The diet of the female ricefield rat, Rattus argentiventer, influences their breeding performance in a mixed rice cropping ecosystem in An Giang province, the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi My Phung ◽  
Peter R. Brown ◽  
Luke K.-P. Leung
Keyword(s):  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Breeding Performance ◽  
Rice Growth

Context The ricefield rat, Rattus argentiventer, is the main rodent pest of rice in Vietnam, causing annual pre-harvest rice losses of around 10%. Although its diet is reported to consist of mainly rice, other components might also be important, and it is not known whether its breeding performance is affected by the quality and/or quantity of food. Furthermore, if its breeding is synchronised with the growth of rice crops, the rats will be able to make full use of the food supply to produce offspring. This knowledge is necessary for developing improved strategies for managing this pest. Aims This study aimed to determine whether the breeding performance of female R. argentiventer is responding to food quality (increased percentage of rice in stomach) and/or quantity (increased weight of stomach content) or whether its breeding is synchronised with the growth of rice crops. Methods The stomach contents and breeding condition of 296 adult female rats were sampled by snap trapping once a month from October 2008 to December 2009 over three consecutive irrigated lowland rice crops fields to cover a range of rice growth stages in An Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Key results Overall, rice formed 70.5% ± 2.0 s.e. in the diet, followed by green material (25.9% ± 1.9 s.e.), insects (3.1% ± 0.6 s.e.) and mung bean (0.5% ± 0.3 s.e.). The probability of breeding increased with increasing mean percentage of rice in the diet: Pr(Breed) = 1/(1 + exp(0.6395–0.0090 × Rice)). However, this relationship was not consistent because breeding performance was high at the heading stage when the percentage of rice in the stomach was low and because breeding intensity was low at sowing when the percentage of rice in stomach was high. The rice growth stage is a better predictor for the breeding performance than the percentage of rice in the diet. Conclusions Breeding was driven by a functional response of rats to the abundant supply of food quality (rice grain), modified by some unknown mechanisms that modifies this response of rats so that rats can anticipate food supply. Understanding the nature of this mechanism may provide insights into population processes that can be exploited in controlling rats in rice crops. Implications Farmers could slow the reproductive rate of female R. argentiventer by reducing the food quantity through minimising the amount of spilt grain left in the field and through more synchronous cropping.

Effect of Flood Timing on Red Rice (Oryzaspp.) Control with Imazethapyr Applied at Different Dry-Seeded Rice Growth Stages

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 476-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Avila ◽  
Scott A. Senseman ◽  
Garry N. McCauley ◽  
James M. Chandler ◽  
John H. O'Barr
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Rice Cultivar ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Rice Grain ◽  
Red Rice ◽  
Cultivated Rice ◽  
Leaf Stage ◽  
Rice Growth ◽  
Herbicide Treatment

Field experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 in Beaumont, TX, to evaluate the effect of flood timing on red rice control with imazethapyr applied at different cultivated rice growth stages. Treatments included flood establishment at 1, 7, 14, and 21 d after postemergence (POST) herbicide treatment (DAT). Imazethapyr was applied preemergence at 70 g ai/ha followed by 70 g/ ha POST when imidazolinone-tolerant rice cultivar ‘CL-161’ had three- to four-leaf stage (EPOST) or five-leaf stage (LPOST). Flood needed to be established within 14 DAT to achieve at least 95% red rice control when imazethapyr was applied EPOST. However, flood needed to be established within 7 DAT to provide at least 95% red rice control when imazethapyr was applied LPOST. Delaying the flood up to 21 DAT reduced rice grain yield for both application timings.

scholarly journals Monitoring and Mapping of Rice Cropping Pattern in Flooding Area in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta Using Sentinel-1A Data: A Case of An Giang Province

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huynh Vuong Thu Minh ◽  
Ram Avtar ◽  
Geetha Mohan ◽  
Prakhar Misra ◽  
Masaaki Kurasaki
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Cropping Intensity ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Rice Growth ◽  
Rice Cropping Systems

Cropping intensity is one of the most important decisions made independently by farmers in Vietnam. It is a crucial variable of various economic and process-based models. Rice is grown under irrigated triple- and double-rice cropping systems and a rainfed single-rice cropping system in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). These rice cropping systems are adopted according to the geographical location and water infrastructure. However, little work has been done to map triple-cropping of rice using Sentinel-1 along with the effects of water infrastructure on the rice cropping intensity decision. This study is focused on monitoring rice cropping patterns in the An Giang province of the VMD from March 2017 to March 2018. The fieldwork was carried out on the dates close to the Sentinel-1A acquisition. The results of dual-polarized (VV and VH) Sentinel-1A data show a strong correlation with the spatial patterns of various rice growth stages and their association with the water infrastructure. The VH backscatter (σ°) is strongly correlated with the three rice growth stages, especially the reproductive stage when the backscatter is less affected by soil moisture and water in the rice fields. In all three cropping patterns, σ°VV and σ°VH show the highest value in the maturity stage, often appearing 10 to 12 days before the harvesting of the rice. A rice cropping pattern map was generated using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification of Sentinel-1A data. The overall accuracy of the classification was 80.7% with a 0.78 Kappa coefficient. Therefore, Sentinel-1A can be used to understand rice phenological changes as well as rice cropping systems using radar backscattering.

