A growing global population and the increasing prevalence of diet-related health issues such as“hidden hunger”,obesity,hypertension,and diabetes necessitate a fundamental rethinking of crop design and breeding.Synth...A growing global population and the increasing prevalence of diet-related health issues such as“hidden hunger”,obesity,hypertension,and diabetes necessitate a fundamental rethinking of crop design and breeding.Synthetic metabolic engineering offers a method to modify and redesign metabolic pathways to increase the nutritional value of crops.We summarize recent advances in the biofortification of key nutrients including provitamin A,vitamin C,vitamin B9,iron,zinc,anthocyanins,flavonoids,and unsaturated fatty acids.We discuss the potential of multi-gene stacking,gene editing,enzyme engineering,and artificial intelligence in synthetic metabolic engineering.We propose future research directions and potential solutions centered on leveraging AI-driven systems biology,precision gene editing,enzyme engineering,agrobacterium-mediated genotype-independent transformation,and modular metabolic engineering strategies to develop next-generation nutritionally enhanced super crops and transform global food systems.展开更多
Industrial activities have caused widespread arsenic(As)contamination in soil and medicinal crops across south-ern Asia.This study constructed interplanting systems combing medicinal crops with Pteris vittata L.,aimin...Industrial activities have caused widespread arsenic(As)contamination in soil and medicinal crops across south-ern Asia.This study constructed interplanting systems combing medicinal crops with Pteris vittata L.,aiming to mitigate the risk of As exposure in medicinal crops,while simultaneously achieving ecological remediation of contaminated soil.The results revealed that interplanting with P.vittata significantly enhanced the yield of Gynos-temma pentaphyllum by 31.90%(P<0.05)compared with monoculture systems.Under monoculture conditions,the As concentration in G.pentaphyllum leaves reached 2.34 mg/kg,exceeding the national food safety standard(GB2762–2017,2 mg/kg).However,interplanting with P.vittata effectively reduced the As concentration in G.pentaphyllum leaves to 1.82 mg/kg.Furthermore,the interplanting of P.vittata with Rhus chinensis significantly inhibited As translocation from belowground to aboveground tissues in R.chinensis.Compared to monoculture,the stem biomass of P.vittata was significantly increased by 57.50%and 70.32%when interplanted with G.pentaphyllum and Cassia obtusifolia L.(P<0.05).So the As enrichment of P.vittata was enhanced in interplanting systems,which is beneficial for the As removal from contaminated soil.The study demonstrated that interplant-ing primarily regulates plant As uptake through modifications of rhizosphere physicochemical properties and As bioavailability,especially for water-soluble As that is easily absorbed by plants.In conclusion,the interplant-ing models integrating medicinal crops and P.vittata can achieve the goal of“remediating while producing”in As-contaminated soil.展开更多
Crop yield and quality are affected by abiotic stresses such as drought,low and high temperature,salinity,and heavy metals,which threaten the survival of human beings and the development of industry.As a new plant hor...Crop yield and quality are affected by abiotic stresses such as drought,low and high temperature,salinity,and heavy metals,which threaten the survival of human beings and the development of industry.As a new plant hormone derived from carotenoid,strigolactone(SL)is produced in the roots of plants.It was first reported that SL can induce seed germination of root-parasitic plants.In recent years,it has been shown that strigolactone plays a regulatory role in plant response to abiotic stresses.By eliminating oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species,it can potentially increase photosynthetic rate,chlorophyll content,and thus enhance plant drought resistance.Transcriptome studies have explored signal transduction,antioxidant enzyme activity,transcription factors,and expression of stress-and metabolism-related genes induced by extrinsic strigolactone in plants,the effects of strigolactone on plant growth and development have been preliminarily determined,but the studies on inducing crop tolerance to abiotic stresses are still unknown.In this review,the physiological and molecular aspects of the induction of the response to stress in horticultural crops by strigolactone were reviewed.It is important to improve the tolerance and productivity of horticultural crops under abiotic stress.展开更多
[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of soil selenium(Se)content and exogenous Se supplementation on crop Se levels and provide a theoretical basis for the production of Se-enriched agricult...[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of soil selenium(Se)content and exogenous Se supplementation on crop Se levels and provide a theoretical basis for the production of Se-enriched agricultural products.[Methods]Thirty three representative townships in Xiayi County,Ningling County,and Yongcheng City were selected.Soil Se content and its impact on wheat Se level were measured.The effects of exogenous Se supplementation on the Se content of crops including soybean,wheat,peanut,corn,sweet potato,grape,crisp pear and apple were also investigated.[Results]Showed that the soil Se content in 18 townships of Xiayi County ranged from 0.08 to 0.34 mg/kg,and Se-adequate areas,Se-deficient areas and severely Se-deficient areas accounted for 27.78%,66.67%,and 0.055%of the total,respectively.In Ningling County,the soil Se content in 11 townships ranged from 0.13 to 0.23 mg/kg,and among them,Se-adequate areas and Se-deficient areas comprised 18.18%and 81.82%,respectively.In Yongcheng City,the soil Se content in 4 townships ranged from 0.16 to 0.23 mg/kg,and Se-adequate areas and Se-deficient areas constituted 75.00%and 25.00%,respectively.The soil Se content in 33 townships across Xiayi County,Ningling County,and Yongcheng City ranged from 0.07 to 0.34 mg/kg.However,the Se levels in wheat from all 33 townships fail to meet the standard for Se-enriched agricultural products.It indicates that relying solely on soil Se supply is insufficient for crops to achieve the Se level required for Se-enriched agricultural products.Exogenous Se supplementation could effectively increase the Se content in soybean,wheat,peanut,corn,sweet potato,grape,crisp pear,and apple.Among these,soybean,wheat and peanut showed the highest Se levels after supplementation,all exceeding 0.10 mg/kg and meeting the industry standard for Se-enriched agricultural products.[Conclusions]The results of this study indicates that exogenous Se supplementation can serve as a key measure for producing Se-enriched agricultural products.展开更多
Vegetation plays an important role in the environmental transport behavior of organic pollutants,however,the different roles of crops and natural vegetation have been ignored in most previous studies.In this study,we ...Vegetation plays an important role in the environmental transport behavior of organic pollutants,however,the different roles of crops and natural vegetation have been ignored in most previous studies.In this study,we developed the BETR-Urban-Rural-Veg model to quantitatively evaluate the influences of both natural vegetation and crops on the multimedia transport processes of Phenanthrene(PHE)and Benzo(a)pyrene(BaP)in mainland of China.The geographic distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH)emissions and concentrations were consistent,displaying higher levels in northern China while lower levels in southern China.Under seasonal simulations,for both natural vegetation and crops,PAH concentrations in winter and spring were 1.5 to 27-fold higher than in summer and autumn,especially for PHE.Owing to the higher leaf area index(LAI)of natural vegetation and harvesting of crops,the filter and sequestration effect of natural vegetation was stronger than crops,while the seasonal changes of PAH concentrations in crops were more significant than natural vegetation.Temperature,precipitation rates and LAI might have important influences on seasonal concentrations and overall persistence of PAHs.PHE was more sensitive to the impacts of seasonal environmental parameters.Under different landscape scenarios,average annual PAH concentrations in natural vegetation were always a little higher than those in crops,and the overall persistence of BaP was greatly affected increasing by 15.15%-16.47%.This improved model provides a useful tool for environmental management.The results of this study are expected to support land use plans and decision-making in China's mainland.展开更多
