Algae have long been used to augment plant productivity through their beneficial effects. Alginate oligosaccharide is believed to be one of the important components to enhance growth and crop yield. In this study, we isolated and characterized a Bacillus litoralis strain, named Bacillus M3, from decayed kelps. We further demonstrated that the M3 strain could secrete alginate lyase to degrade al...

We constructed a simple, flexible procedure that facilitates the pre-assessment of feasibility of workplace health promotion (WHP) programmes. It evaluates cancer hazards, workers' need for hazard reduction, acceptability of WHP, and social context. It was tested and applied in 16 workplace communities and among 1085 employees in industry, construction, transport, services, teaching and municip...

After a century of incremental research, technological advances, coupled with a need for sustainable crop yield increases, have reinvigorated the study of beneficial plant-microbe interactions with attention focused on how microbiomes alter plant phenotypes. We review recent advances in plant microbiome research, and describe potential applications for increasing crop productivity. The phylogen...

Modern agriculture is facing new challenges in which ecological and molecular approaches are being integrated to achieve higher crop yields while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. The application of biofertilizers could meet this requirement. Biofertilizer is a natural organic fertilizer that helps to provide all the nutrients required by the plants and helps to increase the quali...

Endophytes MQ23 and MQ23R isolated from Sophora alopecuroides root nodules were characterized by observing their ability to promote plant growth and employing molecular analysis techniques. Results showed that MQ23 and MQ23R are potential N2-fixing endophytes and belong to the same species as Bacillus cereus. MQ23 was shown to be able to produce siderophores, IAA, and demonstrate certain antifu...

Agriculture is North Carolina's leading source of revenue and its most dangerous industry. This issue brief, along with the commentaries and sidebars in the associated policy forum, addresses the complexity of agricultural health and safety in North Carolina and concludes that the following activities are crucial to reducing the incidence of agricultural illness, injury, and death in the state:...

The political influence of specific interest groups can be revealed using a "Political Preference Function" approach. Previous empirical studies have clearly shown that the strong promotion of agriculture in industrialized countries is due to the fact that farmers are able to exert greater political pressure than consumers and taxpayers. Extending the scope of investigation, this paper analyzes...

the main purpose of this study was to explore the factors affecting optimal management of agricultural water in hamadan's area. the statistical population of the study included all hamadan's farmers. a number of 148 farmers were selected randomly through a proportional sampling method in two phases. both questionnaire and interview techniques were used in order to collect data. the empirical an...

Agriculture-relevant microorganisms are considered to produce secondary metabolites during processes of competition with other micro- and macro-organisms, symbiosis, parasitism or pathogenesis. Many different strains of the genus Trichoderma, in addition to a direct activity against phytopathogens, are well-known producers of secondary metabolites and compounds that substantially affect the met...