Incentives and Community Participation in the Governance of Community Forests in Nepal

Increased participation of local users in decision-making about forests and gaining benefits from these forests are major goals of the community forestry program in Nepal. However, there is a lack of real participation in community forest governance amongst users, particularly by poor and marginalised members. By employing a mixed-method approach, this research explores the issue of participation in the governance of community forests, and in particular the role of incentives in increasing participation. A partial least square approach is undertaken to link the participation indicators to the various incentives. Access to benefits, enforcement of legal property rights and social cohesion through building of local institutions are identified as the key influential incentives that determine the effective participation of users in community forest governance. Other incentive—including income supplements, community infrastructure development or payment for environment services—are insufficient to counter the opportunity cost of participation, and hence have a weak but still significant influence on users’ decisions to participate. Power inequality due to socio-cultural norms, together with poor economic capabilities and weak bargaining power, could undermine the meaningful participation of poor and disadvantaged groups in the governance of community forests, unless the community forestry institutions are strengthened in order to be able to deal with the issues of inequitable access and restricted opportunities at the local level.     

Zinc delivery to plants through seed coating with nano-zinc oxide particles

In India, zinc (Zn) has been recognized as the fourth most important yield-limiting nutrient after nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Supplementing the zinc (Zn) requirement of agricultural crops through water soluble zinc sulfate ZnSO₄ fertilizer is a costly management option whereas, utilization of ZnO (water insoluble and a cheaper material) as a source of Zn could be an alternative cost effective option to encourage farmers for wider adoption. In this present investigation, in order to supply the requisite amount of Zn to the plants, a protocol has been developed to coat the seeds of maize (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), pigeon pea (Cajanas cajan L.) and ladies finger (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) with microns scale (<3 µm) and nano-scale (<100 nm) ZnO powder at 25 mg Zn/g seed and at 50 mg Zn/g seed. Different Zn sources, ethyl alcohol, and crude pine oleoresin (POR) were used for coating of seeds. The germination test carried out with coated and uncoated seeds indicated better germination percentage (93–100%) due to ZnO coating as compared to uncoated seeds (80%). Pot culture experiment conducted with coated seeds also revealed that the crop growth with ZnO coated seeds were similar to that observed with soluble Zn treatment applied as zinc sulfate heptahydrate (ZnSO₄·7H₂O) (at 2.5 ppm Zn) which is evident from the periodic SPAD reading taken after 20, 25, 30 and 45 days after sowing. Application of Zn through different sources also enhanced the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production in plant roots, which subsequently improved the overall growth. The most important advantage of seed coating with ZnO (both micron/nano-scale) is that it did not exert any osmotic potential at the time of germination of the seed, thus, the total requirement of Zn of the crop can be loaded with the seed effectively through nano-scale ZnO particle.     

On-Farm Diversity Assessment and Participatory Varietal Evaluation of Cold-Tolerant Rice in Mid-Hills of Nepal

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Drawing upon consequentially growing food insecurity in mid-hills attributed to poor adoption levels inter alia inflicted by narrow range of locally...     

Penetrance of gene I for Fusarium resistance in the tomato

Tomato seedlings were inoculated, from one to ten days after emergence, with the tomato Fusarium wilt fungus race 1. The penetrance of gene I for Fusarium resistance in the homozygous resistant variety Homestead 24 was almost complete. In the F₁ (Ii) between Homestead 24 and the susceptible Marmande penetrance was incomplete and ranged between 66.3% and 100% in different experiments. The age of seedlings at time of inoculation did not affect the final percentage of diseased plants while it influenced the nature and the time of appearance of disease symptoms. Possible consequences of incomplete penetrance for the resistance of F₁ hybrids are discussed.     

Evaluation of curcumin and copper acetate against Salmonella Typhimurium infection,intestinal permeability,and cecal microbiota composition in broiler chickens

