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Au Sénégal, la confrérie mouride, depuis sa fondation par Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba (1850-1927), a pris une ampleur socio-économique importante. Très tôt, les Mourides ont développé une culture paysanne axée sur la migration et l’exploitation des terres agricoles. Originaires du bassin arachidier, les Mourides ont fini par conquérir la quasi-totalité des terres situées dans cette partie du Sénégal. Depuis quelques années, l’expansion agricole des Mourides s’est étendue jusqu’à la vallée du fleuve Sénégal générant ainsi des formes de mobilités internes entre le bassin arachidier et la vallée du fleuve Sénégal. Nos enquêtes ont montré une diversité d’acteurs mourides dans la vallée : 1) des entrepreneurs venus de leur propre initiative ; 2) des ressortissants des daaras (unité de production agricole constituée de disciples qui travaillent gratuitement pour leur marabout) ; 3) des fonctionnaires qui ont été affectés dans la zone ou encore 4) des individus ayant suivi leurs parents. Entre attachement à la terre, pouvoir religieux et puissance financière, les Mourides ont commencé à prendre une place socio-économique prépondérante dans la vallée. Cette dynamique économique portée par les néo-entrepreneurs mourides ne peut guère laisser indifférent car elle est à l’origine d’une extension importante des superficies cultivées et à une dynamique économique non négligeable. Qu’ils soient migrants ou saisonniers, les acteurs mourides, chacun selon ses moyens, contribuent activement au développement agricole de la vallée du fleuve Sénégal.

Dans le Rif occidental au Nord du Maroc, le bassin versant du Tleta est affecté par de nombreux changements globaux, dont la magnitude s’est amplifiée ces 15 dernières années. Il s’agit d’une baisse tendancielle des pluies, mais aussi et surtout des changements d’usages des sols conduisant à leur dégradation. Cependant, ces changements restent un enjeu difficile à appréhender et encore peu intégrés dans les stratégies de gestion à l’échelle des exploitations agricoles, des filières et des territoires. S’inscrivant dans un programme de recherche méditerranéen sur les mosaïques paysagères pluvieuses, cette recherche a pour objectifs de décrire les systèmes de production dans ce bassin versant, et d’étudier les stratégies de résilience, la perception et les pratiques adaptatives des exploitations agricoles face à ces changements globaux durant ces 15 dernières années. Les exploitations agricoles ont mis en oeuvre différentes stratégies d’intensification, mais aussi de gestion des aléas, à la fois en termes de choix de production agricole, de mode de fermage, et de lien avec les villes. Les actions des acteurs institutionnels dans la zone pour renforcer les capacités de résilience des populations sont nombreuses mais restent fragmentaires et manquent d’intégration. Elles conduisent aussi parfois à un renforcement des dynamiques de migration vers les villes. L’avenir de cette région reste pour le moment incertain, d’où la nécessité d’une démarche concertée pour engager un dialogue sur cet avenir.

En Tunisie, où l’essentiel du territoire se situe en zones arides et semi-arides, les agriculteurs sont confrontés à des crises liées à la rareté de l’eau et ont développé plusieurs stratégies d’adaptation. Ces stratégies traduisent aussi leurs réponses aux changements que connaissent les politiques publiques de gestion de l’eau. Cette étude se propose d’analyser les interactions entre les pratiques locales de gestion de l’eau et la politique publique de sauvegarde des agrumes dans la région du Cap Bon au nord de la Tunisie. La nécessité de préserver le patrimoine agrumicole et le souci de sauvegarder les ressources en eaux souterraines ont d’abord justifié une mobilisation croissante des ressources en eau de surface avant de s’orienter vers des programmes d’économie d’eau. Cependant, les agriculteurs ont continué d’exploiter intensivement les eaux souterraines tout en renforçant au maximum leur accès à l’eau de surface. Ce manque de coopération a provoqué un accroissement de la demande en eau et des difficultés dans la gestion collective du réseau de distribution de l’eau tout en accentuant les inégalités entre les irrigants. L’amélioration de l’efficacité des interventions de l’Etat nécessite une coopération renforcée entre tous les acteurs impliqués dans la gestion des systèmes irrigués et une prise de conscience des impacts de ces interventions sur la durabilité des ressources en eau souterraines.

Nowadays heavy metals especially Cr have posed a serious threat to water bodies due to environmental pollution. The tannery industries in Bangladesh have been releasing a significant amount of Cr for years to the environment. The current research works focus on the efficient removal of Cr from tannery effluents using rice husks and coconut shell as natural adsorbents. Chromium concentration determined was 1500 mg L-1 which is alarmingly high in effluents just after chrome tanned discharge, and that was 1.30 mg L-1 Cr in effluents from dumping storage. Rice hush and coconut shell adsorbent were applied to remove Cr. Chemical modifications by treating rice husks with coconut shell increased the adsorption ability of rice husks for Cr removed. Among these adsorbents rice husks of 50 mesh size (particle size 0.297 mm) showed the maximum adsorption (98%) within 6 hours without any stirring effect. However, rice husks of 200 mesh size (particle size 0.297 mm) showed the adsorption (67%) within 6 hours with any continuous stirring effect. These results suggest that cheaply available rice husks can be considered as a good adsorbent for the removal of Cr from tannery effluents.

Milk is one of the most consumed products by society worldwide, and this consumption has been growing gradually in Brazil. Before this, milk production is an alternative that can be very profitable for producers and for the production chain. Knowing the need of rural producers to obtain efficient production practices, the objective was to learn about the process of raising dairy cattle on a rural property located in the municipality of Vila Rica and another in Canabrava do Norte (MT). The following characteristics were analyzed: management, lactation period, interval between births, reproductive status and body score of animals in these properties. For the production of the data we use bibliographic studies on websites and articles in addition to field research. The procedures used were questionnaires, observations and manuscripts. When analyzing the results obtained, it was found that the technical monitoring of these properties is of paramount importance for the producer, aiming to guarantee the good productivity of the animals. It’s also noticed that the property that had the greatest persistence in the program run by Embrapa Nosso Leite, was the one that was most successful in its productivity. O leite é um dos produtos mais consumidos pela sociedade em todo o mundo, e esse consumo vem crescendo gradativamente no Brasil. Diante disto, a produção de leite é uma alternativa que pode ser muito rentável para os produtores e para a cadeia produtiva. Sabendo da necessidade dos produtores rurais em obter práticas eficientes para a produção, objetivou-se conhecer o processo de criação de gado leiteiro em uma propriedade rural localizada no município de Vila Rica e outra em Canabrava do Norte (MT). Foram analisadas as seguintes características: manejo, período de lactação, quadro reprodutivo e escore corporal de animais nessas propriedades. Para a produção dos dados utilizamos estudos bibliográficos em sites e artigos, além de pesquisa de campo. Os procedimentos utilizados foram questionários, observações e manuscritos. Ao analisar os resultados obtidos verificou-se que o acompanhamento técnico dessas propriedades é de suma importância para o produtor, visando garantir a boa produtividade dos animais. Percebe-se, ainda, que a propriedade que teve maior persistência no programa Nosso Leite da Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), obteve maior êxito em sua produtividade comparando-se com a outra propriedade.

