scholarly journals Mitigating the twin problems of malnutrition and wheat blast by one wheat variety, ‘BARI Gom 33’, in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akbar Hossain ◽  
Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb ◽  
Md. Farhad ◽  
Naresh Chandra Deb Barma
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Wheat Variety ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Zn Deficiency ◽  
Wheat Blast ◽  
Positive Externalities ◽  
The Status ◽  
Maize Research Institute ◽  
Scaling Out

For the first time in history outside of Latin America, deadly wheat blast caused by the fungus <em>Magnaporthe oryzae</em> pathotype <em>triticum</em> (MoT) emerged in the 2015–2016 wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) season of Bangladesh. Bangladesh, a country in South Asia, has a population of nearly 160 million, of which 24.3% are classified as poor. Consequently, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency are highly prevalent, particularly among school going children and lactating women. Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI), with the technical support of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, has developed and released a new wheat ‘BARI Gom 33’. The new wheat is a zinc-enriched (Zn) biofortified wheat, resistant to the deadly wheat blast disease. ‘BARI Gom 33’ provides 5–8% more yield than the check varieties in Bangladesh. Rapid dissemination of it in Bangladesh, therefore, can not only combat wheat blast but also mitigate the problem of Zn deficiency and ensure income for resource-poor wheat farmers. Importantly, a large portion of the current wheat area in India and Pakistan is vulnerable to wheat blast, due to the similarities of the agro-climatic conditions of Bangladesh. As wheat blast is mainly a seed-borne disease, a rapid scaling out of the new wheat in Bangladesh can reduce the probability of MoT intrusion in India and Pakistan, and thereby generate positive externalities to the food security of more than 1 billion people in South Asia. This study explains the development process of ‘BARI Gom 33’; the status of malnutrition in Bangladesh, and the possible economic gain from a rapid scaling out of ‘BARI Gom 33’ in Bangladesh. A few policies are recommended based on the discussions.

scholarly journals Agronomic Biofortification of Zinc in Pakistan: Status, Benefits, and Constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Farooq ◽  
Aman Ullah ◽  
Faisal Nadeem ◽  
Seon Young Im ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Zn Deficiency ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
The Status ◽  
Zinc Fertilizer ◽  
Research Initiatives ◽  
Agronomic Biofortification

Micronutrient malnutrition (e.g., zinc) is one of the major causes of human disease burden in the developing world. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is highly prevalent in the Pakistani population (22.1%), particularly in women and children (under 5 years) due to low dietary Zn intake. In Pakistan, wheat is the primary staple food and is poor in bioavailable Zn. However, the number of malnourished populations has decreased over the last decade due to multiplied public awareness, accelerated use of Zn fertilizers (particularly in wheat and rice), initiation of several national/international research initiatives focusing on Zn biofortification in staple crops and availability of supplements and Zn fortified meals merchandise, nonetheless a large number of people are facing Zn or other micronutrient deficiencies in the country. There are few reports highlighting the significant increase in daily dietary Zn uptake in population consuming biofortified wheat (Zincol-2016) flour; indicating the positive prospect of biofortification interventions up scaling in lowering the risk of dietary Zn deficiency in rural and marginalized communities. Zinc fertilizer strategy has not only helped in enhancing the grain Zn concentration, but it also helped in improving crop yield with high economic return. In addition, Zn biofortified seeds have exhibited strong inherent ability to withstand abiotic stresses and produce higher grain yield under diverse climatic conditions. However, there are many constraints (soil, environment, genetic diversity, antinutrients concentration, socioeconomic factors etc.) that hinder the success of biofortification interventions. This review highlights the status of Zn deficiency in Pakistan, the success of agronomic and genetic biofortification interventions. It also discusses the economics of agronomic biofortification and cost effectiveness of Zn fertilization in field conditions in Pakistan and the potential of Zn biofortified seeds against abiotic stresses. Furthermore, it also highlights the constraints which limit the sustainability of biofortification interventions.

scholarly journals New Genotypes and Genomic Regions for Resistance to Wheat Blast in South Asian Germplasm

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2693
Author(s):  
Chandan Roy ◽  
Philomin Juliana ◽  
Muhammad R. Kabir ◽  
Krishna K. Roy ◽  
Navin C. Gahtyari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Blast Resistance ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Sequencing Platform ◽  
Wheat Blast ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Genomic Regions

