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Crop adaptation to climate change requires accelerated crop variety introduction accompanied by recommendations to help farmers match the best variety with their field contexts. Existing approaches to generate these recommendations lack scalability and predictivity in marginal production environments. We tested if crowdsourced citizen science can address this challenge, producing empirical data across geographic space that, in aggregate, can characterize varietal climatic responses. We present the results of 12,409 farmer-managed experimental plots of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Nicaragua, durum wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.) in Ethiopia, and bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) in India. Farmers collaborated as citizen scientists, each ranking the performance of three varieties randomly assigned from a larger set. We show that the approach can register known specific effects of climate variation on varietal performance. The prediction of variety performance from seasonal climatic variables was generalizable across growing seasons. We show that these analyses can improve variety recommendations in four aspects: reduction of climate bias, incorporation of seasonal climate forecasts, risk analysis, and geographic extrapolation. Variety recommendations derived from the citizen science trials led to important differences with previous recommendations.

With an approach combining crop modelling and biotechnology to assess the performance of three durum wheat cultivars (Creso, Duilio, Simeto) in a climate change context, weather and agronomic datasets over the period 1973–2004 from two sites, Benatzu and Ussana (Southern Sardinia, Itay), were used and the model responses were interpreted considering the role of DREB genes in the genotype performance with a focus on drought conditions. The CERES-Wheat crop model was calibrated and validated for grain yield, earliness and kernel weight. Forty-eight synthetic scenarios were used: 6 scenarios with increasing maximum air temperature; 6 scenarios with decreasing rainfall; 36 scenarios combining increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall. The simulated effects on yields, anthesis and kernel weights resulted in yield reduction, increasing kernel weight, and shortened growth duration in both sites. Creso (late cultivar) was the most sensitive to simulated climate conditions. Simeto and Duilio (early cultivars) showed lower simulated yield reductions and a larger anticipation of anthesis date. Observed data showed the same responses for the three cultivars in both sites. The CERES-Wheat model proved to be effective in representing reality and can be used in crop breeding programs with a molecular approach aiming at developing molecular markers for the resistance to drought stress.

Introducing smart and sustainable tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation is a major need to support agriculture’s productivity potential. We assessed the effects of the processed gypsum seed dressing SOP® COCUS MAIZE+ (SCM), combined with a gradient of N fertilization rates (i.e., 0%, 70% equal to 160 kg N ha−1, and 100% equal to 230 kg N ha−1) in maize (Zea mays L.), on: (i) grain yield, (ii) root length density (RLD) and diameter class length (DCL), (iii) biodiversity of soil bacteria and fungi, and (iv) Greenhouse Gases (GHGs, i.e., N2O, CO2, and CH4) emission. Grain yield increased with SCM by 1 Mg ha−1 (+8%). The same occurred for overall RLD (+12%) and DCL of very fine, fine, and medium root classes. At anthesis, soil microbial biodiversity was not affected by treatments, suggesting earlier plant-rhizosphere interactions. Soil GHGs showed that (i) the main driver of N losses as N2O is the N-fertilization level, and (ii) decreasing N-fertilization in maize from 100% to 70% decreased N2O emissions by 509 mg N-N2O m−2 y−1. Since maize grain yield under SCM with 70% N-fertilization was similar to that under Control with 100% N-fertilization, we concluded that under our experimental conditions SCM may be used for reducing N input (−30%) and N2O emissions (−23%), while contemporarily maintaining maize yield. Hence, SCM can be considered an available tool to improve agriculture’s alignment to the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and to comply with Europe’s Farm to Fork strategy for reducing N-fertilizer inputs.

