List of Research Themes for PhD students (37 months, YES) · List of Research Themes for PhD...

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List of Research Themes for PhD students (37 months, YES) 1000 Economics

1001 Socio-economic Impact Analysis of Animal Health Surveillance System on Thailand Food Security

1002 Socio-economic Analysis of Reducing Negative Impacts of Climate Change on ASEAN Food and Nutrition Security through Climate Resilient Agricultural Technologies

1003 Food Secure Future: Developing Scenarios and Pathways for Key Agricultural and Food Produces in the Philippines

1004 The Impact of Microcredit Access on Household Nutrition Security in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: The Case of Kajiado County, Kenya

2000 Crop Science

2001 Contribution of improved legume-based cropping systems to microbially driven carbon cycling with special emphasis on carbon use efficiency in Ethiopian small-holder systems

2002 Integrating seasonal and perennial legumes for soil fertility improvement in smallholder farming systems in DR Congo

2003 Modelling legume rotations for soil fertility improvement at landscape scale in Kenya and Ethiopia

2004 Participatory monitoring and evaluation of innovation processes with Tanzanian farmer groups

2005 Utilizing genetic diversity of Peruvian quinoa landraces for breeding improved varieties 2006 Epidemiology of and biocontrol strategies for the Diaporthe/Phomopsis species complex

in soybean 2007 Agronomic Performance And Fibre Yield Content Of Plantain Pseudostem

2008 The potential of improved fallows to restore degraded mined sites for agricultural production in Ghana.

2009 Improving yield and quality of vegetable amaranth through varietal selection, appropriate spacing, and use of suitable amaranth-legume row-series intercropping systems for food security in northern Ghana.

2010 Effect of drying methods on the quality of plantain flour

3000 Nutrition

3001 DeVelopIng a Value chain for health-promoting food products from YAcon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) (VIVA)

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3002 Bioeconomic value of CHAN for potential future food products and/ or biological pest control (BONITO)

3003 Optimizing Nutrition and Health through Sustainable Exploitation of Traditional Vegetables in Asia

3004 Impact Assessment of Increasing Fruits and Vegetables Consumption on Nutrition Security among ASEAN Countries

3005 Nutritional and Social Determinants of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology and Health Care in Ethiopia: Quantitative and Qualitative Data from Kilite Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site with Focus on Cardiovascular and Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes and Cancer

3006 Investigating the bioavailability of and prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction by tocotrienols from Costa Rican palm oil and their suitability as functional food ingredients as a means to strengthen the Costa Rican agricultural and food industry

4000 Resource Management

4001 Evolution of the mineral content of steppe soils in Mongolia

5000 Social Science

5002 Role of the Business Sector in Improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

5001 Land Consolidation and Food Security in Iran Participatory monitoring and evaluation of innovation processes with Tanzanian farmer groups (see 2004)

6000 Food Engineering

6001 The application of alternative energy sources for soybean milk production 6002 The development of fermented food to improve iron deficiency and alter gut microflora

in Thai children 6003 Development of Rapid Detection Method for Pathogenic Contamination in Goat Milk

Powder 6004 Optimization of management systems and post-harvest technology for promoting

consumption of cassava leaves as an economical source of protein and essential micronutrients for humans

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Descriptions of the Research Themes

1000 Economics

1001 Socio-economic Impact Analysis of Animal Health Surveillance System on Thailand Food Security

Description This research study will be a survey by using group discussion and use socio-economic data to analyze the socio-economic impact of each animal health surveillance system in farm level and national food security level. The indicators of socio-economic impact such as animal product quality, farm production, food supply, economic environment, household and farm income, national income level and national food security will be analyzed.

Research question: • 1. Can an animal health surveillance system used for preventing animal disease outbreak

sustain Thailand’s food security? How does the system impact to socio-economic factors among farmer folkways, cooperative system and government disease control system?

• 2. What is the effective system for animal health surveillance to ensure Thailand’s food security among farmer folkways, cooperative system and government disease control system?

Requirement: Socio-economic surveys for each study area in Thailand under the Animal Health Surveillance System. Analytical technique use for a socio – economic impact assessment under the system.

Supervisor and Institute: Dr. Charuk SINGHAPREECHA at Chiang Mai University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

1002 Socio-economic Analysis of Reducing Negative Impacts of Climate Change on ASEAN Food and Nutrition Security through Climate Resilient Agricultural Technologies

Discipline Agricultural economics

Description Effective adaptation will require more climate-resilient technologies, and new agricultural practices to counter the increased climate risks. An important component of this major theme is

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to do socio-economic analysis of using ‘Climate Resilient Agricultural Technologies’ to reduce negative impacts of climate change on ASEAN food and nutrition security.

Research question: • What is the socio-economic impact of using Climate Resilient Agricultural Technologies

on ASEAN food and nutrition securities

Work content The work includes (1) identification of significant current climate resilient agricultural technologies in ASEAN, (2) evaluate and compare socio-economic impacts of these technologies, (3) make recommendations on enabling policies and governance for climate-resilient agriculture and rural communities.

Requirement: MSc degree in economics, agricultural economics, social science, agriculture and related areas

Supervisor and Institute: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Poonpipope KASEMSAP, Kasetsart University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

1003 Food Secure Future: Developing Scenarios and Pathways for Key Agricultural and Food Produces in the Philippines

Rationale Food security is a multidimensional and complex issue which could be achieved when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food (World Food Summit, 1996). FAO defines food security to be founded in four major pillars namely food access, food availability, food utilization, and food stability. According to FAO, about 795 million people globally are undernourished and the numbers have decreased over the last decade (FAO, 2015). The decline is more evident in the developing countries and regions particularly in Southeast Asian Region. The key to the success of the food security and nutrition in the region is the inclusive and consistent economic growth as well as political stability in the region. The programmes which have rapidly enhanced productivity and income among smallholder farmers are key to progress increases and improves access to food among the rural poor. Development of better road conditions, transport systems and post-harvest facilities have increased availability of food to isolated communities and population.

Despite these improvements, drivers of change remains the same and are likely to increase pressure to the stability of food systems. These drivers include but are not limited to demographic change, population increase, economic policies, trade agreements, climate change, environmental degradation, and technology adoption. These drivers increase vulnerability and the exposure to food insecurity. The Philippines being one of the most vulnerable countries and visited by an average of 20 typhoons annually, agricultural production and food systems of the

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country becomes highly unstable. Investment in the technology advancement, knowledge generation, improvement of practices and other infrastructure investment to address indicators of food insecurities are key proactive programmes to further improve present food security state in the country.

Generation of key research areas such as improved crop produce through hybridization, improved water management systems, community based resource management systems for biodiversity and ecosystem improvement are likely to increase production systems. Question then rises on how these researches are going to impact consumption, nutrition and trade. This proposal aims to address this question on the economic probabilities, plausible futures and outcomes in the event government institutionalize these results from these research programs.

Despite great strides in the research and development of technologies and strategies, adoption and investment of the private sector and government as well implementation at local level have gaps. Policy and decision makers have lacked long term vision and consensus necessary to feed the global population. To address this gap, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) developed the International Model for Policy Analysis for Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT) in 1990. Rosegrant et al (1995) used the IMPACT model to discuss and illustrate the effect of population, investment, and trade scenarios on food security and nutrition status in developing countries.

This proposal aims to use the IMPACT model to examine the effects and linkages between production and technology enhancement/investments on key food commodities, food demand and security at national level. It aims to illustrate how key research and national programs such as the crop modelling and projections could impact the national demand and supply to address food insecurity. The results of the study would be used by policy makers, national agencies to determine priority programmes at national. Results would be the guidelines and framework for long term policy development and investment with a statistically significant plausible outcome to address food security and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines.

The study would require the use of national data from the National Statistics Office to create a baseline scenario for selected agricultural products such as rice, livestock, tilapia, milkfish and tuna. A workshop consultation of key research programs to be considered for the modelling and development investment. The consultation will include key Agricultural Research Centers and Academe in the country.

Literature Review Food security is a multidimensional and complex issue which could be achieved when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food (World Food Summit, 1996). According to FAO, about 795 million people globally are undernourished and have decreased over the last decade. The decline is more evident in the developing countries and regions. The key to the success of the food security is the inclusive and consistent economic growth as well as political stability in developing regions such as Central Africa and western

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Asia. The programs which enhance productivity and income among smallholder farmers are key to progress.

Under the World Health Organization, it stated that food security is comprised of three pillars namely i) food availability – pertaining to consistent self-sufficiency and quantity of households; ii) food access – ability to attain adequate and nutritious food; and iii) food utilization – pertaining to meeting dietary needs of individuals and households (ADB, 2014). The issue of food security became a global agenda by 2007-2008 which was triggered by unprecedented rise in food price index by 54% in 18 month period.

The progress to achieving food security and nutrition has shown that economic progress, political stability, effective enforcement of laws, absence of conflict, civil strife, and weather related shocks or excessive food price volatility are conducive to all dimensions of food security. FAO (2015) study listed factors to include economic growth, agricultural productivity, market (including international trade) and social protection.

Economic growth lessens the susceptibility of communities and households to food insecurity. While central to increasing food security, economic growth must be coupled with inclusive growth which will promote equitable access to food, assets and resources.

Scenario Building and the IMPACT Model

There are several noteworthy papers which have assessed scenarios using the explorative scenarios such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) scenarios and the IPCC Special Report: Emission Scenario (Nakicenovic, 2000). The process of scenario building involved a wide participation and feedback which were solicited from various stakeholders. The development of

scenario at multi-level and multi-actor adaptation is centered on the context of building a pathway towards food security in a variable climate. Vervoot et al (2010) first implemented the multi-scale and multi-actor scenario building tool as a means to develop pathway for small scale farmers in the rural communities.

Developing scenarios for future uncertainties were considered a proactive solution to understanding the various actors and actions necessary to maintain status quo and/or achieving future development and investments. The paper by Vervoot et al (2014) and Wilkinson et al (2008) explored the development and use of explorative multi-stakeholder scenarios in agriculture and food systems at sub-continental level in several global regions under the CGIAR partnership program.

The International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT) was developed by the Institute of Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and WorldFish which

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looked at the overall trade and production of fish in the global market. Basically, the recent model covers a total of 119 regions in a range of agricultural commodities focusing on key fisheries and aquaculture products. It provided a framework for assessing assumptions regarding global fish production, inputs, consumption, and trade. Results would provide guided forecasting, policy implication, shifting to alternative inputs and outputs, including non-fisheries alternatives.

In Fish to 2020, Delgado (2003) provided a comprehensive review of the global demand and supply of fisheries and aquaculture and seafood trade using the IMPACT model. The review observed from 1970s through 1990s which formed the basis for the projection to 2020 using IMPACT model. Modelling fish supply and demand to 2020 simulated the relationship with aquaculture through prices and substitution relationship; and evaluated the sensitivity to the assumptions.

Literature evidence showed declining fish stock in the past century, precise estimates of fish stocks are global level were extremely difficult to calculate (FAO, 2000). Thus, the baseline scenarios was estimated from reasonable but conservative scenarios of captures fisheries, using exogenous growth rates which represented the extrapolation of recent past trends at declining rates as well as the endogenous price changes across other sectors.

Results of the model looked at the production of fisheries and aquaculture, per capital consumption, aggregate consumption and trade, and change in aggregate prices for aggregate products from various scenarios. There were five outline scenarios developed by the study namely (i) faster aquaculture growth; (ii) lower China production; (iii) fishmeal and oil efficiency; (iv) slower aquaculture growth; (v) ecological collapse.

Problem As one of the most vulnerable nation in the world in terms of climate change impacts, there is a necessity to develop and invest in adaptation and mitigation measure based on projected changes in terms of agricultural production to address food security issues. Over the years, the Philippine Government and International Governmental Organizations have funded researches, programs and policies which would enhance the adaptive capacities of rural poor. Despite significant investment in research development, adoption by national agencies, local government and stakeholders have been limited. With the number of programs and researches, it is necessary to equip policy makers and decision makers with tools and framework to assess priority projects which would optimize and effectively address food insecurity and social welfare in the country and potentially address the following questions:

• What are the priority scenarios for the Philippines and the impact on food security? • Is there a gap in key agricultural production and consumption in the country? • How are the key recommended researches such as crop forecasting and crop advisories

like water management systems, nutrient management, pest management, likely to impact the supply and demand dynamics of major food commodities in the country?

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Significance of the Proposal One of the advantages of IMPACT is to provide a framework for scenario analysis to be able to test various assumptions which would provide policy makers information on the estimated behaviour of agricultural market. It also provides a suite of welfare metrics that would provide insights on the effects of agricultural sector on society as a whole (IFPRI, 2014). The welfare model follows a traditional economic welfare analysis to estimate the benefits to society as a whole. On top of this, Rosegrant (2001) estimated the percentage of malnourished children as part of the IMPACT model. This model at this level could estimate malnourish, risk of hunger and food availability.

The results of the study could pave way for major policy and programme reforms to be able to meet national and global targets of food security and inclusive growth. It was developed to simulate global multimarket, partial equilibrium economic model, which would cover a wide arrange of agricultural products. The model has undergone considerable extensions and expansions from cereal to fish and water. The main purpose of the model is to develop a forward looking projection of supply, demand and trade of agricultural products which will be simulated under the baseline scenario under various alternative scenarios.

