<p>One of the main sources of plastic pollution in agricultural fields is the plastic mulch used by farmers to improve crop production. The plastic mulch is often not removed completely from the fields after harvest. Over time, the plastic mulch that is left of the fields is broken down into smaller particles which are dispersed by the wind or runoff. In the Region of Murcia in Spain, plastic mulch is heavily used for intensive vegetable farming. After harvest, sheep are released into the fields to graze on the vegetable residues. The objective of the study was to assess the plastic contamination in agricultural soil in Spain and the ingestion of plastic by sheep. Therefore, three research questions were established: i) What is the plastic content in agricultural soils where plastic mulch is commonly used? ii) Do livestock ingest the microplastics found in the soil? iii) How much plastic could be transported by the livestock? To answer these questions, we sampled top soils (0&#8211;10&#160;cm) from 6 vegetable fields and collected sheep faeces from 5 different herds. The microplastic content was measured using density separation and visual identification. We found ~2&#160;&#215;&#160;10<sup>3</sup> particles&#8729;kg<sup>&#8722;1</sup> in the soil and ~10<sup>3</sup> particles&#8729;kg<sup>&#8722;1</sup> in the faeces. The data show that plastic particles were present in the soil and that livestock ingested them. After ingesting plastic from one field, the sheep can become a source of microplastic contamination as they graze on other farms or grasslands. The potential transport of microplastics due to a herd of 1000 sheep was estimated to be ~10<sup>6</sup> particles&#8729;ha<sup>&#8722;1</sup>&#8729;y<sup>&#8722;1</sup>. Further studies should focus on: assessing how much of the plastic found in faeces comes directly from plastic mulching, estimating the plastic degradation in the guts of sheep and understanding the potential effects of these plastic residues on the health of livestock.</p>
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Livestock", "Farms", "Sheep", "Plastic residues", "Microplastics", "0211 other engineering and technologies", "Agriculture", "02 engineering and technology", "15. Life on land", "Terrestrial food chain transfer", "01 natural sciences", "Feces", "Soil", "Spain", "Vegetables", "Animals", "Plastics", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142653"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142653", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142653", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142653"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.tifs.2021.10.002", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:17:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-10-07", "title": "Vegetable waste and by-products to feed a healthy gut microbiota: current evidence, machine learning and computational tools to design novel microbiome-targeted foods", "description": "[Background] Food waste management is a key issue to global food security and friendly environmental governance. Worldwide, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted along the food supply chain, primary production and food processing representing the most significant loses. Therefore, the need to achieve zero waste production schemes is becoming a priority to meet Sustainable Development Goals. Increasing evidence points towards vegetable food waste as a rich source of a wide array of carbohydrate structures and fibres providing the opportunity to identify and develop alternative approaches to valorize agro-food waste. [Scope and approach] This review describes the valorization of vegetable waste and by-products via production of (novel) substrates targeted to gut microbiota modulation, emphasizing the importance of raw materials and structural-functional properties of carbohydrates. Furthermore, we propose a novel framework for the rational selection of vegetable sources with potential prebiotic activity, based on machine learning and other computational tools applied to available literature and public database information. [Key findings and conclusions] Integration of the body of knowledge within the field of vegetable food waste valorization, from different perspectives, allows a rational selection of carbohydrate-based substrates with promising prebiotic activities. By exploring the interactions among dietary fibre and gut microbial ecosystems using computational tools fed with structural, functional and genomic data, we can identify substrates with potential to selectively stimulate gut commensals, in agreement with experimental evidence. Our approach establishes a new framework that can be extended to a wide range of commensal microbes and carbohydrate structures. The work in our research groups was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 818368 (MASTER), and the grants RTI 2018-095021-J-I00 (funded by (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), AGL 2017-84614-C2-1-R and AGL 2016-78311-R (funded by (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE). Carlos Sabater acknowledges his Postdoctoral research contract funded by the Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA) and Postdoctoral research contract Juan de la Cierva-Formaci\u00f3n from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FJC 2019-042125-I). Peer reviewed", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "Circular