International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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Assessing flood risks and exploring opportunities for flood-based farming in the dry lowlands of Ethiopia
Get PDFFood grown in the rainfed system in Ethiopia is frequently insufficient to meet household food needs due to recurrent drought, which causes severe food insecurity. Ethiopia’s drylands have also been hit by an increase in torrential floods. As a result, the ability to adapt to shocks and risks decreases. Despite the opportunity of highland-to-lowland to lowland connectivity, the opportunities for flood-recession farming are poorly understood. This study maps flood recession opportunities incorporating national flood occurrence information, flood images, and SMAP surface soil moisture from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) images in Omo Gibe basin and Mile sub-basin. The analysis demonstrates that during the past three decades, there have been substantial flood incidents in the country’s eastern, south-eastern, and southern regions. Notably, floods that happened in 1996, 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2018 affected 90, 91, 74, 74, and 69 locations, respectively. In 2020, flooding affected a considerable area (274 locations), which demonstrates the rise in flood hazards. Based on multi-criteria suitability analysis, about 32 million hectares of lowlands are highly suitable (61%) and moderately suitable (39%) for flood-based farming. In the Omo-Gibe and the Mile sub-basin, flood-recession zone mapping using a change detection approach revealed that Omo-Gibe basin has 107,359 ha and 29,550 ha of flood zones suitable for flood recession farming and Mile sub-basin of 8,048 ha and 88 ha, during the major and short rainy seasons, respectively. Our results highlight the extent of flood-prone areas and their suitability for flood farming and provide evidence of alternative strategies for managing flood risks. Consequently, identifying potential flood-prone areas using remote sensing technology aids decision-makers and subject-matter experts in introducing and demonstrating various types of flood-based farming. Further research is recommended to identify and validate appropriate flood farming practices under different biophysical and socio-economic contexts and explore complementary opportunities as well as support informed decision-making on flood risk management and recession flood strategies in the dry lowlands of Ethiopia
Production and cultivation dynamics of millets in India
Get PDFMillets gained a great attention at the global level in 2023 which is celebrated as the “International Year of Millets” to create awareness to eventually promote consumption and production. An attempt is made here to understand the cultivation and production dynamics of millets as influenced by their demand and supply. We also assess challenges and emerging opportunities to make millets more productive, competitive, and relevant to future farming. Millets registered a 60% decline in area and a 200% rise in productivity, but production has remained the same during the last seven decades. The demand of millets decreased as food due to greater incentives (purchasing grain at a pre-determined price) and policies (distribution of grains to the public at a subsidized rate) in favor of wheat and rice. Millets would play a greater role in future agriculture due to challenges posed by climate change, limited water supply, and reduced agro-biodiversity. This would need a much greater intensity of investment in millet research and adequate support as extended to wheat and rice. Increased emphasis on their genetic improvement and agronomic management is required to develop cultivars, using new tools and technologies, with high production potential and adequate environmental adaptation to make millets competitive with other crops. Mainstreaming the nutritional traits in millet breeding is also critically important to develop high-yielding cultivars with improved grain quality traits. Promoting millet consumption would remain the key issue for increasing their demand as food, feed, and industrial raw materials through policies and awareness programs. Strengthening of value chain will help in diversifying agri-food production system and creating an ecosystem for millet promotion
Restoring degraded landscapes and sustaining livelihoods: sustainability assessment (cum-review) of integrated landscape management in sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFIntroduction: Land degradation is a significant environmental challenge across sub-Saharan Africa. In recent decades, efforts have been undertaken, with varying successes, to rehabilitate degraded rural landscapes. However, there needs to be more evidence on the outcomes regarding enhanced productivity, environmental management, and socio-economic benefits.
Methods: This study uses a case study approach, using contrasting sites from Ethiopia and Mali to appraise restoration innovations implemented through various programs. Two distinct sites were chosen from each of the study cases, and an extensive literature search was conducted to document the evidence, focusing on the sustainability gains derived from integrated landscape management (ILM). For this, the sustainable intensification assessment framework (SIAF) was used, encompassing five domains, namely productivity, economic, environmental, social, and human condition, and featuring scales from plot to landscape, all facilitated by simplified yet robust indicators such as yield, soil loss, net income, land access, and food availability.
Results: Results highlighted a higher productivity gain (35% to 55%) and an improved socio-economic benefit (>20%). The ILM in the Ethiopian highlands enabled a significant improvement in wheat and barley yield (p < 0.01). Introducing new crop varieties integrated with the in-situ and ex-situ practices enabled diversifying crops across the landscape and significantly reduced runoff and soil loss (p < 0.05). By increasing the cultivable land by 44%, household income was increased by selling potatoes and agroforestry products. In Mali, ILM practices reduced soil loss to 4.97t/ha from 12.1t/ha. In addition to the improvements in the yield of sorghum and maize (33% and 63%, respectively), rehabilitating the once marginal and abandoned landscape in Mali enabled landless and female-headed households to work together, improving the social cohesion among the groups. The introduction of irrigation facilities enabled widowed women to increase household vegetable consumption by 55% and increase their income by 24%.
