bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of the Ukrainian version of the Parental Burnout Assessment
Authors: Zbrodska Iryna , Roskam Isabelle , Dolynska Lubov , Mikolajczak Moïra
Published: December 2022

The aim of the present study was to develop a Ukrainian version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) and examine its psychometric properties among Ukrainian parents. We examined the factorial structure of the Ukrainian version of the PBA (PBA-UA) and its relation with other variables, both antecedents and consequences of PB, in a sample of 1896 parents including 1735 (91,5%) mothers and 161 (8,5%) fathers. The original four-factor model (exhaustion from parental role, emotional distancing from one’s child, feelings of being fed up with parenting and contrast with previous parental self) and second-order model with a global parental burnout as a second-order factor fit the data well. The results of both subscale and global scores were reliable. The PBA-UA showed a positive association with perfectionism and general stress and a negative association with resilience. The low association with socio-demographic factors (i.e., marital status, number of children, number of children living in the household, work status) was replicated in accordance with previous studies of parental burnout, nevertheless mothers had higher level of parental burnout than fathers. PBA-UA also predicted both parental neglect and parental violence, even beyond general stress. The good psychometric properties of the PBA-UA suggests that this questionnaire can be used to assess parental burnout among Ukrainian parents.
Development and Validation of the Chinese Version of the Highly Sensitive Child Scale: Understanding environmental sensitivity and depressive symptoms in adolescents
Authors: Dong Qian , Zhou Lina , Wang Wei , Wei Xin , Pluess Michael , Ma Xiancang
Published: December 2022

Background

Environmental sensitivity (ES) is considered a significant personality factor in the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, a clear instrument that can capture ES in Chinese adolescents is lacking. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) Scale for assessing adolescent ES, and explore the potential moderation effect of ES on relationships between maternal behaviors and adolescent depressive symptoms.

Methods

In total, 2,166 students from four middle and high schools and 105 depressed adolescents completed measurements of environmental sensitivity, maternal behaviors, depressive emotions, sleep duration, and academic performance.

Results

First, exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the HSC scale had a good model fit with the bifactor construct, total scale reliability was adequate-good, and measurement invariances across genders and different samples were supported. Furthermore, the results confirmed that the relationship between maternal behaviors and adolescent depressive symptoms had small effects. Compared to low environmentally sensitive adolescents, high environmentally sensitive adolescents exhibited less depressive emotions and better academic performance in the context of high-quality maternal behaviors. Low-quality maternal behaviors significantly predicted increased depressive emotions and worse academic performance in adolescents when environmental sensitivity was high. Moreover, on the contrary, maternal behaviors did not influence depressive emotions and academic performance in adolescents who were less sensitive to their environment. The relationship between maternal behaviors and adolescent depressive symptoms is influenced by different levels of environmental sensitivity.

Conclusion

Our findings support the HSC scale as a comprehensive and psychometrically robust tool to measure ES in Chinese adolescents. In addition, the present study clarifies the moderating role of environmental sensitivity underlying the relationship between maternal behaviors and adolescent depressive symptoms. It is important to consider the role of ES in prevention and intervention strategies targeting adolescent depressive symptoms.
Bidirectional association between functional disability and multimorbidity among middle-aged and older adults in Thailand
Authors: Pengpid Supa , Peltzer Karl , Anantanasuwong Dararatt
Published: December 2022

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess the bidirectional association between multimorbidity (MM) and functional disability among middle-aged and older adults in a longitudinal study in Thailand.

Methods

We analyzed longitudinal data of participants aged 45 years and older from two consecutive waves (in 2015 and 2017) of the Health, Aging, and Retirement in Thailand (HART). Functional disability was assessed with a 4-item activity of daily living (ADL) scale. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between baseline functional disability and incident MM (≥2), and baseline morbidity and incident functional disability.

Results

The results indicate that a total of 1,716 individuals without morbidity at baseline and 3,529 without functional disability at baseline were included. At follow-up, 16.7 and 20.0% of functional disability cases and 7.1 and 3.6% of nonfunctional disability cases developed 2 morbidities and 3 or more morbidities, respectively, and 6.6% of MM cases and 4.0% of non-MM cases developed a functional disability. In the final logistic regression model adjusted for education, income, age, marital status, sex, smoking tobacco, body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, physical activity, and social engagement, functional disability at baseline was positively associated with incident MM (≥2) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.42–4.72), and MM (≥3) at baseline was positively associated with incident functional disability (aOR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.13–3.43).

