Resource use efficiency of maize production with and without irrigation system in Kaski, Nepal

The study examined the resource use efficiency of maize production in rainfed and irrigated conditions in Kaski, Nepal. It focused specially on the production function of maize, resource use efficiency and socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers. A well-structured interview schedule was used in this study. Out of the 368 households interviewed, 165 farmers cultivated maize and a total of 157 farmers (59 from irrigated and 98 from rainfed) provided useful data. The data analysis was done by using Microsoft excel and SPSS. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the resource use efficiency of maize production.  Compared to rainfed system, maize productivity in irrigated system was higher despite the use of fewer input implying irrigation. Increase in seed use by 10% increased the yield by 1.9% in case of rainfed system and 0.05% in case of the irrigated system. The major implication for the study is that farmers should make proper utilization of their resources to achieve higher level of resource use efficiency

Predicting the potential distribution and habitat variables associated with pangolins in Nepal

Pangolins are highly-threatened due to illegal hunting and poaching, and by the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of their habitats. In Nepal, effective conservation actions for pangolins are scarce due to limited information on the distribution of pangolins in many areas of the country. To identify the nationwide distribution of pangolins in Nepal, and assess the environmental variables associated with their habitat, we conducted an extensive literature review to collate data from previous studies, canvassed information from key informant interviews and expert opinion, and conducted transect surveys and sign surveys. The occurrence of pangolins was recorded based on sightings and indirect signs (such as burrows, digs, tracks, and scats) along 115 belt transects of 500-m length with a fixed width of 50-m, and habitat parameters were surveyed using 347 quadrats of 10 m*10 m. Pangolin presence was confirmed from 61 out of 75 districts from the eastern to the far western parts of the country. The highest frequency of burrows (74%) was observed in the forested habitat constituting brown soil with medium texture (0.02–2 mm) within an elevation range of 500–1500 m above sea level. Logistic regression suggested that the occurrence of pangolin was highly influenced by ground cover and canopy cover of 50–75%, litter depth, and the distance to termite mounds and roads. We used 4136 occurrence GPS points of pangolin burrows that were compiled and collected from the literature review and field surveys in order to predict the potential habitat distribution of pangolin using maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt 3.4.1). The model predicted 15.2% (22,393 km2) of the total land of Nepal as potentially suitable habitat for pangolin, with 38.3% (8574 km2) of potential habitat in the eastern region, followed by 37.6% (8432 km2) in the central and 24.1% (5,387 km2) in the western regions. The results of this study present a national baseline for pangolin distribution and serve as an important document for developing and executing conservation actions and management plans for the long-term conservation of pangolins in Nepal

Cane management in red raspberry crops a proof of concept towards automation

Canopy management activities such as bundling, tying and pruning are labor intensive and time-consuming operations in red raspberry production. These activities cost farmers more than $3,000 per hectare/year. Although, some mechanization techniques are available for tying the branches of fruit trees and vines, and for baling of leaves and straw, research on the development of mechanized systems for managing cane berry plants has not been reported yet. As the work is highly labor intensive, and the labor availability is dwindling, mechanization/automation in canopy management is essential for the long-term sustainability of the red raspberry industry. The current research focuses on the development and evaluation of a novel raspberry bundling and taping mechanism. Material such as cotton string or rope are generally used for tying. However, adhesive tape was used for taping bundled primocanes in this work as it simplified the taping mechanism by eliminating the knots that are required when string or rope is used to tie the canes. Field test results of the mechanism showed a bundling success rate of 94%; of 249 canes targeted for bundling, 235 were properly bundled. Of the 92 tape wrapping attempts, 76 attempts were successful in taping bundles of canes, a success rate of 83%. Then mechanism was further modified for speed, and overall operational time was decreased to 30 seconds from 3 minutes. We also evaluated the feasibility of using adhesive tape for holding the tied canes together for desired duration in red raspberry production. Type I tape (tensile strength 316 N/m) showed failure in 5% of the taping cases whereas type II (tensile strength 27N/m) showed failure in 18% of the case by the end of the six months evaluation period. The mean fruit yield between 45 randomly selected, machine tied raspberry plants was 313.98 ± 220.24 (mean ± SD), which was statistically the same as the yield from manually tied raspberry plants (293.08 ± 240.33) when tested with two sample t-test (F1,88 = 0.185, P = 0.67) at 5% significance level. These results were promising for the development of an automated machine for red raspberry cane bundling and taping

