The experience of homelessness and the human-companion animal bond : a quantitative study : a project based upon an investigation at San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium/Veterinary Street Outreach Services, San Francisco, California

This qualitative study explores homeless pet owners\u27 perceptions regarding their experience of homelessness and the impact of companion pet accompaniment on this experience. In-person, semi-structured interviews were held with a diverse sample of 12 homeless pet owners receiving services from Veterinary Street Outreach Services (VET SOS), a volunteer-based project providing free veterinary care for the companion animals of homeless individuals in San Francisco. Participant narratives were used to explore the complexities of the experience of homelessness while being accompanied by a companion animal, personal experiences of homelessness, insights concerning the bond shared between companion animals and owner, and the experience of navigating the homeless service system. Findings indicate that the majority of participants felt that having a pet while homeless may buffer against some of the hardships associated with homelessness in a number of areas. Participant responses generally focused on their pets\u27 helpful qualities and characteristics and the benefits afforded them by pet ownership, to which they attributed an improvement in their own emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. Implications of the findings for practice, policy and research are discussed, with emphasis on the importance of service development to support and protect the human-companion animal bond

Selection of Psyllid-Resistant Forage Varieties from an Inter-Specific Breeding Program of \u3cem\u3eLeucaena leucocephala\u3c/em\u3e with \u3cem\u3eL. pallida\u3c/em\u3e

Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) pastures for beef cattle production are productive and sustainable; however, susceptibility to the psyllid insect (Heteropsylla cubana) has limited expansion of current commercial cultivars into more humid areas (\u3e 800 mm/yr) (Shelton and Dalzell 2007). Psyllids can also cause intermittent damage in lower rainfall regions during humid periods. The psyllid, which arrived in Australia in 1986, is a leaf-sucking insect specific to the Leucaena genus, feeding on the growing tips of susceptible cultivars (Bray 1994). Psyllid damage can reduce production by as much as 50-70% in humid regions and 20-50% in subhumid environments (Bray 1994; Mullen and Shelton 2003). Work on psyllid resistance in the Leucaena genus through the 1990s showed that several Leucaena species, including the tetraploid L. pallida, had good levels of resistance (Mullen et al. 2003). A breeding program to develop psyllid-resistant varieties began in 2002 at The University of Queensland (UQ) based on the F1 inter-specific hybrids between L. leucocephala and L. pallida (known as ‘KX2’), developed at the University of Hawaii (Brewbaker 2008). Between 2002 and 2005, UQ initiated a program of recurrent selection in an attempt to produce stable outcrossed KX2-derived lines but inbreeding depression for yield and poor forage quality led to a change in the breeding strategy, and a backcrossing program was implemented between 2005 and 2008. Two cycles of backcrossing to elite L. leucocephala ssp. glabrata material were completed followed by 2 cycles of progeny testing and selection for self-compatibility to achieve stability and uniformity (2009 - 2012). Forty elite psyllid-resistant lines were then evaluated to identify the most suitable lines for release to industry. This paper describes the results of these trials

Balanço do nitrogênio e fósforo em solo com cultivo orgânico de hortaliças após a incorporação de biomassa de guandu.

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar os efeitos de faixas de guandu (Cajanus cajan) e da incorporação da biomassa proveniente de sua poda na fertilidade do solo e na produtividade de três hortaliças sob cultivo orgânico. O delineamento usado foi de blocos casualizados completos em esquema de parcelas subsubdivididas com três repetições. As produtividades de beterraba, cenoura e feijão-de-vagem não foram afetadas pelos tratamentos. Nas parcelas onde não houve incorporação da biomassa de guandu, o balanço de nitrogênio no sistema foi negativo, ao passo que com a incorporação, esse balanço foi positivo. Embora tenha ocorrido balanço positivo para o fósforo nas parcelas sem a incorporação de biomassa de guandu, houve um aumento significativo na absorção desse elemento pelas hortaliças quando o material foi incorporado. O sistema de cultivo em aléias de guandu pode representar uma prática vantajosa para os produtores orgânicos, por contribuir na manutenção da fertilidade do solo