Temperature-dependent IR (TIR) spectroscopy is highly informative for complex samples. This approach increases the informativeness of soil IR spectra, which are characterized by low-intensity characteristic bands, especially those of soil organic matter (SOM). Cluster analysis with machine learning (ML) was used with attenuated total-reflection TIR. Dimensionality reduction algorithms are PCA, NMF, t-SNE, and LDA. Agricultural land-use chernozems (native, fallow, cropland, and shelterbelt) were subjected to granulometric fractionation to obtain a broad range of soil particles and microaggregates. Silt (size, <2 µm), dust (2–5 µm), cutoff (<20 and <50 µm), and narrow (20–30, 40–50, 50–100, and 100–200 µm) fractions were selected as characteristic. Different thermal behavior of bands assigned to SOM and inorganic matrix was found. Among them are hydrogen-bond region (4000–3200 cm^–1), aromatic/aliphatic fragments (3100–2800 cm^–1), carboxylic acids, carboxylates, and other SOM functional groups (1800–1200 cm^–1), and bands associated with phytoliths and quartz (850–150 cm^–1). While individual IR spectra do not provide enough information for differentiation due to broad and unresolved bands, changes in band frequencies and integral intensities in TIR (heatmap analysis) separates land-use samples based on the vegetation and agrogenic loads. Main contributions are changes in biogenic quartz and phytoliths. However, direct TIR analysis cannot distinguish fine fractions (dust, silt, and <20 µm). To the contrary, ML-TIR-based approaches, especially t-SNE, provided the separation of fine-size samples with increased contributions from SOM due to dimensionality reduction, which cannot be employed in direct approaches.

The Fig Fleck-related Virus (FFKaV), was found to be present for the first time in this study, which used the RT-PCR technique to examine seven related viruses known to cause fig mosaic disease, the virus is transmitted through vegetative propagation methods, FMD has a pathogenic effect on the fig tree, Fig mosaic prevention efforts mostly focus on understanding the viruses that cause the illness, Since this virus is one of the viruses linked to FMD, it is crucial to keep in mind that finding viruses that cause the disease's onset is necessary for a thorough and accurate diagnosis of the condition, as well as for the proper management of fig mosaic disease.100 fig leaf samples were chosen at random from 4 southern cities. Six viruses linked to the sickness were found, according to the findings. The results showed that 14% of all samples had FFKaV, and in some samples, the injury was evident on younger leaves by way of the clearing (flecking) of some veins. Mixed infections of FCV with FFkaV and FMV with FFkaV were discovered; they were found in 71.4% of infected samples for FCV with FFkaV and 50% of infected samples for FMV with FFkaV. They were also found in 42.2%, 14.2%, and 7% of infected samples for FFkaV with FLMaV-1, FLMaV-2, and FMMaV, respectively, these findings need intensified scientific efforts to control the etiology of FMD in addition to the fact that the survey's results showed no virus (FLV-1) in any of the study's samples.

Melissa officinalis L. is a well-known herb for its ethnopharmacological properties owing to its essential oils. However, essential oil yield remains relatively low when compared to other members of the Lamiaceae family, necessitating breeding for improvement. This study investigated oryzalin as an antimitotic agent to induce polyploidy in M. officinalis for crop improvement mainly aiming for higher essential oil yield. Nodal segments were micropropagated and exposed to 20, 40, and 60 μM oryzalin for 24 and 48 hours. The survival rate declined exponentially with higher concentrations and durations. The highest polyploid induction rate (8%) occurred with 40 μM for 24 hours. Tetraploid plants displayed vigorous growth, with longer shoots, larger leaves, and more leaves per shoot. Their average essential oil yield increased by 75% due to larger peltate trichomes. Tetraploid and diploid plants shared geranial, neral, and citronellal as major components although 11.06% and 9.49% increase in geranial and neral, respectively was observed in tetraploid plants. In conclusion, oryzalin effectively induced polyploidy in M. officinalis, leading to tetraploid plants with superior agronomical traits and significantly higher essential oil yield. These findings hold promising avenue for meeting commercial demand and advancing the cultivation of this valuable herb. Further research on optimizing polyploid induction methods could contribute to the growth of Melissa officinalis L. as a more productive and economically viable crop.

