bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A diamond in the rough desert shrublands of the Great Basin in the Western United States: A new cryptic toad species (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo (Anaxyrus)) discovered in Northern Nevada
Authors: GORDON MICHELLE R. , SIMANDLE ERIC T. , TRACY C. RICHARD
Published: July 2017

We describe a new species of toad from the Great Basin region of northern Nevada belonging to the Bufo (Anaxyrus) boreas species complex. This cryptic species was detected through genetic analyses of toad populations sampled throughout the Great Basin and the morphological evidence was quantified through extensive sampling of live toads within the region. The new species has the smallest body size in the species complex, and can be further diagnosed from other species in the complex by its large tibial glands and unique coloration. The known distribution of the new species is restricted to an area less than 6 km2 in Dixie Valley, Churchill Co., Nevada. The Great Basin is an arid region where aquatic resources are both rare and widely scattered, making habitat suitable for anuran populations highly vulnerable to anthropogenic change. The habitat occupied by this newly described species is threatened by the incipient installation of geothermal and solar power development projects that require the water that defines its habitat.
An annotated checklist of the non-marine ostracods (Crustacea) of Algeria with some ecological notes
Authors: GHAOUACI SOUAD , YAVUZATMACA MEHMET , KÜLKÖYLÜOĞLU OKAN , AMAROUAYACHE MOUNIA
Published: July 2017

A total of 47 non-marine ostracods are listed from Algeria including both, the species reported in literature and those collected from 117 water bodies in humid, semi-arid and arid regions of Algeria between 2012 and 2016. Twenty seven taxa were identified with three species (Cypris pubera, Limnocythere inopinata, Potamocypris variegata) new to Algeria and nine taxa (Eucypris kerkyrensis, E. lilljeborgi, Heterocypris rotundata, Ilyocypris decipiens, I. cf. japonica, Isocypris beauchampi, Potamocypris smaragdina, P. villosa, Prionocypris zenkeri) as new reports for North Africa. Considering the presence of highly diverse water bodies, seasonal differences and difficulties of access to water sources, the number of species listed in here is believed to be underestimated. Further studies are required to complete this list.
Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation Observed in the Western Coastal Area of Sumatra Island: Offshore Preconditioning by Gravity Waves
Authors: Yokoi Satoru , Mori Shuichi , Katsumata Masaki , Geng Biao , Yasunaga Kazuaki , Syamsudin Fadli , Nurhayati  , Yoneyama Kunio
Published: July 2017

This study analyzes data obtained by intensive observation during a pilot field campaign of the Years of the Maritime Continent Project (Pre-YMC) to investigate the diurnal cycle of precipitation in the western coastal area of Sumatra Island. The diurnal cycle during the campaign period (November–December 2015) is found to have a number of similarities with statistical behavior of the diurnal cycle as revealed by previous studies, such as afternoon precipitation over land, nighttime offshore migration of the precipitation zone, and dependency on Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) phase. Composite analyses of radiosonde soundings from the Research Vessel (R/V) Mirai, deployed about 50 km off the coast, demonstrate that the lower free troposphere starts cooling in late afternoon (a couple of hours earlier than the cooling in the boundary layer), making the lower troposphere more unstable just before precipitation starts to increase. As the nighttime offshore precipitation tends to be more vigorous on days when the cooling in the lower free troposphere is larger, it is possible that the destabilization due to the cooling contributes to the offshore migration of the precipitation zone via enhancement of convective activity. Comparison of potential temperature and water vapor mixing ratio tendencies suggests that this cooling is substantially due to vertical advection by an ascent motion, which is possibly a component of shallow gravity waves. These results support the idea that gravity waves emanating from convective systems over land play a significant role in the offshore migration of the precipitation zone.
Export of Indian Silk Goods
Authors: Lakshmanan S. , Geetha Devi R.G.
Published: July 2017

The study of recent trends of export of Indian silk goods reveals that mulberry silk goods shared to the extent of 95 per cent and other silk items such as tasar and mixed silk fabrics together contributed 5 per cent of total silk export during 1990-2000. The growth rates for quantity and value of export for all mulberry silk goods together were estimated to be 0.49 and 7.98 per cent during the same period. The variety-wise export analysis shows that dress material and readymade garments put together shared 62.37 per cent of total export value during 1990-1991, their share declined to 60.42 per cent in 2000-2001. The growth rates of country-wise export earnings showed that Hong Kong, France and Italy were 16.04, 13.95 and 10.00 per cent for 1990-91 to 1999-2000. India has huge potential for increasing export earnings as it has better comparative advantages than that of China. Therefore, India has to make more efforts in increasing quality silk production to meet the growing domestic and export demands of silk products in near future.
Banking in India
Authors: Kumar Basu Udayan
Published: July 2017

Commercial banks play a very important role in the economy of any country. They constitute the most useful intermediary in the financial markets, who have a vital role in ensuring the efficacy of all monetary and fiscal measures. Their continued good health and sustained viability are therefore of immense significance for any economy. Measures to ensure their well-being are of paramount importance in order to maintain a high level of investor confidence.