Supervisor and Institute:

N.N. Graduate Education and Institutional Development Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Philippines and N.N. University of Hohenheim

Reference Ahmed, M. (2004, August). Outlook for Fish to 2020: A Win-Win-Win for Oceans, Fisheries and the Poor?. In R. kearney (ed.) Fish, Aquaculture and Food Security, Conference Proceedings (pp. 66-74). Delgado, C. L., Wada, N., Rosegrant, M. W., Meijer, S., & Ahmed, M. (2003). Fish to 2020, World Fish Centre and International Food Policy Research Institute, Penang, Malaysia. Delgado, C. L. (Ed.). (2003). Fish to 2020: Supply and demand in changing global markets (Vol. 62). WorldFish. Delgado, C. L., Courbois, C. B., & Rosegrant, M. W. (2001). Issues in modeling fish to 2020 within a global food model. Durance, P., & Godet, M. (2010). Scenario building: uses and abuses. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 77(9), 1488-1492. FAO, IFAD and WFP. 2015. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015.Meeting the 2015 international hunger targets: taking stock of uneven progress. Rome, FAO.

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Nakicenovic, N., & Swart, R. (2000). Special report on emissions scenarios.Special Report on Emissions Scenarios, Edited by Nebojsa Nakicenovic and Robert Swart, pp. 612. ISBN 0521804930. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, July 2000., 1.Van Notten, P. W., Rotmans, J., Van Asselt, M. B., & Rothman, D. S. (2003). An updated scenario typology. Futures, 35(5), 423-443. Rosegrant, M. W., Agcaoili-Sombilla, M., & Perez, N. D. (1995). Global food projections to 2020: Implications for investment. Intl Food Policy Res Inst. Rosegrant, M. W., Leach, N., & Gerpacio, R. V. (1999). Alternative futures for world cereal and meat consumption. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 58(02), 219-234. Rosegrant, M. W., Paisner, M. S., Meijer, S., & Witcover, J. (2001). 2020 global food outlook: trends, alternatives, and choices (Vol. 11). Intl Food Policy Res Inst. Vervoort, J. M., Thornton, P. K., Kristjanson, P., Förch, W., Ericksen, P. J., Kok, K., ... & Jost, C. (2014). Challenges to scenario-guided adaptive action on food security under climate change.Global Environmental Change, 28, 383-394. WorldBank. (2010). Fish to 2030: Prospects for Fish and Aquaculture. Agriculture and Environmental Services Discussion Paper 03. Report Number 83177-GLB WorldFish Policy Brief. (2011). Fish supply and demand scenarios in Cambodia and perspectives on the future role of aquaculture. Policy Brief No. 2011-23

1004 The Impact of Microcredit Access on Household Nutrition Security in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: The Case of Kajiado County, Kenya

Background Microcredit has emerged as a subset of financial tools from microfinance institutions and is widely recognized as a mechanism to assist the poor, especially in developing countries, to better manage the risks they face. Access to credit is known to accelerate household and national economic development (Pederso, 2003; FAO, 2006). Recent literature has found a positive correlation between access to microcredit and food security. FAO (2013) recognize that through microcredit, food security can be attained through increased agricultural productivity; employment and self-employment, which create income opportunities and thus allowing buying of food; social programs—including food-for-work or cash-for-work programs, other forms of productive activities within households or communities. According to Meyer (2003) microcredit which is part of microfinance can contribute to poverty alleviation and food security through supplying loans, providing other financial services that enhance investment, and creating employment opportunities for the participant. Meyer mentions three pathways to attaining food security -first is the poverty-alleviation path, which improves income generation. The second pathway is, access to microcredit induce changes in household assets and liabilities, improves savings and insurance service, thus, stabilize consumption. The third pathway is consumption of microcredits. Through this pathway, households attempt to use loans in immediately productive ways, thus, income and food supplies increase. This indicates a positive correlation between microcredit and food security.

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While food security captures macro intake of food, nutrition security captures micronutrient intake, health and sanitation because micronutrient security can be hidden (Noack and Pouw, 2015). Studies on effects of access to microfinance credit on household nutrition security in various set ups has however yielded mixed findings. Some studies showing better household nutrition status with longer participation ( Rita 2010) and other studies showing little significant difference in household diet and overall nutrition security ( Doocey et al 2005; Foote et al, 2004).

Kajiado County is located at the southern tip of the former Rift Valley province, close to Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. The county is classified as an Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) area that is water strained i.e. the annual rainfall in the county is between 500mm and 1250mm. The population of Kajiado is approximately 570,000 persons who are predominately Maasai pastoralists, although there has been an influx of people from other ethnic groups. The Maasai livelihoods have traditionally revolved around livestock, primarily cattle, sheep and goats. Kajiado is a low food production county, with a significant number of households obtaining their food from the market, most of which is sourced from central Kenya or northern Tanzania (Karanja and Murigi, 2013).

Food security is affected by both physical and temporal factors (Nyariki and Wiggins,1997). The physical factors relate to food flow in terms of availability, accessibility and utilization. The temporal aspect of food security involves stability – the time frame over which food security is being considered. Nyariki and Wiggins (1997) note that food and nutrition insecurity can be transitory (short-term) or chronic. Further, transitory food insecurity can either be cyclical (when there is a regular pattern of food insecurity, e.g., the ‘lean season’ or ‘hungry season’ that occurs in the period just before harvest) or temporary (which is a result of short-term, exogenous shocks such as droughts or floods), common in Kenya’s ASALs. Kajiado County being an ASAL area is adversely affected during seasonal weather changes. In recent years, Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado have been devastated by the increased frequency, duration and intensity of drought cycles. The increased frequency of drought cycles has meant that the population is unable to completely recover from the previous drought cycle. In addition, the land available for grazing is shrinking due to the subdivision of communally-owned land to private individuals. Seasonal weather affects household’s access to food and frequency of food intake and nutritional intake (NDMA Report 2015). By focusing on wet and dry seasons in Kajiado County, this study seeks to investigate the impact of access to microcredit by households disaggregated by gender on nutrition security.

Problem Statement According to Ouma and Rambo (2013) microcredit provides an opportunity for low income earners, including women to improve their economic and social status. A growing body of evidence shows that increasing resources in the hands of women have greater impacts on family welfare, in particular improvement in child survival health, food consumption, hygiene and educational standards for families and societies ( as quoted in Thuita et al. 2013). Access to

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credit may lead to ‘investment-led’ benefits, which result in greater levels of income, consumption and wealth (Pakrashi et al. 2014). Studies on the impact of microcredit on nutrition security demonstrate that it can be two fold. On one hand access to microcredit may result in higher incomes which enable households to produce or purchase a variety of foods thus improving household nutrition status (Pitt et al. 2003; Rita 2010). On the other hand there could be no effect on microcredit access on nutrition security at the household level (Doocey et al. 2005). Thus there is need for more empirical research in this area in order to contribute to resolution of this contradiction in literature.

The FinAcess FSD 2013 report shows that Kajiado County is one of the counties in Kenya where microfinance services are highly concentrated. Microcredit has mainly been used to facilitate crop production or non-farm business enterprises. Although the majority of the population are livestock keepers, 59% of the population practice some form of crop production (cultivation of maize, beans, vegetables and fruits) (Karanja and Murigi, 2013). Food production is however affected during drought season. Despite the high concentration of MFIs, food instability in Kajiado County remains a major challenge. Food instability in the region has been noted to have very serious consequences such that some households being obliged to reduce their consumption when food prices rise; change the foods they consume, change frequency of food intake consequently affecting the household nutritional and gender disparities in access to food at the household level (NDMA, 2015).

Furthermore nutrition security remains a major challenge in Kajiado County. Food and nutritional security in Kajiado County is adversely affected during seasonal weather changes i.e. changes in rainfall and vegetation patterns. In recent years, Maasai pastoralists in Kajiado have been devastated by the increased frequency, duration and intensity of drought cycles. The increased frequency of drought cycles has meant that the population is unable to completely recover from the previous drought cycle. According to the first quarter 2014-2015 Nutrition Situation Analysis Report (2015), the prevalence of risk of malnutrition was subsequently increasing in the county since December 2014. Notably it increased from 7.5% in December 2014 to 11.35% in March 2015. Alongside these facts are unanswered questions such as: (i) do households that access microcredit adjust their diets or change frequency of food consumption as coping strategies during seasonal weather changes?; rather than focus only on women, (ii) how does access to microcredit disaggregated by gender impact on household nutrition security ? Thus the extent to which microcredit offered by microfinance institutions contribute towards sustainable nutrition security at the household level during wet and dry seasons in ASALs is worth investigating.

Research Objectives The main research objective of this study will be to analyze the impact of access to microcredit by different gender on the nutritional status of households during wet and dry seasons in Kajiado County, Kenya.

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The specific research objectives are:

• To assess access and utilisation of microcredit by households, disaggregated by gender • To investigate the nutritional status of households during wet and dry seasons. • To assess changes in nutritional status of households that access microcredit during wet

and dry seasons. • To analyze factors that influence changes in nutritional status of households that access

microcredit during wet and dry seasons

Research Questions The main research question of this study is: how does access to microcredit by different gender groups impact on the nutritional status of households during wet and dry seasons in Kajiado County, in Kenya.

The specific research objectives are:

• How do households, disaggregated by gender, access and utilise microcredit? • What is the nutritional status of households during wet and dry seasons? • How does the nutritional status of households that access microcredit change during wet

and dry seasons. • What are the factors that influence changes in nutritional status of households that access

microcredit during wet and dry season


Prof. John Mburu, University of Nairobi and N.N. University of Hohenheim

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2000 Crop Science

2001 Contribution of improved legume-based cropping systems to microbially driven carbon cycling with special emphasis on carbon use efficiency in Ethiopian small-holder systems

Discipline Agricultural Sciences

Main disciplines Soil microbial ecology, soil microbiology, soil ecology

Other relevant disciplines Crop production, soil sciences

Description of the research topic and research methodology Site-adapted organic residue management using leguminous crop residues in tropical agricultural systems is a crucial strategy to sustain soil productivity and food security. It has been previously reported that organic residues of contrasting biochemical quality can promote soil organic matter stabilization and plant nutrient supply as provided through decomposition processes by soil microorganisms. On the other hand, it is yet to be understood to which extent organic input quality (e.g., polyphenol/ligin-to-N ratio) determines the carbon use efficiency of microbial decomposers. An advanced understanding of this particularly issue may open new alternatives of adapted organic residue management which regulates the decomposing activities of microbial processes promoting on the one hand a better plant nutrient supply and on the other hand enhanced carbon sequestration.

Since the advent of biochemical and molecular techniques, our understanding of important soil microbial processes is steadily increasing, but such studies on tropical agricultural soils are still limited. A further insight into these highly relevant and complex processes of soil microorganisms by using biochemical and molecular tools is therefore required, in particular for small-holder agro-ecosystems in Ethiopia which are dependent on farm-internal organic residues and promoted soil microbial activity to maintain crop productivity.

The candidate is supposed to study in more detail the functioning of relevant soil microorganisms (prokaryotes, fungi) affected by contrasting organic residues. It is of high interest to which extent contrasting organic residues are regulating their processes in the carbon cycles (e.g., carbon use efficiency).

The 3 main research questions: • Does biochemical quality of organic inputs regulate soil microbial decomposition

processes?

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• Is this reflected in considerable responses of carbon use efficiencies determining the release of organically bound crop nutrients and carbon to the soil organic carbon pool?

• Is carbon use efficiency of soil microbial decomposers be regulated by environmental conditions including soil types and climatic conditions like temperature and precipitation?

Logistics The proposed PhD study is part of larger research consortium linked to a BMZ-funded project. Partners in the target region of Ethiopia are Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI), and Bako Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Longer research stays under harsh environmental conditions in remote areas of Ethiopia will be required. Hence, an applicant from Ethiopia is preferred who can easily adopt the challenging working conditions in the study regions.

Target region or country Ethiopia

• Field work: 25% • Lab work: 50% • Desk work: 25%, including paper writing

Required qualifications of the applicant MSc. in Agricultural Sciences, Soil Sciences and / or Soil microbiology or closely related

degrees

Methodological competence • Solid knowledge on soil ecology/microbiology. • Experience in independent performance of field, greenhouse and incubation experiments. • Knowledge of and experience with use of different laboratory methods used in soil

microbiology are an asset. • Knowledge in multivariate data analysis. •


PD Dr. Frank Rasche, Institute of Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim

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2002 Integrating seasonal and perennial legumes for soil fertility improvement in smallholder farming systems in DR Congo

Discipline Agricultural Sciences


Other relevant disciplines Crop production, soil sciences

Description of the research topic and research methodology Integration of legumes in tropical agricultural systems is a crucial strategy to enhance and to maintain soil productivity and thus food security. The agronomic (e.g., nutritional value) and soil ecological (e.g., soil fertility) benefits of seasonal legumes (e.g., beans, peas) have been acknowledged. On the other hand, it remains unclear to which extent perennial legumes (e.g., tree legumes), whose biomass is still rarely used for organic matter management purposes, contribute to the sustainability of smallholder cropping systems. This holds particularly true for the lacking understanding on soil microbial decomposition and mineralization processes in the nitrogen cycle as regulated by organic input quality (e.g., polyphenol/ligin-to-N ratio). An advanced fundamental understanding of these processes including proteolysis and nitrification, but also nitrogen fixation is critical to make use of the full potential of seasonal and perennial legumes for soil productivity improvement of resource-limited smallholder farming systems.

Since the advent of biochemical and molecular techniques, our understanding of important soil microbial processes is steadily increasing, but such studies on tropical agricultural soils are still limited. With regard to the advertised topic, a further insight into these highly relevant and complex processes of soil microorganisms in nitrogen cycling by using biochemical and molecular tools is strongly required. Gained knowledge will be useful for targeted small-holder agro-ecosystems in DR Congo which are highly dependent on farm-internal organic residues and promoted soil microbial activity to maintain crop productivity and to sustain food security.

