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Artificial intelligence-driven advancements in agricultural biotechnology.

The need for faster and more informative data processing for better decision-making is driving the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the agricultural sector. Thanks to recent advancements in computer science and the increase in computational powers of modern computers, AI is not only augmenting traditional solutions, but also helping in developing novel solutions to existing challenging matters. AI-driven models have an exceptional ability to identify patterns and combine a diverse collection of data together and make inference. The increasing pressure on farmlands posed by the growing global population and climate change is lessening growth, yield, and productivity ultimately posing risk to food security worldwide. Incorporation of AI in agriculture has the potential to drive farming efficiency to new heights. This comprehensive review critically evaluates the evolution of AI in agricultural biotechnology from a theoretical concept to a global phenomenon. A comprehensive literature search was performed using major scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Lens and the Cochrane Library. In this review, we empirically demonstrate the fields advancement toward more capable AI systems and discuss the current applications of AI across crop improvement and precision agriculture such as crop improvement and genetic engineering, genomic selection and plant breeding, pest and disease detection, precision agriculture and smart farming, soil health and nutrient management, climate resilient crop development, livestock biotechnology, challenges and ethical considerations in AI based agricultural biotechnology. Furthermore, this review addresses the exponential growth of commercial intellectual property in the field and contrast it with academic publication outputs. Finally, we critically assess the ethical challenges impeding equitable adoption of AI including data sovereignty and digital divide, while projecting future frontiers involving quantum computing. This review will help build sustainable agricultural systems capable of adapting to climate change, contribute to the development of climate-resilient and high-yielding crops, and address global food security challenges.

Agriculture

Undergraduate pharmacological training programs applicable to agricultural science majors.

Undergraduate training programs leading to degrees in pharmacology or toxicology do not exist on most university campuses. Agricultural science students who may ultimately use large quantities of herbicides, pesticides, and other agricultural products may obtain degrees without any exposure to the disciplines of pharmacology or toxicology; some reasons for this are discussed. The design and implementation of some courses suited to the qualifications of most undergraduate agricultural science majors are outlined. In general, a blend of lectures, discussions, and student presentations facilitates adequate presentation of the course material. Specific suggestions for student term projects are mentioned. Some of the available textbooks suitable for undergraduate courses of this type are very briefly discussed. It is suggested that in order to educate nonacademic users of agricultural chemicals, pharmacologists and toxicologists may have to work closely with both industry and those closer to the agricultural community such as county agricultural extension agents and farm youth organizations.

Agriculture

Climate-Driven Niche Tracking and Genomic Resilience Shape Future Distribution of a Widespread Agricultural Weed.

Understanding how agriculturally important species respond to environmental change is critical for maintaining productivity, mitigating agroecosystem threats and sustaining resilience. While crops have traditionally been the focus in agroecosystems, agricultural weeds are integral components that often face even stronger selective pressures, making them powerful models for investigating ecological and evolutionary responses to climatic and human-mediated challenges. Insights from how weeds adapt rapidly under these pressures can inform strategies to improve agricultural outcomes, since both pests and crops evolve under the same multivariate selective pressures. Here, we integrate two centuries of distribution records with whole-genome sequencing from natural populations of the most damaging weed in Europe-Alopecurus myosuroides (blackgrass) - to examine its ecological and evolutionary responses in agroecosystems. Blackgrass largely maintained its historical climatic niche, expanding its range primarily by tracking environments analogous to those it historically occupied. Genome-wide analyses revealed a polygenic basis of environmental responses, with most loci linked to single environmental variables and a subset showing limited environmental pleiotropy, indicating modular adaptation to the complex selective pressures of managed agricultural landscapes. Coupling these genomic-environment relationships with projected climate change and genomic offset analyses indicated that most blackgrass populations will remain well aligned with future conditions. Our findings show that ecological niche tracking and polygenic adaptation allow agricultural weeds like blackgrass to persist under rapid environmental change, offering insights relevant not only for weed management but also for designing resilient cropping systems under future climates.

Plant Weeds

[Twenty years of achievement of the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) Standing Commission for Agriculture].

