PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET

CONTEXT: While the agroeconomic literature on the determinants of cocoa yield among West African smallholders is abundant, it remains dominated by descriptive studies or work conducted at an aggregated regional scale, leaving open the question of the role of shade-tree management practices at the scale of the individual plantation. OBJECTIVE: This study tests whether shade-tree management practices and the farmer's socio-demographic profile explain variation in cocoa yield, using a nationwide sample of 409 plantations covering, for the first time, the three major Ivorian production zones (loops) (98, 151 and 160 plantations for loops 1, 2 and 3, respectively). METHODS: A univariate screening of 27 variables, a mixed model with a random intercept by village, a production-function specification, LASSO variable selection, and a random forest were applied, all evaluated by 5-fold cross-validation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The five approaches converge on a robust result: the deliberately planted origin of shade trees (as opposed to a residual or spontaneous origin) is the strongest and most stable determinant of yield, with a mean gap of 332 versus 183 kg/ha/year. This effect withstands four successive robustness checks: it remains significant after simultaneous adjustment for age, plantation size, production zone, technical extension, and farmer education; it is not driven by a handful of extreme plantations; it holds within each of the three production zones taken separately rather than in only one of them; and, taken in isolation, it retains a positive out-of-sample predictive power (cross-validated R2=8776; 0.05). A second group of robust determinants of more modest magnitude emerges for agricultural technical extension (ANADER/CNRA/SATMACI) and farmer education level; shade-tree alignment shows a signal in the same direction, consistent with recent independent work in Cote d'Ivoire, but becomes statistically marginal once adjusted for these other factors. The full multivariate model reaches a cross-validated R2 of around 0.07-0.08. SIGNIFICANCE: This signal, undetectable in an analysis restricted to loop 1 alone (n=98) for lack of statistical power, confirms the value of nationwide sampling for detecting modest but real agronomic determinants, and argues for integrating shade-tree origin into agroforestry extension programmes.

Yield improvement is a main issue in the oil palm industry. Several ways to achieve this goal are possible, like, for instance, improving fruit set. Here we explore a planting strategy to increase two major factors influencing pollination; i.e. (1) the number of individuals of its main pollinator, Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust, and (2) pollen availability, by mixing oil palm planting material, usually highly feminine, with a new oil palm material, the "super-male" (SM) planting material, with a high ratio of male inflorescences. We design and study a field trial comprising extremely feminine planting material mixed with different SM densities. Using Mark-Release-Recapture experiments we estimate the average dispersal of the pollinators over three different periods of the year, from 2017 till 2022. Second, using phenological data recorded over the same period, we studied the impact of the SM planting density on the population size of the pollinators. Finally, we assess the impact over time of different SM planting densities on the fruit set, the fruit-to-bunch, and the number of trapped wild pollinators. The combination of SM material with a highly feminine planting material provides very promising results in terms of fruit set, linked with increased pollinator population and pollen availability, demonstrating its potential for application in oil palm plantations.

Intercropping dominates smallholder cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa, yet cassava breeding programs evaluate genotypes exclusively under monoculture. Despite consistently reported system-level yield advantages, cassava yield is reduced by 17 to 51% under intercropping, indicating a need to reduce this competitive disadvantage through breeding. However, the quantitative-genetic foundations of intercrop breeding remain uncharacterized for tropical root crop systems. We hypothesized that monoculture selection would capture most, but not all, genetic merit for intercropping and that a limited tester set would be sufficient if general mixing ability predominated. We evaluated 120 cassava clones previously selected under monoculture in IITA advanced yield trials, testing them under monoculture and in intercrop with two contrasting cowpea varieties across two years at Ibadan, Nigeria. Spatial mixed models quantified genetic variation, genotype by cropping system interaction, cross system genetic relationships, realized selection gain, mixing ability, tester effects, and land equivalent ratio. Intercropping reduced cassava fresh root yield by 19%, but total land equivalent ratios exceeded 1.0 for all clones, confirming a system-level land use advantage. Cassava performance under intercropping was heritable, with estimates of 0.50 to 0.75, and genotype by cropping system interaction was not significant. Genetic correlations between monoculture and intercrop performance were high and approached unity (rg = 0.92 to 0.99), and selection efficiency was 26 to 44% at 10% intensity, confirming that high genetic correlation does not guarantee effective indirect selection. Monoculture selection captured approximately two-thirds of direct intercrop gain. General mixing ability dominated, specific mixing ability was negligible, and producer effects explained 20 to 47% of intercrop variance. The two architecturally and phenologically contrasting cowpea varieties had limited influence on cassava rankings. Here, we show for the first time that cassava breeding for intercropping can retain monoculture selection during early stages while adding two representative cowpea testers at the advanced trial stage. This staged strategy aligns cassava breeding with diversified smallholder systems without creating a separate pipeline.

