Controlled Environment Agriculture and Its Ability to Mitigate Food Insecurity

The research objective of this review is to discuss the rationale that led to the development of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and investigate this agricultural approach as a potential solution to mitigate the increased pressures on food security. It describes the need for urban cultivation systems using controlled environments and how they can be harnessed to address pressures facing food security. The factors that have contributed to the growth of CEAs, education, environmental justice, and the advantages and disadvantages of growing crops in CEAs in urban areas will be discussed. The article reviews global urban cultivation systems using controlled environments, by identifying the technologies needed to establish them. The practice of CEA is being increasingly adopted worldwide and we describe urban agriculture and compare it with traditional growing systems. Indoor farming systems that integrate into existing urban infrastructure such as vertical farming and plant factories using CEAs are discussed. Indoor farming gives urban areas enhanced access to food sources, but the cost is high, however decreasing due to recent technological advances. The current review extends the literature by incorporating recent research on the topic of agriculture in urban areas and food security. This review seeks to provide additional information regarding the viability of CEA in urban areas.

Plant aquaporins:Their roles beyond water transport

Compared to other organisms,plants have evolved a greater number of aquaporins with diverse substrates and functions to adapt to ever-changing environmental and internal stimuli for growth and development.Although aquaporins were initially identified as channels that allow water molecules to cross biological membranes,progress has been made in identifying various novel permeable substrates.Many studies have characterized the versatile physiological and biophysical functions of plant aquaporins.Here,we review the recent reports that highlight aquaporin-facilitated regulation of major physiological processes and stress tolerance throughout plant life cycles as well as the potential prospects and possibilities of applying aquaporins to improve agricultural productivity,food quality,environmental protection,and ecological conservation.

Effects of environmentally friendly agricultural land protection programs: Evidence from the Lake Seyfe area of Turkey

fully supported by the Turkish Scientific Research Council （TUBITAK in Turkish, 110O747）

Government's Responsibility for Control of Agricultural Environmental Pollution in China

In this paper,the current situation of agricultural environmental pollution caused by the increase of chemicals input in agriculture in China was analyzed,and it is found that agricultural pollution is related to agricultural industrial policies,urban-rural economic structure,funds input in pollution control,comprehensive environmental management,laws of pollution control,and so forth. To control agricultural pollution effectively,it is needed to implement integration of agricultural and environmental policies,establish environmentally friendly agricultural technology popularizing system,implement integrated planning and management of a basin,and set up and improve legislation to protect agricultural environment.

Review of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Technology in the Agricultural Environment

Simultaneous localization and mapping(SLAM)is one of the most attractive research hotspots in the field of robotics,and it is also a prerequisite for the autonomous navigation of robots.It can significantly improve the autonomous navigation ability of mobile robots and their adaptability to different application environments and contribute to the realization of real-time obstacle avoidance and dynamic path planning.Moreover,the application of SLAM technology has expanded from industrial production,intelligent transportation,special operations and other fields to agricultural environments,such as autonomous navigation,independent weeding,three-dimen-sional(3D)mapping,and independent harvesting.This paper mainly introduces the principle,sys-tem framework,latest development and application of SLAM technology,especially in agricultural environments.Firstly,the system framework and theory of the SLAM algorithm are introduced,and the SLAM algorithm is described in detail according to different sensor types.Then,the devel-opment and application of SLAM in the agricultural environment are summarized from two aspects:environment map construction,and localization and navigation of agricultural robots.Finally,the challenges and future research directions of SLAM in the agricultural environment are discussed.