The effect of different management techniques for plant control in the vineyard were compared in the present work, focusing on plant diversity preservation and management efficacy in a two-year experiment on vineyard row weed community. Biomass-fueled flame weeding (with two intensities) was applied as an innovative plant control technique in contrast to tillage and mowing practices. The results showed that flaming was comparable to tillage regarding weed control effectiveness, and was more efficient than mowing. However, species number and functional evenness were not substantially modified by changing the applied management technique. Functional trait analysis demonstrated that row management significantly affected the frequency of annual plants, plant height, root depth index, and the occurrence of plants with storage organs. As for species composition, meaningful differences were found: only the two flaming treatments (i.e. gentle vs intense) and the gentle flaming vs mowing had consistent species composition. Flame wedding showed some potential benefits in plant control in the vineyard by favouring small plant and controlling overall weed abundance. On the other hand, flaming favoured plant species with asexual reproduction, with a potential negative impact on weed-vine competition and species persistence in the vineyard. Further studies are required to investigate such contrasting aspects, also considering other weed control techniques (e.g. cover-crops), considering a sustainable perspective of an herbicide-free environment.

Bioenergy crops are well known for their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the soil carbon stock. Although such crops are often held to be in competition with food crops and thus raise the question of current and future food security, at the same time mitigation measures are required to tackle climate change and sustain local farming communities and crop production. However, in some cases the actions envisaged for specific pedo-climatic conditions are not always economically sustainable by farmers. In this frame, energy crops with high environmental adaptability and yields, such as giant reed (Arundo donax L.), may represent an opportunity to improve farm incomes, making marginal areas not suitable for food production once again productive. In so doing, three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations would be met, namely SDG 2 on food security and sustainable agriculture, SDG 7 on reliable, sustainable and modern energy, and SDG 13 on action to combat climate change and its impacts. In this work, the response of giant reed in the marginal areas of an agricultural district of southern Italy (Destra Sele) and expected farm incomes under climate change (2021-2050) are evaluated. The normalized water productivity index of giant reed was determined (WP; 30.1gm-2) by means of a SWAP agro-hydrological model, calibrated and validated on two years of a long-term field experiment. The model was used to estimate giant reed response (biomass yield) in marginal areas under climate change, and economic evaluation was performed to determine expected farm incomes (woodchips and chopped forage). The results show that woodchip production represents the most profitable option for farmers, yielding a gross margin 50% lower than ordinary high-input maize cultivation across the study area.

AbstractImproving nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) in crop plants is important to reduce the negative impact of excessive N on the environment. Although biochar‐blended fertilizer had been increasingly tested in crop production, the fate of fertilized N in soil and plant had not been elucidated in field conditions. In this study, a novel biochar‐blended urea (BU) was prepared by pelleting maize straw biochar, bentonite, sepiolite, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, and chitosan with urea (commercial urea without biochar [CU]). N fertilization in a winter wheat field was treated with BU and CU at both 265 kg N ha−1 (HL) and 186 kg N ha−1 (LN). Within a treatment plot, a microplot was fertilized with 15N‐labeled urea at a relevant N level. We investigated the influence of fertilizer management on biomass, grain yield, bioaccumulation of nutrient, soil properties, 15N isotopic abundance, and greenhouse gas emissions. Microscopic and spectroscopic analysis showed that micro/nanonetwork of biochar could bind N to form a loss control agglomerated particle, and organo‐mineral coatings on BU may protect N from quick release. Compared with CU, BU significantly increased grain yield by 13% and 38%, and grain N allocation by 19% and 55%, respectively, at HN and LN level. The total recovery of urea 15N in wheat plant (15N based NUE) was 32.8% under CU regardless of N rates but increased to 41.7% (HN rate) and 56.3% (LN rate) under BU. Whereas, the soil proportion (soil residual 15N) was 20.1% and 13.4% under CU but 32.5% and 18.8% under BU, in 0‐20cm topsoil, respectively, at HN and LN rate. Compared with the CU, BU had no effect on CO2 and CH4 emissions but significantly reduced the total N2O emission by 23%–28%. These important findings suggested that BU can be beneficial to uplift plant NUE to reduce reactive N loading but boost crop production.