Staple Food For Millions Research Articles

Rice and its nutritional significance

Rice is a staple food for millions of populations in the world and originated from a wild grass to a crop. The Asian civilization was built on rice. The rice cultivation changed the lives of hunters into farmers. The domestication of rice in India dates back to the 7th millennium BC. Due to industrialization, the traditional practice of hand pounding was overtaken by rice processing mills, which led to the production of white polished rice, devoid of many nutrients. Studies confirmed that higher consumption of white rice increased the risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, high in India. In the current scenario, the disease prevalence is increasing, and customers are in search of nutritious foods with potential health benefits. This paper outlines the origin of rice and its nutritional value.

Comparative Effects of Water Scarcity on the Growth and Development of Two Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Genotypes with Different Geographic Origin (Mesoamerica/Andean).

Drought stress is widely recognized as a highly detrimental abiotic stress factor that significantly impacts crop growth, development, and agricultural productivity. In response to external stimuli, plants activate various mechanisms to enhance their resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress. The common bean, a most important legume according to the FAO, serves as a staple food for millions of people worldwide, due to its rich protein, carbohydrate, and fiber content, concurrently, and water scarcity is the main factor limiting common bean production. The process of domestication and on-farm conservation has facilitated the development of genotypes with varying degrees of drought stress resistance. Consequently, using landraces as biological material in research can lead to the identification of variants with superior resistance qualities to abiotic stress factors, which can be effectively integrated into breeding programs. The central scope of this research was to find out if different geographic origins of common bean genotypes can determine distinct responses at various levels. Hence, several analyses were carried out to investigate responses to water scarcity in three common bean genotypes, M-2087 (from the Mesoamerican gene pool), A-1988 (from the Andean gene pool) and Lechinta, known for its high drought stress resistance. Plants were subjected to different water regimes, followed by optical assessment of the anatomical structure of the hypocotyl and epicotyl in each group; furthermore, the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters and molecular data (quantification of the relative expression of the thirteen genes) were assessed. The three experimental variants displayed distinct responses when subjected to 12 days of water stress. In general, the Lechinta genotype demonstrated the highest adaptability and drought resistance. The M-2087 landrace, originating from the Mesoamerican geographic basin, showed a lower resistance to water stress, compared to the A-1988 landrace, from the Andean basin. The achieved results can be used to scale up future research about the drought resistance of plants, analyzing more common bean landraces with distinct geographic origins (Mesoamerican/Andean), which can then be used in breeding programs.

Genotype x Environment Interaction and Stability of Heading Time and Grain Yield of 12 Open Pollinated Sorghum Varieties across Different Agro-ecological Zones in Burkina Faso

Sorghum is the most important crop grown in Burkina Faso and is a staple food for millions of people in rural areas. However, sorghum grain production is mainly from local varieties which are low yielding. Introduced exotic varieties were high yielding but low adopted due to bad grain quality for local dishes. Therefore, it is important to popularize new varieties that meet farmer’s needs. We assessed the agronomic performance and stability of 12 sorghum varieties in different agro-ecological zones in Burkina Faso. Studies were conducted in one location (Kamboinse research station) during 2022 and in six locations (Farako-Bâ, Kamboinse, Fada, Sabou, Zoula and Andemtenga) during rainy season 2023. Twelve sorghum varieties including checks (Kapelga, ICSV 1049) were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with genotypes as studied factors. Agromorphological parameters along with midge damage and number of Striga plants were collected in all the sites. Genotypes, environments and genotype × environment interactions were significant for heading time and grain yield. The varieties had different heading times and different grain yields within environments and across the six environments. The GGE biplot discriminated the study areas into a unique mega-environment for heading time and three mega-environments for yield potential. The majority of varieties yielded more than the average sorghum yield in sub-Sahara Africa, however low yielding varieties were found in environments affected by biotic and abiotic constraints. Some high yielding varieties (Sariaso 43 = 3960.94 kg/ha, 014-SB-EPDU-1004 = 3681.64kg/ha, Sariaso 42 = 3478,52 kg/ha and Sariaso 39 = 3427.73 Kg/ha) were clearly identified in constraintless mega-environments of Kamboinse and Farako-Ba. In conclusion, the GGE biplot analysis revealed that Sariaso 43 was the best genotype that combined suitable heading time and high grain yield across environments. The best performing genotypes for heading time were Sariaso 39 and PR3009B for grain yield. Identified high yielding varieties will be submitted for released and cultivation in suitable agro climatic areas.

