Genotypic increases in coleoptile length improves wheat establishment, early vigour and grain yield with deep sowing

Timely sowing is critical for achieving high grain yields in winter cereals. However, inadequate seed-zone moisture for germination commonly delays sowing to reduce biomass and subsequent yield in semi-arid environments. Sowing deep to reach soil moisture is often avoided by growers of Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b semi-dwarf wheat as these wheat show poor emergence when sown deep. Their reduced cell elongation associated with insensitivity to endogenous gibberellins, results in shorter coleoptiles and smaller early leaf area. Alternative dwarfing genes responsive to endogenous gibberellins (e.g. Rht8) are available for use in wheat breeding. These reduce plant height without affecting coleoptile length and offer potential to select longer coleoptile wheat for deep sowing. Nine semidwarf (Rht8, Rht-B1b, and Rht-D1b) and seven tall (rht) wheat genotypes were sown at depths of 50, 80 and 110 mm at three locations in 2 or 3 years. Coleoptile lengths measured in a growth cabinet at four temperatures (11, 15, 19 and 23 °C) were strongly correlated with coleoptile length (rp = 0.77-0.79**) and plant number (rp = 0.49*-0.79**) in deep-sown plots in the field. Furthermore, differences in coleoptile length were genetically correlated with greater numbers of emerged seedlings (rg = 0.97**), shallower crown depth (-0.58**), greater seedling leaf area (0.59**) and seedling biomass (0.44*). Wheat containing the Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b dwarfing genes produced significantly (P < 0.01) shorter coleoptiles (97 mm) than both Rht8 (118 mm) and tall (117 mm) wheat. In turn, compared with emergence from 50 mm depth, the Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b wheat produced significantly fewer seedlings at 110 mm sowing depth (-62%) than either Rht8 (-41%) or tall (-37%) wheat. Effects of deep sowing early in the season were maintained with reductions in spike number and biomass at both anthesis and maturity. Kernel number was also reduced with deep sowing leading to reductions in grain yield. Over all entries, genotypic increases in plant number were associated with increases in fertile spike (rg = 0.61**) and kernel number (0.21*), total biomass (0.26*) and grain yield (0.28*). Reduction in spike number and grain yield with deep sowing was smallest for the Rht8 (-18 and -10%) and rht (-15 and -7%) wheat, and largest for the Rht-B1b/D1b (-39 and -16%) wheat. Plant height and coleoptile length were independent among Rht8 and tall wheat genotypes. This study demonstrates the importance of good seedling emergence in achieving high wheat yields, and the potential use of alternative dwarfing genes such as Rht8 in development of long coleoptile, reduced height wheat suitable for deep sowing

Local and international: richly contested concepts in practitioner research (a patchwork paper)

This paper is a co-written paper by masters' students at a university in the Midlands region of England. In it the authors, all practicing teachers, explore via a series of interlinked research stories how they conceptualise: 'international’ and ‘local’ in their research. This paper by focusing, sharply on this aspect of their research positioning, reveals that this was in complex, nuanced and idiographic ways. The Midlands is one of the most multi-cultural and multi-ethnic regions of Britain and is therefore one where embracing and interpreting intersectionality is at the heart of navigating personal and professional life. One interpretation of these terms that emerged therefore interwove ‘the local’ and ‘the international’ and emphasised using research that focuses on the localised detail of classroom practice to find paths towards building inclusive classrooms within a multicultural context. However, another perspective that emerged drew conceptual boundaries between these terms, seeing internationally conducted research as a distinct but illuminating route into understanding local issues; while a third took as its starting point ‘the local’ and from this built an aspirational goal that good practice grounded in locally conducted research could inform international debates. These are just three illustrative examples of different ways that these teacher researchers interpreted the dichotomy of the global and the local. As is common and appropriate with patchwork presentations there is no attempt to impose a single methodological framework on the multiple authors and the research vignettes are rich and varied. This paper reveals that to practitioner researchers the concepts of international and local are richly contested and are utilized in varied ways. It will contribute to building an understanding of how practitioner research, too often perceived as localised and distinct from international research, can define its place in the international research community

Local and international: richly contested concepts in practitioner research (a patchwork paper)

This paper is a co-written paper by masters' students at a university in the Midlands region of England. In it the authors, all practicing teachers, explore via a series of interlinked research stories how they conceptualise: 'international’ and ‘local’ in their research. This paper by focusing, sharply on this aspect of their research positioning, reveals that this was in complex, nuanced and idiographic ways. The Midlands is one of the most multi-cultural and multi-ethnic regions of Britain and is therefore one where embracing and interpreting intersectionality is at the heart of navigating personal and professional life. One interpretation of these terms that emerged therefore interwove ‘the local’ and ‘the international’ and emphasised using research that focuses on the localised detail of classroom practice to find paths towards building inclusive classrooms within a multicultural context. However, another perspective that emerged drew conceptual boundaries between these terms, seeing internationally conducted research as a distinct but illuminating route into understanding local issues; while a third took as its starting point ‘the local’ and from this built an aspirational goal that good practice grounded in locally conducted research could inform international debates. These are just three illustrative examples of different ways that these teacher researchers interpreted the dichotomy of the global and the local. As is common and appropriate with patchwork presentations there is no attempt to impose a single methodological framework on the multiple authors and the research vignettes are rich and varied. This paper reveals that to practitioner researchers the concepts of international and local are richly contested and are utilized in varied ways. It will contribute to building an understanding of how practitioner research, too often perceived as localised and distinct from international research, can define its place in the international research community

The CAPACITI decision-support tool for national immunization programs

Objectives Immunization programs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are faced with an ever-growing number of vaccines of public health importance recommended by the World Health Organization, while also financing a greater proportion of the program through domestic resources. More than ever, national immunization programs must be equipped to contextualize global guidance and make choices that are best suited to their setting. The CAPACITI decision-support tool has been developed in collaboration with national immunization program decision makers in LMICs to structure and document an evidence-based, context-specific process for prioritizing or selecting among multiple vaccination products, services, or strategies. Methods The CAPACITI decision-support tool is based on multi-criteria decision analysis, as a structured way to incorporate multiple sources of evidence and stakeholder perspectives. The tool has been developed iteratively in consultation with 12 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Results The tool is flexible to existing country processes and can follow any type of multi-criteria decision analysis or a hybrid approach. It is structured into 5 sections: decision question, criteria for decision making, evidence assessment, appraisal, and recommendation. The Excel-based tool guides the user through the steps and document discussions in a transparent manner, with an emphasis on stakeholder engagement and country ownership. Conclusions Pilot countries valued the CAPACITI decision-support tool as a means to consider multiple criteria and stakeholder perspectives and to evaluate trade-offs and the impact of data quality. With use, it is expected that LMICs will tailor steps to their context and streamline the tool for decision making