Background: Interest in the use of natural feed additives as an alternative to antimicrobials in the poultry industry has increased in recent years because of the risk of bacterial resistance. One of the most studied groups are polyphenolic compounds, given their advantages over other types of additives and their easy potentiation of effects when complexes are formed with metal ions. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of dietary supplementation of copper acetate(CA), curcumin(CR), and their combination(CA-CR)against Salmonella Typhimurium colonization, intestinal permeability, and cecal microbiota composition in broiler chickens through a laboratory Salmonella infection model. S. Typhimurium recovery was determined on day 10 post-challenge by isolating Salmonella in homogenates of the right cecal tonsil(12 chickens per group) on Xylose Lysine Tergitol-4(XLT-4) with novobiocin and nalidixic acid. Intestinal integrity was indirectly determined by the fluorometric measurement of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran(FITC-d) in serum samples from blood obtained on d 10 post-S. Typhimurium challenge. Finally, microbiota analysis was performed using the content of the left caecal tonsil of 5 chickens per group by sequencing V4 region of 16 S rRNA gene.Results: The results showed that in two independent studies, all experimental treatments were able to significantly reduce the S. Typhimurium colonization in cecal tonsils(CT, P 0.0001) compared to the positive control(PC)group. However, only CA-CR was the most effective treatment in reducing S. Typhimurium counts in both independent studies. Furthermore, the serum fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran(FITC-d) concentration in chickens treated with CR was significantly lower when compared to PC(P = 0.0084), which is related to a decrease in intestinal permeability and therefore intestinal integrity. The effect of dietary treatments in reducing Salmonella was further supported by the analysis of 16 S rRNA gene sequences using Linear discriminant analysis effect size(LEfSe)since Salmonella was significantly enriched in PC group(LDA score 2.0 and P 0.05) compared to other groups. In addition, Coprobacillus, Eubacterium, and Clostridium were significantly higher in the PC group compared to other treatment groups. On the contrary, Fecalibacterium and Enterococcus in CR, unknown genus of Erysipelotrichaceae at CA-CR, and unknown genus of Lachnospiraceae at CA were significantly more abundant respectively.Conclusions: CR treatment was the most effective treatment to reduce S. Typhimurium intestinal colonization and maintain better intestinal homeostasis which might be achieved through modulation of cecal microbiota.     

喜马拉雅山西部Askot野生动物保护区内粗木质残体沿山高度分布格局与现状

在印度Askot野生动物保护区Goriganga流域的3个分水岭(Charigad,Dogarhigad和upper Gosigad)内,沿着海拔高度900～2600m设置5条曲线调查样带(样带A、B、C、D和E),调查了粗木质残体的分布格局和状况.海拔高度每升高100 m设置一块1 hm2的样地.结果表明,不同演替阶段的粗木质残体百分比贡献率按降低顺序排列依次是:枯立木--相位Ⅰ>相位Ⅱ>相位Ⅳ>相位Ⅲ;而原木-相位Ⅲ>相位Ⅱ>相位Ⅳ.调查样带A内喜马拉雅长叶松(Pinus roxburghii)林内枯立木密度在1500m处较高,调查样带B通麦栎(Quercus lanata)林的枯立木密度在2300米处较高(10个/hm2).喜马拉雅长叶松林的枯立木和原木总获得量为13.9 t,其中枯立木和原木分别占41%和59%;而通麦栎林枯立木和原木总量仅为5.6 t,枯立木和原木分别占60%和40%.此外,粗木质残体的存在,有利于为当地生长的兰花营造良好的生长环境.在喜马拉雅长叶松林中等高度区域内,高密度的枯立木和原木导致该区内物种丰富度较低,地被物密度也较低.这主要是由于该区光线充足、土壤水分含量低,只有优势种才能占领这样生境.     

Influence of conservation measures on groundwater regime in a semi arid tract of South India

A study was conducted in peninsular India in a predominantly agricultural watershed treated with soil and water conservation measures such as diversion drains and staggered contour trenches in nonarable land, terraces of trapezoidal cross section with graded channel on the upstream side (locally termed as graded bund) and stone checks in arable lands and rockfill dams, archweir and nala bund (a local term used for earthen embankment across the drainage channel) across the gully. Hydrological analysis has revealed that integrated management of land and water resources has consistently improved the groundwater regime. Surface runoff from the treated forest and agricultural catchment were only 27.4 and 57.4% of the untreated agricultural catchment, reflecting in high infiltration of rain water due to enhanced opportunity time. Consequently, water levels in the open wells rose by 0.5 to 1.0 m, thereby increasing the area irrigated by the wells by 172% when compared to the preproject period, which in turn improved crop yields by 70%. Hypssometric analysis indicated that water surface levels do not follow the trend of land surface levels due to the nature of the underground geological formation.     

