This paper refers some 30 indicators. These indicators will be useful for predicting the trend (sustainability/unsustainability) of agriculture and take possible means and ways in advance for arresting the trend in the area which is still free from unsustainability besides reversing the unsustainability trend in "hot spots". Therefore indicators carry some strong practical value to policy makers, planners and also to researchers not only in this Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region but also in other mountain region. Lastly, the development of these indicators has also contributed in sharpening the conceptual work regarding sustainability of mountain agriculture or farming system. This paper is based on four case studies commissioned by ICI MOD, conducted one each in China, India, Nepal and Pakistan

Rural communities can go through a complete life cycle, from birth to death, unlike the large urban cities which continue to exist despite retrenchment and decline. This paper presents a conceptual model of the life cycle of a rural community measured by economic activity. Twenty-one indicators of change are next presented as well as their direction of movement at different transition points over the life cycle. A select set of communities in Kansas is presented to illustrate the uses of the conceptual model and indicators. Finally, a discussion of strategic planning and eight key resources for revitalization are included in this article. The content is based on the ideas, experience and writings of community developers working in rural Kansas.

Multi-variable analysis of grazing research has seen little conceptual development and even less application. To advance research on the multiple relationships of livestock grazing, computer-based analyses using multiple variables are needed. Dynamic variables describing livestock-herbage relationships must be developed to describe dynamic processes such as herbage growth and disappearance. Such variables could be used either alone or in combination with other variables as indicators to analyze and manage grazing. This paper presents 4 arrays of derived variables and discusses their individual and combinational value in analyzing and managing grazing. Greater power in analyzing grazing will come from use of combinations of variables rather than relying on single variables, e.g., stocking level. The variables described are useful in comprehensive analyses of research or in ad hoc roles aiding decisions in management. The paper also discusses possible future uses of variables as indicators in computerized analyses of other ecological systems.

The present secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for O₃, established in 1979, is based on limited information from a few field studies on vegetation and may not be protective of crop damage due to O₃, alone or in combination with other pollutants. Considerable information from field studies conducted in the past decade indicate that there is poor functional correspondence between agricultural production and the air quality index of the current secondary NAAQS for O₃. Because the current O₃ NAAQS is based on data for extreme values of air quality, the index (or form) of the NAAQS ignores key features of hourly exposure data that are desirable and important to minimizing the risk of crop damage. Previous analyses of existing vegetation effects data indicate that exposure indices that cumulated the hourly O₃ concentrations over the season, as well as preferentially weighted the higher concentrations appear to have major advantages over the mean and peak indices on the basis of statistical fits to the data. The peak-weighted, cumulative indicators whose form and level are determined from crop studies were found useful in achieving a target production level that is higher than that of the current O₃ NAAQS indicator with fewer violations. These alternative air quality indicators compare favorably with the current O₃ NAAQS in terms of protection against adverse welfare effects and air quality properties to better identify areas having adequate air quality.

The article deals with the effect of wood surface coating types (nitro-cellulose lacquer, polyurethane lacquer, acid varnish and water-based clear varnish) and the number of coatings on dimensional stability of beech wood. Wood surface coatings applied for wood finishing have highly different abilities to lower wood response. Their effect depends on the type of a binding agent, film density and its thickness. Diffusivity of wood surface coating films is an important parameter when choosing the best coating system for a product as to its application. Dimensional response of beech wood to climatic changes was the lowest with acid varnish finishing and the highest with the samples finished with water-based clear varnish. Half adjusting time, MEE, ASE were used as criterion indicators

Most models for plant litter decomposition link degradation rates to measures of climate or litter composition, rather than directly to microbial activity. We developed a model based on the premise that saprotrophic microbial communities maximize their productivity by optimizing their allocation of resources in the production of extracellular carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus-acquiring enzymes. In this model, enzyme activity indicators are used to estimate decomposition rates and to assess relative N and P availability. This approach may facilitate estimation of decomposition rates in the field and improve ecological forecasting.

Sorghum is one of the few crops resistant to water stress cultivated in summer in the southern France. One of the objectives of the experimental field studies on Sorghum at Montpellier (France) since 1990 is to analyse the bioclimatic and agronomic responses of the crop with respect to certain water stress indicators. Sorghum was subjected to different water regimes at various stages of its developement. These treatments include a control which is maintained at maximum evaporatranspiration (MET). The measurements carried out include soil water potential, soil water content, leaf water potential (LWP), and canopy temperature (CT). Indices based on CT were shown as valid indicators of the plant's water status. In the case of LWP, only readings at solar noon can be used as indicators. Predawn leaf water potential (PLWP) did not vary significantly irrespective of soil water deficit. Leaf rolling score appeared to correlate well with mid-day leaf water potential (MLWP). Stress-dgreee-day (SDD), a temperature based index, predicted well the grain yield of sorghum. | Dans le sud de la France le sorgho grain est l'une des rares cultures d'été résistantes au stress hydrique. Un des objectifs de l'étude de terrain menée sur cette culture à Montpellier (France) depuis 1990 est d'analyser ses réponses bioclimatiques et agronomiques à l'aide d'indices permettant d'appréhender l'intensité du déficit hydrique. Des traitements soumis à différents régimes hydriques différenciés par phases de son développement, sont comparés à un témoin maintenu à l'ETM. Les mesures effectuées incluent le potentiel hydrique et la teneur en eau du sol, le potentiel foliaire (au lever du soleil, PLWP et à midi solaire, MLWP) et la température de surface du couvert (CT). Les indices calculés à partir de CT constituent des indicateurs pertinents dans le cas du sorgho grain. Par contre seul MLWP est utilisable comme indicateur car PLWP m'évolue que pour des niveaux de stress très élevés. Une bonne corrélation a aussi été trouvée entre le degré de l'enroulement des limbes des feuilles du sorgho et MLWP. Une corrélation étroite existe entre le rendement du sorgho et le stress-degree-day (SDD), indice estimé à partir de mesures des températures du couvert. (r2 >0.83).

Methyl salicylate and (-)-(1R,5S)-myrtenal stimulate specific olfactory cells in the primary rhinaria on the sixth and fifth antennal segments, respectively, of the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae. In behavioral studies employing a linear track olfactometer, both compounds were repellent to A. fabae and also inhibited attraction to volatiles from its host, broad bean (Vicia faba). Methyl salicylate is associated with secondary metabolite-based defense in plants, and the monoterpenoid (-)-(1R,5S)-myrtenal is metabolically related to (-)-(15,5S)-alpha-pinene, an abundant component of defensive resins produced by gymnosperms. It is argued that these two compounds are employed by A. fabae as indicators of nutritionally unsuitable or nonhost plants.

Devant les difficultés actuelles de gérer efficacement les populations de cervidés sur notre territoire, l'auteur fait le point des principaux problèmes rencontrés. Un certain nombre de solutions techniques, basées sur le suivi des populations par bio-indicateurs, sont décrites. Des propositions d'amélioration du fonctionnement du plan de chasse sont faites. La validation en cours des méthodes proposées reste à affiner avant d'envisager leur utilisation en vraie grandeur. | Facing the currrent difficulties to efficiently manage Cervidae populations on our territory, the author addresses the main problems. A number of technical solutions, based on the monitoring of these populations using bio-indicators, are described. Propositions aimed at improving the hunting program are made. The validation of these methods must be refined before they can be used in the field.