Thai Love Thai: financing emotion in post-crash Thailand

Since the crash of the Thai baht in 1997, Buddhist mass rituals of money and passion in Thailand are addressing the emotional predicaments of globalization with technologies of community that refigure the nation – from a geo-spatial body into a monetary spirit. Buddhist donation ceremonies, intended to shore up the national currency reserves, as well as mass rites staged to aid the spirit of the nation's leader, represent emerging practices of money, love, and identity in Thailand. This might suggest that the study of emotion should shift emphasis from the interpretation of numerous cultural systems toward addressing a shared global situation of subjection to international financial integration and uncertainty.     

Productivity of Thai Brahman and Simmental-Brahman crossbred (Kabinburi) cattle in central Thailand

The productivity of the new crossbred cattle Kabinburi (K) was compared to that of Thai Brahman (TB) using 756 production records from K cattle and 1,316 production records from TB cattle kept at three locations in Thailand. The data were analyzed for the effect of breeds and locations. The ambient temperature, the humidity, the Temperature–Humidity Index (THI) and the rainfall of the three locations were different. Lamphayaklang Livestock Research and Breeding Center (LP) had the highest rainfall/year followed by Nongkwang Livestock Research and Breeding Center (NK), and Prachinburi Livestock Breeding Station (PC). Kabinburi cattle had a higher bodyweight at birth as well as at 200, 400 and 600 days of age than TB cattle. Furthermore, K heifers gave birth to their first calf at a younger age and had a shorter calving interval than TB cows. Thai Brahman cattle kept at LP had significantly higher bodyweight at 400 and 600 days than the animals kept at NK, but bodyweight at birth and 600 days of age were not significantly different. Thai Brahman cattle kept at LP were younger at first calving and had a shorter calving interval than the animals kept at NK. K cattle kept at NK were heavier at birth and at 200, 400 and 600 days of age than the animals kept at PC. Furthermore, Kabinburi cows kept at NK were younger at first calving (P < 0.01), but the calving interval was not different between the two groups kept at NK or PC.     

Metal Phytoremediation by the Halophyte Limoniastrum monopetalum (L.) Boiss: Two Contrasting Ecotypes

The phytoremediation potential of the halophyte Limoniastrum monopetalum for the removal of Cd and Pb from polluted sites is assessed in this work. Two pot experiments were conducted; the first with wild L. monopetalum grown on soil polluted with Cd and Pb irrigated at different salinities, and the second with commonly cultivated ornamental L. monopetalum grown on soil polluted with Cd irrigated also at different salinities. The data revealed that wild L. monopetalum is a Cd and Pb tolerant plant able to accumulate at least 100 ppm of cadmium in its shoots without showing any significant decrease in terms of biomass production, chlorophyll content or water content suggesting that it could be an accumulator of Cd. Pb above-ground accumulation was kept at low levels with the majority of Pb localized in the roots. On the other hand, contrasting results were obtained for ornamental L. monopetalum which although it was found to be also Cd tolerant, Cd accumulation in its tissues was kept at significantly lower levels especially compared to that of the wild ecotype. In addition for ornamental L. monopetalum salinity did not have a positive effect on Cd accumulation and translocation as observed in the wild type and in other halophytes. Analysis of the salt excretion crystals on the leaf surface confirmed that wild and cultivated ornamental L. monopetalum excrete cadmium and lead through their salt glands as a possible metal detoxification mechanism, although the amount excreted by the ornamental L. monopetalum is significantly less.     

Use of Medicinal Plants Among Thai Ethnic Groups: A Comparison

Economic Botany - Use of Medicinal Plants Among Thai Ethnic Groups: A Comparison. Thailand has a large rural population that uses traditional medicinal plants extensively. The country is also the...     

Original Articles: Nitrogen Mineralization in Two Unpolluted Old-Growth Forests of Contrasting Biodiversity and Dynamics

Studies in unpolluted, old-growth forests in the coastal range of southern Chile (42°30′S) can provide a baseline for understanding how forest ecosystems are changing due to the acceleration of nitrogen (N) inputs that has taken place over the last century. Chilean temperate forests, in contrast to their northern hemisphere counterparts, exhibit extremely low losses of inorganic N to stream waters. The objectives of this study were (a) to determine whether low inorganic N outputs in these forests were due to low rates of N mineralization or nitrification, and (b) to examine how biodiversity (defined as number of dominant tree species) and forest structure influence N mineralization and overall patterns of N cycling. Studies were conducted in a species-poor, conifer-dominated (Fitzroya cupressoides) forest with an even-aged canopy, and in a mixed-angiosperm (Nothofagus nitida) forest with a floristically more diverse and unstable canopy. Nitrogen mineralization rates measured in laboratory assays varied seasonally, reaching 6.0 μg N/g DW/day in both forests during late summer. Higher values were related to higher microbial activity, larger pools of labile inorganic N, and increased fine litter inputs. Field assays, conducted monthly, indicated positive net flux from N mineralization mainly from December to January in both forests. Annual net flux of N from mineralization varied from 20 to 23 kg/ha/year for the Fitzroya forest and from 31 to 37 kg/ha/year for the Nothofagus forest. Despite low losses of inorganic N to streams, N mineralization and nitrification are not inhibited in these forests, implying the existence of strong sinks for NO₃ ⁻ in the ecosystem. Field N mineralization rates were two times higher in the Nothofagus forest than in the Fitzroya forest, and correlated with greater N input via litterfall, slightly higher soil pH, and narrower carbon (C)–nitrogen ratios of soils and litter in the former. Differences in N mineralization between the two forest types are attributed to differences in biotic structure, stand dynamics, and site factors. Median values of net N mineralization rates in these southern hemisphere forests were lower than median rates for forests in industrialized regions of North America, such as the eastern and central USA. We suggest that these high N mineralization rates may be a consequence of enhanced atmospheric N deposition.     