1. Agriculture is the most significant driver of global land-use change, placing increasing pressure on biodiversity. Balancing rising food demand with the need to conserve biodiversity is therefore an urgent challenge, especially as biodiversity can underpin key ecosystem functions that support agricultural systems. A greater general understanding of how biodiversity influences agroecosystem function is critical for developing agricultural practices that benefit both agricultural production and wider ecosystem processes. 2. Using a global dataset of 184 biodiversity-agroecosystem function relationships covering agricultural and silvicultural systems, we developed a classification system for different biodiversity-enhancing approaches, ranging from the planting of multiple crop species to creating tree islands or flower strips, providing the first comprehensive assessment of how these approaches affect agroecosystem function. 3. We found biodiversity enhancement generally had a positive, or at least neutral, association with multiple agroecosystem functions, indicating that it contributes to agricultural sustainability. Crop diversification had the greatest impact on key agroecosystem functions compared to other practices, likely due to the low heterogeneity already present in agricultural systems and the scale at which crop diversification is applied and measured. Overall, biodiversity's largest effect was on multifunctionality, highlighting its role in supporting the simultaneous delivery of multiple agroecosystem functions. 4. Variability in relationships among systems and agroecosystem function categories suggests that no single biodiversity-enhancing approach will universally benefit all functions simultaneously. Instead, a combination of approaches, assessed through their contribution to overall multifunctionality, is likely to be most effective, ensuring that agricultural sustainability claims reflect benefits across systems. 5. Policies should incentivise biodiversity-enhancing management approaches as effective strategies to improve agroecosystem multifunctionality, benefiting both agricultural productivity and the wider ecosystem.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is grown in Cote d'Ivoire (the world's leading producer), almost always in association with trees, yet these cocoa-based agroforestry systems (cocoa AFS) remain characterized largely descriptively, without a robust inferential framework or modern diversity indices. We analyse a survey database covering 474 farms and 103 localities across the three main cocoa-producing zones of Cote d'Ivoire, locally known as " loops " (East/South-East, Centre/Centre-West, South/South-West; surveys 2013-2016), applying a renewed ecological and statistical framework: Hill numbers (q = 0, 1, 2), individual-based Hurlbert rarefaction, multiplicative alpha/beta/gamma diversity partitioning, ordination (PCoA) and PERMANOVA on Bray-Curtis matrices, Ward's hierarchical clustering for a data-driven floristic typology, multivariate MANOVA, and linear mixed models. Across 99 adequately sampled localities (>10 stems), mean taxonomic richness and the Shannon index differed significantly among zones (MANOVA: Wilks' = 0.350; F8,180 = 15.5; p < 0.001), including after standardizing sampling effort by rarefaction (F = 8.72; p < 0.001). Floristic composition differed significantly by zone (PERMANOVA, pseudo-F = 2.85; p = 0.001), though with uneven within-group dispersion (PERMDISP, p = 0.024) that calls for caution in interpretation. The Centre/Centre-West zone showed the highest beta diversity (inter-farm floristic turnover = 16.4, versus 7.2 and 2.2 in the other two zones), revealing a highly heterogeneous mosaic of individual agroforestry choices rather than a homogeneous regional system. A typological classification based on floristic composition distinguishes four cocoa-AFS profiles, ranging from dense, diverse stands to impoverished systems with low densities of associated trees, partially but not fully overlapping with the zonal boundaries. At the scale of the three loops (n = 409 farms with both age and yield recorded), cocoa yield varied significantly by orchard age class (Kruskal-Wallis, H = 18.2; p < 0.001), following a bell-shaped profile peaking around 20-35 years, consistent with the intermediate-age yield optimum suggested qualitatively by the source study; this relationship, robust to log-transformation of yield and to the exclusion of extreme values, nonetheless remains of small magnitude (R2=1.5%) and confers no out-of-sample predictive power under cross-validation, illustrating the need to distinguish statistical significance from predictive utility. This reanalysis provides a reproducible and transferable statistical framework for characterizing West African cocoa AFS, and highlights the potential value of high beta diversity as a possible indicator of landscape resilience.

