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Climate change will increasingly impact large areas of South America, affecting important natural resources and people's livelihoods. These impacts will make rural people disproportionately more vulnerable, given their dependency on ecosystem services and their exposure to other stressors, such as new rules imposed by agribusiness and trends toward the commodification of natural resources. This paper focuses on the vulnerability of rural communities in Andean drylands of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, showing how different economic and political pathways lead to different levels of vulnerability. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the methodological and theoretical concept of vulnerability, which framed the research. Starting from the premise that global environmental change impacts are strongly linked to styles of development, the discussion explores the diverse institutional capital and governance schemes as well as different development styles in the case studies and their role in increasing or reducing local vulnerability to climate and water scarcity. Using a comparative perspective, the exposures and adaptive capacities of rural actors in three river basins are discussed, emphasizing situations that speak for the ways in which development styles counteract or magnify conditions of vulnerability. The analysis considers irrigated and non-irrigated agriculture, water property interests, different productive structures (viticulture, horticulture, etc.), producer typologies (large/small, export, etc.), and geographical location. Finally, the paper offers some insights about development style and adaptive capacities of rural people to overcome those vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Health impact assessment (HIA) is a systematic research and public engagement tool used to elevate health and equity in public policies. However, HIA practitioners often overlook potential mental health impacts. The purpose of this paper is to review the degree to which mental health is included in HIAs in the USA.Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a systematic review of 156 HIAs that were completed between 1993 and 2013 for their inclusion of mental health. HIAs were subdivided to assess if mental health conditions or their determinants were measured, and if predictions or mitigation strategies were made in the scoping, assessment, or recommendations phases.Findings Overall, 73.1 percent of HIAs included mental health. Of the HIAs that included mental health (n=114), 85.1 percent also included the determinants of mental health and 67.6 percent included mental health outcomes. 37.7 percent of HIAs measured baseline mental health conditions and 64.0 percent predicted changes in mental health as the result of implementing the proposed policy, plan, or program. Among the HIAs that made predictions about mental health, 79.5 percent included recommendations for potential changes in mental health, while only 46.6 percent had measured mental health at baseline.Research limitations/implications Although many HIAs included mental health in some capacity, this paper quantifies that mental health is not included in a robust way in HIAs in the USA. This presents a difficulty for efforts to address the growing issues of mental health and mental health inequities in the populations.Originality/value This paper represents the first academic endeavor to systematically assess the state of the field of HIA for its inclusion of mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the life and works of George Jason Streator, a greenhouse and nursery entrepreneur in the U.S. Streator was born in Shalersville Township at Portage County, Ohio on July 23, 1846. He lived his youth in Michigan but returned to Garrettsville in 1870 as a young man to establish a greenhouse and nursery business. He has developed 3 horticultural plants known as Portage Gooseberry, the Streator Corn and the Cardinal Strawberry. He developed interest in the study of the land and fresh-water shells and the wild flowers as a hobby. Streator was an active member of the Portage County Horticultural Society and a founder of the Garrettsville Scientific and Antiquarian Society. He died in California in 1925.

The rise of private standards, including those involving multi-stakeholder processes, raises questions about whose interests are served and the kind of power that is exerted to maintain these interests. This paper critically examines the battle for ideas-the way competing factions assert their own narratives about value chain relations, the role of standards and related multi-stakeholder processes. Drawing on empirical research on the horticulture and floriculture value chains linking Kenya and the United Kingdom, the analysis explores the framing of sustainability issues, especially around labor issues and good agricultural practice, and the choice of response with respect to private standards and multi-stakeholder initiatives since the late 1990s. We identify four competing narratives currently in play: a dominant global sourcing narrative, a pragmatic development narrative, a broader development narrative and a narrative we term potentially transformative. This last narrative is currently emerging through the unpacking of narratives in relation to the framing of sustainability problems and solutions, and in terms of legislative, executive and judicial governance. The paper contributes to emerging understanding of power in value chains, moving beyond material power to a consideration of how ideational power is exerted and resisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over fourteen years ago, the concept of "gray and green" was first introduced by Wright and Lund (2000) to represent a new awareness and a call for increased scholarship at the intersection of environmental issues and the aging process. This review paper revisits that concept with a fresh perspective on the specific role of gardens and gardening in the aging experience. As example, gardening is one of the most popular home-based leisure activities in the US and represents an important activity in the lives of older adults in a variety of residential settings. Yet, there has been a lack of any comprehensive and multidisciplinary (science and humanities) examination of the nexus between gardening and the aging experience, and in particular with research connections to stewardship and caring. In this paper, we review contemporary articles demonstrating the multidisciplinarity of gardening and the aging process. First, we will focus on the beneficial psychological effects resulting from the cultivation of caring, including personal contentment and artistic expression. Second, we will focus on stewardship and how gardening increases health, community awareness, and a connection to future generations. On the surface, this may demonstrate a separation between the humanities and science, but we will clarify a symbiotic relationship between the two disciplines in our conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the United States and Canadian highbush and lowbush blueberry industries have changed over the last two decades. Production increases have been driven by a combination of changing consumer preferences for healthy foods and the development of new cultivars that have opened new production regions, expanded fresh market opportunities, and created new food products. Canada has found it advantageous and economical to invest its research effort in the development of the lowbush blueberry, exploiting its health protective properties. The United States has concentrated its research effort on highbush cultivars to lengthen the harvest window and promote diversification opportunities in the Southern United States. Highbush production expansion in the Pacific Northwest has relied very little on new cultivar development and improvements in yield but more on increases in cultivated area. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the author's experience on an experiment involving students on gardening in the United States to teach them the sources of food. Before starting the experiment the students were showed the tilt of the Earth on its axis, its position relative to the Sun. The author explained the students how people's position on Earth would affect by the position of the Sun. These information helped the students to determine the areas of their garden plots. Each class then decided their choice on gardening such as flowers, herbs and vegetables through group discussions. The next step was the planting planning. They collected the seeds and other materials needed according to the size of their plot. They marked their progress on a sheet of paper and created a grid to use in the planning process and monitored weather reports. When their effort became fruitful they prepare food out of it with the instruction of the author. She evaluates that through this cooking effort her students learned that a recipe should not be complicated.