Conclusion

Multimorbidity and functional disability were bidirectionally associated.
Walkability assessment of metro catchment area: A machine learning method based on the fusion of subject-objective perspectives
Authors: Zeng Peng , Xu Weixing , Liu Beibei , Guo Yuanyuan , Shi Linfeng , Xing Meng
Published: December 2022

China's metro system is developing rapidly. Walking is the most frequently adopted mode to connect to the metro, the attributes of the pedestrian-built environment around the stations directly influence people's willingness to use the metro. However, few studies have paid attention to the comprehensive assessments of the built environment in the metro catchment area. Thus, this paper attempts to construct a walkability evaluation model that combines subjective and objective perspectives. We collected field data of the built environment factors affecting on walkability in the 800 m buffer zone of eight case metro stations in Dalian city, China. We also collected on-site interviews from 867 passengers to evaluate the walkability. A machine learning-based approach was developed to calculate the weights of walkability variables, followed by constructing a Score-Effectiveness framework to identify the built environment factors in the metro catchment area that need to be improved. The study found that the shading facilities, obstacle barriers, and resting seats around pedestrian walkways are the most efficient and imbalanced variables recognized by the crowd. The convenience of overpasses and underpasses are additional efficient imbalance-type variables for leisure and commuting populations, respectively. This indicates that the current level of construction of the above five built environment factors is relatively low, but the construction has a significant impact on the degree of friendliness in supporting pedestrian walkability. In this paper, improvement measures are proposed in a targeted manner in order to achieve the effect of effectively improving the current level of metro catchment area's walkability. The results of the study can provide references to provide strategies for precise pedestrian planning in the metro catchment area, leading to a pedestrian environment with high walking quality.
Customary land governance dynamics and its implications for shea tenure and ecology in selected peri-urban communities in Ghana
Authors: Kuusaana Elias Danyi
Published: December 2022

Introduction

The shea ecosystem provides critical ecosystem services. However, rapid peri-urbanization threatens the governance of peri-land and shea tree resources and poses multiple risks to urban and peri-urban households. Yet, studies on tree tenure in Ghana have focused on cocoa though shea possesses similar economic prospects. This study examines the customary land tenure systems in the Wa Municipality and their impacts on land and shea through a governance lens.

Methods

This study was purely qualitative and relied on data from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 64 purposely selected participants. To enable the retelling of the participants' stories, the data was first coded, thematised, and analyzed using NVivo 10 software.

Results

The results show that land and shea rights have been decoupled in peri-urban areas, and the grant of land for farming or housing is sequestered from the right to access and use shea trees without authorization. In view of this, urban usufructs cut shea trees to communicate their opposition to land transactions. Due to the fluidity of customary tenure, some family heads are redefining usufruct entitlements to land and counterclaiming the land and shea trees. In addition, the lack of incentives for smallholders to plant and manage shea trees inhibits shea governance and sustainability.

Discussion

This is exacerbated by the widespread tenure insecurity over land and investments in shea trees. Under family land jurisdictions, family heads must involve usufructs in all the processes of land transactions and assign them a clear mandate and entitlements in customary land administration to facilitate efficient land and shea governance.
Temporal-spatial analysis of a foot-and-mouth disease model with spatial diffusion and vaccination
Authors: Yang Junyuan , Wang Xiaoyan , Li Kelu
Published: December 2022

Foot-and-mouth disease is an acute, highly infectious, and economically significant transboundary animal disease. Vaccination is an efficient and cost-effective measure to prevent the transmission of this disease. The primary way that foot-and-mouth disease spreads is through direct contact with infected animals, although it can also spread through contact with contaminated environments. This paper uses a diffuse foot-and-mouth disease model to account for the efficacy of vaccination in managing the disease. First, we transform an age-space structured foot-and-mouth disease into a diffusive epidemic model with nonlocal infection coupling the latent period and the latent diffusive rate. The basic reproduction number, which determines the outbreak of the disease, is then explicitly formulated. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate that increasing vaccine efficacy has a remarkable effect than increasing vaccine coverage.
Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Entrepreneurial Intention through a Stimulus–Organism–Response Perspective
Authors: Çera Gentjan , Ndoka Margarita , Dika Ines , Çera Edmond
Published: December 2022

Among scholars, there is an interest in understanding how entrepreneurial behavior is influenced by the consequences of crises. The COVID-19 pandemic may negatively or positively affect individuals’ behavior, including entrepreneurial intention. Thus, this paper seeks to study whether or not the economic shock caused by the pandemic reinforces the intention to start a business. The research was administered at the individual level by distributing a structured survey. The hypotheses were developed based on a unique conceptual framework integrating the planned behavior theory and a stimulus–organism–response perspective. The relationships were tested using the structural equation modeling method with an original dataset of more than 800 respondents from three post-communist transition countries. The results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic, seen as an opportunity, positively influences both the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and individuals’ intention to start a business. The message that these findings convey is that, even in crises, there are opportunities from which one can benefit, including the individual’s propensity to engage in startup activities. By examining the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on entrepreneurial behavior, educational institutions and policymakers can design effective policies to foster entrepreneurship and reduce unemployment, particularly among the youth.
Numerical and Experimental Research on Flight Control of a V-Tail Configuration for the Wind Tunnel Model of Aircraft
Authors: Liu Jun , Qian Wei , Bai Yuguang , Xu Xiaole
Published: December 2022

