Artículos

This study addresses solar energy applications in protected agriculture, focusing on greenhouses and related technologies. A bibliometric and technical analysis is developed, covering research published between 1976 and 2024, to identify the main trends and challenges in the use of solar energy in controlled environments. The methodology was based on the PRISMA approach, using the Scopus database to retrieve relevant documents. From an initial total of 221 documents, 216 were selected after a filtering and debugging process, ensuring the relevance of the final set. In the analytical phase, the results showed a moderate growth of 3.68% in the annual publication rate, highlighting the impact of research on solar energy’s application to air conditioning and energy efficiency in greenhouses. Most of the studies reviewed feature hybrid systems that combine solar energy with other resources, and we highlight both advances in climate control through artificial intelligence and the implementation of photovoltaic and thermal technologies to improve the energy efficiency of agricultural systems. The results also underline the importance of tomato cultivation in the selected studies, reflecting its global economic impact. The conclusions highlight the need for the further integration of energy storage and desalination technologies, especially in arid regions with high solar irradiation, to ensure the sustainability of greenhouses. It is proposed that future research should address the wider implementation of hybrid systems and advanced climate control technologies, optimizing both the use of energy resources and the performance of crops under cover. In addition, it is recommended that international collaboration be strengthened to address technical and climatic challenges in protected agriculture and to expand the adoption of innovative solutions in different geographical contexts.

Durum wheat is essential for global food security. Nevertheless, its cultivation is susceptible to hazards, including unpredictability in yield and grain quality. This systematic review and bibliometric analysis identify factors influencing durum wheat yield and quality, assessing the degree of control farmers have over these factors. The goal is to understand their impact on production risks. Peer-reviewed studies in English from 1990 to April 2024 that focused on the yield or quality of durum wheat were included, while those lacking specific data or not peer-reviewed were excluded. Data were acquired via the Web of Science (WoS), with the concluding search conducted in April 2024. Results were synthesized from 2131 studies selected from an initial pool of 5159, using a bibliometric approach to categorize findings into standard, biotic, abiotic, and other factors. Analysis revealed that practices like irrigation and nitrogen fertilization improve yields, while genetic advancements boost stress resilience. These insights support targeted agronomic strategies. Despite potential biases and inconsistencies, the review underscores key strategies to enhance durum wheat risk management and bolster food security. This study was funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (CURSA, D.I.Ver.So.) and PRIN—2020 Call.

This article presents the correlation between the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the area planted, production in tons, and productive yield for various crops in Colombia from 2018 to 2021. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between agricultural productivity and multidimensional poverty in Colombia, focusing on the cultivation of coffee, plantain, and corn. The methodology employed included a literature review through a bibliometric analysis to understand the relationships between the MPI and agricultural production. In the second stage, the agricultural sector statistics for the years 2018 to 2021 and the MPI by regions and departments of Colombia during the same period was systematized. Finally, a quantitative statistical analysis was conducted to establish the correlation of the MPI with the area planted, production in tons, and productive yield for coffee, plantain, and corn crops in Colombia. The MPI identifies those who are deprived in 50% or more of the index’s dimensions as living in extreme poverty. The results show that higher productive yields in the crops analyzed correspond to a lower MPI. Coffee crops have an MPI below 50%; plantain crops have an MPI between 20% and 50%, and for mechanized corn crops, the data show an MPI between 20% and 30%. This demonstrates that coffee, plantain, and corn crops represent an alternative for reducing the MPI in Colombia.