Wheat blast (WB) disease, since its first identification in Bangladesh in 2016, is now an established serious threat to wheat production in South Asia. There is a need for sound knowledge about resistance sources and associated genomic regions to assist breeding programs. Hence, a panel of genotypes from India and Bangladesh was evaluated for wheat blast resistance and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. Disease evaluation was done during five crop seasons—at precision phenotyping platform (PPPs) for wheat blast disease at Jashore (2018–19), Quirusillas (2018–19 and 2019–20) and Okinawa (2019 and 2020). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) across the genome were obtained using DArTseq genotyping-by-sequencing platform, and in total 5713 filtered markers were used. GWAS revealed 40 significant markers associated with WB resistance, of which 33 (82.5%) were in the 2NS/2AS chromosome segment and one each on seven chromosomes (3B, 3D, 4A, 5A, 5D, 6A and 6B). The 2NS markers contributed significantly in most of the environments, explaining an average of 33.4% of the phenotypic variation. Overall, 22.4% of the germplasm carried 2NS/2AS segment. So far, 2NS translocation is the only effective WB resistance source being used in the breeding programs of South Asia. Nevertheless, the identification of non-2NS/2AS genomic regions for WB resistance provides a hope to broaden and diversify resistance for this disease in years to come.

scholarly journals Debating Scientific Medicine: Homoeopathy and Allopathy in Late Nineteenth-century Medical Print in Bengal1

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinjini Das
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Scientific Medicine ◽  
Medical Journals ◽  
The Status ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
Print Market

AbstractThe historiography of medicine in South Asia often assumes the presence of preordained, homogenous, coherent and clearly-bound medical systems. They also tend to take the existence of a medical ‘mainstream’ for granted. This article argues that the idea of an ‘orthodox’, ‘mainstream’ named allopathy and one of its ‘alternatives’ homoeopathy were co-produced in Bengal. It emphasises the role of the supposed ‘fringe’, ie. homoeopathy, in identifying and organising the ‘orthodoxy’ of the time. The shared market for medicine and print provided a crucial platform where such binary identities such as ‘homoeopaths’ and ‘allopaths’ were constituted and reinforced. This article focuses on a range of polemical writings by physicians in the Bengali print market since the 1860s. Published mostly in late nineteenth-century popular medical journals, these concerned the nature, definition and scope of ‘scientific’ medicine. The article highlights these published disputes and critical correspondence among physicians as instrumental in simultaneously shaping the categories ‘allopathy’ and ‘homoeopathy’ in Bengali print. It unravels how contemporary understandings of race, culture and nationalism informed these medical discussions. It further explores the status of these medical contestations, often self-consciously termed ‘debates’, as an essential contemporary trope in discussing ‘science’ in the vernacular.

Implication of SASEC Tourism Initiatives on North Eastern States of India

2017 ◽  
pp. 34-52
Author(s):  
Supriya Dam
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Autonomous Region ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Tibet Autonomous Region ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Look

India's North Eastern Region (NER) stretches from the foothills of the Himalayas in the eastern range and is surrounded by international borders with countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Tibet Autonomous Region), Nepal, and Myanmar. The landlocked region is constrained by a brief spell of insurgency, and dismal unemployment has affected the region's progress since 1947. The advent of the Look East Policy coupled with a number of South Asia sub-regional arrangements with neighboring countries opened a “Pandora's Box” for this region. The SASEC initiatives of ADB helped to improve the status of tourism and infrastructure, including roads, air connectivity, and also opened cross-border land routes and roads within the North East (NE). The present study takes stock of tourism development from a sustainability perspective and examines the implementation of the SASEC tourism project in eight NE States of India with a view to suggest priority areas for action for promotion of tourism in this region.

Implication of SASEC Tourism Initiatives on North Eastern States of India

2020 ◽  
pp. 690-709
Author(s):  
Supriya Dam
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Autonomous Region ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Tibet Autonomous Region ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Look

India's North Eastern Region (NER) stretches from the foothills of the Himalayas in the eastern range and is surrounded by international borders with countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, China (Tibet Autonomous Region), Nepal, and Myanmar. The landlocked region is constrained by a brief spell of insurgency, and dismal unemployment has affected the region's progress since 1947. The advent of the Look East Policy coupled with a number of South Asia sub-regional arrangements with neighboring countries opened a “Pandora's Box” for this region. The SASEC initiatives of ADB helped to improve the status of tourism and infrastructure, including roads, air connectivity, and also opened cross-border land routes and roads within the North East (NE). The present study takes stock of tourism development from a sustainability perspective and examines the implementation of the SASEC tourism project in eight NE States of India with a view to suggest priority areas for action for promotion of tourism in this region.

