Riparian vegetation is crucial for stabilizing riverbanks, improving water quality, and sustaining aquatic biodiversity by forming a transitional zone between aquatic and terrestrial systems. In the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, these vegetated buffers are ecologically essential for preserving delta stability, filtering sediments, and providing nursery grounds for juvenile fish in the Sundarbans. Despite growing understanding of their roles, few studies have explored how environmental gradients together affect estuarine fish resources and riparian vegetation. Therefore, using the hydro-ecological data (vegetation, fish and water) of 65 canals, this study aims to (I) asses the distribution of plant and juvenile fish community in the Sundarbans, (II) investigate the impact of habitat conditions on riparian plant and fish resources, and (III) understand the interconnection between riparian vegetation, fish community, and water conditions. This study found that the distribution of riparian plants and fish species is considerably shaped by water parameters, and a significant variation is present in three ecological zones. Additionally, the association among abiotic parameters, fish richness, and plant richness was significant, but plant richness did not show a significant relationship with fish richness. This implies that the terrestrial and aquatic biota are functionally decoupled or respond asynchronously. These results emphasize that riparian habitats can lead to complex effects on fish richness patterns and suggest the necessity of coordinated conservation strategies and the intricate and context-dependent character of riparian–aquatic interactions. . This study shows how important it is to perform integrated ecological evaluations that look at both land and water biodiversity.

This review explores the impact of soft rot bacteria, particularly Pectobacterium and Pseudomonas, on potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), a crucial staple crop worldwide. Potatoes lost due to infection by Pectobacteria, causing soft rot, represent a significant challenge in potato cultivation, affecting both seed and marketable tuber production, reducing crop quality and threatening food security.

Pathogens can pose a serious threat to plants during the early stages of seed production. The presence of Pectobacteria in seed potatoes in Russia is strictly regulated by national standards, such as GOST 33996-2016 and GOST R 59551-2021. However, these standards do not address other soft-rot bacteria, like Pseudomonas, that pose a significant risk to healthy seed tuber production. This study aims to investigate the interaction between Pseudomonas D9, a soft rot pathogen found on potato tubers, and two other harmful bacteria, Pectobacterium brasiliense and P. atrosepticum. The goal is to understand the factors that influence the multiplication of these bacteria and the development of soft rot on potatoes. To do this, the experiment involves incubating potato samples with various combinations of these three bacteria at different temperatures (5–30 degrees Celsius) for 72 hours. The results show that when the temperature is above 24 degrees Celsius, the Pectobacterium strains show more signs of soft rot. However, in the presence of Pseudomonas D9, soft rot is favored by a lower temperature. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring mixed infections in order to control soft rot and minimize potato yield losses. Future research could focus on developing strategies to reduce the impact of this disease on food security.

Water scarcity is a major challenge in agriculture, particularly in regions reliant on irrigation for crop growth, such as deserts. Traditional irrigation methods, which often follow fixed schedules and manual observations, result in inefficient water application. Soil moisture sensors could offer a solution by providing real-time data on soil moisture levels, enabling more precise irrigation scheduling based on actual demands rather than estimations. This study evaluates the impact of integrating soil moisture sensors into irrigation systems to enhance water efficiency and agricultural productivity. The field study was conducted in the Thal Desert (Punjab), Pakistan, where water management is critical due to scarcity. The study compares the two irrigation methods—traditional and sensor-based—over 10 months in multiple crop fields. Weekly soil moisture data were collected at various depths, alongside measurements of water applied, irrigation frequency, crop yield, and soil health indicators. Statistical data were analyzed using ANOVA to assess the effectiveness of both irrigation methods. The results show that the sensor-based irrigation method led to a 20–30% reduction in water consumption compared to traditional methods, while simultaneously enhancing crop yield by 15–25%. These findings demonstrate that soil moisture sensors, even actuating once a week, significantly improve irrigation efficiency, reducing water consumption and boosting crop productivity. These results make the soil sensor-based irrigation systems a promising solution for water management in water-scarce regions.

