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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: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 21652

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. James W. Muthomi

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Guest Editor

Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Interests: management of mycotoxins in cereals; legume diseases; and plant disease management

Dr. Alex M. Fulano

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Guest Editor

Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Interests: microbiology; microbe–host interactions; molecular biology; biopesticide-based IPM systems; antimicrobials; phytosanitation; food quality

Dr. Nancy Karimi Njeru

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Guest Editor

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Department of Crop Protection, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Interests: microbiology; food safety; food security; mycotoxin management; post-harvest losses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The intensive crop production paradigm is characterized by increased global food production; and seemingly that was going to address the chronic threat of food insecurity. In the face of current felt realities of climate change, continued human population increase, and limited arable land, there is need to achieve increased crop productivity while conserving the environment. Conventional intensive crop production has focused on monocultures, intensive tillage, irrigation, use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This has resulted in destruction of the natural habitats, depletion of natural resources, reduced biodiversity, degraded soils, accumulation of toxic chemical residues in foods, salinization of irrigated fields, upsurge of pests and diseases, and unpredicted weather patterns. The resultant indicators have been increased cost of production, inefficiencies in food supply chains, decimated crop yields, increased food insecurity, reduced rural household incomes, and increased incidences of diseases associated with toxic chemical residues. Therefore, new approaches are required to integrate biological and ecological processes in agricultural production, reduce use of non-renewable inputs that have adverse effects on the environment, health of farmers and consumers. Sustainable agricultural crop production calls for a focus not only on genotype improvements but also improved understanding of the benefits of agro-ecological diversification and systems approach in crop production. The Special Issue titled “Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production” offers a forum where researchers, scholars and professionals in agriculture can share and disseminate knowledge, innovations and experiences on sustainable crop productions. The issue welcomes articles that showcase state-of-the-art practices and technological advancements in areas such as best-bet soil fertility management technologies, next-generation crop development, big-data-driven precision agriculture, postharvest technologies, food supply chain management, enabling policies, and innovative approaches to sustainable crop pest management. Both research and review manuscripts will be welcome. Dissemination and sharing of the knowledge, innovations and experiences will contribute to sustainable crop production, improved resilience to climate change, improved water quality, healthy soils, biodiversity and a food-secure world.

Prof. James W. Muthomi
Dr. Alex M. Fulano
Dr. Nancy Karimi Njeru
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

agrobiodiversity
agro-ecological intensification
climate-smart agriculture
diversified cropping systems
ecological pest management
food secure world
safe food
food supply chain
sustainable agriculture

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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26 pages, 700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential of Eco-Weeding with High-Power Laser Adoption from the Farmers’ Perspective

by Beata Michaliszyn-Gabryś, Joachim Bronder, Wanda Jarosz and Janusz Krupanek

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062353 - 12 Mar 2024

Viewed by 558

Abstract

Agriculture and rural regions in Europe face a number of economic, social, and environmental challenges. Rural areas are active players in the EU’s green transition. Weeding is one of the most important factors in agricultural production. New weeding techniques are being developed to enhance sustainability. Among them, laser-based weeding seems to be a promising alternative to the use of chemicals. The WeLASER technique is a novel technique for weed control. Its successful implementation depends on many factors related to the innovation itself, policy context, farming conditions, and users’ attitudes. A survey was carried out to provide insight into the attitudes towards the innovative (laser) weed control tool (autonomous robot). The CATI method was selected for the surveying of farmers’ opinions and carried out in three countries: Denmark, Spain, and Poland. Statistical methods were applied to analyze the results. This study provided knowledge on how farmers see the barriers and opportunities related to implementing the device in practice. Positive attitudes of farmers were observed but with high expectations related to the quality of the technique and the systemic conditions of its implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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11 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating Water Use Efficiency for Major Crops in Chihuahua, Mexico: Crop Yield Function Models vs. Evapotranspiration

by Octavio Villalobos-Cano, Eduardo Santellano-Estrada, Blair L. Stringam, Kulbhushan Grover and Edgar Esparza-Vela

Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1851; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051851 - 23 Feb 2024

