https://journals.uhd.edu.iq/index.php/uhdjst <p><em>UHD Journal of Science and Technology</em>&nbsp;(UHDJST) is a semi-annual academic journal<strong>&nbsp;</strong>published by the University of Human Development, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. UHDJST publishes original research in all areas of Science, Engineering, and Technology. UHDJST is a Peer-Reviewed Open Access journal with CC BY-NC-ND 4.0&nbsp;license. UHDJST provides immediate, worldwide, barrier-free access to the full text of research articles without requiring a subscription to the journal, and has no article processing charge (APC). UHDJST Section Policy includes three types of publications; Articles, Review Articles, and Letters. UHDJST is a member of ROAD, e-ISSN: 2521-4217, p-ISSN: 2521-4209 and a member of Crossref, DOI:&nbsp;<strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">10.21928/issn.2521-4217</span></strong></p> University of Human Development - Iraq en-US UHD Journal of Science and Technology 2521-4209 https://journals.uhd.edu.iq/index.php/uhdjst/article/view/1528 <p style="font-weight: 400;">Desertification is one of the most pressing environmental threats and socioeconomic issues facing Iraq, both as a result of aggravated weather and climatic conditions due to climate change and urban sprawl and as a consequence of unsustainable land use. Conventional methods of monitoring – like ground surveys and visual interpretation of satellite images – are costly and time-consuming and may not be able to monitor large-scale changes on a real-time basis. To overcome these limitations, this article 1 investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), including its integration with remote sensing, in improving the detection, assessment, and prediction of land degradation. Exploiting data-driven models, AI enables rapid and reliable diagnoses toward better land management, in line with essential Sustainable Development Goals, such as food security, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. Major challenges hindering the application process in Iraq were also reported in this paper, including poor data infrastructure, lack of policy integration, and institution capacity. Finally, it suggests research directions to reinforce the AI monitoring system, to provide support for a more efficient response to desertification and sustainable development.</p> Bnar Abdulsalam Abdulrahman Nama Ezzaalddin Mustafa Copyright (c) 2026 Bnar Abdulsalam Abdulrahman, Nama Ezzaalddin Mustafa http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2026-01-03 2026-01-03 10 1 1 14 10.21928/uhdjst.v10n1y2026.pp1-14 https://journals.uhd.edu.iq/index.php/uhdjst/article/view/1599 <p>Worldwide, Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is regarded as the most widely farmed vegetable. In Iraq, sewage water is used to irrigate lettuce that leading to health risks for consumers, particularly due to heavy metal contaminants, such as cadmium. This study was conducted as a factorial experiment in Taq-Taq city, Erbil, Iraq during the winter season 2021 to investigate the effects of soaking lettuce seeds in cadmium (Cd) (0, 10, 20, or 30mM) and salicylic acid (SA) (0, 2, 4, 6, or 8mM) on the germination and some seedling growth properties of this plant. Results show that soaking the seeds in distilled water led to a decrease in the percent of seeds germination compared to that soaked in Cd solutions, while exist of SA at moderate concentrations increase the germination percent. Most of the seedling growth characteristics exhibited a considerable increase with soaking seeds in Cd solution. SA in high concentration reduced significantly seeds germination and most of the seedling shoot and root characteristics, except the root length, which grew significantly. Most of the responses of Cd and SA were non-significant regarding chlorophyll a, b, and total carotenoids. This study concluded that soaking lettuce seeds in Cd up to 30mM and SA up to 4mM act as a stimulate hermetic effects on germination and subsequence growth of lettuce seedling, these findings confirm the increase growth and yield of lettuce irrigated by wastewater (including Cd) in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan region in spite of the increased health risks.</p> Bahra J. Swara Nazhad Kh. Talabany lkbal M. Albarzinji Copyright (c) 2026 Bahra J. Swara, Nazhad Kh. Talabany, lkbal M. Albarzinji http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2026-01-04 2026-01-04 10 1 15 22 10.21928/uhdjst.v10n1y2026.pp15-22