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The use of seaweed-based bioproducts has been gaining momentum in crop production systems owing to their unique bioactive components and effects. They have phytostimulatory properties that result in increased plant growth and yield parameters in several important crop plants. They have phytoelicitor activity as their components evoke defense responses in plants that contribute to resistance to several pests, diseases, and abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, and cold. This is often linked to the upregulation of important defense-related genes and pathways in the plant system, priming the plant defenses against future attacks. They also evoke phytohormonal responses due to their specific components and interaction with plant growth regulation. Treatment by seaweed extracts and products also causes significant changes in the microbiome components of soil and plant in support of sustainable plant growth. Seaweed extracts contain a plethora of substances which are mostly organic, but trace levels of inorganic nutrient elements are also present. Fractionation of seaweed extracts into their components and their respective bioassays, however, has not yielded favorable growth effects. Only the whole seaweed extracts have been consistently proven to be very effective, which highlights the role of multiple components and their complex interactive effects on plant growth processes. Since seaweed extracts are highly organic, they are ideally suited for organic farming and environmentally sensitive crop production. They are also very compatible with other crop inputs, paving the way for an integrated management approach geared towards sustainability. The current review discusses the growth and functional effects evoked by seaweed extracts and their modes and mechanisms of action in crop plants which are responsible for elicitor and phytostimulatory activities. The review further analyses the potential value of seaweed extracts in integrated crop management systems towards sustainable crop production.

Nitrogen (N) is widely distributed in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. It is a basic component of every plant cell as well as microorganisms, as a component of proteins, nucleic acids and chlorophyll. It enters soil with organic and mineral fertilizers, plant and animal residues and biological nitrogen fixation. There are various forms of nitrogen in soil, and this element is usually transformed by microorganisms. The transformation of nitrogen compounds (ammonification, nitrification and immobilization) is significantly influenced by climatic conditions and the physicochemical properties of soil. Microbial mineralization of nitrogen organic matter results in the enrichment of soil with this element, which is necessary to generate a yield. The amount of nitrogen entering soil through the mineralization of crop residues ranges from 15 to 45 kg N/ha in cereal residues and from 80 to 144 kg N/ha in winter rape residues. Biological nitrogen fixation can increase the nitrogen content in soil by 30–50 kg/ha/year. In recent decades, the mismanagement of mineral fertilizers has drastically changed the natural balance of the nitrogen cycle. Every year huge amounts of nitrogen compounds enter the aquatic ecosystems and cause their eutrophication. That is why it is important to have adequate knowledge of sustainable fertilization so as to practice integrated crop management.

The growth of the Indonesian population has led to an increase in the demand for rice, which the country has yet to satisfy. Indonesia needs a comprehensive strategy that integrates meaningful efforts to increase its agricultural production. This study aims to review the examined trends in rice yield in Indonesia for 70 years after Indonesia’s independence (1945–2016) followed by the identification of the application technology and factors that contribute to increasing rice yields to forecast sustainable food security scenarios up to 2030. This article reviews the results of research on rice production technology in Indonesia from 1945 to 2016, and the outlook for 2030. This paper examines the main points of the Indonesian transformation of rice technology: improvement of rice varieties, integrated crop management, innovations in agricultural machinery, and the Integrated Cropping Calendar Information System (ICCIS). We found that transformation has helped Indonesia increased its rice yields from 3 t ha−1 prior to 1961 to 4.6 t ha−1 in 1985, stagnated in 1990, and increased again in 2017 to 5.46 t ha−1. The increase in yield was sustained by an increase in the harvested area owing to cropping index (CI) innovation. Food security and sustainable development remain the primary goals of Indonesia’s agricultural sector. The application of appropriate technologies and institutional innovations can assist Indonesia in achieving its food security. Therefore, the transformation of technological innovations will continue to be an essential driver of future agricultural growth, including greater use of crop varieties, machinery, and land/institutional reforms.