The candidate is supposed to study in more detail the functioning of relevant, nitrogen cycling soil microorganisms (e.g., prokaryotes) affected by contrasting organic residues.

The 3 main research questions: • Is biochemical quality of organic inputs a general determinant of soil microbial nitrogen

cycling? • Do these alterations in microbial dynamics respond differently to the biochemical quality

of residues deriving from seasonal and perennial legumes? • Are approached microbial processes in N cycles be further regulated by environmental

conditions including soil types and climatic conditions?

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Logistics The proposed PhD study is part of larger research consortium linked to a BMZ-funded project. Partner in the target region of DRC is the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB). Longer research stays under harsh environmental conditions in remote areas of DRC will be required. Hence, an applicant from DRC is preferred who can easily adopt the challenging working conditions in the study regions.

Target region or country DR Congo


Required qualifications of the applicant MSc. in Agricultural Sciences, Soil Sciences and / or Soil microbiology or closely related degrees

Methodological competence • Solid knowledge on soil ecology/microbiology. • Experience in independent performance of field, greenhouse and incubation experiments. • Knowledge of and experience with use of different laboratory methods used in soil

microbiology are an asset. • Knowledge in multivariate data analysis.


PD Dr. Frank Rasche, Institute of Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim

2003 Modelling legume rotations for soil fertility improvement at landscape scale in Kenya and Ethiopia

Discipline Agronomy

Main disciplines Plant production, soil sciences

Other relevant disciplines Landscape modelling, natural resource management

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Description of the research topic and research methodology Legumes have great potential to contribute in many ways to rural livelihoods and natural resource integrity through their potential supply of protein-rich grains, fodder, soil nitrogen (N), mulch, and fuel. At the same time, temporal, spatial, and socio-ecological niches (Ojiem et al., 2006) for specific legume classes exist within smallholder systems, which themselves are located within heterogeneous environments, at the farm, community, and landscape level. Soil type, micro-climate, and resource endowment vary strongly within landscapes and between farm typologies (Tittonnell et al., 2010). Current farm-level production and productivity of legumes is still limited for many areas and certainly below what is technically feasible (Place et al, 2009; Jensen et al, 2012). Some of the reasons underlying the limited adoption or success of legumes include lack of consideration by projects and extensionists of site- and farm-specific requirements, preferences, potentials and limitations. These include natural resources such as soil or terrain as well as financial and social capital, opportunities for marketing and management options (availability of inputs, knowledge). Last not least, a longer term perspective of potential benefits is often lacking, particularly when relatively slow processes related to soil fertility are involved.

This study aims at testing impacts of different legume-led crop rotations and farm-specific management under given local conditions on food security in the short (crop productivity) and long (build-up of soil fertility) term. As the number of options and the time frame for such an assessment under field conditions would be beyond the reach of this study, a modelling approach is chosen for impact assessment. A plot-scale (WaNuLCAS; v. Noordwijk and Lusiana, 1999) and a landscape-scale model (LUCIA; Marohn et al., 2013) will be used to test rotation and management options. WaNuLCAS is an agroforestry model focusing on plant-plant-soil interactions in intercropping systems as frequently implemented with legumes (Walker et al., 2007). LUCIA focuses on environmental impacts at landscape scale, here particularly run-off and erosion as affected by plant cover (biomass, mulch) at different positions in the terrain. Field measurements at sites in Kenya and Ethiopia will be used to calibrate and validate the models. Most of the plot data will be collected by partner institutions of the LegumeChoice project (see below) on request, while landscape data can be accessed through partners IWMI and ICRAF. Promising scenarios (in terms of food security and soil fertility in the medium term) identified during the modelling exercise will be discussed with the farmers to evaluate model plausibility and chances for adoption. The study will contribute to improving food and nutrition security and enhance the production environment of smallholder farmers and rural populations through facilitation of integration and use of multi-purpose legumes, providing food, protein, feed, fuel, and/or organic matter in crop-livestock systems. This is achieved by generating knowledge and decision support for enhancing short and long-term contributions of multi-purpose legumes to farmer livelihoods including aspects of legume production, input supply systems, and markets.

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The 3 main research questions: • What are promising legume-led crop rotations with high potential of soil amelioration

and adoption by farmers? Compile and biophysically characterize representative and / or innovative legume-led crop rotations or legume-based management options in the research area.

• Which of these options perform best regarding soil fertility and productivity (of crops and woody biomass) in the medium-term? Compare impacts of legume scenarios on crop productivity and soil organic matter stocks.

• How can management and rotations be optimized given available resources in order to reach synchrony of periods of nutrient availability and plant demand? Test effects of different rotations, varieties, organic amendments and management options on soil fertility and sustained crop / wood productivity of the system.

Logistics The study will be embedded in the BMZ-funded project LegumeCHOICE: Realizing the underexploited potential of multi-purpose legumes towards improved livelihoods and a better environment in crop-livestock systems in East & Central Africa. Partners in the target region are IITA, KALRO, ICRAF, EIAR and ILRI.

Target region or country Kenya, Ethiopia


Required qualifications of the applicant M.Sc. in Agriculutre and / or Soil Sciences or closely related topics

Methodological competence • Solid knowledge on soil sampling and analyses • Knowledge of and experience with use of different crop models; skills in landscape

modelling are an asset • Good computing and mathematical skills • Overview of different models and model concepts • Data analyses, sensitivity analysis, spatial statistics


Institute of Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim

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References Marohn, C., Schreinemachers, P., Quang, D.V., Berger, T., Siripalangkanont, P., Nguyen, T.T., Cadisch, G. (2013) A software coupling approach to assess low-cost soil conservation strategies for highland agriculture in Vietnam. Environmental Modelling and Software, 45; S. 116-128 Ojiem, J.O., De Ridder, N., Vanlauwe,B., and Giller, K.E. (2006) Socioecological niche: a conceptual framework for integration of legumes in smallholder farming systems. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 4, 79-93. v. Noordwijk, M. & B. Lusiana (1999): WaNuLCAS 1.0, a model of water, nutrient and light capture in agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems 45: 131-158. Tittonell, P., Muriuki, A., Shepherd, K.D., Mugendi, D., Kaizzi, K.C., Okeyo, J., Verchot, L., Coe, R., Vanlauwe, B. (2010) The diversity of rural livelihoods and their influence on soil fertility in agricultural systems of East Africa - A typology of smallholder farms. Agricultural Systems 103, 83-97. Walker, A.P., Mutuo, P.K., Van Noordwijk, M., Albrecht, A., Cadisch, G. (2007) Modelling of planted legume fallows in Western Kenya using WaNuLCAS. (I) Model calibration and validation. Agroforestry Systems 70, 197-209.

2004 Participatory monitoring and evaluation of innovation processes with Tanzanian farmer groups

Discipline of the theme: Agricultural Science (Social Ecology of tropical and subtropical land-use systems)

Target region: Tanzania

Description: This PhD project will build upon existing institutional activities and an active national food security program, in four villages in the Morogoro and Dodoma regions of Tanzania, where the GlobE project ‘Trans-SEC: Innovating strategies to safeguard food security using technology and knowledge transfer: A people-centred approach’ is currently taking place. The University of Hohenheim and DISTL are collaborating within this project. The supervisor Brigitte Kaufmann is apl. Prof for Social ecology of tropical and subtropical land-use systems at the Institute 380 and is based at DITSL Witzenhausen.

Within Trans-SEC, farmers are testing various innovations with the objective of enhancing household food security. At DITSL, our specific focus is on analyzing and considering gender and socio-cultural factors.

In this context, this PhD research will co-develop a Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) process in collaboration with farmer groups in Tanzania. PM&E of innovation adoption and adaptation processes can enhance a collaborative learning by encouraging participants to

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reflect on their actions, achievements and processes of learning together. Ideally suited to supporting group innovation projects, PM&E is a reflective, action-oriented process that seeks to build capacity, while generating knowledge leading to corrective actions or improvement.

Many PM&E models however assume ‘participants’ (i.e. farmers) to be a homogenous social group. While much work has been done around gender mainstreaming in M&E, there is little guidance available on how to critically integrate social diversity and difference into the PM&E process in a way that: (i) gives insight into how such factors experientially affect innovation uptake, development and adaptation processes, and (ii) enhances the sensitivity and effectiveness of PM&E for the different participants. This study will give insight into the relation between social factors and innovation processes. As such, this research will make a new and valuable contribution to the fields of participatory innovation development for food security and PM&E.

As well as incorporating quantitative results from an existing household survey, this study will engage qualitative participatory approaches as an overarching methodological framework. Detailed case studies will be developed through action research with established farmer groups. The study will be structured as an iterative research and PM&E learning process, with cycles of exploration, analysis, decision-making, action and reflection.

3 main research questions: 1. What are elements of a successful farmer group PM&E system? 2. Is the PM&E system an effective instrument to support farmer group innovation activities? 3. What opportunities, barriers and impacts are relevant for different social groups in implementing innovations and PM&E activities?

Work content (e.g. lab, field, work, Main Methods) Oral and visual tools, such as Most Significant Change, symbol charts, and (narrative) innovation histories are anticipated to be useful and appropriate tools. Methods for planning, developing and assessing the PM&E system will include focus groups, semi-structured interviews, workshops, and feedback. The focus of research will be on the perception and experiences of different farmer group members, in relation to the PM&E system and the innovations being tested. Qualitative data in the form of audio recordings, transcriptions, field notes, charts, and videos, will be coded for content analysis and analysed in accordance with farmers’ innovation priorities, collaborative learning outcomes (Plummer & Armitage 2007), and social diversity issues. The table below indicates specific steps and methods in the work flow.

Table of planned work flow and activities

Research objective Step Stages Activities

Develop and implement a PM&E system for the

Planning and development of PM&E system

• Collaboratively review of reasons for M&E

• Formation of PM&E

Literature review; Focus group discussions;

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critical assessment of innovation processes conducted by farmer groups, that gives insight into how social factors affect innovation uptake, development and adaptation processes;

Implementation

teams • Develop evaluation

questions, goals and objectives

• Identification of indicators and how to measure them

• Development of monitoring tools and evaluation instrument

• PM&E action plan

Workshops; Develop logical framework matrices to connect questions, goals, indicators and methods for PM&E

Implementation activities are dependent on the PM&E strategy that is developed with the farmers

Assess the implementation, usefulness and appropriateness of the PM&E system in terms of enhancing sensitivity and effectiveness for different participants;

Assess specific usefulness of the PM&E tool for learning and supporting the innovation process

Assess general appropriateness of the tool for supporting farmer group innovation activities

Assess if/how:

• Shared actions were undertaken;

• Modifications were made in an on-going process of reflection;

• Fixing errors formed routines (single-loop learning);

• Correcting errors by reframing (double-loop learning) occurred;

• Correcting errors by transforming (triple-loop learning) occurred (Plummer & Armitage 2007)

• Different social factors affected experience and participation

Workshops; Semi-structured interviews; Focus groups Coding of transcripts for qualitative analysis

Assess implications of innovations testing and PM&E systems for different social groups

Gender and social inclusivity analysis

• Sensitization to implications of difference

• Dialogue about what this means for those participating in the innovation groups

• Integration of gender-sensitive and socially inclusive criteria in stages of the PM&E

Secondary analysis of existing studies and Trans-SEC household survey data NetMaps Narrative interviews Focus Groups Coding of transcripts

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• Evaluation and critical reflection

• Adaption of PM&E and innovation processes

• Informing on outcomes for dissemination and potential ‘upscaling’ within Trans-SEC

for qualitative analysis

Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars): Facilitation and group skills; knowledge of kiSwahili; experience with qualitative methodologies

Supervisor & Institute: Institute of Plant Production and Agroecology in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim

Budget (available yes or no): Field expenses will be co-funded through the Trans-SEC project

2005 Utilizing genetic diversity of Peruvian quinoa landraces for breeding improved varieties

Discipline: Plant Breeding

Target region: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador

Description: Quinoa is an ancient crop of the Andean region and a staple food of small farmers. Due to its highly favorable nutrient content (in particular its amino acid composition) it has been become a so-called „superfood“ which is now under high demand worldwide. Since the production area is currently limited, the price of quinoa has risen rapidly, and it now mainly produced for export. As a consequence quinoa is too expensive as a food for poor farmers or city-dwellers who replace quinoa with less nutrious and healthy cereal crops.

There is a great demand to produce new varieties that are higher yielding and adapted to new habitats in order to increase the production of quinoa. In addition, the ongoing climate change already impacts quinoa cultivation by changed rainfall and temperature patterns to which currently cultivated varieties are not adapted. However, there are currently no advanced breeding programmes for quinoa in Peru, and the goal of the project is to establish the foundation for such a program.

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The project encompasses the characterization of the genetic diversity of hundreds of quinoa landraces in Peruvian gene banks, and to analyze the yield and other agronomic traits of breeding populations derived from crosses of the eight most important quinoa varieties cultivated in Peru. Both subprojects will identify breeding material that can be used for further developed in improved varieties. The selection of suitable lines will be carried out in close interaction with Peruvian partners that include the Universidad National del Altiplano, Puno and the Peruvian Agricultural Research Organisation (INIA) as well as KWS SAAT SE.

As part of this project the following resources were generated since 2011, which are available for this project

• Single and double crosses among the 8 main quinoa varieties of Peru. This crosses are currently in the S5 and S3 generations, respectively.

• Phenotyping and leaf material (for genotyping) of hundreds of quinoa accessions from the Peruvian quinoa gene bank.

