A training module for the international course on the management and utilisation of field genebanks and in vitro collections: Held at TARI, Fengshan, Taiwan on 16 -20 May 2011

The module focuses on good management practices for the conservation and utilization of material in field and in vitro genebanks. It aims to equip lecturers, practicum instructors, and technical staff in-charge of maintaining germplasm collections in field genebanks and in in vitro collections with the latest knowledge and best practices for managing these collections.This module is divided into 2 parts: lectures and discussions and practical hands-on sessions

Scaling Out Climate-Smart Agriculture for Resilient Farming in Adilabad District of Telangana

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an important approach towards minimizing impacts due to climate risks and maintaining agricultural growth. This report is part of the project that aims to contribute towards building a national strategy for scaling out climate resilient agricultural practices and technologies by synthesizing cumulative knowledge, experiences, and learnings gained by ICAR, CCAFS, and CG Centre’s Programs in climate risk management. The report outlines the process of developing a district level adaptation plan for resilient farming in the Adilabad district of Telangana by following steps of climatic risks characterization, identification and prioritization of CSA technologies and practices, the convergence of government policies and programs. Dry spell, uneven rainfall, heat wave and cold wave frequently occur in the district with severe impact on the rainfed cropping system in the district. Location specific CSA practices have the potential to reduce the losses due to climate risk. Potential CSA technologies are categorized into six main categories of water-smart, energysmart, nutrient-smart, carbon-smart, weather-smart and knowledge-smart. Area specific suitable CSA technologies are identified following a participatory approach through stakeholder’s participation. The identified list of technology is evaluated and prioritized for implementation feasibility, acceptability, adoption barriers, synergy with government plans, incentive mechanisms and key institutions. For the implementation of these technologies at the district level, the total estimated budget was estimated to be Rs. 273.0 Crore. The convergence of resources from relevant government schemes/projects for mobilizing funds for prioritized CSA technologies has been proposed for implementing climate adaptation plans at the district level. This integrated framework will be useful for the investment decision making process for resilient farming

Scaling Out Climate-Smart Agriculture for Resilient Farming in Beed district of Maharashtra

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an important approach towards minimizing impacts due to climate risks and maintaining agricultural growth. This report aims to contribute towards building a national strategy for scaling out climate resilient agricultural practices and technologies by synthesizing cumulative knowledge, experiences, and learnings gained by ICAR, CCAFS, and CG Centre’s Programs in climate risk management. The report presents district level adaptation plan for resilient farming in the Beed district of Maharashtra. The process consisted of characterization of climatic risks followed by identification and prioritization of CSA technologies and practices and identifying scaling up opportunities through the convergence of government policies and programs. Drought, heat wave, dry spells, and deficit rainfall are frequently occurring climate risks in the district with severe impact on rainfed cropping system. For the identification and prioritization of CSA technologies, all potential technologies are first categorized into six main categories of water-smart, energy-smart, nutrient smart, carbon-smart, weather-smart and knowledge-smart. Thereafter, district specific suitable CSA technologies are identified following a participatory approach through stakeholder’s workshop. The identified technologies are evaluated and prioritized for implementation feasibility, acceptability, adoption barriers, synergy with government plans, incentive mechanisms and key institutions. Total estimate budget of Rs. 387.0 Crore will be required for implementing these technologies in the district. The convergence of resources from relevant government schemes/projects for mobilizing funds for prioritized CSA technologies has been proposed. The process and results provided here are intended to assist decision makers to prioritize investments for CSA interventions to build resilient farming in the district

