Amending Soil with Sludge,Manure, Humic Acid,Orthophosphate and Phytic Acid: Effects on Infiltration,Runoff and Sediment Loss

Application of organic wastes to cultivated lands can replace mineral fertilizers but may also alter soil physical properties and enhance pollution potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biosolids [composted manure (MC) and activated sludge (AS)] and specific biosolid component [orthophosphate (OP), phytic acid (PA) and humic acid (HA)] application on soils differing in texture [loamy‐sand (Ramat‐HaKovesh, RH), loam (Gilat, GL) and clay (Bet‐Dagan, BD)], infiltration rate, runoff volume and soil sediment loss. The soils were packed in erosion boxes (400 × 200 × 40 mm) and subjected to six consecutive simulated rainstorms, each of 186 mm deionized water. The results showed that runoff volume and sediment loss from untreated soils increased with increasing clay contents. In treated soils, the response to AS application differed from the response to other amendments; in the BD clay and GL loam, it was the only amendment that caused a decrease in sediment removed by runoff. In the RH loamy‐sand, all amendments reduced the final infiltration rate, but only AS and HA increased the measured runoff. It is proposed that the difference in the response of the soils to the amendments is associated with the soil's ability to attenuate changes in the negative charge on the clay edges following the increase in the specific adsorption of charged anions, thus controlling clay swelling and maintaining aggregate integrity. The effects of amending soils with a source of organic matter in order to control runoff and soil erosion are not straight forward and depend on soil and amendment properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigations on resistance of oats to Heterodera avenae: Location of resistance genes

Summary By using 15 available mono/nullisomic lines of Sun II back ground, the Heterodera avenae resistance gene in Nelson (from Avena sativa CI 3444) and Panema (from A. sterilis I. 376) were located on monosome XV. Genes with smaller effects were located on monosomes VIII and X. The absence of these genes derived from Sun II would increase cyst production on plants lacking major resistance genes.     

Marker-assisted selection for complex trait in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using QTL-based index

A procedure was developed for marker-assisted selection of complex traits for common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) using an index based on QTL-linked markers and ultrametric genetic distances between lines and a target parent. A comparison of the mean seed yields of the top five lines selected by different schemes demonstrated that the highest yielding group was selected on the basis of a combination of phenotypic performance and a high QTL-based index,followed by groups identified by a high QTL-based-index, conventional selection,and a low QTL-based-index. This study demonstrated a simple way to use information obtained from QTL studies to make selection decisions. The study also showed that the use of the QTL-based-index in conjunction with the ultrametric genetic distance to the target parent would enablea plant breeder to select lines that retain important QTL in a desirable genetic background. Therefore, this type of MAS would be expected to be superior to the phenotypic selection. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Designing grasses with a future – combining the attributes of Lolium and Festuca

Lolium species (considered the ideal grasses for European agriculture) are not sufficiently robust to meet many of the environmental challenges that face extensive agriculture in less favoured areas. Fortunately, adaptations to abiotic and biotic stresses exist amongst Festuca species related closely to Lolium. The complex of species has an enormous wealth of genetic variability and potentiality for genetic exchange, thus offering unique opportunities for the production of versatile hybrid varieties with new combinations of useful characters suited to modern grassland farming. The attributes of Lolium and Festuca can be combined into a single genotype by amphiploidy or alternatively, a limited number of characters can be selectively introgressed from Festucainto Lolium or vice versa. Androgenesis of the interspecific hybrids can generate genotypes combining characters that may not be recovered by sexual backcrossing. Genomic in situ hybridization(GISH) can differentially ‘paint’ the chromosomes of Lolium and Festuca and identify Lolium-Festuca recombinant chromosomes. GISH is valuable in the analysis of amphiploids, introgressions and androgenic genotypes and can be used to physically map introgressed traits. Introgression mapping is a powerful new approach to the mapping of traits and arises from a fusion of physical and genetic mapping. For example, in a diploidLolium introgression genotype with only one introgressed Festucasegment, the gene(s) for any Festucaderived trait expressed by the plant must be located within the segment. Using GISH and molecular markers, a dense but highly localised map of the Festuca segment is made in isolation of the Loliumgenome – this may simplify QTL analysis. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Responses of different arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) clones to varied environmental conditions