Main research questions: • What is the phenotypic and genetic diversity of genebank accessions of quinoa and how

is it related? • Can the information about phenotypic and genetic diversity as well as geographic origin

be used to identify useful landraces as parents for new breeding populations? • How does the extent of genetic variation segregating in a breeding population that is

available for selection depend on the genetic diversity of parental lines and the type of crosses (single versus double crosses?)

Requirements: • Master degree in plant breeding or a related field • Basic knowledge in statistical analysis package like R or SAS • Spanish and English language skills • Good organizational skills and ability to work in a team

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Karl Schmid, Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim

Budget: A budget for the genotyping analysis as well as field trials is available as part of the ongoing KWS SAAT SE Peru Capacity Development project, in which the group of Prof. Schmid is a research partner.

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2006 Epidemiology of and biocontrol strategies for the Diaporthe/Phomopsis species complex in soybean

Discipline of the theme: Phytopathology

Target Region: Europe (Germany, Austria and France)

Description: Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), can be affected by plethora of plant pathogens that can cause losses both quantitatively and qualitatively. The Diaporthe/Phomopsis1 species complex is one of the most important diseases affecting yield. This complex has been reported to be involved in several soybean diseases, including Phomopsis seed dacay (Phomopsis longicolla), stem and pod blight (Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae) and stem canker (D. phaseolorum var. caulivora and D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis), resulting in significant yield and quality losses. Infected soybean seeds can be symptomless, but are typically shriveled, elongated, cracked and have a chalky white appearance. Accurate species identification is vital for controlling the diseases caused by these fungi. Until recently, species of the genus Diaporthe have been defined based on morphology and host association. However, patterns of host association and speciation have yet to be fully understood within the genus Diaporthe. Multiple species of Diaporthe can often be found on a single host and a single species of Diaporthe can be associated with many different hosts (Gomes et al., 2013). Using molecular data, much progress has been made towards identifying and characterizing emerging pathogens, prevalent endophytes and saprophytes in the genus Diaporthe (Thomidis et al., 2013). In the absence of resistant soybean cultivars, neither agricultural practices nor application of chemicals are suitable for controlling these pathogens. Biocontrol might be a promising tool for protecting soybean from pathogens of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex. The most suitable tools are based on bacterial and fungal antimicrobial agents that show considerable efficacy in controlling different plant pathogens. Different mechanisms are employed i.e lytic enzymatic activities, mycoparasitism, antibiosis and competition for nutrients and space. For decades, members of the genus Trichoderma and rhizosphere colonizing bacteria such as Pseudomonas spp., Burkholderia spp., Bacillus spp., and Serratia spp. showed efficacy as antagonists of a wide range of plant pathogens in many crops (Mishra et al., 2010; Sadykova et al., 2010; Sharikov, 2011; Shternshis, 2012; Shcherbakova, 2013). Moreover, Trichoderma spp. can enhance germination and vigour of seeds of poor quality (Harman, 2007).

Diaporthe describes the sexual or complete stage of fungal development, Phomopsis descirbes the asexual or imperfect stage.

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Three main research questions: • 1- Which species of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex are associated with soybean in

Europe? • 2- Which biocontrol agents (BCAs) show some ability to suppress Phomopsis seed decay

in vivo and in vitro? • 3- Which modes of action employ by active BCAs against the Diaporthe/Phomopsis

complex?

Work content: The proposed research will require work in the lab, the greenhouse and the field. Methods that will be used in this research are:

1. Isolation of Diporthe/Phomopsis spp. from infected seeds

1.1 Collection of infected seeds from around Europe

1.2 Pre-treatment of seeds with 1% NaOCl solution for 30 s (International Seed Testing Association, 2014)

1.3 Plating seeds on Acidified Potato Dextrose Agar (APDA)

1.4 Incubation for 30 days at 25 ± 2 °C

2. Morphological identification (compared with reference strains)

2.1 Color and shape of colonies

2.2 Existence of alpha, or beta conidia - or both

2.3 Size of conidia

3. Determination if pathogens are intra-, or extracellular

3.1 Culture infected seeds on filter paper

3.2 Culture outer layer and embryo of seeds on APDA

4. Molecular identification

4.1 DNA extraction (Liu et al., 2000)

4.2 PCR with ITS1 and ITS4 primers (Udayanga et al., 2012)

4.3 PCR purification

4.4 Sequencing

4.5 Blast analysis

5. In vitro experiments using fungal and bacterial antagonists against the Diaporthe/Phomopsis species complex

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5.1 Dual culture tests: Isolated species of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex will be tested in dual culture with different species of fungi of the genus of Trichoderma, and bacteria of the genus Bacillus and Pseudomonas (Begum et al., 2008)

5.2 Slide culture method: Isolated species of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex will be tested with different species of the genus of Trichoderma with this method and will be observed under the light microscope for the presence of mycelium penetration and for cell wall disintegration (Siameto et al., 2010).

5.3 Agar well diffusion test: This method will be used for species of the Diaporthe/Phomopsis complex and different species of the genus of Bacillus and Pseudomonas and the antimicrobial effects will be recorded by measuring the zone of inhibition around the well (Schillinger and Lucke, 1989).

5.4 Antibiotic production: Production of antibiotics by bacterial antagonists (different species of the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas) will be determined using the method of Kraus and Lopper (1992).

5.5 Test for hydrolytic activity: Chitinase activity will be determined using a modification of the method described by Bargabus et al. (2002). Cellulose and pectinase production by the antagonistic fungal and bacterial isolates will be determined according to Cattelan et al. (1999) as modified by Kumar et al. (2011).

5.6 Test for siderophore production: Siderophore production by the antagonistic bacterial isolates will be determined using the Universal Chrome azurol S (CAS) assay (Schwyn and Neilands, 1987).

5.7 Determination of antifungal properties of the isolates culture filtrates: To test for non-volatile antibiotics, the method of Kexiang et al. (2002) will be applied.

5.8 Volatile metabolites production experiment: This test will be performed following the procedure of Fernando et al. (2005). Production of volatile metabolites by Trichoderma isolates will be evaluated following the methods described by Dennis and Webster (1971).

5.9 Extraction and purification of metabolites from culture filtrates by HPLC, Thin-layer chromatography and bioautography test.

6. In vivo studies for the management of Phomopsis seed decay in soybean by bacterial and fungal antagonists

Soybean plants will be inoculated with bacterial and fungal isolates (inoculum of the antagonists will be prepared according to the methods described by Nandakumar et al., 2001 and Leslie et al., 2006). Disease suppression by the antagonists on soybean plants will be determined by evaluating the extent of seed decay.

Supervisor and Institute: Prof. Dr. Ralf T. Vögele, Institute of Phytomedicine, University of Hohenheim

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2007 Agronomic Performance and Fibre Yield Content of Plantain Pseudostem

Description Plantain (Musa AAB) is an important source of high-calorie energy in the diet of many people of the entire West African sub-region (Stover and Simmonds, 1987). According to Swemen (1990) plantain provides about 70 million people in sub- Saharan Africa with more than 25% of their carbohydrate needs. It is grown across all the humid agro-ecological zones and forms an integral component of most of the complex farming systems (Swennen and Vuylsteke, 1991).

In Ghana, plantain is an important staple crop which contributes about 13.1% of the GDP (MOFA-SRID 2006). According to Schill et al. (1996), about 90% of plantain production is consumed locally because it ranked high in food preference. In the food crop sector, plantain is ranked third after yam and cassava (FAO, 2006) and national production is about 3.6 million metric tonnes per annum (African News Network, 2007). Plantain has a per capita annual consumption of 101.8 kilogram per head (Dankyi et al., 2007). The export potential of plantain is huge because apart from its high consumption in Ghana, it is also consumed in most parts of Africa and Africans in other parts of the world.

Getting large numbers of healthy uniform-sized planting materials to plant is a major problem (Hotsonyame, 1991), therefore farmers usually resort to the planting of suckers infected with pest and diseases (Afreh-Nuamah, 1994), banana streak and cucumber mosaic viruses (Osei, 1995). In Ghana, most farmers either share or buy these diseases and pests infected suckers and plant on their farms which affect the growth and yield of plantains. Osei (1995) stated that, since there is the tendency of an unrestricted movement of infected plantain suckers in the country, there is a real danger of epidemics if steps are not taken to produce large numbers of disease and pest free suckers for farmers.

An alternative to this solution could be the in vitro and field multiplication techniques of plantain that are rigorous and able to overcome pest and diseases. More so, the in vitro technique is very expensive and it requires special skill and expertise which Ghanaian farmers do not have and cannot afford due to economic situation couple with other challenges in the rural areas such as carrying bulky number of suckers from people farms and transport challenges in conveying them to their planting site. Due to these challenges farmers in Ghana face, there is the need to develop appropriate technique for adoption by farmers. The split corm technique is undoubtedly the inexpensive field multiplications of plantains which farmers can afford and adopt. But can we limit our research and energy in developing manipulation techniques and multiplication of suckers and their corresponding yield to farmers all the time? Certainly not, can’t the pseudostem left unattended to after harvest offer something to support farmers' income?

Mankind has been strongly dependent on plant fibres for all kind of purposes. In earlier days, natural fibres served a crucial role to mitigate the everyday needs in a wide range of uses. But in recent years the arrival of synthetic products are dominating over the natural fibre, due to the low cost. But the synthetic fibres are non degradable and causing serious pollution problems.

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The use of wood has become one of the major basic raw materials for the production of pulp, paper and fibre based products since the beginning of the 19th century. However, the ever increasing demand for wood as construction materials, furniture, fuels, charcoal on one hand and the problem of deforestation and scarcity of wood in many countries, has shifted the attention to the use of non wood materials (Manfred, 1993; Ogyiano et al., 1997; Hammett et al., 2001; Ververis et al., 2004; Jime′ nez et al., 2005 and D′ iaz et al., 2007). Musa species (plantain and banana) are important food crops in the humid forest and mid-altitude agro ecologies of sub-Saharan Africa. They provide more than 25% of the carbohydrate for 70 million people (Samson, 1991). The plant residues after the fruit that had been harvested are left at the mercy of the weather to decay and rot thereby constituting pollution and waste disposal problems. The ligno-cellulosic agricultural wastes in plantain could be utilized in the fibre industries.

Musa species exhibit medium to long fibre lengths. Musa textiles nee was reported to have high quality fibres and paper sheets with acceptable strength-related properties (breaking length, stretch and tear index), good yields and potential savings in capital equipment costs (Jime′ nez et al., 2005). Gouzalex and Vazquez, (1975), reported that the fibre of banana pseudo-stalk was the largest and stimulated greatest industrial interest than tobacco stalks, cane trash and kenaf.

Plantain is one of the earliest and important fruit crops cultivated by Ghanaians in West-Africa. Plantain farming generates huge quantities of biomass and all of which goes as waste due to non availability of suitable technology for its commercial utilization. In India, banana has uses like therapeutic, alcohol, starch extraction and other innumerable use, they are the best source of fibre (Preethi et al., 2013).

The average yield of local plantain in Ghana is 11.0 metric tons per hectare (mt/ha) (SRID-MOFA, 2011) of which all its pseudostem goes waste. This can be profitably used for extracting tons of fibre. Apart from being food-fruit crop, plantain is versatile with respect to its utilities. Musa fibre from pseudostem is said to be superior and in the mid-19th century, there was quite active banana fibre industries in Jamaica (Preethi et al., 2013).

Application rate of fertilizer for plantain is virtually nonexistence since most farmers up to date cultivate in the country without inorganic fertilizer application. May be farmers in Ghana are satisfied with the yields they obtain. But high yields could be obtained from the use of inorganic fertilizer and other products that can be obtained from plantain. The yield of 11.0 metric tons per hectare (SRID-MOFA, 2011) could be increased if fertilizer is applied to the plantain crops at the right rate. Many research themes on plantain mostly have been centred on tissue culture and macro propagation through in vivo. But not much prominence has been given to the use of inorganic fertilizer on the agronomic performance of plantain and its associated products. Due to this situation, there must be a conscious effort to use inorganic fertilizer to improve the growth and yield of plantain since most farmers have appreciated the multiplication techniques as a way of getting guaranteed planting materials.

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Since extraction of fibre is now becoming a booming business in other countries, it is envisage that if we are able to maximise our local production from the current metric tones to high tonnage, the biomass potential of our plantain pseudostem will also go up which more fibre could be extracted to supply our textile industries locally and export the rest to other parts of the world for other products which make use of fibre from Musa species. Again this will create jobs for people to limit the youth unemployment problem in the country. This is because (i) more people will be engaged in farming plantain for both food and industry, (ii) more youth will be engaged in the fabrication of the fibre extraction machine and (iii) harvesting of pseudostem in people farms as a core business and subsequent extraction for industry and export.

In view of this, there is the need to investigate into the use of inorganic fertilizer application on plantain production in Ghana to take advantage of this emerging preference of tropical crop fibre as an alternative to the forests wood that are causing a threat in our environment everywhere in the world.

The objective of this study is to subject different fertilizer application rates on the agronomic performance and fibre content of plantain pseudostem.

Research questions Based on the description and problems explained, the following research questions have been framed:

• Does different rates of NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer has any effect on fibre content in three varieties of plantain?

• What will be the effect of different rates of NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer on fibre quality on varieties of plantain?

• Is there any correlation between fertilizer rate, bunch yield and fibre yield/content in the three varieties of plantain?

Work content • Multiplication of plantain planting materials • Field planting of plantain varieties • Extraction of fibre from pseudostem • Analysis of data and interpretation of results from the data using Genstat, etc.

Work plan The entire experiments in the laboratory and field work will last for 36 months. Preparation of materials, laboratory work and field planting of plantlets up to yield and fibre extraction will last for 16-18 months while the rest of the 18 months will be used for writing, presentations, defence of thesis and journal papers.

