Changes In Cultural Practices Research Articles

Molecular and functional characterization of chemosensory genes from the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola

BackgroundRoot-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola has emerged as a major threat in rice agroecosystems owing to climate change-induced changes in cultivation practices. Synthetic nematicides are continually being withdrawn from the nematode management toolbox because of their ill effects on the environment. A sustainable strategy would be to develop novel nematicides or resistant plants that would target nematode sensory perception, which is a key step in the host finding biology of plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs). However, compared to the extensive literature on the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, negligible research has been performed on PPN chemosensory biology.ResultsThe present study characterizes the five chemosensory genes (Mg-odr-7, Mg-tax-4, Mg-tax-4.1, Mg-osm-9, and Mg-ocr-2) from M. graminicola that are putatively associated with nematode host-finding biology. All the genes were highly transcribed in the early life stages, and RNA interference (RNAi)-induced downregulation of each candidate gene perturbed the normal behavioural phenotypes of M. graminicola, as determined by examining the tracking pattern of juveniles on Pluronic gel medium, attraction to and penetration in rice root tip, and developmental progression in rice root. In addition, a detrimental effect on nematode chemotaxis towards different volatile and nonvolatile organic compounds and host root exudates was documented.ConclusionOur findings enrich the existing literature on PPN chemosensory biology and can supplement future research aimed at identifying a comprehensive chemosensory signal transduction pathway in PPNs.

Effect of climate change‐induced increases on the range of rice‐barley double cultivation on the intermediate egret

Abstract Intensification of cultivation methods and land‐use types, particularly in the face of climate change, has steadily weakened the habitat function of rice fields for waterbirds. Intermediate egrets (Ardea intermedia) are highly dependent on rice field habitats. Here, we examine the effect of a shift from rice monoculture to rice–barley double cultivation on the use of rice fields by intermediate egrets in South Korea. Rice–barley double cultivation has been increasing steadily in the southern region of South Korea due to changes in the rice growth period under climate change and maximization of economic benefits. We studied rice fields to determine the effect of the rice–barley double cultivation area on the abundance of intermediate egrets on the regional scale and their potential distribution pattern in response to double cultivation in relation to climate change using national‐scale climate, altitude and land cover data from 1 May to 23 June 2018. Compared to the irrigation practices used for rice monoculture, irrigation was stopped for some time in rice–barley double cultivation prior to planting, compromising the role of rice fields as a food ground for intermediate egrets. The potential abundance of intermediate egrets rapidly decreased by half when the double cultivation area increased to >40% of the total rice‐field area, and was less than one individual if the area increased to >80%. Furthermore, according to climate change projections, by 2100, the double cultivation area would account for 75.74% of the predicted range of intermediate egret foraging ground. Synthesis and applications. Double cultivation areas should be <40% of existing rice fields to minimize the impact of the change in cultivation practices. This approach can also convert rice fields to other types of land use. Consequently, appropriate conservation and management measures may be developed to maintain suitable habitats despite rapidly changing cultivation practices resulting from climate change.

An Innovative Approach to Cleaning Up Organic and Inorganic Contaminations from Soil and Water

Changes in cultivation practices, rapidly increasing anthropogenic activities, and huge industrial waste generation severely affect soil and water ecosystems [...]

Introduction: Affective Mires in Contemporary Culture

The word ‘mire’ in English means “an area of deep, wet, sticky earth” (see Cambridge Dictionary). The dictionary defines mire by its character and also by the affective way it is perceived and sensed by people when entering and moving around in it. Mires are special natural areas that have determined how people have learned and adapted to live in them in different cultures and eras. This special thematic issue on mire cultures explores the changing cultural practices and values associated with mires in the modern day, and further, their effects on the cultural heritage of mires for the future. During the current time of climate change and eco-crisis, people’s attitudes and ways of thinking about mires and nature in general have changed, with a greater emphasis being placed on more-than-human aspects. Human-mire relationships are processes that are shaped by changes in culture and society, and also by the experiences of individuals (Laurén et al. 2022). They include various activities that reflect the emotions, attitudes, knowledge and values of individuals and communities. In our research, the intangible cultural heritage is seen to be based on values, where mires are regarded as culturally significant natural areas and living organisms (see Poulios 2014). From the perspective of living heritage, it is essential that communities constantly recreate their traditions in relation to their environment, and in interaction with nature and their own history. Our research shows that the importance of mires is reflected in the transformation of cultural heritage for communities and acting on mires is part of people’s self-expression and identity, and there is a desire to pass on different forms of mire traditions not only into the future but also within generations. The studies presented in this special thematic issue aim to find answers to the following questions: What is the cultural heritage of mires in the twenty-first century? How has it changed since the past times? Are there signs of a changing relationship arising between humans and mires in the future?

