Diversity Of Products Research Articles

Biological Indicators of Resilience in Mixed and Monoculture Musaceae Production Systems

Objective: To examine the impact of intraspecific diversity on the biological resilience and biodiversity of Musaceae production systems against pests and diseases in the Ecuadorian tropics, thereby improving the environmental sustainability of these agricultural systems. Theoretical Framework: Key concepts such as biological resilience, intraspecific diversity of Musaceae, and their relationship with soil health and pest and disease control were explored. The importance of mixed production systems versus monocultures in Musaceae agriculture was discussed. Method: An experimental design with completely randomized blocks was adopted in two locations (El Carmen and La Maná), comparing mixed and monoculture production systems. Three repetitions were used to collect data on the presence of arthropods, earthworms, and soil microorganisms, evaluating their diversity and quantity as indicators of biological resilience and environmental quality. Results and Conclusions: Mixed systems demonstrated greater biodiversity, particularly in the presence of Collembola, earthworms, and various beneficial microorganisms, indicating higher resilience and soil health compared to monocultures. Intraspecific diversity in mixed systems significantly contributes to the sustainability and resilience of Musaceae agroecosystems, suggesting a more resilient and ecologically sustainable production model for tropical agriculture. Originality/Value: This study provides empirical evidence on how intraspecific diversity and mixed production systems can enhance resilience and biodiversity in Musaceae crops, offering sustainable alternatives to face contemporary agricultural challenges in the Ecuadorian tropics.

Assessing the privacy of digital products in Australian schools: Protecting the digital rights of children and young people

The increasing reliance in schools on educational technology (edtech) poses a threat to children's digital privacy, particularly where children's data is used for or shared with others for commercial purposes. However, assessing the privacy of digital products is challenging given the opaque and evolving nature of the digital economy. Many schools share the responsibility for assessing edtech with education departments and authorities; however, to date, there has been very little empirical or theoretical work on how schools, education departments and authorities evaluate the privacy risks and data practices associated with the digital products used in schools. Drawing on an analysis of the Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) framework developed by Education Services Australia, education department policies, as well as interviews with education department staff and representatives, we examine how the data practices of digital products are examined in government schools in Australia and how schools are supported to choose tools that demonstrate best practice in terms of protecting students’ digital privacy. Findings suggest that while the goal of the ST4S framework is to streamline and unify digital privacy standards across states and territories, the complexity of the Australian education system, the number and diversity of digital products used, and the different governance approaches across the country make this difficult. Our conclusions reveal a compliance culture towards children's digital privacy, rather than a best practice approach, and a trust (or even ‘overtrust’) in ‘big tech’. However, we note some promising developments in this area and make recommendations for future research.

Six new diterpenoids with anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity from Isodon serra

Diterpenoids occupy an important slot of the natural products diversity space with wide ranges of bioactivities and complex structures, providing potential applications for the development of therapeutics. In this study, we reported four new abietane-type diterpenoids viroxocin B-E (1–4), a new totarane-type diterpenoid viroxocin F (5), and a new sempervirane-type diterpenoid viroxocin G (6) along with four known compounds (7–10), isolated and identified from a widely used Traditional Chinese Medicine, Isodon serra (I. serra). Their structures were established by spectroscopic data analysis, experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data, as well as X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 2, 5, 7, 8 and 10 exhibited promising anti-inflammatory activities in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 267.4 cells, and their inhibition rates on NO production were more than 60% at 10 μM. Compound 7 showed cytotoxicity against human renal cell carcinoma 769P at 20 μM, the inhibition rate was 52.66%.

Power-law productivity of highly biodiverse agroecosystems supports land recovery and climate resilience

Transformative change in primary food production is urgently needed in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. Although there are a growing number of studies aimed at global policymaking, actual implementations require on-site analyses of social feasibility anchored by ecological rationale. This article reports the in-depth characterizations of low-input mixed polyculture of highly diverse crops managed on the self-organization of ecosystems, which performed better compared to conventional monoculture methods in Japan and Burkina Faso. Analyses on crop productivity and diversity showed that the primary production of ecosystems followed a power law, and through the underlying mechanisms excelled in (1) promoting diversity and total quantity of products along with the rapid increase of in-field biodiversity, especially useful for the recovery of local regime shift in a semi-arid environment; (2) a fundamental reduction of inputs and environmental load; and (3) ecosystem-based autonomous adaptation of the crop portfolio to climatic variability. The overall benefits imply substantial possibilities of a new typology of sustainable farming for smallholders sensitive to climate change, which could overcome the historical trade-off between productivity and biodiversity based on the human-guided augmentation of ecosystems.

