The European Union's Green Deal calls for action to promote climate change mitigation. European Commission adopted a set of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The agriculture sector more widely offers the remote sensing systems in modern intelligent farming systems. With the development and complexity of information systems, there are problems with the analysis and use of telemetry data. With the development and complexity of information systems, there are opportunities for the analysis, use and application of telemetry data. For the research the sets of harvesting process data of three identical Lexion 770 TT (Terra Trac) combines, collected and stored in the Telemetry system, were taken. The analysis of the data of the Telemetry system showed that the efficiency of the combine and the reduction of fuel consumption significantly depend on the organization of working processes. The data of the structure working time in Telemetry were showed that the combine devoted from 35 to 57 % of the total day working time to the technological process. When combine harvesters worked in automatic steering mode, the fuel consumption was by 22.02% lower than with manual steering.

In summary, it can be said that the analysis of the structure of work processes provides detailed information that allows decisions to be made to increase the overall productivity of the machine and to optimize work processes.

The quality classification criteria are one way to evaluate and classify bananas to the correct destination keeping them safe for human consumption and advantages increased. However, in Brazil, vegetable and fruits quality classification are not mandatory. This paper investigates the bananas quality criteria classification in Alto Tietê Region in São Paulo, Brazil, and proposes a framework to correct the destination of this product. We collected data from 12 wholesalers and evaluated a total of 239 bananas considering quality criteria. The results showed that the sample parameters had good classification with an average of gross and net weight of 156.49 ± 39.62 and 98.57 ± 30.60 respectively, length of 21.12 ± 2.35 and caliber of 37.07 ± 3.08. Almost 54% of bananas were classified as Class 18, 31% as Class 22, and 15% as Class 15. We found an association among quality criteria and bananas classification (p < 0.05). Thirty-eight percent of the total of bananas evaluated was free of defects, but 62% showed the different kinds of defects. We have realized that the further away the wholesaler is from São Paulo city, the market tolerated fruits out of standard. In addition, considering the banana classification, our correct destination framework indicated that 44% of bananas should be sent to the organic fertilizer industry, 17% to the animal feed industry, 1% to the human food industry, and 38% to new sales in the market to human consumption. We conclude that some wholesalers in the Alto Tietê Region offer inappropriate bananas to human consumption based on quality classification criteria.

The aim of the current study was the evaluation of the environmental performance associated with the production of stevia glycosides powder using conventional, as well as green cultivation and processing techniques that aim to the reduction of bitter aftertaste of stevia glycosides. Four different scenarios were examined a) conventional cultivation followed by conventional processing of stevia leaves (extraction and spray drying), b) cultivation using precision agriculture (PA) followed by conventional processing of stevia leaves, c) conventional cultivation followed by innovative processing of stevia leaves (ultrasound and microwave assisted extraction (UMAE), purification with membranes and spray drying) in order to reduce the bitter aftertaste of stevia glycosides, d) cultivation using PA followed by innovative processing of stevia leaves. The environmental performance was evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, as defined by ISO 14040 series. The analysis was carried out using GaBi software and ReCiPe 2016 methodology. Data were collected from farmers and stevia processing companies, as well as validated literature sources, environmental databases and laboratory scale analysis of the new techniques. Various environmental impact categories, such as climate change, acidification, eco-toxicity and eutrophication were examined. The results of the present study showed different environmental impacts. Regarding precision agriculture, it seems that steadily reducing inputs to the field, lead to reducing emissions in most of the impact categories studied. The addition of the new processing technologies leads to further decrease of the environmental footprint.

Due to wind-induced dispersion of the spray liquid higher costs are incurred, pollutes the environment and may cause adverse effects on human health. To reduce the negative influence, preparations with anti-drift properties are increasingly being investigated. Therefore, the aim of the study – to analyse the efficiency of the new developed drift reduction agents at different wind speeds.

Trials of drift reduction solutions were carried out in open circuit type wind tunnel which was developed to study the drift from the sprayer nozzle under controlled and repeatable environmental and spraying conditions. Solutions were spread at two different wind speeds (8 m s^-1 and 10 m s^-1). The chambers were 5 m long in total. An air-injector nozzle was used during trials. The spray pressure was 4.0 bars.

