Trong Nghia Hoang

Biomass-derived carbon dots (CDs) have attracted increasing attention in agriculture due to their simple synthesis and low environmental impact. In this study, CDs were synthesized from guava (Psidium guajava) leaves using a hydrothermal method (200 °C, 15 h). The particles had an average size of 6.17 nm and a quantum yield of 2.46%, confirming the successful synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanomaterials from the natural precursor. The effects of CDs on rice (Oryza sativa L., variety HT1) were evaluated through both seed treatment and field application. Soaking seeds in a 200 ppm CD solution for 24 h significantly enhanced shoot and root lengths (28.87 mm and 34.00 mm, respectively) among the tested treatments. In field trials, applying CDs at the same concentration also promoted plant growth, as evidenced by improvements in plant height, leaf development, tillering, and flag leaf characteristics. These changes were reflected in yield, with the highest grain yield of 6.13 t ha⁻¹ at 200 ppm, exceeding that of the control treatment. The observed positive effects may be due to enhanced photosynthetic activity and better control of oxidative processes in plants. Nevertheless, the effect was less pronounced at higher concentrations. This trend suggests a dose-dependent response.

Intercropping cereals with legumes is a promising strategy to enhance crop performance, though legume management can significantly affect outcomes. A three-year field study (2019–2022) evaluated the effects of intercropping two wheat varieties (cv. Butterfly and Lorien) with spring pea (cv. Avatar) on wheat yield and quality in organic farming. Results showed that spring pea management influenced both yield and quality. Wheat yield dropped by 19.5 % when spring pea was sown in separate rows in springtime compared to wheat monoculture. Protein content was improved by 5 % in wheat-pea intercropping compared to wheat monoculture. Butterfly outperformed Lorien in baking quality when intercropped. Dough rheology improved with intercropping, with optimal results depending on the timing of spring pea sowing and wheat variety. Overall, tailoring wheat quality and yield requires careful selection of both wheat cultivar and legume management.

Wheat is an important crop in Rwanda; however, rapid population growth, urbanization, and shifting dietary preferences have driven demand far beyond domestic production capacity, resulting in a steady increase in imports. Closing this gap requires a variety of management strategies that jointly optimise yield, processing quality, and sustainability. This study evaluated ten widely cultivated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties in Rwanda through an integrated assessment of grain yield, quality traits, and rheological properties. Yields ranged from 4.3 to 6.3 t ha⁻¹, with Nyaruka and Gihundo achieving the highest productivity. Quality attributes, including protein content (PC), wet gluten (WG), gluten index (GI), falling number (FN), and Zeleny sedimentation value (ZSV), varied significantly, with Cyumba and Reberaho showing superior protein levels. Mixolab-based rheological analyses revealed marked diversity in dough development time, torque, and water absorption, with Keza and Nyangufi exhibiting favorable baking profiles. Statistical analyses highlighted trade-offs between yield and quality, as high-yielding varieties such as Nyaruka showed weaker baking characteristics. These findings demonstrate that linking agronomic performance with grain and dough quality traits provides a pathway towards targeted breeding, sustainable intensification, and enhanced food security. Integrating genetic selection with tailored management and processing strategies can improve both productivity and product value, strengthening the resilience and economic viability of Rwanda’s wheat sector.

The adoption of biological control strategies plays a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of organic agricultural practices. A field experiment was conducted in 2023 and 2024 to evaluate the impact of biological treatments using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and mycoparasitic fungus (MPF) Trichoderma virens applied through seed treatment and foliar application separately and in combination on agronomic characteristics and pea yield in organic cultivation. Seed treatment with LAB and MPF resulted in a notable improvement in shoot length and root dry weight, while an increase in root nodule number was observed exclusively with LAB. The combined application of MPF as a seed treatment and LAB as a foliar application at the flowering stage significantly enhanced pod weight per plant, seed number per pod and per plant, and seed weight compared to treatments with LAB applied as either a foliar or seed treatment separately, as well as the untreated control. However, the yield responses to individual and combined treatments under field conditions demonstrated variability and inconsistency. Protein content ranged from 21.24% to 21.61%, and no significant differences observed between treatments. This is the first field report directly comparing the effectiveness of treatments on organic pea production. The findings offer promising avenues for assessing the long-term impacts of these treatments on the sustainable intensification of pea cultivation.