The Assessment of Growth Performance of Brassica rapa var. chinensis ‘Li Ren Choi’, Spinacia oleracea ‘Auroch’, Eruca sativa ‘Astro’, and Brassica rapa var. japonica Using GREENBOX Technology

Obtaining nutritious food is becoming increasingly difficult due to the growing urban population and the degradation of soil, water, and air from mechanized and industrialized agricultural techniques. More than half the global population resides in urban areas, with not enough surrounding agricultural land to meet food requirements. Food traveling long distances, an average of 1020 miles, has resulted in increased food miles for the average food item in the United States of America, representing wasted resources. The novel GREENBOX technology was invented in response to increasing pressures on food security. Previous studies conducted on GREENBOX technology assessed the technical feasibility of utilizing Lettuce Lactuca sativa ‘Rex Butterhead’. We at the APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University assessed the technical feasibility of growing different leafy green vegetable crops. GREENBOX technology consists of thermally insulated climate-controlled enclosures, an artificial lighting source, a soilless cultivation method (hydroponics), and environmental control modules. We assembled two GREENBOX units to assess the environmental conditions and growth performance of Brassica rapa var. chinensis ‘Li Ren Choi’, Spinach Spinacia oleracea ‘Auroch’, Arugula Eruca sativa ‘Astro’, and Mizuna Brassica Brassica rapa var. japonica. Plugs were cultivated and then transplanted in a randomized manner to the nutrient film technique (NFT) channels, subsequently grown for 30 days to full bloom and ready for harvest. Fertigation was carried out using a standard concentration nutrient solution. Crops were arranged in twelve blocks of four species each. We collected environmental data including daily light integral (DLI, mol/m2∙d), temperature (˚C), relative humidity (%), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD, kPa). Collected biomass data included wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (mg/cm2). We then derived the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g). Descriptive statistics were utilized to understand the differences in biomass parameters between the four crops grown. We also compared the performance parameters of our crops with existing peer-reviewed literature and found it superior, if not comparable to commonly found industrial output. We determined that all crops grew to full bloom, demonstrating that GREENBOX technology may be used to grow a variety of different leafy green vegetable crops.

The Comparative Performance of Nutrient-Film Technique and Deep-Water Culture Method of Hydroponics for GREENBOX Technology

With the rising pressures on food security, GREENBOX technology was developed as an avenue for fresh leafy vegetable crop production in urban settings. GREENBOX units were designed to be thermally insulated and climate controlled, with an artificial lighting source that utilized soilless cultivation techniques. Previous studies conducted on GREENBOX technology used the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT);however, various hydroponic methods exist, such as the Deep-Water Culture (DWC) method being the most used. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) compared the crop growth performance between DWC and NFT systems using GREENBOX technology. The following study monitored environmental conditions and compared productivity and biomass data of Rex Butterhead Lettuce crops between DWC and NFT systems. We assembled two GREENBOX units using commercially available materials and the standard nutrient solution for fertigation. The crops grown in DWC and NFT were in a 4 × 6 configuration. The DWC and NFT systems were used to grow Lettuce Lactuca sativa “Rex Butterhead” over 30 days to full bloom from prepared plugs grown for 14 days. We collected environmental data including Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD, μmol/m2∙s), Daily Light Integral (DLI, mol/ m2∙d), temperature (˚C), relative humidity (%), and Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD, kPa). We collected lettuce crop growth data, which included wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (μmol/m2). We derived data, including the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g) and biomass productivity (kg/m2), from previously collected data. We used descriptive statistics to present the collected data. A paired t-test was performed to understand the differences in biomass and productivity parameters between the DWC and NFT-grown lettuce crops. Both the DWC and NFT-grown crops could grow lettuce crops to harvest weight at full bloom. Observed data demonstrated that the biomass parameters and productivity did not differ significantly between the two hydroponics techniques. Therefore, we believe both hydroponic methods may be similar in growth performance and may be used in future iterations of GREENBOX design and prove suitable for fresh vegetable crop production in urban settings.

