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Cell Dec 2006Ten thousand years ago human societies around the globe began to transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. By 4000 years ago, ancient peoples had completed... (Review)
Review
Ten thousand years ago human societies around the globe began to transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. By 4000 years ago, ancient peoples had completed the domestication of all major crop species upon which human survival is dependent, including rice, wheat, and maize. Recent research has begun to reveal the genes responsible for this agricultural revolution. The list of genes to date tentatively suggests that diverse plant developmental pathways were the targets of Neolithic "genetic tinkering," and we are now closer to understanding how plant development was redirected to meet the needs of a hungry world.
Topics: Agriculture; Breeding; Crops, Agricultural; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genetic Speciation; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; History, 20th Century; History, Ancient; Humans; Plants; Selection, Genetic
PubMed: 17190597
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2006.12.006 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2022In the past 15 years, China has emitted the most carbon dioxide globally. The overuse of chemical fertilizer is an essential reason for agricultural carbon emissions. In...
In the past 15 years, China has emitted the most carbon dioxide globally. The overuse of chemical fertilizer is an essential reason for agricultural carbon emissions. In recent years, China has paid more and more attention to financial support for agriculture. Therefore, understanding the relationship between chemical fertilizer use, financial support for agriculture, and agricultural carbon emissions will benefit sustainable agricultural production. To achieve the goal of our research, we selected the panel data of 30 provinces (cities) in China from 2000 to 2019 and employed a series of methods in this research. The results demonstrate that: the effect of chemical fertilizer consumption on agricultural carbon emissions is positive. Moreover, financial support for agriculture has a significantly positive impact on reducing carbon emissions from agricultural production. In addition, the results of causality tests testify to one-way causality from financial support for agriculture to carbon emissions from agricultural production, the bidirectional causal relationship between chemical fertilizer use and financial support for agriculture, and two-way causality between chemical fertilizer use and agricultural carbon emissions. Furthermore, the results of variance decomposition analysis represent that financial support for agriculture will significantly affect chemical fertilizer use and carbon emissions in the agricultural sector over the next decade. Finally, we provide several policy suggestions to promote low-carbon agricultural production based on the results of this study. The government should uphold the concept of sustainable agriculture, increase financial support for environmental-friendly agriculture, and encourage the research and use of cleaner agricultural production technologies and chemical fertilizer substitutes.
Topics: Agriculture; Carbon Dioxide; China; Fertilizers; Financial Support
PubMed: 35742399
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127155 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jul 2012A detailed retrospective of the Green Revolution, its achievement and limits in terms of agricultural productivity improvement, and its broader impact at social,... (Review)
Review
A detailed retrospective of the Green Revolution, its achievement and limits in terms of agricultural productivity improvement, and its broader impact at social, environmental, and economic levels is provided. Lessons learned and the strategic insights are reviewed as the world is preparing a "redux" version of the Green Revolution with more integrative environmental and social impact combined with agricultural and economic development. Core policy directions for Green Revolution 2.0 that enhance the spread and sustainable adoption of productivity enhancing technologies are specified.
Topics: Agriculture; Ecosystem; Food Supply; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans
PubMed: 22826253
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912953109 -
Annual Review of Food Science and... Mar 2023Microgreens are edible young plants that have recently attracted interest because of their color and flavor diversity, phytonutrient abundance, short growth cycle, and... (Review)
Review
Microgreens are edible young plants that have recently attracted interest because of their color and flavor diversity, phytonutrient abundance, short growth cycle, and minimal space and nutrient requirements. They can be cultivated in a variety of systems from simple home gardens to sophisticated vertical farms with automated irrigation, fertilizer delivery, and lighting controls. Microgreens have also attracted attention from space agencies hoping that their sensory qualities can contribute to the diet of astronauts in microgravity and their cultivation might help maintain crew physical and psychological health on long-duration spaceflight missions. However, many technical challenges and data gaps for growing microgreensboth on and off Earth remain unaddressed. This review summarizes recent studies on multiple aspects of microgreens, including nutritional and socioeconomic benefits, cultivation systems, operative conditions, innovative treatments, autonomous facilities, and potential space applications. It also provides the authors' perspectives on the challenges to stimulating more extensive interdisciplinary research.
