrigation management, crop conservation, and the use of technology in line with approaches such as precision agriculture, conservation agriculture, and sustainable farming methods. In conclusion, the agricultural revolution in Islamic civilization has a great connection with modern agriculture. By taking the lessons of the Islamic agricultural revolution, we can strive to improve management in cultivation, technological innovation, and increase production in our efforts to create a resilient and productive agricultural system for the future.

The Future of Biofertilizer use in Safe Agriculture

An essential part of a nation's economy is agriculture. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are widely used in intensive agriculture techniques nowadays to boost crop yield and satisfy the growing global population's nutritional needs. Yet, it has been discovered that increasing urbanization, reduced agricultural lands, sharp climate changes, and widespread use of agrochemicals in farming techniques lead to environmental disruptions and public health risks that compromise agricultural sustainability and food security. Agrochemical overuse is also causing agriculture soils to continuously lose their biological and chemical balance, quality, and physical attributes, as well as their biological health. The potential for plant-associated microorganisms to address these issues and play a critical role in plant growth is immense. With their abilities to promote plant growth, plant-associated bacteria hold great promise for resolving these issues and are essential for increasing agricultural production and biomass in both greenhouse and field settings. Improved nutrient availability (i.e., N, P, K, Zn, and S), phytohormone regulation, biocontrol of phytopathogens, and mitigation of biotic and abiotic stresses are some of the advantageous processes of improved plant growth. Microorganisms and plants interact to support sustainable agriculture, and these microbes may be essential ecological engineers that reduce the demand for chemical fertilizers. Among the steps involved in this process are the production of the inoculum, the inclusion of cell protectants such as glycerol, lactose, and starch, an acceptable carrier material, optimal packing, and the most efficient delivery modalities. Bio-fertilizers are some of the best agricultural tools available today. It's a gift from modern agricultural science. On agricultural land, biofertilizers are applied in lieu of traditional fertilizers. Conventional fertilizers contain green manure, compost, and household waste. These are less effective than chemical fertilizers. Farmers so often try to employ chemical fertilizers in the field to encourage crop development. But it's clear that chemical fertilizers are bad for the environment. They can disperse substances that cause cancer and are accountable for soil, air, and water pollution. Furthermore, they can eventually deplete the soil's fertility. Scientists have created biofertilizers in an attempt to reduce pollution and enhance everyone's health organically. The microorganisms in biofertilizer assist the host plants in maintaining physiologic balance, supporting proper development and growth, and obtaining an adequate quantity of nutrients. Living microorganisms are used to create biofertilizers. Only specific microorganisms that aid in the growth and reproduction of plants are used. There are many different kinds of microorganisms used in biofertilizers. being an essential component of farming organically. Since biofertilizer is a fundamental component of organic farming, it is crucial for preserving soil sustainability and fertility over the long term.

Effects of Controlled-release Blended Fertilizer on Crop Yield and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Wheat-maize Rotation System

