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Lab-grown cells (also known as cell-based or cultured meat) are novel food innovations that face uncertain consumer acceptance. This review examines recent research (2020–2024) on consumer perceptions of lab-grown cells, focusing on three main areas: (1) public awareness and familiarity, (2) psychological and cultural aspects shaping perceptions, and (3) the impact of information on acceptance. Results show that the awareness of lab-grown cells varies widely across regions; in countries with high meat consumption, such as the USA and Australia, or where culinary delights are highly valued, such as France, respondents rated lab-grown cells lower than in those countries where meat consumption is now rising, for example, China or Mexico. The knowledge of lab-grown cells positively impacted attitude, while psychological barriers (e.g. food neophobia) and disgust emerged as key deterrents. The information provided to respondents significantly influenced their willingness to accept, buy, try, eat, and pay premium prices. Personal (mainly health-related) benefits significantly increased the acceptance of lab-grown cells, while societal benefits (e.g. benefits to the environment or animal welfare) had less prominent effects than expected. At the same time, information regarding production technology (high-tech, laboratory, artificial) resulted in lower ratings from respondents. The conclusion is that overlooking the positive attributes of meat and focusing on the unproven advantages of lab-grown cells may lead to misleading results. On the other hand, effective communication – especially messages highlighting personal benefits – can substantially improve the consumer openness.

In the contemporary era, organisations have embraced the internet as a platform through which they disseminate information about their economic activities and their corporate social responsibility, including their environmental responsibility. Consequently, the extent to which an organisation's actions are visible on its website can be taken as an indicator of its commitment to environmental issues. The present article proposes a model for evaluating the environmental commitment of agri-food companies through the visibility of objective information on their environmental actions on their websites. The information is presented in tabular form, consisting of 33 items, and the combination of these with a predetermined weight gives an index called the Environmental Commitment Web Index (ECWI). The model was applied to all large and medium-sized Spanish wineries in 2018 and 2024. The findings indicate an improvement in the environmental commitment of these wineries, as reflected by the doubling of the ECWI during this period from 9.8 points in 2018 to 20.2 points in 2024. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of these wineries were regarded as exhibiting a 'very poor' environmental commitment: 94.2% in 2018 and 81.4% in 2024. It is concluded that all large and medium-sized Spanish wineries should undertake sustained endeavours to disseminate environmental initiatives on their websites.

Rainfall is a major contributor to water erosion of sloping cropland in Northeast China. Identifying how rainfall and slope gradient (S) influence runoff depth (RD) and sediment yield (SY) is crucial for preventing water erosion. Field measurements from runoff plots were collected from 2023 to 2024, and K-means clustering was applied to clarify the rainfall patterns. Response of RD and SY to the rainfall pattern and S were analysed. Key factors impacting RD and SY were explored. The results showed that three rainfall patterns were identified for 34 erosive rainfall events: A (41.2%, medium duration, medium rainfall intensity, and medium rainfall amount (RA)). B (50.0%, short duration, high rainfall intensity, and low RA) and C (5.4%, long duration, low rainfall intensity, high RA). Furthermore, the cumulative RD and SY increased with S for the same rainfall pattern. The cumulative RD and SY responded similarly to rainfall patterns for the same S. The contribution of the rainfall pattern to the cumulative RD and SY decreased in the order of C, A, and B. In addition, rainfall duration (D) and maximum 30-minute rainfall intensity were the key factors affecting RD and SY for rainfall pattern A, respectively. Rainfall erosivity (R) was the key factor affecting RD and SY for rainfall pattern B and C. R and RD were the dominant factors influencing the RD and SY for all rainfall events, respectively.

The availability of new sensor technologies, such as thermal and hyperspectral imaging, enables early-stage weed detection and species identification and density estimation, both of which are crucial for effective weed management. Thermal imaging successfully distinguished between dicotyledonous (oilseed rape, pea, Stellaria media, Triplerospermum inodorum, Veronica persica) and monocotyledonous species (barley, wheat, sorghum and Echinochloa crus-galli) except Amaranthus retroflexus, during early growth stages. The most pronounced differences in hyperspectral reflectance occurred at 550 nm, where five distinct plant groups were recognisable (sum of squares = 0.7604, F-value = 105.1). The highest hyperspectral reflectance was recorded for oilseed rape, followed by Stellaria media. The same trend was found for the normalised difference index (NDI), which also showed five distinct groups. These findings indicate that thermography and hyperspectral imaging have strong potential as effective tools for supporting weed detection in precision agriculture; however, further research and field validation are required before routine implementation in agricultural practice.

