Crops, Volume 4, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 2 articles

In the last few decades, various types of farming systems based on ecological principles have been proposed and developed. There is often interest in knowing about the differences between these systems, but such information must be obtained from several sources describing each of these systems. Therefore, this paper is an effort to consolidate the information on these systems in a concise manner without making comparative ratings between them. We found three components contained in the overarching theme of these systems: the reduction in external inputs, environmental protection, and sustainability. However, several variations exist between them, each with its own focus and guiding principles. Also, these farming systems contain their own specific terms to identify themselves and contain their own set of philosophies based on their founder. In this review, we provided a short description of some of the major ecologically based farming systems such as “agroecology”, “regenerative agriculture”, “holistic management”, “carbon farming”, “organic farming”, “permaculture”, “biodynamic farming”, “conservation agriculture”, and “regenerative organic farming”. We summarized these farming systems as “variants of farming systems based on ecological principles” and outlined the similarities and differences between them. We also discussed how the themes of these systems relate to the United Nations’ thirteen principles of agroecology. Although these systems share several similarities, their philosophy is rooted in their founders and the communities that choose to adopt these philosophies. Last, we discussed some of the challenges in implementing these ecological agriculture systems. Full article

Understanding genotypic variability in tolerance to heat stress during flowering, a critical growth stage, and post-stress recovery remains limited in mungbean (Vigna radiata) genotypes. This study investigates the genetic variability in in vitro pollen viability, seed set, and grain yield among mungbean genotypes in response to transient high temperatures. Thirteen genotypes were evaluated in a glasshouse study, and four in a field study, subjected to high temperatures (around 40 °C/22 °C day/night) imposed midday during flowering. Across all genotypes, the pollen viability percentage significantly decreased from 70% to 30%, accompanied by reductions in the pod size and seed number per pod, and increases in unfertilized pods and unviable seeds. However, the seed yield per plant significantly increased for four genotypes (M12036, Celera-II AU, Crystal, and M11238/AGG325961), attributed to elevated shoot growth and pod numbers under high-temperature treatment in the glasshouse study. Conversely, Satin II, which exhibited the highest stress tolerance index, recorded a greater seed yield under optimum conditions compared to high temperatures. Similar genotypic variability in post-heat-stress recovery and rapid growth was observed in the field study. Under non-limiting water conditions, mungbean genotypes with a relatively more indeterminate growth habit mitigated the heat stress’s impact on their pollen viability by swiftly increasing their post-stress vegetative and reproductive growth. The physiological mechanisms underlying post-stress rapid growth in these genotypes warrant further investigation and consideration in future breeding trials and mitigation strategies. Full article