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The continuous use of inorganic fertilizers in agriculture poses detrimental effects on soil health and future crop yields. Therefore, alternative sources of plant nutrients that are environmentally friendly and cost-effective for use in crop production, especially with the escalating cost of inorganic fertilizers, are necessary. A shade-house study was designed to determine the effect of different quantities of goat manure applications on growth attributes and yield of wild watermelon (Citrullus lanatus subsp.). A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used to arrange the treatments, with fourteen (14) replications (n = 84). Six (6) treatments consisting of various quantities (v/v) of river sand, Hutton soil, and goat manure (T0-1:3:0, T1-1:3:1, T2-1:3:2, T3-1:3:3, T4-1:3:4, and T5-1:3:3) were used, with T0-1:3:0 constituting the control. Treatments had a highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) effect on dry shoot mass (65%), fruit weight (75%), and fruit diameter (75%) except for the dry root mass (44%), vine length (47%), chlorophyll (47%), number of fruit (27%) and stem diameter (22%) of wild watermelon plants. Dry shoot mass was the highest (11.14 g) in T4-1:3:4, and the lowest dry shoot mass (6.57 g) was obtained in T1-1:3:1 when compared to the control. The fruit fresh weight of the wild watermelon was reduced in all the treatments, when compared to the control. The biggest fruit diameter (66.66 mm) was observed in T4-1:3:4, and the lowest (14.4 mm) was observed in T5-1:3:5. In conclusion, T4-1:3:4 enhanced greater vegetative growth (dry shoot matter) and yield attributes (fruit diameter and weight) of the wild watermelon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt-affected soils are a prevalent issue globally, resulting in a severe degradation of soil sustainability and plant productivity, reducing the area of agricultural land, and affecting food security. Therefore, eco-solutions and remediation approaches are needed. The needed remediation for salt-affected soil can be addressed via engineering, physical, chemical, or biological techniques. Salt-tolerant crops are normally used for the remediation of slight and moderate saline soil conditions. However, no crops, including salt-tolerant crops, can be cultivated in areas with extreme salinity levels (ECe 8–16 dS/m). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vermicompost and organic amendment on the cultivation of salt-tolerant crops (Sesbania rostrata) in severely salt-affected soil under field conditions in order to improve saline soil and crop productivity. The design of the experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three treatments and four replications: T1, severely salt-affected soil (control); T2, severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost at a ratio of 25:75; T3, severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost + rice husk biochar + coconut coir at a ratio of 25:25:25:25. The results found that using vermicompost and organic amendment improved the soil quality, increased the soil fertility (organic matter and plant nutrients N, P, and K), and reduced the soil salinity. Sesbania rostrate could not grow in severely salt-affected soil (T1) alone, but could grow in the treatments with vermicompost and organic amendments (T2 and T3). The percentage of Sesbania survival per plot was also high in the treatments with vermicompost and organic amendments (T2 and T3). The highest growth rate, flower production, biomass, and root morphology of Sesbania rostrata were found in T3, with severely salt-affected soil + vermicompost + rice husk biochar + coconut coir at a ratio of 25:25:25:25 with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Moreover, the Sesbania flowers treated with vermicompost and organic amendments have a higher nutritional value due to their minerals and vitamins than Sesbania flowers grown without using vermicompost and organic amendments. This study's findings suggest that incorporating vermicompost and organic amendments is a feasible and economical method for enhancing the quality of salt-affected soils in a sustainable manner. The results of this study demonstrate that utilizing vermicompost and organic amendments is a sustainable and economical strategy for enhancing the quality of salt-affected soils and improving yields in severely salt-affected areas, thereby increasing crop production and the nutritional value of the plants as well as helping to increase farmers' income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a wellconsumed crop in Ecuador, whose fruits are abundant in bioactive molecules. Its rapid post-harvest deterioration and safety limit its market potential. Methodology: To gather baseline data on the prevalence of bacterial taxa among groups, we employed 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) amplicon gene sequencing to detect changes in the bacterial community structure in cape gooseberry fruits harvested from an organic farm production system (# 270 samples x two ripeness stages), and fruits obtained from an open-air market (#270). Results: This is the first report of bacterial taxa inhabiting cape gooseberry fruits. Shannon's diversity index revealed that the fruits purchased from the market and the unripe stage had the highest level of bacterial diversity (average Shannon indices of 3.3 and 3.1) followed by those collected from the field at the mature ripe stage (2.07). Alpha diversity analysis indicated that there were no significant differences in the number of taxa or evenness within the sample, whereas there was a significant difference in beta diversity between the groups. Rhizobiaceae was the most abundant family in fruits originating from the field regardless of the ripe stage, while Acetobacteraceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Erwiniaceae were the most abundant families in the market group. At the genus level, Liberibacter was the most abundant phytopathogen in fruits originating from the field, while Gluconobacter was the most abundant in samples collected from the market. The phytopathogen Candidatus_Liberibacter was the most abundant in samples collected from the field, while the fruits purchased from the market stands contained opportunistic enteric pathogens such as Escherichia vulneris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and K. variicola, their relative abundance varied with the sample. In addition, potential pathogens of animal origin such as Fusobacterium necrophorum, Porphyromonas levii, Helcococcus ovis, and Trueperella pyogenes were found in almost all samples at varying relative abundance. Conclusion: Our study provides basic information on the microbiome of cape gooseberries from agriculture fields to the table along with the detection of several pathogenic microorganisms with possible impact on food safety and public health therefore, strategies for reducing bacterial contamination in both farm and retail markets are compulsory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In organic farming, the use of plant growth biostimulants in crop cultivation technologies, including chickpea, has become widespread. The purpose of this study: to investigate the manifestation of productivity elements and the yield of chickpea varieties depending on the treatment with an organic growth stimulator. The study employed the following methods: field - to determine the level of yield, laboratory - to investigate the elements of productivity of chickpea, and statistical - to assess the reliability of experimental studies. By treatment options, the complex application of the product during presowing seed treatment and foliar feeding of plants during the growing season was distinguished. The effect of organic growth stimulant on the increase of productivity elements of chickpea in this variant of the experiment was noted by an average of 10.0%. The greatest effect of the preparation was found in the complex treatment of seeds and plants of common chickpea in terms of seed weight per plant (24.0%). They were identified by the influence of varietal properties on the productivity elements of common chickpea varieties Triumf and Pamiat. The Pamiat variety with the seed treatment + foliar dressing variant was the best in terms of chickpea yield, but the Triumf variety had the greatest effect of the growth stimulator on the yield