scholarly journals Understanding Sclerotinia Risks Associated with Growing Peanuts in the South Burnett Area

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Claire-Marie Pepper
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Sclerotinia Blight ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
The Impact

Sclerotinia Blight, caused by ascomycete fungal pathogen S. minor (Jagger), is a serious soil-borne disease of peanut crops within the South Burnett area in Queensland, Australia. The pathogen can infect root, stem and foliage tissues, forming characteristic fluffy white mycelial growth on stems leading to tissue wilting and necrosis. The disease can cause significant yield reductions and, in some cases, complete crop losses in peanut production. Outbreaks occur in cooler weather (under 18 °C) with high humidity levels (above 95%) as the higher humidity levels promote germination of sclerotia (Smith 2003, Maas, Dashiell et al. 2006). Therefore, knowledge of inoculum levels prior to sowing could enhance cropping systems through enhanced capacity to predict outbreaks. The South Australia Research and Development Institute (SARDI) offers a new soil test for Sclerotinia sp., called PreDictaB, available for farmers to asses inoculum levels pre-planting as a crop risk assessment tool. This project validated the accuracy of the PreDictaB test for Sclerotinia inoculum levels in the South Burnett soils, while gathering paddock and weather data to identify key characteristics linked to high risk of Sclerotinia Blight incidence to be transposed in a pre-season risk matrix model. Results demonstrated a close positive relationship between the level of Sclerotinia in the soil pre-planting and the paddock disease severity observed at harvest. The significance of the results for future research into potential management strategies is discussed. This new test has the potential to reduce the impact and presence of Sclerotinia in the field within the South Burnett region.

scholarly journals Evaluating and Predicting the Effects of Land Use Changes on Hydrology in Wami River Basin, Tanzania

Hydrology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sekela Twisa ◽  
Shija Kazumba ◽  
Mathew Kurian ◽  
Manfred F. Buchroithner
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
River System ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the variation in the hydrological response of a basin associated with land use changes is essential for developing management strategies for water resources. The impact of hydrological changes caused by expected land use changes may be severe for the Wami river system, given its role as a crucial area for water, providing food and livelihoods. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of land use changes on various elements of the hydrological processes of the basin. Hybrid classification, which includes unsupervised and supervised classification techniques, is used to process the images (2000 and 2016), while CA–Markov chain analysis is used to forecast and simulate the 2032 land use state. In the current study, a combined approach—including a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR)—is used to explore the influences of individual land use classes on fluctuations in the hydrological components. From the study, it is evident that land use has changed across the basin since 2000 (which is expected to continue in 2032), as well as that the hydrological effects caused by land use changes were observed. It has been found that the major land use changes that affected hydrology components in the basin were expansion of cultivation land, built-up area and grassland, and decline in natural forests and woodland during the study period. These findings provide baseline information for decision-makers and stakeholders concerning land and water resources for better planning and management decisions in the basin resources’ use.

scholarly journals A micro-level outcomes evaluation of a skills capacity intervention within the South African public service: Towards an impact evaluation

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petronella Jonck ◽  
Riaan De Coning ◽  
Paul S. Radikonyana
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Outcomes Evaluation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Previous Training

Orientation: Interest in measuring the impact of skills development interventions has increased in recent years. Research purpose: This article reports on an outcomes evaluation under the ambit of an impact assessment with reference to a research methodology workshop. Motivation of the study: A paucity of studies could be found measuring the workshop outcomes, especially within the public service as it pertains to training interventions. Research approach/design and method: A pretest–post-test research design was implemented. A paired-sample t-test was used to measure the knowledge increase while controlling for the influence of previous training by means of an analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Main findings: Results indicated that the increase in research methodology knowledge was statistically significant. Previous training influenced the model only by 0.8%, which was not statistically significant. Practical/managerial implications: It is recommended that the suggested framework and methodology be utilised in future research as well as in monitoring and evaluation endeavours covering various training interventions. Contribution/value add: The study provides evidence of the impact generated by a training intervention, within the South African Public Service. Thus, addressing a research gap in the corpus of knowledge.

Crop stubbles are as important for sheep production as annual pastures in the Victorian Mallee

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 993 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Density ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Sheep Production ◽  
The Impact

The impact of different management strategies on production and profit can be evaluated with knowledge of how sheep production responds to changes in the available feed base and sheep or pasture management. This study aimed to quantify on-farm pasture and sheep production in mixed sheep and cropping systems in the Victorian Mallee of south-eastern Australia (325 ± 50 mm annual rainfall) as a prelude to computer simulation modelling. During 2001 (average rainfall) and 2002 (extreme drought) pasture production, the feed base and sheep production were monitored in 15 paddocks on 5 properties located across the region. Crop stubbles were the major source of feed for 6 months of the year, enabling ewes to maintain liveweight. There was more variation in pasture parameters between paddocks at the 1 location than between locations. The botanical composition, plant density, soil fertility and management were key variables associated with between-paddock variation in pasture production. Variation in pasture production between years was larger than within-year differences. In contrast, stocking rates were not much lower in the drought year of 2002 than in 2001. This study suggests there is potential for management to improve pasture production, and demonstrates the importance of feed sources other than annual pasture for sheep production in environments where the annual pasture growing season is short.

