Physiological studies on Alternaria porri and Stemphylium vesicarium causing purple blotch complex in onion

Effect of different culture media, pH levels and natural substrates on mycelial growth and sporulation of Alternaria porri and Stemphylium vesicarium, incitants of purple blotch complex of onion was investigated. Maximum colony growth of A. porri and S. vesicarium was recorded on oat meal agar and Richard’s agar while, oat meal agar and V8 juice agar recorded the maximum sporulation, respectively. Similarly, pH 5.0 and 6.0 on potato dextrose agar (PDA) recorded the maximum colony growth of A. porri and S. vesicarium, respectively. None of the pH levels on PDA supported the sporulation of A. porri while maximum sporulation of S. vesicarium was recorded on pH 5.0. Onion seed stalks and garlic leaves were found to be the most suitable natural substrates for mass multiplication of A. porri and S. vesicarium, respectively. The present findings are useful for preparation of inoculums required for resistance breeding and fungicidal evaluation against purple blotch complex

On-farm Diversity Assessment and Evaluation of Finger Millet Genotypes in the Mid Hills of Nepal

The objective of the study is to assess the phenotypic diversity among the finger millet genotypes and evaluate overall performance for the recommendation of genotypes to the farming community of mid hills of Nepal. The overall performance of 8 candidate genotypes selected  from diversity block of 46 varieties in 2015, were assessed in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates under on-farm conditions in Lamjung district during 2016. Highly significant (p?0.01) variability among the selected 8 genotypes for agro-morphological traits viz., plant height, number of fingers per head, grain yield, 1000 grain weight, straw yield, days to heading and maturity was revealed. Strong inter-correlation among grain yield, plant height, time to flowering and straw yield was detected. The traits viz., plant height, grain yield, straw yield, days to heading and days to maturity were the most important traits contributing to the overall variability and thus, provide options for selection

EFFECT OF TILLAGE, RESIDUE AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON SOIL qualities AND YIELD PARAMETERS OF RICE

A field experiment was conducted at Rampur, Nepal to see the effect of tillage, residue and nutrient management practices on soil properties and grain yield of rice. Three factors each with two levels i.e. tillage (with or without), residue (with or without) and nutrient management (recommended dose (RD) with 100:60:30 NPK kg ha-1 and farmer’s doses (FD) with 5Mt ha-1 of FYM + 50:23:0 NPK kg ha-1. Thus, altogether eight treatment combinations were evaluated under strip-split plot design with three replications. Higher soil organic matter was recorded in residue kept (5.73%) than the residue removed plots. Exchangeable potassium was found higher in no tillage (110.52 kg ha-1) than the conventional tillage (76.77 kg ha-1). Number of effective tillers was higher in no tillage; residue kept and recommended doses of fertilizer. Grain yield was significantly higher in no tillage with 3.66 Mt and residue kept with 3.72 Mt ha-1 compared to conventional tillage with 2.28 Mt and residue removed plots having 2.22 Mt ha-1. RD produced significantly higher grain yield of 4.53 Mt ha-1 than FD with 1.41 Mt ha-1. Therefore, untilled direct seeded rice with residue and recommend does of nutrients seem promising in Terai region of Nepal

Yield Evaluation of Nutrient-rich Potato Clones in High Hill of Nepal

A study was conducted to evaluate the yield of nutrient-rich potato clones in high-hill districts: Dolakha and Jumla of Nepal during the years 2013 and 2014, respectively. Fourteen potato clones were tested as on-station and on-farm experiments at both districts, and those fourteen clones were compared to ‘Lady Rosita' and ‘Jumli Local' respectively as the check varieties in the first year experiment, 2013. Eight promising clones were selected from the first year experiment, and were evaluated and compared with same local varieties in the consecutive year, 2014. Two clones namely; CIP 395112.32 (19.3 tha-1) and CIP 393073.179 (17.8 tha-1) exhibited superior marketable tuber yield than that of ‘Lady Rosita'(14.2 tha-1) in Dolakha and five CIP clones namely; 395112.32 (25.5 tha-1), 393073.179 (22.5 tha-1), 394611.112 (20.9 tha-1), 390478.9 (19.9 tha-1) and 395017.229 (17.0 tha-1) showed higher marketable tuber yield than ‘Jumli Local'(14.5 tha-1). Based on two years' phenotypic and tuber yield result, clones CIP 395112.32 and CIP 393073.179 are recommended to potato growers at high hills of Nepal for commercial cultivation.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.3 2017: 6-1

