An Analysis of Global Research Trends on Greenhouse Technology: Towards a Sustainable Agriculture

Greenhouse farming is an agricultural management system that has demonstrated its efficiency in intensifying food production. These systems constitute a feasible alternative for ensuring food supply, which is one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind in the twenty-first century. Technology has been able to meet the challenges related to greenhouse farming in both contributing to overcoming its limitations, correcting adverse impacts and ensuring system sustainability. The objective of this article is to analyse the global research trends in greenhouse technology over the last two decades, in order to identify the main driving agents, the most outstanding research lines and possible gaps in the literature. Different methodologies have been used for the analysis; both quantitative and qualitative. The principal results show that there are different relevant lines of research related to different aspects of greenhouse farming: the use of water for irrigation, the design of the optimum structure of the greenhouse, conserving the soil in the best growing conditions, energy consumption of the system as a whole, climate control within the facility and pest control. The research is characterized by the being composed largely of ad hoc studies, which hinders the international collaboration between researchers and institutions. The research approach has shifted from being focused on increasing production and cost savings to aspects related to resource conservation and sustainability

Sustainable Water Use in Agriculture: A Review of Worldwide Research

Sustainability of water use in agriculture is a line of research that has gained in importance worldwide. The present study reviewed 25 years of international research on sustainable water use in agriculture. A bibliometric analysis was developed to sample 2084 articles. Results indicate exponential growth in the number of articles published per year, with research in this field having acquired a global scale. Environmental Science and Agricultural and Biological Sciences are the main categories. Three journals—Agricultural Water Management, Water Resources Management and Nongye Gongcheng Xuebao Agricultural Engineering—published the most of the articles. China, the U.S., Australia, India and Germany produced the most research. The three institutions that published the most articles were all Chinese (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Agricultural University and Northwest A&F University). The most cited authors were Ridoutt, Hoekstra and Zhang. The keywords most frequently used include: water-use, irrigation, water-management, water-supply, and sustainability. A network map shows three clusters that focus on the environmental, agronomic and management aspects. The findings of this study can assist researchers in this field by providing an overview of research on the sustainability of hydric resources

Heterogeneity of the environmental regulation of industrial wastewater: European wineries

The European legislation of the pollution of industrial wastewater shows a high degree of heterogeneity. This fact implies that there is a market failure with relevant consequences. Within the European Union, each Member State performs a specific transposition of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60. The member states introduce different sanitation fees to correct water pollution. In this paper, the case of the European wine industry is analyzed. It studies the sanitation fees of the five major wine producing countries: France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal. Results show significant differences among the wastewater fees and the study reveals how such heterogeneity leads to relevant market distortions. The research concludes that more homogeneous environmental regulation would promote more sustainable wine production processes with more efficient water management and purification systems, as well as the introduction of cutting edge technologies

Estudio del deterioro de piezas mineras de hierro del yacimiento arqueológico del Centenillo (Baños de la Encina, Jaén)

En los yacimientos arqueológicos relacionados con la minería suelen aparecer piezas de hierro que fueron empleadas en las labores de extracción. En la superficie de estas piezas de hierro, por efecto de la corrosión, se generan compuestos de alteración inestables cuya formación depende del pH, concentración de oxigeno, humedad y contaminación ambiental. Además la técnica de elaboración empleada hace que las incrustaciones se estratifiquen a causa de la compresión que sufren las piezas durante la forja; constituyendo superficies o planos de debilidad que facilitan el proceso de deformación en forma de abombamientos y descamaciones, muy frecuentes en este tipo de artefactos arqueológicos (Johnson, 1990). En este trabajo se estudian las costras de alteración de unas piezas mineras de hierro de época romana encontradas en el yacimiento del Centenillo (Baños de la Encina, Jaén), fechadas entre el siglo I y III d. C. (Gutiérrez Soler et al, 2000). Las piezas han permanecido enterradas bajos escorias del campo filoniano de “El Centenillo” (subdistrito de Plomo de La Carolina, Jaén, España), zona muy rica en galenas argentíferas, pirita y algo de blenda (Jacquin y Pineda Velasco, 1980)

Crop production and irrigation: deciding factors of wastewater reuse in Spain?

