Participatory evaluation of integrated pest and soil fertility management options using ordered categorical data analysis

Maize is becoming the major food crop around Lake Victoria. Major constraints to its production are Striga, stem borer, and declining soil fertility. Innovative integrated technologies have been developed: the ‘push-pull’ system (intercropping with Desmodium and surrounded by Napier grass), soybean and Crotalaria rotations, and imidazolinone-resistant (IR) maize seed.In 12 demonstration trials in four villages in Siaya and Vihiga districts (Kenya) and two villages in Busia (Uganda) in 2003 and 2004, 504 farmers evaluated all cropping systems and a mono-cropped continuous maize, each cropped with IR or local maize, and supplemented or not with fertilizer, totaling 16 treatments. Farmers evaluated all treatments for yield, resistance to Striga and stem borer, improvement of soil fertility, and provided an overall evaluation score, using an ordered scale of 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). Data were analyzed using ordinal regression, estimating log odds ratios.The results show significant preferences for all treatments over the control. Push-pull with IR and fertilizer had the highest log odds ratio (2.93), so the odds of farmers preferring this treatment are 18.7 times the odds that farmers prefer the control. The odds ratios for the other push-pull combinations were generally highest (9-15), followed by the rotation systems with Crotalaria (3.5-7.0), and soybeans, especially with IR maize and fertilizer (odds ratio of 5.7). In mono-cropping systems, IR maize was only appreciated in combination with fertilizer, and then only in 2004. Push-pull and Crotalaria were more appreciated in 2004 than in 2003. Farmers in Vihiga had a stronger preference for push-pull, and those in Busia for soybean rotations.Significant differences among farmers were observed, but the effects were small. Women appreciated push-pull more than men, while other technologies were gender-neutral. Older farmers were more likely to prefer push-pull and Crotalaria with fertilizer. Livestock ownership was not found to have an effect on technology preferences. Measured yield, stem borer and Striga infestation all had significant but small effects, although their inclusion did not eliminate the treatment effects, indicating that other factors are still important. OLS of the scores for different criteria on the overall score shows yield to be the most important criterion (coefficient of 0.40), followed by soil fertility enhancement (0.25) and Striga resistance (0.13). Labor saving (0.09) and stem borer resistance (0.03) are relatively minor criteria.This research shows that scoring and analysis with ordinal regression is a convenient way to solicit and analyze farmers’ preferences for new technologies, with wide applicability in farming systems and participatory research. Its application here shows that farmers like the new technologies, especially push-pull, but that there are substantial differences between years, sites and farmers. The use of this method can be very helpful to define and focus further research and formulate specific and targeted recommendations for agricultural extension.     

Comparing and Blending Regional Climate Model Predictions for the American Southwest

We consider the problem of forecasting future regional climate. Our method is based on blending different members of an ensemble of regional climate model (RCM) simulations while accounting for the discrepancies between these simulations, under present day conditions, and observational records for the recent past. To this end, we develop Bayesian space-time models that assess the discrepancies between climate model simulations and observational records. Those discrepancies are then propagated into the future to obtain blended forecasts of 21st century climate. The model allows for location-dependent spatial heterogeneities, providing local comparisons between the different simulations. Additionally, we estimate the different modes of spatial variability, and use the climate model-specific coefficients of the spatial factors for comparisons. We focus on regional climate model simulations performed in the context of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). We consider, in particular, simulations from RegCM3 using three different forcings: NCEP, GFDL and CGCM3. We use simulations for two time periods: current climate conditions, covering 1971 to 2000, and future climate conditions under the SRES A2 emissions scenario, covering 2041 to 2070. We investigate yearly mean summer temperature for a domain in the South West of the United States. The results indicated the RCM simulations underestimate the mean summer temperature increase for most of the domain compared to our model.     

Model legumes contribute to faba bean breeding

Faba bean is an excellent candidate crop to provide nitrogen input into temperate agricultural systems. However, its growth is hampered by several factors including environmental stresses and the presence of anti-nutritional factors. To solve these limitations, breeding programs have been initiated that were successful for monogenic traits but not so for multigenic traits. The large genome size of faba bean has slowed down breeding processes. Several other legumes have emerged as model legumes including Medicago truncatula, Lotus japonicus, Glycine max and Pisum sativum. The establishment of these models has already boosted our understanding of important processes such as the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic interaction. The high level of synteny and collinearity existing between legumes makes possible the transfer of key knowledge from model legumes to faba bean. Here we review the most recent knowledge gained from model legumes on grain quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, nitrogen-fixing symbiosis and how this knowledge can be employed for faba bean breeding.     

Characterization of supported lipid bilayers incorporating the phosphoinositides phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate and phosphoinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate by complementary techniques

Phosphoinositides are involved in a large number of processes in cells and it is very demanding to study individual protein-lipid interactions in vivo due to their rapid turnover and involvement in simultaneous events. Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) containing controlled amounts of phosphoinositides provide a defined model system where important specific recognition events involving phosphoinositides can be systematically investigated using surface sensitive analytical techniques. The authors have demonstrated the formation and characterized the assembly kinetics of SLBs incorporating phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PIP(2); 1, 5, and 10 wt?%) and phosphoinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (1 wt?%) using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. An increased fraction of phosphoinositides led to a higher barrier to liposome fusion, but full fluidity for the phosphatidylcholine lipids in the formed SLB. Significantly, the majority of phosphoinositides were shown to be immobile. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used for the first time to verify that the PIP(2) fraction of lipids in the SLB scales linearly with the amount mixed in from stock solutions.     

