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Anthropogenic N input increases global warming potential by awakening the “sleeping” ancient C in deep critical zones
No full textEven a small net increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization will cause a substantial increase in the atmospheric CO₂ concentration. It is widely recognized that the SOC mineralization within deep critical zones (2 to 12 m depth) is slower and much less influenced by anthropogenic disturbance when compared to that of surface soil. Here, we showed that 20 years of nitrogen (N) fertilization enriched a deep critical zone with nitrate, almost doubling the SOC mineralization rate. This result was supported by corresponding increases in the expressions of functional genes typical of recalcitrant SOC degradation and enzyme activities. The CO₂ released and the SOC had a similar ¹⁴C age (6000 to 10,000 years before the present). Our results indicate that N fertilization of crops may enhance CO₂ emissions from deep critical zones to the atmosphere through a previously disregarded mechanism. This provides another reason for markedly improving N management in fertilized agricultural soils
Green-labelled rice versus conventional rice: Perception and emotion of Chinese consumers based on review mining
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic increased public health awareness, changing consumers’ sensitivity and beliefs about food health. Food anxiety and health scares turn consumers toward safe and healthy foods to strengthen their immunity, which makes green food more popular. However, it remains unclear how to understand the gap between consumer intention to purchase green food and their actual purchasing behaviour. Taking rice as an object of study, comparing differences in consumer perceptions and emotions towards green-labelled rice and conventional rice is beneficial for understanding the components and psychological characteristics of consumer perceptions of green food. Therefore, we used topic modelling and sentiment analysis to explore consumers’ focus of attention, attitudinal preferences, and sentiment tendencies based on the review (n = 77,429) from JD.com. The findings revealed that (1) consumers’ concerns about green-labelled rice are increasing rapidly, and most have a positive attitude; (2) consumers of green-labelled rice are more concerned about origin, aroma, and taste than conventional rice; (3) consumers of conventional rice are more concerned about the cost-performance ratio, while consumers of green-labelled rice are also price-sensitive; (4) green label mistrust and packaging breakage during logistics are the leading causes of negative emotions among consumers of green-labelled rice. This study provides a comparative analysis of consumer perceptions and emotions between the two types of rice, thus revealing the main influencing factors of the intention-behaviour gap and providing valuable consumer insights for the promotion of green consumption and the sustainable development of the green food industry
Response of pasture plants to shade in agroforestry and agrivoltaic production systems
No full textAgrivoltaics production systems have gained traction globally, holding promise to supply energy and food concurrently from the same unit of land. Studies investigating shade tolerant crops to optimize production under solar panels have mostly followed the findings of agroforestry studies. However, spectral composition of transmitted radiation in agrivoltaic and agroforestry production systems may not be the same, inducing different shade responses of understory crops. A pot trial investigating the effect of shade source on biomass production and morphology of perennial ryegrass, ribwort plantain and white clover was established during spring, in Oregon, USA. Treatments were solar panel shade, hazelnut tree shade and no shade. Ryegrass plants located under tree shade were lighter (0.18 g/plant; P<0.01) but taller (38 cm) compared to those grown under solar panel shade (0.48 g/plant; 31 cm) and in open areas (0.59 g/plant; 13.3 cm). In contrast, 2.4 tillers/plant under tree shade were recorded compared to 5.6 and 9.2 tillers/plant under solar panel shade and open areas, respectively. Root length of ryegrass was similar in open areas (27.5 cm) and under solar panels (30.9 cm) but shorter (P<0.01) under tree shade (17.3 cm). Plantain grown under tree shade was taller (P<0.01) than under panel shade, and shortest in open areas, though having more leaves (11.3/plant; P<0.01) than under trees (6.6/plant) and panel shade (8.1/plant). However, plant DM weight did not differ between shade regimes (P=0.47). Root length of plantain grown under solar panels was longer (17.4-23.3%) than in open and tree shade areas. White clover grown under solar panels were almost 2.5 times taller than in open areas. Stolon numbers and lengths were not affected by shade treatments. Our results indicate substantial differences in shade quality induced by solar panels and hazelnut trees, thus affecting understory forages differently
The thematic assessment report on invasive alien species and their control: Summary for policymakers
No full textThe thematic Assessment of Invasive Alien Species and their Control, or “Invasive Alien Species Assessment” in short, is part of a series of reports whose production was initiated during the “first work programme of IPBES, 2014 2018” and concluded during the current “IPBES rolling work programme up to 2030”. The Invasive Alien Species Assessment has been carried out by a multidisciplinary team of 86 selected experts from all regions of the world, including early career fellows, assisted by about 200 contributing authors. More than 13,000 scientific publications were analyzed as well as a substantive body of Indigenous and local knowledge. Its chapters were accepted, and its summary for policymakers was approved, by the IPBES Plenary composed of 143 member States at its tenth session held from 28th August to 2nd September 2023 in Bonn, Germany.
The Invasive Alien Species Assessment builds on the landmark IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services launched in 2019. The Global Assessment identified invasive alien species as a one of the five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss, with 1 million species of plants and animals now at risk of extinction.