Discussion: The study showed positive evidence from ILM practices in the two contrasting landscapes. However, there is a need to address challenges related to the absence of timely data monitoring and documentation of successful practices. For this, the generation of evidence-based data and the use of advanced geo-spatial tools such as Remote Sensing and GPS-installed drones are recommended
Vulnerability and resilience in the face of climate changes in Senegal's drylands: measurement at the household level and determinant assessment
Get PDFThe resilience capacity of smallholder households is one of the main drivers of their ability to continue to farm and make investments in the fragile dryland regions. This paper aims to assess the resilience profile of smallholder farmers in the face of climate change and the factors influencing it in three dryland sub-regions of Senegal, namely, Louga, Kaffrine, and Thies. We developed a composite index of climate resilience (CICR) using data on farmers' perceptions of climate variability and their perceived ability to withstand, adapt, and bounce back in the event of climatic shocks. Drought, strong winds, and soil fertility decline because of climate change emerged as the main climate hazards impacting smallholder farming systems. The CICR value ranged from −2 for the most vulnerable households to +2 for the most resilient households. On average, all the households were found to be vulnerable, with an average CICR value of −0.2. The LOUGA region was the most vulnerable, with an average CICR value of −0.36, followed by THIES (-0.2). The KAFFRINE region was relatively less vulnerable, with a CICR value of −0.1. Ordered logit model estimates show that the chances of improving CICR decrease with the increase of the household head's age until 59 years. Access to training on climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and climate information appeared to have the potential to increase by 171% the chance of the household improving its resilience status. Analysis also shows that one more woman working off-farm or in-home gardening has the potential to multiply by four times the chances of households being more resilient. This highlights the importance of empowering women to enhance household resilience to climate change. The off-farm revenue increased the chance to improve the resilience status of the farm household by 62% and the receipt of transfer revenue by 50%. This study provides a robust method for quantifying resilience or wellbeing and its drivers and enriches our understanding of the resilience ability of farmers to climate change in a West African context. It can be useful in designing effective adaptation interventions and improving the overall wellbeing of smallholder farmers
Aspergillus flavus pangenome (AflaPan) uncovers novel aflatoxin and secondary metabolite associated gene clusters
Get PDFBackground
Aspergillus flavus is an important agricultural and food safety threat due to its production of carcinogenic aflatoxins. It has high level of genetic diversity that is adapted to various environments. Recently, we reported two reference genomes of A. flavus isolates, AF13 (MAT1-2 and highly aflatoxigenic isolate) and NRRL3357 (MAT1-1 and moderate aflatoxin producer). Where, an insertion of 310 kb in AF13 included an aflatoxin producing gene bZIP transcription factor, named atfC. Observations of significant genomic variants between these isolates of contrasting phenotypes prompted an investigation into variation among other agricultural isolates of A. flavus with the goal of discovering novel genes potentially associated with aflatoxin production regulation. Present study was designed with three main objectives: (1) collection of large number of A. flavus isolates from diverse sources including maize plants and field soils; (2) whole genome sequencing of collected isolates and development of a pangenome; and (3) pangenome-wide association study (Pan-GWAS) to identify novel secondary metabolite cluster genes.
Results
Pangenome analysis of 346 A. flavus isolates identified a total of 17,855 unique orthologous gene clusters, with mere 41% (7,315) core genes and 59% (10,540) accessory genes indicating accumulation of high genomic diversity during domestication. 5,994 orthologous gene clusters in accessory genome not annotated in either the A. flavus AF13 or NRRL3357 reference genomes. Pan-genome wide association analysis of the genomic variations identified 391 significant associated pan-genes associated with aflatoxin production. Interestingly, most of the significantly associated pan-genes (94%; 369 associations) belonged to accessory genome indicating that genome expansion has resulted in the incorporation of new genes associated with aflatoxin and other secondary metabolites.