Quality Assessment of Three Industry-Derived Organic Amendments for Agricultural Use

The quality of three types of treated sludges (sludge from the paper recycling industry, and sewage sludge treated by composting with pruning waste and thermally dried) was assessed in this work. The amendments were physicochemically characterized and evaluated for their microbiological quality and for contamination with pollutants. All three organic amendments showed an absence of pathogens, so they are microbially suitable for agricultural use. The pollutants studied in the amendments included eight heavy metals and 83 organic compounds. Heavy metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, octylphenol, bisphenol A, and parabens were found in the organic amendments. The amount and type of contaminants depended on the sample sources and differed between samples from a single origin. The presence of some of the pollutants found has not been previously reported in organic amendments. The germination assay showed that these amendments may be applied to soil in controlled doses. As far as we know, this is the first reported study that has evaluated a great variety of pollutants (heavy metals, pesticides, persistent and emerging organic pollutants) in sludge from the recycled paper industry; moreover, studies in other waste products in which such a broad range of pollutants has been evaluated have been scarce until now due to the complexity of these matrices.     

Direct detection of residual cyanide in cassava using spectroscopic techniques

Fluorescence, infrared, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques have been applied to monitor the effect of processing mode on the residual cyanogens in cassava roots. The processed samples' infrared spectra have shown that only the boiled sample contains residual cyanide. SEM micrographs have revealed that irregularly shaped granules of about 100-microm size contain cyanide, while spherical granules of about 10-microm size do not. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that the intensities of peaks are not affected by the presence of cyanide in the cassava samples. Fluorescence and UV-visible studies have detected the presence of cyanide converted to cyanate in water used for soaking processes. The thermal behavior of cassava samples with respect to the cyanide content and the role of oxygen and different ions present in water used for soaking processes are also discussed.     

Inhibition of human cAMP-phosphodiesterase as a mechanism of the spasmolytic effect of Matricaria recutita L

Mechanisms underlying the spasmolytic activity of chamomile still remain unclear. Inhibition of cAMP- and cGMP-phosphodiesterases (PDE) is one of the mechanisms operated by spasmolytic drugs. In this study, the effect of chamomile on PDE was investigated. Human platelet cAMP-PDE and recombinant PDE5A1 were assayed in the presence of infusions prepared from sifted flowers and capitula. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed different compositions in infusions made with sifted flowers and capitula. Chamomile inhibited cAMP-PDE activity (IC50 = 17.9-40.5 microg/mL), while cGMP-PDE5 was less affected (-15% at 50 microg/mL). Among the individual compounds tested, only flavonoids showed an inhibitory effect (IC50 = 1.3-14.9 microM), contributing to around 39% of the infusion inhibition; other compounds responsible for cAMP-PDE inhibition still remain unknown. Although experimental evidence supporting the use of chamomile for gastrointestinal minor spasms dates back to the fifties, cAMP-PDE inhibition as a likely mechanism underlying the spasmolytic activity is reported for the first time.     

Gonadal structure analysis of Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) from a wild population: a new insight into the morphotype characterization

The aim of this work is to correlate the histological gonad analysis of adult male Macrobrachium amazonicum of a wild population with morphotypes identified in populations reared in earthen ponds. A total of 500 adult male specimens were collected in the Mosqueiro Island, Municipality of Belém, State of Pará, Brazil. The animals were classified on the basis of body and cheliped colour, second right cheliped spination, total length, cheliped length and weight. The gonads of each morphotype were fixed, processed by histological techniques and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. All four morphotypes, translucent claw (TC), cinnamon claw (CC), green claw 1 (GC1) and green claw 2 (GC2), were identified in the wild population, indicating the same population structure described for cultured animals. The M. amazonicum testes are composed of multiple lobes. The TC gonads showed a population of germ cells in the eccentric portion of the seminiferous tubule and few spermatozoa in the central region. Cinnamon claw males exhibited a large cell population with intense meiotic activity and sparse spermatozoa. Regardless of the different external morphologies of GC1 and GC2, no histological differences were found in their gonads; both had a large number of gametes and similar spermatogenic cell population. Despite the external morphological evidences of the four morphotypes, the histological criteria indicate the existence of only three morphotypes: TC, CC and green claw (GC).     

The hidden value of artisanal fisheries in Honduras

Declining fisheries catches are a global trend, with management failing to keep pace with growth in fishing effort and technological advances. The economic value of Honduras’ catches was estimated within the industrial and artisanal sectors. Catches were found to be 2.9 times greater than the official statistics between 1950 and 2015. The merging of industrial and artisanal catch data masked the decline in industrial catches and hid the strong growth of artisanal fisheries. In 1996, annual artisanal fisheries landed catches surpassed the industrial fishery sector, and in 2000, the annual net value of artisanal fisheries eclipsed the value of the industrial fisheries. These data highlight the importance of artisanal fisheries in Honduras and challenge the long‐held belief that the industrial sector contributes more to the national economy. The global paucity of fisheries data highlights the need for comprehensive strategies to collect more detailed and accurate fisheries data.