Agriculture in Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. The country’s location exposes it to recurrent floods, droughts, and salinity intrusion, which have intensified in recent decades. This study examined the impacts of climate change on smallholder farming systems in the Jamuna floodplain and explored local adaptation practices. A mixed-methods approach was employed including GIS analysis of land-use and vegetation changes, household surveys involving 120 farmers, and focus group discussions. The findings revealed a 22% decline in seasonal crop productivity over the past two decades, mainly due to delayed monsoons and increased soil salinity. Farmers reported shifting to short-duration rice, drought-tolerant pulses, and increased reliance on organic compost and indigenous pest control. However, institutional support and awareness remained limited. The results indicate that ecosystem-based adaptation strategies—such as crop diversification, wetland restoration, and agroforestry—are more sustainable compared to input-intensive approaches. Strengthening collaboration between scientific research and traditional knowledge is essential for building resilient agricultural systems in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, where agriculture plays a central role in food security and livelihoods. The country’s floodplain ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate-induced hazards such as floods, prolonged droughts, and saltwater intrusion. These hazards have intensified in recent decades, leading to significant disruptions in agricultural productivity and threatening the sustainability of rural livelihoods. Although several studies have documented the general impacts of climate change on agriculture, less attention has been given to localized adaptation practices in floodplain areas. Understanding how farmers perceive and respond to climatic stresses is crucial for designing effective adaptation strategies. Therefore, this study investigated the impacts of climate change on agricultural production in the Jamuna floodplain and analyzed the adaptation strategies adopted by smallholder farmers.

A mixed-methods research design was applied to capture both quantitative and qualitative insights.

1. GIS Analysis: Image processing and data extraction were analyzed to detect land-use changes and variations in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.
2. Household Surveys: Structured questionnaires were administered to 120 smallholder farmers selected through stratified random sampling in the Jamuna floodplain region. The survey collected data on cropping patterns, yield changes, input use, and perceptions of climate change.
3. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): FGDs were conducted to explore traditional ecological knowledge, local coping mechanisms, and community-based adaptation practices. Triangulating these methods enhanced the credibility and validity of the findings.

This study revealed significant shifts in agricultural practices and productivity due to climate change.

• Decline in Productivity: Seasonal crop yields declined by approximately 22% over the last two decades, largely linked to delayed monsoon onset and increased soil salinity in low-lying areas.
• Changes in Cropping Patterns: Farmers reported reducing dependence on long-duration rice and increasingly adopting short-duration rice and drought-tolerant pulses.
• Adaptive Practices: The use of organic compost, indigenous pest control, and water-efficient techniques became more common. Farmers also experimented with crop diversification, including vegetables and oilseeds, as a risk management strategy.
• Limitations in Institutional Support: Despite local innovations, farmers faced inadequate access to extension services, credit facilities, and training related to climate adaptation.

These findings are consistent with the existing literature, which emphasizes the importance of ecosystem-based adaptation approaches. Practices such as wetland restoration, agroforestry, and crop diversification offer long-term sustainability compared to input-intensive methods that may provide short-term gains but degrade natural resources.

Climate change has already had a significant negative impact on agricultural systems in the Jamuna floodplain of Bangladesh. Farmers have adopted several local strategies, including short-duration and stress-tolerant crops, organic inputs, and diversification. However, the absence of strong institutional support limits the effectiveness of these adaptations. Promoting ecosystem-based adaptation and integrating scientific innovations with traditional ecological knowledge can enhance resilience. Policymakers, researchers, and local communities must collaborate to strengthen adaptive capacity and safeguard food security in the face of ongoing climatic challenges.

