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The Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ) development in West Nusa Tenggara Province aims to accelerate economic growth, especially for people in Pujut District-Central Lombok Regency. This research aims to describe the economic performance of food crop farming in villages around the Mandalika SEZ and its contribution to the economic welfare of farmer households. This research uses descriptive methods, and the data was collected using survey techniques in 3 villages with potential for food crop farming, namely Sengkol, Rembitan, and Sukadana villages. The respondents were 75 farmers. The results showed that food crops in villages around the Mandalika SEZ consist of rice, soybeans, and corn, with low productivity and an R/C ratio of 1.48–2.02. The total income from food crop farming is IDR 7,903,504.28/year or 34.06% of the total household income of farmers. The contribution of food crop farming income to farmer welfare based on the Sajogyo criteria was 41.69%, and based on the World Bank Criteria, it was 18.95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenges to crop sector arising from changing temperature and rainfall cause losses to food crop productivity in particular and agriculture sector in general. The present study aims to see the farm households' perception and adaptation to climate change and to determine the effects of adaptation on food crop productivity in Pakistan using cross-sectional data collected from Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Probit model is used to evaluate farmer's understanding of climate change and its associated institutional, socio-economic and demographic variables. Results show that the majority of farmers have experienced the changes in rainfall (76%) and temperature (79%). Socio-economic and demographic variables such as education above primary schooling years, number of earners, medium farm size, NGOs, and access to information sources, namely radio and neighboring farmers, are significantly related with perception of climate change. Propensity score matching method (PSM) is employed for examining the factors influencing adaptation to climate change and the effects of adaptation on food crop productivity. Results of PSM indicate that male household heads, family size, matriculation education, households having access to credit, information source, land quality, perception of rainfall and rented land are significantly related with adaptation to climate change. Productivity gains for adapters are 0.04% and the productivity gains for non-adapters are 3.8% if they adapted. The study suggests the need to invest in farmer's education, improve information sources and skills of existing extension staffs on climate change and adaptation measures. The study posits to increase access to viable credit programs, enabling farmers to invest in adaptation strategies to cope with climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exuded plant metabolites play an important role in fostering beneficial interactions with the surrounding soil microbiota, thereby helping plants to better adjust to changing environmental conditions. These metabolites act as signals to attract or enhance the colonization of plant roots with specific groups of beneficial microbes and they modulate the dynamics of plant–microbe interactions in fulfilling plant niche-based requirements, directly and/or indirectly. This review emphasizes the expression, levels, modes of action, and net effects of the signaling metabolites that help food crop plants to become colonized by microbes that promote plant growth and development under periods of biotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the effectiveness of agricultural extension models in food crop production in Cross River State. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, identified the level of extension model activities in crop production and analyzed the effectiveness of agricultural extension models in the study area. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, mean scores, percentages and standard deviation were used for the study. The result showed that the respondents had a mean age of x" = 5. Majority (77.00%) of the respondents were married. Furthermore, the result of the socio economic characteristics of the respondents also showed that a negligible proportion (17.20%) of the respondents had no formal education. About 16.10% had primary level of education. A fair proportion (45.00%) had secondary level of education. Also, about 21.70% of the respondents had tertiary level of education. These implied that the respondents were educated. Educational attainment would make the farmers more responsible and responsive to agricultural extension models, programs and policies. The result also indicated that 79.50% of the respondents were farmers. These implied that farming was the major means of livelihood in the area. The result of distribution of respondents based on extension models available in the area showed that "training and visit" extension model was ranked first with standard deviation of 1.65; this means that the "training and visit" model of extension had a high level of acceptability in ensuring food crop production. Contact farmer model was ranked 2nd, with standard deviation of 1.28. This means that farmers had contact with fellow farmers faster than extension officers. In the same vein, video-based extension model was ranked 8th with standard deviation of 0.64. The result of the effectiveness of extension model revealed that mean (x") of 3.58, 3.35, 3.49, 3.20 affirmed that agricultural extension models populated by extension officers are effective in food crop production in the study area. Similarly, individual persons oriented model such as mass media model with mean of x" = 3.21 was very effective in food crop production. These results implied that agricultural extension models were effective in food crop production. The study concluded that the agricultural extension models are very effective and positively related to food crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exuded plant metabolites play an important role in fostering beneficial interactions with the surrounding soil microbiota, thereby helping plants to better adjust to changing environmental conditions. These metabolites act as signals to attract or enhance the colonization of plant roots with specific groups of beneficial microbes and they modulate the dynamics of plant–microbe interactions in fulfilling plant niche-based requirements, directly and/or indirectly. This review emphasizes the expression, levels, modes of action, and net effects of the signaling metabolites that help food crop plants to become colonized by microbes that promote plant growth and development under periods of biotic stress.

