Low Crop Research Articles

Effects of Applying Organic Amendments on Soil Aggregate Structure and Tomato Yield in Facility Agriculture

Amendment significantly improves soil structure and promotes crop growth. To combat soil degradation and low crop yields in facility agriculture, it is crucial to study the optimal application rate of amendments. This study analyzed the effects of biochar, vermicompost, and mineral-source potassium fulvic acid on the stability of aggregate structure, soil nutrient content, and tomato yield in cambisols, providing a theoretical basis for improving the soil quality of plastic greenhouses in Southern China. A pot experiment on tomato cultivation was carried out in yellow-brown soil in plastic greenhouses. The experiment included eight treatments: 1% biochar (B1); 3% biochar (B3); 5% biochar (B5); 3% vermicompost (V3); 5% vermicompost (V5); 0.1% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid (F1); 0.2% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid (F2); and the control condition without adding soil amendments (CK). The results showed that the biochar and vermicompost treatments effectively reduced soil bulk density and increased total soil porosity. Compared to the control, treatments with soil amendments significantly increased soil pH and had different effects on soil nutrients: F2 showed the most significant improvement in the content of available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium, with an increase of 133.33%, 834.59%, and 74.34%, respectively; B3 treatment had the highest increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), while B5 treatment had the highest organic matter content. Compared to the CK, the particle size of the biochar treatment was mainly 0.053~0.25 mm, while the V3, F1, and F2 mainly occurred with a particle size > 0.25 mm; and V3 has the best aggregate stability. Biochar, vermicompost, and mineral potassium fulvic acid can all promote tomato yield, with the F2 and V3 treatments having a yield increase effect of over 30%. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a highly significant positive correlation between geometric mean diameter (GMD) and mean weight diameter (MWD), water-stable macroaggregate content (R0.25), and a positive correlation between alkaline-dissolved nitrogen, available phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon content, and aggregate stability indicators. Adding 0.2% mineral-source potassium fulvic acid optimizes cambisols’ properties, enhances aggregate formation and stability, boosts tomato yield, and shows great application potential.

Improving Water Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture: A Review of Techniques and Water Conservation Methods in Ethiopia

Water is a scarce resource and the competition for it is increasing from time to time due to population growth and economic status change. The population growth leads to high expectations to produce more food from irrigated agriculture which could not be satisfied by rain-fed conditions. As irrigated agriculture is by far the largest water consumer in an inefficient way, improving water productivity has paramount importance both for the production of more food and for wise utilization of scarce water. Beyond these, studies suggest that improving water productivity in Ethiopia contributes to an increase in the irrigated area, reduced competition, and conflict between users, increased profitability due to reduced labor cost, water pumping and working time, and generally increased food production. Different water productivity improvement techniques and water conservation methods have been tested in different parts of the country. These include improving the performance of irrigation schemes, regulated deficit irrigation practice, partial root zone drying, application of irrigation on selected crop growth stages, supplementary irrigation, drip irrigation, surge and cutback irrigation, and water conservation methods like mulching and integrating irrigation with conservation agriculture. The level of water productivity improvement varies considerably for different methods, study areas, crop types, and seasons. Generally, more studies concentrated on deficit irrigation and irrigation application at different crop growth stages. Water conservation and integration of cultivation practices with efficient irrigation led to an improvement in water productivity. Despite few studies, scheme-level study results suggest that the level of deficit irrigation should be selected based on the available irrigation water and cultivable land area for maximizing the benefit of the scheme. According to the economic profitability, crop types and crop varieties also should be selected for production with site-specific conditions. Despite different types and levels of reduced irrigation leading to lower crop yield, the inclusion of the economic importance is essential as most crops showed higher water productivity at lower irrigation levels. On the other hand, studies on the integration of different water productivity enhancement techniques and crop planting patterns are minimal in the country, though current studies revealed better water productivity. Moreover, basin-level water productivity improvement studies could contribute to alleviating water competition and increasing irrigated areas. Therefore, studies on the optimization of these different methods could be done at the basin level for better water resource utilization. Government policies should also focus on water productivity improvement for the implementation of research findings.

