ICRISAT journal articles

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Post-attachment resistance to Striga hermonthica in finger millet (Eleusine coracana)
(Journal Article) Kunguni, Josephine S.; Kibet, Willy; Oduori, Chrispus O.; Dida, Mathews M.; Anami, Sylvester; Kilian, Benjamin; Mutuku, Josiah M.; Runo, Steve; Odeny, Damaris A.
Finger millet is a highly nutritious and climate‐resilient cereal crop. Despite its importance, finger millet productivity in East Africa trails other cereals due to several biotic and abiotic factors, including the parasitic weed, Striga hermonthica. Striga spp. are noxious parasitic weeds whose damage can result in 100% yield losses in sub‐Saharan Africa. The objective of our study was to determine differences in post‐attachment responses of a selection of genotypes. We germinated finger millet in Petri dishes, transferred them to rhizotrons and infected the roots with Striga that had been pre‐conditioned for 7 days at 30°C and subsequently pre‐germinated using GR24. Histological analysis was done on three distinct genotypes to determine the host–pathogen interactions. The attachment of Striga onto the host was observed 3 days after inoculation. LESK10, a wild genotype, and OKHALE1 (cultivated) consistently supported fewer Striga plants after inoculation, while GBK029646A, a cultivated finger millet, consistently supported the highest. Histological analysis recorded an incompatible reaction in both OKHALE1 and LESK10 and a compatible reaction in GBK029646A as early as 3 days after infection. Our results suggest the likely existence of novel resistance in crop wild relatives that will be valuable for developing durable resistance to Striga in elite finger millet varieties.
Editorial: Sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
(Journal Article, 2024) Abdul Rahman, N.; Kotu, B.H.; Tetteh, F.M.; Karikari, B.; Akinseye, F.M.; Ansah, T.; Mutungi, C.; Kizito, F.
Technology intensification and farmers’ welfare: A case study from Karnataka, a semi-arid state of India
(Journal Article, 2025) Kapoor, Shreya; Pal, Barun Deb; Singhal, Aditi; Anantha, K.H.
JEL Codes: Q16, Q54, Q55, C13
Effectiveness of climate information services: An evaluation of the accuracy and socio-economic benefits for smallholder farmers in Niger and Mali
(Journal Article, 2024-04-17) Bizo, Issiaka M.; Traore, Bouba; Sidibé, Amadou; Soulé, Moussa
Climate information services are foundational means of building the farmer’s resilience. However, studies are scarce about the accuracy of climate information services in dryland regions such as the West Africa Sahel, like in Mali and Niger. Thus, this study examined the accuracy of climate forecasts and their socio-economic benefits in these two countries. For rainfall forecasts and alerts, we collected the 2022 data from the ‘SMS Sandji’ platform in Mali (Nara) and the national meteorological agency alert database in Niger (Zinder). The socio-economic benefits of climate information were determined using a sample of 900 individuals in Niger and 227 in Mali. The results indicate that both seasonal and daily climate forecasts have high to moderate accuracy from 0.7 to 0.58 for CSI and 0.11 to 0.43 for BS index in Niger, and 0.94 to 0.91 for CSI, and 0.06 to 0.25 for BS in Mali. The results of field survey show that, in general, 87 to 100% of the respondents in Niger and 100% in Mali received the seasonal forecasts. ANOVA also reveals with high significance ( p value = 0.0001) that the utilization of climate information plays a crucial role in improving farmers’ average financial incomes with FCFA 24,943 per hectare at season onset to FCFA 15,355 per hectare during the cropping season, and FCFA 6204 per hectare at the end of the season, and time-saving of 36 h per hectare to 8 h per hectare, depending on the period when the information was used. Globally, this work underscores the importance of climate information services and highlights their positive socio-economic impacts to the livelihood of farmers.
