Maize, regarded as a staple economic crop, attracts special global attention with the aim to enhance its production. Foliar fertilisation offers a complementary method to traditional soil fertilisation amongst resource-limited agricultural systems, providing a more efficient solution to nutrient deficiencies, especially in suboptimal soil conditions. This study aimed to analyse foliar fertiliser formulation research directions and their application in maize production. A literature search was conducted in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.17). The changes in the publication trends of documents were tested using the Mann–Kendall test. The production effects of foliar fertilisation were independently synthesised. The results showed a strong positive increase in publication trends regarding maize foliar fertilisation (R² = 0.7842). The predominant nutrients that affected maize production were nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, iron, and manganese. The timely foliar application of nutrients corrected deficiencies and/or sustained nutrient supply under several abiotic stresses. Foliar application at critical growth stages like flowering and grain filling boosted carbohydrate and protein content, lipid levels, kernel size, mineral content, and the weight of the maize grain. This review identified important research gaps, namely genotype-specific responses, interactions with other agronomic practices, and long-term environmental effects.

Coffee ranks high in terms of growth, trade, and consumption across the world. Although there has been an increasing trend in its consumption as a beverage across the globe, its on-farm production and productivity are threatened by climate change in the dominant coffee-growing regions. Smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the world’s coffee and are constrained in adopting climate-smart improved technologies. Climate change and livelihoods are interconnected, and understanding and strengthening their linkages is crucial in generating sustainable coffee supplies. This paper analyzed climate change and mitigation components in the context of livelihoods under smallholder coffee farming systems. An online search of globally published journal articles was done in the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Bibliographic and metadata analysis was done using VOSviewer software, while the publication trend of the included articles was analyzed using Mann–Kendall. Overall, this review reveals that livelihood assets owned by the coffee farmer have a strong bearing on the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, while Fairtrade certification has mixed effects on farmers’ income and well-being. Agroforestry is a major climate change adaptation strategy under coffee farming and is linked to the livelihood status of the farmer, gender, and certification. This review echoes the strong linkage between agroforestry, livelihood components, and Fairtrade certification under smallholder farmers based on the empirical researched information available.

Maize (Zea mays L), as a major cereal crop produced in Hungary in addition to wheat, attracts enormous research from both educational and non-educational institutions. Research is aimed at addressing the key abiotic, biotic and social economic constraints. The stakeholders and institutions involved in research are spread all over Hungary. Currently, no review has been done to comprehensively reveal the trend of maize research in Hungary, as well as key players such as institutions, universities, industry and researchers. Hence, this bibliographic review was conducted to: i) identify the major research institutions and their contribution towards maize research in Hungary; ii) evaluate the major maize research areas in Hungary between 1975 and 2022. Literature search was conducted in Web of Science (WoS) database using keywords; ‘maize’ OR ‘maize’ + ‘Research’ + ‘Hungary’. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the VOSviewer software. Changes in the publication trend of documents was tested using Mann Kendall Test. A total of 947 publications related to the topic were published by 441 institutions between 1975 and 2022. There was a significant (p = 0.001) positive increase in the number of published documents. Hungarian Academy of Science (210 documents) and University of Debrecen (132 documents) recorded the highest number of publications contributing 58.7% of the maize research literature in Hungary. The major research areas included: increasing maize yield, hybrid development, pests and diseases, irrigation, fertilization (nitrogen), drought, temperature, gene expression and climate change. The increasing number of published documents signifies an improved response to addressing maize production challenges through research in order to boost its productivity.

