Some case studies are presented to show the changes of emission after excitation with coloured light which occur in the process of ripening, are related to datasets of different breeding context. In grains of rye, several conventional F1-hybrids showed to have an emission characteristic like less ripe cereal, and in broccoli, F1-hybrids showed to have an accelerated ageing (turning overripe more fast). In corn, the emission during the ripening process is not as usual for grains, but is comparable to fruits. A relation to hybrid breeding was not obvious in sweetcorn varieties.
A six-year field study was conducted at Château Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, France, to investigate the effects of biodynamic (BD) preparations on soil microbiological and chemical properties. Basal respiration (B-Resp), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total carbon (C-total), and soil organic carbon (SOC) were analyzed in soils from organically managed vineyards, comparing those without (BD −) and with BD preparations (BD +). Accordingly, two treatments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replicates. Soil microbial activity was assessed using the multi-substrate-induced respiration (multi-SIR) method, which measured the catabolic response to 17 low molecular weight organic substances (LMWOS). The results indicated that BD + plots exhibited significantly higher B-Resp (+ 40.0
The organic dairy sector depends on consumer trust in higher animal welfare standards, yet early cow-calf separation remains standard practice, creating an expectation-reality gap. This study examines how advantage arguments for four calf rearing systems (individual housing, early group housing, foster cow rearing, and dam rearing) influence citizens' acceptance. An online survey with 779 German citizens provided standardized information and visual depictions of each system. Acceptance was measured after initial presentation, after a comparative overview of all four rearing systems, and after arguments were presented; argument persuasiveness, pairwise decisions, and preference rankings were also assessed. Dam rearing consistently achieved the highest acceptance and individual housing the lowest; this relative ranking remained stable across all three measurement points. Arguments significantly increased acceptance only for group housing; foster cow rearing recovered to its initial level after declining following the comparative overview. In pairwise decisions, respondents preferred group housing over individual housing, foster cow rearing over group housing, and dam rearing over foster cow rearing. Despite foster cow arguments receiving the highest persuasiveness rating, 73.0
Tomato cultivation in organic production systems faces production challenges related to the low availability of genotypes adapted to the particularities of this system. This study aimed to present a breeding program and select promising tomato lines for cultivation in an organic open-field system in Southern Brazil. Different combinations of crosses were obtained from three non-hybrid genotypes and one commercial hybrid, and the genotypes of interest were determined by visual selection. In the F6 generation, four parental genotypes (CH, GA, BGT_16 and BGT_37) and ten experimental lines (1731, 1732, 1733, 1724, 1725, 1716, 1717, 1718, 1729 and 17,210) were evaluated in open-field organic production management in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Various morpho-agronomic traits were evaluated, and nine traits of importance for the organic system were selected from a subset that underwent multicollinearity analysis. Using these traits, association analyses between traits, genetic diversity, and the Mulamba and Mock selection index were performed, focusing on the selection of superior traits such as commercial fruit production, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, foliage density, and a*/b* colour parameter ratio. Cluster analysis identified a promising cross between CH and BGT_37 for obtaining desirable genotypes. The selection index determined lines 1732, 1733, 1717, and 17,210 as the most promising for the breeding program's objectives, and 1733 stood out with satisfactory values for all traits with the highest economic weights for selection. By improving these lines, we aim to develop genotypes adapted to organic production with characteristics of interest to both farmers and the consumer market.
This study investigated the extent to which consumers with high organic consumption are more climate-oriented than segments of consumers with low organic consumption. We did this by identifying comparable organic Light user and Super user segments in two separate datasets and comparing attitudinal and behavioural patterns across segments. We found that the Super users felt a stronger obligation to reduce their climate impact than Light users based on responses to an online survey. Moreover, we identified four barriers to transitioning towards a more climate-friendly diet. Both of the segments of consumers that we study faced barriers in terms of low priority for climate-friendly food when shopping and perceived practical barriers in terms of not knowing what to buy, where to find it, or how to prepare it. Additionally, Light users more often faced barriers in terms of negative attitudes towards climate-friendly food, and they perceived climate-friendly food to be too expensive. The other dataset consisting of observed household purchase data revealed that the households with the highest organic budget shares allocated lower shares of their total food budgets to beef and pork and higher shares to vegetables than Light user households. This could indicate a more climate-friendly purchase pattern among Super users than Light users. The differences between the Light user and Super user segments found in the two datasets indicate that different motivational tools may be needed to encourage the two segments to shift towards more climate-friendly eating habits.
