pilot training course in bioengineering

the following are some simple rules for assessing the quality of bioengineering works. they are not fully comprehensive, but give some indicators to look for. Most of them refer to site works, but there are also quality checks for nurseries.
individual plants should be:
     - a bright, healthy colour;
     - showing no signs of wilting;
     - well proportioned (i.e. not stunted or very tall and thin);
     - growing fast, with a number of long new shoots;
     - without signs of discoloration on the leaves;
     - without signs of insect attack of the leaves or shoots (e.g. holes eaten
        in the leaves);
     - without any obvious signs of disease;
     - undamaged; and
     - not yellowed, except in the later part of the dry season.

grass lines should be:
     - complete, with plants at the spacing specified within the rows;
     - the right distance between the rows, according to specification;
     - even, with no gaps or poor plants in them; and
     - straight, according to specification.

brush layers should be:
     - complete, with the right number of cuttings per running metre;
     - the right distance between the lines, according to specification;
     - even, with no gaps or dead cuttings; and
     - straight, according to specification.

fascines, which will need some minor excavations to check, should be:
     - complete, with the right number of cuttings per running metre;
     - the right distance between lines, according to specification; and
     - straight, according to specification.

whole sites should be:
     - completely treated, with no gaps or areas missed out;
     - evenly covered;
     - fully tidied up, with no loose debris on the slope;
     - showing no signs of instability;
     - stable enough to survive the early rains while plants get established; and
     - generally looking good, complete and healthy throughout.

nurseries: quality checking

grass beds (slip and rhizome cuttings, and grass seeds) and hardwood-cutting beds should be:
     - composed of good, fertile, well aerated soil;
     - kept moist at all times;
     - showing even growth;
     - well weeded; and
     - kept with a porous, uncapped soil surface.

grass plants should be:
     - a healthy green colour;
     - growing vigorously, with a number of long new shoots;
     - showing no signs of wilting;
     - without signs of discoloration on the leaves; and
     - without any obvious signs of disease or insect attack.

shrub and tree seedbeds should be:
     - composed of good, fertile, well aerated soil and fine, clean sand;
     - kept moist at all times;
     - well shaded;
     - showing even growth; and
     - well weeded.

polypot seedlings should be:
     - a bright, healthy colour;
     - showing no signs of wilting;
     - growing fast, with long new shoots;
     - kept with roots pruned;
     - kept moist throughout the soil cylinder;
     - well weeded;
     - without signs of discoloration on the leaves;
     - without signs of insect attack on the leaves or shoots (e.g. holes eaten
        in the leaves);
     - without any obvious signs of disease; and
     - undamaged.

whole nurseries should be:
     - kept tidy and clean;
     - weeded throughout;
     - well maintained; and
     - protected properly at all times.

survival rates of plants
grasses propagated by slip should give a survival rate of almost 100 % in the nursery and about 95 % on site. if there are significantly more failures than this, you should investigate the possible reasons. the most common reasons are that the slips were allowed to dry out at some stage during the transplanting process.

grasses propagated by rhizome cuttings have a slightly lower survival rate. however, this should still exceed 95 % in the nursery and 90 % on site. failures greater than these should be investigated.

where grasses are grown from seed, it is almost impossible to estimate the survival rate. however, if the standard application rates are used, there should be a thick, even cover of grasses resulting. if this does not occur, the usual causes are from sowing too early or from seeds being washed off the surface.

shrubs and trees have to be considered separately. in nurseries it is normal to plant more cuttings or to sow more seeds than are required because, however good the nursery staff, there will inevitably be significant looses. the processes of taking from cutting or germinating, transplanting and growing on, all take a toll on the young plants.

it is normal practice to allow four times the amount of seed for the final number of seedlings required.

it is normal practice to grow up 35 % more seedlings than will be required, and to discard the poorer plants when they leave the nursery.

therefore, for every 10 seedlings used on site, 400 seeds will have been sown and 125 seedlings will have been grown up.

on site, the survival rates for shrubs and trees can vary considerably depending on the biophysical harshness of the site, the quality of the plants, and the quality of the planting works. in forestry plantations in Nepal, the survival of only 80 % is considered acceptable, although it should be much more. the same rate should be used for bioengineering works. if less than 80 % survive, a thorough investigation should be made. the usual causes of casualties are from careless handling and planting on site, and subsequent grazing damage.

you have just arrived as an Engineer in Bharatpur Division. the Divisional Engineer has asked you to visit the nursery at Kurintar Camp and to check the quality of construction and plant production against the DoLIDAR's Standard Specifications for bioengineering Works. as you are a bit shy, you have taken along a group of your friends to help you.
look around the Kurintar nursery and check as much as possible against the relevant parts of the Standard Specifications. then prepare a very brief presentation of your findings, which will only take 2 minutes. you have just 25 minutes to look around and prepare the presentation.
in the nursery, include the beds just constructed as well as the older areas. particular questions to ask might be as follows:
     - has the nursery been constructed to the standard required?
     - is it in an appropriate location?
     - is it maintained to the standard required?
     - are the staffs on site at the right time?
     - are the individual items in the nursery built to specification?
     - are plants properly cared for?
     - are watering/shading/root pruning/spacing out adequate?
     - is the compost of good quality?
if anything is not up to specification, how do you suggest it be improved?

the following table gives an example of the frequency of monitoring for different works. this is based on general rules only and is not definitive for individual sites. in practice, you should devise your own frequencies of monitoring for your own area of working. this may be similar to the 'intervention periods' of many standard road maintenance programmes. add your own specific requirements in the spaces provided.

what to monitor	supervisor/naike	overseer	engineer	which months
site works
site preparation	throughout execution	daily	weekly	Poush-Baishakh
site planting	throughout execution	daily	weekly	Jestha-Ashadh
initial survival	-	once off	once off	Bhadra
growth of plants	-	monthly	monthly	year round
later survival	-	twice yearly	twice yearly	Baishakh+ Kartik
signs of damage	daily (first monsoon)	weekly in monsoon	weekly in monsoon	Jestha-Aswin




nurseries
planting and sowing	throughout execution	daily	weekly	Phalgun-Chaitra
care of plants	continuous	daily	weekly	Phalgun-Ashadh
general maint.	continuous	weekly	weekly	year round
main seed collect.	throughout execution	daily	weekly	Mangsir-Poush
other seed collect.	throughout execution	daily	weekly	as it occurs