Topics: Farms; Agriculture; Space Flight; Diet
PubMed: 36525689
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-food-060721-024636 -
Journal of Nanobiotechnology Mar 2021The agricultural sector is currently facing many global challenges, such as climate change, and environmental problems such as the release of pesticides and fertilizers,... (Review)
Review
The agricultural sector is currently facing many global challenges, such as climate change, and environmental problems such as the release of pesticides and fertilizers, which will be exacerbated in the face of population growth and food shortages. Therefore, the need to change traditional farming methods and replace them with new technologies is essential, and the application of nanotechnology, especially green technology offers considerable promise in alleviating these problems. Nanotechnology has led to changes and advances in many technologies and has the potential to transform various fields of the agricultural sector, including biosensors, pesticides, fertilizers, food packaging and other areas of the agricultural industry. Due to their unique properties, nanomaterials are considered as suitable carriers for stabilizing fertilizers and pesticides, as well as facilitating controlled nutrient transfer and increasing crop protection. The production of nanoparticles by physical and chemical methods requires the use of hazardous materials, advanced equipment, and has a negative impact on the environment. Thus, over the last decade, research activities in the context of nanotechnology have shifted towards environmentally friendly and economically viable 'green' synthesis to support the increasing use of nanoparticles in various industries. Green synthesis, as part of bio-inspired protocols, provides reliable and sustainable methods for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles by a wide range of microorganisms rather than current synthetic processes. Therefore, this field is developing rapidly and new methods in this field are constantly being invented to improve the properties of nanoparticles. In this review, we consider the latest advances and innovations in the production of metal nanoparticles using green synthesis by different groups of microorganisms and the application of these nanoparticles in various agricultural sectors to achieve food security, improve crop production and reduce the use of pesticides. In addition, the mechanism of synthesis of metal nanoparticles by different microorganisms and their advantages and disadvantages compared to other common methods are presented.
Topics: Agriculture; Biosensing Techniques; Crop Protection; Fertilizers; Food Security; Fungicides, Industrial; Green Chemistry Technology; Metal Nanoparticles; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Pesticides
PubMed: 33771172
DOI: 10.1186/s12951-021-00834-3 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aug 2014The extensive research, production and use of microorganisms to improve plant nutrition have resulted in an inconsistent definition of the term "biofertiliser" which, in... (Review)
Review
The extensive research, production and use of microorganisms to improve plant nutrition have resulted in an inconsistent definition of the term "biofertiliser" which, in some cases, is due to the different microbial mechanisms involved. The rationale for adopting the term biofertiliser is that it derives from "biological fertiliser", that, in turn, implies the use of living microorganisms. Here, we propose a definition for this kind of products which is distinguishing them from biostimulants or other inorganic and organic fertilisers. Special emphasis is given to microorganism(s) with multifunctional properties and biofertilisers containing more than one microorganism. This definition could be included in legal provisions regulating registration and marketing requirements. A set of rules is also proposed which could guarantee the quality of biofertilisers present on the market and thus foster their use by farmers.
Topics: Agricultural Inoculants; Agriculture; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Fertilizers; Fungi
PubMed: 24903811
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-5828-y -
BMC Microbiology Mar 2023The freshwater microbiome regulates aquatic ecological functionality, nutrient cycling, pathogenicity, and has the capacity to dissipate and regulate pollutants....
BACKGROUND
The freshwater microbiome regulates aquatic ecological functionality, nutrient cycling, pathogenicity, and has the capacity to dissipate and regulate pollutants. Agricultural drainage ditches are ubiquitous in regions where field drainage is necessary for crop productivity, and as such, are first-line receptors of agricultural drainage and runoff. How bacterial communities in these systems respond to environmental and anthropogenic stressors are not well understood. In this study, we carried out a three year study in an agriculturally dominated river basin in eastern Ontario, Canada to explore the spatial and temporal dynamics of the core and conditionally rare taxa (CRT) of the instream bacterial communities using a 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach. Water samples were collected from nine stream and drainage ditch sites that represented the influence of a range of upstream land uses.
RESULTS
The cross-site core and CRT accounted for 5.6% of the total number of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), yet represented, on average, over 60% of the heterogeneity of the overall bacterial community; hence, well reflected the spatial and temporal microbial dynamics in the water courses. The contribution of core microbiome to the overall community heterogeneity represented the community stability across all sampling sites. CRT was primarily composed of functional taxa involved in nitrogen (N) cycling and was linked to nutrient loading, water levels, and flow, particularly in the smaller agricultural drainage ditches. Both the core and the CRT were sensitive responders to changes in hydrological conditions.
CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrate that core and CRT can be considered as holistic tools to explore the temporal and spatial variations of the aquatic microbial community and can be used as sensitive indicators of the health and function of agriculturally dominated water courses. This approach also reduces computational complexity in relation to analyzing the entire microbial community for such purposes.
Topics: Rivers; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Agriculture; Fresh Water; Water
PubMed: 36882680
DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02755-7 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jan 2020Selection of the fittest can promote individual competitiveness but often results in the erosion of group performance. Recently, several authors revisited this idea in...
Selection of the fittest can promote individual competitiveness but often results in the erosion of group performance. Recently, several authors revisited this idea in crop production and proposed new practices based on selection for cooperative phenotypes, i.e. phenotypes that increase crop yield through decreased competitiveness. These recommendations, however, remain difficult to evaluate without a formal description of crop evolutionary dynamics under different selection strategies. Here, we develop a theoretical framework to investigate the evolution of cooperation-related traits in crops, using plant height as a case study. Our model is tailored to realistic agricultural practices and shows that combining high plant density, high relatedness and selection among groups favours the evolution of shorter plants that maximize grain yield. Our model allows us to revisit past and current breeding practices in light of kin selection theory, and yields practical recommendations to increase cooperation among crops and promote sustainable agriculture.
Topics: Agriculture; Biological Evolution; Crops, Agricultural; Domestication; Farms; Phenotype; Selection, Genetic
PubMed: 31964305
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1290 -
Plant Communications Apr 2024The Green Revolution of the mid-20th century transformed agriculture worldwide and has resulted in environmental challenges. A new approach, the Second Green Revolution,... (Review)
Review
The Green Revolution of the mid-20th century transformed agriculture worldwide and has resulted in environmental challenges. A new approach, the Second Green Revolution, seeks to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Plant microbiomes play critical roles in plant growth and stress responses, and understanding plant-microbiome interactions is essential for developing sustainable agricultural practices that meet food security and safety challenges, which are among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of key deterministic processes crucial for developing microbiome management strategies, including the host effect, the facilitator effect, and microbe-microbe interactions. A hierarchical framework for plant microbiome modulation is proposed to bridge the gap between basic research and agricultural applications. This framework emphasizes three levels of modulation: single-strain, synthetic community, and in situ microbiome modulation. Overall, rational management of plant microbiomes has wide-ranging applications in agriculture and can potentially be a core technology for the Second Green Revolution.
Topics: Plants; Agriculture; Microbiota; Plant Development
PubMed: 38213028
DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100812 -
Annals of Botany Jul 2020Despite recent progress in elucidating the molecular basis of secondary growth (cambial growth), the functional implications of this developmental process remain poorly... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Despite recent progress in elucidating the molecular basis of secondary growth (cambial growth), the functional implications of this developmental process remain poorly understood. Targeted studies exploring how abiotic and biotic factors affect this process, as well as the relevance of secondary growth to fitness of annual dicotyledonous crop species under stress, are almost entirely absent from the literature. Specifically, the physiological role of secondary growth in roots has been completely neglected yet entails a unique array of implications for plant performance that are distinct from secondary growth in shoot tissue.
SCOPE
Since roots are directly responsible for soil resource capture, understanding of the fitness landscape of root phenotypes is important in both basic and applied plant biology. Interactions between root secondary growth, edaphic conditions and soil resource acquisition may have significant effects on plant fitness. Our intention here is not to provide a comprehensive review of a sparse and disparate literature, but rather to highlight knowledge gaps, propose hypotheses and identify opportunities for novel and agriculturally relevant research pertaining to secondary growth of roots. This viewpoint: (1) summarizes evidence from our own studies and other published work; (2) proposes hypotheses regarding the fitness landscape of secondary growth of roots in annual dicotyledonous species for abiotic and biotic stress; and (3) highlights the importance of directing research efforts to this topic within an agricultural context.
CONCLUSIONS
Secondary growth of the roots of annual dicots has functional significance with regards to soil resource acquisition and transport, interactions with soil organisms and carbon sequestration. Research on these topics would contribute significantly toward understanding the agronomic value of secondary growth of roots for crop improvement.
Topics: Agriculture; Phenotype; Plant Roots; Plants; Soil
PubMed: 32588876
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa068