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It has become a new trend for the future development of Chinese agriculture to accelerate the transformation from increasing production to improving quality and realizing green growth. This paper uses the sequential DEA to measure the agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 306 Chinese cities from 1996 to 2017, then tests its convergence. The results show that the average growth rate of Chinese agricultural GTFP is 0.58%; the main driving force coming from technical progress. The convergence of agricultural GTFP has dual characteristics of stages and regions, and the significant σ convergence only exists in the central region during 1996–2003. There is significant β convergence at the national level, in the eastern and central regions, and neither convergence nor divergence in the western region. However, during 2004–2017, only the eastern region had β convergence. Finally, the conditional convergence speed is higher than the absolute convergence, and the eastern region is higher than the central. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of information and data era, the digital technology has seeped into the social. The digital transformation has became the key factors of the modern agriculture in China. Many internet technologies were applied in the agriculture, such as artificial intelligence, big data and internet of things, which promoted the development of agriculture. But with the change of management ways of agriculture, how to adjust the agriculture model and combine with digital technology became the key factors of digital agriculture. The development time of digital agriculture was short in China and had some problems. We analyzed the situation of digital agriculture in Hainan Province and put forward some optimizing suggestions in order to improve the speed of Hainan agriculture, which provided references for the development of digital agriculture in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's agricultural economy has been hindered by insufficient accumulation of agricultural capital and credit constraints. It is worth investigating whether China's county financial marketization reform policy can alleviate these constraints and promote high-quality development of the agricultural economy (HQDAE). This paper presents an empirical analysis of the impact of county financial marketization reform on the HQDAE, based on county panel data. The focus is on the mechanism of county urbanization in the above relationship. The results show that county financial marketization has a significant non-linear impact on the HQDAE. Specifically, it has a 'U-shaped' impact on the overall growth of the agricultural economy and an inverted 'N-shaped' impact on the quality improvement of the agricultural economy. Secondly, the relationship between county financial marketization and the HQDAE is influenced by a threshold effect based on the level of county urbanization. As the level of county urbanization increases, the promoting effect of county financial marketization on HQDAE also increases significantly. Additionally, county financial marketization helps to promote county urbanization and accelerate urban-rural integration, which in turn leads to HQDAE. The research in this paper suggests that county-level local governments should promote a differentiated county financial system. In the early stages of financial market-oriented reform, the government should enhance the capacity of financial services in rural areas through tax breaks, policy incentives, and other measures to prevent financial leakage from agriculture. In the later stages of financial marketization reform, the government should strengthen financial supervision to prevent financial resources from being diverted from industry to capital. Moreover, to achieve the HQDAE, it is necessary to promote county financial market-oriented reform and accelerate the construction of county urbanization. This will help break the dual economic structure of urban and rural areas and promote the flow of financial capital, technology, and human capital from county cities to rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy, as a new economic form with high information density, provides a new driving force for the realization of high-quality agricultural development. Panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 were selected for analysis. The static panel data interaction effect model and panel threshold model were used to verify the nonlinear influence mechanism and heterogeneity of financial development in the process of the digital economy affecting high-quality agricultural development. The findings are as follows. (1) During the study period, the high-quality development of China's agriculture showed a steady upward trend; however, the regional differences were significant, and the eastern part was larger than the central and western part. (2) The digital economy can promote high-quality agricultural development. (3) The digital economy has a double threshold effect in the process of affecting high-quality agricultural development, which depends on the level of financial development. When the threshold is exceeded, the digital economy has a more significant promoting effect on high-quality agricultural development. (4) The impact of the digital economy on high-quality agricultural development is heterogeneous. From the perspective of different regions, the impact effect is greatest in the eastern region, while the effect is smaller in the central and western regions. From different resource endowments, the positive impact effect is greatest in the major grain-selling areas, followed by the major grain producing areas, but the positive digital economy driving effect is not significant in the balance of production and sales areas. Finally, three policy suggestions are proposed. First, the Chinese government should increase investments in and support for digital technology to promote the integration of the digital economy and agriculture. Second, the Chinese government should promote the development of digital inclusive finance in areas with financial development below the threshold. Third, different regions should implement differentiated digital economies to promote high-quality agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Withania somnifera is a revered herb of Indian medicinal system. • The roots and leaves of Ashwagandha contain various phytochemicals like phenols, flavnoids, quinones, steroids etc. • These phytochemicals are distributed among various tissues of this plant in varying concentrations. • Since the location and environmental factors-biotic and abiotic play a key role in the biosynthesis of the bioactive metabolites so the agro-climatic conditions are conductive for introducing and domesticating new exotic plant varieties with enhanced phytochemicals and withanolide contents. • The present study focusses on the assessment of these bioactive compounds in different commercially available varieties for the cultivation of elite germplasm in perspective of hill agriculture and sustainable development. Withania somnifera is a revered herb in the Indian medicinal system due to the presence of pharmacologically bioactive compounds. The roots and leaves of Ashwagandha contain various phytochemicals like phenols, flavonoids, quinones, steroids, etc. These phytochemicals are distributed among various tissues of this plant in varying concentrations. Since location and environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) play a key role in the biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites, the agro-climatic conditions are conducive to introducing and domesticating new exotic plant varieties with enhanced phytochemicals and withanolide contents. The present study focuses on the assessment of these bioactive compounds in different commercially available varieties for the cultivation of elite germplasm from the perspective of hill agriculture and sustainable development. In the study, total phenols were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 82.714 mg/g (DW), followed by Poshita root, i.e., 64.02 mg/g (DW), while the least was found in Pratap leaf, i.e., 2.33 mg/g (DW). The concentration of total flavonoids varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 1.98 ± 0.0.01 to 80.735 ± 4.33 mg QE/g (DW). Total flavonoids were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 80.735 mg/g (DW), followed by Poshita leaf, i.e., 60.02 mg/g (DW), and least in Nimithli stem, i.e., 1.98 mg/g (DW). The total tannin content varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) among the five varieties of Withania somnifera under the present study. The concentration of total tannin varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 0.691 ± 0.51 to 36.09 ± 0.61 mg TAE/g (DW). Tannins were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 36.09 mg/g (DW), followed by Poshita root, i.e., 29.287 mg/g (DW), while the least was found to be in Pratap seed, i.e., 0.682 mg/g (DW). Ortho-dihydroxy phenol was found to be highest in Jawahar-20 leaf, i.e., 40.081 mg/g (DW), followed by Jawahar-20 root, 19.31 mg/g (DW), and Poshita leaf, i.e., 19.02 mg/g (DW). Both recorded the same, and the least was found in Nimithli leaf, i.e., 0.95 mg/g (DW). Total antioxidant capacity was found to be highest in Jawahar-20 leaf, i.e., 16.70 mg/g (DW), followed by Jawahar-20 leaf, i.e., 11.51 mg/g (DW), and Poshita leaf, i.e., 11.31 mg/g (DW), both of which recorded the same almost least in Pratap leaf, i.e., 0.257 mg/g (DW). The DPPH activity was found to be highest in Poshita root, i.e., 92.39 at 1000 μg concentration, which was very near the ascorbic acid, i.e., 98.9 (a natural antioxidant), followed by Pratap leaf, i.e., 88.04, and least in Nimithli root, i.e., 58.36. The IC50 value of Pratap leaf was the least, i.e., 369.42, followed by Jawahar-20 stem, i.e., 370.32, and the highest IC50 value was found in Nimithli root, i.e., 877.22. The reducing power of five different varieties increased with increasing concentration. The varieties differed w.r.t. their total reducing power activity, i.e., the reducing power activity was highest in Poshita stem with an R2 value of 0.992, followed by Poshita root with an R2 value of 0.982, and least in Pratap seed with an R2 value of 0.565. Thus, Jawahar-20 and Poshita not only recorded higher phytochemicals but also withanolide A and withaferin A. