Effects of introduced macadamia on soil organic carbon and water stocks in subtropical agroforestry systems of southwestern China
Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia)-based agroforestry systems,widely adopted in Yunnan Province, China since 1981, are critical for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. However, their effects on SOC stocks and coupling mechanisms with soil water dynamics remains poorly understood. This study quantified changes in SOC and soil water stocks following the conversion from primary forest to macadamia monoculture and intercropping systems (dasheen, konjac, and maize) in Yongde […]
Management strategies to optimize peanut yields in Argentina under restrictive environmental conditions
Peanut production in Argentina is predominantly rainfed, with considerable variability in rainfall patterns within and between seasons. This variability results in droughts of varying duration and severity, which can significantly reduce yields. Water availability is, therefore, a critical factor in determining the optimal sowing date. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the effects of sowing […]
Vegetation Monitoring of Palm Trees in an Oasis Environment (Boudenib, Morocco) Using Automatic Processing of Medium-Resolution Remotely Sensed Data
Oases are part of the natural wealth and heritage of Morocco and contribute to the social, economic, and touristic environment. Morocco has lost more than 2/3 of its oases during the past century due to water scarcity, succession of drought periods, climate change and over-exploitation of groundwater resources. Palm trees are strongly dependent on irrigation […]
Understanding the photosynthesis in relation to climate change in grapevines
Due to predicted global climate change, there have been significant alterations in agricultural production patterns, which had a negative impact on ecosystems as well as the commercial and export prospects for the production of grapevines. The natural biochemistry of grapevines, including their chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, Fv/Fm ratio, photorespiration, reduced yield, and quality is […]
Optimization of irrigation on walnut through the IRRIFRAME water balance model
In recent years, reduced summer precipitation frequencies related to climate change have raised the probability of water scarcity, even in the Po Valley of Italy, thus requiring an optimization of the irrigation management for walnut cultivation which has become very present in the area. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, during four […]
Microbial dynamics and agroforestry impact on soil ecosystem multifunctionality following forest conversion to macadamia-based systems
Forest conversion to agroforestry systems has the potential to impact soil ecosystem functions in terrestrial ecosystems and optimize crop management, which may play a critical role in sustaining soil ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF, defined as simultaneously provision of multiple ecosystem functions) in a subtropical agroforestry system. However, the impact of sowing crops on soil EMF and […]
Halotolerant Pseudomonas-induced alleviation of salt stress and promotion of growth in peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Salinity stress is a major abiotic factor limiting crop productivity, particularly in sensitive crops like peanuts (Arachis hypogaea). This study evaluated the potential of Pseudomonas geniculata ND09 in alleviating salt stress impacts on peanut growth under controlled and field conditions. In pot experiments, salt stress significantly reduced root and shoot lengths, biomass, and pod yield while increasing […]
Land Use/Change and Local Population Movements in Stone Pine Forests: A Case Study of Western Türkiye
One of the important distribution areas of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), a native tree species of the Mediterranean Basin in Türkiye, is the Kozak Basin. Pine nut production plays an important role in the livelihood of the rural people of the Kozak Basin. However, in recent years, as a result of mining activities, climate change, […]
Evaluation of Physiological Changes in Important Dried Apricot Varieties Under Drought Stress
Nearly all of the apricot varieties grown in Malatya are dried apricots and the plantation areas in this region are expanding daily. Due to the impact of climate change, producers are growing apricots mostly under limited irrigation or even dry conditions. Therefore, it is essential to determine the drought resistance characteristics of the varieties commonly […]
Water use dynamics of almond and pistachio crops in the Mediterranean region amid climate change
Almond and pistachio are socio-economically significant tree crops grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV). Continuing commercial production with efficient irrigation planning under changing climate requires an extensive understanding of their biophysical interactions such as altered phenology, biomass accumulation, transpiration, and other processes. This study examines the phenology and water use (ETc) responses of almonds and […]
Intercropping alfalfa during almond orchard establishment reduces winter soil nitrogen and water losses, provides on-farm revenue
The ecosystem benefits linked to intercropping and diversified agroecosystems is an area with increasing research interest, particularly in sustainable food production and farm resilience to extreme climate variability. Interrow cropping of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb] orchards during the 3–4 non-bearing, establishment years has potential to advance sustainable intensification in […]
Drought and heat stress interactions: Unveiling the molecular and physiological responses of Persian walnut
While numerous studies explored the response of walnut plants to drought stress (DS), there remains a significant gap in the knowledge regarding the impact of heat stress (HS) and the combined effects of DS and HS on the recovery capacity of walnut trees. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of Persian walnut (cv. Chandler) […]
Dendrochronological Analysis of Pinus pinea in Central Chile and South Spain for Sustainable Forest Management
Pinus pinea is an important Mediterranean species due to its adaptability and tolerance to aridity and its high-quality pine nuts. Different forest types located in Mediterranean native and non-native environments provide the opportunity to perform comparative studies on the species’ response to climate change. The aims of this study were to elucidate growth patterns of […]
