Search Results (22,408)

The extensive use of pesticides in modern agriculture has resulted in their persistent accumulation in environmental systems, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health. Consequently, the development of integrated strategies for the sensitive detection and efficient removal of pesticide residues has become critically important. In this context, fluorescent inorganic–organic hybrid nanoparticles have emerged as versatile platforms owing to their tunable physicochemical properties and distinctive optical behavior. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in these hybrid nanomaterials for pesticide sensing and remediation. Particular emphasis is placed on the underlying photophysical mechanisms governing detection, including fluorescence quenching, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), inner filter effect (IFE), and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). In parallel, the role of interfacial interactions such as hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and π–π stacking in adsorption processes is critically discussed. Furthermore, these hybrid systems exhibit high adsorption capacities and rapid removal kinetics, enabling efficient pesticide elimination using both adsorption and catalytic degradation pathways. Overall, this review underscores the potential of fluorescent inorganic–organic hybrid nanoparticles as next-generation materials for sustainable environmental monitoring and remediation of pesticide contaminants. Full article

Myanmar, an agriculture-based economy, is one of the most important agricultural countries in mainland Southeast Asia. Although previous studies have documented changes in agricultural land-use and cropping patterns, trends in farmland area, cropping patterns, and food sufficiency across Myanmar’s 14 states/regions remain limited. This study addresses these gaps by using land-cover data from the global 30 m dynamic dataset and statistical data from 2000 to 2025, and household surveys from selected areas. GIS-based spatial analysis, trend analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance were applied to analyze both the direction and magnitude of farmland and cropping pattern changes over time. The results showed that Myanmar’s farmland area increased significantly (τ = +0.52, p < 0.01), expanding by 23.6% over the study period. Double cropping remained an important system, increasing by 55.9%. In the central dry zone, sufficient water availability showed the strongest effect on crop production and farmland area (F = 11.191, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.037), followed by soil fertility loss (F = 10.263, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.034). The analysis estimated that domestic consumption requirements were approximately 7.97 million tons of rice, 3.12 million tons of wheat, and 0.42 million tons of maize. These findings can support sustainable farmland use planning and inform food security policy decisions in Myanmar. Full article

Sustainable polyurethane-based biocomposites (PUBs) reinforced with waste artichoke stem (WAS) and modified soybean oil (MSO) provide a promising approach for agricultural-waste valorization and the development of multifunctional polymeric materials. In this study, 48 PUB formulations are prepared by systematically varying WAS content from 0.0 to 3.5 wt.% and MSO content from 0 to 5 wt.%. The dielectric constant, thermal conductivity, Shore A hardness, bulk density, tensile strength, and elongation at break are experimentally evaluated. Across the investigated formulations, the dielectric constant, thermal conductivity, Shore A hardness, bulk density, tensile strength, and elongation at break range from 1.10 to 1.56, 0.024 to 0.036 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, 9.5 to 43.0, 34.0 to 67.0 kg m⁻³, 115 to 297 kPa, and 62 to 176%, respectively. A multi-output artificial neural network (ANN) model is developed in MATLAB using WAS and MSO contents as input variables and the six experimentally determined properties as simultaneous outputs. The ANN architecture consists of two input neurons, one hidden layer with ten neurons, and six output neurons. Levenberg–Marquardt (LM), Bayesian Regularization (BR), and Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG) algorithms are comparatively evaluated using 42 samples for model development and six independent samples for external validation. The results demonstrate that the ANN successfully captures the nonlinear relationships between formulation variables and the investigated multifunctional properties. Among the evaluated training algorithms, BR provides the most accurate and robust predictive performance, followed by LM, whereas SCG exhibits comparatively lower prediction accuracy. The proposed experimental–computational framework enables reliable simultaneous prediction of the electrical, thermal, physical, and mechanical properties of PUBs and provides an efficient strategy for reducing experimental effort and accelerating the formulation and performance assessment of sustainable biocomposites. Full article

