recent research topics in horticulture

Articles on Horticulture

Displaying 1 - 20 of 34 articles.

Climate change is shifting the zones where plants grow – here’s what that could mean for your garden

Matt Kasson , West Virginia University

Australia’s shot-hole borer beetle invasion has begun, but we don’t need to chop down every tree under attack

Theo Evans , The University of Western Australia and Bruce Webber , CSIRO

Americans spend millions of dollars on Valentine’s Day roses. I calculated exactly how much

Jay L. Zagorsky , Boston University

Insects are spreading a devastating plant disease in Italy – Britain must keep it out

Alan Stewart , University of Sussex ; Claire Harkin , University of Sussex , and Vinton Thompson , American Museum of Natural History

Cranberries can bounce, float and pollinate themselves: The saucy science of a Thanksgiving classic

Serina DeSalvio , Texas A&M University

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you

Jacob S. Suissa , University of Tennessee and Ben Goulet-Scott , Harvard University

Invasive species cause billions of dollars in damage worldwide: 4 essential reads

Jennifer Weeks , The Conversation

Peaches are a minor part of Georgia’s economy, but they’re central to its mythology

William Thomas Okie , Kennesaw State University

Our tropical fruits are vulnerable to climate change. Can we make them resilient in time?

Rajeev Varshney , Murdoch University and Abhishek Bohra , Murdoch University

Once the Callery pear tree was landscapers’ favorite – now states are banning this invasive species and urging homeowners to cut it down

Ryan W. McEwan , University of Dayton

Cyclone Gabrielle hit NZ’s main fruit-growing region hard – now orchardists face critical climate choices

Anita Wreford , Lincoln University, New Zealand

Some houseplants take in nutrients from roots outside the soil – and it may change how we care for them

Amanda Rasmussen , University of Nottingham

Australia’s borders are open, so where are all the backpackers?

Kaya Barry , Griffith University

South Africa’s farm exports are an economic lifeline – with weak spots

Wandile Sihlobo , Stellenbosch University

Growing plant trade may spread invasive species – but help ecosystems adapt to climate change

Judit Sonkoly , University of Debrecen ; Bálint Bajomi , University of Debrecen , and Péter Török , University of Debrecen

Loophole closed: the minimum wage for farm workers is long overdue

Michael Rose , Australian National University

Walking, talking and showing off – a history of Roman gardens

Annalisa Marzano , University of Reading

Why closing our borders to foreign workers could see fruit and vegetable prices spike

Climate explained: how climate change will affect food production and security

Julian Heyes , Massey University

Growing the big one – 6 tips for your own prize-winning tomatoes

Richard G. Snyder , Mississippi State University

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• Agriculture
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Research Associate, University of Adelaide

Professor of Biology, University of Dayton

Professor of Horticultural Sciences and Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida

Research Professor, Graduate Faculty in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida

B.S. Student of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Researcher in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

Professor in the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Professor of History and History Education, Kennesaw State University

University of Arkansas

Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Professor and Director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, University of Guelph

Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, University of Cambridge

Associate Professor, University of Guelph

PhD Candidate in Environmental Systems Research, University of Guelph

Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, University of Florida

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EDITORIAL article

Editorial: sustainable horticulture: from omic sciences to new breeding techniques.

• 1 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Monsampolo del Tronto (AP), Italy
• 2 Instituto de Conservacion y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
• 3 Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) Research Center for Cereals and Industrial Crops, Foggia (FG), Italy

Editorial on the Research Topic Sustainable horticulture: from omic sciences to new breeding techniques

Editorial on the Research Topic

The rapidly growing world population and the changing climate are increasing the food demand so much that transitioning to more sustainable horticulture has become one of the main challenges in recent years. Several strategies can enhance sustainability in horticulture, including adopting good agricultural practices (GAP) to improve soil fertility, optimizing water and nitrogen use efficiencies, and implementing low-input management techniques to preserve the environment. In this scenario, horticultural plant breeding is mainly focused on developing varieties adapted to specific environmental conditions and agronomic techniques. These varieties aim to provide higher yields and nutritional values that meet the demands while minimizing the use of resources, contributing to more biodiverse horticulture.

The improvement of important agronomic and quality traits for sustainable horticulture can be obtained by using several approaches, ranging from the high-throughput sequencing technologies in the field of the omics sciences (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics) and the new breeding techniques (NBT), to the conservation, enhancement, and the use of plant genetic resources (PGR) with unique organoleptic and functional characteristics ( Enfissi et al., 2021 ; Mahmood et al., 2022 ; Shen et al., 2022 ).

The Solanaceae family is one of the most important worldwide in terms of the number of species, economic importance and has a widespread distribution (in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions). It is extensively utilized for human consumption, making it crucial to prioritize sustainable practices within the family The Research Topic “ Sustainable horticulture: from omics sciences to new breeding techniques ” features three papers that focus on using plant genetic resources to identify genes related to fruit quality in different Solanaceae species. Additionally, it includes a paper exploring the use of magnetized water as an innovative green technology in diverse crops (durum wheat and lentil).

In the case of eggplant ( Solanum melongena ), a study investigated the presence of chlorophyll in fruit peel and its influence on both fruit color and nutritional composition ( Arrones et al. ). The dissection of relevant traits has been carried out by using F2 and BC1 mapping populations. However, the advent of multi-parental populations has improved the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the identification of candidate genes related to traits of interest in several species. A multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population was employed to identify major candidate genes controlling the fruit skin chlorophyll biosynthesis in eggplant. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) indicated the gene APRR2 (ARABIDOPSIS PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR2) is the principal responsible for fruit chlorophyll in the peel. The APRR2 gene has been validated on the G2P-SOL eggplant germplasm core collection and phylogenetic studies contributed to understanding APRR2 evolution among different species ( Arrones et al. ).

Highlighting the significance of genetic resources, another paper emphasized the immense potential of tomato heirlooms ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) for genetic improvement and candidate gene identification ( Tripodi et al. ). Local or traditional tomato varieties are well adapted to a particular cultivation area where they have been selected over the years by farmers considering quality characteristics and regional market preferences as selection criteria. In this scenario, heirlooms are of great importance both for being a reservoir of genes conferring resistance to biotic and abiotic stress and for being the representation of the local culture. Tripodi et al. studied 60 tomato heirlooms belonging to the Beefsteak, Cherry, Globe, Oxheart, and Plum types, at the phenotypic, genomic, and biochemical levels and identified genes related to important fruit quality characteristics. The biochemical characterization revealed that the selection performed by farmers was focused mainly on morphology (fruit weight) and fruit color (β-carotene). The availability of the SolCAP Tomato Infinium array allowed the authors to perform phylogenetic studies to shed light on the relationships among the heirlooms and to validate the metabolic and genomic data obtained. The accessions were distinguished by the typologies, with plum and cherry types clearly distinguished from beefsteak and globe ones, as well as by fruit sizes and shapes. Furthermore, the genes SLSUN31 and CCD3 are involved in the fruit weight increase and the conversion of all- trans -β-carotene to strigolactones, respectively. These results underscored the significance of the heirloom tomato varieties not only for their fruit quality characteristics but also because they represent a valid material for candidate gene discovery for traits such as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

In tomatoes, the most abundant phenolic compound is chlorogenic acid (CGA). This metabolite possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, which confers resistance to some diseases and protects against UV-B light. D’Orso et al. used CRISPR technology to generate knock-out mutant lines in the HQT gene to assess its effect on caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) biosynthesis as the only relevant metabolic route and evaluated the physiological roles of the CGA produced and accumulated mainly regarding the protection against UV-B irradiation. The results demonstrated the complete absence of CGA or other caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) in edited plants clarifying the role of HQT in the biosynthesis of most abundant phenolic compounds in Solanaceae. Moreover, the serious damage shown by CGA-lacking plants after UV exposure confirms the pivotal role of this metabolite in protecting against UV-B irradiation. It also revealed a reorganization of the phenylpropanoid metabolism involving both the redirection of flux to other biochemical branches and the remodeling of the expression of important regulators ( D’Orso et al. ).

Finally, an innovative approach to contribute to sustainable horticulture and plant growth improvement is the use of magnetized water for irrigation. Sestili et al. demonstrated the positive effects of this practice on the development of durum wheat and lentil plantlets (roots and epicotyls). Although the results varied depending on the species, tissues, and time points considered, compared with tap water (TW), the magnetized water treatment (MWT) led to higher root elongation in both genotypes while no effect was recorded in the epicotyl length. Significant variations were reported also in the metabolic composition. Amino acids in roots and sugars in epicotyls were mainly positively affected by MWT with a higher or even “new” correlation with the growth parameters compared to the control. The study showed that in durum wheat, sugar metabolism was mainly influenced, while in lentil, other than sucrose, organic acids are mostly affected, highlighting the species-specific response to MWT and their correlation with plant development. The results suggest that magnetized water use in agriculture can be considered a sustainable technology that promotes plant development and improves quality while reducing water usage, leading to cost savings and environmental protection.

Although the Research Topic collected few articles, these contributions advance the understanding of agronomic and quality traits. Furthermore, the introduction of innovative technology, such as the use of magnetized irrigation water, offers promising prospects for sustainable agriculture and the production of healthier food.

Author contributions

SS: Writing – original draft. JP: Writing – review & editing. NF: Writing – review & editing. RB: Writing – original draft.

Acknowledgments

The topic editors wish to thank all the contributing authors to this Research Topic.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The authors declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Enfissi, E. M. A., Drapal, M., Perez-Fons, L., Nogueira, M., Berry, H. M., Almeida, J., et al. (2021). New plant breeding techniques and their regulatory implications: An opportunity to advance metabolomics approaches. J. Plant Physiol. 258-259, 153378. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153378

PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

Mahmood, U., Li, X., Fan, Y., Chang, W., Niu, Y., Li, J., et al. (2022). Multi-omics revolution to promote plant breeding efficiency. Front. Plant Sci. 13. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1062952

Shen, Y., Zhou, G., Liang, C., Tian, Z. (2022). Omics-based interdisciplinarity is accelerating plant breeding. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 66, 102167. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102167

Keywords: genetic resources, genome editing, fruit quality, water use efficiency, metabolic profile

Citation: Sestili S, Prohens J, Ficcadenti N and Beleggia R (2023) Editorial: Sustainable horticulture: from omic sciences to new breeding techniques. Front. Plant Sci. 14:1257469. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1257469

Received: 12 July 2023; Accepted: 01 August 2023; Published: 09 August 2023.

Edited and Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2023 Sestili, Prohens, Ficcadenti and Beleggia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Sara Sestili, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Volume 9, 2022

Ros1 promotes low temperature-induced anthocyanin accumulation in apple by demethylating the promoter of anthocyanin-associated genes.

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Hierarchical transcription factor and regulatory network for drought response in Betula platyphylla

A method for construction and verification of gene regulatory networks is proposed. Using this method, a gene regulatory network of birch was constructed and verified, and the key regulators and gene interactions involved in drought response were identified.

Roles of abscisic acid in regulating ripening and quality of strawberry, a model non-climacteric fruit

Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal the effects of self- and hetero-grafting on anthocyanin biosynthesis in grapevine, pan-transcriptome assembly combined with multiple association analysis provides new insights into the regulatory network of specialized metabolites in the tea plant camellia sinensis.

• A population-level pan-transcriptome of tea plant leaves was constructed.

• Multi-omics analysis revealed novel candidate genes for the regulation of specialized metabolites in tea plants.

• Candidate gene-rich eQTLs and key transcription factors were highlighted based on a global specialized metabolite network.

• CsTGY14G0001296 ( ANS ) may be a key gene that causes variation in the content of many proanthocyanins among tea plants.

