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• Provides a comprehensive overview of the ways agroforestry can support key ecosystem services
• Reviews the range of silvopastoral and silvoarable systems and their application in agriculture to optimise crop and livestock production
• Considers the benefits of temperate agroforestry in mitigating/adapting to climate change

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the ways agroforestry can support key ecosystem services
• Reviews the range of silvopastoral and silvoarable systems and their application in agriculture to optimise crop and livestock production
• Considers the benefits of temperate agroforestry in mitigating/adapting to climate change

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research in grassland science and management
• Includes a selection of case studies which highlight current challenges facing alpine/mountain grasslands, as well as grasslands in Europe and New Zealand
• Discusses recent developments in botanical composition of grasslands, including the design of multi-species swards and herbal leys

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research in grassland science and management
• Includes a selection of case studies which highlight current challenges facing alpine/mountain grasslands, as well as grasslands in Europe and New Zealand
• Discusses recent developments in botanical composition of grasslands, including the design of multi-species swards and herbal leys

This chapter explores advances in the genetic improvement of sow longevity. The authors cover the main opportunities and progress obtained in the genetic improvement of sow longevity with a focus on sow longevity in intensive production systems. They also highlight the key challenges faced by pig breeders to improve sow longevity and outline potential avenues to overcome them.

Conservation agriculture (CA) appears as a promising agricultural pathway to achieve multiperformance but is currently questioned due to its reliance on herbicides for weed management, especially glyphosate. One limit in the development of CA-based agroecological cropping system less reliant on herbicide use is the strict definition of CA based on technical means (i.e. the three principles) rather than targeted objectives. In this chapter, the authors mobilize research carried out on experimental stations (e.g. CA-SYS platform) and farmer networks (e.g. French DEPHY-farm network) to synthesize knowledge on how herbicide-free no-till agriculture could be achieved. They provide insights on the multiperformance of herbicide-free and nature-based CA systems compared to reference CA systems. Designing cover crops to ensure growth in a context of unpredictable weather conditions and facilitate mechanical termination, and ensuring crop establishment in absence of tillage and herbicides represent major research avenues for the development of pesticide-free CA systems.

Potato production faces significant challenges from a wide range of diseases, which have traditionally been managed using synthetic fungicides. However, increasing concerns over environmental impacts, the development of pathogen resistance, and public health risks have led to the exploration of biological control agents (BCAs) as sustainable alternatives. BCAs, which include beneficial bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, and other organisms, offer effective and environmentally friendly solutions by harnessing natural antagonistic relationships and enhancing plant defence mechanisms. Additionally, substances derived from biological materials also fall under this category, broadening the scope of BCAs. This chapter reviews the mechanisms by which BCAs control potato diseases, such as competition, antibiosis, and induced systemic resistance. It further discusses recent advancements and cases of field applications. Biological control is a promising pathway toward more sustainable agricultural practices, meeting the growing demand for eco-friendly farming solutions.

This chapter reviews advances in the use of robotics in crop phenotyping. It first highlights the role of robotics in phenotyping, then moves on to discuss three forms of dimensional imaging and analysis: two dimensional (2D), 3D and 4D. A section is dedicated to each. The chapter also provides two case studies, the first focuses on models to detect abiotic stress in corn plants using spectral reflectance and hyperspectral images of plant leaves. The second case study draws attention to biotic stress and compares leaf point spectra and whole plant hyperspectral images in the early detection of Fusarium infection in corn plants.

This chapter discusses the role of robotics in greenhouse cultivation, starting with key challenges. Current technology is then presented, grouped by the main tasks executed by the robots. The selective harvesting of major greenhouse crops (e.g. tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, strawberries and flowers) is explored, followed by a description of crop maintenance operations, including automatic leaf removal. Plant propagation operations, including grafting and autonomous planting of cuttings, are then analyzed. Attention is then given to crop scouting and the detection of disease and insects and control tasks using robots and drones. A section on autonomous transport and logistics in the greenhouse concludes this section, before future trends in greenhouse robotics research are discussed. Despite considerable technical advances, success rates, accuracy and speed of most developed systems remain insufficient. Future research is needed in most areas, including enhancement of grippers, sensors and manipulators. Using artificial intelligence for sensing and control of greenhouse robots is expected to intensify in the future.

This chapter discusses developments in robotics in the poultry, pig and dairy sectors and explores the main drivers for these innovative solutions. The concepts of precision livestock farming and robotics engineering are connected on an organizational level and farmers have freedom of choice to work with human labor, specialized service providers and robotic solutions. In practice, the farmer will use a combination of the three, to suit their own preference. Examples of advances in developments are given for the poultry, pig and dairy sectors, as well as indications of future challenges. Predictions from the EU-Robotics topic group and the agROBOfood network are supplied in order to achieve better understanding of the challenges facing the livestock sector.