The increasing use of nitrogen fertilizers exerts extreme pressure on the environment (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, GHGs) for winter wheat-summer maize rotation systems in the North China Plain. The application of controlled-release fertilizers is considered as an effective measure to improve crop yield and nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency. To explore the impact of one-time fertilization of controlled-release blended fertilizer on crop yield and GHGs of a wheat-maize rotation system, field experiments were carried out in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park from 2020 to 2022. Five treatments were established for both winter wheat and summer maize, including no nitrogen control (CK), farmers' conventional nitrogen application (FFP), optimized nitrogen application (OPT), CRU1 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 5:5 and 3:7, respectively), and CRU2 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 7:3 and 5:5, respectively). The differences in yield, nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency, fertilization economic benefits, and GHGs among different treatments were compared and analyzed. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased the single season and annual crop yields of the wheat-maize rotation system (P < 0.05). Compared with those of FFP, the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments increased the yields of summer maize by 0.4% to 5.6%, winter wheat by -5.4% to 4.1%, and annual yields by -1.1% to 3.9% (P > 0.05). N recovery efficiency (NRE), N agronomic efficiency (NAE), and N partial factor productivity (NPFP) were increased by -8.6%-43.4%, 2.05-6.24 kg·kg-1, and 4.24-10.13 kg·kg-1, respectively. Annual net income increased by 0.2% to 6.3%. Nitrogen application significantly increased the annual emissions of soil N2O and CO2 in the rotation system (P < 0.05) but had no effect on the annual emissions of CH4 (except for in the FFP treatment in the first year). The annual total N2O emissions under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments were significantly reduced by 23.4% to 30.2% compared to those under the FFP treatment (P < 0.05). Additionally, nitrogen application significantly increased the annual global warming potential (GWP) of the rotation system (P < 0.05), but the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions was reduced due to the increase in crop yields. Compared with that under FFP, the annual GWP under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments decreased by 9.6% to 11.5% (P < 0.05), and the annual GHGs decreased by 11.2% to 13.8% (P > 0.05). In summary, the one-time application of controlled-release blended fertilizer had a positive role in improving crop yield and economic benefits, reducing nitrogen fertilizer input and labor costs, and GHGs, which is an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote cleaner production of food crops in the North China Plain.

Effect of single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer on reactive nitrogen loss, carbon and nitrogen footprint during summer maize growth period

To elucidate the agronomic and environmental effects of single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer in summer maize, and optimize management measures of nitrogen fertilizer for grain production in North China Plain, we conducted a field experiment in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Shandong Province. There were four treatments: CK (no N fertilizer), FFP (farmer's fertilizing practice, 240 kg N·hm-2), OPT (optimized nitrogen application, 210 kg N·hm-2), and CRBF (controlled-release blended fertilizer with single basal application, 210 kg N·hm-2). We compared maize yield and reactive nitrogen loss, and quantitatively evaluated the carbon and nitrogen footprints by using life cycle assessment method. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased summer maize yield. Compared with FFP, OPT and CRBF increased summer corn yield by 0.7% and 2.9%, respectively, decreased the total amount of ammonia volatilization, N2O emission, and nitrate leaching by 13.0% and 72.7%, 13.3% and 37.5%, 20.5% and 23.5% respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the global warming potential (GWP) of summer maize production. Compared with FFP, GWP and greenhouse gas emission intensity of OPT decreased by 3.8% and 4.2%, while the reduction of CRBF were 8.7% and 12.0%, respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the carbon and nitrogen footprint of summer maize production. The production and transportation of nitrogen fertilizer and soil greenhouse gas emission were the main contributing factors of the carbon footprint, with contribution rates of 54%-60% and 24%-31%, respectively. Nitrate leaching was the main contributing factor of nitrogen footprint, with contribution rate of 57%-94%. Compared with FFP, the carbon and nitrogen footprints of OPT and CRBF were reduced by 11.0% and 16.5%, 19.6% and 28.4%, respectively. Considering the yield, reactive nitrogen loss and carbon and nitrogen footprint, we recommended the single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer as an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote grain clean production in the North China Plain.

Research on Scientific and Technological Support Issues for the Green Development of Modern Agricultural Industrial Parks

The construction of modern agricultural industrial parks is a basic demonstrative project to promote rural revitalization. Green development is the core requirement of high-quality development of industrial park. Currently, the development and application of existing science and technology in industrial parks cannot meet the requirements of all-round green development of the parks. To consolidate the technical support for green development of the park, we should strengthen the research and development of agricultural science and technology, improve the green standard system, and improve the supply of green technology in all aspects of production and operation; as well as innovate the mechanism and system, promote science and technology specialists and other technical talents to enter the park, and effectively train the park's farmers to enhance the quality of modern agricultural science and technology of the farmers, and so on.