Enhancing productivity, soil health, and reducing global warming potential through diverse conservation agriculture cropping systems in India's Western Indo-Gangetic Plains
(Journal Article, 2024-07-01) Gora, Manoj Kumar; Jat, Hanuman Sahay; Ladha, Jagdish Kumar; Choudhary, Madhu; Sharma, Parbodh Chander; Yadav, Arvind K.; Singh, Love Kumar; Sapkota, Tek B.; Singh, Yadvinder; Prajapat, Kailash; Yadav, Rajender Kumar; Jat, Mangi Lal; Krupnik, Timothy J.; Gathala, Mahesh Kumar
Context: The rice-wheat (RW) system, spanning 13.5 million hectares in South Asia, is crucial for food security and livelihoods. However, intensive conventional tillage-based practices have harmed soil and environmental health, decreased productivity trends and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Objective: This study aims to develop resilient, climate-smart cropping systems within the RW system, focusing on soil and crop productivity, economic viability, and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Methods: Over eight years, the study evaluated diverse parameters compared to farmer practices (FP) in seven scenarios (Sc), including one representing FP (Sc1) and six based on conservation agriculture (CA) principles. The study assessed system crop productivity, economic returns, soil quality (organic carbon; OC, nitrogen; N, phosphorus; P, potassium; K contents, bulk density; BD, soil aggregation, infiltration rates, microbial counts, and earthworm density), and GHG emissions. Results: CA-based scenarios (Sc2 to Sc7) showed improved soil quality, lower bulk density, enhanced soil aggregation, and increased infiltration rates compared to Sc1. In the 0–15 cm layer, surface soil organic carbon (OC) and C stock were 63.7 % and 49.6 % higher, respectively, in CA-based scenarios. Additionally, available N, P and K contents in the surface layer increased by 10.2 %, 28.6 %, and 21.8 % under CA-based scenarios. Adoption of CA in intensified maize-based scenarios (Sc4 and Sc5) led to the increased system and economic yields, higher soil quality index (SQI), reduced GHG emissions and increased C stock compared to Sc1. Implications: The study highlights that Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices and diversified crop rotations can address issues like falling crop productivity, reduced economic returns, soil degradation, and increasing environmental impacts in northwestern India's traditional rice-wheat system. However, widespread adoption requires government policies, including C credit payments and guaranteed markets with supportive pricing.
Holistic analysis of cropping diversity and intensity implications for productive, environmental, and nutritional performance of smallholder farms in Bihar, India
(Journal Article, 2024-06-12) Bijarniya, Deepak; Groot, Jeroen C. J.; Jat, Mangi L.; Adelhart Toorop, Roos; Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago; Kalvania, Kailash C.; Jat, Raj K.; Gathala, Mahesh K.
The agricultural productivity and sustainability in Eastern Gangetic Plain Zones of India are threatened because of the inefficiency of current production practices, shortage of resources, and socioeconomic constraints. We hypothesized the potential impact of intensified cereal systems with mung bean as a third crop within the annual cropping cycle. We assessed economic, social, and environmental indicators for intensified and current cropping system management practiced by different farm types in the region using the FarmDESIGN model. Building on a farm typology constructed for the region in our past research, we used five types of farmers: part-time (PT), well-endowed (WE), small-scale (SS) crop and livestock mix, medium-scale (MS), and resource-poor farmers (RP) in this study. The performance indicators of the 229 original cropping systems cultivated within the 43 farms varied strongly in the eight performance indicators. This variability of cropping systems performance within the farm types resulted in the absence of significant differences between the types. Compared to the original cropping systems, the intensified cropping systems with mung bean not only performed high in dietary energy (DE) production and organic matter (OM) inputs into the soil but also had high application rates of biocides and minimized losses of nitrogen (N). The intervention systems were low in labor requirement and scored at an intermediate level for crop gross margin, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ranges of areas of maize- and rice-based systems that could be replaced by intensified systems were largest for the WE and RP farm types. This was reflected in large ranges of change in the performance indicators, but no significant differences in response were found between the farm types. The intensification of maize- and rice-based systems with the proposed intervention cropping systems involving mung bean would result in increased profitability, higher DE yield, and lower requirements for labor and water as the proportion of the farms being converted increases. However, the use of biocides would increase, while the intervention cropping systems would have no significant effect on OM input, GHG emissions, and soil N losses.