The V-tail configuration has excellent stealth performance and has been using widely in the aerodynamic shape design of advanced aircraft. Many recent studies have focused on numerical simulation about V-tail configuration flight performance. The relative wind tunnel tests still need to be developed. This challenge is a focused aspect in such research. In the present experimental study, the role of flight control law was investigated in order to keep the test model in the target attitude and height. An effective design method of a full model of the aircraft with twin V-tails is proposed based on CFD evaluation. This model was manufactured based on the design of a two degrees of freedom support system via a Chinese wind tunnel. A longitudinal flight control law was proposed and simulated. Wind tunnel tests were employed to find the effectiveness of the model design and the control law. It is seen from the results that the proposed experimental method via a full model of the aircraft with twin V-tails and a novel longitudinal flight control law is effective. These test results can provide appliable contributions on the development of the support system for wind tunnel experiments. The proposed model design and test methods can be useful for applications in the aeroelastic wind tunnel tests of the full model aircrafts.
The Impact of Socialized Agricultural Machinery Services on Land Productivity: Evidence from China
Authors: Yang Siyu , Li Wei
Published: December 2022

Under the background of urbanization, rural hollowing out, and aging, it is increasingly urgent to solve the problem of “who will farm the land” to stabilize the foundation of national food security. The socialized agricultural machinery service undoubtedly provides a feasible solution. From the perspective of land productivity, and based on field survey data from 597 farmers in four major wheat-producing provinces in China, this study applied an endogenous switching regression model. By constructing a “counterfactual” analysis framework, this paper’s empirical analysis showed that the socialized agricultural machinery service had a positive impact on the land productivity of wheat production. At the same time, the impact of socialized agricultural machinery services on land productivity was heterogeneous due to the differences in planting scale, terrain, and concurrent business. It can give full play to the positive influence of socialized agricultural machinery services on stable grain yields and increases. It is necessary to guide and support the effective supply of socialized agricultural machinery services in the key links of food production, and to reasonably guide the main providers of socialized agricultural machinery service to provide high-quality services that meet the production needs of small farmers according to local conditions, so as to promote the organic connection between small farmers and the development of modern agriculture.
Effect of Preharvest and Postharvest Application of 1-MCP on the Quality of Gala Schniga® SchniCo Red(s) Apples during Long-Term Storage
Authors: Małachowska Maria , Tomala Kazimierz
Published: December 2022

Fruit growers are looking for effective solutions to preserve the high quality of apples after storage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of pre- and postharvest use of 1-MCP on the quality of ‘Gala Schniga® SchniCo Red(s)’ apples harvested at the optimal harvest date and at a delayed harvest date and stored for 9 months under conditions similar to DCA (0.6% CO2 and 0.6% O2). Four treatments: control (1-MCP untreated), 1-MCP treated 7 days before harvest (Harvista™), 1-MCP treated 7 days after harvest (Smart-Fresh™), and 1-MCP treated before and after harvest (Harvista™ + SmartFresh™) were used, respectively, for each of the above harvest dates. After 5, 7, and 9 months of storage and after an additional 7-day shelf-life period, the following properties were determined: flesh firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and ethylene production rate. The harvest date and the 1-MCP application date affected ethylene production rate which was reflected in fruit flesh firmness and acidity (p < 0.05). Apples collected at the optimal harvest date from trees sprayed with Harvista™ before harvest retained high firmness (>55 N) after 7 days of shelf-storage at 20 °C, even if previously stored for 9 months. Apples collected later showed firmness similar to the best preferred by consumers only if treated with 1-MCP after harvest.
Design and Multi-Parameter Optimization of a Combined Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) Seed Harvester
Authors: You Zhaoyan , Gao Xuemei , Yan Jianchun , Wei Hai , Wu Huichang , He Tieguang , Wu Ji
Published: December 2022

In order to solve problems such as poor applicability of headers, weak separation ability of threshing mechanisms and poor impurity-removal ability of cleaning devices in the existing seed harvest methods of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.), a combined Chinese milk vetch seed harvester was designed in this paper. The parameters of the key components, such as the flexible anti pod-dropping seedling-lifting header, the longitudinal rod-teeth-type threshing device and the air-sieve-type layered impurity-controlled cleaning device, were designed and optimized. Aiming at reducing seed loss rate, breakage rate and impurity rate of Chinese milk vetch during the mechanical harvesting process, through multi-parameter optimization, the best combination of working parameters was obtained: machine forward speed was 3 km·h−1, rotation speed of the threshing drum was 550 r·min−1, rotation speed of the cleaning fan was 990 r·min−1 and the scale sieve’s opening was 35 mm. Field tests were performed under these parameters, and the results showed that the seed loss rate of Chinese milk vetch was 2.35%, the breakage rate was 0.22% and the impurity rate was 0.51%, which were better than the technical requirements of loss rate and breakage rate less than 5% and impurity rate less than 3% specified in relevant standards. The research results can solve the shortage problem of efficient seed harvest equipment in large-scale planting areas of Chinese milk vetch, and will further help to carry out seed harvest experiments on different varieties of Chinese milk vetch and other green manure varieties in paddy fields.
Evaluation of Agricultural Machinery Operational Benefits Based on Semi-Supervised Learning
Authors: Li Yashuo , Zhao Bo , Zhang Weipeng , Wei Liguo , Zhou Liming
Published: December 2022

