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3D crop reconstruction: A review of hyperspectral and multispectral approaches
No full textHyperspectral imaging (HSI) has emerged as a powerful tool for precision agriculture, enabling the non-destructive monitoring of crop biochemical and physiological traits. However, HSI alone lacks structural context, which limits its ability to accurately capture complex canopy architectures and organ-level traits. Integrating HSI with depth-sensing modalities such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Red, Green, Blue, and Depth (RGB-D) cameras, and computational reconstruction technique such as photogrammetry enables the generation of three-dimensional hyperspectral point clouds, combining spectral richness with geometric fidelity. This multi-modal fusion enhances crop trait estimation, including biomass, leaf chlorophyll content, canopy height, leaf area, and stress indicators, while improving the robustness of phenotyping under occlusions, shadows, and varying illumination. Dimensionality reduction, feature selection, and machine learning approaches, including deep learning and explainable AI, are useful for handling high-dimensional hyperspectral data and extracting actionable agronomic insights. Moreover, the integration of thermal, radar, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data further expands the capabilities of multi-modal sensing, enabling continuous, all-weather crop monitoring and accurate spatial referencing. Despite these advances, most studies to date focus on controlled environments, highlighting the need for field-based validation to ensure the reliability and scalability of HSI-depth fusion techniques. This review consolidates current knowledge on multi-modal hyperspectral and 3D crop reconstruction, highlighting methods, applications, and challenges, and outlines future directions for implementing high-throughput, real-time phenotyping and precision agriculture solutions
Film-Forming and Metabolic Antitranspirants Reduce Potato Drought Stress and Tuber Physiological Disorders
Get PDFPotatoes are highly sensitive to drought, particularly during tuber initiation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of film-forming (Vapor Gard [VG]) and metabolic (abscisic acid [ABA]) antitranspirants in mitigating drought stress and reducing tuber physiological disorders in four potato varieties. Two experiments examined the effects of VG and ABA antitranspirants on drought-stressed potato plants of four varieties (Challenger, Markies, Nectar, and Russet Burbank) grown in pots in a polytunnel (semi-controlled environment). Experiment 1 imposed severe drought by withholding irrigation until 70% of the available water content was depleted (reaching 15–17% volumetric water content within ~15 days), while Experiment 2 featured gradual drought stress from tuber initiation, with the soil volumetric water content declining to <10% over 30 days. Antitranspirants were applied at the start of the tuber initiation and two weeks later to assess their impact on the soil volumetric water content, stomatal conductance, relative water content, yield, and tuber physiological disorders. Drought significantly reduced the soil and plant water status, tuber yield, and quality across both experiments, with more severe effects observed in Experiment 1. VG and ABA had repeatable effects in both experiments and in all varieties, reducing water stress by preventing a large reduction in the relative water content during the tuber initiation and bulking stages. Both antitranspirants improved the tuber appearance by reducing the tuber skin disorder of russeting in the susceptible Challenger variety in both experiments, with VG being more effective than ABA. Beneficial reductions in the effects of drought from antitranspirants were also recorded in the volumetric water content, stomatal conductance, yield, and jelly end rot but not consistently in all varieties and in both experiments. The results show that antitranspirants have the potential to minimise water stress in droughted potatoes and subsequently reduce the physiological disorder of russeting and improve the tuber appearance of the Challenger variety
Farmland Trees and Integrated Pest Management: A Review of Current Knowledge and Developing Strategies for Sustainable Systems
Get PDF1. Climate change and the withdrawal of several classes of agrochemicals from use are intensifying the challenges faced by food producers in controlling pests in crop systems. Integrated pest management (IPM), which uses a combination of pest control approaches, is therefore a focus in international initiatives to improve the resilience of food production.
