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In Zeami’s treatises, there is no place for what the modern Japanese would call a character (人物 jinbutsu). Instead, Zeami describes human forms (人体 jintai) produced by the actor on stage. Their shapes (姿 sugata/shi) are associated with the metaphors of the flower (花 hana/ka) which represents the beauty of the role on the stage, and of the the seed (種 tane/shu) which refers to its potentiality. Paradoxically, this lively metaphor is based on the artificial performance of a masked actor compared to a puppet (操り ayatsuri). Instead of a transcendental subject, we have an artificial form that will take the freshness and beauty of life through the actor’s mastery., Les traités de Zeami sur le nō n’accordent aucune place à ce que le japonais moderne désignerait comme « personnage » (人物 jinbutsu). À la place de cette notion, nous trouvons des formes humaines en performance (人体 jintai). Ces formes (姿 sugata/shi) sont associées à la double métaphore de la fleur (花 hana/ka) qui en figure la beauté sur scène, et de la semence (種 tane/shu) qui désigne la performance dans sa potentialité. Paradoxalement, cette métaphore pleine de vie de la fleur repose pourtant sur le jeu artificiel d’un acteur masqué comparé à une marionnette (操り ayatsuri). En lieu et place d’un sujet transcendant, nous avons affaire à l’immanence d’une forme dénuée de réalisme, à laquelle le savoir-faire de l’acteur donne la fraîcheur et la beauté de la vie.

International audience; Germination is a traditional process and a re-emerging trend in healthy foods, resulting a progressively increase in scientific research on their nutritional traits and phytochemical contents. This review examines the physiological and biochemical changes during the germination sensu stricto in pulses, taking into consideration the genotype, environmental conditions, hormone control, and the metabolic transition from seed to seedling. Germination sensu stricto is achieved as soon as elongation of the radicle, implies heterotrophy metabolism; further thermal processing is needed before consumption. In contrast, seedlings production requires a long period of imbibition and can provide a ready-to-eat food product. Furthermore, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and antinutritional compounds of pulses are described. Impacts of food processing, such as soaking, germination, and cooking, in nutritional and antinutritional values are also evaluated. The association of soaking, germination, and cooking increases the nutritional values of pulses by increasing protein/starch digestibility and vitamins content and by decreasing antinutritional compounds. The final plant-based product allows versatility in formulation to produce novel food products and/or ingredients with better nutritional content. This can encourage the scientific community, industry, and government to invest in research and development to increase germinated pulse-based food, to replace other products, or to develop new ones.

Depuis la commercialisation du coton Bt, la question de la pureté des semences utilisées par les producteurs est peu abordée, encore moins en relation avec l’analyse du système semencier dans le pays concerné. Cet article étudie le cas du Burkina Faso en 2015, pays où la couverture des surfaces en coton transgénique avec deux gènes Bt est restée partielle, jusqu’à sa suspension décidée la même année. En se basant sur les seuils de présence de gènes Bt retenus dans l’étude pour déclarer la nature conventionnelle ou transgénique des parcelles échantillonnées, 29,3 % des parcelles supposées conventionnelles l’étaient effectivement, alors que 92,6 % des parcelles supposées transgéniques l’étaient effectivement. Par contre, seulement 40 % des parcelles supposées transgéniques l’étaient bien si l’on se base sur le seuil de présence de gènes Bt attendu dans des parcelles transgéniques effectivement installées avec des semences Bollgard II suffisamment pures. L’examen du système semencier permet de lui attribuer une partie des défauts de pureté observés. Par ailleurs, si l’on considère la chronologie des événements jusqu’à la livraison des semences transgéniques par Monsanto, ces semences ne pouvaient pas contenir systématiquement les deux gènes Bt. Un tel défaut initial s’est maintenu, voire accentué par la suite. Il a certainement réduit dès le départ l’efficacité du coton Bt et, pis encore, la durabilité de son utilisation en facilitant la sélection de ravageurs résistants à chacun des deux gènes utilisés, voire simultanément aux deux. Le cas étudié souligne l’importance, pour l’efficacité et la durabilité de l’utilisation des semences transgéniques, d’avoir un système semencier qui assure et préserve la pureté des semences produites. Il révèle aussi, indépendamment de l’utilisation de ces semences, le besoin d’ajuster le système internalisé de production de semences cotonnières en Afrique francophone.

