Effect of by-pass protein supplements on milk production of dairy cattle

Bypass protein stimulates the voluntary feed intake, increase quality milk production and thereby improves the economic status of dairy cows farming. This study was conducted to assess the effect of supplementation of bypass protein on lactation performance of dairy cattle. The experiment was conducted by using 2 factorial completely randomized designs. Milk yield of individual animal was recorded daily and milk composition was recorded at fortnight interval. Results revealed that the average daily milk yield of cows fed with Heat treated soyabean cake-T1 (4.29 L) was greater than cows fed with formalin treated soyabean cake-T2 (3.56 L) followed by control group-T3 (2.62 L). . The fortnight average milk protein and fat percentages were 2.91, 2.94 and 3.18% and 5.52, 5.55 and 4.47% for T0, T1 and T2 groups respectively. The weekly average milk SNF and milk density were 8.12, 8.37 and 8.64 % and 25.67, 27.80 and 27.10%, for group T0, T1 and T2 respectively. Experiment revealed that by-pass protein supplementation to lactating animals is one of the option for improving the milk production and milk composition and suggested that further study should be conducted to precise the optimum level of bypass protein supplementation and to quantify the experimental period

Feminization of Agriculture in Nepal and its implications: Addressing Gender in Workload and Decision Making

The study assesses the two approaches of feminization: labor and managerial, and explores the implication of feminization in agricultural production in Gorkha and Chitwan district of Nepal. We examine the degree to which men, women or men and women jointly make agriculture-related decisions, and discuss the labor feminization and managerial feminization using five domains of the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), relative to the degree to which women’s decision-making power relates to the feminization of agriculture leading to women empowerment and food security. The results revealed that the average workload for women (86.50 hours/week) was more than that for men (55.52 hours/week). Workload was found significantly affected by the total cultivated area (ha), gender of household head, occupation, number of livestock holdings, number of children, number of elders and household location.All aspects of operational and strategic decision making were dominated by jointly made decisions, except in the case of income utilization where female showed dominance. The implication of feminization in agriculture is reflected by reduction in cropping cycle, lower productivity of cereals and vegetables which led to food insecurity by own production. The income from remittance was observed to be mainly used for consumption purposes to ensure food security. It appears that the feminization of agriculture leads to women playing not only important role in decision-making but also more responsibilities and heavier workloads without necessarily resulting in empowerment and improvement in well-being

Evaluation of grafting performances in Persian walnut affected by grafting methods and covering materials in Mugu district, Nepal

AbstractWalnut carries a great potential for cultivation in the high hills of Nepal, including the Mugu district. However, progress has not been as expected. Low graft survival rate and poor grafting practices account for inadequate number of quality saplings and consequently unreasonable price for successful ones. In this context, a field-based research was conducted in a two-factorial Randomized complete block design (RCBD) at Chhayanath Rara, 03, Mugu, to determine the suitable grafting method and covering material for grafting in walnut. Four different grafting methods viz. Tongue, saddle, cleft, and splice along with sawdust and grafting tape as graft covers were employed as treatments. The tongue grafting method yielded the highest callused rate (68.07%) and the highest graft take rate (48.07%). Similarly, sawdust used as a graft cover produced the most promising results on both the callused rate (56.37%) and the graft take rate (44.27%). Furthermore, the use of sawdust cover was found to have a greater callus quality (2.78) compared to that of using a grafting tape. No statistical differences were obtained in saleable plant rate and days to bud burst as a result of either of the factors. Apart from callus quality, the interaction between the two factors did not produce considerable variation in any of the variables. Hence, this study suggests the application of the tongue grafting method, along with the use of sawdust as a graft cover for enhanced grafting performance in agro-climatic zones similar to Mugu

Streams, sewage, and shallow groundwater : stream-aquifer interactions in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal is facing a water quantity and quality crisis due to rapid urbanization and haphazard water and wastewater planning and management. Annually, groundwater extractions in the Kathmandu Valley exceed capture, resulting in groundwater table declines. Streams are often important sources of recharge to (or destination of discharges from) aquifers. However, stream-aquifer interactions in the Kathmandu Valley are poorly understood. To improve this understanding, we performed topographic surveys of water levels, and measured water quality, in streams and adjacent hand-dug wells (shallow aquifer). In pre-monsoon, 12% (2018) and 44% (2019) of wells had water levels higher than adjacent streams, indicating mostly a loss of stream water to the aquifer. However, in post-monsoon, 69% (2018) and 70% (2019) of wells had water levels higher than adjacent streams, indicating that monsoon rainfall contributes to shallow aquifer recharge which, at least temporarily, causes streams to transition from losing to gaining. Concentrations of all water quality parameters (electrical conductivity, ammonia, alkalinity, and hardness) were higher in the pre-monsoon compared to post-monsoon in both streams and wells. There was no recurring trend in water level difference longitudinally from upstream to downstream. However, water quality in streams and wells depleted from upstream to downstream. While we clearly observed seasonal refilling of the shallow aquifer, the role of the deep aquifer in seasonal storage processes deserve future research attention

The surface nanostructures of titanium alloy regulate the proliferation of endothelial cells

To investigate the effect of surface nanostructures on the behaviors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), surface nanostructured titanium alloy (Ti-3Zr2Sn-3Mo-25Nb, TLM) was fabricated by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize the surface nanostructures of the TLM, respectively. The results demonstrated that nano-crystalline structures with several tens of nanometers were formed on the surface of TLM substrates. The HUVECs grown onto the surface nanostructured TLM spread well and expressed more vinculin around the edges of cells. More importantly, HUVECs grown onto the surface nanostructured TLM displayed significantly higher (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) cell adhesion and viabilities than those of native titanium alloy. HUVECs cultured on the surface nanostructured titanium alloy displayed significantly higher (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) productions of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) than those of native titanium alloy, respectively. This study provides an alternative for the development of titanium alloy based vascular stents