Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Research Articles

POLYCULTIVATION AND AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IMPACT THE VEGETATIVE GROWTH OF VEGETABLES

This study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the performance of vegetable production in different agrobiodiverse cropping systems, comparing two successive agroforestry systems (SAFS) with a non-tree vegetables polyculture. The experiment was conducted in an experimental design in randomized blocks, with three treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of two SAFS with biological diversity: one SAFS with fruit trees (SAFS-F) and another with conilon coffee (SAFS-C), in addition to the non-tree vegetables polyculture (SC-H). The results showed that, on average, the agroforestry systems had a lower performance than the non-tree vegetables polyculture. However, the vegetables submitted to the non-tree polyculture and to the agroforestry system with fruit trees had a better vegetative growth, while the vegetables cultivated in agroforestry system with coffee did not show satisfactory results in the evaluated parameters. This study contributes to the development of sustainable agricultural production technologies, seeking solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture.

Advancements in technology and innovation for sustainable agriculture: Understanding and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils

In recent decades, Technology and Innovation (TI) have shown tremendous potential for improving agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. However, the adoption and implementation of TI in the agricultural sector and its impact on the environment remain limited. To gain deeper insights into the significance of TI in enhancing agricultural productivity while maintaining environmental balance, this study investigates 21 agriculture-dependent Asian countries. Two machine learning techniques, LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) and Elastic-Net, are employed to analyze the data, which is categorized into three regional groups: ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). The findings of this study highlight the heterogeneous nature of technology adoption and its environmental implications across the three country groups. ASEAN countries emerge as proactive adopters of relevant technologies, effectively enhancing agricultural production while simultaneously upholding environmental quality. Conversely, SAARC countries exhibit weaker technology adoption, leading to significant fluctuations in environmental quality, which in turn impact agricultural productivity. Notably, agricultural emissions of N2O (nitrous oxide) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) in SAARC countries show a positive association with agricultural production, while CH4 (methane) emissions have an adverse effect. In contrast, the study reveals a lack of evidence regarding technological adoption in agriculture among GCC countries. Surprisingly, higher agricultural productivity in these countries is correlated with increased N2O emissions. Moreover, the results indicate that deforestation and expansion of cropland contribute to increased agricultural production; however, this expansion is accompanied by higher emissions related to agricultural activities. This research represents a pioneering empirical analysis of the impact of TI and environmental emission gases on agricultural productivity in the three aforementioned country groups. It underscores the imperative of embracing relevant technologies to enhance agricultural output while concurrently ensuring environmental sustainability. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in formulating strategies to promote sustainable agriculture and technological advancement in the context of diverse regional dynamics.

Government-Funded Development of Innovative Physical Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production in Rural Germany through a University–Business Alliance Formation

Purpose: The alliance project “Physics for Food” aims to invent new physical technologies for sustainable agriculture and food production in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an agrarian region in northern Germany. This article may serve as an example of good practice for regional collaboration and funding acquisition between academia and the industry, especially SMEs, that may be replicated in other rural contexts. Approach: The project consortium consists of a triple-helix setting of scientists from university and research institutes as well as technology suppliers, seed producers, and farmers. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds the project in a special program called “WIR!” that addresses innovation and structural transformation of lagging regions in Germany. Findings: The program encourages development of regional innovation concepts and supports confederations that cross disciplinary, industrial, institutional, and administrative boundaries and thrive on civic involvement. Today already, there is huge potential and an increasing demand for the development and the supply of novel non-chemical alternatives in plant and storage protection in agriculture and food production. Originality: The project aims to lay the foundation for startup companies based in the region to act as innovative technology providers and to create jobs in the region while making the new technologies available nationally and internationally. The application of physical methods will decrease costs, conserve resources, and eventually contribute to protecting the environment.