Requirements (skills of the scholars):

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Molecular tools (Extraction of DNA and RNA, PCR, Electrophoresis), Proteomics (SDS-PAGE, HVPE), Tissue culture, Bioinformatics, Microbiology

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jens-Norbert Wünsche, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim

Budget: Consumables will be covered by third party funding and the ordinary budget of the Institute

2008 The potential of improved fallows to restore degraded mined sites for agricultural production in Ghana

Discipline of the theme: This research theme will assess the effect of improved fallows on restoring the fertility of degraded mined sites and the subsequent effect on the physiology (growth and yield) of high value vegetable crops such as Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Capsicum annuum (pepper chilli) which has high potential for exportation.

Target Region: Ghana include the Ashanti Region, Eastern Region and the Western Region which are all major agricultural production regions in the country.

Background of the study: Illegal small scale mining for gold and other minerals popularly known as "Galamsey" in Ghana has attracted the most headlines in recent years as a result of its resurgence in major parts of the country such as the Ashanti, Eastern and the Western regions. Restoration measures need to be undertaken. One of such measures with the potential to restore the agricultural production potential of these degraded sites within the shortest possible time is the establishment of improved fallows consisting of fast growing species capable of biological nitrogen fixation and constant addition of organic matter to the soil. These species have been proven to play several functional roles in agroecosystems to improve soil fertility, reduce soil erosion and improve soil moisture content. Useful leguminous cover crops are a great source of essential soil nutrients and organic matter that enhance agricultural productivity of the land on which crop production is done.

Problem statement and justification Several hectares of land with the potential for agricultural production and already existing farmlands have been degraded by illegal small scale mining activities in major parts of the country (Abissath, 2013). Large tract of cocoa farmland which is of great socio-economic importance (as a source of livelihood for many people and foreign exchange earnings) to Ghana have been destroyed without discrimination. Improved fallows consisting of mostly fast growing leguminous species followed by the cultivation of short term crops such as high value vegetable

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crops hold promise to restore the livelihood of farmers within the shortest possible time. This proposed study also has the potential to serve as a source of livelihood to most unemployed individuals who by virtue of no jobs or no source of livelihood engage in illegal small scale mining. Cultivation of vegetable crops such as tomato which is mostly cultivated by small holder farmers in Ghana is usually characterized by low yields due to production constraints such as poor soils. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the potential of selected improved fallow species to restore degraded mined sites for the cultivation of high value vegetable crops such as tomato and pepper which have high socio-economic importance especially among many smallholder farmers.

Objectives of the study The aim of this proposed study is to restore the livelihood of farmers who have been affected by illegal small scale mining and to prevent possible food insecurity especially in the affected regions in the near future.

• To assess the biomass production and the rate of decomposition of selected fallow species on these degraded sites.

• To assess the effect of the selected fallow species on the physical and chemical properties of the soil.

• To identify the appropriate management options for the improved fallows that will facilitate the restoration of the sites within the shortest possible time.

• To assess the effect of the improved fallows on the growth and yield of tomato and pepper.

• To determine or predict the maximum fallow duration at which the improved fallows can fully restore these sites for intensive cultivation.

Three main research questions This proposed study seeks to answer among other questions these three main questions

• What is the effect of the improved fallows on restoring the fertility (soil physical and chemical properties) of degraded mined sites caused by illegal small scale mining?

• What is the optimum fallow duration at which these improved fallows will restore the degraded sites for intensive crop production?

• What is the effect of these improved fallows on the growth and yield of high value vegetable crops such as tomato and pepper and the subsequent impact on the livelihood of the people?

Work content The field research will be conducted on selected degraded farmlands of some of the affected farmers in the target region. Thus, this study will be an on-farm research so that those farmers who will be involved will serve as agents to empower other farmers to adopt the key findings and recommendations of the research to promote continuity and sustainability. The experimental design that will be adopted is a factorial experiment set out in randomized complete block

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design. The proposed treatment combinations will consist of improved fallow type (i.e. species) against fallow duration. The improved fallows will consist of species such as Mucuna pruriens, Pueraria phaseoloides, Sesbania sesban/rostrata, Leucaena leucocephala, Gliricidia sepium, Tithonia diversifolia and Senna auriculata. The fallow duration to be studied will comprise of three treatment levels; 6 months fallow, 12 months fallow and 18 months fallow. Before and after the establishment of the improved fallows, soil samples will be collected from the experimental plots to assess the soil physical properties (bulk density, water holding capacity etc) and soil chemical properties (nutrient content; N, P and K, etc) through a laboratory soil analysis. At the end of the longest fallow duration, the following test crops; tomato and pepper will be cultivated in the experimental plots to assess the effect of the improved fallows on the growth and yield of the selected crops.

Supervisor and Institute Prof. Dr. Jens-Norbert Wünsche, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim

Research Budget No budget

2009 Improving yield and quality of vegetable amaranth through varietal selection, appropriate spacing, and use of suitable amaranth-legume row-series intercropping systems for food security in northern Ghana.

Discipline of the theme: Crop Physiology (Vegetables)

Target region: Northern Region, Ghana

The on-station experiments will be conducted at the research field of the Savana Agriculture Research Institute, Nyankpala in the northern region of Ghana. Nyankpala is in the Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone and the mean minimum and maximum monthly temperatures during the rainy season are 22oC and 34oC. The area experiences a unimodal rainfall with the average of about 1034.4 which usually occur from April to November (SARI, 2004). The soil is brown, moderately drained sandy loam and free from concretions and classified locally under Nyankpala series (NAES, 1984).

Background of the study The vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is among some 23 vegetables noted with the potential to improve nutrition and quality of life of people in developing countries (Marx, 1977). Nutritionally, amaranthus compares favourably with popular exotic leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage (Norman, 1992). The cultivation and consumption of amaranthus and other indigenous vegetables significantly contribute to nutrition and food security in many African

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communities (Schippers, 2000). Prakash and Pal (1991) indicated that fresh amaranthus leaves is high in protein, lysine and carotenoids and the crop is relatively drought tolerant (Palada and Chang, 2003). Amaranthus is also very high in vitamins and it is comparatively better than cabbage (Alleman et al., 1996).

Medicinally, amaranthus is good for people who are allergic to proteins (glutenine) of other plant species. The seeds contain about 7 % fat, which is used for steroid preparations. Squalene, which is also contained in amaranthus oil is used for the treatment of cancer. Other health conditions such as oncological diseases, sclerosis, malfunctioning of the brain, gynecological diseases, wounds, bruises, bedsores and ulcers have all being controlled with amaranthus and its products (Bogolyubov, 1999).

Vegetable amaranth is one of the most widely cultivated leafy vegetable in the tropics (Schnetzler and Breene, 1994) and it is largely cultivated in Nigeria and other West African countries (Saunder and Beciker, 1984). Amaranthus exhibit a wide variety of morphological diversity among and even within certain species. An evaluation of 37 different accessions showed wide morphological diversity and leaf yield also varied greatly from 1.13 t/ha to 18.3 t/ha (Weston et al., 2014). The genus, Amaranthus, which has about 60 species is widely dispersed and characterized by high degree of diversity and wide spectrum of adaptability to different agro-ecological conditions (Snezana et al., 2012).

The effect of plant spacing on growth and yield of vegetable amaranth was studied and taller plants were produced in the closer spacing whiles higher leaf number and greatest leaf area was obtained with the wider spacing (Singh and Whitehead, 1993)

The advantages of intercropping with amaranths cannot be overemphasized. Where it involves the planting of legumes along a non-legume crop, part of the nitrogen fixed by the legume becomes available to the non-legume. This contributes to improving soil health and yield of the non-legume especially in soils with low fertility (Chatterjee and Bhatterjee, 1986)

Problem statement The yield of local cultivars of vegetable amaranth in northern Ghana is generally low. This has been attributed partly to the cultivation of low yielding local cultivars which are also often susceptible to diseases and insect pests. The crop is also usually cultivated by poor resource farmers who hardly apply any strategies to improve soil fertility purposely for growing vegetable amaranth. The sole cropping system, usually on small plots is used or the crop is cultivated in an haphazard spacing and intercropping with maize or mixed cropping with other vegetables. These practices do not usually contribute to improvement in growth and increase in yield of the crop. This situation leaves the farmers in perpetual low income and the region at high risk of food insecurity.

Justification of the study

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The selection of varieties that are high yielding with high protein content, and well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of northern region, will contribute to increased yield of the crop in the area. Similarly, developing the appropriate plant spacing for the selected varieties will improve plant growth and increase the yield of the crop. The development of appropriate intercropping strategies, particularly, with the involvement of cowpea, groundnut and soybean which are common leguminous crops in the area, will also contribute to soil fertility management and increased crop output in the area. These interventions, undoubtedly, have the tendency of not only improving farmers’ income but the food insecurity situation of the northern region of Ghana.

The Savannah Agriculture Research Institute of CSIR which has the mandate to conduct research to provide improved technologies for farmers in northern Ghana has done a lot with regard to developing new varieties and fertilizer recommendations for cereals and legumes. Their studies on the indigenous leafy vegetables with respect to improved varieties, appropriate spacing and better cropping systems, however, has been inadequate.

The successful implementation of this research study will provide right interventions towards food security with vegetable amaranth and cowpea/groundnut/soybean as component crops. It will also provide the bases for promoting research activities of scientists in the field of indigenous vegetables especially leafy vegetables.

Three (3) main research questions • Would the selection of high yielding and quality vegetable amaranth contribute to food

security in northern Ghana? • Would the application of appropriate spacing for vegetable amaranth lead to increased

yield and contribute to food security in northern Ghana? • Would the adoption of appropriate intercropping systems for vegetable amaranth lead to

increased yield?

Hypothesis • High yielding varieties will not contribute to increased yield and quality of vegetable

amaranth. • Appropriate spacing will not improve crop growth, increase yield and quality of

vegetable amaranth. • Suitable row-series intercropping system will not contribute to increased yield and

quality of vegetable amaranth.

Work content (e.g. lab-, field-, work, main methods) • Germplasm collection and evaluation • Determination of optimum plant spacing • Determination of the most suitable row-series intercropping with legumes • Data analysis, Gen stat statistical package

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Supervisor and Institute Prof. Dr. Jens-Norbert Wünsche, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim.

2010 Effect of Drying Methods on the Quality of Plantain Flour

Discipline of the theme Agricultural Sciences, Food Sciences

Description

In the Ghanaian agricultural sector, plantain is ranked third after yam and cassava (FAO, 2010) and contributes about 13.1% to the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP). (MOFA-SRID 2006). During peak harvest seasons when more plantain bunches are available in the market, most of them get ripped and rotten with 5-7days after harvest (MOFA, 2007). Simply because there is no storage facilities in Ghana for keeping plantain for a longer period of time. Hence both farmer and traders in plantain production have to reduce their prices on the produce at very low prices to dispose of the plantains. This result in huge financial lost to both farmers and traders. Alternatively, processing of the raw plantain into flour form becomes a sure way of preserving the produce for both farmers and traders for this commodity. Processing of plantain into flour will definitely require drying and milling of the raw plantain bunches.

Target Region Ghana

Research question The main objective of this study is to find out the effect of different methods of drying on the quality of plantain flour:

• Do different drying methods have any effect on the quality of plantain flour? • What will be the effect of different drying methods on the quality of plantain flour? • Is there any correlation between different drying methods and quality of plantain flour?

Work content: Comparison of different solar dryer systems, e.g. traditional method of sun drying, tray Dryer, Milling; Laboratory Work (analytics of protein, Iron, Carbohydrate, Vitamins Fats, Oil, Ash Colour etc.); data analysis (SPSS ANOVA)

Supervisor and Institute Prof. Dr. Jens-Norbert Wünsche, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim.

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3000 Nutrition

3001 DeVelopIng a Value chain for health-promoting food products from YAcon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) (VIVA)

Discipline of the theme Agricultural Sciences, Food Sciences, Nutrition, Health, Bioeconomy

Target region Development of a yacon value chain for Germany in first line; transfer of obtained results to Europe and other countries where diabetes and adiposity and other metabolic diseases play a major role.

Description Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is an underutilized and scientifically neglected root crop that is native to the Andean region. Unlike to other Andean root crops such as potato and sweet potato, cultivation, processing and valuable or functional ingredients of yacon remains relatively unexploited. Interest in this little known crop has increased recently, since it has become known that it is a plant source with a large content of non-digestible oligosaccharides such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin. Therefore, yacon represents a plant source providing valuable health-promoting effects especially for people suffering of diabetes and adiposity. Since the sweet-tasting FOS are largely indigestible in the human small intestine, the consumption of FOS does not increase the level glucose in the blood making yacon or yacon products to an ideal sweetener in the diet of people with general metabolic diseases. Besides, FOS are a type of sugar that has a lower caloric value than other sugar types (approximately 25 to 35 % of the calories of normal carbohydrates) making yacon attractive as a potential food source for weight control with relatively low caloric values. The consumption of FOS is also known to promote better health of the intestinal tract. Many studies have shown that FOS from yacon can be considered as prebiotic, since it resists digestion in the upper digestive tract and is hydrolyzed and fermented by colonic bacteria, such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. Besides, FOS are recognized as a soluble fiber which causes several favorable effects during digestion (e.g. reduction in time of intestinal transit, increase of intestinal peristaltic movements etc.) and making yacon attractive for people suffering of digestion disorders. Additionally, animal tests have shown hypoglycaemic properties of yacon leaves, which have prompted the development and use of yacon leave tea for type 2 diabetics in Japan.