Gender

2019 ◽  
pp. 363-372
Author(s):  
Sheela Jeyaraj ◽  
Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Christian Women ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Status ◽  
God's Grace ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Central Asian Republics

Gender issues in South and Central Asia involve discriminations in the socio-cultural, political and economic realms. Despite policy initiatives, gender equality is still not available for most women. The condition of Central Asian women is less favourable than that of their counterparts in South Asia. Still, in South Asian countries where certain Hindu or Buddhist fundamentalist norms prevail, the position of women continues to be deplorable. Discrimination of women is justified in Sanskrit scriptures, which do not contain a coherent narrative of the creation of women. Likewise, the scriptures of Jainism and Buddhism present women as inferior to men. The status of Christian women in certain South Asian countries is better than that of their Central Asian republics. The patriarchal societies of South and Central Asia do not educate a sufficient number of women in theology. Today, almost all female Christian theologians in South Asia engage with the pathos of the exploited. Reversal of gender roles among diaspora communities have caused conflicts in the home and in public. Despite their struggles, Christian women in South and Central Asia continue their witness to God’s grace in Christ sustaining them.

scholarly journals Detection and characterization of fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum) causing wheat blast disease on rain-fed grown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Zambia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. e0238724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batiseba Tembo ◽  
Rabson M. Mulenga ◽  
Suwilanji Sichilima ◽  
Kenneth K. M’siska ◽  
Moses Mwale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Triticum Aestivum ◽  
Magnaporthe Oryzae ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
Wheat Blast

scholarly journals China’s Revisionism Versus India’s Status Quoism: Strategies and Counter-strategies of Rivals in Doklam Standoff

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-100
Author(s):  
Suneel Kumar
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
The Status ◽  
Regional Order ◽  
Regional Position ◽  
Global Agenda

This article contends that China, as a part of its broader global agenda, is striving to recast the regional order in East Asia, South East Asia, and South Asia. Its revisionist moves and growing influence in South Asia are perceived by New Delhi as challenge to its national security and regional position thus forcing it to counter the Chinese moves and preserve the status quo ensuing into bilateral rivalry. Doklam standoff was an outcome of this bilateral rivalry between the two emerging Asian powers as Beijing attempted unilaterally to alter the prevailing territorial arrangement in the area of dispute and New Delhi counter-attempted to maintain the status quo. During the standoff, China projected itself as ‘victim’ of India’s aggression while making provocative military deployments and threats of war against India. Opposite to this, India absorbed Beijing’s pressure and defended its move in Doklam giving the logic of its ‘security concerns’ and ‘special relationship’ with Bhutan. New Delhi asked Beijing to resolve the dispute diplomatically while emphasizing on their troops’ mutual withdrawal from the site of standoff.

scholarly journals A Genomic Approach to Develop a New qPCR Test Enabling Detection of the Pyricularia oryzae Lineage Causing Wheat Blast

Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud Thierry ◽  
Pierre Gladieux ◽  
Elisabeth Fournier ◽  
Didier Tharreau ◽  
Renaud Ioos
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
Pyricularia Oryzae ◽  
Blast Disease ◽  
South American ◽  
Analytical Sensitivity ◽  
Wheat Blast ◽  
Pcr Test

Rapid detection is key to managing emerging diseases because it allows their spread around the world to be monitored and limited. The first major wheat blast epidemics were reported in 1985 in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Following this outbreak, the disease quickly spread to neighboring regions and countries and, in 2016, the first report of wheat blast disease outside South America was released. This Asian outbreak was due to the trade of infected South American seed, demonstrating the importance of detection tests in order to avoid importing contaminated biological material into regions free from the pathogen. Genomic analysis has revealed that one particular lineage within the fungal species Pyricularia oryzae is associated with this disease: the Triticum lineage. A comparison of 81 Pyricularia genomes highlighted polymorphisms specific to the Triticum lineage, and this study developed a real-time PCR test targeting one of these polymorphisms. The test’s performance was then evaluated in order to measure its analytical specificity, analytical sensitivity, and robustness. The C17 quantitative PCR test detected isolates belonging to the Triticum lineage with high sensitivity, down to 13 plasmid copies or 1 pg of genomic DNA per reaction tube. The blast-based approach developed here to study P. oryzae can be transposed to other emerging diseases.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document