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Smallholder farmers produce over 40% of global palm oil, the world's most traded and controversial vegetable oil. Awareness of the effects of palm oil production on ecosystems and human communities has increased drastically in recent years, with ever louder calls for the private and public sector to develop programs to support sustainable cultivation by smallholder farmers. To effectively influence smallholder practices and ensure positive social outcomes, such schemes must consider the variety in perspectives of farmers and align with their priorities. We conducted social surveys on smallholder farmers in Indonesia and Malaysia with varying degrees of participation in programs that offer advice and support with plantation management ("management-assistance programs") led by an industrial palm oil producer in Indonesia and a conservation-focused NGO in Malaysia. We surveyed farmers on their demographics, attitudes, and management decisions. Our analyses act as case studies to investigate the similarities and differences between smallholder palm oil producers involved in different schemes, allowing us to determine the alignment between the intentions of partnership programs and the current realities of smallholder plantations. The relationship between heterogeneity of social factors and management decisions and degree of program involvement differed across different groups and region: Indonesian smallholders most closely partnered with the private sector were the most varied in socio-demographics and attitudes but showed little variation in management inputs, while Malaysian smallholders most closely partnered with an NGO were the most heterogenous across all survey sections. Specifically, Indonesian farmers partnered with the private sector used less herbicide, more fertilizer, and had higher yield and total household income than farmers completely uninvolved with management assistance programs. In Malaysia, farmers partnered with an NGO also had higher yield and fertilizer application than independent farmers, however they used significantly more herbicide and had lower total household income. Our findings demonstrate the wide variety of smallholder farmers in both regions, directly opposing a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to sustainability. The wide variety of existing management practices also provides a potentially valuable natural experiment to identify high-yield, environmentally-friendly management approaches. When taken in context, our findings may inform the interventions of management-assistance programs, ensuring they are approaching the most relevant farmer groups in the most effective way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support the search for alternate chemical-free strategies to enhance plant growth and control plant diseases, we present an overview of the potential use of Biochar (BC) a product synthesized through pyrolysis from organic and agricultural waste used as a soil amendment, in suppressing broad range plant pathogens. A broad-spectrum BC effect contributes to the control of soil and foliar pathogens by altering the root exudates mechanism of the host plant, soil health and nutrient mobilization that affect the colonization of antagonistic microorganisms. Induction of plant defense mechanism by adding BC in potting medium to reduce foliar pathogens by the activation of defensive responses and induction of reactive oxygen species signaling in the plant system. Although few reports have been found for controlling oomycetes, viruses and bacterial pathogens through the application of BC, reports indicated that adding BC has potentially changed the soil microbiota colonization which contributes to disease suppression. BC also controls nematodes and harmful insects of plants. In addition, the main mechanisms of action for plant parasitic nematodes are changes in soil structure and could increase the biocontrol microorganism in the rhizosphere which resists nematodes colonizing and penetrating the plant system. Using BC-based amendments is a promising strategy with a carbon sequestration strategy, created on zero waste, as part of the integrated management of pathogens and parasites. Comprehensively, it is needed to be standardized the dosage and feedstock of BC in terms of sustainable production and disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional–structural plant models are increasingly being used by plant scientists to address a wide variety of questions. However, the calibration of these complex models is often challenging, mainly because of their high computational cost, and, as a result, error propagation is usually ignored. Here we applied an automatic method to the calibration of WALTer: a functional–structural wheat model that simulates the plasticity of tillering in response to competition for light. We used a Bayesian calibration method to jointly estimate the values of five parameters and quantify their uncertainty by fitting the model outputs to tillering dynamics data. We made recourse to Gaussian process metamodels in order to alleviate the computational cost of WALTer. These metamodels are built from an adaptive design that consists of successive runs of WALTer chosen by an efficient global optimization algorithm specifically adapted to this particular calibration task. The method presented here performed well on both synthetic and experimental data. It is an efficient approach for the calibration of WALTer and should be of interest for the calibration of other functional–structural plant models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year at the onset of winter season (October–November), crop residue/parali/stubble burning starts in Punjab and Haryana, leading to heavy air pollution in Delhi, and adversely affecting human and environmental health. During this time, the combination of unfavourable meteorological conditions, additional emissions from stubble burning, and firework activities in this area causes