Global population pressures have necessitated increased focus on protecting and developing resilient plant species that can maintain productivity despite environmental challenges.Environmental degradation,driven by cl...Global population pressures have necessitated increased focus on protecting and developing resilient plant species that can maintain productivity despite environmental challenges.Environmental degradation,driven by climate change and anthropogenic activities,poses significant threats to global food security through various forms of physical stress.Major environmental constraints affecting agricultural yields worldwide include salinity,water scarcity,nutritional imbalances(encompassing mineral toxicity and deficiencies),and extreme temperatures.Crop yield is influenced by multiple abiotic factors,including agronomic conditions,climatic variables,and soil nutrient availability.Plants develop various survival mechanisms at molecular,cellular,and physiological levels in response to stress.Abiotic stress,whether occurring individually or in combination,significantly impacts crop growth and productivity.For instance,drought stress reduces leaf area,plant height,and overall crop development.Cold stress inhibits plant development and crop efficiency,leading to diminished productivity.Salinity stress not only induces water stress in plants but also negatively affects cytosolic metabolism,cell development,membrane function,and increases reactive oxygen species(ROS)production.Elevated CO_(2)concentrations may enhance global precipitation patterns,potentially resulting in increased rainfall that can adversely affect crop development.Plants under excessive water stress exhibit reduced amylose content but increased crude protein levels.This affects both quality and quantity of crop production by inhibiting seed germination and causing growth impairment through combined effects of elevated osmotic potential and ion toxicity.Plants have evolved various escape-avoidance and tolerance mechanisms in response to abiotic stress,including physiological adaptations and integrated cellular or molecular responses.This review paper examines the impact of abiotic stress on morpho-physiological,biochemical,and molecular activities across various crops.Additionally,it analyzes crop interactions with abiotic stress regarding response and adaptation mechanisms,providing a fundamental framework for species selection and development of stress-tolerant varieties in the future.展开更多
Plants produce a vast array of specialized metabolites that serve as essential defenses against herbivores and pathogens.However,the capacity to produce these compounds differs substantially among plant species and is...Plants produce a vast array of specialized metabolites that serve as essential defenses against herbivores and pathogens.However,the capacity to produce these compounds differs substantially among plant species and is frequently diminished during domestication.Advances in synthetic metabolic engineering enable efficient elucidation and engineering of plant specialized metabolic pathways active in crop pest and pathogen resistance.This review summarizes strategies and workflows for selecting defensive metabolic pathways,identifying candidate biosynthetic genes,and rewiring native or introducing heterologous pathways to enhance crop resistance to pests and pathogens.Strategies include weighted gene co-expression network construction,biosynthetic gene cluster scanning,and metabolite genome-wide association studies for pathway discovery,as well as transcriptional reprogramming,enzyme activity optimization,and transporter deployment for pathway engineering.We further discuss challenges in using synthetic metabolic engineering to enhance crop resistance and highlight the potential of artificial intelligence in addressing them.展开更多
The Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a current concept drives to save natural resources for agricultural production based on the minimum soil disturbance or no-tillage, crop rotation and permanent maintenance of straw...The Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a current concept drives to save natural resources for agricultural production based on the minimum soil disturbance or no-tillage, crop rotation and permanent maintenance of straw on soil surface. The increasing in soil density is a problem to achieve great copping yield under CA, so occasional one-time tillage is considered as an alternative to continuous no-tillage. In this way, this experiment was carried out to compare occasional tillage and no-tillage interacting with cover crops in a field established under conservation agriculture. Thus, the experimental treatments were set up by two tillage methods, conventional tillage and no-tillage and two cover crops, white lupin and millet setting in a randomized blocks with split plot design with four replications. The traits evaluated in the research were soil fertility, soil resistance to penetration, soil moisture and tomato agronomic performance. No-tillage was more efficient to preserve soil moisture;however soil fertility, soil resistance to penetration and tomato yield were favored by conventional tillage. Regarding to cover crops white lupin increased the soil K concentration and enhanced the tomato growth. Although occasional tillage had better performance to the soil fertility and tomato yield, we highlighted that CA is the better way to increase soil health and soil and water conservation along the time leading to so desired regenerative agriculture.展开更多
Traditional hybrid crop breeding faces inefficiencies due to labor-intensive manual pollination-especially for crops like tomatoes and soybeans with complex flowers.Researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Develop...Traditional hybrid crop breeding faces inefficiencies due to labor-intensive manual pollination-especially for crops like tomatoes and soybeans with complex flowers.Researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB),Chinese Academy of Sciences,have developed GEAIR(Genome Editing with Artificial-Intelligence-based Robots),an AI-robotic system that pollinates gene-edited plants 24/7.展开更多
From a very early period,the Chinese already vaguely sensed that the cultivation of crops required an intricate system.The third century BCE work Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals(Lüshi chunqiu吕氏春秋)s...From a very early period,the Chinese already vaguely sensed that the cultivation of crops required an intricate system.The third century BCE work Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals(Lüshi chunqiu吕氏春秋)states that crops were fed by heaven and raised by earth,and that harvests depended on the farmers who worked the land.Therefore,these three elements,that is,heaven,earth,and farmers,together with crops,jointly constituted a complex community.According to the ancient Chinese,moving a crop away from its native place could bring huge benefits to the new area to which the crop was moved.When writing and compiling Fundamentals of Agriculture and Sericulture(Nongsang jiyao农桑辑要),the officials of the Agricultural Extension Bureau司农司in the Yuan dynasty(1271–1368)excitedly noted the changes brought about by non-native crops to the agriculture of the Central Plains of China中原:“Ramie(Boehmeria nivea)is a crop native to southern China,while cotton(Gossypium herbaceum)comes from the Western Regions西域.In recent years,nevertheless,ramie has been introduced to Henan,while cotton has started to be planted in Shaanxi.The two crops thrive and show no difference from local crops.Farmers in the two regions benefit a lot therefrom”(Agricultural Extension Bureau 1888,juan 2:21).展开更多