Perspective: The Community Barometer: A Breast Health Needs Assessment Tool for Community-Based Organizations

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 558-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lounsbury ◽  
Bruce Rapkin ◽  
Lisa Marini ◽  
Elizabeth Jansky ◽  
Mary Jane Massie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Breast Health ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Organizations ◽  
The Impact

This article presents findings from the ACCESS Project focusing on the impact of an outreach initiative that used “data sharing” as a mechanism to establish a wide variety of academic–community partnerships for cancer awareness. The Community Barometer, a brief needs assessment tool developed for this purpose, was used to collect data from clients, and sometimes staff members, of a variety of community-based organizations in New York City. Over a 5-year period, Barometer data were collected from 1,001 women who were affiliated with 20 community-based organizations. Analysis of these data supported our hypothesis that community-based organizations are more likely than chance to serve women with similar needs and preferences for breast health education and screening and that customized or tailored programs were warranted. Four case studies are presented. Limitations of the instrument and its administration in community settings as well as future research objectives are discussed.

The Impact of Using Documented but Uncharged Offense Data on JSORRAT-II Predictive Validity

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Ralston ◽  
Amar Sarkar ◽  
Grace T. Philipp ◽  
Douglas L. Epperson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Sexual Offender ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexual Recidivism ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Sexual Offender Recidivism ◽  
Juvenile Sexual Offender ◽  
The Impact

Following the implementation of sexual offender notification laws, researchers have found a drop in the rate of prosecutions and an increase in plea bargains for sexual offenses committed by male juveniles. This type of prosecutorial hesitation has implications for the predictive validity of sexual recidivism risk assessments, such as the Juvenile Sexual Offender Recidivism Risk Assessment Tool–II (JSORRAT-II), that require data from officially adjudicated offenses in the scoring of several items. The present study sought to test the impact of including data from documented but uncharged (DBU) sexual offenses in the scoring of the JSORRAT-II on its predictive validity using an exhaustive sample of 1,095 juveniles who offended sexually from the states of Iowa and Utah. Although sexual recidivists had significantly more DBU data, the inclusion of those data did not improve the predictive validity of the tool. The authors discuss additional reasons why changes in prosecutorial practice might remain confound in risk assessment studies and suggest future research to investigate those hypotheses.

scholarly journals The impact of different weed management strategies on weed flora of wheat-based cropping systems

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247137
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shahzad ◽  
Khawar Jabran ◽  
Mubshar Hussain ◽  
Muhammad Aown Sammar Raza ◽  
Leonard Wijaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Herbicide Application ◽  
Water Extracts ◽  
The World ◽  
Weed Flora ◽  
Weed Infestation ◽  
The Impact

The world population will rise in future, which would demand more wheat production to fulfil dietary needs of wheat-dependent population of the world. Food security in wheat-dependent regions will greatly rely on wheat productivity. Weed infestation is a major constraint reducing wheat productivity globally. Nonetheless, cropping systems and weed management strategies strongly influence weed infestation in modern agriculture. Herbicides are the key weed management tool in conventional agriculture. However, frequent use of herbicides have resulted in the evolution of herbicide-resistance weeds, which made weed management a challenging task. Sustainable and eco-friendly weed management strategies shift weed-crop competition in the favour of crop plants. Limited studies have evaluated the interactive effect of cropping systems and weed management strategies on weed flora of wheat-based cropping systems (WBCSs). This two-year study evaluated the impact of different weed management strategies (WMSs) on weed flora of WBCSs, i.e., fallow-wheat (FW), rice-wheat (RW), cotton-wheat (CW), mungbean-wheat (MW) and sorghum-wheat (SW). The WMSs included in the study were, false seedbed, allelopathic water extracts and herbicide application, while weed-free and weedy-check were maintained as control treatments. Data relating to diversity and density of individual and total broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds were recorded. The WBCSs, WMSs and their interaction significantly altered diversity and density of individual, total, broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds. Weed-free and weedy-check treatments recorded the lowest and the highest values of diversity and density of individual, total, broadleaved and narrow-leaved weeds. Herbicide application effectively reduced density and diversity of weeds. Allelopathic water extracts and false seedbed proved less effective than herbicides. On the other hand, SW cropping system not only reduced weed density but also limited the weed flora. It is concluded that false seedbed and SW cropping system can be efficiently used to manage weeds in WBCSs. However, long-term studies are needed to infer the impact of SW cropping system and false seedbed on soil properties, soil microbes and productivity of wheat crop.

scholarly journals Tar Spot: An Understudied Disease Threatening Corn Production in the Americas

Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (10) ◽  
pp. 2541-2550
Author(s):  
J. Valle-Torres ◽  
T. J. Ross ◽  
D. Plewa ◽  
M. C. Avellaneda ◽  
J. Check ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Tar Spot ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
Obligate Pathogen ◽  
Latin American Countries

Tar spot of corn has been a major foliar disease in several Latin American countries since 1904. In 2015, tar spot was first documented in the United States and has led to significant yield losses of approximately 4.5 million t. Tar spot is caused by an obligate pathogen, Phyllachora maydis, and thus requires a living host to grow and reproduce. Due to its obligate nature, biological and epidemiological studies are limited and impact of disease in corn production has been understudied. Here we present the current literature and gaps in knowledge of tar spot of corn in the Americas, its etiology, distribution, impact and known management strategies as a resource for understanding the pathosystem. This will in turn guide current and future research and aid in the development of effective management strategies for this disease.

scholarly journals Mentoring for employability: a state-level impact study

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-188
Author(s):  
Claire Jackson ◽  
Dani Milos ◽  
Monica Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Impact Evaluation ◽  
Research Training ◽  
South Australia ◽  
State Level ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evaluation Instrument ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Industry mentoring has been repeatedly called out in sector reports on research training in Australian Universities as an effective way to develop PhD capacity and capabilities during research degrees (ACOLA, 2016; NOUS, 2017). Despite the understood importance of this type of experiential development, there is little published evidence on how effective mentoring is to develop the capabilities linked to improved employability. The University of South Australia developed the industry mentoring network in STEM (IMNIS) Impact Evaluation Instrument (IIEI) to capture advanced self-assessed data from mentees and demonstrate what impact the IMNIS program has on developing industry-relevant knowledge and skills in PhD participants. In 2017, the three universities in South Australia implemented a state-wide study using the IIEI to understand the impact of the national IMNIS scheme on the South Australian cohort. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study on the impact of mentoring on PhD students during the IMNIS program. A self-assessed, competency-based study design has been used to collect pre, mid and post experience data, which measures the extent to which objectives of the IMNIS program are met. The evaluation of the results, using the Vitae Impact Framework (Vitae, 2012), seeks to understand the development of mentees’ skills and knowledge as a result of their mentoring experience to support program development and build an evidence base of impact. Findings This paper presents the 2017/2018 results from the South Australian IMNIS impact evaluation. Through analysis of the three data sets, findings show that skills and knowledge have been developed in mentees as a result of the program. Originality/value This study provides an extended approach to the existing evaluation undertaken in the national IMNIS program. The IIEI is now available for other universities to use as a method for extended evaluation of their IMNIS program or potentially other WIL opportunities, providing an opportunity for institutional and national benchmarking.

Review of Interventions Supporting Secondary Students with Intellectual Disability in General Education Classes

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily M. Kuntz ◽  
Erik W. Carter
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
General Education ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Placement ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Impact

Instruction and support for students with intellectual disability in general education classes should be informed by research-based interventions. In this systematic review, we examined the focus and impact of interventions delivered in inclusive classes to support middle and high school students with intellectual disability. We identified 40 intervention studies involving 177 secondary students with intellectual disability attending a range of core academic and elective classes. These multicomponent interventions fell within five primary categories: systematic instruction, peer support arrangements, self-management strategies, peer-mediated communication interventions, and educational placement changes. Although the overall focus was fairly balanced across academic, social, and behavioral outcomes, each intervention approach prioritized somewhat different dependent measures. Moreover, although the impact of the interventions on most outcomes was positive, the methodological quality of these studies was somewhat varied. We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the availability and implementation of effective interventions within inclusive secondary school classes.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of poaching on metapopulation viability for data-limited species

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 894-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbey E. Camaclang ◽  
Janelle M.R. Curtis ◽  
Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis ◽  
Mark S. Poesch ◽  
Marten A. Koops
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Barkley Sound ◽  
Spatially Explicit Population Model ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Explicit Simulation ◽  
The Impact

We developed a spatially explicit simulation model of poaching behaviour to quantify the relative influence of the intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution of poaching on metapopulation viability. We integrated our model of poaching with a stochastic, habitat-based, spatially explicit population model, applied it to examine the impact of poaching on northern abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) metapopulation dynamics in Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada, and quantified model sensitivity to input parameters. While demographic parameters remained important in predicting extinction probabilities for northern abalone, our simulations indicate that the odds of extinction are twice as high when populations are subjected to poaching. Viability was influenced by poaching variables that affect the total number of individuals removed. Of these, poaching mortality was the most influential in predicting metapopulation viability, with each 0.1 increase in mortality rate resulting in 22.6% increase in the odds of extinction. By contrast, the location and spatial correlation of events were less important predictors of viability. When data are limited, simulation models of poaching combined with sensitivity analyses can be useful in informing management strategies and future research directions.

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