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Topic Review
CRISPR-Cas Genome Editing for Insect Pest Stress
Global crop yield and food security are being threatened by phytophagous insects. Innovative methods are required to increase agricultural output while reducing reliance on hazardous synthetic insecticides. Using the revolutionary CRISPR-Cas technology to develop insect-resistant plants appears to be highly efficient at lowering production costs and increasing farm profitability. The genomes of a model insect, Drosophila melanogaster, and major phytophagous insect genera, viz. Spodoptera, Helicoverpa, Nilaparvata, Locusta, Tribolium, Agrotis, etc., were successfully edited by the CRISPR-Cas toolkits. However, this new method can alter an insect’s DNA to either induce a gene drive or overcome an insect’s tolerance to certain insecticides. The rapid progress in the methodologies of CRISPR technology and their diverse applications show a high promise in the development of insect-resistant plant varieties or other strategies for the sustainable management of insect pests to ensure food security.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Dietary Application of Opuntia in Animal Nutrition
The cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., commonly called prickly pear or cactus pear, is a tropical and subtropical plant belonging to the dicotyledonous angiosperm Cactaceae family, which comprises about 1500 species of cactus. Cactaceae have adaptive characteristics that ensure their development progress under drought conditions. The research provides information on the nutritive value of Opuntia in animal fodder production, its effects on animal performance, and the quality of the animal-derived products. 
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Glutamine synthetase (GS) of wheat
Glutamine synthetase isoforms of wheat play distinct roles in nitrogen assimilation for their different kinetic properties, tissue locations, and response to nitrogen regimes.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Plant Growth-Defense Trade-Offs
In order to survive in a hostile habitat, plants have to manage the available resources to reach a delicate balance between development and defense processes, setting up what plant scientists call a trade-off. Most of these processes are basically responses to stimuli sensed by plant cell receptors and are influenced by the environmental features, which can incredibly modify such responses and even cause changes upon both molecular and phenotypic level. 
  • 1.1K
  • 31 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Economic Effects of Drone Usage in Plant Protection
Drones equipped with thermal cameras can detect temperature differences in plants, which can be an early indicator of pests or diseases.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Animal Leishmaniosis
Infection with Leishmania parasites can lead to severe disease in humans and dogs, which act as a reservoir in zoonotic transmission. The identification of additional animal species recognised zoonotic reservoirs is of great importance to leishmaniasis control programs. In addition, Leishmanis spp. can cause considerable disease in animals other than dogs.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Positive Welfare Indicators in Dairy Animals
Nowadays, there is growing interest in positive animal welfare not only from the view of scientists but also from that of society. The consumer demands more sustainable livestock production, and animal welfare is an essential part of sustainability, so there is interest in incorporating positive welfare indicators into welfare assessment schemes and legislation.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cloning Coconut via Somatic Embryogenesis
Coconut [Cocos nucifera L.] is often called “the tree of life” because of its many uses in the food, beverage, medicinal, and cosmetic industries. Currently, more than 50% of the palms grown throughout the world are senile and need to be replanted immediately to ensure production levels meet the present and increasing demand for coconut products.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Oct 2021
Topic Review
UV Lighting in Horticulture
Ultraviolet (UV) is a component of solar radiation that can be divided into three types defined by waveband: UV-A (315–400 nm), UV-B (280–315 nm), and UV-C (<280 nm).
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Airborne Bacteria in Dairy Farms
The environmental quality of farms plays an important role in the food safety of the dairy industry because it may influence the microbial communities in milk. The microorganisms present in the different areas of a farm have an influence on this environmental quality, using the air as a vehicle of dissemination. However, the ability of this airborne microbial community to contaminate the milk, like the sources of origin of these microorganisms, has not been well studied in dairy farms until now. 
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Coffee-Hemileia vastatrix Interactions
Coffee belongs to the genus Coffea of the family Rubiaceae and consists of over 100 species. The two main cultivated species, Coffea arabica L. (Arabica) and C. canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner (Robusta) accounted in 2020, on average, for about 60% and 40% of the world’s coffee production, respectively. Coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by the biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix, is the most important disease affecting Arabica coffee growing worldwide, leading to significant yield losses if no control measures are applied. A deep understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in coffee-H. vastatrix interactions, such as the pathogen variability and the mechanisms governing plant resistance and susceptibility, is required to breed efficiently for durable resistance and design new approaches for crop protection.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary against Host Defense
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is a broad host-range fungus that infects an inclusive array of plant species and afflicts significant yield losses globally. S. sclerotiorum possesses an immense arsenal of disease weaponry to subsist and succeed under widespread environmental conditions. The massive pathogenic arsenal of S. sclerotiorum, including oxalic acid (OA), CWDEs, and small secretory proteins (effectors), has long been associated with virulence. A subtle interplay between these virulence factors serves various regulatory functions in host cells, allowing S. sclerotiorum to colonize the host, evade or inhibit the host defense system, and cause disease. Understanding and studying these mechanisms is crucial for detecting pathways of genetic interventions that could result in improved control of this disease.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Liberibacter
Liberibacter is a group of plant pathogenic bacteria, transmitted by insect vectors, psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), and has emerged as one of the most devastating pathogens which have penetrated into many parts of the world over the last 20 years.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Apr 2022
Topic Review
The Potential Use of Probiotics
To address the rapidly growing use of probiotics in animal agriculture, this review discusses the effect of probiotics on animal growth and development, immune response, and productivity. Several benefits have been associated with the use of probiotics in farm animals, such as improved growth and feed efficiency, reduced mortality, and enhanced product quality. While the mechanisms through which probiotics induce their beneficial effects are not well understood, their role in modifying the gastrointestinal microbiota is believed to be the main mechanism. The use of probiotics in fresh and fermented meat products has been also shown to reduce pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and improve sensory characteristics. Although many benefits have been associated with the use of probiotics, their effectiveness in improving animal performance and product quality is highly variable. Factors that dictate such variability are dependent on the probiotic strain being utilized and its stability during storage and administration/inoculation, frequency and dosage, nutritional and health status as well as age of the host animal. Therefore, future research should focus on finding more effective probiotic strains for the desired use and identifying the optimum dose, administration time, delivery method, and mechanism of action for each strain/host.
