1,703 results
Search Results
2. Identification and Severity Determination of Wheat Stripe Rust and Wheat Leaf Rust Based on Hyperspectral Data Acquired Using a Black-Paper-Based Measuring Method
- Author
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Qi Liu, Haiguang Wang, Pei Cheng, Liu Ruan, Xiaolong Li, Rui Wang, Feng Qin, Zhanhong Ma, and Hui Wang
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Leaves ,Support Vector Machine ,Light ,lcsh:Medicine ,Plant Science ,01 natural sciences ,Rust ,Remote Sensing ,Machine Learning ,Partial least squares regression ,Statistics ,lcsh:Science ,Triticum ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Plant Anatomy ,Physics ,Electromagnetic Radiation ,Plant Fungal Pathogens ,food and beverages ,Hyperspectral imaging ,Agriculture ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Plants ,Data Acquisition ,Spectrophotometry ,Wheat ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Research Article ,Paper ,Computer and Information Sciences ,China ,Mean squared error ,Plant Pathogens ,Crops ,Wheat Stripe Rust ,Cross-validation ,Wheat leaf rust ,Artificial Intelligence ,Support Vector Machines ,Grasses ,Least-Squares Analysis ,Plant Diseases ,Basidiomycota ,lcsh:R ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Plant Pathology ,biology.organism_classification ,Plant Leaves ,Support vector machine ,Agronomy ,Remote Sensing Technology ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,Cognitive Science ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,lcsh:Q ,Data pre-processing ,Crop Science ,Cereal Crops ,Neuroscience ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
It is important to implement detection and assessment of plant diseases based on remotely sensed data for disease monitoring and control. Hyperspectral data of healthy leaves, leaves in incubation period and leaves in diseased period of wheat stripe rust and wheat leaf rust were collected under in-field conditions using a black-paper-based measuring method developed in this study. After data preprocessing, the models to identify the diseases were built using distinguished partial least squares (DPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), and the disease severity inversion models of stripe rust and the disease severity inversion models of leaf rust were built using quantitative partial least squares (QPLS) and support vector regression (SVR). All the models were validated by using leave-one-out cross validation and external validation. The diseases could be discriminated using both distinguished partial least squares and support vector machine with the accuracies of more than 99%. For each wheat rust, disease severity levels were accurately retrieved using both the optimal QPLS models and the optimal SVR models with the coefficients of determination (R2) of more than 0.90 and the root mean square errors (RMSE) of less than 0.15. The results demonstrated that identification and severity evaluation of stripe rust and leaf rust at the leaf level could be implemented based on the hyperspectral data acquired using the developed method. A scientific basis was provided for implementing disease monitoring by using aerial and space remote sensing technologies.
- Published
- 2016
3. Identification and Severity Determination of Wheat Stripe Rust and Wheat Leaf Rust Based on Hyperspectral Data Acquired Using a Black-Paper-Based Measuring Method.
- Author
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Wang, Hui, Qin, Feng, Ruan, Liu, Wang, Rui, Liu, Qi, Ma, Zhanhong, Li, Xiaolong, Cheng, Pei, and Wang, Haiguang
- Subjects
- *
LEAF rust of wheat , *PLANT diseases , *REMOTE sensing , *LEAST squares , *SUPPORT vector machines - Abstract
It is important to implement detection and assessment of plant diseases based on remotely sensed data for disease monitoring and control. Hyperspectral data of healthy leaves, leaves in incubation period and leaves in diseased period of wheat stripe rust and wheat leaf rust were collected under in-field conditions using a black-paper-based measuring method developed in this study. After data preprocessing, the models to identify the diseases were built using distinguished partial least squares (DPLS) and support vector machine (SVM), and the disease severity inversion models of stripe rust and the disease severity inversion models of leaf rust were built using quantitative partial least squares (QPLS) and support vector regression (SVR). All the models were validated by using leave-one-out cross validation and external validation. The diseases could be discriminated using both distinguished partial least squares and support vector machine with the accuracies of more than 99%. For each wheat rust, disease severity levels were accurately retrieved using both the optimal QPLS models and the optimal SVR models with the coefficients of determination (R2) of more than 0.90 and the root mean square errors (RMSE) of less than 0.15. The results demonstrated that identification and severity evaluation of stripe rust and leaf rust at the leaf level could be implemented based on the hyperspectral data acquired using the developed method. A scientific basis was provided for implementing disease monitoring by using aerial and space remote sensing technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Research on drought stress in Medicago sativa L. from 1998 to 2023: a bibliometric analysis.
- Author
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Zijun Zhou, Junqin Li, Yang Gao, Xiangtao Wang, Rui Wang, Haiyan Huang, Yu Zhang, Lili Zhao, and Puchang Wang
- Subjects
ALFALFA ,BIBLIOMETRICS ,DROUGHT management ,DROUGHTS ,CROP science ,SOIL science ,DROUGHT tolerance - Abstract
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage crops in the world. Drought is recognized as a major challenge limiting alfalfa production and threatening food security. Although some literature reviews have been conducted in this area, bibliometric reviews based on large amounts of published data are still lacking. In this paper, a bibliometric analysis of alfalfa drought stress from 1998-2023 was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database in order to assess global trends in alfalfa drought stress research and to provide new directions for future research. The results showed that the annual publication output maintained an increase in most years, with China and the United States contributing significantly to the field. Most of the journals published are specialized journals in botany, environmental science, soil science and crop science, as well as related agribusiness journals. "plant growth" and "yield" were the most frequently used keywords, reflecting the important purpose of research in this field. And two main research directions were identified: research on drought response mechanism of alfalfa and exploration of drought-resistant technology. In addition, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of drought tolerance and high yield in alfalfa, transgenics, and microbial fertilizer research have been hot research topics in recent years and may continue in the future. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide a foundational reference for future research on alfalfa's drought resistance and yield optimization mechanisms, thereby enhancing the crop's application in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Impacts of climate change on growth period and planting boundaries of winter wheat in China under RCP4.5 scenario.
- Author
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Sun, Z., Jia, S. F., Lv, A. F., Yang, K. J., Svensson, J., and Gao, Y. C.
- Subjects
CLIMATE change ,WINTER wheat ,CROP science - Abstract
This paper advances understanding of the impacts of climate change on crops in China by moving from ex-post analysis to forecasting, and by demonstrating how the effects of climate change will affect the growth period and the planting boundaries of winter wheat. Using a multiple regression model based on agricultural meteorological observations and the IPCC AR5 GCMs simulations, we find that the sowing date of winter wheat in the base period, 2040s and 2070s, shows a gradually delayed trend from north to south and the growth period of winter wheat in China will be shortened under climate change. The simulation results also show that (i) the north planting boundaries of winter wheat in China will likely move northward and expand westward in the future, while the south planting boundary will rise and spread in south Hainan and Taiwan; and (ii) the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will have the largest increases in planting areas in 2040s and 2070s. Our simulation implies that Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia are more sensitive to climate change than other regions in China and priority should be given to design adaptation strategies for winter wheat planting for these provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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6. Evaluating scientists scientifically
- Author
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Joshi, Yateendra
- Published
- 2014
7. HIV/AIDS and Rural Food Security in Africa: Discussion
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Frayne, Bruce
- Published
- 2006
8. Domestic laundry and microfiber pollution: Exploring fiber shedding from consumer apparel textiles
- Author
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Mathew Watkins, Ekaterina Vassilenko, Stephen Chastain, Anna M. Posacka, Shreyas Patankar, Joel Mertens, and Peter S. Ross
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business.product_category ,Textile ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Laundry ,Physiology ,Polymers ,Microplastics ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,Cotton ,010501 environmental sciences ,Molting ,Wastewater ,01 natural sciences ,Fiber ,Materials ,Flowering Plants ,Multidisciplinary ,Textiles ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Polyester ,Fibers ,Chemistry ,Macromolecules ,Wool ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Plastics ,Research Article ,Science ,Polyesters ,Materials Science ,Crops ,Microfiber ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Laundering ,business.industry ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Fiber Crops ,Aquatic Environments ,Polymer Chemistry ,Nylons ,Synthetic fiber ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,business ,Physiological Processes ,Crop Science - Abstract
Synthetic fibers are increasingly seen to dominate microplastic pollution profiles in aquatic environments, with evidence pointing to textiles as a potentially important source. However, the loss of microfibers from textiles during laundry is poorly understood. We evaluated microfiber release from a variety of synthetic and natural consumer apparel textile samples (n = 37), with different material types, constructions, and treatments during five consecutive domestic laundry cycles. Microfiber loss ranged from 9.6 mg to 1,240 mg kg-1 of textile per wash, or an estimated 8,809 to > 6,877,000 microfibers. Mechanically-treated polyester samples, dominated by fleeces and jerseys, released six times more microfibers (161 ± 173 mg kg-1 per wash) than did nylon samples with woven construction and filamentous yarns (27 ± 14 mg kg-1 per wash). Fiber shedding was positively correlated with fabric thickness for nylon and polyester. Interestingly, cotton and wool textiles also shed large amounts of microfibers (165 ± 44 mg kg-1 per wash). The similarity between the average width of textile fibers here (12.4 ± 4.5 μm) and those found in ocean samples provides support for the notion that home laundry is an important source of microfiber pollution. Evaluation of two marketed laundry lint traps provided insight into intervention options for the home, with retention of up to 90% for polyester fibers and 46% for nylon fibers. Our observation of a > 850-fold difference in the number of microfibers lost between low and high shedding textiles illustrates the strong potential for intervention, including more sustainable clothing design.
- Published
- 2021
9. Survey of Beginning Weed Science Courses
- Author
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Pearce, R. Brent and Appleby, Arnold P.