Modeling maize growth and nitrogen dynamics using CERES-Maize (DSSAT) under diverse nitrogen management options in a conservation agriculture-based maize-wheat system
(Journal Article, 2024-05-23) Kumar, K.; Parihar, C. M.; Nayak, H. S.; Sena, Dipaka R.; Godara, S.; Dhakar, R.; Patra, K.; Sarkar, A.; Bharadwaj, S.; Ghasal, P. C.; Meena, A. L.; Reddy, K. S.; Das, T. K.; Jat, S. L.; Sharma, D. K.; Saharawat, Y. S.; Singh, U.; Jat, M. L.; Gathala, M. K.
Agricultural field experiments are costly and time-consuming, and often struggling to capture spatial and temporal variability. Mechanistic crop growth models offer a solution to understand intricate crop-soil-weather system, aiding farm-level management decisions throughout the growing season. The objective of this study was to calibrate and the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis CERES-Maize (DSSAT v 4.8) model to simulate crop growth, yield, and nitrogen dynamics in a long-term conservation agriculture (CA) based maize system. The model was also used to investigate the relationship between, temperature, nitrate and ammoniacal concentration in soil, and nitrogen uptake by the crop. Additionally, the study explored the impact of contrasting tillage practices and fertilizer nitrogen management options on maize yields. Using field data from 2019 and 2020, the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was calibrated for plant growth stages, leaf area index-LAI, biomass, and yield. Data from 2021 were used to evaluate the model's performance. The treatments consisted of four nitrogen management options, viz., N0 (without nitrogen), N150 (150 kg N/ha through urea), GS (Green seeker-based urea application) and USG (urea super granules @150kg N/ha) in two contrasting tillage systems, i.e., CA-based zero tillage-ZT and conventional tillage-CT. The model accurately simulated maize cultivar’s anthesis and physiological maturity, with observed value falling within 5% of the model’s predictions range. LAI predictions by the model aligned well with measured values (RMSE 0.57 and nRMSE 10.33%), with a 14.6% prediction error at 60 days. The simulated grain yields generally matched with measured values (with prediction error ranging from 0 to 3%), except for plots without nitrogen application, where the model overestimated yields by 9–16%. The study also demonstrated the model's ability to accurately capture soil nitrate–N levels (RMSE 12.63 kg/ha and nRMSE 12.84%). The study concludes that the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model accurately assessed the impacts of tillage and nitrogen management practices on maize crop’s growth, yield, and soil nitrogen dynamics. By providing reliable simulations during the growing season, this modelling approach can facilitate better planning and more efficient resource management. Future research should focus on expanding the model's capabilities and improving its predictions further.
Bundling subsurface drip irrigation with no-till provides a window to integrate mung bean with intensive cereal systems for improving resource use efficiency
(Journal Article, 2024) Kakraliya, Manish; Jat, Hanuman S.; Suresh Kumar; Kakraliya Suresh Kumar; Gora, Manoj Kumar; Poonia, Tanuja; Kumar, Satyendra; Choudhary, Madhu; Gathala, Mahesh Kumar; Sharma, Parbodh C.; Jat, Mangi Lal
The future of South Asia’s major production system (rice–wheat rotation) is at stake due to continuously aggravating pressure on groundwater aquifers and other natural resources which will further intensify with climate change. Traditional practices, conventional tillage (CT) residue burning, and indiscriminate use of groundwater with flood irrigation are the major drivers of the non-sustainability of rice–wheat (RW) system in northwest (NW) India. For designing sustainable practices in intensive cereal systems, we conducted a study on bundled practices (zero tillage, residue mulch, precise irrigation, and mung bean integration) based on multi-indicator (system productivity, profitability, and efficiency of water, nitrogen, and energy) analysis in RW system. The study showed that bundling conservation agriculture (CA) practices with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) saved ~70 and 45% (3-year mean) of irrigation water in rice and wheat, respectively, compared to farmers’ practice/CT practice (pooled data of Sc1 and Sc2; 1,035 and 318 mm ha−1). On a 3-year system basis, CA with SDI scenarios (mean of Sc5–Sc8) saved 35.4% irrigation water under RW systems compared to their respective CA with flood irrigation (FI) scenarios (mean of Sc3 and Sc4) during the investigation irrespective of residue