Farmers’ perceptions of navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production constraints, preferred traits and farming systems and their implications on bean breeding: a case study from South East Lowveld region of Zimbabwe

Abstract Background Navy bean is an important legume crop in Zimbabwe. Although its production in Zimbabwe is limited by multiple constraints including biotic, abiotic and socio-economic, there is no documented evidence. Thus, this study aimed at identifying farmers’ production constraints, preferred traits and cultivars of navy bean, and strategies used to mitigate some of these constraints. Methods A Participatory Rural Appraisal approach involving transect walks, focus group discussions (FGDs), and formal surveys with semi-structured questionnaires was conducted in four villages of the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe. In each of the four villages, two FGDs (one for men and one for women) were conducted. A total of 176 (75 males and 101 females) navy bean-growing households were interviewed. Data from household interviews and FGDs was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists computer package. Results The most important constraints to navy bean production were drought stress (Females—86%, Males—73%), heat stress (Females—58%, Males—55%), power outages (Females—46%, Males—54%), poor soil fertility (Females—32%; Males—33%) and susceptibility to pod shattering (Females—32%, Males—43%). Mitigation strategies included mulching (18%), ridges (12%), reduced acreage (11%), and cultivating to retain more soil moisture (11%) for drought stress, while irrigating at night (32%), and adjusting planting dates (29%) were used to manage heat stress. Farmer-preferred traits included tolerance to drought and heat, early maturing varieties and disease resistance. Marketing constraints included non-payment for produce in hard currency, lack of diversity in terms of off-takers, high inflation, low grain producer price, delayed payment and breach of contract by contractors. Conclusion There will be increased adoption of improved navy bean cultivars if breeding programs address the aforementioned constraints and consider farmer-preferred traits when developing new cultivars. Breeders should work closely with extension officers to ensure that cultivars released are cultivated with appropriate agronomic packages for increased productivity and high adoption.

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Farmers’ perceptions of navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production constraints, preferred traits, farming systems and their implications on bean breeding: A case study from South East Lowveld region of Zimbabwe

10.21203/rs.3.rs-116798/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bruce Mutari ◽

Julia Sibiya ◽

Eileen Bongweh Nchanji ◽

Kennedy Simango ◽

Edmore Gasura

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Drought Stress ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Navy Bean ◽

Planting Dates ◽

Producer Price ◽

Production Constraints ◽

Legume Crop

Abstract Background: Navy bean is an important legume crop in Zimbabwe. Its production is limited by multiple constraints including biotic, abiotic and socio-economic. However, in the major navy bean-production regions of Zimbabwe, there is no recent study documenting biotic stress management strategies, farmers’ perceived production, and marketing constraints, and cultivar trait preferences. Thus, this study aimed at identifying farmers’ production constraints, preferred traits and cultivars of navy bean, and strategies used to mitigate some of these constraints.Methods: A Participatory Rural Appraisal approach involving transect walks, focus group discussions (FGDs), and formal surveys with semi-structured questionnaires was conducted in four villages of the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe. In each of the four villages, two FGDs (one for men and one for women) were conducted. A total of 176 (75 males and 101 females) navy bean growing households were interviewed. Data from household interviews and FGDs was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists computer package.Results: The most important constraints to navy bean production were drought stress (Females – 86 %, Males – 73 %), heat stress (Females – 58 %, Males – 55 %), power outages (Females – 46 %, Males – 54 %), poor soil fertility (Females – 32 %; Males – 33 %) and susceptibility to pod shattering (Females – 32 %, Males – 43 %). Mitigation strategies included mulching (18 %), ridges (12 %), reduced acreage (11 %), and cultivating to retain more soil moisture (11 %) for drought stress, while irrigating at night (32 %), and adjusting planting dates (29 %) were used to manage heat stress. Farmer-preferred traits included tolerance to drought and heat, early maturing varieties and disease resistance. Marketing constraints included non-payment for produce in hard currency, lack of diversity in terms of off-takers, high inflation, low grain producer price, delayed payment and breach of contract by contractors. Conclusion: There will be increased adoption of improved navy bean cultivars if breeding programs address the aforementioned constraints and consider farmer-preferred traits when developing new cultivars. Breeders should work closely with extension officers to ensure that cultivars released are cultivated with appropriate agronomic packages for increased productivity and high adoption.

