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Topic Review
Biography
Peer Reviewed Entry
Video Entry
Topic Review
Management of Herbaceous/Horticultural Crops
Preserving soil quality and increasing soil water availability is an important challenge to ensure food production for a growing global population. As demonstrated by several studies, conservative crop management, combined with soil cover and crop diversification, can significantly reduce soil and water losses.
1.6K
07 May 2021
Topic Review
Poultry Parasitic Diseases
Parasitic infections are a major public health concern affecting millions of people universally. The medicinal importance of natural herbs depends upon their bioactive ingredients, which are originated from crude plants, consequently leading to the specific action on the body. Due to the limited availability of effective drugs and high cost, the development of drug resistance in several harmful parasites and microbes leads to huge economic losses in the poultry industry.
1.6K
19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Phytohormone Regulation of Apple-Fruit Ripening
Apple (Malus domestica) is, globally, one of the largest fruits in terms of cultivated area and yield. Apple fruit is generally marketed after storage, which is of great significance for regulating the market supply in the off-season of fruit production. Apple-fruit ripening, which culminates in desirable changes in structural and textural properties, is governed by a complex regulatory network.
1.6K
22 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Metabolic Disorders and Postpartum Reproduction in Dairy Cows
Early successful conception of postpartum dairy cows is crucial in determining the optimum reproductive efficiency and profitability in modern dairy farming. Due to the inherent high production potential of modern dairy cows, the extra stress burden of peri-parturient events, and associated endocrine and metabolic changes causes negative energy balance (NEBAL) in postpartum cows. The occurrence of NEBAL is associated with excessive fat mobilization in the form of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs). The phenomenon of NEFA mobilization furthers with occurrence of ketosis and fatty liver in postpartum dairy cows. High NEFAs and ketones are negatively associated with health and reproductive processes. An additional burden of hypocalcemia, ruminal acidosis, and high protein metabolism in postpartum cows presents further consequences for health and reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows.
1.6K
29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Remotely Piloted Aircraft
The establishment of significant applications of RPAs in livestock, forestry, crop monitoring, disease surveillance, irrigation, soil analysis, fertilization, crop harvest, weed management, mechanical pollination, crop insurance and tree plantation are cited in the light of currently available literature in this domain.
1.6K
06 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Atmospheric Influence on Grapevine Development
In many European regions, viticulture and winemaking play a major socioeconomic role in local economies, with climate being a central component of the terroirs, governing vineyard microclimate, vine development and growth, phenology, yield, and grape berry composition, which ultimately control attributes and typicity of the produced wines. Nonetheless, climate change is already affecting the viticultural suitability of many wine regions throughout the continent and is expected to continue along this same path in the upcoming decades. These climate-driven shifts may lead to a redesign of the geographical distribution of wine regions, while wine typicity may also be threatened in most cases. Climate change does require the implementation of well-timed, appropriate, and economically efficient adaptation strategies, while respecting local specificities for an effective reduction of the risks to which this vulnerable sector is exposed. However, knowledge on the adaptation potential of a range of measures is still incipient and will need more research in the near future.
1.5K
28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Free Stalls for Dairy Herds
Lying is an important behavior of dairy cattle. Cows should spend more than 50% of a day lying as it has a high impact on their milk yield and animal welfare. The design, size, and flooring properties of the free stalls influence the time cows spend lying, the way they lie down, and their rising movements. The design of the free stalls should enable the cows to move and lie in positions as natural as possible. Cows should rest, with all parts of the body, on a clean, dry and soft bed, be able to stretch their front legs forward, lie on their sides with unobstructed space for their neck and head, and rest with their heads against their flanks without hindrance from a partition. When they stand, they should not be hindered by neck rails, partitions, or supports. A comfortable place for cows to lie down helps cows to stay healthy, improve welfare, and increase milk yield. Hence, the probability of a longer productive life for the cows increases and the number of replacements per year decreases.