En Europe, la majorité des porcs charcutiers mâles sont castrés chirurgicalement. Cette pratique est très ancienne, on retrouve des traces de castration dès la préhistoire et tout au long de l’histoire écrite. Les buts initiaux de la castration sont multiples : elle permet de diminuer les risques d’odeur de verrat et de comportements agonistes ou de monte, d’augmenter le dépôt de tissus adipeux, de gérer la reproduction des animaux et de faciliter leur manipulation. De nos jours, certaines de ces problématiques ne sont plus d’actualité. On recherche une viande plus maigre et généralement les animaux sont abattus trop jeunes pour poser des problèmes de reproduction indésirables. De plus le bien-être animal et l’impact environnemental sont devenus des préoccupations majeures en élevage. La castration des porcelets est une atteinte au bien-être animal et les porcs castrés ont une moins bonne efficacité alimentaire ce qui augmente la quantité d’aliments requis à leur élevage et les quantités des rejets. La castration est donc remise en question et les instances dirigeantes à l’échelle nationale ou européenne promeuvent l’arrêt de cette pratique. L’arrêt de la castration et l’élevage de mâles entiers impliquent une augmentation du risque d’odeur de verrat et des comportements agonistes. L’odeur de verrat est un défaut de qualité de viande majeur causé principalement par deux molécules : l’androsténone et le scatol. Les comportements agonistes peuvent être responsables de lésions et d’atteintes au bienêtre animal. L’androsténone étant un stéroïde très héritable, une sélection pour diminuer les risques d’odeur de verrat est possible. Cependant l’androsténone se mesure dans le tissu adipeux, un tissu difficile à obtenir sur animal vivant, et est long et couteux à analyser. L’oestradiol plasmatique, plus facile à prélever et à mesurer, a été proposé comme proxy de l’androsténone. La synthèse de l’androsténone est également liée à la synthèse d’autres stéroïdes impliqués dans la croissance, la mise en place et le maintien des capacités de reproduction, de la libido et des comportements agonistes. Une sélection contre l’androsténone est non seulement compliquée et couteuse à mettre en place, mais elle pourrait dégrader les performances des animaux. Le but de cette thèse est d’une part de confirmer la possibilité d’utiliser l’oestradiol plasmatique comme proxy de l’androsténone et d’autre part d’estimer les effets d’une sélection contre l’odeur de verrat sur les performances des porcs charcutiers et des verrats et la fréquence des comportements agonistes. L’étude des paramètres génétiques entre l’androsténone,l’oestradiol plasmatique et des caractères de performances des porcs charcutiers a confirmé que l’oestradiol plasmatique pouvait servir de proxy de l’androsténone et a montré qu’une sélection contre l’androsténone (ou l’oestradiol) diminuerait la fréquence des comportements agonistes et aurait des effets neutres à favorables sur les caractères de croissance, d’efficacité alimentaire et de qualité de viande pour les porcs charcutiers. Les études réalisées sur des verrats en station expérimentale ou en centres d’insémination commerciaux suggèrent qu’une sélection contre l’androsténone ou l’oestradiol n’aurait pas d’effets défavorables sur les caractéristiques de la semence, la libido et la durée de carrière des verrats. Des études génétiques à plus large échelle et intra type génétique permettraient de confirmer ces premiers résultats. En conclusion, ce travail de thèse suggère qu’une sélection contre l’androsténone en utilisant l’oestradiol plasmatique comme proxy est possible et qu’elle aurait des effets globalement favorables sur les performances des porcs charcutiers et des verrats et sur la fréquence des comportements agonistes.

