Adoption Of New Varieties Research Articles

Gender-inclusive consumer studies improve cassava breeding in Nigeria.

Including gender research in cassava breeding makes it easier for farmers to adopt new varieties that meet the specific needs and preferences of both male and female farmers, leading to increased adoption of new varieties, improved productivity, and better economic outcomes for the entire farming community. Gender was included in 2013 in variety development at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria in response to the dis-adoption of some varieties by farmers who had not been part of varietal development from the start, and in light of social roles which influence the responsibilities, resources and livelihood outcomes of men, women and youths. Gender inclusion has given plant breeders accurate information about the cassava traits preferred by all end-users, not just male farmers. At NRCRI, gender studies intensified in the last 5 years, contributing to the development and release of improved varieties. Quantitative and qualitative research by the gender cross-cutting team modeled trait profiling and consumer preferences, to aid demand-led breeding. Some of the methods were acquired at several trainings on how to quantify qualitative responses for prioritization. Gender research techniques include participatory varietal selection (PVS), participatory plant breeding (PPB), mother-baby trials, focus group discussions (FGD), surveys, value chain mapping, G+ tools, experiments in farmer field schools (FFS), demonstration farms, and tricot. These gave the cross-cutting team a better understanding of gender relations, power, decision-making, ownership and control of resources, and have mitigated operational and field challenges during the surveys. These methods also elicited feedback from end-users that led to better naming of newly released varieties, reflecting perceptions of agronomic performance, and food qualities, which made the varieties easier to identify and remember.

Use of sensory and physico-chemical parameters to understand consumer perception of attiéké, a fermented cassava product.

Cassava breeding research programs focused initially on agronomic performance but in recent years they have considered the processability and the organoleptic properties of the final product, to increase the adoption of new varieties. One important cassava foodstuff is attiéké, a fermented and granular product, so it is necessary to determine criteria used by attiéké processors to select raw cassava and the characteristics leading consumers to like this product. This study assessed the attiéké production process, the criteria associated with the quality of attiéké, the sensory drivers of consumer acceptance, and their thresholds. The total processing yield of attiéké varied according to the cassava variety and depended primarily on the fermentation-pressing yield. However, it was not correlated either with the peeling yield or with morphological characteristics of cassava roots. The production of a ton of attiéké required about 150 h. Dry matter, organic acids, soluble sugars, total pectin, and the pH of raw material and attiéké varied depending on the cassava variety. Ten discriminating sensory attributes of attiéké were identified. Consumer testing showed that overall liking for attiéké was associated with sourness, texture, and brightness. Acceptable sensory score thresholds were 1.67-2.18 for sour odor, 4.75 to 6.3 for cohesiveness, and 5.4 to 6.3 for 'mouthfeel sensation'. Attiéké dry matter correlated positively with cohesiveness and moldability. Several potential solutions are discussed to improve the adoption of cassava varieties for attiéké production. However, further studies need to be carried out to translate the sensory thresholds of texture attributes into robust instrumental methods because texture is an important attribute of attiéké in addition to sourness. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Gendered sweetpotato trait preferences and implications for improved variety acceptance in Uganda

AbstractThe principal selection objective in crop breeding has for a long time been driven by agronomic gains like yield maximization and climate resilience. Nevertheless, the continued low adoption of new varieties and documented gender technology adoption gap has triggered re‐thinking of this strategy, with end‐user acceptability of released varieties a key strategy in breeding objectives. Using a mixed‐methods approach with a survey of 122 producers and focus group discussions with 200 male and female producers in two major sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] producing districts in Uganda, this study set out to understand gender‐disaggregated traits that drive acceptance for improved sweetpotato varieties as a guide to development of new varieties in the region. A generalized structural equation model approach is used to analyze how interrelated trait preferences shape acceptance for improved varieties, while in‐depth insights from a qualitative approach are used to further ground observed results. Traits such as high root yields, drought tolerance, and vitamin A are shown to be key drivers to acceptance of improved varieties, while good taste and dry matter content dampen acceptance of improved varieties in favor of landraces. Male farmers are also shown to mainly prefer agronomic traits such as high yields and stress tolerance, while women mostly prefer quality traits such as good taste, vitamin A, and high dry matter content. To achieve higher acceptability and adoption of improved varieties across the gender divide, new varieties need to not only consider agronomic gains, but also quality‐related traits such as taste and dry matter content.

