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Special Issue "Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture"

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2023 | Viewed by 10010

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rupesh Kumar Singh

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Guest Editor

1. Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, Campus of Gualtar, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
2. InnovPlantProtect Collaborative Laboratory, Department of Protection of Specific Crops, Estrada de Gil Vaz, Apartado 72, 7350-999 Elvas, Portugal
Interests: green proxy materials; sustainable agriculture practices; natural genetic resources; wild crop relatives; genetic diversity; tissue culture; genetic engineering; genome editing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Francisco Roberto Quiroz-Figueroa

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Lab. de Fitomejoramiento Molecular, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarro-llo Integral Regional-Unidad Sinaloa, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Boulevard Juan de Dios Bátiz Paredes # 250, Col. San Joachin, Guasave 81101, Mexico
Interests: fusarium as a pathogen in plants and humans; plant improvement; wild relative crops

Dr. Vishnu D. Rajput

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, Southern Federal University, Stachki Ave. 194/1, 344090 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Interests: soil pollution; biochar; carbon; plant physiology; cellular-subcellular changes; DNA damages, nanoparticles; microorganisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Atul Grover
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Technology Group Energy, Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research, Haldwani 263139, India
Interests: biomethanation technology; biomass gasification; bio-diesel technology; biodiversity; microsatellites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Planet Earth contains more than a half million plant species and a plethora of beneficial microorganisms in the wild, and only a small fraction of this vast diversity has been explored by humans. A large fraction of these wild plants are rich in active biocompounds, and microorganisms may have an eliciting effect to further increase these active biocompounds in the wild. The fast-growing population, decreasing cultivation area, evolution of plant diseases and increasing climatic changes have led to there being major pressure to identify new materials; moreover, wild nature is a hidden treasure that can be used to address all of these problems. The present Special Issue focuses on bringing wild microorganisms and plants’/crops’ wild relatives to the forefront as green proxies and sustainable solutions in modern agriculture. The present Special Issue welcomes original research, review articles, and short communications which explore this class of plants and microorganisms by using them as novel resources, use crude plant extracts as a source of crop protection methods, perform the formulation of biocompound-rich extracts or microorganisms to generate an elicitation effect with natural biopolymers, and perform the green synthesis of nanoparticles used as plant growth stimulators and in abiotic and biotic stress management . The purpose of this Special Issue is to connect sustainable and innovative solutions with more resilient agriculture practices.

Dr. Rupesh Kumar Singh
Prof. Dr. Francisco Roberto Quiroz-Figueroa
Dr. Vishnu D. Rajput
Dr. Atul Grover
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

wild plants (WPs)
wild crop relatives (WCRs)
microorganisms
genetic diversity
crude extracts
green nanoparticle synthesis
biocompound-rich resources

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Exploring Wild Edible Plants in Malakand, Pakistan: Ethnobotanical and Nutritional Insights

Muhammad Ibrahim

Naveed Akhtar

Abdul Wahab

Abdulwahed Fahad Alrefaei

and

Mikhlid H. Almutairi

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12881; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712881 - 25 Aug 2023

Viewed by 338

Abstract

Human beings have used wild edible plants (WEPs) for food since ancient times. The poor and underprivileged people of the district of Malakand, Pakistan, also depend on wild edible plants (WEPs) to fulfill their food and nutrition needs. Wild edible plants (WEPs) are a potential solution for overcoming food shortages for families living in rural areas. The current study evaluated the ethnobotanical, nutritional, and elemental potential of some wild edible plants (WEPs) commonly used by local people in the district of Malakand, Pakistan. Ethnobotanical information was collected from local people through a semi-structured questionnaire. The ethnobotanical information collected about wild edible plants revealed that two wild edible species belong to the family Fabaceae, two plant species belong to the family Polygonaceae, and one plant species belongs to each family Amaranthaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Malvaceae, Oxalidaceae, and Portulaceae. The plants collected were all herbs, and the parts used as edible parts were mostly leaves and young shoots. All the collected plants were predominantly used as vegetables by local people. The proximate nutritional analysis was carried out according to the official methods of AOAC (from 2016). The proximate nutritional analysis revealed that the selected WEPs are a good source of important nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, fats, and caloric energy. The proximate nutritional analysis of selected WEPs revealed that the highest (%) moisture content was calculated in Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton (90.45 ± 0.3); the highest dry matter (%) was present in Oxalis corniculata L. (21.60 ± 0.2); the highest ash (%) in Chenopodium album L. (17.80 ± 0.3); the highest crude fibers (%) in Meliolotus indicus (L.) All (16.45 ± 0.5); the highest crude protein (%) in Meliolotus indicus (L.) All (14.40 ± 0.1%); the highest crude fats (%) in Rumex hastatus Don. (3.80 ± 0.04); the highest percentage of carbohydrates in Portulaca oleracea L. (65.38 ± 0.6); and the maximum energy value was calculated for Portulaca oleracea L. (321.38 ± 0.4 Kcal/100 g). The elemental analysis of wild edible plants (WEPs) was carried out through energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The EDX analysis showed that these WEPs consist of crucial and imperative elements such as C, O, N, P, Mg, K, S, Ca, Al, Si, Cl, Fe, Cu, Na, and Zn, which are integral parts of the human diet. Following the results of the EDX elemental analysis, Portulaca oleracea accounted for the highest concentration (%) of carbon, Oxalis corniculata accounted for the highest concentration (%) of oxygen, and Nasturtium officinale accounted for the maximum concentration of nitrogen (9.70%). The current study revealed that the research area is rich in diversity of wild edible plants (WEPs), a cheap and economical food source for locals. The study also showed that these wild edible plants (WEPs) possess all the crucial nutrients and elements imperative for human food and health. These wild edible plants (WEPs) will play a key role in a sustainable food system in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture)