the air quality to further deteriorate. In this study, we have attempted to understand the influence of parali and firecracker incidents on air pollutants' variability over Delhi during the last three years (2020 to 2022). For this purpose, daily average particulate matter and gaseous pollutants data were fetched from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and daily total fire counts and fire radiative power (FRP) data were retrieved from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). A bigger area of severe burning is suggested by higher FRP values and higher fire counts in the middle of November in all the years considered. Three years satellite-based FIRMS data over Punjab and Haryana show the highest number of active fire counts in 2021 (n = 80,505) followed by 2020 (n = 75,428), and 2022 (n = 49,194). More than 90% parali burning incidents were observed in Punjab state only despite the considerable variability in numbers among the years. The significant effect of parali burning was seen on pollutant concentration variability. As the number of fire count increases or decreases in Punjab and Haryana, there is a corresponding increase or decrease in the particulate matter concentration with a time lag of few days (1 to 2 days). The trend in backward air mass trajectories suggests that the variable response time of pollutants' concentration is due to local and distant sources with different air mass speeds. Our estimates suggest that stubble burning contributes 50–75% increment in PM2.5 and 40 to 45% increase in PM10 concentration between October and November. A good positive correlation between PM2.5, PM10, NOX, and CO and fire counts (up to 0.8) suggests a strong influence of stubble burning on air quality over Delhi. Furthermore, the firecracker activities significantly increase the concentration of particulate matter with ~100% increment in PM2.5 and ~55% increment in PM10 mass concentrations for a relatively shorter period (1 to 2 days). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions occur as a consequence of the turnover of soil nitrogen (N), but gross N transformations and N2O production are often not studied in combination, so the relationships are poorly understood. Here, we quantified gross N transformations and the N2O production pathway of alkaline fluvo-aquic soils under different fertilization regimes collected from a long-term field experiment in the North China Plain and compared them with six acidic UK soils (one was alkaline for reference) with high soil organic carbon (SOC). We found that nitrification was the dominant N2O production pathway in the alkaline Chinese soil with a contribution of nitrification to N2O emissions (N2Onit) of 81%. By contrast, denitrification was the main N2O production pathway for the acidic UK soils with the contribution of denitrification to N2O emissions (N2Oden) of 66%. Long-term manure applications significantly increased N2Oden, compared to the synthetic N and no N treatments (25% vs. 18%). The N2Onit was positively correlated with gross autotrophic nitrification rates and pH but negatively correlated with gross N mineralization, SOC, soil total N content, and C:N ratios. Our findings highlight the importance of soil pH in controlling the N2O production in cropland soils, and suggest that the increased contribution of denitrification to N2O emissions should be considered, when increasing SOC through long-term manure and straw management for carbon sequestration and soil fertility improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of the oil palm plantations impact on biodiversity mostly compares oil palm plantations to natural forests. However, in reality, most land cover types before oil palm plantation establishment are no longer primary forests. Observations were made on two oil palm plantations (2 companies) in the West Kalimantan Province. Tracking data on the origin of land cover types was carried out using an interview method and analysis of the interpretation of land satellite imagery. The results showed that the baseline of oil palm plantations studied were shrubs/fields and secondary forests. The number of species (mammals and birds) in the oil palm area was higher than in the baseline area. The establishment of oil palm plantations originally in the form of shrubs or fields has affected the increasing diversity of mammals (3 species) and birds (11 species). The same results were also observed in areas that were originally in the form of secondary fields and forests, which also increased the number of species of mammals (5 species) and birds (18 species). Thus, it can be concluded that the land cover changes in 2 oil palm plantations studied has a positive impact on the mammals and birds’ species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many publications lack sufficient background information (e.g. location) to be interpreted, replicated, or reused for synthesis. This impedes scientific progress and the application of science to practice. Reporting guidelines (e.g. checklists) improve reporting standards. They have been widely taken up in the medical sciences, but not in ecological and agricultural research. Here, we use a community-centred approach to develop a reporting checklist (AgroEcoList 1.0) through surveys and workshops with 23 experts and the wider agroecological community. To put AgroEcoList in context, we also assessed the agroecological community's perception of reporting standards in agroecology. A total of 345 researchers, reviewers, and editors, responded to our survey. Although only 32% of respondents had prior knowledge of reporting guidelines, 76% of those that had said guidelines improved reporting standards. Overall, respondents agreed on the need of AgroEcolist 1.0; only 24% of respondents had used reporting guidelines before, but 78% indicated they would use AgroEcoList 1.0. We updated AgroecoList 1.0 based on respondents' feedback and user-testing. AgroecoList 1.0 consists of 42 variables in seven groups: experimental/sampling