International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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Yield response of tef (Eragrostis tef ) to nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur under balanced fertilization on Vertisols in different agroecological zones of Ethiopia
Get PDFNutrient deficiency is a major constraint in tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) production in Ethiopia. In the past, a blanket recommendation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers has been applied regardless of the diversity of agroecological zones and soil types. As crop responses declined with widespread deficiencies of nutrients, farmers have lost interest in applying the recommended fertilizer rates. The present study was conducted with the objective of quantifying the response of tef to different rates of N, P, potassium (K) and sulphur (S) fertilizers under balanced application of the nutrients other than the one under investigation. In each region, the same set of trials was implemented on farmers’ fields for three years. All trials were implemented on Vertisols across four agroecological zones (AEZs). The treatments were seven rates of N, six rates each of P and S and eight rates of K with a basal application of zinc (Zn) and boron (B). The results showed that the most limiting nutrient is N followed by P in each agroecological zone on the Vertisols. There was clear
evidence of increases in grain yield with increasing rates of N and P, but the responses to K and S rates did not follow clear trends across AEZs. With balanced application of the other nutrients, 23–92 kg N ha−1
increased grain yield by 11–92%, while 10–40 kg P ha−1 increased yields by 12–33% over the control in the
different AEZs. Based on results from dose–response models, it is concluded that the agronomic optimum rates
for tef production are 69 kg N, 20 kg P, 30 kg K and 10 kg S ha−1 in the cool sub-moist mid-highlands and the
tepid sub-humid mid highlands; 92 kg N, 30 kg P, 15 kg K and 10 kg S ha−1 in tepid moistmid highlands but
69 kg N, 10 kg P, 15 kg K and 10 kg S ha−1 in the tepid sub-moist mid highlands. On Vertisols not covered by
this study, these recommendations should be subject to appropriate soil and plant analysis. We also recommend
further studies on the nutrient requirement of tef on other soil types and AEZs
X‑ray driven peanut trait estimation: computer vision aided agri‑system transformation
Get PDFBackground: In India, raw peanuts are obtained by aggregators from smallholder farms in the form of whole pods
and the price is based on a manual estimation of basic peanut pod and kernel characteristics. These methods of raw
produce evaluation are slow and can result in procurement irregularities. The procurement delays combined with the
lack of storage facilities lead to fungal contaminations and pose a serious threat to food safety in many regions. To
address this gap, we investigated whether X-ray technology could be used for the rapid assessment of the key peanut
qualities that are important for price estimation.
Results: We generated 1752 individual peanut pod 2D X-ray projections using a computed tomography (CT) system
(CTportable160.90). Out of these projections we predicted the kernel weight and shell weight, which are important
indicators of the produce price. Two methods for the feature prediction were tested: (i) X-ray image transformation
(XRT) and (ii) a trained convolutional neural network (CNN). The prediction power of these methods was tested
against the gravimetric measurements of kernel weight and shell weight in diverse peanut pod varieties1.
Both methods
predicted the kernel mass with R2
> 0.93 (XRT: R2
= 0.93 and mean error estimate (MAE) = 0.17, CNN: R2
= 0.95 and
MAE = 0.14). While the shell weight was predicted more accurately by CNN (
R2 = 0.91, MAE = 0.09) compared to XRT
(
R2 = 0.78; MAE = 0.08).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the X-ray based system is a relevant technology option for the estimation
of key peanut produce indicators (Figure 1). The obtained results justify further research to adapt the existing X-ray
system for the rapid, accurate and objective peanut procurement process. Fast and accurate estimates of produce
value are a necessary pre-requisite to avoid post-harvest losses due to fungal contamination and, at the same time,
allow the fair payment to farmers. Additionally, the same technology could also assist crop improvement programs in
selecting and developing peanut cultivars with enhanced economic value in a high-throughput manner by skipping
the shelling of the pods completely.
