scholarly journals Capacities of local maize seed enterprises in Mexico: Implications for seed systems development

Food Security ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Donovan ◽  
Pieter Rutsaert ◽  
Ciro Domínguez ◽  
Meliza Peña
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Maize Seed ◽  
Seed Systems

AbstractWhere maize plays a critical role in food security, governments and donors have invested heavily in support of local, privately owned, often small and medium sized, maize seed enterprises (maize SMEs). Underpinning these investments are strong assumptions about maize SMEs’ capacity to produce and distribute seed to smallholders. This study assesses the capacities of 22 maize SMEs in Mexico that engaged with MasAgro—a large-scale development program initiated in 2011 that has provided maize SMEs with improved genetic material and technical assistance. Data were collected onsite from in-depth interviews with enterprise owners and managers and complemented with other primary and secondary sources. Overall, maize SMEs showed high levels of absorptive capacity for seed production, but limited signs of learning and innovation in terms of business organization and strategic seed marketing. Asset endowments varied widely among the SMEs, but generally they were lowest among the smaller enterprises, and access to business development services beyond MasAgro was practically nonexistent. Results highlighted the critical role of MasAgro in reinvigorating the portfolios of seeds produced by maize SMEs, as well as the challenges ahead for maize SMEs to scale the new technologies in a competitive market that has long been dominated by multinational seed enterprises. Among these challenges were limited investment in seed marketing, weak infrastructure for seed production, and limited experience in business management. Achieving the food security goals through maize SMEs will require making national maize seed industry development a strategic imperative.

scholarly journals An overview of different seed production initiatives in Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
MN Paudel ◽  
S Pokhrel ◽  
N Gadal ◽  
G Ortiz Ferrara ◽  
D KC ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Private Institutions ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Major Food ◽  
Seed System

Findings of study related to seed and seed initiatives in seven districts encompassing different classes of seed systems have been explained. Source seed produced by public and private institutions in Nepal is illustrated to make proper analogue as to how seed systems could be made practically functional. SWOT analysis of important seed systems is compared in issues pertaining to seed systems in Nepal. Information received from the seed related stakeholders has been analyzed to draw the inference covering different seed system initiatives in Nepal. On the basis of scientific evidences collected from concerned stakeholders from cross section of study districts on various issues of seed, recommendations have been proposed to make effective seed systems by amalgamation of available seed production initiatives under single funneled seed system that could be implemented to sustain food security and enhanced productivity of crops in general and major food crops in particular in Nepal. Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 3. 2013, Page 1-10 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v3i0.8981

scholarly journals Segregation but Not Replication of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Chromosome Terminates at Dif

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bijit K. Bhowmik ◽  
April L. Clevenger ◽  
Hang Zhao ◽  
Valentin V. Rybenkov
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Chromosome Replication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chromosome Partitioning ◽  
Bacterial Chromosomes ◽  
Large Domains

ABSTRACT Coordination between chromosome replication and segregation is essential for equal partitioning of genetic material between daughter cells. In bacteria, this is achieved through the proximity of the origin of replication, oriC, and the chromosome partitioning site, parS. We report here that in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, segregation but not replication is also controlled at the terminus region of the chromosome. Using the fluorescent repressor operator system (FROS), we investigated chromosome segregation in P. aeruginosa strain PAO1-UW, wherein the chromosome dimer resolution site, dif, is asymmetrically positioned relative to oriC. In these cells, segregation proceeded sequentially along the two chromosomal arms and terminated at dif. In contrast, chromosome replication terminated elsewhere, opposite from oriC. We further found two large domains on the longer arm of the chromosome, wherein DNA segregated simultaneously. Notably, GC-skew, which reflects a bias in nucleotide usage between the leading and lagging strands of the chromosome, switches polarity at the dif locus but not necessarily at the terminus of replication. These data demonstrate that termination of chromosome replication and segregation can be physically separated without adverse effects on bacterial fitness. They also reveal the critical role of the dif region in defining the global layout of the chromosome and the progression of chromosome segregation and suggest that chromosome packing adapts to its subcellular layout. IMPORTANCE Segregation of genetic information is a central event in cellular life. In bacteria, chromosome segregation occurs concurrently with replication, sequentially along the two arms from oriC to dif. How the two processes are coordinated is unknown. We explored here chromosome segregation in an opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using its strain with markedly unequal chromosomal arms. We found that replication and segregation diverge in this strain and terminate at very different locations, whereas the longer chromosomal arm folds into large domains to align itself with the shorter arm. The significance of this research is in establishing that segregation and replication of bacterial chromosomes are largely uncoupled from each other and that the large-scale structure of the chromosome adapts to its subcellular layout.

scholarly journals Progress in understanding of Indian Ocean circulation, variability, air–sea exchange, and impacts on biogeochemistry

Ocean Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1677-1751
Author(s):  
Helen E. Phillips ◽  
Amit Tandon ◽  
Ryo Furue ◽  
Raleigh Hood ◽  
Caroline C. Ummenhofer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Heat Content ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Anthropogenic Heat ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Indian Ocean