set-up, study site, soil, livestock management, crop and grassland management, outputs, and finances. It is presented here, and is also available on github (https://github.com/AgroecoList/Agroecolist). AgroEcoList 1.0 can serve as a guide for authors, reviewers, and editors to improve reporting standards in agricultural ecology. Our community-centred approach is a replicable method that could be adapted to develop reporting checklists in other fields. Reporting guidelines such as AgroEcoList can improve reporting standards and therefore the application of research to practice, and we recommend that they are adopted more widely in agriculture and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm dominates global oil production, trade, and consumption. Nigeria is one of the leading palm oil producers and consumers. A significant challenge of the palm oil industry is to reduce the environmental impacts (e.g. pollution and carbon footprint) and integrate a circular economy in operation. This study aims to comparatively quantify the environmental impacts of technologies used by different mills. We applied a life cycle assessment in the case of Nigeria. The study covers the reception and processing of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) to end-product palm oil. The inputs include generated empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fibre, palm kernel shell, palm oil mill effluent, diesel, water and all outputs to the environment for a functional unit of 1-tonne FFB. The results showed that large-scale mills perform worse (468 kg CO2-eq per t FFB) than the semi-mechanised and smallholder mills in effects on climate change but better in the other impact categories, including human toxicity, ecotoxicity, and fine particulate matter formation. In large-scale mills, the climate change impacts decrease by 75% when the raw palm oil mill effluent (POME) is used in composting EFB. Similarly, climate change impacts reduce by 44% when biogas from POME substitutes diesel in the semi-mechanised and smallholder mills. We conclude that regulatory measures are needed to ensure improved management practices in the production processes. Particular attention should be paid to the generation and reuse of biomass and POME. This study provides a handy reference to assist the sustainable energy transition in Nigeria's and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa's oil palm industry to mitigate climate change and form a cleaner bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural expansion in Southeast Asia has converted most natural landscapes into mosaics of forest interspersed with plantations, dominated by the presence of generalist species that benefit from resource predictability. Dietary shifts, however, can result in metabolic alterations and the exposure of new parasites that can impact animal fitness and population survival. Our study focuses on the Asian water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator), one of the largest predators in the Asian wetlands, as a model species to understand the health consequences of living in a human-dominated landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We evaluated the effects of dietary diversity on the metabolism of monitor lizards and the impact on the composition of their parasite communities in an oil palm-dominated landscape. Our results showed that (1) rodent-dominated diets were associated with high levels of lipids, proteins and electrolytes, akin to a fast-food -based diet of little representativeness of the full nutritional requirements, but highly available, and (2) lizards feeding on diverse diets hosted more diverse parasite communities, however, at overall lower parasite prevalence. Furthermore, we observed that the effect of diet on lipid concentration differed depending on the size of individual home ranges, suggesting that sedentarism plays an important role in the accumulation of cholesterol and triglycerides. Parasite communities were also affected by a homogeneous dietary behaviour, as well as by habitat type. Dietary diversity had a negative effect on both parasite richness and prevalence in plantations, but not in forested areas. Our study indicates that human-dominated landscapes can pose a negative effect on generalist species and hints to the unforeseen health consequences for more vulnerable taxa using the same landscapes. Thus, it highlights the potential role of such a widely distributed generalist as model species to monitor physiological effects in the ecosystem in an oil palm-dominated landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The status and ecology of small carnivores on Java is poorly documented. We conducted a camera trapping survey in the Wonorejo Mangroves, a coastal wetland east of the city of Surabaya in north-eastern Java. This survey yielded photographs of the small Indian civet Viverricula indica, Javan mongoose Urva javanica, Sunda leopard cat Prionailurus javanensis, Asian small-clawed otter Aonyx cinereus, and Sunda palm civet Paradoxurus musangus. They all used dykes between aquaculture ponds to forage and move between vegetation patches, but at different times and frequencies. We strongly recommend surveying the remaining wetlands on Java to acquire baseline data on the status and conservation needs of small carnivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic spectroscopy (DS) theoretically eliminates individual differences and the impact of measurement conditions on accuracy and can achieve high-precision noninvasive blood component analysis. To further improve the extraction quality of DS, this paper proposes a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal waveform proportion extraction method, which realizes the extraction of DS by calculating the proportion coefficient between PPG waveforms. To verify the effectiveness of our method, the transmission spectra of 146 volunteers' fingers and the true value of platelet content (wavelength 600–1100 nm, platelet content range 32 × 