scholarly journals Progress and Challenges in Ex Situ Conservation of Forage Germplasm: Grasses, Herbaceous Legumes and Fodder Trees

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Hanson ◽  
Richard Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Security Requirements ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Fodder Trees ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Livestock Feed ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Increasing Demand

Forages provide an important livestock feed resource globally, particularly for millions of smallholder farmers, and have important roles in natural resource management and carbon sequestration, reducing soil erosion and mitigating the effects of climate change. Forage germplasm remains the basis for the selection and development of new, higher-yielding and better adaptedgenotypes to meet the increasing demand for livestock feed. Rapid rates of genetic erosion of forage diversity due to land-use change from natural pastures and rangelands to crop production to meet the food security requirements of a growing global population, together with pressures from a changing climate, highlight the necessity for ex situ seed conservation of forage genetic resources to provide germplasm for use by future generations. Whilst many forage species have orthodox seeds, the diverse range of genera and species which provide forage is a challenge in terms of the wide scope of information and understanding on conservation methods that genebank managers require—particularly for tropical forages, many of which are comparatively under-researched. We review the challenges to the conservation of tropical forage species by seed in ex situ genebanks and provide information on optimum methods for their management.

scholarly journals Agricultural Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Markose Chekol Zewdie ◽  
Michele Moretti ◽  
Daregot Berihun Tenessa ◽  
Zemen Ayalew Ayele ◽  
Jan Nyssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Approach ◽  
Small Scale Irrigation

In the past decade, to improve crop production and productivity, Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious irrigation farming expansion program and has introduced new large- and small-scale irrigation initiatives. However, in Ethiopia, poverty remains a challenge, and crop productivity per unit area of land is very low. Literature on the technical efficiency (TE) of large-scale and small-scale irrigation user farmers as compared to the non-user farmers in Ethiopia is also limited. Investigating smallholder farmers’ TE level and its principal determinants is very important to increase crop production and productivity and to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihood and food security. Using 1026 household-level cross-section data, this study adopts a technology flexible stochastic frontier approach to examine agricultural TE of large-scale irrigation users, small-scale irrigation users and non-user farmers in Ethiopia. The results indicate that, due to poor extension services and old-style agronomic practices, the mean TE of farmers is very low (44.33%), implying that there is a wider room for increasing crop production in the study areas through increasing the TE of smallholder farmers without additional investment in novel agricultural technologies. Results also show that large-scale irrigation user farmers (21.05%) are less technically efficient than small-scale irrigation user farmers (60.29%). However, improving irrigation infrastructure shifts the frontier up and has a positive impact on smallholder farmers’ output.

scholarly journals An Alternative Approach for the Synthesis of Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 4275
Author(s):  
Tobias Sitz ◽  
Hendrik Domey ◽  
Judith Fischer ◽  
Sascha Rohn
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Functional Foods ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Increasing Demand

Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) is a glycolipid ubiquitously found in photosynthetically active organisms. It has attracted much attention in recent years due to its biological activities. Similarly, the increasing demand for vegan and functional foods has led to a growing interest in micronutrients such as sulfolipids and their physiological influence on human health. To study this influence, reference materials are needed for developing new analytical methods and providing enough material for model studies on the biological activity. However, the availability of these materials is limited by the difficulty to isolate and purify sulfolipids from natural sources and the unavailability of chemical standards on the market. Consequently, an alternative synthetic route for the comprehensive preparation of sulfolipids was established. Here, the synthesis of a sulfolipid with two identical saturated fatty acids is described exemplarily. The method opens possibilities for the preparation of a diverse range of interesting derivatives with different saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

scholarly journals Can Enhancing Efficiency Promote the Economic Viability of Smallholder Farmers? A Case of Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4235
Author(s):  
Silvia Saravia-Matus ◽  
T. S. Amjath-Babu ◽  
Sreejith Aravindakshan ◽  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Jimmy A. Saravia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Smallholder Farming

By developing meta-frontier efficiency and structural equation models, the paper examines whether farm economic viability is positively associated with technical efficiency in a highly food insecure context, such as that of rural Sierra Leone. The findings show that technical efficiency can be a sufficient but not necessary condition in determining economic viability of smallholder farming. It is possible to breach reproductive thresholds at the cost of reduced technical efficiency, when the crop diversification strategy of smallholders includes market-oriented high-value crops. This calls for a dual policy approach that addresses farmers’ internal needs for self-consumption (increasing efficiency of food crop production) while encouraging market-oriented cash crop production (diversification assisted through the reduction of associated transaction costs and the establishment of accessible commercialization channels of export related crops and/or high-value crops). The work also calls out for a move-up or move-out strategy for small holders to create viable farming systems in developing world.