Detection and Identification Methods and Control Techniques for Crop Seed Diseases

Seeds comprise an important way in which plant pathogens are introduced into new areas, and serve as carriers for their survival from one planting season to another. Seed health is a recognized factor in modern agricultural science, and affects ideal plant populations and good harvests. Seed disease is one of the most important biological constraints in seed production worldwide. Effective and rapid detection and identification methods for seed disease comprise an important step in crop management, and a measure to protect seeds from pathogens. The detection of seed diseases is usually divided into three categories: traditional detection, immunological detection, and bioinformatics-based detection. The detection methods used for different types of pathogens also vary. For the prevention and control of seed diseases, appropriate methods should also be adopted, such as physical methods, chemical methods, and biological methods. They can be used alone or in combination to achieve the purpose of disease prevention and control. Therefore, this article reviews some important crop seed diseases, their detection and identification methods, and control techniques, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive prevention and effective control of seed diseases.

Traditional farm tools observed from an ecological and health perspective

All walks of life actively promoted emerging technologies when modern agricultural science and technology from the West were introduced to China in the late Qing Dynasty. Despite agricultural machinery being highly popular during the more than 100 years since, traditional farm tools have not been completely replaced and have instead gradually become symbols representing traditional farming culture. From the perspective of ecology and health, this paper discusses the values, scientific notions and corresponding styles of production and life associated with traditional agricultural tools as well as the multicultural values regarding traditional agricultural culture in modern society in China.

Rethinking scientists’ ongoing participation in “feeding the world”

Agricultural science necessarily involves a commitment to some form of humanitarian and environmental ethics. For the past century, agricultural science has been based on a productivist ethic of maximizing agricultural production in pursuit or support of food security. Recognition of the ethical and political disposition of contemporary agricultural science can help scientists reorient their work to better address the urgent problems of the upcoming century: environmental degradation, climate change, and social inequality. A commitment to solving these problems is well within the scope of modern agricultural science. Supporting and furthering multidimensional food systems should replace productivism as an explicit goal of agricultural development and scientific innovation.

Construction Scheme of Precision Service Platform for Smart Farm

The precision service platform of smart farm is based on modern agricultural science, based on technologies such as Internet of Things, cloud computing and big data, and combined with the actual needs of agricultural production, providing agricultural production management and comprehensive services, and using mobile Internet and Internet of Things technology to build an intelligent agricultural production management system. The main purpose of the platform is to realize the informationization, standardization and precision of the whole process of agricultural production through digital and intelligent means, so as to improve the efficiency and quality of agricultural production, reduce costs and realize sustainable development.

DEPENDENCE OF THE YIELD OF WINTER WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) ON SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND VARIOUS TILLAGES IN THE ZONE OF LIGHT CHESTNUT SOILS OF THE VOLGA-DON INTERFLUVE AREA OF THE SOUTHERN FEDERAL DISTRICT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

DEPENDENCE OF THE YIELD OF WINTER WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) ON SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND VARIOUS TILLAGES IN THE ZONE OF LIGHT CHESTNUT SOILS OF THE VOLGA-DON INTERFLUVE AREA OF THE SOUTHERN FEDERAL DISTRICT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Do China’s National Agricultural Science and Technology Parks Promote County Economic Development? An Empirical Examination Based on Multi-Period DID Methods

China’s National Agricultural Science and Technology Parks (NASTPs) play a key role in improving the nation’s agro-industrial structure and regional economic development; notably, NASTPs can demonstrate innovations in modern agricultural science and technology and, relatedly, incubate emerging modern agri-industries. However, after more than 20 years of development, scholars have not yet to confirm whether NASTPs contribute to local economies. This study sought to explore the impact of NASTPs on county economic development, to identify the mechanisms behind this impact, and to verify these effects using a multi-period double difference method based on panel data from 1743 counties in China collected between 2000 and 2019. The study found that the NASTPs significantly improved county economic development. The policy effects were mainly evident in western regions and counties with higher levels of financial resources. No spatial spillover effects were observed. The NASTPs drove county economic growth through three main channels: agglomeration, institutional environment, and innovation effects. These findings provide insights useful for designing policies related to the high-quality construction of agricultural sci-tech parks, the high-quality growth of county economies, and a reduction in regional economic development gaps.

