Machine learning enabled identification and real-time prediction of living plants’ stress using terahertz waves

Considering the ongoing climate transformations, the appropriate and reliable phenotyping information of plant leaves is quite significant for early detection of disease, yield improvement. In real-life digital agricultural environment, the real-time prediction and identification of living plants leaves has immensely grown in recent years. Hence, cost-effective and automated and timely detection of plans species is vital for sustainable agriculture. This paper presents a novel, non-invasive method aiming to establish a feasible, and viable technique for the precise identification and observation of altering behaviour of plants species at cellular level for four consecutive days by integrating machine learning (ML) and THz with a swissto12 materials characterization kit (MCK) in the frequency range of 0.75 to 1.1 THz. For this purpose, measurements observations data of seven various living plants leaves were determined and incorporate three different ML algorithms such as random forest (RF), support vector machine, (SVM), and K-nearest neighbour (KNN). The results demonstrated that RF exhibited higher accuracy of 98.87% followed by KNN and SVM with an accuracy of 94.64% and 89.67%, respectively, for precise detection of different leaves by observing their morphological features. In addition, RF outperformed other classifiers for determination of water-stressed leaves and having an accuracy of 99.42%. It is envisioned that proposed study can be proven beneficial and vital in digital agriculture technology for the timely detection of plants species to significantly help in mitigate yield and economic losses and improve crops quality.

Ethnobotanical and Indigenous Knowledge of Important Plants in East Hararghe, Eastern Ethiopia

An ethnobotanical study was conducted in East Hararghe, Ethiopia to identify and investigate the use of various plants by the traditional healers and communities engaged in domestic, pesticide and medicinal use. A total of 78 species were observed to be used by the local inhabitants in the region for the treatments of various ailments. Out of these, herbs constitute 49% followed by trees(36%) and shrubs only 15%. However, most frequently used plant parts were leaf and aerial parts(20) followed by seed(13), fruit(12), other parts(10), rhizome(7) and bark(1). Most of the plants were found to be used for medicinal, aromatic and food flavouring(spices, condiments) purposes. Out of 78 species recorded in the present study, 11 were reported to cure stomachache, seven for cold, cough and respiratory problem, six for diarrhoea and five species were found capable of curing fever. Fabaceae was the largest family contributing to medicinal plant use with seven species followed by Solanaceae, Myrtaceae,(5 spp.), and Zingiberaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae(4 spp. each). Some of the important plants utilized for taking care of variety of ailments are Azadirachta indica, Brassica nigra, Balanites aegyptiaca, Maytenus ovatus, Rosmarinus officinalis and Trigonella foenum graecum. Most of these medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs) play a significant role in the household economy and were observed to be very popular among the people. Unpopular plants were left out of the study. This study provides useful and basic information on usage of different plants for conducting further studies aimed at conservation and documentation of traditional medicine system and economic welfare of rural peoples of the East Hararghe, Ethiopia. It also revealed that indigenous practices contributed to sustainable management of plants.

Identification of candidate soil microbes responsible for small-scale heterogeneity in strawberry plant vigour

Studies were conducted to identify candidate soil microbes responsible for observed differences in strawberry vigour at a small spatial scale, which was not associated with visual disease symptoms. Samples were obtained from the soils close to the rhizosphere of ‘big＇ and ‘small＇ plants from small plots which exhibited large local heterogeneity in plant vigour. A metabarcoding approach was used to profile bacterial and fungal compositions, using two primer pairs for 16 S ribosomal RNA genes（16S r DNA） and one for the fungal internal transcribed spacer（ITS） region. Of the two 16 S r DNA primer sets, the 341F/805 R resulted in sequences of better quality. A total 28 operational taxonomic units（OTUs） had differential relative abundance between samples from ‘big＇ and ‘small＇ plants. However, plausible biological explanation was only possible for three fungal OTUs. Two were possible phytopathogens： Verticillium spp. and Alternaria alternata although the latter has never been considered as a main pathogen of strawberry in the UK. For samples from ‘small＇ plants, the abundance of these OTUs was much greater than from ‘big＇ plants. The opposite was true for a mycorrhizal OTU. These results suggest that soil microbes related to crop production can be identified using metabarcoding technique. Further research is needed to assess whether A. alternata and Verticillium spp. could affect strawberry growth in the field.

