Search

In this paper, we address the emergence of horticultural practice, agents, spaces and institutions in the two urban settings of Lisbon and Porto, in Portugal, during the second half of the nineteenth century. We do so by following the networking activities of two players: the self-made horticulturist and entrepreneur José Marques Loureiro, who created, in Porto, a commercial horticultural establishment and founded theJournal of Practical Horticulture; and the agronomist Francisco Simões Margiochi, head of the gardens and green grounds department of the municipality, who created the first course on gardening and horticulture, and founded the Royal Horticultural Society, both in Lisbon. Their joint activities were aimed at establishing horticulture as an applied science and to cater simultaneously to an extended audience of citizens. They enable us to enrich the narratives on the emergence and development of horticulture in Europe by calling attention to the participation in circulatory extended networks of actors who are often absent from these accounts. Additionally, they allow a comparative assessment of the outcome of their actions at the national level, and to understand their results in terms consonant with recent historiographical trends on the co-construction of centres and peripheries. Abbreviations:AML – Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa (Municipal Archive of Lisbon).; ANTT – Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archives at Torre do Tombo).; AHCPL – Arquivo Histórico da Casa Pia de Lisboa (Historical Archive of the Casa Pia of Lisbon).;JHP – Jornal de Horticultura Practica(Journal of Practical Horticulture). Online at:http://www.fc.up.pt/fa/?p=nav&f=html.fbib-Periodico-oa&item=378;BSNHP-Boletim da Sociedade Nacional de Horticultura de Portugal(Bulletin of the National Society of Horticulture of Portugal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Iowa Farmer and Horticulturist was an agricultural and horticultural journal that began publication in 1853 at Burlington, Iowa. An article serialized in its second, third, fourth, and seventh issues listed 252 native plants of horticultural merit that grew in the vicinity; for 79 of the species, it was the first report for Iowa. The author of this article was identified only by the pseudonym 'Flores.' The article evinces numerous similarities of topic and phraseology with an address delivered to the Southern Iowa Horticultural Society in October 1852 by Dr. John Henry Rauch (1828-1894). The previous year, Rauch had published the first checklist of the state's flora at the behest of the Iowa State Medical and Chirurgical Society, and it is suggested that he was the author of the 1853 article as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Growth standards and references currently used to assess population and individual health are derived primarily from urban populations, including few individuals from indigenous or subsistence groups. Given environmental and genetic differences, growth may vary in these populations. Thus, there is a need to assess whether international standards are appropriate for all populations, and to produce population specific references if growth differs. Here we present and assess growth references for the Tsimane, an indigenous population of Bolivian forager-horticulturalists. Methods Mixed cross-sectional/longitudinal anthropometrics (9,614 individuals; 30,118 observations; ages 0-29 years) were used to generate centile curves and Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) tables for height-for-age, weight-for-age, body mass index (BMI)-for-age, and weight-for-height (WFH) using Generalized Additive Models for Location Shape and Scale ( GAMLSS). Velocity curves were generated using SuperImposition by Translation and Rotation ( SITAR). Tsimane ≤5 years were compared to World Health Organization (WHO) standards while those >5 years were compared to WHO school age references. All ages were compared to published references for Shuar forager-horticulturalists of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Results Tsimane growth differs from WHO values in height and weight, but is similar for BMI and WFH. Tsimane growth is characterized by slow height velocity in childhood and early adolescent peak height velocity at 11.3 and 13.2 years for girls and boys. Tsimane growth patterns are similar to Shuar, suggesting shared features of growth among indigenous South Americans. Conclusions International references for BMI-for-age and WFH are likely appropriate for Tsimane, but differences in height-for-age and weight-for-age suggest Tsimane specific references may be useful for these measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursery growers are one of the largest agricultural users of water. Researchers have been developing new water treatment techniques and technologies for nursery growers to assist in preserving this precious resource, yet adoption within the industry has been limited. Extension professionals need to work closely with nursery growers to encourage adoption but the enablers and barriers are largely unidentified in the literature. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with nursery growers nationwide to identify the barriers and enablers to adoption in an effort to provide recommendations for improved extension programming with this audience. The findings revealed nursery growers have a positive attitude towards water conservation but the financial cost of replacing equipment keeps them from adopting. In addition, nursery growers perceive new technologies to be complex and difficult to understand and implement. Extension professionals can leverage this positive attitude and use social norms to assist in overcoming some of the barriers. Using case studies as examples of success stories, partnering with researchers to develop easy to use instructions and integration tools that could be offered online, and assisting growers in connecting with agricultural economists to conduct cost/benefit analysis associated with adoption are a few of the recommendations offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pesquisa arqueológica pré-colonial desenvolvida na região que compreende a bacia hidrográfica do Rio Taquari/Antas identificou a ocupação de grupos horticultores ceramistas, que habitavam e percorriam o território, antecedendo em dez séculos a chegada dos primeiros colonizadores e imigrantes europeus. A presença de evidências cerâmicas, foco desse estudo, pontua e comprova a ocupação deste território. A coleção de fragmentos cerâmicos foi analisada com tabelas tecno-tipológicas identificando-se as características específicas de cada peça, modo de produção, tratamento de superfície incluindo a pintura e os desenhos geométricos. Deste modo se caracterizará a cultura material cerâmica desta região. A produção das vasilhas cerâmicas por grupos culturais atesta ocupações humanas no interior do Rio grande do Sul, antes da chegada do imigrante europeu e criam-se hipóteses sobre as práticas de vivência dessas ocupações.The archaelogical research about pre-colonial times developed in Vale do Taquari (Taquari/Antas hydrograpical basin) has identified the occupation of horticulturist and ceramist groups that inhabited the territory, preceding in ten centuries the european arrival. The presence of pottery evidences, the purpose of this study, proves the occupation of this territory. The fragmented pottery collection was analysed with technical-typological tables, where it was possible to identify specific characteristics of each evidence, mode of production, treatment on surface including painting and geometrical drawings. This way, it will be characterized the material culture (pottery) of this region. The pottery production made by cultural groups proves past human occupations in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, before the european arrival and it creates hypothesis about living practices of these occupations.