Effects of irrigation and nutrients managements with plant intensification on rice under saline soil

The area of salt affected agricultural soils has grown on a global scale. The toxicity of salt and the unfavorable characteristics of the soil are two major causes of the low crop productivity on salt-affected soil. Thus, effective and economical management techniques are required for crop production which may sustainable. The experiments were conducted to identify appropriate irrigation and other management practices for higher yield of Boro rice at two locations (Horinkhola, Satkhira and Batiaghata, Khulna) of saline area during two successive years (2021 and 2022). Six treatments were used, consisting of continuous ponding of irrigation water along with recommended fertilizer (farmers practice, as control), and a range of combination of irrigation water and gypsum fertilizer and foliar spray of Urea, TSP, MOP and Zinc Sulphate. The results revealed that at both locations, the treatments showed significant difference and the highest yield (7.35 t/ha at Horinkhola and 6.75 t/ha Batiaghata) were obtained in treatment T5 [Continuous saturation (0-3cm) + 50% recommended fertilizer except MoP + K2SO4 equivalent to 50% K+ OM + no ridge, high density (15 cm x 10 cm) + Change of standing water 20 days interval + Foliar application of Urea-40 g, TSP-44 g, MOP-26 g and Zinc Sulphate 3g (4 times : 25, 35, 45, 60 DAT)]. Overall, this treatment produced 19% higher yield compared to farmer’s practice, along with maximum BCR (1.57) and net profit (52,004 Tk/ha). This technique can be adopted for higher yield in saline area. Bangladesh J. Nuclear Agric, 38(1): 53-64, 2024

Tailoring Core-Shell Metal Coordination for Smart Seed Coatings in Sustainable Agriculture.

The international agriculture and food security sector is grappling with challenges like low crop yields, soil health deficiencies, and inefficient agrochemical use. The application of smart nanotechnology in agriculture, particularly surface functionalization, holds promise but has limited implementation. Engineered nanomaterials used as seed treatments, known as nanopriming, offer a simple technology to improve crop yield and stress tolerance. In this study, a multicomponent platform called Phelm (Phenolic network with a lipid core and metal coordinated shell) is proposed for encapsulating a commercial plant growth regulator, indole-3 acetic acid (IAA). Phelm comprises a hydrophobic solid lipid core, loaded with IAA, and an outer metal coordinated phenolic shell of tannic acid (TA) and Fe3+. The platform aims to treat seeds with encapsulated IAA, which can be controllably released, as well as protect the germination process at high salt concentrations. Phelm showed a remarkable increase in growth parameters of wheat seeds up to 58.6%, despite being irrigated with high concentrations of saltwater (100 mM). These findings suggest that nanopriming of seeds can effectively increase their efficacy even under abiotic stress conditions, which can drastically improve crop yields. Moreover, we envisage that the Phelm core/shell assembly can encapsulate a wide range of agrochemicals and biostimulants to promote sustainable and smart agricultural practices.

Effects of Mela Organics' New Liquid Fertilizer on Tomato Yield in Semi-Arid Areas of Ethiopia

Soil organic matter depletion is mainly caused by crop residue removal, and low or no application of organic fertilizers often results in nutrient exhaustion and low crop yields. This challenge requires the evaluation of different organic fertilizer resources to provide new alternative fertilizer products to an Ethiopian production system. Based on this fact, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of mela organic fertilizer as a supplementary fertilizer to improve the yield of tomatoes under irrigation in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia from 2020 to 2021. The experiment consisted of eight treatments (Control, 100% recommended fertilizer, 100% recommended fertilizer + 30 L/ha Mela, 100% recommended fertilizer + 45 L/ha Mela, 75% recommended fertilizer +30 L/ha Mela, 75% recommended fertilizer + 45 L/ha Mela, 50% recommended fertilizer +30 L/ha Mela and 50% recommended fertilizer + 45 L/ha Mela) laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that the highest agronomic yield was obtained by applying the 100% recommended fertilizer + 30 L/ha Mela. However, based on the partial budget analysis, the highest marginal rate of return was obtained from 50% recommended fertilizer + 45 L/ha Mela. Thus, it can be concluded that the application of Mela Organics up to 45 L/ha, integrated with chemical fertilizer applications, can increase tomatoes' economic yields and reduce fertilizer costs.

