Patchy weed distribution and site-specific weed control in winter cereals

Site-specific weed control in winter cereals was performed on the same fields every year over a 5-year period (1999–2003). The most common weeds (Apera spica-venti, Galium aparine, Veronica hederifolia, Viola arvensis) were counted by species, at grid points which were georeferenced and the data were analysed spatially. For weed control, weeds were grouped into three classes: grass, broad-leaved weeds (without Galium aparine), and Galium aparine. Based on weed distribution maps generated by the spatial analyses, herbicide application maps were created and site-specific herbicide application was carried out for grouped and or single weed species. This resulted in a significant reduction in herbicide use. Averaging the results for all fields and years, the total field area treated with herbicides was 39% for grass weeds, 44% for broad-leaved weeds (without Galium aparine) and 49% for Galium aparine. Therefore, site-specific weed control has the potential to reduce herbicide use compared to broadcast application, thus giving environmental and economic benefits.     

Effect of ecological environments on subspecies characteristics and economic traits in filial generations of cross between indica and japonica rice

Two recombinant inbred lines (RILs) populations, RILSA derived from the cross between “Zhongyouzao8” (indica) and “Toyonihiki” (japonica) rice cultivars, and RILSB derived from the cross between “Qishanzhan” (indica) and “Akihikari” (japonica) rice cultivars, were grown in Liaoning and Sichuan Provinces, China to understand the effects of ecological environments on the subspecies characteristics and economic traits in filial generations of cross between indica and japonica. The results showed that both the subspecies characteristics and economic traits changed significantly. The effects of ecological environments on Cheng’s index and six subspecies characteristics were different on the basis of populations or characteristics. The distribution of Cheng’s index in RILSA was japonicalinous in Liaoning and Sichuan. The distribution of Cheng’s index in RILSB approached to normal distribution in Liaoning, but it was japonicalinous in Sichuan. As a whole, the two populations were more japonicalious in Sichuan than in Liaoning. The panicle number, seed setting rate and per-thousand-grain weight were decreased significantly in Sichuan. The grain number per panicle showed no significant change. A significant positive correlation was found between Cheng’s index and the economic traits, including six subspecies traits. It suggested that the reason that the filial generation of cross between indica and japonica in northern China showed japonicanous subspecies characteristics might be the artificial selection by breeders on the economic traits. In addition, indica-japonica differentiation and the relationship with ecological environments were discussed. __________ Translated from Progress in Natural Science, 2007, 17(8): 42–47 [译自: 自然科学进展]     

Social change and the adoption and adaptation of knowledge claims: Whose truth do you trust in regard to sustainable agriculture?

This paper examines sustainable agriculture’s steady rise as a legitimate farm management system. In doing this, it offers an account of social change that centers on trust and its intersection with networks of knowledge. The argument to follow is informed by the works of Foucault and Latour but moves beyond this literature in important ways. Guided by and building upon earlier conceptual framework first forwarded by Carolan and Bell (2003, Environmental Values 12: 225–245), sustainable agriculture is examined through the lens of a “phenomenological challenge.” In doing this, analytic emphasis centers on the interpretative resources of everyday life and the artful act of practice – in other words, on “the local.” Research data involving Iowa farmers and agriculture professionals are examined to understand how social relations of trust and knowledge are contested and shaped within and between agricultural social networks and organizational configurations. All of this is meant to further our understanding of what “sustainable agriculture” is and is not, who it is, and how these boundaries change over time. Michael S. Carolan is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University. His areas of specialization included environmental sociology, sociology of science and knowledge, sociology of food systems and agriculture, and the sociology of risk. Some of his recent writings have focused on the theorizing of nature–society relations, epistemological issues related to agriculture (and sustainable agriculture in particular), and the processes by which knowledge claims are constructed and contested in response to environmental threats.     

