International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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Hybrid-AI and Model Ensembling to Exploit UAV-Based RGB Imagery: An Evaluation of Sorghum Crop’s Nitrogen Content
Get PDFNon-invasive crop analysis through image-based methods holds great promise for applications in plant research, yet accurate and robust trait inference from images remains a critical challenge. Our study investigates the potential of AI model ensembling and hybridization approaches to infer sorghum crop traits from RGB images generated via unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In our study, we cultivated 21 sorghum cultivars in two independent seasons (2021 and 2022) with a gradient of fertilizer and water inputs. We collected 470 ground-truth N measurements and captured corresponding RGB images with a drone-mounted camera. We computed five RGB vegetation indices, employed several ML models such as MLR, MLP, and various CNN architectures (season 2021), and compared their prediction accuracy for N-inference on the independent test set (season 2022). We assessed strategies that leveraged both deep and handcrafted features, namely hybridized and ensembled AI architectures. Our approach considered two different datasets collected during the two seasons (2021 and 2022), with the training set from the first season only. This allowed for testing of the models’ robustness, particularly their sensitivity to concept drifts, in the independent season (2022), which is fundamental for practical agriculture applications. Our findings underscore the superiority of hybrid and ensembled AI algorithms in these experiments. The MLP + CNN-VGG16 combination achieved the best accuracy (R2 = 0.733, MAE = 0.264 N% on an independent dataset). This study emphasized that carefully crafted AI-based models applied to RGB images can achieve robust trait prediction with accuracies comparable to the similar phenotyping tasks using more complex (multi- and hyper-spectral) sensors presented in the current literature
Introgression and Mapping of a Novel Bacterial Blight Resistance Gene xa49(t) from Oryza rufipogon acc. CR100098A into O. sativa
No full textBacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is one of the epidemic diseases in rice. Rapid changes in the pathogenicity of the X. oryzae pv. oryzae pathogen demand the identification and characterization of novel BB resistance genes. Here, we report the transfer and mapping of a new BB resistance gene from Oryza rufipogon acc. CR100098A. Inheritance studies on the BC2F2 population, BC2F3 progenies, and backcross-derived recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between Pusa44/O. rufipogon acc. CR100098A//2*PR114 showed that a single recessive gene confers resistance in O. rufipogon acc. CR100098A. Bulked segregant analysis using 203 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers localized the BB resistance gene on chromosome 11 bracketed between two SSR markers, RM27235 and RM2136. Using PR114 and O. rufipogon acc. CR100098A genotyping by sequencing data, 86 KASP markers within the bracketed region were designed and tested for bulked segregant analysis. Only five KASP markers showed polymorphism between parents, and three were associated with the target gene. Seventy-seven new SSR markers were designed from the same interval. A total of 33 polymorphic markers were analyzed on the whole population and mapped the BB gene in an interval of 2.8 cM flanked by SSR markers PAU11_65 and PAU11_44 within a physical distance of 376.3 kb. The BB resistance gene mapped in this study is putatively new and designated as xa49(t). Fourteen putative candidate genes were identified within the xa49(t) region having a role in biotic stress resistance. The linked markers to the xa49(t) gene were validated in other rice cultivars for its successful deployment in BB resistance breeding
Conservation Agriculture offers system optimization for legume intensification: An on-farm study of western Indo-Gangetic Plains
No full textContext
The crop production in Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) facing serious challenges of decaling factor productivity under changing climatic scenarios with shrinking water resources driving future food insecurity.
Objective
To develop sustainable intensification model for future sustainability in the food basket of India’s IGP by identifying of suitable options for legume integration through system optimization practices (SOP) in rice-wheat and diversified cropping systems having higher productivity, profitability and environmental security.
Method
The field experiments were conducted at the four locations of the farmer’s field in Karnal, Haryana, India. We evaluated SOP of mungbean under zero tillage (ZT) with residue recycling and improved management practices integrated in CTR-WMb (conventional till rice-ZT wheat-mungbean), DSR-WMb (direct seeded rice-ZT wheat-mungbean) and triple ZT (raised bed) based diversified SOP of MWMb (maize-wheat-mungbean), MMuMb (maize-mustard-mungbean) and SWMb (soybean-wheat-mungbean).