Role of CRISPR-Cas9 in agricultural science

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR), a potent gene-editing tool was found in 2012. CRISPR is a genetic engineering technique that enables genome editing in living creatures and is based on the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 antiviral defense mechanism. It is simpler, less expensive, and more accurate than previous gene editing techniques. It also has a wide range of valuable uses, including improving crops and treating genetic diseases. Plant science has benefited more from the CRISPR/Cas9 editing technique than medical science. CRISPR/Cas9 has been used in a range of crop-related research and development domains, including disease resistance, plant development, abiotic tolerance, morphological development, secondary metabolism, and fiber creation, as a well-developed cutting-edge biotechnology technique. This paper summarized the role of the CRISPR-CAS9 tool in modern agricultural science.

First report of alfalfa root rot caused by Trichothecium roseum in China.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is perennial leguminous forage, which is cultivated throughout the world due to its high yield, high quality, satisfactory palatability, and wide adaptability. With the increase of planting area in China, root diseases caused by Fusarium spp., Sclerotium rolfsii, Phytophthora spp. (Yang et al. 2022), and new pathogens have been found that reduce the yield and quality of alfalfa and cause economic losses (Li at al. 2019). In 2021, an alfalfa disease occurred under conditions of high temperature and high humidity at the Jiaozhou Experimental Base of Qingdao Agricultural University (Jiaozhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park, 36.33°N 120.40°E, Qingdao, Shandong, China), and about 2 ha of alfalfa were infected. The disease affected up to 35% of the plants and caused grass spots. Infected plants developed black-brown lesions with irregular shapes on roots with yellowing of the foliage; the leaves of the whole plant turned yellow. In the late stage of the disease, defoliation occurred and the plants stopped growing, wilted and died. Ten infected plants with typical symptom were collected for isolation and identification of pathogen. The infected roots were cut into 3-5 mm2 sections and then soaked in 75% ethanol for 30 s, followed by a 3-minute immersion in 2% sodium hypochlorite for surface sterilization. Next, the tissues were rinsed in sterile water five times and then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. After three subcultures and subsequent single spore isolation, one representative strain named as DC1 was isolated from the infected roots. Based on morphological observation, the colony of DC1 was flat, granular, and powdery in appearance. Four days after inoculation on PDA medium, the size of the colony were 2.1-2.6 cm. After 8 to 20 days, the colonies were initially white and gradually change a light pink to peach color. The conidia are two-celled (Hamid et al. 2014), elliptic to pear-shaped, colorless or translucent, smooth to slightly rough with thick walls. The size of conidia ranged from 11.3 to 23.5 μm long × 6.1 to 12.7 μm wide (n =30). For the identification, the rDNA--ITS gene of the fungus was amplified using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al.1990), and the EF1α gene was amplified using primers EF1-983F/EF1-2218R (Rehner and Buckley 2005). Then the PCR amplicons were cloned into the pCE2 TA/Blunt-Zero vector. The results of the rDNA-ITS (OM049197.1, 515 bp) and EF1α (OM069381.1, 926 bp) sequences were deposited in GenBank. DNA analysis showed that the two sequences were 100% similar to the rDNA-ITS sequence (MN882763.1) and EF1α sequence (DQ676610.1) of Trichothecium roseum, respectively. A pathogenicity test was done by placing one piece (0.5 cm in diameter) of fungal culture (PDA plug) 1cm below the crown of 40-day-old healthy alfalfa (cv. Zhongmu No.3) plants, 3 replicates and 20 plants in each replicate. PDA plug without the pathogen were used for control. All plants were cultivated in a growth chamber at 25±1°C with a light cycle of 15 h (90% relative humidity). After 18 days, the roots of inoculated plants had dark brown lesions and the leaves of their plants turn yellow, while those control plants had no symptoms. To fulfilling Koch's postulates, the same pathogen was re-isolated from necrotic root tissue of inoculated plants and confirmed by morphology and the rDNA-ITS and EF1-α sequences. Based on disease symptoms, morphological characteristics DNA sequences and pathogenicity, the pathogen of alfalfa disease in Jiaozhou Experimental Base of Qingdao Agricultural University was identified as T. roseum. To our knowledge, this is first report of T. roseum causing alfalfa root rot. The newly emerging disease may pose threat to alfalfa production of central and southern China in future.

Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Provides Insights into the Heterosis of Yield and Quality Traits in Two Hybrid Rice Varieties (Oryza sativa L.).

Heterosis is a common biological phenomenon that is useful for breeding superior lines. Using heterosis to increase the yield and quality of crops is one of the main achievements of modern agricultural science. In this study, we analysed the transcriptome and metabolome of two three-line hybrid rice varieties, Taiyou 871 (TY871), and Taiyou 398 (TY398) and the parental grain endosperm using RNA-seq (three biological repeats per variety) and untargeted metabolomic (six biological repeats per variety) methods. TY871 and TY398 showed specific heterosis in yield and quality. Transcriptome analysis of the hybrids revealed 638 to 4059 differentially expressed genes in the grain when compared to the parents. Metabolome analysis of the hybrids revealed 657 to 3714 differential grain metabolites when compared to the parents. The honeydew1 and grey60 module core genes Os04g0350700 and Os05g0154700 are involved in the regulation of awn development, grain size, and grain number, as well as the regulation of grain length and plant height, respectively. Rice grain length may be an important indicator for improving the quality of three-line hybrid rice. In addition, the rice quality-related metabolite NEG_M341T662 was highly connected to the module core genes Os06g0254300 and Os03g0168100. The functions of Os06g0254300 and Os03g0168100 are EF-hand calcium binding protein and late embroideries absolute protein repeat containing protein, respectively. These genes may play a role in the formation of rice quality. We constructed a gene and metabolite coexpression network, which provides a scientific basis for the utilization of heterosis in producing high-yield and high-quality hybrid rice.

PREDICTION OF SEED PURITY AND VARIETY IDENTIFICATION USING IMAGE MINING TECHNIQUES

Seed is a little embryonic plant that can be used to introduce plant infections to new areas while also allowing them to survive from one cropping season to the next. Seed health is a well-known component in modern agricultural science for achieving the required plant population and yield. Seed-borne fungus are a major biotic constraint in seed production around the world. The detection of seed-borne pathogens by seed health testing is a crucial step in the treatment of crop diseases. Speed and accuracy are critical requirements for longterm economic growth, competitiveness, and sustainability in agricultural output. Because human judgements in identifying objects and situations are variable, subjective, and delayed, seed prediction activities are costly and unreliable. Machine vision technology provides a nondestructive, cost-effective, quick, and accurate option for automated procedures. Seed variety, seed type (country seed or hybrid seed), seed health, and purity prediction were the four basic processes. We began the first procedure by aligning the seed bodies in the same direction using a seed orientation approach. Then, to detect atypical physical seed samples, a quality screening procedure was used. Their physical characteristics, such as shape, colour, and texture, were retrieved to serve as data representations for the prediction. This research introduces a new fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) model based on deep learning neural networks that predicts seed purity tests using data from biological investigations. The relevant data features from the seed test are extracted by FCM, which then effectively initialises the deep neural networks. The Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) technique for deep neural networks was discovered to improve seed purity test prediction. Four statistical machine learning algorithms (BP-ANN, Multivariate regression, and FCMLM deep learning). Furthermore, we demonstrated an improvement in the system''''s overall performance in terms of data quality, including seed orientation and quality screening. In independent numerical testing, the correlation coefficient between predicted values and true values acquired from experiments reached 0.9.