VARIATION IN CALLUS GROWTH AND IN VITRO REGENERATION AMONG CULTIVATED AND WILD WHEAT GENOTYPES UNDER INCREASING SALT STRESS CONDITIONS

Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated and important cereal crops globally, serving as a staple food for millions of people worldwide. However, wheat production is increasingly challenged by environmental stresses, particularly soil salinity. Developing salt-tolerant varieties is essential to enhance wheat yields in saline-prone regions, thereby ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability. This study evaluated the variations in salt stress tolerance among eight wheat genotypes, representing common wheat, durum wheat, and wild wheat, under in vitro culture conditions. Wheat calli, induced from immature embryos, were subjected to increasing NaCl concentrations in the culture media (0, 50, 100, 150 mM NaCl). Callogenesis rates, recorded after one month of in vitro culture during the induction phase, varied between 33% and 100%, with a significant effect of genotype. The Aegilops accessions showed the lowest callus weights at the end of the induction phase, while Vaga and Jenah Khotifa genotypes exhibited the highest biomass. Significant variations in callus growth and regeneration rates were observed among the studied genotypes under increasing salt stress levels. The obtained results indicated that the durum wheat variety Om Rabiaa, the common wheat variety Salambo, and the two wild accessions, especially MZ116, exhibited the highest salt stress tolerance potential among the studied wheat genotypes. Further investigations at transcriptomic and genomic levels are required to elucidate the molecular basis of their high tolerance to salt stress. These genotypes could be utilized to develop salt-tolerant cultivars, which is crucial in the context of global climate change, either through wheat breeding as donor parents or through genetic transformation strategies. Keywords:Triticum, Aegilops, Salt stress, Callogenesis, Plant regeneration, Selection

PSO BASED DEEP BELIEF NETWORKS LEARNING FOR IOT BASED CROP DISEASE DETECTION ON PADDY LEAVES USING CLOUD

The Internet of Things (IoT) with advanced machine learning techniques presents significant potential for agricultural applications, particularly in the domain of crop disease detection. Paddy, a staple food for millions, is highly susceptible to various diseases that can drastically affect yield and quality. Early and accurate disease detection is crucial for effective management and mitigation. Traditional methods are often labor-intensive and less reliable, underscoring the need for automated, accurate, and scalable solutions. The primary challenge lies in developing a robust system capable of accurately identifying diseases in paddy leaves using IoT-collected data. This task is complicated by the variability in disease manifestation and environmental conditions, which can affect the quality and consistency of the collected data. Efficient feature extraction and classification techniques are essential to address these issues and ensure high accuracy. This study proposes a novel approach combining Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for feature extraction with Deep Belief Networks (DBNs) for classification. IoT devices capture high-resolution images of paddy leaves, which are then processed in the cloud. PSO is employed to optimize the feature extraction process by selecting the most relevant features from the image data. These optimized features are fed into a DBN, which is trained to classify the images into healthy or diseased categories. The use of cloud computing ensures the scalability and computational efficiency of the system. The proposed method demonstrates significant improvements in accuracy and processing speed. The PSO-based feature extraction enhances the relevance of features, reducing the dimensionality and improving the DBN''s performance. Experimental results show an accuracy rate of 96.3%, with a reduction in processing time by 35% compared to traditional methods. The system''s precision and recall rates are 95.8% and 94.7%, respectively, highlighting its effectiveness in real-world applications.

Consumption pattern of millets among south Indian adults

Abstract Millets are the staple food for millions in Asian and several African countries. They are rich in dietary fiber, micronutrients, and beneficial phytochemicals. This study attempted to understand the consumption pattern of millets among south Indian adults in Chennai using a validated semi quantitative questionnaire which was administered telephonically. Purposive random sampling method was adopted for obtaining data from 100 millet consumers. The study results were analyzed using chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analysis. Equal percent of participants (41%) consumed millets 1-3 times a week and 1-3 times / month. Respondents considered millets nutritious and healthy as the main reason for consumption. Monthly income and family size significantly influenced frequency of consumption of millets. With reference to income groups, respondents belonging to income group >Rs. 50,000/month showed the highest percentage of frequency of consumption of millets, when compared to other income groups. Most consumers felt millets were affordable. Kali (stiff porridge/balls, kanji (porridge), pongal, upma, and biscuits were the most sought-after choices. Majority of the consumers combined other grains especially pulses in millet preparations such as pongal and kichidi. Finger millet preparations were the most commonly consumed millet-based preparation among all income groups or it could be concluded that consumers have a positive attitude toward millets for consumption and voiced the need for development of ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat value-added millet products such as millet dosa batter, noodles, flakes, breads, and millet-based beverages , for promoting consumers’ health and fitness.