increase. Close correlations were found between seed weight per plant and thousand-kernel weight, number of beans per plant and number of seeds per plant, and yield with plant productivity and thousand-kernel weight. The findings of the study are recommended to be used to adjust the elements of chickpea cultivation technology to increase productivity in production conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of farmers in dealing with the phenomenon of climate change is to minimize the impact of reducing the productivity of agricultural products. Climate change which has an impact on the agricultural sector is also caused by unsustainable agricultural practices. Several studies have examined the adoption of organic farming innovations that are sustainable from an environmental aspect and increase farmer income. However, there has been no research on farmers' knowledge and perceptions of implementing organic farming as a climate change adaptation strategy. This research aims to analyze the factors that shape farmers' negative perceptions of organic farming and characteristics of the farmers. The sampling technique in this research uses a probability sampling approach with a total of 80 farmers with interviews using two languages, namely Javanese (local language) and Indonesian to make it easier to understand the research questions. This research used Second Order CFA with WarpPLS 5.0. The basic theory that is found in this study is farmers pay more attention to the attributes of innovation, observability of yields, and access to information. Farmers in Makmur Sejahtera Farmers Group are classified as laggards and late majority. The visible results from the demo plot of organic farming are lower than the results from land that applies conventional farming. Farmers prefer to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers to deal with pest explosions due to climate change. Based on the results, the adoption of organic farming for an adaptive climate change impact with a management policy was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the changes in the agricultural sector, there is a demand among policymakers, administration, advisors and farmers for comparisons of the economic efficiency of organic versus conventional farms and their environmental impact. The authors of the paper hypothesised that in some conditions, organic farms can reach similar productive and economic results as conventional farms and, at the same time, achieve better environmental effects. The aim of the research was to compare the production, environmental and economic effects of selected organic and conventional farms from eastern Poland (mixed, crop production, animal production). The basis for the comparative analysis was the data from 12 farms obtained using the questionnaire method (direct interview) from the years 2020 to 2021. The yields of cereals in the tested organic farms were about one-third lower than the average obtained on conventional farms. Total organic crop production in cereal units per ha was 43% of conventional production. Balances of NPK indicated surpluses or deficiency, which suggested that in both systems nutrient management should be improved and optimised. The compared groups of organic farms generally had higher economic efficiency—both with and without subsidies—than conventional farms, despite the fact that the latter obtained significantly higher incomes. Gross farm income on conventional farms was higher than on organic farms by 28%, but conventional farms had higher direct costs by 332% than organic ones. As a result, the economic efficiency of agricultural production of organic farms was higher by 59% than conventional farms. The lower level of inputs incurred on organic farms was the main factor determining their high economic efficiency. Organic farms pursuing an intensive model of agricultural production (milk production), but also with specialisation in crop production, proved to be the most economically efficient. Despite diversified production, reducing the income risk, the mixed production, both organic and conventional, in the studied set of farms turned out to be the least profitable, indicating the need to support it. It is suggested that moderate specialisation increases the efficiency of management in organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El objetivo general de este trabajo es determinar las combinaciones de impulsores de la ecoinnovación que favorecen una alta proporción de propiedades que declaran realizar producción orgánica en los municipios brasileños. Para ello se realizó una revisión teórica que determinó 11 impulsores, que luego se clasificaron como internos y externos a las propiedades agrícolas. Los datos se tomaron del Censo Agropecuario de 2017, divulgado por el Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadística (IBGE). Para determinar las combinaciones de impulsores asociados a la producción agropecuaria orgánica se utilizó el método de análisis comparativo cualitativo. Los resultados mostraron que ningún impulsor puede definirse como necesario. Sin embargo, se determinaron dos combinaciones de impulsores internos y tres combinaciones de impulsores externos a los establecimientos rurales suficientes para explicar una alta proporción de propiedades dedicadas a la producción orgánica. Estos resultados contribuyen a la literatura sobre ecoinnovación en la agricultura y al seguimiento de las políticas públicas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agriculture, agroecological production systems represent a concrete strategy to support the implementation of democratic processes of rural development, in which, based on local actions, farmers may be able to take a leading role in the local development process. The application of agroecological principles can collaborate to maintain traditional varieties and crops, promote the recovery and value of local culture, including management practices that stimulate and revitalize ethnosciences. The objective of this study was to analyze mountain agriculture through the agro-environmental practices of organic producers linked to the Agroecological Association of Teresópolis, based on the following pillars: environmental, social, cultural and economic. The methodology applied was a case study, including visits to agricultural production units for analysis of the production context and interviews with members through semi-structured questionnaires. The results allow us to state that organic agriculture in Teresópolis (RJ) is configured as an individual will inserted in a collective process, without financial support, presence or encouragement from the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study conducted in Himachal Pradesh, India, to compare the nutrient content of crops grown in different production systems. The study found that the conventional system had the highest macronutrient content, while the organic system had the highest sulfur and micronutrient content. Among the crops, black gram had the highest nutrient content, while okra had the lowest. The study emphasizes the importance of nutrient management for food and nutritional security. The findings have implications for sustainable agriculture and food security. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Annals of the Polish Association of Agricultural & Agribusiness Economists is the property of Polish Association of Agricultural & Agribusiness Economists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economics & Environment / Ekonomia i Środowisko is the property of Fundacja Ekonomistow Srodowiska i Zasobow Naturalnych and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the specialization of agricultural production on selected parameters of soil health, i.e., soil organic carbon content (SOC), soil acidification, soil nutrient status, i.e., total nitrogen content (NT), available forms of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, and microelements content, as well as the content of selected potentially toxic metals (PTMs). For the study, 18 farms located in the Masovian Voivodeship in Central Poland were selected. They were grouped into six types, and each type was represented by three farms. The study included organic farms; farms specializing in: crop, vegetable, poultry, dairy cattle, and pigs production. A total of 144 soil samples were analyzed. The results showed that the specialization of agricultural production and fertilizer management had a significant impact on most of the tested soil health parameters, except SOC and NT content. Despite the high organic fertilizer doses introduced into soils in poultry (170 kg N per hectare as poultry manure) and pig farms (150 kg N per hectare as pig manure), there was no significant influence of these amendments on SOC content. This may indicate low organic carbon sequestration potential in some Polish agricultural soils. Organic farms had the lowest levels of plant nutrients in the tested soil samples, which may limit soil productivity. All the tested soils were strongly acidified, which could restrict both production and regulatory soil functions. Based on the synthetic index of soil fertility (SSFI), vegetable and poultry farms were characterized by very high fertility, while crop, dairy cattle, and pig farms fell into the medium fertility class. Organic farms were in the lowest fertility class. However, the study suggests that the SSFI may not be the best indicator for assessing soil fertility and health; therefore, further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social conditions in post-apartheid South Africa have been widely seen as marked by persistent and often racialised inequalities. The country has also been viewed through the prism of crisis, in economic, social, ecological and political spheres. Such language of crisis is increasingly reflected today among religious actors that reconstitute religious publics in the post-apartheid dispensation. Focusing on the growing public presence of Pentecostal-Charismatic and Evangelical Christianity, this article analyses how cultivating food 'God's way' interplays with discourses of crisis in South Africa. The study employs ethnographic observation and interviews of practitioners and instructors of the Farming God's Way network, a parachurch organisation operating in promoting regenerative agricultural principles as authentic Christian practice. Biblically authorised land practices address Christians' emotional attachments and personal histories of agricultural production, land use and ownership. The study argues for understanding such farming as encompassing a space of both mediation and contestation between hopes of restoring an ideal past based on a biblically based agrarian and ecological order and frustrations with attempts at transforming a morally degraded present. Addressing Farming God's Way as an emotional project entangled in discourses of (non)belonging and questions of change reveals tensions around representations of race, class and gender in Charismatic Christians' approach to biodiversity. Here, adherence to regenerative farming principles reveals practices through which Christian farmers attempt to remake themselves as moral citizens through ecological care. Rearticulations of the responsible steward, however, pinpoint the persistence of racialised tropes at the core of the religious public project of redeeming the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of different crop production systems was investigated on incidence of insect pests and their natural enemies, soil microflora and enzymatic activity, and quality of fruits produced in spring planted tomato at Ludhiana, Punjab, during 2017 to 2019. Production systems included conventional farming whereby indiscriminate and excessive use of agrochemicals is practiced, organic farming, and farming following Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) with IPM adoption. Higher Aphis gossypii and Helicoverpa armigera infestation was observed in organic fields followed by IPM and conventional fields. Aphid population showed a negative correlation with maximum and minimum temperature but a positive correlation with relative humidity, while the tomato fruit borer showed a positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature but negative correlation with relative humidity and rainfall. The mean fruit yield in the farming system following IPM was maximum (50120 Kg ha-1) followed by conventional farmers' fields (408.1 q/ha) and organic fields (403.9 q/ha). The mean spider population under organic conditions (0.39-0.56) was significantly higher than that of IPM (0.26-0.36) and conventional farmers' fields (0.02-0.10). Soil samples from conventional fields revealed the presence of quinalphos and chlorpyriphos, while tomato fruit samples showed the presence of triazophos and mancozeb during 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the flavonoids and percent antioxidant activity in fruits from organic field were higher. The bacterial count in organic and IPM field soil increased from 5.4×107 and 4.9×107 CFU g-1 in 2017 to, respectively, 7.1×107 and 6.5×107 CFU g1 in 2019. The activity of alkaline phosphatase and urease was highest in organic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Diversitas Journal is the property of Diversitas Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study addresses the issue of assessing the functioning of farms in areas with diverse natural farming conditions by evaluating them using the latest version of the Agricultural Production Area Valorization (APAV) index. Analyses were performed on three types of farms: fully organic farms, organic farms with co-existing conventional production, and conventional-production farms. To achieve the research objective, 259 communes were selected depending on the level of their APAV. Assessments were made of their production potential, production organization, production and economic results in communes with average APAVs below, equal to, and higher than the national average (66.6 points) based on data from farms continuously keeping accounts for the Polish farm accountancy data network (FADN) in between 2019–2021. The Shannon-Wiener index (S-W index) was used to measure the degree of diversity of crop species in the farms' sown crops, and determine what proportion of those were structure-forming plants. This research demonstrates that in order for interest in organic production to develop under current conditions, there must be sufficient financial support for agricultural producers, especially in areas with more difficult farming conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agri-food system is facing a range of social-ecological threats, many of which are caused and amplified by industrial agriculture. In response, numerous sustainable agriculture narratives have emerged, proposing solutions to the challenges facing the agri-food system. One such narrative that has recently risen to prominence is regenerative agriculture. However, the drivers for the rapid emergence of regenerative agriculture are not well understood. Furthermore, its transformative potential for supporting a more sustainable agri-food system is underexplored. Through a genealogical analysis of four prominent sustainable agriculture narratives; organic agriculture, conservation agriculture, sustainable intensification, and agroecology; we consider how regenerative agriculture's growing momentum can be contextualised within existing narratives and explore the implications this might have for its transformative potential. This analysis reveals that the genealogies of these sustainable agriculture narratives have led to a number of contestations and complementarities which have coalesced to drive the emergence of regenerative agriculture. We also find that, in contrast to agroecology, regenerative agriculture shares with other Global North narratives a limited scope for offering transformative pathways for agricultural production. This is largely due to their inadequate consideration of power and equity issues in the agri-food system. We argue that regenerative agriculture therefore risks inhibiting deeper agri-food system transformations that address both social and ecological challenges and is not the unifying sustainable agriculture narrative it claims to be. Nonetheless, regenerative agriculture could contribute towards a broader plurality of sustainable agriculture narratives that collectively might enable a transformation to a more sustainable, diverse, and just agri-food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive use of chemical insecticides to control insect pests in agriculture has improved yields and production of high‐quality food products. However, chemical insecticides have been shown to be harmful also to beneficial insects and many other organisms like