Evaluating planning and delivery performance of Water User Associations (WUAs) in Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan

The primary objective of an irrigation organization is to provide efficient and effective management of water resources to achieve enhanced agricultural production. Performance assessment studies provide a tool to evaluate and promote this objective. The study examines the existing planning procedures and assesses irrigation performance of four Water User Associations (WUAs) located in Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan. Performance was evaluated using indicators of adequacy, efficiency, dependability and equity. Indicators were calculated for each irrigation season over the period 2003 to 2007. In general, all WUAs were found to be strong in terms of adequacy and efficiency standards. However, performance with respect to dependability and equity was poor. The results suggest that more effort is needed to improve temporal uniformity and equity in water distribution. In order to achieve this, estimations of irrigation requirements by WUA managers needs to be improved and mechanisms developed to request water in quantities, which are needed to maintain equity across the WUA outlets and among water users. The study concludes that the establishment of WUAs in Kyrgyzstan has helped to address the problem of water distribution and allocation among a large number of farmers. However, further training of farmers and managers is required to build their capacity to share water and ensure equity among users particularly during periods of less than optimal water supply. The findings of this research suggest that application of a pre-determined set of indicators can be a useful and cost effective tool to measure the performance of WUAs. This is particularly important for Central Asia where the performance of the recently established and state initiated WUAs to replace former collective farms is now a key element in future sustainable water management. The study identified uncertainties in the estimation of WUA water demands based on previous methods and suggests more attention and care required in calculating water requirements.     

Performance of Polypay, Coopworth, and crossbred ewes: II. Survival and cumulative lamb and wool production over 4 years.

Six ewe genotypes, generated by mating Coopworth (C), Polypay (P), and Suffolk (S) rams to P and Coopworth-type (Ct) ewes, were exposed to Hampshire rams for spring lambing from 1987 through 1990. Data from 1,013 exposures and 973 resultant lambings were used to analyze reproductive traits and cumulative ewe productivity over 4 yr. Ewe body and fleece weights were also analyzed. Ewes from S sires weaned the heaviest lambs and ewes from P sires weaned the largest number of lambs, resulting in similar total weight of lamb weaned per ewe mated. Coopworth-sired ewes weaned the least total weight of lamb per ewe mated. Ewes weaning twins produced 54% more total litter weight per ewe than those weaning singles. Annual ewe survival averaged 95%, ranging from 93% for S x P and C x P ewes to 97% for P x Ct and C x Ct ewes. When cumulative number and weight of lamb produced was assessed on the basis of all ewes starting the trial, P-sired ewes were highest, followed in order by daughters of S and C sires. Suffolk-sired ewes (67 kg) were 13% heavier than daughters of P rams and 19% heavier than daughters of C rams. Adjustment of lamb production for ewe metabolic body size resulted in C-sired ewes being more efficient than the heavier S-sired ewes. Coopworth-sired ewes produced 32% more wool than ewes sired by the other two breeds. Differences in wool production between ewes weaning one or two lambs were small.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Performance of Polypay, Coopworth, and crossbred ewes: I. Reproduction and lamb production.

Six ewe genotypes, generated by mating Coopworth (C), Polypay (P), and Suffolk (S) rams to Polypay and Coopworth-type (Ct) ewes, were exposed to Hampshire rams for spring lambing from 1986 through 1990. Data from 1,092 exposures and 1,044 resultant lambings were used to analyze reproductive traits and lamb growth rates. Overall conception rate averaged 95% and ranged from 93% for S x Ct ewes to 97% for P x Ct ewes. Mean litter size at birth averaged 1.63 and ranged from 1.45 for C x C ewes to 1.75 for S x P ewes. Ewes from P dams had higher mean litter size (P less than .01) than those from Ct dams (1.73 vs 1.54), but differences between sire breeds were not significant. Incidence of lambing assistance was similar for ewes producing single or multiple lambs. Lamb birth weight influenced the level of assistance rendered to single-bearing but not to multiple-bearing ewes. Lambing assistance was not related to lamb survival, probably because the high surveillance level minimized trauma before assistance was rendered. Incidence of required assistance declined over subsequent parities. Lamb birth weights were affected by ewe genotype and increased with increasing ewe age. Survival of single-born lambs averaged 94% and was not affected by dam genotype. Survival of twins averaged 85%, ranging from 79% for lambs from S x Ct ewes to 89% for lambs from P x P ewes. Suffolk-sired ewes produced the heaviest mean birth and weaning weights for both singles and twins. Coopworth-sired ewes weaned heavier single lambs but lighter twins than P-sired ewes.     

Effect of tillage and fertilizer levels on wheat yield, nitrogen uptake and their correlation with carbon isotope discrimination under rainfed conditions in north-west Pakistan

