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Guzmán GI, Aguilera E, Carranza-Gallego G, Alonso AM, Pontijas B. Joint analysis of land, carbon and nitrogen reveals diverging trends in the sustainability of organic crops in Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 949:174859. [PMID: 39053548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The world's top ten Organic Farming (OF) countries by converted area include several Mediterranean countries, including Spain. Despite this, little is known about the consequences of OF on crop production and environmental sustainability in this country. In this article, we conduct an agronomic analysis of Spanish considerable conversion rate to OF, which tends to concentrate in certain provinces and crops. Indeed, in the case of various crops and in several provinces, the organic share of total agricultural land exceeds 20-30 %. This concentration makes it possible to compare information obtained from farmers through interviews and provincial statistical information. The study data consisted of information collected from interviews of a representative sample of organic farmers conducted in 2004 and 2020 as well as official statistical information. The results showed that no yield gap between OF and conventional farming was found for vegetables and fruit trees, while it showed an increasing trend in arable crops. Presumably, the reason is that fruit trees and vegetables generate and incorporate high levels of carbon (C) flows into the soil and have a low land cost per unit of incorporated nitrogen (N) (or can be paid for), allowing to meet crop needs and to increase soil organic matter (SOM). Conversely, in the case of rainfed arable crops, the soil C and N inputs are deficient due to the low crop residues and the high land cost of N. Consequently, SOM destruction and N deficit progressively broaden the yield gap, undermining the agroecosystem sustainability. To reverse the situation, among other measures, it is necessary to implement agricultural policies designed to make rotations with high legume ratios viable and to plant varieties presenting higher production of residues and roots, such as traditional varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria I Guzmán
- Laboratorio de Historia de los Agroecosistemas, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain; ALIMENTTA, Think tank for the food transition, Spain.
| | - Eduardo Aguilera
- ALIMENTTA, Think tank for the food transition, Spain; Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish National Research Council, C/Albasanz 26-28, E28037 Madrid, Spain
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Chmelíková L, Schmid H, Anke S, Hülsbergen KJ. Energy-use efficiency of organic and conventional plant production systems in Germany. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1806. [PMID: 38245619 PMCID: PMC10799894 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51768-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Sustainable and efficient energy use in agriculture helps tackle climate change by reducing fossil energy use. We evaluated German farming systems by analysing energy input and output. Data from 30 organic and 30 conventional farms (12 arable, 18 dairy farms each) between 2009 and 2011 was used. Energy input, output, and the influence of farm type, farm structure, and management intensity on energy-use efficiency (EUE) were analysed for crop production using the farm management system REPRO. Conventional farms (CF) always had higher energy input. The energy input for organic farms (OF) was 7.2 GJ ha-1 and for CF 14.0 GJ ha-1. The energy output of CF was also higher. Reductions were higher in energy input than in energy output. In 73.3% of the farm pairs, OF were more energy efficient than CF. The EUE was comparable with CF on 10% of OF and for 16.7% of CF the EUE was higher suggesting better fossil energy utilization. EUE can be increased when reducing fossil energy inputs through more efficient machinery, reduction of agrochemicals, precision farming, the use of renewable energy or energy retention, and by increasing yields. A reduction of inputs is urgently required to lower the (political) dependence on fossil energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Chmelíková
- Chair of Organic Agriculture and Agronomy, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
| | - Harald Schmid
- Chair of Organic Agriculture and Agronomy, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Sandra Anke
- Chair of Organic Agriculture and Agronomy, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen
- Chair of Organic Agriculture and Agronomy, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
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Tello E, Sacristán V, Olarieta JR, Cattaneo C, Marull J, Pons M, Gingrich S, Krausmann F, Galán E, Marco I, Padró R, Guzmán GI, González de Molina M, Cunfer G, Watson A, MacFadyen J, Fraňková E, Aguilera E, Infante-Amate J, Urrego-Mesa A, Soto D, Parcerisas L, Dupras J, Díez-Sanjuán L, Caravaca J, Gómez L, Fullana O, Murray I, Jover G, Cussó X, Garrabou R. Assessing the energy trap of industrial agriculture in North America and Europe: 82 balances from 1830 to 2012. AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2023; 43:75. [PMID: 37969112 PMCID: PMC10632262 DOI: 10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Early energy analyses of agriculture revealed that behind higher labor and land productivity of industrial farming, there was a decrease in energy returns on energy (EROI) invested, in comparison to more traditional organic agricultural systems. Studies on recent trends show that efficiency gains in production and use of inputs have again somewhat improved energy returns. However, most of these agricultural energy studies have focused only on external inputs at the crop level, concealing the important role of internal biomass flows that livestock and forestry recirculate within agroecosystems. Here, we