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“Sounds a bit poncy for me”: Understanding elitism within a community arts festival
No full textThe biennial Christchurch Arts Festival in New Zealand was established in 1965 but was put on hold indefinitely in 2021 after the 2019 festival suffered a(nother) significant loss. The Christchurch Arts Festival was initially established to help the city promote a sense of prestige premised on what the organisers saw as the superior cultural capital of its residents. Despite these grand ambitions – or perhaps because of them – perceptions of elitism have plagued the Christchurch Arts Festival since its inception.
This chapter presents an analysis of the history of the festival and seeks to understand the changing but persistent notion of elitism over the years. Empirical material comprises media narratives, festival programmes from 1965 to 2019 and archival material from 1978–1982 held in the Canterbury Museum collection (including Executive Committee meeting minutes, correspondence and Annual Reports)
Drought and endophyte impact African black beetle feeding on perennial ryegrass
No full textWater is essential to plant growth, driving interactions between plants, herbivorous insects and fungal Epichloë endophytes. However, water availability fluctuates, a phenomenon intensified by climate change, challenging the success of New Zealand’s pastoral industry. The impacts of climatic changes, such as intensifying drought, on pastoral insect pests have received little attention. In a no-choice bioassay, African black beetle (ABB) were fed semi-synthetic diets containing freeze-dried foliage material from drought-exposed and well-watered perennial ryegrass containing endophyte strains AR37 or NZCT, or with material free of endophyte (Nil). Diet consumption, beetle weight change, fungal alkaloid concentrations, phytohormones, and NRI (nitrogen reflectance index) concentrations were measured and compared. Except for AR37, ABB consumed more diets containing drought-exposed rather than well-watered material, with a 61% increase in Nil and a 50% increase in diets containing NZCT, though these effects were not accompanied by corresponding ABB weight changes. Here, we discuss the implications of these results on ABB damage in New Zealand pastures in the context of increasing drought and illustrate how spatial patterns of ABB damage could change over the next 75 years. Areas that do not currently have high populations of ABB such as Manawatū-Whanganui, Wairarapa and Marlborough will become increasingly vulnerable to damage
Review of Pseudomonas species causing bacterial canker of Prunus species with emphasis on sweet cherry (Prunus avium) in New Zealand
No full textBacterial canker of cherry is a major constraint to stone fruit production worldwide, including New Zealand. Six pathovars of the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae are known to cause bacterial canker on Prunus species. From those six pathovars, P. s. pv. syringae (Pss), P. s. pv. morsprunorum race 1 (Psm1) and P. s. pv. persicae have been reported as pathogens of Prunus species in New Zealand, and Pss and Psm1 on sweet cherry (Pr. avium). On sweet cherry, extensive development of cankers and gummosis is usually observed, particularly during late winter and spring, with the progressive decline of trees resulting from the death of branches or death of the plant. In young orchards in New Zealand, losses of 20–50%, and sometimes the removal of entire cherry blocks have been observed. This review reports on the current knowledge of P. syringae pathovars causing bacterial canker of Prunus species, with specific focus on sweet cherry in New Zealand, and covers their identification, the infection process, virulence associated factors, epidemiology, symptoms, and management strategies
Is a vending machine my best bet? Understanding key factors determining US consumers’ preference and loyalty to fruit vending machines
No full textThis study investigates the key factors influencing US consumer preference and loyalty to fruit vending machines compared to other distribution channels. It specifically examines the roles of experience, quality and value, COVID-19, convenience, freshness, and safety-related benefits of fruit vending machines. Data was collected through an online consumer survey and analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that the strongest predictors of consumer preference and loyalty are experience and perceived quality and value of the fruits. Convenience benefits appear significant only when comparing vending machines to other distribution channels while food safety does not emerge as a key factor. These findings add valuable insights for fruit growers and marketing managers in the US food retail sector
Exploring the effects of packaging on consumer experience and purchase behaviour: Insights from eye tracking and facial expressions on orange juice