• CsTGY11G0002074 ( F3′5′H ) may be responsible for the biased distribution of catechins between pure CSS and pure CSA accessions

Interplays between auxin and GA signaling coordinate early fruit development

Hydroxylation decoration patterns of flavonoids in horticultural crops: chemistry, bioactivity, and biosynthesis, improving phosphate use efficiency in the aquatic crop watercress ( nasturtium officinale ), cucurbitaceae genome evolution, gene function, and molecular breeding, hormonal interactions underlying parthenocarpic fruit formation in horticultural crops, pear genetics: recent advances, new prospects, and a roadmap for the future, horticultural innovation by viral-induced gene regulation of carotenogenesis, exploiting sterility and fertility variation in cytoplasmic male sterile vegetable crops, a novel inhibitor of the jasmonic acid signaling pathway represses herbivore resistance in tea plants, silencing susceptibility genes in potato hinders primary infection with phytophthora infestans at different stages, integrative analysis of the shikonin metabolic network identifies new gene connections and reveals evolutionary insight into shikonin biosynthesis, qtl mapping and genomic analyses of earliness and fruit ripening traits in a melon recombinant inbred lines population supported by de novo assembly of their parental genomes, methylation related genes affect sex differentiation in dioecious and gynodioecious papaya, merging genotyping-by-sequencing data from two ex situ collections provides insights on the pea evolutionary history, cytokinins are involved in regulation of tomato pericarp thickness and fruit size, stable qtl for malate levels in ripe fruit and their transferability across vitis species, discovery of the interfamily grafting capacity of petunia , a floricultural species, development of a single-cell atlas for woodland strawberry ( fragaria vesca ) leaves during early botrytis cinerea infection using single-cell rna-seq, universal gene co-expression network reveals receptor-like protein genes involved in broad-spectrum resistance in pepper ( capsicum annuum l.), expanding the genetic variation of brassica juncea by introgression of the brassica rapa genome, identifying early metabolite markers of successful graft union formation in grapevine, a new method to reconstruct the direction of parent-offspring duo relationships using snp array data and its demonstration on ancient and modern cultivars in the outcrossing species malus × domestica, chromosomal-level genome and multi-omics dataset of pueraria lobata var. thomsonii provide new insights into legume family and the isoflavone and puerarin biosynthesis pathways, chromosome-scale assembly and population diversity analyses provide insights into the evolution of sapindus mukorossi.

We report the first chromosome-scale genome assembly of Sapindus mukorossi , covering ~391 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 24.66 Mb.

Population genetic analyses showed that genetic diversity in the southwest of the distribution area is relatively higher than that in the northeast.

Genome-wide selective sweep analysis showed that the selection of a large number of genes is involved in defense responses, growth, and development.

Our identified candidate genes are associated with major agronomic traits, and this information can be used for further reference in the selection of superior germplasm resources.

Long-distance control of the scion by the rootstock under drought stress as revealed by transcriptome sequencing and mobile mRNA identification

Alternative transcription and feedback regulation suggest that slidi1 is involved in tomato carotenoid synthesis in a complex way., the nac-like transcription factor csnac7 positively regulates the caffeine biosynthesis-related gene yhnmt1 in camellia sinensis, transcriptomic and physiological analysis identifies a gene network module highly associated with brassinosteroid regulation in hybrid sweetgum tissues differing in the capability of somatic embryogenesis, integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis reveals brassinosteroid-mediated regulation of cambium initiation and patterning in woody stem., a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the holly ( ilex polyneura ) provides insights into genomic adaptations to elevation in southwest china, chloroplast phylogenomics in camelina (brassicaceae) reveals multiple origins of polyploid species and the maternal lineage of c. sativa, complex and reticulate origin of edible roses ( rosa , rosaceae) in china, genome sequencing and population resequencing provide insights into the genetic basis of domestication and diversity of vegetable soybean, chromosome-level genome sequence assembly and genome-wide association study of muscadinia rotundifolia reveal the genetics of 12 berry-related traits, contrasting effects of genotype and root size on the fungal and bacterial communities associated with apple rootstocks, illustration of the variation in the content of flavanone rutinosides in various citrus germplasms from genetic and enzymatic perspectives, integrated transcriptomic and metabolic analyses reveal that ethylene enhances peach susceptibility to lasiodiplodia theobromae -induced gummosis, quantitative trait loci mapping for free amino acid content using an albino population and snp markers provides insight into the genetic improvement of tea plants, chromosome restructuring and number change during the evolution of morus notabilis and morus alba, phytoplasma effector zaofeng6 induces shoot proliferation by decreasing the expression of zjtcp7 in ziziphus jujuba, rejuvenation increases leaf biomass and flavonoid accumulation in ginkgo biloba, insertion of a mmoshan transposable element in pplmi1 , is associated with the absence or globose phenotype of extrafloral nectaries in peach [ prunus persica (l.) batsch, overexpression of apple ma12 , a mitochondrial pyrophosphatase pump gene, leads to malic acid accumulation and the upregulation of malate dehydrogenase in tomato and apple calli, multiple haplotype-based analyses provide genetic and evolutionary insights into tomato fruit weight and composition, genome-wide patterns of genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history in mānuka ( leptospermum scoparium ) growing on indigenous māori land, aluminum can activate grapevine defense through actin remodeling, characterization of terpene synthase variation in flowers of wild aquilegia species from northeastern asia, the chrysanthemum lavandulifolium genome and the molecular mechanism underlying diverse capitulum types, the reference genome of camellia chekiangoleosa provides insights into camellia evolution and tea oil biosynthesis, modification of tomato breeding traits and plant hormone signaling by target-aid, the genome-editing system inducing efficient nucleotide substitution, genotypic variation in floral volatiles influences floral microbiome more strongly than interactions with herbivores and mycorrhizae in strawberries, microrna172 targets apetala2 to regulate flavonoid biosynthesis in apple ( malus domestica )., significant improvement of apple (malus domestica borkh.) transgenic plant production by pre-transformation with a baby boom transcription factor., functional characterization of the tomato hairplus gene reveals the implication of the epigenome in the control of glandular trichome formation, engineering crispr immune systems conferring glrav-3 resistance in grapevine, function and transcriptional regulation of cskcs20 in the elongation of very-long-chain fatty acids and wax biosynthesis in citrus sinensis flavedo, extent of wild–to–crop interspecific introgression in grapevine ( vitis vinifera ) as a consequence of resistance breeding and implications for the crop species definition, photoprotection contributes to freezing tolerance as revealed by rna-seq profiling of rhododendron leaves during cold acclimation and deacclimation over time., dgmyb2 improves cold resistance in chrysanthemum by directly targeting dggpx1, multi-omics data integration provides insights into the post-harvest biology of a long shelf-life tomato landrace, highly efficient activation of endogenous gene in grape using crispr/dcas9-based transcriptional activators, pbrrop1/2-elicited imbalance of cellulose deposition is mediated by a crrlk1l-ropgef module in the pollen tube of pyrus, variation burst during dedifferentiation and increased chh-type dna methylation after 30 years of in vitro culture of sweet orange, illuminating the lineage-specific diversification of resin glycoside acylsugars in the morning glory (convolvulaceae) family using computational metabolomics, construction of a high-density genetic map based on specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing and identification of loci controlling anthocyanin pigmentation in yunnan red radish, genome-wide association analysis provides molecular insights into natural variation in watermelon seed size, the activation of gene expression and alternative splicing in the formation and evolution of allopolyploid brassica napus, comparative transcriptomic analysis on compatible/incompatible grafts in citrus, ultraviolet radiation causes leaf warming due to partial stomatal closure, overexpression of vqwrky31 enhances powdery mildew resistance in grapevine by promoting salicylic acid signaling and specific metabolite synthesis, an arf1-binding factor triggering programmed cell death and periderm development in pear russet fruit skin, the callus formation capacity of strawberry leaf explants is modulated by dna methylation, jasmonic acid biosynthetic genes tglox4 and tglox5 are involved in daughter bulb development in tulip ( tulipa gesneriana ), correction to: n -glucosyltransferase gbngt1 from ginkgo complements the auxin metabolic pathway, revisiting the dual pathway hypothesis of chorismate production in plants, snakin-2 interacts with cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 to inhibit sprout growth in potato tubers.

1. StSN2 and StGAPC1 expression level decreased more in sprouting than dormancy both on transcription and protein process. The coexpression of StSN2 and StGAPC1 in bud eyes and apical buds was verified by immunofluorescence of paraffin sections.

2. StSN2 interaction with StGAPC1 was confirmed by in vivo and in vitro experiments. Overexpression of StGAPC1 depressed sprout growth, similar to StSN2 function.

3. StSN2 interaction with StGAPC1 increased StGAPC1 activity and decreased its oxidative modification to inhibit sprout growth.

The histone H3K27 demethylase SlJMJ4 promotes dark- and ABA-induced leaf senescence in tomato

H and hl synergistically regulate jasmonate-triggered trichome formation in tomato, time-course analysis and transcriptomic identification of key response strategies of nelumbo nucifera to complete submergence, chromosome-level genome assembly of aristolochia contorta provides insights into the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids and aristolochic acids, fruit transpiration drives interspecific variability in fruit growth strategies, diversity and conservation of plant small secreted proteins associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, grapevine rootstock and soil microbiome interactions: keys for a resilient viticulture, the chromosome-level rambutan genome reveals a significant role of segmental duplication in the expansion of resistance genes, tesorter: an accurate and fast method to classify ltr-retrotransposons in plant genomes, galactinol synthase 1 improves cucumber performance under cold stress by enhancing assimilate translocation, starch content changes and metabolism-related gene regulation of chinese cabbage synergistically induced by plasmodiophora brassicae infection, conserved role of fructokinase-like protein 1 in chloroplast development revealed by a seedling-lethal albino mutant of pepper, targeted creation of new mutants with compact plant architecture using crispr/cas9 genome editing by an optimized genetic transformation procedure in cucurbit plants, cmabf1 and cmcbf4 cooperatively regulate putrescine synthesis to improve cold tolerance of melon seedlings, potato stlecrk-iv.1 negatively regulates late blight resistance by affecting the stability of a positive regulator sttet8, transcriptome- and proteome-wide association of a recombinant inbred line population revealed twelve core qtls for four fruit traits in pepper ( capsicum annuum l.), mdmyb10 affects nitrogen uptake and reallocation by regulating the nitrate transporter mdnrt2.4-1 in red-fleshed apple, plant factory technology lights up urban horticulture in the post-coronavirus world, regulation of fleshy fruit ripening: from transcription factors to epigenetic modifications, exogenous auxin-induced enhancer of shoot regeneration 2 (esr2) enhances femaleness of cucumber by activating the csacs2 gene, genomic variation reveals demographic history and biological adaptation of the ancient relictual, lotus ( nelumbo adans.), rootstock–scion exchanging mrnas participate in the pathways of amino acid and fatty acid metabolism in cucumber under early chilling stress, ethylene precisely regulates anthocyanin synthesis in apple via a module comprising mdeil1, mdmyb1, and mdmyb17, the genome of hibiscus hamabo reveals its adaptation to saline and waterlogged habitat, the transcription factor complex cmap3-cmpi-cmuif1 modulates carotenoid metabolism by directly regulating the carotenogenic gene cmccd4a-2 in chrysanthemum, brpnac895 and brpabi449 coregulate the transcription of the afflux-type cadmium transporter brphma2 in brassica parachinensis, transcription factor cswrky40 regulates l-theanine hydrolysis by activating the cspdx2.1 promoter in tea leaves during withering, large-scale discovery of non-conventional peptides in grape ( vitis vinifera l.) through peptidogenomics, leveraging a graft collection to develop metabolome-based trait prediction for the selection of tomato rootstocks with enhanced salt tolerance, an efficient root transformation system for crispr/cas9-based analyses of shoot–root communication in cucurbit crops, tomato slcer1–1 catalyzes the synthesis of wax alkanes, increasing drought tolerance and fruit storability, genomic insights into longan evolution from a chromosome-level genome assembly and population genomics of longan accessions, identification of a wrky transcriptional activator from camellia sinensis that regulates methylated egcg biosynthesis, integration of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics identifies candidate loci underlying fruit weight in loquat, comparative genomics analysis of bhlh genes in cucurbits identifies a novel gene regulating cucurbitacin biosynthesis, nac-mediated membrane lipid remodeling negatively regulates fruit cold tolerance, negative regulation of root-knot nematode parasitic behavior by root-derived volatiles of wild relatives of cucumis metuliferus cm3, a myb transcription factor, pg myb308-like, enhances the level of shikimate, aromatic amino acids, and lignins, but represses the synthesis of flavonoids and hydrolyzable tannins, in pomegranate ( punica granatum l.), genomic population structure and local adaptation of the wild strawberry fragaria nilgerrensis, small rna populations reflect the complex dialogue established between heterograft partners in grapevine, candidate resistance genes to foliar phylloxera identified at rdv3 of hybrid grape, genetic architecture and genomic predictive ability of apple quantitative traits across environments, haplotype analyses reveal novel insights into tomato history and domestication driven by long-distance migrations and latitudinal adaptations, physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects of grafting in fruit trees, evidence for two domestication lineages supporting a middle-eastern origin for brassica oleracea crops from diversified kale populations, across-population genomic prediction in grapevine opens up promising prospects for breeding, new insights into flowering date in prunus : fine mapping of a major qtl in sweet cherry, genotype-independent plant transformation, deep-learning-based in-field citrus fruit detection and tracking, mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 is obligatory for late pollen and early fruit development in tomato, sugar signal mediates flavonoid biosynthesis in tea leaves, grafting: a potential method to reveal the differential accumulation mechanism of secondary metabolites, patterns of genomic divergence in sympatric and allopatric speciation of three mihoutao ( actinidia ) species, evolution and functional diversification of r2r3-myb transcription factors in plants, rosoideae-specific duplication and functional diversification of ft-like genes in rosaceae, tcmpg: an integrative database for traditional chinese medicine plant genomes, molecular mechanisms underlying multi-level defense responses of horticultural crops to fungal pathogens, autocatalytic biosynthesis of abscisic acid and its synergistic action with auxin to regulate strawberry fruit ripening, the novel leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase mrk1 regulates resistance to multiple stresses in tomato, large-scale analyses of heat shock transcription factors and database construction based on whole-genome genes in horticultural and representative plants, tea plant–legume intercropping simultaneously improves soil fertility and tea quality by changing bacillus species composition, characterization and functional validation of β-carotene hydroxylase acbch genes in actinidia chinensis, there and back again; historical perspective and future directions for vaccinium breeding and research studies, effects of different rootstocks on phenolics in the skin of ‘cabernet sauvignon’ and widely targeted metabolome and transcriptome analysis, grafting with rootstocks promotes phenolic compound accumulation in grape berry skin during development based on integrative multi-omics analysis, genome-wide association study and genomic prediction of white rust resistance in usda grin spinach germplasm, construction of a collection of introgression lines of “texas” almond dna fragments in the “earlygold” peach genetic background, genomic prediction of morphometric and colorimetric traits in solanaceous fruits, engineering high levels of saffron apocarotenoids in tomato, email alerts.

