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Gene resources associated with plant stature and flowering time are invaluable for maize breeding. In this study, using an F2:3 population derived from a natural semi-dwarf mutant grmm and a normal inbred line Si 273, we identified a major pleiotropic QTL on the distal long arm of chromosome 1 (qPH1_dla), and found that qPH1_dla controlled plant height, flowering time, ear and yield traits. qPH1_dla was fine-mapped to a 16 kb interval containing ZmAMP1, which was annotated as a glutamate carboxypeptidase. Allelism tests using two independent allelic mutants confirmed that ZmAMP1 was the causal gene. Real-time quantitative PCR and genomic sequence analysis suggested that a nonsynonymous mutation at the 598th base of ZmAMP1 gene was the causal sequence variant for the dwarfism of grmm. This novel ZmAMP1 allele was named ZmAMP1_grmm. RNA sequencing using two pairs of near isogenic lines (NILs) showed that 84 up-regulated and 68 down-regulated genes in dwarf NILs were enriched in 15 metabolic pathways. Finally, introgression of ZmAMP1_grmm into Zhengdan 958 and Xianyu 335 generated two improved F1 lines. In field tests, they were semi-dwarf, early-flowering, lodging-resistant, and high-yielding under high-density planting conditions, suggesting that ZmAMP1_grmm is a promising Green Revolution gene for maize hybrid breeding.

From 1975 to 1985, Michoacano growers increased avocado production by 600 percent. Three factors explain the extraordinary growth of Michoacán’s avocado production: (1) land-use changes, (2) the development of agricultural infrastructure in the region, and (3) the Mexican state’s varying forest management policies. This article describes those changes and their consequences in the Meseta Purhépecha’s pine forests that now grow almost 30 percent of the total global production of avocados every year.

The article examines the climate policy of China and India as the main emitters of greenhouse gases. The question is whether their actions to reduce CO2 emissions are consistent with their contribution to the global warming. In their climate policy, they have come a long way from denying the very fact of taking on commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to recognizing their responsibility in the global fight against climate change, which reflects the dynamics of their economic development and the emergence of new trends in the process of globalization. The author defines the factors that influence the change in their approach to this problem, the solution of which involves the transition to green development, carried out mainly within the framework of energy transit. In this regard, India has weaker starting positions than China and less political and ideological motivation, which causes some differences in their climate policy. Its intermediate results are evaluated, which allows us to conclude that in their actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions they are guided mainly by their economic interests, and it determines the duality of their climate diplomacy. When implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they primarily count on their economic return. And, conversely, they avoid those actions that could harm the economy. Having made some progress in reducing their carbon and energy intensity, they have nevertheless been unable to halt the growth in greenhouse gas emissions, which will continue even in the medium term. However, given the continuing high demand for energy and the current clean technology base, China and India are not prepared to accelerate the green revolution. At the same time, according to the author, it would be unjustified to expect from them more aggressive actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A modern green revolution is needed to ensure global food security. Recently, Song et al. reported a new strategy to create high-yielding, semi-dwarf wheat varieties with improved nitrogen-use efficiency by inhibiting brassinosteroid (BR) signaling through clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein9 (Cas9)-mediated knockout of the ZnF-B gene encoding a zinc-finger RING-type E3 ligase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture's Energy: The Trouble with Ethanol in Brazil's Green Revolution. By Thomas D. Rogers. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2022. Pp. 287. $29.95 paper.By Jay DwyerReported by Author [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the long-term management of fertilizer nitrogen (N) in crop production and its impact on soil health. The use of N fertilizers in crop production increased significantly after World War II, particularly in India during the Green Revolution. However, the article argues that fertilizer N is not the only source of N for plants, as soil organic matter also plays a crucial role. The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the relationship between long-term fertilizer N management, soil health, and crop yield levels. It also highlights the need for optimal fertilizer N use to ensure sustainable high crop yields and maintain/enhance soil health. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The green revolution model that is followed in the Brazilian Cerrado is dependent on mechanization, chemical fertilization for soil dressing and correction, and the use of herbicides. Paraquat is a methyl viologen herbicide marketed as bipyridylium dichloride salts and used (in low doses) to combat weeds in their post-emergence stage. It is a non-selective pesticide that causes the peroxidation of the lipids that make up the cell membrane, and when it comes into contact with foliage, it results in the death of the plant.Methods: The effect of water molecules co-crystallized in Paraquat salt structures was analyzed in anhydrous, dihydrate, and trihydrate forms to understand those physicochemical properties in its redox activity. The frontier molecular orbitals were also carried out using DFT to obtain the chemical reactivity of the bipyridylium cation. Finally, the supramolecular arrangements were evaluated to analyze the physicochemical stability and acquire insights on superoxide anions.Results and discussion: The electronic structure indicated that the BP cation presents an acidic character due to its low ELUMO value, while the salt has a more basic character due to its high EHOMO value. For this reason, the BP ion is more susceptible to reduction during the weeds’ photosynthesis process. During the process of plant photosynthesis, PQ is reduced to form a stable radical cation. In the supramolecular arrangement, the presence of water molecules increases the number of strong H-bonds, while the weak/moderate H-bonds are stabilized. PQ’s toxic effects are observed in wildlife, domesticated animals, human populations, and ecosystems. The influence of PQ on the terrestrial environment is limited because of the soil adsorption capacity associated with good agricultural practices. The current use of good agricultural practices in the Cerrado seems not to prevent the environmental impacts of herbicides like PQ because it aims for the expansion and profitability of large-scale farming based on input-intensive practices instead of sustainable agriculture processes.

