A Comprehensive Review on Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops: Present Status and Future Prospects

Protected cultivation of horticultural crops has emerged as a crucial technique in modern agriculture, offering numerous benefits such as increased yield, enhanced quality, and protection against adverse climatic conditions and pests. This comprehensive review aims to present the current status of protected cultivation practices and explore its future prospects in horticulture. The review begins by discussing the various types of protected cultivation structures, including greenhouses, high tunnels, and shade houses, along with their advantages and limitations. It then highlights the significance of protected cultivation in addressing global food security challenges by ensuring year-round crop production and reducing dependence on seasonal variations. The review further explores the impact of protected cultivation techniques on the growth and development of horticultural crops, including improved crop morphogenesis, precipitation management, and the optimization of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. Furthermore, the utilization of advanced technologies like hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming within protected cultivation systems is examined, with an emphasis on their potential for maximizing crop productivity while minimizing resource consumption. Moreover, the paper delves into the challenges and constraints faced in implementing protected cultivation, including cost considerations, energy requirements, and the use of synthetic inputs. It discusses sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches, such as utilizing renewable energy sources and adopting organic farming practices, to mitigate these challenges and promote ecological balance. Lastly, the review discusses some future prospects and trends in protected cultivation, including the integration of precision agriculture techniques, the use of artificial intelligence, and the adoption of smart farming technologies. These advancements have the potential to further optimize resource utilization, improve automation, and enhance crop monitoring and management, ultimately leading to greater yield and quality improvements in horticultural crop production.

Recognition of Environmentally-friendly Agricultural Products for School Foodservice of Nutrition Teachers and Parents in 2018 at Seongnam in Gyeonggi province / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the nutrition teachers' and parents' recognition of environmentally-friendly agricultural products (EAPs) used in school foodservice. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was given to 128 school foodservice nutrition teachers in Seongnam and 189 parents from Oct. 16 to Oct. 31, 2018 at Seongnam in Gyeonggi province. The survey included information on the recognition, satisfaction, and improvement of EAPs, and the results of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: A comparison of the recognition of EAPs showed that nutrition teachers knew more about the EAPs and local government support in school foodservice than the parents. On the other hand, the parents were more aware than the nutrition teachers in that children have a higher affinity for EAPs than for general agricultural products in the school foodservice. A comparison of the level of satisfaction with the EAPs by nutrition teachers and parents revealed the nutrition teachers to be significantly more satisfied than parents in terms of the color, taste and nutrition of EAPs. Among the items that should be provided with EAPs, more than 50% of each group of nutrition teachers and parents answered that vegetables must be provided first. Some 70.9% of nutrition teachers and 84.5% of parents were aware of the certification standards of EAPs. The nutrition teachers had showed a slightly higher score than the parents in the certification system (3.51 vs. 3.25). In terms of improving the EAPs, 36.2% of nutrition teachers answered a reasonable price preferentially, whereas 56.4% of parents answered maintaining quality. In the expected effects of using EAPs, 57.9% of nutrition teachers answered an improvement of parents' satisfaction on the school foodservice. On the other hand, 38.0% of parents answered an improvement of children' satisfaction on school foodservice. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition teachers and parents need to be educated on the certification systems that would enhance the trust in EAPs.

Development of an environment-friendly and sterile four- blade vaginal dilator for LEEP surgery / 中国医学装备

Objective: To develop an environment-friendly and sterile four- blade vaginal dilator so as to resolve the problem of polluting environment that petroleum-based plastics released hydrogen chloride, dioxin and other poisonous and cancerogenic substance. Methods: The lower blade of the environment-friendly and sterile four-blade vaginal dilator was used as fixed blade, and upper blade, left blade and right blade were extensible and closable. And in the left and right blades, there were built-in smog exhaust tubes. And based on the previous invention of the twin-blades vaginal dilator, the device has been redesigned and developed by adding the left blades, right blades, locating sleeve and other related parts. Results: When the device expanded, both of left and right blades could extend out, and when it closed, both of them could be folded into the upper and lower blades. Therefore, it was safety and effective. Besides, the built-in smoking tubes of left and right blades could quickly exhaust harmful smog by the closest distance, and the plastics used in this device was not only environmentally friendly, but also it was insulation and cost-effective. Conclusion: The environment-friendly and sterile four-blades vaginal dilator used in LEEP surgery resolved two problems included the constructs of imported four-blades vaginal dilator were complex and the left and right blades couldn't extend out. And it effectively enhance the expand distance between left and right blades, and it enlarges operation field and surgery space. Besides, the use of the environmentally friendly plastics avoids the environmental pollution caused by the release of hydrogen chloride, dioxins and other toxic and carcinogenic substances when built-out smoking tubes and petroleum base plastics were incinerated. Therefore, it enhances the surgical quality.

