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Background: The solid wastes and the wastewater (effluent) generated in the pulp and paper industry can be used to improve the soil fertility. However, the cation concentration in these residues can influence the bioavailability of some nutrients and soil properties. The objective of this study is to experiment the availability of the cations namely Ca, Mg, Na and K in laboratory (column) and the field. Methods: An experiment with PVC column was carried out in the laboratory to study the availability of cations as influenced by 13 irrigations with papermill effluent vis-à-vis in a field experiment in the Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2019-2020. Result: The pH, EC and the concentration of the cations were higher in the field soil compared to the column soil barring magnesium. This may be due to the clogging of pores resulting in decreased infiltration in field soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of wrapping material during storage of cut flowers creates a modified atmosphere which reduces flower metabolism during storage, thereby slowing carbohydrate consumption as respiratory substrate. The main problem related to dry storage is moisture loss or desiccation. Keeping in view the above aspects, the present study was conducted to enhance the shelf life of tuberose. Methods: The experiment was carried out at Post-Harvest Laboratory of Department of Horticulture, COA, CCS HAU, Hisar during the cropping season (March to September) of year 2019. It was laid out in CRD (factorial) with three replications and twenty-four treatment combinations, comprising of six wrapping materials (newspaper, butter paper, chart sheet, low density polyethylene of 100µ, high density polyethylene of 200µ and control as without wrapping) and four storage time (1, 4, 7 and 10 days), were tested. After harvesting, cut spikes were wrapped in wrapping materials and kept in cold-store at low temperature (less than 5°C), thereafter cut spikes were placed in vase solution (4% sucrose plus 300 ppm 8-HQC) for recording observations on floral parameters. Result: Among different wrapping materials, the butter paper wrapped cut spikes observed better in most of the parameters followed by LDPE (100 µ) wrapped cut spikes. Among the storage time, storage of cut spikes for 1 day observed better in most of the parameters except time taken up to opening of first pair of florets and total post-harvest life. Overall, butter paper wrapped cut spikes stored for 1 day performed better in term of floret diameter (46.73 mm), floret length (56.10 mm), floret longevity (2.89 days), appearance (3.70/5.0 scale), florets opened at a time (32.30%), total opened florets (54.32%), marketable vase life (6.53 days), total vase life (11.17 days), weight loss (17.08%) and solution consumed (135.33 ml) by the spikes. However, the cut spikes wrapped in butter paper stored for 10 days were found better with early opening of first pair of florets (0.95 days) and maximum post-harvest life (20.10 days). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Protecting crops from various threats, including vermin, pests, animals and rodents, is essential for sustaining agriculture. In India, especially in regions like Rajasthan, animal attacks result in significant crop losses, up to 40%. This section underscores the importance of safeguarding crops against these threats. Methods: According to our sustainable agriculture assessment and cognition of the primary issue of the community that was conducted across multiple rural sites within the Sawai Madhupur district of Rajasthan from 2020 to 2023. This paper employs a comparative method to conduct a comprehensive review of animal-repellent systems, along with delving into interdisciplinary research in related fields to identify key factors influencing their effectiveness and proposes a novel holistic farm protection solution system. Result: The proposed system offers robust crop protection while aiding environmental conservation and preserving local wildlife in Rajasthan, India. This paper underscores the importance of adopting IoT-based technologies for sustainable agriculture. It is a valuable resource for researchers, agronomists and various agriculture stakeholders to implement these advancements. This system holds promise for enhancing crop security, minimizing resource waste and ensuring food chain stability for generations to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till a few decades ago, chemical pesticides proved to be a boon in reviving our country from the food crisis, but we soon came to know that these chemicals also have side effects, which is causing great harm to the living being and environment. To avoid these side effects the best substitutes are biopesticides, but the use of biopesticides is much less as compared to chemical pesticides. There are many reason for this, one of the main reason is the lack of their resources, so it is necessary that new resources of the biopesticides should be discovered. For this review article we have collected research papers from 2010 to 2022. All these research papers collected are based on antimicrobial activities, chemical analysis etc. of weed plants extracts. We have tabulated some important information related to the weed plants used in these research articles. All research papers gathered from the authentic sources. Through this review article, we want to highlight "Weed Plants" as a resource for biopesticides formulation. After reviewing all the selected research articles, it comes to the fore that weed plants have the potential to be a good source for biopesticides formulation in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Agriculture is the linchpin of the Indian economic system which extraordinarily dependent on soil, use of fertilizer and climate conditions. Soil fertility depletion is a reason for the problem of Indian agriculture. Not only the usage of plant vitamins per hectare is fairly low and imbalanced, but also the Indian farmers are still using the traditional method to spread the fertilizer in the field which is the predominant reason for low crop yields. It also influences people via consumption. So, there should be a precision and constancy tracking mechanism in agricultural merchandise and use of fertilizers inside the farm. In this paper, the implemented system presents a method for the distribution of required fertilizer for crop acreage. To optimize this, the wireless sensor gives a systematic answer for fertilizer distribution using Lagrange's Interpolation (LI). Methods: The experiment was carried out in the MIT Academy of Engineering's Agrotech Farm in Pune over the last one year (2019-2020). The readings were taken from the tomato crop. We used the LI to evaluate the values between Standard, Conventional and Actual, which delivers the optimal value and reduces fertilizer waste and farmers' financial burden. These LI may result in a decrease in the number of sensor nodes in the agricultural field. The decrease in sensor nodes lowers total operating costs. Result: With an equally and unequally spaced approach, in comparison to a conventional strategy the implemented system saves nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by just giving the crop with the required amount of fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper investigates the horticulture crop value chain in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. It focuses on the different approaches to marketing used in Vidarbha and makes note of the fact that just 1 out of 10 farmers choose the farm-to-table model. Methods: A survey was conducted in order to gather the primary data employing a simple random sampling method. The survey was undertaken in four districts viz., Nagpur, Amravati, Bhandara and Wardha. The crops under investigation were banana, mango, lemon, orange/mandarin, tomato, potato and onion. Result: It was recorded that the projected amount of produce wasted was the highest at the