This study demonstrated the technical feasibility of the approach and is a first step to realize a technology-driven
peanut production system transformation of the future
Transforming livestock productivity through watershed interventions: A case study of Parasai-Sindh watershed in Bundelkhand region of Central India
Get PDFCONTEXT: Global experiences reveal the positive impact of watershed-based interventions in improving livelihoods
and environmental security. In the drylands, increasing forage resources and improving livestock productivity
is a critical challenge. OBJECTIVES: The overarching aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of watershed-based interventions on livestock population, productivity, fodder resources, and biomass availability. The paper describes the interrelationship between land, water, crop, and livestock and how the gap in forage deficit can be bridged through a range of watershed interventions
Generation Mean Analysis Reveals the Predominant Gene Effects for Grain Iron and Zinc Contents in Pearl Millet
Get PDFPearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a climate-resilient dryland cereal that
has been identified as a potential staple food crop that can contribute to alleviating
micronutrient malnutrition, particularly with respect to grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn)
contents, in Sub-Saharan Africa and India. In this regard, an understanding of the
inheritance pattern of genes involved in Fe and Zn contents is vital for devising
appropriate breeding methods to genetically enhance their levels in grains. In this
study, we aimed to determine the genetic effects underlying such inheritance and their
interactions based on the generation mean analyses. Four experimental crosses and
their six generations (P1, P2, F1, BCP1, BCP2, and F2) were independently evaluated
in a compact family block design in 2017 rainy and 2018 summer seasons. ANOVA
revealed highly significant mean squares (p < 0.01) among different generations for grain
Fe and Zn contents. Six-parameter generation mean analyses revealed a predominance
of additive genetic effect and a significant (p < 0.05) additive x dominant interaction
for the grain Fe content. The additive genetic effect for the grain Zn content was also
highly significant (p < 0.01). However, interaction effects contributed minimally with
respect to most of the crosses for the grain Zn content and hence we assume that
a simple digenic inheritance pattern holds true for it. Furthermore, we established that
narrow-sense heritability was high for the grain Fe content (>61.78%), whereas it was
low to moderate for the grain Zn content (30.60–59.04%). The lack of superior parent
heterosis coupled with non-significant inbreeding depression for Fe and Zn contents in
grains further confirmed the predominance of an additive genetic effect. These findings
will contribute to strategizing a comprehensive breeding method to exploit the available
variability of grain Fe and Zn contents for the development of biofortified hybrids of
pearl millet
Exploring plant growth-promoting Streptomyces spp. for yield and nutrition traits in pearl millet hybrids
Get PDFThe present study aimed to demonstrate the use of two strains of Streptomyces albus (CAI-24 and KAI-27) and one strain of S. griseus (MMA-32) for plant growth-promotion (PGP) and improving pearl millet yield and nutrient content under greenhouse and field conditions. Two hybrids, a low-Fe (PA-9444; non-biofortified hybrid) and high-Fe (ICMH-1201; biofortified hybrid), treated with selected Streptomyces strains, significantly enhanced a range of traits including grain yield in the glasshouse (13–23%) and field (9–12%) over the control. In the greenhouse experiments an enhanced stover and grain nutrient concentrations were observed in ICMH-1201 (Fe 53% and 40%; Zn 15% and 10%; Ca 11% and 29%) over the control, while such nutrition augmentations were not found in PA-9444. The field harvested stover and grain nutrient concentrations were also increased over the control in both hybrids. A higher stover nutrient concentration was found in ICMH-1201 while PA-9444 had an increase in grain nutrient concentration indicating the significance of these Streptomyces strains' PGP role in the non-biofortified hybrid. Based on this study, strains KAI-27 and MMA-32 significantly improved shoot weight, root weight and grain yield while CAI-24 and MMA-32 improved nutrient concentrations including Fe contents (up to 49%) in grain as well as in stover. Further, the stover samples of pearl millet contained a higher Fe concentration (150–200%) compared to grain samples. This study confirms that the selected Streptomyces strains have the potential for enhancing PGP and stover and grain nutrient concentrations in pearl millet and can complement the existing conventional biofortification strategies
