Effect of cultivar and soil characteristics on nutritional value in organic and conventional wheat

Evidence of greater nutritional value in organic crops is currently a subject of intense debate. Our objectives in this study were to test for grain mineral concentration in 35 winter wheat cultivars in paired organic and conventional systems, and to determine the influence of cultivar, soil characteristics and farming system on mineral concentration. Here we report preliminary results that show that the grain mineral concentration in organic wheat was higher for copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) and lower in calcium (Ca), than the grain mineral concentration in conventional wheat. No difference was found between systems for iron (Fe) concentration. Cultivar was significant in determining mineral concentration for Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn and P. Soil mineral concentration was not responsible for grain mineral concentration, with the exception of P. The organic wheat farming systems had higher grain mineral concentrations of Cu, Mg, Mn, P and Zn than the conventional systems, possibly due in part to increased soil organic matter and pH in the organic systems. Growing specific cultivars capable of exploiting particular soil conditions may be necessary in order to optimize the nutritional value in organic farming systems

Experimental Combat-Stress Model in Rats: Histological Examination of Effects of Amelogenesis-A Possible Measure of Diminished Vagal Tone Episodes

Developmental defects of enamel-stress histomarker rings (accentuated striae) may be a potential measure of diminished vagal tone in research on extreme stress such as exposure to combat. To develop an animal model of this measure, we examined the enamel of rat incisors which erupt continuously. We examined incisors from 15 stressed-colony rats and 7 control-rats for these histomarkers using the Visible Burrow System (VBS). VBS was developed to study combat stress in rats. No stress rings were found in any of the rat incisors examined. In contrast to humans, rats have likely evolved to prioritize incisor strength during combat stress. Studies of amelogenesis during combat stress in other rodents with continuously growing incisors are warranted. Laboratory animals such as rabbits or marmosets may be especially suitable, since they less frequently use their incisors for self defense

A participatory methodology for large scale field trials in the UK

Farmer participation was essential in developing a uniquely useful set of wheat variety trials data on a wide range of organic farms over two years. Although the trials were successful, it became clear that some of the participating farmers felt there were some limitations in the process. These included a lack of ownership in the project and a concern for more researcher help. It was clear that a greater time in-vestment was needed at the start of the project to help with farmer understanding and ownership. De-spite the negative comments, farmers appreciated their involvement, particularly in contrasting their own views and information with that from the wider scene. Farmer participation is essential for systems-level research and this project helped to develop a small core of trained farmers and researchers

A participatory approach to variety trials for organic systems

A participatory research methodology was used to compare the performance of UK wheat varieties under organic conditions. Plots of three breadmaking winter wheat varieties (Hereward, Solstice and Xi19) and a mixture (1:1:1) of the varieties were grown at 19 UK farms in two seasons (2003/04 and 2004/05). Meas-urements were taken of growth habit, yield and grain quality. Grain yields in both seasons showed significant site by variety interactions, although the variation among sites was greater than among varieties in both instances. Wheat grown at Western sites was significantly shorter and higher-yielding than that grown at Eastern sites in 2003/04 but significantly taller in 2004/05. As with grain yield, greater variation among site than variety was found in the Hagberg Falling Number and protein concentra-tion results in both seasons. The results from the two years of trials illustrate the variability of organic systems and the difficulty in selecting a single variety suitable for organic farms

The Organic Research Centre - Elm Farm:Bulletin 87

Bulletin 87 with coverage of Avian Influenza H5N1 in Suffolk,commentary on Biofuels, a paper on the organic "transition to sustainable resilience",paper on participatory approach to agronomy trials,update on evolutionary breeding of wheat project,article on formation of new growers alliance in UK

Current and Future Challenges for Asian Nonproliferation Export Controls: A Regional Response

As Asia develops into a clearly demarcated economic region, it is confronted by similar export control challenges as those faced in Europe with the advent of the Common Market. As such, a regional system of export control standards and practices emerged as a means to ensure not only economic parity, but regional and international security as well. While not necessarily as advanced in terms of regional identity as the European free trade area, the states of Asia could benefit profitably from a regional approach to export control development and coordination. In addition, the states of Asia could also gain from increased export control cooperation with the United States. As a global leader in nonproliferation, the United States can provide critical assistance to export control development efforts through training and the allocation of other resources. Likewise, the United States should focus its export control outreach efforts to the less developed export control systems in Asia, especially the transshipment countries.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1764/thumbnail.jp