The Invasive Alien Species Assessment explores how invasive alien species affect nature and people globally. It analyzes the status and trends of alien and invasive alien species in all regions of Earth, and identifies major pathways for and drivers of the introduction and spread of such species between and within countries. The Assessment also assesses the effectiveness of management actions across scales and in various contexts. The Invasive Alien Species Assessment finally outlines key responses and policy options for the prevention, early detection, and effective control of invasive alien species and mitigation of their impacts in order to safeguard nature, nature’s contributions to people and good quality of life
Experimental imaging of meat and bone samples using a negative-refractive-index lens
No full textAn experimental negative-refractive-index lens based system operating around 3 GHz is used to image muscle and bone samples. This system can resolve features at least as small as 0.2 wavelength and distinguish between muscle and bone including when submerged in fat
Individual and combined effects of predatory bug Engytatus nicotianae and Trichoderma atroviride in suppressing the tomato potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli in greenhouse grown tomatoes
Get PDFThe tomato potato psyllid (TPP) Bactericera cockerelli is a serious pest of the Solanaceae family. The management of this pest using synthetic pesticides is problematic because of the development of pesticide resistance and environmental concerns including impacts on non-target organisms. The predatory bug Engytatus nicotianae has recently been identified as a useful biocontrol agent for TPP in greenhouses. The soil fungus Trichoderma Pers. is commonly used as a plant growth enhancer and biocontrol agent against phytopathogenic fungi. Therefore, there could be advantages associated with the combined use of these biocontrol agents. Some reports in other systems suggest that Trichoderma inoculation may alter the behaviour of pests and their natural enemies by modifying plant defence metabolites such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). For this reason, this study aimed to investigate the individual and combined efficacy of these biocontrol agents (i.e., Trichoderma atroviride and E. nicotianae) against TPP in greenhouse grown tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Merlice). To this end, we compared the effect of each biocontrol agent and their combination on TPP abundance across different developmental stages (egg, nymphs, adults) and the number of infested leaves. We also investigated plant VOC emissions under the different treatments. Across all measured TPP stages, the treatments tested (E. nicotianae alone, T. atrovirdae alone, and T. atrovirdae + E. nicotianae) significantly reduced mean TPP counts relative to the control, and no significant differences were observed in VOC emissions among treatments. Overall, T. atrovirdae alone was less effective than E. nicotianae alone and its combination with T. atrovirdae in suppressing TPP populations. However, the combined use of Trichoderma + E. nicotianae did not show significant advantages over the use of E. nicotianae alone in controlling TPP. Therefore, their combined use needs to be further assessed in light of other advantages of Trichoderma to the crop (e.g., growth promotion or pathogen defence)
Canterbury coastal beach user survey – 2020-2021 summer
Get PDFThe 800km of coastline in the Canterbury region provides multiple locations for coastal recreation for both land- and water-based activities, as well as different types of coastal environments which differ greatly in characteristics (Environment Canterbury, n.d). The coastline varies from sandy urban beaches close to main centres to more remote, stony and undeveloped beaches that attract different recreational users, ranging from occasional tourist visitors to local daily users. The different values held by recreational users are important for coastal planners and managers. Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury (ECan)) is reviewing its regional coastal planning frameworks, including its Regional Policy Statement and Regional Coastal Environment Plan. To better inform this process the Council supported the research reported here through a student scholarship at Lincoln University to survey beach user values and issues over the summer of 2020/2021
The response to freehold growth information when estimating ground leasehold value
No full textPurpose - This paper is concerned with behavioural responses to reviewed ground rents in New Zealand. The focus is on how freehold growth information is interpreted when considering reviewed ground rents on ground leasehold value.
Design/methodology/approach - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ground leaseholders to inform the design of a controlled experiment. The interviews revealed that (a) purchasers tended to directly compare freeholds to ground leaseholds and (b) used rudimentary valuation methods. In the experiment, 40 property investors were requested to estimate the ground leasehold value close to the ground rent review time. Thereafter, 20 of the investors reassessed their ground leasehold value estimate using a projection of the future ground rent and a statement as to freehold growth (treatment). The control group of the remaining 20 investors received the estimate of the future ground rent only. Findings - The tendency for higher treatment group valuations indicated the growth information was too available. Comparing ground leaseholds directly to freeholds, rather than thinking about the cost implications, is attributed to a manifestation of the availability heuristic.
Research limitations/implications - The study involves a typical ground lease arrangement (as verified by experts) in the New Zealand market where there are few protections for ground leaseholders. These findings justify prohibiting new ground leases where the ground rents are set by reference to freehold land value.
Originality/value - This paper extends behavioural theory (availability heuristic) to explaining human interaction with ground leaseholds
Putting the ‘Ag in the enviro’: Report 3: Agricultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes: A GAP analysis of graduates, career changers, and employers
No full textThis report covers the third piece of work in stage one for the project ‘Putting the Ag in the Enviro’. The aim of this project is to create a professional development course to provide non-agriculturalists with an understanding of farming. The experience gained from the course will assist graduates to apply their environmental expertise to support farmers with the implementation of the Essential Freshwater package. This study gathered the views, values, and self-assessment of graduates regarding knowledge and skills deemed relevant to the sector by employers. The study also captured the graduates’ voice regarding their intent to work in the sector and what they view as promotors and barriers of doing so. An online, quantitative survey was used to gather graduates and potential career changers’ views. The project Advisory Group then reviewed and provided feedback on the findings
A continuum between the upland and the ocean
No full textInterview with Susannah Drake (SD), founder of DLand Studio and adjunct professor at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art