International Livestock Research Institute Research Articles

Evaluation of in situ and ex situ forage germplasm collections reveals the first occurrence and seed-transmission of alfalfa mosaic virus and southern bean mosaic virus in Urochloa species

Grasses of the genus Urochloa (Urochloa species syn. Brachiaria species) are among the most important tropical forage grasses of African origin. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Forage Genebank maintains 671 Urochloa grass accessions, belonging to 28 species, of which 261 (39%) accessions are Urochloa brizantha (A.Rich.) R.D.Webster. The susceptibility of Urochloa grasses to disease and insect pests is a key challenge to the sustainable production of these grasses in Africa. In this study, using a dot blot assay and RT-PCR, we report for the first time the association of Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (AMV) and Southern Bean Mosaic Virus (SBMV) with 92% of the tested accessions conserved in situ and ex situ in the ILRI forage genebank. In addition, virus transmission from seed to plant and from legume to grass was confirmed through the bioassay test. The detection of these two viruses in Urochloa species presents a new challenge to germplasm conservation, distribution, and their sustainable production in the region, and demands immediate attention towards developing an effective method of cleaning viruses from the conserved germplasm. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to assess the economic importance of diseases in the grasses, and for the selection of germplasm that shows resistance to diseases.

Phenotypic and genomic characterisation of performance of tropically adapted chickens raised in smallholder farm conditions in Ethiopia.

In sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of poultry production is on smallholder village farms, where chickens are typically reared outdoors in free-ranging conditions. There is limited knowledge on chickens' phenotypic characteristics and genetics under these conditions. The present is a large-scale study set out to phenotypically characterise the performance of tropically adapted commercial chickens in typical smallholder farm conditions, and to examine the genetic profile of chicken phenotypes associated with growth, meat production, immunity, and survival. A total of 2,573 T451A dual-purpose Sasso chickens kept outdoors in emulated free-ranging conditions at the poultry facility of the International Livestock Research Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were included in the study. The chickens were raised in five equally sized batches and were individually monitored and phenotyped from the age of 56days for 8weeks. Individual chicken data collected included weekly body weight, growth rate, body and breast meat weight at slaughter, Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) titres and intestinal Immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels recorded at the beginning and the end of the period of study, and survival rate during the same period. Genotyping by sequencing was performed on all chickens using a low-coverage and imputation approach. Chicken phenotypes and genotypes were combined in genomic association analyses. We discovered that the chickens were phenotypically diverse, with extensive variance levels observed in all traits. Batch number and sex of the chicken significantly affected the studied phenotypes. Following quality assurance, genotypes consisted of 2.9 million Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers that were used in the genomic analyses. Results revealed a largely polygenic mode of genetic control of all phenotypic traits. Nevertheless, 15 distinct markers were identified that were significantly associated with growth, carcass traits, NDV titres, IgA levels, and chicken survival. These markers were located in regions harbouring relevant annotated genes. Results suggest that performance of chickens raised under smallholder farm conditions is amenable to genetic improvement and may inform selective breeding programmes for enhanced chicken productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