The correct management of a pasture is the determining factor for a good production and response by the animal. Thus, the present work aimed to compare the development of rotational and extensive grazing systems in rural milk producing properties in the municipality of Confresa-MT. The methodology of the project sought the application of a questionnaire, collection of forage samples, and monitoring of milk production of the twelve chosen properties, the samples of each evaluated property were collected and sent to the bromatology laboratory of the Federal Institute of Mato Grosso - Campus Confresa , a total of 36 samples of different forages evaluated. Three treatments were analyzed, rotated grazing system with two days of occupation, rotated with more than two days of occupation and continuous grazing system. According to statistical data on the Tukey test at 5%, the system rotated with 2 days of occupation showed superior results in contents of green mass, dry mass and milk productivity in relation to the other systems. It was found that the rest period was a major factor for this result. O manejo correto de uma pastagem é o fator determinante para uma boa produção e resposta por parte do animal. Assim o presente trabalho visou comparar o desenvolvimento dos sistemas rotacionado e extensivo de pastejo em propriedades rurais produtoras de leite do município de Confresa-MT. A metodologia do projeto buscou a aplicação de questionário, coleta de amostras de forragem, e acompanhamento da produção leiteira das doze propriedades escolhidas, as amostras de cada propriedade avaliada foram coletadas e encaminhadas para o laboratório de bromatologia do Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso – Campus Confresa, um total de 36 amostras de diferentes forrageiras avaliadas. Foram analisados três tratamentos, sistema rotacionado de pastejo com dois dias de ocupação, rotacionado com mais de dois dias de ocupação e sistema contínuo de pastejo. Segundo dados estatísticos ao teste de Tukey a 5% o sistema rotacionado com 2 dias de ocupação apresentou resultados superiores em teores de massa verde, massa seca e produtividade leiteira em relação aos demais sistemas. Verificou se que o período de descanso foi fator primordial para tal resultado.

This study was aimed to determine extension activities provided to rice farmers in raising the awareness for compost manufacture in Al-Diwaniyah province and investigate the level of awareness of rice farmers in the field of compost manufacturing , as well as the problems facing farmers when manufacturing compost, mythology a questionnaire design to collect data from rice farmers during the 2018 . The research society consisted of the agricultural departments of the directorate of Agriculture in Al Diwaniyah province. A random sample was taken from rice farmers related to the agricultural departments in the Directorate of Agriculture with their (632) farmers, The results of this study inculcated that the level of awareness for the farmers in the manufacture of compost, The average tends to weak in their awareness, The role of the agricultural extension has also just through extension seminars, which is considered one of the most extension activities were used to rice farmers of compost manufacturing, In addition, there is an absence of workers in the field of composting of rice residues,It could be to pay adequate attention to the rice crop as a strategic crop through the utilization of its waste and the elimination of environmental pollution that occurs as a result of burning those waste.

A comparative study of ecological and biological parameters of soils of the Rostov-on-Don Zoo was carried out in 2017-2020. Monitoring sites were studied in areas of various purpose: aviaries with different animals, recreation area, park area. The control plot was a relatively undisturbed park section in the territory of the zoo. Different sites revealed heterogeneity of ecological conditions and soil properties. The most significant difference was in the physical properties of soils. Density, penetration resistance, and soil structure were degraded in aviaries with large animals: rhinos, zebras, deer. Using methods of bioindication, the degree of change in the soil of aviaries was determined compared with the soil of the control plot. The abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the Azotobacter genus was reduced in the soils of aviaries with zebras, rams, rhinos and giraffe due to the artificial addition of sand to the soil for the purpose of improvement of its physical properties. The activity of soil enzymes (urease and dehydrogenases) was significantly increased in the soils of aviaries due to their contamination with animal excretory products. A particularly high increase was in urease (up to 7.4 times relative to the control soil). The main problems of the topsoil of the zoo are overconsolidation, structural degradation, organic pollution, change in biological activity. The degree of change depends on the size of aviaries, the size and activity of animals and soil amelioration aimed at regulating physical properties of the soil.

Over the last few decades, waterlogging stress has increasingly threatened global cotton production. Waterlogging results in reduced soil oxygen, impairing the growth and development of this valuable crop and often resulting in severe yield loss or crop failure. However, as cotton has an indeterminate growth habit, it is able to adapt to waterlogging stress by activating three mechanisms: the escape, quiescence, and self-regulating compensation mechanisms. The escape mechanism includes accelerated growth, formation of adventitious roots, and production of aerenchyma. The quiescence mechanism involves reduced biomass accumulation and energy dissipation via physiological, biochemical, and molecular events. The self-regulation compensation mechanism allows plants to exploit their indeterminate growth habit and compensatory growth ability by accelerating growth and development following relief from waterlogging stress. We review how the growth and development of cotton is impaired by waterlogging, focusing on the three strategies associated with tolerance and adaptation to the stress. We discuss agronomic measures and prospects for mitigating the adverse effects of waterlogging stress.

Biofertilizers are compounds that contain microorganisms capable of increasing the nutrient availability to plants and increasing plant growth rate. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of biofertilizers and organic ameliorants on some of soil bio-chemical properties. The pot experiment was conducted at the field of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Padjadjaran Indonesia. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block complete design format consisting of twelve treatments and three replications. The experiment consisted of control, solid biofertilizer (50 kg ha-1), liquid biofertilizer (5 L ha-1), a combination of solid biofertilizers (50 kg ha-1) with organic ameliorants (10t ha-1) (composted straw, biochar and cow manure), a combination of liquid biofertilizer (5 L ha-1) and organic ameliorants (10 t ha-1), and each of ameliorants (10 t ha-1) independently. The results of experiment revealed that the application of solid biofertilizers and organic ameliorants significantly improved some soil biological properties (population of phosphate solubilizing microbes, N-fixing bacteria and phosphatase activity) and increased some soil chemical properties such as total N, available P, organic C and cation exchange capacity.

New indica and japonica hybrid rice cultivars, such as the Yongyou series, provide farmers with very high yield potential. However, information on their canopy light capture and solar radiation use efficiency in the late season is limited. Field experiments were performed to compare the radiation-use parameters of four rice types: indica rice (IR), inbred japonica rice (IJR), hybrid japonica rice (HJR), and hybrid indica/japonica rice (HIJR), from 2016 to 2018 during the late season in Hangzhou, China. The grain yield, aboveground biomass, intercepted solar radiation (SI), and radiation-use efficiency (RUE) of the HIJR were on average respectively 13.4%–53.4%, 14.3%–30.6%, 7.6%–21.4%, and 8.2%–14.9% higher than those of the HJR, IJR, and IR. The leaf area index (LAI) of the HIJR was 18.2%–57.0% greater than that of the IJR and HJR at four growth stages, resulting in respectively 17.8%–38.5% and 10.7%–42.8% greater canopy light interception rates (LIR) and amount of intercepted solar radiation during the vegetative stage. The prolonged grain-filling stage also led to respectively 33.9%–52.6% and 30.5%–51.4% increases in amounts of incident and intercepted radiation for the HIJR relative to the IR during grain filling. These results indicate that the SI superiority of the HIJR was caused by canopy closure as rapid as that of the IR during the vegetative stage (greater LAI and canopy LIR during the growing season) and a grain-filling stage as long as that of the HJR. For grain-filling stage, differences in leaf Pn between HIJR, IR, and IJR were not significant, suggesting that the greater RUE of the HIJR (12.7%–52.8% higher) than that of the other rice types resulted from improved canopy architecture after flowering (FL). Principal components analysis (PCA) revealed that the superiority of the HIJR in terms of solar radiation use resulted from the greater canopy light capture capability of IR and the prolonged growth period (especially during grain filling) of japonica rice in the late growing season.