Relation between quantitative descriptive analysis and textural analysis of boiled plantain.

Inadequate consideration of textural quality in conventional breeding pipelines of plantains (from breeders to end-users) results in limited impact. Knowledge of the textural quality characteristics of boiled plantain, as preferred by end-users, could help improve the adoption of new clones when these traits are selected for breeding. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between instrumental and sensory texture attributes of boiled plantain genotypes. Consumer testing (Just About Right and Check All That Apply tests), sensory quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), instrumental texture profile analysis (TPA) and penetrometry were conducted with nine accessions: three landraces and six plantain-like bred hybrids. Landraces were considered just-about-right by more than 45% of people for all the sensory attributes (humidity, sweetness, color and firmness), described by characteristics such as smooth on sight, attractive, mealy, firm, plantain taste and yellow. Color and firmness were the most highly scored attributes by panelists for the landraces. Penetrometry discriminated among genotypes better than TPA. Hardness, gumminess, resilience and chewiness were the most discriminatory attributes for TPA, whereas hardness and area under the curve were the most discriminatory attributes for penetrometry. No correlation was found between penetrometry and sensory texture of boiled plantain. For TPA, negative correlations were found between sensory humidity and hardness, as well as between sensory firmness and resilience, whereas a positive correlation was found between resilience and sensory humidity. Combining QDA and texture measurements can make the selection of plantain hybrids more effective and improve the adoption of new varieties. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Climate Change Perception and Innovative Mitigation Practices Adopted by Hungarian Farms

Climate change is becoming a growing concern for the agricultural sector. Variable weather events, such as droughts and floods, are expected to have a significant negative impact on agricultural losses, earnings and consumption. The agriculture industry in Europe is not immune to these difficulties. This study focuses on Hungary, a country with a strong agricultural focus that, as a result, is particularly susceptible to climate change. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to synthesis data about the perspectives of Hungarian farmers on the dangers of climate change. Then, latent variables were employed as explanatory variables in the Logit model to investigate the link between the perceptions of climate change risks by Hungarian farmers and their inclination to adopt innovative ways to mitigate its repercussions. Changes in temperature and precipitation, economic damage, water damage, and insect damage are seen as the most serious repercussions of climate change by Hungarian farmers. These beliefs raise the possibility of adopting new strategies to offset harmful consequences, including (i) the adoption of new varieties, (ii) ice and frost protection, and (iii) the use of agro-meteorological data. The results show that the chance of adopting new varieties is substantially influenced by farmers’ assessments of harm caused by pests, pathogens, and illnesses (2.91***). In contrast, water damage concerns seem to have a significant impact on the adoption of novel approaches to reduce cold and frost damage (2.18***). This study’s findings support the efforts of stakeholders and policymakers to encourage the dissemination of technology to protect crops from climate change in Hungary and imply that governments should provide financial incentives to farmers to boost innovation uptake.