EVALUATION OF GENOTYPES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS OF LABLAB (PURPUREUS L.) AND IT'S DRY MATTER YIELDS STABILITY IN THE MIDLAND OF GUJI ZONE, SOUTHERN OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Animal feed is one of the main challenges livestock producers face due to inadequate nutrition, particularly during the dry season. This study aimed to identify the Lablab genotype's performance in different midlands areas of Guji zones. A 3mx2m plot was used to seed twelve Lablab purpureus genotypes obtained from the International Livestock Research Institute Gene Bank and a tick-registered variety from the Bako Agricultural Research Centre. During the main cropping rainy season in 2021-2022, three locations, Dufa, Gobicha, and Kiltu sorsa, Adola subsite, and on farms in two (2) consecutive years, respectively, were studied using randomized complete block designs (RCBD) with three replications. Information was gathered regarding the establishment, duration of various physiological stages, dry matter yield of fodder, chemical compositions, and additional relevant factors. AMMI and the SAS statistical analysis programmer, version (2002), were used to analyse variance in the gathered data. The list significant difference test was used to compare the means. The AMMI analysis of variance for forage dry matter yield showed substantial (P<0.01) variations in genotype and environment but not in the effects of the G x E interaction. The representative testing site and the testing conditions (Adola Woyu and Kiltu sorsa) were quite good at differentiating genotypes. The combined analysis of the data revealed non-significant (P>0.05) differences for plant height and thousand seed weight but significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences for days to flowering, days to maturity, number of branches, leaf to steam ratio, number of pods, and number of seeds across the tested environments. The results showed that, out of all the examined locations, G-11620 (15.43 t/ha) and G-14486 (11.12 t/ha) had the highest forage dry matter production. It was observed that the leaf-to-steam ratio was higher in both G-11486 and G-11620. All chemical compositions across the tested genotypes were found to be significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) among parameters, except DOMD and IVDMD, which did not show significant (p >0.05) variations among genotypes. The recorded CP content ranged from 21.15% for G-14486 to 23.50% for G-11620, with the lowest value coming from typical cheek Gabis at 10.8%. The highest and the lowest NDFs were recorded from G-11620 (11.2%) and Gabis (22.23%), respectively. Generally, the mean performance, yield and stability of the G-11620 and G-14486 were high and stable across the tested locations. Therefore, genotypes (G-14486 and G-11620) were promoted to variety verification for further evaluation and possible release.

Analysis of the genotype through interactions with the environment and dry matter yield stability of Lablab purpureus L. in midland of Guji zone.

Abstract The purpose of the study was to assess Lablab genotyping performance in different Guji midland areas. A 3mx2m plot was used to seed twelve accessions of Lablab purpureus , which were obtained from the International Livestock Research Institute Gene Bank, and a tick registered variety from Bako Agricultural Research Centre. During the main rainy season in 2021-2022, three locations-Dufa, Gobicha, and Kiltu sorsa, Adola subsite, and on farms in two (2) consecutive years, respectively were studied using randomized complete block designs (RCBD) with three replications. Information was gathered regarding the establishment, duration of various physiological stages, dry matter yield of fodder, chemical compositions, and additional relevant factors. AMMI and the SAS statistical analysis programmer, version (2002), were used to perform an analysis of variance on the gathered data. The list significant difference test was used to compare the means. The results of the AMMI analysis of variance for forage dry matter yield showed that there were substantial (P < 0.01) variations in genotype and environment, but not in the effects of the G x E interaction. Both the representative testing site and the testing conditions (Adola Woyu and Kiltu Sorsa) were quite good at differentiating genotypes. The combined analysis data revealed non-significant (P > 0.05) differences for plant height and thousand seed weight, but significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences for days to flowering, days to maturity, number of branches, leaf to steam ratio, number of pods, and number of seeds across the tested environments. The results showed that, out of all the examined locations, G-11620 (15.43 t/ha) and G-14486 (11.12 t/ha) had the highest forage dry matter production. It was observed that the leaf to steam ratio was higher in both G-11486 and G-11620. All chemical compositions across tested genotypes were found to be significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) in the study of composite chemical compositions, with the exception of DOMD and IVDMD, which did not reveal significant (p >0.05) variations among genotypes. The recorded CP content ranged from 21.15% for G-14486 to 23.50% for G-11620, with the lowest value coming from typical cheek Gabis 10.8%. The highest and the lowest NDF were recorded from G-11620 (11.2%) and Gabis (22.23%) respectively. Generally the mean performance, yield and stability of the G-11620 and G-14486 were high and stable across the tested locations. Therefore, genotypes (G-14486 and G-11620) were promoted to VVT for further evaluation and possible for release.

