NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Understanding the development of organic agriculture in Flanders (Belgium): A discourse analytical approach
Publication date: Available online 8 August 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Lieve De Cock, Joost Dessein, Michiel P. de Krom Despite a fast-growing national consumer market for organic products and active governmental support for organic agriculture, organic production in Flanders has shown little growth since the late 1990s. Our discourse analytical approach offers important insights into the causes of the limited organic production capacity in Flanders complementary to more common political-institutional or actor-oriented perspectives. Our analysis reveals that for decades, a compet...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - August 7, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Phytotoxic effect of Haldina cordifolia on germination, seedling growth and root cell viability of weeds and crop plants
Publication date: Available online 7 July 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Rungcharn Suksungworn, Nuttha Sanevas, Narong Wongkantrakorn, Nitikan Fangern, Srunya Vajrodaya, Sutsawat Duangsrisai The extracts of wood, bark, and leaves of Haldina cordifolia were evaluated for their phytotoxicity on seed germination, seedling growth, and root cell viability in two weeds (Mimosa pigra and Cenchrus echinatus) and two crop plants (Vigna radiata and Oryza sativa cv. Khao Dawk Mali 105). Seeds were grown in petri dishes and treated with 5ml of extracts at various concentrations: 0.5, 1.0, 5.0...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - August 3, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

A conceptual approach for measuring farmers ’ attitudes to integrated soil fertility management in Kenya
Publication date: December 2015 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, Volumes 74–75 Author(s): Carl Johan Lagerkvist, Kelvin Shikuku, Julius Okello, Nancy Karanja, Chris Ackello-Ogutu A sustainable increase in agricultural productivity is essential in assuring food security in developing countries. Low soil fertility is a major contributing factor to the current vicious cycle of low agricultural productivity and inadequate livelihoods among smallholder farmers. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) is one way of achieving sustainable agricultural development, but improving soil fertility ...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 17, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Consumer perception of bio-based products —An exploratory study in 5 European countries
This study explores people’s perceptions (i.e., positive and negative associations, mixed feelings) regarding the concept of ‘bio-based’ in general and specific bio-based products. This exploratory study is one of the first consumer studies in the field of bio-based research. Three focus group discussions were organized in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands (with 89 participants in total) in which projective techniques were applied. Results of these group discussions indicate that participants are unfamiliar with ‘bio-based’ as a concept. ‘Bio-based’ is most often associated with...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 17, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Projections of long-term food security with R & amp;D driven technical change —A CGE analysis
Publication date: June 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, Volume 77 Author(s): Z. Smeets Kristkova, M. Van Dijk, H. Van Meijl In this paper, the impact of public R&D investment on agricultural productivity and long-term food security via R&D driven endogenous technical change is analysed. The findings show that R&D growth rates at the level reached in 2000s, particularly those for China, would not be expected any longer. Concerning the impact of projected R&D investments on agricultural productivity, it is found that endogenous growth rates of land-augmenting t...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 17, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Variation between individual cows in in situ rumen degradation characteristics of maize and grass silages
The objective of this study was to determine whether three cows are sufficient or not to cover the variation between individual cows in in situ rumen degradation characteristics of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), starch and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) for maize and grass silages. Fifteen maize and 15 grass silage samples, with a broad range in chemical composition, were selected. The maize and grass silage samples were incubated in the rumen for 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 72 and 336h, using the nylon bag technique. Three cows were used for nylon bag incubation of maize silages and three other cows for gra...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 15, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Identifying crop productivity constraints and opportunities using focus group discussions: A case study with farmers from Tigray
Publication date: Available online 15 June 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): R. Kraaijvanger, C.J.M. Almekinders, A. Veldkamp Crop productivity in many places in Sub Saharan Africa is low. This affects food security and rural livelihoods. Identification of constraints and opportunities is a first and essential step in development processes aiming at improving crop productivity. Macro- and meso-level diagnostic methods frequently point to soil fertility and agronomic practices as major constraints. In Tigray, our study area in Northern Ethiopia, we applied focus group discussion in ...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 15, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Effects of relay cover crop planting date on their biomass and maize productivity in a sub-humid region of Zimbabwe under conservation agriculture
