Selection Of Crop Varieties Research Articles

Bioavailability of zinc and iron in durum wheat: A trade‐off between grain weight and nutrition?

Societal Impact StatementMicronutrients such as zinc and iron are critical for human health. For the world's population that relies on cereal products to obtain micronutrients, the bioavailability (absorption of nutrients in the gut) can be hindered by an anti‐nutritional compound, phytate. Phytate accumulation in grain is affected by soil properties including phosphorus availability and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Here, we investigated the effects of AM fungi and soil phosphorus fertilization on micronutrient bioavailability in durum wheat and found that fertilization greatly decreased the bioavailability of micronutrients, but AM fungi can take up more micronutrients, which can lead to improved bioavailability when the soil is not fertilized.Summary The bioavailability of micronutrients (zinc [Zn] and iron [Fe]) in cereal crops such as durum wheat is critically important for human nutrition. Bioavailability is a product of complex interactions between plant phosphorus (P) uptake and storage in grain (as phytate), and plant micronutrient uptake. The bioavailability of Zn and Fe in cereal grain is affected by soil nutrient concentrations and associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, but has been scarcely studied. A geographically diverse collection of 101 durum wheat genotypes was surveyed for grain bioavailability of Zn and Fe. Ten genotypes were then selected and grown with and without AM fungal inoculation and soil P fertilization to understand the effects of manipulating soil P availability and uptake on micronutrient bioavailability. The strongest negative effect on grain micronutrient bioavailability was soil P fertilization, however, it also led to increased grain weight. Crop variety selection had the greatest variation in the P‐fertilized soil, but AM fungal inoculation had a positive effect on bioavailability in one variety in the non‐fertilized soil. In order to grow more nutritious durum wheat crops, variety selection and AM fungal inoculation are important considerations. In general, there is a trade‐off between grain weight (yield) and micronutrient bioavailability in grain that could be addressed through breeding P‐deficiency tolerant varieties.

Design and implementation of planting information service system based on GIS

The information service of planting features various service content; scattered and isolated information; diversity of data source and format, as well as high cost of system operation. Since agricultural production decision-making and management have diversified demands on scientific and technological service, a GIS-based planting information service system was designed and developed. This system integrates the geographic information data and planting service thematic data, which is based on multi-source heterogeneous data integration, GIS spatial analysis, responsive framework and other technologies. Through various terminals such as computers and mobile phones, the system provides land circulation information inquiry, soil fertility analysis, crop variety selection, production materials purchase, agricultural technology guidance, labor employment recruitment, agricultural product sales and other comprehensive information services of the whole planting life cycle. It guides farmers to plant rationally, and helps farmers resolve the issues relating to information islands and the information shortage problem in production and life by “one-stop”, and increase the famers’ income. It can also provide decision-making gist for agricultural administrative departments to adjust planting structure, optimize the rural industrial layout and related policy formulation. Through demonstration in Zhucheng, a new model for serving “agriculture, rural areas and farmers” with surveying and mapping geographic information has been formed in terms of resource integration, geospatial data services, and service information access.

Opportunities and Limitations of Crop Phenotyping in Southern European Countries.

The Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot dry summers and frequent droughts. Mediterranean crops are frequently subjected to high evapotranspiration demands, soil water deficits, high temperatures, and photo-oxidative stress. These conditions will become more severe due to global warming which poses major challenges to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Mediterranean countries. Selection of crop varieties adapted to future climatic conditions and more tolerant to extreme climatic events is urgently required. Plant phenotyping is a crucial approach to address these challenges. High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) helps to monitor the performance of improved genotypes and is one of the most effective strategies to improve the sustainability of agricultural production. In spite of the remarkable progress in basic knowledge and technology of plant phenotyping, there are still several practical, financial, and political constraints to implement HTPP approaches in field and controlled conditions across the Mediterranean. The European panorama of phenotyping is heterogeneous and integration of phenotyping data across different scales and translation of “phytotron research” to the field, and from model species to crops, remain major challenges. Moreover, solutions specifically tailored to Mediterranean agriculture (e.g., crops and environmental stresses) are in high demand, as the region is vulnerable to climate change and to desertification processes. The specific phenotyping requirements of Mediterranean crops have not yet been fully identified. The high cost of HTPP infrastructures is a major limiting factor, though the limited availability of skilled personnel may also impair its implementation in Mediterranean countries. We propose that the lack of suitable phenotyping infrastructures is hindering the development of new Mediterranean agricultural varieties and will negatively affect future competitiveness of the agricultural sector. We provide an overview of the heterogeneous panorama of phenotyping within Mediterranean countries, describing the state of the art of agricultural production, breeding initiatives, and phenotyping capabilities in five countries: Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. We characterize some of the main impediments for development of plant phenotyping in those countries and identify strategies to overcome barriers and maximize the benefits of phenotyping and modeling approaches to Mediterranean agriculture and related sustainability.