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Farmers’ Perceptions of Navy Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) Production Constraints, Preferred Traits, Farming Systems and Their Implications on Bean Breeding: A Case Study from South East Lowveld Region of Zimbabwe

10.21203/rs.3.rs-116798/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bruce Mutari ◽

Julia Sibiya ◽

Eileen Bongweh Nchanji ◽

Kennedy Simango ◽

Edmore Gasura

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Drought Stress ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Navy Bean ◽

Planting Dates ◽

Producer Price ◽

Production Constraints ◽

Legume Crop

Abstract Background: Navy bean is an important legume crop in Zimbabwe. Its production is limited by multiple constraints including biotic, abiotic and socio-economic. However, there is no documented participatory research on production status, biotic stress management strategies, farmers’ perceived production, and marketing constraints, and cultivar trait preferences among the major navy bean growing regions. Thus, this study aimed at identifying farmers’ production constraints, preferred traits and cultivars of navy bean, and strategies used to mitigate some of these constraints.Methods: A Participatory Rural Appraisal approach involving transect walks, focus group discussions (FGDs), and formal surveys with semi-structured questionnaires was conducted in four villages of the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe. In each of the four villages, two FGDs (one for men and one for women) were conducted. A total of 176 (75 males and 101 females) navy bean growing households were interviewed. Data from household interviews and FGDs was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists computer package.Results: The most important constraints to navy bean production were drought stress (Females – 86 %, Males – 73 %), heat stress (Females – 58 %, Males – 55 %), load shedding (Females – 46 %, Males – 54 %), poor soil fertility (Females – 32 %; Males – 33 %) and susceptibility to pod shattering (Females – 32 %, Males – 43 %). Mitigation strategies included mulching (18 %), ridges (12 %), reduced acreage (11 %), and cultivating to retain more soil moisture (11 %) for drought stress, while irrigating at night (32 %), and adjusting planting dates (29 %) were used to manage heat stress. Farmer-preferred traits included tolerance to drought and heat, early maturing varieties and disease resistance. Marketing constraints included non-payment for produce in hard currency, lack of diversity in terms of off-takers, high inflation, low grain producer price, delayed payment and breach of contract by contractors. Conclusion: There will be increased adoption of improved navy bean cultivars if breeding programs address the aforementioned constraints and consider farmer-preferred traits when developing new cultivars. Breeders should work closely with extension officers to ensure that cultivars released are cultivated with appropriate agronomic packages for increased productivity and high adoption.

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Participatory analysis of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cropping system and production constraints in Burkina Faso

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine ◽

10.1186/s13002-020-00429-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Boubacar Sinare ◽

Amos Miningou ◽

Baloua Nebié ◽

John Eleblu ◽

Ofori Kwadwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burkina Faso ◽

Strong Correlation ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farm Size ◽

High Price ◽

Improved Varieties ◽

Production Constraints ◽

Legume Crop

Abstract Background Groundnut is one of the major legume crops grown as food and cash crop across the different agroecological zones of Burkina Faso. It is ranked the 2nd important legume crop for household food, nutrition, and income generation for both rural and urban zones, contributing significantly to food supply and economy of the country. Despite its importance and breeding efforts to develop improved varieties, groundnut productivity remains low. Assessing and describing the present groundnut cropping system and production constraints as well as gender dynamics in the main production areas will help in defining the groundnut breeding priorities. Methods A participatory rural appraisal study was conducted in three groundnut production regions (central-eastern, central-northern, and central-western). In each region, 4 villages were selected with a total of 124 farmers interviewed to collect data on socio-demographics, farming systems, cropping practices, and production constraints. Data analysis was carried out for qualitative and quantitative variables using STATA 14. Analysis of variance was conducted across regions and gender, and also between and within regions. Kendall’s coefficients were determined for qualitative variables across regions for the constraints using the pairwise rank. Pearson’s correlation was carried out to assess the relationship between variables, and the chi-square test was used to assess the difference in farmer preferences. Results The study revealed a cropping system of groundnut in an environment largely affected by climate change and in a subsistence and extensive agriculture. There is a variation in the groundnut cropping system across the regions. Gender plays a key role in the production of the groundnut, and 48.39% of women are engaged in groundnut cropping with less access to land and production resources. A yield gap between men and women was observed with men achieving more yield than women. There was a strong correlation between the use of improved varieties and technical assistance. A strong correlation was observed between farm size and production, and farm size and sex denoting an extensive production. Production constraints, although similar, were perceived and ranked differently between regions. The lack of improved varieties, absence of agricultural credit, lack of production tools, the high price of seeds, the high price of fertilizer, drought, and disease are some of the important constraints affecting groundnut productivity. Conclusion This study provides a recent view of groundnut cropping, allowing a good understanding of the farmers’ situation. The result will contribute to the refining of breeding priorities and guide further activities in groundnut breeding in Burkina Faso.

