ALBERT

Beschreibung: SUMMARYThis paper is a brief review summarizing some of the important areas of activity in crop biotechnology likely to be exploited over the medium term (10–20 years), with an emphasis on agronomic traits. It provides details on various approaches to improving the tolerance of crops to abiotic and to biotic stresses. Additionally, it describes recent advances in understanding the factors that affect the intrinsic performance of plants, for example, in terms of their photosynthetic efficiency and their genetic composition. The review also provides a short selection of recently granted patents and patent applications, as this information often identifies those subjects that might be commercially exploited over this period. Finally, it provides a summary of the various predictions of the commercial development pipeline based upon a range of transgenes in major crop species.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYThe concepts of control charts, an important tool in statistical process control, are commonly used for monitoring industrial production processes. In the context of precision livestock farming, their use has been demonstrated by many, although the statistical properties of livestock process data often do not comply with the basic assumptions of such control charts. The focus of the current review is on the most important aspects, recommendations, pitfalls and opportunities for the development and performance of control charts on livestock process data. An important hurdle to tackle is the statistical characteristics of the raw livestock process data which are mostly violating the control charts’ assumptions. An integrated approach, like synergistic control, appears to be promising in handling this issue. The availability of real-time on-farm validation of proposed systems will be crucial for lifting them from the potential level to direct practical relevance.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYAquaculture development over the past 50 years has been facilitated largely by the application of science and the introduction of new technologies. Although aquaculture is a very diverse sector in products, production systems and business structures, almost every activity has benefited from scientific advances. However, the impact of technological progress is most clearly seen where there has also been substantial industrial consolidation. This has provided greater capital resources for investment and a more attractive market for suppliers of innovations to target. It has also encouraged consolidation of research capacity and stronger articulation between private and publicly funded research efforts. Further development along current trajectories is possible through advances in genomics, information technology, materials science and other areas. However, there may also be substantial disruptions if, for instance, energy becomes much more expensive, or large mono-cultures are impacted by climate change. Substantial change could also be driven by policies that aim at bringing realistic external costs of environmental services into company accounts. Research into more resilient aquaculture systems that comply more with ecological than financial accounting principles is under way, but will require substantial development to meet the challenges of rising food needs and social aspirations.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYPests and diseases impact on crop yield and quality, and also reduce resource-use efficiency. Improved crop protection strategies to prevent such damage and loss can increase production and make a substantial contribution to food security. DNA-based technologies are likely to greatly increase the speed, sensitivity and accuracy of pest and pathogen detection and diagnosis. Rapid sequencing of nucleic acids from infected plants will aid identification of novel disease agents. Biomarkers of disease or crop damage such as volatile chemicals or blends may also be used to detect pest outbreaks. Biosensors coupled to information networks will provide real-time monitoring and surveillance of crops or stored produce and hence early warning of emerging problems and new invasive species. Challenges remain in the dissemination of new technologies and information to resource poor farmers in developing countries, although the rapid extension of the internet, mobile phones and other communication networks will provide new opportunities. Defining the genetic and molecular basis of innate plant immunity has been a major advance in plant biology with the potential to identify new targets for intervention via novel chemistry or genetic modification (GM). Identification of regulatory genes, signal molecules, pathways and networks controlling induced plant defence should lead to the development of a new generation of defence modulators, delivered either as crop protection products, or via biological agents on seeds or in the root zone. There should also be opportunities to select more responsive crop genotypes, or to develop transgenic crops tailored to respond to specific chemical cues or molecular patterns diagnostic for particular biotic threats. Sequencing of the genomes of the major crop species and their wild relatives will expand enormously the known gene pool and diversity of genetic resources available for plant breeders to access. It should be possible to identify genomic regions and genes conferring more durable, quantitative resistance to pathogens. The breeding cycle will be accelerated by high-throughput phenotyping and more efficient selection of resistance traits using within-gene markers. GM approaches will facilitate pyramiding (combining) resistance genes with different specificities and modes of action, thereby reducing the risk of directional selection for virulence. Analysis of the genomes of plant pathogens and invertebrate pests is already providing new information