Management of Dryland Sustainable Agriculture

The study was conducted in the Bhiwani district of Haryana state, which was selected purposively on the basis of maximum area under dryland agriculture. From the four blocks in the Bhiwani district 200 farmers (50 farmers from each block) were selected randomly. The concept of sustainable agriculture involves the evolution of a new type of agriculture rich in technology and information, with much less than intensive energy use and market purchased inputs. Thus, sustainability is the successful management of resources to satisfy the challenging human needs, while maintaining or enhancing the quality of environment and conserving natural resources. Keeping in view the ever-increasing population, development of dry land agriculture, the depletion of natural resources, environmental pollution and limitations of sustainable agriculture a study was conducted to find out the perception of dryland farmers about economic and social aspects of sustainable dryland agriculture in Haryana (India). The study revealed that majority of the farmers perceived minimum tillage, crop diversification, soil fertilization application, integrated nutrient management, weed control, integrated pest management, maintaining plant population, drought resistant varieties, moisture and water conservation practices, agro-forestry and subsidiary occupation like livestock, poultry, horticulture, vegetable etc., as economically feasible, viable, as well as socially acceptable and sustainable for sustainable dryland agriculture.Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,

Contract Farming in Potato Production: An Alternative for Managing Risk and Uncertainty

The cost of potato cultivation has been found 17 to 24 per cent higher under contract farming over various costs than under non-contract system, mainly due to high investments on seeds, fertilizers and machine power. Yield has been found 255.78 quintals per ha in the contract farms, which is 8.84 per cent higher over the potato yield obtained from the non-contract farms. Gross income has been Rs 99753 per ha in the contract farms as against Rs 41572 per ha in non-contract system. The sale price of potato has been found much higher (Rs 390/q) for contract than non-contract farms (Rs 177 /q). The net return over operational cost (cost ‘A1’) has been found as Rs 11882 per ha in non-contract farms, which increased more than five-times under contract farming system, it being Rs 62982 per ha. Similarly, the net return has been found five-and-a-half times more in contract than non-contract system over cost C1 (without rental value of the land). The net return over cost C2 has been observed as Rs 51866 per ha for contract farms and only Rs 800 per ha under non-contract system. Benefit-cost ratio on various costs has been found to vary from 1.40 to 1.02 for without contract and from 2.71 and 2.08 for contract farming. The impact of contract farming has been quite visible and remarkably favourable on yield and profitability of potato production at the existing pattern of resource-use and production technology prevalent in the Haryana farming system. The regression analysis has indicated significant influence of manure and fertilizers and human labour on the return of potatoes grown under contract farming situation. MVP-MFC ratios of plant protection, manure-fertilizers and human labour have been found much higher, indicating tremendous scope to increase the profitability in potato production under contract farming situation whereas in the case of non-contract system, irrigation and plant protection have shown sufficient scope to raise the crop income. The yield uncertainty has been less in contract than non-contract potato production. There has been no price uncertainty in the contract farming of potato whereas in the non-contract system, it exits to a large extent due variations in the price of potatoes sold in the market. These findings have clearly underlined the superiority of contract farming over non-contract farming system in potato production.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Inheritance of drought resistance related traits in two crosses of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop grown in more than 100 countries across wide range of environments. Frequent occurrence of drought is one of the limiting factors adversely affecting groundnut productivity, especially in rainfed areas, and hence genotypes having high water use efficiency (WUE) under limited available water need to be developed. In groundnut, WUE is correlated with SPAD chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) and specific leaf area (SLA). These two traits, SCMR and SLA, can be used as surrogate traits for selecting for WUE. In order to improve SCMR and SLA, and in turn WUE in groundnut, a good knowledge of the genetic system controlling the expressions of these traits is essential for the selection of the most appropriate and efficient breeding procedure. The present investigation was conducted to determine the gene action controlling the inheritance of SCMR and SLA in two crosses, ICG 7243 x ICG 9418 and ICG 6766 x Chico, and their reciprocals. Six generations of each cross (P-1, P-2, F-1, F-2, BC1P1, and BC1P2) were evaluated for SCMR and SLA at two stages of the crop growth viz., 60 and 80 days after sowing (DAS). For SCMR at 80 DAS, additive effects were important in both the crosses whereas predominance of dominance effects with duplicate epistasis was observed for SCMR at 60 DAS and SLA at both stages in both the crosses. Predominance of additive effect for SCMR at 80 DAS suggested effective selection could be practiced even in early generations whereas for SCMR at 60 DAS and SLA at both stages in both crosses, it would be better to defer selection to later generations. Further, recording of SCMR and SLA should be done between 60 and 80 DAS for screening the germplasm lines for drought tolerance