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How to Address the Growing Threat of Thrips Parvispinus

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15 research projects that will advance the horticulture industry.

Boxwood blight is one of the many areas receiving research funding from the Horticultural Research Institute. Photo credit: Michigan.gov

The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), a foundation of AmericanHort, has announced a wide range of research projects that will be funded in 2019. The projects range from innovations to crop production for both greenhouse and nursery segments, water management in landscapes, emergent pest issues, and economic and marketing analyses. A total of $437,200 will be awarded this year.

“The projects funded this year truly represent all facets of the industry,” says Steve Mostardi, HRI President. “From support of new technological innovations to understanding how consumers buy plants, there’s something in this set of awards that should benefit everyone in environmental horticulture. HRI’s mission is to advance the industry, and the trustees take that to heart when selecting projects to fund. The continuing financial support of individuals and companies from all branches of horticulture, is much appreciated.”

The Horticultural Research Institute’s mission is to direct, fund, promote, and communicate horticulture research. Here is a brief look at the projects receiving funding in 2019; watch for more details on some of these on GreenhouseGrower.com .

Off the Sales Floor and Into the Cart: Analyzing the Path to Plant Purchases (Dr. B. Behe, Michigan State University)

How do consumers make buying decisions? This project aims to tackle that question about plant purchases. New technologies such as a portable device that tracks eye movement will be used to investigate visual cue selections that lead to plant purchase. Packaging, in-store signage, brand, and price may impact consumers’ choices. Results should help retailers improve the shopping experience.

Fertility, Population Dynamics, and Pollinator Attractiveness of Standard and Sterile Cultivars: Buddleia as the Case Study May Inform the Way Forward for Our National Industry (Dr. R. Contreras, Oregon State University)

Many in our industry aspire to maintain and promote ecosystem services of plants. The search for plants that are both not weedy or invasive yet are still attractive to pollinators continues. Often pollinator attractiveness is sacrificed to ensure a new introduction has a low risk of becoming invasive. Dr. Contreras and his group aim to develop robust and consistent metrics for evaluating a plant’s potential to be invasive as well as support pollinator services.

Seed Your Future (Dr. J. Dole, North Carolina State University and S. Yoder, Seed Your Future)

Increasing the number of students and graduates in horticulture serves the entire horticultural industry. The Seed Your Future project aims to do just that through promotion of horticulture among young people and in academic settings. More than 150 partners are involved, and HRI is pleased to continue support of this work.

RFID and Beyond: Using RFID, Drones, and BLE to Improve Crop Inventory Management (Dr. R. Fernandez, Michigan State University)

Dr. Fernandez and his team take an integrative approach to helping environmental horticulture better manage crop inventory and make production more efficient. Three different technologies will be evaluated, including RFID technology, Bluetooth, and drones, and merged for greatest impact. Ultimately, these technologies can allow traceability of production information to crops from the moment they are tagged until they leave the production facility and beyond. This potentially will improve inventory data accuracy, quality control, irrigation management, and pesticide application.

Fundamental Aspects of Auxin Foliar Spray Applications to Woody Plant Cuttings (Dr. R. Geneve, University of Kentucky)

Applying auxin as a foliar spray has several advantages over traditional quick-dip methods for rooting cuttings, such as potential improved worker safety and application efficiency. Foliar auxin sprays are also becoming an integral part of propagation systems using automated, machine-assisted sticking robotics. However, not all woody species respond to foliar spray as well as a quick dip application for rooting, and there are questions concerning application timing as well as the optimal number of applications. Basic questions about auxin movement in cuttings related to spray volume, single vs. multiple applications, and use of a surfactant will be addressed.

National Green Industry Survey (Dr. C. Hall, Texas A&M)

This group has conducted the National Green Industry Survey every five years since 1988. Each time, the nursery and greenhouse community reports back on production, management, and marketing practices. This information is important to aid industry members and their allied industries make strategic decisions and continues to serve as a way to monitor changes over time.

Interactions Between Spotted Lanternfly and Woody Ornamentals That Influence Tree Health and Insect Fitness (Dr. K. Hoover, Pennsylvania State University)

Feeding on more than 65 known species, spotted lanternfly (SLF) poses significant threats to nursery production and landscapes, as well as agricultural commodities. SLF was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since been sighted in neighboring states and beyond. USDA-APHIS is focused primarily on the impacts to agricultural crops, with minor resources dedicated (to date) to environmental horticulture. Movement of SLF in the landscape will be tracked, host tree preference by life stage will be determined. Information learned will help environmental horticulture protect landscape and nursery investments.

Using Hyperspectral Technology to Assess Seed Quality of Horticultural Crops (Dr. M. Mesgaran, University of California, Davis)

When starting crops from seed, rapid and uniform germination are highly prized. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Hyperspectral imaging collects information based on a seed’s electromagnetic spectrum, or wavelengths not visible to the human eye. This technology is being evaluated as a quick and nondestructive alternative to time-consuming and costly seed assays.

Boxwood Blight Management in the Landscape (Dr. J. LaMondia, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station)

Historic gardens and home and commercial landscapes alike fear invasion of boxwood blight. Once plants are infected, the current recommendation calls for plant removal and destruction, followed by a rigorous fungicide program to protect any adjacent, symptom-free boxwoods. Dr. LaMondia plans to focus specifically on management of boxwood blight in landscapes with various fungicides.

Measurement of Plant Nitrogen Status in Floriculture and Nursery Production Using Smartphones (Dr. K. Nemali, Purdue University)

Smartphones have revolutionized the way we find information, like monitoring the weather and remotely adjusting your heating and lighting systems. Wouldn’t it be great to add measurement of your crop’s nitrogen needs to the list? This tool could help enable timely decisions about fertilizer needs in production by bypassing the need for lab analysis (which can take up to seven days), all the while saving costs and labor.

Landscape Plant Performance: Water Use Assessments of New Cultivar Selections (Dr. L. Oki, University of California, Davis)

Sound science will be employed to quantify and validate water use claims of certain plants. The data generated will enable the industry to better position certain plants as being verifiably drought tolerant or low water use. Landscape managers and nursery producers in states that experience periodic drought conditions, such as California, Texas, Georgia, and Florida, will benefit most from this study.

Defying Gravity: Stratified Growing Media to Reduce Inputs, Crop Stress, and Minimize Time to Market (Dr. J. Owen, Virginia Tech)

Have you considered layering two different media substrates? Preliminary studies conducted by Dr. Owen have shown that creating stratified layers of different growing media can help reduce water and nutrient use, all while improving growth and reducing production time. The benefits will be more closely analyzed. As an added bonus, automated container filling systems can be adjusted to create the layers with ease.

Submist for Propagation of Nursery Crops by Stem Cuttings (Dr. B. Peterson, University of Maine)

Propagation is a major component of production in environmental horticulture. Overhead mist systems are quite common but use large volumes of water and create environments ideal for disease. In contrast, a submist system could eliminate these shortcomings and perhaps even expand the range of taxa that can be propagated from stem cuttings. Submist will be compared to overhead systems in terms of cost of construction, operating cost per cutting, and water use per cutting.

Preventing Clogging of Irrigation Emitters Caused by Algae in Greenhouse and Nursery (Dr. R. Raudales, University of Connecticut)

Clogging of irrigation main pipes and emitters is a persistent problem in both greenhouse and nursery production. One greenhouse operation reportedly dedicated more than 13,000 man-hours to inspect, clean, and replace clogged emitters, filters, and irrigation lines in one calendar year. Caused by algae, the biofilm responsible for creating this problem is difficult to manage. Control products exist but could potentially damage crops. As an alternative, manipulation of the irrigation system will be studied as a means to control the biofilm.

Increasing Inventory Management Efficiency With Automation for Ornamental Nurseries Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (Dr. M. Wallhead, University of Maine)

Labor comprises a large percentage of production costs within environmental horticulture; therefore, technologies that reduce labor costs and increase production efficiency are needed. Automation offers growers the ability to reduce labor and production costs, while increasing production efficiency. In this study, improvements in inventory management using drones fitted with cameras capable of counting trees, tracking tree location and size, and determining tree health status will be assessed.

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Insights into Circular Horticulture: Knowledge Diffusion, Resource Circulation, One Health Approach, and Greenhouse Technologies

Diego alejandro salinas-velandia.

1 Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria–AGROSAVIA, C.I. Tibaitatá, Mosquera 250040, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Felipe Romero-Perdomo

Stephanie numa-vergel, edwin villagrán, pilar donado-godoy.

2 Global Health Research Unit for the Genomic Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (GHRU–Colombia), CI Tibaitatá, Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA), Mosquera 250040, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Julio Ricardo Galindo-Pacheco

Associated data.

The data presented in this paper are available on request from the corresponding author.

The integration of the circular economy in agriculture has promoted sustainable innovation in food production systems such as horticulture. The present paper illustrates how horticulture is transitioning to the circular economy. This research field’s performance approaches and trends were assessed through a bibliometric and text-mining analysis of the literature. Our findings revealed that circular horticulture is a recent research field that is constantly growing. Its approach has been neither systemic nor integrative but fragmented. Bioeconomy, urban agriculture, recycled nutrients, biochar, fertigation, and desalination have been positioned as research hotspots. Vegetables and fruits are the most studied crops. Resource circulation has focused primarily on biowaste recovery to provide benefits such as biofertilizers and linear-substrate substitutes, and on water reuse for the establishment of hydroponic systems. The One Health approach is scarcely explored and, therefore, weakly articulated, wherein the absence of assessment methodologies encompassing the health of ecosystems, animals, and people is a notable limitation. Science-policy interfaces between One Health and food systems need to be improved. Lastly, greenhouse technologies are aligned with bioenergy, sustainable materials, and sensing technologies. Challenges and directions for future research have been raised to promote the redesign of horticultural production systems, integrating long-term circularity.

1. Introduction

Food waste and loss are global issues affecting agriculture systems’ sustainability. It is estimated that approximately 35% of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted [ 1 ]. Food wastes generate approximately 8% of global greenhouse gases, occupy 23% of all croplands, and consume approximately 25% of all water used by agriculture annually [ 2 ]. Consequently, disturbances of fundamental earth system processes and the transgression of planetary boundaries such as overexploitation of natural resources, soil–air–water pollution, altered biogeochemical cycles, changes in land use, and loss of biosphere integrity have increased [ 3 ]. Prospects point to these effects becoming more pronounced as agricultural production must be increased to ensure food security for a growing population [ 4 ]. Key strategies will thus need to be deployed on a large scale to promote resource sufficiency by addressing agricultural waste and food production in a less-polluting way [ 5 ].

