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The information on the behaviour of potassium (K+) in tropical paddy rice soils, which is important for a better understanding of the plant availability of K+ is still very limited. We compared the quantity-intensity (Q/I) relationships for K+ under conventional tillage and no-tillage systems in tropical paddy fields in the absence and presence of K+ fertiliser in the addition of nitrogen. The results showed that the values of the activity ratio for K (ARK) and potential buffering capacities (PBCK) in the no-tillage rice field were respectively 16% and 33% higher than that in the conventional tillage field. With the addition of K fertiliser, the value of exchangeable K in equilibrium (ΔK0) in the no-tillage paddy field was 67.9% greater than that in the conventional tillage field. This indicates that K fertilisation is more efficient when applied on a no-tillage paddy field. When the K fertiliser was added (49.8 kg K/ha), the application of N fertiliser at the rate of 115 and 184 kg N/ha resulted in a higher ARK value than that at the rate of 46 kg N/ha. This suggests that the simultaneous application of K and N fertiliser was able to increase exchangeable K in the soil. The application of no-tillage increased of the dry grain yield of rice (about 10%) compared with the application of conventional tillage. Meanwhile, there were significant relationships between the rice yield with the ARK and ΔK0. Moreover, the ARK was significantly correlated with K-uptake.

The influence of toxic elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), in the root zone of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris cretica 'Albo-lineata' and non-As-hyperaccumulator P. straminea, on the enzymatic activity of β-glucosidase, dissolved organic carbon (C) in soil, toxic element accumulation in fern roots, and root biomass were evaluated in a pot experiment. Ferns were cultivated in soils from the locality of Suchdol (control) and Litavka (high contamination) for six months. For all toxic elements, an increasing trend in their contents in the roots was observed with soil contamination for both ferns. Differences between ferns were observed in As and Zn accumulation. Pteris cretica had a significantly higher As accumulation than P. straminea. Zinc accumulation in the roots showed an opposite trend. A significant difference between ferns was confirmed in the dissolved organic C content. Our results showed a significantly higher content of dissolved organic C in the P. straminea root zone than in P. cretica. The significant effect of toxic elements in the soil on β-glucosidase activity was observed. Toxic elements inhibited β-glucosidase activity in the root zone of P. cretica, and an increase in P. straminea was determined in the Litavka soil. The results suggest a higher sensitivity of P. straminea to toxic element contamination in soil, leading to increased β-glucosidase activity and increased dissolved organic C content.

Glyphosate is a widely used agrochemical. Nevertheless, only a few studies have investigated its effect on bees, specifically its influence on their foraging activity. This article provides a summary of the prominent research results on this issue, published in journals in the field of experimental biology. The effect of commonly used concentrations of glyphosate on honey bee navigation has been evaluated in several studies, as well as concentrations that are reportedly sublethal. Exposure to this herbicide increases the flight time back to the hive and affects the flight trajectories of these bees. These results imply that glyphosate at certain concentrations reduces their sensitivity to nectar rewards in associative memories. The contact of bees with non-lethal concentrations of glyphosate results in sublethal effects that affect foraging. In the future, the behaviour of glyphosate and its effect on bees in their natural environment need to be explored.

Soil macroarthropods, as a component of the soil community, directly feel the impact of land use changes. Not only the density but understanding the soil macroarthropods distribution pattern will help in providing an insight into the quality of soil health. The sampling process was carried out using the pitfall trap methods on the forest, logged forest areas, mixed gardens, and monoculture gardens in the tropical rainforest of Bukit Pinang-Pinang Padang, Indonesia. The results showed that the forest as a natural habitat supported the density of soil macroarthropods among other land use types. The density in the forest, logged forest area, mixed garden, and monoculture garden sequentially is about 20.29, 13.18, 15.2 and 12.21 indv/m2. The presence frequency high value of soil macroarthropods was found in the forest, and for some soil macroarthropods, such as Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Araneits, the importance value increases when their habitat is disturbed. The fertile soil in intensive monoculture gardens does not support the individuals’ total number, types, and density of soil macroarthropods. On the other side, the dominant soil macroarthropods prefer disturbed soil conditions and will decrease their presence frequency if chemical compounds are introduced into the soil. Land use change in the Bukit Pinang-Pinang tropical rainforest area causes changes in the distribution pattern of soil macroarthropods. The changing tendency of distribution patterns in fragmented habitats is due to nutrient availability, limited resources and land treatment. Habitat fragmentation affects not only the abundance and density of individuals and types of soil macroarthropods but also the distribution pattern, which not only threatens their existence and the environment but also has the potential to regenerate.