Enhancing individual animal resilience to environmental disturbances to address low productivity in dairy cattle performing in sub-Saharan Africa

The current review examines potential solutions to enhance the sustainability and productivity of the dairy sector in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with an emphasis on breeding for resilience. Additionally, the paper explores various indicators for measuring resilience and provides insights into the data that can be utilized to quantify resilience in SSA’s dairy production systems. Dairy production contributes significantly to food and nutritional security and employment in SSA. However, besides the general lack of enabling policy and institutional environments, production is negatively affected by environmental challenges such as high temperatures and heat stress, diseases and parasites, unreliable rainfall patterns, shortages of feeds and forages and undue preference for taurine cattle breeds regardless of their poor adaptability to prevailing local conditions. Fostering the resilience capacity of dairy animals is imperative to combat climate-related adversities and maintain productivity. This can only be achieved if reliable and practical methods for quantifying and analyzing resilience in SSA are described and undertaken. This study has reviewed variance of deviations, root mean square of deviations, autocorrelation of deviations, skewness of deviations, slope of the reaction norm and its absolute value as possible indicators of resilience in SSA. While previous research has reported genetic variation and favorable correlations of these indicators with health, fitness, and fertility traits, their potential in SSA environments requires further investigation. Besides, labor- and cost-effective phenotypic data collection is essential for characterization of resilience using these indicators. Through this study, we propose frequently collected data on milk production traits, body fat-related traits, and activity patterns as suitable in the sub-Saharan Africa context. The African Asian Dairy Genetic Gains Project by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) offers a valuable opportunity to collate data from diverse dairy systems in SSA for testing the potential of these indicators. Insights from this study are helpful in improving resilience of dairy animals in SSA, which would contribute to poverty alleviation, animal welfare improvement, and better preparedness in lieu of climate change in SSA.

Integration and adoption of climate resilient management practices for enhanced productivity of sheep and goats in pastoral communities of Northern Kenya

Interventions to improve productivity in pastoral livestock systems of northern Kenya focus on the management of the rangeland resources and grazing areas with few initiatives on changes related to the livestock assets. However, changing climatic conditions with high frequencies of droughts have increased the vulnerability of pastoral communities and necessitate prompt interventions in animal management practices. In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute commenced a programme to build the resilience of pastoral holdings using their animal assets rather than depending on humanitarian emergency responses. Interventions necessitated changes in management practices related to sheep and goat production. Core innovation groups (CIG) each comprising 30 pastoral households in select communities were established to model new practices for wider adoption using participatory processes in Isiolo, Marsabit and Turkana Counties. CIG members went through a 3-year phased training programme on animal management practices for more efficient, resilient and productive animals. The adoption of new practices in CIG flocks was monitored by extension personnel. Data were analysed using logistic regression techniques to assess household-level adoption of livestock breed improvement, feeding and disease control interventions. The 3 years of the programme (2018–2021) were relatively satisfactory in terms of pasture availability; hence, communities pursued strategies to enhance their flocks. All CIG adopted more than one of the introduced technologies concurrently. Prevention of diseases was the most readily adopted, followed by crossbreeding using indigenous breeds of sheep and goats from other arid areas of Kenya. Turkana County had the lowest probability of adopting any of the technologies as previous devastating droughts have resulted in an increased emphasis on animals for survival rather than productivity. The study shows that pastoral communities are open to technological interventions for animal productivity. Adoption of the technologies was enhanced by the experiential capacity development activities adapted to the education level of the different communities.

