The nutritional value of low lathyrogenic Lathyrus (Lathyrus sativus) for growing chicks

1. The feeding value of new low β‐N‐oxalyl‐amino‐L‐alanine (BOAA) lines of Lathyrus sativus (lathyrus) and the benefits of dehulling the seed or of pre‐adapting chicks to lathyrus‐based diets were examined in several experiments.

2. Chicks fed on diets containing 400 g/kg of the low (1.3 g BOAA/kg seed) and medium (2.2 g BOAA/kg seed) BOAA lines did not differ (P>0.05) in weight gain (WG) or in apparent fat and protein digestibilities compared to birds fed on a wheat‐based diet.

3. Consumption of 600 g low BOAA lathyrus/kg diet caused a slight, but significant (P< 0.05), decrease in WG. Food efficiency decreased as the amount of dietary lathyrus was increased, suggesting that lathyrus may contain an antinutritive factor(s) other than BOAA.

4. Removal of the hull (70 g hull/kg seed) from the seed did not affect chick performance (P> 0.05).

5. Pre‐adapting chicks for 7 d to diets containing up to 600 g medium line lathyrus/kg diet did not reduce the detrimental effects of the lathyrus.

6. Although dehulling and pre‐adaptation of chicks to lathyrus were not beneficial, the low and medium lines of lathyrus tested show potential for use in chick diets up to at least 400 g lathyrus/kg diet.     

A SYSTEM OF "DEFINITIVE UNITS" PROPOSED FOR UNIVERSAL USE

It is proposed that physicists discard the CGS and Heaviside units, which are responsible for much confusion and needless mental effort, and employ exclusively a single system of "definitive units." The units suggested include the international meter, the international kilogram, the second, the mechanical watt, the international mercury ohm and they conform with the other international units as closely as is compatible with self-consistency. The system is not only definite and absolute, but also comprehensive, readily visualized and, in large part, already employed under well-established names. The system was proposed in 1901 by Giorgi and in 1904 by Robertson but received scant attention on account of the artificial prestige of the CGS system. A single universal system of units should be the ultimate goal, and the "definitive units" are chosen with a view to their adoption not only by all scientists but also by the butcher, the baker and the candlestick-maker. The definitive system of units makes it perfectly feasible to employ a single system much more generally than has ever been the case in the past; the natural ultimate goal is the universal use of these units for all purposes. In the attempt to extend the application of metric units in the United States the meter-stere-kilogram, rather than the meter-liter-gram, should form the basis for legislation, in order to give definitive units their proper legalized status and to secure to the full the advantages of a comprehensive system consistently interrelated with the legalized international electrical units. The gradual discarding of CGS and other redundant units would inevitably follow. Even in the absence of official recognition of definitive units, individuals may advantageously employ the system. This would cause confusion neither to authors nor readers, since these units, in the main, have already acquired vital existence through world-wide, daily use under familiar, well-established names.     

The effect of introgressions of wheat D-genome chromosomes into 'Presto' triticale

Hexaploid triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) (2n= 6x= 42, AABBRR) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (2n= 6x= 42, AABBDD) differ in their R and D-genomes. This produces differences in both agronomic and end-use quality characteristics. Our objective was to determine how introgressions of individual chromosomes from the D-genome of wheat affect these characteristics of a winter triticale 'Presto'. We studied the effects of 18 D-genome chromosome substitution lines, 15 sib-lines as controls, and five check cultivars at Lincoln, NE in 1996, using a randomized complete block design with two replications. The experiment was repeated at Lincoln and Mead, NE in 1997 and 1998 with 15 substitution lines that survived the first winter in Lincoln, along with their 12 control sibs and five check cultivars. Few D-genome chromosomes had positive effects. Chromosomes 2D, 4D, and 6D significantly reduced plant height when substituted for 2R, 4B, and 6R, respectively. No grain yield increases were associated with any of the D-genome chromosomes tested, but three substitutions decreased the grain yield. Depending on the allele of the hardness gene present, chromosome 5D increased or decreased kernel hardness when substituted for 5R or 5A, respectively. Introgressions of chromosomes 1D and 6D improved end-use quality characteristics of Presto. These results suggest that apart from beneficial effects of individual loci located on the D-genome chromosomes, no major benefit can be expected from D-genome chromosome substitutions.     