Centaurea cyanus is an annual weed mostly infesting winter cereals and rape. The aim of the study was to provide insights into the association between the seed germination characteristics and the herbicide sensitivity in C. cyanus in the presence of the genetic background control. Four populations of this species resistant to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors were tested. A germination study was conducted in a growth cabinet. Plants were sprayed at the 2- to 3-leaf stage with a field dose of florasulam (5 g/ha). There were four herbicide treatments dates, which included plants that germinated up to the seventh day, between eight and 12, 13 and 15, 16 and 20 days of the germination study. The germination dynamics of the four tested populations of C. cyanus resistant to florasulam was diversified. Three of them reached their maximum germination on the fourth day after sowing, however, the germination of the fourth population was spread over time with the highest number of germinated seeds found seven and twelve days after sowing. The germination time of the plants belonging to the resistant C. cyanus populations differentiated their reaction to florasulam. The conducted study indicated that the germination biology of ALS inhibitor-resistant populations of C. cyanus is diverse, which makes it difficult to introduce universal management strategies of this species into agricultural practice. Integration of control methods is recommended, including delaying the crop sowing date.

Long-term field experiments provide a valuable dataset for predicting changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in different agricultural systems. The RothC-26.3 model was used to simulate changes in SOC in the monoculture of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and the Norfolk crop rotation during 1972–2100. The potential of the Gleyic Fluvisol Clayic to sequester organic carbon was investigated. The studied soil was heavily textured, with medium organic carbon content. Four management scenarios in the monoculture and six management scenarios in the Norfolk crop rotation were evaluated. Three different global climate models (MPI, MRI, CMSS) representing the uncertainty of future climate conditions were used. Results showed that carbon stocks were mainly influenced by plant residue inputs and exogenous organic materials application. The projection showed trends of carbon stocks decreasing in the case of monoculture management. Results also documented that management scenario D with straw incorporation and intercrops represented sustainability and carbon stock increase during all modelled climate scenarios. The SOC stock at the end of the century was approximately 66 t/ha. This represents a moderate sequestration of SOC of approximately 0.09 t/ha/year.

Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of response to environmental stress is fundamental for the development of genetically stress-tolerant crops. This study aims to find vegetable soybean accessions tolerant to cultivation in stressful tropical environments. Fourteen accessions of the vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) were grown in mineral and beach ridges interspersed with swale (BRIS) soils. The genetic diversity, estimated using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers, revealed 42.50% polymorphism and was regarded as moderate. The unweighted pair-group method arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis allocated the tested accessions into five major clusters at a similarity coefficient level of 0.43. The lowest values of the genetic distance were between IIUMSOY11 and IIUMSOY13 & IIUMSOY13 and IIUMSOY14, indicating that these accessions were more genetically distant from the other accessions. Ten differentially expressed proteins were identified in the three selected accessions IIUMSOY1, IIUMSOY11 and IIUMSOY14 using mass spectrometry, revealing a unique expression of the proteins involved in the storage, flavonoid metabolism, protein modification, oxidative stress defence, carbohydrate metabolism and respiratory chain. The findings may be valuable for the selection of genetically diverse accessions, to enhance the breeding of vegetable soybean genotypes suitable for stressful tropical environments.

