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Advances in genomics-assisted breeding strategies for enhancing nutrient uptake and use efficiency in cereals: A pathway toward sustainable agriculture
No full textStaple cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize are key to food security by providing the bulk of calories consumed worldwide. However, cereal productivity is often limited by inefficient uptake and utilization of essential nutrients, including N, P, Fe, and Zn especially under stress conditions. Enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency (NutrUE) in staple crops is crucial to reducing fertilizer inputs, supporting sustainable agriculture, and securing food and nutrition for future generations. The present review discusses recent advancements in genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) aimed at improving nutrient uptake (NU) in major cereals. This review delineates the biochemical and molecular underpinnings of NU, emphasizing how genomics tools such as QTL mapping, GWAS, GS, and CRISPR/Cas9 enable the dissection and targeted improvement of multifactorial NU and NutrUE-related traits. Additionally, it also explored the high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) and genotyping (HTG) platforms, including imaging techniques like MRI, X-Ray CT, and UAV-based RGB/Multispectral imaging, aligned with nextgeneration sequencing which enable precise and rapid characterization for NU and NutrUE-related traits. Furthermore, the review addresses how multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) contribute to the identification of candidate genes and regulatory pathways associated with NU. Ultimately, this integrated approach provides valuable strategies and insights for researchers, breeders, and policymakers working in accelerating the development of NU and NutrUE cereal cultivars, thereby supporting agricultural sustainability and global hunger prevention
Insights into the production and versatile agricultural applications of nanochitin for sustainable circularity: a review
No full textChitin exhibits remarkable biocompatibility and biodegradability; nonetheless, its potential remains largely unexplored due to its hydrophobic nature, which makes it insoluble in water. Industrial marine food wastes, including crustacean shells, are the most plentiful and the potential source of chitin. High-performance chitin nanoparticles have been developed by understanding their biological characteristics and advanced preparation methods. The creation of nano-chitin materials is a significant topic due to its distinct dimensional, optical, mechanical, and other properties i.e. high surface area, low density and high dispersibility. Chitin nanocrystals and nanofibers could be fabricated by depolymerizing and demineralizing crustacean shell waste following various top-down and bottom-up methods, viz. acid hydrolysis, deep eutectic hydrolysis, TEMPO-mediated oxidation, self-assembly, etc. Morphology of the nanochitin and applications pertaining to respective nano-fibrillation have been tabulated using the aforementioned methods. The present review summarizes the significant current developments in the synthesis of chitin nanoforms, i.e., nanochitin, nanofiber, or nanocrystal, along with their impact on enhancing plant growth and quality. Nanochitin could be utilized as fertilizers, biostimulant, plant elicitor, biocide as well as for seed treatment and appeared as an organic substitute for sustainable agricultural practices
Biochar potential for long-term pharmaceutical remediation in flow-through tertiary wastewater systems
No full textWastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater and upon release pharmaceuticals end up in the environment. This study investigated the adsorption capacity of five different biochar materials under dynamic flow conditions utilising a packed bed column test. Tertiary wastewater effluent was used to evaluate the breakthrough of the biochar columns. Two conditions were tested during this experiment: (i) biochar remediation under high pharmaceutical loads, where wastewater was spiked with 16 pharmaceuticals; and (ii) biochar remediation under normal working conditions, where 42 non-spiked pharmaceuticals were evaluated. The concentrations of pharmaceuticals were measured over 45 weeks (635 bed volumes), and the adsorption capacity was assessed by plotting relative concentration against bed volumes. The results show a high adsorption efficiency (>99 %) for the sewage sludge and forest biomass biochar, emphasising the role of packing density, feedstock and physicochemical properties of the biochar. Furthermore, fitted breakthrough curves allowed for the assessment of the adsorption capacity of individual pharmaceuticals. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the charge and molecular size of pharmaceuticals and their adsorption capacity. This study provides key insights into the remediation potential of biochar for the removal of pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent
Innovative Solutions for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment: A Membrane Technology Perspective
No full textPalm oil mill effluent (POME) presents significant environmental challenges in palm oil-producing countries due to its complex composition and high organic content. Membrane technology has emerged as a viable treatment option that offers efficient separation processes. This review examines various POME treatment methods with an emphasis on membrane bioreactor (MBR) applications. MBRs, including aerobic, anaerobic, and hybrid configurations, have demonstrated effectiveness in pollutant reduction, with a key emphasis on fouling minimization. Despite their advantages, membrane fouling remains a major limitation, leading to reduced performance and increased maintenance costs. This review critically evaluates factors influencing fouling and explores sustainable mitigation strategies. Furthermore, life cycle analysis (LCA) is highlighted as a vital tool for evaluating the environmental impact of POME treatment. Various chemical and biological pollution assessment methods used in existing risk evaluations are also discussed. The main objective of the insights offered is to improve knowledge of the opportunities and limitations related to using membrane technology for the efficient and sustainable treatment of POME. This review encourages the continuous development of novel membrane-based solutions, promoting environmental sustainability and improved wastewater management in the palm oil industry by addressing key challenges and developments
Plant proteins for human consumption – from local to global opportunities and challenges in a full value chain context
No full textEnvironmental concerns together with a growing global population and health benefits call for an increased use of plant proteins in the human diet. This review paper summarizes opportunities and challenges of such an increased use and reveals the way forward for plant proteins for human consumption. The results clearly emphasize the increased consumer interest, especially in certain consumer segments, of the use of plant protein-based food alternatives, the positive environmental impact of the use of such alternatives and the wide array of crops available to be developed into novel protein-rich food choices. Major challenges identified are; i) how to combine different plant sources to receive highly nutritional and tasty food products, ii) how to produce crops with a high and easily extractable protein content, which simultaneously contain low amount of unwanted components such as antinutritional factors, iii) environmental effects of the production of the plant protein to be utilized for the protein-rich food items, and iv) economic feasibility of the plant protein food products. Opportunities exist to develop the processing methods for protein fractionation, although consumer preferences, environmental effects, economic feasibility and impact on protein functionality have to be taken into account in such developments. Plant breeding is summarized as a major way forward to target crops high in easily available protein and low in unwanted components, thereby fitting consumer desires simultaneously as contributing to economic feasibility and reduced environmental impact. Cultivation is the main source of the environmental impact in the plant protein value chain, while protein content, composition and extractability affect consumer preferences and both their economic and environmental impact
Agreement of Specific Lung Sounds Auscultation by Veterinarians for the Detection of Bronchopneumonia in Calves
No full textBackground Lung auscultation is a common method for the routine diagnosis of calf bronchopneumonia. However, its repeatability among operators has been criticized. Objective Determine agreement among veterinarians for specific lung sounds after a short tutorial to standardize the definition of lung sounds. Animals Forty lung sounds from a larger dataset collected at 4 veal calf farms that housed 495-815 animals were submitted online to 10 different veterinarians. Methods After a short tutorial on lung sound auscultation, the raters were asked to detect the presence of any abnormal sounds and to differentiate among wheezes, crackles, and bronchial sounds. Raw percentage of agreement (PA), Gwet's agreement coefficient type 1 (AC1), Krippendorff's alpha (K-a), and Fleiss kappa (K-Fleiss) were chosen as agreement