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Topic Review
Implementing Sustainable Irrigation
      The sustainability of irrigated agriculture is threatening due to adverse climate change, given future projections that every one in four people on Earth might be suffering from extreme water scarcity by the year 2025. Pressurized irrigation systems and appropriate irrigation schedules can increase water productivity (i.e., product yield per unit volume of water consumed by the crop) and reduce the evaporative or system loss of water as opposed to traditional surface irrigation methods. However, in water-scarce countries, irrigation management frequently becomes a complex task. Deficit irrigation and the use of non-conventional water resources (e.g., wastewater, brackish groundwater) has been adopted in many cases as part of a climate change mitigation measures to tackle the water poverty issue. Protected cultivation systems such as greenhouses or screenhouses equipped with artificial intelligence systems present another sustainable option for improving water productivity and may help to alleviate water scarcity in these countries. This article presents a comprehensive review of the literature, which deals with sustainable irrigation for open-field and protected cultivation systems under the impact of climatic change in vulnerable areas, including the Mediterranean region.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Agro-Waste Management
It is urgent that we increase global food production to support population growth. Food production requires significant resources, amongst them water and energy. Therefore, any losses of food or other agricultural products also means a waste of water and energy resources. A significant amount of these losses occurs during the postharvest stage, primarily during processing and storage. This is considered avoidable food waste. The water-energy-waste nexus (WEW), and its relationship to food production, needs to be investigated from a circular bioeconomy lens. Furthermore, alternative uses of the wastes should be investigated. 
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Insect Rearing Techniques for Biological Control Programs
It is important to rear insects, whether on a small scale for research or a large scale for mass rearing, for use in biological control (BC) programs with macro-organisms.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Plant Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture
There is no human nutrition without crop production, which itself must be supported by proper and sufficient plant nutrients. These plant nutrients can play a crucial role in sustainably promoting agricultural production on cultivated lands, facilitating soil carbon sequestration, and taking pressure off global peatlands and forests
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising biodegradable and biocompatible polymers that can be obtained through microbial fermentation of agro-industrial byproducts, e.g., milk and cheese whey by using both microbial consortia and pure bacterial cultures.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Prevention and Control Strategies for Maize White Spot
Maize white spot (MWS), caused by the bacterium Pantoea ananatis, is a serious disease that significantly impacts maize production and productivity. Researchers from various countries worldwide have conducted extensive research on this pathogen, including its isolation and identification, the localization of resistance genes, transmission pathways, as well as potential control measures.
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Atriplex Portulacoides as Functional Food
The halophyte Atriplex portulacoides (syn. Halimione portulacoides) occurs in habitats that are exposed to seawater inundations, and shows biochemical adaptations to saline and oxidative stresses. Its composition includes long chain lipids, sterols, phenolic compounds, glutathione, carotenoids,and micronutrients such as Fe, Zn, Co and Cu. The productivity of A. portulacoides in natural environments, and its adaptability to non-saline soils, make it a potential crop of high economic interest. This plant is suitable to be exploited as a functional food that is potentially able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in humans and animals. This plant offers a valuable example of valorisation of the biodiversity for promoting the sustainability and diversification in agriculture.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Virtual Fencing Technology for Cattle Management
Maximizing annual pasture consumption without negatively impacting individual cow performance is of great importance in grass-based dairy and beef systems due to pasture being the most cost-effective nutrient source. However, the disadvantages of conventional and electric fencing include material and labor costs and increased manual labor. Virtual fencing has been developed and evaluated for almost two decades. The evolution of precision livestock farming, specifically virtual fencing, presents new opportunities for maximizing the utilization of available pasture land. Virtual fencing technology decreases the labor involved in physical fencing, provides greater adaptability to changes in pasture conditions, increases precision and efficiency, and offers additional flexibility in grazing management practices. However, that innovative technology should be further developed, and improvements should include decreasing the total costs of the system and increasing its application to other technological groups of ruminants, e.g., suckler cows with calves, increasing the efficiency of the system operation in large areas and a larger number of animals. 