economy", "Glycosidase activity", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "Vegetable food waste valorization", "12. Responsible consumption", "03 medical and health sciences", "Prebiotics", "13. Climate action", "Machine learning", "11. Sustainability", "Microbiome"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.10.002"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Trends%20in%20Food%20Science%20%26amp%3B%20Technology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.tifs.2021.10.002", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.tifs.2021.10.002", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.10.002"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41467-022-32464-0", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:18:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-08-22", "title": "Global systematic review with meta-analysis reveals yield advantage of legume-based rotations and its drivers", "description": "AbstractDiversified cropping systems, especially those including legumes, have been proposed to enhance food production with reduced inputs and environmental impacts. However, the impact of legume pre-crops on main crop yield and its drivers has never been systematically investigated in a global context. Here, we synthesize 11,768 yield observations from 462 field experiments comparing legume-based and non-legume cropping systems and show that legumes enhanced main crop yield by 20%. These yield advantages decline with increasing N fertilizer rates and crop diversity of the main cropping system. The yield benefits are consistent among main crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize) and evident across pedo-climatic regions. Moreover, greater yield advantages (32% vs. 7%) are observed in low- vs. high-yielding environments, suggesting legumes increase crop production with low inputs (e.g., in Africa or organic agriculture). In conclusion, our study suggests that legume-based rotations offer a critical pathway for enhancing global crop production, especially when integrated into low-input and low-diversity agricultural systems.Chronic inflammation, which can be modulated by diet, is linked to high white blood cell counts and correlates with higher cardiometabolic risk and risk of more severe infections, as in the case of COVID-19.
MethodsHere, we assessed the association between white blood cell profile (lymphocytes, basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes and total white blood cells) as markers of chronic inflammation, habitual diet and gut microbiome composition (determined by sequencing of the 16S RNA) in 986 healthy individuals from the PREDICT-1 nutritional intervention study. We then investigated whether the gut microbiome mediates part of the benefits of vegetable intake on lymphocyte counts.
ResultsHigher levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes and basophils were all significantly correlated with lower habitual intake of vegetables, with vegetable intake explaining between 3.59 and 6.58% of variation in white blood cells after adjusting for covariates and multiple testing using false discovery rate (q\uffe2\uff80\uff89<\uffe2\uff80\uff890.1). No such association was seen with fruit intake. A mediation analysis found that 20.00% of the effect of vegetable intake on lymphocyte counts was mediated by one bacterial genus, Collinsella, known to increase with the intake of processed foods and previously associated with fatty liver disease. We further correlated white blood cells to other inflammatory markers including IL6 and GlycA, fasting and post-prandial glucose levels and found a significant relationship between inflammation and diet.
ConclusionA habitual diet high in vegetables, but not fruits, is linked to a lower inflammatory profile for white blood cells, and a fifth of the effect is mediated by the genus Collinsella.
Trial registrationThe ClinicalTrials.gov registration identifier is NCT03479866.
", "keywords": ["Adult", "Male", "0301 basic medicine", "610", "Leukocyte Count", "03 medical and health sciences", "RNA", " Ribosomal", " 16S", "Leukocytes", "Humans", "Lymphocyte Count", "White blood cell", " Gut microbiome", " Diet", " Vegetable intake", " Chronic inflammation", "White blood cell", "Clostridium", "2. Zero hunger", "Gut microbiome", "Clostridiales", "0303 health sciences", "Mediation Analysis", "Interleukin-6", "R", "COVID-19", "Chronic inflammation; Diet; Gut microbiome; Vegetable intake; White blood cell", "Chronic inflammation", "General Medicine", "Fasting", "Middle Aged", "Diet", "Gastrointestinal Microbiome", "3. Good health", "Actinobacteria", "Vegetable intake", "Fruit", "Medicine", "Female", "Biomarkers", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/1101012/2/s12916-021-01913-w.pdf"}, {"href": "https://iris.unitn.it/bitstream/11572/329112/1/s12916-021-01913-w.pdf"}, {"href": "http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12916-021-01913-w.