المؤلفون: Ali Ibrahim, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Kazuki Saito

المصدر: Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2024)

مصطلحات موضوعية: Medicine, Science

الوصف: Abstract The limited number of agricultural extension agents (EAs) in sub-Saharan Africa limits farmers’ access to extension services. Artificial intelligence (AI) assistants could potentially aid in providing answers to farmers’ questions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of an AI chatbot assistant (ChatGPT) to provide quality responses to farmers’ questions. We compiled a list of 32 questions related to irrigated rice cultivation from farmers in Kano State, Nigeria. Six EAs from the state were randomly selected to answer these questions. Their answers, along with those of ChatGPT, were assessed by four evaluators in terms of quality and local relevancy. Overall, chatbot responses were rated significantly higher quality than EAs’ responses. Chatbot responses received the best score nearly six times as often as the EAs’ (40% vs. 7%). The evaluators preferred chatbot responses to EAs in 78% of cases. The topics for which the chatbot responses received poorer scores than those by EAs included planting time, seed rate, and fertilizer application rate and timing. In conclusion, while the chatbot could offer an alternative source for providing agricultural advisory services to farmers, incorporating site-specific input rate-and-timing agronomic practices into AI assistants is critical for their direct use by farmers.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/37fb0ed81dc1413a9a89943651d825beTest

المؤلفون: Yu Tanaka, Tomoya Watanabe, Keisuke Katsura, Yasuhiro Tsujimoto, Toshiyuki Takai, Takashi Sonam Tashi Tanaka, Kensuke Kawamura, Hiroki Saito, Koki Homma, Salifou Goube Mairoua, Kokou Ahouanton, Ali Ibrahim, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Vimal Kumar Semwal, Eduardo Jose Graterol Matute, Edgar Corredor, Raafat El-Namaky, Norvie Manigbas, Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang, Yu Iwahashi, Kota Nakajima, Eisuke Takeuchi, Kazuki Saito

المصدر: Plant Phenomics, Vol 5 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: Plant culture, SB1-1110, Genetics, QH426-470, Botany, QK1-989

الوصف: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereals, which provides 20% of the world’s food energy. However, its productivity is poorly assessed especially in the global South. Here, we provide a first study to perform a deep-learning-based approach for instantaneously estimating rice yield using red-green-blue images. During ripening stage and at harvest, over 22,000 digital images were captured vertically downward over the rice canopy from a distance of 0.8 to 0.9 m at 4,820 harvesting plots having the yield of 0.1 to 16.1 t·ha−1 across 6 countries in Africa and Japan. A convolutional neural network applied to these data at harvest predicted 68% variation in yield with a relative root mean square error of 0.22. The developed model successfully detected genotypic difference and impact of agronomic interventions on yield in the independent dataset. The model also demonstrated robustness against the images acquired at different shooting angles up to 30° from right angle, diverse light environments, and shooting date during late ripening stage. Even when the resolution of images was reduced (from 0.2 to 3.2 cm·pixel−1 of ground sampling distance), the model could predict 57% variation in yield, implying that this approach can be scaled by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Our work offers low-cost, hands-on, and rapid approach for high-throughput phenotyping and can lead to impact assessment of productivity-enhancing interventions, detection of fields where these are needed to sustainably increase crop production, and yield forecast at several weeks before harvesting.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/2643-6515Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/33fee4340fb848de8ab3297238874e73Test

المؤلفون: Adhikari, Subhamay, Agraharam, Gopikrishna, Ahmadi, Amir Moghadam, Ahmed, Noha A., Ahmed, Osama M., Almoiliqy, Marwan, Arul Jothi, K.N., Asir, A. Billy, Ayoobi, Fatemeh, Bahşi, Mert, Banerjee, Antara, Basalingappa, Kanthesh M., Bhaskaran, Natarajan, Bisgin, Atil, Boga, Ibrahim, Çelenk, Alper, Chauhan, Nishtha, Chawla, Shilpa, Chopra, Tanishqua, Cyril, Rozario, Das, Alakesh, Das, Amitava, Dave, Megha, Devadarshini, P., Devi, Arikketh, Dey, Amit, Dharmarajan, Arun, Dhinekaran, Aishwarya, Di Liddo, Rosa, Ezgin, Neriman, Ghosh, Asit Ranjan, Girigoswami, Agnishwar, Girigoswami, Koyeli, Gobianand, K., Gopenath, T.S., Gottardi, Michele, Govindan, Ramajayam, Graceline, Hepzibah, Harini, Karthick, Hemarangan, J., Iffath, Aainaaz I., Iyshwarya, B.K., Jamali, Zahra, Jayaraman, Selvaraj, Jayasree, R., Kalimuthu, Senthilkumar, Kamath, Gayathri S., Kanagaraj, Palaniyandi, Kandir, Sinan, Kaya, Meltem

