International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
ICRISAT Open Access RepositoryNot a member yet
12134 research outputs found
Sort by
Private Input Suppliers as Information Agents for Technology Adoption in Agriculture
No full textInformation frictions limit the adoption of new agricultural technologies in developing countries. Efforts to improve learning involve spreading information from government agents to farmers. We show that when compared to this government approach, informing private input suppliers in India about a new seed variety increases farmer-level adoption by over 50 percent. Suppliers become more proactive in informing potential customers and carrying the new variety. They induce increased adoption by those with higher returns from the technology. Being motivated by expanded sales offers the most likely motive for these results
Genome-wide characterization of the glutathione S-transferase gene family in Phaseolus vulgaris reveals insight into the roles of their members in responses to multiple abiotic stresses
Get PDFGlutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a class of multifunctional enzymatic antioxidants that play a significant role in several aspects of plant physiology, including growth, development, and cellular protection from biotic and abiotic stressors. A total of 59 GST genes were found in Phaseolus vulgaris genome, which were categorized into 11 distinct classes according to their evolutionary connection and the existence of conserved structural domains and motifs. Gene duplication analysis revealed that the evolution of the members of the GST gene family in P. vulgaris was driven by both segmental and tandem duplication events. Analysis of the expression profiles of identified PvGST genes using the available transcriptome data demonstrated notable expression patterns and organ specificity of many genes throughout several developmental stages and under drought or salinity. Subsequent RT-qPCR analysis of several drought-responsive or salinity-responsive candidate genes showed that PvGSTF4 was up-regulated solely by drought, PvGSTU11 was up-regulated only by salinity, and PvGSTU3, PvGSTU12, PvGSTU13, PvGSTU14, PvGSTU16, PvGSTT1, and PvGSTZ2 were up-regulated by both salt and drought. The up-regulated PvGSTs under drought and/or salinity might enable P. vulgaris to adapt to stressful environments. These candidate genes could be explored in genetic engineering programs for development of stress-tolerant P. vulgaris varieties
Harmony in the fields: millet cultivation’s resurgence as a beacon of hope for declining bird populations
Get PDFIn the face of alarming global decline in bird species highlighted by the 2023 IUCN Red List and a parallel trend in India reported by the 2023 State of India’s Birds, this write-up explores the multifaceted threats posed by factors such as agriculture intensification, hunting and land degradation. Emphasizing the critical role of birds in ecosystems, the article delves into the complex motivations behind bird feeding, drawing attention to historical ecological imbalances resulting from misguided interventions. Proposing a solution, the authors advocate for the resurgence of millet cultivation as a sustainable agricultural practice, demonstrating its potential to enhance farmland bird population and promote biodiversity. The comprehensive nutritional and habitat benefit of millet fields for various bird species, underscores the potential for a harmonious coexistence of agriculture and avian conservation
Remote sensing leaf area index (LAI) data assimilation with crop model for yield predictions in rice
Get PDFCrop yield estimation has gained prominent importance due to its vital significance for policymakers and decision-makers in enacting schemes, ensuring food security, and assessing crop insurance losses due to biotic and abiotic stress. Precise and timely crop yield estimates at regional, national and international levels is essential for making policy to overcome food security worldwide and helping farmers for crop insurance through insurance premium pricing by the companies. Rice is considered the major staple food which is having highest area and production in India. Telangana contributes to 4.49 % of rice area (1.9 million ha) and 5.54 % of production (6.25 million tons) with a productivity of 3176 kg ha-1.
Several studies revealed that remote sensing technology had resulted in higher accuracy in crop growth monitoring with added advantage of high revisit frequency and precision. On the other hand, crop simulation models were also been recognized to assess the effects of different scenarios like climate change, drought, stress etc., on crop yield under varied climatic conditions. LAI is main criterion for evaluating the grain yield as it shows good correlation with the grain yield. There are lack of studies on comparing the ceptometer LAI to any crop model simulated LAI and also yields estimation at local level though they were done at a broad level like state or district. Hence this research was focused on rice yield estimation at the field level in the Karimnagar district of Telangana during 2021 and 2022 by employing the leaf area index (LAI) as the primary criterion for integrating remote sensing technology and crop simulation models.
Optimization of crop cutting experiments were performed based on the criterion encompassing a wide range of potential combinations, further four villages each in Kharif and Rabi were selected for study and 15 fields were selected in each village for study. Ground data visits were planned according to the satellite passing dates and during the visits LAI readings in each field were collected using the LP-80 ceptometer. Supervised classification was performed using the ERDAS imagine. It has been noted that most of the area in the district was occupied by rice in both the seasons. Accuracy showed that overall accuracy of 94.23% and 88.5% was recorded, while kappa coefficient of 0.89 and 0.85 was resulted in kharif and rabi season respectively.