Soil-degradation zoning of Lviv Oblast


 
 
 
 We propose a scheme of soil-degradation zoning of Lviv Oblast, which comprehensively illuminates the problem of degradation and focuses on regional differences in the manifestation and complexity of dominant degradation processes. The highest taxonomic unit of soil-degradation zoning is the soil-degradation country, which in turn is divided into a soil-degradation zone, province, county and district. This classification is based on the landscape features of the study area, the dominant types and kinds of degradation processes. In accordance with the zoning of Lviv Oblast, we have identified the following soil degradation taxa: 2 countries, 3 zones, 5 provinces, 14 counties and 31 districts. The soil-degradation country of the East European Plain unites two soil-degradation zones: Polissia mixed forests and broad-leaved forest zones. The soil-degradation zone (Polissia mixed forests) is best characterized by the processes of deflation and physical degradations. The processes of water erosion and physical degradation of soils dominate within the soil degradation zone (broad-leaved forest zone). Those zones also manifest pyrogenic and chemical degradations. The Carpathian soil-degradation country within Lviv Oblast (the Ukrainian Carpathian zone) is characterized by the distribution of geo-ecological anomalies, mechanical and physical soil degradations. The complex lithological features and geomorphology of the territory in the context of uneven anthropogenic impact determine the intensity of manifestation of degradation. Disturbing the natural stability of the soil cover in the conditions of the mountainous terrain contributes to the activation of the manifestation of degradation processes of geo-ecological anomalies. The problem of soil degradation in Lviv Oblast in the conditions of long-term, intense, and often consumer-orientated agricultural use is considered one of the most urgent tasks of modern agricultural production, soil science, ecology, land management, and environmental protection in general. In addition to arable land, the soils of the Carpathians are degrading due to excessive and often predatory deforestation, recreation and pressure from tourists. As evidenced by numerous scientific publications and our own research, soils are subject to water and wind erosions, overconsolidation and loss of structure, dehumification, depletion, desiccation and aridisation, pyrogenic degradation, contamination by agrochemicals, domestic and industrial wastes, etc. The status of the soils and land resources of the study area is close to critical.
 
 
 

Research on the Education and Training System of Farmers' Professionalization from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization

China is a large agricultural country, so the issue of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" has always been regarded as a key issue. With the development of modern agricultural science and technology, the revitalization of rural construction has been pushed onto the historical stage. This paper studies the specific plan for the construction of farmers' Vocational education and training system from the perspective of rural revitalization. Through "macro design at the upper level, detailed path at the middle level and improvement measures at the lower level", a logical and hierarchical framework of farmers' vocational education and training system can be established. It provides a theoretical reference for solving the contradiction between supply and demand of farmers' vocational education, helping the development of modern agriculture and the revitalization of rural talents, and cultivating new vocational farmers.

Study on the Integration Development of Agricultural Science and Technology Parks and Leisure Tourism Based on SWOT Analysis

Agricultural tourism plays an important role in driving farmers to get rich, optimizing industrial structure, enhancing regional image and meeting tourists' tourism demand. At present, tourists who pay attention to life experience take agricultural tourism as an important choice for leisure and vacation. Taking Tai’an National Agricultural Science and Technology Park as an example, this paper adopts SWOT analysis method to systematically analyze the advantages, disadvantages and opportunities and challenges faced in the development of leisure agricultural tourism in modern agricultural parks. It also puts forward countermeasures and suggestions for the development of leisure agricultural tourism in agricultural science and technology parks, in order to provide reference for the sustainable development of modern agricultural science and technology parks.