Agriculture has witnessed transformative innovation and technology adoption over the past 100 years including tractors, combine harvesters, and auto-steering techniques. These mechanized or automated machines relieved a huge population around the world from hard labor in challenging farming environments while also increasing food production. This transformation in farming, however, has not fully penetrated to a large segment of agriculture, what is often called specialty crops that include fruit, vegetables, flowers, and nursery crops. Tree fruit crops, for example, still are farmed using a high volume of human labor for orchard operations such as harvesting, pruning, and thinning. To address these challenges, researchers and private companies around the world have recently been putting focused efforts on developing robotic machines for different kinds of fruit orchard operations. In this chapter, the latest advancement in various component technologies (e.g. machine vision and manipulators) and integrated systems developed for robotic orchard operations is discussed.

This chapter reviews the use of robots in field crop cultivation. The chapter begins by providing an overview of current requirements for robots involved in field cultivation, then goes on to describe enabling technologies for in-field robots. The chapter also provides several examples of in field crop cultivation robot application, such as for transplanting, monitoring and control of weeds, plant diseases and pests and also harvesting.

The distance particles are transported is important because (i) is necessary for reconciling measurements of erosion made at different scales; (ii) it impacts on travel times of pollutants that adhere to eroded soil particles; and (iii) it is important for identifying sources of pollutants in waterways. Tracking soil particles is difficult because of their size, typically well under 2mm. This chapter reviews bulk tracking of sediment movement and tracking of individual particles. Most studies are small-scale and further work is needed to implement their findings to erosion from agricultural land, in combination with models that explicitly consider transport distance.

This particular chapter will cover recent advances in turfgrass disease management that promote sustainable suppression of the pathogens that cause diseases.

This chapter examines advances in turfgrass breeding and genetics for the purpose of athletic fields and sports pitches. The chapter first discusses the most appropriate types of species and cultivar for this, focusing on how improvements can be made to both warm-season and cool-season turfgrass. The chapter then discusses the different methods that can be used in order to improve the sports field's quality, such as alternative root zone amendments, seed coating and seed germination covers, hybrid turfgrass systems and thick cut sod. A section on sports field maintenance is also provided, drawing attention to aspects such as cultivation, topdressing, irrigation, grow lights and cooling fans as well as painting techniques. The chapter also reviews performance testing and site specific management.

This chapter addresses the advances in turfgrass insect pest management. It starts by first reviewing the recent studies of major turfgrass insect pests, such as annual bluegrass weevil, bill bugs, white grubs and fall armyworm. The chapter then moves on to discuss recent studies on emerging turfgrass pests, focusing specifically on European crane flies and Chaetocnema minuta. A section on integrated pest management practices is also provided, drawing attention to methods such as pest detection and monitoring, chemical control, insecticide resistance and non-target issues with chemical insectides. The chapter also discusses biological control, cultural control, host plant tolerance and resistance to pests and the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

Weeds are a major pest that reduce aesthetics and functionality of turfgrass systems. Knowledge required for effective weed management has evolved in recent years as weeds develop resistance to herbicides, government restriction of broad-spectrum herbicides has increased, and registration of new herbicide active ingredients has slowed. This chapter discusses relevant and recent developments in synthetic herbicides, alternatives to synthetic herbicides, and non-chemical strategies for weed management including cultural, physical, and genetic approaches. Advances in integrated weed management strategies and barriers preventing adoption of integrated weed management strategies are also discussed. Opportunities for research and development to improve integrated weed management are presented throughout.

The improved detection methods have led to a better understanding of the diversity and ecological functions of Actinobacteria. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent findings on soil Actinobacteria, with a focus on their classification, genetics/characteristics, what we know and don’t know about the diversity and ecological functions, factors affecting distribution/abundance in soil, interactions within soil microbiomes, implications for optimizing their contribution to soil health, and where next for research.

Today’s egg layer industry has been shaped by implementation of some of the genetic advancements and market feedback, which has guided egg quality trait definitions aligned to specific customer demands. In this chapter we will discuss the definition of egg quality traits from their genetic perspective.