Adaptability analysis in a participatory variety trial of organic vegetable crops

AbstractSuccessful organic farming requires crop varieties that are resilient to environmental variability. Assessing variety performance across the range of conditions represented on working farms is vital to developing such varieties; however, data collected from on-farm, participatory trials can be difficult to both collect and interpret. To assess the utility of data arising from participatory trialing efforts, we examined the performance of butternut squash (Cucurbita moschataL.), broccoli (Brassica oleraceaL.) and carrot (Daucus carotaL.) varieties grown in diverse organic production environments in participatory trials in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and New York using adaptability analysis (regression of variety means on environmental index). Patterns of adaptation varied across varieties, with some demonstrating broad adaptation and others showing specific adaptation to low- or high-yielding environments. Selection of varieties with broadvsspecific adaptation should be guided by farmers’ risk tolerance and on-farm environmental variation. Adaptability analysis was appropriate for continuous variables (e.g., yield traits), but less so for ordinal variables and quality traits such as flavor and appearance, which can be vitally important in organic vegetable crop variety selection. The relative advantages of adaptability analysis and additive main effects and multiplicative interactions are also discussed in relation to on-farm trial networks. This work demonstrated the unique challenges presented by extensive participatory vegetable trialing efforts, which, as compared to grain crops, require novel approaches to facilitating farmer participation as well as data collection and analysis. Efficient, precise and reliable methods for evaluating quality related traits in these crops would allow researchers to assess stability and adaptation across a wider range of traits, providing advantages for effective plant breeding and trialing activities within the organic sector.

Assessment of the use of Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach by farmers to manage climate risk in Mali and Senegal

Recently, a new approach to extension and climate information services, namely Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) has been developed. PICSA makes use of historical climate records, participatory decision-making tools and forecasts to help farmers identify and better plan livelihood options that are suited to local climate features and farmers’ own circumstances. This approach was implemented in 2016 in two sites in Senegal and Mali, with 57 and 47 farmers, respectively. At the end of the growing season, these farmers were surveyed to explore their perceptions on the use of the approach. In Senegal and Mali, respectively 97% and 76% of the respondents found the approach ‘very useful’. The approach enabled farmers to make strategic plans long before the season, based on their improved knowledge of local climate features. Moreover, evidence demonstrates that PICSA stimulated farmers to consider and then implement a range of innovations which included: (i) changes in timing of activities such as sowing dates, (ii) implementing soil and water management practices, (iii) selection of crop varieties, (iv) fertiliser management and (v) adaptation of plans for the season (farm size, etc.) to the actual resources available to them. The study also demonstrated the potential of farmer-to-farmer extension in scaling up the approach, which is of great interest especially in the current context of limited extension services in the West African region.

Influence of alternative plant nutrition methods on soil microbial characteristics in long-term experiments

