Cowpea is a highly nutrient-dense, underutilised orphan legume crop with high potential to address malnutrition and food security in the world. Cowpea crop can withstand drought and high-temperature conditions, however, lasting exposure to severe droughts will result in significant yield reduction and poor grain quality. Thus, understanding the variation present in the available cowpea accessions will assist in breeding superior cowpea varieties that can withstand the ever-changing climate.

This review suggests that small RNA (sRNA) based technologies are promising strategies for increasing plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, thereby helping to address global food insecurity. The technology has the potential to improve plant resistance to pests, diseases and other environmental stresses, resulting in increased crop yield and reliability. A focus on sRNA-based technology and its potential applications for plant improvement suggests a brighter future for agriculture.

Recorded apparent declines in canola grain yield have been associated with abnormal canola roots. We investigated the amelioration of low subsurface soil pH and hardpans by deep lime placement and deep ripping. Despite increased soil pH and lower soil strength in the subsurface soil, there were no significant grain yield responses in either canola or cereals during drier than normal years.

Genes conferring economically important traits, like disease resistance, were successfully introgressed from wild type soybean Glycine soja. We developed improved genotypes with resistance to mungbean yellow mosaic India virus, and high grain yield, within the genetic background of a more widely adaptable soybean variety; and developed the earliest-maturing soybean breeding material (71 days). The resulting genotypes are suitable for intercropping with sugarcane and have implications for enhancing soybean production in India.

There is insufficient knowledge about the roles of non-coding RNAs in sugar beet drought response. In this work, microRNAs from leaves of sugar beet under drought and well-watered conditions were assessed by high-throughput sequencing combined with bioinformatics to investigate their genome-wide quantity and possible drought response regulatory effects. The study enhances understanding of the biological processes involved in the drought response of sugar beet and may lead to new insights for breeding stress-resistant genotypes.

Proper defoliation management by grazing or clipping combined with nitrogen (N) fertilisation can increase forage production in tropical grasses. Optimum pre-graze canopy height for Zuri guineagrass was determined as 75 cm rather than 55 cm, unless higher N rates (300 vs 150 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) are used. These forage management guidelines should optimise forage-based livestock systems with Zuri guineagrass.

This manuscript discusses herbage production and nutritive value of two tall and two dwarf genotypes of elephant grass grown as monocrops or mixed with butterfly pea legume. Herbage production showed less variation over harvest times in intercrops than in grass monocrops, and dwarf Mott displayed better nutritional value than dwarf Taiwan elephant grass. Adding butterfly pea to elephant grass-based systems reduces seasonal effects on herbage production over harvest times while providing good nutritional value.

Cannabis is a herbaceous annual plant that belongs to the Cannabaceae family, and is used in the production of fibre, paper and oil. This plant has been used for the treatment of rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, skin burns, gastrointestinal activity, osteoporosis, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disorders, cancer and metabolic syndrome-related disorders. Generally, our findings showed that these ecotypes had different responses to soil moisture, and some ecotypes were valuable in terms of the production of pharmaceutical metabolites and some in terms of fibre production.

The Australian pasture-based dairy sector is reliant on application of fertiliser nitrogen, which is not used efficiently by the pasture system. We used ¹⁵N-labelled fertiliser to track residual plant uptake and total soil and plant recoveries of ¹⁵N. Existing and alternative nitrogen and pasture management strategies need to be implemented and explored to reduce nitrogen loss; however, this must be achieved in a manner that does not impact farmer net profit.

Livestock productivity in India is below potential due to scarcity of green fodder. There is very limited scope to expand the acreage under fodder production, because of other demands on existing cultivable land. Integrating Fahli type Egyptian clover in the sorghum–wheat rotation as a catch crop increases fodder availability without affecting the yield of main crops and has potential as a productive system. Clover can diversify and intensify cropping systems, address food and fodder security and improve soil quality.

Chitosan and crop straws, byproducts from fishery and agriculture, can be used to increase soil pH in acidic soils through decarboxylation, decomposition, N immobilisation and ammonification. Combined application of chitosan and crop straws showed greater ameliorating effect on soil acidity than single applications of straw. This practice provides an effective strategy for improving soil acidity, inhibiting soil acidification, regulating N transformation, and reducing N loss in farmlands.