The tillage depth plays a critical role in solving soil compaction - a global problem of soil degradation. However, to date, there are few research reported about tillage depth, and the standard of optimum tillage depth is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the effect of tillage depths on crop yield across a global scale, and then to analysis their influence factors such as local climate, soil properties, and managements. Moreover, a global distribution of the optimal tillage depths was estimated by using a random-forest model. Overall, our result demonstrated that crop yield first increased within tillage depths from 25 to 35 cm, and then reduced under higher depth of deep tillage compared to conventional tillage, according to 1109 wheat, maize and soybean (WMS) yield observations from 202 studies and 109 publications. Visibly, 35 cm hence became the optimum tillage depth of WMS across the world, while it varies with different regions. Furthermore, higher crop yields observed in areas with a humid climate, high clay contents, and large bulk density under the optimal depth 40, 35 and 45 cm, respectively. In contrast, a lower yield was observed in areas with arid climates, silty and sandy soils, and lower bulk density within optimal depth of 25 cm, 30 cm, and 25 to 35 cm. Human management efforts, including fertilizer addition, irrigation, straw returning, and changing of cropping system or crop species mostly increased the crop yield under deep tillage. Particularly, our meta-analysis indicated that straw returning needs a greater depth. Finally, we predicted the distributions of optimum depths, which showed that 30 and 35 cm were the optimum tillage depths in the temperate and tropical regions, and the total crop yields of global WMS increased by 2689 million tons per year under the optimal tillage depth, compared with the conventional tillage.

The effective use of high-quality and high-yielding germplasm resources is of great importance for the development of hulless barley varieties. Therefore, the search for such resources has long been a goal of the breeding community. In this study, a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis was performed on an F₂ (Nierumuzha × Kunlun 10) population. A high-density genetic map of hulless barley was constructed, which contained 1 475 efficient single-nucleotide polymorphism markers with 7 052 bin markers. The total length of the seven chromosomes was 1 139.4 cM, with an average marker distance of 0.59 cM. Based on this high-density linkage map, a total of 54 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to the seed traits were detected, including seed colour (SC), thousand kernel weight (TKW), seed average area (SAA), seed perimeter (SP), seed length (SL), seed width (SW), seed length/width (SLW), seed diameter (SD), and seed circular degree (SCD). These QTLs explained 3.32–35.73% (mean = 11.45%) of the phenotypic interpretation, including 24 main QTLs and 30 epistatic QTLs. A total of 24 candidate genes were identified within the QTL region, including one SC-associated transcription factor (ANT1), two TSW-related genes, a transcription factor (NAC021), a gene associated with the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway (ku70), three SAA-associated genes (LOL2, NAC021, TSK), two SL-associated genes (MADS21, MADS4), six SW-associated genes (FIP1, NAC021, DREB 1A, HVA22A, CYP78A6, SAUR71), five LW-related genes (NAM-B2, CRY1, LHY, CYP710A1, WRKY72), two SP-related genes (SKIP11, TCP18), two SD-related genes (NAC021, SKIP8), and three SCD-related genes (MYB1R1, RAX3, NAC100). These genes are involved in the regulation of the cell development, material transport, signal transduction, and plant morphogenesis and play an important role in the regulation of agronomic traits in hulless barley. The high-density genetic mapping and QTL identification of the seed traits in hulless barley provide a valuable genetic resource and the basis for further molecular marker-assisted selection and genomic studies.

This study aimed to compare patterns in the genetic structure of 27 mature stands and the natural regeneration of A. alba in the Eastern and Western Carpathians within the introgression zone of two refugial lineages from the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas. The distribution of the genetic diversity of fir stands was analysed using paternally inherited chloroplast DNA and five nuclear dominant inter simple sequence repeat markers (ISSRs). The study showed that the Balkan haplotype prevailed in both parental and progeny populations, and this haplotype was found in many mature Eastern Carpathian stands. Relatively high levels of genetic diversity were found in the mature stands (effective number of alleles Ne = 1.517, Shannon index I = 0.436, expected heterozygosity He = 0.295) and progeny (Ne = 1.515, I = 0.436 and He = 0.294) of silver fir. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed slight differences among the mature fir stands from the Western and Eastern Carpathians, with a value of 1.1%. According to principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and STRUCTURE analyses, the populations, including stands of mature and progeny trees, were genetically separated into two groups. Slight genetic differences between the mature and progeny populations in the Polish Carpathians indicate sound gene pool transmission, which is essential for creating new selection and breeding programmes.