Using machine learning for image-based analysis of sweetpotato root sensory attributes

The sweetpotato breeding process involves assessing different phenotypic traits, such as the sensory attributes, to decide which varieties to progress to the next stage during the breeding cycle. Sensory attributes like appearance, taste, colour and mealiness are important for consumer acceptability and adoption of new varieties. Therefore, measuring these sensory attributes is critical to inform the selection of varieties during breeding. Current methods using a trained human panel enable screening of different sweetpotato sensory attributes. Despite this, such methods are costly and time-consuming, leading to low throughput, which remains the biggest challenge for breeders.In this paper, we describe an approach to apply machine learning techniques with image-based analysis to predict flesh-colour and mealiness sweetpotato sensory attributes. The developed models can be used as high-throughput methods to augment existing approaches for the evaluation of flesh-colour and mealiness for different sweetpotato varieties. The work involved capturing images of boiled sweetpotato cross-sections using the DigiEye imaging system, data pre-processing for background elimination and feature extraction to develop machine learning models to predict the flesh-colour and mealiness sensory attributes of different sweetpotato varieties. For flesh-colour the trained Linear Regression and Random Forest Regression models attained R2 values of 0.92 and 0.87, respectively, against the ground truth values given by a human sensory panel. In contrast, the Random Forest Regressor and Gradient Boosting model attained R2 values of 0.85 and 0.80, respectively, for the prediction of mealiness. The performance of the models matched the desirable R2 threshold of 0.80 for acceptable comparability to the human sensory panel showing that this approach can be used for the prediction of these attributes with high accuracy. The machine learning models were deployed and tested by the sweetpotato breeding team at the International Potato Center in Uganda. This solution can automate and increase throughput for analysing flesh-colour and mealiness sweetpotato sensory attributes. Using machine learning tools for analysis can inform and quicken the selection of promising varieties that can be progressed for participatory evaluation during breeding cycles and potentially lead to increased chances of adoption of the varieties by consumers.

Seed Quality and Variety Preferences Amongst Potato Farmers in North-Western Kenya: Lessons for the Adoption of New Varieties

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important commercialised food crop in Kenya. Recently, Kenya has realised a huge increase in the number of formally released potato varieties. The performance of these varieties is not clear and their adoption across various growing environments is low. This study explored how availability, access, quality and systems of seed and storability and market demand of potatoes influence farmers’ decisions on choice of varieties they grow and how they select seed for planting in the different seasons. Focus group discussions (83 farmers) and a household survey (225 farmers) were conducted in three major potato growing areas (Lelan, Saboti and Kaptama) in north-western Kenya. Results showed that farmers mainly used farm-saved seed and only 4.9% had used certified seed, while 71% indicated that certified seed was not available locally. Almost all farmers ensured they used healthy seed by visually examining the seed tubers while most farmers also examined the health of the crop in the field before harvest. Farmers renewed their seed depending on the number of cycles used, infection, decline in yield and availability of clean seed. Seed was usually renewed for up to after 5 years of recycling, and generally involved the varieties Shangi, Kabale and Arka. Farmers ranked five variety traits: tuber yield, disease resistance, market demand, early maturity and storability as most important in the choice of a variety. Farmers understood the importance of dormancy and had methods for managing dormancy, but their knowledge was biased to the few varieties they had, particularly Shangi, the predominant variety in the market. Despite agronomic attributes, market demand featured as a primary determinant of variety choice amongst farmers. The findings from this paper can guide use of seed, adoption of new varieties and future breeding of potato varieties for Kenya.

Identification of Gendered Trait Preferences among Rice Producers Using the G+ Breeding Tools: Implications for Rice Improvement in Ghana

Rice is the main staple for more than half of the world’s population. In Ghana, rice is the fastest growing food commodity, and it is consumed by almost every household. However, yields continue to be low, as the pace of adoption of new varieties is low. The low rate of adoption has been attributed to failure of modern breeding to incorporate preferred traits for end users. This study thus employed an innovative set of breeding tools, the G+ tools, in identifying gendered trait preferences to develop a robust product profile through a mixed-method approach. The assertion that “men focus more on production and marketing related traits as women focus on production and cooking qualities” was also ascertained. Descriptive, inferential and content analyses were conducted, and the results indicate ecological differences in varietal choices. Production and marketing traits are jointly preferred by the gender groups. However, women and young women paid attention to post-harvest and cooking quality traits. The gender impact scores generated indicated there are tradeoffs in the traits preferred. These findings highlight the significance of recognizing geographical differences and gender heterogeneity in relation to varietal and trait preferences. In conclusion, the outcomes emphasize the necessity of gender-sensitive breeding work that considers the various needs and trait priorities of targeted men and women rice farmers in breeding decisions for a robust rice product profile.

