http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/19208 2026-04-26T18:32:35Z http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/19579 Impact of food price increase on poor households in Sri Lanka Koralagama, D.N.; Sandika, A.L. Food price inflation was one of the major crises mooted in recent past. Marginalized poor people were hammered largely in developing countries including Sri Lanka. The awareness and preparedness for food crisis can reduce the impact as well as the social conflicts up to a certain extent. Hence, this study was designed to find out the awareness and impact of food price inflation among poor householders in rural Sri Lanka. A survey questionnaire was employed over 100 Samurdhi beneficiaries from Gampaha and Matara Districts. Data were analyzed using SPSS package. The results showed a positive relationship between education and level of awareness on food crisis (r = 0.325, P= 0.001). The majority of the sample was (77%) aware about the world food crisis and 88% of them has experienced it due to high prices of food commodities. The reasons they have put forwarded were climate change and lack of land for agriculture. There was a significant impact on spending on foods (p = 0.000) where the food expenses have increased after 2008 drastically. People have tried out to substitute wheat flour based products with rice based products showing a significant association between wheat and rice consumption (χ2= 13.05, P=0.000). The rural poor in Sri Lanka were aware about world food crisis with some valid justifications. Hence, they tend to go for substitutes in order to smooth the negative impact of high food prices. Hence, the government can formulate policies toward import substitutes especially on food items as the perception of rural poor is favourable to lessen the threat of food crisis in future. 2012-02-03T00:00:00Z http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/19578 Callus induction and plantlet regeneration ability of selected Sri Lankan traditional rice cultivars (oryza sativa l.) In caryopses culture Dahanayake, N.; Ranawake, A.L. A total of forty Sri Lankan traditional rice varieties (Oryza sativa L) were examined for their callus induction, growth and regeneration ability at Laboratory of Agricultural Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. Surface sterilized rice seeds (caryopses) were cultured on four different callus induction media supplemented with 1.5, 2.5, 3mg/l 2,4 – dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.1 mg/ l 6 – benzyladenine (BA) on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) basal medium. Proliferated calli were regenerated on 4 different regeneration media supplemented with 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3mg/l BA with 0.1 mg/l naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Eighty seven point five % of rice cultivars were able to produce callus on callus induction medium and among them 12.5 % of rice cultivars regenerated shoots. 100% callus induction was recorded by 75% of tested rice cultivars on 2.5mg/l 2,4-D supplemented to MS basal medium while the callus induction percentages were 30% and 32.5% in 1.5mg/l 2,4-D and 3mg/l 2,4-D supplemented media respectively. Callus growth of rice cultivars showed significant difference with the cultivar and medium. By the 4th week of callus induction maximum diameter (> 2cm) of callus recorded by rice cultivar Herath on 2.5 mg/l 2,4-D + 0.1mg/l BA + MS basal medium. The regeneration ability of rice cultivars varied from 0 % to 100% while the highest regeneration was recorded in rice cultivar Herath on regeneration medium supplemented with 2.5mg/l BA and 0.1mg/l NAA. Callus induction varied from 0% - 100% and significantly high callus formation was offered in Dik wee, Herath, Pachchai Perumal and Rathu wee. Sudu bala wee, Kahata wee (long grain), Sudu heenati, Kahata samba and Muthumala failed to initiate callus on any of the medium. Significantly highest shoot regeneration percentage was found in Herath (100%) while Mas samba, Seedevi, Dostara heenati and Rathel were also categorized in to the same DMRT (Duncan's Multiple Range Test) group with Herath. The highest number of shoots (8 shoots/callus) was recorded in Herath compared to other varieties (0.1- 8 per explant). There was a significant interaction between callus induction medium and rice cultivar as well as regeneration medium and rice cultivar. 2011-01-05T00:00:00Z http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/19577 Addressing multi-stakeholder conflicts in the coastal zone through a special area management (sam) process: a case study in Rekawa of the southern Sri-Lanka Pethiyagoda, N.A.; Amarasinghe, O. It is accepted globally that management of the coastal zone should be done through an integrated process. Special Area Management (SAM) is a particular form of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), which addresses multi-stakeholder conflicts in environmentally sensitive areas. The most important characteristic of the SAM process is that it is community based and collaborative. Yet, a proper mechanism to deal with such conflicts had to be instituted for SAM to be successful. A study was carried out to examine the relevance of SAM in Rekawa, an environmentally very sensitive coastal area in Southern Sri Lanka. A number of stakeholders, such as marine fishers, lagoon fishers, hoteliers, farmers, turtle conservationists, coral miners, etc. were identified, who generated negative externalities on each other giving rise to conflicts. By using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques, the issues confronted by each stakeholder group were studied along with their perceptions and suggestions for resolving such conflicts. The study attempted at finding how far SAM was able to cope with the conflicts and effectively manage the coastal zone at Rekawa. Stakeholders had placed a high reliance on SAM, but proposed the establishment of a Coordinating Committee consisting of all stakeholders, as the most appropriate tool to create a common flat form to bring all stake holders together to form a common coastal zone plan. Yet, the study found a number of prerequisites, for successful operation of SAM, including the provision of appropriate legal and official status to the proposed Coordinating Committee. 2011-06-28T00:00:00Z http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/19576 Identification of rastrococcus rubellus williams (hemipte ra: pseudococcidae) on mango: a new record to Sri Lanka Galanihe, L.D.; Watson, G.W. An island-wide survey of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) conducted in 2008/09 helped identify two species of Rastrococcus from Sri Lanka. R. invadens Williams was identified from samples collected on Plumeria sp. and Ficus arnottiana, while R. rubellus Williams was found on Plumeria sp. Although R. invadens has been recorded in Sri Lanka before, this is the first record of the oriental mealybug, R. rubellus, from the country. R. rubellus was found in mixed colonies with R. invadens; so far, the infestations have not been associated with any severe crop losses. The survey revealed that R. rubellus is confined to a limited area in Colombo District. This restricted distribution suggested that it may be a new introduction to the country. Diagnostic characters to aid recognition of R. rubellus, and details of its distribution and host range within Sri Lanka are given. 2012-05-08T00:00:00Z