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Participatory analysis of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) cropping system and production constraints in Burkina Faso

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57960/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sinare Boubacar ◽

Amos Miningou ◽

Baloua Nebie ◽

John Eleblu ◽

Ofori Kwadwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burkina Faso ◽

Strong Correlation ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farm Size ◽

High Price ◽

Improved Varieties ◽

Production Constraints ◽

Legume Crop

Abstract Background: Groundnut is one of the major legume crops grown as food and cash crop across the different agroecological zones of Burkina Faso. It is ranked the 2nd important legume crop for household food, nutrition and income generation for both rural and urban zones, contributing significantly to food supply and economy of the country. Despite its importance and breeding efforts to develop improved varieties, groundnut productivity remains low. Assessing and describing the present groundnut cropping system and production constraints as well as gender dynamics in the main production areas will help in defining the groundnut breeding priorities. Methods: A Participatory Rural Appraisal study was conducted in three groundnut production regions (Central-Eastern, Central-Northern and Central-Western). In each region, 4 villages were selected with a total of 124 farmers interviewed to collect data on socio-demographics, farming systems, cropping practices and production constraints. Data analysis was carried out for qualitative and quantitative variables using STATA 14. Analysis of variance was conducted across regions and gender, and also between and within regions. Kendall's coefficients were determined for qualitative variables across regions for the constraints using the pairwise rank. Pearson's correlation was carried out to assess the relationship between variables, and the chi-square test was used to assess the difference in farmer preferences. Results: The study revealed a cropping system of groundnut in an environment largely affected by climate change and in a subsistence and extensive agriculture. There is a variation in the groundnut cropping system across the regions. Gender plays a key role in the production of the groundnut and 48.39% of women are engaged in groundnut cropping with less access to land and production resources. A yield gap between men and women was observed with men achieving more yield than women. There was a strong correlation between the use of improved varieties and technical assistance. A strong correlation was observed between farm size and production, and farm size and sex denoting an extensive production. Production constraints, although similar, were perceived and ranked differently between regions. The lack of improved varieties, absence of agricultural credit, lack of production tools, the high price of seeds, the high price of fertilizer, drought and disease are some of the important constraints affecting groundnut productivity. Conclusion: This study provides a recent view of groundnut cropping, allowing a good understanding of the farmers’ situation. The result will contribute to the refining of breeding priorities and guide further activities in groundnut breeding in Burkina Faso.

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Participatory analysis of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cropping system and production constraints in Burkina Faso

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57960/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sinare Boubacar ◽

Amos Miningou ◽

Baloua Nebie ◽

John Eleblu ◽

Ofori Kwadwo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burkina Faso ◽

Strong Correlation ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Cropping System ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Farm Size ◽