Rainfall characteristics, differences in catchment storage, soil moisture dynamics, and geophysical properties influence spatial and temporal variability of runoff generation thresholds. This study addresses two questions: (1) Are there nonlinear thresholds of rainfall or antecedent moisture that trigger abrupt changes in agricultural catchments’ hydrological response? (2) What physical characteristics determine runoff generation? We analyzed precipitation and streamflow variability during the 2025–2026 hydrological year at three agricultural catchments (36.4–70.8 km²) in central Chile. Relying on high-resolution observational data and statistical segmented regression, this study focuses on how rainfall, soil moisture, and physical characteristics trigger runoff activation after exceeding specific thresholds. Based on 63 rainfall events, runoff occurred in only 16 events, demonstrating a strong nonlinear response governed by antecedent moisture. Segmented regression revealed consistent activation thresholds across all catchments when combined precipitation and deep soil moisture (PTOT + ASM100) exceeded ~505 mm, evidencing strong subsurface control. However, runoff efficiency diverged sharply along the land-use gradient. The most intensively agricultural catchment exhibited the highest specific peak discharge and a unique rainfall intensity threshold (14.6 mm/h), indicating rapid infiltration-excess runoff driven by degraded soil permeability. Conversely, catchments with higher headwater or riparian forest cover buffered these rapid flows, sustaining baseflow and extending recession times. Full article

This study investigated the energy characteristics of a 100 hp-class agricultural tractor under representative agricultural operations using field-measured workload data and a scenario-based energy analysis framework. Six representative operations, including moldboard plowing, subsoiling, rotary tillage, baler operation, transport operation, and loader operation, were analyzed to evaluate operation-level energy characteristics under realistic agricultural conditions. The results showed that tractor energy demand varied substantially depending on the workload characteristics of each task. Traction-intensive operations exhibited sustained high-power demand, whereas rotary tillage showed the highest specific energy consumption (SEC) because of continuous power take-off (PTO)-driven operation. Utility-oriented operations generally exhibited lower SEC values than traction- and PTO-intensive operations. Scenario-based analysis further demonstrated that workload composition strongly influenced annual energy use (AEU). The traction-intensive scenario exhibited the highest AEU, whereas the utility-oriented scenario showed the lowest cumulative annual energy demand. Sensitivity analysis revealed that annual operating hours had an approximately proportional influence on AEU across all scenarios. The proposed framework provides a practical basis for evaluating workload-dependent tractor energy characteristics and offers useful insights for future agricultural tractor electrification strategies. Full article

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield depends on biological nitrogen fixation, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and calcium fertilizer on nodulation remain unclear. Here, we used integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate potential mechanisms in peanut roots. Compared with the non-inoculated control, AMF inoculation alone was associated with a 22.1% higher nodule number per plant. The combined application of AMF and CaO showed a 35.9% higher nodulation than AMF alone, and a 30.9% higher AMF colonization rate than AMF alone was also observed. Mechanistically, AMF colonization was associated with enhanced carbon-nitrogen metabolic profiles and up-regulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism-related pathways, suggesting a potential role in providing energy, carbon skeletons, and signaling molecules for nodule formation. Calcium fertilizer correlated with strengthening of the glyoxylate cycle and pentose phosphate pathway, possibly contributing to the energy supply for nodulation. It also affected genes related to protein secretion and lipid metabolism, with observed changes in membrane lipids and transport metabolites, which may enhance symbiotic interface function. This study reveals the multi-level mechanisms through which AMF and calcium fertilizer collectively promote peanut nodulation, providing a systems-level perspective on plant–microbe–nutrient relationships during symbiosis. Our findings offer new insights for sustainable agriculture by reducing chemical nitrogen inputs and promoting nodulation in legumes. Full article

Accurate mapping of commercial durian plantations is essential for agricultural inventory, precision agriculture, and sustainable land management but remains challenging because of spectral similarity with other evergreen vegetation. This study developed a multisource remote sensing approach integrating multi-temporal Sentinel-2 imagery, Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), DEM-derived terrain variables, recursive feature selection, and machine learning for binary durian plantation classification in Sisaket Province, Thailand. A total of 2430 field reference samples were used to evaluate Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Classification and Regression Tree (CART). RF achieved the strongest overall performance using the integrated Sentinel-2, Sentinel-1, and DEM dataset, with an Overall Accuracy of 90.38%, an F1-score of 90.59%, a Kappa coefficient of 0.81, and an AUC of 0.991. Recursive feature selection reduced the predictor set from 53 to 12 variables (77.4%) while retaining high classification performance. The retained 12-predictor subset comprised nine Sentinel-2-derived variables (five seasonal EVI and four NDBI variables), two Sentinel-1 VV/VH ratio variables, and one DEM-derived elevation variable, corresponding to 75.0%, 16.7%, and 8.3% of the retained predictors, respectively. The proposed approach provides an accurate and computationally efficient method for durian plantation mapping within the study area, with broader applicability requiring further validation. Full article

