Grain Research Centre

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting essential nutrients for agricultural production and its availability to crops is assessed by various methods. Mehlich‐3, however, remains the most used method worldwide. For decades, the colorimetric method by blue ascorbic acid‐molybdate reaction has been used to determine soil P concentration following Mehlich‐3 extraction. Since early 1990s, the use of automated methods to quantify soil nutrients including P has expanded rapidly, and the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectroscopy is becoming one of the most popular instruments in routine soil testing. The main objective of this study was to compare ICP (where M3P is Mehlich‐3 P, M3P‐ICP) with colorimetric (M3P‐Col) methods to estimate soil P using data from soil samples (3020) collected between 2005 and 2021 from 16 experiments conducted under different agroecosystems in Canada and Europe. Five case studies were assessed: (1) laboratory incubation, (2) native lowbush blueberry, (3) soil depth, (4) soil tillage, and (5) annual field crops versus perennial forage. In each study, a regression equation was established between soil M3P‐ICP and M3P‐Col. Results indicated that the two methods were strongly related in all studies (0.82 < r² < 0.99; p < 0.001), where soil P measured by ICP (2.1–352 mg kg⁻¹) was higher than that measured by colorimetry (0.6–339 mg kg⁻¹) except for the incubation study. Most important P differences were observed with forage and blueberry. Further analysis revealed that large differences between M3P‐ICP and M3P‐Col occurred primarily due to soil total C content. Soil pH, clay and Fe content, and previous crops also affected the relationship.

The Sexual Abuse History Questionnaire (SAHQ), a widely used screening tool for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (AASA) experiences, has limited examination of its psychometric properties in diverse populations. Our study assessed the SAHQ's psychometric properties (i.e., structural validity and measurement invariance across demographic groups, know-group validity, and internal consistency) and estimated the frequencies of various types of sexual victimization across 42 countries and in diverse gender-, trans-status-, and sexual-identity-based groups that were previously missing from measurement-focused studies. We used a large, non-representative sample (N = 81,465; 57 % women, 3.4 % gender-diverse individuals, Mage=32.34 years, SD=12.48) from the International Sex Survey, a 42-country cross-sectional, multi-language, online survey. The SAHQ demonstrated excellent structural validity in all country-, gender-, sexual-identity-, and trans-status-based groups, as well as acceptable reliability and known-group validity. Occurrence estimates for six CSA and AASA types were reported across sociodemographic groups, corroborating previous evidence that women and gender- and sexual-minority individuals are at greater risk of CSA and AASA. Pansexual and queer individuals emerged as a particularly vulnerable group. Associations between different types of CSA and AASA revealed that participants who experienced any form of CSA were at least twice as likely to experience AASA. The findings have significant implications for policy and interventions, especially for marginalized groups.

Pornography is used worldwide, and 3% of individuals may experience problematic pornography use (PPU, i.e. poorly controlled use resulting in significant distress and negative consequences). Therefore, instruments gauging PPU are needed in nation-specific languages. This study aimed to validate a modified version of the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale-6 (PPCS-6) in the Serbian language among 1413 adults (52.9% males) aged from 18 to 54 (Mage = 24.96, SD = 4.46). Exploratory factor analysis on the sample’s random half yielded a single factor explaining 43% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis on the sample’s other half revealed an acceptable model fit. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was acceptable. The scale exhibited configural and partial metric invariance across genders and convergent validity. Latent profile analysis identified that 8.1% of the participants were at risk of experiencing PPU. In comparison, this value was 9.6% based on a calculated cutoff score (≥ 19) with acceptable values (.69 and .96) of sensitivity and specificity. To conclude, the Serbian modified version of the PPCS-6 appears to be a valid and reliable scale for screening PPU.

