Unmanned aerial seeding for rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation is widely used due to its inherent advantages. The recommended planting densities for conventional japonica rice and hybrid indica–japonica rice should be 1.95 million plants ha⁻¹ and 1.2 million plants ha⁻¹, respectively. Achieving high yield of unmanned aerial seeding rice can be facilitated by increasing planting density, but this may compromise lodging resistance. This study provides theoretical and technical support for the development of new rice cultivation methods.

Lithium (Li) is an essential trace element in the human diet because of its importance for the health and rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food for more than half of the global population. There are strong indications of Li deficiency in the population, which can result in serious illness. Regardless of the source used, foliar application of Li allowed the biofortification of rice grains without influencing their yield. This can contribute to improve the health of the global population.

Integrated use of nano-sized chitosan-proline (NsCP) seed priming and biochar significantly improved the salt tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) genotypes. The combined application of NsCP and biochar was more effective in enhancing salt tolerance than individual treatments alone. NsCP seed priming enhanced the salinity stress tolerance in alfalfa genotypes by facilitating osmotic adjustment (proline accumulation), maintaining ionic homeostasis (higher K⁺/Na⁺ ratio), and increasing the levels of α-tocopherol, flavonoids, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes.

Enumerating panicle development in rice (Oryza sativa) provides important information for crop production and plant breeding. This study evaluated a revised version of the YOLOv5 (You Only Look Once) model to accurately count and monitor rice panicles in real time. Results showed that the revised model provided an accurate and efficient tool to count rice panicles and monitor crop development.

Intercropping of cereal–legume forages along with integrated nutrient management could be an effective agronomic strategy to increase forage biomass while maintaining soil health and biodiversity in India. The energy and carbon footprint of a cropping system indicates its environmental impact and is crucial for the efficient conservation of available resources. This study identified the best possible combinations with higher profitability with lower energy-carbon footprints, which will be useful for climate-smart agriculture in the similar agro-climate of the globe.

The Gran Chaco region of Argentina accounts 82% of livestock stock of South America. In this region, there are few cultivated forage legumes. However, the Gran Chaco have several underutilised native forage legumes, such as species from the genus Macroptilium. We have developed an alternative approach to select genotypes with higher biological nitrogen fixation with native rhizobia, which brings environmental benefits (i.e. reduced use of fossil fuel-based fertilisers) and economic advantages (i.e. inoculation with rhizobia would not be necessary).