2. Integrating the greater use of trees and shrubs on farms within IPM frameworks offers a biodiversity-positive contribution to crop protection. For example, trees
can modulate the prevalence and impacts of agricultural pests and their natural antagonists through direct and indirect interactions. The beneficial impact of
farmland trees and shrubs on pest management in arable or grassland fields can be enhanced from an analysis of variables such as tree species and their spatial
distribution on farms, insect-plant dynamics, population behaviours and soil management practices.
3. The aim of this study is to synthesise existing knowledge and to assess the benefits and trade-offs between farmland trees and IPM strategies, building on gaps in knowledge identified by a stakeholder survey. Through this targeted review, we delineate the future evidence required to define and quantify the advantages that farmland trees offer as an element of IPM strategies.
4. Practical implication. The development of regional biodiversity monitoring tools, which integrate landscape features such as trees, shows promise for shaping
national policies to increase the adoption of IPM. There is a demand for user-friendly on-farm tools, adaptable to changing crop and pest priorities, that can support the alignment of the management of farm trees with IPM. However, basic and applied biological and ecological research are needed to inform and validate these decision-support tools and the capability to inform landscape-scale models
Wild Encounters: Analyzing Human–Animal Interactions in British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Facilities
Get PDFHuman–animal interactions (HAIs) are commonplace in zoos and aquariums, with a large proportion of these being animal–visitor interactions (AVIs). These AVIs range from visual contact through a barrier to direct physical contact in animal handling sessions. Due to the popularity of AVIs with a range of species, there is a need to understand what AVIs are occurring and to direct future animal welfare and visitor-based research. The present study investigated the quantity and diversity of AVIs that occur in BIAZA-accredited zoos and aquariums through a website review. The websites of full BIAZA members (n = 118) were assessed for opportunities where visitors interact with animals in an additional capacity, outside of interactions that form part of a traditional zoo visit. In total, 86% (n = 101) of members offered additional AVIs, with “meet and greet” (n = 389), “keeper for a day” (n = 137), and “walkthrough” (n = 96) being the most offered AVIs. Meet and greets were offered with 56 taxonomic families, and the mean cost and mean individual animals per organization were positively related to the number of meet and greets offered. Individual organization management style also had an impact on the model and should be an area for future study. Finally, a taxonomic bias was identified for meet and greets, as 71% (n = 41) of families were reported to be from the Mammalia class. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the quantity and quality of AVIs occurring in BIAZA organizations and highlights diversity in both species and types of interactions available to visitors. There is a need for further research on specific categories of AVIs most commonly seen: meet and greet, keeper for a day experiences, and walkthrough exhibits, as well as the impact of participating in the AVI from both animal welfare and visitor outcome perspectives
Subjective Measures of Career Outcomes from National Surveys in the United Kingdom and Australia
No full textThis article considers various subjective and qualitative measurements of career outcomes and success found in national-level graduate surveys in the United Kingdom and Australia. It reviews how these measures might add to our broader understanding of career success aligned with social cognitive career theory (Lent et al.,2002) and reflects on the concept of “scarring” (Borland,2020). These considerations help assess the value of measuring subjective and qualitative information on graduate career outcomes and how such insights might inform career and employability services and inclusive and integrated career-focused activities in higher education
Livestock—an essential component of a circular bioeconomy
Get PDFSustainability of food chains may be improved when circularity principles are integrated, nutrients are retained in the food chain and biomass losses are reduced. In this context, redesigning livestock systems to more circular and regenerative approaches is a critical step. The foundation of this special issue arises from the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization’s Livestock Environmental Assessment & Performance (UN, FAO LEAP) Partnership who assembled a Technical Advisory Group of 36 experts from 23 different countries spread over five continents to investigate the role of livestock in circular bioeconomy systems. This special issue explores specifically the synergies, trade-offs, and interactions of livestock production within this context
The link between economic growth, energy intensity, environmental taxes, trade openness, and environmental quality: Evidence for selected European OECD countries