Results and conclusion
The on-farm study revealed that the mungbean inclusion with diversified SOP had significantly lesser water use by 51 ha-mm with enhanced partial factor productivity of total nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) applied by 14–29 % over DSR-WMb. However, the global warming potential (GWP) reduced by 60 kg CO2 eql/ha with diversified SOP over CTR-WMb. Similarly, the non-renewable energy use was reduced by ∼1200 MJ/ha with significantly increased net energy output and non-renewable energy use efficiency (EUE) by 137–203 and 27–38 %, respectively with diversified SOP over DSR-WMb. Additionally, the mungbean grain yield increased by 13 % in CTR-WMb, while the grain yield increased by 15–30 % in diversified SOP over DSR-WMb. The net returns increased by 40 USD/ha in CTR-WMb, while it significantly increased by 80–164 USD/ha in diversified SOP over DSR-WMb. However, the significantly lowest yield attributes and yield, net returns, resources use efficiency (water, nutrients and non-renewable energy) and eco-efficiency were recorded with DSR-WMb. Therefore, the mungbean inclusion in DSR-WMb was not found to be a feasible option compared to CTR-WMb and thus later can be scaled up in the existing rice-wheat system. Moreover, the mungbean inclusion with diversified SOP (MWMb/MMuMb/SWM) under ZT and residue retention produces more food with efficient use of recourses (water, nutrients and energy) for more (population) to ensure nutritional food security and environmental sustainability in western Indo-Gangetic Plains and similar agro-ecologies.
Significance
This on-farm study provides sustainable intensification options for legume integration through system optimization practices (SOP) within the rice-wheat and diversified cropping systems to enhance system productivity and nutritional food security, improves net returns and restore soil fertility in food basket of India’s Indo-Gangetic Plain
Principal component analysis for agronomic traits in multi-cut forage sorghum
Get PDFThe present investigation in fodder sorghum was conducted in parental entries for estimation of principal components involving thirteen yield and component traits. Four principal components (PCs) were identified reporting more than one Eigen values and explaining 86.51 percent of the cumulative variance attributing to divergence. The biplot constructed using first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) have identified traits exhibiting positive and negative correlation with total green fodder yield per plant. Based on the angle between trait vectors, the traits viz., number of leaves per plant at first cut, leaf length at first cut, number of nodes per plant at first, plant height at first and second cut, and number of tillers per plant at third cut have exhibited high positive correlation with total green fodder yield per plant. Thus, these traits can be considered important for selections in fodder sorghum hybrid breeding programmes
Superior haplotypes of key drought-responsive genes reveal opportunities for the development of climate-resilient rice varieties
Get PDFHaplotype-based breeding is an emerging and innovative concept that enables the development of designer crop varieties by exploiting and exploring superior alleles/haplotypes among target genes to create new traits in breeding programs. In this regard, whole-genome re-sequencing of 399 genotypes (landraces and breeding lines) from the 3000 rice genomes panel (3K-RG) is mined to identify the superior haplotypes for 95 drought-responsive candidate genes. Candidate gene-based association analysis reveals 69 marker-trait associations (MTAs) in 16 genes for single plant yield (SPY) under drought stress. Haplo-pheno analysis of these 16 genes identifies superior haplotypes for seven genes associated with the higher SPY under drought stress. Our study reveals that the performance of lines possessing superior haplotypes is significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) as measured by single plant yield (SPY), for the OsGSK1-H4, OsDSR2-H3, OsDIL1-H22, OsDREB1C-H3, ASR3-H88, DSM3-H4 and ZFP182-H4 genes as compared to lines without the superior haplotypes. The validation results indicate that a superior haplotype for the DREB transcription factor (OsDREB1C) is present in all the drought-tolerant rice varieties, while it was notably absent in all susceptible varieties. These lines carrying the superior haplotypes can be used as potential donors in haplotype-based breeding to develop high-yielding drought-tolerant rice varieties
Breeding Advancements of Sorghum in Europe