The size of the arable land is constantly decreasing all over the world due to severe anthropogenic disorders. Plant production therefore has to be adapted to changing environmental conditions along with the proper selection of crop varieties and the application of sustainable environmental technologies which also consider economic aspects. The investigations were carried out in the Westsik long-term fertilization experiment near Nyíregyháza, East Hungary, which was set up in 1929 (89 years ago). Alternative forms of nutrient supplies (A) (green manure, straw with and without fermentation, organic fertilizer with and without inorganic fertilizer supplements) were used in different crop rotations. The test plant was potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and the soil type sand with a low humus content (Arenosols). A further long-term experiment is located on calcareous chernozem soil (Chernozems) in Debrecen (set up in 1983, 35 years ago). In one part of this experiment, organic farming (OF) has been carried out with a pea, winter wheat and maize crop rotation for over 15 years with no inorganic fertilization. In another block in this experiment, changes in soil properties as a result of the medium and high doses of fertilizers applied in intensive farming (I) were evaluated with a maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture as the test plant. The results obtained with alternative nutrient supplies (green manure, fermented and unfermented straw, farmyard manure, fertilization) proved that the soil organic carbon content increased to varying degrees in humus-poor, acidic sand soil. The organic matter content of the soils increased in response to the treatments, contributing to a significant enhancement in soil microbial parameters (MBC, saccharase, dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzyme activities). The carbon dioxide production and saccharase enzyme activity in organic plots (OF) were significantly lower than in intensively farmed (I) soils. At the same time, in the case of organic farming (OF) the microbial biomass carbon, phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity were significantly higher in OF plots than in I plots. Compared to the control soil, MBC was 7-8 times higher in organic plots and 1.3-3.8 times higher in intensive plots. Organic farming on chernozem soil generally resulted in higher microbial activity (MBC, phosphatase, saccharase and dehydrogenase enzyme activity) than in either intensively farmed chernozem or in the case of alternative farming (A) on sandy soil.

Research on Monitoring Platform of Agricultural Product Circulation Efficiency Supported by Cloud Computing

In order to fully use Internet of things to solve the agricultural fine production, fertilizer, fine and precise control, full traceability and other bottlenecks, and to solve the quality safety of agricultural products from the source and agriculture environmental pollution, a networking application system for modern agriculture is constructed, and networking intelligent gateway based on open source hardware is designed and developed, which realizes the video monitoring function based on motion detection. In addition, basic cloud platform system for modern agriculture network monitoring system is designed and achieved. Based on the RESTful interface service system provided by cloud platform, ExtJs client technology and WeChat re applied in the development and realization of the Demo system of an application layer. As a result, it shows part of application assumption of agricuture network monitoring system, and designs the big data processing and analysis module. What’s more, the Hadoop platform is used to achieve massive data processing produced by applications of Internet of things, and combined with machine learning technology, the corresponding model is established. It is concluded that the best solution is given such as crop variety selection, production and cultivation management and time to market.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Agricultural product monitoring system supported by cloud computing

In order to fully use Internet of things to solve the agricultural fine production, fertilizer, fine and precise control, full traceability and other bottlenecks, and to solve the quality safety of agricultural products from the source and agriculture environmental pollution, a networking application system for modern agriculture is constructed, and networking intelligent gateway based on open source hardware is designed and developed, which realies the video monitoring function based on motion detection. In addition, basic cloud platform system for modern agriculture network monitoring system is designed and achieved. Based on the RESTful interface service system provided by cloud platform, ExtJs client technology and WeChat re applied in the development and realization of the Demo system of an application layer. As a result, it shows part of application assumption of agriculture network monitoring system, and designs the big data processing and analysis module. What’s more, the Hadoop platform is used to achieve massive data processing produced by applications of Internet of things, and combined with machine learning technology, the corresponding model is established. It is concluded that the best solution is given such as crop variety selection, production and cultivation management and time to market.

Surviving a Dry Future: Abscisic Acid (ABA)-Mediated Plant Mechanisms for Conserving Water under Low Humidity.

Angiosperms are able to respond rapidly to the first sign of dry conditions, a decrease in air humidity, more accurately described as an increase in the vapor pressure deficit between the leaf and the atmosphere (VPD), by abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated stomatal closure. The genes underlying this response offer valuable candidates for targeted selection of crop varieties with improved drought tolerance, a critical goal for current plant breeding programs, to maximize crop production in drier and increasingly marginalized environments, and meet the demands of a growing population in the face of a changing climate. Here, we review current understanding of the genetic mechanisms underpinning ABA-mediated stomatal closure, a key means for conserving water under dry conditions, examine how these mechanisms evolved, and discuss what remains to be investigated.