synthesize the results of 82 farm systems in North America and Europe from 1830 to 2012 that for the first time show the changing energy profiles of agroecosystems, including livestock and forestry, with a multi-EROI approach that accounts for the energy returns on external inputs, on internal biomass reuses, and on all inputs invested. With this historical circular bioeconomic approach, we found a general trend towards much lower external returns, little or no increases in internal returns, and almost no improvement in total returns. This "energy trap" was driven by shifts towards a growing dependence of crop production on fossil-fueled external inputs, much more intensive livestock production based on feed grains, less forestry, and a structural disintegration of agroecosystem components by increasingly linear industrial farm managements. We conclude that overcoming the energy trap requires nature-based solutions to reduce current dependence on fossil-fueled external industrial inputs and increase the circularity and complexity of agroecosystems to provide healthier diets with less animal products. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-023-00925-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enric Tello
- Department of Economic History, Institutions, Policy and World Economy, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vera Sacristán
- Department de Matemàtiques, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José R. Olarieta
- Department of Environment and Soil Sciences, School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Claudio Cattaneo
- Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joan Marull
- Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Manel Pons
- Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Simone Gingrich
- Institute of Social Ecology, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fridolin Krausmann
- Institute of Social Ecology, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elena Galán
- Basque Centre for Climate Change, Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
| | - Inés Marco
- Independent professional researchers, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roc Padró
- Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gloria I. Guzmán
- Agroecosystems History Laboratory, Pablo de Olavide University, Utrera Road, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Geoff Cunfer
- Department of History, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Andrew Watson
- Department of History, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Joshua MacFadyen
- Faculty of Arts, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - Eva Fraňková
- Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eduardo Aguilera
- CEIGRAM Research Centre for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Infante-Amate
- Department of Economic Theory and Economic History, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Alexander Urrego-Mesa
- Department of Economic Theory and Economic History, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - David Soto
- Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Lluis Parcerisas
- Department of Social Sciences and Commerce, Marianopolis College, Westmount, Quebec Canada
| | - Jérôme Dupras
- Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec Canada
| | - Lucía Díez-Sanjuán
- Division of Organic Farming, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Laura Gómez
- Independent professional researchers, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Onofre Fullana
- Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, Valldemossa Road, Mallorca, Spain
| | - Ivan Murray
- Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, Valldemossa Road, Mallorca, Spain
| | - Gabriel Jover
- Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Xavier Cussó
- Department of Economics and Economic History, Economics and Business, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ramon Garrabou
- Department of Economics and Economic History, Economics and Business, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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Chen S, Wang Y, Gao J, Chen X, Qi J, Peng Z, Chen B, Pan H, Liang C, Liu J, Wang Y, Wei G, Jiao S. Agricultural tillage practice and rhizosphere selection interactively drive the improvement of soybean plant biomass. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:3542-3557. [PMID: 37564021 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Rhizosphere microbes play key roles in plant growth and productivity in agricultural systems. One of the critical issues is revealing the interaction of agricultural management (M) and rhizosphere selection effects (R) on soil microbial communities, root exudates and plant productivity. Through a field management experiment, we found that bacteria were more sensitive to the M × R interaction effect than fungi, and the positive effect of rhizosphere bacterial diversity on plant biomass existed in the bacterial three two-tillage system. In addition, inoculation experiments demonstrated that the nitrogen cycle-related isolate Stenotrophomonas could promote plant growth and alter the activities of extracellular enzymes N-acetyl- d-glucosaminidase and leucine aminopeptidase in rhizosphere soil. Microbe-metabolites network analysis revealed that hubnodes Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia and Pseudomonas were recruited by specific root metabolites under the M × R interaction effect, and the inoculation of 10 rhizosphere-matched isolates further proved that these microbes could promote the growth of soybean seedlings. Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis indicated that the growth-promoting mechanisms of these beneficial genera were closely related to metabolic pathways such as amino acid metabolism, melatonin biosynthesis, aerobactin biosynthesis and so on. This study provides field observation and experimental evidence to reveal the close relationship between beneficial rhizosphere microbes and plant productivity under the M × R interaction effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiamin Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiejun Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Beibei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Haibo Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunling Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihe Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Gehong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuo Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
