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Recent Submissions
- Green Water Harvesting in Jordan’s Um Naa’am Watershed: Assessing Suitability for Climate Change ResilienceAuthor(s): Hamoor, Doaa Ismail Abu; Al-Mahasneh, Lubna; Ziadat, Feras M.; Mudabber, Mohammad; Haddad, Mira; Sweity, Amer (Computational Hydraulics International (CHI))Date: 2026-04-15Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Open accessWater scarcity is a critical challenge in Jordan, intensified by its arid climate, limited water resources, and growing demand across different sectors. The Um Naa’am watershed, located in a water-stressed area, requires sustainable solutions to enhance water availability and address climate change. This study aims to assess the suitability of Green Water Harvesting (GWH) interventions—including contour ridges, runoff strips, and marabs—in the Um Naa’am watershed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. GWH has shown promise in supplementing water resources, increasing soil moisture, improving vegetation cover, boosting crop productivity, and enhancing groundwater recharge. Spatial analysis, data reclassification, and multi-criteria evaluation were used in ArcGIS, taking into consideration topography and soil characteristics to analyze the suitability for GWH. In the present study, it was found that 42.46% of the watershed is suitable for runoff strips, 29.30% for contour ridges, and 1.64% for Marabs. The results may indicate that techniques for GWH can effectively act at deeper levels regarding water scarcity management, increasing resilience for more sustainable agriculture in this region. The integration of GWH and GIS thus provides a data-driven approach toward solving water-related problems, which is very important in terms of food security and sustainable development in semi-arid regions.
- Whole Genome Re-sequencing Based GWAS Identifies Candidate Genes Leading to Development of KASP Marker for Seed Size Traits in Lentil (Lens Culinaris Medik.)Author(s): Kumar Singh, Chandan; Bhaskar, Yogendra; Tripathi, Kuldeep; Singh, Ankur; Sahu, Tanmaya; Chaudhary, Shashi; Mishra, Gyan; Agrawal, Shiv Kumar; Singh, Rakesh; Singh, Gyanendra Pratap; Singh, Amit (Springer Nature, 2026-07-01)Date: 2026-06-22Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Timeless limited accessLentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) has emerged as a protein-rich, abiotic stress-resilient, cool-season legume grown in arid and semi-arid areas of Asia, Middle-East, Asian countries, and Canada. Seed size plays a crucial role in deciding its monetary value and classification in the international market, along with key attributes such as cooking time and post-harvest milling quality. Therefore, the present study performs whole genome re-sequencing (WGRS) based genome-wide association study (GWAS) to narrow down genomic regions/candidate genes associated with seed size traits i.e. seed weight, seed diameter and seed thickness, using 170 lentil core set accessions from the National Genebank of India. Sequencing of these accessions on Illumina seq platform followed by stringent filtering, revealed 23,593 SNPs having genome-wide distribution with a linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay of 59,604 bp. In parallel, the accessions were phenotyped for seed size traits at three different locations for two consecutive years. GWAS integrating genotypic and phenotypic data using different multi-locus GWAS models identified 9 SNPs significantly associated with seed size traits. Among these, a SNP (CHR6_174959614) was anchored to a gene encoding the Photosystem II D2 protein, known to have a role in regulating seed size in other plant species. Further, the Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR marker developed from associated SNP CHR6_174959614 showed significant allelic association with seed size traits in an independent lentil germplasm panel of 91 accessions. The results of this study could potentially accelerate the marker-assisted breeding programs to enhance seed size and in turn yield of lentil.
- Mobilizing climate finance for livestock transformation in the Global SouthAuthor(s): Florez, Fernando; Burkart, Stefan; Costa Junior, Ciniro; Notenbaert, An; Cramer, Laura; Yigezu, Yigezu; Dhehibi, Boubaker; Doldt, Julia; Arango, Jacobo; Wamukoya, George; Awolala, David; Denje, Telvin; Mbole-Kariuki, Mary (International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT (Alliance)), 2026-03-01)Date: 2026-03-01Type: Internal ReportStatus: Open accessLivestock systems sustain more than one billion people worldwide, most of them in low- and middle-income countries, making the sector central to food security, nutrition, and rural livelihoods across the Global South. At the same time, livestock accounts for roughly one fifth of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, primarily methane. With global demand for animal sourced foods projected to double by 2050, countries face a dual imperative to raise productivity and resilience while substantially reducing emissions. Climate finance provides a practical pathway to address this challenge. By mobilizing public, blended, and private capital, governments can reduce the risk of investments in improved forages, enhanced grazing management, and low emission feed and manure systems. Such investments can simultaneously increase productivity, strengthen adaptive capacity, and generate measurable mitigation outcomes. Evidence from CGIAR and partners shows that sustainable intensification can reduce emission intensity by up to half while increasing yields and farm incomes. Proven technologies are already available, but financial mechanisms and institutional capacity to scale them remain insufficient. Transforming livestock systems therefore requires: A. Policy alignment, integrating livestock into national climate strategies, Nationally Determined Contributions, and investment plans. B. Robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems that produce credible and transparent data to confirm results and attract investment. C. Blended finance instruments that strategically combine concessional, private, and results-based funding to mobilize capital at scale. For African member states, the key policy task is to integrate livestock into national climate and investment frameworks, build credible MRV systems, and develop bankable livestock programs that can access concessional, blended, and results-based finance. Donors and research institutions play a complementary role by providing the data, standards, and tools that make livestock projects auditable, investable, and scalable. When governance, data, and finance converge, livestock can shift from being perceived mainly as a source of emissions to becoming a driver of low carbon, climate resilient growth and a strategic development opportunity for the Global South.
