Article
Forestry
Amado Insfran Ortiz, Jose Maria Rey Benayas, Luis Cayuela
Summary: This study evaluated the establishment and natural regeneration of six native tree species in two agricultural systems in the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. The results showed that species had a greater impact on survival, growth, and natural regeneration in agroforestry systems than agronomic system or plantation type.
Article
Biology
Hyun Kim, Jongbum Jeon, Kiseok Kieth Lee, Yong-Hwan Lee
Summary: This study reveals the ecological mechanisms governing the transmission of bacterial and fungal communities in rice, and identifies parental seeds and stem endosphere as major sources of progeny seed microbial communities. The colonization types and temporal patterns of microbes are affected by niche change and neutrality.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Sebastian Cordero, Francisca Galvez, Francisco E. Fonturbel
Summary: Exotic species are a major threat to biodiversity, affecting the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. They can disrupt mutualistic interactions between plants and dispersers by altering dispersal behavior, predation, and transmission of pathogens. However, they can also have positive impacts on native plants and forest regeneration through increased visitation rates, facilitating colonization, enhancing seedling survival, and promoting seed rain and recruitment. Different studies show both similar and opposite results, highlighting the complex nature of native-exotic species interactions. Overall, exotic species management requires a comprehensive understanding of their ecological roles.
Article
Plant Sciences
Cecile Jacques, Marion Forest, Vincent Durey, Christophe Salon, Alain Ourry, Marion Prudent
Summary: Legume plants, such as peas, are nutritionally important for both humans and animals, with soil mineral nutrient availability impacting plant nutrition and seed composition. Deprivation of one mineral nutrient may impact the uptake and remobilization of other elements in the plant ionome, with plants preferentially allocating nutrients to shoots over roots. Different strategies for remobilization of mineral nutrients were observed, indicating potential ways to improve seed quality through precise fertilization control during deficiency.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Wei Zhang, Jun Zhao, Li Xue, Hanping Dai, Jiajun Lei
Summary: This study examined the seed morphology, superficial ornamentation, and germination characteristics of eight wild tulip species native to China. The results showed diverse seed shapes, sizes, colors, weights, and superficial ornamentation. The morphology of the seed was related to germination, and factors such as embryo length, embryo/seed length ratio, seed coat color, temperature, and gibberellin concentration influenced germination.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zeqi Chen, Weijun Fan, Zai Luo, Bin Guo
Summary: This study proposed a computational method for seed counting and broken seed identification. It collected image sequences of soybean seeds and examined their morphologies from different views. The method accurately segmented touching seeds and improved the accuracy of seed morphological classification by using multi-view shape features. It showed great potential for applications in agricultural engineering.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kamil Wojciechowski
Summary: This review summarizes the research progress on surface tension and surface compression rheology of 21 plant seed proteins. These proteins have the ability to lower surface tension and form viscoelastic adsorbed layers. By unfolding, hydrolyzing, and modifying these proteins, their surface activity can be enhanced. An advantage of plant seed proteins is their lower environmental cost and abundance in many plants.
ADVANCES IN COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alejandra M. Toro-Ospina, Ana C. Herrera Rios, Wellington Bizarria Santos, Gustavo Pimenta Schettini, Viviana H. Vallejo Aristizabal, Gilberto Tovar Claros, Edna Gicela Ortiz Morea
Summary: This study analyzed the population structure and selection imprints in the Criollo Caqueteno (CAQ) cattle population using genotyping methods. Candidate genes associated with fertility traits, precocity, growth, and environmental and disease resistance were identified, providing valuable insights into the diversity and genetic structure of the CAQ population.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bianca Berto, Todd E. Erickson, Alison L. Ritchie
Summary: Seed enhancement technologies (SETs) were used to improve seed handling and germination of Australian native grasses. Flash flaming and acid digestion were successful in reducing bulky floret structures while maintaining or improving germination. Hydropriming did not improve germination outcomes when applied after other treatments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jane E. Tuthill, Yvette K. Ortega, Dean E. Pearson
Summary: Most terrestrial plants disperse by seeds, but the relationship between seed traits and plant dispersion patterns is not well understood. This study examined seed traits of 48 plant species in western Montana grasslands to investigate this relationship. It was found that larger-seeded introduced plants were more likely to have dispersal adaptations, suggesting that they may need these adaptations to overcome limitations and barriers. Database seed masses correlated with local estimates, but locally collected data provided more valid results for community-level questions.