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-01913-w"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/BMC%20Medicine", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1186/s12916-021-01913-w", "name": "item", "description": "10.1186/s12916-021-01913-w", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1186/s12916-021-01913-w"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-02-11T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1093/femsec/fiaa119", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:19:03Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-06-14", "title": "Microbiome approaches provide the key to biologically control postharvest pathogens and storability of fruits and vegetables", "description": "ABSTRACTMicrobes play an important role in plants and interact closely with their host starting from sprouting seeds, continuing during growth and after harvest. The discovery of their importance for plant and postharvest health initiated a biotechnological development of various antagonistic bacteria and fungi for disease control. Nevertheless, their application often showed inconsistent effects. Recently, high-throughput sequencing-based techniques including advanced microscopy reveal fruits and vegetables as holobionts. At harvest, all fruits and vegetables harbor a highly abundant and specific microbiota including beneficial, pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. Especially, a high microbial diversity and resilient microbial networks were shown to be linked to fruit and vegetable health, while diseased products showed severe dysbiosis. Field and postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables was shown to affect the indigenous microbiome and therefore has a substantial impact on the storability of fruits and vegetables. Microbiome tracking can be implemented as a new tool to evaluate and assess all postharvest processes and contribute to fruit and vegetable health. Here, we summarize current research advancements in the emerging field of postharvest microbiomes and elaborate its importance. The generated knowledge provides profound insights into postharvest microbiome dynamics and sets a new basis for targeted, microbiome-driven and sustainable control strategies.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "Fruit microbiome", "0303 health sciences", "High-throughput sequencing", "Bacteria", "Microbiota", "Fungi", "Biocontrol", "15. Life on land", "Biopreservation", "Postharvest decay", "03 medical and health sciences", "Fruit", "Vegetables", "biocontrol", " biopreservation", " postharvest decay", " high-throughput sequencing", " fruit microbiome"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://academic.oup.com/femsec/article-pdf/96/7/fiaa119/33453502/fiaa119.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa119"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/FEMS%20Microbiology%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1093/femsec/fiaa119", "name": "item", "description": "10.1093/femsec/fiaa119", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1093/femsec/fiaa119"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-06-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2307/3674112", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:21:21Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-03-06", "description": "The quality of fallow lands in northern Mindanao, the Philippines, was assessed with a farm survey and soil sampling in order to understand land-use dynamics under upland commercial vegetable production systems. Twenty-one percent of com- mercial vegetable growers practiced fallow systems, with an average re-cultivation period of four years. The soils of the fallow lands were highly acidic, nutrient poor, and higher in exchangeable aluminum compared to lands currently under cultivation. Land fal- lowing was more prominent on large farms and those with higher farm labor requirements. Two distinct groups of land fallowers were identified. The first represented fallowers with a positive net return from vegetable crops while the second, and larger, group represented land fallowers with negative net return from vegetable crops. Re-cultivation of fallow lands was more common in the second group. To rejuvenate fallow lands, timber tree planting was the most preferred option of the first group while fruit trees were preferred by the second group. In light of the apparently slow rate of soil fertility regeneration, the lack of capital among most land fallowers, and the increasing demand for arable land to raise farm income, planting of trees on cultivated lands before their being set aside as fallow for natural fertility regeneration is suggested as a potential measure to increase farm income and the sustainability of upland commercial vegetable production under fallow systems.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Soil management", "Farm/Enterprise Scale Field Scale", "Income generation", "Timber", "Cash crops", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Soil fertility", "12. Responsible consumption", "Sustainability", "Land use management", "Farming systems", "Tree crops", "Fallow", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Upland agriculture", "Fruit trees", "Vegetable systems"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2307/3674112"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Mountain%20Research%20and%20Development", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2307/3674112", "name": "item", "description": "10.2307/3674112", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2307/3674112"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1999-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1626/pps.6.224", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:20:35Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2004-06-15", "title": "Erosion Control On A Steep Sloped Coffee Field In Indonesia With Alley