The sustainability of rice-crayfish coculture systems: a mini review of evidence from Jianghan plain in China.

BACKGROUND: Rice-crayfish coculture (RC) uses 10% of the paddy field area for crayfish ditches, with rice cultivated in the remaining area, providing staple carbohydrates alongside fish rich in protein and essential oils. These systems rely on complex interactions, involving nutrient cycling, fish feeding, soil physicochemical modification, and insect-pest predation, and have important socio-economic effects. Past studies have considered only one or a few of these aspects pertinent to food system sustainability, and there remains a need for an integrated assessment of RC systems. In this mini-review, we collate data from two field experiments and three field surveys published across eight papers to synthesize the overall sustainability of RC systems in Jianghan Plain in China. RESULTS: In deep groundwater fields, the RC rice yield was 30-55% lower than for typical rice-rapeseed (RR) rotations, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 41-96% and 50% lower, respectively. In shallow groundwater fields, RC rice yield was similar to typical rice monoculture (RM) cultivation, while CH4 emission and pesticide use were 28-41% and 17% lower for RC cultivation. Field survey data indicated that RC can improve soil nutrient and organic matter content significantly compared with RM cultivation, and also increase the diversity of fauna and flora in the paddy field whilst reducing the incidence of chilo suppressalis (a major rice pest). Feed inputs to RC systems increased crayfish yield by 31-71% and reduced the fraction of N inputs lost to the environment from 71% to 41%. CONCLUSION: We conclude that RC systems with feed inputs in areas with shallow groundwater can deliver improved food security, sustainability, and resilience through ecological intensification. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of soil and foliar zinc application for enhancing grain zinc content of wheat when grown on potentially zinc-deficient calcareous soils.

BACKGROUND: The concentration of Zn and phytic acid in wheat grain has important implications for human health. We conducted field and greenhouse experiments to compare the efficacy of soil and foliar Zn fertilisation in improving grain Zn concentration and bioavailability in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain grown on potentially Zn-deficient calcareous soil. RESULTS: Results from the 2-year field experiment indicated that soil Zn application increased soil DTPA-Zn by an average of 174%, but had no significant effect on grain Zn concentration. In contrast, foliar Zn application increased grain Zn concentration by an average of 61%, and Zn bioavailability by an average of 36%. Soil DTPA-Zn concentrations varied depending on wheat cultivars. There were also significant differences in grain phytic acid concentration among the cultivars. A laboratory experiment indicated that Zn (from ZnSO4 ) had a low diffusion coefficient in this calcareous soil. CONCLUSION: Compared to soil Zn application, foliar Zn application is more effective in improving grain Zn content of wheat grown in potentially Zn-deficient calcareous soils.

Correlation of fundamental movement skills with health-related fitness elements in children and adolescents: A systematic review.

Objective: To examine the correlations between fundamental movement skills and health-related fitness elements (cardiopulmonary function, flexibility, body composition, muscle strength and endurance) in children and adolescents and investigate the evaluation methods and tools of fundamental movement skills and health-related fitness. Methods: Six electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCO and CNKI) were searched, and the research literature on the correlation between children's and adolescents' fundamental movement skills and health-related fitness published since 2002 was collected. The guidelines of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement were used to evaluate the quality of the literature, and the sources, samples, measurement methods, main results and statistical data of the study were analyzed, summarized and discussed. Results: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 49 studies were included. There were 13 tools for evaluating fundamental movement skills and 4 tools for evaluating comprehensive health-related fitness in the included literature. Sufficient research evidence supports a significant positive correlation between fundamental movement skills and cardiopulmonary function (10, 100%) and muscle strength and endurance (12, 100%), and most studies support the positive correlation between fundamental movement skills and flexibility (4, 66.7%), and the significant negative correlation between fundamental movement skills and body composition (29, 67.4%). Studies used skinfold, AF%, BF%, FM, and FFMI as evaluation methods. They showed a consistently significant negative correlation between body composition and fundamental movement skills (9, 100%), while BMI or waist circumference as evaluation methods showed no consistent significant negative correlation result (20, 58.8%). Moreover, in the sub-item evaluation of fundamental movement skills, object manipulation, locomotor and balance skills were all significantly and positively correlated with cardiopulmonary function and muscle strength and endurance. In contrast, locomotor skills were more closely related to body composition than object manipulation skills. Conclusion: A significant correlation exists between children's and adolescents' fundamental movement skills and health-related fitness elements.

Optimized ratoon rice system to sustain cleaner food production in Jianghan Plain, China: a comprehensive emergy assessment.