Fusarium ear rot (FER) is a destructive maize fungal disease worldwide. In this study, three tropical maize populations consisting of 874 inbred lines were used to perform genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic prediction (GP) analyses of FER resistance. Broad phenotypic variation and high heritability for FER were observed, although it was highly influenced by large genotype-by-environment interactions. In the 874 inbred lines, GWAS with general linear model (GLM) identified 3034 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with FER resistance at the P-value threshold of 1 × 10−5, the average phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by these associations was 3% with a range from 2.33% to 6.92%, and 49 of these associations had PVE values greater than 5%. The GWAS analysis with mixed linear model (MLM) identified 19 significantly associated SNPs at the P-value threshold of 1 × 10−4, the average PVE of these associations was 1.60% with a range from 1.39% to 2.04%. Within each of the three populations, the number of significantly associated SNPs identified by GLM and MLM ranged from 25 to 41, and from 5 to 22, respectively. Overlapping SNP associations across populations were rare. A few stable genomic regions conferring FER resistance were identified, which located in bins 3.04/05, 7.02/04, 9.00/01, 9.04, 9.06/07, and 10.03/04. The genomic regions in bins 9.00/01 and 9.04 are new. GP produced moderate accuracies with genome-wide markers, and relatively high accuracies with SNP associations detected from GWAS. Moderate prediction accuracies were observed when the training and validation sets were closely related. These results implied that FER resistance in maize is controlled by minor QTL with small effects, and highly influenced by the genetic background of the populations studied. Genomic selection (GS) by incorporating SNP associations detected from GWAS is a promising tool for improving FER resistance in maize.

Carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of a plant organ is an inherent signature reflecting its physiological property, and thus is used as an integrative index in crop breeding. It is also a non-intrusive method for quantifying the relative contribution of different source organs to grain filling in cereals. Using the samples collected from two-year field and pot experiments with two nitrogen (N) fertilization treatments, we investigated the temporal and spatial variations of δ13C in source organs of leaf, sheath, internode, and bracts, and in sink organ grain. Constitutive nature of δ13C was uncovered, with an order of leaf (−27.84‰) < grain (−27.82‰) < sheath (−27.24‰) < bracts (−26.81‰) < internode (−25.67‰). For different positions of individual organs within the plant, δ13C of the leaf and sheath presented a diminishing trend from the top (flag leaf and its sheath) to the bottom (the last leaf in reverse order and its sheath). No obvious pattern was found for the internode. For temporal variations, δ13C of the leaf and sheath had a peak (the most negative) at 10 days after anthesis (DAA), whereas that of the bracts showed a marked increase at the time point of anthesis, implying a transformation from sink to source organ. By comparing the δ13C in its natural abundance in the water-soluble fractions of the sheath, internode, and bracts with the δ13C in mature grains, the relative contribution of these organs to grain filling was assessed. With reference to the leaf, the internode accounted for as high as 32.64% and 42.56% at 10 DAA and 20 DAA, respectively. Meanwhile, bracts presented a larger contribution than the internode, with superior bracts being higher than inferior bracts. In addition, N topdressing reduced the contribution of the internode and bracts. Our findings clearly proved the actual significance of non-foliar organs of the internode and bracts for rice yield formation, thus extending our basic knowledge of source and sink relations.

Magnesium (Mg) affects various critical physiological and biochemical processes in higher plants, and its deficiency impedes plant growth and development. Although potassium (K)-induced Mg deficiency in agricultural production is widespread, the specific relationship of K with Mg and especially its competitive nature is poorly understood. This review summarizes current knowledge on the interactions between K and Mg with respect to their root uptake, root-to-shoot translocation and distribution in plants. Their synergistic effects on certain physiological functions are also described. The antagonistic effect of K on Mg is stronger than that of Mg on K in root absorption and transport within plants, indicating that the balanced use of K and Mg fertilizers is necessary for sustaining high plant-available Mg and alleviating K-induced Mg deficiency, especially in plant species with high K demand or in high-available-K soil. The relationship between Mg and K in plant tissues may be antagonistic or synergistic depending on plant species, cell type, leaf age, source- and sink organs. There are synergistic effects of K and Mg on photosynthesis, carbohydrate transport and allocation, nitrogen metabolism, and turgor regulation. Definition of optimal K/Mg ratios for soils and plant tissues is desirable for maintaining proper nutritional status in plants, leading to a physiological state supporting crop production. Future research should concentrate on identifying the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between K and Mg in a given physiological function.

Endosperm as the storage organ of starch and protein in cereal crops largely determines grain yield and quality. Despite the fact that several pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins required for endosperm development have been identified in rice, the molecular mechanisms of many P-type PPR proteins in endosperm development remains unclear. Here, we isolated a rice floury endosperm mutant ppr5 that developed small starch grains and an abnormal aleurone layer, accompanied by decreased starch, protein, and amylose contents. Map-based cloning combined with a complementation test demonstrated that PPR5 encodes a P-type PPR protein that is localized to the mitochondria. The mutation in PPR5 caused reduced splicing efficiency of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 4 (nad4) gene intron 3 and reduced complex I assembly and activity. Loss of PPR5 function greatly up-regulated expression of alternative oxidases (AOXs), reduced ATP production, and affected mitochondrial morphology. We demonstrate that PPR5, as a P-type PPR protein, is required for mitochondrial function and endosperm development by controlling the cis-splicing of mitochondrial nad4 intron 3.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) is one of the most economically destructive pathogens. The soybean line Zhongpin03-5373 (ZP), which combines resistance genes from several donors, is highly resistant to SCN race 3 (SCN3). In our previous study, two QTL (rhg1 and GmSNAP11) were identified in a population of recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ZP and the susceptible parent Zhonghuang 13. The two QTL explained around one-third of the resistance, suggesting the presence of further QTL contributing to SCN resistance. In the present study, we used an improved version of the genetic map comprising the previously applied 1062 molecular markers and 47 newly developed InDel (insertion-deletion) markers. The improved map revealed a novel locus contributing to SCN3 resistance: qSCN3-1, flanked by InDel marker InDel1-7 and SNP marker Map-0047, explained 4.55% of the phenotypic variance for resistance to SCN3 and was not involved in digenic epistatic interaction with rhg1 and GmSNAP11. Haplotypes of Map-0047_CAPS (a CAPS marker developed for Map-0047) and InDel1-7 were significantly associated with SCN3 resistance in a panel of 209 resistant and susceptible accessions. Using further allele-combination analysis for three functional markers representing three cloned resistance genes (rhg1, Rhg4, and GmSNAP11) and two markers flanking qSCN3-1, we found that adding the resistance allele of qSCN3-1 greatly increased soybean resistance to SCN, even in diverse genetic backgrounds. The qSCN3-1 locus will be useful for marker-assisted polygene pyramid breeding and should be targeted for the future identification of candidate genes.

Accelerated compost (AC) biotechnology that reduces composting time to less than one month is gradually finding its way to farmers. This study therefore evaluated the fertilizer potential of a brand of commercial AC (OBD-plus) on a degraded Alfisol in Ibadan (derived savannah) and Ultisol in Ikenne (rain forest) of Nigeria, using maize as a test crop. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments were AC at 0, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 kg N ha-1, mineral fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) and conventional compost (CC), each at 60 kgN/ha. Data collected on biomass yield, maize grain yield (MGY, t ha-1) and post-cropping soil chemical properties were subjected to ANOVA at α0.05. The average highest MGY from Ibadan (3.90) and Ikenne (3.86) were obtained from AC (180 kg N/ha), but these were not significantly different from other AC rates and NPK. The least MGY was obtained from control (2.1 and 2.0) which was significantly less than the CC (3.16 and 2.90). The AC improved the post-cropping soil pH, N and K. The mean MGY obtained from the six levels of AC in Ibadan; 3.44 and 3.98 t ha-1 in 2013 and 2014 were not significantly different from Ikenne (3.41 and 3.84 t ha-1). However, maize in Ibadan gave significantly higher biomass yield (19.40 t ha-1) than that of Ikenne (17.74 t ha-1) in 2013, with similar trend in 2014. Accelerated compost at 60 kg N ha-1 improved maize grain yield and post cropping soil properties in Ibadan and Ikenne, Nigeria as much as conventional compost. The performance of the accelerated compost was not location dependent in terms of MGY, but resulted in higher biomass production in the derived savannah ecology.

