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Agronomy
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Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
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Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2022) | Viewed by 39164

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
Interests: nitrogen diagnosis; soil health; plant and soil nutrient management; drought; nitrogen-water interactions; sustainable cropping system; food security; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Saadatullah Malghani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecology, College of Biology and the Environment. Nanjing Forestry University, 210037, Nanjing, China
Interests: biogeochemistry; GHGs; C-sequestration; stable isotopes; soil-microbial interactions; biochar; climate smart agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Pakistan
Interests: agroclimatology; climate change impact assessment; crop-environment interaction; agroecology; cropping system; plant nutrition; food security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last five decades, advancements in agriculture have made it possible to fulfill the global food, feed, and fiber demands of the highest ever world human population. However, maintaining the supply for the continuously increasing population is challenging due to extensive urbanization, drastic land degradation, and climate change. The latter is potentially the scariest threat of the 21st century for global food security, considering its detrimental effects on agricultural production. Global climate change has seriously affected agricultural production, while on the other hand, agriculture itself is continuously contributing to climate change through the increasing concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The urge for new inventions in agricultural technologies and management was never before as it is today to balance agricultural production and associated climate effects. Hence, changes in agriculture management are essential to cope with the challenges of maintaining the continuous increase in agricultural production, enhancing the resilience of crop production to climate change, and ensuring progress in climate change mitigation. However, the success of agricultural management-based climate change adaptation and mitigation requires the development of simple, cost-effective, and broadly adaptable methods. Therefore, strategizing agricultural management is imperative for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

To understand how strategizing agricultural management can help in climate change adaptation and mitigating its effects on agricultural production, the significant increase in the contribution from the scientific community in this research arena would play a key role. This proposed Special Issue of Agronomy will raise awareness and stimulate research in this field, primarily focusing on how agricultural management could help in tackling climate change. In this issue, we welcome scientific work in all forms of articles (original research, method, opinion, and reviews) related to innovative and controversial technologies with the potential to initiate the debate among peers. Moreover, we particularly invite high-risk and novel methodologies-based studies that transcend disciplinary boundaries to capture the current advancements. The proposed Special Issue will foster an open discussion on the prospects of climate change adaptation and mitigation. 

Papers are solicited on all areas directly related to these topics, including but not limited to:

  • Improved crop management to increase soil carbon storage;
  • Improved nitrogen fertilizer application techniques to reduce N2O emissions;
  • Improved rice production technologies to reduce CH4 emissions;
  • Improved manure management to reduce CH4 emissions;
  • Improved irrigation and water-harvesting techniques;
  • Improved crop varieties (early maturing, drought resistant, etc.);
  • Changing planting dates;
  • Incorporation of crop residues;
  • Crop rotation;
  • Mulch farming;
  • Reduced or zero tillage;
  • Use of cover crops;
  • Intercropping with legumes;
  • Appropriate use of plant nutrients;
  • Restoration of degraded land;
  • Promoting energy crops to replace fossil fuel use;
  • Agroforestry;
  • Recycling of bio-solids.

We hope you find the topic of this Special Issue interesting, and we look forward to your research contribution.

Dr. Syed Tahir Ata-Ul-Karim
Dr. Saadatullah Malghani
Dr. Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agricultural management
  • crop production
  • cropping systems
  • climate change
  • climate-smart farming
  • mitigation
  • resilience
  • adaptation
  • greenhouse gas emissions
  • synergies
  • C-sequestration
  • crop-environment interaction
  • soil-microbial interactions
  • agroclimatology

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2596 KiB  
Article
Effects of Growth Stage-Based Limited Irrigation Management on Soil CO2 and N2O Emissions, Winter Wheat Yield and Nutritional Quality
by Yuxin Cao and Huanjie Cai
Agronomy 2022, 12(4), 952; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040952 - 15 Apr 2022
Viewed by 1675
Abstract
Water scarcity and poor irrigation practices limit crop productivity and increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in arid Northwest China. Therefore, we investigated the effects of five growth stage-based deficit irrigation strategies on the yield, quality, and greenhouse gas emissions of winter wheat. Across [...] Read more.