Crop improvement programmes began with traditional breeding practices since the inception of agriculture. Farmers and plant breeders continue to use these strategies for crop improvement due to their broad application in modifying crop genetic compositions. Nonetheless, conventional breeding has significant downsides in regard to effort and time. Crop productivity seems to be hitting a plateau as a consequence of environmental issues and the scarcity of agricultural land. Therefore, continuous pursuit of advancement in crop improvement is essential. Recent technical innovations have resulted in a revolutionary shift in the pattern of breeding methods, leaning further towards molecular approaches. Among the promising approaches, marker-assisted selection, QTL mapping, omics-assisted breeding, genome-wide association studies and genome editing have lately gained prominence. Several governments have progressively relaxed their restrictions relating to genome editing. The present review highlights the evolutionary and revolutionary approaches that have been utilized for crop improvement in a bid to produce climate-resilient crops observing the consequence of climate change. Additionally, it will contribute to the comprehension of plant breeding succession so far. Investing in advanced sequencing technologies and bioinformatics will deepen our understanding of genetic variations and their functional implications, contributing to breakthroughs in crop improvement and biodiversity conservation.

Agricultural science necessarily involves a commitment to some form of humanitarian and environmental ethics. For the past century, agricultural science has been based on a productivist ethic of maximizing agricultural production in pursuit or support of food security. Recognition of the ethical and political disposition of contemporary agricultural science can help scientists reorient their work to better address the urgent problems of the upcoming century: environmental degradation, climate change, and social inequality. A commitment to solving these problems is well within the scope of modern agricultural science. Supporting and furthering multidimensional food systems should replace productivism as an explicit goal of agricultural development and scientific innovation.

In 1970, Indonesian President Suharto’s New Order Government formally adopted an international system of agricultural production known as ‘The Green Revolution.’ This required Indonesian farmers to adopt so-called modern farming practices as part of the first five-year national development program, which incorporated an emphasis on ‘Swasembada Pangan,’ or food production self-sufficiency. Chemical-based fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides have been in continuous and widespread use in conventional farming in Indonesia ever since. Concurrently, international peer-reviewed scientific research has reported the detrimental effects of their widespread use on complex ecosystems, in particular, on pollinating insect populations such as bees. This situation greatly concerns many people, including Yos Suprapto, an Indonesian artist who articulates his social engagement through non-conventional creative practice. Since 2009, Suprapto has pioneered rice planting using the biodynamic agriculture (BDA) system developed in 1924 by the Austrian educator and innovator Rudolf Steiner. Yos Suprapto argues that, as with art, farming also requires innovation and novelty as well as an intimate understanding of human systems. This includes, an appreciation of the shortcomings associated with the modern world, namely reliance on complex manufacturing processes, often located abroad, and increasingly vulnerable and disrupted international supply chain networks. Farming, then, is Yos Suprapto’s ‘canvas’ and the colors he ‘paints’ are his crops and his ability to not just see the world as it is but as it should be. This study uses productive hermeneutic and aesthetic engagement theories to better understand why Yos Suprapto has insisted on implementing organic farming techniques and how he has also taken advantage of local oral traditions, local materials, and indigenous locally-produced rice varieties to increase harvest yields without the use of synthetic fertilizers and, in doing so, support and advance not only traditional knowledge and time-honoured cultural practices, but also local human food security.