In recent years, pig genetics and breeding has been revolutionized by advances in genomics. This chapter outlines current developments in pig genetics and genomics including long-read sequencing, telomere-to-telomere assembly, low-pass sequencing for genomic prediction, functional genomics, fine-mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL), and identification of deleterious alleles. The increases in functional genomic data and information on gene expression are currently providing a much more detailed insight into the genotype-phenotype relationship for complex traits and the molecular pathways involved. Fine-mapping of causal variants will become feasible with the use and availability of these types of data in different tissues and timepoints, and will provide a gateway to assess the influence of regulatory variation in the pig genome.

The soil microbiome has the potential to protect crop plants from biotic stress caused by pests and pathogens. Studies have, for example, shown the role of root exudates in recruiting and enriching beneficial bacteria to protect against pathogens and pests, paving the way for developing strategies for microbiome engineering. However, due to the complex and dynamic nature of soil microbiomes, designing microbiome-focused crop protection strategies remains a challenge. This chapter reviews different interactions between the microbiome components, microbe-induced plant-defense-response mechanisms, and strategies for engineering the soil microbiome to protect crop plants against pests and pathogens.

The increasing consumption and popularity of Brassica vegetables can be linked to its nutrient composition and consequent health benefits. This review discusses the available evidence demonstrating the benefits of the Brassica family, particularly broccoli, and offers information to help ensure that public health messaging reflects current science. It demonstrates that Brassica vegetables have advantages beyond helping achieve basic nutritional requirements and could provide specific nutrients towards reducing the risk of cancer and other diseases. Knowledge of the bioavailability of Brassica bioactive compounds, particularly of phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, is critical to understanding such benefits. Finally, it discusses additional support and strategies to maintain Brassica nutritive value since the content of particular compounds varies significantly due to the different variables in the food supply chain. The overall aim of the present study is to comprise information regarding the Brassica vegetable family that can be used to encourage daily dietary intake through investigating diet-disease relationships.

Knowledge of amino acid formulation minimum constraints in the nutrient matrix are pivotal in order to allow for formulation flexibility, and subsequent broiler productivity at minimum nitrogen supply. Four key amino acid minimums that beg for more research are: arginine, glycine and serine, histidine, and phenylalanine and tyrosine. In this chapter the former have been reviewed.

The supplementation of exogenous enzymes in diets is a common practice in the poultry industry. Different enzymes are used to target specific substrates: phytase acts on phytate, protease acts on proteins of peptides, xylanase acts on arabinoxylan, and amylase acts on starch. The utilization of these enzymes results in the release of target substrate hydrolysis endproducts, leading to enhanced digestibility and improved growth performance. Moreover, the introduction of these enzymes has facilitated the inclusion of various feed ingredients containing anti-nutritional factors in poultry diets, thereby expanding the range of available options and reducing feed costs. Despite their different modes of action and substrates, the use of multiple enzymes concurrently has a potential for synergistic or additive effects. This chapter provides a review of the possible modes of action of these enzymes, as well as recent studies investigating the effects of using these enzymes individually and in combination for broiler chickens.

This chapter describes advances in understanding and improving the use of macro-minerals in poultry with a particular focus on phosphorus (P). The chapter begins by outlining the challenges to optimising mineral nutrition in poultry, covering the characterisation of the P value in feed ingredients and factors that affect P availability. Next a section on case studies is explored, including a meta-analysis for assessing the P value of a diet and a model where the P and calcium (Ca) quantities required for maintenance and growth are aggregated to determine the overall needs of the animals. Finally, future trends are discussed, covering precision feeding for sustainability, the potential for compensatory mechanisms and genetic determinism, the balance between Ca and P in laying hens, and a digestible Ca system.

The chicken egg is a valuable source of macronutrients and micronutrients of high interest for the human diet. Besides these nutrients, it also contains numerous bioactive molecules and a sophisticated antimicrobial defense system, that are initially required for the development and protection of the bird embryo outside the maternal body. In table eggs (unfertilized eggs), these natural defenses help in protecting the egg, particularly the nutrient-rich egg yolk, from bacterial contamination, and thereby contribute to the hygienic quality of eggs. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the complexity and diversity of the egg antimicrobial defenses, their physical/physicochemical and antimicrobial properties and the factors responsible for the variability of these properties. The chapter includes sections describing each protective layer, namely the eggshell, egg white and the vitelline membrane, as well as a section reviewing the main antimicrobial proteins identified in the egg.

Due to changes in lifestyle and the increasing awareness of a healthy diet, consumers’ demand for fresh produce during the last few decades has increased rapidly, bringing along new challenges to the produce industry, including food safety issues. The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is often implicated in fresh produce outbreaks due to the lack of “kill” step during processing. Although the incidence rate of L. monocytogenes is relatively low compared to other pathogens, the high fatality rate associated with the outbreaks necessitates the need for advanced understanding of its contamination of fresh produce. This chapter provides information on the current knowledge associated with L. monocytogenes contamination of fresh produce. Specific sections cover the pathogenicity and gene regulation of the pathogen, listeriosis and recent outbreaks, common transmission routes to fresh produce, related guidance and regulations for the fresh produce industry, and current and novel intervention strategies.