Agriculture is a primary activity in many countries,with wheat being a major cereal crop in India.Accurate pre-harvest forecasts of crop acreage and production are critical for policymakers to address supply-demand dy...Agriculture is a primary activity in many countries,with wheat being a major cereal crop in India.Accurate pre-harvest forecasts of crop acreage and production are critical for policymakers to address supply-demand dynamics,pricing,and trade.This study focuses on estimating wheat acreage and yield in Barwala block,Hisar district,Haryana,for the 2019-2020 Rabi season using remote sensing techniques.Multi-temporal satellite data capturing phenological stages of wheat(Seedling to Ripening)were processed using supervised classification with a maximum likelihood classifier in ERDAS Imagine.Wheat crop acreage was determined by overlaying ground truth points on the classified data.The estimated acreage showed a relative deviation of−1.07%compared to statistics from the Department of Agriculture(DoA),Haryana.Yield assessment employed a Semi-Physical model based on the Modified Monteith Model.Key parameters included Photosynthetically Active Radiation(PAR),fraction of PAR absorbed by wheat(fAPAR),light use efficiency,and water stress derived fromthe Land Surface Water Index(LSWI)using Sentinel-2 NIR and SWIR-1 bands.Net Primary Productivity(NPP)was computed for the wheat growth period,and grain yield was estimated using a harvest index obtained fromliterature.The estimated yield had a relative deviation of 9.3% from DoA data.The study demonstrates the potential ofmulti-temporal satellite imagery for accurate block-level wheat acreage and yield estimation,providing a valuable tool for agricultural planning and policy-making.展开更多
Modern crops were derived from wild ancestors between 8000 and 12,000 years ago in a process called domestication,when humans selected plant types that gave better yield.For cereal plants,they carry so-called “domest...Modern crops were derived from wild ancestors between 8000 and 12,000 years ago in a process called domestication,when humans selected plant types that gave better yield.For cereal plants,they carry so-called “domestication syndromes”,such as non-shattering spikes,free threshing grains,shorter seed dormancy,and larger grain size[1].But these early crop breeders selected only a small number of domesticated plants to satisfy their limited need,leading to a phenomenon called “domestication bottleneck”resulting in restricted genetic diversity among crop cultivars.Untapped crop wild relatives(CWRs)remain a source of traits to be bred into new cultivars with resilience to challenges facing modern agriculture.展开更多
Heterotrimeric G protein serves as a central hub in plant signal transduction,playing a pivotal role in integrating endogenous developmental signals and external environmental cues.While significant advances have been...Heterotrimeric G protein serves as a central hub in plant signal transduction,playing a pivotal role in integrating endogenous developmental signals and external environmental cues.While significant advances have been made in understanding G protein signaling mechanisms in model plants such as Arabidopsis and major crops like rice and maize,the precise regulatory roles in growth,development,and adaptation in horticultural crops are still poorly understood.In this review,we systematically summarize recent advances in uncovering both conserved and species-specific regulatory mechanisms of G protein signaling across diverse plant species.We also highlight key discoveries on the crosstalk between G protein-mediated pathways and other signaling cascades,such as hormone signaling,transcriptional regulation,and stress response networks.Finally,we discuss the potential applications of G protein signaling research in future crop improvement,offering new perspectives for advancing sustainable horticultural production.展开更多
Surface ozone(O_(3))pollution showed a continuous increasing trend during the recent decades in China,posing an increasing threat to food security.A wide range of yield reductions have been reported and thus more stud...Surface ozone(O_(3))pollution showed a continuous increasing trend during the recent decades in China,posing an increasing threat to food security.A wide range of yield reductions have been reported and thus more studies are needed to narrow down the uncertainty resulting from spatiotemporal accuracy of O_(3) metrics and extrapolation methods.Based on a high spatial resolution(0.1°)hourly surface O_(3) data,here we analyzed the spatiotemporal O_(3) pollution patterns and impacts on yield,production and economic losses for wheat,rice,and maize in China during 2005–2020.The accumulated O_(3) exposure over a threshold of 40 ppb(AOT40)increased by 10%during 2005–2019,and a decrease of 5.56%was observed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.Rising O_(3) pollution reduced national level wheat,rice and maize yields by 14.51%±0.43%,11.10%±0.6%,and 3.99%±0.11%,respectively.A Business-As-Usual projection suggested that the relative yield loss(RYL)would potentially reach 8%–18%at the national scale by 2050 if no emission control is implemented.COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 led to significantly reduced RYL for maize(0.52%)and rice(2.17%)but not for wheat(0.11%),with the largest reduction(1.88%–9.4%)in North China Plain,highlighting the potential benefits of emission control.Our findings provided robust evidence that rising O_(3) pollution has significantly affected China’s crop yields,production and economic losses,underscoring the urgent need to curb O_(3) pollution to safeguard food security,particularly in densely populated and industrialized regions.展开更多
China’s endeavors to mitigate recurrent crop residue burning(CRB)and improve air quality have yielded positive results owing to recent pollution prevention policies.Nonetheless,persistent challenges remain,particular...China’s endeavors to mitigate recurrent crop residue burning(CRB)and improve air quality have yielded positive results owing to recent pollution prevention policies.Nonetheless,persistent challenges remain,particularly in the Northeast China(NEC),where low temperature complicates crop residue management.Here,we examined the effects of cropping pattern adjustment on variations of CRB patterns in NEC during 2001-2021,utilizing the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)burned area dataset,the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite(VIIRS)active fire dataset,and the high-accuracy crop planting area maps.Our results revealed an overall upward trend of 805.96 km^(2)/yr in NEC CRB from 2001 to 2021.The corn CRB area accounted for more than 50%of the total CRB area in each CRB-intensive year(2013-2021),and the increasing corn CRB generally aligns with the growing corn cultivation fields.A seasonal shift in CRB was found around 2017,with intensive CRB activities transitioning from both autumn and spring to primarily spring,particularly in the Songnen Plain and Sanjiang Plain.The changing trend of PM2.5 concentration aligned spatially with the shift.Moreover,the CRBs in spring of 2020 and 2021 were more severe than the major burning seasons in previous years,likely due to the disruptions during COVID-19 lockdowns.In certain years,the explanatory power of spring CRB on PM2.5 concentration was comparable to that of other natural factors,such as precipitation.This study underscores the critical need for sustained and region-specific strategies to tackle the challenges posed by CRBs.展开更多
The frequent outbreaks of crop diseases pose a serious threat to global agricultural production and food security.Data-driven forecasting models have emerged as an effective approach to support early warning and manag...The frequent outbreaks of crop diseases pose a serious threat to global agricultural production and food security.Data-driven forecasting models have emerged as an effective approach to support early warning and management,yet the lack of user-friendly tools for model development remains a major bottleneck.This study presents the Multi-Scenario Crop Disease Forecasting Modeling System(MSDFS),an open-source platform that enables end-to-end model construction-from multi-source data ingestion and feature engineering to training,evaluation,and deployment-across four representative scenarios:static point-based,static grid-based,dynamic point-based,and dynamic grid-based.Unlike conventional frameworks,MSDFS emphasizes modeling flexibility,allowing users to build,compare,and interpret diverse forecasting approaches within a unified workflow.A notable feature of the system is the integration of a weather scenario generator,which facilitates comprehensive testing of model performance and adaptability under extreme climatic conditions.Case studies corresponding to the four scenarios were used to validate the system,with overall accuracy(OA)ranging from 73%to 93%.By lowering technical barriers,the system is designed to serve plant protection managers and agricultural producers without advanced programming expertise,providing a practical modeling tool that supports the construction of smart plant protection systems.展开更多
