International Agricultural Research Centers Research Articles

Evolution of climate-smart agriculture research: A science mapping exploration and network analysis

Abstract The integrated approach of bibliometric mapping and literature review was adopted to critically examine the evolution of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) research climate from 2012 to 2023 using publications data recovered from the Elsevier Scopus database. The publication trends, stakeholder profiles, social networks, and thematic area analysis on CSA research were examined. Findings revealed that the publication trends on CSA research revealed an incremental pattern from 2012 to 2023. Stakeholder profile analysis identified numerous authors, affiliations, and countries actively engaged in CSA research. The most prolific researcher is Mangi L. Jat, whereas Wageningen University & Research is the most prolific affiliation. Finally, the United States is the most prolific nation. Stakeholder’s productivity was ascribed to a combination of factors ranging from access to research funding to collaborations. The most active funder of CSA research is CGIAR (Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres), which has funded 52 publications, gained 1,529 citations, and an h-index of 20. The CGIAR has greatly supported the works of highly prolific authors such as Mangi L. Jat, Hanuman S. Jat, and Suresh K. Kakraliya. Social network analysis revealed strong, active, and extensive links, particularly between nations such as the US, India, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The cluster and thematic area analyses of the CSA research landscape revealed three areas, namely, Climate-Resilient Agricultural Adoption, Climate-Responsive Agricultural Practices, and Integrated Food Systems, which are the current focus of stakeholders in the field. Overall, the study showed that CSA is a broad and interdisciplinary topic with a significant impact on the social, economic, and environmental aspects of humanity and societies across the globe.

The effects of nitrogen levels on yield and yield parameters of sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata Sturt.) growing in Diyarbakır Districts of Turkey

Nitrogen is a critical nutrient that is vital for enhancing plant growth and productivity. The influences of nitrogen (N) fertigation on yield, quality parameters, and nitrogen use efficiency of sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata Sturt.) under South Eastern Anatolia Region (Diyarbakır) conditions in Türkiye were investigated in that trial. Fertigation applications were executed under regional conditions in Diyarbakır during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons on the experimental land of GAPUTAEM (GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center). The BATEM (Batı Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute) Tatlı variety of sweet cornwas utilized as the plant material. Five different N applications (0-75-150-225-300 kg ha−1) were implemented on trial plots through a fertigation system. N levels implemented via the fertigation system had a significant effect on the days of tasselling, plant height, fresh husked ear yield (FHEY) and fresh unhusked ear yield (FUEY), chlorophyll rate, and nitrogen use efficiency (p≤0.01). Fresh husked (1918 kg ha-1) and unhusked (1342.50 kg ha-1) ear yields of sweet corn under the effect of 150 kg ha-1 nitrogen treatment were the highest. The maximum chlorophyll rate was (53.14%) recorded at 225 kg ha-1 N. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) increased with decreasing N supply, and the maximum NUE was observed from 75 kg ha-1 N application. The study findings indicate that the application of 150 kg N ha-1 using a fertigation method is important and environmentally conscious for the production of sweet corn.

The economic impact of CGIAR-related crop technologies on agricultural productivity in developing countries, 1961–2020

The international agricultural research centers that comprise the CGIAR got their start in the 1960s. They soon made major contributions to crop improvement in developing countries, particular in rice and wheat in Asia. Today, farmers can acquire new technologies from many sources, and evidence of whether the CGIAR continues to play an important role in crop improvement has become dated. This paper brings together an expanded set of evidence on the diffusion and productivity impact of CGIAR crop research through 2020, and breaks out these impacts by crop, region, and over time. By 2016–2020, CGIAR-related crop technologies had been adopted on at least 221 million hectares across Asia, Africa and Latin America, generating economic welfare gains of $47 billion annually. In the 2010s, technology adoption and welfare impacts were increasing by about $600 million annually, almost as much as in the 1990s. In the early days of the “Green Revolution,” these welfare impacts were largely confined to rice and wheat in Asia, but in recent decades have grown to include a larger range of crops and geographies, notably cassava and maize in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although improved crop varieties have been the main technology through which CGIAR crop centers have achieved these impacts, CGIAR-related integrated pest management and natural resource management technologies have also made significant contributions to crop productivity. In addition to raising farm income, productivity gains in staple crops have lowered food prices, thereby benefitting the whole population. This is a key reason why agricultural productivity growth, and food crop productivity growth in particular, has had greater impacts on poverty reduction in low-income countries than comparable productivity growth in other sectors.

