Adoption of Improved Wheat Farming Practices Among the Farmers of Surkhet District, Nepal

The main purpose of the study was to determine the adoption of improved wheat farming practices among the farmers of Surkhet district, Nepal. The study also attempted to identify the farmers' reasons for not adopting these practices as well as to determine the relationship between adoption and their selected personal characteristics. The respondents of the study consisted of 120 farmers which were randomly selected from nine wards of the district. The data were collected by means of personal interview

Retraction notice to “Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers in nawalparsi district of nepal” [Jurnal Agercolere, 1(1), 1–5]

This article has been retracted: please see Jurnal Agercolere Publication Ethics (http://faperta.unisan.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/jac/ethics). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The author has published manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication, as follow: Aryal, M. Jaishi and A. Gaire, “Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers of Nawalparasi district, Nepal” - Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2018, pp. 109–113. ref.6 url: http://www.hicast.edu.np/uploads/colleges/16/5c2a464490dbd.pdf One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.This article has been retracted: please see Jurnal Agercolere Publication Ethics (http://faperta.unisan.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/jac/ethics). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The author has published manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication, as follow: Aryal, M. Jaishi and A. Gaire, “Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers of Nawalparasi district, Nepal” - Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2018, pp. 109–113. ref.6 url: http://www.hicast.edu.np/uploads/colleges/16/5c2a464490dbd.pdf One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process

Adoption of Goat Production Technology and Its Impact Among Rural Farmers in Nawalparsi District of Nepal

Nayabelhani VDC of Nawalparasi district was chosen to judge the effectiveness of goat production technology supported by Heifer International Nepal. Field survey with before and after approach was employed in the study. Information obtained from Stratified random sampling technique from 90 households with structured questionnaire and was compared with the baseline data. Adoption index was calculated through scoring technique after content validation. Participatory rural appraisal for problems identification. The research revealed that the extent of adoption of scientific goat production technology after project was higher than before project (80% Vs 32%, P<0.01). Further, the average herd size after the project was slightly decreased from 6.585 to 5.677 while the kid mortality dropped from 15% to 11%. The average number of kidding in 2 years was increased from 2 to 3 and the average number of kids per kidding was increased from 1 to 2. Goats were more frequently marketed at an average age of 12 months with an average weight of 24kg after the project. Similarly, the average annual income from the goat per household was found to be almost doubled from Nrs. 8,489 to Nrs. 15,084. Predator was found to be the most serious problem out of seven identified problems

Neck shrivel in European plum is caused by cuticular microcracks, resulting from rapid lateral expansion of the neck late in development

Susceptibility to the commercially important fruit disorder ‘neck shrivel’ differs among European plum cultivars. Radial cuticular microcracking occurs in the neck regions of susceptible cultivars, but not in non-susceptible ones, so would seem to be causal. However, the reason for the microcracking is unknown. The objective was to identify potential relationships between fruit growth pattern and microcracking incidence in the neck (proximal) and stylar (distal) ends of selected shrivel-susceptible and non-susceptible cultivars. Growth analysis revealed two allometric categories: The first category, the ‘narrow-neck’ cultivars, showed hypoallometric growth in the neck region (i.e., slower growth than in the region of maximum diameter) during early development (stages I + II). Later (during stage III) the neck region was ‘filled out’ by hyperallometric growth (i.e., faster than in the region of maximum diameter). The second category, the ‘broad-neck’ cultivars, had more symmetrical, allometric growth (all regions grew equally fast) throughout development. The narrow-neck cultivars exhibited extensive radial cuticular microcracking in the neck region, but little microcracking in the stylar region. In contrast, the broad-neck cultivars exhibited little microcracking overall, with no difference between the neck and stylar regions. Across all cultivars, a positive relationship was obtained for the level of microcracking in the neck region and the difference in allometric growth ratios between stage III and stages I + II. There were no similar relationships for the stylar region. The results demonstrate that accelerated stage III neck growth in the narrow-neck plum cultivars is associated with more microcracking and thus with more shrivel

New Country Records and Annotated Checklist of the Dacine Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacini) of Nepal