A “lifeline out of the COVID‐19 crisis”? An ecofeminist critique of the European Green Deal

A “lifeline out of the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 crisis”? An ecofeminist critique of the European Green Deal

Genetic Diversity, Population Structure and Subset Development in a Sesbania sesban Collection

Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. is a multipurpose legume tree grown primarily for fodder and forage in the tropical and subtropical world. In this study, the Sesbania sesban collection maintained in the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) forage Genebank was studied using genome-wide markers generated on the DArTseq platform. Genotyping produced 84,673 and 60,626 SNP and SilicoDArT markers with a mean polymorphic information content of 0.153 and 0.123, respectively. From the generated markers, 7587 and 15,031 highly informative SNP and SilicoDArT markers, respectively, were filtered and used for genetic diversity analysis and subset development. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed higher variability 'within' (52.73% for SNP markers and 67.36% for SilicoDArT markers) than 'between' accessions. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed the presence of four main clusters in the collection. Mantel correlation analysis showed a lack of relationship between genetic variation of the germplasm and their geographical origin. A representative subset of 34 accessions containing germplasm from diverse origins and agro-ecologies was developed using SNP markers. The genetic diversity information generated in this study could be used for marker-assisted screening for stress tolerance, gap analysis and identification and acquisition of new distinct genotype(s) to broaden the genetic basis of the collection for future improvement programs to develop high-yielding, stress-tolerant varieties for enhancing food and environmental security in crop-livestock-based production systems.

Effect of Communication Strategies on the Successful Implementation of Programmes at the International Livestock Research Institute, Kenya

The communication function in organizations is widely recognized as one of the main factors that contribute to success in the implementation of programmes. This article presents the results of a study conducted to establish the effect of communication strategies on the successful implementation of programmes at ILRI, Kenya. Descriptive and inferential analyses were undertaken based on data gathered from 194 employees involved in the various programmes implemented by the organization. The results obtained suggested that participatory communication strategy, results-driven communication strategy and multi-channeled communication strategy had positive significant effect on the successful implementation of programmes at ILRI, Kenya. The study concluded that communication strategies were a key determinant of successful programme implementation at ILRI and hence, it was necessary for the organization to adopt a blend of communication strategies that enhanced efficient communication in all its operations.

A new East African satellite data validation station: Performance of the LSA-SAF all-weather land surface temperature product over a savannah biome

We describe a new satellite data validation facility located in a savannah biome at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Kapiti Research Station (Kenya). The facility is focused on satellite land surface temperature (LST) and is equipped with multiple ground-viewing infrared radiometers across four sites. The in-situ LST observations are upscaled to match satellite LST products using a geometric illumination model. The in-situ sensor network represents a step-forward in LST validation in East Africa and savannah biomes. To our knowledge this is the first time that such an extensive network of LST radiometers and supporting measurements has been installed in sub-Saharan Africa, or a savannah. With this network we capture surface heterogeneity in a manner that has not previously been possible. The LST ground data from this station collected between October 2018 and March 2019 is used to evaluate the new Land Surface Analysis Satellite Application Facility (LSA-SAF) all-sky LST product (MLST-AS) that blends clear-sky infrared-retrieved LSTs with LSTs derived from a land surface energy balance model to fill gaps due to cloudy conditions. Comparison against the in-situ LSTs indicates overall accuracy, precision, and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of MLST-AS to be 2.02 K, 1.38 K and 3.64 K respectively. The infrared-retrieved LST component of MLST-AS under clear skies has an accuracy, precision and RMSE of 1.16 K, 0.8 K and 3.16 K respectively. The energy balance model-based component of MLST-AS has performance statistics of 3.02 K, 1.38 K and 4.16 K. The MLST-AS energy balance model component is observed to perform worse when surface moisture is present, underestimating night-time and daily maximum temperatures by between 2 and 4 K in the 24 h following surface water deposition as precipitation or dew.