Disparities exist between National food group recommendations and the dietary intakes of women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Preconception and pregnancy dietary intakes can influence the health of future generations. In this study we compared the food intakes of reproductive-aged women by pregnancy status, to current Australian recommendations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, younger cohort aged 25-30 years in 2003, with self-reported status as pregnant (n = 606), trying to conceive (n = 454), given birth in the last 12 months (n = 829) or other (n = 5597). Diet was assessed using a validated 74-item food frequency questionnaire. Food group servings and nutrient intakes were compared to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) and Australian Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No women met all AGHE food group recommendations. Highest adherence rates [mean (95% CI) servings/day] were for meat [85%, 1.9(1.8-1.9)], fruit [44%, 2.1(2.1-2.2)] and dairy [35%, 1.8(1.8-1.9)], with < 14% meeting remaining recommendations. Women who achieved NRVs (folate, iron, calcium, zinc, fibre) for pregnancy, breastfeeding and adult life stages were 1.5%, 3.3% and 13.7%, respectively. Compared to AGHE, women consumed more servings of fruit (4.9 vs 4.0;<it>P </it>= 0.034) and dairy (3.4 vs 2.0;<it>P </it>= 0.006) to achieve pregnancy NRVs; more dairy (2.9 vs 2.0;<it>P </it>= 0.001), less fruit (3.9 vs 5.0;<it>P </it>< .001) and vegetables (3.4 vs 7.0;<it>P </it>< .001) to achieve breastfeeding NRVs; more fruit (3.6 vs 3.0;<it>P </it>< .001), dairy (2.5 vs 2.0;<it>P </it>< .001), meat (1.8 vs 1.5;<it>P </it>= 0.015), less vegetables (3.6 vs 5.0;<it>P </it>< .001) to achieve adult NRVs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The AGHE does not align with contemporary diets of Australian women or enable them to meet all NRVs. Current tools to guide food consumption by women during pregnancy require revision.</p

Estimated differences in economic and environmental performance of forage-based dairy herds across the UK

Differences in performance among the areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can provide some insight into the resilience of UK milk supplies from forage-based dairy herds. This study used a Markov Chain approach to model the average herd in each region between the years 2010 to 2015. The effect of a single unit change in milk production (milk volume, fat yield and protein yield), fitness (survival, somatic cell count, mastitis and calving interval) and efficiency (methane) traits on the economic value and GHG emissions intensity (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents per cow and per kg milk solids) were assessed. Production data were obtained from a total of about half a million milk recorded dairy cows in the UK and the Farm Business Surveys for each region. Across the UK improving the health (SCC and mastitis), fertility (calving intervals) and survival of cows will increase profitability and reduce emissions intensity of milk production. In Scotland, herds had higher milk yields but poorer survival, which potentially could be due to poor fertility indicated by a longer calving interval compared to other regions. Herds in Northern Ireland had the shortest average calving interval but the highest somatic cell counts (SCC), and thus greater estimated mastitis incidence and wasted milk. Notably, England had considerably higher economic values (between 10 and 30%) and emission intensity values (between 11 and 37%) for SCC and mastitis incidence than other regions, due to lost milk production and the higher gross margin. This study provides a framework that can be customised for individual herds to allow assessment of resilience and resource efficiency of milk production not only in the UK but for comparison with international dairy systems

Added dietary sulfur and molybdenum has a greater influence on hepatic copper concentration, intake, and performance in Holstein-Friesian dairy cows offered a grass silage- rather than corn silage-based diet

To test the hypothesis that the metabolism of Cu in dairy cows is affected by basal forage and added S and Mo, 56 dairy cows that were 35 (standard error ± 2.2) days postcalving and yielding 38.9 kg of milk/d (standard error ± 0.91) were offered 1 of 4 diets in a 2 × 2 factorial design for a 14-wk period. The 4 diets contained approximately 20 mg of Cu/kg of dry matter (DM), and had a corn silage-to-grass silage ratio of 0.75:0.25 (C) or 0.25:0.75 (G) and were either unsupplemented (−) or supplemented (+) with an additional 2 g of S/kg of DM and 6.5 mg of Mo/kg of DM. We found an interaction between forage source and added S and Mo on DM intake, with cows offered G+ having a 2.1 kg of DM lower intake than those offered G−, but no effect on the corn silage-based diets. Mean milk yield was 38.9 kg/d and we observed an interaction between basal forage and added S and Mo, with yield being decreased in cows offered G+ but increased on C+. No effect of dietary treatment on milk composition or live weight was noted, but body condition was lower in cows fed added S and Mo irrespective of forage source. We found an interaction between forage source and added S and Mo on milk somatic cell count, which was higher in cows offered G+ compared with G−, but not in cows fed the corn silage-based diets, although all values were low (mean values of 1.72, 1.50, 1.39, and 1.67 log10/mL for C−, C+, G−, and G+, respectively). Mean plasma Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations were 13.8, 41.3, and 0.25 µmol/L, respectively, and were not affected by dietary treatment, whereas plasma Mo was 0.2 µmol/L higher in cows receiving added S and Mo. The addition of dietary S and Mo decreased liver Cu balance over the study period in cows fed either basal forage, but the decrease was considerably greater in cows receiving the grass silage-based diet. Similarly, hepatic Fe decreased more in cows receiving G than C when S and Mo were included in the diet. We concluded that added S and Mo reduces hepatic Cu reserves irrespective of basal forage source, but this decrease is considerably more pronounced in cows receiving grass silage- than corn silage-based rations and is associated with a decrease in intake and milk performance and an increase in milk somatic cell count