High Price ◽

Improved Varieties ◽

Production Constraints ◽

Legume Crop

Abstract Background: Groundnut is one of the major legume crops grown as food and cash crop across the different agroecological zones of Burkina Faso. It is ranked the 2nd important legume crop for household food, nutrition and income generation for both rural and urban zones, contributing significantly to food supply and economy of the country. Despite its importance and breeding efforts to develop improved varieties, groundnut productivity remains low. Assessing and describing the present groundnut cropping system and production constraints as well as gender dynamics in the main production areas will help in defining the groundnut breeding priorities.Methods: A Participatory Rural Appraisal study was conducted in three groundnut production regions (Central-Eastern, Central-Northern and Central-Western). In each region, 4 villages were selected with a total of 124 farmers interviewed to collect data on socio-demographics, farming systems, cropping practices and production constraints. Data analysis was carried out for qualitative and quantitative variables using STATA 14. Analysis of variance was conducted across regions and gender, and also between and within regions. Kendall's coefficients were determined for qualitative variables across regions for the constraints using the pairwise rank. Pearson's correlation was carried out to assess the relationship between variables, and the chi-square test was used to assess the difference in farmer preferences.Results: The study revealed a cropping system of groundnut in an environment largely affected by climate change and in a subsistence and extensive agriculture. There is a variation in the groundnut cropping system across the regions. Gender plays a key role in the production of the groundnut and 48.39% of women are engaged in groundnut cropping with less access to land and production resources. A yield gap between men and women was observed with men achieving more yield than women. There was a strong correlation between the use of improved varieties and technical assistance. A strong correlation was observed between farm size and production, and farm size and sex denoting an extensive production. Production constraints, although similar, were perceived and ranked differently between regions. The lack of improved varieties, absence of agricultural credit, lack of production tools, the high price of seeds, the high price of fertilizer, drought and disease are some of the important constraints affecting groundnut productivity.Conclusion: This study provides a recent view of groundnut cropping, allowing a good understanding of the farmers’ situation. The result will contribute to the refining of breeding priorities and guide further activities in groundnut breeding in Burkina Faso.

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Drought and Heat Stress in Cool-Season Food Legumes in Sub-Tropical Regions: Consequences, Adaptation, and Mitigation Strategies

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10061038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1038

Author(s):

Venugopalan Visha Kumari ◽

Anirban Roy ◽

Roshni Vijayan ◽

Purabi Banerjee ◽

Vivek Chandra Verma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Drought Stress ◽

Foliar Application ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Cool Season ◽

Tropical Regions ◽

Food Legumes ◽

Drought And Heat Stress ◽

Physiological And Biochemical ◽

Adaptation And Mitigation

Drought and heat stress are two major abiotic stresses that challenge the sustainability of agriculture to a larger extend. The changing and unpredictable climate further aggravates the efforts made by researchers as well as farmers. The stresses during the terminal stage of cool-season food legumes may affect numerous physiological and biochemical reactions that may result in poor yield. The plants possess a good number of adaptative and avoiding mechanisms to sustain the adverse situation. The various agronomic and breeding approaches may help in stress-induced alteration. The physiological and biochemical response of crops to any adverse situation is very important to understand to develop mechanisms and approaches for tolerance in plants. Agronomic approaches like altering the planting time, seed priming, foliar application of various macro and micro nutrients, and the application of rhizobacteria may help in mitigating the adverse effect of heat and drought stress to some extent. Breeding approaches like trait-based selection, inheritance studies of marker-based selection, genetic approaches using the transcriptome and metabolome may further pave the way to select and develop crops with better heat and drought stress adaptation and mitigation.

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Improving Drought Tolerance in Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek): Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Perspectives

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1534

Author(s):

Chandra Mohan Singh ◽

Poornima Singh ◽

Chandrakant Tiwari ◽

Shalini Purwar ◽

Mukul Kumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Crop Production ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Theoretical Research ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

The Impact

Drought stress is considered a severe threat to crop production. It adversely affects the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular functions of the plants, especially in short duration crops like mungbean. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made towards enhancing climate resilience in legumes through classical and next-generation breeding coupled with omics approaches. Various defence mechanisms have been reported as key players in crop adaptation to drought stress. Many researchers have identified potential donors, QTLs/genes and candidate genes associated to drought tolerance-related traits. However, cloning and exploitation of these loci/gene(s) in breeding programmes are still limited. To bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical breeding, we need to reveal the omics-assisted genetic variations associated with drought tolerance in mungbean to tackle this stress. Furthermore, the use of wild relatives in breeding programmes for drought tolerance is also limited and needs to be focused. Even after six years of decoding the whole genome sequence of mungbean, the genome-wide characterization and expression of various gene families and transcriptional factors are still lacking. Due to the complex nature of drought tolerance, it also requires integrating high throughput multi-omics approaches to increase breeding efficiency and genomic selection for rapid genetic gains to develop drought-tolerant mungbean cultivars. This review highlights the impact of drought stress on mungbean and mitigation strategies for breeding high-yielding drought-tolerant mungbean varieties through classical and modern omics technologies.