- Published
- 1992
10. Application of biochar from crop straw in asphalt modification
- Author
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Xinli Gan and Wenli Zhang
- Subjects
Fossil Fuels ,Hot Temperature ,Softening point ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Physical Chemistry ,Soil ,Materials Physics ,Plant Products ,Biochar ,Electron Microscopy ,Charcoal ,Materials ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,Viscosity ,Physics ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Coal ,Optical Equipment ,visual_art ,Physical Sciences ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Scanning Electron Microscopy ,Powders ,Organic Materials ,Research Article ,Crops, Agricultural ,Materials science ,Science ,Materials Science ,Equipment ,Crops ,Fuels ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Specific surface area ,Binders ,021108 energy ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Lasers ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Apparent viscosity ,Hydrocarbons ,Agronomy ,Energy and Power ,Chemical Properties ,Asphalt ,Particle size ,Crop Science - Abstract
The objective of this study is to verify the feasibility of using biochar made from crop straw as a bitumen additive to improve some properties of bitumen. The differences between crop straw biochar prepared in a laboratory and commercial charcoal were investigated through scanning electron microscopy and laser particle size analyses. Furthermore, biochar-modified asphalt was prepared using the high-speed shear method, and the penetration, softening point, ductility at 15°C, and apparent viscosity of the asphalt binder with 6% biochar were measured at 120, 135, 150, 160, and 175°C. It was found that both the crop straw biochar and the commercial charcoal consist mainly of C, O, Si, and K, but the C content of crop straw biochar is slightly higher than that of commercial charcoal. The particle size of biochar is smaller than that of commercial charcoal, while the specific surface area is larger. It was determined that the addition of crop straw biochar significantly improved the high-temperature performance of asphalt, and that biochar and commercial charcoal have a similar influence on the high temperature performance of asphalt.
- Published
- 2021
11. Acaricidal activity of Foeniculum vulgare against Rhipicephalus annulatus is mainly dependent on its constituent from trans-anethone
- Author
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Saleh Al-Quraishy, Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki, Waleed M. Arafa, Ahmed O. Hassan, Asmaa A. Kamel, Shawky M. Aboelhadid, and Atalay Sokmen
- Subjects
Life Cycles ,Foeniculum ,Physiology ,Eggs ,Disease Vectors ,medicine.disease_cause ,Biochemistry ,law.invention ,Toxicology ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Larvae ,Medical Conditions ,Ticks ,Filter Paper ,Reproductive Physiology ,law ,Plant Products ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Public and Occupational Health ,Rhipicephalus annulatus ,Protease Inhibitor Therapy ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Essential Oils ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Vaccination and Immunization ,Glutathione ,Fenchone ,Laboratory Equipment ,Infectious Diseases ,Acetylcholinesterase ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Research Article ,Arthropoda ,Death Rates ,Science ,Immunology ,Antiretroviral Therapy ,Equipment ,Tick ,Antiviral Therapy ,Population Metrics ,Arachnida ,Infestation ,parasitic diseases ,Oils, Volatile ,Rhipicephalus ,medicine ,Animals ,Fennel Oil ,Essential oil ,Ixodes ,Population Biology ,Acaricide ,fungi ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Agronomy ,Species Interactions ,chemistry ,Fruit ,Preventive Medicine ,Peptides ,Zoology ,Developmental Biology ,Crop Science - Abstract
Globally, the economic losses due to hard ticks infestation and the control of the associated diseases have been calculated at USD $13.9–18.7 billion per year. The economic impact is related to its direct damage to the skins, blood loss, anemia, severe immunological reactions and indirect losses that related to the effects of hemoparasites, cost of treatment for clinical cases and expenses incurred in the control of ticks. The current study evaluated the acaricidal activities of fennel Foeniculum vulgare essential oil and its main components; trans-anethole and fenchone; against R. annulatus. GC–MS analysis revealed that this oil contained 16 components representing 99.9% of the total identified compounds with E-anethole being the predominant component(64.29%), followed by fenchone (9.94%). The fennel oil and trans-anethole showed significant acaricidal activities. The LC50 of the fennel oil was attained at concentrations of 12.96% for adult ticks and 1.75% for tick larvae meanwhile the LC50 of trans-anethole was reached at concentrations of 2.36% for adult tick and 0.56% for tick larvae. On the contrary, fenchone showed no any significant adulticidal activities and its LC50 attained at a concentration of 9.11% for tick larvae. Regarding repellence activities, trans-anethole achieved 100% repellency at the concentration of 10% while fennel showed 86% repellency at the same concentration. Fenchone showed no repellency effect. Treatment of larvae with fennel, trans-anethole, and fenchone LC50 concentrations significantly inhibited the acetylcholinesterase activity. Meanwhile, glutathione s-transferase activity was significantly decreased in fennel treated larvae but no significant effect was found in the larvae of trans-anethole and fenchone groups. These results indicate that the acaricide effect of fennel oil may attributed to its high content of trans-anethole. This was supported by potent adulticidal, larvicidal, and repellency effects of trans-anethole against Rhipeciphalus annulatus tick and therefore it could be included in the list of acaricide of plant origin.
- Published
- 2021
12. Searching for biological feedstock material: 3D printing of wood particles from house borer and drywood termite frass
- Author
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Andrea Zocca, Alexander Funk, Rudy Plarre, Yuexuan Li, Anna A. Gorbushina, Anja Waske, Janka Wilbig, Jens Günster, Sigrid Benemann, and Andrea Spitzer
- Subjects
Life Cycles ,0209 industrial biotechnology ,Electronics engineering ,Timber ,Engineering and technology ,02 engineering and technology ,020901 industrial engineering & automation ,Larvae ,Plant Products ,Materials ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Frass ,Packing density ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,3D printing ,Built Structures ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pulp and paper industry ,Wood ,Insects ,Printing, Three-Dimensional ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Powders ,0210 nano-technology ,Research Article ,Arthropoda ,Structural Engineering ,Science ,Hausner ratio ,Materials Science ,Isoptera ,Raw material ,Termites ,Layer wise ,Binders ,Animals ,Small particles ,Hylotrupes ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Incisitermes marginipennis ,500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Agronomy ,Environmental science ,Zoology ,Entomology ,Developmental Biology ,Crop Science - Abstract
Frass (fine powdery refuse or fragile perforated wood produced by the activity of boring insects) of larvae of the European house borer (EHB) and of drywood termites was tested as a natural and novel feedstock for 3D-printing of wood-based materials. Small particles produced by the drywood termite Incisitermes marginipennis and the EHB Hylotrupes bajulus during feeding in construction timber, were used. Frass is a powdery material of particularly consistent quality that is essentially biologically processed wood mixed with debris of wood and faeces. The filigree-like particles flow easily permitting the build-up of wood-based structures in a layer wise fashion using the Binder Jetting printing process. The quality of powders produced by different insect species was compared along with the processing steps and properties of the printed parts. Drywood termite frass with a Hausner Ratio HR = 1.1 with ρBulk = 0.67 g/cm3 and ρTap = 0.74 g/cm3 was perfectly suited to deposition of uniformly packed layers in 3D printing. We suggest that a variety of naturally available feedstocks could be used in environmentally responsible approaches to scientific material sciences/additive manufacturing.
- Published
- 2021
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- View/download PDF
13. A comparative analysis of biogas production from tomato bio-waste in mesophilic batch and continuous anaerobic digestion systems
- Author
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Attila Bodor, Balázs Kakuk, Viktória Markó, Árpád Szilágyi, Roland Wirth, László Bodai, Naila Bounedjoum, Zoltán Bagi, Kornél L. Kovács, Ágnes Szepesi, Gábor Rákhely, and Norbert Tolvai
- Subjects
Metabolic Processes ,Leaves ,Fruit Crops ,Biogas ,Biomass ,Plant Science ,Biochemistry ,Lignin ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Bioreactors ,Solanum lycopersicum ,Bioenergy ,Anaerobiosis ,Materials ,Tomatine ,Multidisciplinary ,Microbiota ,Plant Anatomy ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Crop Production ,Chemistry ,Corn stover ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Methane ,Research Article ,Mesophile ,Science ,Materials Science ,Crops ,Fuels ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Zea mays ,Fruits ,Model Organisms ,Tomatoes ,Plant and Algal Models ,Grasses ,Effluent ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Maize ,Energy and Power ,Anaerobic digestion ,Metabolism ,chemistry ,Biofuels ,Fermentation ,Animal Studies ,Metagenomics ,Crop Science - Abstract
Annually, agricultural activity produces an enormous amount of plant biomass by-product. Many studies have reported the biomethane potential of agro-industrial wastes, but only a few studies have investigated applying the substrates in both batch and continuous mode. Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables globally; its processing releases a substantial amount of by-product, such as stems and leaves. This study examined the BMP of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. L. cv. Alfred) waste. A comparative test revealed that the BMPs of corn stover, tomato waste,and their combination were approximately the same, around 280 mL methane/g Volatile Solid. In contrast, the relative biogas production decreased in the presence of tomato waste in a continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion system; the daily biogas productions were 860 ± 80, 290 ± 50, and 570 ± 70 mL biogas/gVolatile Solid/day in the case of corn stover, tomato waste, and their mixture, respectively. The methane content of biogas was around 46–48%. The fermentation parameters of the continuous AD experiments were optimal in all cases; thus, TW might have an inhibitory effect on the microbial community. Tomato plant materials contain e.g. flavonoids, glycoalkaloids (such as tomatine and tomatidine), etc. known as antimicrobial and antifungal agents. The negative effect of tomatine on the biogas yield was confirmed in batch fermentation experiments. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the tomato plant waste caused significant rearrangements in the microbial communities in the continuously operated reactors. The results demonstrated that tomato waste could be a good mono-substrate in batch fermentations or a co-substrate with corn stover in a proper ratio in continuous anaerobic fermentations for biogas production. These results also point to the importance of running long-term continuous fermentations to test the suitability of a novel biomass substrate for industrial biogas production.
