Topic Review
Antifungal/Antibacterial Activity of Peppermint Oil and Cornmint Oil
The genus mint (Mentha) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and includes 42 species, 15 hybrids, and hundreds of subspecies, varieties, and cultivars, which potentially crossbreed when in proximity. Different mints are known for a reasonably high content of essential oils (EO), which are deposited in the glandular trichomes, mostly located on the adaxial surface of their leaves. There are two well-known, so-called menthol mints in cultivation: Mentha x piperita L. (Hudson): peppermint—MP, and Mentha arvensis L., (syn. M. canadensis L., Japanese mint): cornmint—MA.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Responses and Mechanisms of Plants against Drought Stress
Drought is an important abiotic stress factor limiting crop productivity worldwide and its impact is increasing with climate change. Regardless of the plant growth period, drought has a deadly and yield-reducing effect on the plant at every stage of development. As with many environmental stressors, drought-exposed plants trigger a series of molecular, biochemical, and physiological responses to overcome the effect of drought stress. Currently, researchers are trying to determine the complex functioning of drought stress response in plants with different approaches. Plants are more sensitive to drought stress during certain critical stages like germination, seedling formation, flowering, fertilization, and grain formation periods. Plants have high success in reducing the effects of drought stress in vegetative development periods with the activity of tolerance mechanisms. On the other hand, drought stress during the generative period can cause irreversible losses in yield. 
  • 1.2K
  • 04 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Biopesticides for Sustainable Agriculture
Biopesticides are organisms or natural formulations that control or eliminate pests via diverse modes of action (MoA). They cover a wide range of organic products and formulations, such as predatory and parasitic species, biochemical compounds (and their chemical equivalents), and plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs). Biopesticides play critical roles in agriculture, which is the frontier sector driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Apart from controlling agricultural pests and diseases, they are friendly to the environment, benign to beneficial organisms such as pollinators and plant growth-promoting microorganisms, promote crop productivity and are sensitive to resistant pests created by synthetic pesticides. In addition, biopesticides are very much compatible with the integrated pest management system, which only admits synthetic pesticides as a last resort. As organic formulations, biopesticides fit the defining criteria of Green Chemistry in that they are safe products synthesised from renewable substrates, produce non-toxic compounds and can be driven by minimal energy and biocatalysts.  
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Microbial Biofertilizers in Rhizosphere Management
The world’s human population continues to increase, posing a significant challenge in ensuring food security as soil nutrients and fertility decrease with time. Thus, there is a need to increase agricultural productivity to meet the growing population's food demands. A high level of chemical fertilizers to increase food production is damaging ecological balance and human health. It is becoming too expensive for many farmers to afford. The exploitation of beneficial soil microorganisms as a substitute for chemical fertilizers in food production is one potential solution to this conundrum. Microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, have demonstrated their ability to formulate biofertilizers in the agricultural sector, providing plants with nutrients required to enhance their growth, increase yield, manage abiotic and biotic stress, and prevent phytopathogens attack. Beneficial soil microbes have been reported to produce some volatile organic compounds beneficial to plants. The amendment of these microbes with locally available organic materials and nanoparticles is currently used to formulate biofertilizers to increase plant productivity.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Chemical Control Techniques for Vegetables
Diseases and pests are important factors in vegetable cultivation; they not only affect the growth and appearance of vegetables but also affect the yield and quality. The disease and pest control of vegetables is dominated by chemical sprays, for now. As a result, the excessive use of pesticides has been a crucial factor of pesticides’ non-point source pollution, and it is also the main cause of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables. 
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Hop
Hops is considered a short-day, temperate species, so the major challenge for the development of hop cultivation in Brazil, with high-yield capacity and with local typicity of bitterness and aroma, is the adaptation of cultivars to the photoperiod conditions in subtropical regions. 
  • 1.1K
  • 20 May 2022
Topic Review
Biochar with Alternate-Wetting and Drying-Irrigation
  To minimize excess water usage, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation practice is considered as an efficient technique in which soil intermittently dried during the growing period of rice by maintaining yield compared to a flooded system. Continuous AWD may result in poor soil health caused by carbon loss, nutrient depletion, cracking, and affecting soil physical properties. Due to being a potential organic amendment, biochar has a great scope to overcome these problems by improving soil’s physicochemical properties.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 May 2021
Topic Review
Mobile Computing for Pest and Disease Management
The demand for mobile applications in agriculture is increasing as smartphones are continuously developed and used for many purposes; one of them is managing pests and diseases in crops. Using mobile applications, farmers can detect early infection and improve the specified treatment and precautions to prevent further infection from occurring. Furthermore, farmers can communicate with agricultural authorities to manage their farm from home, and efficiently obtain information such as the spectral signature of crops. Therefore, the spectral signature can be used as a reference to detect pests and diseases with a hyperspectral sensor more efficiently than the conventional method, which takes more time to monitor the entire crop field. 
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Nanotechnology in Soilless/Microgreen Farming
Global food demand has increased in tandem with the world’s growing population, prompting calls for a new sustainable agricultural method. The scarcity of fertile soil and the world’s agricultural land have also become major concerns. Soilless and microgreen farming combined with nanotechnology may provide a revolutionary solution as well as a more sustainable and productive alternative to conventional farming. In this review, we look at the potential of nanotechnology in soilless and microgreen farming. The available but limited nanotechnology approaches in soilless farming include: (1) Nutrients nanoparticles to minimize nutrient losses and improve nutrient uptake and bioavailability in crops; (2) nano-sensing to provide real-time detection of p H, temperature, as well as quantifying the amount of the nutrient, allowing desired conditions control; and (3) incorporation of nanoparticles to improve the quality of substrate culture as crop cultivation growing medium. Meanwhile, potential nanotechnology applications in soilless and microgreen farming include: (1) Plant trait improvement against environmental disease and stress through nanomaterial application; (2) plant nanobionics to alter or improve the function of the plant tissue or organelle; and (3) extending the shelf life of microgreens by impregnating nanoparticles on the packaging or other preservation method.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Symbiosis to Enhance Plant–Soil Interaction
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a symbiotic relationship with plants; a symbiotic relationship is one in which both partners benefit from each other. Fungi benefit plants by improving uptake of water and nutrients, especially phosphorous, while plants provide 10–20% of their photosynthates to fungus. AMF tend to make associations with 85% of plant families and play a significant role in the sustainability of an ecosystem. Plants’ growth and productivity are negatively affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. AMF proved to enhance plants’ tolerance against various stresses, such as drought, salinity, high temperature, and heavy metals.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Jul 2022
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