Understanding genetic variability in maize is critical for identifying traits that enhance breeding efficiency, particularly in drought-prone environments. This study evaluated genetic variance, heritability, and genetic advance for grain yield and associated agronomic traits in early-maturing white maize cultivars. Eighteen cultivars obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria, were assessed during the 2023 and 2024 cropping seasons at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Oke-Oyi, Nigeria, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on grain yield, plant height, days to silking, and other key traits were subjected to analysis of variance, and estimated of phenotypic and genotypic variance, phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad-sense heritability, and genetic advance were computed to guide selection strategies. Across all traits, phenotypic coefficients of variation exceeded genotypic coefficients of variation (GCVs), indicating a significant environmental influence. Traits including number of grains per ear, grain yield, plant height, and days to silking exhibited high GCV, high heritability, and high genetic advance, indicating substantial potential for improvement through selection. Six cultivars, 2013 DTE STR-W SYN F₁, 2012 TZE-W POP DT C₄ STR C₅, EV DT-W 2000 STR, 2011 TZE-W DT STR SYN, 2009 DTE-W STR, and 2008 DTMA-W STR, demonstrated superior grain yield performance. These findings underscored the value of genetic variance, heritability, and genetic advance as tools for guiding maize improvement programs. The identified high-yielding cultivars were recommended for multi-location and on-farm trials to validate their performance and adaptability under drought-prone savannah agroecologies.
Barley is the fifth most important cereal crops of Nepal and serves as the staple food of high hill people.The low productivity of barley in Nepal is largely associated with improper nutrient management. A field experiment was conducted to study the response of six different nitrogen doses on barley variety ‘Muktinath Jau’ at Hill Crops Research Program (HCRP), Kabre, Dolakha during 2022 and 2023. The field experiment consists of six nitrogen levels (0, 30, 60, 75, 90 and 105 kg/ha) as treatments replicated four times and laid out in randomized complete block design. The results revealed that the plant height, days to maturity, number of tillers per m2, spike length, grain yield, and straw yield were significantly influenced by nitrogen doses. The highest grain yield (2.85 t/ha) was produced at 90 kg N/ha and did not significantly differ with 75 kg N/ha and 105 kg N/ha. The results clearly indicated that 75 kg N/ha could be optimum in Kabre station of Dolakha district and in areas with similar soil types and climate of Nepal.
Nepal’s livestock sector plays a vital role in ensuring food security, supporting rural livelihoods, and driving economic growth; however, feed shortages, rising costs, and inefficient waste management remain significant challenges. This review explores the potential of waste-to-feed innovations as a sustainable strategy within a circular bioeconomy approach. It outlines the current status of feed resources and explores opportunities to transform agro-industrial by-products, food waste, and animal by-products into nutritionally valuable feed ingredients. Advanced methods such as microbial fermentation, insect-based protein production, and enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass are discussed for their roles in enhancing feed quality and decreasing reliance on traditional feed sources. Emerging thermal and non-thermal processing technologies, along with their environmental advantages and socio-economic impacts, including cost savings, waste valorization, and employment creation, are also explored. Policy and institutional support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the Department of Livestock Services, and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council is vital in this aspect; however, challenges related to safety regulations, quality assurance, and research data gaps remain. Therefore, the adoption of waste-to-feed technologies in Nepal represents a transformative opportunity to reduce environmental burdens and foster sustainable rural entrepreneurship. Coordinated policies, research partnerships, and capacity-building are essential to realizing a resilient, circular livestock production system.
Yak (Bos grunniens) is an iconic animal for the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) regions of Central Asia and is an important source of food security and means of livelihood for people in this region. At lower elevations, interspecies hybridization between yak and local hill cattle (Bos indicus) is common to combine the yak's hardiness with the productivity of cattle. In some countries, some researchers have demonstrated successful hybridization of yak with commercial dairy breeds such as Holstein-Friesian (Bos taurus) through artificial insemination to produce improved hybrids to increase milk production. In Bhutan, a unique triple crossing between yak, cattle, and mithun (as a terminal sire) is common for meat production. The hybrids, however, are less adapted to the harsh conditions and high altitudes typical of yak and are kept at intermediate elevations between cattle and yak habitat. So, to produce the best F1 hybrid, it needs to conserve and maintain the best gene pool of both pure Yak and hill cattle, taking care of the economic and biological limits such as reproductive rate and survival rate of Yak. There is circumstantial evidence that some inbreeding is likely to have occurred with yak as a result of traditional pure-breeding methods and, in some countries, because of insufficient interchange of breeding stock across national boundaries. From the review, it can be concluded that the pure yak population should be maintained in the mountain region under community-based selective pure breeding with a defined breeding protocol for genetic improvement. Similarly, to enhance the productivity of hybrid yak cattle, selection in the hill cattle together with pure yak is warranted to get the maternal inheritance in the yak hybrid populations. Introgressive hybridization, however, plays an important role in the improvement of yak management and breeding in an intermediate zone between cattle and yak habitats.
Maize is a vital staple crop in Nepal, crucial for food security, rural livelihoods, and animal feed. However, challenges such as low yield, limited use of high-yield varieties, climate impacts, and pest infestations hinder production, contributing to rising import dependency. This study examines current maize production, identifies challenges, and explores the potential for achieving self-sufficiency by 2050. Using data from secondary sources, government reports, expert consultations, projection models were developed based on population and GDP growth scenarios. Regression analysis using the Prais-Winsten model estimated the relationship between maize production, demand, self-sufficiency ratio (SSR), and import dependency ratio (IDR). Results indicate production may increase from 3.49 million metric tons in 2030 to 4.67 million metric tons in 2050, while demand is projected to rise from 4.69 million to 6.07 million metric tons. This growing gap could lead to a reduction in SSR from 52% in 2030 to 2% by 2050. The study highlights the urgent need for improved pest management, technological advancements, and increased productivity to reduce imports and achieve sustainable self-sufficiency by 2050.