The utilization of stabilized DELLA proteins Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b was crucial for increasing wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity during the Green Revolution. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified. Here, we cloned a gain-of-function allele of the GSK3/SHAGGY-like kinase-encoding gene GSK3 by characterizing a dwarf wheat mutant. Furthermore, we determined that GSK3 interacts with and phosphorylates the Green Revolution protein Rht-B1b to promote it to reduce plant height in wheat. Specifically, phosphorylation by GSK3 may enhance the activity and stability of Rht-B1b, allowing it to inhibit the activities of its target transcription factors. Taken together, we reveal a positive regulatory mechanism for the Green Revolution protein Rht-B1b by GSK3, which might have contributed to the Green Revolution in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a contradictory dynamic in how Instagram seems to promote both profligate consumption habits in disregard of health and unprecedented health anxieties where people micromanage every ingredient they consume. Far from inhabiting disparate social worlds, these themes often coalesce within the same image. We argue that this phenomenon reflects consumers' attempts to navigate a neoliberal double bind that simultaneously pressures them toward both dysfunctional extremes. By emphasizing the centrality of a politics of indulgence to US ideological warfare, especially during the Green Revolution, we interrogate a key limitation of much critical food scholarship in its reductive equation of whiteness and power with food discipline and thinness. We draw on postcolonial scholarship on mestiza/o whiteness and code-switching to argue that neocolonial privilege is better understood as the mobility to code-switch between the vocabularies of discipline and indulgence without being confined to one or the other. Then, we analyze Instagram food posts taken by customers at organic restaurants in urban Philippines, reading them as innovative but never innocent contestations against the double binds of discipline/indulgence and mestiza/o whiteness while highlighting the rich historical and cultural contingency of their meaning-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to archaeological records, chickpea (Cicer arietinum) was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent about 10,000 years BP. Its subsequent diversification in Middle East, South Asia, Ethiopia, and the Western Mediterranean, however, remains obscure and cannot be resolved using only archeological and historical evidence. Moreover, chickpea has two market types: "desi" and "kabuli," for which the geographic origin is a matter of debate. To decipher chickpea history, we took the genetic data from 421 chickpea landraces unaffected by the green revolution and tested complex historical hypotheses of chickpea migration and admixture on two hierarchical spatial levels: within and between major regions of cultivation. For chickpea migration within regions, we developed popdisp, a Bayesian model of population dispersal from a regional representative center toward the sampling sites that considers geographical proximities between sites. This method confirmed that chickpea spreads within each geographical region along optimal geographical routes rather than by simple diffusion and estimated representative allele frequencies for each region. For chickpea migration between regions, we developed another model, migadmi, that takes allele frequencies of populations and evaluates multiple and nested admixture events. Applying this model to desi populations, we found both Indian and Middle Eastern traces in Ethiopian chickpea, suggesting the presence of a seaway from South Asia to Ethiopia. As for the origin of kabuli chickpeas, we found significant evidence for its origin from Turkey rather than Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study, covering a period of 52 years (1966–2017), explores changes in agricultural land use and its consequences on crop productivity, diversity, and food availability in Haryana, an agriculturally developed state of India. The time series data on different parameters (area, production, yield, etc.) were collected from the secondary sources and analyzed with the help of compound annual growth rate, trend tests (simple linear regression and Mann–Kendall), and change point detection tests such as Pettitt, standard normal homogeneity, Buishand range, and Neumann ratio. Apart from above, the relative share of area and yield to total change in output was determined using decomposition analysis. The results revealed that agricultural land use became intensive and underwent significant alteration with multifold shifting in area from coarse cereals (maize, jowar, and bajra) to fine food grains (wheat and rice). The yield of all crops, especially wheat and rice witnessed a significant increase which subsequently led to an upsurge in their production. However, the production of maize, jowar, and pulses recorded negative growth despite of an increase in their yield. The results also revealed manifold increase in use of modern key inputs during the first two periods (1966–1985), but afterwards input use rate slowed down. Additionally, the decomposition analysis revealed that yield effect remained positive in changing the production of all crops, but area contributed positively only in wheat, rice, cotton, and oilseeds. The major findings of this study imply that the production of crops can be enhanced only through improvement in yield because there is no further scope left for horizontal expansion in cultivable area of the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of the green products market and the worldwide policies and strategies directed toward a green revolution and ecological transition, the demand for innovative approaches is always on the rise. Among the sustainable agricultural approaches, microbial-based products are emerging over time as effective and feasible alternatives to agrochemicals. However, the production, formulation, and commercialization of some products can be challenging. Among the main challenges are the industrial production processes that ensure the quality of the product and its cost on the market. In the context of a circular economy, solid-state fermentation (SSF) might represent a smart approach to obtaining valuable products from waste and by-products. SSF enables the growth of various microorganisms on solid surfaces in the absence or near absence of free-flowing water. It is a valuable and practical method and is used in the food, pharmaceutical, energy, and