The Impact of Land Transfers on the Adoption of New Varieties: Evidence from Micro-Survey Data in Shaanxi Province, China

Land transfers play a vital role in determining the level of farm machinery service and variety selection by scattered land reduction and contiguous land enhancement, which are also conducive to poverty alleviation and welfare utilization. Based on the micro-survey data of 898 kiwifruit growers in Shaanxi Province, this paper analyzed the effect of land transfers on the adoption of new varieties by propensity score matching (PSM) technology. A stepwise regression method was used to test the mediating role of land scale and the moderating role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The results suggest the following: (1) Farmers with land transfers had a significant positive effect on the adoption of new varieties, with a 12.5% increase in the likelihood of new variety adoption. (2) The impact of land transfers on the adoption of new varieties was partially mediated through land scale. (3) The positive moderating role of UAV services was empirically emphasized. With the goal of promoting the average income and boosting farmland productivity, the improvement of the land property rights trading market, joint efforts from government and rural cooperatives, and professional and regular training are proposed to optimize land-use structures and reduce machinery service costs, thereby encouraging farmers to adopt new, improved varieties.

Gender-Disaggregated Consumer Testing and Descriptive Sensory Analysis of Local and New Yam Varieties.

Gender-disaggregated sensory evaluation has become an essential element that could enhance breeding activities by increasing the adoption of new varieties. The effect of age, sex and geographical location on descriptor preferences for boiled and pounded yam were studied using descriptive and consumer testing. Attributes with definitions and measurement scales were used to generate lexicons for boiled and pounded yam. Analytical tools employed for the inferential statistics were the independent t-test, analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test and relative importance index (RII). Descriptive testing showed that all the D. rotundata varieties were good for boiling and pounding. The D. alata varieties afase soanyinto and afase biri were most liked, while afase pa and ahodenfo were disliked. Age had no significant effect on descriptor preferences. Being a female or male, however, influenced preferences for pounded yam descriptors such as mouldability, lumpiness and colour. The RII for the D. rotundata varieties (0.22-0.28) showed that they are all good varieties for boiling and pounding. The local D. alata varieties were still highly acceptable compared the new CRI varieties due to the aroma. Rural consumers preferred all the descriptors of boiled D. rotundata than urban consumers, whereas urban consumers liked the pounded yam varieties better than the rural consumers. Availability of the new yam varieties on local markets could therefore increase consumption and improve adoption.

Determinants Influencing Selection of Potato Varietal Technology and the Role of Gender in Farm Decisions in Bhutan.

Potato is a primary food and cash crop in Bhutan. The adoption of new varieties has faced some challenges. To address this situation, farmers' needs and priorities were investigated through varietal demonstration and a field survey in seven of the main potato-growing districts of Bhutan. The role of gender in farm decisions and operations in relation to potato farming was also assessed. Nine quality determinants significantly (χ 2 = 376.54, P < 0.001) influenced farmers' selection of potato varieties. These determinants, in order of their relative preference, were as follows: high productivity (15.5% by weight of mean rank), high market value (13.4%), red-skinned (12.7%), marketability (11.6%), large tubers (11.3%), late-blight resistant (11.3%), micronutrient content (8.8%), short-duration (8.3%) and good taste (7.2%). Potato productivity (yield) and preference vote data were significantly correlated (R = 0.395, P < 0.01) for female farmers but not for male farmers. Similarly, the involvement of female farmers in farm decision-making processes was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than when compared with their male counterparts. However, both genders were equally involved in physical farm operations. Bhutanese potato cropping is highly driven by commercially driven (market) preferences such as yield, colour and size as opposed to subsistence preferences such as micronutrient content. Understanding farmers' priorities during the development of new potato variety is critical for varietal selection for adoption. Furthermore, understanding the role of women in farm decision-making processes is crucial for adoption of new varietal technology in potato production. These findings may serve as an evidence-based insight to guide research and policy interventions in Bhutan and in similar agroecologies.