Cropping, Intercropped Vegetables, And No-Tillage", "description": "In a hilly area in Lampung State, the southern end of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, coffee is commonly cultivated on hillsides with steep slopes and soil erosion affects sustainable coffee production. A field experiment on coffee cultivation was conducted for 4 years to evaluate the effects of alley cropping and no-tillage on the seed production of coffee and on erosion control in a steep slope area in this region. The cultivation of intercropped vegetables, red peppers, tomatoes, and long beans was introduced into the coffee fields when the coffee plants were small. No significant differences in the yields of either the coffee plants or the intercropped vegetables were noted among the treatments. Coffee shoot fresh weight, however, was slightly increased by no-tillage treatment. Soil erosion was reduced by 37% as a result of no tillage and by 64% with alley cropping. The amount of soil erosion for local farmers practice, tillage & no-alley, was more than four times that in no-tillage and alley treatment. These results indicate that alley cropping and no-tillage are effective for erosion control on coffee fields on steep slopes and that yield is not affected by these practices. The introduction of intercropped vegetables is beneficial in terms of farm economy, especially when the income from coffee cultivation is limited.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp.", "No-tillage", "Plant culture", "Coffea arabica", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "Alley cropping", "15. Life on land", "Coffee", "01 natural sciences", "Intercropped vegetables", "SB1-1110", "Erosion control", "Red acid soil", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1626/pps.6.224"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20Production%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1626/pps.6.224", "name": "item", "description": "10.1626/pps.6.224", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1626/pps.6.224"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2003-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/agronomy10070948", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:21:42Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-07-02", "title": "Morphological Traits and Phenolic Compounds in Tunisian Wild Populations and Cultivated Varieties of Portulaca oleracea L.", "description": "This study aims to evaluate the bio-morphological and biochemical variability of three Tunisian wild populations and one growing cultivar of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.). The studied varieties should be easily distinguished by the color and the habitus of the plant as mentioned in literature, but the various analyses have shown a strong morphological heterogeneity within and among the wild and cultivated accessions as presented by the variance analysis test (ANOVA) and the PCA (Principal component analysis). We found high intrapopulation variability through the wild populations that make it hard to differentiate them only on the base of morphology. We analyzed the biochemical profile of those populations based on the analysis of freeze-dried samples of leaves and stems. We identified and quantified twelve different phenolic compounds by the HPLC-diode array detector (DAD) technique. Six phenolic acids and flavonoids were identified in the leaves and stems of the wild and cultivated populations. Sinapic acid and myricetin are the majors identified compounds through our samples. The results were significantly different in relation to the plant organs and to the geographic origin for most of the compounds. The obtained results highlighted the importance of Portulaca as a medicinal plant by showing its richness in phenols and flavonoids that have multi-medicinal effects besides their antioxidant power.
", "keywords": ["Flavonoids", "vegetables", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "S", "carotenoids", "Polyphenols", "Agriculture", "Carotenoids", "3. Good health", "Plant habitus", "03 medical and health sciences", "plant habitus", "Vegetables", "flavonoids", "Landrace", "landrace", "polyphenols"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/948/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.iris.unict.it/bitstream/20.500.11769/480335/2/Sdouga%20et%20al.%2c%202020%20Portulaca%20agronomy-10-00948-v2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/7/948/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10070948"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agronomy10070948", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agronomy10070948", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agronomy10070948"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-07-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/agronomy12071712", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:21:44Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-07-20", "title": "Agroecological screening of copper alternatives for the conservation of soil health in Organic Olive Production.", "description": "The efficacy of soil conditioner (vermicompost tea), fertiliser (potassium silicate), and biological control agents (BCAs) as practical agroecological copper alternatives against olive leaf spot (Spilocaea oleaginea (Cast.) Hughe.) disease was investigated between 2018 and 2021 under organic management in a Mediterranean climate. In total, 9 