Current scenario of livestock development and potential interventions for livelihood improvement: The cases of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram

This background paper on ‘current scenario of livestock development and potential interventions for livelihood improvement’ prepared jointly by Dr Smita Sirohi and Dr AK Chauhan of NDRI, Karnal will be useful in formulating a suitable livestock investment strategy for Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram based on the existing situation. The draft of this study report was presented in stakeholder workshops in Itanagar and Aizawl and the feedback given by the workshop participants is incorporated while finalizing this report

Current scenario of livestock development and potential interventions for livelihood improvement: Case of Jharkhand, India

This background paper identifies the poor communities engaged in livestock husbandry in Jharkhand, problems faced by them and scope for growth of this sector. The performance of the livestock sector has not been optimum due to lack of critical inputs and services and poor linkage with the market. As the farmers do not adopt improved breeding, feeding and management practices, the productivity of large and small ruminants is poor. Use of balanced compounded feed is negligible and health care is mainly dependent on traditional medicines and ultimately, fate of the animals. However, as the investment level and out-of pocket expenses are almost negligible, farmers continue to rear livestock. Poor infrastructural facilities for delivery of livestock support services is another serious constraint. The small size of landholding with low production potential also limits the scope for growing green fodder on agricultural holdings. Hence, the animals depend on common property resources which are not systematically managed and the quality of feed and fodder from common lands is also inferior. Livestock rearing can become an economic enterprise if development initiatives strengthen the entire value chain and the activity is self-sustainable. Farmers can be motivated to adopt technically sound and economically viable improved livestock farming practices only if they are assured of goat markets and quality input services. Follow up on supervision, monitoring, a system of performance-linked incentives and accountability is critical for the success of any development initiative in Jharkhand. The livestock improvement programme in Jharkhand should focus on indigenous cattle, goat, pigs and poultry. The rural poor require a selective cattle breed improvement programme which can serve their requirement for draught animal power and increase the milk yield. In the periurban areas and among the resource-rich farmers, crossbred animals can become instruments of dairy development. Goat rearing needs to be promoted to provide meat and milk. Investment initiatives can also be taken up for promoting small-scale enterprises in rural areas to process the livestock produce. Based on the incidence of poverty, geographical representation of the state and demographic characteristics, the study suggests targetting a few districts for livestock development in the first phase

Determination and expression of genes for resistance to blast (Magnaporthe oryza) in Basmati and non-Basmati indica rices (Oryza sativa L.)

One hundred and twenty two (122) genotypes of Basmati and non-Basmati Indica rice genotypes were evaluated for expression of resistance against blast disease under induced epiphytotic conditions. Disease severity (%) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) parameters were used for screening the blast resistance. Only 13 genotypes expressed resistance against the blast disease. Nine genotypes carried blast resistance genes but, were susceptible under induced epiphytotic conditions. The rice genotype VLD-61 had no resistance genes; however, it expressed strong resistance against blast. An empirical breeding strategy for development of blast resistant improved varieties of rice was also discussed.Keywords: Magnaporthe oryzae, restriction digestion, molecular breeding, Basmati riceAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(26), pp. 4098-410

Comparison of traditional physico-chemical methods and molecular marker assays for characterization of Basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.)

This study was aim to review the efficiency of molecular markers and traditional physico-chemical methods for the identification of basmati rice. The study involved 44 promising varieties of Indica rices collected from geographically distant places and adapted to irrigated and aerobic agro-ecosystems. Quality data for physical characteristics and organoleptic evaluation observed in AICRP trials and fingerprints based on inter-SSR- PCR and SSR-PCR assays were used and all the varieties were grouped into two major distinct clusters based on distance matrices. The 22 varieties adapted to aerobic agro-ecosystem were classified into a single largest cluster. Both traditional and evolved basmati (EB) varieties were clustered with varieties adapted to irrigated agro-ecosystem. Estimates of genetic diversity between varieties adapted to irrigated and aerobic rice were more prominent than that observed between basmati varieties as was indicated by both the molecular assays. Estimates of physico-chemical quality parameters supplemented with organoleptic attributes were observed to be adequate to provide confirmatory unscrupulous identification of basmati rice.Key words: Basmati rice, physico-chemical characteristics, molecular markers, genetic diversity, organoleptic evaluation