Sorghum production energy input-output balance was studied during the 2020/2021 production year in Hararghe lowland areas of Ethiopia under farming methods practised by the farmers. The study aimed to assess the energy input and output and to analyse the energy use efficiency of sorghum production under farming practices of the farmers using the recently adopted early maturing varieties. Three sorghum varieties were used with Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in 3 replications. Production inputs were uniformly applied to the entire unit plots. The average total production energy input was 12 188.07 MJ·ha^–1 in which chemical fertiliser and mechanical energy contributed 47.40% (5 771.48 MJ·ha^–1) and 43.60% (5 314.10 MJ·ha^–1), respectively. The highest energy consumer stage was top-dressing followed by land preparation and sowing stages with values of 33.7, 25.20 and 20.20% of the total input, respectively. The remaining 20.90% of the input was distributed among the rest production operations. The mean energy output of 77 284.59 MJ·ha^–1 for Makko was significantly higher than that of Qaqaba and Malkam varieties. Makko was also superior to Malkam and Qaqaba in mean energy ratio with values of 6.31, 5.48 and 5.84, respectively.

Biochar is the carbon-rich product obtained when biomass is anaerobically heated. In this study, different materials (corn straw and peanut shell) and pyrolysis temperatures (350, 450 and 550 °C) affect the elemental composition, surface structure, and biochar properties. The results showed that the carbon (C) content in biochar increased as the temperature increased, but hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) did not change. The alkane overpressure of corn straw and peanut shell increased first and then decreased with the increased temperature; the fatty alkyl chain disappeared, but the ash content increased at 550 °C. At high temperatures, the aromaticity (H/C ratio) and hydrophobicity (O/C ratio) of biochar become "carbon-rich particles", while the polarity (O + N)/C decreases significantly. The pore wall of biochar became thinner with the increase in pyrolysis temperature, the internal pore structure became larger, and a large number of micropores appeared in biochar. Biochar pyrolysed at 550 °C has much higher C, ash content, pore, and stronger buffering capacity, and thus is more promising to improve soil health.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay, as indicators of soil fertility, are mainly used to determine the ability of soil to retain water and store the nutrients that are necessary for plant growth. However, the distribution of SOC and clay is influenced by topography and land-use. In the present study, the relationships between SOC, clay, altitude, and slope in the topsoil of two different districts in the Czech Republic including the Liberec (71 samples) and Domažlice (67 samples) districts were investigated. To analyse the relationships between slope and SOC, linear regression was used. Results showed that SOC content increased when slope, clay, or altitude increased; however, there were no significant correlations between SOC and clay in both districts. Clay increased with decreasing slope, but clay and altitude were not correlated well in both areas. Then, study areas were divided into three land-use types including arable land, forest, and complex system of agriculture, parcels, and forests. Consequently, the correlations between SOC and slope and clay and slope were generally improved, indicating the importance of land-use on SOC and clay content. Additionally, using multiple regression with several topographic factors can provide a better prediction of SOC and clay content in each land-use for both districts, indicating the complex effects of topography on SOC and clay.

The soil seed bank, as a potential source of ground vegetation renewal, plays an important role in the natural recovery and succession of vegetation as well as in the construction of ecosystems. To clarify the characteristics of the soil seed bank of Achnatherum inebrians and its relationship with the aboveground vegetation, the soil seed bank density, species composition and aboveground vegetation of three different grassland types, namely, desert, steppe and meadow, were investigated by means of field survey sampling and indoor germination experiments. The results showed that the seed bank densities of the three habitats were ranked as desert (1 422.22 seeds/m²), steppe (2 077.78 seeds/m²) and meadow (3 722.22 seeds/m²). The numbers of species were 16, 11 and 17, respectively. With respect to the vertical allocation, the soil seed banks in each habitat were shallow, and the seeds were mainly concentrated in the soil surface layer (0–5 cm). The species richness of the soil seed banks in the three habitats was higher than that of the aboveground vegetation, but there were some differences in richness, evenness and dominance. The species richness and diversity of soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats were higher than those in desert and steppe habitats, indicating that the soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats had higher stability. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of temporary soil seed banks and the density of aboveground plant communities in grassland habitats. The results may provide some reference for the prevention and control of Achnatherum inebrians in the three habitats.