on genes, gene families and processes involved in host colonization and pathogenicity. Comparative genomics of species with diverse host ranges, contrasting feeding habits and different pathogenic lifestyles will identify new targets for inhibiting pest attack and aid the development of novel antimicrobial drugs and pesticides. Understanding the natural ecology of pests and pathogens, such as the factors determining host location, resource exploitation and interactions with other organisms, will improve our ability to manipulate behaviour, or exploit natural enemies or other antagonists of pest species. Volatile signals, either from natural plant sources, or engineered in transgenic crops, will be more widely used to modify pest behaviour. It may also be possible to manipulate microbial communities regulating pathogen populations and activity, and thereby recruit and retain more effective biocontrol agents. Insights into the natural diversity and activity of soil and microbial populations in the zones surrounding roots and seeds will provide new information on mechanisms of suppression regulating pest species. Fully effective interventions are unlikely, due to the complexity and diversity of the soil system, but there should be progress towards integrated control regimes combining more resistant crop genotypes (either selected or GM) with targeted management of natural suppressive processes. Harnessing new technologies and knowledge to create more durable resistant crops and sustainable disease and pest management systems will require improved understanding of the factors driving pest and pathogen adaptation and evolution. There must also be an increased emphasis on translational research and delivery, and developing strategies appropriate for lower-input production systems, if the second ‘green revolution’ is to become a reality.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYLong-term (over 14 years) experiments on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop rotations were conducted in Southwest China to investigate phosphorus (P) fertilizer utilization efficiency, including the partial factor productivity (PFP), agronomic efficiency (AE), internal efficiency (IE), partial P balance (PPB), recovery efficiency (RE) and the mass (input–output) balance. The seven treatments were Control, N, NP, NK, NPK, NPKM and NPKSt, representing various combinations of inorganic fertilizers (N, P and K), manure (M) and the application of rice straw (St). Without P application, the soil could supply c. 14·7–22·5 kg P/ha annually and produce, on average, c. 1·8 t/ha wheat and 6·0 t/ha rice. Phosphorus fertilization increased crop yields by 65·5 and 11·4% for wheat and rice, respectively, over the 14 years. The PFP values ranged from 80·2 to 177 kg grain/kg P fertilizer for wheat and from 222 to 255 kg/kg for rice in the NPK treatments. However, the mean AE over the 14-year period was 31·9 and 21·3 kg grain/kg inorganic P fertilizer for wheat and rice, respectively. The mean IE was 214 and 318 kg grain/kg P uptake for wheat and rice, respectively, during the cultivation period. The PPB for the whole rotation system over the 14 years ranged from 0·58 to 0·64. However, the mean RE of P fertilizer was 0·26 (varying from 0·22 to 0·29) in the wheat–rice cropping system over the 14-year period. For every 100 kg surplus P/ha per year, the concentration of soil P extracted by 0·5 m NaHCO3 at pH 8·5 (Olsen-P) would increase by, on average, 4·12 mg/kg in soil. For the wheat–rice cropping system, the current P application rate of 55–65 kg P/ha per year is able to sustain annual yields of about 3 t/ha for wheat and 7 t/ha for rice. This study suggests that, in order to achieve higher crop yields, the P fertilizer utilization efficiency should be considered when making P fertilizer recommendations in wheat–rice cropping systems.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYGlobally, agriculture accounts for 0·80–0·90 of all freshwater used by humans and, in many crop production systems, this water use is unsustainable. The current paper focuses on the potential exploitation of novel drought stress biology in both crop improvement programmes and via changed crop management practices. The aim is to deliver ‘more crop per drop’. In order to respond to the challenge of feeding a world population of seven billion and growing, it is concluded that an interdisciplinary approach is needed involving new genetic opportunities and plant breeding. It is also shown how crop management can exploit the drought stress physiology of plants to deliver improved water productivity without sacrificing crop yield.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYThis paper provides a brief update on the potential impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and marine wild capture fisheries based on the scientific literature published since 2007. Current models predict shifts in fish distributions of 45–60 km per decade, with 0·80 of species moving poleward. With a high CO2 emissions scenario, little overall change in the global maximum potential fisheries catch is projected (±1%), although with high spatial variability: decreases of 40% are projected for the tropics, with increases of 30–70% for higher latitudes. Tropical nations appear to be most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on fisheries production. Coupled atmosphere–ocean–fish production–human society models are beginning to be developed for specific market systems. Results suggest that how society responds can have as large or larger an effect as the strength of the climate impact. Good observations of the impacts of climate change exist for high latitude, coral reef and North Atlantic systems. Management strategies are being developed to address climate change and fisheries, including risk and vulnerability assessment frameworks, pro-active planning with stakeholders regarding