Water scarcity and poor irrigation practices limit crop productivity and increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in arid Northwest China. Therefore, we investigated the effects of five growth stage-based deficit irrigation strategies on the yield, quality, and greenhouse gas emissions of winter wheat. Across treatments, CO2 emissions ranged from 3824.93 to 4659.05 kg ha−1 and N2O emissions from 3.96 to 4.79 kg ha−1. Compared with CK (irrigation in all growth stages), GHG emissions decreased significantly in T1, T2, T3, and T4 (p < 0.05). Water stress reduced the wheat yield, compared with CK, but the decrease depended on the stage without irrigation. Across treatments, the wheat yield was between 5610 and 6818 kg ha−1. The grain protein content decreased in the order T4 > T3 > T1 > T2 > CK. On the basis of a catastrophe progression method evaluation, we recommend T1 as the irrigation practice for winter wheat, because it maintained a high grain yield and quality and reduced GHG emissions. Thus, in practice, soil moisture should be sufficient before sowing, and adequate water should be supplied during the heading and filling stages of winter wheat. This study provides a theoretical basis for exploring the irrigation strategies of high-yield, good-quality, and emission reduction of winter wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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15 pages, 1420 KiB  
Article
Application of Potassium along with Nitrogen under Varied Moisture Regimes Improves Performance and Nitrogen-Use Efficiency of High- and Low-Potassium Efficiency Cotton Cultivars
by Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, Tanveer Ul-Haq, Fiaz Ahmad, Muhammad Imran, Wazir Ahmed, Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Shahid, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem, Huda Alshaya, Mohammad K. Okla and Shafaqat Ali
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020502 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1992
Abstract
Low nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) is a serious issue for cotton production and environmental sustainability in arid climates. A pot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of K nutrition on NUE and performance of low- and high-K-efficiency cotton cultivars under two moisture regimes. [...] Read more.
Low nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) is a serious issue for cotton production and environmental sustainability in arid climates. A pot study was conducted to evaluate the effect of K nutrition on NUE and performance of low- and high-K-efficiency cotton cultivars under two moisture regimes. Treatments included two soil moisture levels—i.e., normal irrigation, 100% available water content (AWC); reduced irrigation, 50% AWC—three levels of nitrogen (N)—i.e., 0, 375, and 750 mg N pot−1—and two K levels, i.e., 0 and 208 mg K pot−1. Results reveal that 208 mg K pot−1 application with nitrogen significantly enhanced the N-use efficiency, growth, and yield attributes of both cotton cultivars compared with sole N fertilization. Similarly, the combined application of NK @ 375 N + 208 K mg pot−1 caused up to 83% increase in NUE under AWC50% and AWC100%, as compared with NK control (0 N + 0 K). Compared with the control, imposed low-moisture stress caused a decrease of 13.9% in stomatal conductance (gs), 2.5% in transpiration rate (E), and 6.5% in net photosynthetic rate (PN), respectively. The physiological water use efficiency (PN/E) decreased by 13.2% under AWC50%. Applied NK @ 375 N:208 K, mg pot−1 caused 27.39 and 27.56% improvement in the PN/E in HKE and LKE cultivars under AWC50%, respectively. The HKE cultivar, i.e., CIM-554, maintained the highest gs and PN than FH-901, that was low-K-efficiency cultivar. The study suggests that varietal selection and adequate K fertilization have the prospects to improve NUE and save considerable quantities of fertilizer and irrigation water in cotton production under arid environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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16 pages, 2090 KiB  
Article
Effects of Soil Moisture Content on Germination and Physiological Characteristics of Rice Seeds with Different Specific Gravity
by Danping Hou, Junguo Bi, Li Ma, Kangkang Zhang, Dongyi Li, Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani, Jinsong Tan, Qingyu Bi, Yuan Wei, Guolan Liu, Xinqiao Yu and Lijun Luo
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020500 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4885
Abstract
Soil relative water content and seed plumpness have been shown to be the key factors affecting seed germination and seedling growth of rice under direct drought cropping. It remains to be determined whether seed germination and seedling growth of water-saving and drought-resistant rice [...] Read more.