Judging the efficiency of agricultural machinery operations is the basis for evaluating the utilization rate of agricultural machinery, the driving abilities of operators, and the effectiveness of agricultural machinery management. A range of evaluative factors—including operational efficiency, oil consumption, operation quality, repetitive operation rate, and the proportion of effective operation time—must be considered for a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of a given operation, an analysis of the causes of impact, the improvement of agricultural machinery management and an increase in operational efficiency. In this study, the main factors affecting the evaluation of agricultural machinery operations are extracted, and information about the daily operations of particular items of agricultural machinery is taken as a data source. As regards modeling, a subset of data can be scored manually, and the remaining data is predicted after the training of the relevant model. With a large quantity of data, manual scoring is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also produces sample errors due to subjective factors. However, a small number of samples cannot support an accurate evaluation model, and so in this study a semi-supervised learning method was used to increase the number of training samples and improve the accuracy of the least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM) training model. The experiment used 33,000 deep subsoiling operation data, 500 of which were used as training samples and 500 as test samples. The accuracy rate of the model obtained using 500 training samples was 94.43%, and the accuracy rate achieved with this method with an increased number of training samples was 96.83%. An optimal combination of agricultural machinery and tools is recommended owing to their operational benefits in terms of reduced costs and improved operating capacity.
Cover Crops for Sustainable Cropping Systems: A Review
Authors: Quintarelli Valentina , Radicetti Emanuele , Allevato Enrica , Stazi Silvia Rita , Haider Ghulam , Abideen Zainul , Bibi Safia , Jamal Aftab , Mancinelli Roberto
Published: December 2022

Cover cropping is a promising and sustainable agronomic practice to ameliorate soil health and crop performances in agro-ecosystems. Indeed, cover crops (CCs) may regulate several ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, soil fertility, moderation of extreme meteorological events, pollination, and climate and water regulation; in addition, CCs are also used as forage crops and have considerable effects on plant and soil biodiversity. However, to achieve the desired effects on agro-ecosystems, cover cropping should be carefully adopted by considering the specie choice, period of cultivation, and termination method based on site, farm, or purpose-specific. The main objective of this manuscript is to analyze the effects of modern agriculture on soil and environmental health and how cover crops can support sustainable cropping systems and global food security. In addition, it focuses on how the incorporation of cover crops into conventional cropping systems can help in the diversification of crops and assist in mitigating the environmental effects of cropping systems. Finally, this review thoroughly investigates the potential effects of CCs on environmental sustainability, which can be an important source of information for sustainable crop production and food security.
Depth-Related Changes in Soil P-Acquiring Enzyme Activities and Microbial Biomass—The Effect of Agricultural Land Use/Plant Cover and Pedogenic Processes
Authors: Długosz Jacek , Piotrowska-Długosz Anna , Siwik-Ziomek Anetta , Figas Anna
Published: December 2022

Although the phosphatase enzymes regulate phosphorus (P) turnover throughout the soil profile, at present, they are rarely studied and are less well understood in the deeper soil layers than in the surface horizons. Hence the changes in P-associated soil properties were assessed throughout five Phaeozem profiles for different agricultural land uses including alfalfa, winter wheat, grapevine, apple trees and hops. The acid phosphatase (AcP), alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity was assayed, as were the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and phosphorus (MBP) contents and also other properties (e.g., available phosphorus, total organic carbon, total nitrogen). We have also determined the mass, length and surface area of the plant roots. In general, the activities of the studied enzymes were highest in the topsoil in four out of the five profiles studied, which corresponded to the highest level of root mass. The older the plant, the greater the root mass and increased enzymatic activity in the deeper horizons of apple trees and hop profiles in comparison to the surface layers. The greatest enzymatic activity, MBC and MBP contents were found in the horizons with a TOC content >0.5% and decreased down the soil profiles similarly to the changes in TOC and TN contents. While the studied properties were determined to varying degrees by means of the organic C content and availability in all of the genetic horizons, the influence of the prevailing conditions and the factors related to soil depth and pedogenic processes were less pronounced. The clay content was related to a significant extent to all of the studied enzyme activities, but only in horizons with a TOC content <0.5%. Significantly higher phosphatase activity under aerobic as opposed to anaerobic conditions were determined in this study, while the opposite trend was found for the content of MBC and MBP as well as the ratio of MBC/MBP. Overall, we pointed out the complex effect of the soil depth, soil forming-processes and cultivated plants on soil P-associated enzyme activities and other properties throughout the soil profiles. This knowledge will allow better understanding of the state of enzymes and their contribution to the biogeochemical cycle of soil P, especially in subsoils, where the enzyme activities follow different patterns than those in the surface horizons.
Retrieval of Harmonized LAI Product of Agricultural Crops from Landsat OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI Time Series
Authors: Tomíček Jiří , Mišurec Jan , Lukeš Petr , Potůčková Markéta
Published: December 2022