retail level for tomato, potato, banana and mango crops, at the farm level for lemon and orange and at the wholesale level for onion. Moreover, the harvested crops are not properly stored until delivered due to lack of storage facilities. Farmers received less price due to low quality of produce and exploitation by the middlemen. At the farm level, it was recorded that 15-36% of the yield is lost due to pests/predators, unprecedented weather conditions and improper management. The supply chain faces several issues, including the scarcity of high-quality seeds, a lack of irrigation resources, unfavourable weather that ruins the produce, post-harvest losses, lack of storage facilities, price seasonality and market volatility. Numerous vertical coordination problems in the value chain could be resolved by the adoption of horticulture cooperatives and the creation of FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zebrafish is widely used in biomedical research to explore several diseases and abnormalities. A thorough understanding of husbandry is required to maintain effectively, breed and produce healthy and diversified colonies. Diet, age, size, light exposure, mating behaviour, tank temperature and time used for egg formation are all factors that influence the breeding process. Methods: The fishes were kept in the zebrafish housing system with frequent water quality checks and a breeding duration of 7 days. Developing eggs and larvae were photographed and further processed with image view software. The normal development of zebrafish goes through seven stages: zygote, cleavage, blastula, gastrula, segmentation, pharyngula and hatching stage. Result: The average number of eggs deposited per female in the experiment was 341±4.21, with 318±4.81 viable eggs. 298±4.99 eggs hatched after 72 hours and 270±4.34 fingerlings survival was recorded after a week. The present paper discusses the care of zebrafish, setting up and maintenance in laboratory conditions. Once the system is standardized, it is easy to access healthy eggs, larvae and adults throughout the year for research and teaching purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India ranks second after China in vegetable production in the world. Vegetable transplantation is labor-intensive due to the requirement of transplanting practices. This makes it necessary to adapt the mechanization for vegetable transplantation to save money and time and increase the productivity to fulfill the food requirement of a huge population. In India, vegetables are grown in small plots. The research paper on the design development and performance evaluation of the various manual vegetable transplanters, semi-automatic vegetable transplanters, automatic vegetable transplanters are studied for the purpose to find out the most useful vegetable transplanter in Indian conditions. As per the land use pattern in India, the small and economical vegetable transplanters are beneficial. The articles in this section discuss vegetable transplanters and advances in vegetable transplanting technology used in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious abortions happen mostly by bacteria and viruses. First of all, it is necessary to determine the causative agents in order to prevent abortions. There are different views on the relationship and sensitivity between breed and diseases. Native breed sheep with abortion history, which were caused by microorganisms, were investigated in the paper. Methods: Three hundred and eighty-four blood samples were collected from four different native breed sheep with abortion history. The samples were investigated in terms of some important bacterial, parasitary and viral agents by serological and virological tests. Result: Akabane (AKAV) antibody (Ab) 3.90% seropositivity and pestivirus antigen (Ag) 0.26% positivity was found in aborted sheep. Not only was the highest seropositivity detected in age group of five in terms of AKAV infection but also the highest seropositivity was found in age group of five in terms of pestivirus (Ab) according to age while pestivirus (Ag) presence was detected in only one animal in age group of four. The highest seropositivity in terms of AKAV infection according to races was found in Kivircik sheep as 4.65% while as 56.40% in terms of pestivirus (Ab) and as 0.58% in terms of pestivirus (Ag) in Anatolian Merinos sheep. In terms of both infections, an increase of infections was seen in elder sheep, the highest AKAV seropositivity was found in Kivircik sheep and the highest pestivirus seropositivity was detected in Anatolian Merinos sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined fertilizer application is a strategy that combines both organic and inorganic plant nutrients to achieve higher crop productivity, prevent soil degradation and thereby aid encounter future food supply needs. The main objective of this paper is to review the role of combined fertilizer application on soil fertility, growth and yield of potato. This paper is done by assessing various kinds of published and unpublished materials and relevant information from different literature sources like libraries, research report, journals, books and Internet center. It has integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizer affects the tuber yield and its attributing characters like an average number of tuber/hills, average tuber weight/hill, marketable tuber number and total dry matter yield. The use of farmyard manure and vermicompost along with inorganic fertilizers is superior to the application of either farmyard manure or vermicompost alone. Application of organic manure along with inorganic fertilizer increased organic carbon, available P and K. But the application of inorganic fertilizer alone had no significant effect on the fertility status of the soil. The reports revealed that integrated use of organic manure and reduced rates of inorganic fertilizer significantly improved potato productivity and improved the fertility status of the soil and could save inorganic fertilizer for sustainable potato production in potato growing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the present work, a thorough research and study was carried out to determine the conditions prevailing in the creation and operation of fur farms in Greece, which are bred exclusively in the region of Western Macedonia in the northwestern part of Greece. In particular, all the parameters that affect the efficiency of breeding units were analyzed, the appropriate answers to the problems and weaknesses of the breeding of fur-bearing animals were evaluated and given. Methods: The paper mainly deals with the applied practices and the situation prevailing in the field, from a technical, social and economic point of view and explored the development perspectives through proposed strategies, which are based on findings, literature, theoretical analyzes, statistical analyzes and primary sources from direct personal contacts. For the analysis of data of the fur industry, PESTLE and SWOT method of analyses applied. Result: The general conclusion that emerges from the whole effort is a dynamic development of the fur-bearing sector since everything points in this direction and this development will significantly contribute to the improvement of the living standard of the inhabitants of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of colostrum is twofold: it plays a role in the metabolism and nutrition of the newborn, in addition to its immediate supply of functional immunoglobulins. The current paper aims to study the main factors of variation in the nutritional and immunological bovine colostrum values at the Centre National de l'Insémination Artificielle et d'Amélioration Génétique (CNIAAG) of Baba Ali (Algiers, Algeria). Methods: The study was conducted on 23 colostrum samples from cows of different breeds (Prim-Holstein pie rouge, Prim-Holstein pie noire and Fleckvieh), from calving until the 11th day of milking. These females have calved during March 2020. Result: The results