The present review critically examines the role of neglected and underutilized crops(NUCs)in enhancing the resilience of South Asian cropping systems and diets in the context of climate change and nutritional challeng...The present review critically examines the role of neglected and underutilized crops(NUCs)in enhancing the resilience of South Asian cropping systems and diets in the context of climate change and nutritional challenges.This analysis reveals that integrating NUCs,such as millets,sorghums,amaranth,and indigenous legumes,into existing cropping systems can significantly improve the climate resilience,dietary diversity,and ecological sustainability of the food systems.These crops exhibit superior tolerance to abiotic stress and offer higher nutritional density compared to staple cereals,such as rice and wheat.However,their adoption faces challenges,including limited research investment,fragmented value chains,etc.We further identify that complementary cropping strategies and climate-smart agriculture(CSA)practices can optimize resource use while boosting smallholder farmers’income.NUCs are pivotal for the transformation of exist cropping systems towards nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agricultural and food systems.Strategic integration of NUCs can simultaneously address food insecurity,biodiversity loss,and rural poverty.Yet,unlocking their potential requires coordinated efforts in genetic improvement,market development,and policy frameworks tailored to regional contexts.This synthesis provides a comprehensive roadmap for policy-makers,researchers,and farmers to leverage NUCs as“Future Smart Food”.By bridging agronomic,nutritional,and socioeconomic perspectives,this study highlights the transformative potential of NUCs in achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)across South Asian countries.展开更多
Water is essential for agricultural production;however,climate change has exacerbated drought and water stress in arid and semi-arid areas such as Iran.Despite these challenges,irrigation water efficiency remains low,...Water is essential for agricultural production;however,climate change has exacerbated drought and water stress in arid and semi-arid areas such as Iran.Despite these challenges,irrigation water efficiency remains low,and current water management schemes are inadequate.Consequently,Iranian crops suffer from low water productivity,highlighting the urgent need for enhanced productivity and improved water management strategies.In this study,we investigated irrigation management conditions in the Hamidiyeh farm,Khuzestan Province,Iran and used the calibrated AquaCrop and WinSRFR(a surface irrigation simulation model)models to reflect these conditions.Subsequently,we examined different management scenarios using each model and evaluated the results from the second year.The findings demonstrated that combining simulation of the AquaCrop and WinSRFR models was highly effective and could be employed for irrigation management in the field.The AquaCrop model accurately simulated wheat yield in the first year,being 2.6 t/hm^(2),which closely aligned with the measured yield of 3.0 t/hm^(2).Additionally,using the WinSRFR model to adjust the length of existing borders from 200 to 180 m resulted in a 45.0%increase in efficiency during the second year.To enhance water use efficiency in the field,we recommended adopting borders with a length of 180 m,a width of 10 m,and a flow rate of 15 to 18 L/s.The AquaCrop and WinSRFR models accurately predicted border irrigation conditions,achieving the highest water use efficiency at a flow rate of 18 L/s.Combining these models increased farmers'average water consumption efficiency from 0.30 to 0.99 kg/m^(3)in the second year.Therefore,the results obtained from the AquaCrop and WinSRFR models are within a reasonable range and consistent with international recommendations.This adjustment is projected to improve the water use efficiency in the field by approximately 45.0%when utilizing the border irrigation method.Therefore,integrating these two models can provide comprehensive management solutions for regional farmers.展开更多
Background Agroecological cropping systems are recognised as an alternative way to ensure the sustainability of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in the context of climate change and degradation of soil fertili...Background Agroecological cropping systems are recognised as an alternative way to ensure the sustainability of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in the context of climate change and degradation of soil fertility. A study was conducted in Benin from 2020 to 2023 to compare six different cotton cultivars in three agroecological cropping systems in two cotton-growing zones. Plough-based tillage plus incorporation of cover crop biomass(PTI), conservation agriculture with strip tillage(CA_ST), and conservation agriculture with no tillage(CA_NT) were compared with the reference plough-based tillage(PT). The objective was to identify morpho-physiological traits of cotton that increase yield in agroecological cropping systems. Our approach combined a field experiment and crop simulation model(CSM) of CROPGRO-Cotton to evaluate the effects of genotype(G) × environment(E) × management(M) interactions on seed cotton yield(SCY).Results Cultivars Tamcot_camde and Okp768 and simulated ideotypes performed best in CA systems. Increased seed mass, large and thick leaves, and later maturity were identified as beneficial for yield enhancement in CA systems. Cultivars and ideotypes that combine these traits also resulted in better nitrogen and water use efficiencies in CA systems. Under different climate scenarios up to 2050, ideotypes designed could increase SCY in Benin.Conclusion A set of morpho-physiological traits associated with vegetative vigour is required to ensure a good SCY in agroecological cropping systems. These results provide scientific evidence and useful knowledge for breeders and research programmes on cropping systems focused on the adaptation of cotton to climate change.展开更多
Cropland is persistently affected by soil loss by water erosion in China,which causes economic loss and threatens soil health.Integrating crop switching and improved management provides a promising strategy for contro...Cropland is persistently affected by soil loss by water erosion in China,which causes economic loss and threatens soil health.Integrating crop switching and improved management provides a promising strategy for controlling soil loss by water erosion in cropland and promoting sustainable agriculture.However,optimizing crop composition with fewer inputs involves balancing agricultural resource use with environmental costs.Aiming to explore the potential of crop switching as a strategy for mitigating soil erosion in cropland,we develop a spatial optimization model that redistributes the sown areas of different crops in each prefecture-level city based on existing resource availability.Our findings gained from our simulations show that crop switching in China alone can reduce total soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 13%.Furthermore,combining crop switching with improved agricultural management practices can further reduce soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 25%.Cereals including maize,wheat,and rice demonstrate significant potential for reducing soil erosion in cropland.Shifting major maize-producing areas northward could result in a substantial decrease in soil erosion,ranging from 10% to 19% of historical soil erosion in cropland.These results offer implications for formulating regional strategy in mitigating soil erosion challenges in China while maximizing the benefits from existing agricultural resource.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the Guangxi Science and Technology Major Project(GKAA24206023)the Biological Breeding-National Science and Technology Major Project(2024ZD04077)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32272120)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2024YFF1000800)the Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops Major Project(FCBRCE-202502,FCBRCE-202504).
