Biol. Life Sci. Forum, 2024, IOCAG 2023

Tithonia diversifolia is often grown as a cover crop or as a green manure crop in climate-smart agriculture practices. This plant can be harvested at various growth stages, and the biomass can be incorporated into the soil. The decomposition of plant biomass enhances the soil’s nutrients, organic matter content, and crop productivity. This study aimed to determine the best harvesting stage of T. diversifolia to be used as an efficient soil amendment for coconut plantations. Samples were collected at one-, two-, three-, and four-month harvesting stages from an existing T. diversifolia field at Rathmalagara Research Station of the Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka. In the study, both plant-growth parameters and the nutrient composition of each plant part were individually evaluated for every section of the plant. Biochar was prepared from hardwood stems of T. diversifolia using them as the feedstock under five different temperatures from 300 ℃ to 700 ℃, and a proximate analysis was performed for the characterization of produced biochar. The mean values of measured parameters of T. diversifolia and the properties of biochar were significantly different (p < 0.05) at different growth stages and temperatures, respectively. Considering all the measured parameters of T. diversifolia, the three-month harvesting stage can be suggested as the best growth stage for it to be used as green manure. According to the proximate-analysis results, and by observing the half-burning of produced biochar, 500 ℃ can be proposed as the ideal temperature to produce biochar from hardwood stems. Full article

Citrus fruits enjoy widespread consumption globally, being among the most popular fruits. They are highly regarded for their nutritional composition, offering a range of beneficial nutrients. However, it is important to acknowledge that they can also elicit allergic reactions in sensitized individuals, which presents a contrasting aspect. The Bet v 1 cross-reacting allergen is a major birch pollen allergen, and it is the most commonly sensitizing allergen in central Europe. Bet v 1 belongs to the group of PR-10 proteins in the plant kingdom that cause various allergic reactions. The Bet v 1 allergen has a number of isoforms and homologs. These homolog genes are inherited from a common ancestor and subsequent amino acid similarity. They can cause the phenomenon of cross-reactivity in food allergies. The aim of the study was to analyze the length of polymorphism variability of the Bet v 1 homolog in orange varieties by using degenerated and nondegenerated primers. A total of eight varieties of Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck were used in the analysis. The BBAP technique (Bet v 1 based amplified polymorphism) was used to detect the length variability of fingerprints of allergen encoding genes of Bet v 1 homologs. Degenerated primer combinations and only one of the nondegenerated variants of primers provided fingerprints that were unique for every individual variety of analyzed oranges. By using other primer variants, from two up to the four varieties generated by the same BBAP profile, indicate a higher degree of Bet v 1 homolog sequential conservativity when compared to other fruit species. Full article

Agricultural practices such as tilling, sowing, cropping, It’s duty but arvesting, and land-use patterns in any agrarian economy depend on climate. Therefore, any adverse climatic conditions can seriously affect the production or yield of crops. Increased temperature enhances the susceptibility of crops to pests and various plant diseases. Weeds are also known to multiply rapidly and decrease the nutritive value of soil, negatively affecting crop production. Our present study is designed to address similar problems faced by the farming community in the South-24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India, and suggest several probable technological solutions. Importantly, West Bengal is included in one of the six agro-climatic zones. Major crops from this study site are rice, wheat, maize, jute, green gram, black gram, pigeon pea, lentils, sugarcane, pulses, rapeseed, mustard, sesame, linseed, and vegetables. Significantly, cultivable land area has decreased in comparison to the overall crop area in this region. Reduced interest in agriculture, irrigation problems, increased profit in the non-agricultural economy, and rapid conversion of agricultural land for commercial purposes (construction of plots, hatcheries for fishing practices), along with uncertainties associated with rainfall patterns and frequent cyclones, are matters of grave concern in this study area. Agricultural scientists, researchers, environmentalists, local bodies, and government organizations are suggesting alternatives to benefit farmers. Thus, precision agriculture or crop management is required to recognize site-specific variables within agricultural lands and formulate strategies for improving decision-making regarding crop sowing, appropriate use of herbicides, weedicides, and precision irrigation, along with innovative harvesting technologies. Thus, the present paper provides a vision for the farming community in our study area to overcome their traditional practices and adopt different techniques of precision agriculture to increase flexibility, performance, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. Soil temperature, humidity, and moisture monitoring sensors could be beneficial. Precision soil management, precision irrigation, crop disease management, weed management, and harvesting technologies are the different modules considered for discussion in this paper. Machine learning algorithms, such as decision tree, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), Gaussian naïve Bayes (GNB), K-means clustering, artificial neural network (ANN), fuzzy logic system (FLS), and support vector machine (SVM), could prove helpful for progressive farmers. The use of AI-powered weeding machines, drones, and UAVs for rapid weed removal and the localized application of herbicides and pesticides could also improve the accuracy and efficiency of agriculture. Utilizing drones fitted with high-resolution cameras could help gather precision field images, proving to be quite helpful in crop monitoring and crop health assessment. Unmanned driverless tractors and harvesting machines using robotics integrated with data from GPS/GIS sensors or radars could also be considered an effective and time-saving option. Thus, machine learning, along with innovative agricultural technologies, could contribute to improving the livelihoods of the farming fraternity. Full article