In this study, an approach for the harmonized calculation of the Leaf Area Indices (LAIs) for agronomic crops from Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI multispectral satellite data is proposed in order to obtain a dense seasonal trajectory. It was developed and tested on dominant crops grown in the Czech Republic, including winter wheat, spring barley, winter rapeseed, alfalfa, sugar beet, and corn. The two-step procedure harmonizing Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI spectral data began with deriving NDVI, MSAVI, and NDWI_1610 vegetation indices (VIs) as proxy indicators of green biomass and foliage water content, the parameters contributing most to a stand’s spectral response. Second, a simple linear transformation was applied to the resulting VI values. The regression model itself was built on an artificial neural network, then trained on PROSAIL simulations data. The LAI estimates were validated using an extensive dataset of in situ measurements collected during 2017 and 2018 in the lowlands of the Central Bohemia Region. Very strong agreement was observed between LAI estimates from both Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI data and independent ground-based measurements (r between 0.7 and 0.98). Very good results were also achieved in the mutual comparison of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-based LAI datasets (rRMSE < 20%, r between 0.75 and 0.99). Using data from all currently available Sentinel-2 (A/B) and Landsat (8/9) satellites, a dense harmonized LAI time series can be created with high potential for use in precision agriculture.
A Convolutional Neural Network Method for Rice Mapping Using Time-Series of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Imagery
Authors: Saadat Mohammad , Seydi Seyd Teymoor , Hasanlou Mahdi , Homayouni Saeid
Published: December 2022

Rice is one of the most essential and strategic food sources globally. Accordingly, policymakers and planners often consider a special place in the agricultural economy and economic development for this essential commodity. Typically, a sample survey is carried out through field observations and farmers’ consultations to estimate annual rice yield. Studies show that these methods lead to many errors and are time-consuming and costly. Satellite remote sensing imagery is widely used in agriculture to provide timely, high-resolution data and analytical capabilities. Earth observations with high spatial and temporal resolution have provided an excellent opportunity for monitoring and mapping crop fields. This study used the time series of dual-pol synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of Sentinel-1 and multispectral Sentinel-2 images from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 ESA’s Copernicus program to extract rice cultivation areas in Mazandaran province in Iran. A novel multi-channel streams deep feature extraction method was proposed to simultaneously take advantage of SAR and optical imagery. The proposed framework extracts deep features from the time series of NDVI and original SAR images by first and second streams. In contrast, the third stream integrates them into multi-levels (shallow to deep high-level features); it extracts deep features from the channel attention module (CAM), and group dilated convolution. The efficiency of the proposed method was assessed on approximately 129,000 in-situ samples and compared to other state-of-the-art methods. The results showed that combining NDVI time series and SAR data can significantly improve rice-type mapping. Moreover, the proposed methods had high efficiency compared with other methods, with more than 97% overall accuracy. The performance of rice-type mapping based on only time-series SAR images was better than only time-series NDVI datasets. Moreover, the classification performance of the proposed framework in mapping the Shirodi rice type was better than that of the Tarom type.
Economic Sustainability in Emerging Agro-Industrial Systems: The Case of Brazilian Olive Cultivation
Authors: Belarmino Luiz Clovis , Padula Antonio Domingos , Navarro Pabsdorf Margarita
Published: December 2022

The economic sustainability of agro-industrial systems expresses firms’ competitive capacity and can be achieved with greater innovation, productivity and price management. The emerging olive oil agro-industrial systems in Brazil lack the information on economic and financial performance that they need to grow. The objective of this study is to evaluate the financial viability of an olive grove and the competitiveness and economic sustainability of the extra virgin olive oil using primary data collected and analyzed by the policy analysis matrix method. The main indicators considered with respect to current production and commercialization techniques are private and social profitability, added value, remuneration of domestic factors and total factor productivity. It is concluded that the emerging extra virgin olive oil agro-industrial system in Brazil has financially viable olive groves, significant competitiveness and presents economic sustainability.
Explanation of the Phenomenon “Different Prices on the Same Land” in the Farmland Transfer Market—Evidence from China’s Farmland Transfer Market
Authors: Chen Jia , Xu Jingwen , Zhang Hongxiao
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in farmland rent prices between land transferors and different transferees when considering the quality supervision cost of the transferred farmland. Moreover, the impact of the intervention of township governments, village committees, and other intermediary organizations on the rent price differences is also taken into consideration. The treatment effect model (TEM) and grouping regression model were used. The results showed that: (1) Owing to the different transaction costs, when leasing to village transferees, the land rent was significantly lower than when leasing to non-village transferees. (2) With the intervention of intermediary organizations, such as township governments and village committees, the constraints of the reputation mechanism between acquaintances were weakened, and the cost of information identification when land transferors searched for out-of-town transferees was reduced. As a result, the differences in land rent when transferring to the village and non-village transferees were narrowed. This study presents a different view to explain the transaction characteristics of the rural land transfer market in China. Further, it is of paramount importance to implement an effective public intervention, including strengthening the intermediary role of township governments and village committees, which is conducive to improving the rural land transfer market of most developing countries, including China.
Genetic Diversity and Population Differentiation of Dongxiang Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) Based on SNP Markers
Authors: Nie Yuanyuan , Hou Guihua , Xia Hui , Wang Lei , Lei Jianguo , Chen Hong , Chen Liang , Luo Lijun
Published: December 2022