Societal Impact Statement Summary Agrobiodiversity is central to sustainable farming worldwide. Cultivation, conservation and reintroduction of diverse plant species, including ‘forgotten’ and ‘underutilized’ crops, contribute to global agrobiodiversity, living ecosystems and sustainable food production. Such efforts benefit from traditional and historical knowledge of crop plants' evolutionary and cultural trajectories. This review is a first attempt at systematically gauging species representativeness in studies of archaeological plant remains. Results indicate that, in addition to discipline‐specific methodological sources of bias, modern agricultural biases may replicate themselves in crop history research and influence understandings of ‘forgotten crops’. Recognizing these biases is an initial stride towards rectifying them and promoting agrobiodiversity in both research and practical applications.So‐called ‘forgotten’ or ‘orphan’ crops are an important component of strategies aimed at preserving and promoting biodiversity. Knowledge of historical cultivation, usage, and geographic and evolutionary trajectories of plants, that is, crop history research, is important for the long‐term success of such efforts. However, research biases in the crops chosen for study may present hurdles. This review attempts to systematically identify patterns in crop species representativeness within archaeology‐based crop history research. A meta‐analysis and synthesis of archaeobotanical evidence (and lack thereof) is presented for 268 species known to have been cultivated for food prior to 1492 CE from the Mediterranean region to South Asia. We identified 39 genera with known crop plants in this geographical and historical context that are currently absent from its archaeobotanical record, constituting ‘orphan’ crops of archaeobotany. In addition, a worldwide synthesis of crop species studied using geometric morphometric, archaeogenetic and stable isotope analyses of archaeological plant remains is presented, and biases in the species represented in these disciplines are discussed. Both disciplinary methodological biases and economic agenda‐based biases affecting species representativeness in crop history research are apparent. This study also highlights the limited geographic diffusion of most crops and the potential for deeper historical perspectives on how crops become marginalized and ‘forgotten’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Evaluation of land suitability was carried out in Kasihan District to determine the land suitability class for food plants. This research was conducted to determine the limiting factors that resulted in a decrease in soil fertility in the local area. Land suitability classes were obtained in S3, and N classes with limiting factors for water availability (wa), erosion hazard (eh), root media (rc), and nutrient retention (nr). The limiting factors that are found in the study area are the erosion hazard, soil pH, and organic C levels. Improvement efforts as an agricultural area development that can be done are making bunds to reduce slopes, giving biochar to increase organic C levels, and reducing soil pH. The limiting factors of soil texture and depth cannot be repaired. Soil texture is a property of the soil that is influenced by nature and is very difficult to change, and the depth of the soil cannot be changed unless other agricultural commodities are selected.

The Heckman sample selection technique was applied in modelling the households’ maize marketed surplus decision under risk and time preference assumption. We assumed that maize returns depend on farmers’ market selection choices. We then applied the sample selection model to explain why maize surplus households shunned the uncertain, high-return state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB), with delayed payment system in favour of the more certain, low-return private buyer market, with immediate payment system. In the process, we tested whether the marketed surplus decisions followed a sequential or simultaneous decision process. Using survey data collected from 433 households from Zvimba and Makonde districts, the results confirmed that households followed a sequential decision process when selling through the private buyer market and a simultaneous decision process when selling through the GMB market. These findings implied two things; firstly maize surplus households could exercise some bargaining power in the private buyer market even if they got less. Secondly, in the presence of uncertainty and payment delays, high-return incentive offered through government parastatals may not be sufficient to attract maize surplus, as households may not sufficiently respond, due to risk aversion attitude and time impatient behaviour.