Reserve starch of cereal crop accounts for about 70% of grain endosperm and acts as an important human carbohydrate resource worldwide. Wheat reserve starch is synthesized by enzymatic machinery in endosperm cells. To identify genes involved in starch biosynthesis, we constructed 30 RNA-Seq libraries of 10 endosperm-development periods and performed expression and localization analyses. Of 166 endosperm-expressed homologs of starch biosynthesis-related genes, 74 showed expression correlated with reserve starch accumulation, including 26 with expected subcellular distribution and higher expression than their isoforms. The key proteins SUS3, UGP1, cAGPase, and Bt1-3 formed the main metabolic pathway and contributed the major substrates for starch processing in amyloplasts. Important isoforms, key pathway proteins, and the main carbon flux toward starch formation in the reserve starch biosynthesis pathway were identified. Based on a co-expression analysis, a library of 425 transcription factors was produced to screen for common regulators. TaMYB44 had features of transcription factors and bound to TaSUT1, TaSSIIIa, TaBEIIa, TaISA1, and TaBEIIb promoters in yeast, suggesting that the gene is a pathway regulator. This study sheds light on understanding the mechanism of reserve starch biosynthesis and will be helpful for increasing starch content in wheat endosperm via biotechnological strategies.

As the main byproduct of cotton fiber, the cotton seed yields about 1.6 times that of fiber, with its oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid. It is desirable for breeders to increase the oil content of cottonseed without affecting the yield and quality of cotton fiber. In this study, a seed-specific promoter- (alpha-globulin gene promoter-) driven GhDGAT1 overexpression vector (PαGlob-GhDGAT1) was constructed and used to transform an upland cotton line YZ1 (Gossypium hirsutum). Overexpression of the cotton gene GhDGAT1 in cotton seeds increased its total oil content from 4.7% to 13.9% in different transgenic lines and different generations. With the increase of oil content, the composition and contents of the main fatty acids in cotton seed also changed, as reflected by the contents of the main saturated fatty acids and unsaturated oleic acid. GhDGAT1 could be used to increase oil content and improve oil composition in cottonseed.

One of the approaches for increasing of yield and reduction of rice production costs is precision agriculture. Complete and correct determination of nutrition status of paddy soils is necessary in precise agriculture. To compare fuzz y and Boolean methods and mapping of nutrition status of nitrogen and phosphorus, 370 compound samples were collected from 306 ha of paddy soils of Rice Research Institute in Rasht County from plots with the dimension of 50 × 100 m. Total nitrogen and available phosphorus contents were measured. Results showed that interpolation and mapping by fuzzy logic was more accurate and correct in comparison with Boolean method and had greater distinguishing power to indicate deficiency of nutrients. Evaluation of dependency of paddy soils using of fuzzy function and Boolean method, showed that the southwest of study area have nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency and the other parts have minor limitation for these elements.

Time spent feeding by grazing cattle is an important predictor of intake and feed efficiency. This study examined the use of automatic supplement weighing (ASW) units for monitoring voluntary access of breeding cows (n = 430) to mineral block supplements in an extensive rangeland of northern Australia. The ASW units (n = 10) were located within each of experimental sites (5 units per site, Bore and Eldons). Over the 62 days of data collection, 85%, 13%, and 2% of cows spent &lt, 600, 600–1200, &gt, 1200 min accessing supplements, respectively, with between-animal variation (CV) of 107%. A total of 133 cows visited both sites while 142 and 155 cows visited only Bore and Eldons, respectively. Most visits (80–90%) were recorded during the day (800–1700 h), 7–17% during the night (1800–2300 h), and 3% during the dawn (0–700 h). Time spent accessing supplements differed between ASW units across the two sites (p &lt, 0.001) and varied according to the day of visits (p &lt, 0.001). There was a significant relationship between time spent at the ASW units and supplement intake on a herd basis (p &lt, 0.001, R2adj = 0.70). The results showed that the ASW units were capable of monitoring access to mineral block supplements that may reflect the supplement intake of rangeland cattle.

Mepiquat chloride (MC) priming alleviates the effects of salt stress during seed germination in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but the mechanisms underlying its effects are unknown. We found that MC priming increases salt tolerance, as evidenced by marked increases in seed vigor and germination rates, and alleviated salt toxicity by reducing Cl− accumulation in germinating seeds. Consistently, electrophysiological experiments revealed that the seeds with MC priming displayed superior Cl− exclusion ability in the root apex. These beneficial effects of MC priming were abolished by the abscisic acid (ABA)-synthesis blocker fluridone under salt stress. MC priming induced an early response to acclimatization and stress, as indicated by rapidly increasing ABA content during initial exposure to salt stress. Transcriptome analyses revealed that MC priming induced an array of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in germinating seeds. The most noticeable changes in germinating seeds were MC priming-induced increases in the expression of DEGs encoding components of ABA biosynthesis, ABA catabolism, and ABA signaling pathways under salt stress. MC priming also increased the expression of some DEGs encoding Cl− ion transporters (e.g. CCC, SLAC1/SLAH1/SLAH3, CLC, and ALMT9) in germinating seeds. These results indicate that MC priming-induced ABA contributes to Cl− homeostasis in tissues and acts as a positive regulator of salt tolerance via regulation of Cl− transporters (particularly CCC and SLAC1/SLAH1/SLAH3). Taken together, these findings shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying MC-mediated tolerance to salt stress during seed germination.

Gray leaf spot (GLS) caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis and C. zeina is an extremely devastating leaf disease that limits maize production annually. The use of GLS-resistant maize hybrids is the most cost-effective approach for reducing losses. Resistance to GLS is quantitatively inherited in maize (Zea mays L.) and further sources of resistance remain to be analyzed. Here, we detected qRgls1.06, a major quantitative trait locus for GLS resistance in bin 1.06 that explained approximately 55% of the phenotype variance. Fine mapping over 2 consecutive years localized qRgls1.06 to a 2.38-Mb region. Homozygous qRgls1.06WGR/WGR plants in DZ01 background displayed higher GLS resistance and 100-grain weight than DZ01 plants. The GLS responses of several susceptible elite inbred lines were improved by the introduction of qRgls1.06 by marker-assisted backcrossing. Our findings extend the understanding of the genetic basis of resistance to GLS and provide a set of resistant germplasm for genetic improvement of resistance to GLS in maize.

Flowering time is an indicator of adaptation in maize and a key trait for selection in breeding. The genetic basis of flowering time in maize, especially in response to plant density, remains unclear. The objective of this study was to identify maize quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with flowering time-related traits that are stably expressed under several plant densities and show additive effects that vary with plant density. Three hundred recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from a cross between Ye 478 and Qi 319, together with their parents, were planted at three plant densities (90,000, 120,000, and 150,000 plants ha−1) in four environments. The five traits investigated were days to tasseling (DTT), days to silking (DTS), days to pollen shed (DTP), interval between anthesis and silking (ASI), and interval between tasseling and anthesis (TAI). A high-resolution bin map was used for QTL mapping. In the RIL population, the DTT, DTS, and DTP values increased with plant density, whereas the ASI and TAI values showed negligible response to plant density. A total of 72 QTL were identified for flowering time-related traits, including 15 stably expressed across environments. Maize flowering time under different densities seems to be regulated by complex pathways rather than by several major genes or an independent pathway. The effects of some stable QTL, especially qDTT8-1 and qDTT10-4, varied with plant density. Fine mapping and cloning of these QTL will shed light on the mechanism of flowering time and assist in breeding early-maturing maize inbred lines and hybrids.