Ratoon rice (RR) is regarded as a labor-saving and efficient approach to rice cultivation; however, sub-optimal production techniques (fertilization, irrigation, harvesting) may lead to serious environmental problems and unsustainable agriculture. In this study, emergy analysis was combined with indicators of soil fertility, global warming potential (GWP), and profitability to comprehensively assess the sustainability performance of three cultivation modes: (i) traditional farm practice (TRA), (ii) optimized mode (OPT), and (iii) OPT plus green manure planting (OPTM). Over 2 years, compared with the TRA mode, OPT and OPTM modes increased total rice yield by 10% and 19% on average and improved profit by 233.7 and 456.5 Yuan ha-1, respectively. Single emergy analysis results showed that, compared with the TRA mode, OPT and OPTM (2-year average value) modes increased production efficiency by 10% and 8%, reduced renewable fraction and emergy sustainability index by 14-19% and 18-23%, respectively, and increased environmental loading ratio by 31% and 22%. Multiple EMA analysis results showed that, compared with the TRA mode, OPT and OPTM (2-year average value) modes reduced UEVNmin by 23% and 21% and increased UEVGWP 32% and 51%, respectively. The UEVTotal revenue and UEVBenefit of OPT and OPTM increased by 8-29% and 4-37%, respectively, compared with TRA mode. The comprehensive assessment indicated that, despite OPT and OPTM modes have a range of improvements and dis-improvements versus the TRA mode, OPTM was the more sustainable mode of RR production overall. However, some sustainability indicators remained poor, and there remains scope for further optimization via, e.g., precision application of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers, application of a straw-decomposing inoculant to improve soil fertility, and use of new improved rice varieties with high regenerative ability to improve the yield of ratoon crops.

Impacts of phosphorus and zinc levels on phosphorus and zinc nutrition and phytic acid concentration in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

BACKGROUND: Zinc (Zn) and phytic acid content in grain crops are directly related to their nutritional quality and therefore human health. To investigate the nutritional influences of phosphorus (P) and Zn levels on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), plants were grown hydroponically to maturity in chelator-buffered solutions. RESULTS: Appropriate amounts of P, coupled with sufficient Zn, increased P and Zn concentrations in wheat grain. The Zn supply decreased both phytic acid and the molar ratios of phytic acid to Zn in wheat grain with respect to the Zn(0) treatment. Furthermore, proportions of Zn and P content in the grain relative to that of the whole plant were improved. With increasing P, the proportion of Zn and P content in the grain relative to the whole plant decreased. P and Zn acted antagonistically in roots. Excess P inhibited Zn uptake in roots, while Zn decreased the transfer of P from roots to shoots. For P that had been transported to the shoots, supplemental Zn facilitated its transfer to the grain. CONCLUSION: Excess P decreased the distribution of Zn in grain, while Zn enhanced the uptake of Zn and P in grain, The combined application of Zn fertilizer with the extensive use of P fertilizer can effectively increase the P and Zn concentration and Zn bioavailability of wheat grain, and hence Zn nutritional quality.

Rice-crayfish systems are not a panacea for sustaining cleaner food production.

Integrated rice-crayfish systems are expanding rapidly and are the most widely applied planting-breeding modes in Jianghan Plain in China. We conducted nutrient use efficiency, economic, and emergy analysis of three rice production modes, namely, rice monoculture (RM), rice-crayfish rotation (RCR), and rice-crayfish coculture (RCC), in Jingzhou City, which is located in the Jianghan Plain. Compared with RM mode, rice-crayfish systems using the RCR and RCC modes increased rice yield by 5-7%, showed more than 8% higher chemical nutrient use efficiency, and increased the value-to-cost ratio from 1.5-fold to 2.7-fold and the benefit-cost ratio from 2.5-fold to 3.8-fold, while decreasing irrigation water consumption and land occupation by 31% and 82-86%, respectively. RCC resulted in 10% higher crayfish yield, 12% higher phosphorus use efficiency, and 38% higher feed use efficiency than RCR. However, compared with RM, rice-crayfish systems decreased renewable fraction by 10-14%, emergy yield ratio by 9%, and emergy sustainability index by 23-26%, and they increased environmental loading ratio to 18-23%. Labor and service, fertilizer utilization, and machine and tools play important roles in these negative environmental effects. Scenario analysis showed that the rice-crayfish systems increased sustainability index by 38-45%. The technical training of new planting-breeding technology should be adopted by farmers for the efficient use of fertilizers and improvement of food yield. This study suggests that rice­crayfish systems are not a panacea to sustain cleaner food production.

A Low-Cost Ni-Mn-Ti-B High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy with Extraordinary Functional Properties.

The rapid development of aerospace, automotive, and energy exploration industries urgently requires high-temperature shape memory alloys (HTSMAs) which are utilized as compact solid-state actuators, sensors, and energy conversion devices at elevated temperatures. However, the currently prevailing Ni-Ti-X (X = Pd, Pt, and Hf) HTSMAs are very expensive owing to the high cost of Pd, Pt, and Hf elements, which greatly limits their widespread applications. Here, we have developed an inexpensive (Ni50Mn35.5Ti14.5)99.8B0.2 bulk polycrystalline HTSMA with extraordinary high-temperature superelasticity and a giant two-way shape memory effect (TWSME). This alloy exhibits perfect superelasticity with a fully recoverable strain of as high as 7.1% over a wide temperature range from 150 to 280 °C. Furthermore, it shows a giant TWSME with a remarkably high recoverable strain of 6.0%. Both the recoverable strain of superelasticity and the two-way shape memory strain of the present alloy are the highest among the bulk polycrystalline HTSMAs. The theoretical maximum transformation strain was calculated with energy-minimization theory using the crystal structure information of martensite and austenite obtained from in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments to help understand the superelastic behavior of the present alloy. Combining the advantages of low cost and easy fabrication, the present bulk polycrystalline (Ni50Mn35.5Ti14.5)99.8B0.2 alloy shows great potential for high-temperature shape memory applications. This work is instructive for developing cost-effective high-performance HTSMAs.