Distinct from plants which directly parasitise other plants (parasites), non-photosynthetic mycoheterophic plants (MHPs, previously known as achlorophyllous mycotrophs or saprophytes) depend upon fungal hyphae for their carbon and have been viewed as cheaters or parasites in their fungal partnerships rather than mutualistic as in most other plant-mycorrhizal interactions. Over 400 such species in 87 genera and 11 families are recorded which maintain this lifeform through their life-cycle, while an estimate 30,000 further species, mainly orchids, depend on this mode of life to establish themselves from seeds. In most cases the fungal partners and the ultimate carbon sources, usually autotrophic plants, are unknown. High fungal specificity is the norm in those MHPs researched. We describe a new MHP genus and species, Denisea fonensis that we discovered in the Simandou range of the Republic of Guinea, West Africa in October 2025 on the footprint of a mining project. While clearly placed in Dioscoreales (which has three MHP families), the features of Denisea are so unusual that it was not initially clear in which family to place it. Finally, with molecular data we placed Denisea in Thismiaceae, corroborated by morphology. The new discovery is all the more unexpected as this is the first record of Thismiaceae from West Africa. Until now the family has only been recorded in Africa from three species of the very different genus Oxygyne, of Cameroon and Central African Republic. We provisionally assess Denisea fonensis as Critically Endangered since less than ten individuals are recorded in only a few square metres at one site, where there are imminent threats from animals. We propose urgent measures to conserve this species to reduce the risk of global extinction that has eliminated other African MHP species such as Oxygyne triandra, and further research to determine the fungal and autotrophic plant partners of this remarkable plant genus.

Palm oil is the worlds leading vegetable oil, with production continuing to expand, particularly across Southeast Asia. Within established plantations, conserving and restoring riparian margins can reduce erosion, improve connectivity, and support biodiversity. Simultaneously, climate change is increasing thermal stress within tropical agricultural landscapes, raising the potential importance of riparian buffers as microclimatic refugia, although this has not previously been evaluated. The Riparian Ecosystem Restoration in Tropical Agriculture (RERTA) Project is a long-term Before-After Control-Impact experiment established within oil palm plantations in Riau, Indonesia, to evaluate alternative riparian restoration strategies following plantation replanting. Treatments included passive restoration (retaining mature oil palms and allowing natural regeneration), active restoration (enrichment planting with six native tree species), and a control (replanting immature oil palms to the river edge). Six years after restoration, we assessed vegetation structure using terrestrial laser scanning and thermal stability using temperature loggers and thermal imaging. We also evaluated the long-term temperature buffering capacity of each treatment under current and projected climates using CHELSA climate data and downscaled outputs from multiple General Circulation Models under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios for 2045 and 2085. Active restoration produced greater structural complexity, a more closed canopy, and cooler, more thermally stable conditions than passive restoration and control treatments. Restored margins also contained significantly more cool surface microhabitats, reducing thermal extremes under both current and future climate scenarios. Our findings demonstrate that active restoration of riparian margins can enhance thermal buffering and create microclimatic refugia for biodiversity within tropical oil palm landscapes. As agricultural intensification and climate change continue to reshape tropical ecosystems, restoring structurally complex riparian vegetation will be critical for sustaining biodiversity and the ecosystem services upon which agricultural production depends.

