Mushroom cultivation is an important branch of the agricultural industry, and global mushrooms production has increased more than sixfold in the last decade. This industry uses large amounts of agricultural, forestry, livestock, and industrial wastes and their by-products. However, it also generates millions of tons of spent mushroom compost (SMC) (approximately 100 million tons per year) which has emerged as a significant issue that hinders the growth of the mushroom business and impacts the environment. Many crop diseases, which cause significant economic losses, are introduced by soil-borne plant pathogens. Spreading spent mushroom compost (SMC) to agricultural soils is a natural way to control plant diseases. Using organic waste material instead of chemicals, which is the most widely used method in agriculture today, is also a more environmentally responsible option. The generated SMC can potentially be used as a soil conditioner, an organic fertilizer, and suitable medium for growing various vegetable crops. The application of SMC has been found to be beneficial in the control of crop diseases by inducing microbiostasis, direct toxicity, or by inducing systemic resistance of the host plant. In the current review, the practical application of SMC in the cultivation of tomato, pepper, lettuce, cucumber, and eggplant was addressed. The application of SMC as a soil amendment showed a significant improvement in soil properties, including soil NPK, organic matter content, and soil beneficial microorganisms. Our review indicated that SMC could be used as a low-cost, alternative growing medium in vegetable production or as a soil amendment to add nutrients and restore soil fertility in agricultural lands. The SMC may be able to replace peat, a non-renewable natural resource, and thereby mitigating the adverse effects of excessive peat extraction in wetlands, bogs, marshes, and peatlands. This review uses unique data on the effective use of SMC in agricultural disease management, reducing the need for chemical pesticides that have adverse effects on both the environment and human health. It also provides a safe method for reusing, recycling, and integrating SMC into a circular economy that reduces its negative environmental effects and carbon footprint impacts. This work also offers a novel application of SMC as a low-cost substitute for peat or other growing media that pose environmental risks. Graphical abstract

The integration of Precision Agriculture (PA) technologies into organic farming offers substantial potential for enhancing efficiency and sustainability, yet adoption rates vary significantly across countries. This study presents a model for assessing PA adoption in organic farming within the Visegrad Group countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia using a survey-based approach. Key technologies examined include drones, sensors, and robots used in organic crop and livestock production. Findings indicate that the Czech Republic leads in drone usage for soil monitoring (70 %), Hungary excels in soil moisture sensors (55 %), Slovakia prioritizes drones for fertilizer application (75 %), and Poland shows significant use of robots for harvesting and seed planting (33 %). This model effectively highlights cross-country differences in PA technology adoption and associated environmental outcomes, addressing a gap in understanding PA use in organic farming in Visegrad group countries. The results of the study provide actionable insights for improving the adoption of Precision Agriculture technologies in organic farming across the selected countries. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders promoting sustainable agricultural innovation. Limitations include reliance on survey data, which may impact broader applicability, and a geographic focus on the Visegrad region, suggesting the need for future studies in other areas.

The importance of legume crops in global agricultural systems is inevitable; conversely, less than 4% of European agricultural lands are dedicated for these plants. Besides total loss of biodiversity, agrobiodiversity is also in danger. The production of legumes diversifies arable plant production and supports the nutrient management of the agroecosystem, as well as that of the whole ecosystem. Increasing soybean production area means that other pulses are grown on smaller areas, that means a reduced resiliency of the whole production system. Expanding environmental stresses of climate change and intensive agricultural practices are easier to counteract with help of diversity on species and on genetic level as well. As a consequence of climate change and targeted breeding of the last decade, agricultural lands appropriate for soybean production shows an increase in Europe. The self-sufficiency rates of the European Union concerning single protein sources shows fluctuations. The easier utilization of soy-based products as forage displaces the use of other pulses, which are traditionally produced as protein crops. Besides protein flow, these leguminous plants have an important role in different levels of agricultural systems as well. Several recent initiatives aim to reduce the serious protein exposure of the EU. These programs, beyond the introduction and technological development of soybean production, always mention the strengthening of the role of other pulses. In this study, the last decades of EU pulse utilization were analyzed, using crop yield, crop harvested area, certified seed yield, seed production area, number of registered varieties, and the number of scientific publications as indicators to summarize trends of EU field bean, field pea, lupin, chickpea, lentil, and soybean production in the view of targeted protein initiatives.

Maintaining uniform photon irradiance distribution above the plant canopy is a fundamental goal in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Spatial variation in photon irradiance below the light saturation point will drive differences in individual plant development, decreasing the economic value of the crop. Plant growth is also affected by the spectral composition of light. So far, little attention has been paid to the quantification of the spatial variability in horticultural lighting applications. This work provides a methodology to benchmark and compare lighting installations used in indoor cultivation facilities. We measured the photon irradiance distributions underneath two typical grow light installations using a 10 × 10 measurement grid with 100 mm spacing. We calculated photon irradiance values for each grid point for 100 nm-wide blue, green, red and far-red wavebands covering the 400–800 nm range. We showed that the generally used uniformity metric defined as the minimum to average ratio of PPFD is not appropriate for the characterization of light uniformity in horticultural lighting applications. Instead, we propose to normalize photon irradiance to the maximum, analyze the histograms constructed from relative photon irradiance values and consider the light response of the cultivated crop while comparing the performance of CEA grow systems.

The natural environment of crops is exposed to a complex collection of biotic and abiotic pressures. Abiotic stresses cover a diversity of environmental elements that cannot be avoided, such as temperature, drought, salinity, cold, heat, light, and water stress. Biotic stress is caused by living organisms with which plants coexist and interact. Pathogens and herbivores are examples of biotic stressors that can threaten food security and result in significant economic losses. Agricultural production systems differ in the extent of stress towards cultivated crops; agroforestry is considered to provide a protective function against environmental stress. The concept of this review was to assess the impact of environmental change and the atmospheric variability on the plants in agroforestry systems. The application of trees in field crop production has become more and more involved in practice, especially in areas with an extreme climate and unfavorable soil conditions. The main reasons for the rising interest are the effects of climate change, soil degradation, and erosion. Most of the trees are used as hedgerows or farm boundaries, or as scattered planting on the farm to control soil erosion as well as to improve farm productivity, which requires a thorough understanding of each stress element.