Land use changes together with riverbed regulations to avoid the annual floods affect the ecosystem of floodplain forests. Later subsequent revitalization measures, transboundary controlled river management, wetland restoration, and integrated planning were realized to reduce the negative effect of groundwater dropping and other environmental problems. This study aimed to follow the dynamic of groundwater level, soil properties and forest vitality as affected by climate change. The continuous dataset (2019–2022) of soil physical and hydrophysical parameters and tree radial growth parameters were obtained. Groundwater level was evaluated by z-score and the means, and standard deviation values were considered. The monthly assessment of soil and climatic conditions showed that the uneven distribution of rainfall and the increase in temperatures have significantly affected the soil hydrological regime and forest growth. Continual monitoring is necessary to prepare projection models, which can help better understand both the soil and tree growth parameters in the changing environment.

Most empirical studies evaluating efficiency in the agricultural sector estimate cost efficiency, assuming homogeneity across firms. However, achieving the goal of profit maximisation requires both minimising costs and maximising revenue. Unlike cost efficiency, the concept of profit efficiency considers the errors on both the input side and the output side, and thus, it is more appropriate for evaluating the overall performance of firms. This paper estimates profit efficiency and its determinants in the agricultural sector in Spain using a Bayesian stochastic frontier model with random coefficients. This methodology adequately captures the heterogeneity across firms in the industry. The results reveal, firstly, that agricultural firms in Spain are operating with an average profit inefficiency of 35.78% and, secondly, that this inefficiency is affected, albeit unevenly, by the size and age of the farm. Finally, the implications of these results for managers and public policies are discussed.

The exact determination of the rotation period is still a current and important essential issue of forestry. It attracts the attention of forest economists, managers and owners worldwide, not only of forest economists but also of forest managers. The rotation period is defined by physical, technical or financial parameters of forest management. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the biological and the economic optimal rotation period. A fundamental challenge in forest management is the need for appropriate determination of the rotation period. The primary interest of our research was to compare the effective legislation for the determination of the rotation period in the Czech Republic and in the Slovak Republic. Scientific methods such as document analysis and questionnaire survey were applied. The results of the legislation analysis and other related documents were compared with the expert opinions of the relevant stakeholders. Those who affect the decision process related to the problem and those where are "affected" by the problem were involved in the study. Results show that respondents do not agree with the regulation of rotation period according to effective law. Moreover, they consider it as not usable as the conditions in forest ecosystems have changed recently, which is not considered in the legislation.

Results of a vast research activity carried out worldwide in the last decades have demonstrated that endophytic fungi hold a fundamental role in improving plant fitness based on their aptitudes as growth promoters and/or defensive mutualists. These properties may have applicative perspectives in crop production, particularly for tree species such as hazelnut (Corylus avellana), which is mostly cropped extensively in semi-natural contexts of highland regions throughout the temperate zones. The available data on the occurrence, ecological roles, and applications in biotechnology of endophytic fungi associated with hazelnuts are revised in this paper in view to provide a reference supporting future investigations and projects aimed at exploiting the potential of this component of the plant microbiome.