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWThis study seeks to advance understanding of how ancient Hoabinhian communities engaged with the diversity of their environments, focusing on plant resource management and the role of plants in technological and subsistence strategies at the Laang Spean site, Cambodia. The methodological approach relies on phytolith assemblages recovered from sediments associated with micro-plant residues adhering to the lithic tools, interpreted using anatomical and histological knowledge of plant tissues. Phytolith extraction from nine stratigraphic layers revealed distinct differences between Hoabinhian contexts (Stratigraphical Unit=SU): the layer 9 contained mainly palm trees phytoliths, while layers 10 and 11 showed higher phytolith diversity and diagnostic grass forms. Besides the Monocots strong assemblage results between the two main periods studied, a diversity of phytolith arboreal taxa indicate broader plant use and environmental complexity during Hoabinhian occupations (consistent with the other archaeobotanical studies held on Hoabinhian archaeological sites in the region). Upon the nine lithics artefacts studied, only one has delivered micro-plant remains identified as leaf-culm part of Monocots (plants that do not produce wood), and most probably of bamboo origin. This multidisciplinary research aims to refine interpretations of Hoabinhian plant exploitation (subsistence and environmental context), and contributes to current debates on "forest technologies" in Southeast Asia.

Soil degradation is a widespread challenge that requires a broad response at the individual farm level. To ensure effectivity, the practices should be tailored to the farm context: land manager objectives and farm specific challenges. These have however been difficult to quantify. Here we demonstrate that a workable farm context can be created based on a value survey, open satellite and soil data, and published models for vegetation gross primary productivity and soil erosion. Based on the findings, despite individual differences, farmers value profitability and operational efficiency, but also biodiversity and soil health. At least the regenerative farmers surveyed also value working for the greater good more than maintaining tradition or power. In spite of wide differences in farm production orientation, we also found that each farm also had a broad variation in individual fields GPP. Most fields have a stable GPP level, which is either high or low, and that there is a 2-3-fold difference between the weakest and best producing fields indicating the potential for improving GPP by improving the growing conditions on currently weak fields. In addition, soil loss was found to be highly concentrated in critical source areas, where 10% of the field area contributed to 50% of the soil loss. Overall, open data can be linked to modelling workflows to rapidly produce a decision-making context for farmers. This facilitates benchmarking and co-learning as well as enables land managers and advisors to identify the farm context for planning effective responses to soil degradation.

Herbarium collections represent an important but frequently underutilized source of information for documenting medicinal plant diversity and preserving ethnomedicinal knowledge. We assessed the medicinal plant diversity represented in herbarium records from the Gombe State University Herbarium (GSUH), Nigeria, and evaluated patterns in taxonomic composition, therapeutic applications, and plant parts reported for medicinal use. We also tested the hypothesis that the plant parts used medicinally are not randomly distributed across therapeutic or ailment categories, but that particular plant parts are disproportionately associated with specific therapeutic applications. The resulting dataset comprised 1,576 specimen records, including 768 recorded as medicinal plant species across 94 families and 1,426 medicinal-use records (Table S1). Fabaceae was the most species-rich family (15.8%), followed by Asteraceae (9.3%), Malvaceae (4.8%), Lamiaceae (4.4%), Rubiaceae (3.2%), and Apocynaceae (3.2%). The most frequently represented therapeutic themes were infections and sexually transmitted diseases (50.7%), gastrointestinal disorders (41.9%), pain, inflammation, and rheumatism (41.9%), fever and malaria (40.2%), and skin diseases and wounds (40.0%). Individual species had a mean of 2.98 therapeutic themes, with medicinal breadth ranging from 1 to 7 themes. A species-aware permutation test confirmed that the observed plant-part and therapeutic-theme association was significantly stronger than expected under random association (9,999 permutations, P < 0.0001). These findings demonstrate the value of herbarium collections as taxonomically anchored resources for recovering information on medicinal plant diversity. Integrating herbarium records with published ethnomedicinal knowledge provides a reproducible framework for linking plant diversity, taxonomy and traditional medicinal applications and highlights the potential of underutilised African herbaria for ethnopharmacological research.

Understanding adaptation to environmental variation is fundamental to climate-resilient agriculture. Here, we analyzed a georeferenced collection of 167 Dioscorea accessions spanning a wide range of bioclimatic and biophysical variation, from dry sahelian environment to rainforest environment. Genome-wide association analyses revealed that the genetic architecture of environmental adaptation is largely driven by large-effect loci, although precipitation-related traits were associated with many small-effect loci. This mixed architecture could lead to multiple breeding strategies, including marker-assisted backcrossing and the targeted use of wild and semi-wild relatives. We identified a core collection of accessions that captures much of the genetic and environmental diversity, and highlighted accessions as potential parents for abiotic stress tolerance. Projections under future climate scenarios using genomic offset identified regions and accessions at elevated risk of maladaptation, as well as others with broad adaptive potentiality. Maximizing the use of available material may facilitate the development of climate-resilient cultivars.