The asymmetric distribution of rainfall frequency and amounts in India

Studies of rainfall usually focus on the total amount precipitating throughout a certain period. Compared to rain rates associated with extreme events, the rain rates associated with the most frequent events is understudied. In this study, the characteristics of daily precipitation in India are explored using two metrics − rain frequency peak (the most frequent non-zero rain rate) and rain amount peak (the rain rate at which the most amount of rain falls). These metrics are computed over India using local and global datasets to investigate the characteristics of typical daily precipitation accumulations. These values are sensitive to the dataset used for this analysis since the temporal and spatial resolution of the rainfall data will influence the rain frequency peak and rain amount peak. Our study reveals the rain frequency peak is highest during the summer monsoon, while the winter season exhibits lower values, particularly at higher latitudes. Similarly, the rain amount distribution indicates dominance of heavy rain rates during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, leading to high total precipitation. The maximum rain frequency peak for any region in India reaches up to a value of 35 mm/day while the maximum rain amount peak reaches up to a value as high as 90 mm/day. These metrics would be useful in systematically evaluating typical daily precipitation in regional climate models and assessing downstream impacts of uneven precipitation such as lower crop yields, flood-drought alterations, and fluctuating water availability.

THE WATER CRISIS LOOMS LARGE IN PAKISTAN WHICH MAY FACE ABSOLUTE SCARCITY

Pakistan has the fourth-highest rate of water use in the world, as reported by the IMF (International Monetary Fund), and is the 3rd greatest water-stress country in the world.Water can be scarce for many reasons: water supply is very low compared to demand, infrastructure is inadequate, and institutions fail to balance every person’s daily needs. Water scarcity is a global problem, with the most badly and worse affected communities. In this thesis we can measure Pakistan’s water scarcity with the four main indicators. The four main indicators can be measured in a country’s water scarcity: The Water Poverty Index, Water Resources Vulnerability Index, the Falkenmark indicator, and Physical and Economic Water Scarcity Indicators. Currently, Pakistan is one of the countries where demand of water exceeds over available water supply with the giving of these 4 indicators. There are many reasons for Pakistan’s water scarcity, being increased populace, citified and computerization, climate change, unsatisfactory warehouse, residues in the existing tank, corrupt system efficiency, irrigational problem and traditional methods of farming, and insufficient finance. The possible alternatives to overcome these issues are the construction of small and large dams where possible, the construction proper irrigation system, improving the surface water governance with suitable pricing, controlling the increase in population, improving transportation, changing the existing harvesting patterns by accepting low delta crops and using saline groundwater, in conjunction with independently with salt accepting crops. Nevertheless, a unified approach is required to optimally use water resources.

Identification of land fertility and farmer income after an earthquake natural disaster

Liquefaction is a phenomenon where saturated sand and silt take on the characteristics of a liquid during the intense shaking of an earthquake. It takes place when a quake has increased water pressure in saturated soil and made particles in the soil lose contact with each other, making the soil, particularly sandy soil, act like a liquid. On September 28, 2018, an earthquake was occurred which caused liquefaction and a tsunami in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. This incident triggered a new phenomenon, namely liquefaction in several residential areas in Palu City, especially in the Balaroa and Petobo areas. The liquefaction phenomenon in Petobo Village caused changes in the shape of the land surface. The changes that occurred had an impact on decreasing soil fertility levels in the area along with low crop production and decreased farmer incomes. Soil fertility is a quality value of the soil's ability to provide nutrients for growth. This research aims to determine the level of fertility of agricultural land and the amount of farmer income as well as the best efforts to overcome changes in agricultural land after natural disasters. This research used a descriptive method with a population of all farmers living in the Petobo area affected by the earthquake and liquefaction. There were 25 informants who were determined using a purposive sampling technique. Soil samples were analyzed at the Soil Science laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University, Palu. The method used in this study is a direct survey method in the field, then continued soil sampling at several points according to the coordinate points carried out by purposive sampling techniques. The status of soil chemical properties at 4 sample points affected by liquefaction and 2 sample point not affected by liquefaction in Petobo Village, which classified as very low to very high. Areas affected by liquefaction had neutral to slightly alkaline soil pH content, very low to low C-organic content, very low N-total content, very high P-total content, low K-total content, and have medium to high CEC content. Meanwhile, areas that are not affected by liquefaction had neutral soil pH content, very low to low C-organic content, very low N-total content, very high P-total content, low K-total content, and have medium to high CEC. The low level of soil fertility in this area means that crop production is also low. Changes in the amount of income experienced by affected farmers who initially had around 77.26 USD- 186.71 USD/month declined to 61.16 USD-77.26/month. This is due to changes in the polarization of farmers' work. Actions that can be implemented to increase soil fertility are correct soil management, use of organic fertilizers such as compost, manure, harvest residues such as (legume plant stover, rice straw) and the addition of chemical fertilizers according to the dosage.

