International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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Evaluation of Fungicides and Fungicide Application Methods to Manage Phytophthora Blight of Pigeonpea
Get PDFPhytophthora, a blight of pigeonpea caused by Phytophthora cajani, has been significantly increasing in major pigeonpea production regions of India. Limited information on infection with this pathogen and its epidemiology, as well as a lack of adequate resistant cultivars, is hampering the management of Phytophthora blight significantly. Therefore, five fungicides, viz., metiram + dimethomorph, cymoxanil + mancozeb, famoxadone + cymoxanil, mancozeb, and metalaxyl-M + mancozeb, were evaluated against P. cajani under control conditions to control zoospore induction, as well as the infection of zoospores, at the seedling stage. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of fungicides for mycelial inhibition was calculated. The lowest EC50 was recorded in metiram + dimethomorph (0.17 µg/mL), followed by the metalaxyl-M + mancozeb (2.49 µg/mL) and cymoxanil + mancozeb (8.23 µg/mL) fungicides. The formation of the
sporangium and zoospores was most significantly affected by metalaxyl-M + mancozeb, followed by metiram + dimethomorph and cymoxanil + mancozeb, in terms of sporangia viability and zoospore germination and encystment. Further, under glasshouse conditions, different fungicide application
methods (e.g., seed-treatment; soil-drench; foliar-spray, either singly or in combinations) were evaluated with fungicides on susceptible (ICP 7119) moderately resistant pigeonpea (ICPL 99010, ICPL 20135 and ICPL 99048) cultivars. The seed-treatment + soil-drench, soil-drench + foliar-spray, and soildrench of fungicide application methods were found to be effective in controlling the Phytophthora blight, at p < 0.001. A combination of the seed-treatment + soil-drench and soil-drench + foliar-spray methods, using metalaxyl-M + mancozeb or metiram + dimethomorph fungicides on moderately resistant cultivars (ICPL 99010), has a synergistic effect on the ability to control the Phytophthora blight at the seedling stage
Influence of elevated CO2 on growth, yield, haulm, and kernel quality of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
No full textA study was conducted to evaluate the effect of elevated CO2 on groundnut growth, yield, kernel and haulm nutritional quality in the Open Top Chambers (OTC). Three regimes of CO2, ambient (380 ppm) and two elevated CO2 levels (550 and 700 ppm) are maintained in three different OTCs. Compared to the ambient CO2 conditions, the kernel yield per plant declined by 32.28% and 28.40% at 550 and 700 ppm, respectively, although the pod yield remained unaffected under elevated CO2. Under elevated CO2, plant height, specific leaf area, root area and root volume are reduced, while specific leaf weight increased because of leaf thickening. Root dry weight increased due to allocation of extra fixed carbon to roots for greater support to growth under CO2 enriched conditions. Haulm quality is reduced under elevated CO2, observed as reduced metabolizing energy and in-vitro organic matter digestibility at 550 ppm, and low ash and nitrogen content at 700 ppm. Kernel oil (6.54% and 2.98%) and protein content (7.07% and 4.56%) declined at 550 and 700 ppm as compared to ambient conditions, while fatty acid content remained unaffected. Among minerals, kernel iron and manganese content remained unaffected, while copper (13.93% and 26.19%) and calcium (24.33% and 8.20%) content declined at both elevated CO2 levels. The genotype by trait biplot analysis revealed ICGV 03043 as the best performing genotype with a superior trait profile alongside high kernel yield and oil content across three CO2 levels, making it a candidate for future studies to understand the insensitivity to elevated CO2
Participatory Evaluation of Sorghum Processing and Sensory Attributes in Mali: Methodology for Improving Food Security Outcomes from Variety Development Efforts
Get PDFA requirement for the successful development of new sorghum varieties in Mali is effective evaluation of grain qualities, since sorghum is a staple food crop on which farmers rely for food security. The diversity of grain quality and social aspects that determine varietal acceptability for processing and cooking, however, make this a challenging task. As the processors of sorghum grain
in households, women’s knowledge of grain quality traits can contribute to this work. Our objective is to understand opportunities to use grain quality traits to identify experimental varieties that may contribute to food security. Culinary evaluations were conducted in nine villages across two sorghum production zones. Three teams of women, one per replicate, processed, cooked and evaluated five test varieties in each village. Sensory evaluations were conducted by 25 taste testers per village. The major varietal differences observed included the decortication losses, women’s appreciation for ease of processing, and consistency of the prepared food. The participatory evaluation of the quality testing results led to the development of the concept of ‘food yield’. Discussion of these results focuses on designing cost-efficient grain and food quality evaluations that rely on women’s expertise
as processors and strengthens their role in the variety development process
Pangenomic analysis identifies structural variation associated with heat tolerance in pearl millet
Get PDFPearl millet is an important cereal crop worldwide and shows superior heat tolerance. Here, we developed a graph-based pan-genome by assembling ten chromosomal genomes with one existing assembly adapted to different climates worldwide and captured 424,085 genomic structural variations (SVs).
