106 research outputs found
Towards the sustainable intensification of agricultureâa systems approach to policy formulation
The sustainable intensification of agriculture involves providing sufficient food and other ecosystem services without going beyond the limits of the earthâs system. Here a project management approach is suggested to help guide agricultural policy to deliver these objectives. The first step is to agree measurable outcomes, integrating formal policy goals with the often much less formal and much more diverse goals of individual farmers. The second step is to assess current performance. Ideally, this will involve the use of farm-scale metrics that can feed into process models that address social and environmental domains as well as production issues that can be benchmarked and upscaled to landscape and country. Some policy goals can be delivered by supporting ad hoc interventions, while others require the redesign of the farming system. A pipeline of research, knowledge and capacity building is needed to ensure the continuous increase in farm performance. System models can help prioritise policy interventions. Formal optimization of land use is only appropriate if the policy goals are clear, and the constraints understood. In practice, the best approach may depend on the scale of action that is required, and on the amount of resource and infrastructure available to generate, implement and manage policy
Epigeal fauna of urban food production sites show no obvious relationships with soil characteristics or site area
Urban food production is a growing area of interest as a way of increasing food security, social capital and biodiversity. As food production relies upon ecosystem services provided by invertebrates (e.g. decomposition), it is important to understand the underlying factors affecting their distribution. Here we investigated the influence of soil characteristics and patch area on the abundance and diversity of epigeal invertebrates. Seventeen sites of different size from in and around Leeds, UK, were selected from an open source database on urban food production. Pitfall traps were placed along transects to collect beetles, springtails, and spiders. These invertebrates were identified and counted, adjusting total counts for the number of traps used at each location. Soil samples from the trap locations were homogenized, dried, and analysed to measure organic carbon content, moisture content, and pH, while productivity was assessed by growing radish Raphanus sativus on the soils under uniform conditions. This study found no evidence of correlation of epigeal abundance and diversity with site area or soil characteristics. These findings suggest that there is no evidence as yet of urban food production sites that are too small to be able to draw upon ecosystem services delivered by epigeal invertebrates
How scalable is sustainable intensification?
Sustainable intensification is a concept of growing importance, yet it is in danger of becoming scientifically obsolete because of the diversity of meanings it has acquired. To avoid this, it is important to consider the various scales on which it can aid progress towards feeding human populations while also protecting our environment
Nitrogen-inputs regulate microbial functional and genetic resistance and resilience to dryingârewetting cycles, with implications for crop yields
Background and aims
The increasing input of anthropogenically-derived nitrogen (N) to ecosystems raises a crucial question: how do N inputs modify the soil microbial stability, and thus affect crop productivity?
Methods
Soils from an 8-year rice-wheat rotation experiment with increasing N-input rates were subjected to dryingârewetting (DW) cycles for investigating the resistance and resilience of soil functions, in terms of abundances of genes (potential functions) and activities of enzymes (quantifiable functions), to this stress, and particularly the contribution of resistance and resilience on crop production was evaluated.
Results
Although the DW cycles had a stronger effect compared to N fertilization level, the N input was also important in explaining the variation in the resistance and resilience of functional genes and the activities of enzymes involved in C, N and P cycling. Crop yields benefited from both of high resistance and high resilience of soil microbial functions, though the resistance and resilience of soil enzyme activities exhibited a stronger contribution to crop yields compared to the functional genes and the overall contribution strength was conditioned by N input levels.
Conclusions
In addition to the well-known direct contribution of N fertilization on crop yields, N input plays an indirect role on crop production via conditioning the resistance and resilience of soil functions in response to repeated DW cycles
Plant primary metabolism regulated by nitrogen contributes to plant-pathogen interactions.
