The study was aimed to examine the effects of various storage structures and moisture contents on seed quality attributes of quality protein maize seed. The quality protein maize (QPM-1) seed was tested in conventional seed storage containers (Fertilizer sack and earthen pot) and the improved hermetic ones (Metal bin, Super grain bag, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag) at Seed Science and Technology Division, Khumaltar, Nepal during February, 2015 to January 2016. Ten treatments comprising 5 storage devices in two moisture regimes (11% and 9%) replicated thrice and laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Data on temperature, relative humidity (RH), germination, electrical conductivity (EC), seed moisture content (MC) were collected bimonthly. The conventional containers were found liable to the external environmental condition whereas the hermetic structures observed with controlled RH level below 40% in all combinations. Electrical conductivity (EC) for seed vigor showed that hermetic containers provide higher seed vigor than the conventional ones. Up to 4 months all treatments were found statistically at par for germination. A significant difference was observed in each treatment after 4 months where PICS bag & Super grain bag showed best germination followed by metal bin while fertilizer bag & earthen-pot showed poorer and poorest germination respectively till one year. Almost all treatments with lower MC showed better results than the treatments with higher MC. A negative correlation (R 2 =69.7%) was found between EC and Germination. All six figures from 2 to 12 months on MC showed statistically different where hermetic plastic bags were found maintaining MC as initial whereas MC of fertilizer bags and earthen pot was spiked than the basal figure. The finding evidenced that the hermetic containers and low MC are the seed storage approaches for retaining the quality of seed even in an ambient environmental condition for more than a year.Keywords: Seed quality, Germination, storage containers, Electrical conductivity, Moisture content 78 INTRODUCTIONMaize (Zea mays L.) is the second most important staple food crop after rice and a major feed crop in Nepal (KC et al., 2015). Despite the implementation of various seed related projects and active involvement of public and private institutions; still the country has been suffering from unavailability of quality seeds. Quality seed demand in Nepal is apparently tremendous, where lion's share of seeds are imported and country's import has been hiking each year. The official record of Seed Quality Control Centre (SQCC) in 2015 shows that 2745 metric tons of seed was traded in where 1025 million of Nepalese currency redeemed. Formal sector contributes less than 10% of seed demand whereas Informal sector, farmer-to-farmer seed exchange mechanism has been contributing 20-50% of seed demand. Seed replacement rate (SRR) for maize is below 15 % (Joshi, 2015). Hence, production and proper storage of quality seed in community level is regarded as p...
Weed is one of the major problems in maize production. To develop an appropriate weed management practice, a field experiment was carried out during 2017 and 2018 at Khumaltar. Twelve different treatments, Pendimethalin as pre @ 1.0 kg a.i ha-1, Atrazine as pre @ 1 kg a.i ha-1, Metribuzine as pre @ 0.5 kg a.i ha-1, Tembotrione as post @ 0.2 kg a.i ha-1, Pendimethalin followed by (fb) 1 HW, Atrazine fb 1 HW, Metribuzine fb 1 HW, Tembotrione fb 1 HW, Atrazine + Metribuzine (early post ) as tank mixed, Straw mulch, Weed free (2 HW) and Weedy check (control) were evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experimental plot size was 12 m2 and maize variety Manakamana -4 was sown on 21 and 26 May in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The seed rate used was 20 kg ha-1 with row spacing of 60 cm and plant to plant 20 cm. Fertilizers dose of 120:60:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O kg ha-1 was applied. Data on crop growth, weed and yields were recorded and analyzed. Weed count and biomass were recorded from a meter square quadrat and yield data taken from net plot of 5.4 m2. Results showed that plant height with straw mulch was maximum of 294 cm. Weed density was significantly influenced by different weed management treatments. Metribuzine post fb 1 HW recorded the less weeds (52.8) and highest (258.5) in weedy check. The lowest weed dry biomass was recorded in Metribuzine post fb 1 HW (9.3 g m-2). The highest grain yield (7.6 Mt ha-1) was found in Metribuzine @ 0.5 kg a.i ha-1 as post emergence. The increased in grain yield due to the application of Metribuzine @ 0.5 kg a.i ha-1 as post emergence was 32.5% over the weedy check. Similarly, the highest weed control efficiency (77.1%) and the highest BC ratio (2.46) was also recorded in Metribuzine @ 0.5 kg a.i ha-1 as post emergence.
Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on soil. Soil’s carrying capacity is being decreased these days due to erosion, depletion of soil nutrients and climate change. Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming both plants and animals that enriches and restores topsoil, and in turn, improves the water cycle. Nepal is also facing the ill effects of the conventional agriculture system. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this review article to highlight some of the alternative production systems suitable for Nepal. The findings of this review paper were about regenerative agriculture technology reduced the cost of production through minimum tillage, less use of agriculture inputs, less labor, consumption of less irrigation, maintaining soil moisture, water holding capacity and nutrient value through crop residue, crop rotation, soil cover, reduced soil erosion and run off top layer soil and increases the soil fertility through soil carbon sequestration that mitigates the climate change effects. The major constraints of regenerative agriculture are the lack of appropriate information and technologies in hand. For policymakers, farmers and food processing and marketing companies, regenerative agriculture has been an alternative production system with lower impacts on the environment. Therefore, to promote the identified and developed regenerative agricultural practices, participatory research in the farmer’s field with large-scale demonstration across the egro-ecological domains of the country.
Agricultural production is due to the exploitation of soil, water and energy. The objective of this review work was to identify the yield gap of major crops viz. rice, maize, wheat, and finger millet and their causes. An attempt has been made to suggest the potential agronomical interventions that reduce the yield gaps. Rice, wheat, and finger millet yields in all agro-ecological zones are declining, although yield trends of maize were reported to have increased in the Terai due to the increased use of hybrids. The yield gap can be minimized with assured irrigation and appropriate agronomic practices such as the use of the quality seed, timely planting with appropriate establishment methods, timely intercultural operations, soil fertility, moisture, weeds, diseases, insect pests and post-harvest management along with growing high-yielding and stable genotypes resilient to climate change. It is obvious that there must be a strong interaction between plant breeding and agronomy for enhanced crop production. Therefore, some of the potential agronomical technologies that contribute to increase the crop yields thereby reduce the yield gaps have been discussed in this article.
Maize-based cropping system followed by intensive tillage and faulty practices often associated with many negative implications such as the decline of soil organic matter, increase soil erosion by wind/water, lower nutrient-use efficiency, field burning of crop residue, air pollution mainly attributed to the monoculture of intensive conventional production systems leading to global warming and decline in factor productivity. Conservation Agriculture (CA) underlying principles of minimal soil disturbance, soil cover and crop rotation are increasingly recognized as an essential for the sustainability of this cropping system. Therefore, a brief review was done to find out the results its constraints and the possible interventions under a maize-based system of Nepal. Very few works under CA is done so far under maize-based cropping system of Nepal, however, the results are encouraging. There are some constraints in CA technologies promotion, such as scale-neutral agri-machineries, crop residues competition between CA use and livestock feeding, skilled and scientific manpower availability and overcoming the bias or mindset about tillage. CA provide opportunities to reduce the cost of production, improve resource use efficiency, saves water and nutrients and increase yield. There is a need to develop and promote low-cost technologies of CA that can be used effectively in maize based system of hills and Terai.
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