Linking Conventional and Organic Rainfed Almond Cultivation to Nut Quality in a Marginal Growing Area (SE Spain)

The need to improve agroecosystem sustainability to secure yields, minimize environmental impacts and improve soil health is widely recognized. Organic production systems are one of the strategies that may be used to alleviate the negative environmental repercussions of conventional agriculture. In the present study, we compared the impact of conventional and organic production systems on […]

Mitigation of salinity stress in ‘Chandler’ walnuts through the application of Ascophyllum nodosum extracts to soil: effects on growth, yield, and its impact on physical and biological soil properties

In Chile most of the walnut orchards are located in semiarid areas prone to saline conditions. Therefore, mitigating salinity stress is a relevant issue for farmers, especially for ‘Chandler’, the most sensitive planted variety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an extract of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE; Acadian Organic®), applied through […]

Agronomic response, transpiration and water productivity of four almond production systems under different irrigation regimes

In recent years, more intensive production systems have been developed, coinciding with a growing scarcity of water resources. This context underscores the imperative of prioritizing water productivity (WP) as a critical factor in choosing the optimal production system to minimize agricultural water use. This study aims to contribute by evaluating WP in almond orchards under […]

Green and sustainable use of macadamia nuts as support material in Pt-based direct methanol fuel cells

The successful commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is hindered by inadequate methanol oxidation activity and anode catalyst longevity. Efficient and cost-effective electrode materials are imperative in the widespread use of DMFCs. While Platinum (Pt) remains the primary component of anodic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) electrocatalysts, its utilization alone in DMFC systems is limited […]

Predictive Neural Network Modeling for Almond Harvest Dust Control

This study introduces a neural network-based approach to predict dust emissions, specifically PM2.5 particles, during almond harvesting in California. Using a feedforward neural network (FNN), this research predicted PM2.5 emissions by analyzing key operational parameters of an advanced almond harvester. Preprocessing steps like outlier removal and normalization were employed to refine the dataset for training. […]

A review to frame the utilization of Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) cultivars in alley cropping systems

Agroforestry adoptition is gaining considerable traction in the temperate US with growing popularity and government incentives (e.g., the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project) for systems with greenhouse gas mitigation potential. The identification of complementary species combinations will accelerate the expansion of temperate agroforestry. Since the mid-19th century, European timber plantations have taken advantage of the […]

Large-scale assessment of date palm plantations based on UAV remote sensing and multiscale vision transformer

Timely and efficient mapping of date palm plantations through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing is critical for continuous observation, health and risk evaluation, pest management, resource optimization, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the dates industry. This study presents an efficient and cost-effective transformer-based approach to identify, countify, monitor, and evaluate the overall well-being […]

Alternative fertilization practices lead to improvements in yield-scaled global warming potential in almond orchards

This study investigates the impact of alternative fertilization practices on the yield-scaled global warming potential (YS-GWP) in almond orchards. Almond production is a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers. This research aims to identify strategies that reduce the environmental footprint of almond cultivation while maintaining yield. Field experiments were conducted […]

Pickering emulsions stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals extracted from hazelnut shells: Production and stability under different harsh conditions

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are biodegradable particles that have emerged as promising stabilizers for Pickering emulsions. This study investigated the effectiveness of CNCs in forming the Pickering emulsion from hazelnut shells (HS), an agricultural waste. Following the alkaline and bleaching treatments applied to HS, CNCs were obtained from treated hazelnut shell with acid hydrolysis. The physicochemical […]