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Proper pinching practice and the optimum rate of nitrogen (N) enhance the production of marigold. An experiment was conducted at a farmer’s field in Gadawa-4, Gangaparaspur, Dang, Nepal from July 2018 to November 2018 to investigate the effects of different rates of nitrogen and pinching on yield and yield attributes of African marigold (cv. Kolkata Local). Two factorial experiment was laid in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. There were eight treatments, consist of four rates of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) and two levels of pinching (pinching and non-pinching). The maximum plant height (89.70 cm), the diameter of flower (4.29 cm) and the fresh weight per flower (4.32 g) and early days to 50% flowering (61.58) were obtained at non- pinching. The highest number of flowers (60.66), yield per plant (237.49 g) and yield per hectare (9.89 t/ha) were obtained with pinching. The highest plant height (92.20 cm) was recorded at 150 kg/ha of N but the highest yield per plant (238.18 g) and yield per ha (9.91 t/ha) was obtained at 50 kg/ha of nitrogen application. No significant effect was noted on the days to 50% flowering, number of flowers per plant, fresh weight per flower and diameter of flowers by different rates of nitrogen. The interaction of pinching and different rates of nitrogen showed non- significant effect on yield per plant and yield per ha. But, the combination of pinching and nitrogen rates at 50 kg/ha recorded the maximum yield per plant (249.20 g) and yield per ha (10.36 t/ha). Hence it is suggested to use pinching practice with optimum application of nitrogen @ 50 kg/ha to obtain high yield of marigold.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the plant height, yield and yield attributes of wheat under different tillage practices and nitrogen level at Dang, Nepal during winter season 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with two tillage practices viz. zero tillage and conventional tillage as main plot factor and four level of N viz. 50 kg ha-1, 75 kg ha-1, 100 kg ha-1and 125 kg ha-1 as sub plot factor and each replicated thrice. The result revealed that there is no significant relation between tillage practice and plant height of wheat while N level significantly affect the plant height. 125 kg N ha-1 recorded the highest plant height (110.7 cm). Zero tillage recorded the highest effective tiller m-2 (254) and grain yield (3.3 t ha-1) whereas spike length, grain spike-1, biological yield and harvest index were not significant with tillage practices. Regarding the N level, 125 kg N ha-1 recorded the highest effective spike m-2 (279), spike length (10.6 cm), grain spike-1 (48), thousand grain weight (46.3 g), grain yield (3.6 t ha-1) and biological yield (9.4 t ha-1). 50 kg N ha-1 recorded the highest harvest index (42.9%). The interaction between the tillage practice and nitrogen level showed the significant effect on grain yield and harvest index where as other parameters showed non-significant relation. The zero tillage with 125 kg N ha-1 recorded the highest grain yield (3.9 t ha-1).

Potassium is an essential nutrient for potato due to its direct effects on the growth, yield and quality of potato tubers. This study was carried out at Lamahi, Dang Nepal during winter season of 2018. Two potato variety (Local and Cardinal) and five levels of potassium (30, 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg K2O/ha) were evaluated in two factorial randomized block design with three replications. The application of potassium at 100 kg/ha produced significantly highest plant canopy, stem diameter and leaf length for the both varieties. The highest tuber number per plant (10.3 for Local and 17.6 for cardinal) and tuber weight (19.7 g for Local and 49 g for Cardinal) were obtained with the application of 100 kg K2O/ha. The highest gross margin was found with this level of potassium. Therefore, farmers should apply 100 kg K2O to potato to achieve maximum production and benefit.

Genetic variability in a crop population is important for successful plant breeding. Eight cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) genotypes namely Green Long, Simran, Bhaktapur Local, Saihni-2, Ninja-179, Garima, Farmer’s variety and wild genotype were evaluated at Lamahi Municipality, Dang district of Nepal to estimate the magnitude of their genetic variability and heritability. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for growth and yield traits. The estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were highest for weight of fruit whereas traits namely fruit length, fruit diameter and days to maturity had medium value for both GCV and PCV. Broad sense heritability estimates ranged from 0.74 for fruit diameter to 0.98 for days to germination. Fruit yield showed high significant positive correlation with fruit diameter (r= 0.649) and negative significant correlation (r= -0.538) with days to flowering. Traits namely weight per fruit, days of germination, no. of flower and days to flowering can be used effectively in selection process of crop improvement program as they had high GCV, PCV and heritability along with high genetic advance as percentage of mean.

