Water is a valuable and limited resource, which is becoming increasingly under pressure due to the impacts of climate change and over utilization by the agricultural industry. Cotton is the predominant natural fibre utilized within textiles and is a highly water-intensive crop, thereby contributing to the negative environmental impacts of water use in agriculture, such as depletion of water from ecosystems and other uses, land degradation, and dissemination of pollutants. Accordingly, there is significant interest in establishing alternative natural fibre sources, which have lower water requirements. Cannabis sativa (hemp) fibre is becoming an increasingly popular fibre alternative and is purported to require less water during its cultivation. Accordingly, herein data was compared across 28 prior published sources, which identified that hemp has a 38% lower crop water requirement (CWR), 60% lower water footprint (WF), 84% lower crop irrigation requirement (CIR), and 91% lower irrigated water footprint (IRF) as compared to cotton. Therefore, these results support hemp as a water-efficient environmentally sustainable alternative to cotton for fibre cultivation.

Capsicum ( Capsicum annuum L.) is a popular fruit (culinary vegetable) which is consumed for its flavour and functional food potential, associated with the abundance of antioxidant phytochemicals present such as phenolics and flavonoids. This study aimed to explore the impacts to capsicum growth and functional food value from supplementation with a biostimulant complex (TRIA‐PK) comprising triacontanol (TRIA), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Plants were grown hydroponically under controlled conditions wherein TRIA‐PK was provided to treatment plants within the liquid nutrient solution. Ripe fruits were sampled and compared for impacts to yield, quality, and functional food measures. Application of TRIA‐PK significantly increased total phenolics ( p = 0.014), flavonoids ( p = 0.003), and peroxidase activity ( p = 0.030), which reflect increased functional antioxidant activity within fruits. Of note, this increased functional food value also aligned with a 9‐day reduction in median harvest timing ( p < 0.001) and did not come at the cost of plant yield, with no statistically significant differences between treatments. These results provide valuable information to capsicum farmers, highlighting that supplementation of fertiliser solutions with a TRIA‐PK complex is a potential strategy for enhancing the functional food value of capsicum for consumers.

Strawberry is a popular functional food due to the presence of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. Enhancing this functional food value is an opportunity to improve consumer health, but strategies to do so cannot compromise yield or organoleptic properties, which are highest priorities for farmers and consumer, respectively. One promising strategy is the supplementation of fertiliser regimens with biostimulants, which are non-nutritive substances associated with species-specific improvements to crop growth, yield, and quality. Accordingly, the impacts of a biostimulant complex (BC) containing molasses, Aloe vera extract, and fish-hydrolysate is characterised herein for its potential to impact strawberry growth, yield, quality, and functional food value. Results indicated that BC treatment significantly increased (p < 0.05) plant biomass and canopy area (growth), total fruit count and weight per plant (yield), fruit aroma and colour (quality), and antioxidant potential (functional food value). The results presented highlight the potential utility of biostimulants to the strawberry sphere, providing a strategy to enhance the fruit to the benefit of both farmers and consumers.