- Published
- 2021
14. Seed Traits Research Is on the Rise: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1991–2020.
- Author
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Liu, Zhaogang, Zhao, Ming, Lu, Zhengkuan, and Zhang, Hongxiang
- Subjects
BIBLIOMETRICS ,CROP science ,SEEDS ,COMMUNITIES ,POPULATION dynamics - Abstract
Seed traits (ST) influence seedling establishment, population dynamics, community composition and ecosystem function and reflect the adaptability of plants and the environmental conditions they experienced. There has been a historical and global accumulation of studies on ST, but with few pertaining to visual and quantitative analyses. To understand the trends in the field of ST research in the past 30 years, we conducted a bibliometric analysis based on the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) database. The analysis provided annual publications, time trends for keywords, the most productive journals, authors, institutions and countries, and a comprehensive overview of the ST field. Our results showed that in the past 30 years, the number of publications in ST research has increased at an average annual growth rate of 9.1%, while the average number of citations per paper per year showed a rapid increase–slow increase–decrease trend. Keyword analysis showed that "germination" was the most popular research section. Crop Science ranked first among the top journals and Theoretical and Applied Genetics had greater influence in this area and more citations than other journals. The 10 most productive institutions were mostly located in the United States, China and Australia. Furthermore, the three countries also had the largest number of publications and citations. Our analysis showed that the research interests in ST have evolved from genetics and agricultural science to ecological research over the last thirty years; as more fields embrace ST research, there are opportunities for international and interdisciplinary collaborations, cooperative institutions and new advances in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Current Trends for a Modern, Integrated, and Sustainable Approach to Weed Management.
- Author
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Peruzzi, Andrea, Fontanelli, Marco, and Frasconi, Christian
- Subjects
WEED control ,CROP science ,AGRICULTURAL technology ,SUSTAINABLE agriculture ,HERBICIDE resistance ,WEEDS - Abstract
Research into an innovative weed management approach should focus on a long-term ecological approach, taking into account the interaction between weed communities, crops, management actions, and environmental and socio-economic aspects for each specific agroecosystem [[7], [12]]. From 2018 to 2023, I Agronomy i published 323 papers in the areas of weed science and weed management. Other topics, like VRM (3%), BHM (6%), and INM (7%), confirm the current interest within weed science research towards alternative methods within an integrated and sustainable management approach. [Extracted from the article]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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16. Use of corn stover as bulking agent in dairy manure composting toward Japanese circular dairy farming
- Author
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Koki Maeda
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,Hot Temperature ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Methane ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Japan ,Plant Products ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Animal Management ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Multidisciplinary ,Eukaryota ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Corn stover ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Wheat ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Research Article ,Livestock ,020209 energy ,Science ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Zea mays ,Greenhouse Gases ,Model Organisms ,Plant and Algal Models ,Environmental Chemistry ,Organic matter ,Grasses ,Dairy farming ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Composting ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Carbon Dioxide ,Total dissolved solids ,Manure ,Agronomy ,Maize ,chemistry ,Atmospheric Chemistry ,Greenhouse gas ,Animal Studies ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,Crop Science - Abstract
In response to the recent development of ear corn feeding systems and the shortage of bulking agents for manure composting in the Hokkaido region, the plausibility of using corn stover (a residue of ear corn harvesting) as an alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting was tested. The temperature profile, quality of the final product, and greenhouse gas emissions were evaluated and compared with the values obtained from manure that used wheat straw, a typical bulking agent. A sufficiently high temperature profile (>70°C) and active organic matter degradation were achieved by mixing in corn stover. After active organic matter degradation for 8 weeks, CO2 production was significantly lower and the stable final products were obtained. The total solids level increased significantly, to 48.8–50.4%, while the C/N ratio dropped significantly, from 19.9–21.8 to 11.2–12.8. Methane emission from the corn-stover-based pile was 0.36% of initial volatile solids, while nitrous oxide emission was 0.58% of initial N, proving that the use of corn stover can mitigate greenhouse gas emission and that its mitigating effect was comparable to those of other bulking agents. Together, the results showed that the use of corn stover can be a suitable alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting and can serve as part of an ecologically friendly and “circular” method of dairy farming.
- Published
- 2020
17. Genetically Modified Seeds
- Author
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Kulkarni, Manu N.
- Published
- 2009
18. Multifaceted analyses disclose the role of fruit size and skin-russeting in the accumulation pattern of phenolic compounds in apple
- Author
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Fabrizio Costa, Nicola Busatto, Daiki Matsumoto, Urska Vrhovsek, and Alice Tadiello
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Metabolite ,Fruit development ,Phytochemicals ,Fruit Crops ,Gene Expression ,01 natural sciences ,Antioxidants ,Catechin ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Procyanidin B2 ,0303 health sciences ,Principal Component Analysis ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Pulp (paper) ,food and beverages ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Quality ,Horticulture ,Chemistry ,Malus ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Quercetin ,Anatomy ,Research Article ,Skin Tissue ,Science ,Animal Types ,Crops ,engineering.material ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Fruits ,03 medical and health sciences ,Nutraceutical ,Phenols ,Genetics ,Apples ,Biflavonoids ,Animals ,Proanthocyanidins ,Domestic Animals ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Molecular Biology ,030304 developmental biology ,Gene Expression Profiling ,fungi ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Phlorhizin ,Biological Tissue ,chemistry ,Polyphenol ,Fruit ,engineering ,Settore AGR/03 - ARBORICOLTURA GENERALE E COLTIVAZIONI ARBOREE ,Zoology ,010606 plant biology & botany ,Cloning ,Crop Science - Abstract
Fruits are nowadays considered important suppliers of anti-oxidant molecules. Apples are particularly rich in phenolic compounds, non-nutritional phytochemicals that play active roles in controlling severe chronic diseases. In this work, 19 phenolic compounds were investigated in both skin and pulp tissues of seven apple accessions across the Malus genus collected at two stages: during fruit development and at harvest. The primary difference in phenolic concentration between wild and domesticated accessions, especially in the pulp, could be explained by the larger growth rate of the domesticated varieties. The proposed dilution effect was also confirmed through the observation of the increased content of procyanidin B2+B4 and phloridzin in russet-skinned apples, known to have higher concentrations of these compounds. The metabolite screening was also accompanied by the expression analysis of 16 polyphenolic genes showing, for nine elements, a higher expression at harvest than during fruit development. Finally, a polyphenolic comparison with red-fleshed apples was also carried out, underlying a larger amount of procyanidins and quercetin-3rhamnoside in the white-fleshed accessions. The results presented and discussed in this work suggest that specific white-fleshed apples, especially with russeted-skin, may play an important role in ameliorating the nutraceutical potential of apple fruit.
- Published
- 2019
19. Sustainable production of healthy, affordable food in the UK: The pros and cons of plasticulture.
- Author
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Cusworth, Samuel J., Davies, William J., McAinsh, Martin R., and Stevens, Carly J.
- Subjects
SUSTAINABILITY ,SUSTAINABLE agriculture ,CROP science ,AGRICULTURAL pollution ,AGRICULTURAL productivity ,TRADITIONAL farming - Abstract
An evolving green agenda as the UK seeks to achieve 'net zero' in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, coupled with our new trading relationship with the European Union, is resulting in new government policies, which will be disruptive to Britain's traditional food and farming practices. These policies encourage sustainable farming and land‐sparing to restore natural habitats and will provide an opportunity to address issues such as high emissions of GHGs and dwindling biodiversity resulting from many intensive agricultural practices. To address these and other food challenges such as global conflicts and health issues, Britain will need a revolution in its food system. The aim of this paper is to make the case for such a food revolution where additional healthy food for the UK population is produced in‐country in specialised production units for fruits and vegetables developed on sites previously considered unsuitable for crop production. High crop productivity can be achieved in low‐cost controlled environments, making extensive use of novel crop science and modern controlled‐environment technology. Such systems must be operated with very limited environmental impact. In recent years, growth in the application of plasticulture in UK horticulture has driven some increases in crop yield, quality and value. However, the environmental cost of plastic production and plastic pollution is regarded as a generational challenge that faces the earth system complex. The distribution of plastic waste is ubiquitous, with a significant pollution load arising from a range of agricultural practices. The primary receptor of agriplastic pollution is agricultural soil. Impacts of microplastics on crop productivity and quality and also on human health are only now being investigated. This paper explores the possibility that we can mitigate the adverse environmental effects of agriplastics and thereby exploit the potential of plasticulture to enhance the productivity and positive health impact of UK horticulture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Crop science literature and Bradford law.
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Tripathi, Harish Kumar and Sen, B. K.