Plant density and variety effect on yield, leaf spot disease, weed species richness and diversity of groundnut production in northern Ghana

AbstractLow plant density and weed infestation are major challenges for groundnut production in northern Ghana. A two‐year on‐farm study was conducted to determine the effect of plant density and variety on grain and fodder yields, incidence of leaf spot disease, weed species diversity and biomass. A factorial treatment combination of 6 varieties and 4 plant densities laid in strip plot design with 4 replications was used. The varieties were (early maturity type: Chinese, Yenyewoso, Samnut 23 and late maturity type: Azivivi, Manipinta, Samnut 22). The plants density included 9, 11, 15 and 22 plants/m2. The late maturity varieties recorded higher (p < .05) canopy cover, grain and fodder yields relative to that of the early maturity varieties. The late maturity varieties also recorded the least sedge weed species frequency, density and incidence of leaf spot disease compared with that of the early maturity varieties. The canopy cover, grain and fodder yields increased with increasing plant density. Broadleaf weed species frequency and density, weed biomass, richness, and diversity declined with increasing plant density. Grain yield showed negative and significant correlation with broadleaf weed species frequency, density and weed biomass. The results suggest that both early and late maturity groundnut varieties can be planted at a density of 22 plants/m2 to increase grain and fodder yields and reduce weed species richness, diversity and growth in northern Ghana and similar agro‐ecology in West Africa.

Flow cytometry-based method using diversity of cytokine production differentiates between Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease

Authors present a pilot study of the development of innovative flow cytometry-based assay with a potential for use in tuberculosis diagnostics. Currently available tests do not provide robust discrimination between latent tuberculosis infection (TBI) and tuberculosis disease (TB). The desired application is to distinguish between the two conditions by evaluating the production of a combination of three cytokines: IL-2 (interleukin-2), IFNɣ (interferon gamma) and TNFɑ (tumor necrosis factor alpha) in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.The study was conducted on 68 participants, divided into two arms according to age (paediatric and adults). Each arm was further split into three categories (non-infection (NI), TBI, TB) based on the immune reaction to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) after a close contact with pulmonary TB. Each blood sample was stimulated with specific M.tb antigens present in QuantiFERON tubes (TB1 and TB2). We inferred TBI or TB based on the predominant cytokine response of the CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells.Significant differences were detected between the NI, TBI and the TB groups in TB1 in the CD4+TNFɑ+parameter in children. Along with IL-2, TNFɑ seems to be the most promising diagnostic marker in both CD4+and CD8+ T cells. However, more detailed analyses on larger cohorts are needed to confirm the observed tendencies.

Empowering Women in Agriculture: Assessing the Impact of the Food Acquisition Program (Paa) on Family Farming in the Western Region of São Paulo, Mirante do Paranapanema, Brazil

Purpose: The objective of the research was to analyze, based on the interfaces between gender and family farming, how access to a public policy, in this case, the Food Acquisition Program (FAP), influences (or not) the empowerment of participating female farmers. Theoretical framework: The methodology used in the research was a case study and interviews were carried out based on elaborate semi-structured scripts (Triviños, 1987). A bibliographical survey was carried out using HERÉDIA; CINTRÃO, 2006, BRASIL, 2011, HAESBAERT (2004), among other literature publications, and systematization of data from secondary sources with National Supply Company. Conception/Methodology/Approach: We took as empirical reference the “Associação Força Feminina” in the municipality of “Mirante do Paranapanema”, in the State of São Paulo. This Association participated of FAP between 2011 and 2016, and it was verified through data from secondary sources that there was growth in terms of values of approved projects. Findings: We consider that the PAA was an action that made it possible to expand the participation of family farming and that generated economic autonomy for women. The PAA provided advances in relation to the quality of life to the women farmers of the Associação Força Feminina, as it valued agricultural products, increased the diversity of production, brought producers and consumers closer together, offered sales guarantees and paid more advantageous prices. Research, practical and social implications: The study deals with issues related to public policies and issues of empowerment in the state of São Paulo – BR. Access to the Food Acquisition Program (SAP), aimed at rural women workers, intends to take into account the social and cultural specificities of family farming, and makes it possible to understand that public policies are an important instrument, that can change the living situation of the families involved and of their beneficiaries. Originality/Value: In this article, a careful case study was developed, based on research into the participation of women farmers in the Food Acquisition Program (PAF), establishing parameters for analysis of whether this participation increased their level of economic and personal empowerment.