indicators in the absence of a gold standard indicator to assess agreement. The different indicators were interpreted based on a priori reported benchmarks. Results The agreements were fair to good for almost all lung sound indicators. For the presence of any abnormal lung sound, the reported agreements (95% confidence intervals [CI]) were 0.781 (0.716-0.845), 0.646 (0.514-0.777), 0.403 (0.351-0.455), and 0.293 (0.137-0.493) for PA, AC1, K-a, and K-Fleiss, respectively. The same indicators were 0.769 (0.694-0.845), 0.615 (0.446-0.784), 0.426 (0.378-0.475), and 0.425 (0.293-0.563) for wheezes, 0.754 (0.685-0.823), 0.643 (0.503-0.782), 0.21 (0.146-0.275), and 0.208 (0.097-0.327) for crackles, and 0.636 (0.571-0.701), 0.345 (0.179-0.512), 0.182 (0.131-0.232), and 0.18 (0.081-0.279) for bronchial sound detections, respectively. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Agreement among raters auscultating calf respiratory sounds was higher than previously reported. However, improvement is still possible to increase auscultation agreement
Impacts of fire on canopy structure and its resilience depend on successional stage in Amazonian secondary forests
No full textSecondary forests in the Amazon are important carbon sinks, biodiversity reservoirs, and connections between forest fragments. However, their regrowth is highly threatened by fire. Using airborne laser scanning (ALS), surveyed between 2016 and 2018, we analyzed canopy metrics in burned (fires occurred between 2001 and 2018) and unburned secondary forests across different successional stages and their ability to recover after fire. We assessed maximum and mean canopy height, openness at 5 and 10 m, canopy roughness, leaf area index (LAI) and leaf area height volume (LAHV) for 20 sites across South-East Amazonia (ranging from 375 to 1200 ha). Compared to unburned forests, burned forests had reductions in canopy height, LAI, and LAHV, and increases in openness and roughness. These effects were more pronounced in early successional (ES) than later successional (LS) stages, for example, mean canopy height decreased 33% in ES and 14% in LS and LAI decreased 36% in ES and 18% in LS. Forests in ES stages were less resistant to fire, but more resilient (capable of recovering from a disturbance) in their post-fire regrowth than LS stage forests. Data extrapolation from our models suggests that canopy structure partially recovers with time since fire for six out of seven canopy metrics; however, LAI and LAHV in LS forests may never fully recover. Our results indicate that successional stage-specific management and policies that mitigate against fire in early secondary forests should be implemented to increase the success of forest regeneration. Mitigation of fires is critical if secondary forests are to continue to provide their wide array of ecological services.Florestas secund & aacute;rias na Amaz & ocirc;nia s & atilde;o essenciais para captura de carbono, biodiversidade e conex & atilde;o entre fragmentos florestais. Por & eacute;m, seu crescimento & eacute; altamente amea & ccedil;ado pelo fogo. Usando varredura a laser aerotransportada (ALS), entre os anos de 2016 e 2018, analisamos m & eacute;tricas de dossel em florestas secund & aacute;rias queimadas (inc & ecirc;ndios ocorridos entre 2001 e 2018) e n & atilde;o queimadas em diferentes est & aacute;gios sucessionais e sua capacidade de recupera & ccedil;& atilde;o ap & oacute;s o fogo. Avaliamos a altura m & aacute;xima e m & eacute;dia do dossel, clareiras a 5 m e 10 m, rugosidade do dossel, & iacute;ndice de & aacute;rea foliar (LAI) e volume de altura da & aacute;rea foliar (LAHV) para 20 locais no sudeste da Amaz & ocirc;nia (variando de 375 ha a 1200 ha). Comparadas com florestas n & atilde;o queimadas, florestas queimadas tiveram redu & ccedil;& otilde;es na altura do dossel, LAI e LAHV, e aumentos nas clareiras e rugosidade. Esses efeitos foram mais pronunciados nos est & aacute;gios sucessionais iniciais (ES) do que em est & aacute;gios sucessionais mais tardios (LS), por exemplo, a altura m & eacute;dia do dossel diminuiu 33% no ES e 14% no LS e o LAI diminuiu 36% no ES e 18% no LS. Florestas no est & aacute;gio ES foram menos resistentes ao fogo, mas mais resilientes (capazes de se recuperar de uma perturba & ccedil;& atilde;o) em sua regenera & ccedil;& atilde;o p & oacute;s-fogo do que florestas no est & aacute;gio LS. A partir da extrapola & ccedil;& atilde;o de dados, nossos modelos sugerem que a estrutura do dossel se recupera parcialmente com o tempo desde o fogo para seis dos sete atributos do dossel, algumas m & eacute;tricas como LAI e LAHV em florestas LS talvez nunca se recuperem totalmente. Nossos resultados indicam que o manejo espec & iacute;fico do est & aacute;gio successional e pol & iacute;ticas que mitigam contra inc & ecirc;ndios em florestas secund & aacute;rias iniciais devem ser implementados para aumentar o sucesso da regenera & ccedil;& atilde;o florestal. A mitiga & ccedil;& atilde;o de inc & ecirc;ndios & eacute; cr & iacute;tica para que as florestas secund & aacute;rias continuem a fornecer sua ampla gama de servi & ccedil;os ecol & oacute;gicos