Outstanding in the Field: Impacts of Public Small Grains Breeding in Virginia

AbstractNew production from public and exclusive varieties released by the small grains breeding program at Virginia Tech generated cumulative discounted benefits of $41 million from 2000 to 2018. Fitted yields from field trials were combined with acreage estimates to generate weighted average yields based on adoption of new varieties. Benefits were estimated as the value of additional production from the release and adoption of improved varieties. Public varieties were responsible for most program benefits. The program was found to have a significant impact in Virginia and out-of-state, with much of these benefits due to public-private collaboration.

Dissemination of Improved Production Techniques of Minor Millets Through Front Line Demonstrations for Productivity Enhancement in Theni, Madurai and Dindigul Districts of Southern Tamil Nadu

Background: Nowadays, minor millets becoming more popular than other cereals due to its inherent properties of adaptability to a range of marginal growing conditions, nutritious and withstanding severe biotic and abiotic stresses. However, underutilized and neglected in the cultivation part in several areas. It is also a known fact that the Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts of southern Tamil Nadu has major population of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST),”Paliyans”are living near the foothills of the Western Ghats, which is largely rural. These populations are really vulnerable communities which need better agricultural system for livelihood improvement and nutritional security. Attempts were made to popularize and adopt the high yielding variety and scientific methods of crop management practices in the farmers holdings of Theni district of Tamil Nadu through Front line demonstrations (FLDs) during 2016-19. The results exhibited that the average higher grain yield of 1559 kg/ha in barnyard millet and 1004 kg/ha in little millet were recorded in demonstration plots compared to 1250 kg/ha and 860 kg/ha respectively in farmers practice with a yield advantage of 24.7 and 16.7 per cent respectively. In summary, FLDs on village level were carried out by insisting worth of seed selection at farmers field and adoption of new variety under scientific methods of minor millet cultivation among the farming community for higher yield and income. Methods: The study was conducted in Western Ghats location of Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts during 2016-19. The large-scale Frontline demonstrations were conducted in farmer’s field of selected villages of Aundipatti block of Theni district of Tamil Nadu during 2016-17 and 2017-18 in which need-based interventions were made on millet cultivation among the farmers who comes under SC/ST category of under privileged section. Result: The results of the Frontline demonstration confirmed that TNAU Barnyard millet varieties CO (Kv) 2 and MDU 1 and little millet variety CO (Sa) 4 with improved cultivation practices were found better than the local check at farmer’s field. Yield of the frontline demonstration trials and potential yield of the crop variety was compared to estimate the yield gap. Thus, the demonstration improved the skill of the farmer as well as the interest of adoption of new variety.

Performance of Groundnut Varieties in Kallakurichi District through Farmer Participatory Mode

Field demonstrations were conducted in farmers field of Kallakurichi district during rabi 2020-21 to assess the growth, yield performance and economics of new groundnut varieties under irrigated condition. Three improved groundnut varieties viz. TMV14, Dharani (TCGS-1043) and CO 7, and check variety TMV 7 was taken for study. Critical inputs such as Groundnut seed (40 kg farmer-1), seed treatment chemicals, groundnut rich @ 5 kg ha-1 and bio inputs were distributed to identified farmers (50 nos) by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kallakurichi through ICAR Cluster Front line Demonstration (CFLD) programme. The study revealed that Dharani variety recorded higher number of pods (36/plant), pod yield (2530 kg/ ha), Haulm yield (3890 kg/ ha), higher gross returns of Rs 139150 ha-1 and net return of Rs 84900 ha-1 with higher benefit ratio of 3.0 followed by CO7 variety with pod yield of 2380 kg/ ha and B:C ratio of 2.84 when compared to TMV 7 and local check. The impact of FLD was also analyzed which showed that there was significant improvement in adoption of new variety, improved technologies, knowledge level and satisfaction on the part of farmers. It concluded that, groundnut varieties Dharani and CO 7 are suitable for cultivation in rabi/summer (January-April) season of Kallakurichi district.

