298 research outputs found
2026: Ruth Awad
No full textRuth Awad is a Lebanese-American disabled poet, a 2021 NEA Poetry fellow, and the author of Outside the Joy (Third Man Books, 2024) and Set to Music a Wildfire (Southern Indiana Review Press, 2017), winner of the 2016 Michael Waters Poetry Prize and the 2018 Ohioana Book Award for Poetry. Her work can be found in The Atlantic, AGNI, Poetry, Poem-a-Day, The Believer, The New Republic, and elsewhere. She has an MGA in poetry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and she lives and writes in Columbus, Ohio.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lionsinwinter_writers/1055/thumbnail.jp
Dissemination of elite cactus pear accessions to farmers in Jordan
No full textWithin the collaboration program between the National Center for Agricultural Research (NARC) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), more than 100 accessions of cactus pear were introduced and planted in Muchaqqer station. 50 fruiting type cactus pear accessions were selected to be distributed to the farmers, these accessions showed good performance, Cactus pear accessions present an opportunity to help farmers in Jordan diversify their products and increase their income based on the fact that the market for cactus fruits is very promising in Jordan. The diversity of these accession creates the interest of many farmers to start growing cactus pear. The cactus germplasm collection at Mushaqqar research station has been playing an important role for the high adoption rate of farmers request to introduce cactus pear in their farms. It is considered as a successful collaboration program between NARC and ICARDA. However, there is a need to make sure this germplasm is well maintained and with no risk of being contaminated by the Cochineal which is already found in the northern part of Jordan
Morphological and chemical composition characteristics of cactus pear accessions under west Asian conditions
No full textThe objective of this study is to assess the performance of 33 cactus pear accessions planted in Mushaqqar research station in Jordan using morphological and chemical composition characteristics. The trial was set in complete randomized block design with three replications (plants). Data of morphological and chemical composition characteristics were subjected to general liner model (GLM) procedure, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). our results revealed a very high level of morphological and nutritional composition variability among cactus pear accessions that will be very useful for utilizing programs. However, future studies using molecular markers could further improve these results
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) crop management to increase productivity and enhance awareness about cactus cochineal in West Asia (Second event)
No full textReport about cactus pear field day conducted at Muchaqqer station to raise awareness of farmers about the best agronomic practices of cactus pear planation also to increase the adoption of new cactus pear accessions
Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) crop management to increase productivity and enhance awareness about cactus cochineal in West Asia (First event)
No full textIn August 18th, 2020, in partnership with the National Center for Agricultural Research, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) organized a successful farmers’ field day in Muchaqqer Research station on cactus pear fruit production, benefits, use and management. On this event more than 23 participants from Irbid governate took part. The goal of the field day was to stimulate the use and production of cactus pear, raise awareness about cactus pear wild cochineal insect threat and management
Alley cropping: developing a suitability index of different shrub species grown under semiarid Mediterranean conditions
No full textIn dry environments alley cropping has the potential to diversify the production through integration of shrubs/trees with crop and livestock. This study investigated the performance of various shrubs species integrated within field crops consisting of wheat, vetch and barley in Mushaqqar Research Station, Jordan. Each crop was planted in 10 m wide and 100 m long, while shrubs were planted in between the crops’ alleys. Shrub species incorporated included leguminous species (Medicago arborea, Colutea istria and Coronilla glauca), Atriplex species (A. canescens, A. nummularia, A. undulata) and spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica). Shrubs were clipped to 25 cm aboveground in the summer of 2018. An alley cropping suitability index was formulated based on four factors for each shrub: stem diameter, stomatal conductance, plant height and estimating shrub biomass production. The results showed that the Atriplex species showed higher suitability index after clipping. A. canescens recorded the highest plant height, stem diameter, stomatal conductance and estimated biomass production across all three field crops. While leguminous species such as C. glauca will improve the soil nutrient status in an alley cropping system, their low biomass productivity in the beginning of summer (May/June) results in a low suitability index as they are not reliable for providing supplement forage for livestock. Therefore, when implementing alley cropping systems, a tradeoff should be considered for shrub species which produce high forage biomass for livestock sustenance and are accessible to livestock after harvesting crop, or shrubs which improve soil nutrient status for improving field crop growing conditions
Assessing the impact of livestock grazing on vegetation dynamics of the Jordanian Badia
No full textThe major drivers leading to rangeland degradation include overgrazing, climate change and encroachment of rain fed agriculture. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the response of vegetation characteristics to two years protection in the arid rangelands during the spring season of Majidya, Jordan Badia. Biomass production and plant density were estimated using 1 m2 quadrats. Three transects of 50 m long each, were established in both protected and the open grazing plots to determine plant cover parameters. Results indicate significant differences for aboveground vegetation biomass and plant density between the open grazed and protected plots (P<0.001). The total plant density and biomass production of the protected plots were significantly 6.3, 2.8 times higher, respectively, than an open grazed plots. On the other hand, unpalatable species like Anabasis syriaca dominated vegetation in open rangelands, while protecting the rangeland enriched annual and perennial grasses regeneration by 40%, compared to the open grazing plots. The results suggest that carefully planned grazing management may provide a sustainable management tool to sustain rangeland resources in the arid regions
Impact of awareness campaign for enhancing adoption of new cactus pear accessions in Jordan
No full textCactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) fruits are increasingly in demand by consumers in Jordan and across the Mediterranean region. For many decades, the only cactus pear fruit available in local markets were the yellow-orange fruits. Recently, over 50 new cactus pear accessions with different genetic and morphological traits and different fruit colors ranging from white to red have been introduced and evaluated at Mushaqqar research station at the National Center for Agricultural Research (NARC) in Jordan. Awareness campaigns using field days, broadcasting through local media channel and farmer-to-farmer visits have been used to promote adoption and change consumer behavior. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an awareness campaign aimed at boosting the adoption of new cactus pear accessions in Jordan. The data were collected from a survey of 100 households who recently received the new cactus pear accessions. The results revealed that 50 percent of farmers were aware of the new accessions through television. The new cactus pear accessions created enough interest among 25 percent of the farmers surveyed to start cactus pear cultivation for their own consumption and influenced at least 15% to start planting cactus pear as a business opportunity. Farmers who already have cactus plantations think the new accessions will bring a better market price. These findings suggest that raising awareness about new agricultural technologies can increase adoption and mainstream media could be an effective way to disseminate the new cactus pear accessions and offer an opportunity to help farmers diversify their products and increase their incomes
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