PSLBI-24 Optimizing crop byproduct inclusion in beef cattle diets: Utilization of wheat straw to improve operational economics and oilseed screenings as protein supplements

Abstract Inclusion of crop residues and byproducts in beef cattle diets has become a significant practice in beef cattle production as producers are faced with conventional feed shortages, increased prices, and disrupted supply chains. Wheat straw is a widely available crop byproduct in the western Canadian prairies whose inclusion in beef cattle diets has been prevented by its low nutritional content, necessitating supplementation strategies to enhance its nutritional value. The present study explored the effect of incorporating wheat straw in backgrounding cattle diets with canola or flax screening supplementation to improve the nutritional profile of the diet and determine the sustainability of such inclusion through cattle performance measurements. The experiment was a completely randomized design. Steers [n = 300; initial body weight (BW): 297 ± 18 kg] were randomly assigned to 5 treatment diets, each diet having 4 pen replicates (15 steers/pen); control (CTL), low straw canola (LSC), low straw flax (LSF), high straw canola (HSC) and high straw flax (HSF). The CTL diet was a conventional Western Canadian backgrounding diet (60% barley silage:40% dry rolled barley grain-based concentrate). Low straw diets had a 25% wheat straw inclusion and high straw diets had 50% wheat straw inclusion on a dry matter (DM) basis. Respective screenings were included at 12.50% inclusion of diet DM. The steers were fed for a total of 84 d divided into four periods of 21 d. Statistical analyses were performed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 with diet treatment included as a fixed effect and pen within diet as a random effect. Treatment means were compared using the LSMEANS statement adjusted for the Tukey-Kramer method. Final BW, total BW gain, average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed were greater (P < 0.001) for the CTL steers (Table 1). Dry matter intake (DMI) was greatest for CTL steers and decreased with increasing straw inclusion in the diet (P < 0.001). The type of screenings (canola or flax) did not affect (P > 0.05) steers final BW, total BW gain, ADG and gain:feed. Increasing the inclusion of wheat straw in backgrounding diets decreased growth performance parameters. The high level of neutral digestible fiber in wheat straw limited DMI and reduced growth performance compared with CTL steers. The addition of screenings to the diet provided protein content to offset the low nutritional value of the wheat straw; however, the different types of screenings did not result in a cattle performance advantage over the other. Although these findings demonstrate the challenges of including low nutritional crop byproducts, further research is needed to analyze the effects different diets have on operational economics, rumen fermentation parameters and greenhouse gas emissions to further outline any advantages or disadvantages.

The transcription factor ZmbHLH105 confers cadmium tolerance by promoting abscisic acid biosynthesis in maize

Cadmium (Cd), a highly toxic heavy metal, profoundly impacts crop productivity. The bHLH-type transcription factors regulate plant stress responses, yet their involvement in maize's Cd stress response remains unclear. Here, we studied ZmbHLH105, a maize bHLH gene induced by Cd exposure. Overexpression of ZmbHLH105 in maize seedlings, which were treated with 1.0 mM CdCl2 for 7 days, increased endogenous ABA levels, decreased Cd accumulation, and enhanced Cd stress tolerance. ZmbHLH105 directly bound to promoter regions of two key ABA biosynthesis genes ZmNCED1/2, activating their transcription, thus boosting ABA levels and Cd tolerance. ZmbHLH105-overexpression promoted lignin synthesis, while ZmbHLH105-RNAi attenuated this effect. Exogenous ABA supplementation increased lignin content in Cd-stressed maize roots, suggesting ZmbHLH105-mediated Cd tolerance involves ABA-induced lignin deposition and cell wall thickening. Moreover, Cd transport-related gene expression was suppressed in ZmbHLH105 overexpression lines. Our findings demonstrate that ZmbHLH105 decreases Cd accumulation, improving Cd tolerance by enhancing ABA biosynthesis, increasing lignin deposition, thickening cell walls, and inhibiting Cd absorption in maize roots. This study unveils ZmbHLH105's mechanisms in Cd tolerance, highlighting its potential in breeding low Cd-accumulating crops for food and environment safety.