A quarantine organism, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), is a xylem-inhabiting, vector-transmitted, Gram-negative, and very slow-growing bacterium in the Lysobacteraceae (earlier Xanthomonadaceae) family. The spreading of X. fastidiosa over long distances occurs mainly via import/export human-mediated transportation of mainly latently or symptomatically infected plant material. Short-distance distribution is usually by xylem sap-feeding insects. Until now, the presence of X. fastidiosa has not been reported or studied in Poland. During our study, over 500 individuals from the four families: Cicadellidae, Aphrophoridae, Delphacidae and Membracidae were collected in different geographical regions of Poland. Real-time PCR with primers for rimM gene and nested PCR to detect X. fastidiosa, using DNA extracted directly from selected insects known as potential vectors of X. fastidiosa, did not confirm the bacterium's presence in these insects.

With the increase in the life expectancy of domestic animals and their increasingly affectionate relationship with their owners, it is possible to observe an increase in cases of neoplasms in these animals. Mammary neoplasia mainly affects older females who have not been castrated, due to hormonal dependence for the development of the tumour. The main form of treatment is surgery. This study aims to carry out an updated review on mammary neoplasms in female dogs covering the anatomy, physiology, prevalence, causes, diagnoses, treatments, prevention and prognosis, based on scientific articles by renowned researchers.

The grain filling and physiological traits of different phosphorus-tolerant rice cultivars and phosphorus fertiliser rates have not been fully studied. A pot-growth experiment with cv. Lianjing 7 (weak phosphorus tolerance) and cv. Yongyou 2640 (strong phosphorus tolerance) was conducted using four phosphorus rates, namely, 0 (P0), 0.44 (P1), 0.88 (P2), and 1.32 g/pot (P3). Results indicated that grain yield, net photosynthetic rate, soil and plant analyser development (SPAD) value, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in leaves, and adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and sucrose synthase (SuSase) activity in grains increased and then decreased with increasing phosphorus fertiliser rate, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) content in leaves decreased first and then increased. The above indexes of cv. Lianjing 7 and cv. Yongyou 2640 were optimal at P2 and P1 treatments, respectively. The grain yield, net photosynthetic rate, SPAD value, AGPase content, SuSase content in grains, and SOD and CAT activity in the leaves of cv. Yongyou 2640 were higher, whereas the MDA content was lower than those of cv. Lianjing 7. Correlation analysis showed that AGPase and SuSase activity in superior and inferior grains, photosynthetic rate, and SOD and CAT activity in the leaves were significant or highly significantly positively correlated with grain-filling rate and rice yield. Therefore, the adoption of appropriate phosphorus fertiliser rates can increase the activity of enzymes related to starch synthesis in different phosphorus-tolerant rice, enhance antioxidant systems in leaves at the filling stage, reduce leaf MDA content, and delay leaf senescence. These effects are beneficial to grain filling and increase grain yield.

The Asian rice gall midge (Orseolia oryzae) (Wood-Mason) is a major pest of rice, significantly reducing yields and challenging sustainable rice production. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biology, lifecycle and geographical distribution of the rice gall midge, along with the damage symptoms it causes in rice crops. The interactions between rice and gall midge, the pest's infestation mechanism and the plant’s defensive responses are also explored. Various management strategies are discussed in detail, including insecticides, cultural practices and resistant varieties. The review emphasises that breeding for resistance, especially through the pyramiding of resistance genes and integrated pest management approaches, shows the most promise for long-term control. Advances in crop improvement through breeding methods such as genotyping, phenotyping, field and greenhouse screening and the pyramiding of resistance genes are highlighted. The review emphasises the importance of monitoring virulence in gall midge populations to guide breeding efforts. The genetic basis of resistance is examined through studies of resistance genes, QTL mapping and marker-assisted breeding. Furthermore, molecular approaches, including metabolomic regulations, microarray analysis and biotechnological strategies, are reviewed for their potential in developing durable gall midge-resistant rice varieties. This article synthesises the current knowledge and highlights future research directions, such as identifying novel resistance genes, improving molecular breeding techniques, and developing integrated pest management strategies that combine genetic resistance with eco-friendly controls.