obtained indicate that the chemical composition of colostrum changes during milkings. The average rates of dry matter, protein and mineral matter, at the 1st milking, respectively 20; 9.70 and 0.95 g/100 g tend to decrease to reach milk standards. Unlike lactose rate which gradually increase from milking to another. The average concentration of colostrum in immunoglobulins, evaluated at 34.3 g/L at birth, decreases during the milkings that follow. The fall is considerable (89%) from the 2nd post-partum day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mango is one of the most important horticultural crops in the world, and North Lombok. The quality of mango fruits appears to be one of determining factors in mango business worldwide, demanding mango producers and other related stakeholders to pay attention. This paper aims at describing agribusiness systems of mango in North Lombok, Indonesia and followed by recommending strategies for improving the quality of mango fruits along the way of all agribusiness sub systems from input, farm, processing, marketing and supporting service. Methods: This study took place in North Lombok Regency, the Province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, during April 2017 to December 2018. Primary data were collected through interviewing respondents of mango growers, traders and key informants of mango agribusiness. These primary data were complemented with data from secondary sources. Data analysis was framed in agribusiness system. Result: The study revealed that there were several weaknesses in each sub-system of agribusiness and weak connections amongst the subsystems. Therefore, there needs improvement in each subsystem of agribusiness to become strong and supports each other. The sub system of supporting services appears to have more determining role than other sub systems in improving the system of agribusiness, further in improving the quality of mango fruits, the performance of the mango business for benefits of the mango entrepreneurs and the economy of the region. Contributions of this study include in knowledge of agribusiness integration for successful program and in economy of the mango entrepreneurs and of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global demand for animal products is extremely increasing in the future period, which mainly because of improvement in the global standard of living. In the meantime, global climate change is a pressure to animal production due to the impact on quality of forages, water availability, animal and milk production, animal health, animal reproduction and biodiversity. This paper reviews the impacts of climate change on animal production and converse contributions of animal production sector to global climate variation and specific climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in animal production sector. Global climate change will affect animal production and consequently food security mainly in tropical regions. This paper also reviewed that, converse contribution of animal production sector in emission of GHGs to the atmosphere for global climate change. Therefore, global climate change adaptation, mitigation practices and policy frameworks are critical to protect animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance for organic and chemical free food consumption is growing rapidly. Consumers are ready to pay more money to get a quality food. Farmers need to hold this entrepreneurial opportunity to fasten economic empowerment. One such efforts done by a farmers' interest group was studied in this perspective. Formation and conduct of the group along with the group dynamics of the group members was studied and presented in this paper. Adopting case study method first hand information was collected with the help of well prepared interview schedule along with thorough discussions with the group members and by critical observations of the researcher. Group dynamics index (GDI) was developed to measure the group dynamics of the group members. This paper attempts to expose a better farming practice for the poor and marginal land holders to fetch more income to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vermicomposting is the agricultural technique of conversion of organic wastes to a fertile product, which can result in better crop growth and production. However, even though earthworms are the main organisms participating in the process, the microbes associated with it also have an important role to play. These microbes degrade the waste products biochemically and are responsible of the conversion processes. Few studies are carried out on microbial diversity and related enzymes activities in the vermicompost prepared from different organic waste materials. Methods: In this paper, we isolated both bacteria and fungi from seven different types of vermicompost, using different selective media. We also studied the activity of hydrolytic enzymes that are associated with the isolated microbes. Result: It was observed that bacteria like Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Micrococcus, Actinomycetes, Pigment producing Actinomycetes, Streptomyces, Azotobactor and fungi like Penicillium purpurogenum, Aspergillus sp., Alternaria alternata, Fusarium solani, Rhizopus sp., Mucor hiemalis, Myrothecium verrucaria etc. were present in our vermicompost preparations. The presence of nitrogen fixing bacteria, phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and PGPR indicated the good fertilizer value of the vermicompost samples. It was also observed that the diversity of microbes present supported significant levels of CMCase Exoglucanase, Xylanase, β-Glucosidase, Phosphatase and Urease activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper has attempted an economic analysis of tissue-culture pointed gourd and non-tissue culture pointed gourd. As we know that vegetables are rich and comparatively cheaper source of vitamins. Consumption of these items provides taste, palatability and fiber for digestion. Their consumption in plenty provides fair amount of protein and also play a key role in neutralizing the acids produced during digestion of fatty foods. While pointed gourd contains 2 per cent protein, 0.3 per cent fat, 2.2 per cent carbohydrate, 153 IU vitamin A and 29 mg vitamin C per 100 g edible portion (www.agrifarming.in). Methods: This study was conducted in the year 2017-18. The study has been conducted in the Anand and Kheda districts of Middle Gujarat using personal interview method. And 4 talukas were selected. Total 80 respondents were selected, out of them 40 were cultivating non-tissue culture and 40 were cultivating tissue culture variety of pointed gourd. Cost and return analysis had been done by using cost concepts. The Garrett ranking technique was used to study the adoption behaviour of farmers. Result: The study revealed that tissue-culture pointed gourd is more beneficial as compared to non-tissue culture pointed gourd. The cost of cultivation (Cost C2) of pointed gourd per hectare for tissue culture and non-tissue culture was' 306655 and' 237216, respectively. The average yield of tissue culture and non-tissue culture pointed gourd was 483 q and 248.49 q, while gross income was' 597595 and' 324741 respectively. Per hectare net returns in tissue culture pointed gourd for Cost C2 was' 290940 whereas for non-tissue culture pointed gourd the per hectare net return over Cost C2 was' 87525. The overall per hectare farm business income, family labour income and farm investment income for tissue culture farmer were found to be significantly higher compared to their counterpart non-tissue culture farmers. The overall input-output ratio on Cost C2 was 1.95 for tissue culture and 1.37 for nontissue culture. 