From this point of view, yacon provides several favorable health promoting effects as well as highly interesting functional and nutritional properties, which will gain increasing importance for human health in future especially as e.g. diabetes is one of the major widespread diseases recognized by the UN as “a chronic, debilitating and costly disease associated with major complications that pose severe risks for families, countries and the entire world”.

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Yacon grows well in both temperate and subtropical regions and is insensitive to photoperiod or day length; therefore, yacon can be grown in several regions of the world. Besides the Andean region of South America, the region of its origin, yacon has already been successfully cultivated, usually in small scale, in several different regions with varying climates including Brazil, Czech Republic, Japan, New Zealand and United States. Until recently, in South America yacon was almost exclusively farmed as a subsistence crop or for sale in rural market places. In recent years, the demand for yacon increased significantly in particular in urban centers of South American countries as well as in other parts of the world mainly due to the emergence of its health-promoting effects. However, a commercial, large-scale production of yacon is challenging as several agronomic and cultivation-related aspects such as seedling production, weed management, harvest of the tubers, shelf life and storage etc. may pose limitations especially in regions where manual labor is expensive such as Europe or North America. Furthermore, even though cultivation of yacon are common in Central and South America, systematic agronomic investigations or cultivation guidelines are mostly lacking and only scattered and insufficient characterizations of its agronomic traits are available.

The same applies for post-harvest handling, storage and processing as well as product development and design. Tuberous roots are easily affected by physical damage during harvest and postharvest handling, and the wounds can easily lead to fungal or bacterial rot during storage. The shelf life of yacon is limited due to its high water content and upon peeling yacon suffers rapid browning when its tissue is exposed to air. This represents a further bottleneck for an expansion of yacon production and needs to be overcome for the standardization of yacon quality products on the booming health market. Traditionally yacon is consumed as a fresh fruit, nevertheless, due to above mentioned health-promoting effects of yacon, there is a great potential for commercial products generated from yacon. Yacon roots can be dehydrated and processed into a range of attractive convenience products such as chips or dried slices. Yacon powder could be used as an ingredient for several bakery or cereal products. Further, yacon syrup is an excellent natural low calorie and diabetics-friendly sweetener as well as a functional food regarding the bifidogenic effects of the FOS.

In this context, the aim of the project is to develop a value chain for yacon under European condition including the development of a semi- or full-mechanized cropping system and crop management strategies, optimization of post-harvest and processing technologies as well as development of several health-promoting, functional and nutritional food products from yacon tubers and leaves.

Three main research questions 1. Development and investigation of a cropping system and crop management

strategies adapted to European conditions and requirements (mechanization of the yacon production, seedling production, planting and harvest, optimal nitrogen fertilization, plant density, irrigation regimes, harvest dates, test of different genotypes/cultivars)

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2. Chemical and nutritional characterization of yacon tubers and leaves; determining the effect of different crop management measures, post-harvest and storage treatments as well as genotype/cultivars on the chemical and nutritional composition.

3. Development and investigation of optimized post-harvest treatments and storage conditions in order to avoid quality losses as well as development and identification of processing methods and techniques for different high quality food products from yacon.

Work content Lab and field experiments, storage experiments, HPLC analysis of relevant compounds, investigation of food processing techniques for leaves and roots including the testing of different yacon cultivars, different harvest dates, different storage temperatures., testing of different shelf life enhancement techniques, development of suitable food products etc

Requirements • Master degree in agriculture or food sciences and technology initiative personality • very good English (spoken and written) • related requirements of the DAAD exchange program

Supervisor & Institute Prof. Dr. Simone Graeff-Hönninger Dr. Benjamin Mast Institute of Crop Sciences (340a) University of Hohenheim, Germany [email protected], [email protected] Budget A small budget is available to carry out the basic research of the project; however additional funding sources will be taken into account to cover the required consumables to broaden the required spectrum of analysis and field trials.

3002 Bioeconomic value of CHAN for potential future food products and/ or biological pest control (BONITO)

Discipline of the theme Agricultural Sciences, Food Sciences, Bioeconomy

Target region Main place of work will be at the Institute of Crop Sciences in Hohenheim (Germany), with extended stays at Costa Rica (CIGRAS – Universidad de Costa Rica) to carry out relevant field experiments. Field campaigns/greenhouse experiments will be conducted in Southwest Germany and in Costa Rica.

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Description Hyptis suaveolens (L. Poit) commonly called bush mint, bush tea, pignut, or chan is a very common plant found along roadsides and farmsteads in different parts of the world mainly in the tropics and subtropics and also in Costa Rica. Originally native to tropical America, Hyptis suaveolens is commonly considered a weed worldwide. However Hyptis suaveolens contains a range of different polysaccharides wherefore it is used by the traditional population in several parts of the world to treat inflammation, gastric ulcer and infection and is used as a crude drug to relieve symptoms related with gastric ulcer or gastritis. It has also been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-diarrhoeal, anthelmintic, anti-diabetic, anticancerous, wound-healing and insecticidal properties .The polysaccharides contained in the mucilage of the seeds have a high potential for different application as prebiotic additives. The mucilage out of the seeds of Hyptis suaveolens can be separated into an acid and a neutral polysaccharide, which are present in a ratio of 60–65:40–35. Further, the plant is rich in some mineral elements like potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), sodium (Na) and phosphorus (P) wherefore and is gaining attraction especially in the context of bioeconomy. Some studies also reported the application of essential oils of Hyptis suaveolens to control insects and nematodes.

However, there has not been any report on the extensive use of this plant as food or biological insecticide and its potential is yet unexplored. In this context, comprehensive research is needed to identify 1) the edibility of the plant since research has shown that it is rich in vital nutrients that are needed for growth and proper functioning of the human body, 2) new compounds responsible for its pharmacological properties, 3) its insecticidal activity.

Three main research questions: • Identification of relevant crop management measures for chan cultivation and

development of practical cropping guidelines. • Comprehensive analysis and characterization of the chemical and nutritional composition

of several chan genotypes from Central America. • Assessing the potential of chan for applications in the food, pharmacological and

biological plant protection sector.

Work content Lab and field measurements and analysis regarding its agronomic potential, nutritional composition, phytochemical activity etc.. Relevant work packages will be conducted both in Costa Rica and Germany.

Requirements • Master degree in agriculture, biology or related sciences

• initiative personality

• very good English (spoken and written)

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• willing to spend three years abroad

• driving licence

• related requirements to the DAAD exchange program

Supervisor & Institute Prof. Dr. Simone Graeff-Hönninger Dr. Benjamin Mast Institute of Crop Sciences University of Hohenheim, Germany [email protected]; [email protected] in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Victor Jimenez, University of Costa Rica

Budget A small budget is available to carry out the basic research of the project; however additional funding sources will be taken into account to cover the required consumables to broaden the required spectrum of analysis and field trials.

3003 Optimizing Nutrition and Health through Sustainable Exploitation of Traditional Vegetables in Asia

Discipline Agricultural Economics or Health Science

Target region: Thailand (ASEAN)

Description The importance of indigenous vegetables in the ‘mega city’ for food and nutrition security systems was highlighted by a recent GIS-mapping study showing more than 150 different vegetable species being traded in the food system of greater Bangkok, Thailand (Drescher et al., 2014). Most of the indigenous vegetables, however, have minimal information on their nutrition values, appropriate postharvest handling, and good production practices, although they have significantly contributed to poverty reduction, food and nutritional security, local economic and community development, social inclusion of marginalized groups and women in particular.

The work content of this PhD research includes (1) to identify appropriate ASEAN indigenous vegetable(s), (2) to characterize nutritional attributes of these AIVs as well as health and nutritional benefits, (3) to study constraints along the value chain, leading to improved production practices, supply, postharvest handling, distribution and consumer acceptance of AIVs.

Research question:

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• Is it possible to improve nutrition and health through sustainable exploitation of traditional vegetables in ASEAN?

Requirement: MSc degree in agricultural economics, agriculture, plant science, and related areas

Supervisor and Institute: N.N. Kasetsart University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

3004 Impact Assessment of Increasing Fruits and Vegetables Consumption on Nutrition Security among ASEAN Countries

Discipline Social Sciences, Economics, Health Science


Target region: Thailand (ASEAN)

Description Increase of fruit and vegetable consumption has been indirectly related to improved nutrition security. Direct relation, however, has not been explicitly demonstrated, especially in ASEAN countries. The fact that recent consumption survey in Bangkok by Drescher et al. (2014) showed large diversities in fruits and vegetables consumption (“vegetables are eaten by 65% of male and 80% of female participants and 41% of the male and 51% of the female interviewees eat fruits”), allow possibility to study the impact of increase consumption on nutrition security of the population. The major work content of this research is to relate different nutrition security status of various groups of people to their fruits and vegetables consumption.

Research question: • Could increasing fruits and vegetable consumption improve nutrition security?

Requirement: MSc degree in social science, economics, agricultural economics, agriculture, health science or related areas.

Supervisor and Institute: Supervisor: N.N. Kasetsart University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

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3005 Nutritional and Social Determinants of Chronic Diseases Epidemiology and Health Care in Ethiopia: Quantitative and Qualitative Data from Kilite Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site with Focus on Cardiovascular and Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes and Cancer

Discipline of the theme Nutrition and Health

Target region Northern Ethiopia, Tigre, Mekelle, Kilite Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site

Description According to United Nations Development Group report, failing to address nutrition and social determinants of health has held back progress on existing global health and development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. Global health challenges cannot be addressed effectively without targeting nutritional, social, gender, economic and environmental determinants (Health in the post-2015 development agenda, 2013).

The occurrence of chronic diseases within a population can be studied at different levels, including forms of social organization, the individual, a particular organ system, or a particular molecule. The causes of chronic diseases can also be studied at these different levels, including food and feeding aspects, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, or the organ burden of a carcinogen. Clearly, there is a great need in understanding disease causation at the different levels at which it can be assessed and analyzed.

More particularly, evidence for the role of social and nutritional determinants of chronic diseases is very scarce in Ethiopia.

Hence, this dissertation project aims to investigate the role of nutritional, inequity and social determinants for morbidity and mortality from four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by analyzing existing retrospective and new cross-sectional data on population level from Kilite Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) in Northern Ethiopia.

Tigray is one of the nine administrative regions in Ethiopia. It is comprised of seven zones, of which the Eastern zone is base for the Kiltie Awlaelo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site. The Kiltie Awlaelo HDSS includes 10 kebeles (districts) selected from Eastern zone considering agro climatic, rural/urban and several other factors to assure representations. Nine of the study districts are rural and only one is from the urban area. The site is located 802km North of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The surveillance was started in 2009, with a baseline population of 65, 848 (urban 87.2% and 13.7% from rural) living in 14,454 households. The population comprises mainly of orthodox Christians (93.4%) and others like Moslems (1.6), catholic and protestant (0.08%). Among adults of 15 years and above, 29.1% are engaged in farming, 23% are pupils/students, 21.9% housewives, and 4.5% seeking for job. Regarding to educational status of

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the surveillance population for those aged seven and above years, 33.5% are unable to read and write, 8.5% able to read and write but had no formal schooling, 32.6% educated to primary school, 21% to secondary school and 1.6% to secondary and above level.

The population distribution shows that it is quite youthful. Eighty four percent of the total population is of less than 45 year of age. Only 5.2% of the population is aged 65 and above years old.

Vital events data (including births, deaths, migration and “verbal autopsy”, a standardized WHO questionnaire is used to interview care giver relatives of deceased individuals after 45 days (considering the local mourning time) but doesn’t exceed 3 months to determine the cause of death) is collected on individual household level continuously on weekly basis. A baseline survey including overall public health assessment (environmental, family planning and reproductive health), geospatial attributes (for facilities, households and other benchmarks) measured using GPS and socio-demographic aspects from 2009 is available. The survey team has very recently collected nutritional data (household dietary diversity as well as child and maternal anthropometric indices) from all households. A total of 10 health posts, 4 health centers and 1 hospital are located in the study area. Additional data regarding local diet, food and feeding habits as well as caring aspects can be collected from the same households and linked to the existing survey and longitudinal data. Also clinic and hospital related data can be made available and linkage to household-level data is possible.

Main research questions: • How high is chronic disease mortality in a Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in

North Ethiopia and which are vulnerable subgroups according to nutritional, socio-demographic (gender, economic status etc.) and geographic characteristics?

• retrospective existing data from the Health and Demographic Surveillance Site Kilite Awlaelo

• Which are the nutritional as well as socio-demographic characteristics for those who are suffering from NCDs (dietary patterns, obesity measured in BMI, total cholesterol, diet and physical activity in relation to disease/death risk)?

• case-control study, triangulation using pathways to care and household levels • Which selected elements of NCD screening can be recommended for certain vulnerable

groups at the Primary Health Care (PHC) centers and which population groups are reached by those?

Synthesis of question 1 and 2 for the local context

Work content We will work with the available cohort data from Kilite Awlaelo HDSS site in Ethiopia:

This study will use existing verbal autopsy interview data (n=1,524 verbal autopsies) of persons who died from any cause. Focus will be on death from four major chronic diseases

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(Cardiovascular and Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes and Cancer), and newly collected interview data from patients treated in the past three years for chronic diseases in the site clinic.

The study will be a mixed method study using qualitative and quantitative information and aims to go into a more in-depth analysis regarding the relationship of nutritional, social, economic, and health aspects of chronic diseases (Cardiovascular and Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes and Cancer).

