Genetic Stability of TGMS Hybrids in Dry Direct Seeded Rice

Rice is a water-loving crop and traditionally sown in the nursery and then transplanted to the puddled and waterlogged main field. Owing to climate change, water scarcity and labour shortage problems, rice is now cultivated in the dry direct seeded method. Owing to potential of hybrid rice in increasing both rice production and productivity, many countries are focusing on exploiting the benefits of this technology. To break the yield plateau in rice cultivation, Thermosensitive Genetic Male Sterile (TGMS) hybrids were found to be very effective. In the present study, 41 TGMS hybrids and 9 checks were evaluated for their stability and adaptability by dry direct seeded method in four locations viz., E1 - Allahabad, E2 - Lucknow, E3 - Dhamtari and E4 - Raipur. The TGMS hybrid G44 was predicted as an ideal hybrid by the GGE stability model that possessed high grain yield and stable performance over environments. It was followed by hybrids viz., G10, G14, G34, G11, G20 and G47 that had a stable performance with high yield. Hence, these TGMS hybrids were identified as high and stable yielders across environments and suitable for dry direct seeded rice ecosystems. Among the environments, E1 (Allahabad) and E4 (Raipur) were considered favourable environments as they possessed the highest discriminating power. The hybrids identified in the study can be utilized for breaking the yield barriers in rice and can be recommended for dry direct seeding in marginal and rainfed areas.

Redefinition and Measurement Dimensions of Sustainable Employability Based on the swAge-Model

Objectives: To solve the labour shortage, we clarify the definition and dimensions of sustainable employability, and make it possible to develop sustainable employability scales in the future and lay the foundation for subsequent quantitative research. Finally, people’s sustainable employability can be improved. Highly sustainable employability employees can continue to work in the labour market and their working lives can be prolonged. Labour market supply will increase and labour shortage will be partly solved. Methods: We discuss the concept of sustainable employability based on some previous studies. Our conclusion is that the existing definitions and measurement dimensions are problematic. The swAge-model, a tool that helps us understand how to make working life more sustainable and healthier for all ages, can be the basis of sustainable employability. Results: We develop a discussion paper concerning the definition and measurement dimensions of sustainable employability using the swAge-model with an added factor of intrinsic work value and the dynamic chain. Conclusions: Our definition of sustainable employability takes environmental factors into consideration and makes it clear that it is not a solely personal characteristic, but the result of an interaction between individuals and the environment, thus distinguishing employability from work ability. We use the swAge-model as a basis to make the composition of our definition more logical and informed. Our measurement dimensions are clearly described to facilitate the future development of a scale, and our concept may ultimately help to extend the working lives of older and retired workers and thus solve the future labour shortage problem.

Employer Branding – A Human Resource Strategy for Companies in a Turbulent Environment Based on the Example of Northern Austria

Human capital is a precondition for regional development and influences, to a great extent, the value or worth of a region. Especially in a turbulent environment, human capital is a key factor to keep a region competitive and innovative. This paper addresses employer branding as a sustainable strategy for companies, located in the border region of Northern Austria, to manage their human resources. The region is characterized by mostly small and medium sized enterprises which increasingly face labour shortage because numerous residents commute to more urban areas. Hence, employer branding contributes to regional development by attracting and retaining qualified people who not only live in the region but are also willing to work there and invest their talent into the development of new and innovative products or services. An empirical study was conducted to gain insight into how precious human capital can be secured in order to reinforce regional development and encounter the labour shortage problem. Interesting information about employers’ and employees’ values was discovered. Based on the results, companies in the target region require an enhanced human resource strategy in order to be visible for potential employees and to retain existing employees. That is to say, companies that are noticeable and attractive have better chances to entice qualified people which, in turn, positively influences regional development, as people not only live but also work in the region and invest their potential. Talented people not only spur the innovative strength of a company but also determine the success of an organisation. New approaches towards managing human capital and their impact on the target region are presented in this paper.

Constraints faced by the Respondents in Cultivation of Betel Vine in Malappuram District of Kerala

Betel vine (Piper betel L. ) in India is grown as an important cash crop across the states, of, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura ,Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. A study was undertaken in Malappuram district of Kerala for analysis of constraints faced by the farmers in betel vine cultivation covering Tanur block taking six villages selected purposively where the crop is grown as a major crop. A total 120 betel vine growers were selected randomly from six villages. It is observed that nearly half of the respondents felt the constraints were severe (45%) in betel vine cultivation, followed by not severe (31.66%) and very severe (23.33%). Most of the respondents experienced labour shortage or high labour cost as the most problematic constraint, the study further indicated that the second most important constraint found was price fluctuation followed by water scarcity, transportation and insects and diseases.