management. CA with FI system increased the water productivity (WPi) and its use efficiency (WUE) by ~52 and 12.3% (3-year mean), whereas SDI improved by 221.2 and 39.2% compared to farmers practice (Sc1; 0.69 kg grain m−3 and 21.39 kg grain ha−1 cm−1), respectively. Based on the 3-year mean, CA with SDI (mean of Sc5–Sc8) recorded −2.5% rice yield, whereas wheat yield was +25% compared to farmers practice (Sc1; 5.44 and 3.79 Mg ha−1) and rice and wheat yield under CA with flood irrigation were increased by +7 and + 11%, compared to their respective CT practices. Mung bean integration in Sc7 and Sc8 contributed to ~26% in crop productivity and profitability compared to farmers’ practice (Sc1) as SDI facilitated advancing the sowing time by 1 week. On a system basis, CA with SDI improved energy use efficiency (EUE) by ~70% and partial factor productivity of N by 18.4% compared to CT practices. In the RW system of NW India, CA with SDI for precise water and N management proved to be a profitable solution to address the problems of groundwater, residue burning, sustainable intensification, and input (water and energy) use with the potential for replication in large areas in NW India.
Consentement à payer pour le riz local de qualité au Burkina Faso : une analyse par la méthode des enchères expérimentales
(Journal Article, 2021-12) Ouédraogo, Mathieu; Demont, Matty; N'Dour, Maïmouna
This study analyses the willingness to buy and to pay for local rice in Burkina Faso. Women consumers’ preferences and their willingness to pay for local Bagré rice were revealed through experimental auctions conducted among 120 women from Ouagadougou city. The study shows that 55% of the participants in the experimental auctions preferred local rice to the imported one. About 74% of consumers were willing to pay an average additional premium of 100 CFA/kg compared to the price of imported rice (Thai 5% broken) to acquire parboiled Bagré rice. Seventy-five percent were willing to pay an average surcharge of 87 CFA per kg for the non-parboiled quality Bagré rice. The study concludes that there is a potential urban demand for local quality rice. Processors should invest in rice quality by ensuring that the additional investment costs are lower than the premiums expressed by consumers.
AMMI and GGE Biplot Analyses for Mega-Environment Identification and Selection of Some High-Yielding Oat (Avena sativa L.) Genotypes for Multiple Environments
(Journal Article, 2023-08-25) Wodebo, Kibreab; Tolemariam, Taye; Demeke, Solomon; Garedew, Weyessa; Tesfaye, Tessema; Ekule, Muluken; Gemiyu, Deribe; Bedeke, Worku; Wamatu, Jane; Mamta, Sharma
This paper reports an evaluation of eleven oat genotypes in four environments for two consecutive years to identify high-biomass-yielding, stable, and broadly adapted genotypes in selected parts of Ethiopia. Genotypes were planted and evaluated with a randomized complete block design, which was repeated three times. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis of variances revealed that the environment, genotype, and genotype–environment interaction had a significant (p ≤ 0.001) influence on the biomass yield in the dry matter base (t ha−1). The interaction of the first and second principal component analysis accounted for 73.43% and 14.97% of the genotype according to the environment interaction sum of squares, respectively. G6 and G5 were the most stable and widely adapted genotypes and were selected as superior genotypes. The genotype-by-environment interaction showed a 49.46% contribution to the total treatment of sum-of-squares variation, while genotype and environment effects explained 34.94% and 15.60%, respectively. The highest mean yield was obtained from G6 (12.52 kg/ha), and the lowest mean yield was obtained from G7 (8.65 kg/ha). According to the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction biplot, G6 and G5 were high-yielding genotypes, whereas G7 was a low-yielding genotype. Furthermore, according to the genotype and genotype–environment interaction biplot, G6 was the winning genotype in all environments. However, G7 was a low-yielding genotype in all environments. Finally, G6 was an ideal genotype with a higher mean yield and relatively good stability. However, G7 was a poor-yielding and unstable genotype. The genotype, environment, and genotype x environment interaction had extremely important effects on the biomass yield of oats. The findings of the graphic stability methods (additive main effect and multiplicative interaction and the genotype and genotype–environment interaction) for identifying high-yielding and stable oat genotypes were very similar.