agroecological alternatives to copper oxychloride (vermicompost tea, potassium silicate, Bacillus subtilis EU 007 WP, Platanus orientalis leaf extract, Mycorrhiza mix, seaweed commercial product, Trichoderma citrinoviride TR1, vermicompost tea+Platanus orientalis mix, Penicillium (Mouldy bread pieces)) were applied to olive trees in a randomised block design with 4 replicationsTotal water soluble phenol compounds (TWSP) were found to be the main bioindicator to assess the alternatives and their potential to phase-out copper application. Results related to TWSP indicated that copper oxychloride (control), potassium silicate and vermicompost tea showed significantly higher content of TWSP as we compared zero application of copper and other treatments. These stimulate the antioxidant capacity in olive fruits and reduce the olive leaf spot disease incidence. The pollution effect of copper was monitored during the trial to identify soil pollution in the organic in-conversion experimental land. The total annual \uffe2\uff80\uff98active copper\uffe2\uff80\uff99 application was 4.7 kg.ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921.year\uffe2\uff88\uff921 and this is in accordance with the legal organic legislation of Turkey. During the conversion period from conventional to organic management, we determined approximately 50% reduced copper content in the soil 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm depth samples in 2020 (3.70 mg.kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921) as it is compared to those initial samples (6.43 mg.kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921) in 2018. We conclude that alternatives to copper that are easily accessible, e.g., vermicompost tea, have a potential for use in organic olive production to replace copper in mitigating olive leaf spots. Furthermore, we find that reduced copper application in organic management with the aim to decrease copper accumulation in soil, fruits and leaves was not yet enough to reduce copper to satisfactory levels. We conclude that further research with the aim of a total replacement of copper fungicide treatments in organic and non-organic systems is needed.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "soil pollution", "S", "total water-soluble phenol compounds", "alternative input", "Agriculture", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "organic horticulture", "01 natural sciences", "Soil quality", "6. Clean water", "soil pollution; copper phase-out; alternative input; total water-soluble phenol compounds; organic horticulture", "13. Climate action", "Vegetables", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "copper phase-out"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/7/1712/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/7/1712/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12071712"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Agronomy", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/agronomy12071712", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/agronomy12071712", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/agronomy12071712"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-07-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/environments8040036", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:21:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-04-20", "title": "Sources of Light Density Microplastic Related to Two Agricultural Practices: The Use of Compost and Plastic Mulch", "description": "Microplastics (MPs) constitute a known, undesirable contaminant of the ecosystems. Land-based pollution is considered to be an important contributor, but microplastics in the terrestrial environment remains largely unquantified. Some agriculture practices, such as plastic mulch and compost application, are suspected to be major sources of microplastics as plastics are exposed to weathering or are present in organic fertilizers. The overall aim of this research is to bridge the terrestrial plastic contamination information gap, focusing on light density microplastics in two vegetable production systems in Southeast Spain and in the Netherlands. The selected farmer in Spain used plastic mulch for more than 12 years whereas the two farmers in the Netherlands annually applied 10 t ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 compost for the past 7 and 20 years. Samples from two different depths were collected: 0\uffe2\uff80\uff9310 cm and 10\uffe2\uff80\uff9330 cm. High quality compost samples originating from municipal organic waste and from garden and greenhouse waste were obtained from two Dutch compost plants. All samples from both Spanish (n = 29) and Dutch (n = 40) soils were contaminated by microplastics, containing 2242 \uffc2\uffb1 984 MPs kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921 and 888 \uffc2\uffb1 500 MPs kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921, respectively. Compost samples from municipal organic waste (n = 9) were more contaminated than the ones from garden and green house wastes (n = 19), with, respectively, 2800 \uffc2\uffb1 616 MPs kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921 and 1253 \uffc2\uffb1 561 MPs kg\uffe2\uff88\uff921. These results highlight the need for studies focusing on the effects of microplastics in the environment and the need for monitoring campaigns and the implementation of thresholds to regulate the microplastic contamination.