chemical industries. Nevertheless, the application of this technology in the production of formulations useful in agriculture is still limited. This review summarizes the literature dealing with SSF agricultural applications and the future perspective of its use in sustainable agriculture. The survey showed good potential for SSF to produce biostimulants and biopesticides useful in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the pioneer of the Green Revolution in China, Guangdong province witnessed the improvement and spread of semi-dwarf Xian/Indica rice cultivars and possessed diverse rice germplasm of landrace and cultivars. A total of 517 accessions containing a core germplasm of 479 newly sequenced landraces and modern cultivars were used to reveal breeding signatures and key variations for regional genetic improvement of indica rice from Guangdong. Four subpopulations were identified in the collection, which including Ind IV as a novel subpopulation that not covered by previously released accessions. Modern cultivars of subpopulation Ind II were inferred to have less deleterious variations, especially in yield related genes. About 15 Mb genomic segments were identified as potential breeding signatures by cross-population likelihood method (XP-CLR) of modern cultivars and landraces. The selected regions spanning multiple yield related QTLs (quantitative trait locus) which identified by GWAS (genome-wide association studies) of the same population, and specific variations that fixed in modern cultivars of Ind II were characterized. This study highlights genetic differences between traditional landraces and modern cultivars, which revealed the potential molecular basis of regional genetic improvement for Guangdong indica rice from southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant height is an important agronomic trait with a significant impact on grain yield, as demonstrated by the positive effect of the REDUCED HEIGHT(RHT) dwarfing alleles (Rht1b) on lodging and harvest index in the "Green Revolution" wheat varieties. However, these gibberellic acid (GA)-insensitive alleles also reduce coleoptile length, biomass production, and yield potential in some environments, triggering the search for alternative GA-sensitive dwarfing genes. Here we report the identification, validation, and characterization of the gene underlying the GA-sensitive dwarfing locus RHT25 in wheat. This gene, designated as PLATZ-A1 (TraesCS6A02G156600), is expressed mainly in the elongating stem and developing spike and encodes a plant-specific AT-rich sequence- and zinc-binding protein (PLATZ). Natural and induced loss-of-function mutations in PLATZ-A1 reduce plant height and its overexpression increases plant height, demonstrating that PLATZ-A1 is the causative gene of RHT25. PLATZ-A1 and RHT1 show a significant genetic interaction on plant height, and their encoded proteins interact with each other in yeast and wheat protoplasts. These results suggest that PLATZ1 can modulate the effect of DELLA on wheat plant height. We identified four natural truncation mutations and one promoter insertion in PLATZ-A1 that are more frequent in modern varieties than in landraces, suggesting positive selection during wheat breeding. These mutations can be used to fine-tune wheat plant height and, in combination with other GA-sensitive dwarfing genes, to replace the GA-insensitive Rht1b alleles and search for grain yield improvements beyond those of the Green Revolution varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's electricity consumption has risen significantly as a result of improving lifestyles, a growing population, and economic development. Although the public and commercial industries are investigating effective energy resources to solve the nation's energy shortage, there aren't many research examining consumers' ecological use of renewables. This study tries to fill this gap and makes a contribution by including three new variables (eco-label knowledge, environmental attitudes, and customer belief) to the Theory of Planned Behavior, which allows for a more thorough analysis of sustainable consumption in the Chinese culture. The survey responses of 529 customers in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin are analyzed. The structural equation modelling technique is used to assess hypotheses that have been developed. Evidence suggests that sustainable consumption trust and environmental attitude are considerably and favorably influenced by understanding of eco-labels. Comparably, customer belief and environmental attitude have a favorable and considerable impact on buying intention. Customer belief, on the other hand, is considerably and favorably correlated with buying intention. The study's findings also show that consideration of environmental labelling is favorably and substantially influenced by the intention to buy. These results add to the body of knowledge on sustainable purchasing behavior and provide researchers and policymakers new avenues for changing societal norms, increasing consumer awareness, and redesigning regulatory frameworks via coordinated and integrated activities. • Examine consumers' sustainable energy consumption behavior. • Eco-label knowledge, attitude towards environment, and customer green trust are added to Theory of Planned Behavior. • Eco-label knowledge positively influences consumer green trust. • Consumer green trust is significantly related to purchase intention. • Findings contribute to the literature on sustainable consumption behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses are the important crop after cereals and is the cheapest source of dietary protein. After the Green revolution, the production of pulses in India remain stagnant over the years due to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the various biotic stresses, weeds are the major one which causes severe yield loss in pulses. Due to initial slow growth of pulses, weeds emerge first and gain competitive advantage over the crop and exhibit smothering effect on crop. Moreover, major area of pulses (84 per cent) are under rainfed condition and grown in combination with non-legume crop. As a result, pulses are subjected to various types of biotic and abiotic stresses. Weeds besides causing direct loss in yield also hinder farm activities and serve as alternate host to many pests. Weed management in pulses is essential to bring the weeds below the threshold level to maximize the seed yield and quality. The literature regarding the importance of weed management in pulses, weed flora, critical period of crop weed competition and different weed management