In this year, 27 years have gone since the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance was founded and 20 years since the foundation of the CMEA Standing Commission for Agriculture. If we are to evaluate the hitherto co-operation of the CMEA Standing Commission for Agriculture this year, especially in the field of veterinary medicine, the appraisement must be very positive. Goals and tasks laid out for this sphere were successfully accomplished, above all due to the active and stimulative approach of all delegations to the solution of the questions under discussion. As a result of the activity of the Standing Working Group of Veterinary Medicine in the framework of the Commission the co-operation between veterinary services could be not only strengthened and intensified but a series of important proposals for the member states could be elaborated, which positively affected the fulfillment of tasks in animal production, processing industry as well as in the public health control. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the CMEA Standing Commission for Agriculture we can state that the co-operation of the member states in the sphere of agriculture is an important--especially economic--factor for the further, agricultural and food production intensification and for the continuous increasing of the living standards of the population in all CMEA member states.

Agriculture

The energy expenditure of Iranian agricultural workers.

The energy cost of agricultural and standard activities and the daily energy expenditure of male agricultural workers were measured during different seasons in Iranian villages to assess the validity of past and present Food and Agricultural Organization recommended energy allowances for that population. Studies included low income farmers in a village representative of those around the central desert where harvesting takes place under conditions of extreme summer heat. Measurements were also made during the Moslem fasting period when no food may be eaten between dawn and dusk. Energy cost of typical activities was measured by indirect calorimetry using the Max-Planck respirometer and daily energy expenditure was assessed using these figures combined with a diary of activities throughout the 24-hr period. Results of individual activity values are compared with other published figures. Comparison of daily energy expenditure of fasting subjects and nonfasting after Ramazan showed no significant difference. No significant difference was found between values of standardized activities at high summer temperatures and moderate temperatures. Mean values of daily energy expenditure during winter when activity is low are around 2600 kcal/day and for the other seasons of high activity 3400 kcal/day. These figures suggest that past and present Food and Agricultural Organization standards are low for this population.

Adolescent

Proficiency testing in agriculture.

The development and organisation of proficiency testing in agriculture in England and Wales is described. The National Proficiency Tests Council, which was established as an independent examining body in 1971, is responsible for administering the proficiency testing scheme at a national level. On passing a category based proficiency test an agricultural worker may apply for a craftsman's certificate and is then entitled to a wages premium under the Agricultural Wages Board's Wages Structure Scheme. The development and format of a series of new category based tests for livestock production, which were introduced in January 1976, is outlined.

Agriculture

[Epidemiological study on the demonstration of precipitating antibodies against Micropolyspora faeni in agricultural workers].

The authors report on the frequency (as determined by the double diffusion test according to Ouchterlony) of circulating precipitating antibodies against thermophil actinomycetes of the genus Micropolyspora faeni in 1666 blood samples from 1376 agricultural workers. These workers belonged to the main professional categories in two districts of the German Democratic Republic and were examined by members of the Research Group on Occupational Medicine in Agriculture of the Ernst Moritz Arndt University during the years 1972-1975. 290 workers were examined twice or three times in a longitudinal study. Positive serological findings were obtained from 5.1% of the subjects under investigation. There were no statistically significant differences with regard to occupational category, sex, age, and season. Nevertheless, there were marked regional differences. The results obtained show that there is no need for special medical supervision of the agricultural workers with regard to thoracic actinomycosis (farmers' lung). Further examinations are of course necessary in case of suspected or clinically manifest affection.

Actinomycetales Infections

The problem of medical officer recruitment in agricultural industry.

All developing countries have difficulty in persuading doctors to opt for service in rural areas. This problem is shared by the agricultural industries. Two factors play a major role in this: isolation and the lack of a career structure. Isolation is an unavoidable accompaniment to rural practice. It can be considered as isolation from amenities, social isolation and professional isolation. The doctor in the rural area is often deprived of all urban amenities e.g. suitable shopping facilities, entertainment, cultural amenities and suitable leisure pursuits. Most of all, perhaps, he has major difficulties in educating his children. The maintenance of friendships and family connections is made difficult. There is a lack of suitable social intercourse for himself and his wife, a lack which very often leads to his wife's unhappiness and his own resignation. Professional isolation is serious and reflects adversely after a time on his professional ability. It may be that he only sees a colleague at long intervals and there is no stimulus towards keeping up to date professionally, and no opportunity to talk out professional and ethical problems. In many agricultural industries there is no career structure and therefore no scope for the good, ambitious doctor. This is particularly true of small, single-ownership plantations. It is clear that there is nothing to attract a good doctor to a place where he may remain at the same status for the rest of his professional career. It is suggested that only by the creation of a service structure within agricultural industries, which will create opportunities and within which means can be found to alleviate the effects of isolation, can a solution be found to the recruitment problem.

