Tillage and fertilization are common practices used to enhance soil fertility and increase yield. Changes in soil edaphic properties associated with different tillage and fertility regimes have been widely examined, yet, the microbially mediated pathways and ecological niches involved in enhancing soil fertility are poorly understood. The effects of long-term conventional tillage and no-till in parallel with three fertility treatments (No fertilization, N-only, and NPK) on soil microbial communities were investigated in a long-term field study that was established in the 1970's. Here, we used highthroughput sequencing of bacterial, fungal and oomycetes markers, followed by community-level functional and ecological assembly to discern principles governing tillage and fertility practices' influence on associated soil microbiomes. Both tillage and fertilizer significantly altered microbial community structure, but the tillage effect was more prominent than the fertilizer effect. Tillage significantly affected bacteria, fungi, fusaria, and oomycete beta-diversity, whereas fertilizer only affected bacteria and fungi beta-diversity. In our study different tillage and fertilizer regimes favored specific networks of metabolic pathways and distinct ecological guilds. No-till selected for beneficial microbes that translocate nutrients and resources and protect the host against pathogens. Notably, ecological guilds featuring arbuscular mycorrhizae, mycoparasites, and nematophagous fungi were favored in no-till soils, while fungal saprotrophs and plant pathogens dominated in tilled soils. Conventional till and fertilizer management shifted the communities toward fast growing competitors. Copiotrophic bacteria and fusarium species were favored under conventional tillage and in the presence of fertilizers. The analysis of the metagenomes revealed a higher abundance of predicted pathways associated with energy metabolism, translation, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, glycan biosynthesis and nucleotide metabolism in no-till. Furthermore, no specific pathways were found to be enriched under the investigated fertilization

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of smoking among the college students and to identify the factors associated with smoking. Material & Methods:This is a cross sectional study carried out on 304 college students in Kathmandu valley using purposive sampling during the months of December 2009 to January 2010.The self administrated questionnaire was adopted from Global Youth Tobacco Survey2007 (GYTS) and data were collected after the verbal consent taken. The statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics, univariate and binary logistic regression to measure prevalence of smoking and to identify the association between dependent and independent variables. Results:We found 7 in 10 students were currently smokers. Among currently smokers, 78% were established smokers. The mean age of smoking onset was 14.15 years (SD=2.62). The mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 5.03 (SD=3.72) and average daily expenditure was Rs. 15.18 (SD=7.87). About 90% students tried to quit smoking and 17% non smokers were susceptibility smokers. The following factors: sex (adjusted odds ratio(aor)=3.88,95% CI= 2.12;7.11), living with or without family members (aor=1.79,95% CI=1.01;3.17), father occupation (aor=1.85,95% CI=1.04;3.30), and friend's smoking habits (aor=4.60,95% CI =1.92;11.0) were associated with cigarette smoking. Conclusion:There is the need of effective intervention programs to control cigarette smoking among college students.

Diversified crop rotation (DCR) improves the efficiency of farming systems all over the world. It has the potentiality to improve soil condition and boost system productivity. Improved soil attributes such as increased soil water uptake and storage, and a greater number of beneficial soil organisms, may improve yield tolerance to drought and other hard growing conditions in a variety of crop rotations. Crop rotations with a variety of crops benefit the farmers,reduce production risk and uncertainty, and enhance soil and ecological sustainability. Farmers may be able to diversify their sources of income by adopting diversified crop rotations. Furthermore, because of the distinct structure, function, and relationship of plant community with soil in DCR, it contributes to the long-term development of soil health by decreasing insect, weed, and disease incidence and increasing the physical and chemical structure of the soil. DCR is becoming more popular approach for maintaining sustainable crop production. This review provides the evidence of the significance of DCR, challenges to adapt it, and possible way out to overcome the challenges.

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme is among the most important diseases affecting soybean in the United States. The use of biological control agents (BCAs) such as Trichoderma spp. can be a valuable resource to suppress F. virguliforme populations. Therefore, this research focused on screening possible BCAs against F. virguliforme and evaluating mycoparasitism and the induction of systemic resistance as mechanisms underlying the antagonistic activity of selected BCAs against F. virguliforme. In total, 47 potential BCAs, including 41 Trichoderma isolates and 6 Mortierella isolates, were screened in a dual-plate assay. The most effective isolates belonged to the Trichoderma harzianum species and were able to inhibit F. virguliforme radial growth by up to 92%. Selected Trichoderma isolates were tested in the greenhouse and in a microplot study. They reduced root rot caused by F. virguliforme when the plants were coinoculated with the pathogen and the BCA. The tested BCA’s ability to reduce F. virguliforme growth may be related to several mechanisms of action, including mycoparasitism and induction of defense-related genes in plants, as revealed by monitoring the expression of defense-related genes in soybean. Our results highlight the potential of native Trichoderma isolates to inhibit F. virguliforme growth and reduce SDS severity, providing the basis for future implementation of biological control in soybean production. More efforts are needed to implement the use of these approaches in production fields, and to deepen the current knowledge on the biology of these highly antagonistic isolates.

INTRODUCTION Tobacco smoking, common in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to determine the proportion of current smokers, as well as assess the factors associated with tobacco smoking and drinking alcohol, among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Nepal. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted at an antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal between September and December 2014. Data were collected among 132 HIV infected individuals using a random sampling technique and face-to-face interview. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the factors associated with current tobacco smoking and drinking of alcohol. RESULTS Among the HIV infected people, the proportion of current tobacco smoking was 26.5% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 18.9-34.1), while drinking of alcohol was 22.7% (95% CI: 15.5-30.0). The respondents who were infected with HIV, after sexual contact with sex workers, were more likely to smoke tobacco (OR=15.2, 95% CI: 4.35-53.08) and drink alcohol (OR=4.50, 95% CI: 1.70-11.93) than those who were infected from drug needle use and blood transfusion. HIV infected individuals, who forgot to take ART medication, were three times more likely (OR=3.17, 95% CI: 1.36-7.38) to drink alcohol than those who did not forget to take ART medication. CONCLUSIONS Proportion of people who smoke tobacco and drink alcohol is high among the HIV infected individuals who had sexual contact with sex workers in Nepal. There is an urgent need to develop immediate, sustainable and efficient programs to control tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking among vulnerable populations in low and middle-income countries like Nepal.