Climate change is altering soil organic carbon stocks and the associated carbon fluxes of cropland ecosystems—including organic matter mineralization, microbial respiration rates, and CO₂ emissions—through shifts in temperature and moisture regimes. Ecosystem respiration, the main pathway linking terrestrial carbon pools to atmospheric CO₂, directly governs the carbon source–sink balance of croplands. As integral components of the agroecosystem, soil microorganisms directly participate in ecosystem respiration and organic carbon transformation: they contribute to heterotrophic respiration through the decomposition of organic matter, while also synthesizing new organic compounds, forming microbial biomass, and promoting organic carbon stabilization, with their community composition and metabolic activity adjusting to changing environmental conditions. To synthesize research progress and clarify how the field has evolved over the past three decades, we analyzed 290 publications (1991–2025) from the Web of Science Core Collection, combining bibliometric tools (CiteSpace 7.0, VOSviewer 1.6.20) with a structured evidence synthesis to map the research landscape, knowledge structure, hotspot evolution, and mechanistic understanding of the microbial processes underlying cropland ecosystem respiration. Publication output has grown steadily, led by China (161 publications; 55.5%) and the United States (47; 16.2%), which together account for 71.7% of the sample. The knowledge structure has coalesced around five core themes (ecosystem respiration, soil microbial communities, soil organic carbon, carbon cycling, and agricultural management), corresponding to 14 major thematic clusters (Q = 0.668, S = 0.778). Rather than strictly sequential stages, these thematic areas developed largely in parallel, with a gradual shift in research emphasis over time: early work centered on fundamental carbon-cycle processes, including soil respiration flux, organic matter decomposition, and CO₂ release, whereas later research increasingly emphasized microbial community structure, functional mechanisms, carbon use efficiency, soil organic carbon stabilization, carbon sequestration, fungal communities, and ecological stoichiometry. The responses of cropland respiration to climate change are context-dependent: under specific conditions their direction and magnitude may be dominated by a single limiting factor, whereas overall they emerge from the coordinated interplay of temperature, moisture, substrate supply, and agricultural management, within which microbial processes play a central but still incompletely resolved role. Future research should prioritize long-term in situ observations, multi-factor coupling experiments, and functional validation of microbial processes, and integrate microbial mechanisms into ecosystem models to strengthen predictions of cropland carbon cycling and support agricultural emission reduction, carbon sequestration, and sustainable management. Full article

Organic amendments (biochar, manure, and straw) are widely used as soil-applied functional materials in polluted soils; however, integrated comparative assessments within crop rotation systems remain limited. We established a rice (Oryza sativa L.: Hanyou 3015 and Yangtaiyou 128)–celery (Apium graveolens L.: Queen Celery) rotation system on farmland contaminated with heavy metals (HMs). Biochar (B), manure (M), and straw (S) were applied to assess HM dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O), and overall system responses. B showed limited but generally stabilizing effects on crop performance and greenhouse gas emissions in the rice–celery rotation system; however, it significantly reduced Cd, Pb, and Zn uptake in celery during the later stages of the rotation. Although M enhanced soil N transformation and microbial biomass C, increased yield by 50%, and improved total system carbon sequestration, the associated risk of heavy metal accumulation during the initial rice phase should be considered in agricultural management. S increased rice and celery yields, reduced Pb and Zn accumulation in edible parts, and enhanced carbon sequestration in both crops and soil during the celery phase. These results highlight amendment-specific functions and associated trade-offs in the management of contaminated soils. Full article