The scarcity of water resources is considered a major threat and challenge for agriculture. Water limitations could strongly affect the growth and development of many crops including quinoa, a nutrition-rich, climate-resilient crop that is gaining attention globally. Organic amendment application has been reported as a suitable option to mitigate the detrimental impacts of water shortage on soil and plant growth. In this context, two experiments were conducted on Chenopodium quinoa “Titicaca”; in the first experiment, we investigated the effect of different organic amendments, namely woodchips biochar (Bw), vineyard pruning biochar (Bv), and vermicompost (V), applied (alone and mixed) at 2% soil dry weight, on soil properties and the plant biomass of quinoa subjected to a water stress period during vegetative development. Among organic amendments tested, Bw and Bw+V increased plant biomass on average by 15%, while Bv and Bv+V reduced the plant biomass by 62% compared to non-amended soil (C). A significant reduction in soil pH was observed with Bw (7.61), while BV increased pH (8.04) compared to C (7.76). The Bw and Bv also reduced soil bulk density (BD) (1.19 g/m³ and 1.13 g/m³, respectively) compared to C (1.28 g/m³). As Bw performed better in the first experiment, the second experiment assessed only Bw at different doses, i.e., 0%, 2%, and 4% under water shortage by restoring only 50% evapotranspiration losses, when soil water content reached the 50% of available water content. Considering the Bw rates, the plants treated with Bw2% showed 34% and 19% more biomass and 36% and 66% more panicles than Bw0% and Bw4%, respectively. The Bw2% decreased the soil pH (7.79 versus 7.85) and electrical conductivity (286 versus 307 µS/cm) compared to Bw0%, which was not different from Bw4%. No differences were observed in BD between Bw0% and Bw2% (on average 1.28 g/m³), while BD decreased in Bw4% (1.06 g/m³). The findings of both experiments highlighted that the appropriate type and dose of biochar could improve soil properties and help quinoa plants to grow better under water-limited conditions. Full article

Diversification in cropping systems can increase production and reduce environmental impacts. Thus, we studied maize production as a function of the cropping system and the nitrogen rates applied as side-dressing. The experimental design involved randomized blocks with four replications in a split-plot scheme. The main plots were maize monoculture; maize intercropped with Congo grass (Urochloa ruziziensis cv. Comum); and maize intercropped with Aruana Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus cv. Aruana). The subplots were four nitrogen rates (0; 50; 100 and 150 kg ha⁻¹) applied as side-dressing. The maize and grasses row were fertilized with nitrogen. Maize intercropped with grasses needs an adequate nitrogen supply to be applied as side-dressing. Full article

Plant and fruit diseases significantly impact agricultural economies by diminishing crop quality and yield. Developing precise, automated detection techniques is crucial to minimize losses and drive economic growth. We introduce YOLO-AppleScab, integrating Content-Aware ReAssembly of FEature ($\mathbb{C}\mathbb{A}\mathbb{R}\mathbb{A}\mathbb{F}\mathbb{E}$) architecture into YOLOv7 for enhanced apple fruit detection and disease classification. The model achieves impressive metrics: F1, recall, and precision of 89.75%, 85.20%, and 94.80%, and a mean average precision of 89.30% at $IoU$ 0.5. With 64% efficiency, this model’s integration with YOLOv7 improves detection, promising economic benefits by accurately detecting apple scab disease and reducing agricultural damage. Full article

The place of local products in out-of-home catering and the growth of non-communicable metabolic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa raise questions. To identify the influence of the economic and social environments on this phenomenon, this study analyzes the foods and consumers concerning the main meal of the day. A survey of 180 customers from seventy-three catering establishments in the province of Haut Ogooué in southeastern Gabon was conducted. They were interviewed between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. over a month using a semi-structured questionnaire providing socio-demographic variables, foods, side dishes, cooking methods, prices, and food additives consumed in restaurants and at home. The results show that clients are disadvantaged young people (30.3 ± 9.7 years) who consume animal proteins that are less available at home. Low prices, imported food, proximity, the availability of food additives rich in oils and salts, and the possibility of consuming local side foods explain the success of out-of-home catering. The cooking and consumption patterns are conducive to the development in the long-term of non-communicable metabolic diseases. Full article