Identification of broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius L.) on grassland by means of digital image processing

Digital image processing has the potential to support the identification of plant species required for site-specific weed control in grassland swards. The present study focuses on the identification of one of the most invasive and persistent weed species on European grassland, the broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius L., R.o.), in complex mixtures of perennial ryegrass with R.o. and other herbs.A total of 108 digital photographs were obtained from a field experiment under constant recording geometry and illumination conditions. An object-oriented image classification was performed. Image segmentation was done by transforming the red, green, blue (RGB) colour images to greyscale intensity images. Based on that, local homogeneity images were calculated and a homogeneity threshold (0.97) was applied to derive binary images. Finally, morphological opening was performed. The remaining contiguous regions were considered to be objects. Features describing shape, colour and texture were calculated for each of these objects. A Maximum-likelihood classification was done to discriminate between the weed species. In addition, rank analysis was used to test how combinations of features influenced the classification result.The detection rate of R.o. varied with the training dataset used for classification. Average R.o. detection rates ranged from 71 to 95% for the 108 images, which included more than 3,600 objects. Misclassifications of R.o. occurred mainly with Plantago major (P.m.). Between 9 and 16% R.o. objects were classified incorrectly as P.m. and 17–24% P.m. objects were misclassified as R.o. The classification result was influenced by the defined object classes (R.o., P.m., T.o., soil, residue vs. R.o., residue). For instance, classification rates were 86–91% and 65–82% for R.o. exclusively and R.o. against the remaining herb species, respectively.     

For the love of goats: the advantages of alterity

Small-scale, artisanal livestock production is framed as “other” by conventional livestock producers, and rural communities. This alterity, although not without cost, allows women to be involved as active entrepreneurs and managers in artisanal livestock production and also allows farmers to pursue management strategies with the explicit purpose of enhancing animal welfare. The case study presented here, an artisanal goat dairy farm managed by three women, demonstrates that by embracing feminine care identities, these women carve a space for themselves within livestock production in which they can pursue their own economic and affective goals. Analysis of ethnographic data also demonstrates that farmers’ decision-making regarding animal production is based on both affective and instrumental concerns. If we are to understand and operationalize the affective component of farmer decision making based on the livestock–farmer relationship, we must begin to consider to what extent livestock themselves are social actors.     

Seven samurai to protect “our” food: the reform of the food safety regulatory system in Japan after the BSE crisis of 2001

Using the case of food safety governance reform in Japan between 2001 and 2003, this paper examines the relationship between science and trust. The paper explains how the discovery of the first BSE positive cow and consequent food safety scandals in 2001 politicized the role of science in protecting the safety of the food supply. The analysis of the Parliamentary debate focuses on the contestation among legislators and other participants over three dimensions of risk science, including “knowledge,” “objects,” and “beneficiaries.” The metaphor of “seven samurai” and the relationally situated roles of “samurai,” “bandits,” and “beneficiaries” are used to show that in the process of policy making certain moral and ethical expectations on a new expert institution for food safety were contested and negotiated to frame responsibilities and commitments of social actors for creating the food system based on trust.

Farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases and control strategies in the Regional State of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia: implications for farmer–researcher collaboration in disease management