Preliminary surveys for Dacine fruit flies were carried out in May 2015 and June 2017, with male lure (cue-lure, methyl eugenol, zingerone) traps maintained at 55 sites, (110–1,780 m elevation range), comprised mostly of Nepal Agricultural Research Council research stations. Twenty species were collected, including 11 new country occurrence and 2 new male lure association records. The most common species were fruit pests Bactrocera dorsalis (60.4% of all captures) and B. zonata (15.2%), and cucurbit pests Zeugodacus tau (9.5%) and Z. cucurbitae (8.7%). We present an annotated checklist of the 26 species now known to occur in Nepal, including 5 fruit and 6 cucurbit pests

ENERGY USE EFFICIENCY (EUE) FOR HYBRID MAIZE UNDER DIFFERENT TILLAGE SYSTEMS AND PLANT DENSITY IN CHITWAN, NEPAL

To assess energy use efficiency of hybrids maize as influenced by tillage methods and plant density. A field experiment was carried out at research field of National Maize Research Program (NMRP), Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal during winter season of 2015/16. The experiment was laid out in strip-split plot design comprising two hybrids as horizontal factor (Rampur hybrid 4 and Rampur hybrid 6), two tillage methods as vertical factors (zero and conventional tillage) and four plant populations as sub-sub plot factors (55,555, 69,444, 85,470 and 1,01,010 plants ha-1). Zero tillage recorded significantly higher energy output and net energy balance (238.98 and 217.48 MJ ha-1) as compared to conventional tillage (193.65 and 172.22 MJ ha-1, respectively). Similarly, the plant population of 85 thousand plants ha-1 recorded significantly higher energy output and net energy balance (233.98 and 212.45 thousand MJ ha-1) than 55 (184.10 and 162.87 thousand MJ ha-1) but remained at par with 69 (206.63 and 185.24 thousand MJ ha-1) and 101 thousand plants ha-1 (240.55 and 218.83 thousand MJ ha-1).To assess energy use efficiency of hybrids maize as influenced by tillage methods and plant density. A field experiment was carried out at research field of National Maize Research Program (NMRP), Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal during winter season of 2015/16. The experiment was laid out in strip-split plot design comprising two hybrids as horizontal factor (Rampur hybrid 4 and Rampur hybrid 6), two tillage methods as vertical factors (zero and conventional tillage) and four plant populations as sub-sub plot factors (55,555, 69,444, 85,470 and 1,01,010 plants ha-1). Zero tillage recorded significantly higher energy output and net energy balance (238.98 and 217.48 MJ ha-1) as compared to conventional tillage (193.65 and 172.22 MJ ha-1, respectively). Similarly, the plant population of 85 thousand plants ha-1 recorded significantly higher energy output and net energy balance (233.98 and 212.45 thousand MJ ha-1) than 55 (184.10 and 162.87 thousand MJ ha-1) but remained at par with 69 (206.63 and 185.24 thousand MJ ha-1) and 101 thousand plants ha-1 (240.55 and 218.83 thousand MJ ha-1)

RESPONSE OF AZOTOBACTER IN CAULIFLOWER (BRASSICA OLERACEA L. VAR. BOTRYTIS) PRODUCTION AT LAMJUNG, NEPAL

A field experiment was carried out at research field of Lamjung Campus, Nepal during September 2015 to February 2016 to assess the response of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) to different combination of nitrogenous fertilizer with Azotobacter. 6 treatment with 4 replications were laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design. Phosphorous and potassium was applied full does in all the treatments with chemical fertilizer. It was recorded that the application of recommended doses of nitrogen along with the bio-fertilizer significantly increased morphological characters and yield as compared to other treatments. Besides, the stem diameter was non-significant to the different treatments. It was followed by the full dose of NPK without azotobacter and then 50% nitrogen with azotobacter, which was statistically at par with 25% nitrogen with azotobacter, followed by FYM + Azotobacter. Curd yield along with all the morphological characters were seen lowest in control. Cauliflower curd yield at recommended dose of nitrogen did not significantly differ with the curd yield recorded at half of recommended dose of nitrogen with azotobacter. The finding demonstrated a saving of 50% of nitrogen where it can be substituted with the application of bio-fertilizer to increase the yield and morphological character