SOCIAL COST OF IMPROPER LAND AND VARIETY SELECTION IN PADDY PRODUCTION IN TURKEY

For last decades, efficient use of land as a natural resources has the priority at the agenda of policy makers. Allocating farm land to optimal crop and selecting proper crop variety is vital to reach not only economically, but also environmentally efficient farming. Therefore, the study examined the social cost of improper land and crop variety selection in paddy production in Samsun province of Turkey. Research data were collected from both field experiment and 45 paddy producers by using questionnaire. Classical economic analysis procedures and cost calculation methods were followed. Economic losses sourced from improper land allocation and wrong variety selection in paddy production was calculated by combining individual and social losses. Research results showed that average paddy producers conducted their activities in S2 class lost 1983 kg per hectare of paddy, which was valued $595, due to improper land and variety selection. 64% of it was sourced from improper land selection, while that of improper paddy variety selection was 36%. However, average paddy producers conducted their activities in S3 class lost 3012 kg of paddy per hectare, which was valued $900. Research results also showed that social cost of improper land and variety selection in Samsun was $2,1 million. 62% of total social cost sourced from S2 class land, while that of S3 and S1 were 23% and 15%, respectively. 24% of the total social cost resulted from opportunity cost, while the rest attributed to improper land and variety selection in paddy production. Completing preparing activities the detail land use map and sharing with farmers in the research area may decrease the social cost of improper land and variety selection. Designing education program for farmers in order to make better variety and land selection and disseminate the information related variety and land selection via extension services may reduce the social cost of improper decision in the research area. Keywords: Turkey, paddy production, economic losses, improper selection, social cost

The accuracy of farmer-generated data in an agricultural citizen science methodology

Over the last decades, participatory approaches involving on-farm experimentation have become more prevalent in agricultural research. Nevertheless, these approaches remain difficult to scale because they usually require close attention from well-trained professionals. Novel large-N participatory trials, building on recent advances in citizen science and crowdsourcing methodologies, involve large numbers of participants and little researcher supervision. Reduced supervision may affect data quality, but the “Wisdom of Crowds” principle implies that many independent observations from a diverse group of people often lead to highly accurate results when taken together. In this study, we test whether farmer-generated data in agricultural citizen science are good enough to generate valid statements about the research topic. We experimentally assess the accuracy of farmer observations in trials of crowdsourced crop variety selection that use triadic comparisons of technologies (tricot). At five sites in Honduras, 35 farmers (women and men) participated in tricot experiments. They ranked three varieties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for Plant vigor, Plant architecture, Pest resistance, and Disease resistance. Furthermore, with a simulation approach using the empirical data, we did an order-of-magnitude estimation of the sample size of participants needed to produce relevant results. Reliability of farmers’ experimental observations was generally low (Kendall’s W 0.174 to 0.676). But aggregated observations contained information and had sufficient validity (Kendall’s tau coefficient 0.33 to 0.76) to identify the correct ranking orders of varieties by fitting Mallows-Bradley-Terry models to the data. Our sample size simulation shows that low reliability can be compensated by engaging higher numbers of observers to generate statistically meaningful results, demonstrating the usefulness of the Wisdom of Crowds principle in agricultural research. In this first study on data quality from a farmer citizen science methodology, we show that realistic numbers of less than 200 participants can produce meaningful results for agricultural research by tricot-style trials.

Use of Climate Forecast Information to Manage Lowland Rice-Based Cropping Systems in Jakenan, Central Java, Indonesia

Smallholder farmers of Jakenan in Central Java must manage several climate-related risks including flood and drought events that occur more frequently, negatively affecting crop production and rural livelihoods. The use of climate forecasts had become important in coping with climate risk. This study assessed how farmers apply climate forecast information to manage rice cropping systems. The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting how farmers are using climate forecast information in rice-based cropping system in Jakenan, Central Java. Materials and Methods: The study was based on face-to-face interviews with smallholder farmers, using a semi-structured questionnaire conducted in 4 villages (Ngastorejo, Tlogorejo, Bungasrejo and Sendangsoko) in Jakenan sub-district from December, 2013 to February, 2014. A total of 100 farmers were selected randomly based on a list of farmers available in each village. The response of respondents was then statistically analyzed using the SPSS version 22 and the mean differences were determined by Independent t-test. Results: Results showed that in Jakenan, Central Java, farmers were influenced by several factors such as management practices, knowledge of climate forecasts and the process of decision making for farming practices with regard to the use of climate forecast. Based on the survey, most of respondents had knowledge of climate forecasts (72%) and used them for planting time determination (94%) and selection of crop varieties (91%). Adjusting planting time and selecting proper crop varieties has become their main strategy in coping with climate variability. Conclusion: Based on these results, the level of farmer knowledge mainly affects the use of climate forecast at the farm level in this region. Better knowledge of climate forecasts enabled farmers to interpret complex situations and adopt innovations hence minimizing climate risk and yield reduction.

