A Review of “World Food: Production and Use”

The credibility, reliability, and adequacy of information sources are cardinal to adoption of technologies that increase agricultural productivity. Date palm production in Nigeria is low and, considering its high demand, makes the country a net importer of date to meet local demands.

This study assessed the sources of information on date palm in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 115 date palm farmers. The results show that friends and relatives, extension agents, and radio are the preferred sources of information. The frequency and adequacy of use follow a similar pattern of preference.     

Identifying “Free” Full-Text Resources in Agriculture,Food and Life Sciences: A Research Study

Interlibrary loan requests in the fields of agricultural, food, and life sciences were analyzed by material type, department, and levels of users. These data were then used to identify the sources for “free” publications which would have satisfied these requests; to identify whether the “free” full-text found are available as.pdf,.html, or.doc documents, etc.; and to identify the top 30 sources from which the “free” items are available. Twenty-four percent of the requested items were found with full-text via Google Scholar. These came from several sources with ResearchGate, NIH.gov, several publishers, and.edu sites being the top ones.     

Mapping the Literature of Food Science Revisited: 2003–2005

ABSTRACT

After reviewing previously published literature in citation analysis and literature mapping, this study mapped the literature of food science and explored the relationships found within it. Using articles published in the Journal of Food Science from 2003 through 2005, a stratified random sample of citations was studied to yield a ranked list of the thirteen most frequently cited journals, which formed a core set for further analysis. Using the Science Citation Index and a standard statistical package (SPSS₁₃), a two-dimensional map was created, relationships between the journals were studied, and the discipline of food science was explored. The study is an extension of previously published research covering the years 2000–2002 and attempts to analyze and compare the results across time frames.     

Food supplementation: A tool to increase reproductive output? A case study in the threatened Florida Scrub-Jay

The federally threatened Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) has suffered dramatic losses in recent years primarily because of overdevelopment of its unique scrub habitat. Ensuring the survival of this species will require not only measures to reduce habitat loss, but also efforts to increase the numbers of birds in small scattered populations to a point at which they are resilient to extinction from stochastic population fluctuations. Here we evaluate the utility of providing supplementary food during the pre-breeding season as a means of increasing the reproductive output of Florida Scrub-Jays. Data collected from 2000 to 2007 at Archbold Biological Station in south-central Florida indicate a marked effect of supplemental feeding on reproductive output. This increased output appeared to result primarily from larger clutch sizes produced by supplemented female breeders as a result of their advanced laying. Supplementation also increased offspring survival probabilities and the early laying permitted more renesting attempts. Furthermore, annual variation in several reproductive measures was dampened in supplemented birds, suggesting that supplemental feeding may reduce environmental or stochastic effects on reproductive output. Although a number of potential problems may be associated with supplemental feeding (e.g., predator entrainment and increased opportunity for disease transmission), it can serve as a valuable tool for management agencies that wish to rapidly increase local carrying capacity. In addition, food supplementation might benefit translocation efforts both by increasing the number of potential translocation candidates from a donor population and then by supplementing the newly established population to promote rapid growth.