Soil salinization poses a major environmental threat to global agriculture, affecting approximately 20% of cultivated land and 50% of irrigated land worldwide. Developing salt–alkali tolerant plant varieties represents a sustainable strategy for utilizing these marginal lands. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) is a key enzyme in the phosphoinositide signaling system and has been implicated in plant stress responses; however, its function under salt–alkali stress remains poorly understood. In this study, the function of AtPLC1 in salt–alkali tolerance was investigated, and only the atplc1 mutant exhibited a pronounced stress-sensitive phenotype, with AtPLC1 being predominantly expressed in roots and leaves, with peak expression at 6 h of treatment. Compared with wild-type, atplc1 mutants displayed significantly reduced seedling survival, retarded root growth, decreased biomass, water content, chlorophyll, and soluble sugar contents, yet accumulated higher levels of Na⁺, malondialdehyde, H₂O₂, and superoxide anions under salt–alkali stress. Notably, atplc1 mutants showed increased stomatal conductance and decreased leaf surface temperature, as detected by thermal imaging, indicating impaired water regulation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that AtPLC1 positively regulates salt–alkali tolerance and provides a candidate gene for molecular breeding of stress-resistant crops. Full article

Ticks are hematophagous arthropods that parasitize livestock, humans, and wild animals, posing serious threats to public health worldwide. Diverse pathogens have been discovered in ticks, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and filarial nematodes; however, ticks also harbor a variety of fungal microbes, which remain largely unexplored. In this study, we isolated and identified culturable fungi associated with ticks collected on cattle and goats in Yunnan Province, China. Of the 1730 ticks obtained, 1690 were identified as Rhipicephalus microplus, and only 40 as Haemaphysalis longicornis via morphology and 16S rRNA gene analysis. A total of 90 fungal strains were isolated from the ticks and identified by morphological examination and ITS sequencing, representing 25 species across 20 genera, with Fusarium being the most prevalent. Among these isolates, Fusarium verticillioides (19 isolates) poses a threat to grains, animals, and humans; Cladosporium cladosporioides (six isolates) and Sarocladium zeae (one isolate) are primarily pathogenic to plants, while Schizophyllum commune (eight isolates), Rhizopus arrhizus (two isolates), Diaporthe phaseolorum (two isolates), and Purpureocillium lilacinum (two isolates) are recognized animal-associated pathogens. The diversity of isolated fungi with documented pathogenicity suggests that ticks may serve as potential vectors for fungal transmission, raising concerns about their role in cross-kingdom disease spread across agriculture and livestock. Furthermore, fungi with entomopathogenic potential, such as P. lilacinum, offer valuable resources for developing biocontrol agents against ticks. Our findings highlight the dual role of ticks as both potential vectors of phytopathogenic fungi and reservoirs of entomopathogenic biocontrol agents. This necessitates a paradigm shift in tick surveillance, integrating mycological monitoring to mitigate agricultural losses and exploring tick-borne fungi for sustainable vector control strategies. Full article

Lake Sevan, 1242 km² large, is the largest lake in the Caucasus and the largest lake in Armenia. This mountain lake serves as a natural water reservoir for the Hrazdan River, which is critical for the water supply to the capital, Yerevan, and the Ararat Valley, the most important agricultural region of Armenia. The annual outflow from the lake shall not exceed 170 million m³. Agriculture is an important economic sector within the lake’s basin, with summer and perennial crops partly depending on irrigation. This study used remote sensing to map the evapotranspiration of agriculture and other vegetation types to assess the extent to which agriculture poses pressure on the lake’s water balance. From 2023 to 2025, the evapotranspiration averaged across all the cropland in the study area ranged between 204 mm and 307 mm, which coincides with low yields of agriculture. During the growing season, evapotranspiration of summer and permanent crops exceeded precipitation by 4.2 to 4.5 million m³, which is small compared with the annual outflow of 170 million m³. Overall, the annual precipitation exceeded evapotranspiration of cropland, including irrigated cropland. The findings suggest that, under current land use and climatic conditions, agriculture around Lake Sevan exerted limited pressure on the lake’s water balance for the years 2023–2025 and is unlikely to substantially affect its capacity to sustain the required outflow into the Hrazdan River. Full article