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Molecular and Physiological Responses of Rice and Weedy Rice to Heat and Drought Stress

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11010009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 9

Author(s):

Leonard Bonilha Piveta ◽

Nilda Roma-Burgos ◽

José Alberto Noldin ◽

Vívian Ebeling Viana ◽

Claudia de Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Heat Stress ◽

Drought Stress ◽

Intercellular Co2 Concentration ◽

Tiller Number ◽

Weedy Rice ◽

Photosynthetic Parameters ◽

World Population ◽

Rice Grain ◽

Rice Cultivars

Rice is the staple food for about half of the world population. Rice grain yield and quality are affected by climatic changes. Arguably, rice cultivars’ genetic diversity is diminished from decades of breeding using narrow germplasm, requiring introgressions from other Oryza species, weedy or wild. Weedy rice has high genetic diversity, which is an essential resource for rice crop improvement. Here, we analyzed the phenotypic, physiological, and molecular profiles of two rice cultivars (IRGA 424 and SCS119 Rubi) and five weedy rice (WR), from five different Brazilian regions, in response to heat and drought stress. Drought and heat stress affected the phenotype and photosynthetic parameters in different ways in rice and WR genotypes. A WR from Northern Brazil yielded better under heat stress than the non-stressed check. Drought stress upregulated HSF7A while heat stress upregulated HSF2a. HSP74.8, HSP80.2, and HSP24.1 were upregulated in both conditions. Based on all evaluated traits, we hypothesized that in drought conditions increasing HSFA7 expression is related to tiller number and that increase WUE (water use efficiency) and HSFA2a expression are associated with yield. In heat conditions, Gs (stomatal conductance) and E’s increases may be related to plant height; tiller number is inversely associated with HSPs expression, and chlorophyll content and Ci (intercellular CO2 concentration) may be related to yield. Based on morphology, physiology, and gene regulation in heat and drought stress, we can discriminate genotypes that perform well under these stress conditions and utilize such genotypes as a source of genetic diversity for rice breeding.

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143 Heat Stress Mitigation Strategies for Boars and Impact of Most Effective on Sperm Parameters.

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/sky073.141 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 96 (suppl_2) ◽

pp. 76-76

Author(s):

E D Grusenmeyer ◽

T J Safranski ◽

M C Lucy ◽

K Kerns ◽

P Sutovsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Sperm Parameters

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Genome-wide identification of AP2/ERF transcription factors in mungbean (Vigna radiata) and expression profiling of the VrDREB subfamily under drought stress

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp18180 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (10) ◽

pp. 1009 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Abdullahi Muhammad Labbo ◽

Maryam Mehmood ◽

Malik Nadeem Akhtar ◽

Muhammad Jawad Khan ◽

Aamira Tariq ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Drought Stress ◽

Stress Tolerance ◽

Vigna Radiata ◽

Critical Role ◽

Drought Stress Tolerance ◽

Legume Crop ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Responsive Element ◽

Major Factors

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is a valuable legume crop grown in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia. Drought is one of the major factors hindering its growth globally. APETALA2/ethylene-responsive element factor binding proteins (AP2/ERF) are an important family of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) involved in drought-stress tolerance. We identified 71 AP2/ERF TFs in the mungbean genome by using bioinformatics tools and classified them into subfamilies: AP2 (16 members), ERF (22), RAV (2), DREB (30) and soloist (other proteins with no domain, 1). Members of DREB play a critical role in drought-stress tolerance. Ten-day-old mungbean plants cv. AZRI-06 were exposed to drought stress by complete withholding of water for 7 days. Root samples were collected from control and drought-stressed plants, and the expression pattern of 30 identified VrDREB genes was determined by qPCR. Most VrDREB genes exhibited differential expression in response to drought. Five genes (VrDREB5, VrDREB12, VrDREB13, VrDREB22, VrDREB30) were highly expressed under drought stress and might be considered excellent candidates for further functional analysis and for improvement of mungbean drought tolerance.

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