Different improved coffee arabica crosseshaving resistance to coffee berry diseaseand leaf rust, plus a standard cultivar,were grown under a range of environmentalconditions in a series of field trials inKenya. The effects of location and year ofproduction and their interactions with theclones were determined for berry yield.These data were used to estimate andcompare methods of analysis of GEI. An AMMImodel, joint regression model and ANOVAwith repeated measurements were used toinvestigate these interactions. The resultsindicated the relative effects of theclones and the environmental conditions,with Meru being the location where therewas greatest discrimination between theclones, probably because it was bettersuited for coffee. Clones,environments and joint regressions combinedaccounted for 31.20% of the interaction,leaving a residual of 68.80%. Significantresidual mean squares showed therelationship between clones andenvironments not to be strictly linear,thus indicating that regression analysisdid not always provide good estimates ofindividual clonal performance acrossenvironments. High correlations wereobtained between mean yield and regressioncoefficients and between ecovalence andmean square deviations as well as thecoefficient of determination. Resultsshowed that the improved clones surpassedthe standard cultivar both in terms ofyield and stability.Different analyses of the various aspectsof genotype response enabled the 21 clonesto be classified into different similaritygroups based on their performance andphenotypic stability as measured by variousstability parameters and the use of biplotsfrom the AMMI analysis.     

Genetic control over grain damage in a spring barley mapping population

A genetic map was constructed using DNA‐based markers in a barley mapping population derived from the cross ‘Tankard’בLivet’, that was developed to explore the genetic control over grain damage in spring barley cultivars. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were located for husk skinning, gape between the lemma and palea and splitting of the fused pericarp/testa/aleurone tissues. The QTL accounted for 70% of the genetic variation in Split and 60% of the genetic variation in Gape and Skinning. The QTL were clustered on chromosomes 1H, 4H, 5H, 6H and 7H. QTL analysis indicates the possibility of transgressive segregation for grain splitting and so the breeding of lines with more extreme splitting. This is of concern to the malting industry as, without extensive phenotypic assessment, such lines could be commercialized, as was the case of Landlord, and put malting barley supplies at risk. These findings are discussed in relation to the genetic control over traits including grain length and width.     

The Appreciative System of Urban ICT Policies: An Analysis of Perceptions of Urban Policy Makers

ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an important tool to promote a variety of public goals and policies. In the past years much attention has been given to the expected social benefits from deploying ICTs in different urban fields (transportation, education, public participation in planning, etc.) and to its potential to mitigate various current or emerging urban problems. The growing importance of ICTs in daily life, business activities, and governance prompts the need to consider ICTs more explicitly in urban policies. Alongside the expectation that the private sector will play a major role in the ICT field, the expected benefits from ICTs also encourage urban authorities to formulate proper public ICT policies. Against this background, various intriguing research questions arise. What are the urban policy‐makers’ expectations about ICTs? And how do they assess the future implications of ICTs for their city? A thorough analysis of these questions will provide a better understanding of the extent to which urban authorities are willing to invest in and to adopt a dedicated ICT policy. This study is focusing on the way urban decision‐makers perceive the opportunities of ICT policy. After a sketch of recent development and policy issues, a conceptual model is developed to map out the driving forces of urban ICT policies in cities in Europe. Next, by highlighting the importance of understanding the decision‐maker's “black box,” three crucial variables are identified within this box. In the remaining part of the paper these three variables will be operationalized by using a large survey comprising more than 200 European cities. By means of statistical multivariate methods (i.e., factor and cluster analysis), the decision‐makers were able to be characterized according to the way they perceive their city (the concept of “imaginable city”), their opinion about ICT, and the way they assess the relevance of ICT policies to their city. Next, a solid explanatory framework will be offered by using a log‐linear logit analysis to test the relationships between these three aspects.