The present paper reports occurrence of 11 species and a variety of the genus Sida L. in the Maharashtra state. An artificial key, brief description, flowering and fruiting, phenology, distribution, present status with its taxonomical and ecological notes have been provided in the paper for each species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work analyzed and compared management practices indicators that have effects on cultivated and uncultivated vegetation: factors impacting agrobiodiversity on greenhouse and outdoor production models corresponding to farmers from different ethnic origins in the horticultural belt of La Plata. We identified knowledge and perceptions regarding agrobiodiversity through in-depth interviews. We also observed that the farmers who adopted the greenhouse production system have a management and vision that tends to diminish agrobiodiversity compared to those that grow their crops outdoors. Out of these groups, those of Bolivian origin promote a greater agrobiodiversity in comparison with those of European origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grafting is an established practice for asexual propagation in horticultural and agricultural crops. The study on graft unions has become of interest for horticulturists using proteomic and genomic techniques to observe transfer of genetic material and signal transduction pathways from root to shoot and shoot to root. Another reason to study the graft unions was potentially to observe resistance against abiotic stresses. Using physiological and proteomic analyses, we investigated graft unions (rootstock and scions) of tomato genotypes exposed to standard-normal (23/23 and 25/18°C day/night) and high-low temperatures (30/15°C day/night). Results: Graft unions had varied responses to the diverse temperatures. High-low temperature, but not standard-normal temperature, induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the form of H2O2 and O2-1 in rootstock and scions. However, the expression of many cell protection molecules was also induced, including antioxidant enzymes and their immunoblots, which also show an increase in their activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). The graft interfaces thus actively defend against stress by modifying their physiological and proteomic responses to establish a new cellular homeostasis. As a result, many proteins for cellular defense were regulated in graft unions under diverse temperature, in addition to the regulation of photosynthetic proteins, ion binding/transport proteins, and protein synthesis. Moreover, biomass, hardness, and vascular transport activity were evaluated to investigate the basic connectivity between rootstock and scions. Conclusions: Our study provides physiological evidence of the grafted plants’ response to diverse temperature. Most notably, our study provides novel insight into the mechanisms used to adapt the diverse temperature in graft unions (rootstock/scion). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the behaviour of Albanian apple growers and their relations with buyers based on a structured survey. We develop a model of relational governance that highlights the importance of sustainable (lasting) relationships and draws upon different theoretical frameworks such as transaction cost economics and social network theory and focuses on determinants of relational exchange. The findings support the social network argument that the presence of verbal agreements between business partners strongly and positively affects exchange relationships. Asset specificity and competition among buyers also affects such relationships. The results and their implications at the management and policy-making level are discussed in detail [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing digestate output and developing a market for the product is a serious challenge for the biogas industry. Without effective strategies for sustainable management, the large volume of digestate produced by biogas plants may cripple the industry and its potential. Through interviews with diverse biogas stakeholders, we examine current approaches to digestate marketing to identify factors that support and those that inhibit its success. We find that marketing to regions with a nutrient demand or into the non-agricultural sector holds promise. Upgraded digestate products offer increased marketability due to their higher nutrient content and lower water content. Fertilizer and soil manufacturers, farmers, horticulturists and private customers all represent markets for digestate. Current disposal prices range from negative to strongly positive, depending on the regional nutrient availability, agricultural structure, season, feedstock and degree of upgrading. Marketers agree that concealing the biogas origin of digestate products is still necessary to avoid negative perceptions by customers. One implication of this is the need for better understanding by marketers of consumer concerns and preferences, and for better education of consumers regarding the safety and benefits of digestate. Overall, we find that opportunities for digestate marketing remain largely unexploited and marketing strategies remain immature. Our findings should prove helpful to current and future digestate marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a biography of horticulturist Eugene Fitzalan, which includes information on his family history, his emigration from Ireland to Australia in 1849, and his career as a botanical collector.