Differences in perceptions and knowledge of crop diseases constitute a major obstacle in farmer–researcher cooperation, which is necessary for sustainable disease management. Farmers’ perceptions and management of crop diseases in the northern Ethiopian Regional State of Tigrai were investigated in order to harness their knowledge in the participatory development of integrated disease management (IDM) strategies. Knowledge of disease etiology and epidemiology, cultivar resistance, and reasons for the cultivation of susceptible cultivars were investigated in a total of 12 tabias (towns) in ten weredas (districts). Perception of diseases involved both scientific and spiritual conceptual frameworks. Of the more than 30 crop diseases recorded on the major crops in the region, only rusts and powdery mildews (locally called humodia) and a few root rots were considered by farmers to be important. Farmers’ awareness of other diseases was extremely low; some highly damaging but less conspicuous diseases, such as faba bean chocolate spot and chickpea ascochyta blight (also called humodia), were not regarded by farmers as disease but as problems caused primarily by excessive soil moisture. Considering that some of these “unrecognized” diseases can cause complete yield loss and genetic erosion in epiphytotic years, there is an urgent need for bringing together farmers’ and scientists’ knowledge to complement each other. Even when farmers had access to disease-resistant or disease-tolerant cultivars, they grew susceptible local varieties because of multiple criteria including earliness, good yield in years with low humodia severity, suitability for home consumption, market demand/quality, and low soil fertility and land management requirements. Farmer innovation and knowledge were evident in their use of diverse disease control measures, but these were a mixture of the “useful and the useless.” Our findings stress the necessity for extension workers and researchers to understand and improve farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases, and farmers’ ability to observe and experiment, through the Farmer Field School or a similar experiential learning approach. These insights about farmers’ knowledge of crop diseases provide a basis for further collaborative maintenance of crop genetic diversity, development of germplasm, and IPM-related research in Africa.

Non-governmental organizations,strategic bridge building,and the “scientization” of organic agriculture in Kenya

This paper contributes to the growing social science scholarship on organic agriculture in the global South. A “boundary” framework is used to understand how negotiation among socially and geographically disparate social worlds (e.g., non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foreign donors, agricultural researchers, and small-scale farmers) has resulted in the diffusion of non-certified organic agriculture in Kenya. National and local NGOs dedicated to organic agriculture promotion, training, research, and outreach are conceptualized as “boundary organizations.” Situated at the intersection of multiple social worlds, these NGOs engage in “strategic bridge building” and “strategic boundary-work.” Strategic bridge building involves the creation and use of “boundary objects” and “hybrid forms” that serve as meeting grounds for otherwise disconnected social worlds. Strategic boundary-work involves efforts to “scientize,” and thereby legitimize, organic agriculture in the eyes of foreign donors, potential research collaborators, the Kenyan state, and farmers. Examples of strategic bridge building and boundary-work are presented in the paper. The Kenyan case illustrates that different social actors can unite around a shared objective – namely, the promotion and legitimization of organic agriculture as an alternative to the Green Revolution (GR) technological package.

Study on polymorphisms of microsatellite DNA of six Chinese indigenous sheep and goat breeds

The genomes of six populations were screened using microsatellites as molecular markers, including Ujmuqin sheep, small-tailed Han sheep, Tan sheep, Hu sheep, Tong sheep and Yangtse River Delta (YRD) white goat. A total of seven microsatellite markers were used and genetic diversity and genetic distance were also determined. The results showed that there were 224 alleles in six populations, all seven loci showed polymorphism in all populations. The average heterozygosity of all populations was 0.949 9, and the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) of all six populations was 0.842 5–0.929 4. The six sheep (goat) popualtions were lowly differentiated with all loci, and the coefficient of phaenotype differentiation (Fst) was 2.6%, which was consistent with the coefficient of gene differentiation (Gst). The global heterozygote deficit across of all populations (Fit) amounted to 0.5%. The overall significant deficit of heterozygotes because of inbreeding within breeds (Fis) amounted to −2.2%. Two Unweighted Pair-group Method using Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA) dendrograms were constructed on the basis of Nei’s standard genetic distance (DS) and Nei’s genetic distance (DA) respectively. Hu sheep and Tong sheep were grouped at first, Ujmuqin sheep and small-tailed Han sheep clustered and then clustered with Tan sheep. Finally, Yangtse River Delta white goat joined in with all above. From this study, Ujmuqin sheep belongs to “Mongolia sheep” group, which corresponds with the historical records exactly. Ujmuqin sheep and small-tailed Han sheep, Tan sheep, Hu sheep and Tong sheep all vest in the “Mongolia sheep” group.     

