• Rural Digital Europe
• Publications close
• NG close

Between now and the near future, the Internet of Things (IoT) will redesign the socio-ecological morphology of the human terrain. The IoT ecosystem deploys diverse sensor platforms connecting millions of heterogeneous objects through the Internet. Irrespective of sensor functionality, most sensors are low energy consumption devices and are designed to transmit sporadically or continuously. However, when we consider the millions of connected sensors powering various user applications, their energy efficiency (EE) becomes a critical issue. Therefore, the importance of EE in IoT technology, as well as the development of EE solutions for sustainable IoT technology, cannot be overemphasised. Propelled by this need, EE proposals are expected to address the EE issues in the IoT context. Consequently, many developments continue to emerge, and the need to highlight them to provide clear insights to researchers on eco-sustainable and green IoT technologies becomes a crucial task. To pursue a clear vision of green IoT, this study aims to present the current state-of-the art insights into energy saving practices and strategies on green IoT. The major contribution of this study includes reviews and discussions of substantial issues in the enabling of hardware green IoT, such as green machine to machine, green wireless sensor networks, green radio frequency identification, green microcontroller units, integrated circuits and processors. This review will contribute significantly towards the future implementation of green and eco-sustainable IoT.

AbstractThis study modelled the properties of composite flour of maize and Pleurotus tuber-regium sclerotium (PTS) and the sensory properties of their meal. The simplex-centroid design was used for the experimental design. The properties of composite flour and their meal were determined. The indices indicating the validity of generated models were coefficient of determination (R2) values above 80%, except for swelling index and colour, with the average absolute deviation values close to 0 and bias factor and accuracy factor values approaching 1. The models adequately described the properties studied. The PTS flour improved crude protein and fibre contents, while maize and PTS flours had the synergistic effect of improving the antioxidant properties, of the composite flour. With an increase in maize flour, there was an improvement in taste, texture and overall acceptability of the meal. However, an increase in PTS flour resulted in an increase in colour preference and a decrease in taste, aroma and overall acceptability of the meal. PTS flour could be used to improve maize-based meal for food security, but a functionality-enhancing agent may need to be incorporated into the flour for better properties of the meal.

A comprehensive study spanning three kharif and rabi seasons (2018–2019, 2020–2021, and 2021–2022) was conducted to investigate the intricate interactions among different cropping sequences and their impacts on cumin yield, financial outcomes, and soil microbial dynamics. The experiment was designed using a randomized block design, comprising eight distinct treatment combinations, each replicated three times. The results revealed compelling insights into the potential of specific cropping sequences to enhance multiple aspects of agricultural sustainability. The results revealed that the highest cumin yield (averaging 592 kg ha−1 over the three years) was achieved when cumin was cultivated subsequent to pearl millet, showcasing significant increases of 14.28% and 23.07% over the cumin–fallow and cumin–cotton cropping systems, respectively. When it came to cumin equivalent yield, the cumin–cotton cropping sequence (985 kg ha−1) emerged as the most favorable, closely followed by cumin–groundnut (968 kg ha−1). Furthermore, analyzing net realizations and benefit–cost ratios demonstrated that the cumin–pearl millet cropping sequence stood out with the maximum values (₹88,235 ha−1 and 2.7, respectively), followed by the cumin–mung bean cropping system (₹84,164 ha−1 and 2.47, respectively). Among the various cropping sequences studied, cumin–mung bean, cumin–cluster bean, cumin–pearl millet and cumin–groundnut were recorded as statistically similar in terms of soil microbial enzymatic activities viz. fluorescein diacetate (FDA), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), dehydrogenase activity (DHA), and microbial biomass carbon and were at par over the cumin–sorghum, cumin–sesame, cumin–cotton and cumin–fallow cropping systems. These findings emphasize the significance of strategic crop sequencing for sustainable agriculture practices that simultaneously optimize productivity and maintain soil health.

With the escalating water scarcity in agriculture, a novel water-saving technique has emerged: drip irrigation with plastic film mulch (DI). Root function is crucial for sustaining rice production, and understanding its response to DI is essential. However, few studies have evaluated root systems in rice varietals and examined which kind of root system contributes to improving rice grain yield and water productivity in DI. If varietal differences of root reactions for water regimes were made clear, it might be more effective to find suitable varieties for DI and to improve grain yield in the DI system. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a two-year field experiment comparing two irrigation systems: continuous flooding (CF) and DI. We analyzed their effectiveness with four rice cultivars, including upland, F1 lowland, animal feed lowland, and lowland cultivars. Vertical root distribution, root bleeding rate, photosynthetic-associated parameters, water productivity, and yield performance were analyzed. In our study, the average grain yield of cultivars in the DI system (6.4 t/ha) was equivalent to those in the CF system (6.6 t/ha). The average water productivity under DI (0.34–0.75 kg m−3) demonstrated significant water-saving potential, saving approximately 35% of the total water supplied, resulting in higher water productivity compared to CF (0.27–0.51 kg m−3). Among the cultivars, the deep root weight of the upland cultivar significantly increased by 51% under DI compared to CF. The deep root ratio was positively correlated with the transpiration rate, grain yield, and water productivity, suggesting its contribution to high transpiration, thus maintaining a high carbon assimilation rate that results in high yield and water productivity. Therefore, deep roots are a notable trait corresponding to high yield under DI, and should be considered for the development of rice growth models for DI and the breeding of aerobic-adapted cultivars.