Dominant early heading (DEH) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is of interest in both breeding and genetics. The genetic mechanisms underlying DEH have remained largely unclear. We have developed a near-isogenic DEH line without yield drag named DEH_229 by sister-line backcross (BC) breeding with MH63, a restorer, as the genetic background. We conducted a pilot genetic investigation under both short-day (SD) and long-day (LD) conditions. The DEH line harbored only 1.06% variation in the genome sequence relative to MH63. The variants were distributed throughout the genome. Using QTL mapping by sequencing (QTL-seq) on an F2 population derived from a cross of MH63 × DEH_229, 57 loci were detected under the SD condition. Joint mapping employing a genome-wide association study with accessions from the 3000 rice genome sequencing project (3K-RG), reduced the number of QTL by 43.9%. Using Rice Functional Genomics & Breeding (RFGB) database, the number of SNP cluster regions within the QTL regions reduced by 27.3%. Further comparison of the genome variation between DEH_229 and MH63 in addition to gene annotation information revealed a new DEH allele of DTH3 with multiple variable sites as a possible major factor underlying the early-heading phenotype of DEH_229. An InDel marker, ZMEH_1, was designed based on the variation between DEH_229 and MH63 within this region. It accounted for 86.0% of heading date variation under both SD and LD conditions in 109 randomly chosen progeny derived from extreme lines of the MH63 × DEH_229 population. This study reveals the genetic complexity of DEH in the near-isogenic line and may provide useful material and marker information for plant molecular breeding.

Spraying pesticides using air induction nozzles is a well-known method to reduce drift. These drift-reducing nozzles have been tested on many different tree crops (such as apples, citrus, and grapes), but we are still lacking information on their utilization on hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) groves, although hazelnut is a major nut crop in Italy, and in recent years its cultivated area has been constantly growing. This paper reports a comparison between treatments carried out with cone and flat-fan low-drift nozzles versus two conventional nozzles. The distribution quality, the number of droplets per cm2 of the target area, and the drift in non-target trees adjacent to those treated were evaluated by analyzing the impact of the droplets on water-sensitive papers placed on the tree canopies. The results show that because no significative differences in terms of application quality were found between the tested nozzles, low-drift nozzles can be a good alternative to the standard nozzles to reduce the drift of pesticide applications in hazelnuts without altering the chosen distribution of the pesticide.

The prediction of rice yields plays a major role in reducing food security problems in India and also suggests that government agencies manage the over or under situations of production. Advanced machine learning techniques are playing a vital role in the accurate prediction of rice yields in dealing with nonlinear complex situations instead of traditional statistical methods. In the present study, the researchers made an attempt to predict the rice yield through support vector regression (SVR) models with various kernels (linear, polynomial, and radial basis function) for India overall and the top five rice producing states by considering influence parameters, such as the area under cultivation and production, as independent variables for the years 1962–2018. The best-fitted models were chosen based on the cross-validation and hyperparameter optimization of various kernel parameters. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were calculated for the training and testing datasets. The results revealed that SVR with various kernels fitted to India overall, as well as the major rice producing states, would explore the nonlinear patterns to understand the precise situations of yield prediction. This study will be helpful for farmers as well as the central and state governments for estimating rice yield in advance with optimal resources.

Weeds and weedy rice plague commercial rice fields in many countries. Developing herbicide-tolerance rice is the most efficient strategy to control weed proliferation. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, which generates small InDels and nucleotide substitutions at and around target sites using error-prone non-homologous end joining DNA repairing, has been widely adopted for generation of novel crop germplasm with a wide range of genetic variation in important agronomic traits. We created a novel herbicide-tolerance allele in rice by targeting the acetolactate synthase (OsALS) gene using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. The novel allele (G628W) arose from a G-to-T transversion at position 1882 of OsALS and conferred a high level of herbicide tolerance. Transgene-free progeny carrying homozygous G628W allele were identified and showed agronomic performance similar to that of wild-type plants, suggesting that the G628W allele is a valuable resource for developing elite rice varieties with strong herbicide tolerance. To promote use of the G628W allele and to accelerate introgression and/or pyramiding of the G628W allele with other elite alleles, we developed a DNA marker for the G628W allele that accurately and robustly distinguished homozygous from heterozygous segregants. Our result further demonstrates the feasibility of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in creating novel genetic variation for crop breeding.

Fiber length is one of the most important quality parameters of cotton fibers. Transcriptomic analyses of developing cotton fibers have identified genes preferentially expressing in fiber elongation stage, but few have been functionally characterized. Here, on the basis of confirmation of the preferential expression profile of GhAlaRP (Gh_A09G1166 and Gh_D09G1172), an alanine rich protein gene, in the rapid elongating fibers, we investigated the role of GhAlaRP in fiber development by generating transgenic cottons with an increased or decreased expression level of GhAlaRP. Our results showed that the fiber length was consistently significantly shorter in both the GhAlaRP-RNAi lines and the alarp mutant generated by genome editing than in the control YZ-1. GhAlaRP was localized on plasma membrane, nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum. The yeast two-hybrid assay and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay showed that GhAlaRP co-expresses and interacts with GhAnnexin (Gh_D11G2184) and GhEXPA (Gh_A10G2323) that are involved in fiber elongation. Down-regulation of GhAlaRP co-suppressed the expression levels of GhAnnexin and GhEXPA. These results suggest a role of GhAlaRP in regulation of cotton fiber elongation, which could be achieved by regulating the functions of GhAnnexin and GhEXPA.

Heterosis is a well-known phenomenon widely applied in agriculture. Recent studies have suggested that differential gene and protein expression between hybrids and their parents play important roles in heterosis. Alternative splicing (AS) is an essential posttranscriptional mechanism that can greatly affect the transcriptome and proteome diversity in plants. However, genome-wide AS divergence in hybrids compared to their parents and its potential contribution to heterosis have not been comprehensively investigated. We report the direct profiling of the AS landscape using RNA sequencing data from immature ears of the maize hybrid ZD808 and its parents NG5 and CL11. Our results revealed a large number of significant differential AS (DAS) events in ZD808 relative to its parents, which can be further classified into parental-dominant and novel DAS patterns. Parental-dominant, especially NG5-dominant, events were prevalent in the hybrid, accounting for 42% of all analyzed DAS events. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the NG5-dominant AS events were involved mainly in regulating the expression of genes associated with carbon/nitrogen metabolism and cell division processes and contributed greatly to maize ear heterosis. Among ZD808, CL11, and NG5, 32.5% of DAS contained or lacked binding sites of at least one annotated maize microRNA (miRNA) and may be involved in miRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation. Cis regulation was the predominant contributor to AS variation and participates in many important biological processes associated with immature ear development. This study provides a comprehensive view of genome-wide alternative splicing variation in a maize hybrid.