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Feb 2023
Topic Review
The Honey Bee Apis mellifera
The honey bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus (1758) provides many benefits to humans and ecosystems. This species is an important pollinator in natural environments, which may help to preserve and restore the biodiversity of wild plants. On the other hand, pollination in agro-ecosystems by managed honey bee colonies may enhance crop yield and quality, meeting the increasing food demand. Beekeeping is also a high-valued and income-generating activity, which provides humans with honey as high-quality food as well as substances used as raw materials and in pharmaceuticals. In addition, the honey bee and its products are valuable bioindicators and bioaccumulators of environmental pollution: they provide valuable information on the impact of human activities, enabling the implementation of measures to mitigate risks to human and ecosystem health. The honey bee is also linked to many cultural ecosystem services and has a longstanding tradition in human culture, mysticism, and religion. Its popularity may be therefore used for educational purposes and to raise public awareness of important issues, such as the conservation of pollinator habitats and biodiversity.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Precision Agriculture
According to a recent definition of Precision Agriculture (PA), developed by the International Society of Precision Agriculture, the term refers to a management strategy, which uses acquisition, processing, analysis, and combination with other information of temporal, spatial, and other data in order to facilitate decision-making based on the estimated variability. 
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Perspiration
Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distributed over much of the body and are responsible for secreting the watery, brackish sweat most often triggered by excessive body temperature. The apocrine sweat glands are restricted to the armpits and a few other areas of the body and produce an odorless, oily, opaque secretion which then gains its characteristic odor from bacterial decomposition. In humans, sweating is primarily a means of thermoregulation, which is achieved by the water-rich secretion of the eccrine glands. Maximum sweat rates of an adult can be up to 2–4 liters per hour or 10–14 liters per day (10–15 g/min·m2), but is less in children prior to puberty. Evaporation of sweat from the skin surface has a cooling effect due to evaporative cooling. Hence, in hot weather, or when the individual's muscles heat up due to exertion, more sweat is produced. Animals with few sweat glands, such as dogs, accomplish similar temperature regulation results by panting, which evaporates water from the moist lining of the oral cavity and pharynx. Although sweating is found in a wide variety of mammals, relatively few (exceptions include humans and horses) produce large amounts of sweat in order to cool down.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Agronomic of Zinc on Yield
Phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) are essential plant nutrients and their deficiency in soils and antagonistic effect of P on Zn are the important concerns world-over. Thus, a two-year (2012-13 to 2013-14) experimentation was carried out to assess grain yield, nutrient uptake and quality parameters of wheat by various levels of P and Zn. The results revealed that 50% Recommended Dose of P (RDP) through phospho-enriched compost (PEC) + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil application of 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha-1 + one foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4.7H2O recorded significantly higher grain yield (4.81 and 4.61 t ha-1, respectively), straw yield (7.20 and 6.92 t ha-1, respectively) and protein content (11.5% and 11.3%, respectively). The concentrations of Zn in grain (35.6%) and straw (57.3%) was not affected due to organic P application but 100% P through P fertilizer reduced the Zn content in the grains. Both soil and foliar application of Zn was found more promising in increasing Zn and Fe concentration in grains (37.5 and 30.9 mg kg-1, respectively)  and straw (60.3 and 398 mg kg-1, respectively). Overall, the treatment combination of 50% RDP through PEC + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil applied 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha-1 + one spray of 0.5% Zn was beneficial in reducing antagonistic effect of P on Zn and increasing Zn and Fe concentration in wheat grain and, thus, could be used for improving the yield of Zn and Fe enriched wheat grains.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Non-Destructive Insect Infestation Monitoring Systems
In the last two decades, food scientists (engineers) have attempted to develop new technologies that can improve the detection of insect infestation in fruits and vegetables under postharvest conditions using a multitude of non-destructive technologies. While consumers’ expectations for higher nutritive and sensorial value of fresh produce has increased over time, they have also become more critical on using insecticides or synthetic chemicals to preserve food quality from insects’ attacks or enhance the quality attributes of minimally processed fresh produce. In addition, the increasingly stringent quarantine measures by regulatory agencies for commercial import–export of fresh produce needs more reliable technologies for quickly detecting insect infestation in fruits and vegetables before their commercialization. For these reasons, the food industry investigates alternative and non-destructive means to improve food quality. Several studies have been conducted on the development of rapid, accurate, and reliable insect infestation monitoring systems to replace invasive and subjective methods that are often inefficient. There are still major limitations to the effective in-field, as well as postharvest on-line, monitoring applications. The future of non-destructive testing will be enhanced by the current trend in IoT, big data science, and machine learning analysis.