Myricaria Desv. (Tamaricaceae) is a genus of shrubs that play a keystone role in montane riparian ecosystems across Eurasia, shaping riverine habitats and supporting ecological function. The genus has a centre of origin in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and exhibits a broad distribution, but many species boundaries are unresolved. Here, we present the first phylogenomic analysis of Myricaria using the Angiosperms353 target enrichment bait set, with sampling across its full geographic range. Off-target plastid loci were extracted from next-generation sequencing data using the CAPTUS bioinformatics pipeline. We infer species relationships using ASTRAL-IV and network analysis with SplitsTree, in conjunction with morphology. We also provide a taxonomic treatment of the genus, integrating our morphological observations and phylogenomic analyses for species delimitations. Based on our analyses, recognise two infrageneric sections: sect. Parallelantherae (containing only M. elegans) and sect. Myricaria (the remainder of the genus, with type species M. germanica). We also propose synonymising M. davurica, M. bracteata and M. squamosa with M. germanica. Although species boundaries in the Asian highlands remain unresolved, we conclude that the species M. elegans, M. germanica, M. laxiflora, M. longifolia, M. platyphylla, and M. pulcherrima are well-supported both phylogenomically and morphologically.

Seed ecophysiology is essential for understanding plant regeneration and developing effective conservation and ecological restoration strategies, yet knowledge remains scarce for most threatened Cerrado species. We characterised the germination niche, desiccation tolerance and storage behaviour of Xyris paradisiaca (Xyridaceae), an Endangered species endemic to Central Brazil, to assess whether its restricted distribution is associated with narrow germination requirements and to inform seed-based conservation. Germination was tested across light regimes, constant temperatures, decreasing water potentials and short-duration heat shocks, while thermal- and hydro-time models were used to quantify thermal and hydric thresholds. Seeds exhibited an absolute light requirement but broad abiotic tolerances. Germination remained >87% between 15 and 40 {degrees}C, with estimated cardinal temperatures of Tb = 8.94 {degrees}C, To = 33.13 {degrees}C and Tc = 45.53 {degrees}C. Germination remained similar to the control down to -0.6 MPa and exceeded 40% at -1.0 MPa, with a median base water potential of {Psi}b = -1.03 MPa. Germination also remained high after 1-min heat shocks up to 200 {degrees}C. Seeds were desiccation tolerant, with 100% germination after drying and a viability loss index of -0.04, and germination remained >90% after 24 months of ambient storage. Thus, the highly restricted distribution of X. paradisiaca is not driven by a narrow physiological germination niche. Its broad environmental tolerances, desiccation tolerance and favourable storage behaviour also highlight its unexplored potential for seed-based restoration, propagation and ex situ conservation.

To reduce reliance on pesticides in potato production, alternative partial control methods are needed, yet their efficacy and reliability are seldom quantified over multiple years. Canopy architecture is a potential lever against late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, a pathogen whose infection and development are highly driven by humidity and temperature. However, its practical value under field conditions in pure crop stands remains poorly documented. We compared two commercial potato cultivars with contrasting canopy architectures but similar leaf tissue susceptibility to P. infestans, in replicated field trials conducted over six years (2011 2016) under irrigation, and over three of these years also without irrigation. Disease and canopy development (height, closure, leaf area, stem number) were monitored throughout the growing seasons and analysed using non linear growth models. Monalisa, an erect and ramose cultivar, consistently slowed epidemic progress relative to Bintje, a semi-erect and leafy cultivar. This effect was significant in every non irrigated trial but in only half of the irrigated ones. No single canopy trait explained this suppression across all years and conditions. However, canopy closure at the time of inoculation was the most consistent correlate, supporting the hypothesis of a microclimate mediated effect. Disease reduction seldom translated into a yield benefit, except under irrigation, where Monalisa occasionally out yielded Bintje. Our results confirm that canopy architecture can complement other levers within integrated late blight management. Nevertheless, its significant year to year variability and dependence on environmental conditions must be accounted for if it is to be deployed as a reliable control method.