Soil Fertility Is a Productive Capital Asset

In recent years, the understanding of human health has progressed considerably, through the study and understanding of the symbiotic role played by the myriad microorganisms that populate the gut and do the digesting, and populate the skin and keep it healthy, and even populate the lining of the lungs and do the same. In plant life, it is the microorganisms in the soil—which “are” the soil’s fertility—which fulfil a similar symbiotic role in a healthy plant’s life, but as yet this is a subject most visible by its absence from all scientific discussion of good farming practice. The science underlying this understanding is summarised in this paper. Understanding this and nurturing the fertility of impoverished soil by “seeding it” with the appropriate mix of microorganisms is transformational for plant health and productivity. Significant results are indicated from early trial examples of doing this in rice, oil palm and tobacco cultivation in Malaysia.

Effects of Soil Biodiversity on Plant Health:A Review

Soil is the most biologically abundant ecosystem on the earth.Soil biodiversity has significant impact on maintaining soil ecological balance and agricultural production,especially on healthy growth and disease control of plants.Therefore,it is of great significance to study soil biodiversity.This paper reviewed the role of soil biodiversity in plant growth.First of all,the history of soil biodiversity was introduced.Secondly,the composition of soil biodiversity was introduced,and the role of soil biodiversity in regulating the quantity and species of soil organisms,maintaining the balance and stability of soil system,participating in nutrient circulation and energy flow,and promoting plant health were discussed based on the interactions among microbial diversity,fauna diversity and plant diversity.Finally,combined with the background of advocating the protection of soil biodiversity in the great time,the potential factors threatening soil biodiversity were analyzed.

Climate Change and Its Influence on Agricultural Pest in Mexico

The present paper reviewed the researches of how they have affected agricultural pests in the territory of Mexico. It emphasizes that traditional climate models are not “predict” non-linear systems and are necessary to resort to the construction of scenarios for study. Some climate change models applied to Mexico used for this purpose obtained significant results. It showed that to better understand the ecology of pests and their hosts, it is necessary to further research the correlations between them and improve climate modeling and its consequences, to prioritize risks and improve the reliability of predictions and scenarios in the future.

Reimagining safe lithium applications in the living environment and its impacts on human,animal,and plant system

Lithium's(Li)ubiquitous distribution in the environment is a rising concern due to its rapid proliferation in the modern electronic industry.Li enigmatic entry into the terrestrial food chain raises many questions and uncertainties that may pose a grave threat to living biota.We examined the leverage existing published articles regarding advances in global Li resources,interplay with plants,and possible involvement with living organisms,especially humans and animals.Globally,Li concentration(<10 e300 mg kg
1)is detected in agricultural soil,and their pollutant levels vary with space and time.High mobility of Li results in higher accumulation in plants,but the clear mechanisms and specific functions remain unknown.Our assessment reveals the causal relationship between Li level and biota health.For example,lower Li intake(<0.6 mM in serum)leads to mental disorders,while higher intake(>1.5 mM in serum)induces thyroid,stomach,kidney,and reproductive system dysfunctions in humans and animals.However,there is a serious knowledge gap regarding Li regulatory standards in environmental compartments,and mechanistic approaches to unveil its consequences are needed.Furthermore,aggressive efforts are required to define optimum levels of Li for the normal functioning of animals,plants,and humans.This review is designed to revitalize the current status of Li research and identify the key knowledge gaps to fight back against the mountainous challenges of Li during the recent digital revolution.Additionally,we propose pathways to overcome Li problems and develop a strategy for effective,safe,and acceptable applications.

Rice(Oryza sativa L.)plant protection using dual biological control and plant growth-promoting agents:Current scenarios and future prospects

Various microorganisms live in association with different parts of plants and can be harmful,neutral,or beneficial to plant health.Some microbial inhabitants of plants can control plant diseases by contesting with,predating on,or antagonizing plant pathogens and by inducing systems for plant defense.A range of methods,including plant growth-promoting microorganisms(PGPMs)as biological control agents(BCAs)(BCA-PGPMs)are used for the biological management and control of plant pathogens.Some BCAs interact with plants by inducing resistance or priming plants without direct interaction with the pathogen.Other BCAs operate via nutrient competition or other mechanisms to modulate the growth conditions for the pathogen.Generally,PGPMs can be applied alone or together with other chemicals or carriers to control various crop diseases.This review highlights the effective types of BCA-PGPMs and their applications,roles,carrier based-formulations,and responses to rice(Oryza sativa L.)pathogens.Future plant disease management prospects are promising,and growers’increasing demand for BCA-PGPM products can be exploited as an effective approach to the management of plant diseases,as well as to improve yield,environmental protection,biological resources,and agricultural system sustainability.