The circular economy proposes a paradigm shift that allows slowing down the natural deterioration of the planet through regenerative systems of material, water, and energy cycles [ 6 ]. The circular economy is a model that seeks to close cycles of the traditional linear economy pattern that follows the take–make–dispose scheme [ 7 ]. Relevant potential thus exists for the circular economy to be applied in the agri-food sector. It implies systemic thinking to reduce the waste generated, valorize waste, reuse food, recycle nutrients and water, and establish more sustainable diets [ 8 ]. The integration of the circular economy in agriculture has led to the emergence of circular agriculture as a new field of research. Today, circular agriculture is being implemented worldwide, from small agricultural fields to large countries, mainly in Europe [ 9 ]. Although the challenge of consolidating circular agriculture continues, the generation of new knowledge that standardizes indicators, processes, and products has recently been reported [ 10 ].

Horticulture, seen as a subfield of agriculture, has shown progress in adopting circular principles. The use of greenhouse structures in horticulture has been relevant for circularity due to their high potential for recycling water and nutrients, their higher production capacity compared to open field-based agriculture per hectare, and their high productivity with reduced use of water and agrochemicals per production unit [ 11 ]. Research linking the circular economy and horticulture has focused on resource circulation and greenhouse technologies for intensive agricultural production from protected crops [ 12 ]. Examples are the use of circular organic fertilization, the implementation of by-products in crop fertigation, the application of wood fiber as an organic substrate to replace peat, and the launch of public policies for sustainability and water security [ 13 ]. A minority of growers even use the recirculation of nutrients and water in the Almeria region, especially to cultivate tomatoes and lettuce [ 14 ].

The transition to a circular model has intensified several health risks of reusing by-products, components, and materials, where the horticultural sector is no exception [ 15 ]. The recovery of animal waste is the main critical point [ 16 , 17 ]. Research in this context has been aligned with techniques to inactivate pathogens, eliminate veterinary antibiotics, reduce potentially harmful agrochemicals in food, and investigate the microbiome and resistome transmission pathways from manure to soil and crops [ 18 , 19 ]. However, the health effects are only partially understood, and much more comprehensive evidence to better inform the policy debate is lacking [ 20 ]. In response, the ‘One Health’ concept drives the assessment of the health impacts of the circular economy. This concept promotes balanced well-being between humans, animals, and the environment, providing a global strategy that highlights the need for holistic and transdisciplinary approaches to improve the connection of all components of an ecosystem [ 21 ]. Horticulture presents an intrinsic closeness to this tripartite interaction, playing an essential role as food represents the link between soil, plants, and animals for human health [ 19 ]; therefore, circular horticulture, especially for the valorization of animal biomass, can be strongly influenced by the One Health concept. The need for circular practices based on One Health is expected to increase in the future [ 22 ].

Circular horticulture is increasingly recognized in sustainable agriculture transitions. However, the lack of systemic efforts to map the existing scientific literature on circular horticulture led us to ask what the research advances on the circular transition of horticulture are. Consolidating its state-of-the-art and identifying its actors is key to guiding future initiatives, projects, and approaches [ 23 ]. Bibliometrics allows the unraveling of evolutionary nuances of a specific field while shedding light on emerging areas in that field [ 24 ]. This is complemented by text mining that identifies patterns or correlations between terms, exploring the dynamics of the information in the publications [ 25 ]. The present work aimed to explore trends in circular horticulture research to provide an overview of the publication landscape and knowledge structure from a bibliometric and text-mining perspective. Four research questions were defined, motivated by the dissemination of knowledge and topics, circulation of resources, the One Health approach, and greenhouse technologies. The research questions were the following:

• (i) How has the dissemination of circular horticulture knowledge evolved worldwide, including countries, affiliations, and authors?
• (ii) What are the salient research topics of circular horticulture?
• (iii) What is the trend of crops, resource circulation strategies, implications of One Health, and greenhouse technologies in circular horticulture research?
• (iv) What are the challenges and directions for future research on horticulture toward the circular economy transition?

The presented work represents an interdisciplinary analysis that helps to design more specific interventions to close the circular gap in horticulture. Likewise, it serves as a reference document for various actors in environmental research and public health, sustainable horticultural production, and government decision makers.

2. Materials and Methods

The methodological structure of this study was carried out in three steps. The first step consolidates the literature on circular horticulture by defining the search equation, selecting the database, and filtering publications. The second step represented the bibliometric analysis with the numerous parameters used in the publications. The third step was text mining applied to relevant topics of circular horticulture reported in the literature.

2.1. Data Sampling, Collection, and Cleaning

The search equation was composed of two parentheses with the main keywords of the two associated topics together and four Boolean operators (“ “, OR, AND, *). To create an overview of the impact of the circular economy on agriculture and horticulture, we used Equations (1) and (2), respectively.

The database was selected by comparing Web of Science and Scopus using the total number of publications as a parameter. These two databases mostly cover a wide range of research fields and are therefore widely used to perform multidisciplinary analyses [ 26 ]. For the first search equation, 1488 and 1731 publications from Web of Science and Scopus were examined, while for the second, 59 and 73 publications were examined, respectively. Hence, Scopus contained a larger number of publications and was selected. As we sought to consolidate the research reported to date bibliometrically, we did not define a range of years for the search. The search period was limited solely by the coverage of the databases. The search was carried out in a single day (2 March 2022), with “subject” as the scope, which included the title, abstract, and keywords. During the search in the databases, research and review articles were selected, all available in English.

We used three types of sequential filters to select the final set of circular horticulture publications, as follows: (i) exclude duplicates, (ii) exclude publications with an abstract that were unrelated to the topic, and (iii) exclude publications that were cost reasons could not be downloaded. Therefore, the 73 publications were reduced to 67 ( Table S1 ), exported as comma-separated value (csv) files and imported into Microsoft Excel 2016.

2.2. Bibliometric Analysis

Bibliometric parameters associated with scientific productivity were used in this study. The parameters at the general level of the research field were the number of types of documents (research articles and review articles) and the number of publications per year. The country parameters were the number of publications, citations, and keyword frequency. The scientific production was measured by the frequency of the countries associated with the authors’ affiliations in the publications. The parameters by institution and authors were the number of publications per institution, the number of publications per author, the annual number of publications per author, and Lotka’s law. Keyword dynamics were shown by keyword frequency in all publications and keyword co-occurrence. All these parameters were provided by Bibliometrix software (version 4.0.0, R Core Team).

Particularly, Lotka’s law denotes the number of authors by the number of publications to understand productivity patterns. This indicates that the relative frequency of authors (y) with publications (x) can be described by the following Equation (3):

where c is constant, and n approximately equals 2 [ 27 ].

The keyword co-occurrence map shows the connection between keywords. Co-occurrence is measured when two keywords appear in the same document. The most reported keywords were extracted from the publications’ title and abstract using the complete count method and were selected for a minimum of five occurrences. Subsequently, Bibliometrix generated the map of co-occurrence with grouped keywords and the figure associated with the frequency of keywords in all publications. The other figures related to bibliometric parameters were performed with Prism 8 software (Graphpad, San Diego, CA, USA).

2.3. Text-Mining Analysis

The topics for the text-mining analysis were associated with horticultural crops, resource circulation, and greenhouse technologies ( Figure 1 ). The crops were searched through the categories of vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, and aromatic plants. The resources were addressed from the biowaste reuse, water management, and One Health implications. Greenhouse technologies were focused on sensing technologies, sustainable materials, and bioenergy.

Text-mining analysis framework on the trend of relevant topics in circular horticulture—own elaboration.

The normalized relative frequency of the specific topics per year was calculated using an in-house Python script (available at https://github.com/LeonardoMorenoG/textMiningCH.git ; accessed on 9 May 2022). Publications in PDF format were first parsed to text using the package pdfminer ( https://github.com/euske/pdfminer.git , accessed on 10 July 2022). Any punctuation signs were removed, and all uppercase letters were converted to lowercase before counting the frequency of each keyword related to each specific topic ( Table S2 ). The relative frequency, R , of the i th specific topic at a year, t , was then calculated as:

where q i is the number of keywords associated with the specific topic, i , n j is the number of occurrences of its j th keyword, and N t is the total number of words in all publications at year t , as reported by Dayeen et al. [ 28 ]. Finally, a relative frequency heatmap was generated using seaborn and customized using matplotlib.

3.1. Interest in Research on Circular Agriculture and Horticulture

The computational analyzes of the literature, such as bibliometrics and text mining, have contributed substantially in the last decade to the profound review of scientific knowledge. To understand the impact of the circular economy on horticulture, we compiled insights on knowledge dissemination and research progress from a bibliometric perspective. Firstly, we explored the interest in research on applying the circular economy to agriculture and specifically to the horticultural sector through the number of publications per year. In this sense, we have addressed the first research question on knowledge worldwide dissemination. We found that circular agriculture research led to 1731 publications, wherein 77% were original and 33% were review articles ( Figure 2 ). Circular horticulture research has led to 73 publications, with 80% and 20% original articles and reviews, respectively. This comparison indicates that circular horticulture research represents approximately 4% of circular agriculture. Moreover, circular agriculture presented its first report 17 years ago, while circular horticulture presented 5 years ago. Despite this notable difference, circular agriculture publications have grown sharply since 2017. Interestingly, the largest increase for both research topics was seen during the period 2020–2021.

Annual publication trend on circular agriculture and circular horticulture from Scopus database. The number of publications per year is the sum of original articles and reviews. The left Y axis of the figure corresponds to circular agriculture, while the right Y axis corresponds to circular horticulture—own elaboration.

3.2. Most Outstanding Countries

Next, we examined the scientific production of the most relevant countries in circular horticulture to understand the research dynamics in a geographical context and thusly continue to answer our first research question. The scientific production was measured by the frequency of the countries associated with the authors’ affiliations in the publications. Thirty-nine countries worldwide are researching circular horticulture ( Figure 3 ). Notably, Spain is the most productive country. Italy and Belgium are in second and third place, respectively, with a frequency of one-third and one-half compared to Spain. Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Australia, and the USA complete the top 10 in their respective order. Therefore, the continent that unquestionably leads is Europe. The remaining countries, from 11th to 20th place, are Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Canada, China, the UK, Cyprus, Ireland, New Zealand, and Peru.

Geographical dynamics of most productive countries in the research of circular horticulture—own elaboration.

Country cooperation was assessed by measuring whether a single country or multiple countries appeared in a publication. We noted that Italy ranks first, with the largest number of both single-country publications and multiple-country publications ( Figure 4 A). China and Spain rank second and third, respectively, in both types of cooperation. Interestingly, single-country publications dominate the entire ranking. The total number of citations in the countries was also analyzed. Italy is the most-cited country in its publications, with 3810 citations ( Figure 4 B). With less than half of the citations are the other countries, wherein Spain, China, and France complete the ranking of countries that exceed 1000 citations. The UK is fifth with 817 citations and the USA is tenth with 539. Additionally, we described the topics that the countries are researching through the association with the keywords reported in a Sankey diagram ( Figure 4 C). Spain is focusing its research on the circular economy, sustainable and intensive agriculture, horticulture, and bioeconomy. Italy and Germany also contribute markedly to reporting on the circular economy. Singapore is the country that has the most reports regarding biochar and anaerobic digestion, while Belgium has the most reports regarding circular horticulture, fertigation, peat replacement, and greenhouses. Finally, resource recovery and recycling are promoted in publications mainly by Spain, Italy, and Germany.

Geographical dynamics of research in circular horticulture. Cooperation between countries ( A ), most cited countries ( B ), and most reported keywords by country ( C )—own elaboration.

3.3. Most Prolific Institutions and Authors

We also analyze the scientific production of the most relevant institutions and authors to know their cooperation interactions and provide the main references of circular horticulture. The top 10 affiliations present a range of publications between 33 and 6 ( Figure 5 A). The most productive affiliation in circular horticulture is the University of Almería. Then there are the National University of Singapore, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the University of Bologna, and the University of Bonn, with over ten publications.

