ranjana rawal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by ranjana rawal

Reviews In Food And Agriculture, Jan 15, 2023

Cumin is one of the highly demanded and most valued spices commodities. This crop can be cultivat... more Cumin is one of the highly demanded and most valued spices commodities. This crop can be cultivated in Rabi season where frost-free winter prevails in the semi-arid region of Nepal. Its seeds are nutritious with several culinary uses and high medicinal value. Despite of favourable climate and topography for the cultivation of cumin in Nepal it is still not cultivated. This is because of unavailability of quality seeds, registered varieties and lack of knowledge on cultivation practices. Cumin is ahighly economical crop with simple management practices and low input cost. Few researches has been conducted, limiting the ideas of production technology and comparative advantages of cumin. National research institutions should focus on the research of Cumin and separate zone should be established under national projects. The extension agencies like the Minis the Ministry of Agriculture & cooperatives should train local farmers on the cultivation practices and high economic return of Cumin cultivation.

Journal of Agriculture and Forestry University, Dec 16, 2022

Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica L.) belongs to the plant family Convolvulaceae. A set of varietal tria... more Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica L.) belongs to the plant family Convolvulaceae. A set of varietal trial was conducted in Directorate of Agricultural Research Khajura, Banke, Nepal with three genotypes; HRDKAN001 (Combodian), HRDKAN002 (Thaipalungo as check variety) and HRDKAN003 (Bangladeshi); which were collected through National Horticulture Research Centre, Khumaltar.The objectives of this experiment were to select high yielding genotypes for green leaf production during summer season. The experiments were carried out in two consecutive years, April 2017 and 2018 and laid out in Randomized completely block design with seven replications in open field condition.The spacing was maintained 50 cm row to row and 30 cm within the row in each year. Plants were fertilized with 200:150:120 kg NPK and 20 tons farmyard manure per hectare. Data were recorded on vegetative growth, disease response, vegetative yield, qualitative parameter and consumer's preference. From the result of experiment, HRDKAN001 and HRDKAN002 were found to be higher yielding and showed good cooking quality and these genotypes were selected for the further evaluation at Khajura and similar agro-ecological conditions of Nepal.

Frontiers in Plant Science

Symbiotic fungi in the genus Trichoderma can induce abiotic stress tolerance in crops. The benefi... more Symbiotic fungi in the genus Trichoderma can induce abiotic stress tolerance in crops. The beneficial effects of Trichoderma on water deficit stress are poorly understood and may be isolate-specific. Our objective was to evaluate a collection of Nepalese Trichoderma isolates and their efficacy to improve tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth under water deficit. Variable growth in low moisture environments was observed among Trichoderma isolates from Nepal, Ohio, and commercial sources using in vitro assays. The overall performance of the population decreased when cultured under conditions of decreasing matric water potential (0.0, –2.8, –4.8, and –8.5 Ψ). Twelve isolates were selected for evaluation for their potential to elicit drought tolerance in greenhouse-grown ‘Roma Organic’ tomatoes. Plants treated with T. asperelloides-NT33 had higher shoot weight than the non-inoculated control (T0) under water deficit stress conditions. Further, the stress-reducing efficacy of isolates T. ...

Tomato is one of the leading commercial vegetables grown widely in the plains and hills of Nepal.... more Tomato is one of the leading commercial vegetables grown widely in the plains and hills of Nepal. In the Terai (plains) region, tomato is cultivated in the rainy and winter seasons. Productivity is very low, averaging at 13.5 t ha-1. A primary reason is the lack of appropriate, high-yielding varieties with multiple traits including good shelf life. This study evaluated nine advanced lines of tomato with long shelf life from the AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center (CLN3940, CLN3948, CLN3946, CLN3953, CLN3961, CLN3947, CLN3949, CLN3954 and 'Tanya') and a local cultivar ('Pusa Ruby') as control under field conditions in Nepalgunj, Banke, Nepal, during the 2014-2015 winter seasons. AVRDC's recommendations for field trials and cultural management were followed. Disease resistance and fruit yield, quality and shelf life differed widely with tomato line. CLN3940 was resistant to late blight, was least affected by virus diseases, and produced the biggest fruit (124.3 g fruit-1) and highest yield (113.3 t ha-1). The local control had the highest vitamin C content, titratable acidity and pH both at harvest and at the end of shelf life at ambient conditions but had the highest weight loss during storage. CLN3940, CLN3947, CLN3948 and CLN3953 had a shelf life of 8-10 days longer than that of the control. Similarly, their yields were 22-80 t ha-1 higher than that of the control, in addition to their multiple disease (late blight, septorial blight and viral diseases) resistance trait. These four promising lines could be further tested in advanced field trials.