In India, financial liberalization has opened up new vistas for the commercial banks and they can now operate as universal banks offering, under one roof, all kinds of financial services including project financing and leasing. Besides, banks are allowed to go in for investment in securities also. However, the guidelines for direct lending have not been touched so far. Consequently, there are restrictions on the ways in which banks in India can deploy their available resources.

In this article, an analysis has been carried out to show how such structural restrictions translate into what is often termed as interest rate rigidities for banks. How the loan losses impact on their interest spread as well as the urgent need to improve the framework for recovery of banks' NPAs has also been gone into. Moreover, the scope for moral hazards in banks, which are limited liability entities, has been explored and need for efficient risk management as well as effective risk-based supervision for ensuring their sustained viability has been analyzed and commented upon. A cut-off risk for bankable projects has also been worked out. The findings are interesting because the analysis takes into account the real life constraints faced by the banking sector and the results reflect the realities of this sector.
Time Factors in Perception of A Double Consonant
Authors: Pickett J. M. , Decker Louis R.
Published: July 2017

A listening experiment was carried out to examine the perceptual distinction between a single stop consonant, /p/, and its double counterpart, /p-p/. The joint effects of two time factors are studied: (1) the duration of /p/-closure (silence) and (2) the rate of utterance of the surrounding test sentence. The test sentence, He was the topic of the year, was recorded on tape and then, in a number of recorded copies, the duration of the /p/-closure was altered by inserting or removing tape. A group of listeners judged each of the altered sentences to be either He was the topic of the year or He was the top pick of the year. Effects of ten closure durations (60, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, and 585 msec.) are studied in various combinations with five rates of utterance (2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 syllables per second). A threshold closure duration is defined to be the duration at which 60% of the judgments were topic. As the rate increased from 2 to 8 syllables per second, the threshold closure duration decreased from 320 to 140 msec, and at a progressively declining rate. This function of threshold closure duration vs. rate of utterance is found to be approximately parallel to the relation, for the unaltered sentences, between actual closure duration and rate of utterance.
Spectra of Fricative Noise in Human Speech
Authors: Strevens Peter
Published: July 2017

This paper describes the results of a spectrographic analysis of a number of voiceless fricatives. The sounds are shown to be capable of description in terms of the frequencies of the lower and upper limits of energy present, the presence or absence of formant-like concentrations of energy, and the over-all relative intensity of the sounds.

The sounds investigated fall into three groups: front, mid and back, corresponding to the regions of the vocal tract within which they are produced. Sounds in the front group have a long spectrum, with little patterning of peaks of energy; their relative intensity is low. Sounds in the mid group have a short spectrum, with the main region of energy at a higher frequency than in the other groups; their relative intensity is high. Sounds in the back group have a spectrum of medium length, exhibiting a formant-like patterning of energy; their relative intensity is intermediate between the other groups. Tentative criteria are advanced for distinguishing between members of each group.

Combining this evidence with general phonetic knowledge it is possible to make a number of statements about other categories of sounds which include a component of fricative noise: i.e. voiced fricatives, stops, and affricates.
Transformational Complexity and Short Term Recall
Authors: Matthews W.A.
Published: July 2017

Sentences of different syntactic complexity, followed by a list of eight unrelated words were presented to subjects auditorily. Recall of the sentence and the succeeding words was required. An assessment of the difficulty of processing the types of sentence was made by varying measures. No relationship between performance and transformational complexity was obtained, but qualifiers were a clear source of difficulty under any syntactic condition. A model of encoding is proposed based on the obtained results.
Grapheme Context Effects on Phonemic Processing
Authors: Dijkstra Ton , Schreuder Robert , Frauenfelder Uli H.
Published: July 2017

This study investigated the structural and temporal relationship between graphemic and phonemic processing by means of a cross-modal priming procedure. Subjects made a forced choice on the identity of the vowel in an auditorily presented syllable. To determine if and when phonemic representations are automatically activated by graphemes, visual letter primes were presented before, during, or after presentation of the syllable. in the indirect priming condition, the relationship (congruent/incongruent) between the letter and the consonant adjacent to the vowel was manipulated, whereas in the direct priming condition that between the letter and the target vowel itself was varied. in two indirect priming experiments faster reaction times were obtained over the entire range of SOAs tested when the prime was congruent with the consonant of the syllable, than when it was not. in a third direct priming experiment SOA-dependent facilitation effects were found with respect to a bimodal baseline-condition when the prime was congruent with the target vowel, and inhibition effects when it was congruent with the competing target vowel. The results support the hypothesis of automatic grapheme-to-phoneme activation before word recognition.
Speech Repetition Abilities in Children Who Differ in Reading Skill
Authors: Brady Susan , Poggie Erika , Rapala Michele Merlo
Published: July 2017

