Information related to the climate, sowing time, harvest, and crop development is essential for defining appropriate strategies for agricultural activities, which helps both producers and responsible bodies. Paraná, the second largest soybean producer in Brazil, has high climatic variability, which greatly influences planting, harvesting, and crop productivity periods. Therefore, the objective of this study was to regionalize the state of Paraná, considering decennial metrics associated with climate variables and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) during the soybean cycle. Individual and global analyses of these metrics were conducted performed using multivariate techniques. These analyses were carried out in agricultural scenarios with low, medium, and high precipitation, corresponding to harvest years 2011/2012, 2013/2014, and 2015/2016, respectively. The results obtained from the scores of the retained factors and the cluster analysis were the profile of the groups, with Group 1 presenting more favourable climatic and agronomic conditions for the development of soybean crops for the three harvest years. The opposite occurred for Groups 2 (2011/2012 and 2013/2014) and Group 3 (2015/2016). During the soybean reproductive phases (R2 – R5), precipitation values were inadequate, especially for Group 2 (2011/2012 and 2013/2014) with high water deficit, resulting in a drop in soybean productivity. The climatic and agronomic regionalization of Paraná made it possible to identify the regions most suitable for growing soybeans, the effect of climatic conditions on phenological stages, and the variability of soybean productivity in the three harvest years.

Maize is one of the major agricultural commodities in the world, and a source of food in Africa, representing more than 40 million ha currently harvested on the continent. Despite sub-Saharan Africa's dependence on grain, the maize actual yield (Ya) of the crop is low when compared to its potential yield. In Brazil, the yield-gap between Ya and water-limited yield (Yw) is approximately 50% of Yw. The objective of this study was to carry out a case study, using upland maize as a reference to identify a set of agricultural areas with similar soil and climate in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The climatic similarity between Brazil and SSA countries was verified, seeking homogeneous climatic zones that occur in both regions. The Ya was determined including the data of at least the last three years of cultivation and were taken from the database of the national institutes of agricultural statistics. The climatic data showed that the SSA had well-distributed rainfall throughout the crop season, being higher than in Brazil, as well as the average air temperature. The average Yw was 11.3 and 7.4 Mg/ha for Brazil and SSA, respectively. Maize Ya in SSA was 1.4 Mg/ha, while in Brazil Ya was 5.2 Mg/ha. Ya represented approximately 9% of Yw in the SSA. The low Ya shows the large yield-gap found in SSA. With this, it is evident that the technologies used and the crop management are largely responsible for the yield differences between Brazil and SSA.

The current study was conducted over four years between 2016 and 2019 to determine the effects of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) before and after harvesting of sweet cherry on yield, physiological, vegetative and fruit quality parameters. The current study used the 0900 Ziraat sweet cherry cultivar grafted onto Gisela 6 rootstock. There were six different treatments: IC, (Control) where soil moisture was kept at field capacity for each irrigation, I25, with 25% deficit irrigation of IC after harvesting, I50, with 50% deficit irrigation of IC after harvesting, I25BH, with no-deficit irrigation 30 days after full bloom and 25% deficit irrigation after this period, I50BH, with no-deficit irrigation 30 days after full bloom and 50% deficit irrigation after this period, and IFRM, with farmer's treatment of excessive irrigation (150% of ET) from colouring of fruit till harvest and 50% deficit irrigation after harvesting. When compared to IC, water saving ranged from 20.2–45.6%. The fruit yield obtained under I25 was increased by 21.8% in the last year of the current study than the yield obtained under IC treatment. Trunk and shoot growth increased for all treatments. Leaf water potential (Ψmd) and stomata conductance (gsw) were affected by RDI. IFRM and I25 had a positive effect on fruit size, the same as IC. Water deficit (IBH50) applied before harvesting increased fruit flesh firmness. I25 treatment (25% water deficit after harvesting) can be applied by sweet cherry growers because it leads to high yield, better fruit quality and water saving.