Background Since the commercial release of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso in 2009, the issue of seed purity in producers’ fields has rarely been addressed in an unbiased and objective manner. The potential for contamination of conventional seed varieties with Bt traits and the consequent threat to the continuation of organic cotton production has been documented. However, studies are rare on the varietal purity of Bt cotton seeds, despite the implications for the effectiveness and sustainability of their use. This paper compensates for the lack of research on the varietal purity of cotton seeds in Burkina Faso by reporting the results of Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay tests collected in 2015 on samples of both conventional and Bt varieties from 646 fields. Results According to the conservative criteria used to declare the presence of a Bt gene in a given variety (more than 10% of seeds of conventional variety exhibit Bt traits, and at least 90% of seeds of Bt variety exhibit Bt traits), seed purity was very questionable for both types of variety. For the supposedly conventional variety, the Cry1Ac gene was observed in 63.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was observed in 59.3% of samples, and both genes were detected in 52.2% of the seed samples. Only 29.3% of the seeds that were supposed to be of conventional type contained no Bt genes. Conversely, for the labeled Bt variety, the Cry1Ac gene was found in only 59.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was found in 53.6% of the samples, and both genes were found in 40.4% of the samples. Finally, for the seeds that were supposed to contain both genes (Bollguard 2), both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes were found in only 40.4% of the samples, only one of the genes was found in 32.4% of the samples, and 27.2% of the seeds in the samples contained neither. Two factors are responsible for the severe lack of seed purity. First, conventional varieties are being contaminated with Bt traits because of a failure to revise the seed production scheme in Burkina Faso to prevent cross-pollination. Second, the original Bt seeds provided to Burkina Faso lacked varietal purity. The organic sector plays a very minor role in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso (production of organic cotton totaled 453 t in 2018/2019, out of national cotton production of 183 000 t). Nevertheless, the lack of purity in conventional seed varieties is a threat to efforts to expand certified organic cotton production. The poor presence of Bt proteins in supposed Bt varieties undermines their effectiveness in controlling pests and increases the likelihood of the development of resistance among pest populations. Conclusion Our results show the extent of purity loss when inadequate attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could vanish in Burkina Faso, while Bt seeds do not carry the combination of the expected Bt traits. Any country wishing to embark on the use of Bt cotton, or to resume its use, as in the case of Burkina Faso, must first adjust its national seed production scheme to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are enforced. The preservation of varietal purity is necessary to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production. In addition, the preservation of varietal purity is necessary to ensure the sustainable effectiveness of Bt cotton. In order to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are observed, seed purity must be tested regularly, and test results must be published.

La castration des porcelets mâles a pour but de diminuer les risques de comportement agressif et d’éviter des défauts de qualité de viande. En effet, chez certains mâles entiers, l’androsténone (molécule produite dans les testicules) et le scatol (produit par les bactéries du tube digestif) s’accumulent dans le gras et donnent une odeur désagréable à la viande. Dans une perspective d’élevage de mâles entiers, une sélection contre l’accumulation d’androsténone dans le gras est envisagée, mais les éventuels effets négatifs sur la reproduction restent à analyser. L’objectif de l’étude est d’évaluer les relations entre l’accumulation d’androsténone dans le gras dorsal, la mise en place de la puberté chez les jeunes verrats, le comportement sexuel et les caractéristiques de la semence chez les verrats matures. Un phénotypage fin a été réalisé sur 114 verrats dans l’unité expérimentale INRA GenESI. Chaque verrat totalise jusqu’à 455 observations comprenant des mesures de production spermatique, des dosages d’androsténone et de scatol dans le gras dorsal et d’hormones plasmatiques (testostérone et œstradiol) à 180 jours et à 280 jours d’âge, des observations du comportement (débourrage, maintien de l’aptitude au prélèvement de semence et test de confiance vis-à-vis de l’homme) et des caractéristiques de semence. Des analyses multivariées ont été effectuées pour estimer les relations entre ces mesures. Les résultats suggèrent que l’œstradiol plasmatique peut servir de prédicteur de l’androsténone et qu’il n’y a pas de lien entre l’androsténone, les caractéristiques de la semence et le comportement sexuel des verrats., Male piglets are castrated to reduce the risk of aggressive behavior and improve meat quality. In some entire males, androstenone (from testes) and skatole (produced by the gut bacteria) accumulate in fat and give an unpleasant smell to the meat. Genetic selection against androstenone accumulation in back fat in entire males has been considered to overcome boar taint in carcasses, but possible side effects on reproductive traits have to be investigated. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between androstenone accumulation in back fat, beginning of puberty, sexual behavior and semen characteristics in mature boars.To meet this objective, fine phenotyping of 114 boars was performed at the INRA GenESI experimental station. Each boar represented up to 455 observations, tests or samples, including concentrationsof androstenone and skatole in back fat, concentrations of hormones in blood at 180 and 280 days of age, behavioral observations (breaking, maintaining libido and test of confidence in humans) and semen characteristics. Multivariate analysis was performed to estimate the relationships between variables. Results suggest that plasma œstradiol may predict androstenone and that there was no relationship between androstenone, semen characteristics, and boar libido

