Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential micronutrient for plants. However, Mo status in Sri Lankan paddy fields as affected by climate and soil is not known. This study was conducted to (i) determine the distribution of exchangeable Mo concentration, and (ii) examine the interactive effects of the agro-climatic zone (ACZ), soil order, water source, and their interactions in determining exchangeable Mo concentration in lowland paddy fields of Sri Lanka. A total of 3,719 soil samples representing six ACZs, six soil orders, and three water sources were collected using a stratified random sampling approach. Exchangeable Mo concentration was determined after extracting in 0.01 M CaCl2 solution and detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Soil Mo concentration varied in the range of 0.01 to 245 µg kg−1 with a mean of 25.9 µg kg−1. Samples collected from the Wet zone, particularly Wet zone Low country, had higher Mo concentrations than those reported in other ACZs. Among the soil orders tested, Histosols had a higher Mo concentration while that in other soil orders was similar. Rainfed paddy fields had more Mo than supplementary irrigated paddy fields. Spatial maps were generated to visualise the geographical variation in soil Mo concentration. Due to the presence of a spatial heterogeneity of exchangeable Mo concentration, it is important to implement ACZ, soil, and water source-based strategies to improve Mo status in Sri Lankan paddy fields.

The aim of this work was to compare gas exchanges from leaf to whole plant scales, in two Ethiopian accessions (‘E083’ and ‘E027’), and two bred cultivars (Iapar 59 and Catuaí 99) of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) cultivated under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Variations in gas exchanges were evaluated over four phenophases (leaf expansion – BE1 and BE2, and berry harvesting – BH1 and BH2), covering the first two production years in the coffee life cycle. We addressed the following questions: Are gas exchanges modified by water availability at leaf and/or plant scales? Do bred cultivars and wild accessions differ in their physiological responses to water availability and phenophases? Photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration (E) were measured on the recently fully expanded leaves at the upper canopy stratum. The functional-structural plant modelling (FSPM) was used to integrate A at whole plant photosynthesis (A”p), based on 3D virtual trees constructed under VPlants modelling platform. Despite high A values of ‘E083’ overall phenophases, a strong decline in A”p under rainfed condition was observed due to lower plant leaf area as compared to irrigated condition. Catuaí 99 and ‘E083’ were more sensitive to drought than Iapar 59 and ‘E027’, considering photosynthesis at leaf and plant scales. At the last BH2 phenophase, A, gs, E, and carboxylation efficiency were similar between irrigated and rainfed conditions for all genotypes, suggesting some acclimation of leaf gas exchange to the environment. However, A”p benefited by water management in all phenophases as plant leaf area increased. These findings revealed the need to develop methodologies for structural and functional analyses at plant scale, an important step towards the realistic responses of plants and orchards to the surrounding environment.

An innovative methodological approach combining statistical typologies and stochastic frontier analysis was applied to data collected from 1840 mixed crop-livestock farms in six districts of Zimbabwe, representative of semi-arid areas of the country. The average annual cereal production was 362 kg farm–1, and the average annual livestock offtake was 0.64 ± 1.32 Tropical Livestock Units (TLU) farm–1. Our results demonstrate there is scope to increase cereal and livestock production by 90.7% and 111.9% relative to current production levels, respectively, with more efficient use of existing resources and technologies. Rainfall was found to have a strong effect on cereal production, highlighting the need for climate-smart practices. Livestock mortality (0.59 ± 1.62 TLU farm–1) was found to be in the same order of magnitude as livestock offtake (0.64 ± 1.32 TLU farm–1). Cereal production was supported by livestock, demonstrating the importance of crop-livestock interactions in these mixed farming systems. Three farm types were identified in our analysis. Crop-oriented mixed farms (31%) are likely to be the ones most responsive to crop-specific interventions e.g., crop rotation and integrated pest management. Livestock-oriented mixed farms (34%) are likely to benefit the most from livestock-specific interventions, e.g., home feed. Mixed farms dependent on off-farm activities (36% of the sample) may require nutrition-sensitive and labour-saving sustainable intensification technologies to benefit from their limited resources. Reducing cattle mortality is a priority for all three farm types. The method proposed here could be adapted to other contexts characterized by heterogeneous farming populations to target interventions.