Infrared thermography to select commercial varieties of maize in relation to drought adaptation

Water is the most limiting factor for irrigated agriculture in many areas of South Europe. Within the strategies to maintain agriculture as a sustainable activity, the selection of crop varieties with a high adaptation capacity to water stress situations is crucial. Leaf temperature is a feasible indicator of the crop-water status, being the thermography a non-destructive tool to quantify plant physiological status. The aim of this study was to define the robustness of thermal imaging as a tool for selecting maize (Zea mays L.) varieties for drought tolerance. The trial was conducted using young plants of five commercial varieties, which were subjected to two different watering situations (well watered and water stressed). Every 48–72 h, thermal images were taken in four plants per irrigation treatment and variety. With the same periodicity and number of plants, stomatal conductance, leaf-water potential and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were done to assess the impact of water stress in terms of crop physiological status. Our results allowed conclude that infrared thermography could be a useful method for screening procedure in selecting maize varieties for drought adaptation.

Global synthesis of drought effects on cereal, legume, tuber and root crops production: A review

As a result of climate change, drought is predicted to pose greater pressure on food production system than in the past. At the same time, crop yield co-varies with both environmental (e.g., water, temperature, aridity) and agronomic variables (i.e., crop species, soil texture, phenological phase). To improve our quantitative understanding on the effects of these co-varying factors on agricultural productivity, we synthesized previous meta-analysis studies summarizing the results of numerous independent field experiments on drought and its effect on the production of cereal, legume, root and/or tuber (root/tuber) crops. We also included new crops species that were not covered in previous meta-analyses and the effects of heat stress. Our results indicated that cereals tended to be more drought resistant than legumes and root/tubers. Most crops were more sensitive to drought during their reproductive (i.e., grains filling, tuber initiation) than during their vegetative phase, except for wheat, which was also sensitive during vegetative phase. Recovery from drought impact at reproductive phase was either: (i) unfeasible for crops experiencing damage to their reproductive organs (e.g., maize, rice) or (ii) limited for root/tuber crops, provided that water was abundant during the subsequent root/tuber bulking period. Across soil texture, the variability of yield reduction for cereals was also lower in comparison to legume or root/tuber crops, probably due to the extensive and deep rooting system of cereal crops. As crop species, plant phenology, and soil texture were important co-varying factors in determining drought-induced crop yield reduction, no single approach would be sufficient to improve crop performance during drought. Consequently, a combination of approaches, particularly site-specific management practices that consider soil conditions (i.e., intercropping, mulching, and crop rotation) and selection of crop varieties adjusted to the local climate should be adopted in order to improve the sustainability of agricultural production in a changing climate.

A comparative Evaluation of Postharvest Quality Attributes of Two Banana (Musa spp) Varieties as Affected by Preharvest Production Conditions

Preharvest factors including agro-ecological conditions, cultural practices and crop variety selection greatly impact fruit quality potential at harvest and postharvest longevity. In this study, quality attributes of banana fruits (Musa spp), cultivars ‘Williams’ and ‘Grande naine’ produced under low chemical production system (LCPS) and conventional production systems (CPS) in Ecuador were investigated. The fruits produced under the two production systems were evaluated for various physicochemical attributes including peel hue angle, firmness, moisture content, starch, soluble sugars and titratable acidity (TTA). Sensory evaluation by untrained panelists was done to compare the organoleptic attributes of the banana fruits. The results showed that ‘Williams’ bananas from the LCPS had better eating quality as evidenced by higher soluble sugars, less starch and lower firmness and higher moisture content of ripened fruits’ flesh. ‘Grande naine’ bananas generally had higher levels of TTA compared to ‘Williams’ and in both cultivars LCPS bananas had higher TTA levels compared to CPS bananas. These quality attributes were affected by variability in climatic conditions during the year-long period of evaluation. Sensory panelists did not clearly discriminate between LCPS and CPS bananas but showed preference for ‘Williams’ bananas over ‘Grande naine’ bananas. These results show that banana variety, cultural practices and harvest season affect the banana quality attributes at harvest and affect the eating quality of the fruits.

