Apple value chain analysis in two mountainous districts in Nepal

Apple (Malus pumila Mill.) is a popular temperate climate fruit but can grow at high altitudes in the subtropics where it can be an opportunity crop for small-scale farmers, amongst others in the Himalayan valleys and hillsides. This research was conducted to examine constraints and prospects of apple farming and marketing from remote parts of Nepal. The material included interviews of 60 farmers and among the selected farmers, apple contributed to about half of the household income and benefit-cost analysis showed a ratio of two, which means the farm business should be profitable, and this accounted for both regions. Labour was the single most important cost factor, contributing to 60-70% of the production costs. The difference between retail price and producer’s price was high in both districts (around 100 Rs/kg), which means a relatively low producer’s share. Pests and diseases were key problems in the production but also access to improved varieties and lack of post-harvest facilities was highlighted as important constrains. Key value-chain actors were mapped and the marketing system included several levels of traders. A simplified system with producer cooperatives was discussed to increase farm-gate prices and reduce consumer prices. Better coordination of actors in research and development was lifted as local engagements in projects.publishedVersio

Nitrogen Enriched Organic fertilizer (NEO) elevates nitrification rates shortly after application but has no lasting effect on nitrification in agricultural soils

Amidst population growth, escalating food costs, limited arable land, and farmland degradation, the adoption of innovative technologies—like organic waste recycling and nutrient recovery—is crucial for enhancing the resilience of global agri-food systems. Nitrogen-Enriched Organic fertilizer (NEO) is produced using a new method, where dinitrogen (N2) is captured from the air through a plasma process and mixed with slurries or digestates as nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-). This process leads to solid slurry acidification and a high NO2- content, potentially yielding toxic inorganic or organic N compounds. This study investigated the impact of NEO derived from cattle slurry and biogas digestate on soil nitrification—conversion of NH4+ to NO2- and NO3- by aerobic autotrophic bacteria and archaea. We investigated and compared the potential nitrification rates in soil samples from two agricultural trials (cereal and grass) treated with NEO and other fertilizers after two consecutive fertilization years. Additionally, we examined the immediate nitrification response to NEO through 73-hour soil incubations. Our results revealed that NEO significantly stimulated nitrification rates in agitated soil slurries, regardless of the feedstock used, surpassing rates observed in ammonium controls. Similarly, this pattern was also observed in loosely placed soil samples, with high nitrification rates occurring with NEO and ammonium chloride. Interestingly, the differences in nitrification rates between field-fertilized soil samples were minimal and inconsequential, suggesting that while NEO exhibits a rapid boost in nitrification rates shortly after application, this effect is not sustained ≈ six months after fertilization under field conditions. Consequently, NEO indicates its potential as an environmentally benign fertilizer without adversely affecting soil nitrification

Sustainable Harvesting and Cultivation of Endangered Himalayan Wild Plants

IJBST Journal Group is a 100% FREE NON-PROFIT Peer Reviewed Open Access Scientific Publication Group -- Journals as listed at http://www.ijbst.org.Endangered wild species with high commercial interests are at risk of being extinct. This study focuses on traditional Asian medicinal species, one fungus, Ophio-cordyceps sinensis, three wild plants Nardostachys grandiflora, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Rauvolfia serpentina, and one semi-cultivated plant, Cinnamomum tamala. Information on traditional use and of gathering methods were surveyed from local collectors and stakeholders involved in trade of wild plants, and from conservation and management experts. All target species are popular and prices are high. We found that old people had more knowledge about the plants than young do and people in rural mountainous areas use the plants more frequently than in the more central urban areas. People involved in gathering are likely to be illiterate but they have good knowledge on wild species. Our study emphasized that local stakeholders should be included in the conservation work and with sustainable harvesting methods. In addition, cultivation of the plants could be a way forward. All target species except Cinnamomum tamala have decreasing or threatened wild populations, thus can serve as an example of a native species that is being cultivated and where cultivation go hand in hand with conservation interests.publishedVersio

World Vegetable Center eggplant collection: origin, composition, seed dissemination and utilization in breeding

[EN] Eggplant is the fifth most economically important solanaceous crop after potato, tomato, pepper, and tobacco. Apart from the well-known brinjal eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), two other under-utilized eggplant species, the scarlet eggplant (S. aethiopicum L.) and the gboma eggplant (S. macrocarpon L.) are also cultivated. The taxonomy and identification of eggplant wild relatives is challenging for breeders due to the large number of related species, but recent phenotypic and genetic data and classification in primary, secondary, and tertiary genepools, as well as information on the domestication process and wild progenitors, facilitates their utilization in breeding. The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) holds a large public germplasm collection of eggplant, which includes the three cultivated species and more than 30 eggplant wild relatives, with more than 3,200 accessions collected from 90 countries. Over the last 15 years, more than 10,000 seed samples from the Center's eggplant collection have been shared with public and private sector entities, including other genebanks. An analysis of the global occurrences and genebank holdings of cultivated eggplants and their wild relatives reveals that the WorldVeg genebank holds the world's largest public collection of the three cultivated eggplant species. The composition, seed dissemination and utilization of germplasm from the Center's collection are highlighted. In recent years more than 1,300 accessions of eggplant have been characterized for yield and fruit quality parameters. Further screening for biotic and abiotic stresses in eggplant wild relatives is a priority, as is the need to amass more comprehensive knowledge regarding wild relatives' potential for use in breeding. However, as is the case for many other crops, wild relatives are highly under-represented in the global conservation system of eggplant genetic resources.Funding for the World Vegetable Center’s general research activities is provided by core donors: Republic of China (Taiwan), UK aid, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Germany, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, and Japan. In addition we like to thank Global Crop Diversity Trust for contribution to meetings and to this open-access publication.Taher, D.; Solberg, S.; Prohens Tomás, J.; Chou, Y.; Rakha, M.; Wu, T. (2017). World Vegetable Center eggplant collection: origin, composition, seed dissemination and utilization in breeding. Frontiers in Plant Science. 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01484S1484

Trait Patterns and Genetic Resources of Dill (Anethum graveolens L.)