Water scarcity in Mediterranean countries, especially in drought periods, justifies the use of wastewater. The deficit of water resources influences crop productivity and threatens environmental sustainability. The objective of this paper is to analyse whether agricultural production and irrigation area determine the volume of reused wastewater in Spain. To that end, a panel data model is estimated with 187 observations from 17 Spanish regions between 2004 and 2014. The results obtained show that wastewater reuse depends on agricultural variables as well as factors which affect the supply and demand of water. These include the relative scarcity of water resources; the availability of surface water, groundwater and desalinated water; the population; and the revenues collected for sanitation and wastewater treatment. Prevailing economic conditions, however, are not a determining factor. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop appropriate management systems that guarantee the financing of sanitation and water reclamation services in all the regions that have significant crop production and scarcity of water resources

Wastewater Treatment Costs: A Research Overview through Bibliometric Analysis

Given the problem of water scarcity and the importance of this resource for the sustainability of the planet, wastewater treatment and its costs have become a key issue for proper water management. Using bibliometric analysis of publications in the Web of Science database, this study presents an overview of the research on wastewater treatment costs in the period 1950–2020. The worldwide search returned 22,788 articles for wastewater treatment costs, which compares poorly to the results for research on wastewater treatment, accounting for only 12.34% of the total output on wastewater treatment. The findings of this study reveal the leading countries in this field of research (China, USA, India, Spain and the UK), with the articles being published in a wide range of high impact journals. Similarly, there are very few results on UV and chlorination costs, despite the importance of these two treatments for wastewater disinfection and reuse. This study is aimed at researchers in this field, helping them to identify recent trends, and at the main institutions in the scientific community working on this subject

FINANCIAL EVALUATION OF THE USE OF RECLAIMED WATER IN AGRICULTURE IN SOUTHEASTERN SPAIN, A MEDITERRANEAN REGION

In a global context where agriculture is the major consumer of water, there is a pressing need to look for alternative water resources. In light of there being a lack of studies that compare the use of diverse water alternatives in different crops, the overall objective of this research is to evaluate the impact generated by the use of tertiary water from an economic and financial perspective and compare it with groundwater and desalinated water. To reach this objective, a detailed study of the cost structure of greenhouse investment has been developed. Furthermore, the most traditional indicators for investment profitability have been calculated for the three different water alternatives: tertiary water, groundwater and desalinated water. The cost analyses demonstrate the relative short reach that the price of water has in an area of greenhouse agriculture exploitation, which provides a margin of increasing water costs while still allowing for economic profit. Taking into account the three water resources considered, evidence shows that the use of tertiary water is not only financially and economically viable but is also the best alternative water resource above desalinated water in terms of profitability and sustainability

Farmers’ Attitudes towards Irrigating Crops with Reclaimed Water in the Framework of a Circular Economy

In a global situation where water constraints are a daily concern and expected to worsen in the upcoming years, finding new water alternatives to guarantee its supply is of critical importance. Against this background, reclaimed water has proved to be a sustainable alternative that recycles wastewater from a circular economy approach, thus enhancing water availability for key sectors such as agriculture. In such a context where public policies should encourage the implementation of this sustainable resource that helps reduce climate change by allowing wastewater reuse, there is too often a lack of knowledge of farmers’ perceptions, thus resulting in them being ineffective. In this sense, studying and analyzing agriculturalists’ perceptions is of interest for the development of appropriate policies that truly foster reclaimed water use in agriculture and enhance its shift from waste to resource. For this research 231 farmers, both long-time users of reclaimed water and non-users, were surveyed to find common and differing attitudes and perceptions. Results show how once farmers start irrigating their crops with this alternative resource there is a marked improvement in their opinion. The high price is the most widespread barrier, which can be tempered with public subsidies that absorb part of this cost. The insights obtained from this research may be of interest to other regions, especially for those in arid and semi-arid climates where water scarcity is a critical problem and sustainability a growing concern