Introduction: The ability of a person to phonate a sound gets affected in different laryngeal and respiratory pathology which can be measured by the help of two measure called as Maximum Phonation Duration (MPD) and S/Z ratio that helps to assess the efficiency of respiratory and phonatory system. The aim of this study is to measure the MPD and S/Z ratio in Normal, Tuberculosis and Asthma group patient. Methods: The participant included Normal, Asthma and Tuberculosis patient where the recording was made in a quiet room with the help of PRAAT software and the participant were asked to sustain phonation of sound on single breath. Analysis was done with helps of SPSS version 25.0. Results: There was a significant difference noted in MPD of /a/, /i/, /u/ sound between control and experimental group. MPD were significantly shorter in Asthma and Tuberculosis group compared to Normal group with no significant difference in S/Z ratio. Conclusions: Maximum Phonation Duration is more reduced in Asthma and Tuberculosis patient compared to Normal group which indicate Asthma and Tuberculosis patient has to put more effort to phonate a sound.

Nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria are widespread vector-borne helminths (VBH) of veterinary relevance. Dirofilariosis caused by D. immitis is frequently diagnosed in dogs often showing a severe clinical condition known as heartworm disease. Assessing the distribution pattern of canine dirofilariosis is pivotal to undertake appropriate control measures and define the risk of infection in animals and humans. This study provides original data on the occurrence of D. immitis in naive stray dogs from Nepal. An epidemiological study was performed on stray dogs from Siddharthanagar, Lumbini region, Nepal. Alive animals were blood sampled and examined for microfilariae using direct microscopy, buffy coat centrifugation and modified Knott's method. In addition, hematobiochemical parameters, including packed cell volume (PCV), alanine aminotransferase (SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urea and total protein were analysed, along with a clinical scoring (body temperature and respiratory rate). During the observation period, data on autopsies performed on stray dogs showing canine heartworm disease were also included. The overall prevalence of D. immitis in both alive and necropsied dogs was 22.49% (38/169). Out of 150 alive dogs, 29 (19.3%) were positive for D. immitis microfilariae. The prevalence of the infection varied according to the technique used, ranging from 16.0 to 19.3% based on direct blood smear microscopy and modified Knott's technique, respectively. The infection rate was significantly higher (p

Anther extrusion (AE) is the most important male floral trait for hybrid wheat seed production. AE is a complex quantitative trait that is difficult to phenotype reliably in field experiments not only due to high genotype-by-environment effects but also due to the short expression window in the field condition. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association scan (GWAS) and explored the possibility of applying genomic prediction (GP) for AE in the CIMMYT hybrid wheat breeding program. An elite set of male lines (n= 603) were phenotype for anther count (AC) and anther visual score (VS) across three field experiments in 2017–2019 and genotyped with the 20K Infinitum is elect SNP array. GWAS produced five marker trait associations with small effects. For GP, the main effects of lines (L), environment (E), genomic (G) and pedigree relationships (A), and their interaction effects with environments were used to develop seven statistical models of incremental complexity. The base model used only L and E, whereas the most complex model included L, E, G, A, and G × E and A × E. These models were evaluated in three cross-validation scenarios (CV0, CV1, and CV2). In cross-validation CV0, data from two environments were used to predict an untested environment; in random cross-validation CV1, the test set was never evaluated in any environment; and in CV2, the genotypes in the test set were evaluated in only a subset of environments. The prediction accuracies ranged from −0.03 to 0.74 for AC and −0.01 to 0.54 for VS across different models and CV schemes. For both traits, the highest prediction accuracies with low variance were observed in CV2, and inclusion of the interaction effects increased prediction accuracy for AC only. In CV0, the prediction accuracy was 0.73 and 0.45 for AC and VS, respectively, indicating the high reliability of across environment prediction. Genomic prediction appears to be a very reliable tool for AE in hybrid wheat breeding. Moreover, high prediction accuracy in CV0 demonstrates the possibility of implementing genomic selection across breeding cycles in related germplasm, aiding the rapid breeding cycle.

