Search results for "SUSTAINABILITY"
showing 10 items of 3374 documents
Prospects of herbivore egg-killing plant defenses for sustainable crop protection
2016
Abstract Due to a growing demand of food production worldwide, new strategies are suggested to allow for sustainable production of food with minimal effects on natural resources. A promising alternative to the application of chemical pesticides is the implementation of crops resistant to insect pests. Plants produce compounds that are harmful to a wide range of attackers, including insect pests; thus, exploitation of their natural defense system can be the key for the development of pest‐resistant crops. Interestingly, some plants possess a unique first line of defense that eliminates the enemy before it becomes destructive: egg‐killing. Insect eggs can trigger (1) direct defenses, mostly i…
Towards sustainable and multifunctional agriculture in farmland landscapes: Lessons from the integrative approach of a French LTSER platform
2018
International audience; Agriculture is currently facing unprecedented challenges: ensuring food, fiber and energy production in the face of global change, maintaining the economic performance of farmers and preserving natural resources such as biodiversity and associated key ecosystem services for sustainable agriculture. Addressing these challenges requires innovative landscape scale farming systems that account for changing economic and environmental targets. These novel agricultural systems need to be recognized, accepted and promoted by all stakeholders, including local residents, and supported by public policies. Agroecosystems should be considered as socio-ecological systems and alter…
Hot-water extraction of Miscanthus × giganteus prior to soda-AQ pulping: a biorefining perspective
2018
Agricultural residues, such as giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus, a hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchariflorus), show a great potential for use in lignocellulosic biorefiner...
Species composition modulates seedling competitiveness of temperate tree species under hemiboreal conditions
2020
Abstract Mixed stands are advised for reduction of impacts of natural hazards, and species composition can largely affect sustainability and productivity of the stands. Early development of a stands after a stand-replacing disturbance can have considerable legacy effects on growth via alterations in the diversity-productivity relationships. Accordingly compatibility of growth and competitiveness of different species is one of the key issues for susceptibility of mixed stands. A two-year chamber experiment was conducted to assess early growth and intra- and inter-specific competition for light and soil resources among the seedlings of temperate tree species simulating the predicted effect of…
Fast pyrolysis of hot-water-extracted and soda-AQ-delignified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and miscanthus (miscanthus x giganteus) stalks by Py-GC/MS
2018
Abstract The thermochemical behavior of various samples of okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus ) and miscanthus ( Miscanthus x giganteus ) stalks (initial, hot-water-extracted, and those from sulfur-free delignification) were studied by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). In all cases, major GC-amenable condensable products were measured semi-quantitatively and classified into several product groups. The formation of these product groups from different feedstock samples with varying mass portions of their structural constituents (carbohydrates and lignin) was investigated at 500 °C and 700 °C with a residence time of 5 s and 20 s. The main product groups were aliphatic comp…
Historical Suitability and Sustainability of Sicani Mountains Landscape (Western Sicily): An Integrated Approach of Phytosociology and Archaeobotany
2020
Since 2015, the ongoing project &ldquo
Embracing diverse worldviews to share planet Earth
2019
Leading societies toward a more sustainable, equitably shared, and environmentally just future requires elevating and strengthening conversations on the nonmaterial and perhaps unquantifiable values of nonhuman nature to humanity. Debates among conservationists relating to the appropriateness of valuing ecosystems in terms of their human utility have eclipsed the more important and impactful task of expressing conservation concerns in terms that are meaningful to diverse stakeholders. We considered the wide global diversity of perspectives on the biosocial complex-the relationships and interactions between all living species on Earth-and argue that humanity's best chance for effective conse…
Evaluation of Brassicaceae seedlings as trap plants for Bagrada hilaris Burmeister in Caper bush cultivations
2020
The caper bush, Capparis spinosa (Brassicales: Capparaceae), is intensively grown on Pantelleria Island (Trapani, Sicily, Sicilian channel) where it has been granted protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU. On this island, Bagrada hilaris, a stink bug native of Asia and Africa, is the major pest of caper crops. Recent studies have shown the attraction of B. hilaris to volatiles of brassicaceous plants at the seedling stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate three cotyledon-stage seedlings of host plants, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower), Eruca sativa (rocket) and Brassica carinata (Abyssinian cabbage), as potential trap plants for B. hilaris. The relative pr…
Regulating blockchain for sustainability? The critical relationship between digital innovation, regulation, and electricity governance
2021
Abstract Blockchain technology has found several innovative applications in the electricity industry. However, its potential has still to be discovered. This is partly due to the role that regulation plays in electricity markets. To be introduced, experimented with, and eventually adopted on a commercial scale, blockchain-supported innovations need to fit the existing regulatory framework or the rules to be reshaped or updated. We focus on energy regulators' possible responses to the blockchain-enhanced market operations (both from the incumbents and potential newcomers), suggesting a monitoring mechanism that can support innovation.
Long-term performance and life cycle assessment of energy piles in three different climatic conditions
2020
Abstract The main purpose behind the use of energy piles is to enable the exploitation of geothermal energy for meeting the heating/cooling demands of buildings in an efficient and environment-friendly manner. However, the long-term performance of energy piles in different climatic conditions, along with their actual environmental impacts, has not been fully assessed. In this paper, the results of a finite element model taking into consideration the heating and cooling demands of a reference building, and the intermittent operation of a ground source heat pump, are revealed to examine the long-term performance of energy piles. Furthermore, a life cycle assessment model is implemented to com…