Soil relative water content and seed plumpness have been shown to be the key factors affecting seed germination and seedling growth of rice under direct drought cropping. It remains to be determined whether seed germination and seedling growth of water-saving and drought-resistant rice (WDR) and conventional rice with the same proportion of rice seed have the same response to soil moisture changes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the seed germination and physiological characteristics of the rice cultivars Guangliangyou 1813 (GLY-1813,indica hybrid rice) and Hanyou 73 ((HY-73), WDR) with four different specific gravities (T1, T2, T3, and T4; the rice seeds were divided into four specific gravity levels by weight using saline water, the representative specific gravities were <1.0, 1.0–1.1, 1.1–1.2 and >1.2 kg m−3, respectively), at five soil moisture content gradients (soil relative water contents of 10–20%, 20–40%, 40–60%, 60–80%, and 80–100%), under dry direct seeding conditions. The results showed that GLY-1813 had a higher germination potential, germination and seedling emergence rates, greater root dry weight, seedling dry weight, root oxidation activity, and chlorophyll content, and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content when the soil relative water content was 20–40% or 40–60%. Cultivar HY-73 had the highest germination rate and seedling physiological activity at 20–40% relative water content; its growth vigor was better than that of GLY-1813 at the same soil moisture level. In conclusion, the soil relative water content for seed germination of HY-73 was 20–40%, which was less than that of GLY-1813. When soil relative water content was sufficient for seed germination and growth, the higher the plumpness of the rice seed, the easier it was to resist the negative effects of an adverse growth environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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15 pages, 710 KiB  
Article
Alleviation of Cadmium Stress in Wheat through the Combined Application of Boron and Biochar via Regulating Morpho-Physiological and Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms
by Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Irfan, Abdul Sattar, Shabir Hussain, Sami Ullah, Tahira Abbas, Haseeb Ur-Rehman, Farukh Nawaz, Abdulrahman Al-Hashimi, Mohamed S. Elshikh, Mumtaz Cheema and Jianjun Yang
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020434 - 09 Feb 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2755
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil adversely affects crop productivity, grain quality, and human health. Applications of boron (B) and biochar are known to impart tolerance to crops against abiotic stresses. A pot experiment was performed to assess the effects of the sole and [...] Read more.
Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil adversely affects crop productivity, grain quality, and human health. Applications of boron (B) and biochar are known to impart tolerance to crops against abiotic stresses. A pot experiment was performed to assess the effects of the sole and combined application of B and biochar on growth, physiological and antioxidant defense mechanisms, yield, and grain quality of wheat under Cd toxicity-induced stress. The treatments included control (0 mg kg−1 and 0 g kg−1), only Cd (15 mg kg−1), only B (5 g kg−1), only biochar (50 g kg−1), B plus biochar, Cd plus B, Cd plus biochar, and Cd plus B plus biochar, which were applied at the time of sowing and were arranged using completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications. The individual Cd toxicity (15 mg kg−1) significantly reduced chl a, chl b, and chl a+b, as well as primary metabolites (soluble protein, amino acids, total soluble sugar, and phenolic contents), while it increased the activities of enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in the leaves of wheat. In addition, Cd stress (15 mg kg−1) increased lipid peroxidation in the form of malondialdehyde (MDA), and it enhanced the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, electrolyte leakage (EL), and proline contents in the leaves. Furthermore, Cd (15 mg kg−1) contamination reduced the grain yield and yield-related attributes relative to respective no-Cd treatments. Soil-applied B and biochar improved wheat grain yield by triggering the activities of enzymatic antioxidants. Individual or combined B and biochar applications improved proline contents and reduced H2O2 and MDA contents in plants. The combined application of B and biochar enhanced soluble sugars and total phenolic as compared to the control and Cd-contaminated plants. In conclusion, the combined application of B and biochar was found to be the best soil amendment strategy to improve the yield of wheat under Cd-contaminated soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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19 pages, 2187 KiB  
Article
A Two-Year Study on Yield and Yield Components of Maize-White Bean Intercropping Systems under Different Sowing Techniques
by Aidyn Zhanbota, Rana Shahzad Noor, Azeem Iqbal Khan, Gangyi Wang, Muhammad Mohsin Waqas, Adnan Noor Shah and Sami Ullah
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020240 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2078
Abstract
Food security is directly coupled with enhanced production under optimized cropping intensity. Intercropping is a diversified and sustainable agricultural technique with optimized cropping intensity. Intercropping is used to obtain a higher yield and more balanced products per unit area. This study was performed [...] Read more.