Publications productivity of institutions and authors on circular horticulture. Top 10 institutions with the highest number of publications ( A ), Top 10 authors with the highest number of publications ( B ), production over time of the authors ( C ), and use of the Lotka’s Law ( D )—own elaboration.

In regard to authors, we observed slight differences in the top 10 ( Figure 5 B). Bart Vandecasteele is the leader in publications. Interestingly, the second and third authors are Jane Debode and Fien Amery. There are then five authors tied with three publications: Luis Belmonte-Ureña, Francisco Camacho-Ferre, Sarah Ommeslag, Caroline De Tende, and Rian Visser. Over time, the top authors showed that Bart Vandecasteele and Jane Debode have the most constant productivity in the five years of circular horticulture ( Figure 5 C). Luis Belmonte-Ureña and Francisco Camacho-Ferre stand out for their productivity and citations in the last two years. Finally, we analyze the authors using one of the main pillars of bibliometric analysis: Lotka’s law. This law indicates the distribution of authors during a specific period or within certain subject areas. One interpretation that can be deduced, for instance, is that many authors publish solely one study, while a small group of prolific authors contribute many publications. We found a dramatic decrease in the number of authors as the number of publications increased ( Figure 5 D). The largest concentration of authors (379) reported one publication, representing 92%. Two publications have been written by 24 authors (5%), while five authors have three publications. From four to six publications, one author was found. Based on the findings found in the institutions and authors, we finished answering the first research question.

3.4. Research Hotspots: Keyword Frequency and Cooccurrence

Because keywords denote salient research topics, we next explored the trend of keyword usage to determine what they reveal, thus answering the second research question. The most-used keyword in circular agriculture research is circular economy, with 31%, as expected ( Figure 6 A). Sustainability ranks second, less than a third (8%) as often as circular economy. This is then followed by sustainable agriculture, bioeconomy, circular horticulture, biochar, and greenhouse, between 6% and 3%. The remaining keywords (i.e., composting, bioplastics, fertigation, desalination, etc.) in the top 25 have 2%.

Use of keywords in research on circular horticulture. Frequency and percentage of the top 25 keywords ( A ) and co-occurrence map ( B )—own elaboration.

We constructed a co-occurrence map to study how keywords interact. The occurrence was the parameter that allowed description of the interaction. Two words are defined as co-occurring if they appear in the same document. The size of the node represents the frequency of the keyword and the thickness of the link the co-occurrence, which generated seven clusters, distinguished by colors ( Figure 6 B). The keywords that dominated by cluster were circular economy (red), sustainability (blue), sustainable agriculture (green), nutritional recycling (brown), and circular horticulture (orange); fertigation and disease suppression are tied (purple), as are life cycle assessment and urban farming (pink). Likewise, the red cluster displays the largest size in the number of keywords, followed by the green one. Strong links were noted between circular economy and sustainable agriculture, circular economy and horticulture, circular economy and sustainability, circular economy and bioeconomy, and circular economy and biochar.

Additionally, we analyzed the ranking of the 10 most influenced publications, based on their citations ( Table S3 ). The research questions addressed in these publications revealed that barriers in farmers’ perceptions need to be identified, opportunities in related industries improved, and existing circular farming practices transferred.

3.5. Text-Mining Findings: Discovering Major Research Topics and Trends

To scrutinize the horticultural literature in the circular economy and address the third research question, we conducted text-mining analyses in the set publications, focussing on three aspects: crops studied, resource circulation strategies used, and implemented greenhouse technologies. The most studied crops were vegetables and fruits ( Figure 7 ). Aromatic and ornamental plants have had a slight prominence. Nevertheless, we did not observe a pronounced growth trend in any crop. Research efforts on resource circulation have focused primarily on biowaste. The most significant relative frequency was obtained with biowaste in 2018, which decreased slightly until 2020. Water circulation is the second-most discussed topic, being the only one that has appeared since 2017. One Health approach displayed a notable prominence in 2018, coinciding with biowaste, but their trend was not constant in the following years. Greenhouse technology was the least prominent focus. Its trend was similar to crops. Bioenergy gave increases in 2018 and 2021, while sustainable materials increased in 2019. In contrast, the inclusion of sensing technology was scarce.

Trends in circular horticulture research topics—own elaboration.

4. Discussion

4.1. knowledge dissemination and research progress.

A redesign of agricultural production systems based on the circular economy is a promising solution to sustainably transform the food system [ 29 ]. In the present study, we consolidated the first literature mapping of reported research linking the circular economy and horticulture.

Our findings showed that circular horticulture is a recent research field, and its number of publications has grown continuously, yet it still represents a small niche of circular agriculture. Europe markedly leads the dissemination of circular horticulture knowledge in terms of the most prominent countries, institutions, and authors. These results agree with a recent bibliometric mapping, where Italy, Spain, and China stand out in scientific production on circular agriculture, while the United States, China, and Germany are pioneers in crop–livestock systems research, with a strong circular influence [ 10 , 30 ]. Moreover, the geographical centralization of the circular economy worldwide has been found with certainty in Europe in most economic sectors, such as agriculture and horticulture. Government actions of the European Union have placed the circular economy as a pillar of the European Green Deal for its development policy, international cooperation, and research leverage [ 31 ].

We noted that vegetables and fruits are the most used crops to investigate circular innovations in horticulture. Lettuce, potato, carrot, onion, tomato, and pak choi are the most reported vegetables, while several studies have used fruits such as apple, avocado, pineapple, papaya, and strawberry. Conversely, ornamental and aromatic plants have been slightly prominent, with reports of Diplotaxis tenuifolia and Valerianella locusta . Vegetables and fruits play a key role in circular horticulture. From a practical perspective, these account for nearly 90% of global horticulture production, and their consumption can increase substantially by being included in healthy diets, which has shown that their production slightly affects the environment compared to ultra-processed foods [ 32 ]. Moreover, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that higher than 60% of fruit and vegetable waste is reusable, suggesting that the circular management of vegetables and fruits requires intelligent and advanced management for the sustainable reuse of waste that covers its entire life cycle [ 33 ].

We found that resource circulation strategies have mainly been applied to biowaste for biofertilizers in nutrient recycling. Its main objective is the reduction of mineral and fossil fertilizers. Biowastes based on alfalfa, lupine meal, castor cake, tomato, tea, fish, algae, cow horn shavings, and cattle and chicken manure are raw materials that demonstrate their biofertilizer potential for both agricultural production and the maintenance of soil health [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Various works have shown that the enrichment of biowaste with microbial biostimulants, biological controllers, and plant extracts is a promising practice to stabilize certain conditions of the biowaste as well as to improve seedling growth further, mitigate abiotic stress, and control pests [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. We identified that studies focused on biowaste management are associated with its conditioning, characterization, and application effect in crop production. These methodological approaches are necessary to consolidate biowaste’s nutritional categorization and technical standardization. In spite of this, current valorization techniques must be simplified and improved to massively increase efficiency [ 40 ]. However, the economic value, technology transfer potential to other crops, and environmental conditions cannot be ignored [ 11 ].

We noted how biowaste has also been investigated to replace the substrates conventionally used under the linear economy model. This is very important, considering that the manufacture and accumulation of conventional single-use substrates carries a sizeable environmental burden, such as greenhouse gas emissions, soil acidification processes, and the depletion of non-renewable resources [ 41 ]. Consequently, the reuse of linear substrate or the biowaste that replaces it should be strongly encouraged, together with the reduction of its use quantity [ 42 ]. We observed that the biowastes assessed that have led to promising findings are mushrooms, grape pomace, miscanthus, reeds, Eucalyptus globulus bark, coconut, wood, flax, and biochar. Their use through composting, vermicomposting, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion processes have proven to be a sustainable substitute for peat for horticulture [ 12 , 43 , 44 ]. It is essential to monitor and record the physical and chemical quality of the substrate to ensure high efficiency in water and fertilizers, which will allow maintaining adequate crop yields so as not to affect food security [ 45 ].

Our data suggest that resource circulation strategies have influenced water management to a lesser extent than biowaste. Closed-loop micro-irrigation practices with sensing technologies have been implemented in greenhouses [ 46 ]. Research has been advanced in hydroponic systems that improve water management by applying low-cost automated systems based on Raspberry Pi and Arduino to cyclically manage water replenishment [ 47 ]. Wastewater recycling as a fertigation method continues to receive attention, but it still represents a bottleneck in standardizing processes with suitable conditions for reuse [ 48 ]. Some authors have proposed the cradle-to-cradle system to recycle phosphorus as a heavy metal-free struvite from wastewater to fertilize a lettuce crop [ 49 ].

We also found that the coverage of the One Health implications of circular horticulture has been relatively limited. Its approach has been associated with the recovery of biowaste, mainly animal manure [ 50 ]. The actions promoted by One Health include improvements in antimicrobial use regulation and policy, infection surveillance and control, and animal husbandry and sanitation [ 51 ]. One Health has also fostered the supply of probiotics and postbiotics to manage viral diseases in animals and humans and increased biodiversity by producing of locally adapted crops and livestock breeds [ 52 ]. From a research perspective, the integration of quantitative indicators of human health and animal welfare into life-cycle sustainability assessments has been reported. Human health considerations have been dimensioned using epidemiological dietary risk data, expressed as disability-adjusted life years related to the top three diet-related diseases in the study area [ 53 ]. For animal health, indicators such as years of animal-life years suffered and loss of animal lives have been proposed [ 54 ].

Greenhouse technologies are a fundamental aspect that dramatically influences the efficient and safe production of horticultural crops in a protected environment linear processes, however, have predominated in their operation. We noted that the circular economy is primarily integrated bioenergy sources, followed by sustainable materials and sensitivity technologies in greenhouse structures for horticultural production.

Circular research on energy resources has shown progress in substituting fossil fuels for bioenergy sources to improve the microclimatic management of greenhouses and thus reduce greenhouse gases [ 55 ]. This need has drawn attention to the identification that the processes that maintain optimal conditions for plant growth, such as cooling, heating, humidifying, and adding light, emit 96% of the greenhouse gases produced in protected horticulture models [ 56 ]. The bioenergy sources implemented are solar, biomass, geothermal, and wind [ 57 ]. For example, switching from diesel-based to biomass-based systems for heating greenhouses has substantially reduced heating costs [ 58 ]. Biomass sources such as firewood, wood chips, wood pellets, paper pellets, grains (corn, rye), and passive solar techniques are recommended [ 4 ].

The most prominent goal of using sustainable materials in greenhouses is to reduce the so-called plastic footprint by developing and implementing bioplastics, long-lasting recycled plastic films, biodegradable plastic films, and compostable plastic films [ 59 ]. A similar trend occurs with other plastic materials used in crop management, such as clips, rings, trellis ropes, and mulch plastics [ 11 ]. Sensitivity technologies in greenhouses adapted to circularity principles are related to water recycling systems and crop irrigation and fertigation control systems [ 60 ]. All these innovations in greenhouse technologies have unfortunately been applied separately and do not form a closed-loop system. Based on this purpose, the GreenFarm model has been reported, which combines greenhouse soilless cultivation, efficient energy conversion technology connected to the greenhouse, and closely cultivated biomass crops [ 58 ]. Two benefits of the GreenFarm model are reduced greenhouse heating costs and soil fertility restoration. A third benefit, the most prominent, is using the CO 2 generated through the biomass-energy conversion process to fertilize crops, which shortens the growth cycle of plants and improves their yield [ 61 , 62 ].

4.2. Challenges and Directions for Future Research

The current literature has shown that the circular economy has not been addressed as a system in the entire production cycle of horticulture. Its approach has been fragmented based on evaluating the potential for the reuse of resources. While these assessments are necessary and represent the first steps, circular horticulture requires a systemic transformation involving several challenges that guide the direction of future research, as expressed by our fourth research question. We outline the following recommendations.

Redesigning current horticulture production systems requires holistic approaches that allow the development of both circular flows of resources and circularity indicators. Circular practices do not guarantee sustainability; therefore, their scope and effects must be measured through indicators. Implementing the life cycle assessment with material circularity indicators of the productive system is suggested as a solution strategy. This strategy has recently been conceptualized in the literature and is crucial in improving circular decision making [ 63 ]. Likewise, the redesign process requires more extensive automation capabilities to support intelligent decision making based on data [ 64 ].