109/L–512 × 109/L) were collected. Then the DS was extracted by the single-trail method and this method, and the prediction model is established by PLS. The experimental data showed, compared with the single-trail method, that the modeling effect of the PPG waveform proportion method is significantly improved, the Rc increased 9.61%, the RMSEc decreased 31.56%, the MAPc decreased from 12 to 6%, and the Rp increased 42.92%, the RMSEP reduced 24.39%, and MAPp decreased from 13 to 11%. The results show that the PPG waveform proportion method proposed in this paper has a higher model correlation coefficient and lower prediction error, significantly improves the extraction quality of DS, further improves the accuracy of noninvasive blood component quantitative analysis, and helps to promote the application process of noninvasive detection of blood components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although oil palm expansion has had severe environmental impacts, oil palm also has the highest yield per hectare of any vegetable oil crop. Compared to many other crops, it has the potential to support high complexity habitats, with minimal chemical input, and relatively high levels of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, there has been little synthesis of available research on oil palm management strategies to support delivery of more sustainable cultivation. In this paper, we provide a systematic map compiling all available evidence assessing within-plantation oil palm management practices at the cultivation stage, with a focus on practices that affect biodiversity and environmental processes. Using approaches adapted from systematic review protocols, we catalogued oil palm management publications to provide details of geographic location, year, interventions tested (i.e. agricultural practices), targeted outcomes of interventions, co-occurrences between different interventions and outcomes (including multiple outcomes), and study design. Most studies were conducted in Southeast Asia, with fewer studies conducted in South America or Africa. Twenty-six interventions were observed in the literature, across six categories: soil, understory, within-crop, landscape-level, replanting, and mixed/multiple interventions. The most common interventions tested were landscape-scale interventions, such as maintaining forest fragments/buffer zones, whereas interventions involved in replanting were the least researched. Eight outcomes were considered: soil fertility, soil erosion, water quality and availability, pest control, replanting, maintenance of biodiversity and areas of high conservation value, and reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Studies researching biodiversity were the most common, whereas comparatively few studies considered replanting and reducing emissions. Most primary studies were observational, with experimental studies being rarer, especially in biodiversity research. We match our findings to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil's environmental sustainability criteria to illustrate how policymakers and producers may use our map to access evidence supporting cultivation-stage oil palm sustainability management. This study provides valuable information to inform best management practices and direction for necessary future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Sciences / Jurnal Ilmu Pertanian Indonesia is the property of IPB University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most prevalent mental health disorder after childbirth, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, PPD is known to have a long-term influence on the mother and the newborn, and the role of social support network is crucial in early illness recognition. This study aims to evaluate the social support networks' level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding PPD and examine their sociodemographic variables and exposure to the public information relating to PPD during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online Google Form disseminated to people in Klang Valley through WhatsApp, Email, Facebook, Instagram and other available social media among postpartum women's social support networks aged 18 years and living in the Klang Valley area (N = 394). Data were collected from 1 March to 5 July 2021 and analysed using the Mann–Whitney U-test and generalised linear mixed models. Results: During the COVID-19 epidemic in Klang Valley, most participants had good knowledge, negative attitudes and awareness of PPD. Marital status, gender and parity all had significant correlations with the amount of awareness regarding PPD. Ethnicity, gender, parity and educational level showed significant association with attitude towards PPD. No significant relationship was noted between sociodemographic variables and PPD beliefs. Public awareness of PPD was also associated with knowledge and attitude towards it. Conclusions: A significant positive knowledge, negative attitude and negative awareness level of PPD exist among social support networks for postnatal women. However, no significant effect of belief on PPD awareness level was noted. Implications: Insight campaigns and public education about PPD should be conducted to enhance postnatal mothers' awareness and knowledge. Postnatal care, mental check-ups and counselling sessions for the new mothers are recommended. In future studies, a closer assessment of postpartum social support, variances and similarities across women from diverse racial/ethnic origins is critical. Strengths and limitations: This cross-sectional study is one of the early studies on the area of PPD in the Malaysian region during COVID-19. Numerous data have been collected using low-cost approaches using self-administered surveys through Google Forms in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is believed to be caused by natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, which release ash into the atmosphere, and anthropogenic activities that increase