No full textThe ability of sorghum to survive in harsh environments makes it an attractive alternative to maize in Europe. Sorghum is tolerant to drought and high temperatures but is susceptible to cold temperatures. The demand for this crop is expected to increase on the continent due to an increase in nutrition-related diseases and changing climate conditions. According to the IPCC report, the northern parts of Europe are expected to experience short-term gains from the changing climate, while the southern parts are expected to experience largely negative effects. Sorghum grows reliably well in marginalized areas. The crop also has a high nutrient density, which has various positive health effects. Broomcorn sorghum is most widely grown in Europe. The production of grain sorghum and high-biomass sorghum is also increasing. Many research projects on sorghum have been undertaken globally and in Europe to improve its adaptation to temperate environments. The collaborative sorghum conversion program that started in the 1980s between the Tropical Agriculture Research Station (TARS), USDA, ARS, S&E and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) converted tall photoperiod-sensitive sorghum from tropical regions to dwarf photoperiod-insensitive sorghum. This allowed for desirable characteristics from tropical lines to be transferred to locally adapted sorghum varieties through conventional and modern breeding methods. Many achievements have been made in improving cold tolerance, heat tolerance, drought tolerance, perennial breeding, and nutritional enhancement. This review provides a brief history of sorghum cultivation in Europe, sorghum production and productivity status, sorghum utilization and importance, existing/existed collaborations between Europe and the rest of the continent on sorghum improvement, sorghum germplasm collection, and the extent of genetic diversity among sorghum germplasm utilized. This review provides a thesis of field and screen-house evaluations and “omic” studies conducted on four sorghum varieties (broom-corn, grain, sweet/high biomass, and forage sorghum) against some of the important temperate sorghum production constraints. The body of research included in this review serves as a baseline for further research focused on enhancing sorghum adaptability to European environments
Multi-dimensional impact assessment for priority setting of agricultural technologies: An application of TOPSIS for the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Get PDFThe importance for multi-dimensional priority-setting of agricultural innovations is growing, given that agricultural technologies usually play multiple roles for smallholder farmers. This study assesses agricultural technologies based on their multi-dimensional impacts in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The study applies the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to a set of promising agricultural technologies and uses three outcome criteria: the benefit-cost ratio, poverty reduction, and nutrition security. The technologies are related to important cereals and grain legumes grown in these regions: sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet; groundnut, cowpea, chickpea, lentil, pigeon pea, and soybean. The results show that the top technologies based on individual criteria can differ from the top technologies identified using a combination of criteria. For example, in semi-arid southern Africa, a promising technology which involves integrated pest management for cowpea ranks among the top five technologies which can reduce poverty. However, the analysis involving TOPSIS shows that nutrition security is more important in that region compared to poverty. As such, the top 5 technologies with the highest multi-dimensional impact for semi-arid southern Africa do not involve a cowpea technology; rather, they are all related to pigeon pea, a nutritious grain legume which is currently more consumed in that region compared to cowpea. One limitation of this study is that it did not consider all the roles of agricultural technologies in the drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; this should be considered in future studies involving TOPSIS or other MCDM techniques. Nevertheless, the study shows that TOPSIS can successfully be used for multi-dimensional ex-ante impact assessment of agricultural technologies, and thus can support the prioritization of investments targeting agricultural research for development
Women’s empowerment, household dietary diversity, and child anthropometry among vulnerable populations in Odisha, India
Get PDFWomen’s empowerment has been promoted by researchers and development practitioners as one of the most promising strategies to address widespread hunger and malnutrition. However, the relationship between women’s empowerment and dietary diversity and child nutrition has rarely been studied among vulnerable populations or individuals at greater risk of poor physical and social health status. Moreover, the effects of different domains of women’s empowerment on nutritional outcomes, including dietary diversity and child anthropometry, have rarely been examined, especially with panel data. Using two rounds of panel data from 1900 households and fixed effects regression models, we analyze the effect of women’s empowerment on household dietary diversity score (HDDS) and child anthropometry among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Odisha, India. We also estimate the effects of various decision-making domains of women’s empowerment on HDDS and child anthropometry to understand which