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Singh, A.K.

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Singh, A.K.

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  • New frontiers in agricultural extension - volume 1
    (CIMMYT, 2019) Singh, A.K.; Craufurd, P.; Mcdonald, A.; Singh, A.K.; Kumar, A.; Singh, Randhir; Singh, B.; Singh, S.; Kumar, V.; Malik, R.
    India’s self-sufficiency in food is widely regarded as its greatest achievement since Independence. The green revolution has played a great supporting role in increasing the income of rural households (HHs) where farms are too small and ecologies are too diverse. The topdown scaling out process was fundamental to the accelerated adoption of green revolution technologies in late 1960s and 70s. However, with the current development of an extensive network of KVKs, Indian agriculture has the opportunity to use diagnostic surveys and analytical tools for planning and implementing scaling-up and scalingout strategies in a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down process. In this book, data based evidence has been utilised for monitoring, evaluation and learning (ME&L) of adoption patterns of technologies. The objective is to achieve accelerated adoption of technologies in different ways, wherein extension also acts as part of priority setting (testing and evaluation at scale plus learning/feedback), and the sum of these components brings the specific technological intervention to focus. This publication on “New Frontiers in Agricultural Extension”, based on a landscape diagnostic survey of approximately 8,000 fields, is the first in series of three publications from the BMGF-funded KVK-CSISA network project being implemented by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The publication provides evidence on how different technologies are being accepted by farmers and how to improve the delivery system of technologies. The challenge has been to analyse how technologies were modified as they diffused and became more reliable and acceptable by a larger proportion of farmers. The Agricultural Extension Division (ICAR), through its Agricultural Technology Application and Research Institutes (ATARIs), hoped to create an end-to-end feedback mechanism for research and extension, as well as a digital transformation based convergence program, that will define the impact pathways of its KVK system and change the way research and extension systems operate. The innovations include: methods to design spatially representative surveys, digital survey data collection tools that enable rapid data uploading, a web-based portal hosted by ICAR to make data visible and accessible, and data analysis packages in open-source software for analysis. Data have enabled us to increase the reach of KVKs, and once properly analysed such data sets can help KVKs and their parent institutions to serve in a better way and a much larger population of farmers. The first volume of this document “New Frontiers in Agricultural Extension” incorporates the main outcomes of landscape diagnostic survey (LDS) of wheat across 29 districts of Bihar and nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh with 7,648 data points (wheat) and from Odisha with 400 data points (rice). The project has set a target to conduct the LDS in 110 districts across eight ATARIs with more than 40,000 data points. This volume contains the methodology involved in LDS, data from respondent farmers on the production practices of wheat and rice, and their relationship with existing recommendations. It also contains a priority setting exercise that can be shared with multi-disciplinary research teams in the research institutes including State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and with Department of Agriculture (DoA) in the concerned state. This publication will help in developing a vibrant and faster cycle of research and extension, by improving the linkage with DoAs for better seasonal planning and linking it with research institutions for setting research priorities and strengthening the monitoring, evaluation and learning (ME&L) in NARES.
    Publication
  • The conservation agriculture roadmap for India: policy brief
    (ICAR, 2018) Jat, M.L.; Biswas, A.K.; Pathak, H.; Mcdonald, A.; Patra, A.K.; Acharya, C.B.; Sharma, P.C.; Chaudhari, S.K.; Singh, R.; Bhaskar, S.; Sharma, R.; Jat, H.S.; Agarwal, T.; Gathala, M.K.; Pal, S.; Sidhu, H.S.; Yadvinder-Singh; Chhokar, R.S.; Keil, A.; Saharawat, Y.S.; Jat, R.K.; Singh, B.; Malik, R.; Sharma, A.R.; Parihar, C.M.; Das, T.K.; Singh, V.K.; Jat, S.L.; Jha, B.K.; Pratibha, M.; Singh, P.; Singh, R.C.; Choudhary, O.P.; Sharma, S.; Satyanarayana, T.; Sidhu, B.S.; Gehlawat, S.K.; Sen, S.K.; Singh, A.K.; Sikka, A.K.