The effects of potato drip irrigation on soil nitrogen dynamics and potato yield was studied in small-plot field trials. The trials were evaluated at during three experimental times seasons (2016-2018). Four variants of irrigation were determined, ie non-irrigated, 60, 65 and 70 ASWC (Available Soil Water Capacity). At the same time, two pre-planting fertilization dates were set at a maximum of 120 kg N/ha a in divided i.e. 60 kg N/ha before planting and 60 kg N/ha by fertigation during vegetation. Pre-planting crop fertilization or in-season fertigation did not have any significant effect on the potato yields of most variants. In all studied parameters, the positive beneficial effect of irrigation was recorded and compared to the non-irrigated control. The mitigation of drought stress in plants during the growing season is the most important advantage of irrigation. In the trials, on average across all years and varieties, the yield of the irrigated variant increased by 41 % compared to the non-irrigated variant. Maintaining optimal soil moisture has a favourable effect use of applied fertilizers. The highest mineral nitrogen content in the soil was recorded for the variant without irrigation. Considering the increased use of nitrogen fertilizers, the subsurface drip line appeared to be optimal for the creation of suitable conditions for nitrogen availability to plants in the root zone.

This study was planned to investigate an alternative treatment modality in diabetic wound healing. In this experimental study, the efficacy of both cold atmospheric plasma/nitric oxide (NO) and NPH insulin ointment, recently known to have beneficial effects on wound healing, was investigated in diabetic wound healing. Twenty-four (24) diabetic rats were divided into four groups DC, DI, DNO and DINO (diabetic control, diabetic insulin, diabetic nitric oxide, diabetic insulin + nitric oxide groups). No treatment was applied to the DC group, NPH insulin was applied to the DI group, CAP/NO was applied to the DNO group, and CAP/NO + NPH insulin was applied to the DINO group once daily for 14 days. The wound area reduction and the wound contraction rate were calculated on the basis of the tissue sections taken, and histopathological and genetic analyses were carried out. Compared to the control group, exogenous NO gas was found to be a potent antibacterial agent in the diabetic wound healing, causing a reduction in the wound area (P = 0.034), an increased contraction rate (P = 0.021), epithelialisation (P = 0.02), collagen organisation (P = 0.006) and a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells (P = 0.002). A significant increase in the expression of IL-8 mRNA was observed (P = 0.026). It was concluded that NPH insulin alone contributes to wound healing, but it is not necessary to use it together with exogenous NO gas.

Water and nutrient use efficiencies are important adaptive features of plants in arid and semi-arid environments. In this study, water, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) use efficiencies of Stipa purpurea Griesb., an endemic and dominant grass species, were investigated in the alpine steppe along precipitation gradients on the Tibetan Plateau. The leaf N content of S. purpurea increased along the precipitation gradient, but leaf P decreased, whereas carbon (C) remained unchanged. Leaf δ¹³C (water use efficiency, WUE) and C : N ratio (N use efficiency, NUE) decreased with increasing precipitation. But leaf C : P (P use efficiency, PUE) and N : P ratios increased with increasing precipitation. A trade-off was found between WUE and PUE but not between WUE and NUE. The changes in leaf traits were associated with changes in soil water, organic C, total N and P. These findings offer insights into understanding alpine plant water and nutrient use strategies along a precipitation gradient, as well as facilitate the prediction of alpine ecosystem responses to precipitation changes.

Feed additives belong to a number of climate change mitigation strategies being sought to reduce methane emissions in ruminants. In this study, the effect of biochar or biochar and urea supplementation on dairy cow performance and methane production was assessed. Eighteen cows were used in a 3 × 3 latin square design with three feeding groups: control with no supplementation (CO), biochar supplementation (BC, 200 g/day) and biochar and urea supplementation (BC + U, 200 g/day biochar and 90 g/day urea). All cows were fed a forage mixture ad libitum and 5 kg of concentrates per day on average. Methane emissions were measured in respiration chambers. Biochar as well as biochar and urea supplementation did not affect total dry matter, energy and utilisable protein intake. However, lignin intake was higher in the BC group and crude protein intake was higher in the BC + U group compared to the CO group. Supplementation of feed additives did not affect milk production and milk composition, except for the higher milk urea content in the BC + U group. Feed conversion, diet digestibility and methane production were not affected by feeding strategy. In conclusion, biochar supplementation does not reduce methane emissions, but it does not negatively affect dairy cow performance.

Triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) is a hybrid cereal prepared by crossing wheat and rye. Triticale grain contains substances that have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes, as well as increasing body's immune response and intestinal function, which warrants a need for greater attention to research on triticale crop's nutritional composition. This review covers the most recent research on the nutritional composition of triticale grain in comparison to other cereals, its role in the food industry, and its usage as a food, providing a scientific foundation for triticale's further development as a sustainable crop. Due to the wide variety of chemical compounds revealed in triticale grain, it has the potential to be utilised as a substitute cereal for various food and beverages.

As one of the most widely cultivated vegetable crops worldwide, chillies (Capsicum annuum L.) face serious pest-related problems when grown in either open or protected cultivation systems. However, studies aimed at understanding the implementation of various integrated pest management (IPM) techniques on chilli production in both cultivation systems are scarce. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementing an integrated approach that combines the use of a sweet corn barrier, thiamethoxam, control threshold, silver plastic mulch, pest traps, and fungicides on chilli pests and diseases in open and protected farming systems. Those techniques were applied simultaneously to overcome major chilli pests and diseases that commonly co-occur in the field. The experiment conducted in West Java, Indonesia from May to November 2021 revealed that control techniques could maintain chilli pest population below their control threshold and prevented disease outbreak in both cultivation systems. The average yields of chilli cultivated in the netting house were higher than those cultivated in the open field, i.e. 20.92 t/ha and 9.77 t/ha, respectively. Furthermore, the profitability of chilli cultivation using IPM technologies has been demonstrated in both open and protected fields, with the profit generated in the protected system being 3.9 times higher than that of the open field.

The city longhorn beetle (Aeolesthes sarta) (CLB) (Coleoptera - Cerambycidae) is a polyphagous invasive pest of both healthy and suppressed broadleaved trees in central Asia. CLB causes a great degree of damage in the countries of its origin. To understand this pest in a better way, a detailed review study has been conducted to gather all the valuable information related to the CLB. This review study covers the main aspects of the CLB, its morphology, ecology, distribution, damage, and control measures. The life span of the CLB is two years. It is mainly distributed in the central Asian countries and preferably damages broadleaved tree species, especially Juglans regia, Populus alba, P. euphratica, Acer spp, Salix alba, S. babylonica, Malus pumila, M. sylvestris, Platanus orientalis and Ulmus spp. Effective control and management practices include cutting, removing + burning of infested trees, cultivating high resilient tree species, use of biocontrol agents (i.e. fungus), and use of aluminium phosphide as a pesticide to significantly help control the CLB population. A CLB invasion in a new favourable habitat could impose a serious threat to broadleaf forests and plantations. Therefore, the keen monitoring and surveying of woodland management techniques are recommended. The strict monitoring and inspection of traded wood material at airports and seaports are highly recommended. There is a need to conduct multiple research studies to profoundly understand the CLB phenology, ecology, transportation mode, and damage severity to bridge the gap.

The ability to adapt, survive, and compete with weeds of transgenic plants is the necessary evaluation content to release transgenic lines in target regions. We compared weediness and agronomic traits of transgenic maize lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 carrying the mcry1F gene with their near-isogenic maize inbred line Zheng 58 in the wasteland and cultivated field under natural conditions for two consecutive years. The results showed that there was no significant difference identified in the species, quantity, and relative coverage ratio (RCR) of weeds between fields with G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58, regardless of the sowing pattern in the wasteland. Compared with the vigour of weeds, none of G1F-8, G1F-19, and Zheng 58 showed survival advantages, and all showed weak growth potential with no final grain yield. Meanwhile, no volunteer seedlings were found upon investigation in the following year. The simulated seed overwintering experiment in the wasteland further showed that the three kinds of maize could not germinate in the second year. In cultivated land, G1F-8 and G1F-19 had the same growth stages, plant height, and RCR as Zheng 58 throughout two years. In conclusion, the transgenic lines G1F-8 and G1F-19 exhibited no adaptability risk in Gongzhuling, Jilin, China.