Experiences of domestic violence prevention interventions and gender equality promotion work: a qualitative study of Nirdhar Groups in rural India

Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) against women in India is a serious concern. To address this, community-based interventions to facilitate sustained change at local levels have been implemented in 37 villages by the Halo Medical Foundation (an NGO working in the Maharashtra state of India). This qualitative study of community led alliances (known as Nirdhar Groups) evaluates the experiences of these ‘community citizen groups’. Participants from 12 villages from the project area participated in qualitative focus group discussions. Nirdhar Groups used local interventions to address priorities such as safe and equal access to education and healthcare. They offered education to address financial oppression and used community pressure and ‘Responsible Couples’ as mechanisms for change, to instil ‘fairness, gender equality, kind and compassionate community values’ and a variety of techniques to reduce DVA. The drivers for change included role modelling, empowerment of women in communities and a focus on changing cultural practices for present and future generations. This paper reveals how local interventions empower communities to address gender disparities and DVA.

Great ape enculturation studies: a neglected resource in cognitive development research

Disagreement remains about whether particular human socio-cognitive traits arose primarily as a result of biological adaptations, or because of changing cultural practices. Heyes argues that uniquely human traits, including imitation and theory of mind, are the product of cultural learning. In contrast, Tomasello argues that they are, in key respects, part of a suite of adaptations for ‘shared intentionality’. We consider how such disagreements might be resolved. We show that the kinds of consideration often used to adjudicate questions about trait origins are insufficient to settle origin questions. Furthermore, humankind’s immersion in culture undermines the prospect that cross-cultural and developmental studies could resolve origin questions. Nonetheless we argue that, when cautiously interpreted, currently neglected studies of enculturated great apes (i.e. apes raised in human environments) can shed new light on trait origins, and inform mechanistic accounts of cognitive development. While acknowledging the shortcomings of enculturation research, we argue that it deserves renewed attention.

Celebrity Plays and Embodied Fidelity

ABSTRACT In human subjects, celebrity is an active, yet predictable, phenomenon, one that is a carefully structured and managed experience designed to evoke ideas of talent, of charisma that is presented as distinct from the machinations that generate fame, even as it is obliquely acknowledged to depend on these very factors. Celebrity, therefore, is a reactive phenomena that helps define cultural norms. This essay suggests that Shakespeare plays are celebrities in their own right and accrue particular stage histories that are actively perpetuated as ‘Shakespearean’. Stagings of famous plays are expected to visually embody an idea of Shakespeare that is faithful to, not the original text, but a rich and often hegemonic cultural mythology that is embedded in the collective understanding of a particular play. For canonical plays, celebrity manifests in the competing assumption that a Shakespeare play’s fame stems from its universal timelessness and that it can be mobilised to speak to the current political moment or changing cultural practices. If embodied fidelity, then, is when a celebrity play is expected to look, feel, and be acted a particular way, theatre’s capacity as memory machine means that lineages develop that can actively dictate performance and casting strategies, making implicit decisions about who is granted access to ‘authentic’ Shakespeare – and who is not. This essay uses appropriation theory to suggest that the stakes of embodied fidelity are high, as it dictates conditions of performance along lines of race and gender, ability, and class.

Emerging pattern of Viral Diseases in a high Andean Microregion (Bolivia) producing potato seed-tubers

A new pattern of potato viral disease would appear to be emerging in this high Andean region, perhaps attributable to the gradual change in the varieties being cultivated, and to new possibilities of transmission and dissemination modes associated with changes in cultivation practices.

Efficacy of Imidacloprid Seed Treatments against Four Wheat Aphids under Laboratory and Field Conditions

Imidacloprid seed treatments are effective at reducing the cohorts of many insect pests on crops such as cotton, corn, and cereals. The effects of imidacloprid seed treatments depend on the aphid species. In China, there are four wheat aphid species-Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus), Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), and Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker)-and for a given region, these four aphid species differ in dominance with changes in cultivation practices and climate. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of imidacloprid seed treatments on the four different aphid species. In experiments in the laboratory, imidacloprid seed treatments significantly reduced the survival rates of S. avenae, R. padi, and S. graminum to 57.33 ± 2.86%, 12.67 ± 1.92%, and 20.66 ± 2.33%, respectively, but for M. dirhodum, there was no significant difference between the control (96.33 ± 1.08%) and the treatment (97.00 ± 0.98%). The fecundities of the four aphid species were much reduced, especially for R. padi when feeding on treated wheat plants. For the field survey, only three aphid species were considered because the density of S. graminum was too low to be analyzed. The effects of imidacloprid seed treatment on the three aphid species in the field were consistent with the laboratory results. Imidacloprid seed treatment reduced the population sizes of S. avenae and R. padi at rates of 70.30 ± 3.15% and 87.62 ± 2.28%, respectively, for the whole wheat season in the field. For M. dirhodum, imidacloprid seed treatments were less effective, and the densities of M. dirhodum increased on four sample days. From this study, we confirmed that the effect of imidacloprid seed treatment varied with the composition of aphid species, being especially less effective for M. dirhodum.

