📄 agriculture

Contrasting potassium responses of growth, magnesium status and steviol glycoside traits in Stevia rebaudiana

This study reveals that while intermediate potassium levels optimize root expansion and biomass in *Stevia rebaudiana*, excessive potassium beyond this range fails to sustain total steviol glycoside productivity, exacerbates magnesium deficiency, and alters glycoside composition, indicating that these traits require distinct and coordinated nutritional management.

Huanhuan Chen, Jiawei Liu, Sihong Ye, Jia Shen, Chaoqiang Jiang2026-10-21
📄 earth science

From ecological interaction vulnerability to multiple breadbasket failure: a cross-domain material-transmission framework

This paper proposes a cross-domain material-transmission framework that synthesizes fragmented literature to demonstrate how antecedent ecological and crop response diversity moderates the risk of multiple breadbasket failures and subsequent food-system shocks through distinct transition mechanisms like domino effects and hidden feedbacks.

Balázs Stumpf-Biró, Liz Varga, Philip Tovey, Danilo Brozović2026-10-21
📄 agriculture

Duckweed-Integrated Bioenergy, Biofertiliser and Feed Production: A Site-Based Feasibility Assessment and Decision Framework for Smallholder Cattle Systems in Laikipia, Kenya

This study evaluates four duckweed-integrated configurations for smallholder cattle systems in Laikipia, Kenya, and identifies a bioenergy, biofertiliser, and feed production model as the most feasible option that utilizes manure to provide a marginal protein supplement while addressing local feed constraints through a structured decision framework.

Celine Ilo, Olumide Ajani2026-10-21
📄 agriculture

Bioprocessing of coconut husk to produce second-generation bioethanol using Zymomonas mobilis ZM4

This study demonstrates the feasibility of converting abundant coconut husk into second-generation bioethanol by employing an integrated strategy of sequential pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation using *Zymomonas mobilis* ZM4, which achieved a final ethanol yield of 0.0975 g per gram of biomass.

Vishwajit Kumar, Shikha Mishra, Babbal ., Syed Shams Yazdani, Piyush Behari Lal2026-10-21
📄 agriculture

Revealing the Widespread Mosaic of Shifting Cultivation Across the Tropics

By combining deep learning with high-resolution satellite imagery, this study reveals that shifting cultivation remains a widespread and persistent agricultural system across the tropics, covering approximately 212 million hectares in 2020 with distinct regional distributions and strong associations with plantation proximity.

Wanting Yang, Xiaoye Tong, Peter Potapov, Daniel Ortiz-Gonzalo, Sizhuo Li, Dimitri Gominski, Martin Jepsen, Ole Mertz, C (…)2026-10-20
📄 agriculture

Pluralistic Extension Model for Fostering the Production of Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton in India

This study identifies the multidimensional constraints hindering Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton cultivation in India and proposes a participatory pluralistic extension model that integrates diverse stakeholders to enhance technology adoption, market linkages, and overall production sustainability.

Usha Rani S, Valarmathi P, Amutha M, Kanjana D, Annie Sheeba J, Selva Ganapathi R, Sankaranarayanan K, Manickam S, Sabes (…)2026-10-20
📄 agriculture

Comparative Grain Morphological Characterization of Indigenous Aromatic, Non-Aromatic and Wild Rice (Oryza Rufipogon and Oryza Nivara) Germplasm Collected from the Two Valley Districts of Manipur, North-East India and its Implications for Conservation and Pre Breeding

This study characterizes the grain morphology of indigenous aromatic, non-aromatic, and wild rice germplasm from Manipur, India, revealing significant morphological variations and distinct clustering between wild and cultivated accessions that underscore their value for conservation and pre-breeding programs.

S Hussain SYED, Medhabati KANGABAM2026-10-20
📄 agriculture

Economic valuation of ecosystem services in multifunctional agroforestry: implications of diversified systems for productive and resilient farming

This study demonstrates that integrating trees into arable systems across Europe significantly enhances the total economic value of ecosystem services compared to monocultures, particularly through diverse provisioning products and cost-reducing regulating services in tree belts, despite limitations caused by site-specific heterogeneity.

Albert Miquel Colom Bauza, Vaibhav Pradip Chaudhary, Willem Van Colen, Paweł Radzikowski, Tom Staton, Rosy E. Scholes, J (…)2026-10-20