AlexNet-Based Feature Extraction for Cassava Classification: A Machine Learning Approach

Cassava, a significant crop in Africa, Asia, and South America, is a staple food for millions. However, classifying cassava species using conventional color, texture, and shape features is inefficient, as cassava leaves exhibit similarities across different types, including toxic and non-toxic varieties. This research aims to overcome the limitations of traditional classification methods by employing deep learning techniques with pre-trained AlexNet as the feature extractor to accurately classify four types of cassava: Gajah, Manggu, Kapok, and Beracun. The dataset was collected from local farms in Lamongan Indonesia. To collect images with agricultural research experts, the dataset consists of 1,400 images, and each type of cassava has 350 images. Three fully connected (FC) layers were utilized for feature extraction, namely fc6, fc7, and fc8. The classifiers employed were support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and Naive Bayes. The study demonstrated that the most effective feature extraction layer was fc6, achieving an accuracy of 90.7% with SVM. SVM outperformed KNN and Naive Bayes, exhibiting an accuracy of 90.7%, sensitivity of 83.5%, specificity of 93.7%, and F1-score of 83.5%. This research successfully addressed the challenges in classifying cassava species by leveraging deep learning and machine learning methods, specifically with SVM and the fc6 layer of AlexNet. The proposed approach holds promise for enhancing plant classification techniques, benefiting researchers, farmers, and environmentalists in plant species identification, ecosystem monitoring, and agricultural management.

Target genes utilized for drought tolerance enhancement in maize

Among the most widely grown cereal crops is maize, which is a staple food for millions of people worldwide. It is primarily used for human consumption in various forms, animal feed, and industrial applications. In many countries like Mexico, Africa, and South America, it is the main source of calories in their daily diet, making it crucial for food security. Many nations worldwide are more at risk of drought as global warming continues to accelerate. One of the major hurdles to food production in the twenty-first century and a serious threat to our present and future food security is a water crisis. Crop failure due to water scarcity can put millions of lives at risk. Along with traditional breeding, transgenic approaches are an essential tool in modern plant breeding. They allow the introduction of beneficial genes from other organisms or within the same organism to improve plant characteristics. This review focuses on specific genes that are stably expressed and tested for drought tolerance in maize. Several genes have been identified as potential targets for improving drought tolerance in maize. Although mechanisms of target genes overlap to some extent, we attempted to divide the selected research articles according to the mechanism of the targeted gene into categories and reviewed them.

Expected yield and economic improvements of a yam seed system in West Africa using agro‐physiological modelling

Societal Impact StatementYam is a major tropical root crop and a staple food for millions of people in West Africa. The model used in this study shows that promoting the use of improved seed tubers would help increase yields and profitability for farmers. This could lead to improved food security, increased income and higher standards of living. Additionally, the model serves as a useful decision‐support tool for farmers and technicians to choose, depending on the species, the optimum seed‐tuber weight and planting date. This study provides agronomic arguments to justify investments in the improvement of yam planting materials in West Africa.Summary Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a major tropical root crop, grown mainly in West Africa using traditional extensive techniques. Farmers typically reuse seed tubers by setting aside up to 30% of their production for the next season, leading to high planting material variability that affects yields. Several initiatives aim to promote the use of improved seed tubers. However, to help their adoption, it is necessary to quantify the agronomic and economic advantages. To address this, a model for individual plant growth and development was developed based on six experiments in Benin from 2007 to 2009. This model simulates the combined effect of emergence (through photoperiod and temperature) and seed‐tuber weight on yam plant growth and development. Its predictions were highly correlated with observed plant tuber yield (R2 > 0.83). Results highlight the crucial role of key processes such as seed‐tuber physiological age and photoperiod sensitivity. The study shows that for the traditional planting dates, the use of improved planting material could lead to a yield increase of 22%–27% and a gain in profitability of 30% and 40% for Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea rotundata, respectively. The model proved to be a useful decision‐support tool for choosing an optimum seed‐tuber weight, depending on the species and the planting date. This study validates investments in yam seed systems in West Africa. However, beyond seed size and health, other factors such as dormancy, storage time and their management need to be considered to address emergence heterogeneity and its impact on yield.