'Higher yield' was the main reason for adoption of tissue culture technology followed by 'high quality fruit' and 'higher income per hectare'. On the whole, the analysis has revealed that the tissue culture technology in pointed gourd cultivation can go a long way in enhancing the farmers income which is the need of the hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chillies are one of the most widely used spices and a commercial crop. It is the most widely used universal spice and is named as the wonder spice. Tripura is one of the largest producers of a commercial crop of chilli in the entire north eastern state. Commercial cultivation of chilli is very profitable and can expect high revenue because of high market value or market demand in local markets. Under this backdrop, the paper attempts to study the economics of chilli production in Tripura, India. Methods: This study was conducted on a sample of 150 chilli growers in Dhalai district, West Tripura and the Sipahijala district of Tripura during 2019-20 as it is the highest chilli growing area. A personal interview method was used to collect the data and suitable statistical tools were used for analyzing the data. The cost of cultivation for chilli was calculated by using the CACP (Commission on Agriculture Cost and Prices) approach. Result: The study revealed that the majority of the respondents were under the age of 54 years, belonged to the schedule tribe category i.e., 48.66 per cent (24.33) followed by the general category i.e., 34.66 (17.33) and the schedule caste category i.e., 16.66 per cent (8.33). All the respondents were from farming families, mainly belonging to marginal and small land holdings. It has been observed that the maximum cost was incurred on total family labour, i.e., Rs. 41230.11, Rs. 56769.23 and Rs. 51972.17 respectively in West Tripura, Unakoti and South Tripura, whereas in the case of total hired labour cost, no was involved by the growers of South Tripura district. The total production of chilli was 2894.45 kg/ha and the overall return over cost C was determined at Rs. 104572.94 per ha. In the different districts, the return per rupee over cost C ranged from 1.99 to 2.44. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Odisha started a programme to revive millets in 2017. Keeping this in the background, this paper examines growth of production, area and yield and decomposition of production of millets in Odisha in the last six decades by using triennium ending data, TE1962-63 to TE2019-20. Methods: Boyce's kinked exponential method has been used to estimate growth for production, area and yield. Production was decomposed to area, yield and interaction effects. Millets as a crop group is compared with other foodgrain groups and then analysis was carried out for four specific millet crops- ragi, jowar, bajra and small millets. Result: In Odisha, the 1960s and 1970s indicate an increasing trend in production of and area under millets. There is a reversal of these trends since 1980s. The decline started first for small millets in the 1980s and subsequently since the 1990s for the three major millets- bajra, jowar and ragi. Decomposition of millets production indicates that the decline since 1980s is largely on account of area effect, but also because of yield effect in the 1990s and 2010s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: True cricket is the popular name for representatives of the Gryllidae family. Gryllidae insects can damage agricultural crops such as wheat, maize, cotton and grasses. The purpose of this study was to identify the most effective plants as well as economic losses in the district of Mirpurkhas. Methods: A total of 626 specimens were captured as a consequence of this investigation from 07 various places in the District of Mirpurkhas. Gryllidae are phytophagous insects that eat a vast number of crops, in addition, crickets damage paper, clothing, carpets and furniture. The Standard Entomological technique and instruments were used to correctly identify cricket species. The taxonomic work was mounted, labeled and sorted properly. Result: As a consequence of this work during 2019-2020. 05 genera and 11 species with 01 subspecies belonging to 02 subfamilies of family Gryllidae were distinguished during the current examination. Out of these species, 01 species and 01 subspecies; Gryllus multipulsator and Gryllus (gryllus) assimilis assimilis subspecies were recorded for the first time from the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the ancient cereal crops of agriculture in the world and one of the first domesticated cereals and fourth largest cereal crop next to maize, wheat and rice in the world. It contributes seven percent of the total cereal production. The production of barley in Ethiopia reduced by many factors from these biotic factors including rodents, pathogens, diseases, weed, pests, insects and abiotic stress like drought, flooding, temperature stress, salinity, poor management practice, frost, poor soil fertility, agronomic practice etc. among those the most important factors that reduce yield of barley in Ethiopia are the use of inappropriate organic fertilizers. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to review the influence of organic fertilizers on productivity of barely. The review was done by collecting the various published and unpublished materials relevant information from different literature sources like libraries, research report, journals, books and Internet center. As various scholars mentioned organic fertilizers affect the growth, development and yield of barley. The uses of farm yard manure, animal manure, poultry manure and vermi compost considerably improved yield and yield component of barley such as number of tillers per plant, spike length, straw, biomass, grain weight and grain yield. It concludes using organic fertilizer has crucial role for increasing barley production and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artificial insemination is an important applicable tool in increasing productivity by genetic exploitation through the male line. But farmers or breeders adoption require to be known the detailed cost structure and the nature of the cost function of the new technology. In this paper, therefore an attempt is made to develop a cost structure for frozen semen dose and a representative artificial breeding program in ewes. Methods: Semen was frozen twice-weekly for a period of a month following traditional box-freezing. Variable and fixed costs associated with the ram management, semen collection, processing and freezing were estimated and used in frozen semen production cost calculation. Cost items estimated as per cost assumption model and used for artificial insemination cost calculation. Result: The mean production cost of a frozen semen straw was estimated as Tk. 41.66 where ram maintenance cost, semen processing and preservation cost and staff cost shared the maximum expenses were to be 53.69, 12.93 and 33.38%, respectively. The average performance cost of artificial insemination incurred in the study was approximately Tk. 217.31, there in the semen dose, AI pipette and hormone cost covered the top areas of expenses to be 38.34, 23.00 and 19.33%, respectively. The cost estimate of the current study will be of more informative for breeders, stakeholders and researchers in sheep breeding technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gambier has a problem with low production levels which is caused by the use of inferior quality plants that come from inferior seeds. This study aims to determine the optimal harvesting age for producing gambir seeds with optimal physiological quality. The maturity phase of the fruit became the basis for determining the timescalation of the harvest that count from the day after anthesis. The research was carried out from June to December of 2021. This research was conducted at the Seed Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University, Padang. The plant material utilized is the seed of the Mancik Riau gambier. Methods: The research employed a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments based on days after anthesis (DAA) because at this phase the plants pollinated and the fruit maturity phase begin and it used three replication: seeds harvested at 110-112 