Food security is directly coupled with enhanced production under optimized cropping intensity. Intercropping is a diversified and sustainable agricultural technique with optimized cropping intensity. Intercropping is used to obtain a higher yield and more balanced products per unit area. This study was performed at Aidyn Research Institute, Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, in 2018 and 2019 to identify the effects of different sowing patterns on maize-white bean (Zea mays–Phaseolus vulgaris) sowing systems. The field experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Göynük-98 was used for white beans, and SY Miami was used for maize, with 20 cm and 40 cm row spaces for maize, and 10 cm and 20 cm row spaces for white bean and sole maize, sole white bean, maize-white bean-maize-white bean, maize-white bean-white bean-maize and white bean-maize-maize-white bean sowing systems. The results showed that wide row spacing was better than narrow row spacing in terms of land equivalent ratio (LER) for both maize and white beans, but grain yield was higher in narrow row spacing. Yield items for both maize and white beans showed higher values in intercropping. Grain yield was higher in sole sowing. The maize-white bean-white bean-maize sowing system for maize and the white bean-maize-maize-white bean sowing system for white beans were determined as the best sowing systems according to the yield components. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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18 pages, 2616 KiB  
Article
Effect of Biochar and PGPR on the Growth and Nutrients Content of Einkorn Wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) and Post-Harvest Soil Properties
by Fatih Çığ, Ferit Sönmez, Muhammad Azhar Nadeem and Ayman El Sabagh
Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2418; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122418 - 27 Nov 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3148
Abstract
Limited availability of nutrients to crops is a major agricultural concern. Deteriorated soil health and poor fertility status decrease the bioavailability of essential nutrients to the plants. Consequently, organic soil amendment biochar is gaining attention due to its potential benefits. Rhizobacterial inoculation, are [...] Read more.
Limited availability of nutrients to crops is a major agricultural concern. Deteriorated soil health and poor fertility status decrease the bioavailability of essential nutrients to the plants. Consequently, organic soil amendment biochar is gaining attention due to its potential benefits. Rhizobacterial inoculation, are also documented as an effective technology for mobilization of immobile nutrients in soil. However, limited literature is available on combined use of rhizobacteria and biochar. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the changes in the nutrient content of einkorn wheat and the change in some soil properties during the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with biochar. Four doses of biochar (0, 2.5, 5, and 10%) were applied with and without PGPR in the study. Biochar increased the growth criteria such as plant fresh weight (PFW), plant dry weight (PDW), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), number of tillers, germination rate (GR) and potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) elements. While PGPR application increased soil pH, dry and fresh weight of root, R/S, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Ni contents, and it caused a decrease in PH, PFW, tillers, GR, P, Cu, and Zn values. Combined biochar applications and PGPR had a significant effect on the pH, RFW, R/S, P, Na, and Cu. In conclusion, the combination of biochar and PGPR applications has shown a positive effect in terms of soil properties, plant growth, and element contents of einkorn wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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23 pages, 2098 KiB  
Article
Physiology, Growth, and Productivity of Spring–Summer Black Gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) as Influenced by Heat and Moisture Stresses in Different Dates of Sowing and Nutrient Management Conditions
by Purabi Banerjee, Visha Kumari Venugopalan, Rajib Nath, Yusuf S. Althobaiti, Ahmed Gaber, Hatim Al-Yasi and Akbar Hossain
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2329; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112329 - 17 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3853
Abstract
Heat and soil moisture stress account for serious abiotic constraint in black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) production during spring–summer under Gangetic plains of Eastern India. Concurrence of these two can bring about early completion of phenophases that hampers normal metabolism of [...] Read more.