- Subjects
CROP science ,CROP science literature ,BRADFORD'S law (Bibliometrics) ,BIBLIOMETRICS ,SORGHUM - Abstract
An attempt has been made to test whether crop science literature follows Bradford law. The dataset comprised 10,100 papers indexed in Indian Science Abstracts and CAB Abstracts during the period 1965-2010. A ranked list of journals has been prepared and Leimkuhler test was conducted. The list of core journals is provided. The dataset does not follow Bradford law even with Leimkuhler formulation. The crops covered are rice, wheat, barley, maize, sorghum and millets. Possibly combining of data for six crops together and cumulating of data of every fifth year deviated the dataset from Bradford law of scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
21. Location of water in fresh sugarcane bagasse observed by synchrotron X-ray microtomography
- Author
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Paulo E. Mantelatto, Daison Yancy-Caballero, Carlos S. B. Dias, Nathaly L. Archilha, Carlos Driemeier, and Liu Y. Ling
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Atmospheric Science ,Technology ,Biomass ,Plant Science ,02 engineering and technology ,Diagnostic Radiology ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Fiber ,Multidisciplinary ,Chemistry ,Plant Anatomy ,Radiology and Imaging ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Bone Imaging ,Saccharum ,Plant Physiology ,Physical Sciences ,Vascular Bundles ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Cellular Types ,Research Article ,Ellipsoids ,Imaging Techniques ,Plant Cell Biology ,020209 energy ,Science ,Geometry ,Equipment ,Crops ,Research and Analysis Methods ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cell Walls ,Meteorology ,Xylem ,Diagnostic Medicine ,Plant Cells ,Dry matter ,Grasses ,Cellulose ,Sugar ,Extraction (chemistry) ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Parenchyma Cells ,Water ,Humidity ,Cell Biology ,X-Ray Microtomography ,Sugarcane ,X-Ray Radiography ,030104 developmental biology ,Earth Sciences ,Particle Accelerators ,Bagasse ,ddc:600 ,Mathematics ,Synchrotrons ,Crop Science - Abstract
Sugarcane bagasse is a vast lignocellulosic byproduct generated in the industry with ~50% humidity (1 kg dry matter associated with 1 kg water). Although the presence of water brings deleterious consequences for combustion, storage and sugar extraction, the location of water in fresh bagasse remains unknown. In this work, we use synchrotron X-ray microtomography for non-invasive 3D imaging of fresh bagasse particles, which allows the visualization of intraparticle water. The sclerified fiber cells in the sheaths surrounding xylem vessels are often found full of water. We suggest this can be juice preserved from the native stalks as many sclerified fibers seem to keep their structural integrity despite the mechanical action during sugarcane crushing. The microtomograms of fresh bagasse also shows mineral particles adhered to biomass surfaces, with adhesion presumably favored by the presence of water. In summary, this work unveils the location of water in fresh bagasse, solving an old mystery of sugarcane technology.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Potential of a gypsum-free composting process of wheat straw for mushroom production
- Author
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Baris Kilic, Pieter Vervoort, Harry Gruppen, Thibaut M.B. Mouthier, and Mirjam A. Kabel
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Glycobiology ,lcsh:Medicine ,010501 environmental sciences ,Xylose ,01 natural sciences ,Lignin ,Biochemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Soil ,Plant Products ,lcsh:Science ,Glucans ,Mushroom ,Multidisciplinary ,Food Chemistry ,Chemistry ,Compost ,Organic Compounds ,Hydrolysis ,Monosaccharides ,Chemical Reactions ,Eukaryota ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Physical Sciences ,Wheat ,Research Article ,Gypsum ,Carbohydrates ,engineering.material ,Calcium Sulfate ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Ammonia ,Polysaccharides ,010608 biotechnology ,Levensmiddelenchemie ,Life Science ,Grasses ,Cellulose ,VLAG ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,lcsh:R ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Xylan ,Agronomy ,engineering ,lcsh:Q ,Agaricales ,Crop Science - Abstract
Wheat straw based composting generates a selective substrate for mushroom production. The first phase of this process requires 5 days, and a reduction in time is wished. Here, we aim at understanding the effect of gypsum on the duration of the first phase and the mechanism behind it. Hereto, the regular process with gypsum addition and the same process without gypsum were studied during a 5-day period. The compost quality was evaluated based on compost lignin composition analysed by py-GC/MS and its degradability by a commercial (hemi-)cellulolytic enzyme cocktail. The composting phase lead to the decrease of the pyrolysis products 4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylguaiacol that can be associated with p-coumarates and ferulates linking xylan and lignin. In the regular compost, the enzymatic conversion reached 32 and 39% for cellulose, and 23 and 32% for xylan after 3 and 5 days, respectively. In absence of gypsum similar values were reached after 2 and 4 days, respectively. Thus, our data show that in absence of gypsum the desired compost quality was reached 20% earlier compared to the control process.
- Published
- 2017
23. Improved biogas production and biodegradation of oilseed rape straw by using kitchen waste and duck droppings as co-substrates in two-phase anaerobic digestion
- Author
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Yong Lu, Feng Hong, Li Xianning, Chuqiao Wang, and Hengming Liu
- Subjects
Metabolic Processes ,Applied Microbiology ,Carboxylic Acids ,Biogas ,lcsh:Medicine ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Lignin ,Biochemistry ,Methane ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Plant Products ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Bioenergy ,Anaerobiosis ,lcsh:Science ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Brassica rapa ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Pulp and paper industry ,Refuse Disposal ,Chemistry ,Biodegradation, Environmental ,Ducks ,Physical Sciences ,Biodegradation ,Engineering and Technology ,Research Article ,Biotechnology ,020209 energy ,Materials Science ,Fuels ,Microbiology ,Environmental Biotechnology ,Animals ,Cellulose ,Materials by Attribute ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Waste Products ,Bacteria ,Organic Chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Manure ,Agronomy ,Energy and Power ,Anaerobic digestion ,Metabolism ,chemistry ,Biofuels ,Fermentation ,lcsh:Q ,Propionic Acid ,Acids ,Crop Science - Abstract
Oilseed rape straw (ORS) is a kind of biorefractory waste widely existing in the rural area of China, which is highly suitable to mix with kitchen waste (KW) and duck droppings (DD) in two-phase anaerobic digestion (AD). This research introduced the importance of KW and DD addition to improve the biogas production and biodegradation of ORS. A set of comparative experiments were conducted on two-phase mono- and co-digestion with organic load of 60 g VS/L. The total methane yield (TMY) and the biodegradation of ORS of co-digestions were obviously improving, and the synergistic effect found in the two-phase co-digestions. The optimum mixing ratio of ORS, KW and DD was 50:40:10, and the corresponding TMY and VS degradation rate of ORS were 374.5 mL/g VS and 49.7%, respectively. Addition of KW and DD maintained the pH within the optimal range for the hydrolyzing-acidification, improved the phase separation and buffering capacity of AD system.
- Published
- 2017
24. Agar Sediment Test for Assessing the Suitability of Organic Waste Streams for Recovering Nutrients by the Aquatic Worm Lumbriculus variegatus
- Author
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Hardy Temmink, Cees J.N. Buisman, B. Laarhoven, and H.J.H. Elissen
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Lumbriculus variegatus ,Food industry ,lcsh:Medicine ,Biomass ,Wastewater ,010501 environmental sciences ,Sludge ,01 natural sciences ,Nutrient ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Food Industry ,lcsh:Science ,Sedimentary Geology ,Multidisciplinary ,Ecology ,Hydrolysis ,Reproduction ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,Chemical Reactions ,Geology ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,OT Acrres ,Chemistry ,Physical Sciences ,Wheat ,Milieutechnologie ,Biological Assay ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Materials by Structure ,Materials Science ,Crops ,Biology ,Ammonia ,Animals ,Life Science ,Grasses ,Oligochaeta ,Petrology ,Nutrition ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,WIMEK ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,lcsh:R ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Proteins ,Sediment ,Biodegradable waste ,biology.organism_classification ,Animal Feed ,Diet ,Oxygen ,Agar ,Food ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental Technology ,lcsh:Q ,Water quality ,business ,Gels ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Crop Science ,Cereal Crops - Abstract
An agar sediment test was developed to evaluate the suitability of organic waste streams from the food industry for recovering nutrients by the aquatic worm Lumbriculus variegatus (Lv). The effects of agar gel, sand, and food quantities in the sediment test on worm growth, reproduction, and water quality were studied. Agar gel addition ameliorated growth conditions by reducing food hydrolysis and altering sediment structure. Best results for combined reproduction and growth were obtained with 0.6% agar-gel (20 ml), 10 g. fine sand, 40 g. coarse sand, and 105 mg fish food (Tetramin). With agar gel, ingestion and growth is more the result of addition of food in its original quality. Final tests with secondary potato starch sludge and wheat bran demonstrated that this test is appropriate for the comparison of solid feedstuffs and suspended organic waste streams. This test method is expected to be suitable for organic waste studies using other sediment dwelling invertebrates.
- Published
- 2016
25. Effect of Debagging Time on Pigment Patterns in the Peel and Sugar and Organic Acid Contents in the Pulp of 'Golden Delicious' and 'Qinguan' Apple Fruit at Mid and Late Stages of Development
- Author
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Shujuan Jing, Juan Zhang, Chenjuan Jing, Yazhou Yang, Changqing Ma, Zhengyang Zhao, and Xiaobing Jiang
- Subjects
Chlorophyll ,Pigments ,0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Chloroplasts ,Time Factors ,lcsh:Medicine ,Plant Science ,Biochemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Anthocyanins ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Cultivar ,Food science ,lcsh:Science ,Flavor ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Pulp (paper) ,Monosaccharides ,food and beverages ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Chemistry ,Organic Acids ,Malus ,visual_art ,Physical Sciences ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Cellular Types ,Citric acid ,Research Article ,Plant Cell Biology ,Materials Science ,Carbohydrates ,Color ,Crops ,Biology ,engineering.material ,Biosynthesis ,Citric Acid ,Fruits ,03 medical and health sciences ,Pigment ,Plant Cells ,Sugar ,Materials by Attribute ,Apples ,Organic Pigments ,Organic Chemistry ,fungi ,lcsh:R ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Cell Biology ,Pigments, Biological ,biology.organism_classification ,Carotenoids ,Glucose ,030104 developmental biology ,Food Storage ,chemistry ,Fruit ,Anthocyanin ,engineering ,lcsh:Q ,Acids ,Crop Science ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
This study examined the effect of debagging time on color and flavor / taste compounds in the non-red apple cultivar 'Golden Delicious' and red cultivar 'Qinguan' at mid and late stages of fruit development. Debagging briefly improved the red color in both cultivars, the peel of 'Golden Delicious' presenting pale-pink hue. However, rapid anthocyanin accumulation occurred in apple peel at a specific time (after 179 days after flowering (DAF) in 'Qinguan') and was unaltered by debagging time in the red cultivar 'Qinguan'. Furthermore, untimely debagging had a detrimental effect on the content of anthocyanin. All sugars increased and organic acids decreased in apple pulp at mid to late stages of development. Bagging treatment reduced the content of most sugars and organic acids, as well as, the overall total. However, glucose and citric acid contents were higher in bagged fruit than non-bagged fruit; the maximum occurred in T7 treatment that was no-debagging at DAF 159 / 196 ('Golden delicious' / 'Qinguan'), i.e., 24.35 and 0.07 mg g-1 FW in 'Golden delicious', and 38.86 and 0.06 mg g-1 FW in 'Qinguan', respectively. In a word, bagging treatment can alter the pattern of peel color development in apple fruit; however, it remains difficult to alter the timing of rapid anthocyanin accumulation as it is regulated solely by development. Moreover, bagging treatment reduced the total accumulation of sugars and organic acids, and even the over total in pulp, but increased the glucose and citric acid contents in apple pulp.