Deforestation for conventional farming has affected soil quality (SQ) worldwide. The goal of our study was to evaluate the impact of land use change, from forest to subsistence farming, on SQ in Benin. Composite soils from forest, horticultural, agricultural, fallow, and degraded lands were collected to analyze for chemical and physical properties. Using inductive additive approach and principal component analysis (PCA), generalized (SQIg) and minimum dataset SQ (SQIMDS) indices were calculated. Results showed that upon conversion of forest, total organic carbon (TOC) decreased by more than 2 folds in fallow and degraded soils. A similar impact was observed on total nitrogen (TN). Soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS) were significantly higher under horticulture than in degraded lands. In contrast, carbon protection capacity (CPC) was significantly higher by 12-41% in forest soils compared to the lowest in degraded soils. Among the land uses, aggregate stability index (ASI) was, by far, the lowest (3.2%) in degraded soils and highest (7.5%) in horticulture soils. Soils under fallow and degraded lands had SQIg decreased by 5 to 16%, when compared with forest, indicating a significant SQ degradation. In contrast, SQIg under horticulture increased by 5%, suggesting a similar or even an improvement in SQ comparable to the forest. The PCA-based SQIMDS significantly and positively accounted for 70% of the variability in SQIg with a non-significant biasness (6 ± 3.8% at p

Early seedling vigor (ESV) is a major breeding target in rice, especially under direct seeding. To identify quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting ESV, a recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between 02428 and YZX, two cultivars differing in vigor during early seedling growth, was used for QTL analysis. Nine traits associated with ESV were examined using a high-density map. Of 16 additive loci identified, three were detected in two generations and thus considered stable. Four epistatic interactions were detected, one of which was repeated in two generations. Further analysis of the pyramiding effect of the three stable QTL showed that the phenotypic value could be effectively improved with an increasing number of QTL. These results were combined with results from our previous QTL analysis of the germination index. The lines G58 and G182 combined all the favourable alleles of all three stable QTL for ESV and three QTL for germination speed. These two lines showed rapid germination and strong ESV. A total of 37 candidate differentially expressed genes were obtained from the regions of the three stable QTL by analysis of the dynamic transcriptomic expression profile during the seedling growth period of the two parents. The QTL are targets for ESV breeding and the candidate genes await functional validation. This study provides a theoretical basis and a genetic resource for the breeding of direct-seeded rice.

Seed dormancy of cultivated rice was largely weakened during the progress of domestication. Correct timing and uniformity of seed germination are important for rapid seedling establishment and high-yield production. In the present study, we found that the heading-date gene Ghd7 acted as a negative regulator of germination. A mutant of ghd7 showed low sensitivity to exogenous ABA treatment during seed germination. Further investigation revealed reduced accumulation of ABA in mature ghd7 seeds as a consequence of dampened expression of OsNCED genes. Moreover, elevated GA3 level was detected in seeds of ghd7 mutant during imbibition course, which was attributed to the induction of genes responsible for the synthesis pathways of bioactive GAs. Thus, Ghd7 inhibits seed germination by increasing the ABA/GA3 ratio. Besides revealing pleiotropic effects of Ghd7, our results indicate its role in linking seed germination to growth-phase transition in rice, which would enrich the theoretical basis for future breeding practices.

Wheat-rye T1BL·1RS translocation lines are widely used, especially in China, but their processing quality is generally poor. An interfering expression vector targeting the ω-secalin genes was constructed with the 1Bx7 seed-specific promoter. Biolistic-mediated genetic transformation of the wheat cultivar KN199 carrying the T1BL·1RS translocation generated 10 transgenic lines. Two representative transgenic lines, 8-2 and 13-7, were selected for analysis. Compared with the control, the two transformants showed an up to 4.5-fold decrease in total ω-secalins and various levels of decrease in ω-gliadins, γ-gliadins, and low-molecular-weight glutenins. A decrease in high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin 1Bx7 was detected only in 8-2, owing possibly to promoter methylation. Increased levels of α-gliadins were observed in both transformants, but increased levels of HMW glutenins were observed only in 13-7. Line 13-7 showed increases in gluten index, Zeleny sedimentation value, stabilization time, and maximum resistance. Its bread volume was 849.6 mL, an 11.9% increase over that of the control. Line 8-2 showed decreases in these parameters, but its total cake-making quality score was 88, an 17.3% increase over that of the control. The study demonstrates that the same RNAi construct may produce different effects on wheat processing quality and highlights the influence of the vector promoter in RNA interference.

Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer and high planting density reduce grain weight in wheat. However, the effects of high nitrogen and planting density on the filling of grain located in different positions of the wheat spikelet are unknown. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate this question and the underlying mechanisms with respect to hormone and carbohydrate activity. Both high nitrogen application and planting density significantly increased spike density, while reducing kernel number per spike and 1000-kernel weight. However, the effects of high nitrogen and high plant density on kernel number per spike and 1000-kernel weight were different. The inhibitory effect of high nitrogen application and high planting density on kernel number per spike was achieved mainly by a reduction in kernel number per spikelet in the top and bottom spikelets. However, the decrease in 1000-kernel weight was contributed mainly by the reduced weight of grain in the middle spikelets. The grain-filling rate of inferior grain in the middle spikelets was significantly decreased under high nitrogen input and high planting density conditions, particularly during the early and middle grain-filling periods, leading to the suppression of grain filling and consequent decrease in grain weight. This effect resulted mainly from inhibited sucrose transport to and starch accumulation in inferior grain in the middle spikelets via reduction of the abscisic acid/ethylene ratio. This mechanism may explain how high nitrogen application and high planting density inhibit the grain filling of inferior wheat grain.

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are important for plant growth and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating plant response to nutrient (N, P, and K) deficiencies. Several miRNAs have been identified under nutrient deficiency conditions in many plant species. However, the manner in which miRNAs regulate the interaction between NPK signaling pathways under multiple nutrient deficiency remains largely unknown. We systematically compared and identified microRNAs involved in both single and triple NPK nutrient deficiency responses. We identified 32 shoot and 17 root miRNAs differentially expressed under potassium deficiency. Several NP starvation-associated miRNAs including miR169s and miR399s, were also regulated by K deficiency. Several identified miRNAs including miR5565c, miR5564, and miR1432 have not previously been associated with respectively N, P, and K deficiency (−N, −P, and −K). Expression correlation analysis between miRNAs and their predicted targets showed that miR169, miR172, and miR160 displayed expression trends exactly opposite to those of their corresponding predicted targets. Of 550 predicted novel miRNAs, novel_mir_42 was upregulated in shoots under −K but was downregulated under −N and −P. The effects of combined NPK starvation were not a simple addition of the individual stresses on sorghum seedlings. The identified common and specific differentially expressed miRNAs were observed under single and combined NPK deficiencies. These findings will help to further elucidate the functions of microRNAs and their interactions under multiple nutrient deficiency.

Collection of plant inventory (i.e., count, grade, plant size, yield) data is time-consuming, costly, and can be inaccurate. In response to increasing labor costs and shortages, there is an increased need for the adoption of more automated technologies by the nursery industry. Growers, small and large, are beginning to adopt technologies (e.g., plant spacing robots) that automate or augment certain operations, but greater strides must be taken to integrate next-generation technologies into these challenging unstructured agricultural environments. The main objective of this work is to demonstrate merging specific ground and aerial-based technologies (Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)) into a holistic systems approach to address the specific need of moving toward automated on-demand plant inventory. This preliminary work focuses on evaluating different RFID tags with respect to their distance and orientation to the RFID reader. Fourteen different RFID tags, five distances (1.5 m, 3.0 m, 4.5 m, 6.0 m, and 7.6 m), and four tag orientations (the front of the tag (UP), back of the tag (DN), tag at sideways left (SL), and tag at sideways right (SR)) were assessed. Results showed that the tag upward orientation resulted in the highest scanning total for both the laboratory and field experiments. Two orientations (UP and SR) had significant effect on the scan total of tags. The distance between the reader and the tags at 1.5 m and 6.0 m did not significantly affect the scanning efficiency of the RFID system in horizontally fixed (p-value &gt, 0.05) position regardless of tags. Different tag designs also produced different scan totals. Overall, since most of the tags were scanned at least once (except for Tag 6F), it is a very promising technology for use in nursery inventory data acquisition. This work will create a unique inventory system for agriculture where locations of plants or animals will not present a barrier as the system can easily be mounted on a drone. Although these experiments are focused on inventory in plant nurseries, results for this work has potential for inventory management in other agricultural sectors.

Interseções: revista de estudos interdisciplinares é um periódico científico semestral publicado no âmbito do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais (PPCIS), do Instituto de Ciências Sociais (ICS) da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). A revista tem classificação B1 pelo WebQuallis CAPES.