Protocol: A Novel Approach to Assess Several Environmental Impacts of Diets on Differences of Nut Intake
Objectives: Many dietary guidelines encourage nut intake. However, the role of nuts in environmentally sustainable diets has been questioned due to their water-intensive agricultural demands. Nuts are condensed sources of protein and fats, making them a reasonable replacement for protein and fat-rich animal foods, thus potentially influencing a diet’s environmental sustainability. The proposed study aims […]
Mitigation of salinity stress in ‘Chandler’ walnuts through the application of Ascophyllum nodosum extracts to soil: effects on growth, yield, and its impact on physical and biological soil properties
In Chile most of the walnut orchards are located in semiarid areas prone to saline conditions. Therefore, mitigating salinity stress is a relevant issue for farmers, especially for ‘Chandler’, the most sensitive planted variety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an extract of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE; Acadian Organic®), applied through […]
Agronomic response, transpiration and water productivity of four almond production systems under different irrigation regimes
In recent years, more intensive production systems have been developed, coinciding with a growing scarcity of water resources. This context underscores the imperative of prioritizing water productivity (WP) as a critical factor in choosing the optimal production system to minimize agricultural water use. This study aims to contribute by evaluating WP in almond orchards under […]
Effect of drought stress and subsequent re-watering on the physiology and nutrition of Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica
Arid and semi-arid regions are characterised by extreme conditions including drought stress and salinity. These factors profoundly affect the agricultural sector. The objective of this work is to study the effect of drought and re-watering on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and mineral nutrition in Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica. Water stress was applied to […]
Effect of deficit irrigation on physiological, morphological and fruit quality traits of six walnut tree cultivars in the inland area of Central Asia
Persian walnut, a drought-sensitive tree, exhibits significant genetic variation in functional traits in response to drought—a domain that remains largely unexplored. This study examines the impact of two distinct irrigation regimes—conventional irrigation (CI) and deficit irrigation (DI)—on physiological, morphological, and fruit quality traits across six walnut tree cultivars in a scion orchard during the summer […]
Yield prediction in a peanut breeding program using remote sensing data and machine learning algorithms
Peanut is a critical food crop worldwide, and the development of high-throughput phenotyping techniques is essential for enhancing the crop’s genetic gain rate. Given the obvious challenges of directly estimating peanut yields through remote sensing, an approach that utilizes above-ground phenotypes to estimate underground yield is necessary. To that end, this study leveraged unmanned aerial […]
Cashew gum hydrogel as an alternative to minimize the effect of drought stress on soybean
The use of hydrogels helps the production of plants in drought-stress environments. Thus, this work evaluated using different hydrogels to minimize drought stress in soybean cultivation. The treatments employed two different hydrogels, one already commercialized and the other produced with cashew gum (Anacardium occidentale), five levels (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 mg pot-1) of […]
Advancements in peanut mechanization: Implications for sustainable agriculture
Context: Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) hold significant global economic and nutritional importance, positioning them as a crucial crop in the realm of sustainable agriculture. In this comprehensive systematic and meta-analytic review, we thoroughly examine the extensive research and innovative strategies related to mechanizing peanut farming, with a specific focus on activities encompassing tilling, sowing, and harvesting. […]
Maize/peanut rotation intercropping improves ecosystem carbon budget and economic benefits in the dry farming regions of China
Monoculture is widely practiced to increase crop productivity, but long-term adaptation has drawbacks as it increases the depletion of soil nutrients and reduces soil quality, especially in dryland areas. Conversion from traditional maize monoculture to intercropping improves sustainable production. However, maize/peanut intercropping, especially rotation of planting strips impacts of maize/peanut intercropping in dryland on carbon […]
Natural variation in photosynthesis and water use efficiency of locally adapted Persian walnut populations under drought stress and recovery
Persian walnut is a drought-sensitive species with considerable genetic variation in the photosynthesis and water use efficiency of its populations, which is largely unexplored. Here, we aimed to elucidate changes in the efficiency of photosynthesis and water content using a diverse panel of 60 walnut families which were submitted to a progressive drought for 24 […]
Effect of drought stress and subsequent re-watering on the physiology and nutrition of Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica
Arid and semi-arid regions are characterised by extreme conditions including drought stress and salinity. These factors profoundly affect the agricultural sector. The objective of this work is to study the effect of drought and re-watering on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and mineral nutrition in Pistacia vera and Pistacia atlantica. Water stress was applied to […]
Trend Analysis of Different Climate Parameters and Watering Requirements for Hazelnut in Central Italy Related to Climate Change
In this study, the effects of climate change on the irrigation water requirement of hazelnut trees were investigated in Central Italy. The meteorological variables considered were precipitation, temperature, chilling units, and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) in Central Italy. The hydrological variables were the reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and the water requirement based on soil water […]
Interventions for sourcing EAT-Lancet diets within national agricultural areas: A global analysis.