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifaceted regime shifts of Earth's surface are ongoing dramatically and – in turn – considerably alter the global carbon budget, energy balance and biogeochemical cycles. Sustainably managing terrestrial ecosystems necessitates a deeper comprehension of the diverse and dynamic nature of multicomponent information within these environments. However, comprehensive records of global-scale fractional vegetation and soil information that encompass these structural and functional complexities remain limited. Here, we provide a globally comprehensive record of monthly vegetation and soil fractions during the period 2001–2022 using a spatiotemporally adaptive spectral mixture analysis framework. This product is designed to continuously represent Earth's terrestrial surface as a percentage of five physically meaningful vegetation and soil endmembers, including photosynthetic vegetation (PV), nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), bare soil (BS), ice or snow (IS) and dark surface (DA), with high accuracy and low uncertainty compared to the previous vegetation index and vegetation continuous-field product as well as traditional fully constrained linear spectral mixture models. We also adopt nonparametric seasonal Mann–Kendall tested fractional dynamics to identify shifts based on interactive changes in these fractions. Our results – superior to previous portrayals of the greening planet – not only report a + 9.35 × 10 5 km 2 change in photosynthetic vegetation, but also explore decreases in nonphotosynthetic vegetation (- 2.19 × 10 5 km 2), bare soil (- 5.14 × 10 5 km 2) and dark surfaces (- 2.27 × 10 5 km 2). In addition, interactive changes in these fractions yield multifaceted regime shifts with important implications, such as a simultaneous increase in PV and NPV in central and southwestern China during afforestation activities, an increase in PV in cropland of China and India due to intensive agricultural development, a decrease in PV and an increase in BS in tropical zones resulting from deforestation. These advantages emphasize that our dataset provides locally relevant information on multifaceted regime shifts at the required scale, enabling scalable modeling and effective governance of future terrestrial ecosystems. The data about five fractional surface vegetation and soil components are available in the Science Data Bank (10.57760/sciencedb.13287, Sun and Sun, 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out in 2017-2018 to determine the in vitro and in vivo activities of some bacterial bioagents against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which causes root and root-collar rot in sunflower cultivation areas of Konya and Aksaray provinces. Against the two most virulent S. sclerotiorum (Hırkatol and Eskil) isolates selected as a result of pathogenicity tests after being isolated and diagnosed from diseased plants which were collected from sunflower cultivation areas in Konya and Aksaray provinces, the antifungal effects of 16 bacterial isolates from the soil in the rhizosphere region of the healthy sunflower plants from the same areas were evaluated. Primarily, the most effective bacterial bioagents were determined by dual culture tests. As a result of the in vitro tests, a total of 5 bacterial isolates constituting the largest zone diameter were molecularly identified according to 16S rRNA and were used in pot experiments. The bacteria were identified as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus simplex, Brevibacterium frigoritolerans, Bacillus toyonensis (2 isolates) and were coded using the BLAST program of the GenBank database (NCBI). As per in vitro, the highest effect in both isolates of S. sclerotiorum was observed in Bacillus cereus and Bacillus simplex with an inhibition rate of 49.19-57.95%. Except for Bacillus toyonensis (B1), one of the bacterial species which were tested in vivo, all the bacteria reduced or stopped lesion development compared to the control. As a result of the application, the biological control agent completely prevented the growth of both the isolates of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus simplex S. sclerotiorum in in vivo conditions (100%). Efficacy studies have shown that bacterial isolates both cause healthy growth of sunflower plants and significantly prevent disease formation in treated plants when compared to control plants. These results emphasize the importance of such studies as a tool for the development of sustainable agricultural practices that can be easily applied in our region, and also show that B. cereus and B. simplex in sunflowers can be potential bacterial bioagents that can be used in biological control against S.sclerotiorum. In addition, it will be useful to carry out studies on the development of commercial preparations of the bacterial isolates found in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' use of agricultural technology is necessary for reducing poverty. However, women make up most poor smallholder farmers in India and are generally unable to access relevant opportunities. Tandem to supporting women farmers in technology adoption is increasing their empowerment. While women's empowerment has been on policy agendas in India for several years, progress has been slow and results are mixed. Using primary data from West Bengal, this study finds that female farmers with access to agricultural technologies will likely have social advantages over those without, but institutional and social support is necessary to facilitate real empowerment and overall development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is among the pressing global challenges affecting sustainable development, especially in the rain-fed-based agriculture of developing countries. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach answers this question by ensuring high productivity, creating an improved adaptive capacity and reducing GHG emissions. This systematic literature review aims to provide an overview of the indicators, theory of change and impact pathways of CSA that lead to sustainable development. Using a systematic research method, four stages of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) namely, identification, eligibility, screening and included were used for selecting the articles reviewed. A total of 37 articles were then used for this study. CSA interventions measured by the behavioral changes resulting from different stakeholders (producers, consumers, extension workers, policymakers and institutions, civil society and the private sector) can play a significant role in sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the use of remote sensing techniques to study the Boynton Mounds Complex in Palm Beach County, Florida. The site, which contains earthworks and mounds, has been investigated since the 1970s and is believed to have a long history of habitation. The research aims to analyze the site's design and its relationship with other sites in the region. The article emphasizes the significance of remote sensing in archaeology, as it provides valuable information about ancient earthworks that may have been lost due to development or agriculture. The findings from the analysis of the Boynton Mounds Complex contribute to a better understanding of the site's layout and reveal similarities to other earthwork sites in the area. The article also highlights the importance of using new survey technologies to re-examine previously investigated sites. [Extracted from the article]

Drawing upon literature from both impact assessment of development projects and agricultural research, the aim of this article is to analyse the pilot testing of a new multi-dimensional assessment framework for defining and evaluating the societal impact of agricultural research and corresponding education. The research approach involves an action research effort of pilot testing in three case studies from three different countries. The framework assumes a systems view, understands impact as socially embedded, and adopts the concepts of contribution and productive interactions rather than cause-and-effect attribution. The emerging experiences include developing both project-specific and universal indicators; gauging impacts at different levels and sustainability dimensions; handling the issues of attribution and time frame; and the role of stakeholder involvement. The results have the potential to support the development of a new role for impact assessment, by enabling principal actors in research and higher education institutions to take responsibility for contributing to concrete and demonstrable sustainability changes in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the integrated development of rural industry promotes the application of the agricultural green production mode, it inevitably has an impact on the green development of agriculture. Analysing the influence of rural industry integration on agricultural green development is of great significance for realizing agricultural modernization and sustainable development. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China during 2010-2021, the entropy weight TOPSIS method was used to estimate the agricultural green development level (AGD) and the rural industrial integration level (RII). The influence of agricultural industry integration (AII) on the level of agricultural green development (AGD) and its nonlinear characteristics were analysed by constructing a fixed model, intermediary effect model and threshold effect model. The results show the following. (1) A significant positive relationship exists between the RII and the AGD; that is, the development of rural industry integration can effectively promote the green development of agriculture. Regarding the three regions in China, the integration of rural industries in eastern China plays the most prominent role in the green development of agriculture. (2) Rural industrial integration has significant scale, capital and technology effects; that is, rural industrial integration mainly promotes AGD indirectly by promoting agricultural scale management and agricultural technological progress and improving rural human capital. (3) Rural industrial integration has a significant nonlinear marginal increasing effect on AGD. In the dynamic process of AGD changing from low to high, the effect of the marginal utility of rural industrial integration on AGD is gradually enhanced. Therefore, China should strengthen the deeply integrated development of rural industries, ensure the appropriate scale operation of agriculture and adjustments to the planting structure, accelerate agricultural technology innovation and rural human capital accumulation, and realize a win--win situation for rural economic and ecological conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain a scientific understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) as well as its influencing factors in Fujian Province, effective recommendations were provided to promote agricultural green development. The Super-SBM model with undesired output was employed to assess AEE, and the GTWR model was used to analyze the main factors influencing AEE based on data from nine prefecture-level cities in Fujian Province spanning from 2000 to 2020. There are three conclusions to be drawn: Firstly, the AEE of Fujian Province has increased from 0.340 in 2000 to 0.971 in 2020, but it has not yet reached the efficiency frontier due to excessive input of agricultural factors and carbon emissions. The development of AEE across regions is unbalanced with a wide gap between them. Secondly, from a spatial correlation perspective, global correlation of AEE in Fujian Province showed random distribution while local agglomeration existed to varying degrees. Thirdly, AEE in Fujian Province was influenced by various driving factors that changed significantly over different periods and exhibited obvious regional differences. In summary, the AEE of Fujian Province has shown overall improvement; however, its effectiveness remains limited. The disparities among cities are evident, necessitating the formulation of differentiated strategies for agricultural ecological development to enhance regional synergistic driving forces and improve regional AEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extension, and extension workers in particular, drive the agricultural modernization process and the rest of those in associated professions and positions are 'support staff.' Whether you are a lecturer, a professor, a dean, a researcher, an extension director or a head of a non-government organization, if your mission is to develop smallholder agriculture at farmer level, you are supporting the field extension worker to achieve your/farmers' goals. To this extent, it is no surprise that, when no perceptible improvement takes place at the farmer level, the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of extension. Despite its importance, agricultural extension is the most misunderstood of all agricultural disciplines, and the lack of understanding reveals itself in several ways. This paper discusses some of the misconceptions and debatable issues that affect the way extension is supported, the way it is structured, the way it is staffed and the way extension workers are trained and capacitated. The misconceptions also affect the kinds and levels of expectations people have of extension. The misconceptions include: unending definitions of extension, expanding extension concepts, blaming extension for perceived failures in agriculture, undermining the extension discipline, inadequacies in extension teaching and training, markets and the role of extension and structural changes in extension. The origins of some of these debatable issues can be traced to development partners who come with their conceptions of what is needed while others come from development theorists who have not done any extension work in the field. Unfortunately, there are no strong extension professional associations in many African countries that could: raise the profile of extension as a discipline, interrogate some of the agricultural development interventions before implementation and help clear some of the misconceptions. In the absence of extension platforms, extensionists operate as individuals, each struggling the best way they know how to make a difference at the farmer level. There is no way of harnessing the experiences the individuals are going through for purposes of learning, sharing and developing common positions. The purpose of this paper is to promote debate on, and scrutiny of these extension issues which are often presented as facts and absolute truths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen and phosphorus play essential roles in ecosystems and organisms. However, with the development of industry and agriculture in recent years, excessive N and P have flowed into water bodies, leading to eutrophication, algal proliferation, and red tides, which are harmful to aquatic organisms. Biochar has a high specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and porous structure, which can effectively adsorb nitrogen and phosphorus in water, thus reducing environmental pollution, achieving the reusability of elements. This article provides an overview of the preparation of biochar, modification methods of biochar, advancements in the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar, factors influencing the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus in water by biochar, as well as reusability and adsorption mechanisms. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered and future research directions regarding the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar were proposed, providing references for the future application of biochar in nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although China has achieved great advancements toward national food security, the country is still confronted with a range of challenges, including natural resource stress, imbalanced diets and environmental pollution. Optimized management of crop-livestock systems is the key measure to realize agricultural green transformation. However, optimized management of crop-livestock systems that use multi-objective zoning is lacking. This study employed a multi-objective zoning management approach to comprehensively analyze four indicators: ammonia volatilization, nitrogen surplus, soil carrying capacity and ecological red line area. With its significant ecological integrity and a strong emphasis on sustainability, the Baiyangdian Basin serves as a unique and suitable test case for conducting analyses on multi-objective nutrient optimization management, with the aim to facilitate the agricultural green transformation. This study finds that less than 8% of the area in the Baiyangdian Basin meet the acceptable environmental indicator standard, whereas around 50% of the area that had both nitrogen surplus and ammonia volatilization exceeded the threshold. Implementation of unified management, that is, the same management technique across the study areas, could result in an increase of areas meeting environmental indicator thresholds to 21.1%. This project developed a novel multi-indicator partition optimization method, in which distinct measures are tailored for different areas to satisfy multiple environmental indicators. Implementation of this method, could potentially bring more than 50% area below the threshold, and areas with ammonia emissions and nitrogen surplus could be reduced to 15.8%. The multi-indicators partition optimization method represents a more advanced and efficiency-oriented management approach when compared to unified management. This approach could be regarded as the best available option to help China achieve agricultural transformation to improve efficient production and reduce environmental pollution. It is recommended that current policies aimed at nutrient management toward sustainable agricultural development should shift toward the application of multi-indicators partition optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing ecological preservation with sustainable agricultural practices is a global issue. Erhai Lake has felt this challenge keenly. To address it, in 2022, a Science and Technology Backyards (STBs) project was launched in Gusheng Village. The goal of this is to care for the environment while ensuring that farms and farmers can thrive sustainably. The uniqueness of the Erhai STB arises from its interdisciplinary integration, encompassing fields such as ecology, agronomy and social science, resulting in specifically-designed solutions for the Erhai context. While this model aligns with broader STB paradigms, its distinctive edge lies in technological innovation and robust support mechanisms for local agricultural stakeholders. This paper describes the methodology and outcomes of the STB initiative, highlighting its pivotal role in spearheading sustainable transition in Erhai. Preliminary findings underscore the potential of the STB model as an efficacious tool for harmonizing environmental conservation and agricultural practices, that are both financially and environmentally sustainable, rendering it a potential model for comparable regions in China and other counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconciling the tasks of producing adequate amounts of nutritious food for the increasing global population while preserving the environment and natural ecosystems simultaneously is an enormous challenge. The concept of agriculture green development (AGD) and the necessary governmental policies were developed to address the aforementioned challenge in China and to help achieve the related global sustainable development goals. Agriculture green development emphasizes the synergy between green and development; current agriculture has to transform from the intensive farming with high inputs, high environmental impacts and low resource-use efficiency to a more sustainable agriculture, in order to ensure an adequate supply of nutritious food while delivering environmental integrity, improved economic profitability, and social