Media Technologies in the System of Training of the Students of Creative Specialties

The article discusses innovative technologies of teaching in the system of higher education in the field of art and culture based on the lists of specialties and areas of training. The article describes the experience of developing academic disciplines and modernizing the content of work programs in connection with the spread of new technologies in the field of art, as well as changes in cultural practice as a specific area of economic activity. Innovative methods and forms of scientific research, development of practical skills and control of students' knowledge are considered.

Appraisal of Soil Health Card Scheme on Change in Cultivation Practices of Sali Rice in Darrang District, Assam

The study was conducted during 2017-18 to examine the changes observed in cultivation practices of Sali rice after receiving Soil Health Card (SHC) and for identifying the problems faced by respondents in utilising the SHC recommendations in Darrang district, Assam. A sample of 150 respondents was selected randomly by proportional allocation to size. The result showed that 74.66 per cent of the respondent did not apply the fertilizers as per SHC recommendation. For examining average change in terms of fertilizer application pattern, area and productivity of Sali rice intended for before and after getting SHC, no significant changes have been observed using student’s t-test at 5% level of significance. Increased in area under Sali rice was not significantly higher than before SHC was distributed. The distribution of SHC didn’t bring any changes in cultivation practices of sali rice during 2017-18 at Darrang district.Thus; the study has suggested providing extension support to farmers. Credit linkage through Kisan Credit Card will be helpful in increasing the production of rice and then market linkage may be established. For getting the better result it is necessary to link all the schemes with each other instead of implementing each scheme independently.

A simple mass balance tool to predict carbon and nitrogen fluxes in anaerobic digestion systems.

The increase in anaerobic digestion systems has profoundly affected the waste management of territories, particularly for agricultural systems. Changes in cultural practices and imports of organic waste modify the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes on territories where anaerobic digestion is implemented. Successful anaerobic digestion can increase the economic and ecological efficiency of the waste management system. Conversely, poor anaerobic digestion leads to low economic and environmental efficiency due to greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient loss. Modeling the impact of anaerobic digestion on the systems integrating anaerobic digestion can improve the efficiency of these practices. The aim of this study was to develop, analyze, and evaluate a simple mass balance tool able to predict carbon and nitrogen fluxes in anaerobic digestion systems. The tool is composed of an exhaustive substrate database used by three models: (i) an anaerobic digestion model that predicts C and N contents in biogas and digestate; (ii) a phase separation model that predicts C and N content in liquid and solid phase digestates; and (iii) a storage model that predicts C and N content in raw, liquid phase, and solid phase digestates, as well as C and N emissions during storage. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the tool to determine critical inputs. Sensitivity analysis showed that outputs were highly sensitive to their respective inputs and to total inputs of solids. Performance evaluation showed that the tool can provide good quality predictions with R2 correlations between observation and prediction varying from 0.72 to 0.99 with the best predictions obtained for raw digestate.

Anthropogenic transitions from forested to human-dominated landscapes in southern Macaronesia

The extinction of iconic species such as the dodo and the deforestation of Easter Island are emblematic of the transformative impact of human colonization of many oceanic islands, especially those in the tropics and subtropics. Yet, the interaction of prehistoric and colonial-era colonists with the forests and forest resources they encountered can be complex, varies between islands, and remains poorly understood. Long-term ecological records (e.g., fossil pollen) provide the means to understand these human impacts in relation to natural change and variability pre- and postcolonization. Here we analyze paleoecological archives in forested landscapes of the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde, first colonized approximately 2,400 to 2,000 and 490 y ago, respectively. We demonstrate sensitivity to regional climate change prior to human colonization, followed by divergent but gradual impacts of early human settlement. These contrast with more rapid transformation in the colonial era, associated with significant increases in anthropogenic pressures. In the Canary Islands, at least two native tree taxa became extinct and lowland thermophilous woodlands were largely converted to agricultural land, yet relictual subtropical laurel forests persisted with limited incursion of nonnative species. In Cabo Verde, in contrast, thermophilous woodlands were depleted and substituted by open landscapes and introduced woodlands. Differences between these two archipelagos reflect the changing cultural practices and societal interactions with forests and illustrate the importance of long-term data series in understanding the human footprint on island ecosystems, information that will be critically important for current and future forest restoration and conservation management practices in these two biodiversity hotspots.

