Seed size in lentil: iMapping at the U of S

Non-Peer Reviewe

Do you eat the red ones last? Breeding new classes of coloured beans for adaptation to Saskatchewan

Non-Peer Reviewe

Seed size in lentil: iMapping at the U of S

Non-Peer Reviewe

Benthic biomass size spectra in shelf and deep-sea sediments

The biomass distributions of marine benthic metazoans (meio- to macro-fauna, 1 ?g–32 mg wet weight) across three contrasting sites were investigated to test the hypothesis that allometry can consistently explain observed trends in biomass spectra. Biomass (and abundance) size spectra were determined from observations made at the Faroe–Shetland Channel (FSC) in the Northeast Atlantic (water depth 1600 m), the Fladen Ground (FG) in the North Sea (150 m), and the hypoxic Oman Margin (OM) in the Arabian Sea (500 m). Observed biomass increased with body size as a power law at FG (scaling exponent, b = 0.16) and FSC (b = 0.32), but less convincingly at OM (b = 0.12 but not significantly different from 0). A simple model was constructed to represent the same 16 metazoan size classes used for the observed spectra, all reliant on a common detrital food pool, and allowing the three key processes of ingestion, respiration and mortality to scale with body size. A micro-genetic algorithm was used to fit the model to observations at the sites. The model accurately reproduces the observed scaling without needing to include the effects of local influences such as hypoxia. Our results suggest that the size-scaling of mortality and ingestion are dominant factors determining the distribution of biomass across the meio- to macrofaunal size range in contrasting marine sediment communities. Both the observations and the model results are broadly in agreement with the "metabolic theory of ecology" in predicting a quarter power scaling of biomass across geometric body size classes

Lay perceptions of risk factors for Rift Valley fever in a pastoral community in northeastern Kenya

Authors thank the community in Ijara for participating in the study and Millicent Liani for assisting with data collection and providing access to relevant literature. We acknowledge the Food Safety and Zoonoses Research Program at the International Livestock and Research Institute in Nairobi (funded by the CGIAR research program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) led by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Part of this work was supported by the project ‘Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa: Ecosystems, livestock/wildlife, health and wellbeing: REF:NE/J001422/1” funded by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA). The ESPA program is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).Background: Human behavioral factors have been found to be central in the transmission of Rift Valley fever. Consumption of contaminated meat and milk in particular have been identified as one of the key risk factors for the transmission of Rift Valley fever in humans. In pastoral communities, livestock is the main source of livelihood from which many benefits such as food as well as economic and cultural services are derived. Zoonotic diseases therefore have a great impact on pastoral communities livelihoods. However, lay perceptions regarding the transmission of these diseases including Rift Valley fever hampers their effective control. This study investigated the lay perceptions of risks for Rift Valley fever transmission in a pastoral community in northeastern Kenya. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out in Ijara district, Kenya which was one of the hotspots of Rift Valley during the 2006/2007 outbreak. Data were collected using focus group discussions and narratives guided by checklists. Eight focus group discussions consisting of 83 participants and six narratives were conducted. Data was transcribed, coded and analysed according to Emergent themes. Results: The participants reported that they had experienced Rift Valley fever in their livestock especially sheep and in humans both in 1997/1998 and 2006/2007. However, they believed that infections in humans occurred as a result of mosquito bites and had little to do with their consumption of meat, milk and blood from infected livestock. The participants in this study indicated that they had heard of the risks of acquiring the disease through consumption of livestock products but their experiences did not tally with the information they had received hence to them, Rift Valley fever was not transmissible through their dietary practices. Conclusions: Though the communities in this region were aware of Rift Valley fever, they did not have elaborate information regarding the disease transmission dynamics to humans. To avoid misconception about transmission of the disease, intervention strategies, require to be accompanied by comprehensive explanations of the dynamics of its transmission. It is necessary to develop appropriate interventions that take into consideration, lay perceptions of risk factors for the disease and communities’ livelihood strategies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Do grasshoppers prefer one species of lentil over another?

Non-Peer ReviewedSevere outbreaks of grasshoppers cause yield losses in many economically important crops. Lentil (Lens culinaris) is particularly susceptible to grasshopper damage. The weather patterns of 2001-2002 in most of the lentil production regions of Saskatchewan contributed to the outbreak in grasshopper populations resulting in major damage to the lentil crop. Grasshoppers preferentially target the flowers and young pods of lentil plants. Lentil plants, due to their indeterminate growth habit, will re-grow if moisture is available, leading to development of new pods, resulting in delayed maturity and further grasshopper damage. Pods that are damaged or not consumed entirely may shatter or not fill properly. Grasshoppers are known to have very specific feeding habits and may show a range of preference from one plant species to another based on taste or texture. One of the seven known species of lentil has hairy pods. Grasshopper feeding preferences were examined on five lentil species, including the cultivated lentil. The purpose was to determine if grasshoppers prefer to feed on the cultivated lentil compared to four wild species. If they do, it may be possible in future to breed lentil varieties that are less damaged by grasshoppers by using the wild lentil species in the breeding program

Pulse crop breeding update

Non-Peer ReviewedThe pulse crop breeders at the Crop Development Centre (CDC)/Department of Plant Sciences are developing improved cultivars of lentil, field pea, chickpea, dry bean and faba bean for producers in western Canada. General objectives include improvement of yield, disease resistance, earliness, and quality for diverse markets

Rapid introgression of common bacterial blight resistance genes into dry bean elite varieties by marker-assisted backcrossing

Non-Peer Reviewe

Factors Influencing Commercialization of Horticultural Crops Among Smallholder Farmers in Juba, South Sudan

This paper aims at analyzing socio-economic and institutional factors influencing the commercialization of horticultural crops among smallholder farm households in Juba, South Sudan. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling technique to select a sample of 151 respondents. The survey was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires to collect primary data. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Tobit regression model by STATA analytical software. The results from descriptive statistics indicated that 77.48% of the farmers are female, 36.65% have access to land, 37.09% have access to education at the primary level, 96.69% have no access to market information, 74.17% do not have group membership and only 54.97% have access to irrigation facilities. The findings further revealed that the mean household commercialization index (HCI) was 74.81% and the specific HCI for the selected vegetable crops; tomato, okra and cowpeas were 74.92%, 72.96%, and 74.84% respectively. The results from the Tobit regression model revealed that commercialization of horticultural crops is influenced by the age of the farmer, farming experience, type of land acquisition, the quantity of crop produced, group membership, total variable costs, total farm revenue, and access to irrigation facilities. The finding revealed that the age of a farmer, types of crop produced, type of land acquisition, and group membership are negatively significant whereas, farming experience, total variable costs, total farm revenue, and access to irrigation facilities are positively significant. The study suggests that further evaluation of the factors influencing the commercialization of indigenous and exotic vegetables would be required in rural and peri-urban settings of South Sudan. This study provides an insight for policymakers to formulate appropriate policies that can promote domestic production and accelerate the transition of smallholder farmers from subsistence to the market-oriented production system. Keywords: Commercialization, Horticultural crops, Peri-urban areas, smallholder, Tobit regression model DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-14-05 Publication date:July 31st 202