Linking indigenous with scientific knowledge about enset (Ensete ventricosum) disease management in Gamo highlands of Ethiopia: Evidence from local people response, soil physicochemical and microbial dynamics

CONTEXTEnset (Ensete ventricosum) is a staple food for millions in Ethiopia and characterized by climate resilient crop, but enset bacterial wilt (EBW) disease caused by Xanthomonas is the major threat to enset growing regions in the country that puts the food security of smallholder farmers at risk. Enset is a drought tolerant plant used for nutritional, medicinal and cultural activities for over 20 million people in Ethiopia. However, enset bacterial wilt (EBW) disease is a serious challenge. Although there is a good EBW disease management system from local people, the link between indigenous and scientific knowledge is not explored. OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to assess indigenous-scientific knowledge nexus about enset (Ensete ventricosum) disease management in Gamo highlands of Ethiopia using data generated from local people response, soil physicochemical and microbial dynamics. METHODSSamples (soil and plant) were collected from different farm sites (with no enset, with enset and with enset-medicinal) at three districts for physicochemical, antibacterial and microbial analysis. We considered various physicochemical parameters (moisture, temperature, pH, macro- and micro-nutrients); extracted phytochemical compounds from medicinal plant leaves using different solvents (water, ethanol, methanol and n-hexane); and 16S rRNA gene sequence using Illumina sequencing technique. RESULTS And CONCLUSIONSWe found that farmers have no knowledge gap in classifying healthy enset from sick/infected one. However, farmers were unable to classify the different stages of infected enset. Farmers were able to recognize that farm tool > animals > plant debris > air as a means of disease transmission. Nearly all respondents (97.3%) did not use chemicals to control EBW, rather they remove infected enset by uprooting. We found that farm tool cleaning, crop rotation, wrapping, bone smoking, and inter-planting medicinal plants were the main local EBW disease management practices employed by farmers. Medicinal plant extracts (E. abyssinica > D. afromontana > P. fruticosus) showed promising antibacterial activity (1.33 ± 0.28–8.81 ± 0.32 mm) against Xanthomonas. Planting medicinal plants with enset also significantly enhanced some soil physicochemical parameters and shifted the soil bacterial abundance from Proteobacteria to Firmicutes. Although indigenous practice enhanced soil physicochemical parameters and non-pathogenic microbial community in the soil, integrating it with modern knowledge (applying chemicals) were recommended as an effective EBW management strategy. SIGNIFICANTSoil physicochemical and microbial shift due to inter-planting medicinal plants with enset indicates that medicinal plants may have means of protection against EBW disease through optimizing soil physicochemical and microbial dynamics in the Gamo highlands. Additionally, the inhibition of medicinal plants against Xanthomonas suggests the inclusive influence of medicinal plants on the EBW causing bacteria.

Cassava production in africa: A panel analysis of the drivers and trends

Cassava is Africa's most important tuberous crop. It is an all-year-round cheap and reliable staple food for millions of Africans, making it vital for food security on the continent. However, cassava production in Africa is hindered by a persistent problem of low yield per hectare. This study addresses the dearth of research on the specific influences of area harvested and yield per hectare on cassava production in Africa. This work uses panel data from 37 African countries from 1961 to 2020 and sheds light on three key aspects. Firstly, it investigates the extent and nature of the low yield per hectare problem, offering insights into its underlying causes and implications. Secondly, it examines the interplay between area harvested and yield per hectare, revealing the factors driving the observed trends in cassava yields on the continent. Lastly, this study contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 15: Life on Land and Goal 2: Zero Hunger, by providing valuable information to enhance cassava production sustainability. The findings indicate that approximately 95.6% of the variability in production can be explained by changes in the area harvested, around 1.1% by yield variability, about 27.6% by consumer price index and 1.8% by temperature changes. Notably, the study observes a significant increase in the area harvested by 16.8 million hectares and average yield levels varied between 5.7 and 9.6 tonnes per hectare. The analysis also reveals a disparity in translating gains from disease eradication and introducing high-yield, disease-resistant varieties into smallholder cassava farming. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential for sustainable intensification of cassava production as a viable pathway to enhance absolute and per-hectare yields while promoting farmers’ income and mitigating cassava cultivation-related deforestation. Understanding and addressing the low yield per hectare problem in cassava production are crucial steps toward ensuring food security and achieving sustainable agricultural practices in Africa.