Assessment of regional changes for enhancing water availability

Abstract Background The land use plays a crucial role for a particular watershed along with many other identified and accepted factors. Momentarily, land cover practices are unorganised in most river basins of Nepal. The study aims at land cover classification, mapping of the changes over the last 25 years, an assessment of the accuracy for land cover classification, consolidation of the people’s perception of the ongoing work, studying trends in the temperature and precipitation pattern in the last 30 years in the area composed by 4 watersheds of the districts of Kaski and Tanahun of Chitwan Annapurna Landscape region, Nepal. Results This research depicted that the land cover practice is changing in the areas of study. In most of the cases, the share of open broadleaved forest is higher. In case of closed broadleaved forest, it has improved in the recent years. Chhabdi Khola and Guhe Khola watersheds show an increase in overall forest cover and decrease in percentage of agricultural lands. Overall, despite changing climate, rise of temperature and declining of rainfall pattern, the vegetation cover shows an increasing tendency which may have positive effects for the water availability in the Kaski and Tanahun regions. Conclusions The following research endeavoured to connect knowledge and people’s perception in order to understand the implications related to land use management and possibly to improve water availability for society. The investigation includes integrated land use changes, vegetation cover, climatic trends and potential of this knowledge implementation for local people, farmers, regional and national governing agencies

The influence of different mulching materials on Tomato's vegetative, reproductive, and yield in Dhankuta, Nepal

Dhankuta is considered a high-tomato production area in Nepal. The types of mulch recommended by government bodies and research stations are based on blanket recommendations. Research is carried out to identify the effect of different mulching materials like rice husk and silver on black plastic, straw, sawdust, and control on performance of tomatoes. It was investigated in a one-factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 4 replications and 5 treatments in a farmer's field, Patlekhola, Dhankuta. This study focused on plant growth and yield characteristics. The data were analyzed with R stat software at a 5% level of significance. Mulch application did not affect the number of leaves, stem diameter at 30, 45, or 60 days after planting, height to first truss initiation or reproductive characteristics. Mulch treatments had an effect on plant height and the number of leaves between two trusses at 60 DAT, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant, and total fruit yield (Mt/ha) when compared to the control. The result revealed that a plot mulched with rice husk generated the most fruits per plant around 20 and the highest fruit output (45.69 Mt/ha) with a 5.46 cm fruit diameter. This study will provide the farmer with a cost-effective selection of mulching practices and commercial cultivation of tomatoes in the upcoming days. Highlight: • Mulching had a considerable impact on the growth and yields of tomatoes. • The selection of mulching material is economic Point of decision. • The efficiency of mulched might have a different result on Different Farm. • Rice husk mulching produced the maximum tomato productivity. • The highest net return from rice husk is (1261240.5a) and the B:C ratio is (3.22a)

Examining the Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Employee Well-Being and Employee Engagement in the Digital Era

Introduction: Employee Well-Being (EWB) and Employee Engagement (EE) are crucial for a healthy workplace, but concern about Well-Being (WB) and EE are still prevalent. Emotional intelligence (EI) can help regulate and recognize emotions, and this study examines its impact on EWB and EE in the Digital Era (DE), considering sociodemographic factors. Methods: This study used a self-administered survey to gather the data and combined a quantitative method with a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The study made use of a variety of tools, including the employee engagement scale (EES), which was used to assess EE, the emotional intelligence scale (EIS), which was used to measure EI, and the functional well-being score from the World Health Organization (WHO), which was used to measure EWB. All the tools used in the study have been validated and are reliable, as determined by Cronbach’s alpha and other statistical analyses Results: The emotional intelligence (EI) significantly impacts employee well-being (EWB) and employee engagement (EE). H1 was accepted through Pearson correlation (P > 0.005, R = 0.065, R² = 0.004, and adjusted R² = 0.001), while H2 was supported by regression analysis (P >0.005, R = 0.717, R² = 0.514, and adjusted R² = 0.512). These findings highlight that EI is a predictor of EWB and EE, as well as a factor associated with years of work experience. Conclusion: The EI plays a crucial role in determining EWB and EE and the association between EI and years of work experience. These results imply that developing andenhancing EI competencies could positively impact EWB and EE, thereby improving job satisfaction and organizational outcomes. However, the study's limitations include a small sample size and a cross-sectional design, which limits the generalizability of the findings. 

Resource Use Efficiency of Maize Production with and Without Irrigation System in Kaski, Nepal

The study examined the resource use efficiency of maize production in rainfed and irrigated conditions in Kaski, Nepal. It focused specially on the production function of maize, resource use efficiency and socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers. A well-structured interview schedule was used in this study. Out of the 368 households interviewed, 165 farmers cultivated maize and a total of 157 farmers (59 from irrigated and 98 from rainfed) provided useful data. The data analysis was done by using Microsoft excel and SPSS. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the resource use efficiency of maize production.  Compared to rainfed system, maize productivity in irrigated system was higher despite the use of fewer input implying irrigation. Increase in seed use by 10% increased the yield by 1.9% in case of rainfed system and 0.05% in case of the irrigated system. The major implication for the study is that farmers should make proper utilization of their resources to achieve higher level of resource use efficiency

Distribution and habitat use of red panda in the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape of Nepal

