Graduate Student Programs

Eight students have entered the graduate program at Cornell University with at least some funding from the SM-CRSP rice-wheat project. One has graduated, two are writing theses, four are currently carrying out thesis research, and one is completing coursework and planning thesis research.

The SM-CRSP rice-wheat project is also funding three MS degree level at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) at Rampur, Nepal. IAAS is the agricultural college of Tribuhvan University. We expect to maintain from 3-6 students in the MS program for the duration of the project.

Name	Country of Residence	Discipline	Degree	Status
Cornell University
Khrishna Rao	India	Agric. Economics	MS	Degree Awarded
Kaafee Billah	Bangladesh	Agric. Economics	PhD	Writing thesis
Medha Devare	United States	Soil Fertility	PhD	Writing thesis
Anne-Marie Mayer	England	Human Nutrition	PhD	Field research, Bangladesh
Andy McDonald	United States	Soil Physics	PhD	Coursework/Field research, Nepal
Jon Padgham	United States	Soil Fertility	PhD	Field research in Bangladesh
Sarah Johnson	United States	Soil chemistry	PhD	Coursework
Shabnam Qureshi	Pakistan	Soil Physics	PhD	Research at Cornell
IAAS (1 ) Rampur
Deepak Bhandari	Nepal	Plant Pathology	MS	First year coursework/research
Deepak Sharma	Nepal	Plant Pathology	MS	First year coursework/research
Bishnu Adhikhari	Nepal	Agronomy/soils	MS	First year coursework/research

1 Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science

B. Outline of Thesis Research Programs of Cornell Students

1. Khrishna Rao (Agricultural Economics):

Research analyzed agronomic, economic, and policy factors that resulted in decline of chickpea production in North West India.

2. Kaafee Billah (Agricultural Economics):

A basic concern is that farm level economic analyses generally do not assign economic value to family food security or nutrition and health. The objective of the research is to better understand how farm families make decisions between income generation opportunities through sale of produce and family food security. Research is in Bangladesh. Data sources are household level surveys carried out by IFPRI, by our project (Dinajpur/Rangpur districts), and supplemental information that he is collecting. One output will be an agricultural household decision making model that can be used to evaluate outcomes of potential agricultural intervention strategies designed to improve family income and health.

3. Medha Devare (Soil Science):

The objective of the research is to evaluate the impacts of altering soil and water management in the rice-wheat rotation on system productivity. The focus is on improving the soil environment for production of wheat. It compares conventional tillage practice with deep tillage, puddling with non-puddling, and flooding of rice with non-flooding. An intercrop of rice-blackgram is included as a possible option for increasing economic and/or food benefits. The impact of soil solarization on these systems was also included.

4. Andrew MacDonald (Soil Science):

Late season drought stress in rice is a concern in the mid-hills regions of Nepal when paddies often dry out. Research is studying this issue at a site at Khumaltar that has a water table gradient similar to that on terraces. The focus of the research is on the effects of different tillage (conventional and deep) and planting options (transplanting and direct seeding) on root development and soil plant water relationships across the shallow ground water gradient.

5. John Padgham (Soil Science):

The objectives of the planned research are (i) to further our understanding of causes for the dramatic effects of soil solarization on rice and wheat productivity and (ii) to evaluate the role of production and use of residues from cowpea and mungbean on soil biological constraints to rice and wheat productivity. The research will develop and use a in simulated in vitro solarization together with seedling bioassays to screen the impacts of solarization on a range of soils. Mechanisms of the solarization effect will then be investigated in "good" and "bad" soils. Finally, the impact of introducing cowpea and mungbean into the rice-wheat system on soil borne pathogens will be evaluated and compared with solarization using in vitro and field approaches.

6. Shabnam Qureshi (Soil Science):

Research is on facilitated transport processes in soils using columns of soil in the laboratory. Results will have application to increasing our understanding of factors affecting chemical movement through soils but will not have specific application to the rice-wheat system.

7. Anne-Marie Mayer (Human Nutrition):

The underlying concept being evaluated by the research is that soil nutrient supply affects food quality and hence human nutrition. The focus is on Zn, I, and Fe. Deficiencies of these elements in humans in S. Asia is widespread. Crop Zn and I contents are known to be related to soil supply. Research will characterize relationships between mineral element content of food (mostly cereals) and soil supply; effects of processing and cooking on nutrient content of food, intake within families, and relationships to family health.. Research is being carried out in Jogitola village and Haldibari village in NW Bangladesh. The International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research (ICDDR,B) in Dhaka, and the University of Dhaka are collaborators on this project.