equity. A research program on AGD was established by China Agricultural University with four research themes, namely: green crop production, green integrated crop-animal production, green food and industry, and green ecological environment and ecosystem services, to provide a scientific basis for future developments and to facilitate the implementation of AGD in practice. AGD requires a multistakeholder approach, fueled by innovative and interdisciplinary research. Joint actions have to be taken by governments, farmers, supply industries, consumers, educators, extension services and researchers to support AGD. This requires strong coordination and public awareness campaigns. This review presents the progress that has been made over the past 5 years and makes recommendations for more research and development, in order to better deliver agricultural green and sustainable development on national and international scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review addresses the growing disparity between the current state of fertilizer production in China and the evolving demands of green agriculture in the 21st century. It explores major advances in fertilizers, proposes the concept of green intelligent fertilizers and develops new strategies aligned with the principles of green development in fertilizer industry and agriculture. Green intelligent fertilizers may be designed to maximize the synergistic effects among plants, soils, microorganisms, nutrient sources and the environment. This concept emphasizes the integration of industry and agriculture toward green development for entire industry chain, using an interdisciplinary approach to drive the green transformation of fertilizer industry, and promote green and sustainable development of agriculture. By bridging the gap between the current state of fertilizer industry and a growing need for environmentally responsible agricultural practices, this review highlights a path toward harmonizing fertilizer production with the imperatives of green agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While agricultural green development (AGD) is highly recognized and has become a national strategy in China, it is imperative to bridge the knowledge gaps between AGD and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to evaluate the contribution of AGD to meeting the SDGs. The first aim of this study was to compare the AGD goals and indicators with those of the SDGs so as to identify their relationship. The next aim was to examine the historical evolution of AGD indicators and analyze the gaps between the current status of various indicators and their benchmarks. Limiting factors were identified in China's transition toward AGD. These findings reveal that the indicators of AGD align with those of the SDGs, but have greater specificity to the context in China and are more quantifiable. There has been a significant increase per capita calorie and protein intakes in China, as well as a notable rise in agricultural output per unit of arable land and rural incomes from 1980 to the 2010s. However, these achievements have been accompanied by a high resource use and environmental pollution, highlighting the need for a more sustainable, environmentally responsible agriculture in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has initiated a green transformation plan in 2015, which was soon applied to agriculture, known as the agriculture green development (AGD) initiative, with the goals of achieving food security, high resource use efficiency, and an ecofriendly environment. To assess the agricultural transformation from 1997 to 2020, this paper proposes a national-scale indicator system consisting three dimensions (socioeconomic, food production and eco-environmental) and ten sub-dimensions to quantify the AGD score. This study showed that AGD score in China was at a moderate level during 1997-2010, scoring 40 out of 100. During this stage, decreased scores in the sub-dimensions of resource consumption, environmental quality, and environmental cost have offset the improvement in the socioeconomic dimension, resulting in fluctuated scores around 40. In the second stage (2011-2020), China's AGD score improved but still at moderate level, scoring an average of 46.3, with each dimension increasing by 5.3%-25.0%. These results indicate that China has made progress in the agricultural transformation, transitioning from conceptualization to actions through the implementation of various policies and projects. However, the study emphasizes the need for more effort to address the insufficient and unbalanced development, along with the growing eco-environmental challenges, especially the trade-offs among dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture green development (AGD) has become an unavoidable choice to address the unique national circumstances of China. This study established a county-level AGD evaluation index system, comprised three dimensions, food production, ecological environment and socioeconomic development, using 20 indicators. The assessment delved into historical trend and current situation, utilizing Spearman rank correlation analysis to analyze trade-off and synergy relationships, using Quzhou County, Hebei Province as a case study. The main findings were in four areas. Firstly, the index for AGD in Quzhou County increased by 58.9% from 1978 to 2019. The major contribution were the social economy (65.8%) and food production (53.5%), whereas the ecological environment was found to have had a negative impact. Secondly, in 2019, the AGD index was only 56.4, indicating substantial potential for improvement relative to the target value. A notable difference in scores existed between the three dimensions, with the order being ecological environment (66.3) > food production (61.7) > socioeconomic (41.3). Also, 90% of the indicators did not reach the target value. Thirdly, relationship analysis of the indicators revealed that the synergistic effect exceeded the trade-off effect. Specifically, 46.3% of the indicators had no significant relationship, 35.3% had a synergistic relationship, and 18.4% had a trade-off relationship. Finally, interdimensional indicator relationships exhibited a trade-off effect between the ecological environment and both food production and socioeconomic dimensions. However, a positive trend of synergy between production and ecology has emerged since 2015. In conclusion, the quantitative evaluation index system exposed the unbalanced development and significant potential relative to the target value of AGD in Quzhou County, despite notable progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of NP and NPK fertilizers in stationary and long-term system yields is proven to determine substantial changes in soil fertility, revealing interaction possibilities related to the chemistry and requirements of other nutrients (S, Ca, Mg, and microelements), while sustainable fertilization can exert control over them through rational fertilization practices and complex nutritive management. Revealing the extent of the modifying effects in the application of S, Ca, and Mg correlated to the soil-plant system conditions relates to the hypothesis of the present research in the context of long-term experiments in Romania at the Office of Pedological and Agrochemical Studies Alba (OSPA Alba) and the Turda Agricultural Research and Development Station (SCDA Turda) with 55 years of a fertilizing effect over the 1967–2022 period, but not solely. This study shows that for sustainable fertilization systems, the complementary application of S, Ca, and Mg with NP and NPK has proven to be effective and unitarily constitutes a measure for the sustainable protection and enhancement of soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to monitor the temperature of agricultural planting in real time and avoid losses in the yield and quality of crops due to excessive temperature fluctuation, a multinode temperature monitoring method for digital agricultural planting based on a wireless sensor network (WSN) was proposed herein. First, the WSN structure for the digital agricultural temperature monitoring system was designed, and then the overall structure of the digital agricultural planting multinode temperature monitoring system was designed by combining it with the upper computer to collect agricultural planting temperature data. Next, the characteristics of the agricultural planting temperature data were extracted, and the data were transmitted to the upper computer by establishing a temperature transmission route. Then, the efficiency of the temperature anomaly monitoring was optimized based on multiple input multiple output (MIMO) mode. Finally, the real-time collected temperature value was input into a Bayesian classifier to monitor the temperature anomaly, determine the type of temperature anomaly, and send a warning to the administrator, who, based on the type of warning, takes the appropriate measures to adjust the multinode temperatures at the agricultural planting points. The experiments showed that this method had strong data transmission ability, and the survival time of the data transmission nodes was longer, and the energy consumption of the data transmission was less, and the accuracy of the abnormal temperature monitoring was above 96%. The results showed that this method can accurately monitor abnormal temperatures and provide a warning in real time, accurately control the temperatures of the agricultural planting points, and promote the digital development of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural economic development is the core task for achieving the objective of rural revitalization strategy in China, which cannot be separated from the support and guidance of fiscal policy, and agricultural industry integration is a key path for the fiscal promotion of sustainable agricultural economic development. This paper systematically examines the interaction mechanism between fiscal agricultural expenditures and sustainable agricultural economic development by using 31 provincial panel data in China from 2008 to 2020 and adopting a two-way fixed effect model, a panel quantile model, and a mediating effect model, respectively. The results show that the impact of fiscal agricultural expenditures on sustainable agricultural economic development is significantly positive, and appears a dynamic increasing trend with the agricultural development stage upgrading. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of fiscal agricultural expenditures is more obvious for the samples in the central region and with a high share of primary industry. Further, a mediating effect test finds that agricultural industry integration plays a mediating mechanism between fiscal agricultural expenditures and sustainable agricultural economic development. Therefore, this paper proposes constructing a long-term investment mechanism for fiscal agricultural expenditures, formulating differentiated fiscal support policies for agriculture, and prioritizing support for agricultural industry integration, which provides theoretical support and policy inspiration for promoting sustainable agricultural economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of shift in cropping pattern is crucial for a good insight into the agricultural development of a region. The present study focused on the changes in the cropping pattern and the extent of crop diversification in Kerala, India. The results of the study revealed that the share of food crops to the gross cropped area substantially declined from 56.85% in TE 1987-88 to 40.73% in TE 2019-20, whereas the share of non-food crops increased remarkably from 43.14% in TE 1987-88 to 59.29% in TE 2019-20. The extent of crop diversification was higher in Idukki district, while crop specialization was prominent in Kozhikode district. Labour unavailability, high labour wage rates and climate variability were identified as the major constraints faced by the respondents in the study areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researching the structural characteristics of the spatial correlation network of cultivated land utilization ecological efficiency is of great significance to China's food security and agricultural green and low-carbon development. Taking 47 cities (autonomous prefectures) in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River as the research object, the ecological efficiency of cultivated land utilization from 2010 to 2020 was measured based on the unexpected output model (Super SBM), and the spatial correlation matrix was constructed using the revised gravity model. The structural characteristics of the spatial correlation network were analyzed using the social network model (SNA), and finally, the factors affecting the spatial correlation network of cultivated land utilization ecological efficiency in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River were analyzed through the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) model. The results show that: (1) the ecological efficiency of cultivated land utilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River has been increasing year by year, but the overall level is low, and there is a large gap among provinces. Sichuan Province has the highest average value of 0.605, and Yunnan Province has the lowest average value of 0.359. (2) The ecological efficiency of cultivated land utilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River has broken through the provincial boundaries and has formed an obvious spatial correlation network, but the overall density is low, and the network is still relatively loose, needing further development and improvement. Chengdu, Yibin, Luzhou, and other cities are located in the center of the network and have formed four cohesive subgroups. (3)The differences in the level of agricultural economic development, the rural per capita disposable income, the differences in agricultural mechanization intensity, the regional population differences, and spatial adjacency have an impact on the spatial network of ecological efficiency of cultivated land utilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The difference in the level of agricultural economic development, the rural per capita disposable income, and the differences in agricultural mechanization intensity are negatively correlated, while the regional population differences are positively correlated with spatial adjacency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of the continuous progress of China's agricultural reform, the development of characteristic agriculture is an important field of agricultural development in the country and even the world. Yunnan has unique advantages in geography, location, climate, and human resources, and has unique conditions for the development of agriculture with plateau characteristic. However, the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic is affected and restricted by many factors. How to promote the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic is an important research topic, and it is also the main purpose of this study. Therefore, through literature analysis and investigation, this study studies the advantages and disadvantages, development status, main problems, countermeasures and suggestions, macro development direction, and theoretical research methods of characteristic agriculture in the Yunnan plateau. This paper analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the Decision-making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and the Adversarial Interpretation Structure Modeling Method (AISM) and proposes to combine the two models to make up for each other and improve the accuracy of model analysis. On this basis, a set of identification and evaluation systems of factors affecting the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic is established, which can comprehensively and accurately identify and evaluate various influencing factors, and provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic. Finally, combined with the relevant statistical data of Yunnan Province from 2009 to 2020 and many results calculated by the model, the factors affecting the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic were comprehensively analyzed. The results show that transportation, environment, and insurance support factors are the root factors that affect the sustainable development of agriculture with plateau characteristic, while the regional economy, scientific and technological support, and the development of agricultural enterprises are of high importance. Financial support, the level of agricultural mechanization, the quality of labor, and other factors can not be ignored. Finally, according to the results of the analysis, the corresponding policy recommendations are put forward to provide a reference for the sustainable development of plateau characteristic agriculture in Yunnan Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Sub Saharan Africa, agriculture's contribution to employment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to be higher than other sectors. Policies designed and implemented for the agricultural sector could be an influencing factor to the variations in the contributions of agriculture to the annual national GDP. These policies are believed to have shaped and (some) still shaping the landscape of agriculture and national economy. The study analysed agriculture's GDP contribution during the implementation of various national agricultural policies, and the potential of the policies to foster agrobusiness development in Nigeria between 2000 and 2021. The study adopted mixed-method approach. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered on 29 purposively sampled state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) directors across Nigeria. The questionnaire was face-validated by three experts. Reliability test was carryout using Cronbach Alpha approach, which yielded an index of 0.89. Copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents through direct contact. Secondary data were collected from the Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Bureau of Statistics, and World Bank. Data was analysed with mean, standard deviation, percentages and ANOVA. Findings of the study revealed that the performance of implemented agricultural policies had influence on agricultural sector's percentage contribution to national GDP, and changes in agriculture's GDP contribution had significant impact on national GDP growth. The duration of active life of the policies did not influence their performance, like the Root and Tuber Expansion Programme which lasted longer yet performed less than the National Special Programme on Food Security in terms of improvement in agriculture's GDP contributions. All the policies implemented had several limitations in their ability to foster agribusinesses in Nigeria. The study recommends that future policies should focus on providing sustainable frameworks for developing the business in agriculture through value chain optimisation and the use of the teeming, young, and affordable labour force like China and India did to become global food producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the new challenges and crises facing agriculture, digitalization and green transformation have become important ways to solve the problems. This paper uses an international economics perspective to chart a new path for sustainable agricultural development. Specifically, it analyzes whether two-way international direct investment (FDI) can facilitate agricultural digital-green fusion(DGF)? Using a sample of 31 provinces (autonomous regions) from 2012 to 2021, this study finds: (1) Two-way FDI can significantly contribute to agriculture's DGF. (2) In the mechanism test, it is proved that two-way FDI can promote agriculture's DGF level by promoting green technology innovation capacity and overall regional technology innovation capacity. (3) The positive effects of two-way FDI are prominent in the eastern and central regions, coastal regions, and economically developed areas. (4) In the spatial Durbin model, the local two-way FDI growth improves agriculture's DGF level in the surrounding areas to a certain extent. The government is advised to prioritize openness, foster an environment for technological innovation, leverage spatial radiation for agricultural DGF, and advance