The recovery of biowaste is the hallmark of the circular economy, and there is still a long way to go for horticulture. Challenges have been raised in frequently addressed issues, such as the standardization of processes for the proper conditioning, use, and mixing of biowaste [ 57 ]. Nonetheless, some aspects that require research are collecting, transporting, and storing biowaste [ 65 ].

The circular approach shows many ecological, social, and economic interdependencies between a system’s actors, drivers, and outcomes. Farmers and consumers are prominent actors who represent a social challenge to reframe that biowaste is a valuable resource [ 66 ]. Consequently, we must educate regarding the different productive uses of biowaste and its environmental and economic benefits [ 67 ].

The circular transformation of agricultural production systems and the One Health concept should not be seen as isolated issues [ 19 ]. We highlight four challenges: (i) its weak research; (ii) the transmission of pathogens from the soil, water, and biomass to food and humans; (iii) the spread of antibiotic resistance genes; and (iv) the limited evaluation methodologies and frameworks with an interdisciplinary approach encompassing the environment, animals, and human health. More research with a significant policy interface is needed to develop targets and roadmaps in national, regional, and global visions [ 68 ]. Research should be articulated with economic, social, and environmental stakeholders to improve the scope of current impact monitoring and assessment frameworks and methods, such as environmental strategy, environmental impact, social impact, and life cycle assessments [ 53 , 69 ].

Finally, an innovatively tangible future in circular horticulture requires government actions with financial investments that leverage research. Target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals seeks to halve global food waste at retail and consumer levels and reduce food loss during production and supply [ 70 ]. There the Food Waste Index is suggested as a methodology to monitor progress. Although results driven by this target have been reported, several studies have recommended specifying critical issues by sector, redefining the index, and increasing its scope [ 71 , 72 ], and there is a need to prioritize the consolidation of circular food systems more broadly in global environmental initiatives.

We acknowledge two limitations of our research approach that are intrinsic to the nature of bibliometrics. The first limitation is associated with the language. The present study was conducted solely considering publications written in English, and therefore there is an underrepresentation of non-English speaking publications. The second limitation is the sole use of peer-reviewed publication databases, which excludes gray literature and non-indexed journals. Nonetheless, these two sources were used for the definition of the search equation and the discussion of the results.

5. Conclusions

Circular horticulture is a recent research field that is gaining attention. Europe has led the dissemination of knowledge. The most productive countries, institutions, and authors are Spain, Italy, and Belgium; the University of Almería; and Bart Vandecashteele and Jane Debode. The most outstanding research topics of circular horticulture are bioeconomy, urban agriculture, nutrient recovery, soilless farming, biochar, fertigation, and desalination.

Current research has prioritized fruits and vegetables as study crops. The circulation strategies have been aligned with biowaste recovery and water reuse. Multiple biowastes from animals and crops have been investigated, which provide benefits as biofertilizers and substitutes for linear substrates. Water management has featured innovations in wastewater treatments, hydroponic systems, and automated technologies. Understanding the One Health approach shows substantial gaps, in which methodologies and evaluation frameworks with an interdisciplinary approach that cover the health of ecosystems, animals, and people are lacking. Greenhouse technologies have shown progress in the development and incorporation of sustainable materials, as well as bioenergy sources, for microclimatic management.

Some challenges that need to be addressed to innovate future research directions in circular horticulture lie in promoting a systemic or integrative perspective to redesign horticultural production systems circularly; formulating circularity indicators; investigating aspects of the collection, transport, and storage of biowaste; training all actors in horticultural value chains on the positive impact of the proper reuse of biowaste; broaden the scope of impact assessment methods framed in the life cycle; and prioritize the consolidation of One Health and circular food systems integrated initiatives.

Acknowledgments

All authors thank Jaime Leonardo Moreno-Gallego, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, for his advice on the text-mining analysis. We thank David Aanensenque, director of the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, and Juan Diego Palacio, Director of the Tibaitatá research center, for allowing us the time to write this article. We also acknowledge the financial management of Erik Cristopher Dustin Osma, as well as the support of Lucy Matkin, Project Manager at the Center for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance at the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford, and the Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria—AGROSAVIA—for the technical support in the execution of this. Felipe Romero-Perdomo thanks Professor Miguel Ángel González Curbelo of the Master’s in Sustainable Development Projects at the EAN University for all the academic training received in bioeconomy and sustainability.

Supplementary Materials

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ijerph191912053/s1 , Table S1. Publications on circular horticulture that were analyzed with the evaluation framework of bibliometric and text mining. Table S2. Text mining analysis search strategy. Table S3. Top 10 most cited publications on circular horticulture.

Funding Statement

This work was funding through two funding sources: First, the National Institute of Health Research using Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Welcome Trust funds (grant number 206194). Second, Ministerio de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación de Colombia—MINCIENCIAS through the project named “Fortalecimiento de las capacidades de I + D + i del centro de investigación Tibaitatá para la generación, apropiación y divulgación de nuevo conocimiento como estrategia de adaptación al cambio climático en sistemas de producción agrícola ubicados en las zonas agroclimáticas del trópico alto colombiano”. Views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Helath Research, or the Department of Health or MINCIENCIAS.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, D.A.S.-V., F.R.-P., S.N.-V., E.V. and J.R.G.-P.; methodology, D.A.S.-V., F.R.-P., S.N.-V., E.V., J.R.G.-P. and P.D.-G.; data analysis, D.A.S.-V. and F.R.-P.; data visualization, D.A.S.-V., F.R.-P. and E.V.; writing—original draft preparation, D.A.S.-V., F.R.-P., S.N.-V., E.V., P.D.-G. and J.R.G.-P.; writing—review and editing, D.A.S.-V., F.R.-P. and P.D.-G.; supervision, J.R.G.-P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

All Authors were employed by the company Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare that this study received funding from Ministerio de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación de Colombia. The funder had the following involvement with the study: MINCIENCIAS. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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IN THE GARDEN

Where Do the Gardeners You Admire Turn for Advice? To These Newsletters.

A horticulture expert shares his must-read list.

By Margaret Roach

As a boy in Tennessee, Jared Barnes learned from his great-grandfather to place his lanky tomato seedlings on their sides when he was transplanting them, so they could root in all along their stems.

It was one of many gifts of horticultural knowledge that he derived from their time together. But besides getting young Jared off to a strong start in the garden, like those fledgling plants, they taught him something else: We gardeners will always have questions, with each new plant or task or problem, and we need reliable sources we can turn to — someone to ask, who will have answers, the way his great-grandfather did.

It’s similar to the dynamic he witnessed in what was once his favorite segment on the nightly news. “As a kid, I wanted to be a meteorologist for a little while,” he recalled. “And part of the reason is because every night I saw someone get up in front of a group of people and share knowledge and information.”

Although he once drew a hurricane outline on the chalkboard when the teacher left the classroom — an attempt to explain the eye of the storm to his fellow second-graders — translating the weather was not in his future. (And for his efforts, he received a scolding.) Instead, he grew up to be a horticulturist.

Dr. Barnes, 38, is now an associate professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University, in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he teaches a rotating schedule of eight courses, from the introductory unit, Cultivating Plants, to plant propagation, plant breeding, public-garden management and more.

About four years ago, he began expanding his audience with a free weekly email newsletter called “plant-ed,” which includes a numbered list of links to must-reads that have caught his attention, as well as the latest article from his own blog.

Creating the newsletter, he said, is one of his “forcing functions” — a term perhaps more familiar to those who work in math or science, meaning a “systems way of thinking where a choice that you’ve made then forces something else to occur.”

His commitment to publishing the newsletter weekly, he figured, would ensure that he diligently surveyed the landscape of horticultural information — research reports, magazines, websites, social media and other newsletters — to find his own selections to recommend.

Down the Rabbit Hole, After Answers

Another catalyst for combing through the current literature: his curious students.

“They think of things that I wouldn’t have,” Dr. Barnes said. “Some of these rabbit holes I go down in my newsletter are after they ask me a question, and I’ll say, ‘I have no clue, but let’s look into it.’”

Inspired by the native-plant trials at Mt. Cuba Center , in Delaware, which he follows closely, he recently oversaw the addition of a 7,000-square-foot trial garden at the Plantery, a campus botanic garden that serves as a living lab. More than 30 students helped.

“In a few years, we hope to have performance data similar to Mt. Cuba’s reports — but for Southern plants,” he said.

He is also constantly on the lookout for inspiration for his personal garden, a landscape he shares with his wife, Karen Barnes, and their 9-month-old daughter, Magnolia. They call it Ephemera Farm, a reminder to take notice of the small things before it’s too late.

“They’re here and then they’re gone,” he said. “And I feel like in East Texas they oftentimes can be gone a little bit faster, because we’re hotter and things bloom quicker.”

His garden “is definitely more wild and ecological in style and design,” he said, which may explain why his top go-to newsletters are ecologically focused.

In beds close to his log cabin-style house, woodland ephemerals, including maroon-flowered Trillium gracile, a native of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, have just finished blooming. Next come treasures like Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica), with its red-and-yellow blooms, which can be found as far north as Maryland and into parts of the Midwest.

Beyond those beds, prairie-inspired naturalistic plantings dominate.

“As a kid, I loved walking on my great-grandfather’s hill, through the broomsedge and the grasses, and I love the feeling that environment evokes,” he said. “I’ve tried to do that same thing here: create a place where we can cultivate that feeling.”

He finds inspiration in contemporary wild landscapes, too. Stands of Hubricht’s bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) that he saw in Arkansas made an impression, as did a quarter-mile stretch of white false indigo (Baptisia alba) just 20 minutes from home and a breathtaking stand of yellow-flowered B. sphaerocarpa about half an hour away. Those three are in his garden now.

When something doesn’t cooperate, he uses his researcher’s skill set to find the cause — for example, why his clasping jewelflower (Streptanthus maculatus), a mustard family wildflower native to Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, had reached barely six inches tall instead of the expected three feet.

A newsletter that he discovered held the answer: The plants had balked at his very acidic 4.2 pH soil. The solution? Lime.

A lot of what he is trying feels experimental. That’s because there’s not much information available about taking a Southeastern approach to creating such landscapes, he said. For the most part, he hunts for clues from elsewhere, hoping they can be adapted.

One such source: the Northeast-based ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin’s Grow Like Wild newsletter , published at the full moon most months.

“Hers is just so rich with good science information,” Dr. Barnes said. “She tends to focus a lot more on insects and other organisms as well, about the ways they interact with plants.”

In one issue, Ms. McMackin wrote about how a succession of red flowers sustains migrating hummingbirds headed north each spring, a topic she revisited in a recent TED Talk . Although she was using a local example, Eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), it underscored for Dr. Barnes what he had witnessed in his garden with native Penstemon murrayanus, which “the hummingbirds go wild for.”

The insight she shared: Red flowers and hummingbirds co-evolved, forging exchanges of nectar for pollination services. So it’s not surprising that birds have an extra photoreceptor that allows them to see red especially well.

Ms. McMackin, in turn, subscribes to Dr. Barnes’s newsletter, and both regularly read the monthly Bulletin of the Ecological Landscape Alliance , a membership organization of landscape professionals and keen gardeners that promotes sustainable, biodiverse approaches to landscape design.

They both also enjoy The Prairie Ecologist, from Chris Helzer , the director of science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, and his photographs of plants and creatures of the prairie community. “He’s someone on the ground, on the front lines of that habitat,” Dr. Barnes said, “helping me be better informed.”

From England, Clues to Meadow Making

Both gardeners also look forward to an email hailing from farther afield: Dig Delve , a weekly dispatch from the naturalistic landscape designer and author Dan Pearson and his partner, Huw Morgan, who garden in the West of England.

Dr. Barnes was fascinated to read about how they had been able to transform their grass-dominated fields into flowering meadows without tilling or other soil disturbance. If they had simply tried overseeding into the dense growth, they would have failed. But they succeeded because they included the seed of yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), a U.K.-appropriate annual species that is hemiparasitic with grasses.

Hemiparasitic plants get some of their nutrients through photosynthesis, but steal others using rootlike structures called haustoria, which grow inside the tissue of host plants. In this case, that weakened the grasses enough for some wildflowers to get a foothold. Aha!

Dr. Barnes wondered if he could identify native hemiparasites in his region that might do the same thing and help him with meadow making. He is currently experimenting with wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis) and Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa), “tapping into what nature does, to garden better,” he said.

