Abstract In the Khuzestan province of Iran, sugarcane harvesting is normally carried out between the early November and March periods, when rain and frost risks occur. This results in delayed harvesting and reduced profitability due to cane deterioration and a reduction in cane sucrose content. Management strategies such as the application of chemical ripeners were hypothesized to tackle such challenges by harvesting the crop earlier when the natural ripening condition was poor. Consequently, paraquat and roundup herbicides were applied as chemical ripeners to investigate the effect of their application time and rate on accelerating the ripening quality of the sugar cane variety SP70-1143 using a split-plot design. The treatments were control (unsprayed) [T0]; 1.0 Lha −1 Paraquat (250 ppm) applied 8 weeks before harvesting (8WBH) [T1]; 0.8 Lha −1 Roundup (200 ppm) applied 8WBH [T2]; 1.0 Lha −1 Paraquat (250 ppm) applied 5 weeks before harvesting (5WBH) [T3], and 0.8 Lha −1 Roundup (200 ppm) applied 5WBH [T4]. The results indicated that the glyphosate application treatments T2 and T4 induced a significant improvement in the sugarcane juice quality through an increase in Brix%, Pol%, %purity, and commercial cane sugar (CCS%) starting 1 week after their application. The results also confirmed the feasibility of an earlier harvesting operation on November 1st, one month before normal harvesting time in the study area, without significant loss of sucrose by application of 0.8 Lha −1 Glyphosate (roundup), 8WBH.

Abstract The growing demand for food in the country has required an increase in agricultural production levels and, with it, an increase in irrigation systems. Among the most widespread are central pivot irrigation systems, but their large number and variety make their optimal configuration difficult, generating overexploitation of natural resources such as water and threatening the sustainability of agriculture and the country. For this reason, the objective of this research was to implement software that would allow obtaining the appropriate configuration of this equipment using information on the type of crop, the agro-climatic conditions of the region, and the soil in order to obtain maximum utilization. As a result, an application capable of performing the calculations so that the value of water delivered by the system is closer to the estimated needs for a crop in each of its phases was achieved. To demonstrate this, an experimental study was carried out in field conditions in the agricultural enterprise La Cuba in Ciego de Avila; it showed that, with the use of the software, there was a saving of up to 94.5% of the water previously misused. In addition, the level of liquid provided allows the sowing to be in better conditions to reach its optimum yield. As an added value, the software has a minimalist and intuitive interface, which allows real-time visualization of field information.

Abstract Modern agriculture faces new challenges in integrating ecological and molecular approaches to achieve higher crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. In order to generate higher yields, synthetic fertilizer doses per unit area have been significantly increased, which can cause pollution, damage to health, and loss of soil fertility, becoming one of the most important concerns in agricultural production. To improve production without the use of synthetic fertilizers, research has been directed towards the development of new biotechnologies, leading to a growing interest in beneficial soil microorganisms that can promote plant growth and, in some cases, prevent infections of plant tissue by pathogens. The interactions of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with the biotic environment of plants and microorganisms are very complex and use different mechanisms of action to promote plant growth. These mechanisms are grouped into: 1) biofertilization; 2) phytostimulation; and 3) biocontrol. Inoculation of crops with PGRP substantially reduces the use of synthetic fertilizers and negative impacts on the soil, increases crop yields, and contributes to the producer’s economy and the population’s food supply. This review describes the basic aspects inherent to the interaction between CVPGRs and plant species, focusing on the benefits that CVPGRs bring to agricultural activity.

Abstract Objective: The research aimed to study the distribution law of the diameter, velocity, and kinetic energy of water droplets in special-shaped nozzles. Method: A video raindrop spectrometer was used to conduct an indoor windless water droplet distribution test on the PY15 rocker-arm sprinkler under 5 working pressures of 100 kPa, 150 kPa, 200 kPa, 250 kPa, and 300 kPa. Result: The range of the equal-flow nozzle is: circle > rhombus > ellipse; the shape coefficient of the special-shaped nozzle decreases with the increase of the outlet diameter and increases with the increase of the aspect ratio; the diameter of the water droplet of the rhombus nozzle increases in the radial direction. Conclusion: The larger the shape coefficient, the smaller the diameter of the water droplet at the end under the same working pressure. The larger the diameter of the outlet, the longer the range, and the greater the increase in the velocity of the water droplets with the diameter. The larger the aspect ratio is, the closer the range is, and the larger the average diameter and velocity of the droplets are. With the increase in droplet diameter, the droplet velocity of the elliptical nozzle increases the least. The hitting kinetic energy and its growth range of water droplets per unit volume at the same position decrease with the increase in pressure. The droplet diameter and kinetic energy are exponential and linear functions along the radial direction, and the droplet velocity and diameter are logarithmic. The fitting coefficients of the three droplet distribution prediction models are all above 0.9, which can be used to simulate the relationship between the shape coefficient, outlet diameter, aspect ratio, and droplet distribution characteristics of the shaped nozzle.

