Arid regions pose a serious problem for crop production by suppressing plant growth. The use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as bioinoculant may be promising to enhance the crop yield in arid conditions. In the present investigation, four strains of cultivable bacteria associated with the rhizosphere of Saccharum L. grown in arid region were isolated using N-free media. Assessmen...

The arid and semi-arid regions comprise more than forty present of the Earth’s land surface on which a large number people situated largely engaged in agriculture to meet their basic needs.

Water storage depletion is a worsening hydrological problem that limits agricultural production in especially arid/semi-arid regions across the globe. Quantifying water storage dynamics is critical for developing water resources management strategies that are sustainable and protective of the environment. This study uses GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), GLDAS (Global Land Data A...

Understanding of hydrological processes, including consideration of interactions between vegetation growth and water transfer in the root zone, underpins efficient use of water resources in arid-zone agriculture. Water transfers take place in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, and include groundwater dynamics, unsaturated zone flow, evaporation/transpiration from vegetated/ bare soil and surf...

Due to the rapid expansion of irrigated agriculture, efficient use of the limited water resources in arid and semi-arid regions is becoming more and more vital. However, water salinity is a major problem due to its negative influence on the yields of many crops. It reduces citrus trees’ growth and causes physiological disorders. Salt-stress lowers net CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, and...

The lack of new antibiotics in the pharmaceutical pipeline guides more and more researchers to leave the classical isolation procedures and to look in special niches and ecosystems. Bioprospecting of extremophilic Actinobacteria through mining untapped strains and avoiding resiolation of known biomolecules is among the most promising strategies for this purpose. With this approach, members of a...

Archaeological research suggests significant human occupation in the arid Andean highlands during the 13th to 15th centuries, whereas paleoclimatic studies reveal prolonged drier and colder conditions during that period. Which subsistence strategy supported local societies in this harsh environment? Our field and aerial surveys of archaeological dwelling sites, granaries, and croplands provide ...

Kenyan farmers’ livelihoods are closely linked to climate conditions. Almost three-quarters of the labor force depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and almost all farmers depend on timely and adequate rainfall for crop production and husbandry, as only 2 percent of cultivated area is equipped for irrigation. Thus, climate variability and change will have an increasing impact on agricult...