With mankind entering the smart age, Cd contamination risk control in food crop revolution has been put on the agenda. Based on the theoretical basis, technical methods and developing trends, this review look back and forward the age of Cd contamination risk control driven by 'genotype (G)+ envirotype (E)' dual-engines. Focusing on G, an inter-specific Cd contamination risk assessment meta-analysis was carried, in which a higher Cd contamination risk in rice and wheat than maize was observed. So different strategies are recommended to be taken considering inter-specific difference. To control the risk in crops with high accumulating characteristic, smart creation of low-Cd crops can be applied by two methods: 1) Excavating and pyramiding natural variations in natural population and 2) designing and implementing artificial variations which do not exist in natural population. Focusing on E, the influence of environmental factors to food crop Cd accumulation was discussed and the strategy using Envirotype-to-phenotype (E2P) models to predict and implement safety threshold were offered. In the foreseeable future, with the support of environmental science, biology, big data, artificial intelligence and other interdisciplinary and multi-technology, Cd contamination risk control will move toward intelligent, efficient and directional, ultimately realizing the revolutionary transformation from 'experience' to 'smart'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change directly affects crop yields as a measure of food availability by, e.g., causing harvest causing harvest failure. El Niño and La Niña are two weather patterns that affect the climate of Indonesia, a country at low latitudes, and reportedly increase its vulnerability to food insecurity. This study was designed to analyze the impact of climate change on food availability in the Province of Kalimantan Utara using secondary data (i.e., temperature, rainfall, and agricultural production) as the base data. This study employed quantitative descriptive analysis to explain the results expressed in maps, tables, and graphs and the regression technique to determine the impact of climate change on food availability. Regression analysis revealed that climate change significantly shaped the availability of rice (0.008) and vegetable commodity (0.000) but posed insignificant effects on tubers, legumes, and fruits. Apart from climate change, food availability also depends on land management, land suitability, capital, technology, and cultivated plant variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food crop classification and identification are crucial aspects of modern agriculture. With progression of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), crop detection from RGB images goes through a paradigm shift from traditional image processing methods to deep learning (DL) methods due to effective breakthroughs in convolutional neural networks (CNN). Drone images are reliable for identifying different crops because of its higher spatial resolution. Food crop classification utilizing deep learning on drone images includes machine learning techniques for distinguishing and identifying different types of crops in images captured by UAVs. It is beneficial for various applications, like crop monitoring and precision agriculture. This paper presents a new Satin Bowerbird Optimization with deep learning for Food Crop Classification (SBODL-FCC) technique on UAV images. The presented SBODL-FCC technique exploits DL models with hyperparameter optimizers for food crop classification on UAV images. To accomplish this, the presented SBODL-FCC technique employs adaptive bilateral filtering technique for image preprocessing. Besides, the SBODL-FCC technique uses MobileNetv2 feature extractor with Bayesian optimization (BO) algorithm for parameter optimization. Moreover, the food crop classification process is performed through convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) model. Furthermore, the hyperparameter tuning of the ConvLSTM method is accomplished through SBO algorithm. The experimental validation of the SBODL-FCC technique is validated on UAV image database and the results are inspected under different aspects. The simulation outcomes inferred that the SBODL-FCC technique reaches better performance over other models in terms of several performance measures.

The use of saline soils for agricultural production is a major challenge. A study investigated the resistance to salinity, yield, and product quality of five crops (alfalfa, sunflower, white sorghum, sorghum, and millet) grown on weak, moderate, and strongly saline soils in Uzbekistan. The results showed that the crops were more resistant to salinity on weak and moderate soils than on strongly saline soils. The highest yields were obtained on weak soils, while the lowest yields were obtained on strongly saline soils. The product quality of the crops was also affected by salinity, with the best quality being obtained on weak soils. The study provides valuable insights into the use of saline soils for agricultural production. Saline stress has been the one of the biggest hurdles in achieving the demand and supply ratio of global population. To combat the growing problem of soil salinity, advanced soil management and irrigation technology are used. However, they are cost and energy intensive. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) attained from saline soils can overcome the detrimental effects of salt stress on plants. PGPR positively impact physiological functions of plants such as growth, yield and overcome disease resistance. T

A meta-analysis is substantial for integrating the findings of all related studies into one consistent research to establish a knowledge bank of a common issue. Although several studies have examined the impact of the individual aspect of human capital on farmers’ technical efficiency, the composite impact was not synthesized. Therefore, our analysis examines the key determinants driving systematic variations in technical efficiency estimates from 268 food-crop farming studies published recently in peer-reviewed journals. Our results have supported our hypothesis that human capital increases farming efficiency. The studies’ location indicates the importance of farmer beliefs, trust in their institutions and land accumulation to increase food-crop farmer technical efficiency. Our findings contribute to the applied agricultural economics literature by theoretically systematizing literature on human capital in accordance with social and natural capitals in agricultural productivity and empirically validating the technical efficiency in food-crop farming studies toward developing agricultural sustainability in harmony with our biosphere.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of food crops and feeds is almost impossible to avoid completely; however, through best management practices, this risk can be effectively managed and maximumly mitigated. Accurate and rapid detection of DON contamination as early in the entire value chain as possible is critical. To achieve this goal, we developed a DON test strip based on time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) and a specific DON monoclonal antibody for the rapid quantification of DON in food crops and feeds. The strip displayed a good linearity (R2 = 0.9926), with a limit of quantification of 28.16 μg/kg, a wide linear range of 50 ~ 10,000 μg/kg. The intra-batch coefficient of variation (CV) and the inter-batch CV was

