Not Available

Not AvailableIn pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.), single cross hybrids based largely on exotic germplasm, have found very limited adoption in drought-prone arid regions mainly due to their inade- quate adaptation to prevalent extremely harsh agro- climatic conditions. This study tested the hypothesis that the use of restorer parents derived from adapted landrace germplasm could be an alternative strategy in developing suitable hybrids for arid regions. Forty inbred restorer lines developed from two phenotypi- cally diverse landraces were used to develop hybrids evaluated in this study for their performance in five typical arid zone environments between 2003 and 2007. Inbred lines from both landrace populations diVered significantly in their combining ability for biomass, harvest index and grain and stover yields. A larger proportion of experimental hybrids, based on selected inbred lines, significantly outperformed the commercial checks for grain and stover yields. Increase in grain and stover yields was achieved pri- marily due to their higher biomass productivity, with no decline in harvest index. Choice of landrace deter- mined the relative grain and stover productivity of their hybrids. Phenotypic diVerences observed in parental landraces in tillering and panicle length were also visible in their respective hybrids, indicating that characteristics of landrace parental populations were transmitted in their hybrids.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableIn pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.), single cross hybrids based largely on exotic germplasm, have found very limited adoption in drought-prone arid regions mainly due to their inadequate adaptation to prevalent extremely harsh agroclimatic conditions. This study tested the hypothesis that the use of restorer parents derived from adapted landrace germplasm could be an alternative strategy in developing suitable hybrids for arid regions. Forty inbred restorer lines developed from two phenotypically diverse landraces were used to develop hybrids evaluated in this study for their performance in five typical arid zone environments between 2003 and 2007. Inbred lines from both landrace populations differed significantly in their combining ability for biomass, harvest index and grain and stover yields. A larger proportion of experimental hybrids, based on selected inbred lines, significantly outperformed the commercial checks for grain and stover yields. Increase in grain and stover yields was achieved primarily due to their higher biomass productivity, with no decline in harvest index. Choice of landrace determined the relative grain and stover productivity of their hybrids. Phenotypic differences observed in parental landraces in tillering and panicle length were also visible in their respective hybrids, indicating that characteristics of landrace parental populations were transmitted in their hybrids.Not Availabl

Serum ferritin <70 μg/L predicts functional iron deficiency in patients with chronic kidney disease

Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is treated by erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. However, most of the patients do not respond adequately due to the development of functional iron deficiency (FID). The study was conducted to explore the value of inflammatory markers, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) along with serum ferritin (SF) in the diagnosis of FID. Seventy-seven clinically diagnosed patients of CKD (Stage 3, 4, and 5) of either sex, age >18 years with hemoglobin 12 μg/L - SF <70 μg/L was able to identify 14/19 cases of FID. Furthermore, hsCRP further stratified the subgroup of CKD patients in which FID could be detected with higher sensitivity and specificity

Genetic gains in grain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars developed from 1965 to 2020 for irrigated production conditions of northwestern plains zone of India

Field trials with 13 landmark wheat cultivars released between 1965 and 2020 were conducted at 15 different locations during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, providing data from 30 environments. The study of the historical set of spring wheat varieties from the North-Western Plains Zone (NWPZ) of India developed in the last 55 years demonstrated an improvement of grain yield from 3208 to 6275 kg ha−1 or a genetic gain of 1.21% year−1 over long-term check cultivar C306. In real terms, the yield has increased at a rate of 44.14 kg ha−1 year−1. To compare the present genetic gain study, a trend analysis based on historical grain yield data in standard AVT in the zone from 1980 to 2020 was also attempted, which revealed that the percent yield increase was 0.78 per annum. To achieve a higher rate of genetic gain, it requires greater breeding efficiency in the national breeding program through more systematic use of genetic diversity to introduce novel alleles as well as application of new breeding approaches like speed breeding and genomic selection