On an average, kharif and rabi rice grain yields were 5324 kg ha-1 and 6436 kg ha-1 respectively in selected villages. The average simulated rice grain yield in kharif and rabi were 5339 kg ha-1 and 6858 kg ha-1 respectively with DSSAT model which considered sentinel-2 satellite for estimation of LAI. The R2 values of above 0.72 in kharif and above 0.85 in rabi, D index of 0.70 in both the seasons in all the villages showed the model is accurate for predicting yields.
In both the seasons, correlation of above 0.8 was observed between observed rice grain yield with the quantity of nitrogen applied, whereas above 0.77 was noted between ceptometer measured and model simulated LAI. However LAI showed a good R2 of above 0.75 with the grain yield. Due to its strong correlation with LAI of above 0.80, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was selected as the critical element for integration with the model. Hence, it can be noted that NDVI is one among the important parameter which can be used to integrate with LAI for grain yield estimation. By utilizing the linear equation generated between the NDVI and model LAI a spatial LAI map was generated for the Karimnagar district. Further the linear equation developed between the model LAI and model grain yield, spatial yield map was generated. From the spatial yield map, it can be concluded that most of the areas fall under the rice grain yield range of 5700 to 6000 kg ha-1 in kharif, while in rabi in the range of 6500 to 7000 kg ha-1. These spatial mean yields for kharif and rabi were 5300 kg ha-1 and 6458 kg ha-1 which were then compared with the Telangana government statistics and it has been noted that a deviation of less than 10 %. Therefore, this study’s findings show that assimilating remote sensing data with crop models enhances the precision of rice yield prediction for insurance companies and policy- and decision-makers
Nutrition profiles of farm households across different farming systems in Ethiopia: Unpacking the determinants and implications for nutrition-sensitive interventions
Get PDFTackling nutrition insecurity remains a critical challenge in developing countries. In the predominantly rain-fed and smallholder-based farming systems of Ethiopia, production diversity and livelihood strategies of the farm households vary across geographic areas. However, the effects of household socioeconomic characteristics, production diversity, and household incomes on nutrition profiles in distinct settings have been inadequately understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the association of farming system type, sources of income, and household wealth status with household nutrition profiles in three remote locations such as Mennisa, Welmel Tiqa, and Agam Wuha that represent root crops-based farming, maize-based semi-pastoral farming, and teff-based cereal farming systems, respectively. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 265 smallholder households for the structured survey interviews. Standard statistical tests and Tobit regression analyses were performed after determining the wealth category of each household. Results revealed a diversity of income sources used by each of the farm households with average values of 9 in Mennisa, 10 in Agam Wuha, and 11 in Welmel Tiqa, with the contributions of each income source varying by household wealth category and location. As expected, expenditures on food significantly exceeded those on non-food categories for poor households and vice versa for rich wealth households. The average total food variety score (FVS) for Welmel Tiqa was twice that for Agam Wuha, confirming the need for site-specific nutrition profile assessments. Despite the observed differences in household nutrition profiles among wealth categories and locations, the apparent intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium were consistently below the population-level estimated average requirements across all locations. The number of adequately consumed nutrients by farm households was negatively associated with family size, age of household heads, livestock holdings, wealth categories, and irrigation use, and positively associated with crop production diversity, income diversity, and FVS. The negative association between irrigation use and nutrition security was likely due to the focus on producing crops with a high market value on land under irrigation, coupled with ineffective allocation of generated income for enhancing household nutritional outcomes. Therefore, programs that include irrigated agriculture investments should consider adopting a more integrated nutrition-sensitive interventions, including consideration of locally adapted nutritious crops, such as orange-flesh sweet potato, to address critical deficiency of Vitamin A, nutrition training coupled with development of recipes and cooking demonstrations, and marketing and promotion for nutritious crops
Impact of biochar on soil, crop, and climate sustainability
No full textBiochar has received considerable attention during the last decades due to its potential role in soil quality, plant growth and development, immobilization of soil pollutants, and environmental concerns. There are numerous benefits and cobenefits of using biochar in farming. Many literature suggested the positive benefits of biochar on soil physicochemical and biological properties, enhanced crop yields, and reduction of greenhouse gases. Yet, it is a novel soil amendment material not emerged out as a commercial product because of a lack of awareness, research, acceptance, policies, and other regulations. There is a great necessity for the involvement of stakeholders such as researchers, industries, farmer producer organizations, government and nongovernment organizations, and decision and policy makers to promote biochar in agriculture at regional, state, national, and global scales. This chapter aims to highlight the important properties of biochar and its potential benefits on soil properties, crop yields, and climate change mitigation. This article well documented the positive impacts of biochar on the agroecosystem as collected from the global research literature. The chapter also details the biochar ecosystem and its barriers; in the end, it suggests the way forward points for further enhancement of biochar application in future agricultural research and development