- Unscrambling the history of African indicine cattle genomesAuthor(s): Kassa Bitew, Mulusew; Woldekiros, Helina S.; Persichilli, Christian; Di Civita, Marika; Ben-Jemaa, Slim; Mastrangelo, Salvatore; Mwacharo, Joram; Hanotte, Olivier; Pilla, Fabio; Senczuk, Gabriele (Elsevier (Cell Press) (12 month embargo), 2026-04-17)Date: 2026-03-10Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Open accessAfrican cattle’s genetic heritage reflects millennia of relationships between African and Asian human societies and civilizations. By analyzing genome-wide SNP data from 1,043 individuals representing 38 breeds, including 36 from Africa, in an approximate Bayesian computation framework, coupled with random forest classification, we show that this history is characterized by at least two independent arrivals of zebu (indicine) cattle from the Indian subcontinent. Time estimates coincide with major cultural transitions across Africa, including state formation, iron technology spread, and pastoral intensification, exemplified by developments such as the Aksumite Empire and Swahili civilization. Moreover, we show that sanga cattle are the result of admixture between native African taurine and zebu cattle from the first arrival. These findings provide a refined chronology of cattle movements and pastoralism into Africa, reveal how human cultural transitions structured livestock genomes, and highlight Africa’s central role in shaping global cattle diversity.
- Comparative evaluation of growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality attributes of crossbred Dorper and Awassi, and indigenous Menz sheep supplemented with brewery spent grainAuthor(s): Bisrat, Asfaw; Bekele, Mekete; Hassen, Ahmed; Alemayehu, Liulseged; Wamatu, Jane; Ekule, Muluken; Abebe, Aschalew; Belayneh, Tesfa; Zewudie, Firdawok Ayele; Aydefruhim, Derib; Abebe, Ayele; Alemnew, Enyiew; Kebede, Ashenafi; Eshete, Mesfin; Mekonen, Tefera; Tefera, Beneberu; Bezabih, Aemiro; Belew, Adebabay; Lakew, Admassu; Getachew, Tesfaye; Haile, Aynalem (Springer (part of Springer Nature) (Springer Open Choice Hybrid Journals), 2026-03-05)Date: 2026-03-05Type: Journal ArticleStatus: Timeless limited accessThis study evaluated growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of pure Menz sheep, and 50% Dorper × Menz (D×M) and 50% Awassi × Menz (A×M) crosses under two feeding regimes: brewery spent grain plus concentrate (F1) or concentrate-only (F2) used as supplement with natural pasture hay as basal diet. The supplemental feeds were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Forty-eight castrated yearling rams (16 per genotype) were assigned to the dietary treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial design and the experiment lasted for a period of 90 days. Data on nutrient intake, body weight changes, carcass measurements, and sensory scores were taken and analyzed using the standard procedures. Breed significantly (p < 0.05) influenced final body weight, average daily gain, and carcass traits, with DxM and AxM outperforming Menz sheep. F2 yielded greater feed conversion efficiency than F1 (p < 0.05), while digestibility coefficients did not differ among the treatments (p > 0.05). DxM sheep had higher cold carcass weight, loin cut weight, and fat thickness (p < 0.01), and dressing percentage was greater in F2. Sensory evaluation showed that meat from Menz sheep was preferred from tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall acceptability (p < 0.01) compared to other sheep breeds. Significant breed × feed interactions for sensory attributes indicated genotype-specific dietary response. Strong positive correlations (r = 0.72–0.95, p < 0.01) between growth and carcass yield highlight the predictive value of performance traits for meat output. Based on marginal rate of return and superior carcass yield, A×M sheep are strongly recommended under both brewery spent grain plus concentrate (F1) and concentrate-only (F2) feeding regimes, while D×M sheep are recommended under the F1 feeding regime.