Genotype-by-environment interaction analysis of rice (Oryza spp.) yield in a floodplain ecosystem in West Africa

West Africa has large areas of river floodplains, most of which are not currently used for farmland. Rice (Oryza spp.) is a promising crop for farming in floodplains because of its high adaptability to a wide range of water environments. On the other hand, there is great variation in soil fertility and water availability even in a small area within a floodplain. Hence, we evaluated 27 rice genotypes in four fields in three years in a floodplain of the Northern Region of Ghana to investigate genotype × environment (G × E) interactions for rice yield and to identify stable, high-yielding genotypes. The genotypes consisted of O. sativa, O. glaberrima and New Rice for Africa (NERICA), and many were selected for their reported submergence resistance because of the anticipated submergence damage in the floodplain. There were large variations in yield, which ranged from 0.14 to 5.35 t ha⁻¹ depending on the location within a floodplain, genotype and year, and there were significant genotype, environment and G × E interaction effects on yield, accounting for 24.8%, 20.2%, and 28.2%, respectively, of the total variation. The results suggested that selection of suitable location with high soil fertility and low risk of submergence is necessary to achieve high yield in a floodplain. In addition, early sowing would be effective high-yielding crop management, which reduced the risk of submergence-induced damage just after sowing and secured sufficient growth duration to achieve high yield. Genotype IR42 showed the highest average yield among environments, but its yield stability was low. On the other hand, several genotypes including Amankwatia, a local aromatic cultivar adapted to irrigated and lowland environments, and IRBL9-W[RL], a blast-tolerant variety containing the Sub1 gene for submergence tolerance, showed high, stable yield. To put these results to practical use in other floodplain areas in West Africa, physiological mechanisms causing G × E interaction for rice yield should be further studied.     

南方水田耕整机械发展趋势及探讨

我国南方水田耕整机械经过了30多年的发展,已基本形成了多功能、多机型的格局.随着科学技术的创新与进步,水田耕整机械正朝高标准、智能化、自动化方向发展;但实现这一目标的任务还很艰巨,政府须给予政策和资金支持,保障科研成果及时转化、推进农机研发"产学研"结合.     

以南非肉用美利奴绵羊为父本的不同组合杂种的生长发育

试验以南非肉用美利奴绵羊为父本,以考力代、夏洛莱、本地羊、小尾寒羊、夏考和夏土F1代杂种为母本,比较各组合杂种生长发育的差异。所研究的性状包括初生重、断奶重、6月龄重、周岁重、断奶前日增重(ADG1)、断奶至6月龄日增重(ADG2)。数据使用SPSS统计软件的GLM过程和Ducan氏多重比较。结果表明,母亲年龄对初生重影响显著(P0.01)。出生类型、杂交组合、性别对初生重、断奶重、断奶前日增重以及断奶至6月龄日增重影响显著(P0.01)。出生月份对所有性状影响显著,1～2月出生的杂种初生重和6月龄重显著大于3～5月出生的杂种(P0.05)。南寒ADG1为335 g.d-1,显著高于其它五个组合,但其ADG2为-173 g.d-1,明显弱于其它组合(P0.05)。     

Controlling factors of sheet erosion under degraded grasslands in the sloping lands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The current increase in the global demand for food and fresh water and the associated land use changes or misuses exacerbate water erosion which has become a major threat to the sustainability of the soil and water resources. Soil erosion by rainfall and runoff is a natural and geologic phenomenon, and one of the most important components of the global geochemical cycle.Despite numerous studies on crop lands, there is still a need to quantify soil sheet erosion (an erosion form that uniformly removes fertile upper soil horizons) under grasslands and to assess the factors of the environment that control its spatial variation. For that purpose, fifteen 1 m² micro-plots installed within a 23 ha catchment under pasture in the sloping lands of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) were monitored during the 2007-2008 rainy season to evaluate runoff (R) and sediment losses (SL). Soil losses computed from the 37 rainfall events with soil erosion averaged 6.45 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹with values from 3 to 13 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. SL were significantly correlated with the proportion of soil surface coverage by the vegetation (P < 0.01) whereas the slope gradient, and soil characteristics such as bulk density or clay content were not correlated. R and SL increased as the proportion of soil surface coverage decreased and this trend was used to predict the spatial variations of sheet erosion over the 23 ha catchment. Greater sheet erosion occurred at the catchment plateau and at the vicinity of gully head cuts probably in relation to regressive erosion. Mitigating sheet erosion would require an appropriate management of the soil cover through appropriate management of cattle grazing, especially at places where “natural” erosion is likely to occur.     

