The studies in this thesis were carried out at the farm of the
Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane
City, Lao PDR. The author gratefully acknowledges the Swedish
International Development Co-operation Agency, Department for
Research Cooperation (Sida-SAREC) for its financial and material
support of this study.
I would like to thank the Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane City, Lao PDR, for allowing me study leave and helping me to carry out the studies.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Dr Brian Ogle my main supervisor, the director of the MSc course, for his kind, support, professional guidance, and valuable advice in many different ways.
I wish also to express thanks to Dr Thomas Reg Preston, my associate supervisor, Director of the University of Tropical Agriculture (UTA) for his guidance, discussion, encouragement and much good advice.
I would like to thank Professor Dr Inger Ledin, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, for her scientific guidance and warm heart during the MSc course.
I would also like to express my appreciation to all professors, doctors, and lecturers who gave the theoretical lectures and supervised the practical work in the MSc course.
My sincere thanks to Dr. Luu Trong Hieu, the regional consultant
of the Sida-MEKARN project, Dr Ngo Van Man, the regional
coordinator of the Sida-MEKARN project, Dr Bounthong Bouahom, the
director of National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute of
Laos (NAFRI) and Dr Thongly Xayyachak, the Dean of the Faculty of
Agriculture of the National University of Laos, for their help and
encouragement.