Wide Crossing Technology for Pigeonpea Improvement

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan Millsp,) has ample genetic and genomic information now. It is endowed with rich germplasm in different gene pools. One of the easiest material to use in those are in the primary gene pool, which are closely related to cultivated pigeonpea. It is observed that species placed beyond the primary gene pool are a rich source of genetic variation. They contribute beneficial traits to pigeonpea such as pest or disease resistance, resistance to abiotic stresses, cytoplasmic male sterile systems (CMS) leading to yield improvement, and some novel traits such as homozygous pigeonpea lines. To effectively utilize the immense variation present in the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary gene pool of pigeonpea, a thorough knowledge of crossability and concerted effort is essential

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

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Effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on productivity, profitability and quality of rice under rice-wheat cropping systemRice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) had played a great role in the food security of India. A field experiment on sandy clay loam soil was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons of 2011 at the Agriculture Research Farm, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (UP) to study the effect of tillage and crop establishment methods on productivity, profitability and quality of rice under rice-wheat cropping system. The experiment was conducted in strip-plot design with four crop establishment methods (Direct seedling by zero till drill, direct seedling of sprouted seeds by drum seeder, hand transplanting and mechanical transplanting by self propelled transplanter) in rice as horizontal strip and four tillage methods in wheat as vertical strips. Highest value of B: C ratio, grain protein content and nutrient uptake were obtained with mechanical transplanting but it was found at par with hand transplanting. Highest plant height, dry matter, grain yield and net return were recorded with hand transplanting which was found at par with mechanical transplanting, so this treatment could be an efficient alternative method to produce high yield and income as compare to hand transplanting, particularly under labour constrained conditions.Not Availabl

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EFFECT OF TILLAGE AND CROP ESTABLISHMENT METHODS ON CROP GROWTH, NUTRIENT UPTAKE, QUALITY AND YIELD OF WHEAT GROWN IN RICE-WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEMAn experiment was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons year 2010-2011 at the Agriculture Research Farm, institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (U.P.) in strip-plot design with four tillage and crop establishment methods in rice (Direct seedling by zero till drill, direct seedling of sprouted seeds by drum seeder, manual transplanting and mechanical transplanting by self propelled transplanter) as horizontal strip and tillage and crop establishment methods in wheat (Rotavator till drilling, conventional sowing, strip till drilling and zero till drilling) as vertical strips. The maximum values of growth parameters recorded with zero till drill wheat. Zero till drill sown wheat recorded grain yield and produced protein yield significantly higher over the other crop establishment methods. It was concluded that zero till wheat planting helpful in increasing productivity of wheat in Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains.Not Availabl

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WEED DYNAMICS, SYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE IN RICE-WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM AS INFLUENCED BY TILLAGE AND CROP ESTABLISHMENT METHODSAn experiment was conducted in strip-plot design with four tillage and crop establishment methods in rice as horizontal strip and tillage and crop establishment methods in wheat as vertical strips. The result showed that weed population and dry weight was maximum in zero till drill sown rice followed by sowing sprouted seeds by drum seeders and minimum in manual rice transplanting. Strip till drill sown wheat recorded highest weed/m2 at 35 DAS and being at par with zero till drill, both resulted in significantly higher number of weed than rotavator as well as conventional sowing. However, manual transplanting produced maximum REY of the system and being at par with mechanical transplanting and was significantly higher than drum seeder and zero till drill. Among wheat establishment methods, zero till drill sowing produced maximum REY and being comparable to conventional sowing. The similar results were obtained for system productivity that followed the similar trend of ZT > CT > RT > ST. It was concluded that hand/mechanical transplanting of rice followed zero-till or roatavator till wheat drilling are the best crop establishment methods in rice-wheat system of Eastern IGP.Not Availabl

A Micro-Level Event-Centered Approach to Investigating Armed Conflict and Population Responses

In this article, we construct and test a micro-level event-centered approach to the study of armed conflict and behavioral responses in the general population. Event-centered approaches have been successfully used in the macro-political study of armed conflict but have not yet been adopted in micro-behavioral studies. The micro-level event-centered approach that we advocate here includes decomposition of a conflict into discrete political and violent events, examination of the mechanisms through which they affect behavior, and consideration of differential risks within the population. We focus on two mechanisms: instability and threat of harm. We test this approach empirically in the context of the recent decade-long armed conflict in Nepal, using detailed measurements of conflict-related events and a longitudinal study of first migration, first marriage, and first contraceptive use. Results demonstrate that different conflict-related events independently shaped migration, marriage, and childbearing and that they can simultaneously influence behaviors in opposing directions. We find that violent events increased migration, but political events slowed migration. Both violent and political events increased marriage and contraceptive use net of migration. Overall, this micro-level event-centered approach yields a significant advance for the study of how armed conflict affects civilian behavioral responses