Intercropping impacts growth in the forage cactus, but complementarity affords greater productivity, competitive ability, biological efficiency and economic return

CONTEXTSoil and climatic conditions limit forage production in semi-arid environments. Planting crops adapted to these elements, combined with management practices such as intercropping and irrigation, can ensure the sustainability of animal feed. OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to evaluate growth, forage productivity, soil water balance, water indices and the indices of biological efficiency, competitive ability, and economic return in a dense crop of forage cactus, grasses, and legumes under single and intercropping systems in a semi-arid environment. METHODSThe study was carried out from 2020 to 2022 in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. The plants used were the ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ (OEM) clone of the forage cactus, pigeon pea (‘crioula’), millet (‘Bulk-01’) and sorghum (‘SF15’). A randomised block design was adopted, with three repetitions, including single crops of the forage cactus, sorghum, millet and pigeon pea, as well as the cactus intercropped with pigeon pea, millet and sorghum. Biometrics and biomass were checked to determine morpho-physiological indices, phenology, cutting time, biological efficiency and competitive ability. The soil moisture was also monitored, and the soil water balance quantified. The water indices and economic return were then calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSGrowth rates and phenology were not affected by intercropping, only by the cutting time. During the first season, the single sorghum and cactus-pigeon pea system showed a variation in soil water storage of 26 mm, while during the second season, the single cactus stored 66.74 mm. The actual evapotranspiration ranged from 1109 in the cactus-millet system to 1152 mm in the single cactus and millet (1st season), and from 1510 in the single cactus to 1570 mm in the sorghum (2nd season). The cactus-sorghum system was the most productive, with 460.53 Mg FM ha−1 and 43.55 Mg DM ha−1 in season one, while in season two, the single cactus obtained 237.64 Mg FM ha−1 and 26.71 Mg DM ha−1. Intercropping promotes more productive stability and feed diversity, as well as greater biological efficiency, competitive ability and economic return. SIGNIFICANCEUnderstanding the changes that exist in a intercropping system is important, especially in semi-arid regions, since these have distinct characteristics that impact the development of crops. Thus, this work contributes comprehensively to resilient practices for the semi-arid, seeking to ensure the sustainability of the intercropping systems and understand the interrelationship between species from the management adopted.

Pengaruh Harga dan Keragaman Produk terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen Bloods Clothing Industries Concept Store Karawang

This study aims to analyze the influence of price and product diversity dimensions on consumer purchase intention at Bloods Clothing Industries Concept Store Karawang. In the rapidly evolving fashion business context, Bloods Clothing Industries faces the challenge of intensifying competition in the market. The main issue under investigation is how Bloods Clothing Industries navigates the dynamics of competition and creates a strong consumer purchase intention. This research employs a quantitative approach by collecting data from consumers who visited the store during a specific period. The collected data is subjected to statistical analysis techniques, and the structural model is tested using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The research findings reveal that factors such as price and product diversity significantly influence consumer purchase intention. Price-related aspects, including affordability, price-quality alignment, price competitiveness, and price-benefit correspondence, play a crucial role in shaping purchase intention. Additionally, product diversity in terms of materials and design also has a positive impact on consumer purchase intention. The implications of this study suggest that Bloods Clothing Industries concept store Karawang should consider marketing strategies that focus on competitive pricing dimensions and diverse products appealing to consumers. A better understanding of the factors influencing purchase intention can assist companies in making informed decisions to confront competition and enhance customer loyalty.