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is used fresh or processed for food seasoning and preservation. Production is concentrated in temperate regions but can be grown as a cool season crop in India and Thailand. Several secondary metabolites, among them essential oils are present in the plant and with claimed health benefits. Despite the many potential benefits, dill is an underutilized crop. The current study survey global and European genetic resources. Hence, accessions from the Nordic germplasm collection were evaluated, aiming at tracing trait patterns. The survey showed both gaps and overlaps in available genebank holdings. Accessions from outside Europe were highly under-represented in the global collections, as were wild material and crop wild relatives. The evaluation showed that important agro-botanical traits correlated, such as plant height, umbel size and other size characters. Furthermore, essential oil composition was clearly influenced by high temperature stress. A discussion on access and use of genetic resources of minor crops such as dill was included.publishedVersio

Conservation gaps in traditional vegetables native to Europe and Fennoscandia

Vegetables are rich in vitamins and other micronutrients and are important crops for healthy diets and diversification of the food system, and many traditional (also termed underutilized or indigenous) species may play a role. The current study analyzed 35 vegetables with a European region of diversity with the effort to map the conservation status in Fennoscandia and beyond. We mapped georeferenced occurrences and current genebank holdings based on global databases and conducted conservation gaps analysis based on representativeness scores in situ and ex situ. Out of the 35 target species, 19 got at a high priority score for further conservation initiatives, while another 14 species got a medium priority score. We identified a pattern where traditional vegetables are poorly represented in genebank holdings. This corresponds well to a lack of attention in the scientific community measured in number of published papers. Considering the grand challenges ahead in terms of climate change, population growth and demand for sustainability, traditional vegetables deserve greater attention. Our contribution is to provide a basis for conservation priorities among the identified vegetables species native to Fennoscandia

Multitemporal Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Images for Characterization and Discrimination of Young Forest Stands Under Regeneration in Norway

There is a need for mapping of forest areas with young stands under regeneration in Norway, as a basis for conducting tending, or precommercial thinning (PCT), whenever necessary. The main objective of this article is to show the potential of multitemporal Sentinel-1 (S-1) and Sentinel-2 (S-2) data for characterization and detection of forest stands under regeneration. We identify the most powerful radar and optical features for discrimination of forest stands under regeneration versus other forest stands. A number of optical and radar features derived from multitemporal S-1 and S-2 data were used for the class separability and cross-correlation analysis. The analysis was performed on forest resource maps consisting of the forest development classes and age in two study sites from south-eastern Norway. Important features were used to train the classical random forest (RF) classification algorithm. A comparative study of performance of the algorithm was used in three cases: I) using only S-1 features, II) using only S-2 optical bands, and III) using combination of S-1 and S-2 features. RF classification results pointed to increased class discrimination when using S-1 and S-2 data in relation to S-1 or S-2 data only. The study shows that forest stands under regeneration in the height interval for PCT can be detected with a detection rate of 91% and F-1 score of 73.2% in case III as most accurate, while tree density and broadleaf fraction could be estimated with coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of about 0.70 and 0.80, respectively

Anvendelse av aldersfri bonitet for skog i Norge

Aldersfri bonitering er en metode for estimering av bonitet uten bruk av alder på skogen. Metoden er utviklet ved NIBIO i seinere år, og omtalt i tidligere publikasjoner. Vi går her videre i arbeidet med å kvalitetssikre metoden, og vurderer hvilken potensiell anvendelse den kan ha i skogbruket. Samlet sett viser resultatene at aldersfri bonitet har et potensial for å brukes i skogbruk i Norge. Det kan brukes for det første som et alternativ til konvensjonell bonitering i skogbruksplanlegging og på det landsdekkende skogressurskartet SR16, og for det andre som et supplement til konvensjonell bonitet på Landsskogtakseringens felt for å overvåke endringer forårsaket av klimaendringer. I det første tilfellet er fordelen at metoden ikke krever alder som input. En generell fordel er at metoden kan fange opp endringer i bonitet som skyldes endringer i vekstvilkår grunnet for eksempel klimaendringer, og dermed i større grad enn konvensjonell bonitet representere dagens bonitet. Metoden har også den fordelen at den er velegnet for bruk med fjernmåling, og resultatene viser at både enkelttre- og areal-baserte metoder fungerer, og at både laserskanning og stereo flybilder kan brukes.publishedVersio

Sources of Resistance for Two-spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae) in Scarlet (Solanum aethiopicum L.) and Gboma (S. macrocarpon L.) Eggplant Germplasms

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a serious global pest of eggplants and other vegetables in the tropics and subtropics. The scarlet (Solanum aethiopicum L.) and gboma (Solanum macrocarpon L.) are two cultivated eggplants indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, 120 accessions of S. aethiopicum and five accessions of S. macrocarpon from the World Vegetable Center’s genebank collection were evaluated for spider mite resistance based on leaf damage scores and trichome types and densities. The highest levels of resistance were detected in S. macrocarpon accessions VI050393 and VI050444. In addition, two accessions of S. aethiopicum, VI042749 and VI042753, were moderately resistant. All other S. aethiopicum accessions were susceptible or highly susceptible. Spider mite resistance was significantly associated with the presence of type VII glandular trichome, but nonglandular stellate trichomes were not associated with resistance. The resistant S. macrocarpon accessions can be directly used as resistant cultivars or in prebreeding programs aimed at breeding resistant lines of the most commonly cultivated eggplant (S. melogena).publishedVersio