1.5K
11 Aug 2021
Topic Review
African Bush Elephant
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), also known as the African savanna elephant, is the largest living terrestrial animal with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to 3.96 m (13.0 ft). Both sexes have tusks, which erupt when they are 1–3 years old and grow throughout life. It is distributed across 37 African countries and inhabits forests, grasslands and woodlands, wetlands and agricultural land. Since 2004, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is threatened foremost by habitat destruction, and in parts of its range also by poaching for meat and ivory. It is a social mammal, traveling in herds composed of cows and their offspring. Adult bulls usually live alone or in small bachelor groups. It is a herbivore, feeding on grasses, creepers, herbs, leaves and bark.
1.5K
05 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Beneficial Microorganisms in Soil Quality and Plant Health
The practice of agriculture has always been a source of food production. The increase in the global population leads to improvements in agriculture, increasing crop quality and yield. Plant growth results from the interaction between roots and their environment, which is the soil or planting medium that provides structural support as well as water and nutrients to the plant. Therefore, good soil management is necessary to prevent problems that will directly affect plant health. Integrated crop management is a pragmatic approach to crop production, which includes integrated pest management focusing on crop protection. Currently, there is an extended idea that many microorganisms, such as fungi or bacteria, are useful in agriculture since they are attractive eco-friendly alternatives to mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The microbes that interact with the plants supply nutrients to crops, control phytopathogens and stimulate plant growth. These actions have beneficial implications in agriculture.
1.5K
23 May 2022
Topic Review
Blastula
The blastula (from Greek βλαστός (blastos), meaning "sprout") is a hollow sphere of cells, referred to as blastomeres, surrounding an inner fluid-filled cavity called the blastocoel formed during an early stage of embryonic development in animals. Embryo development begins with a sperm fertilizing an egg to become a zygote which undergoes many cleavages to develop into a ball of cells called a morula. Only when the blastocoel is formed does the early embryo become a blastula. The blastula precedes the formation of the gastrula in which the germ layers of the embryo form. A common feature of a vertebrate blastula is that it consists of a layer of blastomeres, known as the blastoderm, which surrounds the blastocoel. In mammals the blastula is referred to as a blastocyst. The blastocyst contains an embryoblast (or inner cell mass) that will eventually give rise to the definitive structures of the fetus, and the trophoblast, which goes on to form the extra-embryonic tissues. During the blastula stage of development, a significant amount of activity occurs within the early embryo to establish cell polarity, cell specification, axis formation, and to regulate gene expression. In many animals such as Drosophila and Xenopus, the mid blastula transition (MBT) is a crucial step in development during which the maternal mRNA is degraded and control over development is passed to the embryo. Many of the interactions between blastomeres are dependent on cadherin expression, particularly E-cadherin in mammals and EP-cadherin in amphibians. The study of the blastula and of cell specification has many implications in stem cell research and assisted reproductive technology. In Xenopus, blastomeres behave as pluripotent stem cells which can migrate down several pathways, depending on cell signaling. By manipulating the cell signals during the blastula stage of development, various tissues can be formed. This potential can be instrumental in regenerative medicine for disease and injury cases. In vitro fertilisation involves implantation of a blastula into a mother's uterus. Blastula cell implantation could serve to eliminate infertility.
1.5K
30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Kettle Holes
Kettle holes are small water bodies of glacial origin which mostly occur in agricultural landscapes. While they supply numerous ecosystem services (ES), this supply may be negatively affected by agricultural management on surrounding fields.
1.5K
18 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Seaweed Extracts
The use of seaweed-based bioproducts has been gaining momentum in crop production systems owing to their unique bioactive components and effects. They have phytostimulatory properties that result in increased plant growth and yield parameters in several important crop plants. They have phytoelicitor activity as their components evoke defense responses in plants that contribute to resistance to several pests, diseases, and abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, and cold.