Sample Preparation from Plant Tissue for Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)we
No full textMetabolites are intermediate products formed during metabolism. Metabolites play different roles, including providing energy, supporting structure, transmitting signals, catalyzing reactions, enhancing defense, and interacting with other species. Plant metabolomics research aims to detect precisely all metabolites found within tissues of plants through GC-MS. This chapter primarily focuses on extracting metabolites using chemicals such as methanol, chloroform, ribitol, MSTFA, and TMCS. The metabolic analysis method is frequently used according to the specific kind of sample or matrix being investigated and the analysis objective. Chromatography (LC, GC, and CE) with mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy is used in modern metabolomics to analyze metabolites from plant samples. The most frequently used method for metabolites analysis is the GC-MS. It is a powerful technique that combines gas chromatography’s separation capabilities with mass spectrometry, offering detailed information, including structural identification of each metabolite. This chapter contains an easy-to-follow guide to extract plant-based metabolites. The current protocol provides all the information needed for extracting metabolites from a plant, precautions, and troubleshooting
Potential of Indian agriculture for capturing atmospheric CO2 and monetizing carbon credits to the farmers: An overview and policy framework
No full textThe potential of Indian agriculture in atmospheric CO2 capture and its role in enabling farmers to monetize C credits is critical to climate change mitigation strategies. This potential is especially significant given the vast and diverse agricultural landscapes across India, which inherently possess the capacity for considerable C sequestration. The realization of this potential hinges on the establishment of a comprehensive policy framework. Essential components of this framework include methodologies for accurate measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of C sequestration. To fully harness the potential of Indian agriculture in atmospheric CO2 capture and C credit monetization, future endeavors should focus on developing integrated technological solutions, and collaborative efforts are the cornerstone for accurate C measurement and verification, alongside formulating inclusive policies that specifically support small-scale and marginalized farmers in transitioning to carbon-efficient practices for sustainable agriculture. Overall, it will help to implement the aim of monetizing C credits by the Ministry of Power (catenate notice: CG-DL-E-30062023-246859 Dated June 28, 2023) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change of Developing (catenate notice: CG-DL-E-27062023-246825 Dated June 27, 2023) and adopted the green credit program. The Indian government has demonstrated its will to combat climate change by starting a policy discussion on carbon. This important conversation aims to establish solutions for sustainable development focusing on environmental stewardship and carbon reduction across several sectors. Ultimately, this would enhance the country's defenses against climate change and encourage net zero emission through C-negative agriculture. It will also promote the “Sustainable Development Goals,” which aim to improve the country and the globe
Characterization of differentially regulated carboxypeptidase (metallopeptidase M32) protein in Miltefosine resistant Leishmania donovani parasites
No full textIntroduction
Carboxypeptidase, a member of the metallopeptidase M32 family, catalyses the C-terminal hydrolysis of a variety of peptides and proteins in the presence of metal ions.
Objective
To characterize Leishmania donovani carboxypeptidase (LdCP) in miltefosine (MIL) drug-resistant parasites.
Methods
We performed the MTT assay and cell cycle analysis to confirm the MIL resistance of clinical isolates. LdCP gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli Artic strain. The purified LdCP protein was used for antibody generation and biochemical characterization.
Results
MTT assay and cell cycle analysis revealed that all three isolates exhibit MIL resistance. LdCP constitutively expressed in both promastigote and amastigote stages of parasites, and its activity increased 2–3 fold in MIL-resistant parasites. LdCP has high α-helical content at physiological pH and temperature. The protein is quite thermostable with a Tm of 63 °C and susceptible to chemical denaturation, with 50 % unfolding induced by 3.59 M urea or 0.31 M guanidine hydrochloride (GdmCl). LC-MS/MS study reveals that LdCP interacts with membrane-associated proteins that have ATP binding sites and involved in protein phosphorylation.
Conclusion
To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize the carboxypeptidase of L. donovani that appears to contribute to the development of MIL resistance parasites
Women, youth, and tail-end users: improving the livelihoods of disadvantaged irrigators in southern Africa
No full textTackling the inequalities that exist in sub-Saharan Africa is critical for sustainable development. In this paper we explore whether the ‘Transforming irrigation in southern Africa’ project’s interventions – Agricultural Innovation Platforms and soil monitoring tools – reduced inequity for women, youth and tail-end farmers on smallholder irrigation schemes. Our analysis focussed on access to plots, decision-making and economic well-being. We found evidence of equity improvements, though this was inconsistent across households and schemes, and complicated by COVID-19 disruptions. Equity can be an emergent outcome of complementary and participatory interventions that seek to improve profitability and functionality of irrigation schemes