文摘A growing global population and the increasing prevalence of diet-related health issues such as“hidden hunger”,obesity,hypertension,and diabetes necessitate a fundamental rethinking of crop design and breeding.Synthetic metabolic engineering offers a method to modify and redesign metabolic pathways to increase the nutritional value of crops.We summarize recent advances in the biofortification of key nutrients including provitamin A,vitamin C,vitamin B9,iron,zinc,anthocyanins,flavonoids,and unsaturated fatty acids.We discuss the potential of multi-gene stacking,gene editing,enzyme engineering,and artificial intelligence in synthetic metabolic engineering.We propose future research directions and potential solutions centered on leveraging AI-driven systems biology,precision gene editing,enzyme engineering,agrobacterium-mediated genotype-independent transformation,and modular metabolic engineering strategies to develop next-generation nutritionally enhanced super crops and transform global food systems.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2020YFC1807805)the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou,Guangdong Province,China(No.202206010176).
文摘Industrial activities have caused widespread arsenic(As)contamination in soil and medicinal crops across south-ern Asia.This study constructed interplanting systems combing medicinal crops with Pteris vittata L.,aiming to mitigate the risk of As exposure in medicinal crops,while simultaneously achieving ecological remediation of contaminated soil.The results revealed that interplanting with P.vittata significantly enhanced the yield of Gynos-temma pentaphyllum by 31.90%(P<0.05)compared with monoculture systems.Under monoculture conditions,the As concentration in G.pentaphyllum leaves reached 2.34 mg/kg,exceeding the national food safety standard(GB2762–2017,2 mg/kg).However,interplanting with P.vittata effectively reduced the As concentration in G.pentaphyllum leaves to 1.82 mg/kg.Furthermore,the interplanting of P.vittata with Rhus chinensis significantly inhibited As translocation from belowground to aboveground tissues in R.chinensis.Compared to monoculture,the stem biomass of P.vittata was significantly increased by 57.50%and 70.32%when interplanted with G.pentaphyllum and Cassia obtusifolia L.(P<0.05).So the As enrichment of P.vittata was enhanced in interplanting systems,which is beneficial for the As removal from contaminated soil.The study demonstrated that interplant-ing primarily regulates plant As uptake through modifications of rhizosphere physicochemical properties and As bioavailability,especially for water-soluble As that is easily absorbed by plants.In conclusion,the interplant-ing models integrating medicinal crops and P.vittata can achieve the goal of“remediating while producing”in As-contaminated soil.
基金supported by the Special projects on biological seed industry and intensive processing of agricultural products(Grant No.202402AE090004-02)National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2023YFD2001404)+1 种基金Technology talent and platform program(Grant No.202305AF150112)China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA(Grant No.CARS-29-zp-6).
文摘Crop yield and quality are affected by abiotic stresses such as drought,low and high temperature,salinity,and heavy metals,which threaten the survival of human beings and the development of industry.As a new plant hormone derived from carotenoid,strigolactone(SL)is produced in the roots of plants.It was first reported that SL can induce seed germination of root-parasitic plants.In recent years,it has been shown that strigolactone plays a regulatory role in plant response to abiotic stresses.By eliminating oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species,it can potentially increase photosynthetic rate,chlorophyll content,and thus enhance plant drought resistance.Transcriptome studies have explored signal transduction,antioxidant enzyme activity,transcription factors,and expression of stress-and metabolism-related genes induced by extrinsic strigolactone in plants,the effects of strigolactone on plant growth and development have been preliminarily determined,but the studies on inducing crop tolerance to abiotic stresses are still unknown.In this review,the physiological and molecular aspects of the induction of the response to stress in horticultural crops by strigolactone were reviewed.It is important to improve the tolerance and productivity of horticultural crops under abiotic stress.
基金Supported by Shangqiu Science and Technology Project(20240036).
文摘[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the effects of soil selenium(Se)content and exogenous Se supplementation on crop Se levels and provide a theoretical basis for the production of Se-enriched agricultural products.[Methods]Thirty three representative townships in Xiayi County,Ningling County,and Yongcheng City were selected.Soil Se content and its impact on wheat Se level were measured.The effects of exogenous Se supplementation on the Se content of crops including soybean,wheat,peanut,corn,sweet potato,grape,crisp pear and apple were also investigated.[Results]Showed that the soil Se content in 18 townships of Xiayi County ranged from 0.08 to 0.34 mg/kg,and Se-adequate areas,Se-deficient areas and severely Se-deficient areas accounted for 27.78%,66.67%,and 0.055%of the total,respectively.In Ningling County,the soil Se content in 11 townships ranged from 0.13 to 0.23 mg/kg,and among them,Se-adequate areas and Se-deficient areas comprised 18.18%and 81.82%,respectively.In Yongcheng City,the soil Se content in 4 townships ranged from 0.16 to 0.23 mg/kg,and Se-adequate areas and Se-deficient areas constituted 75.00%and 25.00%,respectively.The soil Se content in 33 townships across Xiayi County,Ningling County,and Yongcheng City ranged from 0.07 to 0.34 mg/kg.However,the Se levels in wheat from all 33 townships fail to meet the standard for Se-enriched agricultural products.It indicates that relying solely on soil Se supply is insufficient for crops to achieve the Se level required for Se-enriched agricultural products.Exogenous Se supplementation could effectively increase the Se content in soybean,wheat,peanut,corn,sweet potato,grape,crisp pear,and apple.Among these,soybean,wheat and peanut showed the highest Se levels after supplementation,all exceeding 0.10 mg/kg and meeting the industry standard for Se-enriched agricultural products.[Conclusions]The results of this study indicates that exogenous Se supplementation can serve as a key measure for producing Se-enriched agricultural products.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.42107420,U23A20157,and U1910207)Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Young Scholars(No.20210302124363).