Sorghum production in Nigeria: opportunities, constraints, and recommendations
Get PDFSorghum (Sorghum bicolo [L.] Moench) production has considerable socio-economic values in sub-Saharan Africa for food security and to serve the increased industrial demands due to high population pressure and climate change. However, the production and productivity of the crop are yet to be expounded in Nigeria for economic gains. Therefore, the objective of this study was to present the current opportunities and constraints to sorghum production in Nigeria. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in three selected sorghum growing zones in northern Nigeria involving 250 farmers. Socio-economic data were collected through surveys and focus group discussions. Sorghum was cultivated mainly by males (80%) who had grade 6-12 level of education (31.3%), with the productive age of 21-45 years (75.7%) and a household family size of below five members (52.3%). Low yielding landrace varieties such as Kaura (37.4%) and Fara-fara (29.3%) were the most widely cultivated types across the study zones due to their good grain quality. The major farmers’ preferred traits from a sorghum variety were high yield, drought tolerance and Striga resistance. The study recommends integrated sorghum technology development incorporating the described preferences of the farmers for sustainable production and economic gains of the cropble production
Identifying potential zones for rainwater harvesting interventions for sustainable intensification in the semi-arid tropics
Get PDFDecentralized rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a promising approach to mitigate drought in the drylands. However, an insufficient understanding of its impact on hydrological processes has resulted in poor resource planning in this area. This study is a meta-analysis of 25 agricultural watersheds representing a range of rainfall and soil types in the semi-arid tropics. Rainfall-runoff-soil loss relationship was calculated at daily, monthly and yearly levels, and the impact of RWH interventions on surface runoff and soil loss was quantified. A linear relationship was observed between daily rainfall and surface runoff up to 120 mm of rainfall intensity, which subsequently saw an exponential increase. About 200–300 mm of cumulative rainfall is the threshold to initiate surface runoff in the Indian semi-arid tropics. Rainwater harvesting was effective in terms of enhancing groundwater availability (2.6–6.9 m), crop intensification (40–100%) and farmers’ incomes (50–200%) in different benchmark watersheds. An average of 40 mm of surface runoff was harvested annually and it reduced soil loss by 70% (3 ton/ha/year compared to 1 ton/ha/year in non-intervention stage. The study further quantified runoff at 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles, and found that more than 70% of the area in the Indian semi-arid tropics has high to medium potential for implementing RWH interventions
Superiority of newly released sorghum varieties for enhancing farm level genetic gains in Tanzania
Get PDFSorghum has a high composition of starch which is a good source of energy as well as higher protein levels that are higher than those found in a cereal like maize. The sorghum system in Tanzania is mostly dominant in Central Zone, Lake Zone and Western Zone which are in semi-arid areas. Most of these regions are characterized by drought, short rainfall duration, unreliable, and erratic rains. This has resulted in crop failure, food shortage and unstable grain prices (Timu et al, 2014). To address these constraints, the Government of Tanzania in collaboration with other development partners and seed companies released a dozen improved sorghum varieties over the past decade. These varieties contain desirable traits such as they are high yielding (ranging 2.0-3.5ton/ha), have resistance to pests, are stress tolerant that is they can grow in areas within 0-1500 meters above sea level and 300-1500 mm rainfall, and take 100 to 120 days to mature. Moreover, improved varieties have the ability to tolerate striga infestation which is a major problem to sorghum farmers during production phase (Table 1). Improved varieties also have better nutrient content to cater for the problem of malnutrition
Calcium-Rich Pigeonpea Seed Coat: A Potential Byproduct for Food and Pharmaceutical Industries