Market Intelligence and Incentive-Based Trait Ranking for Plant Breeding: A Sweetpotato Pilot in Uganda.

Crop breeding programs must accelerate crop improvement, spur widespread adoption of new varieties and increase variety turnover they are to meet the diverse needs of their clients. More comprehensive quantitative approaches are needed to better inform breeding programs about the preferred traits among farmers and other actors. However, the ability of current breeding programs to meet the demands of their clients is limited by the lack of insights about value chain actor preference for individual or packages of traits. Ranking traits based on monetary incentives, rather than subjective values, represents a more comprehensive, consistent, and quantitative approach to inform breeding programs. We conducted a large pilot in Uganda to assess the implementation of a novel approach to trait ranking, using a uniquely large sample of diverse sweetpotato value chain actors. We found meaningful differences in trait ranking and heterogeneity among different actors using this approach. We also show our approach’s effectiveness at uncovering unmet demand for root quality traits and at characterizing the substantial trait demand heterogeneity among value chain players. Implementing this approach more broadly for sweetpotato and other crops would increase the effectiveness of breeding programs to improve food security in developing countries.

Genomic-Assisted Breeding Tools for Grain and Nutritional Quality Improvement in Rice

More than half of the world’s population consumes rice as a staple food in their diet. Rice grain quality is receiving attention from both consumers and producers as living standards in rice-consuming regions has improved and this emerged as a critical rice breeding target. Grain quality traits have a strong influence on the market value of rice and the adoption of new varieties by farmers. Consumer preferences for specific nutritional, physical, eating, and cooking characteristics are at the root of these. Uniform grain width, length, colour (translucence or whiteness), and chalkiness are all desirable physical properties. Cooking and eating (organoleptic) characteristics such as; cooking time (gelatinization temperature and viscosity), the ability of rice to remain soft after cooking (gel consistency), and textural properties of cooked rice (amylose content and aroma) are also very important. Plant breeders are always working hard to meet these demands by developing new rice varieties. The genomics era provides many opportunities to assist breeders in addressing these challenges. While not complete, our understanding of the genetic basis underlying many grain quality traits is expanding. There have been reports of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling grain appearance, chalkiness, protein content, and grain length. Genomic-assisted Breeding techniques such as marker-assisted selection, QTL mapping, genome editing, genome wide association studies, and genetic engineering can provide further a better understanding of the genetic basis and thus help to improve rice grain nutritional quality traits.

Consumer Preferences for Boiled and Fried Sweet Potato in Central and Northern Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa

Aims: This study evaluated the sensory properties and consumer acceptability of orange-fleshed sweet potato and local sweet potato among households of Central and Northern Côte d’Ivoire.&#x0D; Study Design: Selection of sweet potato cultivars, determination of nutritional properties, cooking process, and evaluation of hedonic testing and consumer acceptability.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Bouake and Korhogo district in Central and Northern Côte d’Ivoire, for three years 2018, 2019, and 2020 (July to November).&#x0D; Methodology: Sensory evaluation and acceptability were performed using a nine-point hedonic scale. The relationships between the sensory attributes and the sweet potato cultivars were analyzed using a Principal Component Analysis plot. Biochemical standard methods were used to determine the dry matter, sugar, total carotenoid contents, and mineral composition of sweet potato cultivars tested by the sensory panel.&#x0D; Results: All twelve sweet potato cultivars were accepted based on sensory attributes with the different traits of preference. In Bouake district, white (Sanfo Figui 1 and Sanfo Figui 2) and yellow cultivars (Fatoni 2) were most preferred for their texture and yam-like taste, while in Korhogo locality, OFSP (Covington TIB-440060, CIP-199062-1 and Irene) and yellow cultivar (Gotchan) were most accepted because of their attractive appearance and their sweet taste. The OFSP cultivars recorded low dry matter and high sugar content compared to white and yellow varieties. Also, OFSP showed the highest content of carotenoid (181.70 to 351.47 µg/g dw), while local variety recorded low content. All the sweet potato cultivars tested contain mineral components.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study shows that the local and OFSP varieties were successfully accepted by the consumer with the different quality traits. The main quality traits that determine consumer preference are appearance, texture, and taste (none or sweet taste). Understanding consumer quality traits can increase the effectiveness of breeding programmes, increase yield and adoption of new varieties.