Intercropping, the cultivation of two or more crops in the same field, is known to have numerous environmental and economic benefits. The success of such systems depends on geographical location, climatic conditions, and the choice of crop varieties, especially in organic systems. This study aimed to assess the effect of the sowing method, wheat variety, legume species on wheat grain yield and quality, and macro-elements of soil and plants. A three-year field experiment in intercropping spring wheat and legume species was performed at an organic-certified field of Czech Agrifood Research Center, Prague. Three spring wheat varieties (Alicia, Hystrix, and Toccata), two legume species (pea and faba bean), and two sowing methods (mixed and row-by-row) were used. Although the intercropping of wheat variety and legume species did not improve wheat yield, wheat grain quality and soil and plant nutrition content were enhanced in wheat and legume mixtures compared to monoculture wheat. Notably, the mixed cropping method resulted in significantly higher yields than the row-by-row method. Furthermore, the baking quality of wheat grains from intercropping systems was superior to that of monoculture wheat. The results highlight the potential of tailored intercropping systems to optimize agricultural efficiency and sustainability, especially in the face of changes in climate change.

Intercropping, a traditional agricultural practice that maximizes crop yield and resource usage effectiveness. However, changes in the types of legumes and field management can alter the response of crop functions. A three-year experiment was conducted in Prague and České Budějovice to test the influence of legume species and legume management practices in winter wheat-legume intercropping on grain yield and quality of wheat in organic farming. Intercropping of wheat and legume species did not influence wheat grain yield, but the technological quality of wheat improved. Wheat + spring pea (W + Sp) responds the best to the grain yield and baking quality among intercropping systems, followed by wheat + faba bean (W + Fa) for grain yield and wheat + winter pea (W + Wi) for baking quality. Higher protein content in W + Sp and W + Wi intercropping compared to sole wheat by 5 and 5.4%. Wet gluten was higher in W + Wi than in wheat sown alone by 11%. There was no significant difference in volume weight, falling number, and Zeleny sedimentation under the effect of wheat and different legume species intercropping. Mixed intercropping was recorded better than row intercropping in our condition, considering both wheat grain yield and baking quality respect. To conclude, achieving wheat yield and grain quality under the impact of winter wheat and legume intercropping requires considering the optimal solution based on legume species and different conditions to achieve the desired response.