Research background: The Horn of Africa is arguably the most vulnerable region for many shocks. Currently, the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is spreading fast in the region. The number of new cases and the mortality of this pandemic have increased dramatically. As lockdown and movement restrictions are the major strategies suggested to minimize the spread of the virus, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are not only limited to public health but also have a major impact on the economic aspects. Purpose of the article: This review paper aims to synthesize the consequences of COVID-19 on the digital economy in the Horn of Africa. We review and recommend adopting the digital economy could be the remedy to go through COVID-19 safely as the world sees digital companies boom during the pandemic. Methods: To achieve our purpose, we applied qualitative analysis and synthesis as a method, and recently published papers in the area (most suitable to our aim) are included as data sources. Findings & Value added: The Horn region is already feeling the economic impact of the virus and we discussed it in terms of monetary, fiscal, current account balance, and unemployment expected impacts. However, this pandemic is not just about adverse impacts; it is also about unanticipated business opportunities. In this perspective, the decline of the international oil price during this pandemic can be seen as a blessing in disguise since countries in the region are net importers of crude oil. Moreover, Ethiopia’s coffee export has increased rapidly at a level of record sales of about 665 million dollars from July 2019 to April 2020 (10 months’ export). The lion’s share of this upsurge has been achieved because of the rise in the coffee consumption from homes of the country’s Arabic coffee importers, such as Germany, the U.S, and Saudi Arabia due to the lockdown measures. The paper also covers the prospects of the virus by pinpointing various booming companies that are digital-based businesses. Therefore, we urge the Horn of African countries to internalize these opportunities by swiftly investing in the telecom sector to shift to the online way of doing business.

Research background: Cocoa remains the Nigeria’s highest foreign exchange earner among all agricultural commodities, Contributed 12.5-14% of the national GDP. Currently, Nigeria is the fourth largest cocoa producing country in the world, produced approximately 328,652 tons annually. Occupational risk is a major factor reducing productivity of farm workers as it impairs physical capacity and increase vulnerability to ill health, diseases and injuries. Risk of agrochemical exposure has been attributed to work demand and unhealthy work environment. Purpose of the article: This study aimed to estimate life quality for agrochemical exposure risks of cocoa farm workers in Ondo state Nigeria. The study specifically estimates the amount an individual willingness to pay by respondents for occupational risk reduction. Methods: Multistage sampling technique that guaranteed cocoa farmers who could provide desired information on the basis of the objectives of the study was adopted for the study. Random selection of 180 cocoa farm workers from the study area. Descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and percentage) and Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) approach that dovetailed into choice modelling and conditional logistic regression were the analytical tools used. Findings & Value added: the result revealed that 74% of the cocoa farm workers are on active age and mainly male with the mean age of 46 years. Most of the workers are illiterate that cannot read instructions on the agrochemical container. Average workers are willing to pay 830 Nigerian naira for personal protective equipment, 92 Nigerian naira for 15% wage discount as financial benefit of workplace injuries and 1024 Nigerian naira for training of workers in pesticide usage. The study concluded that better health conditions and appropriate use of personal protective equipment minimize the occupational risk. It was therefore recommended that educational programmes that will enhance farmer’s knowledge, skills and attitude to use safe methods (appropriate use of protective equipment) in pesticide usage should be adequately planned. Appropriate use of personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to agrochemicals and the risks involved in the misuse and abuse of agrochemicals should be adopted.

Research background: The threat from climate change remains a major concern especially for developing economies like Ghana. Hence, agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly and improves soil health are very necessary for building resilience. Purpose of the article: The present study investigated the determinants of conservation agricultural practices in northern Ghana as well as the effect of these practices on soil health for sustainable production. Methods: Using cross-sectional data collected by the International food policy research institute from 1284 households, a multivariate probit model was first performed to identify the determinants of conservation agricultural practices while the inverse probability weighted regression adjustment was employed to establish the effect of conservation agricultural practices on soil health. Findings & value added: Results from the multivariate probit model showed that socioeconomic and institutional factors as well as different household-specific factors, influence farmer’s decisions to engage in various conservation agricultural practices. Crop rotation, fallowing, contour ploughing or pit planting and manure application were found to have a positive effect on soil health through improved resilience to soil erosion. The study concludes that conservation agricultural practices will be useful in Ghana’s quest of achieving zero hunger since the conservation agricultural practices ensure that food is produced for the present generations without compromising the soil health for further productions. Hence, the current Ghanaian government’s flagship programme dubbed ‘planting for food and jobs’ should include conservation agriculture as a priority module in its framework so that households could both increase their output while maintaining the quality of the soil.

Research background: A combination of technology and efficiency gains will drive future intensification programs aimed at fostering food and nutrition security in the developing world. Specifically, the adoption of improved varieties and use of quality seed alongside good agronomic practices will be critical. Purpose of the article: Given the space-time availability of technology, this study investigates how production efficiency (technical efficiency, technology gap, and meta technical efficiency) has changed over time and assesses the possibility of heterogeneous technology adoption in Ghana. Methods: The study constructs a rich nationally representative dataset of dry beans and groundnut farmers that constitutes 15 production seasons in Ghana. Using a sample of 10,518 farmers from 10,051 households, a Meta Stochastic Frontier (MSF) approach is used to access changes and determinants efficiency and technology adoption. Findings & Value added: We find that farms are operating under heterogeneous technologies along ecological lines and that the technology gap has been reducing over time. Improvements in meta technical efficiency could be driven by the gains in the technology gap ratio. Technical efficiency levels across the two legumes averaged about 61% and did not significantly improve between 1987 to 2017. The key determinants for the observed trends were farmer education, mechanization, access to agricultural extension services, and land ownership. Holding ecological technologies constant, legume farmers generally performed poorly because of technical inefficiency, implying that a general improvement in farmer managerial skills could substantially improve farm output. The study recommends policies/programs be formulated on a case-by-case basis; to ensure specificity and wider impacts, if production is to improve.

Attaining food security in Nigeria is a major concern with low level of food production. The study examined the level of participation of rural women in fish farming in Kaduna State. The objectives of the study were to describe socio-economic characteristics of fish farmers, determine the factors influencing the participation of respondents in fish farming identify the level of participation of rural women and describe the constraints to fish farming. Purposive sampling was used for the study. From the eleven (11) wards in Kagarko Local Government Area, six (6) wards were purposively selected, six (6) villages were randomly selected from each ward and twenty (20) rural women were randomly selected from each village to give a total one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Regression analysis were used to achieve the objectives while Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses. The mean age of the respondents was 39.2 years. Result revealed that membership in organization, inadequate capital, and source of labour were the factors influencing the level of participation. The major constraints facing the rural women in fish farming were lack of credit facilities and high cost of feeds. Chi-square revealed that membership in organization (p = .017), years of experience (p =.023), were significant to level of participation. The level of participation of rural women in fish farming is high (65.0%). The study recommends that credit facilities at low interest rate should be given to rural women to promote their participation in fish farming and improve the standard of living of the rural family.

Law Number 40 of 2007 concerning Limited Companies has stipulated that the minimum percentage limit for minority shareholding is 10%. This limit causes justice and legal protection for minority shareholders to be neglected. This article aims to discuss the formulation of determining the minimum percentage of minority shareholding that provides justice and legal protection for minority shareholders in future changes to the law. The method used is a normative legal research method with a statute approach and a conceptual approach. The results obtained are the idea of changing the law in the future, namely the formulation of determining the percentage of minority shareholding can use the economies of scale of a Limited Company by using an indicator of the amount of paid-in capital, with this arrangement it is expected to provide justice and legal protection for minority shareholders.

