Economic losses resulting from inadequate segregation of fruit for different periods of storage in the packinghouse lead to decreased revenue for the farmer and increased costs to the packinghouse. This paper proposes an operationally practical decision-making procedure for apple segregation prior to storage based on maturity indicators, and taking into account the capacity of the packinghouse facilities. A segregation criterion is proposed to transform the quantity of apple needed to fill storage rooms into maturity restrictions, on the basis of information available in real time prior to storage. The calculation of maturity restrictions is based on a short-term prediction of maturity indicators. The loss function, presented in an "all-or-nothing" form, is utilized to compare the economic efficiency of the decision-making procedure for different methods of prediction and for present practice of apple segregation by the "first in-last out" rule. A simulation model is used for numerical realization of the proposed method of apple segregation with industrial data.

There is a growing focus on ecosystem-based indicators and what qualities they need to satisfy. However, the qualities and the characteristics of the already existing indicators vary substantially. Due to both scientific and societal aspects, so will the future indicators. With a growing interest for participatory decision processes it is crucial that scientific advice or knowledge based on these indicators is transparent. Advice should therefore be presented in such a way that a manager or a citizen is able to judge the rigidity and the relevance of the scientific information. This will also improve the communication of uncertainty. A common framework for presenting indicators could clarify such aspects by addressing qualities associated with the scientific knowledge and societal concerns. Some relevant qualities are how well an indicator is able to detect a manmade change, the rigidity of the scientific knowledge, how well an indicator threshold reflects a danger, how useful an indicator is for decision-making and the characteristics of the uncertainty. In this paper we discuss what features should be addressed in the communication of scientific knowledge and how this can be communicated through a general framework. The framework and the discussion of its content will be illustrated by case studies on measured technetium-99 levels in lobster and on Ecological Quality Objectives (EcoQOs) for commercial fish stocks and harbor porpoise by-catch.

Referring to the agricultural history in Central Europe determinants of floristic diversity at the habitat scale and the decline in diversity over the last few decades are described. In this context the preservation of floristic diversity is stressed to be one important goal of modern, multifunctional agricultural land use. To reach this goal indicators of diversity are useful tools to evaluate the effects management practices have on floristic diversity in agro-ecosystems. However, "key indicators" that allow an easy assessment and evaluation of diversity are still lacking. Potentially, indicators of biodiversity measures at the habitat scale can be developed from a large number of parameters. An attempt to classify parameters into three major types of indicators and requirements indicators have to meet are presented. Based on the contributions in this special issue and further references recent approaches to indicate floristic diversity at the habitat scale in agricultural landscapes of Central Europe are summarized and discussed. It is concluded that further research should focus on the validation of existing approaches and their integration into a comprehensive set of indicators and on the development of standardized modes of collection for data.

The level of development of various talukas of Karnataka has been estimated with the help of composite index based on optimum combination of socio-economic indicators. One hundered seventy five talukas coming from all the districts of the state have been included in the study. The data for theyear 1994-95 on thirty two socio-economic indicators have been used. Out of thirty two indicators included in the study, fifteen indicators are directly concerned with the agricultural development, four indicators depict the progress of development in industrial sector and the rest thirteen indicators describe the level of development in infrastructural service sector. The level of development has been sepreatly estimated for agricultural, industrial, infrastructural and overall socio-economic fields. In case of overall socio-economic development, the taluka of bangalore(s) of Bangalore district has been ranked first and the taluka of Hosanagar of shimoga district is ranked last.Positive significant assosiation is found between the developments in agricultural sector and overall socio-economic fields. Infrastructural facilities are influencing the level of development in the positive direction. For bringing about uniform regional development, model talukas have been identified and potential targets for various indicators have estimated for low developed talukas.

Increased loading of agricultural soils with phosphorus (P) has been directly associated with P transfer from soil to surface waters, contributing to eutrophication. Policies and measures have been implemented to decrease the P loading. To evaluate the effectiveness of these policies and measures, we propose indicators, selected from literature, which are suitable for the assessment of the potential risk of P transfer at the field level. Our study focuses mainly on simple 'soil' indicators of the potential risk of P transfer only. The indicators were qualitatively assessed on basis of the selection criteria purposive, measurable and reactive. Based on these criteria, P in soil solution and Pw have been selected for testing in a field experiment.