Haemophilia: Reasons for visits to the paediatric emergency department

Introducción: La hemofilia es una enfermedad rara, por lo que su abordaje en Urgencias puede suponer un reto para los pediatras. Objetivos: Describir la frecuencia y motivos de consulta de los niños hemofílicos en Urgencias. Material y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo longitudinal realizado en Urgencias Pediátricas de un hospital de tercer nivel. Se incluyeron hemofílicos A y B, desde el nacimiento hasta los 16 años, que consultaron por cualquier motivo durante 6 años (2011-2016). Se analizaron: edad, tipo y gravedad de hemofilia, motivo de consulta, profilaxis domiciliaria frente a sangrados, pruebas complementarias, diagnóstico establecido, tratamiento y número de visitas a Urgencias. Resultados: Se analizaron 116 varones con un total de 604 visitas. La media de edad fue de 5,5 años y la mediana de 5,3. De ellos, 101 pacientes eran hemofílicos A (38 leves, 4 moderados, 59 graves) y 15 hemofílicos B (9 leves, 3 moderados, 3 graves). Los principales motivos de consulta (clasificados en triaje) fueron: problema musculoesquelético/traumático o sangrado (66,7%), causas no relacionadas con hemofilia (29%), sospecha de infección de catéter central (2,8%) y administración rutinaria de factor (1,5%). Se realizaron pruebas complementarias en 335 visitas (55,5%). Del total, 317 consultas (52,5%) requirieron factor; 103 episodios (17,1%) precisaron ingreso, cuyos principales motivos fueron: traumatismo craneoencefálico (35,9%), infección de catéter venoso central (13,6%), hemartrosis (8,7%), hematoma muscular (6,8%) y hematuria (5,8%). Conclusión: Los pacientes consultaron por causas habituales de la edad pediátrica, pero también lo hicieron por motivos específicos de su enfermedad; lo más frecuente fue el problema musculoesquelético/traumático o sangrado. El Servicio de Urgencias es un componente indispensable en su atenciónIntroduction: Haemophilia is a rare disease and its management can pose a challenge to Emergency Department paediatricians. Aim: To describe the frequency and reasons for consultation by haemophilic children in the ED. Materials and methods: Longitudinal retrospective study was conducted in a paediatric Emergency Department of a tertiary care hospital. The study included haemophiliacs A and B, ages 0 to 16 years old, and who had consulted the Emergency Department for whatever reason over a span of 6 years (2011-2016). The data analysed include: age, type and severity of haemophilia, reason for query, prophylactic status, complementary examinations, established diagnosis, treatment, and number of visits to the Emergency Department. Results: The analysis included 116 males with a total of 604 Emergency Department visits. The mean age was 5.5 years, and the median age was 5.3 years. A total of 101 patients were categorised as haemophiliac A (38 mild, 4 moderate, 59 severe), and 15 as haemophiliac B (9 mild, 3 moderate, 3 severe). The main reasons for initial Emergency Department visits (ranked by triage) were: musculoskeletal problems/injury or bleeding (66.7%), causes unrelated to haemophilia (29%), suspected central venous catheter related infection (2.8%), and routine clotting factor infusion (1.5%). Additional tests were conducted during 335 visits (55.5%). Factor replacement was undertaken in 317 visits (52.5%). A total of 103 episodes (17.1%) required hospital admission, due to: head trauma (35.9%), central venous catheter -related infection (13.6%), haemarthrosis (8.7%), muscle haematoma (6.8%), and haematuria (5.8%). Conclusion: Haemophilic patients went to the Emergency Department for common paediatric causes, but also requested consultation on specific problems related to haemophilia, with musculoskeletal problems/injury or bleeding being the main issues. The paediatric Emergency Department is an indispensable component of haemophilia car

Circular economy in agriculture. An analysis of the state of research based on the life cycle

The circular economy (CE) has emerged as a strategy able to fulfil the double purpose of improving the economic performance of the agricultural activity while minimising the impact generated on the environment by reducing the inflow of resources and waste generation. This has led to an increasingly greater adoption of circular models in agricultural practices. The objective of this study is to analyse the state of research on the application of the circular economy in agriculture throughout each of the stages of its life cycle through a systematic literature review. The results show that this line of research is very new but has been attracting a growing amount of interest in recent years. Themost resource-intensive phases are field preparation, fertilizer application, mulching and irrigation,while field preparation,mulching, pruning and training are themost intensive phases ofwaste generation. Themajority of the contributions aremade from an environmental perspective, so there is a major opportunity to develop the research addressing the economic and social aspects. There is a need to gain further knowledge about the economicfinancial feasibility of the different circular practices considered and the perceptions of the stakeholders