Viewed by 504

Abstract

Water use in agriculture is a critical aspect of sustainable food production. Efficient water management is essential to address both yield optimization and environmental concerns. The current study evaluated the water diversions by the Irrigation District 05—Delicias (DR-05), in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, for four major crops grown in the region including alfalfa, chile, pecans and peanuts. The amounts of water applied to raise these crops were compared to the amounts of water use estimated with the evapotranspiration (ET) method and with the crop yield function model, and respective water use efficiencies were estimated with both the methods. The water use efficiency measured using the ET estimation (WUE-ET) for alfalfa ranged from 60.9% to 70.4%, while the water use efficiency derived from the yield function data (WUE-YF) showed lower values and ranged from 43.6% to 59.7%. In the case of chile, the opposite trends were observed than in alfalfa, with the WUE-ET for chile ranging from 47.7% to 54.8%, and WUE-YF showing higher values that ranged from 49% to 70%. In the case of peanuts and pecans, only the WUE-ET was estimated and it ranged from 55.9% to 68.8% for peanuts and 90.9% to 116.9% pecans, respectively. Among the four crops studied, pecans were found to have the highest WUE-ET, with values of WUE-ET reaching higher than 100%. However, it is to be noted that these high values of water use efficiencies are more indicative that pecans are probably under irrigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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15 pages, 1171 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Silage Maize in Relation to Regenerative Agriculture

by Martin Dědina, Petr Jevič, Pavel Čermák, Jan Moudrý, Chisenga Emmanuel Mukosha, Tomáš Lošák, Tadeáš Hrušovský and Elizaveta Watzlová

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020481 - 05 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1008

Abstract

The demand for agricultural products is growing and is resulting in significant environmental impacts due to the overuse of fertilizers (and pesticides in some cases). There is a continued need to find sustainable methods in agricultural systems without harming the environment. Regenerative agriculture can be considered as one of the best methods of sustainable agriculture. The aim of this comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) study was to quantify the environmental impacts associated with the production of silage maize at different doses of fertilizers and pesticides under conventional agriculture and without the use of fertilizers and pesticides under regenerative agriculture. The input data were obtained from the experimental fields and supplemented by background process databases of Ecoinvent, World Food Live Cycle Assessment Database (WFLCD), and the French database AGRIBALYSE. The results of the study were related to six midpoint impact categories: global warming, marine eutrophication, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. Although the variant of growing silage maize without the use of fertilizers and pesticides according to the principle of regenerative agriculture showed the lowest burden on the environment, the yields of the cultivated silage maize were 43–55% lower than those of the fertilized variants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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14 pages, 2976 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chinese Agriculture for “Green and Grain” Productivity Growth: Evidence from Jiangsu Province

by Lijiu Zhao, Tao Jin, Lintao Qin and Zaijun Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16780; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416780 - 13 Dec 2023

Viewed by 681

Abstract

China is striving to leverage the power of science and technology to green its agriculture and simultaneously enhance grain productivity. To assess the performance dynamics of the dual agricultural mission, this study presents the green growth rate of agriculture using the DEA-based Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) indicator, together with the growth rate of grain yields, and applies it to the case of Jiangsu, a major grain-producing province with a well-developed economy. It is found that Jiangsu’s agriculture has generally performed well during the implementation of the two major national strategies addressing green development and grain security, especially in northern Jiangsu, which is a major grain-producing area. In contrast, the phased fluctuations in green growth in agriculture in southern Jiangsu are more pronounced, with negative green growth even occurring during the green agriculture movement. Much of the volatility in agricultural green growth at the provincial, subregional and municipal levels is generated by the effects of the movement of the green technology frontier, which is led by the best practitioners. Accordingly, the possibility of improving the weak state of the catch-up effect on green growth is explored from the perspective of the Chinese government-led agricultural science and innovation system; it also traces the green agricultural initiatives in the main grain-marketing areas that have failed to deliver the expected green growth, and recommends a review of such policies and a refinement of the GTFP Index tool for assessing sustainable green growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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12 pages, 290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insecticidal Activity of Selected Plant-Derived Essential Oils against Papaya Mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus)

by Regina W. Mwanauta, Pavithravani B. Venkataramana and Patrick A. Ndakidemi

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16501; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316501 - 02 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1039

Abstract

The current study aims to assess the effectiveness of three essential oils derived from neem, citrus, and garlic against papaya mealybug. Papaya seedlings were transplanted in the field in a completely randomized block design with eight treatments with four replications. The treatments included neem, citrus, and garlic oils in combination with isopropyl alcohol or paraffin oil as an adjuvant. Results from this study showed that neem oil at 1.5% + 0.2% isopropyl alcohol was effective against papaya mealybug by 93.0% equivalent to the positive control (imidacloprid) (99.4%), followed by citrus oil at 1.5% + isopropyl alcohol (76.3%) and citrus oil at 1.5% + paraffin oil (68.8%), compared with the untreated 0.01%. Similarly, application of the plant-derived essential oils and adjuvants resulted in positive effects on plant parameters (plant height, number of leaves, flower buds, number of fruits, and fruit weight) and, hence, increased papaya yield from an average of 38 to 90 fruits/plant at first harvest. The finding from this study provides an understanding of papaya farmers towards the use of natural plant products, particularly plant-derived essential oils, and their benefits, which may encourage farmers to increase papaya production and minimize the usage of synthetic pesticides to avoid pest resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