Heat and soil moisture stress account for serious abiotic constraint in black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) production during spring–summer under Gangetic plains of Eastern India. Concurrence of these two can bring about early completion of phenophases that hampers normal metabolism of legumes by disrupting their defense mechanism, leading to poor seed set. The field experiment was conducted with two different sowing dates as the main plot, soil application of cobalt (Co) as subplots and foliar sprays of potassium (K) and boron (B) either alone or in combination as sub–sub plot treatment in a split–split plot design during spring–summer seasons of 2020 and 2021 with black gram (variety: Pant U 31). The study was aimed at evaluating the impact of sowing time and nutrients application alleviating adversities of abiotic stress during reproductive development of black gram. The March first week sown crop took significantly higher days to complete its life cycle compared to March third week sown one (82.0 vs. 78.2 and 81.8 vs. 78.8). This in turn relatively allowed a broader window for leaf area expansion, flowering, and seed filling in the first crop compared to the second one leading to the attainment of superior yield in the normal sown crop during the consecutive years. Crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), pod number per plant, seed yield, and harvest index were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) with soil Co @ 4 kg ha−1 and foliar 1.25% K + 0.2% B applications through stress mitigation by stimulating chlorophyll biosynthesis, nitrate reductase activity, proline accumulation, and cell membrane stability, irrespective of the years. Fluctuations in per plant pod number explained about 96 and 94% variations in seed yield through linear regressions in respective years. Optimum sowing date along with soil Co application combined with foliar K+B sprays manifested immense potential to achieve higher black gram production. In addition, this nutrient schedule proved to be efficient enough to promote satisfactory growth and optimum seed yield of late sown blackgram through relief of stress during the spring–summer season. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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12 pages, 4469 KiB  
Article
Comparative Physiological, Biochemical, and Proteomic Responses of Photooxidation-Prone Rice Mutant 812HS under High Light Conditions
by Aisha Almakas, Guoxiang Chen, Fahad Masoud Wattoo, Rashid Mehmood Rana, Muhammad Asif Saleem, Zhiping Gao, Muhammad Waqas Amjid, Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani, Abeer Hashem and Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2225; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112225 - 03 Nov 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2052
Abstract
Photosynthetic efficiency decreases as light energy surpasses the photosynthesis capacity. This study was designed to investigate the potential effects of high-intensity light on the photooxidation-prone mutant 812HS of rice and its wild-type 812S during yellow and recovering stages. Results showed that in the [...] Read more.