A field experiment was conducted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.), India, during the kharif season (June–September) in 2019 to study the impact of planting techniques and nutrient management on the crop productivity and profitability of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The treatment comprised four planting techniques as the main (M) treatments and six fertility levels as subplot (S) treatments in a split-plot design with three replications. The results of the experimentation revealed that Conventional Tillage Transplanted rice and the combination of nitrogen chemical fertilizer with organic nitrogen from FYM (farmyard yard manure) resulted in the highest effective tillers, grains per panicle and grain yield. Conventional Tillage Transplanted rice (M2) stood out with the highest gross returns (USD 1151.27 per ha) and net returns (USD 690.03 per ha) due to its superior yield. The Reduce Tillage Transplanted rice (M1) and Unpuddled Transplanted rice (M4) techniques produced good yields, with net returns of USD 564.97 per ha and USD 634.93 per ha, respectively. Among the fertility levels, 75% NPK + 25% N FYM (S5) led with the highest gross returns (USD 1257.74 per ha) and net returns (USD 815.90 per ha). The treatment with 100% NPK + 25% N from FYM (S6) also performed well, with net returns of USD 837.70 per ha, emphasizing the value of combining chemical fertilizers and organic sources for optimal results. Among the planting techniques, M2 resulted in the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.5), while S5 yielded the highest benefit-cost ratio (1.85), indicating their economic viability Full article

Tribal women entrepreneurship has gained significant attention in recent years as a means to empower women from indigenous communities and foster sustainable development within their societies. However, with the recognition of their unique skills, knowledge, and cultural heritage, tribal women are increasingly embracing entrepreneurship as a pathway to economic self-sufficiency and empowerment. Our research analysed bibliometric data from 2002 to 2023 to see how the field of study on tribal women entrepreneurs has evolved. This study looked at a wide range of factors, including publication details, authorship details, country of origin, and author-related keywords. The R studio Bibliometrix programme was used to make the visuals. The annual output of publications increased by 9.82% after the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was a notable increase in the number of publications on tribal women entrepreneurship. Possible causes include supportive technological development, a thriving environment for new businesses, and government initiatives. India and the United States have produced the most comprehensive studies of entrepreneurship followed by the United Kingdom, but researchers from all over the world have worked together on similar projects. This study has shown that there has been a significant increase in entrepreneurial research activity, as well as demonstrating the breadth and interdisciplinary character of this research. However, more work needs to be carried out to bring together scholars from different fields to examine how different organisations have impacted the study of tribal women entrepreneurs. Full article

Compared with conventional soil additives, biochar has found successful application as an organic soil amendment to improve crop productivity coupled with climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration. This study investigated the synthesis of biochar from wastewater sludge, followed by its application for lettuce plant growth. Biochar was added to the soil at three rates of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% (w/w) using pot experiments under greenhouse conditions. Biochar application demonstrated an economic feasibility scenario with a payback period of 0.89 years. Hence, the study outcomes can contribute to eco-friendly crop management, soil conservation, and combat climate change, providing a reliable strategy for achieving targets of SDG 2 “Zero hunger,” SDG 13 “Climate action,” and SDG 15 “Life on land.” Full article

According to the United Nations FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), the world population will expand by another 2 billion in 2050, but extra land area under cultivation will account for only 4% of the total land area at that time. In such cases, more efficient farming practices can be achieved by utilizing recent technical developments and solutions to current farming bottlenecks. Crop metrics could be constructed over hundreds of acres of cultivable land using remote sensing (RS) techniques and 3D laser scanning. AI-based crops produced a 30% increase in average crop output per ha and provided a rapid GTM (go-to-market) approach for crops. This article raises the image of boosting agriculture and analyzes the AI-powered concepts in the future and the obstacles that are expected. Full article

The aim of this work was to investigate several durum wheat genotypes (eleven landraces, two old varieties and seven modern cultivars) for salt tolerance at germination and early growth stages. Seeds were tested under two different concentrations of NaCl solution (50 mM and 100 mM) and a control (T) with distilled water. Experiments were laid out in a two-factorial design with three replications. Two-way ANOVA was performed and means were compared with Duncan’s Multiple Range test. Seven parameters were measured under laboratory conditions: germination, mean germination time, shoot length, root length, root number, shoot dry matter and root dry matter. Rusticano, with the highest value of root number (5.44), was statistically different from all other genotypes. Timilia reste bianche, Timilia reste nere, Ciciredda and Cappelli are highlighted for the best root length performance at 100 mM. Full article