Comparative genomics and transcriptomics analyses revealed the expansion of the RWP-RK transcription factor family and the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-related genes in heat tolerance. The overexpression of one RWP-RK gene led to enhanced plant heat tolerance and transactivated ER-related genes quickly, supporting the important roles of RWP-RK transcription factors and ER system in heat tolerance. Furthermore, we found that some SVs affected the gene expression associated with heat tolerance and SVs surrounding ER-related genes shaped adaptation to heat tolerance during domestication in the population. Our study provides a comprehensive genomic resource revealing insights into heat tolerance and laying a foundation for generating more robust crops under the changing climate
Scaling-up agriculture water management interventions for building system resilience in Bundelkhand region of Central India
Get PDFThis case study provides evidence for combating drought, and achieving sustainable crop intensification, in rainfed areas of Bundelkhand region, Central India. The Garkundar-Dabar and Parasai-Sindh watersheds were developed as proof of concept by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-Central Agroforestry Research Institute (ICAR-CAFRI) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) between 2006 and 2016. This study indicates pathways for harnessing the potential of rainfed
areas by implementing various agricultural water management (AWM) interventions. Rainwater harvesting measures, especially rejuvenation of the haveli system (traditional rainwater harvesting system of the region), along with various in situ water harvesting interventions, were found promising for addressing water scarcity and strengthening
various ecosystem services. Water harvesting measures, improved agricultural practices (such as balanced fertilizer application, introduction of climate-smart crop cultivars, weed and pest management) and supplemental irrigation, enhanced crop yield by 30-50% and cropping intensity from 80
to 150%. Enhanced groundwater availability (2-2.5 m additional head) helped to reduce crop risk, through the availability of supplemental irrigation and enhanced cropping intensity, as large areas of fallow land were converted to cultivation. AWM interventions also helped to enhance base flow (35-42 days to 110-122 days), control floods, soil erosion and land degradation (by about 33%), and enhance land and water use efficiency (40-70%).
Since 2017, lessons from these model watersheds have been scaled up in all seven districts of Uttar Pradesh Bundelkhand region, by an ICRISAT-led consortium. This study explores the potential of rainfed areas that are achievable through the adoption of AWM interventions. It suggests that the role of extension, through capacity building and
exposure of various stakeholders to AWM, is key to harnessing the potential of drylands. In order to further scale up such innovations to the entire region, it is important to involve knowledge generating and knowledge dissemination institutes, along with central and federal machineries. Involvement of private and non-governmental organizations as well will help achieve system level outcomes
Characterization of Barley Genotypes and Their Biochemical Responses against Leaf Rust (Puccinia hordei) Disease under Cold Arid Environment
Get PDFCereal rust is one of the most damaging diseases of small-grain cereals. The fungus Puccinia hordei causes leaf rust in barley and other small grain crops. Puccinia hordei causes serious yield losses in the cultivating areas where susceptible and late-maturing barley varieties are cultivated. Therefore, rust-resistant barley cultivar is highly demandable for sustainable small-grain crop production. Improving barley yields and quality is one of the major objectives of barley breeding programs in our country. Exotic and indigenous germplasm is one of the best sources of resistance to biotic stresses in barley particularly leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to identify the resistance sources to P. hordei and incorporate them into the breeding programs for higher barley yields under changing climatic scenarios. The study aimed to identify new resistant cultivars in barley and other small grain crops. In this study, 100 barley genotypes (Hordeum vulgare L.) were considered for screening susceptibility to P. hordei causing rust disease. Several biochemical responses were analyzed in P. hordei infected barley genotypes. However, the variable response was observed among the 100 barley genotypes while those were screened against leaf rust disease under high altitude cold arid conditions of Ladakh, India. The efficiency of the 100 barley genotypes were categorized into different classes including high resistance (4 genotypes)>resistance (14 genotypes)> moderately resistance (20 genotypes)> moderately susceptible (33 genotypes)>moderately susceptible to susceptible (19 genotypes)> and susceptible (10 genotypes) based on plant response to P. hordei. Among the total genotypes, SHEIKH/KP-706, SHEIKH-B1, SHEIKH-636, and IC-062190 showed high resistance (8.07-8.63) as per the international leaf rust scale, while EC-667381, EC-667390, EC-667392, EC667396, EC-667417, Jyoti, EC-667434, EC-667442, EC-667445, and EC-667446 were found as susceptible (3.13-3.97) to P. hordei. The highly resistant genotypes accumulated a high level of phenols and flavonoids and cooperated with susceptible and other rest of the genotypes in response to P. hordei rust. The efficiency of plant immune response and or fitness to P. hordei was correlated to the disease susceptibility index of particular genotypes. This provides a new insight and the mechanistic basis of genotype-specific rust disease susceptibility against P. hordei. A large number of genotype-based studies at the field level could be useful to plant breeders and farmers for improving rust resistance in barley and other small-grain cereals