文摘Vegetation plays an important role in the environmental transport behavior of organic pollutants,however,the different roles of crops and natural vegetation have been ignored in most previous studies.In this study,we developed the BETR-Urban-Rural-Veg model to quantitatively evaluate the influences of both natural vegetation and crops on the multimedia transport processes of Phenanthrene(PHE)and Benzo(a)pyrene(BaP)in mainland of China.The geographic distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH)emissions and concentrations were consistent,displaying higher levels in northern China while lower levels in southern China.Under seasonal simulations,for both natural vegetation and crops,PAH concentrations in winter and spring were 1.5 to 27-fold higher than in summer and autumn,especially for PHE.Owing to the higher leaf area index(LAI)of natural vegetation and harvesting of crops,the filter and sequestration effect of natural vegetation was stronger than crops,while the seasonal changes of PAH concentrations in crops were more significant than natural vegetation.Temperature,precipitation rates and LAI might have important influences on seasonal concentrations and overall persistence of PAHs.PHE was more sensitive to the impacts of seasonal environmental parameters.Under different landscape scenarios,average annual PAH concentrations in natural vegetation were always a little higher than those in crops,and the overall persistence of BaP was greatly affected increasing by 15.15%-16.47%.This improved model provides a useful tool for environmental management.The results of this study are expected to support land use plans and decision-making in China's mainland.
基金financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFE0113400)the Jiangsu Provincial Fund for Realizing Carbon Emission Peaking and Neutralization,China(BE2022305)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Fundation of China(32102411)the Project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2022M722698)。
文摘Global population pressures have necessitated increased focus on protecting and developing resilient plant species that can maintain productivity despite environmental challenges.Environmental degradation,driven by climate change and anthropogenic activities,poses significant threats to global food security through various forms of physical stress.Major environmental constraints affecting agricultural yields worldwide include salinity,water scarcity,nutritional imbalances(encompassing mineral toxicity and deficiencies),and extreme temperatures.Crop yield is influenced by multiple abiotic factors,including agronomic conditions,climatic variables,and soil nutrient availability.Plants develop various survival mechanisms at molecular,cellular,and physiological levels in response to stress.Abiotic stress,whether occurring individually or in combination,significantly impacts crop growth and productivity.For instance,drought stress reduces leaf area,plant height,and overall crop development.Cold stress inhibits plant development and crop efficiency,leading to diminished productivity.Salinity stress not only induces water stress in plants but also negatively affects cytosolic metabolism,cell development,membrane function,and increases reactive oxygen species(ROS)production.Elevated CO_(2)concentrations may enhance global precipitation patterns,potentially resulting in increased rainfall that can adversely affect crop development.Plants under excessive water stress exhibit reduced amylose content but increased crude protein levels.This affects both quality and quantity of crop production by inhibiting seed germination and causing growth impairment through combined effects of elevated osmotic potential and ion toxicity.Plants have evolved various escape-avoidance and tolerance mechanisms in response to abiotic stress,including physiological adaptations and integrated cellular or molecular responses.This review paper examines the impact of abiotic stress on morpho-physiological,biochemical,and molecular activities across various crops.Additionally,it analyzes crop interactions with abiotic stress regarding response and adaptation mechanisms,providing a fundamental framework for species selection and development of stress-tolerant varieties in the future.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32402306)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences+1 种基金National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFE0203300)the China-Uruguay Joint Laboratory on Soybean Research and Innovation
文摘Plants produce a vast array of specialized metabolites that serve as essential defenses against herbivores and pathogens.However,the capacity to produce these compounds differs substantially among plant species and is frequently diminished during domestication.Advances in synthetic metabolic engineering enable efficient elucidation and engineering of plant specialized metabolic pathways active in crop pest and pathogen resistance.This review summarizes strategies and workflows for selecting defensive metabolic pathways,identifying candidate biosynthetic genes,and rewiring native or introducing heterologous pathways to enhance crop resistance to pests and pathogens.Strategies include weighted gene co-expression network construction,biosynthetic gene cluster scanning,and metabolite genome-wide association studies for pathway discovery,as well as transcriptional reprogramming,enzyme activity optimization,and transporter deployment for pathway engineering.We further discuss challenges in using synthetic metabolic engineering to enhance crop resistance and highlight the potential of artificial intelligence in addressing them.
文摘The Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a current concept drives to save natural resources for agricultural production based on the minimum soil disturbance or no-tillage, crop rotation and permanent maintenance of straw on soil surface. The increasing in soil density is a problem to achieve great copping yield under CA, so occasional one-time tillage is considered as an alternative to continuous no-tillage. In this way, this experiment was carried out to compare occasional tillage and no-tillage interacting with cover crops in a field established under conservation agriculture. Thus, the experimental treatments were set up by two tillage methods, conventional tillage and no-tillage and two cover crops, white lupin and millet setting in a randomized blocks with split plot design with four replications. The traits evaluated in the research were soil fertility, soil resistance to penetration, soil moisture and tomato agronomic performance. No-tillage was more efficient to preserve soil moisture;however soil fertility, soil resistance to penetration and tomato yield were favored by conventional tillage. Regarding to cover crops white lupin increased the soil K concentration and enhanced the tomato growth. Although occasional tillage had better performance to the soil fertility and tomato yield, we highlighted that CA is the better way to increase soil health and soil and water conservation along the time leading to so desired regenerative agriculture.
文摘Traditional hybrid crop breeding faces inefficiencies due to labor-intensive manual pollination-especially for crops like tomatoes and soybeans with complex flowers.Researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB),Chinese Academy of Sciences,have developed GEAIR(Genome Editing with Artificial-Intelligence-based Robots),an AI-robotic system that pollinates gene-edited plants 24/7.
文摘From a very early period,the Chinese already vaguely sensed that the cultivation of crops required an intricate system.The third century BCE work Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals(Lüshi chunqiu吕氏春秋)states that crops were fed by heaven and raised by earth,and that harvests depended on the farmers who worked the land.Therefore,these three elements,that is,heaven,earth,and farmers,together with crops,jointly constituted a complex community.According to the ancient Chinese,moving a crop away from its native place could bring huge benefits to the new area to which the crop was moved.When writing and compiling Fundamentals of Agriculture and Sericulture(Nongsang jiyao农桑辑要),the officials of the Agricultural Extension Bureau司农司in the Yuan dynasty(1271–1368)excitedly noted the changes brought about by non-native crops to the agriculture of the Central Plains of China中原:“Ramie(Boehmeria nivea)is a crop native to southern China,while cotton(Gossypium herbaceum)comes from the Western Regions西域.In recent years,nevertheless,ramie has been introduced to Henan,while cotton has started to be planted in Shaanxi.The two crops thrive and show no difference from local crops.Farmers in the two regions benefit a lot therefrom”(Agricultural Extension Bureau 1888,juan 2:21).