DAA, 107-109 DAA, 104-106 DAA, 101-103 DAA and 98-100 DAA. Quantitative data are analyzed at a 5% significance level using Analysis of Variance; if the effect is significant, the Duncan's multiple range test (MRT) is performed; and qualitative data are presented descriptively. Result: The results revealed that the harvest age of 98-100 DAA provided the highest viability and vigor, as measured by germinated power testing at 80.50%, seed growth potential testing at 81.83%, T50 test, index value testing at 11.04 and soil emergence testing at 84.33%, indicating that the plant had reached physiological maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the agriculture's target is to reach the amount of crop production that can cover the need to feed growing world population with the crucial challenge of respecting the environment. Several environmental constraints are limiting world agricultural production, mainly the preponderance of calcareous soils suffering from ferric and phosphoric deficiencies. In those soils, legumes were considered as an alternative solution to retrieve a fertile soil without the abusive use of chemical fertilizers. The ability to establish a symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria is the way used by legumes to restore soil organic matter and to improve soil fertility. Legumes remain a source of healthy food while respecting the environment. This paper describes the importance of legumes for Fe and P deficient soils management through sustainable practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Banana (Musa Paradisicia) is considered as one of the most important fruit crop across the globe. India is the largest producer of banana in the world with an output of 29 million tons per year on average. Assam, a state in the north eastern region of India, is one of the major banana producing state in the country. Banana is an important horticulture crop grown in Assam with some significant socio cultural importance. The production of banana in Assam accounts for 2.4 per cent of its total production in the country. Methods: The paper is an attempt to study the rate of growth and instability of area, production and productivity of banana cultivation in Assam and to compute the relative contribution of area, productivity and their interaction to the change in production of banana in the state. The study is based on secondary data for the period of 2003-04 to 2017-18. Compound annual growth rates are computed for estimating the growth trends of area, production and productivity of banana in Assam whereas Cuddy-Della Valle index of instability is used to estimate the instability. Result: The results of this study revealed positive growth in area, production and productivity of banana with low instability in the state. The productivity effect has been found marginally greater than the area effect on production of banana in the state during the reference period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haryana is an agricultural developed state of India but fluctuations in growth rate of agriculture and allied activities are very fast from last two decades. Some symptoms of agrarian distress have been observing in Haryana. In this paper a concrete analysis of prevalent situation to understand the antecedent causes of agriculture distress has been discussed. Methods: The study has been made intensive reference to secondary data (from 1966 to 2018). The study has been descriptive in the nature and percentage method has been used to analysis the objectives of the study. Result: The study has concluded that main causes of agricultural distress were cost of all main inputs increased over the long time, an imbalance generated in NPK ratio of consumption of fertilizer, not getting proper remunerative prices; poor infrastructure development process and only few crops were procured by government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glume discolouration in rice was ascertained and found to be major yield constraint in temperate region of Jammu and Kashmir state. Different fungi with eight genera were found associated with glume discolouration of paddy, viz., Helminthosporium oryzae, Curvularia lunata, Alternaria spp. Rhizoctonia solani, Trichothecium spp., Aspergillus niger, Pyricularia grisea and Fusarium graminearum. Among these eight isolates; Helminthosporium oryzae, Curvularia lunata and Alternaria spp. were found predominant with per cent frequency of 20.94, 20.65 and 18.59 per cent respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Finger millet is a native and indigenous food crop in Ethiopia and has been cultivated in different parts of the country for centuries. However, its heavy metal contents in other parts of Ethiopia were not well studied, especially in the study area. The study was conducted in the Mankussa and Finoteselam district of the western Gojjam zone, Amhara region Ethiopia, to determine the heavy metal (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu and Pb) levels of finger millet by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Methods: A wet digestion procedure was developed using a mixture of HCl, HNO3 and H2O2 to decompose a mixed powdered finger millet sample. Result: Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb mean levels were 3.751, 1.699, 0.072, 0.4485 and 0.024 mg/L, respectively, in Mankussa Black finger millet samples. In Mankussa mixed finger millet, the mean metal levels were 3.573 mg/L, 2.7585 mg/L, 0.0585 mg/L, 0.799 mg/L and 0.024 mg/L for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb, respectively and the mean metal levels of Mankussa White Finger millet were found to be 2.326, 2.289, 0.045, 0.5985 and 0.014 mg/L of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb respectively. While the mean metal level of Finoteselam black Finger millet samples was found to be 5.651 mg/L, 2.1955 mg/L, 0.0435 mg/L, 0.744 mg/L and 0.011 mg/L for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb respectively, in the mixed finger millet it was 3.023 mg/L, 2.155 mg/L, 0.0525 mg/L,1.259 mg/L of Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn. In white finger millet, it was found to be 2.8695 mg/L, 1.412 mg/L, 0.0525 mg/L and 1.0735 mg/L of Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn. Pb was not detected by the instrument in Finoteselam mixed and white finger millet samples. The metal levels investigated in this study were comparable with international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic left hundreds of small farmers in economic problems. The objective was to measure the effect of COVID-19 economic impact on farmers in Jordan. Methods: Quantitative descriptive study was used. The questionnaire was used as a tool to collect the data about the effect COVID-19 pandemic on the economic conditions of small farmers. A random sample of 630 farmers were selected to fill this questionnaire. Result: The first effect of the pandemic was on the prices which decreased due to the decrease in the quality. The second impact was on the imports and exports which affected the inputs and the product prices. The effect of supply chain increased the inputs prices. The final impact was on the cash flow and the low prices of products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pigeonpea eriophyid mite, Aceria cajani Chan., vector of sterility mosaic disease in pigeonpea, causes economic damage of up to 90% during the early stages of crop growth. The major element in deploying management practice is to know the population dynamics of the pest. Generally, the vectors of disease causing agents were managed with the synthetic chemical. So we have taken studies to know efficacy of insecticides and acaricides in its control on pigeonpea. Methods: The population dynamics of A. cajani Chan. was monitored in field plots from January 2021 to December 2021. For efficacy of insecticides and acaricides studies in control of A. cajani a completely randomized design was organized. Twelve treatments (insecticides/acaricides) were