Tomato is a major vegetable grown during the rainy and winter seasons in the mid-western plain (T... more Tomato is a major vegetable grown during the rainy and winter seasons in the mid-western plain (Terai) region of Nepal. A major production constraint is the high postharvest losses, estimated at about one-fourth of the total production. This problem is usually more serious during peak production when there is greater supply of tomatoes but at very low price. Processing to produce value-added products could be a vital strategy to reduce losses and increase profitability. Nepal has no dedicated effort to develop processing tomato varieties. This study evaluated eight processing tomato advanced lines from AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center (UC204A, CLN3552B, CLN3125L-5x55, CLN3669A, CLN3682C, CLN3552B, CLN3670B and Tanya) and a local cultivar ('Pusa Ruby') under field conditions at Nepalgunj, Banke, Nepal, from September 2014 to March 2015. CLN3552B produced the highest fruit weight (102 g fruit-1), total soluble solids (5.4 °Brix), titratable acidity (2.1%) and pH (6.8). Highest fruit yield was obtained in CLN3669A (41 t ha-1), which also showed the lowest incidence of late blight and tomato yellow leaf curl virus diseases. The local control had the highest ascorbic acid content (31.1 mg 100 g-1) and paste recovery (14%). The results showed that the AVRDC advanced lines had multiple desirable traits (high yield, disease resistance and physiochemical quality attributes) that can be harnessed for the food processing industry. CLN3669A, CLN3552B, UC204A and CLN3125L-5X65 were the more promising lines that can be further tested in advanced yield trials.

Journal of Phytopathology, 2020

Potato is one of the most important crop in Nepal and is ranked fourth based on area of productio... more Potato is one of the most important crop in Nepal and is ranked fourth based on area of production and harvest after rice, maize and wheat (ABPSD, 2015). Potato is grown in a wide range of climatic regions, from subtropical plains to temperate Himalayan regions, in Nepal (Bajracharya & Sapkota, 2017). Potato is a staple food for thousands of households in remote hilly regions and is consumed as major vegetable in the plains (Terai and inner Terai region) of Nepal. The productivity of potato is low (13 mt/ha) in Nepal compared with neighbouring countries: China (17 t/ha) and India (20 t/ha) (FAO, 2016). Many factors, such as poor seed tuber quality, agricultural inputs and management of pests, have been attributed to the low potato productivity in Nepal. Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary

BioMed research international, 2017

Background. Fresh vegetables such as tomato should have low microbial population for safe consump... more Background. Fresh vegetables such as tomato should have low microbial population for safe consumption and long storage life. The aerobic bacterial count (ABC) and coliform bacterial count (CBC), yeast, and mold population are the most widely used microbial indicators in fresh vegetables which should be lower than 4 log CFU g-1 for safe consumption. The stages of the supply chain, postharvest handling methods, and crop varieties had significant effects on microbial population. ABC, CBC, yeast, and mold population were significantly highest (P < 0.05) at retail market (5.59, 4.38, 2.60, and 3.14 log CFU g-1, resp.), followed by wholesale market (4.72, 4.71, 2.43, and 2.44 log CFU g-1, resp.), and were least at farm gate (3.89, 3.63, 2.38, and 2.03 log CFU g-1, resp.). Improved postharvest practices (washing in clean water and grading and packaging in clean plastic crate) helped to reduce ABC, CBC, and mold population by 2.51, 32.70, and 29.86 percentage as compared to the conventio...