Photoselectively modulating main products by changing the wavelength of visible light over D-π-A-D conjugated polymers

The diversity of catalytic products determines the difficulty of selective product modulation, which usually relies on adjusting the catalyst and reaction conditions to obtain different main products selectively. Herein, we synthesized D-π-A-D conjugated organic polymers (TH-COP) using cyclotriphosphonitrile, alkyne, 2H-benzimidazole, and sulfur units as electron donors, π bridges, electron acceptors, and electron donors, respectively. TH-COP exhibited excellent photoinduced carrier separation and redox ability under different visible light wavelengths, and the main products of its CO2 reduction are CH4 (1000.0 μmol g−1) and CO (837.0 μmol g−1) under 400–420 nm and 420–560 nm, respectively. In addition, TH-COP could completely convert phenylmethyl sulfide to methyl phenyl sulfone at 400–420 nm and diphenyl disulfide at 480–485 nm in yields up to 95 %. This study presents a novel strategy for the targeted fabrication of various main products using conjugated polymers by simply changing the wavelength range of visible light.

The proposal of geotourism program in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City can be considered as a famous destination of Vietnam attracting millions of visitors per year with varieties of tourist products. Also, many tourist places contain specific geology features which are essential factors for geotourism; however, this field of tourism is ignored these days. “The proposal of geotourism program in Ho Chi Minh” aimed to create geotourism strategy in Ho Chi Minh City with 4 journeys, including: 1) The journey to the North; 2) The journey to the South; 3) The journey to the West; 4) The journey to rewind the clock. It is worth noting that all proposal journeys were based on Reynard’s geo-product system including original offers and derived offers. The original offers contained the destinations having specific geology characteristics. The derived offers consisted of 9 groups: 1) Geo-Info; 2) Geo-routes; 3) Geo-activities; 4) Geo-academics; 5) Geo-houses; 6) Geo-gifts; 7) Geo-cuisine; 8) Geo-festival; 9) Geo-farms. This geotourism proposal’s purposes were raising geology consciousness, creating the diversity of tourist products, and increasing income for the locals.

Customer Interest in E-Commerce Live Streaming for Fashion Thrift Repurchases Systematic Literature Review

The rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized various aspects of human life, including online shopping and information exchange via the internet. One method to do online shopping is through e-commerce. The online shopping landscape continues to evolve with the emergence of E-Commerce Live Streaming (ECLS) as a new and interactive platform for consumer engagement. This research explores the utilization of ECLS as a medium to repurchase thrift fashion, a trend driven by sustainable fashion preferences and digital retail innovation. This research analyzes the factors influencing consumer repurchase intention in the thrift fashion industry to support local clothing sellers. ECLS combines real-time video broadcasting with interactive features, creating an immersive shopping experience that goes beyond traditional online retail. Researchers selected 30 articles that were most relevant to the topic. We looked at the key drivers shaping this intersection by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, including a literature review and qualitative analysis. From the appeal of personalized advice to the excitement of witnessing the appearance of products in real-time, consumers are attracted to the unique advantages that modern technology offers in the context of sustainable fashion choices. The results show that affordable prices, good quality of goods, and the uniqueness and diversity of products are the main factors that influence repurchase interest in thrift stores. In addition, environmental awareness and sentimental value of second-hand goods also contribute significantly to repurchase intention.

Economic geography of talent migration and agglomeration in China: A dual-driver framework

The long-standing debate on the role of economic factors and amenities on talent migration and redistribution foreshadows the importance of spatial economic theoretical thinking in resolving the effects of duality, a point yet to be conclusively addressed in the existing literature. Situated within the framework of new economic geography (NEG), this article introduces an innovative theoretical model – the Dual-Driver (DD) framework– aiming at comprehending the nuanced dual impact of economic and amenity factors on talent movements between regions. While the DD framework retains the mechanisms of increasing returns to scale, iceberg transportation cost, and talent agglomeration presented in the NEG models, it depicts, for the first time, the self-reinforcing mechanisms between non-traded goods (i.e., amenities) and talent agglomeration. The model describes a logic of talent movements influenced by the dual drivers of regional economic factors (nominal wage, the diversity of local manufacturing products) and amenities (the diversity and quality of amenities, transfer payment for talent), among which the economic effects play a predominant role versus the amenity effects. Empirical evidence has been given by the geographical analysis of China's internal talent migration between 2000 and 2015 and the corresponding econometric analysis using the Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimation. Our findings furnish a theoretical perspective for comprehending talent geography and offer policy insights into China's logic of talent migration.

Nutrition profiles of farm households across different farming systems in Ethiopia: Unpacking the determinants and implications for nutrition-sensitive interventions.