Water use efficiency across scales: From genes to landscapes
(Journal Article, 2023-09-01) Vadez, Vincent; Pilloni, Raphael; Grondin, Alexandre; Hajjarpoor, Amir; Belhouchette, Hatem; Brouziyne, Youssef; Chehbouni, Ghani; Kharrou, Mohamed Hakim; Zitouna-Chebbi, Rim; Mekki, Insaf; Molénat, Jérôme; Jacob, Frédéric; Bossuet, Jérôme
Water scarcity is already set to be one of the main issues of the 21st century, because of competing needs between civil, industrial, and agricultural use. Agriculture is currently the largest user of water, but its share is bound to decrease as societies develop and clearly it needs to become more water efficient. Improving water use efficiency (WUE) at the plant level is important but translating this at the farm/landscape level presents considerable challenges. As we move up from the scale of cells, organs, and plants to more integrated scales such as plots, fields, farm systems, and landscapes, other factors such as trade-offs need to be considered to try to improve WUE. These include choices of crop variety/species, farm management practices, landscape design, infrastructure development, and ecosystem functions, where human decisions matter. This review is a cross-disciplinary attempt to analyse approaches to addressing WUE at these different scales, including definitions of the metrics of analysis and consideration of trade-offs. The equations we present in this perspectives paper use similar metrics across scales to make them easier to connect and are developed to highlight which levers, at different scales, can improve WUE. We also refer to models operating at these different scales to assess WUE. While our entry point is plants and crops, we scale up the analysis of WUE to farm systems and landscapes.
Changes in soil organic carbon pools after 15 years of Conservation Agriculture in rice (Oryza sativa)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system of eastern Indo-Gangetic plains
(Journal Article, 2023-06) Mahala, Deep Mohan; Meena, Mahesh Chand; Dwivedi, Brahma S.; Datta, Siba Prasad; Dey, Abir; Das, Debarup; Parihar, Chiter Mal; Yadav, R.K.; Chaudhary, Amresh; Jat, Raj Kumar; Choudhary, Kajod Mal; Gathala, Mahesh Kumar; Jat, Mangi L.
The present study was carried out at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Samastipur, Bihar during 2021-2023 to focus on examining alterations in SOC pools resulting from conservation agriculture (CA) practices in R-W system in the eastern IGP, following the collection of soil samples from a long-term trial that was initiated in rainy (kharif) season 2006. The trial included eight combinations, namely: conventional tilled rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (CTR-CTW); CT rice and zero till wheat (CTR-ZTW); direct seeded rice (DSR) and wheat on permanent raised beds (PBDSR-PBW); ZTDSR and CT Wheat (ZTDSR-CTW); ZTDSR and ZT wheat without residue (ZTDSR-ZTW-R); ZTDSR-ZT wheat with residue (ZTDSR-ZTW +R); unpuddled transplanted riceZTW (UpTR-ZTW) and ZTDSR-sesbania brown manure-ZTW (ZTDSR-S-ZTW). Results revealed that implementing zero tillage (ZT) combined with residue retention in rice and wheat cultivation led to enhanced levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) across all four fractions, namely very labile (CVL), labile (CL), less labile (CLL), and non-labile (CNL), in comparison to the continuous and rotational tillage practices. The tillage and residue management options significantly affected the lability index (LI) and C pool index (CPI), with zero-tillage and residue retention leading to lower LI and higher CPI values. The management practices significantly affected the C management index (CMI), with zero-tillage and residue retention showing the highest CMI values. Findings showed the potential of CA practices for enhancing soil C quality as well as C sequestration in soil of the Eastern IGP of India.