- Published
- 2016
26. The Policy Dystopia Model: An Interpretive Analysis of Tobacco Industry Political Activity.
- Author
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Ulucanlar, Selda, Fooks, Gary J., and Gilmore, Anna B.
- Subjects
DYSTOPIAS ,POLITICAL participation ,TOBACCO industry ,GROUNDED theory ,TAXONOMY - Abstract
Background: Tobacco industry interference has been identified as the greatest obstacle to the implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce tobacco use. Understanding and addressing industry interference in public health policy-making is therefore crucial. Existing conceptualisations of corporate political activity (CPA) are embedded in a business perspective and do not attend to CPA's social and public health costs; most have not drawn on the unique resource represented by internal tobacco industry documents. Building on this literature, including systematic reviews, we develop a critically informed conceptual model of tobacco industry political activity.Methods and Findings: We thematically analysed published papers included in two systematic reviews examining tobacco industry influence on taxation and marketing of tobacco; we included 45 of 46 papers in the former category and 20 of 48 papers in the latter (n = 65). We used a grounded theory approach to build taxonomies of "discursive" (argument-based) and "instrumental" (action-based) industry strategies and from these devised the Policy Dystopia Model, which shows that the industry, working through different constituencies, constructs a metanarrative to argue that proposed policies will lead to a dysfunctional future of policy failure and widely dispersed adverse social and economic consequences. Simultaneously, it uses diverse, interlocking insider and outsider instrumental strategies to disseminate this narrative and enhance its persuasiveness in order to secure its preferred policy outcomes. Limitations are that many papers were historical (some dating back to the 1970s) and focused on high-income regions.Conclusions: The model provides an evidence-based, accessible way of understanding diverse corporate political strategies. It should enable public health actors and officials to preempt these strategies and develop realistic assessments of the industry's claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Moisture adsorption isotherms and quality of seeds stored in conventional packaging materials and hermetic Super Bag.
- Author
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Bakhtavar, Muhammad Amir, Afzal, Irfan, and Basra, Shahzad Maqsood Ahmed
- Subjects
ADSORPTION (Chemistry) ,PACKAGING materials ,HUMIDITY ,MOISTURE ,GERMINATION - Abstract
Seed moisture content (SMC) is an important attribute to seed quality. Maintaining seed dryness throughout supply chain (The Dry Chain) prevents seed germination and quality losses. Ambient relative humidity (RH) and temperature affect seed moisture and thereof seed moisture isotherm. Present study was conducted to compare the moisture adsorption isotherms of wheat, maize, cotton and quinoa seeds packed in hermetic Super Bag and traditional packaging materials including paper, polypropylene (PP), jute and cloth bags. Seeds were incubated at 60, 70, 80 and 90% static RH. Nearly straight line moisture isotherms for all crop seeds were obtained in Super Bag. Seed moisture contents increased in traditional packaging materials with increasing RH. At higher level of RH, moisture contents increased slightly (1–2%) in Super Bag, whereas this increase was much higher in traditional packaging materials (≈9% higher than original SMC at 90% RH). In second study, seeds were dried to 8 and 14% initial seed moisture contents using zeolite drying beads and were stored in hermetic and conventional packaging materials for a period of 18 months. For all crop seeds, germination was severely affected in all packaging materials both at 8 and 14% initial SMC except storage in Super Bag at 8% SMC. Wheat seed stored in Super Bag at 8% SMC almost maintained initial germination while germination of cotton, maize and quinoa seeds declined 7%, 14% and 30% respectively in Super Bag at 8% SMC. Seed storage in Super Bag can help to prevent the significant increase in seed moisture at higher RH as is evident from moisture isotherm study, thus helps to preserve quality of maize, wheat, cotton and quinoa seeds by maintaining The Dry Chain throughout the storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. Effect of Water on Survival and Development of Diapausing Eggs of Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae)
- Author
-
Youming Hou, Yinli Jin, Peiyu Chen, Yanfang Zhang, Hongqiang Feng, and Guo Tian
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Life Cycles ,Physiology ,lcsh:Medicine ,Cotton ,Plant Science ,Diapause, Insect ,01 natural sciences ,Trees ,Geographical Locations ,Filter Paper ,Plant Products ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,lcsh:Science ,photoperiodism ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Plant Anatomy ,Metamorphosis, Biological ,food and beverages ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Laboratory Equipment ,Separation Processes ,Horticulture ,Engineering and Technology ,Seasons ,Buds ,Research Article ,Nymph ,China ,Asia ,Photoperiod ,Population ,Equipment ,Crops ,Diapause ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Heteroptera ,03 medical and health sciences ,Botany ,Animals ,education ,Apolygus lucorum ,Ovum ,Distillation ,Hatching ,lcsh:R ,Organisms ,Water ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Fiber Crops ,biology.organism_classification ,Miridae ,Agronomy ,Nymphs ,010602 entomology ,030104 developmental biology ,People and Places ,lcsh:Q ,PEST analysis ,Physiological Processes ,Developmental Biology ,Crop Science - Abstract
The green mirid bug Apolygus lucorum is a regional pest of multiple crops in northern China, and the survival and development of diapausing eggs during winter plays an important role in the population dynamics of this species. The effect of water on the survival and development of A. lucorum eggs was investigated using laboratory-induced diapause. Diapausing eggs were exposed to various humidity regimes under three conditions: (1) termination of diapause with exposure to warm long-day (WLD) conditions (i.e., 26 ± 1°C and 75 ± 5% relative humidity (RH) under a photoperiod of 16 hours light and 8 hours dark), (2) termination of diapause by chilling at 4°C, or (3) during the post-diapause stage, i.e., from transfer to WLD conditions after chilling, until the hatching of nymphs. The results indicate that water availability is crucial for the post-diapause resumption of development of A. lucorum. However, exposure to excessive moisture was detrimental, as indicated by a decrease in diapause termination rate and a prolonged pre-hatching period of diapausing eggs, compared to limited moisture conditions. This implies that both too dry and too humid environmental conditions would suppress survival and postpone hatching of overwintered A. lucorum eggs, and might explain why this pest has not caused severe damage in either southern or western China where the respective climates are very humid or dry.
- Published
- 2016
29. Defining Ecosystem Assets for Natural Capital Accounting.
- Author
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Hein, Lars, Bagstad, Ken, Edens, Bram, Obst, Carl, de Jong, Rixt, and Lesschen, Jan Peter
- Subjects
ECOSYSTEM management ,ENVIRONMENTAL auditing ,ENVIRONMENTAL economics ,NATURAL capital ,LITERATURE reviews - Abstract
In natural capital accounting, ecosystems are assets that provide ecosystem services to people. Assets can be measured using both physical and monetary units. In the international System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, ecosystem assets are generally valued on the basis of the net present value of the expected flow of ecosystem services. In this paper we argue that several additional conceptualisations of ecosystem assets are needed to understand ecosystems as assets, in support of ecosystem assessments, ecosystem accounting and ecosystem management. In particular, we define ecosystems’ capacity and capability to supply ecosystem services, as well as the potential supply of ecosystem services. Capacity relates to sustainable use levels of multiple ecosystem services, capability involves prioritising the use of one ecosystem service over a basket of services, and potential supply considers the ability of ecosystems to generate services regardless of demand for these services. We ground our definitions in the ecosystem services and accounting literature, and illustrate and compare the concepts of flow, capacity, capability, and potential supply with a range of conceptual and real-world examples drawn from case studies in Europe and North America. Our paper contributes to the development of measurement frameworks for natural capital to support environmental accounting and other assessment frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Flexible Strategies for Coping with Rainfall Variability: Seasonal Adjustments in Cropped Area in the Ganges Basin.
- Author
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Siderius, Christian, Biemans, Hester, van Walsum, Paul E. V., van Ierland, Ekko C., Kabat, Pavel, and Hellegers, Petra J. G. J.
- Subjects
RAINFALL ,CLIMATE change ,PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation ,AGRICULTURAL statistics ,VEGETATION & climate - Abstract
One of the main manifestations of climate change will be increased rainfall variability. How to deal with this in agriculture will be a major societal challenge. In this paper we explore flexibility in land use, through deliberate seasonal adjustments in cropped area, as a specific strategy for coping with rainfall variability. Such adjustments are not incorporated in hydro-meteorological crop models commonly used for food security analyses. Our paper contributes to the literature by making a comprehensive model assessment of inter-annual variability in crop production, including both variations in crop yield and cropped area. The Ganges basin is used as a case study. First, we assessed the contribution of cropped area variability to overall variability in rice and wheat production by applying hierarchical partitioning on time-series of agricultural statistics. We then introduced cropped area as an endogenous decision variable in a hydro-economic optimization model (WaterWise), coupled to a hydrology-vegetation model (LPJmL), and analyzed to what extent its performance in the estimation of inter-annual variability in crop production improved. From the statistics, we found that in the period 1999–2009 seasonal adjustment in cropped area can explain almost 50% of variability in wheat production and 40% of variability in rice production in the Indian part of the Ganges basin. Our improved model was well capable of mimicking existing variability at different spatial aggregation levels, especially for wheat. The value of flexibility, i.e. the foregone costs of choosing not to crop in years when water is scarce, was quantified at 4% of gross margin of wheat in the Indian part of the Ganges basin and as high as 34% of gross margin of wheat in the drought-prone state of Rajasthan. We argue that flexibility in land use is an important coping strategy to rainfall variability in water stressed regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Pheno4D: A spatio-temporal dataset of maize and tomato plant point clouds for phenotyping and advanced plant analysis.