digitally empowered agricultural modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the whole life cycle theory, the carbon effect of three different sizes of high-standard basic farmland construction projects is measured and analysed. The results show that the carbon emissions generated during the construction of high-standard basic farmland projects and the carbon absorption capacity at the later stage are different for projects of different sizes. The carbon emissions of different scales of high-standard basic farmland projects will increase during the construction stage. The results of carbon effect changes in the later operation and management stage show that the high-standard basic farmland construction projects will help reduce the carbon emissions of the field ecosystem where the farmland is located and increase its carbon sink capacity after the completion of construction, which is more obvious in larger projects. The emission reduction and carbon sequestration capacity of the farmland after remediation are improved to different degrees, which is more conducive to the ecological development of agricultural production and ecological environmental protection in the relevant areas. The study contributes to the green development of farmland, which is of some significance for the sustainable development of agriculture in Tianjin and the whole country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes into consideration local action groups (LAGs) in the European Union and Romania in particular, in terms of resources needed, resources used, and measured impact on public services, infrastructures, and quality of life. Previous research showed that the impact of LAGs is difficult to assess due to weak links between actions and objectives and also due to different benchmarking. Romania absorbs EU funds for agriculture and rural development, however, the administrative, preparatory, and project costs are high, raising certain questions about LAGs' genuine productivity and performance. This article provides clarity on LAGs' costs and benefits, by mapping out a state of play of LAGs and comparing findings with expert opinions. Policy formulation and recommendations conclude this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of the 21st century witnessed a vast and devastating upsurge in the incidence and spread of cassava brown streak ipomovirus disease (CBSD) in eastern countries of sub‐Saharan Africa that decimated crops and jeopardized food security in the region. The disease pandemic may have resulted from an increase in superabundant African whitefly populations, the insect vector, in the early 2000s, and the unintended dissemination of infected or highly disease‐susceptible cassava planting material during agricultural development and relief programmes. This plant pandemic report, one of a series of plant disease reports commissioned by the British Society for Plant Pathology, tells the story of CBSD, its history, its impact, the devastating storage root decay it triggers, and the efforts to understand the causal agent and mitigate its damaging effect on an important staple crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable intensification of cultivated land use (SICLU) and large-scale operations (LSO) are widely acknowledged strategies for enhancing agricultural performance. However, the existing literature has faced challenges in precisely defining SICLU and constructing comprehensive indicators, which has hindered the exploration of factors influencing LSO within the SICLU framework. To address this gap, we integrated self-efficacy theory into the design of an index framework for evaluating SICLU. We subsequently employed econometric models to analyze the significant factors that impact LSO. Our findings reveal that SICLU can be divided into four key dimensions: intensive management, efficient output, resource conservation, and ecological environment optimization. Furthermore, it is crucial to incorporate belief-based cognitive factors into the index system, as farmers' understanding of fertilizer and pesticide application significantly influences their willingness to engage in LSO. Moreover, we identify grain market turnover as the most influential factor in promoting LSO, with single-factor contribution rates reaching 70.9% for cultivated land transfer willingness and 62.5% for the total planting areas. Interestingly, unlike irrigation and agricultural machinery inputs, increased labor inputs correspond to larger planting areas for farmers. This trend may be attributed to reduced labor availability because of rural labor migration, whereas the reduction in irrigation and agricultural input is contingent on innovations in production practices and the transfer of cultivated land management rights. Importantly, SICLU dynamically influences LSO, with each index related to SICLU having an optimal range that fosters LSO. These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers, emphasizing farmers as their central focus, with the adjustment of input and output factors as a means to achieve LSO as the ultimate goal. In conclusion, we propose research avenues for further enriching the SICLU framework to ensure that it aligns with the specific characteristics of regional agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims : Improving iron utilization efficiency in crops is of great importance to food security and sustainable agricultural development. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a high-iron accumulation crop; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying iron accumulation and iron deficiency response in quinoa are unclear. Methods: We investigated the molecular basis of the iron deficiency response in quinoa through physio-biochemical and transcriptome analysis using the methods of iron depletion and resupply. Results: Iron depletion inhibits photosynthesis but does not cause obvious oxidative damage in quinoa. Iron resupply generally induces the expression of genes associated with sugar metabolism and primary nitrogen metabolism in roots. The expression of iron-responsive transcription factors, including FIT, BTS and bHLH101, as well as the metal transporters MTP and NRAMP, is induced under iron depletion and continues to be expressed after 6 h of iron resupply. Iron depletion increases the levels of cytokinin, ABA, SA and ethylene precursor ACC but decreases JA levels. The contents of cytokinin and ACC gradually recovered after 6 h of iron resupply, but the ABA content did not change significantly; in contrast, the JA content further decreased. Iron depletion markedly induces DELLA gene expression. Iron depletion does not change the auxin level in roots, but it inhibits the auxin pathway. Conclusion: These results indicated that the iron deficiency response is tightly modulated by phytohormone signaling. This study elucidates the regulatory network of the iron deficiency response and provides a theoretical basis for further exploring the molecular mechanism of high-iron accumulation in quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a vital role in the entity sharing and minimizing the workload of the human beings in various aspects. Nowadays the term IoT is used in various fields such as health care, automobiles, industry, agriculture, and so on. Agriculture is the main source of food to whole world. There are various problems faced by the farmers in agriculture due to shortage and wastage of water and fertilizers. In this regard, an optimal IoT model has been developed and proposed to attain an effective crop field. The proposed IoT model will monitor, record temperature, and soil moisture values, which will be continuously analyzed to achieve optimal plant growth and yield. The motor will be connected to the IoT model which automatically switch on/off based on optimal threshold temperature and soil moisture content value. A novel irrigation algorithm named differential waterflow algorithm has been proposed and deployed in the proposed IoT model for the automatic usage of the motor in the field. The proposed IoT model provides a web interface to the user through the cloud storage, so that the farmer can control and monitor the system in remote. The proposed system will reduce the water consumption and will ensure the uniform water distribution to the crops through the Poisson distribution which results in increasing yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops worldwide, and its production is directly related to national food security and agricultural development. Indeterminate1 (BdID1) is a member of the IDD gene family. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the BdID1 (BRADI_3g26910) genome sequence was 3056 bp, and the CDS sequence length was 1290 bp, encoding 429 amino acids, including three exons and two introns. BdID1 had a high homology to the maize ZmID1, rice OsID1,and wheat TaID1 genes in the grass, but no direct homology was found in Arabidopsis thaliana. The promoter sequence of BdID1 contains cis-acting elements related to abiotic stress, growth, development, and plant hormones, and exogenous spraying of gibberellin can inhibit the expression of BdID1. The results showed that transgenic wheat plants overexpressing BdID1 showed an obvious dwarfing phenotype compared to the wildtype Fielder. Overexpression of BdID1 in transgenic wheat did not affect the number of stem nodes in the plant, and its culm-reducing effect was mainly achieved by reducing the length of the stem nodes. All five internodes of the BdID1 transgenic lines showed a decrease, particularly in the subpanicle internode. The descending ability of each stem node was in the following order: internode under the panicle > second inverted internode > third inverted internode > fifth inverted internode > inverse-four-inverted internode. Using transgenic wheat lines overexpressing BdID1 and the second internode of the base of wildtype wheat at the heading stage as experimental materials, paraffin sectioning experiments were conducted to analyse morphological differences in stem nodes. The inner wall thickness and vascular bundle area of transgenic wheat overexpressing BdID1 significantly increased, but there were no differences in stem diameter or