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The horticulture industry has gained significant attention at the National and International levels due to its vital role in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and increasing farmers' income. Despite this, the sector faces challenges like climate change, disruptions, and insufficient supply chain infrastructure, posing risks to sustainable horticultural production. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gaps related to technology usage in sustainable horticulture, particularly among smallholder farmers in the Uttarakhand Hills region of India. The study focuses on the differences in adopting digital technology between large and small farmers and highlights the importance of sustainable solutions that cover the entire farming cycle. The research explores the potential of digital technology in tackling key challenges faced by smallholding farmers, including income generation, supply chain efficiency, and post-harvest losses. The study carried out primary research in a small Himalayan fruit orchard located in Mukteshwar, Nainital District, Uttarakhand, India. The case study highlights the positive influence of digital technologies on the lives of small farmers residing in hilly regions. The methodology of research findings is based on practical implementation and fieldwork observations and concludes with recommendations for income generation, supply chain improvement, and the establishment of a digital ecosystem tailored for smallholding farmers. These insights provide a valuable foundation for future research endeavors in the domain of sustainable horticultural production and further will be helpful to achieve the targets of SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, carried out at CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Research Centre Purara, Bageshwar (Uttarakhand), investigated the growth and productivity of geranium crops under different NPK doses in the lower hills of Uttarakhand. Nine different NPK treatments, varying from 60:40:20 to 220:200:180 kg ha-1, were applied using a Randomised Block Design. Examined factors related to plant growth and yield, included plant height, diameter, stem count, leaf count, fresh shoot biomass per gramme of plant, and fresh herb yield per hectare. The 180:160:140 NPK level produced the highest fresh herb yield of 327.29 q ha-1, which corresponded to the highest oil yield of 163.65 kg ha-1. This study provides valuable insights into optimising NPK formulations to improve geranium crop yields, which is essential for increasing agricultural productivity in the Himalayan hills ofUttarakhand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deafmutism affects communication and wholesome development of an individual. India has a significant burden of deafness in the country. Even fourteen years after the launch of a National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness in year 2006, we lack detailed data about the disability from most regions of the country. This study aims at finding out the prevalence, clinical history-examination and audiological profile of deaf-mute patients visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a tertiary care institute in Uttarakhand, and compare the results with similar studies published during last 20 years from India to generate a literature review. Out of 46,049 patients that visited OPD of the institute during the given period of 24 months, 73 cases were short-listed clinically to be enrolled in the study. However, only 55 (75%) of them completed the questionnaire and audiological testing. All information was extracted from the patients/relatives with the help of a questionnaire in the Hindi language. The prevalence of deafmutism in patient presenting in our OPD in the study period was 0.3%. The history of pre-, peri- and post-natal risk factors was present in high percentage (58.2%, 78.2% and 34.5% respectively) of patients. This warrants review of our maternal and child healthcare strategies. The literature review revealed lack of uniform and standardized tool in conducting and reporting of studies on deafmutism. The questionnaire used in this study can be further improved and modified in the future as per the requirements of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era, due to the rapid increase in urbanization and industrialization in the vicinity of the Himalayas, heavy metals contamination in soil has become a key priority for researchers working globally; however, evaluation of the human and ecological risks mainly in hilly areas remains limited. In this study, we analyzed indices like the contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (DC), enrichment factor (EF), geochemical index (Igeo), pollution ecological risk index (PERI), and pollution load index (PLI), along with cancer risk (CR) and hazard indices (HI), to ascertain the eco-environmental and human risks of using heavy metals in datasets collected from 168 sampling locations in Uttarakhand, India. The evaluation calculated of Igeo, EF, and CF suggests that represented soil samples were moderately contaminated and highly augmented with Rb, while PERI (75.56) advocates a low ecological risk. Further, PLI and DC (PLI: 1.26; DC: 36.66) show a possible health risk for the native population in the vicinity of the studied catchment. The hazard index (HI) is estimated greater than 1 (HI > 1) for Cr and Mn, representing a possible risk for cancer. However, adults are free from cancer risk, and other studied elements have been reported as noncarcinogenic. This assessment gives important information to policymakers, environmentalists, and foresters for taking mitigation measures in advance to mitigate the potential future risk of soil pollution on humans, ecology, and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The