Estimating off-rate pesticide application errors resulting from agricultural sprayer turning movements

Pesticide application is an essential practice on many U.S. crop farms. Off-rate pesticide application errors may result from velocity differential across the spray boom while turning, pressure fluctuations across the spray boom, or changes in boom-to-canopy height due to undulating terrain. The sprayer path co-ordinates and the status (on or off) of each boom control section were recorded using the sprayer control console which provided map-based automatic boom section control. These data were collected for ten fields of varying shapes and sizes located in central Kentucky. In order to estimate potential errors resulting from sprayer turning movements, a method was developed to compare the differences in application areas between spray boom control sections. The area covered by the center boom control section was considered the “target rate area” and the difference in these areas and the areas covered by remaining control sections were compared to estimate application rate errors. The results of this analysis conducted with sprayer application files collected from ten fields, many containing impassable grassed waterways, indicated that a substantial portion of the fields (6.5–23.8%) could have received application in error by more than ±10% of the target rate. Off-rate application errors exceeding ±10% of the target rate for the study fields tended to increase as the average turning angles increased. The implication of this is that producers may be unintentionally applying at off-label rates in fields of varying shapes and sizes where turning movements are required.     

Acquirement of a new male sterile germplasm of Chinese jujube

A male sterile germplasm of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), named ‘male sterile No.1’ (JMS1), was firstly identified from a natural population through studies of pollen amount and vitality and its anatomy. Its microspores got massed and then disaggregated after the tetrad stage during pollen development. Then its anthers became empty, or only pollen vestiges remained in the yellow buds. The pollen became abortive after the tetrad stage. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of tapetum at the tetrad stage were related to pollen abortion. In view of its moderate embryo fertility, big fruit-size and early maturing, ‘JMS1’ could be used as a worthwhile female parent in the cross breeding of Chinese jujube. __________ Translated from Acta Horticulturae Sinica, 2006, 33(2): 374–377 [译自: 园艺学报]     

Visual communication to children in the supermarket context: Health protective or exploitive?

In light of growing concerns about obesity, Winson (2004, Agriculture and Human Values 21(4): 299–312) calls for more research into the supermarket foodscape as a point of connection between consumers and food choice. In this study, we systematically examine the marketing of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals to children in Toronto, Ontario supermarkets. The supermarket cereal aisle is a relatively unstudied visual collage of competing brands, colors, spokes-characters, and incentives aimed at influencing consumer choice. We found that breakfast cereal products with higher-than-average levels of sugar, refined grains, and trans-fats are more likely to feature child-oriented marketing in the form of spokes-characters, themed cereal shapes/colors, and child incentives on cereal boxes. These forms of visual communication are consistent with a “health exploitive” pattern of targeted marketing to children in the supermarket setting. Only one aspect of visual communication is consistent with a “health protective” pattern of marketing to children—cereals shelved within reach of children aged 4–8 had less sugar per serving and were less likely to contain trans-fats than less reachable products. We discuss the implications of our findings for the measurement and regulation of marketing to children in North American supermarkets.

Delineating productivity zones in a citrus grove using citrus production,tree growth and temporally stable soil data

The productivity of a citrus grove with variation in tree growth was mapped to delineate zones of productivity based on several indicator properties. These properties were fruit yield, ultrasonically measured tree canopy volume, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), elevation and apparent electrical conductivity (EC_a). The spatial patterns of soil series, soil color and EC_a, and their correspondence with the variation in yield emphasized the importance of variation in the soil in differentiating the productivity of the grove. Citrus fruit yield was positively correlated with canopy volume, NDVI and EC_a, and yield was negatively correlated with elevation. Although all the properties were strongly correlated with yield and were able to explain the productivity of the grove, citrus tree canopy volume was most strongly correlated (r = 0.85) with yield, explaining 73% of its variation. Tree canopy volume was used to classify the citrus grove into five productivity zones termed as ‘very poor’, ‘poor’, ‘medium’, ‘good’ and ‘very good’ zones. The study showed that productivity of citrus groves can be mapped using various attributes that directly or indirectly affect citrus production. The productivity zones identified could be used successfully to plan soil sampling and characterize soil variation in new fields.     

