Effect of frost on triticale and wheat varieties at flowering in the north eastern Australian cereal belt

Spring radiation frost is a serious problem in Australia particularly at the reproductive stage, causing an annual revenue loss of more than AU$ 360 million. The focus of frost research therefore has been to identify reproductively frost resistant cereals at the both varietal and species levels that can contribute to alleviating frost damage. Seven triticale and three wheat varieties were assessed to determine relative frost tolerance under natural frost conditions. Plants were grown in pots and raised in the glasshouse. At flowering (±5 days), plants were exposed to a single overnight frost or frost maintained for a short time with varying intensities from 0.2 to –6.6 °C at crop ear height. The frost impact was assessed at maturity based on ear fertility by counting the number of developed grains. There were variable levels of tolerance between triticale varieties with Tahara being more susceptible than other varieties. At species level, triticale was more susceptible than wheat. Temperatures below –3.9 °C were economically damaging. A holistic approach of breeding and agronomic management may be needed to mitigate the frost problem in winter cereals

Effect of Frost on Triticale and Wheat Varieties at Flowering in the North Eastern Australian Cereal Belt

Spring radiation frost is a serious problem in Australia particularly at the reproductive stage, causing an annual revenue loss of more than AU$ 360 million. The focus of frost research therefore has been to identify reproductively frost resistant cereals at the both varietal and species levels that can contribute to alleviating frost damage. Seven triticale and three wheat varieties were assessed to determine relative frost tolerance under natural frost conditions. Plants were grown in pots and raised in the glasshouse. At flowering (±5 days), plants were exposed to a single overnight frost or frost maintained for a short time with varying intensities from 0.2 to –6.6 °C at crop ear height. The frost impact was assessed at maturity based on ear fertility by counting the number of developed grains. There were variable levels of tolerance between triticale varieties with Tahara being more susceptible than other varieties. At species level, triticale was more susceptible than wheat. Temperatures below –3.9 °C were economically damaging. A holistic approach of breeding and agronomic management may be needed to mitigate the frost problem in winter cereals

Challenges and prospects of wheat production in Bhutan: a review

Bhutan is a small country in the Himalayan mountains where subsistence agriculture is practiced due to small land holdings and undulating mountainous terrains. Due to diverse altitudinal and agro-ecological environments, many food crops are cultivated. Wheat is currently a secondary cereal, grown over an area of 1,964 ha with a total production of 3,465 Mg. While there are enormous opportunities to increase wheat production in Bhutan, it is challenged by numerous biotic and socio-economic factors such as labour shortage and low economic return. Among the biotic constraints, stripe rust and leaf rust are the most important diseases. Stem rust has not yet been reported. Poor crop nutrition, both through low soil fertility and inadequate external supply, also results in low productivity. In addition, better remunerative crops and affordable-imported products discourage wheat production. However, the availability and accessibility to higher yielding disease-resistant varieties, fertilization (both organic and inorganic), appropriate seed rate, optimum planting time, mechanization, rotation with legumes and expansion of wheat area are some measures that will play a crucial role in managing sustainable wheat production in Bhutan. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the current scenario of wheat production, discuss the constraints and provide strategic guidance to improve wheat production in Bhutan

Immunological tolerance of Bhutanese native chicken to Infectious Bursal Disease Virus infection

Open Access journalInfectious bursal disease is a disease of economic importance worldwide. The vaccination is an important management tool to control the disease. However, outbreaks do occur in vaccinated flocks due to vaccination failure. The selection and breeding for disease resistance may be a sustainable approach to control the disease in future. The outbreak of IBD is a threat to the emerging poultry industry in the country. Such outbreaks have not reported in native chickens so far. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the immunological tolerance of Bhutanese native chicken from a recent IBD outbreak areas in Tsirang district, Bhutan. The mortality rates in commercial and native birds maintained under same farms were assessed. Further, the level of antibody titres to IBDV of an exclusive commercial and native chicken farm from the vicinity of outbreak using commercial kit (this statement appears incomplete). Overall, the study groups consisted of commercial affected (CA), native chicken in co-existing in commercial affected (NA), Commercial Not Affected farm (CNA) and Native not affected farm (NNA). The mortality rates commercial chicken ranged from 24 to 50 percent while no mortalities were observed in native chickens in IBD affected farms. All of the four groups were seropositive to IBD virus although prevalence was significantly (p<0.05) lower in NNA group compared to CA and CNA groups. The log10 titres used to determine protective antibody titre levels showed no significant differences among the groups. Overall, the absence of clinical signs and mortality, seropositiveness to IBD virus infection and levels of protective antibody titres in unvaccinated NA and NNA groups suggests of potential immunological tolerance of Bhutanese native chicken to IBD virus infection. A further study is recommended to validate the current findings possibly through experimental infection.Jigme Dorji, Tshering Dorji, Tshewang, Tashi Y. Dorji, and Sangay Tenzin, and R. B. Gurun

Influence of nitrogen application on wheat crop performance, soil properties, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint in central Bhutan

