Horticultural crops have a pride of place in daily life and have become an essential component of our diet. To match the demands of the increasing population, horticultural crops must be multiplied at a faster rate. Conventionally, horticultural plants have been produced in farmer-managed nurseries by using traditional plant breeding techniques such as grafting, budding, cutting and seed production, etc. However, in the recent past, propagation through biotechnological approaches has made great contributions towards large-scale production of horticultural plants. Reproducible protocols of plant tissue culture compounded with cost-effective, efficient and evolving technology will benefit the horticulture industry. During the last two decades, numerous multinational companies have made substantial investments in horticulture by deploying tissue culture. The conventional and biotechnological approaches being used for the multiplication of horticultural crops are discussed.

建立了牛奶中3种雌激素残留量（雌二醇、己烯雌酚、雌酮）的HPLC（高效液相色谱）检测方法.得到色谱条件为流动相：乙腈-水（体积比为1∶1）;检测波长：230 nm;流速1.0 mL・min. 1.采用该方法测定了市售鲜牛奶中3种雌激素的残留量,结果表明：其分离效果良好,平均回收率范围82.2%-95.5%,相对标准偏差为2.0%-4.7%,最低检出限达1.0-2.0 ng・mL. 1.该方法具有灵敏、准确、精密、无杂质干扰等优点.[著者文摘] | To study an efficient method for dertermination of three estrogens（estradiol,diethylstilbestrol and norethisterone） in milk,the HPLC was developed by using acetonitrile,the supernatant from the samples with the protein precipitated and removed was concentrated using HPLC,acetonitrile-water（volume ratio of 1∶1） as mobile phase for analysis.The results indicated that good separation was achieved in 3 components and the recovery rate was between 82.2 % and 95.5 %,the relative standard deviation was between 2.0 % and 4.7 %,the lowest detection limit was between 1.0 ng・mL. 1 and 2.0 ng・mL. 1.The method was proved to be satisfactory in precision,acuracy and sensitivity.

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli laskea peltokasvituotannon energiasuhteet ja nettoenergia sekä kotieläintuotannon energiasuhteet Suomessa. Energiasuhde tarkoittaa suhdetta output/input ja nettoenergia erotusta output input. Energiasuhteiden ja nettoenergian laskenta perustui kasvi- ja eläinlajikohtaisiin energia-analyyseihin. Kasvintuotannon energiasuhteet ja nettoenergia laskettiin sadolle annettavan lannoitetypen funktiona, koska maatalouskemikaalien osuuden todettiin olevan 54 73% sadon tuottamiseen tarvittavasta energiapanoksesta. Typen osuus oli siitä kaikkein suurin. Ruokohelven energiasuhde 18,6 oli korkein, ja kokonaisuutena ruokohelpi oli ylivoimainen verrattuna muihin analysoituihin kasveihin, jotka olivat ohra, kevätvehnä, rypsi, säilörehunurmi, peruna ja sokerijuurikas. Ruokohelpi ja sokerijuurikas saavuttivat korkeimmat nettoenergiasadot, 111 115 GJ ha-1. Korkeimmat energiasuhteet saavutettiin yleensä viljelijöiden käyttämiä typpilannoitusmääriä alemmilla lannoitusmäärillä. Sianlihantuotannon energiasuhde oli 0,14 1,28 riippuen siitä, mitä analyysiin otettiin mukaan ja mitä rajattiin ulos. Maidontuotannossa energiasuhde oli 0,15 1,85. Korkeimmat energiasuhteet ovat kuitenkin epärealistisia Suomessa, koska ne edellyttäisivät, että eläimillä ei olisi lainkaan karjasuojaa. Tästä syystä niihin voidaankin päästä hyvin alkeellisessa tuotannossa. Kun energiasuhde laskettiin rehun energiasisällön mukaan, sianlihantuotannon energiasuhde oli 0,14 0,22 ja maidontuotannon 0,15. Eläin voi siis muuntaa 14 22% tuotantoon käytetystä energiasta käyttökelpoisiksi tuotteiksi. Sianlihantuotannossa kuluu runsaasti energiaa ilmanvaihtoon ja maidontuotannossa lypsämiseen ja maidon jäähdyttämiseen. Maidontuotannossa puolestaan sähkön kulutus on suuri. | The objective of this study was to assess energy ratios and net energy in plant production and energy ratios in animal production in Finland. Energy ratios and net energy were determined on the basis of plant- and animal-specific energy analyses. In plant production, energy ratios and net energy were assessed as a function of nitrogen fertilization, because indirect energy input in the form of agrochemicals was 54 73% from the total energy input and nitrogen was responsible for the major part of this. The highest energy ratio was 18.6 for reed canary grass. As a whole reed canary grass was superior to the other crops, which were barley, spring wheat, spring turnip rape, ley for silage, potato and sugar beet. Reed canary grass and sugar beet gained the highest net energy yields of 111 115 GJ ha-1. The optimum energy ratio was gained in general with less nitrogen fertilization intensity than farmers use. The energy ratios in pork production varied between 0.14 1.28 depending on what was included or excluded in the analysis and for milk production between 0.15 1.85. Ratios of 1.28 in pork production and 1.85 in milk production are unrealistic as they do not give any shelter to the animals, although they can be approached in very low-input production systems. If the ratio is calculated with feed energy content then the ratio is low, 0.14 0.22 for pork and 0.15 for milk. This shows that animals can convert 14 22 percent of the input energy to usable products. In pork production, the largest portion of the energy input was the ventilation of the building. In milk production milking and cooling consumes a lot of energy and for this reason the electricity consumption is high. | v | ok | Suomalaisen maataloustuotannon energiasuhteet

We introduce the concept “excess capital capacity” and employ a stochastic input requirement frontier to measure excess capital capacity in agricultural production. We also propose a two‐step estimation method that allows endogenous regressors in stochastic frontier models. The first step uses generalized method of moments to get consistent estimates of the frontier parameters in the presence of endogenous regressors. The second step uses maximum likelihood to measure excess capital capacity and evaluate the factors that influence it. The empirical application to Dutch cash crop farms found varying degrees of excess capital capacity. The policy implications of excess capital capacity are discussed.

"Tilling the Hateful Earth explores farming in the countryside of the most prosperous region of the late Roman empire, the eastern provinces governed from the new capital of Constantinople. From the fourth to the sixth centuries, this region experienced a cultural efflorescence and material prosperity that would rarely be matched until modernity. Behind this prosperity lay the productive capacities of the land which was exploited to its maximum by its cultivators." "Using both archaeological and textual evidence, Michael Decker examines the nature of the late antique countryside and the ways in which farmers possessed and managed the land. The only surviving farming handbook of Graeco-Roman Late Antiquity, the Geoponica, sheds considerable light on the way farmers divided their year, the crops they planted, and the ways they intensified their efforts to ensure a return from the land. Far from the static or degraded landscape typically envisioned by students of the late antique world, the Geoponica and material remains depict a thriving countryside and landowners who were adventurous in their use of new plants and methods and eager to derive profit from the most important cash crops of the day."--Jacket.

The recent surge in food and fuel prices has prompted countries with high dependence on food imports to try and lock in future food supplies through direct investment in agricultural production in other countries. The price surges also led to a wave of proposals to invest in biofuels investments in agricultural land. While such investment can provide large benefits, it also carries considerable risks both to investors and citizens in the locality of the investment. To ensure that investments provide broad benefits and effectively contribute to larger development outcomes, enforceable property rights and contractual agreements in many developing countries need to be strengthened. This note considers how development partners can help countries create the pre-conditions for investment and proposes a governance framework to establish minimum standards for it.