A previous study (Brady, Shankweiler, and Mann, 1983) demonstrated inferior speech repetition abilities for poor readers with degraded stimuli. The present study, in contrast, used clear listening conditions. Third-grade average and below-average readers were tested on a word repetition task with monosyllabic, multisyllabic, and pseudoword stimuli. No group differences were obtained on speed of responding, and the lack of reaction time differences between reading groups was corroborated on a control task which measured verbal response time to nonspeech stimuli. However, below average readers were significantly less accurate at repeating the multisyllabic and pseudoword stimuli. This evidence is compatible with the hypothesis that encoding difficulties contribute to the memory deficits characteristic of poor readers.
Vowel Categorization and the Critical Band
Authors: Weitzman Raymond S.
Published: July 2017

Using the concept formation paradigm, two series of experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that the critical band (CB) was a factor in learning to make absolute discriminations of vowels. The specific hypothesis being examined was that the CB is a psychoacoustic boundary in learning to make vowel categorizations, and that learning absolute discriminations of pairs of vowels that differ in one of their formants by one bark or more is significantly easier than learning absolute discriminations of vowels that differ by less than one bark. Subjects were given the task of learning to identify paired sets of synthesized vowels that differed in either F1, or F2 by 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, or 1.2 bark. The results of these experiments suggest that the critical bandwidth is not a natural psychoacoustic boundary in the learning of vowel categories, and also that subjects seem better able to learn distinctions involving differences in F1 than distinctions involving differences in F2. The discussion raises the possibility that vowels that differ by less than one bark may not be perceptually viable because of such factors as ambient noise, articulatory constraints, and coarticulatory influences. Some evidence from Dutch and French is presented in support of this conjecture.
A ‘Pause-Break’ Task For Eliciting Syllable Boundary Judgments from Literate and Illiterate Speakers: Preliminary Results for Five Diverse Languages
Authors: Derwing Bruce L.
Published: July 2017

A new oral ‘pause-break’ task is described for eliciting judgments about syllable boundaries from speakers of languages of diverse types who have potentially limited educational and/or literacy levels. Results are presented from five different languages, including English. The English results replicate the findings from previous studies using other techniques, while the following generalizations follow from the application of the technique to Arabic, Blackfoot, Korean, and Swiss German: There is (1) a widespread tendency to treat single intervocalic consonants as syllable onsets and (2) an equally broad tendency to break between the two members of intervocalic CC clusters. The treatment of intervocalic geminates or long consonants (as in Arabic and Blackfoot) seems to vary as a function of educational level: In general, the better educated, literate speakers interpret them as disegments and treat them as in (2) above, while the semiliterate subjects often interpret them as single segments and treat them as in (1). The technique itself seems to have proved itself as suitable for use with speakers of a wide range of educational levels and languages.
Lexical Classes in Montreal French: The Case of (ε:)
Authors: Yaeger-Dror Malcah , Kemp William
Published: July 2017

A perceptual study of the use of (εe:) in the Montreal French Vernacular (MFV) reveals that there is extreme variation in the vowel color used by different speakers for this phonological unit. Most men born before 1920 use a raised [e:] realization attested to by orthoepists for the last century, as well as by phoneticians in this century. Older working class women, however, often use a lowered [æ:] or [a:] nucleus. Speakers born after World War II use the more open pronunciation whatever their sex or social standing. Most older speakers use a high percentage of diphthongs in their realization of (ε:), especially in stressed syllables and in specific lexical classes, while younger middle class men and women eliminate diphthongization more consistently than older middle class speakers, and certainly more than their working class age mates. Thus, variation in vowel color and diphthongization are found to be related to a speaker's age, sex, and social standing, as well as to specific lexical classes. The results are relevant to the analysis of Canadian French phonology, as well as to the theory of lexical phonology and to sociolinguistic theories of sound change.
Deaccentuation of Words Representing ‘Given’ Information: Effects of Persistence of Grammatical Function and Surface Position
Authors: Terken Jacques , Hirschberg Julia
Published: July 2017

The absence of intonational prominence on a referring expression ( deaccentuation) is commonly explained as a consequence of the GIVENness of the discourse entity referred to - the fact that it represents old information in the discourse. However, speakers sometimes use accented expressions to refer to such GIVEN entities, so that GIVENness is not a sufficient explanation for deaccentuation. It has also been suggested that speakers tend to express GIVEN entities as grammatical subjects and to mention them early in the utterance. The present work investigates the contributions of grammatical role and surface position to the occurrence of deaccentuation in English. An experiment is reported in which speakers produced descriptions of visual materials, where the content of the materials was manipulated so that successive descriptions contained coreferential expressions, and grammatical role and surface position varied systematically. The results indicate that persistence of grammatical role and surface position from one utterance to the next both contribute to deaccentuation. Some implications for the way in which listeners may link referring expressions to entities which are already available from the context are discussed.
Contextual Insensitivity in Thought-Disordered Schizophrenic Patients: Evidence from Pauses in Spontaneous Speech
Authors: Spitzer Manfred , Beuckers Jutta , Beyer Susanne , Maier Sabine , Hermle Leo
Published: July 2017