Traditional Husbandry Practices of Goats in Selected Districts of Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The aim of this study was to describe goat production system in two districts of Sidama zone of southern Ethiopia using two production systems. Semi-structured questionnaire was developed and employed to gather information regarding the management activities, purpose of keeping goats and selection criteria of farmers to select breeding animals. A total of 240 households were interviewed to collect relevant information for the study. Data collected from questionnaire was statistically analyzed and summarized into descriptive statistics. Indexes was calculated to clarify rankings by using indexes formula. The number goat population is more in Loka Abaya than Aroresa. The primary purpose of keeping goats study area are mainly for their milk, meat and income generation. The reproductive potential of Does reared in the Aroresa district was lower. Broad shoulders, compact frame and short and thick necks of the Bucks were considered as the most important characteristics for selection. Communal grazing and crop aftermath were the most common feed sources reported by farmers in the study area. River was the major water source for goats in the study districts. The major factors limiting the productivity of goats are feed shortage, diseases, labour shortage and lack of improved goat breeds.

Robotic embankment

Automating earth-moving tasks has the potential to resolve labour-shortage, allow for unseen designs and foster sustainability through using on-site materials. In this interdisciplinary project involving robotics and landscape architecture, we combine our previous work on autonomous excavation of free-form shapes, dynamic landscape design and terrain modelling tools into a robotic landscape system. It tightly connects survey, design and fabrication to exchange information in real-time during fabrication. We purposely built a LiDAR survey drone for tight integration. The design environment contains terrain modelling tools to balance cut and fill volumes for material-neutral, on-site construction. Its parametric nature allows it to adapt the geometry to changing site conditions during fabrication. Our autonomous walking excavator is used to create these free-form shapes in natural granular material. We propose an excavation planner for free-form embankments that computes the next excavation location and subsequently the location where the excavated soil should be dumped. This robotic excavation system achieves the world’s first autonomous completion of free-form embankments with high accuracy. A $$20\hbox { m}$$ 20 m long S-shaped and a two-faced embankment with a corner with roughly 0.03–0.05 m average error were created.

Effect of COVID-19 on Biodiesel Industry: A Case Study in Indonesia and Malaysia

Indonesia and Malaysia are currently holding prominent roles in the global palm oil market. Both countries are the top two palm oil producers in the world and have ambitious targets to increase the palm oil-based biodiesel mandate. In Indonesia, the current programme of blending 20 per cent palm oil into 80 per cent diesel (B20) increases to B30 in 2020. Likewise, Malaysia plans to increase its biodiesel mandate from B10 to B20 in 2020. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has infected millions and brought the global economy to a near-deadlock. The effect is particularly severe in the fuel industry owing to movement restrictions and the historic drop in oil prices. Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 on the biodiesel industry is crucial for policymakers but challenging as the pandemic has evolved with intense speed. This article aims to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the Indonesian and Malaysian biodiesel industry. In addition to that, a number of possible solutions to overcome the challenges were addressed and proposed. Despite severely affected by COVID-19, both Indonesia and Malaysia can use this momentum to improve and strengthen their biodiesel sector. Given its fiscal deficit, Indonesia should postpone its biodiesel blending mandate as the subsidy to support the programme can worsen the country’s financial stability. In Malaysia, where labour shortage is prevalent, modernising plantations with automated equipment, for instance, could potentially remove the dirty and dangerous stereotypes associated with plantation works, thus attracting more locals to work in the palm oil plantation and solving the labour shortage. This paper also briefly addresses the adoption of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy for the palm oil biodiesel industry.

Explaining Resistance to Early Nineteenth-Century British Emigrants to New South Wales

In the 1830s, the British government commenced a programme of relocating poor labourers to its Australian colony of New South Wales, a practice known as ‘assisted migration’. Though intended to address the colony’s labour shortage, the new arrivals were met with hostility by the colonial elite, who claimed the immigrants were immoral and unsuitable as workers. While migration historians have shown these judgements to be largely unfair, the forces underpinning these perceptions await a thorough interrogation. This article examines colonial public rhetoric about immigration to reveal attitudes shaped by a tangle of overlapping and reinforcing political, economic, and cultural factors. Ultimately, the colonial elite wanted to control who could enter their community, both physically and socially, which became a temporally persistent pattern vital to the settler colonial project.

Mining Engineering Education Pre and Post the COVID Pandemic and Some Ideas for the Future

The pandemic forced all businesses globally to rethink operations. Higher education institutions experienced similar disruptions, especially those with large cohorts of foreign students. The technology employed in the mining industries, it is evolving rapidly and requires novel and more specialized expertise in the face of an impending skilled labour shortage. This paper strategizes how mining education could improve and align with the needs of the mining industry and students, post-pandemic.