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Kihoma LL, Churi AJ, Sanga CA, Tisselli E. Examining the continued intention of using the Ugunduzi app in farmer-led research of agro-ecological practices among smallholder farmers in selected areas, Tanzania. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/20421338.2023.2180176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Rempelos L, Wang J, Sufar EK, Almuayrifi MSB, Knutt D, Leifert H, Leifert A, Wilkinson A, Shotton P, Hasanaliyeva G, Bilsborrow P, Wilcockson S, Volakakis N, Markellou E, Zhao B, Jones S, Iversen PO, Leifert C. Breeding Bread-Making Wheat Varieties for Organic Farming Systems: The Need to Target Productivity, Robustness, Resource Use Efficiency and Grain Quality Traits. Foods 2023; 12:1209. [PMID: 36981136 PMCID: PMC10048768 DOI: 10.3390/foods12061209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Agronomic protocols (rotation, tillage, fertilization and crop protection) commonly used in organic and conventional crop production differ significantly and there is evidence that modern varieties developed for conventional high-input farming systems do not have the combination of traits required for optimum performance in organic farming systems. Specifically, there is evidence that prohibition on the use of water-soluble, mineral N, P and K fertilizers and synthetic pesticide inputs in organic farming results in a need to revise both breeding and selection protocols. For organic production systems, the focus needs to be on the following: (i) traits prioritized by organic farmers such as high nutrient use efficiency from organic fertilizer inputs, competitiveness against weeds, and pest and disease resistance, (ii) processing quality parameters defined by millers and bakers and (iii) nutritional quality parameters demanded by organic consumers. In this article, we review evidence from variety trials and factorial field experiments that (i) studied to what extent there is a need for organic farming focused breeding programs, (ii) investigated which traits/trait combinations should be targeted in these breeding programs and/or (iii) compared the performance of modern varieties developed for the conventional sector with traditional/older varieties favored by organic farmers and/or new varieties developed in organic farming focused breeding programs. Our review focuses on wheat because there have been organic and/or low-input farming focused wheat breeding programs for more than 20 years in Europe, which has allowed the performance of varieties/genotypes from organic/low-input and conventional farming focused breeding programs to be compared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonidas Rempelos
- Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Juan Wang
- School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Enas Khalid Sufar
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Mohammed Saleh Bady Almuayrifi
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- Almadinah Regional Municipality, Medina 2020, Saudi Arabia
| | - Daryl Knutt
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Halima Leifert
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Alice Leifert
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Andrew Wilkinson
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- Gilchester Organics, Stamfordham NE18 0QL, UK
| | - Peter Shotton
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Gultekin Hasanaliyeva
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Campus, Nottinghamshire NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Paul Bilsborrow
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Steve Wilcockson
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Nikolaos Volakakis
- Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- Geokomi Plc, Sivas Festos, 70200 Crete, Greece
| | | | - Bingqiang Zhao
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS), Beijing 100081, China
| | - Stephen Jones
- Bread Lab, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Burlington, WA 98233, USA
| | - Per Ole Iversen
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IMB), University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Haematology, Oslo University Hospital, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Carlo Leifert
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IMB), University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
- SCU Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Military Rd., Lismore 2480, Australia
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Ambreetha S, Balachandar D. SCAR marker: A potential tool for authentication of agriculturally important microorganisms. J Basic Microbiol 2023; 63:4-16. [PMID: 35916264 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202200419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Microbial inoculants are globally recommended for plant growth promotion and control of plant pathogens. These inoculants require stringent quality checks for sustainable field efficacy. Questionable regulatory frameworks constantly deteriorate the reliability of bio-inoculant technology. Existing global regulations do not involve any rapid molecular technique for the routine inspection of microbial preparations. Sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker offers rapid and precise strain-level authentication of target microbes. Such advanced molecular techniques must be exploited to accurately validate the microbial formulations. Besides, the global dissemination of plant pathogenic microbes has always been an alarming threat to food security. SCAR markers could be used at the plant quarantine centers to rapidly detect catastrophic pathogens, thereby circumventing the import and export of contagious plant materials. The current review is focused on promoting the SCAR marker technology to validate commercial bio-inoculants and predict plant pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakthivel Ambreetha
- Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Dananjeyan Balachandar
- Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Ong TWY, Liao W. Agroecological Transitions: A Mathematical Perspective on a Transdisciplinary Problem. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
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Schmidt JE, Kent AD, Brisson VL, Gaudin ACM. Agricultural management and plant selection interactively affect rhizosphere microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:146. [PMID: 31699148 PMCID: PMC6839119 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0756-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rhizosphere microbial communities are key regulators of plant performance, yet few studies have assessed the impact of different management approaches on the rhizosphere microbiomes of major crops. Rhizosphere microbial communities are shaped by interactions between agricultural management and host selection processes, but studies often consider these factors individually rather than in combination. We tested the impacts of management (M) and rhizosphere effects (R) on microbial community structure and co-occurrence networks of maize roots collected from long-term conventionally and organically managed maize-tomato agroecosystems. We also explored the interaction between these factors (M × R) and how it impacts rhizosphere microbial diversity and composition, differential abundance, indicator taxa, co-occurrence network structure, and microbial nitrogen-cycling processes. RESULTS Host selection processes moderate the influence of agricultural management on rhizosphere microbial communities, although bacteria and fungi respond differently to plant selection and agricultural management. We found that plants recruit management-system-specific taxa and shift N-cycling pathways in the rhizosphere, distinguishing this soil compartment from bulk soil. Rhizosphere microbiomes from conventional and organic systems were more similar in diversity and network structure than communities from their respective bulk soils, and community composition was affected by both M and R effects. In contrast, fungal community composition was affected only by management, and network structure only by plant selection. Quantification of six nitrogen-cycling genes (nifH, amoA [bacterial and archaeal], nirK, nrfA, and nosZ) revealed that only nosZ abundance was affected by management and was higher in the organic system. CONCLUSIONS Plant selection interacts with conventional and organic management practices to shape rhizosphere microbial community composition, co-occurrence patterns, and at least one nitrogen-cycling process. Reframing research priorities to better understand adaptive plant-microbe feedbacks and include roots as a significant moderating influence of management outcomes could help guide plant-oriented strategies to improve productivity and agroecosystem sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Schmidt
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Angela D. Kent
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, N-215 Turner Hall, MC-047, 1102 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL USA
| | - Vanessa L. Brisson
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- The DOE Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 USA
| | - Amélie C. M. Gaudin
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA
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Processing Tomato–Durum Wheat Rotation under Integrated, Organic and Mulch-Based No-Tillage Organic Systems: Yield, N Balance and N Loss. AGRONOMY-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/agronomy9110718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In a 4-year study, the biannual crop rotation processing tomato–durum wheat was applied to three cropping systems: (i) an innovative organic coupled with no-tillage (ORG+) where an autumn-sown cover crop was terminated by roller-crimping and then followed by the direct transplantation of processing tomato onto the death-mulch cover; (ii) a traditional organic (ORG) with autumn-sown cover crop that was green manured and followed by processing tomato; and (iii) a conventional integrated low-input (INT) with bare soil during the fall–winter period prior to the processing tomato. N balance, yield and N leaching losses were determined. Innovative cropping techniques such as wheat–faba bean temporary intercropping and the direct transplantation of processing tomato into roll-crimped cover crop biomass were implemented in ORG+; the experiment was aimed at: (i) quantifying the N leaching losses; (ii) assessing the effect of N management on the yield and N utilization; and (iii) comparing the cropping system outputs (yield) in relation to extra-farm N sources (i.e., N coming from organic or synthetic fertilizers acquired from the market) and N losses. The effects of such innovations on important agroecological services such as yield and N recycling were assessed compared to those supplied by the other cropping systems. Independently from the soil management strategy (no till or inversion tillage), cover crops were found to be the key factor for increasing the internal N recycling of the agroecosystems and ORG+ needs a substantial improvement in terms of provisioning services (i.e., yield).
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