The distribution of pauses in spontaneous speech of schizophrenic patients was studied. Normal control subjects and schizophrenic patients without thought disorder pause more frequently before nouns not suggested by the context, and less frequently before nouns suggested by the context. No context dependency of the pauses before nouns was found in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients. The data are interpreted in terms of a reduced signal-to-noise ratio in semantic associative networks responsible for lexical access in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients.
The Uses of Plant Growth Substances
Authors: Templeman W. G.
Published: July 2017

Few developments in applied biology have been of such immense benefit to the farming world as those arising from the study of plant growth substances. A hundred million acres of clean crops bear annual witness to their value and popularity as selective weed-killers, and it is appropriate that Dr. Templeman, who discovered the first of these, should review the uses that have so far been found for the synthetic growth regulators.
CACAO Diseases
Authors: Crowdy S. H. , Elias R. S.
Published: July 2017

Cacao has been described as a crop with a bright future largely because the demand for cocoa and chocolate continues to rise and prices have so far been very profitable. But serious diseases keep yields low and menace the prosperity of communities that depend on the crop for a livelihood. It is suggested here that cacao diseases can be controlled by the ordinary methods of plant pathology if adequate research is given to the problem.
Weedkiller Trials on Lalang in Malaya
Authors: Allen H. P. , Smith W. N.
Published: July 2017

How to eradicate perennial grasses such as lalang is one of the main problems of the planter in the tropics. The traditional method of hand digging is now far too costly, ploughing is seldom feasible, and spraying with total weedkillers has not given good results without the risk of injury to crops. Safer chemicals are being sought and it seems possible from trials now in progress in Malaya that success might yet be achieved.
Worm-Infestation in Sheep
Authors: Spedding C. R. W.
Published: July 2017

Grazing management is of paramount importance in the control of nematode worms in sheep at pasture. Experiments show that, starting with a clean sward, it is possible by rapid folding to prevent re-infection altogether and keep infestation so low that little or no damage occurs. Worm-free lambs can also be raised in this way. But difficulties arise in practice, and both management and anthelmintic treatments will normally be required.
The Systemic Action of Sulphonamides Against Plant Diseases
Authors: Jones D. Rudd
Published: July 2017

Although systemic treatment of disease in plants is still in the experimental stages, a few chemicals have given results of promise. As shown here, some of the sulphonamides readily enter plants via the roots and check infections of such obligate parasites as the cereal rusts, though not without injury to the hosts. Many problems will have to be solved, however, before the gulf between theory and practice is successfully bridged.
World Aspects of Plant Protection
Authors: Knoll J. G.
Published: July 2017

Since 1945 several important international and regional agreements have been made on such broad aspects of plant protection as quarantine regulations and the provision of mutual aid in dealing with certain destructive pests and pathogens. These achievements are discussed in this paper, which is a shortened form of a conference address. A full account is published in Plant Protection Conference, 1956, reviewed on page 213 of this issue.
The Manuring of Sugar Cane
Authors: Halliday D. J.
Published: July 2017

Results of the world's fertilizer experiments on sugar cane, summarized in this paper, show that yields can be greatly increased in all countries and on all soil types by applying the right fertilizers in adequate amounts at the right times. Yet dressings are usually much less than the recommended amounts, especially on smallholdings, and there is still need for more research on many aspects of manuring even on progressive estates.
Footrot in Sheep
Authors: Forsyth B. A.
Published: July 2017

Footrot in sheep has spread alarmingly in Australia during the past few years, and in the course of an intensive campaign for its control notable advances have been made in techniques. Not only have mechanical cradles been devised for holding sheep while foot paring, thus saving time and labour, but several modern drugs have been found to be very efficient in treatment. Nevertheless, more research on this disease is still required.
Irrigation of Grassland
Authors: Low A. J. , Armitage E. R.
Published: July 2017

Grassland in the drier parts of England frequently suffers from drought in the summer months, but it is rarely irrigated and there has been little experimental evidence to show either when to irrigate or how much water to apply. Technical data on both points and on the effects of irrigation and nitrogen treatments on the yield and composition of leys are provided by the trials described here, though the practical aspects are not considered.
The Freedom from Hunger Campaign—Progress in the F.A.O. Fertilizer Programme
Authors: Richardson H. L.
Published: July 2017