Efficacy of Herbicides on Weed Control & Growth Parameter on Wheat

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally significant crop and a staple food for millions of people. Weed infestation is one of the major constraints affecting wheat productivity worldwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF as a post-emergence herbicide against predominant weeds in wheat crops. Wheat is a globally significant crop and a staple food for millions of people. Weed infestation is a major constraint affecting wheat productivity. The study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design with three replications and a total of 11 treatments. The herbicide treatments were applied using foliar spray at different doses. Weed control efficiency was evaluated at 30, 45, and 60 days after herbicide application.
 The results showed that the highest weed control efficiency was observed in the weed-free plot, followed by the treatment with Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF at a dose of 800 g/ha. This treatment provided significant control against different weed species such as Phalaris minor, Avena ludoviciana, and Chenopodium album. The herbicide treatments showed varying degrees of control efficiency, with some treatments performing better than others.
 These findings highlight the importance of weed management for increasing wheat crop production. The judicious use of herbicides, such as Carfentrazone ethyl 5% + Clodinafop propargyl 15% DF, can effectively control weeds and contribute to higher yields. However, further research and field trials are necessary to optimize the herbicide application and determine its long-term effects on wheat crops. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for effective weed control strategies to enhance wheat productivity and meet the demands of a growing population.

Measure of indigenous perennial staple crop, Ensete ventricosum, associated with positive food security outcomes in southern Ethiopian highlands

Enset-based food systems are unique to southern Ethiopia where they serve as a staple food for millions of households. Enset, a banana relative of which the entire pseudostem and corm are edible, possesses a highly unusual combination of crop traits including perenniality, highly flexible planting and harvest times, and tolerance of a very wide range of environmental conditions, which together earn it the local name of “the tree against hunger.” Previous studies have identified the strategic food security value of mature enset stands for household food security, but a multisector panel data set makes identifying wider enset food security associations tractable for the first time. We assess whether household data on area of mature enset is associated with four indicators of food security together with demographic, asset, and consumption covariates. We find that area of mature enset significantly improves estimates for three of four food security indicators, thus improving our understanding of the role of understudied indigenous crops. Consistent and reliable food security indicators are needed to improve monitoring, particularly with regard to stability. Variance components of multilevel longitudinal models indicate that exposure to both idiosyncratic and covariate disturbance affects food security stability in a way that is consistent with reports of enset acting as both a food security buffer and an active adaptation strategy in the face of shocks or change. Here we show that living assets comprising culturally relevant indigenous crops such as enset can improve accuracy of food insecurity assessments, which may encourage wider investigation of other agrifood system-specific asset-like natural stores of value associated with food security and resilience.

Ascorbic Acid Content and Antioxidant Activities of White and Brown Teff [Eragrostic tef (Zucc.)Trotter] Grains and Injera.

Teff [Eragrostis tef (Zuccagni) Trotter] is a cereal grain originating in Ethiopia as a staple food for millions of people. Its grain is a gluten-free superfood and got acceptance as a medicinal ingredient. Therefore, it is worthwhile to determine the antioxidative activities and L-ascorbic acid contents of teff grain and its baked food (injera). This study aimed to determine the ascorbic acid contents and antioxidant activities in the aqueous extract of the white and brown teff grains and their injera samples using iodimetric titration and UV-Vis spectrophotometric methods, respectively. The ascorbic acid contents in the white and brown teff ranged from 67.9-112.6 mg/100 g and 69.2-117.2 mg/100 g, respectively, and those in injera of the selected teff samples ranged from 30.5-32.9 mg/100 g and 37.3-43.0 mg/100 g, respectively. The antioxidant activities ranged from 1.26-7.04 μmol AAE/g for the white teff grains, 1.44-6.29 μmol AAE/g for the brown teff grains, 1.81-2.47 μmol AAE/g for white teff injera, and 3.89-4.86 μmol AAE/g for the brown teff injera samples. Findings of the present study have revealed that white teff and brown teff grains and their injera were found to have a higher content of ascorbic acid than commonly consumed grains and vegetables. No significant difference (α = 0.05) has been observed between the two varieties of teff grains with respect to the ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activities. However, there was a statistically significant difference (α = 0.05) in the ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activities between the teff grains and their injera samples. Therefore, this study indicated that teff grains and injera are rich in ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activities as compared to other cereal grains and are very crucial for human nutrition and health.