vertebrates. Thus, there is a need to replace those chemical insecticides by other control methods in order to protect the environment. Insect pest pathogens, like bacteria, viruses or fungi, are interesting alternatives for production of microbial‐based insecticides to replace the use of chemical products in agriculture. Organic farming, which does not use chemical pesticides for pest control, relies on integrated pest management techniques and in the use of microbial‐based insecticides for pest control. Microbial‐based insecticides require precise formulation and extensive monitoring of insect pests, since they are highly specific for certain insect pests and in general are more effective for larval young instars. Here, we analyse the possibility of using microbial‐based insecticides to replace chemical pesticides in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for wheat production is increasing and is associated with environmental effects. To sustain the increased demand, there is a need to find sustainable methods of wheat production. The choice of cropping system can significantly affect the environmental burden of agricultural production systems. This study presents the results of monitoring emission loads resulting from winter wheat cultivation under different cropping systems: organic unfertilized (ORG), organic fertilized (ORG-F), conventional unfertilized (CON), and conventional fertilized (CON-F). The system boundaries include all the processes from "cradle to farm gate" and the functional unit was 1 kg of wheat grain. The primary data were obtained from experimental field trials and secondary data from Ecoinvent v3.5, WFLDB, and Agri-footprint v5.0 databases. The results of this study are related to eight impact categories. The SimaPro 9.2.0.1 software and ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.13/Europe Recipe H were used for calculation. The results show that fertilized variants recorded higher environmental impacts compared to the unfertilized variants. The results indicate that ORG-F was more environmentally friendly compared to the CON-F variant at the expense of lower yields. Overall, ORG imposes the lowest environmental impact and is deemed to be more environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rhizosphere bacterial communities play a crucial role in promoting plant and soil ecosystem health and productivity. They also have great potential as key indicators of soil health in agroecosystems. Various environmental factors affect soil parameters, which have been demonstrated to influence soil microbial growth and activities. Thus, this study investigated how rhizosphere bacterial community structure and functions are affected by agronomic practices such as organic and conventional fertiliser application and plant species types. Methods: Rhizosphere soil of vegetable crops cultivated under organic and conventional fertilisers in different farms was analysed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and co-occurrence network pattern among bacterial species. The functional structure was analysed with PICRUSt2 pipeline. Results: Overall, rhizosphere bacterial communities varied in response to fertiliser type, with soil physicochemical parameters, including NH4, PO4, pH and moisture content largely driving the variations across the farms. Organic farms had a higher diversity richness and more unique amplicon sequence variants than conventional farms. Bacterial community structure in multivariate space was highly differentiated across the farms and between organic and conventional farms. Co-occurrence network patterns showed community segmentation for both farms, with keystone taxa more prevalent in organic than conventional farms. Discussion: Module hub composition and identity varied, signifying differences in keystone taxa across the farms and positive correlations between changes in microbial composition and ecosystem functions. The organic farms comprised functionally versatile communities characterised by plant growth-promoting keystone genera, such as Agromyces, Bacillus and Nocardioides. The results revealed that organic fertilisers support high functional diversity and stronger interactions within the rhizosphere bacterial community. This study provided useful information about the overall changes in soil microbial dynamics and how the changes influence ecosystem functioning under different soil nutrient management and agronomic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document explores the impact of organic manures and bioenhancers on the growth and yield of kharif groundnut in India. The study found that the application of vermicompost at 2 t/ha during sowing resulted in higher pod yield and shelling percentage. Additionally, the use of Panchgavya at specific intervals gave the highest yield. The findings suggest that the use of organic manures and bioenhancers can improve the growth and yield of kharif groundnut in organic farming, with vermicompost and Panchgavya showing promising results in terms of economics as well. [Extracted from the article]

1. Introduction: Cultivation of rhubarb (Rheum ribes) plant is increasing rapidly all over the world. The need to cultivate these plants according to the nutritional value is fully felt. The most important issue for the production of agricultural plants is the choosing appropriate method to propagate them. Germination is one of the critical stages in the growth cycle of plants. Germination plays a major role in determining the final growth and density of the plant. Low and irregular germination is one of the main problems of reproduction of many medicinal plants. Considering that biological stimuli can improve seed germination and minimize soil pollution, they are environmentally friendly and suitable for producing of organic crops. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of seed priming with some biostimulants such as humic acid and extract of bean and chickpea sprout on germination indices and seedling growth parameters of rhubarb plant. 2. Materials and Methods: An experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design with three replications to investigate the influence of seed priming with some biostimulants such as humic acid and extract of black-eyed bean and chickpea sprout on germination indices (germination percentage, germination speed, seed vigour and allometric coefficient) and seedling growth parameters (length, and dry and fresh weight of plumule and radicle) of rhubarb plant. Black-eyed bean and chickpea sprouts were separately milled in a fresh state and their powder was mixed with distilled water twice in a 50 to 50 weight ratio, and then mixed. The prepared sprout extracts were considered as 100% mother extract and different concentrations (10%, 20% and 30%) of experimental extract were prepared from mother extract. Humic acid was prepared at three different concentrations including 1, 5 and 10 g L-1, and distilled water was also used as control treatment. After soaking the seeds in prepared biostimulants for 24 h, they were sown in the plastic pots. The number of germinated seeds was counted every three days until the end of the period (50 d). At the end of the experiment, the length, and dry and fresh weight of plumule and radicle were measured. 3. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the effect of all three treatments on germination indices of rhubarb seeds was significant. There was significant difference between humic acid 10 g L-1 and bean extract 10% with the control in terms of seed germination percentage. Also, there was a significant difference between chickpea extract 10% and the control in terms of allometric coefficient. Bean extract 30% increased the length of plumule, but on the other hand, this trait decreased in seeds treated with chickpea 10% comparing to control. In terms of radicle length, there was significant difference between humic acid 5 and 10 g L-1 with the control. Application of humic acid 5 and 10 g L-1 increased the radicle length. Using chickpea sprout extract 10% caused a 28% decrease in the germination rate, and using chickpea sprout extract 20% caused 22% decrease in this trait. Priming with bean extract 10% caused 10 and 21% decrease in plumule length and germination speed, and the other treatments of bean and chickpea extracts did not have a significant effect on germination indices. Seed priming with humic acid at a concentration of 10 g L-1 increased the germination rate by 8% and germination speed by 12.5%. Studies have shown that treatment with humic acid can positively affect cellular metabolism, photosynthetic rate, amino acids biosynthesis rate and phyto-hormones content leading to improving growth rate and qualitative and quantitative characteristics of crops. 4. Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, humic acid 10 g L-1 was the best treatment to improve germination indices and growth parameters of rhubarb plant. Therefore, it could be used as a priming solution for better and faster germination of rhubarb seeds. Also, the use of humic acid both in sustainable agriculture and healthy crop production is cost effective. Using this treatment could be introduced as efficient technique to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and reduce environmental pollution. Also, the results demonstrated that priming with bean and chickpea extracts could not significantly affect the most important germination indices and growth parameters of rhubarb plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the study is due to the increasing role of organic farming as a driver of sustainable development of rural territories. The purpose of the article is to develop methodological approaches to the identification of factors that restrain the implementation of organic farming projects and the development of methods and instruments of management of organic products. Methodological aspects of sustainability are developed, including environmental, economic and social. The analysis of the regulatory support of the implementation of projects of organic farming was carried out. An assessment of the structure of the organic production market and the demand for organic products is given. Systematization and classification of restraining and accelerating factors in the implementation of organic farming projects. The need to diversify agricultural production as a conditions for reducing risks and the growth of the yield of agricultural producers is justified. The study has developed directions for increasing the effectiveness of the institutional interaction of the main stakeholders of the organic farming process at the federal and regional levels based on the communication, coordination and cooperation system. The practical significance of the results of the study is to develop measures to improve the scientific and technological policy of the agroindustrial complex in the conditions of structural transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, thousands tons of chemicals material are used to increase agricultural production that provides a risky situation for the communities. Recently, biological or organic agriculture is considered to get rid of such problems. But this style of agriculture is facing with many difficulties and challenges. The purpose of this research is to investigate the obstacles to the development of organic agriculture in Kohgiluyeh and Buyer-Ahmad provinces of Iran. This study was performed in three phases by using Delphi method. In this regard, the statistical population of the study were 32 experts of Jihad Agricultural Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Buyer-Ahmad Province, Iran. The results show that, regarding economic barriers, lack of governmental support; regarding social - cultural barriers, lack of consumption culture of organic products and regarding the political and administrative barriers, lack of clear policies and legislation in the field of organic farming are the main obstacles. Weakness in the education system for the production and consumption of organic products is also among the highest priorities in educational barriers. Education and culturalization in the field organic agriculture and appointing a special organization for this purpose seems to be essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agro-Knowledge Journal / Agroznanje is the property of University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The functioning of societies depends on a number of goods and services provided by the natural environment. Knowledge about the benefits that humans derive from it is an important issue in the era of current environmental and climate changes. Agricultural systems and management methods (e.g., tillage, weed and pest control, fertilization, field consolidation, crop specialization and monoculture) are important for biodiversity, the presence of which is of great importance for people and the environment. The aim of this study was to assess bioenvironmentalindicators such as weed flora, earthworms and terrestrial invertebrates biomass, in selected crops in an organic, integrated and conventional farming systems in southern Poland. The results showed the highest biodiversity weeds, earthworms, and terrestrial invertebrates in crops grown in the organic system in comparison to the conventional or sustainable ones, where chemical herbicides were applied. Species diversity of weeds was, on average, twice as high in the organic system (21 species) compared to the integrated and conventional systems (10-11 species). In the organic system, the highest number of weeds (average 71 pcs m-2) accompanied spring wheat and the lowest number of weeds was observed in legume-grass mixture in the first year of use (average 28 pcs m-2). The highest biomass of earthworms in the soil was estimated under winter wheat and legume-grass mixtures. This indicator was half as much in the soil under plants grown in integrated and conventional systems. Terrestrial invertebrates were also most abundant in crops grown in the organic system, indicating that this agricultural production system is conducive to maintaining high biodiversity in agroecosystems. For winter wheat cultivated in the conventional and integrated systems, the invertebrate richness index was 2.5-3 times lower than in the organic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural productivity depends mainly on soil fertility, particularly in intensified-paddy fields. Heavily relying on synthetic agrochemicals in intensified agriculture could be changed to regenerative agriculture utilizing cultivation wastes to achieve sustainable food production. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effectiveness of rice (Oryza sativa L.) straw compost for intensified-rice cultivation. Rice straw compost from the previous planting season was composted on the field (in situ). The composting used “Effective Microorganisms version 4” (EM-4), which contains Lactobacillus sp., Rhodopseudomonas sp., Actinomycetes sp., Streptomyces sp., yeast, and cellulose-decomposing fungus. The test field used 4 tons of straw compost and treatments adopted from the local farmers’ planting style named Legowo 4:1. Observations on these treatments include the plant nutrients, plant contents, rice components, and yield production. The differences in the results were analyzed using the paired t-test. The results show that the application of straw compost provides a significant increase in dry grain weight, panicle length, and the number of grains per rice plant. However, the treatment did not give significant results on the clumps number and rice grain weight. Besides improving rice production, straw compost improved the C-organic, total N, and K levels in the soil. Based on this study, rice straw compost brings benefits for paddy cultivation as well as the reuse of agricultural waste in a simple way, especially in tropical lowland areas of Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the impact of land tenure arrangements on production costs in a sample of rice farmers in Ñuble Region, Chile. A stochastic frontier model was estimated using the primal approach on a panel of 107 farmers in 2014-2015. Production cost was broken down into frontier costs and inefficiency. According to findings, economic inefficiency raises rice production costs by 82%. Technical inefficiency accounts for a 61% increase, while allocative inefficiency accounts for 21%. Across tenure types, land is the input with the highest misallocation, accounting for 93% of allocative inefficiency costs. Sharecropping is the arrangement allocating inputs most efficiently, producing significant differences in production costs relative to leasing and ownership. This finding suggests that before designing a policy to induce a tenure system, it is necessary to evaluate specific cases as there is no system