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Modified Citrus Pectin Pleiotropic Effects
Modified citrus pectin (MCP) has a low-molecular-weight degree of esterification to allow absorption from the small intestinal epithelium into the circulation. MCP produces pleiotropic effects, including but not limited to its antagonism of galectin-3, which have shown benefit in preclinical and clinical models. Regarding cancer, MCP modulates several rate-limiting steps of the metastatic cascade. MCP can also affect cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. Regarding fibrotic diseases, MCP modulates many of the steps involved in the pathogenesis of aortic stenosis. MCP also reduces fibrosis to the kidney, liver, and adipose tissue. Other benefits of MCP include detoxification and improved immune function.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Lemongrass Essential Oil
Cymbopogon spp. are fast-growing C4 perennial sedges from the grass family Poaceae and are primarily cultivated for their essential oils. The genus lemongrass comprises about 180 species, such as Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon winterianus, Cymbopogon martinii, Cymbopogon nardus, and Cymbopogon refractus. Lemongrass (Cymbopogonspp.) oil is a cocktail of various terpenes and terpenoids, out of which the major components belong to cyclic and acyclic monoterpenes. The monoterpenes are derived from geranyl diphosphate (GPP).
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Nano-Enabled Products for Sustainable Agriculture
Nanotechnology has gained popularity in recent years owing to its established potential for application and implementation in various sectors such as medical drugs, medicine, catalysis, energy, material, and plant science. Nanoparticles (NPs) are smaller in size (1–100 nm) with a larger surface area and have many fruitful applications. The extraordinary functions of NPs are utilized in sustainable agriculture due to nano-enabled products, e.g., nano-insecticides, nano-pesticides, and nano-fertilizers. Nanoparticles have lately been suggested as an alternate method for controlling plant pests such as insects, fungi, and weeds. Several NPs exhibit antimicrobial properties considered in food packaging processes; for example, Ag-NPs are commonly used for such purposes. Apart from their antimicrobial properties, NPs such as Si, Ag, Fe, Cu, Al, Zn, ZnO, TiO2, CeO2, Al2O3, and carbon nanotubes have also been demonstrated to have negative impacts on plant growth and development. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Controlled Release Fertilizers
Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRF) can be defined as “products containing sources of water-soluble nutrients, the release of which in the soil is controlled by a coating applied to the fertilizer. However, the most significant challenge that persists is the “tailing” effect, which reduces the economic benefits in terms of maximum fertilizer utilization. The high materials cost is also deemed as a significant obstacle restraining the widespread application of CRF in agriculture.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Bio-Preservation of Bread: Adopting Wholesome Strategies
Bread is a food that is commonly recognized as a very convenient type of food, but it is also easily prone to microbial attack. As a result of bread spoilage, a significant economic loss occurs to both consumers and producers. The bakery industry has sought to identify treatments that make bread safe and with an extended shelf-life to address this economic and safety concern, including replacing harmful chemical preservatives. New frontiers, on the other hand, have recently been explored. Alternative methods of bread preservation, such as microbial fermentation, utilization of plant and animal derivatives, nanofibers, and other innovative technologies, have yielded promising results. 
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Technologies for Crop Nitrogen Diagnosis
       Nitrogen (N) plays a key role in the growth of agricultural crops, efficient and precise tools for diagnosis of N status is key to improving crop productivity and reducing environmental pollution. Recent development of non-destructive optical techniques, such as spectroscopy and machine vision technologies, have laid a good foundation for real-time monitoring and precise management of crop N status. We mainly focused on the contribution of spectral and machine vision technology to the accurate diagnosis of crop N status from three aspects: system selection, data processing, and estimation methods. In order to provide useful information for readers.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Brain Lateralization and Cognitive Capacity
One way to increase cognitive capacity is to avoid duplication of functions on the left and right sides of the brain. There is a convincing body of evidence showing that such asymmetry, or lateralization, occurs in a wide range of both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Each hemisphere of the brain can attend to different types of stimuli or to different aspects of the same stimulus and each hemisphere analyses information using different neural processes. A brain can engage in more than one task at the same time, as in monitoring for predators (right hemisphere) while searching for food (left hemisphere). Increased cognitive capacity is achieved if individuals are lateralized in one direction or the other. The advantages and disadvantages of individual lateralization are discussed. Directional, or population-level, lateralization, which occurs when most individuals in a species have the same direction of lateralization, provides no additional increase in cognitive capacity compared to individual lateralization although directional lateralization is advantageous in social interactions. Strength of lateralization is considered, including the disadvantage of being very strongly lateralized. The role of brain commissures is also discussed with consideration of cognitive capacity. 
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Jul 2021
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