Manual rainfed rice sowing is laborious and time-consuming, leading to delayed crop establishment due to labour shortage. To increase production and productivity, we proposed introducing single-row rotary seeders (for dibbling seeds) and fertiseeders (for simultaneous dibbling seeds and fertilizer) for smallholders. We evaluated ‘CFFAMMA seeder’ (already developed seeder by CFFAMMA), ‘New seeder’ (a newly designed seeder), and a fertiseeder in terms of sowing time, crop establishment, and yield in Madagascar. We also obtained farmers’ feedback on the machines’ effectiveness, desirability, their willingness to use, and to pay for it (farmer participatory approach). Finally, we evaluated the profitability of using these machines under rainfed conditions. On-farm experiments across four locations in the central highlands of Madagascar revealed up to 82% time savings using seeders and fertiseeder over two seasons compared with manual methods. The CFFAMMA seeder outperformed the other two, with similar numbers of missing hills, yield, and benefit–cost (B:C) ratios to manual sowing. Despite farmers’ desire to adopt seeders (96%), high cost of equipment acquisition remains a significant obstacle: farmers’ willingness to pay per unit of the equipment (US$8–11); actual price ($68–81). Addressing this financial burden is crucial for wider adoption. Though the seeders and fertiseeder achieved >80% time reduction for sowing and comparable yields to manual methods, fine-tuning of the tools for technical efficiency is also required for wider adoption.

SPAD combined with hyperspectral sensors can be an alternative approach to traditional laboratory methods for determining the physiological status of trees. The aim of this work was to assess whether the effectiveness of SPAD predictive models using hyperspectral data might be influenced by where the measurements were carried out. Leaves of apricot trees of two varieties (Farbaly and Farlis) were analysed with SPAD and spectroradiometer, and the data were organized in two different ways: (i) overall dataset (OD), collecting total measurements of trees in each variety; (ii) subset of overall datasets (SOD), collecting the measurements performed on the cardinal points of trees in each variety. Prediction models were built using as regressors: (i) spectral data transformed with Continuum Removal (CR) methodology (CR indices); (ii) vegetation indices (VI) linked to chlorophyll and nitrogen content; (iii) reflectance values associated with chlorophyll content and to wavelengths ranges where (CR) methodology was applied; (iv) reflectance values of full spectrum. The best performances belonged to models using wider ranges of spectrum both in ODs and in SODs. The north cardinal point showed prediction models with the best performances in both varieties. No VI and CR indices showed reliable models. All the reliable prediction models were associated with compounds involved in physiological state and metabolism of leaves in apricot tree.

In the Highlands of Madagascar, where rice is the main staple food, explosive demographic growth has driven the need for the development of upland rice. In that context, a Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) program conducted by the FOFIFA-Cirad partnership, aims to develop upland rice varieties adapted to farmers’ needs, with superior agronomic performances, and with high grain zinc concentration. In the area, where ferralitic soils with N and P deficiencies prevail, limited fertilizer usage persists due to elevated costs, and upland rice varieties must adapt to these low fertility environments. Thus, this paper aims to identify the adequate selection conditions and methods that allow combining the above-mentioned criteria for selection. So, 56 rice breeding lines, including high-zinc genotypes, were evaluated in field trials with contrasting fertility conditions. A relative selection efficiency analysis demonstrated that selection for yield should be done in moderate fertility environments, while selection for grain zinc concentration could be done across a diverse range of conditions. Through participatory evaluations, we identified that, for this case, grain appreciation was the most important character for deciding whether to select a line, followed by productivity and earliness. We also noted that farmers were more willing to accept a variety if it had higher grain zinc concentration. Finally, we proposed a selection index that combines agronomic, farmers’ and nutritional criteria, with the purpose of selecting lines that fulfill the expectations on these areas. Overall, this paper proposes an adapted methodology for the combination of PPB and biofortification in marginal environments.

Deforestation and declining soil fertility are major obstacles for productive cocoa production in West Africa. To improve sustainability of this production system, countries like Ghana promoted agroforestry technologies and introduced organic certification of cocoa agroforests. However, for West Africa, which produces 70% of the world’s cocoa, studies comparing soil fertility under conventional and organic management, which is an important factor for sustainable cocoa production, are rare. Hence this study aimed at investigating differences in soil physico-chemical and microbial properties at 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm depth of traditional cocoa agroforests under organic versus conventional management in four villages with each three farms in Suhum Municipality, Eastern Region of Ghana. Electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), SOC/total N, and extractable potassium (K) in the topsoil were 51%, 35%, 30%, 11%, and 47% respectively, lower (p < 0.05) under conventional than under organic management. On average, topsoil under conventional management recorded 29% higher NH4+-N concentration and 27% lower NO3−-N concentrations than topsoil under organic management. Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in the topsoil of farms under organic management were 48% and 57%, respectively, greater than under conventional management. Contrarily, conventional management significantly increased the metabolic quotient (qCO2) in topsoil compared with organic management, indicating a higher demand of soil micro-organisms for maintenance energy due to the use of herbicides and pesticides. In cocoa agroforests, conventional management has adverse effects on soil chemical and microbial properties. Hence transitioning from conventional management to organic management is beneficial to maintain soil fertility.

