Resham Bahadur Thapa

Economics of beekeeping as pollination management practices adopted by farmers in Chitwan district of Nepal

BackgroundWhen the natural pollinator’s declines, beekeeping can contribute to the pollination services, assuring crop yields, and can also be used to strengthen the livelihoods through commercialization to increase economic revenue.MethodsA farmers’ survey and field experiment were conducted on 2011 to assess the economics of beekeeping as pollination management practices adopted by the farmers of Chitwan district, Nepal. Samples of 75 respondents from the list of beekeeper farmers of Chitwan district were selected randomly. Information was obtained from individual respondents through a pretested questionnaire and group discussion. Furthermore, to assess the benefit of bee pollination 15 experimental plots were selected to see the effect of bee pollination on mustard crop yield.ResultsFrom the study, the gross income (rupees/hives), productivity (rupees/man-day), average cost (rupees/hives), and gross benefit (rupees/hives) as a result of keeping bees were found to be 4475.23, 1506.30, 2526.66, and 1948.57, respectively. The benefit–cost ratio of beekeeping was found to be significantly higher, at 1.8. The contribution of the bee pollination on the mustard crop production was found significantly higher than that on the mustard production without the insect pollination.ConclusionsThis research finding will provide the new ways of thinking on the relationship between beekeeping and their importance on the crop production. The pollination shortage due to pollinator declines can be mitigated through the beekeeping which helps to uplift the sustainable livelihoods of the farmers through income generation.

Innovation in plant health extension services: the case of Plant Clinics in Nepal

The concept of community-based plant health clinics was developed by the Global Plant Clinic-cabi, piloted in Bolivia and other developing countries in 2003, and introduced in Nepal only at the end of 2008. Since then, different ngos and the government have received plant doctor training courses from cabi and are running clinics. By the end of 2011, 166 clinic sessions had been conducted. During this period, a large number of farmers, attracted to plant health advisory services which had never been received in the past, visited these clinics. The government has gradually incorporated this initiative in its regular program. The Plant Protection Directorate (ppd) is now supporting clinics run by different District Agriculture Development Offices (dados). This review of plant clinics in Nepal clearly defines the aims of plant clinics to fill the gap between farmers’ needs and existing plant health services being provided by public and private extension service providers.

Efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana against Helicoverpa armigera in Chickpea, under Field Conditions in Nepal

A field study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two most virulent native isolates of insect pathogenic fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana) and compared with four commercial biopesticides against Chickpea pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera Hubner) at Chitwan, Nepal. The number of H. armigera lavae observed in plots treated with M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were significantly lesser than the control plots during vegetative, flowering and pod setting stage of chickpea. Similarly, the chickpea yield was significantly higher in the plots treated with M. anisopliae and B. bassiana than control, however lesser than NPV and Bt treated plots. Based on this study, the native isolates have potential to be a biocontrol agent against the H. armigera in Nepal.

Virulence of Native Isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana Against Helicoverpa armigera in Nepal

The native isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, were evaluated against the third instar larvae of the chickpea pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera, for mortality, infection rate and LT50 under laboratory conditions in Nepal. Out of four isolates of M. anisopliae and two isolates of B. bassiana evaluated, M. anisopliae M1 and B. bassiana B3, were the most virulent ones of all isolates evaluated, with a concentration at 10^7 conidia/ml. The M1 and B3 isolates had the highest mortality rates and required the shortest time to kill the larvae of H. armigera. After treatment with M1 and B1 isolates for 10 days, the larval mortality exceeded 85%. These data lay the ground work for further studies in optimizing the effectiveness of indigenous virulent isolates, M. anisopliae M1 and B. bassiana B3 against H. armigera in Nepal.