Cotton cultivation is resource-intensive, posing significant environmental challenges, especially with conventional farming methods. Growing interest in sustainable agriculture drives the exploration of organic farming as a potential alternative with lower environmental impacts. Despite its benefits, organic farming often faces criticism for lower crop yields, sparking debates on the trade-offs between productivity and environmental impact. This study hypothesizes that organic cotton farming will have a smaller environmental footprint and higher energy efficiency compared to conventional methods. To test this hypothesis, a cradle-to-farm gate energy analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) were conducted on both organic and conventional seed cotton production systems in the Beheira governorate of Egypt. The ReCiPe 2016 midpoint and endpoint characterization model was used for an environmental impact assessment. The impacts were evaluated using two functional units: one ton of seed cotton and one hectare of cultivated cotton. The findings revealed that organic cotton outperforms conventional cotton in net energy gain, efficiency, and profitability, with higher productivity and lower energy intensity. Regardless of the functional unit used (mass- or land-based), the assessed organic systems generally show a better environmental performance than the conventional systems in the local context, even when accounting for data uncertainty. This is due to lower input intensity and the use of less energy-intensive organic fertilizers and bio-fertilizers. Fertilization and irrigation are key factors influencing environmental impacts, with fertilization affecting midpoint impacts and irrigation affecting endpoint impacts. Therefore, precision fertilization, efficient irrigation practices, and effective nutrient and soil moisture management are recommended to minimize environmental impacts. Subsequent studies could explore whether similar patterns are observed in different geographic regions and evaluate additional social and economic aspects of cotton sustainability beyond environmental impacts. Future agricultural LCAs should use both mass-based and area-based functional units to capture a broader range of environmental effects and evaluate the co-benefits and trade-offs between organic and conventional practices.

Micro propagation is a promising and effective technique for propagation of healthy virus-free potato tubers. This study aimed to produce virus-free potato mini- and micro-tubers. Micro-propagation and in vitro tuberization were employed to propagate two potato varieties, Lady Rosetta and Spunta, with combinations and concentrations of BAP, kinetin, and IAA growth regulators, six hormonal combinations of kinetin/IAA and BAP/IAA ratios were tested with in vitro tuberization, while BAP and kinetin levels of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/l were tested for in vitro micro-propagation. Results showed that attributes of explants' micropropagation transformation into plantlets varied with variable combinations and concentrations of BAP, kinetin, and IAA. Impact of kinetin on number of shootless explants, root lengths and cell division were lower than BAP, regardless of concentration. Treatment with BAP 1.5 mg/l + IAA 1 mg/l resulted in a higher proportion (60%) of tuberization than other treatments. Tubers’ size increased from 0.7 cm to 1.2 cm, which is the proper size for planting using aeroponic technology. The study showed the applicability of the tested technique for in vitro potato micro tuberization and multiplication, as well as the potential for in vitro cloning of other potato cultivars.