Photosynthetic efficiency decreases as light energy surpasses the photosynthesis capacity. This study was designed to investigate the potential effects of high-intensity light on the photooxidation-prone mutant 812HS of rice and its wild-type 812S during yellow and recovering stages. Results showed that in the yellowing stage, light oxidation occurs due to the exposure of mutant 812HS leaves to the high sunlight, which causes yellowing of the leaves, leading to a reduction in the photochemical activities, physiological mechanisms, and protein contents in mutant 812HS. In the recovery stage, mutant 812HS leaves were exposed to the maximum high brightness, the mutant’s leaves were draped with a dark cover to decrease the exposure of leaves of the plants from direct sunlight, which leads to the restoration of the green color again to the mutant 812HS leaves, leading to improving the performance of the photochemical activities, physiological mechanisms, and protein contents in mutant 812HS. Exposing leaves of mutant 812HS to high light at the yellow stage also resulted in a decrease in the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) in carotenoids content and chlorophyll a and b. Similarly, chlorophyll fluorescence of mutant 812HS decreased in (O-I-J-I-P) curves, and the ATP content, Mg2+-ATPase, and Ca2+-ATPase activities also decreased. An increase in energy dissipation was observed, while ABS/RC, DI0/RC, and TR0/RC values in mutant 812HS at the yellow stage increased. During photooxidation, an increase in O2•– and H2O2 contents was observed in mutant 812HS. While O2•– and H2O2 contents were decreased in mutant 812HS at the recovery stage. The rate of thylakoid membrane protein content was significantly decreased in mutant 812HS at the yellow stage, while at the recovery stage, there was no significant decrease. Our findings showed that photooxidation prompted oxidative damages and lipid peroxidation that caused severe damages to the membranes of the cell, photosynthetic pigments degradation, protein levels, and photosynthesis inhibition in mutant 812HS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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22 pages, 2535 KiB  
Article
Seed Priming with Mg(NO3)2 and ZnSO4 Salts Triggers the Germination and Growth Attributes Synergistically in Wheat Varieties
by Surendra Kumar Choudhary, Vivek Kumar, Rajesh Kumar Singhal, Bandana Bose, Jyoti Chauhan, Saud Alamri, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Talha Javed, Rubab Shabbir, Karthika Rajendran, Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Zahia E. A. Elmetwaly, Sobhy Sorour and Ayman EL. Sabagh
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112110 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2444
Abstract
An experiment was conducted in both laboratory (germinative attributes) and field conditions (growth attributes) with completely randomized design (CRD) and randomized block design, respectively, to view the responses of different priming treatments in two wheat varieties: HUW-234 (V1) and BHU-3(V2). In the present [...] Read more.
An experiment was conducted in both laboratory (germinative attributes) and field conditions (growth attributes) with completely randomized design (CRD) and randomized block design, respectively, to view the responses of different priming treatments in two wheat varieties: HUW-234 (V1) and BHU-3(V2). In the present study, seeds were primed with water (hydro; T2), Mg (NO3)2 (T3), ZnSO4 (T4), and a combination of both salts (T5). Their carry over effects were observed on the germinative and vegetative phases of growth. All treatments were compared with the performance of nonprimed control seeds (T1). Maximum germination percentage (98.33, 100%) was noted with T3, whereas length of shoot (8.83, 10.23 cm) and root (9.47, 10.73 cm) and their fresh (0.34, 0.45 g) and dry weights (0.05, 0.07 g) were recorded maximum in T5 for both varieties; however, the vigor index I and II showed varietal difference, but primed sets were found always superior with respect to nonprimed control. Study of plant height, leaf number and area, fresh and dry weights of total leaves and stem showed the best performance under combined use of both salts, i.e., Mg (NO3)2 and ZnSO4 as priming agents, followed by ZnSO4, Mg (NO3)2, hydro, and the nonprimed one. The study of biochemical parameters such as protein content and nitrate reductase activity of leaves showed the highest increment in combined priming treatment and increased 63.77, 90.37, 37.44% and 12.81, 5.61, 7.75%, respectively, after 35, 45, and 60 days after sowing. It is likely that chlorophyll, nitrogen, iron, and zinc content also followed a similar pattern and were enhanced in combined priming treatments as compared to nonpriming treatment. Therefore, the result suggests that priming seeds with Mg (NO3)2 and ZnSO4 worked synergistically at varietal level and improved growth attributes at field conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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20 pages, 7429 KiB  
Article
Understanding Growth Rate Patterns among Different Drought Resistant Sugarcane Cultivars during Plant and Ratoon Crops Encountered Water Deficit at Early Growth Stage under Natural Field Conditions
by Jidapa Khonghintaisong, Patcharin Songsri and Nakorn Jongrungklang
Agronomy 2021, 11(10), 2083; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11102083 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2477
Abstract
Drought-tolerant sugarcane genotypes have been proposed to alleviate the issue of early water deficits; however, it is important to investigate the impact of phenology on the crop growth rate and growth patterns. This study aimed to investigate the responses of different water deficit-tolerant [...] Read more.