The box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is an invasive pest of boxwood plants (Buxus spp.) that has rapidly expanded across Europe and, since its first detection in Canada in 2018, across North America. Understanding its introduction pathways and early population structure is critical for effective surveillance and management. We integrated genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI), and morphological data to investigate the early invasion history of C. perspectalis across North America. Genome-wide analyses revealed pronounced genetic differentiation between North American and European populations, together with substantial genetic structure within North America. Delaware was genetically distinct from other North American populations and showed greater affinity with European populations, consistent with a separate introduction history. In contrast, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario showed greater genetic similarity, suggesting shared ancestry and/or regional connectivity, whereas Virginia and West Virginia exhibited additional differentiation. Mitochondrial data supported shared ancestry among most North American populations, while Delaware shared a haplotype group with the Croatian European population. D-statistic analyses identified asymmetric allele sharing among several North American and European populations, consistent with multiple introductions and subsequent admixture. Morphometric analyses revealed significant geographic variation in several body and wing traits. Together, these complementary datasets indicate that multiple introductions, regional genetic structuring, and admixture have shaped the North American invasion. These findings highlight the value of integrating genomic approaches with nursery and border surveillance to identify introduction pathways and inform targeted containment and long-term management of this emerging horticultural pest.

Smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa are constrained by declining soil fertility, erosion, and rising fertilizer costs, creating an urgent need for scalable inputs that sustain yields while maintaining soil health. While there is some evidence that microbial inoculants may offer a promising complement to conventional fertility management, field-scale evidence in tropical cereal and tuber systems remains limited. Here, we evaluated a multi-species inoculant composed of 20-22 Bacillus and Streptomyces species on potato and maize across four sites in Rwanda over two growing seasons (2025A and 2025B). Treatments included the inoculant applied at two rates (150 and 250 g ha-1), both alone and in combination with standard fertilization (inorganic fertilizer plus manure), alongside untreated and fertilized controls. Co-application of the inoculant with standard fertilization increased yield and plant biomass beyond fertilization alone, with gains of 6-51% for maize and 3-58% for potato. However, while the inoculant applied alone outperformed untreated controls, it generally did not match standard fertilization. Responses were strongest and most consistent for large-grade potato tubers, and application rate interacted with crop type, whereby the lower dose maximized marketable tuber yield, while maize showed a positive dose-response for grain and biomass. Yield increases were not accompanied by reductions in crop nutrient density, which was instead governed by site-level differences. Altogether, these results indicate that multi-species microbial inoculants are an effective complement to existing fertility practices that may offer, pending further research, a potential pathway to partial fertilizer replacement while sustaining productivity and nutritional quality in smallholder tropical agriculture.

A better understanding factors regulating agricultural production is a research priority, given the pace of environmental change and global human population growth. Fruit orchards may be particularly vulnerable to climate change owing to the strong temperature-dependency of reproduction in temperate trees. In this study, we explored climate influences on the reproductive dynamics of apple (Malus domestica), one of the most widely-grown, economically-important fruit crops worldwide. Observations of individual-tree fruit-set, a key indicator of final yield, were acquired for three apple cultivars in an eight-year census of ~44,900 trees in >5,500 orchards spanning wide climate gradients across the Republic of Korea. With maximum-likelihood models, we quantified temporal and climate-driven patterns in fruit-set, investigated evidence for spatially-synchronized production, and conducted simulations of orchard vulnerability to climate change. We found annual fruit-set oscillated around modal levels and was synchronized between orchards within 25 km. Higher temperatures had contrasting influences, reducing fruit-set during the cold-season (consistent with climate-induced phenological shifts), while increasing fruit-set during the season of bud initiation (prior spring). Simulations predict that higher future temperatures during bud initiation increase average fruit-set, despite the constraints of cold-season warming, but that such enhancements level-off by late-century and are accompanied by heightened volatility. Decelerating fruit-set and greater instability in production have implications for future societal needs, as robust supply systems depend as much on consistent production as on high average output. Our analyses also imply that future climate patterns promoting synchrony in fruit-set among orchards may accentuate the negative consequences of fluctuating production.

