Time Pioneers and Travel Behavior: An Investigation into the Viability of ‘Slow Motion’

This paper positions time in the center of spatial economic analysis, with a particular view on travel speed in transport behavior. The issue of ‘slow motion’ is at present very timely and has led to a new concept in transport analysis, viz. ‘time pioneer’. Such a person is prepared to give up part of his scarce time for other, as yet unknown purposes. This attitude might generate ‘slow motion’ behavior. The paper aims to critically review the concept of a time pioneer from a broad perspective on the socio-economic meaning of time in our globalizing society. The viability of time pioneering behavior is next empirically tested by means of an extensive survey among travelers in the Netherlands. A new modeling experiment, viz. rough set analysis, is carried out in order to deal with empirical survey data in a smallsample context. On the basis of the empirical results, it is concluded that, while ‘slow motion’ is seemingly an appealing socio-psychological travel mode, the share of time pioneers among actual travelers is rather low.     

Genetic variation in bitter pit and fruit calcium concentrations within a diverse apple germplasm collection

Summary Genetic variability in the apple [Malus] fruit disorder bitter pit and fruit calcium concentrations ([Ca]) was determined in 25 seedling families at each of two sites from 1999 to 2000 and again for one site, in 2001. Most trees were free of pit or had low pit incidence, which could be approximated by an over-dispersed binomial distribution. A genetic component to external and internal pit incidence was found across both sites and all years. This effect was irrespective of the use of several cropping factors, average fruit weight or fruit mineral concentrations as covariates in the analyses. Year and/or site always had substantial effects on pit incidence. Interactions of genetic effects with site or year were also detected with large differences in mean pit incidence between sites or years for some families but not others. No relationship was found between mean family pit incidence and mean family [Ca] or mean family harvest date. However fruit [Ca] and harvest date were usually important predictors of within-family variation in pit incidence. For any one seedling, family had the largest effect on bitter pit incidence followed by site and [Ca] and the smallest effect was that of harvest date. [Ca] showed a strong genetic component and estimated family means of [Ca] were consistent at different sites and years. These results suggest that susceptibility of apple genotypes to bitter pit in breeding programmes may be best assessed through screening across multiple sites and seasons. Fruit [Ca] might be useful as an indirect selection index for bitter pit within, but not among families.     

Occasional loss of expression of phosphinothricin tolerance in sexual offspring of transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

The commercial and economic value of genetically modified crops is determined by a predictable, consistent and stable transmission and expression of the transgenes in successive generations. No gene inactivation is expected after selfings or crosses with non-transformed plants of homozygous transgenic oilseed rape plants if the expression of the transgene in homozygous or hemizygous nature in such plants is stable. The segregation ratios of phosphinothricin (PPT) tolerance in successive generations of selfings and mutual crosses of a few independent transgenic PPT-tolerant oilseed rape plants indicated a dominant, monogenic inheritance. In within-variety and between-variety crosses no transgene inactivation was observed. However, after selfings and backcrosses with non-transgenic oilseed rape infrequent loss of the expression of the PPT tolerance transgene was observed independent from its homozygous or hemizygous nature. Molecular analysis of PPT-susceptible plants showed that the loss of expression was due to gene inactivation and not to the absence of the transgene. Methylation and co-suppression are mechanisms that might cause reduced or even loss of expression of the transgene in later generations. The implications of this observation for seed multiplication of varieties and breeding activities with transgenic oilseed rape are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Incongruity in the interspecific crosses of Vitis L. Reproductive expression in the F1 progeny

Summary F₁ progeny from three classes of crosses were studied for indications of incongruity in the form of reproductive dysfunction. Percent fruit set was found to be approximately equivalent to the additive inverse of percent aborted flowers, as the effect of shot berries was small and not significant. In interspecific crosses, barriers were manifested as reduced fruit set and seed number per berry. These two characters were used to create an index of reproductive efficiency. Nine F₁s from crosses of most divergent class, V. riparia × V. vinifera (R × V), displayed significantly tower reproductive efficiency, percent fruit set, and seed number per berry. Four female F₁s from the least divergent class, V. riparia × V. riparia (R × R), had the highest reproductive efficiency, percent fruit set and seed number per berry, when pollinated by two V. riparia pollen sources. Seventeen F₁s from the highly-intercrossed class, V. riparia × French Hybrid (R × FH), displayed intermediate levels of reproductive efficiency, percent fruit set, and seed number per berry. The R × FH class involved V. vinifera, V. rupestris, V. aestivalis, V. labrusca, V. berlandieri, V. cinerea, and V. riparia. It is proposed that the complex intercrossing in the pedigrees of the R × FH class ameliorated incongruity. In the most divergent class, R × V, progenies of one of the V. riparia parents displayed fewer incongruity effects than progenies of the other V. riparia parents. Progeny testing of many proposed parental combinations may be used to uncover useful congruent combinations.Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, Scientific Journal Series No. 20835     

Winter environment increases self seed yield in self-incompatible (SI) Petunia hybrida clones

Summary SI inbreds of P. hybrida and crosses between self-incompatible (SI) petunia plants were brought to flower under winter and summer glasshouse conditions. SI response, as measured by self seed, ranged from zero seed set under both conditions to low or zero seed set during the summer and high seed set during the winter. Some plants produced comparable seed yields during either pollination time. Increased expression of pseudo-self-compatibility (PSC) during the winter months was attributed to a breakdown of the Si system by the low light conditions of Minnesota winters (45°N). Genotypic differences within and between populations in the winter provided differences facilitating selection for increased SI. These differences were masked in some populations by the summer environmental conditions. The use of simulated or natural low light conditions as a technique for selecting for SI should increase selection efficiency.Scientific Journal Series Paper Number 10,499 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Effect of selection for pseudo-self compatibility in advanced inbred generations of Nemesia strumosa Benth.

Summary Highly pseudo-self compatible (PSC) Nemesia strumosa plants were selfed and intercrossed to produce progenies of the F₅ through F₇ generations. Though high PSC progenies were obtained, none were truebreeding. Progenies from crossing inbred high PSC plants to low PSC plants consisted of either mostly low PSC plants or both low and intermediate plants. A backcross to the high PSC parent of a progeny from a low times high cross produced a family with a PSC frequency distribution skewed toward low PSC but with a few high PSC plants. These data may be explained if PSC genes at some or most loci are incompletely dominant to non-PSC genes and threshold numbers of PSC genes are required for PSC expression and for 100% PSC plants. Dominance may also occur at some loci. Although only a small number of genes may be required to produce a high PSC plant, the total number of PSC genes may be large.Scientific Journal Series Paper No. 11,676 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.     

QTL controlling partial resistance to Stagonospora nodorum leaf blotch in winter wheat cultivar Alba

Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) is an important foliar and glume disease in cereals. Inheritance of SNB resistance in wheat appears quantitative. The development of partially resistant cultivars seems to be the only effective way to combat the pathogen. Partial resistance components like length of incubation period (INC), disease severity (DIS) and length of latent period (LAT) were evaluated on a population of doubled-haploids derived from a cross between the partially resistant cultivar Alba and the susceptible cultivar Begra. Experiments were conducted in controlled environments and the fifth leaf was examined. Molecular analyses were based on bulked segregant analyses (BSA) and screening with 240 microsatellites DNA markers. The QTL analysis revealed QTL on chromosome 6AL (designated as QSnl.ihar-6A) and putative QTL on chromosome 6D. The QSnl.ihar-6A accounted for 36% of the phenotypic variance for DIS and 14% for INC. The putative QTL accounted for 10% of the variability in INC and 8% of DIS components of SNB resistance.