Understanding photothermal interactions will help expand production range and increase genetic diversity of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Lentil is a staple in many diets around the world and growing in popularity as a quick-cooking, nutritious, plant-based source of protein in the human diet. Lentil varieties are usually grown close to where they were bred. Future climate change scenarios will result in increased temperatures and shifts in lentil crop production areas, necessitating expanded breeding efforts. We show how we can use a daylength and temperature model to identify varieties most likely to succeed in these new environments, expand genetic diversity, and give plant breeders additional knowledge and tools to help mitigate these changes for lentil producers.This research was conducted as part of the ‘Application of Genomics to Innovation in the Lentil Economy (AGILE)' project funded by Genome Canada and managed by Genome Prairie. We are grateful for the matching financial support from the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Western Grains Research Foundation, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the University of Saskatchewan. We acknowledge the support from our international partners: University of Basilicata (UNIBAS) in Italy; Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS) in Spain; Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Morocco, India and Bangladesh; Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) in Nepal; and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA CRIS Project 5348-21000-017-00D) in the USA, for conducting field experiments in their respective countries

Strategic Identification of New Genetic Diversity to Expand Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Production (Using Nepal as an Example)

Although lentil has a long history of cultivation, cultivars rely on a narrow genetic base, indicating room for broadening the diversity. Two field experiments were conducted at Bardiya, Nepal, during winter 2016 and 2017, with 324 diverse lentil genotypes obtained from genebanks and breeding programs around the world. Phenological traits related to adaptation, particularly days to flower, were assessed. A photothermal model was used to predict days to flower in new environments to identify genotypes that may be suitable for additional growing regions in Nepal, allowing for the expansion of the production area. Many putatively adapted genotypes were identified for terai, mid-hill, and high-hill growing regions. The list includes large-seeded or yellow cotyledon lines, representing new market classes of lentils for Nepal

Yam on terrace walls valuing underutilised crops, Annex 16

Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) in partnership with scholars from University of Guelph, and Canadian Mennonite University and funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Canada is trying to promote the use of barren and steep walls of the terraces and other areas which are least used for food production.This publication received funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Canada.A report of Nepal Chepang Association (NCA) suggests that 71% of the children are malnourished. Non-toxic wild yam of Nepal is recognized as ‘Health/ Functional food’ with high nutritional values. Rich in starch, yam is principal source of food and carbohydrate during food insufficiency periods for such communities. Some of the species of yam reported to have 5 times more protein than potatoes and sweet potatoes. Yam also supplements many dietary minerals. Yam can be mixed with different kinds of food like noodles and breads, which further enhances the nutritional value and palatability ultimately aiding to overcome malnutrition in children

STUDIES ON GENETIC DIVERGENCE AND REACTION TO IRON CHLOROSIS IN AEROBIC RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) ON VERTISOLS IN MAHARASTRA

The present study was carried out to study the genetic parameters for yield, yield contributing, quality and nutritional characters along with reaction of genotypes against iron chlorosis in vertisols. The experiment consisted of 50 promising genotypes along with standard checks viz., Basmati-370, Parag and Avishkar were grown in randomized block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed that all the characters under study. Different genotypes showed some degrees of tolerance to iron chlorosis. And, some other characteristics like number of effective tillers per plant, number of filled grains per panicle, number of unfilled grains per panicle, gel consistency, flag leaf area, straw yield, grain yield per plot and grain yield per plant showed high estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation, high heritability with high genetic advance. All characters which exhibited high estimates of both genotypic and phenotypic variance coupled with high heritability and high genetic advance can be employed for simple selection for crop improvement. Furthermore, variation in such characters are result of additive gene effects and can be explored and studied for potentialities of being used as parents in breeding program for improvement for particular traits

Diversity sourcing of foxtail millet through diversity assessment and on-farm evaluation

Drawing upon the serious food insecurity issues and continually growing impacts of climate change on livelihood, diversity sourcing of climate-resilient, nutritionally rich crops like foxtail millet through diversity assessment and on-farm evaluation could be a reliable avenue to meet farmer’s need and improve food security in the extremely mountainous agro-ecology of Nepal and elsewhere. In context of meager research on foxtail millet in Nepal, we conducted on-farm diversity assessment studies of 27 Nepalese foxtail millet landraces in 2015. Subsequently, we identified 8 locally adaptable and robust foxtail millet genotypes based on the inferences of diversity block trial and evaluated them under Humla and Jumla conditions in 2016 for sourcing end-user preferred varietal diversity. Our studies revealed existence of marked diversity among the Nepalese foxtail millet accessions, which could be effectively utilized for crop improvement. Kalo Kaguno, Seto Kaguno, Aule Kaguno, and CO1896 were found to be superior yielders in descending order while CO5644 and CO5647 were substantially found early maturing. Apart from acknowledging the potentiality of these genotypes as promising parents, we encourage deployment of the sourced diversity through participatory plant breeding approaches using informal research and development and diversity kits for expeditious benefits to the local farmers