Hybrid wheat breeding programs need to use chemical hybridizing agents for seed production due to its simplicity. Alternative methods such as cytoplasmic systems or hand pollinations restrict genetic combinations or seed production which limits testing experimental hybrids in large-scale multi-environment trials (METs). Using F2 seed instead of F1 can allow programs to test hybrid cross combinations in METs and the data can be used to supplement selection decisions at early stages of breeding cycle. To test this hypothesis, two METs consisting of 40 entries were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in six locations across Texas and Nebraska. The entries included hybrids at the F2 stage and their respective parents, selected from a previous preliminary F1 evaluation experiment. In six out of 10 test environments, a F2 hybrid had statistically significant higher yield than highest yielding parent. The F2 mid-parent heterosis ranged from − 20.97 to 27.52% in 2017 and − 9.90 to 9.17% in 2018. The F2 high-parent heterosis ranged from − 21.07 to 17.85% in 2017 and − 16.57 to 6.68% in 2018. The heterosis estimates of these cross combinations at F1 stage were extracted from previous large scale METs conducted on nine environments across Nebraska and Texas in 2016–2017. A comparison of F2 heterosis from this study and F1 heterosis from the previous study revealed that F2 heterosis was highly indicative of superior F1 performance. The results provide strong evidence for utility of F2 yield data in selecting superior F1 hybrids. In addition, a practical framework for using F2 performance to aid selecting F1’s in a hybrid wheat-breeding pipeline is provided.

Background Nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria are widespread vector-borne helminths (VBH) of increasing relevance. Indeed, dirofilariosis is frequently diagnosed in domestic pets, often dogs, associated with a severe clinical condition known as heartworm disease caused by D. immitis . Assessing the distribution pattern of canine dirofilariosis is pivotal to undertake appropriate control measures and define the risk of infection in animals and humans. This study revealed the occurrence of D. immitis in naïve community dogs from Nepal. Methods An epidemiological study was performed in 2019 in Siddharthanagar (Lumbini region, Nepal). A total of 150 blood specimens were examined using direct microscopy, buffy coat centrifugation and modified Knott's method aiming at isolating and identifying Dirofilaria microfilariae. In addition, hematobiochemical parameters, including packed cell volume (PCV), alanine aminotransferase (SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urea and total protein were analyzed, along with a clinical scoring (i.e., body temperature and respiratory rate) of the animals enrolled in this study. Results Out of 150 dogs sampled, 29 (19.3%) had D. immitis microfilariae. The prevalence of the infection varied according to the technique used, ranging from 16.0% to 19.3% based on direct blood smear microscopy and modified Knott method, respectively. The infection rate was significantly ( P

Backround: Dirofilaria species are important zoonotic filarioid nematodes transmitted by mosquitoes causing a heartworm disease in canines worldwide. Map of the distribution pattern of dirofilariois in Nepalese context is lacking. Methodology: A study was done to access the occurrence of dirofilarioids among stray dogs population in Siddharthanagar, sub-metropolitan city of Lumbini, Nepal. A total of 150 blood specimens were examined using direct microscopy, buffy coat centrifugation and modified Knott's method. Haematobiochemical parameters including packed cell volume (PCV), alanine aminotransferase (SGPT), aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urea and total protein were evaluated. Furhter, the clinical performance, comprising the body temperature and respiratory rate, were also assessed. Results: The dirofilariod is recognized as Dirofilaria immitis . Overall prevalence of dirofilariosis was reported to be 19.33% (29/150). Meanwhile, microfilariae were noticed to be 16.0, 16.0 and 19.33 % using the direct blood smear microscopy, buffy coat and modified Knott technique, respectively. The infection rate was significantly ( P

Association mapping study conducted in a population of 3490 elite barley breeding lines from ten barley breeding programs of the USA identified 12 QTLs for resistance/susceptibility to net form of net blotch. Breeding resistant varieties is the best management strategy for net form of net blotch (NFNB) in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt). Several resistance QTL have been previously identified in barley via linkage mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A GWAS conducted in a collection of advanced breeding lines (n = 3490) representing elite germplasm from ten barley breeding programs of the USA identified 42 unique marker-trait associations (MTA) for NFNB resistance. The lines were genotyped with 3072 SNP markers and phenotyped with four Ptt isolates in controlled environment. The lines were used to construct 13 different GWAS panels. Efficient mixed model association method with principal components and kinship was used for GWAS. Significance threshold for MTA was set at a false discovery rate of 0.05. Two, eight, six, one and 25 MTA were identified in chromosomes 1H, 3H, 4H, 5H and 6H, respectively. Based on genetic positions and linkage disequilibrium, these MTA’s correspond to two, three, two, one and four QTLs in chromosome 1H, 3H, 4H, 5H and 6H, respectively. A comparison with previous linkage and GWAS studies revealed several previously identified and novel QTLs. Moreover, different genomic regions were found to be responsible for NFNB resistance in two-row versus six-row germplasm. The germplasm-specific SNP markers with additive effects and allelic distribution is reported to facilitate breeders in selection of markers for MAS to introgress novel net blotch resistance.

