Germination and emergence of diverse dry bean varieties under cold and dry conditions

Non-Peer ReviewedDry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) originated in the tropics and is a warm season crop. In temperate climates such as Saskatchewan, producers face many challenges in growing the crop. Sowing often occurs under suboptimal conditions for crop growth. Planting in early spring (early May) in cold soils results in poor stands while waiting for warmer temperatures in June reduces the length of the growing season. In some years, like 2002, the seedbed conditions at sowing time are cold and dry, which adversely affect stand establishment. Two experiments were conducted in the phytotron at the University of Saskatchewan to address the stand establishment problem in dry bean. The first experiment tested 12 bean varieties/lines for germination ability in petri plates placed in incubation chambers using 20 different temperature regimes. The bean varieties included nine from bean breeding programs across western Canada and one variety from the bean breeding program at Michigan State University and these were compared with two bean lines (G9345, G8823), known to have some cold tolerance, obtained from CIAT (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture) in Cali, Colombia. All genotypes were then tested for emergence in the soil in growth chambers at five temperatures and three soil moisture regimes. From the petri plates, the break-point temperature for bean germination where genotypes varied was 16/16 C (day/night). Temperatures above this were optimal for germination for all bean varieties used in the experiment. The two CIAT lines G9345 and G8823 had superior germination (about 35%) at a lower temperature regime of 14/10 C. Among prairie adapted varieties, AC Polaris had the best germination (25%) under the same temperature regime. Under simulated field conditions, emergence and plant development were slowed down by drought stress or cooler temperatures. Under cool temperatures the two CIAT lines had faster emergence than the bean varieties bred in western Canada. CDC Nighthawk and AC Polaris were most promising among prairie adapted varieties

The effects of cultivar on nodulation, seed yield, and dinitrogen fixation of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

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Effective Classroom Management and the Use of TPACK: Implication for Pedagogical Practices

This study was essentially exploratory, investigated the acquaintance and strategies of instructional materials usage by the teachers. It examines classroom management, preparation and handling of instructional materials. Classroom management in this context is the skill in organization and presentation of lessons in such a way that all learners are actively involved in learning. In the study two instruments were administered to science teachers; the first instrument was to ascertain the acquaintance of instructional materials by the teachers. The second instrument was classroom observation. The results revealed that acquaintance on the use of instructional materials by the teachers was very high but they hardly use them. Moreover, correlation coefficient of .721 which is positive and significant @ .05 showed that instructional materials contributed to effective classroom management. The study has implication for practicing teachers and the stakeholders. Key words: classroom management, instructional media, content, knowledge, pedagogy

Bean quest 2002: the final frontier

Non-Peer ReviewedThe agronomic, economic and genetic pieces of the jigsaw puzzle for developing a dryland bean industry in Saskatchewan are coming together. In 2002, dryland bean growers in Southeastern Saskatchewan made a profit using new varieties of black and pinto bean. Much of the credit for this goes to the hard work, homework, and perseverance of the crop clubs that have developed around the province in the past few years. The research and development effort of the past 10 years is finally starting to pay dividends in the dry bean sector of the pulse industry. In this paper, we would like to briefly summarize some of the key results of various dry bean research and development projects that have been underway in the past few years

Relative levels of eLearning readiness, applications and trainee requirements in Botswana’s Private Sector

Abstract The rapid growth and modernization of economies in developing countries like Botswana creates new and unmet demands for certain kinds of educated and skilled labour. The expansion of secondary and tertiary school systems has also created a problem of unemployed school leavers. The growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), globalization and the digital divide likewise, have together put new pressures on developing countries to accelerate their development to meet these demands. This paper reports the results of a survey that sought to assess levels of eLearning readiness, applications and trainee requirements in Botswana’s private sector. Such baseline data can inform policymakers and researchers and promote the transformation required of private sector companies to become learning organizations. The findings suggested that eLearning readiness (eReadiness) levels were moderate to low, and that archaic technology (i. e., overhead projection) was used by more than half of the private sector organizations for training (with far less than half using digital eLearning applications). While the overall findings suggested low levels of eLearning readiness, applications and trainee requirements in Botswana’s private sector, seventy percent of trainers reported that their organizations encouraged them to acquire basic computer skills to facilitate eLearning. The current eLearning situation in Botswana, and the literature reviewed, demonstrates that the integration of ICTs in both developing and developed countries was a gradual process. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have expedited the change process in developed countries. However, several limitations are associated with such partnerships and this renders lessons for developing countries to emulate. Résumé La croissance et la modernisation rapides des économies des pays en voie de développement comme le Botswana créent des demandes nouvelles et non satisfaites pour certains types de main-d’œuvre instruite et qualifiée. L’expansion des systèmes d’enseignement secondaires et tertiaires a également créé un problème de chômage chez les jeunes sortant de l’école. La croissance des technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) ainsi que l’accroissement de la mondialisation et du fossé numérique ont ensemble engendré de nouvelles pressions sur les pays en voie de développement afin de répondre à ces demandes. Le présent article provient d’un sondage qui visait à évaluer les niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne, les applications informatiques et les besoins de formation en ligne des stagiaires dans le secteur privé au Botswana. De telles données de base peuvent informer les décideurs et les chercheurs et promouvoir la transformation nécessaire des entreprises du secteur privé afin qu’elles deviennent des entreprises du savoir. Les résultats suggèrent que les niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne (maturité électronique) sont modérés à faibles et que des technologies archaïques (par exemple, des rétroprojecteurs) étaient utilisées par plus de la moitié des organismes du secteur privé pour la formation (et beaucoup moins de la moitié utilisaient des applications numériques pour l’apprentissage en ligne). Bien que l’ensemble des résultats suggère de faibles niveaux de maturité pour l’apprentissage en ligne, les applications informatiques et les besoins de formation en ligne des stagiaires dans le secteur privé du Botswana, soixante-dix pour cent des formateurs ont indiqué que leurs organismes les ont encouragés à acquérir des compétences informatiques de base pour faciliter l’apprentissage en ligne. La situation actuelle de l’apprentissage en ligne au Botswana et l’examen de la documentation montrent que l’intégration des TIC à la fois dans les pays développés et en voie de développement est un processus graduel. Les partenariats entre le secteur public et le secteur privé (PPP) ont accéléré le processus de changement dans les pays développés. Plusieurs restrictions sont cependant associées à ces partenariats et cela permet aux pays en voie de développement d’en tirer des leçons à imiter

AN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE INSPIRED TEACHER PILOT MENTORING SCHEME IN BOTSWANA: A PROPOSAL

Teaching practice, which comprises a teaching internship and/or fieldwork undertaken by prospective teachers for an annual period of seven weeks, is an essential component of all the teacher education programmes offered at the University of Botswana's Faculty of Education. The general aim of teaching practice is to introduce prospective teachers to real teaching situations and routines under the guidance of suitably qualified professionals. In view of changes such as semesterization, escalating enrolments and rising costs of teaching practice, which threaten to compromise quality, the paper argues that there is need to establish a school-based mentoring scheme that will provide the needed teaching supervision expertise at school level. The scheme will be informed by lessons from African customary education. Such a scheme will not be altogether new, as in the Botswana of yesterday, indigenous knowledge systems and institutions such as bogwera and bojale, the tribe, the kgotla and family formed the basis of creating and sustaining knowledge. Graduates from these institutions included traditional doctors, priests, teachers, nurses, legislators, economists and many other people of outstanding responsibility in their communities

Canning quality traits of kabuli chickpea cultivars grown at various locations in Saskatchewan

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Red lentil production in Saskatchewan: Y not 2K?

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