  Detecting  rice inundation status for water saving and methane emission mitigation measures using Sentinel-1 & ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 Data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Arai ◽  
Thuy Le Toan ◽  
Wataru Takeuchi ◽  
Kei Oyoshi ◽  
Hoa Phan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Methane Emission ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Rice Production ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Mitigation Measure ◽  
Growth Status ◽  
Rice Growth ◽  
Soil Inundation

<p>Approximately 90% of the world total paddies area and annual output of the rice production are concentrated in monsoon Asia, which has no more land/water resources for further expansion of cultivation. Most rice grows under lowland conditions where currently facing to the fresh water scarcity due to sea-water intrusion accelerated by sea-level rise and land-subsidence, and decelerating freshwater supply by upstream-dam construction. Since the rice production also requires large amount of water (3,000-5,000 L kg<sup>-1</sup> rice), water-saving irrigation practice (e.g., Alternate Wetting and Drying, a.k.a., AWD) is desirable to be implemented in this region to save the water-demand sustainably, and irrigation status need to be evaluated for the decision making on sustainable food security. In addition to the significance of AWD’s role as an adaptation to drought risks, AWD also has a potential to act as an important mitigation-measure by reducing methane emission from paddy soils. This function is very important since rice cropping is responsible for approximately 11% of global anthropogenic CH<sub>4</sub> emissions, and rice has the highest greenhouse gas intensity among the main food crops.</p><p>In order to implement AWD in Asian rice paddies as a mitigation-measure based on a carbon pricing scheme, it is important to evaluate the spatial distribution of AWD paddy fields in the target region. For the detection of AWD-fields versus continuously-flooding fields, it is essential to develop method using EO data to detect soil inundation under rice plants at various growth stages.  In this study, ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-1 data were used to combine the penetration capacity of L-band SAR data with C-band data capacity to monitor rice growth status with their high temporal resolution.</p><p>The study was conducted in triple rice cropping systems in the Vietnamese Mekong delta (5 sites: Thot Not in Can Tho city; Chau Thanh, Cho Moi, Thoai Son and Tri Ton in An Giang Province, where AWD field campaign was conducted from 2012 to 2017. EO data consisted of ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 every 14 days in 2017/2018 in An Giang province at high resolution observation mode (3-6m resolution) and ScanSAR observation mode (25-100m resolution) every 42 days over the Mekong delta.</p><p>As the result of the classification using the dual-polarization ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 data, soil inundation status could be detected during various rice growth stages. To evaluate rice productivity and GHG emissions from rice fields, we developed a simulation system based on the DeNitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model which can assimilate PALSAR-2 inundation map and ground observed GHG -flux and rice growth status data on a pixel basis. For spatial extension, rice map, together with rice calendar (sowing date, rice growth status), required as inputs by DNDC are provided by the GeoRice project, based on the use of Sentinel-1 6-day time series. This paper presents the performance of multi-sensor data fusion to realize sustainable agricultural management by mitigating the GHGs emission while maintaining or improving regional fresh water use efficiency for stable food production under climate change pressure.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing nutritional value of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals in the province of Quebec (Canada): a study from the Food Quality Observatory

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Julie Perron ◽  
Sonia Pomerleau ◽  
Pierre Gagnon ◽  
Joséane Gilbert-Moreau ◽  
Simone Lemieux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Breakfast Cereal ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Sales Data

Abstract Objective: The Food Quality Observatory was created in the province of Quebec (Canada) in 2016. In this study, the Observatory aimed to generate a methodology to (1) test the use of sales data combined with nutrient values to characterise the nutritional composition of ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals offered and purchased in the province of Quebec (Canada) and (2) verify the extent to which a front-of-pack label based on the percentage of daily value (DV) for total sugar, as a strategy to improve the food supply, would be distributed in this food category. Design: Nutritional information were obtained by purchasing each RTE breakfast cereal available in the Greater Montreal area. Cereals were then classified according to their processing type. Setting: The nutritional values of 331 RTE breakfast cereals available in Quebec were merged with sales data covering the period between May 2016 and May 2017. A total of 306 products were successfully cross-referenced. Results: Granola and sweetened cereals were the most available (36·6 % and 19·6 %, respectively) and purchased (19·8 % and 40·9 % of sales, respectively). When compared with other types of cereals, granola cereals had a higher energy, fat, saturated fat, protein content and a lower Na content. A larger proportion of chocolate (65 %) and sweetened cereals (49 %) were above 15 % of the DV for sugar. Conclusions: This study showed that the methodology developed generates important data to monitor nutritional quality of the food supply and ultimately contribute to improve the nutritional quality of processed foods.

