publication
Crop wild relatives of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]: Distributions, ex situ conservation status, and potential genetic resources for abiotic stress tolerance
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/56841
Abstract
Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is a versatile, stress-tolerant, and nutritious grain legume, possessing traits of value for enhancing the sustainability of dry sub-tropical and tropical agricultural systems. The use of crop wild relatives (CWR) in pigeonpea breeding has been successful in providing important…
publication
Identifying factors limiting legume biomass production in a heterogeneous on-farm environment
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33527
Abstract
Multipurpose legumes provide a wide range of benefits to smallholder production systems in the tropics. The degree of system improvement after legume introduction depends largely on legume biomass production, which in turn depends on the legumes’ adaptation to environmental conditions. For Canavalia brasiliensis (canavalia), an herbaceous legume that has been recently introduced in the Nicaraguan…
publication
A framework for priority-setting in climate smart agriculture research
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/97614
Abstract
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is widely promoted as an approach for reorienting agricultural development under the realities of climate change. Prioritising research-for-development activities is crucial, given the need to utilise scarce resources as effectively as possible. However, no framework exists for assessing and comparing different CSA research investments. Several aspects make it challenging to prioritise CSA…
publication
Climate smart agriculture, farm household typologies and food security An ex-ante assessment from Eastern India
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89276
Abstract
One of the great challenges in agricultural development and sustainable intensification is the assurance of social equity in food security oriented interventions. Development practitioners, researchers, and policy makers alike could benefit from prior insight into what interventions or environmental shocks might differentially affect farmers' food security status, in order to…
publication
Fertilizer response and nitrogen use efficiency in African smallholder maize farms
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99700
Abstract
Improving fertilizer recommendations for farmers is essential to increase food security in smallholder landscapes. Currently, blanket recommendations are provided across agro-ecological zones, although fertilizer response and nutrient use efficiency by maize crop are spatially variable. We aimed to identify factors that could help to refine fertilizer recommendation by analyzing the variability in fertilizer…
publication
Global impacts from improved tropical forages: A meta-analysis revealing overlooked benefits and costs, evolving values and new priorities
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/35004
Abstract
The wider use and improved performance of planted tropical forages can substantially change social, economic and environmental landscapes. By reviewing impact-related studies published in the past two decades, this paper shows how evolving development priorities have influenced the types of impacts being documented. A meta-analysis was used to examine 98…
publication
Weather-based prediction of anthracnose severity using artificial neural network models
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/21179
Abstract
Data were collected and analysed from seven field sites in Australia, Brazil and Colombia on weather conditions and the severity of anthracnose disease of the tropical pasture legume Stylosanthes scabra caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Disease severity and weather data were analysed using artificial neural network (ANN) models developed using data from some or all field sites in Australia and/or…
publication
Land Use, Land Use History, and Soil Type Affect Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Agricultural Landscapes of the East African Highlands
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/92025
Abstract
This study aims to explain effects of soil textural class, topography, land use, and land use history on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in the Lake Victoria region. We measured GHG fluxes from intact soil cores collected in Rakai, Uganda, an area characterized by low‐input smallholder (<2 ha) farming systems, typical for the East African highlands. The…
publication
Long term effects of reduced fertilizer rates on millet yields and soil properties in the West-African Sahel
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76690
Abstract
Microdosing, the point-source application of a reduced fertilizer rate within 10 days of sowing, has increased short-term crop yields across the Sahel and is being actively scaled up as an agronomic practice. However, there is no information on the long-term effects of the technique upon soil fertility. To rectify this, this study used soil samples from the International Crop…
publication
Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for cost-Effective and rapid screening of pearl millet germplasm and breeding lines for grain Iron and Zinc density
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/78257
Publication year
2016
Authors
Govindaraj, Mahalingam
Rai, Kedar N.
Pfeiffer, Wolfgang H.
Kanatti, Anand
Shivade, Harshad
Full Citation
Govindaraj,…
publication
Nitrogen management in grasslands and forage-based production systems—Role of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI)
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/34325
Abstract
Nitrogen (N), the most critical and essential nutrient for plant growth, largely determines the productivity in both extensive and intensive grassland systems. Nitrification and denitrification processes in the soil are the primary drivers of generating reactive N (NO3-, N2O and NO), largely responsible for N loss and degradation of grasslands. Suppressing nitrification…
publication
Working with communities and building local institutions for sustainable land management in the Ethiopian highlands
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/2332
Abstract
Land management is a multi-dimensional and multi-institutional engagement that demands collective analysis, design, and implementation of innovations. Its importance for Ethiopia cannot be overemphasized, as land degradation threatens food security and environmental sustainability. Building on a specific case study of a project in Southern Ethiopia, the present article…
publication
Agricultural intensification scenarios, household food availability and greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda: Ex-ante impacts and trade-offs
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80193
Abstract
Rwanda's agricultural sector is facing severe challenges of increasing environmental degradation, resulting in declining productivity. The problem is likely to be further aggravated by the growing population pressure. A viable pathway is climate smart agriculture, aiming at the triple win of improving food security and climate change adaptation,…
publication
Identifying crop research priorities based on potential economic and poverty reduction impacts: The case of cassava in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99253
Abstract
It is widely recognized that increasing agricultural production to the levels needed to feed an expanding world population requires sharply increased public investment in research and development and widespread adoption of new technologies, but funding for national and international agricultural research has rather declined in recent years.…
publication
Molecular mechanisms of carotenoid accumulation in carrots
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115365
Abstract
Orange carrots are the example par excellence for extraordinary high and accumulation of carotenoids. In contrast to other carotenoid-accumulating systems, knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved is rather sparse. The first enzyme of the carotenoid pathway, phytoene synthase (PSY), frequently determines carotenoid amounts in many other tissues, and we thus investigated its contribution to carotenoid accumulation in carrots.…