Peanut smut, caused by Thecaphora frezzii, is an important constraint to peanut production in Argentina, but quantitative estimates of yield losses across environments remain limited. We quantified the relationship between disease incidence and kernel yield using 922 observations from 26 field studies conducted in Cordoba, Argentina, between 2021 and 2025. Study-specific incidence-yield relationships were analyzed using linear regression, random-effects meta-analysis, and linear mixed-effects models. Peanut smut incidence was consistently associated with yield reduction across studies. The estimated damage coefficient ranged from 24.2 to 28.7 kg ha-{superscript 1} per 1% increase in disease incidence, corresponding to a relative yield reduction of 0.74-0.87% of attainable yield. In contrast, attainable yield varied markedly among studies, ranging from 1,370 to 5,409 kg ha-{superscript 1}. Although an exploratory segmented analysis suggested a breakpoint near 12% incidence, subsequent moderator analyses, study- specific regressions, and normalized response curves provided no evidence of a biologically meaningful change in the damage coefficient across incidence or yield classes. These results indicate that differences among environments were primarily associated with attainable yield rather than with changes in the magnitude of disease-associated yield loss. The resulting damage function provides a quantitative basis for yield-loss assessment and disease management in peanut.

Exotic pests and pathogens pose a major threat to forest ecosystems. Early detection of newly introduced organisms is critical for implementing effective eradication measures before they become established. Citizen science platforms have emerged as promising sources of biodiversity data for detecting invasive pests and pathogens, yet their integration into formal biosecurity surveillance remains limited. Using France as a case study, we surveyed 101 professionals involved in forest and urban tree management and pest surveillance to assess their knowledge of regulated tree pests and pathogens and their attitudes towards online citizen science platforms for biosecurity applications. We focused on ten focal species representing different regulatory statuses under EU legislation. We assessed the knowledge professionals have of these species and their regulatory status, and explored sources of variation in their opinions regarding the use of citizen science platforms as a tool for post-border biosecurity. Experts involved in mandatory surveillance of regulated organisms (SORE experts) demonstrated consistent knowledge of quarantine pests, whereas other professionals knowledge varied by species, with greater familiarity for non-quarantine, widely distributed pests. Half of respondents used citizen science platforms, predominantly to consult species distribution rather than to contribute observations. Professionals receptivity to citizen science increased significantly when species were perceived as easy to identify, but they expressed more confidence in citizen science for monitoring established pests than for the early detection of quarantine species. The survey reveals that while citizen science platforms are known and valued as information sources, they remain underutilized as mechanisms for sharing field observations, even among surveillance professionals.

AimHere we aim to disentangle species-specific bioclimatic drivers of forest site productivity and project their future dynamics, providing a spatially explicit basis for anticipating climate-driven shifts in productivity and their implications for forest carbon sequestration. LocationIberian Peninsula. Time period1985-2014 (calibration); 2071-2100 (projected under CMIP6 scenarios). Major taxa studied21 Iberian tree species. MethodsWe used Site Form (SF) maps derived from the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory, spatially interpolating plot-level SF estimates as a continuous productivity index and relating them to 25 bioclimatic variables. Multiple linear regression models were selected via complementary stepwise and subset regression and validated on independent hold-out data (80%/20% split). ResultsValidated [Formula] ranged from 0.46 (Quercus faginea) to 0.97 (Pinus pinaster); 17 of 21 species reached [Formula]. BI013 precipitation of the wettest month), not BI014, was the most frequently retained predictor (15/17); BI014 was retained in only (11/17 models with a near-even sign split. Combining projected changes in mean productivity and habitat extent under SSP5-8.5, fifteen of sixteen applicable species lose total productivity by 2071-2100, six -- including Fagus sylvatica and Betula alba -- collapsing to below 1% of their reference-period value; only Pinus pinaster gains, and only under the lowest-emission pathway (up to 175%) -- under SSP5-8.5 it too loses productivity, albeit less than any other species (35% of its reference-period value retained). Limiting warming to SSP1-2.6 spares Mediterranean pine and oak species but not Euro-Siberian and montane ones. Main conclusionsThese validated, extrapolation-aware models reveal a near-universal, climate-driven collapse in Iberian forest site productivity, with direct implications for the carbon-sink potential currently attributed to these forest types, and provide a route to dynamic, climate-aware carbon-uptake estimates for the region.