Morphometric analysis of the spinal cord of the Sus scrofa (large white and landrace crossbreed)

The incidence of spinal cord (SC) injury in developed and undeveloped countries is alarming. The pig (Sus scrofa) has been recommended as a suitable research model for translational studies because of its morphophysiological similarities of organ systems with humans. There is a dearth of information on the SC anatomy of the large white and landrace crossbreed (LW-LC) pigs. We therefore aim to describe the gross morphology and morphometry of its SC. Twelve juvenile LW-LC pigs (six males and six females) were used. The skin and epaxial muscles were dissected to expose the vertebral column. The SC was carefully harvested by laminectomy, and 13 gross SC morphometric parameters were evaluated. Thirty-three spinal nerves were seen emanating from either side of the SC by means of dorsal and ventral spinal roots. The overall average of SC length and weight was 36.23 ± 1.01 cm and 16.60 ± 0.58 g, respectively. However, the mean SC length and weight were higher in females compared with males, with SC weight being statistically significant. A positive relationship between SC length and weight was significant for males (p = 0.0435) but not for females (p = 0.42). Likewise, the strength of the relationship between SC length and weight was significant in males (r = 0.82) but not significant in females (r = 0.41). Baseline data for the morphometric features of the spinal cord in the LW-LC pigs were generated, which will contribute to the knowledge of this species anatomy and useful information on regional anaesthesia that should further strengthen the drive in adopting the pig as a suitable research model for biomedical research.     

基于全基因组填充重测序关联分析鉴别影响苏山猪初生体尺与乳头数性状的遗传位点

旨在鉴别影响苏山猪初生体尺和乳头数性状的遗传位点,开发可用于辅助育种的分子标记,为苏山猪生长和繁殖性能的持续选育提供理论基础。本试验对269头苏山猪初生仔猪(出生后24 h内)的体尺和乳头数表型进行测定,并采集耳组织样品。基于全基因组重测序及基因型填充策略,利用全基因组关联分析(genome-wide association study, GWAS)和群体分化指数(fixation index,Fst)的方法挖掘与目的性状强关联位点,并对位置功能候选基因开展GO和KEGG分析,确定最有可能的主效基因。本研究共鉴别到4个候选位点,分布在13、14和X染色体上,其中与初生体尺性状显著关联的位点有2个,与乳头数性状显著关联的位点有2个。本研究筛选出1个与体长性状相关的候选基因ACTA2;1个与胸围性状相关的候选基因COL4A6;3个与乳头数性状相关的候选基因ACTA2、CRTAP和SEPTIN6,为苏山猪初生体尺性状和乳头数性状的遗传改良提供了重要的分子标记。     

两种有效的预测方法理论分析及实践

预算实际上是一种建模,即根据过去和现在已有的信息建立一个从过去引伸到未来的模型。而时序分析法和灰色系统理论是两种有效的预测方法。为此,介绍了这两种预测方法的原理,并预测了新疆兵团的农机情况。其结果表明:未来10年,新疆农机总动力和投入将会有较大幅度的增长,而农业机械化程度将趋于最高值。     

Surface drainage requirement of crops: Application of a piecewise linear model for evaluating submergence tolerance

Crop tolerance to land submergence is an important criterion for designing a surface drainage system for agricultural lands. This paper collates the available data from various places in India related to the studies on the submergence tolerance of crops. The paper hypothesizes that a piecewise linear model could be used to describe crop response to land submergence. According to this hypothesis, there would be no yield decline for a few initial days of submergence. If submergence continues beyond this period then there would be linear decline in yield. The unknown parameters in the model are: optimum yield, threshold time and the slope which represents the per cent yield reduction per day of additional submergence beyond the threshold.Data in respect of wheat, pigeon peas, cowpeas, pearlmillet, maize and groundnuts indicate that the model describes the data well, although in many cases the threshold is 0.0. The yield reduction varies from 5.3 to 23.2% for each day of submergence beyond the threshold. It appears that to allow for more than 1–2 days of submergence will result in more than 10% reducation in yield of dryfoot crops. For the maize crop, the seedling stage is the most sensitive stage followed by the silking stage. The grain formation stage is the least sensitive, although even at this stage the threshold is 0.0 and yield reduction is 9.3% for each day of submergence beyond the threshold. The data for 9 test crops from Texas and Venezuela were well described by the model. It is concluded that the piecewise linear model is a useful tool for describing submergence tolerance of crops and for working out surface drainage requirements for a given level of yield reduction. Frequency analysis of the daily rainfall data from some selected locations indicates that there is every likelihood of submergence at most of the stations. It is suggested that there is an urgent need for developing wet farming techniques analogous to dry farming techniques.     