Crop Protection, 2019

Soilborne diseases, root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and weeds are the major yield-limitin... more Soilborne diseases, root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and weeds are the major yield-limiting factors in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) production in Nepal. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising technique in developed countries to control soilborne pests, but it has not been tested in many developing countries. Experiments were conducted in the western plain region of Nepal in okra and eggplant from March to July 2016 and October 2016 to April 2017 (eggplant only) to compare locally available carbon sources for efficacy in ASD. Experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates of seven amendments (molasses 2 kg m À 2 , rice bran 2 kg m À 2 , rice bran 1 kg m À 2 plus molasses 1 kg m À 2 , raw goat manure 2 kg m À 2 , mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) cake 1.5 kg m À 2 , lentil (Lens esculenta) husks 2 kg m À 2 , and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) leaves 3 kg m À 2), and a non-amended, uncovered (aerobic) control in the first year. Lentil husks and berseem clover were replaced by wheat bran (2 kg m À 2) and wheat bran (1 kg m 2) plus molasses (1 kg m À 2) in the second year. Carbon sources were incorporated into soil followed by irrigation to saturation, and plots were covered with white plastic sheeting for 21 days. Significantly lower Fusarium wilt incidence, root-knot disease severity, and weed biomass were observed in ASD-treated eggplant plots compared to the control in 2016; disease, root-knot and weed pressure were low in 2017 and differences were not significant. Root knot disease severity and weed biomass were significantly reduced compared to the control in ASD-treated okra plots, depending on the carbon source used. With the exception of plots amended with molasses (eggplant, 2017) or molasses alone or combined with rice bran (okra), significantly higher fruit yields were observed in ASD-treated plots than in control plots. ASD appears to have great potential in Nepal because of its broad-spectrum impact on multiple soilborne pests and ready availability of inexpensive local inputs.

Reviews In Food And Agriculture, Jan 15, 2023

Cumin is one of the highly demanded and most valued spices commodities. This crop can be cultivat... more Cumin is one of the highly demanded and most valued spices commodities. This crop can be cultivated in Rabi season where frost-free winter prevails in the semi-arid region of Nepal. Its seeds are nutritious with several culinary uses and high medicinal value. Despite of favourable climate and topography for the cultivation of cumin in Nepal it is still not cultivated. This is because of unavailability of quality seeds, registered varieties and lack of knowledge on cultivation practices. Cumin is ahighly economical crop with simple management practices and low input cost. Few researches has been conducted, limiting the ideas of production technology and comparative advantages of cumin. National research institutions should focus on the research of Cumin and separate zone should be established under national projects. The extension agencies like the Minis the Ministry of Agriculture & cooperatives should train local farmers on the cultivation practices and high economic return of Cumin cultivation.

Journal of Agriculture and Forestry University, Dec 16, 2022

Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica L.) belongs to the plant family Convolvulaceae. A set of varietal tria... more Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica L.) belongs to the plant family Convolvulaceae. A set of varietal trial was conducted in Directorate of Agricultural Research Khajura, Banke, Nepal with three genotypes; HRDKAN001 (Combodian), HRDKAN002 (Thaipalungo as check variety) and HRDKAN003 (Bangladeshi); which were collected through National Horticulture Research Centre, Khumaltar.The objectives of this experiment were to select high yielding genotypes for green leaf production during summer season. The experiments were carried out in two consecutive years, April 2017 and 2018 and laid out in Randomized completely block design with seven replications in open field condition.The spacing was maintained 50 cm row to row and 30 cm within the row in each year. Plants were fertilized with 200:150:120 kg NPK and 20 tons farmyard manure per hectare. Data were recorded on vegetative growth, disease response, vegetative yield, qualitative parameter and consumer's preference. From the result of experiment, HRDKAN001 and HRDKAN002 were found to be higher yielding and showed good cooking quality and these genotypes were selected for the further evaluation at Khajura and similar agro-ecological conditions of Nepal.