Evaluation of some cotton genotypes for resistance to Verticillium dahliae Kleb. under field conditions

Verticillium wilt caused by the soil-borne pathogen is one of the most significant diseases affecting the yield of cotton and is almost incurable with chemical agents. For this reason, it will be inevitable to cultivate resistant varieties. In this direction, this study was carried out to determine the response of cotton varieties and inbred lines obtained from cotton breeding projects of the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center (GAPUTAEM) in Diyarbakır, Türkiye to Verticillium wilt disease. The trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications during the 2016 and 2017 cotton growing seasons. In the study, 12 advanced inbred lines (8, 20, 30, 34, 38, 57, 58, 63, 64, 8/4, 5/7, and 8/1) and 3 control varieties [Stoneville 468, Carmen (tolerant control), and Çukurova-1518 (sensitive-control)] were tested for the response to Verticillium wilt under naturally infected field conditions. Disease severity was determined in the leaf at 5-10% and 50-60% of the boll opening stages and in the stem section after harvest. Additionally, some yield parameters and fiber quality properties were investigated in the study. The results indicated that there were significant differences among genotypes for most of the investigated characteristics.It was determined that with regard to foliar disease index (FDI) as mentioned boll opening stages and disease index of stem cross-section (SDI) the most tolerant genotype was inbred line 38, while the most sensitive variety was Çukurova-1518. As a result of their low disease index value and high yield capacity, the inbred lines 30, 57, 38, and 20 were recommended.

The search for new models for organizing regional agricultural research in the post-colonial era: Rice in West Africa

ABSTRACT The West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), created in 1971 as a regional network of rice research stations and governed by member countries, was unique within the system of international agricultural research centers that emerged in the post-colonial era. This paper reviews the actors, the actors, their motives, and the political and organizational debates involves in establishing WARDA. In particular, it traces the roles and interests of the former colonial powers, especially the French, the newly independent countries of the region, international organizations, and US foreign assistance and philanthropic agencies. Although all agreed that rice research was a priority for regional cooperation, the design of WARDA stimulated debates around centralization, governance, and funding of international research that continue until today.

Navigating the landscape of global sustainable livelihood research: past insights and future trajectory.

Sustainable livelihoods (SL) have emerged as a crucial area of focus in global environmental change research, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This field is rapidly gaining prominence in sustainability science and has become one of the primary research paradigms. In our study, we conducted scientometrics analysis using the ISI Web of Science core collection database to examine research patterns and frontier areas in SL research. We selected 6441 papers and 265,759 references related to SL published from 1991 to 2020. To achieve this, we employed advanced quantitative analysis tools such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer to quantitatively analyze and visualize the evolution of literature in the SL research field. Our overarching objectives were to understand historical research characteristics, identify the knowledge base, and determine future research trends. The results revealed an exponential increase in SL research documentation since 1991, with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Center (CGIAR) contributing the highest volume of research documents and citations. Key journals in this field included World Development, Global Environmental Change, Ecological Economics, and Ecology and Society. Notably, Singh RK and Shackleton CM emerged as prolific authors in SL research. Through our analysis, we identified six primary clusters of research areas: livelihoods, conservation, food security, management, climate change, and ecosystem services. Additionally, we found that tags such as rural household, agricultural intensification, cultural intensification, and livelihoods vulnerability remained relevant and represented active research hotspots. By analyzing keyword score relevance, we identified frontier areas in SL research, including mass tourism, solar home systems, artisanal and small-scale mining, forest quality, marine-protected areas, agricultural sustainability, sustainable rangeland management, and indigenous knowledge. These findings provide valuable insights to stakeholders regarding the historical, current, and future trends in SL research, offering strategic opportunities to enhance the sustainability of livelihoods for farmers and rural communities in alignment with the SDGs.