Energy efficient farm mechanization for small and marginal farmers

Rice is one of the important crops and staple food for millions of people in India and world. In India, it is cultivated in 45.07 million ha which is largest area under rice cultivation in the world. However, the productivity of rice in India is less in comparison to Egypt and China. Rice crop is cultivated by conventional practices in India. These practices require high inputs which adversely affects the natural resources i.e. soil, water and climate in the form of soil degradation, ground water depletion and air pollution. Rice farming is negatively affected by these environmental degenerative factors. The development and adoption of new technologies are imperative to reduce these environmental degenerative factors of rice farming. These technologies enhance the production by efficient and precise application of inputs such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals and irrigation water. It ultimately lowers the cost of production. The aim of this paper is to provide information about available improved machineries and technologies for pre-harvest operations of rice crop. The high capacity machinery such as rice transplanters, combines, etc are to be used on custom hiring and for contractual field operations. There is a need for assured mechanised services to farmers and guaranteed business to service providers for paddy nursery raising, mechanised transplanting and combine harvesting.

Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources: An Overview of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Worldwide Collections

The collection and conservation of chickpea and lentil germplasm has great importance due to their role as a staple food for millions of people. Nowadays, the largest chickpea collection, 41.2% of the total accessions, is held by ICRISAT, while the main lentil collection is stored by ICARDA. The main fraction of both collections is constituted by Indian landraces. In recent decades, several efforts have been made to integrate all genebanks into a global conservation system of plant genetic resources. The release of informatics platforms allowed the creation of virtual genebanks, which are powerful tools routinely consulted by germplasm users. The information available for the chickpea and lentil accessions included in the Genesys and EURISCO platforms has been taken into consideration in this mini review. This review also presents and discusses the strengths and drawbacks of the worldwide collections of both species emerging from the analysis of data obtained by enquiring these two platforms. The availability of core collections is of great utility for germplasm users, while the lack of origin and biological status for a significant fraction of accessions are the main drawbacks. Moreover, this review highlights the necessity of sharing as much as possible of the non-omic and omic characterization data.

Selenate fertilization of sorghum via foliar application and its effect on nutrient content and antioxidant metabolism

Since sorghum is the staple food for millions of people, coinciding with areas where selenium (Se) deficiency occurs, biofortification with Se in sorghum can considerably improve Se intake in humans living in these areas. In this study, the objective was to evaluate the response of sorghum plants to Se biofortification and the effect of Se foliar application through sodium selenate on grain yield, antioxidant system, and mineral content. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design in a 4 × 8 factorial scheme, with four Se doses (control - without Se application; 0.125, 0.250, and 0.500 mg plant-1 of Se by sodium selenate) and eight cultivars (BM737, BRS310, Enforcer, K200, Nugrain320, Nugrain420, Nugrain430, and SHS410) and four replicates, totaling 128 experimental plots. The highest grain yield was observed in Nugrain420 and Nugrain430 with 0.250 mg plant-1 of Se. Selenium efficiency absorption in K200 was higher with 0.125 mg plant-1 of Se. Selenium improves the antioxidant metabolism and mineral content of the studied cultivars. The application of 0.125 mg plant-1 of Se caused lower H2O2 content in the K200, increased lipid peroxidation in BRS310 and provided the highest activity of ascorbate peroxidase in SHS410. The catalase activity was higher with 0.500 mg plant-1 of Se in BRS 310. Therefore, sorghum plants respond positively to the Se foliar application, and the ingestion of sorghum grains biofortified with Se can provide Se for humans and animals.

Integrated Pest Management System of Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) in Ethiopia:A Review

