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Selenium biofortification in field-grown tomatoes as affected by Stanleya pinnata-derived organic Se application, biochar and irrigation
No full textSelenium (Se) biofortification is a plant-based strategy to increase Se content in crops. Consumption of Se-enriched crops can enhance Se intake for populations experiencing mild/moderate Se deficiencies. In these two different Se biofortification studies, Se accumulation was evaluated in field-grown tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicon). In year 1, organic Se as Se-enriched plant material (Stanleya pinnata; 350 mg Se kg−1 DW) was directly applied to soil at three different rates (100, 200, and 400 g Se ha−1). In year 2, organic Se extracted from S. pinnata was applied to soil at two different rates (50 and 100 g Se ha−1). On the field site, the light-textured soil was previously amended with biochar (softwood feedstock) 3-years earlier to enhance water retention in soil during drought conditions in California. For both experiments, irrigation water was applied at two different rates (50 and 100 % ETo). In year 1, Se concentrations were significantly (p < 0.05) increased to 0.39 μg Se g−1 DW in fruit grown with application of S. pinnata to soil and in year 2, fruit Se concentrations significantly (p < 0.05) increased to 0.07 μg Se g−1 DW with high rates of extractable Se from S. pinnata applied to soil, irrespective of biochar or irrigation treatment for both years. For both experiments, Se speciation of the tomato fruit showed that selenomethionine was the major selenoamino acid significantly detected, followed by SeCys2, selenite, and selenate with all treatments. In conclusion, these two Se biofortification studies have demonstrated that organic Se applied as either Se-enriched plant material or as extractable organic Se, can result in Se biofortified fruit. Although crops like tomatoes grown in such soils are sensitive to drought and insufficient irrigation (<100 % ETo), the addition of softwood biochar did not result in significant changes in fruit Se accumulation in either biofortification experiment
Transdisciplinary complexity science:deepening system understanding for sustainability
No full textThe complex and contextual nature of sustainability challenges demands an approach that integrates quantitative complexity science with transdisciplinary approaches to create an integrated understanding of system change. We present a systematic literature analysis from an emerging field we term Transdisciplinary Complexity Science for Sustainability and derive best practices for how this research approach can foster learning and action for sustainability. Based on our analyses, we identify key areas for future research and provide concrete recommendations for carrying out Transdisciplinary Complexity Science for Sustainability
For the love of literature:A Byzantine perspective
No full textTo safeguard against technocracies and against bureaucracies what is truly human in humankind - to deliver the world to us in its human dimension, that is to say, as it is revealed to individuals who are at the same time interrelated and separate - this, I believe, is the task of literature, and what makes it irreplaceable. Simone de Beauvoir, 'What can literature do?' One evening in 1326, Manuel Gabalas (later, Matthew, Metropolitan of Ephesos), was overcome by the desire to read - no text in particular, simply the first book he found. The book he randomly selected from his shelves turned out to be Homer's Iliad. Upon reading, he found himself immersed in the narrative, despite its ostensible lack of moral edification. The Sirens of Homeric poetry called to him: at once willingly and unwillingly, Gabalas continued reading, appreciative of the poet's clever narrative arrangement and the characters' lifelike portrayal, particularly how subtly their outer appearance reflected their inner traits. After reading selected passages, Gabalas reflected on the poem's overall meaning, struck by its revelations about human life. The Greeks, he realized, had started a war over just one woman to ensure that nobody would ever slight them again. He lamented contemporary humankind's condition: while the ancient Greeks were stirred on account of a mere mortal woman, her beauty perishable, the people of his day had no such experience when their soul, its beauty eternal, was violated or captured by demons. Over a matter as important as their souls' very integrity, Gabalas observed, they hesitated to seek justice, although the prospective battle would not even require bloodshed