Clubroot is a disease of cruciferous crops that causes significant economic losses to vegetable production worldwide. We applied high-throughput amplicon sequencing technology to quantify the effect of Trichodermaharzianum LTR-2 inoculation on the rhizosphere community of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis cv. Jiaozhou) in a commercial production area. T. harzianum inoculation of cabbage reduced the incidence of clubroot disease by 45.4% (p < 0.05). The disease control efficacy (PDIDS) was 63%. This reduction in disease incidence and severity coincided with a drastic reduction in both the relative abundance of Plasmodiaphora brassicae, the causative pathogen of cabbage clubroot disease, and its copy number in rhizosphere soil. Pathogenic fungi Alternaria and Fusarium were also negatively associated with Trichoderma inoculation according to co-occurrence network analysis. Inoculation drastically reduced the relative abundance of the dominant bacterial genera Delftia and Pseudomonas, whilst increasing others including Bacillus. Our results demonstrate that T. harzianum LTR-2 is an effective biological control agent for cabbage clubroot, which acts through modulation of the soil and rhizosphere microbial community.

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is an important cash crop, but long-term monoculture often results in serious root rot disease and yield reduction. The dynamics of soil phenolic acids perform an important function in soil microbe–plant interactions, but the extent to which changes in phenolic acids that occur under the continuous monoculture of American ginseng influence growth and the rhizosphere microbial community are unclear. In this study, American ginseng was planted in soil that had been used for 3 years of continuous monoculture (3 yr) and into a soil with no history of planting American ginseng (0 yr). Soil phenolic acids, rhizosphere microbiome characteristics, and pathogen suppression were analyzed. In the findings, the diversity and structure of the rhizosphere microbial community were affected by monoculture history, as the diversity of fungi and bacteria in 3 yr soil was higher than in 0 yr soil. The physiological performance of American ginseng in 3 yr soil was significantly lower than that in 0 yr soil. Soil phenolic acid contents decreased with the longer monoculture history, and high concentrations of phenolic acids suppressed the growth of American ginseng-specific pathogens. Soil phenolic acids appeared to modulate the pathogen population and the rhizosphere microbiome in American ginseng monocultures.

The participation of youth in agricultural entrepreneurship (agripreneurship) is beneficial for the sustainable development of agrarian societies that are transitioning towards the commercialization of agriculture. Accordingly, we investigated the phenomena that motivate practicing young, small- and medium-scale agripreneurs to pursue their careers, using the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) as a case study. To achieve this, we applied narrative inquiry techniques to the accounts of 74 young Laotian agripreneurs regarding their entry into agripreneurship. This enabled us to identify and describe common and influential paradigms that were subsequently interpreted from the perspective of entrepreneurship and behavioral studies of career decision making to explain the influence of motivations on the young agripreneurs. Our study has shown that despite the characteristics that set agripreneurship in Laos apart from entrepreneurship in general, commonly identified typologies of entrepreneurial motivation, particularly income, extrinsic benefits and emotional paradigms also motivate Lao youth to become agripreneurs. The application of narrative inquiry has revealed the emphasis some practicing agripreneurs in Laos place on the attainability of their career, which resulted in its practice by both opportunity-driven and necessity-driven entrepreneurs, with implications for the sustainable development of other countries in transition to commercial agriculture.

Efforts to achieve inclusive and sustainable agricultural-sector growth in developing economies will benefit from agricultural entrepreneurship (agripreneurship) by young farmers. However, challenges that hinder transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture remain. A better understanding of enablers and constraints that young farmers experience can facilitate the development of an enabling environment for sustainably transitioning from subsistence into commercial agriculture. We interviewed 74 young agricultural entrepreneurs (agripreneurs) in Laos, a country with a young and highly rural population, to explore their perceptions of institutions and support functions that enable or limit agripreneurship. Respondents reported that institutions and support functions have generally improved to make agripreneurship easier than before, with infrastructure, logistics, and new platforms for information sharing, banking, marketing, and delivery identified as specific improvements. However, agripreneurs identified weaknesses in the nature, scope, and quality of agricultural information and extension services that limit their performance; difficulties in accessing loans with favorable conditions, which discourages investment; opaque and costly payments and red tape processes that frustrate business establishment, operations, and regulatory compliance; and a lack of targeted policy actions towards enabling youth agripreneurship, which leaves youth feeling unsupported. Improvements in infrastructure, promotion of agri-careers, and more transparency of taxation, registration, and administration fees/systems are recommended.