Rethinking neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. In 2014, 55 000 women in the UK were given the diagnosis of breast cancer, and 11 000 died.1 Early breast cancer is traditionally treated with surgery, plus radiotherapy and adjuvant systemic therapy as required. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer is a new strategy that was introduced towards the end of the 20th century with the aim of reducing tumour size. It has four main rationales. Firstly, it should render an otherwise inoperable tumour operable or, secondly, allow more conservative surgery. Thirdly, starting systemic treatment preoperatively was hoped to lead to improved overall survival in patients with locally advanced cancers, who are at high risk of having distant disease. Finally, unlike adjuvant chemotherapy given in the absence of any measurable disease, neoadjuvant chemotherapy gives us the opportunity to observe the tumour shrink both palpably and on imaging, enabling a rapid assessment of clinical response. This could help test responses in vivo to new drug regimens, which could then be used as adjuvant therapies, in so called window of opportunity studies. A survey of multidisciplinary teams in Australia, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the US found that 7-27% of new breast cancers are treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Saunders C, Cody H, Kolberg HC, et al, personal communication, 2017). With 1.7 million women receiving diagnoses annually, this translates into 120 000-460 000 women receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy worldwide.1 Although data indicate that the first rationale remains valid, the others have not led to the desired outcomes. More conservative surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy can result in a higher rate of local recurrence, and, despite the earlier initiation of systemic treatment, no improvement in survival has been seen.234 Furthermore, neoadjuvant chemotherapy may not help test novel chemotherapies—although primary tumour response is a good indicator of prognosis for a particular treatment, it is counterintuitively a poor surrogate marker for the overall survival benefit when evaluating novel chemotherapy regimens. Finally, for 40-80% of patients, even the best neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens extend the period the cancer remains in the breast and can make surgery more difficult, as the tumour is less easily palpable and the axillary lymph nodes are less distinct. We question the wisdom of the current widespread use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy

High spin polarization and the origin of unique ferromagnetic ground state in CuFeSb

CuFeSb is isostructural to the ferro-pnictide and chalcogenide superconductors and it is one of the few materials in the family that are known to stabilize in a ferromagnetic ground state. Majority of the members of this family are either superconductors or antiferromagnets. Therefore, CuFeSb may be used as an ideal source of spin polarized current in spin-transport devices involving pnictide and the chalcogenide superconductors. However, for that the Fermi surface of CuFeSb needs to be sufficiently spin polarized. In this paper we report direct measurement of transport spin polarization in CuFeSb by spin-resolved Andreev reflection spectroscopy. From a number of measurements using multiple superconducting tips we found that the intrinsic transport spin polarization in CuFeSb is high ($\sim$ 47\%). In order to understand the unique ground state of CuFeSb and the origin of large spin polarization at the Fermi level, we have evaluated the spin-polarized band structure of CuFeSb through first principles calculations. Apart from supporting the observed 47\% transport spin polarization, such calculations also indicate that the Sb-Fe-Sb angles and the height of Sb from the Fe plane is strikingly different for CuFeSb than the equivalent parameters in other members of the same family thereby explaining the origin of the unique ground state of CuFeSb.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Farmers’ perception on climate extremes and their coping mechanism: evidences from disaster prone regions of India

512-519The state of Rajasthan is highly vulnerable to climatic extremes. The perception of local communities regarding climate change and their indigenous coping management strategies is important for decision-making and policy formation. In this paper, the perceptions of farmers and their coping strategies were studied using primary data collected from 180 farmers of Bikaner and Kota districts. The data were collected through personal interviews as well as focused group discussions. The findings indicated that the risk of droughts, rainfall anomalies and wind-storms increased over the decade. The people at drought-prone regions were more food insecure in comparison to flood-affected regions. However, their traditional wisdom and indigenous species like Khimp (Leptadenia pyrotechnica), Kair (Capparis decidua), Phog (Calligonum polygonoides), Khejri (Prosopis cineraria), etc. helped them in coping with climate extremes. Adjustments in the dates of sowing, deep summer ploughing in morning hours, dry sowing, increased seed rate, mixed cropping and farming; especially crop-livestock integration were common coping management strategies. Farmers perceived that with modernization of agriculture, biodiversity of the region is declining. The study suggests that local communities need to be incentivized for conserving these species. These indigenous products have high market value. Therefore, the value chains of these products need to be strengthened by providing processing equipment such as solar drier at subsidized rates

New aspects and strategies for methane mitigation from ruminants.

The growing demand for sustainable animal production is compelling researchers to explore the potential approaches to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from livestock that are mainly produced by enteric fermentation. Some potential solutions, for instance, the use of chemical inhibitors to reduce methanogenesis, are not feasible in routine use due to their toxicity to ruminants, inhibition of efficient rumen function or other transitory effects. Strategies, such as use of plant secondary metabolites and dietary manipulations have emerged to reduce the methane emission, but these still require extensive research before these can be recommended and deployed in the livestock industry sector. Furthermore, immunization vaccines for methanogens and phages are also under investigation for mitigation of enteric methanogenesis. The increasing knowledge of methanogenic diversity in rumen, DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have paved the way for chemogenomic strategies by targeting methane producers. Chemogenomics will help in finding target enzymes and proteins, which will further assist in the screening of natural as well chemical inhibitors. The construction of a methanogenic gene catalogue through these approaches is an attainable objective. This will lead to understand the microbiome function, its relation with the host and feeds, and therefore, will form the basis of practically viable and eco-friendly methane mitigation approaches, while improving the ruminant productivity