Existing data: We will include a larger sub-set of socio-demographic variables available from the verbal autopsy questionnaire, such as place of deaths, signal symptoms, estimated period of suffering, and other available indicators. We will also exploit the open (qualitative) part of the verbal autopsy questionnaire. We will use generalized mixed models with a random cluster effect to compare chronic disease cases with persons alive or dead from other causes to describe nutritional, socio-demographic factors and other determinants of “death from chronic diseases” cases. The analysis will include the assessment of age-adjusted chronic disease mortality by nutrition and socio-demographic background, such as wealth, gender and education, using the socio-demographic characteristics of the population under surveillance for comparison. We will apply regression and classification algorithms to identify the most vulnerable subgroups by socio-economic background.

Data to be collected: For those clinics with availability of good quality patient files, we plan to link lists of chronic disease patients from the nearby clinic and hospital to the households of the health and demographic surveillance site. We expect to link only a subset of 50% of the cases, an assumption based on validation studies. Patients´ background, household characteristics and pathways before diagnosis and after diagnosis are traced and characteristics documented (social autopsy). This will give information about nutritional habits, farming practices, social status and critical points in patients’ pathways, so that recommendations for health system planning can be derived. Patients´ families will be interviewed about previous and current food habits, dietary intake and culturally determined caring behaviors. Qualitative research will conform to established standards that ensure relevance, validity and reflexivity.

Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars) BSc in Public Health and MSc in Biostatistics & Health Informatics

Supervisor & Institute PD Dr. rer. nat. Veronika Scherbaum Nutritionist, MSc in Mother and Child Health Institute for Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, 140a University of Hohenheim Garbenstr. 30, 70593 Stuttgart Dr. med. Eva J. Kantelhardt Klinik und Poliklinik für Gynäkologie and

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Institut für Medizinische Biometrie, Epidemiologie und Informatik Martin Luther-Universität Halle (Saale) Ernst-Grube Str. 40; 06097 Halle (Saale)

3006 Investigating the bioavailability of and prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction by tocotrienols from Costa Rican palm oil and their suitability as functional food ingredients as a means to strengthen the Costa Rican agricultural and food industry

Discipline of the theme: Human Nutrition, Food Science, Nutritional Biochemistry

Target region: Latin America

Description: Palm oil is extracted from the mesocarp of the fruit of the palm oil tree (family Palmacea, gender Elaeis). In Costa Rica, the palm oil tree is the sixth major crop, representing ca. 2% of the total annual crop production. Palm oil has a high content of fatty acids, pro-vitamin A carotenoids, and vitamin E (tocopherols (13-30 %) and tocotrienols (70-87%)). Tocotrienols represent more than 80% of vitamin E homologs in palm oil (Rincón & Martínez, 2009; Mora et al, 2000). Palm oil is the only vegetable oil with a high content of tocotrienols (Mora, 2003; Rincón & Martínez, 2009).

Vitamin E has many health beneficial activities and may have a role in the prevention of degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, age-related diseases and cancer (Whitney & Rady, 2008). The tocotrienols in particular, may have biological activities not shared by the tocopherols, which make them interesting bioactives in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging (Frank et al, 2012; Hagl et al, 2013). Tocotrienols may protect cells from oxidative stress, lower blood cholesterol by inhibiting the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, and modulate cellular signaling processes related with neuronal cell death (Frank et al, 2012; Mora, 2003; Mora, 2002).

Two Elaeis species have industrial importance on the palm oil market, the Elaeis Guineensis from central and West Africa, and Elaeis Oleifera from central and South America and their varieties. The Guineensis species have a better oil yield, whereas the oil from Oleifera has a higher nutritional value, due to its higher content of unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, and 2 I 4 vitamin E (tocotrienols and tocopherols). In order to produce a palm oil with the best of both species, a hybrid has been developed, named OxG or ¨Palm Oil with high oleic acid content¨. This hybrid has the highest content of carotenoids and vitamin E, and an oleic acid content between Oleifera and Guineensis, but superior to 50%; also it oil yield is superior than Oleifera. This hybrid oil is considered a healthy nutritional oil. In Costa Rica, the ASD Company is the

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only with germoplasm banks of Oleifera, and produce clones of a hybrid OxG with Guineensis, for commercial purposes (CODEX, 2013).

The nutrient composition of palm oils differ between species, varieties, geographic origin, and are affected by the time of harvest (stage of fruit ripening) (Prada et al, 2011), but is also affected by extraction and processing, which might result in vitamin E losses of up to 70% (Mora et al, 2000). Thus, research efforts are currently directed towards producing palm oil of the highest nutritional value by optimizing all steps in the agricultural and industrial production processes. The land available for growing food crops is limited and, given the world’s increasing population, requires efforts in producing food plants with the highest yields that can be used to produce foods of the highest possible nutritional quality in order to ensure food security. The development of palm oil as a tocotrienol-rich ingredient for functional foods and the investigations into their mechanisms of action will open new avenues for the Costa Rican food industry. The project thus aims to increase food security in Costa Rica by strengthening the local agribusiness and food industry.

Three main research questions: • What are the parameters in the production chain that determine the tocotrienol content of

Costa Rican palm oils? • In which tissues and intracellular organelles do tocotrienols accumulate in cultured cells

and in mice? • Is the absorption of palm oil tocotrienols higher than from rice bran and does this result in

higher biological (mitochondrial) activity?

Work content (e.g. lab, field work, main methods):

1. Tocotrienol profiles in different palm oil samples Palm oil from Elaeis Guineensis, Oleifera and the hybrid OxG will be systematically sampled and characterized according to the following variables: geographic location, harvest time, fruit ripeness, extraction method, and refinement method. The tocopherol and tocotrienol profiles will be determined by HPLC-FD employing a method developed and validated in the host laboratory (Grebenstein and Frank 2012). Fatty acid, polyphenol, and carotenoid profiles will be analyzed as complementary variables using HPLC and GC methods currently under development and validation in the host laboratory.

2. Cellular uptake and intracellular distribution of tocotrienols in cultured cells and animals In order to better understand the localization of tocotrienols within the cell, which is important for their biological activities, cultured cells will be incubated with pure tocotrienols and tocotrienols extracted from palm oils. The intracellular concentrations of tocotrienols and their distribution in the different cellular compartments (isolated by ultracentrifugation) will be determined. Pure tocotrienols are very expensive (800-1,800 € per 100 mg), which limits the possibility to perform in vivo studies with the pure compounds. Therefore, the two palm oils

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with the highest tocotrienol content will be used for animal studies on the tissue distribution and intracellular localization of tocotrienols in model animals (mice and/or rats). The primary organs for analysis will be the brain and liver, but all other accessible tissues will also be collected and analyzed if time and budget permit. The tissue distribution and intracellular localization of vitamin E metabolites will also be determined in this part of the project.

3. Effects of palm oil tocotrienols and rice bran tocotrienols on brain and liver mitochondrial function and respiration in guinea pigs Fat-soluble substances, such as tocopherols and tocotrienols, are better absorbed when ingested together with dietary fat. Therefore, the tissue concentrations of tocotrienols form palm oil is expected to exceed that of tocotrienols from rice bran. The host laboratory has previously reported that tocotrienol-rich rice bran induces the formation of mitochondria (mitogenesis) and thereby prevents age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction and increases cellular respiration and energy (ATP) production. It is hypothesized that the observed protective functions of rice bran tocotrienols are much more pronounced when the bioavailability of tocotrienols is improved by administration in a different food matrix (palm oil). Thus, tocotrienols from palm oil are expected to not only reach higher tissue concentrations, but also produce a more pronounced effect on mitochondrial function

than those from rice bran. To test this hypothesis, four groups of young (3 months) and four groups of old mice (12 months) will be fed with diets enriched with tocotrienols from the two palm oils with the highest tocotrienol content (groups PalmT3A and PalmT3B), tocotrienols from rice bran (RBT3) or identical diets without addition of tocotrienols. Animals will be fed the respective diets for 8 weeks and then killed and organs will be collected. Dissociated brain and liver cells will be used for the analyses of mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial function will be correlated with concentrations of tocotrienols, tocopherols and their short-chain metabolites. All required procedures are well established in the host laboratory

See the following publications for details:

Kocher, A., Hagl, S., Schiborr, C., Eckert, G. P., & Frank, J. (2015) Concentrations of total curcuminoids in plasma, but not liver and kidney, are higher in 18- than in 3-months old mice. NFS Journal 1: 3-8. Hagl, S., Heinrich, M., Kocher, A., Schiborr, C., Frank, J., & Eckert, G. P. (2014). Curcumin micelles improve mitochondrial function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease 1: 80-83.4 I 4 Hagl, S., Kocher, A., Schiborr, C., Eckert, S., Ciobanu, I., Birringer, M., El-Askary, H., Helal, A., Khayyal, M. T., Frank, J., Müller, W. E., & Eckert, G. P. (2013) Rice bran extract protects from mitochondrial dysfunction in guinea pig brains. Pharmacol Res 76: 17-27. Eckert, G. P., Schiborr, C., Hagl, S., Abdel-Kader, R., Müller, W. E., Rimbach, G., & Frank, J. (2013). Curcumin prevents mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain of the senescence-accelerated mouse - prone 8. Neurochemistry International 65: 595-602.

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Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars): The project requires a PhD student with training in nutrition or food chemistry, who is skilled in chemical analyses (mainly HPLC, but also GC) and quantification of nutrients, phytochemicals and/or fatty acids. Skills in animal handling would be helpful, but are not required as the student will be trained in Hohenheim and will have to pass a course in laboratory animal sciences.

Supervisor & Institute: Prof. Dr. Jan Frank Institute of Biological Chemistry and Nutrition Division Biofunctionality and Safety of Food Phone: 0711-459 24459 Email: [email protected]

Budget (available yes or no): The experiments can be partly financed by the host institute.

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4000 Resource Management

4001 Evolution of the mineral content of steppe soils in Mongolia

Introduction and main research objectives Through its biological activity and inherent fertility, soil can support high quality foods and remain productive over long periods of time without the need to rely on large inputs from outside the system (Lampkin, 1994). Soil plays an integral part in the regulation of natural and socio-economic processes that are necessary for human survival, such as the water cycle and the climate system. These services performed by soil are referred to as ecosystem services. It is now generally accepted that the current management of soil is unsustainable and threatens the future of humans and the whole terrestrial biosphere (Brown, 2006). Soil is a finite resource – globally soil losses exceed rates of formation by more than an order of magnitude and up to several orders of magnitude in poorly managed areas (Brantley et al., 2007).

There is a critical need to develop future strategies that will help to sustain the soil systems that are needed to maintain economies and international competitiveness, in the face of global change and finite natural resources. One of the most important gaps in soil management is the knowledge about the time scale of soil formation, under different conditions, counterbalanced by soil losses through the process of soil degradation. This topic raises several key questions: What is reversible? What is nonreversible in soil degradation and what can be remediated and mitigated? These were the major questions on Mongolian Soil Science area to formulate future research needs, considering the present state of knowledge on soil formation/degradation.

The main vision of this study is to bring international soil research community/idea/experience to Mongolia and to mobilize the scientific and engineering group to develop a Mongolian soil research and innovation strategy in sustainable soil management.

Under this ambitious vision in the future, the project goal is to identify research strategies that quantify the entire soil life cycle, from soil formation rates to soil degradation processes, and develop a predictive framework that can underpin Mongolian soil conservation and the future Mongolian Soil Framework Directive. This research is important to all Mongolian environmental policies toward soil science because the research cooperated with worldwide accepted soil scientists is rare and the methodology used for this research is highly valuable to demonstrate. In addition, a greater understanding of all soil processes occurring based on their different mineralogy is also needed to provide evidence and understanding for policy-making related to land use management and water quality since soil development is based on the state of a soil parameter, which is related to its state in the parent material (Harden, 1990). The degree of soil development is dependent on the different soil forming factors including climate, parent material, relief and time that govern geomorphic activity (McFadden and Kneupfer, 1990). Soil development stages have been correlated also to land surface ages (Wagner, 2009; Sauer et al.,

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2009), however, erosion, sediment aggradation and tectonic movement. The application of the knowledge on states of soil pedogenesity is of great importance in terms of reconstructing the sedimentation processes. The effect of any change related to climate, erosion, degradation i.g. can be predicted based on the soil chronological information in the certain area.

The aim of PhD work is to contribute to a better understanding of landscape evolution from the Paleozoic time from the pedogenic perspective. Investigating the soils from Mongolian southern and central western part, the following questions will be discussed:

Research questions • What physical, chemical/mineralogical and biological properties of a soil profile are due

to soil formation? or: How did it happen? • How did the soil form? or Which physical, chemical and biological processes have

formed the soil?

The effects of soil formation upon a given parent material by the action of soil forming factors (pedogenesis) will be investigated.

Since most processes take place under the soil surface, and most processes are so slow that their effects are not noticeable within the few years normally available for research.

1. Does soil development with time reflect progressive land surface ages? 2. What has happened during the development of the soils? In what respect does the soil

differ from its parent material? The morphology and underlying physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of the certain soil profiles will be explained. With knowledge about the reference situation (=the unchanged parent material), one can identify and sometimes quantify the changes that have taken place in the soil.

3. How soil formation took place, can it be extrapolated from processes observed over shorter time scales in the field or in the laboratory: mineral weathering, ion exchange, oxidation-reduction reactions etc. Which physical, chemical and biological processes have formed the soil? Soil forming processes and their effects on soil properties, and approaches to the study of soil forming processes will be investigated. The initial hypothesis is based on morphological properties and other data on the soil profile and it will be approved by the results from laboratory analyses.