superior to another, strictly speaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal use of management systems including tillage and cover crops are recommended to improve available nutrient contents in soils and sustain agricultural production. The effects on organic carbon and available nutrient contents of three tillage methods (conventional tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage) and different cover crops such as flaxseed oil, buckwheat, soybean, pea, corn, sorghum, spring oilseed rape and sugar beet were evaluated in a short-term experiment on a light chestnut soil in Kazakhstan. Organic carbon and available nutrient contents were measured in the autumn of 2021. The field measurements included the yield of cover crops and input of organic matter into soils with root and other residues of cover crops. In the laboratory, total organic carbon, labile organic carbon, easily hydrolyzable nitrogen (NH4-N), NO3-N, available P and exchangeable K were measured. The results showed that one season of cover crop growth was not enough to find detectable changes in soil organic matter and available nutrient status in light chestnut soils. On the other hand, even in a short-term field experiment period of 3 months, the most labile organic carbon in soil organic carbon was obtained in conventional tillage. Overall, the results show that at least in the short term and under lower drip irrigation rate in summer for the study area, reduced tillage methods (notillage and minimum tillage) is suitable in the study area for soybean, corn and sugar beet production after intensive tillage in the previous year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of rising concerns about sustainability and environmental impact, this article focuses on analyzing two remarkable agricultural systems in the South-West Oltenia Development Region: the conventional and the ecological, and emphasizes one of the foundational crops for the region, wheat. The research was derived from a comprehensive questionnaire applied on 18 farms in the South-West Oltenia region: half of them employing ecological practices and the other half using conventional methods. Our primary focus was to determine the most economically viable agricultural system for the area. Through this analysis, the article not only illustrates the evolution of this crop's production from 2020 to 2022, but also provides insights into production costs and their valorization in the market. Moreover, it underscores the importance and advantages of each agricultural system, highlighting potential long-term benefits from both economic and sustainable perspectives. To provide a solid and well-grounded analysis, statistical methods were employed, combined with data obtained fromthe questionnaire administered directly at the farm level in the region. This methodology offers a clear perspective on the profitability and efficiency of the two agricultural systems in the specific context of South-West Oltenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economics & Environment / Ekonomia i Środowisko is the property of Fundacja Ekonomistow Srodowiska i Zasobow Naturalnych and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Increasing the production of high-quality agricultural products with minimal negative impact on environmental components is one of the priority tasks of modern agriculture. Due to the global world trends aimed at ensuring a sustainable and safe economy and reducing the use of chemical protection agents, it is predicted that the share of alternative biological methods in the European agricultural sector will increase to 10%, the area of agricultural land for organic farming will increase by 50%. Under the conditions of intensification of agricultural production, a comprehensive approach to the use of microelements and microbial biological preparations, which enhance growth processes, anti-stress, protective effect and increase the yield of agricultural crops, becomes expedient. The article deals with the effects of biological growth-regulating preparations on winter wheat, sunflower hybrids, and vegetable peas. It was established that when processing winter wheat with the "Grainactive-C" preparation, the greatest increase in grain yield was observed under the conditions of 3-fold treatment of crops in the phase of tillering, flag leaf, and grain filling (3.2 t/ha, or 18%). At the same time, the greatest effect was recorded when treating crops in the tillering phase, where the yield increase was 2.9 c/ha, or +16% compared to the control. It has been studied that the effectiveness of the preparation "Nano-Agro" when applied to sunflower hybrids also depends on the time of its application. The same increase - 0.9 t/ha of seeds (+12% compared to the control) was observed during pre-sowing treatment of seeds and during the vegetation phase (before flowering), but the yield increase when treating sunflower after flowering phase was only 0.32 t/ha (4%). In order to restore disturbed soils and increase the efficiency of agricultural production, the introduction of leguminous crops into the crop rotation becomes important, after harvesting them up to 80 kg/ha of biological nitrogen remains and humus accumulates in the arable layer of the soil up to 10.8 t/ha. Treatment of vegetable peas seeds with Rhizohumin contributed to the accumulation of humus by 3.96 t/ha. Through field studies, the article proves the positive effect of growthregulating preparations on agricultural crops under the conditions of the Steppe zone of Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general aim is to assess the landscape diversity and the ecological value of a multifunctional and diversified farm in an Italian inner area. The study was carried out in the context of the national DEMETRA research project, aimed at developing and implementing integrated and multifunctional agricultural production systems with a high degree of diversification and sustainability. For landscape context analysis, detailed land cover maps were produced and the composition and spatial configuration of the agricultural and natural landscape were quantified and evaluated. Moreover, using the i-Tree canopy software for rural areas, three ecosystem services were estimated. The results revealed a great diversity of land cover and use types, a small to medium size of the cultivated plots, and frequent contacts of cultivated areas with forest and semi-natural areas. This rural landscape supported the provision of numerous ecosystem services that resulted in a positive buffer effect for the quality of air, water and soil, ensuring great annual carbon sequestration, atmospheric pollution reduction, and consistently avoided runoff. Results highlighted the high ecological value of organic and multifunctional farms in inner areas and their contribution to face the environmental and food production challenges driven by global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the efficacy of bioherbicides to overcome weed resistance phenomena is one of the main challenges within agriculture. Organic encapsulation is attracting attention as an alternative and eco-friendly tool, mainly in organic farming. In this research, for the first time, across three different wheat field trials, we tested the weed-suppressive ability (WSA) and crop response of a nanoparticle formulation of DiS-NH2 (2,2′-disulfanediyldianiline) applied as post-emergence foliar herbicide, both at standard (T1, 0.75 g m−2) and double dosages (T2, 1.5 g m−2), compared to no weeding (NC) and chemical weed control (PC). Averaged over locations, T2 showed the highest WSA (51.3%), followed by T1 (40.9%) and PC (33.5%). T2 induced also a wheat grain yield and a plant height comparable to PC (3185 kg ha−1 and 67.7 cm vs. 3153 kg ha−1 and 67.7 cm, respectively). Moreover, compared to NC, T2 increased the number of spikes m−2 (+19%) and the number of kernel spikes−1 (+26%). Similar results were observed for T1, which caused also a significant reduction in non-vitreous kernels (‒40%). These promising results suggest that the nanoencapsulated DiS-NH2 could be a good candidate as a post-emergence bioherbicide in wheat crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their potential as a sustainable source of soil nutrients and organic matter, waste organic residues are often discarded rather than utilized in agriculture. This review examines the current state‐of‐the‐art in the