The treated livestock wastewater effluent may still contain a high concentration of nitrogen and phosphate posing an environmental risk such as eutrophication. Chlorella (Chlorella sorokiniana T89) is a freshwater microalga used in research of biofuel, animal feed, and wastewater treatment due to the ability of high growth rate and ease of cultivation. The objective of this research is to investigate whether chlorella can be cultivated by livestock effluent and can effectively reduce the high concentration of nitrogen and phosphate. The effluent was treated by no heating, boiling and sterilization (2 hours at 150 degrees Celsius) and mixed at different ratio of BG-11 medium with micronutrients (0%, 50%, & 100%, respectively). The growth of chlorella was measured daily at 682 nm using a spectrophotometer over a period of 7 days. Results showed that direct culture in raw effluent lead to very poor growth (Day 7, OD₆₈₂=0.1), and heating and sterilization alone improved growth by 100%. It was postulated that the improved growth was contributed by the elimination of microorganisms by sterilization, yet when raw effluent was added with BG-11, the growth was increased 6 times (OD₆₈₂=0.6). The best growth of chlorella was observed in effluent treated both with sterilization and the addition of BG-11 (OD₆₈₂=0.9). Nutrient analysis of the treated waste is undertaken.

Echinacea purpurea is a popular medicinal plant used in Europe and North America. Firstly, this study is to determine the feasibility of cultivating Echinacea in the tropics and to investigate the effects of chicken manure and plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) on the growth and yield of E. purpurea. Results showed that chicken manure was effective in promoting plant vegetative growth, and the combination of chicken manure and PGPR showed the most promotion in plant root length and flower yield, with the average flower number reaching 60 per plant. Secondly, fractions extracted from E. purpurea leaves, roots, and flowers using different extraction solvents and procedures were tested for the antimicrobial efficacy against four pathogenic strains using paper disc diffusion tests. According to the disc diffusion assay results, little or no antimicrobial activities were observed for fractions extracted with water, hexane, and 70% ethanol. On the contrary, saturated flower fraction extracted with methanol gave rise to inhibition zones of all four tested strains, reaching 14.8, 18.4, 19.7, and 19.0 mm for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Candida albicans. Thirdly, the antimicrobial efficacy of an alcohol-free mouthwash product prototype containing 1.0% the methanol extract was compared with a commercial product in an efficacy assay. Results showed that the Echinacea mouthwash prototype reduced S. sobrinus counts by 90% in 5 mins.

Solar-powered greenhouses is an efficient tool for achieving energy efficiency for facility agriculture. Integration of practices such as the application of biofertilizers, recycled manure, and regionally sourced ingredients in culture media could further improve sustainability of food production. A study was conducted to test the effects of chicken manure (CM) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) on cucumber grown in different proportions of fermented spent mushroom compost (SMC, Mix 1, 2, and 3) in a solar panel greenhouse. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates and six treatments as follows: (i) Control+Mix1; (ii) PSB+Mix1; (iii) CM+Mix1; (iv) PSB+CM+Mix1; (v) PSB+CM+Mix2; and (vi) PSB+CM+Mix3. Mixes 1, 2, and 3 contain SMC ratios of 62, 0, and 90 %, respectively. Results showed that the PSB+CM+Mix2 and PSB+CM+Mix3 exhibited better crop growth, above-ground biomass, and fruit yield. Total soluble solids of fruits did not show significant differences among the various treatments. Higher nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations, and chlorophyll content were observed higher in all treatments with Mix 1 but did not lead to higher fruit production than PSB+CM+Mix2 and PSB+CM+Mix3, which gave rise to the highest fruit yields. Hence, it is evident that fermented SMC showed great potential to replace peat moss for cucumber cultivation in solar panel greenhouses. When combined use of CM and PSB, the crop yield was further enhanced, allowing for both green energy generation and agricultural production to be achieved simultaneously.