Investigation of generative high temperature tolerances of some cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties

The potential of cotton genotypes to form buds, flowers and bolls is not sufficient to achieve cotton seed yield targets. Despite global warming buds, flowers and bolls that mature in cotton plants must be successfully transformed into products. However, this is related to the generative tolerance of the genotype to high temperature. In study aims to scan the negative effects of high temperature stress on the generative development on cotton varieties registered in Turkey in the last 10 years. The experiment was established in the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center trial field in 2020, with 4 blocks according to the Augmented design. Six standards (Tamcot Spnhix, SJU86, AGC208, ST468, ST474, Carmen) and 88 cotton varieties registered in Turkey National Variety List were used as trial material. In this study, high temperature pollen vitality stress index (HTPVSI) and high temperature shedding stress index (HTSSI) properties were investigated. According to the results of the experiments we conducted, it was determined that the HTPVSI values ranged between 0.17-1.26, the HTPVSI averages of the standards were 1.17, and the HTPVSI averages of the genotypes were 0.99. It has been determined that HTSSI values vary between 0.30-1.71. It was determined that the mean HTSSI values of the standards were 0.89 and the genotypes were 1.00. It was determined that there was a wide variation among the genotypes screened for generatively high temperature stress. Using HTSSI and HTPVSI features is recommended as a selection criterion since it is an important trait for screening genotypes in terms of tolerance or sensitivity to generative high temperature stress in cotton plants. In our study, the results were not similar to each other in terms of HTPVSI and HTSSI traits, due to the low share of flower shedding after applying HTSP (High Temperature Shock Practice: 96 hours of uninterrupted exposure to high temperature during generative periods) in the shedding rate. When the examined HTSSI and HTPVSI traits were examined together, no cotton genotypes were found to be generatively tolerant. In terms of sensitivity of genotypes to high temperature, 18 cotton genotypes were found in the medium tolerant group and 25 cotton genotypes were found in the sensitive group.

Yield and fiber quality traits of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars analyzed by biplot method

BackgroundCotton is a vital fiber crop fulfilling global demands for raw materials in the textile sector. Therefore, high-yielding cultivars with superior-quality traits are desired at regional scales. The high-yielding cultivars can be selected by determining their responses to various environmental conditions at different locations over a short or long period. Genotypes, environment, and year significantly alter seed cotton yield and fiber quality. Therefore, determining the response to various environmental conditions is necessary for selecting high-yielding cultivars with superior fiber quality. MethodsThis study determined the yield and fiber quality traits of 3 cotton cultivars (i.e., ‘DP396′, ‘BA440′ and ‘Teksa 415′) at five different locations (i.e., Tepe, Boztepe, Bozçalı, Köseli and GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center) in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey for 3 years (2019, 2020, and 2021). Data relating to seed cotton yield and fiber quality traits were collected and relationships of these traits were determined by biplot analysis. ResultsCultivars × traits relationship indicated that ‘DP396′ was the most stable cultivar with the highest seed cotton yield. Similarly, ‘BA440′ cultivar was associated with quality characteristics. Sector analysis divided the yield and quality traits into three different groups. The locations × traits relationship indicated that the examined traits differed according to the locations. Tepe location was in the center in terms of quality and seed yield, whereas Bozçalı location had superior quality traits. Likewise, Boztepe location resulted in higher values ​​ of seed and fiber yield, and number of bolls per plant. The studied characteristics varied among the years, and higher values of seed and fiber yields, and the number of bolls per plant were recorded during 2019. On the other hand, superior fiber quality traits were noted during 2021. ConclusionsIt is concluded that ‘DP396′ was the most stable cultivar for seed cotton yield, whereas ‘BA440′ was stable for quality traits. Therefore, these cultivars can be used in the studied locations to increase yield and fiber quality. Furthermore, these cultivars could be utilized in the breeding programs for developing high-yielding and better fiber quality producing genotypes in the future.

Mineral Composition of Elements in Red Lentil and Chickpea Cultivars Grown in Southeast of Turkey

