Evaluation of bread wheat genotypes under rain-fed conditions in Terai districts of Nepal

Thirty four percent of the total wheat cultivated area is under rain-fed condition in Nepal and that of the Terai is nineteen percent. The objective of this study was to develop drought tolerant and high yielding varieties of wheat for timely sown rain-fed environments. Coordinated Varietal trial (CVT) was carried out in normal wheat growing season during 2016/17 and 2017/18. The research was conducted at five locations (Rampur, Bhairahawa, Doti, Jitpur and Nepalgunj) of five research stations of Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) throughout the Terai region in alpha lattice design with two replications. Data on different yield attributing traits were recorded. In the CVT-TTL 2016/17 highly significant difference (p<0.01) among the genotypes was found for days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, number of grains per spike and thousand kernel weight and significant difference (p<0.05) for grain yield. The highest grain yield was observed in NL 1326 (2954 kg/ha) which was followed by NL 1327 (2819 kg/ha), NL 1211 (2719 kg/ha), NL1202 (2683 kg/ha), BL 4707 (2654 kg/ha) and BL 4708 (2652 kg/ha).  Similarly, in CVT-TTL 2017/18, highly significant difference (p<0.01) among the genotypes was observed for the days to heading, days to maturity and plant height and non-significant different for number of grains per spike, grain yield and TGW.  However, Genotype by Environment (G x E) was found highly significant (p<0.01) for the days to heading, plant height, grain yield and TGW and significant different (p<0.05) for number of grains per spike. The highest grain yield was obtained in NL1322 (2305 kg/ha) which was followed by NL1369 (2287 kg/ha), NL 1202 (2205 kg/ha), BL 4708 (2197 kg/ha) and BL 4820 (2118 kg/ha). Among these tested genotypes BL 4708, NL 1202, NL 1211, NL 1307, NL 1327 and NL 1369 are recommended for the coordinated farmer's field trial for further verification and release as variety

Closing domestic nutrient cycles using microalgae

This study demonstrates that microalgaecan effectively recover all P and N from anaerobically treated black water (toilet wastewater). Thus, enabling the removal of nutrients from the black water and the generation of a valuable algae product in one step. Screening experiments with green microalgae and cyanobacteria showed that all tested green microalgae species successfully grew on anaerobically treated black water. In a subsequent controlled experiment in flat-panel photobioreactors, Chlorella sorokiniana was able to remove 100% of the phosphorus and nitrogen from the medium. Phosphorus was depleted within 4 days while nitrogen took 12 days to reach depletion. The phosphorus and nitrogen removal rates during the initial linear growth phase were 17 and 122 mg·L−1·d−1, respectively. After this initial phase, the phosphorus was depleted. The nitrogen removal rate continued to decrease in the second phase, resulting in an overall removal rate of 80 mg·L−1·d−1. The biomass concentration at the end of the experiment was 11.5 g·L−1, with a P content of approximately 1% and a N content of 7.6%. This high algal biomass concentration, together with a relatively short P recovery time, is a promising finding for future post-treatment of black water while gaining valuable algal biomass for further application

Biofloc Technology

The aim of this thesis was to research the theory on the Biofloc technology. The thesis provides infor-mation about the Biofloc system, the use of the system, and the advantages and disadvantages of us-ing Biofloc system. Additionally, this thesis also provides information about the history of fishery and aquaculture along with the differences of them. In the thesis, several resources were used to gain the knowledge about Biofloc system, the steps involved to set-up the Biofloc system for the growth of shrimp and tilapia as species. The author has written in a depth about the information of fishery and their history as well as about the aquaculture. The advantages and disadvantages of Biofloc systems are described in Chapter 2.2 that gives the idea about Biofloc and whether it is suitable for fish farming for certain fish or aquatic species. As a result, the information provided in this thesis is for fish farmers to set-up their Biofloc system. The farmers also gain information about the food waste that can be recycled and reused

Effect of Electroacupuncture Rehabilitation in Transverse Myelitis: A Case Report

A 32-year-old male diagnosed with transverse myelitis in 2013 came to our clinic in 2015 with complaints of paraplegia, sensory disturbances, pain, exertional dyspnea, poor quality of sleep, emotional instability, and depression. This was a recurrent attack that had been exacerbated by post-traumatic stress. Owing to pain and functional disabilities, he was struggling to actively participate in the treatment modalities offered at our center. A modified protocol of electroacupuncture was planned for a period of 21 days, every day, with each session lasting for 30 minutes. Assessments based on the brief version of World Health Organization Brief Quality of Life (WHO Brief QOL) questionnaire, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, visual analog scale, and a disease-specific physical examination showed momentous improvement in functional health status as well as mental well-being. The quality of life showed significant improvement particularly in the physical and psychological dimensions of WHO Brief QOL. The patient reported a reduction in pain, dyspnea, and fatigue accompanied by an improvement in the quality of sleep and mood. This case report suggests that acupuncture can play a vital role in amelioration of symptoms, thereby improving the health status in patients with transverse myelitis

WASH and Health in Sindhupalchowk District of Nepal after the Gorkha Earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 MW and 6.8 MW struck Nepal on 25 April and 12 May, 2015, respectively, which caused massive damage. In such crises, understanding the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) situation is of paramount importance. Therefore, we aimed to assess the WASH situation and its impact on health, particularly in the Sindhupalchowk district. A questionnaire survey and microbial analysis of water samples were conducted. Descriptive statistics and parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were employed. The results revealed that 97.1% of water samples from the source during the pre-monsoon season and 98.5% during the monsoon season had fecal contamination. Similarly, 92.8% of water samples during the pre-monsoon season and 96.7% during the monsoon season at point of use (PoU) had fecal contamination. Furthermore, water consumption was comparatively less during the pre-monsoon season. The increase in water consumption improved hygiene behavior and lowered the prevalence of waterborne diseases. Similarly, less water consumption affected water handling behavior; for example, the cleaning interval of storage vessels was less frequent. An increase in cleaning interval resulted in fecal contamination of water at PoU. The findings of this study can be useful in the review of existing WASH policy and plans and integration with the disaster management plan for disaster risk reduction

WASH and Health in Sindhupalchowk District of Nepal after the Gorkha Earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 MW and 6.8 MW struck Nepal on 25 April and 12 May, 2015, respectively, which caused massive damage. In such crises, understanding the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) situation is of paramount importance. Therefore, we aimed to assess the WASH situation and its impact on health, particularly in the Sindhupalchowk district. A questionnaire survey and microbial analysis of water samples were conducted. Descriptive statistics and parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were employed. The results revealed that 97.1% of water samples from the source during the pre-monsoon season and 98.5% during the monsoon season had fecal contamination. Similarly, 92.8% of water samples during the pre-monsoon season and 96.7% during the monsoon season at point of use (PoU) had fecal contamination. Furthermore, water consumption was comparatively less during the pre-monsoon season. The increase in water consumption improved hygiene behavior and lowered the prevalence of waterborne diseases. Similarly, less water consumption affected water handling behavior; for example, the cleaning interval of storage vessels was less frequent. An increase in cleaning interval resulted in fecal contamination of water at PoU. The findings of this study can be useful in the review of existing WASH policy and plans and integration with the disaster management plan for disaster risk reduction