Paris, 23 August 2004


EFITA newsletter / 172 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


EWDA-04 Decision Problems in Agriculture and Natural Resources
27-28 September 2004 - Silsoe Research Institute (UK)
The workshop is organised under the recently established EURO (Association of European Operational Research Societies) Working Group for Operations Research in Agriculture and Forest Management and continues a series begun at the EFITA conference in 2001:
- Symposium at EFITA 2001 on Sequential Decisions under Uncertainty in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Montpellier, France, June 2001
- First European Workshop on Sequential Decisions under Uncertainty in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Toulouse, France, September 2002
- Symposium at EFITA 2003 on Model Based Decision Support Systems, Debrecen, Hungary, June, 2003
See: http://www.sri.bbsrc.ac.uk/science/bmag/EWDA-04.html
Contact: David PARSONS
E-mail: ewda04.sri(a)bbsrc.ac.uk


Diploma in Agriculture Information Technology - Distance Learning…
…to obtain an invaluable specialisation in Agriculture Information Technology while you study or work…
Bioinformatics Institute of India conducts Distance Learning Programs and Workshops in latest areas pertaining to Agriculture Industry.
See: http://www.bioinformaticscentre.org/agri
E-mail: agri(a)bioinformaticscentre.org


FRelECTRA : Use of Innovative technologies and improved vocational training for the production and marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables
Five countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and the UK) have been selected to implement the "FRELECTRA PROJECT" aimed at developing innovative technologies and improved vocational training for improving the production and marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables.
This project is being funded through the EU Leonardo programme that supports trans-national projects that further encourage innovative research and training across Europe.
The FRELECTRA project has three main objectives:
- To assist in improving the production, post harvest technologies and marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables
- To improve the skills, competencies and provision of vocational training to the sector
- To encourage throughout the sector the wider use of electronic technologies
Project outputs will include a thorough review of marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the 5 countries, a number of vocational training packages, the training of specialist trainers and a pilot project on the use of electronic technologies for fresh fruit and vegetable marketing
See: http://www.frelectra.gr


PlantGroTM: a new software programme for exploring plant / soil /climate relationships
A new software programme “PlantGroTM” has been developed by Dr. Clive Hackett (CSIRO, Canberra, Australia) to assist farmers, foresters, agronomists, consultants, horticulturalists, aid agencies, teachers and students to meet the challenge of matching plants to soils and climates.

>> How PlantGroTM was developed?
Being able to identify where particular plants will grow is useful, but many people need to know how well they will grow on particular sites. Generally they do not require highly precise predictions of yield, but they do need to know whether growth will be good, fair, poor or useless.
Detailed process-based models are available for the dozen or so major crop plants, such as wheat and rice, which dominate world agricultural production. These simulate complex processes such as light interception, photosynthesis and translocation and in many cases provide quite reliable estimates of yield.
A few process-based models have also been developed for trees, but there is no prospect of such detailed models being developed for the hundreds of plant and tree species which are important in agriculture and forestry around the world.
Dr Clive Hackett (CSIRO) faced a similar problem in 1984 when he was asked to take part in a study of village-based subsistence agriculture and small-holder cash cropping in Papua New Guinea. There were numerous plant species involved and relatively little was known about their environmental requirements.
Hackett devised a new software programme for providing coarse predictions of the growth of lesser-known plants. To assess the suitability of particular climatic or soil factors he used 'notional relationships', which are simply two-dimensional graphs made up of linear segments indicating conditions which are most suitable for growth and those which are less suitable. These are used along with more complex calculations of the effects of light, temperature and moisture.
To combine the effects of all factors PlantGro uses Liebig's Law of the Minimum (1885), which was originally devised to describe the effects of available plant nutrients on plant performance. In simple terms this states that the most limiting factor determines plant performance (i.e. favourable levels of other factors do not compensate for the unfavourable level of the limiting factor). Overall conditions are evaluated in PlantGro according to limitation ratings on a 0-9 scale where 0 indicates ideal conditions (i.e. no limitations) and 9 indicates the greatest possible limitations.
The PC-based PlantGro programme evaluates 11 soil factors including pH, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, slope and drainage. 14 different Climatic factors are used including maximum temperature, minimum temperature, precipitation, evaporation and solar radiation. The program evaluates the effects of temperature on development as well as carrying out simple water balance calculations.
Separate plant, soil and climate files are required to run the program. The program provides summary predictions of likely growth patterns as well as detailed evaluations of limitations due to light, temperature, moisture and important soil factors.

>> PLANTGROTM Version 3.0 for Windows
This programme is now available in a user-friendly Windows format where users are encouraged to enter their own data on soils, and climates and test the suitability of their environment for Plants or use the existing files supplied with the programme.

>>The PlantGroTM Package includes:
- 1750 different Plant Files
- 182 different Climate Files for sites worldwide
- 43 different Soil Files

>> Where can you use PlantGro TM?
- Can be applied to any plant species, in any soil or any climatic zone
- Can be adapted to use in predicting pest presence (Insects or diseases)
- Can be applied to different phases of plant growth:

>> PLANTGRO users group
As a Bonus offer to purchasers, ownership of a registered copy of PlantGro will entitle you to One Year’s Membership of the PlantGro Users Group.This Group has been established by Topoclimate Services Pty Ltd to encourage PlantGro Users to share their PlantGro plant, soil and climate files with others. Membership of the Group will enable you to tap into specialist expertise in a number of plants and environments and also make contact with others working in the same areas.
See: http://www.topoclimate.com


Plant health and world trade: EU signs up to new international rules
The Agriculture Council has approved a revision of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to strengthen its role in setting international standards. Council also decided that the European Union should become a party to the IPPC in its own right, alongside the 25 EU Member States. Both decisions recognise the growing importance of the IPPC in the international trading system. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) recognises the right of WTO members to impose restrictions on imports if these are needed to protect their agriculture from plant diseases or pests.
See: http://europa-eu-un.org/articles/lv/article_3691_lv.htm


Smart answers to stupid questions

BOY: May I hold your hand?
GIRL: No thanks, it isn't heavy.

GIRL: Say you love me! Say you love me!
BOY: You love me...

GIRL: If we become engaged will you give me a ring??
BOY: Sure, what's your phone number??

GIRL: I think the poorest people are the happiest.
BOY: Then marry me and we'll be the happiest couple

GIRL: Darling, I want to dance like this forever.
BOY: Don't you ever want to improve??

BOY: I love you and I could die for you!
GIRL: How soon??

BOY: I would go to the end of the world for you!
GIRL: Yes, but would you stay there??

SHARON: Have you ever had a hot passionate, burning kiss??
TRACY: I did once. He'd forgotten to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

WOMAN: You remind me of the sea.
MAN: Because I'm wild, romantic and exciting?
WOMAN: No, because you make me sick.

WIFE: You tell a man something, it goes in one ear and comes out of the other.
HUSBAND: You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth.

MARY: John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly. What do u think, Peter?
PETER: A bit of both. I think you're pretty ugly.

Girlfriend: "...And are you sure you love me and no one else?"
Boyfriend: "Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday".

Contact : Anne GOUYON
Mél : anne.gouyon(a)ideforce.com


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