Frontiers in Plant Science

Symbiotic fungi in the genus Trichoderma can induce abiotic stress tolerance in crops. The benefi... more Symbiotic fungi in the genus Trichoderma can induce abiotic stress tolerance in crops. The beneficial effects of Trichoderma on water deficit stress are poorly understood and may be isolate-specific. Our objective was to evaluate a collection of Nepalese Trichoderma isolates and their efficacy to improve tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth under water deficit. Variable growth in low moisture environments was observed among Trichoderma isolates from Nepal, Ohio, and commercial sources using in vitro assays. The overall performance of the population decreased when cultured under conditions of decreasing matric water potential (0.0, –2.8, –4.8, and –8.5 Ψ). Twelve isolates were selected for evaluation for their potential to elicit drought tolerance in greenhouse-grown ‘Roma Organic’ tomatoes. Plants treated with T. asperelloides-NT33 had higher shoot weight than the non-inoculated control (T0) under water deficit stress conditions. Further, the stress-reducing efficacy of isolates T. ...

Tomato is one of the leading commercial vegetables grown widely in the plains and hills of Nepal.... more Tomato is one of the leading commercial vegetables grown widely in the plains and hills of Nepal. In the Terai (plains) region, tomato is cultivated in the rainy and winter seasons. Productivity is very low, averaging at 13.5 t ha-1. A primary reason is the lack of appropriate, high-yielding varieties with multiple traits including good shelf life. This study evaluated nine advanced lines of tomato with long shelf life from the AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center (CLN3940, CLN3948, CLN3946, CLN3953, CLN3961, CLN3947, CLN3949, CLN3954 and 'Tanya') and a local cultivar ('Pusa Ruby') as control under field conditions in Nepalgunj, Banke, Nepal, during the 2014-2015 winter seasons. AVRDC's recommendations for field trials and cultural management were followed. Disease resistance and fruit yield, quality and shelf life differed widely with tomato line. CLN3940 was resistant to late blight, was least affected by virus diseases, and produced the biggest fruit (124.3 g fruit-1) and highest yield (113.3 t ha-1). The local control had the highest vitamin C content, titratable acidity and pH both at harvest and at the end of shelf life at ambient conditions but had the highest weight loss during storage. CLN3940, CLN3947, CLN3948 and CLN3953 had a shelf life of 8-10 days longer than that of the control. Similarly, their yields were 22-80 t ha-1 higher than that of the control, in addition to their multiple disease (late blight, septorial blight and viral diseases) resistance trait. These four promising lines could be further tested in advanced field trials.

Tomato is a major vegetable grown during the rainy and winter seasons in the mid-western plain (T... more Tomato is a major vegetable grown during the rainy and winter seasons in the mid-western plain (Terai) region of Nepal. A major production constraint is the high postharvest losses, estimated at about one-fourth of the total production. This problem is usually more serious during peak production when there is greater supply of tomatoes but at very low price. Processing to produce value-added products could be a vital strategy to reduce losses and increase profitability. Nepal has no dedicated effort to develop processing tomato varieties. This study evaluated eight processing tomato advanced lines from AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center (UC204A, CLN3552B, CLN3125L-5x55, CLN3669A, CLN3682C, CLN3552B, CLN3670B and Tanya) and a local cultivar ('Pusa Ruby') under field conditions at Nepalgunj, Banke, Nepal, from September 2014 to March 2015. CLN3552B produced the highest fruit weight (102 g fruit-1), total soluble solids (5.4 °Brix), titratable acidity (2.1%) and pH (6.8). Highest fruit yield was obtained in CLN3669A (41 t ha-1), which also showed the lowest incidence of late blight and tomato yellow leaf curl virus diseases. The local control had the highest ascorbic acid content (31.1 mg 100 g-1) and paste recovery (14%). The results showed that the AVRDC advanced lines had multiple desirable traits (high yield, disease resistance and physiochemical quality attributes) that can be harnessed for the food processing industry. CLN3669A, CLN3552B, UC204A and CLN3125L-5X65 were the more promising lines that can be further tested in advanced yield trials.