Drought-tolerant sugarcane genotypes have been proposed to alleviate the issue of early water deficits; however, it is important to investigate the impact of phenology on the crop growth rate and growth patterns. This study aimed to investigate the responses of different water deficit-tolerant cultivars on crop growth rate patterns of both plant crop and ratoon under rain-fed and well-irrigated conditions, and to determine the relationship between final stalk dry weight and crop growth rates during water deficit, recovery, and maturity phases. A 2 × 6 split plot in a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Two water regimes, namely, field capacity (FC) and rain-fed conditions, were assigned as the main plot, whereas six sugarcane cultivars differing in water deficit-tolerant levels were assigned as sub-plots. Sugarcane cultivar KK3 consistently possessed high potential and low reduction in dried shoot weight. A correlation was found between stalk dry weight and stem growth rate, shoot growth rate, and height growth rate (HGR) during the recovery period in the first season, and HGR at the recovery stage was correlated with the dry weight of ratoon. The recovery phase of early water deficit stress was a key stage for determining the final stalk dry matter. The desired cultivars having a good adaptation to water deficit stress at the formative stage, such as KK3, showed a gradually increased growth rate during the early water deficit stage, but this growth accelerated, and the maximum growth rate was reached, during the recovery period. This knowledge will help to clarify the selection of sugarcane cultivars in breeding programs that can resist water deficit at the early growth stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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21 pages, 4368 KiB  
Article
Influence of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles to Regulate the Antioxidants Enzymes, Some Osmolytes and Agronomic Attributes in Coriandrum sativum L. Grown under Water Stress
by Muhammad Tajammal Khan, Shakil Ahmed, Anis Ali Shah, Adnan Noor Shah, Mohsin Tanveer, Mohamed A. El-Sheikh and Manzer H. Siddiqui
Agronomy 2021, 11(10), 2004; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11102004 - 03 Oct 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2558
Abstract
Climatic variations adversely affect the limited water resources of earth which leads to water stress and influences agricultural production worldwide. Therefore, a novel approach has been introduced to improve the tolerance against water stress in herbaceous nature medicinal plants such as Coriandrum sativum [...] Read more.
Climatic variations adversely affect the limited water resources of earth which leads to water stress and influences agricultural production worldwide. Therefore, a novel approach has been introduced to improve the tolerance against water stress in herbaceous nature medicinal plants such as Coriandrum sativum by the usage of nanotechnology (foliar applied nanoparticles of ZnOx) coupled with the application of water deficit irrigation. This is an alternative water saving strategy that proved to be efficient to mitigate the Coriandrum sativum tolerance against water stress regimes for sustainable yield production through the activation of antioxidant system. Thus, the phenomena of green synthesis have been deployed for the formation of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOx NPs) from the leaf extract of Camellia sinensis L. and zinc acetate dihydrate was used as precursor. Different techniques have been used for the thorough study and confirmation of ZnOx NPs such as UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis) X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Elemental dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The prepared ZnOx NPs exhibit hexagonal wurtzite crystal nature has an average size of 37 nm with high purity. These ZnOx NPs have been further studied for their role in amelioration of water stress tolerance in Coriandrum sativum in a pot experiment. Two levels of water stress regimes were employed, IR75 (moderate) and IR50 (Intense) to evaluate the behavior of plant compared to full irrigation (FI). Results showed that under water stress regimes, the 100 ppm of prepared NPs stimulate the antioxidant system by increasing the activity of catalases (CAT), super oxidases (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzymes and found the maximum at IR50, while the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased due to increase in activity of antioxidative enzymes. Furthermore, chlorophyll content and amount of proline also enhanced by the foliar application of prepared ZnOx NPs under moderate water stress (IR75). The results suggested that all the investigated agronomic attributes significantly increased, including plant biomass and economic yield (EY), compared to non-treated ZnOx NPs plants, except for the number of primary branches and LAI. Further, the 100 ppm of prepared ZnOx NPs have great potential to improve water stress tolerance in Coriandrum sativum by improving the antioxidant enzymes activity that enhance agronomic attributes for high crop productivity that require further research at transcriptomic and genomic level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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14 pages, 3003 KiB  
Article
Exploiting Agronomic and Biochemical Traits to Develop Heat Resilient Cotton Cultivars under Climate Change Scenarios
by Muhammad Mubashar Zafar, Abdul Manan, Abdul Razzaq, Misbah Zulfqar, Asif Saeed, Muhammad Kashif, Azeem Iqbal Khan, Zareen Sarfraz, Huijuan Mo, Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, Amir Shakeel and Maozhi Ren
Agronomy 2021, 11(9), 1885; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091885 - 20 Sep 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 2870
Abstract
The development of high-yielding heat-tolerant cotton cultivars harboring plastic phenotypes across warming climatic regions is prime objectives of today’s cotton breeding programs. We evaluated eight parents and 15 F1 hybrids under normal and heat stress conditions. Agronomic and biochemical characters were analyzed [...] Read more.