The Comparative Performance of Soil-Based Systems with Hydroponics

Conventional soil-based agriculture is resource-intensive, utilizing large amounts of land and water, thereby placing a strain on Earth’s natural resources. Soil-based agricultural techniques create environmental issues such as soil degradation, deforestation, and groundwater pollution from the mass implementation of fertilizers and pesticides. Agricultural crop production using hydroponics has shown promise to be less resource intensive and provide a faster turnaround in crop production. Soilless cultivation using hydroponics promises to relieve some pressure on Earth’s ecosystems and resources by utilizing lesser land and water footprint. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Food at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) compared the growth of Lettuce Lactuca sativa “Rex Butterhead” crop grown using soil and soilless methods to analyze the growth performance in each setting. Crops grown in the soil-based medium were raised in the FGCU Food Forest, used a mix of soil and potting mix, watered regularly, and followed standard Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. Crops grown hydroponically were grown in a thermally insulated grow tent with an artificial lighting source, ventilation, environmental controls, and the Deep-Water Culture (DWC) method. Lettuce plugs were grown for 15 days in controlled environments until two leaves after the cotyledons had developed and were ready for transplant. Plugs were transplanted into a 4 × 6 matrix at the FGCU Food Forest and the DWC growth system. Crops were grown to full bloom and ready for harvest in the soil (60 days) and soilless (30 days) based setups. We collected crop growth data, including wet weight (g), dry weight (g), leaf area (cm2), and chlorophyll concentration (μmol/m2). From the collected data, we derived the Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g) and biomass productivity (kg/m2). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the collected and derived data. We investigated the slopes of regression lines for each growth curve which derived the differences in biomass and productivity parameters between lettuce grown using soil and hydroponics. Both growing methods can grow lettuce crops to full bloom and to adequate harvest weight. The biomass parameters and productivity differ significantly between the growing methods. The lettuce crops grown using hydroponics increase in wet weight statistically and significantly faster than those grown in soil (p < 0.0001). Therefore, we determined that a hydroponic method of crop production may provide better crop output and biomass indicators measured than soil-based growth.

Embedded Remote Monitoring System of Agricultural Environment Based on DSP

Agricultural environmental remote monitoring,data collection and network transmission are the development directions of modern agriculture.The embedded video remote monitoring system is designed with DSP processor DM642,which can collect the video signal of agricultural environment and biological information,as well as complete the extraction of video signal and network transmission.This system can be applied to the agro-ecological and environmental resources monitoring,agricultural disaster monitoring and warning and other digital agricultures.

Monitoring System for Field Soil Water Content Based on the Wireless Sensor Network

[Objective] To water content monitoring study the application of wireless sensor network in field so and to discuss the methods for solving the problems of low sampling rate, high cost and poor real-time in actual monitoring. [Method] The architecture of wireless sensor network, network nodes, hardware design as well as principle for the program structure of software operating system and corresponding parameters were analyzed to illustrate the characteristics of monitoring system for field soil water content based on wireless sensor network, and the advantages in application of this system. [Result] Sensor nodes could correctly collect and transmit soil water content, realize stable data transmission of soil water content, indicating that wireless sensor network is suitable for real-time monitoring of field soil water content. [Conclusion] This study indicates that wireless sensor network possesses a widely application foreground in the development of agriculture.

Effect of EM Bokashi application on control of secondary soil salinization

In order to ameliorate saline-alkaline soil, EM Bokashi has been applied to rice production in conjunction with subdrainage in Ningxia Autonomous Region and Zhejiang Province. The preliminary results can be summarized as follows： EM Bokashi can increase soil organic matter content, improve soil porosity and permeability, and raise the soil＇s levels of available nutrients; and EM Bokashi combined with subdrainage treatment is more effective in controlling secondary soil salinization and raising the grain yield and quality than other treatments. The results suggest that EM Bokashi can reduce the necessary amount of chemical fertilizer application, thereby improving the agricultural environment, and that the introduction of EM Bokashi into systems of secondary soil salinization control systems has resulted in significant benefits.