This chapter reviews advances in understanding carbohydrate requirements and utilization in dairy cattle. The chapter begins by first describing the importance of feed analysis, focusing specifically on fiber analysis. It then moves on to discuss detergent fibers, which is then followed by an analysis of neutral detergent-soluble carbohydrates. A section on rumen carbohydrate and protein interactions is also provided, which is then followed by sections on rumen health and the importance of higher forage diets. The chapter also provides case studies that provide examples of using higher forage rations in dairy cows. Current on-farm analysis tools are also described, which is then followed by a section on the use of nutrition models.

Salmonella is a frequent etiologic agent for foodborne illnesses acquired via consumption of plant-based foods. This may be attributed to the adaptability of this pathogen to various environments and hosts, including plants. Salmonella has a broad capacity to associate with fresh produce crops from a multitude of plant families, colonizing various anatomical structures of plants at all developmental stages, from root to leaf, from sprout to fruit. Salmonella identifies microsites on the plant surface with adequate water and nutrients and can enter plant tissues through natural plant openings such as stomata and lenticels. Its ability to persist on or penetrate plant tissues may also be facilitated by agricultural practices or post-harvest preparation of fruit and vegetables. This chapter discusses the various plant traits and agricultural practices that aid Salmonella association with fruit and vegetable crops, as well as the genetic strategies that Salmonella employs to compete in the plant niche.

The shell is the only part of the egg that is not consumed, yet its quality is critical to the marketing of eggs. This is especially true as recent developments in egg production systems towards free-range hens and longer production cycles have affected shell quality, particularly its mechanical properties. Here we describe the structure and composition of eggshells and review how eggshell minerals are supplied and regulated to provide the large quantities required for shell formation. The organic matrix also plays a fundamental role, interacting with the mineral phase to give the eggshell its ultrastructure and resulting mechanical properties. Here we describe the composition of this matrix and the mechanisms involved in eggshell formation. The role and importance of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is underlined and detailed. Finally, we describe how all this knowledge could be mobilized to improve eggshells, especially as hens age.

With growing concerns surrounding the impact of climate change on both native and invasive pest invasions, coupled with the rising threat of global food insecurity, more research is required to understand the major insect pests of cereals, including how best to control and monitor them.

Advances in understanding insect pests affecting wheat and other cereals provides a comprehensive review of the wealth of research that addresses this challenge. This collection discusses the most recent developments in fundamental and applied research on major pests and shows how better understanding of these pests can be used to improve integrated pest management strategies.

With growing concerns surrounding the impact of climate change on both native and invasive pest invasions, coupled with the rising threat of global food insecurity, more research is required to understand the major insect pests of cereals, including how best to control and monitor them.

Advances in understanding insect pests affecting wheat and other cereals provides a comprehensive review of the wealth of research that addresses this challenge. This collection discusses the most recent developments in fundamental and applied research on major pests and shows how better understanding of these pests can be used to improve integrated pest management strategies.

This chapter examines advances in understanding lipid requirements and utilisation in dairy cattle. The chapter begins by first highlighting the major lipid constituents found in dairy cow nutrition, such as free fatty acids, triglycerides, glycolipids and phospholipids. It then goes on to discuss lipid supplements, which is then followed by an examination of fat digestion and absorption in ruminant species. Sections on digestibility of dietary lipids and mammary metabolism of lipids are also provided. The chapter discusses the effects of lipids on feed intake as well as the effects of lipid supplements on milk production on composition. This is then followed by an overview of how dietary lipids can be used to modify milk fat for human health, as well as the effects of lipids on reproduction. The role of dietary lipids in metabolism regulation is also reviewed, followed by an analysis of the important considerations that should be taken into account when selecting for commercial inert fats. Practical recommendations for supplementing fats are also included.

This chapter explores the dynamics of rhizosphere microbiomes, focusing on their composition and functional aspects. It evaluates host-specific selection, plant species, genotypes, domestication, and agricultural ecosystem management practices. The chapter also investigates the legacy of plant developmental stages and root architecture on microbiome assembly and functions. Moreover, it highlights the selective pressure on the rhizosphere microbiome for plant nutrition and health, focusing on factors driving soil-root-plant interactions. Finally, the chapter also discusses challenges in manipulating functional microbiomes and proposes methods to address these gaps.