methods of weed control are collected and presented in this paper. Weeds are the predominant biological constraint in pulse production due to the slow initial growth of the crop. Strategies' of weed management depends on the weed competition, types of weeds present and weed control method adopted. In general, critical period of weed competition for short duration pulses is up to 30 days and for long duration pulse crops it is up to 60 days. The major three types of weeds viz., grasses, broad leaved weeds and sedges were found in association with pulses. Intensity of weed infestation varies with agroecological conditions and crop management practices followed. A system approach is necessary to maintain the weed population below the economic threshold level thereby reducing the yield loss. Integrated weed management (IWM) which has been proved to be more effective than any single method in alleviating the buildup of weeds in pulse crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s 'hybrid seeds' have been linked to many perceived perils of industrialized agriculture. This essay revisits the scholarship that helped produce a dominant critical assessment of hybrid seeds, situating its emergence in a series of events and interventions of the late twentieth century. It explores how the singular history of F1 hybrid corn inflected understandings of crop breeding and seed production in general, contributing to effective political mobilization against agroindustry as well as lasting confusion about the promises and pitfalls of distinct approaches to crop development and the nature of hybrid seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Monocrops' is a key concept needed to understand agrarian dynamics today. Strictly speaking, it means cultivation of a single crop in a transformed and simplified landscape. Broadly, it means the violent imposition of a pattern of power predicated upon the concentration of control over nature, labor, inputs, production, profits and knowledge, in the form of homogeneous, simplified landscapes. I examine the concept in relation to processes of empire and conquest and the modernization of agriculture through the Green Revolution and beyond. I discuss how thinking against monocrops can help us imagine how to create a more inclusive, just and healthy world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of nurseries in the Green Revolution. Nurseries were sets of seeds assembled to test particular traits and sent to breeders around the world to trial. Focusing on wheat nurseries of the 1960s and 70s, I highlight the materials that were central to their distribution, as well as the breeders who planted them. Through this analysis, I trouble the common narrative of the Green Revolution as emerging from centers of international agricultural science, showing the networks of expertise, seed transfer, field trials, and data collection that underpinned this process of agricultural transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the history of leguminous grasses in the Brazilian Cerrado between the early 1950s and early 1970s. The westward expansion of the Brazilian agrarian frontier was a massive ecological transformation, propelled by a transnational process that relied on a series of actors beyond the national borders, most notably the Rockefeller-sponsored IRI research institute. However, as the article demonstrates, this epistemic transformation was also crucially complemented by the ecological potential of a set of leguminous grasses that gave an essential contribution to the ecological reconversion of the Brazilian Cerrado. These sturdy nitrogen-fixing species grew extensively - and mostly autonomously - on these arid territories, propelling agrarian development in the region. However, while the successful interaction between anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic actors led to successful techno-scientific and economic results, it also led to severe socio-environmental consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent revolution in the green economy, agricultural solid waste resource utilization has become an important project. A small-scale laboratory orthogonal experiment was set up to investigate the effects of C/N ratio, initial moisture content and fill ratio (vcassava residue: vgravel) on the maturity of cassava residue compost by adding Bacillus subtilis and Azotobacter chroococcum. The highest temperature in the thermophilic phase of the low C/N ratio treatment is significantly lower than the medium and high C/N ratios. The C/N ratio and moisture content have a significant impact on the results of cassava residue composting, while the filling ratio only has a significant impact on the pH value and phosphorus content. Based on comprehensive analysis, the recommended process parameters for pure cassava residue composting are a C/N ratio of 25, an initial moisture content of 60%, and a filling ratio of 5. Under these conditions, the high-temperature conditions can be reached and maintained quickly, the organic matter has been degraded by 36.1%, the pH value has dropped to 7.36, the E4/E6 ratio is 1.61, the conductivity value has dropped to 2.52 mS/cm, and the final germination index increased to 88%. The thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscope, and energy spectrum analysis also showed that the cassava residue was effectively biodegraded. Cassava residue composting with this process parameter has great reference significance for the actual production and application of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impending need for increasing amounts of food for the world population poses enormous challenges to agriculture. Moreover, global warming has exacerbated abiotic and biotic stresses, accelerating the emergence of new pests and pathogens which threatens crop productivity. Therefore, the scientific community urgently needs to develop innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture, notably replacing synthetic pesticides by active and highly specific biomolecules for pest control. In this context, RNA-based technologies emerge as an outstanding genetically modified organism-free approach offering versatile solutions to boost productivity while conserving and harnessing the wide variety of local landraces. Here we review recent advances in the field, including RNA synthesis approaches and the development of the nanotechnology required for RNA stabilization and delivery, and we discuss the potential of RNA as the key molecule for versatile applications in the second green revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much smallholder farming currently exists