Tackling nutrition insecurity remains a critical challenge in developing countries. In the predominantly rain-fed and smallholder-based farming systems of Ethiopia, production diversity and livelihood strategies of the farm households vary across geographic areas. However, the effects of household socioeconomic characteristics, production diversity, and household incomes on nutrition profiles in distinct settings have been inadequately understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the association of farming system type, sources of income, and household wealth status with household nutrition profiles in three remote locations such as Mennisa, Welmel Tiqa, and Agam Wuha that represent root crops-based farming, maize-based semi-pastoral farming, and teff-based cereal farming systems, respectively. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 265 smallholder households for the structured survey interviews. Standard statistical tests and Tobit regression analyses were performed after determining the wealth category of each household. Results revealed a diversity of income sources used by each of the farm households with average values of 9 in Mennisa, 10 in Agam Wuha, and 11 in Welmel Tiqa, with the contributions of each income source varying by household wealth category and location. As expected, expenditures on food significantly exceeded those on non-food categories for poor households and vice versa for rich wealth households. The average total food variety score (FVS) for Welmel Tiqa was twice that for Agam Wuha, confirming the need for site-specific nutrition profile assessments. Despite the observed differences in household nutrition profiles among wealth categories and locations, the apparent intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium were consistently below the population-level estimated average requirements across all locations. The number of adequately consumed nutrients by farm households was negatively associated with family size, age of household heads, livestock holdings, wealth categories, and irrigation use, and positively associated with crop production diversity, income diversity, and FVS. The negative association between irrigation use and nutrition security was likely due to the focus on producing crops with a high market value on land under irrigation, coupled with ineffective allocation of generated income for enhancing household nutritional outcomes. Therefore, programs that include irrigated agriculture investments should consider adopting a more integrated nutrition-sensitive interventions, including consideration of locally adapted nutritious crops, such as orange-flesh sweet potato, to address critical deficiency of Vitamin A, nutrition training coupled with development of recipes and cooking demonstrations, and marketing and promotion for nutritious crops.

Lilitations and potentials of the school food program in the three municipalities in West Paraná

This article aims to analyze the potentialities and limitations identified in relation to the purchase of foodstuffs from family farming for school meals by the subjects involved in school meals in three municipalities in Western Paraná, through a multiple case study, using in-depth interviews individual and carrying out a collective focus group with 42 subjects (family farmers and nutritionists) during the years 2022 and 2023, gathering the results in a SWOT matrix. As results, it is evident that the potential internal and external factors, for the subjects, are related to union, diversity of production, appreciation of family farming, more natural quality foods, contribution to the health of schoolchildren, quality of life, encouragement of sustainability, income diversity, job creation and property innovation. As internal and external limitations, the lack of ATER and farmers' cooperation and adaptation, cost of adapting legislation and bureaucracy, climatic conditions, pests, difficulties in irrigation, high input prices, lack of labor and rural exodus.

Analisis Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Keputusan Pembelian Online Pada Aplikasi Shopee

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing online purchasing decisions on the Shopee application among students at the Faculty of Economics, Christian University of Tentena. It employs a descriptive qualitative research design with observation and questionnaire techniques. The study was conducted within a two-month period at the university campus, with a targeted population of 45 students who use the Shopee app. The sample consisted of 40 students who had made purchases on Shopee at least three times. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires and documentary study methods. Results from the Likert scale analysis showed that product diversity, pricing strategies, trust in transaction proof, and distribution capabilities significantly affect online purchasing decisions. The most influential factor was price, given the student demographic's limited personal income, highlighting the importance of cost-effective options in influencing buyer behavior. This study contributes to understanding the dynamic factors affecting e-commerce consumer behavior in an academic setting and suggests that trust and cautious online engagement are crucial for safe online shopping experiences.