Life cycle assessment of organic and conventional egg production: A case study in northern Italy

According to FAO projections, meat and fish production will have to increase by 70% by 2050 to meet the needs of the growing global population and its protein requirements. The poultry sector has been one of the most responsive industries to the growing demand for protein, with a significant increase in egg and chicken meat production. Although eggs are important foods in the human diet, environmental impacts and ethical aspects could also affect dietary choices. This study aimed to assess the environmental impacts of egg production, by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). More specifically, the study compared two different farming systems of conventional and organic egg production, with reference to two case studies in northern Italy. The results obtainedgenerally showed the conventional system to be more efficient compared to the organic system. For example, as regards the impact category of Fine particulate matter formation, the conventional system had a 28.6% lower impact than the organic system. Another major difference was in the Land use category, where the conventional system had an impact of 48.5% less than the organic system. The Organic Scenario showed some critical aspects, e.g. the need for a large agricultural area, low feed conversion rates and low crop yields. The two production scenarios showed that in terms of environmental impact, the main difference between organic and conventional egg production resides in feed production. I It is, therefore, essential to work on a low input formula, to substitutethe diet components with the greatest impact and adopt strategies to obtain an increase in yields and/or a reduction in resource consumption during the cultivation phase. The complete substitution of soybean with other local crops could reduce several impacts, including the one linked to transport. The further reduction of maize could also limit the expected impact.

Envirotyping helps in better understanding the root cause of success and limitations of rainfed production systems

The current diagnostic agronomy study of the Bankura region of West Bengal, India, examined the variations in crop yields through a socio-ecological analysis of multiple production system components. Envirotyping for root cause analysis was employed to delve into the variables that affect the performance of rainfed production systems. Mother Earth, man, machine, management, and materials (5Ms concept) were the five indicators under which the variables were grouped. Findings demonstrated the fragility of the region’s soils due to its undulating terrain, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and frequent drought scenarios. The LULC’s NDVI showed that the agricultural area is about 60% and 43% of the total geographical area in the Hirbandh and Ranibandh blocks, respectively. Soils are acidic and diagnosed with deficiency of both macro and micronutrients (phosphorous, sulfur, and boron) having poor water holding capacity (35 to 55 mm for a 50 cm soil depth). The sand and soil organic carbon contents ranged between 43.04%–82.32% and 0.17%–1.01%, respectively with a low bacterial population. These factors are the root cause for low cropping intensity (106%) and low paddy productivity (3,021 kg/ha). Overall, the study contributes to designing and scaling-up of sustainable landscape management practices that could ensure higher cropping intensity and system productivity in similar agro-ecologies with limited evidence.

Image classification of leaf disease in corn plants (Zea Mays L.) using the MobileNetV2 method

One of the main problems leading to low yields and possible crop failure in maize, a crop of great importance to human civilization, is that plant diseases are discovered and treated too late, leading to more severe diseases and even crop failure. Using photos taken from the Kaggle platform and some field shots, this research seeks to develop a classification system that can identify different types of diseases present on maize leaves. The disease types identified include Common Rust, Gray Leaf Spot, and Bacterial Leaf Blight. MobileNetV2 uses a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) design to handle resource-intensive processes. To produce a lightweight model, this CNN uses separate corner shifts. The dataset for this study was taken from field shooting and the Kaggle platform. The study found that the MobileNetV2 model clarified objects very well with 93.01% accuracy. This discovery will help farmers find diseases on corn leaves (Zea Mays L.).

Agrarian Distress in Indian Agriculture: Causes, Socio-economic Consequences and Coping Strategies

