Season-specific varietal management as an option to increase rainfed lowland rice production in East African high altitude cropping systems

Due to land expansion and an increase in productivity, rice production in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing at a rate of 6% in the past decade. Rainfed rice production systems have accounted for a large share of this expansion. In these systems, the potential growing period not only depends on the length of the rainy season and thus water availability, but is often, especially in the highlands of East Africa, bordered by the onset of the cool period of the year, when low minimum temperatures compromise rice yields. The objective of this study was to investigate the yield potential of 30 rice varieties contrasting in crop duration and cold tolerance in the highlands of East Africa, with its limited length of growing period. A field trial was conducted in the cropping seasons in 2016 and 2017 at the Fogera rice research station, Ethiopia. As a function of the onset of rains, rice was sown mid-July in 2016 and early July in 2017. Early sowing in 2017 led to an extended crop duration and significantly lower yields of the short-duration varieties, and to a shortened duration and significantly higher yields of the medium- and long-duration varieties, when compared to late sowing in 2016. Late sowing compromised yield of the medium- and long-duration varieties because of low temperatures during booting stage, which led to high spikelet sterility. Early sowing resulted in low yields of the short-duration varieties, probably due to low solar radiation during the cloudy rainy season, which coincided with the vegetative stage. Therefore, choice of variety should be a function of the variable onset of the rainy season and related sowing date. However, crop models precisely calibrated for potential varieties and the respective environmental conditions could fully support the selection of a suitable variety, depending on the date of sowing, for example with the help of online tools or smartphone applications.     

Cropping calendar options for rice-wheat production systems at high-altitudes

The onset of rains during dry to wet transition fallow periods in rice-wheat production systems in Nepal cause substantial losses of soil nitrogen if the system is improperly managed. To make use of available nutrients and water, this transition period can either be shortened by early rice planting, or be extended by late planting, allowing a third crop to be grown. Shifting planting dates would require rice genotypes adapted to the different environments. Crop duration is influenced by both vegetative and reproductive development, which in turn is influenced by the photo-thermal environment and genotypic responses to it. An experiment was conducted to derive genotypic photo-thermal constants from phenological observations on diverse rice cultivars, which were then applied to the concept of the phenological model RIDEV to design cropping calendar options. Environmental effects on variation of crop duration were determined by planting at different dates. The risk of yield losses to sterility caused by low temperatures was estimated by simulation. Thirty-one different genotypes of rice were planted at 8 dates in 15-day intervals starting 27 April 2004 at the experimental field of the Regional Agriculture Research Station, Lumle, Nepal. The shortest duration to flowering was observed for planting dates in late May and early June. Simulation of flowering dates with RIDEV yielded correct results only for the early planting dates. For later planting dates simulated flowering dates showed an increasing deviation from the observed. In most cultivars, minimum air temperature below 18 °C during booting to heading stages caused near-total spikelet sterility and a specific delay in flowering. However, the chilling tolerant cultivars Chomrong and Machhapuchre-3 cultivated at high altitude showed less than 30% spikelet sterility even at 15 °C. Simulating crop durations with the derived thermal constants allowed evaluating the different calendar options for high altitude systems.     

A quick and efficient screen for resistance to iron toxicity in lowland rice

Iron (Fe) toxicity is a major stress to rice in many lowland environments worldwide. Due to excessive uptake of Fe²⁺ by the roots and its acropetal translocation into the leaves, toxic oxygen radicals may form and damage cell structural components, thus impairing physiological processes. The typical visual symptom is the “bronzing” of the rice leaves, leading to substantial yield losses, particularly when toxicity occurs during early vegetative growth stages. The problem is best addressed through genotype improvement, i.e., tolerant cultivars. However, the time of occurrence and the severity of symptoms and yield responses vary widely among soil types, years, seasons, and genotypes. Cultivars resistant in one system may fail when transferred to another. Better targeting of varietal improvement requires selection tools improving our understanding of the resistance mechanisms and strategies of rice in the presence of excess iron. A phytotron study was conducted to develop a screen for seedling resistance to Fe toxicity based on individual plants subjected to varying levels of Fe (0–3000 mg L^–1 Fe supplied as Fe(II)SO₄), stress duration (1–5 d of exposure), vapor‐pressure deficit (VPD; 1.1 and 1.8 kPa), and seedling age (14 and 28 d). Genotypes were evaluated based on leaf‐bronzing score and tissue Fe concentrations. A clear segregation of the genotypic tolerance spectrum was obtained when scoring 28 d old seedlings after 3 d of exposure to 2000 mg L^–1 Fe in a high‐VPD environment. In most cases, leaf‐bronzing scores were highly correlated with tissue Fe concentration (visual differentiation in includer and excluder types). The combination of these two parameters also identified genotypes tolerating high levels of Fe in the tissue while showing only few leaf symptoms (tolerant includers). The screen allows selecting genotypes with low leaf‐bronzing score as resistant to Fe toxicity, and additional analyses of the tissue Fe concentration of those can identify the general adaptation strategy to be utilized in breeding programs.     