المصدر: Stem Cells and Signaling Pathways ; page xv-xx ; ISBN 9780443188008

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-18800-8.00031-9Test
https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:B9780443188008000319?httpAccept=text/xmlTest
https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:B9780443188008000319?httpAccept=text/plainTest

المؤلفون: Govindan, Ramajayam, Kalimuthu, Senthilkumar, Poomarimuthu, Maheshkumar, Jayaraman, Selvaraj, Rajasekaran, P.N.

المصدر: Stem Cells and Signaling Pathways ; page 133-146 ; ISBN 9780443188008

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-443-18800-8.00025-3Test
https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:B9780443188008000253?httpAccept=text/xmlTest
https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:B9780443188008000253?httpAccept=text/plainTest

المؤلفون: Ashwathi Mathirat, Pandurang Appana Dalavi, Ashwini Prabhu, Yashaswini Devi G.V., Sukumaran Anil, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Gi Hun Seong, Sharan S. Sargod, Sham S. Bhat, Jayachandran Venkatesan

المصدر: Nanomaterials, Vol 12, Iss 22, p 3993 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: fishbone, demineralization, nano hydroxyapatite, remineralization, Chemistry, QD1-999

الوصف: Dental caries is a common problem in adolescents, leading to permanent loss of teeth or cavitation. Caries is a continuous process wherein demineralization and remineralization occur regularly. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is one of the most biocompatible and bioactive materials, as it closely resembles the mineral composition of teeth. The present study deals with isolating hydroxyapatite from fish bone (Epinephelus chlorostigma) by alkaline hydrolysis and thermal calcination. The isolated nano HA was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, TGA, FE-SEM-EDX, and HR-TEM analysis. The nano HA isolated by alkaline hydrolysis is nontoxic, and the cells are viable. The isolated HA enhances the proliferation of L929 cells. The remineralization potential of the extracted nano HA was evaluated in healthy premolars by DIAGNOdent/laser fluorescence quantification, surface microhardness test, and SEM-EDX analysis. Surface morphological observations in SEM and EDX analyses show that thermally calcined HA and alkali-treated HA can induce mineralization and deposit minerals. Therefore, HA obtained from Epinephelus chlorostigma could be a potential biomaterial for treating early caries.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/22/3993Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2079-4991Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/afa8724051fd47e58e732976064f7cecTest

المؤلفون: Thomas Awio, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Christian O. Dimkpa, George William Otim-Nape, Paul C. Struik, Tjeerd Jan Stomph

المصدر: Agronomy; Volume 12; Issue 3; Pages: 552

مصطلحات موضوعية: exploitable yield gap, attainable yield, recommended agronomic practices, intensification practice, profitability

جغرافية الموضوع: agris

الوصف: Increasing productivity per unit area, hence closing the yield gap, is key to meeting cereal demand in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed, with 114 farmers, the contribution of recommended agronomic practices (RAP) with or without NPK fertilization on yield gaps, and options to intensify productivity. Treatments included farmers’ practice (FP) as control, RAP with and without NPK, and farmer-selected best practices geared towards intensification (farmers’ intensification practice, FIP). RAP without fertilization and FIP significantly increased grain yield, each by ca. 12%, whereas RAP+NPK application produced ca. 33% extra yield, over FP. RAP gave the highest mean net income (ca. USD 220 ha−1), fertilizer costs made RAP+NPK gave the lowest mean net income (ca. USD 50 ha−1). Weeding and fertilization timing contributed most to yield variation among fields. Delay in weeding and fertilization created an average yield loss of 5.3 and 1.9 g m−2, per day delay, respectively. Exploitable yield gap averaged 24 and 29%, respectively, across treatments and under FP. RAP, FIP, and RAP+NPK reduced the exploitable yield gap to 25, 26, and 12%, respectively. We conclude that different yield gap levels can be exploited by smallholder farmers in lowland rice systems as RAP, FIP, and RAP+NPK allow yield gap reduction, although fertilization poses a risk to profit at current rice and fertilizer prices. To realize yield gains, farmers with good water management should combine timely weeding with other crop management practices.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12030552Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12030552Test

