Evaluating factors influencing farmers' satisfaction with their irrigation system

The logit technique is used to analyze the relationship between dichotomous reactions of satisfaction (satisfied/dissatisfied) with the irrigation system and certain independent variables. The result shows that five important variables — water availability on time, fertilizer availability, landholding size, farmers' participation in irrigation activities and location of farmland along the canal — significantly determine satisfaction.     

Suitability of Multi-Agent Simulations to study irrigated system viability: application to case studies in the Senegal River Valley

It is assumed that Agent-Based Modeling is a useful technique for water management issues. In particular, it may provide a suitable framework for representing irrigated systems. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate its potential for a specific use: research on irrigated systems’ viability in the Senegal River Valley. The main assumption to be verified is that Multi-Agent Systems constitute a suitable architecture to study theoretically irrigated systems’ viability using simulations. By using Multi-Agent Systems, virtual irrigated systems can be designed that might then be used as virtual laboratories. These virtual labs constitute an alternative when real labs cannot exist for some reason.

In this paper we report on experiments we have conducted using such virtual labs for exploring an Agent-Based Model through the simulation of scenarios. A scenario is defined as a triplet: an environment, a set of individual rules, a set of collective rules. It is evaluated according to the longevity of the irrigated system. An index is defined, based on the ratio of long-enduring simulations among a set of repetitions of a given scenario. Even if simulation results display significant diversity for a given scenario due to random factors in the processes simulated, the ratio of long-enduring simulations is repeatable. This entails to explore the overall behavior of the virtual irrigated system and to build theories concerning the viability of Senegalese irrigated systems. An example is given showing the need for strong coherence for a given environment among individual rules and collective rules.     

Betrachtung möglicher Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf Schadpilze im Obstbau am Beispiel von Fruchtfäuleerregern an Äpfeln

Whereas the rise in temperature during the past 30–40 years has already had clear impacts on the phenology of fruit trees and pathogenic insects, there is a lack of such correlations for fungal pathogens. An examination of fruit rots indicates that pathogenic fungi react differentially to climate change due to their complex infection biology. The appearance of the black rot fungus Diplodia seriata in Northwestern Europe is best explained by rising temperatures during the vegetation period. An increase in fruit rot caused by Nectria galligena is anticipated when milder and more humid winter months favour canker formation on twigs and branches, thereby increasing inoculum for fruit infections. An increasing importance of Neofabraea alba and Glomerella cingulata and/or G.??acutata as storage rots of apples in Northern Germany cannot be safely correlated with the climate change at present. Research on fungi is currently being expanded at the OVB Jork in order to ensure a faster identification of new pathogens and a more thorough investigation of relevant features of their infection biology.     

Chemical comparison of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) root powder from three commercial suppliers

The characterization of herbal materials is a significant challenge to analytical chemists. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.), which has been chosen for toxicity evaluation by NIEHS, is among the top 15 herbal supplements currently on the market and contains a complex mixture of indigenous components ranging from carbohydrates and amino acids to isoquinoline alkaloids. One key component of herbal supplement production is botanical authentication, which is also recommended prior to initiation of efficacy or toxicological studies. To evaluate material available to consumers, goldenseal root powder was obtained from three commercial suppliers and a strategy was developed for characterization and comparison that included Soxhlet extraction, HPLC, GC-MS, and LC-MS analyses. HPLC was used to determine the weight percentages of the goldenseal alkaloids berberine, hydrastine, and canadine in the various extract residues. Palmatine, an isoquinoline alkaloid native to Coptis spp. and other common goldenseal adulterants, was also quantitated using HPLC. GC-MS was used to identify non-alkaloid constituents in goldenseal root powder, whereas LC-MS was used to identify alkaloid components. After review of the characterization data, it was determined that alkaloid content was the best biomarker for goldenseal. A 20-min ambient extraction method for the determination of alkaloid content was also developed and used to analyze the commercial material. All three lots of purchased material contained goldenseal alkaloids hydrastinine, berberastine, tetrahydroberberastine, canadaline, berberine, hydrastine, and canadine. Material from a single supplier also contained palmatine, coptisine, and jatrorrhizine, thus indicating that the material was not pure goldenseal. Comparative data for three commercial sources of goldenseal root powder are presented.     

Nochmals: Der Tebendigen Wahres Besicht

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