In Bhutan, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important staple crop and its productivity is low due to poor soil fertility and inadequate external inputs. Hence, effects of four levels of nitrogen (N) [0, 50, 80 and 100 kg N ha−1] on wheat crop and soil properties were examined for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) in a rice-wheat rotation. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design and the treatments replicated three times. In addition, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was analyzed both per unit area and per kilogram of wheat grain to determine the emission-intense sources. Data were subjected to analysis of variance. Among the treatments, 100 kg N ha−1 had the largest effect on grain yield and dry biomass and on plant height. Significant correlations were detected for the N rates vs. dry biomass. However, correlations between N rates vs. soil N, C:N ratio and pH were significant for 2013 only. The average GHG emissions were 1114.2 kg CO2e ha−1 and 0.533 kg CO2e kg−1 grain and the emissions per hectare were highly influenced by N rates whereas the emissions per kilogram of grain were influenced by grain yield. We concluded that, in Bhutan, the application of N-fertilizer significantly enhanced wheat productivity and soil health at N rates of ≥50 kg N ha−1. Further, the results indicated potentials to increase wheat yield with lower GHG emissions through improved N management

Genome-wide association studies provide insights on genetic architecture of resistance to leaf rust in a worldwide barley collection

We assembled an international barley panel comprising 282 entries from 26 countries with various levels of field resistance to leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei. The panel was screened for leaf rust response with an array of pathotypes at the seedling stage, and at the adult plant stage in multiple environments (2013–2015) in Australia and Uruguay, and genotyped using > 13 K polymorphic DArT-Seq markers. Multipathotype testing in the greenhouse postulated the presence of seedling resistance genes Rph1, Rph2, Rph3, Rph4, Rph7, Rph9.am, Rph12, Rph14, Rph15, Rph19, and Rph25. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on field data identified 13 QTLs significantly associated with DArT-Seq markers on chromosomes 2H (Rph_G_Q1, Rph_G_Q2, Rph_G_Q3, and Rph_G_Q4), 4H (Rph_G_Q5), 5H (Rph_G_Q6, Rph_G_Q7, Rph_G_Q8), 6H (Rph_G_Q9 and Rph_G_Q10), and 7H (Rph_G_Q11, Rph_G_Q12, and Rph_G_Q13). Three QTLs (Rph_G_Q3, Rph_G_Q5, and Rph_G_Q6) were detected under all environments, whereas the other ten were variable, being detected in 1–4 environments; Rph_G_Q1 and Rph_G_Q13 being detected only in Uruguay. Among the three QTLs detected under all environments, Rph_G_Q6 on chromosome 5H had the largest effect and corresponded to a region where the cataloged APR gene Rph20 is located. Rph_G_Q3 and Rph_G_Q5 detected on chromosome 2H and 4H aligned with QTLs reported in at least three previous studies. The studies provide useful information towards better understanding of the genetic architecture of seedling and adult plant resistance to leaf rust in diverse global barley germplasm

Genome-wide association studies provide insights on genetic architecture of resistance to leaf rust in a worldwide barley collection

We assembled an international barley panel comprising 282 entries from 26 countries with various levels of field resistance to leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei. The panel was screened for leaf rust response with an array of pathotypes at the seedling stage, and at the adult plant stage in multiple environments (2013–2015) in Australia and Uruguay, and genotyped using > 13 K polymorphic DArT-Seq markers. Multipathotype testing in the greenhouse postulated the presence of seedling resistance genes Rph1, Rph2, Rph3, Rph4, Rph7, Rph9.am, Rph12, Rph14, Rph15, Rph19, and Rph25. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) based on field data identified 13 QTLs significantly associated with DArT-Seq markers on chromosomes 2H (Rph_G_Q1, Rph_G_Q2, Rph_G_Q3, and Rph_G_Q4), 4H (Rph_G_Q5), 5H (Rph_G_Q6, Rph_G_Q7, Rph_G_Q8), 6H (Rph_G_Q9 and Rph_G_Q10), and 7H (Rph_G_Q11, Rph_G_Q12, and Rph_G_Q13). Three QTLs (Rph_G_Q3, Rph_G_Q5, and Rph_G_Q6) were detected under all environments, whereas the other ten were variable, being detected in 1–4 environments; Rph_G_Q1 and Rph_G_Q13 being detected only in Uruguay. Among the three QTLs detected under all environments, Rph_G_Q6 on chromosome 5H had the largest effect and corresponded to a region where the cataloged APR gene Rph20 is located. Rph_G_Q3 and Rph_G_Q5 detected on chromosome 2H and 4H aligned with QTLs reported in at least three previous studies. The studies provide useful information towards better understanding of the genetic architecture of seedling and adult plant resistance to leaf rust in diverse global barley germplasm

New Herpetofaunal Records from the Kingdom of Bhutan Obtained through Citizen Science

Social media has, in the past decade, emerged unexpectedly as a powerful tool in citizen science (Liberatore et al. 2018). Whether unintended or formally integrated, it offers, among other benefits, mass participation in activities such as data collection in inventories, monitoring, or natural history observations (Tulloch 2013). It can be argued that such activities often do not consume taxpayers’ contributions, as formal research projects tend to do, and can provide a cost-effective means of data collection (Goldstien et al. 2014). The vast number of (and rapidly rising) online resources and virtual specialists available to identify samples serve as references and reviewers of such data, increasing the speed over traditional forms of data collection (e.g., scientific publishing) and providing the capacity to absorb multiple opinions. Nonetheless, challenges that remain in citizen science programs are directing the data towards priority scientific objectives and needs, and achieving high standards in data quality (Ambrose-Oji et al. 2014)