Climate change has significantly altered weather patterns, with elevated temperatures and heatwaves emerging as major environmental challenges for viticulture. High temperatures can negatively affect grapevine growth, maturity, and overall quality. In response to these challenges, there is an increasing interest in sustainable, cost-effective mitigation strategies that reduce reliance on chemical inputs. In this study, an open-field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of foliar applications of zeolite and attapulgite on the grapevine cultivar ‘Muscat Hamburg’ under the Mediterranean conditions in Central Greece. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three treatments (control, zeolite applied at 4% w/v, and attapulgite applied at 4% w/v) and five replications. The application of these chemically inert mineral particles significantly decreased leaf temperature and enhanced physiological performance in veraison and maturity stages, particularly at midday. Specifically, stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (E), and the net photosynthetic rate (A) were significantly increased compared to the control. Regarding yield components, foliar applications did not significantly affect yield per vine, number of clusters per vine, cluster width and length, or the berries' weight. However, attapulgite application led to a significant increase in cluster weight, cluster density, and number of berries per cluster. Additionally, both zeolite and attapulgite significantly increased the relative skin mass. In terms of grape quality traits, total acidity (TA) was not affected by foliar applications, although attapulgite significantly increased must pH, while zeolite application led to a reduction in total soluble solids (TSSs). In conclusion, foliar applications of zeolite and attapulgite can be integrated into sustainable viticultural practices to mitigate the adverse effects of high temperatures. By reducing leaf temperature and improving physiological performance, these treatments contribute to the protection of grapevines under heat stress conditions.

Geographical, environmental, and meteorological factors have a significant impact on soil, which is referred to as Earth's skin. Mineral and nutrient content is crucial for controlling the ecosystem's core dynamics. Crop yield is aided by soil fertilization activities. However, a smaller crop output volume may result in the amount of soil composition (fertilizer) failing to be regulated and kept constant. Advancements to help avoid lower crop quality and production to control the amount of soil fertilizer, in addition to improving fertilization and plant growth and soil nutrient monitoring, are crucial. Instructive soil parameters to ascertain soil fertility, calcium, phosphorus, and pH are therefore among the parameters that are frequently measured to monitor soil fertility. The grading of soil and prediction of crops that are suitable for specific land areas can be achieved using a machine learning-based method for the examination of key soil attributes. The high demand for laboratory-based analyses of soil fertility has led us to devise a quick, easy, and affordable method for assessing soil fertility. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry determines the total elemental concentration in soils quickly, easily, and without producing hazardous waste, but its use for predicting soil fertility properties in tropical conditions is still in its infancy. It uses supervised machine learning algorithms like decision trees, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) to predict soil fertility based on the macronutrient and micronutrient status information found in datasets. R Tool is used to create supervised machine learning algorithms, which are then tested on the test dataset and applied to the training dataset. Several assessment criteria, such as accuracy, cross-validation, and mean absolute error, are used to analyze the performance of these algorithms. Analysis of the results reveals that decision tree has the lowest mean square error (MSE) rate and the highest accuracy of 99%. With less waste production and lower expenses, this environmentally friendly approach can be applied to the evaluation of soil fertility characteristics in a variety of tropical and subtropical soil types.

Stable genetic transformation, involving the incorporation of DNA or plasmids, is widely used to develop plant varieties with improved traits. However, transient transformation remains essential for evaluating genetic constructs prior to stable T-DNA integration. In oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), the transformation process faces challenges such as low insertion efficiency and limited callus availability, highlighting the need for rapid and scalable alternatives. In this pilot study, we evaluated vacuum infiltration as a method for transient T-DNA delivery using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C5C81 harboring the OST2-Cas9 construct in PPKS DxP 718 oil palm seedlings. Three incubation durations (1, 5, and 10 minutes) were tested under vacuum pressures of 100 and 200 mbar. Seeds were germinated for approximately 90 days until the first leaf emerged, after which they were surface sterilized and immersed in an Agrobacterium-plasmid buffer solution. Following infiltration, seedlings were replanted in sterile soil, incubated at 25 °C for 24 hours, and then transferred to a greenhouse. PCR analysis targeting Cas9 and the NPTII marker at 1, 7, and 30 days post-infiltration (DPI) demonstrated a 100% detection rate of T-DNA. Histological analysis at 1 DPI revealed that infiltration at 100 mbar for 5 minutes significantly expanded multiple tissues, particularly vascular regions, indicating efficient infiltration and potential for molecular transport. These findings suggest that short-duration vacuum infiltration under low pressure can effectively mediate transient T-DNA delivery in oil palm seedlings, offering a promising tool for genetic research and transformation development in this species.