Analysis of the determinants of sustainable agricultural technologies adoption in tea production in China: a systematic review

ABSTRACTAgriculture in China is undergoing a swift transformation to modify labour relocation. This change is spearheaded by commercial farms and other Chinese government interventions thereby promoting agricultural production and rural growth. The input-dependent industrial model of agriculture is also considered in conflict with attaining a safe and healthy environment for its inhabitants. The current approaches initiated in the tea sector have witnessed several enriched sustainable agricultural technologies (SATs). The SATs seek to increase yield while ensuring agricultural sustainability via ecological strategies. However, reports have shown farmers have low desire resulting in a lower acceptance rate of SATs among Chinese farmers. We provide a systematic review with a focus on the key determinants of SATs adoption rate in tea production in China from 2000 to 2022. The results revealed the significance and suitability of different approaches in establishing farmers’ adoption behaviour. The specificity of farmers’ SAT adoption behaviour is essentially not compromised by any codified variables but the interrelationship among the determinants, including socio-demographic, agroecological and environmental, technological, institutional, and social networks, and informational, and farmer behavioural factors. We recommend that the government increase awareness of SATs to promote public demand for agricultural sustainability, particularly in developing countries.

Hydroponics: A Review on Revolutionary Technology for Sustainable Agriculture

India's economy heavily relies on agriculture, with the majority of the population depending on it for sustenance and livelihood. However, the rapid development of regions has resulted in severe issues affecting soil quality and cultivation practices. Additionally, factors such as natural disasters, climate change, and excessive use of chemicals have further deteriorated soil fertility. The scarcity of usable water for agriculture exacerbates the problem, leading to reduced food production and widespread hunger and malnutrition. Consequently, there is a critical need to embrace agricultural technologies that can conserve water, enhance food production, and ensure its availability. “Hydroponics” is one such methodology that can be adapted to counter all these problems. Hydroponic cultivation generally yields higher-quality produce with superior taste and nutritional value compared to traditional soil-based farming methods. Hydroponics offers numerous advantages compared to conventional soil-based crop cultivation. These benefits include shorter crop growing cycles, year-round production, reduced susceptibility to diseases and pests, and the elimination of labour-intensive intercultural tasks such as weeding, spraying, and watering. In the future, hydroponics has the potential to emerge as a prominent method for supplying food to the global population.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Agriculture: An Investigation to ICT Adoption for Sustainable Farming Practices in Banaskantha District of Gujarat, India

This article investigates the difficulties farmers encounter in adopting and utilising ICT technologies for sustainable agriculture, with a particular emphasis on bridging the digital divide. To assess the digital divide among farmers, the study examines access to technology, digital literacy levels, and internet connectivity. Affordability, awareness, and complexity are highlighted and analysed as barriers to ICT adoption. To address these barriers, customised ICT solutions, including user-friendly tools, are being developed. The influence of these solutions on long-term farming practises were assessed. The interpretations emphasise solutions such as cost reduction, subsidisation, improved power supply, information delivery in local languages, the establishment of service centres, and the provision of training programmes. Implementing these solutions can help to bridge the digital divide, improve information access, and promote sustainable agriculture. This article examines the challenges that farmers encounter when adopting and utilizing ICT (Information and Communication Technology) solutions for sustainable agriculture, with a particular focus on addressing the digital divide. The research investigates the accessibility of technology, levels of digital literacy, and internet connectivity to determine the extent of the digital divide among farmers. It identifies and examines affordability, awareness, and complexity as obstacles to ICT adoption. To overcome these barriers, customized ICT solutions are being developed, including user-friendly tools. The long-term impact of these remedies on farming practices is being studied. The findings highlight the importance of cost-cutting measures, subsidies, improved electricity supply, information dissemination in local languages, the establishment of service centres, and the provision of training programs. Implementing these solutions can help bridge the digital divide and enhance farming practices.