tested against A. cajani on pigeonpea [var. ICP 8863 (Shree Maruti]. Result: This study found that mite population reached a peak in the summer (March) and another peak in the post-monsoon period (October), whereas the lowest populations were recorded in winter (January). Correlation studies exhibited a significant positive correlation with both maximum and minimum temperature. The insecticide and acaricide trials on A. cajani found that all chemicals used were effective and entomopathogenic formulations were comparatively less effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rice (Oryza sativa L.), is an important staple food and an excellent source of calories in India. Of the different insect pests attacking rice, brown planthopper, BPH, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) is an important sucking pest causing upto 100% yield losses. Host plant resistance is the most important method in keeping BPH under control and understanding the underlying mechanisms of resistance is necessary to breed the resistant varieties with desirable characters. Methods: Selected EMS mutant lines of Nagina22 (N22) variety, which were previously mass screened under controlled greenhouse conditions were assessed for their antixenosis mechanism to brown planthopper feeding by measuring probing marks and honeydew excretion area by following standard procedures and statistical analysis was done by using Statistix 8.1 software. Result: Both the brown planthopper nymphs and adults probed more in the resistant mutants compared to the susceptible mutants whereas the BPH adults probed more times (24.4) compared to the nymphs (22.2). The recorded honeydew excretion area by the resistant mutants was lower than that of susceptible mutants. In general, the BPH adults fed more and excreted more honeydew (79.5 mm2) compared to the nymphs (59.0 mm2). The damage score has a negative correlation with the probing marks of adults (-0.207) and nymphs (-0.411); and a positive correlation with honeydew excretion of adults (0.547) and nymphs (0.200). In this study, the EMS N22 mutants resistant to BPH, with a greater number of probing marks and less honeydew excretion area can serve as best donors in the breeding programmes to develop brown planthopper resistant varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sterile insect technique (SIT) of Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata depends on the ability of male to compete successfully against wild male in obtaining matings with wild females. Methods: To evaluate mass and wild reared the sexual performance and compatibility of medflies has been conducted in a series of field cages test. At the same time, this study has been done in the laboratory domestication as well. Three populations have been tested in this research: wild flies from of Perth Hills stone; Western Australia and Norwood road, Maida Vale, Perth; semi-wild flies after 7 to 10 generation in the lab. and a mass-reared and wild strains of flies were used in the study. Result: All the field cages have been indicating that all population of medfly are all most the same. There is no significant difference in the number of egg and sex ratio of wild population. In the mass- reared males, the performed of males are significantly poorer than wild male in achieve mating with wild female. The study has been showed that mating performances are reduced in mass-reared and semi-wild fly after 8 to 11 generation in laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heavy metal pollution chiefly lead (Pb) causes various environmental disequilibrium and health hazards. Immobilization of lead (Pb) usingclay minerals is cost effective for metal remediation due to their higher surface area and negative charges. Methods: This study was taken up to assess the Pb removal potentials of bentonite and zeolite from contaminated water and to study the effect of sorbent dosage, initial Pb2+ concentrations and incubation time intervals on Pb adsorption and desorption was studied. Result: Zeolite was effective in immobilising Pb (78.0%) than bentonite (70.9%) which increased with increasing sorbent dosage and time intervals. The pseudo second-order kinetic model described the Pb adsorption precisely. Chemisorption was the dominant mechanism operating in aqueous solution system, hence, it could be concluded that zeolite can be utilized as an efficient sorbent for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study explores and assesses the potential of carbon revenue to augment the financial returns of farmers from agroforestry plantations. Government of India aims at doubling the farmers' income and this study can go a long way in achieving this aim. The income from carbon revenue will be over and above the market value of farm-grown wood and hence will be an additional incentive. Methods: Under the present study, the assessment of carbon stocks for Eucalyptus and poplar plantations was done in Yamunanagar district of Haryana using stratified random sampling and standard calculation tools explained under methodology. The results of this study and data from other existing studies, covering different parts of the country, were used for estimating the carbon credits and carbon revenue for total area under agroforestry in India i.e. 28.4 MHA. Result: The findings suggest that agroforestry, if incentivized with carbon revenue, has a potential of increasing the income of farmers by 40-50% (upto Rs. 25,000/ha/year). It could be achieved by developing agroforestry based carbon finance projects for Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) and by promoting agroforestry plantations for net carbon emission neutrality of corporate using their CSR funds. The additional returns could also act as a buffer and as an alternative like minimum support price (MSP) for farmers in case of "price-crash" of agroforestry produce due to various reasons. The study indicates that there is urgent need to have a policy in India for registering agroforestry plantations under carbon finance projects thereby contributing to net neutrality of corporates, ultimately benefitting the farmers through financial incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tannia is one of the six most important root and tuber crops grown world-wide. Tannia possess good keeping quality compared to other vegetables. The tubers are considered more nutritious than colocasia and potato. But the crop is still underexploited compared to other tuber crops. Hence the study was undertaken to identify the effect of tillage and nutrition on quality characters of tannia. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala during 2014-15 to study the effect of organic nutrition on quality characters of tannia. The design used was split plot design with four replications. The treatments consisted of tillage and planting methods as main plot treatments (L1-conventional tillage followed by pit system, L2-conventional tillage followed by mound system, L3-deep tillage followed by pit system and L4-deep tillage followed by mound system). The sub plot treatments were combinations of soil conditioners (S1-control, S2-coir pith, S3-rice husk) and two nutrition systems (N1-integrated nutrient management (INM) and N2-organic nutrition). Result: Results of the experiment revealed that the quality characters of tannia was improved by deep tillage to a depth of 30 cm followed by pit system of planting, application of coir pith as soil conditioner @ 500 g plant-1 and organic nutrition (FYM @37.5 t ha-1 + wood ash @ 2 t ha-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cashew being a hardy crop is able to thrive and produce yield under low nutrient management practices yet suffers low productivity as the yield potential of plant is not expressed. Persistence of low productivity of cashew in Odisha is due to inconsequence of old senile plantation of seedling origin under unfertile, marginal lands as well as no proper adaptation of scientific nutrient management practices. Methods: Present investigation was carried out at All India Coordinated Research Project on Cashew, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha during 2021-2022 and 2022-23 to evaluate the effect of nutrient management practices on yield attributing traits and physico-chemical properties of cashew cv. Balabhadra in randomized block design with six treatments and four replications. Result: Treatment schedule i.e., 100% RDF+10 kg FYM/plant/year+ Foliar spray of major nutrients (3% urea+0.5% MAP+1% K2SO4)+ Foliar spray of secondary and micro-nutrients (0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.1% Solubor + 0.5% MgSO4) witnessed better performance of cashew for most of the yield attributing traits and biochemical properties of cashew under study. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis revealed positive association of yield relevant traits (P<0.001) and negative correlation for apple length and TSS of cashew apple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Groundnut is one of the most important oilseed crops and also a good source of proteins, carbohydrates and fibre. Conventionally, groundnut cultivation also need good amount of commercial nitrogen fertilizers which are found to be not efficiently and effectively utilized by the plants, also lost due to leaching and so, causing severe ecological damage. However, our study of priming groundnut seeds with nanofertilizers have reduced the dosage of fertilizers as well as increased the yields. Methods: A two-year field experiment (2020-2021) was carried out to evaluate the effect of nano fertilizers (NF) (phosphorus, zinc, and iron) seed priming and NF foliar spray on the growth, yield, and seed quality characteristics of groundnut var TG-37 A. Groundnut was chosen as the testcrop and seeds were primed with nanofertilizers as well as standing crop is foliar sprayed with nanofertilizer at pre-flowering stage. The effect of nanofertilizers on test crop was evaluated on seed germination, seedling vigor, plant growth, flowering, chlorophyll content, pod yield, oil content and protein content. Result: The results indicated that in both the years, NF seed primingandfoliar sprays treatments showed higher seed germination and seedling vigor aided in early establishment in soil, which manifested by higher plant height, early flowering, higher leaf chlorophyll content, 100-seed weight and shelling percentage. Pod yield per plant was 30.1% and 33.0% higher in 2020 and 2021, respectively, as compared to the control. In both years, the application of nano fertilizers considerably boosted the oil and protein content compared to the control (31.5% and 28.9% for oil, 33.1% and 30.0% for protein). Thus, it is concluded that nano-fertilizers considerably improved growth, yield and quality of groundnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zinc solubilizing bacteria and fungi are possible alternatives for zinc supplementation and translate inorganic form of zinc to available forms for the plants. Methods: Two phosphates solubilising bacterial (ABB1, ABB2) and fungal (FSD1, FSD2) strains were initially isolated from the rhizospheric soil of the plant and were tested for their plant growth promoting ability and zinc solubilizing capability. Aloe barbadensis Mill. plants were inoculated with the microbial strains to assess their effects on plant growth and to quantify the zinc content in leaves using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Result: In our experiment, zinc content in the leaves of ZnO+ABB1+FSD2 set was found highest than ZnO treated set. Thus, present study plausibly designates the ability of the Aloe plants for solubilizing zinc only in presence of the rhizospheric microorganisms which indicates the potential of these microbial strains to use as biofertilizers in more sustainable way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the agriculture field farmers are dependent on crops and once it is caused by disease, they can lose the proper yield. Plant illnesses are the common cause of low yields and reduced income for farmers. So, to overcome this, machine learning approach in the agriculture field is showing exponential improvement for interdisciplinary research, but in modern disease prediction systems, it is a different process that can takes more time to identify and understand the type of disease. Disease prediction is related to computer vision and machine learning to detect types of leaf disease on different plants. It's a long-term system that includes a variety of real-world scenarios such as, Prediction system for vine leaf disease, pomegranate leaf disease, corn leaf disease, etc. Disease prediction is the accurate determination of the disease state of plant leaves. Accurate disease prediction is one of the key requirements in data science. Presently, machine learning based methods have improved prediction accuracy for plant leafs like grapes, pomegranates, maize. However, the disease prediction performance is still required to be improved in this challenging environment. Existing disease prediction models require high computational time and storage facilities in the agriculture field. To overcome this, we have proposed a comparative study of ML for prediction and classification of crop diseases to improve the efficiency of early prediction of crop diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeds of soybean Cv. DS 2706 were primed with distilled water, KNO3 (1%), NaCl (0.5%) and PEG 6000 (5%) for 8, 12, 24 and 48 hrs. at 25° C. The experiment was carried out in complete randomized design replicated four times with 17 priming treatments. Results of variance clearly showed the osmopriming and hydropriming had significant effect on seed germination and emergence. Mean comparison showed that the highest germination%, germination Index and vigor Index was achieved by priming with PEG6000 (5%) for 12 hours. Maximum seedling length and dry seedling weight was obtained by hydropriming for 24 hours and least mean germination time and highest energy of emergence was achieved by osmopriming by NaCl for 12 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm women are the backbone of Indian agriculture. They represent the invisible work forces in a gamut of activities ranging from land preparation till harvest of the agricultural produce. The mass media utilization behavior of farm women is central to equipping women with the latest developments in farming technology and honing their technical skills which leads to their increased productivity in their farm and home. A study was conducted on a sample of 30 farm women to analyze their mass media utilization behavior. The findings revealed that, majority (60 per cent) had primary level of education, 90 per cent possessed radio and most of them were members of Farmers Discussion Groups (FDG's); and were regular listeners to agricultural programs on radio. They were also members of Youth Clubs, Magalir Mandrams (women's associations) and Media forums. Besides these women regularly attended training programs in agriculture and allied areas, imparted by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Only 10 percent of women were regular subscribers to farm magazines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turmeric is the major spice crop in India. This paper attempts to estimate the cost and economic returns of turmeric cultivation among various size categories (marginal, small, semi medium, medium and large), of farmers in Erode district of Tamil Nadu, which is one of the major turmeric growing region in India. The results of the study showed that of all the size categories, the economic returns realized by large farmers were comparatively higher. Besides ensuring reasonable price to the farmers, the study suggested for value addition, like boiling, drying and grading of rhizomes in order to achieve maximum returns in turmeric cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to paper the co-integration among the selected cotton markets in Haryana. The monthly data on prices of cotton