Category: Economic and social impact
Developing a rapid assessment tool for identifying and safeguarding pollinators: A case study from a global avocado company
Agricultural intensification poses a global threat to many wild species, including insect pollinators. Despite the dependence of many companies on insect-pollinated crops within their supply chains, only a limited number of them actively implement measures to protect pollinators. This study aims to address this issue by developing a tool that businesses can employ to create effective pollinator conservation strategies. To create this tool, we utilized an existing roadmap as a foundational structure
Embracing Avocado (Persea americana) Farming Among Smallholder Farmers in Rural Households in Kenya: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies for Sustainable Growth
Avocado farming in Kenya has become both a vital livelihood source and a thriving agricultural enterprise, driven by rising global demand and government initiatives to boost exports (Suljada, 2024; Shivachi et al., 2023). This study examines the challenges and opportunities in avocado farming, with a focus on smallholder farmers in Kiambu County. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study collected primary data through surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions, while secondary
Avocado rhizosphere community profiling: white root rot and its impact on microbial composition
Introduction: The avocado rhizosphere supports diverse microbial communities essential for plant health and defence against pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the impact of Dematophora necatrix, the causal agent of white root rot (WRR), on the microbial composition and soil physicochemical properties of infected and non-infected avocado trees in two South African orchards.Methods: ITS and 16S metabarcoding was used to compare the composition and diversity of the rhizosphere microbiome. Soil
Bacterial community shifts in Fusarium-induced avocado root rot and the antagonistic potential of Bacillus siamensis NB92
Avocado root rot, driven by soil-borne fungi such as Fusarium spp., poses a major challenge to global avocado production. The rhizosphere microbiome is critical for plant health, yet the impact of root rot on bacterial community structure and its implications for disease management remain poorly understood. Here, we combined culture-independent 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing with culture-dependent isolation to characterize bacterial communities in healthy and Fusarium-infested avocado bulk and rhizosphere
Phytophthora root rot induces compositional and functional changes in avocado rhizosphere bacterial communities
Understanding how plant pathogens modulate the rhizosphere microbiota is essential to integrated disease management. Here, we assessed the compositional and functional shifts in the avocado rhizosphere bacteriome induced by Phytophthora cinnamomi to elucidate the microbial functions modulated by the infection and identify taxa potentially recruited by the plant as a defense response. Through metabarcoding with metatranscriptomics, we showed that Phytophthora root rot (PRR) induced compositional shifts
Proximity to natural habitat enhances flower visitor diversity and pollination services in avocado orchards
Insect pollination is known to increase avocado yields, with wild pollinators likely playing an important role. In central Chile, the rapid expansion of avocado orchards has resulted in highly diverse natural habitats being replaced by plantations, potentially negatively impacting wild pollinators and thus avocado production. This study aimed to understand the role of natural habitats and wild pollinators in avocado production by (1) exploring the relationship between flower visitor abundance and