Western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, was first detected in British Columbia (BC) in 2016, resulting in the need for a trapping method that can detect beetles at low population levels and that can potentially mass trap beetles in sweet corn processing and distribution outlets. Based on early field experiments run in BC in 2019 and 2020, four trap types, baited with sex pheromone or floral lures, were evaluated in BC, Ontario, and Quebec for two 2-week periods during the swarming period in 2021. Trap captures were scored 0–10 based on relative captures, with the method with greatest captures scored as 10. Captures of male beetles were greatest on pheromone-baited PAL (“cloak”) (mean score of all 2021 experiments = 9.6) and PALs traps (8.6), and significantly lower with pheromone-baited Delta (3.4) and KLP (“hat”) (1.5), or floral-baited PAL (2.1) and PALs traps (1.9). Captures of female beetles were greatest on floral-baited PALs (8.7), PAL (8.4), and Delta traps (5.0), and low on KLP (1.5) and all other trapping methods (<1). In follow-up experiments run in 2023, pheromone-baited PAL traps captured >180× more beetles than non-baited Pherocon AM traps. Together these results indicate that PAL, PALs, and Delta traps can be used for the early detection of male and female WCR when baited with pheromone and floral lures, respectively, in Canada, both to determine the onset of the beetle swarming season for timing of foliar insecticide applications, and to monitor the spread of WCR to new areas.

Deciphering the gene regulatory networks of critical quantitative trait loci associated with early maturity provides information for breeders to unlock soybean’s (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) northern potential and expand its cultivation range. The E8-r3 locus is a genomic region regulating the number of days to maturity under constant short-day photoperiodic conditions in two early-maturing soybean populations (QS15524F2:F3 and QS15544RIL) belonging to maturity groups MG00 and MG000. In this study, we developed a combinatorial expression quantitative trait loci mapping approach using three algorithms (ICIM, IM, and GCIM) to identify the regions that regulate three candidate genes of the E8-r3 locus (Glyma.04G167900/GmLHCA4a, Glyma.04G166300/GmPRR1a, and Glyma.04G159300/GmMDE04). Using this approach, a total of 2,218 trans (2,061 genes)/7 cis (7 genes) and 4,073 trans (2,842 genes)/3,083 cis (2,418 genes) interactions were mapped in the QS15524F2:F3 and QS15544RIL populations, respectively. From these interactions, we successfully identified two hotspots (F2_GM15:49,385,092-49,442,237 and F2_GM18:1,434,182-1,935,386) and three minor regions (RIL_GM04:17,227,512-20,251,662, RIL_GM04:31,408,946-31,525,671 and RIL_GM13:37,289,785-38,620,690) regulating the candidate genes of E8-r3 and several of their homologs. Based on co-expression network and single nucleotide variant analyses, we identified ALTERED PHLOEM DEVELOPMENT (Glyma.15G263700) and DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 21 (Glyma.18G025600) as the best candidates for the F2_GM15:49,385,092-49,442,237 and F2_GM18:1,434,182-1,935,386 hotspots. These findings demonstrate that a few key regions are involved in the regulation of the E8-r3 candidates GmLHCA4a, GmPRR1a, and GmMDE04.

In central Canada, surveys for the three invasive (Palearctic) Agriotes species—A. obscurus, A. lineatus, and A. sputator—commonly collect A. pubescens, a North American native (Nearctic) click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) that generally co-occurs with Nearctic A. mancus. Despite the abundance of A. pubescens on farmland, its life history and potential economic impact remain largely unknown. Here, we report the identification and field testing of the A. pubescens sex pheromone. We collected headspace volatiles from a single female beetle on Porapak Q, then extracted the female’s pheromone gland, and analyzed aliquots of both Porapak extract and pheromone gland extract by gas chromatographic–electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD) and by GC–mass spectrometry. In GC–EAD recordings of gland extract, two esters—geranyl butanoate and geranyl octanoate—elicited antennal responses from A. pubescens males. In a field experiment in Quebec, traps baited with a 1:1 blend of these esters captured approximately 100× more A. pubescens males than traps baited with a single ester. This is the same trap lure used for capturing A. lineatus. In this experiment, and in a similar one run in British Columbia, heterospecific pheromone components added to conspecific pheromone lures reduced captures of A. mancus, A. sputator, A. lineatus, and A. obscurus by 29%, 96%, 44%, and 71%, respectively. These data indicate that, in North America, lures containing pheromone components of multiple Agriotes congeners may not be optimally attractive to all target species.

