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1.
Valorization of Food and Agricultural Waste: A Step towards Greener Future.
Rao, P, Rathod, V
Chemical record (New York, N.Y.). 2019;(9):1858-1871
Abstract
With the progress in technology and population, an enormous amount of agricultural and food waste is being generated throughout the world. In the past, food and agro-wastes were either burnt off or allowed to rot in fields, but this can be potentially hazardous to the environment. Therefore, approaches with respect to their utilization, reuse, and processing need to be developed to enable the sustainable utilization of feedstock and reduce pollution. Agricultural wastes mainly comprise of cellulosic fibres possessing high fixed carbon content and multifunctional groups. Agricultural waste shows considerable applicability due to its high strength, environmentally benign nature, low cost, and ease of availability and reusability. All these characteristics have been researched upon in the past, in the sector of waste water management for the removal of heavy metals and dyes. Similarly, a variety of food and agro-waste has been adopted as sources for new drug leads or important phytochemicals with different therapeutic benefits. Agro-waste can also be employed for enzyme immobilization after proper modification. Apart from this waste cooking oil comes under the category of food waste and can be processed to prepare alternate energy source such as biodiesel. This personal account summarizes the development, processing, and application of food and agro-waste in the production of biodiesel, environmental remediation, curative medicine, and in the development of biocatalysts, by researchers in our laboratory.
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2.
Microalgae biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles for application in the control of agricultural pathogens.
Terra, ALM, Kosinski, RDC, Moreira, JB, Costa, JAV, Morais, MG
Journal of environmental science and health. Part. B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes. 2019;(8):709-716
Abstract
The occurrence of diseases in cultivars has caused significant losses in global food production. The advancement of nanobiotechnology makes it possible to obtain new products to be used in the control of pathogens in cultivars. Silver nanoparticles can be synthesized by microalgae and are widely known for their antimicrobial activity. In addition, the biomass produced in microalgal culture for the biosynthesis of the nanoparticles also demonstrates antimicrobial properties, as it can increase the antibacterial and antifungal potential of the silver nanoparticles. In this context, this article addresses the use of microalgae to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles simultaneously with biomass production. In addition, we demonstrate the antimicrobial potential of these nanomaterials, as well as of the microalgal biomass produced in biosynthesis, to use in the control of pathogens in agriculture.
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3.
Evaluation of the potential of sewage sludge as a valuable fertilizer for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crops.
Eid, EM, Alrumman, SA, El-Bebany, AF, Fawy, KF, Taher, MA, Hesham, AE, El-Shaboury, GA, Ahmed, MT
Environmental science and pollution research international. 2019;(1):392-401
Abstract
A greenhouse experiment was performed to assess the soil heavy metal pools, growth, yield, and heavy metal uptake of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) that are grown at different rates in soils supplemented with sewage sludge (SS). The experimental design was completely randomized, with six replicates per treatment. The application of SS significantly increased the soil organic matter content. Generally, most growth parameters, as well as the biomass of treated wheat, were significantly increased with the amendment of SS, up to the addition rate of 40 g kg-1. The content of all heavy metals (except Cr in grains and Pb in spikes) significantly increased in different tissues of treated wheat with the increasing rate of SS application. However, all heavy metal concentrations (except for Al, Cr, Fe, and Mn in the roots) were normal and did not overcome the phytotoxic levels. The wheat was recognized by a bioaccumulation factor < 1.0 for most of the heavy metals. The translocation factor for all of the heavy metals was < 1.0. Therefore, the SS utilized in the present study could be used as a valuable organic fertilizer in wheat cultivation areas in Saudi Arabia and could also act as an eco-friendly method for the recycling of SS.
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4.
Implementing an EU opt-in mechanism for GM crop cultivation.
Eriksson, D, de Andrade, E, Bohanec, B, Chatzopoulou, S, Defez, R, Leiva Eriksson, N, van der Meer, P, van der Meulen, B, Ritala, A, Sági, L, et al
EMBO reports. 2019;(5)
Abstract
A proposal for implementing an opt‐in mechanism that would allow individual member states of the EU to cultivate genetically modified crops on their territory. [Image: see text]
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5.
Undervalued potential of crassulacean acid metabolism for current and future agricultural production.
Davis, SC, Simpson, J, Gil-Vega, KDC, Niechayev, NA, Tongerlo, EV, Castano, NH, Dever, LV, Búrquez, A
Journal of experimental botany. 2019;(22):6521-6537
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Abstract
The potential for crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) to support resilient crops that meet demands for food, fiber, fuel, and pharmaceutical products far exceeds current production levels. This review provides background on five families of plants that express CAM, including examples of many species within these families that have potential agricultural uses. We summarize traditional uses, current developments, management practices, environmental tolerance ranges, and economic values of CAM species with potential commercial applications. The primary benefit of CAM in agriculture is high water use efficiency that allows for reliable crop yields even in drought conditions. Agave species, for example, grow in arid conditions and have been exploited for agricultural products in North and South America for centuries. Yet, there has been very little investment in agricultural improvement for most useful Agave varieties. Other CAM species that are already traded globally include Ananas comosus (pineapple), Aloe spp., Vanilla spp., and Opuntia spp., but there are far more with agronomic uses that are less well known and not yet developed commercially. Recent advances in technology and genomic resources provide tools to understand and realize the tremendous potential for using CAM crops to produce climate-resilient agricultural commodities in the future.
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6.
The Inherent Conflicts in Developing Soil Microbial Inoculants.