Using Biochar in Static and Dynamic Flow Systems to Remediate Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances From Contaminated Stormwater Runoff
No full textBiochar has recently been identified as a potential solution for the remediation of organic micropollutants from contaminated water. Herein, we have assessed the potential mitigation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by means of biochar adsorption as a green alternative to coal-based sorbents for PFAS-polluted stormwater systems. For this purpose, 13 biochar materials (originating from diverse feedstocks as well as intended for both commercial and research purposes) were initially screened for PFAS remediation capabilities in static flow systems. These experiments pointed to biochar sorption as a promising strategy for PFAS remediation, with some materials showing removal efficiencies of around 99% after 7 days of exposure. Though not all of the biochar materials tested performed equally, differences could be observed. As a next step, five biochar materials were studied under constant-flow column experiments for a duration of 69 days using real stormwater spiked with PFAS. Results showed that vast differences could be observed for the retention rates of the tested PFAS contaminants, with estimated bed volumes for an 80% breakthrough ranging from, for example, 13-60 for perfluorobutanesulfonic acid and from 4 to 53 for perfluoropentanoic acid. In terms of the PFAS backbone, both the static and dynamic flow experiments highlighted that long-chain PFAS showed stronger sorption onto the biochar surface than short-chain PFAS; however, no relevant impact could be identified in terms of the PFAS functional group. Overall, biochar is emerging as a promising and environmentally friendly approach for removing PFAS from contaminated stormwater
Evaluation of PBK models using the OECD assessment framework taking PFAS as case study
No full textPhysiologically based kinetic (PBK) models are becoming increasingly important in chemical risk assessment, helping in linking external and internal exposure concentrations, thereby supporting the development of regulatory health-based limits for chemicals with exposure from environmental, occupational, and consumer sources. To increase confidence in PBK models for regulatory purposes, the OECD published a guidance document in 2021 outlining the characterization, validation and reporting of PBK models. However, its use remains limited in chemical toxicology as reflected by the few publications that have applied it during model development. The aim of this study was to evaluate several published PBK models for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) as proof of concept to assess their validity and credibility for regulatory purposes, based on the OECD guidance. Out of 28 published PFASs human PBK models considered, 11 were selected for evaluation. The assessment used the OECD guidance document, encompassing two main areas: i) documentation (context/implementation, documentation, software implementation, verification, and peer engagement) and ii) assessment of model validity (biological basis, theoretical basis of model equations, input parameter's reliability, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, goodness-of-fit and predictivity). To standardize this process, an online evaluation system based on the OECD guidance was developed and used for this model evaluation exercise. The collected data were analysed to assess the overall quality of published models and identify limitations in the current PFAS model landscape. Our analysis revealed opportunities for improvement in the biological representation within current PFAS models, particularly regarding the inclusion of diverse population groups. Currently, PFAS models primarily focus on only four compounds, highlighting an opportunity to extend coverage to other PFASs using read-across approaches for data-poor chemicals. Furthermore, our findings show that a harmonized approach for PBK model reporting is needed. To facilitate broader adoption of the OECD guidance, we developed and hosted an R Shiny template on our group's web server (https://app.shiny.insilicohub.org/Evaluation_PBPK/). This template can act as valuable tool for researchers evaluating PBK models according to the OECD guidance. GitHub: PBPK-OECD-EVALUATION