Article
Plant Sciences
Alvaro Cruz-Carrion, Ma Josefina Ruiz de Azua, Begona Muguerza, Miquel Mulero, Francisca Isabel Bravo, Anna Arola-Arnal, Manuel Suarez
Summary: A study compared thirteen plant-based foods cultivated in organic (ORG) and non-organic (NORG) farming systems in terms of antioxidant capacity and phenolic compound content. The results showed that NORG fruits had higher phenolic compounds content, while ORG fruits had more antioxidant capacity. NORG legume stood out for having higher values from all parameters analyzed. ORG nuts had higher flavan-3-ols and flavonols content but lower antioxidant capacity compared to their NORG counterparts. ORG vegetables displayed higher phenolics and anthocyanins content, resulting in higher antioxidant capacity than NORG ones. These findings suggest that farming systems modulate phenolic compound composition and antioxidant capacity based on the plant species studied.
Article
Agronomy
Laurent Boucher, Thi-Thuy-An Nguyen, Annie Bregard, Steeve Pepin, Martine Dorais
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of light segmentation, low-intensity lighting phase, and variations in the light spectrum on the agricultural outcomes of organically cultivated leafy greens. The results showed that shortening the length of the diel cycle and reducing light intensity can enhance the growth and light utilization efficiency of leafy greens.
Article
Horticulture
Panayiotis A. Nektarios, Dimitris Ischyropoulos, Panagiotis Kalozoumis, Dimitrios Savvas, Dionisios Yfantopoulos, Nikolaos Ntoulas, Georgios Tsaniklidis, Eleni Goumenaki
Summary: Urban farming on rooftops combines the benefits of green roofing with food production. This study examined the growth, nutritional value, and safety of lettuce and tomato grown on urban green roofs. Results showed that shallow substrate depths ranging from 7.5 to 15 cm can produce high-quality lettuce and tomato. Fertilization type had varying effects on yield and nutrient content. Further research is needed to ensure production safety.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Review
Business
Rosemary J. Thomas, Gregory O'Hare, David Coyle
Summary: Smart agriculture enables the analysis of agricultural data on a large scale, leading to improved productivity and sustainability. However, achieving this potential requires understanding the factors that affect technology acceptance in smart agriculture, which is complex and often poorly understood.
TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING AND SOCIAL CHANGE
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Annie Drottberger, Yizhi Zhang, Jean Wan Hong Yong, Marie-Claude Dubois
Summary: The environmental impacts of food systems will increase with rapid urban population growth. Alternative solutions, such as urban agriculture, are needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Among these solutions, rooftop farming and rooftop greenhouses offer promising technologies that optimize land use, increase profitability, and reduce energy consumption.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Rafaelle Reumaux, Pierre Chopin, Goran Bergkvist, Christine A. Watson, Ingrid Oborn
Summary: A study in Sweden analyzed crop diversity and patterns in organic and conventional farming systems using large-scale field data. The results showed that organic farms had higher crop diversity, and the pre-crop type to winter wheat and spring barley varied between organic and conventional systems. This information can be used to optimize crop diversity and pre-crop effects for more resource-efficient crop production.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Swarna Devi Palanivelu, Nur Amira Zainul Armir, Amalia Zulkifli, Ainul Hafiza Abdul Hair, Kushairi Mohd Salleh, Keith Lindsey, Muhamad Hafiz Che-Othman, Sarani Zakaria
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the potentials and limitations of hydrogel in urban agriculture, including its production and crosslinking methods, characteristics, water absorption and release mechanisms, as well as current and future applications.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio, Lauri Jauhiainen, Tuomas J. Mattila, Juuso Joona, Tony Hyden, Hannu Kankanen
Summary: The survey revealed that farmers generally believe cover crops have beneficial effects on soil conditions, but there are mixed views on their impact on nitrogen fertilizer use, weed problems, and climate change mitigation. Younger farmers and those with less diverse land use tend to be more skeptical about the benefits of cover crops.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Andreas Gabriel, Markus Gandorfer
Summary: As digitalization in agriculture increases, studies on the adoption and use of digital technologies in crop production and livestock farming have also grown. However, the focus on digitalization trends in small-scale farming has been limited. This study investigates the sequential adoption of precision agriculture and other digital technologies, as well as the use of multiple technologies, in a small-scale agricultural region in southern Germany. The results show that Bavarian farmers have the potential to adopt technologies like barn robotics, section control, variable-rate applications, and satellite data maps in the next five years. The study highlights the importance of identifying current equipment and technology trends in small-scale agriculture to promote digitalization.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Cheng Li, Xinjian Chen, Aiwu Jiang, Myung-Bok Lee, Christos Mammides, Eben Goodale
Summary: Encouraging crop diversity can benefit both farmers and biodiversity conservation, but further research is needed to understand the factors influencing the decision to plant multiple crops and how it impacts profit. In an agricultural area near Nanning, Guangxi in South China, crop diversity increased with land size and closeness to the city, with more profitable farmers having greater crop diversity and land, driven by lucrative but rarely planted crop types. Future policies should focus on promoting crop diversity to improve farmers' livelihoods, particularly in areas closer to protected areas with higher biodiversity.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sofie Schryvers, Thomas De Bock, Mieke Uyttendaele, Liesbeth Jacxsens
Summary: This study demonstrates the use and application possibilities of the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology in food safety risk management, specifically in the washing of minimally processed leafy greens. The study found that the washing procedure is critical in preventing cross-contamination of pathogens, and that the use of chemical sanitizers in produce wash water is inconsistent across EU member states. Through the MCDA methodology, the most appropriate washing method was determined to be using potable (ice) water.
Article
Agronomy
Shih-Hsun Walter Hung, Tsai-Ching Huang, Yu-Chih Lai, I-Chen Wu, Chia-Ho Liu, Yuh-Feng Huarng, Hau-Hsuan Hwang, En-Pei Isabel Chiang, Chih-Horng Kuo, Chieh-Chen Huang
Summary: Using Burkholderia seminalis 869T2 as a biostimulant can enhance the growth and quality of leafy vegetables, reduce fertilizer usage, and decrease costs while increasing product value.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ademir de Oliveira Ferreira, Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado, Charles W. Rice, Daniel Ruiz Potma Goncalves, Dorivar A. Ruiz Diaz
Summary: Global and Brazilian studies have shown that conservation agriculture can help restore soil organic carbon stocks depleted by conventional tillage. A farm-scale study in Southern Brazil found that conservation agriculture systems performed as well as or better than research plots in terms of soil organic carbon recovery, with high plant biomass inputs, minimal soil disturbance, and oilseed radish cover crops playing key roles.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Clarisse Mendoza Gonzalvo, Wilson Florendo Aala, Keshav Lall Maharjan
Summary: This study conducted a survey on 70 Filipino farmers to understand their perspectives on coexisting farming methods, finding that both biotech and organic farmers have a non-linear decision-making process. Biotech farmers are more influenced by internal factors, while organic farmers rely more on external influences. The presence of maverick executives within the organic farmers supports the idea that coexistence can empower farmers.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elisa Appolloni, Francesco Orsini, Kathrin Specht, Susanne Thomaier, Esther Sanye-Mengual, Giuseppina Pennisi, Giorgio Gianquinto
Summary: In the field of rooftop agriculture, North America has the highest percentage of cases, mainly focusing on open-air farms and gardens; commercial cases are relatively scarce, with most targeting social-educational goals or improving urban living quality; there are currently untapped business opportunities that, if developed, may help establish more sustainable and resilient city food systems.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)