Abstract. Over the past decade, our understanding of the Indian Ocean has advanced through concerted efforts toward measuring the ocean circulation and air–sea exchanges, detecting changes in water masses, and linking physical processes to ecologically important variables. New circulation pathways and mechanisms have been discovered that control atmospheric and oceanic mean state and variability. This review brings together new understanding of the ocean–atmosphere system in the Indian Ocean since the last comprehensive review, describing the Indian Ocean circulation patterns, air–sea interactions, and climate variability. Coordinated international focus on the Indian Ocean has motivated the application of new technologies to deliver higher-resolution observations and models of Indian Ocean processes. As a result we are discovering the importance of small-scale processes in setting the large-scale gradients and circulation, interactions between physical and biogeochemical processes, interactions between boundary currents and the interior, and interactions between the surface and the deep ocean. A newly discovered regional climate mode in the southeast Indian Ocean, the Ningaloo Niño, has instigated more regional air–sea coupling and marine heatwave research in the global oceans. In the last decade, we have seen rapid warming of the Indian Ocean overlaid with extremes in the form of marine heatwaves. These events have motivated studies that have delivered new insight into the variability in ocean heat content and exchanges in the Indian Ocean and have highlighted the critical role of the Indian Ocean as a clearing house for anthropogenic heat. This synthesis paper reviews the advances in these areas in the last decade.

scholarly journals Dimensi Kepentingan dalam Pengembangan Kelembagaan Ketahanan Pangan Lokal : Studi Kasus Program Aksi Mandiri Pangan di Desa Jambakan, Kecamatan Bayat, Kabupaten Klaten, Propinsi Jawa Tengah

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Masithoh ◽  
Titik Sumarti ◽  
Tri Pranadji
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Community Organizers ◽  
Strong Relation ◽  
The Government

The issues of food security and poverty are basically two important points that have a strong relation to rural community development. A study was conducted to understand more on the depth of the relation between food security and local initiatives development. The aim of this research is to figure out how small peasant households build their institutions as they react to fulfill food security needs. The study is also to understand what type of intervention programs have been developed by the government and community, especially those concentrating in rural food-security. The study also seeks to find the answer of how deep had the peasants’ interest and initiatives been considered to be important part of food-security development program. Las but not least it was devoted to identify the current state of food-security situation of peasant’s household in rural areas. The research was carried out in Jambakan Village, Bayat Sub-district of Central Java Province. The method used in this study was community study (through survey and qualitative approaches and case study). The results of the study are: the implementation of food self reliant village program run by the government was not quite successful to accomplish due to governance problematic at local level. Some key factors explaining the relationship between the successfulness of the program and food security’s achievements are technical assistance, community organizers, trust, and leadership

Technology Focus: Acidizing (June 2021)

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (06) ◽  
pp. 48-48
Author(s):  
Frank Chang
Keyword(s):  
Hydrochloric Acid ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Well Completion ◽  
Desirable Outcome

Hydraulic fracturing technologies propagated from North America outward to other oil- and gas-producing regions in the world. In earlier days, the main technology developments were mostly related to the materials, such as fluids and proppants, and their characterizations. In recent years, more advancements have been made in tools, engineering processes, and analyses. In a cased-hole fracturing treatment, perforating plays a critical role to the success of the job, though it is often overlooked because perforations are visualized as holes with empty tunnel behind the pipe. Any damage is irrelevant because fracturing will simply bypass the damage. In fact, a shaped charge is made of metal liner and case with explosive loaded in between. The metal material is pushed into the formation under extremely high pressure from the detonation of the explosive. Without backflow of reservoir fluid to flush out the debris, the perforation tunnels are very likely plugged. In tight formations, the backflow is not efficient because the permeability is too low and the time scale of the surge is very short. Obtaining information about perforation before pumping the fracture treatment allows the engineers to adjust the job design, adding perforations or other means to deliver a more-desirable outcome for the fracturing treatment. Not all the wells or zones are suitable for hydraulic fracturing. Concerns over the well completion rating, nearby water layers, equipment and water availability, and other environmental and infrastructure constraints can limit the selection of stimulation method. Matrix chemical injection has often been the preferred or sometimes the only option. More-advanced technologies, however, are needed to extend reservoir access beyond the distance of matrix stimulation. Mechanical tunneling tools have been developed in recent years. They can bridge the gap between matrix and fracturing treatment very well. When combined with chemicals, this process can add efficiency in certain carbonate reservoirs. Hydrochloric acid continues to be the most effective and low-cost material for carbonate stimulation. Though exotic chemistries such as chelating agents and organic acids have been promoted for being less corrosive at high temperatures, the cost and dissolving capacity limit their use to large-scale implementation. The ability to inhibit the corrosion tendency of hydrochloric acid can prove to be beneficial in the economics of acidizing. New technologies in corrosion prevention, both in acid stimulation and production processes, should always be beneficial. During the tough year of 2020, and for the foreseeable future, implementation of engineering ingenuity will become more critical to maintain economical energy delivery in our industry. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 202369 Novel High-Effective Component for Acidizing Corrosion Inhibitors: Indolizine Derivatives of the Quaternary Quinolinium Salts by Zhen Yang, China University of Petroleum, et al. SPE 203086 First Successful Fishbone Stimulation Completion in Onshore Oil Field in the United Arab Emirates by Fernando Quintero, ADNOC, et al.