Identification of new sources of early-maturity in groundnut core collection

Early-maturing high-yielding groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars are needed for shot growing season, multiple cropping, and to avoid late season droughts. In almost all breeding programs only a few sources of early-maturity (Chico, Gangapuri, JL 24; mainly Chico) have been used. The aim of our research was to identify new sources of early-maturity through evaluation of core collection developed at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India

Identification of high-yielding large-seeded kabuli chickpeas with drought avoidance root traits

Fifty large-seeded kabuli germplasm accessions and four control cultivars of C. arietinum (KAK 2, JGK 1, ICCV 2 and ICC 4958) were evaluated for 100-seed weight and yield in a field trial with two replications at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India. The 100-seed weight of JGK 1 was 31.3 g and that of KAK 2 was 35.4 g. Among the 50 new kabuli accessions tested in this study, the genotype that showed the smallest 100-seed weight was ICC 8151 (30.9 g) and the mean 100-seed weight was 44.3 g. Results showed that a larger proportion of the kabuli lines tested are promising in terms of larger seed size and are potential candidate lines for inclusion in breeding programmes aimed to develop large-seeded kabuli varieties. The top 15 accessions out of 50 kabuli accessions that had more than 50 g of 100-seed weight were identified. The grain yields of those 15 accessions varied widely. The yield of several entries such as ICC 18591 (EC 543599), ICC 17452 (EC 543586), ICC 17456 (EC 543591), ICC 19189 (EC 543533), ICC 11883, ICC 19195 (EC 543597), ICC 17457 (EC 543594), ICC 17450 (EC 543583) and ICC 7345 was comparable to that of KAK 2. Among the top 15 accessions, none of them matured earlier than ICCV 2 (103 days to maturity). Most of the accessions showed medium to late maturity except ICC 19189 (EC 543533) (108 days). On the other hand, these 15 accessions had as large a RLD as that of ICC 4958 (0.252 cm/cm3) except for four accessions, ICC 18591 (EC 543599) (0.197 cm/cm3), ICC 17452 (EC 543586) (0.198 cm/cm3), ICC 17456 (EC 543591) (0.194 cm/cm3) and ICC 19194 (EC 543593) (0.202 cm/cm3). One accession ICC 17450 (EC 543583) (0.274 cm/cm3) showed significantly larger root length density than ICC 4958. The new kabuli genotypes identified in this work could be utilized as valuable breeding sources for large-seeded kabuli chickpea improvement with drought tolerance

Genetic Variability in Napier Grass (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum purpureum\u3c/em\u3e) Germplasm Conserved at ICRISAT Genebank

Napier grass or elephant grass [Pennisetum purpureum Schum.] is an important forage crop in tropical and sub-tropical regions valued for its high biomass production, perennial nature, pest resistance, and forage quality. It is a unique grass species with high dry matter, which sustains its utilization for direct animal grazing and as a feed complement during drought periods. It has additional advantages like preventing soil erosion and improving soil fertility. Napier grass also has potential for bioenergy production and conversion to alcohol or methane due to its rapid growth and degradable biomass characteristics. The present study was planned to assess the genetic variability among purpureum germplasm conserved at ICRISAT genebank, Patancheru for their potential utilization in development of forage varieties and bajranapier hybrids

Genetic Variation and Postflowering Drought Effects on Seed Iron and Zinc in ICRISAT Sorghum Mini Core Collection

Drought stress invariably reduces yield and may alter seed chemistry. This experiment was initiated to characterize the sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] mini core collection for genetic variation and to study the effect of postflowering drought on seed Fe and Zn concentrations. Accessions with similar maturity, together with controls, were evaluated in split-plot design under irrigated and drought-stressed environments for two postrainy seasons. Residual (or restricted) maximum likelihood (REML) analysis of data considering genotypes as random and drought and year as fixed indicated highly significant variance as a result of genotypes. Highly significant effects of drought (D), year (Y), and D x Y interaction emphasized need for multilocation evaluation of germplasm for agronomic and seed nutritional traits. About twofold variation in Fe (25.8–48.9 mg kg−1 seed) and threefold variation in Zn (13.5–42.6 mg kg−1 seed) concentrations was observed across environments. Eleven accessions with high seed Fe, 14 accessions with high Zn, and nine accessions high in both Fe and Zn were identified. These accessions, however, produced low seed yields. In addition, six and four accessions, respectively, showed 8 to 39% and 9 to 38% greater Fe and Zn over control IS 33844 and produced seed yields similar to that of IS 33844. Significant rank correlation (0.70) indicated that accessions with high Fe or Zn under irrigated environments are also expected to perform well under drought-stressed environments. Significantly positive correlation between Fe and Zn indicated simultaneous improvement as a realistic approach in breeding. The identified germplasm are ideal genetic resources for the development of Fe- and Zn-dense sorghum cultivars

