Agronomy, Volume 9, Issue 3

Forage plants underpin the livestock industry. Selective breeding, including polyploidization, where genome size is increased by whole genome duplication, changes the productivity and stress tolerance of new varieties. We conducted a growth chamber e...

The effects of water stress on crop yield through modifications of plant architecture are vital to crop performance such as common bean plants. To assess the extent of this effect, an outdoor experiment was conducted in which common bean plants recei...

The release of commercial wheat cultivars resistant to stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), remains one of the primary objectives in many breeding programs. Previous studies of adult plant resistance derived from the wint...

Corn tassel is a valuable co-product and an excellent source of phytochemicals with bioactive properties. The information on the genetic diversity in the tassel properties of waxy corn germplasm is important for creating new varieties that can have t...

This study aimed to determine the effects of various light qualities (green (G), ultraviolet-A (UV-A), and far-red (Fr)) on the growth and development of tomato plug seedlings. The ‘Mini Chal’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings we...

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important horticultural crop that is vegetatively propagated using runner plants. To achieve massive production of runner plants, it is important to transfer the assimilation products of the mother p...

In recent years, continuous efforts have been made to understand the impact of biochar on arable soil fertility. Little is known about whether the biochar derived from municipal sewage sludge has positive impacts on urban soil. In this study, we pyro...

It is important to identify the growth stage at which the plant has the maximum antioxidant properties for the production of bioactive compounds from crops or agricultural by-products or for forage as a possible source of antioxidants in livestock. T...

Water stress can positively or negatively impact grape yield and yield quality, and there is a need for wine growers to accurately regulate water use. In a four-year study (2010–2013), energy balance fluxes were measured with an eddy-covariance...

Rational crop community structure plays an important role in maximizing the intercropping yield advantage. Effects of increasing maize densities in maize (Zea mays L.)/peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropping on yields and other agronomic traits, a...

The tuberous root crop, yacon, is native to the Andean region and contains high amounts of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) with up to 70% of dry matter. Due to FOS, consumption of tubers may have health-promoting effects. However, regarding the overall...

Suckering is the process of removing the suckers that grapevine trunks put out in the spring. Suckering by hand is costly and time consuming and requires constant bending down, getting up and making repetitive motions. The mechanical removal of sucke...

Research interest regarding maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) has increased over the last years due to its potential health benefits as one of the most antioxidant-rich berries. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) is an advanced green, fast, and ecologi...

Photosynthesis is the basis for plant productivity, and improvement of photosynthetic efficiency is an important way to improve crop yield. However, the relationship between photosynthetic parameters and the yield of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tata...

This editorial introduces the Special Issue, entitled “Deep Learning (DL) Techniques for Agronomy Applications”, of Agronomy. Topics covered in this issue include three main parts: (I) DL-based image recognition techniques for agronomy applications,...

Under adverse environmental conditions, biostimulants can help crops withstand abiotic stress while increasing productivity. We have designed a sequential system based on two different biological model organisms—the baker’s yeast Saccharo...

Silicon (Si) and phosphorus (P) are beneficial nutrient elements for plant growth. These elements are widely used in chemical fertilizers despite their abundance in the earth’s crust. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers is a threat to sustain...

Organic farming has become an important alternative to conventional farming, mostly because of environmental sustainability issues, and has long-term positive benefits over soil, water, air and climate change, biodiversity, prohibiting the use of gen...

The present study aimed to evaluate the potentiality of three seaweeds, which belong to different algal taxa (green alga Ulva lactuca Linnaeus, brown alga Cystoseira spp., and red alga Gelidium crinale (Hare ex Turner) Gaillon) as bio-fertilizers to...

The evolution of individual and total capsaicinoids content in three pepper varieties of Capsicum chinense Jacq. (‘Bode’ (B), ‘Habanero’ (H), and ‘Habanero Roxo’ (Hr)) during fruit ripening was studied. The five ma...

The aim of this investigation was to enhance overall growth, yield attributes as well as physio-biochemical adaptive strategies by exogenous foliar application of glycine betaine (GlyBet) in two rice varieties against water deficit stress under green...

Red and blue light have great effects on physiological processes and growth of plants. In this experiment, we investigated the physiological and growth response of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to supplementary red:blue (4:1) light for 1 h (T1), 3 h (T...

Soil bacteria are some of the key players affecting plant productivity. Soil today is exposed to emerging contaminants like metal engineered nanoparticles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicological effects of silver and zinc oxide...

The drought resistance mechanism of Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Todar. and Athyrium multidentatum (Doll.) Ching were measured under natural drought exposure. The results showed that the two edible fern species showed stronger resistance in the ear...

Climate change will lead to higher frequencies and durations of water limitations during the growing season, which may affect table grape yield. The aim of this experiment was to determine the variability among 3-year old table grape cultivars under...