Isolation, identification and conservation of bacteria of biotechnological interest

Introduction. The evaluation of microbial biodiversity is an important step in the process of its conservation, and the identification of bacterial strains of biotechnological interest allows their application as support for the development of sustainable agriculture technologies.
 Material and methods. From the lakes of the "La Izvor" park, 213 types of bacteria, 148 of them pathogenic, were isolated. From the non-pathogenic ones, those of biotechnological interest were determined the enzymatic properties, antimicrobial activity and were identified by molecular biological methods after that preserved by the lyophilization method with the determination of viability before and after lyophilization.
 Results. The microbial biodiversity of the "La Izvor" lakes was studied, 213 types of bacterial colonies were isolated in pure culture, which of 148 proved to be enteropathogenic belonging to the genera Escherichia, Salmonella, Shigella, Enterobacter and Klebsiella as and other strains from the Enterobacteriaceae family. The purpose of the research consisted in the isolation and identification of non-pathogenic bacteria of biotechnological interest with different properties that could serve to elaborate and improve the development of sustainable agriculture technologies. Nineteen strains with enzymatic properties and high antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi, were selected for molecular identification, passported, submitted to the NCNM and preserved by the lyophilization method for determination valuable properties for a long time.
 Conclusions. In the lakes of "La Izvor" park there is a very large variety of microorganisms, especially bacteria, some of which are enteropathogenic bacteria that can cause diseases in the population. Selected non-pathogenic strains stored in the NCNM can be applied against phytopathogens that cause dangerous disease and damage in agriculture major crops. As a result of lyophilization, we found that all strains showed the osmotic and thermal shocks tolerance and have a viability over 75%.
 Key words: microbial biodiversity, isolation, identification, conservation.

PEMANFAATAN AQUAPONIK SEBAGAI TEKNOLOGI BUDIDAYA IKAN NILA DAN SAYURAN YANG MENDUKUNG PERTANIAN BERKELANJUTAN DI DESA KAYANGAN, KECAMATAN KAYANGAN, KABUPATEN LOMBOK UTARA

This introduction to aquaponic planting techniques aims to provide examples of the application of advanced and sustainable agricultural technology to the people in Kayangan village, Kayangan sub-district, North Lombok district (KLU). This activity was carried out from December 2022 to February 2023 at the Bagek Kembar hamlet, Kayangan. The fish used were 60 days old fish seeds with a size of 10 cm x 5 cm which were reared in a 4x3 m tarpaulin container. The plant growth media used is in the form of used foam taken from one of the residents' houses with a size of 5 cm. Placement of the planting media uses used plastic cups and used bottles as containers for placing plastic cups. The vegetables used in making this aquaponics are mustard greens, lettuce and pakcoy. The nutrients used to support plant growth are in the form of fish manure and some additional organic nutrients which are made independently using organic waste from the kitchen. The results of using aquaponic technology as a cultivation technology show that the plants grow but the leaves of the plants turn yellow and the fish in the pond can grow large.

Analysis of the Agricultural Subsidy Policy to Be Conducive to Food Security

China formulated a systematic and comprehensive agricultural subsidy policy at the beginning of the 21st century. Under the guidance of the policy, China's grain production has significantly improved. Nevertheless, with the emergence of factors such as the irrational supply structure of staple crops, the rise in importing cost of agricultural products, the chemicalization of grain production, and the degradation of agricultural resource carrying capacity, China's food security is under potential threat. Previous studies show several main factors, among which agricultural subsidy policy is vital for solving food security issues. Therefore, this study will analyse the current policy situation from the perspective of food security and policy suggestions. In terms of subsidy innovation, it is suggested to adjust the focus on subsidies based on a comprehensive concept of food security and increasing support for sustainable agricultural development and technology. The policy recommendations proposed in this paper are also consistent with agricultural development trends.

Highlighting the role of agriculture and geospatial technology in food security and sustainable development goals