Devon Acres CSA: local struggles in a global food system

This paper focuses on examining the dynamic nature of community supported agriculture (CSA) and the real-world experiences which mark its contours, often making it distinct from the early idealized CSA “model.” Specifically, our study examines the narratives of the farmers of Devon Acres CSA over its duration, in tandem with a survey of recent shareholders in order to understand and explain its evolution. The framework we develop here shows that this CSA is largely characterized by instrumental and functional beliefs and practices, with some elements in the collaborative mode. A key contribution of this research is the development of a framework which helps to highlight the relative fluidity and patchwork quality of CSA participant positions over time. At Devon Acres, the real-world factors and issues influencing CSA evolution are seen to be products of both the local and larger contexts, evident in such areas as shifts in farmer learning and adaptation, differences between beliefs and practices in member volunteer efforts, and changes in farm and resource conditions. With respect to CSA more broadly, we argue that the reality of dominant food system context and site-specific influences on CSA development compels us to rework our attachment to early idealized “model” traits. Expansion in CSA numbers, evidence of adaptation and situated learning, and retention of the local and organic as core traits, speak to the pragmatic yet transformative potential of CSA contribution to food system change.

Traditional Mexican Agricultural Systems and the Potential Impacts of Transgenic Varieties on Maize Diversity

The discovery of transgenes in maize landraces in Mexico, a center of diversity for this crop, raises questions about the potential impact of transgene diffusion on maize diversity. The concept of diversity and farmers’ role in maintaining diversity is quite complex. Farmers’ behavior is expected to have a significant influence on causing transgenes to diffuse, to be expressed differently, and to accumulate within landraces. Farmers’ or consumers’ perceptions that transgenes are “contaminants” and that landraces containing transgenes are “contaminated” could cause these landraces to be rejected and trigger a direct loss of diversity. Mauricio R. Bellon is a human ecologist working in the Economics Program of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Texcoco, Mexico. He received his MSc and PhD in ecology at the University of California, Davis. His current research includes projects that deal with on-farm conservation of maize, gene flow in traditional farming systems, and the impact of improved germplasm in the livelihoods of poor farmers. Julien Berthaud is a population geneticist working for the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD). He received his PhD in plant science at the University of Paris 11. His current research includes projects related with the dynamics of genetic diversity, especially in traditional maize farming systems.     

No alternative? The politics and history of non-GMO certification

Third-party certification is an increasingly prevalent tactic which agrifood activists use to “help” consumers shop ethically, and also to reorganize commodity markets. While consumers embrace the chance to “vote with their dollar,” academics question the potential for labels to foster widespread political, economic, and agroecological change. Yet, despite widespread critique, a mounting body of work appears resigned to accept that certification may be the only option available to activist groups in the context of neoliberal socio-economic orders. At the extreme, Guthman (Antipode 39(3): 457, 2007) posits that “at this political juncture… ‘there is no alternative.” This paper offers a different assessment of third-party certification, and points to interventions that are potentially more influential that are currently available to activist groups. Exploring the evolution of the Non-GMO Project—a novel certification for foods that are reasonably free of genetically engineered (GE) material—I make two arguments. First, I echo the literature’s critical perspective by illustrating how certification projects become vulnerable to industry capture. Reviewing its history and current context, I suggest that the Non-GMO Project would be better suited to helping companies avoid mounting public criticism than to substantially reorient agrifood production. Second, I explore the “politics of the possible” in the current political economy and argue that while neoliberalization and organizers’ places within the food system initially oriented the group towards the private sector, the choice to pursue certification arose directly from two industry partnerships. Consequently, current trends might favor market mechanisms, but certification is only one possible intervention that has emerged as a result of particular, and perhaps avoidable, circumstances. The article offers tentative delineation of alternatives ways that activists might intervene in agrifood and political economic systems given present constraints.     