Abstract Based on the panel data from 2000 to 2018, the super efficiency SBM-DEA model is used to calculate the agricultural green development efficiency of 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River economic belt, and then the Tobit econometric model is used to empirically test the impact of Internet technology popularization on the agricultural green development of the Yangtze River economic belt. The results show that: (1) on the whole, the efficiency of agricultural green development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt showed a downward trend in fluctuations from 2000 to 2018; in terms of regions, the efficiency of agricultural green development in various regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt varies greatly, showing a spatial pattern of “downstream > upstream > midstream”. (2) The popularization of Internet technology has significantly promoted the green development of agriculture in the Yangtze River Economic Belt; at the same time, there is a significant positive correlation between rural human capital and the green development of agriculture in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, while the level of agricultural mechanization, the degree of capital deepening, the level of urbanization, and agricultural economic growth inhibit the improvement of the green development of agriculture in the Yangtze River Economic Belt to a certain extent. Therefore, the local governments of the Yangtze River Economic Belt should actively promote the popularization of Internet technology, enhance the Internet awareness of farmers, and give better play to the enabling role of Internet technology in the green development of agriculture in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Abstract Transgenic technology promises, among several sustainable development objectives, to overcome hunger and poverty in the world, and, therefore, the adoption of this technology is relatively growing. However, there are positions that point out the issues brought out by such expansion. This article is a reflection derived from a research project on the bioethical implications of adopting transgenic technology for agriculture in Colombia. The aim is to justify the fact that this adoption poses a bioethical risk. The paper, on the one hand, addresses the problem arising from confronting arguments for and against the adoption of this technology and, on the other hand, notes the absolutism of the economic aspect in the provision of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the general difficulties of Colombian national regulations with regard to the control and surveillance of GMOs. Finally, it specifically expounds the bioethical implications underlying the adoption, from the illusion of a transformative technology, going through the political will of the government, to its final delivery to the consumer.

Abstract Modern circular agriculture aims to minimize the number of external outputs for less impact on the environment in the complex ecosystem and the circular economy of the industry chains. Therefore, the green development of agriculture can be achieved to promote rural revitalization in China. However, accurate data support and parameter matching are still lacking in most operation of circular agriculture. Fortunately, the life cycle assessment can serve as an effective tool to evaluate the environmental impact of the entire chains in the product systems, further improving the circulating efficiency of the systems in recent years. In this study, an empirical investigation using the life cycle assessment was performed on the modern “straw-sheep-cropland” agro-pastoral system located in the northeast of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Six types of potential environmental impacts were evaluated from the sufficient data collection and tracking survey using the data characterization, standardization, and weighted summation, including the acidification potential, global warming potential, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and eutrophication potential. And then the environmental service energy was compared for the emission degradation before and after the regulation. The energy was calculated to consume the pollution dilution for a safe concentration. The results showed that fertilization was an important factor in the environmental performance of the cereal cropping subsystem during the wheat- and rice-growing seasons. The types of potential environmental impacts from the feed producing and sheep raising subsystems were more than 85% of the total impacts, which were much higher than that of the cereal cropping and organic composting subsystems. The environmental impacts of human toxicity and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity were greater in each subsystem, whereas, that of terrestrial ecotoxicity was the least. After life cycle assessment, the annual environmental service energies of air, water, and soil to realize the emission degradation were 7.42×1010, 6.03×1016, and 1.59×1012 J, respectively, according to the threshold concentration of index pollutants. Subsequently, the scales of feed producing and organic composting subsystems were adjusted in line with the matching output with the input of successive subsystems, particularly under the steady production scale of cereal cropping and sheep raising subsystems. A simulated regulation was also conducted to optimize the parameters and key technologies. It was estimated that the annual environmental service energies of air, water, and soil were reduced by 52%, 44%, and 21%, respectively, compared with the original. In conclusion, a new system was formed with excellent sustainability and replication to evaluate and regulate the modern agro-pastoral system using the life cycle assessment. The finding can provide a strong reference for the optimal regulation of modern agricultural systems in diverse regions. In the future research, the local life cycle inventory database can be constructed for the life cycle assessment.

Abstract The research was conducted in Jipijapa, in the town of Andil. The objective was to evaluate the physiological and morphological behavior of arabica coffee in the nursery stage with the application of biostimulants: starlite, humega, micorriza, and evergreen, compared to urea. A completely randomized experimental design was applied, using a factorial arrangement of repetitions in time for the morphological variables, and Tukey’s test was applied based on the statistical differences found. The results obtained at the physiological level established a significant difference ( p < 0.05) in the variables dry matter, moisture, and nitrogen (N), with starlite and evergreen biostimulants being the best in DM and humega and evergreen in N content. There was a better response to chlorophyll (Cl) assimilation by all biostimulants, surpassing urea in general, with micorriza and starlite being the best, establishing a high positive correlation between N and chlorophyll. In terms of morphological development, Urea showed a better response, and at the biostimulant level, humega and micorriza showed better results, all between 90 and 120 days.

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