Variability and Stability for Kernel Iron and Zinc Contents in the ICRISAT Mini Core Collection of Peanut

Iron and zinc are essential minerals in human and animal nutrition. Low genetic variability has been a major bottleneck in genetic enhancement of the nutritional status of food crops and/or cultivars. Recently, peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is gaining importance as a food in the world. We assessed the nutritional quality of 184 peanut mini core accessions along with four control cultivars to identify stable genotypes with high kernel Fe and Zn contents and with good agronomic performance for use in crop improvement. Significant genotypic and genotype × environment interactions were observed for both nutritional traits and all agronomic traits in the entire mini core collection and within each of subsp. fastigiata Waldron and subsp. hypogaea. Forty-eight accessions with higher Fe content, 43 accessions with high Zn content, and 23 accessions high in both minerals coupled with superior agronomic traits were identified. Among them, ICG 4750, ICG 7963, ICG 14705, and ICG 15419 were highly diverse and stable for either or both nutrients, produced pod yield similar to or greater than the control cultivars, and have high shelling percentage, except ICG 15419, and high 100-seed weight, except ICG 4750. High positive correlation between Fe and Zn contents in peanut kernels will be desirable and useful for breeders as selection for either of the nutrients would be effective for both the nutrients

Variability and Stability Analysis for Nutritional Traits in the Mini Core Collection of Peanut

The nutritional quality of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) products depends on the protein content, oil content, and composition of oil. Low genetic variability has been a major bottleneck in genetic enhancement of these nutritional traits in commercial cultivars. The present study was conducted to identify stable genotypes with better nutritional traits and good agronomic performance for use in future breeding programs. The 184 mini core accessions and four control cultivars were evaluated for nutritional traits for two seasons at two locations and for agronomic traits at one location. Significant genotypic and genotype × environment interactions were observed for all the nutritional and agronomic traits in the entire mini core collection and within each A. hypogaea ubspecies of fastigiata Waldron and hypogaea. Eighteen accessions with higher nutritional traits such as protein content, oil content, oleic acid, and oleic to linoleic acid ratio with superior agronomic traits were identified and their stability analysis resulted in identification of a high oleic acid content (>73%) ccession (ICG 2381). On the basis of higher nutritional and agronomic traits 11 subsp. fastigiata and 10 subsp. hypogaea diverse accessions were identified with more than two trait combinations for use in peanut breeding programs for genetic nhancement of nutritional trait

Development of a groundnut core collection using taxonomical, geographical and morphological descriptors

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop cultivated in 96 countries of world.World crop productivity (1.30 t ha–1) is low. The available large variability contained in the germplasm accessions has not been adequately utilized in the crop improvement programs and most groundnut cultivars stand on a very narrow genetic base. This is due to lack of information on agronomic and other economic traits, which require extensive evaluation. The development of a core collection could facilitate easier access to groundnut genetic resources, enhance their use in crop improvement programs, and simplify the genebank management. This paper describes the development of a core collection from 14310 accessions of groundnut available from ICRISAT genebank. Germplasm accessions were stratified by country of origin within each of six botanical varieties. Data on 14 morphological descriptor traits were used for clustering by Ward''s method. From each cluster 10 percent accessions were randomly selected to constitute a core collection consisting of 1704 accessions. Mean comparisons using ''t'' test and distribution using chi-square test and Wilcoxon''s rank-sum non-parametric test on different descriptors indicated that the genetic variation available for these traits in the entire collection has been preserved in the core collection. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index for different traits was also similar in the entire collection and core collection. The important phenotypic correlations between different traits, which may be under the control of co-adapted gene complexes, were preserved in the core collection. This core collection provides an effective mechanism for the proper exploitation of groundnut germplasm resources for the genetic improvement of this cro