soil stoichiometric ratios (C:N:P) were invariant in lower Himalaya. • The studied region has low C:N ratio indicating prospect for N 2 O emission. • Abies species have a higher C sequestration potential and carbon credit. • The findings are helpful to understand nutrient dynamics in forest. Understating of forest functioning is crucial for ensuring the sustainable flow of forest ecosystem services. Climate regulation service of a forest ecosystem can be ensured through emission reduction by increasing carbon sequestration in forests. However, understanding about the functioning of forests for carbon sequestration is constrained due to lack of information on nutrient stocks and stoichiometry of soils of forests of India. Present study focuses to examine the stoichiometry of major nutrients; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C) of forest soil to understand the dynamics of the forests of Uttarakhand, India. The study also attempted to supplement the information about the soil carbon sequestration potential of important tree species of the forest. Soil samples were collected randomly for the evaluation of physico-chemical characteristics and stoichiometry of forest soil at four altitudinal ranges i.e., <1000, 1000–1500, 1500–2000, and >2000 m a.s.l in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India. The analysis shows that total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and soil organic carbon contents in forest soil were 0.35 ± 0.11%, 0.10 ± 0.04% and 3.36 ± 0.84%, respectively, which increases with altitude. The stoichiometric ratios viz., C:N:P, N:P, C:N, and C:P, and N:P were reported of 51.6:5.4:1, 4.30 ± 2.39, 9.60 ± 1.48, and 41.94 ± 23.35, respectively which were invariant with altitude. The low C:N ratio may be attributed to either increase in the nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions with an increase in nitrogen, or low in carbon stock leading to decrease in carbon dioxide (CO 2) and methane (CH 4) emissions. Moreover, the soil C sequestration potential in the forest tree species follow the order of Abies pindrow > Cedrus deodara > Quercus leucotrichophora > Pinus roxburghii. The information of the study would facilitate for broadening the understanding about the soil properties and stoichiometry of forest ecosystem and would provide an aid to forest management besides contributing to the mitigations strategies of the forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon stored as soil organic carbon (SOC) and tree biomass is typically the highest carbon pool of the forest and is impacted by degradation and deforestation. The impact of "C" stocks on climate change at different altitudes can have vital implications for the conservation and management of "C" sinks. This study was undertaken in subtropical belt of Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India, to understand the carbon-storing potential of Anogeissus latifolia tree and its soil properties in three altitudes, i.e., lower (LA: 790–824 m), middle (MA: 825–960 m), and upper (UA: 1168–1212 m), which provide fuel, fodder, and small timber for life support purposes. Results of the study suggested that soil moisture and pH increase with increasing depth and altitude, whereas SOC and soil nitrogen show reverse patterns. Moreover, bulk density (BD) does not follow any trend (i.e., BD increases with soil depth and altitude until 960 m and further decreases with an increase in altitude). Tree density, biomass, and carbon stock reported highest in MA compared with UA and LA because of dense forest and greater tree diameter. Looking into the soil carbon stock, nitrogen, C/N ratio (C/N: < 10), and climatic drivers supportive to microbial degradation, it is concluded that A. latifolia forest has played an important role in carbon reduction and mitigating climate change at regional and global levels. The study will help environmentalists, foresters, and policy-makers to stimulate the combined effect of degradation of forest species on climate change and socioeconomic development at regional and global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofertilizers have emerged as an effective alternative to traditional fertilizers. They contribute to increased agricultural production by increasing input efficiency and reducing relevant losses. The present study was carried out at the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India, during 2016-17 to study the effect of synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on the growth and productivity of wheat and field pea crops. The results of the study revealed that significantly greater wheat and field pea plant height was recorded with 10, 20 and 50 ppm concentration of ZnO NPs, which decreased at 100 ppm concentration. A significantly higher yield of wheat was recorded at 50 ppm ZnO NPs concentration (3.28 ± 0.51 g plant-1), followed by 20 ppm (3.05 ± 0.43 g plant-1), which was at par with 100 ppm (3.02 ± 0.45 g plant-1), and the minimum at 10 ppm concentration (2.70 ± 0.34 g plant-1) over control. A similar trend in yield was observed for field pea. With respect to the mode of application, a higher yield of wheat was observed in the seed-soaking method (3.05 ± 0.43 g plant-1); however, in the case of field pea, a higher yield was observed using foliar spray (6.21 ± 0.52 g plant-1) method of ZnO application. Higher Zn content was observed in 50 ppm concentration for wheat (42.39 µg g-1) and field pea (26.00 µg g-1). The higher Zn use efficiency in terms of physiological efficiency was recorded at 20 ppm concentration (1.46) for wheat and 10 ppm (5.51) for field pea. Hence, it can be concluded that the applied ZnO NPs have stimulating effects on wheat and field pea crop growth and yield through increased zinc content in plants, zinc uptake and zinc use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]