scholarly journals The Impact of Food Quality Information Services on Food Supply Chain Pricing Decisions and Coordination Mechanisms Based on the O2O E-Commerce Mode

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqiu Yu ◽  
Xiaoxue Ren
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Stackelberg Game ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Quality Information ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Quantity Discount ◽  
Pricing Decisions

This paper considers the price conflict problem between the online channel of a food processing factory and the offline channel of the food retailers in food supply chains by analyzing the pricing decisions and coordination mechanisms between the food processing factory and food retailers under the influence of a food quality information service. First, the Stackelberg game method and the Bertrand game method are used to optimize the pricing decisions with the goal of maximizing the profits of the food processing factory and retailer. The analysis shows that the food quality information service level is positively correlated with the price of the factory’s own channel, and the influence of the food quality information service level on the price of the food processing factory’s or the food retailer’s own channel is stronger than its influence on the price of a competitor’s channel. Second, the food supply chain members’ pricing decisions are analyzed using the case analysis method by considering practical problems in the food supply chain. The results indicate that the food processing factory should use the Stackelberg game to make pricing decisions. However, it is optimal for the food retailer to make pricing decisions under the Bertrand game, and the total profit of the food supply chain is optimized under centralized decision making. Finally, we use both the quantitative discount mechanism and the Stackelberg game method to analyze the profits obtained by the food processing factory and retailer. The results indicate that the food processing factory should implement a quantitative discount mechanism when the quantity discount coefficient is greater than 0.4, and the retailer should implement a quantity discount mechanism when the quantity discount coefficient is in the range of 0.25 to 0.4.

scholarly journals Impact of supply chain integration on halal food supply chain integrity and food quality performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Helmi Ali ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Kim Hua Tan ◽  
Suhaiza Zailani ◽  
Nor Asiah Omar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Halal Food ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The current complex halal food supply chain (SC) has caused food scandals, which have illustrated the weakness of multiple food quality standards and certification and audits in ensuring food safety. Drawn on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this study is to explore the impacts of SC integration (SCI) on halal food SC integrity and, consequently, food quality. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data were collected from 275 halal-certified food companies in Malaysia and analysed using structural equation modelling – SmartPLS3.0. Findings The results confirmed that SCI, including internal, supplier and customer integrations, has significant effects on the dimensions of the halal food SC integrity which, in turn, lead to halal food safety and quality. Practical implications The importance of SCI in halal food SC is highlighted in this study. The impact of SCI is contexted in halal food SC integrity and food quality. Therefore, it provides a clear understanding to managers of SC applicability in the halal food industry. Originality/value Based on the RBV theory, this study contributes to the limited body of research of the relationships among SCI from the context of the halal industry with a specific focus on food supply chain integrity and food quality.

Iron deficiency during pregnancy and lactation modifies the fatty acid composition of the brain of neonatal rats

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Rees ◽  
Susan M. Hay ◽  
Helen E. Hayes ◽  
Valerie J. Stevens ◽  
Lorraine Gambling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid Composition ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Acid Composition ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Neonatal Brain ◽  
Iron Deficient

AbstractIron deficiency is common in pregnant and lactating women and is associated with reduced cognitive development of the offspring. Since iron affects lipid metabolism, the availability of fatty acids, particularly the polyunsaturated fatty acids required for early neural development, was investigated in the offspring of female rats fed iron-deficient diets during gestation and lactation. Subsequent to the dams giving birth, one group of iron-deficient dams was recuperated by feeding an iron-replete diet. Dams and neonates were killed on postnatal days 1, 3 and 10, and the fatty acid composition of brain and stomach contents was assessed by gas chromatography. Changes in the fatty acid profile on day 3 became more pronounced on day 10 with a decrease in the proportion of saturated fatty acids and a compensatory increase in monounsaturated fatty acids. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the n-6 family were reduced, but there was no change in the n-3 family. The fatty acid profiles of neonatal brain and stomach contents were similar, suggesting that the change in milk composition may be related to the changes in the neonatal brain. When the dams were fed an iron-sufficient diet at birth, the effects of iron deficiency on the fatty acid composition of lipids in both dam’s milk and neonates’ brains were reduced. This study showed an interaction between maternal iron status and fatty acid composition of the offspring’s brain and suggests that these effects can be reduced by iron repletion of the dam’s diet at birth.

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