15 pages, 2214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential of Reinoculation Using R. tropici Applied under Cover to Increase Bean Yield

by Amanda E. Lourenço, Itamar R. Teixeira, Ednaldo C. Rocha, Gisele C. Silva, Elton F. Reis, Fenelon L. Santos, Guilherme R. Silva, Cristiane F. Lisboa, Hamilton Kikuti and Alessandro G. Silva

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16452; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316452 - 30 Nov 2023

Viewed by 577

Abstract

The common bean is known to require nitrogen, with mineral fertilizer being the main form of supply to the plants. However, more efficient inoculants containing strains of Rhizobium tropici that are potentially more efficient in fixing atmospheric N2 could replace the use of nitrogen fertilizers as long as some of the existing challenges in the application methodology are overcome (for example, ensuring the existence of active nodules in the most demanding crop phases: flowering and grain filling). This study aimed to verify the responses of common bean plants subjected to reinoculation using Rhizobium tropici in topdressing applied at different stages in a greenhouse and in a field between March and April 2020 and in the spring–summer harvest of 2020/2021, respectively. A randomized block design was used, along with four replications: T1 = uninoculated control; T2 = inoculation via seed (VS); T3 = VS + reinoculation at the V4 stage; T4 = VS + reinoculation at the R5 stage; T5 = VS + reinoculation at the R6 stage; T6 = VS + reinoculation at the V4 and R5 stages; T7 = VS + reinoculation at the V4 and R6 stages; T8 = VS + reinoculation at the R5 and R6 stages; T9 = VS + reinoculation at the V4, R5, and R6 stages; and T10 = mineral nitrogen fertilization. Nodulation and morphological variables were evaluated at the R7 stage, and agronomic variables were evaluated at the R9 stage at harvest. The use of reinoculation, in addition to inoculation, positively influenced the bean nodulation process. The morphological characteristics of the plants showed good development with the supply of N (carried out via inoculation and reinoculation), equivalent to the development that could be achieved via the addition of a mineral nitrogen fertilizer. Reinoculation from the R5 to R7 stages proved ineffective in supplying N to the common bean crop. Inoculation in the seed associated with reinoculation in coverage at the V4 stage provided higher yields (3.271 kg ha⁻¹), reinforcing the potential for mineral nitrogen fertilizers to be replaced. The use of the seed inoculation technique with subsequent reinoculation under cover can completely replace the use of nitrogenous mineral fertilizers in fertilizing bean plants, making the cultivation of this fabacea more sustainable in terms of the associated costs and environmental problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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18 pages, 1839 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Increasing the Efficiency of the Rice–Wheat Cropping System through Integrated Nutrient Management

by Prabhjit Kaur, Kulvir Singh Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Jashanjot Kaur, Rajan Bhatt, Saud Alamri, Alanoud T. Alfagham and Sadam Hussain

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12694; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712694 - 22 Aug 2023

Viewed by 908

Abstract

The advancement of effective nutrient management strategies has been instrumental in enhancing crop productivity and economic viability. Thus, we investigated the effect of green manure and organic amendments at varying nitrogen levels in rice and their residual effect on wheat crops. A two-year research study (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) was conducted at two distinct locations: Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana and a Research Station in Dyal Bharang, Amritsar. The experimental design employed was a split-plot design. The main plot treatments consisted of four treatments (green manuring, farmyard manure, poultry manure, and no organic amendment (control)) and four subplot treatments (No N control, 50 kg N ha⁻¹, 75 kg N ha⁻¹, and 100 kg N ha⁻¹), replicated four times in the rice crop, and its residual effect was studied in wheat. The study found that applying organic amendments at different nitrogen levels significantly increased rice–wheat productivity, growth, yield qualities, nutrient uptake, and efficiency (p < 0.05). Poultry manure increased rice grain yield more than other modifications. It significantly increased grain yield by 67.3% and 61.4% over the control in both years of the research. Poultry manure (41.9 kg, 60.0%) increased AE (kg grain kg⁻¹ N uptake) and ANR (%) compared to control due to higher total N (177.4 kg ha⁻¹), P (31.6 kg ha⁻¹), and K (179.6 kg ha⁻¹). Grain production was positively correlated with total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) intake (r = 0.992**, 0.931**, and 0.984**, respectively). Total N uptake was positively correlated with P and K uptake (r = 0.963** and 0.991**, respectively). Poultry manure improved soil health by increasing total microbial count and alkaline phosphatase activity. In the subsequent wheat crop, rice grown with poultry manure yielded 24.3 and 24.4 percent more than no organic amendment control in rabi 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. The findings suggest that poultry manure and 100 kg N ha⁻¹ or 75 kg N ha⁻¹ afforded equivalent yields. This shows that even less nitrogen may be enough to boost rice and wheat yields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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23 pages, 8624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Trait Selection of Quinoa Ideotypes at Different Levels of Cutting and Spacing

