Category Archives: Research Articles

Robustness and Strategies of Adaptation among Farmer Varieties of African Rice (Oryza glaberrima) and Asian Rice (Oryza sativa) across West Africa

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“New research from West Africa challenges the widely held view that African and Asian ‘farmer rice’ varieties have only local value owing to their poor ability to adapt to adverse environmental conditions.

Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and AfricaRice in Benin studied 26 varieties of rice developed and cultivated locallyby farmers in five West African countries between 2006 and 2012. They were varieties of both African rice (Oryza glaberrima) and Asian rice (Oryza sativa). Their findings suggest that farmer rice varieties can grow without fertilisers, require no special maintenance and can develop ways of coping with stress. This makes them highly adaptable to a wide range of environments.”

For the full article, see http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0034801

The Impact of Organic Farming on Quality of Tomatoes Is Associated to Increased Oxidative Stress during Fruit Development

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#KnowYourFood

Tomatoes grown on organic farms accumulate higher concentrations of sugars, vitamin C and compounds associated with oxidative stress compared to those grown on conventional farms, according to research published February 20 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Maria Raquel Alcantara Miranda and colleagues from the Federal University of Ceara, Brazil.

2013 Impact of Organic Farming on Quality of Tomatoes is Associated to Increased Oxidative Stress during Fruit Development

This study was conducted with the objective of testing the hypothesis that tomato fruits from organic farming accumulate more nutritional compounds, such as phenolics and vitamin C as a consequence of the stressing conditions associated with farming system. Growth was reduced in fruits from organic farming while titratable acidity, the soluble solids content and the concentrations in vitamin C were respectively +29%, +57% and +55% higher at the stage of commercial maturity. At that time, the total phenolic content was +139% higher than in the fruits from conventional farming which seems consistent with the more than two times higher activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) we observed throughout fruit development in fruits from organic farming. Cell membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) degree was 60% higher in organic tomatoes. SOD activity was also dramatically higher in the fruits from organic farming. Taken together, our observations suggest that tomato fruits from organic farming experienced stressing conditions that resulted in oxidative stress and the accumulation of higher concentrations of soluble solids as sugars and other compounds contributing to fruit nutritional quality such as vitamin C and phenolic compounds.

Aurelice B. Oliveira, Carlos F. H. Moura, Enéas Gomes-Filho, Claudia A. Marco, 

  • Laurent Urban,

 

  • Maria Raquel A. Miranda

 

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056354

 

Bt maize pollen will harm butterflies in Europe – study

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#BtMaize will harm butterflies in Europe – study

NOTE: Below is the abstract of an important new study that concludes that the planting of in some areas of Europe would cause increased mortality in the larvae of the protected peacock butterfly (Inachis io).

Interestingly the authors note that their study contradicts the findings of a previous study by Joe Perry and colleagues. Perry is the current chair and a long-time member of the EFSA GMO Panel, which assesses the risks posed by GMOs submitted for approval in the EU. Perry concluded there was negligible risk from Bt maize to the peacock butterfly and the two other species examined.

The authors of the new paper say they used more empirical data in their study than Perry and colleagues – in other words, hard data based on what actually happens to the butterfly and Bt maize pollen in nature, rather than assumptions.

The authors conclude that “a more comprehensive assessment is warranted of the risk implied to butterflies when and where Bt maize is grown.” They add, “We contend that such an assessment is best carried out using empirical data, which invites scientific review and integration of knowledge, rather than on expert opinion, on which a qualified assessment is not possible.”