Asymmetric drought propagation and depletion of soil nutrients threaten cereal crop productivity worldwide, calling for the application of validated agronomic practices to curtail their effect on crop production. This study evaluated the effect of precision drip irrigation, biostimulant, and micronutrients application on photochemical efficiency and yield of maize.An experiment laid in a randomized complete block design with irrigation and water stress was established in 2022 and 2023 growing seasons at the experimental area of the University of Debrecen. Other treatments included T1 (non-microbial biostimulant from plant origin), T2 (zinc based chemical fertilizer), T3 (boron and molybdenum based chemical fertilizer), and T4 (control). Data was collected on steady-state fluorescence (F’), maximal fluorescence (Fm’), quantum photosynthetic yield or efficiency of photosystem II (ΦPSII or Y(II)), electron transport rate (ETR), and grain yield and yield components. Precision drip irrigation significantly optimized ΦPSII, ETR, cob weight, number of seeds per cob, weight of 1000 seeds and grain yield. The biostimulant and micronutrients optimized Fm’, ΦPSII, and ETR at VT and R2 growth stages. Regardless of the water management regime, T1, T2 and T3 seasonally optimized grain yield. Between water management regimes, biostimulant had the highest yield optimization effect under precision drip irrigation in the season with elevated water stress.Optimum photochemical efficiency and grain yield is achievable through precision drip irrigation, biostimulant, and micronutrient application. However, further research involving 2–3 application times at critical stages of maize under precision drip irrigation and/or combined application of these treatments at season specific precision drip irrigation is required.

Background: The relationship between shifts in agricultural land use, sowing structures, yield of major crops and food security necessitate studies to address today’s global challenges such as accelerating economic growthsustaining livelihoods as well as mitigating food insecurity and climate change. Land use changes and utilisation, and sowing structures directly influence both the availability and accessibility of food to the growing global population thus a need for sustainable strategies and policies aimed at addressing the need for adequate food. The contrasting temperate climate of Hungary and the tropical climate of Uganda leads to different land use categories, crop sowing structures, and production of major crops. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyse the land use, sowing patterns, and crop yield changes for the major industrial and food crops in Hungary and Uganda. Methods: Databases such as Hungarian Central Statistical Office, the World Bank, and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, covering the period from 2000 to 2019 were the sources of the study data excluding the covid19 period and years later. The data were analysed using XLSTAT, while a trend analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall test at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05) using EVIEWS software. Land use and land cover (LULC) data from the archives of Uganda National Forest Authority (NFA) and Hungary satellite imagery from NASA EarthData and DIVA GIS was imported to ArcGIS pro for mapping. Results: The trend analysis of the arable land area in both countries using the Mann-Kendall Test indicated a significant positive increase ( P = 0.0001 ) with the model fit value of 85.59% for Hungary and 83.42% for Uganda. Hungary’s agricultural land use slightly declined by 9.3% compared to 19.5% increase of agriculture land use in Uganda. While forest land increased by 15.3% in Hungary, Uganda recorded a 41.9% forest loss to other land use forms. The sowing structures in Hungary remained relatively stable, with minor reductions in maize and wheat areas, while Uganda had a substantial increase in maize cultivation by 40%, offset by a 15.4% decrease in banana cultivation. Maize yields increased by 20% (Hungary) and 38.9% (Uganda), wheat yields increased by 10% in Hungary while banana yields declined by 30% in Uganda. Conclusions: Our study has highlighted how sustainability is at risk where increasing agriculture land in Uganda comes at the expense of forest virgin high productive land while strategic sustainability policies of Hungary have converted less productive agricultural fields into forest cover. A need for increased awareness and implementation of available land policies, international and national policy frameworks and guidelines among private agricultural investors, communities, affected land users and financial institutions in Uganda would streamline land use.

Quantifying the effects of land-use changes on soil fertility is essential for agricultural planning, yet long-term analyses combining field and remote sensing data remain scarce in Hungary. This systematic review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines to assess arable land fertility trends between 2000 and 2020. A comprehensive search of WoS, Scopus, and Google Scholar identified 202 records, with 106 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Eligibility required empirical soil data collected from Hungarian arable lands. Among these, 17% reported declines in SOC, 13% indicated nutrient depletion, 36% observed stable or lost fertility, and 34% documented improvements. Regarding monitoring methods, 41% relied solely on field sampling, 44% applied GIS or spatial analyses, and 15% incorporated remote sensing indices such as NDVI. Evidence revealed spatial–temporal heterogeneity: fertility declines occurred in intensively cultivated regions, while western Transdanubia showed stability. Trends were linked to land-use intensification and intermittent reductions in agricultural area. Integration of remote sensing indices, such as NDVI, with field observations enhanced detection of spatial and temporal patterns. These findings underscore the need for harmonised monitoring frameworks, precision agriculture tools, and predictive modelling to support sustainable soil management. Identifying fertility-decline zones informs policy aligned with the EU Soil Strategy 2030 and supports Hungary’s agricultural resilience.