The trials were performed with water (control) and two solutions (DRA-1 and DRA-2) in which the main part of the active substance of 0.1% concentration was calcium dodecylbenzenesulfonate CDS (50%) and butanol (18%). In both solutions, one of the active ingredients was polyether-modified trisiloxane PMT. Polyether-modified trisiloxane concentration was 0.06% in solution DRA-1 and 0.10% in solution DRA-2. A total of 30 L of each solution was sprayed. Tests were repeated three times.Summarizing the research, it can be stated that when the wind speed was 8 m s^–1, experimental DRA-2 solution drifted about 46% less than water and about 17% than other DRA-1. When the wind speed reached 10 m s^–1, experimental DRA-2 solution drifted about 30% less than water and similar with other DRA (DRA-1). The reason for this is a solution of a substance DRA’s restricting the small droplets that are the most exposed to the wind.

Nutritional status performs an essential role in agriculture, affecting productivity and keeping crops functioning properly. Despite being required in smaller amounts, micronutrients are also needed for adequate growth, namely Zn (zinc) with regulatory, catalytic and structural functions. Fertilization with Zn is used to ameliorate the deficits of this micronutrient in more susceptible crops such as grapes. Yet, the management of this application must consider the antagonistic and synergistic interactions among nutrients, as it affects their uptake and translocation rates. Therefore, a workflow with three ZnO foliar applications (30% and 60%, 450 and 900 g ha^-1, respectively) in the variety Vitis vinifera cv. Fernão Pires, was implemented in a field located in Palmela, Portugal. The concentration of Zn in the tissues was therefore evaluated by microenergy X-ray dispersion fluorescence (µEDXRF), showing an increase of 1.82 and 2.54 times in the seed and skin of grapes fertilized with a concentration of 60%, compared to control grapes, respectively. Using the same method, a synergistic relationship was observed for macronutrients such as Ca and K, and micronutrients such as Fe, P and Mn. In addition, a complementary analysis of the density of the grapes was carried out to verify changes in quality, with an increase in density with the application of Zn being observed. This study allows us to verify that the concentration of the applied Zn fertilizer brings benefits in the amount of nutrients that are important for development and crops quality.

Soil erosion is a natural process of soil material removal and transportation through the action of erosive agents such as water, wind, gravity, and this process is escalated by human disturbance. Erosion process occurs globally and causes economic losses, decrease productivity of topsoil and finally arises energy, food, and water security problems. This study assessed the soil erosion, via European metadata, and generated soil erosion hazard map for Apulia Region using a modified version of the revised universal soil loss equation model (RUSLE, 2015), which delivers improved estimates based on higher resolution (100 m compared to 1 km) peer-reviewed inputs of rainfall, soil, topography, land use and management from the year 2010. The Apulia Region was categorized into three different erosion hazard classes, low, moderate, and high using the classification proposed by Council of the European Union (EU) and using Panagos (2015) classification. The processing shows that using the classification proposed in EU, only 14% of Apulian crop land is classified with severe or moderate erosion problems, while the other classification show a much more serious and worrying picture and the 35% of the land falls within the class with severe or moderate erosion problems. The study revealed that majority of extremely vulnerable soil erosion areas in Panagos (2015) classification (>10 t ha⁻¹year⁻¹) belongs to Daunian Sub-Apennine and Murgia plateau area. The model can be used to predict the effect of a range of policy scenarios. It is also replicable, comparable and can be extended to model other regions.

The agricultural international market is highly competitive and the use of new approaches to analyze it can provide interesting insights to understand the factors that determine its competitiveness. We conducted a study about Soybean, Soybean Cake, and Maize exports - main global commodities - to understand the trading behavior. To do so, we collected the exports by country in 2019 in FAOSTAT database and analyzed them using Social Network Analysis (SNA). The results showed three scenarios: (i) Soybeans - presents high competition between Brazil and the US. The two countries compete in practically all consumer countries. China is a shift factor, responsible for 67% of imports and having a closer relationship with Brazil; (ii) Soybean cake (meal), the market has a larger number of importers, but with the dominance of Argentina, Brazil, and the US. In the number of connections, Argentina has an advantage with 35 nodes while Brazil and the US have 20 and 21 nodes, respectively. The data also shows that Brazil and Argentina compete more in Europe and Asia, while the US mostly supplies its neighbors, Mexico and Canada; and (iii) Maize - Brazil, Argentina, and the US have similarities in exports volume, with an advantage of a more diverse market for Brazil and Argentina over the US (33, 28 and 17 nodes, respectively). Brazil’s and Argentina’s compete mainly in European and Asian markets, while the US mostly supplies its neighbors, except for Japan.

