A typology of agricultural production systems: Capability building trajectories of three Asian economies

Analysing the agricultural sectors of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, this paper examines the capability‐building process that encourages productivity and innovation. It describes and explains the origins and subsequent evolution of three forms of agricultural production system, each generating different farming capabilities and distinct forms of competitive advantages. The paper argues that Taiwan's rice‐oriented agricultural production system stimulates both productivity and innovation, helping Taiwanese farmers raise their income level and living standards. The active deployment of state institutions and a malleable labour force, evidenced in the Malaysian palm oil industry, is effective in raising farming productivity but not the ability to innovate. Singapore's aquaculture‐oriented agricultural production system is somewhat useful in stimulating productivity and innovation. Yet the city‐state's inherent lack of space and open international trade regime have circumscribed the potential of its aquaculture industry. It now relies on the regional ethnic Chinese business networks to expand the aquaculture industry's knowledge base and its industrial commons. The principles discussed in this paper provide policy lessons, or at least some initial guidance, for other developing economies aspiring to modernise their agricultural sector.     

Positionality and protocol in field research: Undertaking community‐based investigations in Samoa

This article considers the experiences of a Samoan female geographer undertaking community‐based field research in her home country, and identifies some lessons for researchers working in similar circumstances. The paper suggests that ethical behaviour in research is ‘place‐specific’, and there is therefore a need to employ culturally sensitive and ‘location‐specific’ methodologies when undertaking community‐based research fieldwork. For the lead researcher, growing up in Samoa played a significant role in gaining an understanding of a set of robust and effective procedures to evaluate citizens' resilience to climatic and other environmental challenges. Fluency in everyday and more formal local languages, and awareness of local differences, each with multi‐layered connections to local communities, understanding cultural nuances and practising respect for va tapuia [sacred space or relationships] protocols, together facilitated the process of knowledge acquisition and helped to confirm the validity of the conclusions derived from the study.     

93份叶用枸杞农艺性状分析及综合评价

为客观评价叶用枸杞种质资源多样性和筛选综合性状优异种质,初步筛选出综合性状优异的叶用枸杞新品种。以93份叶用枸杞种质8个农艺性状,利用变异系数、模糊数学隶属函数和聚类分析方法进行分析。变异系数分析显示变异系数范围为5.25%～73.52%,其中变异系数最大的为单株产量, 最小的为叶鲜干比,Shannon多样性指数范围为1.77～5.73,其中Shannon多样性指数最大的为地径,最小的为茎鲜干比;相关性分析显示单株产量与叶面积、叶鲜干比、株高和地茎显著正相关（P ≤0.05）,与叶形指数、茎鲜干比和叶/茎显著负相关（P ≤0.05）;隶属函数分析显示筛选出综合性状优异的叶用枸杞新品种9份,即Z88、Z76、Z100、Z58、Z32、Z54、Z57、Z85和Z69;聚类分析将种质分为五类,第Ⅰ类材料的特征为单株产量最高,株高、地径和叶面积等较大,包含品系Z88和Z76等,第Ⅱ类材料特征为地径最大,株高、叶形指数和叶面积等较大,包含品系Z58和Z32等,第Ⅲ类材料特征为叶面积最大,株高、叶鲜干比等较大,包含品系Z57和Z85等,第Ⅳ类材料特征为叶鲜干比最大,叶形指数和单株产量等较大,第Ⅴ类材料特征为叶/茎最大,叶形指数、茎鲜干比和株高等较大。93份通过杂交获得的叶用枸杞种质资源较为丰富,单株产量、地径、叶面积、叶鲜干比和叶/茎性状是作为评价叶用枸杞种质的重要农艺性状指标,模糊数学隶属函数和聚类分析方法能够准确、可靠地综合评价叶用枸杞种质资源。     

Revision of the list of aphelinids (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in South Korea and analysis of their relevance as biological control agents for the EPPO region

An updated list of all 27 species of aphelinids (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in nine genera that have been identified or reported from South Korea, along with a dichotomous taxonomic key to separate them, is provided. Ten of the species are included in the EPPO ‘Positive list of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region’ (which corresponds to Appendix 1 – Commercially used biological control agents – and to Appendix 2 – Successfully introduced classical biological control agents – of EPPO Standard PM 6/3, 2016 version). Five of these species are successfully used in classical biological control. Other species could be used in the EPPO region, or elsewhere in the world, in the future.     

Considering the preferences for nitrogen forms by invasive plants: a case study from a hydroponic culture experiment

Although preference for NH₄⁺, NO₃^? or a combination of the two often differs among species, we know little about the responses of invasive plants to different inorganic N forms. Furthermore, many studies have suggested that an increase in N availability may facilitate further invasions. However, most of these studies predicted the positive feedback without considering the preference for N forms of invasive plants. Therefore, we cultivated four common invasive species (Mikania micrantha, Ipomoea cairica, Wedelia trilobata and Bidens pilosa) in South China with hydroponic media containing different forms of N (i.e. NO₃^?, NH₄NO₃ and NH₄⁺) at equimolar concentrations. Our results showed that the N forms significantly affected the growth, biomass allocation and physiological traits of the plants. All four invasive plants supplied with NO₃^? alone had better performance and greater allocation to root biomass than did plants that were supplied with NH₄⁺ alone. Moreover, the photosynthetic rate, pigment content and photosystem II activity of plants supplied with NO₃^? or NH₄NO₃ were significantly higher than those of plants supplied with NH₄⁺alone. The results suggested that all four invasive plants preferred NO₃^? rather than NH₄⁺, and changes in NO₃^? played an important role in furthering the invasions of these plants than did changes in NH₄⁺. Our results implied that decreasing NO₃^? may be a useful tool for controlling and managing invasive plants preferring NO₃^?. In addition, this study highlighted the importance of considering plant N form preference to better understand plant invasions.