Invertebrates form a vital component of agricultural ecosystems, and they are chief actors in sustaining the functions of the ecosystem and soil health. Scholarly publications that concentrated on visualizing the research outputs and trends on invertebrates and agriculture are scarce. In this paper, we adopted a bibliometric model to extract trends/research studies on invertebrates and agriculture between 1991 and 2022, using scholarly studies retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) databank. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess and analyse publications and findings on research studies/trends on invertebrates and agriculture. A total of 1201 articles were recovered from the WoS databank with average citations per doc and coauthors per document ratio of 31.22 and 4.79, respectively. Studies on invertebrates and agriculture research studies were positively correlated with the number of years (R2 = 0.7803; y = 3.4661x - 19.659) signifying an upsurge in the amount of publications on this topic in the near future. The United States maintained a top position in terms of published outputs (n = 312) and citations (n = 14,113), followed by Germany (n = 75; n = 3686) and the United Kingdom (n = 70; n = 3117), respectively. Articles from the United States (n = 67) and China (n = 32) had strong networks with other nations of the world. Top subject priorities in this research field in terms of author keywords are agriculture (n = 141), biodiversity (n = 66), arthropods (n = 66) and biological control/ecosystem services (n = 46). From our findings, economically stable nations such as the United States, Germany, China, the United Kingdom and Australia are carrying out more research on this subject matter compared to the developing countries. We also found out that from the thematic evolution and literature results, invertebrate research in the context of agriculture is tending towards biogeography, farmland biodiversity, insecticides and organic agriculture, which are of immense importance to scientists and researchers in this research domain, thus signifying the direction/path of future research.

This paper reflects on the use of microbial genetic resources in the context of agricultural systems. The benefits of harnessing the diversity of these resources in any agricultural system are highlighted, as well as the importance of knowing and preserving native agrobiodiversity, which is deemed an essential resource for Latin America. In this region, harmful effects of irrational use of agrochemicals and monocultures on the environment, economy, and health have been brought to light. In view of the growing awareness and global interest in the development of bioinputs, rational biodiversity use, environmental crisis, cost of conventional synthetic inputs, and the right to safe and quality food, agriculture requires new tools and effective strategies in its practice. Microbial genetic resources are a potential source of relevant and suitable inputs for this purpose. Using the bibliometric technique of co-occurrence of terms with the VOSviewer tool, an analysis of 60 articles published between 2020 and 2024, collected from databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, was performed. An interest in microbial resources and their potential application in plant nutrition, production of growth regulators, defenses against pests and diseases, and tolerance to limiting environmental conditions can be appreciated. However, elucidating their complex ecological dynamics is necessary to understand them in real production contexts, thus allowing the allocation of relevant technological packages and the fair management of their use and potential benefits.

An in-depth discussion on the research progress and trends in soil nitrogen leaching is essential for the development of agricultural sustainability. However, not enough attention has been paid to the progress and future trends of soil nitrogen leaching research. Using software such as VOSviewer and CiteSpace, bibliometric analyses of a total of 2767 documents in the Web of Science Core Collection were conducted; the documents considered were published over the last 20 years (2003–2023). The results are as follows: (1) The research output on soil nitrogen leaching has been increasing steadily, showing a single-discipline dominance in agronomy, but a trend of multidisciplinary cross-research has gradually begun to emerge in recent years. (2) There has been close cooperation between authors, countries, and institutions; the main cooperation includes research on modelling and management, and research related to nitrogen management practices and soil types has a high international profile. (3) The research components at the heart of soil nitrogen leaching are nitrogen cycling in soils, soil properties, water environments and crops, greenhouse gas formation and emissions, and agronomic management practices and the research hotspot has gradually changed to applied research. (4) Increasing the considerations of management measures, deepening the related research on soil microorganisms, and constructing a complete evaluation system constitute the main future research directions. This study can provide valuable references for the sustainable development of agriculture.