This is a clear criticism of the lack of empirical data currently used in GMO risk assessments by EFSA, which are based heavily on flawed assumptions. It is also a criticism of the system of expert opinion that EFSA currently relies upon. This system is being replaced in some areas, such as evidence-based medicine, by more progressive risk assessment methods based on a systematic and replicable search and evaluation of all available data using pre-set transparent criteria. While far from perfect, these methods are increasingly being viewed as more reliable than expert opinion.
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Increased mortality is predicted of Inachis io larvae caused by Bt-maize pollen in European farmland
Niels Holst, Andreas Lang, Gabor Lövei, Mathias Otto
Ecological Modelling 250 (2013) 126–133
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380012005315

Abstract
A potential environmental risk of the field cultivation of insect-resistant (Bt-toxin expressing) transgenic maize (Zea mays) is the consumption of Bt-containing pollen by herbivorous larvae of butterflies (Lepidoptera). Maize is wind-pollinated, and at flowering time large amounts of pollen can be deposited on various plants growing in the landscape, leading to inadvertent ingestion of toxic pollen with plant biomass consumed by these butterfly larvae. To examine the possible effect of this coincidence, we focused our study on the protected butterfly Inachis io and two regions of Europe. Using climatic records, maize and butterfly phenology data, we built a simulation model of the butterfly’s annual life cycle, over- laid with the phenology of maize pollen deposition on the leaves of the food plant Urtica dioica, and linked these with the dose–response curve of I. io larvae to Bt-maize pollen (event MON810). The simulations indicated that in Northern Europe, where I. io is univoltine, Bt-maize pollen would not be present on the food plant at the same time as the I. io larvae. However, in Central and Southern Europe, where I. io is bivoltine, Bt-maize pollen and the second generation I. io larvae would coincide, and an increased mortality of the larvae was predicted. This prediction differs from earlier studies which predicted negligible effect of field-grown Bt-maize on I. io larvae. Our model is an improvement over previous efforts since it is based on more detailed, empirical data, includes more biological detail, and provides explicit estimation of all model parameters. The model is open-source software and is available for re-use and for modelling the effects on other species or regions.

Doing Different Things or Doing It Differently? – Rice Intensification Practices in 13 States of India

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Can the System of Rice Intensification be the answer to meet the country’s future rice demand? A macro-level study covering 13 major rice-growing states indicates that fields with have a higher average yield compared to non- fields. Out of the four core components typically recommended, 41% adopted one component, 39% adopted two to three components, and only 20% adopted all the components. Full adopters recorded the highest yield increase (31%), but all adopters had yields higher than those that used conventional practices. They also had higher gross margins and lower production costs compared to non- fields. Though the rice yield of the country can significantly increase under and modified practices, there are major constraints that have to be tackled before this can be achieved.
 
Vol – XLVIII No. 08, February 23, 2013 | K Palanisami, K R Karunakaran, Upali Amarasinghe, and C R Ranganathan Special Articles

http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/08/Doing_Different_Things_or_Doing_It_Differently.pdf

 

Present and future water resources in India: Insights from satellite remote sensing and a dynamic global vegetation model

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India is a country of particular interest with regard to its future , as it is expected to undergo continued rapid population growth while also being especially sensitive to climate change. The Land-surface Processes and eXchanges Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPX-DGVM) is used here to simulate present and future runoff in India using ClimGen pattern-scaled scenarios of 1◦, 2◦ and 4◦C temperature increase (scaled to 2050) forced by six general circulation models (GCMs). As is the case with many DGVMs, groundwater storage is not simulated by LPX, so in order to form a more comprehensive understanding of water resources, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite estimates for north-west India are incorporated into this study and compared to LPX runoff simulations. Runoff is simulated to have increased slightly (1.5 mm/year) in this region during 2002–2006, while groundwater extractions appear to have been made at rates of 40 ± 10 mm/year. North-west India is simulated to experience considerable increases in runoff by 2070–2099, with a mean change of 189 mm/year for 2◦C climate change (although the range of model results, 247 mm/year, demonstrates high uncertainty among GCMs). Precipitation is shown to have an important bearing on runoff generation, while the degree of warming is shown to affect the magnitude of future runoff. This may subsequently influence the longevity of the local groundwater resource. However, at recent rates of depletion and in view of expected population growth, the long-term sustainability of groundwater reserves in north-west India is in doubt.
Author: S J Murray,
School of Earth Sciences, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK.

http://www.ias.ac.in/jess/feb2013/1.pdf

 

Roles, Strategies, and Capacities to Strengthen Extension and Advisory Services

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and advisory services (EAS) 1 play an important role in agricultural development. However, these services need new capacities to address the current challenges in agriculture and to contribute better to agricultural innovation – a process that that requires interactions and knowledge flows among a wide range of actors in the agricultural innovation

system (AIS).