Traditional Māori horticultural and ethnopedological praxis in the New Zealand landscape

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the application of traditional Māori horticultural and ethnopedological practices in New Zealand whereby an inclusive “whole of landscape” approach known as “ki uta ki tai” – literally from “the source to the oceans” – is applied in a contemporary landscape.Design/methodology/approachA review of the traditional knowledge and practices around Māori horticulture and pedology was undertaken through interviews within Māori communities, including practitioners of this knowledge, and a literature review.FindingsTraditional Māori practices contribute to a cultural management tool known as kaitiakitanga – literally the act of stewardship – which requires practitioners to contribute to the “landscape management” continuum based on a holistic approach reflecting the traditional and contemporary management needs. Examples of cultural praxis applied under these systems include the local knowledge aligned to soil origin, type and manageable characteristics and crop management praxis such as site selection, crop variety selection and rotation, or land and soil amendments.Research limitations/implicationsTraditional Māori knowledge is primarily transmitted orally and retained within the community itself. Through colonisation this knowledge has been marginalised and is now retained by only a few experts across tribal regions. There is considerably more knowledge still held within communities, especially relative to the practical application of kaitiakitanga in the modern world.Practical implicationsThrough political processes of the previous 170 years in New Zealand, Māori horticulturists are now restricted to pockets of lands in a discontinuous landscape over which they have a limited involvement. Urbanisation of the Māori community and ongoing marginalisation of traditional knowledge have further exasperated customary land and resource management approaches. Recent legislation includes reference to some traditional practices; however, there is limited statutory obligation on resource managers to practically apply them.Originality/valueThe specialist traditional knowledge aligned to horticulture and pedology has been relegated to only a few practitioners. None‐the‐less Māori continue to manage their crops with a wider, localised understanding of the landscape and of how decisions are likely to impinge on other sites within their traditional boundaries, drawn from the traditional knowledge of their forebears.

Agronomic performance of barley cultivars in response to varying rates of swine slurry

Buckley, K. E., Mohr, R. M. and Therrien, M. C. 2011. Agronomic performance of barley cultivars in response to varying rates of swine slurry. Can. J. Plant Sci. 91: 69–79. Selection of crop variety may address concerns of potential adverse effects of preplant manure slurry application on crop yield and quality due to nutrient availability and lack of precision in application rate. An experiment was conducted in two field locations in southern Manitoba to assess the impact of slurry rate on growth, yield and quality of three barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars (Harrington, Rosser, Stander). Treatments included three rates of swine slurry, an unfertilized check and an inorganic fertilizer treatment at the recommended N rate based on preseeding soil nutrient tests. While the current study demonstrated no significant difference in the grain yield response of barley cultivars to rates of slurry application, higher rates of swine slurry may have a negative effect on milling quality (percentage of plump kernels) depending on cultivar, but had little effect on other quality parameters such as test weight and 1000-kernel weight. The absence of cultivar×slurry interaction for grain and biomass yield at each field location in each year indicated that all cultivars responded similarly to increasing rates of manure slurry for these traits. Grain protein concentration for all cultivars was unaffected by slurry amendment except at the highest application rate.