At present, the low post-thaw quality of poultry semen presents a challenge to develop new strategies for its cryopreservation. The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of kaempferol (KAE) on post-thaw turkey sperm characteristics (motility, membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial function), oxidative and microbial profile. Turkey semen (n = 40) was diluted and cryopreserved in modified Beltsville extender with 5, 10, and 25 µM of KAE or without it (cryopreserved control – Ctrl_C), while fresh semen served as negative control (Ctrl_N). Following thawing, parameters were evaluated including sperm motility, membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial functionality, DNA fragmentation index, apoptosis status, global reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein oxidation. Bacterial identification was performed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry. Our data suggest that motility, membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity continuously increased correspondingly to KAE concentration versus Ctrl_C (P < 0.05) while cell apoptosis, ROS generation, LPO and protein oxidation were significantly decreased in KAE treated groups versus Ctrl_C (P < 0.05). Bacterial growth was suppressed in all KAE-treated groups, which acted synergistically with penicillin to eradicate most bacterial strains from cryopreserved samples versus Ctrl_N. Finally, our results suggest that KAE possesses strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties which may be used to improve commercially available extenders for more effective preservation of turkey spermatozoa.

The impact of exogenously applied glycine betaine (GB; 0, 5, 10, 20 and 50 mmol) was evaluated in preventing Vigna radiata from the adverse effects of salt (100 mmol NaCl) stress. Salinity reduced growth parameters, such as plant height and fresh and dry weight of plants, while GB application significantly alleviated the decline. Salinity stress led to a decline in total chlorophylls and carotenoids, as well as a reduction in the net photosynthetic rate and gas exchange attributes, including stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and intercellular CO₂. However, GB supplementation significantly alleviated this decline. Salinity stress increased the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and methylglyoxal, while as applied GB reduced their accumulation, causing a significant decline in the lipid peroxidation. Application of GB, at all concentrations, increased the activity of the antioxidant enzymes under normal and salinity stress treatments with 10 and 20 mmol concentrations, imparting the highest increase. Increase in the radical scavenging activity due to GB application was also supported by increased total antioxidant activity assays measured as percent DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging. In addition, GB-supplemented plants exhibited an apparent increase in the activities of glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II enzymes. Accumulation of osmotic compounds like proline, sugars and GB increased significantly due to GB application and showed a further increase in salt-stressed plants. More importantly, the GB-treated plants exhibited a considerable decline in sodium accumulation, causing a decline Na/K in them. Glycine betaine was effective in mitigating the deleterious effects of salinity.

Diarrhoea in newborn piglets represents a significant challenge to pig production. Controlled oral exposure, also known as “feedback”, whereby sows are exposed at least two weeks before farrowing to pathogens that cause health problems in piglets, is a traditional method of diarrhoea prevention. One type of feedback involves fermenting cow’s milk with faeces from piglets suffering from diarrhoea and administering it to sows before farrowing. The bacterial composition of the faecal inoculum and fermented milk was compared in this study, and the safety of administering the fermented milk to pregnant sows was evaluated. Using microbiota characterisation by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the genera Acetobacter, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus formed the core microbiota of the fermented milk. However, Clostridium perfringens accounted for up to 33% of the total microbiota in some fermented milk samples. Interestingly, the drop in pH during the later stages of fermentation inactivated C. perfringens and the samples were thus enriched for inactivated C. perfringens antigen. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the mode of action of fermented milk when used as a form of feedback.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary levels of soluble and insoluble fibre on the performance and digestive development of slow-growing broilers during the starter period. A total of 400 one-day-old Isa Label^TM male chicks were used that were distributed in a completely randomized factorial design 2 × 2 + 1 (inclusion of 2% or 4% of corncobs as a source of insoluble fibre IF and citrus pulp as a source of soluble fibre (SF); and a control treatment) with eight replicates of 10 birds each. The addition of IF to diets improved the weight gain and feed conversion of broilers at 7 and 21 days of age. Both fibre sources added to diets resulted in higher relative weights of proventriculus + gizzard, liver, small and large intestine. The diets containing an SF source presented positive effects on the duodenal mucosa. In addition, positive effects on the caecal villus to crypt ratio were observed in broilers fed diets containing different types of fibre. It is concluded that dietary inclusion of IF up to 4% maintains the performance, nutrient metabolism and improves the development of the proventriculus + gizzard in slow-growing broilers. However, for improving the morphological and histomorphological parameters of slow-growing broilers in the starter phase the addition of SF sources is recommended.