the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), which trap energy and cause intense warming. This article conducts a comprehensive review of existing literature relating to climate change and its impact on oil palm production in Malaysia. To enable analysis, articles were arranged, sorted, and categorized into various themes and associations based on the title of the article, abstract, and later the content. The findings reveal that climate change causes variability in the intensity and duration of rainfall, which ultimately affects the production of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and the quality of crude palm oil (CPO). The decline in FFB increased the price of crude palm oil. The impacts of climate change on oil palm vary and are felt differently in different regions. Climate change increases the vulnerability and exposure of oil palms to various diseases, exposes them to water stress, and disrupts metabolic activities. The surface temperature in Malaysia is anticipated to rise by 1.5 to 2 °C, worsening the adaptation plans. Oil palm growers explore possible ways to adapt to and withstand the impacts of climate change by adopting the use of an improved variety of oil palm seedlings, soil management and fertility preservation, silt pit, mulching, intercropping, livelihood diversification, buying insurance, and best water conservation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Oilseeds & Fats, Crops & Lipids (OCL) is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

purpose of this paper was to study the effect of Lactobacillus fermentum ZS09 (L. fermentum ZS09) on the EMT pathway in mouse with azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium salt (AOM/DSS) induced colon cancer and the potential underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: In this study, a mouse colon cancer model was established through intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg azoxymethane (AOM) and three cycles of 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) in the drinking water. H&E staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting (WB) were used to study the antitumour mechanisms of L. fermentum ZS09 through the EMT pathway. Results: The results of this study showed that compared with the model group, the high-dose L. fermentum ZS09 intervention group exhibited decreased serum levels of MMP-9, TNF-α, IL-6R, Ang-2 and VEGFR-2 and increased contents of DKK1 (P< 0.05). The expression of Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway-related genes (Dv1, GSK-3β, β-catenin, c-myc, cyclinD1, Vim, and MMP-9) was significantly reduced, and the gene expression levels of APC, CDH1, and Axin were increased. The levels of related proteins (β-catenin, N-cadherin, and VEGF) were downregulated, and the levels of p-β-catenin and E-cadherin were upregulated. Conclusion: The results indicate that L. fermentum ZS09 could inhibit EMT and angiogenesis pathways by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, which could inhibit tumour metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenesis and course of inflammatory bowel diseases are related to both immune system disorders and dysfunction of colon permeability. Moreover, co-existing diseases in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are identified. Currently, there are some therapeutic strategies that affect the function of cytokine/s causing inflammation in the intestinal wall. However, additional approaches which target other components of inflammatory bowel diseases pathogenesis are still needed. Accumulating evidence suggests that proteases and protease-activated receptors seem to be responsible for colitis progression. Experimental and observational studies showed alteration of protease-activated receptors expression in the colon of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Furthermore, it was suggested that the expression of protease-activated receptors correlated with inflammatory bowel diseases activity. Moreover, regulation of protease-activated receptors seems to be responsible for the modulation of colitis and clinical manifestation of inflammatory bowel diseases. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge about the contribution of protease-activated receptors to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and its implications for diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Jintiange capsule (JTG), an approved drug developed as a substitute for tiger bone (TB), has been clinically applied for osteoporosis therapy since 2003. The drug is composed of bionic TB powder, in which peptides and proteins are primarily enriched from other bone extracts. However, as a precious material of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TB has been mainly understood and used in TCM to relieve osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and bone injury. Inspired by those, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether JTG also had an effect on relieving rheumatoid arthritis in collagen-induced arthritic (CIA) rats and explore potential mechanism from the perspective of serum metabolic profile changes. Methods: JTG was analyzed using Nano LC-MS/MS and orally administered in CIA rats for 6 weeks. After administration, intervention effects of JTG on synovial inflammation, bone micro-architecture and bone metabolism were studied, and the impact of JTG on serum metabolic profiles in CIA rats was investigated by metabolomics. Results: Nine bioactive peptides were identified in JTG. In animal treatments, JTG alleviated paw swelling (P < 0.01), arthritic severity (P < 0.01) and synovial tissue proliferation, as well as inflammatory cell infiltration of ankle joint, decreased bone loss, improved microstructure of bone in CIA rats by regulating bone absorption and formation, specifically increasing bone mineral density (BMD) (P < 0.05), bone volume fraction (BVF) (P < 0.05), trabecular number (Tb.N) (P < 0.05) and decreasing trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) (P < 0.05). Besides, serum IL-6 was down-regulated remarkably in CIA rats (P < 0.05). Furthermore, metabolomics analysis revealed that 32 metabolites were regulated significantly (P < 0.05) by comparison between CIA model and JTG in 360 mg/kg dose. The pathway analysis implied that JTG was involved in regulation of biosynthesis of phenylalanine. Conclusion: JTG alleviates rheumatoid arthritis and reverses changes in serum metabolic profile in CIA rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Intensive management practices in large-scale oil palm plantations can slow down nutrient cycling and alter other soil functions. Thus, there is a need to reduce management intensity without sacrificing productivity. