Assessing the potential economic benefits to farmers from various GM crops becoming available in the European Union by 2025: results from an expert survey

This paper reports on a study that identified a range of crop-trait combinations that are: agronomically suited to the EU; provide advantages to arable farmers and consumers; and are either already available in international markets, or advancing along the development pipeline and likely to become available by 2025. An expert stakeholder panel was recruited and asked for their views, using the Delphi approach, on the impact of these crop-traits on enterprise competitiveness, through changes to yields, production costs and product prices. In terms of input traits, there was consensus that traits such as herbicide tolerant/insect resistant (HT/IR) maize, HT sugar beet and HT soya bean would provide positive benefits for farmers. Output-side traits such as winter-sown rape with reduced saturated fats, were seen as offering benefits to consumers, but were either likely to be restricted to niche markets, or offer relatively modest price premia to farmers growing them. Our analysis of the financial impact of the adoption of GM crops more widely in the EU, showed that the competitiveness of the agricultural sector could well be improved by this. However, such improvements would be relatively small-scale in that large-scale national natural advantages from either economic or environmental conditions is unlikely to be overturned

A description of the soils and geology of the Berkshire Valley experimental catchment

Basic land resource data are provided in this report to assist an investigation of the effect of contour banking on surface runoff in the Berkshire Valley experimental catchement. Brief descriptions of the catchment\u27s geology, soils and their inferred hydrological significance are provided and a 1:2000 scale map produced. Of major significance to the hydrologic study is the fact that soil depth and internal drainage conditions were found to be not related to landscape positions

Estimation of runoff volumes for ungauged catchments in the agricultural areas of Western Australia

Describes an analysis of flood runoff volumes from 16 small, gauged catchments in the agricultural areas of south western Australia. It also describes methods for estimating flood runoff volumes from ungauged catchments. The independent variables found to be statistically significant in explaining the variability in flood runoff volumes from the gauged catchments were catchment area, mean annual rainfall and the percentage of the catchment that was cleared. No soil factor was found to be significant

Soil factors affecting flood runoff on agricultural catchments in Western Australia

Reviews methods of including soil properties in flood runoff-predicting equations. Concentrates on practical methods that can be routinely used by soil conservation technicians for flood prediction rather than complex research models. A case is made for collecting soil data from the gauged catchments which are relevant to a perceived runoff mechanism and are capable of being routinely applied in simple flood prediction methodologies

Customising with 3D printing: The role of intelligent control

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. The emergence of direct digital manufacturing creates new opportunities for the production of highly customised goods especially when it is combined with conventional manufacturing methods. Nevertheless, this combination creates a need for systems that can effectively manage and control the resulting distributed manufacturing process. In this paper, we explore three different configurations that can enable direct digital manufacturing for customisation, ranging from fully integrated to inter-organisational set up. Additionally, control requirements of such systems are developed and the suitability of intelligent control is explored. By ‘intelligent control’ we mean production control that is capable of assessing and interacting with the production environment and adapting production accordingly. We argue that the so called intelligent product paradigm provides a suitable mechanism for the development of such intelligent control systems. In this approach, the intelligent product directly co-ordinates with design agent, 3D printing agents and other conventional manufacturing system agents to schedule, assign and execute tasks independently. Via a case example of a realistic production system, we propose and implement such an intelligent control system and we analyse its feasibility in supporting 3D printing enabled customisation

Investigation of a saline valley on Allandale Research Farm

Geophysical surveys and drilling were used to investigate a saline valley on Allandale Research Farm. These techniques showed that the geology is controlling the location of two main areas of saline seeps and they identified another area at risk of increased salinity. They were also used to obtain information on the groundwater system and to assist in making management recommendations. Electromagnetic terrain conductivity surveys showed that the most saline soils occurred upstream of a cross-cutting magnetic anomaly caused by a dolerite dyke. A seismic survey showed that the anomaly coincided with a bedrock rise. This bedrock rise restricts groundwater flow through the catchment and forces saline groundwater to the surface where it evaporates causing salts to build up in the soil profile. A second area of saline surface soils occurs further downstream. Outcrops of granite in the creek indicate that another bedrock rise is the cause for the location of this seep. A third area in the valley upslope from the main saline area has a high subsoil conductivity and is immediately upslope of a second magnetic anomaly. This area may become more saline in the future. Drilling confirmed the seismic profile near the dolerite dyke in the main saline area. It also indicated that deep groundwater pressures are above ground level along the whole of the valley/ becoming higher with increased distance downstream. The quality of the groundwater ranged from 3,500 to 6,500 mg.Cl-1/L. Three recommendations are made for the area: (i) the construction of an interceptor drain/ upslope of each saline area, to reduce waterlogging; (ii) fencing the saline areas, and revegetating to salt tolerant grasses, bushes and trees; (iii) limiting recharge on coarse textured soils in the catchment above the valley by growing crops and/or trees with high evapotranspiration potentials

Modelling food sourcing decisions under climate change: A data-driven approach

Changes in climate conditions are expected to pose signi cant challenges to the food industry, as it is very likely that they will a ect the production of various crops. As a consequence, decisions associated with the sourcing of food items will need to be reconsidered in the years to come. In this paper, we investigate how environmental changes are likely to a ect the suitability and risk of di erent regions |in terms of growing certain food items| and whether companies should adapt their sourcing decisions due to these changes. In particular, we propose a three-stage approach that guides food sourcing decisions by incorporating climate change data. The methodology utilises environmental data from several publicly available databases and models weather uncertainties to calculate the suitability and risk indices associated with growing a crop in a particular geographical area. The estimated suitability and risk parameters are used in a mean-variance analysis to calculate the optimal sourcing decision. Results from a case example indicate that sourcing decisions of popular food items are likely to require signi cant adaptations due to changes to the suitability of certain regions

Drainage to control waterlogging

Drains can be classified in several ways. Drains on flat land have similar drainage effects on either side of the drain and are called relief drains. Drains on sloping land intercept seepage water moving down hillsides and therefore have most effect on the downslope side. They are called interceptor drains. Drains can also be classified as being open drains (that is, open at the ground surface) or buried drains (for example, tube drains)