Growth and yield responses of cowpea to inoculation and phosphorus fertilization in different environments

Open Access Journal; Published: 03 May 2017Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a major source of dietary protein and essential component of the cropping systems in semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. However, yields are very low due to lack of improved cultivars, poor management practices, and limited inputs use. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of rhizobia inoculant and P on nodulation, N accumulation and yield of two cowpea cultivars in Mozambique. Field study was conducted in three contrasting environments during the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons using randomized complete block design with four replications and four treatments. Treatments consisted of seed inoculation, application of 40 kg P2O5 ha-1, inoculation + P, and a non-inoculated control. The most probable number (MPN) technique was used to estimate the indigenous bradyrhizobia populations at the experimental sites. The rhizobia numbers at the sites varied from 5.27 × 102 to 1.07 × 103 cells g-1 soil. Inoculation increased nodule number by 34–76% and doubled nodule dry weight (78 to 160 mg plant-1). P application improved nodulation and interacted positively with the inoculant. Inoculation, P, and inoculant + P increased shoot dry weight, and shoot and grain N content across locations but increases in number of pods plant-1, seeds pod-1, and 100-seed weight were not consistent among treatments across locations. Shoot N content was consistently high for the inoculated plants and also for the inoculated + P fertilized plants, whereas the non-inoculated control plants had the lowest tissue N content. P uptake in shoot ranged from 1.72 to 3.77 g kg-1 and was higher for plants that received P fertilizer alone. Inoculation and P either alone or in combination consistently increased cowpea grain yield across locations with yields ranging from 1097 kg ha-1 for the non-inoculated control to 1674 kg ha-1 for the inoculant + P treatment. Grain protein concentration followed a similar trend as grain yield and ranged from 223 to 252 g kg-1 but a negative correlation between grain yield and protein concentration was observed. Inoculation increased net returns by $104–163 ha-1 over that for the control. The results demonstrate the potential of improving cowpea grain yield, quality and profitability using inoculant, although the cost-benefit for using P at the current fertilizer price is not attractive except when applied together with inoculant at low P site

New evidence shows that letting people vote early benefits Republicans while Election-Day Registration helps Democrats

While Republicans tend to make it harder for people to vote through initiatives such as Voter ID requirements, Democrats tend to be in favor of measures which make voting easier, such as early and Election-Day registration. But do both measures advocated by Democrats actually have an impact on turnout? Barry Burden, David Canon, Ken Mayer and Donald Moynihan have examined vote returns across three presidential elections and find that while Election-Day registration laws are better at stimulating those who are on the fence to turn out – usually Democrats, early voting measures tend to encourage those who have already decided to vote – usually Republicans

Inoculant Formulation and Application Determine Nitrogen Availability and Water Use Efficiency in Soybean Production

Inoculation of suitable rhizobia enhances biological nitrogen fixation in soybean production and are economically viable for use among smallholder farmers due to its low price over inorganic commercial fertilizer blends. In Mozambique, inoculants are available in liquid or solid form (powder/peat or granular). Field studies were conducted in 2017 and 2018 seasons in three agroecologies (Angonia, Nampula and Ruace) in Mozambique to evaluate the performance of inoculants when applied directly to soil and on seed before planting. Data on nodulation, plant growth, nitrogen fixed, 13C isotope discrimination related water use efficiency, yield and yield components were analyzed in Statistical Analysis System® 9.4. Nodulation, yield, and yield components were significant for the different application methods, and solid form tended to be better than liquid form. The nitrogen derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) were 45.3%, 44.2% and 43.6% with a yield of 2672, 1752 and 2246 kg ha−1 for Angonia, Nampula and Ruace, respectively. Overall, inoculants applied on soil or seed increase the amount of biologically fixed nitrogen and has the potential of improving soybean productivity in Mozambique

The Impact of Primaries on General Election Outcomes in the U.S. House and Senate

Theory: We draw on established theories concerning strategic politicians, political learning, and political campaigning to challenge the conventional wisdom that divisive primaries diminish a nominee's chances of winning the general election. We use the concept of "political Darwinism" and introduce three new types of variables that move beyond the unidimensional focus of the impact of primary vote margins on general election outcomes. Hypotheses: Primary vote margins have no independent impact on general election outcomes, instead, campaign spending in the primary, the mediating impact of time, and the size of the challenger pool are expected to have explanatory power. Methods: Regression analysis of all House and Senate incumbent elections from 1974-1988. Results: Challengers largely benefit from contested primaries. The challenger who survives a tough primary will be the best campaigner and will have benefitted from the publicity that such a victory may provide. Incumbents, on the other hand, are hurt by the occasional divisiveness that they might face. Furthermore, late primaries tend to strengthen the positive effects of primary elections for challengers and weaken the negative effects for incumbents

Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: Evidence from 80,000 Congressional Inquiries

A vast literature debates the efficacy of descriptive representation in legislatures. Though studies argue it influences how communities are represented through constituency service, they are limited since legislators’ service activities are unobserved. Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, we collected 88,000 records of communication between members of the U.S. Congress and federal agencies during the 108th–113th Congresses. These legislative interventions allow us to examine members’ “follow‐through” with policy implementation. We find that women, racial/ethnic minorities, and veterans are more likely to work on behalf of constituents with whom they share identities. Including veterans offers leverage in understanding the role of political cleavages and shared experiences. Our findings suggest that shared experiences operate as a critical mechanism for representation, that a lack of political consensus is not necessary for substantive representation, and that the causal relationships identified by experimental work have observable implications in the daily work of Congress.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/1/ajps12443-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/2/ajps12443.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150606/3/ajps12443_am.pd

Educación física y niños con síndrome de down: estrategias metodológicas para la labor docente

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo comprender la forma como el profesional de Educación Física moviliza estrategias metodológicas para desarrollar su accionar docente con niños con síndrome de Down en la ciudad de Paysandú-Uruguay. Tratase de una investigación descriptiva con un abordaje teórico-metodológico cualitativo. Las informaciones producidas fueron analizadas mediante un proceso interpretativo de recurrencias en las respuestas de los colaboradores estableciendo relaciones entre el material empírico, lo teórico-conceptual y la construcción del análisis. El resultado fue condensado en tres categorías: el “perfil”, la “planificación”, y finalmente, las “herramientas metodológicas”; aspectos fundamentales para que el docente pueda accionar su labor pedagógica con el correspondiente grupo poblacional. Las herramientas metodológicas a nuestro parecer son las más relevantes para trabajar con niños con Síndrome de Down ya que son recursos, formas de trabajo y métodos puntuales que se utilizan para llevar a cabo la planificación en el grupo de sujetos a ser integrados

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia desde departamentos de Bolívar, Sucre, Magdalena y Sainth Lamber (Canadá)

En el presente texto se pretende desde una mirada social analizar diferentes contextos de violencia en Colombia como es el relato de Shimaya, se refleja la realidad violenta que han sufrido las comunidades indígenas y campesinas en Colombia. El conflicto armado ha provocado desplazamientos, masacres y violaciones a los derechos humanos, dejando traumas individuales y sociales en las víctimas. Sin embargo, a pesar de los sucesos negativos, estas comunidades han demostrado resiliencia y empoderamiento al unirse para reconstruir sus comunidades, preservando su cultura y tradiciones. Es importante recordar que las experiencias traumáticas pueden transformarse en un proceso de crecimiento y desarrollo social con el apoyo adecuado. También se analizará una historia triste como lo fue “La masacre del Salado, en los Montes de Maria” en el año 2000, en donde los sobrevivientes continúan sufriendo los efectos de los traumas psicológicos. La violencia resultó en la destrucción de los lazos sociales y la identidad cultural de esta comunidad, que desde entonces ha estado tratando de reconstruirse. A pesar de la ausencia de protección estatal durante la tragedia, los sobrevivientes han mostrado resiliencia y fortaleza. A través de las narrativas del trauma y las acciones psicosociales, han encontrado formas de procesar sus experiencias y encontrar nuevas metas significativas que les permitan abandonar la violencia como instrumento de persuasión social. Esto ha resultado en un legado de resiliencia y fuerza propositiva para las generaciones futuras, así esta fuerza y resiliencia de cada uno de los sobrevivientes ofrecen esperanza para el futuro en Colombia.In this text it is intended from a social perspective to analyze different contexts of violence in Colombia such as Shimaya's story, reflecting the violent reality that indigenous and peasant communities have suffered in Colombia. The armed conflict has caused displacements, massacres, and human rights violations, leaving individual and social traumas in the victims. However, despite the negative events, these communities have shown resilience and empowerment by coming together to rebuild their communities, preserving their culture and traditions. It is important to remember that traumatic experiences can be transformed into a process of growth and social development with the right support. A sad story will also be analyzed as it was "The massacre of El Salado, in the Montes de Maria" in the year 2000. In which the survivors continue to suffer the effects of psychological trauma. The violence resulted in the destruction of the social ties and cultural identity of this community, which has been trying to rebuild itself ever since. Despite the absence of state protection during the tragedy, the survivors have shown resilience and strength. Through trauma narratives and psychosocial actions, they have found ways to process their experiences and find meaningful new goals that allow them to abandon violence as an instrument of social persuasion. This has resulted in a legacy of resilience and purposeful power for future generations. Thus, this strength and the resilience of the survivors offer hope for the social future in Colombia