The development of high-yielding heat-tolerant cotton cultivars harboring plastic phenotypes across warming climatic regions is prime objectives of today’s cotton breeding programs. We evaluated eight parents and 15 F1 hybrids under normal and heat stress conditions. Agronomic and biochemical characters were analyzed using standard least square, correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering. The results explained a significant reduction in all traits except hydrogen peroxide contents, catalase, and peroxidase activities with a prominent increase under heat stress. A significant positive correlation was observed among all agronomic and biochemical traits. POD was found to have a maximum positive correlation with CAT (0.947) and minimum with boll weight (0.050). PCA showed first two components accounting for 78.64% of the total variation, with 55.83% and 22.80% of the total variation, respectively. Based on multivariate analyses methods 23 genotypes have been placed in 3 groups: tolerant (cluster-3), moderately tolerant (cluster-2), and susceptible (cluster-1). In a general perspective hybrids have better performance across normal and heat stress supports the idea of hybrid adaptability across stress environments. In specific FH-458 × FH-313 cross performed best across both conditions for yield and physiological traits. Hence, the generated information from the present study would support breeders in developing heat-resilient cultivars to endure the prevailing extreme environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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17 pages, 1552 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Feasibility of In Situ Vegetable Residue Return in the Chinese Solar Greenhouse
by Xiaoxuan Wei, Yansu Li, Xiaoguang Fan, Chaoxing He, Yan Yan, Mintao Sun, Chaowu Ding, Jun Wang and Xianchang Yu
Agronomy 2021, 11(9), 1828; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091828 - 13 Sep 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2155
Abstract
The tremendous scale of protected vegetable cultivation incidentally produces considerable vegetable residue, which refers to the remaining parts of plants after the final harvest. The low use rate of vegetable residue results in nutrient waste and environmental pressure in China. In this study, [...] Read more.
The tremendous scale of protected vegetable cultivation incidentally produces considerable vegetable residue, which refers to the remaining parts of plants after the final harvest. The low use rate of vegetable residue results in nutrient waste and environmental pressure in China. In this study, we put forward vegetable residue directly returned to the soil and investigated its feasibility. Residue return was steadily conducted 5 times in a Chinese solar greenhouse with the cucumber–tomato rotation pattern. Results showed that residue return increased the soil alkali-hydrolysed nitrogen and available potassium contents by 4.97–26.22% and 9.31–21.92%, respectively, along with slightly reduced soil pH and bulk density by 1.00–5.39% and 6.72–11.81%, respectively. Gemmatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota were the major phyla with noticeable changes when residue return was conducted 5 times. Fruit yield began to obtain remarkable increase by 5.81–9.26 t·ha−1 after residue return was conducted 3 times, bringing about additional profits of 5382.0–8519.2 USD·ha−1. Residue return could cut down the disposal expense of vegetable residues by 480.89 USD·ha−1. Moreover, residue return could supplement nutrients to soil, potentially contributing to reducing chemical fertilizer inputs. In conclusion, in situ vegetable residue return could be considered to be a feasible and sustainable use technique for vegetable residues in the Chinese solar greenhouse. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategizing Agricultural Management for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation)
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