He often finds good leads to share in the monthly GrassSolutions email from Hoffman Nursery , a wholesaler specializing in grasses and sedges (Carex). The emails combine blog posts by the Hoffman staff and citations of recommended articles from elsewhere. Ideas that have caught Dr. Barnes’s attention lately include suggestions for using grasslike plants in urban habitats and on green roofs.

To pique his interest and earn a mention in his own newsletter, however, subjects don’t need to match his particular garden conditions. He knows that his Zone 8b garden, with its extremely acidic soil, 50 inches of annual rainfall and recent temperatures ranging from minus 6 to 116 degrees Fahrenheit, is hardly the typical scenario for most subscribers.

And then there are the deer, gophers, armadillos and wild boar. Yes, feral pigs.

“The first year we lived here, I walked outside one morning, and it was like someone had run a tiller or tractor through a space like half a basketball court in our backyard,” Dr. Barnes recalled. “It was absolutely horrifying.”

Now a double fence — two parallel, six-foot-high stretches of welded wire mesh strung between wood posts — limits access by various species wishing to investigate (or plow) the garden, and so do motion-activated sprinklers.

Does anyone subscribe to a niche newsletter on gardeners’ animal adventures — or have a favorite resource on another garden topic to recommend? Do share. He’s listening.

Margaret Roach is the creator of the website and podcast A Way to Garden , and a book of the same name.

If you have a gardening question, email it to Margaret Roach at [email protected], and she may address it in a future column.

The Joys of Gardening

Whether you’re limited to an apartment window box or looking to start a backyard vegetable garden, these tips can help..

You can grow enchanting potted topiaries. You just have to follow a few simple rules . (Also, forget about going away for the weekend.)

Is y our garden missing something ? An imposing work of pottery can be as important to the design of a landscape as any well-placed plant. And no, not just flower pots.

Want to create a living fence? Or maybe you’d like to produce a harvest of leaves and twigs to feed livestock, or simply enliven the landscape with color? There’s a willow for that .

Are you thinking of growing onions from seeds? Here’s what you need to know .

Whether you want cut flowers or a striking vertical display,  these seeds for vines will flourish in no time  — given the right support.

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Maryland Grows

Umd extension home and garden information center blog, how to navigate the internet when searching for solutions to home horticulture problems.

All gardeners have challenges in their landscapes and at some point you may turn to the internet for answers. While the internet is a great tool for researching home gardening questions, it can come with challenges. These tips are meant to help guide you through successful internet searches. Remember you can always reach out to your local University of Maryland Extension office or use Ask Extension to get answers to all your gardening questions.

The first step when I begin research is to outline the goals for what I’m trying to figure out. Are you just curious? Is the plant or pest something that you want to try and control? Are you looking for a new plant to add to your garden or landscape? Maybe you are looking for the answers to multiple questions.

Two tips for searching the internet for garden answers

Tip 1: Be specific and always add the word “Extension” or “search term + Extension + your state” to the search phrase. This is helpful for finding the best science- and research- based information. This tip can help eliminate products or services. If you know your state’s Land Grant Universities , add those names to the search box, especially when searching for garden/natural resources related issues. 

For example, if you want to research “spring blooming purple trees” you might search those words and end up frustrated without any specific answers.

If you add the word(s) Extension, or UMD Extension as in the following example, you will get results from University of Maryland:

Tip 2: Focus on something unique about the specimen— whether it be a plant, insect, flower, seed, etc., such as colors, patterns, or antennae on an insect. Odd characteristics pinpoint search results and make searching easier and faster.

Example: If you just search the word “beetle” with no descriptor words, you will get just that, a general page about beetles.

If you add more detail like color, the results begin to get more refined:

Extra details with an oddity highlighted will get you even more specific results:

How to be a good garden detective?

Often, this goes back to being thorough and paying attention. Our landscapes and gardens often “whisper” and do not scream. If we ignore small signs, symptoms, and clues, that is when it appears that the problem happened overnight.  

Plant identification is something that many people struggle with— maybe it’s a weed, maybe a plant with an invasive tendency, or maybe it’s a plant that is bringing something positive to your landscape/natural area. Knowing exactly what the plant is is very important. We could spend a lot of time and energy reviewing botany but these tips are meant to help you build good searching habits.

Next month, we will explore different plant apps for your mobile device, but ultimately with or without a plant app, correct plant identification often relies on mature plants that are intact/complete– including the reproductive structures (flowers, fruits, or seeds). Consider the photo above. There are plenty of healthy specimen plants. Questions you can use to help guide your internet searching are:

• What environment is the plant growing in — sun, shade, wet, dry, etc.? 
• Is it an isolated specimen or are there several specimens of the same plant? Is it prolific and making a monoculture, as in the photo above? 
• Is there a flower on the plant? Flowers can be very helpful for figuring out the correct plant ID. Some keys and guides focus primarily on flowers to identify plants. 
• Is the plant mature? Are the leaves complete? Remember there are simple and compound leaves. Always look for the petiole , which is the structure/stalk that connects the leaf to the stem. Leaflets of a compound leaf will not have individual petioles. 
• Are there seeds/fruits/nuts? Underground plant structures, like rhizomes, bulbs, or crowns?   
• Plant ID apps can be helpful but might not be 100% correct all the time. More on this topic next month. 

Here is another view of the drainage area full of watercress. No other plants are green yet in this photo, which is another unique fact that you could potentially use in an internet search. Often non-native plants will break dormancy and begin to grow sooner which can indicate that they do not belong in this location, as is the case here. 

For insect or arthropod identification:

•  What is the type of damage you’re seeing (chewed holes or tiny dots that indicate piercing/sucking?)
• How many legs? 
• Is it an adult insect? 
• Are there many others present or just one specimen? 
• Is there more than one type of insect? Sometimes the most obvious is not the actual problem. 
• Are there visible wings? How many?
• Interesting colors, patterns, etc.?

Tips for collecting specimens for photos or to take to your local Extension office:

• Healthy and complete specimens are very important. 
• Photos are a great addition to a specimen, but they must be in focus. 
• Keep the specimen in the best condition that is possible. Digging the entire plant is a best practice, then wrap in a wet paper towel or newspaper and place in a plastic bag/container. Keeping the plants cool until you can get them to your Extension office or plant clinic is also helpful. If there is just one specimen and you are on public property, there is always a chance that it is exotic or protected. Please consider just taking photos in these instances. 
• Always note any flowers/fruiting structures. 
• Advice and suggestions from Extension professionals can only be as good as the information provided— please do your part to submit appropriate photos/specimens. 

Taking photos: 

• Close up and complete specimens are needed. 
• If there are flowers or fruits, always get a photo.
• Photos of the environment are helpful to gain a better understanding of the situation. 

Remember, correct identification— whether plant, insect, tree, plant disease, etc.— is the key to managing landscapes sustainably! The most frustrating part of searching the internet is that you don’t know what you don’t know— so asking a specific question about a mystery is hard. The internet is full of wonderful information, but it also has misinformation especially when taken out of context and information may be incorrect for your specific location or growing zone. Once you begin applying some of the above tips you can streamline your search experience and have better success with finding answers from reputable sources.

By Ashley Bodkins, Senior Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator,  Garrett County , Maryland. Read more posts by  Ashley .

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Researchers detect a new molecule in space

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New research from the group of MIT Professor Brett McGuire has revealed the presence of a previously unknown molecule in space. The team's open-access paper, “ Rotational Spectrum and First Interstellar Detection of 2-Methoxyethanol Using ALMA Observations of NGC 6334I ,” appears in April 12 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters .

Zachary T.P. Fried , a graduate student in the McGuire group and the lead author of the publication, worked to assemble a puzzle comprised of pieces collected from across the globe, extending beyond MIT to France, Florida, Virginia, and Copenhagen, to achieve this exciting discovery. 

“Our group tries to understand what molecules are present in regions of space where stars and solar systems will eventually take shape,” explains Fried. “This allows us to piece together how chemistry evolves alongside the process of star and planet formation. We do this by looking at the rotational spectra of molecules, the unique patterns of light they give off as they tumble end-over-end in space. These patterns are fingerprints (barcodes) for molecules. To detect new molecules in space, we first must have an idea of what molecule we want to look for, then we can record its spectrum in the lab here on Earth, and then finally we look for that spectrum in space using telescopes.”

Searching for molecules in space

The McGuire Group has recently begun to utilize machine learning to suggest good target molecules to search for. In 2023, one of these machine learning models suggested the researchers target a molecule known as 2-methoxyethanol. 

“There are a number of 'methoxy' molecules in space, like dimethyl ether, methoxymethanol, ethyl methyl ether, and methyl formate, but 2-methoxyethanol would be the largest and most complex ever seen,” says Fried. To detect this molecule using radiotelescope observations, the group first needed to measure and analyze its rotational spectrum on Earth. The researchers combined experiments from the University of Lille (Lille, France), the New College of Florida (Sarasota, Florida), and the McGuire lab at MIT to measure this spectrum over a broadband region of frequencies ranging from the microwave to sub-millimeter wave regimes (approximately 8 to 500 gigahertz). 

The data gleaned from these measurements permitted a search for the molecule using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations toward two separate star-forming regions: NGC 6334I and IRAS 16293-2422B. Members of the McGuire group analyzed these telescope observations alongside researchers at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (Charlottesville, Virginia) and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 

“Ultimately, we observed 25 rotational lines of 2-methoxyethanol that lined up with the molecular signal observed toward NGC 6334I (the barcode matched!), thus resulting in a secure detection of 2-methoxyethanol in this source,” says Fried. “This allowed us to then derive physical parameters of the molecule toward NGC 6334I, such as its abundance and excitation temperature. It also enabled an investigation of the possible chemical formation pathways from known interstellar precursors.”

Looking forward

Molecular discoveries like this one help the researchers to better understand the development of molecular complexity in space during the star formation process. 2-methoxyethanol, which contains 13 atoms, is quite large for interstellar standards — as of 2021, only six species larger than 13 atoms were detected outside the solar system , many by McGuire’s group, and all of them existing as ringed structures.  

“Continued observations of large molecules and subsequent derivations of their abundances allows us to advance our knowledge of how efficiently large molecules can form and by which specific reactions they may be produced,” says Fried. “Additionally, since we detected this molecule in NGC 6334I but not in IRAS 16293-2422B, we were presented with a unique opportunity to look into how the differing physical conditions of these two sources may be affecting the chemistry that can occur.”

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Striking findings from 2023

Pew Research Center has gathered data around some of this year’s defining news stories, from the rise of artificial intelligence to the debate over affirmative action in college admissions . Here’s a look back at 2023 through some of our most striking research findings.

These findings only scratch the surface of the Center’s research from this past year .

A record-high share of 40-year-olds in the U.S. have never been married, according to a Center analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data . As of 2021, a quarter of 40-year-olds had never been married – up from 6% in 1980.

In 2021, the demographic groups most likely not to have ever been married by age 40 include men, Black Americans and those without a four-year college degree.

A Center survey conducted in April found that relatively few Americans see marriage as essential for people to live a fulfilling life compared with factors like job satisfaction and friendship. While majorities say that having a job or career they enjoy (71%) and having close friends (61%) are extremely or very important for living a fulfilling life, far fewer say this about having children (26%) or being married (23%). Larger shares, in fact, say having children (42%) or being married (44%) are not too or not at all important.

About half of Americans say the increased use of artificial intelligence in daily life makes them feel more concerned than excited – up 14 percentage points from last year, according to an August survey . Overall, 52% of Americans say they feel this way, an increase from 38% in December 2022.

Just 10% of adults say they are more excited than concerned about the increased use of AI, while 36% say they feel an equal mix of these emotions.

The rise in concern about AI has taken place alongside growing public awareness of the technology. Nine-in-ten adults say they have heard either a lot (33%) or a little (56%) about artificial intelligence. The share of those who have heard  a lot  is up 7 points since December 2022.

For the first time in over 30 years of public opinion polling, Americans’ views of the U.S. Supreme Court are more negative than positive, a July survey found . A narrow majority (54%) have an unfavorable view of the high court, while fewer than half (44%) express a favorable one.

The court’s favorable rating has declined 26 percentage points since 2020, following a series of high-profile rulings on issues including affirmative action in college admissions, LGBTQ+ rights and student loans. The drop in favorability is primarily due to a decline among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, just 24% of whom express a favorable opinion of the court.

