Publications
Now showing items 21-40 of 57
Soil health: definitions, history, key concepts and hurdles
(2023)
This chapter reviews the history and trajectory of soil quality and soil health as global scientific objectives. Sections review definitions and drivers, key concepts, and hurdles that change this field of effort before ...
Modifying mesophyll conductance to optimise photosynthesis in crops
(2023)
Mesophyll conductance (gm), the ease with which carbon dioxide can diffuse into and through plant cells, is a promising target for improving photosynthetic rates in plants. Barriers including cell walls, membranes, liquid ...
Advances in managing organic matter in turfgrass ecosystems
(2023)
Organic matter (OM) management is a critical component in sustainable turfgrass management. Organic matter improves the soils’ ability to hold nutrients and water. However, when OM accumulation is excessive, several ...
The use of Bacillus spp. as bacterial biocontrol agents to control plant diseases
(2021)
Biocontrol agents (BCAs) based on plant growth promoting rhizobacteria have recently been developed as alternatives to chemical pesticides. Among those beneficial bacteria, Bacillus spp. are one of the most promising BCAs. ...
Tools for pest and disease management by stakeholders: a case study on Plantwise
(2021)
This chapter presents Plantwise as an innovative process for pest management in small holder crop production systems. The tools and applications developed under Plantwise constitute innovations that have potential to ...
Assessing the environmental impact of ruminant production systems
(2019)
One of the most common methods to evaluate environmental footprints of farming systems is life cycle assessment (LCA). Although LCA itself is suitable for and adopted by a wide range of industries far beyond agriculture, ...
Improving the global exchange of germplasm for crop breeding
(2021)
Different norms, rules and practices organize the exchange of germplasm to address broader global challenges such as advancement of science and innovation, food security, sustainable agriculture or global equity. Some of ...
Digital phenotyping and genotype-to-phenotype (G2P) models to predict complex traits in cereal crops
(2022)
The revolution in digital phenotyping combined with the new layers of omics and envirotyping tools offers great promise to improve selection and accelerate genetic gains for crop improvement. This chapter examines the ...
Development and scale-up of bioprotectants to keep staple foods safe from aflatoxin contamination in Africa
(2022)
Aflatoxins pose a significant public health risk, decrease productivity and profitability and hamper trade. To minimize aflatoxin contamination a biocontrol technology based on atoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus that ...
Clonostachys rosea to control plant diseases
(2022)
The fungus Clonostachys rosea was recognized as an aggressive parasite on other fungi already in the late 1950s. Research into its potential use in biological control of plant diseases soon followed. Today, there are several ...
Sampling and statistics in assessment of fresh produce
(2022)
New measurement technologies are facilitating new approaches to the improvement of safety and quality in agri-food supply chains. However, measurement uncertainty and choice of sampling strategy can influence the outcomes ...
Origins and drivers of crop phenotyping
(2022)
Plant phenotyping has seen rapid recent development in methods and technologies. This chapter outlines how plant phenotyping has developed over recent decades, driven by factors such as advances in optical sensors, image ...
Integrated weed management in grasslands
(2022)
This chapter describes the current status of IWM for grasslands. Its focus is on management practices available to influence transitions in a weed’s life cycle: from the soil seed bank to seedling establishment, from the ...
Relaxing non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) to improve photosynthesis in crops
(2023)
Sunlight intercepted by crop plants drives photosynthesis and growth. However, the light-harvesting antenna complexes that capture light energy for photosynthesis can also absorb too much light, which enhances the formation ...
The use of Pseudomonas spp. as bacterial biocontrol agents to control plant diseases
(2021)
Most Pseudomonas biocontrol strains are associated with the rhizosphere of plants, where they control soil pathogens by antibiosis or competition, and leaf pathogens via induced systemic resistance. Genome mining and the ...
Creating frameworks to foster soil carbon sequestration
(2023)
Restorative land management has potential to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide and store carbon in stable forms in soils contributing to climate change mitigation, healthier soils and food security supporting Paris Agreement ...
Mechanisms of soil organic carbon sequestration and implications for management
(2023)
Organic carbon sequestration is delineated from the different mechanisms underlying the storage of organic matter in mineral soils. The scene is set with definitions of the major terms within the complex of organic matter ...
Agriculture practices to improve soil carbon storage in upland soil
(2023)
Increasing carbon storage in soils is one way of mitigating climate change. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils through improved management is particularly interesting, because of low costs and technical readiness. ...
Agricultural practices to improve soil carbon sequestration in rice paddy soils
(2023)
Paddy rice systems are characterized by waterlogged conditions with high potential for CH4 emissions and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the net global warming potential (GWP) ...
Managing grasslands to optimize soil carbon sequestration
(2023)
In this chapter, we will discuss the effect of different grassland management practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. This includes comparison of grasslands with arable ...