The Heckman sample selection technique was applied in modelling the households' maize marketed surplus decision under risk and time preference assumption. We assumed that maize returns depend on farmers' market selection choices. We then applied the sample selection model to explain why maize surplus households shunned the uncertain, high-return state-owned Grain Marketing Board (GMB), with delayed payment system in favour of the more certain, low-return private buyer market, with immediate payment system. In the process, we tested whether the marketed surplus decisions followed a sequential or simultaneous decision process. Using survey data collected from 433 households from Zvimba and Makonde districts, the results confirmed that households followed a sequential decision process when selling through the private buyer market and a simultaneous decision process when selling through the GMB market. These findings implied two things; firstly maize surplus households could exercise some bargaining power in the private buyer market even if they got less. Secondly, in the presence of uncertainty and payment delays, high-return incentive offered through government parastatals may not be sufficient to attract maize surplus, as households may not sufficiently respond, due to risk aversion attitude and time impatient behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objectives of the study were to: identify the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, assess factors influencing women’s food production activities and identify measures for reducing rural-urban migration among women farmers in the study area. A sample size of 200 farmers was randomly selected for the study. Data were collected using a set of structured questionnaires and interview schedules. The result obtained showed that most of the farmers were between the ages of 51-60 years (50.0%). Farmers’ levels of education were the non-formal level of education (45.0%), primary level of education (35.0%), and secondary level of education (15%). Farming was their major occupation (52.5%) and trading (40.0%). 8-10 household size was the highest which promotes labour within the family (40.0%), 11 and above (30.0%). Family labour was the main source of labour supply (75.0%), and exchange labour (22.5%). Factors influencing women’s crop production activities were lack of fertile farmland, old age, active engagement in domestic activities, and high cost of farm inputs, which were 22.5, 17.5, 13.5, and 11.5%, respectively. The findings showed that mechanization can reduce migration among women farmers. The study recommended that government should mechanise agriculture, loans should be given to corporative farmers while land tenure system should be reviewed to favour farming which will also help to reduce rural-urban migration among women farmers in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Agricultural commodities remain the primary source of exports for both developing and developed countries. However, inequity in competitiveness has emerged as a key concern as a result of discrepancies in economies of scale, efficiency, and government protection. The purpose of this study is to assess the competitiveness of main agricultural commodities in a number of developing countries. A semi-systematic review of the literature was employed as an analytical technique. The study's data was gathered from earlier research. The findings suggest that food crop commodities in poor nations have a low level of competitiveness. This is owing to the fact that the agricultural labor force in developing countries is largely comprised of unskilled employees, particularly women who are underpaid. In developing countries, four factors may have an impact on the competitiveness of food crop agricultural commodities. Availability of particular plant resources, technology, external and domestic demand, and domestic commodity and export pricing are just a few of them.

Copyright of Agricultural Outlook (1673-3908) is the property of Institute of Agricultural Information, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The imminent threat to food security requires immediate intervention toward ensuring societal sustainability especially in combating the pandemic. The rapid spread of COVID-19 cases has caused concern for food security. A recent outlook report produced by Food Agricultural Organization and World Food Programme (FAO-WTP) highlights that there are at least 20 countries that are faced with a looming threat of food availability between the period of March-July 2021. Other factors that pose a significant threat to food security include climate change and natural disasters which could significantly reduce the yield. It is hence imperative to gain an in-depth understanding of factors that influence farmers’ choices in innovation adoption for increased yield. A line of research has been conducted across the globe on new technology adoption and effect of innovation that aims to increase productivity and yield. This study examined the key factors, that lead farmers to the adoption of new technology and innovation, reported in studies over the past 15 years. PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) was employed based on the SCOPUS and Web of Science database. In creating the main dataset, a protocol was developed in advance to document the analysis method. Several inclusion (eligibility) and exclusion criteria were set to select related articles from a total of 2,136 papers. The thematic and content analyses were subsequently performed on 392 research articles. The findings indicate 4 over-arching segments, and 12 major determinants, that comprise 62 associate determinants. The paper concludes with the identification of critical factors for innovation adoption amongst farmers.