A summary of this paper is available here.

http://www.g-fras.org/en/knowledge/gfras-publications/file/126-the-new-extensionist-position-paper?start=20

Differential responses of system of rice intensification (SRI) and conventional flooded-rice management methods to applications of nitrogen fertilizer

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Author(s): Amod Kumar Thakur, Sreelata Rath, Krishna Gopal Mandal
Abstract
 
Background
 
Rising food demand, slowing productivity growth, poor N-use efficiency in rice, and environmental degradation necessitate the development of more productive, environmentally-sound crop and soil management practices. The system of rice intensification () has been proposed as a methodology to address these trends. However, it is not known how its modified crop-soil-water management practices affect efficiency of inorganic nitrogen applications.
 
Methods
 
Field experiments investigated the impacts of SRI management practices with different N-application rates on grain yield, root growth and activity, uptake of N and its use-efficiency, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf N-concentration, and photosynthetic rate in comparison with standard management practices for transplanted flooded rice (TFR).
 
Results
 
Overall, grain yield with SRI was 49 % higher than with TFR, with yield enhanced at every N application dose. N-uptake, use-efficiency, and partial factor productivity from applied N were significantly higher in SRI than TFR. Higher leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll contents during the ripening-stage in SRI plants reflected delayed leaf-senescence, of photosynthetic processes, and improved root-shoot activities contributing to increased grain yield.
 
Conclusions
 
Rice grown under SRI management used N fertilizer more efficiently due to profuse root development and improved physiological performance resulting in enhanced grain yield compared to traditional flooded rice.
 
 

Plant growth-promoting traits of biocontrol potential bacteria isolated from rice rhizosphere

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PGP and biocontrol traits bacteria download paper

Subramaniam Gopalakrishnan, H D Upadhyaya, Srinivas Vadlamudi, Pagidi Humayun, Meesala Sree Vidya, Gottumukkala Alekhya, Amit Singh, Rajendran Vijayabharathi, Ratna Kumari Bhimineni, Murali Seema, Abhishek Rathore, and Om Rupela

Abstract

Seven isolates of bacter ia (SR I-156, -158, -178, -211 , -229, -305 and -360) were earlier reported by us as having poten tial for biocontrol of charcoal rot of sorghum and plant growth promotion () of the plant. In the present study, the seven isolates were ch aracterized for their physiological traits (tolerance to salinity , pH, temperature and resistance to antibioti cs and fungi cides) and further evaluate d i n the field for their of rice. All the seven isolates were able to grow at pH values between 5 and 13, in NaCl concentrations of up to 8% (exc ept SRI-156 and SRI-360 ), temperatures between 20 and 40°C and were resistant to ampicillin (>100 ppm; except SRI-158 and SRI-178 ) but sensit ive (<10 ppm) to ch loramphenicol, kanamycin, nalidix ic aci d, streptomycin (except SRI-156 and SRI-211 ) and tetracycline. They were tolerant to fungicides benlate and captan, except SRI-158 and SRI-178, bavist in and sens itive to thiram (except SRI-156 and SRI-211 ) a t field application level. In the field, four of the seven isolates (SRI-158, SRI-211 , SRI-229 and SRI-360) significantly enhanc ed the tiller numbers, stover and grain yields, to tal dry matter, root length, volume and dry weight over the un-inocul ated control. In the rhizosphere soil at harvest, all the isolates signif icantly enhanced microb ial biomass carbon (except SRI-156 ), microbial biomass nitrogen and dehy drogenase activi ty (up to 33%, 36% and 39%, respectively) and total N, availabl e P and% organic carbon (up to 10%, 38% and 10%, respectivel y) compared to the control. This investigation further confirms that th e SRI isolates have properties.