Developing policies to reduce carbon emissions in agriculture is crucial for achieving the ‘dual carbon’ goal. Therefore, scientifically analysing the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of agricultural carbon sinks and their driving factors holds paramount importance for the coordinated and integrated development of regional agriculture and the realization of sustainable development. Based on the perspective of carbon cycle in agricultural production, the measurement system of agricultural net carbon sink was established from the perspective of carbon sink/carbon source, this study conducted an analysis of the temporal and spatial variation characteristics as well as driving mechanisms of agricultural net carbon sinks. The findings are as follows: (1) The agricultural net carbon sink exhibited an increasing trend from 2009 to 2020, with favourable intensity and level. (2) Agricultural land use and livestock and poultry production constituted the primary sources of agricultural carbon emissions. Notably, agricultural carbon emissions demonstrated a decreasing trend during the study period. (3) The net agricultural carbon sink displayed local spatial aggregation, indicating significant regional differences. (4) Factors such as rural economic level, urbanization level and agricultural employment significantly promoted the net carbon sink. In contrast, the rural industrial structure, technical level and crop seeding had inhibitory effects. Therefore, it is imperative to promote the reduction of agricultural carbon emissions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. This entails accelerating the construction of new agriculture and rural areas, facilitating industrial upgrading, promoting the development of low-carbon-sink regions into high-carbon-sink regions and actively fostering the coordinated and integrated development of regional agriculture.

Climate change is a global challenge to ecosystem services, altering crop yields and food security worldwide. In the context of climate change, Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. (sainfoin) can offer a multitude of ecosystem services conferred by its multifaceted beneficial properties. We reviewed the morphological, biochemical and physiological responses to environmental stressors of O. viciifolia, summarized its ecological, agronomic, nutritional and biological interests, and we discussed its use under climate change. Onobrychis viciifolia is a hemicryptophyte forage legume adapted to arid and semiarid regions by evolving a diverse array of protective mechanisms against abiotic stressors at morphological, biochemical and physiological levels. In the present scenario of climate change, O. viciifolia has desirable forage characteristics such as high nutritive value, high voluntary intake and palatability to grazing animals, leading to satisfying animal performance for milk, meat, honey and wool production. Recent studies suggest that O. viciifolia has several highly beneficial phytochemical properties including condensed tannins and polyphenol content, which have been demonstrated to have anthelmintic activities, enhance protein utilization, and prevent bloating. In addition, O. viciifolia also has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequestrate atmospheric carbon and nitrogen into the soil. Ethnobotanical investigations show that O. viciifolia possesses antimicrobial, antiseptic and vulnerary activities. This review could be helpful for understanding of O. viciifolia characteristics, interests and uses, thus promoting its reasonable cultivation under a changing climate.

Varietal identification plays a pivotal role in viticulture for several purposes. Nowadays, such identification is accomplished using ampelography and molecular markers, techniques requiring specific expertise and equipment. Deep learning, on the other hand, appears to be a viable and cost-effective alternative, as several recent studies claim that computer vision models can identify different vine varieties with high accuracy. Such works, however, limit their scope to a handful of selected varieties and do not provide accurate figures for external data validation. In the current study, five well-known computer vision models were applied to leaf images to verify whether the results presented in the literature can be replicated over a larger data set consisting of 27 varieties with 26 382 images. It was built over 2 years of dedicated field sampling at three geographically distinct sites, and a validation data set was collected from the Internet. Cross-validation results on the purpose-built data set confirm literature results. However, the same models, when validated against the independent data set, appear unable to generalize over the training data and retain the performances measured during cross validation. These results indicate that further enhancement have been done in filling such a gap and developing a more reliable model to discriminate among grape varieties, underlining that, to achieve this purpose, the image resolution appears to be a crucial factor in the development of such models.