New selection methods, using trait-specific markers (marker-assisted selection (MAS)) and/or genome-wide markers (genomic selection (GS)), are becoming increasingly widespread in breeding programs. This new era requires innovative and cost-efficient solutions for genotyping. Reduction in sequencing cost has enhanced the use of high-throughput low-cost genotyping methods such as genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) for genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiling in large breeding populations. However, the major weakness of GBS methodologies is their inability to genotype targeted markers. Conversely, targeted methods, such as amplicon sequencing (AmpSeq), often face cost constraints, hindering genome-wide genotyping across a large cohort. Although GBS and AmpSeq data can be generated from the same sample, an efficient method to achieve this is lacking. In this study, we present the Genome-wide & Targeted Amplicon (GTA) genotyping platform, an innovative way to integrate multiplex targeted amplicons into the GBS library preparation to provide an all-in-one cost-effective genotyping solution to breeders and research communities. Custom primers were designed to target 23 and 36 high-value markers associated with key agronomical traits in soybean and barley, respectively. The resulting multiplex amplicons were compatible with the GBS library preparation enabling both GBS and targeted genotyping data to be produced efficiently and cost-effectively. To facilitate data analysis, we have introduced Fast-GBS.v3, a user-friendly bioinformatic pipeline that generates comprehensive outputs from data obtained following sequencing of GTA libraries. This high-throughput low-cost approach will greatly facilitate the application of DNA markers as it provides required markers for both MAS and GS in a single assay.

Background Human activities have significantly contributed to a persistent climate change trend, posing substantial threats to human health. Nurses regularly interact with patients experiencing the consequences of climate change, making their engagement in addressing this issue crucial. Nonetheless, our understanding of nurses' viewpoints regarding climate change remains limited. Aim This scoping review aims to identify practicing nurses' and nursing students' perceptions of climate change. Design To fulfil this objective, a documentary search strategy was developed using an iterative process. Methods The search strategy was tested in four bibliographic databases, as well as in the grey literature. A 2‐stage selection process was conducted, and relevant data were extracted from selected articles for analysis. Results Twenty‐two scientific articles and 11 documents from nursing associations were selected. The findings suggest that while many nurses and nursing students are concerned about climate change and its effects on their patients' health, their role in addressing the climate crisis is not well understood. Many barriers such as having a heavy workload and the lack of support hindered their ability to adjust their practice in response to the changing climate. Furthermore, many expressed a need for trainings on climate change issues. Conclusions These results raise a great and urgent demand for these professionals to receive appropriate training to cope with climatic threats to health. Future research should focus on the development of nursing climate leadership, and healthcare organizations should support nursing initiatives and help raise nurses' awareness regarding climate change.

This study investigated the relationship between pornography use and men’s body image, utilizing the social comparison theory as the theoretical framework. The research focused on a moderated mediation model, examining the role of social body comparison as a mediator between pornography use (frequency and problematic use) and men’s body image. The sample consisted of 726 men aged 18–68, with 223 (30.7%) identifying as sexual minorities. Sexual minority men reported higher levels of pornography use frequency, problematic use, perceived realism, social body comparison, negative body image, and psychological distress compared to heterosexual men. Findings revealed that problematic pornography use (but not frequency of use) was related to higher levels of social body comparison, which, in turn, were related to higher levels of negative body image. The perceived realism in pornography did not moderate the examined associations. Clinicians should consider the impact of the relationship between pornography and body image among men.