Using a stepwise approach that combines several econometric methods, we assessed whether or not the adoption of modern seeds and the use of manure in cereal‐based systems are linked and, if so, what are the driving forces of the linkages between these two agricultural technologies under dry‐climate conditions in West Africa. We found complementary and substitutability linkages arising from jointness and endogeneity between the two technologies. Specifically, our findings reveal positive joint determination along with negative endogeneity between the two technologies indicating that, controlling for observable variables, both technologies are positively linked, but unobserved factors that affect one adoption decision are negatively correlated with the other. After controlling for jointness and endogeneity, we found significant complementarity linkages showing a significant positive effect of manure use on the adoption of modern seeds, which is also significantly and positively affected by the number of cash crops grown and remittances. The two technologies are reversely affected by schooling and the incidence of soil fertility problems within the farm, whereas the amount of healthy land has a positive effect on both. The study suggests that organic fertilizer can serve as an enabling factor for greater adoption of modern seeds, especially in less favourable climate areas, and strongly supports the argument behind the need to breed seeds suitable for the use of organic fertilizers. These findings provide avenues for re‐orientation of policies that promote the use of modern seeds in dryland areas in sub‐Saharan Africa, with a possibility of breeding and promoting them in packages with organic fertilizers to upscale their adoption.

Background Locating the optimal varieties for coffee cultivation is increasingly considered a key condition for sustainable production and marketing. Variety performance varies when it comes to susceptibility to coffee leaf rust and other diseases, adaptation to climate change and high cup quality for specialty markets. But because of poor organization and the lack of a professional coffee seed sector, most existing coffee farms (and even seed lots and nurseries) do not know which varieties they are using. DNA fingerprinting of coffee planting material will contribute to professionalize the coffee seed sector. Objective The objective of this paper is i) to check in a large scale the robustness of the existing coffee DNA fingerprinting method based on eight Single Sequence Repeats markers (SRR) and ii) to describe how it can help in moving the needle towards a more professional seed sector. Method 2533 samples representing all possible genetic background of Arabica varieties were DNA fingerprinted with 8 SRR markers. The genetic diversity was analyzed and the genetic conformity to varietal references was assessed. Results The DNA fingerprinting method proved to be robust in authenticating varieties and trace back the history of C. arabica breeding and of the movement of C. arabica varieties. The genetic conformity of two important coffee varieties, Marseillesa and Gesha, proved to be 91% and 39% respectively. Conclusions DNA fingerprinting provides different actors in the coffee sector with a powerful new tool—farmers can verify the identity of their cultivated varieties, coffee roasters can be assured that marketing claims related to varieties are correct, and most of all, those looking to establish the a more professional and reliable coffee seed sector have a reliable new monitoring tool to establish and check genetic purity of seed stock and nursery plants. Highlights While C. arabica is primarily self-pollinating, even fixed line varieties appear to be drifting away from their original genetic reference due to uncontrolled cross pollination. A set of 8 SSR markers applied to the largest possible genetically diverse set of samples prove to discriminate between a wide range of varieties Figures confirm that genetic non conformity of coffee varieties can represent up to 61% of checked samples.