The weevil, Myllocerus fotedari Ahmad, 1974 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is widely recognised as one of the major walnut pests. Fungal pathogens have shown great potential for the management of some pest species. In the present study, the efficacy of three entomopathogenic fungi, namely Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato (Metchnikoff) Sorokin and Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Zare and Gams were evaluated against the weevil, M. fotedari, under laboratory conditions. Each fungal suspension contained 1.0 × 109 spores of fungi in 1 mL. The experiment comprised of five treatments along with control (distilled water) and three replicates. An insecticide – chloropyrifos 20% emulsifiable concentrate (EC), was also used as positive control in the experiment. The experimental results revealed that the weevil, M. fotedari, showed mortality due to both virulence of entomopathogens and insecticide. The mortality caused by fungi varied from two days after treatment to eight days after treatment. However, the highest mortality of 100% was recorded for B. bassiana, followed by 85.1% for M. anisopliae after eight days of treatment. The efficacy of L. lecani was the lowest, leading to only 51.8% mortality, and was found significantly less virulent compared to the other two used entomopathogens. The present study is an attempt to use entomopathogens to control M. fotedari over conventional chemical insecticides.

Tillage intensity can affect soil quality through soil aggregates, which are strongly associated with organic carbon. In this study, we evaluated the effect of different intensity tillage (conventional ploughing (CP), shallow ploughing (SP), deep cultivation (DC), shallow cultivation (SC), no-tillage (NT)) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil aggregates at the 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm layers and root biomass at the 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm layers. The field experiment on spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) consisted of a split-plot arrangement with four replications. Dry soil aggregates were evaluated using the mean weight diameter (MWD) index. Wet aggregates were assessed using a water-stable aggregate (WSA) index. We identified that tillage intensity significantly influenced the MWD index at four soil levels. Shallow tillage showed greater results at 0-5 and 5-10 cm depths. However, deep tillage increased the MWD at 10-20 and 20-30 cm depth. NT was dominated by evaluating the WSA at every level of the soil. SOC was correlated with WSA. The highest SOC was found under NT. The different tillage intensities did not significantly affect root biomass.

Chips made from maize semolina are rarely mycotoxin analysed because they are classified as low-risk foods in routine legal control plans. It is essential to foresee the health risks these snack foods may pose in the medium and long term, whose consumption frequency and quantity have increased with the changing consumer behaviours during the pandemic. The most outstanding development in mycotoxin analysis in recent years has been the use of high-pressure liquid chromatography together with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a detector. For aflatoxin (AF) B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂, ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), fumonisin B₂ (FB₂), citrinin (CIT), HT-2 toxin, and T-2 toxin determination in our samples, the LC-MS/MS analysis method with electrospray ionisation interfaces was utilised. Aflatoxin B₁ levels in 22.7% of the samples (2.01–17.49 μg·kg^–1) and total aflatoxins (TAF) in 26.7% of the samples (6.71–24.67 μg·kg^–1) were determined to exceed the limits defined in the Turkish Food Codex Contaminants Regulation. CIT could not be detected in any of the samples. ZEN + DON + OTA was found in 21.3% of the samples, DON + TAF + total fumonisins (FUM) in 19.3%, and TAF + ZEN + FUM in 18.7%.

Aquatic foods such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish are important human nutrient sources. However, aquatic foods spoil quickly during processing and storage due to spoilage bacteria and endogenous enzymes. Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) technology, as an advanced non-thermal treatment method, is an effective preservation technique for aquatic foods. The mechanism of UHP technology is to destroy non-covalent bonds by UHP, which leads to the change of cell membrane permeability and the destruction of high-level structure of proteins, making apoptosis and enzyme inactivation. The technology can effectively sterilise and preserve food's colour, taste and nutritional value. The paper provides an introduction to the working principles, types, sources and equipment and describes the progress of the research and application of UHP technology in pascalisation, enzyme inactivation, parasite inactivation and quality modification of aquatic products. Potential limitations and prospects of the technology are also outlined. We hope to lay the theoretical groundwork for using this technique in aquatic product processing and provide guidance for its application in industrial production.