Enhancing economic and environmental efficiency is a fundamental objective shared by all European economic sectors, with agriculture being a particular area of focus. In this study, economic and environmental efficiency are considered in parallel and compared in terms of their long-term development. From an economic perspective, the classical production factors of labour, capital and land are compared with economic production output. The environmental perspective of the study focuses on greenhouse gases and acidifying gases, with the investigation based on data from Eurostat from 2009 to 2020. Due to constraints regarding the  availability of data , the study encompassed 22 EU countries.  The findings indicate that Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland demonstrate high levels of economic efficiency, while Ireland and Finland exhibit notable enhancements in this regard. Low economic efficiency scores are evident in Latvia and Austria, where substantial catching-up processes are observable. With respect to ecological efficiency, Greece, Spain and Italy have been found to be dominant, as have Finland, Sweden and Slovakia. Ireland, Luxembourg and Poland have lower ecological efficiency scores, but only Ireland shows signs of convergence. The present study seeks to minimise the impact of volatility and dispersion with a view to providing valid long-term trends for the purpose of benchmarking efforts and r policy decisions.

In this study, two experiments were performed with the aim to optimize intensive aquaculture of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). In the first 140-day experiment the effect of the initial fish density was assessed at three levels: low density (LD) 23 kg/m³, medium density (MD) 35 kg/m³ and high density (HD) 46 kg/m³. All three densities provided the same final Fulton's condition coefficient (FC = 1.24-1.28), specific growth rate (SGR = 0.22-0.24%/day) and survival rate (97-100%). No cannibalism was observed at all tested densities. Feed conversion ratio (FCR = 1.39 ± 0.21 g/g) was the lowest for LD and the highest (1.61 ± 0.08 g/g) for MD. The highest fish biomass (25.7 ± 2.7 kg/m³) was obtained at HD and this density was considered as the most effective density of all tested ones during the intensive culture of largemouth bass. The second 60-day experiment tested the effect of largemouth bass and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) monoculture and biculture of both species on production efficiency. Higher size heterogeneity was obtained in both (mono- and bicultural) groups of pikeperch (308.91-314.56‰/day) compared to the groups of largemouth bass (279.26-284.05 ‰/day). The higher FC (1.09) was found in both types of culture in largemouth bass compared to both methods of culture in pikeperch (0.74-0.78). The lowest SGR was evident in both types of largemouth bass cultures (1.20-1.28%/day). In contrast, the highest SGR was achieved in the bicultural pikeperch (1.88%/day). Similar results like for SGR were also assessed for FCR, where the highest value of FCR was in both cultures of largemouth bass (1.44-1.48 g/g) compared to the lowest FCR in the bicultural of pikeperch (0.73 g/g). Largemouth bass in both tested types of culture had higher survival rates (99.95-99.99%) compared to pikeperch (98.61-98.63%).

Recent advancements in remote sensing techniques, especially the combination of hyperspectral imaging with analytical algorithms, have greatly improved precision agriculture. This study introduces some algorithms developed for identifying crops and evaluating their growth conditions, focusing on irrigation and fertilisation. The present approach is based on the concept of identifiability of a family of dynamic systems and the differentiation of plants using their spectral signatures. The method uses a repository of spectral data and applies a developed algorithm to compare the measured spectra with the reference database, enabling the identifiability and the recognition of both known and unknown crops. As an application of our approach, we have considered two different crops: mint and rosemary, under different irrigation and fertilisation conditions. The results show that the algorithm achieved a 100% identification rate across the four unknown samples. The minimum spectral distances obtained are 0.01 and 0.03 for rosemary and mint, respectively. Thus, the family of systems was identifiable with a tolerance of η < 0.03. The study concluded that the algorithm effectively classifies the crop type and deduces its growth conditions, demonstrating its effectiveness for agricultural monitoring.