Dongxiang wild rice (DXWR) is one of the most valuable germplasm resources of rice. It is important to conserve the genetic diversity and uncover the population differentiation of DXWR. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity and population differentiation of DXWR based on whole-genome resequencing of 220 DXWR lines collected from nine natural populations in an ex situ conservation nursery. Almost half of the SNPs and Indels detected in these DXWR lines were absent in cultivated rice or other common wild rice, indicating the potential and importance of DXWR in rice breeding. Based on Structure and PCA analysis, these DXWR lines could be divided into two subpopulations, in which subpopulation G1 had more specific SNPs and Indels and was genetically more genetically diverse than subpopulation G2. The average Fst of regions with low relative genetic diversity between G1 and G2 were significantly lower than whole-genomic Fst, indicating directional selection in these regions. Some functional genes and QTLs were found to locate in highly differentiated regions between G1 and G2. Moreover, the deep root ratios of G2 were significantly higher than G1. Our results would be helpful to the conservation and utilization of DXWR germplasm.
Underestimated Damage Caused by the European Hazelnut Weevil, Curculio nucum (Curculionidae)
Authors: Hamidi Rachid , Toillon Julien , Thomas Maud
Published: December 2022

Hazelnut is an important food resource for the larvae and adults of the hazelnut weevil, Curculio nucum. While wormy nuts reflect the impact of such weevils at harvest time, little is known about the other types of damage they cause. To establish a comprehensive list of damages, and thereby identify the period of hazelnut vulnerability, male and female weevils were collected weekly and isolated on fruiting branches for 1 week. Based on nut development, higher rates of dropped nutlets, belted nuts, and blank nuts were observed at harvest. Marks specific to weevils, including wormy nuts, riddled shells, and larvae paths on the basal scar, were recorded during nut lignification. Belted nuts and blank nuts are empty nuts and constituted the main damage. The feeding activities of both the adults and larvae, but also the oviposition punctures, are likely to be the main causes of embryo abortions. The greatest damages occurred during kernel growth and when the shell had almost reached its final size. The larvae failed to penetrate fully lignified shells, with dead larvae mainly being found on the basal scar, the later softer part of the hazelnut. In Ségorbe cultivars, the dynamic of hazelnut development is the main factor involved in its susceptibility to C. nucum, with aborted nuts being the most underestimated damage.
Foliar Application of Chitosan and Phosphorus Alleviate the Potato virus Y-Induced Resistance by Modulation of the Reactive Oxygen Species, Antioxidant Defense System Activity and Gene Expression in Potato
Authors: Al-Mokadem Alshymaa Z. , Alnaggar Abd El-Aleem M. , Mancy Ahmed G. , Sofy Ahmed R. , Sofy Mahmoud R. , Mohamed Abdel Kareem S. H. , Abou Ghazala Mostafa M. A. , El-Zabalawy Khaled M. , Salem Noura F. G. , Elnosary Mohamed E. , Agha Mona S.
Published: December 2022

Viruses pose a serious threat to the sustainable production of economically important crops around the world. In the past 20 years, potato virus Y (PVY) emerged as a relatively new and very serious problem in potatoes, even though it is the oldest known plant virus. Multiple strains of the virus cause various symptoms on the leaves and tubers of potatoes, resulting in yield reduction and poor-quality tubers. Consequently, it would be very interesting to learn what causes systemic PVY resistance in plants. Natural compounds such as chitosan (CHT) and phosphorus have been developed as alternatives to chemical pesticides to manage crop diseases in recent years. In the current study, potato leaves were foliar-sprayed with chitosan and phosphorus to assess their ability to induce PVY resistance. Compared to untreated plants, the findings demonstrated a significant decrease in disease severity and PVY accumulation in plants for which CHT and P were applied. Every treatment includes significantly increased growth parameters, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic characteristics, osmoprotectants (glycine betaine, proline, and soluble sugar), non-enzymatic antioxidants (glutathione, phenols, and ascorbic acid), enzymatic antioxidants (peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, lipoxygenase, glutathione reductase, catalase, β-1,3 glucanase, and ascorbate peroxidase), phytohormones (gibberellic acid, indole acetic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid), and mineral content (phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium), compared to infected plants. However, compared to PVY infection values, CHT and P treatments showed a significant decrease in malondialdehyde, DPPH, H2O2, O2, OH, and abscisic acid levels. In addition, increased expression levels of some regulatory defense genes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX), relative pathogenesis-related 1 basic (PR-1b), and relative phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), were found in all treated plants, compared to PVY-infected plants. Conclusion: Phosphorus is the most effective treatment for alleviating virus infections.
Meta-Analysis for Quantifying Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emission in Paddy Soils One Year after Biochar Application
Authors: Bu Fei , Nan Qiong , Li Wushuang , Bolan Nanthi , Sarkar Binoy , Meng Jun , Wang Hailong
Published: December 2022