Soil available phosphorus (SAP) and potassium (SAK) are indispensable for crops, and their stocks are important for food production needed for a growing global population. This study analysed 991 soil profiles across a large part of Romania covering forestland, grassland and cropland in almost all ecological regions. This study investigated SAP and SAK stocks for different soil depths and characterized their magnitude and variability within land uses under different environmental ecosystems, soil classes and soil types, for a better soil and land management under a temperate-continental climate. Cropland soils present the highest SAP and SAK stocks. Chernozems, Phaeozems and Vertosols possess the highest SAP and SAK stocks in Romania, representing the largest country's pool. Both SAP stocks and SAK stocks are significantly correlated with basic environmental properties, existing direct correlations between SAP, SAK, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks. For all land uses, SAP and SAK stocks correlated significantly and directly with each other, as well as with annual temperature, clay content, pH and sum of base cations, and inversely with altitude, slope and annual precipitation. The best predictive values using multiple regression models and basic environmental driving factors were found for forestland stocks of SAP and SAK, followed by grassland stocks, while the lowest prediction occurred for cropland stocks, probably due to the long-term additional nutrient input performed by farmers in cropland that changed the natural conditions otherwise present in grassland, and especially in forestland. Based on these results some management measures are discussed.

Milk production declines as dairy cows enter late lactation, resulting in reduced milk quality and negatively impacting milk processability, such as rennet coagulation time (RCT), milk pH and ethanol stability (ES), leading to seasonality issues for milk processors. Multispecies forages, containing grass, legume and herb species, require lower N inputs and are of interest to dairy farmers. However, little is known about the effect of grazing multispecies forages on milk processability characteristics in late lactation dairy cows. Forty-five autumn-calving dairy cows in late lactation were allocated to 1 of 3 grazing forages; perennial ryegrass (PRG; Lolium perenne), perennial ryegrass and white clover (Trifolium pratense) (PRGWC), and a 6 – species multispecies forage (MULTI) containing perennial ryegrass, timothy (Phleum pratense), white clover, red clover (Trifolium repens), chicory (Cichorium intybus) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata). Cows were allocated 12 kg DM grazed forage and supplemented with a grass – silage TMR and concentrate. Forage DMI was significantly lower for cows grazing PRG. Milk yield increased when cows grazed PRGWC (18.07 kg/d) and MULTI (17.84 kg/d) compared to PRG (16.08 kg/d). Milk RCT (mins) and ES (%) were unaffected by treatment. However, offering cows PRGWC and MULTI increased the concentration of C18:2 cis – 9, 12 and C18:3 cis – 9, 12, 15 in milk compared to PRG. Compared to PRG, grazing forages containing clover and herb species improved milk yield and beneficially altered milk fatty acid profile in late lactation dairy cows without negatively impacting milk processability.

This study examined the fermentation dynamics, bacterial community composition and bacterial β-carotene synthesis in alfalfa that was ensiled for 3, 15, 45 and 90 days without additives (CON), or with a chemical agent (propionic acid, PA); or a combination of PA and squalene, SQPA). The results showed that silage treated with PA had a lower (P < 0.01) pH value than the CON silage in the early ensiling phase (3–15 days). Meanwhile, silage treated with PA had the highest contents of lactic acid, acetic acid and PA after 90 days of ensiling (P < 0.01). The β-carotene in alfalfa was lost seriously in the initial ensiling phase (3 days) and epiphytic Pantoea agglomerans with the ability to produce β-carotene became extinct. With the extension of ensiling time, the loss of β-carotene was alleviated in all silages. PA and SQPA not only lowered bacterial diversity and simplified bacterial networks but also facilitated the emergence of new β-carotene-producing bacteria. The metabolic function prediction indicated that β-carotene synthesis tended to decrease initially and subsequently increase during ensiling. Furthermore, the variance of enzymes involved in the bacterial synthesis of β-carotene in silages was influenced by PA, SQPA and ensiling time. In summary, the impact of solely adding PA demonstrated superior effects on the fermentation quality of alfalfa silage compared to the effects observed with SQPA. Throughout the ensiling of alfalfa, the succession of different β-carotene-producing bacteria resulted in fluctuations in the levels of β-carotene.