Participatory soil quality assessment: The case of smallholder farmers in Ethiopian highlands

Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teklu Erkossa ◽  
Karl Stahr ◽  
Thomas Gaiser
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Soil Functions ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Soil Quality Assessment

The study was conducted at Caffee Doonsa (08°88′N, 39°08′E; 2400 m asl), a small watershed in the central highlands of Ethiopia, in order to identify farmers’ goals of soil management and the indicators they use in selecting soils for a certain function, and to categorise the soils in different quality groups with respect to the major functions. Thirty-six male farmers of different age and wealth groups participated in a Participatory Rural Appraisal technique. They listed and prioritised 12 soil functions in the area and itemised the soil quality indicators (characteristics). Based on the indicators, the soils in the watershed were classified into 3 soil quality (SQ) groups (Abolse, Kooticha, and Carii). The SQ groups have been evaluated and ranked for the major soil functions. For crop production, Abolse was graded best, followed by Kooticha and Carii, respectively. The grain and straw yield data of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) taken from the SQ groups confirmed the farmers claim, in that Abolse gave the highest grain yield (4573 kg/ha), followed by 4411 and 3657 kg/ha for Kooticha and Carii, respectively. Local insights should be included in systematic soil quality assessment, and in planning and implementation of various soil management interventions.

The systematic collection and characterisation of herbaceous forage species for recharge and discharge environments in southern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Hughes ◽  
R. Snowball ◽  
K. F. M. Reed ◽  
B. Cohen ◽  
K. Gajda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resource ◽  
Dryland Salinity ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Comprehensive Collection ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
New Germplasm ◽  
Herb Species ◽  
Systematic Collection

Australian temperate pasture Genetic Resource Centres (GRCs) co-ordinated a major program to introduce and screen herbaceous forage species. This program aims to expand the environments where such species could reduce recharge and manage discharge for the control of dryland salinity in southern Australia. The sustainability of agriculture, in Australia especially, depends on continued access to new germplasm to enable plant breeders to continue crop and forage improvement. The GRCs supported the selection and identification of promising new legume, grass and herb species as part of a national pasture evaluation program. In total, 671 species and 21 non-species-specific genera were identified as having potential to increase water use profitability of recharge lands and to improve the productivity of saline lands across a diverse range of agricultural environments in southern Australia. Through a series of activities, 201 of these species, representing legumes, herbs and grasses were identified as promising. These were then disseminated for evaluation in a range of environments across southern Australia. The progress of selected species was monitored and germplasm of the most promising 11 species and three leguminous genera was targeted for intensive acquisition and characterisation as the basis for selection and breeding. In addition to the identification and dissemination of promising species of immediate potential, a comprehensive collection of 544 native and exotic, wild and cultivated pasture species was conserved and is now available to service future plant improvement programs.

Irrigation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Growing Medium ◽  
Increasing Demand

Abstract Crop production in many regions has been reliant on irrigation for almost as long as man has been cultivating plant life. For 6000 years, irrigation has ranked among the most powerful tools of human advancement (Postel, 1999), and by the start of the 21st century no less than 75% of the world's fresh water was in use for agricultural production (Levy and Coleman, 2014). In 2012, twenty percent of total cultivated land was under irrigation, contributing forty percent of the total food production worldwide, this represented 275 million hectares under actual irrigation with a total of 324 million hectares equipped for irrigation (FAO, 2016). Irrigation, which can be defined as 'the artificial application of water to land, soil or other growing medium for the purposes of crop growth', has become a global issue in more recent times as the increasing demand for fresh water has seen problems develop with water scarcity, quality issues and conflict over usage.

scholarly journals CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE: FARMER PERCEPTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING OF INTRA-SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED RISK IN SEMI-ARID KENYA

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. C. RAO ◽  
W. G. NDEGWA ◽  
K. KIZITO ◽  
A. OYOO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Climate Variability And Change ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Probabilistic Nature ◽  
Semi Arid