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of management practices on gross rates of soil N cycling and soil fertility. In Jambi province, Indonesia, we established a management experiment in a large-scale oil palm plantation to compare conventional practices (i.e. high fertilization rates and herbicide weeding) with reduced management intensity (i.e. reduced fertilization rates and mechanical weeding). Also, we compared the typical management zones characterizing large-scale plantations: palm circle, inter-row and frond-stacked area. After 1.5 years of this experiment, reduced and conventional management showed comparable gross soil N cycling rates; however, there were stark differences among management zones. The frond-stacked area had higher soil N cycling rates and soil fertility (high microbial biomass, extractable C, soil organic C, extractable organic N, total N and low bulk density) than inter-row and palm circle (all p ≤ 0.05). Microbial biomass was the main driver of the soil N cycle, attested by its high correlation with gross N-cycling rates (r = 0.93–0.95, p < 0.01). The correlations of microbial N with extractable C, extractable organic N, soil organic C and total N (r = 0.76–0.89, p < 0.01) suggest that microbial biomass was mainly regulated by the availability of organic matter. Mulching with senesced fronds enhanced soil microbial biomass, which promoted nutrient recycling and thereby can decrease dependency on chemical fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Being a promising tropical woody oilseed crop, the evergreen and recurrent plants of Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) has complex phenology and source–sink interactions. Carbon source–sink manipulations with control and two treatments (reduce source, ca. 10% mature leaf pruning; reduce sink, 10% fruitlet thinning) were conducted on 2.5-year-old field-grown P. volubilis plantation during the early-wet season in a seasonal tropical area. Results: Leaf photosynthetic rate and specific leaf area largely remained unchanged in response to defoliation or defloration. Compared with control, higher N contents on average were observed in both remaining leaves and branches of the defoliated plants, suggesting that N-mobilization was mainly due to the enhanced N uptake from soil. Carbon, but not N, is a source-driven growth process of P. volubilis plants, as defoliation reduced the contents of non-structural carbohydrates (especially sugar) in branches, although temporally, whereas defloration increased available C reserve. The seasonal dynamic pattern of fruit ripening was altered by source–sink regulations. Total seed yield throughout the growing season, which depends on fruit set and retention (i.e., number of matured fruit) rather than individual fruit development (size), was slightly increased by defloration but was significantly decreased by defoliation. Compared with control, defloration did not enrich the KEGG pathway, but defoliation downregulated the TCA cycle and carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms in fruitlets after 24 days of the applications of source–sink manipulation. Conclusion: Carbohydrate reserves serve to buffer sink–source imbalances that may result from temporary adjustment in demand for assimilates (e.g., defloration) or shortfalls in carbon assimilation (e.g., defoliation). Defoliation is disadvantageous for the yield and also for carbohydrate and lipid accumulation in fruits of P. volubilis plants. Although more studies are needed, these results provide new insights to the further improvement in seed yield of the strong source-limited P. volubilis plants by source/sink manipulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cahiers Agriculture is the property of EDP Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Agro-industrial residues and by-products are a crescent environmental problem since they are often discarded without proper treatment, and still have growing production. These residues are rich from a nutritional point of view and contain various industrial relevant compounds, such as phenolic compounds, fibers, vitamins, sugars and others. The crescent worrying about environmental issues has led researchers and industries to focus on "eco-friendly" solutions for everyday problems. In this sense, the use of enzymes for the valorization of agro-industrial residues is a safe and green alternative technology. Hence, this review aims to show the enzyme potential for the use and valorization of several agro-industrial residues, focusing on the most produced residues worldwide, such as fruits, grains and lignocellulosic residues, as well as a brief explanation of microbial enzymes, its production and optimization, altogether with tools to identify producing microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formed in 2004 in response to adverse environmental impacts caused by the expansion of oil palm production. It created voluntary standards to accelerate adoption of improved practices along the supply chain to ensure environmental benefits. However, the rate of adoption among smallholders of the practices RSPO recommends remains low. This study assessed the factors influencing smallholder farmers' adoption decisions and the intensity of adoption using primary