Agriculture

[Effect of urbanization on the future of agricultural development in Costa Rica].

The future agricultural development of Central America must be based of studies of land capacity in order to assure a sustained yield of the environment. The industrial development of the region, as well as the construction of the highways and rural roads must be carefully planned as a means of environmental conservation. New towns, housing developments, recreational facilities and highways should be planned to the effect that they occupy non-productive lands and thus minimize the modern trend of covering the best agricultural soils with concrete jungles. In recent years the price of agricultural lands has shown a tremendous rise, due mainly to the demand of land for urbanization. This situation has induced many farmers to abandon their lands, therefore, a selective land taxation system is suggested to encourage the cultivation of these suburban areas.

Agriculture

Effects of CRISPR technology on agricultural sustainability: global applications and turkish perspective.

This review evaluates CRISPR/Cas applications in agriculture from a global perspective with explicit reference to Türkiye. Using a literature gap-matrix approach organised around four analytical dimensions-environmental, economic, social and policy, and scientific and technological-we synthesize the primary evidence on water and input use, productivity, disease resistance, and product quality. The literature concentrates on water and fertilizer use, productivity, and off-target accuracy, whereas soil health, biodiversity, consumer acceptance, ethical considerations and regulatory frameworks remain systematically under-represented. Global deployment of CRISPR is already delivering measurable advantages in food security, shelf life and nutritional value, while in Türkiye the research base is at an early stage but has clear potential in wheat, barley, tomato and olive. Translating CRISPR into Turkish agricultural sustainability requires (i) a domestic biosafety framework aligned with the emerging European New Genomic Techniques approach, (ii) sustained investment in multi-location primary field trials, and (iii) inclusive deployment mechanisms-particularly through producer cooperatives-that allow smallholder farmers to benefit from edited varieties.

Plants, Genetically Modified

Monitoring pesticides in agricultural and urban soils of the United States.

Organochlorine pesticides were monitored annually in the major agricultural areas of the United States from 1968 to 1973. Results show that agricultural soils are widely contaminated with low levels of organochlorine residues. Residue concentrations are decreasing as applications of the compounds decrease. Annual monitoring of urban areas since 1969 has demonstrated that urban soils generally have higher pesticide residue concentrations than do agricultural soils in the same locations. High concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead have also been observed in urban soils.

Cadmium

Plant-derived and microbial biostimulants in sustainable agriculture: mechanisms, applications, and challenges.

Plant biostimulants have emerged as transformative and sustainable tools for improving crop productivity, resource-use efficiency, and resilience under rapidly intensifying environmental stresses. Unlike conventional agrochemicals, biostimulants function by activating physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes that optimize plant performance without directly supplying nutrients or exerting pesticidal effects. This review comprehensively examines the integrated roles of plant-derived and microbial biostimulants in sustainable agriculture, with particular emphasis on microbial-mediated mechanisms underlying plant stress adaptation and rhizosphere functioning. Plant-derived biostimulants, including seaweed extracts, humic substances, protein hydrolysates, amino acids, and chitosan, enhance nutrient acquisition, root architecture, hormonal regulation, and antioxidant defense systems. More importantly, microbial biostimulants, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), endophytic microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, and cyanobacteria, exert multifunctional effects through biological nitrogen fixation, mineral solubilization, phytohormone biosynthesis, volatile signaling, osmolyte accumulation, pathogen suppression, and modulation of stress-responsive genes. These beneficial microorganisms reshape rhizosphere microbial communities, improve nutrient cycling, and enhance plant tolerance to drought, salinity, heat, and heavy metal toxicity. Emerging evidence from genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and microbiome-based investigations has further revealed the molecular networks and signaling pathways governing biostimulant-induced resilience and plant-microbe interactions. Despite their substantial promise, inconsistent field performance, formulation instability, regulatory limitations, and inadequate mechanistic understanding continue to restrict their large-scale adoption. This review highlights recent advances in microbial and plant-derived biostimulants while identifying critical knowledge gaps and future opportunities for precision biostimulant engineering, microbiome manipulation, and climate-resilient crop management. The integration of next generation biostimulant technologies into sustainable agricultural systems may significantly reduce dependence on agrochemicals while improving crop productivity, environmental sustainability, and global food security.