Intensification or extensification? Factors affecting technology use in peri-urban lowlands along an agro-ecological gradient in West Africa

The paper analyses whether the increased use of lowlands in proximity to urban centres in West Africa is associated with technological intensification or extensification. Technologies are typified in terms of their orientation – land or labour saving – and market dependence for their procurement and reviews the factors driving and modifying their use in lowlands. The factors associated with technology use are analyzed empirically using geo-referenced lowland data around four urban centers along an ecological gradient in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. The technologies analyzed include both external inputs (fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, improved varieties) and crop management practices (plot level bunding, rice transplanting and rice direct seeding). Results from binomial logit models highlight the prominent positive and non-linear role of proximity to urban markets for the technological intensification of lowlands – an issue associated with factor scarcities and the transaction costs for procurement and marketing. Technology use in lowlands is also associated with the agro-ecological gradient, lowland development and non-native lowland users. A common thread linking these variables is that they modify resource scarcity and therefore intensification incentives. Lowlands are not always as valuable as they may seem and there may be limited incentives to intensify. Instances of significant lowland cultivation and intensification in the study sites tend to be associated with specific opportunities – driven by market opportunities and modified by seasonal, institutional or development-induced relative land scarcity. Market access is therefore a necessary but not sufficient factor for the technological intensification of lowland use. There is a need for better targeting of development efforts in terms of enabling lowland intensification or extensification as appropriate.     

Can carbon sequestration markets benefit low-income producers in semi-arid Africa? Potentials and challenges

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change allows a country that emits C above agreed-upon limits to purchase C offsets from an entity that uses biological means to absorb or reduce greenhouse emissions. The CDM is currently offered for afforestation and reforestation projects, but may apply subsequently to sequestration in agricultural soils. Additionally, markets outside of the Protocol are developing for soil C sequestration.     

Visits to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from South Asia and the Middle East, 1946–1990: An indicator of changing international programs and politics

International study programs have contributed to the diffusion of modern irrigation technologies, approaches, and problems. But the patterns and processes of international travel have received little attention to date. This paper examines foreign visits to the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from South Asia and the Middle East from 1946 to 1990. Using data from the Foreign Activities Branch of the USBR, we compare the participation rates from 16 countries in South Asia and the Middle East. India, Turkey, and Egypt had the highest rates of participation, followed by Pakistan, Iran, and Israel. The frequency of visits is influenced by political, economic, cultural, and institutional factors. But the most important factors appear to be foreign relations and geopolitics. Given the problems faced by national irrigation bureaucracies around the world, there is a need to focus more directly on political factors than in the past.     

南水北调东线工程泵站技术管理模式研究

以南水北调东线工程准市场化运作为背景 ,以合理性、经济性和可靠性为目标 ,以江苏省江水北调工程泵站技术管理为基础 ,从管理体制、运行管理、日常管理、维护检修等方面研究南水北调东线工程大型梯级泵站的技术管理模式与方法。研究结果对提高工程调水可靠性、经济性和工程的可持续发展有一定意义。     

Achieving food and nutritional security through agroforestry: a case of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Faidherbia albida</Emphasis> in sub-Saharan Africa

Faidherbia albida is an ideal agroforestry tree commonly intercropped with annual crops like millet and groundnuts in the dry and densely populated areas of Africa. With its peculiar reverse phenology, it makes growth demands at a different time from that of crops. In addition, it deposits great amount of organic fertilizer on food crops. Leaves entering soils are comparable to fertilization of almost 50 t·ha 1 ·year 1 of manure in dense stands of 50 large trees per ha. These nutrients help maximize agricultural production and reduce the need for a fallow period on poorer soils. Research has shown that millet grown under F. albida yielded 2.5 and 3.4 fold increases in grain and protein, respectively. Animals eat pods which contain mean amounts of crude protein of 20.63% and carbohydrate of 40.1% in seeds. Moreover, the continued existence of F. albida in agroforestry parklands as in Ethiopia and Mali signifies the success of traditional conservation measures. Modern scientists have also developed much interest in the role of agroforestry in maintaining long-term biological balance between agriculture and livestock production systems. To ensure food security, which still remains a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, and concurrently minimize environmental degradation, promotion of agroforestry that specifically involves indigenous trees is crucial. We discuss the prospective role of F. albida in alleviating poverty while simultaneously protecting the environment from factors associated with, for example, deforestation and loss of biodiversity. The overall aim is to promote wide-scale adoption of F. albida as a valuable tree crop in farming systems, particularly in those areas where it remains unexploited.     

The importance of an indigenous tree to southern African communities with specific relevance to its domestication and commercialization:a case of the marula tree

Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea(A.Rich.) Hochst.subsp.caffra(Sond.) Kokwaro].These include the contribution of this species towards health,nutrition,food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it.Marula fruits can be eaten fresh,squeezed to make juice,brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly.The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics,i.e.,for skin and hai...