Precise irrigation water and nitrogen management improve water and nitrogen use efficiencies under conservation agriculture in the maize-wheat systems
(Journal Article, 2023) Gupta, Naveen; Singh, Yadvinder; Jat, Hanuman S.; Singh, Love K.; Choudhary, Kajod Mal; Sidhu, Harminder S.; Gathala, Mahesh K.; Jat, Mangi L.
A 3-year field experiment was setup to address the threat of underground water depletion and sustainability of agrifood systems. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system combined with nitrogen management under conservation agriculture-based (CA) maize-wheat system (MWS) effects on crop yields, irrigation water productivity (WPi), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and profitability. Grain yields of maize, wheat, and MWS in the SDI with 100% recommended N were significantly higher by 15.8%, 5.2% and 11.2%, respectively, than conventional furrow/flood irrigation (CT-FI) system. System irrigation water savings (~ 55%) and the mean WPi were higher in maize, wheat, and MWS under the SDI than CT-FI system. There was saving of 25% of fertilizer N in maize and MWS whereas no saving of N was observed in wheat. Net returns from MWS were significantly higher (USD 265) under SDI with 100% N (with no subsidy) than CT-FI system despite with higher cost of production. The net returns were increased by 47% when considering a subsidy of 80% on laying SDI system. Our results showed a great potential of complementing CA with SDI and N management to maximize productivity, NUE, and WPi, which may be economically beneficial and environmentally sound in MWS in Trans-IGP of South Asia.
Assessing residue and tillage management options for carbon sequestration in future climate change scenarios
(Journal Article, 2023) Aditi, Kumari; Abbhishek, Kumar; Chander, Girish; Singh, Ajay; Falk, Thomas; Mequanint, Melesse B.; Cuba, Perumal; Anupama, G.; Mandpati, Roja; Nagaraji, Satish
Soil carbon depletion is a major concern for food security in drylands. The objective of this study is to test tillage with residue management under sequential and intercropping systems for carbon sequestration in semi-arid tropical drylands of India. We report the findings from a long-term field experiment (9 years) used to simulate the effect of residue and tillage management in Maize-chickpea sequential and Maize-Pigeonpea intercropping systems for the four possible future climate projections using APSIM model. These findings demonstrate a sustainable route with inclusive growth, as pledged at the UN climate change summit. A comparison of results under SSP 2.6 and 4.5 Wm−2 with SSP 8.5 shows that demand pressure from competitive marketplaces inhibits the establishment of soil carbon sinks and significantly reduces crop yields, likely due to indiscriminate chemical fertilizer use. We observed that a better decision in selecting cropping system might improve soil organic carbon content (SOC). SOC content ranging from 0.9 to 1.2% in Maize-pigeonpea intercropping and 0.85–1.1% in maize-chickpea sequential cropping systems, demonstrate good potential in the climate change mitigation exertions. Early SOC saturation (20 years) led to a decreased carbon stock in topsoil without residue addition practises. The addition of crop residues significantly increased SOC levels under both conventional and minimum tillage and created additional income for farmers. Simulation analysis showed impact of SOC changes on crop yield which remained nearly stable for 85 years. Therefore, hardy straw biomass of crops covering a large tract in dryland tropics, can be a scalable and sustainable solution to yield losses, while mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration.
Spatially differentiated nitrogen supply is key in a global food–fertilizer price crisis
(Journal Article, 2023) Snapp, Sieglinde S.; Sapkota, Tek Bahadur; Chamberlin, Jordan; Cox, Cindy M.; Gameda, Samuel; Jat, Mangi Lal; Marenya, Paswel Phiri; Mottaleb, Khondoker Abdul; Negra, Christine; Senthilkumar, Kalimuthu; Sida, Tesfaye Shiferaw; Singh, Upendra; Stewart, Zachary; Fantaye, Kindie Tesfaye; Govaerts, Bram
A regional geopolitical conflict and sudden massive supply disruptions have revealed vulnerabilities in our global fuel–fertilizer–food nexus. As nitrogen (N) fertilizer price spikes threaten food security, differentiated responses are required to maintain staple cereal yields across over- and underfertilized agricultural systems. Through integrated management of organic and inorganic N sources in high- to low-input cereal production systems, we estimate potential total N-fertilizer savings of 11% in India, 49% in Ethiopia and 44% in Malawi. Shifting to more cost-effective, high-N fertilizer (such as urea), combined with compost and integration of legumes, can optimize N in N-deficient systems. Better targeted and more efficient N-fertilizer use will benefit systems with surplus N. Geospatially differentiated fertilization strategies should prioritize high-N fertilizer supply to low-yield, N-deficient locations and balanced fertilization of N, P, K and micronutrients in high-yield systems. Nationally, governments can invest in extension and realign subsidies to enable and incentivize improved N management at the farm level.