- Author
-
Schunck, David, Magistri, Federico, Rosu, Radu Alexandru, Cornelißen, André, Chebrolu, Nived, Paulus, Stefan, Léon, Jens, Behnke, Sven, Stachniss, Cyrill, Kuhlmann, Heiner, and Klingbeil, Lasse
- Subjects
POINT cloud ,DEEP learning ,PLANT breeding ,COMPUTER vision ,CROP science - Abstract
Understanding the growth and development of individual plants is of central importance in modern agriculture, crop breeding, and crop science. To this end, using 3D data for plant analysis has gained attention over the last years. High-resolution point clouds offer the potential to derive a variety of plant traits, such as plant height, biomass, as well as the number and size of relevant plant organs. Periodically scanning the plants even allows for performing spatio-temporal growth analysis. However, highly accurate 3D point clouds from plants recorded at different growth stages are rare, and acquiring this kind of data is costly. Besides, advanced plant analysis methods from machine learning require annotated training data and thus generate intense manual labor before being able to perform an analysis. To address these issues, we present with this dataset paper a multi-temporal dataset featuring high-resolution registered point clouds of maize and tomato plants, which we manually labeled for computer vision tasks, such as for instance segmentation and 3D reconstruction, providing approximately 260 million labeled 3D points. To highlight the usability of the data and to provide baselines for other researchers, we show a variety of applications ranging from point cloud segmentation to non-rigid registration and surface reconstruction. We believe that our dataset will help to develop new algorithms to advance the research for plant phenotyping, 3D reconstruction, non-rigid registration, and deep learning on raw point clouds. The dataset is freely accessible at https://www.ipb.uni-bonn.de/data/pheno4d/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Bibliometric Analysis of Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Research Based on Web of Science Agronomy Category.
- Author
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Bao-Zhong Yuan and Jie Sun
- Subjects
COTTON ,AGRONOMY ,INTERNET research ,SERIAL publication of books ,BIBLIOMETRICS ,CROP science - Abstract
Cotton is the main source of renewable fiber in the world and is primarily used for textile production. This study analyzed 3,487 papers on cotton research published during 1990 to 2021 from the agronomy category of the Web of Science (WoS). Papers were mainly written in English (96.329%), from 8,860 authors, 87 countries/territories, 1,661 organizations, and published in 107 journals and book series. The top five core journals were Crop Science (433, 12.418%), Agronomy Journal (310, 8.89%), Weed Technology (205, 5.879%), Field Crops Research (203, 5.822%), and Euphytica (189, 5.42%) with each publishing more than 189 papers. The top five countries and regions were the U.S., Peoples Republic of China, India, Brazil, and Australia. The top five organizations were USDA ARS, Texas A&M Univ., North Carolina State Univ., Univ. Georgia, and Cotton Incorporated. The top five authors were Johnie N. Jenkins, Don C. Jones, Jack C. McCarty, Jr., Jinfa Zhang, and C. Wayne Smith, with each publishing 72 papers or more. Visualizations using VOSviewer were conducted on WoS data to determine co-occurrence and clusters of connected publications, country input, organizations, and author collaboration (coauthorship) as well as clusters of all keywords of interrelated research topics. Based on the analysis of the network map of VOSviewer, there is cooperation among authors, organizations, and countries or regions. All keywords of the cotton research papers published during 1990 to 2021 from WoS agronomy category separated into six clusters based on different research topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
33. Manchette-acrosome disorders and testicular efficiency decline observed in hypercholesterolemic rabbits are recovered with olive oil enriched diet.
- Author
-
Simón, Layla, Funes, Abi K., Monclús, María A., Colombo, Regina, Cabrillana, María E., Saez Lancellotti, Tania E., and Fornés, Miguel W.
- Subjects
CYTOLOGY ,HIGH-fat diet ,OLIVE oil ,RABBITS ,CELL morphology ,LIPID rafts - Abstract
High-fat diet is associated with hypercholesterolemia and seminal alterations in White New Zealand rabbits. We have previously reported disorders in the development of the manchette-acrosome complex during spermiogenesis and decreased testicular efficiency in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. On the other hand, olive oil incorporated into the diet improves cholesterolemia and semen parameters affected in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. In this paper, we report the recovery—with the addition of olive oil to diet—from the sub-cellular mechanisms involved in the shaping of the sperm cell and testicular efficiency altered in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Using morphological (structural, ultra-structural and immuno-fluorescence techniques) and cell biology techniques, a reorganization of the manchette and related structures was observed when olive oil was added to the high-fat diet. Specifically, actin filaments, microtubules and lipid rafts—abnormally distributed in hypercholesterolemic rabbits—were recovered with dietary olive oil supplementation. The causes of the decline in sperm count were studied in the previous report and here in more detail. These were attributed to the decrease in the efficiency index and also to the increase in the apoptotic percentage in testis from animals under the high-fat diet. Surprisingly, the addition of olive oil to the diet avoided the sub-cellular, efficiency and apoptosis changes observed in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. This paper reports the positive effects of the olive oil addition to the diet in the recovery of testicular efficiency and normal sperm shaping, mechanisms altered by hypercholesterolemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Identifying crop research priorities based on potential economic and poverty reduction impacts: The case of cassava in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Author
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Alene, Arega D., Abdoulaye, Tahirou, Rusike, Joseph, Labarta, Ricardo, Creamer, Bernardo, del Río, Martha, Ceballos, Hernan, and Becerra, Luis Augusto
- Subjects
POVERTY reduction ,BALANCE of trade ,CASSAVA research ,ECONOMIC equilibrium ,ECONOMIC models - Abstract
It is widely recognized that increasing agricultural production to the levels needed to feed an expanding world population requires sharply increased public investment in research and development and widespread adoption of new technologies, but funding for national and international agricultural research has rather declined in recent years. In this situation, priority setting has become increasingly important for allocating scarce research resources among competing needs to achieve greater impacts. Using partial equilibrium economic surplus models and poverty impact simulations, this paper assesses cassava research priorities in Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, and Asia based on the potential economic and poverty reduction impacts of alternative research and technology options. The results showed that efficient planting material production and distribution systems and sustainable crop and soil fertility management practices have the greatest expected economic and poverty reduction impacts in the three regions. Lack of clean planting materials is a major constraint to adoption and it is envisaged that efficient production and distribution systems for planting material can accelerate technology adoption by farmers. Similarly, sustainable crop and soil fertility management practices play a key role in closing the observed yield gaps, especially in Africa. The paper discusses the results of the priority assessment for key cassava research options and concludes with the implications for cassava research priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Land-based crop phenotyping by image analysis: Accurate estimation of canopy height distributions using stereo images.
- Author
-
Cai, Jinhai, Kumar, Pankaj, Chopin, Joshua, and Miklavcic, Stanley J.
- Subjects
PHENOTYPES ,IMAGE analysis ,PLANT growth ,PLANT size ,WHEAT field experiments - Abstract
In this paper we report on an automated procedure to capture and characterize the detailed structure of a crop canopy by means of stereo imaging. We focus attention specifically on the detailed characteristic of canopy height distribution—canopy shoot area as a function of height—which can provide an elaborate picture of canopy growth and health under a given set of conditions. We apply the method to a wheat field trial involving ten Australian wheat varieties that were subjected to two different fertilizer treatments. A novel camera self-calibration approach is proposed which allows the determination of quantitative plant canopy height data (as well as other valuable phenotypic information) by stereo matching. Utilizing the canopy height distribution to provide a measure of canopy height, the results compare favourably with manual measurements of canopy height (resulting in an R
2 value of 0.92), and are indeed shown to be more consistent. By comparing canopy height distributions of different varieties and different treatments, the methodology shows that different varieties subjected to the same treatment, and the same variety subjected to different treatments can respond in much more distinctive and quantifiable ways within their respective canopies than can be captured by a simple trait measure such as overall canopy height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Geospatial binding for transdisciplinary research in crop science: the GRASPgfs initiative.
- Author
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Leibovici, Didier, Anand, Suchith, Santos, Roberto, Mayes, Sean, Ray, Rumiana, Al-Azri, Masoud, Baten, Abdul, King, Graham, Karunaratne, Asha, Azam-Ali, Sayed, and Jackson, Mike
- Subjects
CROP science ,FOOD security ,SUSTAINABLE food movement ,SUSTAINABLE agriculture ,ECOLOGICAL forecasting - Abstract
The paper retraces the GRASPgfs endeavor (Geospatial Resource for Agricultural Species and Pests with integrated workflow modelling to support Global Food Security) between multiple disciplines around a common objective of facilitating research and model simulations for sustainable food security. Within this endeavor, the geospatial media has been the enabler for multidisciplinary research in crop modelling. Geospatial genetic-trait variations and associations with environmental forecasting were the main focus of the GRASPgfs. Designing the platform achieving this objective generated a transdisciplinary vision of modelling and forecasting for sustainable agriculture. Based on interoperability principles, seamless access as well as sharing for data, metadata and processing models, the design is described in this paper. This geospatial binding facilitates and supports new types of hypotheses and analysis as illustrated in the paper with a landscape genetic case study (bambara groundnut) and a crop disease modelling (eyespot disease). The approach and the eGRASP platform are generic enough to accommodate further complexity into the integrated modelling that this geospatial binding enables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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- View/download PDF
37. Using Genetic Distance to Infer the Accuracy of Genomic Prediction.
- Author
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Scutari, Marco, Mackay, Ian, and Balding, David
- Subjects
GENETIC distance ,PROPHECY ,PHENOTYPES ,ANIMAL genetics ,HUMAN genetics ,PLANT genetics - Abstract
The prediction of phenotypic traits using high-density genomic data has many applications such as the selection of plants and animals of commercial interest; and it is expected to play an increasing role in medical diagnostics. Statistical models used for this task are usually tested using cross-validation, which implicitly assumes that new individuals (whose phenotypes we would like to predict) originate from the same population the genomic prediction model is trained on. In this paper we propose an approach based on clustering and resampling to investigate the effect of increasing genetic distance between training and target populations when predicting quantitative traits. This is important for plant and animal genetics, where genomic selection programs rely on the precision of predictions in future rounds of breeding. Therefore, estimating how quickly predictive accuracy decays is important in deciding which training population to use and how often the model has to be recalibrated. We find that the correlation between true and predicted values decays approximately linearly with respect to either F
ST or mean kinship between the training and the target populations. We illustrate this relationship using simulations and a collection of data sets from mice, wheat and human genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. FSMS certification in the agricultural producers group.
- Author
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STOMA, Monika
- Subjects
INDUSTRIAL safety ,AGRICULTURAL productivity ,FOOD safety ,FARM produce ,CROP science ,AGRICULTURAL economics - Abstract
Copyright of Journal of Central European Agriculture is the property of Journal of Central European Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. The complete chloroplast genome of Senna alata (L.) Roxb., an important medicinal plant from the Philippines.
- Author
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Quiñones, Kristine J. O., Gentallan Jr., Renerio P., Bartolome, Michael C. B., Madayag, Roselle E., Vera Cruz, Juan R. A., Cirunay, Angeleigh R. T., Endonela, Leah E., Timog, Emmanuel B. S., Borromeo, Teresita H., Altoveros, Nestor C., Alvaran, Bartimeus B. S., Magtoltol, Jessabel B., and Cejalvo, Reneliza D.
- Subjects
CHLOROPLAST DNA ,CHLOROPLASTS ,MEDICINAL plants ,CROP science ,TRANSFER RNA ,GERMPLASM - Abstract
Senna alata, a flowering shrub, is widely cultivated in the Philippines for its anti-fungal properties. Despite this, its chloroplast genome is not yet established. We assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast genome of accession from the germplasm collection of the Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, using Illumina sequencing data. The complete cp genome was 159,176-bp long characterized by a large single copy of 88,769 bp, short single-copy of 18,301 bp and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,053 bp each. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome was 36.4%. The plastome comprised 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 78 mRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that S. alata is closely related to S. siamea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Flawed scientific studies block progress and sow confusion.
- Author
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Hefferon, Kathleen L. and Miller, Henry I.
- Subjects
PLANT breeding ,SCIENTIFIC literature ,TRANSGENIC organisms ,CROP science ,SOWS - Abstract
Abstract Research in crop science in recent years has advanced at an unprecedented rate, and the intermingling of old and new crop breeding technologies has made the term "genetically modified" – and its variant, Genetically Modified Organism, or "GMO" – virtually obsolete. A kind of pseudo-category, it is primarily used pejoratively to refer to the use of the newest, most precise, most predictable, molecular genetic techniques. Prodigious amounts of time, effort and care have been expended to ensure that crops developed for commercialization using molecular techniques are safe, and that new traits are beneficial. Â Yet, despite these advances, some skepticism persists about them, partly due to the publication of fraudulent, poorly designed, and biased studies by a few "rogue scientists" whose intention is to contaminate the scientific literature and sow mistrust about molecular genetic modification among regulators and the public. We discuss how such flawed studies make it to publication and how the scientific community can combat such disinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Linking fundamental science to crop improvement through understanding source and sink traits and their integration for yield enhancement.
- Author
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Paul, Matthew J, Watson, Amy, and Griffiths, Cara A
- Subjects
CROP improvement ,CROP science ,CROP yields ,CROPS ,GENOME editing ,CROP allocation - Abstract
Understanding processes in sources and sinks that contribute to crop yields has taken years of painstaking research. For crop yield improvement, processes need to be understood as standalone mechanisms in addition to how these mechanisms perform at the crop level; currently there is often a chasm between the two. Fundamental mechanisms need to be considered in the context of crop ideotypes and the agricultural environment which is often more water limited than carbon limited. Different approaches for improvement should be considered, namely is there genetic variation? Or if not, could genetic modification, genome editing, or alternative approaches be utilized? Currently, there are few examples where genetic modification has improved intrinsic yield in the field for commercial application in a major crop. Genome editing, particularly of negative yield regulators as a first step, is providing new opportunities. Here we highlight key mechanisms in source and sink, arguing that for large yield increases integration of key processes is likely to produce the biggest successes within the framework of crop ideotypes with optimized phenology. We highlight a plethora of recent papers that show breakthroughs in fundamental science and the promise of the trehalose 6-phosphate signalling pathway, which regulates carbohydrate allocation which is key for many crop traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. De-climatizing food security: Lessons from climate change micro-simulations in Peru.
- Author
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Anríquez, Gustavo and Toledo, Gabriela
- Subjects
CLIMATE change ,FOOD security ,METEOROLOGICAL stations ,EARTH system science ,HIGH-income countries ,FOOD consumption ,GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
This paper brings advances in weather data collection and modeling, and developments in socioeconomic climate microsimulations to bear on the analysis of the implications of climate change (CC) in the design of public policies to combat food insecurity. It uses new downscaled predictions of future climate in 2050, derived from three Earth System Models calibrated with a new historical weather station dataset for Peru. This climate data is used in a three-stage socioeconomic microsimulation model that includes climate risk, and deals with the endogeneity of incomes and simultaneity of expected food consumption and its variability. We estimate the impact of CC on agricultural yields, and find results consistent and fully bounded within what the global simulations literature has found, with yields falling up to 13% in some regions. However, we show that these drops (and increases) in yields translate to much smaller changes in food consumption, and also surprisingly, to very minor impacts on vulnerability to food insecurity. The document explores what explains this surprising result, showing that in addition to characteristics that are specific to Peru, there are household and market mediating mechanisms that are available in all countries, which explain how changes in yields, and corresponding farm incomes have a reduced impact in vulnerability to food insecurity. Finally, in light of these findings, we explore which policies might have greater impact in reducing food insecurity in contexts of hunger prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Governing Tripolye: Integrative architecture in Tripolye settlements.
- Author
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Hofmann, Robert, Müller, Johannes, Shatilo, Liudmyla, Videiko, Mykhailo, Ohlrau, René, Rud, Vitalii, Burdo, Nataliia, Dal Corso, Marta, Dreibrodt, Stefan, and Kirleis, Wiebke
- Subjects
ARCHITECTURE ,PUBLIC spaces ,SOCIAL space ,LOST architecture ,PHYSICAL sciences - Abstract
Recently, high-resolution magnetometry surveys have led to the discovery of a special category of buildings–so-called ‘mega-structures’–situated in highly visible positions in the public space of Tripolye giant-settlements of the late 5
th and first half of the 4th millennium BCE. In this paper we explore what these buildings actually are and how they can contribute to the understanding of the development of social space in Tripolye giant-settlements. For this investigation, we linked newly obtained excavation data from the giant-settlement Maidanetske, Ukraine, with a much larger sample of such buildings from magnetic plans obtained in the region between the Carpathian foothills and the Dnieper River. Accordingly, Tripolye mega-structures represent a particular kind of integrative building documented in many non-ranked ethnographic contexts. Based on our results we are interpreting that these buildings were used for various ritual and non-ritual activities, joint decision-making, and the storage and consumption of surplus. In Tripolye giant-settlements at least three different categories of mega-structures could be identified which most likely represent different levels of socio-political integration and decision-making. The emergence of this hierarchical system of high-level integrative buildings for the whole community and different low-level integrative architectures for certain segments of local communities was related to the rise of Tripolye mega-sites. The presence of different integrative levels most likely reflects the fusion of different previously independent communities in the giant-settlements. Later in the mega-site development, we observe how low-level integrative buildings increasingly lose their importance indicated by shrinking size and, finally, their disappearance. This observation might indicate that the power which was previously distributed across the community was transferred to a central institution. It is argued that the non-acceptance of this concentration of power and the decline of lower decision-making levels might be a crucial factor for the disintegration of Tripolye giant-settlements around 3600 BCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Fertilizer produced from abattoir waste can contribute to phosphorus sustainability, and biofortify crops with minerals.
- Author
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Darch, Tegan, Dunn, Robert M., Guy, Adrian, Hawkins, Jane M. B., Ash, Michael, Frimpong, Kwame A., and Blackwell, Martin S. A.
- Subjects
REFUSE containers ,PHOSPHATE fertilizers ,FERTILIZERS ,MINERALS ,ANIMAL waste ,PHOSPHATE rock ,BIOFORTIFICATION - Abstract
Our food security depends on finding a sustainable alternative to rock phosphate for fertilizer production. Furthermore, over 2 billion people worldwide are currently affected by micronutrient deficiencies, and crop concentrations of essential minerals are declining. This paper examines whether a novel multi-element fertilizer, Thallo
® , can produce crop yields comparable to conventional rock phosphate derived fertilizers, and have an additional benefit of increasing essential mineral concentrations. Thallo® , produced from abattoir and recycled industrial by-products, was tested against conventional mineral fertilizers in a pot trial with wheat and grass. In soil, yields were comparable between the fertilizer types, but, in a low-nutrient substrate, Thallo® showed a yield benefit. Elemental concentrations in the plant material typically reflected the relative concentrations in the fertilizer, and Thallo® fertilized plants contained significantly more of some essential elements, such as selenium and zinc. Furthermore, concentrations of the toxic element cadmium were significantly lower in Thallo® fertilized crops. Among the fertilizers, manganese concentrations were greatest in the Thallo® , but within the fertilized plants, they were greatest under the mineral fertilizer, showing the complexity of assessing whether nutrients will be taken up by crops. In summary, fertilizers from livestock waste have the potential to improve wheat and grass concentrations of essential elements while maintaining yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Data management challenges for artificial intelligence in plant and agricultural research [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
- Author
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Hugh F. Williamson, Julia Brettschneider, Mario Caccamo, Robert P. Davey, Carole Goble, Paul J. Kersey, Sean May, Richard J. Morris, Richard Ostler, Tony Pridmore, Chris Rawlings, David Studholme, Sotirios A. Tsaftaris, and Sabina Leonelli
- Subjects
Opinion Article ,Articles ,data science ,plant science ,crop science ,agricultural research ,machine learning ,data management ,data quality ,data sharing - Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly used within plant science, yet it is far from being routinely and effectively implemented in this domain. Particularly relevant to the development of novel food and agricultural technologies is the development of validated, meaningful and usable ways to integrate, compare and visualise large, multi-dimensional datasets from different sources and scientific approaches. After a brief summary of the reasons for the interest in data science and AI within plant science, the paper identifies and discusses eight key challenges in data management that must be addressed to further unlock the potential of AI in crop and agronomic research, and particularly the application of Machine Learning (AI) which holds much promise for this domain.
