How to sustainably feed a growing global population is a question still without an answer. Particularly farmers, to increase production, tend to apply more fertilizers and pesticides, a trend especially predominant in developing countries. Another challenge is that industrialization and other human activities produce pollutants, which accumulate in soils or aquatic environments, contaminating them. Not only is human well-being at risk, but also environmental health. Currently, recycling, land-filling, incineration and pyrolysis are being used to reduce the concentration of toxic pollutants from contaminated sites, but too have adverse effects on the environment, producing even more resistant and highly toxic intermediate compounds. Moreover, these methods are expensive, and are difficult to execute for soil, water, and air decontamination. Alternatively, green technologies are currently being developed to degrade toxic pollutants. This review provides an overview of current research on microbial inoculation as a way to either replace or reduce the use of agrochemicals and clean environments heavily affected by pollution. Microorganism-based inoculants that enhance nutrient uptake, promote crop growth, or protect plants from pests and diseases can replace agrochemicals in food production. Several examples of how biofertilizers and biopesticides enhance crop production are discussed. Plant roots can be colonized by a variety of favorable species and genera that promote plant growth. Microbial interventions can also be used to clean contaminated sites from accumulated pesticides, heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and other industrial effluents. The potential of and key processes used by microorganisms for sustainable development and environmental management are discussed in this review, followed by their future prospects.

Despite the large body of research surrounding crop growth parameters, there is still a lack of systematic assessments on how harvestable yields of different crop types respond to varying levels of shading. However, with the advent of agrivoltaic systems, a technology that combines energy and food production, shade tolerance of cropping systems is becoming increasingly important. To address this research gap, a meta-analysis with data from two experimental approaches (intercropping and artificial shading with cloths, nets or solar panels) was performed. The aim was to quantitatively assess the susceptibility of different temperate crop types to increasing levels of shading. Crop type specific yield response curves were developed as a function of reduction in solar radiation, estimating relative crop yields compared to the unshaded controls. Only studies that reported reduction in solar radiation and crop yield per area in temperate and subtropical areas were included. The results suggested a nonlinear relationship between achieved crop yields and reduction in solar radiation for all crop types. Most crops tolerate reduced solar radiation up to 15%, showing a less than proportional yield decline. However, significant differences between the response curves of the following crop types existed: Berries, fruits and fruity vegetables benefited from reduction in solar radiation up to 30%. Forages, leafy vegetables, tubers/root crops, and C3 cereals initially showed less than proportional crop yield loss. In contrast, maize and grain legumes experienced strong crop yield losses even at low shade levels. The results provide a set of initial indicators that may be used in assessing the suitability of crop types for shade systems, and thus for agrivoltaic or other dual land-use systems. Detailed yield response curves, as provided by this study, are valuable tools in optimizing the output of annual crop components in these systems.

Dryland areas are experiencing low agricultural yields due to severe water shortages and salinity, leading to food scarcity. Mungbean (Vigna radiata) is gaining attention as a short-season crop that can tolerate dryland conditions, and fix atmospheric nitrogen, decreasing soil nutrient depletion. It is a source of high-quality protein for human consumption and can serve as a multipurpose crop, if harvest residues are used as fodder or green manure. However, little of this legume's potential has been explored. This review aims to underline the importance of mungbean as an agricultural crop by reviewing relevant literature on the potential contribution of mungbean to food security and a balanced diet as well as the effect of mungbean cultivation on farm income and gender equality. The challenges of climate change in plant production are discussed, and how progress in mungbean breeding and the application of improved cultivation techniques, such as regulated deficit irrigation, conservation agriculture, and inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria can overcome them.

No abstract

Societal Impact StatementRenewable energies such as photovoltaics can mitigate climate change by replacing fossil fuels, but they will compete with other forms of land use when implemented in open space. Agrivoltaics provide a promising approach to reconciling food and energy needs by allowing for agricultural and electrical power production on the same area of land. Agrivoltaics have a high potential to attenuate negative effects of drought on crop growth and, thus, can help to increase resilience of agricultural production under increasingly variable environmental conditions. This drought attenuation potential will be especially relevant for regions where drought and population growth co‐occur.SummaryWater scarcity is threatening food security and other, plant‐related ecosystem services. Renewable energy production provides a sustainable strategy to replace fossil fuel and, by this, mitigate climate change. However, common forms of renewable energy production such as photovoltaics in open space directly compete with agriculture. Agrivoltaics are proposed as a promising technology to reconcile food and energy needs by allowing for agricultural and electrical power production on the same area of land. However, general understanding of the potential of agrivoltaics to facilitate crop yield under changing climatic conditions is lacking. In this study we provide an overview on the effects of agrivoltaics on microclimate and crop growth and yields. We furthermore quantify the global potential of agrivoltaics to attenuate drought effects on crops and develop a conceptual framework for evaluating interactions between solar power and agricultural production under changing climatic conditions. Generally, shading by agrivoltaics will reduce yield in comparison to maximum possible yield under unshaded, well‐watered conditions but can reduce interannual variation in yields caused by drought, thus, increase resilience of agricultural production. This drought attenuation potential of agrivoltaics seems to be especially promising in the drought prone regions of the world. Land use efficiency of agrivoltaic systems is directly linked the degree of crop shading which covaries with the drought attenuation potential but will ultimately be guided by political decisions on how to weight energy production vs. food security. The latter depends on economic, societal and ecological aspects related to the implementation of agrivoltaics.