No full textPackaging is crucial in attracting consumer attention, conveying product identity, influencing product perception and affecting approach-based consumer behaviours. The present exploratory study aimed to gain insights into the effects of packaging on consumer experiences and the factors driving willingness to buy different orange juice products based on packaging. Eye tracking and facial expressions were used to capture the consumer perception journey, from the initial interaction to the final product evaluation. The study also examined hedonic liking, explicit emotions and different label attributes in the evaluation stage, and the importance of texture, price and the New Zealand (NZ)-made logo in the validation stage. Results showed that the packaging's physical features significantly affected consumer's attention during the initial interaction stage. Implicit emotions provided deeper insights into consumers' preferences in the orientation stage. Nutritional information gained maximum visual attention (fixation counts = 0.40) in the evaluation stage, while the NZ-made logo (odds ratio = 15.62) drove purchase intention. The study revealed that the packaging that attracted the maximum attention was not necessarily the one with the highest liking score. Moreover, consumers may not pay much visual attention to attributes (price, r = −0.22) that they reported to be important. By advancing our knowledge in this field, marketers and product designers can refine their strategies and create packaging that captures visual attention and evokes positive emotional responses, ultimately influencing consumer behaviours
A sustainable approach to improving agrifood production: Getting the balance right between organic soil amendments and chemical fertilizers
No full textPurpose - We analyzed the effects of different combinations of organic soil amendments (OSAs) and chemical fertilizers on agrifood production, focusing on banana yields in China, the second-largest producer of bananas globally.
Design/methodology/approach - We computed these combinations by dividing the expenditures on OSAs by those on chemical fertilizers and called them OSA-CF ratios. First, we classified farmers based on quintiles of expenditures on chemical fertilizers. Then, we studied the association between OSA-CF ratios and banana yields for each quintile. We also considered an alternate specification in which farmers were grouped along the OSA-CF ratio continuum. The first group comprised farmers not using OSAs. Their OSA-CF ratio was zero. Farmers applying low, medium, and high OSA-CF ratios constituted groups two, three, and four; the groups were delineated based on the OSA-CF ratio tertiles, and the associations between tertiles of OSA-CF ratios and banana yields for each quintile were analyzed. The data used in this study were collected by surveying 616 households in three major banana-producing provinces (Guangdong, Hainan, and Yunnan) of China. Standard linear regressions and the two-stage predictor substitution method were employed to complete the analysis.
Findings - There were variations in the effects of OSA-CF ratios on banana yields obtained by farmers iifferent quintiles. For the first and second quintiles, low, medium, and high OSA-CF ratios improved banana yields relative to not using OSAs. For farmers in the first quintile using only chemical fertilizers, applying a low OSA-CF ratio was associated with an improvement of 792 kg/mu in banana yields. For their counterparts in the second quintile, the same transition was associated with a gain of 534 kg/mu. For the fifth quintile, comprising farmers spending 320 yuan/mu or more on chemical fertilizers, applying a high OSA-CF ratio instead of using only chemical fertilizers was associated with a 401 kg/mu decline in banana yields. Even so, for this group, no differences were observed between the yields of farmers not applying OSAs and those using low and medium OSA-CF ratios.
Practical implications - Banana farmers in southern China, using only chemical fertilizers, can improve yields by combining them with OSAs if their chemical fertilizer expenditures are less than 66.67 yuan/mu. Those using only chemical fertilizers and spending between 68 yuan/mu and 300 yuan/mu on them can maintain yields by applying OSAs in conjunction with chemical fertilizers. However, yields may decline for farmers using only chemical fertilizers and spending 320 yuan/mu or more on them if they incorporate OSAs such that the OSA-CF ratio reaches 0.78 or higher. Overall, combining OSAs with chemical fertilizers can improve yields while attenuating the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers on the environment. Policymakers should inform farmers of these benefits and accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture through educational and awareness programs.