Aerobic co-composting of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and cattle manure is a vital technology for agricultural waste recycling. However, high refractory lignocellulose content and low indigenous microbial activity usually hinder compost heating and maturation. Exogenous inoculation and raw material sterilization are common microbiome regulation strategies, while their divergent functional mechanisms and the contributions of native versus exogenous microbiota remain unclear. Herein, three treatments (control with intact indigenous microbiota, sterilization pretreatment, and 0.5% w/w fungal–bacterial inoculation) were established to explore their effects on composting performance and fungal community succession over 34 days. Compost stability and maturity were evaluated via thermophilic duration and germination index (GI), with fungal communities analyzed by ITS high-throughput sequencing. The results revealed that sterilization severely suppressed composting, causing delayed heating, a low peak temperature of 55.2 °C, inhibited lignocellulose degradation, and disordered fungal community structure with increased richness but decreased evenness due to random colonization by weak degraders. In contrast, microbial inoculation prominently improved composting efficiency, with a peak temperature of 67.5 °C, eight days of sustained high temperature, and a final GI of 89.67%. The degradation rates of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin reached 68.32%, 72.15% and 35.28%, respectively. Inoculation directionally enriched core lignocellulose-degrading fungi (Chaetomium, Aspergillus fumigatus, Thermoascus) and maintained functional community balance. Core fungal genera dominated lignocellulose decomposition and humification driven by environmental factors. This study clarifies that indigenous microbiota underpin spontaneous composting, while targeted inoculation optimizes functional microbiota, and single sterilization impairs composting. It provides mechanistic guidance for efficient agricultural waste composting. Full article

The utilization of protein-rich agricultural by-products offers a sustainable strategy for developing plant-based meat analogs. This study investigated the effects of cold-pressed hemp seed cake (HSC) incorporation at levels of 0–20% on the pasting, thermal–rheological, textural, and structural properties of high-moisture meat analogs produced by extrusion. Increasing HSC incorporation significantly reduced peak viscosity, indicating altered starch–protein–fiber interactions within the blends. During temperature-sweep measurements, all formulations exhibited elastic-dominant behavior, with the storage modulus remaining higher than the loss modulus throughout heating and cooling. Although the initial viscoelastic moduli decreased with increasing HSC content, the final moduli after cooling were comparable to those of the control. Incorporation of 15% and 20% HSC significantly decreased hardness from 44.02 to 38.88 N and chewiness from 1730.20 to 1517.31 g, whereas springiness, cohesiveness, and the hardness degradation ratio remained largely unchanged. Fibrous structures were maintained in all formulations, while cutting strength tended to increase and the texturization degree numerically increased from 1.04 to 1.15 at 20% HSC. These findings demonstrate that HSC can replace up to 20% of the conventional protein–starch blend while maintaining thermal viscoelasticity and anisotropic fibrous structure, although producing a moderately softer high-moisture meat analog. Full article

Global climate change has intensified prolonged droughts, making the development of sustainable agricultural technologies essential. Although potassium humate (KH) and Bacillus aryabhattai (BA) are recognized individually as effective biostimulants, their joint application represents an innovative, unexplored complementary strategy to mitigate drought stress in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of these bio-inputs on mitigating water stress in the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) cultivar ‘BRS Verdejante’. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions using a completely randomized design in a 2 × 8 factorial arrangement, with two water regimes (100% and 50% crop evapotranspiration—ETc) and eight biostimulant combinations of KH and BA. While BA alone (T4) intensified osmotic adjustment via proline accumulation and APX activation, the combined treatment T5 (10 mg kg⁻¹ soil KH + 4 mL kg⁻¹ seed BA containing 1 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹) achieved the best overall performance under drought (50% ETc). T5 effectively enhanced superoxide dismutase activity, preserved leaf relative water content, and reduced cell membrane electrolyte leakage by 42.6% compared to untreated stressed plants. These physiological adaptations protected reproductive organs, resulting in a 51.6% increase in pod number per plant under drought. The strategic co-application of low-dose potassium humate (10 mg kg⁻¹ soil) and B. aryabhattai (4 mL kg⁻¹ seed) effectively regulates osmotic and oxidative homeostasis, maintaining pod formation (+51.6%) and securing cowpea grain yield per plant under drought stress, thus serving as a promising strategy to mitigate drought stress in cowpea under controlled greenhouse conditions. Full article