Enset is an important root crop widely used as a staple food for millions of peoples in Ethiopia. Despite its dominant production in southern and western parts of the county, diverse diseases and insect pests are challenging its production and productivity in Ethiopia. Hence this short review was aimed to discuss the IPM system developed to control the potential Enset pests in different production areas of Ethiopia. Hence, enset is a root crop that is highly susceptible to different microbial diseases and insect pest problems. Bacterial wilt is a major devastating disease causing important economic losses and can lead up to killing the whole plant parts that are commonly observed around enset growing areas of the country. Enset root mealy bag is also an important insect pest found on the upper half of the corm and root parts of enset which can retard the plant growth and causes to dry outer parts of the leaf that might be leading to causes the plant death. However, most of the growers are practicing different controlling mechanisms against both the potential diseases and insect pests of the crop. Due to the chemical control methods needs the cost of purchase and usage on root mealybug has usually not effective, the growers are wide uses an integrated method of pest management systems with their indigenous knowledge to prevent the disease and insect introduction to the enset field and to control already infected plants. Hence, using host plant resistant method, cultural controlling method, biological controlling method, and finally uses of chemical controlling option are the IPM component practiced by enset growers in Ethiopia. The IPM system is not only an optional method but necessitates the management systems against the potential pest due to environmentally friend, cost-effective, and alternative options to various behaviors of pests. However, breeding of pest-resistant Enset genotype and adoption of successful IPM controlling methods to all enset growing areas need further work to alleviate the encountered challenges on enset growing sector in Ethiopia Keywords: Bacterial Wilt Disease; Biological Control Method; Chemical Control Method; Cultural Control Methods; Enset Root Mealy Bug; Pest Infestation DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-9-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

Integrated Major Pest Management Systems of Enset (<i>Ensete ventricosum </i>(Welw.) Cheesman) in Ethiopia

Enset is an important root crop widely used as a staple food for millions of people in Ethiopia. Despite to enset is dominantly produced in southern and south western parts of the county, diverse diseases and insect pests are challenging its growth and productivity at these production areas. Hence, this review was aimed to discuss the integrated pest management (IPM) system that used to control the major enset pests (disease and inset) in different production areas of Ethiopia. Enset is a root crop that is highly susceptible to different kinds of diseases and insect pest problems. Enset Bacterial wilt (EBW) is a major devastating disease causing important economic losses and can lead up to killing the whole plant parts that are commonly observed around enset growing areas of the country. Enset root mealybug is also a major insect found on the upper half of the corm and root parts of enset which can retard the plant growth and causes to dry the outer parts of the leaf that might finally leading to the plant death. However, most of enset growers are practicing different controlling mechanisms against these major enset diseases and insect pests around the production areas. Due to the chemical controlling method needs the cost of purchase and usage on root mealybug has usually not effective, the producers are widely uses an IPM systems incorporating with their indigenous knowledges to prevent the major disease and insect introduction to the enset field and to control an already infected plant. Hence, the enset producers mainly uses the IPM components like the host plant resistance, the cultural controlling system, the biological controlling system, and the chemical controlling system as the last option to manage their enset farms in Ethiopia. These IPM components are not only an optional pest controlling methods but necessitate its practice against the major pest problems due to environmentally friend, cost-effective, and alternative options to various behaviors of pests. However, breeding for pest-resistant enset genotype and adoption of successful IPM controlling mechanisms to all enset growing areas need further work to alleviate the encountered challenges on the enset production areas in Ethiopia.

Increasing sustainability for rice production systems

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food for millions of people in Asia and the world; however, it is also the largest consumer of freshwater resources worldwide. More than 75% of the world's rice is grown under flooded conditions. However, the long-term sustainability of this flooded system is threatened by the rapid changes in climatic events causing erratic rainfall and abiotic stresses, looming water and energy crisis, low nitrogen use efficiency, increasing micronutrient deficienties, increasing labor costs and reduced labor availability, increased methane emissions, yield stagnation, and the negative effects of rice crops on post-rice crops. The narrow genetic background in rice has also slowed the pace of breeding rice cultivars tolerant to abiotic and biotic stresses which has resulted in yield stagnation. While direct-seeded rice has become popular in developed countries, saving water and labor resources and reducing methane emissions, developing countries in Asia struggle to disseminate direct seeding technologies due to the lack of government support and policy. Weed management in direct seeded rice is still a major bottle neck in wide scale adoption of this rice system in developing world. Mechanical transplanting of rice is gaining momentum in Asia, reducing labor requirements, ensuring timely transplantation, and saving water during initial growth. Nonetheless, government support and strong policy are needed to boost its uptake by providing subsidies to purchase mechanical transplanters and training farmers to use this technology. With deteriorating soil health due to continuous cultivation of rice with cereals in rotation, overuse of synthetic fertilizers, and increased co-occurrence of abiotic and biotic stresses in rice, there is a need to adopt integrated crop management techniques, and to identify genes of interest and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for their introgression into desired plants. These interventions will improve the improve biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in rice. There is also a need for extensive campaign and policy support from the government to force farmers to harvest their rice crops using specific rice harvesters that can save the yield losses that occur when using wheat combine harvesters—a common practice in many developing countries.