Conclusion
In summary, this study provides complete pangenome framework for the species of Aspergillus flavus along with associated genes for pathogen survival and aflatoxin production. The large accessory genome indicated large genome diversity in the species A. flavus, however AflaPan is a closed pangenome represents optimum diversity of species A. flavus. Most importantly, the newly identified aflatoxin producing gene clusters will be a new source for seeking aflatoxin mitigation strategies and needs new attention in research
Identification of efficient inbred testers to strengthen established heterotic groups in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br)
Get PDFPearl millet has two major heterotic groups, HGB (Heterotic Group B) and HGR (Heterotic Group R), each with unique genetic backgrounds and traits. Leveraging appropriate genetic resources is crucial for enhancing the potential of these heterotic groups in hybrid breeding programmes. Testers are essential in this context, determining the combining ability of new breeding lines and accurately assessing the performance and potential of parental lines in hybrid combinations. Two sets of test crosses were produced using line x tester mating design: Set 1 with six HGB testers crossed with new restorer lines and Set 2 with six HGR testers crossed with new seed parental lines, evaluated at multiple locations in India. Testers were evaluated for their effectiveness using multiple criteria, such as rank correlation analysis for line performance in hybrid combinations, discrimination ability, general combining ability, per se performance and Biplot analysis. These assessments determined their relative ranking, with HGB1-T3, HGB2-T3, HGR1-T1 and HGR2-T1 identified as efficient testers. The genetic analysis helps identify efficient testers for selecting superior genotypes, thereby enhancing heterotic group performance by incorporating appropriate
new breeding material
Physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying the role of anthocyanin in acquired tolerance to salt stress in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Get PDFAnthocyanin is an important pigment that prevents oxidative stress and mediates adaptation of plants to salt stress. Peanuts with dark red and black testa are rich in anthocyanin. However, correlation between salt tolerance and anthocyanin content in black and dark red testa peanuts is unknown. In this study, three peanut cultivars namely YZ9102 (pink testa), JHR1 (red testa) and JHB1 (black testa) were subjected to sodium chloride (NaCl) stress. The plant growth, ion uptake, anthocyanin accumulation, oxidation resistance and photosynthetic traits were comparatively analyzed. We observed that the plant height, leaf area and biomass under salt stress was highly inhibited in pink color testa (YZ9102) as compare to black color testa (JHB1). JHB1, a black testa colored peanut was identified as the most salt-tolerance cultivar, followed by red (JHR1) and pink(YZ9102). During salt stress, JHB1 exhibited significantly higher levels of anthocyanin and flavonoid accumulation compared to JHR1 and YZ9102, along with increased relative activities of antioxidant protection and photosynthetic efficiency. However, the K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ were consistently decreased among three cultivars under salt stress, suggesting that the salt tolerance of black testa peanut may not be related to ion absorption. Therefore, we predicted that salt tolerance of JHB1 may be attributed to the accumulation of the anthocyanin and flavonoids, which activated antioxidant protection against the oxidative damage to maintain the higher photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth. These findings will be useful for improving salt tolerance of peanuts
Validation of sorghum quality control (QC) markers across African breeding lines
Get PDFSorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a cereal crop of critical importance in the semi-arid tropics, particularly in Africa where it is second only to maize (Zea mays L.) by area of cultivation. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics sorghum breeding program for Eastern and Southern Africa is the largest in the region and develops improved varieties for target agro-ecologies. Varietal purity and correct confirmation of new crosses are essential for the integrity and efficiency of a breeding program. We used 49 quality control (QC) kompetitive allele-specific PCR single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to genotype 716 breeding lines. Note that 46 SNPs were polymorphic with the top 10 most informative revealing polymorphism information content (PIC), minor allele frequency (MAF), and observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.37, 0.43, and 0.02, respectively, and explaining 45% of genetic variance within the first two principal components (PC). Thirty-nine markers were highly informative across 16 Burkina Faso breeding lines, out of which the top 10 revealed average PIC, MAF, and Ho of 0.36, 0.39, and 0.05, respectively. Discriminant analysis of principal components done using top 30 markers separated the breeding lines into five major clusters, three of which were distinct. Six of the top 10 most informative markers successfully confirmed hybridization of crosses between genotypes IESV240, KARIMTAMA1, F6YQ212, and FRAMIDA. A set of 10, 20, and 30 most informative markers are recommended for routine QC applications. Future effort should focus on the deployment of these markers in breeding programs for enhanced genetic gain
ScRNA-seq reveals dark- and light-induced differentially expressed gene atlases of seedling leaves in Arachis hypogaea L.
No full textAlthough the regulatory mechanisms of dark and light-induced plant morphogenesis have been broadly investigated, the biological process in peanuts has not been systematically explored on single-cell resolution. Herein, 10 cell clusters were characterized using scRNA-seq-identified marker genes, based on 13 409 and 11 296 single cells from 1-week-old peanut seedling leaves grown under dark and light conditions. 6104 genes and 50 transcription factors (TFs) displayed significant expression patterns in distinct cell clusters, which provided gene resources for profiling dark/light-induced candidate genes. Further pseudo-time trajectory and cell cycle evidence supported that dark repressed the cell division and perturbed normal cell cycle, especially the PORA abundances correlated with 11 TFs highly enriched in mesophyll to restrict the chlorophyllide synthesis. Additionally, light repressed the epidermis cell developmental trajectory extending by inhibiting the growth hormone pathway, and 21 TFs probably contributed to the different genes transcriptional dynamic. Eventually, peanut AHL17 was identified from the profile of differentially expressed TFs, which encoded protein located in the nucleus promoted leaf epidermal cell enlargement when ectopically overexpressed in Arabidopsis through the regulatory phytohormone pathway. Overall, our study presents the different gene atlases in peanut etiolated and green seedlings, providing novel biological insights to elucidate light-induced leaf cell development at the single-cell level
The agricultural wage gap within rural villages
No full textWe use unique data on daily labor-market outcomes for Indian casual workers to study labor reallocation between agricultural and non-agricultural activities within rural areas. Controlling for both individual time-invariant attributes and time-varying shocks, we find that workers who switch sectors across years or even within a week can obtain 23% higher wages by taking non-agricultural jobs. We then estimate a discrete choice model of daily labor allocation that decomposes preferences for jobs into two types of disamenities: (i) those associated with job characteristics and (ii) those associated with location. We find that the first type of disamenity is 23% of wages for men and 38% for women, and the second type is 36% of wages for men and 31% for women