Molecular Breeding Approaches for Biofortification of Cereal Crops
No full textOver three billion population in this world is suffering from micronutrient malnutrition; among them women and children are more sufferers, mainly in developing countries. The effective and sustainable way to enhance the food value is by breeding cereal crops having a good amount of micronutrient content. Several reports of quantitative trait locus (QTL)/loci for iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content in rice, wheat, and millets; provitamin A, vitamin E, and quality protein in maize; starch content in rye; and malting quality in barley have been discussed in detail. A detailed discussion was also made on molecular approaches for biofortification, viz., dissection of genome-wide genomic regions linked with biofortification traits, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and genomic selection. This chapter emphasizes a different breeding approach to develop micronutrient-rich cereal cultivars to overcome malnutrition and ultimately eradicate hidden hunger
A framework for disaggregating remote-sensing cropland into rainfed and irrigated classes at continental scale
Get PDFAgriculture consumes the largest share of freshwater globally; therefore, distinguishing between rainfed and irrigated croplands is essential for agricultural water management and food security. In this study, a framework incorporating the Budyko model was used to differentiate between rainfed and irrigated cropland areas in Africa for eight remote sensing landcover products and a high-confidence cropland map (HCCM). The HCCM was generated for calibration and validation of the crop partitioning framework as an alternative to individual cropland masks which exhibit high disagreement. The accuracy of the framework in partitioning the HCCM was evaluated using an independent validation dataset, yielding an overall accuracy rate of 73 %. The findings of this study indicate that out of the total area covered by the HCCM (2.36 million km2), about 461,000 km2 (19 %) is irrigated cropland. The partitioning framework was applied on eight landcover products, and the extent of irrigated areas varied between 19 % and 30 % of the total cropland area. The framework demonstrated high precision and specificity scores, indicating its effectiveness in correctly identifying irrigated areas while minimizing the misclassification of rainfed areas as irrigated. This study provides an enhanced understanding of rainfed and irrigation patterns across Africa, supporting efforts towards achieving sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. Consequently, the approach outlined expands on the suite of remote sensing landcover products that can be used for agricultural water studies in Africa by enabling the extraction of irrigated and rainfed cropland data from landcover products that do not have disaggregated cropland classes
Genetic and genomic interventions in crop biofortification: Examples in millets
Get PDFMicronutrient malnutrition is a serious threat to the developing world’s human population, which largely relies on a cereal-based diet that lacks diversity and micronutrients. Besides major cereals, millets represent the key sources of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals for people residing in the dryland tropics and drought-prone areas of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Millets serve as multi-purpose crops with several salient traits including tolerance to abiotic stresses, adaptation to diverse agro-ecologies, higher productivity in nutrient-poor soils, and rich nutritional characteristics. Considering the potential of millets in empowering smallholder farmers, adapting to changing climate, and transforming agrifood systems, the year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets. In this review, we highlight recent genetic and genomic innovations that can be explored to enhance grain micronutrient density in millets. We summarize the advances made in high-throughput phenotyping to accurately measure grain micronutrient content in cereals. We shed light on genetic diversity in millet germplasm collections existing globally that can be exploited for developing nutrient-dense and high-yielding varieties to address food and nutritional security. Furthermore, we describe the progress made in the fields of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics with an emphasis on enhancing the grain nutritional content for designing competitive biofortified varieties for the future. Considering the close genetic-relatedness within cereals, upcoming research should focus on identifying the genetic and genomic basis of nutritional traits in millets and introgressing them into major cereals through integrated omics approaches. Recent breakthroughs in the genome editing toolbox would be crucial for mainstreaming biofortification in millets
