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The primary challenges in Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) seed production in Nepal are low productivity levels and substandard quality indicators. To address this issue, the experiments were conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Khajura, Banke, Nepal, and replicated in farmers' fields using a Randomized Complete Block Design from November 2018 to June 2019. Four irrigation schemes and three levels of foliar sprays of plant bio-regulators were used. The experiment result revealed that three and four irrigations were most suitable for achieving higher seed yield (p<0.05), resulting in 0.99 and 0.93 t ha-1 at on-station and 0.87 and 0.85 t ha-1 at on-farm, respectively. Similarly, two and three sprays of plant bio-regulators yielded better (p<0.05) seed yields of 0.89 and 0.94 t ha-1 at on-station and 0.79 and 0.85 t ha-1 at on-farm, respectively, without significant alteration on days taken to seed maturity and biological yield. The interactions between the levels of irrigation and plant bio-regulators spray were non-significant (p>0.05) for seed yield and biological yield. The experiments demonstrated that three irrigations @ 666.67 kiloliters of water ha-1 at 15-day intervals after one cut at 60 days after sowing, and three foliar sprays of plant bio-regulators (P2O5 @ 2 kg ha-1 + KNO3 @ 4 kg ha-1) at 7-day intervals in the pre-flowering stage, significantly enhanced the seed yield and quality of Berseem clover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatty acid (FA) profile of ghee produced from milk of cattle-yak hybrids grazing five mountain pasture sites along a high-alpine transhumance route in Nepal was analysed. Pastures differed in altitude above sea level (2600-4500 m), time period of being grazed and phytochemical composition of the swards. Additionally, a comparison of ghee from purebred yak and hybrid was performed, with samples produced at two of the sites. Pasture site had a strong effect on almost all FAs. Proportions of oleic, linoleic and κ-linolenic acid in ghee were smallest on the highest pasture at 4500 m where the largest condensed tannin concentrations in the forages were found. No systematic site effects were found for c9,t11 conjugated linoleic acid and total polyunsaturated FAs. Ghee produced from the hybrids' milk was richer in major functional FAs such as κ-linolenic and linoleic acid, while yak ghee contained more saturated FAs and eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted in Rasuwa district, Nepal from 2008 to 2009 in Chauries (3 to 16 years) to analyze the transhumance effect in husbandry practices and physiological vitals. Physiological vitals were evaluated by 2×4 Factorial CRD with two levels of altitude (high- 3300 m and low- 1655 m) and four levels of age group (G1- ≤6 yrs, G2- 7 to 9 yrs, G3- 10 to 13 yrs and G4- >13 yrs); information regarding husbandry practices were collected from herders (n=60) using semi-structured questionnaire. Physiological vitals were taken from two altitudes, then analyzed for two- way ANOVA by Mstat- C and survey data by SPSS 16.0. Husbandry practices were found to be almost similar round the year except the matter of herbage supplementation during winter and early parturition. Rectal temperature, respiration rate, pulse rate and DSI showed significant increase (P<0.01) when animals were at low altitude pasture. Therefore, findings of this study revealed that transhumance system of Chauri management is herders' rational farming approach to make use of available pastures at different altitudes and have a distinct impact on rearing system and animals' physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]