data obtained from 723 randomly selected oil palm producers in the southern region of Thailand, of which 333 RSPO were adopters and 390 were non-adopters. The results of the binary logit and two-limit Tobit regressions revealed that total farm labor, farm size, number of training sessions attended, access to information, extension services, support services, and perceived ease of adoption of the practices had positive effects on the intensity of adoption. However, the age of oil palm trees negatively influenced the intensity of adoption. The results suggest that strengthening capacity building activities and extension services would increase the adoption of the RSPO practices among small-scale farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh-cut salads are ready-to-eat foodstuffs with a growing market share and increasingly popular with consumers. However, a significant part of public opinion considers that bagged salad production processes have an effect on sustainability. In parallel, fresh-cut salads producers implement high resources and innovation strategies to improve the production process and product sustainability, highlighting an increasing awareness of their responsibility. The objective of this study was to investigate whether a correspondence exists between consumer preferences and the fresh-cut salad sustainability attributes (environmental, economic and social), indicated by producers (on their packaging and/or company website). Consumer preference analysis of 12 attributes of fresh-cut salads was made using the Best-Worst scaling methodology. Among the selected attributes, 9 were related to sustainability issues and 3 to the intrinsic product characteristics. A paper questionnaire was developed and submitted directly to consumers (n = 216), at different points of sale of several large retail chains in the Turin metropolitan area (Northwest Italy). The analysis of the results highlights that no direct correspondence can be found between the companies' communications regarding sustainability and the real interest of consumers of fresh-cut salads towards these attributes. Moreover, in contrast to the growing 'green' attitude among consumers, the lack of consumer interest in the attributes of environmental sustainability underlines the need to increase consumer awareness of the issue. Thus, this research could contribute to the development of more targeted and accessible communication strategies towards consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to determine the litterfall production, accumulation, decomposition rate and nutrient stocks, and to estimate the soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks in three palm swamp ecosystems with different land use intensities in the Southeast of Brazil. Methods: Three palm swamp ecosystems with different land use intensities were evaluated: Agua Doce (AD), conserved area; Capivara (CV), area with small agricultural practices; and Buriti Grosso (BG), area with an intensive land use. Produced and accumulated litterfall from the Cerrado areas surrounding the palm swamps were collected from October 2014 to September 2015, and the Ca, Mg, K, and P concentrations were determined in the dry and rainy seasons. Soil samples were collected in the surrounding Cerrado and within the palm swamps until 100 cm soil depth to determine bulk density and soil C and N contents and stocks. Results: Annual litterfall production in the Cerrado surrounding palm swamps was similar in AD (3.58 Mg·ha− 1·year− 1) and CV (3.79 Mg·ha− 1·year− 1), and was lower in BG (2.84 Mg·ha− 1·year− 1), and was more intense during the dry season. Furthermore, litterfall accumulation was higher in CV (7.12 Mg·ha− 1·year− 1) and BG (6.75 Mg·ha− 1·year− 1), culminating in lower decomposition rates. AD showed the highest decomposition rate (0.60) due to its vegetation structure and conservation. The macronutrient contents from the production and accumulated litterfall had a low influence of the land use, decreasing in the following order: Ca > K > Mg > P. Soils in CV and BG palm swamp areas showed higher values of C and N contents, due to the use of land for agricultural crops and cattle raising in an extensive (rangeland) system. The BG palm swamp, showed the highest C (124.03 Mg·ha− 1) and N (10.54 Mg·ha− 1) stocks due to the land use history with different agricultural practices over time. Conclusions: The litterfall dynamics in the Cerrado surrounding palm swamps was more affected by climatic variables than the intensity of land use, but the litter decomposition was more accelerated in the conserved area. Anthropic interventions with soil organic matter (SOM) inputs contributed to an increase in soil C and N stocks in the palm swamp ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with oil palm frond (leaf) (OPF) with and without oil palm meal (OPM) on nutrient intake and digestibility, ruminal fermentation and growth performance in goats. Methods: Six female crossbred goats were fed for 28 days of 3 diet treatments; 100% paragrass (T1); 50% para-grass + 50% OPF (T2), and 30% para-grass + 50% OPF + 20% OPM (T3). Body weight, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, and urine volume, food intake, dry matter intake and water intake were measured daily. Nutrient digestibility was determined from five consecutive days of last week in each diet. Ruminal fluid, urine and blood were collected at the end for determination of rumen protozoa and volatile fatty acid contents, urinary allantoin excretion, blood cell count and chemistry profiles. Results: Goats fed T2 and T3 showed higher dry matter and nutrients intakes while protein digestibility was suppressed compared with those for T1. Crude fat digestibility declined in T2 but maintained after adding the OPM (T3). High fat intake by giving OPF and OPM corresponded to a higher ruminal acetate/propionate ratio (C2/C3) and serum cholesterol level. An increased urinary allantoin/creatinine ratio was found in T2 and T3 compared with T1, implying an increased