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a widely consumed and essential food crop globally, making it an ideal food matrix for biofortification. Agronomic biofortification is one of the strategies used to enhance Ca content in edible parts of crops, considering the adverse health issues associated with Ca deficiency. This study aims to investigate the impact of Ca agronomic biofortification through four foliar applications after the beginning of tuberization on the yield of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. (Picasso variety) produced in Lourinhã (Portugal) in 2018, focusing on the application of calcium chloride or, alternatively, calcium nitrate at different concentrations (calcium chloride—1, 3, 6 and 12 kg/ha or calcium nitrate—0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kg/ha). Control plants and plants subjected to the different Ca treatments were placed in plots of 20 × 24 m; the treatments were carried out in quadruplicate (compass 60–80 cm). As such, the Ca content in tubers was quantified by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the different treatments. The Ca biofortification index with calcium chloride or calcium nitrate ranged between 5 and 40%, with the treatment with 6 kg/ha CaCl₂ being the one which presented the highest Ca content in tubers at harvest and 1 kg/ha CaCl₂ being the treatment with the lowest Ca biofortification index. However, 6 kg/ha CaCl₂, despite presenting the highest Ca content, was not the treatment that presented the highest yield. Indeed, all the calcium nitrate treatments demonstrated a substantial increase in tubers yield, which varied between 2.3 (4 kg/ha Ca(NO₃)₂) and 24.3% (2 kg/ha Ca(NO₃)₂). Statistical analysis was carried out in all the analyses using one-way ANOVA to assess differences among treatments in Solanum tuberosum L. (Picasso variety), followed by Tukey’s analysis for mean comparison, with a 95% confidence level. Furthermore, these findings emphasize the potential of Ca biofortification, especially calcium nitrate treatments, in enhancing the yield of Solanum tuberosum L. tubers. Full article

Pectin, which is made from citrus peel and waste, is one of the most commonly used compounds in the food industry. For large-scale production, a combination of membrane-vacuum filtering has been suggested as an alternative to traditional methods of purifying the acidic solution for pectin extraction. This study investigates the main factors involved in the membrane filtering system for the separation of fibrous materials from an acidic pectin solution under vacuum. These factors include filter aid particle size, the amount of filter aid (perlite) added to the solution, and the vacuum level. They affect separation quality, volumetric flow rate, and energy consumption. A vacuum separation device was developed for this purpose to separate the fibrous material dissolved in the solution. The independent variables were examined at three levels, and the data were analyzed. The optimum value for each variable was determined using the response surface method (RSM). Results revealed that increasing the vacuum level from 0.2 to 0.4 bar increases the flow rate 6.5-fold, while further increase in the vacuum level decreases the flow rate. This indicates clogging of the paper filter and decreased flow rate at a vacuum level of 0.6 bar and perlite particle size of 100 microns. The evaluation results showed that the thickness of the perlite layer has the greatest effect on the separation efficiency. When increased from 1 to 2 cm, it increases the efficiency 2.5-fold. The maximum value of separation efficiency was obtained at a vacuum level of 0.2 bar, a particle size of 20 microns, and a perlite thickness of 2 cm. The energy consumption of 60-micron perlite was 0.74 Wh in the optimal state, while the larger and smaller sizes of perlite had 4.5 times the energy consumption. These findings are applicable in the industrial-scale implementation of a biomaterial separation system using vacuum membrane filtering. Full article

The grain yield of wheat is primarily limited by drought. To increase the level of productivity under these conditions, a pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of foliar fertilizer with boron and magnesium under drought at either tillering or anthesis stages on some physiological parameters and yield components of two varieties of durum wheat. Foliar application with combined boron and magnesium significantly improved the transpiration rate, relative water content, and total chlorophyll content. Foliar application with combined boron and magnesium significantly increased the grain weight of wheat varieties at tillering and anthesis drought by 25% and 36%, respectively. Our findings showed the significance of foliar application at anthesis drought rather than at tillering for improvement of grain yield. Full article

This paper aims to develop an effective AI-driven method to predict the maturity level of coconut (Cocos nucifera) fruits using acoustic signals. The proposed sound-based autonomous approach exploits various deep learning models, including customized CNN pretrained networks, i.e., the ResNet50, InceptionV3, and MobileNetV2, models for maturity level classification of the coconuts. The proposed study also demonstrates the effectiveness of various deep learning models to automatically predict the maturity of coconuts into three classes, i.e., premature, mature, and overmature coconuts, for inspecting the coconut fruits by using a small amount of input acoustic data. We use an open-access dataset containing a total of 122 raw acoustic signals, which is the result of knocking 122 coconut samples. The results achieved by the proposed method for coconut maturity prediction are found to be promising, which enables producers to accurately determine the yield and product quality. Full article

