To effectively contribute to climate change mitigation, agronomists are increasingly focused on minimizing the application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides while ensuring that crop yield and quality are not compromised. Plant biomass and organic fertilizers are known to improve soil quality, boost plant growth, and suppress diseases. However, their overall effectiveness remains limited, hence the need for further research to enhance their agricultural performance. This study aims to explore the potential application of two natural sources (manure digestate and crop Artemisia dubia) for crop fertilization and protection. During the growing season, winter wheat was fertilized twice (21-25 BBCH and 30-35 BBCH) with synthetic, organic (pig manure digestate), and combined synthetic-organic fertilizers. Artemisia dubia biomass was incorporated before sowing and planted in strips. The soil chemical composition, crop overwintering, weediness, and diseases were assessed after two years of the respective treatments. The results showed that the organic carbon content increased by 1-5% after fertilizing winter wheat with pig manure digestate and combining fertilizers (organic and synthetic). Additionally, fertilizer or pesticide use had a significant effect on the soil pH process. Combining synthetic and organic fertilizers increased the amount of mobile phosphorus in the soil by 38%. In conclusion, combining synthetic fertilizers with organic fertilizers is the most effective approach to maintain healthy soil conditions and prevent damage to sprouts in the soil. Overall, our findings offer more opportunities for organic and sustainable agricultural processes by integrating pig manure digestate and Artemisia dubia biomass as a natural approach to minimizing synthetic fertilizer and pesticide use.

Understanding the carbohydrate dynamics of sprouting Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. and Sonchus arvensis L. ramets can assist in optimizing perennial weed management. However, detailed knowledge about general reserve dynamics, minimum values in reserves (compensation point) and different reserve determination methods remains sparse. We present novel insights into reserve dynamics, which are especially lacking for S. arvensis. We uniquely compare root weight changes as a proxy for carbohydrates with direct carbohydrate concentration measurements using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In a greenhouse study, ramets of two sizes (20 and 10 cm) were planted in pots. Subsequent creeping roots of sprouted plants were destructively harvested and analyzed for carbohydrates 12 times between planting and flowering. Efficiency in storing carbohydrates and the replenishing rate of root weight and carbohydrates was much higher in S. arvensis than in C. arvense. Thus, our study urges to evaluate perennial weed species individually when investigating root reserves. Determining root reserves by either using root weight changes as a proxy for carbohydrates or directly measuring carbohydrate concentrations by HPLC differed in the minimum values of reserves referred to as compensation points. For both species, these minimum values occurred earlier based on root weight than based on carbohydrate concentrations. Cutting ramets into 20 or 10 cm sizes did not significantly affect carbohydrate concentration or root weight changes for both species. We conclude that any practical applications targeting perennial weeds by fragmenting roots into small ramets through belowground mechanical control must be evaluated for trade-offs in soil structure, soil erosion, and energy consumption.

Weeds are an important part of the field ecosystem even though farmers perceive them only as a nuisance. However, in the agricultural landscape, weeds serve as a food source for wildlife and other organisms. The aim of this work is to evaluate the composition of weed vegetation in sugar beet stands in terms of the provision of ecosystem services and thus partially change their perception in such stands. During a twoyear evaluation, 36 weed species were found; these were mainly dominated by late spring weed species. In terms of biological relevance, weed species in sugar beet stands are less attractive to associated organisms, the dominating weed species have a relevance of up to 100 associated species. Weed species with higher relevance include Cirsium arvense, Galium aparine, Chenopodium album, Chenopodium strictum, Chenopodium album subsp. pedunculare, Chenopodium suecicum, Lamiumpurpureum, Polygonum aviculare and Stellaria media. Weed biomass and seeds provide food for insects, herbivorous mammals, and seed eating birds. The abundance of plant food is therefore the basis for a functioning food web. Overgrown sugar beet yields less, but supports populations of soil microorganisms, earthworms, seed eating beetles and birds. The biological importance and ecosystem functions of weeds need to be considered and quantified in a similar manner as when trying to quantify weed damage.

Weed control in agricultural systems is of the utmost importance. Weeds reduce crop yields by up to 30% to 40%. Different methods are used to control weeds, such as manual, chemical, mechanical, and precision weed management. Weeds are managed more effectively by using the hand weeding method, which nevertheless falls short due to the unavailability of labor during peak periods and increasing labor wages. Generally, manual weeding tools have higher weeding efficiency (72% to 99%) but lower field capacity (0.001 to 0.033 hm(2)/h). Use of chemicals to control weeds is the most efficient and cost-effective strategy. Chemical weedicides have been used excessively and inappropriately, which has over time resulted in many issues with food and environmental damage. Mechanical weed control improves soil aeration, increases water retention capacity, slows weed growth, and has no negative effects on plants. Mechanical weed management techniques have been gaining importance recently. Automation in agriculture has significantly enhanced mechanization inputs for weed management. The development of precision weed management techniques offers an efficient way to control weeds, contributing to greater sustainability and improved agricultural productivity. Devices for agricultural automated navigation have been built on the rapid deployment of sensors, microcontrollers, and computing technologies into the field. The automated system saves time and reduces labor requirements and health risks associated with drudgery, all of which contribute to more effective farm operations. The new era of agriculture demands highly efficient and effective autonomous weed control techniques. Methods such as remote sensing, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, and the use of robots or UAVs (drones) can significantly reduce labor requirements, enhance food production speed, maintain crop quality, address ecological imbalances, and ensure the precise application of agrochemicals. Weed monitoring is made more effective and safer for the environment through integrated weed management and UAVs. In the future, weed control by UAV or robot will be two of the key solutions because they do not pollute the environment or cause plant damage, nor do they compact the soil, because UAV sprays above the ground and robotic machines are lighter than tractor operated machines. This paper aims to review conventional, chemical, mechanical, and precision weed management methods.