1.5K
01 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Pollen Quality Versus Quantity
Do bees really benefit from the conservation attempts made by us? A study performed recently showed that wild bees do not use plant species sown in wildflower seed mixtures as pollen sources, and it concluded that plant species currently promoted by agri-environmental schemes are not optimal for bees. I have taken a closer look at the factors that determined whether pollen was healthy food for the wild bee larvae or not and the results have led me to propose that a major shift in the perspective of what we considered as bee-friendly plants was definitely warranted.
1.5K
30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Date Palm Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.)
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is traditionally cultivated in arid regions of the world, including the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the oldest fruit trees, a key component of the food system, and is recognized as a symbol of prosperity in the Arab world.
1.5K
16 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Callose
Callose is a β-(1,3)-D-glucan polysaccharide with some β-1,6-branches that exists in all multicellular green algae and higher plants.
1.5K
27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Colorado Potato Beetle Control
The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is one of the most important potato pest worldwide. It is native to U.S. but during the 20th century it has dispersed through Europe, Asia and western China. It continues to expand in an east and southeast direction. Damages are caused by larvae and adults. Their feeding on potato plant leaves can cause complete defoliation and lead to a large yield loss. After the long period of using only chemical control measures, the emergence of resistance increased and some new and different methods come to the fore. The main focus of this entry is on new approaches to the old CPB control problem. We describe the use of Bacillus thuringiensis and RNA interference (RNAi) as possible solutions for the future in CPB management. RNAi has proven successful in controlling many pests and shows great potential for CPB control. Better understanding of the mechanisms that affect efficiency will enable the development of this technology and boost potential of RNAi to become part of integrated plant protection in the future. We described also the possibility of using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as a way to go deeper into our understanding of resistance and how it influences genotypes.
1.5K
20 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Citrus-Processing Wastewater
Citrus processing industry, one of the most important agro-industry, produces large volumes of wastewater (CPWW). The large variability of these volume is coupled to physico-chemical characteristics of CPWW. The qualitative and quantitative variability of CPWW are discussed and the severe constraints for its disposal are presented.
1.5K
31 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Agroecology-The Case of Cereals
Transformative agroecology has been recognized as a stepping stone to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), due to its great potential to build climate change-resilient farming systems while enhancing ecosystem services and reducing biodiversity loss. Understanding the agroecological elements that underlie the sustainability of an agroecosystem is an urgent matter, serving as the foundation for designing a truly transformative agroecosystem.
1.5K
12 May 2021
Topic Review
Diabrotica Species
The genus Diabrotica has over 400 described species, the majority of them neotropical. However, only three species of neotropical Diabrotica are considered agricultural pests, D. speciosa, D. balteata, and D. viridula. D. speciosa and D. balteata are polyphagous both as adults and during the larval stage. D. viridula are stenophagous during the larval stage, feeding essentially on maize roots, and polyphagous as adults. The larvae of the three species are pests on maize, but D. speciosa larvae also feed on potatoes and peanuts, while D. balteata larvae feed on beans and peanuts. None of these species express a winter/dry season egg diapause, like several North American species. Instead they have several continuous, latitude-mediated generations per year. This hinders the use of crop rotation as a management tool, although early planting can help in the temperate regions of the distribution of D. speciosa. Their know parasitoids do not exert much control on Diabrotica populations, or show potential for inundative biocontrol plans. Management options are limited to insecticide applications and Bt GM maize. Other techniques that show promise are products using Beauveria bassiana and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, semiochemical attractants for monitoring purposes or as toxic baits, and plant resistance.
1.5K
30 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Seaweed Phenolics
Seaweed, also referred to as macroalgae, have been studied as potential aquafeed ingredients since the late 1970s but have been implemented as a poultry feed supplement since the 1950s. Seaweed phenolics provide alternative ingredients that are complementary to synthetic additives used in aquaculture, possessing a broad spectrum of bioactive properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-stress, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant, and appetite stimulation. Also, their antioxidant properties retard lipid oxidation and preserve feed quality improving shelf life.
1.5K
19 Jul 2022
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