Publication date: Available online 8 June 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Blessing Mhlanga, Stephanie Cheesman, Barbara Maasdorp, Walter Mupangwa, Colleta Munyoro, Cephas Sithole, Christian Thierfelder Relay cropping of cover crops is a strategy of increasing biomass yields and productivity of maize-based systems. However, there is need to strategically plan the relay cropping to avoid competition between the main crop and the relay cover crops while at the same time obtaining optimum yields from both crops. A study was carried out in a clay soil in a sub-humid region of ...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 8, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Factors explaining variability in rice yields in a rain-fed lowland rice ecosystem in Southern Cambodia
Publication date: Available online 8 June 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Proyuth Ly, Lars Stoumann Jensen, Thilde Bech Bruun, Andreas de Neergaard There is a growing body of literature documenting higher productivity of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) than conventional practices; however, few studies have been conducted to explore the factors explaining this higher productivity. This paper investigated key factors influencing yields in a rain-fed lowland rice ecosystem in Cambodia under farmer’s SRI and conventional management practices (CMP). Rice yields from 70 pl...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - June 8, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Characterising the diversity of smallholder farming systems and their constraints and opportunities for innovation: A case study from the Northern Region, Ghana
This study clearly demonstrates that using the established typology as a practical framework allows identification of type-specific farm household opportunities and constraints for the targeting of agricultural interventions and innovations, which will be further analysed in the research-for-development project. We conclude that a more flexible approach to typology construction, for example through the incorporation of farmer perspectives, might provide further context and insight into the causes, consequences and negotiation of farm diversity. (Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences)
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 25, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Chemical composition, antioxidant and anticancer potential of Labisia pumila variety alata under CO2 enrichment
Publication date: Available online 24 May 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Ehsan Karimi, Hawa Z.E. Jaafar, Ali Ghasemzadeh Elicitation of the whole plant/seedling using a biotic perturbations (e.g. CO2) could be practical for strategic bio farming of plant-derived metabolites as elicitation modulates plant secondary metabolism that is often associated with the altered chemical constituents and regulation of other metabolic pathways. Labisia pumila is a popular herb known to contain high-value metabolic compounds that are able to scavenge free radicals associated with chronic dise...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 23, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

The solar radiation-related determinants of rice yield variation across a wide range of regions
In this study, we extracted the data (n =107) of grain yield, biomass production, harvest index, intercepted radiation, radiation use efficiency (RUE), incident radiation and intercepted percent from 5 published studies conducted in 6 locations across 3 countries and evaluated the relationships between the parameters. A very large variation in grain yield, from 3.31 to 16.50tha−1, was observed. About 73% and 6% of the yield variation was explained by biomass production and harvest index, respectively. Biomass production was strongly positively related to intercepted radiation. However, intercepted radiation would be diff...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 23, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Development of home garden model for year round production and consumption for improving resource-poor household food security in Bangladesh
The objective of the study was to utilize the homestead resources in scientific ways for producing fresh vegetables and fruits over space and time and to enhance the nutritional supplies for the family throughout the year. A total of 12 households were selected from landless (no cultivable land), marginal (0.2–0.6ha) and small (0.61–1.0ha) farmer groups and seven production niches were intervened for round the year production following the Rangpur model. The niches were open sunny place, roof top, trellis, fence, boundary, marshy land and partially shady place. After the intervention, the highest amount of vegetables w...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 23, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Grain yield responses to varied level of moisture stress at reproductive stage in an interspecific population derived from Swarna/O. glaberrima introgression line
Publication date: Available online 24 May 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Surapaneni Saikumar, C.M.K. Varma, A. Saiharini, G.P Kalmeshwer, K. Nagendra, K. Lavanya, D. Ayyappa Understanding response of plants to drought stress is critical for developing drought tolerant genotypes with stable performance under water limiting conditions. A backcross inbred population derived in the background of a popular variety Swarna, was evaluated for yield and yield attributing traits under reproductive stage and shoot morphological traits at seedling stage under drought stress over a p...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 23, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Measuring the importance of the bioeconomy in Germany: Concept and illustration
Publication date: Available online 5 May 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Josef Efken, Walter Dirksmeyer, Peter Kreins, Marius Knecht This paper aims at measuring the importance of the bioeconomy within the economy as a whole in Germany. It is based upon the definition of the bioeconomy by the German Bioeconomy Council according to which the bioeconomy “encompasses all those sectors and their related services which produce, process or use biological resources in whatever form.” Various official statistics were exploited for the determination of the different industries and t...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - May 5, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research