In the present paper, we evaluated the implementation of a seed production system based on the exploitation of male sterility on coffee. We studied specifically the combination between CIR-SM01 and Marsellesa® (a Sarchimor line), which provides a hybrid population called Starmaya. We demonstrated that the establishment of seed garden under natural pollination is possible and produces a sufficient amount of hybrid seeds to be multiplied efficiently and economically. As expected for F1 hybrid, the performances of Starmaya are highly superior to conventional cultivars. However, we observed some heterogeneity on Starmaya cultivar in the field. We confirmed by genetic marker analysis that the off-types were partly related to the heterozygosity of the CIR-SM01 clone and could not be modified. Regarding the level of rust resistance of Starmaya cv., we saw that it could be improved if Marsellesa was more fully fixed genetically. If so, we should be able to decrease significantly the percentage of rust incidence of Starmaya from 15 to 5%, which would be quite acceptable at a commercial level. Starmaya represents the proof of concept for the mass propagation of Arabica F1 hybrid seeds using male sterility. Finally, we discuss the possibility to increase the number of hybrid varieties produced by seed, exploring some initiatives to identify male sterility markers to induce male sterility on any conventional cultivar. This would definitively open up the universe of known Arabica cultivars to be used in breeding new F1 hybrids.

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV), the causal agent of yellow leaf, is widespread in Florida. Two field trials were set up, one on organic soil and one on mineral soil, to investigate the rate and timing of sugarcane infection by SCYLV under field conditions and the effect of the virus on yield. Each trial consisted of plots planted with healthy or SCYLV-infected seed cane of two commercial cultivars. Virus prevalence varied from 83 to 100% in plots planted with infected seed cane regardless of cultivar, location, and crop season. On organic soil, plants of virus-free plots became progressively infected in plant cane and first ratoon crops. On mineral soil, healthy sugarcane became initially infected in the first ratoon crop. After three crop seasons, the highest SCYLV prevalence rates were 33 and 7% on organic and mineral soils, respectively. No significant negative effect of SCYLV on yield was found in plant cane crop regardless of cultivar and soil type. However, yield reductions in ratoon crops varied from nonsignificant to 27% depending on cultivar and soil type. Low virus prevalence observed after three crop seasons suggested that planting virus-free seed cane should limit the impact of SCYLV on sugarcane production in Florida.

The population of red jungle fowl is declining and needs special attention for its conservation with suitable approaches. For ex situ in vitro conservation of Indian red jungle fowl, establishment of semen cryobank is an appropriate option, for which an extender with adequate retrieval capacity for functional spermatozoa is required. Therefore, studies were designed to evaluate a wide range of extenders for cryopreservation of Indian red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus murghi) sperm to achieve maximal post-thawed semen quality and fertility. For this purpose, semen from eight mature cocks were collected, initially evaluated (percent sperm motility, volume and concentration), pooled, assessed for motility, plasma membrane integrity, viability and acrosome integrity, and divided into six aliquots for dilution (1:5; 37 °C) in Beltsville poultry, red fowl extender, Lake, EK, Tselutin poultry and chicken semen extenders. Diluted semen was cooled from 37 °C to 4 °C @ −0.275 °C/min. Glycerol (20%) was added to chilled semen, equilibrated for 10 min, filled in 0.5 mL French straws, kept over LN2 vapours for 10 min and plunged into LN2 and stored at −196 °C. Percentages of motility, plasma membrane integrity, viability and acrosome integrity were higher (P < 0.05) in red fowl extender at 0, 2 and 4 h of incubation post-thaw. After cryopreservation and post-thawing at 37 °C the highest (P < 0.05) recovery rates and absolute livability index was also recorded in red fowl extender that was thus used for further artificial insemination of cooled-diluted (Liquid) and cryopreserved sperm. The no. of fertilized eggs (Liquid, 20.6 ± 0.4; Cryopreserved, 12.6 ± 0.5), percent fertility (86.7 ± 2.2; 57.2 ± 3.9), no. of hatched chicks (18.2 ± 0.8; 10.0 ± 0.3), percent hatch (76.5 ± 2.7; 45.3 ± 2.2) and hatchability of fertilized eggs (88.3 ± 3.4; 79.6 ± 3.4) were higher with sperm respectively freshly cooled-diluted or cryopreserved in red fowl extender. However, the rates obtained with frozen-thawed sperm were already successful for cryo-banking purpose and artificial insemination practice. In conclusion, we show the first fertility success obtained with cryopreserved Indian jungle fowl sperm. In addition, the red fowl extender is superior in maintaining the quality of Indian red jungle fowl cryopreserved sperm compared to Beltsville poultry, Lake, EK, Tselutin poultry and chicken semen extender.