Legumes such as red lentil and chickpeas are the most important products in our region also has a structure rich in mineral substance. However, very little work has been done in this area in our region. In this study, contents of mineral elements such as K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Se, V, Sn, Mn, Si and Ni were determined by inductively coupled plasma optic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) method in registered six red lentil and two chickpea cultivars by GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center (GAPUTAEM). In addition, the determination of the element concentrations of the species and the comparison of the element amounts in lentils and chickpeas were also evaluated. Element concentrations in lentil varieties are listed in descending order as follows K> Mg> Ca> Fe> Si> Zn> Sn> Mn> Cu> Ni> Cr> Se> V> Cd> Pb> As, while in chickpea cultivars are; K> Ca> Mg> Fe> Zn> Si> Mn> Sn> Cu> Ni> V> Cr> Se> Pb> Cd> As has been in the form. In the study were found that registred lentils and chichpeas varieties to be rich in terms of potassium element. On the other hand in the chickpeas cultivars calcium content is higher than lentils types.In addition, toxic heavy metals Cd, Pb and As concentrations were determined to be below the limit values. The results showed us that legumes are very important mineral resources. Lentils and chickpeas are very similar in terms of macro and micro element contents.Additionally, it was observed that they had a nutritionally safe mineral structure.

Agricultural geography and its role in international agricultural research centers: theoretical and scientific concerns

The CGIAR International Agricultural Research Centers constitute a system of interdisciplinary work on agricultural systems in the Third World that brings together the physical and social sciences. Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in agricultural geospatial research. This interest reflects the centers' growing interest in sustainable agriculture and agro-environmental mapping. It also proposes a rather narrow concept of geography. It addresses the potential origins of the limited representation of geography in these centers to date, and the context of this emerging interest. We argue that geographers bear a responsibility to extract The practical implications of their research We suggest that centers provide one way to do this. Potential contributions from the physical, biogeographical, cartographic and social fields to our discipline are considered, and the importance of teamwork bringing together these different disciplines is suggested. Particularly important, whether for applied agricultural research or the theoretical study of Third World agriculture, could be a critical development of the concept of 'sustainability'. Several thematic and conceptual building blocks are introduced for such a development.

Transition From Targeted Breeding to Mainstreaming of Biofortification Traits in Crop Improvement Programs.

Biofortification breeding for three important micronutrients for human health, namely, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and provitamin A (PVA), has gained momentum in recent years. HarvestPlus, along with its global consortium partners, enhances Fe, Zn, and PVA in staple crops. The strategic and applied research by HarvestPlus is driven by product-based impact pathway that integrates crop breeding, nutrition research, impact assessment, advocacy, and communication to implement country-specific crop delivery plans. Targeted breeding has resulted in 393 biofortified crop varieties by the end of 2020, which have been released or are in testing in 63 countries, potentially benefitting more than 48 million people. Nevertheless, to reach more than a billion people by 2030, future breeding lines that are being distributed by Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers and submitted by National Agricultural Research System (NARS) to varietal release committees should be biofortified. It is envisaged that the mainstreaming of biofortification traits will be driven by high-throughput micronutrient phenotyping, genomic selection coupled with speed breeding for accelerating genetic gains. It is noteworthy that targeted breeding gradually leads to mainstreaming, as the latter capitalizes on the progress made in the former. Efficacy studies have revealed the nutritional significance of Fe, Zn, and PVA biofortified varieties over non-biofortified ones. Mainstreaming will ensure the integration of biofortified traits into competitive varieties and hybrids developed by private and public sectors. The mainstreaming strategy has just been initiated in select CGIAR centers, namely, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). This review will present the key successes of targeted breeding and its relevance to the mainstreaming approaches to achieve scaling of biofortification to billions sustainably.

Whither the Marriage of Agriculture and Nutrition?

Whither the Marriage of Agriculture and Nutrition?

Coming to terms with tropical ecology: technology transfer during the early Green Revolution

ABSTRACT That plants native to one region of the world often fare poorly when transferred to another region has long been known. It seems odd, therefore, that the Green Revolution (GR) programmes of the 1950s and into the ‘60s sought to transfer temperate zone technology to the tropics. Proponents of the GR, however, justified this mistake by arguing that they had had little choice. For knowledge of tropical agriculture was at that time largely confined to export crops while GR programmes focused upon food staples. An understanding of how to transfer technology to the tropics, they maintained, was only achieved in the 1960s at the new international agricultural research centres. Both of these claims, however, are highly misleading. By the 1950s the field of tropical agriculture had much to say about staples which would have been relevant to early GR programmes. Moreover, it was not until the late ‘60s that the new IARCs began to address fully the problem of transfer, and by the early ‘70s these efforts had lost momentum. It would appear, therefore, that those planning the early GR programmes were either unaware of existing knowledge about tropical agriculture or knew but chose to ignore it.