", "keywords": ["Plastic mulch", "2. Zero hunger", "plastic mulch", "compost", "microplastics", "9. Industry and infrastructure", "Microplastics", "Compost", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "12. Responsible consumption", "13. Climate action", "vegetable production", "11. Sustainability", "8. Economic growth", "Vegetable production", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/8/4/36/pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/8/4/36/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8040036"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environments", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/environments8040036", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/environments8040036", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/environments8040036"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-04-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.4333554", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:24:25Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Best4Soil_databases_datamining_V1", "description": "This document contains data on the host plant status of field crops, vegetable crops and green manure crops for soilborne plant parasitic nematodes and soilborne fungal pathogens. The data was used for the construction of two databases in context of the Best4Soil Thematic Network, a Horizon 2020 project (Grant Agreement n\u00b0817696). The databases are accessible through the website https://ww.best4soil.eu/database ; they are hosted on https://nematodes.soilhealthtool.eu/", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "field crop", "Best4Soil", " database", " hostplant", " soilborne pathogen", " nematode", " field crop", " vegetable", " green manure", " cover crop", "green manure", "hostplant", "nematode", "Best4Soil", "vegetable", "cover crop", "15. Life on land", "soilborne pathogen", "database"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Molendijk, Leendert, van Asperen, Paulien, Michel, Vincent, H\u00e4ller, Bruno, Gaffney, Michael, de Cara, Miguel, Damsgaard Thorsted, Marian,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4333554"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.4333554", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.4333554", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.4333554"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.4333555", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:24:25Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Best4Soil_databases_datamining_V1", "description": "This document contains data on the host plant status of field crops, vegetable crops and green manure crops for soilborne plant parasitic nematodes and soilborne fungal pathogens. The data was used for the construction of two databases in context of the Best4Soil Thematic Network, a Horizon 2020 project (Grant Agreement n\u00b0817696). The databases are accessible through the website https://ww.best4soil.eu/database ; they are hosted on https://nematodes.soilhealthtool.eu/", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "field crop", "Best4Soil", " database", " hostplant", " soilborne pathogen", " nematode", " field crop", " vegetable", " green manure", " cover crop", "green manure", "hostplant", "nematode", "Best4Soil", "vegetable", "cover crop", "15. Life on land", "soilborne pathogen", "database"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Molendijk, Leendert, van Asperen, Paulien, Michel, Vincent, H\u00e4ller, Bruno, Gaffney, Michael, de Cara, Miguel, Damsgaard Thorsted, Marian,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4333555"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.4333555", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.4333555", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.4333555"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.4765528", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:24:27Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Soil physicochemical properties for Diverfarming LT1 case study (diversified vegetable crops in spain)", "description": "Physicochemical soil properties of the long-term case study LT1 of Diverfarming H2020 project for diversified vegetables in southeast Spain. Includes data of the research article 'Changes in Bacterial and Fungal Soil Communities in Long-Term Organic Cropping Systems' ( https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11050445)", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "vegetables", "Soil", "Soil organic carbon", "Crop diversification", "soil fertility", "horticulture", "15. Life on land", "soil structure", "soil pesticides"], "contacts": [{"organization": "S\u00e1nchez-Navarro, Virginia, \u00d6zbolat, Onurcan, Mart\u00ednez-Mena, Mar\u00eda, Boix-Fayos, Carolina, D\u00edaz-Pereira, Elvira, Cuartero, Jessica, Pascual, Jose Antonio, Ros, Margarita, Egea-Cortines, Marcos, Belmonte, Ra\u00fal Zornoza,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4765528"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.4765528", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.4765528", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.4765528"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-05-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.6918778", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-27T16:24:36Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Extensification of conventional and organic vegetable farming", "description": "Extensification of conventional and organic vegetable farming This work was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project SoildiverAgro [grant agreement 817819].", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Organic Vegetable Farming", "Extensification", "15. Life on land"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Fleerakkers Sander", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6918778"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.6918778", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.6918778", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.6918778"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.6918779", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-27T16:24:36Z", "type": "Report", "title": "Extensification of conventional and organic vegetable farming", "description": "Extensification of conventional and organic vegetable farming This work was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project SoildiverAgro [grant agreement 817819].", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Organic Vegetable