المؤلفون: Prem S. Bindraban, Christian O. Dimkpa, Jason C. White, Frank A. Franklin, Alida Melse‐Boonstra, Nina Koele, Renu Pandey, Jonne Rodenburg, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Philip Demokritou, Susanne Schmidt

المصدر: Plants, People, Planet, Vol 2, Iss 4, Pp 302-309 (2020)

مصطلحات موضوعية: fertilizer sector, human nutrition, innovative fertilizers, nanotechnology, plant health, Environmental sciences, GE1-350, Botany, QK1-989

الوصف: Societal Impact Statement Fertilizer nutrients are essential for food and nutrition security, but a large proportion of nutrients applied to soil are lost because they are unavailable to plants. The extent of these nutrient losses exceeds safe and sustainable limits. Societal awareness of this is limited because it can take many seasons for nutrient‐loss impacts to become visible. We propose that Innovative Fertilizers and Application Technologies (IFAT) could help reduce nutrient losses and thus reduce pressure on resources, and provide important micronutrients for human health. However, transformation of the fertilizer sector through stakeholder engagement, policy interventions, and public–private initiatives will be required to unlock the full potential of IFAT. Summary Strategies for delivering sustainable food systems require significant reduction in yield gaps and food system inefficiencies. Mineral fertilizers will play a critical role in achieving both of these aims. However, reduction in nutrient losses from mineral fertilizer use to levels that are considered sustainable has not been achieved and has been estimated to be unachievable, even with optimized practices for current products. We argue that Innovative Fertilizers and Application Technologies (IFAT) are needed to address the daunting and interlinked food, agricultural, and environmental challenges facing humanity and the planet. We define IFAT as a set of fertilizer products and technologies that are designed by taking the physiological needs of plants (such as nutrient uptake, redistribution, and utilization) as the entry point in the fertilizer development process, rather than starting first with chemistry. This approach aims for the timely and targeted delivery of nutrients in balanced quantities. We propose that this can result in multiple food, agricultural, and environmental benefits, including increased yield, improvements in nutritional quality, enhanced crop resilience, and reduced emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), and leaching losses. However, the benefits of IFAT for human and environmental health have remained elusive. The major challenge for optimal use of IFAT is a transformation of the vast fertilizer sector by means of government policy interventions, societal responses, and significant investment in public and private research and development.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/2572-2611Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/eee38bd8cfd043fab15145f9b8ac6f33Test

المؤلفون: Julius Kwesiga, Kristina Grotelüschen, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Daniel Neuhoff, Thomas F. Döring, Mathias Becker

المصدر: Agronomy; Volume 10; Issue 8; Pages: 1135

مصطلحات موضوعية: APSIM, farmyard manure, green manure, mineral N, yield potential

جغرافية الموضوع: agris

الوصف: To meet the growing rice demand in Africa, gaps between actual and attainable yields have to be reduced. In Tanzania, this particularly concerns smallholder rain-fed production systems in the floodplains. After quantifying the existing yield gaps, key contributing factors need to be analyzed to improve site-specific management. Field experiments were conducted for three years and in three pedo-hydrological environments (fringe, middle, and center positions) of the Kilombero floodplain to evaluate: (1) The grain yield under farmers’ management (actual yield), (2) yield with the best-recommended management (attainable yield), and (3) the non-limited yield simulated by the APSIM model (potential yield). In the field, we additionally assessed incremental effects of (1) field bunding and soil levelling, (2 and 3) additionally applying of 60 kg N ha−1, as urea or as farmyard manure (FYM), and (4 and 5) incorporating in-situ-grown leguminous green manures. Attainable yields were determined with mineral N application at 120 kg ha−1, additional PK fertilizer and supplemental irrigation. On average across years and positions, the potential, the attainable, and farmers’ actual yields were 11.5, 8.5, and 2.8 t ha−1 indicating a high total yield gap. About 16–38%, 11–20%, and 28–42% of this gap could be attributed to non-controllable yield-reducing (i.e., pest and diseases), yield-limiting (i.e., water and nutrient deficiencies), and yield-defining factors (i.e., poor soil and crop management), respectively. Results indicate a closure of the exploitable yield gap (differences between attainable and farmers’ actual yields) by up to 6.5 t ha−1 (nearly 60% of the potential yield). This exploitable yield gap was larger in 2016 than in 2017. Also, the gap was larger in the water-limited fringe and middle than in the frequently submerged center positions. Simple field bunds combined with land levelling could close 15–35% of the exploitable yield gap, depending on field positions and year. FYM or green manures were less effective ...

