Red Cherry Pepper (Capsicum annuum, local cultivar ‘Akabare chili’) is one of the important cash crops grown in the eastern and western parts of Nepal as well as in Sikkim, India. In this study, potential use of a low-cost gliding arc discharge (GAD) plasma system to enhance seed germination and vigor of Red Cherry Pepper was studied. At first, electrical and optical characteristics were studied on the basis of gas flow rates and applied voltages. In addition to these, the seeds of Red Cherry Pepper were treated with plasma plume. Favorable seed treatment conditions were identified at 24 V and 14 LPM, which maximized reactive species generation while maintaining the seed temperature below ( < 39^ ∘ C). Direct treatment of seeds with GAD plasma altered their surface properties, as confirmed by contact angle measurements, conductivity tests, FTIR, and SEM analyses. Germination test reveals that a 120 s plasma treatment increased germination from 54
South Asian agriculture faces escalating food security challenges, with smallholder farmers increasingly exposed to erratic rainfall, heat extremes, and recurrent climate shocks. Yet adaptation planning remains hindered by fragmented, low-resolution generic data and limited scientific validation of climate risk assessments. This paper presents the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA), developed to address this critical gap by generating an open, high-resolution (0.05° × 0.05°) climate-risk database for 15 major crops and 6 livestock species that together account for more than 80% of the region’s agricultural GDP. The cloud-based database provides a systematic hierarchical structure that calculates climatic hazards using historical and bias-corrected ISIMIP data for 2050 and 2080 climate scenarios, local soil and agronomic information, exposure and vulnerability indicators, and tailored agronomic adaptation options. The example results from the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) indicate that under SSP5-8.5, more than 8.25 Mha of the IGP’s rice area and 2 million cattle are projected to be exposed to the very-high hazard category in 2080. Since IGP is South Asia’s central food-producing region, it underscores the need for species-specific solutions and improved, coordinated regional action. By making it openly accessible through a cloud platform, this database enables stakeholders to design and target robust adaptation strategies for practical implications. One conceptual study, being developed in collaboration with stakeholders in Nepal, is presented here to illustrate the spectrum of ACASA to inform decision-making in agriculture.
Feed deficit and the availability of low-cost fodder for dairy animals especially during winter and early summer is crucial in Nepal. Growing dairy industries are demanding more fodder to reduce the expensive concentrate feed. The intervention of maize (Zea mays) silage could be one of the options helping with the availability of quality fodder at low cost throughout the year. An experiment was conducted at the National Buffalo Research Program, Tarahara, Sunsari from September to March, 2025 to assess the production potential and nutrient composition of maize varieties for fodder and silage production. The experiment was executed in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with eleven treatments considering maize varieties Arun-2, Arun- 4, Rampur Hybrid-10, Rampur Hybrid-12, Rampur Hybrid-14, Rampur Hybrid-16, Poshilo Makai-1, Rampur Composite, African Tall, J1006 and Collection-1 and replicated four times. The biomass-attributing characters, biomass yield, nutrient composition and polyphenolics of maize and maize silage were recorded. The results showed that, African tall and J1006 were found promising maize(p<0.001) with the highest dry matter yield of 20.71 and 20.67 t/ha respectively. Biomass- attributing characters, nutrient composition and polyphenols exhibited highly significant variation (p<0.001). African tall and Rampur Composite had similar 10.69% and 10.68% respectively. The production performance of maize silage varied significantly (p<0.001), where Rampur Composite was found to be likely considering dry matter yield (15.30 t/ha) and had statistically similar dry matter of J1006 (14.88 t/ha) and African Tall (14.79 t/ha). Besides, the nutrient composition and polyphenolic content of maize silage were varied significantly (p<0.001). African Tall had the highest CP (8.91%) which was statistically similar to J1006 (8.48%) and Collection-1 (8.57%). Correlation analysis showed significant associations among key morphological and biomass- related traits, and that aroma and pH may provide more reliable indicators of fermentation quality than colour alone. This study revealed key insights for farmers in selecting the most suitable maize varieties for maize silage production ensuring better yield and nutrient composition for livestock.
Spot blotch caused by fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker is an important fungal disease in warm and humid wheat growing condition. Study on pathogenic variability of B. sorokinianana isolates is limited in Nepal. Information based on host × pathogen interaction is a useful tool to devise the disease management strategy. Therefore, aggressiveness of total 36 single spore isolates of B. sorokiniana (27 isolates from terai, 7 isolates from mid hill and 2 isolates from high hill) of Nepal were evaluated on 14 days old seedling of RR-21 (susceptible check), Guatam (moderate resistant) and Chirya 3 (resistant check) under polyhouse condition. Results revealed highly significant isolate-by-variety interaction (P<0.001) for all the disease development traits, suggesting substantial variability in the pathogenicity of the isolates. Moreover, days to disease appearance, number of lesions per leaf and disease severity was highly correlated to Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC), illustrating those traits as an important indicator of disease development and pathogen aggressiveness. RR-21 exhibited susceptible to overall isolates response followed by Gautam and Chirya 3. On the basis of AUDPC value, top ten aggressive isolates were identified (N-BS24, N-BS7, N-BS28, N-BS36, N-BS27, N-BS37, N-BS15, N-BS38, N-BS19 and N-BS16). Among them, N-BS24 and N-BS28 were able to show high disease against resistant check Chirya 3, so aggressiveness of these two isolates can be further validated through adult plant screening and genetic study and utilize it for resistant breeding program in Nepal.
An investigation was carried out to document cost and benefits, marketing channel and major problems associated with the production and marketing of cucumber in Jhapa district. Four municipalities of the district namely Buddhashanti, Birtamod, Mechinangar and Damak were selected for the investigation in consultation with the Agriculture Knowledge Centre (AKC), Jhapa. A sample size of 120 farmers was selected from the sampling frame applying the simple random sampling technique to represent the study population. Primary information was collected through field survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and Key Informant Interviews (KII). Moreover, secondary information was collected reviewing the relevant publications. The positive net margin and benefit cost ratio higher than one (1.99) revealed cucumber production under the protected structure in Jhapa is profitable and financially viable. The regression showed that out of seven input resources, seed (p<0.01) and vitamins & micronutrients (p<0.01) were found to have positive and significant effect, while tractor power had significant but negative effect (p<0.01) on total returns from cucumber production. Moreover, it has been revealed that seed, vitamins & micronutrients, and chemical fertilizers were found to be underused while tractor power, human labor, FYM and pesticides were overused. The mostly used marketing channel with the highest volume (73%) of transaction followed producers -collectors-wholesalers-retailers-consumers path. with marketing margin of NPR.41 per kg and producer’s share of 43% in the consumers’ price. Pest infestation and low farm gate price were found to be the major problem associated with the cucumber production and marketing, respectively. The additional cost implied on seed and micronutrient & vitamins would significantly contribute to increase the total returns from cucumber production. The government should intervene in the existing marketing system with the price regulation, control over the porous