In Nepal, the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has been sparsely studied, although its range covers a wide area. The present study was carried out in the previously untapped Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) situated in central Nepal with an aim to explore current distributional status and identify key habitat use. Extensive field surveys conducted in 10 red panda range districts were used to estimate species distribution by presence-absence occupancy modeling and to predict distribution by presence-only modeling. The presence of red pandas was recorded in five districts: Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Myagdi, Baglung and Dhading. The predictive distribution model indicated that 1,904.44 km of potential red panda habitat is available in CHAL with the protected area covering nearly 41% of the total habitat. The habitat suitability analysis based on the probability of occurrence showed only 16.58% (A = 315.81 km ) of the total potential habitat is highly suitable. Red Panda occupancy was estimated to be around 0.0667, indicating nearly 7% (218 km ) of the total habitat is occupied with an average detection probability of 0.4482±0.377. Based on the habitat use analysis, altogether eight variables including elevation, slope, aspect, proximity to water sources, bamboo abundance, height, cover, and seasonal precipitation were observed to have significant roles in the distribution of red pandas. In addition, 25 tree species were documented from red panda sign plots out of 165 species recorded in the survey area. Most common was Betula utilis followed by Rhododendron spp. and Abies spectabilis. The extirpation of red pandas in previously reported areas indicates a need for immediate action for the long-term conservation of this species in CHAL

UAV-Based High Resolution Thermal Imaging for Vegetation Monitoring, and Plant Phenotyping Using ICI 8640 P, FLIR Vue Pro R 640, and thermoMap Cameras

The growing popularity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in recent years, along with decreased cost and greater accessibility of both UAVs and thermal imaging sensors, has led to the widespread use of this technology, especially for precision agriculture and plant phenotyping. There are several thermal camera systems in the market that are available at a low cost. However, their efficacy and accuracy in various applications has not been tested. In this study, three commercially available UAV thermal cameras, including ICI 8640 P-series (Infrared Cameras Inc., USA), FLIR Vue Pro R 640 (FLIR Systems, USA), and thermoMap (senseFly, Switzerland) have been tested and evaluated for their potential for forest monitoring, vegetation stress detection, and plant phenotyping. Mounted on multi-rotor or fixed wing systems, these cameras were simultaneously flown over different experimental sites located in St. Louis, Missouri (forest environment), Columbia, Missouri (plant stress detection and phenotyping), and Maricopa, Arizona (high throughput phenotyping). Thermal imagery was calibrated using procedures that utilize a blackbody, handheld thermal spot imager, ground thermal targets, emissivity and atmospheric correction. A suite of statistical analyses, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation analysis between camera temperature and plant biophysical and biochemical traits, and heritability were utilized in order to examine the sensitivity and utility of the cameras against selected plant phenotypic traits and in the detection of plant water stress. In addition, in reference to quantitative assessment of image quality from different thermal cameras, a non-reference image quality evaluator, which primarily measures image focus that is based on the spatial relationship of pixels in different scales, was developed. Our results show that (1) UAV-based thermal imaging is a viable tool in precision agriculture and (2) the three examined cameras are comparable in terms of their efficacy for plant phenotyping. Overall, accuracy, when compared against field measured ground temperature and estimating power of plant biophysical and biochemical traits, the ICI 8640 P-series performed better than the other two cameras, followed by FLIR Vue Pro R 640 and thermoMap cameras. Our results demonstrated that all three UAV thermal cameras provide useful temperature data for precision agriculture and plant phenotying, with ICI 8640 P-series presenting the best results among the three systems. Cost wise, FLIR Vue Pro R 640 is more affordable than the other two cameras, providing a less expensive option for a wide range of applications

Landscape variables affecting the Himalayan red panda Ailurus fulgens occupancy in wet season along the mountains in Nepal.

The Himalayan red panda is an endangered mammal endemic to Eastern Himalayan and South Western China. Data deficiency often hinders understanding of their spatial distribution and habitat use, which is critical for species conservation planning. We used sign surveys covering the entire potential red panda habitat over 22,453 km2 along the mid-hills and high mountains encompassing six conservation complexes in Nepal. To estimate red panda distribution using an occupancy framework, we walked 1,451 km along 446 sampled grid cells out of 4,631 grid cells in the wet season of 2016. We used single-species, single-season models to make inferences regarding covariates influencing detection and occupancy. We estimated the probability of detection and occupancy based on model-averaging techniques and drew predictive maps showing site-specific occupancy estimates. We observed red panda in 213 grid cells and found covariates such as elevation, distance to water sources, and bamboo cover influencing the occupancy. Red panda detection probability [Formula: see text] estimated at 0.70 (0.02). We estimated red panda site occupancy (sampled grid cells) and landscape occupancy (across the potential habitat) [Formula: see text] at 0.48 (0.01) and 0.40 (0.02) respectively. The predictive map shows a site-specific variation in the spatial distribution of this arboreal species along the priority red panda conservation complexes. Data on their spatial distribution may serve as a baseline for future studies and are expected to aid in species conservation planning in priority conservation complexes