    Agriculture remains central to the Indian economy, providing livelihood to the majority of its population. Though Indian agriculture have made spectacular progress for food self-sufficiency, yet growing challenges of large management yield gaps, low water and nutrient efficiency, imbalance and inadequate use of external production inputs, diminishing farm profits, deterioration of soil health and environmental quality coupled with climate risks are major concerns. Feeding a growing population with increasing dietary preferences for resource-intensive food products is a major challenge. Moreover, with no scope for horizontal expansion of farming to produce needed food; improving agronomic productivity and achieving high and stable yields under changing and uncertain climate are important for feeding the growing population. Increasing climatic variability affects most of the biological, physical and chemical processes that drive productivity of agricultural systems. The productivity and stability of agricultural systems depends upon measurable factors and processes controlled by climate and non-climate drivers of production paradigm. It is therefore vitally important to develop strategies and practices to sustainably increase food production while increasing farm income, protecting natural resources and minimizing environmental footprints.
    Publication
  • Energy scenario, carbon efficiency, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics of pearlmillet-mustard system under diverse nutrient and tillage management practices
    (Academic Journals, 2013) Parihar, C.M.; Bhakar, R.N.; Rana, K.S.; Jat, M.L.; Singh, A.K.; Jat, S.L.; Parihar, M.D.; Sharma, S.
    Under limited moisture conditions integrated nutrient management and conservation agriculture (CA) practices plays a vital role. Information on effect of integrated nutrient management (INM) with CA practices in pearlmillet (Pennisetum glaucum) ?mustard (Brassica juncea) system is lacking. The present experiment was conducted during 2005-06 and 2006-07 in rainy and winter seasons, at IARI, New Delhi, India to investigate the effect of INM and tillage on pearlmillet -mustard system under limited irrigation. Ridge and furrow (RF) sowing produced significantly higher carbon efficiency (CE), energy output, net returns and economic yield (3768 kg ha-1) of pearlmillet-mustard sequence. The application of 30 kg N + 30 kg P2O5 + FYM at 6 t/ha to pearlmillet produced significantly higher yield attributes, economic yield (3982 kg ha-1), energy output (194023 MJ ha-1) of the system and CE and net return (189.41 and 315.8 US$ ha-1) of pearlmillet and mustard individually over control, 30 kg N + 20 kg P2O5/ha and sole application of FYM at 6 t/ha. Direct application of 60 kg N + 40 kg P2O5/ha to mustard produced significantly higher yield attributes, economic yield (3692 kg ha-1), energy output (182097 MJ), net return (296.73 US$ ha-1) and CE (10.80 and 11.51 during both the years), over control and 30 kg N + 20 kg P2O5/ha. The application of INM with ridge furrow sowing increased available N and P contents in the soil. Whereas, the consumptive use, moisture use rates and moisture use efficiency were the highest under ridge furrow sowing of pearlmillet-mustard system.
    Publication
  • Identification and mapping in spring wheat of genetic factors controlling stem rust resistance and the study of their epistatic interactions across multiple environments
    (Springer, 2013) Singh, A.; Knox, R.; DePauw, R.M.; Singh, A.K.; Cuthbert, R.; Campbell, H.L.; Singh, D.; Bhavani, S.; Fetch, T.; Clarke, F.R.
    Stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) is responsible for major production losses in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) around the world. The spread of stem rust race Ug99 and variants is a threat to worldwide wheat production and efforts are ongoing to identify and incorporate resistance. The objectives of this research were to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and to study their epistatic interactions for stem rust resistance in a population derived from the Canadian wheat cultivars AC Cadillac and Carberry. A doubled haploid (DH) population was developed and genotyped with DArT® and SSR markers. The parents and DH lines were phenotyped for stem rust severity and infection response to Ug99 and variant races in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in field rust nurseries near Njoro, Kenya, and to North American races in 2011 and 2012 near Swift Current, SK, Canada. Seedling infection type to race TTKSK was assessed in a bio-containment facility in 2009 and 2012 near Morden, MB. Eight QTL for stem rust resistance and three QTL for pseudo-black chaff on nine wheat chromosomes were identified. The phenotypic variance (PV) explained by the stem rust resistance QTL ranged from 2.4 to 48.8 %. AC Cadillac contributed stem rust resistance QTL on chromosomes 2B, 3B, 5B, 6D, 7B and 7D. Carberry contributed resistance QTL on 4B and 5A. Epistatic interactions were observed between loci on 4B and 5B, 4B and 7B, 6D and 3B, 6D and 5B, and 6D and 7B. The stem rust resistance locus on 6D interacted synergistically with 5B to improve the disease resistance through both crossover and non-crossover interactions depending on the environment. Results from this study will assist in planning breeding for stem rust resistance by maximizing QTL main effects and epistatic interactions.