To obtain high chia seed yields and seed qualities, a suitable crop management system needs to be developed for the given growing conditions in southwestern Germany. Field experiments were conducted at the experimental station Ihinger Hof in two cons...

Onobrychis viciifolia (Scop.) (sainfoin) is promoted in the Spanish Aragón region through the Agro-Environmental Schemes (AES) since 2007 with the aim of enhancing biodiversity. Also, in other countries, the interest in this legume crop is gro...

Research into the symbiotic relationship between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is key for sustainable agricultural intensification. The objective of the present study is to evaluate native AMF at the monosporic level in greenhouse-gro...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi favor plant growth by improving nutrient acquisition, but also by increasing their resistance against abiotic and biotic stressors, including herbivory. Mechanisms of AM fungal mediated increased resistance include a...

Mediterranean soils are particularly threatened by salinization and low levels of organic matter content. In order to assess an edaphic sustainable use, we need to study its characteristics and better understand the temporal and spatial evolution. In...

This 2-year field experiment investigated the effects of full straw incorporation on soil fertility and crop yield in a rice-wheat (Oryza sativa L.–Triticum aestivum L.) rotation on sandy, loamy soil. Two treatments were tested: (i) straw remov...

Plant height is a vital agronomic trait for crops, including oilseed crops such as rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). It affects the crop yield, oil content, and lodging resistance in rapeseed. In this study, we investigated a dwarf trait controlled by a...

Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient required for plant growth and development. It is central to many biological processes, including nucleic acid synthesis, respiration, and enzymatic activity. However, the strong adsorption of phosphorus by min...

The introduction of nanofertilizers (Nfs) in agriculture has allowed the development of new technologies that enhance the productivity of crops. Within the most studied Nfs we find metal oxides, especially ZnO; however, the results of various experim...

Drought is one of the most harmful environmental stresses affecting the physiological, biochemical processes and growth of plants. Lucerne or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), one of the most popular pasture species in arid and semi-arid regions, plays a...

Increasing soil carbon stocks in agricultural grasslands has a strong potential to mitigate climate change. However, large uncertainties around the drivers of soil respiration hinder our ability to identify management practices that enhance soil carb...

The goal of this paper is to show that logistic regression is an analytical method of interest to evaluate the marketability of different pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars. Two studies were conducted on “Italian sweet” pepper cultivar...

Agricultural scientists face the dual challenge of breeding input-responsive, widely adoptable and climate-resilient varieties of crop plants and developing such varieties at a faster pace. Integrating the gains of genomics with modern-day phenomics...

This review deals with the main mechanisms of action exerted by antagonistic bacteria, such as competition for space and nutrients, suppression via siderophores, hydrolytic enzymes, antibiosis, biofilm formation, and induction of plant resistance. Th...

Sorption could be a way to concentrate nutrients in diluted waste streams to bring more nutrients back to agriculture. However, the sorbed nutrients must be plant available. The aim of this work was to investigate how plant available nitrogen (N) add...

When drought occurs during the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) sowing period, emergence will most likely be affected. We evaluated a diverse panel of 373 plant introductions under controlled environmental conditions for primary root length (PRL) (at 1...

A Multi-parent Advanced Generation Intercross (MAGIC) tomato population was developed by crossing eight founder lines chosen to include a wide range of variability. The lines were previously genotyped by a genotyping by sequencing approach. The MAGIC...

Developing disease models to simulate and analyse yield losses for various pathogens is a challenge for the crop modelling community. In this study, we developed and tested a simple method to simulate septoria tritici blotch (STB) in the Cropsim-CERE...

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is one of the most important factors having adverse effects on yield and grain quality all over the world, particularly in wet harvest conditions. PHS is controlled by both genetic and environmental factors and the interac...

Canopy stomatal conductance is a key physiological factor controlling transpiration from plant canopies, but it is extremely difficult to determine in field environments. The objective of this study was to develop a radiometric method for calculating...

: Understanding the interaction between salinity and nitrogen (N) nutrition is of great economic importance to improve plant growth and grain yield for oat plants. The objective of this study was to investigate whether N application could alleviate t...

Under field conditions, plants need to optimize nutrient ion and water acquisition in their fluctuating environment. One of the most important variables involved in variations of ion uptake processes is temperature. It modifies the thermodynamic proc...

Deficiencies in phosphorus (P), an essential factor for plant growth and aided phytostabilization, are commonly observed in soil, especially near mining areas. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of P-based fertilizer types on arsen...

Double-flower ornamental crabapples display eye-catching morphologies in comparison to single flower, but the genetic basis of double-flower development is not yet well known in apples. In order to comprehensively understand the differential expressi...

Optimization of the nitrogen (N) inputs and minimization of nutrient losses strongly affect yields in crop rotations. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of agricultural practices on yield and N use in a 4-year cereal-legume rotation...