Trade has helped the global food system drastically reduce world hunger. However, it has also left nations vulnerable to food-trade shocks that can lead to local food shortages. National food resilience may be increased by exploring the feasibility of adapting healthy diets to local production and sourcing. The EAT-Lancet diet has been proposed as a […]
Quantitative analysis of almond yield response to irrigation regimes in Mediterranean Spain.
Almond plantations are expanding worldwide, specifically in Spain; the new orchards are often designed under more intensive systems in comparison to the traditional rainfed orchards frequently found in the Mediterranean Sea basin. In these new areas, water is the main limiting factor, and therefore, the present research is aimed at quantitatively analyzing previous findings obtained […]
From fallow ground to common ground: Perspectives on future land uses in the San Joaquin valley under sustainable groundwater management.
Agriculture dominates California’s San Joaquin Valley with over five million acres of farmland produces 400 different commodities ranging from nuts, tree fruits, vines, and row crops. During dry years agricultural production in the San Joaquin Valley uses about 53% of total applied water in the state. Implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) will […]
The State of Food and Agriculture 2022. Leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agrifood systems
Automation has been shaping world agriculture since the early twentieth century. Motorized mechanization has brought significant benefits in terms of improved productivity, reduced drudgery and more efficient allocation of labour, but also some negative environmental impacts. More recently, a new generation of digital agricultural automation technologies has appeared, with the potential to further enhance productivity, […]
Water provisioning increases caged worker bee lifespan and caged worker bees are living half as long as observed 50 years ago.
The high loss rates of honey bee colonies drive research for solutions aimed to mitigate these losses. While honey bee colonies are superorganisms, experiments that measure the response to stressors often use caged individuals to allow for inference in a controlled setting. In an initial experiment, we showed that caged honey bees provisioned with various […]
Developing sustainable land-use patterns at watershed scale using nexus of soil, water, energy, and food.
Aside from the many services that soil provides, it also stores water and makes it available to crops, which is critical for food security. However, the necessity of further studies for overcoming the existing gap in relation to the role of soil in the water, energy, and food nexus system has been preoccupying the experts […]
The effect of nut growth limitation on triose phosphate utilization and down-regulation of photosynthesis in almond.
There is a controversy regarding when it is appropriate to apply the irrigation restriction in almond trees (Prunus dulcis Mill.) to save water without penalizing yield. We hypothesized that knowing when plants demand fewer photoassimilates would be a good indicator of less sensitivity of the crop to water deficit. One parameter that defines the photosynthetic […]
Salinity of irrigation water selects distinct bacterial communities associated with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) root.
Saline water irrigation has been used in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) agriculture as an alternative to non-saline water due to water scarcity in hyper-arid environments. However, the knowledge pertaining to saline water irrigation impact on the root-associated bacterial communities of arid agroecosystems is scarce. In this study, we investigated the effect of irrigation sources […]
Dryland irrigation increases accumulation rates of pedogenic carbonate and releases soil abiotic CO2
Agricultural fields in drylands are challenged globally by limited freshwater resources for irrigation and also by elevated soil salinity and sodicity. It is well known that pedogenic carbonate is less soluble than evaporate salts and commonly forms in natural drylands. However, few studies have evaluated how irrigation loads dissolved calcium and bicarbonate to agricultural fields, […]
Establishing a Reference Baseline for Midday Stem Water Potential in Olive and Its Use for Plant-Based Irrigation Management.
Midday stem water potential (SWP) is rapidly becoming adopted as a standard tool for plant-based irrigation management in many woody perennial crops. A reference or “baseline” SWP has been used in some crops (almond, prune, grape, and walnut) to account for the climatic influence of air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on SWP under non-limiting soil […]