PRESENT STATUS OF GRAIN LEGUMES PRODUCTION IN NEPAL

This review paper is prepared to know the information about the present scenario of grain legumes in Nepal. Grain legumes are important crops for improving soil condition and dietary status of human. The area, production and productivity of grain legumes are collected from the data which is published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD). During the fiscal year 2019/20, Grain legumes are grown in 333,740 ha with the production and productivity of 381,987 Mt and 1,151 kg/ha respectively. Among pulses, the winter crop lentil dominates in production (65.76%) as well as in area coverage (62.93%). Grain Legumes Research Program (GLRP) of Nepal in collaboration with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGAIR) centres works for genetic improvement of lentil, chickpea, pigeon pea, soybean, black gram, fababean and cowpea.

EVALUATION OF COTTON (GOSSYPIUM SPP.) GERMPLASM FOR HEAT TOLERANCE UNDER NORMAL AND LATE PLANTING TIME

The objective of this study was to determine cotton (Gossypium ssp.) germplasm for heat tolerance under normal and late planting time. For this aiming 200 cotton genotypes and five check varieties (Gloria, SG 125, Flash, Ozbek 105 and Candia) were evaluated under two different temperature regimes and experiments were conducted according to the augmented design with four blocks. Field studies were carried out at the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center’s experimental area in Diyarbakır, Turkey, in 2016 cotton growing season. In the study heat susceptibility index was used for discriminate to the genotypes for heat tolerance. Genotypes were classified into four groups based on the heat susceptibility index. The results of this study indicated that five cotton genotypes (TAM 139-17 ELS, CIM-240, Haridost, MNH-990 and AzGR-11835) were in highly heat tolerant, 28 genotypes were found heat tolerant, 56 genotypes were in the moderately heat tolerant and other 120 genotypes were observed susceptible for heat tolerance. Based on the heat susceptibility index, five cotton genotypes can be used as parent for heat tolerance improvement in the cotton breeding program where high temperature is a limiting factor for seed cotton yield.

Physiological, Morphological, Phenological and Yield Evaluation of Durum Wheat Lines Under Rainfed Conditions

Food products of durum wheat play an important role in the world trade because it can be grown only in certain and limited regions of the world. The study aimed to assess some agronomic characteristics of 120 advanced durum wheat lines obtained from CIMMYT (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas), APUTAEM (GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center) and five control varieties (Artuklu, Eyyubi, Güneyyıldızı, Şahinbey and Zenit). Field trial was carried out in the experimental field of GAP International Agricultural Research Institute at Diyarbakır, Turkey, in 2015 – 2016 growing season. Experiment was conducted via augmented experimental design consisting of six blocks which has twenty five plots with five controls. The examined traits was traits was divided into groups at physiological (canopy temperature, flag leaf chlorophyll content, leaf area index at anthesis, grain filling duration and grain filling rate), phenological (plant emergence time, heading time, anthesis time and physiological maturity time), morphological (leaf glaucusness, leaf erectness, plant height and spike length) and yield – forming parameters (spike number, spikelet number, grain number, spike grain weight and grain yield). There was statistically significant difference between genotypes in all traits except canopy temperature. Correlation analysis showed a positive and significant correlation between yield and spike grain weight. As a result of the research, it was determined that 13 lines (5, 16, 18, 3, 34, 41, 42, 50, 52, 85, 92, 94 and 114) showing superior features than control cultivar in terms of different characteristics was selected and transferred to the advanced stages of breeding studies. Keywords: Durum wheat, Yield, Augmented design, Diyarbakir DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/6-04-05

EVALUATION OF COTTON (GOSSYPIUM SPP.) GERMPLASM FOR HEAT TOLERANCE UNDER NORMAL AND LATE PLANTING TIME

The objective of this study was to determine cotton (Gossypium ssp.) germplasm for heat tolerance under normal and late planting time. For this aiming 200 cotton genotypes and five check varieties (Gloria, SG 125, Flash, Ozbek 105 and Candia) were evaluated under two different temperature regimes and experiments were conducted according to the augmented design with four blocks. Field studies were carried out at the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center’s experimental area in Diyarbakır, Turkey, in 2016 cotton growing season. In the study heat susceptibility index was used for discriminate to the genotypes for heat tolerance. Genotypes were classified into four groups based on the heat susceptibility index. The results of this study indicated that five cotton genotypes (TAM 139-17 ELS, CIM-240, Haridost, MNH-990 and AzGR-11835) were in highly heat tolerant, 28 genotypes were found heat tolerant, 56 genotypes were in the moderately heat tolerant and other 120 genotypes were observed susceptible for heat tolerance. Based on the heat susceptibility index, five cotton genotypes can be used as parent for heat tolerance improvement in the cotton breeding program where high temperature is a limiting factor for seed cotton yield.