Following the development of sustainability-related topics, its connection with the food sector could not be overlooked. Therefore, the need for constructing a functioning sustainable food system has emerged. This piece of research comes as a support for knowledge development regarding sustainable food systems, being a synthetic documentation source. Most of the studies on this topic have focused on the main parts of the food system and how they might turn to sustainability. However, recently, the focus has turned to the food system analysed as a whole puzzle. Therefore, the present paper aims at providing an overall image of the sustainable food system and its components as they appear in the worldwide recognised Scopus database indexed literature, up to this point, in order to identify what the common puzzle pieces in different authors perspectives are and to what extent has the interest of authors increased regarding sustainable food systems. By using the VOSviewer application on a group of articles and book chapters provided by the Scopus database on the key topic of “sustainable food systems”, we constructed a correlation map of most used key terms. Thus, this paper indicates the main topics related to a sustainable food system, and the main research directions on this hot topic. The findings show that there is a considerable increase in the number of research papers on this topic, the first papers being published only around 2008. Also, the interest of authors regarding the research of both consumers and producers’ behaviours regarding sustainable development is on an ascending trend. By investigating the Scopus database on 21st of March, 2024 and through the analysis elaborated for the 1972-2024 time frame, we observed that the most used key words in the analysed content were: “knowledge” (125 occurrences), “food security” (166 occurrences), “consumer” (220 occurrences) and “product” (121 occurrences), suggesting that finding a sustainable way of providing sustainable food choices and ensuring food security are current issued that bring up interest for scholars, and authorities alike.

Recent advancement of technology in the analytics of big data has sparked a transformative revolution in smart agriculture, enabling farmers to make informed decisions, optimize resources, and enhance productivity and sustainability. Tracking developmental progress is crucial to understanding how big data applications in smart farming are rapidly evolving with ongoing technological advancements. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of academic publications and documents published in Scopus-indexed peer-reviewed journals. A total of 2,154 publications, including journal articles (45 %), conference proceedings (30 %), book series (16 %), and books (9 %), were retrieved, with 96 % of the documents in the English language and two-thirds of the documents published within the last four years of this research study. The reviewed publications were predominantly focused on the disciplines of computer science (64 %), engineering (36 %), and agriculture and biological science (22 %). The contributions of authors from India, China, and the United States were the highest, accounting for half of the publications when combined. As an outcome of the bibliometric analysis, five research domains of big data, i.e., data-driven decision-making, sustainability and supply chain management, technology and innovation, data management and governance, and digital transformation were identified, suggesting positive development in this field. As an implication of this work, we have identified a need for greater global collaboration to achieve big data advancement and technology adaptation. We also discussed the implications of this work for research, practice, and policy. Despite the opportunities that big data brings for smart farming, economics, data governance, and data sharing and reliability remain prevalent issues. These issues need to be addressed for fully effective utilisation of big data in smart farming.

Online text is a source of data in many fields, but it is yet to be explored by sensory scientists. The present work aimed to explore the suitability of using a bibliometric methodology such as Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) to understand and define wine sensory spaces. Data were also explored by the more conventional Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). The present work shows the potential use of LSA in sensory science; the first part of the study investigates the sensory profile of Swedish Solaris wines, while the second part focuses on understanding their fit with two international monovarietal white wines (Albariño and Chenin Blanc). The results show that the majority of Swedish Solaris wines could be associated with two different styles (LSA topics). However, there is no evidence of a cultivar typicality, as when comparing the Solaris wines with Albariño and Chenin Blanc, they shared features with both cultivars. Chenin Blanc was also found to be associated with different styles. In contrast, Albariño wines showed to have more unique features as the majority were associated with a single LSA topic.

Brassica vegetable and oilseed crops are attacked by several different flea beetle species (Chrysomelidae: Alticini). Over the past decades, most research has focused on two Phyllotreta species, Phyllotreta striolata and Phyllotreta cruciferae, which are major pests of oilseed rape in North America. More recently, and especially after the ban of neonicotinoids in the European Union, the cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala, has become greatly important and is now considered to be the major pest of winter oilseed rape in Europe. The major challenges to flea beetle control are the prediction of population dynamics in the field, differential susceptibility to insecticides, and the lack of resistant plant cultivars and other economically viable alternative management strategies. At the same time, many fundamental aspects of flea beetle biology and ecology, which may be relevant for the development of sustainable control strategies, are not well understood. This review focuses on the interactions between flea beetles and plants and summarizes the literature on current management strategies with an emphasis on the potential for biological control in flea beetle management.