Photosynthesis, crop health and dry matter partitioning are among the most important factors influencing crop productivity and quality. Identifying variation in these parameters may help discover the plausible causes for crop productivity differences under various management practices and cropping systems. Thus, a 2-year (2019–2020) study was undertaken to investigate how far the integrated crop management (ICM) modules and cropping systems affect maize physiology, photosynthetic characteristics, crop vigour and productivity in a holistic manner. The treatments included nine main-plot ICM treatments [ICM 1 to ICM 4 – conventional tillage (CT)-based; ICM 5 to ICM 8 – conservation agriculture (CA)-based; ICM 9 – organic agriculture (OA)-based] and two cropping systems, viz ., maize–wheat and maize + blackgram–wheat in subplots. The CA-based ICM module, ICM 7 resulted in significant ( p < 0.05) improvements in the physiological parameters, viz ., photosynthetic rate (42.56 μ mol CO 2 m –2 sec –1 ), transpiration rate (9.88 m mol H 2 O m –2 sec –1 ) and net assimilation rate (NAR) (2.81 mg cm –2 day –1 ), crop vigour [NDVI (0.78), chlorophyll content (53.0)], dry matter partitioning toward grain and finally increased maize crop productivity (6.66 t ha –1 ) by 13.4–14.2 and 27.3–28.0% over CT- and OA-based modules. For maize equivalent grain yield (MEGY), the ICM modules followed the trend as ICM 7 > ICM 8 > ICM 5 > ICM 6 > ICM 3 > ICM 4 > ICM 1 > ICM 2 > ICM 9 . Multivariate and PCA analyses also revealed a positive correlation between physiological parameters, barring NAR and both grain and stover yields. Our study proposes an explanation for improved productivity of blackgram-intercropped maize under CA-based ICM management through significant improvements in physiological and photosynthetic characteristics and crop vigour. Overall, the CA-based ICM module ICM 7 coupled with the maize + blackgram intercropping system could be suggested for wider adoption to enhance the maize production in semiarid regions of India and similar agroecologies across the globe.

In recent years, agricultural growth in China has accelerated remarkably, but most of this growth has been driven by increased yield per unit area rather than by expansion of the cultivated area. Looking towards 2030, to meet the demand for grain and to feed a growing population on the available arable land, it is suggested that annual crop production should be increased to around 580 Mt and that yield should increase by at least 2% annually. Crop production will become more difficult with climate change, resource scarcity (e.g. land, water, energy, and nutrients) and environmental degradation (e.g. declining soil quality, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and surface water eutrophication). To pursue the fastest and most practical route to improved yield, the near-term strategy is application and extension of existing agricultural technologies. This would lead to substantial improvement in crop and soil management practices, which are currently suboptimal. Two pivotal components are required if we are to follow new trajectories. First, the disciplines of soil management and agronomy need to be given increased emphasis in research and teaching, as part of a grand food security challenge. Second, continued genetic improvement in crop varieties will be vital. However, our view is that the biggest gains from improved technology will come most immediately from combinations of improved crops and improved agronomical practices. The objectives of this paper are to summarize the historical trend of crop production in China and to examine the main constraints to the further increase of crop productivity. The paper provides a perspective on the challenge faced by science and technology in agriculture which must be met both in terms of increased crop productivity but also in increased resource use efficiency and the protection of environmental quality.

This review explores the transformative potential of precision agriculture and proximal sensing in revolutionizing crop management practices. By delving into the complexities of these cutting-edge technologies, it examines their role in mitigating the adverse impacts of agrochemical usage while bringing crop health monitoring to a high precision level. The review explains how precision agriculture optimizes production while safeguarding environmental integrity, thus offering a viable solution to both ecological and economic challenges arising from excessive agrochemical application. Furthermore, it investigates various proximal sensing techniques, including spectral imaging, thermal imaging, and fluorescence sensors, showcasing their efficacy in detecting and diagnosing crop health indicators such as stress factors, nutrient deficiencies, diseases, and pests. Through an in-depth analysis of relevant studies and successful practical applications, this review highlights that it is essential to bridge the gap between monitoring sensors and real-time decision-making and to improve image processing and data management systems to fully realize their potential in terms of sustainable crop management practices.

Organic farming is a holistic production management system that promotes and enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity, and consequently, it is an efficient and promising approach for sustainable agriculture within a circular and green economy. There has been a rise in the consumption of organic vegetables in the last years because of their organoleptic properties, higher nutritive value and lower risk of chemical residues harmful to health. The recent scientific evidence regarding the use of the major elements responsible for organic vegetable crop production indicates plant material, soil management and crop nutrition, soil disinfection, crop management and pest, disease and weed management. These techniques are the focus of this study. In general, the main outcomes of this review demonstrate that a great effort of innovation and research has been carried out by industry, researchers and farmers in order to reduce the environmental impact of the established and innovative horticultural practices while satisfying the requirements of consumers. However, research-specific studies should be carried out in different farming systems and pedoclimatic conditions to achieve the highest efficiency of these horticultural practices.