4. 1) Soil Degradation, 2), 3) Biodiversity and Cross-cutting Issues, and 4) Modelling the Life Cycle of Soils.

its research goals beyond the protection and remediation of soils, by including the question about the rate of soil formation through weathering and further biological processes (including soil biodiversity), as a natural counterbalance to anthropogenic soil degradation. We also framed soil system parameters for modelling the life cycle of soils, thus defining gains and losses of soils on a quantifiable basis.

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Soils form a unique and irreversible essential resource for all terrestrial organisms, including man. Soils form not only the very thin outer skin of the earth’s crust that is exploited by plant roots for anchorage and supply of water and nutrients.

Soils take decades to millennia to form. We tread on them and do not usually see their interior, so we tend to take them for granted. But improper and abusive agricultural management, careless land clearing and reclamation, man-induced erosion, salinization and acidification, desertification, air- and water pollution, and appropriation of land for housing, industry and transportation now destroy soils more rapidly than they can be formed.

To appreciate the value of soils and their vulnerability to destruction we should know what soil formation is, how it proceeds, and at what rate.

The physical nature of soils is determined by the spatial arrangement of innumerable particles and interstitial spaces. These form a continuous structure that stores and transports gas, water and solutes, and that spans nine orders of scale, form nanometre to metre.

Chemically, soils are made up of a number of crystalline and amorphous mineral phases, plus organic matter.

Soil formation or soil genesis refers to changes of soil properties with time in one direction: the content of one component or mineral in a certain horizon decreases or increases, sedimentary layering disappears, etc. Mostly, such changes are slow and can be seen only after decades to millennia. So, most soil properties that change during soil formation are relatively stable. Sometimes, however, effects of soil formation can be seen within weeks or months. Examples are the quick drop in pH when sulphides oxidise to sulphuric acid upon exposure to air and the formation of gley mottles when a soil becomes very wet. Most rapid processes are cyclic, however, and are not considered part of soil formation.

Supervisor & Institute: Prof. Dr. Karl Stahr, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim

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5000 Social Science

5001 Land Consolidation and Food Security in Iran

Research theme Land Consolidation and Food Security in Iran

Discipline of the theme Rural Sociology / Social sciences

Target region North Iran

Description Dispersion and fragmentation of land are major problems in developing agriculture. In Iran, about 87% of farms have less than 10 ha and more than one third of Iranian farmers live from less than 1 ha. Land consolidation plays an important role in ensuring food security, increasing crop yield per unit area, reducing production costs and finally poverty alleviation and achieving sustainable rural development. It contributes in protecting the environment and improves rural livelihoods. The increased production of food crops in consolidated areas creates a larger supply of food in local and regional markets.

The obstacles for land consolidation however are manifold. Specifically cultural aspects (local traditions, values, heritage system), social (such as education, power relations, disputes / discussions about ownership) technical (e.g. assessment of quality of land, building new infrastructure) financial (investment costs for new infrastructure such as irrigation systems).

3 main research questions • What are major drivers and limitations from authorities and stakeholders perspective in

implementing land consolidation? • What are the social, cultural, ecological and economic consequences of land

consolidation? • How land consolidation processes have to be designed to improve household livelihoods

and specifically food security? What are the requirements needed to achieve better situation for implementing land consolidation?

Work content (e.g. lab, field- work, main methods) • The study employs both qualitative and quantitative techniques, mixed methods research

is defined as the class of research where the researcher mixes or combines quantitative and qualitative research techniques, methods, approaches, concepts, and language into a single study. In this research Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method will be used.

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• Four major steps of the exploratory method are; Step 1- Designing and implementing the qualitative method; Step 2- Using strategies to build on the qualitative results; Step 3- Designing and implementing the quantitative method; Step 4- Interpreting the results, deriving conclusions and recommendation

Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars) Experiences in empirical social research (qualitative and quantitative) including statistical analysis software (SPSS and AMOS)

Supervisor & Institute Rural Sociology, Social Sciences in the Agricultural Sector

Budget no

5002 Role of the Business Sector in Improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

Research theme Role of the Business Sector in Improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Post-conflict Sri Lanka

Discipline of the theme Rural Sociology / Social sciences

Target region North Sri Lanka

Description In north of Sri Lanka, after five years of peace agreement, the economic activities slowly are restored. There is a clear lack of qualified skilled personnel in relevant occupational fields for reconstruction and the demand can also be expected to increase with (re)settlement and business start-ups in future. Employment fields cover construction sector and technical fields but increasingly also the food sector, such as processing, conservation, marketing and quality control. The Government of Sri Lanka has accorded top priority to reconstruction and the socio-economic reintegration of war victims. There are, however, insufficient resources and competencies in the region to build and develop adequate vocational training facilities to meet the needs. In terms of scale and quality, the few existing training institutions are unable to provide qualification measures for the labour market in keeping with the needs of business and industry and for peaceful, socially inclusive development. The quality of the training provided after these war years – are dismal and rarely meet the requirements of the private sector.

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3 main research questions • What is the current fabric of society, the relationship between ethnic, religious and

gender – the changes and challenges, as well as the food security situation? (analysis of Sri Lanka in a post conflict context).

• What is the present situation of the vocational training, and type of cooperation between the private sector and the TVET sector that exists today? How did these forms of cooperation emerge and who benefits?

• What could be new and innovative methods that could be developed to cooperate with the private sector? What role could the private sector play?

Work content (e.g. lab, field- work, main methods) The study will be designed in an action research approach. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to analyse the current context. Participative observation, workshops, expert interviews will be the basis for designing public-private-partnerships in establishing vocational training structures and curricula. These innovative modes of trainings will be tested and continuously evaluated (using focus group discussions, key informant interviews).

Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars) Empirical research experiences, Knowledge of the TVET sector in Sri Lanka

Supervisor & Institute Prof. Dr. Andrea Knierim, Rural Sociology, Social Sciences in the Agricultural Sector

Budget no

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6000 Food Engineering

6001 The application of alternative energy sources for soybean milk production

Target region Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Description Soybean milk is one of the most important traditional beverages that are widely consumed among vegetarians, milk allergy patients or people of lactose-intolerance, who use soybean milk as a dairy alternative. Typically, soybean milk is produced by grinding the soaked soybeans with water. Subsequently, soybean slurry is filtered to obtain soybean milk. The milk is heated at temperature of 60-65 °C for 30 min, and then it is filled to bottles and immediately placed in an ice bath to cool down rapidly. However, the production of high quality soybean milk with long shelf-life is extremely difficult in the rural areas of many developing countries due to energy poverty and lack of electricity.

Although fossil fuels currently provide almost 82% of the world’s total primary energy, rapid intensive utilization of fossil fuels results in shortage of their resources and increasing energy costs and environmental pollution.

In contrast, renewable energy to fossil fuel, such as hydro, wind and solar energy are promising options for the energy and environmental challenges the world is facing today. Direct solar energy can be used to generate electricity for soybean milk production. Solar energy may be applied through a photovoltaic (PV) based reversible heat pump for hot water provision and cooling. In addition, by-products of soybean milk production could be converted into solid biofuels or biogas for pasteurizing the milk. Therefore, the application of alternative renewable energy sources in heating and cooling processes for soybean milk production should be investigated. The feasibility of decentralized energy infrastructure development should be also evaluated.

The results in this study will be valuable for the production of high quality and safe soybean milk, especially in rural areas. The adoption of these studies will serve farmers and producers to achieve a significant reduction in post-harvest losses of soybean. Improvements in post-harvest processing will not only reduce wastage, but also will generate income and enhance the effective utilisation of energy and food products, create employment opportunities through value-adding economic activities and increase new opportunities for trade through market access.

3 main research questions • What are the minimum required temperature/time requirements for heating and cooling in

terms of product quality and food safety? • How can the heat transfer between heater/cooler and product be optimized?

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• What are the challenges and potentials of alternative energy sources in the production of high functional quality soybean milk, especially in rural transformation?

Work content (e.g. lab, field, work, main methods) • Optimization and quality analysis will be performed in laboratory at the Institute of

Agricultural Engineering (440e), Tropics and Subtropics Group • Implementation will be done in the Eastern DRC

Requirements (e.g. skills of the scholars) The scholar should have a Master in Agricultural Science / Engineering or related discipline relevant to the skills in renewable energy and cost-effective analysis

Supervisor & Institute Prof. Dr. Joachim Müller; Institute of Agricultural Engineering (440e), Tropics and Subtropics Group University of Hohenheim

Budget Yes

6002 The development of fermented food to improve iron deficiency and alter gut microflora in Thai children

Discipline Health and Nutrition, Food Technology

Target region: Thailand

Research question: 1. Does the lactic acid fermented food increase availability of iron? 2. Does the lactic acid fermented food impact on the growth of colonic bacteria in vitro? 3. Does the iron status of tested Thai children improve after receiving the developed lactic

acid fermented food containing high iron availability? 4. Does the consumption of the developed fermented foods containing high iron availability

affect gut microbiota??

Work content • Development of lactic acid fermented food with high iron availability • Free iron will be determined by HPLC • Study the impact of the developed lactic acid fermented food on colonic bacteria in vitro • The growth of selected colonic bacteria both pathogen and probiotics will be determined

in the presence of the digested developed fermented food

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• Study iron status of Thai children receiving the developed fermented food • Thai children with anemia will be randomly selected to receive the developed lactic acid

fermented food and determine iron status by measuring hemoglobin status before and after the treatment

• Study the impact on the growth of colonic bacteria in Thai children receiving the developed lactic acid fermented food

• Thai children with anemia will be randomly selected to receive the developed lactic acid fermented food. The presence of bacteria found in the feces will be determined by RT-PCR technique and compare before and after the treatment.

Requirements: This research will require these following skills:

• HPLC analysis • Microorganism culture techniques • Molecular biology techniques • Clinical experiment conducting • Statistical analysis

Supervisor and Institute: Dr. Sudathip SAE-TAN at Kasetsart University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

6003 Development of Rapid Detection Method for Pathogenic Contamination in Goat Milk Powder

Discipline Agricultural sciences or food science

Target region: Thailand

Research question: • What is the appropriate and effective rapid detection method for pathogenic

contamination in goat milk powder?

Work content • Important factor influencing the microflora of milk powder. • Rapid microbiological analysis includes. a) Immunodiagnosis using ELISA techniques,

immunodiffusion and immunochromatography. b) polymerase chain reaction techniques c) biosensors

Requirement: MSc degree in agriculture, food science and technology and related areas

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Supervisor and Institute: Assist. Prof. Dr. Sasitorn NAKTHONG at Kasetsart University, Thailand and N.N. University of Hohenheim

6004 Optimization of management systems and post-harvest technology for promoting consumption of cassava leaves as an economical source of protein and essential micronutrients for humans

Discipline of the theme Agricultural technology and food science

Target region Thailand (Southeast Asia)

Description Protein deficiency and hidden hunger such as vitamin A deficiency are major malnutrition problems, especially in rural areas of developing countries. One major reason is the lack of affordable sources of those nutrients in the respective areas. Cassava is easily grown worldwide in developing countries (even on marginal lands) in Asia and Africa and Latin America where food insecurity caused by malnutrition still exists. Interestingly, cassava leaves have high protein and beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) contents, but are currently are discarded as agricultural wastes in most cases. In some countries they are consumed as a vegetable, but usually in small quantities and not as a main staple of the diet. It is believed that optimization of plant management, postharvest treatments and drying technologies will stimulate the use of cassava leaves as an affordable source of protein and pro-vitamin A. For practical use of cassava leaves, suitable harvesting specifications and post-harvest processing systems must be implemented.

Main research questions: 1. How does variety influence quality of cassava leaves especially regarding protein

content, amino profile and carotenoid content (pro-vitamin A)? 2. How do mechanical and chemical pretreatments, drying methods such as sun drying,

solar drying (tunnel dryer and green house types) and mechanical drying as well as drying conditions, e.g. temperature, drying time and light intensity (solar radiation), influence quality of cassava leaves?

3. Can non-invasive methods such as near-infrared spectroscopy, laser imaging or hyperspectral imaging be used for inspecting cassava leaves in situ for optimal harvest determination?

Work content • Study will be performed on experimental fields using economically important cultivars

available in Thailand. Laboratory work will be done both at Silpakorn University, Thailand and Hohenheim University, Germany.

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• Four major varieties will be chosen: two with low hydrocyanic content normally used for human consumption, cvs. ‘Rayong’ and ‘Ha na tee’, and two from commercial starch-producing cultivars with high hydrocyanic content, cvs. ‘Kasetsart 50’ (the most commonly grown variety in Thailand) and ‘Rayong 1’.

• Optimization of leaf harvesting (frequency, amount and maturity) on product quality (yield, protein content, cyanide content as well as carotenoid content (beta carotene and lutein) will be studied.

• Optimization of pretreatment and drying of cassava leaves will be investigated as follows:

Mechanical pretreatment prior to drying process: - no treatment (control): drying whole leave - chopping in small pieces - grinding Heat and chemical pretreatment prior to drying process: - blanching or boiling - chemical detoxification Drying methods - sun drying - solar drying ( solar tunnel dryer) - solar greenhouse dryer - tray drying Quality measurement - moisture content - water activity - protein content - Amino acid profile - fiber content - total cyanogens - linamarin - carotenoid content (beta carotene and lutein)

Finally, the potential of non-destructive methods such as near-infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging for determining harvest (in-field) quality of leaves will be determined.

Requirements Candidate should have strong background experience with drying of foodstuffs, laboratory analysis of food, quantification of compounds using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nondestructive techniques such as near infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.

Supervisor & Institute Prof. Dr. Joachim Müller Institute of Agricultural Engineering Agricultural Engineering in the Tropics and Subtropics (440e)

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University of Hohenheim

Budget A small budget will be applied for plant materials and laboratory consumables and small equipment.

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