The promotion of sustainable food productivity through innovative technologies remains a central priority in economic development, attracting increasing attention from scholars, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. With the continuing rise in global food demand, resource-efficient solutions are essential to ensuring long-term agricultural growth and stability in food production. This study examines the impact of green finance, agricultural innovation, digital technology, trade openness, and climate change on food production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) and the generalised method of moments (GMM), it analyses a balanced panel dataset covering 46 SSA countries from 2001 to 2023. The findings highlight the positive influence of green finance, agricultural innovation, and digital technology in enhancing food production, particularly in lower production sectors, suggesting important bidirectional policy implications. Trade openness is found to promote agricultural growth but exhibits diminishing effects at higher levels of productivity, indicating the relevance of a unidirectional policy focus. In contrast, climate change has a negative effect on food production. The study also identifies key mediation pathways, including green finance stimulating research and development, digital technology improving agricultural credit and farmers' education, and trade openness attracting foreign direct investment. These results emphasise the importance of integrated policy frameworks that combine financial support, technological advancement, and trade openness to promote sustainable agricultural growth and strengthen food security across SSA.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement is an important free trade agreement in the Asia Pacific region. The implementation of RCEP is greatly significant for ensuring the effective supply of agricultural products to member states. On the basis of the analysis of the agricultural product trade structure among China, Australia and New Zealand since 2000, we summarise in this article the potential consequences of tariff reduction for the agricultural products among the three countries under the RCEP framework. The Global Trade Analysis Project model has been used to analyse the effects of RCEP on the macroeconomic indicators, agricultural products trade and domestic agricultural output of the three countries. The research findings indicate that agricultural product trade among the three countries has grown rapidly since 2000. The results of the Global Trade Analysis Project simulations revealed that implementing RCEP will foster macroeconomic growth in the three countries. China’s imports of beef and dairy products and wheat from Australia and New Zealand will substantially increase, and China’s domestic production of this agricultural sector will decrease. Furthermore, India’s potential participation in RCEP will further affect China’s imports and exports of grain. These findings could guide the policymakers in the three countries in designing future agricultural production and trade strategies according to the different scenarios of international trade among the three countries and considering the potential of India joining.

Mastitis is a complex, common and economically problematic issue in dairy cattle production. In this study, breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and toll-like receptor 1 (TLR1) genes were taken as candidate genes for mastitis resistance. This study investigated whether BRCA1 and TLR1 genes were associated with milk production traits (daily milk yield, fat, and protein content) and somatic cell score (SCS). A total of 105 cows (25 Holstein, 48 Simmental, and 32 crossbred Holstein) were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method. Cows with the BRCA1 c.46126G>T GG genotype had significantly lower SCS than the other genotypes. The TLR1 g.60438363C>T SNP influenced the protein content in all cows, with genotype CC having a higher content than TC. The same SNP in the Simmental breed showed that cows with the CC genotype had significantly higher SCS than the heterozygote. Cows with the GG genotype of TLR1 g.60437324A>G had significantly lower SCS and higher fat and protein content than the heterozygote. The results of this study indicate that BRCA1 c.46126G>T and TLR1 g.60437324A>G SNPs could be useful for improving mastitis resistance in dairy cattle through marker-assisted selection.

This study investigated the response of sago palms to saline conditions, focusing on their morphological and photosynthetic performance. The photosynthetic traits were evaluated using OJIP chlorophyll fluorescence transient. The plants were exposed to a saline condition of 224 mM NaCl, and their ability to form associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was also assessed. We tested both commercial AMF products, containing spores from multiple genera, and isolated AMF spores from Glomus etunicatum and Glomus grape, to determine their ability to infect sago palm roots under high salt conditions. The results showed that sago palms can maintain efficient photosynthesis even at high salt levels. This is likely due to their ability to prevent excessive salt uptake in shoots and water loss from roots by forming lignin deposits in cell tissues. Furthermore, the study found that sago palm roots can form associations with AMF under saline conditions. These findings indicate that sago palms exhibit tolerance to saline environments, making them a promising crop option for areas with low soil quality where other carbohydrate-producing crops cannot tolerate the conditions.

This study aimed to estimate heritabilities of piglet birth-weight traits and to investigate the relationships between piglet birth-weight and litter-size traits using field data from Czech Large White and Landrace sows. Data including 86 241 piglets from 5 536 litters were analysed using repeatability, genetic, and genomic models. The investigated piglet-weight traits included arithmetic mean birth weight (MBW), within-litter standard deviation (SDBW), coefficient of variation in birth weight (CVBW), and the proportion of small piglets in the litter (SMALL). Heritability rates of piglet-weight traits were low, with the highest estimates for MBW (0.06–0.10) and SMALL (0.08–0.17), depending on the model used, while the other within-litter variability traits showed heritability rates from 0.03 to 0.05. The heritability rates of litter-size traits, including the number of piglets born alive (NBA) and the number of piglets weaned (NW), were low and ranged from 0.05 to 0.07. The realised accuracies of prediction were moderate to high, ranging from 0.50 to 0.72 for piglet-weight traits and from 0.54 to 0.77 for litter-size traits, with ssGBLUP improving realised accuracy by 4–15% in comparison to BLUP. Genetic correlations estimated using BLUP and ssGBLUP indicated that litter size at birth (NBA) tended to be negatively associated with MBW and positively or weakly associated with piglet-weight variability traits (SDBW, CVBW, and SMALL), whereas NW tended to show positive correlations with MBW and negative correlations with variability traits. However, none of the correlations were statistically significant.

The avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a high value fruit crop in Indonesia. This exotic commodity is affected by dieback disease, an unrecorded disease in the country that threatens the production. The objectives of the present study were to characterise the pathogen and culturable non-pathogenic fungi associated with the dieback disease of avocado plants. Fungal isolates were collected from branches of avocados showing dieback symptom in the Standard and Instrument Tropical Fruit Applied Institute (SITFAI) experimental orchards during 2022–2023. A total of 17 fungal isolates selected from 73 fungal isolates isolated from three location were characterised morphologically, molecularly, phylogenetically, and by pathogenicity tests. The fungal isolates were tested for their pathogenicity to the local variety of avocado with two stages and three replications. The identification of the fungal species was conducted on the morphological characteristics and molecular analysis obtained from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the 28S region of the ribosomal DNA, and translation elongation factor 1 (TEF1). The results revealed that the artificial inoculation of Avo7 and Avo3.2 isolates, identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae, caused necrosis and wilt symptoms on the avocado seedlings. Several fungal species from the Botryosphaeriaceae, Eurotiomycetes, and Sordariomycetes groups were found alongside the pathogen responsible for causing the dieback symptoms in the avocados. The most frequently isolated genera were fast growing, Botryosphaeriaceae (58.9%), followed by Penicillium spp. (20.5%), Pestalotiopsis spp. (15.1%) and Colletotrichum spp. (5.4%). The information in this article should be used as new insights about the incidence of dieback disease caused by L. theobromae and proper management strategies against dieback disease on avocado need to be developed.

Changes in the content of mineral nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, Na) and risk elements (Mn, Cd) in the assimilatory organs of selected plant species were studied along the altitudinal gradient of A‒D zones polluted by alkaline emissions from the magnesite factory Lubeník (Slovak Republic). Multivariate statistical analysis and comparison with background values in other studies demonstrate persistent intoxication of some plants by Mg (all study plants), K (Lactuca saligna, Dryopteris filix-mas), Mn (Quercus polycarpa, Carpinus betulus, Betula pendula, Lactuca saligna) and Cd (Quercus polycarpa, Carpinus betulus, Betula pendula, Lactuca saligna). Overall, Lactuca saligna accumulated the highest amounts of Mg, Cd, Na and K near the magnesite plant, suggesting its potential as an effective bioindicator of elemental pollution. Unbalanced Ca/Mg ratios, lower than 1, were recorded predominantly in all plant species sampled near the magnesite plant; unbalanced K/(Mg + Ca) ratios were predominantly in woody species.

Manganese (Mn) is often underestimated in plant nutrition. Its availability to plants is influenced by several factors, which can lead to Mn deficiency or toxicity. The objective was to evaluate the transformation of soil Mn over 21 years in a long-term field experiment. Fertilising with (i) sewage sludge 1 (SS1); (ii) sewage sludge 3 (3 times higher nitrogen (N) dose, SS3); (iii) farmyard manure (FYM); (iv) mineral nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) and (v) mineral nitrogen in addition to straw (Nst) was studied to evaluate the transformations of Mn in soil using different extraction methods at the 5 locations. There was a general reduction in the pH during the experiment. Soil acidification caused by mineral N fertiliser increased the bioavailable Mn forms under NPK treatment. This Mn was mobilised from soil reserves, leading to depletion of Mn sources. Application of SS and FYM led to an increase in non-bioavailable Mn fractions, while the expected increase in biologically available Mn was not observed. As the high pH of soil limits Mn availability, foliar Mn application can be recommended for agricultural practice in high-pH soils. On the contrary, liming can be recommended for low-pH soil with high bioavailable Mn content to mitigate the risk of Mn toxicity.