Get PDFPigeonpea is a protein-rich legume which is consumed worldwide in a variety of forms (whole seed, dhal, and as a green vegetable). In India, pigeonpea is milled to yield dhal (cotyledon) and this process generates 25–35% waste byproducts. The hull (seed coat) which accounts for 10% of the byproduct is disposed of either as waste or low-cost cattle feed. To recycle the waste byproducts into the food value chain, this study was conducted with the objectives: (i) to estimate nutrient accumulation in the major seed fractions (cotyledon and seed coat), (ii) to estimate the percentage of nutrient contribution by major seed fractions, (iii) to assess the percentage of nutrient loss due to dehulling, and (iv) to determine the scope of seed coat in nutritional value addition. For this, a subset of 60 diverse pigeonpea accessions selected from 600 pigeonpea accessions raised during the 2019 and 2020 rainy seasons at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India, was subjected to a cotyledon and seed coat nutrient analysis. The three-way analysis of variance revealed the significant influence of cropping years, seed fractions, genotypes, and their interactions on nutrient accumulation. The nutrients, namely protein (32.28 ± 2.29%), P (476.51 ± 39.05 mg/100 g), K (1557.73 ± 66.82 mg/100 g), Fe (4.42 ± 0.41 mg/100 g), Zn (2.25 ± 0.21 mg/100 g), and Cu (0.95 ± 0.07 mg/100 g) were enriched in cotyledon. Mn was equally enriched in both the cotyledon and seed coat (1.02 ± 0.12 mg/100 g and 0.97 ± 0.34 mg/100 g, respectively). The seed coat had a high concentration of Ca (652.02 ± 114.82 mg/100 g), and Mg (249.19 ± 34.12 mg/100 g) with wide variability for Fe (2.74–5.61 mg/100 g), Zn (0.88–3.95 mg/100 g), Cu (0.38–1.44 mg/100 g), and Mn (0.58–2.18 mg/100 g). It is noteworthy that the protein and P contents in the cotyledon were 7 and 18 times higher than that in the seed coat, respectively, and the Ca content in the seed coat was 12 times higher than that in the cotyledon. A correlation study revealed that for overall nutrient improvement in dhal, selection for a small seed size was desirable. On an average, the percentage of nutrient contribution by major seed fractions revealed that the cotyledon portion contributed around 95% protein and P; 90% K and Zn; 85% Fe, Cu, and Mn; and 75% Mg, while the seed coat portion contributed nearly 65% Ca to the whole grain. The findings of high Fe and protein concentrations in the cotyledon and high Ca accumulation in the seed coat can serve as a new guide for improved technological fractionation of these components to serve as a novel functional food ingredient and as a dietary supplement that can address malnutrition
Simulating potential yield of rainfed soybean in northeast Nigeria
Get PDFWe used the CROPGRO-Soybean model to simulate the production potential of rainfed soybean in northeast Nigeria. Data from ten soybean experiments conducted under optimal conditions in 2016–2018 at Kano and Dambatta in the Sudan savanna (SS) agroecological zone were used to determine the cultivar coefficients and calibrate the model for the varieties TGX 1448–2E and TGX1951–3 F. The model was evaluated with data from four phosphorous response trials conducted at Zaria and Doguwa in the northern Guinea savanna (GS) of Nigeria between 2016 and 2018. Results show that the CROPGRO-Soybean model was able to accurately simulate soybean growth and grain yield with low RMSE and high d-index values. Consequently, the model was used to investigate the rainfed yield potential of the two varieties in 24 sites in northeast Nigeria under different sowing windows using 30-year (1985–2014) weather data. The result shows that soybean can be grown in northeast Nigeria, but yield performance is dependent on location, variety and sowing window. The simulated yield was higher in the SS than in the GS agro-ecozone despite the longer growing period in the later. Low yield was simulated for TGX 1448–2E for most of the sites. The yield of TGX1951–3 F was above a threshold of 1500 kg ha−1 in 5 out of 12 sites in the GS and 7 out of 12 sites in the SS, suggesting that this variety is the most suitable for cultivation in northeast Nigeria. Sowing TGX 1951–3 F can be delayed to July 16 at Gwaskara, Nasarawo Demsa and Tawa in the GS and at Briyel, Lakundum, Jara Dali, Kurbo Gayi, and Mathau in the SS with a low-risk of crop failure. The desired yield will be achieved at Chikala and Puba Vidau with a significantly low risk of crop failure for all sowing windows. The results from this study suggest that the CSM-CROPGRO-Soybean model can be a valuable tool in determining the right variety and sowing window for soybean production in targeted agroecological zones in northeast Nigeria