Genebanks and market participation: evidence from groundnut farmers in Malawi
(Journal Article, 2022-12) Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul; Smale, M.; Jamora, Nelissa; Azevedo, V.C.R.
Abstract Background Genebanks contribute to poverty reduction as well as food and nutritional security by being one of the main sources of diversity for the development of improved crop varieties. While the welfare implications of adopting improved varieties have been documented in many rural settings, little attention has been placed on genebanks that often supply key traits and genetic diversity to plant breeders by providing seed samples. In this study, we examined the contribution of the genebank housed by the International Crops Research Institute (ICRISAT) to the development of improved groundnut varieties used by farmers in Malawi. We then related this apportioned genebank contribution to market outcomes, such as market participation and the quantity of groundnut sold in markets. Methods Pedigree data obtained through consultations with genebank scientists and breeders were used in combination with a three-wave balanced household-level panel dataset of 447 smallholder farmers in Malawi. Different econometric techniques were used, including a double hurdle model to understand market participation and quantity of groundnuts sold. Results We found households to be using six improved groundnut varieties, four of which were traced to the ICRISAT genebank. We analyzed pedigrees of the varieties and apportioned the ancestral contribution of the genebank accessions. Linking the improved varieties grown by farmers with genebank ancestry to market outcomes, we observed a positive association between the ICRISAT genebank and market participation. We could not establish a robust effect on the quantity of groundnuts sold conditional on participation. We found the results to be driven by the area under improved groundnuts. Conclusion The ICRISAT genebank has provided accessions that confer useful traits to improved varieties of groundnut adopted by farmers in Malawi. Our analysis indicates that access to genetic resources from genebanks has resulted in the development of improved varieties with traits that are preferred by farmers such as higher yields and resistance to diseases. The adoption of these improved varieties led to increased production surplus and reduced transaction costs, allowing farmers to better participate in local groundnut markets. The study points to the crucial role of genebanks as important sources of crop diversity for improved food security and incomes of smallholder farmers.
Analysis of population structure and genetic diversity in a Southern African soybean collection based on single nucleotide polymorphism markers
(Journal Article, 2023) Tsindi, A.; Eleblu, J.S.Y.; Gasura, E.; Mushoriwa, H.; Tongoona, P.; Danquah, E.; Mwadzingeni, L.; Zikhali, M.; Ziramba, E.; Mabuyaye, G.; Derera, J.
Soybean is an emerging strategic crop for nutrition, food security, and livestock feed in Africa, but improvement of its productivity is hampered by low genetic diversity. There is need for broadening the tropical germplasm base through incorporation and introgression of temperate germplasm in Southern Africa breeding programs. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the population structure and molecular diversity among 180 temperate and 30 tropical soybean accessions using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The results revealed very low levels of molecular diversity among the 210 lines with implications for the breeding strategy. Low fixation index (FST) value of 0.06 was observed, indicating low genetic differences among populations. This suggests high genetic exchange among different lines due to global germplasm sharing. Inference based on three tools, such as the Evanno method, silhouette plots and UPMGA phylogenetic tree showed the existence of three sub-populations. The UPMGA tree showed that the first sub-cluster is composed of three genotypes, the second cluster has two genotypes, while the rest of the genotypes constituted the third cluster. The third cluster revealed low variation among most genotypes. Negligible differences were observed among some of the lines, such as Tachiyukata and Yougestu, indicating sharing of common parental backgrounds. However large phenotypic differences were observed among the accessions suggesting that there is potential for their utilization in the breeding programs. Rapid phenotyping revealed grain yield potential ranging from one to five tons per hectare for the 200 non-genetically modified accessions. Findings from this study will inform the crossing strategy for the subtropical soybean breeding programs. Innovation strategies for improving genetic variability in the germplasm collection, such as investments in pre-breeding, increasing the geographic sources of introductions and exploitation of mutation breeding would be recommended to enhance genetic gain.