The present article establishes a link with “Outlook” Vol. III, to the first number of which Dr. Sen, Director-General of F.A.O., contributed a foreword. The steps taken to initiate trial and demonstration work in selected developing countries are now described. If subsistence agriculture is to be rapidly transformed, greater use must be made of fertilizers, and certain distribution and marketing difficulties must be overcome.
Britain and the European Economic Community
Authors: Carr John
Published: July 2017

Compared with the disparities that exist between territories in which food is sufficient and those in which it is not, the differences that separate Western nations might well seem to be minor ones; but the interrelationships between agriculture and industry in developed countries are complex, market forces are not free, and changes, however desirable, engender apprehension and difficulty, as Mr. Carr's spirited article shows.
Coffee Berry Disease and Coffee Leaf Rust in Kenya
Authors: Nutman F. J. , Roberts F. M.
Published: July 2017

Recent research into the biology of the fungi causing coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust has resulted in a better understanding of the spread of these diseases under East African conditions and of the steps necessary for their control. In both cases timely checking of the organisms in advance of their phases of rapid proliferation and dispersal was more effective than relying merely on protective spraying of the plants.
Animal Breeding and Improvement in Nigeria
Authors: Hill D. H.
Published: July 2017

The present article is linked with one dealing with grassland improvement and utilization in Nigeria that appeared in Outlook III (4). Although the full potential is as yet scarcely broached, current output is not negligible and includes cattle for beef and milk, as well as pigs, sheep and goats. The challenges offered by climate, disease and social custom, in a country of 40–50 million people, are well recognized and are being met.
The Physiological Significance of the Potassium-Calcium Relationship in Plant Growth
Authors: Dekock P. C.
Published: July 2017

Some facts are presented that have a bearing on the relationships between the principal inorganic and some organic constituents of plant leaves. Mineral deficiencies, dilution of the soil solution and genetical variation in the plant all affect the levels of calcium and potassium, iron and phosphate, thus disturbing the Krebs tricarboxylic acid synthesis cycle, and causing marked changes in the content of citric, malic and oxalic acids.
Cattle Ticks in East Africa
Authors: Yeoman G. H.
Published: July 2017

The zebu (Bos indicus) cattle in East Africa, totalling over 18 million head, are extraordinarily well adapted to their harsh environment. Neglected by their owners, and often condemned as causes of soil erosion, they are still almost the sole effective means of winning humanfoodfrom the immense semi-arid areas of intractable thorn-bush and woodland of the region, so the need for controlling avoidable loss through ticks is urgent.
Two Decades of Surveys of Fertilizer Practice
Authors: Yates F. , Boyd D. A.
Published: July 2017

From their personal experience the writers of this illuminating and cathartic record have briefly covered a period of unexampled change in British agriculture. The story is passing into history. It is well to be reminded how exiguous was the use of mineral fertilizer before the second world war; how use has increased and spread; and how imperative still, in the interest of agronomic efficiency, is the continued need for scientific guidance.
The Irrigation of Grassland
Authors: Tayler R. S.
Published: July 2017

Vegetables and soft fruit provide the best financial return from irrigation. Supplementary watering is today almost essential for successful market gardening. Among farm crops, potatoes give the most profitable response. Irrigation of grass, which is widely practised and accounts for about 30 per cent of the total watered land in Britain, is seen as a late stage in intensification—for profitable use when other factors are fully exploited.
Automation in Agriculture
Authors: Morgan K. E.
Published: July 2017

The pace of change in agriculture is rapid and is accelerating. Output per man-hour and capital per man have been rising faster than in many other industries. Is the time ripe for widespread automation as a sequel to mechanization ? The author lightly deals with historical tendencies, gives his own views, corrects some common misapprehensions, and ventures to look ahead in an imaginative essay, parts of which may well prove to be prophetic.
Grass silage
Authors: Murdoch J. C.
Published: July 2017

Progress in silage-making in Britain since the war has not been as rapid as many had hoped having regard to the potential cheapness of the material as a feedingstuff. Much poor silage has been made from time to time leading to wastage of valuable nutrients. Yet the principles of good silage-making are well understood and are profitably used by progressive dairyfarmers and producers of beef and lamb. At the risk of presenting a twice-told tale, they are here set out.
Dodder eradication with ‘Reglone’
Authors: Gimesi A.
Published: July 2017

To many British readers the story of the spread of dodder in Europe from early times will be unfamiliar, yet the recent threat imposed by parasitic Cuscuta species to the growing of clover and lucerne fodder on the continent has been dramatic and severe. The new herbicides ‘Reglone’5 and ‘Gramoxone’ have been shown to possess many advantages over other chemicals for dodder control. As agents giving effective, economic results they should be widely used.
Selenium in animal nutrition
Authors: Gardiner M. R.
Published: July 2017