Kaminsky, LM, Trexler, RV, Malik, RJ, Hockett, KL, Bell, TH
Trends in biotechnology. 2019;(2):140-151
Abstract
Potentially beneficial microorganisms have been inoculated into agricultural soils for years. However, concurrent with sequencing advances and successful manipulation of host-associated microbiomes, industry and academia have recently boosted investments into microbial inoculants, convinced they can increase crop yield and reduce fertilizer and pesticide requirements. The efficacy of soil microbial inoculants remains unreliable, and unlike crop breeding, in which target traits (e.g., yield) have long been considered alongside environmental compatibility, microbial inoculant ecology is not sufficiently integrated into microbial selection and production. We propose a holistic temporal model of the shifting constraints on inoculants at five stages of product development and application, and highlight potential conflicts between stages. We question the feasibility of developing ideal soil microbial inoculants with current approaches.
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7.
Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea Domains in Rhizospheric Soil and Their Effects in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity.
Odelade, KA, Babalola, OO
International journal of environmental research and public health. 2019;(20)
Abstract
The persistent and undiscriminating application of chemicals as means to improve crop growth, development and yields for several years has become problematic to agricultural sustainability because of the adverse effects these chemicals have on the produce, consumers and beneficial microbes in the ecosystem. Therefore, for agricultural productivity to be sustained there are needs for better and suitable preferences which would be friendly to the ecosystem. The use of microbial metabolites has become an attractive and more feasible preference because they are versatile, degradable and ecofriendly, unlike chemicals. In order to achieve this aim, it is then imperative to explore microbes that are very close to the root of a plant, especially where they are more concentrated and have efficient activities called the rhizosphere. Extensive varieties of bacteria, archaea, fungi and other microbes are found inhabiting the rhizosphere with various interactions with the plant host. Therefore, this review explores various beneficial microbes such as bacteria, fungi and archaea and their roles in the environment in terms of acquisition of nutrients for plants for the purposes of plant growth and health. It also discusses the effect of root exudate on the rhizosphere microbiome and compares the three domains at molecular levels.
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8.
The walnut genetic resources of INRA: chronological phenotypic data and ontology.
Bernard, A, Barreneche, T, Delmas, M, Durand, S, Pommier, C, Lheureux, F, Tranchand, E, Naudin, M, Dirlewanger, E
BMC research notes. 2019;(1):662
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.), the walnut species cultivated for nut production, is grown worldwide in temperate areas. In this work, chronological phenotypic data have been collected regarding a part of the walnut genetic resources of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) of Bordeaux. Using a well described ontology, these data have been collected in order to assess the phenotypic variations among the accessions, and to better manage the germplasm collection. These data can also be helpful for any breeding program as they provide a clear phenotypic characterization of the main cultivars. DATA DESCRIPTION This paper introduces a dataset collected for 150 J. regia accessions for a period from 1965 to 2016, and for 3 observation sites, released as comma separated value spreadsheet. It includes observations about phenological traits (e.g. flowering dates), traits related to in-shell walnut (e.g. weight and size), and traits related to kernel (e.g. color). It can be used by other researchers particularly for multi-site phenological studies in the context of climate change since climate data files are also available. In addition, a complete walnut ontology was deposited in this repository and can assist to standardize the management of any walnut germplasm collection.
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9.
Roles of microbes in supporting sustainable rice production using the system of rice intensification.
Doni, F, Mispan, MS, Suhaimi, NSM, Ishak, N, Uphoff, N
Applied microbiology and biotechnology. 2019;(13):5131-5142
Abstract
The system of rice intensification (SRI) is an agroecological approach to rice cultivation that seeks to create optimal conditions for healthy plant growth by minimizing inter-plant competition, transplanting widely spaced young single seedlings, and optimizing favorable soil conditions with organic amendments, increased soil aeration by weeding, and controlled water management. These practices improve rice plant growth with yields up to three times more than with conventional cultivation methods, and increase crop resilience under biotic and abiotic stresses. This review discusses the roles of beneficial microbes in improving rice plant growth, yield, and resilience when SRI practices are used, and how these modifications in plant, soil, water, and nutrient management affect the populations and diversity of soil microorganisms. Mechanisms whereby symbiotic microbes support rice plants' growth and performance are also discussed.
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10.
The cover crop determines the AMF community composition in soil and in roots of maize after a ten-year continuous crop rotation.
Hontoria, C, García-González, I, Quemada, M, Roldán, A, Alguacil, MM
The Science of the total environment. 2019;:913-922
Abstract
Intensive agricultural practices are responsible for soil biological degradation. By stimulating indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), cover cropping enhances soil health and promotes agroecosystem sustainability. Still, the legacy effects of cover crops (CCs) and the major factors driving the AM fungal community are not well known; neither is the influence of the specific CC. This work describes a field experiment established in Central Spain to test the effect of replacing winter fallow by barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) or vetch (Vicia sativa L.) during the intercropping of maize (Zea mays L.). We examined the community composition of the AMF in the roots and rhizosphere soil associated with the subsequent cash crop after 10 years of cover cropping, using Illumina technology. The multivariate analysis showed that the AMF communities under the barley treatment differed significantly from those under fallow, whereas no legacy effect of the vetch CC was detected. Soil organic carbon, electrical conductivity, pH, Ca and microbial biomass carbon were identified as major factors shaping soil AMF communities. Specific AMF taxa were found to play a role in plant uptake of P, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cd, which may shed light on the functionality of these taxa. In our conditions, the use of barley as a winter CC appears to be an appropriate choice with respect to promotion of AMF populations and biological activity in agricultural soils with intercropping systems. However, more research on CC species and their legacy effect on the microbial community composition and functionality are needed to guide decisions in knowledge-based agriculture.