SUMMARYThis study examines farmers’ perceptions of short- and long-term variability in climate, their ability to discern trends in climate and how the perceived trends converge with actual weather observations in five districts of Eastern Province in Kenya where the climate is semi-arid with high intra- and inter-annual variability in rainfall. Field surveys to elicit farmers’ perceptions about climate variability and change were conducted in Machakos, Makueni, Kitui, Mwingi and Mutomo districts. Long-term rainfall records from five meteorological stations within a 10 km radius from the survey locations were obtained from the Kenya Meteorological Department and were analysed to compare with farmers’ observations. Farmers’ responses indicate that they are well aware of the general climate in their location, its variability, the probabilistic nature of the variability and the impacts of this variability on crop production. However, their ability to synthesize the knowledge they have gained from their observations and discern long-term trends in the probabilistic distribution of seasonal conditions is more subjective, mainly due to the compounding interactions between climate and other factors such as soil fertility, soil water and land use change that determine the climate's overall influence on crop productivity. There is a general tendency among the farmers to give greater weight to negative impacts leading to higher risk perception. In relation to long-term changes in the climate, farmer observations in our study that rainfall patterns are changing corroborated well with reported perceptions from other places across the African continent but were not supported by the observed trends in rainfall data from the five study locations. The main implication of our findings is the need to be aware of and account for the risk during the development and promotion of technologies involving significant investments by smallholder farmers and exercise caution in interpreting farmers’ perceptions about long-term climate variability and change.

scholarly journals Ensuring Sustainability of Kacip Fatimah (Labisia Pumila) Through Ex-Situ Conservation

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47
Author(s):  
Farah Fazwa Md Ariff ◽  
Norhayati Saffie ◽  
Syafiqah Nabilah Samsul Bahari ◽  
Mohamad Zaki Abdullah ◽  
Mohd Asri Lias
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Breeding Strategy ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Labisia Pumila ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Planting Materials ◽  
Over Exploitation

Labisia pumila or locally known as Kacip Fatimah of the family Myrsinaceae is one of the popular herbal species in Malaysia. The leaves or the whole plant are being traditionally used to treat women internal problem and health. Other medicinal uses of the plant are as a treatment for dysentery, flatulence, dysmenorrhoea and gonorrhoea. The increasing demand of the plants for those usages has lead to the over-exploitation in the wild and might endanger the species if no conservation activities are being carried out. Beside the danger of extinction, the species also experience severe genetic loss and shortage of raw materials. Realizing to this, Plant Improvement Programme of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) has taken an initiative to ex-situ conserve the species through the establishment of germplasm and development of breeding strategy. The purpose is to avoid extinction of the species and to produce high quality planting materials for commercial production. This paper discusses the collection, selection, propagation and establishment of clonal bank/germplasm of the species. It is anticipated that with the initiative, the sustainability of the species can be ensured to support the industries demand in the future.

scholarly journals In vitro performance in cotton plants with different genetic backgrounds: the case of Gossypium hirsutum in Mexico, and its implications for germplasm conservation

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Hernández-Terán ◽  
Ana Wegier ◽  
Mariana Benítez ◽  
Rafael Lira ◽  
Tania Gabriela Sosa Fuentes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gossypium Hirsutum ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Germplasm Conservation ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Wild Germplasm ◽  
Wild Cotton

One of the best ex situ conservation strategies for wild germplasm is in vitro conservation of genetic banks. The success of in vitro conservation relies heavily on the micropropagation or performance of the species of interest. In the context of global change, crop production challenges and climate change, we face a reality of intensified crop production strategies, including genetic engineering, which can negatively impact biodiversity conservation. However, the possible consequences of transgene presence for the in vitro performance of populations and its implications for biodiversity conservation are poorly documented. In this study we analyzed experimental evidence of the potential effects of transgene presence on the in vitro performance of Gossypium hirsutum L. populations, representing the Mexican genetic diversity of the species, and reflect on the implications of such presence for ex situ genetic conservation of the natural variation of the species. We followed an experimental in vitro performance approach, in which we included individuals from different wild cotton populations as well as individuals from domesticated populations, in order to differentiate the effects of domestication traits dragged into the wild germplasm pool via gene flow from the effects of transgene presence. We evaluated the in vitro performance of five traits related to plant establishment (N = 300): propagation rate, leaf production rate, height increase rate, microbial growth and root development. Then we conducted statistical tests (PERMANOVA, Wilcoxon post-hoc tests, and NMDS multivariate analyses) to evaluate the differences in the in vitro performance of the studied populations. Although direct causality of the transgenes to observed phenotypes requires strict control of genotypes, the overall results suggest detrimental consequences for the in vitro culture performance of wild cotton populations in the presence of transgenes. This provides experimental, statistically sound evidence to support the implementation of transgene screening of plants to reduce time and economic costs in in vitro establishment, thus contributing to the overarching goal of germplasm conservation for future adaptation.

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