No abstract

The mysterious ancient Mesoamerican Indian crop chia (Salvia hispanica) is revived and expanding worldwide due to its richness of valuable nutraceuticals such as α-linolenic acid (ALA), antioxidants, food fiber, gels, and proteins. We carried out a pilot experiment on chia planting in non-frost Sichuan Basin, at Hechuan Base (30˚0′ 43″ N, 106˚7′ 41″ E, 216 m), Southwest University, Chongqing, China. The split-plot trial contained two factors, 3 spring-summer sowing times as main plots, and 6 densities as subplots, with 3 replicates. Phenological, botanical, adversity, yield, and seed quality traits were investigated. Plants were very tall, suffered from lodging, and flowered in mid-October. Sichuan Basin can be considered as a north edge for growing chia, with low yield (680 kg/hectare) because of insufficient seed filling and maturation in autumn-winter season (1000-seed weight of 1.14 g). However, its ALA content is 5 percent points higher than the seed-donor commercial bottle (65.06%/63.96% VS 59.35%/59.74% for black/white seeds), accompanied by decrease oleic and stearic acid, while linoleic acid and palmitic acid are equivalent. Considering its short-day habit, it is recommended to try sowing in middle summer (from late June to early August) to avoid too long growing period, excessive vegetative growth, and waste of field and climate resources caused by spring-summer sowing. Furthermore, winter sowing of chia with mulch cover could also be tried, with an expectation of harvesting in summer. Most importantly, only when the photoperiod-insensitive early flowering stocks are created, chia can be recommended as a low-risk crop to the farmers of this region.

No abstract

The entrepreneurial intentions of Chinese students have received rapidly evolving attention, with the “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” program as a driving force, which encourages individuals to start their own business. Entrepreneurial intention, which is perceived as being a predictor of entrepreneurial behavior, has generally been explored in the existing literature on the basis of the theory of planned behavior and the intention–behavior model. Since intention is a psychological notion, it is important to investigate the motivation for developing entrepreneurial intention from a subjective perspective. The aim of this study is to identify the objective factors that determine Chinese science and engineering students’ entrepreneurial intentions, and to understand how these different factors affect their intention to become an entrepreneur. Q methodology, which is a technological combination of qualitative and quantitative research, was conducted using thirty Chinese science and engineering students, and this paper reports their individual attitudes and discourses concerning their entrepreneurial intentions. After compiling 32 Q sets of statements and performing factor analysis, three distinct types of entrepreneurs were revealed. The findings suggest that a subjective approach to entrepreneurship education should be taken to enhance science and engineering students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Some theoretical and practical implications of these findings for techno-entrepreneurship education and development are also discussed.