Journal of Phytopathology, 2020

Potato is one of the most important crop in Nepal and is ranked fourth based on area of productio... more Potato is one of the most important crop in Nepal and is ranked fourth based on area of production and harvest after rice, maize and wheat (ABPSD, 2015). Potato is grown in a wide range of climatic regions, from subtropical plains to temperate Himalayan regions, in Nepal (Bajracharya & Sapkota, 2017). Potato is a staple food for thousands of households in remote hilly regions and is consumed as major vegetable in the plains (Terai and inner Terai region) of Nepal. The productivity of potato is low (13 mt/ha) in Nepal compared with neighbouring countries: China (17 t/ha) and India (20 t/ha) (FAO, 2016). Many factors, such as poor seed tuber quality, agricultural inputs and management of pests, have been attributed to the low potato productivity in Nepal. Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary

BioMed research international, 2017

Background. Fresh vegetables such as tomato should have low microbial population for safe consump... more Background. Fresh vegetables such as tomato should have low microbial population for safe consumption and long storage life. The aerobic bacterial count (ABC) and coliform bacterial count (CBC), yeast, and mold population are the most widely used microbial indicators in fresh vegetables which should be lower than 4 log CFU g-1 for safe consumption. The stages of the supply chain, postharvest handling methods, and crop varieties had significant effects on microbial population. ABC, CBC, yeast, and mold population were significantly highest (P < 0.05) at retail market (5.59, 4.38, 2.60, and 3.14 log CFU g-1, resp.), followed by wholesale market (4.72, 4.71, 2.43, and 2.44 log CFU g-1, resp.), and were least at farm gate (3.89, 3.63, 2.38, and 2.03 log CFU g-1, resp.). Improved postharvest practices (washing in clean water and grading and packaging in clean plastic crate) helped to reduce ABC, CBC, and mold population by 2.51, 32.70, and 29.86 percentage as compared to the conventio...

Crop Protection, 2019

Soilborne diseases, root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and weeds are the major yield-limitin... more Soilborne diseases, root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and weeds are the major yield-limiting factors in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) production in Nepal. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising technique in developed countries to control soilborne pests, but it has not been tested in many developing countries. Experiments were conducted in the western plain region of Nepal in okra and eggplant from March to July 2016 and October 2016 to April 2017 (eggplant only) to compare locally available carbon sources for efficacy in ASD. Experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates of seven amendments (molasses 2 kg m À 2 , rice bran 2 kg m À 2 , rice bran 1 kg m À 2 plus molasses 1 kg m À 2 , raw goat manure 2 kg m À 2 , mustard (Brassica campestris var. toria) cake 1.5 kg m À 2 , lentil (Lens esculenta) husks 2 kg m À 2 , and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) leaves 3 kg m À 2), and a non-amended, uncovered (aerobic) control in the first year. Lentil husks and berseem clover were replaced by wheat bran (2 kg m À 2) and wheat bran (1 kg m 2) plus molasses (1 kg m À 2) in the second year. Carbon sources were incorporated into soil followed by irrigation to saturation, and plots were covered with white plastic sheeting for 21 days. Significantly lower Fusarium wilt incidence, root-knot disease severity, and weed biomass were observed in ASD-treated eggplant plots compared to the control in 2016; disease, root-knot and weed pressure were low in 2017 and differences were not significant. Root knot disease severity and weed biomass were significantly reduced compared to the control in ASD-treated okra plots, depending on the carbon source used. With the exception of plots amended with molasses (eggplant, 2017) or molasses alone or combined with rice bran (okra), significantly higher fruit yields were observed in ASD-treated plots than in control plots. ASD appears to have great potential in Nepal because of its broad-spectrum impact on multiple soilborne pests and ready availability of inexpensive local inputs.