Metabolomic analysis reveals Ligilactobacillus salivarius CCFM 1266 fermentation improves dairy product quality

Previous studies have demonstrated that Ligilactobacillus salivarius CCFM 1266 exhibits anti-inflammatory properties and the capability to synthesize niacin. This study aimed to investigate the fermentative abilities of L. salivarius CCFM 1266 in fermented milk. Metabonomic analysis revealed that fermentation by L. salivarius CCFM 1266 altered volatile flavor compounds and metabolite profiles, including heptanal, nonanal, and increased niacin production. Genomic investigations confirmed that L. salivarius CCFM 1266 possess essential genes for the metabolism of fructose and mannose, affirming its proficiency in utilizing fructooligosaccharides and mannan oligosaccharides. The addition of fructooligosaccharides and mannan oligosaccharides during the fermentation process significantly facilitated the proliferation of L. salivarius CCFM 1266 in fermented milk, with growth exceeding 107 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL. This intervention not only augmented the microbial density but also modified the metabolite composition of fermented milk, resulting in an elevated presence of advantageous flavor compounds such as nonanal, 2,3-pentanedione, and 3-methyl-2-butanone. However, its influence on improving the texture of fermented milk was observed to be minimal. Co-fermentation of L. salivarius CCFM 1266 with commercial fermentation starters indicated that L. salivarius CCFM 1266 was compatible, similarly altering metabolite composition and increasing niacin content in fermented milk. In summary, the findings suggest that L. salivarius CCFM 1266 holds substantial promise as an adjunctive fermentation starter, capable of enhancing the nutritional diversity of fermented milk products.

Plant diversity increases spatial stability of aboveground productivity in alpine grasslands.

Plant diversity can significantly affect the grassland productivity and its stability. However, it remains unclear how plant diversity affects the spatial stability of natural grassland productivity, especially in alpine regions that are sensitive to climate change. We analyzed the interaction between plant (species richness and productivity, etc.) and climatic factors (precipitation, temperature, and moisture index, etc.) of alpine natural grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In addition,we tested the relationship between plant diversity and spatial stability of grassland productivity. Results showed thatan increase in plant diversity significantly enhanced community productivity and its standard deviation, while reducing the coefficient of variation in productivity. The influence of plant diversity on productivity and the reciprocal of productivity variability coefficient was not affected by vegetation types. The absolute values of the regression slopes between climate factors and productivity in alpine meadow communities with higher plant diversity were smaller than those in alpine meadow communities with lower plant diversity. In other words, alpine meadow communities with higher plant diversity exhibited a weaker response to climatic factorsin terms of productivity, whereas those with lower plant diversity showed a stronger response. Our results indicate that high plant diversity buffers the impact of ambient pressure (e.g., precipitation, temperature) on alpine meadow productivity, andsignificantly enhanced the spatial stability of grassland productivity. This finding provides a theoretical basis for maintaining the stability of grassland ecosystems and scientifically managing alpine grasslands under the continuous climate change.

Comprehensive mass spectrometric metabolomic profiling of a chemically diverse collection of plants of the Celastraceae family

Natural products exhibit interesting structural features and significant biological activities. The discovery of new bioactive molecules is a complex process that requires high-quality metabolite profiling data to properly target the isolation of compounds of interest and enable their complete structural characterization. The same metabolite profiling data can also be used to better understand chemotaxonomic links between species. This Data Descriptor details a dataset resulting from the untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling of 76 natural extracts of the Celastraceae family. The spectral annotation results and related chemical and taxonomic metadata are shared, along with proposed examples of data reuse. This data can be further studied by researchers exploring the chemical diversity of natural products. This can serve as a reference sample set for deep metabolome investigation of this chemically rich plant family.

Crop Diversity in Agroecosystems for Pest Management and Food Production.

During the past 30 years, there has been a growing belief in and promotion of agroecosystem diversity for pest management and future food production as an agroecological or nature-based approach. Monoculture agriculture, which produces most of our food, is considered to be highly vulnerable to pests in contrast to plant species-diverse agroecosystems which may possess a greater abundance of natural enemies, keeping pest populations under control. In this paper, we question the role of crop diversity for pest management and explore the relationship between crop and associated diversity and pests through the following processes: environmental stresses that favor monodominance; evolutionary adaptations that resist insect herbivores (genetic resistance response); mechanisms of spatial escape from insect herbivores (escape response); and the role of crop-associated biodiversity. We present strong evidence that not only questions the high vulnerability of monocultures to pest damage but also supports why monocultures continue to produce most of the world's food. Reference is made to the importance of targeted plant breeding and the role of trans-continental crop introduction supported by efficient quarantine for pest management. We conclude that-with the exception of irrigated rice-much more research is needed to better understand the role of crop diversity in agroecosystems for pest management and food production.