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid(PFOS) concentrations in the South Korean agricultural environment: A national survey

Research on the occurrence of perfluorochemicals （PFCs） such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid （PFOS） and perfluorooctanoic acid （PFOA） in the agricultural environment is lacking, in spite of their potential risk via food chain transfer from aquatic and soil-plant systems to animals and/or humans. In the present study, for the first time, soil and water samples collected from 243 different agricultural sites adjacent to waste water treatment plants （WWTPs） belonging to 81 cities and 5 provinces with different levels of industrialization in South Korea were monitored for concentrations of PFOS and PFOA by use of solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy （LC-MS/MS）. Significant mean concentrations of PFOA （0.001-0.007 tJg L-1 water and 〈0.05-1.573 tJg kg-1 soil） and PFOS （0.001-0.22 tJg L-1 water and 〈0.05-0.741 pg kg-1 soil） were found in all samples. Concentrations of PFCs in soils were high, highlighting that soil is an important sink for PFCs in the agricultural environment. Samples from near WWTPs in Gyeongsang Province contained the highest concentrations of PFOS and PFOA, reflecting the concentration of heavy industry in the province. The concentrations of PFCs in agricultural water （most samples 〈0.05 pg L-~） and soils （most samples 〈1 IJg kg-~） from South Korea were less than acceptable guideline values, indicating that South Korea is not a hotspot of PFOS and PFOA contamination and that there is negligible risk to human and ecological health from these chemicals. However, further studies investigating the seasonal variation in PFOA, PFOS and other perfluorochemical concentrations in the agricultural environment are needed.

A Study on Rice Growth and Soil Environments in Paddy Fields Using Different Organic and Chemical Fertilizers

Currently, the majority of paddy fields in Japan are grown using chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides, since chemical fertilizers can provide the nutrients necessary for plant growth. However, there are concerns regarding the environmental impact of chemical fertilizer and pesticides production, such as reduction of soil microorganisms and water pollution due to the runoff of fertilizer components from the soil caused by excessive fertilizer application. In this study, we investigated the effects of the application of organic and chemical fertilizers on the plant growth of paddy fields, in addition to their effects on the chemical and biological properties of the soil. The panicle numbers of rough and brown rice, the 1000-grain weight of the rough and brown rice, and the percentages of ripened grains were significantly higher in paddy soils grown with organic fertilizers than in those grown with chemical fertilizers. In addition, the total carbon (TC) contents and pH values were significantly higher in the soils of paddy fields grown with organic fertilizers. Furthermore, the soils of paddy fields grown with organic fertilizers exhibited greater bacterial biomasses, N circulation activity, and P circulation activity than the soils of paddy fields grown using chemical fertilizers, although the differences were not significant. In this study, the difference in plant growth was appeared in fertilizer application such as organic and chemical fertilizers. It was indicated that the organic fertilizer and pesticide reduction management increased the soil bacterial biomass and activated the material cycle such as N circulation activity.

Comprehensive Evaluation on Agricultural Environment in Western China

Taking provinces as study cases, 15 comprehensive factors, involving natural geography, agricultural production, economic and social information, were formulated to evaluate the agricultural environment in western China by factor analysis method. The results showed that comprehensive scores were distinct among different cases. The score of Sichuan was the highest, that of Chongqing second and that of Guangxi the third. Qinghai got the lowest score, ranking the twelfth. The general environment quality was better in moist southern regions than that in frigid northern regions in the provinces of western China. Therefore, the appropriate eco-environmental construction measures at provincial level should be proposed to increase vegetation coverage, control water and soil loss, and prevent desertification and wind erosion. To develop eco-agriculture is an inevitable selection for environment construction and improvement in western China.