Micronutrient deficiencies are a significant cause of malnutrition worldwide, particularly in developing countries, affecting nearly 1.8 billion people worldwide. Agriculture is the primary source of nutrients for humans, but the increasing population and reducing arable lands areas are putting the agricultural sector under pressure, particularly in developing and less developed countries, and calls for intensive farming to increase crop yield to overcome food and nutrients deficiency challenges. Iron is an essential microelement that plays a vital role in plant and human growth, and metabolism, but its deficiency is widely reported and affects nearly one-third of the world population. To combat micronutrient deficiency, crops must have improved nutritional qualities or be biofortified. Several biofortification programs with conventional breeding, biotechnological and agronomic approaches have been implemented with limited success in providing essential nutrients, especially in developing and under-developed countries. The use of nanofertilisers as agronomic biofortification method to increase yields and nutrients, micronutrient availability in soil and uptake in plant parts, and minimising the reliance on harmful chemical fertilisers is essential. Using nanoparticles as nanofertilisers is a promising approach for improving the sustainability of current agricultural practices and for the biofortification of food crop production with essential micronutrients, thus enhanced nutritional quality. This review evaluates the current use of iron nanofertilisers for biofortification in several food crops addressing critical knowledge gaps and challenges that must be addressed to optimise the sustainable application. Iron is an essential microelement that plays a vital role in plant and human growth, and metabolism, but its deficiency is widely reported. Crops must have improved nutritional qualities or be biofortified to combat micronutrient deficiency. Using nanoparticles as nanofertilisers is a promising approach for improving the current agricultural practices and the biofortification of food crops. This review evaluates the current use of iron nanofertilisers for biofortification in food crops, and critical knowledge gaps and challenges that must be addressed to optimise the sustainable application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-analysis is substantial for integrating the findings of all related studies into one consistent research to establish a knowledge bank of a common issue. Although several studies have examined the impact of the individual aspect of human capital on farmers' technical efficiency, the composite impact was not synthesized. Therefore, our analysis examines the key determinants driving systematic variations in technical efficiency estimates from 268 food-crop farming studies published recently in peer-reviewed journals. Our results have supported our hypothesis that human capital increases farming efficiency. The studies' location indicates the importance of farmer beliefs, trust in their institutions and land accumulation to increase food-crop farmer technical efficiency. Our findings contribute to the applied agricultural economics literature by theoretically systematizing literature on human capital in accordance with social and natural capitals in agricultural productivity and empirically validating the technical efficiency in food-crop farming studies toward developing agricultural sustainability in harmony with our biosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of radioactivity measurements and transfer factor calculations of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in various food crops from family farms in Croatia are presented. Measurements were performed using gamma spectrometry for 40K, 137Cs, 210Pb, 226,228Ra and 228Th, liquid scintillation counting for 90Sr and alpha spectrometry for 210Po. The activity concentrations were used to determine the annual ingestion dose for one – year – olds, ten – year – olds and adults, calculated to be 0.533, 0.666 and 0.348 mSv, respectively. 70% of the dose comes from 228Ra and 40K. Other significant contributors are 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po. Contribution per foodstuff groups for one – year – olds as the most sensitive group in descending order is: cereals > leafy vegetables > fruits > non–leafy vegetables > tubers > roots vegetables > herbs ≫ nuts. All results are in line with worldwide studies and below the limit of 1 mSv/y. [Display omitted] • Radionuclides in food crops and soils from family farms in Croatia were determined. • α (for 210Po), γ spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting (for 90Sr) were used. • Ingestion doses for infants, children and adults are 0.53, 0.67 and 0.35 mSv/year. • 40K and 228Ra contribute to the dose with about 70%; 210Pb, 210Po and 226Ra following. • Highest part of the dose comes from consumption of cereals and leafy vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycorrhizae is a symbiotic relationship between fungi and plant roots that is mutually beneficial. Mycorrhizae can be found in almost all soil types and generally do not have a specific host, but certain factors affect the population level and composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal species, such as plant characteristics and soil chemical properties. This study aimed to determine the density of spores and the percentage of mycorrhizal colonies on several food crops on agricultural land in Jabung District and their relationship to soil chemical properties such as pH, organic-C and available P. The research was conducted from February 2021 to October 2021. Sampling was carried out by purposive sampling based on the grouping of food plant species with six replications. Laboratory analysis was conducted in Biology and Chemical Laboratory, Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University. The results showed that the number of mycorrhizae spores per 100 g of soil was sweet potato (14.17 spores), rice (26.50 spores), cassava (70 spores), and maize (89.17). The percentage of mycorrhizal colonies on sweet potato (33.97%), cassava (50.67%), and rice (45.52%) were in the high category, while the percentage of mycorrhizal colonies on maize (63.68%) was in the very high category. Several mycorrhizae were found, including Glomus sp., Acaulospora sp., and Gigaspora sp.