side by side with large-scale, industrial agriculture, as an outcome of the Green Revolution unfolding in uneven and dualistic terms. In Guatemala's Pacific lowlands, state incentives fuel expansion of industrial export agriculture. Large-scale sugarcane production has come to surround rural farming communities, where small-scale farmers grow maize and sesame with little state support. Drawing on a survey of nearly 200 households, seventeen in-depth interviews, and four focus groups in five communities during 2014 and 2015 in the Department of Retalhuleu, our research explores the realities and imaginaries of smallholders as they negotiate their incorporation into the Green Revolution. In the face of minuscule agricultural plots resulting in limited production, cycles of agrarian debt, vulnerability to drought, and emigration to the United States, smallholders paradoxically work hard to replicate "modern" Green Revolution approaches in their own parcels. We argue that the proximal, uneven expansion of modern technocentric agriculture, fueled by the model of the Green Revolution, has helped cultivate "constrained spatial imaginaries" among smallholders, in which ideas and desires around improved agricultural practices remain bound to accessing hybrid seeds, chemical inputs, and technical extension, despite the way the Green Revolution has been implicated in their ongoing marginalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory has occasionally shaped agrarian transformations. Utilitarian theory, for instance, influenced British colonial land revenue policies, while modernization theory spurred, via the Green Revolution, the development of capitalist farming across the global South. Yet scholarship, when it has probed the mediation of theory in agrarian change, has largely centred on the intellectual activities of Western figures. In this paper, I examine an under‐appreciated theorizing actor: landlords in the global South. I explore landlords' concept‐work in the former "Punjab Frontier," a region where Baloch chiefs collaborated with the British Raj to acquire localized magisterial powers, a paramilitary apparatus, and immense "landed estates" (jagirs). To overcome various crises, certain chiefs engaged with various imperial concepts—namely, property, race, progress, contract, and freedom—and re‐arranged their estates. By showing how these elites creatively embraced these concepts to maintain a colonial‐fortified hegemony, I also challenge those who overstate the emancipatory and decolonial possibilities of theory from the South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the study of the features of the green revolution in the agricultural sector and its role in achieving sustainable development and economic development. Advantages and challenges associated with the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies and practices in agriculture have been considered. Studies confirm that the green revolution contributes to the increase in the productivity of conservation of natural resources and the creation of new opportunities for agricultural producers. It has been proven that the green revolution in the agricultural sector contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of the rural population and the development of markets for ecologically clean products. Protests, successes of the green revolution require financial support, cooperation with all interested parties and raising the environmental awareness of the rural population. This article contributes to deepening the understanding of the green revolution and stimulating the development of an environmentally sustainable agricultural sector. Attention has been focused on the results of the research conducted by scientists regarding the implementation of green technologies and practices in agriculture. Research shows that the green revolution leads to: increased productivity; increasing the efficiency of the use of resources in the impact on the environment; introduction of environmentally friendly technologies and practices, such as organic farming, intercropping systems and the use of renewable energy sources; reducing the use of chemicals, energy and water, as well as reducing emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Given the potential of the green revolution, government bodies should make political decisions aimed at supporting an ecologically clean agricultural sector. This may include creating an enabling regulatory environment, financial support and incentivesfor investment in green technologies and infrastructure. Research also draws attention to the possibility of cooperation between scientific institutions, industry and rural communities. The exchange of knowledge, technology transfer and partnership between these parties contributes to the rapid implementation of green innovations in the practice of the agricultural sector. The need to create a platform for sharing experiences, organizing seminars and trainings aimed at raising awareness of the green revolution and its benefits has been emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The green revolution was based on genetic modification of the gibberellin (GA) hormone system with "dwarfing" gene mutations that reduces GA signals, conferring shorter stature, thus enabling plant adaptation to modern farming conditions. Strong GA‐related mutants with shorter stature often have reduced coleoptile length, discounting yield gain due to their unsatisfactory seedling emergence under drought conditions. Here we present gibberellin (GA) 3‐oxidase1 (GA3ox1) as an alternative semi‐dwarfing gene in barley that combines an optimal reduction in plant height without restricting coleoptile and seedling growth. Using large‐scale field trials with an extensive collection of barley accessions, we showed that a natural GA3ox1 haplotype moderately reduced plant height by 5–10 cm. We used CRISPR/Cas9 technology, generated several novel GA3ox1 mutants and validated the function of GA3ox1. We showed that altered GA3ox1 activities changed the level of active GA isoforms and consequently increased coleoptile length by an average of 8.2 mm, which could provide essential adaptation to maintain yield under climate change. We revealed that CRISPR/Cas9‐induced GA3ox1 mutations increased seed dormancy to an ideal level that could benefit the malting industry. We conclude that selecting HvGA3ox1 alleles offers a new opportunity for developing barley varieties with optimal stature, longer coleoptile and additional agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat Research Institute (WRI), Faisalabad, Pakistan, a premier foundational birthplace of the