Participatory variety selection and stability of agronomic performance of advanced sorghum lines in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Traditional variety selection practices rarely involve end-users of breeding products, which is regarded as a major factor for the continued reliance by farmers on unproductive landraces and old varieties. Here, we report on a participatory variety selection (PVS) approach involving on-farm trials established across five drought-prone districts of Zimbabwe during the 2018–19 summer season. The objective of this study was to evaluate nine prereleased sorghum lines developed by ICRISAT against three commercial check varieties to identify the high-yielding, stable sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) improved breeding lines, with desirable agronomic attributes as per farmers’ perceptions. Results demonstrated that although there was a positive and significant relationship between the across-location grain yield (GY) and the overall genotype performance score (OGPS, ranking by farmers), farmers’ choices were related to locality (i.e., resident districts) and grain color. Arid locations were the most ideal for sorghum evaluation. Advanced lines IESV91070DL (1.41 t ha−1) and ASARECA 12-3-1 (1.9 t ha−1), as well as a commercial variety (Macia, 1.73 t ha−1) were high-yielding, stable and most preferred by farmers. Although the selection criteria of both the farmers and researchers pointed to selection for high yield performance, red sorghum genotypes (e.g., IESV99061DL and SDS3472), which showed high GY performance and stability were not among the most preferred by farmers. Overall, results demonstrated that PVS approaches should be combined with traditional varietal selection tools as this may increase adoption of new varieties.

Socio-Economic Status and Knowledge Level of Brinjal Growers on Improved Production Practices in East Champaran District of Bihar

Brinjal has been considered as one of the important vegetable crop. Production and productivity of brinjal can be increased through adoption of new varieties and with improved technologies. The present study was conducted to understand the existing status of adoption of improved technology. This study was carried out in East Champaran district of Bihar during 2020-2021. By employing random sampling technique, 120 brinjal growers were selected and data were collected by personal interview method by using pre-tested interview schedule and later appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out the meaningful result. The results reported that majority of the respondents belonged to middle age (41.67%), educated to primary level of education (32.50%), possess land holding of below 1 ha (35%), earns medium level of annual income (45%), possess small family size (45%). Meanwhile, most of them had medium level of farm power (43.33%), membership in more than one organization (45%), low level of scientific orientation (51.67%), low level of extension contact (44.17%) and low level of progressiveness (52.50%). Meanwhile, most of them had medium level of knowledge on improved brinjal cultivation practices (64.17%) and had significant and positive association with age, education, farm power, social participation, extension contact, scientific orientation and progressiveness.

Gaining Acceptance of Novel Plant Breeding Technologies.

Ensuring the sustainability of agriculture under climate change has led to a surge in alternative strategies for crop improvement. Advances in integrated crop breeding, social acceptance, and farm-level adoption are crucial to address future challenges to food security. Societal acceptance can be slow when consumers do not see the need for innovation or immediate benefits. We consider how best to address the issue of social licence and harmonised governance for novel gene technologies in plant breeding. In addition, we highlight optimised breeding strategies that will enable long-term genetic gains to be achieved. Promoted by harmonised global policy change, innovative plant breeding can realise high and sustainable productivity together with enhanced nutritional traits.