Keywords: sectoral innovation system cluster public-private partnerships Dutch vegetable breeding industry a b s t r a c t In a number of studies, the Dutch vegetable breeding industry has been described as a highly innovative sector, but the root causes for its innovativeness have not yet been analysed systematically. In order to understand the factors that affect innovation and business performance, the Sectoral Innovation System (SIS) framework was used to analyse the linkages and interactions among the different actors in the Dutch vegetable breeding industry. Within SIS, five interacting domains are recognized and analysed: the business domain, the research & education domain, the intermediate organizations, the market demand, and the infrastructure & framework conditions, resulting in an integrated picture of the innovation system. It was found that the business domain, the research & education domain and the intermediate organisations do not only show an outstanding individual performance, but more importantly, they closely collaborate via public-private partnerships (PPP), research consortia, etc. It is shown that especially the cluster characteristics of the Dutch vegetable breeding industry, i.e. the geographical proximity and the high level of intra-and interconnectivity within and between domains, induces an intensive knowledge flow, a key indicator for the innovation level of a sector.

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Cadmium (Cd) is one of the heavy metals that contaminate rice cultivation, and reducing Cd contamination in rice through agronomic measures is a hot research topic. In this study, foliar sprays of gibberellins (GA) and brassinolide (BR) were applied to rice under Cd stress in hydroponic and pot experiments. After foliar spraying of GR and BR, the biomass of rice plants grown in either hydroponics or soil culture was significantly higher or even exceeded that in the absence of Cd stress. In addition, photosynthetic parameters (maximum fluorescence values), root length and root surface area, and CAT, SOD and POD activities were significantly improved. The MDA content decreased in the shoots, suggesting that the application of GR and BA may have enhanced photosynthesis and antioxidant function to alleviate Cd stress. Furthermore, the BR and GA treatments decreased the Cd content of rice roots, shoots and grains as well as the Cd transfer coefficient. Cd chemical morphology analysis of rice roots and shoots showed that the proportion of soluble Cd (Ethanol-Cd and Water-Cd) decreased, whereas the proportion of NaCl-Cd increased. Analysis of the subcellular distribution of Cd in rice roots and above ground showed that the proportion of Cd in the cell wall increased after foliar spraying of GA and BR. The results indicate that after foliar application of GA and BR, more of the Cd in rice was transformed into immobile forms and was fixed in the cell wall, thus reducing the amount in the seeds. In summary, foliar sprays of GA and BR can reduce the toxic effects of Cd on rice plants and reduce the Cd content in rice grains, with GA being more effective.

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