文摘Agriculture is a primary activity in many countries,with wheat being a major cereal crop in India.Accurate pre-harvest forecasts of crop acreage and production are critical for policymakers to address supply-demand dynamics,pricing,and trade.This study focuses on estimating wheat acreage and yield in Barwala block,Hisar district,Haryana,for the 2019-2020 Rabi season using remote sensing techniques.Multi-temporal satellite data capturing phenological stages of wheat(Seedling to Ripening)were processed using supervised classification with a maximum likelihood classifier in ERDAS Imagine.Wheat crop acreage was determined by overlaying ground truth points on the classified data.The estimated acreage showed a relative deviation of−1.07%compared to statistics from the Department of Agriculture(DoA),Haryana.Yield assessment employed a Semi-Physical model based on the Modified Monteith Model.Key parameters included Photosynthetically Active Radiation(PAR),fraction of PAR absorbed by wheat(fAPAR),light use efficiency,and water stress derived fromthe Land Surface Water Index(LSWI)using Sentinel-2 NIR and SWIR-1 bands.Net Primary Productivity(NPP)was computed for the wheat growth period,and grain yield was estimated using a harvest index obtained fromliterature.The estimated yield had a relative deviation of 9.3% from DoA data.The study demonstrates the potential ofmulti-temporal satellite imagery for accurate block-level wheat acreage and yield estimation,providing a valuable tool for agricultural planning and policy-making.
文摘Modern crops were derived from wild ancestors between 8000 and 12,000 years ago in a process called domestication,when humans selected plant types that gave better yield.For cereal plants,they carry so-called “domestication syndromes”,such as non-shattering spikes,free threshing grains,shorter seed dormancy,and larger grain size[1].But these early crop breeders selected only a small number of domesticated plants to satisfy their limited need,leading to a phenomenon called “domestication bottleneck”resulting in restricted genetic diversity among crop cultivars.Untapped crop wild relatives(CWRs)remain a source of traits to be bred into new cultivars with resilience to challenges facing modern agriculture.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.32172650,32430092)the Starry Night Science Fund of Zhejiang University Shanghai Institute for Advanced Study(Grant No.SN-ZJU-SIAS-0011)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(Grant No.226-2024-00119)the Innovative Development of Horticulture Discipline of Zhejiang University(Grant No.B231220.0005-25).
文摘Heterotrimeric G protein serves as a central hub in plant signal transduction,playing a pivotal role in integrating endogenous developmental signals and external environmental cues.While significant advances have been made in understanding G protein signaling mechanisms in model plants such as Arabidopsis and major crops like rice and maize,the precise regulatory roles in growth,development,and adaptation in horticultural crops are still poorly understood.In this review,we systematically summarize recent advances in uncovering both conserved and species-specific regulatory mechanisms of G protein signaling across diverse plant species.We also highlight key discoveries on the crosstalk between G protein-mediated pathways and other signaling cascades,such as hormone signaling,transcriptional regulation,and stress response networks.Finally,we discuss the potential applications of G protein signaling research in future crop improvement,offering new perspectives for advancing sustainable horticultural production.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2018YFA0606001)the Ozone Formation Mechanism and Control Strategies Project of Research Center of Eco-Environmental Sciences+3 种基金Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.RCEES-CYZX-2020)the Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42171463)H.T.and S.P.were supported by the US National Science Foundation(No.1903722)Andrew Carnegie Fellowship(No.G-F-19–56910).
文摘Surface ozone(O_(3))pollution showed a continuous increasing trend during the recent decades in China,posing an increasing threat to food security.A wide range of yield reductions have been reported and thus more studies are needed to narrow down the uncertainty resulting from spatiotemporal accuracy of O_(3) metrics and extrapolation methods.Based on a high spatial resolution(0.1°)hourly surface O_(3) data,here we analyzed the spatiotemporal O_(3) pollution patterns and impacts on yield,production and economic losses for wheat,rice,and maize in China during 2005–2020.The accumulated O_(3) exposure over a threshold of 40 ppb(AOT40)increased by 10%during 2005–2019,and a decrease of 5.56%was observed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.Rising O_(3) pollution reduced national level wheat,rice and maize yields by 14.51%±0.43%,11.10%±0.6%,and 3.99%±0.11%,respectively.A Business-As-Usual projection suggested that the relative yield loss(RYL)would potentially reach 8%–18%at the national scale by 2050 if no emission control is implemented.COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 led to significantly reduced RYL for maize(0.52%)and rice(2.17%)but not for wheat(0.11%),with the largest reduction(1.88%–9.4%)in North China Plain,highlighting the potential benefits of emission control.Our findings provided robust evidence that rising O_(3) pollution has significantly affected China’s crop yields,production and economic losses,underscoring the urgent need to curb O_(3) pollution to safeguard food security,particularly in densely populated and industrialized regions.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Devel-opment Program of China(Grant No.2023YFD1500200)the funding project of Northeast Geological S&T Innovation Center of China Geologi-cal Survey(Grant No.QCJJ2022-9)+3 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Pro-gram of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA28060100)the Youth Interdisciplinary Team Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(JCTD-2021-04)the Informatization Plan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.CAS-WX2021PY-0109)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.41971078,42271375,72221002,42001378).
文摘China’s endeavors to mitigate recurrent crop residue burning(CRB)and improve air quality have yielded positive results owing to recent pollution prevention policies.Nonetheless,persistent challenges remain,particularly in the Northeast China(NEC),where low temperature complicates crop residue management.Here,we examined the effects of cropping pattern adjustment on variations of CRB patterns in NEC during 2001-2021,utilizing the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)burned area dataset,the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite(VIIRS)active fire dataset,and the high-accuracy crop planting area maps.Our results revealed an overall upward trend of 805.96 km^(2)/yr in NEC CRB from 2001 to 2021.The corn CRB area accounted for more than 50%of the total CRB area in each CRB-intensive year(2013-2021),and the increasing corn CRB generally aligns with the growing corn cultivation fields.A seasonal shift in CRB was found around 2017,with intensive CRB activities transitioning from both autumn and spring to primarily spring,particularly in the Songnen Plain and Sanjiang Plain.The changing trend of PM2.5 concentration aligned spatially with the shift.Moreover,the CRBs in spring of 2020 and 2021 were more severe than the major burning seasons in previous years,likely due to the disruptions during COVID-19 lockdowns.In certain years,the explanatory power of spring CRB on PM2.5 concentration was comparable to that of other natural factors,such as precipitation.This study underscores the critical need for sustained and region-specific strategies to tackle the challenges posed by CRBs.
基金supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.LR25D010003)The Zhejiang Provincial Key Research and Development Program(Grant No.2023C02018)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42401400).