Population growth in the Phoenix metropolitan region is converting agricultural landscapes into suburban sprawl at one of the most rapid rates in the United States, yet little has been done to protect this resource, which has been vital to the development of this region's sense of place as a land of economic opportunity. This paper addresses the status of the region's land-use planning options for agricultural landscape preservation on private land. In order to reveal the value of the region's landscape character, the authors first present a typology of the four major agricultural landscapes remaining on private land, and the diverse farming traditions of some of the region's major ethnic and religious groups that created these landscapes are described. Next, the challenges and opportunities facing the preservation of these four remaining landscapes are discussed in relation to changing land attitudes and values in Arizona. Existing land-use planning and policy options for protection of the four remaining landscapes at the federal, state, and local levels are discussed, and examples of the integration of agricultural landscapes into the physical design of suburban development are provided. Finally, for the benefit of legislators, policymakers, and planners, the authors make recommendations for the development of a landscape-based policy framework and tools for the protection of agricultural landscapes in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Baumer construct defines the Early and Middle Woodland periods in the lower Ohio Valley in the confluence region of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers. Originally defined by University of Chicago investigations in the 1930s, Baumer remains a poorly understood cultural unit. This paper reports the botanical and environmental data from Baumer features excavated in recent work at Kincaid Mounds. These data demonstrate a stable plant food regime highlighted by a major emphasis on nut harvests as well as the cultivation of Eastern Complex seed crops. The Kincaid data show that Baumer and related Crab Orchard groups inhabiting large stream floodplains are more strongly committed to horticulture than their relatives living in small interior stream drainages in southern Illinois. Maize was also recovered but it is clearly of Mississippian origin. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