[Display omitted] • Boiling crops markedly reduced Se and changed its speciation. • Cooking common food crops caused a substantial reduction in bioaccessible Se. • Cereals are a good source of Se after boiling. • The Se intake is challenging because actual and bioaccessible Se in boiled crops differ. Food crops provide a good selenium (Se) source for Se-deficient populations. This study assessed how boiling affects Se concentration, speciation, and bioaccessibility in common food crops to determine human Se intake. Boiling rice resulted in an 11.9% decrease in minimum Se content, while sorghum experienced a maximum (34.9%) reduction. Boiled vegetables showed a 21% – 40% Se loss. Cereals showed notable decreases in selenomethionine (SeMet) and selenocysteine (SeCys 2), while most vegetables exhibited a significant reduction in Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMeCys). Boiling significantly reduced the Se bioaccessibility in all food crops, except cabbage and potato. Cereal crops were more efficacious in meeting the recommended daily intake (RDI) of Se compared to vegetables. Rice exceeds other crops and provides up to 39.2% of the WHO/FAO-recommended target minimum daily intake of 60 μg/day. This study provides insight into a substantial dissonance between the estimated daily intake (EDI) of Se and the bioaccessible Se in both raw and boiled crops. Consequently, revising EDI standards is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is one of the government's food crop commodities intended for selfsufficiency. The disparity between national soybean output and consumption resulted in a deficit, resulting in a high level of imports. The large volume of Indonesian soybean imports, which is constantly rising, must be decreased, hence the goal of this study is to examine the variables that impact soybean imports. Secondary data in the form of panel data is used in this study. In this study, quantitative analysis was used as the method of analysis. Panel data regression analysis was employed as the quantitative analysis strategy. There are three variables that have a significant influence on soybean imports in Indonesia, according to the t-test statistic with a significance level of 5%, namely Indonesia's GDP per capita, soybean import prices in America, Canada, and Malaysia, and soybean import production in America, Canada, and Malaysia. Malaysia. Based on the results of statistical testing, it is known that Indonesia's GDP per capita, soybean import prices in America, Canada, and Malaysia, and soybean production in America, Canada, and Malaysia have a significant effect on soybean imports in Indonesia. However, the per capita income of the soybean-exporting country has no significant effect on Indonesia's soybean imports. The increase in GDP per capita indicates an increase in domestic consumption which will eventually encourage soybean imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines agricultural livelihood effects of urban sprawl and farmers' response in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana, involving in-depth interviews with sixty farmers (n = 60) and four key informants (n = 4). Greater Kumasi has expanded spatially over time resulting in arable land reduction in the peri-urban interface and affecting households in varying ways. This has evoked different responses from affected farmers including agricultural intensification, extensification, diversification and adoption of off-farm livelihood strategies. While some households made livelihood gains in their response, and some livelihood losses, others neither gained nor lost. A mix of livelihood assets, but more importantly human and social capital, were identified as key determinants of the outcomes of households’ livelihood strategies employed. To protect arable land from urban encroachment and reduce peri-urban households’ vulnerabilities the following policy interventions are noteworthy: effective spatial planning through institutional strengthening, legislative enforcement and widening market for agricultural goods and expanding non-farm jobs.

Background: This study analyzed the determinants of food crop productivity in Nigeria. Objectives: To describe the socio-economic characteristics of the food crop farmers, estimate the meta-frontier production and compare the technological gap ratio of the various food crop farmers, and then analyzed the determinants of productivity of food crop farmers in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Methodology: General Household Survey –Panel Wave 2 from National Bureau of Statistics Abuja, Nigeria was used for this study, and a total of 1,678 food crop farmers were randomly selected from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. The study employed the use of descriptive statistics, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and Multiple linear regression. Results: Most (34.3%) of the farmers were aged between 41-50 years with modal family size of 6 - 10 members. The illiteracy level was high (62.2%) among the various food crop farmers as they had no formal education. The mean technical efficiency and mean Technological Gap Ratios (TGRs) of the food crop farmers were 0.563 and 0.716 respectively. The difference in the mean technical efficiency and meta-production model of food crop farmers showed a huge productivity potential ratio in the various zones of the country. Age (t = 2.99, P= 0.06), plot size square (t = 4.40, P= 0.00), plot ownership (t =2.59, P= 0.01) and access to credit (t = -2.13, P= 0.033) do significantly influence the productivity of the food crop farmers, and were the determinants of food crop productivity in Nigeria. Implications: There is the need to enhance capacity of the food crop enterprises to promote food security and economic growth in Nigeria. Conclusion: Given the level of technology available, food crop farmers produce lower than the country potential output.

This study estimates agricultural land resource allocation to develop food-crop commodities in order to safeguard food security in Indonesia in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The recommended commodities to be developed in Indonesia are corn, soybean, mungbean, peanut, and rice that are produced with advanced technology and input-output coefficient. There are five introduced scenarios namely, basic scenario, I, II, III, and IV. There are problems related to resource allocation such as limited resources, the ways of using it, and time constraints. In order to maintain and improve the comparative advantage of agricultural production as well as to broaden the agricultural activities, agricultural development is directed to increase business efficiency, improvements in agricultural science, technology, and human resource quality. The utilization of agricultural land resources should be well-planned for better development.

