Insects are an important and probably the most challenging pest to control in agriculture, in particular when they feed on belowground parts of plants. The application of synthetic pesticides is problematic owing to side effects on the environment, concerns for public health and the rapid development of resistance. Entomopathogenic bacteria, notably Bacillus thuringiensis and Photorhabdus/Xenor...

Sustainable agriculture is a complex problem that demands consideration of many interrelated factors, processes, and institutions. Unfortunately, current definitions of sustainability are expansive, and use as a guide for strategic planning or decision making is clouded by ambiguity and a plethora of definitions. Regardless of how sustainability is defined, agricultural producers are interested...

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) shows an important role in the sustainable agriculture industry. The increasing demand for crop production with a significant reduction of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides use is a big challenge nowadays. The use of PGPR has been proven to be an environmentally sound way of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through eithe...

Strategies are needed to increase the sustainability of phosphorus (P) fertiliser management in agriculture. This paper reports on the potential of pyrolysis treatment to recycle P from renewable materials previously regarded as wastes. The study used K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to examine chemical forms of P in the waste feedstock materials and correspondin...

The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a highly destructive pest. The low tolerance for damaged fruit requires preventive insecticide treatments for a marketable crop. The phase-out of old insecticides threatens cherry production throughout the European Union (EU). Consequently, new management techniques and tools are needed. With the increasing number ...

A precision control system that enables a center pivot irrigation system (CP) to precisely supply water in optimal rates relative to the needs of individual areas within fields was developed through a collaboration between the Farmscan group (Perth, Western Australia) and the University of Georgia Precision Farming team at the National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NE...

Shaping agriculture for both human needs and for environmental health can be greatly accelerated by properly developing the trait of apomixis. Apomixis is the phenomenon by which certain plants produce ‘seeds without sex’. Introduction of this trait to crop plants would allow the immediate fixing of the genetic make-up of any individual plant that responded particularly well to a given environm...

Subsurface drainage resulting from irrigated agriculture is a toxic threat to fish and wildlife resources throughout the western United States. Studies by the U.S. Department of the Interior show that migratory waterfowl have been poisoned by drainwater contaminants on at least six national wildlife refuges. Allowing this poisoning to continue is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act und...

Selenium is a naturally occurring trace element that is nutritionally required in small amounts but it can become toxic at concentrations only twice those required. The narrow margin between beneficial and harmful levels has important implications for human activities that increase the amount of selenium in the environment. Two of these activities, disposal of fossil fuel wastes and agricultura...

The economic growth has resulted in the depletion of natural resources and degradation ecosystems. Therefore, environmentally sustainable was accepted as a new model for economy. idea been widely discussed not only by experts environmental economics, but also international national policy scene. However, measurement still remains challenge, especially agriculture. This article aims to provide a...