Get PDFThis study investigates how economic growth, energy intensity, environmental taxes, and trade openness impact environmental quality. The empirical analysis employs first- and second-generation panel data estimators that account for heterogeneity across sections and dependence issues. The empirical results highlight that economic growth and energy intensity, mainly from traditional industries, negatively affect environmental quality. On the contrary, environmental taxes positively affect the load capacity factor, reflecting their success in countries with low environmental quality. There is also potential for beneficial implications of trade openness on the load capacity factor, but further research is necessary to determine their significance. Furthermore, asymmetric effects have been found to indicate that decoupling is more effective in countries with higher load capacity. Policymakers should capitalize on these findings to balance economic progress with environmental protection
The economics of US row crop production with large-scale autonomous machines
Get PDFLabor challenges are underpinning large multinational farm machine manufacturers' development of autonomy solutions for their large-scale machine offerings. This study simulates a linear optimization model to examine the economics of large-scale autonomous machines for a rotational maize and soybean farm in the Midwest US. Results support the hypothesis that autonomous machines can be economically viable for farms facing severe labor shortages. However, under current technology and pricing structures, conventional mechanization remains the most profitable option for farms with reliable labor. Critical factors shaping the competitiveness of autonomy include subscription fees, field efficiency, and human supervision requirements. As these factors evolve, farm expansion is likely to emerge as an early pathway where large-scale autonomous machines deliver economic advantages
Plant-Based Alternatives to Meat Products
No full textAnimal proteins have been used in the formulation and production of food products for many centuries, which has mainly been attributed to their excellent functional properties. However, the rearing of animals has been associated with an increased emission of greenhouse gases that contributes to global warming and climate change. Consequently, there has been a drive toward using alternative proteins, such as those from plant origins, which have been found to be more sustainable. A climate-smart strategy to contribute toward a reduction in meat consumption has been the formulation of plant-based meat analogues. The lower acceptance of these meat substitutes is mainly attributed to their sensorial, nutritional, and textural properties, which fail to resemble conventional meat. As such, there is a knowledge gap in understanding key aspects that come into play while formulating meat alternatives from plant sources by deciphering the link between the techno-functional attributes of protein and the various quality attributes of these food products. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the technical advances that have been made when it comes to plant-based meat substitutes that could drive consumer acceptance. There is also a huge impetus to diversify plant protein usage in meat analogues beyond soy and pea, which requires the applications of underutilised plant proteins to overcome their functional and organoleptic shortcomings, as well as the techno-economic challenges that have also been addressed in this work. Additionally, the nutritional equivalency of plant-based meat alternatives is reviewed, and the ways in which these products have been fabricated are discussed to assess the opportunities and challenges that exist in current product formulations. Other key determinants, such as environmental sustainability factors, prospective supply chain issues, and the market adoptability of plant-based meat alternatives, are also discussed. This review emphasises the fact that interlinking technical challenges with consumer insights and socioeconomic perspectives for protein transition is critical to ensure that innovations successfully land in the market
Co-design in practice: bringing STS to post-Brexit agricultural policy.
Get PDFFollowing the Brexit referendum, the United Kingdom’s Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) began to "co-design" a new agri-environment policy for England with stakeholders: the environmental land management (ELM) scheme. ELM is the cornerstone of the most far-reaching agricultural policy reforms undertaken in the UK since the Second World War. This article provides the first empirically grounded assessment of the ELM co-design process. It uses a framework developed by science and technology studies (STS) scholars to help remake participation along constructivist lines to show where, how and why the co-design process was constrained by sociotechnical systems and constitutional relations between citizens, science and the state. Our analysis shows that while STS-informed interventions can help make government-orchestrated participation more experimental, reflexive, anticipatory and responsible, remaking it along constructivist lines requires a new constitutional moment in which major changes are made to the arrangement of epistemic and political authority. With the popularity of co-design rising with governments across the world, our article is relevant to a broad international readership wanting to know more about how co-design fares in the context of large-scale systemic transformations