Effect of Organic and Chemical Fertilizer Application on Growth, Yield, and Soil Biochemical Properties of Landrace <i>Brassica napus</i>L. Leaf-and-Stem Vegetable and Landrace (Norabona)

Norabona is generally cultivated in Japan under management systems that use chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides. However, the continuous use of these fertilizers and pesticides damages the soil environment and reduces the number of soil microorganisms. There has been little research investigating the effect of organic and chemical fertilizer applications on soil biochemistry and the growth and yield of norabona. In this study, we investigated the effect of organic and chemical fertilizer application on these factors during the norabona growing season from September 2019 to May 2020. Leaf length, shoot height, and shoot width were significantly higher under organic fertilizer management in the early stage of cultivation (in March) than under chemical fertilizer management. However, there was no significant difference between treatments for these growth parameters in later months, nor for any other parameters. Soil TN, and TP contents were significantly higher in the organic fertilizer treatment after harvest than prior to cultivation or after the chemical fertilizer treatment. In addition, soil TC, and volumetric water content were significantly higher in the organic fertilizer treatment than in chemical fertilizer treatment. The higher TC, TN, and C/N ratio in organic fertilizer treated soil appeared to increase the bacterial biomass, leading to enhanced nutrient circulation via N and P circulation activity, producing a rich soil environment with active soil microorganisms.

Effect of Organic and Chemical Fertilizer Application on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Small-Sized Tomatoes

Tomatoes in Japan are generally cultivated under management systems that use chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides. However, the continuous use of these fertilizers and pesticides damages the soil environment and reduces the number of soil microorganisms. Organic farming has a relatively low environmental impact compared to conventional farming techniques, but typically has lower and more unstable yields. In this study, we investigated the effect of organic and chemical fertilizer application on growth, yield, and quality of small-sized (cherry) tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes were cultivated using organic and chemical organic fertilizers. Average weight and lateral diameter were significantly higher under organic fertilizer than under chemical fertilizer. In addition, shoot dry weight was significantly higher under organic fertilizer than chemical fertilizer. Lycopene content was significantly higher under organic fertilizer than chemical fertilizer. The total carbon (TC), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available phosphoric (SP) and exchangeable potassium (SK) contents, C/N ratio, and pH were significantly higher under organic fertilizer than chemical fertilizer. Bacterial biomass, nitrite (NO? 2-N) oxidation activity, nitrification (N) circulation activity, and phosphoric (P) circulation were higher under organic fertilizer than chemical fertilizer. From these results, the study indicates that appropriate controls such as TC, total nitrogen (TN), and C/N ratio of organic fertilizer increased microbial biomass and enhanced nutrient circulation such as N circulation activity and P circulation activity. These results can be used to improve current organic farming practices and promote soil conservation.

Evaluation on Emergency Ability of Agricultural Envrironmental Pollution Incident in Central Plains Economic Zone

Abstract The level of emergency ability directly reflects response effect of an area to emergency. Taking Central Plains Economic Zone as re- search object, by documents retrieval, field survey, mechanism analysis and logical reasoning, evaluation index system for emergency ability of ag- ricultural environmental pollution incident was established, which included 5 first grade indexes, 19 second grade indexes and 53 third grade inde- xes. By mechanism analysis and mathematical derivation, evaluation model for emergency ability of agricultural environmental pollution incident： I =m∑i=1∑j=1Pij, On this basis, four prefecture-level cities （A, B, C and D） of Central Plains Economic Zone were evaluated by using the index system and the evaluated model. The research could provide important theoretical reference for emergency ability construction of agricultural environmental pol- lution incident in Central Plains Economic Zone.

Chemical and Biological Properties of Apple Orchard Soils under Natural, Organic, Hybrid, and Conventional Farming Methods