Increasing Cropping System Diversity Balances Productivity, Profitability and Environmental Health

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Adam S. Davis1*, Jason D. Hill2, Craig A. Chase3, Ann M. Johanns4, Matt Liebman5

1 United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America, 2 Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America, 3Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America, 4 Department of Economics, Iowa State University and Outreach, Osage, Iowa, United States of America, 5Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America

 

Abstract Top

Balancing productivity, profitability, and environmental health is a key challenge for agricultural sustainability. Most crop production systems in the United States are characterized by low species and management diversity, high use of fossil energy and agrichemicals, and large negative impacts on the environment. We hypothesized that cropping system diversification would promote ecosystem services that would supplement, and eventually displace, synthetic external inputs used to maintain crop productivity. To test this, we conducted a field study from 2003–2011 in Iowa that included three contrasting systems varying in length of crop sequence and inputs. We compared a conventionally managed 2-yr rotation (maize-soybean) that received fertilizers and herbicides at rates comparable to those used on nearby farms with two more diverse cropping systems: a 3-yr rotation (maize-soybean-small grain + red clover) and a 4-yr rotation (maize-soybean-small grain + alfalfa-alfalfa) managed with lower synthetic N fertilizer and herbicide inputs and periodic applications of cattle manure. Grain yields, mass of harvested products, and profit in the more diverse systems were similar to, or greater than, those in the conventional system, despite reductions of agrichemical inputs. Weeds were suppressed effectively in all systems, but freshwater toxicity of the more diverse systems was two orders of magnitude lower than in the conventional system. Results of our study indicate that more diverse cropping systems can use small amounts of synthetic agrichemical inputs as powerful tools with which to tune, rather than drive, agroecosystem performance, while meeting or exceeding the performance of less diverse systems.

Citation: Davis AS, Hill JD, Chase CA, Johanns AM, Liebman M (2012) Increasing Cropping System Diversity Balances Productivity, Profitability and Environmental Health. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47149. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047149

Editor: John P. Hart, New York State Museum, United States of America

 

Received: July 12, 2012; Accepted: September 10, 2012; Published: October 10, 2012

This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

Funding: Funding for the study was provided by the US Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative (Projects 2002-35320-12175 and 2006-35320-16548), the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Projects 2004-E06, 2007-E09, and 2010-E02), the Iowa Soybean Association, and the Organic Center. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

* E-mail: adam.davis@ars.usda.gov

Possible consequences of the overlap between the CaMV 35S promoter regions in plant transformation vectors used and the viral gene VI in transgenic plants

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Possible consequences of the overlap between the CaMV 35S promoter regions in plant transformation vectors used and the viral gene VI in transgenic plants Download

Multiple variants of the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35s promoter (p35s) are used to drive the expression of transgenes in genetically modified plants, for both research purposes and commercial applications. The genetic organization of the densely packed genome of this virus results in sequence overlap between p35s and viral gene VI, encoding the multifunctional p6 protein. The present paper investigates whether introduction of p35s variants by genetic transformation is likely to result in the expression of functional domains of the p6 protein and in potential impacts in transgenic plants. A bioinformatic analysis was performed to assess the safety for human and animal health of putative translation products of gene VI overlapping p35s. No relevant similarity was identified between the putative peptides and known allergens and toxins, using different databases. From a literature study it became clear that long variants of the p35s do contain an open reading frame, when expressed, might result in unintended phenotypic changes. A flowchart is proposed to evaluate possible unintended effects in plant transformants, based on the DNA sequence actually introduced and on the plant phenotype, taking into account the known effects of ectopically expressed p6 domains in model plants.