Originality/value - Farmers apply OSAs such as organic fertilizers and farmyard manure to adjust and remedy soil nutrition to improve farm productivity. However, little is known about how combining OSAs with chemical fertilizers affects banana yields. This study provided the first attempt to explore the associations between OSA-CF ratios and banana yields using cross-sectional data on farming households
Building destination loyalty: The role of virtual reality and past visiting experience. A lesson from Australian tourism destinations during COVID-19
No full textDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, to reduce the risk of infection, destination visits with the help of virtual reality (VR) gained immense popularity. In this respect, this study assesses the association between VR experience, past visiting experience, and destination loyalty. Data was gathered using an online self administered questionnaire from 396 tourists who visited Australian tourism destinations using VR. Partial least square was utilised to test the destination loyalty model, with results revealing that tourist experience with VR attraction quality, VR system quality, and VR satisfaction are essential determinants of destination loyalty. Further, tourists’ past visiting experience influences tourist experience with VR attraction and indirectly strengthens tourist satisfaction with VR experience and their loyalty toward a tourism destination. This research expands our knowledge of destination loyalty formation through VR and past visiting experiences to help destination managers create and enhance loyalty among their visitors
Impact of COVID-19 on Chinese urban consumers’ food safety knowledge and behavior – A comparative study between pre and post pandemic eras
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic caused notable changes to the food-related habits of consumers worldwide due to their concerns about the risk of infection and the requirement to follow government mandates. To investigate the impact of the pandemic on Chinese consumers’ food safety knowledge, food safety behaviors, and their most recent food poisoning experiences, we compared the results from an online survey (n = 583, Dec 2019) conducted before the pandemic was officially announced with an identical survey (n = 599, Aug 2023) conducted seven months after the Chinese government downgraded restrictions related to COVID-19. Post-pandemic there was a significant decrease in consumers’ food safety knowledge and self-reported food safety behaviors and a significant increase in their self-reported experiences of food poisoning. Despite respondents stating that their food safety knowledge and behaviors had improved since the start of the pandemic, the data obtained from the two surveys and the respondents self-reporting of foodborne illness suggest that in fact their safety knowledge and behaviors had decreased. These findings highlight the need to reinforce food safety education and behaviors during times when the food system is disrupted, and consumers are focusing on what they perceive to be more immediate issues
Do bacteria from pollinators reach the flower in blueberries?
No full textInsect pollinators exchange microbes with flowers during pollination, creating a tripartite interaction between pollinators, plants, and microorganisms in the flower. However, do any beneficial or commensal bacteria from pollinators reach the flower (and ultimately the fruit)? Known pathogenic bacteria use the floral interface during pollination to access its desired host. Through caged experiments, we tested this pathway of microbial transmission in the northern highbush blueberry with four different types of insect pollinators (bumble bee, honey bee, drone fly, and a solitary native bee). We captured epiphytic bacteria by washing the external surfaces of pollinators, blueberry nectaries, and blueberry fruits. All samples were processed via a standard metabarcoding pipeline, including total genomics DNA extraction, amplicon and indexing PCRs, library preparation, sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform (250x2 pairedend) and bioinformatics with dada2. We are analysing these data to (1) characterise the bacterial taxa present on pollinators and flowers and to (2) examine their exchange during pollination. We hypothesise that a small fraction of the pollinator-transmitted community will be discovered in blueberry flowers
Identification and characterisation of Phytophthora spp. in New Zealand apple orchards : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
No full textApples, a prominent and widely favoured fruit crop on a global scale, are traded internationally and carry substantial economic importance worldwide. They play a vital role in New Zealand’s agriculture sector, with the World Apple Review consistently ranking the New Zealand apple industry as the most competitive in the world. Apple production encounters various challenges notably the adverse effects of pests and diseases, with Phytophthora crown and root rot being an important soil borne disease in all apple growing regions. Worldwide the disease is primarily caused by Phytophthora cactorum, although other species of Phytophthora have also been associated with crown rot of apple. The aim of this study was to determine the identity of Phytophthora species associated with apple orchards in New Zealand and explore their genetic structure and relative pathogenicity. Furthermore, the impact of two commercial microbial inoculants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma species on the susceptibility of two apple rootstocks to P. cactorum infection in a whole-plant pathogenicity assay was evaluated.