Review
Agronomy
Iraj Nosratti, Nicholas E. Korres, Stephane Cordeau
Summary: Cover crops can suppress weeds through direct competition, allelopathy, or physical barriers. Farmers adopting sustainable farming practices are using cover crops to achieve weed control. Poor and unstable establishment, volunteer cover crops as subsequent cash crops, and seed costs limit cover crop adoption. This study reviews the scientific literature on seed traits to choose suitable cover crops and improve establishment and growth. Seed priming and coating, as well as proper sowing patterns and depth, can enhance cover crop establishment. Different cover crop families exhibit varying germination percentages under water-deficit conditions. Seed dormancy in some Fabaceae species limits their use. The selection of suitable cover crop cultivars is crucial for weed suppression and multiple ecosystem services in the context of climate change.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carlos Caicedo, David Perez-Neira, Julio Abad-Gonzalez, David Gallar
Summary: This research compares the environmental and economic performance of conventional and organic cacao production in Ecuador's Amazon region. The study finds that organic management leads to reduced environmental impact and improved efficiency in agroforestry systems. However, the economic profitability of cacao production in the region remains a concern.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Development Studies
Helena Shilomboleni, John Recha, Maren Radeny, Joab Osumba
Summary: This article examines the potential role of agri-business SMEs in scaling climate resilient seed systems through inclusive business models in Eastern and Southern Africa. The article argues that the linear assumptions surrounding shared value outcomes and impact at scale for farmers and companies in the private sector-scaling of CSA seed systems are not always straightforward in practice. More careful consideration is needed to support equitable and sustainable transitions at scale.
CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Adel Abdelrazek Abdelazim Mohdaly, Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan
Summary: This study evaluated 20 Brassica carinata genotypes and identified the 14C genotype as a potential edible oil cultivar due to its low erucic acid content. The genotypes 3C, 10C, and 17C were recommended for further breeding programs based on their low erucic acid content. Additionally, Brassica carinata cake from different genotypes showed potential as a valuable source of natural antioxidants.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Fiona L. Giacomini, John A. Prempeh, Riina Jalonen, Barbara Vinceti, Marius Ekue, Ennia Bosshard, David F. R. P. Burslem, Chris J. Kettle
Summary: Commitments to forest and landscape restoration are on the rise globally, but the native tree seed supply systems in several countries lack adequacy and need improvement in policy, capacity building, and investment.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Peter M. Rosset, Lia Pinheiro Barbosa, Valentin Val, Nils McCune
Summary: Latin America is recognized for its social movement organization and innovation, as well as dialogues among different types of knowledge. A specifically Latin American agroecology has emerged from these dynamics, which is politically charged and popularly organized. A survey of selected Latin American agroecologists is used to evaluate the existence and characteristics of such a critical Latin American agroecology.
AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
International Relations
Peter M. Rosset, Lia Pinheiro Barbosa, Valentin Val, Nils McCune
Summary: Latin America has been a hub for social movements and innovation, fostering dialogue between different types of knowledge. A specifically Latin American agroecology has emerged as a form of regionalism from below, uniquely influenced by Latin American rural movements, intellectuals, and scientists, with a foundation in Critical Latin American Thought.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Nathan Einbinder, Helda Morales, Mateo Mier y Teran Gimenez Cacho, Bruce G. Ferguson, Miriam Aldasoro, Ronald Nigh
Summary: A persistent problem in agricultural development is the disregard for local processes and cultures when introducing technologies. This article analyzes the agroecological soil management in the Maya-Achi territory of Guatemala, highlighting the importance of incorporating traditional knowledge and practices into sustainable farming systems. While some new practices have been adopted, the high abandonment rates and paternalistic extension methods suggest the need for better collaboration based on existing local knowledge. The findings emphasize the importance of introducing technologies that align with local needs and encourage synergistic learning processes.
AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
David Bernal Hoyo, Omar Felipe Giraldo, Peter Rosset M, Oliver Lopez Corona, Julian Perez Cassarino, Sunil Nautiyal
Summary: This study presents a simple simulation model to explore the effects of agrochemical subsidies on farmers' decisions about their plots. The model suggests that using agrochemicals may lead to an unstable pattern in the economic and ecological balance, resulting in negative consequences for household savings and production.
AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Teresita Santiago Vera, Peter Michael Rosset, Antonio Saldivar Moreno, Victor Ernesto Mendez
Summary: The objective of this article is to re-examine and begin to decolonize the concept of resilience from a peasant perspective. The concept of resilience must be reformulated based on an understanding of the peasant condition, informed by decolonial thought, and with methodologies for epistemic decolonization. Peasant resilience is significantly related to relative autonomy.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Omar Felipe Giraldo, Peter Michael Rosset
Summary: This article critiques the attempts to institutionalize agroecology and argues for the radical political, economic, organizational, methodological, pedagogical and philosophical differences between false agroecologies and emancipatory agroecologies. The principles presented in the article aim to guide the building of truly transformative and revolutionary agroecological processes, emphasizing the importance of questioning structures, shaping economies based on use value, and building capacity to struggle and transform.
DESENVOLVIMENTO E MEIO AMBIENTE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Lucia Perez-Volkow, Stewart A. W. Diemont, Theresa Selfa, Helda Morales, Alejandro Casas
Summary: This study investigated the role of women in the food system in Lacanja Chansayab, Mexico. The research found that women play a central role in the kitchenspace, possessing intricate knowledge of their environment and playing key roles in the production, obtaining, and transformation of biodiversity. Traditional food is crucial for maintaining biocultural memory and establishing relationships with other-than-human beings. However, serving traditional foods can also lead to discrimination against their families, even from within their own community.
AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN VALUES
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Omar Felipe Giraldo, Peter Michael Rosset
Summary: This article examines how government policies, international agency projects, and many NGOs strip agroecology of its potential for emancipation. They reinforce or create dependencies, individualize communities, convert use values into exchange values, incorporate people into hierarchical structures of domination, promote the belief that people must be saved from poverty through the intervention of a benefactor, and promote acting based on capitalist economic rationality. On the other hand, emancipatory agroecologies are radically transformative processes summarized in seven principles.
JOURNAL OF PEASANT STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
David Bernal, Omar Felipe Giraldo, Peter M. M. Rosset, Oliver Lopez-Corona, Julian Perez-Cassarino
Summary: An important question in agroecology is how to achieve scaling through social process methodology. The Campesino a Campesino (CaC) methodology has achieved great success in multiplying agroecological practices among peasants, but many experiences still rely on the conventional extension model of technical assistance. CaC, on the other hand, establishes a network of farmers who share their own practices, with the technician acting as a facilitator. In this article, a model based on the experience of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) in Cuba is presented, comparing CaC with conventional extension and exploring the properties that make CaC a more effective, less costly, and more dynamic methodology for scaling agroecology.
AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Yorlis Luna Delgado, Elda Miriam Aldasoro Maya, Eric Vides Borrel, Helda Morales, Peter Rosset
Summary: This paper explores how the breeding of native bees in Nicaragua promotes the learning of agroecology. It is found that the breeding of native stingless bees serves as a motivating factor for adopting agroecological principles.
REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE EDUCACAO DO CAMPO-BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sayamol Charoenratana, Cholnapa Anukul, Peter M. Rosset
Summary: Northern Thailand is facing controversies over changing cropping patterns, particularly caused by the expansion of maize monocropping by peasant farmers. Various alternative development programs have been introduced to address illegal crops substitution and environmental issues. Different livelihood strategies can be pursued by peasant families, with food sovereignty and mixed strategies showing greater benefits but limited by land tenure security and community resource management.