In Mediterranean-type climates, terminal drought induces grain yield losses in wheat. Antitranspirants can reduce the impacts of terminal drought and improve yield, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Among other impacts, drought elevates endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) concentration. Here, the effectiveness of a film antitranspirant (di-1-p-menthene) was studied in relation to plant water status and spike ABA. The objective was to determine whether drought amelioration with di-1-p-menthene was solely mediated through a reduction in ABA by comparing its effects to that of fluridone (an ABA inhibitor). The treatments were assessed in a randomized complete block design in two field experiments in spring and summer of 2020, with six and eight replicate blocks, respectively, at Harper Adams University, UK, to compare their effects on spike ABA, gas exchange and agronomic traits under progressive drought conditions. Di-1-p-menthene was applied at 1 l/ha; and fluridone at 10, 20 and 50 μM concentrations, at flag leaf emergence, growth stage 37 (GS37). Drought increased spike ABA and downregulated photosynthesis. Di-1-p-menthene and fluridone at some concentrations, reduced spike ABA and photosynthesis. Di-1-p-menthene suppressed transpiration and spike ABA, each by 21% but increased grain yield by 27%. In contrast, although fluridone (at 10 and 50 μM) also reduced spike ABA (by 16%), overall, it did not alter transpiration or grain yield. The results suggest that yield improvement with di-1-p-methene is mediated through mechanisms that involve conservation of plant water linked to reduced transpiration, with inhibition of spike ABA playing a secondary role.

Drip irrigation and mulching were tested to minimize unproductive water loss through evaporation and weed interference. A field experiment was conducted during spring season of 2020 and 2021 in split plot design with three replications. The study includes six treatment combinations of drip irrigation methods (surface drip and subsurface drip irrigation) and mulching (black plastic, paddy straw and no mulch) along with one conventional furrow irrigation without mulching (as control) in main plots. Four weed control treatments (atrazine 1000 g a.i./ha as pre-emergence, two hand weedings at 30 and 60 days after sowing [DAS], weed free and weedy for whole crop growth period) were kept in the subplots. The combination of drip irrigation and mulches significantly enhanced leaf area index and crop biomass at 60 DAS than furrow irrigation. Integration of subsurface drip irrigation with plastic mulching resulted in the lowest weed density and biomass among main plots. Drip irrigation coupled with plastic and straw mulching resulted in 86 and 50% reduction in weed density and biomass, respectively, as compared to no mulching. Integration of subsurface drip with paddy straw mulch and black plastic mulch resulted in 17.1 and 15.5% higher maize grain yield, respectively, as compared to furrow irrigation. The highest irrigation water productivity (3.58 kg/m3) was observed in combination of subsurface drip and paddy straw mulch followed by combination of subsurface drip and black plastic mulch (3.51 kg/m3). Overall, straw mulching in drip irrigation system proved economical in terms of maize productivity.

Round gourd is sensitive to low temperature (March), high temperature (May–June), high humidity (July–August), and whitefly-transmitted begomovirus diseases (July–September), thereby restricting its fruit availability period in North-Western Indian Plains. Mulches extend the growing season by modifying soil temperature and reducing the incidence of viral diseases. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing time, mulching and their interaction on performance of round gourd crop so as to identify the best mulch at different sowing times. The field trials were conducted in a split-plot design during 2021 and 2022. The main plot consisted of six sowing dates, i.e., the first week of March (DS1), April (DS2), May (DS3), June (DS4), July (DS5) and August (DS6). The sub-plot comprised bare soil (BS) and three mulching treatments, viz., silver-black plastic mulch (SBPM), black plastic mulch (BPM) and paddy straw mulch (6 t/ha) (PSM). The BPM and SBPM increased the seasonal soil temperature over BS by 3.1–4.1°C and 2.1–3.1°C, respectively, whereas the PSM reduced the seasonal soil temperature by 2.3–3.5°C. The SBPM produced the best crop performance, followed by BPM and PSM in all sowing dates except DS5 in which the PSM outperformed BPM. The DS1 and DS2 were the best sowing times, and the crop performance gradually declined with each successive sowing time, except that the crop performed better in DS6 compared with DS5. The SBPM or BPM in DS2 and DS1 were the best treatment combinations for round gourd cultivation in the study area.