In Chapter 2 a survey was conducted to determine the Phytophthora species in the soils of apple orchards. The survey sampled soils from 12 different apple orchards of the five main apple growing regions in New Zealand: Hawke’s Bay (5 orchards), Tasman (4 orchards), Waikato (1 orchard), Otago (1 orchard) and Canterbury (1 orchard). Soil samples were obtained from blocks of the main orchard sites, with apple trees representing different cultivars and ages groups (young, medium and mature). The sampling included 11 orchard blocks from Hawke’s Bay, 13 in Tasman and 2 each from Otago, Waikato and Canterbury, resulting in a total of 30 blocks. The Phytophthora species were recovered by baiting using healthy Himalayan cedar needles (Cedrus deodara), lupin radicles (Lupinus polyphyllus) and apple cotyledons as baits. Lupin was the most effective bait, recovering 147 Phytophthora spp. isolates compared to apple cotyledon and cedar needle recovering 72 and 52 Phytophthora spp. isolates, respectively from the Hawke’s Bay, Tasman, Otago and Waikato samples (Canterbury samples baited with pine and rose). The 280 Phytophthora isolates recovered were identified based on combined results of morphology and DNA sequencing, with a total of seven species identified. These were Phytophthora cactorum, P. cambivora, P. megasperma, P. plurivora, P. rosacearum, P. chlamydospora, P. cryptogea and isolates with unresolved identity (Phytophthora spp.). The most prevalent species was P. cactorum.
In Chapter 3, the genetic diversity within the P. cactorum population was determined using random amplified microsatellites (RAMS) and universally primed polymerase chain reaction (UP-PCR) primers and relative aggressiveness of the recovered Phytophthora species assessed using detached tissue assays. The 59 P. cactorum isolates were placed into five major groups of 3, 16, 9, 9 and 20 isolates each with two isolates each placed in groups by themselves, with the P. cactorum population in the orchards dispersed in the different groups. From the genetic diversity analysis isolates of P. cactorum and representative isolates of the different species recovered were selected and their aggressiveness assessed used a developed detached root assay and an existing shoot assay. All Phytophthora species and P. cactorum isolates tested were virulent on the apple rootstocks tested, with rootstock MM106 being more susceptible than M9 and M26. There was no correlation between the genetic diversity and aggressiveness.
In Chapter 4 the pathogenicity of four P. cactorum isolates on whole apple plants was determined on MM106, M26 and M9 rootstocks. The rootstocks were inoculated by dipping in 1 × 105zoospores per mL or using 50 g colonized oats grain into the planting hole. All four P. cactorum isolates caused disease on all three apple rootstocks, with there being no difference in the disease score between rootstocks or isolates irrespective of the type of propagule used.
In Chapter 5 the effect of inoculation with AMF and/or Trichoderma on susceptibility to P. cactorum infection and overall growth of young rootstock plants was investigated. Rootstocks M9 and MM106 were inoculated with AMF, Trichoderma and combined AMF and Trichoderma, and, after 60 days growth, inoculated with P. cactorum. At harvest, the AMF and/or Trichoderma inocula had no effect on P. cactorum disease level on either rootstock. However, in the absence of P. cactorum, inoculation with both Trichoderma and AMF tended to enhance growth compared to the control.
Overall, this study has identified the Phytophthora diversity in New Zealand apple orchards and confirmed the pathogenicity of the recovered species, with particular emphasis on the dominant species, P. cactorum. The findings highlight that further studies are warranted including investigation of management strategies to reduce the potential threats posed by these pathogens