Effects of transition season management on soil N dynamics and system N balances in rice–wheat rotations of Nepal

In the low-input rice–wheat production systems of Nepal, the N nutrition of both crops is largely based on the supply from soil pools. Declining yield trends call for management interventions aiming at the avoidance of native soil N losses. A field study was conducted at two sites in the lowland and the upper mid-hills of Nepal with contrasting temperature regimes and durations of the dry-to-wet season transition period between the harvest of wheat and the transplanting of lowland rice. Technical options included the return of the straw of the preceding wheat crop, the cultivation of short-cycled crops during the transition season, and combinations of both. Dynamics of soil N_min, nitrate leaching, nitrous oxide emissions, and crop N uptake were studied throughout the year between 2004 and 2005 and partial N balances of the cropping systems were established. In the traditional system (bare fallow between wheat and rice) a large accumulation of soil nitrate N and its subsequent disappearance upon soil saturation occurred during the transition season. This nitrate loss was associated with nitrate leaching (6.3 and 12.8 kg ha⁻¹ at the low and high altitude sites, respectively) and peaks of nitrous oxide emissions (120 and 480 mg m⁻² h⁻¹ at the low and high altitude sites, respectively). Incorporation of wheat straw at 3 Mg ha⁻¹ and/or cultivation of a nitrate catch crop during the transition season significantly reduced the build up of soil nitrate and subsequent N losses at the low altitude site. At the high altitude site, cumulative grain yields increased from 2.35 Mg ha⁻¹ with bare fallow during the transition season to 3.44 Mg ha⁻¹ when wheat straw was incorporated. At the low altitude site, the cumulative yield significantly increased from 2.85 Mg ha⁻¹ (bare fallow) to between 3.63 and 6.63 Mg ha⁻¹, depending on the transition season option applied. Irrespective of the site and the land use option applied during the transition season, systems N balances remained largely negative, ranging from −37 to −84 kg N ha⁻¹. We conclude that despite reduced N losses and increased grain yields the proposed options need to be complemented with additional N inputs to sustain long-term productivity.     

An assessment of the clonality of the components of canine mixed mammary tumours by mitochondrial DNA analysis

The aim of this study was to investigate if mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop fragment control region of canine mammary mixed tumours could be used as clonal markers that identified the cell population of origin. Ten benign mixed mammary tumours and nine carcinomas arising from benign mixed tumours were microdissected and DNA from epithelial and mesenchymal tumour cells and from normal mammary tissue was examined for sequence variations in a fragment of the hypervariable control region.Identical sequence variants in both the epithelial and mesenchymal components (as well as in the corresponding normal tissue) were found in 80% of the benign mixed tumours and in 89% of the carcinomas arising from benign mixed tumours suggesting a shared clonal origin. The distinctive sequence alterations identified in the epithelial and mesenchymal components of 15.8% of all 19 tumours examined, suggests the possibility that a minority of mammary tumours are polyclonal in origin or that early clonal divergence occurs. Increased mutation within the mtDNA D-loop fragment of mixed tumour components was not observed.     