Despite the availability of numerous 'sustainability indicators' (as defined by researchers and resource-management agency staff), many farmers do not routinely use these indicators for monitoring and measurement of their everyday farm management. Farmers' past experiences with such indicators have often been through their use by researchers (trying to evaluate effects of management or quantify resource condition changes) or other external bodies (usually regulatory agencies endeavouring to regulate environmental impacts). Such experiences have added little or nothing to on-farm management. Rather, farmers often rely on a diverse range of personally relevant indicators to assess the performance of their farm business. Such indicators may not be recognised by others as indicative of sustainability. The process used in environmental management systems (EMS) implementation is predicated on the need for information to flow back to the manager to assist their management choices. In this way, the indicators of most use are those that the manager can determine and utilise. This paper describes the connection between environmental management systems, monitoring and indicators, and the importance of these linkages to the efficient and sustainable management of natural resources. It discusses a collaborative project between in New South Wales and Queensland grain farmers, and NSW Agriculture, to develop generic EMS guidelines based on the international standard for EMS, ISO 14001. While there are numerous recommended sustainability indicators, research with these farmers has found that it is more critical to determine which issues are of importance to the farmers and identify potential indicators they will utilise, rather than to recommend a prescribed suite of indicators. In some cases, these indicators may be of a larger-scale than just their property. Different users of resource-management information will require different indicators. The use of the EMS process provides structure and guidance in determining which of the plethora of indicators might be applicable, while allowing farmers to maximise benefits in the market place or the community. Resource-management agencies and customers may require a different suite of indicators. The use of EMS assists in streamlining all these demands, while keeping the focus on the management approaches required to achieve the greatest benefit for the manager.

The article deals with the comparison and evaluation of the development of economic indicators, such as the costs, yields, economic result and profitability in the Czech and Slovak Republics for the period of years 1997-2000. The economic indicators are evaluated and compared on the basis of sample survey results of the RIAFE Bratislava and RIAE (Research Institute of Agricultural Economics) Prague. The first part contains the evaluation and comparison of the costs, yields and the economic results for agricultural production and its branches recalculated per 1 ha of agricultural land (a. l.). The second part contains the evaluation and comparison of the production intensity indicators (per hectare yields, utility), costs per 1 ha, 100 feeding days and per unit, and agricultural production realization prices. Based on these indicators, cost profitability of the selected plant and animal products is quantified.

This study investigated the environmental vulnerability index (EVI) for the island of Tobago. Based on the EVI study developed by the South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission (SOPAC), the vulnerability index was determined for anthropogenic, meteorological, biological, and geological events and for general country characteristics. Written requests for information were made through appropriate government ministries, state agencies, private companies, and other environmental organizations, and the relevant data were obtained from available documents or interviews with appropriate professionals. These data were then used to calculate the values of the environmental indicators as directed by SOPAC, and the overall EVI for Tobago was determined by the average score of all these indicators. The results of the research revealed that, on a holistic level, the island of Tobago scored relatively low on the EVI scale. Although most indicators received a score of 4 or less, selected indicators received scores of 6 and 7, which indicated a high vulnerability for these indicators. It was found that the indicators with the highest scores were mostly anthropogenic in origin or could be traced to some man-made influence. It was concluded that Tobago's vulnerability could to a large extent be controlled by vigilant management of the island's resources, coupled with information sharing between the agencies governing these resources.

A welfare assessment system is being developed for commercial organic egg production based on indicators of behaviour, health, system, and management, which is the general Danish Institute for Agricultural Science (DIAS) concept for assessing animal welfare at farm level. The welfare assessment system works as an advisory tool for farmers, helping them to improve welfare in their flocks. Identification of individual animals in organic egg production is impossible; therefore, management and welfare assessment are based on flock evaluation. Mortality is often a major welfare problem in organic egg production, to some extent caused by inefficient disease detection and control. Health indicators are therefore closely monitored, including variations in live weight, mortality, food and water consumption, and autopsies. Severe outbreaks of feather pecking and cannibalism causing excess mortality are often induced by the presence of stressors. Various stressors, as well as indicators of stress, are therefore included in the welfare indicator protocol. Finally the daily management effort and routines are evaluated on the basis of a management plan prepared by the farmer and a consultant in cooperation, as well as by use of interviews.

The article deals with the comparison and evaluation of the development of economic indicators, such as the costs, yields, economic result and profitability in the Czech and Slovak Republics for the period of years 1997-2000. The economic indicators are evaluated and compared on the basis of sample survey results of the RIAFE (Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics) Bratislava and RIAE (Research Institute of Agricultural Economics) Prague. The first part contains the evaluation and comparison of the costs, yields and the economic results for agricultural production and its branches recalculated per 1 ha of agricultural land. The second part contains the evaluation and comparison of the production intensity indicators (per hectare yields, utility), costs per 1 ha, 100 feeding days and per unit, and agricultural production realization prices. Based on these indicators, cost profitability of the selected plant and animal products is quantified.