Responses of water accumulation and solute metabolism in tomato fruit to water scarcity and implications for main fruit quality variables – Journal of Experimental Botany

 

tomato ripening

Abstract

Fruit is important for human health, and applying deficit irrigation in fruit production is a strategy to regulate fruit quality and support environmental sustainability. Responses of different fruit quality variables to deficit irrigation have been widely documented, and much progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of these responses. We review the effects of water shortage on fruit water accumulation considering water transport from the parent plant into the fruit determined by hydraulic properties of the pathway (including xylem water transport and transmembrane water transport regulated by aquaporins) and the driving force for water movement. We discuss water relations and solute metabolism that affect the main fruit quality variables (e.g. size, flavour, nutrition, and firmness) at the cellular level under water shortage. We also summarize the most recent advances in the understanding of responses of the main fruit quality variables to water shortage, considering the effects of variety, the severity of water deficit imposed, and the developmental stage of the fruit. We finally identify knowledge gaps and suggest avenues for future research. This review provides new insights into the stress physiology of fleshy fruit, which will be beneficial for the sustainable production of high-quality fruit under deficit irrigation.

https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/71/4/1249/5637283

Regenerative Agriculture Reduces Emissions, Increases Soil Organic Matter, and Sequesters Carbon

 

Regenerative Agriculture

Building on conservation agriculture with additional practices, regenerative annual cropping can include compost application, green manure, and organic production. It reduces emissions, increases soil organic matter, and sequesters carbon.

“ We estimate regenerative annual cropping will increase from an estimated 11.84 million hectares today to 219.16–320.45 million hectares by 2050. This rapid adoption is based in part on the historic growth rate of organic agriculture, as well as the projected conversion of conservation agriculture to regenerative annual cropping over time. This increase could result in a total reduction of 15.12–23.21 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent from sequestration and reduced emissions. Regenerative annual cropping could provide a US$2.34–3.52 trillion lifetime net operational savings and lifetime net profit of US$134.40–205.35 billion on an investment of US$77.10-115.27 billion.”

https://drawdown.org/solutions/regenerative-annual-cropping?_ga=2.70764373.47264405.1674927844-1799888840.1674927844

Dr. Stephan van Vliet – Beef Nutrient Density Study – WEBINAR


Description:
Join Dan Kittredge in conversation with Dr. Stephan van Vliet, director of the Bionutrient Institute’s lab at Utah State University. Dr. van Vliet is a core partner for us in or current Beef Nutrient Density Study, and will talk Dan through some updates and recent findings in that research.

Sep 8, 2022 01:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Webinar Registration:

Integrated crop-livestock effects on soil carbon and nitrogen in a semiarid region (2022)

SUMMARY:
“Understanding ICL management effects on the status and trajectory of SOC and TN stocks is important to the design and deployment of agricultural practices that maintain key soil functions and contribute to agricultural sustainability. However, quantification of SOC and TN stocks in ICL systems requires a commitment to decadal-scale research under semiarid conditions, underscoring the importance of long-term experiments. Fifteen years of residue treatment effects were evaluated for their effect on SOC and TN stocks at select depths and associated soil masses in a long- term study in the northern Great Plains of North America. Results found grazed crop residue and crop residue retained without grazing had greater SOC and TN in near- surface depths than where crop residue had been mechanically removed. Over time, SOC increased significantly where crop residue was grazed or not removed by mechanical means. Under the semiarid conditions of this study, changes in SOC and TN underscored the importance of residue retention and livestock grazing in ICL systems.”

Crop–livestock integration enhanced soil aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen, and phospholipid fatty acid – Nature (2022)

“Integrated crop–livestock (ICL) production enhances diversification and provides ecosystem benefits by improving nutrient cycling and energy efficiency, thus, increasing overall farm productivity…It is concluded that ICL and NE systems are sustainable prospects in enhancing overall soil health. Integrating crop and livestock improved physicochemical and microbial properties compared to the traditional corn–soybean system.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06560-6

Cold plasma could transform the sustainable farms of the future

How the fourth state of matter can make a greenhouse greener — and boost plant growth

regenerative agriculture
Regenerative Agriculture
“Many fertilizers contain ammonia, which is produced from nitrogen (necessary for plant growth) and hydrogen using a chemical reaction called the Haber-Bosch process. This process revolutionized agriculture in the early 20th century by making mass production of fertilizer possible. However, the process yields hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
‘Ideally, we want a fertilizer that’s renewable,’ Reuter says. And to make it truly green, it should be created at the farm, making transport, another carbon emitter, unnecessary. Reuter and a growing number of chemists, physicists and engineers think they can see how to make that happen. These researchers are working toward future farms that are truly sustainable, where the energy from renewable sources like wind or solar is harnessed to make an efficient fertilizer on-site. They hope to realize this vision by exploiting plasma.”