Soil-Plant-Microbe Interactions in Stressed Agriculture Management:A Review

The expected rise in temperature and decreased precipitation owing to climate change and unabated anthropogenic activities add complexity and uncertainty to agro-industry. The impact of soil nutrient imbalance, mismanaged use of chemicals, high temperature, flood or drought, soil salinity, and heavy metal pollutions, with regard to food security, is increasingly being explored worldwide. This review describes the role of soil-plant-microbe interactions along with organic manure in solving stressed agriculture problems. Beneficial microbes associated with plants are known to stimulate plant growth and enhance plant resistance to biotic （diseases） and abiotic （salinity, drought, pollutions, etc.） stresses. The plant growth-promoting rhizobemteria （PGPR） and mycorrhizae, a key component of soil microbiota, could play vital roles in the maintenance of plant fitness and soil health under stressed environments. The application of organic manure as a soil conditioner to stressed soils along with suitable microbial strains could further enhance the plant-microbe associations and increase the crop yield. A combination of plant, stress-tolerant microbe, and organic amendment represents the tripartite association to offer a favourable environment to the proliferation of beneficial rhizosphere microbes that in turn enhance the plant growth performance in disturbed agro-ecosystem. Agriculture land use patterns with the proper exploitation of plant-microbe associations, with compatible beneficial microbial agents, could be one of the most effective strategies in the management of the concerned agriculture lands owing to climate change resilience. However, the association of such microbes with plants for stressed agriculture management still needs to be explored in greater depth.

Rhizosphere immunity: targeting the underground for sustainable plant health management

Managing plant health is a great challenge formodern food production and is further complicated by thelack of common ground between the many disciplinesinvolved in disease control. Here we present the concept ofrhizosphere immunity, in which plant health is consideredas an ecosystem level property emerging from networks ofinteractions between plants, microbiota and the surround-ing soil matrix. These interactions can potentially extendthe innate plant immune system to a point where therhizosphere immunity can fulfil all four core functions ofafull immune system: pathogen prevention, recognition,response and homeostasis. We suggest that consideringplant health from a meta-organism perspective will help indeveloping multidisciplinary pathogen management stra-tegies that focus on steering the whole plant-microbe-soilnetworks instead of individual components. This might beachieved by bringing together the latest discoveries inphytopathology, microbiome research, soil science andagronomy to pave the way toward more sustainable andproductive agriculture.

Soil protists: An untapped microbial resource of agriculture and environmental importance

Protists are essential components of soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. They play a vital role in the microbial food web as consumers of bacteria, fungi, and other small eukaryotes and are also involved in maintaining soil fertility and plant productivity. Protists also contribute to regulating and shaping the bacterial community in terrestrial ecosystems via specific prey spectra. They play a role in plant growth promotion and plant health improvement,mostly via nutrient cycling, grazing, and the activation of bacterial genes required for plant growth and phytopathogen suppression. Thus, protists may prove to be a useful inoculant as biofertilizer and biocontrol agent. They can also be applied as model organisms as bioindicators of soil health. Despite their usefulness and essentiality, they are often forgotten and under-researched components of the soil microbiome, as most of our research focuses on bacteria and fungi. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of protists in plant productivity and plant health management and in shifts in soil bacterial community composition, as well as their roles as bioindicator. We also discuss the perspectives of knowledge gaps and future prospects to further improve soil biology.More research in soil protistology will provide insights into sustainable agriculture and environmental health alongside the study of bacteria and fungi.

Estimating the severity of apple mosaic disease with hyperspectral images

Soil Plant Analysis Development(SPAD)Chlorophyll Meter reading was used to effectively characterize chlorophyll content,which is an important indicator of the health status of plant leaves.In this study,the hyperspectral images of apple leaves infected by apple mosaic virus(ApMV)were captured,and their SPAD values were measured.The spectral reflectance of leaves with varying degree infection of disease is significantly different.In particular,the reflectance in visible wavebands of leaves with a more serious infection was higher than that of leaves with a less severe infection.Several hyperspectral vegetation indices were highly correlated with the SPAD values of apple leaves(correlation coefficient>0.9).Models were established to estimate apple foliar SPAD values based on these vegetation indices.Among the models,the multivariate regression model with partial least square regression(PLSR)method achieved the highest accuracy.The SPAD value of a whole apple leaf was calculated from its SPAD distribution image and used as a quantitative index to represent the health status of an apple leaf.Furthermore,the SPAD value of a whole apple leaf could also be estimated rapidly and accurately by extracting the spectral average value of the whole leaf using a simple model.It can be used as a rapid detection method of SPAD values of apple leaves to monitor and describe the health conditions of apple leaves quantitatively.