The incorporation of biochar into soils has been recognized as a promising method to combat climate change. However, the full carbon reduction potential of biochar in paddy soils is still unclear. To give an overview of the quantified carbon reduction, a meta-analysis model of different carbon emission factors was established, and the life cycle-based carbon reduction of biochar was estimated. After one year of incorporation, biochar significantly increased the total soil carbon (by 27.2%) and rice production (by 11.3%); stimulated methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 13.6% and 1.41%, respectively, but having insignificant differences with no biochar amendment; and reduced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 25.1%. The soil total carbon increase was mainly related to the biochar rate, whereas CH4 emissions were related to the nitrogen fertilizer application rate. Biochar pyrolysis temperature, soil type, and climate were the main factors to influence the rice yield. The total carbon reduction potential of biochar incorporation in Chinese paddy soils in 2020 ranged from 0.0066 to 2.0 Pg C using a biochar incorporation rate from 2 to 40 t ha−1. This study suggests that biochar application has high potential to reduce carbon emissions, thereby contributing to the carbon neutrality goal, but needs field-scale long-term trials to validate the predictions.
Experimental Study of the Droplet Deposition Characteristics on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform under Wind Tunnel Conditions
Authors: Jiao Yuxuan , Xue Xinyu , Ding Suming , Zhou Qingqing , Kong Wei , Tian Yong , Liu Xiaoming
Published: December 2022

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in field pesticide spray operations due to their wide applicability and high operational efficiency. However, their high spray height and fine pesticide droplets lead to a greater risk of drift and likely different droplet deposition outcomes compared to the expectation. So far, most of the previous studies have used direct field methods on UAVs’ droplet deposition characteristics and there have been few carried out in wind tunnels. Thus, in this paper, a simulated UAV platform equipped with TeeJet 80-015 VP fan nozzles was utilized to study the droplet deposition characteristics in a wind tunnel. The droplet deposition amount and drift potential reduction percentage (DPRP) under different spray parameters were obtained. The results showed that when the rotor was open, the deposition amount in the target area increased by 2.6 times and the drift deposition amount decreased by 7.3 times when spraying tap water at 3 m/s wind speed and 3 bar pressure. Faster wind speeds led to greater drift deposition amounts and a lower DPRP, but higher pressures resulted in greater drift deposition amounts and a larger DPRP. The 30 g/L PEG-20000 solution has a higher droplet size and smaller relative droplet spectrum width RS, resulting in the deposition amount in the target area increasing by 9.13% on average and the drift amount decreasing by 24.7% on average, and it can be used as an anti-drift additive when needed. The research results can provide reference and technical support for UAV wind tunnel tests and field operation specifications.
Comprehensive Analysis of GASA Family Members in the Peanut Genome: Identification, Characterization, and Their Expressions in Response to Pod Development
Authors: Wu Yue , Sun Ziqi , Qi Feiyan , Zhao Mingbo , Dong Wenzhao , Huang Bingyan , Zheng Zheng , Zhang Xinyou
Published: December 2022

The gibberellic acid-stimulated Arabidopsis (GASA) gene family is essential for plant growth and development, hormone level control, and phytohormone signal transmission. Different plants have been shown to contain numerous GASA homologs. However, there is no knowledge about these proteins in peanuts. In the current study, we performed a thorough bioinformatics and expression analysis and found 20, 22, and 40 GASA genes by genome-wide analyses of A. hypogaea L., A. duranensis, and A. ipaensis, respectively. We analyzed and predicted the physical properties of these genes. Based on the results of our phylogenetic analysis, the evolutionary tree constructed from the 40 AhGASA proteins was divided into seven categories, forming a total of 14 gene pairs. According to our observations, tandem duplication is a significant factor in the expansion of the GASA gene family. AhGASA was unevenly distributed on 20 chromosomes, and 17 tandem duplicated genes were identified. A co-lineage analysis with the A/B subgenome identified 69 linear/parallel homologous gene pairs. A cis-element analysis revealed that the AhGASA protein is crucial for hormone responsiveness. In materials with different size traits at various stages of peanut pod development, transcriptomics and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that AhGASA genes are expressed at various levels and are tissue-specific. This finding suggests that some AhGASA genes may be involved in controlling peanut pod size. This study suggests that GASA genes are crucial for controlling the development of peanut pods and provides the first systematic identification and analysis of GASA genes in peanut. These findings will help future research into the function of the GASA gene in the cultivated peanut.
Design and Optimization of Rice Grain Screening System Based on DEM–CFD Coupled Rice Seed Testing Platform
Authors: Dong Hao , Zhang Baofeng , Jiang Tao , Zhang Yifu , Qu Jiwei , Chen Chao , Xiao Yawen , Ding Yuhao , Xi Xiaobo
Published: December 2022