Evaluation of Phytochemical, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are important reservoirs of bioactive compounds that need to be explored systematically. Because of their chemical diversity, natural products provide limitless possibilities for new drug discovery. This study aimed to investigate the biochemical properties of crude extracts from fifteen Nepalese medicinal plants. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), and antioxidant activity were evaluated through a colorimetric approach while the antibacterial activities were studied through the measurement of the zone of inhibition (ZoI) by agar well diffusion method along with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by broth dilution method. The methanolic extracts of Acacia catechu and Eupoterium adenophorum showed the highest TPC (55.21 ± 11.09 mg GAE/gm) and TFC (10.23 ± 1.07 mg QE/gm) among the studied plant extracts. Acacia catechu showed effective antioxidant properties with an IC50 value of 1.3 μg/mL, followed by extracts of Myrica esculenta, Syzygium cumini, and Mangifera indica. Morus australis exhibited antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (ZoI: 25mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (ZoI: 22 mm, MIC: 0.012 mg/mL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZoI; 20 mm, MIC: 0.05 mg/mL), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ZoI: 19 mm, MIC: 0.19 mg/mL). Morus australis extract showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, followed by Eclipta prostrata, and Hypericum cordifolium. Future study is recommended to explore secondary metabolites of those medicinal plants to uncover further clinical efficacy

Retracted: Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers in Nawalparsi district of Nepal

This article has been retracted: please see Jurnal Agercolere Publication Ethics (http://faperta.unisan.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/jac/ethics). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The author has published manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication, as follow: K. Aryal, M. Jaishi and A. Gaire, “Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers of Nawalparasi district, Nepal” - Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2018, pp. 109–113. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.This article has been retracted: please see Jurnal Agercolere Publication Ethics (http://faperta.unisan.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/jac/ethics). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The author has published manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication, as follow: K. Aryal, M. Jaishi and A. Gaire, “Adoption of goat production technology and its impact among rural farmers of Nawalparasi district, Nepal” - Nepalese Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2018, pp. 109–113. One of the conditions of submission of a paper for publication is that authors declare explicitly that their work is original and has not appeared in a publication elsewhere. Re-use of any data should be appropriately cited. As such this article represents a severe abuse of the scientific publishing system. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter and apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process

Evaluation of Locally Available Botanicals for the Management of Maize Weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.) in Room Storage Condition

From April to July 2019, an experiment was conducted in Khumaltar, Lalitpur (27°39.312′N, 85° 19.586′E, and 1322 m above sea level) to assess the effectiveness of plant materials on maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motsch.) control under laboratory conditions (maintained room temperature of 28.5 ± 2°C, and relative humidity of 72 ± 5%) treatments were Acorus calamus (rhizome powder) @ 5 g·kg−1, Melia azadirach (rhizome powder) seed) @ 5 g·kg−1, Curcuma domestica (rhizome powder) @ 5 g·kg−1, mustard oil @ 2 mL·kg−1, Gingiber officinalis (rhizome powder) @ 5 g·kg−1, rice husk ash @ 5 g·kg−1, and an untreated control. These treatments were evaluated in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. At four months, the grains treated with Acorus calamus had the least weight loss (6.66%), and grain damage (1.23%). Grain damage (18%), and weight loss (62.33%) were the highest in the control treatment. Similarly, grains treated with Acorus calamus had the fewest number of exit holes (3.10 per 100 g of maize seed), while the control treatment had the largest number of exit holes (45.10 per 100 g of maize seed). There was a significantly higher number of weevils in the control treatment (55.80 per 250 g maize grains), but only a few numbers of weevils in the Acorus calamus-treated grains (2.50 per 250 g maize grains). In contrast with other plant materials treated grains, the maize weevil showed a reduced preference for Acorus calamus- treated grains with low weight loss, and grain damage. These findings can be used to promote locally accessible botanicals for maize weevil control in Nepal