Despite the recognised benefits of climate smart agriculture (CSA) in enhancing farmers' adaptive capacity to climate risks, adoption rates remain low in Sub-Saharan Africa. This disparity can be attributed, in part, to the significant challenges smallholder farmers face in accessing credit from the formal financial sector. In response, Rural Saving and Credit Cooperatives (RUSACCOs) have emerged as crucial sources of funding for both household expenses and agricultural activities. However, despite their increasing importance in improving financial inclusion, little is known about whether participation in RUSACCOs can help alleviate existing credit constraints and promote the adoption of CSA among smallholder farmers. To address this knowledge gap, we employ a recursive bivariate probit (RBP) and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis using data from 400 randomly selected smallholder farmers in Zambia. The analysis controls for three main sources of endogeneity: program placement, endogenous covariates, and self-selection. Our findings indicate that participation in RUSACCOs has the potential to mitigate farmers' credit constraints by 42% and facilitate CSA adoption by 25%. Notably, the alleviation of existing credit constraints is associated with a 14% increase in CSA adoption. These results underscore the previously overlooked role of RUSACCOs in promoting agricultural sustainability. By effectively addressing financial inclusion barriers and providing access to practical agricultural knowledge, RUSACCOs can contribute to reducing the vulnerability of agriculture while fostering sustainable production. Our study suggests that repurposing RUSACCOs to emphasise financial inclusion and promote access to agricultural learning platforms can yield triple benefits: agricultural, environmental, and livelihood sustainability.

The rhizosphere plays an important role in both farmland and urban areas, affecting water quantity and quality during surface water infiltration by increasing the heterogeneity of the aeration zone. The extensive application of antibiotics, their recalcitrance to degradation, and the resultant accumulation of antibiotics in soil-microbe-plant systems represent significant threats to the rhizosphere system, thereby threatening ecological stability and environmental and human health. This review synthesises recent findings on the migration and transformation of typical and common antibiotics within the rhizosphere. The main findings include that the absorption of antibiotics by plants is influenced by their molecular weight (MW) and octanol-water partition coefficient (log K_ow), allowing antibiotics to be divided into three classes: (1) antibiotics with high lipophilicity (log K_ow > 2) are mostly adsorbed by root lipids and rarely participate in the soil-plant transport process; (2) antibiotics with log K_ow < 2 and high MWs (MW > 700) are blocked outside the plant roots; and (3) antibiotics with log K_ow < 2 and low MWs (MW < 700) can enter plants through the roots and are transported via transpiration flow in plants. Antibiotics with log K_ow < 1 are more easily transported into plant tissues, including leaves. The rhizospheric microorganisms capable of participating in antibiotic migration and transformation are concentrated in Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The inhibitory effect of antibiotics on dehydrogenase, sucrase, urease, catalase, and alkaline phosphatase activities surpasses their promoting effect, reducing these enzyme activities by 6–35% on average. However, the promoting effect of antibiotics on peroxidase, acidic phosphatase, and manganese peroxidase outweighs the inhibitory effect, increasing enzyme activity by 2–23%. Furthermore, it is essential to consider the effects of plant age and root characteristics on antibiotic migration and transformation. The results of this review contribute to a better understanding of the migration and transformation of antibiotics within the rhizosphere.

Current dietary patterns in developed countries, characterised by high intakes of processed and animal-source foods, are linked to increased obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases, as well as environmental burdens. This paper investigates determinants of red meat, white meat, and fish consumption across five European countries, using representative survey data from over 10 000 individuals. Our findings reveal that men consume more red meat and fish than women, though, when adjusted for body weight, women consume significantly more white meat and fish. While vegetarians are mostly people younger than 35 years, meat eaters in the same age category tend to eat more red meat than older people. Cross-country differences highlight the need for localised policy approaches. Individual values also shape dietary choices. Security-oriented people prefer red meat, while altruistic individuals consume less of it. Biospheric values, while strongly associated with being vegetarian, show no significant association with meat or fish intake. To reduce red meat consumption, policies should highlight health benefits of eating less meat, with messages tailored to specific demographic groups. Additionally, enhancing meat alternatives' affordability, taste, and appearance is essential for promoting dietary shifts.