Summary: Pratylenchus goodeyi appears to be the most prevalent nematode pest of enset in Ethiopia, where it can occur in extremely high densities. However, the damage to yield or how different enset cultivars react to the nematode has yet to be determined. The current study therefore sought to establish a first assessment of these reactions by enset to P. goodeyi infection. Determining pest-resistant cultivars is an important task in developing management strategies. Our study evaluated nine enset cultivars to establish host response and identify potential sources of resistance. In addition, the pathogenicity of P. goodeyi was assessed on three enset cultivars. After 9 months' growth, significant differences in final population densities (P f) and reproduction factor (RF) were observed amongst the nine cultivars, with 'Gefetanuwa' the most susceptible (P f = 25 799 and RF = 12.9), and similarly in a repeat experiment for 4.5 months (P f = 126 534 and RF = 63.3). 'Maziya' and 'Heila' were the most resistant in the first experiment (P f < 455 and RF < 0.2) as well as in the repeat, together with 'Kellisa' (P f < 5255 and RF < 2.6). In the pathogenicity experiment four inoculum densities significantly affected the P f and RF but not among the three cultivars 'Maziya', 'Arkiya' and 'Heila'. This is the first known study to assess genotype reaction to P. goodeyi , which shows that there are significant differences in the reactions of different cultivars and that resistance appears to be present in enset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthropods biodiversity on a rice ecosystem plays an important role related to the pest management. This research aimed to investigate the diversity and community structure of arthropods in the rice ecosystem. It was conducted in Lembah Seulawah, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia from February to August 2016. Sweep net was used to collect insects on four rice plots at 35, 45 and 55 days after transplanting (DAT) as vegetative, transition and generative stages respectively. Result showed that the twenty-five morpho-species found at vegetative stage and it was the highest. They were categorized as phytophagous insects, spiders, predatory insects, parasitoid, and neutral insects. Each arthropod’s category was in the higher abundance at vegetative stage, except for phytophagous arthropod. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H') was significantly higher at vegetative stage than the remaining stages, while Simpson Dominance index (C) and Species Evenness (E) indices were not significantly different among the three observed stages.

Having the mandate of achieving food security in Nigeria, commendable efforts have been geared towards food production in the nation. Albeit the increasing production, price volatility has continued to perpetuate in food markets in Nigeria hence attaining food affordability, a precondition for food security, remains a mirage. An innovative approach to the food challenge therefore, may be to understand the food markets dynamics such as to gain insight into how the market works. In this study we focus on maize, a very important staple in Nigeria. We seek to identify the point of price discovery and markets that significantly influence price of maize. In furtherance, we examine the dynamic relationship existing among the markets and explored the responsiveness of the markets to price signals from the other markets. Our results showed that most of the markets examined behave in such a manner expected of open market however full market integration has not been achieved. It was revealed that prices of maize are discovered from major food market in the deficit production zone. Majority of the markets were responsive to one-time price shock from itself, although exhibiting exogeneity in the contemporaneous period but becoming endogenous by the long run (whereby other markets majorly influenced prices) hence indicating that the markets had commendable informational influence on one another. The study therefore recommended installing infrastructure for linkage of production with the demand zones if price stabilization is to be achieved. Regulatory bodies should also check activities of cartels in the influential markets.

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a common food crop used in many parts of the world for nutritional purposes. One of its chemical constituents is cajanin stilbene acid (CSA), which exerts anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. In an effort to identify molecular targets of CSA, we performed a kinome-wide approach based on the measurement of the enzymatic activities of 252 human kinases. The serine-threonine kinase WNK3 (also known as protein kinase lysine-deficient 3) was identified as the most promising target of CSA with the strongest enzymatic activity inhibition in vitro and the highest binding affinity in molecular docking in silico. The lowest binding affinity and the predicted binding constant pKi of CSA (−9.65 kcal/mol and 0.084 µM) were comparable or even better than those of the known WNK3 inhibitor PP-121 (−9.42 kcal/mol and 0.123 µM). The statistically significant association between WNK3 mRNA expression and cellular responsiveness to several clinically established anticancer drugs in a panel of 60 tumor cell lines and the prognostic value of WNK3 mRNA expression in sarcoma biopsies for the survival time of 230 patients can be taken as clues that CSA-based inhibition of WNK3 may improve treatment outcomes of cancer patients and that CSA may serve as a valuable supplement to the currently used combination therapy protocols in oncology.