Alleviation of Negative Effects of Water Stress in Two Contrasting Wheat Genotypes by Calcium and Abscisic Acid

The individual and interactive role of calcium and abscisic acid (ABA) in amelioration of water stress simulated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 was investigated in two contrasting wheat genotypes. PEG solution (osmotic potential –1.5 MPa) was applied to 10-d-old seedlings growing under controlled conditions and changes in photosynthetic rate, activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, water potential and stomatal conductance were observed in the presence of 0.1 mM ABA, 5 mM calcium chloride, 1 mM verapamil (Ca²⁺ channel blocker), and 1 mM fluridone (inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis). ABA and calcium chloride ameliorated the effects of water stress and the combination of the two was more effective. The two genotypes varied for their sensitivity to ABA and Ca²⁺ under stress. As was evident from application of their inhibitors, ABA caused more alleviation in C 306 (drought tolerant) while HD 2380 (drought susceptible) was more sensitive to Ca²⁺.     

Coca Leaf Use in Southern Peru: Some Biosocial Aspects

The use of coca leaves in the Andean region has usually been condemned as a simple addiction to cocaine. This paper summarizes a series of studies in the southern Andes which consider the biological and economic motivations of the users. It is suggested that consumption of leaves is limited to avoid the undesirable effects of large doses of cocaine, while the smaller doses received are beneficial in certain aspects of the arduous life at high altitude. The persistence of the practice is viewed in terms of economics. It is concluded that coca plays a role in Andean life which is not related to simple addictive properties .     

Production and Robustness of a Cacao Agroecosystem: Effects of Two Contrasting Types of Management Strategies

Ecological intensification, i.e. relying on ecological processes to replace chemical inputs, is often presented as the ideal alternative to conventional farming based on an intensive use of chemicals. It is said to both maintain high yield and provide more robustness to the agroecosystem. However few studies compared the two types of management with respect to their consequences for production and robustness toward perturbation.In this study our aim is to assess productive performance and robustness toward diverse perturbations of a Cacao agroecosystem managed with two contrasting groups of strategies: one group of strategies relying on a high level of pesticides and a second relying on low levels of pesticides. We conducted this study using a dynamical model of a Cacao agroecosystem that includes Cacao production dynamics, and dynamics of three insects: a pest (the Cacao Pod Borer, Conopomorpha cramerella) and two characteristic but unspecified beneficial insects (a pollinator of Cacao and a parasitoid of the Cacao Pod Borer). Our results showed two opposite behaviors of the Cacao agroecosystem depending on its management, i.e. an agroecosystem relying on a high input of pesticides and showing low ecosystem functioning and an agroecosystem with low inputs, relying on a high functioning of the ecosystem. From the production point of view, no type of management clearly outclassed the other and their ranking depended on the type of pesticide used. From the robustness point of view, the two types of managements performed differently when subjected to different types of perturbations. Ecologically intensive systems were more robust to pest outbreaks and perturbations related to pesticide characteristics while chemically intensive systems were more robust to Cacao production and management-related perturbation.     

Spatial Variations in the Abundance of Sporophila Seedeaters in the Southern Neotropics: Contrasting the Effects of Agricultural Development and Geographical Position

Human alterations of the habitat may interfere with the natural processes that determine spatial patterns of species abundance. We examine the geographical position hypothesis and the agricultural transformation hypothesis to explain spatial patterns in the abundance of seedeater species (Sporophila spp.) in the southern Neotropics. The geographical position hypothesis predicts decreasing abundance with increasing distance from the center to the edge of a species' geographical range, and the agricultural transformation hypothesis predicts changing abundance as a response of variations in agricultural intensity. Bird abundance and the proportion of agricultural land were estimated for 16 transects covering 500 km along a gradient of both increasing agricultural intensity and increasing distance from the center of the species' geographical ranges. We found no evidence of distance effects on seedeater abundance. Responses to agricultural intensity varied among species. Neither the geographical position nor the agricultural transformation seemed to explain the pattern of abundance of Double-collared seedeaters (S. caerulescens). Agricultural intensity accounted for 63% and 99% of the spatial variation in the abundance of Dark-throated (S. ruficollis) and Tawny-bellied (S. hypoxantha) seedeaters, supporting the agricultural transformation hypothesis. The Dark-throated seedeater seem to be more tolerant to agricultural transformation than the Tawny-bellied seedeater, as they were not recorded in areas with more than 60% and 20% of agricultural lands, respectively. Our results indicate that the Dark-throated seedeater and the Tawny-bellied seedeater will most likely face (or may be already facing) a reduction in the southern part of their geographical range due to habitat loss to agriculture.