文摘The frequent outbreaks of crop diseases pose a serious threat to global agricultural production and food security.Data-driven forecasting models have emerged as an effective approach to support early warning and management,yet the lack of user-friendly tools for model development remains a major bottleneck.This study presents the Multi-Scenario Crop Disease Forecasting Modeling System(MSDFS),an open-source platform that enables end-to-end model construction-from multi-source data ingestion and feature engineering to training,evaluation,and deployment-across four representative scenarios:static point-based,static grid-based,dynamic point-based,and dynamic grid-based.Unlike conventional frameworks,MSDFS emphasizes modeling flexibility,allowing users to build,compare,and interpret diverse forecasting approaches within a unified workflow.A notable feature of the system is the integration of a weather scenario generator,which facilitates comprehensive testing of model performance and adaptability under extreme climatic conditions.Case studies corresponding to the four scenarios were used to validate the system,with overall accuracy(OA)ranging from 73%to 93%.By lowering technical barriers,the system is designed to serve plant protection managers and agricultural producers without advanced programming expertise,providing a practical modeling tool that supports the construction of smart plant protection systems.
文摘The present review critically examines the role of neglected and underutilized crops(NUCs)in enhancing the resilience of South Asian cropping systems and diets in the context of climate change and nutritional challenges.This analysis reveals that integrating NUCs,such as millets,sorghums,amaranth,and indigenous legumes,into existing cropping systems can significantly improve the climate resilience,dietary diversity,and ecological sustainability of the food systems.These crops exhibit superior tolerance to abiotic stress and offer higher nutritional density compared to staple cereals,such as rice and wheat.However,their adoption faces challenges,including limited research investment,fragmented value chains,etc.We further identify that complementary cropping strategies and climate-smart agriculture(CSA)practices can optimize resource use while boosting smallholder farmers’income.NUCs are pivotal for the transformation of exist cropping systems towards nutrition-sensitive and climate-resilient agricultural and food systems.Strategic integration of NUCs can simultaneously address food insecurity,biodiversity loss,and rural poverty.Yet,unlocking their potential requires coordinated efforts in genetic improvement,market development,and policy frameworks tailored to regional contexts.This synthesis provides a comprehensive roadmap for policy-makers,researchers,and farmers to leverage NUCs as“Future Smart Food”.By bridging agronomic,nutritional,and socioeconomic perspectives,this study highlights the transformative potential of NUCs in achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)across South Asian countries.
基金The study was funded by the Soil and Water Research Institute of Iran.
文摘Water is essential for agricultural production;however,climate change has exacerbated drought and water stress in arid and semi-arid areas such as Iran.Despite these challenges,irrigation water efficiency remains low,and current water management schemes are inadequate.Consequently,Iranian crops suffer from low water productivity,highlighting the urgent need for enhanced productivity and improved water management strategies.In this study,we investigated irrigation management conditions in the Hamidiyeh farm,Khuzestan Province,Iran and used the calibrated AquaCrop and WinSRFR(a surface irrigation simulation model)models to reflect these conditions.Subsequently,we examined different management scenarios using each model and evaluated the results from the second year.The findings demonstrated that combining simulation of the AquaCrop and WinSRFR models was highly effective and could be employed for irrigation management in the field.The AquaCrop model accurately simulated wheat yield in the first year,being 2.6 t/hm^(2),which closely aligned with the measured yield of 3.0 t/hm^(2).Additionally,using the WinSRFR model to adjust the length of existing borders from 200 to 180 m resulted in a 45.0%increase in efficiency during the second year.To enhance water use efficiency in the field,we recommended adopting borders with a length of 180 m,a width of 10 m,and a flow rate of 15 to 18 L/s.The AquaCrop and WinSRFR models accurately predicted border irrigation conditions,achieving the highest water use efficiency at a flow rate of 18 L/s.Combining these models increased farmers'average water consumption efficiency from 0.30 to 0.99 kg/m^(3)in the second year.Therefore,the results obtained from the AquaCrop and WinSRFR models are within a reasonable range and consistent with international recommendations.This adjustment is projected to improve the water use efficiency in the field by approximately 45.0%when utilizing the border irrigation method.Therefore,integrating these two models can provide comprehensive management solutions for regional farmers.
基金supported by the Benin Cotton Research Institute (IRC)the Cotton Interprofessional Association (AIC)+1 种基金the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)the TAZCO_(2) project (Transition Agroécologique des Zones Cotonnières du Bénin),which is funded by the Republic of Benin and the French Development Agency (AFD)。
文摘Background Agroecological cropping systems are recognised as an alternative way to ensure the sustainability of cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in the context of climate change and degradation of soil fertility. A study was conducted in Benin from 2020 to 2023 to compare six different cotton cultivars in three agroecological cropping systems in two cotton-growing zones. Plough-based tillage plus incorporation of cover crop biomass(PTI), conservation agriculture with strip tillage(CA_ST), and conservation agriculture with no tillage(CA_NT) were compared with the reference plough-based tillage(PT). The objective was to identify morpho-physiological traits of cotton that increase yield in agroecological cropping systems. Our approach combined a field experiment and crop simulation model(CSM) of CROPGRO-Cotton to evaluate the effects of genotype(G) × environment(E) × management(M) interactions on seed cotton yield(SCY).Results Cultivars Tamcot_camde and Okp768 and simulated ideotypes performed best in CA systems. Increased seed mass, large and thick leaves, and later maturity were identified as beneficial for yield enhancement in CA systems. Cultivars and ideotypes that combine these traits also resulted in better nitrogen and water use efficiencies in CA systems. Under different climate scenarios up to 2050, ideotypes designed could increase SCY in Benin.Conclusion A set of morpho-physiological traits associated with vegetative vigour is required to ensure a good SCY in agroecological cropping systems. These results provide scientific evidence and useful knowledge for breeders and research programmes on cropping systems focused on the adaptation of cotton to climate change.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42377321)。
文摘Cropland is persistently affected by soil loss by water erosion in China,which causes economic loss and threatens soil health.Integrating crop switching and improved management provides a promising strategy for controlling soil loss by water erosion in cropland and promoting sustainable agriculture.However,optimizing crop composition with fewer inputs involves balancing agricultural resource use with environmental costs.Aiming to explore the potential of crop switching as a strategy for mitigating soil erosion in cropland,we develop a spatial optimization model that redistributes the sown areas of different crops in each prefecture-level city based on existing resource availability.Our findings gained from our simulations show that crop switching in China alone can reduce total soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 13%.Furthermore,combining crop switching with improved agricultural management practices can further reduce soil erosion in cropland by an estimated 25%.Cereals including maize,wheat,and rice demonstrate significant potential for reducing soil erosion in cropland.Shifting major maize-producing areas northward could result in a substantial decrease in soil erosion,ranging from 10% to 19% of historical soil erosion in cropland.These results offer implications for formulating regional strategy in mitigating soil erosion challenges in China while maximizing the benefits from existing agricultural resource.