Effective detection of pathogens from complex substrates is a challenging task. Molecular approaches such as real-time PCR can detect pathogens present even in low quantities. However, weak real-time PCR signals, as represented by high cycle threshold (Ct) values, may be questionable. Therefore, setting a reliable Ct threshold to declare a positive reaction is important for specific detection. In this study, five methods were assessed for their performance in determining a Ct cut-off value. These methods were based on the widely used probability of detection (POD) or receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) approaches. Two important forest pathogens, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus and Fusarium circinatum, were used to set up three experimental frameworks that combined two types of substrates (seed lots and spore traps) and different PCR machines. The ROC-based method emerged as the most complete and flexible method under various experimental conditions. It was demonstrated that the ROC method leads to a cut-off value below which late Ct results can reliably be considered indicative of positive test results. This cut-off value must be determined for each experimental approach used. The method based on the distribution of a previously determined set of Ct values corresponding to false-positives appeared to be better adapted to detecting false-negative results, and thus useful for testing potentially invasive pathogens.

The plant embryonic cuticle is a hydrophobic barrier deposited de novo by the embryo during seed development. At germination it protects the seedling from water loss and is thus critical for survival. Embryonic cuticle formation is controlled by a signaling pathway involving the protease ALE1 and the receptor-like kinases GSO1 and GSO2. We show that a sulfated peptide, TWISTED SEED1 (TWS1) acts as a GSO1/GSO2 ligand. Cuticle surveillance depends on the action of ALE1 which, unlike TWS1 and GSO1/2, is not produced in the embryo but in the neighboring endosperm. Cleavage of an embryo-derived TWS1 precursor by ALE1 releases the active peptide, triggering GSO1/2-dependent cuticle reinforcement in the embryo. A bidirectional molecular dialogue between embryo and endosperm thus safeguards cuticle integrity prior to germination.One Sentence SummarySubtilase-mediated activation of the TWISTED SEED1 peptide provides spatial cues during embryo cuticle integrity monitoring.

Cet article s’intéresse à la manière dont Aristote utilise l’hylémorphisme pour son explication de la reproduction sexuée dans la Génération des animaux. Il se concentre sur GA I 19 où Aristote établit que les menstrues sont analogues au sperma. Dans les théories de la double semence, le mâle et la femelle apportent l’un et l’autre une contribution de statut causal identique. Aristote montre au contraire que les menstrues ne sont pas du sperma ; menstrues et sperma jouent deux fonctions causales différentes dans la génération : les menstrues apportent la matière et le sperma, la cause motrice et la forme. Mais l’hylémorphisme suppose qu’il existe aussi une identité entre les deux contributions, puisque la matière menstruelle est en puissance ce que les mouvements de la semence du mâle sont en entéléchie. Aristote maintient donc une identité entre les deux contributions. Il la conçoit de deux façons : le plus souvent comme une identité analogique (les menstrues sont analogues au sperma), parfois comme une identité quasi générique (semence et menstrues sont l’un et l’autre du sperma, moins élaboré dans le cas des menstrues). Aristote hésite entre ces deux solutions : dans le premier cas, le dernier résidu utile devient ou menstrues ou sperma ; dans l’autre, c’est le sperma qui devient menstrues chez la femelle ou semence chez le mâle. Aristote semble avoir hésité à considérer que le sperma est forme, chez le mâle, et matière, chez la femelle, ce qui l’aurait conduit à afficher une sorte de théorie du double sperma, chose qu’il refuse en vertu de l’identité profonde qui existe selon lui entre les menstrues et la semence du mâle. This article considers the relations between hylomorphism and the explanation of sexual reproduction in Aristotle’s Generation of Animals. It focuses on GA I 19 where Aristotle states that menses are analogous to male’s sperma. According to the theory of the double seed, male and female make the same causal contribution to generation. By contrast Aristotle argues that the menses are not sperma ; indeed, menses and sperma have two different causal functions in the generation of animals : menses provide the matter and the sperma provides the moving cause and the form. But hylomorphism also presupposes that there exists an identity between these two contributions, since the menstrual material is potentially what the motions of the male’s seed are in actuality. So Aristotle maintains that there is a kind of identity between the two contributions. He conceives it in two ways : usually as an analogical identity (menses are analogous to sperma), but sometimes also as a quasi-generic identity (male’s semen and menses are both sperma, although the menses are less pure and elaborate). Aristotle hesitates between these two solutions : in the first case, the final residue becomes menses in females and sperma in males ; in the other, the sperma becomes menses in the females and semen in the males. Aristotle is reluctant to affirm explicitly that the sperma is either form or matter. This would have led him to a kind of double sperma theory, a position he refuses because of the deep identity that exists, according to him, between menses and the male’s seed.