AbstractFood security is a global challenge that aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 ‐ “No Poverty”, SDG 2 ‐ “Zero Hunger,” SDG 3 ‐ “Good Health and Well‐being,” SDG 13 ‐ “Climate Action,” and SDG 15 ‐ “Life on Land.”. To effectively address this issue, a convergence of agriculture and technology is crucial, incorporating precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture, bio‐economy and advanced technologies such as machineries, Artificial intelligence‐meachine learning and geospatial technology. Recent trends in food security worldwide have witnessed the adoption of technological advancements. However, it is important to consider biodiversity when implementing and adopting technological advancements. The integration of technology in agricultural practices aim to reduce chemical usage in farms, while increased production remains the main objective of smart farming and Precision Agriculture. By minimizing the use or implementing localized approaches for chemicals on farms, we can preserve soil‐faunal diversity, which is at risk along with targets due to excessive applications of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Geospatial technology plays a significant role by leveraging remotely sensed images acquired through satellites, aerial platforms, and GPS‐tagged drones to enhance agricultural practices, improve crop growth and increase crop yields. Through geospatial technology, we can map and monitor soil and crop conditions, and effectively conserve, protect, and manage biodiversity on a global scale. The applications of remote sensing technology consider ecological and environmental parameters, soil factors, crop conditions, and plant‐soil diversity to optimize yields and agricultural productivity. Additionally, the evaluation of various agricultural practices such as sustainable agriculture, bio‐economy, using technology can contribute to increased yields, profitability, and biodiversity conservation as central components of these practices. This study emphasizes that achieving the SDG objectives is attainable through agriculture, which has direct and indirect connections to all SDGs. Geospatial technology plays a vital role in supporting the objectives at spatial and temporal scales by facilitating agricultural practices, ensuring food security, preserving biodiversity, monitoring soil and crop conditions, and promoting sustainable development.

A Systematic Review of Blockchain Technology Adoption Barriers and Enablers for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture

Smart and sustainable agricultural practices are more complex than other industries as the production depends on many pre- and post-harvesting factors which are difficult to predict and control. Previous studies have shown that technologies such as blockchain along with sustainable practices can achieve smart and sustainable agriculture. These studies state that there is a need for a reliable and trustworthy environment among the intermediaries throughout the agrifood supply chain to achieve sustainability. However, there are limited studies on blockchain technology adoption for smart and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, this systematic review uses the PRISMA technique to explore the barriers and enablers of blockchain adoption for smart and sustainable agriculture. Data was collected using exhaustive selection criteria and filters to evaluate the barriers and enablers of blockchain technology for smart and sustainable agriculture. The results provide on the one hand adoption enablers such as stakeholder collaboration, enhance customer trust, and democratization, and, on the other hand, barriers such as lack of global standards, industry level best practices and policies for blockchain adoption in the agrifood sector. The outcome of this review highlights the adoption barriers over enablers of blockchain technology for smart and sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, several recommendations and implications are presented for addressing knowledge gaps for successful implementation.

Assessing the impact of parental involvement on scaling agricultural technologies from school garden to home farm in Cambodia

Cambodia is a predominantly rural nation with a heavy dependence on agriculture, particularly smallholder rice farming systems. While several sustainable agricultural technologies have been suc­cessfully piloted on research stations or with small numbers of early adopters, questions remain on how to extend these technologies to large numbers of resource-poor smallholder farmers. The Scaling Suitable Sustainable Technologies Project (S3-Cambodia) seeks to examine pathways for scaling sustainable intensification (SI) technologies to smallholder farmers. One of the identified path­ways to scaling SI is through the education system. Cambodian youth serve as an entry point to extend target technologies to farm families through experi­ential learning opportunities in schools by estab­lishing “green labs” featuring school gardens. This research study seeks to support the desired outcomes of the S3-Cambodia project by assessing Cambodian parental involvement in their children’s lives and school activities. While students can serve as agricultural education sources for their homes and communities, there is a need to deter­mine whether relationships between children, par­ents, and schools in Cambodia are strong enough to facilitate this knowledge transfer. Primary data was collected from 178 parents whose children attend three separate high schools in three districts of Cambodia through one-on-one orally conducted surveys. These were supplemented by key inform­ant interviews of selected parents, teachers, and principals at each high school. Results indicate that parents have a strong interest in school garden implementation and activities at their children’s school, with 84% of parents interested in visiting a school garden. Additionally, the majority believe that they can learn from their children (65%) and actively discuss with their children what they are learning at school (72%), indicating a potentially significant likelihood of knowledge transfer from a school garden. Yet, parents’ involvement in their children’s schools and lives varies between regions, with the rurality of the households influencing family social ties and homes’ proximity to the school.