Only in recent years has the significance of selenium in animal nutrition been acknowledged. Deficiency of the element in the nutrition of ruminants is now known to be associated with certain muscular dystrophy conditions. In Australia these conditions occur more frequently in high rainfall areas and on soils originating in non-sedimentary rocks. They would appear to have been aggravated by certain pasture improvement techniques and by intensive husbandry. Nowadays they are yielding to control by various methods.
Behavioural implications of intensive animal husbandry
Authors: Ewbank Roger
Published: July 2017

It has been known for some time—from observations in zoological gardens and from experimental studies—that the behaviour of animals is affected by the size of group and by the population density. The significance of social hierarchy in these manifestations has also been repeatedly demonstrated in wild, in captive and in domesticated animals. This field of investigation is becoming increasingly important in animal husbandry as production systems become progressively intensified.
The epidemiology of nematode infections in cattle
Authors: Michel J. F.
Published: July 2017

Domestic animals are subject to parasitism by many species of parasitic nematode. The extent of parasitism is determined by a number of factors such as weather, pasture and grazing management and the physiology and condition of the animal itself. Knowledge of the epidemiology of nematode parasites is essential for any broadly-based programme for their control. The significance of epidemiological studies is illustrated by reference to ostertagiasis, dictyoauliasis and nematodiriasis.
Agricultural ecosystems
Authors: Spedding C. R. W.
Published: July 2017

The definition of a particular agricultural ecosystem is inherently difficult, partly because of the complexity of even the simplest system and partly because of the diffuse character of its periphery. Nevertheless, the general concept of agricultural ecosystems has gained widespread acceptance in scientific circles. This is fortunate, as an understanding of the concept is indispensable in any consideration of the role of agriculture in the economy of this fragile world of ours.
Wildlife as a resource
Authors: Sinclair A. R. E.
Published: July 2017

In the developed countries the sentimental approach to wildlife is slowly yielding to a more rational attitude. This is perhaps due primarily to the injection of realism by ecologists into their wildlife investigations and secondly to the lively presentation of their work and results by television and the popular press. That management of wildlife resources means more than tourism and home entertainment is shown by this account of investigations in the Serengeti National Park.
Mechanisation of sugar cane harvesting
Authors: Humbert Roger P
Published: July 2017

Sugar cane, traditionally a labour-intensive crop, has, in parallel with many other crops, been subjected to the pressures of progressive mechanisation. These operate most intensively on cutting and loading, two operations demanding high standards of execution if subsequent factory processing is to proceed unimpeded and achieve a high extraction rate. Progress with mechanisation has been recorded in various countries but there are still a large number of problems to be solved.
The chemistry of grass for animal production
Authors: Jones D I H
Published: July 2017

The relationship between the chemistry of grasses and the value of these grasses in animal production is at once more complex and more subtle than would appear from a first consideration. The assessment of this relationship is further complicated by difficulties in the experimental techniques available, by our imperfect knowledge of certain components in the nutrient system and even by a lack of agreement on the precise requirements of the animal under practical farming conditions.
Environmental considerations in the development of diquat and paraquat as aquatic herbicides
Authors: Calderbank A
Published: July 2017

As the world's requirement for fresh water expands, so does the problem of increased aquatic weed growth due to enrichment of natural waters. Weeds impair the recreational value of lakes and streams; they also hinder navigation, block irrigation channels and cause problems in pumping stations and hydroelectric turbines; but herbicides for their control must be safe and not introduce environmental hazards. Diquat and paraquat have many advantages for this purpose.
A model ecosystem for the evaluation of pesticide biodegradability and ecological magnification
Authors: Metcalf Robert L
Published: July 2017

A small laboratory ecosystem has been developed to study the biodegradability of pesticides. This simulates the application of pesticides to crop plants and the eventual contamination of an aquatic environment with several food chains. Radio-labelled pesticides are used together with thin layer chromatography to isolate and measure the metabolic products in the various organisms of the system. Results can be given in terms of ecological magnification and biodegradability index.
On increasing the size of farm business in the United Kingdom
Authors: Rogers S J , Ross G
Published: July 2017

Despite numerous optimistic forecasts of the effects of EEC entry the authors of this article expect that, in the longer term, British farming will experience a continuing cost-price squeeze. Increasing the size of farm business either by acquisition of additional land or by combining farming with the provision of contract services, or by cooperative grouping, is suggested as a means of increasing income.
Insect pests of coconuts in the Pacific Region
Authors: Stapley J H
Published: July 2017

A significant advance in the control of rhinoceros beetle has been achieved by the use of a chemical attractant and virus infection. Premature nutfall, due to the bug Amblypelta cocophaga, has been effectively reduced by replacing ground-nesting ants by tree-nesting ants, which are also inimical to another bug pest, Axiagastus. Biological control of coconut leaf beetle by the parasite Tetra-stichus brontispae is recommended except on young palms where it can be controlled chemically.
Cassava as animal feed
Authors: Coursey D G , Halliday D
Published: July 2017