“Teaching Flowers” reflects on humanity's deep connections to horticulture by gathering varied thoughts from seminal writers in the field. In addition, this visual article draws attention to labor issues within the U.S. floral industry by documenting the author's exploration of flowers as social sculpture in New York City. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Modern intensive agriculture has led to biodiversity loss by restricting the number of crops, resulting in a limited range of nutrients available to the community. Alternative specialty crops can contribute to crop diversification in agricultural production systems and enhance human health and well-being by providing a diverse array of food crops. Rapid demographic changes in the U.S. population has created higher demands for and sales potential of fruits and vegetables, and has brought new market opportunities for farmers in the United States to grow alternative specialty crops. The introduction of alternative specialty crops has many inherited advantages including economic benefits to farmers through multiple facets: diversifying crop with value added crops, improving resilience to climate variability, maintaining yields with less resources, and boosting crop resistance to pests and diseases. However, there are challenges associated with the introduction and establishment of new crops, which include lack of information on candidates, cultural practices, and marketing as well as policy and institutional barriers. Farmers may face risk from poor economic returns and their businesses are likely to fail if proper management and marketing information are not available. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges associated with introduction of alternative specialty crops, and discuss how to mitigate potential problems associated with the introduction and establishment of alternative specialty crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based interventions hold promise for vulnerable youth experiencing mental, emotional, developmental, behavioral, or social difficulties. This scoping review examined wilderness therapy, animal assisted therapy, care farming, and gardening and horticultural therapy programs to raise awareness and guide future development of research and treatment options. Studies included in this review were identified through a systematic search of the literature informed by a scoping review framework. Studies were examined by design, sample, intervention, and key findings. The majority of studies were quantitative using repeated measures designs and were conducted primarily in the United States. Sample sizes were generally small. Interventions were residential and community based with varying degrees of duration. Outcomes were largely positive across a wide range of psychosocial and behavioral measures and often maintained post-treatment. We emphasize the importance of robust empirical designs, comprehensive description of the interventions and surrounding therapies, and identification of target groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines California seed seller Theodosia Shepherd as a case study of how women navigated gender norms to gain acceptance and success in late nineteenth-century commercial horticulture. Shepherd tapped into western boosterism and the women's movement to expand and question limitations on female fruit and flower growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bibliographic records on eight new crop species Camelina, Crambe, Cuphea, Physaria, Limnanthes, Stokesia, Thlaspi, and Vernonia from Agricola, CAB Abstracts, Scopus, and Web of Science were analyzed for historical and recent trends on the areas of research, author distribution, and quantity and impact of publications. A total of 6786 non-redundant bibliographic records were curated and used in the analyses with about 59% of the records pertaining to the primary oilseed species. The highest number of records was found to be on Thlaspi while the least on Stokesia. Authors representing a total of 110 countries were determined to have worked in these new crops and their relative species during the past six decades with those from United States contributing about 27% in the total number of publications. There was an increase of more than ten-fold in the number of publications on new crops and relatives from 1950 to 2010 and this was paralleled by a similar increase on articles in popular and news media. The h-index values, indicating the collective impact of publications by researchers in the crop groups, show an increasing trend until the year 2000 then followed by a decline. It was determined that in recent times, there are fewer papers in the areas of chemistry, agronomy and horticulture, and more publications dealing with genetics and plant biology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews archaeological applications of optimization theory applied to resource use. A model of agricultural corn production is derived for a single Muscogee Creek Indian town (CA 1725–1825) which was situated in the southeastern United States. The corn productivity model is based on soil depletion, soil variation, known locations of horticultural fields, population size, and nutritional requirements. The corn productivity model shows that corn production varied significantly between 1725 and 1825. The residents of the town shifted their horticultural gardens in order to maintain a nutritional minimum. The model was compared to the marginal value theorem and expectations derived from risk minimization models. Residents of Cussetuh abandoned their horticultural fields well before the instantaneous long-term average rate of production for the habitat. The model shows that the residents of Cussetuh were risk minimizers and were not maximizing the long term average rate of corn yield in their gardens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents news briefs related to biosciences in the U.S. The American Society for Diagnostic Ultrasound was founded during the International Conference on Diagnostic Ultrasound in Pennsylvania. The Saint Louis Zoological Park has established a tissue bank to make specimens from birds, mammals, and reptiles for teachers and research workers. The American Society for Horticultural Science has published the first issue of its new quarterly periodical "HortScience," in January 1966.

Agriculture is a vital component to the United States economy and is necessary to all our daily needs. This article provides descriptions for the most important Internet sites for agriculture. Sites are described for general resources, statistics and agricultural economics, plant sciences, food sciences, and animal and veterinary sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction for the workshop from the History of Horticulture Working Group entitled "A Survey on the Contribution of Indigenous Americans to Horticulture," is presented, which includes a paper on the development of new world crops by indigenous Americans and a paper on the domestication of Chilean strawberry.

Empirical models describing the factors influencing the levels of computerization of the operations of nurseries and greenhouses in the United States were estimated using the data collected from a regional survey in the Southern States and two national surveys in the United States. The models measure the significant effects of the socioeconomic characteristics of managers and operational characteristics of firms to the level of computer use among nurseries and greenhouses. Results show that the socioeconomic characteristics of the participating owners and managers had exercised limited influence in the decisions involving the computerization of horticulture operations. The operational characteristics of the horticulture operations included in the surveys which have significant influences on the level of computerization included the number of workers hired, level of automation, annual gross sales, wholesale sales, years since establishment, and location. The recent Great Recession encouraged the participating firms to increase the use of computers in their operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To elucidate details about the barriers (time, funding, staffing, and space) to integrating and sustaining school gardens. Methods. A total of 99 school gardeners from 15 states participated in an online survey in June 2017. The 29-item survey contained qualitative and quantitative items that we analyzed using descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis. Results. In order of greatest to least barrier, gardeners ranked time, staff, funding, curriculum, and space. Time for classes to use the garden (66% of respondents) and time for staff training (62%) were the most frequently listed time-related challenges. Respondents also reported low engagement within the school community. An overall lack of funding was the most common funding-related barrier, and gardeners were unaware of how to obtain more funding. Conclusions. We identified 3 aspects of school gardens as opportunities to address time- and staff-related issues: strengthening of garden committees, professional development, and community outreach. Better channels are needed to disseminate funding opportunities within schools and to communicate with communities at large. Ultimately, doing so will strengthen existing school gardens as a vehicle to promote dietary, physical, and social health within communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas is the property of Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 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.)