were collected for the period from 2005-06 to 2016-17. The advanced econometric tools like ADF test, Johansen co-integration test and Granger Causality test were used to study market integration. The price series of commodity namely cotton in selected markets showed the consequences of unit root and were stationary at first difference. The long run equilibrium relationship among the selected markets indicated that these were integrated with each other. This implies that prices in domestic markets of Haryana move together in response to changes in the demand and supply and cost of a product. Granger Causality test resulted Dabwali market as lead cotton market because it influenced the prices of most of selected cotton markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peziotrichum corticolum (Massee) Subramanian causes Black Banded Disease of Mango. The disease was reported from South India in 1901 and again in 1941 by Dr. C.V. Subramanian. The severity of black banded disease and damage produced has not been assessed so far. The present paper reports the resut of survey carried out in Kolhapur District, with respect to spread and severity of the black banded disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is the removal of three trace elements (Nickle Ni, Cadmium Cd and Lead Pb) by an environmentally friendly method from Batteries and compact discs. This study aimed to rapidly remove trace elements from E-waste (batteries) by filamentous fungi pellets. Methods: Aspergillus was the best heavy metal tolerated isolate under the following incubation parameters: pH (5), temperature (25°C), ground electronic waste powder doses (0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/L) absorbed by fungal pellets biomass 10 gm/L of wet weight. Result: The results showed the best removal percentage R% of Ni, Cd and Pb removal were (89, 91 and 96) observed at pH 5. Images from SEM showed accumulations of metal particles on the surface of the fungal hyphae and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to determine the effective groups in the fungal cell wall responsible of biosorption of trace elements and this study indicates that an application may be possible Aspergillus terreus as a promising candidate for biological sorption and recycling of trace elements and as an ecologically friendly and effective process in terms of time and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowers are not only for their ornamental, aesthetic purpose but it is a great nutritious to human diet and health. These are rich source of pigments and possess antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Few flowers are used traditionally in diet and there is huge scope to use edible flowers in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and pigment industry. But very less research has been done till date for finding proximate constituent, antioxidant activity and mineral profiling of edible annual flowers. The present work investigated the proximate constituent analysis and antioxidant activity of few annual flowers. Methods: In this laboratory analysis, different annual flowers were used for the experiment. They were Celosia cristata var. Deep Armor Purple, Celosia cristata var. Twisted Orange, Celosia cristata var. Pink, Celosia argentea var. Cristata Yellow, Celosia argentea var. Plumosa, Celosia cristata var. Bombay Pink, Gomphrena globosa, Gallardia pulchella, Tagetes erecta, Tagetes patula and Calendula officinalis. Proximate constituent analysis and antioxidant activity were performed using Association of Official Analytical Chemist (A.O.A.C) methods. Result: Among the different annual flowers, the maximum ash content (15.58%) the crude protein content (13.45%) and the crude fibre content (13.39%) were found in Gomphrena globosa flowers, whereas the minimum ash content (7.24%), the minimum crude protein (6.51%) and the minimum crude fibre content (6.63%) were reported in Calendula officinalis flowers. On the other hand, the antioxidant activity was found to be superior in the flowers of Tagetes patula (60.34%) followed by Tagetes erecta (57.99%) and the minimum antioxidant activity (43.89%) was found in flowers of Celosia cristata var. Twisted Orange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gender differences are steadily increasing in the moral distress and ethical conflict of practicing veterinarians internationally and little research has been done to identify the root causes of these problems. Gender differences in ethical conflict and resultant moral distress may lead to decreased job satisfaction in one specific gender. Methods: A mixed-methods sequential explanatory methodology was used to conduct this study on randomly selected Indian veterinary practitioners. The survey was conducted between April 2022 and March 2023. Result: The study found that only 426 veterinarians participated in the survey, with responses analyzed for demographic characteristics and training of respondents, causes of ethical conflict and moral distress levels and coping methods. The majority of respondents were male and worked in State Services. Female respondents reported less conflict resolution training and less training on self-care. The causes of ethical conflict varied, with some respondents reporting frequent disagreements with animal owners regarding their preferred course of treatment. Coping mechanisms included discussion with colleagues and seniors, seeking professional help and discussing with a partner or friend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine the optimal water irrigation method combined with covering material for Allium chinense growth and yield on acid sulfate soil. Methods: The field experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design, which include four treatments, each with four replications. The plot size was 83.3 m2 (19.6 m in length, 4.25 m in width). Treatments were flooding irrigation combined with rice straw covering (FI-RS), flooding irrigation combined with Eleocharis dulcis covering (FI-ED, control), spray irrigation combined with rice straw covering (SI-RS) and spray irrigation combined with Eleocharis dulcis covering (SI-ED). Result: Experimental results showed that Allium chinense planted on the treatment of SI increased clump height (47.2 cm) and weight of bulb (4.38 g), gave the highest yield of 40.9 t ha-1 and increased up to 25.9% in comparison to planted in conventional method (control). The spray irrigation method was more suitable than the flooding irrigation method for growing Allium chinense. Vitamin C content in bulbs was not changed under different water irrigation methods combined with mulching materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The popular vegetable sweet gourd (Cucurbita moschata) is cultivated throughout Bangladesh. However, its yield is low owing to the severe infestation by fruit fly Bactrocera cucurbitae. This study investigated the toxicity of chemical insecticides and neem oil on fruit flies infesting sweet gourd. Methods: The repellency of adult fruit flies and larvae and the body weight and mortality of the larvae of the fruit fly were evaluated using three chemical insecticides-Karate 2.5 EC (cyhalothrin), Ripcord 10 EC (cypermethrin) and Shobicron 425 EC (profenofos Q+cypermethrin) and neem oil (azadirachtin). Result: The repellency rate of the fruit fly larvae varied from 20.0±0.0 to 86.7±6.7% and that of the adult fly from 13.3±6.7 to 73.3±6.7%; Shobicron 425 EC, at 2000 ppm, exhibited the best results in both the cases. The treatments negatively affected the weight of larvae compared to the control, where Shobicron 425 EC caused the lowest weight (7.8±0.2 mg). The insecticides at 24, 48 and 72 h after treatment demonstrated toxic effects on the larvae, where the LC50 values ranged from 742.5 (550.4-1060.5) to 2476.3 (2150.6-2954.7) ppm at 72 h after treatment. On the whole, Shobicron 425 EC demonstrated better efficacy than the other insecticides against fruit flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]