Consortium of management practices in long-run improves soil fertility and carbon sequestration in drylands of semi-arid tropics
(Journal Article, 2023-09) Chander, Girish; Singh, Ajay; Abbhishek, Kumar; Whitbread, Anthony M.; Jat, Mangi Lal; Mequanint, Melesse B.; Falk, Thomas; Nagaraju, B.; Kamdi, Prasad J.; Cuba, Perumal; Mandapati, Roja; Anupama, G. V.
Scientific agenda for climate risk and impact assessment of West African cropping systems
(Journal Article, 2023-09) Diancoumba, Madina; MacCarthy, Dilys Sefakor; Webber, Heidi; Akinseye, Folorunso M.; Faye, Babacar; Noulèkoun, Florent; Whitbread, Anthony M.; Corbeels, Marc; Worou, Nadine
Rainfed agriculture is at the centre of many West African economies and a key livelihood strategy in the region. Highly variable rainfall patterns lead to a situation in which farmers’ investments to increase productivity are very risky and will become more risky with climate change. Process-based cropping system models are a key tool to assess the impact of weather variability and climate change, as well as the effect of crop management options on crop yields, soil fertility and farming system resilience and widely used by the West African scientific community. Challenges to use are related to their consideration of the prevailing systems and conditions of West African farms, as well as limited data availability for calibration. We outline here a number of factors need to be considered if they are to contribute to the scientific basis underlying transformation of farming systems towards sustainability. These include: capacity building, improved models, FAIR data, research partnerships and using models in co-development settings.
Assessment of the relations between crop yield variability and the onset and intensity of the West African Monsoon
(Journal Article, 2023-04) Joseph, Jacob Emanuel; Akinseye, Folorunso M.; Worou, Nadine; Faye, Aliou; Konte, Oumar; Whitbread, Anthony M.; Rötter, Reimund P.
Timely information on the onset of rain is essential for effectively adapting to climate variability and increasing the resilience of rain-fed systems. However, defining optimal sowing dates based on the onset of rain has been challenging. We compared and analyzed the West African Monsoon onset according to Raman’s, modified Sivakumar’s, Yamada’s, and Liebmann’s definitions using station data from 13 locations in Senegal from 1981 to 2020. Subsequently, we systematically analyzed the effect of the differently estimated monsoon onsets(WAM-OS) on maize development. To this end, we applied the set of the generated WAM-OS as sowing dates in simulations of maize growth and yields, applying the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator(APSIM) at 13 locations representing different agroclimatic regions across Senegal. We examined the impact of the sowing dates under variable conditions of soil organic carbon(SOC) and plant available water capacity(PAWC). Our analysis showed statistically significant differences between the WAM-OS dates, rainfall characteristics computed for these, and maize yields simulated using different sowing dates according to the WAM-OS definitions. We found Liebmann’s onset dates were most suitable for both hydrological and agronomic applications since they were characterized by the lowest probabilities of prolonged dry spells after onset, the highest amount of rainfall in the mid-season, and the highest simulated maize yields compared to other onset definitions. Our results highlight the importance of sowing dates and their accurate prediction for improving crop productivity in the study area. We also found SOC and PAWC were important factors that improved maize yields. We recommend improved access to climate information services to help smallholder farmers get timely information that helps them in their sowing decisions and encourage agronomic interventions that improve the SOC level, soil pore volume to retain more water and other soil properties directly(e.g., tillage) and indirectly(suited cropping systems) that contribute to enhancing crop productivity.

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