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the contribution of epiphytic microbiota on alfalfa (AL), oat (OT), and red clover (RC) to ensiling characteristics and bacterial community diversity of oat. With the irradiation of γ-ray, sterile OT (~233 g/kg dry matter (DM)) was inoculated by sterile water (STOT), epiphytic microbiota from OT (OTOT), AL (OTAL) and RC (OTRC), respectively. Triplicate silage-bags for each treatment were sampled after different days (1, 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60) of fermentation, respectively. Similar chemical compositions were found between fresh oat and STOT. Lower (P < 0.05) contents of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and higher (P < 0.05) accumulation of lactic acid were found in OTAL compared with OTRC and OTOT on day 3. The greatest (P < 0.05) NH3-N, acetic acid concentrations and pH and the lowest (P < 0.05) concentration of lactic acid were found in OTRC on day 60. After 3 days of ensiling, Lactobacillus accounted for a big proportion in OTAL and OTOT, and Hafnia-Obesumbacterium was predominant in OTRC. The bacterial communities in OTAL and OTOT had lower (P < 0.05) abundances of ‘Genetic Information Processing’ than OTRC after 3 days. Overall, the composition, diversity, and activity of epiphytic microbiota can notably influence the ensiling characteristics of forage oat. The lactic acid bacteria (hetero-fermentative type) and Enterobacteriaceae species played an important role in producing ethanol contents during the ensiling of forage oat.

Early-season rice often faces limited market competition due to its lower quality, which diminishes farmers' incentives to cultivate it. Developing specific early-season rice varieties tailored for rice noodle production represents a practical solution to this challenge. However, limited information exists on the varietal differences regarding the yield and quality of noodles produced from early-season rice and their determinants. To address this gap, this study conducted field experiments with 15 early-season rice varieties during 2022 and 2023. The results revealed significant varietal differences in rice noodle yield per unit of land area and cooking and eating (texture) qualities of the noodles, with the variety Zhuliangyou 4024 standing out for its ability to produce rice noodles that are both high yielding and of superior cooking and eating qualities. Correlation analysis showed the yield of rice noodles per unit of land area was significantly related to grain yield per unit of land, which in turn was linked to grain weight. Additionally, the analysis showed the cooking loss rate of rice noodles and their chewiness were significantly correlated with both amylose and amylopectin content, whereas the hardness, springiness, and resilience of cooked rice noodles were significantly correlated only with amylose content. However, partial correlation analysis indicated that all these quality traits were significantly correlated solely with amylose content when controlling the influence of other chemical properties. These findings indicate that selecting early-season rice varieties with high grain weight and high amylose content can lead to the production of high-yield and high-quality rice noodles.

Biofertilizers, such as arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), have been reported to enhance plant growth under water stress conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different biofertilizers on potato photosynthesis and growth under water deficit stress. The experiment was conducted over two crop years (2019 and 2020) using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Four irrigation intervals (70, 90, 110 and 130 mm of cumulative evaporation) and six biofertilizer treatments (PSB, Funneliformis mosseae [FM], Rhizoglomus fasciculatum [RF], PSB + FM, PSB + RF and no use) were applied. Severe moisture stress (130 mm evaporation) compared to no stress (70 mm evaporation) increased substomatal carbon dioxide concentration. The application of biofertilizers improved tuber yield under severe moisture stress, with FM showing the highest increase (62.9%), followed by RF (59.8%) and PSB (48.4%). The use of PSB along with mycorrhizae led to a significant decrease in mycorrhizal colonization percentage at all irrigation levels. The highest percentage of colonization and net photosynthesis was obtained from the application of both mycorrhizal species under irrigation conditions after 70 mm of evaporation. The application of PSB alone resulted in a 14.6% increase in the transpiration rate, additionally, the use of mycorrhiza led to an 18.7% increase in stomatal conductivity compared to no-biofertilizer. The results suggest that the simultaneous use of PSB and mycorrhizae can be effective in mild moisture stress, but in severe moisture stress, the use of mycorrhizal species alone is more effective.