    Publication
  • Stress-adaptive changes in tropical maize (Zea mays L.) under excessive soil moisture stress
    (Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Unità di Ricerca per la Maiscoltura, 2007) Zaidi, P.; Maniselvan, P.; Yadav, P.; Singh, A.K.; Sultana, R.; Dureja, P.; R.P. Singh; Srinivasan, G.
    Response of maize plants to excessive soil moisture (EM) has been studied extensively. However, systematic information on the stress-adaptive changes and cascade of events conferring the EM-tolerance is yet to be established. We attempted to assess the stress-adaptive physiological changes associated with EM-induced anoxia stress, and to establish mechanism of EM-tolerance in tropical maize. Tropical/sub-tropical elite maize inbred lines with known reaction to EM-stress were used in this study. Germplasm were exposed to EM-stress at knee-high stage (V7-8 growth stage) by flooding the plots continuously for seven days. EM-induced changes in root geotropism (surface rooting) and increased brace roots development were identified as stress-responsive traits; however, the later one was found to be a stress-adaptive trait resulting in improved stress tolerance. Anatomical studies showed drastic changes in cortical region of root tissues in tolerant genotypes in terms of development of large aerenchymatous spaces. In terms of stress-induced metabolic adjustments, increased NAD+-alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was prevalent in all the genotypes under EM-conditions.Though, the enzyme activity was slightly higher in tolerant entries but not high enough to justify the significant genotypic variability. However, the product of ADH-activity (ethanol) was relatively much higher in root and leaf tissues of susceptible genotypes. Analysis of ethanol concentration in shoot, root and inundated water showed that the level of ethanol was relatively much higher in the water present in rhizosphere of relatively tolerant genotypes. The finding suggested that EM-tolerant maize genotypes were able to extrude out the toxic level of ethanol from root tissues to rhizosphere. Our results suggest that mechanism of EM-tolerance in maize germplasm involves morphological and anatomical adaptation through development of brace roots and aerenchyma formation, and metabolic adjustment through regulatory induction of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and extrusion of ethanol out of root tissues.
    Publication
  • Identification and mapping of leaf, stem and stripe rust resistance quantitative trait loci and their interactions in durum wheat
    (Springer Verlag, 2012) Singh, A.K.; Pandey, M.P.; Singh, A.K.; Knox, R.; Ammar, K.; Clarke, J.M.; Clarke, F.R.; Singh, R.P.; Pozniak, C.; DePauw, R.M.; McCallum, B.D.; Cuthbert, R.; Randhawa, H.S.; Fetch, T.
    Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Eriks.), stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. tritici Eriks.) and stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) cause major production losses in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum). The objective of this research was to identify and map leaf, stripe and stem rust resistance loci from the French cultivar Sachem and Canadian cultivar Strongfield. A doubled haploid population from Sachem/Strongfield and parents were phenotyped for seedling reaction to leaf rust races BBG/BN and BBG/BP and adult plant response was determined in three field rust nurseries near El Batan, Obregon and Toluca, Mexico. Stripe rust response was recorded in 2009 and 2011 nurseries near Toluca and near Njoro, Kenya in 2010. Response to stem rust was recorded in field nurseries near Njoro, Kenya, in 2010 and 2011. Sachem was resistant to leaf, stripe and stem rust. A major leaf rust quantitative trait locus (QTL) was identified on chromosome 7B at Xgwm146 in Sachem. In the same region on 7B, a stripe rust QTL was identified in Strongfield. Leaf and stripe rust QTL around DArT marker wPt3451 were identified on chromosome 1B. On chromosome 2B, a significant leaf rust QTL was detected conferred by Strongfield, and at the same QTL, a Yr gene derived from Sachem conferred resistance. Significant stem rust resistance QTL were detected on chromosome 4B. Consistent interactions among loci for resistance to each rust type across nurseries were detected, especially for leaf rust QTL on 7B. Sachem and Strongfield offer useful sources of rust resistance genes for durum rust breeding.
    Publication