The article provides information from various aspects of the field of international serials and electronic resource management. Abstracts for several research articles are included on topics such as scholarly electronic books (e-books) and open source data in academic publishing. Additionally, awards and grants presented by the American Library Association (ALA) in 2011 are highlighted along with notes on the reorganization of the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG). Brief information regarding the 2012 conference for the UKSG and a list of online resources related to serials librarians are also included.

We evaluated 4 years of organically produced Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea, and E. pallida, comparing commercial organic seed source against public germplasm and open-field production against screened cages to prevent leafhopper transmission of aster yellows. Both seed sources produced excellent root yields, with fourth-year E. angustifolia yield, at 1,504 kg ha-1, greater in the open field than under screened cages. Yields were equivalent across E. purpurea treatments, averaging 4,845 kg ha-1. E. pallida yield, at 8,510 kg ha-1, was greater under screened cages. Open-field Echinacea plants experienced more disease than those under screened cages. Cichoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and echinacoside levels were acceptable across all treatments. Alkamides 8 + 9, associated with immune-modulating effects, increased over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the agriculture by native American people. It states that the agriculture in the Woodland between the period AD 1000-1500 was called horticulture and extensive cultivation. Hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods were also preferred by them. It also informs about the benefits of method of agriculture used by the native Americans in the past that made the soil ideal for planting and germination.

Row covers and colored plastic mulch are used routinely throughout the United States to grow vegetables but are rarely used in conjunction to produce a crop. Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), cv. Prelude II, was grown on an Orangeburg sandy loam soil in Shorter, AL. The summer squash was direct seeded in single rows. The experiment consisted of 12 treatments including: (1) black plastic mulch (BPM)+spunbonded row cover (RC), (2) BPM alone, (3) white plastic mulch (WPM)+RC, (4) WPM alone, (5) red plastic mulch (RPM)+RC, (6) RPM alone, (7) bare soil (BS)+RC, (8) BS alone, (9) silver plastic mulch (SPM)+RC, (10) SPM alone, (11) blue plastic mulch (BLUPM)+RC, and (12) BLUPM alone. Year and mulch color affected all variables, row cover affected plant height and stem diameter, and the mulch color × row cover interaction affected yield variables. Mulch color and year significantly affected air and soil temperatures and row cover significantly affected air temperature. Soil temperatures were more than 5°C lower than air temperatures in all treatments and air temperatures were 2-5°C higher with row covers than without. Increased soil and air temperatures did not always result in yield increases. Colored plastic mulch with or without row covers did not increase early fruit yield in squash. Lack of a mulch/row cover induced temperature effect on yield was attributed to the relatively high mean air temperatures that may have masked treatment temperature effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Features the late U.S. horticulturist and plant breeder Luther Burbank. Family and career background of Burbank; Information on the plant-breeding programs of Burbank; Contributions of Burbank to the field of horticulture.

Nineteenth-century agricultural periodicals contain information about horticultural advancements, practices, and educational agendas that can facilitate deeper understandings of American environmental history. Originating in the Northeast in the early nineteenth century, these publications followed expansion into other regions of the country and by, century's end, hundreds of publications had appeared throughout America. Most had short runs and strictly regional appeal, but a few enjoyed widespread circulation and national influence. This article discusses the national context and content of nineteenth-century agricultural periodicals, including their origins and editorial agendas. "To Improve the Soil and the Mind" was the motto of The Cultivator (published between 1834 and 1865), considered the best of its kind and one of the most popular and influential agricultural journals in nineteenth-century America. Created and edited by Jesse Buel (1778-1839) of New York, The Cultivator and other such publications were instrumental in shaping policies and advocating practices that advanced plant sciences and environmental awareness in nineteenth-century America. Close inspection of such historical material can lead contemporary historians to a deeper understanding of the environmental heritage of northeast, southeast, and mid-western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of climate change in agriculture and in the environment and how this phenomenon have changed the way gardeners manages their gardens. Several experiments were offered, such as the consideration of horticulture as a way to experiment with strategies to adapt to changes in the climate. According to Scott Aker, horticulturist at the U.S. National Arboretum, the plants that to be put up in the gardens 20 years from now are going to withstand extremes of temperature and drought. He added that pest and pathogens could also affect horticulture, aside from climate changes. It concluded that new approach in the climate-adapted garden is rambunctious, diverse and more like wild spaces.