Real-time PCR Quantification and Mycotoxin Production of Fusarium graminearum in Wheat Inoculated with Isolates Collected from Potato, Sugar Beet, and Wheat

ABSTRACT Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) in small grains worldwide. Although primarily a pathogen of cereals, it also can infect noncereal crops such as potato and sugar beet in the United States. We used a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on intergenic sequences specific to the trichodiene synthase gene (Tri5) from F. graminearum. TaqMan probe and primers were designed and used to estimate DNA content of the pathogen (FgDNA) in the susceptible wheat cv. Grandin after inoculation with the 21 isolates of F. graminearum collected from potato, sugar beet, and wheat. The presence of nine mycotoxins was analyzed in the inoculated wheat heads by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. All isolates contained the Tri5 gene and were virulent to cv. Grandin. Isolates of F. graminearum differed significantly in virulence (expressed as disease severity), FgDNA content, and mycotoxin accumulation. Potato isolates showed greater variability in producing different mycotoxins than sugar beet and wheat isolates. Correlation analysis showed a significant (P < 0.001) positive relationship between FgDNA content and FHB severity or deoxynivalenol (DON) production. Moreover, a significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation between FHB severity and DON content was observed. Our findings revealed that F. graminearum causing potato dry rot and sugar beet decay could be potential sources of inoculum for FHB epidemics in wheat. Real-time PCR assay provides sensitive and accurate quantification of F. graminearum in wheat and can be useful for monitoring the colonization of wheat grains by F. graminearum in controlled environments, and evaluating wheat germplasms for resistance to FHB.     

Identification of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] lines tolerant to soil salinity

Crop tolerance to salinity is of high importance due to the extent and the constant increase in salt-affected areas in arid and semi-arid regions. Pearl millet (Pennistum glaucum), generally considered as fairly tolerant to salinity, could be an alternative crop option for salt affected areas. To explore the genotypic variability of vegetative-stage salinity tolerance, 100 pearl millet lines from ICRISAT breeding programs were first screened in a pot culture containing Alfisol with 250 mM NaCl solution as basal application. Subsequently, 31 lines including many parents of commercial hybrids, selected from the first trial were re-tested for confirmation of the initial salinity responses. Substantial variation for salinity tolerance was found on the basis of shoot biomass ratio (shoot biomass under salinity/ non-saline control) and 22 lines with a wide range of tolerance varying from highly tolerant to sensitive entries were identified. The performance of the genotypes was largely consistent across experiments. In a separate seed germination and seedling growth study, the seed germination was found to be adversely affected (more than 70% decrease) in more than half of the genotypes with 250 mM concentration of NaCl. The root growth ratio (root growth under salinity/control) as well as shoot growth ratio was measured at 6 DAS and this did not reflect the whole plant performance at 39 DAS. In general, the whole plant salinity tolerance was associated with reduced shoot N content, increased K⁺ and Na⁺ contents. The K⁺/Na⁺ and Ca⁺⁺/Na⁺ ratios were also positively related to the tolerance but not as closely as the Na⁺ content. Therefore, it is concluded that a large scope exists for improving salt tolerance in pearl millet and that shoot Na⁺ concentration could be considered as a potential non-destructive selection criterion for vegetative-stage screening. The usefulness of this criterion for salinity response with respect to grain and stover yield remains to be investigated.     

Soil organic carbon sequestration as affected by tillage, crop residue, and nitrogen application in rice–wheat rotation system

Despite being a major domain of global food supply, rice?Cwheat cropping system is questioned for its contribution to carbon flux. Enhancing the organic carbon pool in this system is therefore necessary to reduce environmental degradation and maintain agricultural productivity. A field experiment (November 2002?CMarch 2006) evaluated the effects of soil management practices such as tillage, crop residue, and timing of nitrogen (N) application on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in the lowland of Chitwan Valley of Nepal. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were grown in rotation adding 12?Mg?ha^?1?y^?1 of field-dried residue. Mung-bean (Vigna radiata L.) was grown as a cover crop between the wheat and the rice. Timing of N application based on leaf color chart method was compared with recommended method of N application. At the end of the experiment SOC sequestration was quantified for five depths within 50?cm of soil profile. The difference in SOC sequestration between methods of N application was not apparent. However, soils sequestered significantly higher amount of SOC in the whole profile (0?C50?cm soil depth) with more pronounced effect seen at 0?C15?cm soil depth under no-tillage as compared with the SOC under conventional tillage. Crop residues added to no-tillage soils outperformed other treatment interactions. It is concluded that a rice?Cwheat system would serve as a greater sink of organic carbon with residue application under no-tillage system than with or without residue application when compared to the conventional tillage system in this condition.