Predicting Resin Pockets in Radiata Pine Logs from Blemishes on Log Ends

More than 120 radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) sawlogs, from two sites, were assessed for resin pockets and blemishes (resin streaks, bark pockets, colored marks, and other grain deviations) on the log ends. At both sites, the assessment of blemishes on the log ends improved the prediction of resin pockets on the lumber after sawing (r2 = 0.29 and 0.49), beyond the prediction achieved by assessing resin pockets on the log ends alone (r2 = 0 and 0.24). Noting only the presence or absence of blemishes on the log ends enabled explanation of half the variation between logs in loss of clear cuttings due to docking out resin pockets from the lumber (r2 = 0.50, P < 0.001). Since the log ends were assessed after ordinary chainsaw cuts were made, we believe that blemishes could be recognized by log graders, and that it should be possible to develop selection procedures for sawlogs that minimize the value losses associated with resin pockets

Wood Properties of Twenty Highly Ranked Radiata Pine Seed Production Parents Selected for Growth and Form

Twenty highly ranked radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) seed production parent trees, grown under a commercial sawlog regime, were destructively assessed at rotation age (27 years) for wood quality traits significant to solid-wood and veneer products, including: juvenile-wood density, density variation, juvenile-wood spiral grain, compression wood, and appearance characteristics such as within-ring internal checking and resin pockets. Traits varied considerably among parents, which is reasonable since breeding efforts in New Zealand have, until recently, focused primarily on stem productivity and form. Parental information is useful for many wood properties owing to their high heritabilities in radiata pine (usually 50-80%); thus production forests established using advanced-generation genetic materials can also be expected to be variable in wood properties. Like other fastgrown pines, much of the radiata pine crop is juvenile wood, and an important challenge for tree improvement is to ensure that juvenile wood properties meet processor and end-user requirements

Globalization, Financial Depth, and Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa

ISSN:0948-3349ISSN:1614-750

Toward healthy and sustainable diets for the 21st century: Importance of sociocultural and economic considerations

Four years after the EAT-Lancet landmark report, worldwide movements call for action to reorient food systems to healthy diets that respect planetary boundaries. Since dietary habits are inherently local and personal, any shift toward healthy and sustainable diets going against this identity will have an uphill road. Therefore, research should address the tension between the local and global nature of the biophysical (health, environment) and social dimensions (culture, economy). Advancing the food system transformation to healthy, sustainable diets transcends the personal control of engaging consumers. The challenge for science is to scale-up, to become more interdisciplinary, and to engage with policymakers and food system actors. This will provide the evidential basis to shift from the current narrative of price, convenience, and taste to one of health, sustainability, and equity. The breaches of planetary boundaries and the environmental and health costs of the food system can no longer be considered externalities. However, conflicting interests and traditions frustrate effective changes in the human-made food system. Public and private stakeholders must embrace social inclusiveness and include the role and accountability of all food system actors from the microlevel to the macrolevel. To achieve this food transformation, a new “social contract,” led by governments, is needed to redefine the economic and regulatory power balance between consumers and (inter)national food system actors

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

International audienceThis chapter is dedicated to the third phase of an LCA study, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) where the life cycle inventory's information on elementary flows is translated into environmental impact scores. In contrast to the three other LCA phases, LCIA is in practice largely automated by LCA software, but the underlying principles, models and factors should still be well understood by practitioners to ensure the insight that is needed for a qualified interpretation of the results.This chapter teaches the fundamentals of LCIA and opens the black box of LCIA with its characterisation models and factors to inform the reader about: (1) the main purpose and characteristics of LCIA, (2) the mandatory and optional steps of LCIA according to the ISO standard, and (3) the science and methods underlying the assessment for each environmental impact category. For each impact category, the reader is taken through (a) the underlying environmental problem, (b) the underlying environmental mechanism and its fundamental modelling principles, (c) the main anthropogenic sources causing the problem and (d) the main methods available in LCIA. An annex to this book offers a comprehensive qualitative comparison of the main elements and properties of the most widely used and also the latest LCIAmethods for each impact category, to further assist the advanced practitioner to make an informed choice between LCIA methods

Food Security and Climate Stabilization: Can Cereal Production Systems Address Both?

There is abundant evidence that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of cereal products, expressed per ton of grain output, have been trending downward over the past 20 years. This has largely been achieved through agricultural intensification that has concurrently increased area-based GHG emissions. The challenge is for agriculture to increase grain yields to meet the food demands of a growing world population while also contributing to climate stabilization goals by reducing net GHG emissions. This study assessed yield-based and area-based emissions and efficiencies for the winter wheat–summer maize (WWSM) rotation system over the period 1996 to 2016 using long-term, longitudinal, farm survey data and detailed soil emission data in Huantai county, Shandong Province, which is an archetype for cereal production across the North China Plain (NCP). In this region, yields have been increasing over time. However, nitrogen fertilizer inputs have decreased substantially with greater adoption of soil nutrient testing. In addition, there has been widespread adoption of residue incorporation into soils. As such, since 2002, the product carbon footprints of wheat and maize have reduced by 25% and 30%, respectively. Meanwhile, area-based carbon footprints for the rotation system have reduced by around 15% over the same period. These findings demonstrate the importance of detailed assessment of soil N2O emissions and rates of soil organic carbon sequestration. They also show the potential for net reductions in GHG emissions in cropping without loss of grain yields

Food Security and Climate Stabilization: Can Cereal Production Systems Address Both?