Improving the quality of irrigated pastures can increase the profitability of ruminant production systems. Increasing pasture plant biodiversity is beneficial for ruminants, pollinators, and soil health, but it is challenging to manage weed incursion in seeded mixed-species pastures. This study assessed the weed incursion that resulted when forage legumes or grasses were seeded as binary mixtures with one of four non-legume forbs. Defoliation occurred at 6-week intervals as either mowing or mob grazing. Forbs were chicory, plantain, Lewis flax, or small burnet and forages were alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, creeping foxtail, intermediate wheatgrass, kura clover, meadow bromegrass, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, reed canarygrass, sainfoin, smooth bromegrass, tall fescue, and white clover. Four defoliations per year occurred between May and September for two years. Eight replications were grouped into four blocks and each pair in a block was randomly assigned to the two defoliation treatments, mob grazing or mowing. Plots were 1.5 m2 and were assessed visually before each defoliation for the percentage of forage, forb, and weed. Chicory was the most dominant of the four forbs, and relative to legumes, most grasses suppressed both forb establishment and weed incursion under both grazing and mowing. There were no statistically significant effects of defoliation treatment on weed incursion.

Soil erosion in tropical environments causes environmental, social and economic damage. Canephora coffee crops are impacted by soil erosion and testing alternatives to mitigate this damage is a current need. This study aimed to evaluate the losses of sediment, organic carbon, nutrients and surface runoff caused by water erosion in between-rows spacing of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner plants in management with and without cover crops, and the effect of the intensity of rains on sediment loss and the surface runoff. The management practices tested in between-rows spacing of coffee plants were: ES - exposed soil after manual weeding with a hoe; CC1- soil covered by palisadegrass [Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) R.D.Webster] and nutsedge grass (Cyperus rotundus L.); and CC2- soil covered with purslane plant (Portulaca oleracea L.). Nine experimental plots were installed to measure losses of sediment, organic carbon, nutrients and surface runoff in the periods from September/2021 to March/2022 and from September to December/2022. The CC1 and CC2 reduced losses of sediment, organic carbon, nutrients and the volume of surface runoff from 37 to 86 % compared to ES. The increase in volume and rainfall intensities increased sediment loss and the surface runoff linearly, being more intense in ES management. The maintenance of the cover crops in between-rows spacing of coffee plants proved to be advantageous for mitigating losses of sediment, organic carbon, nutrients and surface runoff caused by water erosion, contributing to soil conservation and the sustainability of canephora coffee production.

Bioplastics are biobased or biodegradable plastic synthesized from natural resources with similar features to conventional plastic and environmental sustainability. Seaweed species abundant in the coastal regions of Bangladesh are yet to be explored for developing biodegradable plastic to solve the plastic pollution problem. Semi-refined kappa carrageenan was extracted from Gracilaria sp. with Pressurized Hot Water Extraction (PHWE) and blended with sorbitol and polyethylene glycol 1540 in this study, respectively. The presence of carrageenan and other functional groups was confirmed with FTIR analysis. The bioplastic films showed over 90 % biodegradability after 16 days of soil burial test and 98 % water solubility after immersion for 16 days. Maximum 20 MPa tensile strength and 44 % elongation were observed from the bioplastic films. The polyethylene glycol 1540 blended films showed better physical and mechanical properties. SEM analysis was conducted to evaluate the influence of tensile strength and elongation on the surface integrity of the bioplastic films. The findings indicate that Gracilaria sp. found in the coastal regions of Bangladesh, can be a potential candidate for developing bioplastics for food packaging and many other applications.

Seaweed extracts from Sargassum cristaefolium at 10% concentrations, effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. According to the available literatures, the GC-MS analysis identified various compounds in these extracts that had a antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant properties as per previous report. In both pot culture trials and field settings, the application of seaweed extracts via bulb treatment, soil drench, and foliar spray resulted in a notable decrease in the occurrence of twister blight disease. Among the treatments, treatment three, involving bulb treatment with S. cristaefolium at a 10% concentration, soil drench with the same seaweed at a 10% concentration and foliar application of S. cristaefolium at a 10% concentration, demonstrated a remarkable 69.39% reduction in twister blight, showcasing efficacy comparable to biocontrol agents and chemical fungicides. In pot culture conditions, increased levels of peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were observed, suggesting their involvement in enhancing resistance against disease. Histopathological examinations further revealed reduced tissue damage in treated plants. Additionally, protein content in both leaves and bulbs exhibited an increase in treated plants. This comprehensive study not only underscores the potential of seaweed extracts as effective biostimulants for disease management but also highlights their positive influence on overall plant health and productivity.