Sterility mosaic disease (SMD) is a serious biotic restraint in pigeonpea-growing regions of the Indian subcontinent. Disease control using chemicals like acaricides is not economical or sustainable, pointing towards host plant resistance as the ideal strategy for its management. In this study, from preliminary screening of 75 pigeonpea germplasm accessions and breeding lines, 21 pigeonpea genotypes showing moderate resistance to SMD were selected and again assessed at two multi-environment locations during Kharif 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Analysis of variance partitioned the variation between the main effects of genotype and genotype × environment (GGE). The results revealed a significant variation (p ˂ 0.05) in the SMD incidence between the tested genotypes, environment, and their interactions. Genotype variance contributed the greatest effect (63.56%) to the total variation and it represents the maximum disease variation. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found for the levels of SMD incidence between the test environments. We observed that SMD incidence had a high negative correlation with the maximum temperature (r = −0.933), and positively correlated with the rainfall (r = 0.502). Analysis of principal components 1 and 2 of the GGE explained 95.33% of the total variation and identified 10 genotypes (G1, G3, G4, G8, G10, G12, G13, G15, G20, and G21) showing moderate resistance stability across the environments. As new sources of resistance to SMD, these genotypes should be incorporated in pigeonpea breeding trials for further release. This research broadens the area of phenotyping and identifies stable resistance sources that can be used in future SMD resistance breeding projects.

AbstractThe usage of underutilized and available fruit by-products is a recent trend in food product development. The study investigated the effect of yellow maize flour (YMF) and pineapple pomace flour (PPF) on some physicochemical qualities, antioxidant properties, and sensory attributes of breadnut seeds flour (BSF)-based cookies. The three flours (BSF, YMF, and PPF) were blended, and sixteen runs were generated to develop the functional cookies (FC). These FCs were evaluated for proximate analysis. Three cookie samples: R4 (80.63% BSF; 18.12% YMF; 1.25% PPF), R12 (97.50% BSF; 0.00% YMF; 2.50% PPF) and R13 (95.00% BSF; 0.00% YMF; 5.00% PPF) were selected. The selected samples with control (100% whole wheat flour cookies) were evaluated for some physicochemical, antioxidant properties, and sensory attributes. The ash and fiber contents were significantly higher than the control. Increase in Vit. B2 and Vit. C was observed as the addition of PPF was higher, while the K was found to be the highest mineral in all the samples. Insoluble dietary fiber was higher than insoluble fiber. The addition of different proportions of PPF to the flour blends significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the in vitro protein digestibility and increased the in vitro starch digestibility of FC. The phenol and DPPH contents increased with a higher proportion of PPF. The color properties showed an increase in L* and b* values due to YMF, while the addition of PPF caused an increase in a* values. The sensory score of the R12 was favorable when compared with the control.

Stable, drought-tolerant, and high-yielding dual-purpose hybrids are needed for cultivation in the drought-prone areas of India. Working towards this, this study was conducted to assess the associations between grain yield and its component traits and the relationships among genotypes to select the most promising hybrids based on multiple traits. In the present investigation, thirty newly developed three-way hybrids (TWHs), along with four popular commercial single-cross hybrids and two open pollinated varieties (OPVs) were evaluated at three sites in the drought-prone ecology of India during the rainy season of 2021–2022. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three component axes (PC) were significant, with eigenvalues more than one, and together contributed to 74.10% of the total variance. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the Euclidean distance between hybrids suggested the existence of three clusters. Cluster III (C-III) had hybrids with maximum grain yield, dry fodder yield, and important component traits such as panicle harvest index and grain harvest index that are required for adaptation to drought-prone environments. A genotype by yield × trait (GYT) biplot and a superiority index (SI) were generated to identify the best hybrids with high grain yield and other component traits. These results were used to identify TWHs, namely TH-114, TH-138, TH-49, TH-67, and TH-79, with more than 30% standard heterosis and stable performance coupled with better drought-adaptive traits.

AbstractTomatoes are soft tissue perishable fruits high susceptible to bruises during loading, transportation, unloading, and retailing which lead to their deterioration and nutrient losses. This study explored the micronutrient changes in the fresh (whole) and stale (nkuwa) tomatoes during loading, transportation, unloading, distribution and retail sales in the three major retail market outlets in Umuahia metropolis with standard methods of analyses. The results of micronutrients (pro-vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, sodium and iron) evaluated revealed significant (p < 0.05) decrease for the entire stale tomato samples compared to their whole counterparts. With increase in distance from the landing bay, pro-vitamin A (β carotene) (598.36–579.64 µg/100 g), B1 (0.07–0.04 mg/100 g), B2 (0.05–0.03 mg/100 g), B3 (0.97–0.87 mg/100 g) and vitamin C (20.14–19.29 mg/100 g) decreased. Also the minerals (mg/100 g), calcium (16.15–15.77), potassium (409.71–409.62), magnesium (19.45–18.73), sodium (8.77–8.74), iron (0.42–0/35) and zinc (0.33–0.29) decreased. Micronutrient losses increased with increase in handling practices from the landing bay till it gets to the end users. Long-distance tomato transportation should be on smooth roads in the night inside rigid plastic crates to reduce bruises.