Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.productivity

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    Allelopathic Effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. on Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Plants: Implications for Crop Productivity and Sustainable Agriculture
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-07-23) Kamanga BM; Cartmill DL; McGill C; Clavijo McCormick A; Mussury RM
    Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is widely recognised as a multipurpose crop suitable for human and animal consumption, medicinal, and industrial purposes, making it attractive for introduction into new ranges. Its extracts have been found to have beneficial impacts on various crop species and biological activity against multiple weeds, making their use in agriculture promising. However, concerns have also been raised about moringa’s potential to negatively impact the growth and development of other cultivated and non-cultivated plant species, especially in areas where it has been introduced outside its native range. To understand the positive and negative interactions between moringa and other plants, it is essential to investigate its allelopathic potential. Allelopathy is a biological activity by which one plant species produces and releases chemical compounds that influence the reproduction, growth, survival, or behaviour of other plants with either beneficial or detrimental effects on the receiver. Plants produce and release allelochemicals by leaching, volatilisation, or through root exudation. These biochemical compounds can affect critical biological processes such as seed germination, root and shoot elongation, photosynthesis, enzymatic activities, and hormonal balance in neighboring plants. Therefore, allelopathy is an important driver of plant composition and ecological interactions in an ecosystem. This review explores the positive and negative allelopathic effects of moringa extracts on other plant species, which may help to inform decisions regarding its introduction into new biogeographical regions and incorporation into existing farming systems, as well as the use of moringa plant extracts in agriculture.
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    Can the use of digital technology improve the cow milk productivity in large dairy herds? Evidence from China's Shandong Province
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-12-02) Qi Y; Han J; Shadbolt NM; Zhang Q; Naseer MAUR
    Introduction: Improving milk productivity is essential for ensuring sustainable food production. However, the increasing difficulty of supervision and management, which is associated with farm size, is one of the major factors causing the inverse relationship between size and productivity. Digital technology, which has grown in popularity in recent years, can effectively substitute for manual labor and significantly improve farmers' monitoring and management capacities, potentially addressing the inverse relationship. Methods: Based on data from a survey of farms in Shandong Province in 2020, this paper employs a two-stage least squares regression model to estimate the impact of herd size on dairy cow productivity and investigate how the adoption of digital technology has altered the impact of herd size on dairy cow productivity. Results: According to the findings, there is a significant and negative impact of herd size on milk productivity for China's dairy farms. By accurately monitoring and identifying the time of estrus, coupled with timely insemination, digital technology can mitigate the negative impact of herd size on milk productivity per cow. Discussion: To increase dairy cow productivity in China, the government should promote both small-scale dairy farming and focus on enhancing management capacities of farm operators, as well as large-scale dairy farms and increase the adoption of digital technologies.
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    Using spectral indices derived from remote sensing imagery to represent arthropod biodiversity gradients in a European Sphagnum peat bog
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-03) Minor MA; Ermilov SG; Joharchi O; Philippov DA; Oliveira Júnior JMB
    Monitoring of peatlands is an important conservation issue. We investigated communities of soil mites (Acari: Oribatida, Mesostigmata) inhabiting a relatively undisturbed European boreal mire characterized by a mosaic of oligotrophic and meso-eutrophic areas. We assess the potential of using remote sensing approach as a mapping and predictive tool for monitoring productivity and arthropod biodiversity in a peat bog. In georeferenced plots, Acari biodiversity, water table level, water pH and plot productivity class on the oligotrophic-eutrophic gradient were recorded. Data from the Landsat 8 OLI sensor were used to calculate several spectral indices known to represent productivity and surface moisture gradients in terrestrial ecosystems. We then explored the relationship between spectral indices, environmental gradients and biodiversity of mites. We found that several spectral indices were significantly and consistently correlated with local environmental variables and biodiversity of soil mites. The Excess Green Index performed best as a predictor of plot trophic class on the oligotrophic-eutrophic gradient and showed significant relationship with Oribatida diversity in 2016. However, following hot summer in 2019, there was no significant relationship between abundance and species richness of Oribatida and remotely sensed data; there was a weak correlation between abundance of Mesostigmata and spectral indices which represent surface moisture gradient (e.g., Normalised Difference Moisture Index). We discuss advantages and challenges of using spectral indices derived from remote sensing imagery to map biodiversity gradients in a peatland.
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    Office Distractions and the Productivity of Building Users: The Effect of Workgroup Sizes and Demographic Characteristics
    (MDPI (Basel Switzerland), 2021-02-06) Khoshbakht M; Rasheed EO; Baird G; Arditi D
    Knowledge workers are experiencing ever-increasing distractions or unwanted interruptions at workplaces. We explored the effect of unwanted interruptions on an individual’s perceived productivity in various building types, user groups and workgroups. A case study of 68 buildings and their 5149 occupants using the Building Use Studies methodology was employed in this study. The database contains information on the occupants’ perceptions of physical and environmental parameters, including unmined data on the frequency of unwanted interruptions. Pearson’s correlation was used to test the correlation between the variables. In order to determine whether there are any statistically significant differences between the means of two or more independent (unrelated) groups, one-way ANOVA was employed to examine the significance of differences in mean scores between various user groups and workgroups. The evidence of clear correlations between the frequency of unwanted interruptions and perceived productivity is detailed in various user groups and in multiple building types. The Pearson correlation coefficients were−0.361 and−0.348 for sustainable and conventional buildings, respectively, demonstrating a lower sensitivity to unwanted interruptions in sustainable buildings. Females and older participants were more sensitive to unwanted interruptions and their productivity levels were reduced much more by unwanted interruptions. Comparing different sized workgroups, the highest sensitivity to unwanted interruptions for occupants in offices shared with more than 8 people was found. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of different user needs and preferences in the design of workplaces
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    Organizational Compliance During COVID-19: Investigating the Effects of Anxiety, Productivity, and Individual Risk Factors Among Iranian Healthcare Employees
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-02-08) Rahmani D; Zeng C; Goodarzi AM; Vahid F; Ahmed R
    This study investigates the impact of anxiety, productivity, and individual characteristics on employee compliance in an Iranian medical science university during the COVID-19 outbreak. The data of 160 healthcare employees of various professions were collected with reliability and validity on the measurements performed. Two regression tests revealed that higher anxiety reduces and higher productivity increased compliance. Participants with higher education and non-medical professions were found to have higher compliance. Productivity was also found to be positively associated with tenure and having a medical position. Implication and limitation are discussed.