For the last three decades, the Government of India (GOI) has used watershed management to solve the issue of sustainable agricultural output in rainfed areas. Additionally, since 2003, the GOI has made watershed management a national policy. Much thought is given to all the significant crops that have disappeared from cropping systems in today's Indian development plans' watershed development programmes (WDPs), which are primarily focused on increasing and sustaining productivity levels. In the Surguja division of Chhattisgarh, the present study attempted to document the on-site and off-site effects of the watershed development programs as it observed an increase in groundwater level, rise in surface water and stream flow, reduction in runoff as well as soil erosion, change in land use and cropping patterns, increased agricultural and dairy production, improved livelihood and employment generation, and change in land use and cropping patterns. The findings showed that the percentage of cropland increased in both Kharif and Rabi, but in Zaid, they started planting crops, particularly cucumber, melon, and vegetables that had been kept fallow. The patterns of land usage in the WDP regions have improved. Due to farmers utilising more wasteland for productive reasons, there has been a rise in net sown area in these locations. Additionally, it has been claimed that many crops that were abandoned due to water shortages and other requirements are now being cultivated. Responses from the region have been in favor of the introduction of innovative techniques like agroforestry systems.

The impact of chemical fertilizer on environmental and human health has directed this research towards investigating an eco-friendly means of fertilizing by using black soldier fly (BSF) frass, the residue and digested material from insect larvae. BSF frass is a natural source of nitrogen, possessing chitin and chitosan credited with plant health benefits. Cucumber cultivation was conducted under greenhouse conditions in Pingtung, Taiwan using a peat base amended with concentrations of BSF frass collected from a local rearing farm. BSF frass at a 10% volume concentration was most efficient according to measured parameters of plant height, leaf and fruit numbers. Therefore, a calculated range of BSF frass (70g, 90g, 110g/pot) was established for a longer cultivation period to assess fruit production. Qualified fruits (≥120g) all came from the BSF frass groups that were combined with chemical fertilizer. An analyzed sample of the BSF frass returned results of nitrogen (2.14%) as the dominant macronutrient, while the estimated chitosan concentration was a low 583μg/ml. BSF frass liquid extract dilutions also tested on cucumber seedlings for growth performance of height, leaf number and chlorophyll content indicated that lower dilutions are most effective. This research concluded that though complete replacement of inorganic fertilizers with this tested BSF frass is not likely, supplementing it with chemical fertilizers can provide quality crop production.

Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a halophyte cultivated for use that is not only as an edible vegetable, but also as a traditional medicine. This purslane can adapt to extreme salinity and drought, and the effects of these stresses on its growth, yield and quality were understood; but that on seed germination is still unclear. Seed germination is an important stage for establishing P. oleracea seedlings that will contribute to their plant yield and productivity. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine individual effects of different stress levels of NaCl - induced salinity (50, 100, 200, 400 mM) and PEG - induced drought (0.22, 0.45, 0.89, 1.78 MPa), which imposed equivalent osmotic pressures between the stresses at each level, on germination characteristics of seeds. The seeds sowed in petri dishes containing filter paper layers that wetted with NaCl and PEG-6000 solutions for the treatments, and the germination parameters including final germina-tion percentage (GP), germination rate (GR), germination energy GE), and mean germination time (MGT) were determined every day in test duration of 15 days. Data analysis showed germination capacity of seeds were decreased with increasing salinity and drought levels, and there was a different response in seed germination between salinity and drought stresses. The seeds only maintained germination under 50 mM NaCl - induced salinity, but it germinated under 0.45 MPa PEG - induced drought that imposed a higher osmotic pressure, suggested that the ion toxicity effect on germination may be higher than the osmotic effect.

Sugar beet is the second-largest crop in the world, after sugarcane, for the production of white sugar intended for human consumption. Sugar beet cultivation in Morocco covers an area of approximately 65,000 hectares per year, producing nearly 3 million tons of roots (2019). Sugar beet is a significant crop that plays a crucial economic role in Morocco. Despite its importance, it has environmental impacts due to the intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, which can lead to soil and water quality degradation and negatively affect local biodiversity. Moreover, the machinery used for beet harvesting and processing contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the issue of climate change and eutrophication . Therefore, the life cycle assessment methodology has been adopted to evaluate the environmental impact associated with agricultural production.

This impact can be measured from the beginning to the end, starting from the extraction of raw materials required for product manufacturing, through distribution, usage, transportation, collection, and disposal, until the end of the product's life cycle. In this regard, the life cycle assessment method is used to determine environmental impacts. The results indicate various environmental effects, such as climate change. Ultimately, this tool holds great significance for the improvement and selection programs for sugar beet.