Targeting the problems of low precision and heavy workload in conventional screening of filled and unfilled grain in single-plant rice testing, a screening system for filled and unfilled grain was designed based on the coupling of the wind and gravity fields. In this study, the motion state of filled and unfilled grain in the flow field and the results of screening were analyzed and combined with aerodynamics. In order to reveal the influence law of the structural and working parameters of the screening system on the screening performance and determine the optimal parameter combination, this study conducted a quadratic regression orthogonal rotating center combination test with four factors and three levels based on the DEM–CFD coupling method. The relationship between air inlet wind speed, air cross-section shape, horizontal distance, vertical distance, and removal rate was studied. The results showed that, in a certain range, the removal rate was positively correlated with the section width of the outlet, positively correlated with the wind speed, and negatively correlated with the vertical distance and horizontal distance of the seed-drop outlet. The optimization results showed that, when the section width of the outlet was 75.44 mm, the wind speed was 8.90 m·s−1, the transverse distance was 198.78 mm, and, when the vertical distance was 34.87 mm, the screening rate of the screening system could reach 99.6%.
Stem Characteristic Associated with Lodging Resistance of Rice Changes with Varied Alternating Drought and Flooding Stress
Authors: Liu Jinjing , Wang Zhenchang , Guo Xiangping
Published: December 2022

A two-year field experiment was executed to investigate the impact of different controlled irrigation and drainage regimes on the morphological and mechanical traits related to the lodging resistance of rice in Jiangsu province, China. Three irrigation regimes were comprised of conventional flooding practices (CK), controlled irrigation and drainage mode I (CID-1), and controlled irrigation and drainage mode II (CID-2). Results indicated that there was no significant difference in the heights of rice plants under the three irrigation regimes, but the average diameter of CK treatment was 21% higher than that of CID-2 in the 2013 season. Similarly, the value of the section modulus of CK was significantly higher than that of CID-2 (p < 0.05). On the contrary, the length of basal internodes of CK and CID-1 was significantly lower than that of CID-2 in 2013 (p < 0.05). For both seasons, the safety factor against stem breakage (SFs) of CID-2 always had the lowest value under different irrigation regimes, which might be related to the significantly lower values of bending strength of culm at breaking (S) and the bending stress (BS) as well as lower ash content and cellulose content in CID-2 compared with CK and CID-1. Collectively, properly increasing the depth of water levels after heavy rain under the current water-saving mode (CID-1) would not increase the risk of lodging for rice plants, whereas if the water depth after heavy rain was kept higher than 20 cm (CID-2), the SFs would be significantly lower than that of CK, and the rice plants would be much more likely to undergo lodging.
Baseline Sensitivity to and Succinate Dehydrogenase Activity and Molecular Docking of Fluxapyroxad and SYP-32497 in Rice Sheath Blight (Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA) in China
Authors: Zhao Ping , Deng Yunyan , Wang Tao , Qi Zhiqiu , Du Ying , Liu Liru , Ji Mingshan
Published: December 2022

Rice sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani occurs worldwide and is mainly controlled by fungicides. SYP-32497 is a novel succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor, which interferes with the succinate ubiquinone reductase in the mitochondrial respiratory chain of fungi. This study aimed to evaluate the baseline sensitivity of R. solani from 13 major rice producing areas in China to SYP-32497 and fluxapyroxad. The study also explored the cause for the activity discrepancy between SYP-32497 and fluxapyroxad via an enzyme activity inhibition test and molecular docking. A total of 360 R. solani isolates were sensitive to SYP-32497 and fluxapyroxad. Baseline sensitivities were unimodally distributed with mean values of 0.00667 ± 0.00475 and 0.0657 ± 0.0250 μg mL−1, respectively, for SYP-32497 and fluxapyroxad. Enzyme activity assays and molecular docking results revealed that SYP-32497 exhibited a much higher SDH inhibition (IC50 = 0.300 μg mL−1) than to fluxapyroxad (IC50 = 1.266 μg mL−1) because of its excellent SDH binding ability via hydrogen bonding, π-cation, and hydrophobic interactions. These results suggest that SYP-32497 is a good suitable control agent for alternative rice sheath blight.