Habitat simplification and intensive use of pesticides are main drivers of global arthropod declines and are, thus, decreasing natural pest control. Organic farming, complex landscapes, and local vineyard management practices such as implementation of flower-rich cover-crop mixtures may be a promising approach to enhance predator abundance and, therefore, natural pest control. We examined the effect of organic versus integrated management, cover-crop diversity in the vineyard inter-rows, and landscape composition on the natural pest control of Lobesia botrana eggs and pupae. Predation of L. botrana pupae was reduced by organic farming and species-poor cover-crops by about 10%. Predation rates of L. botrana eggs did not differ significantly in any of the studied management options. Dominant predators were earwigs (Forficulidae), bush crickets (Tettigoniidae), and ants (Formicidae). Negative effects of organic viticulture are most likely related to the negative nontarget effects on arthropods related to the frequent sulfur and copper applications in combination with the avoidance of strongly damaging insecticides by integrated winegrowers. While a 10% difference in predation rates on a single pest stage is unlikely to have strong practical implications, our results show that the assumed effectiveness of environmentally friendly agriculture needs to be evaluated for specific crops and regions.

The establishment and management of cover crops are common practices widely used in irrigated viticulture around the world, as they bring great benefits not only to protect and improve the soil, but also to control vine vigor and improve the yield quality, among others. However, these benefits are often reduced when cover crops are infested by Cynodon dactylon (bermudagrass), which impacts crop production due to its competition for water and nutrients and causes important economic losses for the winegrowers. Therefore, the discrimination of Cynodon dactylon in cover crops would enable site-specific control to be applied and thus drastically mitigate damage to the vineyard. In this context, this research proposes a novel, automatic and robust image analysis algorithm for the quick and accurate mapping of Cynodon dactylon growing in vineyard cover crops. The algorithm was developed using aerial images taken with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and combined decision tree (DT) and object-based image analysis (OBIA) approaches. The relevance of this work consisted in dealing with the constraint caused by the spectral similarity of these complex scenarios formed by vines, cover crops, Cynodon dactylon, and bare soil. The incorporation of height information from the Digital Surface Model and several features selected by machine learning tools in the DT-OBIA algorithm solved this spectral similarity limitation and allowed the precise design of Cynodon dactylon maps. Another contribution of this work is the short time needed to apply the full process from UAV flights to image analysis, which can enable useful maps to be created on demand (within two days of the farmer´s request) and is thus timely for controlling Cynodon dactylon in the herbicide application window. Therefore, this combination of UAV imagery and a DT-OBIA algorithm would allow winegrowers to apply site-specific control of Cynodon dactylon and maintain cover crop-based management systems and their consequent benefits in the vineyards, and also comply with the European legal framework for the sustainable use of agricultural inputs and implementation of integrated crop management.

Adaptation strategies are essential to manage water demand and ensure optimal use of available water resources under climate change. Identification and prioritization of adaptation options would greatly support decision-making in drought-prone Northwest Bangladesh. This study identified climate adaptation options by literature review and stakeholder consultation, then used multi-criteria analysis to evaluate and prioritize the options. The complexity of the options was also evaluated, specifically social, institutional, and technical obstacles to their local uptake. Seventy-two adaptation options were identified, spanning six sector categories. The options were further classified as in-system dependent, i.e., options that could be implemented by local actors, or as out-system dependent, i.e., options reliant on actions by external actors. Finally, they were defined as on-farm or off-farm strategies. Transboundary cooperation to increase surface water flows was ranked as the overall top-priority option, though this option is very complex and out-system dependent. Integrated water resources management and integrated crop management were the top-ranked options in the water management and crop production management sectors, respectively. Clustering scattered households and offering training programs in on-farm water management were the most and least complex measures, respectively. Stakeholders exhibited a clear preference for higher scale out-system dependent strategies, rather than in-system dependent options focused on changing the agricultural system itself to cope with climate change. Nonetheless, it is recommended that short-term and medium-term planning focus on opportunities to implement achievable adaptation measures within the local agricultural system. Investment in complex, externally dependent strategies is important for long-term planning.