Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
Browse
5 results
Search Results
Item Foliar Application of Oil Palm Wood Vinegar Enhances Pandanus amaryllifolius Tolerance under Drought Stress(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-02-09) Mohd Amnan MA; Teo WFA; Aizat WM; Khaidizar FD; Tan BC; Jiang L; Chen M; Guo YDrought stress severely threatens plant growth, yield and survivability. Wood vinegar, formed by the condensation of smoke produced during biochar production, has been shown to promote plant growth and enhance stress tolerance. They have now been recognized as a sustainable alternative and are frequently used exogenously to support plants coping with environmental stress. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of oil palm wood vinegar (OPWV) in mitigating the adverse effects of drought stress on Pandanus amaryllifolius. The optimal concentrations and frequencies of OPWV application were determined before the drought treatment. The results showed that the imposed drought stress negatively affected the plant growth parameters but applying OPWV at 1:500 dilution at 3-day intervals for 12 days increased its tolerance. These include increased leaf relative water content, root-to-shoot ratio, relative stem circumference, chlorophyll pigments and antioxidant enzyme activities. In contrast, the drought-stressed plants treated with OPWV showed decreased relative electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide, proline, malondialdehyde, and enhanced drought-responsive gene expressions, such as HSP70, GAPDH, and Thau, while ENO and β-Fruc were reduced. These biostimulatory effects of OPWV might be due to several antioxidant compounds, such as anthranilic acid, tetrasiloxane, syringol, guaiacol, and catechol. Altogether, our results showed the effectiveness of OPWV in alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress, and as such, OPWV could be potentially applied in agriculture.Item The Water Footprint of Pastoral Dairy Farming: The Effect of Water Footprint Methods, Data Sources and Spatial Scale(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-02) Higham CD; Singh R; Horne DJ; Gerbens-Leenes WThe water footprint of pastoral dairy milk production was assessed by analysing water use at 28 irrigated and 60 non-irrigated ‘rain-fed’ pastoral dairy farms in three regions of New Zealand. Two water footprint methods, the WFN-based blue water footprint impact index (WFIIblue) and the Available WAter REmaining (AWARE) water scarcity footprint (WFAWARE), were evaluated using different sets of global or local data sources, different rates of environmental flow requirements, and the regional or catchment scale of the analysis. A majority (~99%) of the consumptive water footprint of a unit of pastoral dairy milk production (L/kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk) was quantified as being associated with green and blue water consumption via evapotranspiration for pasture and feed used at the studied dairy farms. The quantified WFIIblue (-) and WFAWARE (m3 world eq./kg of FPCM) indices ranked in a similar order (from lowest to highest) regarding the water scarcity footprint impact associated with pastoral dairy milk production across the study regions and catchments. However, use of the global or local data sets significantly affected the quantification and comparative rankings of the WFIIblue and WFAWARE values. Compared to the local data sets, using the global data sets resulted in significant under- or overestimation of the WFIIblue and WFAWARE values across the study regions and catchments. A catchment-scale analysis using locally available data sets and calibrated models is recommended to robustly assess water consumption and its associated water scarcity impact due to pastoral dairy milk production in local catchments.Item Changing methodology results in operational drift in the meaning of leaf area index, necessitating implementation of foliage layer index(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2018-01-08) Rapson GLLeaf area index (LAI) was developed to describe the number of layers of foliage in a monoculture. Subsequent expansion into measurement by remote-sensing methods has resulted in misrepresentation of LAI. The new name foliage layer index (FLI) is applied to a more simply estimated version of Goodall's "cover repetition," that is, the number of layers of foliage a single species has, either within a community or in monoculture. The relationship of FLI with cover is demonstrated in model communities, and some potential relationships between FLI and species' habit are suggested. FLIcomm is a new formulation for the number of layers of foliage in a mixed-species' community. LAI should now be reserved for remote-sensing applications in mixed communities, where it is probably a nonlinear measure of the density of light-absorbing pigments.Item Themes of connection and progress in rural television: New Zealand’s Country Calendar 1990–2015(SAGE Publications, 2020-02) Fountaine SAiring for over 50 years, New Zealand’s Country Calendar (CC) television show tells the stories of those who live and work on the land. This article presents a thematic analysis of 25 years of programme content, identifying a balance of ‘connection’ and ‘progress’ themes across this time frame, linked to the political economy of NZ broadcasting and agriculture. The concept of the rural idyll helps explain the connection theme’s focus on family, community, a passion or dream, and history and tradition. However, CC’s version of the rural idyll goes beyond nostalgia and the expression of shared social ideals to include the practical, day-to-day ‘work’ of contemporary farming. Ultimately, CC’s content is shaped by the broadcasting and agricultural policies and structures which impact its funding, subjects and socio-economic environment.Item Telling stories about farming: Mediated authenticity and New Zealand's Country Calendar(SAGE Publications, 2022-01) Fountaine S; Bulmer SMediated authenticity in New Zealand’s Country Calendar (CC) television program is explored from the perspective of its producers, and rural and urban audiences. Paradoxically, CC is understood as both “real” and “honest” television and a constructed, idyllic version of the rural good life in New Zealand. Techniques and devices such as a predictable narrative arc, consistent narration, invisible reporting and directing, and naturalized sound and vision contribute to the show’s predictability, ordinariness, spontaneity and im/perfection, mediating an authentic yet aspirational view of farming life. We elucidate how factual, primetime television contributes to a shared national sense of “who we are” while navigating different audience experiences and expectations. At stake is New Zealanders’ attachment to rural identity, which underpins public policy commitments to the farming sector, at a time when new agricultural politics are increasingly contested.