Point mugu, california, earthquake of 21 february 1973 and its aftershocks

Seismological investigations show that the Point Mugu earthquake involved north-south crustal shortening deep within the complex fault zone that marks the southern front of the Transverse Ranges province. This earthquake sequence results from the same stress system responsible for the deformation in this province in the Pliocene through Holocene and draws attention to the significant earthquake hazard that the southern frontal fault system poses to the Los Angeles metropolitan area.     

Venus: volcanism and rift formation in Beta regio

A new high-resolution radar image of Beta Regio, a Venus highland area, confirms the presence of a major tectonic rift system and associated volcanic activity. The lack of identifiable impact craters, together with the apparent superposition of the Theia Mons volcanic structure on the rift system, suggest that at least some of the volcanic activity occurred in relatively recent geologic time. The presence of topographically similar highland areas elsewhere on Venus (Aphrodite Terra, Dali Chasma, and Diana Chasma) suggests that rifting and volcanism are significant processes on Venus.     

Tartary buckwheat breeding (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagopyrum tataricum</Emphasis> L. Gaertn.) through hybridization with its Rice-Tartary type

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is a highly nutritious crop that is widely grown in Asia, but the flour contains a large portion of the hull if it is ground with industrial processing since the hull is very hard to remove as it adheres to the testa layer of the groat. Rice-Tartary, a particular type of Tartary buckwheat, has seeds with a loose hull and the presence of splits on the sides of the seeds that make dehulling easily. The present study reports on the first attempt of crop improvement in Tartary buckwheat breeding through hybridization. Hybrids were obtained by hybridization of crosses between Tartary buckwheat and Rice-Tartary. Additional crosses were made among selected progenies of these crosses. Based on progeny analysis of the F₁, F₂, and F₃, the character of Rice-Tartary, as exhibited as the presence of splits on the sides of the seeds, is controlled by one gene which is homozygous recessive. A Tartary buckwheat breeding program has been conducted for 6 years based on these crosses. Advanced lines with easy dehull and yield potential are at the stage of ready for yield trials. Production of easy dehulling Tartary buckwheat in the future could boost Canada’s domestic and international markets.     

Dirt in our mouths and hunger in our bellies: Metaphor, theory-making, and systems approaches to sustainable agriculture

The metaphor of the food system,dominant in current research approaches to sustainableagriculture, mirrors the productionist paradigm, whichreduces our relationship to land and food to theproduction and consumption of commodities. Theenactment of the familiar values of nourishment andhospitality is what the goal of sustainableagriculture would amount to in terms of our day to daylived experience. The metaphor of an earthen bowl asa theory of food and agriculture can embody thesevalues such that broader change might be achievedthrough embracing the idea and practice of theories asnourishing and theorizing as hospitable.     

Environmental and spatial characterisation of bacterial community composition in soil to inform sampling strategies

Soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities are highly heterogeneous and vary widely over spatial scales, necessitating careful consideration of sampling strategies to provide representative and reproducible soil samples across field sites. To achieve this, the study aimed to establish appropriate sampling methodology and to determine links between the variability of parameters, utilising two sampling strategies. The first (design 1) involved extracting 25 cores from random locations throughout the field and pooling them into five sets of five cores. The second (design 2) involved a further 25 cores within five 1 m² sub-plots. Sub-samples from each sub-plot were pooled in order to determine between and within sub-plot variability. All samples were analysed independently and as pooled sub-samples. Results indicate that pooling spatially separated samples significantly reduced the variability in pH, compared to individual samples. Pooling samples from a small area resulted in lower within sub-plot variability than between sub-plots for pH and bacterial community composition assessed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Following multivariate statistical analysis, a large amount of variation in community composition was explained by soil pH, which is remarkable given the relatively small size of the sampling area and minor differences in pH. Moisture content was also important in determining bacterial communities in the random design (design 1). In the 1 m² sub-plot design (design 2), the spatial location of the plots explained a large degree of the variation in bacterial community composition between plots, which was due to spatial autocorrelation of pH and possible additional environmental parameters. This study emphasises the importance of sampling design for obtaining representative samples from soil.