Sustainable production systems of urban agriculture in the future: a case study on the investigation and development countermeasures of the plant factory and vertical farm in China

IntroductionIn recent years, innovative sustainable agricultural production technologies, including vertical farms and plant factories, have been developing rapidly around the world. The development of plant factories and vertical farms is currently receiving a lot of attention from Chinese academia and industry. However, the recognition and satisfaction of the government, producers, sales companies, and consumers are low, and their attitudes are mixed, mainly due to high pre-construction and post-operation costs, low comprehensive utilization of resources, low product diversity, low market share, high prices, and low core competitiveness, which limit its healthy and sustainable development. This paper designed a questionnaire from the perspectives of industrialization, commercialization, and sustainability in order to understand the respondents' level of awareness, doubts and concerns, purchase intentions and consumption expectations, as well as their trust and recognition of branded products in this new agricultural production system.MethodTo determine the diversity of respondents, this paper examines the group structure of participants from management, research and development, manufacturing, sales, consumers, regional development, and other industrial sectors. The survey was conducted using both face-to-face interviews and electronic questionnaires. As an online survey, the questionnaire was distributed to social groups through social media platforms. A total of 729 valid questionnaires were submitted. For the purposes of categorizing, enumerating, compiling statistics, and analyzing the questionnaires used in this study, descriptive statistics, multi-factor cross-analysis, and other statistical methods were employed. The social roles, functions, and interaction styles of various plant factory practitioners are examined from the perspective of social relationships, and pertinent development concepts and suggestions are proposed based on the survey results.Results and conclusionsThe study found that an increasing number of consumers are understanding and accepting this new form of plant production and are willing to purchase plant products from plant factories and vertical farming. Plant factories and vertical farms are widely regarded as one of the most important methods of future urban agricultural production. Awareness, purchase intent, price expectations, brand awareness, and price expectations of plant factories and vertical farms varied significantly by gender, age, education level, occupation, and income. In addition, there are numerous findings that provide governments, producers, marketers, managers, and consumers with great value and assistance.Development recommendationsWe should take the opportunity of developing plant factories to adjust the structure of the plant industry, enrich the “vegetable basket” of urban residents, increase the supply capacity of the market, enhance agricultural modernization and technological innovation, improve the quality of agricultural products from plant factories, strengthen the brand sales of plant products, and develop more functional plant products with high added value. Through the development of plant factories and vertical farms, we can improve the nutrition and healthy diet structure of citizens' diets, increase the modern plant industry's contribution to the national economy, and promote the comprehensive and sustainable development of the urban productive plant industry.

Inoculation with Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria and Nitrogen Doses Improves Wheat Productivity and Nitrogen Use Efficiency.

Wheat is one of the staple foods of the global population due to its adaptability to a wide range of environments. Nitrogen is one of the crucial limiting factors in wheat production and is considered a challenge to food security. Therefore, sustainable agricultural technologies such as seed inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPBs) can be adopted to promote biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) for higher crop productivity. In this context, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen fertilization and seed inoculations with Azospirillum brasilense, Bacillus subtilis and A. brasilense + B. subtilis on agronomic and yield attributes, grain yield, grain N accumulation, N use efficiency and applied N recovery in Brazilian Cerrado, which consists of gramineous woody savanna. The experiment was carried out in two cropping seasons in Rhodic Haplustox soil under a no-tillage system. The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block in a 4 × 5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments consisted of four seed inoculations (control-without inoculation, inoculation with A. brasilense, B. subtilis and A. brasilense + B. subtilis) under five N doses (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1, applied from urea) at the wheat tillering stage. Seed co-inoculation with A. brasilense + B. subtilis increased grain N accumulation, number of spikes m-1, grains spike-1 and grain yield of wheat in an irrigated no-tillage system of tropical savannah, regardless of the applied N doses. Nitrogen fertilization at a dose of 80 kg ha-1 significantly increased grain N accumulation and number of grains spikes-1 and nitrogen use efficiency. Recovery of applied N was increased with inoculation of B. subtilis and co-inoculation of A. brasilense + B. subtilis at increasing N doses. Therefore, N fertilization can be reduced by the inclusion of co-inoculation with A. brasilense + B. subtilis in the cultivation of winter wheat under a no-tillage system of Brazilian Cerrado.

