Proteomic Changes in Rhizobia after Growth in Peat Extract and Their Potential Role in Desiccation Tolerance

Survival of rhizobia on seed is mainly affected by desiccation. Inherent differences in survival exist between rhizobia strains as well as with growth conditions, with a general improvement in survival seen in cells grown in peat over cells grown on growth media. Improving survival of rhizobia under desiccation stress may enhance nitrogen fixation and crop yields. This study aimed to relate desiccation tolerance of rhizobia to physiological changes in cells grown in peat extract. Survival of four rhizobia strains (Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae, 3841, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolli TA1, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, CB1809, Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens sp. nov.) was measured after growth in peat extract. This study reported an improvement in survival of Bradyrhizobium strains USDA110 and CB1809 compared to the Rhizobium strains 3841 and TA1. The global proteomic responses of the four rhizobia strains after growth in peat extract was compared with defined medium JMM. Differentially expressed proteins were reported across the four strains with a possible role in desiccation tolerance such as ABC transporters, stress response, transcription, translation and oxidative stress proteins. The role of one protein, PspA (RL3579), was validated by creating a knock-out mutant. The RL3579 mutant grown in peat extract reported significantly lower percentage survival of 2% as compared to the wild-type (5.3%), and could be attributed to loss in membrane integrity. This study confirms that survival of rhizobia can be improved after growth in peat extract, due to stress-related proteins that may function in protecting cells from desiccation-induced damage. The roles of these stress proteins and effect of specific components of peat could be manipulated to develop desiccation-tolerant strains and inform development of new inoculant carriers for legume inoculation

Feeds and feeding regime for Ban pigs

Li-chan: Animal nutrition training material (Bản pigs

Rapid survey of livestock feed resource availability and use in Mai Son district, Son La province, Vietnam, using the Gendered Feed Assessment Tool (G-FEAST)

Livestock production is the second main livelihood source for farmers in the North-West highlands of Vietnam. Animal nutrition is a key factor in livestock production and, often times, challenges related to feed are widespread leading to low livestock productivity. Identifying context-specific feed issues and how gender influences feed practices prior to proposing measures to improve animal nutrition is a key step in addressing feed-related challenges. In this study, the Gendered Feed Assessment Tool (G-FEAST) was applied to assess the availability and use of local feed resources by characterizing gender aspects influencing feeding practices with the ultimate goal of designing site-specific livestock feed intervention strategies. The study was carried out in 6 villages in Chieng Chung and Chieng Luong communes, Mai Son district, Son La province, Vietnam. Data was collected through separate focus group discussions and individual interviews for women and men (67 women and 70 men). Main feed-related challenges identified included lack of winter feed, low-quality diets and low yielding forage varieties. The results of this study present key opportunities for feed interventions such as promoting improved forage varieties, knowledge on better utilization of crop residues, feed processing and preparation (e.g. silage) and improved diet proportions with high quality feed components

The legislative and regulatory framework governing herbal medicine use and practice in Kenya: a review

Complementary and alternative medicine is an integral component of primary healthcare in Kenya. This is because the infrastructural health setup in the country is inadequate in catering for all the medical needs of the population. This particularly holds true in the rural areas where many rural folk rely on products of herbal origin to offset their healthcare needs. More often than not these products are an elaborate cacophony of several different substances of biological origin and thus need personnel adept in their preparation. Sadly, due to loopholes in legislation and regulation, quacks have a field day in the practice. Moreover, the process of planting, harvesting, preparation and storage of herbs and related products dictates that a significant number of people will ultimately be involved in the whole process. This is likely to set the stage for manipulation and compromise of the safety, quality and efficacy of these products. This state of affairs appears unabated especially in the context of the current legal and regulatory framework governing herbal medicine use and practice in Kenya. Not only are these laws inadequate, they are shrouded in ambiguity, open to interpretation and the authorities mandated to implement them often end up performing duplicate roles. The aim of this review is to critique the legal and regulatory provisions governing herbal medicine use and practice in Kenya. In conclusion, laws and regulations meant to control herbal medicine use and practice in Kenya are wanting. Clear and definitive legislation on herbal medicine use and practice coupled with effective implementation by mandated institutions will go a long way in inspiring confidence to all stakeholders of herbal medicine.Keywords: Herbal medicine, legislation, regulatory framework, Keny

Summary Brief: Heifer study on climate-smart agriculture adoption rates amongst goat farming households in three districts of Nepal and the impact on key environmental and economic indicators

This info brief provides an executive overview of the research methods and key finding of a series of information briefs. The briefs were developed to assess the role of Heifer Nepal programming in supporting the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices amongst Heifer supported goat cooperatives, and their impact on a range of environmental and economic indicators. The recommendations of the analysis are intended to further strengthen the integration of climate change considerations into Heifer Nepal’s programming, with the goal of raising overall household incomes amongst supported households through means that have minimal negative impact on the environment. The research was conducted in three districts encompassing the main agro-ecological contexts in which Heifer Nepal works