Appropriate cultural practices need to be determined for enhancing crop yields with low inputs under rainfed conditions. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of tillage practices and fertilizer levels on yield, nitrogen (N) uptake and carbon (C) isotope discrimination in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown under semi-arid conditions at three sites in north-west Pakistan: NIFA, Urmar and Jalozai. Two fertilizer levels, 60 kg N ha⁻¹+30 kg P ha⁻¹ (L1) and 60 kg N ha⁻¹+60 kg P ha⁻¹ (L2), were applied to wheat grown under conventional tillage (T1) and no-tillage (T0) practices. Labeled urea having 1% ¹⁵N atom excess at 60 kg N ha⁻¹ was applied as aqueous solution in microplots within each treatment plot. A pre-sowing irrigation of 60 mm was applied and during the growing season, the crop relied entirely on rainfall (268 mm). Biomass yield, N uptake and stable C isotope composition (δ¹³C) of plants were determined at maturity. Yield of wheat was improved by tillage at two sites (Sites 1 and 2), while at the third site yield was reduced by tillage as compared with the no-tillage treatment. At Sites 1 and 2, nutrient addition (L2, 60 kg N ha⁻¹+60 kg P ha⁻¹) increased the yield of all plant parts (straw, grain and root) in contrast to Site 3 where only grain yield was increased significantly. Maximum grain yield of wheat was observed with tillage under nutrient level L2 at all sites. Generally, the tillage treatment did not affect the N content in plant parts compared with no-tillage (T0) treatment at all three sites. However, fertilizer N uptake by wheat was variable under different fertilizer levels and tillage practices. Nitrogen derived from fertilizer (Ndff) for grain at Site 2 was higher in tilled plots but was not affected by tillage practice at the other sites. The C isotope (δ¹³C) values varied from −28.96 to −26.03‰ under different treatments at the three sites. The δ¹³C values were less negative indicating more effective water use at Sites 2 and 3 compared to Site 1. The C isotope discrimination (Δ) values were positively correlated with yield of wheat straw (r=0.578^*), grain (r=0.951^**) and root (r=0.583^*). Further, the Δ in grain had significant negative relationship (r=0.912^**) with Ndff (%). The tillage practice exerted a positive effect on yield, N uptake and plant N derived from fertilizer by wheat compared to no-tillage. The positive correlation of Δ with grain, straw and root yields and negative correlation with the Ndff (%) by wheat suggest that this value (Δ) could be used to predict these parameters. However, further studies on different crops under varied environmental conditions are necessary.     

A water balance model to estimate groundwater recharge in Rechna doab,Pakistan

The main objective of this study was to develop a procedure to evaluate various recharge components of a groundwater reservoir to estimate the long term average seasonal groundwater recharge in Rechna doab in the Punjab province of Pakistan. A regional lumped water balance model for the Rechna doab was developed and applied to estimate the long term a seasonal recharge to groundwater reservoir. For comparison, recharge was also estimated by a specific yield method from observed groundwater levels. A water balance study was conducted on seasonal basis (6 months) for a period of 31 years (1960–1990). Recharge estimated by the two methods was found to be in good agreement. The average value of net groundwater recharge during Kharif (April–September) season was found to be some 60 mm. No recharge occurred during Rabi (October–March), rather there was a depletion of the groundwater reservoir during the winter months. Long term average annual depletion of a groundwater reservoir was found to be greater than corresponding value of annual recharge. It was concluded that on a regional basis the groundwater reservoir was being depleted resulting in an average groundwater table of Rechna doab about 2.3 m fall over the 1960–1990 period.     

Nutritional Effect of Flaxseeds on Cholesterol Profile and Fatty Acid Composition in Egg Yolk

This experiment investigated the effect of a supplementary dietary source (flaxseed) on egg yolk cholesterol contents and fatty acid profile. Flaxseeds at three different levels (5, 10, and 15%) were supplemented to 84 Rhode Island Red × Fayoumi cross layers during 21–24 weeks of age. The birds were divided randomly into four groups. Flaxseeds were supplemented in the diet at the level of 5% (FS‐5), 10% (FS‐10), and 15% (FS‐15), and one group served as the control (FS‐0). Cholesterol content of eggs was not significantly affected by flaxseed. The amount of monounsaturated fatty acids was significantly decreased with the increase in the flaxseed level, and the highest reduction was observed in FS‐15. The highest total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and total omega‐3 PUFA were recorded in FS‐15. These findings reflect that unsaturated healthy fatty acid content in poultry eggs can be increased with dietary supplementation of flaxseed.     

Effects of selected size of graphene nanosheets on the mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile polymer

Mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer can be significantly improved by the incorporation of graphene nano-sheets of different sizes. The graphite was exfoliated to graphene using sonic tip in the presence of N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP) as a solvent. Exfoliated graphene was separated from unexfoliated graphitic crystallites using selected speed (rpm) of centrifuge for specific time. The exfoliated graphene nano-sheets were classified into two different groups on the basis of flake size, (i.e. 1 μm and 3.5 μm). Then these graphene sheets were incorporated into PAN to study the effects of their flake size on mechanical properties. Different mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation at break (dL at break) were studied. Young’s modulus and UTS improved more than 45 % and 25 %, for 3.5 μm graphene flake size respectively. While more than 40 % and 21 %, improvement in modulus and UTS for 1 μm graphene sheet were observed respectively.     

Marine Alkaloids: Compounds with In Vivo Activity and Chemical Synthesis

Marine alkaloids comprise a class of compounds with several nitrogenated structures that can be explored as potential natural bioactive compounds. The scientific interest in these compounds has been increasing in the last decades, and many studies have been published elucidating their chemical structure and biological effects in vitro. Following this trend, the number of in vivo studies reporting the health-related properties of marine alkaloids has been increasing and providing more information about the effects in complex organisms. Experiments with animals, especially mice and zebrafish, are revealing the potential health benefits against cancer development, cardiovascular diseases, seizures, Alzheimer’s disease, mental health disorders, inflammatory diseases, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis, oxidative stress, human parasites, and microbial infections in vivo. Although major efforts are still necessary to increase the knowledge, especially about the translation value of the information obtained from in vivo experiments to clinical trials, marine alkaloids are promising candidates for further experiments in drug development.     

Advances in studies on the physiological and molecular regulation of barley tillering

Tillering is a crucial trait closely associated with yield potential and environmental adaptation in cereal crops, regulated by the synergy of endogenous(genetic) and exogenous(environmental) factors. The physiological and molecular regulation of tillering has been intensively studied in rice and wheat. However, tillering research on barley is scarce. This review used the recent advances in bioinformatics to map all known and potential barley tiller development genes with their chromosomal genet...