Although more than 90% of the world's cassava production is used for human food, interest in this crop as an energy source for inclusion in pig and poultry feeds was greatly stimulated by the artificial price situation in EEC countries created by implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy. Relative European and world market prices for both protein and energy sources have since changed radically. In this article the present position and future prospects are reviewed.
A planning and control system for an intensive farm enterprise: pig production
Authors: Blackie M J , Anderson F M
Published: July 2017

The modern farm firm has a requirement for an effective business analysis system which integrates planning, budgeting and business control. The authors have developed such a system for intensive pig production. The basis of the system is a “skeleton” model which can be “coupled” with data from individual production units to provide a rapid analysis of the business at relatively low cost.
Reclamation of land from the sea and lakes in the Netherlands
Authors: de Glopper R J , Smits H
Published: July 2017

About one-quarter of the present total land area of the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea and from lakes during the past 800 years, the greatest achievement being the conversion of the former Zuyder Zee into a freshwater lake, the IJsselmeer, and the reclamation from it, to date, of four major polders together occupying 165,000 hectares. Besides agricultural uses, the more recent schemes provide for recreation, afforestation, nature conservancy and new towns.
Soil types and direct drilling—a provisional assessment
Authors: Wilkinson B
Published: July 2017

An attempt has been made, for British conditions, to identify the soil conditions and characters which influence the long term success of direct drilling and a provisional “probability of success” classification of soils for direct drilling under practical field conditions has been constructed. It is emphasized that, in the field, the final result in terms of crop yield depends upon the interaction of a three-component system involving climatic and management factors as well as soil factors.
Growth regulation in top fruit
Authors: Luckwill L C
Published: July 2017

Growth regulators offer possibilities of compensating for genotypic deficiencies that, in top fruit, would take many years to alter by genetical methods and, in marginal climates, they can help to overcome environmental shortcomings such as spring frosts or lack of winter chilling. In addition to their use in the control of growth and fruiting, they have made possible the development of advanced experimental systems in which pruning and harvesting may be fully mechanized.
Growth regulation in vegetable crops
Authors: Thomas T H
Published: July 2017

Vegetables are more important as a world food source than consideration solely of the area under cultivation would imply. Yet, although they are generally high-value crops the variety of plant species and cultural conditions embraced limits each one's economic potential for the use of new synthetic growth regulators. Compounds which already have application in a major crop, however, can be used in vegetables to improve germination, crop uniformity, ease of harvesting and storage.
Chemical restriction of stem growth in ornamentals, cereals and tobacco
Authors: Dicks J W
Published: July 2017

The commercial development of a wide variety of synthetic plant growth inhibitors for use in floriculture has been possible for several reasons. The high cash value of flower crops can absorb relatively costly treatments; specificity of response permits the viability of several products of basically similar properties, and restrictions on use are less stringent than they would be for food crops. Nevertheless, there are some important applications in temperate cereals and tobacco.
Integrated pest control and small farmer crop protection in developing countries
Authors: Haskell P T
Published: July 2017

Integrated control of pests in the context of small-farm peasant agriculture in the under-developed tropics is not an option which may be adopted at some future date when long-term studies have been completed. The urgency of the problem, particularly in disaster areas such as the Sahel region of West Africa, demands more immediate remedial action. Since new methods must be carefully grafted on to the old, a greatly expanded technically educated extension service is called for.
Integrated control –- practical realities
Authors: Way M J
Published: July 2017

It is often necessary to re-examine terms whose meaning has become obscured by constant use. Integrated control of pests, diseases and weeds implies the balanced use of such measures, cultural, biological and chemical, as are most appropriate to a particular situation in the light of careful study of all the factors involved. For the foreseeable future it is as likely to imply an increased use of pesticides in peasant agriculture as it is a reduced use in more intensive cultivations.
The role of termites in tropical agriculture
Authors: Sands W A
Published: July 2017

The termites that attack crops have a wide variety of life-styles ranging from small simple colonies living inside their food source, to large societies with complex highly-organised nest systems. The tendency to think of termites and their damage collectively may lead to unnecessary or ineffective control measures. Assessment of hazard-levels, and the economics of termite control must be based upon accurate identification supported by a detailed knowledge of their biology and ecology.
Hops in Britain and West Germany
Authors: Scott P D
Published: July 2017

The hop industry in West Germany has increased the area under cultivation from 8,500 hectares in 1962 to 20,000 hectares in 1975, whilst in Britain during the same period hop growing has contracted from 8,000 to 6,000 hectares despite larger and hence more economic farms, and the support of very successful hop research departments. This account of hop growing and marketing in the two countries examines ways in which the decline in hop acreage in Britain may be arrested.
Post-harvest diseases of citrus fruits
Authors: Eckert J W
Published: July 2017

