Alternative to Disincentive Rice Producer Prices in Madagascar: Case Study in Alaotra Prefecture and Bongolava Prefecture

This study identifies the reasons for low producer prices of rice that have not covered its production costs for many years in Madagascar. The following points will be discussed: the farmers’ marketing conditions and the rural rice market structure, including the functions of each intervening trader preceding rice distribution in urban centers. The study also assesses current functions of the agricultural farmer cooperative: an organization expected to enable the establishment of fair trade in the domestic rice market. The data come from interviews conducted with 120 farmers, 20 traders, and the survey of the overall cooperative associations in two prefectures and main rice suppliers of the capital city. The analysis reveals that farmers were often compelled to sell their products largely to the nearby village assemblers who are under the commission of large traders located in urban cities. Despite the fact that farmers do not maintain bargaining power for a variety of reasons, there have been no rural organizations, such as agricultural farmer cooperatives, established to support them in many areas. The few agricultural farmer cooperatives that have been introduced recently maintain only limited market power because they are ill-suited to deal with the farmers’ conditions. The results suggest that the major issues which may deserve more attention are: the emergence and furtherance of a cooperative movement which fits the local conditions, the enforcement of market rules, and the establishment of marketing institutions that ensure fair trade.Cooperatives, Madagascar, Markets, Rice, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Development of microstructures in rapidly-quenched Mg85Y9Zn6 alloy ribbons during heating at a constant speed examined by simultaneous small- and wide angle scattering measurements

Developments of microstructures during heating Mg85Y9Zn6 amorphous ribbons have been examined by in-situ synchrotron radiation small- and wide-angle scattering measurements. The samples show sharp crystallization peak in a DSC measurement at 450 K for a heating rate of 10 K/min. During and just after crystallization, clustering occurred first within supersaturated hcp crystallites, with concomitant hcp grain growth. Above 550 K, the spatial arrangements of the cluster became anisotropic, eventually lead to 18R LPSO structures accompanied by introduction of stacking faults

Efficient Rooting System for Apple “M.9” Rootstock Using Rice Seed Coat and Smocked Rice Seed Coat

“M.9” rootstock is considered as one of the most useful apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) rootstocks; it produces dwarfing trees efficiently. As “M.9” rootstock shows a poor, brittle, and shallow roots system, we grafted “M.9” rootstocks onto “Marubakaidou” (M. prunifolia Borkh. var. ringo Asami Mo 84-A). We then propagated them by mound layering to establish a high-density root system. It was found that covering the roots with rice seed coat (RSC), RSC + smoked rice seed coat (SRSC), and vermiculite during mound layering was effective for the initiation of rooting. Utilizing RSC and SRSC seemed especially effective for producing “M.9” roots efficiently

High-throughput analysis of anthocyanins in horticultural crops using probe electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (PESI/MS/MS)

農作物に含まれる成分を簡便・迅速に分析する技術を確立 --煩雑な抽出や分離操作が不要、わずか3分間で81種類のアントシアニンを分析可能--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-03-30.Plant secondary metabolites exhibit various horticultural traits. Simple and rapid analysis methods for evaluating these metabolites are in demand in breeding and consumer markets dealing with horticultural crops. We applied probe electrospray ionization (PESI) to evaluate secondary metabolite levels in horticultural crops. PESI does not require pre-treatment and separation of samples, which makes it suitable for high-throughput analysis. In this study, we targeted anthocyanins, one of the primary pigments in horticultural crops. Eighty-one anthocyanins were detected in approximately 3 minutes in the selected reaction-monitoring mode. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) could adequately distinguish between the fragments of anthocyanins and flavonols. Probe sampling, an intuitive method of sticking a probe directly to the sample, could detect anthocyanins qualitatively on a micro-area scale, such as achenes and receptacles in strawberry fruit. Our results suggest that PESI/MS/MS can be a powerful tool to characterize the profile of anthocyanins and compare their content among cultivars

Identification of Sorbitol Transporters Expressed in the Phloem of Apple Source Leaves

Sorbitol is a major photosynthetic product and a major phloem-translocated component in Rosaceae (e.g. apple, pear, peach, and cherry). We isolated the three cDNAs, MdSOT3, MdSOT4, and MdSOT5 from apple (Malus domestica) source leaves, which are homologous to plant polyol transporters. Yeasts transformed with the MdSOTs took up sorbitol significantly. MdSOT3- and MdSOT5-dependent sorbitol uptake was strongly inhibited by xylitol and myo-inositol, but not or only weakly by mannitol and dulcitol. Apparent Km values of MdSOT3 and MdSOT5 for sorbitol were estimated to be 0.71mM and 3.2mM, respectively. The protonophore, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), strongly inhibited the sorbitol transport. MdSOT3 was expressed specifically in source leaves, whereas MdSOT4 and MdSOT5 were expressed in source leaves and also in some sink organs. MdSOT4 and MdSOT5 expressions were highest in flowers. Fruits showed no or only weak MdSOT expression. Although MdSOT4 and MdSOT5 were also expressed in immature leaves, MdSOT expressions increased with leaf maturation. In addition, in situ hybridization revealed that all MdSOTs were expressed to high levels in phloem of minor veins in source leaves. These results suggest that these MdSOTs are involved in sorbitol loading in Rosacea

Implementation of food safety activities: the case study in mandarin orange farmers by agriculture cooperative in Japan

A number of high outbreaks have raised questions regarding food quality and safety assurance. Agriculture cooperatives as food business operators have a central role, challenged to maintain standard demanded by customers, government, and international code which are incorporated into their operations activity. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of cooperatives in implementing food safety management at production (farmers) and consumer (exporters, retailers or wholesale) levels. The research employed case studies in prefecture-level cooperatives in Japan. Data were collected with a diagnostic tool for evaluation of food safety activities on farms and traders and semi-structured interviews with safety assurance managers of the cooperatives. Thirty mandarin orange farms, two traders, three cooperative staff, one processing company and one exporter association, were evaluated. The findings indicate that cooperatives have the double responsibility of managing quality and safety in the food chain. They are responsible for operational decisions taken by farmers during cultivation period. At the same time, they make the tactical decision concerning of quality and safety requirements between customers, and farmers, including selling the products. Hierarchical relationships farmers with cooperatives and customers with cooperatives show the good level in food safety activities (score 2). Therefore, this study useful for assist quality assurance system into the food industry and agriculture sector in Japan

Molecular cloning and characterization of ABCG/PDR-type ABC transporter in grape berry skin

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) skin contains the phenolic compound resveratrol which is important not only for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses but also for human health. However, little is known about resveratrol transport in plant cells. ABC (ATP binding cassette) transporters are well-known transporters responsible for secondary metabolite accumulation in plants. Previous reports speculated that the full-size ABCG transporter pleiotropic drug-resistant (PDR) is involved in resveratrol transport in fungi and plants. In this paper, all full-size ABCG transporters found in the grape genome database are listed and focus is placed on VvABCG44/VvPDR14 as a candidate resveratrol transporter. The full-length cDNA of VvABCG44 was cloned by RT-PCR using mRNAs extracted from grape berry skin. VvABCG44 expression was induced by UV irradiation, and the expression pattern of VvABCG44 in various grape organs was similar to that of stilbene synthase (STS), a key enzyme in resveratrol synthesis. Resveratrol content in grape berry skin increased after UV irradiation. These results suggest that VvABCG44 functions as a resveratrol transporter in grape