The Art of Letting Go: Transforming Participatory Research on Adaptation Practices Among Local Livestock-Keepers in East Africa in Times of Covid-19

Participatory action research (PAR) puts high emphasis on the interaction of the research participants. However, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the central role of researchers in participatory research processes had to be questioned and revisited. New modes of PAR developed dynamically under the new circumstances created by the pandemic. To better understand how Covid-19 changed the way PAR is applied, we analyzed PAR in agricultural research for development carried out in the Programme for Climate-Smart Livestock Systems (PCSL) implemented by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) at five research sites in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. To understand how PAR changed in a component on adaptation research in the PCSL we facilitated a reflexive study with livestock keepers and researchers to document their experiences of PAR during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analytical framework focuses on highlighting the core characteristics and the underlying ethos of PAR in this case study. The lessons learnt in the process of adapting to the realities of doing participatory research in the middle of a pandemic provide important arguments for further amalgamating the PAR philosophy into similar research designs. The onset of the pandemic has led to a further decentering of the researcher and a shift of the focus to the citizen, in this case the local livestock keeper, that made it more participatory in the stricter interpretation of the term. Letting go of controlling both narrative and implementation of the research will be challenging for researchers in many research fields. However, this shift of power and this transformation of research methodologies is inevitable if the research should remain relevant and impactful. Ultimately, the transition into a Covid-19 future and the awareness that similar pandemics could dramatically interrupt our lives any time, will have an impact on how projects are designed and funded. More long-term funding and less pressure on providing immediate results can build community trust and ownership for research at a local level.

Impact of COVID‐19 on wild meat trade in Nigerian markets

Impact of <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 on wild meat trade in Nigerian markets

A SURVEY OF DAIRY PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN THE DERIVED SAVANNAH OF OYO STATE SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

The study was conducted to find out dairy production practices among Agro-pastoral Fulani women in the derived Savannah of Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria. Data were collected, using structured questionnaire from 120 Fulani women in three Local Government areas namely: 0yo West, Atiba and Ogbomosho North respectively. The study revealed that the main dairying activities are milking of cattle, processing and marketing of dairy products. The most preferred dairy products are wara (local cheese), ghee and butter. Marketing was done exclusively by self or in combination with intermediaries ("middlemen"). Main reasons for engagement in dairying activities are: Income generation, cultural and husband's wish. Constraints mostly encountered are bad roads, inadequate transport facilities and inadequate supply of raw milk from the cattle in dry season. Sources of agricultural information include; friends/neighbours, radio broadcasts, and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Programme, Ibadan.

Cassava Ecosystem Left Toxic Produce Processing for Building Chain Break Powerful Products for Combating Bio-Pandemics

Worldwide intensive endeavors exist in actions to derive benefits of ecosystem services viz food, fiber, shelter and betterment of environment. International Livestock Research Institute Kenya presented an ecosystem scenario with emphasis of zoonotic diseases transmission chain breaks in attempt to combat COVID 19. Objective of this study was to develop processing and products so that chains of spreads of such diseases and bio-pandemic be halted. In this study cassava based ecosystem was taken up to utilize toxic produce gets useful in combating environmental disasters. The epidemics of Covid 19 and Locust which became huge global problem will get halted by such chain breaks, which bring global relief from bio based calamities. Thus, Cassava based ecosystem is highly useful in building prosperity and environmental improvement.

Phenotypic and genotypic variability between two Nigerian indigenous goat population

In order to estimate the future breeding potential of a livestock breed, it is necessary to estimate the level of genetic diversity within the breed. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the phenotypic and genotypic variability within the West African dwarf (WAD) goats and a non-descript goat population. The WAD goats were obtained from Bodija market Ibadan, Oyo state, while the non-descript goats were obtained from the Animal Science Departmental Farm in Zaria, Kaduna State. Random collection of tissue samples was carried out on each goat population using an all flex ear punch tissue sample collector and aliquoted into plastic tubes containing the all flex preservative. DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing were carried out at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya. DNA was extracted from the tissue cells using the Pure Link™ Genomic DNA-minikit according to the manufacturer's specifications and protocol and 25 microsatellite markers as recommended by FAO/ISAG were used for genotyping. Twenty three of the 25 microsatellite markers used in this analysis had four or more alleles. The mean Shannon index (I), observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) and inbreeding coefficient (Fis) for the WAD goats were 1.568, 0.584, 0.679 and 0.167, respectively. For the non-descript goats, the mean Shannon index, observed and expected heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficient (Fis) were 1.607, 0.678, 0.721 and 0.041, respectively. The microsatellite markers used in this study showed their suitability for analysis of genetic variability in this population as demonstrated by the high mean Shannon index. This study has shown that these two goat populations are significantly different phenotypically and genetically. Also, both populations showed significant deviations (P&lt;0.01) from Hardy-Weinberg expectations.&#x0D;