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. The complete chloroplast genome of 'biasong' (Citrus micrantha Wester), a native species from the Southern Philippines.
- Author
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Madayag, R. E., Gentallan, R. Jr. P., Quiñones, K. J. O., Bartolome, M. C. B., Vera Cruz, J. R. A., Borromeo, T. H., Endonela, L. E., and Timog, E. B. S.
- Subjects
CHLOROPLAST DNA ,CITRUS ,GENETIC code ,SPECIES ,FRUIT trees ,CROP science - Abstract
'Biasong' (Citrus micrantha), native to the Southern Philippine Islands, is an important cultivated fruit tree but has no published plastome sequence. We assembled and characterized the C. micrantha chloroplast genome from accession in the germplasm collection of the Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence is 159,928-bp long with 128 coding genes comprising 83 mRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Out of the mRNA genes, 45 genes code for photosynthesis, 30 genes code for self-replication, and five genes code for other functions. A phylogenetic analysis of the assembled genome, along with 24 Citrus species and three other Rutaceae species, identified Citrus aurantiifolia as its closest relative with available complete cpDNA sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Retrospection-Simulation-Revision: Approach to the Analysis of the Composition and Characteristics of Medical Waste at a Disaster Relief Site.
- Author
-
Zhang, Li, Wu, Lihua, Tian, Feng, and Wang, Zheng
- Subjects
MEDICAL wastes ,DISASTER relief ,HAZARDS ,MEDICAL records ,HOSPITALS - Abstract
A large amount of medical waste is produced during disaster relief, posing a potential hazard to the habitat and the environment. A comprehensive understanding of the composition and characteristics of medical waste that requires management is one of the most basic steps in the development of a plan for medical waste management. Unfortunately, limited reliable information is available in the open literature on the characteristics of the medical waste that is generated at disaster relief sites. This paper discusses the analysis of the composition and characteristics of medical waste at a disaster relief site using the retrospection-simulation-revision method. For this study, we obtained 35 medical relief records of the Wenchuan Earthquake, Sichuan, May 2008 from a field cabin hospital. We first present a retrospective analysis of the relief medical records, and then, we simulate the medical waste generated in the affected areas. We ultimately determine the composition and characteristics of medical waste in the affected areas using untreated medical waste to revise the composition of the simulated medical waste. The results from 35 cases showed that the medical waste generated from disaster relief consists of the following: plastic (43.2%), biomass (26.3%), synthetic fiber (15.3%), rubber (6.6%), liquid (6.6%), inorganic salts (0.3%) and metals (1.7%). The bulk density of medical relief waste is 249 kg/m
3 , and the moisture content is 44.75%. The data should be provided to assist the collection, segregation, storage, transportation, disposal and contamination control of medical waste in affected areas. In this paper, we wish to introduce this research method of restoring the medical waste generated in disaster relief to readers and researchers. In addition, we hope more disaster relief agencies will become aware of the significance of medical case recording and storing. This may be very important for the environmental evaluation of medical waste in disaster areas, as well as for medical waste management and disposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Production Efficiency and Market Orientation in Food Crops in North West Ethiopia: Application of Matching Technique for Impact Assessment.
- Author
-
Ayenew, Habtamu Yesigat
- Subjects
FOOD crops ,MARKET orientation ,FOOD production ,AGRICULTURAL technology ,AGRICULTURAL extension work - Abstract
Introduction: Agricultural technologies developed by national and international research institutions were not benefiting the rural population of Ethiopia to the extent desired. As a response, integrated agricultural extension approaches are proposed as a key strategy to transform the smallholder farming sector. Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian Farmers project is one of the development projects initiated by integrating productivity enhancement technological schemes with market development model. This paper explores the impact of the project intervention in the smallholder farmers’ wellbeing. Methods: To test the research hypothesis of whether the project brought a significant change in the input use, marketed surplus, efficiency and income of farm households, we use a cross-section data from 200 smallholder farmers in Northwest Ethiopia, collected through multi-stage sampling procedure. To control for self-selection from observable characteristics of the farm households, we employ Propensity Score Matching (PSM). We finally use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques to estimate technical efficiency of farm households. Results: The outcome of the research is in line with the premises that the participation of the household in the IPMS project improves purchased input use, marketed surplus, efficiency of farms and the overall gain from farming. The participant households on average employ more purchased agricultural inputs and gain higher gross margin from the production activities as compared to the non-participant households. The non-participant households on average supply less output (measured both in monetary terms and proportion of total produce) to the market as compared to their participant counterparts. Except for the technical efficiency of production in potato, project participant households are better-off in production efficiency compared with the non-participant counterparts. Conclusion: We verified the idea that Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian farmers’ project has contributed for the input and out market integration and/or market oriented agricultural production. Overall, we argue that these can be seen as an experimental model with a promising potential to improve the livelihood of the poor. Furthermore, we suggest that it is worthwhile to employ integrated agricultural extension programs with further targeting in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Spring onion seed demand forecasting using a hybrid Holt-Winters and support vector machine model.
- Author
-
Zhu, Yihang, Zhao, Yinglei, Zhang, Jingjin, Geng, Na, and Huang, Danfeng
- Subjects
DEMAND forecasting ,SUPPORT vector machines ,SEED crops ,SEEDS ,ONIONS ,SPRING - Abstract
Demand for spring onion seeds is variable and maintaining its supply is crucial to the success of seed companies. Spring onion seed demand forecasting, which can help reduce the high operational costs increased by long-period propagation and complex logistics, has not previously been investigated yet. This paper provides a novel perspective on spring onion seed demand forecasting and proposes a hybrid Holt-Winters and support vector machine (SVM) forecasting model. The model uses dynamic factors, including historical seed sales, seed inventory, spring onion crop market price and weather data, as inputs to forecast spring onion seed demand. Forecasting error, i.e. the difference between actual and forecasted demand, is assessed. Two advanced machine learning models are trained on the same dataset as benchmark models. Numerical experiments using actual commercial sales data for three spring onion seed varieties show the proposed hybrid model outperformed the statistical-based models for all three forecasting errors. Seed inventory, spring onion crop market price and historical seed sales are the most important dynamic factors, among which seed inventory has short-term influence while other two have mid-term influence on seed demand forecasting. The absolute minimum temperature is the only factor having long-term influence. This study provides a promising spring onion seed demand forecasting model that helps understand the relationships between seed demand and other dynamic factors and the model could potentially be applied to demand forecasting of other crop seeds to reduce total operational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Distribution characteristics on droplet deposition of wind field vortex formed by multi-rotor UAV.
- Author
-
Guo, Shuang, Li, Jiyu, Yao, Weixiang, Zhan, Yilong, Li, Yifan, and Shi, Yeyin
- Subjects
DROPLETS ,CROPS ,DRONE aircraft ,AIRPLANE wings ,PADDY fields - Abstract
When the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used for aerial spraying, the downwash airflow generated by the UAV rotor will interact with the crop canopy and form a conical vortex shape in the crop plant. The size of the vortex will directly affect the outcome of the spraying operation. Six one-way spraying were performed by the UAV in a rice field with different but random flying altitude and velocities within the optimal operational range to form different vortex patterns. The spraying reagent was clear water, which was collected by water sensitive paper (WSP), and then the WSP was analyzed to study the droplets deposition effects in different vortex states. The results showed that the formation of the vortex significantly influenced the droplet deposition. To be specific, the droplet deposition amount in the obvious-vortex (OV) state was about 1.5 times of that in the small-scale (SV) vortex state, and 7 times of that in the non-vortex (NV) state. In the OV state, the droplets mainly deposited directly below and on both sides of the route. The deposition amount, coverage rate and droplet size increased from top to bottom of the crops with the deposition amount, coverage rate, and volume median diameter (VMD) ranging 0.204–0.470 μL/cm
2 , 3.31%-7.41%, and 306–367μm, respectively. In the SV state, droplets mainly deposited in the vortex area directly below the route. The deposition amount in the downwind direction was bigger than that in the upwind direction. The maximum of deposition amount, coverage rate and droplet size were found in the middle layer of the crops, the range are 0.177–0.334μL/cm2 , 2.71%-5.30%, 295–370μm, respectively. In the NV state, the droplet mainly performed drifting motion, and the average droplet deposition amount in the downwind non-effective region was 29.4 times of that in the upwind non-effective region and 8.7 times of the effective vortex region directly below the route. The maximum of deposition amount, coverage rate and droplet size appeared in the upper layer of the crop, the range are 0.006–0.132μL/cm2 , 0.17%-1.82%, 120–309μm, respectively, and almost no droplet deposited in the middle and lower part of the crop. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the droplet deposition amount was less than 40% in the state of obvious-vortex and small-scale vortex, and the worst penetration appeared in the non-vortex amounting to 65.97%. This work offers a basis for improving the spraying performance of UAV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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