Apples in Japan are generally cultivated under management systems that use chemical fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides. However, the continuous use of these fertilizers and pesticides damages the soil environment and reduces the number of soil microorganisms. In this study, we compared the chemical and biological properties of 12 soils from apple orchards in Aomori and Nagano Prefectures under four types of management systems, namely, natural conditions, with no cultivation, fertilizers, or pesticides;organic farming methods, using organic materials and pesticides approved by the Japanese Agricultural Standard organic certification system;hybrid farming methods, using a mix of organic and chemical fertilizers;and conventional farming, using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Soil total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate-nitrogen (NO? 3), and available phosphoric acid (SP) contents were generally found to be the highest where organic farming methods were used. Similarly, bacterial biomass, nitrification (N) circulation activity, ammonia (NH+ 4) oxidation activity, nitrite (NO? 2) oxidation activity, and phosphoric (P) circulation activity were the highest under organic farming, especially in comparison with conventional farming. This study indicated that the differences in apple sugar content, acidity, and sugar/acidity ratio between different orchard management systems were due to different soil conditions, and soil conditions under organic farming management system in apple cultivation increased bacterial biomass while enhancing N and P circulation activity and high TC. On the other hand, the soil of conventional farming has the lowest total number of bacterial biomass and lowest material cycle such as N and P circulation activity. Analysis of the chemical and biological properties of these orchard soils indicated that soil conditions under organic farming management are the most suitable for increasing microbial numbers and enhancing N and P circulation activity.

Assessment of the agricultural sustainability of Shaanxi Province,China

It is significant for the study on the sustainable development of regional agriculture to monitor and measurethe trend of agricultural development with an effective method. The sustainable development of regional agricultureshould accord with regional population, rural economic development, social progress, resource and environmentalsupport. This paper establishes the evaluating indicators system of sustainable development of regional agriculture,evaluates the agricultural sustainable development in Shaanxi Province with a comprehensive multi-indicator method,analyzes the support of resource and environment for regional agriculture by the resource-development index and theenvironment-development index, and gets the conclusion that the indicators, such as education level, the income gapbetween urban and rural residents, the per capita area under cultivation and the consumption of pesticides and chemicalfertilizers per hectare, are the main factors to restrict agricultural sustainability, and that the pressure of the developmentof subsystems of population, economy and society on the subsystems of resource and environment turns out to bestronger and stronger. Agricultural environment gets better, but resource becomes one of the important factors to restrictthe development of regional agriculture. In a word, this paper highlights the potentials and limitations of sustainableagriculture of Shaanxi and helps identify the development direction in the future.

Energy-use pattern and carbon footprint of rain-fed watermelon production in Iran

The analysis of energy-use patterns and carbon footprint is useful in achieving sustainable development in agriculture.Energy-use indices and carbon footprint for rain-fed watermelon production were studied in the Kiashahr region of Northern Iran.Data were collected from 58 farmers using a self-structured questionnaire during the growing season of 2013.The Cobb–Douglas model and sensitivity analysis were used to evaluate the effects of energy input on rain-fed watermelon yield.The findings demonstrated that chemical fertilizers consumed the highest percentage of total energy input(75.2%),followed by diesel fuel(12.9%).The total energy input was 16594.74 MJ ha^-1 and total energy output was 36275.24 MJ ha^-1.The results showed that the energy-use ratio was 2.19,energy productivity was 1.15 kg MJ
1,energy intensity was 0.87 MJ kg
1,and net energy gain was 19680.60 MJ ha^-1.Direct and indirect energy for watermelon production were calculated as 2374.4 MJ ha^-1(14.3%)and 14220.3 MJ ha^-1(85.7%),respectively.The share of renewable energy was 1.4%.This highlights the need to reduce the share of non-renewable energy and improve the sustainability of rain-fed watermelon production in Northern Iran.The study of carbon footprint showed that the chemical fertilizer caused the highest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions(GHG)followed by machinery with 52.6%and 23.8%of total GHG emissions,respectively.The results of the Cobb–Douglas model and sensitivity analysis revealed that increasing one MJ of energy input of human labor,machinery,diesel fuel,chemical fertilizers,biocides,and seed changed the yield by 1.03,0.96,0.19,
0.97,0.16,and 0.22 kg,respectively,in the Kiashahr region of Northern Iran.Providing some of the nitrogen required for crop growth through biological alternatives,renewing old power tillers,and using conservation tillage machinery may enhance energy efficiency and mitigate GHG emissions for rain-fed watermelon production in Northern Iran.