MODELING CONSUMER INTENTION TO PURCHASE FRESH PRODUCE

The effect of some fresh‐cut carrot label attributes on consumer purchase intention was evaluated using conjoint analysis. The following three attributes were chosen and manipulated: price (high and low), packaging type (polyethylene bags and expanded polystyrene trays) and production process (organic with certification stamp, organic without certification stamp and no information). A complete factorial design was used, and 12 hypothetical packages of fresh‐cut carrot were developed and evaluated by 96 consumers based on their purchase intention. The consumers were divided into four groups with different opinions. Low price and organic with certification label were the favorite choices of the groups. Only one group preferred expanded polystyrene trays. No interactions were exhibited among the attributes in all groups.     

Seasonal prevalence of mosquitoes collected from light traps with notes on malaria in the Republic of Korea, 2004

Adult mosquito surveillance was conducted during 2004 at 29 US military installations and training sites located in six provinces in the Republic of Korea. Adult mosquitoes were collected in New Jersey light traps and Magnet traps from 1 May through 15 October to determine threshold levels to initiate pesticide applications and to identify malaria infection rates at selected army installations and training sites. A total of 89 206 adults (78 454 [87.9%] females and 10 752 [12.1%] males) comprising 20 species (including five members of the Anopheles Hyrcanus Group) and belonging to seven genera were collected. The most common species collected were members of Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (49.4%) and Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann complex (39.1%), followed by Culex pipiens Coquillett (6.1%) and Aedes vexans nipponii (Theobald) (4.2%). Trap indices varied widely for species over their range, due in part to geographical distribution and degree of association with urban communities.     

Patterns of pupal mortality in field populations of Hydropsyche and Cheumatopsyche (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae)

SUMMARY. 1. Up to 40% of hydropsychid pupal cases (from three stations on the Credit and Humber Rivers, Ontario, Canada) contained insects already dead when collected; chironomid infestation accounted for up to 82% of total mortality within a taxon from any one station. The remaining mortality appeared to be due to siltation.
2. For all taxa ( Cheumatopsyche Wallengren and four species of Hydropsyche Pictet), and at all stations, prepupae suffered significantly more chironomid-related mortality than did fully-developed pupae.
3. Chironomid infestation generally affected all species of Hydropsyche equally; at some stations, Cheumatopsyche pupae appeared to suffer less chironomid-related mortality than did co-existing Hydropsyche species.
4. Chironomid infestation affected a greater proportion of pupae at the station where the density of pupal cases (per sampling quadrat) was greatest.
5. Vertical distribution of the pupation site had no apparent influence on mortality attributed to either siltation or chironomid infestation.
6. Chironomid infestation varied seasonally; it was greatest in May and July-August at an upstream station, and peaked in June at the downstream stations.
7. Mortality attributed to siltation was relatively constant for all stages and taxa, at all stations, throughout the sampling programme.     

The Effects of Low Growth and Measurement Temperature on the Respiratory Properties of Five Temperate Species

Five temperate ruderal species, Epilobium glandulosum, Matricariamatricariodes, Melilotus alba, Sonchus asper and Taraxacum officinale,were grown under controlled conditions at both 10 °C and20 °C. Respiration was measured at 10 °C and 20 °C.Total dark respiration rates of plants grown at 10 °C wereconsistently higher than the rates of plants grown at 20 °C.This was due to greater respiratory activity along both thecytochrome (KCN-sensitive) and alternative (SHAM-sensitive)pathways in the cold grown plants. The capacity to use the alternativepathway was also greater in the 10 °C grown plants. Theincrease in the relative contribution of each pathway was speciesspecific. At a given growth temperature the activity of thealternative pathway varied little between measurements at 10°C and 20 °C. In contrast, the activity of the cytochromepathway was greater when measured at 20 °C than when itwas measured at 10 °C. The capacity of the alternative pathwaywas lower when measured at 10 °C. These results suggestthat the cytochrome pathway is more sensitive to temperaturestress than is the alternative pathway. Alternative pathway, cyanide resistance, cytochrome pathway, respiration, temperature     

Competition between grass and clover in spring as affected by nitrogen fertiliser

Detailed measurements of irrigated ryegrass/white clover swards growing without interruption, with or without nitrogen fertiliser in spring, showed that the relative growth rate of clover was as great as that of grass, in the + N sward, and considerably greater than grass, in the – N sward. Clover leaves were not overtopped by grass leaves. Indeed, in both swards, clover had a greater proportion of its leaf lamina area in the upper, well lit, layers of the canopy than grass did. Consequently, clover had a greater mean rate of leaf photosynthesis in situ in the sward than grass. Clover's advantage in photosynthetic rate per leaf area was offset to some extent by its smaller ratio of leaf area to total above-ground dry weight than grass. The consequences of these results for our understanding of competition between grass and clover in mixed swards are discussed.     