application of organic residues in agricultural production systems by analysing trends and results in published research conducted on their use for soil health and crop production purposes. For this, a bibliographic analysis was conducted on 81 papers collected from the Web of Science database. Our research shows a growing trend in the field, particularly in recent years, with articles from India, China and the United States at the forefront. The most commonly evaluated organic residues were compost, animal manure, crop residues, municipal solid waste and biochar. Soil pH, bulk density and especially organic matter/total organic carbon (TOC) were the chemical, physical and biological attributes most frequently evaluated, respectively. This review indicates that the application of organic residues improves soil health, positively affecting crop productivity in crops such as maize, wheat and rice. However, further research is needed to address the potential risk of soil contamination from potentially toxic metals (PTMs) associated with organic residues, as well as to identify best practices to guarantee food safety and environmental preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agriculture sector in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al-Hoceima-Region (Northern Morocco) contributes a significant percentage to the national revenue. The Larache Province is at the regional forefront in agriculture terms due to its large irrigated areas. Golden-Gogi is a biological farm located in the Larache Province, and its objective is to produce organic crops. Besides climate change, this farm suffers from biotic factors such as snails and insects. These problems cause diseases in plants, resulting in massive crop production losses. Early detection of disease and biotic factors in plants is a difficult task for farmers, but it is now possible thanks to artificial intelligence. For that reason, we aim to contribute to this Province by comparing the well-known models in machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) used in early plant disease detection to specify the bestclassifier in terms of detecting mint plant diseases. Mint plant is a major crop on the Golden-Gogi farm, and its dataset was collected from there. As per findings, DL classifiers outperform ML classifiers in disease detection. The best-classifier is DenseNet201, with high accuracy of 94.12%. Hence, the system using DenseNet201 offers a solution for farmers of this Province in making urgent decisions to avoid mint yield losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genotype (cultivar), soil and climatic conditions, the agrotechnology used, and the interaction of the factors mentioned play a key role in the yield and quality of wheat grain. Currently, the European Union recommends the balanced use of mineral fertilisers and plant protection products in agricultural production (integrated production) or the use of only natural production methods (organic production). The aim of the study was to compare the yield and grain quality of four spring common wheat cultivars Harenda, Kandela, Mandaryna, and Serenada, grown under three farming systems: organic (ORG), integrated (INT), and conventional (CONV). A three-year field experiment was conducted between 2019 and 2021 at the Osiny Experimental Station (Poland, 51°27′ N; 22°2′ E). The results showed that significantly the highest wheat grain yield (GY) was obtained at INT, while the lowest was obtained at ORG. The physicochemical and rheological characteristics of the grain were significantly influenced by the cultivar factor and, with the exception of 1000 grain weight (TGW) and ash content (AC), by the farming system. There were also numerous interactions between the cultivar and farming systems, which suggests different performances of cultivars and, in fact, that some cultivars are better or worse suited to different production systems. The exceptions were protein content (PC) and falling number (FN), which were significantly highest in grain with CONV and lowest in grain with ORG farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of agricultural production modes is an inevitable trend in China's agricultural development. It is important to study the willingness of smallholder farmers to adjust their agricultural production modes to promote the transformation of China's agricultural production modes. Agricultural production services are an effective way to realize the organic linkage between smallholder farmers and modern agriculture. To analyze the impact of agricultural production services on smallholder farmers' willingness to adjust their agricultural production modes, this study uses data from a thematic study of 590 smallholder farmers in the Huang–Huai–Hai regions in 2022 to measure the extent of smallholder farmers' full-cycle adoption of agricultural production services from the perspective of regional cropping systems for the first time and analyzes the impact of agricultural production services on farmers' willingness to adjust their agricultural production modes. The study results show that the extent of full-cycle adoption of agricultural production services significantly affects farmers' willingness to adjust their agricultural production modes. For each unit increase in the extent of full-cycle adoption of agricultural production services in line with the regional cropping system, the probability of farmers choosing "farmland transfer" and "agricultural production trusteeship" becomes 11.31 and 7.24 times higher than that of choosing "self-growing", respectively. Based on the research results, this paper proposes the following countermeasures: first, we should pay more attention to the supply and demand of agricultural production services, especially to support the key weak links in developing agricultural production services for the process of grain production. Second, we should undertake more active and effective publicity measures to make full use of expressions that are acceptable to farmers to improve their understanding of productive agricultural services further and enhance their willingness to adopt productive agricultural services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the publication is to present two sustainable farming systems in Poland - the system of integrated production and organic farming in 2010 and 2020. Changes in the number of farms over the decade are analyzed. The study used statistical data published by the Central Statistical Office. A descriptive method was used, combined with the use of simple dynamics indicators, and a concise review of the literature on the subject was carried out. A decrease in the number of organic farms in 2020 compared to 2010 was noted, while the number of farms using the method of integrated agricultural production increased slightly. A large regional variation in the analyzed farming systems was also noted. The results lead to the conclusion that sustainable agriculture is not recording the desired growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining and improving soil health is one of the top priorities in organic agriculture to ensure crop production sustainability. Mustard seed meal extracts are promising organic soil amendments that can reduce pesticide pressure and improve crop yields. In this study, we investigated the potential of mustard seed meal extract developed in our laboratory, to improve soil health in organic potato systems. Field trials were conducted on two certified organic farms in Northern Idaho to 1) assess the changes in soil chemical indicators after mustard seed meal extract application; 2) evaluate the effect of mustard seed meal extract on microbial biomass carbon; and 3) measure plant-available nutrients levels in soil after mustard seed meal extract application. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report studying the effect of mustard seed meal extract on soil quality in organic potato systems. Out of 27 soil chemical and biological indicators measured, 19 indicators were sensitive to the addition of mustard seed meal extract. The data obtained for organic and inorganic soil constituents indicate a positive impact of mustard seed meal extract on soil quality. Addition of mustard seed meal extract to soil increases Haney soil health score up to 1.5 times demonstrating the benefit of application for improving soil quality in organic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic production systems differ from the conventional system, especially because of the insect pest, weed, disease, and nutrient management. Therefore, there has been a focus on increasing performance stability in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars specifically adapted for organic farms. The objective of this study was to conduct a comparative assessment of Maturity Group 0 soybean genotypes grown in both organic and conventional conditions for several traits important in the organic soybean production system, such as early season canopy development, root morphology, nodule production, and nutrient use efficiency. A soybean panel consisting of 33 cultivars was grown in four environments (two locations × two years) on an organic farm and conventional production system farm in Southern Ontario, Canada. Significant differences among genotypes were observed for root morphology and canopy development in the organic environment only. Early season canopy development, root length, nodule mass, and nutrient use efficiency were related to yield in both environments. In addition, yield rank correlations between genotypes in two locations were significant in 2014 (r =.57) and 2015 (r =.31), and some large crossover effects were observed in both tested years. The principal components analysis for these and other agronomic traits showed that resource acquisition traits such as canopy development, root length, and nodule mass were more closely related to yield in the organic system than nutrient use efficiency. Overall, the results of this study may be useful for soybean breeders interested in developing cultivars adapted to the organic production system. Core Ideas: Significant crossover effects in soybean cultivar yield were observed in organic vs. conventional environments.Soybean cultivars well adapted to organic environments have been identified.Root traits were expressed differently between organic and conventional production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is a controlled and certified form of agricultural production at every stage, from production to consumption, without using chemical inputs in production. It has been suggested that there are differences in the amount of nutrients and non-nutrient compounds in foods produced by organic and conventional agriculture. In light of this information, the caffeine content of coffee, which is an important consumption product in our country and the world, has been evaluated in terms of organic and conventional coffees. For this purpose, 12 different types of organic (n=7) and conventional (n=5) coffees belonging to 5 different brands (A, B, C, D, E) offered for sale in the market were included in the sampling. The included brands were carefully selected to provide both organic and conventional options. The caffeine content of all ready-to-serve coffee samples was analyzed with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The caffeine content of the coffees was expressed as mg/L, and the statistical analysis of the data was done with the SPSS 22.0 package program. The amount of caffeine (mg/L) in organic coffees was therefore found to be lower than that in conventional coffees when coffees are compared based on production methods (863.2181.46 mg/L, 1115.4380.88 mg/L, p<0.05, respectively). While the quantity of caffeine in organic coffee from three brands was found to be lower than that of conventional coffee (Organic and conventional, respectively; A: 694.9±31.73 mg/L and 1030.8±7.55 mg/L; D: 853.9±32.50 mg/L and 1576.4±250.94 mg /L; E: 1094.2±32.03 mg/L and 1470.7±13.45 mg/L; p<0.05), it was found that the converse was true for the other two brands when the amount of caffeine is compared according to both the production method and the brands (Organic and conventional, respectively; B: 904.9±189.54 mg/L and 831.3± 67.91 mg/L, C: 684.4±63.78 mg/L and 667.7±84.36 mg/L; p<0.05). The amount of caffeine in the coffees acquired using the conventional production method was higher than the coffee obtained using the organic production technique, and the amounts of caffeine in the coffees varied depending on the brands. This integrates the fact that the amount of caffeine in food can depend on whether or not production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agronomía Colombiana is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Microorganisms are known to be important drivers of biogeochemical cycling in soil and hence could act as a proxy informing on soil conditions in ecosystems. Identifying microbiomes indicative for soil fertility and crop production is important for the development of the next generation of sustainable agriculture. Earlier researches based on one-time sampling have revealed various indicator microbiomes for distinct agroecosystems and agricultural practices as well as their importance in supporting sustainable productivity. However, these microbiomes were based on a mere snapshot of a dynamic microbial community which is subject to significant changes over time. Currently true indicator microbiomes based on long-term, multi-annual monitoring are not available. Results: Here, using samples from a continuous 20-year field study encompassing seven fertilization strategies, we identified the indicator microbiomes ecophysiologically informing on soil fertility and crop production in the main agricultural production base in China. Among a total of 29,184 phylotypes in 588 samples, we retrieved a streamlined consortium including 2% of phylotypes that were ubiquitously present in alkaline soils while contributing up to half of the whole community; many of them were associated with carbon and nutrient cycling. Furthermore, these phylotypes formed two opposite microbiomes. One indicator microbiome dominated by Bacillus asahii, characterized by specific functional traits related to organic matter decomposition, was mainly observed in organic farming and closely associated with higher soil fertility and crop production. The counter microbiome, characterized by known nitrifiers (e.g., Nitrosospira multiformis) as well as plant pathogens (e.g., Bacillus anthracis) was observed in nutrient-deficit chemical fertilizations. Both microbiomes are expected to be valuable indictors in informing crop yield and soil fertility, regulated by agricultural management. Conclusions: Our findings based on this more than 2-decade long field study demonstrate the exciting potential of employing microorganisms and maximizing their functions in future agroecosystems. Our results report a "most-wanted" or "most-unwanted" list of microbial phylotypes that are ready candidates to guide the development of sustainable agriculture in alkaline soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic agricultural production system is considered to be the best alternative to the conventional system in order to solve agricultural externality problems. The adoption of such systems provide environmental, social, and financial benefits to the related communities. The related community may receive economic benefits although they might not recognize those benefits. The current paper examines prospective organic wheat production's positive impacts on Turkish economy. This research seeks to find the optimal cultivated land requirement to be allocated for organic wheat production, and contributes to the available literature by measuring environmental and social effects using the proxy values of regular wheat production in the country. Results dictate that the social optimum amount of conventional wheat production must be 1.3 million hectares. If the annual negative externality of wheat production, which is 227.5 USD/ha, is taken into account, the total annual external cost would be 1,416,061,536 USD/year. The importance of conversion and superiority of organic farming are stressed in the literature only at the micro-level or farm-level rather than the macroeconomic level. Macroeconomic results examined in the current paper complete micro-level studies in the context of agricultural externalities. The study indicates that macroeconomic efficiency of organic production is higher than the conventional system. However, it is suggested that a mild transition path be implemented for better land conversion in developing countries such as Turkey. The system of good agricultural practices may have some advantages for this path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]