Nitrogen contributes to plant defense responses by the regulation of plant primary metabolism during plantâpathogen interactions. Based on biochemical, physiological, bioinformatic and transcriptome approaches, we investigated how different nitrogen forms (ammonium vs. nitrate) regulate the physiological response of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) infection. The metabolic profile revealed that nitrate-grown plants accumulated more organic acids, while ammonium-grown plants accumulated more amino acids; FOC infection significantly increased levels of both amino acids and organic acids in the roots of ammonium-grown plants. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes related to carbon metabolism were mostly up-regulated in plants grown with nitrate, whereas in ammonium-grown plants the up-regulated genes were mostly those that were related to primary nitrogen metabolism. Root FOC colonization and disease incidence were positively correlated with levels of root amino acids and negatively correlated with levels of root organic acids. In conclusion, organic acid metabolism and expression of related genes increased under nitrate, whereas ammonium increased the level of amino acids and expression of related genes; these altered levels of organic acids and amino acids resulted in different tolerances to FOC infection depending on the nitrogen forms supplied
Soil macroaggregation drives sequestration of organic carbon and nitrogen with three-year grass-clover leys in arable rotations
Conventional arable cropping with annual crops established by ploughing and harrowing degrades larger soil aggregates that contribute to storing soil organic carbon (SOC). The urgent need to increase SOC content of arable soils to improve their functioning and sequester atmospheric CO2 has motivated studies into the effects of reintroducing leys into long-term conventional arable fields. However, effects of short-term leys on total SOC accumulation have been equivocal. As soil aggregation may be important for carbon storage, we investigated the effects of arable-to-ley conversion on cambisol soil after three years of ley, on concentrations and stocks of SOC, nitrogen and their distributions in different sized water-stable aggregates. These values were benchmarked against soil from beneath hedgerow margins. SOC stocks (0â7 cm depth) rose from 20.3 to 22.6 Mg haâ1 in the arable-to-ley conversion, compared to 30 Mg haâ1 in hedgerows, but this 2.3 Mg haâ1 difference (or 0.77 Mg C haâ1 yrâ1) was not significant). However, the proportion of large macroaggregates (> 2000 ÎŒm) increased 5.4-fold in the arable-to-ley conversion, recovering to similar abundance as hedgerow soils, driving near parallel increases in SOC and nitrogen within large macroaggregates (5.1 and 5.7-fold respectively). The total SOC (0â7 cm depth) stored in large macroaggregates increased from 2.0 to 9.6 Mg haâ1 in the arable-to-ley conversion, which no longer differed significantly from the 12.1 Mg haâ1 under hedgerows. The carbon therefore accumulated three times faster, at 2.53 Mg C haâ1 yrâ1, in the large macroaggregates compared to the bulk soil. These findings highlight the value of monitoring large macroaggregate-bound SOC as a key early indicator of shifts in soil quality in response to change in field management, and the benefits of leys in soil aggregation, carbon accumulation, and soil functioning, providing justification for fiscal incentives that encourage wider use of leys in arable rotations
Assessment of genetically modified maize MIR604 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013)
Following the submission of application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013 under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Syngenta Crop Protection NV/SA, the EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) was asked to deliver a scientific risk assessment on the data submitted in the context of the renewal of authorisation application for the insectâresistant genetically modified maize MIR604, for food and feed uses, excluding cultivation within the EU. The data received in the context of this renewal application contained postâmarket environmental monitoring reports, a systematic search and evaluation of literature, updated bioinformatic analyses, and additional documents or studies performed by or on behalf of the applicant. The GMO Panel assessed these data for possible new hazards, modified exposure or new scientific uncertainties identified during the authorisation period and not previously assessed in the context of the original application. Under the assumption that the DNA sequence of the event in maize MIR604 considered for renewal is identical to the corrected sequence of the originally assessed event, the GMO Panel concludes that there is no evidence in renewal application EFSAâGMOâRXâ013 for new hazards, modified exposure or scientific uncertainties that would change the conclusions of the original risk assessment on maize MIR604
