Search Results (4)

Slow/controlled-release fertilizers (SRFs/CRFs) occupy a critical position in agricultural advancement, enhancing productivity and sustainability by regulating nutrient release, improving fertilizer efficiency, reducing pollution, and promoting lasting agricultural progress. To attain an in-depth understanding of the current landscape, hotspots, and development trends in SRF/CRF research, this study employed the Bibliometrix toolkit in R, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace for the statistical and graphical analysis of pertinent literature in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database from 1990 to 2023. In this study, several dimensions were evaluated to assess the research scope and impact, including the quantity of published articles, authorship, citation frequency, keywords, institutional affiliations, publication journals, and source countries. The results indicate a significant increase in scholarly publications related to SRFs/CRFs from 1990 to 2023, totaling 1676 published papers across 77 subject categories. Research activities spanned 69 countries/regions, with China and the USA leading contributions. A total of 1691 research institutions published on SRFs/CRFs, with the University of Florida, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China’s Shandong Agricultural University being preeminent. HortScience, Science of the Total Environment, and Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis were the top three journals. Keyword co-occurrence and burst analysis disclosed that current research primarily focuses on several key areas: nitrogen (N) use efficiency, the processes of nitrification and denitrification, degradation, the use of phosphate (P) fertilizers, urea, and factors affecting crop growth and quality. The findings revealed several critical areas and trends within the sphere of SRFs/CRFs, with future research specifically directed towards developing cost-effective, efficacious, and environmentally friendly alternatives. Furthermore, future progress will concentrate on addressing the enduring environmental ramifications of SRF/CRF utilization. Full article

An online application called BeeGardens was developed for users to quickly access over 85 bee-friendly plants that attract 12 primary bee groups and ways to incorporate these into different landscape designs. The functionality and usefulness of the app was evaluated by students enrolled in two courses: Florida Native Landscaping or Annual and Perennial Gardening, taught in different semesters. Before and after the semester, students were asked to report their perceived confidence to (1) identify bee-friendly plants, (2) identify bee pollinators, and (3) design a bee-friendly garden, using a Likert scale with responses ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Means of pre- and post-test self-reported responses showed a significant confidence gain upon using the BeeGardens online application in both courses. Students in Annual and Perennial Gardening and Florida Native Landscaping were 1.26 and 1.34 times, respectively, more confident in their ability to identify pollinator plants, identify bee pollinators, and design bee gardens after using the web application. These data were consistent with pre- and post-tested means where students were asked to identify three major pollinator plants and three major pollinators using multiple choice response options. Test scores increased by 26.3% and 37.9% in Annual and Perennial Gardening and Florida Native Landscaping, respectively. The majority of students (95.0%) agreed or strongly agreed this learning tool was organized, easy to navigate, and would use it in the future. Since its launch in 2021, BeeGardens has averaged 1201 unique visits per month, revealing its popularity and wide use. Full article

State and local governments have implemented voluntary and mandatory programs to conserve and protect natural resources in and around urban developments. Even though the long-term environmental benefits are apparent, convincing homeowners to adopt sustainable landscapes with less water and chemical use is challenging. An important consideration from the successful policy implementation point of view is that homeowners have different environmental attitudes, which can be the determining factor that influences their adoption intentions of sustainable landscaping practices. This study assesses whether homeowners’ environmental attitude is a statistically significant predictor of sustainable landscape adoption intention. Moreover, homeowners’ perception of the effectiveness of the voluntary environmental programs may be influenced by their environmental attitudes and impose mediating effects on sustainable landscape adoption intentions. We also examine whether homeowners’ perceived effectiveness of voluntary environmental programs has a mediating effect on the adoption decision. The Value-Belief-Norm hierarchical model framework is utilized to examine both effects. The results revealed that homeowners’ pro-environmental attitudes influence their perceived effectiveness of voluntary programs and their sustainable landscape adoption intentions. The combined influence accounts for 13.6% of homeowners’ adoption intention. Homeowners’ personal norms also affect their perceived effectiveness of voluntary programs (9% variance explained), and the mediating effect of the perceived effectiveness of voluntary programs has an amplifying effect and positively influences the adoption intention. The implications for policymakers in the realm of landscape conservation programs are discussed. Full article

The influence of traditional residential landscapes on humans and the environment has provoked a discussion on maintaining landscapes in a sustainable way and conserving water resources. Traditional American landscapes require water-intensive management. Previous research has discussed potential negative impacts on the environment from prevalent improper landscaping maintenance techniques. To mitigate long-term consequences, sustainable landscape management programs aim at protecting the environment from harmful inputs and conserving water. Among alternative practices, converting fully turfgrass lawns to sustainable landscapes is recommended. The Florida Friendly Landscaping (FFL^TM) initiative is one such program designed to minimize negative impacts while maintaining and improving landscapes’ aesthetic characteristics. Although technological advancements in lawn care services have rapidly developed in the past few decades (e.g., smart irrigation systems), the level of homeowners’ knowledge and perceptions regarding sustainable practices are still at the forefront of potential factors that influence the widespread adoption of sustainable lawn management. Relatively few studies have investigated how homeowners’ knowledge and perceptions of sustainable landscapes affect adoption decisions. This study adapted Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior as a framework to examine how individuals’ knowledge and perceptions of sustainable landscapes influence their adoption intention, and to predict their pro-environmental behavior. We found that homeowners’ knowledge about lawns and landscapes (more knowledgeable) is positively correlated with their sustainable landscape adoption intention. Additionally, homeowners’ perceptions of landscape conservation practices (more agreeable with sustainable landscape practices) are positively correlated with sustainable landscape adoption intentions. The implications for policymakers and water conservation programs are discussed. Full article