There is abundant evidence that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of cereal products, expressed per ton of grain output, have been trending downward over the past 20 years. This has largely been achieved through agricultural intensification that has concurrently increased area-based GHG emissions. The challenge is for agriculture to increase grain yields to meet the food demands of a growing world population while also contributing to climate stabilization goals by reducing net GHG emissions. This study assessed yield-based and area-based emissions and efficiencies for the winter wheat–summer maize (WWSM) rotation system over the period 1996 to 2016 using long-term, longitudinal, farm survey data and detailed soil emission data in Huantai county, Shandong Province, which is an archetype for cereal production across the North China Plain (NCP). In this region, yields have been increasing over time. However, nitrogen fertilizer inputs have decreased substantially with greater adoption of soil nutrient testing. In addition, there has been widespread adoption of residue incorporation into soils. As such, since 2002, the product carbon footprints of wheat and maize have reduced by 25% and 30%, respectively. Meanwhile, area-based carbon footprints for the rotation system have reduced by around 15% over the same period. These findings demonstrate the importance of detailed assessment of soil N2O emissions and rates of soil organic carbon sequestration. They also show the potential for net reductions in GHG emissions in cropping without loss of grain yields

Reducing Agricultural Water Footprints at the Farm Scale: A Case Study in the Beijing Region

Beijing is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. Reducing agricultural water use has long been the basis of local policy for sustainable water use. In this article, the potential to reduce the life cycle (cradle to gate) water footprints of wheat and maize that contribute to 94% of the local cereal production was assessed. Following ISO 14046, consumptive and degradative water use for the wheat-maize rotation system was modeled under different irrigation and nitrogen (N) application options. Reducing irrigation water volume by 33.3% compared to current practice did not cause a significant yield decline, but the water scarcity footprint and water eutrophication footprint were decreased by 27.5% and 23.9%, respectively. Similarly, reducing the N application rate by 33.3% from current practice did not cause a significant yield decline, but led to a 52.3% reduction in water eutrophication footprint while maintaining a similar water scarcity footprint. These results demonstrate that improving water and fertilizer management has great potential for reducing the crop water footprints at the farm scale. This situation in Beijing is likely to be representative of the challenge facing many of the water-stressed regions in China, where a sustainable means of agricultural production must be found

Diet Quality and Water Scarcity: Evidence from a Large Australian Population Health Survey

There is widespread interest in dietary strategies that lower environmental impacts. However, various forms of malnutrition are also widely prevalent. In a first study of its kind, we quantify the water-scarcity footprint and diet quality score of a large (&gt;9000) population of self-selected adult daily diets. Here, we show that excessive consumption of discretionary foods&mdash;i.e., energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods high in saturated fat, added sugars and salt, and alcohol&mdash;contributes up to 36% of the water-scarcity impacts and is the primary factor differentiating healthier diets with lower water-scarcity footprint from poorer quality diets with higher water-scarcity footprint. For core food groups (fruits, vegetables, etc.), large differences in water-scarcity footprint existed between individual foods, making difficult the amendment of dietary guidelines for water-scarcity impact reduction. Very large reductions in dietary water-scarcity footprint are possible, but likely best achieved though technological change, product reformulation and procurement strategies in the agricultural and food industries

Water footprint of livestock: Comparison of six geographically defined beef production systems

Purpose Water use in the livestock sector has featured in the debate about sustainable food systems. Most evidence has come from virtual water calculations which lack impact assessment and adequate consideration of the heterogeneity in livestock production. This study sought new evidence, using a recently developed life cycle impact assessment method for water use to assess six geographically defined beef cattle production systems in New South Wales, Australia, a major production region. Methods The livestock production systems were diverse in farm practice (grass and feedlot finishing), product (yearling to heavy steers), environment (high-rainfall coastal to semi-arid inland) and local water stress. Life cycle inventories were developed from representative farm enterprise budgets. The farm water use inventories sought to describe the impact of the production system on catchment water resources and included irrigation water use as well as the reduction in flows due to the operation of stock dams. Results and discussion The normalised life cycle impact category results for water use, referred to as the water footprint, ranged from 3.3 to 221 L HOe kg live weight at farm gate. Due to variation in local water stress, the impact category results were not correlated with the inventory results. Conclusions The substantial variability in water footprint between systems indicates that generalisations about livestock and livestock products should be avoided. However, many low input, predominantly non-irrigated, pasturebased livestock production systems have little impact on freshwater resources from consumptive water use, and the livestock have a water footprint similar to many broad-acre cereals. Globally, the majority of beef cattle are raised in non-irrigated mixed farming and grazing systems. Therefore, the general assertion that meat production is a driver of water scarcity is not supported