empowerment domains matter for nutrition. Results show that women’s empowerment is positively associated with HDDS (coef. 0.41 food groups; p < 0.1) and reduces the prevalence of underweight (coef. 39%; p < 0.05) and wasting (coef. 56%; p < 0.1) in children but has no effect on the prevalence of child stunting. Women’s empowerment in agricultural input use; output sales; income; food purchases; and credit, group membership, and employment contribute to improved dietary diversity and child nutrition. We conclude that women’s empowerment contributes to improved dietary diversity and child nutrition and is a promising strategy to improve farm household diets and child nutrition among vulnerable populations. Strengthening women’s empowerment through the promotion of women’s access to land and other agricultural inputs, market participation, access to information, capital, and credit is important
Use Case - Delivering Contextualized Climate Information in Two Districts of Odisha and Understanding Farmer Decision-Making: A case study in Odisha
Get PDFSmallholder agriculture, especially in the global South, is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change; hence, the aim of the Digital Innovation initiative was to equip farmers with actionable weather-based agro advisories to improve farm management and mitigate climate risks. This working paper explores the delivery of contextualized climate information to farmers in Rayagada and Gajapati districts of Odisha. The region is characterized by predominantly rainfed agriculture and high vulnerability to climate variability. The objective was to enhance farmers' resilience by providing tailored climate advisories and understand the dynamics of their decision-making across various farming stages while using agro advisories. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving surveys with 200 farmers across four blocks of two districts and focus group discussions to gather comprehensive insights into their decision-making processes. The study found that 79% of farmers were male, while 21% were female, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive advisories. Decision-making was influenced by a complex interplay of traditional knowledge, market dynamics, climate advisories, and social influences. Digital climate services, such as those offered by ISAT, have shown to be valuable, with 82% of farmers accessing these advisories. Adoption rates varied significantly across different farming activities, with 67% adoption for supporting crop sowing decisions and 69% for crop protection, compared to lower uptake in land preparation (29%) and irrigation (24%). For decisions on crop and cultivar choice, farmers didn’t intend to use the weather-based agro-advisories yet. Probably, advisories based on the seasonal climate forecast needed for decisions on crop and cultivar choices in the past either were not available or less reliable, resulting in the reluctance of farmers to use such advisories. The findings suggest that climate advisory services should be more localized, culturally sensitive, and integrated with traditional practices to address farmers' diverse needs effectively. By bridging the gap between modern advisory systems and traditional wisdom, these integrated services have the potential to enhance farm-level resilience and contribute meaningfully to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Odisha
Pearl Millet Germplasm Resources Conservation Status and Their Utilization in Crop Improvement
No full textGenetic resources are key to unlocking untapped potential in terms of increased productivity, improved nutrition, and enhanced climate resilience to ensure food security and nutrition. The conservation of pearl millet crop wild relatives in their natural habitats and the on-farm conservation of landraces serve as in situ strategies, while ex situ conservation, primarily through seedbanks, is the most common method. Currently, over 73,000 pearl millet accessions are conserved across 57 genebanks worldwide. Among them, the ICRISAT genebank conserves the largest collection, with 25,537 accessions originating from 52 countries. Despite the significant number of pearl millet collections held in various genebanks, taxonomical and gap analyses revealed potential gaps in the collection to enrich the pearl millet gene pool. Extensive efforts have been made to maximize the use of germplasm, resulting in the development of core and mini-core collections, and the evaluation of pearl millet genetic resources led to the identification of trait-specific sources of yield, nutrients, and biotic and abiotic stresses. By employing appropriate strategies to harness the potential of pearl millet genetic resources, novel diversity can be leveraged to breed climate-resilient and nutrient-dense cultivars that contribute to sustainable agricultural productivity and improved nutrition. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the conservation status of pearl millet germplasm and outlines the characterization efforts undertaken to facilitate their utilization in crop improvement and trait discovery