This study aimed to examine the associations between child temperament and trajectories of the three dimensions of the student–teacher relationship (Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency) during elementary school. Latent class growth analyses conducted among 744 French-Canadian students recruited between 2008 and 2010 (46.8% girls; Mage = 8.39; 90.9% White; 49.7% with externalizing behavior problems) revealed four Closeness trajectories and three Conflict trajectories, but no significant variability between children in mean levels of change in Dependency. Surgency-Extraversion and Effortful control were associated with specific trajectories of Closeness and Conflict. Effortful control was also associated with cross-sectional assessments of Dependency. These results suggest that temperament is a useful construct in understanding developmental patterns of the student–teacher relationship across the elementary school years.

Identification of marker trait associations (MTAs) for agronomic traits of soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr.) can often be limited by confounding genotype by environment interactions. In this study, phenotypic data was derived from the calculation of genotypic principal component scores by GGEbiplot (gPCs) from a multiple year and location agronomic dataset to assess the validity and feasibility of using gPC scores in genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) in comparison with traditional phenotypes. Important Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) were discovered for maturity, seed oil content, yield, and plant height that were not detected using the traditional phenotypes. MTAs were detected by GWAS analysis with PC1, PC2, and PC4 phenotypes. QTL for maturity associated with the E1 and E3 soybean maturity loci demonstrate the validity of this approach by detecting these well studied regions. Epistatic analysis revealed QTL controlling both oil and protein content but did not uncover significant interactions associated with other traits. This result further contributes to the understanding of complex gene networks controlling pleiotropic traits such as seed oil and seed protein content. QTL for the studied traits are reported across six Glycine max chromosomes with 15 genes and one gene cluster proposed as candidates controlling agronomic traits.

Background Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a slowly progressive disease caused by abnormal CTG repetitions on the dystrophia myotonica protein kinase ( DMPK) gene. Long mRNA from CTG repetitions stabilizes in nuclear foci and sequester muscleblind-like splicing regulator 1 (MBNL1). Cardinal signs of DM1 include muscle wasting and weakness. The impacts of DM1 progression on skeletal muscle are under-researched. Objective Identifying physiopathological markers related to maximal strength loss over time in DM1. Methods Twenty-two individuals with DM1 participated in two maximal isometric muscle strength (MIMS) evaluations of their knee extensors and two vastus lateralis muscle biopsies, 3 years apart. Muscle fiber typing, size (including minimal Feret’s diameter [MFD] and atrophy/hypertrophy factors [AF/HF]), and nuclear foci and MBNL1 colocalization (foci/MBNL1+) were evaluated. Immunoblotting was used to measure glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3 β), p62, LC3BI, LC3BII, and oxidative phosphorylation proteins. Results There are significant correlations between the fold changes of MIMS with type 1 fiber MFD ( ρ= 0.483) and AF ( ρ= –0.514). Regression analysis shows that baseline percentage of foci/MBNL1+ nuclei and strength training explain 44.1% of foci/MBNL1+ nuclei percentage variation over time. There are fair to excellent correlations between the fold changes of MIMS and GSK3 β ( ρ= 0.327), p62 ( ρ= 0.473), LC3BI ( ρ= 0.518), LC3BII ( ρ= –0.391) and LC3BII/LC3BI ( ρ= –0.773). Conclusion Type 1 MFD decrease and AF increase are correlated with MIMS loss. There seems to be a plateau effect in foci/MBNL1+ nuclei accumulation and strength training helps decrease this accumulation. Autophagy marker LC3BII/LC3BI ratio has a good biomarker potential of MIMS loss, but more investigations are needed.

‘AAC Choo’ is a spring, two-row, general purpose barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) released by the Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. AAC Choo is high in yield, good lodging resistance, and moderately susceptible to Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe). AAC Choo is recommended for commercial production in eastern Canada.

