The influence of temperature and photoperiod on phenological development of three bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) selections from Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mali was investigated in a semi-controlled environment experiment with factorial combinations of three constant temperatures (20n9, 23n4 and 26n2 mC) and four constant photoperiods (10n0, 12n5, 13n5 and 16n0 h d −" ). In all three selections, the onset of flowering was influenced by temperature but not by photoperiod, while the onset of pod-growth (' podding ') of all three selections was influenced by both factors. The influence of temperature and photoperiod was quantified by means of photothermal models, linking development rates to temperature and photoperiod with linear equations. The rate of progress from sowing to flowering of the three selections could be described very well (r# 95 %) as a function of temperature ; the rate of progress from flowering to podding was described reasonably well as a function of both temperature and photoperiod by a combination of one to three response planes (r# for the different selections ranging from 63 to 90 %). Model testing with independent data sets showed good agreement between observed and predicted times to flowering and podding.# 1997 Annals of Botany Company

SUMMARYA semi-controlled environment study was conducted from May to September 1996 in Wageningen, The Netherlands, to investigate the interaction between growth and development in bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) and the influence of photoperiod on dry matter partitioning. The experimental design was a split-plot with four photoperiods (10n5, 11n8, 13n2 and 14n5 h\d) and two light treatments : unshaded and shaded (42 % light reduction). The selection used was ' DipC94 ' from Botswana. The dates of 50 % flowering and 50 % podding were determined, and samples of plants were harvested at 22, 36, 50, 64, 78, 92, 106 and 120 days after sowing. Total dry matter production was 41 % lower in the shaded treatment than in the unshaded treatment, but the rates of progress from sowing to flowering and flowering to podding decreased by only 3 and 12 % respectively. This suggests that growth and development in bambara groundnut are largely independent. Photoperiod influenced dry matter partitioning indirectly, through its influence on the onset of podding. There were, however, no strong direct photoperiod effects on dry matter partitioning, either before or after the onset of podding.

Since the 1990s, the exchange of genetic resources has been increasingly regulated. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Nagoya Protocol recognize that countries have sovereign rights over their genetic resources and provide a framework for domestic legislations on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS). However, within the rules of these international agreements, countries can follow their own interpretations and establish their own rules and regulations, resulting in restricted access to genetic resources and limited benefit-sharing, effects that are contrary to the objectives of these agreements. Although the ITPGRFA's Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing provides opportunities for easier access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), plant genebanks face increasing complexity in their operation. Adding material to genebank collections has become more difficult, not only because collecting missions need to be negotiated with national and local authorities, but also because acquiring material from other collections is only possible if the origin of the material is properly documented and is done in compliance with regulations. Genebanks may only provide access to their own collections if the material that is to be released is distributed in compliance with a) the conditions under which the material was received and b) the national laws of the country where the genebank is located. The only way genebanks can deal with this new complexity, apart from ceasing to add or distribute material, is by setting up proper procedures to document the origin of every accession and the conditions for their use and further distribution. To prevent a further decrease in access to PGRFA, complexity must be fought. Applying the ITPGRFA's Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) only, even for material that does not fall under the ITPGRFA, would simplify matters. The scope of the ITPGRFA could be expanded to include all crops. Furthermore, certain ambiguities (e.g. regarding in situ material and wild species) could be resolved. Finally, compliance with the ITPGRFA should be improved and better monitored.

This article explores which feelings and cognitions are involved in visitor experiences of zoo polar bears and how this experience relates to a visitor's conservation attitude. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 30 visitors in two Dutch zoos. Most respondents believed that a polar bear belongs in the wild but also acknowledged the conservation function of zoos. A typology of zoo visitor experiences of polar bears was derived and consists of (a) ecological (multiple feelings, connection with wild polar bear, and climate change awareness), (b) emotional (multiple feelings, connections with captive, and wild polar bear), (c) factual (limited feelings, connection with captive polar bear), (d) preservation (few feelings, connections with wild polar bear, and climate change awareness) and (e) indifferent (limited feelings, no connection). Results showed that visitors with an ecological experience had the strongest conservation attitude, and visitors with an indifferent experience had the weakest conservation attitude.

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