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: Innovative Cropping Systems; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10081135Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10081135Test

المؤلفون: Julius Kwesiga, Kristina Grotelüschen, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Daniel Neuhoff, Thomas F. Döring, Mathias Becker

المصدر: Agronomy; Volume 10; Issue 9; Pages: 1280

مصطلحات موضوعية: Lablab purpureus, N 2 -fixation, δ 15 N natural abundance, Oryza sativa, Stylosanthes guianensis, Vigna unguiculata

جغرافية الموضوع: agris

الوصف: Organic amendments can reportedly sustain and increase lowland rice productivity in smallholder systems. Few studies have assessed locally-available substrates in hydrologically variable floodplain environments. We investigated the effects of green and farmyard manures on rice yields, and total soil C and N in the Kilombero floodplain, Tanzania. At both the fringe and the middle positions, five treatments were applied in 2016 and 2017, comprising (1) non-amended control, (2) farmyard manure, (3) pre-rice legumes, (4) post-rice legumes and (5) a combination of green and farmyard manures. Residual treatment effects were assessed in 2018 when rice plots were uniformly non-amended. Depending on the year and the position, organic amendments increased rice grain yields by 0.7–3.1 Mg ha–1 above the non-amended control. Sole green and farmyard manure applications had similar effects on grain yield, while a combination of green and farmyard manure led to a significant increase in grain yield above both the control and sole applications of organic amendments in both years. The contribution from biological N2 fixation by legumes ranged from 4 to 61 kg N ha–1. Despite partial N balances being mostly negative, we observed positive residual effects on the yield of the non-amended rice in the third year. Such effects reached up to 4 Mg ha−1 and were largest with post-rice legumes, sole or combined with farmyard manure. Irrespective of the position in the floodplain, manures significantly increased soil C and N contents after two years, hence enhancing soil fertility and resulting in increased rice grain yields. Comparable benefits may be obtained along the hydrological gradients of other large river floodplains of the region and beyond.

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: Farming Sustainability; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091280Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091280Test

المؤلفون: Julius Kwesiga, Kristina Grotelüschen, Daniel Neuhoff, Kalimuthu Senthilkumar, Thomas F. Döring, Mathias Becker

المصدر: Agronomy; Volume 9; Issue 10; Pages: 632

مصطلحات موضوعية: East Africa, nutrient use efficiency, Oryza sativa, sub-Saharan Africa, wetlands

جغرافية الموضوع: agris

الوصف: In East Africa, smallholder farmers produce rainfed lowland rice mainly in floodplains. Low nitrogen contents of the predominant Fluvisols and highly variable hydrological conditions result in low yields and large yield variations, and hence, result in high production risks for farmers. We investigated crop management strategies aimed at increasing yield and reducing yield variability. The field trials were carried out in the Kilombero floodplain near Ifakara in Tanzania, in three hydrological zones (potentially drought-prone fringe, favorable middle and submergence-prone center positions) over three years. The study compared farmers’ management practices (no field levelling and bunding, no fertilizer input), with the effect of bunding and levelling alone, or in combination with mineral N use at 0 (bunding), 60 (recommended rate) and 120 kg + 60 kg PK ha−1 (attainable yield). Rice mean grain yields (averaged over the four treatments) were higher in the fringe (6.5 t ha−1) and the middle (5.7 t ha−1) than in the center positions (4.6 t ha−1). Farmers’ practice resulted in lowest yield (3.0 t ha−1) and highest yield variability, with an adjusted coefficient of variation (aCV) of up to 91% between fields, years and positions. Simple bunding of the plots and field levelling increased yields by 40% above farmers’ practice, particularly in the fringe and middle positions, while reducing yield variation (aCV of 36–61%). Mineral N application resulted in the highest yields (7.0 t ha−1) and further reduced yield variation (aCV of 14–27%). However, only in bunded fields of the floodplain fringe rice could benefit from N application beyond 60 kg ha−1, while mineral N use efficiency was lower in middle and center positions. Improved crop management options are most beneficial in floodplain fringe positions, where they can increase yields and reduce production risks. Due to low yield, high production risks and poor responsiveness to management interventions, the center may be taken out of rice production and could be ...

وصف الملف: application/pdf

العلاقة: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100632Test

الإتاحة: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100632Test