Durum Buğday Genotiplerinde Bazı Morfolojik Özelliklerin Ekin Sap Arısı ((Cephus pygmaeus L. (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)) Zararı Bakımından Değerlendirilmesi

Bu çalışmada Bölge Verim Denemesinde yer alan bazı durum buğday genotiplerinde ekin sap arısının (Cephus pygmaeus L. (Hymenoptera: Cephidae)) meydana getirdiği zarar durumu incelenmiştir. Denemeler. GAP Uluslararası Tarımsal Araştırma ve Eğitim Merkezi’nde (GAPUTAEM) 12 durum buğday genotipi ile 2007-2008 ve 2008-2009 yetiştirme sezonlarında tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre 4 tekerrürlü olarak yürütülmüştür. Ekin sap arısı ile bulaşık bitki oranı 2007-2008 yılında %4.80-11.87 arasında yer alırken, denemenin ikinci yılında %1.72-7.96 arasında yer almıştır. Standart çeşitlerden Fuatbey-2000, Altıntoprak-98 ve Sarıçanak-98’de bulaşıklık 2007-2008 yılında sırasıyla %6.43, %6.96 ve %7.94 olarak bulunurken, denemenin ikinci yılında ise %4.08, %7.96 ve %2.71 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Bulaşık bitki oranı ve başakta tane sayısında (BTS) azalma oranı bakımından G7’nin her iki yılda da düşük değerlere sahip olması bu genotipin dayanıklılık kaynağı olarak kullanılabileceğini göstermiştir.

Tropical and subtropical forage germplasm conservation and science on their deathbed! 1. A journey to crisis

While interest in the potential of tropical and subtropical forage (TSTF) germplasm for improved livestock production commenced earlier, it was not until the 1950s and 1960s that plant collecting and research on diversity and utilization of grasses and legumes reached significant global momentum. The subsequent engagement in pasture and forage research by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centres, such as the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA; 1974–1995)/International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI; since 1995) from the 1970s onwards, built on the advances made by national centres in Australia, the United States of America, Kenya and elsewhere. By 1990–2000, TSTFs were recognized for contributing to a range of commercial and smallholder livestock production systems in Latin America, Australia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. However, their use, the value of further research and the need to maintain the very large and diverse collections held in international and national genebanks were challenged by this time because of perceived environmental risks, questions about whether or not past achievements could be bettered and the high costs of maintaining genebanks. Since then, the decline in investment and the quality of conservation and curation has been a relatively rapid process and reached the crisis point of today in just 20–25 years. This article traces 70 years of expansion and then decline of plant collecting, conservation, research and commercialization of TSTFs as a new commodity and examines the reasons for the sharp changes that have taken place. In a second article (this issue), the argument is made for swift and drastic action to prevent critical germplasm from being lost, to enable genebanks to play their crucial and unique role in underpinning improving production and productivity in livestock systems and to provide key germplasm tools to achieve environmental benefits.

Effects of different mixture ratios of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) on quality of silage

The study was aimed to determine the properties of silages obtained by growing different mixture ratios of grass pea and barley harvested in the flowering and spike period, respectively. The research was carried out in the experimental field of the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center during 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 growth seasons during two years. “Kendal” barley variety and GAP Mavisi grass pea variety were used as material.The treatments viz.,100% barley, 100% grass pea, 75% grass pea + 25% barley, 50% grass pea + 50% barley and 25% grasspea + 75% barley mixtures were used for different silage preperations. Silages were prepared with 4 replications in 3 liters plastic jars, which were mixed and compressed uniformly and sealed thight. Crude protein, crude ash, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and lactic acid ratios of silages were determined. According to 2-year average results; all applications were found statistically significant.