vascular bundle number. Overexpression of BdID1 increased the lignin content in wheat stems and the expression of genes related to lignin synthesis. Furthermore, we found that the bending resistance and lodging resistance indices of the second internode of the stem base of the BdID1-overexpressed lines increased during the heading, milk ripening, and wax ripening stages. The flowering time of transgenic plants was significantly earlier than that of wildtype wheat (approximately 11–14 days earlier), which greatly shortened the growth cycle of the wheat. Analysis of yield-related agronomic traits showed that the overexpression of BdID1 did not significantly change wheat grain size. However, BdID1 overexpression reduced the effective tiller number, spikelet length, and spikelet number in the main stems of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological stoichiometry (ES) is an important index that reflects the balance of various elements in ecological processes. Therefore, it is of great significance to understand the soil nutrient cycle to clarify the environmental control of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). In this study, we analyzed the spatial distribution of soil C, N, P, and K contents and the C:N:P:K stoichiometric characteristics of 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm of farmland and grassland in four agro-pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the effects of environmental factors on the soil C:N:P:K stoichiometric relationship. The results showed that there was no fixed Redfield ratio for the soil stoichiometric relationship of farmland and grassland in Inner Mongolia, and the values were 15:2:1:9 to 145:10:1:26 and 25:1:1:29 to 228:15:1:65, respectively. The stoichiometric relationships between farmland and grassland were consistent with the law of geographical and spatial heterogeneity. The ratios of C:N, C:P, C:K, N:P, and N:K showed an N distribution from west to east, while the ratio of P:K showed a V distribution. The stoichiometric relationships in grassland soil were mainly affected by soil organic carbon and total nitrogen content, while those in farmland were mainly affected by total nitrogen and total phosphorus content. The annual mean precipitation has a significant effect on stoichiometric relationships in farmland, while the annual mean temperature has a more significant effect on grassland. In conclusion, the spatial distribution difference in the soil stoichiometric relationship in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia was more significant than the difference in the land use pattern. The influences of annual mean temperature and annual mean precipitation on soil ecological stoichiometry were in accordance with the geographical spatial similarity law. Compared with grassland, the stoichiometric relationship of farmland soil was greatly affected by fertilization, and farmland in this region was mainly limited by carbon and nitrogen. Thus, field management should be carried out according to local conditions. This study is of great significance as it promotes the rational utilization of land resources and the sustainable development of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review is focused on the role of root exudates on beneficial rhizobacterial colonization. The dynamic interaction between root exudates and rhizobacteria is influenced by plant genotype, development, environmental biotic factors, and abiotic factors. Bacterial-specific metabolism plays crucial roles in rhizosphere competence and rhizobacterial colonization ability. Diverse types of root exudates serve as nutrients, signals, or antimicrobial substances, facilitating root colonization by beneficial bacteria. Certain secondary metabolites selectively promote root colonization by bacteria with specialized functions. Soil-beneficial microbes in the rhizosphere play important roles in improving plant growth and health. Root exudates play key roles in plant–microbe interactions and rhizobacterial colonization. This review describes the factors influencing the dynamic interactions between root exudates and the soil microbiome in the rhizosphere, including plant genotype, plant development, and environmental abiotic and biotic factors. We also discuss the roles of specific metabolic mechanisms, regulators, and signals of beneficial soil bacteria in terms of colonization ability. We highlight the latest research progress on the roles of root exudates in regulating beneficial rhizobacterial colonization. Organic acids, amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, volatiles, and other secondary metabolites are discussed in detail. Finally, we propose future research objectives that will help us better understand the role of root exudates in root colonization by rhizobacteria and promote the sustainable development of agriculture and forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the influence of global climate change, agricultural and livestock production is facing greater risks. It is important to study the spatio-temporal changes of the threshold temperature, in order to provide the informative scientific foundation for adjusting the agricultural cultivation structure to achieve sustainable agricultural development. Based on the daily average temperature observed at 38 meteorological stations over Tibet from 1981 to 2020, the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of ≥0°C,≥5°C & ≥10°C threshold temperatures [initial date(ID), final date(FD), duration days(DD) and active accumulated temperature(ATT)] over Tibet in the recent 40 years in the context of global warming were analyzed by various statistic methods, including linear tendency estimation, Person coefficient, Mann-Kendall, and dominance analysis. The results showed that: (1) the distribution of ≥0°C,≥5°C & ≥10°C threshold temperatures in Tibet generally presented the characteristics of delayed ID, earlier FD, shortened DD and reduced ATT from southeast to northwest, without significant vertical zonal characteristics of altitude. Generally, the accumulated temperature of ≥0°C, ≥5°C & ≥10°C decreased by 143.0, 136.1, 141.5°C d, respectively, with an increase of 100m in altitude. The average values for all three types of ATT in Tibetan stations have increased respectively in the period of 1991-2020, compared with those in the period of 1981-2020, especially ≥10°C. The majority of stations were featured by an earlier ID, a later FD, and a more DD. (2)In the past 40 years, the amplitude of the ID, FD and DD of the threshold temperature in Tibet was the largest at ≥0°C, with an average prolonging rate of 5.4d.10y-1, caused by an advancing rate of 3.2d.10y-1 and a postponing rate of 3.5d.10y-1, respectively. The maximum increase of ATT for ≥10°C was 86.1°Cd.10y-1. The increase of DD for ≥0°C and ≥5°C was caused by the significantly advanced ID, while the increase of DD for ≥10°C can be attributed to the significantly postponed FD. (3)The linear trend(LTR) of ≥0°C threshold temperature were significantly greater in lower elevation area than in higher elevation. The maximum LTR of the ID and ATT for ≥5°C were in lower altitude area, and the maximum LTR of FD and DD were in middle and high altitude area(3500-4000m). The LTR of ID for ≥10°C was the largest in middle and high elevation area, and the maximum LTR of FD, DD and ATT for ≥10°C appeared in the altitude range of 4000-4500m. (4) In the 1980s, ≥0°C, ≥5°C & ≥10°C exhibited later ID, earlier FD, shorter DD and lower ATT. In the 1990s, the ID, FD and DD did not change much, which was normal, and ATT was still lower. After entering the 21st century, the threshold temperature presented the characteristics of earlier ID, later FD, longer DD and higher ATT, especially in the 2010s. (5)The mutation of FD for ≥5°C occurred earliest in the early 1990s, while the mutation of FD at ≥10°C was the latest in the middle of the 21st century. The abrupt changes of ID and ATT happened in the mid-late 1990s and the early 21st century, respectively. In contrast, the abrupt change of DD occurred during the late 1990s and the mid-early 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigation on plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN) in Algeria date back to the late 19th century. Important research has been performed since this period until currently generating significant information. The aim of this literature assembling is making available an outline of the current situation of plant nematology in the country. This review is based on the available information existing at universities' libraries and research articles obtained by visiting web pages and Google Scholar. All pertinent information was collected from 2018 until today. This review article shows three periods for Algerian agricultural nematology: First period includes the years of French colonialism and two decades after independence. Publications on PPN started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by French and Italian researchers, working in Algeria. The second period (1980-end 1990s) was characterized by the emergence of Algerian researchers. They successively became central academics having the responsibility to educate graduate students. Their research topics were studies on geographical distribution and evaluation of damage degrees of some PPN. The third period (2000 until today) is characterized by the progression in nematological research in the country; research topics expanded and became more diverse. Collaboration between universities, National Institute of Agronomic Research and National Institute of Plant Protection are the organisations contributing to the development of nematology. Till date, a total of 38 genera and 43 species of PPN including economically important nematodes were documented in Algeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The San Quintin Kangaroo Rat, a rodent species microendemic to the San Quintin–El Rosario region in Baja California that was considered potentially extinct in the wild, was recently rediscovered. This stimulated subsequent searches by us throughout its known distribution range and on sites that seemed suitable beyond its limits. We captured the species at 19 out of 42 