Green revolution in Pakistan, has played a vital role in attaining food self-sufficiency. Latest grown varieties have succumbed to ever-changing pathogens, unable to stand in the fields. Hence, the initiative to develop an indigenous type to withstand high disease pressure producing better grain yield transpired during 2008-2009, with the hybridization of Dilkash-20 (WBLL*2/4/SNI/TRAP#1/3/KAUZ*2/TRAP//KAUZ/5/PB.96//LU26/HD2179). It proceeded with segregating generations from F2 to F7 from 2009 to 2016. During 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, its testing followed at station yield trials, including Preliminary (A) and Regular (B), under code V-16005. It produced a significantly higher yield (10.86% and 10.40%) than the check varieties (Faisalabad-08 [FSD-08] and Punjab-11 [PB-11]). In provincial trials, it out-yielded a check variety by 4.06%. Testing in national yield trials, line V-16005 produced 17.40% and 12.03% higher grain yield than check cultivars during 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, respectively. It yielded better when planted on the first 10 days of November with a 100 kg ha-1 seed rate and 120:90:60 NPK (kg ha-1) fertilizer rate. The Dilkash-20 variety is a medium-height (105-115 cm), semi-erect producing 425 tillers per m2, with 119 days to heading and 145-150 days to maturity. It is of excellent quality, with protein (15.1%), starch (52.7%), gluten (28.7%), and test weight (72.1 kg hl-1), highly suitable for chapatti making. It has an effectual, durable resistance against brown and yellow rusts based on adult plant resistance genes. Therefore, the Punjab Seed Council approved Dilkash-20 for general cultivation throughout the irrigated areas of Punjab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food crops are a vital source of nutrition for humans and domestic animals, with an estimated 4 billion metric tons of food produced per year. Crops do not only provide yields, but their traits also play a significant role in regulating the ecosystem processes of croplands, affecting local biotas, water balance, nutrient and carbon cycling. Domestication has led to significant changes in crop traits, making it important to understand the recent evolution of crops and how they differ from wild plants.In this paper I review the evidence on how the ecological traits of herbaceous crops have evolved during and after domestication. Loss of seed dispersal mechanisms, increased plant and organ sizes, high rates of consumption by herbivores and fast decomposition of residues by decomposer microbes in the soil, all have evolved independently in domestication processes of different crops.I also point out types of traits for which we have not identified common responses to domestication, be it because domestication processes of the different crop species are disparate, or because of lack of strong evidence. Those traits include resource acquisition rates of leaves and roots, and whole‐plant growth rates. Then, I discuss research gaps in the field, including how to advance knowledge for those traits that show apparently idiosyncratic responses to domestication.Finally, I emphasize the importance of understanding the interactions of crops with other organisms and the environment to breed crops that deliver yield and other services required from croplands. To this end, I introduce an ideotype for sustainable agriculture, which might inspire the breeding of multipurpose herbaceous crops, in the same way than the ideotypes of the Green Revolution inspired the breeding of elite varieties to foster yields under conventional agriculture. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context/Objective: This article examines the role that an emerging sector of private commercial aviation firms played in the agricultural industry by providing aerial fumigation and cargo services in Chile from the post-WWII to 1973. Methodology: From a perspective centered on the formation and operation of individual firms, and using documentation from the Junta de Aeronáutica Civil (jac), newspapers, and technical bulletins, we analyze the expansion and then the contraction of this sector of private aviation firms and the results and problems of their operation in an initially lucrative and scarcely regulated market. Originality: Unlike most of the literature on the history of commercial aviation in Latin America, which focuses on the study of passenger airlines, this article examines commercial aviation's role in economic development, specifically in the agricultural sector and its contribution to agricultural modernization. Conclusions: Despite initial legal and operational problems, like scarcity of capital and equipment, the companies proliferated rapidly, developed a fumigation capacity well over the demand level, and diversified their cargo activity both in the national territory and towards other countries. Thus, in a period in which agriculture's lower growth and subordination to the industrialization-promoting state policy made it difficult to invest in technological innovations, private aviation firms made a significant contribution to agricultural modernization in Chile. They were the agents that carried out the rapid introduction and diffusion of one of the most important technological innovations worldwide: large-scale aerial fumigation of the principal commercial crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Created in 1943, the Mexican Agricultural Program (MAP) was a collaborative program between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Mexican government aimed at improving yields of corn and wheat varieties in Mexico. The MAP’s wheat program was more influential than its corn breeding program, and wheat became the centerpiece of the Green Revolution beginning in the 1960s. This article reveals that the environmental origins of the MAP’s wheat program lay in combating a plant disease fungus commonly known as wheat rust, which harmed farmers in both northern Mexico and the US hard red spring wheat region. Rust outbreaks originated in US barberry bushes, so one might think that Mexican scientists would have entered the United States to solve this problem with transnational wheat rust. Instead, the reverse occurred. Nevertheless, the MAP successfully produced new rust-resistant wheat during the formative years of the MAP’s wheat program. Between 1943 and 1953, rust-resistant wheat helped increase Mexican wheat production 84 percent and yields 59 percent. Rust-resistant wheat offered an alternative model for a sustainable, resource-neutral green revolution. Rather than remain in their field of expertise, plant pathologists pivoted to semidwarf