Improving resistance to drought and salinity in plants

As has been reported previously (Parry et al., 2004), a European Commission sponsored conference on the “Optimisation of Water Use by Plants in the Mediterranean, OPTIMISE” (INCOMED ICA3-CT-2002-50005) was held in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain in March 2003. Water is a scarce commodity in Mediterranean countries. Agriculture accounts for 75% of the total water consumption, but drought is the major limitation for growing many crops. The predicted change in climate, greater use through tourism, industrialisation and salinisation of water supplies, will further exacerbate the situation (Araus, 2004; Clary et al., 2004). There is therefore an important requirement to improve the drought and salinity tolerance of agricultural crops. Considerable advances have been made in the selection of crop varieties that are able to tolerate drought and salinity. These have been through traditional breeding (Araus et al., 2003; Munns et al., 2003; Slafer, 2003), mutant selection (Mahar et al., 2003; Ahloowalia et al., 2004) and more recently QTL analysis (Baum et al., 2003; Thomas 2003; Foolad, 2004; Forster et al., 2004; Talame et al., 2004). The identification of wild relatives (e.g. Porteresia coarctata for rice), that are able to grow in saline soils, may also provide a useful supply of new germplasm for future breeding (Latha et al., 2004). Molecular approaches have identified a large number of genes that are induced following the application of drought or saline conditions. These genes and the proteins that they encode can be divided into three categories: (1) signalling and transcriptional control; (2) the protection of membranes and proteins and (3) water and ion transport (Shinozaki et al., 2003; Wang et al., 2003). As a result of these studies there have been a number of attempts to genetically manipulate plants to become more tolerant to drought and salinity stresses. Potential candidate genes have included those encoding: (1) transcription factors; (2) compatible solutes (e.g. proline); (3) antioxidants and detoxifying enzymes; (4) ion transport and (5) heat shock and late embryogeneis abundant proteins. A number of articles have discussed at length the results obtained from the laboratory testing of transgenic plants containing such potentially useful genes (Yoshida 2002; Chaves et al. 2003; Figueras et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2004). As yet we are awaiting evidence from major field trials to establish if such genetic manipulation will eventually lead to useful drought and salinity tolerant crop plants that are safe and acceptable to the public.

A stochastic model for crop variety selection

In this paper, we describe a decision support system (DSS) to support the farmer when selecting a winter wheat variety. In Denmark, the yield characteristic has traditionally been the most important factor in variety selection. The DSS in this paper bases the selection on several characteristics and it takes future uncertain observations and decisions of relevance to the variety decision into account. We describe the decision process in detail and build a simple stochastic optimization model, representing the decision process. For each variety of winter wheat, the model calculates the expected net revenue, which is the expected gross revenue minus the expected costs for treatment of diseases and application of additional fertilization, which is allowed in certain varieties. Finally, we discuss the results from the model.

Seed Provision and Agricultural Development: The Institutions of Rural Change

Robert Tripp. Seed Provision and Agricultural Development: The Institutions of Rural Change. London: Overseas Development Institute/Oxford: James Currey/Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 2001. viii + 174 pp. Tables. Notes. References. Index. $64.00. Cloth. The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of nature of provision, a topic author, Robert Tripp, situates at forefront of contemporary debates on rural in global south. Tripp astutely links this topic to larger theoretical discussions by using seed provision as a lens through which to examine broader subject of agricultural development (2). More specifically, the book examines how institutions of provision developed in industrial economies and assesses performance of contemporary institutions in South (10). A major thesis of volume is that efficient information exchange is required for of sector and that institutions (rules and organizations) are important for facilitating such exchange. While author frequently uses examples from African continent (particularly Anglophone Africa), he explores provision and agricultural in a variety of contexts (Africa, Latin America, Asia). Although study engages theory, it is written in straightforward prose, employing academic jargon only where it is helpful and when it has been explained. The book is organized into eight chapters. The first offers an introduction and a discussion of agricultural development. In second chapter, author argues for a focus on institutions and incentives as a way to approach study of agricultural development. Tripp suggests a pragmatic combination of new institutional economics and new economic sociology in order to do this. In chapter 3 he reviews factors that motivate a farmer's selection of seeds and crop varieties, and biological aspects of plant breeding and production. Chapter 4 describes organization of farm-level provision, including farmers' management and selection of crop varieties, flows among farmers, and problem of imperfect information. The evolution of commercial sector is described in chapter 5. As farm level and commercial systems expand, government often becomes involved in tasks that are difficult to organize independently. This public-sector involvement in systems is assessed in chapter 6. Donor and government interventions, particularly projects, are discussed in chapter 7. Finally, chapter 8 summarizes book's findings and makes suggestions for system development. …