Impacts of Institutional Reforms on Irrigated Agriculture in Pakistan

Poor functioning of theirrigation system in Pakistan has been asource of concern for the last few decades,during which time it has been the subject ofconsiderable external assistance andinternal policy reforms. Consequently, thegovernment of Pakistan introducedinstitutional restructuring in irrigationand drainage subsectors to impartnecessary improvements. Under thesereforms, management at secondary canallevel has recently been handed over to theFarmers Organizations (FOs) of selecteddistributaries in pilot areas. This studywas designed to evaluate a farmer-manageddistributary in southern Punjab. Fieldmeasurements revealed that hydraulicaspects of the irrigation service deliveredby the FO management has been significantlyimproved and as a result highlyproportionate and equitable waterdistribution was observed, particularly atthe tail reaches of the distributary. Dueto effective FO management farmers'interventions to increase the outletdischarge by illegal means has been almosteradicated. As a result of theseimprovements imparted by the FO in systemmanagement, the extent of irrigated area hasincreased on average by 6 to 7%, evenunder severe drought-like conditionsprevailing in the country during recentyears. Further cost recoveries haveincreased by an amount of 14% for summerand 23% for winter growing seasons,respectively, from the irrigated area of thedistributary. Thus experience from Hakra4-R distributary has shown that even underundesirable natural circumstancesIrrigation Management Transfer (IMT) wasquite effective in achieving the keytargets of the institutional reformslaunched at pilot scale in the country.     

A study of water distribution from a branch to distributary canals: A case study of Gugera Branch,Punjab, Pakistan

This study was conducted on Gugera Branch of Lower Chenab Canal, Punjab, Pakistan. Sample distributaries off taking from Gugera Branch were selected for the study. The existing conditions of water distribution among the distributaries were studied. Field data were collected during the whole of 1988. Field observations suggested that the variability at the head of distributaries is much greater than the variability in the Gugera Branch under existing operational practices. The distribution of water among the distributaries is rarely in accordance with design criteria. Some channels get priority over other channels. The annual closure period varied from 17 to 41 days for different channels. The discharge at the head of distributaries remained lower than the standard operational range for 69 to 183 days in a year. The data suggested that a regulating gate at the head of the distributary can reduce discharge variation up to 2.4 times compared with a Karrees System (wooden stop logs used for water regulation). The data indicated that the adjustments in the head gate of a distributary on daily basis can substantially improve discharge conditions at the head of distributary. Rotational schedules are not being followed as per design and need to be improved. Most of the existing head discharge relationships of discharge measuring structures are not reliable. A frequent calibration of these structures is recommended.     

Phenotypic variations of wheat cultivars from the North China Plain in response to cadmium stress and associated single nucleotide polymorphisms identified by a genome-wide association study

Understanding the genetic mechanisms for cadmium(Cd) uptake and translocation in common wheat(Triticum aestivum) is of significance in food Cd contamination control. In this study, a diverse panel of 132 wheat cultivars was collected from the North China Plain. The cultivars were evaluated in terms of their phenotypic variations in response to Cd stress and subjected to a genome-wide association study(GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) associated with the phenotypic variatio...     

Simultaneous use of plant growth promoting rhizobacterium and nitrogenous fertilizers may help in promoting growth,yield, and nutritional quality of okra

This study was conducted to evaluate the simultaneous use of plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (QS1) and different combinations of urea-nitrogen and biogas slurry-nitrogen for improving growth, yield, and nutritional quality of field grown okra. The isolate QS1 was identified as Bacillus sp. QS1 based on its ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequence analysis. Results revealed that among the combinations, the application of 50% urea-nitrogen + 50% biogas slurry-nitrogen was optimal for improving crop performance. This combination significantly (p ≤ 0.05) promoted okra growth viz. plant height (69.63–80.03 cm), no of branches per plant (14–18), shoot fresh weight (86.66–136.25 g/plant), root fresh weight (22.5–26.58 g/plant), and fruit yield (8.5–13.5 kg/plot) compared to the plants receiving 100% urea-nitrogen. The interactive effective of this nitrogen combination and QS1 inoculation produced the highest growth and yield response. Similarly, the same treatment improved nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and protein contents in shoot and fruit of okra compared to other treatments.     

Evaluation of management principles and performance of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Bangladesh

Experiments were conducted at irrigated and rainfed lowland rice sites in Bangladesh to assess the performance of management practices that have become known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). At a research station, SRI management principles such as seedling age, plant spacing, application of organic manure, seedling densities, duration of planting, planting shape and time of planting were evaluated under SRI management as compared to previously established Best Management Practices (BMPs). In on-farm trials, SRI was compared with BMP on 40 farmers’ fields. Nutrient inputs and water management in BMP and SRI treatments were kept at comparable levels. Seedling age, ranging from just sprouted seed to 40-day-old seedlings, had no effect on grain yield in the winter season. In a plant spacing experiment subject to SRI, the highest and lowest grain yields of 7.82 and 5.41 t ha⁻¹ were obtained with spacing of 25 cm × 15 cm (narrow) and 40 cm × 40 cm (wide), respectively. In SRI, seedling density (1–2 seedlings per hill), planting durations (≤15 min to 1–3 h after uprooting) or root placement (L-shape and J-shape) had no effect on grain yield. With regard to time of planting, the highest grain yields were observed with transplanting in the 3rd week of December, with no difference between SRI and BMP management systems. In on-farm trials, BMP gave significantly higher grain yield compared to SRI and farmers’ practice in a triple-cropped area, but grain yields were similar with SRI in a double and single-cropped area when spacing was narrow. The highest profit was obtained with BMP followed by SRI and farmers’ practice in the single-cropping area. Major findings from this study are that under comparable levels of net nutrient input and water management (i) well-implemented BMPs for rice are more efficient for producing high yields than SRI and (ii) there is no intrinsic yield advantage of SRI that could be caused by its individual crop management techniques or some unknown synergism of the different SRI practices proposed.     