Analysis of trends in mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition in Europe

Ecosystem condition is the overall quality of an ecosystem unit, in terms of its biological, physical and chemical characteristics underpinning its capacity to generate ecosystem services. Changes in ecosystem condition affect the delivery of services and therefore human well-being. Despite increasing research in this field, the relations between biodiversity, ecosystem condition and services are still not well understood. This study examined scientific articles and reports to analyse the development of ecosystem condition mapping and assessments in Europe since the year 2000. The aim was to provide an overview of the current state of research and to highlight some challenges for ecosystem condition and ecosystem services research. The review analysed the ecosystems under study, scales, methods, indicators, and the ecosystem services assessed. Based on this review, some gaps were identified, especially in the methods used for condition assessment, the coverage of ecosystems, and the applicability of indicators in policy. It is necessary to develop integrative methods to determine ecosystems condition and its influence on the ecosystem service provision, in order to produce robust information. The results of this review can be harnessed by people who need an overview about existing ecosystem condition studies, such as scientists, land managers or decision makers

Refinement of arsenic attributable health risks in rural Pakistan using population specific dietary intake values

Background: Previous risk assessment studies have often utilised generic consumption or intake values when evaluating ingestion exposure pathways. If these values do not accurately reflect the country or scenario in question, the resulting risk assessment will not provide a meaningful representation of cancer risks in that particular country/scenario. Objectives: This study sought to determine water and food intake parameters for one region in South Asia, rural Pakistan, and assess the role population specific intake parameters play in cancer risk assessment. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to collect data on sociodemographic features and 24-hour water and food consumption patterns from a rural community. The impact of dietary differences on cancer susceptibility linked to arsenic exposure was evaluated by calculating cancer risks using the data collected in the current study against standard water and food intake levels for the USA, Europe and Asia. A probabilistic cancer risk was performed for each set of intake values of this study. Results: Average daily total water intake based on drinking direct plain water and indirect water from food and beverages was found to be 3.5 L day-1 (95% CI: 3.38, 3.57) exceeding the US Environmental Protection Agency’s default (2.5 L day-1) and World Health Organization’s recommended intake value (2 L day-1). Average daily rice intake (469 g day-1) was found to be lower than in India and Bangladesh whereas wheat intake (402 g day−1) was higher than intake reported for USA, Europe and Asian sub-regions. Consequently, arsenic-associated cumulative cancer risks determined for daily water intake was found to be 17 in children of 3-6 years (95% CI: 0.0014, 0.0017), 14 in children of age 6-16 years (95% CI: 0.001, 0.0011) and 6 in adults of 16-67 years (95% CI: 0.0006, 0.0006) in a population size of 10000. This is higher than the risks estimated using the US Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization’s default recommended water intake levels. Rice intake data showed early life cumulative cancer risks of 15 in 10000 for children of 3-6 years (95% CI: 0.0012, 0.0015), 14 in children of 6-16 years (95% CI: 0.0011, 0.0014) and later life risk of 8 in adults (95% CI: 0.0008, 0.0008) in a population of 10000. This is lower than cancer risks in countries with higher rice intake and elevated arsenic levels (Bangladesh and India). Cumulative cancer risk from arsenic exposure showed the relative risk contribution from total water to be51%, from rice to be44% and wheat intake 5%. Conclusions: The study demonstrates the need to use population specific dietary information for risk assessment and risk management studies. Probabilistic risk assessment concluded the importance of dietary intake in estimating cancer risk, along with arsenic concentrations in water or food and age of exposed rural population