Salinity is one of the most important factors limiting the growth of plants in many parts of the world. A suitable mechanism in this field is the use of species that can have a favorable production in such environmental conditions. Salicornia is a plant of the Chenopodiaceae family that has many industrial and food benefits and is also used as an oily plant. In order to investigate the seed germination and seedling growth of Salicornia species in different concentrations of sodium chloride, a factorial experiment was done in a completely randomized design with three replications in the environmental stress laboratory of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran. Experimental treatments included eight salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 700 mM NaCl) and two species of Salicornia (Salicornia persica and Salicornia perspolitana). The results showed that with increasing salinity concentration, shoot length had a decreasing trend, while root length initially increased to the salinity of 285.2 mM and decreased with further increase. Shoots and root length in Persica species were significantly longer than Persepolitana species. However, in Persepolitana, the dry weight of roots and seedlings showed a better trend than Persica. In general, considering that the increase in root length indicates that the plant is more tolerant to salinity stress, it is recommended that in saline areas, Persica species be given priority for cultivation. However, in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in the growth of these two species in saline conditions, additional experiments are needed.

Overcoming Social Barrier to Adoption of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) as a Protein Source for Poultry: How Tall is the Order?

The demand-supply gap for protein has continued to widen globally. Unfortunately, costs of conventional feed resources are assuming an alarmingly increasing trend in Nigeria, with continued decline in the future projected for the near future for poultry. Black Soldier Fly (BSF) is being promoted as a more sustainable alternative due to high protein contents and environmental sustainability. The study therefore examined acceptability of BSF as a protein source for poultry feeds among farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. A two-stage technique was used to select 120 medium and largescale poultry farmers and data were collected using structured questionnaire. Short structured video on BSF was used to control for knowledge. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression (α_0.05). Almost half (44.2%) of respondents were between 31-40 years, majority (61.7%) were married, male (71.7%), educated (61.7) are engaged in poultry farming (56.7%) primarily. Level of perceived benefits of BSF was high and include increase in profit margin (85.8%) and low cost of feed (74.5%). Knowledge level was high among majority (70%). Perceived constraints are unavailability of land/space (30.8%) and lack of technical know-how (75.0%). Average income from poultry ( = 0.423), farm size (β = 0.172), perceived economic viability (β = 0.499) and environmental friendliness ( =0.291), total income from other sources (= -0.293), years of farm experience (= -0.321) and perceived constraints were predictors of acceptability of BSF among poultry farmers. Overall, majority are highly disposed to use of BSF as an alternative protein source without any form of socio-cultural barriers.

The distribution of seeds in the soil according to the feeding area and depth, germination, vegetation, yield, and its quality depend on the quality of the sowing technological operation. Conventional sowing involves the application of a uniform seed rate over the entire area, which consumes very large quantities of seed that need to be grown, stored, and prepared beforehand. This requires the consumption of a large amount energy and chemicals, which are expensive and highly polluting. Therefore, necessary to replace traditional farming with more modern and significantly more sustainable precision technological solutions. The aim of the work is to present the research scheme and methodology of the precision variable rate seeding (VRS) and seed placement depth control model to provide precise control and organize the seeding process of winter wheat. The research methodology was developed considering soil heterogeneity using telemetry systems and multifunctional ultraviolet (UV) optical (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy methods to optimize the number of seeds per unit area and depth of insertion during sowing. The experimental results of seeding studies showed that using the VRS and VRS + VRF methods in all soil zones the germination of winter wheat was similar, while seeding at the uniform rate yielded significant differences between individual soil zones. The multifunctional model for sustainable precision seed technology control based on UV-VIS-NIR spectrometry will allow saving seed, make better use of soil, increase plant productivity, protect the environment, reduce energy and economic costs.