Short Term Effect of Crop Residue and Different Nitrogen Levels on Grain yield of Wheat under Rice-Wheat System

Crop residues are very important source of plant nutrients and recycling of crop residues with inorganic fertilizer increases the yield of rice and wheat in rice-wheat system. The objective of the study was to determine the production and productivity of wheat as affected by management of crop residues and different nitrogen levels. The field experiments were carried out in 2014 and 2015 at National Wheat Research Program, Bhairahawa, Nepal and the field was laid out in split plot design: two crop residue levels (with and without residues) as whole plot and seven nitrogen levels (0, 25, 50, 75,100, 125, 150 kg/ha) as sub-plot which were replicated three times. Significant difference was observed with crop residues incorporation in biological yield with the value of 5538 kg/ha as compared to without residue incorporation (4167 kg/ha) in 2014. Similar result was observed in 2015 as highest significant biological yield of 6629 kg/ha was recorded from residue incorporation plot. On the other hand, application of nitrogen @ 150 kg/ha resulted to significantly highest grain yield of 2593 and 3073 kg/ha in both years (2014 and 2015) respectively. The overall conclusion is that an improved crop residue management with appropriate dose of chemical fertilizer increases the grain yield of wheat in short term basis

Participatory evaluation of advanced potato (Solanum tuberosum) clones for water stress tolerance

An attempt was made to introduce potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in hot arid water scarce zone of Western Rajasthan, India. Eight CIP-bred potato clones were evaluated along with two controls, viz. Kufri Pukhraj and Kufri Surya on farmer’s field at Jodhpur, Rajasthan under normal and moderate water stress regime during three winter crop seasons (2012-15). Pooled analysis revealed that CIP clone 397006.18 (34.0 tonnes/ha) out yielded Kufri Pukhraj (26.8 tonnes/ha) and Kufri Surya (20.2 tonnes/ha) for marketable tuber yield. This clone maintained yield under normal and deficit irrigation and attained 26.9% higher marketable yield under normal irrigations, which further improved by 31.3% under deficit water stress regime over the best control Kufri Pukhraj. This clone recorded highest tuber dry matter content (22.7%), statistically superior to both control Kufri Pukhraj (17.9%) and Kufri Surya (21.4%). Clone 397006.18 had highest mean drought tolerance index value (1.16) and least total weight loss under normal irrigation (4.9%) and water stress conditions (8.6%) up to 60 days of storage. Preference yield analysis by potato growers showed that they liked this clone most and its overall acceptability was fairly better for all organoleptic traits. Results of field study and participatory varietal selection indicated that clone 397006.18 performed better for tuber productivity under deficit water management, exhibited drought tolerance traits and achieved overall acceptance by the farmers in Western Rajasthan

Evaluation of Representative Microbiological Sampling Sites of Goat and Sheep Dressed Carcasses

Statistical analysis of data of number of sampling points for microbial counts representing the entire goat/sheep carcass was carried out. Thirtytwo sampling points were evaluated out of which fourteen were found to represent the entire dressed carcass for assessing its hygienic efficacy

Wheat Yield Trend and Soil Fertility Status in Long Term Rice-Rice-Wheat Cropping System

A long-term soil fertility experiment under rice-rice-wheat system was performed to evaluate the long term effects of inorganic fertilizer and manure applications on soil properties and grain yield of wheat. The experiment began since 1978 was laid out in randomized complete block design with 9 treatments replicated 3 times. From 1990 onwards, periodic modifications have been made in all the treatments splitting the plots in two equal halves of 4 x 3 m2 leaving one half as original. In the original treatments, recent data revealed that the use of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) @10 t ha-1 gave significantly (P≤0.05) higher yield of 2.3 t ha-1 in wheat, whereas control plot gave the lowest grain yield of 277 kg ha-1. Similarly, in the modified treatments, the use of FYM @10 t ha-1 along with inorganic Nitrogen (N) and Potassium oxide (K2O) @ 50 kg ha-1 produced significantly (P≤0.05) the highest yield of 2.4 t/ha in wheat. The control plot with an indigenous nutrient supply only produced wheat yield of 277 kg ha-1 after 35th year completion of rice-rice-wheat system. A sharp decline in wheat yields was noted in minus N, phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) treatments during recent years. Yields were consistently higher in the N:P2O5:K2O and FYM treatments than in treatments, where one or more nutrients were lacking. The application of P2O5 and K2O caused a partial recovery of yield in P and K deficient plots. There was significant (P≤0.05) effect of use of chemical fertilizers and manure on soil properties. The soil analysis data showed an improvement in soil pH (7.8), soil organic matter (4.1%), total N content (0.16%), available P (503.5 kg P2O5 ha-1) and exchangeable K (137.5 kg K2O ha-1) in FYM applied treatments over all other treatments. The findings showed that the productivity of the wheat can be increased and sustained by improving nutrient through the integrated use of organic and inorganic manures in long term.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.1 2015 pp.21-2

Experiences of the Postoperative Recovery Process: An Interview Study

Few researchers have described postoperative recovery from a broad, overall perspective. In this article the authors describe a study focusing on patient and staff experiences of postoperative recovery using a qualitative descriptive design to obtain a description of the phenomenon. They performed 10 individual interviews with patients who had undergone abdominal or gynecological surgery and 7 group interviews with registered nurses working on surgical and gynecological wards and in primary care centers, surgeons from surgical and gynecological departments, and in-patients from a gynecological ward. The authors analyzed data using qualitative content analysis. Postoperative recovery is described as a Dynamic Process in an Endeavour to Continue With Everyday Life. This theme was further highlighted by the categories Experiences of the core of recovery and Experiences of factors influencing recovery. Knowledge from this study will help caregivers support patients during their recovery from surgery

A Comparative Study of Antioxidant Potential and Phytochemical Contents of different Extracts of Wild Nasturtium Officinale W T Aiton Collected from Kumaun Region of Uttarakhand

Nasturtium officinale W. T Aiton or “watercress” (Brassicaceae) is a nutritionally valuable plant that is the richest source of carotenoids, polyphenols, iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, essential vitamins and minerals. It is traditionally used for their appetiser, anti-scorbutic, stimulant, diuretic and detoxifying properties. The present study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant potential, phytochemical contents (total phenolic, flavonoids and tannin contents) as well as a preliminary phytochemical screening of different extract of aerial parts of Nasturtium officinale collected from the Kumaun region. The different extracts showed significant antioxidant activity as well as total phenolic, flavonoids and tannin contents. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of several phytochemical constituents such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids and others. The hydroalcoholic extract possess significantly (P<0.05) higher antioxidant potential with IC50 value (0.333 mg/ml, 0.509mg/ml)and EC50 value (3.537 mg/ml) by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)(ABTS), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods, respectively, as well as highest total tannin, flavonoid and phenolic contents among all the extracts. These results provide substantial evidence that the plant Nasturtium officinalehas antioxidant potential and valuable sources of phytochemicals