A Perspective Review on Green Nanotechnology in Agro-Ecosystems: Opportunities for Sustainable Agricultural Practices & Environmental Remediation

The modern agricultural system is facing the unprecedented task of contriving the extensive demand for agrarian production owing to population explosion and global climate change. The employment of Nanotechnology in agriculture has gained immense interest in recent times for the development of sustainable agricultural technologies and environmental remediation strategies. Nanotechnology pertains to the employment of nanoparticles and furnishes the potential to fabricate novel materials and products possessing improved quality. The nanomaterials may be used as; nanosensors, nanocides, nanofertilizers, nanobarcodes, and nano-remediators, which play a significant role in modern agricultural practices. However, the physical and chemical processes of nanoparticle production is neither economical nor environmentally sustainable. Therefore, the need for green or biogenic nanoparticles obtained from plants, bacteria, fungi or their metabolites has emerged as novel, sustainable, economical, biocompatible, and eco-friendly technology. In this perspective, the production and sources of biogenic nanoparticles and their implication in agro-ecosystems for crop productivity, soil health management, biocontrol, and environmental remediation have been focused on in this review. The potential development and implementation challenges are also explored.

Sustainable Modern Agricultural Technology Assessment by a Multistakeholder Transdisciplinary Approach

With the rise of emerging technology in the fourth industrial revolution, modern agricultural technologies are gradually adopted to increase the yield and efficiency. Meanwhile, they also may bring the negative effect to social and environment sustainable development. Ignoring the requirement of sustainability will have an impact on the development of the country and society. Besides, the uncertainty and multistakeholder on sustainable modern agricultural technology assessment (SMATA) have made this appraisal much more complex, including their entanglement with rapidly changing cultural norms and social relations. Thus, in order to address these concerns, this article develops a holistic multistakeholder transdisciplinary approach with supporting SMATA. More precisely, due to the uncertainty of environment and vague knowledge possessed by stakeholders, we first investigate the evaluation measure of SMATA by introducing <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$</tex-math></inline-formula> -rung orthopair fuzzy set ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$</tex-math></inline-formula> -ROFS). Second, group opinion of stakeholders is fused by developing a new transdisciplinary evaluation aggregation operator. Third, to achieve more robust weights of key factors, three extended best worst method models from three different comparative perspectives of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$q$</tex-math></inline-formula> -ROFS are established. The final weight of key factors is further obtained by utilizing the variable entropy method. Fourth, we design a new decision approach of SMATA by improving evaluation based on distance from average solution method. Finally, a modern agricultural project base of Xichang city in China is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and rationality of our proposed SMATA method, including the simulation experiments on sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis. These results provide some exploratory insight and guidelines of SMATA for government and organization.

Effects of Tillage and Sowing Methods on Soil Physical Properties and Corn Plant Characters

In the northeast plains of China, the intensive utilization of agricultural soils has been a persistent issue, and finding ways to utilize soil resources efficiently and sustainably through a scientifically-driven management system has become a crucial challenge for agricultural production. Conservation tillage is a crucial technology for sustainable agriculture. Currently, plow and rotary tillage are the dominant methods used in Mollisols, but there is limited information on the effects of different conservation tillage practices in this region. The objective of this study was to investigate the short-term impact of tillage and sowing methods on soil physical properties and corn plant growth and to examine the relationship between soil physical properties and plant characteristics during various stages of growth. This study consisted of four tillage and sowing methods: plow tillage and precision seeder sowing (PTS), rotary tillage and precision seeder sowing (RTS), no-tillage and no-tillage seeder sowing (NTS), and no-tillage and precise sowing in stubble field (STS) (all four treatments involved total straw return). The results indicated that the soil penetration resistance (SPR) in the 10–40 cm soil layer under the PTS treatment was significantly lower (by 11.9% to 18%) compared to the other treatments (p &lt; 0.05). On average, the soil moisture content in the NTS treatment was 2.7% and 1.4% higher than that of the PTS and RTS treatments. Additionally, soil temperature was 5.6% to 8.6% lower under the STS treatment compared to the other treatments during late corn growth. The RTS treatment also significantly reduced the bulk density of surface soil. High SPR impeded early crop growth but did not impact mid-crop development, while low soil temperature was one of the main factors affecting late corn growth and development as temperatures decreased. Based on the comparisons, we found that the short-term implementation of conservation tillage did not result in a significant decrease in corn yield. We believe that the short-term implementation of NTS tillage sowing practices in Mollisol regions is a feasible option.