Farming", "Extensification", "15. Life on land"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Fleerakkers Sander", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6918779"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5281/zenodo.6918779", "name": "item", "description": "10.5281/zenodo.6918779", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5281/zenodo.6918779"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10317/18590", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:25:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-06-27", "title": "Intensive vegetable production under plastic mulch: A field study on soil plastic and pesticide residues and their effects on the soil microbiome", "description": "Intensive agriculture relies on external inputs to reach high productivity and profitability. Plastic mulch, mainly in the form of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), is widely used in agriculture to decrease evaporation, increase soil temperature and prevent weeds. The incomplete removal of LDPE mulch after use causes plastic contamination in agricultural soils. In conventional agriculture, the use of pesticides also leaves residues accumulating in soils. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure plastic and pesticide residues in agricultural soils and their effects on the soil microbiome. For this, we sampled soil (0-10\u00a0cm and 10-30\u00a0cm) from 18 parcels from 6 vegetable farms in SE Spain. The farms were under either organic or conventional management, where plastic mulch had been used for >25\u00a0years. We measured the macro- and micro-light density plastic debris contents, the pesticide residue levels, and a range of physiochemical properties. We also carried out DNA sequencing on the soil fungal and bacterial communities. Plastic debris (>100\u00a0\u03bcm) was found in all samples with an average number of 2\u00a0\u00d7\u00a0103\u00a0particles\u00a0kg-1 and area of 60\u00a0cm2\u00a0kg-1. We found 4-10 different pesticide residues in all conventional soils, for an average of 140\u00a0\u03bcg\u00a0kg-1. Overall, pesticide content was \u223c100 times lower in organic farms. The soil microbiomes were farm-specific and related to different soil physicochemical parameters and contaminants. Regarding contaminants, bacterial communities responded to the total pesticide residues, the fungicide Azoxystrobin and the insecticide Chlorantraniliprole as well as the plastic area. The fungicide Boscalid was the only contaminant to influence the fungal community. The wide spread of plastic and pesticide residues in agricultural soil and their effects on soil microbial communities may impact crop production and other environmental services. More studies are required to evaluate the total costs of intensive agriculture.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Plastic mulch", "Soil microbiome", "Microbiota", "Microplastic", "Pesticide Residues", "Pesticides residues", "Agriculture", "12. Garantizar modalidades de consumo y producci\u00f3n sostenibles", "15. Life on land", "Fungicides", " Industrial", "Edafolog\u00eda y Qu\u00edmica Agr\u00edcola", "Soil", "Intensive vegetable production", "13. Climate action", "Agriculture contamination", "Polyethylene", "Vegetables", "31 Ciencias Agrarias::3101 Agroqu\u00edmica", "Pesticides"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10317/18590"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Science%20of%20The%20Total%20Environment", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10317/18590", "name": "item", "description": "10317/18590", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10317/18590"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2164/19434", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-27T16:26:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-08-22", "title": "Global systematic review with meta-analysis reveals yield advantage of legume-based rotations and its drivers", "description": "AbstractDiversified cropping systems, especially those including legumes, have been proposed to enhance food production with reduced inputs and environmental impacts. However, the impact of legume pre-crops on main crop yield and its drivers has never been systematically investigated in a global context. Here, we synthesize 11,768 yield observations from 462 field experiments comparing legume-based and non-legume cropping systems and show that legumes enhanced main crop yield by 20%. These yield advantages decline with increasing N fertilizer rates and crop diversity of the main cropping system. The yield benefits are consistent among main crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize) and evident across pedo-climatic regions. Moreover, greater yield advantages (32% vs. 7%) are observed in low- vs. high-yielding environments, suggesting legumes increase crop production with low inputs (e.g., in Africa or organic agriculture). In conclusion, our study suggests that legume-based rotations offer a critical pathway for enhancing global crop production, especially when integrated into low-input and low-diversity agricultural systems.Microbes play an important role in plants and interact closely with their host starting from sprouting seeds, continuing during growth and after harvest. The discovery of their importance for plant and postharvest health initiated a biotechnological development of various antagonistic bacteria and fungi for disease control. Nevertheless, their application often showed inconsistent effects. Recently, high-throughput sequencing-based techniques including advanced microscopy reveal fruits and vegetables as holobionts. At harvest, all fruits and vegetables harbor a highly abundant and specific microbiota including beneficial, pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. Especially, a high microbial diversity and resilient microbial networks were shown to be linked to fruit and vegetable health, while diseased products showed severe dysbiosis. Field and postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables was shown to affect the indigenous microbiome and therefore has a substantial impact on the storability of fruits and vegetables. Microbiome tracking can be implemented as a new tool to evaluate and assess all postharvest processes and contribute to fruit and vegetable health. Here, we summarize current research advancements in the emerging field of postharvest microbiomes and elaborate its importance. The generated knowledge provides profound insights into postharvest microbiome dynamics and sets a new basis for targeted, microbiome-driven and sustainable control strategies.