Domain walls in magnetic thin films are being explored for memory applications and the speed at which they move has acquired increasing importance. Magnetic fields and currents have been shown to drive domain walls with speeds exceeding 500 m/s. We investigate another approach to increase domain wall velocities, using high frequency surface acoustic waves to create standing strain waves in a 3 micron wide strip of magnetic film with perpendicular anisotropy. Our measurements, at a resonant frequency of 248.8 MHz, indicate that domain wall velocities increase substantially, even at relatively low applied voltages. Our findings suggest that the strain wave derived effective magnetic field acts as an additional driver for domain wall motion.

Phosphorus affects the growth, development, maturity, earliness in flowering, fruiting and yield of chilli. The level and availability of phosphorus for chilli depend on the phosphorus already present in soil and climatic conditions. However, sufficient information is not available about the effect of various phosphorus levels on chilli production for the soil with a medium phosphorus level of the inner terai region of Nepal. Thus, the study was carried out to investigate the effect of various phosphorus levels on chilli on the soil having medium phosphorus at the Gadawa-4 Gangaparaspur of Deukhuri valley of the Dang district in 2018. The experiment consisted of six levels of phosphorus viz 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg P ha-1. The single factor experiment was laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The highest plant height (60.22 cm), number of primary branches (9.60), yield per plant (123.20 g) and per hectare (9.15 t ha-1), and early 50% flowering (44.00 days) were recorded in 90 kg P ha-1. 60 kg P ha-1 showed the highest number of fruits per plant (60.22). The maximum fruit length (6.80 cm) was recorded at 120 kg P ha-1. The study concluded that a 90 kg P ha-1 showed superiority in terms of growth parameters and phenological parameter, yield per plant and per hectare. Therefore, a 90 kg P ha-1 could be used to get the highest yield of chilli for the soil with a medium phosphorus level of inner terai place like Deukhuri, Dang of Nepal. [Fundam Appl Agric 2021; 6(1.000): 78-85]

Barley yellow dwarf (BYD), caused by ten different species of viruses from the Luteoviridae family, is an economically important viral disease of small grains in the US Northern Great Plains. Identification of virus species in the region associated with BYD is critical to deployment of specific effective resistance genes. However, a comprehensive survey of virus species using modern diagnostic tools has not been done before in the US Northern Great Plains. In this study, species composition of viruses associated with BYD in small grains of Minnesota and South Dakota were determined by sampling BYD infected tissue from a large geographical area over three years. Whole genomic RNA was extracted from leaf tissue and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted to detect infection of BYD and classify into species using primers from a two-step multiplex PCR protocol. Out of 463 samples collected from Minnesota and South Dakota from 2013 to 2015, about 50% (n = 222) of the samples tested positive for BYD. The majority of virus infected samples (n = 146) were identified as the Barley yellow dwarf virus PAV. These results indicate that the RT-PCR protocol used in this study is a viable molecular diagnostic tool for detection of BYD causing viruses in field collected samples. Moreover, the results indicate that Barley yellow dwarf virus PAV is most the dominant species associated with BYD in the US Northern Great Plains. Due to the species-specific nature of resistance to BYD these results can also guide breeding strategies in small grains for BYD management.

CuMnAs with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is proposed as an active material for antiferromagnetic memory. Information can be stored in the antiferromagnetic domain state, while writing and readout can rely on the existence of the surface magnetization. It is predicted, based on first-principles calculations, that easy-axis anisotropy can be achieved in bulk CuMnAs by substituting a few percent of As atoms by Ge, Si, Al, or B. This effect is attributed to the changing occupation of certain electronic bands near the Fermi level induced by the hole doping. The calculated temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy does not exhibit any anomalies. Thin CuMnAs(001) films are also predicted to have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy., Comment: 5 pages, 8 figures