Smart agriculture is based on latest technologies in communication, big data analysis, high-performance sensors, and automatic machinery to improve the effectiveness of agriculture industry. China is looking forward to achieve modernization of its agriculture industry through smart agriculture. But its unique climate, landscape, diversity in crops, and large population make this task more challenging compared to other counties. Herein, we present the current achievements regarding policies made to guide and support the development of smart agriculture, the promotion of smart techniques and smart equipment, and the cultivation of specialists in smart agriculture. Then we discussed the existing challenges that hinder further development of smart agriculture industry and proposed several feasible solutions to solve or ease the problem, including the pertinent development of smart agriculture in provinces with different resources, enrich modes of online technical support and specialist cultivation, and set a series of standards to guide research and development of novel smart systems.

Climate change (CC) challenges food and climate through reduced crop yields and increasing production risk. Regenerative agriculture (RA) emerged as a pivotal strategy for enhancing crop productivity and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, contributing to agriculture’s CC mitigation and resilience. Nevertheless, expanding RA’s main challenges is providing sufficient science-based decision support for farmers and other stakeholders. In this context, we present herein the largest public-private partnership in Brazil to conduct research in a multidisciplinary collaborative scientific network on RA and describe the Carbon Farming Program approaches. Bayer SA leads the initiative, which also includes 11 partner institutions (i.e., Universities, Research Institutions and Foundations, and Farmers organisations). The programme aims to assess the benefits of improvement of cropland management, intensified and biodiverse crop rotation plans on SOC, soil health, crop productivity, and profitability in a no-till system. The programme has a multi-scale approach with three main steps (‘Research Partners’, ‘On-Farm Research Sites’, and ‘Carbon Program at Scale’). In total, it encompasses 1,906 farmers and 232 000 hectares across the Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions. The programme has gathered a large database, integrating SOC and fertility determinations, and crop yields, to derive a quantitative evaluation of the impacts of sustainable agricultural land management practices adoption. Moreover, the programme enabled breaking through the gap of quantitative knowledge for the development of a novel mathematical model to predict SOC dynamics for tropical agroecosystems. This is worth supporting assertive decisions along the specific planning to promote scalability in the insertion of Brazilian agriculture in the global C market.

Bibliometric research illuminates the scientific development of soil health (SH) studies in the Brazilian Semiarid, which are crucial for sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change impacts. However, research trends on SH in the Brazilian Semiarid are still not well understood. This study aimed to illustrate how SH has been addressed in research concerning the Brazilian Semiarid. Terms such as ‘soil health,’ ‘soil quality,’ ‘biological quality,’ ‘chemical quality,’ ‘physical quality,’ as well as ‘Caatinga,’ ‘Brazilian Semiarid,’ and ‘Brazilian Northeast’ were searched in the Scopus® database. Bibliometric parameters were catalogued by the number of publications per year, most cited articles, primary institutions, main journals, and keyword frequency. The articles were evaluated based on the examination of chemical, physical, and biological indicators, and a similarity test was conducted to group articles according to these indicators. The bibliometric analysis reveals a significant increase in scientific output since 2020. Embrapa research centres contribute significantly to this expanding body of knowledge, with the leading journal ‘Revista Caatinga’ reflecting a specialized focus on the region’s unique challenges. The most evaluated indicators were pH, soil organic carbon, P, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and bulk density, but the prevalence of biological indicators, such as soil organic carbon (SOC), activity of enzymes such as alkaline and acid phosphatase, and ß-glucosidase, microbial activity, and soil fauna, underscores key research themes. These findings highlight the practical implications of SH research, but while increased research is commendable and increasingly necessary, studies are still scarce. Increased research is vital for the development of strategies that contribute to the long-term sustainability of the Brazilian Semiarid region.