The Gayonese Culture of Marriage System: The Islamic Law Perspective

This research explores the Gayonese culture of marriage through an analytical view of the Islamic law. There has been a shift in marriage system in the Gayonese society, in which the Juelen and the Angkap, the two formerly known systems shifted to Kuso Kini. This is an empirical research using the law historical approach to allow the author restropectively explore the construction of law and its shift from time to time. The data was gathered through an in-depth analysis of the literature and semi-structured interviews of the community leaders. The findings suggest that marriage systems are shifting and the Gayonese communities do not problematize this transformation. In fact, they are not in the position to force their children to adopt both the Juelen and the Angkap marriage system. This is so, since most communities in the present times prefer Kuso Kini marriage system to the other two. The Kuso Kini marriage system gives freedom for spouses to decide where they should stay, either with their parents or find their own living. This shift in marriage system is the result of cultural intermingled, in which some non-Gayonese migrated to the Gayonese Island and brought with them their own cultural values. The same is true to the Gayonese communities migrating to places beyond the Gayonese Island. It is therefore believed that a shift in marriage system is a must as the world today allow people across different cultural values to integrate with each other. The integration for sure gives changes to a certain cultural value. However, changes in cultural practices do not result in cultural-religious clashes. In fact, it is expected that the changes contribute to the family resilience and the marriage cultural system, the Kuso Kini, prevails.

SITUACIÓN ACTUAL DE LA MANCHA FOLIAR DEL TRIGO CAUSADA POR Zymoseptoria tritici EN MÉXICO

La mancha foliar causada por Zymoseptoria tritici es una enfermedad que ocasiona pérdidas económicas importantes en las zonas trigueras del mundo. Cambios en las prácticas culturales como la labranza mínima, aunadas al uso irracional de fungicidas y a la gran plasticidad genética y capacidad reproductiva del hongo son responsables, en parte, del desarrollo de nuevas epifitias por esta enfermedad. Para su manejo se requiere de la implementación de diversas estrategias, como la rotación de cultivos y la remoción de residuos de cosecha; sin embargo, el uso de variedades resistentes es clave para incrementar la productividad del trigo (Triticum aestivum L.). México cuenta con algunas variedades comerciales de trigo harinero moderadamente resistentes. El objetivo de esta revisión fue conocer la situación actual de la mancha foliar, para identificar líneas futuras de investigación que coadyuven al manejo de la enfermedad en el país.

Combination of 137Cs and 210Pb Radioactive Atmospheric Fallouts to Estimate Soil Erosion for the Same Time Scale.

Naturally occurring 210Pb and artificial 137Cs fallouts are widely used as radioactive tracers for the determination of water-induced soil erosion for different time scales equal to 50 and 100 years, respectively. There exist several calibration models useful to convert the variation of the inventory of these radiotracers in cultivated soil compared to its value on non-disturbed soil to a soil erosion rate. The most comprehensive calibration models are based on a mass balance approach. In the present work, a new calibration model is proposed. It consists on the generalization of the mass balance approach to a cultivated soil subject to two successive and continuous periods of cultivation. The proposed model combines 210Pb and 137Cs fallouts for the same time scale by relaxing the constraint on 210Pb fallout from being used for 100 years’ time scale. The model was applied successfully to hypothetical cases and can be used to measure soil erosion rates for practical cases. It is important to note that the proposed model has two main advantages. First, the complementarity between 210Pb and 137Cs fallouts is for the same time scale and not for different time scales, as usually considered and believed in this field. Second, 210Pb fallout is used for time scales less than 100 years. This makes the model useful to estimate soil erosion rates for two successive periods of cultivation. To the best knowledge of the authors, the combination of 210Pb and 137Cs fallouts for the determination of soil erosion rate variation due to change in cultivation practices for the same time scale has never been developed or applied in the past.