by Syed Riaz Ahmed, Zeba Ali, Iram Ijaz, Zafran Khan, Nimra Gul, Soha Pervaiz, Hesham F. Alharby, Daniel K. Y. Tan, Muhammad Sayyam Tariq, Maria Ghaffar, Amir Bibi and Khalid Rehman Hakeem

Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11446; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411446 - 24 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1055

Abstract

Climate change has affected the food supply chain and raised serious food concerns for humans and animals worldwide. The present investigation aimed to assess the effect of environmental factors along with three different levels of cutting (i.e., cutting 1, 2, and 3 at the vegetative, budding, and flowering stages, respectively) and spacing (i.e., 21, 23, and 26 cm) on quinoa biomass and quality to select the most suitable accessions. This experiment was repeated for two years using a split–split plot experimental design. The cutting × genotype × year and cutting × space × genotype interactions were significant for most quinoa morphological traits (except for leaf area and intermodal distance), where the maximum growth in number of leaves/plant (NoL), plant height (PH), fresh weight (FW), number of branches/plant (Br), and dry weight (DW) were observed during the second growing season. Cutting and spacing levels also showed significant effects on morphological and quality traits of quinoa. Among the different levels of cutting and spacing, cutting level 3 and spacing level 2 were more effective across both years at gaining maximum biomass and quality traits such as crude fat (CF) and crude protein (CP). According to the MGIDI, only two accessions (R3 and R9) fared better in both growing seasons, and selected accessions had positive morphological and quality traits. There were moderately significant negative correlations between PH, NoL, LA, FW, and DW and anti-quality traits such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), indicating that an increase in biomass decreased the concentrations of ADF and NDF in both stem and leaves. A comparison with oat accessions (G3 and G7) revealed that quinoa has higher CP and CF and lower NDF than oats in both stems and leaves (except for ADF). In conclusion, the combination of cutting level 3 and spacing level 2 (23 cm) is more suitable to obtain high-quality quinoa forage with maximum biomass production. Furthermore, the MGIDI is a useful tool for breeders to select genotypes based on their mean performance, stability, and desired traits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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29 pages, 10266 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Sustainable Vegetation Indices Processing on Low-Cost Architectures

by Amine Saddik, Rachid Latif, Abdelhafid El Ouardi, Mohammed I. Alghamdi and Mohamed Elhoseny

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2521; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052521 - 22 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1746

Abstract

The development of embedded systems in sustainable precision agriculture has provided an important benefit in terms of processing time and accuracy of results, which has influenced the revolution in this field of research. This paper presents a study on vegetation monitoring algorithms based on Normalized Green-Red Difference Index (NGRDI) and Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI) in agricultural areas using embedded systems. These algorithms include processing and pre-processing to increase the accuracy of sustainability monitoring. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on a real database in the Souss Massa region in Morocco. The collection of data was based on unmanned aerial vehicles images hand data using four different agricultural products. The results in terms of processing time have been implemented on several architectures: Desktop, Odroid XU4, Jetson Nano, and Raspberry. However, this paper introduces a thorough study of the Hardware/Software Co-Design approach to choose the most suitable system for our proposed algorithm that responds to the different temporal and architectural constraints. The evaluation proved that we could process 311 frames/s in the case of low resolution, which gives real-time processing for agricultural field monitoring applications. The evaluation of the proposed algorithm on several architectures has shown that the low-cost XU4 card gives the best results in terms of processing time, power consumption, and computation flexibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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13 pages, 1540 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrogen Enriched Organic Fertilizer (NEO) and Its Effect on Ryegrass Yield and Soil Fauna Feeding Activity under Controlled Conditions

by Hesam Mousavi, Thomas Cottis, Gina Hoff and Svein Øivind Solberg

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2005; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042005 - 10 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3209