Even under conditions considered to be optimum for maintaining fruit quality, oranges and lemons which are not treated with fungicides may develop 25–50% decay during extended periods of storage. Under unfavourable conditions commonly occurring in many tropical countries, wastage is certainly no less. Such losses can be significantly reduced by low temperature storage and chemical treatment, but resistance to fungicides emphasizes a need for further research in this area.
Rice diseases and their control in Japan
Authors: Yamaguchi Tomio
Published: July 2017

Despite a significant decrease over the past decade in the area cultivated for rice, Japanese farmers have maintained production at more than 13 million tonnes per annum. However, the practice of raising seedlings in boxes in polythene houses has led to the development of new seedling diseases. These, and the familiar field diseases ‘blast’, sheath and leaf blights are contained by a variety of fungicides developed in Japan and increasingly applied ultra-low volume or as granules.
The nature and management of the poorer tropical latosols
Authors: Young Anthony
Published: July 2017

The latosols, or ‘red and yellow’ soils of the tropics, encompass a wide range of properties and fertility. The poorer types occupy large areas both in the rain forest and in savanna climatic zones. The various systems of shifting cultivation traditionally practised are now inadequate with regard to increasing population densities, and management should be based on fertilizer application at moderate levels together with methods of maintaining organic matter and hence soil structure.
Accelerated erosion of arable soils in the United Kingdom by rainfall and run-off
Authors: Reed A Harrison
Published: July 2017

On more than six hundred sites in the UK West Midlands, where water erosion was recorded by the writer during the years 1967–76, soil compaction and down-slope cultivation lines were identified as major contributory factors in over 95% of cases. Such cultivations should be avoided where possible, susceptible soils should not be left fallow longer than necessary, and field operations should be kept to the minimum when the upper layers of the soil are too moist.
Onchocerciasis and agricultural development in West Africa
Authors: Melville A R
Published: July 2017

Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease of man which, in addition to its incapacitating or debilitating effect on the victims, is a major impediment to the economic development of vast areas of riverine land in Africa, Central and South America and Asia. The control programme outlined here recognizes that the problem is complicated by the incidence of malaria and trypanosomiasis of man and animals, and that much of the soil has already become seriously degraded.
The metabolism and environmental degradation of the pyrethroid insecticides
Authors: Leahey J P
Published: July 2017

The potential value of photostabilized pyrethroids for agricultural pest control has stimulated an enormous amount of work which has rapidly led to a comprehensive understanding of their metabolism and degradation pathways in various biological systems such as animals, plants, isolated enzymes, soil and sunlight. Usually, ester cleavage is the major first step but degradation via oxidation also occurs both on the intact molecule and on the products of ester cleavage.
Weeds and cotton
Authors: Hawtree J N
Published: July 2017

Early competition from weeds can drastically curtail the yield of cotton, far more than the reduction in vegetative growth might suggest; and at the end of the growing season late weed growth can interfere with mechanical harvesting and cause staining of the lint. While the use of herbicides is widespread and increasing, problems with perennial weeds have become more acute and there is a need for selective materials effective over a wide range of soil and climatic conditions.
Protection of cotton in the USSR
Authors: Smirnova A A
Published: July 2017

The USSR is currently the world's largest producer of raw cotton. Cotton crop protection is based on a system of forecasting and the use of cultural, biological and chemical methods of control as dictated by the situation in the field and prescribed by the USSR Ministry of Agriculture. Alternation of pesticides from different chemical groups during the growing season is important to protect the environment and to avoid or delay the development of resistant pest populations.
The cost of cotton pest control in India
Authors: Ramachandran K , Joshi L S , Menon C B
Published: July 2017

Cotton pest control in India has, until recently, relied almost entirely on a preventive chemical spray schedule. A recent survey has shown that the cost of such measures can be as high as one-third of the total cost of cultivation in the irrigated long-staple cottons. In the face of competition from man-made fibres these costs must be reduced. Quality standards of pesticides must be tightened and integrated systems of pest management should be more widely applied.
Therapy of virus-infected plants and the active defence mechanism
Authors: Kassanis B
Published: July 2017

Virus infections reduce the yield and profitability of many food and ornamental crops. Traditionally those crops which are propagated vegetatively are periodically freed from such infection by heat treatment, but this is not effective against all viruses. Apical meristem tissue-culture techniques are now increasingly used in the dissemination of virus-free material, but the artificial stimulation of plant disease resistance mechanisms may present an exciting alternative.
Trade protectionism and agriculture
Authors: Hillman J S
Published: July 2017

The proliferation in recent years of non-tariff restrictions on trade in agricultural commodities gives cause for concern. Not a few of these restrictions serve short term political ends and are not in the best or widest interests of the industry. Freer trade can solve many of the problems of slow growth, inflation and unemployment by moving the world economy to greater efficiency. Continued and increased protection will cost both developed and developing countries dear.