The Application of Drone Technology for Sustainable Agriculture in India

Agriculture in India faces challenges from multiple fronts: decline in productivity, climate change and sustainability. Using drones in farming contributes to sustainable agriculture in terms of social, economic and environmental dimensions. This article discusses the advantages of adopting drone technology in India. The drones are useful in multiple ways, such as, soil analysis for field planning, plant establishment, precision application of agrochemicals, crop monitoring, irrigation management, crop health assessment, livestock monitoring, and disaster management, geo-fencing, crop biomass and damage estimation, locust control, and transporting goods in agriculture. The paper also describes the initiatives of Government of India towards promoting drone technology. Challenges in use of the drone technology have been discussed. The study found that the application of drone technology saves time, labour, water, and cuts spending on chemicals. It also reduces use of chemicals and eliminates the chemical exposure to human. The paper concludes that the government should effectively adopt and leverage the potential of drone technology for transforming the agriculture sector and life of millions of farmers in India.

Hydroponic Agriculture and Microbial Safety of Vegetables: Promises, Challenges, and Solutions

Hydroponics is a farming technique for growing plants with mineral nutrients using a soil-free medium. The plant roots are submerged in soil-free media, such as vermiculite or perlite, or just in mineral nutrient solutions. This allows for high production yields throughout the year with less water and agro-chemical inputs. Consequently, hydroponics is considered a sustainable agriculture technology. Hydroponically grown crops are usually protected from the diseases transmitted through soil or animals in open fields. Therefore, they require fewer chemicals for pest control and are safer than conventionally grown crops in terms of possible chemical contamination. Nevertheless, hydroponics guarantees neither plant health nor the microbial safety of fresh produce. In the case of microbial contamination by human pathogens, unlike soil-grown crops, the pathogens may rapidly spread through the circulating water and simultaneously infect all the plants in the facility. This review summarizes the up-to-date knowledge regarding the microbial safety of hydroponically grown crops and discusses the role of the hydroponic system in reducing the microbial hazards for leafy and fruity crops as well as the potential risks for contamination by human pathogens. Finally, it outlines the approaches and the available science-based practices to ensure produce safety. The contamination risk in hydroponic systems may be diminished by using novel planting materials and the appropriate decontamination treatment of a recirculating liquid substrate; by modulating the microbiota interactions; and by following strict phytosanitary measures and workers’ hygienic practices. There is a timely need to adopt measures, such as the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) guidelines, to mitigate the risks and ensure safe hydroponically grown vegetables for consumers.

A Benefit-Cost Analysis of Increased International Migration of Skilled Labor in Africa and the World

AbstractGreater labor migration can establish more channels for information flows, directly contributing to faster economic growth and improved innovation and work. It can also expand international remittances, which can be invested by recipient households in home countries in education, entrepreneurship, and improved and sustainable agricultural technologies. At the same time, however, increased emigration of medical professionals and technical workers from poor countries can reduce quality of local services, innovation, health status, and productivity. This analysis attempts to quantify the economic benefits and costs of permitting an immediate 10% increase in the bilateral migration of skilled workers (physicians, engineers or science, engineering, technology, and mathematics workers, and other persons with advanced educations) among the nations of the African Continental Free Trade Area and, more broadly, among 25 global regions. Economic benefits include higher migrant incomes abroad, welfare gains in destination countries associated with higher economic efficiency, spillover productivity gains, and an improved ability of the younger and more skilled working force to support the needs of the wider population, resulting in higher national production. Benefits in source countries include productivity enhancements from two sources: (a) greater access to knowledge associated with more bilateral trade and investment and (b) the ability of local households to invest remittances in productivity-enhancing activities. Welfare losses in source nations include static efficiency reductions and a worsened demographic support capability. In Africa, the benefit-cost ratios range from 3.7 to 6.9; in the global analysis, 17 to 38.