Statement complementing the EFSA Scientific Opinion on application (EFSAâGMOâNLâ2009â75) for placing on the market of genetically modified oilseed rape Ms8 Ă Rf3 Ă GT73 and subcombinations, which have not been authorised previously (i.e. Ms8 Ă GT73 and Rf3 Ă GT73) independently of their origin, for food and feed uses, import and processing, with the exception of isolated seed protein for food, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003), taking into consideration additional information
The EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) previously assessed oilseed rape Ms8 Ă Rf3 Ă GT73 and its subcombinations Ms8 Ă GT73 and Rf3 Ă GT73 according to the scope as defined in the application EFSAâGMOâNLâ2009â75, and was not in the position to complete the safety assessment of products rich in protein, such as rapeseed protein isolates or products of this nature in animal feeding. Following a mandate from the European Commission, the GMO Panel assessed a 28âday toxicity study in mice with the glyphosate oxidoreductase (GOXv247) protein, provided to complement information related to application EFSAâGMOâNLâ2009â75 for the placing on the market of oilseed rape Ms8 Ă Rf3 Ă GT73 and its subcombinations Ms8 Ă GT73 and Rf3 Ă GT73, for food and feed uses, import and processing, with the exception of isolated seed protein for food. The 28âday toxicity study on Escherichia coliâ produced GOXv247 protein did not show adverse effects in mice, at the gavage doses up to 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day. Taking into account its previous assessment on EFSAâGMOâNLâ2009â75 and the outcome of the 28âday toxicity study in mice with the GOXv247 protein provided in this mandate, the GMO Panel, based on a weight of evidence approach, concludes that food and feed containing, consisting and produced from genetically modified oilseed rape Ms8 Ă Rf3 Ă GT73 and its sub combinations Ms8 Ă GT73 and Rf3 Ă GT73, are as safe as its conventional counterpart, according to the scope as defined in the application EFSAâGMOâNLâ2009â75
Assessment of genetically modified oilseed rape GT73 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSAâGMOâRXâ002)
Following the submission of application EFSAâGMOâRXâ002 under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Monsanto Company, the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms of EFSA (GMO) was asked to deliver a scientific risk assessment on the data submitted in the context of the renewal of authorisation application for the herbicideâtolerant genetically modified oilseed rape GT73. The data received in the context of this renewal application contained postâmarket environmental monitoring reports, a systematic search and evaluation of literature, updated bioinformatic analyses and additional documents or studies performed by or on behalf of the applicant. The GMO Panel assessed these data for possible new hazards, modified exposure or new scientific uncertainties identified during the authorisation period and not previously assessed in the context of the original application. Under the assumption that the DNA sequence of the event in oilseed rape GT73 considered for renewal of authorisation is identical to the sequence of the originally assessed event, the GMO Panel concludes that there is no evidence in renewal application EFSAâGMOâRXâ002 for new hazards, modified exposure or scientific uncertainties that would change the conclusions of the original risk assessment on oilseed rape GT73
Assessment of genetically modified maize MON 88017 for renewal authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSAâGMOâRXâ014)
Following the submission of application EFSAâGMOâRXâ014 under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Monsanto Company the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms of the European Food Safety Authority was asked to deliver a scientific risk assessment on the data submitted in the context of the renewal of authorisation application for the insectâresistant and herbicideâtolerant genetically modified maize MON 88017, for food and feed uses, excluding cultivation within the EU. The data received in the context of this renewal application contained postâmarket environmental monitoring reports, a systematic search and evaluation of literature, updated bioinformatic analyses, and additional documents or studies performed by or on behalf of the applicant. The GMO Panel assessed these data for possible new hazards, modified exposure or new scientific uncertainties identified during the authorisation period and not previously assessed in the context of the original application. Under the assumption that the DNA sequence of the event in maize MON 88017 considered for renewal is identical to the sequence of the originally assessed event, the GMO Panel concludes that there is no evidence in renewal application EFSAâGMOâRXâ014 for new hazards, modified exposure or scientific uncertainties that would change the conclusions of the original risk assessment on maize MON 88017
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