wheat and fertilizer use after 1953, a shift that defined the course of the Green Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Agriculture and its products play a crucial role in sustaining human life. The introduction of the green revolution has greatly enhanced agricultural productivity worldwide by providing irrigation water, introducing improved crop varieties, and utilizing inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. These technologies received substantial public support, leading to significant advancements in agricultural practices. However, the benefits of the green revolution were not equally distributed among all farmers. Large and medium-scale farmers, who had the financial means to afford inputs and equipment, reaped the highest rewards in terms of production and income. Additionally, the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers resulted in soil and water quality degradation, posing a threat to the sustainability of the economic and social progress achieved through the green revolution. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether these challenges also apply at the sub-national or provincial level. By evaluating the level of agricultural sustainability, analyzing the trends in agricultural development, and identifying potential threats, it becomes possible to formulate practical plans for improving sustainability within the agricultural sector. The aim of this study is to assess indicators related to economic, social, and environmental dimensions of agricultural sustainability at the provincial level in Iran. Materials and Methods: The assessment of sustainability of agriculture requires determination of meaningful indicators covering economic, social and environmental dimensions. Selection of indicators used in this study was based on relevance of the indicators and availability of secondary data. To achieve the purpose, the latest available information of the statistics of the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, the results of the labor force survey of the Statistics Center of Iran and the statistical yearbooks of different provinces were used. In terms of measuring environmental sustainability, indicators of crop diversification, use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and pesticides were selected. The specific indicators used for the analyses in the economic dimension were change in overall crop production (Quantum index of agricultural production) and stability of crop production. The stability of crop production refers to maintaining a certain minimum level of production or a steady increase in production as compared to the base year. The stability of production of major crops was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk (SW) normality test and one sample t-test. In the social dimension, indicators of rural labor employment and rural food security were used. Based mainly on secondary data, covering the period of 2005/06-2018/19, each dimension of sustainability was analyzed using selected indicators. Results and Discussion: The analyses conducted in this study revealed several significant findings. Firstly, the majority of provinces in the country demonstrated a favorable situation in terms of crop diversification, as indicated by the Herfindahl index. This suggests a wide variety of crops being cultivated in these regions. However, there was a notable variation in the use of inorganic fertilizers per unit of land across the country. Furthermore, more than 60% of the country's soils were found to have less than one percent organic carbon, highlighting the need for optimal application and management of organic fertilizers, particularly in Golestan province. The study also identified a high rate of pesticide usage in the northern and southern provinces of the country, indicating potential concerns regarding pesticide management and environmental impact in these regions. Additionally, the analysis revealed either a consistent trend or a significant decrease in the Quantum index of agricultural production in most provinces. This suggests a potential stagnation or decline in agricultural productivity over time in these areas. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the employment rate of the rural population in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. This finding implies potential shifts in employment patterns and economic dynamics in rural areas. Lastly, the study highlighted the significant share of food expenses in the income of the rural population in Sistan and Balouchestan province, underscoring the importance of addressing food security and affordability challenges in this region. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the current state of agricultural sustainability and development at the provincial level in Iran. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that regional differences exist in agricultural sustainability within Iran. In light of this, it is recommended to develop effective regional agricultural policies that are based on local-level research. This approach would enable a comprehensive understanding of the environmental concerns and specific needs at both the local and provincial levels. Furthermore, it is suggested to revise the agricultural extension structure to incorporate need-based services, improve the dissemination of information, and provide farm-level trainings. This would ensure that farmers have access to the necessary resources and knowledge to enhance their agricultural practices. The study emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance among the three tiers of agricultural sustainability. Merely focusing on improving one or two tiers would not be sufficient to ensure the overall sustainability of the agricultural sector. Therefore, effective interventions should address economic, social, and environmental aspects simultaneously. Specific interventions proposed in the study include the development of biological pest control methods, particularly for rice and tomatoes. Indirect subsidies for organic and biological fertilizers and pesticides are also recommended. Conservation and management of soil and water resources are crucial for stabilizing production. Additionally, diversification of income sources and livelihood options for smallholder farmers, especially in Sistan and Balouchestan and Kordistan provinces, is recommended to enhance their resilience and sustainability. By implementing these recommended interventions, it is anticipated that agricultural sustainability in Iran can be improved, ensuring a more balanced and resilient agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]