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The growth of eggplant (Pusa Safed Baingan-1) was studied during the semi-arid (March to June) and humid sub-tropical (July to September) seasons of New Delhi, India. The individual effects of wheat straw biomass (WSBM), wheat straw biochar (WSBC) and compost versus the combined effect of WSBM plus compost and WSBC plus compost were determined under field conditions. The amendments were made at two different application rates: 1 wt% and 2 wt%. WSBC was successfully prepared in a proprietary kachcha reactor (Indian patent no. 380921), designed using locally sourced clay. Amendments were characterized using elemental analyzer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron (TEM) microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The field study was conducted in 11 (1x1-meter) plots with two replicates. Basic soil health parameters including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), water holding capacity (WHC), bulk density (BD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil available nitrogen (SAN), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil available phosphorus (SAP), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and mineral contents are analyzed. Observable plant growth characteristics (germination percentage, height, number of leaves, fruits, and plant biomass) were also recorded. Biochar amendment was most beneficial for enhancing the majority of these parameters. With respect to the control, a 20% decrease in bulk density, a 30% increase in water holding capacity, a 122% increase in organic carbon, a 175% increase in total nitrogen, a 23% increase in available nitrogen, and a 473% increase in available phosphorus were recorded. Furthermore, with respect to the control, a 115% increase in CEC was recorded using the compost amendment vs 84% with WSBC. Synergism between biochar and compost was reflected by high germination percentage (44%), number of fruits (600%), plant biomass weight (243%) and soil microbial biomass carbon (286%). Biomass amendment failed to show any positive influence. In summary, biochar emerges as a superior choice compared to both biomass and compost when it comes to soil amendments.

The use of inhibitors retain nitrogen as ammonium in soil, giving plants ample time for its uptake. This can reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, but extended retention may increase ammonia (NH3) volatilization. This study assessed the efficacy of coated urea fertilizers in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and NH3 volatilization in rice fields. A field experiment with Pusa 44 rice in the kharif seasons of 2019 and 2020 compared unfertilized control (No N), prilled urea (PU), nitrification inhibitors (NIs): neem oil-coated urea (NCU), karanj oil-coated urea, and dual inhibitor (DI: Limus + NCU). The coated urea fertilizers were analysed with scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Compared to PU, DI reduced N2O emissions by 23.7%, methane by 11.9%, and NH3 by 29.8%. DI also reduced NH3 emissions by 36–39% compared to other NIs. Overall, DI can lower the global warming potential of rice cultivation in trans Indo-Gangetic plains region by 17.1% for both direct and indirect emissions, suggesting its significant potential to reduce India's contribution to total agricultural GHG emissions.

The utilization of medicinal plants for their therapeutic properties has long been a key component of Indian culture. Unique medicinal characteristics can be found in the phytochemicals that are extracted from these plants. Globally, tuberculosis (TB) burden and management are challenged due to the emergence of new resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). This highlights the importance of new drug molecules from diverse sources as well as their innovative management options. In this context, the present study formulated an Anti Mtb medicinal plant database (AMMPDB Ver. 1.1), a manually curated database of native Indian medicinal plants that reported anti-tubercular (anti-TB) activities and their potential therapeutic phytochemicals. This is the first-ever freely accessible digital repository. The current version of the database provides users, with information regarding 118 native Indian anti-tubercular medicinal plants and their 3374 phytochemicals. The database provides the following information: Taxonomical ID, botanical description, vernacular names, conservation status, geographical distribution maps, IC-50 value, phytochemical details which include - name, Compound ID, Synonyms, location in plant part, 2D, 3D structures (as per the availability), and their medicinal uses reported in the literature. The tools section of the database is equipped with sequentially catalogued and hyperlinked open-access tools utilized for computational drug designing. A case study has been incorporated under the contributors section to validate the tools section and the phytochemicals of the database. AMMPDB Ver 1.1 will be serviceable to research in computational drug designing and discovery with effectiveness and ease.Database URL: https://www.ammpdb.com/

Wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum, sp. Ciceris (FOC) is an important disease causing losses up to 10% in chickpea yield. Experiments were conducted growing chickpea in free air ozone and carbon dioxide enrichment rings under four treatments of elevated ozone (O3) (EO:60 ± 10 ppb), elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) (ECO2:550 ± 25 ppm), combination of elevated CO2 and O3 (EO + ECO2) and ambient control for quantifying the effect on growth, yield, biochemical and nutrient content of chickpea. For studying the impact on wilt disease, chickpea was grown additionally in pots with soil containing FOC in these rings. The incidence of Fusarium wilt reduced significantly (p < 0.01) under EO as compared to ambient and ECO2. The activities of pathogenesis-related proteins chitinase and β-1,3- glucanase, involved in plant defense mechanism were enhanced under EO. The aboveground biomass and pod weight declined by 18.7 and 15.8% respectively in uninnoculated soils under EO, whereas, in FOC inoculated soil (diseased plants), the decline under EO was much less at 8.6 and 9.9% as compared to the ambient. Under EO, the activity of super oxide dismutase increased significantly (p < 0.5, 40%) as compared to catalase (12.5%) and peroxidase (17.5%) without any significant increase under EO + ECO2. The proline accumulation was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in EO as compared to EO + ECO2, and ECO2. The seed yield declined under EO due to significant reduction (p < 0.01) in the number of unproductive pods and seed weight. No change in the protein, total soluble sugars, calcium and phosphorus content was observed in any of the treatments, however, a significant decrease in potassium (K) content was observed under EO + ECO2. Elevated CO2 (554ppm) countered the impacts of 21.1 and 14.4 ppm h (AOT 40) O3 exposure on the seed yield and nutrient content (except K) in the EO + CO2 treatment and reduced the severity of wilt disease in the two years' study.