Agriculture

New insights into soil amendment: Impact of humic acid on typical antibiotic resistance in agricultural soil.

Humic acid (HA) addition can improve agricultural soil, but little is known about how it affects the soil resistome. In this study, we used selective agar plate combined with quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate how HA influences antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in soil contaminated with erythromycin and kanamycin. 0.1 % HA reduced the abundance of culturable erythromycin-resistant bacteria (ERB), while promoting the growth of kanamycin-resistant bacteria (KRB). Lysinibacillus and Paenibacillus were the dominant genera in ERB and KRB, respectively, governing the changes in their abundances. At this concentration, the Lysinibacillus abundance in ERB decreased from 96.74 % to 70.57 %. Meanwhile, that of Paenibacillus in KRB increased from 33.40 % to 77.44 %. The copy number of ermF decreased after HA addition, while that of ermB increased. Furthermore, 0.1 % HA significantly reduced the copy number and relative abundance of aadA1 and aac(6')-Ib (aka aacA4)-03 in the soil. Changes in these two types of ARB and ARGs were primarily driven by shifts in the microbial community structure. Soil physicochemical properties, particularly increased organic matter (OM), altered the absolute abundance of ermB. Meanwhile, changes in intI1 abundance determined the risk associated with aadA1 and aac(6')-Ib (aka aacA4)-03. These findings emphasize the dual role of HA in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in agricultural soils and highlight the necessity of considering dose-dependent effects when applying HA as a soil amendment.

Soil Microbiology

Agricultural land use and ensuing eutrophication both shape parasitic trematode communities in rural African lakes.

Land use is a major driver of biodiversity loss, but how it impacts parasite communities is scarcely documented. Crater lakes and their catchments in rural western Uganda greatly vary in their intensity of anthropogenic disturbance, thus providing an opportunity to assess the effects of land use on snail-borne parasitic trematodes. We applied state-of-the-art molecular biomonitoring to 2385 Bulinus tropicus snails from 34 lakes to detect and genotype trematode infections. The 45 trematode taxa recovered infect a wide range of final vertebrate hosts, and some can cause health burdens of significant public importance. Using constrained ordinations and generalized additive models, we found that B. tropicus reaches peak abundance in lakes with catchments partly under agriculture, whereas trematode infections increase with B. tropicus abundance and peak at intermediate aquatic productivity. Trematode diversity also increases with aquatic productivity, levelling off only in the most productive lakes. These relationships likely reflect the higher abundance and variety of final hosts sustained by more productive lakes. Finally, we found that land use affects trematode community composition, with more livestock parasites and less bird parasites occurring in agricultural catchments. Our results indicate that both land use and lake eutrophication affect the distribution of hotspots for parasitic disease transmission.

Lakes

Guinea worm in southern Ghana: its epidemiology and impact on agricultural productivity.

In southern Ghana guinea worm disease was found to occur almost exclusively in villages dependent upon pond water during the dry season. The recent occurrence of guinea worm for the first time in many villages in the survey area suggests that the disease is spreading. The risk of increasing disease in the Accra plains is serious, because almost half of the 159 villages surveyed use pond water, and residents frequently travel to endemic areas. In this study adult male farmers were at greatest risk of becoming infected. The average work loss in untreated adults was more than 5 weeks. Because guinea worm disease is seasonal, conciding with peak agricultural activities, and few alternative labor sources are available for the incapacitated farmer, a marked reduction in agricultural output occurs. Additional research is needed to guide health education programs, to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical control of cyclops in ponds, and to develop low-cost improved rural water supplies.

Absenteeism