Selective Learning: China, the CGIAR, and Global Agricultural Science in Flux

This article analyses the interaction between China and the CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) since the 1970s, exploring the formation of China’s modern agricultural science capability and its approach towards learning. While China was previously regarded and treated as a recipient of international scientific expertise, it is now a more equal partner and contributor, with capacity to provide funds, support exchange programmes for scientists, and collaborate in building laboratories and joint research programmes. Some of these now extend beyond the CGIAR system and are creating new platforms for scientific collaboration and knowledge production in the South. By offering an illustration of China’s ‘selective learning’ approach, emphasising self-reliance and pragmatism in its engagement with the CGIAR, this article feeds into broader debates on how China contributes to global development knowledge and learning.

Southern Blight on Medicago sativa Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in North China.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important perennial leguminous forages in many countries, known by its high feed value and yield potential. With the increasing demand for feed, alfalfa has been planted all over China. However, an increasingly serious alfalfa disease was observed and may restrict the development of the alfalfa industry in North China. In August 2019, an emerging alfalfa disease with symptoms resembling southern blight was observed in Jiaozhou experimental base (Jiaozhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park) of Qingdao Agricultural University (Qindao, Shandong province, China). The infected plants showed dark brown lesions on the stems and yellowing and wilting of the leaves. The pathogen produced white fluffy mycelia, and later sclerotia on stems and roots; the disease affected up to 25% of the plants and causes bare spots filled with weeds (Figure S1). Typical symptomatic tissues were brought back to the laboratory for pathogen isolation and identification. Fragments (3-5mm2) of root tissues were excised from lesions on the symptomatic roots and their surfaces were disinfested by sequential dipping in 70% ethanol for 30 s and in 2% NaClO for 3 min, then the fragments were rinsed in sterile water five times and cultured on potato dextrose (PDA) medium amended with streptomycin sulfate (0.1mg/mL). Cultures were incubated at 28°C in the dark and purified in PDA medium for three times. A representative strain (coded as CZL1) was isolated from the root rot of the diseased plant. After four days incubation on PDA, CZL1 formed white fluffy aerial mycelium 5.6-6 cm in diameter typical of S. rolfsii. After 15 to 20 days, abundant round sclerotia approximately1-3 mm in diameter were produced on the surface of the culture (Figure S2). The sclerotia were white at first and then gradually turned dark brown. To confirm the identity of the causal fungus, the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the fungus was amplified using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al.1990), and the elongation factor-1a gene (EF1a) was amplified using primers EF1-983F/EF1-2218R (Rehner and Buckley 2005). Then the PCR amplicons were cloned into the pCE2 TA/Blunt-Zero vector. The isolate was determined to contain two distinct sequence types for each gene. The results of ITS (MT812692, MT812693) and EF1a (MT846496 and MT846497) sequences were deposited in GenBank. DNA analysis revealed that the two ITS sequences were more than 99% identical to Athelia rolfsii (MN872304) in the NCBI GenBank database, and two EF1a sequences were 99% identical to the A. rolfsii EF1a sequence MN702789 and KP982854. To fulfill Koch's postulates, infected sorghum grain was placed near the roots of 15 40-day-old healthy alfalfa seedlings split into 3 pots with the same number of seedlings receiving a control treatment of sterilized sorghum grain. All plants were incubated in growth chamber at 24±1°C with 14-h-photoperiod (85% relative humidity). After 10-15 days, blight symptoms identical to those in the field were observed on inoculated plants, whereas those control plants were symptomless (Figure S2). S. rolfsii was successfully re-isolated from the inoculated plants and molecularly characterized as described above. Based on disease symptoms, fungal colonies, the ITS and EF1a sequence, and pathogenicity to the host, this fungus was identified as S. rolfsii (teleomorph Athelia rolfsii). To our knowledge, this is the first report of S. rolfsii as the causal agent of southern blight of alfalfa in North China, and it is also the first report of southern blight on alfalfa caused by S. rolfsii in China since 1996 observed in Guizhou province (Mo and Luo 1996).