Efficacy of nine insecticides against shoot and fruit borer, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucinodes orbonalis</Emphasis> Guenee (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in eggplant

Shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis Guenee, is a serious pest of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). Management practices of this obnoxious pest are limited to frequent spray of chemical insecticides. Due to increasing levels of resistance of L. orbonalis to different insecticides there is an urgent need to test new chemicals. In this study, nine insecticides such as azadirachtin 0.03EC, abamectin 1.8EC, flubendiamide 24WG, chlorpyriphos 20EC, cartap 50SP, carbosulfan 20EC, thiodicarb 75WP, cypermethrin 10EC, and lambdacyhalothrin 2.5EC belonging to different chemical groups were tested against eggplant shoot and fruit borer in laboratory and field. In laboratory trial, carbosulfan and flubendiamide showed the highest toxicity against fourth instar larvae of L. orbonalis after 24 and 48 h of exposure, respectively. In field trials, they reduced more than 80% shoot and fruit infestation in winter, and 80% shoot and 70% fruit infestation in summer over control. Carbosulfan protected the highest amount of healthy fruit yield in both cropping seasons. Flubendiamide also showed the similar efficacy. Cartap and thiodicarb were moderately effective in both the seasons. Efficacy of cypermethrin and abamectin was moderate in winter but low in summer. Lambdacyhalothrin and chlorpyriphos although reduced shoot and fruit infestation of eggplant and protected higher yield as compared to control, their effectiveness was not satisfactory. The performance of azadirachtin against the pest both in the laboratory and field trials was the poorest while that of carbosulfan and flubendiamide was the best. Thus, it is suggested that carbosulfan and flubendiamide may be used for the control of L. orbonalis in eggplant.     

Anti-Oxidant Activities,Chemical Attributes and Fruit Yield of Peach Cultivars as Influenced by Foliar Application of Ascorbic Acid

Peach fruit is enriched with natural antioxidants but oxidation caused by biotic and abiotic stresses, reduce these antioxidants and consequently effect the quality and yield of the fruit. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the role of ascorbic acid to sustain the natural antioxidant activity, improve the fruit quality and yield of peach cultivars (Early Grand and Florida King). The peach cultivars, Early Grand and Florida King were tested against four levels of ascorbic acid (200, 400, 600 and 800?ppm) and compared with control as water spray. The foliar application of ascorbic acid significantly influenced anti-oxidant activity and physico-chemical attributes of peach cultivars. However, the foliar application of ascorbic acid @ 800?ppm significantly increased the fruit weight, fruit yield, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, antioxidant activity of fruit peel, with least percent infected fruits and fruit juice pH as compared to the rest of the treatments. Similarly, significant variation was recorded for peach cultivars regarding anti-oxidant activity and various physico-chemical attributes. The maximum fruit weight, fruit yield, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and TSS/TA ratio were noted in fruit of cultivar Florida King. On other side the foliar treated fruit of peach cultivar Early Grand had the highest percent infected fruits, fruit juice pH and antioxidant activity of fruit peel. It is concluded from the significant findings of present research that the peach cultivar Florida King performed better in terms of maximum fruit yield, whereas the cultivar Early Grand produced better quality fruits with high anti-oxidant activity when treated with 800?ppm of ascorbic acid as foliar spray.     

Leaf litter decomposition of dominant tree species of Namdapha National Park,Arunachal Pradesh,northeast India

Rates of weight loss and nutrient (N and P) release patterns were studied in the leaf litter of the dominant tree species (Ailanthus grandis, Altingia excelsa, Castanopsis indica, Duabanga sonneriatioides, Dysoxylum binectariferum, Mesua ferrea, Shorea assamica, Taluma hodgsonii, Terminalia myriocarpa and Vatica lancefolia) of a tropical wet evergreen forest of northeast India. Nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization rate and decay pattern varied significantly from species to species. In general, the decay pattern, characterized by using a composite polynomial regression equation, exhibited three distinct phases of decay during litter decomposition—an initial slow decay phase (0.063% weight loss day⁻¹), followed by a rapid decay phase (0.494% weight loss day⁻¹) and a final slow decay phase (0.136% weight loss day⁻¹). The initial chemical composition of the litter affected decomposition rates and patterns. Species like D. sonneriatoides, D. binectariferum, and T. hodgsonii with higher N and P content, lower carbon and lignin content, and lower C:N ratio and lignin:N ratio exhibited relatively faster decomposition rates than the other species, for example M. ferrea, C. indica and A. grandis. A slow decay rate was recorded for species such as M. ferrea, C. indica, and A. grandis. The initial N and P content of litter showed significant positive correlations with decay rates. Carbon and lignin content, lignin:N, and C:N showed significant negative correlations with decay rates. Soil total N and P, and rainfall, soil temperature, and soil moisture had positive correlations with decay rates. The rapid decomposition rates observed in comparison with other different forest litter decay rates confirm that tropical wet evergreen forest species are characterized by faster decomposition rates, indicating a faster rate of organic matter turnover and rapid nutrient cycling.