  • 1.1K
  • 20 Oct 2020
Topic Review
American Marten
The American Marten (Martes americana), a charismatic and agile member of the mustelid family, is native to the forests of North America. Renowned for its sleek fur, arboreal prowess, and elusive nature, the American Marten plays a significant ecological role in the diverse ecosystems it inhabits.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Feb 2024
Topic Review
African Palm Civet
The African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) is a small, nocturnal mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, known for its distinctive appearance and secretive behavior. With its sleek body, long tail, and mask-like facial markings, this elusive civet species is well adapted to life in the dense tropical forests and savannas of its range. Despite its relative obscurity, the African Palm Civet plays a significant ecological role as a predator of small vertebrates and a disperser of seeds, contributing to the biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics of its habitat.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Agroecology-Based Local Agri-Food Systems
ALAS are assemblages of alternative food networks, assets and infrastructures for local (sustainable) distribution, new and emerging types of institutionality, political measures, and appropriate bottom-up institutional governance, together with the symbolic revival of place-based cultural and historical identities. These assemblages are embedded in specific territories with the aim of maximizing social and ecological sustainability, supported by food and nutritional equality and security, the relocation of metabolic flows, and the improvement of the food system's ecological efficiency. To achieve this, agroecological experiences of production, distribution and consumption must be coordinated among themselves and with other actors, linking rural and urban areas, forming a plural subject led by farmers and peasants committed to agroecology. The aim of this plural subject is to develop operative and place-based ways of de-commodify and de-privatize food systems. Its aim is to achieve economic viability, agency and access to decision-making spheres, the development of physical infrastructures, and symbolic contexts to allow ALAS to emerge as hegemonic food systems as the corporate food regime loses its legitimacy. Such a social subject is tasked with promoting these transitions, while redefining our underlying thought categories and building economic flows, beyond the dualities of urban–rural and productive–reproductive work
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a common disorder characterized by persistent and recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms. This is the result of abnormal gastrointestinal function.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Effects of Quercetin on Herbivores
Quercetin is one of the most abundant flavonoids in terrestrial plants and pollen. In living plants, quercetin can function as a secondary metabolite to discourage insect herbivory. Literature on insect-quercetin interactions was searched and data synthesized to test the hypothesis that quercetin can become an effective biocide to reduce herbivory. The USDA, National Agricultural Library, DigiTop Navigator platform was used to search the literature for harmful versus nonharmful effects of quercetin on insect behavior, physiology, and life history parameters. Quercetin effects were evaluated on herbivores in five insect orders. Quercetin was significantly more harmful to Hemiptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera but significantly more nonharmful to Coleoptera. Harmful and nonharmful effects to Orthoptera were indistinguishable. Quercetin had significantly more harmful (than nonharmful) effects on herbivores when data from the five insect orders were combined. Quercetin concentration (mg/mL) did not significantly affect these results. This study suggests that quercetin could prevent herbivory but field experiments are necessary to substantiate these results.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Neural Tube Defect
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of birth defects in which an opening in the spine or cranium remains from early in human development. In the third week of pregnancy called gastrulation, specialized cells on the dorsal side of the embryo begin to change shape and form the neural tube. When the neural tube does not close completely, an NTD develops. Specific types include: spina bifida which affects the spine, anencephaly which results in little to no brain, encephalocele which affects the skull, and iniencephaly which results in severe neck problems. NTDs are one of the most common birth defects, affecting over 300,000 births each year worldwide. For example, spina bifida affects approximately 1,500 births annually in the United States, or about 3.5 in every 10,000 (0.035% of US births), which has decreased from around 5 per 10,000 (0.05% of US births) since folate fortification of grain products was started. The number of deaths in the US each year due to neural tube defects also declined from 1,200 before folate fortification was started to 840.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Nov 2022
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