number of ruminal microbes. Conclusion: Increased dry matter intake in T2 and T3 suggested that oil palm by-products are partly useful as a replacement for para-grass in goats. Replacement with the by-products increased plasma cholesterol level, which suggested that these products are a useful energy source. Changes in rumen parameters suggested an increased microbial number and activity suitable for acetate production. However, the limited digestibility of protein implies that addition of high protein feeds may be recommended to increase body weight gain of goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Functional–structural plant models (FSPMs) describe explicitly the interactions between plants and their environment at organ to plant scale. However, the high level of description of the structure or model mechanisms makes this type of model very complex and hard to calibrate. A two-step methodology to facilitate the calibration process is proposed here. Methods First, a global sensitivity analysis method was applied to the calibration loss function. It provided first-order and total-order sensitivity indexes that allow parameters to be ranked by importance in order to select the most influential ones. Second, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to quantify the model’s quality of fit after calibration with different combinations of selected parameters. The model with the lowest AIC gives the best combination of parameters to select. This methodology was validated by calibrating the model on an independent data set (same cultivar, another year) with the parameters selected in the second step. All the parameters were set to their nominal value; only the most influential ones were re-estimated. Key Results Sensitivity analysis applied to the calibration loss function is a relevant method to underline the most significant parameters in the estimation process. For the studied winter oilseed rape model, 11 out of 26 estimated parameters were selected. Then, the model could be recalibrated for a different data set by re-estimating only three parameters selected with the model selection method. Conclusions Fitting only a small number of parameters dramatically increases the efficiency of recalibration, increases the robustness of the model and helps identify the principal sources of variation in varying environmental conditions. This innovative method still needs to be more widely validated but already gives interesting avenues to improve the calibration of FSPMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Enhancement of light harvesting in annual crops has successfully led to yield increases since the green revolution. Such an improvement has mainly been achieved by selecting plants with optimal canopy architecture for specific agronomic practices. For perennials such as oil palm, breeding programmes were focused more on fruit yield, but now aim at exploring more complex traits. The aim of the present study is to investigate potential improvements in light interception and carbon assimilation in the study case of oil palm, by manipulating leaf traits and proposing architectural ideotypes. Methods Sensitivity analyses (Morris method and metamodel) were performed on a functional--structural plant model recently developed for oil palm which takes into account genetic variability, in order to virtually assess the impact of plant architecture on light interception efficiency and potential carbon acquisition. Key Results The most sensitive parameters found over plant development were those related to leaf area (rachis length, number of leaflets, leaflet morphology), although fine attributes related to leaf geometry showed increasing influence when the canopy became closed. In adult stands, optimized carbon assimilation was estimated on plants with a leaf area index between 3.2 and 5.5 m² m-2 (corresponding to usual agronomic conditions), with erect leaves, short rachis and petiole, and high number of leaflets on the rachis. Four architectural ideotypes for carbon assimilation are proposed based on specific combinations of organ dimensions and arrangement that limit mutual shading and optimize light distribution within the plant crown. Conclusions A rapid set-up of leaf area is critical at young age to optimize light interception and subsequently carbon acquisition. At the adult stage, optimization of carbon assimilation could be achieved through specific combinations of architectural traits. The proposition of multiple morphotypes with comparable level of carbon assimilation opens the way to further investigate ideotypes carrying an optimal trade-off between carbon assimilation, plant transpiration and biomass partitioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of crude palm oil has environmental, economic and social implications. A sustainability assessment framework is needed to improve the sustainability performance of crude palm oil production in a carbon-constrained economy. The objective of this paper is to develop Performance Measures for triple bottom line assessment in the Malaysian palm oil industry, which includes Key Performance Indicators and Higher Performance Indicators for implementing the sustainability assessment framework. The Performance Measures of the triple bottom line assessment were built on the framework of Lim and Biswas (Sustainability 7(12):16561-16587, 2015). The measures were further developed through a participatory approach involving stakeholders and area experts, including Government, Industry, Academia and Local Smallholders/Non-Government Organisations. The developed framework presents a final list of Performance Measures, Key Performance Indicators and Higher Performance Indicators using a structured process and introduces weighting factors to the indicators to reflect the difference in the perceived level of importance. The calculation methods of the assessment framework were verified, and finally, the framework was tested using hypothetical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]