Agrarian distress is the economic, political and social challenges faced by the farmers and rural communities due to factors such as low crop yields, fluctuating prices of agricultural produce, high input costs, indebtedness, and lack of access to credit, markets, and infrastructure. Over 8,00,000 individuals are dies by suicide each year because of various reasons. More over the suicides are happening in the families whose own land is less than 1-2 hectares, who are in debt, have been identified the most at risk for suicide. The present article aims at better understanding of the causes, consequences and possible coping strategies for the agrarian distress in India. Causes such as fluctuations in crop sales, weather and climate conditions, dependent on natural resources, etc. are discussed in detail. Consequences of agrarian stress are suicides of farmers, rural migration, food insecurity, environmental impacts and so on. Solutions such as strengthening the forward markets, comprehensive crop insurance schemes for the framers where the non-MSP (Minimum Support Price) crops also may be covered, assured price to the farmers are discussed. Many researchers argued that farmers suicides are increasing but the research is limited in the specialised area of interest. In addition to that, researchers are focussing only on the socio-economic variables rather than the psychological variables. In order to mitigate the risks out of agrarian distress, farmers should be encouraged by the government and extension service providers to take up the subsidiary occupations and secondary agricultural occupations which helps them in getting profits in the situations where the crop damages due to the extreme weather patterns. As rightly pointed out by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), distress of the framers should have a long-term potential solution such as major reforms in the existing agricultural laws rather than farm loan waivers which acts as the short-term relief to the farmers.

Data-driven farming: implementing internet of things for agricultural efficiency

<p>Integrating internet of things (IoT) technology into agriculture has become essential to address challenges such as low crop productivity, which is often due to insufficient soil nutrients and suboptimal environmental conditions. This paper discusses the design and implementation of an IoT-based system for agriculture that aims to automate key parameters, facilitate real-time monitoring, and promote sustainable practices. Equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI), the system focuses on improving irrigation, regulating temperatures, and correcting soil nutrient deficiencies to improve crop productivity. Our research includes the use of humidity sensors to monitor soil moisture and temperature sensors. Soil nutrient levels, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), were also assessed. We conducted experiments on three radish varieties using this IoT system and compared the results with traditional farming methods. The germination rate was impressive, reaching 98% within the first four days, while in a traditional greenhouse, it did not exceed 50%. As for plant height and leaf area, the smart greenhouse was better. These results were promising and demonstrated the potential of IoT in enhancing agricultural productivity. These results highlight the significant impact of IoT technology in enhancing agricultural productivity and its potential for broader application in this sector.</p>

Escalating Global Threat of Heatwaves and Policy Options for Adaptation and Mitigation

This study evaluates the effects of intense and frequent heatwaves on human health, food security and infrastructure all having a direct bearing on sustainable development. It emphasizes that health issues such as cardiac and respiratory disorders, strokes, and mental health diseases are aggravated in harsh climates. This study focuses on the adverse implications of hot weather and the impact of said phenomenon on various fields of life. The aftermath of the excessive burning of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases have severely impacted the world by disrupting the economic stability of many countries around the globe. The heat waves are also responsible for low crop yield, fertilizer shortage and adverse impact on livestock. The intense and hot weather has not only caused power outages but also challenged infrastructure sustainability. The continuous usage of cooling systems is leading to urban heat islands adding more heat in the environment. This study highlights the challenges of climate change and brings attention to the need for sustainable development and practices to ensure proper heat management. After a deep insight into information and responses collected for the research, the study suggests some recommendations requiring all stakeholders including policymakers, implementing agencies, organizations and civil society to play their crucial role in devising and implementing suitable policy options and practices for adaptation and mitigation of climate change factors.

Assessing production, processing and utilization of sorghum in West Pokot County, Kenya

Sorghum is one of the most important and under-utilized cereal crops in the Arid and Semi-Arid land (ASAL) regions of Kenya. The crop is grown in drought-prone marginal agricultural areas of Western Central and Eastern and coastal regions of Kenya. The diverse biotic and abiotic constraints including climate changes reduce sorghum productivity. Sorghum technology generators continue promoting suitable management practices and innovations to cushion and improve the resilience of smallholder farmers against the adverse effects of climate change. These interventions contribute to the attainment of not only household and national food security but also enhance incomes. Despite the increasing sorghum production and utilization in West Pokot County, there is limited knowledge of the status of production, processing, and utilization technologies. The aim of this study was to assess the current sorghum production, processing, utilization technology, innovations, and management practices among smallholder farmers. A household survey was undertaken using a jointly developed structured questionnaire by a multi- and inter-disciplinary team of researchers. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 599 households were randomly selected and interviewed. Data collected were on household and farm characteristics including technologies. The study revealed that compared to maize and pasture, land allocated to sorghum enterprise was relatively low ranging from 0.32 acres to 0.80 acres with an average of 0.73 acres. The adoption of various sorghum technological components was also low. Adoption of improved sorghum varieties was less than 7% while fertilizer use was less than 20%. These contribute to low crop yields of about 140kg per acre. In addition, value addition was also low. Sorghum use was limited to ugali (56%) and porridge (39%) against the diverse value-added products including bread baking. and industrial processing of pure and blended products. More farmer and stakeholders training need to be done. In order to fully upgrade the sorghum value chain; there is the need to have targeted sorghum policies focusing on a range of activities along the value chain. These interventions could be integrated into the West Pokot County Integrated Development Plan. Key words: Sorghum, Production, Marketing, Utilization, Challenges, Opportunities, West Pokot