A growing share of U.S. adults say the federal government should take steps to restrict false information online, even if it limits freedom of information, a June survey found . The share of U.S. adults with this view has risen from 39% in 2018 to 55% in 2023.

In the most recent survey, 42% of adults took the opposite view, saying the government should protect freedom of information, even if it means false information can be published.

Still, Americans remain more likely to say that tech companies – rather than the U.S. government – should be responsible for restricting false information online. About two-thirds (65%) said this in June.

The number of U.S. children and teens killed by gunfire rose 50% in just two years, according to a 2023 analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2019, there were 1,732 gun deaths among U.S. children and teens under 18. By 2021, that figure had increased to 2,590.

The gun death  rate  among children and teens – a measure that adjusts for changes in the nation’s population – rose 46% during that span.

Both the number and rate of children and teens killed by gunfire in 2021 were the highest since at least 1999, the earliest year for which this information is available in the CDC’s mortality database.

Most Asian Americans view their ancestral homelands favorably – but not Chinese Americans, according to a multilingual, nationally representative survey of Asian American adults .

Only about four-in-ten Chinese Americans (41%) have a favorable opinion of China, while 35% have an unfavorable one. Another 22% say they have a neither favorable nor unfavorable view. This stands in contrast to how other Asian Americans view their ancestral homelands. For instance, about nine-in-ten Taiwanese and Japanese Americans have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of their place of origin, as do large majorities of Korean, Indian and Filipino Americans.

While Chinese Americans’ views of China are more mixed, they still have a more favorable opinion of the country than other Asian adults do. Just 14% of other Asian Americans view China favorably.

Even before the Israel-Hamas war, Israelis had grown more skeptical of a two-state solution. In a survey conducted in March and April , prior to the war, just 35% of Israelis thought “a way can be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully.” This share had declined by 9 percentage points since 2017 and 15 points since 2013.

Among both Arabs and Jews living in Israel, there have been declines over the past decade in the share of people who believe that a peaceful coexistence between Israel and an independent Palestinian state is possible.

A majority of Americans say they would tip 15% or less for an average restaurant dining experience, including 2% who wouldn’t leave a tip at all, an August survey shows . The survey presented respondents with a hypothetical scenario in which they went to a sit-down restaurant and had average – but not exceptional – food and service. About six-in-ten (57%) say they would leave a tip of 15% or less in this situation. Another 12% say they would leave a tip of 18%, and a quarter of people say they’d tip 20% or more.

Adults in lower-income households and those ages 65 and older are more likely than their counterparts to say they would tip 15% or less in a situation like this.

Partisan views of Twitter – the social media platform now called X – have shifted over the last two years, with Republican users’ views of the site growing more positive and those of Democratic users becoming more negative, according to a March survey . The share of Republican and GOP-leaning users who said the site is mostly bad for American democracy fell from 60% in 2021 to 21% earlier this year. At the same time, the share of Republican users who said the site is mostly good for democracy rose from 17% to 43% during the same span.

Democrats’ views moved in the opposite direction during that time frame. The percentage of Democratic and Democratic-leaning Twitter users who said the platform is good for American democracy decreased from 47% to 24%, while the share who said it is bad for democracy increased – though more modestly – from 28% to 35%.

These changes in views follow Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform in fall 2022.

Nearly half of U.S. workers who get paid time off don’t take all the time off their employer offers, according to a February survey of employed Americans . Among those who say their employer offers paid time off for vacation, doctors’ appointments or to deal with minor illnesses, 46% say they take less time off than they are allowed. A similar share (48%) say they typically take all the time off they are offered.

Among those who don’t take all their paid time off, the most common reasons cited are not feeling the need to take more time off (52% say this), worrying they might fall behind at work (49%), and feeling badly about their co-workers taking on additional work (43%).

Smaller shares cite other concerns, including the feeling that taking more time off might hurt their chances for job advancement (19%) or that they might risk losing their job (16%). Some 12% say their manager or supervisor discourages them from taking time off.

An overwhelming majority of Americans (79%) express a negative sentiment when asked to describe politics in the United States these days, a July survey found . Just 2% offer a positive word or phrase, while 10% say something neutral.

Among those who volunteered an answer, 8% use the word “ divisive” or variations of it, while 2% cite the related term “polarized.” “Corrupt” is the second-most frequent answer, given by 6% of respondents.

The top 15 most cited words also include “messy,” “chaos,” “broken” and “dysfunctional.” Many respondents are even more negative in their views: “terrible,” “disgusting,” “disgrace” and the phrase “dumpster fire” are each offered by at least 1% of respondents.

Around half of Americans (53%) say they have ever been visited by a dead family member in a dream or in another form, according to a spring survey . Overall, 46% of Americans report that they’ve been visited by a dead family member in a dream, while 31% report having been visited by dead relatives in some other form.

Women are more likely than men to report these experiences.

While the survey asked whether people have had interactions with dead relatives, it did not ask for explanations. So, we don’t know whether people view these experiences as mysterious or supernatural, whether they see them as having natural or scientific causes, or some of both.

For example, the survey did not ask what respondents meant when they said they had been visited in a dream by a dead relative. Some might have meant that relatives were trying to send them messages or information from beyond the grave. Others might have had something more commonplace in mind, such as dreaming about a favorite memory of a family member.

More Americans disapprove than approve of selective colleges and universities taking race and ethnicity into account when making admissions decisions, according to another spring survey , fielded before the Supreme Court ruled on the practice in June. Half of U.S. adults disapprove of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while a third approve and 16% are not sure.

Views differ widely by party, as well as by race and ethnicity. Around three-quarters of Republicans and Republican leaners (74%) disapprove of the practice, while 54% of Democrats and Democratic leaners approve of it.

Nearly half of Black Americans (47%) say they approve of colleges and universities considering race and ethnicity in admissions, while smaller shares of Hispanic (39%), Asian (37%) and White (29%) Americans say the same.

The share of Americans who say science has had a mostly positive effect on society has declined since 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak, a fall survey shows : 57% say science has had a mostly positive effect on society, down from 73% in 2019.

About a third of adults (34%) now say the impact of science on society has been equally positive and negative. And 8% say science has had a mostly negative impact on society.

Democrats have become much more likely than Republicans to say science has had a mostly positive impact on society (69% vs. 47%). This gap is the result of steeper declines in positive ratings among Republicans than among Democrats since 2019 (down 23 points and 8 points, respectively).

Nearly three-in-ten Americans express an unfavorable opinion of both major political parties – the highest share in at least three decades, according to a July survey . Overall, 28% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of both the Republican and Democratic parties. This is more than quadruple the share in 1994, when just 6% of Americans viewed both parties negatively.

A majority of Americans say TikTok is a threat to national security, according to a survey conducted in May . About six-in-ten adults (59%) see the social media platform as a major or minor threat to national security in the United States. Just 17% say it is  not  a threat to national security and another 23% aren’t sure.

Views vary by partisanship and age. Seven-in-ten Republicans and GOP leaners say TikTok is at least a minor threat to national security, compared with 53% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. Conservative Republicans are more likely than moderate or liberal Republicans – or Democrats of any ideology – to say the view the app as a major threat.

Nearly half of those ages 65 and older (46%) see TikTok as a major threat to national security, compared with a much smaller share (13%) of adults ages 18 to 29.

Read the other posts in our striking findings series:

• Striking findings from 2022
• Striking findings from 2021
• 20 striking findings from 2020
• 19 striking findings from 2019
• 18 striking findings from 2018
• 17 striking findings from 2017
• 16 striking findings from 2016
• 15 striking findings from 2015
• 14 striking findings from 2014
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Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center

Private, selective colleges are most likely to use race, ethnicity as a factor in admissions decisions

Americans and affirmative action: how the public sees the consideration of race in college admissions, hiring, asian americans hold mixed views around affirmative action, more americans disapprove than approve of colleges considering race, ethnicity in admissions decisions, hispanic enrollment reaches new high at four-year colleges in the u.s., but affordability remains an obstacle, most popular.

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New research shines a light on how expert mapmakers see the world differently

Researchers at Aston University have found differences between experienced Ordnance Survey (OS) mapmakers and novices in the way that they interpret aerial images for mapmaking, which could lead to improved training processes for new recruits.

OS is well known for its travel and walking maps, but is also responsible for maintaining Great Britain's national geographic database. Every time a building is demolished or developed, or a new road and path built, the map must be updated.

Aerial photographs are taken of the area that has changed, either from a plane or using drones, and expert mapmakers, known as remote sensing surveyors, will examine the images to identify change and accurately redraw the map of the area.

Image pairs are presented stereoscopically, one to each eye, allowing the remote sensing surveyors to see in 3D and correctly assess the topography, such as ditches, hills and hedges.

Led by Professor Andrew Schofield, a team from Aston University's College of Health and Life Sciences, together with Dr Isabel Sargent, previously at OS, carried out a study to understand how remote sensing surveyors interpret the shadows and highlights in images.

The researchers asked six trained remote sensing surveyors and six novices to assess 10,000 stereoscopic aerial images of hedges and ditches, which had been heavily masked with image distortions.

The stereoscopic images the aerial surveyors use for mapmaking are usually taken on sunny days. The human brain is naturally wired to interpret light as coming from above. However, the light does not come from above in the OS aerial images, it depends on the position of the sun. In the UK, north of the equator, light comes slightly from the south, thus appearing to come from below in images viewed by the surveyors.

The researchers wanted to see how manipulating the direction of the light would affect the surveyors.

Professor Schofield and the team swapped the image pairs between the eyes in half of the trials, so that hedges might look like ditches, and ditches look like hedges. The images were also flipped vertically on half the trials, changing the direction of the light source.

Expert surveyors were found to rely on the stereoscopic cues -- the difference in images seen by the two eyes -- when performing the task.

Novices were more likely to rely on lighting cues -- highlights and shadows -- to judge the shape and relief of an object, and assumed, as is natural, that the lighting came from above.

With the manipulated images, this meant that novices frequently made mistakes. Experts were more accurate, even when the images had been turned upside down, and some had learnt to assume that the light source came from the south, or below.

This is the first time anyone has shown that the natural assumption that light comes from above, which is common amongst many animal species, can be changed through long term experience. The researchers say that it could be used to develop new visual training techniques for remote sensing surveyors. For example, intensive exposure to repeated, difficult images can improve performance via a process called perceptual learning.

Professor Schofield said:

"This is a very exciting result. Others have shown that the light-from-above assumption can be altered by a few degrees, but no one has ever found complete reversals following long term experience.

Dr Sargent said:

"This result will help Ordnance Survey to understand the expertise of their staff and improve surveyor training and procedures."

Remote sensing surveyor Andy Ormerod, who worked on the study, said:

"This research proves that experienced remote sensing surveyors can see the world differently. Whereas non-surveyors are used to seeing the world from one perspective, our brains have learned to view the world as seen from aerial imagery."

• Earth Science
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Story Source:

Materials provided by Aston University . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Emil Skog, Timothy S. Meese, Isabel M. J. Sargent, Andrew Ormerod, Andrew J. Schofield. Classification images for aerial images capture visual expertise for binocular disparity and a prior for lighting from above . Journal of Vision , 2024; 24 (4): 11 DOI: 10.1167/jov.24.4.11

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Research: Why People Really Buy Upcycled Products

• Sara Caprioli,
• Christoph Fuchs,
• Bram Van den Bergh

Creativity is more of a selling point than sustainability.

Researchers who analyzed consumer feedback from Etsy discovered that what consumers value most about upcycled products is not their sustainability but their creativity. Their findings offer some guidelines for companies who hope to design and successfully market upcycled products: 1) Designers should consider using components from other industries to enhance the appeal of their products and encourage cross-industry collaboration; 2) Product designers and managers should identify new uses for product components; 3) Marketers should emphasize creativity, as well as sustainability, in their messaging about upcycled products; and 4) Companies can boost the appeal of new products by emphasizing design elements that remind consumers of upcycled products.

Upcycling — the creation of new products by reusing one or more components from ones — is having a moment.

• SC Sara Caprioli is a postdoctoral researcher at the TUM School of Management in Germany. Her work focuses on the effects of creativity and artificial intelligence on human behavior.
• CF Christoph Fuchs is a professor of marketing at the University of Vienna in Austria. His research is situated at the interface of marketing, technology, and human behavior.
• BB Bram Van den Bergh is professor of marketing at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on decision making and persuasion.

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