The purpose of this work is to present a three-species harvesting food web model that takes into account the interactions of susceptible prey, infected prey, and predator species. Prey species are assumed to expand logistically in the absence of predator species. The Crowley–Martin and Beddington–DeAngelis functional responses are used by predators to consume both susceptible and infected prey. Additionally, susceptible prey is consumed by infected prey in the formation of a Holling type II response. Both prey species are considered when prey harvesting is taken into account. Boundedness, positivity, and positive invariance are considered in this study. The investigation covers all the equilibrium points that are biologically feasible. Local stability is evaluated by analyzing the distribution of eigen values, while global stability is evaluated using suitable Lyapunov functions. Also, Hopf bifurcation is analyzed at the harvesting rate ${\mathcal{H}}_1$. At the end, we evaluate the numerical solutions based on our findings. Full article

This study aims to analyze patents relating to new plant varieties of Lamiaceae, a plant family recognized for the interest of these genera in the medicinal and aromatic fields. The study also seeks to identify the genera and species most exploited in innovative applications. To identify the latest trends in this area, we systematically reviewed patents concentrating on new varieties of Lamiaceae. The relevant patent documents were identified within a specialized database using the International Patent Classification. The United States encompasses all plant patents in this area, and it is considered the leading jurisdiction. This is also confirmed by the American organizations, which led the way with the most applicants. The Lamiaceae genera concerned with the legal protection of new plant varieties comprise 23 genera. Among them are Plectranthus, Salvia, and Lavandula, which present 55.4% of total patent documents in this area. The essential objective claimed by the majority of patent documents analyzed in this study is ornamental. Furthermore, other inventive purposes are also claimed in the patent documents, but with a low percentage, such as genetic engineering, the selection of a compound, etc. Full article

Quickly and accurately judging the quality grades of apples is the basis for choosing suitable harvesting date and setting a suitable storage strategy. At present, the research of multi-task classification algorithm models based on CNN is still in the exploration stage, and there are still some problems such as complex model structure, high computational complexity and long computing time. This paper presents a light-weight architecture based on multi-task convolutional neural networks for maturity (L-MTCNN) to eliminate immature and defective apples in the intelligent integration harvesting task. L-MTCNN architecture with diseases classification sub-network (D-Net) and maturity classification sub-network (M-Net), to realize multi-task discrimination of the apple appearance defect and maturity level. Under different light conditions, the image of fruit may have color damage, which makes it impossible to accurately judge the problem, an image preprocessing method based on brightness information was proposed to restore fruit appearance color under different illumination conditions in this paper. In addition, for the problems of inaccurate prediction results caused by tiny changes in apple appearance between different maturity levels, triplet loss is introduced as the loss function to improve the discriminating ability of maturity classification task. Based on the study and analysis of apple grade standards, three types of apples were taken as the research objects. By analyzing the changes in apple fruit appearance in each stage, the data set corresponding to the maturity level and fruit appearance was constructed. Experimental results show that D-Net and M-Net have significantly improved recall rate, precision rate and F1-Score in all classes compared with AlexNet, ResNet18, ResNet34 and VGG16. Full article

Food allergies are an increasingly common phenomenon across all age groups and can be called an epidemic of modern times. Legumes are a nutritionally attractive crop because of their high protein content and well-balanced nutritional value. However, in addition to nutritionally valuable components, they contain a relatively high amount of antinutritional factors such as glycosides, lectins, inhibitors of digestive enzymes, and antinutritional proteins, including allergens. Different genomic-based analyses of allergen-coding parts are relevant in research into legume gene resources. Here, a total of thirty different soybean varieties were analyzed for polymorphism based on the specific homologous sequences of genes for vicilin and profilin; products of both of these genes belong to allergenic molecules of this species. A total of 16 different amplicons were obtained when profilin was used as marker and 17 different amplicons were obtained when vicilin was used. Comparing both of the used techniques, vicilin provided more polymorphic profiles, but in five of analyzed varieties no amplicons were obtained. Profilin fingerprints provided a higher degree of similarity coefficients among individual varieties of the soybean. Both of used PCR-based techniques proved to be applicable for genomic-based screening of allergen homologs in the genetic resources of Glycine max L. Full article