Rapid northwards expansion of a forest insect pest attributed to spring phenology matching with sub‐Arctic birch

Species range displacements owing to shifts in temporal associations between trophic levels are expected consequences of climate warming. Climate‐induced range expansions have been shown for two irruptive forest defoliators, the geometrids Operophtera brumata and Epirrita autumnata, causing more extensive forest damage in sub‐Arctic Fennoscandia. Here, we document a rapid northwards expansion of a novel irruptive geometrid, Agriopis aurantiaria, into the same region, with the aim of providing insights into mechanisms underlying the recent geometrid range expansions and subsequent forest damage. Based on regional scale data on occurrences and a quantitative monitoring of population densities along the invasion front, we show that, since the first records of larval specimens in the region in 1997–1998, the species has spread northwards to approximately 70°N, and caused severe defoliation locally during 2004–2006. Through targeted studies of larval phenology of A. aurantiaria and O. brumata, as well as spring phenology of birch, along meso‐scale climatic gradients, we show that A. aurantiaria displays a similar dynamics and development as O. brumata, albeit with a consistent phenological lag of 0.75–1 instar. Experiments of the temperature requirements for egg hatching and for budburst in birch showed that this phenological lag is caused by delayed egg hatching in A. aurantiaria relative to O. brumata. A. aurantiaria had a higher development threshold (LDT_A.a.=4.71 °C, LDT_O.b.=1.41 °C), and hatched later and in less synchrony with budburst than O. brumata at the lower end of the studied temperature range. We can conclude that recent warmer springs have provided phenological match between A. aurantiaria and sub‐Arctic birch which may intensify the cumulative impact of geometrid outbreaks on this forest ecosystem. Higher spring temperatures will increase spring phenological synchrony between A. aurantiaria and its host, which suggests that a further expansion of the outbreak range of A. aurantiaria can be expected.     

The germination and the forces required to penetrate seed layers of different seedlots of three cultivars of crisp lettuce

Using 24 commercial seedlots of the lettuce cvs Ithaca, Pennlake and Saladin, the percentage germination at a range of temperatures from 20 to 35°C, and the forces required to penetrate the pericarp, the endosperm and the embryo were measured. Percentage germination declined with increasing temperature in all seedlots but there were particularly large differences between seedlots of the same cultivar at 30.0 and 32.5°C. The force required to penetrate the pericarp was on average more than twice that required to penetrate the endosperm. It is concluded that in commercial cultivars of crisp lettuce the strength of the pericarp plays a much greater role than that of the endosperm in determining germination. In all three cultivars there were significant positive correlations between seed weight and the force required to penetrate the whole seed. However only in cv. Pennlake were there significant correlations between germination at high temperature and seed penetration forces.     

The Effect of Age on the Rate of Apparent Photosynthesis in Leaves of Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinaceaSchreb.)

n apparatus is described in which the rate of apparent photosynthesisof single attached or detached grass leaves was determined bymeasuring with an infra-red gas analyser the uptake of carbondioxide from a stream of air passed over the leaves. In one experiment the apparatus was used to determine the apparentphotosynthesis at one time of the three youngest leaves removedfrom a tiller of tall fescue plants grown in the field. Resultsshowed that each older leaf had a lower rate of apparent photosynthesisthan its successor. To determine the real effect of age of theleaf without any possible interaction with position of the leafor an after-effect of environment, measurements of apparentphotosynthesis were made in two further experiments on leavesattached to the main stem on plants grown in controlled environments.Results were obtained from samples of the fifth leaf of increasingage from full expansion. These showed a progressive declinein apparent photosynthesis with increasing age: in one experimentthis was preceded by a small initial rise after complete leafexpansion. There were no marked changes in the weight of theleaf as it aged and, in consequence, the form of the resultswere similar when expressed on either a leaf area or dry weightbasis.