The Brachystelma genus (family: Apocynaceae) consists of geophytes that are traditionally utilised among rural communities, especially in East Africa, southern Africa, West Africa, and northern and western India. Apart from being used as a food source, they are indicated as treatment for ailments such as colds, chest pains, and wounds. This review provides a critical appraisal on the ethnobotanical uses, nutritional value, phytochemical profiles, and biological activities of Brachystelma species. In addition, we assessed the potential of micropropagation as a means of ensuring the sustainability of Brachystelma species. An inventory of 34 Brachystelma species was reported as a source of wild food and traditional medicine (e.g., respiratory-related conditions, pains, and inflammation) across 13 countries, predominantly in Africa and Asia. Brachystelma circinnatum and Brachystelma foetidum were the most popular plants based on the high number of citations. Limited data for the nutritional content was only available for Brachystelma edulis and Brachystelma naorojii, as well as phytochemical profiles (based on qualitative and quantitative techniques) for five Brachystelma species. Likewise, a few Brachystelma species have evidence of biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory effects. Extensive studies on Brachystelma togoense have resulted in the isolation of four compounds with therapeutic potential for managing different health conditions. As a means of contributing to the sustainability of Brachystelma species, micropropagation protocols have been devised for Brachystelma glabrum, Brachystelma pygmaeum, Brachystelma ngomense, and Brachystelma pulchellum. Nevertheless, continuous optimisation is required to enhance the efficiency of the micropropagation protocols for these aforementioned Brachystelma species. Despite the large number of Brachystelma with anecdotal evidence as food and medicine, a significant number currently lack empirical data on their nutritional and phytochemical profiles, as well as their biological activities. The need for new propagation protocols to mitigate the declining wild populations and ensure their sustainability remains pertinent. This is important should the potential of Brachystelma species as novel food and medicinal products be achieved.

Research was conducted, the aim of: evaluating the suitability of land for food crops and plantations, and the factors that led to improper plant growth. Soil samples were taken based on a land unit map, one land unit represented by one sample so that there were 49 samples. Field surveys were to determine the characteristics of the sample soil. The results of laboratory analysis and field observations were then used to match the growing requirements of food crops and plantations. Based on the evaluation of land suitability for food crops and plantations, it is known that the land suitability class is very suitable (S1= units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 11, 22, 23, 36, and 37), quite suitable (S2= units 8, 12,13, 24, 25, 26, 38, 39, and 40), suitable marginal (S3= units 9,10,14,15, 27, 28, 29, 41, 42 and 43) and not suitable (N units 16,17,18,19, 20, 21, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49), with limitations: slope factors and very high rainfall. Land management that needs to be done is with soil and water conservation technologies: namely increasing plant density, improving terraces, and adding organic matter or providing mulch for crop residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal herbs have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since antiquated times. Phaseolus vulgaris Linn. (Family-Fabaceae) commonly known as French bean, is a most consuming carbohydrate and protein rich food crop having medicinal values. This plant having diverse compounds like carbohydrate, proteins, flavonoids, Saponins, tannins and phenolic acid. The seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris Linn. Possess having anti-urolithiatic activity and anti- obesity activity. This review provides a summary of phytochemistry and pharmacological effect of Phaseolus vulgaris Linn., The plant can be further investigated for other pharmacological activities as it contains variety of chemical constituents and it is a commonly using food crop and medical remedies of this plant are sync with nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines agricultural livelihood effects of urban sprawl and farmers' response in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana, involving in-depth interviews with sixty farmers (n = 60) and four key informants (n = 4). Greater Kumasi has expanded spatially over time resulting in arable land reduction in the peri-urban interface and affecting households in varying ways. This has evoked different responses from affected farmers including agricultural intensification, extensification, diversification and adoption of off-farm livelihood strategies. While some households made livelihood gains in their response, and some livelihood losses, others neither gained nor lost. A mix of livelihood assets, but more importantly human and social capital, were identified as key determinants of the outcomes of households' livelihood strategies employed. To protect arable land from urban encroachment and reduce peri-urban households' vulnerabilities the following policy interventions are noteworthy: effective spatial planning through institutional strengthening, legislative enforcement and widening market for agricultural goods and expanding non-farm jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) is one of the underdogs in the food crop planting industries for its potential which is extremely vast but the community appreciating it is scarce. Its capabilities to thrive well in undesirable environmental conditions, salt tolerance and high starch yield are one of the many advantages it possesses over other food crops like wheat, corn and rice. One important factor to look into for crop plantation is none other than its salt tolerance. The salt tolerance researches on this unique palm have commenced since 1977 and the pace of research was unbelievably slow in progression. Nevertheless, it was not until recently that this palm was being placed in the limelight once more. In this review, we are focusing on salt tolerance research and further detailed on the past, present and future of this research line. It is anticipated that consolidation of talents and resources can come in time and in tandem for the utilization of this cash palm to end world hunger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]