This study investigates advancements and trends in Fleckvieh breeding research using the Web of Science Core Collection database to collate articles published since 1994. Through CiteSpace 6.4.R1, we conducted systematic analyses to visualise research trajectories, identify seminal domains, and delineate emerging patterns. Our methodology encompassed publication profiling, scientific collaboration network mapping, co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence/clustering techniques. The findings reveal that the current research frontiers focus on: Genomic applications in genetic selection, Reproductive efficiency optimisation, Environmental adaptability mechanisms, Thermotolerance management strategies, Cross-disciplinary methodological integration. Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland emerged as leading contributors, with institutions including the Technical University of Munich and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, demonstrating a particular scholarly influence. Knowledge mapping effectively delineated thematic concentrations and temporal evolution patterns, providing actionable insights for future research prioritisation. The field is progressing towards holistic, interdisciplinary frameworks underpinned by robust international consortia. This work introduces novel analytical perspectives to refine breeding protocols and enhance practical implementation.

The multifaceted nature of agricultural management and environmental factors complicates the production of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). This study evaluated 25 varieties (21 hybrids and four populations) in three growing seasons (2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23) in Poland. The focus was on yield, fat content, and resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The analyses revealed significant variability among the varieties, with the hybrids performing better consistently in terms of yield and fat content. The level of resistance to Sclerotinia was similar in hybrid and population varieties. Furthermore, DK Excited was found to be the highest-yielding variety, while Duke had the highest fat content. Derrick was the most resistant to S. sclerotiorum. Advocat and Dynamic were identified as the best varieties. In the analysed series of field trials, yield was found to be affected by high temperatures and a lack of rainfall in March, June, and July. For fat content, a lack of rainfall in July was the main limiting factor.

Honey is one of the oldest traditional medicines that has been highly reputed and widely used for the treatment of several human diseases for thousands of years. The purpose of this study was to: (i) evaluate and compare the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of Shawkiat and Rabiee honeys with those of Manuka honey against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; (ii) assess the anti-virulence potential of these honeys, by examining their impacts on the expression of five selected genes in E. coli and seven genes in S. aureus that have been previously shown to be involved in the microcolony, biofilm and virulence in the test organism. The antibacterial, antibiofilm and anti-virulence activities of these honeys against both bacteria were investigated by agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), growth curve, time-kill curve, microtiter plate and reverse transcription-quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The susceptibility tests showed promising antibacterial activities of Shawkiat and Rabiee honeys compared with Manuka honey against E. coli and S. aureus. The results showed that Manuka honey possessed the lowest MIC value against both bacteria with 20% (w/v) MIC and MBC of 25% (w/v). Slightly higher MIC values were shown by Shawkiat and Rabiee honeys against both bacteria with 25% (w/v) MIC and 50% (w/v) MBC values compared with Manuka honey. Growth curves demonstrated no growth of the two bacteria after treatment with MIC of all the tested honeys. Shawkiat and Rabiee honeys showed that both bacteria lost viability comparably with Manuka honey. The lowest concentration of Shawkiat and Rabiee honeys was able to inhibit and eradicate the biofilm of both bacteria compared with Manuka honey. The qPCR analysis showed that the expression of all the selected genes in both bacteria after treatment with all the tested honeys was downregulated and shared a similar overall pattern of gene expression, with a trend toward reduced expression of the virulence genes of interest. The results of this study indicate that Jordanian honeys possess antibacterial, antibiofilm and anti-virulence activities comparably with Manuka honey. This study revealed that Jordanian honey compared with Manuka honey inhibits E. coli and S. aureus planktonic cells and biofilm through the downregulation of genes required for growth, biofilm formation and motility.

This study investigates the reciprocal relationship between non-farm employment and mechanisation adoption of smallholders in Vietnam using the longitudinal Vietnam Access to Resources Household Survey (VARHS) 2008–2016 dataset. By employing the correlated random effects with the Mundlak approach to address the selection bias from the unobserved heterogeneity of panel data and the instrumental variables regressions to treat the endogeneity issue of non-farm participation and mechanisation adoption, the findings revealed that non-farm employment and mechanisation adoption have a positive interactive relationship. The mechanisation adoption in agricultural production could save farm labour and allow farmers to engage in non-farm activities. Conversely, non-farm earnings could relax financial constraints and provide opportunities for farmers to invest in mechanisation. The agricultural labour shifting to non-farm work was replaced by hiring machinery services rather than machinery investment when the service market was available and cost-effective. Our study implies practical policies and actionable plans to encourage nonfarm employment and facilitate agricultural mechanisation toward sustainable agriculture and inclusive development in rural communities.