Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
May Ling Lu, Charles E. Wyman
Summary: Biofuels have the potential to help California quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, with agave being a particularly promising energy crop due to its drought tolerance and high productivity. Compositional analysis of wild A. deserti and cultivated A. americana suggests they can be rich in fructans and have low recalcitrance, making them potential biofuel feedstocks in the State.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ilja Vuorinne, Janne Heiskanen, Petri K. E. Pellikka
Summary: Biomass estimation is crucial for crop monitoring and carbon cycling assessments. This study successfully used Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite imagery to model leaf biomass of sisal, demonstrating the suitability of multispectral data for assessing biomass at plantation and block levels. The study also highlights the importance of spectral vegetation indices for biomass estimation.
Article
Agronomy
Sarah C. Davis, John T. Abatzoglou, David S. LeBauer
Summary: The study highlights the adaptation of Agave plants to high temperatures and drought conditions, suggesting that cultivating Agave can help address the challenges of rising temperatures and water scarcity in the future. Furthermore, it shows that the biomass production of Agave could increase with potential benefits in a warming climate.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Huawei Jiang, Larry J. Halverson, Liang Dong
Summary: This paper presents a miniaturized plant-microbial fuel cell that maximizes bioelectricity generation by examining different combinations of plants and electrogenic bacteria. This technology allows for large-scale screening of different combinations of small plants and electrogenic bacteria for bioelectricity generation.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Karolina Heyduk
Summary: Research on succulent leaves has focused on defining succulence, understanding its evolutionary trajectory and ecological implications, but there is still limited understanding of the molecular regulation of leaf succulence. Studies show that regulation of cell size, determination of vascular patterning, and water transport between cells have direct implications for understanding leaf succulence. Connecting functional genomics of leaf patterning with knowledge of the evolution and ecology of succulent species will guide future research on leaf succulence determination and maintenance.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bernardo Duarte, Joao Carreiras, Bruno Fonseca, Ricardo Cruz de Carvalho, Ana Rita Matos, Isabel Cacador
Summary: The anticipated rise in heatwaves in the Mediterranean region poses a danger to crop production. This study investigates the physiological responses of S. ramosissima plants exposed to heatwave treatments, with and without marine PGPB inoculation, to evaluate potential thermal adaptation conditions. The results show that inoculated plants exhibit improved light-use efficiency, light harvesting, photoprotection, antioxidant activity, and membrane stability under heatwave conditions.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Courtney P. P. Leisner, Neha Potnis, Alvaro Sanz-Saez
Summary: As sessile organisms, plants face constant challenges from a changing environment, including fluctuations in temperature, water availability, light levels, and changes in atmospheric constituents such as CO2 and O3. They also experience biotic stress from plant pathogens and herbivores. Increased atmospheric CO2 levels and climate change are impacting plant growth environments and the prevalence and virulence of plant pathogens. Closing the knowledge gap in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress is crucial for developing climate resilient crops in the future.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Rakiely Martins da Silva, Natalia Aguiar Canellas, Fabio Lopes Olivares, Alessando Piccolo, Luciano Pasqualoto Canellas
Summary: The study found that humic substances can induce immune-mediated responses in citrus plants, suggesting their potential as a natural chemical priming agent to mitigate disease symptoms and contribute to more resilient citrus cultivation.
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Natasha Manzoor, Liaqat Ali, Arwa Abdulkreem AL-Huqail, Suliman Mohammed Suliman Alghanem, Haifa Abdulaziz Sakit Al-Haithloul, Tahir Abbas, Guowei Chen, Liying Huan, Ying Liu, Gang Wang
Summary: The study found that silicon oxide nanoparticles and iron oxide nanoparticles can alleviate arsenic toxicity in wheat and improve plant growth performance. This is achieved by stimulating antioxidative enzymes and reducing reactive oxygen species. In addition, the use of nanoparticles can also enhance photosynthesis efficiency and reduce arsenic translocation in plants. Therefore, the application of nanoparticles as agricultural fertilizers is a promising approach to mitigate heavy metal toxicity and promote sustainable agriculture.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Daniela Lo Presti, Joshua Di Tocco, Carlo Massaroni, Sara Cimini, Laura De Gara, Sima Singh, Ada Raucci, Gelsomina Manganiello, Sheridan L. Woo, Emiliano Schena, Stefano Cinti
Summary: The devastating effects of global climate change and exponential population growth pose a major challenge to agricultural yields. Crop performance monitoring using sensors and biosensors capable of detecting changes in plant fitness has proven to be a useful strategy to increase crop yields.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Maxime Van Haeverbeke, Bernard De Baets, Michiel Stock
Summary: This study evaluates the potential of Distribution of Relaxation Times (DRT) analysis in agricultural applications and explores its advantages and limitations as an impedance modelling strategy for plant electrochemical characterization.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
A. A. Mana, A. Allouhi, K. Ouazzani, A. Jamil
Summary: Biomass power generation in rural areas of Morocco presents a significant opportunity to achieve rural sustainability and provide stable electricity supply. The financial model of the project shows competitive costs compared to solar and fossil resources. Performance variables depend strongly on flue gas temperature, and the LCOE is highly sensitive to feedstock price and finance rates.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Jinliang Cai, Peng Chen, Bihao Hu, Chuanlan Xu, Ying Yang, Jiazhi Meng, Biao Zhang, Changguo Chen, Danmei Yu, Xiaoyuan Zhou
Summary: A Ni-Co alloy catalyst with a unique succulent-plant-like morphology is prepared by electrodeposition, and the effects of deposition conditions on its performance are systematically investigated. The Ni-0.889-Co-0.111 catalyst shows excellent activity, selectivity, and stability in the borohydride oxidation reaction. Furthermore, when used as an anode catalyst in a direct borohydride fuel cell, it achieves a peak power density of 490 mW cm(-2) and an open-circuit voltage of 1.87 V at 343 K, and can operate stably for several hours. The improved performance of the Ni-Co catalyst is attributed to its unique morphology and the appropriate amount of Co.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yu Wang, J. Andrew C. Smith, Xin-Guang Zhu, Stephen P. Long
Summary: A biochemical model integrated with 3-D shoot morphology was developed to simulate CAM plant productivity, and it successfully predicted the carbon uptake of Agave tequilana over daily and annual courses. The theoretical energy conversion efficiency of Agave spp. was found to be up to 7% higher than for C-3 photosynthesis, but the actual productivity was influenced by light interception, biochemical and anatomical limitations. However, it still demonstrated the potential of CAM plants in climates with limited crop options.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucas van der Zee, James Mitchell Crow
Summary: Lucas van der Zee aims to revert current farmland to its natural state by eliminating the vegetation stage of crop-growing.