The determinants of input- output relationship of yam production was carried out in Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State with the aim of having better understanding of relationship between the inputs and output of yam. Multistage sampling techniques were used for the study. A total number of 140 respondents were randomly selected from four villages. Questionnaires were administered to the respondents by interview method and the data collected were analysed with descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study showed that both males and females are involved in yam production in the study area, age between 21-70 years, married with household size of 1- 10 members with the highest faming experience of 1- 10 years and farm size of 1- 5 hectares. Majority had formal education (primary, secondary and tertiary education) and had no access to loans. The coefficient of both fertilizer and farm size were significant at (P< 0.001), labour at (P< 0.05) while the coefficient of seed was significant at (P< 0.10) probability level, thus played crucial roles in determining yam output. The problems facing yam production in the study area are inadequate capital, high cost of inputs, incidence of pests and diseases, inadequate planting materials, inadequate storage facilities, poor soil facility, poor produce price, poor transportation facilities, inadequate extension services, inadequate farmland and inaccessibility to farm inputs. The study conclude that farm inputs such as planting materials (yam miniset and seed yam), fertilizers and insecticides etc should be made available by the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at a subsidized rate to the farmers. Also, farmers should come together and form cooperative societies where they will pool their resources together for members to obtain loans at very low interest rates to finance and expand their output.

Tuna commodities of Aceh Province is one of the export-oriented commodities with the potential of large fishery resources and high demand in the international market this is an opportunity for Aceh Province to become a major producer and exporter of fishery commodities especially tuna. However, based on data obtained from BPS (2019), the number of tuna is exported by Aceh Province is still low and even decrease every year. The purpose of this research is to determine the competitiveness in terms of comparative advantages in tuna in Aceh Province. This study was conducted in Aceh Province using time series data for nine years from 2011 to 2019. The object of the study was frozen and fresh yellowfin tuna. The scope of research is limited to the export value of tuna in Aceh Province, the total export value of Aceh Province, the export value of world tuna and the total value of world exports. The analysis method used in this study was Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) method. The results showed that the Aceh Province tuna have strong competitiveness or have comparative advantages in the international market.

This article aims to analyze pro parte dolus pro parte culpa form of guilt in the passive money laundering formula as stipulated in article 5 paragraph (1) of Law Number 8 of 2010 from an economical approach to law. The method used in writing this article is a normative legal research method with a conceptual approach and a statute approach. The result of writing this article is that when viewed from the perspective of an economic approach, pro parte dolus pro parte culpa form of guilt in Article 5 paragraph (1) of Law Number 8 of 2010 which will result in passive money laundering, which is carried out due to negligence is also punishable by imprisonment spending the state budget only for minor offenses. In other words, it will just waste the state budget for disproportionate interests. With the existence of a large state budget expenditure, especially for the operationalization of the implementation of imprisonment against passive money laundering, which is carried out due to negligence, the government's efforts to increase state revenue, especially from the tax sector, and also efforts to recover state losses through law enforcement to money laundering will become a hopeless problem. The state budget allocated for this purpose should be used to achieve public welfare, for example, for health, education, and so on. In short, the existence of a large state budget expenditure, especially for the operationalization of the implementation of imprisonment against passive money laundering committed due to negligence, will reduce the state budget that should be used to fulfill the community's welfare.

People’s food consumption depends on economics, physiology (health), and sociology aspect. All of the aspects include how to fulfill nutrients with a budget constraint, social condition and religion. This research conducted to know how proportion of animal protein expending and how about price elasticity, income elasticity and crossing elasticity of some animal protein commodity. This research use secondary data from National Economic Social Survey. The model used in this research is Almost Ideal Demand System Model (AIDS). The biggest proportion of animal protein expanding is fish commodity, and then beef meat, egg, poultry meat, and milk. Fish is inelastic to income changing, but beef meat, egg, poultry meat and milk is elastic. Besides that, all of the commodity show consumption decreasing if price of the commodity increase. To increase animal protein consumption in Aceh, must keep price stabilization of animal protein commodity and available of animal protein in district and family level.

Ticari yumurta çiftliği endüstrilerinde, kusurlu yumurtaların otomatik olarak ayrılması ekonomik ve sağlık açısından önemlidir. Günümüzde, kusurlu yumurtaların tespiti manuel olarak yapılmaktadır. Bu durum, zaman alıcı, yorucu ve karmaşık süreçler içermektedir. Tüm bu nedenlerden dolayı, yumurta yüzeyinde oluşabilecek kusurların otomatik olarak sınıflandırılması oldukça önemli bir konu haline gelmiştir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, bu çalışmada, nesne tanıma ve sınıflandırma alanlarında yüksek performans sağlayan Evrişimsel Sinir Ağlarına (ESA) dayalı geliştirilen AlexNet, VGG16, VGG19, SqueezeNet, GoogleNet, Inceptionv3, ResNet18 ve Xception mimarileri kullanılarak yumurta kusurlarının sınıflandırılması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu mimarilerin performansını test etmek için kirli, kanlı, kırık ve sağlam yumurtaları içeren özgün bir veri seti inşa edilmiştir. Deneysel çalışmalar sonucunda, en yüksek doğruluk skoru VGG19 mimarisi ile %96,25 olarak elde edilmiştir. Bu sonuçlarda, ESA yöntemlerinin kusurlu yumurtaların sınıflandırılmasında yüksek başarı sağladığı gözlenmiştir.

Bu çalışmada, Niğde İli Damızlık Sığır Yetiştiricileri Birliğine üye büyükbaş hayvancılık işletmelerinden sabah ve akşam toplayarak işleme tesislerine sattığı sütün kalite değerlerinin korunmasını esas alan bir toplama ve taşıma modelini belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Yapılan çalışma kapsamında birliğe üye 19 hayvancılık işletmesinden 12 ay boyunca ayda 2 kez çiğ süt numuneleri alınmış ve birliğin laboratuvarında teknik personellerce analizleri yapılmıştır. Analizlerde yağ, protein, yağsız kuruma madde, toplam kuru madde ve laktoz değerlerinin yanı sıra somatik hücre ve toplam bakteri sayısı ölçüm değerleri toplanmıştır. Analizler sonucunda sütler toplam bakteri yüküne göre dört farklı tipe ayrılmıştır. Hayvancılık işletmelerinin coğrafi konumları ve belirlenen süt tipine göre toplama rotaları oluşturulmuştur. Bu kapsamda önerilen model “Tank Bazında Bölünebilir Talepli Matematiksel Model” olup GAMS 23.4.3 versiyonunda CPLEX 12.1.0 Solver‘ı kullanılarak çalıştırılmış ve optimum süt toplama rotaları oluşturulmuştur. Planlama 19 süt üreten büyükbaş hayvancılık işletmesinden Toplam Bakteri Sayısı esasına göre belirlenen 4 farklı tipteki sütün Toplama Merkezine belirli kısıtlar altında taşınmasını mümkün kılmaktadır. Son yıllarda yaşanan süt arzındaki artış işleme tesislerinin daha seçici davranmalarına imkân vermiştir. Bunun sonucu olarak daha temiz ve kaliteli sütü alma konusundaki kriterleri artırmıştır. Ayrıca bu işletmeler kalite değerleri yüksek süte daha fazla ücret ödemeyi de kabul etmektedirler. Niğde Damızlık Sığır Yetiştiricileri Birliği‘nin işleme tesisleri ile yaptığı kalite bazlı sözleşmeler sonucu yeni toplama modellerini uygulanması zorunlu hale gelmiştir. Bundan sora yapılacak çalışmalarda hayvancılık işletmesinden alınan sütün nihai ürün olarak tüketiciye gidinceye kadarki süreçte izlenebilirliği oldukça önemli bir çalışma konusu olacaktır.