potential impacts and responses and examining existing regulations to identify gaps created by altered species distributions (e.g. unregulated fishing in newly ice-free areas). Overall, fisheries governance systems are needed which are flexible and can quickly adapt to changing ecological and human societal conditions. Significant knowledge gaps include a comprehensive and co-ordinated global network of observations to help distinguish climate change from variability, and increased detail in the structure and processes of models. Necessary next steps include reducing the uncertainties of climate impacts models at present, understanding the synergistic effects of multiple stressors and the inclusion of humans into coupled models and socio-economic analyses, in particular at regional and local scales. In the intermediate term, developing nations in tropical regions are likely to be most negatively impacted, whereas developed nations at higher latitudes are most likely to benefit. In the longer term, overall marine food security will depend on the impacts of climate change on marine primary production, for which the present projections are highly uncertain. Adoption of an integrated social–ecological approach that improves the adaptive capacities of ecological and human social systems will help to sustain food security from marine wild capture fisheries.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYCharacterization of plant varieties is traditionally based on phenotypic observation. However, some varieties have very similar morphological characteristics, which make it difficult to distinguish between them. The present study employed 15 microsatellite markers distributed across all linkage groups (LG) of the chickpea genetic map to characterize 32 commercial chickpea cultivars and determine the usefulness of these markers for cultivar identification. These markers showed a high level of polymorphism; a total of 154 different alleles were detected, with a mean of 10·3 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content (PIC) value ranged from 0·455 to 0·897. All the markers, with the exception of TA130, TA135 and TA144, were considered to be informative (PIC〉0·7), indicating their potential usefulness for cultivar identification. A subset of markers (TA186, TA200, TA106, TA113, TA117 and TA30) was sufficient to identify all the cultivars studied. In order to confirm their discriminatory power, 16 unreleased chickpea cultivars (V1–V16) were screened and all of them presented different patterns. Therefore, these microsatellites can be regarded as a reference set for chickpea cultivar identification and their profiles can be used as a DNA fingerprint for each registered cultivar, avoiding redundancy of identical cultivars as well as to protect breeders' rights.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYThe application of organic composts to soil may affect the availability of micronutrients and their concentration in plants. The present field research study compared soil micronutrient extractability after 5 years of organic fertilization v. conventional inorganic fertilization. Iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) were extracted from soil using diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) and the data obtained were compared with the concentration of these micronutrients in the edible portion of the crop. The study was carried out on a loam soil classified as a Xerofluvent. The soil was fertilized with composted plant residues or with conventional inorganic fertilizer and all treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. In all cases a crop rotational system was applied. The use of organic fertilization resulted in a higher extractability for all the elements studied; however, the micronutrient content in the edible part of the crops was variable depending on the plant species and element. Crop yields depended on the type of crop rather than the type of soil fertilization. The present study showed that the use of plant compost and the elimination of synthetic fertilizers result in an increase of Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn extractability compared to soil treated with inorganic fertilization, which should provide long-term fertility benefits.

Beschreibung: SUMMARYWater requirements, total body water (TBW) and water distribution were evaluated in Awassi sheep and Aardi goats of Saudi Arabia. Ten non-pregnant and non-lactating females from each species were individually housed in shaded pens during winter and summer seasons. Each experimental period lasted for 2 weeks; the first week was an adaptation period, followed by an evaluation period of 1 week. Feed and water intake together with body weight were recorded daily. Five animals from each group were used for determination of body water, extracellular fluid (ECF) and plasma volume (PV) using dilution techniques. Urea and sodium thiocyanate were used for the estimation of body water and ECF, respectively, and Evans blue for PV determination. Intracellular fluid (ICF) and blood volume (BV) were calculated. Feed intake was not affected by either season or species. During the winter season, Aardi goats had lower water intake in comparison with Awassi sheep, but water intake increased in all animals during summer. TBW increased during summer in all animals, but with higher values in the Aardi goats. During summer, ECF tended to increase in Aardi goats. PV, expressed as a proportion of body weight, was not affected by season, but it was maintained at higher levels in the Aardi goats irrespective of season. It could be concluded that Aardi goats used water more economically when the ambient temperature was lower but, during the summer when ambient temperatures were higher, they increased their water intake and BW content to a greater extent and stored more water in the ECF compartment compared to Awassi sheep.