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a new nitrogen-enriched organic-based fertilizer (NEO) on Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) yield and soil fauna feeding activity. Nitrogen is transformed from the air to manure by a plasma process. At the farm level, NEO could improve self-sufficiency and sustainability. The work was carried out under controlled conditions in two pot trials. Five fertilization regimes were used: no fertilizer, different amounts of mineral fertilizer, three NEO types, organic fertilizer (untreated manure), and organic fertilizer + different amounts of N in mineral fertilizer, including 14 treatments in trial one and 11 treatments in trial two. Besides evaluating dry matter yields, we utilized the Bait-lamina test system to assess the feeding activity of soil fauna. The results indicated a clear positive impact of nitrogen (N) on ryegrass yield where all fertilizers increased the yield in correspondence with their N availability regardless of the fertilizer type; whereas the yield was highest with mineral fertilizer up to our maximum level of 235 kg N ha⁻¹ in trial one and 175 kg N ha⁻¹ in trial two. The NEO fertilizers yielded in the same range as mineral fertilizers. The same clear pattern was not observed for soil fauna feeding activity. Instead, a tendency was observed where no fertilization tends to give the highest feeding activity. We saw no correlation between the yield and the soil fauna feeding activity. The feeding activity was highest in depth below 5 cm from the soil surface. Feeding activity also increased over time after fertilization. The NEO fertilizers had no more adverse effects on soil fauna feeding activity than other fertilizers. Other factors than fertilization alone are determining the soil fauna feeding activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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11 pages, 2582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CO₂ Utilization Strategy for Sustainable Cultivation of Mushrooms and Lettuces

by Dae-Ho Jung and Jung-Eek Son

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5434; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105434 - 13 May 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5145

Abstract

Mushroom cultivation generates a large amount of CO₂ that can be used sustainably. The objective of this study was to use actual cultivation and simulation to find a sustainable cultivation method that uses the CO₂ generated by king oyster mushrooms for the production of romaine lettuces. A closed cultivation system consisting of one mushroom chamber, three lettuce chambers, and one gas-mixing chamber was used. Two cultivation conditions, non-continuous and continuous, were analyzed. The non-continuous system cultivated 15 lettuces and 12 mushroom bottles at a time every 25 and 16 days, respectively. The continuous system cultivated three lettuces and mushroom bottles every five and four days, respectively, so that each chamber contained mushrooms or lettuces at each growth stage. The CO₂ concentrations in the lettuce and mushroom chambers were stably maintained above 1000 μmol∙mol⁻¹ and below 2000 μmol∙mol⁻¹ in the continuous system. Mathematical models were developed to analyze the CO₂ concentration in each chamber. The shoot dry weight of lettuces grown in the mixed cultivation were 48.0%, 21.9%, 19.7%, and 18.1% at 10, 15, 20, and 25 days after transplanting, respectively, higher than those in the lettuce-only cultivation. Compared to mushroom-only cultivation, mixed cultivation reduced the accumulated CO₂ emissions into the air by 80.6%. Thus, using CO₂ from mushrooms to cultivate lettuce in a continuous cultivation system could reduce CO₂ emissions into the air and enable mixed cultivation of mushrooms and lettuces, achieving sustainable agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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20 pages, 943 KiB

Open AccessReview

Improving Access to Export Market for Fresh Vegetables through Reduction of Phytosanitary and Pesticide Residue Constraints

by Geraldin M. W. Lengai, Alex M. Fulano and James W. Muthomi

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8183; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138183 - 05 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3039

Abstract

The horticultural sector is a key contributor to Kenya’s gross domestic product through the export of fresh-cut flowers, fruits and vegetables to various niche markets. It employs over 350,000 people, while about six million depend on it. However, the sector is constrained by the strict technical and phytosanitary quality requirements set by the export markets. The phytosanitary concerns include the presence of pests and microbial contaminants, while the presence of chemical residues constitute the major technical challenge. These constraints cause the interception and rejection of produce at the export destinations. The fresh produce should be free of quarantine and regulated non-quarantine pests, pest damage, pesticides above the stipulated maximum residue levels (MRLs) and phytosanitary certification. This review discusses the following four-tiered approach to compliance with phytosanitary and pesticide residue requirements: (i) use of alternative pest management approaches, including biocontrol options, cultural and physical practices; (ii) collaboration among regulatory agencies, institutions, producers and regional countries in the enforcement of standards; (iii) investment in research and the adoption of innovative technologies; (iv) awareness creation and training of actors along the fresh vegetable value chain. It is envisaged that this approach will contribute to sustainable fresh vegetable value chains, leading to improved access to export markets, and increased export volumes and income to smallholder farmers and other actors in the fresh vegetable value chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Agricultural Crop Production)

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