Silver nanoparticle production by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum: nanoparticle characterisation and analysis of antifungal activity against pathogenic yeasts

The microbial synthesis of nanoparticles is a green chemistry approach that combines nanotechnology and microbial biotechnology. The aim of this study was to obtain silver nanoparticles (SNPs) using aqueous extract from the filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum as an alternative to chemical procedures and to evaluate its antifungal activity. SNPs production increased in a concentration-dependent way up to 1 mM silver nitrate until 30 days of reaction. Monodispersed and spherical SNPs were predominantly produced. After 60 days, it was possible to observe degenerated SNPs with in additional needle morphology. The SNPs showed a high antifungal activity against Candida and Cryptococcus , with minimum inhibitory concentration values ≤ 1.68 µg/mL for both genera. Morphological alterations of Cryptococcus neoformans treated with SNPs were observed such as disruption of the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane and lost of the cytoplasm content. This work revealed that SNPs can be easily produced by F. oxysporum aqueous extracts and may be a feasible, low-cost, environmentally friendly method for generating stable and uniformly sized SNPs. Finally, we have demonstrated that these SNPs are active against pathogenic fungi, such as Candida and Cryptococcus .

Parents' perception on middle school foodservice using environment friendly agricultural products (EFAP) in Masan area

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent's perception of a middle school foodservice in Masan city, Korea that uses environmentally friendly agricultural products (EFAP). From May 29, 2009 to July 11, 2009, questionnaires were distributed to 350 parents of middle schools located in Masan city. A total of 295 responded and 276 (response rate, 78.9%) were used for the final analysis after excluding improperly completed questionnaires. First, 47.8% of the parents responded that they had participated in the school foodservice operation (receiving food, attending foodservice-related events, working as a meal service aid, evaluating suppliers). Receiving food (53.7%) accounted for the greatest proportion in the participating area. Second, most subjects (83.0%) responded that they were aware of the use of EFAP. Additionally, 96.4% of the subject approved expanding the use of EFAP for all items. Third, their degree of interest in the school foodservice was 3.86, and satisfaction with the school foodservice was 3.94 based on a 5-point Likert scale. The overall satisfaction on the quality of EFAP used in the school foodservice was 3.68 based on a 5-point Likert scale. Fourth, awareness that the school used EFAP in the foodservice by the parents who participated in school foodservice operations was higher than that of parents who did not participate. Satisfaction (4.10) with the school foodservice by parents who participated in school foodservice operations was significantly higher than that (3.79) of parents who did not participate (p < 0.001). In conclusion, parent's participation in school foodservice operations should increase to improve the quality of the school foodservice and improve communication between parents and the school.

The Microbiological Quality of Environmentally Friendly and Ordinary Agricultural Vegetables Used in a School Foodservices

The purpose of this study was to determine basic information on the microbiological quality of environmentally friendly vegetables used in school foodservices. Comparisons were made on the microbiological quality of eight different kinds of vegetables grown by environmentally friendly agricultural methods and ordinary agricultural methods to determine if there were significant differences. In the raw materials, aerobic plate counts were as follows: lettuce 4.58~7.43 log CFU/g, winter plowing chinese cabbage 5.61~7.36 log CFU/g, Korean leek 5.81 log CFU/g to TNTC (too numerous to Count), cabbage 5.93~6.43 log CFU/g, sesame leaves 3.15~5.23 log CFU/g, cucumber 5.00~5.79 log CFU/g, cherry tomato 2.96~5.40 log CFU/g, paprika 1.30~3.52 log CFU/g. In the comparison of the microbiological quality between environmentally friendly and ordinary agricultural vegetables, their acceptable ratio was the same (81.3%) and the mean aerobic plate counts was not significantly different. In the comparison of the microbiological quality between the leafy vegetables and the fruity vegetables, the fruity vegetables had a 100% acceptable ratio regardless of the agricultural method used to grow them, while the leafy vegetables had an acceptable ratio of 70%. In terms of the aerobic plate counts, the leafy vegetables had significantly higher counts; the leafy vegetables 5.87+/-1.18 log CFU/g, the fruity vegetables 4.12+/-1.54 log CFU/g.

The Perception for Management of School Foodservice Using of Environmentally Friendly Agricultural Products of Elementary School Children's Mothers in Gunsan / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of understanding about school foodservice management and environmentally friendly agricultural products between urban and rural elementary school children's mothers. The subjects were 280 elementary school children's mothers who lived in Gunsan city and the nearby countryside. The results are summarized as follows. The mothers in urban schools were higher on the degree of participation (p < 0.01) and interest (p < 0.01), but were lower on the degree of satisfaction (p < 0.001) for school foodservice than rural ones. The best improvement of school foodservice management was improving food tastes and qualities of the foodstuffs in urban schools and sanitation at the service area in the rural schools (p < 0.001). The school foodservice program contributed to cure the unbalanced diets and developing of bodies and minds; there was no difference of urban and rural schools. But eating habits in rural schools were more improved than urban schools (p < 0.001). The primary reason for using environmentally friendly agricultural products was to improve their health and in securing safe foods, there was no difference of urban and rural schools, but generating the farmer's income from the products in rural schools was higher than urban schools (p < 0.001). There are conflicting views between urban and rural schools for the additional costs brought by using the environmentally friendly agricultural products (p < 0.001). The order of preference on using environmentally friendly agricultural products was rice and various grains, vegetables, fruits, livestock, seasoning, etc. In conclusion, our central and local governments should change their roles in financially positive ways and reflect the issues in making the policy effective. Responsible administrators of school food suppliers run the system more faithfully with the above government support.