Session 14A: Making CSR and Sustainability Work: Organizational Strategizing and Decision-Making; This research focuses on the alignment between values of small organic farmers cultivating heirloom products and green consumer expectations related to their perceived values of their consuming experience. Adopting a twofold approach, we try to identify the common ground which farmers can rely on to promote heirloom seeds. First we interviewed 13 farmers with an active role in the development of heirloom seeds. We then developed an online questionnaire to ask organic consumers about their attachment to the values emphasised by farmers and their motivation levels concerning heirloom products. Our results reveal that heirloom fruit and vegetables purchase can be explained in most cases by the sharing of convictions by farmers and consumers. The willingness to purchase such products seems more linked to the ethical and social dimensions of perceived values than to the intrinsic qualities of the products, such as taste or nutritional aspects. This is in line with Holbrook's typology of perceived value. We then propose some implications for producers to better meet their target.

Alternaria brassicicola causes dark spot (or black spot) disease, which is one of the most common and destructive fungal diseases of Brassicaceae spp. worldwide. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of strain Abra43. The assembly comprises 29 scaffolds, with an N 50 value of 2.1 Mb. The assembled genome was 31,036,461 bp in length, with a G+C content of 50.85%.

Despite recent international research on the topic, we still have a fuzzy view of local seed networks structure and organization. This is partly due to the high variability of ways of categorising, multiplying and exchanging propagules of crops in the diversity of peasant societies, and also to the heterogeneity of scientific approaches and methodology used for studying seed networks. Beyond the fact that there exist several ways of defining what 'landraces' are, there are multiple types of practices, communities (or social units) and ways of transacting seeds that have been analysed through a great diversity of interests and methodologies. Based on various field examples drawn from MIRES partners' experiences, we will question units and scales relevant for a constructive way of analysing seed systems without harming the diversity of options farmers use for getting the genetic resources they need and/or wish.

Cet article compare les régimes d'accès aux ressources génétiques végétales et animales. Les premières relèvent de régimes qui en garantissent le libre accès, tandis que les secondes font plutôt l'objet d'actions collectives s'apparentant à des commons au sens de Elinor Ostrom. Alors que le libre accès aux ressources génétiques végétales est en crise à cause de la brevetabilité des gènes qui réclame des mécanismes de compensation et de partage des avantages difficiles à mettre en place, l'article montre que les commons autour des « races animales » constituent une importante source d'inspiration pour sortir de la crise du libre accès aux ressources génétiques végétales.

Forest seed bank assessments are scarce in Madagascar and thus little is known about the relationships between the seed banks and vegetation dynamics on which secondary succession processes rely. The objective of this paper is to analyse the effects of slash-and-burn agriculture on soil seed banks and their dynamics along secondary forest successions. The aim of this work is to determine the effects of agricultural practices (cropping duration, tillage regime and fallow age) on seed bank density (SBD) and diversity (SBSR) during secondary succession periods (

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