Fishers weigh in: benefits and risks of eating Great Lakes fish from the consumer’s perspective

Three decades of concern over consumption of potentially contaminated Great Lakes fish has led government agencies and public health proponents to implement risk assessment and management programs as a means of protecting the health of fishers and their families. While well-meaning in their intent, these programs––and much of the research conducted to support and evaluate them––were not designed to accommodate the understandings and concerns of the fish consumer. Results from a qualitative component of a multi-disciplinary, multi-year research project on frequent (average 108 meals per year) consumers of Great Lakes fish tell the fishers’ side of the story. We present data from 87 tape recorded interviews conducted with Vietnamese, Chinese, and English-speaking participants that underscore the quality of freshly caught Great Lakes fish and the important social and cultural benefits of fish and fishing to the consumer. We also outline the participants’ understandings of risk from eating Great Lakes fish and the way in which fishers and their families manage this risk. The paper concludes with a discussion of these benefits, risks, and risk management strategies as ways that Great Lakes fish consumers “construct” rather than “perceive” risk. We advocate for risk assessment and management protocols that involve those who will be affected the most, such as frequent consumers of Great Lakes fish, from the initial “risk characterization” stage through to any necessary risk communication.

Investigation on pistachio distribution in the mountain regions of northeast Iran by ALOS

Iran supports five different vegetation zones. One of those is the Irano-Touranian zone that is located in the northeast of Iran. This vegetation zone includes arid and semi-arid lands, and its area is about 3.5 million hm². It supports growth of pistachio (Pistacia vera), a deciduous-broadleaved species, which is one of the ecologically and economically most important native species. In this study, we analyzed three images acquired by ALOS satellite, including 10m resolution multispectral band (AVNIR-2), 2.5 m resolution “Backward” PRISM image, and 2.5 m resolution “Nadir” PRISM image, based on a provided rational polynomial coefficient (RPC). Using the “Backward” and “Nadir” images, a 2.5 m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was produced. Four methods with AVNIR-2 and PRISM data were used to produce pan-sharpening images and conduct an object-based feature extraction process. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to determine the maximum distribution of pistachio in related elevation. The accuracy of the DEM was tested on 28 ground control points in the pair image as tie points, with the value of parallax error of 0.9027 m. The created elevation map indicated that pistachio trees grow up at 650m above sea level (a.s.l.). The result from NDVI in the related elevation showed the maximum density of pistachio at 800m a.s.l. In addition, the result of feature extraction in the forest showed the area of each target element calculated. The results of this research will improve decision-making and lead to sustainable management in general.     

The trouble with authenticity: separating ideology from practice at the farmers’ market

Farmers’ markets have enjoyed a resurgence in the past two decades in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This increase in popularity is attributed to a host of environmental, social, and economic factors, often related to the alleged benefits of local food, alternative farming, and producer–consumer interactions. Steeped in tradition, there are also widely held assumptions related to the type of food and food vendors that belong at a farmers’ market in addition to the type of experience that should take place. There remains a need to explore and analyze these fundamental aspects of the farmers’ market and to consider how they influence their formation and function. This paper argues that discourses of authenticity are central to the identity of the farmers’ market, and that they are constructed differently “from above” by those seeking to regulate farmers’ markets in particular jurisdictions and “from below” by managers, producers, and consumers at individual markets. A literature-based discussion is complemented and grounded by consideration of institutional statements regarding authenticity and of key results from a survey of managers, food vendors, and customers at 15 farmers’ markets in Ontario, Canada. It is demonstrated that while the general discourse about authenticity at the farmers’ market is built around strict, almost ideological assumptions about the presence of “local food” and those who produce it, community-level responses reflect considerable diversity in the interpretation and composition of the farmers’ market. It is suggested that a binary view of authenticity, where some farmers’ markets are cast as “real” and others presumably not, is highly problematic as it tends to ignore a large and important middle ground with multiple identities.