Genotype by Environment interactions for egg number and egg weight of five dual-purpose chicken breeds in different zones of Oromia region in Ethiopia

The African Chicken Genetic Gain (ACGG) project (https://africacgg.net/) aims at backyard poultry optimization by commercial dual-purpose breeds introduction into Africa. To measure benefits, genotype by environment interaction (GxE) analysis provides guidance while predicting environmental effects on production traits of breeds. A survey among Ethiopian poultry smallholders showed egg sale being the most important purpose of keeping village chickens in Oromia. Data was available about laying of 894 ACGG chickens in Oromia. Hence current research questions were: 1) Does GxE take place? 2) Which breed performs best regarding laying and in which environment within Oromia? Traits investigated were egg number and egg weight of five breeds (S-RIR, Sasso, Horro, Kuroiler and Koekoek) located in three zones (East Hararge, East and West Shoa) and 5 districts (Adami Tulu, Bako Tibe, Dano, Dugda and Haromaya) in Oromia. Observations were taken as group measure performing weighted analyses. GxE was only present for egg number with magnitude strongest for zone. S-RIR performed best for both traits in both environments, except Kuroiler performing better in East Shoa for egg number and Koekoek for egg weight. This indicates success of crossbreed S-RIR. Sasso and Horro performed worst supported by previous research for Horro but not Sasso. Low precipitation in East Shoa caused bigger distance in egg number predictions, being higher for S-RIR and lower for Horro and Sasso compared to West Shoa. Apart from these final conclusions, social context of breeding and data collection difficulties should not be forgotten. Just like relevance of other performance trait analyses.

CARACTERIZACIÓN MORFOLOGICA DE GENOTIPOS DE PASTO BUFFEL CON POTENCIAL PARA PRODUCCIÓN DE FORRAJE Y SEMILLA

El pasto buffel (Pennisetum ciliare L.) es una especie forrajera importante. Es necesario continuar con la exploración de la variabilidad natural de este pasto y seleccionar materiales con potencial para la ganadería. Actualmente el Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Pecuarias (ILRI, por sus siglas en inglés) en Etiopía conserva de manera ex situ 157 materiales de buffel; es importante caracterizarlos para identificar materiales con potencial productivo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la diversidad fenotípica de 147 ecotipos y 10 variedades de pasto buffel e identificar materiales con potencial de producción de forraje y semilla. El estudio se realizó en 2014 en la estación experimental Zwai en Etiopía. Los materiales se establecieron en parcelas con 36 plantas cada una. Las variables medidas indirectamente para identificar ecotipos con potencial para la producción de semilla fueron: panículas por planta (PP), espiguillas por panícula (EP) cariópsides por panícula (CP) y días a 50 % de floración (DF), mientras que para producción de forraje las variables fueron altura de planta (AP, cm) y de forraje (AF, cm). Se realizaron análisis de agrupamiento y discriminante. La colección de pasto buffel mostró alta variabilidad en todas las características medidas. Los intervalos de altura de planta y forraje fueron de 34 a 139 y de 24 a 118 cm, respectivamente. La variación de PP fue de 6 a 322, EP de 13 a 285 y para CP fue de 3 a 113. El corte de estandarización al 50 % de floración fue de 48 a 71 días. Se observó una alta correlación (r = 0.98) entre altura de planta y de forraje, y una correlación negativa (r = -0.62) entre panículas por planta y días al 50 % de floración. Cuatro grupos (P &lt; 0.0001) fueron identificados para los 157 materiales. Con excepción de AF, las demás variables contribuyeron significativamente a la separación de grupos. La colección de pasto buffel presentó alta variabilidad en las características medidas; además, los ecotipos 1442, 19448, 19457, 19459, 19462 y 19464 mostraron potencial forrajero.