IDENTIFICATION WHEAT GENOTYPES RESISTANT TO TAN SPOT PYRENOPHORA TRITICI-REPENTIS

Intensified wheat production, changes in cultural practices including shifts from conventional tillage to reduced tillage practices, and wheat monoculture involving cultivation of susceptible cultivars has resulted in development of tan spot to epidemic proportions in Kazakhstan. Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, causal agent of tan spot on wheat. In recent years, there has been increasing distribution and harmfulness of P. tritici-repentis on wheat. The aim of the study was to identify and select wheat germplasm resistant to tan spot P. tritici-repentis using molecular markers. The results of field evaluation showed resistant reaction to tan spot in 76 wheat varieties (68%). Molecular screening of wheat germplasm was carried out based on the reaction to the fungal inoculum and to host-specific toxins (HST) produced by the P. tritici-repentis. The wheat germplasm insensitive to the toxins HST Ptr ToxA and Ptr ToxB was selected. As a result of molecular screening of 111 wheat genotypes using SSR marker Xfcp623 linked to insensitivity gene to the selective toxin Ptr ToxA of tan spot, 31 carriers of effective tsn1 gene were identified, which accounted for 27,9% of the genotypes studied. Ten samples of wheat (Jubileynaya 60, TOO11/TOOOO7, F3.71/TRM/VORONA/3/OC14, NANJTNG 82149 KAUZ, ECHA/LI115, Akmola 2, Kazakh-stanskaya rannespelaya, Kazakhstanskaya 25, 428g/MK-122A and 190-Naz/GF55) are characterized with complex resistance to the races Ptr 1 and 5, as well as to 2 toxins (ToxA and ToxB) and to the Septoria nodorum blotch isolate SNB7k. 20 promising wheat lines resistant to tan spot were selected. These genotypes also showed a moderate and high level of field resistance and recommended to use in the breeding programs for resistance to tan spot.

Adaptation of Biotrophic Leaf Pathogens to Fertilization-Mediated Changes in Plant Traits: A Comparison of the Optimization Principle to Invasion Fitness.

One of the conclusions of evolutionary ecology applied to agroecosystem management is that sustainable disease management strategies must be adaptive to overcome the immense adaptive potential of crop pathogens. In this context, knowledge of how pathogens adapt to changes in cultural practices is necessary. In this article we address the issue of the evolutionary response of biotrophic crop pathogens to changes in fertilization practices. For this purpose, we compare predictions of latent period evolution based on three empirical fitness measures (seasonal spore production, within-season exponential growth rate, and area under disease progress curves [AUDPCs]) with predictions based on the concept of invasion fitness from adaptive dynamics. We use pairwise invisibility plots to identify the evolutionarily stable strategies (ESSs) of the pathogen latent period. We find that the ESS latent period is in between the latent periods that maximize the seasonal spore production and the within-season exponential growth rate of the pathogen. The latent periods that maximize the AUDPC are similar to those of the ESS latent periods. The AUDPC may therefore be a critical variable to determine the issue of between-strain competition and shape pathogen evolution.

Isotopic Evidence for Changes in Cereal Production Strategies in Iron Age and Roman Britain

ABSTRACT Following the Roman conquest, agricultural production in Britain faced increasing demand from large urban and military populations. While it has long been thought that this necessitated an increase in agricultural production, direct archaeological evidence for changes in cultivation practices has been scarce. Using a model that conceptualises cereal farming strategies in terms of intensive or extensive practices, this paper is the first study to address this question using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data of crop remains. We report δ15N and δ13C values from 41 samples of spelt, emmer and barley from Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman Stanwick (Northants., UK), in order to assess the intensiveness of arable farming and investigate shifts in cultivation practices in prehistoric and Roman Britain. The results demonstrate a decline in δ15N in the Roman period, suggesting that farming practices moved to lower levels of manuring and, by implication, became more extensive. δ13C values are comparable in all periods, supporting the suggestion that changes observed in human stable isotope data between the Iron Age and Roman period are best explained by dietary change rather than a shift towards higher δ13C values in plants at the base of the food chain.

5,200-year-old cereal grains from the eastern Altai Mountains redate the trans-Eurasian crop exchange.

Wheat and barley evolved from large-seeded annual grasses in the arid, low latitudes of Asia; their spread into higher elevations and northern latitudes involved corresponding evolutionary adaptations in these plants, including traits for frost tolerance and shifts in photoperiod sensitivity. The adaptation of farming populations to these northern latitudes was also a complex and poorly understood process that included changes in cultivation practices and the varieties of crops grown. In this article, we push back the earliest dates for the spread of wheat and barley into northern regions of Asia as well as providing earlier cultural links between East and West Asia. The archaeobotanical, palynological and anthracological data we present come from the Tongtian Cave site in the Altai Mountains, with a punctuated occupation dating between 5,200 and 3,200 calibrated years BP, coinciding with global cooling of the middle-late Holocene transition. These early low-investment agropastoral populations in the north steppe area played a major role in the prehistoric trans-Eurasian exchange.