Leaf K/Na ratio predicts salinity induced yield loss in irrigated rice

Salinity is a major constraint to irrigated rice production, particularly in semi-arid and arid climates. Irrigated rice is a well suited crop to controlling and even decreasing soil salinity, but rice is a salt-susceptible crop and yield losses due to salinity can be substantial. The objective of this study was to develop a highly predictive screening tool for the vegetative growth stage of rice to estimate salinity-induced yield losses. Twenty-one rice genotypes were grown over seven seasons in a field trials in Ndiaye, Senegal, between 1991 and 1995 and were subjected to irrigation with moderately saline water (3.5 mS cm^-1, electrical conductivity) or irrigation with fresh water. Potassium/sodium ratios of the youngest three leaves (K/Na_Leaves) were determined by flame photometry at the late vegetative stage. Grain yield was determined at maturity. All cultivars showed strong log-linear correlations between K/Na_Leaves and grain yield, but intercept and slope of those correlations differed between seasons for a given genotype and between genotypes. The K/Na_Leaves under salinity was related to grain yield under salinity relative to freshwater controls. There was a highly significant correlation (p < 0.001) between K/Na_Leaves and salinity-induced grain yield reduction: the most susceptible cultivars had lowest K/Na_Leaves and the strongest yield reductions. Although there were major differences in the effects of salinity on crops in both the hot dry season (HDS) and the wet season, the correlation was equally significant across cropping seasons. The earliest possible time to establish the relationship between K/Na_Leaves under salinity and grain yield reduction due to salinity was investigated in an additional trial in the HDS 1998. About 60 days after sowing, salinity-induced yield loss could be predicted through K/Na_Leaves with a high degree of confidence (p < 0.01). A screening system for salinity resistance of rice, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates, is proposed based on the correlation between K/Na_Leaves under salinity and salinity-induced yield losses. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Climatic determinants of lowland rice development

Accurate modelling of plant development is the basis for any assessment of climate change impact on crop yields. Most rice models simulate development (phenology) based on temperature and photoperiod, but often the reliability of these models is reduced beyond the environment they were calibrated for. In our study, we tested the effects of relative air humidity and solar radiation on leaf appearance rate in greenhouse experiments and analysed data sets from field studies conducted in two extremely different rice-growing environments in Nepal and Senegal. We also analysed environmental effects on duration to flowering of one popular IRRI material (IR64) for eight different sites covering the entire temperature range where rice is widely cultivated. Both low relative air humidity and low solar radiation significantly decreased leaf appearance rate. Mean air temperature explained 81% of the variation in duration to flowering across sites, which was furthermore significantly influenced by relative air humidity. Across all sites, a simple linear regression approach including mean air temperature and mean relative humidity in the calculation of duration to flowering led to a root mean square error (RMSE) of 10 days, which was slightly lower than the RMSE of 11 days achieved with an automated calibration tool for parameter optimization of cardinal temperatures and photoperiod sensitivity. Parameter optimization for individual sites led to a much smaller prediction error, but also to large differences in cardinal temperatures between sites, mainly lower optimum temperatures for the cooler sites. To increase the predictive power of phenological models outside their calibration range and especially in climate change scenarios, a more mechanistic modelling approach is needed. A starting point could be including relative air humidity and radiation in the simulation procedure of crop development, and presumably, a closer link between growth and development procedures could help to increase the robustness of phenological models.     

Latitude and Date of Sowing Influences Phenology of Photoperiod‐Sensitive Sorghums

Matching phenology with prevalent abiotic and biotic conditions is a prerequisite for varietal adaptation to the environment. That is particularly important in the context of climate change because an increase in temperature is most likely to modify the precocity of the varieties. The forecast of flowering time in photoperiod‐sensitive sorghum is complex as flowering depends on temperature, day length and soil fertility. The objectives of this work were to quantify effects of latitude on the development of selected sorghum varieties and to verify the precision of our models to predict sorghum maturity. A field experiment at three locations along the latitudinal gradient in Mali with staggered sowing dates (SDs) was conducted. Seven sorghum cultivars covering a wide range of the diversity of cultivated sorghums in Mali were sown on the 10 of June, July and August in 2009 and 2010. Duration of the vegetative phase strongly decreased with latitude. Although the maximum day length difference between locations was < 8 min, for some varieties, we observed a reduction in crop duration of up to 3 weeks. Some varieties were photoperiod insensitive at one location but became photoperiod sensitive at another. The effect of latitude on the phenology is underestimated by the existing models. To determine the optimal areas for the varieties in West Africa and to forecast the effects of climate change, a correction of the simulation coefficients taking account of latitude is proposed. But, in the end, it will be necessary to develop a new model that will be able to predict the effects of both SD and latitude. More research is needed to understand physiological response mechanisms of the pronounced latitude effects on sorghum phenology.     

Correlation of the highest-energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects

Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory during the past 3.7 years, we demonstrated a correlation between the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energy above 6 x 10(19) electron volts and the positions of active galactic nuclei (AGN) lying within approximately 75 megaparsecs. We rejected the hypothesis of an isotropic distribution of these cosmic rays with at least a 99% confidence level from a prescribed a priori test. The correlation we observed is compatible with the hypothesis that the highest-energy particles originate from nearby extragalactic sources whose flux has not been substantially reduced by interaction with the cosmic background radiation. AGN or objects having a similar spatial distribution are possible sources.