Simplified cereal-based crop rotations are widely grown due to economic reasons, leading to the cultivation of wheat after wheat and associated yield losses. In this study, a crop rotation trial was conducted in Northern Germany on a Stagnic Luvisol from 2006 to 2018 with winter wheat after the four most widely used preceding crops in the region (sugar beet, winter wheat, silage maize and winter oilseed rape) in different crop rotations to evaluate potential benefits of different preceding crops. Additionally, the effects of two different sowing dates (2016–2018) and higher crop residue input (whole period) were investigated.

While the pre-preceding crop had no effect, preceding crops winter oilseed rape and sugar beet led to a significantly higher yield of about 1.00 and 0.43 t/ha, respectively, compared to wheat after wheat. This was not modified by crop rotational diversity, including wheat monoculture. Wheat yield tended to be higher for the late sowing date after sugar beet, maize and wheat, while there was no effect of sowing date after oilseed rape. Higher crop residue input led to a significantly higher yield (0.30 t/ha) in wheat after wheat (after pre-preceding crop sugar beet). Overall, sugar beet and winter oilseed rape were found to be favourable preceding crops for winter wheat under the given site conditions. The effect of sowing date on yield and potential modifications of the preceding crop effect by sowing date needs further research in appropriate long-term trials.

The use of silvopastoral systems with tree legumes is a viable alternative to recover and develop pastures, as they add N to the system influencing pasture growth. This study hypothesized that the herbage and litter of signalgrass (Urochloa decumbens Stapf) is affected by legume trees in the pasture. Treatments were composed of (1) signalgrass + Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.; (2) signalgrass + Gliricidia sepium Jacq.; and (3) signalgrass monoculture. The 3-year experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. Tree legumes were planted in double rows (15 × 1 × 0.5 m), in 1 ha paddocks. Litter samples were taken in five distance points (0, 1.8, 3.7, 5.6 and 7.5 m) perpendicular to tree legume rows. Signalgrass was taller at longer distances from the trees (P < 0.05). Signalgrass height differed between treatments, with taller signalgrass found in pastures mixed with G. sepium (15.6 cm) compared to M. caesalpiniifolia (9 cm) (P < 0.05). Herbage N content decreased with increasing distance from tree rows (P < 0.05). Litter N content followed a similar pattern, ranging from 23 g/kg under the trees to 12 g/kg at 7.5 m away from tree rows. Signalgrass did not grow under the tree crown (0–1.8 m), especially when intercropped with M. caesalpiniifolia. The findings of this study suggest that the type of legume trees used in the silvopastoral system has the potential to modify the pattern of grass growth and content of N in pasture litter.

The spatial distribution of maize plants influences the number of kernels set per plant by modifying the radiation environment during the critical period for kernel number determination. A two-year field experiment was conducted in Sardinia to explore whether, in a Mediterranean environment, a reduction in row distance can have a positive effect on grain yield of full-season maize hybrids and, if it does, whether this effect is also affected by plant density. Treatments were a factorial combination of three plant densities (6, 8 and 10 plants/m2) and two row spacings (35 and 70 cm). Grain yield and grain number benefited from a reduction in row distance from the canonical 70 cm to 35 cm irrespective of plant density and yield level (14.7 t/ha on average in 2021, 9.9 t/ha in 2022 vs 13.7 and 8.8 t/ha with canonical row distance). Row distance did not affect either the coefficient of extinction of radiation or the intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) during the critical period for grain number determination. The higher grain number per unit area at the smaller row distance translated into a greater grain yield, which cannot solely be attributed to radiation interception and plant growth rate during the period of kernel number determination. Halving the common row distance is a valuable management option for full-season hybrids grown in Mediterranean environments without nitrogen and water limitations as it seems capable of increasing grain yield via an increase in kernel number per unit area, regardless of plant density and yield level.