Due to the typical production of Cannabis sativa L. for medical use in an artificial environment, it is crucial to optimize environmental and nutritional factors to enhance cannabinoid yield and quality. While the effects of light intensity and nutrient composition on plant growth are well-documented for various crops, there is a relative lack of research specific to Cannabis sativa L., especially in controlled indoor environments where both light and nutrient inputs can be precisely manipulated. This research analyzes the effect of different light intensities and nutrient solutions on growth, flower yield, and cannabinoid concentrations in seeded chemotype III cannabis (high CBD, low THC) in a controlled environment. The experiment was performed in a licensed production facility in the Czech Republic. The plants were exposed to different light regimes during vegetative phase and flowering phase (light 1 (S1), photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) 300 µmol/m²/s during vegetative phase, 900 µmol/m²/s in flowering phase and light 2 (S2) PPFD 500 µmol/m²/s during vegetative phase, 1300 µmol/m²/s during flowering phase) and different nutrition regimes R1 (fertilizer 1) and R2 (fertilizer 2). Solution R1 (N-NO₃⁻ 131.25 mg/L; N-NH₄⁺ 6.23 mg/L; P₂O₅ 30.87 mg/L; K₂O 4112.04 mg/L; CaO 147.99 mg/L; MgO 45.68 mg/L; SO₄²⁻ 45.08 mg/L) was used for the whole cultivation cycle (vegetation and flowering). Solution R2 was divided for vegetation phase (N-NO₃⁻ 171.26 mg/L; N-NH₄⁺ 5.26 mg/L; P₂O₅ 65.91 mg/L; K₂O 222.79 mg/L; CaO 125.70 mg/L; MgO 78.88 mf/L; SO₄²⁻ 66.94 mg/L) and for flowering phase (N-NO₃⁻ 97.96 mg/L; N-NH₄⁺ 5.82 mg/L; P₂O₅ 262.66 mg/L; K₂O 244.07 mg/L; CaO 138.26 mg/L; MgO 85.21 mg/L; SO₄²⁻ 281.54 mg/L). The aim of this study was to prove a hypothesis that light will have a significant impact on the yield of flowers and cannabinoids, whereas fertilizers would have no significant effect. The experiment involved a four-week vegetative phase followed by an eight-week flowering phase. During the vegetative and flowering phases, no nutrient deficiencies were observed in plants treated with either nutrient solution R1 (fertilizer 1) or R2 (fertilizer 2). The ANOVA analysis showed that fertilizers had no significant effect on the yield of flowers nor cannabinoids. Also, light intensity differences between groups S1 (light 1) and S2 (light 2) did not result in visible differences in plant growth during the vegetative stage. However, by the fifth week of the flowering phase, plants under higher light intensities (S2—PPFD 1300 µmol/m²/s) developed noticeably larger and denser flowers than plants in the lower light intensity group (S1). The ANOVA analysis also confirmed that the higher light intensities positively influenced cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabichromene (CBC) when the increase in the concentration of individual cannabinoids in the harvested product was 17–43%. Nonetheless, the study did not find significant differences during the vegetative stage, highlighting that the impact of light intensities is phase-specific. These results are limited to controlled indoor conditions, and further research is needed to explore their applicability to other environments and genotypes.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a strategic agricultural crop that plays a significant role in maintaining national food security and sustainable economic development. Increasing technical performance considering lowering costs, energy, and environmental consequences are significant aims for wheat cultivation. For drylands, which cover approximately 41% of the world’s land surface, water stress has a considerable negative impact on crop output. The current study aimed to assess the environmental aspects of chemical fertilizer in combination with compost in dryland and irrigated winter wheat production systems through life cycle assessment (LCA). The cradle-to-farm gate was considered as the system boundary based on one tone of wheat yield and four strategies: D-C (dryland with compost), D (dryland without compost), I-C (irrigated with compost), and I (irrigated without compost). Based on the results, the highest and lowest amounts of wheat yield were related to the I-C and D strategies with 12.2 and 6.7 ton ha⁻¹, respectively. The LCA result showed that the I strategy in comparison with other strategies had the highest negative impact on human health (49%), resources (59%), ecosystem quality (44%), and climate change (43%). However, the D-C strategy resulted in the lowest adverse effect of 6% on human health, 1% on resources, 10% on ecosystem quality, and 11% on climate change. Utilizing a combination of fertilizer and compost in dryland areas could ensure a higher yield of crops in addition to alleviating negative environmental indicators.

The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the approaches and methods used to assess the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM). This included identifying relevant processes that describe and estimate SOM decomposition, lability, and humification for the purpose of sustainable management. Various existing techniques and models for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of SOM were evaluated to gain a better understanding of advances in organic matter transformation. This evaluation aimed to identify the strengths, limitations, and applications of these techniques and models, and to highlight new research directions in the field. Quantitative analysis of SOM can be performed using various parameters, including oxidation kinetics, lability, carbon management index, humification degree, humification index, and humification ratio. On the other hand, qualitative evaluation of SOM can involve techniques such as oxidizability, high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, visual examination, smell, assessment of microorganism content, plant growth, cation exchange capacity, type of organic material, and decomposition. These techniques and parameters provide valuable insights into the characteristics and transformation of SOM, enabling a comprehensive understanding of its dynamics. Evaluating SOM dynamics is of utmost importance as it is a determining factor for soil health, fertility, organic matter stability, and sustainability. Therefore, developing SOM models and other assessment techniques based on soil properties, environmental factors, and management practices can serve as a tool for sustainable management. Long-term or extensive short-term experimental data should be used for modeling to obtain reliable results, especially for quantitative SOM transformation analysis, and changes in the quality and quantity of SOM should be considered when developing sustainable soil management strategies.