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Open AccessArticle

Strigolactone-Mediated Mitigation of Negative Effects of Salinity Stress in Solanum lycopersicum through Reducing the Oxidative Damage

Abdulrahman A. Alatar

and

Ranjith Pathirana

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5805; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075805 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2362

Abstract

Soil salinity is one of the main barriers to increasing global food production as it reduces crop growth and productivity. While irrigated lands in arid climates (about 20% of total affected) are more prone to salinization, many other natural and anthropogenic factors contribute to an increase in salinity in arable lands that currently affects over 100 countries and more than one billion ha. Management of agro-ecosystems at every level, including soil, water, and the plant itself, is important in mitigating the effects of salinity. Plant hormones control cellular metabolism, and mediate plant defense response mechanisms against abiotic and biotic stresses. Foliar fertigation with plant growth regulators has been shown to improve growth and metabolism under stress conditions. Strigolactones (SLs) have emerged as a group of novel phytohormones with several functions in plant interactions with microorganisms, plant metabolism, development, and in responding to many environmental cues. The present research addressed SL (GR24) effects on growth, photosynthetic parameters, and oxidative stress in Solanum lycopersicum under salinity stress. Growth indices, photosynthesis and related attributes, antioxidant enzyme activity, and malondialdehyde (a product of lipid peroxidation) and hydrogen peroxide concentrations were compared in unstressed and salt-stressed (NaCl; 150 mM) S. lycopersicum seedlings untreated or treated with GR24 (2 µM). Improved antioxidant enzyme activity, proline (8%) and protein (14%) contents, and photosynthetic (33%) and transpiration (34%) parameters under GR24 treatment result in a significant increase in plant growth parameters, viz., shoot length (29%), root length (21%), shoot fresh weight (31%), root fresh weight (23%), shoot dry weight (26%), and root dry weight (19%). Increased chlorophyll index (14%) and stomatal conductance (16%) in GR24-applied plants under salinity stress results in improved growth and photosynthetic efficiency of S. lycopersicum. Our results add to the existing knowledge of the relatively new function of SLs in mitigating abiotic stress, particularly that of salinity stress in crop plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture)

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Open AccessArticle

How Did Research on Conservation Agriculture Evolve over the Years? A Bibliometric Analysis

Subhradip Bhattacharjee

Valery P. Kalinitchenko

Rupesh Kumar Singh

and

Vishnu D. Rajput

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2040; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032040 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1581

Abstract

Conservation agriculture has recently been a hot topic of agricultural research and has generated significant global interest. Conservation agriculture has three core principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotations. The research on this topic has also witnessed a boom in recent years as the number of peer-reviewed literature on conservation agriculture is rising exponentially. This study critically examines all the peer-reviewed documents published on conservation agriculture from the 1990s to 2021 and indexed in the web of science core database. The search returned 3023 documents, which were then processed in the R-based bibliometric package for annual scientific production trend, source, author, document, citation, keyword analysis, and co-occurrence networking using VOSviewer. Our findings show remarkable growth in conservation agriculture research in recent times, although it witnessed a shortfall in 2021. Notably, 15 core source journals contribute the most to the field, while 8692 researchers have authored or co-authored at least a document on conservation agriculture. While the USA, India, and Australia are front runners in conservation agriculture research, the spread of the topic is worldwide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture)

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Open AccessReview

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Pollutants: Recent Promising Sustainable Approaches, Scope, and Challenges

Rupesh Kumar Basniwal

Rajkishor Kapardar

and

Rajpal Srivastav

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075847 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2125

Abstract

The increasing population density and industrialization are adversely affecting the environment globally. The contamination of the soil, agricultural lands, and water bodies with petroleum wastes and other hydrocarbon pollutants has become a serious environmental concern as perceived by the impacts on the aquatic and marine ecosystem. Various investigations have provided novel insights into the significant roles of microbial activities in the cleanup of hydrocarbon contaminants. However, the burden of these pollutants is expected to increase many folds in the next decade. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate and develop low-cost technologies rapidly, focusing on eco-sustainable development. An understanding of the details of biodegradation mechanisms paves the way for enhancing the efficiency of bioremediation technology. The current article reviews the applicability of various bioremediation processes, biodegradation pathways, and treatments, and the role of microbial activities in achieving efficient eco-sustainable bioremediation of hydrocarbon pollutants. It is envisaged that an integrated bioremediation approach, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation is preferably advocated for the cost-effective removal of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture)

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Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Chemical Composition and Health Attributes of Agri-Foods: A Scientific Overview on Black Foods

and

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3852; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043852 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2613

Abstract

Several kinds of food can be analyzed by the human sensory organs. In this review, we demonstrate the relation and importance of the color and bioactive molecules of food and their health effects. This work focuses on black foods, which can be found in both natural and processed forms, present in our daily life for several years without being noticed. Besides, the chemistry underlying the black color of black foods has not yet been fully understood. More than 130 black foods are reported in the current review, which belong to 3 main groups and 12 sub-groups. In studied black foods, melanins and anthocyanins are the primary pigments, along with other pigments such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, and tannins. The health potential of black foods is also discussed. Due to their high concentration of phytochemical and phenolic compounds, black-colored foods are beneficial in preventing diseases and boosting the immune system. As a promising natural pigment and antioxidant compound source, black foods could be used as functional foods. Several questions on black foods are still open and need more investigation, especially the mechanisms by which the black color is formed in fruits and vegetables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Wild Natural Diversity to Pick Out New Green Proxy Materials to Revamp Sustainable Agriculture)

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