高度重视小型农机具利用率减少资源浪费

为解决随着大、中型联合作业机具和跨区作业的发展．农村中占机具总量大部分的小型机具出现闲置．造成了农机资源的浪费问题，提出了4条提高利用率的途径和农机主管部门应做好的5项工作。     

河北省机械化旱作节水农业技术及发展对策

阐述了河北省机械化旱作节水农业的现状；介绍了目前正在全省实施的几项主要机械化旱作节水农业技术；提出了发展机械化旱作农业技术的几项对策。     

GIS在农业水土领域的应用与研究进展

介绍了近年来国内外GIS在农业灌溉管理、精确农业和农业区划、土壤利用和土壤侵蚀方面的研究和应用情况，并对GIS在该领域的研究进行归纳和总结，此外探讨了GIS在当前农业领域应用的主要发展方向。     

Towards sustainable farming systems: Effectiveness and deficiency of the French procedure of sustainable agriculture

There is a widespread consensus about the importance of sustainable agriculture. In France, the Farming Orientation Law of July 1999 has set down a precise procedure for the implementation of sustainable agriculture: the contrat territorial d’exploitation – or territorial farm contract (TFC). This paper aims to analyse the TFC effectiveness. An analysis has been made of the TFCs signed in the Midi-Pyrenees Region in south-western France, using statistical analysis and qualitative surveys of a sample of farms. The results show that the most valuable effects have been mainly economic. Effects regarding social and environmental aspects were very limited. But from the point of view of an integrated approach, indirect effects of TFCs can be observed on social and environmental aspects. These results are explained, on the one hand, by farmers’ motivations guided by economic objectives, and on the other hand, by the dominance of professional farming organisations in the implementation of TFC’s procedure. Given these results, two ways of improving the elaboration procedure for TFCs are proposed. Firstly, technical improvements can be made to the diagnostic assessment of farms, and to the choice of actions addressed by the contract. Secondly, organisational improvements can be applied to TFCs elaboration and implementation process, in order to adopt a participatory approach which would involve all rural stakeholders.     

Finding niches for whole-farm design models – contradictio in terminis?

Whole-farm design models quantitatively analyze the effects of a variety of potential changes at the farm system level. Science-driven technical information is confronted with value-driven objectives of farmers or other social groupings under explicit assumptions with respect to exogenous variables that are important drivers of agricultural systems (e.g., market conditions). Hence, farm design is an outcome of objective specification and the potential of a system. In recent publications, whole-farm design modelling has been proposed to enhance (farm) innovation processes. A number of operational modelling tools now offers the opportunity to assess the true potential of whole-farm design modelling to enhance innovation. In this paper, we demonstrate that it is not trivial to find niches for the application of goal-based farm models. Model outcomes appeared not to match questions of farm managers monitoring and learning from their own and other farmers’ practices. However, our research indicates that whole-farm design modelling possesses the capabilities to make a valuable contribution to reframing. Reframing is the phenomenon that people feel an urge to discuss and reconsider current objectives and perspectives on a problem. Reframing might take place in a situation (i) of mutually felt dependency between stakeholders, (ii) in which there is sufficient pressure and urgency for stakeholders to explore new problem definitions and make progress. Furthermore, our research suggests that the way the researcher enters a likely niche to introduce a model and/or his or her position in this niche may have significant implications for the potential of models to enhance an innovation process. Therefore, we hypothesize that the chances of capitalizing on modelling expertise are likely to be higher when researchers with such expertise are a logical and more or less permanent component of ongoing trajectories than when these researchers come from outside to purposefully search for a niche.     

Conversion to organic arable farming in The Netherlands: A dynamic linear programming analysis

Several studies show that organic farming is more profitable than conventional farming. However, in reality not many farmers convert to organic farming. Policy makers and farmers do not have clear insight into factors which hamper or stimulate the conversion to organic farming. The objective of this paper is to develop a dynamic linear programming model to analyse the effects of different limiting factors on the conversion process of farms over time. The model is developed for a typical arable farm in The Netherlands central clay region, and is based on two static liner programming models (conventional and organic). The objective of the model is to maximise the net present value over a 10-year planning horizon. The results of the analysis of a basic scenario show that conversion to organic farming is more profitable than staying conventional. In order to arrive at the actual profitable phase of organic farming, the farmer has to pass through the economically difficult 2-year conversion period. Sensitivity analysis shows that if depreciation is 25% higher than conventional fixed costs due to machinery made superfluous by conversion, conversion is less profitable than staying conventional. Also the availability of hired labour, which can be constrained in peak periods, has a strong effect on the cropping plan and the amount of area converted. Further analysis shows that a slight drop (2%) in organic prices lowers the labour income of the farmer and makes conversion less profitable than conventional farming. For farmers, a minimum labour income can be required to ‘survive’. The analysis shows that constraint on minimum labour income makes stepwise conversion the best way for farmers to overcome economic difficulties during conversion.