Breeding wheat for organic farming: Can the high grain protein gene Gpc-B1 help to tackle challenges in view of end-use quality?

Organic farming contributes to sustain healthy ecosystems, but challenges such as lower crop yields and supply of the nitrogen needs of crops remain. Wheat is the most important organic arable crop in Europe and grain protein content is the main quality trait also for grading organic wheat despite that high baking quality can be also realized at lower protein contents. Hence, breeding of organic wheat varieties that realize a stable high grain protein content even at lower nitrogen availability is of utmost importance to guarantee income of organic wheat growers. A major QTL for high grain protein content was identified in wild emmer and transferred into bread wheat. We tested six different wheat genetic backgrounds varying for the presence/absence of the functional Gpc-B1 allele in multi-location trials in Central Europe for their performance under organic growing. The increase in grain protein content caused by the functional Gpc-B1 allele was present in almost all genetic backgrounds, however, was not consistent across all tested quality traits. None the less, the functional Gpc-B1 allele may play a major role to increase the stability of organic wheat to reach minimum requirements by traders and processors with respect to grain protein content.

Drivers of land use land cover change and livelihood coping strategies in Sheka biosphere reserve; a case of Shato forest, Southwest Ethiopia

It is evident that the means of subsistence of the community have a significant impact on the management of natural resources. This study examined the socio-economic drivers of LULCC and assessed the impacts of such changes on rural livelihoods in Shato forest, southwest Ethiopia. To map the land use and land cover, supervised classifications were used. The data were collected from 358 household heads through semi-structured questionnaires. A logistic regression model was employed to investigate the dependence of rural households on forest resources. LULC analysis results showed that about 308.29 ha of wetland and 3215.6 ha of natural forest were converted to other land use types during the last 30 years. The findings reveal that a household’s education level, household size, distance from the market, total land owned, skills and social network significantly affect their dependency on forest resources. Respondents gave high rankings to covariates such as erratic rainfall (1.70), market price (1.53), low crop output (1.28), and inadequate infrastructure (1.24). These covariates force rural communities of the study area into two major livelihood diversification strategies. These were crop and income diversification. The study comes to conclude that, the extensive and imprudent use of natural resources is a result of changes in livelihood strategies to cope up with the aforementioned shocks. Thus, the decreasing nature of forest resources results in covariate shocks in the study area and needs serious intervention mechanisms to tackle this trajectory of catastrophe.

Assessing the current status of food security under climate variability and the role of household-level adaption strategies near Ghibe III hydroelectric dam, Ethiopia

The food security problem is exacerbated by low production and crop loss in many parts of the world and Ethiopia in particular. Prior literature less documented the role of innovative adaptation strategies to climate variability in ensuring food security. This study investigated the current status of food security and the role of adaptation strategies in the context of climate unpredictability in the Ghibe III dam area, in Southern Ethiopia. To achieve the intended objective, data were collected from 175 adapters and 209 non-adapters through multi-stage sampling using a questionnaire supplemented with key informant interviews and focus group discussions. A probit regression model was used to determine the factors affecting farmers’ adaptation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to evaluate the impact of the adaptation strategies on food security. Food security was measured by the food balance sheet model (HBSM)). The rainfall anomaly index and Mann–Kendall tests were employed for the analysis of rainfall and temperature. The findings showed that throughout 30 years, temperatures were rising while rainfall was falling. Receiving early warning weather systems, credit services, extension services, family size, and farm size had a significant impact on adaptation strategies at a 1% level. Adapters showed an increase in food security (7–9%) than non-adapters. Adapters consumed 2101.6 mean calories per day/adult equivalent compared to non-adapters who consumed 1151.5 kcal. Conservation agriculture and climate-resilient crop varieties should be implemented by farmers supported by local-level government bodies at large.