localities surveyed, of which 6 are beyond its historically known distribution range, expanding the latter by ~60 km. Most sites occupied by the species occur on abandoned farmland in early ecological successional stages. Our data support that in the highly transformed agricultural landscape into which the region was converted in the 20th century, the species was able to survive undetected and colonize/recolonize sites once habitat became adequate after agricultural abandonment. This exhibits that the species is highly resilient and persisted as a metapopulation. Further research and conservation actions must be framed within context of the region's agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fundamentally, there are several levels of complexities associated with the digitalization of the agriculture sector. In the context of the Indian agricultural sector, the contemporary efforts towards E-Governance are helping a progressive digitization process to be realized through the comprehensive National E-governance Plan for Agriculture (NeGP-A), one of the Indian government's Multimodal Projects (MMPs). The cornerstone of the recent digital push in agriculture through the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) framework is Digital AgriStack, an amalgamation of digital technologies and databases concentrating on farmers and the agricultural industry. Purpose: Intriguingly, there is just a handful of explorative research to gain in-depth ideas on administrative efforts regarding E-governance activities in the Indian agricultural sector. Hence, a stringent effort has been made to cover all facets of E-government in Indian agriculture, beginning with its inception, advancement, and present status as well as a synergy between the center and the states across the domains of G2G, G2F, G2B, and B2F, for the first time. Findings: The review presents a comprehensive list of the E-governance initiatives categorized across the four domains of governance and draws a clear picture of the Indian state of e-governance in agriculture while presenting the advancements and challenges at a global and local scale. Originality: To the best of our knowledge, no such rigorous attempt has previously been made to analyze and comprehensively present as well as categorize the Indian E-governance facets in the agricultural sector. This will certainly add to the emerging knowledge in the respective E-gov agricultural domains and their applications in developing nations across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmentation of Agricultural Remote Sensing Images (ARSIs) stands as a pivotal component within the intelligent development path of agricultural information technology. Similarly, quick and effective delineation of urban green spaces (UGSs) in high-resolution images is also increasingly needed as input in various urban simulation models. Numerous segmentation algorithms exist for ARSIs and UGSs; however, a model with exceptional generalization capabilities and accuracy remains elusive. Notably, the newly released Segment Anything Model (SAM) by META AI is gaining significant recognition in various domains for segmenting conventional images, yielding commendable results. Nevertheless, SAM's application in ARSI and UGS segmentation has been relatively limited. ARSIs and UGSs exhibit distinct image characteristics, such as prominent boundaries, larger frame sizes, and extensive data types and volumes. Presently, there is a dearth of research on how SAM can effectively handle various ARSI and UGS image types and deliver superior segmentation outcomes. Thus, as a novel attempt in this paper, we aim to evaluate SAM's compatibility with a wide array of ARSI and UGS image types. The data acquisition platform comprises both aerial and spaceborne sensors, and the study sites encompass most regions of the United States, with images of varying resolutions and frame sizes. It is noteworthy that the segmentation effect of SAM is significantly influenced by the content of the image, as well as the stability and accuracy across images of different resolutions and sizes. However, in general, our findings indicate that resolution has a minimal impact on the effectiveness of conditional SAM-based segmentation, maintaining an overall segmentation accuracy above 90%. In contrast, the unsupervised segmentation approach, SAM, exhibits performance issues, with around 55% of images (3 m and coarser resolutions) experiencing lower accuracy on low-resolution images. Whereas frame size exerts a more substantial influence, as the image size increases, the accuracy of unsupervised segmentation methods decreases extremely fast, and conditional segmentation methods also show some degree of degradation. Additionally, SAM's segmentation efficacy diminishes considerably in the case of images featuring unclear edges and minimal color distinctions. Consequently, we propose enhancing SAM's capabilities by augmenting the training dataset and fine-tuning hyperparameters to align with the demands of ARSI and UGS image segmentation. Leveraging the multispectral nature and extensive data volumes of remote sensing images, the secondary development of SAM can harness its formidable segmentation potential to elevate the overall standard of ARSI and UGS image segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural development strategy of building a strong country with Chinese characteristics is based on Chinese national conditions and agricultural conditions. It is an innovative exploration that takes into account the unique characteristics of domestic agricultural development and the universal commonalities of international agricultural modernization. It is also an important support for building a socialist modernized country. In the new era, promoting the construction of a strong agricultural country with Chinese characteristics is conducive to achieving common prosperity among farmers and rural areas, improving the modern agricultural industry system, and creating a beautiful countryside where people and nature coexist harmoniously. Therefore, the article puts forward the following points. With the goal of achieving common prosperity, clarify the important direction of building a strong agricultural country with Chinese characteristics. Taking the promotion of rural industries as the foundation, consolidate the basic guarantee for building a strong agricultural country with Chinese characteristics. Taking the creation of rural ecological livable environment as the direction, clarify the specific ideas of building a strong agricultural country with Chinese characteristics. Taking innovation-driven development as the driving force, ensure the efficient promotion of the construction of a strong agricultural country with Chinese characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research was to evaluate the degree of sustainability of urban farming development in Petamburan, Central Jakarta. This research used a descriptive methodology approach using a qualitative approach (1) research preparation stage (2) collection stage (3) data analysis stage to check the degree of sustainability of urban agriculture using the Multi Dimension Scaling (MDS) approach. The study results indicate that urban agriculture in the special capital region of Jakarta is well known and is strongly supported by the residents of Petamburan Village, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta. Urban residents generally already have knowledge and insight about urban agriculture. The community support for urban agricultural activities uses their yards to cultivate vegetables, herbs, and other seasonal fruit crops. The development of urban farming in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta results from the analysis of four dimensioned model MDS is not sustainable. The analysis results of each dimension consist of the ecological dimension 14.55%, the economic dimension 13.85%, the social dimension 13.94%, and the technological dimension 13.43%. In the future, urban farming should pay attention to the supporting factors of the sustainability of agricultural development. The factors include the yard area, types, and variations of cultivated plants, the application of innovation and technology that urban communities can accept and develop, increased counselling and community development, and intensive and taxfree provision for yards with urban farming. The study show that index of urban agriculture sustainability in Petamburan Village, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta is very low, including the destructive and unsustainable category depending on the results of multidimensional analysis of both economic, ecological, social, and technological dimensions so that improvements are needed through counselling and motivation for urban agriculture actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to explore the empowerment of trainees of agricultural schools for the development of their professional performance. It was a survey study. The statistical population was composed of all trainees studying in agricultural schools in Iran in the 2020-2021 educational year, amounting to 1,119 students, out of whom 169 trainees were sampled by simple randomization. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of the schools, the questionnaires were sent and received by e-mail from the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan, Fars, Qazvin, Mazandaran, and Semnan. Data were analyzed by the structural equation method using Smart PLS3. Based on the results, the educational content, educational process, management process, technical trainer development, and supply of space, equipment, and technology in agricultural schools have positive and significant effects on the empowerment of trainees in these schools. The standardized path coefficients revealed that the educational content directly accounted for 67.2% of the variance in the trainees' empowerment. Also, 39.9, 31.1, 30.2, and 29.8% of the variance in the Iranian trainee's empowerment were captured by the educational process, management process, technical trainer development, and the supply of space, equipment, and technology, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]