This study explores the connection between pornography use, sexual functioning, and mental health using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct profiles among pornography users and assess variations in mental health, including anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation. The aim of this study was to identify profiles among pornography users, specifically distinguishing those with sexual distress and sexual function problems, characterize these profiles, and assess variations in mental health. Data were collected from 463 participants through an anonymous online survey. Three distinct pornography user profiles were identified based on their consumption and sexual problems: high-frequency problematic pornography use (PPU, which is defined as uncontrollable patterns of pornography use resulting in adverse consequences and significant distress) with sexual problems, high-frequency non-PPU without/with low sexual problems, and no/low-frequency non-PPU without sexual problems. Differences among the profiles emerged in anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as emotion regulation capabilities. The high-frequency PPU with sexual problems group exhibited lower emotion regulation capabilities, while the no/low-frequency non-PPU without sexual problems group reported significantly lower depressive symptoms. This study emphasizes the multifaceted nature of pornography use, revealing that certain patterns may be more problematic. The findings highlight the interplay between emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, problematic pornography use, and sexual problems and distress. Recognizing these distinct profiles is crucial for understanding the relationship between pornography use and sexual and mental well-being, ultimately contributing to more targeted interventions and improved outcomes for all populations.

Maltreatment during childhood has many long‐lasting effects. Victims often become parents who experience parenting difficulties, therefore contributing to the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment. This paper highlights the consequences of severe trauma during childhood on two processes critical for a sensitive response, namely the recognition of and the initial reaction to emotional signals. We argue that most interventions focus on the observed parental response to children's behaviors or on parental interpretation of children's signals, that is, the attribution of meaning or intent to the signal. Interventions should better integrate research indicating that a history of childhood maltreatment could impair the capacity to correctly identify the emotion and the immediate reaction to these signals. By failing to acknowledge these long‐lasting consequences of childhood maltreatment, scholars and practitioners might never achieve true success in intervening with families in the hope of breaking the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment.

This longitudinal study assessed how parent-child relationship quality during the first COVID-19 lockdown was related to changes in internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems during the first months of the pandemic: during lockdown, partial deconfinement, and total deconfinement. Participants included 167 children (9-12 year) and their parents recruited in the province of Quebec, Canada. Child behavior problems decreased between lockdown and the two deconfinement assessments, but more sleep and behavior problems were associated with lower levels of relationship quality (more conflict , less closeness, and more insecure attachment). Significant interaction effects showed that changes in externalizing and sleep problems varied as a function of parent-child relationship. Results support the critical importance of the parent-child relationship with regard to child adjustment in middle childhood in times of crisis such as a pandemic. They also highlight resilience in children aged 9 to 12, with a decrease in problems over time.

Plant transformation remains a major bottleneck to the improvement of plant science, both on fundamental and practical levels. The recalcitrant nature of most commercial and minor crops to genetic transformation slows scientific progress for a large range of crops that are essential for food security on a global scale. Over the years, novel stable transformation strategies loosely grouped under the term “in planta” have been proposed and validated in a large number of model (e.g. Arabidopsis and rice), major (e.g. wheat and soybean) and minor (e.g. chickpea and lablab bean) species. The in planta approach is revolutionary as it is considered genotype-independent, technically simple (i.e. devoid of or with minimal tissue culture steps), affordable, and easy to implement in a broad range of experimental settings. In this article, we reviewed and categorized over 300 research articles, patents, theses, and videos demonstrating the applicability of different in planta transformation strategies in 105 different genera across 139 plant species. To support this review process, we propose a classification system for the in planta techniques based on five categories and a new nomenclature for more than 30 different in planta techniques. In complement to this, we clarified some grey areas regarding the in planta conceptual framework and provided insights regarding the past, current, and future scientific impacts of these techniques. To support the diffusion of this concept across the community, this review article will serve as an introductory point for an online compendium about in planta transformation strategies that will be available to all scientists. By expanding our knowledge about in planta transformation, we can find innovative approaches to unlock the full potential of plants, support the growth of scientific knowledge, and stimulate an equitable development of plant research in all countries and institutions.