As an important distribution channel for agricultural products, rural e-commerce exerts significant influence on agricultural production. Based on a survey of 604 Fuji apple farmers in Shanxi Province, this study empirically examines the effect of participation in e-commerce on farmers’ fertilizer application behavior, from the perspectives of increasing the price premium for green products and reducing the cost of green production. To address potential endogeneity, this study proposes an innovative instrumental variable—the distance to the birthplace of Guan Gong—to alleviate the bias caused by unobserved factors. The findings reveal that participation in e-commerce reduces farmers’ fertilizer application intensity. This effect is more evident among farmers with larger land operation scales, larger contiguous plots, and a higher degree of production specialization. Furthermore, the analysis shows that farmers with higher levels of digital literacy and green production literacy benefit more from e-commerce participation in terms of reducing fertilizer input intensity. Overall, this study confirms that participation in e-commerce enables green agricultural production while imposing higher demands on land operation scale, production specialization, and farmer literacy, offering new directions for promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

The current study aimed to develop and evaluate a biodegradable edible coating derived from Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) polysaccharides, incorporating green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), for the postharvest preservation of fruits. Glycerol was used as a plasticizer in the film formulation, and the composite films were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy (peak at ~420 nm), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The coating was applied to tomatoes and guavas and evaluated over 14 days at 25 °C for its impact on weight loss, firmness, decay incidence, microbial load, sensory attributes, vitamin C retention, and biodegradability. The AgNP-enhanced films exhibited improved physicochemical properties, including a reduction in water vapor permeability (from 3.75 to 2.89 × 10⁻¹¹ g/m·s·Pa) and enhanced antimicrobial activity, with inhibition zones of 16.5 mm for E. coli and 19.5 mm for Staphylococcus aureus. After 14 days, the coated fruits showed significantly lower weight loss (5.1 ± 0.5%), decay incidence (7%), and microbial load (3.5 CFU/g) compared to both uncoated and polyethylene-wrapped samples. Sensory evaluations showed high acceptability (scores >8.0), and nutritional quality was maintained, with vitamin C retention at 80%. The coating demonstrated approximately 90% biodegradability within 30 days under soil burial conditions and met safety standards regarding nanoparticle migration. These findings highlight the potential of mushroom-based AgNP films as a sustainable, safe, and effective alternative to conventional plastic packaging for extending the shelf life and preserving the quality of fresh produce.

The field experiment was conducted at two districts of Buno Bedele zone (Bedele & Dabo Hana) and one district of Ilu Aba Bor zone (Bure) in south-western Oromia for two years (2023-2024 G.C) under rain-fed conditions. The objective of this study was to select adaptable, stable, higher-yield and disease-resistant small white common bean varieties. In the experiment, six improved small white common bean varieties and one local check were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Parameters like days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of pod per plant, number of seed per pod and grain yield were collected and analyzed by R-software. Grain yield and yield related traits were significantly affected by variety–environment interactions. The results revealed that there were significant (p < 0.001) variations between the varieties for yield, number seed per pod and days to maturity, and significant (p<0.01) variations in days to flowering, plant height and number of pod per plant were also observed. Thus, higher grain yield was recorded for Awash mitin (2330.51 kgha^-1), followed by Wabero (1878.11 kgha^-1), while lower grain yield was recorded for Awash-1 (1261.36 kgha^-1). In this study, 40.10% and 12.90% increases in yield were attained using Awash mitin and Wabero variety, respectively, over the local check in the study area. The AMMI analysis showed that 14.92% of the total sum of squares (SS) was attributed to environments (E), 25.76% to the genotypes (G) and 23.08% to GEI effects. Principal components 1 and 2 accounted for 73.80% and 15.01% of the GEI, respectively, with a total of 88.81% variation. Therefore, compared to the others, these two small white common bean varieties are recommended as promising varieties for farmers in areas with similar agro-ecologies for further pre-extension demonstration.