Not Available

Not AvailableA major challenge in crop production is to achieve the goal of increasing both yield and resource use efficiency. Irrigation water and nitrogen (N) are scarce and expensive resources constraining wheat production in arid regions. There is limited information on how irrigation and N supply can be simultaneously manipulated to achieve higher yield, water productivity (WP), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of wheat in arid regions. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and N rates on yield, WP and NUE of wheat in a hot, arid environment at Bikaner, India. The experimental treatments comprised of six irrigation [100% (ETm; full evapotranspiration), 90% (ETd1), 80% (ETd2), 70% (ETd3), 60% (ETd4), and 50% (ETd5) of ETc (crop evapotranspiration)] levels, and four N [0 (N0), 40 (N40), 80 (N80), and 120 (N120) kg ha−1] rates. Moderate deficit irrigation (ETd2) had greatest WP and caused a 17% reduction in water consumption with only a 5% reduction in yield compared to full irrigation (ETm). The N application improved yield and WP. The NUE declined with a reduction in water application and an increase in N rates. The yield and WP response to N rates modified with irrigation levels. The significant increase in grain yield was recorded with N120 at ETm and ETd1, with N80 at ETd2 and ETd3, and with N40 at ETd4 and ETd5 irrigation levels. The significant increase in WP was recorded with N80 at ETm, ETd1, ETd2 and ETd3, and with N40 at ETd4 and ETd5 irrigation levels. The results suggested that moderate deficit irrigation (ETd2) along with 120 kg N ha−1 could ensure satisfactory grain yield and WP of wheat in arid regions. The study also indicated that the adoption of an appropriate deficit irrigation and N rate combination can be an effective means to reduce non-beneficial water consumption, achieve higher yield, and improve WP and NUE for wheat in an arid environment.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableA major challenge in crop production is to achieve the goal of increasing both yield and resource use efficiency. Irrigation water and nitrogen (N) are scarce and expensive resources constraining wheat production in arid regions. There is limited information on how irrigation and N supply can be simultaneously manipulated to achieve higher yield, water productivity (WP), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of wheat in arid regions. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and N rates on yield, WP and NUE of wheat in a hot, arid environment at Bikaner, India. The experimental treatments comprised of six irrigation [100% (ETm; full evapotranspiration), 90% (ETd1), 80% (ETd2), 70% (ETd3), 60% (ETd4), and 50% (ETd5) of ETc (crop evapotranspiration)] levels, and four N [0 (N0), 40 (N40), 80 (N80), and 120 (N120) kg ha−1] rates. Moderate deficit irrigation (ETd2) had greatest WP and caused a 17% reduction in water consumption with only a 5% reduction in yield compared to full irrigation (ETm). The N application improved yield and WP. The NUE declined with a reduction in water application and an increase in N rates. The yield and WP response to N rates modified with irrigation levels.The significant increase in grain yield was recorded with N120 at ETm and ETd1, with N80 at ETd2 and ETd3, and with N40 at ETd4 and ETd5 irrigation levels. The significant increase in WP was recorded with N80 at ETm, ETd1, ETd2 and ETd3, and with N40 at ETd4 and ETd5 irrigation levels. The results suggested that moderate deficit irrigation (ETd2) along with 120 kg N ha−1 could ensure satisfactory grain yield and WP of wheat in arid regions. The study also indicated that the adoption of an appropriate deficit irrigation and N rate combination can be an effective means to reduce non-beneficial water consumption, achieve higher yield, and improve WP and NUE for wheat in an arid environment.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailablePearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum R. Br.) is an important staple and nutritious food crop in the semiarid and arid ecologies of South Asia (SA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In view of climate change, depleting water resources, and widespread malnutrition, there is a need to accelerate the rate of genetic gains in pearl millet productivity. This review discusses past strategies and future approaches to accelerate genetic gains to meet future demand. Pearl millet breeding in India has historically evolved very comprehensively from open-pollinated varieties development to hybrid breeding. Availability of stable cytoplasmic male sterility system with adequate restorers and strategic use of genetic resources from India and SSA laid the strong foundation of hybrid breeding. Genetic and cytoplasmic diversification of hybrid parental lines, periodic replacement of hybrids, and breeding disease-resistant and stress-tolerant cultivars have been areas of very high priority. As a result, an annual yield increase of 4% has been realized in the last three decades. There is considerable scope to further accelerate the efforts on hybrid breeding for drought-prone areas in SA and SSA. Heterotic grouping of hybrid parental lines is essential to sustain long-term genetic gains. Time is now ripe for mainstreaming of the nutritional traits improvement in pearl millet breeding programs. New opportunities are emerging to improve the efficiency and precision of breeding. Development and application of high-throughput genomic tools, speed breeding, and precision phenotyping protocols need to be intensified to exploit a huge wealth of native genetic variation available in pearl millet to accelerate the genetic gains.Not Availabl

Adoption and Utilization of Cactus Pear in South Asia—Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions

Livestock production in arid and semi-arid regions is facing the challenges of low and erratic rainfall, poor nutrient soils, and high temperatures, which all contribute to inadequate forage production to support livestock. Under these challenging conditions, promoting forage species, such as cacti, that are tolerant and well adapted is important to sustain and improve livestock production. This study analyzes the potential of adopting a spineless cactus through analysis of smallholder farmers&rsquo; perceptions with respect to its potential use as a livestock feed in South Asia. A total of 456 households were stratified into three groups in 2017: Farmers not familiar with cactus (non-adopters), farmers familiar with cactus but not growing it (potential adopters), and those already growing it (actual adopters). Main findings confirm that farmers already growing cactus are satisfied with its potential. A considerable proportion of non-adopter farmers cited the unavailability of plant material and technical information as the main reason for their lack of interest in cultivating spineless cactus. Therefore, the potential gains of livestock farming from spineless cactus production in the world&rsquo;s dry areas could be immense, although more efforts, through farmer education and information sharing, are needed to ensure that the plant&rsquo;s potential is effectively realized

Not Available

Not AvailablePearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a staple food crop of arid and semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa. Forty-five pearl millet populations of Asian and African origin were assessed for genetic diversity using 29 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The SSR-based clustering and structure analyses showed that Asian origin–Asian bred (As-As) and African origin–African bred (Af-Af) populations were distributed across seven clusters, indicating no strong rela- tionship among populations with their geographical origin. Most of the African origin–Asian bred (Af-As) populations had a higher average number of alleles per locus than As-As or Af-Af populations, and the majority of them clustered sepa- rately from As-As or Af-Af populations, indicating that introgression of African origin breeding materials led to the development of new gene pools adapted to the Asian region. Fourteen populations representing seven clusters were crossed according to a diallel mating design to generate 91 population hybrids (seeds of direct and reciprocal crosses were mixed) and evaluated at three locations in 2016. All the 91 hybrids when partitioned into three groups based on genetic distance (GD) between parental combinations (low, moderate, and high), revealed no cor- relation between GD and panmictic midparent heterosis in any of the groups, indicating that grain yield heterosis cannot be predicted based on GD. Two pop- ulation hybrids (GB 8735 × ICMP 87307 and Sudan I × Ugandi) exhibited high levels of yield heterosis over standard checks and can be further utilized using different breeding schemes to develop high-yielding pearl millet cultivarsNot Availabl