Assessment Of The Dairy Animal Feeding System Of Western Nepal: A Synthesis Of Focus Group Discussions

Livestock, the dairy sector in particular, has traditionally contributed to the Nepalese economy and livelihoods even though vegetarian centered food habits predominate. Despite a long chain of observations, discussions, and interventions, this sector has not realized substantial improvement. An International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) developed tool, Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST), has been deployed to precisely analyze the livestock feeding system in the Kapilvastu, Palpa and Arghakhachi districts of Nepal. A large proportion of the populations, especially the youth segment, have migrated, and as a result the area under agricultural production is ever decreasing. The typical crop production pattern does not reflect any dominance of fodder crops, which limits the availability of feed and posesa serious threat to the expansion of commercial dairy enterprises. Additional barriers to increased productivity include a limited supply of labor, competition for resources (i.e. labor, land) with rice production and the significant number of indigenous dairy animals in the national herd. Policy barriers that include unaffordable credit, limited access to inputs and inadequate government support further hinder potential growth of the dairy sector of this region. A dairy focused program to utilize the land and other resources to commercialize the dairy sector in order to tap the potential of this geography could be the only alternative to contribute toward meeting the national objective of making the country self-sufficient in milk and its products by 2020.&#x0D; SAARC J. Agri., 17(2): 253-266 (2019)

Designing a building facility using GIS

By using ArcGIS ArcMap and ArcScene software capabilities in building and facilities design to save the costs of errors that will happen in real establishment. GIS provides the ability to draw, import drawings and import information from other software, aerial images, satellite images & from hardcopies to add to the changes that happened and link it to the geographical coordinates system. All that in one or more geodatabase that provides full information to the user without the need of other software, or more hands to search for information in lesser time. This is what the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has done to minimize the time and effort that is needed to find information. Easy to use by discovering the errors and finding a way to fix it. This procedure is most flexible for directly fixing and modifying things, such as incorrect length of the deigned electricity wires, incorrect shape & height of walls & the errors in designing the sewer. We can use the data that already exists in another building, that has the same information instead of entering it from the beginning, this ability saves time and money.

Biochemical composition of pigeonpea genotypes in Kenya

Pigeonpea is an important crop in semi-arid tropics and sub-tropics. The improvement and utilization of this crop in East Africa can enhance food and nutrition security. A study was carried out to examine variation in biochemical composition (crude protein, total phenols, total flavonoid and total anti-oxidant activity) of 55 pigeonpea genotypes grown in Kabete field station during the long rains of April-September 2017. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with three replications. After harvest, 100g of dry seed samples were collected for biochemical analyses. The biochemical analyses were performed at nutrition platform of Biosciences eastern and central Africa- International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, Nairobi, Kenya. Treatment means were separated based on Tukey test using Genstat, SAS and R software. The genotypes varied significantly (P≤0.05) for all the parameters measured with a mean of 20.88 g/100g, 46.21 mg/100g, 23.98 mg/100g and 38.13 mg/100g for crude protein, total phenol, total flavonoid and total anti-oxidant activity, respectively. Advanced elite materials out performed for all parameters analyzed except for crude protein with a mean of 59.57 mg/100g, 26.64 mg/100g and 30.23 mg/100g for total phenols, total flavonoid and total anti-oxidant activity, respectively. The total antioxidant activity had significantly positive correlation (P≤0.05) with total phenol, total flavonoid and crude protein. Similarly, total phenol and total flavonoid had significantly positive correlation (≤0.05). The results revealed that the advanced elite materials contain high phenolics and antioxidant activity that contribute to lowering oxidation of free radicals due to their redox properties. Therefore, these germplasm are valuable genetic resources for improving pigeonpea varieties for nutritional qualities.