scholarly journals Profitability and resource use efficiency of maize seed production in Palpa district of Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-168
Author(s):  
M Sapkota ◽  
NP Joshi ◽  
RR Kattel ◽  
M Bajracharya
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Farmyard Manure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Maize Seed ◽  
Resource Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

The study aimed to analyze profitability and resource use efficiency of maize seed production in Palpa district of Nepal. Raosoft Inc. software was used to determine the sample size of 182 maize seed producers from the total 260 maize seed producers in the district. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire survey administered to the randomly selected samples. Results showed that the uses as well as cost of major inputs such as seed, labor, farmyard manure (FYM),and management/other cost including tillage were higher among small scale farmers compared to the large scale farmers. The average cost of production among small scale farmers was NRs. 94,195per hectare compared to NRs. 64,145among large scale farmers. A benefit cost ratio of maize seed production was higher for large scale farmers (1.12), which in case of small scale farmers was less than 1, i.e. 0.9. Hence, maize seed production was found profitable only for large scale farmers. Resource use efficiency analysis showed FYM, tillage and labor were overused. This suggests that the use of FYM, tillage and labor should be decreased by 665, 456 and 68 percent respectively. Similarly, cost on seed, chemical fertilizer and management/other were underused, hence, need to increase by 92, 69 and 97 percent respectively for the optimum allocation of resources. Overall, maize seed production is profitable but resources should be optimally utilized and should be carried on larger scale.SAARC J. Agri., 16(1): 157-168 (2018)

scholarly journals Technical Efficiency and Its Determinants on Maize Seed Production in Palpa District, Nepal

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh Sapkota ◽  
Niraj Prakash Joshi ◽  
Rishi Ram Kattel ◽  
Mahima Bajracharya
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Stochastic Production Frontier ◽  
Maize Seed ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Use Of Resources

This paper aimed to assess the technical efficiency of maize seed production and the major factors contributing on technical efficiency. Maize is the second most important staple crop in Nepal, but the average yield of maize is very low as compared to other countries having similar agro-climatic requirements.  Inefficient use of resources had led to low yield in maize crop. The software Raosoft was used to determine the required sample size and total of 182 samples were selected using simple random technique in June, 2016. Stochastic production frontier model and Tobit model were used to derive the results. The average technical efficiency of maize seed production ranged from 0.25-0.92 with an average of 0.71which revealed the scope of increasing technical efficiency by 29 percent. The majority of the farmers (29.1%) were at higher technical efficiency level of 0.8-0.9 followed by 28.6 percent at 0.7-0.8 and 23.1 percent at 0.6-0.7. Age and schooling of household head, experience on maize seed production, area shared by maize crop and dummies variables such as livestock holding, source of seed and access to extension service had found significantly affecting on the technical efficiency level. For the least developed country like Nepal it would be better to use the available resources wisely and improvement of existing technologies would be more cost effective than that of discovering new technologies. The study recommended that the concerned organizations should focus on mixed agricultural farming system, access to better quality seed and provide technical knowledge which would help in improving technical efficiency.

scholarly journals Genomic Medicine

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Kremema Star ◽  
Barbara Birshtein
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Human Disease ◽  
Human Genome Project ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Genomic Medicine ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Genome Project ◽  
The Human Genome Project

The human genome project created the field of genomics – understanding genetic material on a large scale. Scientists are deciphering the information held within the sequence of our genome. By building upon this knowledge, physicians and scientists will create fundamental new technologies to understand the contribution of genetics to diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and treatment of human disease. The science of genomic medicine has only begun to affect our understanding of health.

scholarly journals Socio-economic analysis of maize seed production in Arghakhanchi district of Nepal

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahima Bajracharya ◽  
Mahesh Sapkota ◽  
Surya Mani Dhungana
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
External Input ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Cropping Pattern ◽  
Maize Seed ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Socioeconomic Condition

The purpose of this study was to assess the socioeconomic condition of maize seed and non-seed producers. A field survey was carried out in sixty households of Khanchikot VDC of Arghakhanchi district during May, 2014. The district was major seed producing district and Khanchikot was found better in seed production than other VDC in district. Simple random sampling technique was used to collect data using pre-tested interview schedule. About 57% were seed producer among the sample. The average family size of household was 5. Dependency ratio was less in seed producing households (0.41) than non-seed producers (0.72). Farmers were involved in the production of certified seed and the major (50%) source of foundation seed was National Maize Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan. The external input like chemical fertilizer was used in fewer amounts in the study area. The seed test was done at regional laboratory, Bhairahawa and sold to DADO, Arghakhanchi. Decision on loan taking, business operation and bank account were taken by males whereas cropping pattern, deficit labor use, religious and social works related decision were taken by females in the household. Major problem in maize production were lack of technical assistance followed by inadequate irrigation facilities. Proper training, extension service and government support on inputs would help in better socio-economic condition and production of maize.

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